Holly's POV

I feel like I'm floating in the middle of a rough ocean. A roaring fills my ears, my vision blurs and my body feels like it's taking a beating. Yet I'm still standing in the school hallway.

Everything was normal in my world until five minutes ago when that guy, Derek I think his name is, kissed Kyla in front of everyone then publicly announced they're dating. I mean, what the hell? She's MY girlfriend. We were only together yesterday and now this random guy is claiming my girlfriend.

Tanya continues to talk to me just likes she's been doing for the last few minutes, completely unaware that my focus is elsewhere.

"I feel sick." I find myself saying out loud.

"Oh. You have gone very pale; do you want help going to the nurse?" she says but I don't hear her. The roaring in my ears is drowning her out word by word.

"I got to get out of here." I say nearly running away from a surprised Tanya. I don't stop as she calls after me, all I can think about is getting away from people. Crashing through doors and shoving people out the way. The trail I leave is a blur.

When I crash down, I don't know where I am, I just know that I appear to be alone. Which is good because I can no longer hold the tears at bay.

Is she cheating on me? We both decided not to tell anyone about our relationship when we started. While I have great parents that I'm pretty sure will still love me when I eventually come out to them. Kyla's parents have a bit more of an old-school small-town money type of personality. She's regularly told me about the off-hand comments her parents have made that suggest they would not be happy to find out their daughter is a lesbian.

Would this lead to Kyla getting a boyfriend to please them?

I'm a pathetic mess when I catch voices in the air. From where I am nobody can see me but if they get close enough they might be able to hear me. With great effort I manage to pull the sobs back to silent tears. As good as I can hope for right now. Bloody hell I'm a mess right now.

"You guys go ahead, I'll be right behind you. I just need to run back for something I left in my locker." A minute passes as the sound of footsteps retreat. I'm just thinking it's safe for me to let loose the choking sobs again when, "Okay, you can come out now. It's just the two of us here and I won't hurt you." A gentle voice calls out.

I don't know what possess me to step out of my safety spot but I find my feet pulling me toward the mysterious boy.

The last boy I would expect to see stands before me, Mason Lock, the captain of the wrestling team. "There you are. Are you alright? I could hear you crying, I'm a good listener if you want to talk."

"Why are you being nice to me?" I blurt out, my head not on straight at the moment, my filter seems to be broken along with my heart.

He smiles at my dumb question. "My Momma raised a gentleman." I continue to state at him. "Honestly, I just want to help. I know I may be a dumb jock but I'm not a bad guy."

I sit down heavily on what appears to be bleachers, I'm still not sure where I am. "I don't buy into the stereo types, just because you play sports don't mean you can't be book smart."

He sits down next to me. "Thanks. So, do you want to talk about it? Telling a stranger is usually easier than talking to friends."

"Derek kissed Kyla, and told everyone they're dating." I state, fighting back the fresh tears that quickly build up. My throat is burning with the effort and my sight is blurry.

"And you liked Derek?" he asks.

"God no." I screech out. Why the hell did he ask that?

"Good because he's a dick." He side smiles at me. The wheels start turning in Mason's head but he doesn't seem to put the pieces together. After a moment he scratches his eyebrow. "I'm confused then, if you don't like Derek then why are you upset?"

"Because it's not Derek I like."

The truth slowly dawns in his eyes. "Ohh. You mean you like Kyla?"

I sigh, nodding. "I thought we were in love, at least that's what she tells me."

"Wait! Are you saying that you're dating Kyla?" he asks in shock. His voice rising. I nod. "Fucking hell. I didn't even know you two knew each other let alone were dating."

"Nobody does. The only people that know we're friends are my parents, and even they don't know the full picture." I say flatly.

"Wow, you two are the masters at secrets."

"Not like it matters anymore now. Everything changed twenty minutes ago when Derek kissed her." I sigh dejectedly. The initial tears seem to have stopped but now all I feel is numb.

Mason goes quiet, seemingly lost in thought. "I may not know Kyla that well, but she's definitely the nicest in that group of posh idiots. She doesn't seem like the type to cheat. How long have the two of you been together?"

"Year and a half."

"Fuck." He mutters. "Sorry for my language. That's a long time together, if you love her like you say you do, don't you think you should give her a chance to explain?"

"I don't see how she can explain her way out of this." I sulk.

"The answer may be simpler than you think, but you should find out what it is. Don't want to regret it down the line."

I take a moment to consider his words. Should I just forgive her because I love her? No that's not what he's saying, he just thinks I should give her a chance to explain. Maybe there is an explanation that I can't come-up with. It seems unlikely but he's right, I would regret it if I didn't know what happened out there. I just wish I could get the image of Derek's lips on my girl out of my head.

"Thank you. Can you not tell anyone what we've just talked about." I ask, suddenly nervous. Bit late now considering everything I just told him.

"Don't worry about it. You'll find I already have practise with this topic."

That shocks me. "You know someone who's gay?" He nods, pointing his thumbs at himself. "You?" my eyes widen.

"Only my sister knows. She's a few years older, married with a baby, but we're still close." He shrugs with an air of embarrassment, like I'm going to judge him for being close to his sister.

"I'm glad you've got someone who knows." I say feeling a little jealous that he has someone that he feels comfortable enough to tell this big revelation to where as the only person who knows about me is my girlfriend.

"Now we've both got that extra person in the know." He smiles, warmly at me. "I think we're both really late for lesson." He says with a quick look at his watch.

I laugh. Class is the last thing on my mind. "I think I need your help finding my way back to class because I have no idea where I am right now." I say looking around the room. It appears to be a gym but not the one I usually go to.

He laughs with me. "No problem."