Faking It [REWORKING '23]

chapter o1

Chapter One :
bet
- vocalpeter

•••
[ Carlos ]
[ Third Person ]

Carlos was woken up by the extreme heat he was feeling. His shirt was stuck against his back and his feet felt gross with his socks on. As he sat up, he felt a heavy weight on his stomach. Rubbing at his eyes, he looked over to see Jay sleeping soundly right behind him.

"Oh my god," he whispered, laying back down. He tried racking his brain yesterday for any memories. All he got was Chad beating him to no end and then Evie sitting in a chair in a room that smelled like cough syrup.

There was no dull pain in his rear. No bruises on his wrists or aches in his neck. Jay was fully clothed under the covers and his hair was still clean. Carlos sighed. As long as nothing happened.

Strategically maneuvering Jay's arm off of him, he got up, feeling a sting in his ribcage. Running his hand along the bones on his right, he felt a large bandage wrapped around him. He shrugged, perhaps Evie had taken him to the nurse's office.

Standing in the door frame of the bathroom, he stopped when he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror. He looked rough. The cut on his lip was nearly scabbed over, but it was red and angry and irritated. Scanning over his face, the scrapes on his cheek had dulled in colour. But the bruise on his nose was harsh, and bright, and ugly.

"Carlos?" He heard Jay call. He walked back, seeing Jay looking around the room before his eyes fell on him. He frowned slightly as Jay's phone rang, but he grabbed it anyways, peeling his attentions off the small boy.

Carlos walked over, crawling back into his bed and stuffed the side of his face into the pillows.

"No you can't come over," Jay said in a nervous tone. He glanced over at Carlos, who was looking back at him. "Carlos looks half dead, just go out or something!"

Carlos smiled as Jay got frustrated. Dude jumped up on the bed, rubbing against Jay's arm before stepping over and laid next to Carlos. The de Vil boy grinned tiredly, petting the mutt - don't ever call Dude that - happily.

"Mal, I am this close," Jay gestured with his fingers, "to cutting off your hair. Carlos needs to rest and you shooting him all those question will probably freak him out."

There was more talking on the other end, and then a bang at their door. Dude jumped at the sound. Jay groaned and flopped back on the pillows, taking the phone away from his ear.

The door swung open, hitting the wall and both Mal and Evie came in, both holding their phones and looking quite determined.

"Jay, what did you do now?" Carlos joked, getting a flick on the arm. He laughed, seeing Jay give him a small smile.

"Didn't tell us you two were dating!" Evie said, tossing her phone on the bed for both boys to see it.

It was on Melanie's profile to Instashare. The picture on the field she showed Jay yesterday. Carlos' face went bright red as he saw it.

"That's not the what happened though," He mumbled, scratching behind his ear. He picked up the phone, clicking on the comments and scrolling through. The first one made him almost smile. Almost.

It was Chad, saying 'oh shit, if he and Jay are together I'm getting my ass kicked.' and got a ton of replies saying he would. He did smile as he continued on. Jane commented two hearts and two boys holding hands. and Lonnie did a rainbow with a heart.

"Well there's nothing bad in the comments," Carlos grinned. Jay tilted his head to the side, taking the phone and scrolling through.

"Chad thinks because we're together, if he even touched you I'll punch him?" Jay asked looking at him. Mal perked at that, looking at her phone and going through her messages.

"Ben texted me, saying that since you two were together Chad and the others won't mess with Carlos. That's what she's attempting, anyways," she explained, smiling at the two.

"What if they find out we're not?" Carlos asked. He frowned looking at Dude instead of anyone else.

"Then we'll fake it," Jay said casually, sitting up on the bed. All three looked at him with confusion. "We'll fake date to keep Carlos safe," he said, dumbing it down.

"And you think it'll work?" Carlos asked, looking at him and petting Dude's head.

"We're talking about me here, son of Jafar, I can get away with almost anything," Jay said, acting all cool. Evie rolled her eyes and Mal snorted. Jay glared at them before looking over at Carlos. "You down to faking it?"

There was a slight pause before he nodded. "Why not," he smiled, beaming when Jay pounced on him to give him a hug.

"5o bucks they fall on their asses," Mal bet to Evie, keeping her eyes on her friends as they laid on the bed, Carlos laughing.

"5o they'll pull through," Evie challenges, smiling when Dude started jumping and barking at the wrestling boys.

"Deal," they said at the same time, turning to look at one another and giving the opposite a sweet, peck on the lips.

Looking back at the two, Jay was tickling Carlos, obviously only touching his left side rather than his battered up right. And, the two girls smiled at the sound of the youngest laughing so genuinely his throat scoffed and cut his breath and voice squeaked.