A single bet. Two people. And one month of free ice-cream.
Unspoken promises, heated gazes, and an inexplicable lust for each other. Will Tyler and Brandon confess their true feelings? Or will their playful banter and awkward moments dissolve into n...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Something was definitely off. I stepped outside the hostel, and took a deep breath. The air was different, warmer, but not overly so. If I looked around, it was obvious that spring was cascading towards its end, and that sent a pang of disappointment throughout the school. The cheery steps and the scent of flowers blooming gave way to the lethargic dragging of feet and the sticky humidity. I wanted to wish the summer away, but the season meant more tourists at the beach and better business for our bakery. Maybe I was money minded but that was a strong reason for me to not complain and whine. The weather wasn't the root of the problem though. What irked me was that despite the increasing temperature, nothing was happening in the school.
How was it possible that the past week went in a blur? With the group of lunatics I had befriended?
Like I predicted, it wasn't supposed to be possible. My theory didn't fail me. The day started of unusually and it was only the start of my suspicions. Instead of Rebecca kicking, punching and shouting (I was a heavy sleeper sometimes) me awake, I woke up because of the silence. As if the world was narrowing down on me, the absolute silence gave me a sense of foreboding, and I woke up feeling scared. Looking around for Rebecca, but not finding her anywhere, I rushed through the morning motions to make it in time for the first class.
As soon as I stepped inside the school hallway, the sense of foreboding doubled. I was conflicted between feeling better that something was finally going to happen and feeling troubled by the same upcoming 'something'. Today I felt exceptionally self-conscious; as if everyone was boring holes in my back and plotting against me. It could have been the heat that was making me paranoid, but my mind quickly subdued that theory. The thought that everyone might be staring at me didn't bode well, and a shiver ran down my spine whenever I caught a trail end of a conversation that could have been remotely related to me.
I knew why I was like that. Being bullied either made you numb to all the jests people threw at you or hyper aware to each word spoken or whispered in your immediate proximity. Half the time hoping, scratch that, always hoping that their topic of conversation wasn't you. I always thought I was one of the former kind, the demure and dumb type, but today my overheated mind was proving to be the latter.
Halfway through the morning classes, I finally spotted Rebecca while changing rooms. Relieved that she wasn't lying passed out somewhere in the hostel, and very much alive, I called out, "Reb!"
She halted mid-step, and looked back with a bewildered expression. "Tyler."
I quickened my steps and matched up to hers. "Where have you been? You didn't wake me up today. Are you okay?"
Her short reply made me frown. What was up with her? I opened my mouth to say something, but her phone buzzed, and she tapped away on the screen in a rush. For a moment, I didn't think much of it, but she roused my suspicions when she gave me a side glance. As if to check on me. Hmm.
