Last Chance High - 3. Chapter 3

“A party?”

“Sì madre.”

“Will there be drinking at this party?”

Toni rolled his eyes as he bent down to tie his combat boots, “If there isn’t it wouldn’t be a very good party.”

“Will there be boy named Antonio drinking at this party?”

“No madre.” Toni stood up to answer the door.

“Okay. You may go. But you behave yourself.”

“Sì madre.”

Jenny and Daphne stood on his front step with big smiles.

“You ready?”

“Yea, please let’s get out of here.”

“Wait a minute; is that what you’re wearing?”

Toni raised an eyebrow at Daphne’s question, “What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?”

“Well, that’s what you wore to school.”

“So?”

“Come on Jenny, this boy needs major help.”

With a sigh Toni stepped aside so they could enter and led them to his room. After five minutes of going through his clothes Daphne handed Toni a dark gray dress shirt and a worn leather jacket.

“Here, put this on.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Your pants are fine as they are.” With a sigh Toni peeled his black t-shirt off. “Wow Toni, you are kind of jacked.” Toni blushed and shrugged into the dress shirt buttoning it up quickly. “Do you work out?”

Toni snorted, “Is that supposed to be a line?”

“No! I’m genuinely curious.” Daphne laughed, “You don’t seem the athletic type. But you definitely look it.”

“I used to be into sports.”

“What changed?”

When the boys on the team found out my secret they kicked the shit out of me. They refused to change in the same room as me.

Instead Toni shrugged. “Can we just go now?”

Daphne let it drop. After saying goodbye to his mom, who seemed excited to meet Toni’s friends, Toni and the girls headed out for the party.

It wasn’t a long drive from Toni’s place, but he was suddenly wishing it was. His excitement soon turned to nervousness. By the time they pulled up in front of Brittany’s (very large) house he felt a little like he was going to be sick.

“You ready?” Jenny said with a smile, putting her arm around the smaller boy’s shoulders.

“I don’t know. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea.”

“What’s wrong Toni? It’s just a party.” Daphne came up on his other side and linked her arm through his.

“I kind of have a bad track record with parties. And people.”

“Don’t worry; we got your back Toni!” Jenny squeezed him close.

“Besides, with guns like yours I doubt you’d have any trouble covering your own back.” Daphne giggled.

Toni groaned.

“Hey, really, what’s bugging you? We’re friends, you can tell us.”

“I’ve been in lots of fights. It’s not loosing I worry about.” Toni paused unsure how to continue. The girls waited patiently for him to gather his thoughts. “I’ve been in a lot of fights. Won just as many as I lost. I used to get picked on a lot. It got to the point where I decided I wasn’t going to take it anymore and started fighting back. Unfortunately teachers, parents and cops don’t really give a shit about why the fight started. The one still standing is usually the one in trouble. I’ve gotten into a lot of trouble.”

“Why would someone pick on you?” Toni shrugged, he had already told them more than he meant to. “Don’t worry, we’ll help you stay out of trouble.”

“Yea, I mean every school has it's assholes, but this is an okay crowd.”

“Besides, Marc and my brother would have your back too.” Jenny said it casually, but it made Toni’s stomach flop.

“What does Marc have to do with anything?” It came out sharper than he had meant it to. Jenny and Daphne exchanged a glance.

“Well, he invited you right? He’s your friend too.”

“Oh, right, yea I guess.” Toni mumbled, hoping the heat of his face wasn’t visible.

With Jenny’s arm around his shoulders and Daphne’s linked through his own the girls led him into the party.

+X+

“Come on Marc, you're not going to have any fun sitting here all night." Jack pulled Marc to his feet. He had sat at the bottom of the stairs where he could see the front door. Waiting, hoping the Italian would show up.

Alex laughed and put his arm around the blue-eyed boys shoulders.

"He'll be here when he's here. You don't have to sit there like a puppy waiting for his master to get home. Anyways, it’s creepy."

"What if he changed his mind?" Marc frowned but allowed his friends to lead him to the back of the house towards the kitchen.

"My sister told me she was picking him up. I may have hinted she needed to get him here at all costs."

"You told her? What if she tells him?" Marc panicked.

"She already knew. I think it's pretty safe to say Toni is the only one who hasn't figured out you're into him. "

Marc groaned. It was no secret his tastes ran both ways, he came out back in freshman year and by now the school had accepted it. But he still found it harder to approach guys, mostly because he couldn't tell if they were gay or not. Jack always teased him that his 'gaydar was broken'.

"Besides," His Latino friend dragged out, "How can he say yes, if you don't ask him out."

"He can't say no either." Marc sighed and took the beer Alex handed him. With one last look at the door he followed his friends into the party.

+X+

Toni wandered through the house, the full bottle of beer Daphne handed him dangling in his fingers. He had no intention of drinking it, but she insisted just one wouldn't hurt. So he allowed her to pass the bottle into his hands and he took a swig, to make her happy. Daphne ran off a few minutes after that to go find Alex. Toni still wasn't sure what was going on there. Jenny had stayed with him for a while but wandered off to find the bathroom, leaving Toni standing in the living room. He watched the drunk teenagers dance and grind against each other. It made him feel like a creep. He hadn't seen Marc yet and he couldn't decide if he was glad or upset about that. Maybe that's what made him decide to wander further into the crowd. He just came into the kitchen and turned to leave when someone called his name.

"Toni! Hey, over here buddy! Come on!"

He turned to see Alex leaning against the counter, his arms around Daphne's waist. Marc sat on the counter next to them, a goofy smile on his lips. Toni wanted to turn and walk away. With that smile and the tight T-shirt stretched across his muscles, Marc was too tempting to ignore. Cursing his own weakness Toni took a swig of the beer and joined his 'friends'. He leaned with his back against the island in front of them and flashed what he hoped was a convincing smile.

"How's it going?"

"Much better now." Alex said with a smirk, "Marc's been waiting for you all night." Toni saw Marc's cheeks redden, which just confused him.

"I mean... I just wanted to make sure you were here. Umm, having fun. Cause I invited you. I know you didn't really want to come, so I wanted to just make sure. You know, that you did. Have fun I mean." Marc stammered, his blush deepening even more as he stared at his dangling feet. Alex and Daphne tried to stifle their giggles. Toni raised his eyebrows, he had no idea what was going on. But damn Marc was adorable when he was embarrassed.

"Forgive them Toni," Jack came up behind him with a laugh and put his arm around Toni's waist, holding the boy close. "They are very drunk." Toni froze at the contact and jumped away. He felt bad because the small Latino looked a little hurt.

"Yea, no it’s okay." Toni tried to sound casual, as if he had just been startled. "I get it. Kind of."

"What do you mean kind of?" Daphne asked slowly.

"Well, I don't really drink. I've had a whole of two sips of this since you gave it to me an hour ago." He lifted to bottle to show it was still full.

Marc frowned and slid from the counter, bringing him within two feet of Toni. "Why don't you drink?"

Toni tried to steady his breathing, the boy was so close he could smell his skin. It was like a summer breeze blowing across the ocean.

"Umm, I just find bad things happen when people drink too much." Toni swallowed. Especially around him.

Marc's frown deepened. He reached around Toni and dumped the rest of his beer in the sink behind him. The movement brought him almost right up against Toni, making him stiffen. Marc stood there for a moment, his eyes glued to Toni's. The younger boy wanted to look away but he was drowning in those eyes; blue as a summer’s sky. Marc gave Toni a small, almost sad smile and stepped away. Toni inhaled, he hasn't even noticed he was holding his breath.

"If Toni's not drinking then I won't either." Marc said with a smug smile. This just caused his friends to laugh louder,

"That's a nice gesture and all Marc," Alex sputtered through his giggles.

"But it's kind of lost considering," Daphne continued.

“You’re already drunk as a skunk." Jack fished, causing everyone to burst out again. Marc frowned again, and looked at his friends in confusion. Toni couldn't help but smile himself; Marc looked like a sad puppy. Those gorgeous blue eyes wide with hurt.

"Humph. Come on Antonio, let's go, these guys are being jerks." Marc took Toni's hand and pulled him towards the doors to the back porch. Marc's hand was soft and warm. Toni pulled his hand free and stepped away, hating the way the cool air touched his skin. Marc glanced over in surprise. Toni looked down at his feet.

"Do they always make fun of you like that?" He asked leaning against the railing. They were alone outside and the noises from the party were muffled by the glass doors.

"Ah, they're just teasing, they don't mean any harm." Marc leaned his elbows on the railing and looked out over the dark yard. Toni nodded, unsure what to say. "Besides, they're right, I have had a bit to drink. I didn't mean to drink so much. I was just anxious."

Toni glanced sideways; the moon shone off Marc's black hair and cast shadows across his face. The older boy took his breath away. Marc straightened his back and turned to face him. Toni's face was mere inches away.

Toni swallowed, "Ummm, why... Why were you...anxious?" He asked quietly. He saw Marc take a deep breath before nodding and leaning closer, like he was going to tell him a secret.

"Antonio..." He said almost breathlessly. Toni froze. The urge to reach out and pull Marc against him, smashing their lips together, was almost overwhelming. He blinked and pulled away, stepping back.

"Sorry, I ah, I have to go." Marc blinked up at him, surprised, but before he could say anything Toni took off through the house.

Marc followed after him, calling out, but the Italian didn't hear. Or ignored him. By the time Marc reached the front door the boy was long gone.

"Shit!" Marc slammed the door closed.

"What's wrong, Marc?"

"Damn it. I'm such an idiot."

“What happened?” Daphne grabbed his arm and turned him to face them. He could feel his eyes burning. He really messed up big time. Toni would never talk to him again. He couldn’t help himself; his dark hair was almost shining in the moonlight, those almost black eyes sparkling up at him. The way the color of his shirt contrasted with his dark skin, pulled tight across his chest. Marc remembered that chest from gym class; topless Toni was an image he hadn’t been able to get out of his head.

"I tried to kiss him." He mumbled "And he took off."

Daphne pulled him into a hug, Alex and Jack patting his back. "Aw sweetie, it’s going to be okay."

“Yea, you probably just spooked him.”

“You’ll see, everything will be fine.”

Marc looked at the closed-door. He seriously doubted it.

+X+

Toni ran until his lungs burned. He wasn’t far from his house but he couldn’t go home like this. His eyes stung and his face was streaked with tears. How could he have been so stupid? He almost KISSED Marc. Toni leaned against a wall and took a deep breath. And of course he panicked and took off, with no explanation. Marc probably thought he was psychotic. He’d have to think of some way of explaining himself. He just hoped what he had wanted to do to that boy hadn’t been written all over his face.

Warren had been right; he never should have gone to that party. He took another steadying breath and wiped his face on his shirt. He was ready to head back to his house to bury his face in his pillow and try not to think about Marc Townsend.