Bi the Curb

Chapter 5: In

Ally zipped up her backpack with a determined click, the familiar weight settling on her shoulders as she checked her reflection one last time. Noticing the perfect lighting in the mirror, she captured her smile in the soft morning light with her phone, the caption already forming in her thoughts. She pushed her way out the door as she applied a filter, she wanted her first day back at SDCI to be perfect.

With each step towards the bus stop, her mind replayed Rodney's confessions—not only had he meddled in her relationship with Matt, but he kissed another guy. She wondered if had just been using her to hide the fact he was actually gay. She shook her head trying not to dwell on the thought for too long, today was about reuniting with Luke and Steven again, not Rodney.

"Hey girl!" came the chirpy voice of her phone's ringtone as comments poured in on her photo. Ally smiled as she scrolled through the welcome back comments on the bus. It was just the boost she needed. Today she was going to set some boundaries, Rodney needed to know she wanted nothing to do with him. The thought of confronting him gave her a strange comfort. She was going to set the rules and he was going to listen.

The bus groaned to a halt, releasing its cargo of chattering students onto the curb of SDCI. Ally scanned the crowd for familiar faces but found none. Her heart rate picked up as she entered the bustling cafeteria, scanning the sea of heads for the ones that mattered most. Nothing. Not a glimpse of her friends or even Rodney for that matter.

"Okay, library it is," Ally muttered to herself, hoping to find Steven there as she pushed through the double doors into the quiet sanctuary of books and studying.

Instead, she found Rodney, hunched over a table littered with textbooks and scribbling notes into his notebook. Ally's steps slowed her initial urge to hide wrestled down by her desire to just get this conversation over with. If she got this discussion over with this morning, she would never have to think about it again, heat bloomed in her cheeks as she made her way over to him.

"Rodney," she said, her voice stronger than she felt. He didn't hear her approach, too busy working on his French report. At the sound of her voice Rodney's whole body tensed. With a jolt, he looked up, his face draining of colour when he caught sight of her.

"What are you—" he began, scrambling to shove his books back into his bag.

"I transferred back," Ally cut him off, taking the empty seat across from him. "We need to talk."

"Sorry, can't, I am super late for something," He stuttered before racing toward the library exit. Ally watched him go, not sure if she should follow or not. She knew they needed to lay out the ground rules now that she was back. She deserved a great year, and no one, not even Rodney, was going to take that away from her.

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Rodney fumbled for the doorknob, his hands slick with sweat as he staggered into the empty classroom. He took a seat near the back where he couldn't be seen from the door, safe from Ally for now but it was only a matter of time before they would be forced to talk. He leaned against the back of the chair, everything started to feel so heavy. With a shuddering breath, he put his head down on the desk, his backpack dropping beside him.

"Get it together," he whispered to himself, pressing the heels of his palms into his eyes. But instead of darkness, he saw Ally's face, her blue eyes full of anger, and heard the echoing laughter of her branding him a freak, a stalker. His chest tightened, and he gasped for air.

"Pathetic," Rodney muttered, the word aimed at himself. He was afraid of someone he thought he loved, of what she could do to his reputation now that she knew everything, of how the school would turn on him if they knew the truth. He should have kept his distance, and should never have gone to that audition in the first place. He felt so stupid for what he did.