A Five-Minute Kiss Read online

  A FIVE-MINUTE KISS

  ELEN CHASE

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to any persons, living or dead, or events is entirely coincidental.

  A FIVE-MINUTE KISS

  All rights reserved.

  Copyright © 2019 by Elen Chase

  Edited by Emily Dux

  Cover art by Noemi Ruffolo

  This book is protected under the copyright laws of Italy. Any reproduction or other unauthorized use of the material or artwork herein is prohibited without the express written permission of the author.

  A MESSAGE FROM THE AUTHOR

  Thank you for downloading “A five-minute kiss” and welcome to Rosedeer, a self-governed city in the near future where people's lives are determined by the dualism between Uptown (the richest part of the city) and Downtown (the slums).

  I really hope you will enjoy Liam’s story!

  Elen

  Chapter 1

  It was the first day back at school after the winter break of Liam’s sophomore year. The West District State High School of Downtown, Rosedeer, was teeming with people. Like in those comic books for Uptown teens, who—for some reason—idealized the “hard” Downtown life, it was full of douchebags, stoners, delinquents, hormonal teenagers making out in every corner, girls in love, and some unpopular kids trying to live a normal high school life in spite of the others. If Liam had to put himself in one of those categories, he’d have to say that he was in the last one; but rather than living a normal high school life, by making friends and having similar over-sentimental things, what Liam truly wanted was only to study in peace. That was what school was supposed to be about, after all. Of course, he was the only one to think that, and his classmates seemed to find him hilarious.

  "Look, guys, Lame Liam is already in class! Don't tell me you spent your winter break here at school studying," said Peter Dorian, a blonde idiot with spiky hair, whom Liam had had the luck to have as a classmate since middle school. Liam glimpsed at him and went back to reading his math textbook. Those formulas weren’t going to get memorized by themselves.

  "Now that you say that, aren’t those the same clothes he was wearing on the last day before the break?" Peter's famously stupid friend shouted, a bully whose name Liam never bothered to remember.

  "This is our school uniform, dumbass," Liam found himself saying, annoyed and sort of stunned by his classmate’s stupidity. In his class, Liam was pretty much the only one who wore the uniform every day.

  If they can't even respect such a simple rule, how are they supposed to find a job or go to college after graduation?

  Apparently, he was the only one who used to think that, too. Was it so strange to make plans for his future? Was it so strange to want to get out of Downtown? All the other kids seemed not to care.

  Aren’t all of them aware that they'll be stuck here all their lives if they don't try to stand out now and earn some credits?

  Liam hated their superficiality.

  "Look your tongue when you talk with me, carrot head!" the idiot sentenced, pointing his finger at Liam. Liam rolled his eyes; he had gotten tired of hearing jokes about his hair and height already when he was in grade school.

  Yes, I'm short and my hair is red, so what?

  "It's ‘watch’ your tongue, ignorant," Liam said, almost unthinkingly. Before he could say or do anything else, Peter took his book from him, threw it at another classmate, and they started passing it around like they were playing catch.

  "Sorry we're not smart like you, Lame Liam," Peter said. "Why don't you take it back, since you're so intelligent?"

  Liam knew that game very well. In middle school he had actually tried a few times to take his things back from Peter, running around the entire school, but soon he had figured out that his books' last stop would be into some incinerator or in the river, so at some point, he had stopped chasing them at all.

  At the beginning of middle school, Liam used to buy all his books brand new, liking the idea of being the only one to use them. There was nothing that could make him more enthusiastic about studying than the smell of a new book. When they all got burned, one after the other, Liam regretted being so naive and started buying only second and thirdhand books. Fortunately, in high school, he found what he considered his consolation prize: if he wanted to read a clean book, he could go to the school library.

  And to think that in Uptown, textbooks are completely digital, and students can even upload their homework on the school's database through their watchpads, getting real-time assistance from the professors online on the website.

  Liam let a sigh of tiredness out, stood up and left the classroom, heading for the teachers’ office. First period had already started, but the math professor was late again. Good way to start the new trimester.

  "Prof. Denton is sick, Carter, you have a free period," his literature teacher told him, while busy dealing with some punks caught fighting in the boys’ bathroom of the third floor.

  The professor gave him one of those “I'm sorry, but we've got our hands full too” smiles, and Liam left, disappointed, to go to the library. The library was the newest part of the school building; completely ignored by everyone else, it felt to Liam like it was his own territory. Most of the books there had never been touched, and he could take whatever he wanted at any moment and study undisturbed. Liam sometimes wondered why he even bothered to go to class when he could just spend all day in the library, but then he told himself that it was one of the school's rules, and he wanted to follow it, as a matter of principle. He went in, going straight for the math section, and took some books from the shelves. He was about to go and sit in his favorite spot, next to the window in a corner seat farthest away from the door when he realized he wasn’t alone in the room. A fourth-year student had stolen his favorite seat and was so focused on reading that he didn’t even seem to have noticed Liam’s presence.

  Liam knew him, or to be more accurate, it was impossible not to know him. The boy was the son of a big fish in Downtown and was friends with a famous group of delinquents who ruled their school until a couple of years before. Everybody feared and respected him. He didn't attend school regularly, but when he did, everyone was talking about him. Most of the girls in Liam’s class could swear they were in love with him, probably thanks to his serious looks, elegant figure, and eyes of a blue so intense they said they'd steal your soul. Liam would never admit it openly, but he had often turned around to look at him too, being careful not to let anybody notice. Rumors about him being gay had already made his life harder in middle school, so he was determined to hide it properly this time and focus on building a more solid future for himself. Also, for how fascinating that Dan Price was, he had stolen his favorite seat and was ignoring him, so Liam ended up being bothered by him. As to provoke him and make him understand that the library was his place, Liam sat right in front of him, at the same table, and opened his math books. Dan lifted his head for just a moment when Liam sat down, and their eyes met. Dan’s eyes really were of an incredibly deep blue. Liam had never had the chance to see them so clearly, looking at him only from afar, and he didn’t like the effect they had on him. He felt like he had suddenly forgotten how to breathe. He wondered how he normally got oxygen to his brain since all the air he had inside seemed to be stuck in his throat like a fur ball. He ended up wishing he had just sat anywhere else when Dan moved his gaze back to his book. Liam finally exhaled, hoping Dan didn’t hear him, and started reading. More accurately, he tried to read, but he completely failed to concentrate. His eyes continuously slipped past the book to take a glimpse at Dan. He had his uniform on, Liam noticed not without surprise, even though the jacket
was open, and he wasn't wearing his tie. Also, the first two buttons of his shirt were unbuttoned. He had three piercings on his right ear, and on the earlobe, he was wearing a red drop-shaped earring that was unmistakably a woman's jewel. Not that Liam wanted to, but if he ever happened to wear such a feminine accessory, he was sure he would draw the attention of all the bullies in school, and probably even the girls would make fun of him. And yet that earring looked simply elegant on Dan and perfectly matched his figure. Liam was growing curious about what he was reading, and his gaze moved discreetly on his book. For some reason, Liam was sure he was reading a novel, but it was a science textbook instead. The fact that someone other than him really studied in that school was surprising, to say the least. Liam hated to admit it, but he found Dan likable. And the guy wasn’t even trying too hard; Liam was coming to like him all by himself. Time ticked slowly, without Liam being able to memorize a single formula. Before second period started, he stood up to go back to class, trying not to make eye contact with the object of his attention. He put his books back on the shelf and, as he was leaving the room, he heard his voice.

  "Hey," Dan said.

  Is he talking to me? There's no way he's talking to me. He must’ve answered a call.

  Liam decided not to go back to make sure it was a call, and he was about to open the door when something touched his arm, startling him. Liam turned around in the blink of an eye and saw him right there, standing close to him.

  "You dropped this," Dan said, holding Liam’s keys in his hand. Liam always used to keep them in his pocket since he feared somebody would steal them from his bag. He realized he must have dropped them while leaving the table.

  "Oh…." Liam quickly checked his pockets and lifted his head to look at him, unable to react in any other way. Dan moved the keys closer to Liam’s face, waiting for him to take them. Liam lifted his hand, and as he grabbed the keys, their fingers touched for a moment. Liam felt his face turning hot and looked into Dan’s eyes, lost in the indistinguishable expression he had on his face. The other boy held his stare for a few seconds, before breaking the silence.

  "Are you a freshman?" he asked him. Probably because of his delicate looks, Liam thought Dan’s voice would be a little higher, but it sounded calm and deep instead.

  Liam shook his head, trying to get words out of his mouth. “I’m in my second year…. Thank you," he finally managed to say.

  "No problem," Dan replied, going back to his seat.

  Liam left the room, with his heart beating ridiculously fast. He needed to calm down, so he went to the restroom and splashed his face with cold water. When he lifted his head and looked at his reflection in the mirror, he noticed his face was still redder than his hair.

  Shit. I have a crush on him now.

  Chapter 2

  Since the day he met Dan in the library, Liam found himself hoping to see him every time he went there after class. He didn’t meet him for a long time, but he knew already that he wasn't attending school regularly. A few times Liam heard rumors about him, though. Some girl had confessed her love to him, somebody spotted him in town dealing drugs, and someone else said he wasn't coming to school because his father was teaching him how to manage his business. Liam didn't know whether those rumors were true or not, and, honestly, he didn't care. It would have been enough for him to just look at Dan reading again, at least one more time, only to find out whether he really had a crush on him or he had dreamed it all.

  In March, when the trimester was about to end, and he had to study for the midterm exams, Liam had almost given up on seeing him again. One Friday afternoon, in particular, Liam had had an awful day, and Dan was really the last person on his mind. That morning he had met that asshole Peter on his way to school, and no matter how desperately he had tried to avoid contact with him, somehow his literature notebook ended up in the river. Liam was furious, and as he entered the library that day, he slammed the door behind his back, seriously considering the possibility of burning down Peter’s desk to get revenge.

  "Shit!" He screamed out of frustration, admitting to himself that he would never be able to do such a thing, and then let his forehead fall on one of the shelves with a sigh of resignation. As he stood there with his eyes closed, he heard the noise of a chair moving. Liam felt a cold shiver running down his back and lifted his head. He walked a few steps, toward his usual seat, and there he saw him. His jacket leaning on the back of the chair where Liam used to sit every day, the sleeves of his shirt rolled up to his elbows, and those blue eyes looking at him. Liam’s heart skipped a beat. Yes, he definitely had a crush on Dan. Liam felt awfully embarrassed for screaming like that when he was in the room, but he was also strangely angry at him.

  Why are you popping out of nowhere just today? I have been wanting to see you for two months!

  "Oh, it's you," Dan said.

  He remembers me.

  Liam sat in front of him like the last time, in silence, with that mess of emotions still fighting inside of him. He reached into his bag and took out a new notebook and his literature books. He stared at them, remembering and re-living all the humiliations he had to go through since middle school because of the bullies, and he was also nervous for having Dan so close. After all, Liam had no idea what kind of person he really was. Maybe he was no different from the bullies. Maybe he would start to torment him, too, if he felt like it. Maybe Liam had idealized him too much.

  He looked at him and saw that he had gone back to studying. Chemistry, this time. Liam opened his textbook too and started taking notes, stopping every five minutes to look at Dan. He didn't seem like the others. He was just minding his own business; the one thing Liam always wished everyone would do.

  At some point, Dan stood up, put his book back on the shelf and left the library. Looking at him going away, all Liam felt was disappointment.

  Will I have to wait two more months to see you again? Or maybe I won't ever see you again? You'll graduate in July, and I won't have anything left to hope for, when I open this door, every day, for the next two years.

  Those thoughts surprised even himself. Somehow, hoping to see him again, Liam had found a reason to enjoy going to school, even just a little. He felt pathetic. When had he become so ridiculous? At what point did everything start going the wrong way?

  A small tear fell from his left eye, running on his cheek, as he stared intensely at the chair his crush had been sitting on. Dan had forgotten his jacket. Unthinkingly, Liam stood up and reached out for it.

  Maybe I'm still in time to give it back to him… or maybe I could, for just a moment…. Liam brought the jacket to his nose and smelled it. It had been washed recently, and Dan’s smell on it was incredibly good and delicate.

  "What are you doing?" Dan’s voice sounded way colder than before.

  Liam wanted to disappear. He turned his way, slowly. Dan was standing a few feet from him, holding a can of coffee and a sandwich in his hands.

  So he wasn't leaving, he had just gone to buy something to eat.

  All Liam hoped at this point was that Dan wouldn’t notice he had been crying.

  This is bad, what am I gonna tell him now? He'll think I'm a creepy weirdo, and he'd be totally right.

  "I… I wanted to give this back to you," Liam muttered, trying to make up an excuse. "I thought you’d left, and it's still cold outside, and…." He was panicking, his stomach aching. "I have to go!" He shouted in the end, averting his eyes. He pushed the jacket back in Dan’s hands and left the library, rushing down the stairs.

  As he was running through the corridor of the third-year classrooms, Liam bumped into Peter's stupid friend and some more of the group. Perfect. Those were the people he least wanted to meet in the world.

  "Oh, Pumpkin Head, nice timing!" the dumb boy exclaimed, grabbing Liam by his jacket.

  "Not now, guys, seriously," he frowned. His classmates pushed him into one of the classrooms, and he fell on the floor, completely unaware of what was going on. Liam took a short brea
th and looked around for a moment, trying to understand the situation.

  "Why are you guys here?" he asked, confused, before he realized two of them were searching a bag and stealing weed from it. "Don't tell me this is—"

  "Boe's class. Right. He thinks he controls this school but he's so stupid he leaves his stuff in class, can you believe it?" the idiot said.

  "Don’t tell me you really want to steal from him!" Liam couldn’t believe it. The Boe in question was out of his mind. He was supposed to be a fourth-year student, but the previous year he had been suspended after a bad episode of violence and had to repeat the grade. He had beaten almost to death an upperclassman he had had an argument with. Boe didn't leave his drugs in class because he was stupid; he did it because he was ready to do anything to the idiots who would dare steal from him.

  "I can't stand how you talk to me, Carrot Top," the idiot said as he stepped on Liam’s hand.

  "Ouch!"

  "You'll be our aliba," the idiot explained.

  Liam was confused for a second. "You mean your alibi?"

  This time the idiot was the one making a confused expression, before losing his patience and screaming, "You're gonna stay here and tell Boe you took it!"

  "No fucking way!" Liam screamed back, and the other boy kicked him in the stomach.

  In that moment one guy from the group ran inside the classroom. "Boe and his group are coming back!"

  "Fuck, guys, let's go," the idiot said, and all of them ran away after throwing Boe's empty bag on the floor next to Liam.

  Shit, I have to run away too.

  Unfortunately, Liam’s reflexes were way too slow. That bastard hadn’t held back with his kick. He had barely managed to get on his feet when Boe and his friends came in. In a moment Boe’s eyes flashed at his empty bag on the floor and at Liam, and Liam was sure that trying to explain to him how things really went was absolutely useless. Without a word, Boe grabbed a steel stick that was leaning on the wall beside the door and lifted it up to hit Liam.