The One and Only Alec | bxb

9: She Heard a Rumor (Pt. 1)

*Alec*

All it took to get my mind racing again was that questionable look Maeve gave me as if to say "It's not a secret anymore, Alec."

It was never a secret. Sure, I don't go around parading a pride flag, but Maeve's seen me kiss guys before at parties, as has the rest of the team and cheer squad. Hell, some of the girls find it hot that I'm not straight. The only reason Maeve herself got with me was that she thought she could guilt me into a threesome. (I now understand how shitty lesbians feel when men ask them the same question. It's creepy, don't do it.)

What's she going to do, out me to the world on Instagram? Nobody would care. It's 2019, homophobia barely exists in some random Scottsdale highschool.

Jake, though. He's still in the closet. His parents might be two wildly religious Mormons who'd disown him if they found out. I doubt it, what Mormon family would let their only son do theater? I don't know, maybe that's prejudiced.

I genuinely don't care if she tells everybody that I'm gay or bi or whatever. Jake, though. This could be an actual issue.

-

I drive Lily to school the next day, as I always do. She opens her mouth to say something and I hear the brief start of "So, Jake Yazzie," before I reach over and turn the radio up. She tries again. I flick my wrist and the dial spins higher until the car shakes with bass and her hands fly up to shield her ears. She gets no say in this.

She tries to turn it down but I don't let her hands move from her face. She gets no say whatsoever.

When I pull into a parking spot, I take my keys and am halfway to the building when I release her hands. I hear the door slam and a delayed, "Alec, what the fuck was that?!" but, just to annoy her more, I tug on her braid. She practically screams.

I take my time walking to first hour, stopping to talk with whoever makes an effort. Maeve grabs the back of my bag as I pass her and holds tightly until I turn to face her.

Play it off. Make it seem like she has nothing over me.

"What's up?" I say.

"Oh, you know. The usual." She twirls her hair. It's dyed platinum blonde, standing brightly against her dark skin. "You?"

"Yeah, the same."

"Are you seeing anyone?" That was very straight forward.

I grin at her. "Are you interested? C'mon, you know it didn't work out between us. I'm too cynical for you."

She shrugs. "Maybe I changed my mind."

"Right, well, I haven't."

Maeve matches my smile, standing on her toes and leaning into my ear. "I miss you. You'll change your mind, won't you, Alec. For Yazzie's sake," she whispers before walking away, leaving me standing in the middle of the hall.

Does she want me to date her? Become her little boyfriend? No, there's a reason we broke things off. She's insane and I tend to shy away from running out into the middle of a highway just for laughs. She did that once; would have died if I didn't knock her out of the way with a dash of my ability.

Out of everything she could blackmail me into, she chooses this? It seems like some idiotic joke she and Dan brewed up. Bullshit. Even if she tells everybody about me and/or Jake, who'll believe her? Even someone as clinically crazy as Maeve wouldn't go against the whole school. Not for me.

The bell rings and I pull at my hair for a moment, trying to clear my thoughts. If Maeve does anything -- tells anybody about Jake -- then there will be an actual problem between us. But for now, it's just a mild threat, one that she won't go through with. Right?