Social Suicide (BxB) / On Hold

Chapter 17

As the school year progressed, Alex found himself becoming gradually closer to Ashton. Their friendship started out fickle - it was difficult for the two to communicate, and their interactions were limited at best. But, by the time the semester was over, they'd become closer than Alex could've imagined possible. It turned out that they shared many of the same interests, and their friendship now felt natural. It felt right. 

But this friendship was unintentional of course, and they both knew that it was sparked simply because of the sheer amount of time they were forced to spend together. Between tutoring sessions, weekends and their shared job at the cafe, Alex found that he now was spending more time with Ashton than his friends. Those were the times that Ashton was himself, this Alex knew. At times when there was only the two of them, his fierce, aggressive charade dropped, and he transformed into someone completely different.

At school, however, it was a different matter. When they passed in the halls, they tried not to communicate too much. A smile or wave here or there was fine, but it was an unwritten rule between the two not to interact when others were around. If they needed to talk, they'd text - nothing more. And honestly, both of them liked it that way. Yet despite all these precautions, Alex found that some of his friends, namely Thalia, were becoming increasingly suspicious. He found it difficult to conceal his friendship to that extent and knew that one day, their secret would slip for good. But that was something he chose not to think about for obvious reasons.

Right now, Alex was walking to work, his bag heavy on his shoulders. The early morning light pinched his eyes, and he stumbled on a section of loose pavement. The first set of exams were only a few days away, and he was almost relieved to have a break from preparing for them. He crossed the threshold into the familiar cafe, the smell of fresh baked goods hitting his nose. Ashton spotted him right away.

"Hey, Alex, what's up?" Ashton's smile reached his eyes as he spoke, something that rarely happened while they were in school. Alex hadn't realized, but Ashton no longer referred to him by his surname, Winters. It was a sign, a sign that their friendship was building.

Alex considered his friend for a moment then heaved the heavy backpack off his shoulders. It hit the ground with a thud. "Not much, you?"

"Same old." Ashton's voice was so low he had to step closer to hear. "Have you started studying yet?" He said, delivering his words slowly as he focused on setting up the storefront. Alex watched as he piled cupcakes into the carefully aligned racks, his movements easy and practiced. The apprehension in his voice indicated that he, too, was nervous about the upcoming exams. 

"Yeah, sorry to say." His lips tilted into a smile. "I'm assuming you haven't?"

Ashton laughed, a defense mechanism, before throwing a cloth Alex's way. "I've had better things to do. Like work, which - if you haven't noticed - you should really be doing."

"Okay, I get the message."

Alex spent the next few hours cleaning and restocking the front counter. It was a busy morning, and it seemed to him like the stream of customers entering the building never slowed. He felt sorry for Ashton more than anything. Dealing with workers on a weekday was one thing, but the number of entitled kids and teens that came through over the weekend was insufferable.

 "Can I have a Venti Iced Skinny Hazelnut Macchiato with Sugar-Free Syrup?" He heard someone order in a high, whiny voice. He watched as she twirled her hair between her fingers and eyed Ashton seductively. Typical.

"Sure, take away or dine in?"

When Alex went to restock, his eyes lazily trailed out the window. He peered further out, momentarily distracted by a group of people in the distance. They looked familiar from somewhere -