"C'mon on Rhys no need to bitch around. They got nothing that bad."

They were playing against some team that Rhys deemed unnecessary to know. It was almost the end of the game and they were half and half. The other team called for a timeout but in Rhys' opinion they had no chance. 

"I fucking know that Derek.", Rhys says and looks towards the huddled group. "They are planning something. "

"I mean, you might be right. Those Eastsider's are nothing but trouble. Better hope they don't destroy this place before they leave."

Rhys takes a moment away from his glaring to look at Derek. "The fuck's your problem.".

Derek chuckles and slaps the confused Rhys' arm. He walks away back to the benches. Rhys rolls his eyes and looks back at the huddled group. Once turned around and locked eyes with Rhys.

Squinted eyes he wanted to punch in.

That's when the game began.

One moment they were equal. The next moment Rhys is on his ass in a locker room after running off the court. They lost. Lost by two fucking points all because of the squinty eyed fucker. Rhys was livid specifically about that.

Creak!

"Leave me the fuck alone Derek."

"Don't know who that is but I not it." 

"You squinty eyed fuck."

~

"You smell like a baby.", Kique says over the lunch crowd.

Rhys twirls around his plastic spoon in his cup of macaroni. He felt like complete shit. His breasts were aching and he feels if he takes one wrong move he's going to lose his breakfast. The spoon cracks as he sticks it upward in the cup.

Malik, the ever observant, knocks his leg into Kique's. Kique yelps and gives a frustrated pout. 

"Why. Just want to know. Gotta plug my business in.", she smiled, "Kique's babysitting services. You make em I watch em."

"Thanks Kique but I'm not sure."

"C'mon. Connect me with your parents and I'm sure I can convince them."

Malik hits her leg again.

"Fuck! Why you keep doing that."

"It's okay Malik. Kique, can you keep a secret."

"Yes absolutely. Just ask Malik. I kept that-".

Malik kicks her again.

"Send that foot one more time Malik and I'm about to cut your big ass down."

"No need for any cutting of asses Kique. Just want to tell you that I have a daughter."

Kique falls silent. A small hum slips from her lips as she studies his face.

"Does that mean you're not gay?".

Now it was Rhys to become silent.

"What? Gay? I..wait. Kique...I don't have a girl and I am not gay."

"Then how did you get a baby?"

"It doesn't fucking matter!".

Rhys' face grew warm upon realizing he said that sentence a bit too loud. Even though only like ten people noticed.

"Sorry."

"I don't care if you yell. I'm just confused. "

Rhys eyes fall to the broken spoon sticking up in the air. He could feel Malik's intense stare into the top of his head. Kique seems nice. She reminds him a lot of Ming Lee. Not his daughter, his past…

Love?

He doesn't know but it didn't matter. She's long gone. He looks back at Kiques questioning eyes before saying,

"I am a carrier. I had my daughter. No woman involved."

"Is that all? I thought it was more serious than that."

"You're not-"

"Look Rhys, you not the  first boy to get pregnant in highschool and you will definitely not be the last."

Why does Rhys feel relieved? Was he truly stressing over such a little thing. How weak of him. He wants to be angry but he finds anger to be inaccessible. His emotions have had enough of his crap.

"Yo Rhys dress aside for me."

Jordan slides next to Rhys on the bench. Kique's eyes immediately roll seeing the smiling junior. Malik silently stabs his sausage seemingly trying to ignore his presence. Jordan's cat-like grin blooms on his face leaning forward.

"Ahh, Kique. The Rose Tyler to my Doctor."

"More like the Master."

"That could work too."

"Where were you anyway. Lunch is halfway over."

Jordan leans against the wall popping a fry into his mouth. What Kique and Malik didn't notice was the awkward way he's shifting in seat as well as how unnecessarily hard he bit into the fry. But, Rhys noticed. He has come to know  in the past six months of that sore kind of pain. Question is:

Who is Jordan fucking in the middle of the afternoon ?

"Ty wanted some help planning the team's new game plan. Don't understand how a captain can't plan his own plays."

"Least he's found some use for you."

"Aww. Can't I just sit still and look pretty for you?"

"Better try find a sugar daddy."

"What about a sugar mommy?"

Before Kique could reply Malik rose from his seat. He picks up his tray and ,with his eyes, gestures for Rhys to follow. Rhys is glad that Malik is silent. He doesn't understand it, like many things in his life, why he's so comforting to him. 

'Snap out of it Rhys. You are not gay. You are just a boy who happens to have birthed a baby. Does that make me some virgin Mary? I'm neither a girl nor a virgin. But 1 out of 3 is not bad.', Rhys thinks.

Rhys didn't even notice when Malik stopped right in front of him causing him to crash into his back. He didn't even get a chance to complain when he saw Malik's face. He bends himself down leveling eyes with him. 

"Were you serious when you said you are not gay?"

"Come again?"

"I don't like repeating. You heard."

"Doesn't mean I understand! You don't just ask something like that."

"Does it matter? Answer."

"Why?", a mischievous glint flashes in his eyes. For that moment, he felt like Rhys Hanover. The only difference is that it's a guy and not a girl. He lowers his voice to a rumble. With a tilt of his head, his lips were barely brushing against the man's hot ear. 

"You want to take a chance on me?", he whispers. 

He meant to pull away. To leave Malik in a state of fluster and heat. Just a little tease. What he didn't expect was for Malik's sturdy hands gripping his shoulders. Pushing open the door to a barely full storage closet, he pins Rhys to the wall.

A small groan escapes his mouth. His eyes looking down trying to hide his surprise at how his plan just blew in his face. 

'Different reactions for different sexes. Should make note of that.', he thinks.

Malik's grip softens as he takes one hand to the red head's face. He brushes back the stray hair he didn't care to notice that was blocking his vision. In an awkward movement, he leans in trying for a kiss.

He bumped noses with Rhys.

"Have you ever kissed anyone before?", Rhys decides to say.

Malik shakes his head. He begins to lower Rhys back to the floor but the one hormonal crazy part of it took over. He was inches away from leaving this closet and settling this situation as a fluke only to screw himself over by locking lips with the man.

Funny how mistakes repeat each other.