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

*Kiss Me Like You Did* IGHS Sequel {09} Slash

Man, that test was killer, Johnny complained from ten feet away as he walked towards me outside the main campus coffee shop.

So you only got an A- then? I teased, and picked up the two steaming paper cups of hot chocolate I’d bought, handing one to him as he reached me. He made a face but didn’t respond – you ever tried signing with 8oz of boiling liquid in one hand? – and we walked across campus til we came to our bench. Sitting down, we huddled close together against the biting cold and sipped our drinks, waiting for the hot chocolate to warm us from the inside out.

I know somebody who failed, Johnny signed once he’d tossed his paper cup in the trash can by the bench. The sun was shining brightly but afforded us no warmth and the air was crisp.

I placed my cup gingerly between my knees and asked, Who?

A certain Mr Chambers, Johnny smirked, his eyes shining. Despite the fact that Ethan, Noah, and even Jacob all got on really well with Ryan, Johnny didn’t like him. He claimed it was because of the way Ryan acted in class, that the guy just rubbed him up the wrong way, but I think it was a little out of loyalty to me as well. He’d become one of my best friends; nobody could replace Taylor or Kelly in my life, but he seemed to have made a new place for himself in the same general proximity to my heart.

How do you know? I asked, trying not to look too pleased.

He spent the first half hour looking around the place – I noticed cos he was right by me and it was really distracting – and then he left. Everyone else was writing up until the very last minute.

I grinned broadly at Johnny for a second, but then forced my expression to something more sedate. He could have something going on... I suggested, imaging all sorts of horrific family situations that might cause someone dedicated enough to be pre-med to walk out of an exam counting for 30% of his overall grade after a half hour.

You mean other than an inherent desire to fail out of college? Johnny rolled his eyes and snorted. You’re living with the guy, you’d know if he had a problem.

That much was true, I guess. As much as I hated it, Ryan seemed to know all about my problems, and even once timidly suggested that I should share his carton of takeaway French fries, as I hadn’t eaten in days. If he had anything serious going on in his life, I’d know.

Good point, I admitted, and allowed the grin to spread back across my face again.

Come on, you sadist, Johnny grinned, taking my cup from where it was still warming my knees and tossing it in the trash can as well. I need a nap. I was up all night cramming.

We wandered back to Cherrytree Hall in relative silence – well. You know – Johnny yawning every now and again.

‘Jake!’ I heard someone yelling behind me and turned around, catching Johnny’s arm out of habit so he wouldn’t walk ahead without me. We saw Noah jogging towards us, the ear flaps on his hat jumping with his footfalls.

‘Hey,’ I said, while Johnny signed a greeting, and I couldn’t help but notice the huge grin that spread across my friend’s face. I glanced at him suspiciously but said nothing; unlike when we were commenting on random guys we saw on campus, Noah could understand ASL.

‘Haven’t seen you guys in ages,’ he said conversationally, wrapping one arm tightly around Johnny’s neck and giving him the demon noogie from hell. Johnny winced and whined once Noah had released him, rubbing the top of his head. ‘How are your exams going?’ He was talking and signing at the same time, something Ethan and Jacob could do as well. I was still getting the hang of that.