Chapter Text
Gavin’s face lit up as Michael came closer. Michael ignored Ray’s indignant ‘what the fuck’ behind him and forced a smile to his face that didn’t quite match Gavin’s in enthusiasm.
“I thought you’d never make it,” Gavin said as he took Michael’s hand. Michael stared down at their linked fingers, too shocked to respond to Gavin. “Is it because you had to pick up your car from the garage?” Michael’s head shot up then. Gavin’s eyes were mischievous as he led them through the halls. Michael was quick to nod.
“Yup, now it’s good as new.” A lie, obviously. His car was as ancient and slow as it had always been.
“Uh-huh, if you say so.” Gavin winked as he opened a door for them to walk through. Michael looked up and read the door number. It was one of the many unused classrooms in their school, closed for various reasons that ranged from budget cuts to probably mould.
“This isn’t my classroom, I have math first.” Michael untangled his and Gavin’s hands. Gavin rolled his eyes and pressed against Michael’s back in encouragement. Michael hesitated, looked over his shoulder to see that the hallways had already started to thin out. He looked back at Gavin who only pressed against his back more insistently. Michael squeezed his eyes shut, just in case Gavin had planned the ultimate trick and he’d be sprayed or dunked with something gross, and stepped in. He stood for a moment, felt Gavin brush past him and walk further into the room. Michael waited and waited, and waited. When he wasn’t doused, punched or laughed at Michael chose to open his eyes.
The classroom had a few desks and some sun-bleached plastic chairs left inside of it. The teacher’s desk had been removed but a blackboard remained, covered with rude words and crudely drawn dicks. There were some cupboards at the back of the classroom, all opened and filled with aging textbooks. Then there were the people, Gavin’s friends. They were all staring at him. Gavin had sat next to Geoff and left a chair beside him. He pat the plastic and gestured Michael over. Michael caught the gaze of Barbara, then Mica and finally Ryan. He saw neither anger nor glee in their eyes. Their emotions were unreadable. Michael avoided Geoff’s gaze in particular and, with his head down, made his way to the chair Gavin wanted him to sit in.
“Gavin, look what I picked up at the mall yesterday – it’s right up your alley,” Barbara said. Michael heard her get up, saw her feet as she came closer. He witnessed the flash of a gold purse as she passed it to Gavin but he didn’t dare lift his head. Gavin gushed beside him then there was the sound of a zip being pulled open. It glided so easily, so unlike the bag Lindsay had got last week. She’d bought it from some cheap clothes store, had saved up her money for weeks to afford it and still its zip was utterly useless. Yet here was Barbara with a shiny, fully-functional bag that she’d just ‘picked up’. Gavin’s elbow came in and out of Michael’s view as he studied the bag.
“Yesterday? It looks like you’ve had it for months – how much did you buy?” Gavin said. Scraps of paper fluttered to the floor by Michael’s feet. There were so many they covered almost all of the floor space that Michael could see. Michael almost choked when he saw the total on one of them.
Barbara only huffed and snatched back her bag. She zipped it up hastily and stomped over to her chair again. Michael let out a breath he didn’t even know he was holding.
“I didn’t buy that much, it was just a few things here and there,” Barbara said.
“We went to every store in the mall,” Mica said. She yelped as she was pushed. Mica barely managed to save herself as her hands shot underneath her and grabbed her chair. Michael flinched at the slapping sound it made. He almost shot from his chair when Gavin clapped a hand on his shoulder.
“You all right love? Your neck broken or somethin’?” Gavin lifted Michael’s chin. The classroom behind him faded into Gavin’s front garden as Michael looked into his eyes. He could hear the fountain, the gentle trickle of the water.
Gavin pulled away and Michael saw the classroom fall back into place. Gavin rubbed at his neck to separate his wet collar from his skin.
“Geoff, why’d you do that?” Gavin turned to face his friend. Geoff shrugged, though the corner of his lip tipped upwards slightly.
“I don’t want none of that mushy shit here, I know you’ve got yourself a new boo but the rest of us are depressingly single,” Geoff said. He lowered his water bottle and placed it onto the ground.
“Oh Geoff, don’t be so grumpy.” Gavin leaned down and snatched the water bottle. He aimed it at Geoff and pressed gently into the side. Water squirted Geoff’s face and he sputtered while Gavin cackled. Even Michael somehow found it in him to smile.
“The date went well then,” Mica was looking at Michael. He caught her eye for a second and then looked to Gavin. Gavin smiled and nodded enthusiastically.
“Oh, it was a great date! Did you see my insta? Michael bought these little sandwiches and oh, they were so tiny,” Gavin said. He held his hands as though he still had one of the sandwiches with him. Michael zoned out as Mica and Gavin got into a heated discussion about why sandwiches tasted so much better when cut into smaller shapes. His phone buzzed inside his pocket but he left it, knowing it was his friends wondering if he was still alive and in one piece. They’d ask what was going on but honestly, Michael didn’t know how to answer that. Nobody was talking to him and it seemed Gavin had brought him here just to show him off, like an exhibit in a museum. Michael wasn’t sure how to feel about that.
Michael started to zone out as Gavin and his friends got into a heated discussion about this week’s plans or something Michael was sure didn’t concern him. He stared at a random spot, thinking about how his life had lead up to this. It was only when the spot moved when Michael realised he’d been staring at a person. Geoff Ramsey, in particular.
“Like what you see?” Geoff smirked. “Hey Gavin, I think your boo is interested in me instead.”
“What? Michael, you slut.” Gavin gasped. Michael shook his head violently.
“No, god, I’d never be into Geoff.” Michael said. He smacked his hand over his mouth when he’d realise what he’d said. There was a beat of silence, a moment where Michael’s eyes flashed before his eyes. He saw the library, saw hours and hours of him playing video games and just as much time of him eating junk food. What a wasted life.
Then Gavin and all of his friends started to laugh. Hard. Gavin doubled over in his chair. He grabbed Michael’s knee for support and Michael held onto it when Gavin almost slipped. Geoff pouted over dramatically. He pushed his lower lip out so that it wasn’t cute, simply awkward looking.
“Hey, I’m a catch!” Geoff protested. He pointed an accusing finger in Michael’s direction.
“Sorry but you’re not my type,” Michael said. Geoff scowled.
“No, clearly. My nose isn’t big enough.” Geoff said. Gavin shot up and frowned at his friend.
“Geoffrey, you’re being an asshole.” Gavin accused. Geoff’s smirk was back and he even started to chuckle with the others.
Michael was sure that their mini-argument would have gone on for much longer, but the gang was interrupted by the sound of the bell.
“Well, I guess we better actually attend a class,” Ryan said as he stood up. He grabbed his bag and reached for Barbara’s too, offering it to her once she had stood up.
“But I don’t want to,” Geoff whined. He slouched in his plastic chair and slipped against the material until his ass was hanging off.
“Suit yourself but I’m not retaking so that you have someone to hang out with next year,” Ryan said. Geoff huffed but he let himself slip off of the chair completely. He landed with a thump and when he stood, Geoff rubbed his ass. Gavin looked to Michael as everyone started to file out of the classroom.
“So, want to walk me to my class?” Gavin said. Michael raised one eyebrow.
“It would be weird if I didn’t, we have the same class,” Michael said. Gavin scoffed.
“I was trying to be romantic, Michael.” Gavin shoved Michael’s arm. Michael got up, picked up his bag and shook his head. He chewed his lip as he thought about what to do next. He watched Gavin grab his own stuff but, before he could stand, Michael offered Gavin his free hand.
“Yeah, well, try harder.” When Gavin grasped his hand, Michael yanked him up and pulled him quite roughly out into the hall. He almost lost his grip when they were bombarded by students going to their own classes but they managed to stay together. They received a few odd looks from their fellow peers and they passed Kerry at one point, whose face screamed horrified, but Michael ignored it all. He hated Gavin Free, truly he did, but this was kind of fun. He could get used to it.