Zanvis || Colors

40

The bell rang to dismiss the 5th period. I hurried to the hallway, expecting to meet Zane halfway there like we planned but didn't. Panic set in, he would never just go to his locker knowing im all the way down the hall in the choir room.
"Travis calm down.." Demon tried comforting me, but it was no use. I could feel anxiety breathing on the back of my neck. I felt alone, isolated, like everyone was watching me.
Im alone- where is Zane-?
"He's probably at his locker, just keep going..
So i did. I kept walking down the hall, which seemed to have been getting longer and longer with every step. I reached my locker finally and Zane was nowhere to be found, but Gene was standing there leaning against Zane's locker like he was waiting for him.
"Gene, i didn't expect to see you here. Do you know where Zane is?" I felt my face heat up out of nervousness.
"There you are. Yeah Zane got a lunch detention. He told me to stay with you for lunch." Gene explained standing up right once i made it to him. I put my things in my locker, grabbed my earbuds and just stood there awkwardly. I would follow him if he didn't want to go outside, to be honest i didn't want to go outside. Even though it was safer than being in the gym, it was cold and Zane was the only one that made going outside feel warmer..
"We can go wherever you want to go." Gene said looking down at me slightly. He was a few inches taller than me, enough to make me look up at him.
"Umm.. w-we usually go outside because i hate the gym but if you know anywhere we can go to talk privately i'd like that.." I decided to talk to him about the vape and see if he knew anything about Zane's sudden strange behavior. I was almost afraid to dig too deep though.
"The only other place I know is private is if we walk around the block or if i pick the lock to the outside locker rooms. Preferably the girls locker rooms." He said chuckling. I agreed and smiled slightly. Something inside me felt terrible for smiling without Zane. I didn't want him to feel replaced at all.
"He wont feel replaced just get the information from him."
Alright alright.. Ill try but you know how i am.
"I can talk for you if i need to." Demon explained to me. It made me feel a bit better about the situation but not entirely, again i was still terrified to find out what he knew about Zane.
"I guess we could go out to the locker room, you think well get in trouble?"
"There aren't any cameras out there. If you don't want to we can just sit in the booth on the top of the bleachers." Gene said, showing me his lock pick. I blushed a bit, nervous for this but as long as he locked it back up it would be alright. We walked outside, crossed the road, and went to the bleachers. I was nervous to be over here, thinking that maybe the sophomores would come after me for Zane hitting their friend or something stupid like that. Gene was leading the way, i felt like a lost puppy. We climbed the bleachers, his combat boots were clanging loud with every step he took on aluminum stairs. I felt like someone would hear us and come over to where we were to torment us. We climbed to the platform at the top of the bleachers, i was looking around to see if anyone was watching.
"How is it going.?" I asked nervously.
"Wow, Zane was right you are a nervous nelly. Ive almost got it." Gene explained, and then turned the knob and pushed the door open. It was much warmer than being out in the cold i must say. He closed the door behind us and sat down on the ground. I joined him.
"Ooo there is a heater." He said turning it on, "Ahh that hits the spot, doesn't it?" He asked me, extending his hands out to warm them up. I nodded and did the same.
"So, Gene.. i really wanted to talk to you about something.. Well it's about Zane- but i think i need to talk to you about him and his behavior."
"What's going on with him?" Gene asked getting comfortable.
"That's what i wanted to ask you.. I know you guys hung out once or twice, and i wanted to... i-i"
"Want to hear what i know about Zane." Gene finished my sentence for me. I nodded embarrassed. "Well, what do you want to know? He was in a bad place and full of scars everywhere. He is super thin too, probably starving himself or something like that." Gene explained. He took out a tiny vape that looked somewhat like a juul but wasn't quite it. I don't vape so im not sure what it was.
"Did you give him the juul?"
"Yeah, i told him it's how i cope instead of self harm. He didn't have to take it but he did. It probably is making everything worse though. For me it really does help but in some people it makes them very irritable."
"Well youre right, he keeps snapping at Garroth.."
"Oh, well until he gets used to it itll probably keep happening. Or you could try to take it away from him. Eventually he's going to run out of juice in the pods so he won't be able to refill unless he gets pods from someone." Gene explained. I sat there thinking in front of the heater.
"W-was it true...? That you.. Took Zane's virginity..?"
"Travis- you guys weren't together at the time were you? He didn't mention anything about you being together."
"No we still aren't together but i just.. I didn't think he would, ya know, that early in life."
"Oh.. well if it makes you feel any better i was the bottom. So, i didn't do anything to him when he was a girl. He explained the whole potion thing to me too. He was a guy when we did stuff together. And we were high.." He explained, Gene almost looked guilty now.
"Wait wait wait- you're telling me Gene was the bottom?! This tall, emo badass mother fucker was the bottom?!" Demon yelled out of shock.
Demon watch your mouth- jeez. Yeah i guess.. I mean if he said it happened, it happened.
"Ask if he was big."
DEMON I AM NOT GOING TO ASK THAT!
"Want me to do it for you?" I could hear the smirk on his face.
No i do not want you to do it for me..
"Fine."
Demon was capable of saying the most inappropriate things at the worst time, every time! "I suppose it helps a little bit but.. I-i don't know. It shouldn't bother me like it is."
"Well i understand, you guys are like a thing now aren't you? If i was in your place i would for sure be jealous."
"We aren't really a thing.. Should we be?"
"For sure. If you aren't it seems like it. I would just go for it."
"I-I don't know. I just wanted to know what you knew about Zane.." I restated, not knowing until Gene said something to me about it.
"You said that already."
"Sorry-"
"Hey you don't need to be so jumpy around me, snowball. I know youve been through a lot but you don't need to panic. I am not going to hurt you, I promise that. We don't have to talk about you and Zane if you don't want to. But I can explain everything that happened again but.. I don't know much. He said he was in a rough spot because he thought you were his friend purely to get to Garroth. So Zane and i just ya know, got caught up in the moment or something like that. We had fun, got high. I made him take a shower and we went to bed. I mean the next morning he tried talking to Zennix and Sasha to help them, he seemed pretty drained himself but he still tried helping them anyway." Gene explained again, this time adding that he tried helping his friends. I believed him when he said that was all that happened.
"Okay.. well thanks for telling me Gene. He seems to be in a bad spot again and i wanted to make sure he was actually okay for a bit and not just me being blind because he's a good liar" I explained sounding upset with myself.
"Well whatever is going on with him just don't blame yourself okay? It won't do any good. Itll be a back and forth fight between the both of you." He grabbed my shoulder. I turned my head to look at him. "Im serious. It won't do either of you any good if youre both keep blaming yourself for your depression. The world is a shitty place alright? I know that for sure. Just hang in there for him and we can figure this out together." Gene explained. He had bright blue eyes, i could see why Zane found him attractive..
"No! Do NOT start this with me young man we are not a hoe we love Zane! You learned your lesson when you went for Garroth!"
DEMON I AM NOT GOING FOR GENE!
"GOOD BECAUSE WHY WOULD WE GO FOR HIM WHEN WE HAVE AN EMO OF OUR OWN?!!!"
We started heading back inside for 6th period. I made sure Gene turned the heater off and locked the door so it seemed like we were never there in the first place. When i got inside i saw Zane at the lockers looking around for me with his stuff in his hand. I hurried away from Gene's side, who escorted me to my locker for me, and over to Zane. I stopped myself from hugging him but he reached out for me with one hand, grabbing mine instead of a hug, noticing that I refrained from doing so.
"Thank you Gene for watching after him.."
"My pleasure." He said and winked, walking away to his locker I suppose. Zane looked back at me.
"Im sorry i couldn't tell you. They didn't tell me i had a lunch detention until the jackass teacher came to get other people."
"It's alright, lets just go to 6th period so we can get the hell out of here.." I explained to him. He smiled at me and we went to our next class, hoping to finish out the day.

short extra
"Can we PLEASE have sex with him already?"
DEMON! Oh my god im in class! I cannot be acting up right now Zane will be sus of me if he notices-
"And?~ Maybe hell do something about it when he gets home~"
Oh my god, Demon no! Zane is not mentally stable right now he wont do anything he doesn't want to!
"You're so boring."
Zane looked at me, giving me the 'are you okay right now' look and I nodded in response.
He signed 'demon' to me in american sign language instead of talking to me so no one asked if i was crazy or something, even though there were werewolves and miefwas everywhere, demons weren't too common so we kept it on the DL.