Stuck in the 𝐌𝐢𝐝𝐝𝐥𝐞~KDG

The Weight of Expectations

The days that followed felt like a blur for me. My mind was a constant jumble of thoughts, replaying Kentrell's words over and over. I wasn't ready to deal with the possibility that our friendship might be changing—especially not in the middle of all the chaos caused by BabyJoe's rumors.

At school, things hadn't improved much either. Even though BabyJoe had done his best to set the record straight, people were still talking. It didn't help that Kentrell and I had shifted from our once-easygoing dynamic, creating more tension in an already complicated situation.

On a Thursday afternoon, Mia, always quick to notice when something was off, pulled me aside after class. "Spill it. I know something's going on with you and Kentrell. You've been weird lately."

I sighed, leaning against the lockers. "It's... complicated. He said some things the other day, and now I don't know where we stand."

Mia raised an eyebrow. "What kind of things?"

I hesitated, not wanting to reveal too much. "He hinted that maybe there's something more between us. Like, more than just friends. I didn't know how to respond."

Mia's eyes widened in surprise. "Wait, what? Kentrell? I mean, I always thought you guys had something going on, but... wow."

"I didn't think we did," I muttered. "I've only ever seen him as a friend. But now I'm second-guessing everything."

Mia leaned closer, lowering her voice. "Do you have feelings for him? Like, more than just as a friend?"

I opened my mouth to respond, but no words came out. Did I have feelings for Kentrell? I wasn't sure anymore. The thought of him made my stomach flip, but I had never let myself consider it before. Now that the idea was out in the open, it was hard to ignore.

"I don't know," I finally admitted. "Everything is so confusing right now."

Mia gave me a sympathetic smile. "Well, whatever you decide, just be honest with yourself. Don't rush into anything if you're not sure. And if Kentrell really feels that way, he'll be patient."

I nodded, grateful for Mia's advice. But even as her words sank in, the situation with Kentrell remained unresolved.

The next day, I found myself walking toward the basketball courts after school. It was a place Kentrell and I often hung out when we needed to talk, and today, I felt a pull to confront the issue head-on. I spotted him shooting hoops with a couple of his friends, his usual laid-back demeanor back in place.

After waiting for a break in the game, I approached him, my heart pounding in my chest.

"Hey," I called out.

Kentrell glanced over, tossing the ball to one of his friends before jogging over to me. "What's up?" His tone was casual, but I could sense the underlying tension in his expression.

"I think we need to finish our conversation from the other day," I said, folding my arms. "About what you said... about us."

Kentrell sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah, I figured that was coming."

We stood in awkward silence for a moment before he finally spoke again. "Look, I didn't mean to put you on the spot. I've just been thinking about us lately. The way we hang out, how easy things are between us—it feels like more than just friendship sometimes. I guess I just needed to say it out loud."

I bit my lip, feeling my own confusion rise to the surface. "I get that. And I don't want to mess things up between us, but I'm not sure what I feel right now. Everything's been so overwhelming, and I just don't know if I'm ready to take things in a different direction."

Kentrell nodded, his expression softening. "I didn't mean to rush you. I just wanted to be honest about how I've been feeling. But if you're not there, that's okay. I don't want this to mess up what we have."

I felt a wave of relief wash over me. "I don't want that either. I care about you, Kentrell, but I think we need to take things slow and figure out where we stand. I don't want to ruin our friendship because of all this."

Kentrell smiled, the tension between us easing. "Yeah, slow sounds good. Let's just keep things chill and see where it goes."

We stood there for a moment, the weight of the conversation finally lifting. I knew there was still a lot to figure out, but for the first time in days, I felt like we were on the same page.

As the sun began to set and shadows lengthened across the court, Kentrell turned to me with a grin. "Wanna shoot some hoops? You could probably use a distraction."

I laughed, feeling the familiar ease between us return. "Yeah, I could use a distraction."

The sound of the basketball hitting the pavement echoed in the fading light as we played, our worries pushed aside for the moment. But even as we laughed and joked like we always had, I knew that things between us had changed. The question was, what would come next?

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