Pretty Boy [bxb] | ✔️

Chapter thirty-eight: Driving home to Alex

𝘿𝙧𝙞𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙝𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝘼𝙡𝙚𝙭

Our new friendship group of five already feels like it's diminishing down to a four.

Since Kenzie and Jake joined our friendship group, Lucy and I have been hanging out with them a lot. I want to say Cami joins us, but every time we ask her, she refuses. Then she has a go at me for hanging out with them and not her and I can't win. Ever. No matter how many times I hang out with her separately.

"You're replacing me," She reminds me for the umpteenth time when I come back from a cinema trip with the other three. Like every time she says this, I sigh, tell her that I would never replace her and make new plans with her so I can try to make her a bit happier.

I try to refrain from calling her a hypocrite, but oh my God is self-containment hard.

I find myself sat in a prom dress boutique one weekend while Alex is spending the day with Chloe. This time, none of us bothered to ask Cami to come along, knowing that an answer of no would be inevitable. We've tried with her, but it's safe to say, we've given up. She doesn't want to make new friends, that's OK.

Jake and I are sat in chairs outside the changing room while Lucy and Kenzie are inside trying on dresses. Jake is visibly not happy with being sat in such a feminine store, while I'm content with being anywhere with such gratifying company. Cami can be overbearing, and it's nice to have time away from her at least once a week and hang out with people who aren't so spirit dampening. Does that make me a bad friend?

"It's the end of April. Prom isn't until June. Why are we here?" Jake asks although I can see he's enjoying it. He's taken a liking to Lucy, and I tell he doesn't mind seeing her in some of the dresses she's been trying on.

"It's because once you buy the dress that you want, this store doesn't allow anyone else from your school to buy the same dress. If they want to get the perfect dress, it's better to do it quickly." I reply, feeling a tad bit gayer. I soon add, "That's what I heard the shop assistant say, anyway."

"You're so gay, dude," Jake laughs. I chuckle along with him.

I know it's only a friendly tease. With Cami, I'm not sure she'd be teasing in a lighthearted way if she were to ever tease me about being gay. I have honestly concluded that I don't think she will accept me. I know I'm letting my fears and anxiety do the talking instead of my head, but the more I think about her and the things she's said since Alex came out, the more I realise that she doesn't accept our community and who we are.

"Do you have a boyfriend yet?" He continues. "Or at least a prom date?"

I lean towards him slightly, "You can keep a secret from Cami, right?" He nods, "I do."