Chapter 4: Genuinely

                                    

                                          
Amber is on the left, Cyrus is on the right 

                          
Cyrus POV: 

                          
Whilst me, the rest of the GHC, Jonah and Marty were divulging into our two baskets of taters, a very stressed looking Amber walked into the spoon. Well...stressed was an understatement. I wasn't talking to anyone anyway, as usual I was being left out. 
                          
'I'm just going to talk to Amber,' I announced, luckily we weren't in a booth so it was easy to get out. I walked up to the counter, 'Hey Amber!' 
                          
She jumped, whipping around and relaxing as soon as she saw it was me, 'Oh, hey Cyrus.' 
                          
I took a seat on one of the stools, 'Are you ok? You seem a little.' I was watching her fumble drastically with the lid of something, 'on edge.' 
                          
Amber smiled, 'Just stressed.' She dropped the lid on the floor and huffed, picking it up. 
                          
I gave her a small smile, 'You can talk to me.' 
                          
Her fake smile faded and she sighed, 'It's my brother, I'm really worried about him.' 
                          
Frowning, I replied, 'I didn't know you have a brother.' 
                          
She nodded, 'Yeh, TJ.' 
                          
My jaw dropped, 'TJ Kippen? You're a Kippen?' 
                          
Amber looked at me strangely, 'Yeh? Didn't you realise?' 
                          
I shook my head, 'I had no idea...what's the matter with him?' 
                          
She didn't look happy at all, 'It's just...really hard for him at the moment, our parents hate him and he's not coping well with just everything in general. I'm really worried because I've noticed a lot of changes in his behaviour and I don't know if...' she trailed off. 
                          
'If what?' I asked.
                          
Amber shook her head, 'I don't really know, everyone is just so...wrong about him! He's a good person at heart and people just fail to see it.' 
                          
'I get it,' I tapped my fingers on the table, 'have you talked to him?' 
                          
She avoided my eyes, 'No...he's being rather distant and I haven't exactly been.....the best sister I could have been. It's hard for me too, with our parents...' she didn't finish her sentence again. 
                          
I decided she clearly didn't want me to know something so I wouldn't pry, 'Whatever's going on with your parents, you're going through it together. You need to let him know all this and that you understand.' 
                          
Amber smiled sadly, 'I know...I will, Thankyou Cyrus.' 
                          
I grinned, 'Anytime, seriously, I'm...always free.' 
                          
She laughed, 'I better get back to my orders.' 
                          
'And I need to get back to the table.' I went and took my seat next to Buffy. 
                          
'What was that about?' She asked. 
                          
'Nothing, really, ' I gave her a reassuring nod which made her back off. 
                          
'So do you think you made the team?' Andi asked Buffy and Marty. 
                          
'Buffy definitely did,' Marty replied, 'you did really well.' 
                          
She blushed, 'Thanks Marty, But don't be so hard on yourself! You're going to make the team too!' 
                          
Marty shook his head, 'I was nowhere near as good as you...TJ was acting, strange.' 
                          
That perked my intrigue due to my previous conversation with Amber, 'What do you mean?' 
                          
'Yeh, What were you two talking about?' Buffy piped in. 
                          
Marty flicked his glass, 'he just seemed genuinely sorry for you know...misgendering me.' 
                          
'He what!' I exclaimed. 
                          
Marty nodded, 'He wasn't being mean, he seemed like he felt really bad.' 
                          
Buffy scrunched up her face, 'TJ? Not being mean? Impossible.' 
                          
'I agree, TJ is bad news.' Jonah finally stopped texting whoever he was texting on his phone this entire time. 
                          
My friends are so judgmental, so am I but they need to give him a chance, we don't even know him! 'How do you know?' 
                          
Jonah looked suspicious, 'I've just heard some things...ok?' 
                          
'What if they're not true?' I questioned.
                          
Buffy furrowed her brows, 'Why are you sticking up for him?' 
                          
Shrugging, I responded, 'We know nothing about him!' 
                          
'We know enough to know he's not someone I want to be friends with.' Andi laughed. 
                          
Are these really who my friends are? Making assumptions about someone they don't even know? I wasn't going to sit here and listen to it. 
                          
Marty spoke up, 'That's not really fair, all you know is the rumours people are spreading.' 
                          
'I heard that he tried to purposely hit Gus with his dirt bike!' Jonah spoke as if it was fact that TJ is a murderer.
                          
'Again, you don't know that, stop.' I cut in. 
                          
Andi looked confused, 'I'm not risking my life to be the bigger person.' 
                          
Buffy started to laugh, 'I agree, he's not worth it!' 
                          
I shook my head, 'I'm going home, I just realised the time and I'm rather tired.' I got up with definite intentions to leave. 
                          
'Cyrus!' I heard them call after me as I walked out the door.
                          
I just had to get out of there, I completely didn't agree and I didn't want to argue. I've learnt from past arguments I should just not say anything controversial because I'll just end up having to apologise to make everyone happy anyway. I wasn't having fun anyway, usually I'm always down for taters and milkshakes but today just isn't that day. My black converse trainers hit the concrete floor as I made my way to where I wanted to go. My safe place. It's the place I can truly be myself, no one can judge me there. It's just me and the swings. I sat on my usual swing but didn't push off on the ground, I sat there for a while just thinking. The gentle breeze caressed my hair as I gripped tightly to the chains attaching the seat to the bar. I felt pretty alone. Once again, Andi and Buffy had taken absolutely no interest in my life whatsoever and just subjected me to listen to theirs. I know they don't mean to leave me out...but they do, it makes me feel worthless, maybe I am? My legs pushed the dirt/wood chip floor as I swung back and forth. Something about the swings always comforted me, it was my safe place, the only place I could truly be myself without judgement. Sure, my home is great, I have parents who I know love and care for me but I wonder if they would feel the same if they knew I'm gay. They're my professional therapists but I still have to keep some things bottled up, they're still my parents after all. Overall, I love my family so very much. I just feel down that I'm not like everyone else and I don't really fit in, even my best friends don't see me, it's as if I'm just their therapist and not their friend. My self-consciousness increased suddenly as my heart raced. Someone was watching me, I could feel it. Slowly, I looked up. To my surprise, I saw someone familiar walking towards me. TJ Kippen? As in...the TJ Kippen? Immediately looking away, I pretended not to notice him. Everyone knows not to mess with this guy, he's the captain of the boys basketball team and school bully. At least that's what I've heard. But he is Amber's sister, and she's worried about him, maybe I should-