I'm Gay, He's Straight -SERIES- [boyxboy]

*Kiss Me Like You Did* IGHS Sequel {07} Slash

I trudged slowly back towards Cherrytree Hall, the hot September sun beating down on the back of my neck as I gazed at the ground, lost in my thoughts. What had just happened? That had been a lot of information to process in a half hour. And we hadn’t spent the whole day together like he’d promised... Instead he’d told me we should stay apart.

Well that wasn’t going to be fucking easy, was it? I kicked a stone angrily, watching it bounce down the footpath and roll to a stop a few feet away. He was going out with my roommate. Could the situation be any more fucked up?

I reached where the stone had landed and kicked it again, shoving my hands deep into my hoodie pockets, despite the warmth of the sun. That’s one of the side-effects of starvation; you’re cold pretty much all of the time.

I kicked the stone all the way back to the dorms, still staring at the ground as I trudged across the front yard towards the door.

‘Jake!’ I heard someone shout, and turned my head instinctively, even though I didn’t think I could be the Jake they were calling. Nobody knew me here.

When I looked up though, I saw Jacob, Johnny, and Noah sitting under an oak tree – go figure – and waving in my direction. I looked behind me nervously to see if there was someone behind me waving back, and then pointed at myself dubiously when I looked back. Even Johnny laughed at me, and they nodded, beckoning me over.

‘Hey,’ Noah said softly when I sat down between he and Johnny. He was almost as quiet as the deaf twin. ‘What’s up?’

I shrugged. Now there was a question I could ramble on forever answering. ‘Nothing.’

‘You’re almost as quiet as Johnny,’ Jacob declared, and I grinned ironically.

‘I think words are overrated,’ I said quietly, shrugging. ‘Sometimes they can-’ I cut myself off, not wanting to get caught up in everything Taylor had just told me. I’d promised not to tell anyone other than Kelly anyway, and she was obviously still off with Ethan, if all the others were here without him.

Johnny nudged his brother and signed something at him rapidly. I’d taken Sign Language as an elective a couple years ago in school, but he was moving way too quickly for me to figure any of it out. And anyway, ISL and ASL were bound to have some differences.

Jacob turned to me, ‘Johnny says words can break your heart.’

I bit my lip, and sloppily tried to sign back, You’re right. ‘Did I do that right?’ I asked Jacob, who nodded.

‘You know he can lip read anyway,’ Jacob shrugged.

‘Yeah, but pictures don’t hurt as much as words,’ I said lightly, and thankfully they all laughed.

‘So...’ Noah said, looking at me seriously. ‘How are you?’

‘Um. Fine?’ What was going on?

‘You spoke with Taylor today?’ he pressed, concerned and a little awkward.

I sighed, rubbing my eyes tiredly. ‘How much do you know and who’s your source?’ I demanded.

‘Ethan told us.’

‘I’m gonna kill Kelly,’ I muttered. ‘I’m fine.’

‘Bullshit,’ Jacob declared, tilting his head to the side, but seemed to gauge from my expression that I didn’t want to talk about it. ‘So what’s the deal with your sister?’ he asked, changing the subject.

I raised an eyebrow, verging on laughter. ‘Seriously? In the whole spectrum of more appropriate topics that’s the one you land on?’

‘Dude, I would treat that girl like a princess,’ he said sincerely. ‘If she ditches Ethan for me.’