It Will All Work Out (Intersex gxg)

Chapter 23

The gym opened at 6am to allow those people trying to get a workout on the way to their jobs tome to do so, and we had the various classes starting at 8am. My schedule had me getting there at 7:45am to help set up for the first classes of the day. That worked out well, because Shay started her shift at 8am when the auto repair shop opened, and we could ride to the shopping plaza together.

In the mornings, she would wait for me at the end of her street, since I had to ride right past it to get to work, and we'd ride the rest of the way together. The ride in was usually pretty quiet, it was too early for talking, but the way home was chattier. But the morning after the party, she wasn't there. I pulled over to wait, but she still didn't show after a few minutes. I checked my phone for an email, but there was still nothing, and I was running out of time to wait, so I got back on my way.

I rode to work with a twinge of worry. Had something else happened after I left? Had Shay gotten in trouble? Was she sick? I hated not being able to contact her, because I couldn't tell what was going on. I guess it didn't matter, since there wasn't a lot that I could do anyway, even if I did know, because I couldn't visit unless she was alone.

But when I got to the shopping plaza, there was her bike, locked up next to the shop. The shop still wasn't open, so I guessed she came in early to finish up some work. At least she wasn't sick, or hurt, so that was a relief. Hopefully we could catch up after work instead, when we were in a better place to talk.

Unfortunately, that never happened. When I went to the shop after my shift, both she and her bike were gone. Yeah, I was hurt now. A schedule change like this would have been nice to get an email about, but I was worried that it was something worse. There was a sinking feeling in my guts that made me think that this was on purpose and maybe she was still angry about the party. Shay was avoiding me, and I had no idea why.

After a few more days, I knew I was right. She kept leaving early for work, and then heading home early too. She wasn't replying to emails that I sent asking about what was going on, and I was losing my mind wondering what on earth I'd done. By the middle of the next week, her bike stopped appearing at the shop. I assumed that she was driving, so maybe she got a car finally, because I still saw glimpses of her in the shop as I rode by, but I certainly didn't stop to say anything. Her silence had made her position perfectly clear.

And it was ruining me. I knew we weren't together, but I didn't like that I'd lost my best friend, and I just didn't know why.

"Are you holding up, okay?" Amy, the assistant manager, asked the morning of Shay's birthday. I'd finished setting up both classrooms and was doing inventory on the snack counter to make sure everything was good before it got too busy. Amy was relatively new, having only started back in March when Carol, the last assistant manager, didn't work out. Amy was an amazingly positive person who'd quickly become like a big sister to me. It didn't hurt that she was tiny too, only a couple inches taller than me, with dark hair and a kind smile, and taught my favorite kickboxing class.

I gave her a little shrug, and was going to shake my head, but I started crying instead. "I guess I'm not okay, no."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"There isn't much to say. My best friend, who I have had a major crush on for a year, has started ghosting me, and I have no idea why. I mean, I must have done something, but she is avoiding me at every turn, and not answering any emails. I can't even text her because her dad took away her phone last year and she never got it back," I explained as I leaned back on the counter. She moved close and pulled me in for a gentle hug, and I just cried harder.