Almost Friends

Chapter 6- Kyle

Chapter Six

Kyle

Dizzy Spells

Since it's only the first day of school, the gym isn't all that noisy during P.E. There's no loud basketball game, no sounds of P.E. teachers blowing whistles every five seconds, and no ditzy freshman talking loudly in a pathetic yet understandable attempt to attract attention to themselves. Instead, all five of the classes that share the gym are seated on the bleachers while each of our respective P.E. teachers explain what we're going to be doing this semester.

I haven't heard a word our P.E. teacher, Coach Jacobs, has said for the past fifteen minutes. This is because Mia's hijacked my attention. As usual, she's complaining about her boyfriend.

I've already told her what I think. At least a million times I've suggested she cut the cord and break up with Ran. But does she listen? Of course not. So here we sit, once again discussing Ran's alleged wandering eye.

Mia shakes her head while she runs her fingers through her hair and whispers, "He basically spent every day of summer at her house. He said they were just working on his stupid comic book series, but what heterosexual woman is with Randall Hawke every day for, like, two months straight and doesn't try to, at least, make out with him? And what heterosexual guy turns down a woman- even if it's Lanie freaking Russell?!" Mia rests her elbows on her knees and plops her chin in her hands. She sets her gaze on the back of Ran's head. He's seated on the bleachers too, a few rows below ours.

"Mia, I really don't think he's cheating on you," I say.

Physically speaking, that is.

I purse my lips and choose not to add that there's definitely something—even if it's not physical—going on between Ran and Lanie. For example, here we are in Gym, a class that Ran and Mia have together. But is Ran sitting beside Mia? Nope. As soon as Ran got to the gym, he waved to Mia from a distance and then hightailed it to the second row of the bleachers where he plopped down beside Lanie Russell. And of course, Mia's too conceited to go down there and stake her claim. The same thing usually happens at lunch time- Ran goes off with Lanie, and Mia doesn't even bother trying to stop him.

"Then why is he always with her?" Mia hisses. One of the girls sitting in front of us, an overweight chick with frizzy red hair, turns around to glance at Mia. I give Frizzy Ginger the evil eye until her face turns as red as her hair. Chastened, Frizzy Ginger quickly returns her attention to Coach Jacob's lecture.

"I mean, look at her," Mia says, her voice going up a notch. "She's not even cute. And her clothes are, like, from the Walmart clearance rack."

I follow Mia's gaze to Lanie. The girl's thick hair is pulled back into a lazy ponytail and her clothes—a blue flannel shirt and mom jeans—are equally unimpressive. Ran turns to Lanie and whispers something in her ear. She laughs quietly, covering her mouth as her bright brown eyes widen and the apples of her cheeks brighten with color.

Mia's right about Lanie's clothes, but Mia is also very wrong about Lanie not being cute. In fact, I can sort of understand why Ran would be attracted to someone like her. She's not just pretty- she's needy.

"Hey," I say. "Remember when me, you, Ran, and Chris went to New Orleans for Jazz Fest?"

"Yeah. How could I forget?" Mia frowns as she turns to me. "Ran made us three hours late and I almost broke up with him."

"Right," I reply, my gaze going to the dark bags under Mia's eyes. She's done a good job hiding them with concealer, but sitting this close, I can definitely see them. She must not have gotten much sleep last night. "My point is the reason why Ran made us late."