It's Complicated

So, some minor complications, but they’re being fixed… I, uh, left the notebook I wrote those chapters in… in my best friend’s car. She lives like a half an hour away from me, so she’s going to bring them over later. So hopefully *fingers crossed* I’ll have them up tonight.

In any event, here’s the next chapter of It’s Complicated.
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Lola discreetly checked her watch for the millionth time, and was finally rewarded when it read exactly two fifty. School was out. Smiling a little, she snuggled closer to Atticus’s torso, and was again reward when the arm around his shoulders tightened momentarily and he gave her a quick, tiny smile before returning his attention to the movie. She could put her plan into action as soon as she received the text from Renee.

She focused on the movie as best as she could, tempted to check her phone but holding off. She’d intentionally put on a movie that she knew Atticus would be bored with, so it was less of a hassle to get him to get up and go downstairs. She was pretty sure the plan would go off without a hitch, but she was still really nervous.

She glanced at her watch again.

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Renee and Jason climbed into her car. Jason tossed his backpack into the backseat and snapped his safety belt on. “So this cousin of yours, we’re going to his house?”

“Yea.” Renee told him, starting the car. “And yea, he’s got that video game you’ve been talking about for weeks.”

“And we get to go play?” Jason asked, beaming.

“Yea.” Renee told him. She smiled. “You can play as long as you want.”

“Awesome.” Jason sat back in his seat.

“Now, he’s not going to be there when we first get there, but eh said he left everything hooked up and all that, so we shouldn’t have a problem.”

“Okay.” Jason nodded.

Renee had memorized the directions that Lola had given her, wanting to raise as little suspicion as possible. As she drove, she considered what they were about to do. She was pretty sure the plan wouldn’t backfire; Lola assured her that while Atticus tended to be stubborn, and sometimes a little on the brutally honest side, he wasn’t really an asshole. She knew Jason would probably be pretty mad at her for this, but she was willing to take the risk. She was fed up with his heavy sighs and faraway attitude whenever the tall blond was in the vicinity, and she truly believed that Jason deserved a good relationship. After talking with Lola about the two boys, she found that they actually had a lot in common.

She just hoped that they’d be able to figure that out for themselves.

She stopped at a stop sign and pulled out her cell phone, quickly punching in a text to Lola. “What’re you doing?” Jason asked her. “We’re in the middle of the road.”

“Texting my mom.” Renee told him, and Jason shrugged and looked out the window.

She sent the text and got moving again.

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Lola’s phone went off, making them both jump. Lola sat up, letting Atticus’s arm slide off her shoulder, and flipped her phone open. Renee’s text said simply “5min”. She shut the phone and stood up. “You want something to drink?” she asked Atticus.

“No, I’m okay.” he told her, and she went into the kitchen and got herself a glass of chocolate milk. She ran the water in the sink for a little while, then turned it off, got a screw driver out of the junk drawer, and went back into the living room. She leaned on the back of the couch and tapped Atticus on the shoulder with the screwdriver. He looked at it, then up at her. “What’s that for?”

“Water heater’s being weird again.” she told him. “It won’t run hot at all.”

“Pilot might’ve gone out.” he told her, taking the screwdriver. He stood up. “Want me to go look?”

She smiled at him. “If you want to.”

He went down the hall to the basement door, and as soon as she heard him go down the stairs and went back in the kitchen and peeked out the window. She had to stay out of sight while Renee got Jason in the house, otherwise he’d catch on and ruin the plan. When she saw Renee’s car pull into the driveway she sat down at the table and waited.

A moment later, she heard the front door open, and Jason say, “This is a really nice house.”

“Yea.” Renee said idly. ‘Listen, the basement’s the last door in the hallway, I’ve got to go to the bathroom. Go down there and I’ll meet you in a second.”

“Game’s in the basement?” Jason asked, and Lola smiled.

“Yea. Go on.” Lola heard Jason’s footsteps down the hall and waited, her bottom lip caught between her teeth. A moment later she heard his feet on the stairs, and she jumped up and hurried into the hall. Renee was right behind her. Lola shut the door, snapping the deadbolt into place as quickly as she could. Renee put her hand over her mouth to keep from giggling. They both pressed their ears to the door and listened.

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Jason stopped at the bottom of the stairs, turning to look up at the door that had just slammed shut behind him. Frowning, he looked around the basement. It was L-shaped, the smaller wing cut off from his view. There was a faded dark blue couch at one corner, and opposite that what looked like an old bar. Scowling, he turned and went back up the stairs. He twisted the door knob and pushed, but the door didn’t open.

“Renee?” he called, and was rewarded with the sound of stifled giggles on the other side of the door. “What are you doing? Unlock the door.”

Down the stairs he heard something scrape and winced, startled. He turned just as a very tall, very long hair blond head peeked around the corner of the staircase. His mouth went dry. Atticus.

“What are you doing here?” he asked, his voice sounding squeaky to his own ears.

Atticus’s eyebrows rose. “Being set up, apparently.” he said, and sighed. Jason watched him come up the stairs, which were pretty narrow, and stand just behind him. Jason could smell him, a clean, cool smell that made him a little light headed. “Lola?” Atticus called.

A pause. “Yes, Atticus?” Lola replied, and there was the distinct sound of giggling again.

“Open the door.” Atticus watched Jason out of the corner of his eye. The kid looked like he was panicking. “Whatever little game you’re playing, I want no part of it. Just open the door.”

“I’m afraid I can’t do that, Dave.” Lola said, mimicking an old sci-fi movie, and both girls burst out laughing.

Atticus sighed. “Whatever.” he grumbled, and went back down the stairs.

Jason glared at the door. “Renee-”

“Here’s your chance, Jason.” she whispered through the door. “Talk to him.”

“What? You did this so I would-’ he stopped, scowling. “You’re a bitch.”

“You aren’t coming out until you do.” Renee informed him. “So just go get on with it, okay?” Jason listened to two sets of retreating footsteps. He swore under his breath, hesitating, then went back down the stairs.

Atticus was sprawled out on the couch, his legs over one arm, his head pillowed on the other, one arm tossed over his eyes and his other hand resting on his stomach.

Jason leaned against the couch and folded his arms across his chest. “Did you have any clue-”

“No.” Atticus said, lifting the arm across his eyes and looking at Jason briefly. “Although I should have. Lola’s been weird ever since we got here. Antsy.” he sighed and replaced the arm. “Did you find out why?” he asked.

“Apparently they want us to talk.” Jason muttered, glaring at his shoes.

“About what?”

“I don’t know.” Jason sighed. “But Renee said we’re not getting out of here until we talk to each other.”

“We’re talking. Now go make them open the door.”

“I don’t think-”

Atticus sighed loudly, sitting up and scrubbing his face with both hands. “Well, I’ve got a pretty good notion about why they decided to lock us down here. I’m surprised you haven’t figured it out yet.” When Jason just stared at him curiously, Atticus half smiled. “Someone in this room has a staring problem.”

Jason’s cheeks flushed pink, and Atticus found it rather… pretty. He bit the inside of his mouth to keep from smiling. As attracted as he might be to the brunette, he wasn’t about to sit here and play the game Lola wanted him to. He knew she wanted him to admit that he was attracted to Jason, for the two of them to sit down and figure it out. He wouldn’t lie if asked directly, but he would not admit it of his own volition. He was surprised at himself for how much Jason’s assumption bothered him, but he wasn’t going to bend over backwards in an attempt to make him see otherwise. His pride would not allow that. He was, however, very curious as to why said assumption was made. Since they had to be down here anyway, whether or not they liked it, he could at least get some answers.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Jason mumbled, not looking at Atticus.

“Yes you do.” Atticus nodded his head. “I’m not stupid, Jason, and I’m not blind. But I am pretty confused. You seem unable to keep your eyes to yourself, and yet you completely refuse to approach me. You know I’m gay, and you know I’m single, so why haven’t you made a move?”

“Because you’re an asshole.” Jason told him, and Atticus could at least appreciate Jason’s ability to admit it that bluntly. “Just because I can appreciate that you’re good looking doesn’t mean I like you.”


“You don’t know me.” Atticus pointed out, and Jason’s jaw clenched. “If I’m going to be judged so harshly, I think I have the right to know why.”

“Oh, let me count the ways.” Jason remarked dryly, perching on the arm of the couch. “You walk around like you’re the center of the universe. You look down at everyone-”

“I’m taller than everyone.” Atticus pointed out, and Jason shot him a dirty look.

“You lord your finer points over everyone. How smart you are, your musical talents, your looks. You make fun of people.”

“No, I don’t.” Atticus insisted.

“Plus, you made that huge scene in the music room when you broke up with that Damian kid. And he cried, then transferred schools.” he shook his head. “If you’re that cruel-”

“Damian cheated on me.” Atticus said, and Jason stopped. “And we’d already broken up when the music room thing happened. I said what I said to him because he was stalking me.”

“You called him a fucked-up little whore.”

“He is a fucked-up little whore.” Atticus replied. “And it’s completely illogical to witness one fight and immediately assume you know who and what a person is. So you saw me react to a guy that hurt me, and lied to me, and treated me like crap, and you think I’m the asshole.” he snorted and rolled his eyes. “Sorry, Jason, but guess what that makes you?” When Jason didn’t say anything, Atticus shook his head and looked away. “Whatever. I don’t even know why I’m trying to defend myself to someone like you.”

“What’s that supposed to mean, someone like me?” Jason snapped.

Atticus flashed him a mean little smirk. “Well, from where I’m standing, you seem like the presumptuous airhead type, so-”

“Well that wasn’t an asshole comment.” Jason remarked sarcastically. “And you’re assuming now too.”

“No.” Atticus shook his head. “You made a bunch of a assumptions about me without knowing the facts, so that makes you presumptuous.”

“And the airhead part?” Jason asked.

Atticus shrugged. “You’re flighty.”

“What?” Jason snapped.

“You’re a flake.” Atticus clarified.

“And that’s not an assumption?” Jason pointed out.

“No.” Atticus smiled. “Not at all. Assumptions would suggest that I have nothing to back up my statement with.”

“How would you be able to back up a statement like that? You don’t know me anymore than I know you.”

Atticus shrugged. “You’ve been having uncomfortable eye-sex with me for months now, and when I noticed, I started noticing you. And you know what really stuck out the most about you?” he smiled when Jason shrugged. “The flakiness.”

Jason got up, furious. “You’re an-”

“Asshole?” Atticus asked, still smiling. “What goes around comes around, kiddo.”

“Kiddo?!” Jason yelled.

Atticus went on as though Jason hadn’t. “You think someone’s an asshole, and that person finds out you think that, it’s only natural they’d act like an asshole towards you.” he looked at Jason seriously. “You affect everything that happens, no matter how little you think your behavior is. You pissed me off with your little judgment of me, so this is what you got. If you weren’t such a flake-”

“Fuck you.” Jason snapped, and Atticus chuckled. “Why is this funny?”

“You’re easy to bait.” he said. “It’s amusing.” he smiled at Jason, looking smug, and then looked away. “I don’t know why it should matter anyway.” he said with a shrug. “We wouldn’t’ even be in this position if you could keep your ogling to a dull roar.”

“You think this is my fault?” Jason asked him incredulously. “I’m not the one who locked us in a basement!”

“No, but if you’d learned the art of staring through your peripheral, than neither of us would be here.” Atticus shook his head.

“You know, maybe if you’d spent this time showing me you weren’t an asshole, we’d be able to get out of here. But all you did was prove me right.”

“It’s what you wanted, isn’t it?” Atticus asked. “I’m not stupid enough to think I can change your mind.”

“Oh, I didn’t assume that. Why would you want to, anyway? I’m just the guy that stares at you a lot. I’m not anybody.”

“Self-depreciation is such a turn off.” Atticus quipped.

“Are you always such a smart ass?” Jason asked him, scowling.

“Are you always such a hypocrite?” Atticus countered.

“How the fuck am I a hypocrite?”

“You’re an asshole.” Atticus pointed out. “I thought I proved that.”

“I thought I was an airhead.”

Atticus laughed. “So you’re multi-talented.”

“What does it matter if I think you’re an asshole or not?” Jason asked him. “You act like I hurt your feelings.”

“What if you did?” Atticus asked him, looking quite serious. “Would it matter?”

“Yes.” Jason said, and Atticus frowned. “If it did hurt your feelings that someone you don’t even know doesn’t like you, then maybe you’re not really an asshole.”

“I thought I proved I was.” Atticus shook his head. “You send some seriously mixed signals, kiddo.”

“Stop calling me that.” Jason grumbled. He sighed and sat back down. “Look, we’re going to be down here for a while, so maybe it’s better if we try to stop fighting.”

“What else did you have in mind?” Atticus asked him.

Jason studied him for a moment, and wondered if maybe this whole thing wasn’t one sided. He saw something on Atticus’s face that made him think that there was something the blond wasn’t admitting to. He thought back to what Atticus had said earlier. That’d he’s starting noticing Jason. It was a long shot, but Jason decided that he really didn’t have much to lose.

“I think,” Jason said with a tiny smile, “That maybe we should talk about how I’m not the only one in this basement with a staring problem.”