Hush

Chapter 26: Sticks and Stones

"So you're telling me you have been– what, friends with Laurens, out of all the people in the school, for how long!?"

"He's my boyfriend, actually."

Lafayette pretty much chokes on disbelief and oxygen simultaneously. "Are you crazy!? You know he's not a good person, he's dangerous, he's—"

"He's none of that! You don't even know him,"

"And you think you do?"

"After nearly an entire semester, yeah, I do."

"A semester!? You've been lying to us for a semester?"

"Be–because I knew you would react like this!"

When the door creaked open, I had a small smidge of hope that it wasn't Lafayette. Maybe it was Maria. Hell, I would have even taken Neddie or Burr instead. But when have I ever been truly lucky. It all went down like this. The door opened slowly, excruciatingly so, and Lafayette's apologetic voice filtered through. He said:

"Alexander, look, I wanted to say sorry about earlier today. I don't know wh—"

For a second, I considered shoving John under my bed, or inside the closet, or out the window. But I knew there was no use, he would see him anyway. I froze there, on my bed, my veins turned to ice and my breath hitched like a car suddenly forced to a stop. It was as if time itself paused for a second. Lafayette stood there, on the door, his jaw hanging open like a few bones had suddenly gone missing. John unwrapped his arms from around me like was struck by lightning and his eyes searched frantically for something.

And me? I was royally fucked.

There was no screaming, not at first. The first one to unfreeze was me. I whispered to John he should leave. He didn't want to, but I knew it'd be easier for him to not be here. So after a moment of hesitation, he reluctantly and awkwardly left right through my window. Leaving only Lafayette and me.

I swallowed nervously. I knew this was my fault. I had gotten too comfortable, as always, and now I was on the verge of losing it all. Because of me. A tense minute passed before either one spoke, and then Lafayette and I broke the silence at the same time.

"I can expla—"

"What the hell is goin—"

And it just went downhill from there.

•••

Angelica frowned the moment she saw us sit down on the lunch table. "What's up with you two?"

"Nothing."

"Lafayette's insufferable, that's what's up."

"Oh, yes. I'm insufferable because I worry about the type of company you keep,"

"You're insufferable because you won't even listen to me! If you did, you'd understand–"

"There's nothing here to understand—"

"Yes! There is!"

Everyone looked at us stunned.

"Woah. Okay, then," said Kitty.

"I don't think I've ever seen you guys this pissed. Not even during the Lucky Charm debacle—"

"Do not even mention the stupid Lucky Charms,"