Don't Want to Start a Fight

“FINALLY! FUCKING FINALLY!” Alex screamed.

“I KNOW!” Caleb screamed too.

“SUMMERRRRR!” I screamed as well.

“You could at least wait until we’ve left the building,” Zack commented, rolling his eyes.

“Where’s the fun in that?” Alex grinned.

Even Zack couldn’t help but laugh as Alex licked his cheek and ran outside. Caleb and I grinned at each other, before running after our friend. If you haven’t guessed, today is the last day of the school year. Our Junior year, actually. Half-way through May, giving us 4 beautiful months of hanging out at the beach, drinking and partying to look forward to. Whoo! When Zack finally joined us outside, he had our long-haired friend Pat on his back, and our friends Rian and Kyle by his side. All of us have been friends for years, but as a group we came together in freshman year.

Fuck, I remember my first day here as if it was yesterday. My neighbor Caleb and I had been given a lift in my one of my friends from middle school, Alex. In homeroom, I sat next to a skinny blonde boy called Kyle, who I instantly clicked with. Even then Kyle was as sweet as he was shy. Kyle had already met a boy called Zack, and it turns out that Zack didn’t live far from Alex so that was cool. Kyle then introduced us to his best friend from middle school, Pat, and Pat’s neighbor Rian. And voila, the group was formed.

Alex is my best friend beyond all best friends. He knows me inside out and he’s pretty much a brother. He gets me into trouble just as much as I get him in trouble, and he knows how to make me laugh without even trying. But Alex also knows when I need time to myself, and is quite happy to sit with me in silence if he needs to.

Caleb is my second best friend, along with Zack. Seeing as we’ve grown up next to each other, there are no secrets between us whatsoever, and he’s always got my back. Caleb gossips more than a teenage girl though, and he sometimes says stuff he shouldn’t, but I know he doesn’t mean to hurt anyone. He’s just too awesome for that.

Zack is hard to understand sometimes, but I wouldn’t stop being one of his best friends for anything. Sure, he’s sarcastic, but he’s the guy I can count on to be there for me if I was in trouble. He works out a little bit too much too, but he likes showing off his torso, so we’ve always got something nice to look at. And he gives the best hugs ever.

Rian is the nicest guy in the world. He’s a great listener whenever any of us have any problems, and he gives great advice too. And he’s so damn smart that he helps us with homework too, which is a bonus. The best thing about Rian? His giggle, most definitely. For such a manly man, he has the girliest laugh, and it never fails to make all of us laugh too.

Pat is a sweetheart. He’s always smiling no matter what, and is just as sweet and shy as Kyle. For some reason Pat’s only bisexual for Zack. We’ve never been able to figure out why, but whatever. Pat also cooks amazingly, so there’s always a few of us over at his to eat. His mom works non-stop and his brother’s cool, so we’re always welcome.

And then there’s Kyle. I could go on about Kyle for days. Mm you’ve figured out that I like Kyle more than a friend, huh? I’ve been thinking about him in this way for over a year. Kyle’s smile makes my stomach flip. The sparkle in Kyle’s blue eyes makes my pulse race. The way Kyle bites his bottom lip makes my mouth go dry. The way Kyle snuggles against my body when he’s tired makes my blood rush south. He’s so beautiful and I’ve never met anyone as perfect as him.

My problem?

Kyle has a boyfriend, and has done for nearly 5 months now. John O’Callaghan. He’s Pat’s brother Tim’s best friend, and they’re both Seniors at the other high school in town. He’s got the nickname John Ohh for how much noise his partners make during sex. How much noise Kyle makes when they’re having sex. And what makes it all worse? Kyle is so in love with John that it hurts. And I could never break them up because Kyle is always so happy with John. Much happier than I could ever make him.

“Hey, we’ve got to split, Tim said their graduation is starting soon,” Pat told Kyle, playing with Zack’s hair.

“Shit yeah, I can’t believe John’s graduating already!” Kyle said happily.

Pat pressed a sneaky kiss to Zack’s neck before getting off his back.

“Later,” Kyle grinned, waving.

Pat waved too, the two of them walking to Pat’s car. I couldn’t help but watch Kyle’s hips sway slightly as he walked, my pants tightening a little. Fuck.

“Ooh, Jack’s getting excited over something,” Caleb teased, drawing everyone’s attention to the slight bulge in my jeans.

“Did you not see Casey James just bend over? Thong and skirt, dude, thong and skirt,” I covered, lying.

“Shit, I missed that again?” Alex frowned.

“Yeah, sucks for you,” I smirked.

I closed my eyes briefly as I walked towards Zack’s car, cursing under my breath. That had been close. Too close. No-one’s knows about how I feel for Kyle, and they never will. Pat sounded his horn as he and Kyle drove past, making me smile weakly. I’ve just got to get used to the fact I’ll never have him. That’s all.

“Are you getting in or what? Rian called shotgun,” Alex chuckled, nudging my hip as he opened the car door.

I snapped out of my trance and nodded, sliding into the backseat. So here starts the summer before Senior year, and I can just tell it’s going to be an interesting one. My name’s Jack Barakat, and I am hopelessly in love with one of my best friends, Kyle Burns. I’m royally screwed.