Love and Red Coloured Ties

Chapter song: if u think i'm pretty - Artemas 

East Laurence was in the lead, with the score being 16-10 but Westwood was still holding their own, making the game both exciting and nerve racking for the students watching. 

Despite scoring numerous points, the team captain of the East Laurence Chimeras maintained a stoic expression even as his teammates cheered after their victories. They had won the first set and were now in the lead, but evn then, Agares' face remained unchanged. Amélie who had been observing him intently felt a wave of frustration at his indifference; the more she watched him, the more she realized he seemed to have only one expression.

"I know it's probably wrong for me to say this as a woman, but that guy really needs to smile more. Why is he being such a sourpuss when your team is obviously winning?" she exclaimed.

Julius blinked in surprise, taken aback by her words. The gym had quieted as the opposing team called a timeout, and the honey-blond struggled to suppress a laugh while Silas, oblivious to the quiet of the gym, laughed so loudly that their group attracted curious stares and glances from the crowd, even attracting the attention of the players on the court.

Feeling the heat of their gazes, Julius ducked behind Amélie, who continued grumbling to the still-laughing Silas. The game ended with East Laurence triumphing in two sets, securing their spot in nationals. As the three made their way to join the others, a group of Westwood players recognized Amélie and Julius, surprised to see them there.

"Yo, Julius! Long time no see man," called Maxwell, approaching them.

"Hey, good game," Julius replied, surprised they remembered him, given their limited interactions with each other.

"I see you came to watch too," Maxwell said, glancing at Amélie, who smiled brightly.

"Yeah, I had to come and support you guys!" she said cheerfully.

Maxwell raised an eyebrow. "Yeah right, you didn't come here for us; you came to see Julius," he teased, causing his friends to laugh.

Amélie couldn't help but roll her eyes at their childish jokes. "Should you guys be this relaxed? " She smirked. "You lost and aren't going to nationals,"

Julius shot her a pointed look, but Maxwell shrugged off her comment. "We're just happy we made it here. You should've seen coach when we qualified for regionals; he almost fainted from shock."

"That he did," the boys echoed, chuckling.

"But Julius, I didn't know you'd be moving to Avondale and attending East Laurence Prep man," Maxwell said as laughter subsided.

"It was a surprise for me too. I found out just two weeks before the move," Julius explained.

"What? What's up with your parents?!" Maxwell exclaimed.

"I ask myself that every day," Julius replied wryly.

Amélie smiled as she watched the boys interact. Julius, usually quiet and reserved, had a way of opening up when he felt comfortable, and it was unfortunate that his bravery often surfaced only in her presence.

The boys exchanged farewells, hurrying to clear the gym under their coach's watchful eye.

"So those are the guys you went to school with?" Silas asked as he observed them leave.

"Yeah," Julius replied.

"I thought you were the loner type, but it seems you can socialize normally too," Silas teased.

Julius nudged him playfully, and Silas grinned back.

"Hey, Silas, Julius," called the boys from House Ares as they approached after the game.

Artemus glanced at Amélie, who met his gaze with equal curiosity. "Who's this?" he asked, gesturing toward her with his thumb.

"This is Amélie, my friend from Westwood," Julius introduced.

"Amélie? Are you French?" Artemus inquired, gazing at her with genuine curiousity.

Amélie was taken aback; most people rarely asked personal questions like that, preferring to remain ignorant since they were worried about offending her. "Uh, yeah. My mom is French, and my dad is Senegalese."

"That's a cool mix! Nice to meet you," Artemus said warmly. Just then, the other guys crowded around, eager to learn more about their relationship. Julius quickly clarified that they weren't together.

"Really? You two would make a nice-looking couple," Kiyo teased, eliciting a glare from Amélie.

At that moment, Agares and Epaphras returned to the gym, headed for a meeting with their coach. As they entered, Kiyo's remark about the couple caught Agares's attention. He froze, turning sharply to lock eyes with Julius, whose gaze was fixed on him.

Agares's expression was one Julius had never seen before—a mix of surprise and irritation. Julius was momentarily entranced, unable to look away from Agares's face as he tried to decipher his thoughts. Amélie noticed the shift in his mood and called out to him, "Julius?"

When he didn't respond, she turned to see where he was looking and found Agares staring intently at her friend. Confusion washed over her, but before she could process it, the dark-haired boy quickly averted his gaze and rejoined his group.

Amélie frowned, sensing the dejection on Julius's face, an expression she had never seen before.

*

"So what's with you and the sourpuss?" Amélie asked, sprawled on Julius's massive bed, taking a bite of the gummy worms she had stashed in her bag for emergencies.

They were back at Julius's house after leaving school, enjoying a sleepover since it was Friday and he had permission to leave the dorms.

Julius turned to his best friend, a puzzled expression crossing his face. 

"Don't give me that look," she said, sitting up. "You know exactly what I'm talking about. Now spill."

Julius's eyes widened in shock. How had she figured it out? He thought he had concealed his feelings well. 

Sighing, he sat beside her and rested his head on her shoulder, ready to share everything. 

Amélie listened in silence, and Julius felt his heart race as he anxiously awaited her response.

"...But Agares is a guy?" Amélie finally said after a moment of silence.

Julius looked up at her, a bit stunned. "Uh…way to state the obvious, dude."

"Oh…I didn't know you were into guys, or anyone else for that matter."

"Huh? What does that mean?"

"To be honest, I thought you were asexual. You've never shown interest in anyone—girl or boy—and we never really talked about relationships, so I always assumed you were ace."

Julius's mouth dropped open, momentarily speechless. "T—That's a pretty bold assumption to make."

"Well, whatever you are is fine. No need to put yourself in a category, I guess. Labels can be quite limiting after all," she replied.

A wave of relief washed over Julius, and he smiled at Amélie. He knew she would never judge him, but a part of him still feared the possible rejection. Now, he realized that fear was unfounded. If anyone would accept him, it was her.

"It's still surprising, though." She said after a while.

"Surprising?"

"I always figured you'd end up liking someone more like me?" She shrugged.

"Huh?"

"I mean someone with a similar personality. You know, the opposite of you."

"Oh, that's what you meant. I guess you have a point. Agares is pretty similar to me—keeps people at arm's length, introverted…"

"He also only has one expression.T_T" 

Julius stifled a laugh at the thought of Agares's signature look. 

"Is that like his default face or something?" Amélie chuckled.

Julius didn't know whether to laugh or to cry as he watched his best friend keel over in laughter, her eyes almost tearing up. "It isn't."

"Really?" She raised an eyebrow in disbelief.

"Really," Julius confirmed. He had seen different expressions from Agares, each time unlocking a new layer, like the one he had witnessed after the game. But thinking about it made Julius frown. He found his last reaction to be a little strange.

"What's wrong?" Amélie asked, noticing his mood shift.

"Admitting I have feelings for him doesn't really change anything. It's not like he'd ever like me back," he said.

"...That may be true, but who's to say? You won't know until you actually tell him, right?"

Julius shook his head, "Yeah, no. The thought of telling Agares how I feel makes me want to hurl—and then hurl over the throw-up I just hurled," he replied, scrunching his face in exaggerated disgust.

Amélie grimaced at the imagery. "Seriously, dude. Don't put that image in my head, you'll make me gag," She then slumped on his bed as she gazed at his ceiling fan with great intensity.

"Well, you're a catch, and you're an amazing guy. He'd be crazy not to like you," she said, her tone earnest. 

If only that were true. He thought. 

"Well whatever, enough of this pity party. Let's watch a movie and order some junk food." Amélie said as she turned on the TV. 

"You're right. Clueless?" 

"Always!"