The Unkindness of Strangers and the Kindness of an Angel

Chapter 10 of my Game of Thrones story, enjoy.

Reviews

Wolfgirl2013: Thanks :)
Boris Yeltsin: Thanks :)
Marina Ka-Fai: Yeah, well, he just wants to help his friend.
Veridissima: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it, glad you like the little talk between the siblings. Yeah problem is, Bran is too closed off and refuses to ask for it.
LostCriesofTime: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it, yeah, thought it'd be good, sadly, Bran is still deluded with his obsession for Gwen.

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: Game of Thrones belongs to George R.R. Martin.

Chapter 10

Arya smiled; it was Saturday, a day without any school, one of her favourite days. She was spending the day hanging out with Gendry, Lommy and Hot Pie. The four of them had spent the day at the video arcade and continued to enjoy themselves. However there was something bothering the boys. Arya was acting strangely; while she enjoyed herself and laughed along with them, even celebrated when she beat them and their high scores at the games, which was often, she wasn't quite herself. She was acting quite furtive, checking her phone every now and again, whenever she received a message she would read it with a small smile on her face, but would prevent them from even catching a glimpse of the message and who it was from. In all the boys were suspicious of this; yet Arya continued as if there was nothing strange about it. No matter how they positioned themselves around her and what they tried to do, she always kept her phone hidden. Even when they stopped to take a break, when she left for the bathroom and such, she kept her phone with her preventing them from sneaking a look. Not for any ulterior motive, they were just curious as to what was going on.

Finally, instead of indicating she had a text; Arya's phone rang, indicating a call. Instead of simply answering it like she always did, she actually left them to make the call. The boys all looked at each other, even more surprised by this action.

"Okay, that was weird, since when has Arya ever acted like that?" Lommy asked in an incredulous tone.

Hot Pie nodded. "Yeah, I mean, seriously, she's never walked off to answer her phone before. If I didn't know any better, I'd say she's got a secret admirer."

Gendry shook his head. "C'mon guys, don't gossip like that; it's not polite."

"What, oh come on Gendry, surely you're curious about this too?" Lommy shot back.

Gendry sighed and nodded.

"Yeah, okay, I am, but still, if Arya wants to tell us, she'll tell us, we really shouldn't pry." He paused and then added. "Don't think I haven't seen you guys trying to check her phone."

They both looked away sheepishly. However they couldn't talk on the matter any further since at that moment Arya returned, smiling widely. Yet she offered no explanation for what she had done, as such they were left wondering who had called her. The mystery remained as they finally left the arcade and returned to Gendry's house. They spent more time together, playing video games at Gendry's house. Later in the afternoon however, Lommy and Hot Pie left and headed home, Arya stayed at Gendry's, continuing to playing video games, yet Arya was having difficulty focusing as her mind was on Myrcella.

They both sat on Gendry's bed, munching chips and continued to play the video games. When Arya found herself losing for the fifth time she growled and threw the remote on the bed. Gendry paused the game and sighed.

"Arry, are you okay?" He asked, concerned.

"Yes." She growled shortly.

Gendry raised an eyebrow at her. "Are you sure? You usually don't lose this much."

"Shut up, stupid." She snapped; punching him.

He just laughed and then reassured her. "Come on you can tell me. Besides I have something to tell you too."

Arya hesitated briefly before asking. "Do you promise to keep it a secret?"

"Hey I kept a secret that you're the one who punctured the tires of Mr. Baelish's car." He reminded her. "Or when you started the rumours about Joffrey. Or when..."

"Yeah I get the point. But you go first."

"Why?" He asked, confused.

She replied instantly. "Because I need time, time to figure out how I'm gonna say this."

"Why, I've never known you to think before you speak?"

"Stupid." she said punching him again "just start."

"Okay. So Jeyne and I, we, well, last night we took our relationship to the next level - it was awesome." Gendry said with a goofy smile.

Arya smiled, she knew that it wasn't Gendry's first time, after all he was 20 (even if he was still in high school), but she knew it had been her first time.

Arya liked Jeyne Heddle - of course, so did gendry - She had been in the same year as Sansa, and she and Gendry had been dating for four months now having re-met in Gendry's part time job at the inn she worked at. Jeyne, unlike Gendry's ex-girlfriends, didn't mind Gendry's friendship with Arya, didn't mind that she sometimes crashed on his couch, that they were sometimes alone in his room like now, that sometimes Arya would needed someone to open up to, who understood her. His ex-girlfriends did, the first one Bella had tried to get him to stop spending time with her, even, foolishly tried threatening Arya to her face, and Mel, a college student, was even worst she was so jealous of gendry and arya that she tried to set Arya's motorbike on fire. Jeyne however didn't seem to mind, in fact, going by the looks she gave Arya sometimes, she wondered if Jeyne knew about Arya's sexual orientation.

"I'm so happy for you, gendry." She replied truthfully, smiling. "I hope you treated her right, you said she was virgin after all."

"Yeah... she was really nervous, but I think I managed to help her relax and stuff" He said with a smirk and Arya kicked him on the leg.

"Don't get cocky, asshole."

Gendry laughed again before suddenly turning serious. Arya braced herself, she knew it was now her turn.

Sure enough Gendry then spoke to her seriously.

"So now it's your turn."

Arya was trying to think of the best way to tell him this - she finally decided to tell him in the crudest way possible; it was the only way she could think of.

"Well, this is the only way I can put." She said sadly. "It's just; well, I like girls, Gendry... like you like girls."

Gendry froze and stared at her unable to speak; he was just looking at her, like she had grown two heads.

"Gendry, please say something." She called out worriedly.

Still no answer. "GENDRY!" She yells punching him.

Finally he recovered and cleared his throat.

"So, you like girls?" She nods and he continued. "Well, I guess now it makes sense. I wondered why, unlike the other girls I knew, you never stared at me when I worked out at the gym."

Arya laughed at that.

"You're so stupid. that's all you have to say?!"

Gendry shook his head. "Nope, I do have a question. Are you dating anyone?"

Arya bit her lip and looked at him seriously.

"If i tell you; you have to promise not to tell, anyone?"

"Cross my heart." He told her solemnly.

So Arya took a deep breath and told him. "Myrcella."

"Wait, as in Myrcella Lannister Baratheon?!" He asked surprised; she nods again. "Seriously, the popular girly girl?"

"Yes and don't mock her!" She warned him.

Gendry nodded and they both remained quiet for a moment.

Finally Gendry broke the silence.

"How did…I mean, how did you find out; how did the two of you…?" He asked, hesitantly.

She shrugged and started telling him.

"Okay, so Sansa threw a sleepover last summer and I got sucked in - you're out of town and I didn't have anywhere else to hide. So we were playing truth or dare, and I got dared to kiss someone."

"Knowing you, you wouldn't back out, right."

She nodded. "Of course not. So I had a limited choice."

"And you end up kissing her." He finished.

"Yes. One of the other girls suggested it, since Myrcella was getting over her break-up with Trystane."

Gendry nodded, listening carefully before querying. "So you kissed and then…?"

Arya nodded and explained. "Then we forgot it. Until another sleepover and in that one I was able to escape - I think you, Hot Pie and I went out to the Brotherhood Inn. But when I got back, they were all upstairs sleeping, besides Myrcella who had come down to the kitchen and we got to talking... we became friends and it grew from there."

Gendry then asked. "Did you know you were gay before Myrcella?"

Arya pondered deeply and then nodded. "Yeah, I think so."

"Why didn't you tell me before?" Gendry asked, a bit sad she hadn't trusted him before "Didn't you trust me?"

"I wasn't sure, Gendry. I wanted to sure about everything." She told him before looking at him pleadingly. "Don't be mad."

"I'm not. I'm your friend, now and always, Arry." He told her sincerely.

"Thank you Gendry." She said, with a soft smile.

Feeling better now she picked up her controller and they got back to the game. Gendry however couldn't help himself with one last joke.

"We should double date sometime." He said prompting arya to punch him again.

End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.

Well, Arya's beginning to open up now, stay tuned for the next chapter where she begins to come out to her family.