chapter 46: reno finds this funny

~reno~

       Music class probably would have been my favourite class had Marie not lied to her boyfriend about me hitting on her. She probably knew that Dave would threaten me, yet she didn't seem to care at all. Anything to get Dave to pay attention to her again or whatever excuse she used.

       When class starts, we're free to do whatever we want, like most days. We can practice the song we chose for the first performance, we can research songs we want to perform, we can talk to our teacher about questions we have. It's basically a self-led class.

       Some people take the opportunity to talk to anyone in the class they know, including Marie, unfortunately. I still haven't chosen a song yet, so I'm looking through my phone for songs I can learn. As I'm doing so, Marie says, "Hey, Reno."

       I don't say anything back. I don't even look at her. I continue to look at my phone, hoping it's enough to get Marie to leave me alone. It's not, and I should have assumed so.

       "Look, I'm sorry for lying to my boyfriend about you hitting on me," Marie says. "If I knew you had a boyfriend--"

       "You would have chosen someone else to be your victim?" I finish. 

       "You're making it sound like I did something wrong," Marie says.

       This time, I do look at Marie. She seriously can't think that she's innocent. "You did do something wrong. You lied about me hitting on you. You probably knew your boyfriend was going to threaten me to back off. It's a dangerous thing to lie about. You have no idea what someone might be going through. Being threatened like I was can be seriously triggering for people."

       "Was it for you?" Marie asks.

       "That's none of your business," I say.

       "You're right," Marie says. "I'm sorry for prying. And for lying. Let me make it up to you. We can all go on a double date as my treat. Me and my boyfriend, you and your boyfriend."

       At first, I want to ask how that is a good way to make up to her lying about me, but then I realize something. I highly doubt that she would want to go on a double date with her ex-boyfriend. Judging by her attitude recently, I doubt she would have even be as cheerful as she is right now if she knew who my boyfriend was.

       "No, thanks," I say, turning my attention back to my phone. "I highly doubt my boyfriend would want to go on a double date with you two after what happened."

       "But that's what the double date is for," Marie says. "As an apology for lying and putting you in between me and my boyfriend."

       So she really didn't know. I can always tell her who my boyfriend was but after what she did, I was feeling a bit petty and needed to find some humour in this. I think it would be very funny if I just didn't tell her and for her to just see me and Weisz being affectionate with each other.

       But just to clarify, just in case she actually didn't care, I asked, "Did Dave not tell you who my boyfriend is?"

       Marie furrows her eyebrows. "No? He just told me that you had one and asked if I lied about you hitting on me. Why? Does he go here? Is that why you transferred her? To be with him? If so, that's really cute."

       "I need to focus on choosing a song," I say.

       "Alright," Marie says. "Well, if you change your mind about the double date, or even if you want to go later on, just let me know."

       Yeah, that's not going to happen.

       Unfortunately for my need to laugh at Marie, she hasn't noticed me and Weisz throughout lunch. I can't even see her in the cafeteria, so I soon forget about her. I realized if she didn't see us at school, she for sure would see us together at the Valentine's Day dance.

       "Please, you guys have to come to my basketball tryouts and boo me," Adam says.

       "Are we even allowed to go watch tryouts if we're not trying out?" Weisz asks.

       "Yeah, and why would we boo you and not cheer you on?" I ask.

       "It's open tryouts, and Mr. Finkman actually encourages people to watch tryouts," Adam says. "That way, pressure will be added for anyone trying out. Some people might not perform well under an audience, but there's always going to be one during games. He wants to see what everyone is like with an audience watching."

       "As for the booing thing," Marcel says, "Adam believes he does a lot better when people heckle him. He likes rubbing it in their faces after he does well during the heckling."

       "Yes, so you all have to come," Adam says.

       I look at Weisz to see if he wants to since we drove here together. He looks at me as well. "We've got time," Weisz says. I nod, so Weisz looks at Adam. "We'll come."

       "I'll come too," Jane says. "Otherwise, I'll never hear the end of it."

       "Of course I'll come," Amelia says. "I never pass the opportunity to heckle someone."

       Marcel pats Adam's shoulder. "And you know I'll be there too."

       After school, Weisz and I go to our lockers first before heading to the gymnasium to watch tryouts. Amelia, Jane, and Marcel are already there in the bleachers, so Weisz and I head over to them. Weisz sits down, and I choose to sit in front of him so I can lean back in his embrace. The moment my back is rested against his chest, he wraps his arms around me.

       "You two are so cute, it's sickening," Amelia says.

       "Oh, speaking of us being cute, Marie doesn't know that you're my boyfriend," I say.

       "Really?" Weisz asks. "Did Dave not tell her?"

       I shake my head. "Apparently not. She also wants us to go on a double date with her and Dave to apologize for lying about me hitting on her."

       "What did you say?" Weisz asks.

       "Oh, I obviously said that I would love to go on a double date with my boyfriend's ex-girlfriend and the guy she cheated on him with," I say. "I just told her no. I also didn't tell her who my boyfriend is because I thought it would be funny for her to just see us together."

       "And why are you turning it into a joke?" Weisz asks.

       "Because I'm petty."

       "You know what? That's fair. It would be kind of funny, wouldn't it?"

       As it turns out, Marie gets to find out about me and Weisz sooner rather than later, because she and her friends walk into the gymnasium and sits near the front row of the bleachers as Dave goes to join the people trying out. She hasn't noticed us yet, but there's no way she won't notice us now.

       I tilt my head back to look at Weisz. "We should make out?"

       "Because you want to or because Marie is here?" Weisz asks.

       "Yes."

       Weisz just smiles before giving me a quick kiss on my lips, then on my forehead. It's probably a no to making out, but it didn't hurt to ask.

       "You know what you two should do?" Amelia asks. "Don't look at Marie at all."

       "I wasn't planning to, but why?" Weisz asks.

       "I know Reno was planning to," Amelia says.

       "Only to see if she noticed me and Weisz," I say.

       "But it will be a lot funnier if she notices you two when you're being all cute and affectionate," Amelia says. "Weisz, you know Marie. She gets mad when people don't pay attention to her. If you're focused on each other and not her at all, it will make her even more mad at this whole thing."

       "So basically, I should make out with Weisz," I say.

       "Yes," Amelia says.

       "No," Weisz says. "Just focus on Adam's try outs."

       "And you can focus on me in a leather jacket," I say.

       Weisz's face turned red. "Stop that."

       I look at our friends. "Weisz has a fantasy about leather jackets. Specifically me in one."

       "Oh?" Jane says.

       "I do not," Weisz says. "Stop telling people that."

      "He does," I whisper. Weisz still heard me, so he lightly tugs on my hair. Deciding to be an even bigger pest, I shoo his hand away. "Don't do that. I have a hair pulling kink."

       "Oh my God, you are so embarrassing," Weisz says.

       I just smile up at Weisz. I love being a pest to him just to see his reactions.

       Amelia is the one that's going to be keeping an eye on Marie to see when she notices me and Weisz. She still hasn't since she's too busy talking to her friends and cheering Dave on when tryouts begin.

       Mr. Finkman wants to see everyone free throws, so everyone goes one by one instead of doing things like dribbling and passing altogether. When it's Adam's turn, Amelia and Marcel immediately begin booing Adam. 

       "Boo, give up!" Marcel says.

       "Yeah, you suck more than Weisz does!" Amelia says.

       "What the fuck?" Weisz says. "I'm not that bad at basketball."

       I look up at Weisz and whisper, "She wasn't talking about basketball. She was talking about you actually sucking." Weisz furrows his eyebrows. "Dick, Weisz."

       "Oh. Again, I say, what the fuck?"

       Once Adam shoots, and scores, Mr. Finkman looks in our direction. "Heckling is not allowed during open tryouts."

       "He asked us to boo him," Marcel says.

       Adam nods. "It's true. I need to be heckled to see how well I do."

       Mr. Finkman sighs. "I don't understand, but alright. As long as your friends don't heckle anyone else, they can continue to heckle you."

       Tryouts continue, and Amelia looks at me and Weisz. "Marie finally noticed you too. I think it's because of the heckling. More specifically, what I said."

       Weisz glares at Amelia. "Thanks for that."

       "You're welcome," Amelia says. "She looked confused, by the way. Then pissed. She's, like, really mad."

       "She cheated on me," Weisz says. "She doesn't get to be mad."

____________________

you tell her, weisz.

amelia purposefully said the suck thing knowing marie would look over at them lol. she's living for the drama and i love her for it.

also idk if anyone noticed, but weisz can be a little himbo at times. he's so clueless and it's very cute.