It's Not Always About the Game

[Drew Conner]

To anyone none the wiser, Drew Conner's life looked, on the whole, rather uneventful.  Sure, he'd had his share of run-ins with shady government agencies and his love life was, at least, worthy of a terrible romantic comedy, but his day-to-day schedule left a great deal to be desired in the excitement category.  Lost in all the rumors of his alleged womanizing, status as a budding kingpin and the ridiculous fervor his engagement with a certain Bellefonte twin had caused was the fact that, underneath it all, Drew was still just a teenager about to complete his freshman year of college.  There was so little time for anything other than school, work and his own social life that was now (happily) dominated by his new fiance.  And now, this cool, sunny Montana morning found Drew doing one of his favorite casual activities:  Watching his year old golden retriever puppy bound across the grass during a weekly 'doggy play day' put on by the city.

Bellefonte Academy, meet the biggest villain on campus.

With a faint smirk tugging at the corner of his lips, Drew kept his focus on the streak of golden fur as Argos frolicked playfully.  It was one of the few times when the still young dog was allowed to run around with a wild abandon.  Usually the animal was forced to mirror the reserved personality of his owner.  Even Drew, though, understood the need to let loose once in a while.  

It was only when noticing a familiar face that Drew's attentions was pulled from his faithful canine companion.  Curious, Drew made his way across the park, hands kept casually in his pockets as he approached François Laffont.  He knew of Franck more than he actually knew the French boy.  Erika had mentioned him frequently and, simply by virtue of Franck being one of the more prominent members of the Bellefonte student body, Drew felt it prudent to keep tabs on him anyway.

"You don't come off as a dog person, Franck."  Drew said once he'd drawn close enough to speak without having to raise his voice.  He turned his eyes out over the scattered dogs that were playing and running about.  "Did you bring a furry monstrosity to this, or are you just having a nice, morning stroll through the park ruined by barking, slobbering animals?"

[François Laffont]

Franck was aware of the reputation Drew Conner seemed to have around the school but he could not see why. He figured it was just some ill gossips spread on him because of his family and his connections and perhaps the fact he was a little secretive. Never would Franck believe this guy could be doing some shady business. One, because Franck was naive like that but also because he was with his friend Erika and she couldn’t go for no criminal. Well... she could, but he refused to believe the man she loved, truly loved, could be a bad guy.

He did not notice him at first as he did his morning job through the park. It was a beautiful day and for once Franck was not forced to be at school. He might actually head there later, just because everyone he knew or so happened to reside there, but for now, he was enjoying the park. Many others did too, most of them with their furry four-legged friend. The park was big enough to allow enough space for all the dogs and people who wanted to relax, play or train. Franck didn’t really care about the dogs and their masters until he recognized Drew, coming his way with his dog.

Funny, it was Drew that Franck was not seeing as a dog person. People said dogs were loyal so if you were the animal you owned, Franck figured he’d be one whereas Drew looked more like a cat, independent. He smiled though, unaffected by his assumption. “No, I don’t have a dog. I just came here for a jog,” he explained, as if the fact he was in sports attire and he did that while going towards Drew did not prove that already. He smiled at the other man. “I had no idea you had a dog.”

[Drew Conner]

Drew nodded faintly as Franck answered. He'd never pictured himself as a dog person either. In truth, Drew wasn't really much of an animal person in general. He'd toyed around with the idea of getting a dog and Erika had taken the idea and ran with it back when they had been together the first time. It would be slightly inaccurate to say he loved dogs when, to be more specific, he loved his dog.

"Yes." He confirmed, shifting his eyes to the still young golden retriever as it gave a short wiggle in anticipation of being let off his leash to join the other romping dogs. "Most people don't." A thin smirk touched his lips as he reached down and unclipped the leather leash from the dog's collar, sending the animal off to play. "That so few know of Argos is by design." He admitted. Drew was sure Franck, simply by virtue of being close to Erika knew of the overactive rumor mill that haunted many of the students of Bellefonte. Drew had hardly been immune to the slander and whispers of his 'peers'. "With how things have been lately if anyone found out, by next week I'll have added dog fighting to my ever growing list of illicit and sordid activities." He said with a resigned sigh.

[François Laffont]

Franck was not going to judge Drew for having a dog, just like he wouldn’t no matter what animal he had or if he was to tell him he was not an animal person to begin with. Franck owned no pet, he was in no place to judge someone about it. Although the thought of owning a dog crossed his mind more than once he never actually had one, ever.

He looked at the golden retriever, tempted to pet the dog but he would not unless Drew let him. He did not know the temper of the dog after all. Argos, as Drew called him, seemed to be very playful but you just never know. The dog came running to play with others of his kind however and Franck turned to look as he dashed off. His attention returned to the pet’s master however as Drew talked. He was slightly shocked by his words but he knew what the rumours like to say on his account. They liked painting him as the villain.

“They sure love to exaggerate. You seem to be doing more than gangs and you don’t have a whole crew to do the work for you. All this because of who your family is, a bit of who you are and because they love to make Eri’s life sound even more dramatic than it already is,” Franck replied. He would not believe there was some dog fighting league inside Bellefonte. Never. And no one dealing in that would talk his dog like that and be happy about the pup. Franck may be naive but there were some things that just would never add up for him to believe in them.

Since that was settled, he looked at Drew with a smile. “How are you doing?” Maybe he was not as close to the young man as he was his lover but he knew being kind to Drew came from more than just wanting to be kind to Erika’s boyfriend.

[Drew Conner]

There was something liberating about knowing the strings of other people could so easily be plucked at. All it took was a little knowledge of the person and and the wherewithal to understand how this information is best used and the individual could be made to dance exactly how the puppeteer desired. There may have been an unknown game being played here but it wasn't personal. Drew simply needed to cover his tracks and the more people who didn't believe the rumors that swirled about him and his sister the better.

"It's just people with far too much time on their hands." Drew said with a chuckle and a faint nod. Regardless of whether or not Drew was weaving a tale to keep his own ass out of the fire, Franck was right. His purported exploits were far more dramatic in theory and allegations than reality. "To be honest, I didn't exactly help the rumors surrounding Erika's love life, now did I?" He replied with a bit of a smirk. People tended to talk when, given the circumstances, someone like Erika showed up after a weekend out of the country sporting a ring on her left hand.

"Me?" The smirk melted just faintly to hint at a genuine smile lurking underneath. Through it all, Drew was a beacon of positive emotions. How could he not? His life lacked the usual questions that most kids their age had, he'd reconnected on a level he'd never thought possible with the love of his life, his beloved sister was healthy, and here he was, eighteen years old and standing in the park during a gorgeous, sunny day watching his best friend of the four-legged variety romp and play. Drew's life was so good he could almost taste it. "To say that my life is charmed, Franck, would be the understatement of the day." His eyes then shifted to glance at the French teen and he offered a bit of a wry smirk. "How about yourself? You haven't, exactly, been able to stay off the rumor radar either. What's this I hear about some lucky guy that popped up in your life?"

[François Laffont]

Franck nodded to what Drew said. Too much time on their hands. And a love for gossip, the crazier the better. The way some were talking of Drew at times, it was almost like he was a criminal mastermind. Even if the boy happened to be a genius, and Franck didn't think he was despite not thinking he was dumb either, that was asking too much out of someone his age. And, as far as Franck knew, his family was not in the mob. Least he never heard of it.

He shrugged to him. “She’s not helping herself. She’s passionate, sometimes it backfires. But they have a way of bringing it out to everyone that just makes it a lot more scandalous. It’s not like she’s doing any more than many others in the school.” Well, maybe they did not marry someone only to... divorce? He didn’t really know how he could call that since they were apparently not married to begin with. Either way, it was a subject he’d rather not talk about. She was too passionate and did not take much the time to sit down and think things through before jumping. He was not really like that, it made it hard sometimes to follow her so Franck preferred not to think much of it and just support her, as a friend should.

Franck knew he didn’t really need to ask someone how they felt, as he just knew it, but it was far more polite to ask. He smiled to the boy’s words as he answered him. He did see quite happy and content of his life right now. And talking of Erika, even if it was just briefly, had told Franck more about the boy’s feelings for her than he could probably say in words. Should he think of her more, it would only confirm more to Franck just how much he loved her. He laughed at the way Drew questioned about his own love life. He was not used to people he knew not that much of to begin with to talk like this to him, this was more what a friend would say, but he was ready to consider Drew a friend if he wanted to be that. “Yes, I heard about those rumours. I guess I should feel lucky they don’t pretend I’m with both of them, since they are not always easy to recognize. But that’s just one, Jasper,” he said. Yes, in the end, he figured the rumours could have been much worse on his account. “I’m doing great too. Getting ready for those final exams. College is soon for me, I want to make sure I got the grades for it.”

[Drew Conner]

"Life has a habit of bringing that out in people." Drew mused thoughtfully as he turned his eyes out toward the frolicking pup. A thin smile touched his lips as he watched the dog and contemplated his relationship with the girl he and Franck were talking about. "And, honestly, I love her all the more for the way she goes through life holding onto that passion and fervor." It was the rare whimsically romantic statement he would make to anyone not named Erika or Eve. Drew's personal life was his own and he wasn't fond of delving into details about it especially when it came to his fiance. Franck, though, was one of Erika's closest friends and Drew felt compelled to at least let it be known that she was in caring, loving hands that wouldn't be letting go of her anytime soon.

"There's something to be said for living the kind of life that makes people want to talk about it." He replied while sending a sly smirk sideways toward Franck. Drew caught the faint hint or trepidation at his bringing up Franck's rumored relationship. Some people weren't used to the spotlight and fielding personal questions so early on in conversation. Drew understood this, though, and was genuinely happy for Franck simply because he looked happy the moment the topic was brought up. "Even one that is framed by finals and having to choose a major by the fall." Drew chuckled softly and shook his head. He'd entered college a year early, though his academic path was much more defined than most. "But it'll all be over soon, at least for a while. Have any plans for summer?" Drew asked, now turning his attention over fully to the taller boy.

[François Laffont]

As much as Franck wished it not to be true, he knew that Drew was not entirely wrong. It was so easy to have people envious and say things they shouldn’t against someone because of it. Franck had to deal enough with people’s emotions to know it took little for something like that to happen. And the worst part was that many did not realise this or how destructive this could be. They needed to vent out. “Wouldn’t it be better though if it was not the case? Or that we could more easily be happy for others rather than envy what they have?” He knew he felt that too sometimes. Didn’t mean he did not wish for it to be otherwise.

Franck smiled not only at the way Drew talked of Erika but mostly because of the emotions he was picking from him as he did so. “If you ask me, she could still take the time to think things through sometimes. But you’re right, this is how she is and how we love her.” Obviously, Drew knew he was gay, right? The fact they talked about the ‘lucky guy’ in his life confirmed that. So he really shouldn’t feel threatened by Franck of the fact he loved Erika. His kind of love for her had nothing to do with the way this other boy loved her.

Drew had little to say if he wanted to convince Franck he loved her. In fact, he didn’t have to say anything, merely think of Erika and let the feelings come out. This was saying more to Franck than any words since the mouth could lie but the feelings he sensed were real.

“I already know what I want to do. Psychology,” he explained to Drew. He felt as though this was the logical path. He doubted this would surprise anyone knowing him. He shrugged at the question of summer. “Probably try to find some summer job and see whatever friends chose to remain here over summer,” he answered before looking at him. “You?”

[Drew Conner]

Drew rarely did anything with an audience in mind. Sure, he'd had his handful of grand, sweeping gestures that mostly centered around his relationship with Erika, but for the most part he preferred to remain out of the public eye. The Conners were secretive and for good reason. This wasn't an option, however, as Drew was well aware what his visibility meant. He didn't purposely live his life the way he did. His was simply a life that people wanted to talk about for some reason. He supposed it could have been worse. At least they were talking about him for having an interesting lifestyle and not a boring one.

"I know you two are close." Drew said with a nod. Erika's friends were important to her, even though he knew so few of them personally. He was aware of the type of person Erika was. She made friends easily and adored each and every one of them. Franck, especially, held a place in the girl's heart making this meeting all the more important for Drew. "If she thought things through as well as she should, we probably wouldn't be together right now." He pointed out with a faint smirk playing at his lips.

"That suits you." Drew's smirk shifted to a sincere smile. From what little he knew of Franck it seemed his chosen career path was fitting to say the least. Almost as if he was built to help people. "I've got a few things lined up. Mostly business trips with my father, though I think I can either get out of a couple or at least swing them so they're not so tedious." He chuckled again. "Other than that, to be honest, I'm going to try and spend as much time as I can with Erika."

[François Laffont]

Franck did think they were close. Their opinion might be different on many subjects but that never affected their friendship. He understood that even though he might not do something and advise against it, it was Erika’s life and she could do whatever she wanted to do with it. He would still love her. He might sometimes shake his head, mentally at least, at some of her decisions and think she lived in one of those afternoon soaps but he loved the girl. As much as a gay boy could love a girl. Not that Drew showed any signs he might think there was more between them.

He dared not chuckle at Drew’s comment but he did smile. “Or it wouldn’t have happened this quickly. It’s not like she has any doubts of her feelings for you.” If she did, Franck would wonder what was going on with her since he thought it was pretty obvious. Erika was passionate. Funny how the twin sisters could be so different. One thought more with her brain and the other with her heart.

He chuckled for good, grinning at Drew as he replied to him. Yes, psychology seemed like the logical next step for Franck. No one could doubt that. Franck was not seeing himself doing anything else. He seemed destined to help others as he was naturally drawn to people, even if the emotional baggage they carried would land on his shoulders. He didn't mind. He would have to carry it only for a short period of time while they had it inside of them. He smiled did not falter as he exposed his plans for the summer. “I can understand that.” Franck was hoping he would be able to do the same with Jasper. “You better watch out, I’m sure she’d be ready to go with you on your business trip just so she can get out of here for a little while,” he added in a chuckle.