Just for This Year

Chapter Two

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.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

September 1
Monday

60 Days Before

Sam was already having an amazing day.

He liked his arm around Charlie. The boy fit into his frame perfectly, his shoulders coming at the perfect height for Sam. The two walked seamlessly with one another. They walk into their school glued to each other's side, chatting about the possibilities in the year to come.

As they walked through the hallway, Sam got a variety of different looks. Some were friendly, some were not so friendly. Sam had no problem exploring his various options at their high school. But some people didn't exactly enjoy being his flavor of the week. He never led people on, he assured them that he wouldn't want to explore anything further with them. But every time, they thought they'd be able to change him and be the one to date Sam Alvarez. But Sam didn't want any of them.

He never really had "crushes" on people. People would always come and go— there was no point in letting himself get attached when they'd likely be gone at some point anyway.

But the one person that hasn't left him yet, outside of his own family and besides their father, was Charlie. No matter how many times Sam would go through a period of self-isolation and ignore Charlie's texts, he would find the sandy-haired boy outside his door with a smile on his face.

Charlie meant too much to Sam for him to ever lose him. He would rather leave on his own terms. But every time he tried, Charlie would be there. He was the one constant in Sam's life. Sometimes, Sam looked at Charlie, and he would feel something that he normally didn't feel for anyone. It made him feel warm and like he was safe, like nothing could touch them. He liked that feeling.

And maybe something would've happened between them. But Lila begged him long ago to not make a move on Charlie. At first, Sam was mad by this. But he knew where she was coming from. His typical pattern with people is to spend a week with them and then never see them again. Lila didn't want to lose Charlie either, he had been one of her best friends for as long as they all could remember. His sister didn't ask for much, and this was something he could do for her. Sam would do anything for his sister, and he doesn't mind that because he knows Lila would do the same for him.

A familiar face snapped him out of his thoughts. He instantly grimaced at the tall, curly brown haired boy who walked with his letterman jacket on his broad shoulders. The football team around him were laughing as they walked through the hallway, pushing each other around. They were shouting incoherently, making a scene when it was barely seven thirty in the morning.

"There goes Ashton Westbrook and his meathead friends," Sam pointed out with a roll of his eyes.

Charlie chuckled. "They're not that bad."

"He thinks he's the shit because he can throw a ball really far," Sam countered. "He just isn't that great."

"Remind me why you hate him so much?" his friend asked with lifted eyebrows.

Sam looked at him blankly. "He's my arch nemesis."

Charlie scrunched his face up. "Who you've never spoken two words to."

"Because we hate each other and don't speak," he said quickly.

"You can't be someone's arch nemesis without ever having spoken to them," Charlie pointed out as they continue to walk pass the group of football players.