Loss to Love

Note: This isn't a story about sex only, so if a quick hot sex scene what you're looking for, I suggest you keep looking.

A/N: Hi guys! Yes, it really is me. I said I would be back after my 2yr hiatus and I keep my word. Well I'm out of the army and back to civilian life. So yeah, this is my new story, hope you guys like it. As usual I accept all comments, good or bad, as long as its constructive. Story is complete and the remaining chaps are submitted. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: All characters are fictitious and above the age of 18 years.

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- Prologue -

I looked at myself in the mirror hanging in my locker, cringing at the sight of my hair, sticking out at odd places where it shouldn't. I ran my hand through my blonde hair, trying to rid it of the obnoxious cowlick that has plagued me the entire day. After a good minute or so, I gave up trying to get the little tuft of hair to go down, instead completely messing my short hair into something resembling an organized mess. I smiled, contented with my new look for the day. I looked at my blue eyes, small blood vessels streaking across the whites of my eyes, evidence of the late night study session the previous night. It was well worth it though, the test earlier in the day being a breeze. Blinking a few times, I inspected my teeth, making sure there weren't any scraps of food stuck in between, running my tongue over them once.

"Hey there vain pot." came the annoying voice from behind my locker door. I didn't need to look to know who it was.

"How many times must I tell you Dean? I'm not vain, I just care about the image I portray to people." I replied, giving myself once last glance over in the mirror before closing my locker. "It's called being professional."

"Yeah, like a video editor needs to look good. All you do is sit in front of a computer screen all day, or is Mr. Drew Langston trying to impress someone?" He quipped, shooting me a smirk.

"No." I deadpanned. "Last I checked I was the only gay kid in this school and..." I was rudely cut off when an asshole forcefully bumped into me, sending me flying into the side of the lockers.

"Oops, sorry Langston. Oh wait, no I'm not." The jock mocked walking past me. Nick Preston, quarterback and all around nice guy, except when it came to me. My personal bully if you wanted to call him that. I gave him a blank expression, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of seeing me getting angry.

Nick Preston was the guy everyone in school liked. Built like some professional model, he was the envy of guys and the sought after prize of girls. At 6'2" and made of solid muscle, he could easily take on anyone at school, that is if he actually needed to. I let my eyes survey him once, seeing that he was dressed in our school hoodie and a simple pair of jeans, very much like the outfit I was wearing. His hoodie however, looked a size too small for him, the fabric stretching over his chest and his biceps straining against the sleeves, outlining his physique.

Awesome athlete, straight A student as well as junior class president, his future was pretty much set. Everyone, including me although I hated to admit it, knew he was going to be valedictorian in our senior year and quite frankly, he deserved it. Bullying me aside, he was truly a good guy.

"Buzz off Nick." Dean said, shooting Nick a glare, to which he simply put up his hands and walked away innocently. Nick had nothing against Dean, but his constant picking on me made Dean kind of blacklist the star quarterback. "One day I'm gonna hurt him so bad." He threatened, to which I had to laugh. "What?" He had the nerve to ask what? Dean, my best and possibly only friend at Jameson High, was to say the least, the last person anyone would pick a fight with. At 5'5", he was probably the smallest guy in our school, added to the fact that he was no fighter. He never went to a gym once in his life and his idea of physical training was running down to Starbucks to get a caramel macchiato.

"You? Please you can't even win me in a fight, let alone Nick Preston." He rolled his eyes, as if what I said wasn't true. I mean I went to the gym on a regular basis, and although I was a mere 5'9", I dare say I could hold my ground against people who were bigger than me.

"Why do you put up with him though? After three years, most people lose it." Dean asked me, pulling me to our next class.

I shrugged my shoulders. "Don't care really. It's not like he does anything seriously bad. Showing him it bothers me would only give him the satisfaction and I'm definitely not gonna do that. Besides, I have you and my mom so it's all good."

"It would be better if you're dad got on the same wagon though." I tensed at his words. I shot him a glare, which made him give that 'I'm sorry' face. He knew better than to bring my father up. After I came out, my father as good as disowned me. He stopped talking to me apart from when absolutely necessary, and even then it was mostly one-word replies. If not for my mother, I'm pretty sure I would have been kicked out of the house. "I still don't get why he only picks on you though. He's basically a saint to everyone else." Dean said, shifting the conversation back to Nick.

"Glad you know to change the subject. And isn't it obvious, he's homophobic. That's the only explanation as to why he likes to make my high school life a living hell." I said.

"Well it's not like you're the typical kind of gay guy. You act like a dude, you dress like a dude, yeah you care a little too much about your looks but who cares. It's not like you strut down the halls in flamboyant outfits or whatever, not that there is anything wrong with that." Dean said. He always got agitated when it came to homophobes, probably because his younger brother's also gay and it's just his protective instinct coming out. He's more perturbed by it than I was.

"Well I think that's probably why he hates me so much." I stated, to which he gave me a confused stare. "It's because I'm not the stereotypical gay that he's intimidated. Male ego if you could say. Shit like that. I don't know you're the straight one."

"Well whatever it is, he better get his ego in check before I keep it in check for him." Dean said, shaking his fist in the air, which only made him look like an angry dwarf than anything dangerous. I laughed, stopping outside my next class.

"Okay grumpy, see you after school." He waved bye before I disappeared into the classroom. I smiled at the couple of students already seated at their desk chatting amongst themselves, to which they smiled back. I was lucky I guess. Other than Nick, no one else in school really gave me a hard time about being gay. Everyone simply understood and life went on. Being the only openly gay kid in school did have its downsides though, like never having a date to any school events and such but it was fine. I would always have Dean there to be my right hand man.

Yep high school didn't seem as bad as most other people had it, but I did wish my home life could be better. I mean my dad was ashamed of me, not something most teenagers had to deal with but I don't hold it against him though. He's entitled to his opinion. At least he doesn't abuse me or anything; he just pretends I don't exist. I shook off my thoughts just as the teacher walked in, holding a cup of coffee in her hand as she started scribbling notes on the board.

The day passed by rather quickly and before I knew it, it was the end of the day. I walked to my locker, throwing in any books that I didn't need, giving myself a once through in my mirror before closing my locker. Hey, don't judge me, it's a force of habit. I leaned against my locker waiting for Dean. We had planned on heading to my place to just hang and do whatever but as usual he was late. It wouldn't be the first time and I had just gotten used to it over time.

Dean Callaway was my best friend since middle school. He was actually the new kid, having moved to Seattle from New York City. His dad's job was kind of hectic and he moved a lot as a kid. So far, his stay in Seattle had been the longest he's ever been in one place. Anyway, yeah so we met in middle school and we've been best buds since. We just clicked and I dread the day that he would just tell me that he was moving somewhere far away. I tried not to think about it too much though, like somehow thinking about it made it real.

I looked at my watch, realizing that I've been waiting close to fifteen minutes. I sighed pulling out my phone, thinking about texting him. You know how things always happen at the wrong time, like when you get an itch when your hands are dirty, or a phone call when you're in the bathroom, as if knowing that I was going to text, Dean appeared around the corner.

"Sorry, sorry." He called out at the sight of me waiting.

"Well took you long enough? Shall we?" I asked.

"Yeah well about that. That was kinda what I was apologizing for?" I turned to look at him, raising an eyebrow at him. "Yeah I got a call from my mom, apparently she needs help with something so I have to head home. Now I know we were supposed to hang but...I'm sorry."

I chuckled at him. "Yeah man no worries. You could have texted or something though, so at least I wouldn't have waited here."

"Yeah sorry about that. You know me, I'm stupid like that." He smiled sheepishly.

"Whatever. See ya then." I said turning around, giving Dean a wave goodbye and heading for my car. I looked at the beat-up pick up truck and smiled. The thing had memories. My dad and I used to work on it together, before I came out. We were actually pretty close back in the day. I would spend my weekends out with my dad, be it going fishing, the batting cages or just in the garage fixing up little red. That was what I called the truck, well because it was red. Genius right? When we finally got her up and running, it was kind of an accomplishment really. It was my first car that I fixed, although most of it was my dad's work.

"When you can drive, she's all yours." He had said, as we looked at her. I was shocked to say the least, but ecstatic at the same time. My first car, and it was something I helped fix up. Even after I came out and my dad giving me the cold shoulder, I was still given little red and I was grateful for that at least. Little Red wasn't the shiniest or newest car around, far from it actually, but she had character, and for some beat up old truck, she still had a lot of fight left to give.

I got into the truck and started her up, feeling her rumbled under me. I pulled out of the school parking lot before heading home. I lived in the suburbs of Seattle, nothing too fancy but it was home nonetheless. My family wasn't rich, but we weren't poor either, middle classed like most other people who lived in the area. I parked by the curb outside our home looking to the two-story house that sat to my left. My dad's car wasn't parked in the driveway so that means he hadn't gotten back from work. I got out of my truck, locking it before walking up the path that led to the house. I glanced at the grass lawn noticing that it was getting a little long. I made a mental note to mow it later on as I continued onto the wooden porch, the bottom stair creaking as I stepped on it.

I pulled out my keys, sliding it into the door lock. I opened the door, only to have my senses assaulted by the smell of baking. I smiled. There's nothing like coming home to my mom's baking. Dean would have cursed the fact that he missed coming over.

"Hey mom, I'm home." I shouted as I closed the front door.

"Hi honey. I'm in the kitchen." I smiled. Of course she was in the kitchen, where else would she be baking.

"No duh mom. Didn't think you were baking in the bathroom now did I." I said, walking into the kitchen, the smell of freshly baked cookies even more overwhelming there. "What's the occasion?" I asked, picking up a cookie and sitting at the kitchen island.

"No reason. Just felt like baking." My mom said, taking off her oven mitts before coming over and kissing me on the forehead. She cocked her head around as if looking for someone. "I thought you said Dean was coming over?"

"He had something come up, he couldn't make it." I said, taking another bite of chocolate heaven.

"Oh well that's too bad. He loves my cookies doesn't he?" she asked as if the answer wasn't already obvious.

"Everyone loves your cookies mom." I deadpanned.

"That's sweet of you. Well you can bring him a bag tomorrow." She suggested.

"Or I can just eat all of it." I said, picking up another cookie. She just chuckled and messed up my already messy hair. "I'll be upstairs mom. Just call if you need anything."

"Kay honey, oh and could you do me a favor and mow the lawn, it's getting pretty unruly."

"Already planned on doing it mom." I shouted back as I ran up the stair, closing my bedroom door after me. My room wasn't very big but it was sufficient, enough room for a double bed and my computer workstation, which was all that I really needed. I did video editing as a side hobby and it help me get some extra cash now and then too. Sometimes I do stuff for the school and sometimes people ask me to do their wedding videos and what not. I wasn't complaining. If I got to make some money doing what I liked to do, then why not? After all, what teenager wouldn't want a little extra cash now and then?

I spent an hour or so online before I decided to go down and mow that lawn, before it got dark. I changed into a pair of cargo shorts and headed outside as my mom was preparing dinner. I spent a good ten minutes just trying to get the lawnmower to start and another five realizing that it was out of gas. Well I had my dumb moments too; I was just lucky no one witnessed my blonde moment. Halfway through the job, the familiar black jeep pulled into our driveway. I didn't bother to look at my dad because he wouldn't have acknowledged me even if I did so I just kept on doing what I was doing. True enough all he did was walk by and enter our house. I sighed, wondering if it would ever change. I pushed the thought from my mind as I continued with the lawn.

"Hey there Langston." I rolled my eyes at the sound of his voice.

"What do you want Nick?" I asked, not bothering to hide the frustration in my voice.

"Now is that the type of tone you use on your dear neighbor." He cooed from the sidewalk. I scoffed at his statement. So what if he was my neighbor? I'll be damned if I ever talked to him nicely.

"You know if you have nothing better to do then just fuck off Nick." I said. Didn't think it was a bad idea until I was tackled to the ground. My side hurt from where Nick's shoulder contacted me but I managed to turn around, however being ultimately weaker than Nick, I couldn't get free. He straddled me, pinning my hands beside my head, flashing the annoying smirk that he reserved solely for me. "Get the fuck off me." I spat out, trying to get out of his grasp but it didn't work.

"Feisty little thing aren't you." He moved both my hands over my head, pinning them there with one hand, leaving his other hand free. "You know I might actually lay off you if you weren't so rude to me."

"Yeah right and I'm going to be President of the United States. Just fuck off man. Isn't school enough? Must you torment me even when I'm home?"

He grabbed my face with his free hand, squeezing my cheeks. "Now where's the fun in that." He said, lightly slapping me on the face.

"Nick!" The voice boomed from across the yard. I watched as Nick rolled his eyes.

"Yes dad?"

"Quite playing with your friend and come here. I need you to take care of your little sister. I'm going out." I lifted my head just enough to see Mr. Preston get into his car, before driving off.

"Yeah more like get drunk again. No wonder mom left you." He mumbled to himself. He turned back to me, looking down at me. "Looks like I have to cut short our little play session." He said, releasing my hands and getting off of me. "Till next time Langston." He said, strutting over back to his house. I sighed dropping my head back down. Nick was irritating but not anything I couldn't deal with. He has never actually hurt me so I take it all in my stride. He's just trying to get me riled up, but luckily I had Dean and my mom to keep me in check. As screwed up as my dad was, at least he's still there, unlike Nick's mom who left town the minute she divorced Mr. Preston. Yeah I could deal with it.

Well that was until my world started crashing before my very eyes.