Blurred Lines [BxB] COMPLETED

0.10

0.10 - Monday 7:35 a.m.

Rhys Wyer

Mav hasn't arrived yet and there are five more minutes until the bell rings. He's never usually this late.

"You okay?" Alex asks. I can't help but glare at him.

"I'm fine," I say harshly. Alex's eyebrows furrow in confusion, but he just shrugs.

I turn away from him to see Mav walking across the quad. But he's not alone. Lauren walks beside him, laughing at something he said and grabbing the sleeve of his sweatshirt. Mav looks down at her and smiles.

"So that's happening again," Alex mutters beside me. I ignore him, crossing my arms. Jules saunters over from Lola and Sarah and nods his head questioningly at me.

"What's up with you?" Jules asks. I groan, pulling the hood of my sweatshirt over my head.

"Why does everyone keep asking me that?"

"Because you look like you could murder someone right now," Jules says bluntly. I roll my eyes, but an image of Alex's face passes through my mind.

"I'm fine, seriously, just stop asking," I say.

"Stop asking what?" Lauren asks cheerfully, sidling up next to Jules, who gives her a one-armed hug. Mav stands in between me and her, forming a tight circle like we always do every morning. His hand brushes against mine and I stiffen. Mav flinches imperceptibly.

"Rhys just got up on the wrong side of the bed," Alex says dryly. Lauren glances worriedly towards me, then Mav. It was only a quick look but her face said it all—she knew. It was just a question of how much she knew.

"Shut the fuck up, Alex," I snap. Alex rolls his eyes, and Jules laughs, but we all know it's forced. He hates when situations get awkward. Lauren and Mav stay silent.

A few seconds pass in uncomfortable quiet, and there's this undeniable, suffocating tension in the air that visibly releases when the bell rings.

Mav and Lauren immediately walk away, practically hand in hand. Alex leaves, melting in with a crowd of other students walking to class. Jules stays behind with me as we wait for the student traffic to thin out.

"Hear about the party this Friday?" Jules asks.

"No," I say. Jules shoots me a quizzical frown.

"Beverly didn't tell you?" he asks. I sigh irritatedly.

"She's been ignoring me since Saturday," I explain. And she is definitely still ignoring me because usually she stands with us in the morning, but today she is nowhere to be found.

"Damn, were you that bad in bed?" Jules asks with a smirk.

I shove him, muttering curses at him that only cause his smirk to widen.

"She's clingy and annoying, okay? And super sensitive," I tell him. Jules rolls his eyes. I narrow mine at him. "What?"

"It's Beverly fucking Jameson, dude, what did you expect?" Then Jules parts ways towards his class and I'm left standing dumbstruck, wondering for the first time if maybe I'm way in over my head.

***

If the morning was awkward, lunch is downright painful. The usual people sit around me: Jules, Beverly, Mav, Lauren, Alex, Sarah, Tristan, and Hunter.

But it is so obvious that something's not right. Beverly won't even look at me. Alex and I glare at each other. Sarah insults Alex every chance she gets. Mav and Lauren whisper to each other. I ignore Mav. And Jules tries to initiate conversation with Tristan and Hunter, who both look put off by the thorny dynamic of the group.

"So...what class do you have next?" Jules asks no one in particular. Alex snorts unattractively.

"I don't fucking know," Alex says. Sarah shakes her head.

"That's not surprising," she says under her breath. Alex rolls his eyes.

"Okay..." Jules mutters, "so do you guys want to hang out after school?"

The table descends into an even deeper silence, if that's possible.

"I'm busy, sorry," I say. Beverly purses her lips. Jules turns a pitifully hopeful smile towards the rest of the table.

"I have practice," Mav says.

"Same," Hunter says, clearly relieved. "Him too." He points to Tristan, who is sleeping on the table.

"Lauren?" Jules asks. She glances to Mav uncertainly before looking back to Jules.

"I can't today," Lauren says.

The last person to answer is Beverly. Jules turns to her hesitantly.

She looks Jules over slowly, dragging her gaze down then up like nails scraping a chalkboard. "Yeah, I'm free," she says finally. Jules's eyes go wide and he automatically looks at me for approval. But I can't look at him, only Beverly. Her blonde hair is tied up in a bun, and black framed glasses rest on her head. She would've looked cute if her plump, pink lips weren't twisted into a small, glossy sneer.

"I have to go meet a teacher," I say, getting up and slamming my chair back. I don't bother looking at their expressions as I walk out of the cafeteria.

I make it five yards from the cafeteria before someone grabs my wrist. How do I know who it is already?

"Rhys."

I take a deep breath, trying to calm the raging fire that ignites in my chest at his touch and voice.

"What," I snap, turning around. Mav doesn't let go of my wrist right away, so I have to shake it off.

"We should talk," Mav pleads. The fire inside my chest burns hotter.

"You think I want to talk?" I ask in disbelief. "You think I want to fucking talk with you? About what?"

Mav's eyes turn dark and heavy with hurt. "You know what," Mav says in a low voice. I throw my hands up in the air.

"No, I don't, Mav. And I don't want to know. Just keep dicking around with Lauren and leave me alone." I turn my back and walk away from him.

"What's your problem?" Mav asks, clearly fed up. My feet stop and my whole body freezes. I can't face him. That's all I know. I can't turn around and face him or he might see—

"Are you jealous of Lauren or something?"

No. No, no, no.

"Because if you are, then you're a fucking hypocrite," Mav says.

"I'm not jealous," I say out of gritted teeth. Mav lets out a strangled laugh.

"Then what? What is going on with you? Are you that disgusted with me?"

I stay silent.

"Does our friendship really mean that little to you?" Mav asks, his voice turning soft. My hands curl into fists as I slowly face him.

"You don't understand—" the words clamor out of my throat only to be cut off.

"Understand what?" Mav asks incredulously. Our gazes lock, and for a second I'm drowning in blue. Mav's eyebrows shoot up and his lips open to speak but I just can't hear what he has to say.

"I have to go," I say sharply, then I turn on my heel and walk away. Mav doesn't try to stop me this time.