The Homo Norm - WattPride

seven - third wheel

JULES RUSHED out of her last class with the rest of the kids, and once she was out of the door, she collided with someone.

"Oh, sorry!" she looked up. 

"Oh, hey Jules!" Bryce smiled at her. "I was just coming to get you."

Jules clutched her bag tightly as she took in his face, her heart already doing crazy somersaults.

"My mom just called me and I don't know if--" Bryce started to say but Jules interrupted.

"Yeah, don't worry about it," she said. "My dad just called. Both of them are at a press conference and they'll be coming late. Again." Jules added as an afterthought.

Bryce ran a hand through his hair. "OK, cool. My mom will pick us at the playground. You've got soccer tryouts to watch or something, right?"

Jules throat constricted at the thought of soccer. "Uhm . . . yeah."

Another person joined the duo, and clamped a heavy hand around Bryce's shoulder, followed by an affectionate kiss on Bryce's cheeks. He then turned to Jules.

"Hey, Jules."

"Hi, Mason." She said in a small voice. Seeing Mason getting all cozy with Bryce in front of her made her feel uncomfortable. Not that she wasn't OK with it. After all, Bryce and Mason had been a couple for almost three months now and she'd seen the PDA between them countless times and she'd never minded.

But today, it made her squirm. Seeing Mason and Bryce smiling in each other's faces made her feel awkward and out of place.

Like a third wheeler.

Jules cleared her throat and quickly walked away from the two boys while saying. "I'll meet you at the playground in thirty minutes bye!" she said this without looking at them.

"OK Jules," Bryce shouted after her, frowning at her hasty departure. "I'll be in the auditorium. Call me if you get impatient!"

But Jules had already disappeared around the corner and the boys weren't sure if she'd heard.

Mason gave Bryce a confused look. "Is it something I did or said?"