The first day of senior year, Bryce rushed down the stairs of his high school, pushing through the ravenous lunch crowd. He headed, not for the cafeteria, but for the commons—a large, grassy area between the various buildings, studded with shade trees and graffiti decorated picnic tables. He scanned the open space, his gaze finding his two best friends seated at one of the shady tables. Grinning from ear to ear, he jogged over, his over-stuffed backpack thumping against his lumbar region.

“Hey, fellas,” he said, plopping down beside Miguel and across from Oliver. “You are never going to believe what happened this summer.”

“Momentito, amigo,” Miguel said in his sexy Spanish accent. Contrary to what the bigots at school said, he wasn’t Mexican, he was from Spain, and Bryce always thought he sounded like Puss-in-Boots. Yes, he had a bit of a crush on his friend, but Miguel was the hetero element in their little social circle, and Bryce respected that. “Oliver was just telling me about his vacation adventures.”

“Oh, go anywhere exciting?”

“My cousin’s wedding,” Oliver said, tucking a stray lock of bright purple hair back behind his ear. “In Wisconsin.”

“Sounds fun,” Bryce said, his knee bouncing. He clutched at his backpack, fingers fiddling with the zipper pull.

Oliver gave him a dark look, his blue eyes highlighted with black liner. “I was an usher. In a tux.”

Bryce choked on a laugh, trying to imagine his friend in anything other than tight black jeans and flashy T-shirts. He was the gay one, and even though Bryce was somewhere between bi- and pansexual, they had never had those kinds of feeling about each other. Not surprising, really, considering how long they had been friends. They were nearly as close as brothers.

Bryce waited, looking back and forth between his friends, the pressure building in his chest threatening to burst out of his mouth.

“Okay, man, what’s got you so excited?” Miguel asked finally. “You’re bouncing the whole table.”

“Check this out,” Bryce said, jerking his backpack open and pulling out an old, leather-bound book. He set it on the table with a thump, his fingers caressing the supple leather. Both guys leaned in to read the title embossed in gold on the cover.

“Spells For the Body and Spirit,” Oliver read out loud. He arched an eyebrow at Bryce. “Did you take up D&D or something?”

…