Break-Up Club ⓄⓃⒸ ②⓪②① ✅

15

"Pass it," Raja ordered, extending her hand to me. I took one last pull before giving her the joint. 

We sat on her balcony overlooking the neighborhood and smoking weed, something that we might never do again. The night fell upon the neighborhood, casting a purple hue over everything. We listened to the crickets chirp in the grass below, and I spotted an iguana crawling from a bush.

Earlier that day, our swim team had gone to the competition, and although we didn't beat out Westdale, we still won second. Moreover, a college scout spotted me and offered me a full ride to a state college. My aunt and uncle were so proud of me, and I could only imagine what my parents would have said about it.

However... I did take something from Indy as a truth. There were some things that were out of my control, including my parents' death, and for the first time, I was able to let go of my guilt and self-loathing. 

As if she read my mind, Raja asked, "How's Indy?" She blew a puff of smoke out of her mouth. I leaned back.

"I don't know. Ask her," I mumbled, crossing my arms behind my head. Raja sighed, dousing the blunt under her heeled toe. 

"You too are just about the most childish people I've ever met, and I babysat my two-year-old niece for a week," she argued, standing to her feet and smoothing out her blouse. I stood as well, my head swimming. 

"What are you talking about?" I asked her. 

"You and Indy. I mean, you both clearly like each other, so why do you keep pretending like you don't? Just bang already and get over yourselves," she muttered as she leaned against the railing of the balcony. 

"You don't get it. Indy... she's weird. And crazy."

"And you love her," Raja added. 

"No. I just don't see a reason why we should keep hanging out. The Break-Up Club-"

"The club that was hijacked by her because she wanted to save your swim scholarship," she cut in to say, then sighed. "If you want to keep acting like you've never looked at her as more than a friend, then be my guest. Just know that you'll regret it later. If you want to tell her anything, her play's opening night is tomorrow, Thursday evening," Raja said as she let herself back inside. I tried to follow her, but she closed the window behind her and locked it. 

"Since you're so smart, find your own way out," she jeered as she closed the curtains. I rolled my eyes and let my back thump against the stucco wall outside. Indy and I, huh?

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I entered the dimly lit theater and took a seat at the very top, my fingers dancing over the plush red seats. I glanced around at the audience, which, for the most part, looked to be made of proud parents and friends. 

Feeling out of place next to a family of four and an older couple, I reclined back, trying to get used to the seat. 

Shortly after everyone was piled into the auditorium like a pack of sardines, the lights on the sides of the aisles dimmed, and the curtains opened up. I expected myself to feel bored or to fall asleep, but with Indy's performance as King Lear, my eyes were wide open the entire time. 

When the play ended, there was a standing ovation, and some members of the audience even wiped tears from their eyes.

The cast of the play took a collective bow as the curtain closed, and we all made our way out of the theater into the lobby. The space was filled with supportive relatives and balloons/roses/other ways of saying 'congrats' through trivial tokens.

My nerves made my hands jitter, and my mind ran a mile-a-minute. What was I even going to say to her? What if she didn't feel the same?

"Fishboy?" 

I swiveled around, realizing that my time for practicing was over as I spotted Indy, still in costume, making her way over to me. 

"Someone from the crew told me they spotted you waiting for me," she explained. I cleared my throat, jamming my hands into my pockets. 

"Uh... yeah, yeah, I was just here to say that you did a pretty good job. I mean, a good job. You did great. I honestly thought I would fall asleep, but I didn't, and, wow, I should stop talking, shouldn't I?" I clamped my lips shut as Indy threw her head back, laughing. 

"Thanks. You actually inspired a lot of my acting, especially during the end with Cordelia. I guess I related to Cordelia more," Indy said with a shrug, and we stared at each other for a quiet moment before a bustling woman pushed people aside and exclaimed loudly once she saw Indy. It was Indy's mother. 

The girl before me was crushed in a tight hug, and her mother sang praises to her about how well she did, even going so far as to pinch her cheeks. However, once she saw me, her mother calmed down and gasped. 

"Logan! Nice to see you again!" she shouted, pulling me into an equally tight embrace. She turned to Indy after she released me. "I see that you have more than one admirer of your performance. I'll leave you two to it then," she said, rushing off with a wink. 

Indy's face glowed as red as a tomato as she faced me again. "Sorry about that. You know how my mom can be," she said. I smiled with a nod. 

"It's cute. Listen, Indy... there was... I mean, I want to... How do I put this... I think that you and I... I don't know if you would want to... but if you don't, that's fine as well. What I'm really trying to say is, I like-"

"I like you too," she said, biting her lip, which was still painted in a deathly-white like Lear's from the play. 

"You... you do?" I asked, surprised by her answer. She grinned and nodded. 

"Yeah. I do."

"Well... what now?" I asked. I had no idea what people in relationships did. Or what people who liked each other did. I hated to admit it, but I think that Indy had more experience with relationships than I did.

"Now we kiss," she said as she grabbed my face, looking at me for approval before her lips gingerly pressed against mine. 

"Hey, look! Lear's kissing a boy!" someone shouted, and a cacophony of loud laughs filled the hall outside of the theater. I pulled away from the kiss, both of us as red as cherry pie, and I whispered to Indy, "Looks like we'll have to make another Break-Up Club to stop them."

Indy seemed to contemplate my words before her hand cupped my cheek again, her dark eyes staring into mine. "Or we can ignore them," she said against my lips as she pulled me in for another kiss. 

Somehow, that was enough to convince me that it didn't matter what people said about us. Maybe we didn't need the gossip-squashing club after all. Besides... it was kind of nice to hear people's whoops and cheers around us. 

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A/N: And everything in the universe has righted itself again. Beaver! Can you believe this is the end? It was like I blinked, and now we're here. Thanks to the peeps that stuck around to read! Bye! 

Final word count- 29,058