What Remains (BoyxBoy)

Chapter 25

Carter's arms had dropped to his sides and as he stared, wide-eyed, at the shocked faces of his friends. Paxton's arm was draped over Chris' shoulders and he looked pale because of the amount of apparent spiked punch he had drunk. A brief glance was exchanged between Carter and Josh and he could see he panic in the blond's eyes.

When Carter looked back at Chris and Paxton, he saw Paxton suddenly leaning forward, letting out a sound of disgust before liquid fell out of his mouth and splashed onto the flooring. Chris flinched a bit to avoid getting Paxton's vomit on his shoes but kept holding onto him.

"Come on," Josh said before he grabbed Carter by his wrist and pulled him along. No word was spoken as he was being pulled along until they rushed out of the gym and through the hallway.

"Where are we going?" Carter eventually asked as they rushed through the school building.

"Out."

Carter couldn't stop thinking about the faces of Chris and Paxton, and knew that now they've witnessed them kissing, the secret was out. They now knew that him and Josh were gay, and in love with each other. He wasn't entirely sure what to think of the situation. He had wanted to tell them eventually, after all. But now that they found out like this, he also felt a sudden fear. He was afraid, so very afraid. Would they disapprove of them? Would they stop being friends with them? Would they tell everyone they know, and call them "fags" from now on?

When they were outside, Josh let go of Carter's wrist and Carter now only noticed how much he was panting. He knew a lot must be going through his mind at the moment, knowing how afraid he was of their secret coming out. Carter himself didn't care all that much about it. He simply didn't understand what was so bad about being gay, and why people should treat you differently because of it, but Josh didn't think the same way. Josh appeared to know exactly why gays were rejected within society, and how people would treat you upon coming out. Especially in a small town like this.

"Shit..." Josh cursed. "Shit shit shit shit!" He leaned against the outer wall of the school building as he caught his breath, and Carter could sense how tense he was. Almost as if he was close to panicking.

"Josh, calm down," Carter said, trying to comfort him. Though he knew his efforts for comfort were probably in vain.

"No I won't calm down!" Josh said, confirming Carter's assumptions. "They saw us... They stood there and saw us and..." The blond couldn't form sentences out of panic, it appeared, and Carter took a step closer to him.

"Josh, listen to me," he said. "Calm down. We will talk about it with Chris and Pax, alright? Sooner or later, they would have found out anyway, and there's no changing it now. If they really are our friends, they'll let us be whoever we want to be. And if they don't approve of it, well, then it's best to not be friends anymore. I refuse to be friends with anyone who lets sexuality determine the value of our friendship."

Blue eyes flickered up to meet with Carter's but Josh still hung his head, letting out an audible sigh. "I know but... I just wasn't ready yet, alright? Of course I knew they'd find out eventually, but not so soon. I wished I had some more time to prepare myself for the confrontation that is to come." Josh bit his lip and turned back to the wall. "I don't know where to go from here. I don't want them telling anyone, but for all we know, they could be telling the entire school about it right now."

Carter wanted to say something upon hearing his remark but he stopped himself from talking when someone came rushing out of the building. A girl. She turned towards the two boys and stared at them for a brief moment before she approached them. It was then that Carter could see that the girl was Alyssa.

He knew that Josh saw her as well upon hearing his soft curse under his breath. Carter wondered if she came looking for them because Chris and Paxton told her about what they saw. Whatever the reason, he knew had a feeling that she knew.