Chapter - Alex #2
I stare at him and the silence becomes so heavy and deep I don’t know what to say, because something like that just doesn’t fit in my mind.
"But I know their family. I don’t believe anything is happening there…"
"It doesn’t have to be the family, Alex.
It doesn’t even have to have happened at home.
It’s a delicate topic and I don’t know if you should ask him directly, not if he’s never shown any wish to talk about this.
But you could test his reaction indirectly.
Mention the boy from the case I’m handling and see if his reactions seem natural or if he gets tense and wants to end the conversation. "
I look at him for a moment. It sounds almost like he’s telling me to set up some kind of test for Bay, and that feels wrong.
As a prosecutor his mind works differently than most people’s, sharp and methodical, and he doesn’t always stop to consider whether bringing this up is something I should do at all, whether it’s healthy.
I fix him with a sharp glare. My dad’s face looks tired, he’s overworked. He’s fifty-eight but still works like someone in his thirties. He notices my frown but keeps his face unfazed.
I sigh. "Dad, you know I can’t just start that kind of topic and then observe him like I’m running some kind of test," I mutter with a crooked face.
My dad folds his arms and speaks in his typical stern voice.
"Oh Alex, you’ve spent a year refusing to accept that Bay isn’t interested in you, and when I give you a possible explanation you react like I suggested something inappropriate. You decide for yourself whether you want to talk to him about it."
Yes, this is how our conversations often end. Whenever I disagree, the ‘Prosecutor Strada’ comes out.
My dad stands up and walks to the window.
"Oh look, the Nolans just pulled up, get your things, time for school," he says dryly.
I don’t answer. My relationship with my dad has been like this since I was a kid, he always talked to me as if I were an adult, without filters, with the same tone he uses with defendants or witnesses.
I’ve gotten used to his severity, but maybe that’s why I miss Uncle Dimitri so much, because he was warm and gentle, such a sharp contrast!
So I get up, grab my backpack and give him a short "bye" before heading out.
Bay stands next to the car. It’s our daily ritual. They pull up and he doesn’t even have to get out, but he always does, and his dark green eyes fix on me like I’m turning on a light inside him.
"Hey Alex," he says, and we do our secret handshake, that series of taps with fists, elbows and forearms, and then he opens the car door for me.
"Did you study for History? Don’t forget we have a quiz today," he says lightly.
"A little, I’ll review again during break," I mumble.
His parents sit in the front. Ever since the Hansons beat him up last year, they drive him to and from school every day.
His dad turns around with a smile and asks,
"So, is your Halloween costume ready?"
"It is," I answer with a smile. I really like his dad, he’s the opposite of mine, warm and kind, feels a little like a substitute for my uncle. But Dimitri was like a father to me, he raised me while my dad was always working, and no one will ever take his place in my heart.
"What time does the party start? Seven? We can pick you up…"
"No, my dad will take me, no need for you to drive back and forth."
"No problem, you know we’re always happy to give you a ride."
"My dad already told me he’d drop me off, but I’ll gladly go home with you after."
"Sure!" Bay’s dad flashes a big grin.
I glance at Bay, who’s sitting by the window, staring outside.
Whenever he isn’t talking to me, that same expression always slips back onto his face, a quiet kind of distance and thoughtfulness, and I watch the beautiful lines of his profile, the soft curve of his mouth that he got from his dad, and I remember that one time during summer break when I managed to brush my lips against his, just once, gentle and quick, and how I never dared to try again.
If only he knew how beautiful he is, how much he stands out among everyone else at school with those sculpted features, that tall athletic frame, and the long dark-red hair that frames his face like something out of a painting.
He’s so perfect it kind of hurts, but he’s also out of reach, and I don’t even know whether I should try to push for understanding his reasons without making him reject me in the process.
Classes slide by quietly that day.
We both take the world history test, then spend lunch together, and at one point Dereck drops by to check in with Bay and exchange a couple of comments about the Halloween set they’re going to play.
Dereck’s on bass permanently now, and Bay’s on guitar, obviously, and of course he’s the lead vocalist.
I watch Dereck while he talks to Bay, because he always gets that particular look on his face, the one someone gets when they’re staring at something they know they can’t have.
I’m painfully aware that, just like Kaen and Zion, Dereck is part of that unofficial little club of people who are nursing crushes on Bay, but for some reason it doesn’t bother me.
I know they’d have to try ten times harder than even I do, and I’m not sure that’s possible, because they simply don’t have access to him the way I do.
Eventually we split up for our afternoon classes, me heading to AC calculus and him to music theory.
The last period gets canceled, since everyone’s being let out early to set up for the Halloween party in the evening.
I won’t deny it, I’m already excited. I love listening to Bay perform, and I know he practiced like crazy for this.
◆◆◆
When we’re dropped off in the school parking lot, we’re already in our costumes, the full versions we planned out, and Bay really does look convincing with the white makeup, the darkened eyes, the bluish lips, and that fake scar drawn across his cheek.
He also has a pair of black wings with red streaks on them, hanging a little to the left. Definitely a creative mix.
My costume is different, even though I’m in pale makeup too, with the shadows on my face deepened and sharpened so I look more skeletal, but I aimed for the way an undead lich or necromancer might look.
I’ve got a bone crown on my head and a chain of small skulls across my chest, and the long dark-purple robe is supposed to represent my necromancer distinction or whatever.
When we step out onto the parking lot, there’s already a pretty big crowd of kids in every kind of costume imaginable, but we stick together as we head into the gym.
It’s covered in Halloween decorations, and Bay wants to double-check with the band that everything’s plugged in right, from the sound system to the mics.
People start gathering slowly. Music plays in the background, popular songs everyone knows, and some kids are already dancing, but the main event of the night is the band’s performance. I walk up to Bay because I know they’re about to begin.
"Good luck, Bay, you’ll be amazing," I tell him with a wide smile.
"Thanks, Alex." Suddenly he hesitates and grabs my hand.
"Wait."
He opens his mouth, then closes it again, and I can see him fighting with something inside himself. Then he leans in out of nowhere and plants a quick, soft kiss on my lips.
But not just one. I can’t believe it.
Bay freezes, doesn’t pull back, but does it again, and this time it isn’t just a peck, it’s a real kiss, short but definitely real.
Our lips brush and shift against each other, and I swear I feel the lightest flick of his tongue before he straightens quickly, and even under the makeup I can see him blushing.
I stop breathing for a second. I stare at him, stunned, not understanding what just happened, and I see the embarrassment flood his face, so I try to rescue him as fast as I can.
"I guess every zombie feels an instinctive pull toward the necromancer who controls them, right?" I tilt my head with a small smile.
Bay exhales like he’s been holding his breath, almost relieved by my joke.
"That’s true. You’re a very convincing necromancer. Please allow me to be your loyal undead servant…"
"Go infect a bunch of minds with your… music," I say, throwing out a cringey line and patting his arm lightly even though my heart is blasting in my chest. What just happened?
I smile and walk away like nothing’s unusual, but inside me something is shifting fast. Maybe…
maybe there’s a chance things could finally change between us.
I saw it in his face, the way he fought with himself all day.
Bay never struggles to talk about anything except this one thing, the thing that concerns us.
I’m almost certain he wanted to say something, maybe suggest changing our status. The excitement is wild, and I can’t wait for the performance to be over.
The Halloween event is split into two parts, the band’s set first and then regular music from the speakers, with dancing, games, contests, and the vote for best horror couple with the best costume. It goes on for hours, and I can’t wait for later.
Soon Bay starts playing, and holy shit, he looks so freaking good. His long red hair falls over his shoulders in a thick wave, and even with the zombie makeup he’s still the most handsome alpha I’ve ever seen.
During the more upbeat and cheerful songs, he pulls the strings inside the costume and his black wings rise and spread out to the sides, which gets an enthusiastic reaction from the audience.
When I first met him, it was just a dumb crush, but now that I’m sixteen, something in me has shifted, and I think about things I shouldn’t be thinking about, wondering what would happen if we were actually dating.
My skin feels hot just imagining it, my pulse jumps, so I try to shake the thoughts loose by jumping in place to the music, waving my arms, clapping along, doing anything so I don’t drift too far into fantasies.