The Vesta House Squad

12) The Vesta House Gang

Starting the next day, Katrina would start sitting next to the three of them at the dining hall. She wasn't their friend or anything; in fact, Arthur got the distinct impression she only sat with them because she disliked them less than she disliked everyone else. However, this would all soon change, when the four of them were sitting together one day, and a couple of girls happened to walk past them.

"Oh my gods, there is no way I'd be able to handle a relationship like that."

"Right? Like are the straights even okay?"

They giggled as they walk past, and then...

"What does that mean?"

The girls stopped and turned.

"It's just a joke," said the girl who'd made the comment.

"Oh," Isaac replied, "What's the joke?"

"It's because straight people are always...well...you know..." She looked around. People were beginning to watch.

"Sorry, I don't know. Could you explain it to me?" Isaac replied. His face was as expressionless as always, and he sounded genuinely confused and curious.

"Nevermind." She scowled and waved her hand dismissively. "You wouldn't get it anyways."

She stormed off, muttering something about autistic cishets under her breath. Everyone went back to whatever they were doing before. Everyone that is, except Katrina, who kept staring at Isaac with her mouth hanging open.

"How did you do that?" she asked, sounding thoroughly impressed.

"Do what?" he asked innocently.

"The way you just...destroyed her entire mindset like that."

"I merely asked a question?" said Isaac, who sounded more confused than ever. "To be honest, I still don't get her joke."

"The joke? The joke is that straight people aren't ok. That's literally it," Katrina explained, still incredulous that Isaac hadn't been feigning ignorance.

"Oh!" said Isaac, his face lighting up with comprehension. He thought about this for several seconds. Finally, he said, "I think I still don't understand, because it seems to me that that's a pretty lame joke."

"Honestly dude, just don't worry about it."

From that moment onward, the two of them became the best of friends.

This caught Arthur slightly off guard. Like the rest of the gang, he was one of the few students at school who didn't actively dislike her. But a friend? That sounded pretty generous coming from Isaac, who usually didn't strongly express emotions.. Arthur tried to think of any times when Katrina had come close to acting like a friend towards him. It didn't take very long, as she had only come close one time.

It was a few days ago. The four of them were racing to class and Katrina had crashed into Arthur, stepping on his foot in the process. Being the good kid he was, Arthur instinctively began to apologize when Katrina took one look at his face and cried out "No! Don't do it!"

Arthur froze to avoid doing whatever "it" Katrina was referring to. "Uh...don't do what exactly?"

"Apologize," she answered. "You do it all the time, even when it's not your fault. Just now you were about to apologize even though I crashed into you and I should be the one saying sorry."

"Oh...yeah you're right I guess. Sor- (Katrina flashed him another look). I was just trying to be nice I guess."

"Yeah I know, and that's nice and all but...you shouldn't be afraid to speak your mind," she looked at him sternly, though not unkindly. "Now come on, let's get to class. If we're the last ones there we'll have to sit next to Tommy Ato and he always smells like stale ketchup for some reason."