If I Told You I Loved You, How Far Would You Run?

I skip on Tuesday too, and when I come back to school on Wednesday, I find Ryan walking down the halls holding her hand.

Keltie.

So I guess he asked her out and I guess she said yes. Big surprise.

“Oh! Hi, Brandon,” Keltie says, batting her mascara-darkened eyelashes at me.

Still intent on messing up my name, eh Keltie? I think mutinously, watching Ryan and not her.

Ryan’s looking awkward and uncomfortable around me, and I see his hand tighten around Keltie’s ever so slightly. “Let’s go, Kel,” he says, and god, what a sweet-sap corny nickname. “We have to go to English.”

“Okay, Ry,” she says with a smile and follows him away down the hall.

Ry? That’s my name for him, you bitch! I growl internally, stamping off to physics with a scowl and bad mood, which does not improve as the day goes along.

Keltie joins us at our table during lunch, and I feel the pitying gazes from all my friends as she and Ryan laugh and cuddle and feed each other bits of food.

Pete kicks me under the table and slides a scrape of paper across to me. I pick it up and carefully unfold it in my lap.

You’ve got to make him jealous if you want him back, Pete’s messy handwriting says and I give him a questioning look. Pete nods, jerking his head in the direction of Ryan.

What are you implying? I write back and hand him the piece of paper.

“Passing notes isn’t very nice, Brendon,” Ryan says mockingly. “Perhaps you could share with all of us.”

I look at him, glare at his arm around Keltie, and then pointedly look away, hoping he can see my fury.

“Ignore him, sweetie,” Keltie says, touching his cheek softly. “I’m sure it’s nothing personal.”

Damn right, it’s personal! I think, absentmindedly rubbing the bandage beneath my sleeve.

Pete taps my arm and hands me the paper. Get yourself a girlfriend or a boyfriend and be all PDA around Ryan, it says. He’ll be jealous and want you back.

I shoot Pete a look saying We’re going to continue this talk another time, and he nods.

Ryan sees our exchange with a puzzled look in his eyes, but his attention is quickly caught by Keltie when she kisses him lightly on the cheek.

It takes all my self-control to not pull her away from my Ryan and beat the shit out of her, and it’s a blessing when Pete roughly hauls me to my feet and drags me out of the cafeteria.

“What do you want, Wentz?” I spit out, shaking and trembling.

“You’re gonna find yourself a boo and make Ryan all jealous and possessive like you are right now,” Pete says seriously.

I give a bitter laugh. “Who’d want to date me?” I ask with a twisted grin.

“I would, to help you get back at Ross,” Pete says casually.

“Uh, what?”

“I’d date you, to help you out with your Ryan/Keltie problem,” he says.

It’s crazy and all I can say is: “Are you gay?”

“Bi-curious, more like,” Pete says with a wave of his hand. “Gender doesn’t matter to me.”

“And why the hell would I date you, Wentz?” I ask.

Pete gives me a patronizing look. “Because it’s so obvious how in love you are with that boy and you need to make him jealous if you want him back,” he says.

“’Get him back?’” I repeat. “It’s not like we were ever dating, at least last time I checked. Besides, you don’t even know I’m gay. Uh, not that I am or anything.”

“Cut the crap, Urie,” Pete drawls. “Either you’re gay and want Ryan back or you’re straight and out of your mind.”

“Can’t I be both?” I ask meekly.

“No, because everyone already knows that you’re in love with him. So are you gonna take my offer or not?”

Swallowing hard, I consider my options. “I’ll take it,” I say, looking Pete in eye. “But it’s not because I feel anything for you.”

“No shit, Sherlock,” Pete says. “It’s not like I feel anything for you, at least not romantically. But now, we’re dating, so if you don’t mind …”

And with that, he grabs my face and kisses me.