my light

4-rising tension

Sean

________

As soon as we exited the Arts building, I could feel Kaycee tense up beside me. I didn't even have to look at her to know what was on her mind. People. Staring at her, all coming in to swarm us as we headed back down to the quad. I knew they all wanted to get a good luck at her because I'd spent so much time with her, and people with small minds like to talk about other people, and not to be rude, but that was what 99% of the population at BVHS was made of. Small minded people, who were living proof of the gossiping high schooler stereotype portrayed on screens and in books. The kind you read about and hoped you wouldn't grow up to be, but ended up becoming because you let it happen unknowingly. I steered her away from the group, and it was no trouble because she had just kind of frozen by my side, taking in the whispering, glancing, growing crowd of students. Some even had their cell phones out.

I was annoyed, actually. People were pretty good about not acting like I'm on some whole different level than them with fame and stuff, and I try to keep it chill because I don't want to be pulled out of BV, my friends are here, I'm already a junior, and I like choreographing for the Arts program. However, it did have to be addressed sometimes, and every video that went up on any social media platform that I was in had to be monitored and filtered, and letters had to be sent home since the first day of freshmen year, and yeah, I had lost some friends over it, who had claimed I was too "high maintenance" or "some stuck-up show kid", but I knew I had to keep a good profile for the kids that looked up to me, and I had to keep my nose clean for mine and Kaycee's sake if we wanted to build a fan base for WoD. But Kaycee was new to the scene, and all that could grow through my mind were the rumors. They would be killer. Sean and Kaycee, in love? No. I couldn't do that to her. I didn't want her to have a stained reputation, or for her to be seen as the new girl, Sean Lew's girl. Kaycee is an amazing person, a fantastic individual, and I want people to see her for everything she is, not hiding behind a title that she doesn't have.

So I left her, and I could hear her squeak in protest as I addressed the group. "Guys, chill, leave her be."

"Are you dating?" a group of boys guffawed. Their leader, local jerk Josh Price, stepped out in front of the crowd. "Cause if not, I'll tap that-"

"Hey, Price? I'd hold it right there if I were you," I said, inching closer to him to remind him I was taller than him. By 2.5 inches to be exact. But who's counting? I had forgotten he was Kaycee's old partner back in the day when he danced. Now he spread rumors that every male dancer (myself included) was gay, and that really turned most of the guys that had previously been in the Arts program off from joining again. My sophomore year, I was the only guy that auditioned for the dance team. It was picking up again as I kind of climbed the social ladder and my videos gained acclaim, and more and more young artists joined BVHS, but it was still set back thanks to Josh and his ignorant comments. He blinked once, then twice, and smirked at me. "What are you gonna do about it, Lew? No denyin' you got the feeeeeelings," he singsonged. The group snickered. I swallowed hard, and tried to remain calm, feeling Kaycee's eyes burn a hole into my backk. I could practically feel the heat radiating off of her cheeks and the nausea she felt. "We're normal kids just like you, and we're just friends, Josh. And you know the pictures rule."

"I forgot," Josh drawled. "Seany Boy only wants the paparazzi to take his pics."

"God, shut up, Price!" I said, getting frustrated. "I asked nicely. What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Whoa, chill, man," Josh said, in his look at this guy tone. "You're flipping out for no reason."

"You know the goddamn rules, and you brought all these people here," I said through gritted teeth. "Don't think I don't know this was you."

"I'm innocent here," he said, feigning hurt. "You just hate that she'd probably get with me if I asked."

"Are you serious?" I said, shoving him. "Leave her the hell alone or you'll have me to deal with."

Josh frowned, clutching his shoulder. Our eyes met, and he looked away first. "Come on guys," he muttered, slouching away. Everyone else turned silently to look at me. "That goes for all of you. Treat her with the same normality you guys treat me. We all get along fine. It should be no different with her here now." It was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

The warning bell rang, and the crowd dispersed. Then I heard it.

A camera click.

I whirled around to see a guy taking a bunch of pictures of a still frozen Kaycee.

"Dude, are you kidding me?" I said, storming up the stairs and smacking the phone out of his hand. It flew into the grass. Kaycee's eyes widened. I advanced on him. "Did you not hear a word I just said? I just made an example out of Price."

"Bro, I just was uploading them to this website, she's famous dude, come on-"

"Sean!" Kaycee screamed, but I barely heard her. "We need to go! Let it go! I'm fine! SEAN!"

"Where?" I demanded, raising my fist. Side note: I really never fight. I get into some scuffles with my guys, but like, I'm not an aggressive guy. I don't really care who does me wrong, as long as it's something able to be forgiven. I like to be cool with everyone and have no bad blood. But if you mess with Kaycee, that's a different story.

"SEAN!" Kaycee cried. "Stop it right now!"

"I-I-I don't know, a fan website, she's famous, it's like a spotting, we didn't get letters about her, I uh-" he stuttered, backing away from me and closer to his phone. I prepared to swing at him and he braced himself, flinching when I slammed it forwards and into-

Kaycee.

Oh. My. God.

The last bell sounded, and the kid scooped his phone and ran off, but I could barely focus on that. All I could see was the tiny frame of my best friend, shaking as she tried to hold in a sob. "Kayc..."I said, unable to breathe. She looked up at me, warm tears in her eyes. "I....I said to stop," she said tears obvious in her voice. A bruise was already forming on her left cheekbone.

"I am so sorry, God, holy shit I am so sorry..."

"You're not, Sean," she said, pushing me away as I tried to encase her in a hug. "You would've listened. You made a scene. You made it worse than them."

"I wasn't trying to hit you, Kayc, I never would have.."

"But you did," she said, her words packed from behind with a fiery punch. "You wanted me to come here. You said I could escape the crazy but still have it with me here. And now you're the biggest thing driving me away."

I couldn't do anything but watch as she fled to the main building.