Only Seventeen

~ 6 ~

*~*~Justin's POV~*~*

The bell rings signaling the beginning of lunch. I make my way towards the line and grab a brown tray from the stack and hold it by my side. When I reach where the food is being doled out, I grab a juice from the cooler and ponder grabbing a salad, but change my mind. The food looks pretty good. Everyone is gushing about the mashed potatoes and chicken-in-a-biscuit. I think it looks like chicken soup plopped on top of a roll, but that's just my opinion.

"It tastes better than it looks." A voice behind me whispers.

I turn and see a nicely dressed, dark haired, young girl grab a chocolate milk from the crate. She smiles at me and nudges me to order. I hesitate and squeak out that I'd like gravy on my potatoes and the chicken biscuit thing. The lady in a hairnet ladles the yellow gravy over the food on the Styrofoam tray and then slides it over to me. I reach up and grab it, placing it gently on the brown plastic tray, then slide along and pay the cashier.

I glance around the cafeteria, hoping to find an empty table to sit at, but they all seem to be occupied by someone or another.

"Come on." The girl from the line says to me and practically pulls me across the room to a table in the very back corner. She sets her tray down and pulls a chair next to a younger looking boy. He's dressed nicely in a crisp, white shirt underneath a blue jean jacket.

Maybe he's her boyfriend.

"Well, aren't you just delicious." The boy says with a noticeable lisp and flick of his wrist. He's staring at me and, I fear, undressing me with his eyes.

Maybe not so much.

I sit down and open my juice, take a swig, and then unwrap the spork that has been so nicely provided for us. "I'm Justin, by the way."

"I'm Emmett and this here is Daphne." He smiles a toothy grin and I immediately like him. He seems so innocent and dainty.

I dig into the gravy covered chicken thing and find that Daphne was right. It does taste better than it looks. Listening to the conversation between Daphne and Emmett, I surmise that he's a grade below me and Daphne is the same as I. She tells him to watch out for the math teacher because his favorite thing is to give pop quizzes. I look around the room and see that this place is no different than my old school. There are still girls with three different colors of hair, piercings anywhere they can find a place to put a needle, and the uniforms hide nothing. There are anarchist patches safety pinned to backpacks and atheist stickers pasted onto notebooks.

"Justin?" Emmett snaps a finger in front of my face and I realize that he's probably been talking for some time.

"Sorry." I mumble and push the food around on my plate.

"Where the hell were you?" Daphne asks, a look of concern on her face.

"Just thinking, I guess." I sigh. "What was it you wanted?"

"I just wanted to know what you thought of the communications class. I'm just a few seats away from you."

"I hate speeches." I answer truthfully and Daphne agrees.

"But more importantly, did you see the tall drink of water that was wandering the halls this morning? Yummy, that's all I've got to say." Emmett speaks in a language all his own, I discover.

"Brian?" Daphne asks and then giggles. "He's a college boy. You know how I like the older men, Emm."

Emmett nods his head and I groan. The last thing I need is a lunchroom discussion on Brian Kinney. Isn't it enough that I work with the man? Now, I have to see him at school and then hear about him for the rest of the day.

"Justin, you can't tell me you don't find him the least bit dreamy." Emmett prods and I shake my head not wanting to even begin down this road.

"I like to call it false hope, Emmett. What if he's in a relationship?" I attempt to feign ignorance, but am not too sure it's working.

"Unlikely." Daphne snorts. "Besides, that's never stopped him before." Daphne giggles and nudges Emmett with her elbow, a supercilious smile creeps across his face. "He's quite a hound on Liberty."

"You know Liberty Avenue?" I ask somewhat amazed.

"There's not a gay boy in the Pitts that's never heard of Liberty Avenue. It's just the fun ones who go there."

"I work at the diner." I tell the duo with a smile. "The Liberty Diner."

"No need to clarify." Daphne giggles. "That's the best diner on the whole fucking street."

"Which is how we know that the esteemed Mr. Kinney is not, and will probably never be, in a relationship. It's not his style."

I laugh and nod my head. Turning my attention to Daphne, I ask a quick question. "So, you're not…?"

"A lesbian?" She finishes for me. "Hell no! I like cock just as much as Emmett here."

Emmett flashes another toothy grin and pats Daphne on the top of her head. "Daph is the biggest fag hag around." Covering his mouth with the back of his hand he whispers quietly. "I sometimes wonder if she wants to be a gay man."

"Shut up!" Daphne exclaims and playfully smacks Emmett on his shoulder blade.

"Well." Emmett smirks. "It's true."

I smile at my newfound…friends. I could be wrong about them muddling up your time, but it's still too early to tell. If only Brian wasn't at my school, it'd be much easier to mask how lame I really am. I could continue being the cool Californian that I purport myself to be.

"Speak of the devil himself." Emmett sighed his attention at the cafeteria doors. There stood the omnipresent Brian Kinney, wearing that same smug grin, flashing it in my direction.

Jesus!

"Is it too late to crawl under the table and die?" I ask my two companions.

"And why would you want to do that?" Emmett asks giving me a quizzical look. I decide to ignore it and slouch low in my seat, wishing that I was wearing my hooded sweatshirt instead of this fucking uniform, and pray that Brian decides to not humiliate me.

And if I know Brian as well as I believe I do, then I'm totally fucked.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

*~*~Brian's POV~*~*

He's surprised to see me, again. I can see it written all over his cherub face and the way he slouches down in his seat, like he's trying to disappear. Maybe he is. Not that I blame him; hell, if it wasn't for Deb I would have keeled over at the sight of him.

I don't know if I should strut over and demand his attention. He'd give it to me, but reluctantly. I don't want it that way, though. I want him to run to me, to demand that I listen and focus solely on him, and not for me to be the beggar. I don't work that way. I opt, instead, to go to the lunch line and grab something to drink before my lunch with Mikey.

"Yoo hoo!" a voice to my left calls out. I turn and see a tall, lanky boy waving his arms in the air. He's sitting next to a young, dark skinned girl with curly hair. She'd be all mine if it wasn't for that whole gay thing. I smile broadly when I notice that across the table, Justin is looking totally mortified. I can tell he's trying to not let it show, to bring forth his cool, WASP-like upbringing, but he's not a good actor.

"What can I do for you?" I ask with utter ease once I approach the trio.

"I'm Emmett Honeycutt." He holds out his hand and I shake it before he moves on to further introductions. "This is Daphne Chanders -she's my hag-, and this delightful treat is Justin." I laugh at Daphne's intro, which to any other person would need further discussion, but not to me. I furrow my brow and stare at Emmett and Daphne. I've seen them before.

"We've met." Justin deadpans and I nod in agreement.

"Taylor and I work together."

"Oh, we knew that." Daphne offers with a sly grin, and it's then that I realize they come in to the diner, quite often I might add.

"Why don't you pull up a seat?" It's Justin this time, which I must say is unexpected considering his latest reactions to seeing me. I do as he suggests, moving as close to him as possible without drawing attention. It doesn't stop Emmett from giving Daphne a sideways glance and a raised eyebrow, though.

"So, what do you think of your new school, Sunshine?" He winces at the name.

"It's fine." He mumbles.

"Sunshine?" Emmett squeals. "That's so adorable."

Justin groans next to me and slinks down further. He's acting like a petulant child and I tell him so; not aloud, but I whisper it.

"Fuck you." Is his nice reply only furthering the truth in my statement.

"That comes later." I whisper back, nuzzling against his neck, and planting a soft kiss right under his ear. I lean back in my seat, not wanting to give much more of a show than that. I know how hard it is to be out in high school, but I don't know how it is to be out in a Catholic high school. Maybe they burn you at the stake or stone you. I shudder at the thought.

"Don't you have to be somewhere?" Justin asks after he begins to breath again.

"I have a lunch thing with Mikey." I answer with a slight tone of annoyance.

"If you don't want to go then why go?"

"Because it's easier to accommodate him than hear him whine about it for the next month. It gives me headaches."

"Oh, poor baby." The blond mocks and I give him a stern look. He only smiles that thousand-watt smile at me, which I hate to say, will some day melt my heart.

He leans in close to me and whispers seductively in my ear. "Maybe we can play doctor after you're finished. I'm sure you'll be a very, very accommodating patient."

I adjust myself in my seat and he laughs, knowing what I'm trying to hide. It's rare for somebody to have that effect on me and the fact that Justin knows about it only furthers my discomfort.

"Calm down." I smile before getting up and saying goodbye. I have places to be and people to see. Not that I won't be taking Justin up on his offer and also, finding out where this sudden change of heart came from.

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