Flightless Grounding (Gay)

Eleventh Flight

Okay. Maybe I lied to myself. I should've broken his spirit in to teeny tiny little pieces and stepped on it.

There was the expected static of the dated walky-talky before Jace's voice chimed in. "Dev - obey protocol, I repeat, obey protocol. Over."

"What fucking protocol? I look ridiculous."

"You know what I'm talking about. Get back behind that plant. And you forgot to say over. Over."

"What are we in? Middle school? This shit's not cool - people are staring, man. Uh...over," I added as a sidenote. A lady pushing a stroller gave me a friendly, if not forced, nod of hello. I made a motion pretending that the reason I had been bent near the fountain was because I was tying the fucking uncomfortable combat boots that I was wearing, and smiled in acknowledgement.

"Just get behind there Deviin. Over."

"Jay, I'm not hiding from anyone behind that plant. Besides the fact that I'm taller than it, I'm not a bean pole. Over."

"Just do it."

"You forgot to say 'over'," I chuckled.

Jay didn't respond. I went to duck behind the plant, which was embarrassingly placed at the entrance of Hot Topic. People kept giving me funny looks. I would've given me a funny look too, though.

"Oh, my gosh. Did you see that?" It was Haley's voice. I leaned as far back in to the wall as I could, hoping she wouldn't spot me. My chances weren't very good, though. I tried to blend into the pale, tan colored brick of the mall walls. It wasn't very convincing, especially with the contrast of the camouflage.

"What?" I couldn't identify who said it, all I knew was she must have been an aquaintance of Haley's.

"That girl's dress-" and then I tuned out the rest.

Phew. At least I wasn't spotted. But I think I just lost some of my previously owned masculinity by listening to them.

"Dev, follow them. Err - over."

I pressed the hold-down button to talk, but ended up pressing it so hard that the button broke and stuck. Oops. "Listen, I'm just gonna' tell it to 'ya as plain and simply as possible," Jay had frequent blond moments too, after all, "Haley, she's-"

"Whatcha' doing doing down there?"

"Gah!" I nearly knocked over the plant after someone tapped me on the back and addressed me with a question. The voice was familiar. I whipped around, coming face to face with Shane.

"Hey," he chuckled at my reaction. Not cool, so not cool.

"So...what are you doing?" Shane rephrased.

"Oh, you know," spying on Haley, my friend Jace's girlfriend, "just uh, dropped something." Yeah, we'll go with that.

"Oh really?" Shane didn't sound like he was buying a word of it. "'Cause you haven't been looking very hard for whatever it is for as long as you've been behind there."

I was about to retaliate with something biting, but the guy behind the counter of the store we were standing in front of approached us after chatting with a woman who was obviously in charge. He scratched the back of his neck. "Excuse me, but could I ask you," he looked toward Shane, "two to relocate? It's a hindrance to business." He didn't sound very convincing, but, the manager behind him I suppose, did.

"Sure, sorry for any - uh, any trouble." He shrugged and walked back in. The manager shot me a deceptively pleasant smile before turning around.

Shane laughed as he followed me to the bench where Jay was now sitting. "I can't do this," I pleaded.

"Do what?" Shane asked.

"Awwh, c'mon man, you can't back out on me now," Jay said.

"Wait - hold up. What are you two talking about? Clue me in here." Shane looked from me to Jay and from Jay to me.

"We're basically spying on someone," I admonished.

"Huh?"

"My girlfriend," Jay explained, motioning to himself. "It's just that I have a feeling that she's seeing someone else behind my back." Jay looked away from us both.

"I guess I can help, it's not like I'm doing anything else right now," Shane offered. Crap.

Jay looked towards me. "Fine," I muttered, following suit in agreement to continue helping. Oh why, Shane? Why?

"Great. You two follow them, I'll follow back around."

"This is ridiculous, why are we even going along?" I looked toward Shane but he merely shrugged. "I can't believe how stupid you've made me look, and how even dumber you're going to make me look, Jay." Was I the only one with even an ounce of reason between the three of us?

"Oh, there they are," Shane pointed towards the Victoria's Secret. Oh hell no.

"So, where's Miranda?" I asked.

"You do know that we're not jointed at the hip, right? She's at home. C'mon, they went in there," Shane tugged my arm into the flowery, and heavily perfumed scented, open store. When we walked in, we were near the wall shelved with various overpriced lotions and skin care items.

"Hey guys." I turned around at Haley's light and airy voice, what're you two doing here?" Haley took a step forward, then made a face. "Wait, who's he?"

I took a forward step, cutting off any catty remarks that would've probably followed her interrogation - I mean meeting, of Shane. "He's a good friend."

"Ah, I see." Haley smiled at Shane before pointing somewhere behind him. "That would look good on you," Haley smirked a little as soon as Shane's face darkened. "Well, I'll see you guys around," she looked at all my camouflage, raised an eyebrow, and gave a little salute. Okay, maybe she's smarter than I give her credit for.

"I don't think I like her so much any more," Shane said.

"Why?"

"She just said I'd look good in a corset."

"A what?" I asked.

"Nevermind."

"She's not all that bad," I said in her defense. "That's just who she is." Maybe she may come off as a little, (okay more than a little), shallow, but when I got to know her I realized it all was just her way of fencing off people she doesn't want in her life.

Shane sighed. "I guess you're right."

Outside the store I spotted Haley, arms crossed, Jay facing her, and a guy along with her usual crew.

"What are you here following me for?" she bluntly inquired.

"Baby-"

"Jay, I don't want to hear it," she lowered her lids, "I can't believe you don't trust me." And then she stormed away, her friends following after.

If it were possible, I'm certain that Jay's jaw would've hit the overly sheened flooring. "I'm single," he muttered, almost disbelievingly. "I'm definitely gonna' be single."

"Welcome to the club," I awkwardly chuckled. I had just walked in on the end of a heated conversation - an argument? but it didn't take a genius to see what had gone on.

"I hate this club." Jay made a face, but at least it wasn't a completely serious one.

"Don't we all," Shane added and we all laughed, a fraction of the tension easing off.

"Since we're here, anyone need to do any shopping?" I smirked.

"I just wanna' go home." Jay said.

"Ditto." Shane agreed.

"Finally, you two actually start to make sense." I said with an exaggerated sigh.