Not What it Seems

Epilogue

One Month Later

~Cash~

As I walked into school that Monday morning, I received blank stares and complete ignorance all around. It had been like this since Jane and I came out in the open about our relationship.

It was foolish to think everything would change just because Jane and I allowed ourselves to be together - it was futile to think that the two of us could change the minds of hundreds.

But it didn't really matter, as I had come to see, because I was done caring about what everyone else thought. Maybe that was the lesson behind Jane's and my story - the way people see you should be the way you are. Yet, you cannot define yourself by the way others chose to.

As I walked down the hallway, I forced myself to hold my head high, as I had always done, for now I realized there was no shame in refusing to conform, no shame in being different. I spotted Jane standing at her locker, Alex by her side as she elbowed him in the gut before flashing me a smile.

I crossed the hallway to her and took her face in my hands, pressing a kiss to her mouth. It felt incredible to do this in public, and the lack of fear was something I had finally become accustomed to. Jane smiled, wrapping her pale arms around my neck as Alex made gagging noises.

"Gross, please, not while I can see you," he groaned and I rolled my eyes, slipping my arms around Jane's waist as she turned around.

"You make out with Kiera all the time in front of us," I pointed out and he blushed.

"Yeah, but that's -"

"Nope," Jane said, laughing as she cut him off. "That's exactly the same."

She shut her locker and we walked down the hallway to our first period with Jane between Alex and I. I laced my fingers with hers and she looked up at me happily.

"I love you," she mouthed, and I leaned down to kiss her again.

I knew there were still people who hated me for dating Jane - people who couldn't accept that we were all people in and of ourselves, and it didn't really matter where we came from. But I didn't care.

I wasn't concerned about being popular, or being part of the in crowd. It didn't matter. I was still going to be captain of the Varsity team next year, and I hoped I could inflict some of my recently obtained knowledge upon the impressionable freshmen come next year.

I wasn't delusional enough to think the real world wasn't like high school, because it was. We would still be judged by our status and appearance, and it would still be frowned upon to do what Jane and I were doing, but I still didn't understand one thing. How could anyone know for sure what other people were like? How could we be so sure about a person's character simply by their social status?

I watched as Chris shoved a sophomore into the lockers - a boy I recognized as someone who lived in my building. And I made a choice. I didn't want to escape this journey unscathed. I didn't want to just be with Jane and leave it at that. I wanted to change things.

"Leave him alone," I growled at Chris, taking the kid - Joey - and moving him behind me.

Chris laughed openly at my attempt to stop him, and reached behind me, grabbing the boy by the collar. But my mind said no. Everything in me said no, so I swung, hitting Chris hard in the jaw. Jane gasped and time slowed down.

This may have been the end of our journey, but I wanted more than that. I needed the change to start with me.

And this was the beginning.