Song Name: Killing Me by Conan Gray

chapter 13

       I've barely reached my locker on Monday morning when I hear students standing nearby gossiping about Lyle cheating on Zali with their best friend. It just happened on Saturday, and it happened outside of school so I'm surprised people at school know about it. I hope this doesn't affect Zali too much. It's already going to be difficult for him to see Lyle and Daphne at school. Hearing people talk about it will just be even more of a constant reminder.

       I grab what I need for my first period class before I close my locker and head to the school's cafe to get a coffee and a pastry. I find Zali there so as soon as I get my order, I walk over to the table he's sitting at. He's writing in a notebook with a textbook out in front of him. He stops and looks at me. "Are you just going to stand there or are you going to sit down?"

       I hesitate before I sit beside him. "So, uh... How are you doing?"

       "With what?" Zali asks, going back to writing in his notebook.

       "You know, with the whole... cheating thing." I don't know how to tell him that I've already heard people talking about it. I don't want to make things worse for him even though I'm not the one gossiping about it.

       Zali is silent for a few moments before he says. "I'm doing fine."

       "Really?" I ask, feeling a bit of doubt because of his hesitation.

       Zali sighs. "Not really, no. I already saw Lyle and Daphne together today. They weren't doing anything affectionate but it was still hard just seeing them together. Like they don't feel any guilt for what they did."

       "Have they tried talking to you?" I ask.

       "Not yet, no," Zali says. "They probably will today. They've been texting and calling me all weekend until I blocked their numbers. Nothing they say will ever make things better, so I'm going to have to do my best to ignore them."

       "Yeah..."

       Zali looks at me, his eyebrows furrowed. "What is it?"

       "It's just..." I hesitate to tell Zali what I heard, but then I realized it would probably be better for him to hear it from me instead of just so happen to pass by someone gossiping about his break up. "I was at my locker when I heard people gossiping about Lyle cheating on you with Daphne so... People here already know about it."

       "Oh. I know."

       "You do? Did you already hear people talking about it?"

       Zali takes out his cell phone and unlocks it. He opens up an app before handing it to me. It's an Instagram post from a user called SummitViewPrepDrama. The picture is Zali and Lyle with a broken heart covering them, the crack running in between them. The caption reads Rumour Has It: SVP's favourite senior couple, Vezalius and Lyle, have split up because Lyle has cheated on him with their best friend, Daphne. Is there really no more loyalty nowadays?

       "What is this?" I ask, handing the phone back to Zali. 

       "Our school's drama page," Zali says. "It's run by students. No one knows who. They're probably the reason everyone is already talking about it."

       "That's invasive."

       Zali shrugs. "People would have found out about it sooner rather than later when they see me avoiding Lyle and Daphne, especially if they choose to go public with their relationship. The comments are tearing Lyle and Daphne apart, so it's more humiliating for them than for me."

       "So... You're fine with it?"

       "Why not?" Zali asks. "Besides, I'm the one that told the drama page about it."

       I stay silent for a few moments, trying to process what Zali just said. I didn't expect him to be fine with wanting the entire school to know about it when he was already struggling with the idea of seeing Lyle and Daphne in school. "You did? Why?"

       "Because I felt so humiliated when I caught them in my own home," Zali explains. "Especially when you tried to warn me, but Lyle used my fear of having homophobic friends against me. I wanted them to feel as humiliated as I feel, if not worse."

       I see where Zali is coming from. I can't even judge. I probably wouldn't want the entire school to know if I was in his position, but it was his choice to make. If he's fine with it, then that's all that matters. And like he said, it's going to humiliate Lyle and Daphne. They deserve it. They can't be mad if people are talking about it.

       And speaking of the devil, Lyle walks into the cafe. He spots me and Zali, and I can see some anger on his face. He walks over to us and sits across from Zali. Zali ignores him, even after Lyle asks, "Vezalius, did you tell anyone about what you think happened? Because the drama page posted about it. I told you, it's not what it looked like." I can't believe Lyle was still acting like he wasn't cheating even after Zali caught him and Daphne walking out of the bathroom together. How stupid did he think Zali was?

       Zali is determined not to talk to Lyle. He continues working on the assignment in front of him, paying no mind to Lyle.

       "Vezalius, I'm trying to talk to you," Lyle says.

       Zali still doesn't say anything, so I speak up for him. "I don't think he wants to talk to you."

       Lyle glares at me. "Stay out of this. This has nothing to do with you."

       "No, this does have something to do with me since you decided to try to lie about me after I caught you cheating on him with Daphne."

       "I wasn't lying. I really did hear you on the phone saying--"

       "Give it up, Lyle," Zali speaks up. "I know now that Georgie wasn't lying. He caught you. I caught you, no matter how you try to twist it. So get it through your thick skull that you and I are over and I'm never going to forgive you."

       Lyle still tries to lie about nothing happening between him and Daphne. "Zali, I--"

       "Don't call me that," Zali snaps.

       "Vezalius, I promise I'm telling the truth," Lyle says. "Do you really want to risk being friends with him when I heard him saying he wanted to break us up simply because we're a queer couple?" This guy is such a piece of shit. He got caught and he's still trying to play with Zali's fear. What an asshole.

       Zali looks at me as if silently asking me if he can reveal the major reason he knows Lyle is lying, apart from, you know, actually catching him. He knows that while I'm not exactly closeted, I just can't admit it. He can, though, so I nod. I do want to see that reaction on Lyle's face when he finally realizes that his lie is just not going to work.

       Zali looks back at Lyle. "Georgie is gay, you asshole. He's not homophobic."

       Lyle still doesn't back down. "How do you know he isn't lying?"

       "I don't think a homophobe would lie about being gay," Zali says. "That would defeat the purpose of being homophobic. Besides, we talked about it around his mom and grandparents and they didn't seem shocked. They already know he is. And more than that, I trust him."

       "More than me?"

       "Uh, yeah. You're acting like I'm the stupidest person on earth. I caught you and Daphne. There is no reason for you to be in a locked bathroom together. Nothing you say is going to convince me that nothing happened, so give it up and leave me alone."

       Lyle finally gets up and leaves. After he's out of the cafe, I say, "Now can I sarcastically say that he's a catch?"

       Zali chuckles at my attempt to joke about what I said about Lyle a few weeks ago. "Yeah, you can."

___________________

people who continue to lie after being caught amaze me like you were caught? just admit to it smh.

anyway, i've been listening to conan gray's album found heaven on loop and the song i attached definitely fits zali's situation with lyle, specifically when the chorus goes "you're killing me. you're not making it easy. too busy deceiving and cheating and lying and competing to know how luck you are."

(georgie and zali have a song from the album too, but i'll reveal it later hehe)