Crush

“Really, tomorrow?” Will sighed as he absentmindedly picked at the strings hanging off the rips of his jeans.

“Will, it’ll be great! We haven’t gone out together in so long, just the four of us.”

“I know, I know. You just know that I need 4 to 6 business days to prepare myself to go somewhere mentally and one day isn’t much of a heads up”

“Well, if I had told you any earlier, you would’ve found a way to get out of it and you know better than anyone that you need to get out of that house,” Bella chuckled.

Will took a moment to think before hearing Bella’s doorbell chime. “Listen, Will, I’ve got to go. I’ll be at your house tomorrow at 2 with the guys. You better be ready,” she said. Will rolled his eyes but couldn’t help but smile. He knew she was right, but social interaction wasn’t his strong suit.

The next morning, Will woke up to the familiar sound of his family arguing downstairs. He tried to block it out, but it was tough. As he listened, his little sister’s strained voice cut through, making it even harder to ignore. It was always more challenging for him when they picked fights with her, especially since she was only 13 years old. She didn’t deserve this kind of treatment. Nobody should have to go through it, especially not a child.

He glanced at his phone and felt a wave of panic wash over him as he read the time - 1:36 PM! He had overslept, and he knew he was already running behind schedule. In a hurry, he scrambled out of bed and hastily put together an outfit. He grabbed his trusty ombré blue and purple sweater, paired it with his go-to pair of black skinny jeans that desperately needed washing, and slipped on some old boots he thrifted a few months ago.

As he gathered his things and put them in his old high school book bag, that never left his sight, his sister Sophie sauntered in, her crystal blue eyes red from arguing.

“Will?” she said.

“Hey Soph,” he replied, sitting down as he felt anxiety building up in his stomach.

“Where are you going?” she asked as she sat down beside him.

“Just out with some friends,” Will replied. He could tell she was upset, but he didn’t want to pry. He knew how she felt.

She looked at her lap for a while, twirling her thumbs, her long brown hair cascading over her shoulders, framing her face. “Will?” she asked again.

“Yes?”

“Have they always been like that?” Sophie asked, her voice trembling. Will sensed the weight of her emotions and braced himself for what was to come.

“Mom and Dad?” he replied, trying to keep his tone neutral. She nodded, tears welling in her eyes. “Yeah. For as long as I can remember.” he sighed.

Sophie looked down again, her shoulders shaking as she tried to stifle a sob. Will didn’t know what had caused the argument between their parents, but it didn’t matter. It always seemed to be something. The tension in the house was palpable.

“You’re keeping up your end of the deal, though, right?”. She gave a quick nod. “If they ever lay a hand on you, you tell me, okay?” he said firmly. “I’m never letting them do that to you, too, okay?” he said firmly.

“I know,” she whispered.

Will frowned and pulled her into a side hug, pulling away as his phone buzzed on the bed. “Shit, they’re here. See ya, Soph. Call me if you need me.” he said as he ran out the door leaving her sat on his bed alone.

His friends cheered as he slid into the backseat. He had not seen them for such a long time; It’s crazy how his worries just faded away as soon as he closed the car door.

“Will!” they yelled and shook their fists in the air in celebration. “Guys!” he groaned, as they all laughed at his pain. Will wasn’t particularly popular in high school. People referred to him as “The gay kid with crazy parents,” which wasn’t the greatest for his self-esteem but thankfully, some people he met did stick around. Now, those people are the only ones who force him to have a social life.

“Our DJ is slacking!” Will joked, reaching over the top of the passenger seat to ruffle his best friend Bella’s fluffy black hair.

“Hang on, you little prick,” she laughed, shaking her curls around in an attempt to see her phone screen.

Gasps rang through the air as the opening chords of “She’s Not Afraid” by One Direction began blasting through the old, worn-out speakers of the Honda. “Oh, yes!” Will yelled in excitement as he played an air guitar and sang a duet with Lizzy, their ditsy blonde friend with questionable taste in men on their invisible microphone. “Are you laughing at us, Kenny? How dare you!” Lizzy joked as she saw their driver and other close friend looking at them in the rear-view mirror, his face red from trying to contain his laughter.

“Take a right onto Mulberry Street in 500 feet,” the GPS interrupted their makeshift concert, filling the air with boos. “Look, there’s the sign!” Bella exclaimed with excitement, as she put her arm out, shaking her hand as she pointed.

“Welcome to the 2023 North Carolina State Fair,” Will read the sign out loud.

“Bella, didn’t you mention that we’re meeting some people here?” Kenny asked as he looked for the entrance and followed the long line of other cars trying to get in.

“Yeah, I made some new friends in school I want to introduce you guys to,” she replied.

Will got nervous but nodded along

“It’s okay Will, they’re cool!” Bella giggled, as she turned around in her seat to look at him, trying to calm him but it didn’t seem to be working based on his facial expression. “Come on Will, you know if I told you about this you would have refused to come.” Will rolled his eyes but knew she was right.

After a long and tiring search for a parking spot, Kenny slammed his door in frustration. Meanwhile, Bella was absorbed in her phone when Lizzy cheerfully skipped up behind her and asked for the names of her new friends.

“I only know two people who are coming - Victor and Alexis. But they’re also bringing some of their friends along with them,” She explained.

The man at the gate suddenly yelled, “TICKETS!”, giving everyone a fright. Bella stepped forward and handed him four tickets, rolling her eyes as she passed through the gate. Will chuckled as the rest of the group followed behind her.

Once inside, Bella excused herself to make a quick phone call.

“It’s great to see you here with us, Will,” Kenny said as he patted him on the back with a half-smile. Will shrugged, unsure of how to react. “We’ve missed you,” Kenny continued. “Really?” Will responded skeptically. Interrupting, Bella dropped her phone to shout over the blaring music, and people screaming on the fast rides, “They’re by the Ferris wheel!” Will gave Kenny a smile of gratitude as they walked side by side to catch up to Bella. Will looked at her with admiration as her ebony skin glowed in the warm sunlight. He loved seeing her so excited.

“Over there!” Bella yelled as she pointed to her friend Alexis from a distance and took off running to her.

“Come on, guys” Lizzy yelled, looking back at Will and Kenny as she followed Bella. The boys looked at each other and laughed as they began jogging after the rest, trying to keep up the pace, weaving between the crowd.

“Alexis, these are the friends I mentioned earlier,” said Bella as Will and Kenny stumbled up to the group, out of breath.

Each person introduced themselves, and although Will disliked introducing himself, he trusted that Bella’s friends were good people.

“Victor and the rest went to get some more tickets,” said Alexis.

“Who else came?” Bella asked.

“Jake, Harley, and Leo. We have one more joining too, but later, she had to work.”

“Hey, do you guys want to ride the Ferris wheel until they get back?” Alexis asked.

“Yes!!” Bella responded excitedly as she hopped on her tiptoes.

“Uh, no. I think I’ll stay down here,” Kenny giggled nervously, backing away. “I’m not a fan of heights.”

“No problem, Kenny. It won’t be long,” Bella smiled, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. “What about you?” She asked as her dark brown eyes locked with Wills.

“Uh… sure”

Each of them handed a ticket to the man running the ride and got into the booth.

“Hold on tight.” the man said as the ride began to move backward quickly.

“OH MY GOD!” Alexis yelled as the Ferris wheel abruptly stopped, causing their cabin to sway back and forth.

“Relax, Lexi,” Bella chuckled as she rested her hand on her knee. Alexis grabbed the sidebar of the cabin to brace herself and ease her fears.

“Will, are you okay?” Lizzy asked, noticing his silence as he stared out the side of the cabin.

“I’m fine,” he replied with a small smile. Lizzy’s question had brought him back to reality. He became lost in thought, staring down at the tiny people walking by on the ground.

“How do you know the others who are joining us?” Bella asked Alexis, changing the subject.

“Oh, they’re just some people I met in college. We like to go to events together. We’re all pretty social and outgoing,” Alexis explained.

Bella looked up and quickly became captivated by the beautiful clouds above. They were huge, rolling, and blinding white, and seemed so close that she felt like she could reach out and grab them.

After the cabin reached the bottom, Alexis jumped out and ran towards her friends, shouting, “They’re back! Come on!”

As they made their way back to where they had left Kenny, they caught a glimpse of the others. Will’s eyes met with one man, and he physically stopped in his tracks. His heart skipped a beat. This man was stunning and had everything that Will desired, that he didn’t even know that he wanted. He had blonde hair, blue eyes, a nice facial structure with the perfect amount of stubble. Blinking in shock, Will reminded himself to calm down, as he didn’t even know this guy’s name yet.

Alexis, running up to them, shouts, “Hey, guys! These are my friends: Bella, Kenny, Lizzy, and Will. And this is Jake, Harley, and Leo.”

Will smiled to himself as he learned Leo’s name. He thought it was quite an attractive name that fit him very well.

Each of the introductions is clear and friendly, but Will hesitates. He waves but can’t seem to speak. “Are you okay, Will?” asks Alexis. “He’s just really shy,” Bella explained with a smile as she grabbed his hand gently.

Jake laughed and rolled his eyes, saying, “So he can’t even speak for himself?” Will found the situation very difficult to handle. Not only was there an incredibly attractive man standing right in front of him, but everyone was focusing on him, making him feel extremely uncomfortable. He wished he could just run away and escape the situation.

“Jake,” Leo said, elbowing him in the side. “Be nice, jerk.”

Will couldn’t help but smile, and he prayed that the blush on his cheeks wasn’t noticeable. Thankfully, none of them mentioned it.

“Come on, guys. Let’s go play some games,” Harley suggested, hoping to avoid the crowd of people trying to pass by them.

As they wandered around the extensive field, searching for a game that wasn’t packed with sugar-fueled children, Will found himself repeatedly stealing glances at Leo. It was impossible not to be drawn to him. He didn’t want to come across as the typical teenage boy with a crush cliche, but despite his best efforts, he continued to catch himself discreetly scanning Leo’s body. He couldn’t help but admire how perfect it was.

“Whack a Mole!” Harley yelled, startling Will. “Oh, my god!” Will laughed and placed his hand on his chest to calm himself. “Sorry,” Harley laughed. “I used to destroy my family at this game as a kid in the arcade,” she hopped happily. “Wanna play?”

“Oh, I don’t know,” Will muttered nervously as he retreated into himself.

“Come on, Will, we don’t bite,” Leo encouraged him. “I’ll do it with you,” he offered. And there was no way in hell that he was going to turn that down.

“Alright, fine,” Will perked up as they each gave a ticket and stepped up to the three separate stations. Harley was on the left, Leo was in the middle, and Will was on the right.

“Ready, set, GO!” They began frantically hitting as fast as they could, with occasional screams of excitement. “Oh my god,” Will laughed, looking up, realizing that Harley’s score was twice as high as his and Leo’s. “45 seconds!” Bella cheered. “Ahhhh,” Leo yelled. “This is much more intense than I thought it would be,” he laughed. Will glanced over and couldn’t help but smile at the sight of Leo concentrating so intently. “And time!”

“HARLEY, HOLY SHIT!” Leo shouted as she bent over, holding her stomach in laughter. “How did I not know this about you?” he asked, panting.

“It’s such an obscure talent to have,” Will said quietly, scared to add to the conversation. “It really is,” Leo replied. Will smiled, appreciating Leo’s effort to make sure he was heard. It made him feel important.

“Alright so all of you got enough points to earn prizes,” the man running the booth said

“Really!” Harley squealed

“Yep, you get to choose from the large prizes and the other two, from the medium prizes”

Will and Leo stepped closer to the stand to see the options, but Harley knew precisely what she wanted

“I want that giant pink bear!”

As the man handed it to her, it engulfed her. It was as big as her torso.

Leo leaned against the stand, bracing himself on his hands, and asked, “What are you getting?” “The panda,” Will replied, trying not to make it obvious how Leo’s stance was making him weak in the knees. “I want the giraffe,” Leo said to the vendor as he grabbed their prizes from him and handed Will his. “They’re friends,” Leo said as he tapped their toy’s noses together. Will felt a warm sensation in his chest that he hadn’t felt in years and he wasn’t sure if he was happy about it or not. “Let’s go get some food,” Jake suggested.

An hour later, they had finally ordered their food and found a table with enough space for all of them.

“Who was that band performing tonight?” Bella asked.

“They’re a small local group called Sainthood  I’m pretty sure,” Jake replied

Will was getting lost in his thoughts, looking around at the brightly colored LED lights illuminating the grass as people walked by with funnel cakes and screaming children.

Suddenly, a voice startled him out of his trance. Leo had slid into the seat in front of him and asked, “Are you alright?”

“Yes, I’m fine. Is something wrong?” he asked.

“No, why would there be?” he replied.

“Well, why did you move down here?” he gestured to where he was sitting before.

“Because what they’re talking about is boring,” he smiled. Will glanced over and saw them all dramatically pointing at a picture of some famous actress everyone had been obsessing over recently and discussing it loudly.

“Oh,” he said, agreeing with sarcastic laughter.

“So, Will,” he said in a seductive tone, pretending as if they were on a date. Will was so nervous that he felt sick. “Tell me a little about yourself?”

Will wished he could consider this their first date, he was already imagining their future together.

“Well, there’s not that much to tell. I have a little sister named Sophia and I play video games a lot,” he snickered.

“Oh, come on, there’s more than that,” he said, taking a sip from his practically empty cup, making that awful sucking noise

“Well, I draw and paint, but they aren’t great,” he said, poking at his chili cheese fries, avoiding eye contact

“Do you have pictures?” He asked.

“Of my art?” Leo nodded and shook his cup around, determined to get every last drop out.

“Yes…” Will said, squinting his eyes playfully. Leo motioned for Will to give him his phone.

“Ugh, fine” he replied, as he handed it over, hesitantly. “But don’t be mean,” he added, as he watched Leo swipe through his photos.

“Holy shit!” he exclaimed as he looked at the photo of Will’s painting of an old Victorian castle. “Oh, come on, it’s not that good,” Will replied, rolling his eyes. “Bro, are you blind?” Leo chuckled. “It’s amazing. You have so much talent.” Will blushed as Leo handed the phone back. No one had ever complimented his work like that before.

“I also drew this one.”

“Is that Britney Spears?” he chuckled.

“You mean the queen, yeah, it is.”

Leo laughed loudly, getting Bella’s attention

“Will and Leo seem to be getting along well,” she whispered to Harley, leaning in close.

“Yeah, I noticed that,” Harley replied. “I don’t mean to be rude, but that’s a little unusual. Will often struggles to make friends, so I’m happy for him,” she explained. “Leo is a really friendly guy, though. If anyone can help him come out of his shell, it’s him,” Harley remarked.

“Hey guys, there’s Brynn!” Jake yelled, waving her over to their table. Leo turned around quickly in his seat and put his arms out as she ran into his embrace, planting a deep kiss on his lips.

“Hi, baby! Sorry, it took me so long. Work was crazy,” she said as she sat down beside Leo, in front of Will. Leo noticed the confusion on his face.

“This is my girlfriend, Brynn,” Leo introduced.

“Oh,” Will said with a small frown. He felt like he just got punched in the stomach.

“He’s really shy,” Leo said to brush off Will’s lack of enthusiasm to meet her.