Chapter Text
Myka stood outside the bookstore and waited for Pete to pick her up for lunch. He was only two minutes late so far, but it felt like an hour.
Finally, his truck appeared. He pulled over to the curb, and Myka climbed into the passenger seat.
“Oh my god, I’ve been craving this pumpkin shake so bad, I had a dream about it last night.” Pete cocked his head. “What’s wrong? Did your dad yell at you again?”
She took a deep breath. “I need to tell you something.”
“Okay. Shoot.” He put the truck into gear and pulled back into the road. She would’ve preferred to have his full attention for this, but she wasn’t going to make him pull over again.
“I have a girlfriend.” Short. Direct. It had seemed the best route to take when she was preparing for this.
Pete nodded a bit, not really reacting. He glanced her way. “Are you talking braid-each-other’s-hair-and-share-clothes kind of girlfriend or… ?”
“The dating and making out kind of girlfriend,” Myka said. “A lot. A lot of making out.” She cleared her throat and ran her hands across her knees. “It’s Helena. My girlfriend, it’s Helena.”
Pete still wasn’t reacting, just looking ahead to the road. But a smirk was starting to show, and it made her frown.
“What is that? What are you doing?”
“What? I didn’t say anything!”
“But you’re smirking! Why are you smirking at me?” It hit her. “Oh my god, you knew already? How could you have possibly known?”
“I didn’t know, exactly! And really? I couldn’t possibly have known?” He turned his head completely towards her. “Have you seen the way you look at her? It definitely doesn’t scream ‘just friends’.”
“Road.”
Pete sighed and faced forward again. “Plus, there may have been some rumors around the school. Wasn’t sure they were about you, though. It didn’t really seem like you anyway.”
Myka’s stomach clenched. That was very different than her best friend just knowing her too well. “What rumors?”
“Ehhh,” Pete dragged out. “Just stuff. About some girls in the locker room. I don’t know.”
“What?” But nobody ever saw them in the locker room. “Who said it?”
“I think it started with the volleyball team.”
When the hell did a volleyball player see them?
“And then the cross-country team allegedly confirmed it, but they weren’t naming any names.”
The cross-country team. “Oh, god.” Pete looked frighteningly amused and like he wanted to follow up on this reaction. Myka groaned.
“What were you two doing in the locker rooms?” he asked, almost laughing.
“Nothing!”
They pulled into the Culver’s parking lot.
“Hey.” Pete was suddenly serious as he parked the truck. “You know I’m okay with you two dating, right?”
“Well, you weren’t freaking out so I kind of assumed as much.” She still felt relieved when he said it outright, though.
“Okay, good. Cause I’m totally cool with it.” He got out of the truck, and Myka followed. “Not so sure about these rumors, though,” he continued in a more teasing tone. “They were getting kind of dirty. Mentioning things like,” there wasn’t anyone around in the parking lot, but he still cupped his hands around his mouth and whispered the end, “sex stuff.”
Myka stared at him with a straight face. “We did not have sex in the varsity locker room.”
“I know,” Pete nodded. “That’s why I didn’t think those rumors were about you two. It didn’t make any sense - wait.” Myka turned and walked towards the restaurant entrance. “Not in the varsity locker room or not at all? Myka?” She looked over her shoulder at him with her eyebrow arched. “Whoa now, did you hit a home run before me?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” She turned back away and smirked.
“Myka Ophelia Bering!”