Work Text:
Liam and Henry walked away from Jake the music freaks. The two didn’t bother to look at the club but instead gave each other that usual look they often had. No words were exchanged between them as they both knew this would’ve happened one day.
But as of right now all they needed to do was find Drew. His world was tumbling down and they needed to find him before he does something he’ll regret. As Liam is trailing behind Henry, he hears Jake singing.
He feels a mix of betrayal and sadness. Jake never invited the Jomies Dromies to the music club, nor had ever sung with them around. Even that time when the three dropped by the music room, not even ten minutes later they were kicked out.
Liam knew Jake for years and never once heard his singing. While the music club has while they’ve only known Jake for a month. It wasn’t fair, but Liam and Henry saw it from the beginning.
It hurts yes, but it was obvious Jake didn’t like their company ever since he joined the music club. Everyone knew it, everyone except Drew. Jake and Drew were closer friends than they were with Liam and Henry. The four were best friends sure but of course they kept their secrets just like how Henry and Liam did so too. But theirs consisted over silly jokes or embarrassing incidents rather than Drew and Jake’s. So of course the rich teen ignored the signs. Even on gaming night, when Drew would wait hours on end for Jake to go online.
It was hard to watch for Liam and Henry, but nevertheless they continued to joke around trying to lighten the mood. Pretending as if they couldn’t see the way Jake was happier with the freaks. Seeing the way that little by little he spent less and less time with their group. But whatever, now it wasn’t time for jokes.
Their friend needed them, that was something humor couldn’t solve. So here they are, searching for Drew. It was in complete silence the two searched, it was awkward. How could you bring up what happened earlier? It feels so unreal yet too real for either of them to bring it up.
It was obvious Drew wouldn’t go back to class, so Liam and Henry went throughout the school. Going through the library, empty classrooms, the art room, and other rooms either Henry or Liam could think of.
Every now and then, Liam would see a teacher or staff member and paused to wait for the staff to go by. Sometimes Henry would bump into him, the brunette would mouth the words ‘teacher’ and Henry would understand. But by the third time, Liam didn’t need to explain. Today was already bad enough, did Liam and Henry really need to get ISS or detention?
The two hid behind a corner as the librarian and a teacher spoke. It had been three minutes or so, Henry began whispering.
“Did you see the look on Jake’s face when Drew said that?” It didn’t need an explanation to what that meant.
Liam nodded, leaning against the wall. He was closer to the teachers so he thought it was better to not say anything.
“I’ve never seen Drew that angry before. I thought he was angry when he found out about Zoey but..” Henry had drifted off not knowing what else to say. What else was there to say?
“This is different,” Liam added as he heard the teachers walk away from where they stood before. “ We need to find Drew and fast.”
”Hey…did you hear that?” He asked as he looked around.
Liam hadn’t heard anything odd until the two went quiet as to try and hear whatever Henry heard. It was faint but they could hear someone crying. Stopping every few seconds where it went silent then back to the cries.
At the same time it clicked, the duo looked at each other as they knew who it probably was, Drew. Henry followed the noise and it led him to outside of the boy’s restroom.
“We didn’t check the restrooms..” Liam whispered unenthusiastically, completely disgusted at the thought of going into the shitter.
The highschool restroom was the filthiest place in the whole school. Nearly a bunch of adults in their grade and there’s fucking piss and who knows what else on the bathroom floor. Definitely not a place you’d want to be at, much less crying.
“Of course, this is every high school movie place anyone would go! How did we forget this?” Henry questioned himself.
Henry went over to try and open the door but it was locked. He tries to open the door but nothing, he looks over to his friend. Liam was upset. Maybe their friend, if it’s even Drew in there, needs some time to himself. Seriously if he’s in the disgusting restroom.. Okay he takes a deep breath in and out to get over himself.
Liam hates how the first thing he thinks of is his image instead of one of his best friends. He walked back a little bit and ran straight at the door with all his force, hoping that with his strength from doing sports over the past two years helped. The restroom door had busted open. A little surprised it worked, Liam shook his head as he looked at the source of the crying -which had stopped when Henry tried the door handle- and as of course there was Drew.
Henry walked in behind Liam, closing the door behind him as the taller took in the scene. Drew was near the sinks, thankfully away from the urinals, knees close to his chest with his arms at his sides. Shocked as he stares at his friends, Drew’s eyes were clearly red and watery. Tear streaks were visible on his face as he tried to ask something but his throat wouldn’t let him. He avoided their gaze as to try and fix up himself to seem more put together than he actually was.
Liam and Henry got closer and sat down beside him. Liam sitting on Drew’s left as Henry was on his other side.Ignoring how he tried putting on his ‘tough guy’ persona.
“What do you two want?“ Drew began, seemingly annoyed, if it were anyone else besides Henry and Liam they would’ve fallen for it.
Both the two wrapped Drew into a hug. Not listening to how he tried to protest, it wasn’t the first time they had to comfort Drew like this.
No matter how many times they have had to do this, Drew would always deny ever liking to be comforted by the group. It never got easier but they always knew he appreciated it.
“What are you idiots doing?” He said anyways, not physically protesting just sitting there. His insult having no real meaning but just his own way of expressing his concern.
“Hugging you,” Henry answered as if it was the easiest thing in the world. As if he were introducing his own name to a complete stranger.
“Yeah I figured that much out. I don’t need a hug or either your guy’s pity,” Drew’s voice wavered like it did earlier while he was talking to Jake.
“Yeah…totally dude,” Liam sarcastically added, resting his head on Drew’s shoulder. Slowly matching his breathing to Drew’s as Henry does the same. The rich teen seems to calm down and takes in deep breaths.
The three sit there in silence as Drew can feel himself getting ready to cry again. How can these two still stick with him after all he’s done? Even after all these years, Henry and Liam still hasn’t gotten sick of him. How can they still be so nice to him after everything? With Jake leaving, and their argument? How can they not hate him?
He bites down on his bottom lip to not out right sob in front of his two friends. He feels more and more tears slip down his face. Each one coming down faster than the last, his hiccups end up coming back, making his breathing become once more ragged.
“How…do you guys not seem to care?” He asks as he steadies his voice as much as he can. “We just lost our best friend. And you two seem to be at,” a hiccup, “peace with that.” Another hiccup cues after that.
Liam and Henry let go of Drew to hear him out. Watching as their friend becomes an unraveling mess, and as he tries to clean himself up as much as he can. Wiping away tears as quickly as they appear angrily. He’s angry but not at them, that much was obvious.
“We realize that, but it was going to happen. The moment Ja- I mean he joined that club was the day we knew we lost our friend,” Henry slowly began to explain. Not daring to say the name of their ex-friend out loud, it didn’t seem appropriate. Or rather not right then did it seem appropriate.
Drew froze there on the floor, which was still fucking disgusting since it was still the boy’s restroom even if it wasn’t the piss stained bit. He took in his words as he hiccuped every now and then, tears coming and going slower.
“Drew…you can’t say you didn’t see this coming. He slowly left us, the more we tried to make him stay the more we made him leave,” Liam additionally told friend.
By the way Drew looked, the two friends knew he had seen it too. And the duo did only what they knew what to do, they hugged their friend once again. Liam and Henry felt themselves near tears at the sight of their friend. It hurts, it does but Jake wasn’t all that happy with them. It felt like nagging whenever one of them tried to make plans with him. Even Lia had tried, they were never enough and never will be for him.
Liam remembers the night time it had settled in that Jake was leaving the Dromies. Embarrassingly it was on a call with Henry. It was late and they were too tired to be thinking straight. All Liam really remembers is that both of them were crying. At first it was them talking about what game they should do next for their next gaming night, but it ended with them both seeing how Jake avoided them.
Liam doesn’t think he will ever be able to forget how upset he felt that night. No matter how many break ups he has went through has ever felt as bad as that felt. He has a feeling Henry and Drew understand that too.
Henry had began silently crying beside Drew, leaving Liam to try and be strong for them. Oh how the three would immediately loose their popularity if the whole school saw them right then and there. Clutching onto one another crying their eyes out. All four three of them, Drew and Liam mostly were always seen as mean or cruel. Seriously they bully people and here they were on the verge of tears if not already crying.
He didn’t want to cry, he seriously didn’t. It felt as if he still had to keep up with that title, so Liam tried. He really did try not to cry.
“I’m always going to miss him,” both he and Drew heard Henry whisper faintly. And that’s all it took for Liam to end up crying too.