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I'm dozing softly in an armchair when the door finally opens. Jumping awake at the sound, I pull a disapproving look. Sid walks in and the first thing he sees is me. Sullenly, I point to the clock which reads 12:06 AM.
Sid becomes a fish, mouth open, mouth closed, before he finally comes over an collapses on the couch. "You didn't have to wait up," he says pouting.
I shake my head. "You could've been lying face down in a ditch somewhere, young man." I'm only half-kidding. He shakes his head.
"I knows you were out with a friend, but what were you doing until twelve on a school night?"
He bites his lip, face shadowed by our lamp. "Lainey, I have something to tell you." The look on his face isn't good.
"Oh no!" I exclaim. "You joined a gang! Or... It's the mafia, isn't it?" I knew Kade was somehow involved with that kind of thing.
"Worse," he starts. "I'm gay!"
Shell-shocked, I make no move to answer.
"I knew it!" he shout-whispers. "You think it's gross and wrong and I'm going to hell!"
I gasp. "What are you talking about? I love gay people!" His stare is disbelieving so I continue. "You know, not the gay-happy ones, just the gay-homosexuals..." I bite my lip. "Yeah... Anyway, I was just confused... because gay is not worse than the Mafia." I vaguely think how lucky he is to be dating someone as attractive as Kade.
He shakes his head and leans forward, sighing. "Never mind. What is Blair going to think...?"
The last part is mumbled and more for himself, so I don't answer, just pat him on the arm and venture from the room. He still never told me what he was doing, but I can mostly guess now.
First period, I have history with Ms. Clarke.
I hate Ms. Clarke. Mr Roscoe is always coming into her room to borrow he stapler or ask unnecessary questions.
They wouldn't even look good as a couple. Every twenty seconds, she's pushing her huge, ugly glasses up her nose. It's the 21st century; such a thing as contacts exist!
Anyway, imagine my surprise when Kade Jamison walks in saying he's transferred to this class. This is B-level History, for students who barely passed History last year. He's probably in here because he was too busy killing people or being gay to do his history work. The only open seat is next to me, because I talk a lot and sit alone in most of my classes.
I can tell that Ms. Clarke hesitates to put him there, but she has nothing to worry about. I don't plan to chat with Kade anytime soon.
Right when he sits down, though, it's like a bomb exploding. "Sorry about yesterday. I don't know what came over me," he says in one breath. Ms. Clarke has already begun class and is talking about JFK, I think.
Nodding, I'm suddenly very curious. "Well, say you successfully blackmailed me. What were you planning to get out of it?"
He looks thoughtful, but answers without hesitating, "A date."
I laugh for a few seconds, but his expression is really serious. Squinting, I try again, but there's something weird about the deadpan way he tells jokes.
"I'm not kidding," he says.
"But I thought you were gay!" I squawk. Ms. Clarke stops her spiel and looks at me, most of the class following suit.
Gaping at her, I say, "Um.. continue."
She bites her lip and pushes her glasses up her nose, but she does.
Kade whispers, "Thanks," with an irritated look on his face.
"No! I just," I bring my volume down. "I thought you were dating Sid... I mean, I assumed."
There's a pause before he says, "Oh, well, I'm not. He's with Peyton," and stares straight ahead.
After a bout of nervous laughter, I say, "This is really awkward. You know, last summer I went to Australia, and they have the best barbecues. Really tasty."
He looks at me then back at Ms. Clarke. He grins, so I shut up and pay attention for the rest of the class.
Soon enough, it's lunchtime. I enter the cafeteria and sit at the table Shay and Sid are at. Students crowd all of the walkways. Seeing as we're all upperclassmen, we could theoretically leave for lunch, but for some reason, we never do.
Shay's talking to this baseball player guy she's basically in love with. They're not dating and they probably never will. Some people just work that way. Sidney looks like he's going to be sick.
"What's up?" I say to him. He looks so sick, in fact, that I'm afraid he'll open his mouth to answer and throw up all over me. I scoot my chair away from his.
"I told Blair," he answers. As oblivious as I normally am, there's no need for me to ask exactly what he told Blair.
"He didn't take it well?"
He chuckles, but there's no humor in it. "You could say that." I'm surprised, but then again, I guess I never really knew Blair's opinion on homosexuality.
"I'll talk to him," I say. "Right now." I get up before he can protest and search for any of Blair's friends except Avery, who he's probably with at the moment anyway. I finally spot a redhead I've seen at our house before in line and make my way through the crowd.
Tapping his shoulder, I ask, "Would you happen to know where Blair is?" He looks lost for a second but answers that Blair's most likely behind the storage shed on the field. Which is strange to me. What do you do behind a storage shed?
I disbelievingly follow the lead, stalking across the field to the tiny building. When I get to the opposite side of it, I see Blair, Avery, and some chick with a face like a hyena. From the looks of it, they're smoking weed and drinking wine. If I hadn't gathered that from the smoke and the two bottles, I would've noticed that Blair looks high and Avery looks like he always does.
I laugh in shock. "What are you doing?" Blair's eyes snap to me, but he doesn't look ashamed, so I step closer and fan the smoke out of my face. "I mean, I knew you skipped a lot, but is this what you do all day instead of class?"
Blair seems ready to protest, but I haven't said anything he could protest to. Snorting, I begin, "Look, if you want to waste your life behind a shed with Avery 'The Street' and hyena-face girl—no offense," I add, glancing towards her, "then go ahead. But if that's the kind of person you are, then where do you get off judging Sidney over something as trivial as this?"
Blair obviously knows what I'm referring to because his expression turns icy. "It's not right," he states, face darkly shadowed since the sun doesn't hit this side of the shed properly. Well, that explains why he's so pale.
My mouth opens wide of it's own accord. "You're a jerk!" I exclaim, a little disbelieving that he could be that shallow. I begin to storm off, not making it very far before Avery's voice cuts in.
"What's not right, man?" he asks Blair. I can just imagine Blair and his little friends all laughing about how "queer" Sidney is and I walk faster in frustration.
As soon as school ends, I go to turn in the History assignment that was due today, to find not only Kade Jamison, but Mr. Roscoe already in the room.
Kade is standing by the door while Mr. Roscoe talks to Ms. Clarke. I glare as hard as I can, but she's too busy blushing and pushing her glasses up to notice.
"I'll meet you there at seven, then?" Mr. Roscoe asks. I am taken over with rage and Kade seems to smirk at me, which adds to my fury. Mr. Roscoe doesn't notice me as he leaves. This is the worst day ever.
"Sorry about that," Ms. Clarke says. She doesn't look sorry. My face must be the epitome of angry. Mr. Roscoe is mine. As Kade goes to turn in his assignment, I glance at the name. Kade P. Jamison.
"What's the 'P' stand for?" I ask him, glad for the distraction.
"Charming," he says and then grins. I shoot him a disapproving sideways glance while he gives her his paper, then she steps forward to take mine.
Feeling vindictive when I hand her my messily written and doodled on report, I lean close to her face and stare at her upper lip.
"So, what? Do you wax your mustache or just bleach it?" I ask.
Kade laughs, but soon it turns nervous, echoing through the room and Ms. Clarke pushes her glasses up her nose with a pained expression.
"We've really got to be going, Ms. Clarke. See you in class," Kade declares, pulling me out of the room by my upper arm while I protest loudly.
