Game, Set, Match

{17}

Nate

Maybe I shouldn't have gone to Rachel's last night because now I'm functioning on two hours of sleep. Luckily there's no practice on Fridays.

I was able to quietly sneak back into the house without disturbing my sleeping parents. It felt wrong staying in Rachel's bed so I left and texted her that I went home. It was around 4am when I returned. But I couldn't sleep for about an hour because my new revelation about Chase kept me up during the night.

"Oi, Nate. Are you alright?" Josh asks as he looks at me with slight concern. We are currently in our English class and I've been zoned out the whole lesson.

"Yeah I'm alright. I've just got some stuff on my mind."

"Yeah I can see that. But you haven't written anything down and the class is almost over."

I look at the board filled with notes and curse under my breath.

"You can copy mine later." Josh smirks.

"Thanks."

*

Josh and I have spent half an hour of our lunch break in the library and I haven't so much as picked up a pen before zoning out again. Josh notices.

"Tell me what's on your mind." Josh says, abandoning the book he was reading while I was supposed to copy his notes for English.

Should I tell Josh about my new fondness for Chase?

I don't think his reaction will be too bad. Josh is quite open minded, but will he be open to the idea of his best friend liking another guy?

I look past the clear barrier of his glasses and into his blue eyes and know that Josh doesn't have a single bad bone in his body. I can trust him.

"I'm going to break up with Rachel."

"What?!" Josh yells and I cover my face, embarrassed as the other students in the library stare at Josh with annoyed expressions.

"Sorry." He mutters. "So you're actually breaking up with her."

"You don't have to whisper Josh, just don't be so loud."

"Oh ok." Now at a reasonable volume he says "But why? Rachel is gorgeous and popular. The last time I checked you were head over heels for her and now you want to break up with her?"

"I just, I don't know. I don't feel the same way I guess."

"Oh I see."

"What?"

"You've got your eyes on someone else, haven't you?" My eyes widen as Josh smirks.

"Come on, tell me who's the lucky girl then."

"Well erm, it's not actually a girl." I say, preparing myself for another one of his outbursts.

"What?!" There it is. The students look at him annoyed again and he mutters another apology.

"You're kidding me right? You're not actually" he leans forward, looking side to side "gay are you?" He whispers.