The Captain

Caught

And although time may take us into different places

I will still be patient with you

And I hope you know

Major lazer- Cold water

______________________________________

"No no no no no." Mason whined in annoyance as he kept pressing his controller as fast as possible.

"You are probably gonna die again. Why dont you just call it quits." Paul bragged whopping his Motorsport past masons.

"Wait and see.." Mason dared him trying desperately to put his car back in shape. Paul snickered at Mason's attempt and tried to bump his car into masons own and topple it over. Paul never did anything clean, maybe except football, but certainly not video games. Mason grunted in frustration trying to speed up his car which had slowed down due to the Paul's deliberate hit.

"There's nothing to see when you're driving like a snail." Paul snickered swishing past the finish line. "See that McKinnon? That's what we call a racer."

Mason folded his arms and squished his lips into a pout. Never had he ever won a race game against Paul, any game as a matter of fact. And Paul never let him live it down, he will take every minute to remind him how he beat him at this or that. And how he was yet to beat him, which he had.

"You play dirty. That's what made you win." Mason pointed out to Paul, or maybe he was just trying to make himself feel better.

"No Mason, you.." Paul pointed at him, "..suck." He laughed.

Mason rolled his eyes in defeat and threw the pad somewhere, where they would need 2hours to search for if they wanted to go again. He got up to find Harris and found the boy sitting on his bed and attentively flipping through about eight text books sprawled before him. He had his pen between his lip biting into it seemingly in thought. He would murmur to himself once in a while then pull a paper to write something down.

Mason raised his eyebrow in question wondering if he was seeing right. Harris? Learning? This had to be a joke.

Though Harris was at the top of the school with the best academic record, never would anyone ever see him with a book. He was either staring blankly at a teacher during class or on the field during soccer practice. He was the type of student who captured information at first hand and needn't revise anything.

So with Harris concentrating deeply into his books and him of all people not being the first to grab the game pad when mason announced he wanted to race, mason couldn't help but be baffled.

"Harris...." Mason called him up but with the confusion oozing out of his voice it ended up sounding like a question.

"Yes" he responded barely audibly with most attention still on the books.

"What's going on?.." Mason asked him not sure of what his first question should be. Why are you studying? No he didn't think so. Even he would think the person to ask him that was retarded.

"What do you mean?" Harris replied getting up from his bed to the shelf to find another textbook, oh yeah right, books. He pulled one thick book out on human anatomy and another similar one on genetic disorders. He then returned back to the bed and began scanning through them immediately.

"I mean..….. this." Mason pointed his finger out and circled it around Harris and the books he had religiously sprawled around him. "What are all those books for?" He inquired not understanding a bit of what was happening.

"I need information on something." He mumbled since all his attention was soaked in the book he last read 9 years ago.

"On what exactly?" Mason probed.

"Thalassemia." Harris said almost below a whisper.

"And couldn't you have just googled that?"

"No mason," Harris finally looked at him. "I need all information about it and everything else in connection with it. More over Wikipedia posts only what it thinks is right. I need authenticity."

Mason didn't know what Harris meant by authenticity. Wikipedia was his most trusted source. Hell anything from Google was authentic to him, at least that's what's pooling him through high school.

"Mind explaining why you are so hooked on talamessia?"

"Its thalassemia you block head." Harris shook his head and looked back at his books getting engrossed in it again.

Mason stood there watching his friend like he was from another planet. This had to be a joke right?

"Is this a joke?" Mason asked with raised brows.

Harris shook his head and sighed exhaustedly, "Can't a boy learn in peace?"

Mason simply shook his head, like Harris wasn't allowed to. "No not you Harris, everybody but you. Now will you tell me what's going on?" Mason folded his hands not letting go of the issue.

Harris rolled his eyes and drew in a deep breath, he had to finish all this by tomorrow and here was mason exhausting his time.

"Its for the biology project." Harris states.

"The one you are on with Lesley?" Mason clarified.

Harris nodded.

"You mean... That Lesley?" Mason stressed.

Harris scoffed, "I know right, you have no idea how annoying it is to work with him. He's such a self centered dipshit."

Mason wasn't sure what to reply with. Every event in Harris' life now evolved around Lesley, one way or another. He wasn't sure how but it always ended up being about him. First he got them both kicked out of the team, now he got his friend so hooked on some science s**t to even give his teammates some attention. Mason wouldn't exactly say he was still pissed which he mildly was by the way, but that feeling was slowly taking a turn now. To what felt like..... Jealousy?

Mason quickly dismissed the thought and felt stupid for thinking he was actually jealous of Lesley occupying half of Harris' time unconsciously now. He means, as his best friend he's supposed to get worked up about it right? He blamed it on nature.

"Hey do you guys know any doctors I can call for reference.." Harris looked away from his books and glanced between mason and Paul.

"Aren't you rich or something, call your family doctor or what you rich people do." Paul snickered from the carpet below him.

"Shut up Paul." Harris retorted back. Paul was lucky he wasn't facing Harris, the dirty blonde was staring lasers at him.

Paul laughed and looked up to make more fun of him but his smile quickly dropped when he turned to see the look Harris had.

"Chill dawg."

Harris shook his head and turned back to his books. Then, his face slowly lit up with a beam of smiles drawing all over it.

"Wait that wasn't such a bad idea, thanks Paul!" Harris shot up from his bed and run out of the room almost tripping over the fluffy carpet and down the corridor in search of Fiona or regi for the doctors number.

"Is it me or that was the most childish display ever?" Paul joked cynically before turning back to scrolling through Netflix.

"Hey Bradley..." Mason called at Paul.

"Yes.."

"You've noticed Harris has been changing lately?" Mason asked. " Not

change as in exactly change but change as in the other change."

Paul frowned trying to do the English... He still didn't get it.

"What do you mean," he dropped the remote and averted his full attention to mason.

"I'm saying he's been acting a little different, especially when Lesley is around." Mason waited for Paul to draw something out of that but the brunette on the floor was as dump as a brick. He simply looked at Mason for further explanation.

Mason rolled his eyes and took a seat on the king sized bed,

"You noticed how hostile he was when Lesley came around, well now its like.... I dont know it has changed to something else."

"What?" Paul shrugged.

Mason sighed not knowing how to put his thoughts into words.

"I think Harris might be wanting to impress Lesley in whatever he does. Not exactly impress but more of show that he is better than Lesley."

"Oh.." Paul replied in realization and kind of saw a truth to what mason just said. "Maybe he's just worked up about the suspension and hasn't really gotten over it yet."

"You sure?" Mason asked with a hint of doubt in his tone.

"Yh pretty much. Harris will be fine. He's a big boy." Paul smiled then turned back to the TV.

Mason was slowly getting convinced he was losing his best buddy. Because of some self centered mysterious punk who probably had daddy issues.

He just hoped Lesley would end up leaving so things would go back to the way they were.

Well Mason was hoping wrong. A few days after that at the end of school, Wolfhard called all the soccer players to a meeting which meant Harris had to be there even if Lesley was going to be there.

Harris grunted on hearing the news but what choices did he have, he was still technically the captain. He had to show up.

"I can just tell the coach you are not well." Kelvin said from beside Harris on their way to the bleachers where the meeting was being held. Kelvin had noticed the distressed expression of Harris when the French teacher announced that the coach wants to see all footballers after that. Harris had been grunting through the class after hearing that. It meant he had to see that dipshits face again.

And he wasn't exactly in the mood for a fight.

Moreover he had noticed Lesley had been restless these days. Aside him always carrying his straight face around and minding his own business, the boy kind of seemed troubled. The last Harris saw him which was math class four days ago, he had on a much paler face and sunken eyes. There were bags under them as well as dark rims. Lesley had on a hoodie to kind of shield him from onlookers but Harris noticed it well. Not like Harris cared or anything but... Lesley was in a bad shape. He didn't know what it was to have been able to cause such an obnoxious person to be troubled. But whatever it was, it was deep.

"Naa Kev, I'll just show up. What's the worst that could happen?" Harris asked rhetorically knowing exactly what could happen; The worst. But he just brushed it off, Lesley wouldn't be stupid enough to start a fight in the middle of Harris' friends.

When they got to the park all the other teammates were present already, including Lesley. The boy looked like a corpse, no offense. His skin had gotten a tad lighter and he had become thin too, like he wasn't eating anymore. Harris took in his features and thought something must have been really wrong with him.

Lesley avoided everyone. He sat farer than where the boys were and had his head down avoiding the sunlight which appeared to be hurting his eyes. Harris mostly had his eyes on him. Not in the I care about him way, but more of like the what the f**k happened to him way. It was that bad.

Harris convinced himself wondering about what's bothering Lesley wasn't caring. He was just being insightful.

"Cooper?"

Harris' head quickly snapped to the coach to find all eyes on him.

"Did you hear any of what I said?" Wolfhard asked with a raised brow.

Shit. s**t. s**t.

"Ughhhh.... I'm really sorry I kind of zoned out." He rattled out. He hadn't heard a word the coach said. He barely knew what they were talking about.

"I was asking if the line up I used for the Diamond hills match should be used again for the finals. Or I should make a few changes what do you think?"

Harris cared less about the line up. He thought it was the coaches job to do those things.

"Yh. It was actually great. I think we should repeat that." He replied not giving any effort to think it over.

"Well I gave the clipboard to Lesley after our last practice. It might be in his locker. Go get it for me Harris will you? The boy looks passed out." Wolfhard observed Lesley from where he was. Lesley's head was so low and his body so still that Harris swore the boy could be dead.

For a moment he actually cared about the dipshit that was sitting so far away from the crowd.

What could have been so troubling to render him like that?

"You going cooper?" Wolfhard asked.

"Yes, yes right up." He answered quickly and sprung up heading towards the locker rooms. The school was dead silent since all the kids had gone home now making the hallways appear creepy and hunted.

Harris quickened his steps and arrived at the locker room in no time. He walked towards Lesley's locker and stopped, staring at it. Was it ok to open it? Lesley didn't know he was here.

Harris knew he wouldn't allow anyone to go into his locker without his permission.... But then, what's the worst that could happen. He'll just retrieve the clipboard and go.

He opened the locker and the first thing he saw was the clipboard. He quickly grabbed it and continued to close the locker when his eyes caught a glimpse of a brown envelope.

Wasn't this the envelope coach Beck gave him?

Harris was dying to know what was inside the brown package. Lesley was hesitant in taking it which had meant something.

But what could it be?

Harris hadn't been so confused in his life. His conscience told him to just close the locker and pretend he never saw it. His Id being himself was pushing him to just take a peek.

Well after minutes of contemplation the little red devil on his shoulders won. Harris hurriedly grabbed the envelope and opened it professionally after which when he closes Lesley wouldn't know it had ever been opened.

He felt books on touch. He quickly pulled them out and gave an audible quiver when he saw what books they were.

Harris became stiff with his mouth agape and his breath getting uneven. His heartbeat accelerated with unsynchronized pumps. His fingers began to tremble lightly and his eyeballs almost falling out of their sockets.

In the envelope were porn magazines.

Gay porn magazines.......

Harris had a million thoughts flooding his mind not knowing where to start thinking from. What in the world is going on? Is he seeing real?

Scuffling of shoes were heard, they came from behind him. He quickly turned to find out who followed him here.

Right behind him, staring dead into harris' fear-filled eyes, was Lesley......