"You enjoying yourself, bro?" Pete, the baseball star of Lambert's Academy asked, clapping me hard on the back. His breath smelled like mint gum and stale beer as he smiled lazily, scanning his back yard.

At the end of every year since we were freshman, Pete threw a blow-out party. Almost every person that attended our small, academic school was piled inside his huge yard, sipping from small cups and laughing amongst themselves.

"Yeah, sure." I said, shrugging out from under the arm he'd placed around my shoulders. I was on the baseball team along with Pete and a few others, prowling around in their Letterman's jackets. I only went to the school because of their math program. Despite how they tended to act, everyone who did go there went there because of their brains.

"Not much for parties, I take it." he burped, playfully punching me in the arm. He thrust the blue cup he'd been holding into my hand and patted me on the back again. "Drink that and try to mellow out a little, man," he suggested before moving into the throng of teenagers.

I raised the small cup and wafted at the contents before taking a brave swig. Just as I suspected, beer. Disgusting. But Pete was right, I needed to try and relax. I clutched the cup tightly before tipping it into my mouth again, downing the contents completely. After fighting the gag pulling at the back of my throat, I took a deep, soothing breath and took step after step through the mass of pulsing bodies.

It was strange to see everyone out of their uniforms. I was used to seeing these people looking prim and proper in the blue jackets and ties that were protocol at Lambert's. We all wore stiffly ironed white shirts and either khaki pants or khaki skirts depending on the gender. Hair was to be kept trimmed and neat with no bangs covering our eyes.

I was dressed in my favorite black T-shirt with the neon lettering of a band I liked printed across the front. My jeans had gaping holes in both knees and bored sharpie designs down the sides. My sneakers were covered in matching marks as they shuffled their way across the green grass. I'd gelled my hair to messy perfection; the complete opposite of the neat, combed look it was forced into for school.

"Looking good, Dane," a girl said, raising a trimmed eyebrow at me as I passed her by. I blushed involuntarily, glad of the dim lighting as I raised my empty cup at her. I vaguely recognized her as the girl who sat in front of me in history class. But I couldn't match a name to the pretty face and long, blond hair to a name. People weren't really my thing. I'd dated a few girls in my high school career but all the relationships ended fairly soon. For some reason it just never worked out.

More people I dimly recognized stopped me as I made my way through the party in search of the keg. They commented on my hair and how they were excited about the last summer ever.

"Finally free, huh Dane?" Josh, a baseball team member asked, his voice slurring drunkenly.

"Yup." I flashed him a grin, holding up my empty cup. "Know where I can get a refill?"

He pointed a shaky finger to the left in front of us and I touched my forehead in salute before moving forward again.

Kids were swarming around the very back fence where I finally located the small silver barrel. They were all lounging around the drinks and food in chairs and against the support of the fence. I pushed my way through and filled my cup. A random stranger clinked his cup against mine in salute before we chugged it down. I filled up again, finding that the taste didn't matter much to me anymore.

"Evening," a boy said, stepping up beside me. He smiled, flashing white teeth as he passed up the beer and grabbed a small water bottle from the cooler laying open on the ground. The boy had jet black hair with a slight blue tint to it. It was cut short on the sides and swooped into his face elegantly from the top of his head. Two silver bands wrapped their way around his full bottom lip on either side and a matching ring hung from the center of his nose. His eyes were the same green as the sky just before a big storm. I'd seen them somewhere before.

"Theodore!" I exclaimed, his name coming to me.  We had every class together last year. "That's your name. We had classes together." I sipped from my cup.

"Call me Teddy," he said, flashing that killer grin again. "You're Dane, right?" he inquired, backing up to lean against the fence. He twisted open his water and took a deep swig.

"Yeah," I answered, lounging next to him. We both sipped at our drinks in silence as we watched the people dance around us. My thoughts became increasingly more focused on Teddy's profile as my cup emptied. He bobbed his head to the beat of a rock song that came on the radio, obviously happy to hear something other than the obnoxious rap that had been playing all night.

"I didn't know you had piercings," I said stupidly, mentally slapping myself on the forehead after the words were blurted out.

"Yeah," he said, sucking the left lip ring into his mouth as if he'd just noticed it was there, himself. "I can't really wear them at school. Well, I wear the nose ring. It's easy to hide, see?" he twisted the lid back onto his water and used one finger to push the ring into the inside of his nose. I couldn't help the horrified look that came across my face.

"Doesn't it bother you?" I asked, itching at my own nose. "It looks really uncomfortable."

"It itches sometimes but I barely notice it anymore," he said with a laugh, flipping the ring back out and scrunching his lips up until they touched the very tip.

"And your hair," I observed. "It's different." Earlier that day, at school, it had been light blonde and neatly parted. That's most of the reason I didn't recognize him.

"I always do a mohawk type thing for summer. And the blue was an experiment. It was bright ass green last time. But I like it," he shrugged before taking another mouthful of water.

"It's cool," I muttered, staring into my nearly empty cup. I peeked at him over the rim and noticed he was wearing a shirt with the logo of my favorite group. I smiled to myself, fighting back a girlish giggle. I continued to stare as his shirt rode up a bit to reveal the thick black line of a tattoo just above the low waistband of his jeans. I felt my face heat up.

"…to summer?" I heard him say, breaking me out of my trance. I focused my eyes on his face, far from the mysterious black tattoo.

"What?"

"Are you looking forward to summer?" he asked again, bending down to talk into my ear. He was much taller than me, which was normal. I was only 5'6.

"Oh, yeah," I said, smiling nervously. "It'll be a nice break before college." I hiccuped before I could help it and clapped a hand over my mouth. He laughed, throwing his head back.

"I know what you mean," he said after laughing, and looked down at me with sparkling eyes. "Where are you going?"

"What?" I asked again. My brain just didn't want to put things together. I finished the last dregs of my beer and dropped the cup on the ground.

"To college. Where are you going to college?" he asked, leaning over again. His breath was warm and sweet as it washed over my flushed face.

"Oh. I got a math scholarship to State," I answered dumbly. "It's the only place that gave me one."

"Oh, right. I forgot that you were a math god." He flashed a crooked smile. "I'm going to that Art Institute. Web design. I'm not really good at anything else but History and you can't really make a career off of that except teaching. I don't think I could ever teach."

"That's cool. Technology hates me." I drunkenly fished my small, dented flip phone from my pocket and held it up for him to see. "Anything more high-tech than this kicks my ass." He laughed his bright laugh again and I joined it awkwardly. A song I recognized came on the stereo and I mouthed the words absentmindedly.

"You like this song?" He raised a light eyebrow.

I shrugged, sticking my bottom lip out. "It's alright, I guess. I just recognize it." I mussed the back of my hair and stared pointedly at the ground.

"Same here. But I guess I can't come to a party like this one and expect to hear Faery Reel."

"No way!" I stood up straight and swayed a bit as I faced him. "Whoa! You like Faery Reel?" He snickered but nodded his head. "Dude! They're the fucking best! Everyone thinks they're strange but I love them! It's such a powerful band, so beautiful and meaningful." He smiled and nodded at my miniature rant.

"No one will listen to anything if they don't hear it on the radio first. And artists don't care enough to put the passion behind they're music like FR."

"I know!" I bellowed a little to loud, swaying with my own force. I stumbled towards him but caught myself before I got too close. "Sorry," I muttered, staring back down at the ground.

"No problem," he answered.

"It's the same with scary movies, you know. No one gives a shit about them anymore, they just want to pour as much blood and gore over shitty plot lines and call it a thriller."

"Oh. My. God," he exclaimed, his eyes going wide with enthusiasm. "It's like after the 90's nobody gave a shit about actually trying to scare people. Jesus, I thought I was the only one who felt that way."

"Nope," I said, popping the P loudly.

"Hey, I've got some really classic thrillers back at my place. Let's just say my parents have the same taste I do. Mom's a real film buff. But anyway, what do you say we get out of here and watch a real movie?"

"You know what, Teddy? That sounds like a great idea! Lead the way, my friend." I gestured wildly with my arms and he laughed again. He stepped ahead of me and led the way through the throng of teens.

We were nearing the back gate when I heard a voice screaming my name. "Dane! Dane! Dane!!" I spun around, annoyed, to see Pete barreling through the crowd. He caught up with me and clutched my shoulder as he steadied himself to catch his breath. Teddy paused in his tracks to watch. "Dane, dude! Where are you going?

"Outta here," I answered, slurring my voice. "Not a party person, remember?" I raised an eyebrow.

"But you have to stay. I know it's like a middle school thing but Em and Kate want to play spin the bottle. They've got like three girls that want in too. The only dude I could get to agree was Josh. You have to play!" he begged, dropping to his knees and holding his hands together. "Em is so hot! Please? Ted can play too, if he wants." He threw one of his arms in Teddy's direction.

I peered over at the tall, skinny boy and raised my eyebrow again. He shrugged, staring at the ground. "We're in, I guess," I said with a dramatic sigh.

"Sweet! Come on!" he said, tugging on my sleeve. I latched onto Teddy's arm as he pulled me away, dragging him behind me.

-<>-

Pete's basement had bright orange shag carpet and a moldy smell poorly masked my air freshener. A smaller stereo sat in the corner, wailing out a pop radio station and a pool table sat in the center of it all. The girls were lounging on its edges and an empty glass bottle sat on the smooth, green velvet.

"He-hey, ladies," Pete said, stretching his arms to the side as we entered. "We have found our new players." He spun around and draped his arm around my shoulders, beating playfully into my chest with a closed fist. "You all know my main man, Dane." He looked behind him and gestured loosely to Teddy. "You all know Teddy too, you just don't recognize him." He laughed at his own joke.

"I know you, you're in my history class," the girl who had spoken to me earlier said, smiling at Teddy.  

"I like your nose ring," a girl with thick eyeliner and a very low-cut black shirt spoke up.

"Thanks," he said, fixing his haze pointedly on the toes of his shoes and shoving his hands in his back pockets.

"So, let's get this started, shall we?" Pete yelled, clapping his hands together. We all moved to situate ourselves around the pool table. I learned the girls names quickly; Em, Kate, Georgie and Petal. Em was the girl who had spoken to me. Petal was the girl in all black. Kate and Georgie were blond, but that's all I knew about them.

Josh sat to my left, and Pete was next to him. Teddy was at my right and to his right, Petal. Kate and Georgie sat gossiping next to each other.

"I'll go first!" Pete announced, spinning the bottle a little too fast. It went scooting across the table. He honked a laugh and tried again. The bottle landed on Jennifer. Pete placed his mouth over hers for a horrible-looking kiss that only lasted for a few seconds.

All of us took our own turns. I kissed Em and she landed on Georgie (who she pecked on the cheek). Teddy kissed Em, much to Pete's dislike and Josh kissed Petal. Pete, when the round was finished dug through the small liquor cabinet and produced a bottle of vodka. We all took a sip.

"No thanks." Teddy said, shaking his head when I passed the bottle to him. "I'm not a drinker. You go ahead." I took another swig with a salute to him.

Kate and Petal kissed lightly, making Pete and Josh wolf whistle like morons. The two girls went bright red. When Pete's spin landed on Josh he licked the palm of his hand and slathered it all over the poor boy's face. The liquor warmed up my veins and kick started my enthusiasm with each drink. I took another sip before spinning. Emily again. I kissed her long and sweet.

"Easy, tiger." Teddy warned with a knowing smile. We broke apart, breathless and Em's face turned bright red. I licked my lips absentmindedly. They tasted like strawberry.

The game continued as we all drank (except Teddy). The kisses kept getting more and more heated. When Em finally landed on Pete, he let out a whoop of uncontainable joy and grasped her face between his big hands. I watched in disgust as his tongue slipped from the sides of their kiss. Teddy flinched when I did.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." I finally said as grunts began breaking from Pete's throat. "That's enough of that." Em looked at me thankfully and I nodded to her.

"It's your turn, Dane," she said, touching my arm lightly. I shivered, spinning the bottle a little too hard. It wobbled around in circles countless times before slowing to a stop directly to my right. Teddy gasped and everyone else held their breath.

I turned my head automatically to Teddy, a strange sensation rising in my stomach. He stared at me like a deer caught in headlights as I slowly took his chin with the tip of my index finger and pulled his face towards mine. Lightly, I brushed my lips over his.

Sparks. That's the only word I can use to describe it. There were sparks of pure, frictional electricity as our lips touched lightly for that millisecond. It took everything I had to pull away. Teddy's eye fluttered shut and he let out a shaky breath that confirmed he'd felt the same way I did.

Everyone stared with slack jaws. It was painfully quiet in the basement; even the radio had paused for commercial. Pete broke the silence with a long whistle.

"Well, I think that's the end of this here game. Dane's had a little bit too much to drink." He leaned over and wrapped the same arm he always wrapped around me around Em. "Let's get back up to the party." Em nodded, winking in my direction then directing the other girls to come along. They exited, one by one, leaving Teddy and I behind.

"Are you still… Still up for a movie?" Teddy asked, clearing his throat awkwardly.

"Yeah," I answered. "Yeah, let's go."

-<>-

I banged my head frantically and sang at the top of my lungs to the melodic tune blaring from Teddy's car stereo. He did the same, drumming away with his hands on the steering wheel. We were parked in his driveway, far away form the awkward party, but my head was still floating pleasantly.

The song finally ended with a dramatic line of synth mixed with an orchestral piece, leaving us sitting in silence. He turned the idling car off with a satisfied sigh.

"I hate it when people cut off songs in the middle," he said, popping his door open.

"Same here," I replied, copying his movements and getting out to stretch my limbs. "You've got a nice place."

"Thanks." He glanced at the quaint brown house with multicolored flowers spilling from boxes along the walkway. "Come on, let's go pick something out."

We had ridden in near silence the entire drive there. He blasted the radio with all my favorite songs, making conversation hard anyway. We trudged up the cement path and Teddy unlocked the door with a small key he fished from his pocket.

"My folks are out for the night. It's their anniversary," he explained before using two fingers to whistle loudly.

"What was that f-" Before I could finish my inquiry, two great, slobbering Saint Bernards loped their way down the hall. One tackled me as the other jumped to drape his front paws over Teddy's shoulders. Teddy lapsed into pathetic baby talk as the two dogs wagged their tails with delight. I scratched the one bumping excitedly into me behind the ears and it seemed to shiver with delight.

"This is my Pickles boy and that's Sally Joe." he said, rubbing the dog's face in between his hands.

"Pickles?" I laughed. The dog dropped from Teddy and stepped over to me. I plopped on the floor before he could jump and both of them fought to get into my lap.

"Hey, I was two and I wanted to name the dog Pickles." He smiled as I started cooing at the two ridiculously fluffy creatures.

"They're great," I said, using a hand on each dogs belly when they rolled over. "My mom won't let me have a pet but I've always loved puppies." I laughed when Sally Joe rolled herself over just to sneeze. Teddy knelt on the floor to love on the canines too. His shirt rode up again to reveal the black line I'd seen before.  

Eventually, curiosity overcame me. "What's that?" I asked, letting go of Pickles (much to his distaste) to poke Teddy in the side.

"What?" he asked, too engrossed in finding Sally's tickle spot.

"That," I said, poking him again. "The line."

"Oh!" I saw his face go bright red. "It's a tattoo. I got it for my fifteenth birthday."

"What is it?" I asked again. Pickles got fed up with waiting for me and yawned before dropping his head to take a nap.

"Vines," he stated, lifting that side of his shirt up. Thickly leaved vines, shaded in intricate black and white snaked from somewhere underneath the waistband of his jeans. I reached out a snooping finger but he shoved his shirt down before I could touch the pattern. "They go up and wrap around my shoulder and end in a rose. My mom designed it." He pulled up the sleeve of his shirt to reveal a black rose centered on his rotator cup. He let me touch it, and I marveled at the smooth, unscarred skin.

"Did it hurt?" I asked before I could stop myself. "Well, I mean, I know it hurt… But people process pain differently…." I trailed off, running my hands through my hair.

"My ribs hurt pretty bad. But you get used to it. I had to just zone out." He shrugged, pulling the sleeve down.

"Well, it's great. Beautiful," I told him, my face flushing scarlet. "It's amazing what you miss out on when everyone's forced into a uniform, y'know?"

"Yeah. I think they're kind of soul-sucking… But I'm done with them now. No ugly ass uniforms in college," he said, leaning against the wall. Pickles and Sally Joe were sprawled across the hall in great masses of fur. "So, what shall we watch?" he asked, adopting a faux British accent.

"What do you have, my good sir?" I asked, copying his tone of voice.

"Pick something," he said. "I'm sure we have it somewhere."

"Amityville. The original," I quizzed.

"Aw, come on!" he moaned. "Everyone has that one!"

"I know, I know. But it's a classic," I countered. "I never get tired of it."

"Amityville it is, then," he nodded once for confirmation and slid back up the wall. He held out a helping hand that I grasped to pull myself up. "You hungry?"

"Hell yes," I exclaimed. He laughed and led the way down the hall into the kitchen.

Once there, he flicked on the overhead light to reveal very loud, bright green wallpaper. The cabinets were painted purple with white trim and the counter tops were grey marble with flecks of blue. "Mom," he said, as if that explained everything. From what I understood, his mother was a very creative person.

"I like it," I said, nodding my head and sticking my bottom lip out. "Very bright. It can't be fun to walk into in the morning, though."

"Trust me, it's not," he groaned, searching through the cabinets. "I say we settle for popcorn and soda," he suggested, placing a box of popcorn bags on the counter and going to rummage in the fridge.

"Sounds fine to me." I grabbed the box and tore a package open. The microwave beeped loudly as I pressed in the correct time. I watched as it happily spun the bag around in slow circles. Teddy handed me a cold can of soda and leaned on the counter next to me.

Pop's sounded from the bag finally, and I kept my eyes on the rotating package.

"Dane," he began, shifting his weight beside me.

"Hmm?" I jumped, breaking my gaze away from the bag to look at him. His face was flushed and his left lip ring was between his teeth.

"About what happened… In the basement," he began, but trailed off, staring at his shoes as if they were the most interesting things on the planet.

"Oh." my heart skipped a beat. "That."

"I don't even know why I'm bringing it up again. It's just… Yeah." He sipped at his own soda and looked anywhere in the bright kitchen but at me. I studied the swirling pattern of the clean linoleum floor.

It seemed like an eternity of agonizing silence before I got the courage to speak. "Look, I'll be honest. All my life I've tried dating girls. I never thought of the alternative. I find chicks attractive, y'know? But I notice guys too sometimes." The statement was full of awkward pauses. My ears were heated to what seemed a near melting point. I forced myself to meet his gaze and he nodded for me to go on. "When I kissed you it was… Well, I don't know what it was. I can't really-"

"Sparks," he stated.

"Yes. Sparks," I confirmed, setting my can on the counter. His eyes sparkled when I answered.

"I'll be honest with you, too," he said, shuffling his feet. "I am gay. I always have been. But my family are the only ones that know. I never felt the need to classify myself at school. But I am."

"Oh," was the only thing I could think of to reply.

"Would you kiss me again?" he asked shyly, flicking his long bangs over his eyes. The microwave beeped to signify the popcorn was finished before I could answer. He popped the door open and pulled the bag out, shaking the contents to cool it.

"I would," I whispered, keeping my eyes on his hands. When he placed the popcorn back on the counter top I reached out a hand and fisted it in his loose shirt, pulling him towards me. Our lips crushed together and he moaned, sliding his long arms around my neck and stepping forward until my back was pressing hard into the edge of the counter top. Our lips melded together blissfully.

He kissed me fiercer than I thought him capable of. Animalistic noises emitted from the back of his throat that sent shocks through my body. My hand unclenched his shirt and found it's way into his blue hair, tangling into the soft locks. The cold metal of his lip rings were the only thing separating our passionate lips. He slid his tongue into my mouth and I let him, returning the action with gusto.

He grinded me into the edge of the counter, thrusting his hands underneath the fabric of my old T-shirt. I gasped at the feeling of more of his skin on mine.

Teddy pulled his head back, gripping my bottom lip between his teeth. I shivered, letting the moan that had been building up in my chest the entire time, release. He smirked at the noise, releasing my lip and leaning his forehead on mine. I detangled my fingers and let them slide down the back of his neck and over his thin, hunched shoulders. He had to have been over 6 and a half feet tall.

It was like the world faded back into motion as we breathed in sync. The smell of the freshly cooked popcorn made my empty stomach grumble.

"You going to answer that?" he asked, smirking. I laughed, smelling the alcohol of my breath echoed in his. He rubbed his cheeks against mine. "More than sparks. Fireworks. Flames. Electricity."

"All those combined," I whispered, craning my neck to kiss him again quickly. My stomach protested again and we both laughed. He ran his fingertips lightly over my stomach, still crouched awkwardly to press his forehead lightly into mine.

"How tall are you?" I asked, letting my fingers slide down his long back.

"6'6," he replied. "You?"

"A foot shorter." I frowned. He laughed breathily before taking my lips with his again. He softly pulled my bottom lip into his mouth then drew back shortly, tilting his head to the other side and starting again, pressing the tip of his nose into my cheek.

He broke away for a breath and my head spun. "You still want to watch the movie?" he asked for the second time that night.

"Food first," I stated. He straitened to his full height, but I kept my arms around his shoulders. My nose came to just below the base of his neck. "You know, if I were a vampire, you'd be the perfect size." he laughed and I felt the vibrations.

"What?"

"Well, your neck is right next to my face. I could slip out my fangs right now, if I could, and suck you dry." I gathered enough bravery to kiss his collarbone to emphasize my point. "How do you know I'm not a vampire? Hmm?"

"First off, I never technically invited you in. But here you are." I applauded him mentally for remembering that detail. "Second, the word 'God' were in like 4 songs we listened to on the way here. And finally, I could see your reflection."

"Very good," I commended, smiling into his shirt. My stomach protested again.

He laughed into my hair and I felt it flutter. "Food," we said in unison, laughing again.