Take A Chance On Me [boyxboy]

Take A Chance On Me {11}

                                                                ***Callum’s POV***

                “Get yo ass in gear!” Natalie said as she watched me exchange my books at my locker.

                I nodded at her and shoved one last notebook into my backpack before standing up and shutting my locker. I turned and followed Natalie down the hallway.

                “I ain’t seen that fool boy with the weird name,” she said, her eyes darting around the hallway.

                “Tate,” I reminded her. “His name is Tate. And compared to Callum, he has a pretty normal name.”

                “Whatever. He ain’t sittin’ with us during lunch, right?” She asked, narrowing her eyes at me.

                “Natalie, he doesn’t have anywhere else to sit. Eric and the others were his only friends, and he lost them standing up for me,” I mumbled, feeling awful about that. Sure, they had treated Tate horribly. But they had been the guy’s only friends, and now he had no one.

                I looked up and spotted Tate’s little brother, Craig. He was standing and laughing with some friends.

                From what I had overheard, I had a feeling that Tate’s parents were awful to him because of his sexuality, and Craig didn’t help him at all. That was just wrong. Siblings should stand up for each other.

                “Wait here Natalie. I’ll be right back,” I said to her and moved towards Craig.

                I stepped up behind him and he friends glanced at me, looking nervous. Craig spun around and also eyed me nervously.

                “Craig?” I asked him, wondering why I was doing this. Tate’s home life and his relationship with his brother was none of my business. But…well…I cared about Tate, I guess.

                “Yeah?” He asked.

                “I need to talk to you for a second,” I said, motioning to an empty bench across the hall.

                Craig followed me over to the bench, glancing back at his friends and shrugging helplessly. We stopped when we reached the bench and I chewed on my lip, wondering what the hell I was supposed to say to him.

                “Do you know where Tate is?” I asked.

                Craig shrugged, his expression darkening a little. “No, I don’t know where Tate is. It’s not my job to keep an eye on that moron. Hey, you’re that kid that stopped Tate from jumping in the gym that day! Who are you?”

                “I’m Callum. I guess I’m a friend of Tate’s,” I said, a bit awkwardly. “I know that Tate doesn’t exactly get along with your parents.”

                Craig’s face paled a little. He didn’t seem to have anything to say to that, so I continued speaking.

                “I was at a gas station yesterday. He was there crying because your dad called him a faggot,” I said.

                Craig shrugged nervously. “He, uh, he talked back to our dad.”

                “You just watch, don’t you? That’s why you guys don’t get along, isn’t it?” Why was I doing this? Why I was trying to guilt Tate’s brother like this?