Six

"Well, that was good!" Chrystyn whispered as the professor has arrived. "I would say that was the best revenge that I've heard, and I did not expect that." 

Ethan's sweat is visible. Some are dripping down on his neck, coming from his forehead. 

Chrystyn whispered, "Wipe that sweat. People can see through your nervousness." And Ethan did wipe it. 

The professor started his discussion. It was boring as usual. 

Ethan excused himself and went to the nearest restroom. Little did he know, Troye followed. 

He entered the cubicle, and as he was just supposed to close it, it opened. 

"What are you doing?!" Ethan asked angrily.

Troye locked the cubicle. 

"Get out, or someone will see us. My reputation is nothing. But how about yours?" Ethan said. 

"Oh, are you concern about my reputation now? After what you said earlier?" 

"Oh, so you are angry now? After you and your friends tease me whenever we see each other?" 

They stared at one another. Long and hard, anger was plastered. 

Troye leaned forward. Ethan leaned back, almost sitting in the toilet bowl. 

Troye leaned further, "Bride, huh?" 

Ethan has now sat on the toilet bowl. Troye stared at his lips.

Ethan leaned forward, shocking Troye, and made him lean back. Ethan smirked.

"Get out of my way," Ethan said. "If you think you can tease me just like that, then you should up your game. It's not effective." And he left with a mocking face. 

Troye touched his lips and went back to the room. 

Ethan has sat on his seat and asked, "Chrys, what did I miss?" 

Chrystyn said, "No. It's you whom I should ask 'What did I miss?'"

Ethan raised his brows. Chrystyn looked at Troye. 

"He followed you after you went to the restroom. You went back here, and now him," Chrystyn said, "He's so red, Ethan. What did you do?" 

"I'll tell you later." 

Then the discussion went on, just like an abyss.

They have finally been dismissed. The 2 hours of discussion felt unending. 

Ethan and Chrystyn decided to go into the cafeteria. They have ordered their lunch. Ethan, as usual, has chosen brownies for deserts, fish and meat for the main course, and soda for his drinks. Then they've seated right at the stool with the table mounted on the wall. 

"So, care to share?" Chrystyn asked as she took a bite off her sandwich. 

"He followed me in the restroom." 

"And?" Chrystyn said while chewing. 

Ethan looked right and left and whispered, "He followed me in the cubicle!" 

Chrystyn choked, and Ethan lent her the glass of water. 

"What the heck?" Chrystyn said with a widened eye. She cannot just believe it. 

"Yeah, and he teased me. He looked straight at me with anger, and he leaned towards near my lips." 

"And what did you do that made him so red?" 

Ethan answered proudly, "I leaned in more." He smirked. 

"That's my boy!" Chrystyn giggled. 

They went on with their lunch. Chrystyn asked, "You don't like him, do you?" 

He started at her, "Of course not. That's just disgusting." 

Chrystyn asked, "Disgusting because of him? Or because he's a boy?" 

Ethan thought of it and said, "Because he's him. He's Troye, and he's a boy. So, no, thanks." 

Chrystyn nodded. They finished off their food, picked up their bags, and went out of the cafeteria. 

"Do you think it's too early?" Ethan asked. "Maybe we should stay in the oval first?" 

Chrystyn nodded and said, "That's fine with me." 

They walked going into the oval. It's a big area, where most people do their practices instead of the gymnasium. They sat right under the tree where it would give them shadows. "It's peaceful here, isn't it?" Ethan said.

They just sat right under the tree and observed people walking around. Some are running, some are eating their lunch, and some are just like them, resting. 

Ethan heard his phone made a sound, and he checked it, and there was a notification. 

Chrystyn asked, "What's that?" 

"I don't know. It keeps vibrating, and there are many notifications." He checked all of that; these notifications were tags, and these tags only led to one post. 

Boy's love in the comfort room!!! We don't have the chance to see them, but we all know that this shoe here belongs to Troye. Who's with him? Who's the mystery guy??? 

It's a picture that has been shot right outside the cubicle, with their legs looking so close and their shoes only showing. 

Ethan started sweating, and then he nervously and hurriedly took off his shoes, with his hands shaking.

"Hey, are you okay?" Chrystyn said while grabbing the phone from Ethan's hand. "What the hell?" 

Chrystyn helped him took off his shoes, and she placed them inside his bag. "Hey, it's gonna be okay. Calm down." 

"I thought it's gonna stop." 

"I'm sorry. I thought of it. The revenge." 

"It's not entirely your fault. It's Troye's fault for going into the cubicle with me." 

"I'm gonna buy you some new shoes." 

"Our classmates know that it's me, and that's why they're tagging me. Shoes or no shoes, they know." 

Chrystyn said, "No. Not unless you deny it and tease him that he likes boys because he go from you and then to another guy." 

Ethan looked at her, then stared at his hands, trying to calm his nerves down. 

She added, "You should be confident about it, that it's not you. Yes, people keep tagging you, but do not ever react to any of it." 

Ethan nodded and said, "Buy me shoes, Chrys." 

And she went on to buy Ethan his shoes. 

Minutes have passed, there are only 20 minutes left until the class starts, and the building is far away from where he's at. He stared at his feet. He only wore socks. 

Someone sat beside him. 

"Chrys-" It was not Chrystyn. 

"Hey," Mr. Jeans said, or rather, Chad. 

"Hey," Ethan replied as he looked at Chad. They looked at each other.

"Do I have to lend you some shoes?" 

Ethan looked at his feet again, laughed, and said, "Uhm, no. I actually damaged it, and here I am now, with no shoes. Still waiting for my new shoes." He lied, or rather, he just made up an excuse. 

Chad nodded, "Are you sure you did not dispose of it because of that post?" 

Ethan looked at him and back at his shoes, "It's not me." 

"Uh-huh." 

"You don't believe me?" 

Chad answered, "Maybe I'll believe you if you could tell me if you liked him or not." 

Ethan did not know if there was even a connection to Chad's answer, but he said, "No. I don't like him. Never." 

"Good." And then he patted Ethan's shoulder, slowly caressing. 

"Wait, how do you know it was me and my name? I did not even tell you yet." 

Chad just smirked. 

"Ethan!" Chrystyn said, "Hurry up, wear it, we got to run because we only have, like, 5 minutes left." Then she looked at Chad, and then she looked at Ethan, her eyes saying something. 

"Chrystyn, this is Chad. He's the one that lent me the jeans. Chad, this is Chrystyn, my friend." 

Chrystyn greeted, "Hi, Chad. Looking handsome, aren't we?" 

Chad just chuckled, "I got to go now. I still have some class." 

Chrystyn just looked at the back of Chad as he went away and said, "He's not just someone who lent you the pants. He's something!" 

Ethan just shook his head, "I don't like men, Chrys." 

"Whoa, man. I did not even say you like him. It was you who said that." 

Ethan glared at her as she smirked and giggled. 

"You're such a boy magnet." 

"You're saying Troye is handsome?" 

"No, but it was you who said that." 

And they went off to their next class. 

People looked at him as he entered the room. They are still classmates with Troye and his friends, but they are not there yet. He looked at his shoes and noticed that it was beige. Not white, but just like white and with almost the same style.

He closed his eyes and looked at Chrystyn. 

"What? It's clearly different," Chrystyn defended. 

They sat away in the corner, where Troye and his friends couldn't sit. And one girl seated right in front of them. 

"Hi, I am Mellow," the girl said while handing her hand over. 

Ethan shook it, and so did Chrystyn. 

"I want to be your new friend," Mellow smiled. Ethan and Chrystyn looked at one another and said, "Sure!" 

The professor was late, and Mellow is talkative and noticed how she talks and leads the subject every time. They like her. 

A minute has passed. Troye and his friends showed up. People have started looking at both of them and in their shoes. 

"You're the guy with Troye?" asked Mellow. Ethan denied it, even though suspicion and curiosity were plastered on Mellow's face.

One of Troye's friends, Annet, said, "I heard Troye was grabbed inside the cubicle." 

Curiosity got even more of the crowd. 

One added, "I heard he's going to kiss Troye, and Troye's just lucky just to dodge that kiss." 

This made Ethan pissed off. The story has been turned upside down. He doesn't know that Troye tells them the opposite story, or it's just his friends being a douche and telling the public the opposite event. He knows for sure that they're destroying him. 

He gotta stood up for himself.

"Troye, I wondered why I am tagged on the post? And by that many people?" 

They looked at him, waiting for a counter. 

"Yeah, I wonder why, though?" Troye said, mocking. 

"Because I thought you said you like me. And here you are going into the restroom with another man that is not me." What he said silenced people in the room. Some even said, 'Ohh.' 

Troye and his friends did not know what to say. They're just there, with some of their mouths left open. 

"I can see you can jump from one man to another man," added Ethan, setting up his A-game. 

Troye approached him slowly, but his anger was just past the anger he felt in the cubicle earlier. He grabbed Ethan by the collar.

"You don't say that," Troye said, with his face so close to him, he could feel his breath. 

"Well, I already did. You did this to yourself. It's your reputation, and this is where I am telling you, 'I told you so.'" 

Ethan whispered, "2-0, the victory is mine."