Carter's Vanguard - 6. Chapter 6

"Her name's Cynthia," Will said, sitting in the Tim Horton's and glancing at the girl Jared had been surreptitiously eyeing for the past twenty minutes.

"Huh?" Jared asked, snapping out of his daydream and giving his head a shake to clear it.

Will looked over his shoulder at the young Chinese girl who was working behind the counter pouring coffee and smiling sweetly at the customers; he glanced back at the lovestruck Jared. "Bit obvious, innit?" he stated, jerking his head in Cynthia's direction.

Jared blushed. "When did you become an expert?" he demanded, wrapping both hands around the coffee cup and picking at its brown plastic lid.

"Well technically I have nothing to lose," Will stated, loosening his tie, and after a moment's pause took it off entirely and stuffed it into his bag.

"She is pretty though," Jared said, wistfully staring again.

Will rolled his eyes and glanced around for a clock, their lunch hour was nearly over and they were due back at school. He liked spending his lunch hours with Jared; they'd started doing it last year during the whole outing incident, a way for Jared to protect his friend from the other school kids, but after all of that it had just become something they always did.

"You could ask her out," Will said, turning slightly and waving at Cynthia.

She caught Will's wave and broke out into a pretty smile. Will clearly heard Jared sigh at the smile and he rolled his eyes again. "Would you just get over there?" he insisted crossing his arms.

"No, I can't," Jared said becoming shy again. "Let's change the subject, 'kay?"

"Hey, I don't want to hassle you," Will said, holding his hands up in mock surrender. "It's your love life, or lack thereof..."

Jared's eyes narrowed at Will, and Will grinned back at him.

"Student council elections for next year," Jared said, deliberately following through on his motion to change the subject. "I hear Charlene is running for President."

"Nothing like having an ex-girlfriend in a position of power," Will replied. "You thinking about running against her?"

"I wouldn't have time," Jared admitted. "Between school and hockey I don't have much time for the extra curricular stuff. You should run."

Will choked on his coffee, "'Scuse me?"

"You should run for student council," Jared insisted. "You're pretty popular, everyone likes you and you have a rep for being smart."

"They only like me 'cause of Andrew," Will responded.

"I think it was when you slugged Todd Gadreau last year," Jared commented.

Will shook his head. "I don't think I want to do it," he said with full honesty. "Charlene fights nasty and the last thing I want is a repeat of last year when she found out about Andrew."

"Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned," Jared said quoting the favourite adage. "She soon gave up after Andrew came out. What could they say, really? They couldn't have a go at you without him getting involved, and since the hockey team had his back--all for one and that..."

Will chuckled shaking his head, "You know, that always confused me a little. I mean, I know that Todd didn't take it well, but the rest of the team, why'd they do that?"

Jared thought a moment on the end of last year, of the revelation that Andrew Highmore, their hero and Captain, was gay. That bastion of masculinity, the one guy they all aspired to be, was actually gay...

"I dunno," Jared shrugged. "Andrew was so cool, didn't give us any bullshit or anything. He didn't deny anything. You were either with him, or against him." Jared smiled, "And after you decked Todd, Andrew suddenly had this big scary boyfriend protecting him..."

"Oh give over," Will said blushing, looking at himself in the mirror: tall and thin, looking far too much like an academic. Sure he dressed stylishly; he was always smart and Lisa dragged him once a month to her stylist so his brown hair was always neat, highlighted and hanging in an off-center parting that he always found looked cool. But he still wasn't a match for a hockey player...

Jared grinned and punched his arm from across the table, "Seriously though, there were a couple that had a problem with it. But you know Andrew, he was important to all of us, he was our Captain..." He gave up lamely trying to explain it, "We just had his back."

Will smiled, "Your turn next year."

Jared shook his head, "I'm not like him."

"Nope," Will replied with a grin glancing down at Jared's belt buckle then back up into his eyes playfully, "you're not."

Jared turned bright red, "Stop that!" He blushed, "You need more up top and less down below before that happens."

Will shrugged, "You're still a hero to the freshmen, you're the best on the team this year, and," he sighed, "you just need to have a bit of confidence in yourself." He chuckled, "This from the resident school fag... I'm lecturing a jock about confidence..."

"Stop calling yourself that." Jared winced at the word.

Will blinked, "Fag? Why? It's just a word, I'm not afraid of a word. Fag, queer, gay makes no difference to me I still get laid more than anyone else in the school, and with a hot guy too..."

"'Kay; see, this is why I don't like having coffee with you." Jared blushed again, "I may be accepting and all that, I just don't need to picture you and Andrew..." He shuddered, "'Kay, now I'll have nightmares."

"Yeah," Will said making a face. "Don't know if I like the idea of you having dreams about me."

Jared folded his arms defiantly, "Why not? I'm good-looking."

"It's not that..." Will said, becoming a little unsure of the conversation.

"Oh sure, I'm no Andrew, but I'm handsome, my momma said so!" Jared set his jaw.

Will licked his lips and shook his head;"Right, um, I am not having this conversation with you."

Jared grinned and slapped Will's arm, "I'm just teasing you, bud. You are way too easy to tease."

Will shook his head, "Don't do that, I was worried I had another gay hockey player on my conscience. I think Coach Thorburn would have my hide if I seduced another of his team captains..."

"You seduce me?" Jared snorted, "Dude you're so the bitch in this relationship. I was seducing you..."

Will pursed his lips and crossed his arms, "Yeah, well how about we change the subject before you start writing up wedding invitations and sticking me in a dress, huh? Andrew would object."

Jared grinned, "He'd be best man."

Will stood up and picked up his bag, "Enough of this nonsense, we have to go back to school..." he looked over at Cynthia, "Unless you're actually going to make a move on her."

Jared looked over at the girl again, the lovestruck look returning to his face as he hesitated. "I can't," he stammered out.

Will rolled his eyes again. "Oh I give up," he declared, walking over to the counter.

"Can I help you?" Cynthia asked in a timid-sounding voice.

"Extra large double-double," Will ordered, surveying the rows of tantalizing doughnuts behind the counter. He resisted the urge and grinned at her, "Have I introduced you to my friend, Jared?"

Cynthia shyly smiled at Jared, who in turn smiled back at her.

Will stood patiently watching his cup of coffee still in Cynthia's hands getting cold while she hesitated. If he didn't hurry this along it would be stone cold by the time he got to drink it.

"So," he said dramatically, "there's a barbeque at my house on Saturday night; you're welcome to come." He glanced back at Jared who was still blushing. Typical, the mighty hockey player who went to war every week for the honour of his school was terrified of a girl.

"W...where?" Cynthia asked hesitantly.

Will reached out, producing a pen in a magician's flourish and bending down to scribble a number on a napkin. "Here, this is my number; call me and I'll give you directions." He glanced at Jared as he snapped his wrist making the pen vanish much as he had made it appear, "Ready to go?"

Jared nodded mutely as they walked through the Timmies to the parked Toyota out back, Will slipping into it smiling as he anticipated getting his hands on the Toyota that weekend for his first impromptu lesson.

"What'd you do that for?" Jared protested as he got in and started the car, backing out of his spot and driving back towards the school.

"You like her, right?" Will asked. Seeing Jared nod he continued, "Well I just wanted to expedite matters a little..."

"Expedite?" Jared asked with a frown.

"Speed them up a bit," Will explained as the Toyota rocketed up the hill towards the school. "Besides, I wanted to have the barbeque anyway. Sort of welcome everyone home."

The car pulled up in the student parking lot and Jared shrugged. "I guess." he said, letting himself out.

Will sighed as he got out as well, walking with Jared back towards the school, "I'm sorry; I shouldn't have done that without asking."

Jared grinned at him, "You kidding? I'm glad you did, I'm just being shy an'shit."

The two high schoolers passed a couple of Will's grade-seven students, sitting on the grass by the gym doors eating their lunch and talking.

"Hello, Mister Carter," the three of them chimed innocently as he went past, suddenly breaking into nervous giggles and covering their mouths with their hands.

"Seems like you have a fan club." Jared said, holding the doors open for Will."

"Shurrup, you," Will grumbled, marching past him.

Jared winked at the girls and followed Will inside, "You're popular."

"Leave it out," Will said speeding up a little, embarrassed. "Come on, chemistry in a few minutes and you know Mister Chiasson expects us to pass."

"Yeah, but you're teacher's pet. 'Course you're gonna pass," Jared said, hurrying to catch up to him. "It's me that has to worry."

"Which reminds me," Will said, stopping in the hall to pull out a couple of sheets of loose leaf from his bag. "Last week's lab notes."

Jared grinned as he took them. "Thanks, Carter," he said, looking them over. It was a great arrangement: Jared did the maths and Will did the written work; between the two of them working together they were actually pulling down a decent grade in chemistry. It all went back to their first year as lab partners in biology, Will was atrocious at math, and Jared's written English put a fourth-grader to shame.

Will gave Jared a soft smile, "Any time, mate."

They had just begun to cross the cafeteria as Jared caught sight of Lisa over beside Charlene. The cheerleaders and popular girls always lunched together, it was like a small social club of good looks, popularity and money. To Will, Lisa never seemed to belong there, she was too smart for it, but she loved the attention. He gave her a wave, and she sparkled back at him with a brilliant smile as she saw him.

"What about Lisa?" Jared asked, nudging him. "She coming on Saturdaynight?"

Will gritted his teeth, "Do you really want her and Brody in the same place at the same time?"

"I bet I can get her to come," Jared said firmly.

Will considered it, "Ok, loser has to...?"

"The loser has to buy a six-pack for the winner over in Quebec," Jared said, his grin solidifying into a plan.

"Deal," Will said, shaking Jared's hand firmly; not that he really liked beer, but he wasn't about to pass up beating Jared at a bet.