Kieran & Drew Read Online Free PDF Page A

weeks seemed to him to be getting off easy, considering his display of general mental illness earlier that morning. He’d been genuinely terrified that he’d have to do some sort of essay on art to read in front of the class. His relief was short-lived, however, when he actually saw the storage room.
    It was a veritable maze . There were oil and watercolor paint supplies to separate. Shelves and shelves of unorganized works and sketch pads that needed filing by year and class. There were halfformed papier-mâché models that needed breaking down and canvas that needed to be stretched. This was a detention that would be ongoing, it seemed, for a while yet.
    He was sorting through paint brushes that were stiff and practically fused together when he heard the storage room door creak open behind him. He glanced over his shoulder, expecting to see Mr. Trinder, but did a quick double take upon seeing Drew Anderson close the door behind him instead. Kieran turned around, gripping the paint brushes tightly with both hands.
    “Hi,” Drew offered quietly, digging his hands into his pockets. “W-what are you doing here?”
Drew shrugged. “Just wanted to make sure you were okay. Art class was pretty brutal….”
    “You’re… you’re not going to beat me up?”
“Why would I do that?”
Kieran flushed uncomfortably, letting his silence and averted eyes answer for him.
    Drew had his answer. “So… that doodle thing, those were my initials, and yours?” he asked guardedly. “You like… have a thing for me, then?”
Kieran bit his lip, shrugged. “Sorry,” he muttered.
     
“You don’t have to look like you’re gonna puke, you know. I’m not some homophobic dick.”
     
Kieran looked at him, feeling exposed in a way he never had before. “My face is still in one piece, so I guess not.”
    Drew looked around the room, puffing out his cheeks and letting go of a deep breath in an uncharacteristically nervous gesture. “I had to clear this place out once.”
“For far less humiliating reasons, I’m sure.” Kieran spoke hesitantly, perplexed as to whether his crush had been addressed or not.
    Drew grinned. “I accidentally broke a window in the art department.” He strode over to one of the papier-mâché figures and, bending one of the arms, sent white flakes floating to the ground before abandoning it. “Had to break a load of these things up.”
    “Did Mr. Trinder make you do it?”
“Yep.”
“So… that’s how you knew I’d be in here?”
“Yeah, pretty much.”
Kieran swallowed, bending the bristles on the brushes he held. “And you just came by to check I was alright?”
    Drew looked at him a moment, shuffling his feet before shrugging slightly. “I… kinda wanted to let you know that if… if those were my initials, or whatever, then… you know, it’s cool.”
    Kieran’s palms were sweating. “Cool? As in… cool you don’t care, or…?” He didn’t know why he let his sentence trail off like that; what other reason could there be?
“Just-just… whatever, you know? I don’t mind. It’s okay if you like me, or whatever.”
     
“Um. Okay, I guess?” He was more confused now than ever. “I mean I’m not going to tell anyone, if you were worried about that.”
    “Oh.” He nodded. “Thanks.”
“And you don’t have to avoid me, or anything.”
“I don’t make you feel uncomfortable, or weird?”
Drew shrugged. “No it’s… it’s flattering.” He tried for a jokey smile, but it fell flat.
    While Kieran was relieved that he wasn’t having his ass handed to him, something wasn’t sitting quite right with him. It upset him a little that Drew knew about his crush now. It wasn’t his secret anymore, and any time Drew caught him looking, there would be no way to claim innocence. His one obsession didn’t feel like it belonged to him anymore. It was an exposed feeling.
“I thought you’d feel better knowing I was okay with everything?” Drew frowned.
     
“Oh, no, no, I am. I