Free Been Here All Along by Sandy Hall Page B

in the most bored voice I can muster.
    â€œSo you’re not about to tell me to back off your man or something?”
    â€œI’m not. He’s your best friend. Wouldn’t it look a little suspicious if you just suddenly stopped talking to him?”
    â€œYes, it would.” He folds his arms and sits back in the chair. “I guess I’m just not sure what the point of this conversation is.”
    I probably should have had a better idea myself before I decided to challenge Gideon “King of the Forensics Team” Berko to a debate.
    â€œI wanted to make sure we were on the same page.”
    â€œWhat page, Ruby?” he asks, obviously getting annoyed.
    â€œYou’re going to make me spell it out to you?”
    â€œAre you blackmailing me? I don’t get it. So yeah, you’re going to have to spell it out to me. Because the way I see it, you’re backed into a corner. I’m pretty sure you have it in you to tell the whole school that I like Kyle, but you realize that in doing so you would also out me. And I’m pretty sure that you’re too good a person for that. So I don’t know where that leaves us.”
    I’m not sure what to say in response. I was going to make a few more thinly veiled threats about showing Kyle the lists, but he hit the nail on the head: I would never out him.
    â€œSo it’s not like either of us has any power in the situation,” he concludes as he stands up and collects his belongings.
    â€œLet me know if you come up with some way to blackmail me,” he says as he walks out the door.
    I’m left sitting there with my jaw hanging open. I have no idea what I expected, but it was certainly not that.
    Gideon
    I’m shaking as I walk out of the office and leave Ruby in my wake.
    When she walked in, I was working on the logic of the situation and realized that basically as long as I’m in the closet, I have all the power. Because there’s no way she’s going to out me. I believe that for a fact.
    It’s when I decide to come out that she could totally screw me. Those lists, particularly the one with all the mean things about Kyle, could really bite me in the ass. I would ask her to delete them, but I’m not sure how she would react.
    But here’s what I know for sure: I should probably avoid both of them for a little while. At least when they’re together. And I should definitely avoid Ruby as much as humanly possible. It’s the only option I see.
    Of course, this is the week that Kyle decides to really turn on the charm. He’s there every time I turn a corner; he’s always saving the seat right next to him at lunch. I don’t really know why he’s doing it or what changed, but it makes me feel conspicuous. Like he and Ruby are concocting a plan together.
    But no, Kyle would never do that.
    The worst is on Tuesday, when he leaves a note in Elvish in my locker asking me when we can get together about tutoring. It’s like a stab in the heart. I promise myself that I’ll talk to him about it the next day.
    By Friday at the latest.
    Maybe I could go to his house this weekend when I’m certain Ruby’s not around.
    I wish I could understand when our friendship got so complicated.

 
    ten
    Kyle
    On Wednesday when Ruby finds me after school, I can tell she’s in a panic.
    â€œI really need a huge favor from you,” she says.
    â€œWhat’s up?” I ask, putting my books in my locker.
    â€œMy mom was supposed to pick up Diana from dance class, and I was supposed to go watch David move up a belt at karate. But now she can’t make it and they won’t let the kids leave with just anyone after dance class. So would you maybe be willing to go watch David get his new belt while I run across town in the other direction to pick up Diana?” She says all this so fast that it actually takes me a good ten seconds to catch up with everything.
    â€œYes. I