All morning, Nish had sat alone in class. That happened a lot since Kris skipped many classes or was sent out of class because of his big mouth, but now that he knew his friend was with Fox, the lessons took ten times longer.

Fox and Kris. He couldn't get the image of the two out of his head.

How could it be that Kris felt attracted to them? Since his friend admitted yesterday that he felt more than friendship for the Lion, there had been a giant knot in his stomach.

And yes—he'd shed a few tears over it. Something he'd kept from anyone, but he hated the fact that Kris was in love with someone else. He kept thinking back to the Summer Festival, to what it was like to kiss him, to feel him against him, to hear his heavy breathing as they... He pushed the memory away because it cut through his heart like a knife.

He wanted that again. A little more every day, even.

That night had made him realize what he felt for his best friend—much more than friendship—and he hated it now that it was abundantly clear that Kris had come to a different conclusion. And that he had even fallen for that ridiculous Lion.

He just didn't understand. If he too went running around stupidly with a kite and clumsily using his powers, would Kris have wanted him? Should he have sent dumb gifts, too? He balled his fist and pressed his teeth into his knuckles to hold back tears.

Stop those damn tears. They're not helping.

He took a deep breath. He needed to pull himself together and pretend he didn't care about any of this. That however was easier said than done. He hadn't even dared to go to the dining hall because he had no idea if he could control his emotions when he looked at Kris. This afternoon, they were supposed to hang out. After his outburst yesterday he really didn't feel like it—but if he was going to avoid him, he was going to lose Kris completely. He didn't want that—Kris was his best friend! His only friend. He needed to find a way to get rid of his feelings.

His thoughts shot to Romeo—the Rhino who could manipulate feelings. Would he want to help him? Probably not for nothing, but Nish was willing to do something in return. Kris may dislike the guy—or especially his best friend—but Nish hardly knew the guy and had nothing against him. Maybe the same was true the other way around.

It was worth a try, right?

He decided to find the boy after school.

"Well, what do you wanna do this afternoon?"

Their last lesson for the day was over and Kris hoisted his bag higher on his shoulder. Because his friend had skipped the first hours of the day, he had assumed that he would have to go to detention now, but apparently, he had talked his way out of it.

Or maybe he's skipping detention too. 

On the one hand, he was glad for every extra hour he could spend with his friend; at the same time, it also got in the way of his plan to ask Romeo for help. Something that was supposed to be an impulsive action, before he could change his mind. He knew damn well it wasn't the smartest idea. The fact that the guy was friends with Zebediah said it all. A shiver ran down his spine as he thought of that creep. He hated the idea that someone could completely take over your mind and make you do things you didn't want to. And having such a power was one thing—but he loved humiliating other people. So far, Nish had been spared such a fate. Maybe it was smarter to stay away from their radar after all. Otherwise, Romeo might just laugh at his problem, encouraging Zebediah to make Nish rip off Kris' clothes in the middle of the auditorium. Or worse: have Nish jerk himself off in front of Kris's nose. Or a teacher. He had a feeling those two knew no boundaries.

Nish forced his thoughts back to the hallway they were walking through. What did he want to do? Something else than gaming, for once. What did he do with Fox? Something he liked better than what they always did, apparently, although he couldn't think of any exciting hobbies that brat could have.

"Dunno," he finally muttered. "I guess you prefer to do other things than gaming these days. Fly a kite?" He couldn't help but raise his eyebrows mockingly. "Play zoo?"

"You're hilarious."

Kris's dry reply still caused an involuntary grin to slip across his lips. His heart skipped a beat when his friend grinned back.

"We can do some old-fashioned stealing? I need another present for tonight. One of Fox's friends celebrates their birthday and he wants me to be there."

"Well well, things are getting serious."

"Uhu." Kris looked at him briefly, seeming to doubt whether he wanted elaborate on it or not.

Because I was such a dumbass yesterday by telling him about my feelings. It threw up a wall between them that he didn't want to be there at all. "I'm okay with it," he lied. "Fox and you. Forget what I said yesterday."

Kris nodded. Nish thought he would let it rest, but when they were outside and the rest of their class disappeared from sight, Kris grabbed him loosely by his upper arm and looked him in the eye.

"I can't just forget about what you said, Nish. I didn't want to..." He sighed. "I'm sorry. I never kenw your feelings were so serious. Then I would have -"

"It doesn't matter," Nish cut him off. He didn't want to hear that he would have never kissed him, let alone gone further. Nish had no regrets, even if though it sucked that Kris hadn't came to the same conclusion that night. "My feelings are gone. Romeo took them away."

Well—It might not be true, but it was better if Kris thought his feelings were over. Then they could just go back to the way things were.

Kris, however, didn't plan to just move on to the next topic; a frown appeared between his eyebrows. "Romeo? What did you do, Nish?"

"Nothing. I only asked him if he could take that stupid crush away."

Kris cast a glance over his shoulder as if the Rhino could pop up behind them at any moment. "Are you out of your mind?" he hissed. "What did he want in return?"

"Nothing," Nish muttered, avoiding Kris's gaze, afraid that he would see through the lie.

Kris snorted scornfully. "Romeo doesn't do charity."

"It doesn't matter. It's over now and it'll stay that way. He got rid of it." He didn't want Kris to ask more questions. His friend knew the Rhino longer than he did—Nish had no idea how Romeo's powers worked. "Let's stop talking about it. The feelings are gone and I feel relieved. Now, let's score that present. From who will we steal it?"

Kris held his gaze for another moment but left it at that. "Let's go to the Panthers. We've never been there before."

Nish was relieved the subject was done. Together they walked toward the campus of the Panthers. There, he grabbed Kris's hand to make them disappear.

He hoped Kris didn't notice the jolt he felt. Then his whole Romeo story would crumble down.