Do You See Me Now? ✔

Chapter 1 - The Crush

Tuesday, October 9th

     The day Jesse got his tattoo was one for the history books, since he had reached an all-time low. Yes, he had wanted this tattoo for years, and yes he had been saving up his paychecks to be able to pay for it, but he could've waited for about nine months until he turned 18 and could legally decide on getting a tattoo himself. He wouldn't have needed his parents' permission—which he would never get.

Which meant he wouldn't have gone through so much trouble to get a fake ID, One which was expensive as hell because it needed to look very realistic in case they'd ask for him to ID himself. They didn't.

And now he had a fake ID that was hardly distinguishable from a real one, and a tattoo that covered all of his lower right arm.

And he was grounded for a month. Not that he cared. He wasn't planning on staying home for a month and listening to his father shading him every time he got a chance.

But that didn't matter to him, since it impressed Calix, and impressing Calix was worth it to Jesse. As long as he could do things to impress Calix—or get his attention—he wasn't going to let anything stop him from doing them.

Impressing Calix was also the only reason Jesse was still part of the soccer team. Together with a guy named Ferdi, they formed a solid offence, with Calix as their best player and top scorer. It was worth all the muddy practices and rainy soccer matches during the weekend, just to be there to celebrate every goal Calix managed to score.

Jesse was a decent soccer player himself, and he took most assists on his account, enabling Calix to make all those goals. And every time he gave the assist, Calix would run up to him first to celebrate the goal. A part of Jesse lived for those short moments in which they would share a brotherly hug and a few cheers, pumping fists in the air together.

But the best moment ever was when Jesse himself managed to score a goal in somewhat of a miraculous way, and Calix couldn't stop bragging about the goal on his behalf to anyone who was willing to listen. The proud looks Calix gave him every few minutes on the party they went to afterwards had sparked something inside Jesse that had caused him to get addicted to it.

He wanted Calix to be proud of their friendship all the time. He wanted Calix to be impressed by him every day. It gave him hope that there was something inside Calix. Something small, a part that liked him the same way he liked Calix.

It had grown into a small obsession; hence the fact that Jesse took his tattoo two weeks after the day Calix had told people that he thought tattoos were cool, and that, one day, he would get one. Now Jesse had one, and every so often—ever since Jesse had showed off his new tattoo—Calix would yank his arm towards him to admire the piece of art.

And every time Calix touched him to admire the tattoo, his skin was on fire. He was on fire completely, and it was only a matter of time until he would combust right in front of Calix.

Talk about whipped.

"Dude!" Roy sat down beside him on the step of the stairs leading to the locker rooms. "I heard you got a tattoo. Calix was talking about it."

Jesse couldn't fight the smirk on his face, proud because Calix had told Roy about him and his tattoo. He hadn't seen Roy in a while, and he was one of the few people who still hadn't seen it, which was why Jesse pulled up the sleeve of his hoodie to show him the design.

"That's so awesome. I can't believe your parents agreed to it!" Roy traced a flower that was part of the sleeve with his finger.

"Who says they did?" Jesse chuckled and shrugged. "Johan got me a fake ID."