Chapter 5 Nick

I can't believe today is the last day I see of high. No more school dances, glee clubs, talent shows, and watching lovely couples having a heart to heart by the locker and by heart to heart I mean tongue to tongue.

Alex and I strut down the hallway to our lockers and surprisingly our lockers have been close to each other since freshman year. And I think Ms. . . I mean Cassidy did that on purpose. She loves our friendship she even allows us to call her by her name. She allows everyone to call her by her name.

I know she hasn't really said it but a good guess is she loves our friendship because;

1. I'm black and Alex is white.

2. I'm a theatre nerd, Alex is an artist.

3. I'm gay he's straight.

4. I love cats he loves dogs

5. I'm a supernatural hunter and he's human (don't worry Cassidy doesn't know what I am if she does the whole world would know)

Speak of the devil. She's standing by our lockers smiling like a lunatic. I won't be surprised if she has a shrine with our pictures pasted on the wall and candles lit everywhere.

Ms. Cassidy Vance is a thirty-something-year-old woman, blonde hair, a very fun personality. She listens to rap music. How I know is because there was a time she drove into school and the music she was listening to was loud. Oh and my uncle kind of has a crush on her and she kind of has a crush on him too. I honestly don't know why they haven't started dating yet.

"There you are." She says dramatically stretching her hands. "My favorite ship, today's your last day of school I'm so proud of you two. Alex got into NYU and Nick is following his dreams of being a broadway star." I wish that last part were true, I'm not going to be a broadway star any time soon. After high school, I'm going to fully commit myself to go around the world to fight and destroy evil monsters. This is also going to be my last year at Magix academy. After that, I'm going to help kids by removing the monsters from under their beds. I take a look at Alex who is looking at me then I look at Cassidy who's also looking at me.

Oh shit.

"Sorry, what did you say?"

"I said you guys have a great last day."

"Oh, thanks, Cassidy."

"Yeah, you're the coolest principal a student could ever ask for," Alex says and he means it, he doesn't like all the teachers in the school it's either they're too weird, bossy, or homophobic. Alex had told me the math teacher Mr. French is homophobic but I told him to stop making accusations like that, but then the man keeps staring at me like I've done something bad. I hope he's a monster and not a homophobe cause I can kill a monster but I can't do anything to a homophobe unless they try to kill me, of course, I'll strike back.

"Now you guys excuse me I'm going to my office to cry." She starts running down the halls to her office she stops and yells "No running in the halls!" Then she continues to run. I shake my head and I turn to open my locker.

"I'm gonna miss that woman," I say.

"What were you thinking about?" Alex asks and yes I feel like telling him I'm a monster hunter and I go to a magical school in another dimension but I can't. If Alex knows what I am then he'll give up his dreams and he'll follow me to fight monsters because he wouldn't want me to fight them on my own.

"Nothing." I lie which is something I hate doing but I have to do it anyway.

"Hey, guys," Bryan says resting his body on the locker his brown curly hair covering his forehead, he looks like a character from a 2000s sitcom show. He's wearing a t-shirt and his muscles are visible and damn I miss looking at Asher's muscles.

"You look stoned," Alex says.

"No, I'm in love."

"In love? OMG with who?" I say enthusiastically.

"Bryan Adams you better not be resting we have lots of work to do we're at the mercy of Tinkerbell this year come on let's go." Andrea Parker yells holding a clipboard and walking with her clique of friends to the gym.

"I'll be right there mam." He makes a gun gesture with his fingers but Andrea doesn't even hear or look at him. Alex and I give him a questioning look. "Oh is it the whole Tinkerbell thing? Yeah, this year's prom theme is Fairies. Dress code. Boys in black girls wear something magical. And everyone must have glitter on their face. And if you don't do it then sit your toxic masculine ass at home."

"Okay? Thanks for the information?" I say.

"Yeah but that's not what we're talking about since when did you start having a crush on Andrea Parker."

"When she asked me to be her date to prom." He put on a proud smirk on his face.

"Wow, Andrea is a hardcore feminist," I say.

"And she's hot," Alex says.

"She has never allowed boys to ask her out before what kind of love potion did you use on her?" I say making Alex giggle.

"Why can't you just accept the fact that one of the hottest girls in school wants to go out with me?"

"Wha- I'm happy for you," I say.

"Oh really?"

"You're lucky man, I've never been asked on a date before and Nick's never had a boyfriend so-"

That last part stung me and the sting wasn't from a normal bee but a radioactive bee. Alex will never forgive me for keeping Asher a secret for years. We tell each other everything like everything. If I tell him the truth now it will destroy our friendship so it's best to not say a single word at all.

"Don't worry bro, Greta Gonzalez will come around." Bryan places a hand on Alex's shoulder and Alex sighs. Ugh, he should forget about her honestly he deserves better. Gee, I sound so cringey right now. "and as for you." Bryan turns to me he puts his hand on my shoulder the same way he did for Alex. "You'll fall in love with someone like Lil Nas X." I grimace and then I realize. If I hadn't met Asher would I be stuck falling for straight guys? I had never fallen in love with a gay guy beside Asher and I had never had a crush on a gay celebrity all my celebrity crushes were straight. I'm so glad I met Asher. Asher, I miss him so much.

"You're enjoying this aren't you?" Alex asks Bryan who can't stop smiling.

"Hell yeah!" He laughs and he walks away to the gym to help the love of his life. Alex and I watch him dance down the hallway and we shake our heads laughing at the cringe-fest that is his dancing.

***

Alex and I are in the library. Alex is listening to music with his head down and I'm reading the second to the last chapter of what if it's us by the handsome Adam Silvera and Becky Albertali. I don't normally read books with gay leads but this book is enjoyable and there are loads of LGBT books in the library. Gotta love alliances.

After some time I finish reading the book, then I drop it to look at Alex who's head is still on the table. I then thought of the time Alex drew a painting of Cassidy and when she saw it she cried. The painting made everyone cry for some reason, it was beautiful, that painting was what landed him in NYU in the first place. Or when the glee club won nationals the whole school celebrated. Every time Alex and I achieved something. We would celebrate with Bryan, Julie, and Uncle Grayson. Alex and I always supported each other and it would be a bummer if he'd think I let him down without telling him about my Hannah Montana life.

I look at my watch, it's 1:59 I gasp and I shake Alex he raises his head and removes his earplugs.

"It's almost time," I say like we're about to enter a new year. He smiles and then 3, 2, 1... Prrrriiing the bell. We get up ecstatically and we high-five each other. A secret handshake that no one but us understands, that's why it's called a secret handshake. Noises can already be heard down the hall those are seniors alright. A lot of us hug Mrs. Pillsbury the eighty-year-old librarian.

"I'm gonna miss you most of all Nicholas." She says to me and I blush. And I hope that's not a tear in my eye.

We walk out of the library to see seniors hitting on lockers, and screaming excitedly. I hug the rest of the glee club members and Bryan who is by Andrea's side, I hug Andrea as well then I turn to see Greta talking to him and he's smiling. Then she hugs him. I turn to Bryan and he's surprised as well.

Alex walks toward us he smiles and then he breaths in and out. What just happened?

"Guess who just got asked me to prom." He says and then out of excitement I hug him Bryan hugs him and says, "I told you so buddy."

Looks like I'm going to be alone at prom, but my Lil Nas X isn't here my Lil Nas X is in a magical land and he has probably moved on maybe he has fallen in love with another fairy or better a merman. I will be happy for him either way, and that's a problem for another world but here I'm gonna have fun with my best friend before I leave. Goodbyes are the worst.