100 reasons to love our lives

Missing boyfriends

Will

The sunlight chased away my headaches.

Reading English letters was difficult. Reading English letters while listening to mumbling professors was even harder. And reading English letters while having to take notes and while listening to incomprehensible instructors was the worst.

On top of that, I had been worried sick because of my stupid, stubborn boyfriend.

Luckily, he had seemed refreshed and calm when I had seen him in our math course. During the whole lesson, he and I had shared meaningful grins and little thumbs up when one of us had looked extra confused - because our professor had been pretty confused by himself. He had taken three turns to explain one thing, and I still didn't know which solution was the right one now.

But, and that was important, Nico had been in a good mood.

We unfortunately didn't sit together during my first break, because we didn't share the same science course. But Kathy was beside me, and she shared her cookie dough with me, therefore I couldn't complain. Today, she had her contact lenses mixed up; with one pink contact and a blue one. Fitting to that, someone seemed to have colored her hair yesterday, because it was pink on the left and blue on the right side.

"Was it a good party?", I asked while looking around campus. Kathy's eyes lit up, and she nodded. "It was awesome!", she called out. "The music was great, and the people were extremely chill. Yassy did a table dance."
Kathy chuckled a little. "She got the attention of some dudes, but I got her out of it. We are used to her dancing skills by now."
There were a lot of other students outside, but I couldn't find Nico anywhere. Didn't he have a break now too? Or did he schedule his plan otherwise? "Yassy didn't strike me as a party dancer", I said absently, just to keep the conversation going.
"Oh, she teaches little children modern dancing", Kathy told me. "And she has won a few prices too, but it never was enough for the big leagues."
"Impressive. I thought she would be more of a ballet kid."
Kathy giggled again. "Don't tell her that."

Nico still was nowhere to be seen. He most likely wouldn't come anymore, and I sank back with a depressed sigh.

"What's up?", Kathy asked. She didn't act like someone who would care much about other people, but she had to be somewhat sensitive to recognize that something was indeed up with me.

Well, I was looking around like crazy the whole time, but still.

"I was just curious if Nico would be around here somewhere", I said. Actually, that wasn't the whole truth. Nico and I practically had spent every bit of free time with each other before; it made me nervous that he wasn't with me. As if I suddenly had to hop on just one leg instead of using two.

"You two are the cutest couple I have ever seen", Kathy announced and I felt how my cheeks got warm.
"No, for real", she added. "You two make me want a boyfriend, and I'm really not the bonding type. I'm already afraid of the time when the first phase is over and you two start to sulk about how good the first days were."

"We are together since five years", I corrected her distractedly. Distracted because I realized someone staring at me.

The girl whose attention I had wore a black hoodie, ripped black jeans and black sneakers. A neon pink backpack rested on her lap, matching her thick, pink chain-necklace. Long, blond strands fell out of her hood, just a little lighter than her golden-toned skin. In that way, she looked kind of similar to Yassy, but her body was built completely differently: smaller, curvy, with a round face. She was sitting too far away for me to see anything other than that, but her light eyes were still looking in my direction.

"Really?", Kathy now said surprisedly. "And you still have such a strong bond? My goodness, the sex must be out of this world."

I nearly choked on the cookie dough, my focus going back to Kathleen instantly. "We don't-", I tried to say, but then broke down in another coughing fit.

"You don't have sex? Why not? Are you asexual?" She didn't seem to have any problems discussing that with someone she had met yesterday. I was flabbergasted.

"I don't feel comfortable with that subject", I said and she shrugged. "No problem", she mumbled, her mouth full of cookie dough. Kathy seemed to have an infinite supply of that.

The silence between us still was embarrassing. To chase it away, I now pointed at the blonde girl: "Who is that?"

My stalker fastly looked down at her backpack. Kathy next to me sighed sympathetically. "That's Celine", she said. "Poor girl doesn't have friends here."
"Why?", I asked, instantly alarmed.
"Because some douchebag has made up some pretty hardcore rumors over her. I tried to be her friend, but she blocked me."
Kathy seemed personally attacked by whatever rumors there were. Therefore, I asked: "I know it's a bad question, but what rumors?"

"Apparently, she has had a few boyfriends who suspiciously went missing right after they got together", Kathy snorted. "And that is cause for the rumors of her abducting young men and either killing them or holding them captive. Which is just so wrong! Now everyone is afraid of her, but she did nothing!"

"Yeah, that's nonsense", I agreed. Celine was staring at me again, and I shortly waved at her. Never had I ever been afraid of rumors like that, because no real killer would have that gossip about them without being already caught.

She waved back, raising her hand shyly. "Can she come over?", I asked, getting back an overwhelming: "Yes, of course!"

As I waved her over to me, she looked behind her and then confusedly pointed at herself. My strong nodding seemed to confuse her even more, but she finally stood up and came. "Celine, right?", I greeted her and she nodded. "And you are?"
Her voice sounded comforting and trustworthy. As well as I didn't understand the rumors, I could understand how someone would feel threatened by her.
"I'm Will", I said, my demigod-aura automatically made me sound soothing and unharming. "Don't you want to sit down?"
"I guess?", she asked back, slowly taking place on the bench we sat on.

"You looked so lonely", I told her. "It's a shame, because you also look like a nice person."
"I look nice?", Celine asked with a raised eyebrow and I chuckled. "Nice to talk to."
Kathy offered her cookie dough, but Celine shook her head. I could clearly see her hesitation, her tightened limbs, ready to run away if needed. Sympathy filled my heart. "I arrived just yesterday", I said. "I want to meet some people. And I wanted to meet you too, because you look nice to talk to."
A little smile tugged at her lips. "You seem very pragmatic", she said, relaxing a little.
"But I'll have to warn you, others might think your life ends soon if you spend time with me", she joked.

"Oh, no, don't worry", I reassured her. "I'm gay, and in a very happy relationship. The rumors are just about your missing boyfriends, aren't they?"
Now, she frowned. "I never had a boyfriend who went missing", she made clear. "That's just gossip."
"Sorry for that", I apologized. "But I don't fall for gossip."
Now she took a cookie dough bit, smiling thankfully.

Maybe it was just in my nature to pick up the lonely, forgotten people. But that nature provided me an indescribably perfect boyfriend and some very strong friendships, therefore I wouldn't give up on that tactic.

Celine would be a new, great company.

~~~

William, the befriender of outcasts! What do you think, how's the story doing so far? I can just say I'm super happy that I have finally enough self confidence to put my fanfiction out in this world! Hopefully, you like it just as much as I do!
~ Sunflower