Bi The Way

Marcy pushed through the bustling cafeteria doors, her gaze immediately drawn to Derek's hunched figure at their usual table by the window. He ran his fingers through his ruffled hair as he went over his note for the upcoming physics test. She approached him clearly on a mission, she had heard all about the weekend's movie night and was done with her boyfriend and brother's silly feud.

"Really, Derek," Marcy said, giving him a look that let him know exactly what he was in for. Derek straightened up, knowing exactly what this was going to be about, he had been dreading it all weekend.

"What is the matter with the two of you? I mean for two people who claim to want to be friends again you sure have a funny way of showing it." Marcy's tone was sharp, with a tinge of annoyance. She slipped onto the chair across from him, waiting for his response.

Derek blinked, trying to form a sentence that wouldn't make things worse. "Matt! I mean of all the people Rodney could be friends with he chose Matt!" He knew that wasn't right but he couldn't stop himself, he still couldn't believe after everything that happened last year Rodney would befriend the enemy.

"Yes, Matt. You're going to have to get over it" Marcy tilted her head, it was clear she no longer had the patience for this. "As I recall Parker moved away, Ally dumped him and he thought his best friend was mad at him. So guess what? He made another friend,"

He exhaled, he knew Marcy did have a point. "I know, I should have made up with him sooner. And you're right, I can't blame Rodney for finding another friend" But the fact he was friends with Matt now rubbed Derek the wrong way.

Marcy sighed; she loved the guy even though he could be a bit thick at times. Leaning forward, she took his hand in hers. "So the whole anger thing is more about Matt than Rodney?"

"Yeah, you know Matt sucks but becoming friends with someone who doesn't deserve it is a very Rodney move." Derek half smiled to himself, Rodney did have a weird thing about trying to be friends with everybody.

"So talk to Rodney," Marcy instructed, sensing Derek's change in mood, "I want you both to be friends again and I want you both there for my solo."

"Wait you got the part?" Derek perked up, interest piquing as he leaned closer. "That's amazing, Marcy! Your first solo—I wouldn't miss it for the world."

Their lips met, and they lingered for a moment, mingling shared joy and quiet support. Pulling back, Marcy smiled at Derek, she hoped that things between him and her brother would finally go back to normal after this.

"Come on," she beckoned, standing and tugging gently at his hand. "Walk me to class and I will tell you all about how I nailed my audition."

As they stood together, the noisy cafeteria faded into the distance, they headed down the hall as Marcy began to recount the whole audition process to him.

---

Two days later, Derek straightened his tie in the mirror, the deep blue fabric contrasting against his ivory white shirt. The clock on his nightstand read 4:30 pm—plenty of time before the Christmas concert began. He promised he would be there early, front and center, so she knew he was there for her.

His Take on Me ring ringtone shattered the silence. He snatched it up without glancing at the caller ID. "Hello?"

"Hey, Derek!" Sunny's voice crackled with excitement through the speaker. "You live close to Western University right? My brother's robotics team is having a gala tonight, and they're showcasing their latest tech. If you're interested then you should come out."

"Tonight?" Derek's mind raced, calculating the hours. "What time does it start?"

"Right now! But it'll go on for a while. Even if you have a few minutes you should stop by."

He hesitated, his gaze darting to the clock again. There were still three hours before the concert started and both events were in London. If he left right now he would have more than enough time to do both, he told himself.

"Alright, I'll swing by," he decided, excited to see more of the university lifestyle and clubs they had to offer. "But I can't stay long. Marcy's concert..."

"Perfect! See you soon!" Sunny said before hanging up abruptly.

Derek rolled his eyes before throwing on his coat and heading out into the cold winter night.

---

The roads were back up due to the snow and it took Derek a little longer than he thought to get to Western. The robotics gala was in full swing by the time he found the right building. Derek's eyes jumped from one mechanical feat to the next as he navigated through the crowds, trying to take in as much as he could before his time ran out. Eventually, he bumped into Sunny and lost himself in conversations about artificial intelligence and mechanical engineering.

"My brother is going to be on the main stage with his team in an hour, they are going to demonstrate their server bots technology to get food hot or cold depending on the order." Sunny nudged him, her eyes bright.

"That sounds awesome," Derek agreed, he couldn't wait to see it, he wished Marcy was here to see it too.

Suddenly, the realization dawned on him—Marcy's concert. He had totally lost track of time. He glanced at his phone, and his stomach dropped. 7:45 pm, he was fifteen minutes late already.

"Damn it, I have to go," he blurted, darting away from the display with a hasty goodbye. He prayed that Marcy's solo was closer to the end of the concert.

---

The icy December air bit at his cheeks as Derek sprinted back to the palace theater, the soles of his dress shoes slapping against the icy pavement. His breath came out in ragged gasps, as he made his way inside.

Bursting through the theater doors, he found a seat just as a stand ovation broke out through the audience. Derek craned his neck, searching for Marcy, but the choir was already exiting the stage.

"Excuse me," he whispered frantically to the woman beside him. "Where are they going?"

"That was the end, dear," she replied with a smile, though her look made Derek feel like an idiot. "Their singing was though wasn't it."

No. No, no, no. Derek shot out of the seat, he needed to find Marcy and explain everything to her.

He spotted Marcy coming out backstage, she was chatting with her fellow choir members. Her eyes met his across the distance and her cheery demeanor melted away, replaced with a hurt expression.

"Marcy, I—" Derek began, his voice faltering as he approached her.

"Save it," she cut him off, her voice quivering with barely contained emotion. "You promised you'd be here. For me. And you weren't."

"I lost track of time, Sunny called and she wanted me to see a robotic thing and —I'm so sorry," he stammered, he knew he had really hurt her.

"So Sunny's thing was more important than mine?" Marcy said, turning away. "Derek you know how hard I worked for this, how much time I spent practicing and you promised me you would be here, you chose robotics over me."

"Marcy, please—"

"I don't want to talk about it," she interrupted, her voice final. "Just go."

Defeated, Derek backed away, he didn't want to push it. He left the auditorium, knowing this was the biggest screw-up he could have made and cursing himself for not turning down the gala.

Behind him, Marcy sank onto the steps, tears spilling over despite her efforts to hold them back. Her mother sat beside her, offering a silent presence, her hand tentatively finding hers. "It's okay," she murmured. "You were amazing, you're dad would have been so proud of you."

As Derek drove home that night, he realized that it would take a massive gesture to show Marcy how deeply sorry he really was.

At home, Derek's gaze was fixed on the ceiling, connecting the dots with dust that clung to it. His bed, usually soft and comforting, now felt like it was filled with rocks. His phone vibrated on his nightstand but he didn't feel like answering, he was too busy wallowing.

"Hey, it's Rodney. I was hoping we could talk, let me know when you get this." The voice message played back, but Derek couldn't bring himself to call back, luckily he didn't have to because the phone began to ring again.

"Hello?" Derek croaked, preparing himself to get reamed out.

"Hey, uh... I heard about what happened tonight," Rodney said, clearly hesitating. "Are you alright?"

"Rodney, I screwed up big time." Derek sat up, pressing the phone harder against his ear as he wondered why Rodney would be checking in on him after what he did.

"I know, screwing up is something we have in common," Rodney attempted to joke, wanting to lift Derek's spirits a little, he knew once the dust settled and Derek apologized Marcy would take him back, she loved Derek after all. "Just give her time, she cares a lot about you."

"Thanks, Rod," Derek managed, still feeling weird about everything. "I guess this means she won't forgive before the weekend though, we were going to drive up to U of T together."

"Yeah, I don't think there is an apology great enough to fix things that quickly," Rodney admitted, not sure where to go from here. He wasn't sure if this meant they were friends again or if they still had things to work out. "Well, if you need anything let me know and thanks for picking up. Night Derek,"

"Night Rod," Derek sighed into the phone before hanging up. He rolled back over in bed and continued his analysis of the ceiling. Some way, some how he was going to fix this.

---

Derek's living room was overflowing with the chaos that was Derek's little sister, Lola, her laughter bouncing off the walls and ringing in Rodney's ears as he stepped over a minefield of Legos.

"I'm really sorry about this Rodney but our babysitter canceled last minute" Derek apologized, as he led Rodney toward the kitchen. "Are you sure you want to do this? I feel kind of guilty like I am taking advantage of you,"

"I said I was here for you, and I think I can Lola for a weekend," Rodney confirmed, hoping to prove himself as a friend once again.

"Really Rodney thank you, I swear we will have a proper hang out when I get back," Derek said, "There are some things I need to apologize for,"

"We can talk when you get back from U of T," Rodney said with a smile. He pushed Derek toward the door where his parents met him. Derek gave him a wave as he got in the car.

Left alone, Rodney eyed the list of house rules written in Derek's mom's perfect handwriting: Bedtime at eight, No sweets after dinner, One episode of Paw Patrol only. The list went on and on for three pages.

"I mean what they don't know can't hurt them," Rodney huffed, overwhelmed by the rules. Lola continued to dump more of her toys over the living room floor. "Uh, Lola why don't we watch some TV."

"Yay! Paw Patrol!" she squealed, diving onto the couch and stuffing her hands between the cushions to find the missing remote.

With Lola successfully distracted, Rodney navigated YouTube on his phone. 'How to babysit' he typed, before scrolling through the endless stream of contradictory advice. He decided his best bet was to choose the one with the most views. He clicked on it, his eyes darting between the screen and Lola, who was so caught up in her show that she was almost unaware of his presence in the room.

"Make sure to establish authority early," the video advised, featuring a confident young woman with three perfectly behaving toddlers in the background.

Rodney glanced at Lola, who was currently trying to balance the remote on her nose while she watched her show. How exactly do you establish your authority, he mused, these videos don't actually tell you how to do anything.

"Alright, Lola, looks like we're going to be partners in crime tonight," he muttered to himself, deciding to wing it. He was going to rock this and prove to Derek he was there for him; there would be no repeat of the university application letdown.

After an hour of negotiations; Lola was nestled in her bed, her breaths even and deep. Rodney collapsed onto the couch, a sigh of relief puffing his cheeks as he wondered if fifty dollars was really enough from this. He freed his phone from his pocket, the soft glow of the screen illuminating his face. He paused at a post from Ally, a selfie with a flushed face, and a red nose.

"Sucks to get sick just before your big day," the caption read. Rodney's fingers hovered over the photo, wondering if he should comment or send an emoji or something. Then again they hadn't really talked since the night she broke his heart and he wasn't really sure he wanted to talk to her yet either.

"Maybe I can do something nice without her knowing it was me," he whispered to himself, the question is what? His thumb danced across the screen as he looked up restaurants that deliver in town until Muggs appeared on his screen.

"Her favorite is the vanilla chai latte, right?" he whispered to himself, recalling her order from countless afternoons spent together. A few taps later, and it was done—the warm, spiced drink would find its way to her doorstep, a liquid hug from... well, she didn't need to know who exactly.

---

"Alex, come on, pick up," Ally croaked, as she redialed her boyfriend's number, her finger pushing the call button for the fourth time that night. The phone rang for what felt like forever before Alex's voicemail picked up yet again. She tossed the phone aside, coughing into a crumpled tissue.

"Hey, sweetie," her mom said, entering with a steaming coffee cup. "Look what just arrived for you."

"Is that for me?" Ally perked up, her eyes locked on the Muggs logo on the cup.

"It sure is, seems like someone knows when you need a pick me up." Her mom handed her the steaming cup, the scent of cinnamon and vanilla filled Ally's clogged nostrils.

"Alex is the greatest isn't he?" Ally smiled as she took the cup from her mother, warming her fingertips.

"He's a keeper," Her mom said with a smile, stroking her daughter's hair.

"Definitely," Ally agreed, taking a sip. The familiar taste brought comfort, and she leaned back against her pillows. She knew it had to be from Alex, he had made her this very drink a hundred times before.

"Thanks, Mom," she said, already feeling her airways clearing, She made a mental note to thank Alex first thing in the morning.