something stranger || sillie ✔️

8 || Freak

|| Millie ||

When I get to school, nothing seems different. Except, of course, everyone being in costume for Halloween. I didn't have the spirit to dress up, but Karolina made me put on this stupid red wig from a million years ago and say I'm Raggedy Anne. 

I rip the wig off and shove it in my backpack.

Nothing eventful happens in my morning classes, but by the time I get to lunch, I can tell something's up. I can't bear to sit with Sadie, so I go to the jazz band table with Karolina. Every single person I pass gives me some kind of look; disgust, pity, nervousness. This is Atlanta, Georgia. Not the most open-minded.

"Millie, your wig." Lina says as I sit beside her.

"Oh. It was itchy." I lie. Lina side-hugs me.

Then Tyler Murphy squeezes next to me.

"Sooooo, Millie, I heard the big news!" He squeals. Tyler is the only openly gay person in the school.

"What? What news? Karolina-"

"It wasn't her." Tyler assures me. "Kate told me. Jack told her. And Caleb told Gaten who told Jack." 

Wow. That's reassuring. Does the whole freaking school know now?

"I'm sorry." Says Kate from across the table. "It's just so exciting! You and Ty are, like, the only gays in the school."

"What about Wolfhard and Schnapp?" Kurt jests at Noah and Finn. 

"They're not gay," I hiss testily.

"That's right. Noah's had a crush on Millie since elementary school." Lina laughs aloud, and laughs harder (along with the whole table) when Kate comments, "I guess that's not gonna work out."

I can tell Lina's trying to be chill, but honestly, nothing could be less chill than this day.

I glance over at my friends. Gaten and Caleb are some guys from West Side Story (they're in the theatre crowd as well as... Her). Her is unadorned as I am.

"Millie, stop looking," Tyler says. "It'll make it obvious."

"Obvious?"

"That you like Sadie," he says in a "duh" tone.

"I don't," I say too quickly. Was that the rumor?

|| Sadie ||

Someone snuck into the study hall earlier today and hung a BANNER made from notebook paper across the room. In red sharpie are sprawled the words "Millie Brown and Sadie Sink are f***buddies" except no asterisks.

Caleb holds me as a start to sniffle.

"Ignore it," He says. Ignore it? It's thirty freaking feet long and literally hanging over my head!

"Oh gosh," I say. "Oh gosh." 

Gaten guards me from prying eyes as we back into a corner of the room, students snickering around us.

I can't believe this. The people in this school are so insensitive.

"Who do you think it was?" Gaten demands.

"Who knows," Caleb mutters. "They better hope I don't find out."

I try to stifle my tears, but Caleb's shirt is soon soaked. He kisses my head and whispers assurances, but the only thing I'm assured of is that I'm in deep shit. 

I want to see Millie, but that will probably just spread the rumors more. Maybe if we met in secret... No, that seems even more conspicuous. But if no one knew...? I could text her to meet at my place later. We could talk this all over. Everything could be al-

"Yo, Kinky Sink!" Yells a jock as he rams through the study hall room. Caleb promptly flips him off.

"What is it, McLaughlin? Upset that your girlfriend turned gay and doesn't love you anymore? No more free pu-"

"Shut up!" Gaten exclaims.

"Whatever, losers." The jock- Jack or something - turns and trudges away.

I get lost in my thoughts, eyes damp, mind an ardent whir. I haven't seen Millie since lunch.

A/N: sorry for the shorter chapter, but another one's coming up soon!