About a Boy

Kellin strolled into school the next day, late, and walked to the front office to sign in.
“Late again, Kellin?” Mrs. Parma smirked at him as he signed his name with the excuse ‘traffic’ next to it.
“What can I say?” Kellin shrugged and put the green binder back into its position on the desk and walked through the corridor leading to the geography floor. Did he have geography? He couldn’t remember, and couldn’t be bothered to check his timetable. He slumped against the wall for a minute, pulling out his phone and sending Jesse a simple text saying ‘Hey’ just because he could.
“Kellin?” A voice said from above him. Kellin peered through his dark hair to see Vic standing in front of him, a blue, plastic try clutched in his hands. “What’re you doing?”
“Nothing.” Kellin shrugged, smiling slightly at Vic.
“Shouldn’t you get to class? Were you late?” Vic continued.
“I guess so. Help me up?” Kellin held a hand up for Vic to grab, which he ignored.
“My hands are kind of full.”
“What have you got, anyway?” Kellin groaned as he pushed himself up from the floor. He snorted when he saw some wires and light bulbs in the tray Vic was holding.
“Physics practical,” He answered. “And you should be in this lesson. Come on.” Vic started to walk down the hallway to the physics labs, followed by Kellin.
“I’m sorry.” Kellin said before Vic could open the door.
“For...?” Vic looked at Kellin curiously, balancing the tray on one arm and pushing his bag back onto his shoulder.
“Being kind of an asshole when you started.” He shrugged, and Vic started to grin. “What?”
“Thanks. Let’s just... Start over?” Vic smiled at Kellin, offering his hand to the other boy.
“Um... Okay?” Kellin shook Vic’s hand, grinning to himself as they both entered the classroom.
“Ah. There they are,” Mrs. Lee declared when Vic and Kellin finally entered the room. “Everyone get three wires only and a bulb, then sit down.”
¬¬____
“Gimme your phone.” Kellin ordered on their way to the canteen. His friends had left school to do some sort of drug, and Jaime and Tony had brought their own lunches and were eating in the form room.
“Why?”
“Why do you think?” Kellin prodded Vic’s stomach, causing him to squeal, and held out a hand for his phone. Vic unlocked and then handed the device to Kellin, who quickly input his number and then sent himself a text so he had the other boy’s number. “There.” He gave Vic back his phone, who slipped it into his pocket with an amused smile and followed Kellin into the large canteen where they queued for some soggy looking pasta or skinless chicken and overcooked rice.
Kellin frowned when Vic picked up and apple and a bottle of water. “Aren’t you going to eat anything else?” He asked, picking up a pot of pasta and handing over the crumpled dollar bills he found in his pocket.
“And get poisoned with that crap? I don’t think so,” Vic shook his head and the two boys made their way back to their form room.
“Even so,” Kellin shrugged, “you should eat more. Want to go out and get something?” He offered when they went back into the classroom. Vic smiled and waved at Jaime and Tony, who were staring at him and Kellin in disbelief, and sat next to the dark haired boy at his desk.
“We aren’t allowed to do that.” He hissed, taking a bite of the red fruit.
“So?”
“So we can’t do it.” Vic said simply.
“Alright.” Kellin didn’t really understand people who religiously followed the school rules. Only in the first term of freshman year did he really do as he was supposed to, before he had befriended Jesse, Gabe, Jack and Justin.
“But I’m glad we’re kind of, becoming friends.” Vic admitted, blushing slightly. Kellin thought he looked cute. Which sickened him.
“Yeah. Me too.”
¬¬¬____
A few hours after he got home that night, Kellin heard his father pull into the driveway. Not that he cared. He, and his sister, had pointedly ignored the man for the rest of the weekend.
“Kellin?” He heard his father say quietly from behind the closed door.
“Kellin, sweetie? Come out here for a minute.” His mother joined in. Kellin got up and opened his door, staring straight past his father and looking at his mother, who had a small smile on her face.
“We have something for you.” Mr. Bostwick continued. Kellin nodded and looked at his parents expectantly.
“Come outside.” Kellin looked at his parents curiously, now interested, as he pulled on his Vans and followed them out of the house. And then he understood why they were so excited.
Because there, in the driveway, sat a shiny, black Volvo next to his father’s BMW and his mother’s Volkswagen Beetle.
“Is that... Is that mine?” He breathed. He turned to his parents, and his father pressed a set of keys into his hand as an answer.
“I know we promised it to you as a birthday present, but I... I won’t be here, and I wanted to see your reaction.” Kellin’s father said, slightly nervous.
“I love it.” He admitted. He took a step back to hug his mother, who hugged him back just as tightly, and when he pulled away, he looked at his father for a moment before hugging the man as well.
“I love you, Kellin. And I’m sorry.” He whispered into his son’s hair.
“I love you too, dad.” Kellin muttered.
____
“Are you serious?” Gabe yelled out of the window of the form room when Kellin parked his car in the school parking lot the next morning. Kellin laughed and climbed up the stairs into the Senior Building and hung up his PE kit on his peg in the cloakroom. He took his RE textbook from his locker and then made his way up to the classroom. He smiled at Vic, who grinned and waved back, and smirked at his friends’ incredulous expressions.
“You guys are friends?” Jesse demanded.
“Yeah.” Kellin shrugged, opening his desk to pack for the next lessons. “Two questions,” he started before his friends could persist on the subject of him and Vic. “Firstly: when is the stupid concert thing? Secondly: has anyone done the chemistry homework?”
“Concert’s December 12th.” Justin answered. Kellin nodded and turned to the rest of the group.
“I’ve done the chemistry.” Gabe said finally.
“Can I see it?” Kellin continued. Gabe nodded and dug around in his bag for a moment, then pulling out a sheet of paper and handing it to the other boy. “Thanks.”
As Kellin copied down the answers to the sheet Mr. Armstrong had given them, he glanced at Vic every few minutes, drinking in the boy’s perfect features. It wasn’t that Kellin was unattractive (to be honest, he knew he was good looking) but Vic was... At risk of sounding cliché, special.
He finished, shoved Gabe’s sheet back to him and sighed. He pulled his iPod out and put his headphones in, playing ‘Lounge Act’ by Nirvana. He tried to prevent himself from watching Vic laughing with his friends, but it was difficult when he was just there, and Kellin couldn’t help himself from gazing at him.
¬____
“Can you come round?” Kellin asked Vic on their way to Latin.
“When?”
“I dunno. Friday?” Kellin suggested.
“I should be allowed to. I’ll ask, and tell you tomorrow, okay?” Vic smiled when Vic nodded, walking into the classroom and grimacing.
“Urgh! It stinks in here!” Alan cried as he entered the room.
“Why do freshmen stink so bad?” Jack Barakat asked, seeing as the Latin classroom was one of the freshman form rooms.
“Alright, alright boys, settle down.” Dr. Stump announced from the door. “Yes it smells, someone open a window and get over yourselves. It smelt just as bad when you lot were freshmen.”
“It did not!” Cried Tino, outraged.
Dr. Stump laughed. “Trust me, it really did.”
____
“Your house is... Massive.” Vic breathed, climbing out of Kellin’s car and staring at the white house in awe. Kellin shrugged and followed Vic outside and looked upon his house. It was a nice house, he agreed.
“Come on. It’s nicer inside.” He teased. Vic shook his head and walked behind Kellin, watching him unlock the door and letting himself be led inside. Kellin pulled Vic by the hand up the two flights of stairs he had to climb to his bedroom. He laughed when Vic stared in admiration at the large bedroom. He full out grinned at the large Foo Fighters poster on the cream coloured wall, and sunk onto the King-sized, soft bed.
“I’m gonna call my mum quickly. Just to let her know we haven’t been run over, or something.” He pulled his phone out of his blazer pocket and began to call his mother.
Kellin nodded in acceptance and pulled out his own phone, going into a random app to mess around until Vic finished.
“I’ve never really got that game.” Vic said quietly, watching in interest as Kellin played ‘Temple Run 2’ on his phone. “I’ve see Mike playing it, sometimes.”
“What do you mean, you’ve ‘never really got it’?” Kellin paused his game and turned to face the other boy, who was perched on the edge of his bed.
“Like, it doesn’t seem very… Stimulating. Maybe that’s why I prefer things like ‘4 Pics, 1 Word’?”
“Stimulating?” Kellin repeated.
“What’s the point?” Vic clarified.
“Of the game?” Vic nodded and Kellin ran a hand through his hair. “Like… Well the point is to… The aim is- just keep running, and stuff?” He gave up as Vic laughed.
“You see? And I see people getting so worked up about it, and I’m just like ‘what’s the problem? You can just start again.’” Vic shrugged as Kellin stared at him with wide eyes.
“How can you… Never mind.” Kellin locked his phone and sat up so he was facing Vic. He was happier than ever that he had actually decided to befriend the boy, if it meant that he got to spend time with him, even if it wasn’t in the way he wanted. “Anyway, do you want something to eat?”
“Do you have anything ridiculously sweet and unhealthy?” Vic asked eagerly, eyes shining.
“Yeah… Come downstairs, you can go through the fridge.” Kellin smiled at Vic’s back as the smaller boy practically skipped downstairs in search of food. He rummaged through the huge fridge for a moment, before pulling out an assorted choice of biscuits and cookies, grinning when Kellin eyed him incredulously.
“You eat like me.” He said in mock horror, staring at Vic as though he’d grown another head.
“Looks like we’re more similar than we thought.” Vic smiled, walking back to Kellin’s room with his arms full of food.
“Looks like.” Kellin said under his breath, hurrying after Vic.
____
Vic had to leave at around seven, at the demand of his mother, and Kellin insisted on giving him a lift home. Only partially so he could find out where Vic lived. His house was nice, quite a bit smaller than his own, but not tiny. He thought it might be a lot cosier than his own.
“Thanks, Kellin.” Vic smiled and leaned forward to swiftly hug Kellin. Who held his breath for the entirety of it.
“That’s alright.”
“Come in.” Vic said, climbing out of the car and gesturing for Kellin to do the same. Kellin nodded and followed Vic, feeling nervous about meeting his family. For no reason really, it wasn’t as if Vic was introducing him as his boyfriend.
“I’m home!” He called. A short, blonde woman appeared from the kitchen, smiling at the two boys.
“Hello, Vic. And you must be Kellin?”
“Erm… Yes. Hello,” Kellin smiled shyly at the woman, always having been shy and quiet around adults.
“Did you boys have a nice time? Do you want anything to eat, Kellin?” She walked back to the kitchen, looking back to the two teenagers.
“No thank you. I was just dropping Vic off…”
“Alright. Well thank you, dear, and you can come by anytime, alright?”
“Thank you. I’ll see you on Monday, Vic.” He waved and left the house, hearing Vic exclaim “No, mum!” as he did.