Vala Eminence by J. F. Jenkins

like seven cans of soda before coming here. It's kind of urgent.”
    There was some more shifting and Denver watched as Zes breezed by his table. Once Zes was in the bathroom, Denver got out of his booth and casually followed. He stood off to the side by the bathroom entrance, waiting for Zes to finish doing his business. When he spotted Zes coming toward him from around the corner, Denver stuck his leg out just enough to cause the guy to trip. What he wasn't expecting was for Zes to not only stumble, but fall into one of the bar patrons before landing on the ground. Even more unfortunate was that he had landed on Paul, one of the more rough customers who came to the Old Union.
    Paul wasn't the violent type, thankfully. He glared down at Zes before knocking over a water glass so that the contents spilled on the rather flustered teen boy.
    Try not to laugh, try not to laugh, try not t o laugh, ah, forget it, I gotta… Denver burst into laughter, leaning back onto the wall behind him. Zes's dark eyes flashed with gold as his gaze caught sight of Denver.
    â€œHa, ha, ha,” Zes mumbled and stood up. He stepped away from the bar and shook water off his shirt before taking a napkin from a waitress. Shaking his head, he started back for his booth.
    Quick like lightning, Denver grabbed Zes's arm. “Hold on.”
    â€œHaven't you humiliated me enough tonight?” Zes groaned.
    â€œI wasn't trying to humiliate you, just get your attention.”
    â€œIt worked, but I'm not interested in you like that, sorry.”
    Denver narrowed his green eyes. “Don't flatter yourself.”
    â€œWhat do you want Colorado?” Zes spat.
    Being called Colorado was one of Denver's biggest pet peeves. He had a whole slew of nicknames for Zes, but none of them seemed to bother him as much as that one name bothered Denver. Biting his tongue, he took in a deep breath before he did something he would later regret, like slug the guy. There would be another moment to hit Zes again, and it wouldn't result in getting a ban from one of his favorite dives or an assault charge. Last time Denver got into a fight, he'd managed to slip away with a warning because he was a minor and provoked by a pretty nasty drug addict while in a bar. If he got in trouble with the law for fighting Zes, there would be no contest over who the cops would believe. Zes was too “perfect” and “innocent” to do wrong, with his straight-A's and preppy clothes.
    Denver took a few more slow breaths before opening his eyes and locking his gaze on Zes's. “I just wanted to talk about something. Whether you like it or not, everything that's been happening over this past year has connected us. We've got to deal with it, or it's just gonna keep making things worse and more complicated.”
    â€œI don't know what you're talking about,” Zes mumbled and tried to push his way past Denver. But Denver wasn't about to let him walk away. He grabbed Zes by the arm, the one where he had been branded by the demons in the underworld, and pulled him back. A small hiss left Zes's lips as he winced from the touch, like Denver was hurting him.
    Narrowing his green eyes, Denver brought Zes off to the side so they could talk with ease. “Either you're a big wuss, or that burn is really burning, huh? And it's burning because of her . Like I said, we're all connected. Pretending it didn't happen isn't going to make things magically get better, man. You've got to face this, or…” Or the world might end. “Or you're going to be a lot worse off.”
    Zes wrenched his arm free from Denver's grasp. “It's not your business, so I would prefer if you just butted out. I'm civil with you because I saw what you did to help my brother. I still don't know what happened with him exactly, but I'm grateful all the same. Don't make me regret it.”
    â€œOoh, I'll be outcast from the cool kids club again, I'm so petrified,” Denver