Thirteen: Boys Only

"Do you ever wonder what life would be like if humans never came here?.. " Jace murmured, his nose in his phone scrolling through his social page, liking funny videos of his friends being idiots running at each other into bone rocking tackles, trying to knock each other to the ground. It was a weird game they played, which Jace had always been too afraid of to have a go at. Looking up briefly he glanced to Cole, who was sat lazily in a beanbag with his blonde hair parted out of his eyes into a loose bun "like, didn't they invent phones and stuff?"

School had finished about an hour ago now and Jace, Cole, Darrick and Lenny together had headed back to Coles white double story picket fenced house. it had become their "secret" meeting place from when they were kids. While Austin had to take Tess home, which he'd played off as an annoying task. But Jace knew it was all just a mask, so that the captain of the Backnott team didn't look like a human hugger.

In Coles small yard, he had a large tree that was so old that it looked as if it's leaves about to snap off if a strong breeze came by. Yet somehow it managed an old cubby house to be built into its branches. It may look old but it was strong, it's thick trunk and branches full of knowledge. The cubby was was made from planks of wood and even had a worn out swing that hadn't been played on for years. The cubby was where they'd all use to play board games and read comics there as kids, where they told scary stories and hid from their parents when they were in trouble. It use to have posters of superhero's, toys and action figures littered on the ground. It was a safe haven for kids.

Now you wouldn't even recognise the place as a kids hideaway. Juice boxes became bottles of liquor. Comics were shoved now into the back of a blue cabinet and replaced with provocative magazines of women showing off their bodies on the covers,  along with a few sports magazine scattered throughout the pile for Darrick, Austin and Lenny with their favourite Backnott players on the covers. No more toys,
No more scary stories. Just a place where boys could be boys and hide their substances in.

Three large bean bags were placed about the small room in a semi circle where the boys currently resided on their phones while Lenny who was instead grinning at one of the erotic magazines of a blonde girl and a popsicle.

"Sometimes I do. We wouldn't have tv or cars.. or fries~" Cole spoke after a bit of thought about Jaces question. with a chuckle under his breath from his place on his beanbag, he looked up from his phone to briefly look toward Jace with a gentle smile. Jace was smiling back without even realising, watching Cole even when his friend looked away back to his phone.

He couldn't help but find himself smiling larger without even realising it, Cole had always made him laugh and just feel comfortable. He was so calm and had this aura that brought crowds. Unlike Lenny who always found something to pick at and Darrick was always so serious nowadays. Austin was just a bully and he didn't know how to talk to any of the girls, they were frighteningly intimidating at times. Tess being an exception, since she was so small and cute. Their group had changed so much over the years, he could still remember when they all would have sleepovers and giggle at the mention of girls. When they'd play board games instead of drinking games. Cole had never really changed in Jaces eyes, he still was so kind to him, had that smile that he loved and a passion for skateboarding.

He didn't realise he was still smiling til he heard a soft snicker,  which he recognised as Lenny's

Jace pulled his gaze away from his friend when he felt Lenny's sharp eyes on him, staring as if he were trying to work his way into his mind. His face heating and brows furrowing he quickly tried to focus on his phone and instead of Lenny or Cole, knowing the words were bubbling hot on the edge of Lenny's tongue wanting to say something about him being either gay or having a crush on his friend . Which wasn't true, he couldn't have feelings for Cole they were best friends! It wasn't true..

"Without humans we wouldn't have porn! the little shits may be a waste of space but boy do I love their women," Lenny's laugh was deep in his piercing icy eyes, in the way his face changed into that vision of mischief and perversity . "Here check out the knockers on her" Lenny grins as he chucks the magazine that he held toward Darrick who'd been quieter than usual that afternoon, he didn't even bother to shut Lenny up at his foolishness and didn't react when the magazine landed in his lap. Instead just brushing it aside to the ground with a glare to Lenny.

Jace smirked as Lenny cowered back into his beanbag beneath Darrick's threatening gaze "Hey~ I thought you'd like it, Dar. You use to love that shit, half of these are yours you know"

"Well some of us have grown up unlike you, Lenny. Stop looking at those things, they're degrading" Darrick rolls his eyes at the shocked face Lenny sent back to him, mouth open and eyes wide. Jace noticed a slow smirk come to Darricks face when Cole and him laughed.

"Stop that!" Lenny snapped at Cole as he laughed more, his face turning red with either what seemed embarrassment or anger. Cole didn't listen and instead shook his head, a deep happy laugh coming from him with his hands raised as if in surrender.

Cole's laugh was incredibly contagious and sweet and Jace couldn't keep himself from beginning  to laugh along, receiving a cold glare from Lenny who was burning angry. Like a kid Lenny crossed his arms and pouts his lip

"Oh boo hoo! Lighten up Lenny before you make me cry" Cole rolls his eyes and chucks a pillow in grumpy pants Lenny's direction, hitting him square in the face and making him only turn redder.

A few chuckles filtered around the room from the others, Jace smiling largely with amusement while Darrick chuckles deeply at Lenny's torment. Jace liked moments like these, when they'd all just laugh and had fun, even if Lenny was annoyed by the situation Jace could tell he was having a little bit of fun and trying to not crack a smile.

"Whatever.." Lenny grumbled, rolling his eyes he turns over to lay on his side on the beanbag, grumbling curses beneath his breath at the other three. Jace just laughs again and brings his phone back to his eyes to scroll through, finding himself trying to find Tess on Instagram, nose scrunched in concentration and biting his lip

Typing her name, TessMoore a few pages popped up in suggested and he had to scroll a bit til he found a familiar face. Brows raising he brings his phone close, keeping it by his face and slightly tilted himself away from Lenny so he wouldn't see what he was doing. Seeing her strawberry blonde locks and familiar green eyes with another girl that he didn't recognise with dark black hair as her profile pic. he grins to himself and is quick to follow Tess's Instagram. His own Instagram consisted of the typical guy photos, him and the boys posing with drinks in hand at a party. Him and Cole skating, a douche pic of him posing in front of a graffiti wall and a bunch of others that were all of him and his friends.

"What ya doing over there, Jace? Your smiling as if it you just won a million bucks" Jace looked up to see Darrick watching him with burrowed brows and a intrigued look across his face.

Jace have a nervous smile, he wasn't sure about Darrick and his view point on humans. He didn't seem to care but he didn't show that he liked them either, "Uh~" he gives a nervous look before hesitantly raising his phone to show Tess's Instagram toward Darrick, who stared nonchalantly back as if it were the most boring thing imaginable.
"I'm tryna follow Tess, I wanna know more about her" Jace bites his lip, bringing his phone close to his chest, seeing Lenny perk up out the corner of his eye.

"Ooh yes, I'm interested in learning about her too. Austin won't tell me a thing about the rat" Lenny shifts in his beanbag, leaning closer to see Jaces phone. Jace frowned and placed his phone down into his lap, Lenny being the last person he'd want knowing a thing about Tess.

Cole didn't look too happy either, staring toward Lenny with a "ill hurt you" face on if he went anywhere near Tess "why do you care Lenny, you hate humans"

Lenny turned his eyes to Cole with raised brows and mouth playfully falling open as if he were shocked at his assumption "I never said I hated humans, why would you think that?" He smirked and everyone in the room gave a groan, even Darrick rolled his eyes and let his head fall back into his beanbag

"How bout that little kid you always use to pick on, I heard he doesn't even talk anymore because you traumatised him!" Coles eyes widened, a little exasperated hearing Lenny.

"I heard he left school cause he was so scared" Jace chimed in, frowning feeling guilty for the human boy Lenny had picked on for so many years

"I heard that too" Darrick added

"No no I've seen him, he runs to the gates every morning"

"I heard he hasn't got an arm anymore cause Lenny kept breaking it"

"That can't be true. Someone said to me he hung himself"

"I wouldn't be surprised if that was true" Darrick said, raising his head from where it rested on the beanbag

"That's horrible, don't say that" Jace scrunched his nose toward Darrick who shrugged in response

"Shut up! That was.. a long time ago" Lenny grunts and waves his hand at the remarks, even though a smirk was hinted on his lips. Evil himself rubbed his hands together in that classic way villains do, he wasn't about to pretend to be anything other than what he was. "He deserved it anyways, he was a little shit from the first day he arrived "

Lenny grinned, looking to Jace with a darkness in his eyes. He enjoyed this, taking power was only a game to him. It made Jace shiver, sinking into his beanbag and going silent

"Besides, if that rat is gonna be living with Austin I might as well get to know her better"  Lenny remarked, resting his hands behind his head and crossing his ankles. Both Cole and Jace were glaring toward Lenny, Jace wasn't  just about to let Lenny get his hands on Tess or let him be anywhere near her in that case. Tess was sweet and kind and didn't need Lenny in her life to ruin it. The room went silence again but this time there was a heaviness weighing on the group, clutching at their throats

From nowhere came the sound of a cell phone going off, so authentic that Jace scanned the room and his eyes landed on Darrick who reached into his back pocket to answer his phone, raising it to his ear quickly with wide eyes "okay okay, I'm coming. Calm down I'm only at Coles house.." Darrick looked up to the other boys, biting his lip before quickly standing "sorry I have to go, I'll see you tomorrow"

"Okay see ya" Jace hummed with a small wave, watching Darrick hurry to the exit of Coles cubby and climb down the ladder as if the runs were on fire then hurrying around side of the house to leave out the front all the while repeating into his phone "im coming im coming"

Jace didn't really know what was happening in Darrick's private life, what home was like for Darrick with his mother. The boys all knew Darrick's father had passed away when Darrick was young and they all knew not to bring up the topic since it had really affected him and especially his mother who had become bed ridden with a broken heart and never really recovered.

Sighing Jace leant back into his beanbag not overthinking Darrick leaving, while still waiting for Tess to allow his friend request with an impatient tap of his foot. Cole and Lenny didn't seem to think too much about Darrick's departure either since it was an occasional occurrence that he'd get a sudden emergency call and had to rush home without explanation.

*Bing* 

Brow raising as a notification popped up on his screen, a message from Austin appearing on his phone and then another! And another! Curious he quickly tapped on the notification to see what was up

Austin: 'EMERGENCY! Get your ass over here something's happened with Tess!'

Austin: 'HURRY!'

Austin: 'I don't know what to do!'

Eyes widening Jace quickly began typing his fingers across his keyboard, his heart rate picking up a hundred horrible thoughts began to run through his mind all at once! Tess fell from the desk, Tess never caught the bus, Tess was snagged by a spider! Trodden on!!

Jace: 'WHAT HAPPENED! I'm coming I'm coming! don't worry ill be there!'

Austin: 'no time to explain! QUICK!'

~~~
LEFT ON A CLIFFHANGER OOOO!!! I TA DA! I updated, finally! Omg sorry for another long wait! Tryna get an idea of the boys in this update and not all about Austin and Tess! Hope you enjoyed! If not.. sorry ?

And leave a comment of any suggestions of what you'd like to see next!