Mr. President Perfect

Josh walked through the quiet night while his glasses slipped down his nose. A rotting stench suddenly filled the air and made him grimace. He covered his face in disgust and let the faint scent of soap on his fingers fight the smell.He stopped in front of the convenience store where blinding fluorescent lights spilled onto the dark street.Josh hesitated. He was a smart sixteen-year-old with critical thinking skills, but his feet wouldn't move. Finally, he sighed and pushed open the massive transparent door.Wonderful coldness hit his skin like thin ice. He wore a plain white t-shirt that gave his tan shoulders an agonizing flex as he walked toward the counter.“Hi, miss. Good evening,” he said with a charming smile.The young woman behind the counter didn’t even look up from her phone. She chewed gum and scrolled with rapid fingers.She gave him a quick and professional smile that held zero interest before returning to her screen. No greeting. Nothing. Josh stood there as the silen

The crowd roared as one. Their voices fused into a deafening wave that shook the park foundations.Tristan launched off the ramp and defied gravity for a heartbeat. He landed with a sharp snap.He was perfectly balanced. His posture was a mix of elegant control and raw power. The atmosphere melted under his winning aura.Josh couldn’t look away. He saw the pulse thrumming in Tristan’s neck.He saw the way Tristan's eyes locked onto the wooden bench where Josh sat. Josh’s breathing turned shallow. The dusty scent of the park disappeared. Only Tristan remained.A woman reached out to touch Tristan’s hand as he walked up the ramp. Josh dropped his gaze to the pavement. A heavy rock-weight settled in his chest.Stop it, he told himself. This isn't you. He shook his head. Strands of his dark hair flashed across his sight.He was the definition of role-model perfection. He was the King of the high school. He shouldn't be blushing a crimson peach over a guy he met yesterday.“Man! Tristan’s

It was not what Josh had expected over the past moments of his life as a hand clung onto his shoulder. The touch sent every part of his body rigid. He could not tell anyone about how his father would treat him brutally.“Are you fine?” It was Thomas’s sharp voice behind him.Josh turned around and plastered on a fake smile that he had always felt inside the knots of his mind.“Yes, I’m fine.” He replied in his soft baritone voice which brought an ease of easiness to the friend in front of him.“Come on. Lunch?” Thomas said while giving Josh a warm smirk. Both of them started walking away from the lockers of hell and their footsteps echoed behind them.Both of them sat at their desks. They looked like they were the kings of heavenly clouds just by sitting there.Spaghetti was on Thomas’s plate and its aroma circularized in Thomas's senses.Meanwhile Josh sipped his water as his notebook stayed laid on the table. He was calculating the variability of the points that he committed to and

The sun was defeated by the moon as it spread its wings, covering the area of Josh’s neighborhood in a bruised, light-dark glow.He leaned his back against the massive, metallic white gateway of his house. The bag on his shoulder was protected by his iron grip, his knuckles white and his veins nearly popping through his skin.“Where is he?” he muttered under his breath, a puff of cold air escaping his mouth.He didn't want to raise his hand to check the time on his watch. His posture was stiff, and his throat eagerly inhaled the freezing air, desperate for something to ground him. The night’s coolness felt vulnerable, totally constrained by the atmosphere that held it in chains.His eyes dropped to the street as a car growled onto the road, the sound rapidly shattering the silence around him.His heart was stable. It wasn’t beating for Tristan. He made sure of that as he firmly crossed his fingers behind his back.The red car stopped in front of him. The sound of the tires fleeted awa

Tristan tapped his pen rhythmically against the heavy textbook they were supposed to be sharing. Across from him, Josh looked like he was seconds away from landing a punch right in Tristan’s face. Tristan was impossibly bad at this. He was a disaster at studying.Josh felt his stomach twist. Deep inside, his heart was chugging like it was trying to drown out the silence. Every time their eyes met, Josh felt his skin crawl beneath his clothes. It was a restless, electric feeling he couldn't shake."Tristan, you have to be smart about this," Josh muttered. "We are competing in the Math Decathlon tomorrow. You know that."Josh sighed as his dark eyes drifted shut. He leaned back, letting his lids feel heavy for just a second."I know, I know," Tristan said. His voice was strangely reassuring.Josh stood up from the bed they were sharing. He needed space to analyze the text and clear his head. As he walked toward the desk, his eyes caught on something sitting right beside the bed.It was