Kieran & Drew by L. A. Gilbert

he’s a jackass, probably dropped on his head as a baby.”
     
“If he’s such a jackass then why are you friends with him?”
    Drew sighed, and Kieran didn’t know if he was imagining it, but it held a certain note of impatience to it. He shrugged. “He’s on the team; you kind of become automatic friends with your teammates, no choice about it, really.”
“That sounds kind of stupid.”
     
“Maybe it is, but when it comes to Adam? It’s just easier to be his friend than to not be his friend.”
     
“I don’t understand.”
     
“He’s an idiot . But he’s an idiot I have to get along with because we play ball together. Plus he’s… kind of dangerous.”
     
Kieran blinked in surprise. “What? What do you mean dangerous ?” Should he be genuinely worried?
    “Not dangerous as in violent. He’s mostly all talk. He’s dangerous because he’s ignorant and loud. And when he takes a disliking to something or someone, as you well know, he doesn’t let it go.” He cut a quick glance around them and lowered his voice. “He finds out I’m queer? Then the whole team’ll hear about it. Scratch that, the whole school will know, and he’ll have the potential to make my life hell. It’s not worth it.”
“So… your friendship with him is basically some ‘keep your friends close, your enemies closer’ bullshit?”
     
Drew nodded. “Basically.” He tilted his head, smiling slightly. “What, you think I hang around him for the sparkling conversation?” The corner of Kieran’s mouth lifted in a reluctant smile. “I guess not.”
     
Drew stepped a little closer. “I am sorry about not meeting you the other night. I really was going to come find you today to explain.” “Why didn’t you? Where were you?”
    Drew took a deep breath and let it out as a deep sigh, as if he’d hoped Kieran would accept his apology without question. “It’s just family stuff, Kieran. I got pulled out of school and had to sort something out. I only came back today.”
Kieran softened, realizing that he knew next to nothing about Drew’s home life. “What kind of stuff?”
    Drew regarded him unhappily, hooked his thumbs in his pockets, and hunched his shoulders as he looked away. “I don’t— I don’t really, uh….”
“I’m sorry,” Kieran said quietly, sincerely. “You don’t have to tell me.”
     
“You believe me when I say I didn’t deliberately stand you up, right?”
     
Kieran said nothing, just feeling him out, and then nodded. “Yeah, though… I have to say I was worried.”
     
“About what?”
    Kieran glanced around them in the now mostly empty hallway. “I was kind of worried that you might, I don’t know, think badly of me or whatever.”
Drew frowned. “What do you mean?”
    Kieran barely shrugged, embarrassed at even having to address it. “Maybe you regretted it, maybe you thought I was like… I don’t know, whatever the male equivalent of a slut is, or something.” He tried to smile and pass it off as something funny, but he felt too vulnerable and exposed to carry it off.
    Drew’s voice instantly became softer, but no less sincere. “I had a great time. I don’t regret it for a second and I would never think that of you. Well—” He tilted his head and bit back a smile. “I know I said the word, but… we both know it was said as a heat-of-the-moment compliment sort of thing.”
    Kieran did smile a little, his stomach fluttering at the appearance of Drew’s dimples. “Do you want to meet tonight?” he whispered hopefully.
    Drew’s smile faded, his shoulders dropping. “I should probably head straight home tonight. Things aren’t quite settled there yet. But we have art class tomorrow. I know it’s not the same, but….” He shrugged.
    “Tomorrow? I mean, after school?” he asked, hoping that he didn’t sound as anxious as he felt and all while telling himself that he was not being brushed off.
Drew lifted one shoulder in apology. “I’ve got practice