This chapter deals with switching POVs. The POV will be stated before each section. Hope you enjoy.
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---ANGELA---
Kyle was a friend that I didn't think I could have gotten. I had plenty of friends from school but none that I felt as close to as Kyle. I mean there was something about him that just made us click. From the day we met, I've felt that he was something of a brother I never had. When he told me he was gay, I was surprised for sure, but it also made me realized that he too felt this connection we had to have him trust me enough with this secret.
But that was before he started hanging around with that Corey dude. I mean he was a nice guy from what I could tell, but seeing as I wasn't really friends with him I couldn't be sure. When Kyle started hanging around Corey, I got a little suspicious. Corey was a hot guy, denying it would have been pointless. Kyle on the other hand was the shy new kid. Now from what I could piece together, people like Corey and Kyle don't usually hang out much. I was stereotyping but there was some truth to it.
It didn't help that Corey gave Kyle rides a little too many times for it to be simply friendly. I had noticed that Corey lived on campus, which made me a little suspicious when I saw Corey giving Kyle rides to school. I mean it was one thing to send someone home, but getting up early when you live on campus, only to go fetch someone and come back was a little odd to say the least.
Ever since this friendship between Corey and Kyle started, I have never had a weekend to spend with Kyle. The first couple of weeks we hung out during the weekends, me showing him around town and what not. But his weekends have mysteriously been full ever since they started hanging out.
I had suspected that Kyle and Corey were dating, but I discredited that because Kyle would have told me about it. Wouldn't he? Not only that but Corey had showed no indications of being gay, and I could've sworn I've seen him flirting a little with a couple of girls before. I tried to think of other possibilities but nothing came to me. There was the possibility that Corey was in the closet though. In which case I felt a sudden feeling of protection for Kyle. If he was indeed in the closet, I wondered how Kyle felt about it. It must be horrible to have a secret relationship.
It was a Friday and I was going to try to hang with Kyle that weekend. After class that day I managed to catch up with him in the hallway. He was heading out to the car park, I assumed on his way home. Fortunately for me he was alone that time, Corey nowhere to be seen. I ran up to him, calling his name. He turned when he heard me and gave a warm smile.
"Hey Angie." He greeted.
"Hey. I was wondering if you were free tomorrow. Perhaps we could hang out or something. Catch a movie maybe?" I suggested.
"Oh I would love that." For a moment I thought it was an acceptance of my invitation. "But unfortunately, I already have other plans this weekend." I would say I was a little disappointed if not for the fact that I was expecting that reply.
"Oh, well some other time then." I said, turning and about to walk away.
"How about next week?" He called out. "You free on Monday? Next weekend is fine if you want too." He said and I smiled.
"Monday's great. See you after class then." With that he turned and headed back to his truck. I, on the other hand headed to the library to do a little research on a paper I was doing. After so long Kyle and I were going to hang out again, something that I had been wanting to do for so long and I admit that I was happy about it.
After about an hour of scanning books and the Internet in the hopes of finding some material to use, I decided to call it a day and head off. I lived on campus so I headed towards the dorms. I was crossing the car park when I saw Corey stepping into his car. A part of me wanted to go over and talk to him, find out what his relationship with Kyle was, but the other part didn't feel good meddling with Kyle's personal life. Eventually curiosity got the better of me and I found myself making my way over to his car, peering in slightly. Corey was in the process of opening a letter but I startled him by knocking on his window. He looked at me and confusion graced his expression. We didn't talk, so it would have been kind of strange for me to initiate a conversation with him.
He wound down his window, his hand still on the letter that he was about to read. "Hi Angela, is there something you needed?"
I imagine this thing going wrong and Kyle getting mad at me for this and for a moment thought about playing it off as a mistake. I took a deep breath and decided that I was doing this, no turning back now. "We need to talk, can I get in?" I asked. He raised an eyebrow but nodded his response. I walked over to the passenger side and got in. He threw the letter he was holding onto the dashboard, probably opting to read it later. As he did the paper unfolded just a little that I could see a table printed on it. One line in particular caught my eye. In capitalized letters spelt, 'HIV'. Realization dawned on me. He had gotten himself tested.
---COREY---
I had gone and gotten myself tested a few weeks ago when I felt myself growing closer to Kyle. Even though I wanted to takes things a step at a time, I couldn't deny that Kyle was slowly becoming a really big and important part in my life and getting tested was just another step I needed to take. It was just a precaution though. Before Kyle I had never been with anyone so chances were pretty good that I was clean, although I had to be sure. I had barely opened the letter when Angela came over asking to talk to me. I found that a little strange but decided on the polite thing and let her in. I did hope that it would be quick though as I was meeting Kyle that night. He had left earlier when I still had class and we decided to just meet up at his place afterwards. So after class I went to pack a few stuff and that's when found the letter. Scott was in the room so I decided to open it in the privacy of my car, or so I thought.
Angela got in and I decided that my test results could wait, throwing the piece of paper onto my dashboard. I looked to Angela and could see her eyes trained onto the letter sitting in front of me. I coughed to get her attention, which she did with a shake of her head. She remained silent though; not saying anything but just stared at me. Saying that I got a little uncomfortable under her gaze was an understatement. "Um...so...you wanted to talk to me?" I asked.
"Oh uh right." She stammered. She looked at her hands, thinking about what to say. "Nice car by the way." She said. I knew she was stalling now. I replied a thanks but waited for her to continue. "So it must be pretty serious huh, if you wanted to get tested. Does Kyle know?" She said. The blood drained from my face. How the hell did she know? Her eyes trained on the letter. "May I?" She asked, her hand stopping midway to the letter. I was so shocked I couldn't say anything. She took my silence as consent and grabbed the letter, scanning through it. After a silent twenty seconds, she finally spoke. "You're clean."
I would have felt relief but my shock overrode any other emotion I could feel at that moment. She placed the letter back on the dash. "Look Corey, Kyle is my best friend, almost like a brother to me, and I would really hate to see him get hurt." Her statement knocked me out of my stupor, finally finding my voice.
"I would never hurt him." I said defensively. I knew that I couldn't promise that but in terms of hurting him intentionally I wouldn't.
"You would think that, but don't you think you're hurting him right now?" She asked. I didn't get her. He wasn't even with me at the moment, how could I hurt him. Hell I was just about to go see him until she wanted to talk to me. "You're in the closet and I respect that, but don't you think Kyle deserves better. Don't you think he deserves someone whom he doesn't have to hide?" What she said brought back my insecurities about our secret relationship. I didn't want to hide our relationship and I was genuinely trying to come out to more people but I needed time. "I'm not trying to be pessimistic here but realistic. The world isn't all sunshine and rainbows. You should know that being gay is not the easiest thing in the world."
"Why are you telling me all this?" I asked. I didn't like where this conversation was headed. I could feel the doubt in my relationship with Kyle rising with each word she said.
"Why? Because you need to know if you think this is worth it. Is Kyle worth the extra hardship." In my heart I knew the answer was yes. Kyle had made me happier than I had ever been in my entirely life, but my head kept trying to weigh the pros and cons. "Because I want to know if you are willing to come out for Kyle, to make sure he has the kind of relationship that he deserves. I want to know if you think that a gay relationship is worth it and if Kyle worth it." She said. At this point I was silent. I didn't know what to say. My thoughts were racing and every one of them in conflict over this matter. I was willing to come out for Kyle, that's what I've been doing wasn't it, but I knew that I wasn't giving him the relationship that he deserves. My parents and friends were one thing but could I really go to school and just say that I was gay. "Just think about it." She said, opening the door and leaving the car, leaving me with alone with my thoughts.
