𝕮𝖆𝖗𝖕𝖊 𝕹𝖔𝖈𝖙𝖚𝖒 - ʀᴏʙʙʏ ᴋᴇᴇɴᴇ

𝟞

Julian didn't sleep peacefully that night.

It's the same reoccurring nightmare that it always is. He's crying all alone in the bathroom. Bullies come up to Julian - some 8th graders with something to prove. They know his secret; they know everything. They call him names, kick him, spit on him. He does nothing.

Lexi finds him an hour later, and she hugs him so hard he feels like he might break. She swears to end whoever did this to him.

Julian goes home with a broken nose and bruised ribs. He's only 13. Nobody understands how he feels when he looks into the mirror, knowing that something isn't right. To himself, he's a 'him,' but all they see is 'she.'

***

Julian wakes up with silent sobs, heaving and gasping for air. Climbing out of bed, he slips on a hoodie and shoes, checking his watch for the time; it's 2 in the morning.

Sneaking out of the house undetected, he sits down on his front steps. He remembers the first night he saw Robby, the boy gazing at the stars on the pavement between both apartments.

He knows there was something wrong with the way he looked fearfully down at the man in the car, the way his words didn't seem to have any heart with it when he said goodbye.

It's all so confusing, and he hates it. Maybe he has too much faith in Robby, and his mind is trying to defend him - when deep down, he knows the truth.

But the only thing he knows right now is that he's still crying - tears rolling down his cheek silently as he stares up at the sky - and then a light is on in Robby's window, and now there's a boy there.

A seed of hope is rooted in him.

The light goes off again.

And as the time ticks by, nobody comes.

When Julian looks at his watch again, it's 5 am. It's a school day, and he knows he'll regret it, but maybe he wants to see the satisfaction on Robby's face when the boy exits his house early in the morning. See that guilt when he looks at Julian sitting on the stairs alone. He's more confused than mad, but those emotions have to go somewhere, and maybe he'll feel a bit of satisfaction with it.

When the clock hits 6:45, Robby comes out of his house and see's Julian slumped against the small cement pillar that holds the roof above the door. He wants to go over and explain everything, but he doesn't.

When he's gone, Julian goes inside and gets ready for school, pushing the boy as far back into his mind as he can go.

***

"I don't know, dude. You spilled a glass of wine - so what?" Hawk comments toward Miguel as they're stretching before the lesson.

Julian's bad cricks from spending several hours hunched over, and so does his shoulders when he rolls them.

The group is talking about how - when Miguel had eaten dinner at Sam's house with both their families - he had accidentally spilled wine on her dad's shirt.

"I don't know, man. You should have heard the way Mr. Lawrusso was talking about Sam's future. I can't even afford a car, let alone college. What if they start to think I'm not good enough for her."

"I don't think Sensei Lawrusso's the type of dude to think that, Miguel," Lexi added in, leaning down to touch her toes. One of the boy's gazes behind her flickered down, and she immediately stopped - ignoring the glaring look Hawk was giving them.

"Dude, you're el serpiente; you're an All Valley Champion. Just show Lawrusso what you're made of. I know you're going to crush whatever he throws at us today."