Catch Me If You Can

Chapter 7

Much to Alec's dismay, since their introduction, run-ins with Magnus became more often. He spent the following week dodging the main hallways, finding hidden corridors and little-known routes to get to his classes. He came to know the school better than any other student, and even the school janitors. This came in particularly helpful whenever he was running late for class, taking shortcuts that shaved those precious few minutes that were the border between lucky and late. Another added bonus was that this infuriated Izzy to no end.
There was only one person who wasn't entirely fooled.

"So who are you trying to avoid?" The question was followed by the thump of a bag on the desk and a carefully manicured hand lowing Alec's book away from his face.
"No one."  he didn't even have to glance up to know who it was. Lydia. She was one of Alec's best friends. It had all started two years ago when everyone thought they were dating. She even helped him to come out. Universally liked, smart and student body president, Lydia was the kind of person you would have assumed would be a popular snob. Not even close. Alec knew Lydia better than anyone, knew that she had been in a car crash and that it had broken her bones, she'd been in the hospital for a month. It had been her boyfriend driving who'd blamed her for the whole thing, saying she'd been distracting him. That was why he broke up with her, not because she'd been seeing someone else. That someone else, everyone believed, was Alec. Because of that, there was nothing that Lydia couldn't help with, especially when it came to Alec.

"I told you, no one." He repeated, finally putting down his book. "Maybe I just wanted to find a way to class that involved less...people."
Lydia raised her eyebrow. "Even you are not that much of an introvert."
"I could be." Alec retorted, wiggling his eyebrows. Lydia sat back in her chair, folding her arms. Her face contorted in mock disgust, "Okay, so one, never do that again," Alec rolled his eyes and slouched farther into his chair. "No I'm serious, that was creepy."
"What? This?" And he wiggled his eyebrows again. Lydia laughed and lightly hit his arm with his book, "Ew gross! They look like furry caterpillars. I wish you'd just let me tidy up the edges. Just a bit." She said, flicking his hand.
Alec flicked her hand back, "I'm gay, not a girl."
"Guys do it too!" Seeing his expression, she added, "not just models."
"Whatever."
And that was that.
Alec managed to survive the rest of the week without raising any more suspicions, and, with Simon's gig fast approaching, he was sure he was in the clear.

"Beer for you good sir?" Mia leant over the counter, glass in hand. Alec raised an eyebrow.
"God, you're boring." She sighed and poured coke into his waiting glass. Today her wild frizzy hair was kept back by a light blue bandana that framed her face and showed off her scars. Alec remembered asking about them once. She'd said they were from an ex's dog but there was something that didn't sit right about that.
He turned his head as the door opened and watched as Jordan planted a kiss on Mia's forehead and took the seat next to him. Jordan and Mia had been dating for about six months now and Alec had to say, he liked the guy. Apparently, he and Mia had been friends several years ago but he'd disappeared for a bit to take care of his mom. She'd died a year after he left. He never elaborated but Alec guessed it had been a terminal infection of some sort. When she was alive he'd been under a lot of stress and fell in with the wrong people. Part of the reason why it'd taken him so long to come back was because of that. The alcohol. It'd been hard for him but he picked himself up and got clean. Alec found it hard to associate that story with the laughing boy before him.

"So you've been dragged along too?"
Alec snorted "Yep." Jordan laughed and shook his head, his long hair falling in his face.
"We should start a club, yuh know?" Jordan said taking a swig of his water.
"What? Brothers, boyfriends and other lost creatures?"
"Nah that's the book."

At this point, Mia had gotten bored washing glasses and tidying up behind the bar. She drew up a chair from under the bar table and proceeded to lean her entire top half over the counter between the two boys.
"You know the gig doesn't start for another hour right?" she said grinning wolfishly.
"Yeah, I know." Sighed Alec, "I've been sent to help with set up."
Mia grinned, "Good, we need the muscles."

She laughed at the cry of outrage from Jordan and lead the two boys around to the back where there was a load of heavy sound and lighting equipment. They worked lifting speakers and large black boxes and moving them to their places as Mia supervised and criticised. After about an hours work, Jordan and Alec were having a break, slumped over the boxes, gulping down their ice cold drinks. When Jordan had about a quarter glass of water left he tipped it over his head and shook his hair like a dog, spraying both Alec and Mia.
"Hey!" Yelled Mia, and she threw some of her water on him. Alec laughed and received the rest of Mia's drink on his head. He was about to pour his drink on her when there came a knock at the door and Magnus walked in.

A/N  So the next chapter will be the gig and then after that, we shall finally (in a chapter or 2) get to the party