Romantic Diversity

Chapter Ten (Kyle)

When I'm back at the Academy in New Orleans, I'm greeted by Zoe in my room.

"Hey," she stands at the doorway, "where have you been lately?"

"I was in Los Angeles visiting a," What do I call Tate? "friend, visiting a friend."

"No, Kyle. I mean you haven't been here, as in here mentally," She looks deeply concerned, should I tell her? Should I tell her that I'm... I can't even say it to myself.

"Oh, I've just been really tired lately, you know?" I turn away from her so she can't see that I'm lying.

"Should I ask Cordelia to change your schedule a little bit so you can get more sleep?"

"No, that's alright, I'll just get to bed earlier," I begin to unpack so that she will see that I'm busy and leave, but she doesn't.

"Are you sure it doesn't have anything to do with that guy you and Kit hung out with on Halloween?" I turn and look at her, "You've been acting weird since then."

"Oh, really?" I try to go along with it, "Maybe I've been tired because my sleep schedule was thrown off that night."

"Yeah," she nods her head, "that makes sense," she turns to leave but then turns back, "I never got that guys name by the way, what was it?"

"Tate Langdon."

"Tate Langdon, I feel like I've heard that name before," How would she have heard of Tate?, "On the news maybe..." Why would he be on the news?

"Hm," I shrug my shoulders, "that's weird."

                                                                                            . . .

"Hey, Kyle, how are you?" Kit beams through the phone.

"I'm good," I pace the room as I hold the phone to my ear.

"How are you and Tate?" I can tell he's raising his eyebrows through the phone.

"It's great," I bite my lip, "speaking of Tate, do you know why Zoe might of heard of him? Maybe on the news or something?" It feels like the line goes dead, or there's no one on the other end, "Hello? Kit are you still there?"

"Yeah," he snaps out of his trance, "I'm here, um here's the thing with Tate," it seems like he's thinking of what to say, "Like I said before, he has a past and I think it's best that he tell you on his own terms."

"Kit, what's going on?" I get this pit in my stomach, a feeling that something isn't right. 

"Nothing, Kyle. It's just Tate's story to tell, not mine."