The Five Stages of Gayness

Chapter Fourteen - Out of Sight

ALEX

Chapter Fourteen

I was sitting outside school on a bench, soaking in the late afternoon sunlight. The air held a slight chill that made me shift a bit in an attempt to get warmer. I pulled my black jacket tighter. A few months in Texas and I was already going soft.

At the entrance, not too far from me, I could see Adams and his two cronies laughing about something. Zach seemed to have said something funny, because Adams's head was thrown back, his green eyes sparkling with with joy.

I sighed. Whenever he looked at me, the entrancing emerald green was shaded over with emotions I couldn't even begin to describe. It was hatred, but there was something else there. A small glimmer that I never had time to catch.

Suddenly, the football quarterback rested his gaze on me. We locked eyes for just a second before he turned away. There. There it was. Under all the hatred and anger. It was a small shadow of doubt.

I liked seeing these things. These moments when he let the facade slip, if only just for a bit. On the inside, Adriel seemed like a pretty decent guy. But the kid that ruled the school, the mask that everyone was so used to seeing, he was a dick. And he wasn't real. I didn't know why, and I didn't know when, but I had taken a liking to the boy.

Mitch was leaning against the wall nonchalantly. He kept glancing back at me every so often. He would scan me up and down then turn back to his friends. He even winked at me once. It was getting kind of creepy.

I decided that staying around here wasn't the best of ideas. I got up to leave just as I heard Mitch speak.

"Hey guys, I really gotta go. The old man's expecting me."

I glanced back as I ran faster. Mitch had detached himself from the group and was now walking behind me with a purpose. There was something in his eyes that warned me to walk faster. I sped up, looking behind me once more. Mitch's pace had increased to match my own.

I made my way to the now empty parking lot behind the school, heading to my car. If I could just get in, I could escape whatever beating was surely in store for me.

I pulled out my keys as I reached the Impala. My hands were shaking. I fumbled with the lock for a few seconds. My fingers couldn't seem to hold still long enough to fit the metal piece into the slot. Damn it. My hands always shook when I was nervous.

I turned around in time to see Mitch inches away from me. He abruptly shoved me back against my black car. I dropped the keys, my hand trembling too intensely to maintain its grip on the uneven metal lengths. For such a wiry guy, he was surprisingly strong. He was on the football team, after all. He smiled, a predatory glint in his eyes.

"Now that we're out of their sight," his smile grew. "I think we're going to have a lot of fun, you and I."

What? He seemed like he was going to hit me. But I'd already gotten my daily beating this morning, and from what I'd picked up, the football team had a very rigid chain of command. No one touched me without permission from Adams. He ruled with an iron fist, punishing those who disobeyed him. Mitch was risking social and physical obliteration by associating with me outside the bullying hours, no matter how well he taught me a lesson for being gay. This must be pretty important.

He clenched his fist a bit, grabbing my arm with his other hand.

"I'm going to do something." His grip intensified. "Don't try to fight me or you'll just regret it."

Oh God. He was going to punch me. Hit me. Slap me. Something. I simply nodded fearfully as a reply and braced myself for the pain. I could feel it. It was coming. Any minute--