Episode #313 Resolved

Option B, Part 2

Cyrus' POV

Andi and I sit in a booth in the spoon, waiting for Buffy to get here. She said she had to talk to a teacher after school before she could join us, so she told us to meet her here.

"Did she fail a test or something?" Andi wonders, checking the time on her phone. Then she glances back up at me and my permanent frown. "Still thinking about TJ?"

I shake my head. "Sorry, let's talk about your day or something." Anything besides him please.

"It's okay, Cyrus. I know you like him."

I release a shaky breath, saying, "Andi, I don't—I can't like him."

"Why not?"

"If I let myself like him, I'm just going to end up getting hurt again, like with Jonah." So much for not talking about him. "Andi, I don't want to hurt again."

"Cyrus, he likes you," she says. "He's not exactly subtle about it."

"He did a costume with Kira," I state. "What does that mean?"

"I don't know."

"Is it always going to be this hard for me?"

"Cyrus." Andi reaches over the table for my hand. "I promise you will find a boy who makes you happy and who treats you like the amazing person you are."

That causes me to cry again. I don't think I've ever cried as much in my life as I have in the past two days alone.

"There's only one boy I want," I admit. "Who's writing my story right now?" I ramble. "Why can they just let me be happy?"

Now Andi has tears welling up too. "Cyrus, you deserve the world." She squeezes my hand tighter. "And you will get it."

I smile through the waterworks. "Thanks, Andi." Then I remove my hands from hers and wipe my eyes. "That's enough about me. Where's Buffy?"

Buffy's POV

As I walk into the gym, I find the person I've been looking for tossing baskets alone.

"Kira!" I call out as I approach her. "I want to talk to you."

She catches the ball as it bounces toward her and turns her attention toward me.

"Slayer!"

She goes to take another shot for the net, but I block it, stealing the ball.

"You know I didn't get that nickname just for basketball. It also applies to what I do to people who mess with my friends."

She tilts her head, a smug look on her face. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Cut the act," I snap. "What do you want with TJ? Why did you talk him out of doing his costume with Cyrus?"

She raises an eyebrow. "All I did was tell him my costume idea. He made his own decision about doing it with me."

She grabs the ball from my hands and takes another shot at the net, getting it in.

"Oh, come on, Kira. You and TJ just met. Him and Cyrus are best friends."

"Best friends?" she scoffs. "I think we both know it's a little more than that."

I'm shocked and she grins when she sees that on my face.

"Is that what you're trying to do?" I ask. "You want to hurt them because you don't like how close they are?"

She rolls her eyes. "I couldn't care less about what they do. I actually think they make a pretty cute couple."

"Then what's your goal here?"

"I didn't want to hurt them. I wanted to hurt you. And it looks like I succeeded."

She tosses the ball toward the basket again and it swishes in.

"I could go talk to TJ," she mentions. "Get things straightened out. In exchange, you could let me back on the basketball team."

"The last thing TJ needs right now is you," I scoff.

"Actually, I'd say the last thing he needs right now is for me to tell someone about him and Cyrus."

Fear bolts through me as I think about what she could do to my friends.

"What are you planning?" I hiss.

"Look, I just want to be back on the team," she says, "and if that doesn't happen, I can't promise I won't let something about Cyrus or TJ slip out—to the whole school."

"Are you seriously that horrible?"

She shrugs, a devious grin on her face. I can't let Kira out TJ and Cyrus to the school. Although Cyrus may be ready for more people to know, it's his choice when he comes out. And as far as I know, TJ hasn't even come out to Cyrus yet, so Kira saying anything could break him.

I puff out an annoyed breath. "Practice is tomorrow. Feel free to be late—or skip it entirely."

Kira smirks and takes another shot for the hoop.