Vincent Kinsington
We stared at each other for a few, long moments. I wasn't sure how to go about this without alerting Chet of my true intentions. I hadn't planned on finding Chet. It was just luck that I saw him enter the cafeteria building with the young woman.
I had already missed my Intro to Entrepreneurship class thanks to my mom. Breakfast still sat heavy in my stomach. If I wasn't quick with Chet, I'd miss my Microeconomics class too.
"I didn't mean to take up your time with your girlfriend," I said. I knew it was too much to expect me to sound friendly, but I hoped I sounded at least neutral.
"She's not my girlfriend," he said evenly. He walked up to stand closer to me. He was on the edge of the sidewalk with the front of his shoes dangling over the side and I stood next to my car in the parking lot. The sun was bright today and surprisingly warm for Fall.
It wasn't luck that I got a spot close to the entrance. I had seen him enter while I drove by and I drove around the parking lot until a close spot had opened up.
"Potential girlfriend then," I said. It was clear the young woman liked him.
"Just friends," he said.
That explained the sad look in her eyes and the fake smile painted on her lips.
Chet shifted his weight to his left foot and the sun for one brief moment lit up his caramel skin so it almost seemed like he had a golden aura. Then he shifted again and the effect was gone. He might have been attractive if he wasn't my enemy. I had to play this cool. He was already suspicious of me.
"I wanted to apologize for my behavior at the party. I just want to protect my friend but I went about it the wrong way."
Chet smiled easily. "I accept your apology. And I'm sorry I shoved you. Alex really is a great guy. I can understand why you'd want to protect him, but Mateo isn't going to hurt him. I grew up with Mateo and he genuinely cares about Alex. Really. I've never seen him happier. And Alex seems happy. And they are adorable together."
"Yes," I said before Chet could ramble on further. It didn't matter what Chet said. I didn't know him. He could be as deceitful as Mateo for all I knew, but I wasn't here to argue with him.
"How long has Mateo been out as gay?" I asked.
Chet's smile disappeared. His dark brown eyes became slightly suspicious, but he answered. "Saturday night."
It was as I suspected then. His family probably didn't know other than his sister. This could be just the situation I needed. I would tell Mateo's family, they would force him to break up with Alex, Alex wouldn't blame me for the breakup and all would be right again.
"So he deceived his friends and family all these years and you expect me to believe he is good for Alex? Alex never hid he was gay. He was teased, mocked and ridiculed since elementary school but he never pretended to be something he wasn't."
Chet's jaw tightened. I had spoken my mind too soon. I needed to find out where Mateo's family lived.
Finally Chet's jaw loosened and his expression softened just a little. "Alex is a great guy. He is braver than I initially thought it seems. But people are different. They have different circumstances. Even if they are put through the exact same circumstances, people feel things differently. It is great that Alex was so open, but don't try to shame Mateo for choosing a different course. A course he thought was best for him at the time."
The way he looked at me made my insides a torrent as I realized my own hypocrisy - criticizing Mateo for not coming out as gay when I couldn't admit I was bi. I shifted my eyes away from his. His gaze felt similar to Alex's when Alex saw through my lies.
"So it doesn't bother you that he lied to you all these years?" I asked him without looking at him.
"He didn't," Chet said easily. I did look at him then. "I've known since middle school. He didn't tell anyone else. Except, now that he's out, I do think he must have told his younger sister. She didn't seem surprised when pics of Alex and Mateo surfaced on social media. And he's always been close to Serafina so it makes sense that she knows. Actually, he probably told her before he told me."
"So his sister is accepting. Anyone else in his family know?" I tried to ask it calmly and without ill intent, but he immediately became suspicious again.
"I haven't asked him," he simply said.
"Do you have a long commute to school?" I asked him with the appearance I was changing the subject, but in reality hoping to suss out where Mateo's family lived.
"A twenty minute bus ride," he said. His body relaxed slightly as he looked to the road. I followed his eyes and found a bus stop I'd never noticed before. Not that I stopped here often, or even noticed any bus stops anywhere.
"So you don't live on campus then like Mateo? Do you still live with your family?"
"Yes. And there is nothing wrong with that. I pay them rent. My scholarship includes housing money."
I hadn't said there was anything wrong with it, but by the way he reacted I assumed someone at some point had.
"Nothing wrong with living at home," I said although I excluded myself from that. I could not live at home. "Especially if you are paying rent. Is it the same family home you've always been in?"
His jaw stiffened slightly. "I'm not going to tell you where Mateo's family lives."
I sighed and rolled my eyes as I leaned back against my car. He had seen so easily through me. I looked up into the rich, blue sky. The air was clear today and there were only a few white clouds that dotted the sky. It almost felt like Summer.
"I don't know why you just can't believe that Mateo is sincere," Chet said.
I turned my gaze to him once again. "Let me tell you why I broke up with my first girlfriend," I said to him as I stood up straight so I was no longer leaning against the car. He watched me silently and although he was still suspicious, curiosity now filled his eyes as well. "I met my first girlfriend when we were both Sophomores. She was pretty. She wore designer brands - not the best of those brands mind you, but still the designer brands. She was nice and doted on me in a way I wasn't used to, but liked. Maybe even needed. I thought she was perfect for me. Until her best friend came to me and showed me a video of my girlfriend and their other friends making a bet about how long it would take me to gift her with jewelry. Not just any jewelry of course. Really expensive jewelry. The kind my father would buy for my mom on their silver anniversary.
"That was all I was to her. So I broke up with her. Her friend that showed me the video stepped in to comfort me and I thought she was sincere. I thought she truly cared for me and I thought maybe this time it would be different so I started dating her. But she wasn't different. I found out later that she had made the exact same bet with her friends. In fact, all of their little group had made the exact same bet and all of them tried to date me. I wasn't the only one hurt because the one they loved was really just after their money. Alex was too. So, no, I can't believe Mateo is sincere. I don't believe anyone is sincere."
Chet didn't say anything for a long time as he stood on the edge of the sidewalk with the front of his shoes still dangling over the edge. I wondered why I had even told him anything. It wasn't like he could change my mind.
Finally, he slowly nodded. "There are people out there that will take advantage of you," he said, but before I could gloat he added, "but there are a lot of people who won't. Despite what you think, Mateo's family isn't poor. He doesn't need or want Alex's money."
And with that, the conversation turned pointless. I shook my head and turned to face my car. I had one hand on the door handle when Chet asked, "Did someone tell you this? That everyone is out for your money? Or did you just come to that conclusion because of those stupid girls?"
I turned my eyes to him with my hand still on the door handle. "I've met too many people who have proven to me that no one can be trusted."
"So you trust Alex only because you are both rich?"
His question sent goosebumps along my arms and my hand dropped back to my side as I was suddenly numb.
"You wouldn't be his friend if he wasn't as rich as you?" Chet went on.
"That's right," I lied.
I quickly opened the car door, but before I could step inside Chet said, "You're lying."
My entire being froze for one brief moment. I didn't trust myself to look at him so I didn't. I forced myself to move even though it was stiff and unnatural. I got into my car and drove away without looking back. But there was one thing I knew for sure now. Chet could see through me as easily as Alex could and I didn't like it.