tw//homophobic slurs
"Wait, so let me get this straight... you're avoiding him?"
Steve gapes at Linda, offended. "Uh, no. Wrong. I'm separating myself from him, and for good reason!" he defends himself as his friend sits down on one of the seats in the P.E. court. Linda heard about Steve wanting to... distance himself from Billy, so she offered to eat with him this time.
Linda narrows her eyes. "Avoiding."
"Distancing."
"Avoiding."
"Separating."
"Avoiding."
"Anything but avoiding!" Steve hisses, flailing his arms dramatically. "Look, Lin. If he had invited me to another party, that would've been ten parties in two weeks! How the hell is that even possible?!" he vents, frowning when Linda deadpans at him. "Okay, what's that face supposed to mean?"
Linda sighs, shaking her head in disappointment. "I just... can't believe you can be so stupid." Steve furrows his eyebrows. "How can you not notice that you've been hit by the—"
"Hit by what?" Steve cuts in.
"—the Billy Effect!" Linda finishes with an exasperated shout.
Steve can't believe his ears. "...the what now."
Linda grins, taking a bite of her sandwich. "The Billy Effect, Stevie. You know when all those girls bow down before him? For his smooth voice, for the way he teasingly touches them... that look of helplessness that the girls give? That's you, bro-man!" she exclaims, nudging him with a bright smile.
Steve blanches.
"And you can't say I didn't tell you about the tension you guys have! Wedding? I'm the best man. Fuck the gender roles!" Linda gushes, taking a sip of her water. "Plus, you guys would be such a power couple. Like—" she pauses, noticing the blank expression on the male's face. "Steve...?"
"I'm not gay."
Linda scoffs, almost laughing. "Steve. Really. I never said you were gay—"
Steve doesn't mean it—doesn't mean the next words he says at all. He knows that Linda is just being honest—she'd never lie to him, and he respects that. But that weighted feeling of his parents thinking, or maybe finding about what he might be scares him. His mouth opens on his own, and he doesn't have any time to regret it.
"I'm not a fag! Alright?!" Steve yells, and the flash of hurt across Linda's face instantly sobers his fear. Shit.
Linda halts, and Steve swears that he can see her eyes gloss over, but he doesn't have enough time to apologize before she stands up, forgetting about the food she was just eating. "Yeah, whatever. You're not." she bites, walking down the seats with an irritated look.
"Shit, sorry. Fuck, Lin—" Steve fumbles.
"You know what, Steve? I'm not even fucking mad about what you called me." Linda snaps, turning on her heel to face him with anger written all over her face. "I'm pissed that you won't fucking admit who you are! You got mad at me for telling the truth and give me shit for it!"
Linda narrows her eyes. "So, I don't want to find me unless you find yourself first."
And she leaves.
Goddammit.
Steve fucked up. And he knows it, too.
But Linda is set on keeping her word: she hasn't even looked in Steve's direction since their fight, and if Steve tries to talk to her? Ignored. Everyone in the school knows, which means that Steve has almost no way to avoid Billy now.
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𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗯𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗻 // 𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚛𝚘𝚟𝚎
Fanfiction"Simmons." Billy starts, as if he's purposely trying to get a reaction from Steve. "What'd he say?" is what comes out of his mouth. There's a sharp edge to it, like Billy already knows the answer. Steve crosses his arms. "What's it to you?" Billy e...
