The Name Game ➸ Tyrus (COMPLETE)

5

Cyrus' POV

I found TJ a few minutes later, at the park's basketball court. He was dribbling a ball and making every shot he took, the ball seamlessly falling into the net with a satisfying "swish" sound each time. I watched him in awe for a short while. Everything about him was just really. . .amazing. I accidentally let a sigh slip out, and TJ immediately turned to face me with his steely gaze. "Underdog," his voice cracked. "What are you doing here? I thought you'd be off somewhere with Smiley Guy by now." I shook my head and approached him, taking the basketball from his grasp and trying my best to aim for the hoop. I missed my shot by about. . .10 feet. I wasn't even close. I faced TJ and smiled. "I wanted to come check on you," I explained. "You rushed off in a hurry, and I wanted to know what happened." TJ sighed and shook his head, a look of exasperation crossing his face. "I'm alright, Cy. I just don't do well in group settings, I guess." I rolled my eyes at that excuse. "Teej, you literally play on a basketball TEAM. Don't even bother with that excuse," I snapped. "What's really going on?" I asked again, more softly this time. TJ's gaze flickered away from my face, and I could tell he was about to lie again. I didn't try to stop him. "I just get a bad feeling about Jonah, okay? I don't know why." I accepted what he told me and decided to drop the conversation.

"Well, hey, how about this," I started, sparking his curiosity. "Let's do something without Jonah or anyone else." This seemed to perk TJ right up, and his cheeks burned red. "I'm there," he started. "What did you have in mind?" "How about you come to my theatre performance next week?" I asked. "The school is putting on an LGBT rendition of 'Romeo and Juliet' entitled 'Romeo and Jules'. I'll be playing Jules, and I would love for you to be there." I wondered if watching the play might help TJ come to terms with being more open about his sexuality, and he grinned wider when I brought up the proposal of coming to the play alone. "I mean, you do an amazing job in every play you perform in, underdog," TJ started, his eyes going wide as he clamped his mouth shut. I looked at him with my eyes wide and mouth agape, eyebrows knit together in confusion. TJ corrected himself, "I mean. . .I KNOW you'll do amazing in this play, Cy. I'm sure of it."

I went to drama rehearsal at 5 o'clock, checking my phone one last time before we rehearsed the whole show. I had countless messages from Jonah asking me if I was alright and if we could meet up soon. I sighed and fired off a text to let him know that everything was okay and I was just getting caught up in stress from school and theatre. I went to turn my phone off after sending him that text when a message from TJ popped up. [TJ: Hey, underdog! It was really awesome hanging out with you today. Even though I don't want other people knowing my full name, I wouldn't mind at all if you used it. In fact, it sounded kind of great coming from you. Be safe at rehearsal tonight, and let me know when you get home. :) ] My face immediately heated up and I hid my face in my arms, as if he was saying those words directly to me. TJ Kippen was making me blush, consuming my thoughts, and making me wonder why I liked Jonah to begin with.

. . .I like TJ, don't I?