Bi The Way

It had been a little over a week since Rodney found out Ally had transferred schools. While most students were busy discussing classes and projects, Rodney stood quietly on his own, lost in thought. His dark brown locks were slightly tousled from the morning's rush as he leaned against his locker, looking up into space. He didn't even notice Madison's approach with Matt in tow.

"Rodney," Madison called out, startling him back to reality, "Can we talk to you for a minute, we've noticed you haven't quite been yourself the past few days,"

"Yeah," Matt chimed in, leaning in on the locker next to him. "We know you didn't get any closure with Ally and we thought maybe a little payback might make you feel better,"

Rodney sighed, looking over at Matt. "Guys, I don't want to sabotage Ally," he said, not sounding all the convincing. "I just… I need to get over the fact she dumped me, even if I'll never know why."

Madison exchanged a glance with Matt, she offset her jaw unconvinced. "You sure? It would just be a small prank, just some to get a little even,"

"No," Rodney asserted, shaking his head. "Please, let's drop it. I don't want to think about Ally anymore."

"Alright, man," Matt relented. "We won't do anything."

"Good." Rodney glanced at the hallway clock, noting the time. "I should head to Drama class." He gave them a nod before he scurried off.

"Ok, see you lunch Rodney," Madison called after him, her voice laced with genuine concern.

---

The bell rang as Rodney shuffled his way into drama class. He stumbled down the aisle in the auditorium and was immediately struck by the sight of the new exchange student from Sweden, Olive. She could have been Ally's twin, with wavy blonde hair framing her face and crystal blue eyes that sparkled under the lights.

"Good morning everyone," the drama teacher announced, "As you can see we have someone new joining the class this semester, Olive Andersson," Olive stood up from her chair offering a small smile and a wave to the class before taking her seat again.

"Today we will be working on some more improv skits, please make sure our new classmate feels welcome," Ms. Barker instructed.

Rodney didn't hesitate. He strode over to Olive, who was watching the rest of the class pair off, clearly trying to figure out just how to approach them.

"Hi, Olive, I'm Rodney. Want to pair up for this?" he asked, offering his most welcoming smile.

Olive tilted her head, sizing him up before nodding slowly. "Okay, sure," she replied with a hint of a Swedish accent.

They drew a prompt from the hat about a misunderstanding at a tea party, and Rodney dove into the scene as a customer trying to order an actual tea at a girl's imaginary tea party. He noticed Olive struggling with some of the English phrases, and instinctively, he began using exaggerated gestures to bridge the language gap.

"What exactly are you trying to pull here? I gave you a ten and you gave me an empty cup!" Rodney said, pretending to tip the tea cup over and give it a shake to prove it was empty. "I've been bamboozled!"

"Bamboozled?" Olive questioned, her expression puzzled.

"Oh um, it means tricked," Rodney explained. It took a moment for Olive to put it together, as laughter bubbled up around them from the other scenes their peers were performing.

"Ah, I see!" Olive’s lips curled into a grin as she played along, "So I tricked you with no tea in the cup," she laughed at her own imaginary trick.

The class ended with the sound of the bell, and Rodney felt a sense of pride at how well they'd worked together. As they gathered their things, Olive’s smile seemed to say she was grateful Rodney asked to be her partner.

"Thanks, Rodney," she said, her voice soft but sincere. "That was fun."

"Anytime," Rodney replied, feeling a familiar flutter in his chest as he looked into her eyes. She really did look just like Ally but he told himself that her looks weren't the reason he was attracted to her. Something was intriguing about Olive, she was new and exciting. He wondered if maybe this was what he needed to really forget Ally.

"Here, let me help you with those," Rodney offered, watching Olive struggle to stuff her books back in her bag with her one free hand. He held the bag open for her, and she slid her books in with ease.

"Thank you, Rodney. You are... how you say, a gentleman?" Olive's English stuttered charmingly over the phrase, "Do you want to walk with me?"

"Uh, yeah, actually I would like that a lot," Rodney smiled, tucking his binder under his arm and leading the way through the crowded hallways. He pointed out various classrooms and landmarks, hoping to impress her with the knowledge of the school, he knew what it was like to be the new kid.

"Ah, here is my History class. Thank you again, Rodney," she said as they stopped by an open door. She was about to enter when she turned back to him. "Will I see you at lunch?"

"Definitely. I'll find you," he promised, watching her nod and disappear into the room.

Rodney strolled away, his thoughts swirling. Olive was undeniably beautiful, and she was clearly a fast learner—she caught on so quickly in their skit. She also reminded him of himself, awkward and unsure of a new school. He smiled to himself as he walked to his own class, he knew Olive and he would be friends in no time, and that idea excited him.

At lunchtime, Rodney found Olive sitting alone at a table in the corner of the cafeteria. He approached with a tray sporting two of the school’s specialties: flimsy beef tacos.

"Hey, I brought you lunch," he said, sliding the tray in front of her. "Just be careful, these tacos have been known to crumble under the smallest amount of pressure."

"You're funny," Olive laughed, eyeing the tacos. "This is very kind of you,"

"It's nothing really. I know what is like to be the new kid in a small town. I just want to make sure you feel comfortable, that's all," Rodney could feel himself blush under her gaze.

"I see," she replied with a shrug, watching the crimson spread across his face. "Maybe we could... hang out. After school ends, study together?"

"Deal," Rodney agreed, excited to hang out with her again.

---

They met every day after school for the next week, Rodney would help her understand all the slang used around the school and she would teach him a little Swedish. Finally Olive asked Rodney to meet her at Crabby Joe's instead of their usual meet-up at the park. At the restaurant, the vibe was casual, with brown paper stretched over the tables. Olive scanned the menu in their booth, before looking up at the waiter with a confident smile.

"I will have a glass of merlot, please."

"Do you have an ID I could see? You have to be nineteen to drink here," the waiter replied eyeing her.

"Really? That's disappointing," Olive sighed, turning to Rodney with a frown.

"Well... we could head back to my place after dinner. My mom gets gifted wine bottles all the time, and she never drinks them," Rodney suggested, wanting to see Olive smile again. Deep down he knew his mom would never allow it.

"Perfect," Olive said, her mood instantly brightening.

After their dinner, they walked back to Rodney's house. Pushing through the front door, Rodney noticed the small note from his mom explaining she picked up a shift. He breathed a sigh of relief knowing now he actually could offer wine to Olive.

"Looks like it will just be us tonight," Rodney explained while retrieving a dusty bottle from the cabinet.

"Oh, like a date," Olive said with a mischievous smile, leading the way to the couch. Rodney could feel his heart skip a beat at this thought.

Rodney sorted through the kitchen cabinets in search of a corkscrew. Pulling it from the back of the drawer he popped the cork and poured two glasses of red. He handed one to Olive and then fumbled with the remote to get Netflix running. He pressed play on the first rom-com he found, hoping to get settled in with Olive. His mind raced with thoughts about whether this was actually a date or if she was just joking with her comment about it.

"Thanks for doing this," Olive said, raising her glass slightly. "I didn't know Canada had such strange rules,"

"Anytime," Rodney replied, feeling a mix of excitement and anxiety as he tried to focus on the movie and not on the fact she said it was like a date. He didn't want to risk screwing that moment up.

The glow of the television faintly illuminated Rodney's face as he sat, slightly slouched, on the couch beside Olive. He could feel the warmth of her body edging closer to his own with every passing scene of the movie—a standard film that was more for background noise than actual entertainment.

"What a funny little man," Olive commented on the movie, but her eyes were not on the screen; they were locked onto Rodney's profile.

"Uh-huh," he muttered, taking a larger than expected gulp of wine. His mind was wrestling with the idea of leaning in to kiss her. Would it be too soon? Was he reading the situation all wrong?

As if reading his thoughts, Olive shifted, her knee brushing against his leg. He glanced up, feeling the need for a little more liquid courage but the wine bottle on the coffee table was empty. Did I really drink that much? He thought.

"Rodney?" Olive's voice pulled him from his internal monologue, and before he could respond, she had closed the gap between them, pressing her lips to his. The kiss was bold and confident—like something out of a romance novel. It took him a moment to catch his breath and for his brain to catch up to the situation.

He kissed her back, caught up in the moment, his hand finding its way into her hair. It felt natural until her hand glided down his chest and below the belt, and then everything inside him screamed to a halt. Rodney jerked away, heart pounding.

"Olive, wait—I..." he stammered, searching for words that wouldn't offend her, as she looked at him surprised.

"What's wrong?" Olive looked at him, confusion etched across her face.

"I just... I mean I'm sure if... Maybe we are moving a little too fast," Rodney said, bracing himself for the fallout.

She laughed, a light, carefree sound. "I like you, Rodney. You are sweet and kind. I want to have a little fun with you while I am here,"

His chest tightened. He wanted her to stay, to laugh, to be there with him, but he wasn't ready for the kind of "fun" she was suggesting. Grasping for an excuse, he said quickly, "My mom's shift ends really soon. I don't think we have time for that now, I'm sorry." Rodney did his best to act disappointed.

"Alright, another time then," Olive said, accepting his lie with ease. She gave him one last kiss before gathering her things and leaving Rodney alone with his thoughts.

---

The next day, Rodney found himself taking detours to class to avoid crossing paths with Olive outside of drama. He decided to have lunch in the library just to be safe, where he spotted Derek hunched over a textbook.

"Hey, Derek," Rodney greeted, sliding into the chair across from him.

"Rodney! What are you doing here? where's that girl you've been following around?" Derek's eyes lifted from the pages, concern and curiosity mingling in his voice.

"Well um something weird happened the other night," Rodney started, then hesitated. "We were um.. watching a movie. Nothing crazy, but then she..."

"She what?" Derek cocked his head, trying to piece together what Rodney was trying to tell him.

"Well, we kissed." Rodney traced the edge of the desk, not sure how to explain what happened next. "It was more like we made out."

Derek leaned in, giving his full attention. "And..."

"Her hands wandered and she reached for my..." Rodney looked down at his pants, feeling his stomach tie in knots. Derek followed his gaze and looked confused, "I think she wanted to have sex, but I don't think I want to." Rodney whispered so quietly, that Derek almost missed it.

"Rodney, if you're not ready, you're not ready. Just be honest and tell her that," Derek advised firmly, trying to hide his amusement about the whole situation.

"But I really like her, maybe I should just do it? I mean it's not a big deal, right?" Rodney's eyes darted around the library making sure no one was listening in.

"Rodney, I wasn't going to say it but you know who she looks like right?" Derek said pointedly. "We've all noticed she is an Ally clone. My question is do you really like Olive? or are you just working out your feelings for Ally here?"

"Olive is not Ally," Rodney protested.

"I know that, but can you name one thing the two of you have in common? Like a real genuine thing?" Derek raised an eyebrow.

Rodney wracked his mind for one thing that was distinctly Olive that he liked, "She's really funny," Rodney said, not offering any specifics. "And she, well she likes me, isn't that enough?"

"Is it enough?" Derek replied, clapping him on the shoulder. "I think you need to really ask yourself what you want here,"

"You're right," Rodney muttered as the bell rang to end lunch. Rodney left the library with a heavy heart, knowing deep down he didn't want to be with Olive that way. In fact, he felt a little relieved at the thought of being pressured to have a relationship with her.

---

Derek's thumbs hovered over his phone screen as he left the library. He knew Rodney was going to break things off with Olive—he could see it on his face when he left. He just wasn't sure how Rodney would feel after he did it, he tapped out a message to Matt and Madison.

'Rodney's go to stop seeing Olive,' he wrote. 'Things went sideways on their date. We gotta be there for him on this one.'

Seconds ticked by while Derek worked away in his accounting class. Then came Madison's reply, her text causing his phone to buzz: 'Oh thank god. I mean we can all agree it was super weird that he was obsessing over an Ally clone. I don't think Rodney is over her at all.'

Derek hesitated before risking getting his phone taken to reply. 'Agreed it was weird,' he texted back. 'Just wish there was something we could do to snap him out of this.'

'I can think of a way,' Matt replied to the group chat. 'Ally got a call back for her audition. I say we sabotage it, Rodney never has to know.'

'You're still on that?' Derek rolled his eyes, 'Rodney doesn't want that.'

'All Rodney needs to know is she didn't get the part, it could make him feel better,' Madison explained. leaving Derek unsure of what the right move was to make his best friend better.

---

That evening Derek sat in his car outside of Ally's house. He watched the time on his dashboard clock tick away. This was for Rodney, he reminded himself. One messed-up audition wouldn't hurt Ally in the long run anyway he reasoned with himself.

Inside her home, Ally glanced at her reflection, smoothing down her Alice-blue dress. The chime of her phone interrupted the moment. Madison's name flashed on the screen.

"Hey, Madison! I don't really have time right now," Ally said, balancing the phone between her ear and shoulder as she slipped on her shoes.

"Girl, you have to hear this," Madison's voice, bubbled with fake excitement. She launched into a story about the football team getting caught hazing a new member in the changeroom.

"Madison, that sounds really interesting. But I have my call back tonight and I really need to go," Ally interjected, trying to sound as polite as possible.

"Right, right, I just miss you, girl," Madison sighed.

"I miss you too, we'll catch up later," Ally ended the call more abruptly than she intended and headed for the door, only to find someone had left their bike behind her car. With an exasperated huff, she decided to walk to the theatre, slamming her car door and heading down the street. The theatre was close enough; she could make it if she hurried.

Outside the theatre, Matt loitered near the entrance, watching for Ally. His role was clear: be the final hurdle for Ally. But as he scanned the arriving crowd, he caught sight of an unexpected figure approaching—Rodney.

"Rodney? What are you doing here?" Matt sputtered, realizing he had been caught.

"Derek was acting weird so I followed him after school," Rodney said, his voice stronger than Matt anticipated. "When he parked at Ally's I put it all together."

"I'm sorry, man. I know you told us not to but you just aren't you lately." Matt apologized. "We just figured if you heard Ally didn't get the part you might feel just a little better," Matt tried to read how Rodney was feeling, looking into his eyes.

"I get it. If I'm being honest I don't know what would make me feel better," Rodney admitted, "But right now pizza with a friend wouldn't hurt,"

"Matt smiled, "Alright pizza it is then," and the two headed out into the night.