Dad was pissed, though he wouldn't say so. Instead, he resorted to crying at the picture of mom when the school finally got in contact with him. Karin laughed, said she knew I was "hot for the nerd", even though no one had said it was Ishida that I kissed. And Yuzu... Well, Yuzu did what the mom would do. She sat me down and tried to have "the talk" with me. That went... awkwardly.

To my knowledge, from listening in on the call the school made to dad, not much information about the "assault" was given. The most I caught was "suspension... two weeks... assault... Fellow male student...". And even though it was obvious that dad didn't care about the 'male' part, the principal made damn sure he got it.

Fuck him.

So, I guess that leads to where I am now. Dad's butt on my bed while my own sits on my desk chair. His hands are together in his lap and his eyes are more intent on the floor than me. Something in me can't help but laugh. The only good side is that I had enough control to keep the noise inside, a scowl still on the surface.

"Ichigo, what happened?"

His eyes meet mine and I grew confused. He was expecting an answer that dealt with Soul Society and Hollow, not just a moody school boy.

"I didn't force myself on him."

Surprise was quickly mastered, but it was there for a second too long. I had seen it and I knew that he wasn't expecting something so... normal.

"I had hoped you didn't." He paused, thought things through. "Why did he say you did?"

I knew the answer, but I didn't want him to know. Well, I guess that I did want him to know. I want everyone to know.

"So why not tell them?"

You know why.

"No, King, I really do not know why. It makes no sense to me. You obviously have the hots for each other and can honestly say you've fucked, so why the hell not?"

"We aren't really... Official."

Dad nodded, a slight smirk dancing on his lips.

"Ah, you two were under the radar. And you showed your affection very publicly. To which, he broke your face." I nodded. "When I was younger, I was dating this almost legally insane women who was a few years older than me. She didn't really want to settle down and have a relationship outside of the sack, if you know what I mean." And now dad digs a little too deep into his personal life... Like always. "Anyway, even though she was one hell of a woman, I knew that I had to end it. Soon enough, I find out that she was actually with a few other people as well, under the impression that we weren't exclusive. It broke my heart."

"Sorry, I guess..."

"You're not getting the point! You have to work yourself in! You can't just scream to the world you're together if he's not ready yet. Think of how Ishida feels, or else you'll lose him."

"Yeah I guess you're-wait a second. I never told you who it-"

"Gotta go! Doctor things!"

And he left through the window. I sighed. Was it really that obvious that I'd be with Ishida? And that he would reject me?

"Knew since day one."

Shut the hell up.

And he did. It was strange, but I tried not to focus on it. I was alone for now. For two weeks, actually. With nothing else to do, I finally braved picking up my phone for the first time since the "incident".

76 New Messages.

2 from Chad, simply stating that he was here if I needed him. 9 from Tatsuki, promising she'd kick my ass for doing something like that infront of Inoue. 11 from Inoue, asking if I needed her to heal me. And forcing herself to congratulate me and Ishida. 13 from Mizuiro, mainly along the lines of "finally out of the closet".

And a whopping 41 messages from Keigo Asano. The calls consisted of mainly tears and the texts were in all caps. Surprisingly enough, he wasn't mad at the whole "gay" part, like I thought he might be. He was just angry that I hang out with Ishida more than him and he could've been my wingman if I had trusted him enough.

It was… strange, to say the least.

None of them rejected me, not that I had ever really thought they might. It was just a surprise when none of them seemed fazed by my… preference. They were only upset because I hadn't told them.

I got up and moved to the bed, lying down with my phone still in hand. I knew that I should reply to all of them. No, I should call them and meet up and apologize in person. Well, that's what I knew I should do, but I didn't even think about it for more than a brief second. No, instead of doing the right thing, I made another stupid mistake. I pulled up his contact.

To Uryu Ishida: I'm not sorry.

Hey guys, sorry for being gone for so long. I made these chapters shorter so I could upload more often, yet I'm still taking forever. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter along with all the others. If you didn't get it, the last sentence is supposed to be Ichigo texting Uryu. Of course, next chapter is gonna be filled with anger and pain and Hichigo. So, please continue to be patient with me as we follow through the low points in these characters lives.

If you're reading Prince of Hueco Mundo, expect an update either tomorrow or Saturday. And, if you're only reading Low, expect either weekly or biweekly updates from now on.