Chapter 1
It was my first day at a new school. Only a month before summer break. I should’ve listened to my best friend before I threw my fist in that asshole’s face. But I didn’t. And now look where I was. A new school where I knew no one and probably looked like a total delinquent thanks to the damn black eye I was sporting. I sighed internally before making my way up to the front gate. I was supposed to be graduating this year, but I felt like this would be the shittiest year of my life.
I felt eyes on me as I walked up the cobble stone path to the main entrance of the school. Nearby, a group of girls leaned into each other and whispered with their hands covering their mouths like they were trying to conceal their words. A couple of boys stared at me as I walked past them and they quickly turned away when I met their gaze. I tried my best to ignore them though, keeping my head and eyes down, pretending like I didn’t know what they were thinking.
Who is that guy? What did he do? What a loner.
I could already tell I was going to hate this place.
I got to the front desk and told the reception lady it was my first day at the school. She told me to take a seat and wait for my guide to come and show me around before class. I did as she asked and sat at the wooden bench after dropping my bag on the floor. I leaned my head back against the cold wall.
I closed my eyes as I remembered the fight that brought me here. I was outed, sort of. George Miller, a jock from my previous school who was a thorn in my side. He was a bully, finding every possible way to drag me down. He had overheard me talking to my best friend Will about a boy I was keen on.
Will had been my best friend since second grade, and I had later turned to him when I first started having feelings more towards boys than girls. It shocked him at first, but when I explained that it wasn’t him I was interested in, he was more relaxed about it. He was more like a brother to me, so I really never saw him in that way.
George threatened to go around and spread that I’m a queer and that it might rub off on people if they got near me. He thought it was so funny. Honestly, he would have done anything to ruin my life. It was his life’s mission to get under my skin, any chance he had. Such a meathead.
I didn’t know what to do so I practically begged him to not tell anyone. I even went so far as to threaten that I would tell anyone who questioned me that he was my boyfriend in hopes that he would give it up. Obviously, he wasn’t but that was my best shot at trying to get him to stop being such a stuck-up fink. When he refused to back down, I resorted to throwing my fists. Not my smartest moment.
William had tried to convince me to just leave it alone, but he doesn’t understand what it’s like. George was a Jock, and I was already nobody. So, I socked that bastard right in the jaw. And what did that get me? A big ass black eye and being expelled for roughing up the school’s golden boy. Fast forward a week and here I was.
“Hey!” My eyes popped open in shock at the sudden interruption. Shit that gave me a fright. The memories of why I was here quickly dissipated.
“Welcome tah Westfield High, I’m Paul Davis” he said enthusiastically. He threw his hand in my direction. A hand shake.... I looked down at it before I awkwardly gave it a shake. Paul is about my size, average looking guy I suppose. His hair is neatly combed back and he’s wearing a light blue plaid button up tucked into his light blue jeans.
“Uh… I’m Arthur” He nods politely then gestures for me to follow him.
As we walk through the school, Paul explains where all my classes are for the day. We pass through the courtyard, and he points out all the groups gathered there. Cheerleaders, jocks, brainies. As he harps on about the dynamics of the social groups, a group of guys catch my eye. A group of greasers walking away from the cafeteria laughing and joking with each other. One in particular stands out from the others. He’s quite tall compared to his companions. Must be at least 6ft. Handsome face. Effortlessly slicked back hair. Are those blue eyes? Yeah, they’re blue. Black leather jacket unzipped with his collar pulled up with a rather snug white t-shirt underneath. Blue denim jeans and brown heavy duty work boots unlaced. Damn. He was a stud. What’s his name? I wonder if he’s-
“Artha?” Paul was looking at me with a curious expression.
“Huh? What?” Heat bloomed across my cheeks.
“Yah ok? I lost yah there for a sec…” His eyes flicked from me to the group of greasers, then back to me again, brows slightly furrowed with curiosity. Oops. I hoped he didn’t notice me staring at those guys.
“Yeh, I’m cool. Let’s go” I said with a nod, and we continued walking through the crowds of students.
Before I knew it, the bell was ringing, signalling the start of first period and Paul left me outside my class. “Good luck man, come find me at lunch” I nodded and he turned to walk away. I glanced down at my timetable that told me which class I’m about to walk into. Maths. Ugh. I hate maths. I’m not the brightest chap in the world but I think I’ll manage to graduate at least. School never really did it for me and I really don’t care enough to try.
I popped the piece of paper back in my pocket and headed into the class. Most of the seats were empty so I took one, plopping my head in my hands on the desk as I sat. I kept my eyes down to avoid making eye contact with anyone, hoping that no one would notice me, the new kid with a black eye.
Students began pouring into the class and taking their seats, their chatter and bustle filling the room. Then, a pair of unlaced, brown work boots suddenly appeared in my peripheral vision. I glanced up to find a pair of gorgeous piercing blue eyes staring down at me. A lock of his hair fell over his brows that helped to form the bored expression on his face. “That’s my seat” his deep voice sent heat through me. God, he’s handsome. My eyes dropped lower. I could see the outline of his muscular abdomen through his shirt. His sweet cologne and a hint of smoke filled the air around us. I hadn’t realised that he smoked.
I forced my gaze back up to his before stuttering “Uh… I-I didn’t know the seats were assigned” He didn’t respond and I soon realised I had been staring a little too long “Sorry uh… I-I’ll find another seat” I muttered weakly. I felt my cheeks burning as I got up from the seat and moved to the next one over. After getting settled I couldn’t help it, I had to look one more time. My heart stopped when I found him already staring back at me with his brows raised. His eyes seemed to rake over me for a second, making me feel a bit…exposed.
“What?” I spat, sounding a lot snarkier than I meant it to. A smirk pulled at the corner of his lips before he turned away, leaning back in his chair. He seemed uninterested in the class with that same bored look on his face. I mean, who would be interested. It’s maths.
My face returned to its default position, resting in my hands with my elbows on the desk, taking in a deep breath.
Next class was English and guess who else was in this class. The dreamboat. I thought maybe I should try talking to him or something. I could find out what his name was at the very least. I walked slowly between the tables to see where he would sit. I wanted to try getting a seat next to him. I saw one and started heading over. But before I could reach it, a girl rushed past me and threw her books on the desk. Then she collapsed into his lap wrapping her arms around his neck.
“Aww baby, I missed you! Why didn’t you call me last night?”
Of course. He has a girlfriend.
“Sorry baby, I told you I was going to be busy last night.” He smiled down at her and pecked her lips a couple of times. He wrapped his arms around her waist and buried his face into her neck, earning a soft gasp from her. His friends in the back of the class whistled and woofed at them in encouragement. I looked away, unable to watch and swallowed hard to suppress a gag that tried to escape me.
“I forgive you” she giggled before she plopped back into her own chair. He smirked back at his friends and then turned forward to face the front of the class with both his arms up behind his head.
I found a seat and looked out the window while the teacher harped on about an essay we have to write. No way José. I drowned the rest of the class out while scribbling on the corner of my page.
At lunch I head outside to the courtyard after grabbing lunch from the cafeteria. I saw Paul seated at one of the tables on the far side of the courtyard, along with two other guys. I debated weather or not I should go over there. I don’t want to disturb them or intrude or anything. But thankfully I didn’t have to ponder for long.
“Hey Artha!” Paul gestured for me to come over. I took a seat when he continued “Hey, how was yah first couple of classes?”
“Ah, fine thanks.” I offered a small smile. This guy is so casual with me and I don’t know how to do that with someone I don’t know.
“Cool. Oh, these ah my friends. This is Michael” He points to the boy opposite him. He’s a small chap. Combed black hair. White polo shirt with red stripes tucked into his tan pants with a black belt. I give him a friendly nod. “And this here’s Charles” He pointed to the boy right next to him. He’s a little bigger than the others. With dirty blond hair in a crew cut style, a loose yellow button up shirt and dark blue jeans.
“I’m Arthur Davis but people usually call me Arty. Nice to meet you guys”
“Hey” Michael said with a friendly smile.
“Oh, dude what happened to your face?” Charles laughed as I took my seat beside him.
“Ah, I got into a fight with a jock at my old school. Got kicked out for it”
“No way!” Charles whispers.
“What, did you get caught making out with his girl or something?” Michael chuckled as he stuffed his mouth with a sandwich.
I pulled the best fake laugh I possibly can before saying “A, yeah, something like that”
I had no intention of telling them what started the fight in the first place. I don’t want anyone knowing about that. About me.
“So, yah got a girl then, Arty?” Paul asks, looking up from his food.
“No, I don’t.” I answered, a little too fast if you asked me. “What about you guys?” I returned, trying to get the attention off of me and girls.
“Well, Michael claims he has a girlfriend but none of us have ever met her” he said with a sarcastic tone in his voice.
“I don’t even believe she’s a real girl” Charles laughed with a mouth full of food.
“Shut your damn mouth” Michael shot Charles a glare. “She lives in the next town over and she is very real,” he retorts.
“Maybe in yah dreams!” Paul yelled, throwing a playful punch at Charles. We all chuckled at his stupid joke. These guys seem pretty chill. I felt like I could relax a little as they continued to banter with each other about girls and classes, but I soon started to feel like I was being watched. I tried to subtly look over my shoulder to scan the area.
There was Mr Dreamboat, leaning against the wall across the courtyard and he was looking right at me with those gorgeous blue eyes and furrowed brows. What was he looking at me like that for? After a moment, his attention was drawn away when one of his friends playfully slapped his shoulder and cracked a joke. He laughed back at whatever his friend said and started to walk away. I turned back to the guys I’m sitting with pretending like I was listening to what they were saying. Could that dream boat guy be interested in me? Nah. No way. A guy like that would never be into someone like me. Plus he had a girlfriend. He was probably just curious about my black eye or something.
Before I had a chance to think more on it the bell rang, signalling lunch is over. I sighed and said my goodbyes to the guys before heading off to my next class.
The rest of the day was uneventful and after the last class ended, I found myself on the long trek home. It’s about a 30-minute walk. I have lived with my aunt and uncle since my parents died when I was young. Their house was too small when I had to move in with them, so they set up a makeshift room in the garage. It’s a little cold but I get to have my own space away from them, so I don’t mind it so much. And they get their privacy too. They had two kids. My cousin Jesse is 8 years old and his sister Hope who is 16 years old.
Once I got home I greeted my aunt and uncle in the house. We talked about my first day at school and after dinner I washed up and headed back out to my room. I laid back on my bed, fully stretched out. Soon, images of the dreamboat boy popped back into my head. He was really good looking. He must be quite fit since his muscles were noticeable through his tight shirt. I wonder if he works out. Probably. I sighed internally when I remembered his girlfriend. She was really pretty. They actually do make a cute couple. But I bet we’d be cuter if he was my boyfriend. Sighing again, I tried to push the pointless thoughts away and get ready for bed. Before I got in, I heard a soft knock on my door.
“Come in!” The door creaked open and in walked my cousin Hope.
“Hey Arty” she smiled and hopped over to my bed.
“Hey Hope”
“How was your first day at Westfield High?”
“Oh, fine. Everyone was staring at me thanks to the stupid bruise on my face.” I gestured to it with my hand.
Hope giggled. “That’s what you get when you try to beat up the jocks”
“No kidding” I laughed. “Are people talking about it?” I was curious to know what people really thought happened. If he really did go around telling people about me and my… preference. I hoped not. It’s not like I was very popular so maybe it won’t reach many ears. Most people wouldn’t even know who I was if they heard the ‘rumour’ anyway.
“There are a few whispers going around. George came up to me today and asked about you though”
“George? What did he say?” Why would he even care? He’s the reason I got kicked out. He should be over the moon to not have to see my face every day so why would he be asking about me?
“He didn’t say much. He just asked what school you were going to now” She shrugged her shoulders to suggest it really wasn’t a big deal.
I didn’t respond. Instead, I picked up my ball and tried to toss it in the hoop on the wall, but it bounced back off the hoop towards Hope. She caught it and shot me a glare as if to say, ‘watch it!’
“What? Your big head was in the way” I laughed. She immediately threw the ball back at me, aiming for my head. I threw my arms up in defence, the ball hit me and fell to the floor, rolling out of reach.
We both laughed it off. There was a short moment of silence before Hope asked “So… is the rumour true? About… you being… queer?” She added. Shit. So people are talking about it.
“The word is ‘gay’” I sighed and laid back against my pillows, looking up to the ceiling to avoid her gaze “And why do you want to know?”
“I’m just curious. I don’t mind if you don’t want to say. Even though that would basically mean the answer is yes” A small smirk tugged on her lips.
A frustrated huff escaped my lips. I decided to sit back up to look her in the face “Do you swear not to tell anyone?” I whispered in case my aunt or uncle could hear.
“Cross my heart. I swear I won’t tell another soul” She responds just as quietly, leaning in to show me she was listening carefully.
“Ok, the truth is…” I paused, wondering if it’s a bad idea to tell her the truth. But I caved. She was my cousin and I trusted her. “Yeah, I’m into dudes” Shit! I can’t believe I told her. I dropped my head down into the bed, face getting hotter and redder by the second. My heart was beating so hard I could barely hear her response. I peeked one eye over the blankets just enough to see her face.
Her eyes were wide as a gasp left her gaping mouth followed by a high-pitched squeal “Really?!”
“Shhh” I whisper yell, pressing my finger to my lips. “Keep it down! You can’t say anything to anyone ok? It’s tough out there for people like me. I don’t want it to cause any issues for me… or for you guys. This could seriously affect your dad’s job if word gets out that he has a ‘queer’ living under his roof.”
My uncle was an Electrical Engineer. During World War II he was stationed at a lab working on Radar Development which apparently is a pretty big deal. He’s quite high up the ladder these days with the amount of experience he has. I wouldn’t want to jeopardize his success if word was to get out about me being gay.
“Far out!” She giggled quietly to herself before her expression changed. She seemed to be deep in thought before she mumbled “That makes sense actually”
“What? What do you mean by that?” Was it obvious that I was gay or something? I bloody hope not!
“Well, you have only ever had a couple of girlfriends that I know of, and you never really seemed that keen on them to be honest. It was like she was just there for show or something. You never actually paid them that much attention”
“Oh… yeah I guess you’re right” I didn’t think that much of it at the time but she’s right. I already knew how I felt by the time I went out with those girls. I only really went out with them because they asked. I felt bad that I would never have the same feelings for them as they did for me, but I also couldn’t not have a girlfriend because it could have made people suspect my preference for guys.
“Sooo… are there any good-looking guys at your new school?” She asked with a raised brow and leaning back on her hands.
I couldn’t hold back the smirk that crept onto my face “Well, actually there is one guy”
“Really?! Tell me! What’s his name? Is he cute?”
Excited to gush about the dreamboat, I turned over on my stomach to face her. I told her about how handsome he was and that he looked like he probably worked out because of how fit he looked. I tell her about his neatly slicked back hair and how his jeans really show off his nice butt. I told her about his dreamy voice and how he spoke a few words to me today.
“Oh my god he sounds like a total dreamboat” she flung on her back and sighed in a way that sounded like she was day dreaming about him already. “You didn’t say what his name was” She said curiously, looking back in my direction.
“Oh, actually I don’t know his name yet.”
“What? Why not?” she sprung up in confusion.
“Well, I didn’t ask. Should I have?”
“Uh, yeah!” She huffed in a ‘duh’ tone “Why didn’t you ask?”
“Honestly, it was just really hard to get any words out when he spoke to me. He’s a little intimidating, you know?” She looked at me with a concerned glare before I continued with my hands up “Not in a bad way, more like a… ‘oh my god you’re so dreamy I can barely speak’ kind of way?” I said, sounding like a question.
“Oh, well you should find out tomorrow. I really want to know. Any way I should probably go to bed, it’s getting late”
“Ok good night, Hope, and… thanks… for being cool about this. I really appreciate it”
“Of course, I will support you no matter what Arty. Night!” She smiled and headed out, closing the door behind her.
I decided it was time for me to turn in too, so I jumped back in bed and flicked the light off. I can’t believe I just told Hope that I’m gay. I’m glad she was supportive about it. I don’t even want to imagine what might’ve happened if she didn’t say anything. She really was the best cousin one could ask for. A sigh of relief left me before my eyelids grew heavy and my mind slipped into sleep with a certain handsome boy on my mind.
