20
At home the next morning, Will’s ability to ignore awkwardness was tested. His mom was packing everything as she got ready to move out. As he sat eating breakfast, she packed the cutlery. When he rinsed out the pot he’d used to cook porridge, she dried it and tossed it straight into a box. When he dumped his uneaten bowl of food into the bin, she immediately took the bag and threw it outside the door. There was nothing else in the bin, but apparently she needed it out of her kitchen.
Will was grateful to finally escape the house and drive to school.
Jack was waiting next to his parking spot when he pulled up. Will didn’t even get out of the car before Jack climbed into the passenger seat.
Will forced his fear down. If Jack had found out about the kiss, there wasn’t anything Will could do about it now. He was too tired. Too worn out. He’d spent the whole night staring at the ceiling. “What’s up?” he signed at Jack.
“Dad told me about your parents,” Jack said.
Oh. Will stared at him. He knew. How was Will meant to react to that?
How would someone that people liked react to that? They’d be cool about it.
“Yeah. Sorry I didn’t tell you. I didn’t want to think about it, never-mind talk about it.” Except with Gabriel, who would have made him feel better. Will winced at his thoughts. They weren’t helping.
Jack squeezed his hand. “I’m sorry.”
“Thanks,” Will answered awkwardly.
“There’s more,” Jack said nervously.
The kiss?
“The whole school knows,” Jack said.
Will automatically looked at the school as if the physical building somehow knew of his home situation. “Okay. Everyone knows.” And given how school worked, that meant everyone was gossiping about him right now. Talking about his family. His situation. He sat back rubbing his temples. A migraine was coming on. “How do you know that?”
“Birch knows, and he doesn’t even know many people here, but he still found out,” Jack explained. “I’m sorry. It sucks.”
“Yeah. It does.”
Will’s day went downhill from there. It felt like every student in the whole school was offering their couch to him. People he didn’t know approached and offered their support. Since there were literal twelve-year-olds in his school, it was more than a little disconcerting.
“My door’s always open,” Gale was in the middle of saying.
Will closed his locker and gave Gale the same answer he’d been giving everyone all day. “Thanks, but I’m okay.”
“I know you are.” Gale stayed leaning against the locker next to him, even after the bell went. “But if you decide you aren’t, I’m here.”
Will nodded. “I appreciate that.”
“And if you want to get out of the house this weekend, a few of the guys are going into town on Saturday night. There’s a super club,” Gale explained.
Before Will could answer, two third-years came up to him. Will only recognised one. He was pretty sure his name was Max. His older brother had been on the team before he had finished school last year.
“Hi,” Max said nervously. “My brother told me what’s going on at your house, and I want to let you know if you need anywhere to stay our place is open.”
“Thanks, but I’m okay,” Will said.
Max nodded and then left with his friend.
Gale watched them. “Do you know them?”
“About as well as I know everyone else who's offered me their place today.” Will sighed. He was tired. He wanted things to go back to normal. “I didn’t realise everyone in our school was so nice.”
“They aren’t,” Gale straightened up. “Everyone just loves you.”
Will snorted. “Right.”
“Take it easy,” Gale said with a wave as he went to catch his bus. He was one of the few students who didn’t attend any after-school study halls.
Will waited until the last of the students were cleared from the hallway before going. He figured that Gabriel wasn’t likely to so much as look in his direction, never mind give him crap about coming in late to class. Unfortunately, lingering was a bad idea, as the school Chaplin, a lovely man who always insisted they referred to him by his first name, caught him.
“Dylan,” Will greeted.
“Will, I’ve been trying to track you down all day.” Dylan stopped him. “I thought you might want to talk.”
Dylan was also their counsellor, providing them with spiritual guidance. Everyone had to meet with him at some point, and when Will had, it had been a chilled-out time. He’d mainly talked to Will about tips for dealing with stress and about finding time for mindfulness during the exam year. He also asked about what Will liked to do in his spare time. But stopping for a chat wasn’t what Will was in the mood for. If merely thinking about what his mom had said to him was enough to turn his stomach, then talking about it was going to empty it out.
“I’m okay,” he lied. “I’ve talked it out with my parents, and I’m managing.”
Dylan rubbed his shoulder. “My room is open at all times, so if you ever want to take a break from class—even if it’s not to talk, but just spend some time quietly with yourself—that’s perfectly okay. It’s what the room is for.”
“Thanks, Dylan.”
They parted ways, and Will continued on to the hour of the day he’d been dreading since he got out of bed.
At after-school study, he arrived to find Gabriel and Cassie talking outside the classroom.
Will cleared his throat.
Their heads jerked toward him.
He gave an awkward smile. “Sorry to interrupt, mind if I squeeze past?” He pointed to the door they blocked.
“You aren’t interrupting,” Cassie reassured him. She gravitated toward him, worry written all over her face as she hovered. “How are you doing?” She lightly touched his elbow, and she had this look in her eyes like she really cared about his answer. Will didn’t know what to do with that look. If felt so different from Jack’s offered apology this morning, or the beds and couches everyone was giving him, or Gabriel telling him to talk to a counsellor.
“I’m fine,” Will said.
Gabriel was looking at him, and his expression wasn’t that different from Cassie’s, all worry and concern. And that didn’t feel fair at all. He’d turned Will away when he’d been distraught and crying. So why did he get to make that face now and twist Will’s chest into this tight uncomfortable ball?
“Dylan was looking for you just now. Did you pass him?” Cassie told him.
Will shrugged it off. “He found me.”
“Did you want to take the time to talk to him?” Gabriel chimed in, his expression pinging between an earnest, I mean well look and an I’m nothing more than a concerned tutor kinda look. At least that was Will’s interpretation.
Will shot back with his best I’m nothing more than your student so stop pretending to give a shit look. “I’m good.”
“Is there anyone in particular you’d like to see instead?” Gabriel pushed. It was annoying how transparent he was being. Cassie glanced at Gabriel’s face, seeing that he was trying to be nice.
“We could go shopping?” Cassie suggested.
“I don’t mind you missing the class,” Gabriel followed up instantly.
Was it bad that all this concern did nothing but make him feel uncomfortable? At least with Gale he’d made his offer and backed off. Will knew they were acting out of worry for him, but all this needling was just—
“I said I’m fine,” Will repeated. “And I’m more concerned about getting my homework done than anything else.”
Cassie was quick to nod and offer Will a smile.
Will went first into the classroom, keeping his eyes to himself, even though Gabriel continued to watch him.