sanctuary || d. wayne

FOURTEEN

OUTSIDE GOTHAM HIGH
NOVEMBER 14TH
15:01 PM

Noelle sighs as she and Silas follow the crowd to the doors. School was finally over for the day, and Noelle was ready to go home.

"I'm just saying," Noelle starts, hands up defensively, "that I think Christian seems to be a better choice."

"Noelle, you can't just ship people in real life," Silas argues before rolling his eyes. "That's not how it works."

"I can and I am," Noelle retorts with the puff of her cheeks. "I see how close you two are getting. I notice all the touching, mind you. And quite frankly? It's adorable."

"I'm sorry, why are we talking about this?" Silas huffs out, "after your weekend, you shouldn't even be here right now."

"Not to guilt-trip you into talking about your sexuality, but the distraction from my thoughts is very needed," Noelle sighs before giving a teasing grin. "Besides," she bumps her hip against his, "you're my best friend. These things are important to me as much as they are to you."

She enjoyed seeing his cheeks redden.

"You just don't want another Jade in our midst." The joke sounded a little forced as if he wasn't sure if it was something to laugh about yet. As much as Noelle hated the entire situation, it looked like Silas was ready to start moving on. So, she chuckles before nodding her agreement.

"You're right," she teases, "but Christian seems to like you."

Silas rolls his eyes as they finally make it outside, greeted by the chilly air. "I don't even know if I'm..."

Noelle glances at him, watching him look at the tile floor in contemplation. She steps in front of him, stopping him from moving any further.

With a determined look, Noelle looks him in the eye. He frowns in confusion. "Look, I have no experience with this like, at all. It's up to you to figure this out. Answer this: Do you like him?"

"I..." Silas pauses for a moment, allowing his cheeks to redden just a little. "I think so."

"Then there's a chance you like dudes, right?"

"I mean, yeah, but I know I like girls."

"Then you like both." Noelle grins before shrugging. "There's no reason you have to choose one. Remember that girl you were with on Halloween?"

"Honestly? Not really. After the first hour, everything's kinda fuzzy."

Noelle rolls her eyes. "Well, she was bi. Drunk her is very...touchy, not to say that reflects her sexuality in any way, I just figured that would help you remember. Anyway," Noelle waves her hands, clearing the distraction from her mind before resuming with, "she likes girls and boys. Maybe...maybe you're like that?"

"Maybe," Silas mumbles. "But even if I am, I don't think Christian is. Like, at all."

"That's true, his touches could be seen as platonic. But I don't believe they are," Noelle declares, before resuming their walk out of the school. They ignore the students standing still at the bottom of the stairs. "I get a vibe off of him, especially when he's with you. And other than the Halloween party, he takes good care of you, right?"

Silas gives a bashful smile. "Yeah, he does, usually."

"Exactly!" Noelle pinches his upper arm. "Want me to do a little snooping? If you arrange for the three of us to meet, you can make an excuse to go to the bathroom or something and I'll be able to mooch some info out of him."