Hanging by a Moment [Completed]

Let That Be Enough

The music was hurting my ears. I wasn’t even sure why I’d let Sarah talk me into coming to the party; at least, I wasn’t for a moment. But then I remembered.

Huh.

It wasn’t like I could truly forget, ever, because it wasn’t one of those things you could just let pass. Sure, I could have a few moments of blissful ignorance, but a few minutes into it I’d suddenly recall why I had no reason to smile. Which could come across as overly dramatic, sure, but it meant a lot to me.

Peyton.

“Hey!” Sarah greeted their friend excitedly, an inexplicable gleam in her eyes. Jayden shook his head to acknowledge his best friend’s presence, as though it were just another day, but inside, his heart was hammering.

“Sarah.” He nodded towards the both of them. “Jay.”

They stood there then, saying nothing to each other, the same thing weighing on the boys’ minds. Peyton hadn’t said anything to him that morning, or during the weekend, and he hadn’t pressed because he could appreciate that his friend needed time.

Eventually it was too much for Sarah to bear. “So?”

Both boys turned to her simultaneously, pretending to be unaware.

“So, what?” Jayden asked, hoping his voice wouldn’t give anything away.

She turned to face him, as though it would somehow prevent Peyton from hearing. “You know,” she tried to subtly indicate towards him.

“What, Sarah?” He hoped she’d take a hint. They hadn’t talked about it, and this could only be making things more awkward for his friend.

“Oh, come on.” She changed her stance to look back and forth at her friends. “You guys didn’t talk about it?”

I knew all I needed to know the moment he averted his gaze to the ground.

“So, hi.” It was Biology, and unsurprisingly, the friends were partners. They’d awkwardly skirted around the topic in the morning, and hadn’t said much to each other either. Jayden had decided not to pursue anything, not till his best friend brought it up first, but he could tell that it was still in his mind. So he tried to divert his attention.

“Hey.” Peyton seemed distracted.

It was a laboratory lesson, where they were to dissect the heart of a goat. It was a lesson both boys had anticipated eagerly for a while now, but when the day had actually arrived, neither seemed too enthusiastic.

Jayden tried anyway. “We finally get to do this, huh?”

Peyton’s forced smile succeeded in wiping his own off. Determined not to let it bother him, however, he proceeded to take a stool and plant himself besides his lab partner.

I pretended like I didn’t see it, but I did. He flinched away slightly when I sat down next to him. His body shifted toward the other side, the side away from me.

It felt like he’d been slapped.

He tried to remain optimistic for the next few days, as Peyton started slightly every time he showed up, as Sarah was allowed to sit between them at lunch time, but it was only so long it would last. The confidence he’d had that they would survive was slowly ebbing away, tearing away at his insides.
He’d known it! He’d known that this would happen-of course it would! Peyton was straight, and Jayden was like a brother to him; of course he’d try to keep a distance!