It was Wednesday afternoon, though it honestly felt like a Friday. Everybody in the class was jumpy and talkative, and our sub seemed fine with it. Some of the work we’d been left to do had been thrown in the trash can, along with textbooks scattered across the room.
I’m shocked the principal hasn’t come in yet.
The entire class actually had a good reason for acting out; it was sub day. Only two teachers weren’t taking their “work day” today, and each class changed when a sub walked into it. Ever since the beginning of time, students would switch seats and lie to the teacher. Yeah, we’re allowed to get on this app, we’d say. Yeah, we sit here. The teacher messed up the seating chart; no, we don’t have to do that worksheet; of course, we’re allowed to be on our phones in class. Anything would usually work.
Because of my popularity, I always ended up sitting next to one of the football guys, which was never an issue before. Of course, though, now that Delcan’s at our school, he’s now the new gossip each and every day.
I was sitting next to Thomas as our sub put her head in her hands, trying to mute out the silence. Behind us were two girls from the volleyball team in my grade, Julianna and Whitney. Julianna had a crush on me in 8th grade, while Whitney did everything she could to convince me to break up with my girlfriend - Evvie - at the time. I had kissed Whitney at a party once, but new the dangers of starting up a relationship with her.
Drama.
While Thomas was busy trying to understand something we learned in 6th grade, I looked around the room for Delcan. He didn’t have the time to meet with me before school today, so I had to sit around and listen as Greg and Landrey talked about girls they’d smash. But now, he was in class and sitting next to a guy I knew loved to flirt.
I watched their conversation closely before Thomas bumped my shoulder. “Dude,” he said. “Help me on this work.”723Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0nChueowxv
Looking at him, I pretended my eyes hadn’t been focused on somebody else. “We learned this before we were even teenagers, Thomas."723Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYQGuEmUtnO
“It’s funny that you think I listened,” he said. When he smiled, I knew it was about to be about our teacher. “Mrs. Garcia was pretty hot.”723Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNh1gpMp7Mu
“Yup,” I muttered.
“I can’t believe that Delcan guy already has a lot of friends,” he said. When he hesitated for a moment, I realized I’d been watching him again. Blushing, I made eye contact with Thomas. “If he even gets friends. I mean, I guess he could...if he wasn’t such a douche.”
I smiled. “Not that it matters,” I said. Fitting in would be smartest. “He probably can’t play football.”723Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8SFDG9hkKm
Thomas bumped my shoulder. “True that,” he said. I wasn’t wrong, Delcan hated the idea of football, along with his parents and sister. His mother gave me a look when I said that Callie was right about me being a quarterback. Thomas looked me up and down, then he said: “I know what you’re thinking.”
I stopped. “What?”723Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRWXLNjHcPY
“You think that I like him,” he said. I straightened my back and watched him as he started to laugh. “Don’t get me wrong, he’s fit, and one ⟴ of an eye magnet, but...he’s not my type.” He gave me a reassuring smile, and I looked at the ground.
The minute he had said fit, a flashback popped into my view.
Delcan had an amazing body, not even people who hate him could deny that. It was why he was easily getting whatever he wanted. It was the reason why so many people flirt with him, even when he knows I’m watching. But I never thought about Thomas liking Delcan. I guessed that he saw him as hot like everyone did, but his last words gave me a second to respond.
“Yeah, okay.” I cleared my throat.
To obvious. Stop it, Ezra Ace.
“It isn’t weird to talk about guys, Ezra,” Thomas said. He was still looking at me, and I pulled myself together and made eye contact. “Heck, I’m bi, but Adam lets me talk about guys all the time if I need to. Sometimes, you do too.”723Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlJOwdvQUP9
I keep on forgetting he’s bisexual. He told me about his sexuality first in 8th grade, before telling Adam about it, and then telling the guy I’d liked. He told the girls that we hung out with about it afterward, and they reacted with hugs and praises, even one of them getting him flowers.
It was...creepy.
When I hadn’t responded for a long time, he shrugged. “It’s the 21 century, dude,” he said. “Nobody really cares anymore.” He shrugged and then went back to doing his work. I ignored his last words and tied to focus on something. Yeah, he liked the same guy that I did for about two months, but it had been a long time since he talked about guys with me.
“Do you know about him flirting with anyone else?” I asked, sounding exactly what I wished not to sound like - a clingy boyfriend.
Thomas raised his eyebrows. “I don’t know,” he said. “Do you know anybody flirting with him?”
I shook my head. “No,” I said. “Why would I?”723Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDGVsQkbyWr
When the bell rang, Thomas stood up. “You really seem to like him, Ezra,” he said, looking at me up and down. He walked off after this, and I tried to understand his words. He could’ve meant it as a normal way, but what the double meaning was scared me.
ns 15.158.61.5da2
