Who Is He Kidding (Book 1) [A GAY AGENDA short story]

Chapter 3

  OK, so one of my friends gave me the idea for the next 2 chapters. It's going to be following Luke's life. Also, please comment on what to do after these 2 chapters. They are going to flip between Darrel and Luke, maybe even Lauria! Ok, Bye! (Don't forget to vote!)

  Luke's POV

  Time Skip to English, last period 

  Luke chose to sit near Darrel again, because he thought they had really connected at lunch. And because he couldn't afford to lose another friend. Its this stupid disorder! he thought. Unfortunately, Luke carried a mental disease called separation anxiety. He was a rare case, because only 1.3% of teens are affected in the United States. And he of course knew that, being one of the only kids in the school with daily sessions with the school therapist. The therapist had told him to try to make friends, but it was hard because all of his past friends had described him as "clingy" or "over the top". He could barely walk to school and back from his house without having a panic attack. When these happened, his mind told him that all of his friends were probably having fun without him. And that they secretly wanted to dump him. But back to English. 

  "Today we will be reading To Kill A Mockingbird. I will pair you with someone random," Mr. Leo said, glaring at Mik and Jeremy, who had started to run across the room to be partners. Mik and Jeremy sat back down, defeated looks on their faces. Lauria, Darrel and a few other people had a good laugh when that happened. 

  "Alright, settle down. Settle down!" Mr. Leo shouted, stopping everything. "Here are the pairs," he said, and everyone held their breaths. He moved down alphabetically, until he got to Darrel. "Darrel and Luke will work together," Mr. Leo said, and Lauria looked up from her book with her eyes wide open.

  She glanced at Darrel first, then at Luke. Why is she doing that? Luke wondered, but shrugged mentally, and went back to reading. Darrel was waiting for Luke to finish, and then they strolled out into the hall to work on their comprehension guides. 

  "So... what did you think about the book?" Darrel said tentatively. He seemed to be very shy whenever Luke was around. 

  Luke pocketed that info and responded, "I think it was well written, but the plot line is a little brutal". 

  Darrel nodded and said, "I agree. I especially liked the part when the kids try to walk in their dad's footsteps and help defenseless people." Luke smiled, and they both wrote down what they and their partner had said. They walked back into the classroom, where Mr. Leo was collecting books and papers. 

  "These will be graded by tomorrow, so some of you should be expecting a talk with your parents," Mr. Leo announced, staring pointedly at Mik and Jeremy, who had turned out to be partners after all. Mr. Leo's statement earned another chuckle from the class. "Drumroll please... you are dismissed!" he exclaimed, achieving Lauria-worthy volume. Everyone rushed out of the class like a raging river. Luke saw Darrel turn white, then disappear into the throng of bodies. Darrel!, Luke thought, running over to where Darrel was. He had ended up being squished against the lockers on the wall. 

  "Are you okay?!?!" Luke yelled, trying to be heard over the roar of socializing. 

  "Not really, no," Darrel responded, still not back to his normal skin tone. 

  "OK. I'll stay with you until you're ready," Luke said, leaning against the lockers with Darrel. Darrel's face turned red, but Luke pretended not to notice. After the initial rush to leave, Luke took Darrel's arm and led him towards the door. Darrel's face somehow got even redder, but Luke needed the physical contact as much as Darrel did.

  "Do you want to walk home together?" Luke questioned, because he really didn't feel like crying today.

  "Sure," Darrel mumbled, still red. They traversed through the bus pick-up lines and started the trek home. 

  Ok, I think this is a good time to stop. The next chapter will be out soon. Please send this story to your friends and don't forget to vote ! Thanks and bye! Word count: 718. Time count: 4 hours (ish).