A Step Off the Path

How things can work out

Chapter 1: conflict

I ducked, dodging the swinging right arm for the third time. Tobin swore, "I'll get you, you little poof."

He charged straight at me; I easily stepped aside and he staggered forward trying to regain his balance.

"Damn you, Farely, you little pansy, damn you." He had tears of frustration in his eyes.

He came towards me again, but more slowly this time with his arms spread out, trying to trap me against the fence. I feinted to my left and then made a move to my right. Tobin thought he had outsmarted me and launched himself at my right side, but I'd stepped away to the left.

Unable to stop, he crashed into the fence and crumpled to the ground. "You've hurt me," he bleated, the tears becoming more evident.

I sighed, resisting pointing out the obvious. "Tobin, why do you want to bash me up?"

Tobin was a fairly big kid, but quite overweight and clearly not fit. We went to the same school, though he was a year ahead of me.

Still trying to get his breath back, he took a few seconds to answer, "Because you're a sissy and I hate sissies."

I wondered how many sissies he knew; probably none apart from me.

"I'm an effeminate person, Tobin. I think of myself as a 'femboy' not a sissy, though I'm not sure of the difference."

"You're a faggot?"

It was a question and I answered it. "If you mean am I gay, I don't know. I haven't really given it enough thought."

"Then why do you dress up like a poofter?"

"I like pretty things and cute stuff, Tobin. I feel better, more comfortable, when I dress myself up pretty."

"The other kids call you 'Fairy', did you know that?"

"Yes. With a name like mine and the way I dress, it was inevitable."

Tobin was back on his feet and not breathing so heavily, but I didn't think he was going to attack me again. Not right now, at least.

"Look, Tobin, why don't we have an arrangement? You don't like me and the way I look. Okay, I accept that, so let's just keep away from each other. I mean, it shouldn't be that hard, you're a year ahead of me . . ."

"I might not be next year. They're talking about me maybe repeating."

"Oh, things not going too well?"

Shrug.

"Come on, let's try it. Let's just keep away from each other."

He pulled a face and I wasn't sure whether he had agreed or not, but we left it at that.

Chapter 2: the next contact

At school, I'd previously noticed that Tobin was usually by himself - that was something we had in common. Over the next few weeks, I saw him looking at me on numerous occasions, but always from a distance; and I was doing my best to avoid being near him. Maybe the arrangement was working.

My full name is Cornelius Francesco Farely. I'm not sure which part is the worst. Over the years, I've been called all sorts of derivatives and corruptions like Corny, Neilly, Frankie, Farrs and so on. I preferred Frankie, but other people didn't always seem to.

Apart from me, I don't think that there was anything strange about my family. My parents were an ordinary quiet couple; my elder brother and sister had both left home during the last few years and I was in my third year of high school.