Chapter Text
Vic is a good kid. He has a 4.0 GPA, goes to church every Sunday, and has never gotten in trouble a day in his life. Being a senior at Saint Andrew’s Catholic School, he is likely set to go college with a full ride come next fall. It seems like the only thing he’s ever asked now is where he wants to go to college. Every time he’s asked, he just laughs it off and says he’s still not sure. He’s applied to about ten schools, but still doesn’t know where he’s going to go. When asked about what he wants to study, he’s often greeted with puzzled looks when he answers.
“Graphic Design”.
“Don’t you want to get a real degree?” or “That’s not going to make good money” are typically the responses he gets. Their responses would be worse if he answered that he really wanted to do music.
Vic doesn’t like hiding things about himself, not that his love for playing music was much of a secret. He’s been in bands all throughout high school, but they always fizzle out. No one seems to have a true passion for music like him (which, does he really even have a real passion for it if he’s pursuing something else?). However, his desire to play music isn’t his only secret.
Vic doesn’t actually like going to church, nor is he even sure he believes in god. He also hates having to present himself as this goody two shoes. He doesn’t want to be burdened by his family's expectations.
“Vic is the smartest of us! He’s going places!”.
“Vic never breaks rules”.
“Vic never misses church!”.
He can’t take it anymore. He feels like a fraud. He’s not actually that smart, he’s not that good of a person, and he’s not the person his family thinks he is. He is not the goody two shoes, church going boy who is going to make six figures and marry the perfect woman. He’s a wreck of a man, who has no clue what he is going to do in life. He ignores what might be his true calling because he doesn’t want to disappoint his family. He needs to pick a stable path, even if they don’t view it as one.
Sometimes, Vic will talk about his identity crisis in confession, as if it’s some sin.
“Let the lord guide you” is usually the gist of the advice he gets.
Vic doesn’t know what he believes, but he does pray occasionally. Sometimes, he does try to let the lord guide him. It’s hard to know how to do that. Vic doesn’t want what he has been taught to him his entire life to be wrong, but he can’t bring himself to believe that it’s true. So, his attempts to trust in God tend to fall flat.
The only release Vic has is music. Whether it’s playing it, or going to shows, it's the only time Vic feels at peace. That’s why he’s currently in some random venue in a dude's basement listening to shitty local bands. His parents aren’t too fond of him going to shows like this, but Vic is a good liar. So when he told his parents he was going to a friend's house they didn’t bat an eye. It also helps his parents genuinely believe he is a saint.
The band playing right now is violent, and loud. It’s the kind of music where it doesn’t matter what the singer is saying, or how well the instruments blend together, it just needs to be good enough to mosh to. Vic is fond of a good mosh pit, but his small size has led to a few too many injuries. He doesn’t want to have to explain to his parents why he has a limp again, so tonight he opts to hang in the back of the crowd.
After the band finishes up their set, Vic decides it’s time to get another drink. The place that he usually goes to is a bar, who conveniently doesn’t ID, but this is just some dude's house. The only reason he’s here tonight is because it was closer to his house, and had free entry for girls. Vic learned awhile ago that if he doesn’t speak, and wears oversized clothes, he can sometimes pass as a woman. All Vic had to do was bat his eyelashes at the dude at the entrance, and he was in. It feels a little demeaning but at least the dudes thought he was pretty. That trick probably won’t work for very long, so he probably won’t come here all that much after this.
Vic walks over to the beer keg stationed near the stairs, and pours himself a generous amount. The alcohol is warm as it touches his lips, but he doesn’t care. Free beer is free beer. He then makes his way to rest on the backwall, watching the next band set up. He actually recognizes the guys from a couple of posters he’s seen around town advertising some of their SoCal shows. He might actually have their sample cd at his house? He thinks they’re from somewhere in the northeast, New Jersey, maybe? Maybe he’ll talk to them after the show.
Despite going to so many shows, Vic rarely makes friends at any of them. People know him, either from his frequent attendance or his own performances, but he mostly keeps to himself. A part of this is a fear of word getting out what he does in his spare time. Another, much stronger part, is his subpar social skills. Being a depressed catholic schoolboy doesn’t exactly set him up for social success. Vic gets taken away from his thoughts when someone leans up against the wall beside him.
“What’s a pretty thing like you hanging out back here?”. The stranger says. Vic looks to his right and is greeted by a dude with crazy spiked hair. He’s a bit taller than Vic, with a slightly muscular build. He’s wearing a black shirt with the logo of a band Vic has never heard of, that fits snug against his biceps. Vic swallows slightly and quickly moves his eyes away from his arms.
The guy probably thinks he’s a girl. Vic has had plenty of dudes flirt with him because they thought he was a chick. He usually just tells them he’s a guy and they apologize and walk away. Sometimes he tries flirting back, but after they learn he's a dude they quickly scurry away. Deep down, Vic fears he actually likes being mistaken for a girl. If he was a girl his feelings towards men wouldn’t be so sinful. Maybe, that's subconsciously why he grew his hair out. He doesn’t have time to contemplate this because he has a dude to let down.
“I’m a guy”. He answers blankly. The guy's expression doesn’t shift to embarrassment, like he expected.
“I’m aware”. Vic freezes at that response. Either he is fucking with him, or a guy is actually flirting with him.
“Sorry, I thought you were hitting on me. I’ve had guys do that thinking I was a chick”.
“That’s funny cause I am hitting on you”. The guy laughs, and God his smile is incredible. Vic doesn’t know how to respond to a guy flirting with him. One might argue he should flirt back, but Vic’s brain never reached that conclusion.
“Oh”.
”Is that cool?”. Vic shifts his stance slightly, and sips on his beer nervously.
”I guess”.
”You guess? Ooooh we got a romeo over here”. The guy laughs slightly, and Vic’s face begins to heats up.
”Sorry, I don’t have people flirt with me all that often”.
“Oh I refuse to believe that. Someone as beautiful as you? Nope. I simply can’t accept that!”. Vic blushes and looks away from the man, a smile forming on his face. The guy puts his hand out to shake Vic’s hand.
”The name’s Jaime”. Vic meets Jaime’s hand to shake it, then returns it to his side.
“Vic”.
”Well, Vic, I’ll ask you again. What’s a pretty thing like you hanging out back here alone?”.
”I can see everything from back here, plus it’s right by the drinks”.
”Are you not here with anyone else?”.
”Uh, no. I don’t go here often. It’s just close to my house and I could get in for free so… I decided why not. Always nice hearing new bands, too”.
”Ah, that explains why I've never seen you before. I’m here just about every week".
“Oh yeah?”.
“Yeah, a buddy of mine runs it so I get in for free too. Speaking of, how is it you didn’t have to pay to get in?”. Vic contemplates for a moment on if he should tell Jaime about his little scam he’s running. He doesn’t want to risk losing out on free admission to this place so he dances around answering.
“It's a secret”. Vic brings his finger to his lips as he says this, motioning a “shh” sign. That earns a chuckle from Jaime.
“Oooh a man of mystery. Well I’m sure I’ll pry that information out of you next time I see you”.
“Next time?”. Vic smirks, amused by Jaime’s straightforwardness.
“Yeah, next time. There’s no way in hell I’d let a pretty face like that disappear on me. Especially now that I know that you’re funny, too”. Vic laughs, and looks down at his drink. The band on stage had begun performing at this point, making it difficult to have a conversation. The lead singer had given their introduction, mumbling something about their name and where they were from before diving into their first song. Vic's attention shifted away from the spikey haired dude beside him and towards the performance. The two stood in silence listening to the music, before Jaime pipes up midway through the band's third song.
“So you live close by? You go to school around here?”. Vic freezes at the question. He avoids talking about his personal life at shows like the plague, especially where he goes to school. All it takes is the wrong person overhearing and he’s done for. However, for some reason Vic trusts Jaime, so he gives him a bit more information than he usually does.
“Yeah, kinda”.
“‘Yeah, kinda’”, Jaime mocks “can you be a little more descriptive? What grade are you in?”.
“I’m a senior”. Jaime waits for a moment, waiting for Vic to continue. He doesn’t.
“Okay well, chatty Cathy, I’m also a senior. I go to Clairemont High”. Vic’s face reddens.
“Sorry. I’m not big on sharing personal information”.
“I take it you probably aren’t supposed to be at places like these?”. Vic nods.
“My parents would kill me”.
“Well, you can trust me but no pressure. You don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to”. Vic smiles. The band has begun their fourth and final song of the night. After this, there’s only one more band left to perform. He can’t remember their name, but they’re supposed to be really good. Jaime looks at his watch and curses to himself.
“Ah shit. I gotta go. Don’t go anywhere though! I wanna see you once the shows are over”. With that, Jaime disappears into the sea of people. Vic contemplated Jaime’s request. Vic couldn’t stay long after the show ended. He needed to hurry home so he could sneak in and go to bed early enough so he wasn’t exhausted in the morning when he needed to wake up and pretend he was coming home. Though, it couldn’t hurt to indulge this guy. Vic was intrigued by him enough to risk thwarting his plans.
The guys on stage finished their set and thanked everyone for listening. Vic had no interest in watching the final band set up, so he used the brief intermission to go to the bathroom. Vic threw his cup away, and made his way to the bathroom under the stairs. Turns out, Vic wasn’t the only one who had this idea as there was a long ass line of people waiting to go in. He could theoretically hold it, but he didn’t have the patience. Vic figured there was probably a bathroom upstairs (considering this was just some dudes house), and decided to head up there instead.
Technically, no one was allowed to go upstairs but Vic didn’t really care. He assumed that no one would be up there anyways, so how would he get in trouble?
Vic looked to see if anyone was looking and when he decided the coast was clear he made his way up. He opened the door and found himself in the hallway near the entrance of the house. He closes the door and looks around to get his bearings. To his left is the main door, and to his right seemingly leads to the kitchen and living room. Across from him stands a door left ajar, revealing a bathroom. Bingo.
Vic quickly makes his way into the bathroom, locking the door behind him. It's a standard half-bath, except for the huge mirror covering the entire wall to the right of the toilet. He’ll just need to make an express effort not to look at it.
After Vic finishes washing his hands, he goes to open the door and is met with someone else on the other side. Vic’s heart drops, and he freezes at the sight of the man. He’s tall, with short curly hair, and is sporting an Iron Maiden t-shirt. He looks familiar but Vic can’t quite place why.
“Oh I’m sorry! I didn’t know anyone was in there”. His voice is nerdy, and high pitched (not that he’s really one to talk considering his own singing voice).
“No you’re fine, I mean I was just leaving anyway”.
“I guess we had the same idea”. Vic cocks his head.
“What?”.
“Uh- finding another bathroom so we didn’t have to wait for the one downstairs”. The guy smiles awkwardly, clearly embarrassed Vic didn’t understand him at first.
“Oh- yeah”. The air between them is thickened with awkwardness. Vic slaps himself internally. He is absolutely horrible at basic human interactions. The two of them stand there in silence for way too long before the stranger speaks up again.
“Um. I’m Ray…by the way”. Ray gives him a small wave. The gears turn in Vic’s head and it finally clicks where he recognizes him from.
“Ray… oh wait- you’re the guitarist for the band that just played”. Vic wracks his brain to remember their name.
“My Chemical Romance”. Ray fills in for him, with a smile.
“That's it! Sorry I totally blanked”.
“It's okay. It’s a weird name”.
“What band name isn’t?”. Ray laughs in response.
“Well, I enjoyed y’all’s performance. I’m Vic, by the way”.
“Nice to meet you, Vic”. There’s a brief silence before Vic remembers that Ray was trying to go to the bathroom.
“Oh shit- sorry you need to go to the bathroom, don’t you? Let me get out of your way”. Vic’s face reddens, and he shuffles out of the doorway.
“It's fine! It was nice to meet you!”. With that, Ray disappears into the bathroom. Vic leans back into the wall, and curses at himself. He wishes he could go one night without being the most awkward guy alive. Vic sighs, and looks towards the basement door. The next band is probably almost done setting up, meaning he should head down there. Vic then looks past the basement, down the hallway at the rest of the house. Feeling a tinge of curiosity, and no desire to hurry downstairs, Vic opts to do a bit of exploring.
Vic walks a bit further down the hallway, and finds the kitchen and living room. The kitchen is separate from the living room, but has an archway in place of a door. Vic passes it, and heads to the main living space. There's a leather coach and small box TV. The TV is muted, playing old Seinfeld re-runs. The episode is seemingly focused on the group being trapped in a parking garage.
In the living room there’s a set of stairs leading to the top floor of the house. Vic contemplates if he should go up, not entirely sure why he’s even snooping in the first place. He decides whatever the reason is, it’s good enough to continue.
The stairs are plush carpet, contrasting the hard wood floors from the main level. Once he gets to the top there is a long hallway, and a banister overlooking the main entrance. To his right is what seems to be the master bedroom, and to his left is another bedroom. As he continues further down the hall there are two more bedrooms, another bathroom, and a laundry room. The house is surprisingly large, not what you would expect from a place used for local shows. The bedroom to the left of him is open, and is littered with toys. The one at the end of the hall remains locked, but Vic hears a distinct click and his heart drops.
Before he has time to react, the door opens and someone walks out. He's tall, with buzzed curly hair and dark skin. Vic's heart sinks further, as his greatest fear is realized. He recognizes the boy from his school, and it’s clear he also recognizes Vic. The boy begins to speak, but Vic is already running away.
Vic hurries down the stairs, and sprints towards the door. He’s about to hightail it out of there when he remembers he told Jaime he would wait for him. Vic feels bad ditching him, but there is no way in hell he can stay now. With a heavy heart, Vic decides to get out of there.
Vic runs all the way out of the neighborhood before he decides he’s probably in the clear. Now he just has about a ten minute walk back home. As Vic walks in the bitter cold, he thinks about Jaime. He probably won’t ever see him again, considering there’s no way he can ever go back to a show at that house. It’s disappointing. He’s never had someone be so nice to him for no reason like that. He’s never had someone flirt with him like that. Vic presses his hand to the crucifix on his chest, underneath his shirt. He sighs.
Maybe it’s for the best that he never sees Jaime again.
Eventually, he arrives at his house. It’s a modest one story, two bedroom home. Vic’s room is on the right side of the house, and his parent’s room is on the left side. It makes it easier for him to get in and out undetected. Vic checks his watch. It’s 1:56am. His parents should be fast asleep still, but his dad is prone to late night snacking, so he still needs to be careful. He makes his way to his window, and slips his fingers in the gap left by the pencil he placed underneath it. Vic hoists himself into his room, and locks his window. He collapses onto his bed, and drifts to sleep.
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Vic is woken up by the sound of his neighbor's dog barking. Every morning, the man who lives next door wakes up at 7am to feed his dog and go to work. Every morning, without fail, it wakes Vic up. It was annoying at first, but it’s become helpful in ensuring he’s awake before his parents. Vic groans, and drags himself out of bed. Usually, Vic would just sneak out and knock on the door, but it’s Monday so he has school. Like a fool, Vic told his parents he would just go to school with the friend he stayed the night with. So, now he needs to get ready, leave his house, and get to school without his parents knowing he was ever home. It’s about a twenty-five minute bike to his school, and it starts at 8am. Meaning, he needs to get his ass in gear.
He doesn’t have time to shower, nor could he take one without alerting his parents. He opens his closet and grabs his uniform, and hurriedly puts it on. He then runs a brush through his hair, still slightly straightened from yesterday, and looks at himself in the mirror hanging on his door. He looks the same as he does everyday. Stupid blue uniform and all. He grabs his yellow jacket that was hanging on his desk chair, his satchel and unlocks his window. He carefully climbs out, trying not to mess up his uniform.
He looks at his watch, the hands revealing it to be 7:23am. His dad will be getting up soon, so he needs to hurry. He left his bike on the side of the house last night. He didn’t take it to the show because he got drunk once and crashed into a bush riding home. Since then, he’s been a bit nervous to ride it after shows. He did get a car when he turned sixteen, but his mom’s car broke down last month so she’s been using his. He’s really hoping they get it fixed before the summer heat kicks in. For now, he bikes.
Leaving through the front yard is risky, but he doesn’t have much choice. His backyard is fenced in, and he doesn’t trust himself to scale it without breaking something. He peaks his head around the corner, scanning for any signs of his parents. Deciding he’s in the clear, Vic hops on his back and scurries out of there.
Vic is pretty grateful he lives in a somewhat walkable city. A summer ago, he visited some family friends in Dallas and the almost nonexistent public transit and lack of sidewalks shocked him to his core. San Diego isn’t incredibly walkable, but at least you can get around without a car for the most part. He decides he has enough time to stop and grab something for breakfast, and stops at a corner store a few minutes away from his school. He parks his bike in the bike rack outside of it, and ties the lock around it.
Walking into the store, he waves back at the cashier and heads towards the back. There’s a selection of different breakfast items, made earlier that morning. Breakfast sandwiches, burritos, stuff like that. He picks up an egg and cheese sandwich, and pours himself some coffee. He goes to the checkout, and puts down his items. As the cashier rings him up, Vic ruffles through his bag for his wallet. He doesn’t have a job at the moment, but still has a good amount of money from when he worked as a little league soccer coach earlier in the winter and fall. After he had a parent try to swing on him after he red-carded their kid, he decided it was time to hang it up. Sometimes his dad gives him money when he helps with his painting gigs, but he feels bad taking it.
He finishes paying, and shoves the sandwich in his bag. He unlocks his bike, and hops back on. He carefully holds his coffee as he rides, resting his forearm on the handles. The rest of the ride goes smoothly and he arrives at school five minutes before class starts. He quickly locks his bike up, and finishes his coffee, throwing the empty cup in the trash. His first class is close by the entrance, and he makes his way in the room and sits down at his desk. The nun is at her desk still, writing something down in her notebook. Vic reaches into his bag and grabs his sandwich, and begins eating it quietly.
His first classes go by slowly, but eventually the clock strikes 12:30pm and it’s time for lunch. Vic typically packs his lunch but it escaped his mind to prepare one today. His stomach growls, and despite not wanting to spend any more money today, Vic decides to go to a Taco truck that parks in the gas station by his school. The lunch periods take place during the third period of the day, but Vic doesn’t have one so he has an hour and a half to eat. Vic took a few dual credit courses over the summer, which led him to be able to have a free period. He wishes he could just leave school earlier but a long lunch is a fair trade off. As Vic leaves the building, he gets stopped by someone leaving behind him.
“Hey!”. Vic turns around, and is met with a face that makes his blood run cold. On the stairs of the school is the guy from his school he saw at the show last night. Vic quickly turns away and begins speed walking towards the crosswalk. He hears the guy go down the stairs, and call out to him again.
“Hey, wait! I just wanna talk!”. Vic is desperately pressing the cross-walk button, praying the guy won’t follow him across the street. The cross-walk doesn’t change in time though, and the guy catches up to him. He places a hand on Vic’s shoulder, and Vic stiffens.
“Dude! Why are you running away from me?”. Vic turns to face him. He’s not scary looking, nor does he look like he wants to harm him. He just looks…concerned?
“Uh-sorry…”. Vic is trying to slow his breath, but he is on the verge of a heart attack.
“I saw you last night. You ran away from me then, too”, Vic swallows, “Why were you so scared? Did you think I was gonna get mad that you went upstairs?”. Vic’s brows furrow, taken aback by him focusing on him being upstairs and not him just being at the show at all.
“What?”. Vic questions.
“I mean, I assume you ran because I caught you upstairs. I wouldn't have, by the way. I was just confused, mostly”.
“...you’re not shocked I was there?”.
“Upstairs?”.
“At the show”.
“I mean, I was there too…considering it’s my cousin's house and I helped put together the thing”. Vic shoots his classmate a puzzled look. He was being so open about doing something Vic would rather die than admit to doing.
“You put it together??”.
“Yeah. Well, it’s mostly my cousin but I help”.
“Why are you being so casual about this?”
“Why shouldn’t I be?”. Vic has no idea how someone could be so chill admitting to running a venue for local shows.
“Because, we’re not supposed to do that sort of thing? What if your parents found out? How do you know I wouldn’t tell them, or the school?”.
“Well, are you?”.
“...no”.
“Then I don’t have anything to worry about, do I?”. Vic shrinks. The cross-walk sign turns on and he starts to cross, the guy following beside him.
“I don’t get how you’re so casual about this”. They make it across the street, and are almost at the taco truck. Vic shoves his hands in his pockets as a breeze brushes through.
“I don’t know. It’s just normal to me”.
“Aren’t you worried about people from school spotting you? About your parents finding out?”.
“I mean I guess my folks would be mad, but it’s not like I’m the only one at school who does stuff like this. I’m not gonna let a fear of getting caught keep me from living”, he sticks out his hand, “Loniel Robinson, by the way. You can call me Loni, though”.
“...Vic Fuentes”. They arrive at the truck, and Vic orders three carnita tacos and an aqua fresca. Loni gets a burrito and a coke. The worker says something to him in Spanish he doesn’t understand, and Vic just nods. The pair sit on the plastic picnic table in front of the truck.
“What did he say?”. Loni asks.
“I don’t know”. Vic admits. Loni cocks his brow.
“You don’t know Spanish? You ordered in it”.
“I know enough to order in it, not enough to have conversations. My parents never taught me”. Vic has always hated not knowing Spanish, especially since so many people will speak to him in it expecting him to.
“Ah. No Sabo kid”, Vic laughs “why didn’t he?”. Vic shrugs.
“I don’t think he saw the point”. They sit there in silence for a while before their food is ready. After they grab it and sit back down at the picnic table, Vic thinks back to last night and something clicks in his brain.
“Do you know a spikey haired guy named Jaime?”. Loni looks up from his food.
“Uh- yeah. Why?”.
“I told him I would talk to him after the last show, but I uh-”.
“Ran away?”. Vic shrinks.
“Yeah…”. Loni laughs lightly. He takes another bite of his burrito before he continues.
“Were you wanting his number or something?”. Vic’s face reddens.
“I-uh. I just wanted to um..tell him i’m sorry for dipping”.
“Well he’s more of a friend of a friend so I don’t have his number or anything, but I do know he works at the Costco. He’s probably working tonight”.
“I don’t have a car right now, how am I supposed to get to Costco?”. Vic sighs.
“Uh, well I’m sure he’s performing there again soon, not this weekend though”. Vic stiffens. No way the last performance was Jaime’s band. Oh no, he really was an asshole.
“...again?”.
“Yeah, his band played last. The one you missed”. Vic’s head collapses into his hands. He lets out a groan.
“Oh no. You didn’t know? Dude, why else did you think he dipped?”.
“He never told me!”. Vic’s voice is muffled by his hands. He is so stupid.
“Don’t worry, he’ll definitely play again soon. I’ll tell you when he does and I'll let you come in for free”. Vic chuckles lightly. Here he thought that he wouldn’t be able to come back to that venue, and now he’s getting in for free without having to deceive a bouncer.
“I was hoping I could talk to him sooner. I don’t really want to have to wait to happen upon him”. Loni is silent for a beat, thinking to himself.
“I can talk to my friend about getting him to meet up with you or get his number”.
“I appreciate it”. Vic finishes up his food and begins gathering his trash, while Loni does the same.
“Or, you could try to find your way to Costco cause I won’t be able to talk to my friend until I get my phone back at the end of the week”. They get up and toss their trash in the trashcan next to the truck. Vic raises a brow at Loni’s statement.
“Why don’t you have your phone?”. Loni looks away shyly.
“I got it taken away last week cause I failed a test”. Vic snorts.
“Look! It was a hard test!”. Loni throws his hands up in defense.
“What class was it for?”. They arrive at the crosswalk, and wait for the signal to turn. Loni sighs.
“Pre-Calc”.
“I did Dual Credit Pre-Calc over the summer, if you want I can help you with it”. The signal turns, and they begin walking across the road.
“Are you offering to be my tutor?”. Loni grins.
“Well, I did pretty well in it, and you’re helping me out so why not return the favor?”.
“I appreciate it. I might just take you up on that offer”. The pair return to the front courtyard of their school. They stop in front of the stairs.
“What class do you have?” Loni asks.
“I don’t have one, I have a free period”.
“Okay, lucky. I guess this is where we part. I need to get to bio”. Loni points towards the door as he says this.
“Have fun”. Before Loni heads off, he grabs a pen and paper from his bag.
“I might not have my phone right now, but go ahead and write down your number. We should hang out sometime”. Vic freezes slightly, taken aback by Loni’s request. No one ever wants to hang out with him. He takes the paper and jots down his number, and gives it back to Loni.
“See ya’ later!”. Loni waves goodbye and heads back inside the building. Vic stands there for a moment, unsure of his next move. He ponders going to Costco to see Jaime. His parents do have a membership, but rarely go. He also doesn’t go with them to shop, his mom typically does it over the weekend while he’s busy studying. He could go with her next time, but there is no way he could find and talk to Jaime without raising suspicions. It wouldn’t kill him to wait until the weekend, but he’s just going to be anxiously waiting the entire week. Whatever his decision is, it’s going to have to wait until he gets back home from school.
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The rest of the school day goes over fine. He had a pop quiz in AP Psych, which he did well on. He did forget to take off his jacket before going into his AP Government class, and the nun got on to him for not being in uniform. She’s the only teacher there whose obsession with the uniform disregards cold weather.
Vic arrives home and greets his mom who seemingly also just got home. She works retail, so her hours vary a lot. Her schedule is pretty consistent, but this weekend she had to work closing shifts both days and then an opening shift today. This meant she was too tired to do the shopping. His dad wasn’t able to do it either because he was busy painting an office building all weekend. Vic opens the pantry to find something to eat, but it’s pretty barren. An idea sparks in his mind.
“Hey mom, were you not able to go shopping this weekend?”. He raises his voice slightly because she’s in the other room.
“No, honey, I'm sorry. I’ll make sure to do it soon, I just need to rest for a bit”. His mom says back. Vic stares at the pantry for a beat.
“I can just do it. I don’t have any homework”. There’s a brief silence before his mom comes into the kitchen.
“You’re too sweet honey, are you sure?”. She looks up at him with her brows furrowed.
“Yeah. You’re tired and I need something to do”. She smiles at her son, and then turns around to grab a notepad. She begins writing something down.
“Let me just write you a list real quick. You can grab a few extra things, but just don’t go over budget. I’ll give you my card. I’ll write the pin on the list. You can take the car, which speaking of, we should have my car fixed soon. I’m sorry you’ve had to bike everywhere.”. Vic places a hand on his mom’s arm.
“It’s okay mom”. She smiles up at him.
“I’m going to go change then I’ll head okay”. His mom nods and he makes his way to his room. He takes off his hoodie and suit jacket, and undoes his tie. He throws his jacket on his chair, and hangs his suit jacket and tie on the edge of his hamper. He opens his closet and ponders what he should wear.
I’m just going grocery shopping, Vic thinks to himself I don’t need to wear anything special. Despite this, he struggles to decide what to put on. He shifts through his t-shirts, passing by henleys, band shirts, and graphic tees. He stops at a white and purple striped henley, ponders it for a moment before deciding to grab it and put it on. He then fumbles into a pair of black skinny jeans, and stares at himself in the mirror. The shirt fits snug to his frame, with his jeans riding low on his hips. He decides to put on a simple black belt, and his yellow zip up before heading out of his room.
Vic walks back in the kitchen where his mom is waiting. She finished writing the list and was grabbing her card out of her wallet.
“Okay, here’s my card and the keys to the car. Thank you again, Vic”. She hands him the items, and he grabs the list off the counter.
“Uh and where’s the Costco card?”. His mom looks taken aback by his question.
“You want to go to Costco? Why not just the market down the road?”. Vic shifts his feet, trying to come up with a good excuse.
“I need to get guitar strings and it's right by the Guitar Center. Just thought it would be more convenient”. His mom contemplates his request, and then reaches back in her wallet to grab the membership card.
“Well, I guess it couldn’t hurt to get some things in bulk”. She hands him the card, and then gives him a kiss on the cheek.
“Be safe”.
“I always am”. With that, Vic heads out the door. He starts the car, and begins backing out of the driveway. As he turns out of his neighborhood, he switches on the radio. It’s been awhile since he’s driven in his car, but it seems like his mom hasn’t changed his presets. He switches through the stations, landing on one playing Coming Clean by Green Day. He sings along with Billie Joe as he makes his way to Costco.
The drive is about twenty minutes, and he arrives at the store, parking near the entrance. Since it’s a Monday, there aren’t many cars in the parking lot. Vic exits his car, locking it as he walks away. He enters the building and is asked to present his card. Vic reaches into his pocket, grabbing the card and showing it to the worker. He’s let in, and he grabs his grocery list and a cart. He scans the list, deciding to head to the deli first.
As Vic walks through the store, his heart thumps anxiously. He glances around, trying to spot an employee with spikey hair. He doesn’t want to search for Jaime, as he actually does have to shop. He also doesn’t want to look like a crazy person.
Vic makes his way through his list, checking off just about every item at this point. So far, he hasn’t seen any sign of Jaime. Vic slumps, beginning to think his trip was a waste. He makes his way to the check out, after grabbing the last of his items. He cuts through the furniture section, briefly perusing the different items. About halfway through the department, he hears a familiar voice.
“You didn’t wait for me after the show”. Vic turns around, and in front of him is the spikey haired man that sparked his trip in the first place. Vic swallows, struggling to find the words to respond. Jaime shouldn’t look so good in a red vest, but it makes him look oddly handsome. He has the vest unbuttoned, with a plain black tee underneath it. He’s wearing the same blue jeans he wore last night. Vic can tell because he recognizes the distinct small rip on his thigh. Jaime is smiling at him, waiting for Vic to respond.
“I-I. I wanted to I just- I needed to leave. I’m sorry”. Vic stammers through his explanation, his face getting increasingly warm. Jaime crosses his arms, accentuating his biceps. Vic swallows. Why was he so damn obsessed with Jaime’s arms?
“No it’s okay. I understand, you’re just playing hard to get. Don’t worry, I’m ready to play along”. Jaime smirks, Vic blushes. What is up with this guy!
“I’m not-” Vic stops himself, composing his thoughts before continuing “Something came up, I had to go. I really wanted to wait for you”.
“It’s fine, I’ll have other performances and other times to talk with you”.
“I am really sorry about missing you perform. I didn’t know you were”.
“You can make it up to me today. I have to close, so I won’t get off until late, but I have a thirty minute break in about half an hour. If you want, you can stick around until then and we can go get something to eat. My treat”. Vic contemplates the request. He sighs, preparing to let Jaime down once again.
“I’m sorry. I really want to, I do! It’s just, I really do need to get back home. My mom is expecting me to come home right after I’m done shopping, and I need to put up my groceries”. Jaime uncrosses his arms and places them on his hips, laughing.
“Are you sure you’re not playing hard to get?”. Vic laughs lightly.
“I’m really not! God, I feel so bad”. Vic puts his hand to his forehead, laughing with Jaime.
“Well, could I at least get your number? So you don’t have to come to my work anytime you want to talk to me?”. Vic tucks his hair behind his hair nervously.
“Uh- yeah. Of course”. Jaime looks around quickly, before reaching into his pocket and grabbing his phone. He opens it, and hands it to Vic.
“Just put your number in. I’ll text you when I get off”. Vic takes the phone, looking at it then back to Jaime.
“Are you supposed to have this with you while you work?”. Vic grins at him.
“Techically not”. They both laugh. Vic finishes typing in his number, then hands Jaime’s phone back to him.
“I need to get back to work before my boss sees me and figures out I'm not helping you out”.
“I think you’re helping me out plenty”. Jaime’s confident smile falters, being flustered by Vic’s statement. Vic has no clue where he got the confidence to flirt with Jaime like that. Jaime clears his throat.
“Uh- I. I’ll text you tonight, you better not ghost me”. Jaime starts walking away, still facing Vic.
“No promises!”. Vic teases, earning a smile from Jaime. Jaime turns around, disappearing down the aisles. Vic collects himself for a moment. He turns back to his cart, and makes his way to the checkout.
I can’t believe that just happened, he thinks to himself while smiling. Vic’s never has people asking for his number and it happened twice in one day. One of which being by a cute guy who is totally interested in him. Vic falters in his step, color washing from his face. What was he doing thinking about another boy like that? He got so worked up in the flattery he let himself think his feelings towards men were okay. Vic finishes checking out, and begins returning to his car.
He’s a fool. A fool who thought, just for a moment, he could actually pursue some kind of relationship with another guy. He can’t just ghost Jaime, he doesn’t think he even has the heart to. Jaime clearly wants a relationship with him, and Vic doesn’t know if he can realistically give him that. What would his church think? What would his peers think? What would his parents think? The sunny disposition Vic had just moments earlier has been completely wiped away. He puts the groceries in his trunk, gets in his car, and turns on the radio. Adam’s Song by Blink-182 begins playing, and Vic turns it up while he starts his journey back to his house.