One Last Game?

•The Good, The Bad, and The Lovers•

The first few moments of the ride with Kalin were a little awkward. So I try and start conversation. "I'm sorry about the whole, me not telling you about my dad thing. And I'm sorry about Asher. We haven't had the best start to our senior year together." He doesn't say anything for awhile.

"It's okay, I guess we didn't get to that part. All we talked about was me. I didn't get a chance to talk about you about you and your personal stuff." Kalin finally responds. There's an awkward moment of silence in the car.

"Tell me about him." He asks me. I look at him. "Who?" "Your dad." I hesitate. "I, I mean there's nothing really to tell other than he's a homophobic deadbeat father. Even before he left." "I'm sorry baby." He pauses. "What else can you tell me about him? Other than the bad stuff." I shrug.

"I don't really remember the good stuff. I just remember I could never really be myself." I say as I look down to my jacket zipper. We stop at a stop light. Kalin looks over to me. "I used to feel the same way." He lifts my chin up with his finger.

"Before I transitioned, I was always the tomboy, I never wanted to anything the other girls liked but I was too feminine to do anything that the guys did. And even after that, I never fit in because they didn't understand me and I was always an outcast." He starts to say something again but the light turns green.

*another awkward moment*

I decide to break the silence. "Kalin, I had no idea. I understand what it's like to be gay and not be myself and not being able to fit in, but I didn't realize it was like that for trans people. I mean I knew of course, but I didn't realize how deep it was."

We get in the school parking lot and Kalin parks his car. He takes my hand in his and smiles. "Don't worry about it now. I've found someone who lets me be myself and you've found someone too. We can be ourselves together." I smile back and he leans in to kiss me before we hear the bell ring.

"Oh shit, we're late for class!" I say, and we rush out the car, get our bags and we run to the building.

—————————asher's pov—————————

Me and Ethan get out of my car. The whole ride was quiet. Very unusual for me and Ethan to be quiet together for 15 minutes.

We usually pick on Tobi but now that he has a stupid boyfriend who has a car, he doesn't want to ride with us anymore. — Okay, fine, I know the real reason.

I just don't understand how he can just throw away an 11 year friendship because of a stupid fight. —Okay, again, I know I started it and I'm the one to blame for starting the fight and throwing away our friendship over a girl that just wanted to use me.

Of course I feel bad, Tobi is my best friend. The first friend I've had when I moved here. I have to make it up to him..I have to. I can be without him.

Wait, that sounded a bit homo. Not that there's anything wrong with that. My best friend is ga— Ugh. What has gotten in to me?! I have to get my shit together.

I look up. The whole way to my locker I talked to myself like a crazy person. I don't what it is but recently, I've been feeling a weird way about Tobi that I've never felt before. Could I be...?

I get out of my thoughts and look over to see Lailani walking towards me. Then I get another thought. "Hey Lani, just the girl I want to see. Or guy, or.. whatever you call yourself these days. I don't want to be insensitive about the LBGTQAI plus community." I laugh nervously knowing that a 3/4ths of what I just said shouldn't have come out my mouth.

Lailani looks a me with her brow furrowed. "What the hell are you talking about?" "The LBGEQUA community?" She looks at me funny again so I assume I'm not saying it right. "LGBUTA..? "It's LGBTQIA plus more dumbass but since when do you care to use the right pronouns?" "What?"