Breaking Point

Famous Last Words

            Twenty-three annoyingly loud, rambunctious teens suffocated Kyle’s throbbing mind in his honors English class. He kept his hood up and sat in the back of the class, rubbing his eyes and trying to focus on the shapes that appeared beneath his eyelids. It didn’t matter if people thought he was weird; they thought that already. Doing so was helping the pain ease away.

             “Hi,” a shy, quiet voice came from somewhere close by, causing Kyle to peel his eyes open and look up dazedly. A short brunette was standing by his desk, smiling timidly at him with soft sapphire eyes. Kyle recognized her as Amber Casey.

            “Hi,” Kyle said, a little haphazardly, willing the dark shapes blurring his vision to go away so he could see her better. Behind her, the chaos of students beginning a group project was taking place, and a war was being waged with heavy glue stick artillery.

            “Um, Mr. Dirk said we were supposed to work together,” Amber half-lied. Her voice wasn’t rude or unkind. On the contrary, it had kept the syllable of shyness. She wasn’t faking, either.

            Kyle nodded, thinking he might as well accept that things weren’t going to get better anyways. Better to just let it come.

            Amber offered another little grin and sat beside him, dropping her bag by the desk and pushing her hair off her shoulders.

            “I’m Amber,” she said, hoping to clear some of the awkwardness as she turned to face him.

            “I know,” Kyle stated. “And I’m Kyle.”

            Amber nodded, somewhat relieved he’d already know who she was. Explaining would’ve taken longer and built up on the awkwardness. “I know,” she said.

            “Then why did you introduce yourself?”

            “In case you didn’t know me,” she said.

            “We’ve been going to the same schools since seventh grade.”

            “Right,” She said, trying not to blush. “I just- sorry.”

            “Are you always this awkward around guys, or is it just me?”

            Amber frowned and turned to meet his eyes full on, her two already large sapphires growing in confusion. He looked away, embarrassed.

            “Sorry,” he said, picking the nails of his thumbs together. “You just seem to hang out with guys a lot and be really comfortable. I mean, not that I watch you, I just know some of the guys- sorry.”

            Amber’s grin returned. “It’s okay,” she said.

            “I just thought it might be because I’m not like them.”

            They both knew what he meant. The hidden meaning behind the word “different,” wasn’t so mysterious as it had been less than two years ago.

            “Because you’re gay?” Amber said, not so much as a question but more to affirm they both knew what he was talking about. Kyle didn’t say anything, just reddened around his ears. “I don’t care about that. Well, I mean, I care, but because they guys I hang out with probably give you a hard time. Actually, I know they do. I mean, that’s what I wanted to talk to you about.”

            He looked at her, waiting, and this time it was her turn to play with her hands.

            “Sorry,” she apologized again. “That sort of all came out differently than I’d planned it.”