Only Ones Who Know - Derp Crew High School AU

Chapter 15: Questions

(A/N: I wanted to end the Ryan arc in the last chapter but I got this idea, courtesy of @RaspberryMVP101's comment on the last part.)

I went into my math class today, a couple days after the mall incident, waiting for Steven to come in. I sat down at my desk and pulled everything I needed out of my bag, several thoughts racing through my mind.

Yes, I'm still worried that I might get in trouble for punching Ryan. I'm also worried about him spreading mine and Steven's secret out of retaliation. At the same time, it hit me... he still has to sit beside Cielo in class! My heart dropped as I thought about what he might do or say to her out of spite.

I leaned against my desk and buried my face in my hands at the thought. If that's the case I might have just made everything worse for her. Breaking me out of my thoughts, I felt a familiar hand on my back.

"Anthony?" Steven's kind voice asked softly, rubbing my back up and down. "Is everything okay?"

I turned to face him and shook my head. "I can't shake this feeling that I messed everything up. Anything can happen, Steven! He knows about our relationship, he sits next to Cielo in class right now, he could get the police involved. What do I do to fix this?"

Steven pulled me closer to him before I got too flustered. "Shh shh, hey now. Remember what Tom said? We can vouch for you. And if they see any security video, they'll know that you're telling the truth."

"Yeah, but... what about us? What if our secret gets out and the entire school turns against us?"

He cupped my cheeks and gave me a kiss as the rest of the class comes in. "So what? Who cares about what they think about us? I love you, and I'll always be by your side, no matter what."

I smile and cup his face, rubbing his cheek with my thumb. "Thank you, for everything."

Mr. Crawford came in and began the lesson, mostly just exam review. About twenty minutes into class, the office receptionist called over the intercom.

"Mr. Crawford?"

"Yes."

"Do you have Anthony Mariani and Steven Royale in class today?"

"Yes I do." As soon as I heard our names I knew exactly what was going to happen. I looked at Steven, who gave me the same worried look.

"Can you please send them to the office for a few minutes?" As Mr. Crawford agreed, Steven and I stood up and left the room, the entire class chuckling at us and him trying to quiet them. I was on the verge of tears, I just knew I was screwed.

"Steven, what do I do?" I asked in a worried but low voice to not disturb the other classes.

"It's gonna be okay, Anthony. We have your back, remember?"

I nodded in agreement but it didn't help the fact that I was in trouble in the first place. We made it to the office and were led into Principal Joseph's room, where some of our friends and the school resource officer were already waiting. GaLm, Myla, Tom, Marissa, Scarlett, as well as Amelia, Ryan's girlfriend.

We took a seat and Steven laced his fingers in mine while we waited for the rest. This was an interrogation. A minute or so later, Smarty, Cielo, and Ryan came in. Cielo's face looked a little flushed and I saw him cut his eyes at me.

"Okay, Mr. Mariani, Mr. McConnell," Principal Joseph started, closing the door behind us. "In fact, everyone has been called here today because of an incident involving these two gentlemen at the Midtown Mall. Officer Dun has offered to mediate and will help me determine the necessary punishment. Now, Mr. Mariani, begin with your side of the story."