Peer Pressure

Negative Confrontation

After curling up on my bed for the next few hours, too broken up to even cry, Shane enters by himself.

"Drew, I think we should talk." He manages shakily.

"You think it's funny, don't you?" I mutter.

"So it's true?" He checks before hissing a quiet. "Shit!"

"I know that you're with Laurence and that you're happy." I try instantly.

He smiles at the sound of Laurence's name. "Yeah, I love Laurence." He clarifies. "But if this is going to be a problem, one of us needs to move out." He adds seriously.

"It won't be a problem, I promise." I immediately tell him.

"You say that like you're going to wait for me. You're going to get seriously impatient and it's going to ruin you when you finally get it that I'm in love with Laurence." He points out.

"I know you love Laurence." I admit. "You've both been pretty clear about it."

He runs his hand through his hair again. "About that, I must've seemed like a right arse earlier. Y'know, with Laurence." He adds. "Whenever he's around, it's like I become completely oblivious to anything around me and Laurence's all I can see, all I can feel and nothing can satisfy it."

"Hence why you were making out like that." I murmur.

He smirks a little. "Who said we were just making out?"

I have to try everything I can not to be sick at the sound of this.

"Sorry, that was a joke, in poor taste clearly." He adds after a while.

"Thank god." I try to smile but the corners of my mouth just tug downwards. "I'm really sorry, I tried to not have-" I start.

"-Don't worry, I know that you can't control it even if you wanted to. How do you think I felt when I fell in love with Laurence?" He calmly replies.

"For a moment, it almost seemed like he wanted you as a pet and you complied." I mutter bitterly. "Like you always do."

He glares at me at the sound of this. "I can't fucking believe you. I'm trying to be nice to you! I don't have to! I can just walk all over you-"

"-That's what I like about you but I can never imagine Laurence doing the same for you." I cut in harshly.

He looks furious but for a moment he seems at a loss for words. I glare at him to see him grinding his jaw while trying to think up a comeback. The sight of him like this as well as my anger makes my eyes water up a little.

I shouldn't have said that.

"Sorry, I just-" I start.

"-You don't need to explain yourself. I get it." He growls but his voice goes weaker on the last three words.

"I just really want you to think about if we'll ever be possible." I try. "I know how you feel about Laurence because that's how I feel about you."

"No it's not!" He growls at me. "Gosh, I can't believe you. Laurence and I have something special, you are nothing to me!"

I flinch at the sound of this and bite my lip. This makes me take a moment to blink back tears. "Okay." I shakily manage. "I should've known." I murmur before quickly thinking up a way to get payback. "At least I'm not a coward. I get it! You can't even consider being in a relationship with me because you're dependant on Laurence and Kier to protect you from the rest of the school. Don't you get it? They're the reason the whole school hates you in the first place so every second you continue hanging out with them, the worse it'll be when you finally realise you can do better."

"And by doing better, by definition excludes you once more. I don't have a fucking death wish." He snarls at me.

"Does Laurence even know that you make out with Kier while he's away? Because I'd be more than happy to tell him!" I snap back at him.

"He won't believe you! Do you have any idea how all this works?" He snaps at me.

"He might not believe me directly but if he actually cares about you, he can't turn off his suspicions. You won't last a week!" I threaten.

"That's a relief because you'll last even less!" He argues.

The argument is interrupted by Luke walking into the room. "Yo, Shane?" He checks.

"What?" Shane growls at him.

"The outside phone's for you." Luke tells him.

I observe quietly as Shane almost trembles at the sound of this. "Did you ask who it was?" He checks.

"I did ask but the bugger just got all strict and demanded me to get you on the phone. Tell whoever it is that they should learn a few manners." Luke simply replies, completely oblivious to the tension between us.

Shane nods. "I'll try but don't expect anything from it."

"Cheers." Luke shrugs.

Shane forces a smile for Luke, turning it into a glare towards me as he leaves the room.

Shit! What have I done?