Misalignment | ✔

who

"What was that about?"
Matty breathes at last,
still giggling
to herself.
The corners of her lips
are turned up
into a smile,
one that I am
quite relieved to see.
"We're still at school,
you know."

"I know,"
I grin
in reply.
"But everyone
is either
gone
or inside.
The administration
doesn't really care
whether we
toss their snow around,
I don't think.
If they did,
they would have
come out
to yell at us
this long while."

"True."
Her dark eyes
are regarding
the clouds high above
now -
clouds that are
just as dark as they are,
grey and black with
the promise of
an oncoming storm.
Within her eyes are
a storm of her own,
brooding and churning
into a maelstrom
of pent up emotion.
It's intriguing,
but also rather
concerning.

Catching her gaze
at last,
I can't help but ask:
"What's wrong?
Is it about
Florida?
Christmas?"
I pause.
"Your bathing suit?"

She cracks
yet another grin
at that last bit,
but shakes her head
all the same.
"No,"
she murmurs.
"It's something else -
something I haven't
told you yet."

"And what's that?"
She's silent still,
peering up
into the deep, stormy
underbelly of the heavens,
as though for an answer
to some great,
celestial question
that has,
as of yet,
gone unspoken.

She's still
for a moment,
waiting for what feels
to me like
nothing -
but then, she
pushes herself up
on one elbow
to look down at me,
contemplative
as ever.

"Do you remember,"
she muses,
sounding far away,
"when you came out
to me
about your gender?
I think you said
something
about how you
hadn't earlier
because you were waiting
for the right time,
waiting until
you knew that
it would be safe
to tell me
about it."

"If you're angry
about that,"
I hurry to
console her,
"I'm sorry,
I didn't mean to-"

"I'm not angry,"
she amends,
laughing softly.
"I'm just remembering
how you said it.
You had to make sure
you could trust me,
right?
That you knew
I wouldn't
freak out
or laugh you off
or something like that."

"Matty,"
I interrupt,
thoroughly confused.
"What is this about?
I thought that was
over and done with."

"It is...
Well, sort of."
In the silence
that follows
and belies my confusion,
she gives a
sheepish grin
and continues.
"Do you
remember when I
told you
that I'd left home
because my parents
had a problem
with me not being
Buddhist
like they are?"

Silently,
I nod in reply.

"Well,"
she continues,
"that wasn't exactly
the whole truth.
I mean, they do
have an issue with it -
they always have -
but if that was all,
I would have had
to leave
years ago."

"What are
you saying?"
I ask her,
frowning.
"What didn't
you tell me?"

She pauses,
looking a bit
uncomfortable.
"Well..."
Her gaze narrows
up at the
cloudy sky,
as if she's
searching for the strength
to continue
in the blustery elements
surrounding us.
Off to my right,
a flake of snow
catches my eye,
followed close after
by another
and another,
until the air
all around us
is once again filled
with white.

It's then that
Matty
finally speaks again,
her voice firm
with resolve.
"Cam,"
she says
suddenly.
"Are you free
tomorrow?"

I hesitate
for a second,
caught off guard.
"Uh...
Yeah, I think so.
Why?"

"Because,"
she smiles
hesitantly,
"I have someone
I want you to meet."

I gaze up
at her,
and she looks down
at me -
and to my unspoken question
of 'who?',
she finally answers,
simply:
"My girlfriend."

And suddenly -
inexplicably -
my heart begins to
sink
in my chest
with that single
small phrase.

×

AHHHHHH--

Okay, so, please no one kill me for this, I know all of y'all ship Catty but like;;; There is a purpose, okay. There is a reason and it will all be explained in Unparalleled, I swear.

Anyway, did anyone actually predict this because the Flory/Stacey thing was obvious but I'd like to think that this wasn't. I don't even know. I have so much to revise when I go back and rewrite this....oml.....

If you guys liked this chapter, I would absolutely love if you would vote and leave me feedback! It'd be very much appreciated! c:

Also, side note - this is sort of the last chapter. There will be an epilogue thingy, but it might not be up for a few days. And then I'll be posting the first chapter of the next story, as well as reposting the first chapter of Misleading here because it's technically the next book. So yeah, that'll all come in due time.