𝐂𝐀𝐍 𝐖𝐄 𝐆𖣠 𝐁𝐀𝐂𝐊? [Rinney]

IV: To my alcoholic friends

"Obviously you don't like Donna. Griffin was the first to point it out," he jerked his head towards the kid, who nodded.

"She's a sweet girl. Can't stand being in bad terms and stuff. Stresses her out."

Bruce licked his front teeth. "Okay, it's also pretty obvious that you guys just fell apart when he started dating her. But to be honest, that kid is traumatized, and you were the thing that he desperately clung to before and after. Honestly, I thought you guys would at least begin to date anytime sooner, but all we knew was that he always had a thing for Donna,"

"But why would would he—" Robin finally spoke, hesitantly. "What would he be so terrified of to the point of cutting me off?"

Bruce's, still high eyebrows shot up, a smile tugging to the corner of his parted lips. "So he cut you off."

Silence fell.

"Oh, Rob," he sang. "You're a boy. He's a boy. You're the only thing he had—"

"—I wasn't the only,"

"But the most precious, that's for sure."

"You're not making any sense."

"He preferred to push you away and act like he hated you to keep you far, than to see you hate him . Maybe he thought you'd be grossed the fuck out. So he started dating Clarke to not be eaten out by the loneliness he himself created. Of course, he couldn't bear the embarrassment of being in your same friend group. Which explains why i'm still his close friend."

November 3rd. The sky was grey, hollow of any trace of clouds. The snow had turned into sleek that day and the roads were sprinkled with tiny pebbles of salt. He was bristling and shivering, gulping every now and then to feel some warmth in his sore, itching throat. Finney was there, lips under the soft material of his cyan scarf. He was yelling the next second, gritting his teeth and filling his lungs with frozen air.

"The actual question is what if she was just a cover-up?" Griffin broke in. "Just a thought that has been resting in the back of my mind since day one. I don't want to seem crazy."

The whole talk made Robin's nerves twist in a messy knot, his head spinning. Maybe it was just the wine.

"You must have some serious business against Donna." Bruce laughed.

Griffin shrugged. "Just let me speak my theory. I'd feel bad if it turned out to be that way, of course-"

"-Finney's not that much of a bitch!"

"Let me speak, damn it!"

Robin sat there, listening to the constant bickering. Bruce and Griffin looked so much more invested in his situation than he was. Maybe this had turned into some sort of game, or maybe they just forgot that their answers were right in front of them. He didn't want to talk about it — he wouldn't be telling them the truth, even if they happened to get it right. But so far, nothing was right or even near the so-wanted truth. But their brain (At least Bruce's) were far gone.

Now, Griffin wasn't the sort to get involved into anything. But theories and gossips? Huge fan.

"I'll make it short: Finney is definitely a repressed homosexual that started dating Donna to hide it-"

"-no, no, no no no," Bruce shook his head, pressing his lips together in deep disapproval. "Absolutely not."

"Come on. I'm trying to be realist here, alright? 1981. Homophobia is still among us. Let's-" he raised his voice as Bruce laughed in the background. "-let's take the facts accurately. What was he bullied for in high school? Huh? Yeah. What was he called? A - he was called a faggot ,"