Timmy McKenzie

School drags on like an episode of a bad drama series. I don't even catch a glance of Curtis in the hallway like I sometimes do and not Nadia too. I also notice that people keep stealing glances at me when I walk by and even in class, it was unsettling.

"Guys, I think maybe I pooped on myself," I say, entering into the School's paper office— Glendale's times— and turning around in a circle to see if I have a stain on my pants or anywhere else.

"Whoa," Billy and Jet exclaim, moving away and even covering their nostrils.

I roll my eyes, "I didn't, thank God but everyone is looking at me outside like I did."

"Oh," they both say, returning back to their various activities. "That."

I pull a swirl chair and sit on it, "okay, please explain what you mean by 'oh, that'."

"You're wearing the I am gay poop," Billy says, her scarf that she uses to cover her hair and neck and shoulder resting on the chair. Leaving her thick dark curly hair exposed to Jet and I.

I blink, "yeah, I've been wearing that since I came out."

Came out is a strong word here because I didn't even actually come out, people just started assuming I am gay, teasing me up and down and I guess I went with the flow because I am actually gay and dancing with Kenny who's already very openly gay at the Sadie Hawkins dance confirmed it. That can be my Come Out, right? It just wasn't dramatic, isn't a Come Out supposed to be dramatic? It was a very normal, "care to dance with me, Timmy?" offer and I didn't even think about it before going for it. I wonder if I had known it'll be my Come Out, would I have said the plain, "okay, then"?

"You're also wearing the I am Curt's best friend, I am always with Curt and he just confessed to being gay poop," Jet says and I just blink at him. I've been pretending to forget that and not think of it.

Billy hits her hand on the table, "I've always knew there was something more to you guys. You're too close to be just best friends and the way you look at each other," she shook her head. "I could've predicted this."

So many things were going on at the same time, I am finding it hard to concentrate on just one. "Um-"

"How long has he been gay?" Jet asks like he's interrogating me for the school's paper. "Wait, have you guys been secretly dating all this while but pretending because Curt is so deep in the closet so he dates girls to keep appearance?"

Billy gasps, "plot twist, it's Timmy who's actually scared of dating out in public and makes Curt date all those girls to hide their relationship."

"Bigger plot twist," Jet says, eye wide. "Timmy is pregnant."

Billy gasps so loud and long, I fear she would pass out. "That would explain so much."

I stare deadpan at them, "it's disappointing to know I call you both friends."

They laugh and Jet groans, "what's even more disappointing is that you didn't get any picture of the drama going on."

I glare at him, "really?"

"I got," Billy says, waving her iPhone. "It's a last minute picture though, as they glumly left with the principal."

Jet collects her phone, "yeah, this should do. Great job."

"Wait, we aren't actually going to write on this, are we?" I ask them although I already know the answer.

"Write on the biggest news that has happened to the school since the teacher student relationship news with Rahim who is now rumored to be married to her somewhere in Ohio?" Jet asks, giving me a look that says I must be crazy. "Of course we're not."

I roll my eyes as the sarcasm. "Well, Curtis isn't gay."

"He said he is," Billy reminds me.

"I know," I force out, feeling frustrated and running my hand through my hair. A bad decision that I'd regret once my eyes catches on my reflection anywhere. "But, but just said it. He didn't mean it. It was something spoken in the heat of the moment, he was just looking for an escape from it all and then that stupid idea jumped in. He isn't gay."

"How sure are you?" Billy asks again.

I look her in the eyes, "very sure. I know Curt." I know Curt... Right.

We stay silent until Jet breaks it. "Well, I am still running the story, like I would have anybody else done it instead of Curt. No special treatment, remember?"

I sigh, nodding my head. "Okay."

"Do you think Nadia is actually pregnant for Curt?" Billy asks gently and seriously. My ears perk up but I don't raise my head from where I have it resting on my palms.

Jet shrugs, "I heard that their moms came and Nadia left with her very angry mom dragging her ear. People are saying Nadia isn't actually pregnant and they are also saying she is but it's not for Curt."

None of this theories make me feel better.

"How about we go hunt for stories, huh, Timmy?" Billy asks, standing up and wrapping her scarf around her again.

"I'm not in the mood," I groan.

"Taking pictures of gossiping teenage highschool it girls isn't going to get your blood pumping?" Billy asks, trying and failing to tempt me.

"Nope."

"I'd buy you three packs of Reeces?"

I look up then, "three packs and two new collage books?" I tap my bag. "This one is almost full."

Billy's jaw falls open and she turns to Jet, "are you hearing this?"

I shrug, "then leave me be."

"Fine," she gets up and pulls me up. "You thirsty little—"

I look at her, daring her to say it but she sighs and doesn't, leading us out of the room. We walk around and I try as much as possible to ignore the stares, burying my face in my camera as I take pictures. It's hilarious even, I can't believe people actually think Curt is gay and we have anything together, really? Curt unfortunately is my best friend and he's been that for over eleven years and he's... straight as a pole. I sigh, just the idea of Curt being gay makes my heart flutter and him being with me, gah I could just faint. But it's all lies and fiction and gossip and highschool drama. Heck, he might even be an upcoming father for all I knew.

I take out my phone and send him a text; hey, where are you?

I stay looking at my phone's screen for a minute and when he doesn't answer I send another one; you good? I don't wait for a reply and I pocket back my phone and run to catch up with Billy.

We snoop around and barge into people's personal space (Billy) and ask questions where we could and we were only able to discover more rumors but at least a particular story more than five times so automatically that ought to have some truth to it— "Well, I heard from someone who heard from someone who eavesdropped at the principal's office that Nadia is pregnant but it isn't Curt," Mandy and four different other people who's names I don't care to remember say. "It's probably her ex boyfriend's Jaden, whatever, her mum freaked and dragged her off. She's so going to get killed that ho."

"We're using that?" I ask Billy as we speed walk back to the office. God, the girl could walk fast.

She grins, "I got it all on tape."

I roll my eyes, hating that I am a part of this somehow.

"Oh, one more question," Billy stops immediately and turns to some random girls by a locker. "Hey, sorry but what do you think about Curt being gay? Could that be true?" My face fell at that... Really?

One girl with green highlights on her scoffs, "I don't know but like, he said it himself, right? And he's always with that guy, so," She trails off and her eyes wanders to me and I look down at my feet. "We been knew." They break into a chortle and I start walking, Billy running after me.

"Hey, you okay?"

"What do you think?" I snap at her, the roll my eyes and stomp off after saying, "he's not gay."

I don't go back to the office and I don't see Jet and Billy again that day either. When school ended, I quickly left and it's then I discover that Curt is long gone. I totally forgot about the text I sent, I check my phone and I have a reply now.

Home, my mum practically forced me back, I'm sorry. I could come pick you if you want, she's gone now so, just holla.

Am I going to holla? Nope, I can take myself home. I plug in my earphones, put them on, put on my punk rock music and start my walk to the bus stop. The next bus arrives in fifteen minutes, not that long.

*

When I get home the plan was to keep walking to Curt's home before even stopping to change and that what I do but then I don't go two houses away from mine before I see him coming. I stop in my tracks and just watch him, he hasn't seen me yet and I can't help but smiling. He has a headphone over his head and is busy typing away on his phone. He has on an oversized— please do not ask me where a big guy like him gets an oversize, still baffles me— plain white round neck shirt and knee long shorts adorning his long legs and making them look as hot as always and slides on his feet. Only Curt makes casual wears super hot, I don't know how.

I bring out my phone because if I don't there's a large chance that he's just going to walk passed me to my house. You're goin to trip.

I smile and watch him read the text, looking up just then and seeing me. He grins and jogs over. "Hey, I'm going to your house."

"Hey back," I turn around facing the way back to my place. "And I can tell but why? Aren't you supposed to be like grounded or something?"

"Nope, you know my mum doesn't care enough to ground me. She just told me not to leave the house or entertain visitors, things I'm ninety nine percent sure she got from How To Be A Good Mother for Dummies."

I chuckle, "that would make so much sense. Dummies have everything." He nods and I scoff, "and I think that's part of the definition of grounding?"

"She didn't say the word and isn't she supposed to take my phone?" He raises his brow at me. "I mean, whatever, I'm not complaining for not being grounded and I'll be back before they are back."

I step unto my house porch and get the key from my bag, opening the house for Curt and I. Yeah, my Asian mom is too paranoid to leave the key under a mat or flower jar. She always says Caucasians have less to lose than us— like if someone broke into the house where she literally has her entire life stashed in, she might just have to go back to Asia. Americans however can easily start afresh, hence why we have two separate keys that we always keep with us and why if I misplace mine, I'm dead.

I walk into the house and change my shoes, slipping my sock clad feet into flip flops that were already there before walking into the living room. I turn to make sure Curt does the same and he did, already used to it although his face was buried in his phone.

"Hm, your house always smells like barbeque," he airs.

I drop my bag on the sofa, getting rid of my blazer and tie. "it always smells like barbeque."

"Yeah but now I'm hungry so," he slumps down on the loveseat. "The scent's really hitting all the right places."

I chuckle then I remember our lunch that we both didn't eat. I haven't eaten anything either, I just remembered, after the drama I just lost my appetite and forgot about food. "We still have our lunch."

"Fuck yeah."

"Lemme get coke?"

"I love you Timmy!" He groans, jumping off the seat to grab my bag and then seating back down.

Breathe. Jesus, breathe, you've heard that before, especially when it comes to food. I swallow air and turn around, "getting the coke then."

The pep talk I give myself doesn't help because I go to the fridge and pause for more than two minutes, telling myself to breathe. Finally I get over it and when I return with two Cokes, Curt has a frown on his face typing on his phone. I plop down on the other side of the the love seat, turning around so I have one leg tucked under me and I'm facing him. "What with you and your phone?"

He briefly looks up, "sorry, it's just people have been spamming my ass since I left school. It's like I have the entire student population texting me a hundred questions and since when was I in so much group chats?"

I open the paper bag that has our sandwich inside. Thankfully it isn't soggy with heat yet, thank you weather. It's cheese turkey sandwich, emphasis on cheese. "Since forever?"

"Really?" He asks and I just nods. "That sucks. I'm going out of some now, I don't care."

I hand him a can of Coke and he finally drops his phone, taking it, opening it and handing it back to me while I give him his sandwich. It's no big deal, Curt opening my canned drinks for me, it's a habit we fell into when I once cut myself while trying to open a can, since then he just always opens it for me and I'm not complaining. Today however, my mind goes to it because of the gay thing. I sip out my drink, "it's not only your phone that's buzzed. School too is. Everybody is talking about you and Nadia and. . ."

"And?" He probes, mouth full. "I love your mum and her relationship with cheese by the way."

There goes another one... I refrain from rolling my eyes at myself for wasting my precious time not breathing over nothing.

"And," I ignore his last comment. "You saying you're gay. Why the hell did you do that?"

He groans, face palming with the hand not holding his food. "I was freaking out Timmy and then I saw you and I was like, fuck it, gay guys don't get girls pregnant right? And then boom, the words were out before I realized it. Stupid of me I know but I was freaking out so bad."

I knew it. "So you basically lied to the entire school?"

He sheepishly nods but that doesn't stop him from taking a huge bite off his sandwich. "If I was gay, won't you be the first to know?"

Makes sense. "Yeah but that's not the point, now everyone thinks you are and gay guys do get girls pregnant, some ignorantly."

"Well, I am not gay and I didn't get anybody pregnant, Nadia was lying."

"Then who's she pregnant for?"

He shrugs, "I don't know, I don't care. I'm done with that drama."

I sigh, "maybe but you've jumped into another one, blindly pulling me along."

"How?"

I blush, "well, some people think you're gay and- and we're together."

I don't know what reaction I was expecting from Curt on hearing that but it is definitely not his loud boisterous laughter. Ouch. I roll my eyes, biting my food. "Yeah, it's that hilarious."

"Sorry," he covers his mouth. "But yeah, Timmy you're my best friend."

I nod, "told them. But rumors are rumors." How many heartbreaks can one survive in one lifetime, and that's counting out the sixteen girlfriends?

He shakes his head in amusement. Then stops midway, going completely still.

"What?" I ask, looking at and watching his eyes slowly widen like he's getting a big lightbulb idea.

"Timmy maybe the school thinking that isn't so bad," Curtis slowly says and I have to clean my ears to make sure I heard well.

"What?"

He turns to me with an idiotic adorable grin, "it isn't so bad."

"How?"

"We could actually start being together."

Radio noise...

Somebody pinch me.

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