Do You Blame Yourself?

[Chapter 26] - The Way The Leaves Blew

"1,000?" Tweak answered, confusion plastered on her face.
"Correct!" Shellington waved the card just a bit.
"Haha, yes!" She threw her arms into the air in triumph.
"I shit you not Tweak I will kick you to Africa!" Kwazii pretended to attempt to kick her as she moved her piece to the middle. "If you get this wrong I might just jump twenty feet into the air," he muttered, reaching over to grab the next card. "In what classic children's book does the main character come from asteroid B-612?" he asked, reading off the card. Tweak sat there, completely still. From across the table, Peso and Pinto looked at each other.
"I know this one!" Pinto tossed his hands into the air.
"It's an adult card, too..." Kwazii added with a smirk.
"I hate you. Let me think," she said, placing her head in her hands. "Wait, Peso told me about this!"
He froze.
"I did?"
"Yes, a few weeks ago."
Kwazii glanced over at him. "Peso? Did you?"
"It's a bit hard to remember..."
Tweak knocked on the top of her head. "I must have a good memory then. The answer is The Little Prince." Kwazii slammed the card onto the table, never giving the answer.
"You were correct, Tweak," Barnacles stated, nodding slowly.

Kwazii slowly turned his head around, blinking profusely. "You didn't have to say that," he said, turning back to the board.
"I remember that book! We used to read it with Mum!" Pinto exclaimed. Peso smiled faintly.
"I'm surprised you remembered that."
"Me too!"

~

Peso stared lifelessly at the dinner table, lost in thought. He was knocked out of his trance almost directly after Kwazii nudged him in the arm.
"Are we going to tell them about... you know?"

Kwazii looked up at him, raising an eyebrow.

"Okay, going off that topic, are you all right? You don't look good." Peso sighed quietly.
"I want to talk to them about what happened, but at the same time I can't," he spat. Kwazii dropped his head onto the table, still staring at Peso.
"I'm sorry you feel like that," he muttered.
"You didn't make me feel like that. I brought that upon myself."
Kwazii looked away for a second. "You're acting like me the time when Shellington and I had that argument. I said some really rude shit, it's my fault," he said.

Peso shook his head in disbelief. "It can't be both of our faults though," This was confusing as all hell to Peso. "But aside from that, one of us has to tell the others what happened. Or at least explain a bit of it." Still confusing... What the hell?
"You know I can do it if you're uncomfortable-"
"Is it because I'm gay?" he blurted out. And in that moment, he smiled sarcastically, knowing he just made the biggest mistake of his life.

"Wait, what?" Tweak asked from across the room. Surprisingly, Peso turned his head around just a bit.
"I didn't mean to say that yet." He kept his smile on, which was obviously fake.
"Is there something you want to tell us?" Kwazii's stomach practically dropped to his feet as he asked that question.
Peso turned back around slowly. "You're attacking me again?" he questioned, crossing his arms.
"Wait, what do you mean 'again'?" Shellington asked.

Oh.

Peso looked up at Kwazii. "Are you going to tell them?"
"I don't want to hurt you again." That response seemed extremely planned.
"You aren't going to hurt me... I've gotten over it." Deep down, he really didn't. Despite having stayed quiet for a while now, Pinto spoke up, "You did? Even after what I said?"
"Even after what happened in the HQ?" Tunip added. Shellington and a majority of the Vegimals glanced over at him.
"Wait, what happened in the HQ?" Kwazii asked. Peso plugged his ears, hoping that would drown out all the questions.
"Give him some space," Barnacles eventually said. The next thing Kwazii did was immediately stand up, almost sending his chair flying back.
"I gave him some space, literally," he said, hands in the air.