T H I R T Y F I V E

Trace's muscles whined in protest when he abruptly sat up in his bed, his chest decorated with beads of sweat. He tore the comforter off his body. He winced at the sunlight that bled through his tattered curtains, his blue eyes forced to adjust. His bare feet padded the creaky, dark wood, as he walked down the stairs. Careful not to wake up his father, who was passed out on the couch, he slipped into the small bathroom.

The turquoise backsplash was severely chipped, the cracked tiles scattering the floor. Ash trays, filled with cigarette buds, littered the sink. The beige paint coloring the walls was peeling. Trace scrunched up his nose in disgust at the shitty state of the bathroom.

Trace allowed the hot water to jet down his back. The water droplets painted his pale skin. He shampooed his dirt matted, blonde strands. The muddy water coursed down the drain.

Due to the fact that his father spent an entirety in the shower last night, he was forced to wake up earlier than he planned. Because he had to return to school today, he had less than three hours to spare before he missed the bus.

Hastily, he threw on a hoodie and a pair of ripped jeans. He sauntered into the dimly lit kitchen and poured himself a bowl of cheerios. Silently, he ate his cheerios, a small smile at the corner of his lips. Trace found himself eager to head back to school. School was much better than boredly flicking through the channels for two hours, while waiting for his father to notice him.

Finally, when his father noticed him, he'd bark at him to rake the leaves or wash the dishes. At least, when his teachers asked him to complete a task, it wasn't something they were too lazy to do themselves.

Heidi pressed his head against the cold surface of the window, smeared with frost, and let a sigh pass through his lips. Apollo had fallen asleep on his shoulder a half hour ago, and the sound of his heartbeat soothed Heidi's nerves. Heidi smile in contentment at the steady rumble of the bus. Soft, indie music hummed through the speakers above him.

He scrolled through his unread messages in an attempt to occupy himself. The faint chatter amongst students in the back of the bus was the background music to his pathetic distraction. His messages composed of drunken texts from random people he hadn't talked to in years. Honestly, he didn't know why he hadn't blocked them yet.

In front of him sat Jeong, his feet lying on Journey's lap, as he skimmed the pages of a worn-out book. A wide grin was written onto Journey's face at the way Jeong's eyes lit up with glee. As he turned the pages, he'd plant a soft kiss onto Journey's cheeks and smirk at the pink hue tinted on his skin. The title of the book, sewn onto the frayed cover in gold letters, was unreadable from where Heidi sat.

Reese Addison was sprawled out on the leather seat across from him, his own earbuds shoved in his ears. His brown irises peered out the window, at the landscape rushing past them. He held his head in his elbow, his fingers threading through his dark curls. Boredom enveloped him, the voice of Post Malone failing to engross him.

Nika and Zeus's playful teasing and laughter behind him pounded in his head like a heartbeat.

He failed miserably to pull the blue eyes from his thoughts. Instead of complaining about what he can't change, he turned up the volume of his music and let Circles drown him.

Casper typed hastily onto his keyboard, firing texts after texts to Ryleigh. His face was pain stricken and therefore, no one uttered a word to him. And if someone even glanced in his direction, he'd glare menacingly at them, his dark blue eyes overcome with a dangerous mixture of anger and sadness.

Even though Ryleigh wasn't hurt, the thoughts wandering through Casper's head threatened to pull him under. Because of the softhearted person he was, he refused to leave him alone for a split second, apart from when he craved sleep, so Casper was replying the several memes Ryleigh sent him.

Moments later, the bus pulled into the parking lot of Meadowsville and as if they rehearsed it, every student, other than Apollo and Heidi, stood. The boys stretched their muscles and because most of them spent over an hour in the same position, they ached in pain.

"Heidi," Apollo breathed out, his wrists restrained by a silky, blue ribbon.

With a wicked grin, Heidi crawled over to him. His lips latched onto his neck, sucking and biting at the tender flesh, hearing him groan softly. He tried to wiggle out of the ribbon, but he couldn't move. Heidi nipped at his earlobe. "Baby," Heidi purred. "You promised you'd let me experiment."

"Well, I didn't expect you to prevent me from touching you," he rasped. A glint of mischief flickered through Heidi's coffee colored orbs. Heidi leaned forward, his teeth biting down on Apollo's lips. Apollo let out a throaty growl. "Fuck, Heidi."

"Baby, you haven't seen nothing yet," he says seductively and winks at him. Apollo's pistachio green orbs widen when Heidi holds up a small, pink vibrator. Apollo watches Heidi writhe in pleasure with a hooded gaze. Heidi moans loudly, Apollo's name falling from his lips in ecstacy. Heidi covers his mouth in an attempt to muffle his screams.

Bloody fucking hell, he curses inwardly.

"Heidi," he growls, his voice low and dangerous.

Heidi smirks at the reaction coloring Apollo's face. His green eyes are filled with lust and the erection beneath the fabric of the sweatpants hanging low on his torso taunts him. Heidi scoots closer to him, his parted lips hovering a mere inch away from his ear. "Fuck me," he breathes out huskily.

"Well, I would if you didn't tie me up," he clips at the boy with the coffee brown orbs. Slowly, Heidi unties the ribbon and releases Apollo's wrists. Without warning, Apollo pounces at him, tackling him onto the carpeted floor and grinding against him. Heidi groans lowly. "I'll take you on every inch of the damn room. Don't ever fucking tempt me like that again."

Heidi smirks at him and his tongue pokes through his cheek. "Try me."

Heidi gasped when Apollo gripped the erection in his pants. He breathes into his ear. "You wanna try that again, baby?"

This chapter gave an insight into Trace's home life, while offering a filler for the rest of the characters. This chapter wasn't that important, but I wanted to make it cute. By the way, who else loves the dynamic between Heidi and Apollo? 🥵🥰

Okay, so should I continue writing spicy scenes or no? Cause I know I said I wouldn't do it as much, but I also lied.