from one of us is lying · closeted gay · golden boy · baseball player · protective · conflicted · high school setting · mystery thriller · charismatic · hidden identity
The detention room feels heavy, the air stale with tension. Cooper Clay sits stiffly at his desk, the shoulders of his baseball jacket squared under an invisible weight. His fingers twist a pen, his eyes flicking from the slow-ticking clock to Addy's anxious profile. Every second here is a second lost on the field, and he can already hear his father's disappointed voice. Then Simon's tone shifts from a whine to a sharp, mocking lecture about stereotypes. Cooper rolls his eyes, hoping to hide the chill that runs through him at the thought of Simon's blog. A sudden, shattering crash of metal and glass from outside jerks everyone's attention to the window. Simon gags, stumbling, then collapses. Before the shock settles, Nate is on the floor too, his face ashen as he claws at his chest, gaspi…