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Listen, Alistair loves his friends, he does.
But they can be so dumb. Alistair has always gravitated more toward James, because underneath all the bravado, he seems at least more sensible than the rest of them.
James and him, they’re the kind of friends that know everything about the other, without having to talk. Alistair never had to come out, but before he actually started talking about it, James already knew. He never said anything, but Alistair could tell his best friend was being more careful with his words.
So yes, Alistair likes to think he knows James pretty well. When his friend falls for Ruby Bell, Alistair wonders how no one can see it, it’s so obvious. Alistair stays quiet and shares looks with Lydia when no one else can see.
Secretly, he’s glad. He never wanted James to get together with Elaine. James can be so smart and attentive, and Alistair knows his sister would make him feel small and reduce him to his name and money.
Ruby seems great. She’s not like the rest of them. She’s hard-working, discreet, and probably smarter than all their brains combined. Alistair watches it happen from the sidelines. James being an asshole for no apparent reason (if he had to guess, Alistair would say it’s probably something to do with Lydia or with his family, otherwise Alistair would know about it).
But then, James starts smiling at his phone, and suddenly there is an enormous poster of Ruby and James in the main hall of the school. Alistair knows James, and he immediately knows this is an apology. James looks like shit and specifically doesn’t talk about the events that led to the poster.
Alistair is a little confused, because James looks the kind of heartbroken he always does when his parents make him do stuff he hates (or on rare occasions when his dad does things to him, but they don’t talk about that). Alistair guesses this could simply be the look of heartbroken James, and not just hating-himself-and-his-family James.
It’s fine, Alistair can wait. This is either going to blow up terribly, or his best friend will finally get his great love story. Either way, Alistair will be one of the first to know.
It takes a while. James goes from beaming to frowning every few days, and Alistair is trying his best not to push his best friend to talk.
In the meantime, Alistair stays busy with Keshav. He’s busy kissing him, then he’s busy ignoring him, and finally he’s busy pining over him. He knows James can tell something is up with him, but if his best friend won’t talk to him about Ruby, Alistair certainly won’t out one of their best friends just to be able to complain to James.
So they drink, and they hug, and they don’t talk about it.
Everything does blow up terribly. Kind of.
Ruby calls James out in class, and Alistair doesn’t know if he should applaud her for her bravery or if he should hug his best friend because he knows as well as James that Ruby is right.
Then, James walks in when he finally gets some time with Keshav, and Alistair is too busy dealing with his not-boyfriend’s freakout to investigate the look on James’s face. Alistair can’t even make himself be mad at his best friend for ruining the only time he can kiss the boy he likes, because he knows James is having a rough time and was just looking for a place to sullen in private.
The terrible blow-up comes after, though. This isn’t Alistair’s story, it’s James’. Alistair misses it, but he hears the terrified “no, no, no” and the splash that happens specifically when one of his dumb friends feel like throwing someone in the pool. And yes, Alistair does it sometimes, but he does it to the boys, and he would stop if the person seemed that scared.
Except Alistair recognizes the voice. He’s been paying attention to Ruby a lot in the last few weeks. And he can’t think of a good reason for the boys to throw her into the pool. So Alistair gets his pants up and drags Keshav to the poolside.
His first thought is that Ruby’s pretty, with her hair down and her little white dress. Alistair might be gay, but once again, he’s been paying attention. Except both Ruby and James are soaking wet, and Ruby is sobbing in James’ arms.
Alistair doesn’t understand what happened, but he knows this is big. He follows James for a few meters, making sure his best friend will take care of Ruby, then turn around. Elaine seems shocked to see James with another girl, but Alistair will deal with her later. Or never, they aren’t really close, not like James and Lydia are.
He scans the people around the pool and immediately knows Cyril is the culprit. He and Keshav walk to them. Cyril is already being ambushed by Lydia, who is asking angrily why he would do that. Alistair just sits on a lounger and sighs.
Whatever happens now, he won’t be the only one to see it, that’s for sure.