Let's Talk About Murder

25 | can you keep a secret

7TH NOVEMBER.
ORION ACADEMY:
CAMPUS

SHE SHOVED THE students interrupting her way to find Joshua. She held her book tightly to her chest as she strode through the campus. From a distance, she saw Yumi walking in Aphrodite's direction with a frown on her face. Yumi's eyes met hers and she looked away.

Aphrodite furrowed her eyebrows. "Hey, have you--" Yumi walked past her without listening to what she had to say. She called her out but Yumi sprinted away to her class. This was the second time Yumi had ignored her. Aphrodite scratched the back of her neck, thinking if she had done something wrong.

If only she knew.

Before she could think more about it, her eyes fell on a bench where Joshua was sitting with his arm around a slender girl. She had raven-black hair and a small but athletic figure. Aphrodite arched her eyebrows at them. She stormed to that bench.

"Joshua Robert St. Claire," she called him out. "Can we talk for a moment?" Aphrodite's voice was nowhere close to soft. She was mad at him and she had to show him that.

"Oh, hey, Aphy." He smiled despite her outburst. "Meet Jessica." He turned to Jessica. "She's my sister Aphrodite."

"Hey, Aphrodite. Josh talks a lot about you. It's nice to finally meet you." Aphrodite forced a smile and snapped her head back to Joshua.

He rolled his eyes as he excused himself from Jessica. They walked a little farther away from Jessica. He sighed. "Can you be a little nicer? It would make my day," he deadpanned.

"I don't care which girl you're flirting with right now, Josh. I--"

"Oh, yeah?" He mocked. "Didn't you just ask me which sophomore I was dating a couple of weeks ago?"

"Don't cut me off," she scowled. "Did you tell Mom that I was at a party last night? Because there is no other way she could know."

"Were you?"

"Don't play innocent, asshole. You were there too with Jessica."

"But that's the thing, Aphy. My grades never fall despite my reckless behaviour and I can drink legally. You can't. So, be careful where you are next time," he smiled and booped her before turning to walk away. Rage fuelled into her system. Aphrodite narrowed her eyes as she watched Joshua sit beside Jessica and place a kiss on her cheek.

She groaned. He will pay.

•••

"All, right. Enough of this," Aphrodite slammed her tray on the table and slid into the booth to sit across from Yumi whose half-eaten fry falls from her mouth. "Why are you ignoring me?"

Yumi sipped some water. "I wasn't trying to." She didn't know what to say so she just blurted those words out

"Don't lie to me, Yums. We are better than that. We're friends now. Did I do something wrong?"

That's the thing--you did nothing. She gulped those words down her throat. "I feel sick today. I didn't want to strike up a conversation or anything." Yumi was fluent with lying. She had been doing that for years now.

"That's it?"

Yumi nodded. "Yea--"

"Hey, guys. What are y'all talking about?" Karan smiled as he sat beside Yumi. He picked a fry from her tray and munched it down. Yumi slapped his arm but he stuck his tongue out teasingly and picked another one.

"Nothing. I was telling her how a cat barked at me today," Aphrodite said sarcastically. Karan nodded at her.

"Hm, cool." He chewed one more fry. "I once ate a cockroach, ya know," He said nonchalantly.

"You did what?" West asked with a horrific look on his face as he sat beside him. Lex followed him and slid to sit beside Aphrodite, offering her a half-smile which she charmingly returned. "God, who have I become friends with?"

"I know you guys love me," Karan winked.

"So, Karan," Aphrodite landed her face on her palm as her elbow rested on the table. Her eyes fixed on Karan. Karen slipped an uh-oh under his breath. "How did the date go?"

Karan ran a finger through his wavy hair. "Ah, it was perfect. We talked about some things and then we even kissed. It was magical. I was thinking of taking him to the Charity Ball next semester but..." He blushed as he stared at his plate. Lex arched an eyebrow. "He, um, can we keep this a secret? My parents don't know and I, um. I can't tell them yet." When everyone nodded at him, he continued. "He is the son of a family friend. When I moved here, his parents sorta helped me with the customs and other things here."

"Do you like him?" Lex asked. "For real?"

"I've had a crush on him since I first met him five years ago. I just didn't know I was gay back then."

"Are you afraid that your parents won't like your sexuality?" Yumi asked, her voice low and almost inaudible.

"They'll hate me for it," Karan laughed with no emotion. "I'll be a disgrace to the family and they'll make my sexuality my identity and I don't want that. I'm gay, yes. But I'm more than whom I like. They won't understand."

Aphrodite glanced at Lex and smiled at him before looking back at Karan. "If you need anything, we're here." She said with a nod.

"Thank you. I--" He was cut short by a buzzing noise of their phone. Even though Karan's words were still heavy in the air, a smile curled up on everyone's face as they shuffled through their bags and pockets to get to their phones.

•••

HOW WONDERFUL IT IS TO SEE YOU WORK

BUT THIS TIME YOU ALL HAVE TO BE A JERK.

ON THE CAFÉ FLOOR, STICK A LOT OF FAKE COINS

THIS WILL HELP YOU EARN A FEW POINTS

~ the black hole

•••

header image by Ross Sneddon

also, poor Karan:( it hurts my soul to have this heavy feeling in his heart because he knows that his parents will not accept his sexuality.

anyway, I hope you have a great day/night!

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