Peaches 'N Cream

21. Love

"So, let me get this straight. What you're telling me," they pointed at themselves, "is that you," and then at Jericho, "told him you loved him and then dipped?"

Abel drew their eyebrows together and squinted at him while pulling their burgundy locs into a bun. The brown-haired boy paused for a moment and then nodded his head, regretting it as soon as a small hand made contact with the back of his head with an audible "smack." They rolled their eyes and finished applying their chapstick.

"Dumb. Ass."

The pep rally had ended a few minutes ago, and they were sitting in the cafeteria now. Jericho had spilled the beans about his relationship with Joseph during the pep rally to Abel.

It turns out they already knew about half of it, they share a class with Michael and Joseph, and well, those two aren't exactly quiet. So, they unwillingly get the inside scoop on everything, and so does everyone else in there, apparently.

He scooted away from them while covering his nape, "ok, but did you have to hit me?" A few of the nearby students that turned to look at them had already gone back to their conversations or doing whatever task they previously were—nosy.

"Besides, what was I supposed to do? Stand there like a fool and wait for him to say it back? He looked just about as shocked and confused as I did, and it came out of my mouth."

He said plainly, grabbing his phone off the table and scrolling through Twitter for a few minutes until a message came through. It was Joseph, asking where he was. He dismissed the text and turned do not disturb on as fast as he could, pretending he didn't even see it.

"Yes, dumbass."

But, after a few more minutes, their head popped up from their screen, and cedar brown eyes wandered behind him for a moment; they smirked.

"The only white boy at this school finer than Mr. Whitaker, at your six. Now you have another chance."

"What—"

Before he could turn around, a voice he recognized almost too well for his own good mumbled into his ear, "I know you saw my text, 'Cho." the blond's beard gently scratching against the side of his neck.

"Abel."

Joseph nodded in their direction with a genuine smile, and they gave him one in return. There was some sort of hidden agenda unfolding, and he didn't like it.

'Did they—?!'

"You told him I was here?"

The red-head titled their head with wide eyes and a pout, shrugged, and then went back to playing a game on their phone.

"Mm, I texted them first. Figured y'all would be together I just didn't know where and you love ignorin' my messages," he kissed his cheek and then sat down next to him with his back facing the table, "Stop runnin' away from me, and I won't have to ask mutual friends to help hunt you down." And rested an arm on top of it.

Jericho also didn't like how he drawled the word "love" in that sentence, so he pretended not to hear that either. He was still annoyed with Abel for telling the quarterback where they were and scared about Joseph bringing up the other L-word situation.

But, if it was one thing he was reasonably good at, it was not letting a single one of those emotions show on his face. He'd tell him everything later. Right now, he needed to get it together before he says or does something silly again. It wasn't easy, though, at least not with Joseph looking at him like that.