Never Have I Ever

I walk into the English room on Monday and Jack gestures for me to come to him. I shake my head and point to Cali, who’s in the back of the room, typing vigorously. A look of hurt flashes across his face and I quickly make my way to him.

“We never finished the assignment on Saturday,” I say.
He raises an eyebrow.

“What did you spend your time doing when you were together?” he asks.
I shrug.

“Talked mostly.”
He rolls his eyes and waves me off. I smile sheepishly and move back to Cali.

“Hey,” I say, catching her attention.
She just grunts in response.

“Is there anything I can help with?” I ask.

“You can shut up,” she says, playfully punching my arm.

I raise my hands in defeat and grin. She rolls her eyes and goes back to what she was working on.
About a minute later, Mr. West walks in. I hold my breath, but the first pair he calls on is Jack and Jared.

I sit up straighter and give my friend a thumbs up.

Jared talks for the majority of the presentation, while Jack just stands there looking bored. He doesn’t react at all, until Jared makes a show of kissing him to prove his point. I don’t even remember what it was, because all of my attention switches to watching Jack’s reaction.

He physically takes a step away from him and pulls a face.

“What the hell was that?” he screams, making the whole class burst out laughing.

Jared crosses his arms over his chest and narrows his eyes.

“So, what? You can kiss Alex at a party and it’s totally okay, but the second a gay guy kisses you it’s not okay? What are you, homophobic?” he demands.

Cali leans over to whisper in my ear.

“This probably isn’t the appropriate time to tell you this, but I got the report done. Also, aren’t you bisexual?” she asks.

I turn to her as Jared starts repeatedly asking Jack if he thinks he’s a ‘faggot’ and other homophobic slurs and Mr. West tries to get the situation under control.

“What does that have to do with what’s going on up there?”

“He can’t be homophobic if he kissed a boy who likes boys, right?” she asks.

It takes me a couple seconds, but what she’s telling me to do finally sets in. I look back to the front and Jack looks at me pleadingly as Jared gets in his face and, like the immature teenagers we are, most of the class eggs them on.

“You’re an idiot, Jared,” I say coolly, but loud enough to be heard over the roar of the students.
It’s enough to get the class to settle down and for Jared to turn his attention to me.

“What?” he asks genuinely confused.

“I think you’re forgetting that I came out last year as bi. Technically, he kissed a member of the LGBT community and, to quote you, it was totally okay. He’s not homophobic; stop trying to emotionally manipulate everyone that doesn’t want to kiss you.”

The class ends up making those annoying noises that no one under the age of eighteen can resist making during a situation at this, and I roll my eyes.

“That’s enough,” Mr. West demands, “Jack, Jared, the principal’s office, now.”

“Jack didn’t even do anything!” I defend.

“Mr. Gaskarth,” he says through clenched teeth, “would you like to join them?”

I sigh and sink down into my seat with a shake of my head.

-
I wish I could say that the rest of the day was as eventful as first period, but it doesn’t. It’s lunch now, and the most eventful thing to happen was me kicking Jared’s ankle under the table third period.
I walk over to our usual lunch table and the only one sitting at it is Jack. We usually get here before everyone else because our classrooms are closer.

There’s dried tear track on his face and it takes everything in me to not go beat the shit out of Jared.

“Hey,” I say gently, sitting down next to him, “are you okay?”

I place a comforting hand on his shoulder and he shakes it off.

“M’fine,” he mutters.
I frown.

“Jack,” I say softly, “you look like you were crying. Seriously, talk to me; what’s wrong?”

“Like you care,” he says, stabbing the small clump of mashed potatoes on his tray with a plastic fork.

“Okay, what the hell?” I demand, “Look, I know you’re probably still upset about the Jared thing this morning, but that doesn’t mean you should take it out on me. Besides, I got you out of that mess. If anything you should be thanking me, not acting like a dick.”

He shakes his head and angrily pushes his food away.

“I’m the dick?” he asks, like it’s the most preposterous thing he’s ever heard.

“Yeah, you,” I say, crossing my arms defensively.

He shakes his head again before standing up and grabbing his tray.

“Look, you can keep hurting me all you know want with this Cali shit, but Brendon didn’t deserve to be ditched and Danny didn’t deserve to be punched for having sex with his girlfriend. Leave them out of whatever moral dilemma you’re having. She’s not interested in you, move the fuck on,” he snaps, before turning and stomping away.

I don’t have time to process his words, because soon after he’s gone Cali slides into his spot. She must not have heard what he said, because she looks more concerned than anything.

“I wasn’t eavesdropping, I swear I didn’t hear anything,” she says, “but that looked kind of rough. Is he still upset about this morning?”

I shrug, and it’s not a lie.

“I don’t know. I think he’s more mad at me than anything,” I admit.

Cali scoffs and rolls her eyes.

“You’re too nice for you own good, Alex. You didn’t anything; he’s just mad, and probably embarrassed about this morning. He’s not mad at you, you just got stuck in the crossfire,” she says, soothingly rubbing my shoulder.

“Yeah,” I murmur, looking at Jack through the glass of one of the cafeteria windows as he sits down against a tree, “I hope you’re right.”