The Mysterious Door

Chapter 5

The group starting today is announced as Jeremy, Priamo, Eve and Alexandra. I get up reluctantly, my upper arms burning from the exercise. I get dressed; eat the breakfast, some kind of sugary cereal I haven't seen before, and walk into the hall when the doors slide open, finding Cindy and Anthony waiting for me and Jasmine heading our way.

"Your chambers were still open when Jasmine and I got back," Cindy says, "Which means you two had one hell of a long, private shower... Is there something we need to know?"

"What do you mean," Anthony asks, his ears turning a bright red.

"I'm just saying," she says smiling malevolently, "Two guys, in the bathroom, naked and alone... Sounds like the perfect opportunity for you to..."

"Shut up," Anthony says, his face as bright as his ears, "It's nothing like that... We were just relaxing our muscles under the hot water... You would understand, if you actually had any real exercise yesterday."

"I was going to say it was the perfect opportunity to talk about your feelings," she says smirking even wider now, "But seeing that you're this defensive, I might be getting a different idea."

"Sound like he has something to hide," Jasmine adds, her smirk big enough to rival Cindy's, "Maybe that's why he wanted you to like him instead of Jake so desperately... because he has a crush on Jake too."

"Too," I ask with a big smirk, "Sounds like you two have been talking about me Cind."

"Well, we have to talk about something interesting," Cindy says, "It's not like the décor around here is much of a conversation point. It's not like I'm saying anything behind your back that I haven't said before, how many times have I told you I like you now?"

"I thought you were kidding," I say, hoping my cheeks aren't matching Anthony's.

"Well," she says, sounding indifferent, "The ball is in your court now. It seems you have two people that have a crush on you, if Jasmine doesn't as well. So the choice is yours."

"I do NOT have a crush on Jake," Anthony says, causing a few of the heads in the hall to turn.

"You don't," I ask, trying to line my voice with as much hurt as possible.

"Well," Anthony says, stuttering, "Maybe if the conditions were, you know, different and I was actually into, uhm, guys and all that, and we were you know..."

"Relax," I say laughing, "We're kidding. We know you don't have a crush on me, but it is totally obvious that you do have one on Cindy."

"On me," she asks, her cheeks showing the first signs of blushing.

"Haven't you seen the way he looks at you when you fight? He's totally smitten."

"I'll see you guys inside," Anthony says, storming off ahead into the training room. A pang of guilt resonates through my body. Did we go too far? He didn't seem to mind the jokes when they were aimed at Cindy, but that's life I guess. It's all fun and games in the circus of life, until you find out that you have become their latest clown and everyone starts laughing at you.

I run after him, wiggling my way through the small groups that have formed. I can't have him being angry with me. He has become my best friend, not only in here, but overall. Sure, Stacy and her group were all great, but I just didn't connect with any of them the way I have with Anthony. We just... understand each other.

I find him standing next to Brandon on a mat in the middle of the large room holding two barrels filled to the brim with odds and ends, everything from doll arms to broken toy cars to baking pans. He is in the middle of a sentence when he sees me and falls silent.