NOVEL NEXT Chapter 5: Friendly Interrogation
Chapter 5: Friendly Interrogation
CW:
Walking up to my lunch table, I take note of the five occupants that I recognize and two I don’t, three of which I’d probably consider my friends. Leo notices me approaching the table, giving me a wave and patting the seat beside him animatedly. I chuckle a little at his antics. Leo has been my friend since middle school, we tend to like the same kinds of games and end up talking about them a lot. One of my other friends Rachel notices his gesturing and looks over her shoulder at me. She raises the back of her hand at me in a semblance of a wave.
Rachel is sitting with her best friend and ex-girlfriend, Molly. Maybe ex-girlfriend is a harsh title considering how close the two are, but they aren’t exactly secretive about their one time relationship. Rachel is my oldest friend out of our little friend group, though I’m not sure we were really good friends until middle school when her, Leo, and I started hanging out together. I take my seat between my two friends, food in hand.
“Sup, Jakey.” Leo raises his hand for a high five. I hold back my wince at the name, accepting his high five with a playful roll of my eyes.
“Hey Leo,” I turn around to my other friend. “Heya, Rachel.”
“Hey there, Sallow.” She smirks. I smile in response, eternally grateful that she started calling me by my last name early on in our friendship. Molly smiles at me from beside her, merely offering a wave in greeting. I wave back, not wanting to be rude to Molly. Molly is cool, I like Molly.
I turn my attention to the last two occupants I recognise, Adrian and Adam. Adrian I would consider an honest part of our group, and Adam mostly tags along because Adrian is around. Leo seems to get along well with Adam though, so he sticks around sometimes. “Hey Adrian, Adam.” I nod to the two of them, opening up the box to my lunch wrap.
“Sup.” Adrian offers, Adam nods with a smile.
I turn to the last occupant at the table and tilt my head. He looks a little familiar for some reason, but I can’t put my finger on why. “And, this is…”
“Hi Jacob.” He waves gently. “I’m in a couple classes with you actually. Uh… Let me think. I think it’s Science and Gym? My name’s Aziel.”
I blink, looking him up and down. That sure is a hell of a name, I don’t know how I don’t remember him. “Oh, uh, sorry. I thought you looked familiar, but I don’t think I remember you at all.” I apologize.
He waves dismissively, “That’s fine, I’m pretty forgettable.” He tilts his head, smiling. I smile at the gesture, feeling a little bit more at ease around him. He doesn’t seem like a bad guy at all at least.
Leo pipes up from next to me, gesturing to Aziel. “I was talking to Rachel about Terresite in History class and Aziel heard us talking. I guess he plays it too.” I look over at Aziel and he offers a thumbs up, taking a bite from his own Calzone. “Speaking of Terresite…” Leo turns his gaze to me with a cheeky smile. My heart skips a beat, my gut sinking. “You ended up getting Terresite, didn’t you?” Leo accuses cheekily.
“Wh-what makes you think that?” I ask, shaking a little.
“Well, I was messaging Rachel in game through the external messaging systems and what do I see but ‘Purple Prose’ playing Terresite.” I blanch at that, I can’t believe I forgot to set my status to invisible in game. I sigh, knowing that the truth is out there, I might as well tell him. I had let my online friends know that I was going to be playing Terresite, but I had been keeping it from Leo and Rachel because I knew they’d want me to join them. “So, you gonna be joining me and Rachel on our epic adventures?” He smiles cheekily.
“Uh, no, sorry.” I say, picking up my wrap and taking a small bite. Leo’s mouth drops open at that.
He slams his hands on the table in disbelief, staring at me like I just killed his cat. “What, dude, no way! You gotta join us! Even Adrian was thinking about picking up the game so he can join us.” Leo towers over me, standing up from his seat and looking at me incredulously.
“I’m, uh, um… I’m just looking for more of a solo experience. That’s why I didn’t really tell either of you.” I mumble quietly, nibbling carefully at my wrap between sentences.
“Jacooooob” Leo slumps down onto the table. “That’s lame, aren’t we friends?”
“Uh, yeah, of course. I just, you know, I’m an introvert. I don’t do well with lots of extended group stuff.” It’s a lame excuse, but not exactly a lie.
“Yeah, but, I mean, this is a game.” Leo tries.
“Pfft, sure Leo. It’s just a game.” Rachel says mockingly. “Look, if Sallow doesn’t want to play, it’s chill. He probably picked Rogue anyways, and we both know that I’ve got dibs as the Rogue of the party.” Rachel smirks at Leo. I chuckle gently, but Rachel turns her eyes to me more seriously. “If you ever want to join though, just text us through the internal system.” I nod gratefully and Leo seems to relent.
I think for a couple seconds before turning to Leo. “If Rachel picked Rogue for her class, what did you pick Leo?”
“Brawler!” Leo mimes a boxer, punching the air swiftly. “I wanted to be a heavy hitter of some kind, and I can only imagine that Brawler gets some cool branching classes later.”
“I chose Mage.” Aziel speaks up, putting his Calzone down to speak. “Tough as shit, nothing cooler than shooting Fireballs from your hand though.”
“Yo, Azzy, you have got to tell me what branching classes you can choose from when you get there.” Leo says, excitedly. Aziel gives an excited nod in response.
“What did you choose, Sallow? Did I guess right when I said Rogue?” Rachel asks.
I shake my head, “Swordfighter.”
“Alas, I suppose I don’t know you as well as I thought.” She shakes her head in fake solemnity. “Which hub city did you spawn near?”
“Um, Aberystwyth I think?”
“Oh, darn. That’s on the other side of Bestriel. Couple days travel to our city anyways.”
“Damn, yeah, glad we happened to spawn at the same one, Rach.” Leo says, looking at her with a nod. “Good luck though, dude.”
The three of them begin talking about Terresite again and I stay quiet for the most part. Internally, I let out a sigh of relief that they don’t push the issue of me playing alone harder. I owe most of that to Rachel for not pressing the issue like Leo. Lunch proceeds normally from there, just an hour of assorted talking. After a bit, the conversation moves from Terresite to sports, and then onward. I stay quiet for the most part, glad that I’m not being asked any more questions.
The lunch bell rings and I say my farewells to the group. I turn to leave, but I find Aziel jogging to catch up to me, finally walking beside me as I depart.
“Uh, hey, Jacob. Mind if I walk with you?” He asks. I tilt my head in confusion, but he seems to understand the unspoken question. “I mentioned we have science together, right?”
“Oh, uh, right. Yeah, no problem.” I shift my backpack on my shoulder awkwardly. I make my way through the hall and Aziel follows me silently for a while before speaking up.
“So, Jacob, are you attending any clubs?” The question is asked innocently enough, so I look over at Aziel curiously. He raises his hands at the look, as if in surrender. “Sorry, just trying to make conversation.”
“No, I mean, it’s fine.” I mutter, looking him up and down, “I’m just confused as to why.”
“Oh, I mean, no reason really. Just that we share some classes and it doesn’t really hurt to make more friends, right?” Aziel shrugs, putting his hands into his pockets casually. He looks a little wounded at my response, likely unsure if he made a mistake trying to socialize with me. Sighing, I turn back to the hallway in front of me.
“Yeah, you’re right. Sorry, I’m just not good at socializing.” I apologize.
“I can tell,” he chuckles and I just wince, “It’s cool though. It’s just not for some people I guess. Well, I won’t push or anything, but I don’t know anyone else in science, so if you want to sit together I’ll try not to hassle you. Warning though, I’m awful at science, so if you ask any questions I won’t know the answer.” he gives me a cocky grin and I smile, momentarily forgetting my awkwardness. It’s been a while since anyone has wanted to actively be my friend.
“That sounds fine. I’m pretty decent at Science, maybe I can help you out.” I shrug.
“Awesome, that’d be great.” Aziel pumps his fist. “By the way, nice to officially meet you, Jacob.” he offers his hand for me to shake.
“Yeah, nice to meet you, Aziel.” I shake his hand with a chuckle, stumbling slightly over myself as I do so. Hard to shake hands with someone on your left side when you’re already an uncoordinated walker.
Aziel chuckles, holding my hand while I steady myself. He lets go once I’m balanced. “You can just call me Azzy.”
“Azzy then.” I nod. “Aziel kinda sounds like an angel's name.” I note.
“Probably what my parents were going for, yeah. Funny considering how non-religious they are.” He chuckles. I chuckle with him, turning to look at him slightly. He has a definite bookish energy to him, but he seems surprisingly outgoing. He’s wearing round glasses and a comfy looking sweater. I can only assume he wears the sweater normally, because it’s not very cold out today.
We arrive at science and Azzy follows me towards my normal seat at one of the back tables. Seating is usually pretty open for science, most people just sit with their friends. As we sit down, I wonder idly where Azzy usually sits and why he wouldn’t have many friends in the class with how outgoing he seems to be. The answer isn’t forthcoming and I realize that I’ve lost my opportunity to ask once our science teacher starts the lesson.
-
The bell for the end of class rings, prompting both me and Aziel to toss our notebooks inside our bags. Science class was fine, though Aziel definitely seemed to understand the material less than I did. Now that we share a class, if he has any questions he can always ask me.
"So, on to Phys Ed?" Aziel asks, turning to me. I nod silently, gesturing for him to lead the way. I'm actually dreading Gym class, because Gym class means getting dressed in the locker rooms.
Our walk to the gymnasium is quiet, which is mostly my fault. A glance at Aziel shows that he must not mind too much, considering he has the same gentle smile he's been wearing all day. I cringe inwardly, feeling guilty that I might be bringing the mood down. I consider saying something, keeping the conversation going, but the lead weight in my gut from anticipating the sound of my own voice is enough to silence me. Instead, I let the walk pass in silence, departing from Aziel’s side the moment we enter the locker room.
We've arrived earlier than most of the other students, due to how close our science class is to the gym. A fact which I've used to my advantage in the past year. Arriving early allows me to grab my clothes and find a bathroom stall to change in before all of the boys get into the locker room.
I open my gym locker quickly, putting in the combination with a practiced efficiency. You can get pretty darn good at a simple task like that when you're desperate to be out quickly. Pulling out my gym clothes, sweatpants and a plain tee shirt, clothes that honestly aren't all that different from my normal clothes in any way other than the style, I stride across the locker room towards the toilet stalls without looking around. Being around all these half naked boys is simultaneously uncomfortable and flustersome, and I don't want anyone to know that.
I enter the bathroom stall, locking the door behind me. Tentatively, I begin to strip down to my underwear. I don't look down at my body, the dysphoria I've been feeling today before now has been bad enough. I hurry and get changed, checking briefly that I'm wearing my shirt the right way. Satisfied as I can be with my appearance, I unlock the bathroom stall and step back out into the much fuller locker room. I keep my head down, wishing I could just fade into the background.
I make it all the way back to my gym locker, I'm able to slip my clothes right next to my backpack in the locker when I hear the snickers. I sigh, closing the locker and heading for the exit of the locker room.
"What are ya worried we'll see, Jacob?" A voice sneers from in front of me. My eyes flicker up to see a figure blocking my path. Jay Barnes. I flick my eyes to either side, making a decision to try and walk around him. "Whoa, not so fast Jacob. I asked you a question, are you just gonna leave me hanging like that?"
"I don't owe you anything, Jay. Can I just get to class." I say, not meeting his eyes.
"Pretty rude answer. And here I was just asking a simple question." Jay inflects fake hurt with his snark. He pushes me backwards. I stumble over myself, losing my balance and falling onto my ass. "Whoops, my bad Jakey, lemme help you up." He holds a hand out towards me.
I stare at the hand like it's a snake, getting to my feet on my own. "I'm good, thanks." I mutter.
"Suit yourself, Sallow." Jay sneers, sticking his hands into his pockets innocently.
"Jacob?" I turn to look behind me and find Aziel standing behind me, a nervous smile on his face.
"Oh, well, it looks like the boyfriends showed up. He can look after you." Jay turns around, heading out the exit to the locker room. Once he's out of the locker room, I let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding in. I take a glance around at the other boys, discomfort forgotten for the moment. Lots of eyes are on me, some have the good graces to look away when I look at them, but some just keep on watching in amusement. No one approaches to cause more problems, but their silence is damning.
I turn to look at Aziel, who's still just looking at me with a confused smile. "You okay?" He asks, nervousness tinting his tone.
I wave him off, brushing myself off. "Yeah, just fell."
"It looked a little more like he pushed you." He replies, knitting his brow at my words.
I jerk my head behind me, gesturing towards the other occupants in the locker room, "that's not the story the 'eye witnesses' here would corroborate." I gesture for Aziel to follow and start to leave the locker room.
"Christ, people like that still exist? What fucking year does he think it is." He scoffs.
"Bullies have always existed. In some fashion or another. Jays the worst I know of here, but maybe that's just my personal experience." I shrug, rubbing my elbow. It stings a little from my fall.
"Damn. You, uh, gonna be okay?" Aziel asks. I look over to him and jump a little. His look is slightly concerned and it surprises me for a second.
I brush off the surprise and compose myself, "uh, yeah, no, I'll be fine. He's all talk anyhow. Just can't let him get under my skin."
"Alright, well, I'm here if you need it. We're friends now after all." Aziel raises his fist for me to bump.
I quirk an eyebrow, "that so?" I question. Aziels eyes widen for a second in panic as he seems to stumble over himself.
"Oh, uh, sorry, I mean, I guess I just thought, uh-" I cut him off with a chuckle before he can finish.
"I'm kidding, Azzy." He lets out a breath of relief. "You're cool, we can be friends."
"God, you really had me going there, Jacob." He chuckles with me and I cringe a bit at the name.
"Speaking of, can you call me Sallow?" I ask.
"Isn't that your last name?" He tilts his head at the request.
"Yeah, but, I dunno. It's just better than Jacob." I say, trying to shrug it off.
Aziel seems to think it over for a second before shrugging himself. "Sallow it is. I guess you don't really look like a Jacob to me anyways." He looks thoughtful as he looks me up and down. I pause at that.
"What do I look like?"
Aziel takes a step back, looking me up and down. He nods slowly to himself, mulling something over. "Something starting with an A maybe." I hold a breath in, a tiny knot forming in my stomach. "Maybe something androgynous, like Alex." He looks me in the eye, but I'm frozen at his words. "Oh, shit, did I, uh… Did I say something wrong?"
My brain starts working again all at once. "No!" I exclaim, startling him. I collect myself, lowering my volume, "no, no, um, sorry. Alex is good. Alex is great. Better than the one I was born with for sure. You can, uh, call me that too if you want I guess." I shoot him a nervous smile.
He looks me over for a second, before shrugging and continuing towards class. "C'mon then, Alex. If I remember correctly, today is Wednesday, which means Dodgeball. Which I definitely don't want to miss." He shoots me a cocky smirk and a scramble a bit to catch up to him.
"I hope we get put on different teams. Then I can get you out." I stick my tongue out at him and he scoffs.
"With your coordination?" He laughs. "You're just lucky I've got better targets to throw at."
I roll my eyes at his antics. We arrive on the main gym floor with the rest of the class. The bell rings not long after we show up, and trickling in slowly from the locker rooms is the last of the students.
As the last of the students are leaving the locker room, Coach Lowe is counting heads. With a small nod of approval to himself at his count, he claps his hands, interrupting the conversations of other students and getting our attention. "Alright, let's get our warm ups started. Let's start with some simple neck rolls."
Our gym teacher, Coach Lowe, leads us through the same warmups as normal and I pay as much attention as I can to them. I'm hoping to remember them for tonight when I can be Astraea again. I don't go as long as I did with my morning planks, my core calling out sooner than it did the last two times I did them. One of those times was using a virtual body, though, so maybe it doesn’t count? I collapse onto the ground, panting a little at the exertion. I’m worn out from doing exercise for a second time today when my normal workout amount is approximately none.
I manage to keep an even pace on the run, only stumbling a couple times more than normal due to the extra exhaustion. I push myself to maintain my pace at the very least around the track while we run the mile. Focusing on nothing but the pounding of my heart and the erratic breaths as I push myself harder, I manage to keep a consistent pace for most of the mile.
I look up at Coach Lowe, he’s writing down a time for me in his notebook, the hand not currently holding a pen still holding his stopwatch. “I’m impressed Mr. Sallow, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you actually try during the morning run.” he nods approvingly and I hold up a weak thumbs up, still gasping in breaths.
Aziel catches up a second later, breathing pretty evenly. “Dang, Alex, you okay?” I answer with another thumbs up. “Well, now I know I’ll beat you at dodgeball if you’re wearing yourself out before the match.” He chuckles and I sit down, my legs burning. It’s a nice burn though, one that actually makes me feel better than I have been the rest of the day.
Coach Lowe begins to usher us back inside for dodgeball as the last stragglers finish up their laps; there’s always those few students that walked the whole way. Aziel holds out his hand to help me up and I accept it. My breathing a little more even, I follow him back into the gym.
