"What the hell is your problem?!" Jayden shouted in anger as Clayton punched him in the face. He doesn't even know where he came from, he just suddenly came up behind him and punched him in the face.

"My problem? I won't have a problem if you didn't fck my girlfriend!" Clayton matched — no, he surpassed — Jayden's anger.

Jayden's face dawned in realization. As soon as Clayton saw it, he launched at him like a hunter pouncing on its prey. Clayton couldn't count how many times he had punched the poor guy before a person finally stepped in and pulled him. Although Clayton still wanted to punch the guy, when he saw the 'person' who stepped in to stop the fight, he immediately stopped himself.

Alexander Cadence. He smiled at Clayton and he almost grimaced.

"Mr. Jayden, the school president is expecting to see you in..." Alexander glanced at his wristwatch, "5 minutes. You better hurry." He, then, gave him a genuine smile, too genuine.

Having known how strict the school president is, Jayden hesitated for a moment before he stepped out of the room and ran to the school president's office.

Back in the classroom, Alexander tilted his head to the side a little and made a displeased look when his eyes landed on Clayton's fist, that's covered in blood. It sure isn't his blood. When Clayton noticed Alexander's stare in his fist, he chuckled nervously.

"Follow me." Alexander regained his composure and went out of the room with Clayton.

Clayton snaked his hands in his shoulder when he caught up, "How'd you know?" He asked, referring to what happened back in the classroom.

"We were having a meeting, and they told me a commotion is happening in the classroom next to yours. I figured it was you." he was so sure as he spoke.

"That's mean. My surname's not trouble."  Clayton made a dramatic expression and even clenched his chest with his hands.

Alexander shrugged, "Yeah, but you are. Your whole being screams trouble."

Clayton glared at his friend, "I can't believe I'm friends with you."

"You don't have a choice. I'm the only one who can stand you." Alexander stated the truth without blinking.

Clayton has a large circle of friends. Fake ones. Alexander was the only real one. A person who understood him and a person who never left his side no matter how many stupid things he had done. He supports him before scolding him.

Just like now.

"You don't care that your girl cheated on you. You just wanted to punch someone." It wasn't a question.

"He stole my pen the other day, he said he'd borrow it, but my pen never returned." Clayton's eyes narrowed as he spoke.

"That's not a valid reason to punch someone." Alexander shook his head at his friend's childishness.

"That's why I punched him with the reason he slept with my girl!" Clayton exclaimed proudly like he was cunning for it.

"The school president almost caught you causing trouble. You'd be suspended by now if I didn't interfere. Again." Alexander sighed.

"Are you tired protecting me? You can quit anytime, you know." Clayton said honestly. He didn't care, Alexander always helps him get away with everything already.

"I can quit anytime, but I don't want to quit you."  He said sincerely before picking up a flower petal blown by the wind from the garden, meters away from them.

"That's just a petal, let it be and buy a flower. Petals are useless without other petals and the stem." Clayton casually said before picking a petal and tearing it.

Alexander watched him shred the petal without his emotions changing nor blinking. "But how can a petal be with the other petals if you tear one when you see them alone? The stem is its supporting system and the other petals are its shield. What is it alone?" He asked softly.

Clayton made a thinking face and his brows furrowed as he tried to figure out the answer. "Useless?"

"But I'm a petal." Alexander said before dropping the petal. "I don't have a stem and other petals. I only have myself. So are you. Are we useless?"

"No, we're alone." Clayton said with no hint of sadness like he's used to being alone. He is used to being alone.

Alexander chuckled, "How come we're alone when we're always together?" he asked himself.

"Okay, Shakespeare. You should stop being sentimental now because I'm getting chills." Clayton grimaced.

“Go back to your class now. I need to get something so go back first.” Alexander was about to leave when Clayton noticed weird about him.

He looks a mess. Alexander was never a mess. He's the school president's assistant after all.

“Lex, wait!” he pulled Alexander by the collar like he was picking up a kitten.

“What?” Alexander impatiently asked.

Impatiently. Something's really wrong. Clayton thought.

“Where are you really going?” he raised an eyebrow at him.

Alexander pretended to be innocent, “Apartment. I need to get something.”

“You look like you just had sx.” Clayton commented.

“Excuse me? I'm not you.” Alexander said with a frown.

Now, Clayton's more confused. He sure is moody today.

“I'm going drinking tonight so don't stay up late.” Clayton let his friend's weird behavior go.

“I'm not going home tonight.” Alexander said before walking away swiftly from Clayton and onto the hallway where Clayton watched his shadow disappear slowly.

Clayton sighed, having an idea about his friend's sudden weirdness. It might be about his parents again.

3 years ago, Alexander's parents kicked him out because he was friends with him. Of course, Clayton didn't feel guilty and instead let him stay in his apartment.

Alexander's parents thought Clayton was a bad influence even though Clayton couldn't even get him to have a sip of alcohol. For Clayton, Alexander is surrounded by a fence that prevents him to do bad things. A good guy.

“Lay! Listen to me, please.” Gia begged Clayton but the man ignored her and continued walking to his apartment.

Gia was clearly not giving up. She's determined to get him back. She's chasing Clayton to get back with him and say sorry for what she did.

For her, it was a mistake.

Little did she know, Clayton was only with her because she was good in bed.

Clayton was about to close the door in front of her face when a hand stopped the door. Gia looked at the owner of the hand with a weird expression while Clayton narrowed his eyes like he can't believe what he's seeing in front of him.

Alexander's cheeks are red, his clothes and hair is messy and he had purple marks over his neck like someone had just sucked them.

Drunk Alexander looked at Gia with an unamused face.

“What is a cheating btch doing here?” he asked Clayton at the same time offending Gia. But as much as she wants to protect herself, she knew he was telling the truth.

Meanwhile, Clayton was shocked hearing his friend curse.

“Where have you been?” He asked and heed no attention to his question.

“Somewhere loud.” Alexander answered shortly before placing his chin on Clayton's shoulder.

The action didn't surprise Clayton and didn't think much of it since they're almost like brothers, and he just wrapped one arm in his waist to prevent him from falling since his feet seems to lose all of its strength. But of course, the girl who was witnessing the scene in front of her couldn't help but furrow her eyebrows, they looked like a couple in her eyes rather than close friends.

She was glaring at Clayton's hand that's wrapped around on Alexander's waist when she realized why she was there. She looked up and saw Clayton glaring at her blankly like she should know what it means.

“I'm busy as you can see. You may leave from here and my life and I expect you to never come back.” With that, Clayton slammed the door making the girl outside flinch.

Clayton almost carried Alexander — because he dropped his weight on Clayton — to the living room and dropped him on the sofa.

Alexander grunted before he tried to find a comfortable position. Clayton was about to leave and get water for his friend when Alexander's hand reached for his.

Clayton's brows furrowed as Alexander pulled him to sit on the sofa which snow cramped because Alexander was lying there. Alexander's eyes was closed as he played with Clayton's fingers with a pout.

Clayton chuckled, knowing Alexander doesn't realize he was pouting.

He wanted to pull away so they could both rest but Clayton grips his hand tight whenever he tries to do so. He watched as Alexander's hand movement slowly stopped, telling him he was slowly falling asleep.

He went to his room and grabbed a blanket and draped it to Alexander's body.

He shook his head as his eyes again drifted to the purple marks on his friend's neck, and when he looked closely, there are also marks on his chest.

Alexander was wearing a long sleeved polo with the 3 upper buttons open, making it easy for him to see.

It was odd, really. He was the one who comes home with hckeys when he just came from the club because Alexander's acting like he's allergic to women. He was the one who smells like alcohol when they get home because Alexander knows he does some stupid things when drunk.

He went back to his room to rest. He can't help but think he's already influencing his friend as he tried to rest his eyes.

He was sleeping peacefully, his mind blank as he snored softly.

But as he sleeps with nothing in his mind, a figure went inside his room and slowly stripped him with nervous hands. The figure seems to want to take a look at his body.

Why am I doing this again? Alexander asked himself mentally.

Alexander sighed when he had completely taken Clayton's upper clothes off. He stared at Clayton's body, his scars visible from stomach up to his shoulder.

Alexander knows where the scars came from. It was from the endless fights Clayton had been before. It was funny for Alexander because Clayton wanted to stop being in fights before yet he's always looking for trouble now.

He stared at Clayton's face, wondering if he ever wake up, will their friendship end right there and then? Will Clayton be disgusted knowing he had been living with a guy who likes him?

Curiosity is eating him no matter how high the possibility for the answers to his questions is to be negative. Curiosity is eating him ... because he knows he'd die for the answer to be something positive.

Alexander shook his head and was buttoning the third button of Clayton's upper clothe — his mind suddenly changing, perhaps it was the alcohol who wanted him to do this but not him — when a hand stopped him.

He froze for a moment before he had the courage to look up to Clayton's eyes, wide awake.

As Alexander was contemplating what to use as a reason, Clayton was wondering why his friend is acting weird all day.

Clayton couldn't help but stare at their position. Alexander was on top of him, bot his hands are fisting Clayton's shirt, while Clayton is underneath.

Alexander wondered why Clayton's breathing suddenly became ragged when he felt something hard between his legs but it was not his, rather it was his friend's.

His face couldn't help but flush as Clayton stared at his soul, he looked like he wanted to speak but at the same time he looked like he was being tortured he couldn't bring himself to speak.

Alexander bit his lip, Clayton followed his lips and slightly moved his hips as much as he can, wanting some first friction but not knowing why.

“Lex...” Clayton groaned when Alexander started to move his hips and grind on him.

Alexander's face was filled with pleasure as he gyrated his hips faster, feeling something that wants to come out of his body.

He didn't know what it was. It was the first time in his life that he'd done this.

Clayton bit his lips, knowing he couldn't take it anymore and he put his hands on each side of Alexander's hip and grind on him faster.

He was getting close, it didn't matter that he was doing it with his best friend. His mind went blank as he finally released.