Go Your Own Way by Zane Riley

because they were determined to ruin his life.
    “There isn’t much to tell,” Will said.
    “Oh, no. You aren’t playing that game with me, William Elliot Osborne.”
    “It’s the truth!”
    “Not the way Lennox tells it,” Natasha said.
    “And you’re going to believe him over me ?”
    “About this? Probably.” Natasha smiled at him and flipped to the worksheet in their packet. “We’re doing the first article for the food section. I bet Lennox would have a few suggestions.”
    “Yeah, and I bet every single one has dick as an ingredient.”
    Natasha made a rude gesture at him. For the rest of class, both of the girls ignored him. Every time Will tried to make a suggestion, Natasha knocked his arm off his desk and Roxanne kicked him in the shin. Chester fell asleep sitting up and Will wished he had a handy cliff to throw all of them over.
    “All right,” he said. “We kissed, okay?”
    Those words were what they’d been waiting for. Roxanne shrieked. Natasha bounced about in her chair and scattered their packets everywhere. Mrs. Andruis hurried over to tell them off, and Will was grateful. Now, he didn’t have to bother explaining. Not until the lunch bell, anyway, when the girls took him by the arms and marched him down the hallway.
    “What was it like?” Roxanne asked.
    “Does he kiss as well as I think he does?” Natasha said.
    “Did he use tongue?”
    Will groaned and tried to pull himself free. Instead, he found himself being dragged sideways into the pizza line as Natasha shook him until his head hurt. Roxanne grabbed three trays and set them on the tray railing along the counter. Natasha shouldered Will toward the first station
    “I don’t want pizza.”
    The cafeteria lady served Will a slice of pizza and Roxanne shoved his tray into his chest.
    “It was… kissing. I don’t know. What does it matter if he was good or used tongue?” Will said. “It’s not happening again. He’s vile and I’m… I’m waiting for someone better.”
    They paid for lunch, and the girls dragged Will to a far corner and shoved him onto the bench for further interrogation.
    “How could you not at least give this a chance?” Roxanne demanded.
    “Do you not listen to half of the things that come out of his mouth? I want romance. I want first dates and being walked to my door and to look into someone’s eyes and trust them. That’s not going to happen with Lennox.”
    Natasha huffed and flipped her braid into his face. “Says who? Sure, he’s rough. He’s obnoxious and vulgar , but he’s really cute and he’s not in the closet. Everyone has sucky qualities. But you do like him. I mean, it’s your call, but maybe he doesn’t just want to get nasty and naked with you.”
    “Or maybe he does,” Roxanne said. Will ignored her and opened his milk carton.
    The girls left him alone about Lennox after that. In chemistry class, Lennox was present, but he kept to himself instead of pes­tering Will. He didn’t even make eye contact. It bugged Will a lot. Sure, he’d asked Lennox to leave him alone, but still. Lennox didn’t listen to anyone, yet he was leaving him alone as he’d asked.
    Lennox spent class with two giggly cheerleaders, and then stayed after the final bell at Ms. Mentore’s request. Will could guess what that was about. Last class, Lennox had walked out, and Ms. Mentore was probably handing him a few more detentions to add to his growing pile.
    Will didn’t linger. He sped off to the band room for his own detention and started on Mr. Robinette’s list for today. Lennox arrived late, but neither of them talked, despite the many glances Will shot him. By half past four, they’d finished marking off the floor with tape, organized the sheet music by instrument and difficulty level and made the linoleum gleam from a fresh mopping.
    Will stalled his truck three times on the drive home. He shifted into the wrong gear, missed the clutch twice and almost ran a stop sign.
    Why wasn’t Lennox