On Monday morning I walk into school with newly found confidence. I mean it could be the fact that as Cyrus and I approached the school building that he slid his hand into my back pocket.
"Cy?" I looked at him and he gave me soft innocent eyes. We've been more loving that I ever could have imagined ever since my suspension. Practically inseparable. I love it. I love him. "Aren't you afraid of what others will say?"
He shrugged, one shoulder more than the other due to his positioned hand. "I don't think there will be any issues any time soon Teej."
"Well then," I smiled at him and put my arm around his shoulders and gave a squeeze. Cyrus lifted his chin (adorably) to kiss me and I comply without hesitation.
But anyway, it's good to be back.
Jonah's leg is on his way to being healed, which is good for him, but also good for all of us who had to carry his books and lunches. Everything feels sort of mundane now, but also different. Like the girls playing on the basketball courts before school in the gym as I passed by, or the "nerds" talking to some of the jocks about their favorite musicians as Cyrus waves to one of them.
And I don't mean to say that Reed was stopping all of this, but yeah. It's different. It's good.
My locker is slightly jammed as I try to open it. "Come on you piece of old metal, work with me here." I mutter to it and Cyrus giggles. I turn to him, grinning. "Should we kiss it for good luck?" At that he laughs harder but brings his fingers to his lips and then to the blue metal.
I give it one more swift yank and the door flies open. A bundle of red and yellow fall out of it. I pick it up gently. "What..." I start to say before holding it out in front of me.
It's the jacket. Coaches Letterman Jacket.
"How did it even get here?" I say quietly.
"Maybe he finally saw how powerful you really are-" Cyrus suggests and I know he means Reed, "-and decided that it was time for some old, new leadership." Then he tugs at my own dark blue twinning Letterman, looking down at the floor he continues, "I guess you won't need this anymore."
"Hey, hey look at me. Cyrus, I would never get rid of this. Look." I lift his head up and stare at Cyrus Goodman's impossibly warm eyes, and I know it sounds cliché, but it feels like a light-bulb blinks on top of my head. "I have an idea okay. Just give me until lunch."
"Okay, I'm going to go find Jonah, he should still be limping a little and I feel bad for him." Cyrus says and starts to walk off but I grab his hand.
"Hey, wait, the periods going to end and I won't see you till break." I pull him in so our foreheads are nearly touching, I look around to check if nobody else is in the hallway, they're aren't. Even though Reed is gone, anyone could still find out, I don't think all of the junkies are even gone. I'm not letting Cyrus get hurt again.
"I love you, stay safe, kick some solid algebraic butt for me in class today, Baby." I say low enough so that only he could hear.
Cyrus grins, "you're crazy, sweetheart. I love you too." And kisses my cheek, even though that's a huge risk, even though we could get badly hurt for this.
Maybe I am a little crazy in love with him.
✭
"You're insane Kippen. Totally crazy." Jason exclaims and runs his fingers though his dark hair. Patrick nods along with him and leans against the gym's lockers. "What would the school even say about this? We have a rep to maintain."
I pace a few steps parallel to them, "who cares what the rest of the school thinks, I can't do this anymore, and I you've sure as hell seen what happens when others try to do it."
"It could work." Marty speaks up.
Patrick laughs and his cigarette nearly falls out of his mouth, "we all know why you want to do this; your vote can't count in this."
"So this is a vote now? Technically I still have the power, and I don't remember there ever being an option to vote against it." I say coolly but still smiling.
"It could be worse, at least you're not trying to get him to do it." Ryan dribbles a ball between his legs.
"You shut your mouth, Church. Don't ever bring Cyrus into this unless you wanna transfer to Washington with sixteen broken bones." I snap, my mood changing instantly. Ryan stops the ball and ducks his head. Smart kid.
"Oh Kippen's in love!" Jason exclaims and leans on me, "when's the wedding Tgay?" I know he means it in a non-threatening way, which is the only thing stopping me from breaking his neck.
"I'll let you know when I can marry who I want, the government finally grows some logical brain cells, stops killing innocent people and burning down their dreams, literally, Hetero when it happens." I shove him off as a collective "ooohs" come from the small crowd. "And don't pretend you weren't buying all the jewellery your money can afford for a certain best friend of mine, name starts with A?"
Jason flusters and sits down on the bench next to Ryan.
I continue, "Anyway, we're getting off topic, I'm doing this, whether you like it or not. I just thought you big strong fellas might need a warning every time something you can't seem to comprehend comes your way." I huff and fiddle with the hem of my collar.
"Hey, man." Ryan starts, clearly trying to redeem himself, "you went through hell these past couple of weeks. And we weren't the teammates we should have been. Good thing you had your boy, who was more of a man then we ever were. But we will back you on this. Like we should have backed you then."
He holds out his fist and I bump it gratefully.
✭
"Ladies and Gentledudes!" Patrick is standing on the table, yelling at everyone. I don't know when he thought this was part of the plan, but it gets everyone's attention in less than a lick so I'm not complaining. "Earlier this year we were doing this exact same thing. Except earlier this year, we were doing this with a useless piece of crap that was more toxic than our uniforms after a game.
"As most of you have seen, Mr Reed seems to be absent. And he might be gone for a little while over forever, so you all know what that means, Mr Kippen?" He gestures to me, Cyrus looks at me curiously, "what are you doing?" he mouths, "trust me" I reply, and also stand up, because I have too, and it's a little fun.
"So before the reign of terror, there was my reign." I begin and hold out the jacket, "but now, now I think we're done with the generations of dumb jocks running around being idiots. So please welcome your new, much smarter leader," Dramatic pause, (Cyrus has taught me a lot about this affect from movies) "Miss Driscoll, will you please join me on the table?"
Buffy stares at me and my outreached hand from across the table, with humor and curiosity (but not fear, never fear) in her eyes. She finally takes it, (my hand that is) and I wrap the jacket around her.
The room is silent for a second before Cyrus exclaims, "yay, Buffy!" and starts clapping, that is followed by my teammates, the "nerds", the girls with big hair, girls with short hair, the JV jocks. Everyone.
Buffy turns to me, "is this for real?"
"As real as I am gay." I reply and she smiles but gets down from the table immediately.
Marty hugs her tightly, before realizing what he's done and let goes quickly, ears red. Buffy laughs and wraps her arms around him again. I watch as his eyes go from fearful to hearts quicker than Cyrus wrapping his own hands around me and kissing me right on the lips. In front of all these people.
Wolf whistles and gasps escape the crowd, but I've shut my eyes as I melt into him, my heart beating faster (only because of Cy kissing me, and not the crowd) and hands linking with his own.
And for once I don't think it matters if anyone is watching.
YOU ARE READING
I See Stars; Tyrus
Fanfiction(Complete) TJ Kippen is the head of his basketball crew at Grant, yeah sometimes they are the trouble makers but it seems like everything in his life is fine, that is until his "friend" finds some private information and uses it to blackmail, trying...
