Chapter Four: Rumor

chapter song: Original Me by YUNGBLUD

The weekend went by and to my surprise me and Kayie spent it together, as friends, watching movies, having lunch together, going to parks, and even taking walks around the forest that my home resides in. By the time Monday rolled around I was pretty happy, my morning ride to the campus was filled with birds chirping and the wind hitting my face. I get to the campus, put my bike up and instead of going to my normal spot I head to a new spot where Kaycie told me to meet her this morning. I find her and walk up to her, sitting next to her on the grass.

"Hey you! How'd you sleep?" She asks, with a smile.

"Good, actually. You?"

"I slept great."

"That's good."

"So, lunch."

"I normally have lunch with Kaliah."

"Aw, do you think she'll mind if I sit with you guys or if you sit with me and my friends?" She asks hopefully, nudging her elbow into my side.

"I can see. She might want a break from our dull conversations and to hang out with her jock friends."

"She is still so shady! I find it sad that you spent your weekends alone before you met me. She doesn't even spend time with her girlfriend! She's too busy partying and probably sucking some guys dick! And you two only spend time together at lunch? Why are you doing this open relationship thing again?"

"So our once perfect relationship can go back to being perfect."

She shakes her head, "Have you ever thought that maybe fixing the relationship will only break it more? It was perfect once and that faded. Things fade and once they do there's no getting that back."

"But some things have already changed for the better. She texts me more, she talks to me more at lunch, and she even lets me walk her back to her dorm after lunch." I smile at her, but she looks back at me with pity.

She sighs, "Ok then, that's up to you."

I chuckle, "Don't worry, you'll have a front row seat at our wedding."

"Front row!? I don't get to be your best woman?"

"Ok fine! You can be my best woman!" I laugh.

"That's what I thought!" She smacks my arm.

"Ow! For a bottom you sure do hit hard."

"Yeah, that's how I keep my tops in place."

"How many problematic tops have you been with?" I rub my arm.

"Too many toxic ones."

"I'm sorry."

"No, don't say that to me! I don't like pity."

"Ok, sor-"

"Stop saying sorry too."

"Sorry."

"God damnit!" She starts laughing.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!" I start laughing as well.

We spend the next thirty seconds on the ground laughing until we're interrupted.

"I felt like something was off when you weren't at the bench."

I sit up and look at the person who was speaking, "Oh, hey Kaliah."

"Who's this." She motions to Kaycie.

"Oh, this is Kaycie. I met her at the party we went to Friday."

"Oh, yeah. I saw you too go upstairs together." She smiles and crosses her arms but I knew her smile was fake.

Kaycie laughs harder, "You have quite a monster on your hands." I knew she was being sarcastic, but by the look in Kaliah's eye I knew that she hadn't gotten the joke.

I check my phone's time, "Oh, I have to get to class."

"Shit, me too." Kaycie says after looking at the time on my phone.

I stand up and help Kaycie up too, "I'll see you around lunch?"

"Definitely." She smiles and kisses my cheek, walking away.

I look at Kaliah, the tension in the air thickening.

"You too are having lunch together?"

"Yeah, I thought you wouldn't mind since you have other friends you can hang out with and I could meet new people as well."

"I thought we said no relationships."

"We did. She's a friend."

"A friend?"

"Yes, you have those don't you? I see you with them all the time. You'd much rather spend your weekends partying and getting drunk with them than your own girlfriend. You talk to them more than your own girlfriend. And don't say it's because I don't try. I hate your friends. They say so much shit to me when you're not around. They're fucking assholes. I've tried everything, but you always want to do the same thing every weekend. Me and Kaycie spent the weekend together and you know what we did? We walked around the woods, we went into the city, we actually did other things. So you don't get to use the excuse that I don't leave my house. And don't pull the "then why don't you date her" card, it's too cliche and you're not a cliche." I walk past her, heading to my class building.

After class I head to Kaycie's building and wait for her since she doesn't get out of class for another ten minutes.

"Oh shit, if it isn't the lesbian who cried during sex."

I look up, "What do you want, brickhead."

"A little birdy told me that you tried to get laid but you chickened out and cried!"

"Wait so which did you hear? I cried during sex? Meaning I did get laid, but I cried during it or did I not get laid because I was scared then I cried?"

"You love getting smart with me don't you?"

"Yeah, because you're never clear with your statements or your insults that clearly fail because I am smart. Unlike you of course."

He huffs in anger, "Listen here you little sh-"

"Well, if it isn't Usain Bolt." Kaycie says.

I look up and smile, "Why, him?"

"Because he's that fastest man on Earth."

I laugh loudly.

"Oh yeah, Jared. I'll never forget that conversation I had with my sister that made my gut hurt from laughing so hard. You finish embarrassingly fast and your face looks like a horse kicked you in the stomach when you finish."

Jared's fists clench, "Your sister was a whore."

Kaycie laughs and walks closer, punching him in the nuts, "I hope you get an STD."

I get up and grab Kaycie's hand and run away with her, us both laughing.

"You're too much!"

"He deserved it!"

I sigh and slow down, catching my breath. "What do you want for lunch?"

"Are you offering to pay for my lunch?"

"Yeah, it's nothing new for me."

"You pay for her lunch everyday don't you?"

"Yeah."

"I heard your argument this morning."

I look away, embarrassed, "You did?"

"You tore her another one!"

I chuckle and walk to the cafeteria, Kaycie right behind me, "I just wasn't in the mood to argue."

"With a girl like that, it's better you don't because you'll be left bald!"

I laugh as we get in line, "Arguements always felt pointless."

"They are. Talking without the screaming and constant back and forth is always better."

"Agreed."

We buy lunch and find the table her friends are sitting at and we join them. She introduces me to all of them and they're all great, even hilarious. I've never laughed and smiled so much in my life. I've never even felt like I belonged somewhere so much before. I didn't feel new or awkward. They didn't let me feel that way. It was more enjoyable that three years of lunches with Kaliah combined.

....

Slowly but surely it's coming together.

Thank you for reading

Love boat