Austin liked to consider himself a pretty coordinated person. Not once had he broken a bone, he rarely tripped over thin air and there weren’t many instances where he was considered the ‘clumsy friend’. So, it was quite the surprise when he managed to fall face-first onto concrete while skateboarding.
He was making his way out of his school’s parking lot when it happened. He was trying to beat the traffic that occurred once school was dismissed, because at that moment he really didn’t want to be required to swerve through cars before reaching the sidewalk. Though, as he tried to speed through the parking lot as fast as he could, his skateboard wheel hit a rock and stopped, sending Austin flying on the front. He ended up landing on the left side of his body, his cheek connecting with the concrete and the skin on his arm started to tear.
The worst part was everyone saw him wipe out. Laughter erupted behind him, people cringed at the sight, and he even heard a few horns honking as he laid on the ground and groaned in pain. Austin managed to sit up, sighing and shutting his eyes tight. The pain ached but he didn’t bring himself to cry.
Austin didn’t want to open his eyes, he was too scared to see how ripped up his arm was and the amount of people that were staring at him. Though, a gentle hand on his shoulder slipped him out of his thoughts and made him look up at whoever was trying to comfort him.
The one person that he definitely did not expect to be looking at him with a worried expression was Chase Hammond, the school’s most popular jock and all around jerk. Or at least that’s what Austin thought of him, seeing as he was constantly shoved around by the guy and was on the complete opposite end of the social hierarchy.
Chase was a popular, super-liked, basketball player that seemed to care more about staying on the team than his own classes. He was the type of guy to wear shorts in the winter and the same five pairs of weed socks every week. It was rumored that he had been with almost every girl that could manage to put up with him at least once; Austin despised him.
Austin wasn’t anything like Chase. He didn’t care about sports and his popularity. He was known as the quiet music kid and had approximately two close friends. There definitely wasn’t a rumor about him being with tons of girls, seeing as he was openly gay after he was forced out of the closet buy a group of cheerleaders.
“Hey Austin, are you okay, dude?” Chase asked, snapping Austin out of his thoughts. He was taken aback by the jock even knowing his name. Though, what shocked him even more was that Chase actually looked worried and wasn’t just playing up an act to ultimately humiliate him even more.
“Yeah! Yeah, I’m… fine.” Austin said, grabbing his board and attempting to stand up. A spark of pain traveled up the side of his body, causing him to wince.
“Liar. You’re coming with me.” Chase said, hoisting Austin up to his feet and supporting him by the waist. Austin tried to protest, but the other boy ignored any arguments. Soon enough, Austin gave up and let Chase sit him in his car. He couldn’t help but feel anxiety bubble in his chest as he went through the things that Chase could possibly do to him at his house. Chase started the car before the other boy spoke up again.
“Hey, where’s your girlfriend? Doesn’t she usually go home with you?”
“She’s not my girlfriend, more of a childhood friend. Yes, though, she usually does go home with me. She lives by me, it’s just easier that way. And today’s Thursday, so she’s staying after school to tutor some freshmen.” Chase shrugged, pulling out of the school parking lot and Austin’s head clouded with confusion.
“But… everyone says you two are dating. I thought you guys were together since like, the end of sophomore year. At least it makes the stories of you being with a different girl every week more believable.” Austin froze as he said the last statement, mentally cursing himself for saying something so stupid.
“Ah, those rumors. Yeah, they’re not true.” Chase said casually as if the entire school didn’t think he was constantly getting with multiple girls every semester. “Music?” He said, changing the subject and plugging his phone into the AUX cord. Austin nodded, expecting some mainstream rapper or top forty pop hit to start playing. Instead, the opening riff of ‘Mr. Brightside’ by The Killers rang through the speaker and Austin’s jaw dropped. That song was one of his favorites, that day was just full of surprises.
“Dude, you like The Killers?” Austin said, with disbelief. He’d never thought he’d be in Chase Hammond's car with The Killers playing. Chase nodded, humming the lyrics.
“Yeah! They're one of my favorite bands.” Chase pointed to his phone. “You can pick something out if you want.” Austin gasped, reaching for the phone and opening the music library. He raised his eyebrows has he read through the artists listed. Most of them were alternative bands he listened to as well: Cage The Elephant, Gorillaz, Fall Out Boy, even Twenty One Pilots. He was amazed. “Sorry if you like rap or stuff like that, I don’t really listen to it. There’s maybe a couple Drake songs sprinkled throughout there-”
“No, this is amazing. I love all these artist.” Austin paused, his smile increasing twofold. “You listen to Catfish and The Bottlemen?!” He asked, quickly tapping on their song ‘Postpone’. Moments later, both boys were shouting the lyrics at the top of their lungs.
Two songs later, Chase pulled into the driveway of a very large house. Austin fell back into his chair as he looked at the home in front of them. It looked like a mansion compared to the apartment he lived in with his family.
“You ready?” Chase asked, turning the ignition off. Austin nodded before stepping out of the car to grab his backpack and skateboard, he followed Chase inside.
They walked through the foyer, Chase greeted his parents and introduced them to Austin, who just grinned and waved shyly. Chase then grabbed Austin by the wrist and hauled him up the stairs, leading him to his room.
Again, what Austin saw was nothing like he had expected. Sure, there were basketball trophies lining the shelves but there were also posters for concerts and bands covering the walls. Fairly lights were hung up over the window, a record player with tons of vinyls stacked next to it was on his dresser, but the most surprising thing was the gay pride flag draped over the footboard of Chase’s bed.
“Was it not what you were expecting?” Chase said, laughing as he threw his backpack lazily onto his bed.
“No, not at all. Your persona doesn’t really fit this room. It doesn’t really fit anything I’ve learned about you today, I’m shocked.”
“Yeah, well, I’m not really the person I act like at school. I don’t smoke weed, never had and never will. I don’t party every weekend, I’ve never even had alcohol. I’ve also never had a real girlfriend, only middle school ‘crushes’. If that’s what you would call them. Turns out, I’m not the straightest person.” Chase explained, smiling at Austin’s expression. Austin couldn’t believe his ears, the guy he had hated for the entirety of high school shared more in common with him than anyone else.
“Then why do you like you do at school?” Austin asked, sitting next to Chase on his bed.
“My parents wanted me to be an athlete all my life. I was able to be the way I wanted to be in middle school, but when high school came around, so did the stereotypical cliques and also the identity issues. I felt the need to fit in and I ended up creating this person that I am at school. Everyone either really liked that version of me or really didn’t. I can tell you were part of the latter.” Chase gave a dry laugh and Austin felt his heart sink. “But that’s not the reason you’re here. You’re here because you’re hurt, not to listen to my sob story. So, like are you okay? Do you need a band-aid or something? Ice?”
“No, I’m fine. Don’t worry, you didn’t have to do all of this.” Austin shrugged, suddenly feeling out of place as he still didn’t know what to say about Chase’s life monologue. “I think I’m gonna go though, I can skateboard back home.” Austin said, grabbing his bag and skateboard. He tried to walk out of Chase’s room before there could be any conversation, the anxious feeling returning.
“Wait! Austin,” Chase said, standing and stopping Austin before he could leave. “Can I have your number?” He grabbed his phone and shoved it into the other boy’s hands. “Sorry, I know it’s happening really quickly. But… please?” Chase asked, his expression unreadable. Hope? Desperation? Austin couldn’t tell.
“Oh, yeah. Here.” Austin put his number into the other’s phone, adding a heart emoji after his contact. Upon seeing it, Chase laughed.
“Thanks.” Chase smiled as Austin handed him his phone back. “See you tomorrow at school.”
Austin waved goodbye as he exited Chase’s room. He honestly had no idea what to think. Once the door close, he felt a wave of emotions crash onto his shoulders. Chase, the guy who Austin had despised since freshman year isn’t a complete jerk like he expected. He was the complete opposite of what everyone thought of him.
The confusion and disbelief soon wore away and as Austin stepped outside, he felt joy. He probably had just gained a new, good friend. He set his skateboard down on the pavement and started to make his way through the large neighborhood. He wouldn’t dare admit it to anyone, but for the first time in forever, he was excited for school the next day.