Spencer had been looking at him expectantly since they sat down at the lunch table (so for the past twenty minutes), and it was making it quite hard for Ezra to focus on eating. "Jesus man, what?" He finally asked, and the entire team, sitting at the table around them, looked over. Ezra ducked his head.

Since what had happened over the weekend, he had yet to meet any of their eyes. He knew that Adrian said it wasn't a big deal, and he would forget about it, but Ezra found that he just couldn't. Everything from the night was still in his head. He could clearly remember everything. How it had felt to move inside of the other. How smooth his skin had felt under his palms. The noises that Adrian had made as his body shook against his. All of the memories were stuck in Ezra's head, and what truly scared him was the feeling he experienced whenever he thought of doing it again.

It was these feelings that made him feel ashamed. Too ashamed to meet the eyes of his team mates.

Ezra glanced over at Adrian's usual lunch table to find it empty except for a rather pretty blonde by herself, earbuds in as she looked down at the textbook in front of her. Ezra wondered who she was, remembering seeing her and Adrian in the halls together.

"Ez, I asked you why you are such a cock". Spencer's words took a moment to process in Ezra's head, but when they did he furrowed his eyebrows at his friend.

"What?" Spencer looked amused as he dipped a french fry in ketchup and ate it slowly. School food was disgusting. "I'm a what?"

"A dick". This didn't make any sense to Ezra, especially since his friend didn't even seem to be mad. He glanced at Landon, who was sitting to his right, and the other shrugged at him, also clearly confused. "Saturday".

Ezra thought back to that day for a second longer, and he felt his face heat as his entire body tensed. "What about it?"

"You know!" Spencer exclaimed, "I can tell by the color of your face. You know what you did to me!"

Ezra thought for a moment. Since Spencer could have no idea of what he and Adrian had done on Saturday night, he could only be referring to one thing. The phone call when he told Spencer that he couldn't join him at his house. "Because I wouldn't let you come over? I was busy, I told you that-"

"You blew me off for a girl!" Spencer exclaimed, and the entire table, including some surrounding tables, looked incredibly interested in the conversation. Ezra blinked in surprise at his friend who seemed so sure of himself.

"What?"

"I heard you! I came over to your house-"

Ezra was in shock but managed a loud, "I told you not to!"

"And I could hear it from outside! Ezra, Harder. Ezra, more," Spencer imitated, and Ezra felt his cheeks flame as he glared at his friend. He was incredibly thankful at that moment that Adrian's voice got high when he was being fucked. Into the couch. By him. So good-

"You don't know what you're talking about," Ezra said, drawing his attention to the unappealing salad on his plate and trying to ignore all of the eyes he felt studying his face.

"I know what sex sounds like-"

"How would you know what sex sounds like?" Ezra snapped at his best friend, who to his knowledge had yet to lose his virginity. Spencer looked taken back and even somewhat panicked for a moment before he regained his composure.

"Porn". Ezra rolled his eyes. "But that doesn't matter. What matters is the fact that I know what sex sounds like, and you were having it, when you were supposed to be hanging out with me". Ezra didn't know what to say to this, but Francis answered for him.

"Spence, you're an ass". The black haired goalie looked at Ezra then, "Who'd you smash?" He was then bombarded with questions from his entire team, all of them eager to know his business and Ezra felt himself getting more and more nervous with each passing second. Stupid Spencer.

"Shut up! All of you," he snapped, and the table slowly fell silent after a minute. He looked around at the boy's faces. Some of them looked sorry, some of them looked amused, and only Spencer and Francis looked proud that they had gotten under his skin. "I really don't want to talk about this".

"That mean's he's going to tell me later, guys," Spencer said, grinning, and Ezra felt his annoyance growing even though it was probably true. Ezra had an inability to keep secrets from his best friend. It was rather frightening, especially in matters like theses when he didn't know how the other would react.

"There must be something really wrong with her for you to not boast about it," Francis said, and Ezra met his eyes evenly, ignoring the heat in his face.

Fransis, the goalie, was probably the biggest ass hole on the team. He was very opinionated and anyone who disagreed with him, was considered automatically wrong. He was also in Ezra's close group of friends, along with Landon and Spencer, but Ezra and him often butted heads and it was rare for either of them to back down.

It was Ezra who broke eye contact first. "Why'd you come to my house anyways?" he asked Spencer, and most of the boys seemed to lose interest in the conversation since they realized he really wasn't about to give them any hints as to who he slept with.

"Because you never blow me off. Between the two of us, you're the loner. You always ask me to come over to your house, and whenever I say I'm coming over you just let me. I thought it was suspicious that you said no so I went to investigate," Spencer said with a shrug.

Sadly, this was true. Between the two of them, Ezra would be the one more desperate for company. A couple nights a week, Spencer would mysteriously disappear with the excuse, I have plans, and Ezra had no one else to hang out with, so he just sat home alone. Very rarely *cough cough never* was Ezra the one with plans. Even ones that had to do with his family. Ezra just wasn't a busy person. "But respect man. I would have done the same". Spencer held out a closed fist, and Ezra was sure he meant for Ezra to raise his own and knock their knuckles together, but he didn't. Spence slowly lowered his hand, his face becoming concerned but Ezra shot him a look that he hoped said don't ask.

The point must have gotten across because Spencer, for once, kept his mouth shut.

The rest of the lunch went by quickly as they talked about the regular topics for the table; Who they played next week, what drills they would have to run at practice after school (were they going to be the same as morning drills or would coach be generous and give their legs a break?) and how Valley Falls, the rival school, was looking this year.

Ezra didn't like this topic, since thinking about last year's game, and the injury he had suffered from because of the game greatly upset him.

Ezra felt a kick under the table and he looked up, meeting Spencer's blue eyes. They asked him if he was okay. He wasn't, but he nodded, mouthing I'll tell you about it later. Spencer nodded, and Ezra noticed Francis watching this exchange with an unreadable expression.

Ezra didn't look up for the rest of the meal.

**

Coach had to cancel practice, but they all still went. Most of them had nothing better to do, and those who did already has planned on going to practice so their plans didn't start until after five. As Captain, Ezra lead, instructing them to do their regular mile jog running up and down and up again, and so on, the field.

Then, since that was done and he wanted to speak to Spencer, he told them to his kick around and do whatever they wanted.

Him and Spencer stoods alongside of one another, taking turns kicking it into the goal and giving Francis the opportunity to block it, which he often did.

"Okay, Ez. It's just you and me. When are you going to fess up?"

Ezra was confused by his phrasing. "Fess up? I didn't do anything wrong".

"I know you slept with one of these guys ex girlfriends," Spencer sounded so sure and Ezra's feet stopped lightly kicking at the ball. Spencer had just kicked and missed, and Francis threw the ball back at him. Ezra, in a sort of shock, didn't really know what to say, so he remained quiet. "Woah man. Did have sex with one of their current girlfriends?" It would be so easy to lie to him right now, to just say yes, but he didn't want to do that. Ezra swallowed, watching as Spencer lined up to kick the ball.

"I fucked Adrian". As he said this, Spencer kicked. Instead of going in the goal, it went sideways across the field, somehow, and hit Landon on the head, which would have been funny in any other situation.

"You did what?!" Spencer exclaimed, and Ezra shushed him, looking around at all of his other teammates, who gave them curious looks but that was all. Ezra watched Spencer for a moment, wanting to see exactly how the other reacted, and after a long moment, he was surprised as Spencer parted his lips to laugh.

"What are you doing?" Ezra asked nervously, but Spencer couldn't respond through his laughter. "Spence, stop. You're drawing attention".

"You had sex with him," he laughed, keeping his voice down for Ezra's sake. "I thought you hated him".

"I do," Ezra said, but he didn't even sound confident to his own ears. Very unconvincing. It was hard to hate someone after they said they'd forget something ever happened just to make you feel comfortable. "I do!" He tried again, but it once again fell flat.

"Are you trying to convince me, or yourself?" Spencer asked, and Ezra bit his lip and looked at him.

"I don't know, Spence". Someone kicked the soccer ball back to them and Spencer trapped it under his foot.

"Are you gay, man?" Ezra blinked. Was he? He really didn't think so. He looked Spencer up at down carefully, and the other blinked at him, seeming perfectly fine with the face that his best friend was openly checking him out.

Spencer was definitely attractive, with his dark blonde hair and blue eyes, but Ezra would much rather be looking at someone else. But then he thought of looking at Adrian, and the idea didn't seem so bad.

You're supposed to hate him. But he couldn't.

"Not for you," Ezra said, and Spencer nodded like that was a reasonable answer.

"That's understandable". Ezra raised his eyebrows and Spencer gently kicked the ball to him, knocking the one that Ezra had beneath his own foot away.

"You say it like you have experience with this sort of thing". Spencer only chuckled and shook his head, sticking his leg out quickly and hitting the ball with the side of his foot. They both watched as it went directly between Francis legs. Goal.

"You better watch out, Captain. I'm about to steal your scholarship".

It was a subtle subject change, but Ezra caught it nevertheless. For a second he wondered if pointing it out was the right call, but he sided against it.

"You wish," he responded, dribbling his own soccer ball between his feet before firing it into the goal. Top right. Francis jumped and missed.

"Maybe we just need a new goalie!" Spencer said loudly and Francis flipped him off before kicking Ezra his ball back, harder than he needed to. As Ezra trapped it with his foot, he looked to his left, towards the school.

The band room was in the back of the building, and the back door, that lead out to the soccer field, was right alongside of it. Even from this distance, Ezra could tell it was Adrian leaving the building, his head ducked as he carried his saxophone case to a red car. He looked to be argueing with whoever was on the inside for a moment, and Ezra watched in interest as Adrian slammed the door and the car drove away, leaving the small boy behind.

"I think he needs a ride home," Spencer said, directly in his ear, and Ezra whipped his head around, looking at his best friend, whose face was directly next to his so they could talk low. "Give him one".

"I don't think I can..." Ezra trailed off, looking back at Adrian who had begun slowly walking through the back parking lot.

"Without fucking him?" Spencer sounded amused, but it was true. When Ezra had walked into language arts class that morning, only to see Adriana already in his spot at the front, the boys appearance had done something to him. He was wearing tight red pants and a black v-neck tshirt and black and white converse. God he looked good. Three days ago Ezra would have been disgusted by this outfit, but today, as the boy stood up to translate shakespearian onto the chalkboard, Ezra's eyes had automatically drifted to his ass, and then quickly up to the ceiling to avoid being caught looking. "Just be normal, Ez. Try to actually be nice to him".

Adrian was on the sidewalk now, and Ezra nodded, picking up his soccer ball. He called a quick goodbye to his team mates, and then jogged to his car, still moving as Spencer yelled, "Ezra, your backpack!"

And he responded with a simple, "You know where I live!"

Adrian was to the end of the street when Ezra caught up to him. He rolled down the passenger side window and slowly drove along side of him in his shitty 1995 Sabru. "Need a ride?" he asked as he leaned over the center consul to be heard better while shifting his eyes from the road to Adrian and then back again over and over again, taking in as much of the boy as he could in these second long glances.

Adrian looked ahead, not even glancing to see who it was. "I'm good, thanks".

This took Ezra by surprise. "What do you mean you're good? Get in the car". Adrian kept walking and Ezra wondered what his problem was. "Adrian".

Adrian stopped walking now and Ezra quickly slammed on the brakes, his car lurching as the brakes squealed. Without a word, Adrian climbed in the passenger seat, seeming unfazed by all of the energy drinks on the floor, and Ezra was rather embarrassed. "Why are you helping me? Don't you hate me?"

Ezra had begun driving at a normal speed once more and Adrian buckled his seatbelt. "It's really not fair of me to hate you anymore. Especially since you're forgetting that I fucked you". This phrase sat there for a very long moment and when Ezra glanced at Adrian his face was blank. "What?"

"It's hard to forget about it if you mention it".

"Oh. Right. Sorry". It was very quiet and Ezra wondered if inviting this boy into his car was a mistake. He said the first thing that came to mind. "Parallelism is the format where all of the lines are parallel. Like they use in some kinds of poetry". Ezra stopped at a red light and Adrian looked at him like he was insane.

"No it's not". Oh.

"Fuck," He said, still looking at the sophomore, who suddenly began laughing in the passenger seat. He had a sweet laugh, very happy and bright, and Ezra felt a sense of accomplishment that he had caused that sound. A car honked behind him and he looked away, realizing the light was green. He began to drive. "I've been trying to read that book-"

"Turn left here". He did.

"But yeah. I clearly don't understand it well".

"We'll work on it some more, okay?" Adrian asked, sounding unsure, and Ezra nodded.

"We will".

"This one here, the white one". Adrian pointed out of the front window at a fairly small house, and Ezra noticed the red car in the driveway. He pulled long side of it and Adrian unbuckled his seat belt, seeming to be in a rush. "Alright, thanks for the ride". He grabbed his saxophone case and gave him a quick smile before he was out of the car and damn near sprinting to the front door.

As Ezra backed out of the driveway, he couldn't help but smile. What a strange and beauti- no. Just strange.

What a strange boy Adrian Vang was.