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A/N: SO sorry about the delay everyone! As I said, Wattpad wouldn't let me upload when I wanted to, and then my internet cut out for two days, so, finally, here is the chapter I promised haha :p

‘No I don’t,’ I blurted, before I could stop myself.

                Tyson smiled a weird smile. ‘Yes, you do,’ he said patiently, like there was some complicated concept I wasn’t grasping.

                I glanced at Nate nervously, but he just shrugged. ‘He can’t force you to do anything,’ he said reasonably, like Tyson and Parker weren’t standing there listening to us. ‘I’m late for class. See you later.’

                And just like that I was left alone to deal with this unimaginable shit storm all by myself.

                ‘Tyson,’ I muttered, trying to keep my frustration under wraps. ‘What are you talking about? You know I’m with someone.’

                Parker scowled at this, but it didn’t seem to be news to him.

                Tyson rolled his eyes. ‘You’re so childish, Justin,’ he lamented, seemingly unfazed by the crowds milling around trying to get to class and the fact that we were creating a roadblock with our bodies. ‘I swear it’s like you do these things just to upset people. Do you know how annoyed everyone is going to be when they find out you’re messing around with a Monta-loser? Much less their idiotic leader. If you’re really so desperate for attention, just go on a date with Parker. He’s been nuts about you for ages. You’ll get all the attention your damn ego needs.’

                I was so shocked by this casual assault on my character that I merely stood, gaping at my cousin, unable to defend myself right away. Eventually, after some interminable seconds of them both looking at me expectantly, I managed to splutter, ‘I’m not just “messing around” with Row-’

                ‘Shh,’ Tyson hissed, glancing around anxiously. Right. Nobody could know.

                ‘I’m not just “messing around” with him,’ I amended, rolling my eyes. I had enough arguing ahead of me than to fight for naming Rowan in the process. ‘It’s actually really serious.’ I knew I sounded like some dumb kid, trying harder to convince myself than anyone else, but I couldn’t wrap my head around the situation nearly well enough to fight my corner.

                Maybe Rowan was wrong. Perhaps I wouldn’t make such a good lawyer after all.

                Tyson made a sound of frustration and his eyes darted around the slowly-emptying hallways, like he had better things to be doing and cooler people to be talking to. He wasn’t far wrong.

                ‘Look,’ he said, trying to sound reasonable. ‘We’ll talk about this later. I’ll come over.’ He turned to Parker. ‘Don’t worry,’ he continued, like I had already left. ‘He’ll be there.’

-------------------------------------------

Laying flat on my bed later that day, I reached for my phone and quickly tapped out a message to a still-unresponsive Rowan before I could change my mind.

Justin 16:18

We need to talk.

The feeling of foreboding in my tummy had been steadily increasing all day with his continued lack of contact, but even though it had crossed my mind I couldn’t bring myself to believe that Tyson had been right; that Rowan had been using me; that he’d just wanted to hurt me for leverage over Tyson and Capulet.

                It only took a few moments; my phone buzzed where it lay on my tummy and I grabbed for it, almost punching myself in the process.

Rowan 16:20

You’re right. Meet you at the water tower?

 

Justin 16:21

Sure.

I didn’t know what time Tyson was planning on coming over to “convince” me to go out with Parker, but I was glad of any excuse to get out of the house. Stuffing my iPod headphones into my ears, I threw my hood over my head and put my hands deep in my pockets, making myself as generic looking as possible so nobody would recognise me as I walked. The last thing I needed was my erstwhile evil cousin intercepting me on the way.

                ‘Jesus,’ I blurted when I saw Rowan, standing in the shadow of the water tower and looking like hell. ‘You look awful.’

                ‘Yeah,’ he muttered, not even bothering to be offended.

                ‘What happened?’ I asked, pulling on his wrist until we were both sitting down at the foot of the tower.

                He sighed deeply, and ran a hand through his hair. ‘I’ve really fucked up, Justin.’

                I blinked up at him, feeling my heart turn to lead. Even considering the circumstances under which we’d met, I’d somehow started to think of him as some sort of invincible. ‘What?’ I whispered.

                ‘The fight... The fucking fight. Jesus.’ He rubbed the heels of his palms into his eyes tiredly. ‘We’ve been expelled.’

                I felt my eyes widened in shock, unable to stop my face from registering my surprise. ‘We?’

                ‘The whole team.’

                ‘Oh my god.’ I couldn’t think of anything to say. I could barely breathe. Instead, I knelt up and wrapped my arms around him tightly, and he reciprocated, pulling me closer. I stroked his hair gently, because that always makes me feel better when I’m upset.

                After what felt like ages, he pulled away and shook his head, taking a deep breath, and I settled back down beside him. ‘What are you gonna do?’

                ‘I’m not sure. We’re allowed to go back to do our exams, but...’ he trailed off.

                ‘Haven’t you already been accepted at UCLA?’

                ‘Once they hear about this...’ he murmured, and didn’t have to finish. He was going on a football scholarship; once they heard he’d been involved in a fight that huge during a game, even an unofficial grudge match, they’d rescind his scholarship.

                ‘Have you applied anywhere else?’ I asked gingerly.

                He shrugged one shoulder. ‘A few places. But it will depend on my exam results, and...’

                ‘How are your grades?’

                ‘Good. Fine. I just...’ He sighed again. ‘I kind of had my heart set on California.’

                ‘I know,’ I murmured, taking his hand and squeezing. ‘I’m so sorry, Rowan.’

                He shook his head again and turned to look at me, smiling weakly. ‘What did you want to talk about?’

                ‘Oh,’ I said, sitting up. ‘Well. It seems kind of stupid now.’

                ‘Tell me anyway. I could do with the distraction.’

                ‘Hm. Well. It’s Tyson. So maybe you don’t want to know?’

                ‘Tell me,’ he pressed, nudging me with his shoulder.

                I made a face. ‘He set me up with that Parker guy, from Prom? He arranged a date, I guess, for tomorrow night. He’s pretty adamant I’m gonna go.’

                ‘This is the guy who tried to force himself on you?’

                ‘Yeah...’

                Rowan was eerily quiet for a few moments, not seeming to see or hear anything.

                ‘I’m not gonna go...’ I clarified after a while, awkwardly.

                ‘We’re never really gonna get away from any of this shit, are we?’ he asked thoughtfully. I stayed quiet; it seemed like he was figuring something out. ‘I mean, it’s not like I thought you were never going to get hit on by other guys, or girls, or whatever, but here it’s aggressive; nobody is ever going to be okay with us being together, and even if we were two nondescript nobodies we’d still never get a day’s peace just because we go to different schools. The rivalry thing used to be fun, but I thought I’d be done with it by the end of high school. I don’t want to fight with the people you spend all your time with.’

                Still I didn’t say anything. Where was he going with this?

                ‘I love you,’ he said simply. ‘I don’t think I can handle being surrounded by people who ridicule me for that.’

                ‘What are you saying? Do you want to break up?’

                Rowan turned to look at me, smiling beatifically. ‘No. I think we should just leave.’

----------------------------------------

I blinked up at him confusedly. ‘Leave? Leave... Town?’

                ‘Yes.’

                ‘Okay,’ I said, trying to stay calm even though my heart was racing. ‘You’re not thinking rationally. You just got expelled and you feel desperate. But running away isn’t the answer here... Right?’

                He shrugged. ‘I don’t know. It feels right.’

                ‘What about your family? Your friends – Ben and Mitch? And what about me, my family? And school?’

                ‘If it comes to a choice between you, and my friends and family, I’ll choose you every time,’ Rowan said simply, like this was no big deal. ‘Why don’t you think about it for a while? Take a few days to decide. Let me know.’

                I shook my head in disbelief. ‘You’re actually serious.’ He didn’t say anything. ‘I mean, do you have a plan? How are we gonna eat, and where are we gonna sleep? Neither of us have jobs!’

                ‘We’ll get jobs. Or I can get a job, you could go back to school if you wanted. Wherever we end up. Who knows? The future is completely open. Unplanned. We can do or be whatever we want.’

                He made it sound so simple.

                ‘Okay,’ I said, surprising even myself.

                ‘Okay?’

                ‘Okay. I’ll think about it.’

                Rowan smiled his beatific smile again, and I could feel my knees melting even though I was still sitting down.

                ‘Good,’ he said simply, and kissed me.

--------------------------------------------

When I got home I was so preoccupied that I walked straight past Tyson and my parents in the living room without even seeing them.

                ‘Justin!’ Tyson jumped up from the couch and grabbed me by the shoulder. ‘Have you decided to stop being an idiot yet?’

                Decidedly not, I thought, reliving in a flash my agreement to think about running away with Rowan. ‘No.’

                Tyson sighed longsufferingly. ‘What harm can it do to just go on one date with the guy?’ he asked, sounding a hell of a lot more rational than anyone else I’d spoken to recently. ‘He’s been buts about you since he first met you. Throw him a bone.’

                ‘What’s this about?’ my mom interrupted, leaning forward and turning down the sound on the television.

                ‘I set Justin on a date with a guy from school,’ Tyson said, before I could chime in with my more damning summation of what he’d done.

                ‘That’s nice,’ my mom said, smiling serenely. ‘When is that happening?’

                ‘Tomorrow night,’ Tyson said at the same time as I said, ‘Never.’

                ‘Why not, sweetheart?’

                I gaped at her. ‘I have a boyfriend,’ I said flatly.

                She frowned. ‘That Rowan boy? From Montague?’

                ‘Oh god,’ I groaned. ‘Don’t start. Since when have you ever had a problem with Montague?’

                ‘Since that abysmal football game!’ she exclaimed, standing up. ‘Such violence. I don’t want you seeing that boy anymore, sweetie. He’s very rough. Nearly broke your poor cousin’s arm!’

                I gaped at her dumbly. My “poor cousin”? Only a few days ago she’d thought him the greatest miscreant in town for what he’d done to Mitch. Now he was my “poor cousin”.

                ‘He deserved it!’ I snapped, turning to try and get to my room before I said anything I’d really regret.

                ‘Look,’ she said, catching me by the shoulders and pulling me around to face her again. ‘I know you like him. But I do think it would be for the best if you at least gave this Parker boy a chance. Just go on the date, and then if you still prefer Rowan, well, we’ll see. I certainly wouldn’t trust you being alone with him for a while. Where’s this date supposed to be happening, Tyson?’

                ‘In St Peterstown,’ Tyson said smugly, knowing he’d won. ‘I can even drop Justin to the restaurant and pick him up again afterwards.’

                ‘There now, see? That’s settled. One date. Then we’ll talk.’

                I know I should have stayed and argued. I know I should have stood up for myself, for us. But so much had happened in such a short time that I just turned and stomped up to my room, locking the door and curling up in bed, blasting music and trying not to have a mental breakdown.

Rowan

So my parents had reacted pretty much as you’d expect when they heard I’d been expelled – they hit the roof. They were still screaming and arguing when I slipped out to go and see Justin; I don’t think they even noticed I’d left, they were so angry.

                I didn’t want to go home. If Justin had been amenable to the idea, I’d have left town with him then and there; snuck home to get my car or even jumped on a bus.

                Instead I texted Ben and Mitch to see if they were up for getting out of the house and unsurprisingly they replied pretty instantaneously that they’d meet me at the football field.

                ‘The irony,’ Mitch commented when we were settled on the grass with some beers and a football. ‘I’m the only one of us who didn’t get into college and I’m the only one still in school.’ Seeing as he hadn’t been directly involved in the fight, Mitch had managed to avoid being expelled, but he was still pretty glum. He hated school, and now he had a month of doing it without any of his friends.

                ‘Have you heard from UCLA?’ Ben asked, glancing at me.

                ‘Not yet. I don’t know if Escabel has even contacted them yet. What about you, any word from MSU?’

                ‘Yeah. Someone called about an hour ago. They’re gonna put me on a sort of probation. If I keep up my GPA, you know, do well in the exams, they’re gonna let me keep my place.’

                I let out a breath I didn’t realise I’d been holding. ‘That’s great, man,’ I said, punching him on the arm.

                ‘Yeah, I got lucky. Jordan and Bobby have already been dropped completely from their colleges.’

                ‘Shit. Bobby’s dad is gonna kill him.’

                We were quiet for a while, staring contemplatively at the horizon as the sky slowly darkened.

                ‘I think I’m gonna get out of town,’ I said eventually.

                They both turned at look at me, surprised. ‘Like a holiday?’ Mitch asked, perplexed. ‘Not the best timing.’

                ‘No, like... Permanently. A lot of what’s happened is my fault. I think it would be better for everyone if I left, including me.’

                ‘What about you and Justin?’

                ‘I asked him to come with me,’ I said quietly.

                They were both silent for a while, until Ben turned and asked, ‘You really think running away is the best way to deal with this? Nobody blames you for any of it. What are you running from?’

                I shrugged one shoulder, smiling slightly to myself. ‘I don’t know. It doesn’t really feel like I’m running away. It kind of feels like I’m moving towards something. All my plans are falling apart, but... I dunno. It just kind of makes the possibilities more exciting.’

                ‘So when are you gonna go?’ Mitch asked.

                ‘Oh, I have no idea. Justin hasn’t even said he’ll come with me yet.’

                ‘Maybe we’ll go with you,’ Mitch joked, lightening the mood. ‘I think a road trip is just what you two owe me for abandoning me in school all alone!’

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