On the Edge of Love (CarlxAlan)

Chapter 25: Alan

Lunch had always been my favorite part of the school day. Not because of the food—God, no. Our school lunches were questionable at best. But because, for thirty minutes, I didn't have to pretend to care about equations or literary devices or anything remotely academic. It was just me, Carl, and our friends, crammed into our usual table in the corner of the cafeteria.

It should have been just like any other day.

But today, something felt off.

Carl sat next to me, close enough that our legs kept brushing under the table. He didn't move away. I didn't either. It was subtle, but I liked it. Needed it, even.

Across from us, Elie was mid-rant about how unfair Mr. Thompson's physics test had been when I noticed one of our friends—Benny—sitting unusually quiet. His tray sat untouched, his gaze flickering between his food and Elie, like he was debating whether to say something.

Elie, of course, noticed immediately. She always did.

"Okay, what's up with you?" she asked, tilting her head.

Benny hesitated, then leaned in and whispered something to her.

I only caught a few words—heard something, not sure if it's true—before Elie's expression shifted from curiosity to something closer to disapproval.

Carl and I exchanged a quick glance.

Elie's lips pressed into a thin line. "That's stupid," she muttered, shaking her head.

Benny looked unsure. "I don't know, I just—"

"Forget it," Elie cut him off. "It's probably nothing."

She shot a quick glance at Carl and me, but didn't say anything else.

I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. Probably nothing was a terrible answer. That was the kind of thing people said when something was definitely something.

Carl must have felt it too, because his leg pressed a little firmer against mine, like he was grounding himself.

No one else at the table seemed to notice. The conversation moved on, but Elie kept sneaking glances at us every so often, like she was holding something back.

I tried to brush it off, but the feeling stuck with me for the rest of the day.

By the time the last bell rang, I was already on edge.

Carl and I met up at my locker, and for a moment, it was just like any other day. We talked about meeting up later, maybe grabbing food or going back to his place. I was just about to say something when one of our other friends—Carson—walked up, looking nervous.

"Hey," Carson said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Uh... you guys might want to hear this."

Carl and I exchanged a glance.

"Okay...?" I said slowly. "What's up?"

Carson sighed. "There's... kind of a rumor going around."

I frowned. "About what?"

Carson hesitated. "About you two."

My stomach twisted. "What about us?"

He shifted uncomfortably. "People are saying that you guys are... you know—gay for each other."

Silence.

For a second, I swore the whole hallway had gone quiet, even though students were still shuffling past us, laughing, talking, existing like normal.

Carl tensed beside me. "Who's saying that?" His voice was calm—too calm.

Carson shrugged. "It's just kinda spreading. I don't know where it started, but..." His gaze flickered past us, toward the lockers on the far side of the hall. "I do know that Summer's been talking about you guys a lot today."

Carl and I turned at the same time.

Across the hallway, Summer was standing by her locker, talking to a group of girls. She wasn't even looking at us, but somehow, I knew.

Carl clenched his jaw. "You think she started it?"

Carson hesitated. "I mean... she did walk in on you guys at the party, right?"

My pulse hammered in my ears.

I didn't even realize I was gripping my locker door so hard until Carl's hand brushed against mine—just for a second, a quick, grounding touch before he pulled away.

I swallowed hard. "Great."

Carson sighed. "Look, I just thought you guys should know."

"Yeah," Carl said, voice tight. "Thanks."

Carson nodded, looking like he wanted to say more but thought better of it. With one last glance between us, he walked off.

Carl and I stood there for a moment, neither of us speaking.

We knew this would happen eventually.

But we weren't ready for eventually to be now.