Chapter Text
The rest of Carter's day went by like normal. Easy classes with friends. More importantly, Easy classes with no Billy.
Carter always passes his class, not with the best grades, but he passes. He’s only ever barely passed or failed a class when Billy was in them. He never talked to him because it was Billy, duh, but he likes to view him as a bad luck charm.
The bad luck extends outside of class too. He once saw Billy at a Walmart, crossed his path once, and absolutely destroyed a shelf of glass kept foods. Carter isn’t a clumsy guy. He would never drop anything glass on accident, so for a whole shelf to go down, something had to be cursing him.
The next day when Carter saw Billy after school, he pushed him to the ground and poured whatever drink he had in his hand. Billy made sure to stay out of Carter’s way for weeks after that.
To sum everything up, Carter hates Billy to his core. Billy is stupid, annoying, and a walking curse. Carter's life would be so much easier if Billy wasn’t around. Carter sure believes it. But if Carter believes it so much, why does he feel so uneasy about Billy’s note?
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The final bell rang and Carter drove home faster than usual. He got home and he was alone like always. His parents made a lot of money, that’s how he got his nice car, but in order to make so much, they sacrificed a lot of their time to work.
Being alone so often made Carter used to having to do everything on his own. He learned how to cook, clean efficiently, deal with his problems, and sneak people in and out of his house.
It was a last minute decision to invite Dustin over, but Carter needed some company. If Carter actually planned for him to come over, he would’ve driven him over.
(Incase you forgot/dont know who Dustin is, he is Carter's friend that you can see walking with him at the airport. He also might’ve been the one who pushed Billy i don’t remember.)
Carter always invited Dustin over when he just needed some company, so he called him to come over. The two had been inseparable since 7th grade when Dustin moved to Mt. Abram. Carter doesn’t remember how they exactly became friends but he remembers vocally hating something around him and Dustin agreed which caused them to talk all class and slowly become friends.
As much Carter likes to think he’s always had to do everything by himself, it’s simply not true. He fails to realize he’s always had Dustin by his side. They took culinary classes together when they were 14, they did yard work together as a summer job before they could get real jobs, and Dustin has helped him through all his rough times. Most recently when Terry broke up with him.
(FYI this whole thing is a huge flashback. It’s Tue feb 24th at 6:31pm. As of now I don’t know if this whole chapter will be a flashback and I split it into two parts, or if it’ll be one big chapter. As of now I think it’s a flashback so I can get a chapter in soon. Feb 26th 8:35pm, I decided this chapter will be two parts.)
Terry now would describe Carter as an angry and arrogant person, but if you had asked her before everything, she would say he’s cool, funny, and sweeter than a peach. She knew from the start that he would rot just like one, but she wanted to enjoy his flavor before it spoiled.
The day after, Carter was at an extreme level of anger and recklessness. He picked Dustin up in the morning, almost hitting him in the driveway. Dustin was reasonably mad but couldn’t get a peep out of Carter. On the drive to school, Carter swerved and sped throughout all the roads. Dustin knew something must’ve happened because usually when Carter drives like that, Dustin has to agree. Carter thinks it’s fun. When Carter did it unexpectedly with no friendly talking, is when it clicked that it was bad bad.
Dustin forced Carter to let him stay at his home all day and night. He was not going to let his best friend do something dumb and hurt himself.
He had followed him everywhere. The living room, kitchen, Carter’s bedroom, hell even the bathroom. Carter never spoke so he wouldn’t really stop him. Dustin spent all day making small talk, trying to get him to talk with no avail.
Carter's parents came home late, around 9pm, asking what was wrong with him. Dustin had to explain that he was being very reckless and was being very stubborn. He explained that he was going to stay with Carter to watch him and his parents didn’t really like that but they knew they wouldn’t be able to kick Dustin out.
Because Dustin wouldn’t let Carter out of his sight, using the bathroom when he needed to was hard. He’d have to wait for Carter to go then he’d go while he washed his hand. To keep Carter in the room, he had to grab him with one of his free hands and hope he didn’t overpower him and leave. He easily could’ve, but he obeyed and held on and waited for Dustin like he didn’t want to be alone in the first place.
Carter still refused to talk to Dustin until it was late at night and he needed to shower. He knew Dustin wasn’t a morning showerer and he was with Carter all day, so that meant he hadn’t showered. If Carter couldn’t pee alone, he couldn’t shower alone.
He went to his room, Dustin following close behind, and grabbed clothes.
“Im not leaving you alone Yknow? I’m not waiting outside the door, I’m waiting in the bathroom.” Dustin gave Carter a heads up that he had no intention of giving him privacy.
“I know.” Carter muttered under his breath. Dustin flinched backward, not expecting even the littlest squeak from him. “You need to shower too. You stink.”
Dustin ignored the insult; he was just glad his friend was speaking again. “I know I know. I can trust you to not leave while I pee but while I shower? . . . I don’t know~ I might just have to suffer and smell for a day.”
(Quick lil rant, can we stop making “~” only freaky!?!? Gosh I hate it so much. “~” is used to indicate stretched words and pronunciation. I HATEEEE when “~” is used only freakily. Okay rant over.)
“Then shower with me.”
Dustin was taken aback. He would never expect something like that coming from a boy's mouth, especially Carter’s.
“Well, I don’t even have any clothes. I can’t shower and get back in the same filthy clothes.” Dustin tried denying.
“Wear mine.”
“Yeah and I’m the morning? You wake up so late you’d never have time to go to my place before school starts.”
“Wear. Mine.”
Dustin denied and denied but Carter kept making excuses. He eventually gave in solely because he cared about Carter too much.
He followed him to the bathroom and Carter turned on the water, undressed, and got in. He closed the curtain and gave Dustin some time to get in. Dustin spent a while just talking to Carter to avoid getting in, but Carter gently encouraged him to come in.
“Take your time, but not too much.”
“. . .”
“I’ve known you forever. I won’t judge.”
“I know. . .”
“. . .”
“. . .”
“I can help you if you’d like.”
“Okay. ..”
Carter got out, soaking wet obviously, and put his hand on Dustin’s shoulder.
Dustin was a deep red, refusing to look at him.
“Uhm. . .” Carter sighs, resting his head on Dustin’s other shoulder. He needed to tell someone about Terry and he trusted Dustin the most.
“Terry. . . Terry broke up with me.” Carter wasn’t emotional about it, he felt numb if anything. Slowly, he slid his hand under Dustin’s shirt and lifted it off.
Dustin shivered as the cold air hit him, but stopped had Carter's warm hand grasped onto his pecs.
“Really??? After 3 years?? I’m so sorry man. I’m glad you’re telling me this.” He said as he put one hand over Carter's and used the other to undo his belt.
He kicked off his shoes then jeans. Carter stood and watched and waited from a slight distance for Dustin to be ready.
“You got this on your own? Or do you need my help again?” Carter gave a small chuckle as Dustin turned red from the teasing. It was really embarrassing but hearing Carter laugh after the whole quiet made it okay.
“I think I got this.” He said as he shook his head.
“You think?”
“I know. Just get back in. I’ll join in a minute, I swear.” Throughout this whole moment, Dustin never looked at Carter. He was too awkward. Carter got back in the shower and Dustin stood there taking deep breaths.
With shaky hands, he slid his black crew socks off and left a finger at the hem of his underwear. Dustin, he's your friend. He told himself, it’s his idea. He won’t bully you.
He needs me.
You want him to be okay.
If you want him to be okay, you’d do this.
Do it. For a friend.
He took a deep breath in, and exhaled loudly. He hooked his fingers and pulled down his boxers. He stood for a moment before stepping out. He stood there, vulnerable, with his friend on the other side of the curtain.
He said he’d take a minute, but it’s been three.
“You sure you don’t need help?” Carter called out. He started to pull the curtain back when Dustin stopped him.
“Sorry sorry. I’m coming. Please, just don’t make this even more uncomfortable than it already is.” Dustin finally stepped in with Carter. There they stood, face to face.
Carter is a good five inches taller than Dustin, so he lifted his head up and tilted Dustin’s head down to his chin on his head and hugged him. It may not have been Carter's intention, but he forcibly made Dustin stare right at crotch.
“Uhm. . .”
“Hm?”
“Do I have to be looking at you like this?”
Carter then realized what he did but just laughed it off. “No. No.” He took his chin of his head and put shampoo in Dustin’s hair and started massaging it in.
Dustin thought it was a little odd. Mainly because he thought the role should be reversed, but he didn’t complain.
“I can do you next.” He said as Carter finished up. Carter had to bend and look down a little to give Dustin a good reach. Dustin thought it was a little funny that Carter was stuck looking at him the same way he was moments ago.
The whole time, they washed each other while only speaking in tiny, deep, conversations. Dustin spoke about how he was glad Carter was speaking and that he trusted him to tell him about Terry.
Carter spoke about how glad he was to be able to have a friend like him. Doing everything, even the uncomfortable, to keep him from going insane or something.
Then got out of the shower and dried off. Carter go dressed because he grabbed clothes for himself but forgot some for Dustin. He wrapped him in the towel and headed to his room. Carter threw underwear, basketball shorts, and a shirt to Dustin.
“Get dressed. I’ll give you socks in the morning.”
Dustin did get dressed and threw himself into Carter's bed. Carter followed. They laid in silence for ~ten minutes before Carter spoke up.
“Terry says I fall over an already low bar. Is that true?”
Dustin kinda agrees that Carter isn’t necessarily the best but he doesn’t have the heart to tell him. “Well. . . How exactly?”
“She says I’m too hotheaded and rude to others, but I don’t understand. I’m nice to her and love her with all my heart, why does she care about how I treat others??”
Dustin stays ignorant to what he just said because he also doesn’t treat the majority of people the best, so he feeds into Carter's anger and confusion, “I don’t get it. You are really sweet to her. I see how you treat her and all the courtesy you give her. Do you think she fell out of love with you and liked someone you were ‘rude’ to and left you for them?”
“I haven’t thought about that till now.”
“Who are some people she didn’t like you being rude to?”
“Well there’s Alex, Tod, Billy—”
Billy?
Billy.
Billy.
Carter snaps out of his memory and is enraged.
Billy. It’s all his fault.