My Infinity 》Renga

6

Chapter 6: Reki's POV:

"...and I'll hold your hand again."

I honestly can't believe that I said that. It felt like the right thing to say at the time.

Guiltily, I realise that part of me made that statement to show Kaiyo that Langa isn't interested, in hope that if he saw us acting like a couple, he'd back off. Or at least, I don't think Langa's interested. If he is... then I have absolutely no idea what I'm going to do...

The next morning, I make good of my promise and Langa and me walk into school, fingers interlaced again. This earns a surprised look from some onlookers.

I nearly do a double take when I overhear a girl in my science class whisper "I knew it" to one of her friends. Is it really that damn obvious?

We show up like that again the next day, and the next. I love it. Even when we're not pretending, the feeling stills lingers with me and I have a few moments of pure joy and nothing else.

I don't know what I'm feeling. It's scary. But it's sweet. I think about him all the time and I daydream about holding his hand during class and the other small things we do to "act like a couple", like glances and smiles and the occasional kiss blown across a room send shivers down my spine and a smile to my face...

Until our lovely little new friend gets to school.

Then I'm treated like the third wheel.

Not by Langa. He'd never do that, in fact I often see him look back at me a few times with concern, as if to ask, "Is this okay?" and I plaster a fake "I'm fine" expression on my face in hopes that I don't upset him. He also asks me often if I'm alright, or if I'm angry with him or Kaiyo. I always say no, even though I am angry with Kaiyo. Never with him, though.

I don't want to come across as jealous or territorial.

Even though I really am.

It's not just the blatantly obvious attraction that Kaiyo has to Langa. That's not the main issue anymore.

The main issue it the way he treats me in comparison. Kind of like I'm not even there most of the time. I'm like an obstacle to the onyx haired beauty, something that's in his way, his rival, his competition.

It sickens me when he acts like I'm competition. Langa isn't a prize so he doesn't need to compete with me for his attention. It's stupid.

"Hi guys." A friendly seeming Kaiyo says, walking up to us as we venture inside after the first bell.

"Hey..." I mutter sourly.

He and Langa strike up a conversation that I am I'm too busy fuming to pay attention to as our teacher makes his way into the now full classroom.

"I have a surprise for everyone," he says, smiling as if he as an amazing shock planned, "pop quiz!"

Everyone groans angrily at this "surprise", with the exception of the class geniuses.

"So does Mr Meishu give quizzes randomly often?" Kaiyo asks us during break.

"Occasionally," Langa answers, "I didn't find that one too stupidly difficult? How'd you guys go with it?"

"It was fine." I say absentmindedly. I'm not lying, the unexpected pop quiz wasn't overly hard, I knew the topic. Everyone seemed to be alright with it, which is why I find it so annoying what Kaiyo says next.

He turns to Langa and says; "I found it so difficult! Why are you so smart?"

I know for a fact he didn't find it challenging at all. His posture was completely relaxed the entire time, and he finished the paper early. He seemed confident, cocky almost.

"Oh, do you want some tutoring?" Langa inquires innocently.

WHAT?

Langa offering to tutor Kaiyo gives me disgusting mental images of them sitting together in the library, poring over books that I couldn't even dream of understanding. 

My paranoia worsens and I see them hanging around each other, sitting together at lunch every day, kissing behind bike sheds and bookshelves, laughing together, as if I don't exist...

"That'd be so helpful! Thanks!"

I try extremely hard not to cringe.

I hate myself so much for disliking someone I hardly know at all. Especially for such a shallow reason as this one. But it's just the way Kaiyo talks to Langa and me. The way he smiles at my best friend all the time, and barely pays attention to me...

"Reki? You alright?" Langa asks.

"Huh? Oh yeah, I'm fine!" I lie, grinning in the way that seems so normal to me now. Fake. Put on. A false representation of anything that I'm feeling.

During the journey home, I feel my phone buzz in my pocket.

This is odd, because Langa's phone vibrates at the same moment. It makes him jolt in alarm and he nearly falls off his skateboard.

Like a predictable film, I catch him.

"Thanks..." He laughs.

It's moments like these that make me want to scream.

We look at the identical message that we've both received.

Oh god...

Joe: Happy meeting night. I have a new challenge for you! Just thought I'd give you the heads up, I'll tell you tonight what it is ;)

"That's cruel," Langa sighs, "why would he tell us we've been set up again and then not tell us?"

"Because he likes seeing us squirm." I reply, not being able to help my smile.

"True."

To say the silence is awkward would be the biggest understatement in the history of biggest understatements.

"You know, I'm really sorry for getting you into this shit!" I blurt out suddenly.

"What are you on about?"

His expression seems genuinely confused, like I just announced I was running away to join the circus.

"What I mean is, I'm sorry if this makes you feel weird." I sigh.

"Reki, I thought I already told you that I was fine with this?"

"Well, yeah..." I shuffle my feet uncomfortably, "...I just, thought I'd make sure."

"Don't worry. Please don't worry..." He begs.

"Okay..."

Langa takes a few steps towards me, his hands on my shoulders.

"I'm serious. I'm not mad at you. Or Joe, for suggesting it. I'm okay. Are you?"

Unable to speak due to the amount of things rushing through my head, the most prominent being "will you kill me if I lean in and kiss you right now?", I nod.

Much to my dismay, he lets go of my shoulders.

"Langa?"

"Yeah?"

I really badly want to say something but apparently my ability to speak has vanished into thin air.

I look at the boy standing with me on my doorstep. The door is right behind me. If I say or do something right now, I can just disappear into my house.

He's so pretty. So perfect. He literally looks like a daydream, looking at me with curious, gorgeous blue eyes...

"Reki? What do you want to say?"

"I, um, I just..."

Mustering up as much courage as I can, I lean in, kiss his cheek, and run inside as fast as I can.