I plopped down in my seat just as the bell rang. Cheri slid into the seat next to me, flashing me a warm smile as the class began. 

As our chemistry teacher started droning on about covalent bonds, she sneakily leaned into my shoulder, whispering in my ear. 

“So what do you think of Dusk?” She giggled. 

I gave her a confused grin. “I-I guess he seems alright, I mean I don’t really know him…” 

Her cheeks were dusted with a faint blush, and the smell of her shampoo washed over me. 

“I really like him!” 

I felt my heart drop to my stomach. 

Oh. 

So that's what she meant… 

“Cheri! Brayden! Stop talking and pay attention!” Our teacher snapped, causing Cheri to jump away from me playfully. We didn’t dare speak for the rest of class. 

Even after science ended, I found it impossible to get that conversation out of my head. For years I always considered myself to be the closest person to Cheri- her best friend, maybe. I wanted her to be happy. So why did I feel so strange about the idea of her and Dusk dating all of a sudden? 

Lunchtime eventually rolled around, and to my surprise, I hadn’t seen either Cheri or Dusk in any other of my classes. Walking out to the cafeteria, I spotted the two of them sitting together, talking and laughing. 

With an air of defiance, I decided to let the two of them be and sit with some of my football teammates instead. 

I had practically forgotten about the whole thing by the time Physical Ed rolled around. Unpacking my stuff into my locker, I suddenly felt someone tap my shoulder. 

It was… Dusk. 

“Hey! How’s it going?” He asked, smiling shyly. I felt my stomach flutter. 

“O-Oh hey!” I replied nervously, trying to cover my surprise. How had I never seen him in this class before? 

“Is everything alright?” Dusk blurted out, glancing away as I changed into my gym clothes. 

“Yeah, of course. Everything good with you?” I lied, trying to keep the conversation as shallow as possible. 

“I-I actually wanted to talk to y-you about something.” He confessed as we walked to the gymnasium. This was not helping my anxiety. 

“I-I feel like I might be coming between you and Cheri… I know you guys are good friends and I don’t mean to make you uncomfortable! I-if I’m crossing any boundaries at all, I-” 

The second those first words left his mouth, I felt my heart drop for the second time that day. Why did that give me the same reaction as before? 

I grabbed him softly by the shoulder, stopping him in his tracks. 

“Hey,” I started, suddenly not so confident in what I was about to say. “Don’t worry about it. My happiness- my relationship with Cheri- isn’t your responsibility. Whatever happens between us is whatever will make her happy. I don’t want to come between you guys either! You both already seem like close friends, and that’s an important relationship too.” 

Dusk nodded awkwardly, a smile returning to his face. 

“Come on, everyone!” Our PE teacher hollered, lining us up against the wall. “You all know what day it is! We’re playing kickball today- time to pick teams!” 

We all sighed in exasperation. Picking teams was usually just a popularity contest between the class clowns and everyone else. 

Dusk and I ended up on separate teams, which made me feel oddly sad somehow. The tense conversation that just happened wasn’t what I wanted him to think of me as. Was this just self-preservation or did I just... want him closer? 

Wait, what?

What was up with me? 

I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts. I must’ve just been tired… 

I took my position at second base, watching the other team begin to kick. Our outfielders were terrible- not a single thing was thrown for us to get one of the runners out. Dusk’s turn was coming up. 

I could see everyone else on our team relax as he stepped up to the plate. Even our teacher didn’t look like he was expecting much from the dark-haired kid with baggy clothes. 

But as the pitcher rolled the ball towards him, Dusk, in one fluid motion, launched the tiny red orb clear across the room with a resounding boing! 

Our eyes followed it, luckily it landed close to third base who attempted to throw it back to first to stop the tiny comet streaking across the gymnasium. But Dusk was too fast- he careened into me, sending us both toppling to the ground. 

“Oops! I’m sorry!” He gasped, bouncing to his feet. My head throbbed as I lay flat on my back against the shiny gym floor. 

“Uh… i-it’s okay…” I murmured, the lights from above nearly blinding me. He held out his hand to try and help me up. 

Our PE teacher walked over, inspecting me closely. “Dusk, take Brayden to the nurses office. He might be concussed.” 

Still holding my hand, Dusk shakily led me out of the gymnasium and down the long hallways that made up most of our school. 

“I'M SO SORRY!” He instantly burst out as the gym doors closed and he was out of earshot. “Are you okay?” 

“I think so,” I smiled, trying to calm him down. “You’re really fast! You should try joining the football team. That was a nice tackle.” 

“Don’t joke! I’m really, really, really sorry… and after talking to you about everything I look like such a jerk!” 

“Oh, don’t worry about it. I’ve taken worse hits before. I’ll be okay.” I promised. He squeezed my hand tighter. 

...

“Yeah, he’ll be fine.” The nurse announced, clicking the flashlight off. “He isn't concussed. Probably just banged up a little.” 

Dusk breathed a sigh of relief, wringing his hands nervously. I had wished he kept holding mine, but… 

Ugh, the regret was coming back up again… 

“He’s okay to go back to class. You too. Scram.” The nurse waved, ushering us out of her office. 

“She’s nice.” Dusk muttered, linking his arm with mine. Suddenly, he jumped back. 

“Oh I forgot! Are you okay with me, uh, holding you?” he asked shyly, his face going bright red. I looked away, trying to hide another goofy smile. 

“Yeah. Yeah, that’s fine.” I said. Before I could say anything else, the class bell rang, echoing throughout the halls. 

“Oh no! We gotta get our stuff!” Dusk panicked, dragging me back the way to the gymnasium. Students rushed by us, on their way to their next classes. We dashed into the locker rooms, frantically changing and gathering up our things. 

“Your shirt’s on backwards!” I called to Dusk as I stuffed all my books into my bag. 

“Oh, right! Are you still hanging out with us today?” he yelped, trying to sort his way through his oversized shirt. A split second of consideration rushed through my head, the fast pace of the scene not allowing me to think clearly. 

“Yeah, sure! I’ll be there!” I hollered, rushing out the locker room door and on to my next class. 

As I plopped down into my seat in History, the reality of my decision began swimming around in my head. I had just told Dusk, the person my crush had a crush on, that I would ‘hang out’ with both him and my crush after school. Today. 

Oh boy.

This was probably the strangest relationship in the history of relationships, I thought to myself. It can’t get much weirder than this. 

Words cannot describe how wrong I was. 

I stumbled out of my classroom, teetering into the sweltering outside area of the school. A few ways away, I could see Cheri and Dusk waving at me from beside the old oak tree near the entrance. 

“Hello! Are you ready?” Dusk asked, shouldering his heavy backpack. His bright green eyes smiled behind a curtain of fluffy black hair. I wanted to run my fingers through it… wait, what?

“Sure! Sure, of course I’m ready.” I stammered. Cheri gave me a warm smile, bumping into my shoulder teasingly. 

We began trekking across the busy streets, carefully avoiding the 3pm traffic and exchanging jokes and small talk. 

“You have Ms. Ross?” Cheri asked incredulously. “How do you survive?” 

Dusk shrugged. “It’s okay. I kinda like math, so she doesn’t mind me too much.” 

I stayed quiet, happily listening to the two of them bicker as we continued down the beaten paths. Turning onto the street corner where the convenience store was, I suddenly felt something on my shoulder. 

“Oh crap, is it raining?” Cheri gasped in surprise, watching as the drops got bigger and larger in number. 

“Don’t worry, my house isn’t far from here! We might be able to make it in time!” Dusk yelled, taking off down the road. Cheri and I exchanged an excited look of surprise, and ran after him. 

The three of us tore down the rain-splattered streets, attempting to pass each other in an oddly competitive manner. Our heavy backpacks thudded against our backs, weighing us down as if they were filled with rocks.

Gasping for breath, we all trudged up Dusk’s driveway, collapsing onto the couch in his garage and watching the rain fall outside. All of us were practically soaked- and were probably getting the couch wet- but we didn’t care. 

“That was amazing!” Cheri giggled, her freckles pairing together as she smiled. 

“I didn’t realize how much I missed the rain!” Dusk exclaimed, his hair plastered to his forehead. I nodded in agreement, taking in the warm feeling the Christmas lights and soft  carpeting gave the tiny garage. A small shelter in yet another one of life’s storms. 

“So how’s everyone’s week been?” Cheri asked. I knew the question was directed at me, but I waited for Dusk to answer first. 

“It’s been good! School’s not as bad as I thought it would be, especially since I have you guys in a lot of my classes.” he admitted, blushing. “Sorry I still crashed into you today, Brayden.” 

I turned red. “I told you, I’m okay!” I laughed, trying to avoid Cheri’s gaze. All of her attention was suddenly focused on me. 

“Oh yeah! How’s your week been? You’ve been so quiet lately, is everything alright?” 

I scratched the back of my neck, feeling awfully nervous all of a sudden. 

“I- uh, I’ve been okay. Just another long week, yknow?” 

Dusk flashed me a comforting smile. 

“How so?” Cheri prodded, studying me with bright blue eyes. She’d never been one to leave something alone… 

But this was it. A chance to explain, to expose everything. But I was still too embarrassed. Besides, what was I going to say? I didn’t have the words to describe how I was feeling at the moment. 

“I guess I’ve just been tired.” I shrugged. Ugh, I already regretted wasting my words. 

“Yeah, the first week of school after summer. I’m sure everyone’s tired.” Dusk piped up. 

Another few minutes of silence passed. I noticed that Cheri had started nervously fiddling with her fingers. 

“So, uh, can I say something?” She suddenly asked, her voice wobbling. Dusk and I exchanged a look of concern, immediately turning our eyes back to her. 

“A-alrighty. So when I was younger, I had this book, right? It was kind of this fairy tale story, yknow the ones with princesses and towers and knights... “ 

She was looking down at her feet, clearly trying to feel much more confident in this than she actually was. 

“Do you still have the book?” Dusk asked gently. 

“No, I don’t still have the book, Dusk.” She teased, scrunching up her face goofily. 

“You’re making me nervous! Get to the point!” I groaned, faking exasperation. She laughed, visibly relaxing. 

“O-Okay. So this story was sort of weird because it was about this girl who wanted to be a knight, so she dresses up in armour and cuts her hair short and runs away from home. And she has all these dreams about slaying dragons and whatnot, regular stuff knights do. And so for her first adventure, she found this big, empty castle with a single tower. Now, the tower had a princess trapped in it, as most towers do, but it was so tall that she couldn’t get her out by herself. And so this inventor guy comes to town- well, I’ll just skip to the end. He engineers this way to get her out, and he and the knight nursed her back to health. When she was alright again, they all got married and lived in a tiny cabin in the woods, with a garden and dogs and-” 

The realization of what Cheri was talking about suddenly dawned in my mind. I opened my mouth to speak, but Dusk beat me to it. 

“Are you saying…” he began, piecing everything together as a silly grin spread across his face. “...that you want to be polyamorous? With us?” 

Cheri turned as red as her hair. “W-well, I don’t mean to pressure either of you, or ruin our friendship… but if you’re both open to that, and I mean really open to that, then I am too. The last thing I want is to make either of you uncomfortable.” 

My gaze snapped to Dusk. So did Cheri’s. 

He crossed his arms definitely. “Oh, no way! I am not answering before Brayden does. I don’t want to pressure him either!” 

“You’re throwing me under the bus!” I laughed, flinging a water bottle at him. 

Cheri’s worried eyes seemed to stare a hole through me, making me feel as though they could both see everything I’d been feeling the past few days. Maybe even the past few years. 

It was confusing, but it also felt so incredibly good. My whole world felt like it had just opened up, just like the way Cheri had opened up that fairy tale book so many years ago. 

“I’m… I’m okay with this.” I admitted quietly, a smile on my face. 

Cheri laughed in surprise, joy in her eyes. Both our heads swiveled to Dusk. 

“A boyfriend… and a girlfriend?” He asked, his green eyes sparkling with humor. “I’d be crazy to pass this up!” 

Cheri’s hands flew to her chest, as if to stop her heart from pounding. “Are you sure? You guys are seriously, one-hundred-percent on board?” 

We both nodded, goofy grins on our faces. 

She hooked us both into a hug, all three of us wrapping our arms around each other lovingly. 

Dusk suddenly pulled away, facing me anxiously. 

“Are- are you okay dating me too…?” He asked hopefully, his cheeks dusted with blush. 

I gave him a comforting smile, pulling him close to my chest and resting my head atop his. 

“Of course!” 

I smiled, and it wasn’t a lie. I felt like my heart was about to explode with joy. 

I had just gained not one, but two amazing partners. 

What a day. 

Later that night, the phone in the kitchen suddenly rang. I jogged over to answer it. 

“Walker residence, who’s this?” 

“Hey! How’re you!” 

The joyful, staticky voice of Cheri made my whole face lighten up. 

“Good! How about you?” 

I struggled to keep still as she answered, practically dancing where I stood. 

“Really good…” she sighed, and I could hear the sound of her flopping onto her bed. “I’m still so surprised about today. I honestly never imagined you guys would actually say yes!” 

She’s talking so fast, I thought. As always. 

“I, uh, actually wanted to ask you if you’re totally sure about this… you seemed a little shaken at first, and I don’t wanna-” 

“Aw, Cheri… don’t worry about it, really! Honestly, I think I’ve been struggling with how to ask you guys the same thing all week.” 

More frantic rustling could be heard over the phone. It was probably her little dog again, I smiled. 

“Are you serious? You’d better be serious, Brayden! Oh, that’s so weird! We’re like, telepathic or something!” She exclaimed. I almost felt like I could see her through the landline. 

“Also, I wanted to ask you; uh, Dusk and I were thinking of having a schedule for like, dates and stuff. Do you have any input, like when your football games are?” 

“Yeah, they’re usually on Saturdays. What does the schedule look like right now?” I asked, fiddling with the phone cord connecting it to the wall. 

“Like, you and Dusk hang out Tuesday, me and you chill on Wednesday, Dusk and I can go out on Thursday, and then we’ll all have a group date on Friday. Whaddaya think?” 

I shrugged. “Sounds pretty good! Works out for me.” Cheri was always thinking ahead. 

“Cool! See you tomorrow!” She giggled, hanging up the phone. I still felt so dizzy- i was practically wobbling on my feet. 

“What’s the matter with you? You’re twirling the cord like a girl.” My older brother snapped, taking the phone. “Get outta here, I wanna call Max about tomorrow’s practice.” 

Nearly tripping over myself, I stumbled my way to bed. 

The next morning arrived both way too early and way too late for me. I was surprised again by Dusk nervously showing up at my front door.

“How’s it going?” He asked shyly.

“Great! I didn’t sleep at all last night.” I explained, shutting the door behind me as we started off for school. 

“Why not?” He asked, frowning. 

“I just couldn’t stop thinking about yesterday... How do you feel about it?” I questioned as we continued down the street. 

He shrugged. “I was super surprised when Cheri suggested it, but the more I think about it the more it makes sense. We love two parents, right? Besides, I’ve known I was pansexual for pretty much my whole life. How do you feel about it, though?” 

I scratched the back of my neck nervously. “Well, I was also really surprised. I had kinda been thinking about the idea ever since I met you, though. It’s a bit shocking to find out I like boys too, but... I think I’m okay with the idea now. I guess I’m bi or something.”

His face relaxed, a happy grin spreading across his face. “Oh, I’m glad. I was worried I just pressured you into that!” Dusk bumped against me teasingly. Both of them seemed to display affection like a Roomba. 

The rest of the walk to school was filled with small talk, just getting to know each other better. 

Everything still felt too good to be real.

When we entered the large brick building, Cheri was sitting there, waiting for us by the oak tree. 

“Hiya guys!” She smiled as the first bell rang. “How was your night?” 

We turned into our classes, waving to Dusk as he headed off for math. Cheri and I bounced into science, taking our usual seats next to each other. 

“Alright, class. Today we study heatwaves, specifically how they influence our lives in the forms of household appliances. Grab a partner,and we'll begin the lab.” Our teacher announced. 

I yelped in surprise as Cheri latched onto my hand, giggling shyly. I felt my face turn red, and my stomach fluttered. 

I grabbed the proper supplies for the lab and hauled them back to our table, slipping on the clunky plastic goggles and sitting down. 

“Okay, class. Now one the microwaves and put the lightbulb inside.” The teacher sighed. 

“Wait! Won’t that explode the lightbulb or something?” One of our classmates yelled. Murmurs of concern swept over the crowd of students. 

Our teacher rolled her eyes. “No, it’s perfectly safe. When you turn the microwave on, the lightbulb should light up due to the current produced inside the microwave by microwaves. Just make sure you don’t drop these; they’re made of glass.” 

The sound of loud beeping filled the air as everyone (including Cheri) placed the bulbs in the tiny metal oven and pressed start. 

“Oooooh,” we all gasped as the microwaves filled with light. 

“Cool, huh? Now here’s a worksheet to record your results on. If you don’t finish it today then you can do it for homework tonight. You have the rest of the period to work.” 

The whole class groaned in annoyance. 

“We all got the same results. Why should we have to record them?” Cheri asked huffily. 

“Want some help?” I offered, chuckling. 

After finishing my sheet and helping Cheri with hers, I began to pack my bags for my next class. 

“Hey, Brayden?” Cheri questioned with a sudden quietness. I looked up.

“Yeah?” 

“Do you think we should tell people about… well, us? The three of us? What do we say if someone asks?” Her eyes were filled with concern. 

I thought about it. Honestly, I had no idea. I had been so wrapped up in the afterglow of two new relationships that I hadn’t stopped to think if it would be publicly accepted or not. 

“I-I don’t know,” I confessed. 

“I don’t want to keep the two of you a secret. You both make me really happy, and I wanna be able to tell my friends about you. I just don’t think our parents or teachers would be too keen about it.” She whispered. 

“We could get in trouble.” I agreed, thinking about what my dad’s reaction would be if I told him I was dating both a girl and a boy. “Keeping all this a secret might just be what we have to do. It’s better to have each other in private than not at all, right?” 

She nodded, clearly disappointed. It was a harsh truth to swallow. 

The next bell rang, forcing the two of us to part ways. I hadn’t meant to make her sad. 

My few other classes were filled with complex plans, trying to find a genius solution that didn’t end with me having to come out to my family. I just wasn’t ready, and the chances of them accepting me were slim. 

At last, lunch rolled around. It was the only period of the day where all three of us were in the same place at once. We’d started eating under the oak tree; our new home base as he hid from the sweltering heat of the Arizonian sun.

Cheri came skipping over to Dusk and I, the sadness from science class seemingly gone. 

I looked at her questioningly. She gave me a warning smile, as if to say, We do have to tell him, but maybe not right now.

The conversation continued with flirty jokes and stories. I was still haunted by my father’s opinion of me though, and found it impossible to get into a good mood.

Ugh. If only I was better at lying. 

“Are you okay, Brayden?” Dusk suddenly asked me, studying my worried face. 

“Yeah, I’m just a little stressed. That’s all.” I assured him, glancing at Cheri. 

She pursed her lips, looking back at me with sad blue eyes. I wished we didn’t have to do this, either. 

“So, me and Brayden were in science class,” Cheri began. “And we started thinking about how we probably won’t be able to get much more public without being at risk of our parents/teachers finding out. It’s not ideal, but it’s better than not having each other at all, right?” 

There wasn’t a shred of distress or sadness in Dusk’s face. In fact, he looked totally fine. “Oh, yeah. I sorta assumed we’d be doing that.” He assured us. 

Wow, I thought. That was surprisingly easy. 

After school I walked home by myself, hurrying to get ready for my football game. It was the first one I’d had since meeting Dusk, I realized. 

How many more games would I play until I’d have to say goodbye?

The days passed. Then weeks. We had grown completely used to each other by now, schedules and boundaries being set between us to make sure everyone knew exactly what was going on with the others. Cheri liked handholding but not kissing, Dusk preferred cuddling to handholding, and I was okay with kissing but typically just liked to hold them close whenever I got the chance. 

Of course most displays of affection were only done in the comforts of our houses when our parents were out, or behind the convenience store when we hung out there. But sometimes we found we could sneak a few fleeting touches in during the school day. 

Naturally, this made us prone to slip-ups. 

We’d had a couple in the past- mostly just people asking me and Cheri if we were dating- but we always responded with the lie that we’re ‘just friends.’ An idea popped up that Cheri and I would be the ‘cover couple’ for the triad to throw off suspicion, but it made Dusk feel excluded so the idea was quickly scrapped. 

One of the biggest slip-ups occurred one bright sunny day during lunch, with Dusk and I. 

We were walking through the halls together, as our classes were directly across from each other. His arm was linked with mine, the two of us laughing and joking on our way to the outside portion of the school. 

“Hey, what are you guys, dating or something?” the kicker of my football team joked, punching me playfully on my other arm. Dusk practically sprang away from me, panic and hurt in his eyes. 

“Nah, he’s just a friend.” I shrugged, the words tugging at my core. 

He gave me a weird look. “Don’t they all say that? Come on, man. Are you a homo or something?” 

I tried my best to remain calm, hiding Dusk from him with my body. 

“Damn, you know a lot about stuff ‘homos’ say, huh?” I said, an aggravated smile spreading across my face. Anger suddenly blazed in the kicker’s eyes, his annoyance only adding to the growing tension. A few of the other players behind him chuckled.

“Whatever. I-I don’t actually know anything about that.” he sniffed, turning away with the rest of the players, who were still snickering. Dusk returned to my side as they left the hallway. 

“I can’t believe he just said that to you! Aren’t you the quarterback or something? He can’t talk to you like that!” Dusk spat angrily, stomping his foot and turning up his nose. 

I laughed exhaustedly. “No, I’m the tight-end.” 

“Hmph. I’d make a joke if I didn’t feel so bad.” He muttered, shouldering his backpack. “It’s a good thing they don’t take him seriously, though. I think we’re still alright.” He said, clearly trying to make me feel better as we turned into the grassy area. 

“I still can’t believe that just happened. I’m sorry they bothered us.” I apologized. “I’ll just never get used to keeping us a secret.” 

“In our defense, it was bound to happen someday. We aren’t really great at following the whole secret thing.” Dusk shrugged. 

“We should talk to Cheri.” I mumbled. 

He nodded in agreement. “Sure. Wanna meet at her house after your game? We can explain the whole thing then, lunch is too short. I’ll text her later.”

“Okay.” I promised, sighing internally. 

A football game was the last thing I needed at the moment. 

I sprinted home from the field, taking a quick shower and throwing on some fresh clothes. 

“I’m going out with some friends!” I called out to my brother, who grunted and kept his eyes glued to the television. 

The sun was setting as I left the house, warm colors reflecting off the dark green leaves. A comforting breeze blew through my hair, and the smell of rain filled my lungs as I trailed the winding streets. Finally I came across Cheri’s place; a small gray ranch-style house on the corner of the street. Dusk was already standing out front, waiting for me.  

“Do we just knock at the door? Is anyone even home?” I whispered. He laughed at my nervousness. 

“I called her, don’t worry. She says she’ll let us in through her window. Her parents must be there.” Dusk explained, showing me the messages. 

We quietly snuck around the back of the house, where Cheri was waiting expectantly at her open window.  Her face lit up when she saw us.

“Are your parent’s home?” I asked as she helped Dusk in. “No, but my brother and sister are, and they’re snitches.” She stated bluntly. I chuckled, hauling myself into the house.

I had seen Cheri’s room before of course, but it was one of those things where every time you saw it you couldn’t help but stare. The walls were painted a soft pastel orange, lovingly adorned with various boy band posters and pictures of her when she was a little kid. The only source of light came from the various fairy lights strewn carelessly around, as she didn’t keep any lamps. Homework papers were scattered over her bed, and a desk in the corner was smeared in paint and marker stains. 

Cheri’s small dog, Tina, sniffed at my knee suspiciously. 

“So how were your days?” She asked as we sat down on her floor. 

Dusk and I exchanged a nervous look. 

“Uh oh,” Cheri murmured. 

We explained the situation, hurriedly rushing through both the details and our reactions. She listened closely, petting her dog. 

“I’m so sorry that happened to you guys! It’s terrible that people like that still exist… What is this, 1601?” 

I blinked. “Is there anything you can do? Can’t you spin the story some way? You’re on good terms with the gossipy group.” 

Cheri smiled. “I’m not really sure there’s anything to do. I don’t think people care as much about our lives as you think they do. You might get teased a little which is awful, but there’s not that much to go off of. You were just walking around, that’s all you need to say.” 

We both thought about it. Maybe we’d been overthinking this. 

“Everyone’s got a life to live, Brayden. They aren’t worrying about yours.” She shrugged. 

She was so smart. 

I loved her.

It wasn’t long before January rolled around, bringing with it the freezing Connecticut winter temperature of 30 degrees Fahrenheit. Every day we could, the three of us would hang out behind the convenience store and talk; telling stories and playing games. We practically owned the place. 

It was one of the few times we ever truly felt free to be ourselves. 

We still continued to maintain the level of secrecy we needed. There was still flirting in between classes, but that was kept on the down-low ever since the football incident. 

The questions I had asked myself so long ago seemed like they didn’t matter anymore. We’d gone so long without ever being found out that I’d stopped worrying about it. Nobody would ever find out we were dating- and even if they did, why would love be a bad thing anyway? 

I was so naive. 

I remember when it happened. As usual, we were behind the convenience store after school, with Dusk and me sitting on the concrete steps and Cheri standing in front of us. She was telling some story about her math teacher while the two of us cuddled, listening intently. I kissed him on the forehead as Cheri reached the punchline and we all erupted in laughter. 

Suddenly Dusk stood up, his gaze fixed on something in the distance. The hurried sound of footsteps fading away left a concerned look on his face. 

“What is it?” I asked, trying to match his gaze. He sat back down, clearly disturbed. 

“Probably nothing.” He murmured, wrapping his arms around himself. 

“Well, it was clearly something,” Cheri snorted, studying him closely. 

Dusk took a deep breath. “I just hope he didn’t see anything.”

“Who?” I asked, puzzled. 

“Well, before I met you and Cheri I was hanging out with this guy named Nate. He was pretty obsessive about being my friend, but I didn’t have an issue with it until he said I couldn’t hang out with you guys anymore. He tried to make me pick a side, but I said I just didn’t want a friendship like that and cut him off. This all happened around the same time Cheri suggested we all start dating. We left on pretty bad terms. If he finds out…” 

His voice faded into anxiety. 

“I’m sure it means nothing. He might not have even seen you two kiss. We can always come up with another excuse.” Cheri stated optimistically. I nodded in agreement. 

Dusk sighed. “I hope you’re right…” 

The next day I strolled into school as usual, plopping down in my seat next to Cheri. 

She leaned away from me, avoiding my gaze. 

Something was wrong. 

I didn’t question it until the bell rang. As she grabbed her bag to go, I lay a hand on her arm. 

“Is everything okay?” I asked. There were tears in her eyes.

“Someone found out.” She whispered. 

I watched in shock as she hurried away, unable to comprehend what she’d just said. 

I felt like a tidal wave was crashing down on me- the rest of the world seemed to be underwater. My head was suddenly swimming with all the previous anxieties I’d forgotten before. It was... dizzying. 

As I walked through the halls, smirks and looks of disgust followed me from class to class. I didn’t want to hear what they thought about me; I knew it wasn’t the truth.

“I never pegged you as a cheater, man. Or a homo. You’re just full of surprises, huh?” The quarterback spat, his voice full of resentment. None of my other teammates would look at me. 

I didn’t even bother showing up to the game that night. Instead I stood alone in the dark parking lot of the convenience store, waiting for the sun to set before going home. I dreaded what I might find waiting for me there.  

I slowly staggered home, numbness making my fingers shake. Neither Dusk nor Cheri had been at the old oak tree- we didn’t have anything to say. Our conversation last night seemed so innocent now- quiet, hushed ‘goodnights’ and ‘i love yous’ rattling around in my head. 

I knew what was going to happen even before I opened the door. My father and brother were sitting at the kitchen table, arms crossed, staring at me. 

I already knew what they were going to say. 

“Are you really cheating on Cheri with some guy?” My brother asked incredulously. I could barely stop my voice from shaking. 

“I was always dating them. Both of them. It wasn’t cheating.” 

My father clenched his jaw, his face wrinkling into a look of disgust. “I didn’t raise some sort of hippie. You can’t date more than one person, Brayden. It just ain’t right. It’s disgusting.”

“Why didn’t you tell us about this? We had to hear it from your damn coach.” My brother piped again. 

“Because I knew you were going to freak out like this! I love Dusk and Cheri, they both love each other, and they both love me. Just because it’s different then your relationship doesn’t mean it’s bad.” I snarled. “I can make my own choices!” 

“You can make your own choices once you stop living under my roof!” My dad barked. “Until then, you aren’t seeing either of those cucks again. It’s just plain perversion.” 

I felt like I was going to faint. Blood roared in my ears, adrenaline coursed through my veins. My chest heaved with shuddering breaths, and the lump in my throat was getting too big to swallow. 

In a panic, I rushed upstairs to my room and locked the door, tears streaming down my face.

The world was crashing down on me. The people I loved were being taken away, and probably bullied. I couldn’t bear the thought of going back to school in the morning. 

I spent the night reminiscing, pouring over the memories of the last couple months. I didn’t want to sleep- sleep meant that I would have to wake up the next day. 

Despite my efforts, I did end up drifting off; only to be jolted awake by my alarm clock. I was only ever prolonging the inevitable. 

Walking out into the empty street, I stared in the direction of Cheri’s house. I didn’t know what I expected to see, but there was nothing to look at. I continued on the bleak path to school. 

Cheri wasn’t in my science class. Whispers and snickers filled the room as I walked in, but I ignored them. 

The day slipped through my fingers like syrup- thick and slow, exhausting and sluggish. My brain was filled with fog, and I couldn’t pay attention to anything the teachers were saying. 

I jumped in fright when the lunch bell rang, quickly gathering my stuff and rushing out to the oak tree. Dusk was waiting there for me. I nodded a sad hello. 

“They took her away.” He stated flatly. 

The fog instantly cleared. “What do you mean?” I whispered. 

“They made her move schools. She doesn’t go here anymore. We might never see her again.” He explained. There was a horrible emptiness in his eyes. 

“We don’t have any classes together anymore, either. And my parents are going to start picking me up from school to make sure I’m not hanging out with you. Lunch is all we’ll have.” 

I stared at the ground in shock. “They shouldn’t be able to do this to us.” I hissed, fighting back tears. 

Dusk took a seat in front of me. “Yeah, I know.” He agreed. 

Neither of us could eat. We could barely speak, tears threatening to spill over at any minute. It felt like we sat there for a century, simply being in each other’s company, forever unmoving. 

Until the next bell rang, of course. 

The attacks from my teammates got harder. Soon it escalated from getting called names in the locker room to getting slurs yelled at me at the games. Most of them didn’t want anything to do with me anymore. The rest thought I was disgusting. 

And for a while I agreed with them. 

A week went by. Every day was the same. I couldn’t look at myself in the mirror anymore, I wasn’t allowed to call either Dusk or Cheri, and I was confined to my room unless I had games. Even then, it was like the torture never ended. I had to face the reality that it probably wouldn’t; at least not any time soon. 

Eventually, the weekend rolled around. A breath of fresh air from the heartbreaking drag of the school days. 

Or so I thought. 

It was Saturday night. I was sleeping soundly, one of the first good sleeps I’d had in awhile.  

A sudden knock at my window startled me awake. I glanced at the clock; it read 4AM. 

Cautiously, I lifted the blinds. Dusk stared back at me with wild green eyes. 

“Come on, we have to go. Now.” He hissed as I opened the window. 

“Go where? What are you talking about?” I asked, a mix of fear and relief washing over me. I looked behind him to see his parent’s car parked on my street- with Cheri in the front seat. 

“We’re leaving. I have a friend who has a place we can stay. We have to go fast.” He said hurriedly, pulling me towards the car. Not knowing what else to do, I followed. 

I nervously slid into the front seat (I was the only one with a driver’s license) and started the car, glancing at my silent house. My father had said I couldn’t make my own choices under his roof- perhaps I’d just have to find a new one. 

“This is the right thing. It’s the only way.” Dusk feverishly assured me from the backseat. I took a deep breath and peeled out of the neighborhood, past our school, and out of the town.

Cheri sat beside me, holding the massive map in front of her with a lollipop in her mouth. “We’re on the right road, the highway should be just up here.” She declared. 

The roads were empty. Every so often a single car would pass us, but they eventually became scarcer and scarcer as we drove on. The buildings and houses faded to forests- mailboxes and garages becoming grasslands and trees that swayed in the calm breeze. 

We hardly talked. We all knew what we were doing, but weren’t totally convinced of it’s righteousness. Questions and doubts began to swim in my head again, but I ignored them. This was the closest I’d felt to normal all week. 

“Where are we going?” I finally asked, stealing a peek at Cheri’s map. 

“I have an old Wisconsin friend who lives somewhere near here.” Dusk said, motioning to a spot on the map. “He’s about twenty, and owns a ranch. He’s agreed to house us temporarily until we can support ourselves.” 

Cheri shifted uncomfortably. “How well exactly do you know this guy?” She asked, studying the area Dusk had pointed to.

“Very. He used to be a girl but he transitioned the second he moved out of his parent’s house. He understands our situation, which is partly why he’s agreed to help. I’ve been friends with him since I was twelve.” 

The hours passed as we faded back into silence. To the east of us, the sun began to rise, bringing with it the reality of what we were doing. 

Our parents had probably found out by now. 

I started racking my brain, suddenly understanding how dumb this was. I didn’t have any clothes, any food, or any money. All I had was what I was wearing at the time: a trashy pair of jeans and a faded green T-shirt, along with a couple dollars stuffed in my pocket. 

The morning light washed over both the forest and our car, the warmth hitting us like a speeding train. We were already low on gas, and didn’t want to waste any by turning on the air conditioning. So all we could do was take turns drinking the lukewarm water Dusk had hurriedly packed; the only smart thing any one of us had done that day. 

The look for a gas station became frantic. We didn’t have much money, but the only thing holding this plan together was the fact that the car was still moving. Towards the end we were afraid to even breathe in the car for fear of depleting our supply. 

“We should’ve filled it before leaving town.” Cheri groaned, disappointed in herself for not thinking of it. 

“We’ll be fine. We’ll walk there if we have to.” Dusk declared forcefully. I said nothing. 

The long stretch of road we were on seemed to continue for years. The sun steadily rose in the sky, slowly cooking us until it was right above our car. 

And that’s when it happened. 

The car slowed to a crawl, and I limped it over to the side of the empty highway. 

“We’re out of gas.” I stated. 

Everyone got out. 

“We need to keep moving,” Dusk urged, starting off on the desolate road. 

Cheri and I glanced at each other, unmoving. We both knew what the other was thinking. 

“Dusk, we can’t run like this.” Cheri whispered. “We have to go back home.” 

He stopped, turning around to look if we were serious. 

We stared back, identical looks of defeat on our faces. 

“But I- it isn’t home if I’m not with you. Both of you.” He pleaded, his voice cracking. 

“None of us wanted this.” I mumbled in agreement. 

“It’s just a few more miles. Please, we can make it.” He reasoned, heartbreak dawning in his eyes. 

“Dusk, we aren’t meant to make it.” I said half heartedly. “We’ll be fugitives wherever we go. The cops are probably searching for us right now. I mean, we stole a car! And even if we could make it; look at this road. We could be walking for weeks.” 

He licked his lips, thinking hard. 

“I can’t stand not being with you. Knowing that you two are in the same neighborhood as me and that I can’t see you drives me mad. I’m not going back there.” 

Cheri and I looked at him in shock, realizing just how serious he was about this. 

“I’m sick of Cheri being called a slut by her own parents. I don’t wanna hear Brayden get called slurs at his football games. I’m sick of the rumors, I’m sick of my family, and I’m sick of the goddamn school we go to. I’m not gonna live in a place that doesn’t accept me. So I’m going to find another one. A better one.” he took a deep breath. “I won’t force you to come with me, and I’ll understand if you leave. I’ll still remember the best parts of you. Of us. I’d do anything for you to join me.” 

His voice was thick with desperation. I felt like my chest was being ripped apart. There was nothing I wanted more than to follow him. 

“Will we ever see you again?” Cheri asked, tears in her eyes. Dusk didn’t answer her, staring at the ground sadly.

“Give me a ten minute head start. There was a payphone a few minutes back; they’ll find you.” He whispered. He looked so much older than the boy I’d met on the football field so many months ago, the one almost too shy to say hello. 

I’ll never forget the image of Dusk walking along that old desert road. Cheri and I watched him go until he was out of sight- nothing but a tiny speck on the dusty horizon. 

“I wish we could’ve gone with him.” She said quietly. Her cheeks were stained with tears. 

“Me too.” I replied. 

We gave Dusk twenty more minutes then he’d asked for. We were worried about him being out in the wilderness, but the threat of what would happen to him if he returned home seemed much worse at the moment.

We knew what waited for us back there.

It was only about a mile to the payphone- a long, quiet walk of shame for Cheri and I. It didn’t take long for the sound of sirens to reach us, echoing over the empty plains. We waited for them- arms crossed and hearts heavy. 

The two of us were taken back to our hometown in the same car. We clutched each other’s hands in the backseat, both nervous and unafraid at the same time. 

Naturally they asked us where Dusk was. The story was that he’d coerced us into leaving with him, and I’m ashamed to say I went along with it even though it wasn’t true. His parents admitted that they’d expected him to run away and weren’t pressing charges on us for stealing their car. Neither of us told them anything about where Dusk was, so eventually we were let go from the police station. The investigation of Dusk’s whereabouts would continue, but not with us. 

My father’s face was filled with disappointment and disgust when he picked me up from the station. There was no anger, and we spoke no words, but I still understood exactly what he thought of me. I didn’t care. 

I never saw Cheri again after we left the police precinct. She was standing outside with her parents, clearly having a heated argument with them. As we passed them in our car, she flashed me a comforting smile and a thumbs up; even though her eyes were red from crying. 

Her parents gave me a dirty look and quickly ushered her into their car. 

From that point on, everyone pretended nothing had happened. Cheri moved to California. Dusk was never tracked down. My father and brother forgot about it, as did the rest of the school. But I never did. 

I often wonder about how my life might be different if I chose to go with Dusk- but then again, I’d probably regret that too. 

The last time I ever saw him was years later, after I’d graduated college, in a grocery store in Arkansas. We didn’t say anything to each other, but we knew. 

He looked well. 

I’ve never tried to reconnect with them. I- we- never wanted our story together to end. It’s better to think of them the way I saw them when I loved them.

Nothing good is ever silly. 

Especially not love.