Disclaimer:

All other content or otherwise are works of my own imagination. All events are fictitious in nature.

Any similarities to persons living, dead, or otherwise are purely coincidental.

This story contains strong themes of homosexual content, if this offends you in any way, please refrain from reading further. If you are not of legal age to read this, please leave now.

A/N: I'd like to thank TalonRider for editing this chapter. His unparalleled excellence and tireless effort applied to my work is greatly appreciated. Thank you!

I'd also like to thank the brilliant Librent for beta-reading this chapter. Thanks!

American Differences
-By Emulated

Chapter 30: Education

They should’ve been made illegal EONS ago! Forget that, they just shouldn’t exist AT ALL! I wanna know, who wants to be an examiner? I mean, do they LIKE being hated by everyone or something?! No, I bet they do it because of the sadistic thrill of making us unruly lot suffer at their hands.

My exam timetable wasn’t THAT bad. At least they were all spread out nicely over the two weeks, but still, they sucked big time. Did I mention I hate exams? ARGH!!!

One month had passed since the party at Connor’s house. During which, aside from the myriad of exams, we’d also finalised the arrangements for the Prom. Best of all, we were officially getting the HUMMER limousine! Yep, we were going to the Prom in style! It was crazy expensive, but once we’d split the cost twelve ways, (that was with all of us, plus Dean, Jon, Tanya, and Sophie –the girls they were dating), it wasn’t so bad. Expensive, yes, but manageable.

Second came the issue with what to wear. After a quick chat with my mum, who kindly informed me about a family wedding that we were to attend in a few months, she decided that we’d be better off buying a whole suit for me. So one day after school, we took a trip down town and went clothes shopping. We immediately headed for the large department store we had and promptly looked around the suits, trying to find the right one. While clothes shopping wasn’t my most favourite task to do, actually shopping with Mum wasn’t as bad as I initially thought.

Since I returned to home, almost a month before, we hadn’t spent a lot of time alone together. At least not how we used to be when I was younger, or even before I came out. It just seemed that she wanted some distance, something that I gave to her in ample amount. So when it came to us going to town together, one could understand why I’d be reserved a little. But like I said, it turned out quite well. We even managed to find a few things to laugh at, namely these pair of trousers, which were clearly too long for me, something that was confirmed when I slipped them on and they were still down to my toes. That one caused giggles, more so when I yanked them up to under my nipples, a more suitable height if I were to wear them without tripping over.

But as time wore on, and with a little help from the staff, we finally came down to a suit that fit me just fine.

“How does that look?” Came Mum’s voice from the other side of the dressing room curtain.

I twirled around in front of the mirror, “Yeah, it looks good.” I replied, before I pulled open the curtain, showing her.

“What’s the waist like, and the length?” She asked, looking at them closely, “Remember it has to last until August too, for the wedding.”

I nodded, “I think they’re good.” I pulled on the waist, “I’m gonna need a belt, but they’re not that large.”

She knelt down, pulling them over my shoes nicely, before standing up and smiling, “Yeah, I think we’ve found the perfect pair.” She said, before handing me the jacket to go with it.

I slipped it on and held a casual pose.

Mum looked me up and down, grinning.

“What?”

“You look so handsome.”

I laughed, “Thanks.” I replied, as I reached into my jeans, pulling out my phone and aiming it to the mirror.

“What are you doing, Matt?” Asked Mum.

“Sending a photo to Jamie.” I replied, watching her in the mirror.

Her expression faltered slightly, before smiling again, “I’m sure he’ll like it.”

I grinned at her, before I took the photo, tapping through my contacts and sending it to Jamie, along with the text,

What do you think?

I slipped my phone into my jeans and undressed out of the suit, putting back on my ‘normal’ clothes, while Mum paid for the suit. I walked out of the dressing room and headed to where Mum was, when I felt my phone vibrate. I pulled it out and read the text:

Soo sexy, babe. Con says very handsome.

Jamie xxx

I grinned and put the phone away, deciding I’ll speak to him more about the suit later, maybe even give him a sneak peek too.

That all happened a week earlier. I did end up giving Jamie a sneak peek, along with a few other things. What? He was all cute sitting on my bed, the house was empty, so I couldn’t help myself. I did behave myself though, I mean, I took off the suit first, well, Jamie took it off for me, so we did save that from being creased…or worse.

So, with another week out of the way, one-month in total since the party at Connor’s, I found myself sitting in the hall, ready to start my seventh exam.

Mr Weston, our Head of Year, stood at the front of the hall, looking down at us, “You are all under exam conditions. There’s to be no communic-” Yeah, yeah, we know the drill. You want us to shut up, sit here for two hours, and still be alive at the end of it. I looked down at the paper. GCSE Mathematics. Ungh! I just knew that the next two hours were going to kill me. Jamie, on the other hand, was probably going to be doing back flips by the end of it. Seriously, it should be illegal to be both hot and smart at the same time.

“Please fill in the front of the paper.” He added, as I clicked my pen, writing in my name, candidate number, and my signature. I think I had a good signature. It wasn’t as good as Jamie’s, but he had that awesome surname to go with it. Keller, Jamie Keller. Even saying his name in my head had me tingling, had me grinning madly, but that quickly went away when I returned from my daze, focusing on the calculator in front of me.

“The time is…” Weston glanced up at the clock, “Eight-forty, you may start.”

Oh joy!

*

It turns out that I survived the exam. Barely. The work itself was okay-ish, I mean, I was sure that I could’ve pulled at least a ‘C’ on that paper. Speaking to the other guys made me feel a little more at ease, they didn’t find it that good, or that bad, so it seemed that we were in the same boat. Of course there’s always the guys who come out, flexing their fingers in front, telling everyone how they aced the exam…unlikely, given that they were in the bottom set, but at least they had some sort of optimism. As for me, I couldn’t afford to be so cocky. I was keeping my fingers crossed all the way till mid-August; results day.

“You look nervous, did it not go well?” Asked Jamie, as we went over to collect our bags stored in a room near the hall.

I shrugged, “I dunno. Answered most things…” I trailed off, “Just still not my strongest thing.”

He squeezed my shoulder, “I’m sure you did good, besides, we know you’ll ace the English paper.”

“Ha! We’ll see.”

“Mmm. Yeah, we will.” He grinned, “Just over a week left, Matt.”

“Huh?”

“One week left of exams, and one week left of school.” He replied, slinging his bag over his shoulder, “And then we’re done, for good.”

“Until next year.” I reminded, picking up my bag.

He grinned, “Yeah, but we don’t have to come back. Doesn’t that excite you?”

I giggled at him, “It does, a bit.” I replied, “But…I dunno. Without school, I’d feel kinda lost.”

Jamie laughed softly, leaning close as we walked out into the corridor, waiting for the other guys to appear, “I’ll be close.”

I shook my head, grinning, “Sure you will.” I paused, “What lesson we supposed to be in now?” I asked.

“English, I think.” He glanced at his phone, “But it’s practically morning break. We can just chill here.”

I nodded, walking over to my locker nearby, “Good.”

He watched me closely, waiting until the corridor was empty, “Hey, you still okay with telling Sarah?” He asked, “I don’t want you to feel like I’m pressuring you or anything.”

I shook my head, “It’s fine, Jamie. Really.” I smiled, “I want her to know.”

Over the past couple of weeks, it had been increasingly more difficult for Jamie and I to keep things on the down low with Sarah about. It was really starting to dig away at me, especially given how the other guys, and Li, knew about us. I was the one who came up with the idea that we come out to her, much to Jamie’s surprise. He’d always been the more open one out of the two of us, but it just made sense to me. Well, the being open part made sense, but I was still reserved on the whole telling her part.

Jamie, and Li, both insisted that Sarah would take it well, but I wasn’t so sure. I guess there was no real reason for her to take it badly, however, we couldn’t be certain until it actually came down to us telling her. It took a week or so of me pondering about it further before I really settled on the idea. I wanted Sarah to know and I wanted to be the one to tell her.

With those decisions made, Max quickly arranged for me to meet Sarah after school in the library, where she often spent time revising during the exams. Given how it was a ‘neutral’ location and somewhere that was very quiet, away from other students, I agreed. All I had to do was get through the day, and at the end was Sarah. I just hoped that she’d take it well.

“You sure?” He asked, frowning slightly.

“I’m sure.” I replied, pulling out my books, “Now stop it with the cute expression. Gotta revise for the next exam!”

“It’s a science one so I guess you’ll be revising with me.” He winked.

I smiled, “I guess so.”

*

Sarah noticed me immediately as I entered into the library. I quickly scanned the large room clad with bookshelves, finding that we were alone. She stood up and wandered over, stopping a few feet away. She watched me for a second before and taking a deep breath, “Matt, I know what this is about.”

I raised my eyebrows, “You do?” I asked, remaining sceptical.

She nodded, “Look, it’s nothing to worry about. These things happen.” She paused, “It’s just a phase.”

My eyes widened, “A what?”

“A phase.” She repeated, “As time passes, it will change.”

I shook my head, “Sarah, it’s not a phase.”

“Sure it is.” She replied, walking closer and rubbing the top of my arm soothingly, “But like I said, don’t let it bother you.”

I frowned, “This isn’t going to change, I can’t just snap my fingers and decide who I’m attracted to. It doesn’t work like that.”

She nodded, “I know, Matt. I know.” She paused, offering me a comforting smile, “Give it some time and there’ll be another girl who catches your eye.”

“What?” Now she had lost me, “Another girl?”

“Yes. I know Li’s pretty, but she isn’t the only girl about.”

“Li?” I asked, shaking my head again, “Sarah, what the hell are you talking about?”

She pulled back, “Max sent me here because you wanted to talk about Li.”

“Erm, no I don’t.”

She frowned, “But you’re here…”

“Yeah, to talk, but not about Li…” I paused, “Is that what Max said?”

“No. It’s what I thought you wanted to talk about…” She trailed off, “I thought you liked Li, but didn’t want to ask her out after Jamie…”

“After Jamie, what?” I questioned.

“After Jamie turned her down.” She continued, “ I figured you didn’t want to seem like a spare or something.”

I blinked a few times, trying to stop my headache from getting worse. I held up my hands, “How about we start from the beginning, forget about Li, forget about Max, we’ll st-“

“Is it Beth?” She asked quickly, but changed tone when she noticed my expression, “Omigod it’s me isn’t it? You like me?”

“Sarah,” I snapped, grabbing her attention, “I’m gay.”

Her head shot up, “What?”

“I’m gay.”

She focused on me for a moment, before looking away, “Oh…”

I walked over to a chair and sat down, taking a few deep breaths to clear my head.

“It’s Connor, isn’t it?” She asked.

I looked over at her, frowning, “What’s Connor?”

“You like him, don’t you?”

“Uh, sure, as a friend…”

She shook her head, “I saw the way you were staring at him and Beth at the party. You really like Connor.”

I stood up, “Erm, ok. Firstly I don’t like Connor in that way, and secondly I was just pleased for them.”

She looked at me, “It’s ok, Matt. Really.”

“You guys okay in here?” Came Jamie’s voice.

I glanced over at the door, the relief on my face must have been visible from PLUTO or something!

Sarah looked at me pointedly, “Does he know?” She asked softly.

I turned to her, “Uhh, yes.”

She walked over to him, “So you know about Matt liking Connor?”

Jamie widened his eyes, a grin on his face, “He what?”

Sarah frowned, “This isn’t funny, Jamie. Matt’s probably hurting over this.”

“Uh, hello!?” I called out. This was getting ridiculous. Thank goodness Jamie took the initiative decided to step in before things got any worse.

“Sarah, Matt isn’t interested in Connor.” He replied, glancing at me, “He already has a boyfriend.”

“What? No way!” She cried, pausing for a moment before facing me, “Omigod, it’s Ayo, isn’t it? I always knew there was something going on betw…” She trailed off, watching as Jamie walked over and wrapped an arm around my waist. Sarah looked at us, and then at Jamie’s action. She pointed as she sat down, “…I was not expecting t…that.”

“Jamie’s my boyfriend, Sarah. I do like Connor, and Ayo, but only as friends.” I spoke gently.

She continued to stare at us, “Oh…”

I unlatched myself from Jamie and walked over, pulling out a chair and sitting next to her, “Sarah?”

“Mmm?”

I placed a hand on her shoulder lightly, “Sarah, are you ok with all of this?”

She blinked a few times, nodding, “Yeah, I just.” She exhaled, a small smile on her lips, “Just never expected you two.” She said, “It’s kinda like ‘wow!’”

I laughed, “Well you kinda expected everything else.”

She breathed again, “I know…” She began softly, “I know, I kinda get nervous sometimes…talk quickly and stuff.”

I nodded, wondering how in the world Max was able to keep up with her. I was about to speak again, but heard someone knock on the door lightly. I looked up to see Li standing there, before I waved her over.

“Is everything alright?” Asked Li, looking at Sarah, “Sarah? Are you ok?”

She nodded.

Li knelt down next to her, “I know it’s kind of a shock, but it’s not that bad, really.”

“You knew about this?” She asked, “Wait. It’s none of my business. I shouldn’t ask.”

I looked at Sarah, “Li kinda found out by accident.”

She glanced up, frowning slightly, “How?”

Jamie cleared his throat, “Well, she found these notes-“

“Did you tell her about the notes yet? The other ones?” Interrupted Li.

Jamie shook his head, “No, we haven’t gotten that far yet.”

Sarah glanced at Jamie, “What other notes?”

I shared a look at him, nodding my head. It was time to tell her everything.

*

“So some other guy fancies Jamie?” Asked Sarah, musing to herself, “Who is it?”

It was almost four o’clock, and Li, Sarah, Jamie and I were walking through the park. It didn’t take that long to explain the notes dilemma with Sarah, at which time we decided to leave the library and take a slow walk home.

But the notes weren’t the biggest thing on my mind during the walk. I kept on glancing at Sarah, watching how she acted towards us, the language she used. I wanted to see how she was dealing with everything. To my delight, and as Li and Jamie had foreseen, she seemed to had taken the news very well. Sure we had a real hassle finally getting to the real thing I wanted to discuss, but once it was all out in the open, there didn’t seem to be any lingering issues about that. At least none that were going to jeopardise our friendship.

Li shook her head, “We don’t know. We’ve thought of every guy we know.” She paused, “We just can’t seem to get anywhere with it.”

Sarah nodded, “What do you do?” She asked rhetorically, “There’s no special way on how to deal with a secret admirer, especially one who’s gay and closeted.”

“Yeah, aside from having someone continuously watch the locker, seeing who passes by.” I sighed.

Jamie looked at us, “Perhaps Max had the best idea. He said that we should just forget about it, forget about the guy.”

“But that won’t make him go away.” Reminded Sarah.

“No, but it’ll stop us from worrying about it.” I replied, “The last thing we need, especially now during the exams, is something else to keep messing with us.”

We walked in silence for a minute, before Li spoke up, “How long has it been now, since it all began?” She asked.

“About six weeks, I think.” Replied Jamie.

“Then perhaps you should listen to Max.” Continued Li, “School’s going to be over soon, and after that you won’t have a locker to worry about.”

“Thankfully.” I replied, watching as Sarah and Li came to a stop.

“We’ve gotta head that way.” Spoke Sarah, pointing across the park, “So we’ll see you two tomorrow?”

Jamie nodded, “Sure.”

Sarah focused on us, “And thanks, guys…for trusting me.”

I shared a look with Jamie and smiled at her, “Thank you for taking it so well.”

“For being a great friend.” Added Jamie, earning him a hug from her, before she hugged me.

“Aww, you two take care now.” She spoke, turning to Jamie, “And you look after Matt.”

I looked at her, “Look after me? I need to look after him!”

Jamie laughed softly at her, “Don’t worry, I will.”

Li giggled at this, causing me to poke my tongue at her, before they started to head off, “See you!”

“Bye.” I called after them, as I turned to Jamie, “Look after me? You?”

He reached up and ruffled my hair playfully, “Yep. I’ll take care of you, babe.”

I fought him off, flicking my hair to the side, “Bitch.”

Jamie laughed again as we resumed our pace, “Sooo, Sarah took it well.”

I giggled, “Not at first! Jeez, she thought I had the hots for everyone!”

“I hope not.” He replied.

I gave him a look, “But yeah, at least she took it well.”

He nodded, “…And?”

“And what?”

“You were right all along Jamie…” He began, hoping I’d get the hint.

I stared at him, grinning, “No way.”

“Aww, come on.” He replied, leaning closer, “I know you want to.”

“Nope.” I scoffed.

He straightened himself, “Fine.” He stated simply.

We walked silently for a few moments, before a grin broke out on my face, “Ok, come on, what’s the catch?” I asked, looking at him.

He raised an eyebrow.

I giggled, leaning closer, “You’re not gonna let me kiss you until I say it, are you?”

He pretended to think for a moment, “That’s not a bad idea, Matt.”

“Jamie!”

“What? I was right, you were…well, you were wrong.”

I shook my head, “I never said she would take it badly.”

“But you never said she’d take it well.” He smiled, “I deserve some recognition.”

I smiled, “Well, I would give you a kiss, but it seems you’ve stopped me from doing that.”

“Just say it, Matt.”

I looked up at him, “Never.”

We walked the rest of the journey mostly without talking further, aside from a little more banter, but once we finally made it to my house, where we were alone, I was finding it rather difficult to keep up with my word.

I slipped of my school shirt, standing in front of him, “Come on, American.” I teased, “Don’t make me wrestle you.”

He laughed at me, “Like you’d win.”

I glanced down at his trousers, noticing a definite bulge there. I stepped closer, “Wanna bet?”

“Sure.” He replied, “I’d whip your cute ass.”

I giggled, trying to step closer before he stopped me, “Jamie!”

“Matt!” He warned, wagging a finger in front of me.

I stepped back and slowly undone my belt, causing him to laugh at me again.

“You have no shame, do you?”

I ignored him, dropping my trousers onto the floor, standing in the middle of my room clad in my socks and boxers.

Jamie sat on the edge of my bed, “Not gonna work, Matt.”

I walked closer, as far as he’d let me, before I began to toy with the waistband of my underwear. I watched Jamie’s eyes as they’d flicker from my face to my groin. I giggled, “I think it’s working.”

He swallowed, shaking his head slowly.

I stepped forwards, taking hold of his hands, “You were right all along, Jamie.” I spoke, as I straddled his waist.

He grinned, “See? That wasn’t so ha-“

I placed a finger to his lips, “Now, shut up and kiss me.”

So he did.

*

One week later…

“Where should I sign?” I asked.

“Anywhere, make it good.”

I thought for a moment, before placing the marker to his abdomen, pretending to write, “To Connor, my favouritest buddy in the who-”

Connor laughed, “What? No way.” He called out, tugging at his school shirt and looking down, “Be serious.”

We were all crowded in Connor’s room in the morning of the last day of school. We decided to meet up there first, so we could sign each other’s shirts first, before anyone else got their hands, or markers, on them. We’d signed most of each others, except that I hadn’t signed Jamie’s and vice-versa. The reason being that I wanted to get really mushy, not overtly so, but just enough to make it special. So it would’ve been kinda awkward if I’d written on his first, so we decided to wait until later, where we were alone.

“Good luck with that.” Called out Jamie as Max signed his shirt, “He’s been messing around for days.”

Ayo nudged Connor, “More like fooling around with Jamie.”

I decided to play along, “Fooling around for days? A boy could dream.” I replied, winking at Jamie for effect.

Connor giggled, tugging on my hair, “You dirty boy. Lucky I’m here to keep you in check.”

I started to write on his shirt, “Hardly.”

“Come on, guys, we’re gonna get late for our last day.” Called out Ayo, checking the time on his phone.

“Almost done!” Called out Jamie, signing Max’s shirt.

I stood up, put the lid back on the marker and smiled down at the writing on Connor’s shirt.

He looked down and read it off, “Where there’s a Reed, there’s a way.” He giggled. Okay, perhaps it wouldn’t have meant much to most other people, but it was a little inside joke that we had shared for many years. I was thankful he remembered.

After we finished signing each other’s shirts, we quickly headed for school, where everyone else in our year were already beginning to have a little bit of a party going on. There was no actual party, more like everyone was there to do anything but schoolwork. Not that it mattered, seeing as it was the last day.

We pretty much spent most of the periods messing around, chatting to our teachers, chilling with other guys that we might not see for a while. It was all great, but underneath all the laughter, I couldn’t help but feel a little uneasy about the whole thing. Throughout my life I’d become accustomed to going to school five days a week. All those days of getting up early, putting on the uniform…they were over. Until, of course, the future when I’m working, but even so, it wouldn’t be school.

Don’t get me wrong, I was kinda glad to be getting away from the whole routine. It wasn’t the most fun part of my life, and there were definitely some moments that sucked. And there was the fact that it wasn’t the best place to be if you were gay (as if I had a better choice), so that really sucked. Saying that, had I not gone to school, then I’d never had met a certain American. That alone made the whole time worthwhile!

“Are you all coming back next year, for sixth form?” Asked Pierce.

I glanced at the guys, nodding, “Yeah, I think we are.”

“That’s good.” He smiled, “Saves a few tears.”

“As if!” Laughed Connor, “You can’t wait to see us go!”

He sat on one of the tables opposite us, “I don’t hate Max that much.” He teased.

“The feeling’s mutual.” Smiled Max.

Pierce looked at him, “You have twenty-minutes detention after school on Monday for that.”

Max laughed, “Sorry, Sir. I have a Prom to go to.”

Pierce grinned, “That’s right. I knew I had something to do.”

“You’re coming?” Asked Connor.

“Am I invited?” He grinned.

“Of course.” I began, “I bet you’re loads of fun with a few pints down you.”

“Wouldn’t want to miss out on that.” Laughed Jamie.

Pierce laughed, “What are you guys like?”

“Friendly, kind, outgoing…” Listed Connor.

He nodded, glancing about the form, “Yeah, you’re one of the best forms I’ve had.”

Max pretended to sniffle, “Oh! This is a sad, sad moment for us!” He cried, covering his face.

Pierce glanced at Max, “And I’m going to be so sad to see you all go.” He added, dramatically.

“Oh stop! Stop it, Sir! I can’t take it!” Wailed Max.

Connor, Jamie, and I just couldn’t stop giggling at him. He was hopeless.

Mr Pierce stood up patting Max’s back, “I’ve stopped now, it’s all over.” He chuckled.

Max peered up at him, “Until we come back next year.”

“Oh help me!” Cried Pierce, “Not another two years!”

Connor nodded, “Yep, it’s not over yet.”

Pierce headed over to some of the guys at the back, “An early retirement seems like a good idea.”

“Don’t lie Sir, you love us really!” Retorted Max.

Pierce just shook his head.

*

“Well I guess this is it.” Spoke Connor, as we all entered into the park, across from the school.

“Yeah…” Began Li, looking at us, “It’s kinda sad, isn’t it?”

“The ‘End of an Era!’ Mwahahaha!” Boomed Max.

Sarah slapped his arm lightly, “Shhh! You’re too loud.”

“Didn’t mean to scare you.” He teased, before wrapping an arm around her, noticing the frown on her face.

“You alright, Sarah?” Asked Jamie.

She nodded, “Just a little sad.” She replied.

We all glanced at each other, the feeling beginning to set in slightly. I eyed everyone’s shirts, looking at the colourful words, the little stickmen, and the fine drawings on them. It was the end of an era, one that meant so much to each of us, but for completely different reasons. The whole experience had opened our eyes to the world. We weren’t children anymore, we were well on our way to adulthood. And that felt both exhilarating, yet frightening at the same time.

And I couldn’t wait…

*

Jamie looked up into my eyes, “Can I write anything?”

I nodded, “Go for it.”

We were back at my house, after we had said goodbye to the guys. Of course we’d be seeing them the following day, or maybe even later that evening, but we wanted to ‘formalise’ it in some way. We knew it meant a lot so we didn’t rush it. We were saying goodbye to a lot of things. But once that was over, Jamie and I headed over to my house, where we could finish something we began that morning.

I looked down, watching as Jamie pulled out his marker, but he stood in front of my shirt, “No peeking.”

I smiled and glanced away, waiting until he was finished, before I looked down at it, reading aloud, “An amazing guy, an amazing friend, and an amazing boyfriend.” I smiled, emotion flowing through me, “That’s beautiful, thanks babe.”

He kissed my forehead, “Only the best for you.” He smiled, before pulling his shirt off, handing it to me.

I took it from him, feeling its warmth, “Do I get to keep this?” I asked.

He giggled, “I have some without all the writing on. I could give you one of those.”

I shook my head as I straightened his shirt on my desk, “I like this one, it’s been all Jamie-fied.”

His hand gently grazed my back comfortingly, “You want the shirt?” He questioned, “But I’m right here.”

I winked up at him, pulling the lid off the marker, “Yes you are.” I turned and faced the shirt, finding the small gap under his collar, the same place where he wrote on mine. I glanced at him, “Look away for a second.”

He spun on the spot, flashing me his bare back. I tore my eyes away and focused on the task at hand, writing down what was in my mind onto the shirt. After a few seconds I finished, clicking the lid back on.

“You done?”

I nodded, “I’m done.”

He faced back around, looking down at the shirt, “My heart, my love, my Jamie.” He read aloud, before looking at me, biting his bottom lip.

I grinned at him, “You listed three things on mine, so figured I’d do the same...”

He giggled slightly, his eyes welling up some, causing mine to do the same. I stepped forwards and hugged him, pressing my face against his neck, “I love you, Jamie, more than anything.”

“I love you too, Matt. So much.” He spoke, squeezing me tighter.

I let my fingers play with the back of his hair, before he pulled back, gazing into my eyes.

“Monday night is going to be great.” He smiled, “You all dressed up, looking handsome.”

I grinned, “So will you.”

He smiled cutely, his eyes resting playfully on mine.

“Erm, after the Prom, would you want to sleep over here?” I asked.

He raised his eyebrows questioningly, “You think your parents would be cool with that?”

I nodded, “I think so.”

He smiled, stroking my cheek, “Then I’d love that.” He paused, “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

He pressed his forehead against mine, holding me close. I closed my eyes and relaxed against him, never feeling so content in my life. It was as though things were finally falling into place. School was out of the picture for the moment, I was out to my parents and closest friends, and best of all, I had Jamie. I rocked my head slightly, kissing the tip of his nose.

Yeah, I had Jamie. And nothing else mattered.

I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter of American Differences.

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