The line at the only acceptable pizza place in town reached all the way to the seating area. It was loud, full of mean looking teens and some middle aged parents with their kids who didn't look too pleased either.
"Guys, we can just go home, this place is way too packed," I offered, hating the thought of having them wait here because I wanted to be stupid and sad.
Wyatt looked determined. "No, I can wait in line. It'll move fast. You two go get a table."
Jaeden grabbed my wrist, dragging me to a vacant table. Despite the long line, all of the tables were mostly empty, save for one seating an elderly couple and another with...
Jaeden noticed my intense gaze behind him, and immediately looked back. He looked at me with apologetic eyes, grabbing my chin to get me to stop looking.
There, sitting at one of the most secluded booths, was Finn, positioned across from a girl our age with short brown hair and shining eyes.
It hurt my heart.
She was pretty. Her smile was wide and her teeth were flawless, she had a small figure and she was wearing the nicest pastel yellow sweater with ripped jeans and converse. She looked like the poster girl for good looks, and it made me hate myself even more.
Wyatt arrived at the table. "Okay, the pizza will- Jack? What's wrong?"
I hadn't even noticed that my eyes had begun to well up all over again. I sniffed, feeling this crushing weight on my chest that made me want to throw up and cry, yet prevented me from doing either.
Jaeden nodded his head behind him, and Wyatt's face lit up with anger the second he laid eyes upon Finn. He wanted to get up, but I put my hand over his to tell him I was okay.
"Why are you crying, honey? He's no good, not with the way he talked to you. What's the matter?" Jaeden whispered, realizing how quiet the place suddenly was. Finn hadn't noticed us yet.
"She's just...so...pretty... and I'm just-just hideous."
Now Jaeden looked angry, like he was ready to square up on anything that came his way.
"Do not, I repeat, do not ever, ever let that asshole put thoughts like that into your head!" he whisper yelled, a few people looking our way. Not him, though. I felt bad, Finn didn't do anything wrong.
"Guys...it's okay, he can be on a date with whoever he wants..." I whispered meekly, my voice rasping over again.
"No, not when he doesn't want to tell you, his best friend, about it. Not when he wants to call you names, and ditch you for some girl he's never mentioned," Wyatt took a breath, trying to calm his heated self. "Not when you obviously like him, and he knows damn well it's more than a joke to you!"
Well, trying to calm himself didn't work. Finn still didn't notice, but that girl-Millie-did.
She smiled at us, clearly noticing we were talking about a boy. She probably just wanted to be supportive and not give us weird looks like everyone else. I see why Finn would like her.
Finn finally looked up, and I was out of my seat the second he did. I didn't want to be near him anymore, not when I wasn't the one making him happy. I didn't care about the pizza, I was too fat for it anyway.
Wyatt looked at Jaeden, and they both wrapped their arms around my shoulders as they led me out of the place.
I never even started crying, I just stared blankly at the sidewalk. I didn't want to keep my feelings inside anymore, I hated that feeling of hopelessness when I didn't know what to do.
I had two best friends with me, so I decided to use that to my advantage and tell them what was going on inside my head for once.
Stopping in the middle of the empty sidewalk abruptly, I turned to them. Their eyes softened when they saw my nervous face.
"Guys...I-I don't know how to say this at all. But, I mean, it's pretty obvious that I'm gay, right? And that I love Finn, more than...just a friend," I stuttered, whispering the last part like there was something I be ashamed of.
Wyatt and Jaeden nodded, pulling me in for a hug as I spoke. That made it so much easier.
"So lately I've been looking at girls, and I've been-I've been really interested in what they're wearing. And I've just found myself th-thinking, you know," I sighed running my hands through my hair, finding comfort in Wyatt's proud eyes and the circles Jaeden rubbed into the small of my back.
"I've been thinking, hey, maybe I wanna look like them," I admitted, chuckling dryly. "But then I realized that I have no experience with skirts or makeup or any of the stuff I want to try out, you know? So I just really, really don't know what to do."
Jaeden pulled back from the hug, grasping my shoulders and smiling at me. "We love you, Jack, and we're gonna do anything we can to help you feel more powerful in your own skin."
Wyatt grinned widely, taking my hand and dragging me back the direction we came from. "Come on, it's time to visit the mall, son."
