9: UNANSWERED QUESTIONS

Terah sat cross-legged on the worn carpet of the theater arts department, a thick book sprawled open in front of her. She was chewing on the end of a pencil, listening to her friend Mia as they discussed an upcoming assignment. Mia was talking about a new drama class project, while Terah half-listened, distracted by a new arrival in the class. A boy.

"He's in our group, I heard," Mia said, looking over at the boy standing near the door. He was chatting with the professor, his dark hair falling over his eyes, a smirk on his lips.

Terah glanced at him quickly before turning back to Mia. "A boy? I thought the whole point of this group was to focus on the more, you know, dramatic... artsy stuff?"

Mia shrugged. "Guess the prof's trying to mix things up. New blood, and all that."

Terah rolled her eyes. "Great. Just what we need." She shook her head and sighed, flipping the page of her book, trying to focus.

Just as Mia was about to respond, Hayley, one of their course mates walked in, her voice calling out softly, "Terah, someone's waiting for you outside."

Terah's brow furrowed. "Who would be waiting for me? I'm kind of busy right now."

The girl paused, then smirked. "It's a guy."

Without another word, Terah stood up and walked out of the room, a feeling of curiosity mixed with annoyance creeping up her spine. She wasn't sure who it was, but she didn't like people interrupting her rhythm.

Stepping outside, she squinted into the sunlight, her gaze falling on a figure standing in front of the building. Alex was leaning against a tree, his hands shoved into his pockets.

At the sight of him, something in her chest tightened, but she shook it off, determined to stay indifferent. "What are you doing here?" she asked, a little harsher than she intended.

Alex looked up and gave her a small, apologetic smile. "I needed to talk to you. Are you free?"

Terah raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised. "Now? Right now?"

"I know, I know. But it's important."

She hesitated, glancing back toward the department, but something about the way he was looking at her made her sigh. "Fine. Let's talk."

The two of them began walking away from the building, moving toward a quiet area by the campus trees. The air between them felt heavier than usual, and Terah couldn't shake the feeling that something was off.

"So, what's up?" she asked, trying to sound casual, even though her curiosity was piqued.

Alex seemed to pause for a moment, his eyes darting around as if trying to find the right words. "How did you know... that you were into girls?" he asked, his voice softer now, almost hesitant.

Terah blinked, taken aback. "What? Why are you asking me that?" She didn't quite know how to respond, her chest tightening slightly. It wasn't something she often talked about.

Alex rubbed the back of his neck. "I don't know. I guess I'm just... trying to figure things out myself, and I thought you'd understand. You know, if..."

Terah's expression softened, though she was still annoyed. "If you're asking me about that, I'm guessing something's wrong, huh?"

Alex let out a frustrated sigh, his lips pressed tightly together. He glanced at the ground before meeting her eyes. "Yeah. Something feels wrong with me and Dave. I just don't get it. We've been friends forever, but lately... I don't know what's going on anymore."

Terah narrowed her eyes, her mind working quickly. "What about Clara? Isn't she the one you're with now?"

Alex stiffened, his eyes darting to the side. He didn't answer at first, and Terah could see the hesitation on his face.

"I—" Alex started, then shook his head. "I don't know. I don't know what I'm supposed to do about it all. I just feel like everything's falling apart, and I don't know how to fix it."

Terah crossed her arms, her gaze softening, but she didn't say anything at first. She didn't want to pressure him, but the silence was thick. Finally, she reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder. "You know, Alex, sometimes... we don't have all the answers right away. But you can't keep running away from it. You'll figure it out eventually."

Before Alex could respond, Terah pulled him into a brief hug. "But don't forget about the people around you. Don't push them away."

When they pulled apart, Terah noticed Alex's face was flushed, though he quickly tried to hide it. "Thanks," he said quietly.

Just as they were about to part ways, Clara walked by. Her eyes immediately landed on Alex and Terah, and an unmistakable look of anger flashed across her face. She didn't say anything. She didn't even pause. She just turned and walked off, her pace quickening as she disappeared down the path.

 None of them noticed her, it happened so fast. 

"Thanks Terah, you should go now before you miss your classes"

"Yeah sure, thank you. Catch you later. Bye"

Alex didn't answer, just stood there for a moment, clearly lost in thought. But Terah wasn't going to wait around for him to figure it out there. With a shrug, she turned and walked back toward the department.

Later that evening, Alex sat alone in his dorm room, scrolling through his phone as his mind raced. His search for answers only led to more confusion. "How do you know if you're gay?" he typed in the search bar.

The results flooded in, most of them offering vague or bizarre advice. "You might feel it in your chest!" one article claimed. Another suggested, "Don't overthink it! Just go with the flow." Alex sighed, closing his eyes and rubbing his temples. Nothing felt like it made sense anymore.

He leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling. His thoughts drifted back to the kiss with Clara, and the confusing pull he felt when it came to Dave. He couldn't get a grip on his feelings, and it was starting to drive him insane.

As he drifted off to sleep later that night, his last thought was, *What am I supposed to do about all this?*