Fragile Threads [boyxboy]

Chapter 4

Ethan glanced over awkwardly, inspecting Brent from a distance, as it always went... but something felt off. There Brent was, in all of his naked glory, and Ethan wasn't so affected as he usually was. He felt a little warm over it, but walked away without sporting an erection.

Ethan rubbed a hand over the back of his neck, trying to think it over, and that killed any of the faint arousal he had been harboring. He redressed, leaving the locker room earlier than he usually did. It was a strange feeling to get to his next class without worrying about being late.

Something had to be off. Maybe he was sick, and had cancer. Did that decrease libido? No, it couldn't be that. Just the other day, he had been all over Him. Ethan shuddered slightly as that memory crept into his mind. He shifted in his seat, fixing his jeans in the crotch.

That got him more of a reaction. Maybe that was it? He wasn't so attracted to Brent anymore since there was someone else. Someone he didn't even know in face or name. Was that even possible?

Ethan ground his teeth and began to sketch on his desk. It only took the teacher a minute to realize what he was doing, and was rewarded with wiping down all the desks in the class after school. Ethan glared at the teacher for that, but the day moved on otherwise.

Aside from lunch, anyways. "You want to join us?" Brent asked, gesturing towards his regular lunch table.

Ethan stared blankly at Brent for a moment, before inspecting the crowd at the lunch table. His regular weight lifting partner was there, along with a few others in the class. He almost asked why, but Brent answered for him.

"You usually are on your own most of the time," he pointed out, as if Ethan didn't know that already. He had been avoiding the people he usually called friends. "And it doesn't hurt to partner up in class more or anything."

Ethan shrugged and gave in. He carried his packed lunch from his table over to Brent's, a little out of his element. The only open seat wasn't near Brent, and that was really the only person he was familiar with. Ethan sunk down in his seat, and Brent did a run around of names.

"Jason, Alex, Rhett, Landon, Ari, and you know me." Brent gave a lop-sided grin. All of them blended in together though—all the same jock-looking type and probably did sports together. Ari was set apart by his olive skin and dark hair. Other than that, the others were almost all identical. Ethan wondered if they dyed their hair to all be blond or light brown. Maybe he was supposed to join their clone group.

Sinking lower, Ethan still couldn't see why he had been invited. He was thinner than the rest of them, or at least felt like it. Ethan focused on his lunch, listening to the conversation but not participating. No one seemed to reach out and invite him into anything, either, despite Brent asking him over. Ethan felt his stomach tightening as he grew more uncomfortable.

Lunch was finally over, and Ethan left the table quickly. Brent did shoot him a good-bye, but Ethan only nodded over his shoulder. He let out a breath of relief once he was on his own again, slowing down and taking his time to his next class.

Ethan put his iPod in for his next two classes, tuning everything out. He played with his pencil, resisting the urge to draw on his desks. He didn't want to have to clean more than he already did. He still felt slightly tense from lunch and he just wanted it to go away.

After school he dragged himself back to his earlier class. He could have just left, but he couldn't let himself do that. He was given a spray bottle of water and a rag before the teacher left for a meeting. Ethan retreated to his iPod yet again, spraying down desks and wiping them off. He would miss the bus, but he almost wanted the walk home.