Page 63 of Evil Queen

Nathan

Kyle had just about made it to his car when I slipped into his path. The roll of his eyes was the only acknowledgment I got as he side-stepped me and continued to his car. I didn’t try to stop him, but I followed behind him, and as he unlocked his car to climb in, I climbed through the passenger’s side door.

Kyle let out a large sigh. “Nathan.”

“Okay, okay, okay, look,” I replied. “I don’t expect you to talk about anything you don’t want to talk about, but—”

Kyle cut me off. “I don’t want to talk about it. Please get out.”

I nodded. “That’s fair. I told you I wouldn’t make you talk about it if you didn’t want to, but I’m your best friend, and I really wish you’d talk about it just a little bit because that was shocking to me.”

“What part?” Kyle asked.

“What do you mean?”

“What part was so shocking?” Kyle crossed his arms and looked at me, awaiting my answer with a serious but anticipatory gaze.

Was he just trying to get me to admit to something without asking outright? “Um. Well, you asked Brayden to prom at lunch.”

“Yeah.” His expression remained unchanging. “That was shocking?”

Suddenly, I felt like maybe I’d been a shitty friend, or rather, maybe I’d been a shitty friend in a way that I didn’t realize had been shitty. “It was. Should it…not…have been? Did I miss something, being self-absorbed like usual? I realize that’s a thing lately.”

Kyle rolled his eyes. “No. You didn’t miss anything.”

I wasn’t quite sure what to do with that answer. I at least hadn’t been a shitty friend in that regard? Kyle and I had been friends since long before I formed The Royal Court. He hadn’t dated many people throughout our friendship. He was with a couple of girls in middle school and then Avery for our freshman and sophomore years, but he’d never shown any interest in men. Not that I had an issue with that, but I would like to think that if he was some sexuality other than straight, I would have noticed.

He’d never been a particularly overtly sexual guy. He rarely participated in your typical ‘locker room’ talk, and he was the guy who would defend women against guys trying to ogle them or advance on them in a way that they wouldn’t like. However, I’d heard him discuss admiration for the female form, and as far as I knew, he and Avery slept together. Their relationship fizzled, not for any physical reason, but because Avery and Kyle just got along better as friends. At least, that was what I’d been told. Maybe it was worth a conversation with Avery.

But then why did Brayden bring up pity?

“I’m not sure what to do in this situation,” I said.

He shrugged. “Why do you have to do anything?”

“Because you’re my friend, and I kind of feel like you need consoling, but I don’t really know what I’m consoling you about. Like, when you asked Brayden to prom, did you want to go with him like how a bunch of you went to prom last year or like how Avery and Alistair are going to prom this year?”

“Are you asking me a specific question, Nathan?” Kyle asked.

“Um, no. Just, if you’re feeling disappointed or want to talk or even just hang out to take your mind off of…stuff, I’m here for you. You know that, right?”

Kyle’s shoulders relaxed a bit, and it made me feel like I’d made the right choice in abandoning the subject. Kyle’s sexuality was his business, and if he wanted to talk to me about it, he would. If he didn’t, then he wouldn’t. He obviously was prepared to make some sort of statement, given that he boldly asked Brayden to prom in front of all of us. If Brayden had accepted his offer, they would have been going to prom together. It’s something we would have all seen. On the precipice of Brayden turning him down, he probably just needed some space to mull it over, space he would most certainly get from me.

“Thanks,” he said.

I gave him a supportive pat on the back and then climbed out of the car. With a final look at me, Kyle pulled his seatbelt on, started his car, and pulled out of the parking lot. I turned around, prepared to get into my own car and go home, but I noticed a small group of The Royal Court members standing off to the side. Nikita, Avery, and Alistair were all lingering around my car, and after the talk with Kyle, which did not make any clearer how I could help him, they were a sight for sore eyes. Avery and Alistair had admitted to coming around to me at lunch, so it was nice to see them waiting for me.

“Wait,” I said as I approached my car. “Were you three waiting for me?”

Nikita walked toward me with a bright smile on her face. “Don’t be a dick. You’re going to ruin it.”

“Fine,” I replied.

Nikita and I walked into one another, meeting with a kiss, and I was happy when she laced one of her hands into mine and held onto it. We walked over to where Avery and Alistair stood. Alistair was leaning against the trunk of my car, and Avery was leaning into him. We felt like two normal, happy, high school couples. It almost felt sinful to enjoy it as much as I did.

“Hey, uh, Avery,” I started. “You dated Kyle. Did you ever get the sense that he was, you know, not straight?”

“Oh, yeah!” she replied, much more loosely than I thought she might. “I mean, Kyle likes women. Trust me. He loves women.”

---