Today for you, tomorrow for me

        Our eyes locked for a second. I tried to read his, but the look I first saw was quickly blinked away. �Hey.� He said softly. I couldn�t speak. I realized my eyes had been watering. I became aware that my heart was skipping its beats. I felt my hands trembling at my sides. �You dropped this.� He said, handing over the book with a faint smile. It was as beautiful as I remembered. �Thanks.� I could barely hear my own voice. �I�ve missed you, James.� He was watching the floor tiles now. �I�ve� missed you, too.� I told the books. He looked up again. His grey eyes warm with hope. �We can still be friends, right?� The pang in my heart grew sharper. �Of course.� My mouth moved without consulting my brain. �Good, that�s great. I thought you would never want to see me again. I�m so sorry James. I never meant to hurt you.� He sounded so sincere. I wanted to believe him so badly. I wanted to end the pain. I wanted to end the guilt. �I know, Ty.� I whispered. He smiled meekly, watching me from under his eyelashes. �I�ll see you around then.� He nodded, snaking by me. I didn�t turn enough. He bumped into me, showering me with the all too familiar scent of Axe and peppermint. My breath hitched. He walked away as if nothing had happened. My mind had been derailed. I had to find Kris. Fast.
        To make a long story short, I didn�t find Kris. I skipped out on photography. I spent the entire hour in the upstairs bathroom. I didn�t know what to do. I panicked. My emotions, my memories, my mind- they were all running haywire, in an attempt to destroy me. I couldn�t handle it. As I walked to lunch, felt my heart begin to race again. I saw Kris in the middle of the cafeteria. He was with Greg, a freshman I didn�t recognize, and a backpack. I knew it well. I couldn�t sit there. Kris saw me as I tried to sneak away. He ran up, hand on my shoulder. He studied my face, his acid green eyes boring into my soul. �You alright?� He asked. His voice told me he knew I wasn�t. I subconsciously pulled on my sleeve. He knew. �James�� He whispered. His eyes were nothing but sad. I felt guilty like I always did. �Why did-� I shifted my gaze to the floor. �I ran into Tyler.� His eyes widened. �Where?� He asked in disbelief. �Library.� He sighed. We both knew it was going to happen eventually. �I�m going to skip lunch today.� I said quietly. My body felt like it was shutting down, and I still had the rest of the day to get through. �Yeah. I think that�s a good idea.� Kris smiled warmly. He hugged me for a long time. I hugged back, ignoring the sting in my arm.
        I spent the rest of the day in the courtyard across the plaza. I knew it was the first day of school. I knew I should be in class. But being there was pointless if I wasn�t able to concentrate. I lay on my back, watching the white clouds slip silently over the grey sky. It was the only thing that kept my mind clear. My body was so calm and tired with stress, it felt amazing to just rest. I didn�t realize I had fallen asleep until Kris woke me up. �Schools out.� He laughed softly. I yawned. �I�ve got to go to work, huh?� I asked. It was rhetorical. We both knew it. �Sorry.� He answered anyway. I sighed. It had been a long day, and it was about to get longer. Kris walked me to work, regaling me with tales from every class. I only half listened. �Hey, finish off the day well, alright?� He smiled, hugging me again before I nodded. �I�ll try." I said as I walked inside.
        �I�d like a double shot mochachino extra foam no whip with nonfat milk and chocolate sauce.� I blinked at the order. I punched �1 mocha chino� and �extra shot� into the register. �That�ll be 5.09$ please.� My voice was monotone at best. She handed over a five, and began digging through her bag. �I know I have four pennies in here somewhere�,� he muttered. I looked at the man behind her. He was wearing an expression similar to mine. My mind smiled. A minute later, she handed me a dime. �Thank you, have a nice day.� I said as I handed over the receipt and penny. She paused, dropping the coin into my tip jar. She winked as though I should really appreciate the money. I felt like growling. Three hours later, I locked up. Work had helped take my mind off Tyler and the day for a bit. I always liked work for that. I didn�t need the money, just the distraction. Heading home, I remembered I would be alone that night. I dreaded being alone.
        To my surprise, Kris was sleeping in my bed when I got home. I stripped off my work clothes, slipping into a pair of pajama bottoms and brushing my teeth before sliding in beside him. �Hey,� he said sleepily. I smiled. He hugged me goodnight, and I buried my face in his chest for a moment. We had known since we met we would never be in love. But there was always something more than a typical friendship. We had a bond that could never be broken. We loved one another. It was simple to us. But other people had trouble understanding. �Night.� I whispered. I rolled over, facing the wall as he curved around me, hugging my arm. �I�ll be better tomorrow�� I said quietly. He didn�t say anything for a while. �I love you James.� He whispered. As his breath on me neck became steady, I drifted off to sleep.

Author's Note

ignore grammar, dryness, and jumpy/choppy ness please.