RYLIE

THE CLASSROOM WAS emptying more and more every minute as I struggled to place all my supplies into my backpack. It was a Friday afternoon after school, and like any normal person, I was hurrying to turn in my work so I could meet my friends at Taco Fiesta after school. It would be me, Elias, Nora, Cannon and Axel. This was scheduled to find out what his parent's response to him coming out and to support him. 

I trudged to Ms. Edwards' desk and handed her our assignment. The objective was to create a complex pattern using all creativity possible. I think I did a pretty decent job with mine. I created this weird circular design on my paper using multiple colors all blending into one eventually. It sounds complicated, but it's really simple. I expect to at least get a B on my work because in my opinion, what I did was sort of common. 

"Hey, come on. We don't want the others leaving us, do we?" Elias questioned with a chuckle.

"Yeah, I think Cannon and Axel are already outside in the parking lot. I saw them head out," Nora informed before plopping her sleek, raven hair to her shoulders. 

"Oh, then we should hurry. I don't have my own car to drive to Taco Fiesta, and you don't either Elias . . ." I muttered as I gestured them around a corner that would eventually lead us to the student parking lot. "Also, do you even have your car, Nora?"

"It's broken. I couldn't even get it to start this morning," Nora groaned with an eyeroll. "So, when I get home, I have to convince my parents to let me take it the shop to get it fixed as soon as possible." 

I wasn't really surprised. Out of everyone else, I would know that Nora's car is known for being all loud and raggedy. I remember on the end of the first day of school or something like that, the engine was so loud to the point where I thought that the car would break down right then and there. Actually, scratch that. Every time I'm in Nora's car is when I feel like it's going to break down. That's just how bad the performance of her car is. 

So, I assured her. "I'm sure it's just a problem with your engine." 

"Yeah, but just imagine what it would be like to have a fresh new ride like Cannon or Axel. I mean look at their cars," Nora joked as she pointed to their cars. At this point, we were already outside. "Could never be me." 

Both of the boys had fancy, luxurious cars that I probably could never afford, so Nora did have a point. Speaking of the boys, once they saw us coming, they dove into their cars and started them up. Elias and I decided to ride with Cannon, while Nora wanted to ride with Axel. 

"I call dibs on the front seat," Elias remarked as he grabbed the handle before I could even touch it. 

"Shit," I rolled my eyes with a smile. "I'm too late." 

"Unfortunately," he smiled, then paused. "But seriously, if you want front seat, it's all yours, Rylie." 

"No, I'll be fine in the back. I'll have it all to myself, anyway," I chirped as I nudged his shoulder playfully. 

"I insist, madam," Elias remarked with a fake French accent which honestly sounded horrible. But he tried, at least. 

"You two argue but flirt at the same time like an old married couple. It's cute, though," Cannon joked as he honked his horn. "Get in the car already before I leave you both." 

"Alright, slow your roll. We have all afternoon, sheesh," Elias chuckled as he placed his backpack on the floor, fastening his seatbelt after. 

Cannon added. "Yeah, we do have all afternoon, but aren't you dying to know how his parents responded to him coming out? He did it last night."

"Point taken," I nodded as I watched him pull out of our parking space on the web cam screen. 

It's a moment that we've all been waiting for, really. Deep down, all of us wanted to know what happened. The moment couldn't have come soon enough when we were settled at Taco Fiesta. The restaurant was busy, but not too busy. Mr. Mercado generously treated us all to a free meal each, all on the house. 

"So," Axel sighed heavily as his eyes closed shut. "I told my parents that I'm bi." He paused for a bit and looked down at his Sprite. The carbonated drink was in a clear cup, so I watched the miniature bubbles inside the drink fizz up and connect to each other. The mood of the table we were all sitting at was tense, awaiting for an answer. 

Cannon placed an arm on his shoulder with assurance. "You know, if you're not ready to tell us now, you don't have to." 

"No, I just need to say it right now and get it over with," Axel insisted. "They didn't really understand at first, which I expected. They still want to stick with their conservative ways, however, they said that they respect my decision and such, but you know, they still don't really the support the fact that I'm bi and stuff."

"Sorry to hear that . . ." Elias said solemnly. 

"It's all good. I'll get through it all," Axel combed his shaggy, raven hair with his fingers. 

"Look, if you ever want to talk about it, we'll be here," Cannon assured as he patted his back. "We support you." In sync to this, the rest of us nodded in agreement. 

"That's good to know," Axel muttered before taking a sip out of his Sprite. 

After that, it was plain silence, besides the low background trumpet music playing and spatulas and spoon crashing against grills in the kitchen. The door of the establishment swung open as a girl with loose, caramel curls staggered in. It wasn't just any girl. It was Adrienne. None of us expected her to come here today, I know I didn't. 

"Oh, it's a surprise to see you all here," Adrienne mustered a smile. To my surprise, Axel actually smiled back just a little. He doesn't smile normally, from what I know. 

"Wanna sit with us?" He offered politely. "We can make room." 

"Sure, but not for long, though," the girl glanced at her smart watch. "I have to visit my grandmother in half an hour." 

She took a seat next to me, since I was on the end on my side of the booth we were situated at. She smelled sweet, like perfume. Now that I think about it, I haven't talked to her since I found her in the bathroom crying. You know, the day where her and Axel broke up. I didn't want to directly ask her about it since her ex-boyfriend was literally right there. So instead, I simply questioned, "How has everything been?" 

"Everything's been okay, lately. It could be better, but I'm doing alright. Thanks for asking," Adrienne mustered a smile, then turned to everyone else. "What are you all doing here?" 

"I had to tell them something pretty important," Axel said, looking up at the girl, but glancing back down at the table. 

"Oh . . ." Adrienne nodded before her eyes lit up. "Oh!"

Adrienne looked as if she knew exactly what he was talking about. She probably did, or at least had an idea of what he was talking about, but I'd never know. The possibilities were endless. 

***

When I got home, I was welcomed in by my cat, Cookie. She kept on trying to play with my shoelaces, even after I took my shoes off. I picked her up from the floor and carried her to the living room, where Mom and her boyfriend were watching a reality show on our flatscreen TV. Well, Mom was the only one who looked invested in it, judging the comments she was making to the ladies on there as if she were actually on the show. Kaden, however, was just nodding at every single thing she said, trying his best to fit in. 

"Hey, Rylie," Kaden was quick to say with a wave. "How was your day at school?" 

"My day was okay," I muttered as I slouched down on an armchair, carefully caressing the area behind Cookie's ears. In response, she purred. That meant that she liked it, so I continued to do it out of habit. 

"That's good," Mom said before looking back at the TV. "Oh, come on, why did she have to do that?" 

I raised an eyebrow as I stared at the television. I had absolutely no context of what was even going on in that show she was watching. All I saw were a bunch of ladies arguing with each other like children, but at the same time, like seniors. It was nothing but confusing. 

Kaden turned to me. "What's your cat's name? She seems nice." 

"Her name is Cookie," I answered briefly, slightly getting up to pass her to him. "Wanna hold her?" 

"Sure," the man nodded as he gently grabbed her. "When I was about your age, I remember having a cat. It was so nice."

"Yeah, getting Cookie was cool," I nodded in agreement. "I actually got her over a year ago. No regrets." 

"That's exactly how I felt when I got my cat," Kaden agreed. He tried to hand Cookie back to me, but instead of her acting like her normal, friendly self, she hissed. Kaden set the cat back down on his lap, causing her to purr. I knew Cookie well. Based on the way she was acting, she probably liked Mom's boyfriend very much. 

It wasn't that big of a surprise because Cookie is a sweetheart, but if my own cat is already used to Kaden, how am I not used to him just yet?

Maybe I let my ego get in the way of respecting Kaden way too much, all because I missed Dad. Mom's words kept ringing in my head. She said I didn't have to like him, but I at least had to give him a chance. He seemed like a sweet guy with no bad intentions, but all this time of knowing him, I wasn't so nice to him. 

And that's where I went wrong. 

At that moment, my mom excused herself to go to the restroom. Besides the repetitive bickering of the women on Mom's reality show, the room was oddly silent. Since no one else was around, I could use this moment as an opportunity to at least apologize to Kaden for how I've treated him. I may have not said anything too smart to him since knowing him, but I did make things unnecessarily tense at times before today, like the time we were having dinner at his place. I automatically jumped into conclusions, which I now realize that I shouldn't have done. 

"Kaden, I have something to tell you," my voice trailed off as I stared at Cookie, who was still situated on his lap, cozy and snug. "I'm sorry for how I've been acting around you lately." 

I then began to explain how I felt about everything, like how I once believed that Kaden was there to replace my actual dad. I've come to realize that Mom needed someone after being alone for so long. Kaden, of course, understood everything. 

"It's all good, Rylie. I love your mom very much and I do wish to spend the rest of my life with her, but don't feel pressured to call me "dad" ever. You don't have to," Kaden reasoned soothingly. "I don't mind at all because I'm not here to replace anyone. Whatever you want to call me is fine by me." 

I nodded in agreement. Everything happened on such short notice, so I didn't feel like I was in the position to call him "dad" just yet, but I was glad that he was so understanding about everything. It's not every day where you find someone like that. 

Kaden rummaged something out of his pocket. It looked like a small box, which probably had some kind of locket or necklace inside. He opened the box, directing it towards me. My eyes widened in shock of what was inside. It was a beautiful ring, which could only mean one thing. "I plan on proposing to your mother with this ring," Kaden sort of whispered, so Mom wouldn't hear from a distance away in case she was lurking around. "Do you like it?" 

"Do I like it?" I echoed with awe. "I love it." I actually meant it. 

"That's great, but how do you feel about me proposing to your mom so soon? I know that you just found out about her and I dating just a while ago . . ." the man questioned as he put away the ring. 

"It all still feels unreal, but my mom really loves you and has been extremely happy lately, so I'm okay with it," I said with a smile. It was a real smile. Probably any day before today, I wouldn't have the courage to say that. My ego wouldn't have allowed me to, but now that I've thought about it, my mom really loved this guy. Whenever she'd used to lecture me about giving him a chance, she'd always sound so mushy and gushy talking about him. She was happy for the first time in forever, and that's all that mattered to me. 

"Glad to hear it. I'm going to propose tomorrow evening at a new restaurant here in town. I made reservations, so we'll be all set," Kaden informed, keeping his voice low. I could see the hearts all up in his eyes. He really loved this woman. "Just don't tell her about it at all. I want it to be a surprise." 

I nodded as I spotted Mom appear from around the corner. She took a seat where she was originally sitting on the couch next to her soon-to-be fiancé. 

"I was just telling Rylie about dinner tomorrow. I made reservations at a restaurant tomorrow, so I'll come pick you two up, love," Kaden informed my mom, whose eyes lit up. 

"Oh, really? I'll be looking forward to that," Mom cooed as she held onto his arm. "Thank you so much, babe." 

"It's all on me," Kaden responded as he forked a hand through her hair gently. 

I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm looking forward to the proposal. This should be exciting to see.