Chapter 3

                                    

                                          


                          
Michael's POV
                          
"Michael, what the fuck? Get your hands off my slushie!"
                          
"Nope, I'm supposed to be the slushie-obsessed one here," Michael said with a shrug, taking another long sip of Jeremy's blue raspberry slushie. "Sorry. I don't make the rules."
                          
"C'mon, asshole," Jeremy whined, trying to grab the cup from his hands. Michael just grinned mischievously and held the slushie out of Jeremy's reach, and the shorter boy huffed and crossed his arms over his chest in response.
                          
They were in the parking lot of 7-Eleven, walking back to Michael's PT Cruiser. Both of them had slept in much later than usual, and when Michael suggested slushies from 7-Eleven as their brunch, Jeremy was more than happy to oblige. Even though he was now putting on the whole "woe be me" act, Michael could tell Jeremy was happy right then, too. He could tell from the way he swung his arms just a little higher than normal, and -- fuck, this was cliché, but -- the faint glimmering in his sky blue eyes. They were these small details that anyone else probably would've missed, but Michael had known this boy for almost thirteen years. There wasn't much about Jeremy that he hadn't noticed. 
                          
Suddenly, Michael's phone dinged in his pocket, and Jeremy's did too a second later. Michael shifted his own wild cherry slushie to his left hand along with Jeremy's to be able to pull out his phone and read the text. The distraction led to Jeremy seizing his slushie directly out of Michael's hands and then triumphantly flipping him off.
                          
Michael groaned. "All right, all right, you win. For now." He quickly scanned the text and then looked back up at Jeremy. "We're going to Jake's." 
                          
"Oh. Yeah, sure," Jeremy agreed. He frowned down at his slushie as Michael unlocked his car. They both got in; Michael in the driver's seat, and Jeremy in the passenger's. "Now your saliva's all over my straw."
                          
"I don't see what the problem with that is. We're shared sodas a million times before," Michael pointed out.
                          
He considered this. "True." And with that, Jeremy began slurping down his slushie.
                          
They chatted about random shit as Michael drove to Jake's house, and within seven minutes they had arrived. He could see Brooke's -- well, Brooke's mother's -- car in the driveway, along with Jenna's and obviously Jake's. I'm guessing some of them carpooled, he thought indifferently, parking at the side of the street. Jake's parents were apparently on vacation without him, but Jake didn't seem to mind that at all. Jeremy left his mostly empty 7-Eleven cup in his cupholder, and Michael did the same, then opened the car door and hopped out into the street.
                          
The warm summer air was welcome on Michael's bare arms. He was wearing a T-shirt and jeans, having abandoned his hoodie at his house. After locking the car, he walked up to the front door with Jeremy and, unsure whether he should ring the doorbell or knock, ended up knocking. 
                          
Michael had only been to Jake's house twice; once during the debacle of a Halloween party and then a second time for an end-of=junior-year party two weeks ago, although he'd been hesitant to attend. It ended up going fine. No panic attacks occurred. No houses were burned down (although, for the record, Jake's house had been far from burning down at the Halloween party. There was definitely some damage and people were injured, but whatever was damaged was also quickly repaired. The talk of Jake's house "burning down" was just an over-exaggerated rumor -- unfortunately, Jake's parents had not been thrilled to find out that Jake had thrown a boozy party). However, there had been a bit too many people for Michael's liking.
                          
But today should be fine. It wasn't a party -- it was just him, Jeremy, Jake, Rich, Christine, Chloe, Brooke, and Jenna, a group hang out.
                          
The door swung open, and Jake grinned and nodded his head slightly at them, the official cool boy greeting. "'Sup, guys? Come in. You're the last ones here."