I had been dating Amelia for about two weeks now and I was happier than ever. Last weekend we met up and visited the art gallery together. It was an enjoyable time! But today it was Monday and we were back at school.
...And that's where this story begins. I was sitting on the bench with Purry waiting for everyone else to arrive. She let out a loud yawn and covered her mouth with her paw. The others should be here soon so I don't think we will wait long. A loud jingling came around the corner and soon a little white and pink rabbit appeared. She skipped over and stopped in front of us, much like the other day.
"Good morning!" Amelia smiled.
"Morning!" Purry squeaked. I smiled at my girlfriend and she leaned in close and gave me a quick kiss. I didn't care that we were did it in front of someone~. Purry seemed to enjoy the show anyway.
She stretched and hopped off the bench, her school bag neatly tied around her. "I hope Aqua comes here soon."
"Maybe he slept in again," I suggested. When you get down to it, he can be pretty lazy. We stood around and waited for him. He soon came, running and panting. He dropped to his knees as he got his breath back.
"Hey... Sorry for the wait..."
I gave him a kind smile. "Don't worry. It wasn't that long of a wait." With that, we finally made our way to school. The girls walked in front as they chatted and giggled. From what I could pick up, Amelia was telling Purry about the art gallery. I was walking side by side with Aqua. That's when I noticed he was acting oddly. He's usually a happy cheerful guy but today he seemed... quiet. Maybe something is bothering him?
I turned my head towards him. "Hey, is everything alright?"
He seemed slow and unsteady as he looked at me. "Huh?" Guess he didn't hear me.
"I said are you alright?" This time I said it louder. He took a gulp and smiled weakly.
"Yeah, I'm good. Why wouldn't I be?"
"You just seemed a little down," I replied. He laughed and told me there was no need to worry. I didn't know enough to press about it so I decided to leave it be. If he says so then it must be true. Right?
~~~
At school, the day seemed to go by like a breeze. Until lunch came around that is. Amelia, Purry and I were waiting for Aqua, the second time that day. Time seemed to go by slowly and Purry was growing impatient.
"We've been here for ages! Where is he?"
"He might have had to talk to a teacher?" Amelia suggested. I shook my head. "That's not true. We just had class together." We decided to wait a little more but it was becoming clear he wasn't coming anytime soon. All our other friends were gone and eating lunch! Purry jumped to her paws, her striped tail swishing wildly. It surprised both Amelia and I.
"That's it!" she shouted. "Let's go looking for him!"
"Okay! We should spilt up and came back here in ten minutes. Hopefully with Aqua," Amelia squeaked with a nervous laugh. We decided where to go and then we all ran in opposite directions. I searched the classrooms, library and even the gym. But all I found were people I weren't looking for. I decided I might as well check the bathrooms, since I was looking everywhere. Besides, out of our trio search party, I was the only one allowed inside.
I went into the one the closest to our lockers. There was graffiti all over the walls. The cleaners kinda gave up trying to get rid of it because it always came back! Anyway, this particular bathroom looked promising. Hoping it wasn't some random person, I decided to speak up.
"Uh... Aqua?"
"Ah!" I heard someone squeak. But not just anyone... It was Aqua! He carefully opened the door and came out to greet me. He looked at me with big sad eyes.
"We've been looking for you everywhere!" I said. "What have you been doing?" He shuffled his feet and looked to the floor.
"Sorry about that... I've just been doing some thinking..." he said followed by a great big sigh. He was trying to avoid my eyes now. I put my paws in my pockets and bounced on my feet.
"Do... Do you wanna talk about it?" I asked. He kept silent as he thought about what to do. At last, he turned to look at me again.
"Okay. But it's something really important," he said. I was about to speak when he cut before me. "But you'll have to promise you won't think any different of me..." I let out a loud laugh.
"Of course not! You're my best friend!" His sad expression didn't seem to change much. I wonder what it is if he is asking me that? He took a deep breathe.
"Okay well, the thing is... I'm 100% certain that I'm, uh... That I'm gay."
"Ah," was all I said. But in all honesty, a million things were going through my head. I couldn't find the right words to say. Aqua looked up at me with pleading eyes, his paws clamped together. "That's okay, right?" I gritted my teeth.
"Uh... Yeah... That's okay." It wasn't okay. This was all a huge shock to me... I'm not sure what to think about it at the moment. Meanwhile, Aqua was ecstatic. He was jumping in the air and laughing. He calmed down and let out a happy sigh.
"Oh, that's a huge weight off my chest! Thank you so much!"
"Ehehe, no problem..." I said. He put his fingers to his mouth as if he was whispering.
"Oh and one more thing... You're the first person I told so don't go telling anyone else, okay?"
"S-sure, I wouldn't tell," I replied. He seemed happy enough with that response. "Anyway, we should meet with the girls now..."
"Ah, right!" he grinned. We left the bathroom and I led him to where we were to meet. Amelia and Purry were already there. They leapt out of their seats and ran to greet us.
"We were looking for you everywhere!" Purry shouted, flicking her tail. "Where were you!?"
"Ahaha, sorry about that!" Aqua replied, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment. As he talked and laughed, he didn't give off any hints about what we talked about. Not sure if he was, but I was still thinking about. Thinking about things I probably shouldn't. I don't think Aqua would be happy if he heard them... But like I said, he's my best friend. I can get over it, can't I? For now at least, I'll keep quiet about everything.
~~~~~
It was the end of the school day and we were walking home. Amelia and Purry had already gone home at this point. So it was just Aqua and I. We walked in silence but Aqua was skipping along. He played hopscotch on seemingly nothing before tilting his head towards me. "How are you and Amelia going?"
"Pretty good. We went on a date last weekend," I replied, paws in my pockets.
"Sounds like fun!" he smiled and continued playing invisible hopscotch. I stopped in my tracks. At the time, I wasn't sure why I did. But when he smiled at me those bad thoughts I shouldn't have came back. He noticed I stopped.
"What's wrong?" he asked and came closer towards me. Aw, crap. I need to think of a lie, stat!
"Uhh..." I looked at my phone. "Ah, I just remembered I have a dentist appointment!"
"Oh dear! Will we make it in time?" he asked, a worried expression on his face.
"No need! I'm going right now!" I shouted and started to run off.
"Huuh!? The dentist is this way!" he yelled back and pointed in the direction we were already walking in.
"Shortcut!" I waved goodbye and sprinted it out of there. This wasn't a shortcut actually. I didn't have a dentist appointment either. But I needed to leave to clear my head. I'm a bit of a jerk sometimes...
On my long walk home (I got lost!), Aqua called me a couple times. I didn't pick up and left it to voicemail. I got home and retreated to my room. I collapsed on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. I felt uncertain about everything but I was away from him so it's okay. I didn't want to let something silly ruin our friendship. I felt a buzz in my jacket's pocket. It was my phone again. I decided to answer it this time.
"Uh hey..."
"Hey! How was your trip to the dentist?" Aqua said.
"The wha- Oh, uh, yeah! It was good!" Damn it, I almost forgot my own lie! Aqua made a sound that showed he was interested. I bet if he was in front of me he would have some sort of cheeky smile on his face. He isn't all that stupid so I don't think I managed to fool him... I heard him shuffle about.
"So, what did you need to go there for?" he asked. I swallowed the lump in my throat.
"J-just a check up... Nothing major..." I said.
"That's good to hear," he said and I could tell he was smirking, "considering it was a fake dentist appointment." I stood up straight on the bed.
"Y-you could tell?" I confessed and my cheeks were turning red in embarrassment. He already figured it out so there's no use in fighting about it. He made a self-assured noise before continuing. "Yeah, what the hell was that about!?" And now he's angry...
"Oh, what's it to you? So what if I left!" I scoffed.
"You've been acting weird all day ever since I..." he fell silent. He gasped as soon as it started. When he spoke he sounded mad but mostly disappointed. "I get it now. I know what this is about."
"Y-you do?" I stammered.
"It's because I told you I was gay, isn't it?"
...I don't know what came over me but I hung up then and there. I didn't even give myself time to explain... I'll regret this when I meet him at school. For now, I lifted up the sheets and crawled into bed. I don't feel like dinner. I'll just go to bed early...
~~~~~
At school, we ignored each other for a while. Amelia and Purry didn't exactly suspect anything about it. After recess we were forced to interact because we had assigned seats next to each other. I wasn't sure what to say... I should apologise, I know that, but it was hard to get anything out. "So," Aqua said at last. "Are you upset with me?" He looked rather upset himself.
I looked down at my blank piece of paper. I had been wondering what to say so much that I couldn't get any work done. "I... Well, it's a lot to take in..." He curled his lip in annoyance.
"Why? It's not like I said I liked you or anything," he said and then stood up taller. "Which, for the record, I don't!" I thought about this for a minute. That is true... I tapped my pencil on the desk.
"I know... It's just a little..." I paused to think of what word to use. "It's a little weird." That was most definitely the wrong word to say. Saying that made Aqua flip out. A time machine would be handy right about now!
He slammed his paws on the desk and looked mad. The maddest I had ever seen him. "Ehhh... Weird, you say? No, it's okay. I guess I'm the fool for ever trusting you." He turned his head away with a dramatic flair.
"Hey, you can trust me!" I pleaded. His eyes looked me up and down.
"Oh really? Your attitude says otherwise..."
"You're the one with the attitude!" I shouted. The teacher told us to quite down. I guess we were making quite the scene... Aqua sighed and pushed his chair away from the desk.
"Whatever... I don't feel so well... I'm going home," he said. He stood up and left the room, leaving me behind.
It was lunch now and Aqua was well and truly gone. It was just me and the girls again. Huh... The same as yesterday. "Aw what a shame!" Purry wailed when I told them where he went. "I hope he feels better soon."
"Yeah, me too," Amelia said in agreement. "I hope it isn't anything se- Where are you going?" Aqua kinda left me in a bad mood. But it made me think of the most genius plan. If everyone knew, then I wouldn't have to worry about it. It would make me feel so much better too. I walked to the front where everyone could see me. Lunch had started so it was packed to the brim. I stood up nice and tall and shouted as loud as I could.
"Hey everyone! Aqua's gay!"
...It went silent. No one moved or said a word. Everyone was frozen in place. I got down from my pedestal and walked over to my friends. Movement started again as gossip filled the air. Amelia was rummaging through her pockets for something.
"Aw man..." she sighed in defeat. "I owe Purry 20$ now..." Purry had a cheeky grin on her face and wrapped her tail around her paws. I was taken aback. She knew!?
"No!" she shouted. "It was just a hunch."
I crossed my arms. "Right... Anyway, now that's sorted everything is alright with the world." I felt somewhat relieved and accomplished. Maybe I did Aqua some sort of favor. No one seemed to care much. Not that I was able to hear what everyone was gossiping about. Besides the owing-Purry-20$ thing, what happened processed in Amelia's head. She was deep in thought and looked at me with her beautiful blue eyes.
"Did he want you to do that?" she said.
"Does it really matter?" I shrugged with a dry smile.
She frowned. "It does," she replied. "Did he want you to or not?" Geez, what's the big deal? I made a vague motion that told her 'no'. Which I soon found out was the wrong thing to say. Amelia turned furious. I-I've never seen her so angry! Or angry at all!
"Oh, that changes everything! I don't care if something happened between you two, that's something you shouldn't ever do! Aqua should have a say whether or not he wants to come out!"
What's this 'come out' thing mean? Anyway, she gave me this big long lecture that I told me what I did was terrible. Okay, maybe I was wrong about everything... She grabbed me by the shoulders and glared.
"After school, I want you to see Aqua in person and apologize!"
"Alright, alright... I will..."
~~~
Amelia refused to walk home with me so for the first time, I was truly alone. I don't like being alone. It's no fun. I was going to stay true to my word and see Aqua but first... I'll make a quick pit stop. Downtown, there's this amazing retro diner. I go there often for a food and a chat. I'm pretty friendly with a waitress there!
The door made a jingling sound as I entered. A deer with curly whipped cream-like hair greeted me. "Just you today?" she asked. I nodded and she led me to a seat. Sometimes my friends came here with me. The deer, who's name is Rosie, got out a pen and paper. She was dressed in the diners pink uniform. "What can I get you?"
"Uh, a cola is fine. I actually wanted to talk," I said. Rosie blushed.
"Y-yes... Just a moment," she replied and scampered off. She can be quick to fluster, but she is an excellent waitress. She quickly returned and gave me my drink. She stood at my booth swaying side to side, pretending to work. "So... What did you want to talk about?"
I took a sip and looked her in the eyes. "Do you know anyone that's gay?" Rosie's face went redder than it already was. Her mouth was agape in surprise.
"I-i-i-i-i-i d-don't think so!" she stammered. "W-w-why?" I took a long sip while deciding exactly what to tell her. Leaving names out, I told her everything that happened. The redness from her face vanished and she looked at me with kind understanding eyes. "Well, I think Girl A is right. You should go apologize to your friend. What you did wasn't very nice."
I looked inside the half empty glass. "But-" she added and my ears perked up. "I can understand how you feel. Your friend must have known that too. He must trust you a whole lot. That's why he had the courage to tell you. I'm not calling you selfish, but you should be able to understand his feelings." It's rare to see Rosie talk with such confidence. It must be because she believes what she's saying. I placed the glass down and fished out the appropriate amount from my school bag. I placed it down in front of her.
"Thanks for that. For the drink and the talk."
"Y-you're welcome..." she blushed and started to clean up. I waved goodbye and went to my next destination.
The sun was starting to set now, the sky a slight orange. I stood at Aqua's door and knocked. His mother answered the door and she seemed surprised to see me. She went to get Aqua for me. He didn't take much time to get there. He crossed his arms and leaned on the door frame.
"Oh, it's you..." he said with narrowed eyes.
"Uh, yeah..." I scratched the back of my head in embarrassment. I then stood up straight. "Aqua, I'm sorry."
"Huh?" He blinked as if what I said was unbelievable.
"I'm sorry for how I was acting. I've come to terms with my feelings and realised that I was wrong. Gay or not, you're still my best friend." Aqua looked at me with eyes sparkling.
"So, we're still friends?" he asked.
"Of course," I smiled. He jumped in the air and made loud whooping noises. He lunged towards me and brought me into a big tight hug. Hugs are nice.
"Sorry for getting all angry too," he said. I shook my head and told him it didn't matter. Yay, we're friends and everything again! Except for one little (okay, more like big) thing... I gently pushed him away and nervously played with my fingers.
"Uh... It's great and all that we made up and stuff but... There's something I need to tell you..."
"Oh? What would that be?" Aqua said, looking up at me with innocent eyes. I cleared my throat. Here goes nothing...
"I might've, um... I might've maybe told the whole entire school you were gay."
"You did WHAT!?" To be honest, after Amelia's reaction I was kinda expecting something like this. Aqua, understandably, was very very mad. He grabbed me by the shoulders and shook me violently.
"Do you have any idea what you've done!?" he yelled.
"Uh... Not exactly," I shrugged. With a groan, he gave himself a face palm. "Everyone took it surprisingly well, though!" I said in an attempt to reassure him. He looked at me with suspicious eyes.
"Really?" he said. I nodded and the anger vanished from his face. He let me go and shook off his hands. "I-I guess it's alright then. Don't pull anything like that again."
"Ahaha, sorry, I promise," I laughed. I stayed at his house for a bit and we talked about what happened. He was still peeved about what I did but I'm sure he'll get over it eventually. The best thing is that we're friends! That's all that matters in my book.
