AN: Hello everyone! So this chapter was a struggle because I really didn't know where to go with it (as I still don't know how this story's gonna end up). The chapter ended up a lot more angsty than I planned, as I'd wanted to add in some happy stuff, but I changed my mind. Maybe next chapter lol. Sorry this one is so short (especially compared to the last one), but I tried. Once again, thanks again to everyone who reviewed!
Chapter 4: Reconciliation
After talking to Bodie, Glitch had called Mo and told him that he wouldn't mind hanging out that weekend. Mo had sounded relieved and had said that he already had a place in mind. Glitch had been wary at first, simply hoping that the place wouldn't be the beach (because a certain someone hung out there a lot and Glitch didn't have the right mindset to deal with him at the moment).
Unfortunately, that was exactly what Mo had suggested and Glitch paled, insisting that they go somewhere else.
"Since when've you hated the beach?" Mo asked suspiciously through the phone.
"Since…uh…I don't! I'd just rather do, er…mini golf?" Glitch responded unconvincingly. There was a pause on the other line and Glitch took that time to inwardly scold himself at how stupid he'd sounded.
"…Aight then. Mini golf," Mo said finally and Glitch sighed with relief. He honestly didn't know what he would've done if they'd showed up at the beach and Bodie had been there.
But now, as Glitch stood inside their local mini golf place's building and he waited for Mo to get their clubs, he wondered why he'd made this suggestion in the first place. He'd never even played this before, nor had he had any passion to play it, so it was really unnatural for him to say it. He had a feeling he'd heard about it from someone but he couldn't place it with a face, but it lead him to think that this was a bad idea. Either way, there way there was nothing he could do about it now without seeming even more suspicious so he'd just have to deal.
"Here ya go," Mo said with a grin, holding out the club for Glitch to take. Glitch nodded in thanks before taking the club and a green ball. The two then walked outside to find the first hole.
Everything was going pretty well at first – Glitch had even managed to contain his thoughts about wishing Mo would 'teach him how to hold the club by standing right behind him,' – but then there was this faint but distinctive sound that seemed to be coming from one of the holes. Glitch wasn't too concerned with it, too busy enjoying his time with Mo. It seemed to be a major distraction for Mo though as he kept looking in the direction it was coming from every few seconds until he finally decided to comment on it.
"Yo, you hear that?" Mo asked after a while and the younger boy groaned in annoyance. Of course he could hear it – who couldn't hear that obnoxiously loud music? – but he'd been doing a great job of ignoring it.
"Yeah, but can't we just…" he trailed off, noticing Mo had already dropped his club and was headed towards the sound "…ignore it," Glitch finished with a sigh. He soon followed behind, not looking forward to whatever was going to happen next.
As the two walked past the different holes, they noticed the music seemed to be coming from the one with the gigantic dinosaur. They glanced down from their position to see none other than Flash4ward dancing a routine. Mo's face lit up with excitement at the prospect of dancing and Glitch tried his best not to groan in disdain.
When the girls finished up, Taye had been the first to notice them.
"Hey boys, what ya'll doin' up there? Even if ya'll try ta memorize our moves, it ain't gonna do ya any good," Taye shouted up teasingly. Lil T, wondering just whom her sister was talking to, looked up and grinned.
"Yo Glitch! Get cho scrawny ass down here!" she yelled playfully just to be smacked upside the head by Taye. Lil T turned to her older sister for an explanation only to receive a glare.
"What'd I tell you 'bout cussin'? I'ma clean yo' mouth out with soap when we get home," Taye chastised.
Meanwhile Glitch rolled his eyes before reluctantly making his way down to the sisters. Mo, who was right beside him, had much more pep in his step.
"So what ya'll doin' here? Ya on a date?" Lil T asked mischievously before receiving another whack and glare courtesy of Taye. Glitch tensed and Mo looked at the young girl with an amused grin.
"Naw, we're just chillin'," Mo provided, seemingly unaware of how Glitch's shoulders drooped slightly. Lil T noticed though and grinned broadly once more.
"You sure Glitch over here knows that? Cuz it seems-"
"One more word, lil girl. I dare you," Taye stated threateningly and Lil T finally backed off.
Glitch's gaze stayed fixated on the ground as he tried not to think too much about the blunt girl's words. Had it looked like they'd been on a date? He wouldn't have minded that actually. But how did Mo feel about her comment? Sure he'd looked amused, but that wasn't a definitive response.
He snuck a quick glance up to Mo's face just to see his mentor looking back at him with a calculating look. Glitch turned away with a mad blush coloring his cheeks, surprised that Mo had been looking at him.
"I uh, need t' go to the bathroom…" he stated quickly before practically running back into the building.
He stood in a stall and put his face in his hands as he tried to get his thoughts together. What was the expression on Mo's face when he'd looked at him? Was it one of disgust? Realization? Or had it just been a normal look that he'd overanalyzed?
He was having trouble organizing his thoughts, but knew he couldn't just spend the rest of the day huddled up in a bathroom stall. He shook his head furiously and made his way out the door just to be greeted with the sight of Lil T awaiting him outside. He walked to lean on the wall next to her and gave her a curious look.
"Any reason why you're waitin' outside the guy's bathroom?" he asked in amusement, though Lil T simply smirked in response.
"Cuz I know you, boo, and I know you didn't go in there cuz you had to pee," she started cockily, then shifted into a much softer tone "It was about Mo, wasn't it?"
Glitch looked away and gritted his teeth, unable to accept that he'd been figured out so easily. Was it really that obvious? If that was the case, maybe Mo already knew. It's not like he'd been so convincing when he'd lied anyway.
"What I do in the bathroom's my business," was his witty response and Lil T rolled her eyes in frustration. She crossed her arms and gave him a knowing look.
"Aight boy, play dumb if you want but Lil T can recognize a crush when she sees one. Honestly, I think you may have a shot," she said with a grin. Glitc's gaze snapped to hers, his eyes widening slightly.
"Seriously…?" was all he could think to ask. If this was one of her bad jokes then he may have to kill her, but if she was serious then… Lil T found herself rolling her eyes once more.
"Yes I'm serious! Were you gonna tell 'im today!" she asked excitedly, her eyes lighting up in delight. Glitch, for one, didn't see what was so exciting about his current situation.
"Yeah…prolly at the end. But then he heard ya'll music," he said a bit snidely. She gave him a look of apology and held her hands up in mock surrender.
"My bad; we didn't know. But you know this our spot, so why would you come here in the first place? There's a good chance you'll run into us if ya come here," she asked pointedly, effectively getting the spotlight off of her.
"Cuz I didn't wanna go to the beach," he provided vaguely before pushing himself off the wall and walking toward the door leading back to the golfing area outside. He turned in her direction when he didn't hear her following.
"The beach? I thought you loved the beach!" she asked incredulously as she jogged a bit to catch up with him. When they were side by side again they continued walking towards the door.
"I just didn't feel like goin' today. So sue me," he stated with a shrug, pushing open the door and holding it so she could walk through. She offered a small thanks and continued walking.
"So…why d'you think I may have a shot?" Glitch asked nervously. He put his hands in his pockets after realizing he'd been fidgeting as they walked. Lil T looked at him for a second and giggled.
"I dunno. I mean, you're not very subtle and most guys would be really grossed out and start baggin' on you, but Mo don't do that…at least from what I can see anyway," she offered with a grin.
Glitch couldn't help the smile that tugged at the corners of his mouth. Hearing that someone else thought that things could work out made him a bit more comfortable about the whole thing. But then a thought occurred to him that turned his smile into a frown.
"But that's just how Mo is though, so I don't think that's sayin' anythin'," Glitch stated with a sigh. Lil T shook her head.
"He may be cool but I'm pretty sure if you made him feel uncomfortable, he say somethin'. Don't go quotin' me or nothin' cuz I could be dead wrong but don't just give up before you even tried!" she stated encouragingly.
The smile was back on Glitch's face as the two finally reached 'hole 9' where the huge dinosaur was. Before they'd actually gotten down there though, Lil T stopped at the top and seemed really focused on whatever she was looking at.
"Damn, you better tell 'im quick cuz I think he may be puttin' the moves on Taye," she said awkwardly. Wondering what the girl was talking about, Glitch moved closer to the edge to see what was going on. Afterwards, he wished he hadn't.
Looks could be deceiving, but it certainly appeared that Mo was flirting with Taye; they were standing really close and laughing and Mo was seven touching her arm. Glitch fought back the urge to jump to conclusions, even when they got closer and Mo told Taye
"We should hang out more" at a volume loud enough for Glitch to hear even at the top of the hill. He refused to be jealous because technically he had nothing to be jealous of….not even that kiss Taye had just given Mo on his cheek.
But that didn't mean he couldn't be angry. Sure he'd been the one to suggest mini golf, but flirting with Taye was not part of the plan, especially when it was just supposed to be him and Mo. Clearly Mo had a hard time of grasping what it meant to hang out as just two people instead of a group of three or more.
Glitch walked briskly to where Mo and Taye were talking, Lil T trying her best to keep up with him. He grabbed Mo's arm, causing the older boy to turn slightly in surprise.
"I need t' talk to you. Now," Glitch growled through clenched teeth, leading him to a secluded spot behind the mini golf building.
Taye gave a look to Lil T that said 'What's going on?' while Lil T just shrugged in response.
"Whoa, what's up lil dude?" Mo asked with a light chuckle. Glitch didn't share in the humor.
"Do you understand the concept of being alone at all!" he gritted out angrily. Mo rose an eyebrow slightly and crossed his arms.
"You were the one who suddenly ran off to the bathroom and you were the one who suggested we come here in the first place. What was I s'posed to do when you left? If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were actin' real jealous right now," he said with a slightly accusing tone.
The next few words he said surprised even himself.
"You're right; I'm jealous. It was s'posed to be just you and me but it's not," he said with a small hint of anger.
"This ain't a date, Glitch," Mo stated calmly. Glitch then looked straight into Mo's eyes, his gaze unwavering as he summoned every bit of courage he could.
"Why couldn't it be?"
He didn't know why Mo wasn't saying anything but decided not to concentrate on it too much save he lose all his adrenaline-derived courage.
"Truth is that I really do l-like you… but I don't…want our friendship to end cuz o' it. You prolly hate me now though, right?" he asked blandly, his gaze returned to the floor. He no longer had the will to keep eye contact, knowing he'd probably just destroyed the best relationship he'd ever had, no matter how meaningless it may've been to Mo.
"You know I could never hate you Glitch…but…" Mo started and suddenly Glitch didn't want to hear anymore.
It was that 'but' that had caused him to go numb and feel nothing but cold. Things were too real now and the impact of his decision was hitting him full force. He was such a dumbass; he should've just kept his mouth closed and dealt with his feelings secretly. Sure that didn't seem to be working, but wasn't keeping his friendship with Mo enough to keep trying? But now it was too late and things were already broken. Knowing this, he couldn't bear to hear anymore else he would shatter.
"I changed my mind Mo; don't say it. Please don't say it," he said softly, his fists clenching tightly at his sides and a humiliated blush making its way to his cheeks. He could feel the tears start to well up in his eyes, but he made sure that none of them fell.
"You deserve to know," Mo sighed, remembering what Glitch had told him when he was drunk about how much his opinion mattered to his protégé. He'd have to be careful how he phrased this "I thought you may o' been lyin' the other day, and I put it behind me since you didn't wanna seem to talk about it. But…us datin' ain't gonna work."
With that statement, Glitch was inwardly shattered and dead inside. He knew it could've been worse and Mo could've hated him, but that didn't stop the intense feelings of hurt and humiliation. He wanted to run away and cry and avoid having to deal with the situation he'd created, but he knew that wasn't fair. He had to suck it up and deal with the consequences of his actions.
"…I kinda figured you'd say something like that," Glitch mustered up all his strength to say quietly, bitterness tainting his voice and causing Mo to feel more guilty than he already felt.
"But I'd still kinda hoped that…maybe we could be somethin'…" he continued softly, his eyes trained on the ground and the tears becoming harder to restrain. Mo moved to take a step closer to him before rethinking the action and stopping mid-step. Then Glitch looked up, desperation and hope now vivid in those glossy green eyes.
"W-we can still be friends though, right?" he asked slightly louder than everything else. Mo could hear the raw emotion in the younger boy's voice and he knew how much his response would make or break him. It was shocking to see just how much Glitch apparently cared about him.
"Seems you haven't been thinkin' bout me in a friendship way for a while now," he stated doubtfully. It wasn't that he wanted to stop being friends with Glitch, but he wondered if the prodigy could really handle it. Now that he'd confessed, things would probably be more awkward than ever and Mo really didn't want to put Glitch through that if he didn't have to.
Glitch could feel as his heartbeat started increased to double its normal speed and he looked around frantically to try and find something that would calm him down. It seemed that suddenly his worst nightmare was coming true and his friendship with Mo was really coming to an end.
"I'll move on. I'll get over you; I promise- I'll do whatever it takes! Just…please don't leave me Mo…" Glitch stated brokenly, a few stubborn tears making their way down his face as he furiously tried to wipe him away while he awaiting Mo' response.
Glitch knew he sounded pathetic; he was literally begging for the person who'd just rejected him to not leave him- hell, he was even crying! It was a humiliating situation to be in, but none of it would matter as long as Mo stayed beside him, even if only as a friend.
"I won't leave you, Glitch," Mo stated soothingly as he finally took those few steps to take Glitch in his arms in a comforting embrace. He'd hesitated to do it earlier because he knew it'd seem awkward and that it was a misleading gesture, but now it seemed like the best action to take and the one that Glitch needed the most.
The prodigy could easily recognize the innocence in Mo's hug, but disregarded it to fantasize that it was the loving embrace he'd always wanted from him. He knew that now that Mo knew the truth, he'd probably never get this opportunity again, so he was milking it for all it was worth.
Mo rubbed comforting circles into Glitch's back as the younger boy's sobs grew stronger with every passing second and he broke down completely. They stayed that way until Glitch finally started calming down and accepting things for the way they now were:
He'd been officially rejected by the person who meant more to him than anything.
AN: So Glitch gets rejected. I'm sure you already saw that coming though, right? Sorry if Glitch came off too emotional or if this seemed cliche or rushed, as that wasn't my intention at all lol.
Any suggestions for what should happen next chapter? I was thinking I'd get Bodie more involved. Not to say this thing with Mo is completely over (how could it be?), but after all this angst I thought something more upbeat may be cool. In any case, lemme know! And even if you don't have a suggestion, just telling me what you thought of the chapter is cool too lol.