Page 14 of The Bro Date
Toby stands up next, his face turning bright pink under the scrutiny, but he speaks his truth without faltering. “Purple’s my favorite color, and butterflies are my favorite insect.”
Adam sputters, not coming up with a sufficient response to those simple facts. “Weirdos,” he mumbles before slinking back to his table full of cool kids.
I don’t care, though. I’d much rather be a weirdo than a bully.
“So, what should I draw?” Toby asks with an innocent smile and sparkly gold eyes, completely unfazed by Adam’s words.
“A butterfly,” I tell him with a grin that feels foreign, handing him the Sharpie.
My phone buzzes in my pocket, startling me out of the daydream. I check my messages, seeing a text from my boss asking me to cover a shift tonight and being a dick all in the same sentence.
I can’t deal with him right now.
Putting my phone away, I focus on Toby and the short amount of time we have together. “How’s the knee?” Toby got dealt a shitty hand last night, and he didn’t deserve any of it.
“Honestly? Hurts like a bitch and kept me up half the night, overthinking my entire existence,” he admits with a self-deprecating chuckle. “I’ll be okay, though,” he adds, flicking his amber eyes to me for a quick second. “Thanks for taking care of me, by the way.”
“You could have woken me up,” I offer, the words flowing freely. The mere thought of him in pain and losing sleep doesn’t sit well with me.
When Toby doesn’t immediately respond, I set my fork down and glance up, taking a closer look at my best friend. Faint shadows cling to his under eyes, and his curls are more disheveled than usual, like he has too much on his mind.
I hate it.
“Talk to me,” I plead, desperate to know every single thing that’s keeping him awake at night and whether I can help.
He’s been acting strange ever since he got back from Florida.
“Please.”
Toby’s anxious gaze darts around the cafeteria. “Not here. Not before class.”
My brows crease, but I’ll listen to him anytime, anyplace. “When?”
“Can you meet me at our spot at nine tonight?”
There’s a lake on the edge of campus that has a nice walking trail and a beautiful sunset view. We found it freshman yearwhen we were exploring, and Toby has since used it as a sort of meditation spot where he’s free to play violin to his heart’s content.
“I’ll be there.”
“I gotta go,” Toby suddenly announces, standing from the table in a rush. “I need to get to the practice room early. Luke is gunning for first chair, and I can’t let that happen.” Toby slings his backpack over his shoulder, grabbing his violin case with one hand and the tray with his other, limping to the trash cans.
I clench my jaw, gripping the chair to keep myself from chasing after him and demanding answers right now.
How am I supposed to make it through an entire day of classes and a shift at the café without knowing what’s wrong?
CHAPTER FIVE
TOBY
I’ve had heart palpitations all day, waiting to tell Shane I’m gay. He probably thinks I’ve been acting erratic since I got back from Florida, and maybe I have been, because I feel so fucking unsettled. I should have just blurted it out at breakfast, surrounded by a cafeteria full of people, because this is pure torture, and not the best idea for the first day back to school.
Despite the ache in my knee, I strap my violin case to my back and leisurely ride my bike to the lake in order to clear my head. I’m desperate for a reprieve from my thoughts, so I get there plenty early to practice my violin before Shane shows up.
Tonight is a really big deal for me. It’ll be the first time I say the words out loud to another person, and I can’t pretend I’m not a little scared.
Cypress trees surround the lake, beams of sunlight piercing through their tall, skinny trunks and casting a golden glow over everything. I wheel my bike off to the side of the trailhead and kick out the kickstand, following the path that leads from the parking lot to the sandy shoreline.
When I step out from the shaded trail, I smile at the sheer beauty of the sun setting over the water. Splashes of gold, pink, and magenta decorate the sky like a beautiful watercolorpainting, creating the perfect backdrop to pour my heart out through my strings.
