What We Want, What We Get (a boy x boy novel)

Chapter Twenty-Seven - "I HATE YOU WITH EVERYTHING THAT I AM!"

Even though it's March, it's really cold outside right now. Normally when I think of March I think of the sun finally coming back to reward us for being decent human beings during the harsh winter season, but maybe some of us sinned a little bit harder this year. I tell Reese this as he's driving out of the Starbucks parking lot heading to school, and he tells me I'm being silly. I call him cold-blooded and he gets a small chuckle at that theory.

We're not in a serious relationship of any kind, but it feels like we are in something. When I'm not with the gang or my family, I'm with Reese. Hell, he hang out with both of these groups sometimes. Though the introduction to my parents was a bit awkward, considering they caught us making out on the kitchen counter one Tuesday afternoon when everyone was out. At least they don't hate him after that.

There's something about him that I like a lot. He's not like Paul, or Craig for that matter, which I was scared of but now I like it. He's got little things that I like, and if we weren't going to be on polar opposite parts of the country this coming fall, maybe I would have made him my boyfriend.

My college letters are coming in like crazy. When one came in, they all came in basically, and with each one I had a mini freak out session with each letter I opened with my family. It was a good sign if the letter came in a bigger envelope, because that typically means you got in. And it turned out to be true most of the time.

I got into pretty much every school I applied to, INCLUDING NYU! The only school I didn't get into was a small school in Florida (and I realized like three weeks after I sent the application I didn't want to go there because the town is really homophobic, after asking my cousin about the area). I was pretty much on the same level with Jayna and Caroline, because they got rejected by one school each as well. Brad got waitlisted for one school and rejected from two (he also applied to like 13 schools for no reason).

Now it's time to decide where the hell we're all gonna go. For most schools (within the country) we have until Mid-May to give a decision to our destination. I don't think we're gonna pick schools based on our friendship, because we all agreed that would be a stupid choice. Jayna is definitely going to Europe for college, preferably England (all my crushes live there), but she definitely liked that school in Sweden a lot more. Caroline is staying in the area, so at least I know I'll have a friend when I come to see my family on breaks. Brad doesn't have a freaking clue where he wants to go, but he needs to make a choice sooner or later.

I haven't asked Paul about his acceptance to NYU yet. Ever since that conversation we had last January, I see him around sporadically. Either he's super busy with his new job or I'm busy doing homework and scholarship applications, but we basically haven't been making too much time for each other lately. I don't want to think he's staying away because of my fondness for Reese, but who knows. We do text more now, and from what I gather, he's in a decent spot in life.

We pull up to the school with ten minutes to spare before classes start. As I reach for the door to get out, Reese asks me to stop for a second.

"I have a proposition for you." He starts with. This better not be like that "proposition" he made last month when I had to buy him food/make out with him for a week after he tutored me for class (I didn't hate the second part, just the first part).

"Does it involve spending large quantities of cash?" I ask, a bit anxious.

"Not unless you want to" he flirtatiously says. "I know we go to school in August and we're not "super serious" or whatever, but like I wanna hold your hand and kiss you in public and all that stuff. Not really asking you to be my boyfriend, but I want all the boyfriend stuff." He finishes.