Friends

Two months had passed, and November's cold winds swept through the school, bringing with it the usual shift in dynamics. The class had settled into its groups, and by now, friend circles had solidified. It felt like everyone had found their place—everyone except me, until now.

I wasn't the quiet kid in the background anymore, the one who never spoke up or joined in on the antics. Somehow, I had managed to befriend Kyle Briscoe—the bad boy of our class, the one teachers hated calling on because they knew they'd get a snarky response. Kyle didn't care about school, didn't care about rules, and didn't care about being liked. He was popular in his way, not like the loudmouths in 7A1 or 7B1—Cameron Moore, Alfie Hutch, and Alex Macintosh. Those guys had been popular from day one.

They knew everyone before even stepping foot in Chelmer Valley High, and they carried themselves like it.

Kyle? He's not like that. He's popular because he is unpredictable, laid-back, and just doesn't care.

He's not interested in the pretentious social rules everyone else follows. That is part of why I started hanging out with him. He wasn't fake, didn't suck up to anyone, and didn't care what people thought. I found myself part of his circle—Luke, Otis, Jack, Atilla, and me. The boys who, never stopped talking, never stopped laughing, and always got called out by teachers.

Every class was the same: we were a disruption. Today was no different. We were in English, and Miss Wicks stood at the front, talking about Blood Brothers.

"Turn to page fifty-four," she said, holding up the book. Her voice carried over the chattering students, but barely.

Nobody listened. The girls, Elizabeth, Rosie, Elle, and Ashleigh, were laughing and whispering, completely ignoring her. It wasn't just the boys who caused trouble—those girls were just as bad, maybe worse.

Elizabeth, in particular, was always snarky, always making some comment, always thinking she was better than everyone.

Miss Wicks sighed. "Blood Brothers is a play about two brothers, Mickey and Edward, who were separated at birth. One grows up rich, the other poor." She looked out at the class, but the girls continued whispering.

I couldn't help but overhear them.

"Ugh, this is so boring," Elizabeth muttered under her breath. "Why do we even have to read this? It's not like we're going to become actors or something."

Rosie leaned in, giggling. "Miss Wicks probably thinks she's some kind of big-shot director."

Ashleigh added with a smirk, "She's just mad because nobody's listening to her."

"Honestly, this play is so stupid," Elizabeth whispered. "No one cares about two brothers growing up in different worlds!"

Rosie responded, enjoying this whole rant. "Yeah, it's like, why do we have to read this? It's not like we're going to be poor or anything."

Ashleigh added again this time with a snicker, "Miss Wicks probably thinks we're all going to end up as Mickey."

I snickered quietly, trying not to let them hear me. But their conversation wasn't exactly subtle, and Miss Wicks wasn't deaf.

"Elizabeth, Rosie, Elle, Ashleigh. That's enough. Lunchtime detention for all of you."

The girls looked up, stunned for a moment. Then, Elizabeth rolled her eyes, crossing her arms.

"Seriously?" she said, loud enough for everyone to hear. "Detention? For what? Talking?"

Miss Wicks shot her a stern look. "Yes, for talking and disrupting the lesson. If you don't stop now, I'll make it an after-school detention."

That shut them up for a moment, but not for long. As Miss Wicks turned back to the board, I couldn't help but laugh. It wasn't a loud laugh, but just enough for them to notice.

Elizabeth's head snapped toward me, her eyes narrowing. "What's so funny, Miles?"

I shrugged, trying to play it off. "Nothing."

Elizabeth smirked, leaning back in her chair. "Oh, nothing? You laugh, but you don't say anything? Typical."

I shot her a look. "What's that supposed to mean?"

She tilted her head, her eyes gleaming with that mean-spirited energy I'd come to expect from her.

"It means you think you're so smart, hanging out with Kyle and his lot, but you're just as boring as you were when you first got here."

I clenched my fists under the desk, feeling my temper rising. "What's your problem, Elizabeth?"

"My problem? You're the one sitting there, acting like you're better than everyone else just because Kyle lets you hang around," she shot back, her voice full of venom.

I wasn't going to let her walk all over me. Not today. "I never said I was better than anyone. And Kyle's my friend, so just back off."

"Look at his hair," Rosie said, her voice low but loud enough for me to hear. "It's like a bird's nest."

Ashleigh giggled. "Probably takes him hours just to comb it out."

I clenched my fists even harder, trying to ignore them. My heart was beating faster, and I could feel my face heating up.

"He thinks he's all cool now, hanging out with Kyle and the others. Like they're his friends."

I felt a knot tighten in my stomach. "He is my friend."

Rosie snorted. "Kyle's not your friend. He just lets you hang around because he feels bad for you."

I shook my head. "That's not true."

My heart sank, but I wasn't going to give them the satisfaction of knowing they got to me. "That's not true," I said, my voice steady even though I could feel the doubt creeping in.

Elizabeth leaned in closer, her voice dropping to a cruel whisper. "Oh? Let's ask him then."

Before I could stop her, she turned around in her seat, calling out, "Hey, Kyle! Are you friends with Miles?"

Kyle looked up, confused at first. He glanced at me, then back at Elizabeth, and shrugged. "Friends with Miles? Nah."

It was a casual dismissal, said with a grin, like it was just another joke. But it hit me like a punch to the gut. The laughter that followed hit me harder than I expected. Elizabeth's smirk widened. "See? Told you."

I glared at her. "You don't know anything."

"Oh, I know plenty," Elizabeth said, her tone dripping with sarcasm. "Like how you follow Kyle around like a lost puppy, hoping he'll throw you a bone."

"Shut up, Elizabeth," I snapped, my voice louder than I intended.

Rosie chimed in, laughing. "Or maybe it's just that nobody else wants to be friends with you."

That one stung. More than I wanted to admit. But I wasn't going to let them see how much it hurt. "I don't care what you think," I said, my voice strained but firm. "I have friends, real friends."

Elizabeth raised an eyebrow, her expression mocking. "Real friends? Like who? The ones who just told you they're not friends with you?"

"You don't get it," I said, my voice quieter now, more desperate. "Kyle's just messing around. He's my friend. He's just joking."

Elizabeth leaned back, her smirk replaced by irritation. "You're in denial, Miles. Why can't you just admit it? You don't belong with them."

I shook my head, refusing to believe it. "No, you're wrong. I belong. I'm part of the group."

Rosie rolled her eyes. "He's hopeless."

Elizabeth's irritation grew. "Why can't you just see the truth? Kyle doesn't care about you. None of them do. You're just a joke to them."

I wouldn't let myself believe that. "They're my friends," I said, my voice cracking slightly. "They are."

Elizabeth let out a frustrated sigh, shaking her head. "You're pathetic, Miles. You're clinging to something that's not real."

I didn't have an answer for that. My mind raced, searching for something to say, something to defend myself with. But all I could hear was Kyle's voice echoing in my head: 'Friends with Miles? Nah.'

Before I could respond, Elizabeth turned to Atilla. "What about you, Atilla? Are you friends with Miles?"

Atilla, who had been watching the whole exchange with a grin, shook his head. "Nah, I'm good."

The knot in my stomach twisted painfully, and I could feel my chest tightening. "What about you Luke? Are you friends with Miles?"

"Friends with Miles? Why would I be friends with him?" Luke said, his tone mocking. More laughter. My chest tightened, and I felt like the walls were closing in around me. I couldn't believe this was happening.

Elizabeth leaned back, satisfied. "There you go, Miles. Maybe you should stop pretending you belong somewhere you don't."

The world around me started to blur. Their laughter felt distant like I was underwater. I stared down at my desk, my heart pounding in my chest, my hands trembling.

I had nothing to say. Nothing I could say. The people I thought were my friends... they weren't. They never were.

I looked around the room, but I felt completely alone. Jess, who was sitting on the other side of the classroom, was watching. Her face was soft, not laughing, not mocking—just watching. A part of me felt like she understood. But what did it matter?

Ayesha, sitting next to Jess, leaned over and whispered, "That's so sad. Pahaha! I feel bad for him."

Jess didn't say anything. She just kept watching, her eyes full of something I couldn't quite place—pity, maybe?

The world seemed to close in around me, everything darkening. Their words echoed in my head, over and over. Nope, not friends with him.

The bell rang, but I didn't move. The class started packing up, and I stayed where I was, staring down at my desk. I felt the sting of tears, but I wouldn't let them fall. I couldn't.

And for the first time in two months, I realized something: maybe I didn't belong after all.