fallout - r.b.

one

"Shay... Reece is going to kill you." I spoke once I picked my jaw up from off the floor.

It was two minutes in to our five-minute break between classes when my best friend, Shayla, pulled me aside in the corridor, and we fell into step together.

I should have known it would be about George; the two of them had been not-so-subtly flirting  for weeks now. Shay's smile was cheesy and timid. She was clearly gushing over the situation, but all I could see was messiness.

"You see, I thought so as well.. at first, but hear me out!" she started and I raised my eyebrow sceptically. "Sure, George is one of his best mates... but is that really a bad thing? It just means Reece won't have to choose between hanging out with me or his friends. And on top of that, he won't have to pretend to get on with his little sister's boyfriend 'cause he already loves him!"

I shook my head at her, partly with concern and partly with amusement.

"I don't think they'll be getting on much longer once Reece finds out about you two."  We reached my locker, so I stopped to switch my books out.

"Reece will understand."  Shay rested against the adjacent lockers with a grin, seeming far too enthusiastic about the situation. I gave her a look that conveyed my doubt.

"I've never had him pegged as the understanding type." 

In the many years I've known Reece, I'd seen him as nothing but Shayla's annoying older brother. He was arrogant and condescending and thought he was the shit just because he was a year older than us. It was a shame, really, because he could be quite a great guy if he wasn't so busy acting like a douchebag.

I hadn't even noticed the glare Shay was giving me.

"I never had you pegged as the non-understanding type. You're supposed to be my best friend, Ren. You could try being at least a little bit supportive." With that, she angrily turned the corner and headed to her next class. What the fuck did I do?

I let out a heavy sigh and closed my locker a little too harshly. The sound of it slamming shut echoed the hallway, earning a few odd looks in my direction. I rolled my eyes and abruptly marched off down the hall. I was too fed up to notice the person rounding the corner as I collided straight into a hard chest, both of our books clattering to the floor.

"I am so sorr- Oh, Ren. Hey." I looked up to meet the boy's eyes. Blake--the other member of Reece and George's little throuple.

I felt my cheeks heat up a bit, whether it was due to embarrassment or Blake's presence... well, I preferred not to think about that. I had never admitted it, but I'd always had a teeny crush on Blake. We would see each other often as we both spent lots of time at Shayla and Reece's house, but our interactions hardly extended beyond small talk.

"Hi Blake," I sighed. I was a little pissed off just being around anyone associated with Reece and George after my argument with Shay.

"Are you okay?" He asked as we both crouched down to pick up our books.

"Fine." I muttered. Blake stood up, extending his hand down to me. My eyes flicked up to his face and back to his outstretched hand before I reluctantly placed mine in his as he helped me up from the floor.

"You don't seem fine," he stated while resituating his books in his arms.

"I am... it's just, Shayla's being a dumbass," I said. He furrowed his brows and opened his mouth to speak just as the bell rang, signalling class was beginning. "Well, we better get going..." I started walking off before Blake called after me.

"Wait, Ren!" I turned back around and shot him a confused look. The two of us were now alone in the hallway after everyone had scurried to class. Blake glanced around briefly, before meeting my eyes again. He seemed nervous? But he swiftly tapped back into his cool composure. "I'm going to the Bibby's after school today, do you fancy walking over together? You can tell me what happened then."