Camilo's Journey

Chapter 6:

Last night was a fever dream, he didn't expose his gift to a cute boy.. stop that Camilo! It's only a crush! And he'll make Spencer keep quiet somehow. Though he doesn't really think he'll have to worry about that, Spencer has his own gift to hide and besides Spencer's much too kind hearted to hold this against him. Stop that!!

Right now he's trying to practice the moves he learnt so poorly and only survived due to Spencer. And it's not helping that he can't get him out of his head. And it gets worse, here he comes. Before he knows what he's doing he's flung himself behind a piano.
He's now watching Spencer warm up, in a singlet and short set that doesn't leave much to the imagination. That's a dancer's body, not as pale as he'd have expected from a red headed English boy. He really does have freckles from head to toe. Camilo thinks he should probably stop staring and say hello.
Oop no.. on second thought he doesn't want to make this more embarrassing than it already is. Well he knows one thing for sure now, he's definitely attracted to this boy!
This is not how he wants to have his gay awakening. Stop! No! Camilo! Think of anything else!

"What are you doing?" Alex whispers as they crouches beside him. Camilo startles, and hopes they don't pay too much attention to him. He gets kinda lucky as Alex becomes transfixed by Spencer's dancing! He is so graceful and talented! Camilo wishes Spencer could see himself through his eyes. Then he'd see how wonderful he was.
"Wow! He is incredibly good!!" Alex exclaims in a whisper. "But you do know he would let you watch him." Alex adds with a quiet giggle.

Camilo is way too transfixed but he's about to buck up when these two boys show up. One brain cell between them and zero class. They start criticising Spencer and Camilo swears they have to be jealous. Spencer is flawless... his dancing is flawless.

Even so the confidence is seeping out of Spencer as they start to get nasty.
"When people see what a freak you really are they'll forget that you have talent." One of the boys jeers and pushes Spencer mid what Camilo remembers is a pirouette. Alex shoves him forward but he's already half way there. He doesn't know how he manages to do it but he switches, but only into another version of himself. One that is fast enough to catch Spence in his arms before he hits the ground.

The two boys retreat seeming kind of startled at Camilo's speed. Alex sits up on the piano but neither Camilo or Spencer acknowledge them.
Spencer pulls himself back to standing.

"Thank you.. but Camilo what were you thinking? Those are not nice people, you don't know what they'll do with this.. you don't need to put yourself in danger for me."

He even says thank you when his mad. Is all Camilo's mind catches onto at first when Spencer storms off on him. But then he feels sick in the stomach at the thought of Spencer being mad at him.
"Are you the fucking flash?!"
Camilo had forgotten Alex was there. But his brain isn't working the way it should right now.
"No, I'm a shape shifter." He says. Alex's eyes widen, they're shocked as they run out of the dance studio.

Camilo has messed everything up. And he's not proud of what he does next. He lost all his friends in a matter of moments and on top of that he is confused, very confused about his new attractions. So he ends up crying in a bathroom stall for the rest of the morning, until he is forced to face the reality that this is his life now. He's a sad, gay screw up.

***
Camilo bundles himself into a large hoodie, despite the fact that it's warm enough for him to be wearing shorts. As he heads, reluctantly to dance class. No Spencer, Alex or Claudia by his side. And everyone he passes by whispers as they pass him in the hall. He guesses word has got out and that means Delores will hear about it soon too. And Tio Bruno was right, he had a lot of growing up to do. But he'd failed to do so.
Just as he was about to have a breakdown in the hallway he heard Claudia calling him. Surely not, he kept his head down and charges forward. But she doesn't give up, she pulls him back by the wrist.

He pulls himself out of her hold and he's glad that it's anger that boils to the surface not sadness.
"What do you want from me Claudia? I'm a freak! And a sad little queer boy who somehow didn't even know how he felt till it was too late and I over stepped." He felt the anger slipping into tears as Claudia pulled him away from an amused audience and into one of the break room.
She did what he had done for Spencer on that first day of dance class. She sat him down and let him cool off while she made him some tea.

"Camilo, you have to know that neither Alex or Spencer are mad at you. Alex was shocked and she's over it, and Spencer, well that's a little more complicated. He is worried those boys will hurt you and he doesn't get why you'd put yourself in danger like that, I guess it's not as obvious to him as it is to me." She says. Camilo goes to speak but Claudia hands him the tea and continues. "And as for your "gay awakening." It's always a shock to the system and yeah it's often really scary but it'll be good too, once you a learn to celebrate who you are, instead of fearing it, Camilo."
She takes his hands in hers.
"Alex told me about your.. situation." She laughs at him now and Camilo buried his face in his hands.
"Hey no, it's okay."
"Maybe if you're not me." He mumbles.
"How do I fix this with Spencer?." He sighs.
"I don't really think you can, until you're ready to tell him how you feel. Otherwise I don't think he'll get it." Claudia sighs.
"Great, I'll go it alone until.. well forever." Camilo knows he's being dramatic but he is so past caring.. he's got nothing to lose anymore.

"Look, just tell Spencer how much you care about him. Maybe he'll understand?" She says hopefully as they head off to class.

Camilo wants to do just that. But instead he confronts the idiots who had the nerve to hurt Spencer. He makes sure there's no eyes on him as he shoves one of them into some lockers. The boy startles.
"If you ever speak that way to Spencer or make him feel anything less than the talented dancer he is, I'll use my speed to cause some real damage, do you hear me?" He says and he doesn't really like the anger in his voice, this isn't who he is but he doesn't stop. The boy grunts in response.
"It might be too late but if you tell anyone else about me.. the same goes." The boy nods as Camilo releases him.
His friend smirks about what a freak he is. But that's not the most painful thing, that would be turning around to see Spencer's frightened face looking at him before he runs.

"Spencer!" Camilo calls. He turns and Spencer's wet eyes just about say it all.
"This is not you Camilo, you're not bad, you don't threaten others. At least that is what I thought.. but maybe you're dangerous. Please stay away from me."

He runs into the dance studio and Camilo isn't up to going to class so he goes back to his thankfully empty room.