It All Started in Detention

Chapter Twenty-Five

Jack didn't have a crush on Davey; he couldn't.

He was staggering behind Davey and Race, all three still clad in the clothes they'd worn just last night, despite the sun shining rather bright for eight in the morning. The rays burned Jack's eyes despite the hand covering his face. Race covered his face too, but Davey let it be, for the best Jack had to admit; his eyes shined to that of a green lake, with little brown creatures swimming in it. It was beautiful, and Jack wanted to paint it.

Davey was an inspiring guy. That's why Jack was attracted to him--or hormones. He was seventeen, an age known for being notoriously horny, so perhaps he was simply lonely, and Davey was there. That wouldn't ruin his friendship qith the taller boy because Jack always wanted Davey there just as he always to hang out with his friends, and they always hung out. But Davey was a busy guy, similar to that of a rare fruit, and Jack was anything if not opportunistic. But there was nothing too interesting about Davey, other than the fact he was a new factor in Jack's rather open life. For all they knew, Davey could be gone by next week--though parting is such great sorrow. Jack didn't like the idea of Davey leaving his life; he was only just beginning to get to know him.

Davey was new, and new was different. With new came excitement and intrigue, as well as a state of which one wanted that new thing all the time, desperately, just before he got used to that thing. Jack would get used to Davey.

Why was he looking into this?

"Are pancakes okay?" Jack looked over to find Davey, who was staring back at him with what are now determined to be hazel eyes. Jack noticed that night that his mother had green eyes, and his father had brown eyes. Davey was simply a mix of both. That only made Jack's heart swell. "Jack?"

"Yeah", Jack nodded, speaking at a higher octave than he'd like. He cleared his throat and attempted to speak levelly. "That's fine, sure. Get what...you want."

Race stared at Jack with a complex look, as if he was trying to figure him out. Davey noticed his change of attitude towards him, but ignored it. Today was a good day, he didn't have the space in his mind to worry about Jack's mood. Although he did question himself silently, he turned back to the young woma taking his order, putting on a cheerful facade.

He told himself Jack wsn't bothered by his presence. He told himself that Jack had invited him out with his friends, not the other way around--not that it would make much difference, as their respective friend groups were just a line of connections to each other, but principle stood in the way. He didn't think he'd done anything wrong, although he did make a joke last night that fell flat, leaving a deafening silence until Crutchie saved the day. He hadn't offended anyone, as far as he could tell, and he hadn't weirded anyone out, as far as he could tell, so there was no reason for Jack's behavior. It was if he was running on barely there Wi-Fi.

Davey felt his heart rate pick, and that uncomfortable heavy feeling laid itself between his bones. Today was a good day, he kept telling himself, and he squeezed his thumb, breathing deep. Today was going to be a fine day.

He just needed Jack to get his shit together.

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By the time they'd gotten back to Race's apartment, a majority of boys had woken up from their sleep, more refreshed than they were last night. Albert had been the only one to change clothes, and had been the only one to sit down, as the boys took roaming the house. Henry was in the bathroom with Finch, giving himself a shot of insulin away from watching eyes, although he did peak his out from behind the wall of the bathroom door to see who'd entered the apartment. "They're back!"

Crutchie sighed in relief, staring at Jack with a distressed look. Jack raised a brow at him, placing the food he'd been carrying onto the counter in the kitchen. "What?"

"Don't ever leave me here by myself again", he begged, and Davey was beginning to worry. "Do you know how long I waited for food? Hours, Jackson. Hours."

That was a nickname Jack hoped to forget about, and begged his brother to let go of, but he'd lost that argument when Crutchie decided the name was payback for his own nickname. Jack simply ignored it; the name, and Crutchie's win. "Gee whiz, kid, you'd think you'd have some manners after living with Medda for years."

"I could say the same for you", Crutchie teased, sticking his tongue out at his brother as he walked past him, entering the kitchen to get his hands on the food they'd nought. "Morning, Davey", he greeted, smiling.

"Good morning", Davey replied, giving him the same smile. He could hear Race complain about how Crutchie completely ignored him, and Crutchie's argument being more liquidized than water, but decidely ignored it, making his way to corner behind the door, where a pile of shoes had grown the night before. He excused himself past Jack and placed his right hand on the wall, untying his shoelaces.

He seemed normal again. On the walk back from getting breakfast, he'd dropped the shyness that'd been accompanying him like a parrot to a pirate, and spoke to Davey the way he normally did. He was smoother to talk to, quick to respond, and igniting conversations one could only have three hours past sunrise. He was just Jack.

Perhaps Davey had been looking into things, they way he always did. How stupid of him.

"Hey", Ike interrupted Davey's train of thought, biting into a piece of bacon. "You okay?"

"Yes and no", Davey answered, sighing. He hadn't realized he'd been staring at the wall the entire time, leaving him with only one shoe in the pile. He made haste to get the other off as soon as possible so he could finally get something to eat. "Jack was being weird this morning. I'm just overthinking it."

"Yeah, Jack's always weird", Ike agreed, speaking through his mouth full of food. "Maybe he woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning."

Davey didn't say anything for he couldn't provide a definitive answer for that. The past couple of weeks with Jack have been fun, and normal for them, but now they were at an awkward stance, dancing around each other's feelings in a half-assed tango. He hated it more than Jack's attitude, and he was beginning to think today wasn't a great day after all. "I'm just overthinking it."

Ike placed a hand on Davey's back, rubbing it comfortingly. Davey let him, refusing to say anything more than that.