Unzip Me (boyxboy)

20 - Protector/Victim

Silence.

That's all there was to hear besides the ringing in my ears as my breathing slowed and my mouth ran dry. I couldn't quite comprehend what the hell just happened, but all eyes were on me, their own little signs of shock and confusion with every blink.

I kept my focus on Green-Bean; the tattle telling back stabber who had just humiliated me in front of everyone. If it wasn't for this round café table keeping us apart, I just might've snapped his neck.

"What?" Erin's shaky voice whispered out, an awkward chuckle after it. Her eyes were on Green-Bean, "You're kidding, right?"

The back stabber folded his arms over his chest, "I don't know, why don't you ask him?"

Now her eyes were on me, "Kyler... he's just joking, right? You're not cheating on me."

I refused to meet her eyes, rather, I kept my focus to the table with my jaw clenched. There was only a frustrated, guilty sigh that escaped my lips and as everyone watched on, the thudding in my chest grew louder.

Erin seemed to have taken my silence as an answer as she quietly gasped to herself in realization, her voice racked with disbelief, "He's telling the truth, isn't he? You're cheating on me..."

"Erin-" I managed to say as I looked up at her, but she cut me off with a stinging slap to the face, sending my head to the side. The group gasped as she did this, some of them even leaning away.

I went to touch her shoulder as a form of comfort, but she flinched, hastily standing from her chair as it screeched across the floor, her hands balled into fists as she glared down at me, "I can't believe this..." Her voice was seething, "I can't believe you'd do this to me and for how long? With who?"

I rubbed at my stinging cheek, looking up at her with guilty eyes and a timid, exasperated voice, "A little over four weeks or so

...I don't know."

More gasps. More head shakes.

Her teeth were clenched by now, a single tear descending, "And with who?"

I held my tongue.

"With who?!" She shrieked, making me flinch and when she realized I wasn't telling, her head snapped around to Green-Bean, "Who is he cheating on me with!?"

Green-Bean parted his lips to say something, but when his eyes flickered down to Cj who was seated stiffly with his hands shaking in his lap and his focus to the table, his eyes daring to spill over with fearful tears, Green-Bean shut his lips. He shook his head, giving me a final glare before turning away as he hastily evacuated the café. Liam was quick to follow after him, never wanting to leave someone alone and I somewhat relaxed, knowing Cj hadn't been mentioned.

Erin scoffed, rolling her eyes as she too turned to leave, but she stopped, glaring down at me instead, "You don't really love me, do you?"

I swallowed, deciding that I had lied enough and shouldn't anymore, "No. I just said that because I didn't want to hurt your feelings..."

"Well you failed," the other girl beside Ash spat, the two of them standing as they hurried Erin away from me and out of the café all together.

I sighed, placing my elbows on the table as I buried my head in my hands. I was such a fucking screw up, and now, the girl of my dreams hated me and it was all my fault. Most everything is my fault.

"Dude..." Ben began, getting up from his place as he came and sat beside me, a hand going to my shoulder, "Are you okay?"

"I guess..." I mumbled.