“Lindon.”
I suddenly couldn’t remember if I usually called Jett by his first or last name to his face. But it seemed weird to call him by his first name when he’d used my last name.
“Dawson.” I nodded.
Penny and Charley chatted while the others changed their shoes and Charley was inputting our names. I looked up at the screens.
“Charlatan, Jetstream and Pinnacle?” I asked.
Charley nodded and smiled at me. “What’s your nickname going to be?”
“LindtBall!” Penny said.
Jett pointed at her. “I like it.”
Charley snorted. “LindtBall it is.”
“Am I dark or milk?” I asked Penny.
“Hazelnut.” She nodded her head once.
“Okay,” I laughed.
“Penny knows her Lindt balls,” Charley explained.
“Does she?”
“I’m strawberry.”
“I’m mango,” Jett said.
“What are you?” I asked Penny.
“Cookies and Cream.”
“I see that.”
We sat and chatted while we bowled.
Charley was definitely not any better than she was on the Wii. I was coming in third. Jett was doing pretty well. And Penny was absolutely wiping the floor with us.
“Check out the hottie heading to lane four,” Charley said as she went to pick up a ball, kicking her head in that direction.
Even I turned to look, interested to see what she counted as a hottie what with us hooking up and all.
“Pass from me. But the guy’s he’s with?” Jett said appreciatively.
“Wait,” I said, pointing at Jett. “You’re gay?”
He shrugged. “So?”
I looked at Charley and Penny. “And you knew?”
They both shrugged.
“I don’t feel the need to broadcast it to the world,” Jett said simply. “Did you have to announce you were straight?”
I blinked. That was a good point I hadn’t considered before. I’d assumed he was straight because I hadn’t been told otherwise. When he put it in that perspective, it seemed weird. It was a pale comparison, but how many of my other assumptions and judgements were equally as unnecessary and wrong?
I did not like the way that made me feel like I needed to do some soul-searching.
“No,” I said slowly. “I didn’t.”
Jett shrugged, but there was a tenseness to his shoulders. “It is what it is. Heterosexuality is still ‘the norm’. Whatever, I’m used to it.” He got up quickly and got ready for his turn.
Something about him made me think he wasn’t really okay with it, even if he was trying to imply he was. And I didn’t think he should have to be. I just didn’t know what I could do about it.
A sombre mood fell over us, but started dissipating when Penny got a strike and we all celebrated. After a few more turns, it was all back to normal. When Jett and I caught each other’s eye, I gave him a small smile and a nod. He returned the gesture. I wasn’t sure exactly what it meant, but I felt like it wasn’t a bad thing.
Chapter 21: Charley
Things were going really well with Zane. Things were going really well with Jett and Penny regarding Zane.
Better than I’d expected anyway.
“So, when are we doing that again?” Penny asked me.
‘That’ referred to bowling.
I shrugged. “I dunno. I didn’t expect you guys would want to hang out with him again.”
Jett used his height to hold a door open for us. “He’s not awful.”
“That’s basically permission to marry him, right there,” Penny laughed.
We paused as we got to their classroom.
“Slow down. Let’s see if it lasts a month before we start picking colour schemes. Yeah?”
“We’ll see you later,” Jett said, a hint of a smile on his face.
I waved as I headed for my classroom.
“That’s so gay,” I heard Zane laughing along with Cody and the boys.
I hadn’t heard the first bit, but I was absolutely furious.
How stupid of me to assume he had any ounce of decency left I him. Just because we kissed didn’t make him the person I wanted him to be. And to pull out a shot like that? I thought he was starting to learn about his stupid comments. I’d thought he’d been starting to realise that what he thought of as jokes mattered to people. It wasn’t like I got it right all the time, but I was trying a damned sight better than him.
I was still glaring at him when his eyes fell on me. All laughter died on his lips as he saw me. It was probably a trick of the light, but I hoped that was the colour draining from his face. All I could do was shake my head before I turned around and pushed my way back through the milling students.
“Charley!” I heard him yell, but I wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of stopping.
It didn’t matter, because he caught up with me.
“Charley, stop.”
I whirled on him. “I could say the same thing to you!”
“What?”
“Stop being a jerk! Honestly, you’ll say any old drivel to get a laugh out of those buffoons. I’m embarrassed for you.”
“It was a joke, Char.”
“Yeah, but it’s not a joke. In one sentence you just belittled who people are. Like being gay is bad.”
“It’s just a word. I didn’t mean gay people are bad.”
“Yeah, but that’s not what you said. Is it? And I’m sure that’s not what Cody thinks.”
“Bleeker’s…an acquired taste,” he admitted.
“He’s an arsehole. He’s judgemental and bigoted and probably compensating for something.”
“Now who’s being judgemental?”
“I never said I was perfect, Zane!” I snapped.
“Well, neither did I.”
“I should have known you’d never change. You’re so desperate for approval, so desperate to fit it, you don’t care who you hurt to do it. You’re so much worse than a judgmental bigoted idiot because you claim you know better!”
“Charley, I’m sorry–”
“I’m not the one who needs an apology.”
“Maybe not. But I am sorry I let you down.”
I swallowed back the heat in my throat. “So am I.”
I couldn’t talk to him anymore. I turned and hurried off, willing myself not to cry. I’d promised myself at thirteen, after my first boyfriend dumped me, that he’d be the last guy I’d let make me cry. I told myself it wasn’t Zane who was making me teary, but me. It was my fault I’d believed he wasn’t the arrogant jerk he was in these hallways playing king. I’d believed what I’d wanted and ignored the truth just because I was a suck for the little boy who used to be my best friend.