It Starts Here / 𝗯𝘅𝗯 (✓)

7: Boyfriends and secrets

CHAPTER SEVEN
Fourteen years old

Ares is with Sara for about half a year and that's when Felix decides to get himself a boyfriend.

Felix has survived Ares' relationship for six whole months—which have felt more like six years to him—and has learned that Sara is a basketball player who likes to flick her friends (and boyfriend) on the forehead and smile gently at those same friends when they tell her something excitedly and Felix likes her.

It somehow makes everything a little worse when Sara starts calling Felix her friend. Now, Felix feels like he's betraying two people by having a crush on Ares. Maybe that's what pushes him to finally get rid of the unnecessary feelings for his best friend and realize, that the easiest way is to feel them for someone else. 

"We have to find me a boyfriend."

Teddy glances at him before returning her attention to her locker and the pictures hanging inside it. She sticks a photo of a heavy metal band Felix knows she likes onto the back of the door. "I thought you had a boyfriend."

Felix blinks. "What?"

She glances at him. It looks more like glaring, but Felix has learned that that's just what her eye liner makes it look like. "You don't have a boyfriend?"

"What?" he repeats before shaking his head like the idea offends him. She shrugs. "Of course not. Who would be my boyfriend?"

"That Latino guy you always hang around." Felix feels his cheeks burn just as she eyes the photos she has hung up. "You broke up?"

"You mean Ares?" He makes a weird sound like he can't believe she'd think this and shakes his head again because he just can't help it. The last thing he needs is for this to reach Ares and have him think that Felix has people thinking that they're dating. "Us? What, no! Why– would we– ever–" 

He halts as Teddy looks at him, closing her locker. "We're just friends. Best friends," he adds as if it doesn't make him sound even more stupid. When Teddy still doesn't say anything, Felix feels compelled to say, "Besides, Ares is straight, so." He shrugs and Teddy frowns.

"Uh," she says, "no, he's not."

"He has a girlfriend."

"So?" She raises an eyebrow like she always does before she's about to lecture him about something. "He could still be queer."

"It doesn't matter," Felix says, refusing to admit that he's unsure what queer even means. "We're not together."

Teddy stills for a couple of seconds as if considering something before stating with a straight face, "There is no heterosexual explanation for you guys, but okay." She shrugs. "If you say so."

"I do," Felix sighs.

"Okay."

"Okay."

"Okay," she repeats and Felix has to physically stop himself from repeating it. "So, why do you want a boyfriend? They're just a hassle."

Because I need to get over my straight best friend that you think is my boyfriend who has a girlfriend who's also my friend and this is the best plan that I can come up with because I have run out of patience–

"Because life is short and I've never had one," he says instead and ignores how lame he sounds.

Teddy blinks. She doesn't seem to impressed. "You're what? Fourteen?"

"You're fourteen, too!"

"So we're both too young to say that life's too short, but only one of us did. What's your point?" she says and Felix rolls his eyes.