Scott's P.O.V.

"Scott! Scott, over here!" Kirstie's voice whispered from the back of the dark theater.

I followed it, still half-blind, but eventually I found her and plopped down in the seat next to her.

"You excited for the movie?" Kirstie asked, bouncing in her seat. She loved the Divergent series, so I wasn't surprised that she was as excited as she seemed to be.

"Yeah, but if Mitch asks, we went to go see a documentary on the solar system."

"What?"

"It's a long story that I'll explain after the movie, but just go with it Kitkat."

She shrugged. "I'm cool with that."

"Hey man," said a earth-shakingly low voice from beside Kirstie. I grinned.

"Hey Avi. Is Kev here too?" I was answered by a grinning face that popped up from behind Avi.

"Hey! Now the gang's almost all here!" He said, and my mind automatically went to the perfect boy who was sitting at home alone right now. What I would give to be at home, getting close to him...

Just then, the introduction music blared from the speakers and the lights dimmed, signaling the beginning of the movie.

"Thank God," I muttered quietly.

Apparently it wasn't quiet enough, because Kirstie gave me a weird look. I ignored it, promising myself that I would explain later.

***********************************************

An hour later, the movie had ended, and the four of us were having fun and being really loud as we walked out of the theater.

"Avi, I swear, you are like the cutest person in the entire world!" Kirstie said, her hand intertwined with his.

He shrugged. "I try."

He leaned down and planted a quick kiss on her cheek, causing her to blush.

They honestly were one of the cutest couples I knew. Even though they had only been dating for a month, they had a bond that made them extremely close.

I zoned out of their sappy conversation, suddenly noticing that a girl standing in line at the concessions was staring at me.

I looked behind me, trying to see if she was staring at someone else, but when I turned back around, she beckoned me to her with one finger.

Kevin happened to be watching, and he slapped me on the back playfully. "Go get'em tiger!"

"Kevin!" I whispered. "You know I can't just 'go get her'! How do I tell her that I'm gay?"

He shrugged. "I don't know man. But you gotta do it. If you don't go talk to that girl, then I'm gonna do it."

I laughed. "Alright, alright. I'm going."

I slowly walked over to the beautiful brunette, feeling shy.

"What is your name cutie?"

"Scott."

"Well I'm Ashley. And I was wondering if you wanted to grab a cup of coffee or something sometime."

I stared at the floor awkwardly. "Listen, I think you're...very attractive...and all. But I'm just not interested."

"But you haven't even really met me yet. How can you already know you're not interested?" She gasped. "Do you already have a girlfriend? Oh gosh, now I feel terrible!"

"No,no! That's not it. It's just...I'm not really into girls. That's all."

Her expression turned from adoring to disgusted in the blink of an eye.

"You mean, you're...gay?"

"Yeah. Sorry."

"No, I'm sorry for you. I can't believe that someone as cute as you could stand being a fag."

That word hit me like a gunshot. Fag. I hated it. Not that I hadn't been called it plenty of times before, but it hurt just as much every time.

But what was more painful was that I wasn't confident enough to confront the girl on it. All that I could do was just stand here and be humiliated by someone that I didn't even know.

Without saying another word, I turned around and started to walk back to my friends, who were waiting for me by the front door.

The lobby was pretty clear because the next round of movies were starting, so it was just me, my friends, Ashley, and a couple of ushers walking around.

"That's right!" Ashley shouted after me. "Just walk away like the fag that you are!"

I fought back tears as I continued walking. I refused to look back, mainly because I didn't want her to see me so upset.

When I looked up, there was an overall look of shock on Kirstie's, Kevin's, and Avi's faces.

"Did she just say what I think she said?" Kirstie asked me, furious.

I nodded.

"I'm about to go knock that girl's teeth in!" She hissed through clenched teeth while glaring over my shoulder at Ashley.

"Let me handle it baby," Avi pleaded. He knew that when Kirstie made threats, she meant them, and I'm guessing that he didn't want her to make a scene.

After a second, she nodded slightly, although she still didn't look particularly happy about it.

Avi kissed her on the forehead, then walked across the lobby to Ashley.

"Are you alright Scott?" Kirstie asked, her tone soft.

I shrugged, not really knowing what to say. I could tell she was still angry, but she was more worried about me than anything.

Kevin, on the other hand, was seething. I did a double take. I had never seen him even remotely mad, let alone furious.

"What's the matter Kev?" I asked. "You're freaking me out."

"What's the matter is no one talks to my friends that way. Follow me," and before Kirstie or I could say anything else, he stormed over to where Avi and Ashley were.

"Excuse me, but who the heck do you think you are?" Kevin asked Ashley.

She looked surprised. "Ashley, why?"

"Well I'm just wondering what the heck makes you think you can talk to people like that."

"Just let it go Kev," I whispered to him.

"Yeah, you heard the fag. Just let it go!"

"That's it!" Kirstie shouted, starting to advance towards the girl, but thankfully, Avi held her back.

"No. You know what? I'm not going to just let it go. It's not okay and you know it." He turned to Ashley and lowered his voice, sounding very menacing. This wasn't like Kevin at all.

"Don't you ever use that word again. Not only with my friend, but with anyone, because one day, you're going to say that to someone and they won't be as nice as Scott or me. And then, you'll be sorry."

He stormed away and out the front doors, followed by a worried Kirstie.

Ashley was speechless.

"Seriously. If I had let her, that girl would have torn you apart," Avi said, motioning to where Kirstie stood talking to Kevin outside.

"Come on man," Avi said quietly, putting his hand on my back. He ushered me out the door, murmuring apologies and checking to see if I was okay.

"As okay as I can be. Thanks for backing me up," I said gratefully.

"No problem. But why didn't you say anything to her?"

I shook my head. "It wasn't that big of a deal."

He raised an eyebrow at me. "Come on. I know that's not true. You're on the verge of tears."

"I just couldn't stand up to her. I'm not that confident."

"Man, you have to be confident enough to stand up for yourself. I know for a fact that you'd tell anyone of that said something like that to any one of us in a heartbeat. It's not any different."

I nodded as we joined Kevin, who seemed to be a little more contained, and Kirstie.

"Scott, are you sure that you don't want me to go teach that girl a lesson. Cause I would be happy to," Kirstie insisted.

I shook my head. "I kind of just want to get out of here. But thanks for sticking up for me. I really appreciate it you guys."

"Are you kidding? No one could say something like that to any one of us and get away with it," she said, putting her hand on my arm. "Now let's go. And please explain to me why I have to tell Mitch we saw a documentary on the solar system?"

I sighed. "It's a long story."

"I've got plenty of time Hoying," she said, laughing.