*Riley’s POV*
The weather was utter crap this Tuesday. It rained outside poisonously, so the basketball game I’d planned on playing with Ashley and Maya was cancelled. A let down. Henry needed someone. I’d known it for a long time. He was more lonely then he let on. And Maya might be his perfect fit.
My morning classes zoomed and dragged by all at once. Every moment I tapped my fingers anxiously against my legs, wondering if Katy was telling people I was gay, worrying that Charlie was getting bullied somewhere in this very school. When the lunch bell rang, the tightness in my stomach eased.
Cruising the halls I got more looks then I liked. People used to look at me nervously, like I might have something against me if they showed disrespect. Now they poorly hid their barely suppressed curiosity, watching after me like I was going to grab the nearest dude and jump him.
A particular unpopular girl was doing exactly that. I indifferently flipped her the bird and watch as she looked away embarrassed. People sucked. Why couldn’t they just leave my private life to myself? I wasn’t crusading the halls in make-up and skinny jeans. I didn’t want to cause waves.
As I reached the cafeteria, I saw them, my little group, clustered at our usual spot. It caused a lump in my throat to think of how quickly everything had changed. we’d been friends. Maybe not the deep kind of friends who’d drive miles in the middle of the night for each other. But friends.
The only person at that table who was really my friend was Henry, and he’d been acting rather peculier lately. Katy was someone I thought I loved, but turned out to be a heartless bitch. Tyson was someone I thought I could trust, a bro, but he was flirting with Katy mercilessly before my very eye’s.
Quinn didn’t even sit with us anymore.
I took a moment, paused in the doorway, to feel empathetic. No matter how strange it seemed to me, Quinn and Tyson were involved. Which explained a lot actually. How close they were for one, and how far they’d been lately for another. Katy was a shit disturber. I look around and see Quinn by himself.
I walk over to him, feeling ill. I needed arevenge shot at Tyson. I wished I could render him uninvolved, but I had no way of doing so. So I puased by his empty table now, lingering there momentarily until he looked up. When he did, he didn’t even blink. “Hey” he said, sounding empty.
“Hey” I replied. What happened to us. All of us.
“Havn’t talked to you in a while” he murmurs.
“Yeah… why don’t you come sit with us?” I suggest.
He looks over at our table, turning green “I’ll pass”
I frown, pity so strong I wanted to make Tyson and Katy leave.
“Where’s Tia?” I ask, hopign she’s just in the bathroom.
“We’re…..” he looks down “We’re done”
I pat his back awkwardly, not good at the sympathy thing. “That sucks man”
“Yeah..” he muttered softly, looking depressed. I felt kind of shitty knowing I’d be making his life worse.
“Alright, well.. I’m going to go sit down to lunch. Have a good day” He nods.
I walk away, trying to erase the storm clouds that his sad eyes cast over top of me. I need a distracting topic. My eyes roam and I spot Charlie, sitting with Emily. This annoys me a little, but I doubt she’ll have him back if that’s what he’s trying. I go back to last Friday in my mind.
