Bojan really couldn't take any more of this day. He was planning on staying home, telling his mother he wasn't feeling well, but she caught him entering the house at 4am and made him go to school. His head felt like it was about to explode and he wanted to vomit the entire day. Every time he heard a locker being closed he flinched and whenever the bell rang he almost cried. He drank way too much at the party last night; he couldn't even remember what happened after midnight and until he got home and found his mother glaring at him.

And whenever he raised his eyes from his feet, this boy from his class, Canalos, was staring at him. He wanted to go over to him and make him tell him why he was following him with his eyes all day, but he knew every unnecessary move or word would cause a worse headache so he kept silent about it.

It felt like days until the final period arrived, not a few hours. He entered his classroom before the bell even rang, knowing the ringing is louder outside in the hallways and not wanting to be there when it does. He went straight towards his seat and ped his bag on the floor. Putting his hands on the table and laying his head on top of them, blocking any light from reaching his eyes, he tried to make his hangover disappear by the power of his will. That didn't work.

Something was put on his desk and he looked up unwillingly to find two pills. Looking around, he saw a blonde boy taking his seat at the back of the class. He looked back at the pills, trying to decide whether to take them or not. He needed them, that's for sure. But he was also angry with the kid for staring at him the entire day. He looked back again, at Caneles. He wasn't looking at him, instead staring out the window at the sky. Bojan swallowed his pride, dug his water bottle out of his bag and took the pills quickly. Then he laid his head down again, hoping to feel their effect soon.

He didn't see the tiny, almost non-existing smile on the blonde's face.

❖

When Sergio arrived home after school he was already feeling so down that he didn't even greet his guardian, heading straight towards his room and shutting the door behind him.

He sat on his bed and didn't even have the time to take his shoes off before the door opened and in walked Sergio Ramos, his guardian. "Someone's feeling weird. What happened?" Ramos asked with a grin on his face and sat next to him, throwing his arm around Sergio in the process. "Did you get laid last night?" he added after a moment.

Sergio groaned. He had no idea why his mother named her cousin as her son's guardian with Sergio being such… not a parent-like. He was more like that few years older friend who pushes you to do things a normal parent shouldn't want you to do, like going to parties or getting drunk or getting laid. It didn't really matter, now that his mother was dead and he lived with Ramos for over a year.

Instead of answering, Sergio threw his body back onto the mattress, almost hitting his head in the wall in the process.

"Come on now, take it out. We don't want you sulking around all evening. Laura will be here in a few hours."

Sergio closed his eyes in response and clenched his teeth, refusing to speak about his almost non-existing sexual life. It never stopped the older guy from talking to him about it, no matter how many times Sergio did not respond.

Ramos sighed. "Guess I'll have to fish it out of you. Let's see. You went to that party at your senior's house last night like I told you so."

Sergio stopped him, forgetting he shouldn't be speaking. "Told me? You practically threw me out the door and told me not to come back before 1am!"

His guardian waved his hand, dismissing it. "Never mind that. You went to the party and you didn't come back before I went to sleep, which was at 2am, meaning you stayed at the party longer than you had to before coming home, and from that I guess you had a good time." He didn't wait for a sign of approval from his protégé, assuming he was correct. "So you got to the party and started with a beer," he said.

At that Sergio opened his eyes and shot him a surprised look, wondering how he knew that.

Ramos shrugged. "I know you. You're not the kind to start with vodka or something like that. So you took a beer and went to sit somewhere, hoping the time will fly and you could go back home."

And Sergio thought to himself that maybe it would be better to tell Ramos himself because he knew he would get it out of him at the end. He always did. Sergio just made people feel like they need to tell him things.

So he sat up, scooting a bit farther from Sergio, and sighed. "I didn't get drunk last night."

"Obviously. What happened?"

"There's this boy in my class… I like him." He looked at Ramos, searching for an answer for a question he had never asked. His guardian just nodded and signed him to go on. So Sergio did.

❖

Bojan could still feel that kid's gaze on him wherever he went the next day. It still annoyed him, but less than yesterday because the pills Cornales gave him helped really quickly and he was almost thankful for them. Or course he would never admit it.