Tide smiled across the booth at Forest. He had positioned himself opposite the younger boy, with Ryan sat on Forest’s other side. The rest of the team and their friends were taking up the remaining seats in the diner. There weren’t many other patrons tonight and the owner, Millicent, had strung up brown and white streamers from the lampshades.
Forest had shyly asked if Cindy could come too and Tide had grinned and told him of course. This meant that Tide was now sat next to the small blonde bundle of seemingly never ending energy.
“I’m quite full from the hot dog at the game,” Forest admitted as Tide nudged a menu over to him. “Could I just have a milkshake?”
“Yeah, the chocolate ones are amazing,” Tide nodded, “but they also do strawberry, cherry, vanilla, banana and –“
“Cherry please,” Forest replied. “I really like cherries. With soy milk if that's okay.”
Tide grinned and flagged the server over. Cindy seemingly had the appetite of the basketball team even after her hot dogs, and ordered herself a double cheeseburger with fries along with a banana milkshake. Ryan got the same after fist bumping Cindy in respect. Tide felt too amped up on adrenaline still to be properly hungry so he just ordered a side of fries and a chocolate milkshake.
After the drinks had arrived, Ryan stood up on the stretched red leather of the booth and hollered until he had everyone’s attention.
“I’d like us all to raise a glass to our success and the man of the hour – our captain,” Ryan grinned at Tide who flushed and rolled his eyes.
Everyone lifted up their milkshakes and sodas with a loud cheer. Tide smiled sheepishly at Forest, the other boy was laughing as Ryan tried to sit back down and nearly slipped face first into his burger.
There was a fresh, red cherry on top of the whipped cream of Forest’s milkshake. Forest picked it up by the stalk and absently sucked the white froth from dark, shiny skin.
Tide immediately choked on his own drink, loudly trying to rasp for breath as Cindy smacked him on the back.
“Jesus man, you okay?” Ryan asked, looking torn between amusement, surprise and concern.
“Y-yeah,” Tide coughed, “Went down the wrong way.”
Forest jumped up and hurried over to the diner counter before returning with a glass of tap water that he handed to Tide.
“Thanks,” Tide croaked, embarrassment flaming across his face.
“Are you sure you’re alright?” Forest asked anxiously, kneeling down beside where Tide was sat and looking up at him through dark lashes. Tide nearly had another choking attack at seeing his crush on his knees like that, before he pulled himself together and nodded his head with a weak smile.
“You can always borrow my inhaler?” Forest asked earnestly, reaching into his pocket.
As much as Tide wanted to pretend that might help, just to get his mouth on something Forest had also touched in that way, he didn’t let himself. Instead, he shook his head again. “Nah, I’m good, sorry for the fuss guys.”
“Okay,” Forest nodded and stood back up, still looking a little unsure as he slotted back into the booth beside Ryan.
“So Tide,” Cindy began happily with a mouthful of burger bun, “are you going to be posing for our life drawing class again? Only there’s this art competition that Forest wants to enter.”
“Cindy,” Forest whined, slumping down on his seat slightly.
“Art competition?” Tide asked, looking questioningly at Forest.
“Yeah,” Forest replied, sitting back up and playing with the ties of his zip up. “It’s dumb, I don’t have anything to submit and it’s not like a big deal or anything, it’s only local.”
“It sounds cool,” Tide stated, “you’re amazing at drawing, I think you should go for it. Plus it will look good on your art school application right?”
“Um, yeah,” Forest blushed as Cindy and Ryan fell noticeably quiet. Tide wondered if he had said something weird.
“I’d be happy to pose for you again,” Tide continued, deciding he would chicken out if he didn’t power through now.
“French girl,” Ryan coughed into his hand before Cindy snorted with laughter.
Tide opened his mouth to try and give a witty retort, when some of his friends came up to their table.
“Coach is pissed already,” Hunter laughed, gesturing to Coach Miller who was swaying in the corner with a few of the other guys and the school janitor with whom it was rumoured he was close. “Old Millicent always slips something extra into his milkshakes.”
“He deserves it,” Tide smiled, “I think his pre game stress levels have been higher than anyone.”
Hunter’s eyes landed on Forest before narrowing in slight confusion. “Hi, I’m Hunter, you are?”
“F-Forest,” Forest stammered, his glasses slipping slightly down his nose before he pushed them back up.
Tide frowned, Forest had hunched in on himself again and looked like he did that day when Tide had hit him with the ball. He seemed small, almost scared.
“You’ve met him before actually,” Tide stated to Hunter. Although he didn’t elaborate, he figured the shower incident was probably the last thing that Forest wanted brought up right now.
Then again, the only other time Hunter had met Forest had been his house party and that hadn’t exactly ended great for Forest either. A pang of regret welled up in Tide, he wanted to make things more comfortable for Forest in the future.
“Shit, sorry,” Hunter laughed, taking another messy slurp of his drink, “I’m the worst with names and faces. It gets me in trouble sometimes, especially with the girls.”
“That’s okay,” Forest’s lips pulled into a small, shy smile as Tide relaxed. He tensed again though a moment later, as Connor approached the table with his arm slung around Ashley’s waist. Behind Ashley, Tide could see a table of cheerleaders eyeing them curiously. Kristina, however, was clearly glaring.
Tide had felt torn, on the one hand he was desperate to take Forest out and introduce him to his friends and his world. But on the other hand, he just wanted to curl protectively over the other boy and keep him away from any biting comments or nasty looks.
Tide felt stupid just thinking about it, it wasn’t like they were actually dating. He had no idea if Forest would even potentially like him in that way. Did he have any right to feel so protective? So possessive?
It looked like Ashley whispered something into Connor’s ear before the other boy frowned and pulled her a little tighter, muttering, “behave.”
Tide let out a small breath he hadn’t known he had been holding, Ashley was always far more manageable when Connor was around. Sometimes she could actually be quite fun.
“Tide,” Connor nodded, drawing up to them.
“Hi guys,” Tide smiled. “Ash, that was an amazing routine you guys pulled out there today, well done.”
“Thank you, Tide!” Ashley beamed with a pleased flush, her posture relaxing and looking less predatory. “I really wanted to make the choreography more complex this time for such an important game.”
“You pulled it off baby,” Connor smirked, reaching over to peck at his girlfriend’s cheek.
“I don’t understand how you’re all so bendy,” Cindy piped up as Ryan burped with laughter into his drink.
“Um yeah,” Ashley laughed, cocking her head at the other girl. “I’m sorry, I don’t know your name?”
“Oh it’s Cindy!” Cindy announced, looking very pleased with herself.
“Cindy, right,” Ashley slid her eyes between Tide and the blonde girl where they were sat squashed up. Tide chuckled to himself as he realised Ash was trying to work out if Tide was trying to hit on Cindy.
“Hey Tide,” Ashley turned back to him with an angelic smile. “I’m having a house party next week to celebrate Kristina’s birthday, you’ll be there right?”
“Actually I won’t be,” Tide shook his head as Ash scrunched her face up, his friends were frowning at him too. “I’m still on behavioural probation,” Tide shrugged. “Part of the School Contribution Scheme is I’m helping chaperone the juniors’ school trip to Lakesville.”
“What?” Cindy exclaimed as Forest gasped. “You’re one of our senior chaperones?”
The Lakesville trip was something the juniors did every year. They spent a few days in the quaint old historical town. There was a fairground and a nearby forest for hiking where the school rented out a couple of big cabin dormitories.
Tide had remembered not really getting to properly enjoy it the previous year due to coming down with a stomach bug. The idea of getting to go there with Forest this year secretly thrilled him.
“Aw man that sucks for you,” Hunter groaned in misplaced commiseration as he patted Tide on the shoulder. “Look on the bright side, maybe there’ll be some cute juniors there?”
“Yeah, you never know,” Ryan laughed, far too brightly to be considered normal or natural.
Tide flushed as he looked up to see that Forest was staring at him curiously, a smudge of whipped cream still spread on his lower lip.
Tide gulped and looked away before he did something insane like reaching across the table to try and wipe it off.
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