When The Nights Get Long

Leave A Tender Moment Alone

Slamming their locker shut, Blue lolled their head to face Aiden, who continued to stuff his backpack for the holiday break. "How do you think you did on the test?"

"I passed. No doubt." He always was the smartest of the two. "How about you? Think your time with Andrew helped you out?"

For three months Andrew helped Blue with their studies. Everything they reviewed was far easier to understand when he explained it compared to when the teachers did. Due to him, Blue were sure they were going to pass, no doubt. Thanks to him, their grades were already rising. The road to becoming an academic scholar was, once again, within their grasp.

During their study sessions with Andrew, the two began to become more friendly to each other. Rather than wanting to stab his neck with a pencil any time he cracked a joke about them, Blue merely learned to tune him out and focus on the positives.

The time spent together did allow Blue to learn more about the author. Since he meant the world to Luke, they wanted to understand him better. Though it was difficult to discover facts about him whenever he took a jab at them (which they felt happened each time he opened his mouth), there was a lot about him to admire.

His work ethic was something quite admirable. Every other time they arrived at his suite for a tutoring session, Andrew was always in the middle of working on a magazine column or a manuscript for a book. He spat out two books a year, one for his boys love novel series (which Blue still couldn't believe was a real thing) and an original story concept. Writing seemed to be the only thing the author ever did, something they held in high respect regarding him.

Even if he had a manuscript to turn in by a specific deadline, Andrew would always place it on hold, claiming he knew which direction he was heading in, and help Blue with their studies. They were eternally grateful for his help, but it was concerning to occasionally have him tutor them after not sleeping for two or more days in order to turn in his manuscript on time.

Just the other day, Andrew wound up passing out on the couch in his office as Blue answered practice questions in the back of the textbook. "What is the- Oh," they whispered when they spotted him. Standing up, they quietly stepped up to him and waved a hand over his face. When they received no response, they slipped the blanket off the back of the couch and laid it over him as they shifted him lay comfortably on the couch. The last thing the grouch needed was to wake up in pain.

Closing the textbook and packing their supplies, they were almost out the office door when Blue heard him whisper to them, "Blue. Thank you." It was first time his words were genuine. The actual thoughtfulness in his voice proved there was a softer side to him, a sweet side that took some time to unlock. But they felt like they should be the grateful one, as it was because he chose to stay up to help them study rather than sleep. Andrew could have cancelled on them, but he didn't. He never did. It proved that, in a small way, he did want to help them succeed.

"I better have passed," they grunted to Aiden. "I've been working my ass off to study. I haven't performed in weeks, and all because I am wanting to make sure that I pass these damn finals. I need to be an academic scholar."

"Such a weird dream for a musician."

"No, it's not," they grumbled, crossing their arms over their chest. He didn't know how they were doing it for Luke, to make him proud and achieve the high school dream he had slip through his fingers because of them. Being a scholar for his sake seemed like a small way to pay him back for everything he had ever done for them.

As the two began to walk back to Blue's house, the two stopped in front of a bar they had played in multiple times. The pair had their own bad, but the group wouldn't last past high school. All other members had their own dreams and ambitions. Only Aiden and Blue would remain in Chicago after graduation.