Comfy Closets - Chapter 1: Chapter 1

“You know, you can be a real ass sometimes. You know that?”
“Well I’m sorry I haven’t seen Star Wars before." Sarcasm rolled off my tongue with an ease akin to breathing. "How should I know that everyone hates Jar Jar Binks? He seemed adorable to me, especially with the meesa thing he does,” I defended incredulously as I waved my hand his way. I kept my eyes on the road, just wanting this topic of conversation to be over.
Ashton was on one of his rants again as he sat beside me in my car, going on and on about the details of his favourite series and taking it more seriously than I thought the topic should be granted. I made the mistake of mentioning my fondness for a character he hated based on a clip I saw the other day. Now I was paying for it.
My best friend huffed in his seat as he crossed his broad arms over his chest, jutting out his lower lip in a pout. “Say you hate Jar Jar Binks. Then I’ll forgive you.”
Suppressing the amused smile trying to escape, I finally relented. “Okay, fine. I hate, abhor, despise Jar Jar Binks. You happy now?”
His frown turned into a bright smile in a dramatic change, sitting up from his slouched position. "Yup, very." He picked up the basketball resting on his lap, spinning it casually and showing no signs of his previous annoyance. “You really should stop saying you like these random characters before watching the movie. Just sayin', you lose friends like that, Aly."
I snorted and shook my head, but smiled when I caught a glance of his contagious grin. He could never stay mad at me for long.
Ashton Kane. What could I say about him? He's been my best friend since our crayon-drawing days. Self-proclaimed big brother who appeases me with food, and one of my rocks on most days. I can count on him - even through his moments of absent-mindedness, I suppose...
We’ve been on the road for fifteen minutes, now just arriving at the school’s parking lot. Ashton almost always rode with me to school because he only lived a couple of streets over from my house. And it saves him gas money, but food is often provided as a return. So it’s all good.
As I turned off the engine and stepped out of my navy car, I called out a farewell. “Bye, Logan! I’ll miss you, baby.”
Ashton was running a hand through his dark, side-swept hair for the umpteenth time before he stopped and raised a brow at me, as if to say 'really?'
“I can’t believe you still say bye to your car. I don't even get this much attention from you.”
“He’s my baby. He will always have my love,” I sighed happily as I rubbed my hand over his silvery-grey hood affectionately.
"So I won't. I see how it is, Logan..." he glared playfully at my car. He had some tough competition.
To be fair, I worked hard for this car, saved up my money from work and bought this baby with only a bit of help from my parents. So, I'd say my love for Logan was totally reasonable, if not entirely healthy.
After a goodbye kiss, I shouldered my bag and started my walk to the front steps with Ashton. The boy was flashing his charming smile and greeting the familiar people we walked past, but my eyes were just absentmindedly wandering the faces of my fellow students. It wasn't like I didn't know people - it was more like my shy ass had no desire to communicate with them if it wasn't necessary.
My focus was only drawn elsewhere when the boy next to me nudged my arm, still bouncing the ball adeptly every few steps as we walked. “Did you see Gia's text last night?”
“Hm? No, probably missed it. I crashed early. Why, was it important?”
“No, not really. She just mentioned that Mrs Bayles had roped her into showing some new guy around for this morning.”
“Really? This much into the semester? Huh, weird,” I mused, but I couldn’t deny the little excitement that sparked inside at the sound of the news. A typical reaction that came with new students, especially in a school like ours that didn’t often see much change in the faces of the crowd.
The boy tossed the ball my way without warning as we walked, and I caught it with practised ease before it hit a poor freshmen’s head. I twirled it around in my palms absentmindedly as Ashton’s sea-green eyes glazed over in thought. “I hope he plays basketball. We really need some fresh players on the court to replace last year’s seniors,” he said, eyes lighting up at the possible prospect.
I hummed in agreement. Although the basketball season hadn’t started yet, our soccer season was certainly underway. He and I were captains of our teams and everything has been a whole lot busier since we were appointed the role. I certainly wasn’t complaining, but it was nice to have another person who understood the standards our coaches expected, and to have someone to whine to now and then.
As we walked through the increasingly crowded halls, I spotted the previously mentioned beauty standing by my locker in a white summer dress, with her curly red hair flowing past her shoulder blades and sunglasses resting atop her head. Gia was a fiery spit-ball of energy that couldn’t be contained, always bringing her dramatic antics along wherever she goes. She was the person in our group that always had the funniest quips to say, the worst puns to tell and the wisest words to give. She was one hell of a friend that I was glad had pushed me off the monkey bars in fifth grade, even if I did sprain my ankle and miss the championship that year. That was how our friendship blossomed; all weird like us.
The redhead waved enthusiastically at us as we walked up, and I only noticed just then the presence of the unfamiliar blonde guy she was standing next to. "Hey, guys. This is Zach! He’s the new guy I’m gonna show around,” she said, grinning so enthusiastically that waves of it practically floated out of her. “Zach, meet my dorky besties. Ashton and Alyssa.”
Ashton was the first of us to offer his hand, giving him a good handshake and clapping him on the shoulder like what guys tended to do. "Hey, man, I'm Ashton, but you can call me Ash. And don’t listen to her, 'Gia the hypocrite' is literally the dorkiest one here.”
Gia shoved him roughly as Zach let out a faint chuckle of amusement. His steel-blue eyes - bordering on grey - drifted over to me, waiting for me to introduce myself too. I unconsciously tucked a dark brown strand behind my ear, giving him a small, timid wave as I spoke in a quiet voice. "Hi, I'm Alyssa, but Aly is fine. W-Welcome to Longman High."
Ashton and Gia exchanged a subtle look before they turned back to us. My sudden change in demeanour was no surprise to them. They knew very well how I was when around new people. Shyness and nervousness were guaranteed, and I was lucky if awkwardness didn’t enter the chat.
Zack's mouth turned up into a small, friendly smile before looking back at the others. Once his attention left me, I sighed as my tense shoulders relaxed. I seriously did not do well with new people.
"Yeah, nice meeting you guys,” he quirked his lips pleasantly as he pushed back the sandy-blonde hair falling on his forehead, the sides cut close. “Although, I was wondering if any of you have a… Mr Newman for English? First period?” the boy asked unsurely, peeking down at the small piece of paper clutched in his hand.
Ashton's eyes brightened as he gave him another clap to the shoulder and beckoned for him to follow. "I have him too! You can follow me. I got this Gia.” The redhead frowned, seeming disappointed by the sudden lack of opportunity to get to know the new guy. Hmm, just maybe… I mean, the boy didn’t look too bad…
Zach seemed relieved by the offer and started following our best friend away. “Thanks, bro. This helps a lot.”
“No problem, man. Although, I wanted to ask, do you happen to play basketball...”
As the two tall guys walked away, it was only then that I felt the last of my anxiety fade away. It was then that I noted the lean form of Zach as he listened to Ashton chattering away, nodding politely once in a while.
Darting my gaze back to Gia, I cocked a brow when I found her eyes still fixed on them. “So, the new guy, huh?”
She was a little slow to react, but when she finally pulled her attention to me and noticed the look I was giving her, she rolled her eyes. “What, I can’t look? He’s attractive! And nice, from what I could tell.”
I shrugged indifferently as we started making our way to my locker. “I hope so. Would be a shame if he’s just another jerk added to this place. You think you’ll like him that way?” I asked, just making conversation, but I was admittedly a tad interested in her reply.
She hummed but didn’t say anything else, leaving a mysteriousness in the air for me to interpret as she smirked. I narrowed my eyes in return as I stopped to open up my locker.
“Say something. Even an ‘eh’ will do,” I prompted exasperatedly. That way, I’d be able to pick it apart and figure out the answer myself. A perk of knowing the redhead so well.
Gia leaned against the locker next to mine and pursed her lips. “Well, you know I’m not over Harris yet, as much as I really freaking want to. God, I really wanna be…”
At that, I frowned sympathetically, knowing how bad the awful breakup plagued her mind. I opened my mouth to offer words of comfort, but the words died on my lips when the sight from just over my friend’s shoulder captured my attention.
It wasn’t like a fight was going on or something embarrassing was happening, and there definitely wasn’t some celebrity walking down the halls. But it was a girl. A girl with dirty blonde hair flowing down to her mid-back. Simple jeans and a halter top consisted of her outfit. Books clutched to her side. And her hazel eyes – eyes that swirled in colours of green, brown, and gold, mesmerising any person who looked long enough to analyse.
Leah Bennett. Student class president, smart, popular – and untouchable. And yet, she was still my crush.
Like I’ll ever have a chance, I quipped internally, a little dejected as I watched her stride down the hallway in my direction with her group of friends. Although she walked among others, she still stood out with a confident air about, the attention of others often drawn to her with ease. I’ve never really talked to her, but, how could I? She was Leah Bennett, and I was just some shy ass girl in the closet who was on the soccer team.
Gia noticed my occupied gaze when I never answered and looked over her shoulder curiously. I pulled her arm to stop her from looking. She was being too obvious!
“What? Who are you–oh.”
Gia of course looked indifferent to the girl’s approach, perhaps with a hint of humour in her eyes as she took in my reaction. But with another glance at the dirty-blonde, I realised those hazel eyes were looking our way as she approached. Oh god.
Before I could figure out an escape plan or possibly hide in my locker, Leah and her group arrived in the vicinity, the girl stopping right in front of us.
I probably did a poor job at disguising the pure panic in my eyes as my heart beat hard against my rib cage. What was happening?!
As I stood by my open locker, I couldn’t pull my eyes away from her even if I tried. The girl smiled and opened her pink, pouty lips to speak but my mind was rendered so shocked that it couldn’t register anything until a few seconds later.
“-free tomorrow after school to practice?”
I blinked slowly, unable to react. But Leah wasn’t waiting for me to answer, I realised, as she stared at the girl standing right next to me.
“Sure! I’ll meet you then. Remember to bring the stuff for the run-throughs,” Gia replied easily.
The girl’s smile brightened at her answer and got ready to leave to catch up to her friends that had slowed down. “Alright, cool. See you in class.”
For a moment, just a moment, those hazel eyes drifted over to me. And I met them, nothing to say on my lips but still transfixed by her.
I didn’t know if anyone else would notice, but her smile shifted slightly into something else – wider, more genuine, perhaps, and I felt myself return the smile.
And just like that, she was gone, busy getting back to her friends.
The whole encounter lasted no longer than thirty seconds, but it took out even more of me than when meeting Zach.
My heart slowly started to slow down its pounding beat as my eyes lingered on the girl, sighing under my breath. When I turned my gaze back to my locker, I spotted my friend’s eyes focused on me.
There was a knowing look in them as sly smirk graced her lips. I tried to ignore it as I went back to collecting my books, but the searing gaze I felt on the side of my face wouldn’t budge. I decided to be the one to say something first, casually.
“What was that about? I didn’t know you were now close with Leah Bennett.”
Gia waved a hand. “We were put into the same group for drama class. It was just about practice.” Now, a mischievous grin stretched across her face as she chuckled to herself, trying to downplay her ‘all-knowing’ expression. “But that’s not important. Are we going to forget about that infatuated look you just had on your face? I don’t know if Leah noticed it, but you’re being a little too obvious about liking her.”
If I were just any other person who had a crush, I wouldn’t want the identity of said crush to be said so carelessly in a busy hallway. Now, with me being an ‘in the closet gay’, I’d prefer to lock that secret in a safe, put that in a vault in the most secure building in the world, then throw said building into the deepest undersea trench I could find.
And Gia just said it. Just like that.
My eyes widened in panic as I shushed my friend, harshly whispering. “Gia Finnegan! Shut up! Someone could've overheard!”
Her face turned sheepish as she looked around too, blowing out a breath as she also realised no one was looking our way or minding us.
Thing was, I wasn’t planning on coming out anytime soon. I refused to, especially not after all the trouble my last relationship caused because of it. This town wasn’t exactly open to the topic either, despite it being in this day and age and more openly discussed - more normalized.
No one here really talked about it. And that was what scared me.
Gia and Ashton, however, happened to figure it out themselves. It was no wonder – they knew me better than I knew myself. Well, Gia kinda got it first – catching me watching Blue is the Warmest Colour gave it away. After that, I couldn’t not confirm it for Ashton too.
I closed my locker with a sigh, speaking in lower tones. “You know it's just a little crush anyway. How many times do I have to tell you?”
“Doesn’t mean I don’t find your crush cute, and this time I’m not teasing you at all. I find it cute.”
I gave her a deadpan look. “She's straight and with Blake. So stop that,” I admonished her, puffing my cheeks. My shoulders were still tense from the close call.
She rolled her eyes and huffed. "Psshh, you know that thing she has with Blake is not gonna last. That boy is bound to cheat, I’ll bet on it. And besides, they don't seem serious. It's only been a couple of weeks," she pointed out. "I honestly wonder why she's even with him. She could do so much better..."
The warning bell rang for first period and we started our walk to class leisurely. "Well, I don't know, maybe because he's the captain of the football team, popular, nice-looking, a guy, and-"
She cut me off then. "Oh come on, all that can't make up for his jerky personality. And what's so good about guys?"
"How would I know? You're the one that's into them."
She paused at that. "Very true. That's beside the point. You never know, though, she might also play for the other team." A mischievous smile took over her face. "You've heard of that phrase, right? Straight girls are like spaghetti. They're straight until they get hot and wet," Gia said, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively as she licked her lips in an exaggeratedly seductive manner.
I looked at her, mouth agape as I sputtered. "Gia! Oh my god, stop that! Your dirty mind needs a splash of holy water. Think about my innocent mind, G!" I exclaimed, trying to cover her mouth with my hands.
She slipped away from me as she laughed hysterically. "I've always wanted to say that. And oh, come on, you're not that innocent. And you know you want that to happen."
"Yes, but it's not going to, because she’s straight. It’s just a stupid crush. It’ll go away. Practically the whole school has a crush on her,” I stated matter-of-factly.
The redhead thought for a moment before admitting quietly. “Yeah, I’d probably have a crush on her at one point if I wasn’t so straight.” I made a sound of agreement.
“Exactly, point proven. And besides, I don’t plan on being out anytime soon. It’ll only bring trouble, like last time,” I said, staring at her pointedly. “I’m perfectly happy in my closet so leave me be. Let’s face it – I’m gonna be single for a while. I’ll get over her soon enough,” I stated determinedly, not sure if I was trying to convince her or me as we marched on to the math classroom.
She sighed as she walked by my side. "Aly, you have got to get over her. The thing that happened last time only happened because she was an asshole. She's in the past, and she wasn't right for you anyway. You'll be single forever if you don't move past it. Surrounded by twenty cats by the time you're 40."
"That doesn't sound so bad. I like cats," I retorted, trying to make myself feel better.
She put on a thoughtful expression then. "Well, it's understandable, they are, after all, pussy cats..."
"GIA! MY INNOCENT MIND!"