But not kiss!

The silence from Jake was deafening. Drew had sent him numerous messages over the weekend, trying to engage in conversation and keep in touch, but there was no reply. Not a single thumbs-up, not a single seen notification. It was unlike Jake, who usually responded quickly to his messages. The absence of a reply had set Drew on edge, his thoughts a whirlwind of worry and frustration.

Why hadn't Jake answered? He couldn't wrap his head around it, the uncharacteristic radio silence leaving him feeling his temper grow, Drew clenched his jaw, his hands balling into fists. He knew that Jake was deliberately ignoring him, leaving him on read without bothering to even open the messages, probably peering the message through notifications. It made his blood boil, the blatant disregard for his feelings like a knife twisting in his gut.

His mind was clouded with anger and frustration, the thought of Jake brushing him off, reading his messages but refusing to respond, only fueling his irritation.
Every time Drew had tried to address the growing distance between them, Jake would dodge the conversation like a skilled acrobat, avoiding eye contact and mumbling something about being busy. The whole thing was a ridiculous charade, and it was increasingly frustrating for Drew.

He couldn't help but find Jake's behavior both annoying and slightly amusing, the way he danced around the issue like a coward. Pfft, whatever he didn't care he had other friends, richer, cooler, hotter friends. He could have a blast with them.

Drew grabbed his hairbrush, walking towards the bathroom with a sort of tired energy. He opened the door and entered, his movements somewhat clumsy and lacking finesse. He placed the hairbrush on the edge of the sink and leaned forward, splashing cold water on his face.

The water from the faucet was cold, and while dree would typically prefer warm water on most occasions, he found that the coolness was a nice contrast to how his face was burning, studying his reflection in the glass, taking in his disheveled appearance and tired eyes, he looked terrible.

With gentle and deliberate movements, he ran the brush through his locks, working to tease out the tangles and knots that had tangled themselves in his hair. He was determined to maintain a somewhat respectable appearance, despite the early hour and his still groggy mind.

He let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding, and tore his gaze away from the mirror. His eyes now found the closed bathroom door, and he couldn't help but notice the way his foot twisted against the cool, tiled floor.

The sound of his heel against the tile echoed softly in the small room, a subtle rhythm that broke the silence. It was almost an unconscious gesture, a fidget born from nervousness or anticipation.

Well, he couldn't stay here forever

Drew grabbed his brown bag, hoisting it over one of his shoulders. He let out a long-irritated sigh, He stood there for a moment, his shoulders sagging under the weight of his bag and his thoughts, contemplating the awkward day ahead of him.

Drew stepped into his car and took hold of the steering wheel, his fingers digging into the leather. He let out a deep sigh, his frustration and annoyance from earlier still lingering in his mind. Without hesitating, he pressed down on the gas pedal, a bit harder than necessary. The car lurched forward, the engine revving loudly as if in protest.

It was peaceful momentarily, the sun had just begun to rise  A gentle breeze blew through Drew's open window, rustling his hair and bringing a sense of tranquility.

As he twisted the steering wheel, the car responded to his command, gliding smoothly across the road. The hum of the tires against the pavement intensified, growing louder with every passing second. He increased his speed, the engine revving in response.

Reaching the schools parking lot, getting out of the car, slowly walking towards the schools entrance door, muffled wounds of laughing, chatting students rang through the wood, Drew swung open the school doors, actively attempting not to do so in a way that made him look shy or hesitant, and joined the masses of kids crowding the hallway. The smartest thing to do was to go about his day and pretend that everything was fine.

Pretending was the smartest thing to do right now, he knew that. Keeping up appearances was crucial, even if it meant hiding his true emotions and feelings behind a mask.

As he moved through the crowded halls, he spotted Henry and Liam nearby. He gave them a subtle nod in greeting before pulling out his phone and scrolling idly through his feed, tapping his foot against the filthy linoleum floor of the school.

"Oh, drew! Didn't notice 'ya" Henry's grin widened, and he sauntered closer to Drew, his hand waving excitedly in greeting. Liam followed suit, walking alongside him with a sly smirk on his face. They flanked Drew on either side, the three of them creating a small entourage in the middle of the busy hallway.

"So," Liam joined the conversation as they walked, cramming his hand in his pockets He angled his head to the side slightly, glancing over at the others with a curious expression

"what classes do you guys have?" he asked, his voice carrying a hint of playful intrigue. Both Henry and Drew shrugged nonchalantly in response, their expressions betraying little interest in the question.

"AP English" Drew broke the momentary silence, slipping his phone into his back pocket and standing up straight hoping the rectangular outline wasn't noticable. He lazily punched in the locker code, his shoulders hunched over in a dejected manner. The locker door swung open with a soft clang as the metal hinges scraped against each other.

"Ughhh.. i have Spanish, im skipping i am not stepping foot into that classroom, " Liam leaned against the locker, the cold metal biting into his back, and buried his face in his hands. A deep sigh escaped from his lips, "henry wanna come along?" Liam questioned, got up suddenly, placing his he pressed his hands on his cheeks

"Sure! Drew you wanna come too? We could eat ice cream from the ice cream machine" henry grinned.

With a mixture of annoyance and resignation, Drew opened his locker and retrieved his English books, a look of disappointment on his face. "That shit doesn't even work anymore," he exclaimed, slamming the locker door shut with a little more force than necessary.

"No, im pretty sure its working this week," liam tilted his head. "Who cares, i mean i would eat it.."

"So? Were just going to skip in school and eat ice cream all day, im not 7, id rather go smoke."

"Calm down, you've only been smoking for a year how are you addicted?"

"Have an alternative,?"

Henry's reaction was predictable, he rolled his eyes at Drew's remark and responded with a childish gesture, thumbing his nose and sticking out his tongue. It was one of those moments where it felt like they were back in elementary school, bickering over silly things and trying to get under each other's skin.

"Your no fun—" Henry's words were cut off by the loud ringing of the bell, its harsh sound reverberating through the hallway.
Drew instinctively scrunched up his face, his expression a mixture of annoyance and discomfort at the sudden noise. The bell's shrill tone felt like needles piercing through his ears, making him wince involuntarily.

"Well were heading out see ya!" Liam waved his hands frantically in the air before taking off in a sprint after Henry, the two of them disappearing into the sea of students making their way to their classes. The hallway was a blur of movement and chatter, the boys quickly lost among the mass of people rushing to get to where they needed to be.

Henry and liam made it look so easy, so casual and unapologetically from the heart. when they spoke, it didn't seem like they had been sitting there with a tightened chest, racking his kind for something to say, it was natural, it was real

Drew felt an odd mix of emotions as he watched his friends banter back and forth. He realized he didn't just feel simple envy for their carefree attitudes. Sure, he appreciated their company, their laughter and energy. But there was a deeper feeling of admiration, a pang of wishing he could have some of what they had.

Drew sort of envied them. No it was more that envy, he cared for them, a lot, obviously. He really appreciated them. They were fun and nice and good friends, and they had this energy that radiated off of them that made him feel better in an instant; he'd never admit that though.

He rushed down the halls, glancing at the numbers on the doors as he passed them. The room number he was searching for was nearing, and he quickened his pace, determined not to be late. Just as he reached the classroom door, he heard the chime of the second bell, and he slipped into the room just in the nick of time.

With a discreet glance to his left, he observed Daisy sitting in the seat next to him, her fingers dancing nimbly with a pen in hand. She was in the midst of decorating her notebook, the page adorned with delicate, well-drawn roses and a small sticker neatly placed in the lower right corner a flick of the wrist and the dab of her pencil. He couldn't help but sneak a quick peek at her notes, noticing that her method of jotting down information wasn't quite his style. However, he couldn't bring himself to judge, considering that he took equally mundane notes himself.

"Hello students, today we'll be taking notes for midterms which are just around the corner, take notes, and you should be set."

He heaved a weary sigh and retrieved one of his numerous notebooks, placing it strategically in front of him. He picked up the black pen and stared at the blank page before him, a stark white canvas begging to be filled. With a feel of obligation, he looked back at the board, diligently copying down all the material presented there, paying meticulous attention to detail.

As much as he wanted to take one of his dad's old hunting guns and shoot himself in the mouth, he didn't have a choice except to let his more rational side take over, deciding that blowing his brains out wasn't the best idea.

He pulled out three bright highlighters, each of them a different shade of vibrant color. He quickly moved his hand across the page, highlighting the key sections and paragraphs that stood out as the most important text. As he worked.

As the bell rung one more, he felt someone taps his shoulder, whipping his head back as he saw daisy's long pin straight white hair

"Can i help you?" His eyebrows knitted together, his gaze rather focused.

"Oh sorry to bother but," she"i just wanted to say, your handwriting is really nice," She leaned over discreetly and whispered, her eyes flickering towards Drew's notebook, a smile playing on her lips. It was a subtle gesture.

"Oh," Drews eye crinkled in confusion looking back at his
note-book. "Thank you."

As the school day came to an end, jake still hadn't showed up, maybe he was skipping too? Or was he just trying to twist the knife in drews open festering wound that could never heal?

The minute Drew entered his house, he wasted no time, quickly scrolling to Jake's contact on his phone.

Drew: jake, Are you okay? If you're sick i could go visit you with some medicine?
ᴰᵉˡⁱᵛᵉʳᵉᵈ

He looked at wt the top of his phone, seeing he was online he had been up and down with jakes shit.

Drew: I Know your reading this, at least respond.
ᴰᵉˡⁱᵛᵉʳᵉᵈ

Drew: whatever, fuck you.

His thumb hovered over the screen of his phone, hesitating momentarily before swiping the gacha-gram app aside, launching a different app to distract himself with, and his eyes flicked to the window, watching for sight of the battered minivan that Liam would come to school with.

"Well what did you text him?" Henry cocked an eyebrow,

"None of your business.." drew muttered into his palm.

Liam and henry exchanged a glance speaking telepathically
"Were you at least.. nice?" Liam spoke.

He put his hands into the pocket of his jeans, his fingers toying with a black bracelet loosely tied around his wrist. A hint of sarcasm dripped from his words as he spoke, his tone dry and mocking. Drews other hand was stuffed into his jean pocket, a green, red, and peach-ish color "Oh yeah." He nodded firmly, "for sure. For sure. I texted him and then we virtually hugged and cried in the snow everyone applauded. Afterward, i complimented his heinous collared jacket, and we both did a backflip down a seventeen-foot long rainbow, it was really beautiful, like a Disney movie"

Liam shook his head slightly, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his lips. His hair fell forward, bangs dancing in rhythm with the movement, as he expressed a different opinion on the matter. "It's likely that he's just sick," he offered, his voice carrying a note of reassurance.

Drew furrowed his brows, expression suddenly veering away from resentment and closer to disappointment. His hands were balled into fists, curled into his pockets.

His voice wavered for a moment, betraying a hint of unease. "He was always the kind of person to keep in touch," he started, his words tinged with the slightest hint of helplessness. "He used to text me all the time, but lately," he trailed off, the rest of his thought lingering unspoken in the air.

He couldn't help but pick at his nails, his frustration evident. "It's so obvious that he's lying," he muttered, irritation creeping into his voice. "He thinks he's getting away with it, but it's so damn obvious. What's worse is that he comes up with these lame ass excuses every goddamn time."

"I don't know..." Henry paused, his voice uncertain. "Maybe you should give Jake some time. It might just be a phase he's going through."

"Fine.." With a weary exhale, he turned on his playstation, the familiar whirring sound of the console blending into the background as he prepared to play online with his friends. He slouched against the bean bag, his thoughts still wandering He watched as the console booted up, the familiar hum of the machine joining the background noise.