Bi The Way

Rodney wandered the fluorescent-lit aisles of Walmart, his eyes scanning the shelves for that sweet Ben and Jerry's ice cream. The store felt like an endless labyrinth, and Rodney couldn't help but envision himself as Theseus navigating the Minotaur's maze. He darted around corners, avoiding employees as if they were mythological demons guarding the treasure he so desperately sought.

"Where is it?" he mumbled to himself, frustration bubbling inside him.

"Looking for something, young man?" A voice startled Rodney from behind, causing him to jump. The Walmart employee stood there eyeing him skeptically.

"Uh, yeah," stuttered Rodney, attempting to maintain his cool. "I'm just trying to find some Ben and Jerry's."

"Ah, the dairy aisle. Just take a left, then a right, and you'll be there," said the elderly woman, who flashed a smile before disappearing like a specter in the night.

"Thanks," Rodney replied to the now-empty space, feeling foolish.

He followed the directions and finally reached the dairy aisle. As he turned the corner, his heart skipped a beat. There, standing in front of the freezers, were Matt and Ally. They were laughing, their voices blending together in a melody that made Rodney's stomach churn. He had been avoiding Matt since the party, noting wanting to relive the night's events again. He still felt nauseous every time he thought about it.

"Come on, babe, you know I can't resist those caramel-filled drumsticks," Matt teased, playfully nudging Ally.

"Fine, I'll buy them for you but only if we watch that Meen Girls. I've been dying to see it," Ally countered, her blue eyes twinkling with mischief.

"Deal," Matt agreed, leaning in to steal a quick kiss.

"Ugh," thought Rodney, ducking behind the aisle to avoid detection. He hated seeing Ally kissing someone else, and he hated that he felt so jealous no matter how many times he told himself to stop feeling this way. He peered out cautiously, watching their interaction from a safe distance.

His mind drifted back to when he and Ally lived in Toronto before Matt was even part of the picture. They would make treats inspired by Harry Potter and watch the movies together, their laughter filling the room. He wondered if Ally still remembered those times as fondly as he did. He really hadn't talked to her much the past week, she was always busy with Matt-related activities.

"Hey, Rodney!" Ally's voice snapped him back to reality. He hadn't realized they had spotted him.

"Uh, hey," he stammered, stepping into view.

"Didn't see you there," Matt said with a smirk, his arm draped possessively around Ally's shoulders.

"Y-yeah, just looking for some ice cream," Rodney replied, trying to play it cool.

"Nice. Well, enjoy your ice cream, man," Matt said, giving Rodney a dismissive nod before attempting to lead Ally away, though she quickly rolled out from under his arm and turned back towards Rodney.

"Where'd you disappear to, I feel like I haven't seen you since the party. Did you see who threw up all over the barn?" Ally asked, her blue eyes sparkling like diamonds.

"Uh," Rodney hesitated, recalling his hasty exit from the chaotic gathering after getting sick. "I had to go home. My mom was looking for me." He scratched the back of his head nervously. "And I don't remember seeing anyone really, certainly no one throwing up."

Ally laughed, a laugh that sounded like wind chimes in the breeze. "That's okay, it was kind of a mess. We have to hang out again soon, alright?" She waved goodbye.

"Yeah, uh sure," Rodney agreed, but he knew she would be too busy to follow through with their plans. With that, the golden couple strolled away, leaving Rodney standing alone amidst the frozen goods.

Rodney stood there for a moment, the weight of their encounter settling like a stone in his chest. He glanced at the freezer filled with Ben and Jerry's, but his appetite had vanished. With a heavy sigh, he turned and left the dairy aisle empty-handed, the memory of Ally's laughter lingering in his ears.

-----

When Rodney arrived home, he tossed his jacket on the couch and flopped down beside it. A familiar buzz from his phone caught his attention – Derek was texting him.

"Hey, man, wanna go fishing?" Derek's message read, accompanied by a fishing pole emoji.

"Can't," Rodney typed back, lying through his thumbs. "Got some homework to do." The truth was, he just didn't have the energy to hang out with anyone, especially not after that awkward conversation with Ally and Matt.

"Alright, no worries. Hit me up if you change your mind!" Derek replied.

Rodney sighed, sinking deeper into the couch cushions. He tried to focus on the television, but his thoughts kept drifting back to Ally and Matt, their laughter haunting him like a cruel melody. Did Ally really not realize that he had been texting her to hang out almost every day and every time she had an excuse not to locked and loaded? Rodney decided some video games might be needed to pull him out of his funk.

Rodney's fingers hovered over his keyboard, the flickering of the computer screen matched his constantly changing emotions. He took a deep breath and clicked "Join" – Phasmaphobia was his escape today. The game loaded, and he found himself in a virtual haunted house alongside three other players. Scrolling through their usernames, one caught his eye: CurlyGamer92. He had seen Parker use it as his password before in the computer lab, Could it be?

"Hey, Parker?" Rodney hesitated, speaking into his headset. "Is that you?"

"Rodney? No way!" Parker's familiar voice rang out, excitement laced with disbelief. "What are the odds, right?"

"Pretty crazy," Rodney agreed, smiling for the first time since the Walmart encounter. As they navigated the spooky corridors, he couldn't help but notice how Parker's laugh whenever their team fled the building at the slightest noise, it was so full of joy that Rodney found himself laughing along with him.

"By the way," Parker said, his tone turning more serious, as they started their second mission "How are you holding up after the party?"

"Uh, I'm okay," Rodney lied, focusing intently on the virtual cobwebs before him. "Why do you ask?"

"I should've stopped you from drinking so much," Parker admitted, guilt evident in his voice. "Matt can be pretty pushy, you know? Like, he doesn't always realize when he's gone too far. Honestly, I should have told him to back off,"

"It's OK, Parker," Rodney sighed, appreciating the concern. He fiddled with the edge of his hoodie, feeling vulnerable as he added, "I get it, Matt has this weirdly powerful vibe to him, it's like you want him to like you. I just... I want to fit in with everyone, you know? And..." His words trailed off, but the truth slipped out anyway. "I want Matt to like me so I can hang out with Ally."

"Ally?" Parker repeated, sounding taken aback. "But as friends right? Like you aren't thinking about her romantically, because Matt would kill you if it was for any other reason."

The admission hung heavy in the air, like the virtual fog that clouded their screens. Rodney's heart raced, realizing he might have said too much. Rodney's sudden silence spoke volumes to Parker.

"Look," Parker began, a hint of ice creeping into his voice, "going after someone else's girlfriend is wrong, no matter how douchey the guy might be. I know you two have a history but you can't pretend to be someone's friend just to get their girl. Is she the only reason you hung out with us?"

"Of course not!" Rodney protested, hurt by the accusation. "Parker, I see you as a friend. I never meant to—"

"Whatever." And with that, CurlyGamer92 left the game.

Rodney stared at the empty space where Parker's character had been, feeling the weight of his own words suffocating him. The ghosts they'd been hunting now seemed far less terrifying than the ones lurking in his own heart. What if Parker told Matt everything? What if Ally found out about it? As negative scenarios began to pour into his mind, Rodney felt like he was drowning.

Rodney's fingers hovered above his phone screen, hesitating before finally typing out a message to Derek. "Hey, I've had the worst day ever. Can we talk?" He hit send and stared at the glowing screen, anxiety gnawing at his insides.

Within minutes, a knock at the door startled Rodney from his thoughts. He opened it to find Derek standing there, grinning broadly, holding two fishing poles. "Thought talking in person might be the better way to go on this one," Derek said, his eyes crinkling in the corners as he smiled. "Come on, let's go fishing."

"Uh, sure," Rodney agreed, still feeling a bit dazed, Derek had actually rushed to his side when he needed him. They walked together towards the Sydenham River in silence, the sun casting golden rays through the trees as it began to set. Once they reached the water, Derek handed Rodney a fishing pole, and they cast their lines into the calm current.

"Derek," Rodney started, his voice barely audible over the gentle lapping of the water. "I think I messed up with Parker. I kind of hinted I want to be more than friends with Ally. I know he is friends with Matt, but what if he tells him everything, Matt will kill me. Parker seemed kind of pissed at me about it."

"Ah, I wouldn't worry too much about that one, we all make mistakes," Derek exhaled slowly, nodding in understanding. "It must have been hard for Parker to hear that."

"What do you mean?" Rodney asked, wondering why Parker would be really hurt by him liking Ally.

"Well I mean Parker sits next to you in every class you have together, or at least that is what you have told me. He is your friend but he is also Matt's. I think he probably feels very conflicted right now about what to do." Derek reasoned.

"Maybe I shouldn't have said anything. I just feel like he is someone I could tell anything to. You know, like you," Rodney's gaze wandered towards the horizon, where the sky met the water in an orange haze.

"Look, man," Derek said, leaning back against a nearby tree trunk. "Parker's a good guy. He'll forgive your slip, but you're gonna have to put in the work to show him you're really not just there to take Ally away from Matt."

"Thanks, Derek," Rodney replied, grateful for his friend's advice. "You're a true friend."

"Anytime, buddy." Derek flashed him another warm smile before returning his attention to their fishing lines.

-----

Later that night, Rodney lay in bed, staring at his phone. He took a deep breath and typed out a message to Parker. "I'm really sorry for what I said earlier. Yes, I had feelings for Ally but really I think I might just be missing the time I used to spend with my childhood bestie. I feel like she just doesn't have time to hang out with me like we used to. Maybe we could talk about it more, I don't want to lose you as a friend over this." He hesitated a moment before hitting send, his heart pounding in his chest. Reading it over he knew it sounded kind of desperate but he really didn't know what else to do.

As he set his phone down on the nightstand, preparing himself for a sleepless night filled with worry, he hoped he would find a text from Parker in the morning.

-----

The morning sunlight filtered through the tall windows lining the high school hallway, Rodney and Ally stood discussing their latest geography assignment. Rodney's brow furrowed in concentration, his fingers tapping nervously on the cover of his textbook.

"Ally, do you think silicon or aluminum is the primary resource used in computer hard drives? I'm leaning towards silicon, but this textbook is older than computers," he said, his voice lighting up at his own joke.

"Silicon does seem more likely," Ally agreed, but she seemed kind of distant from the project. "But maybe we could look up some more information during lunch on the actual internet to make sure."

Their conversation was abruptly interrupted as Matt pushed his way between them, his muscular frame easily dwarfing Rodney's slight build. "Hey babe, come watch me practice in the gym. I've been working on my layups."

"Um, Matt, Ally, and I have this project to work on," Rodney stammered, clutching his textbook tighter.

"Relax, man. It can wait Ally told me it wasn't due till Thursday," Matt replied dismissively, his dark eyes focused solely on Ally. "Come on, Al."

"Yeah, we can finish it up later," Ally conceded, giving Rodney an apologetic smile before following Matt down the hallway, leaving Rodney feeling abandoned amidst the lockers and scattered conversations.

As Rodney leaned against the cold metal of a nearby locker, his thoughts raced. Why did Matt always have to steal Ally away like that? He felt a sudden pang of jealousy, quickly followed by a wave of guilt for his feelings towards his friend when she was with someone else.

"Rodney," a familiar voice called out. Parker approached, his messy curls bouncing with each step, and his glasses perched precariously on his nose. "About the other night... I wanted to apologize for my outburst during our game. I get the feeling of losing a friend, and it sucks. I would be happy to talk about it with you if you want?"

Rodney's heart skipped a beat as he was overjoyed that Parker understood the feelings he had been having. "Thank you, it was hard enough moving here and thinking I would never see her again, now she is here too and I still never see her," he replied, his voice barely above a whisper. " And I'm sorry too, for what I said. I didn't mean to make you feel like I was just hanging around you guys because I wanted to be with Ally. Honestly, I like hanging out with you a lot."

"Thanks, Rodney. I feel the same way, I mean Matt hasn't exactly wanted to hit the courts like we used to since he started dating" Parker admitted, an awkward smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "Maybe we can fill that friendship void with each other,"

"Definitely," Rodney agreed, relief washing over him like a cool breeze on a hot day. As they walked toward the classroom together, he couldn't help but feel lighter than air working it out with Parker. Maybe a close friend was all he was really missing.