Queen Boys

Chapter 3: Cupid's Arrow

"OMG! Ok you have to do it! Ok and then you have to tell me all the horrible things that Freddie and those guys say!" Joni rambled excitedly while we were in the girl's toilets after lunch. She told me that my long hair would let me get away with being in there, so I followed her.

"But Freddie seems... sweet." I responded, then Joni's face scrunched up at that statement.

"Freddie Mercury is not sweet! He's a scum-sucking arsehole, he ruined my life!" she exclaimed, then I saw Elton come out of one of the stalls.

"He's fabulous, but he's evil." he seconded, and a girl with a pixie cut at the sink gave him a confused look. Apparently he didn't blend in enough to look like a girl.

"Hey! Get out of here!" she exclaimed at him.

"OMG Dick van Dyke I love your work!" Elton hollered, chasing her with his arms out as she ran outside to escape him.

"Why do you hate him?" I asked Joni.

"What do you mean?"

"Freddie. You seem to really hate him." I clarified and she sighed.

"Yes, what's your question?"

"My question is, why?"

Elton then interjected: "Freddie started a rumour that Joni is a s-"

"Elton! Can we not!" Joni snapped. The she turned to me.

"Listen Diky. This isn't about hating him. I think it'll be a fun little experiment if you were to hang out with him and tell us everything those guys say," she said and I was still rather unsure about this, but if I wanted to keep this friendship going I had to just comply with her.

"What do we even talk about?" I asked. I'm not exactly familiar with how teenage guys talk, especially here in the U.K.

"Football!" Joni exclaimed.

"James Bond!" Elton chimed in, and I looked at him confused.

"Is that a band?" I asked and he sighed. Suppose not...

"Ok just do it! Please?!" Joni begged and I nodded.

"Ok, first things first. Do you guys have anything neon?"

"No-"

"Yes!" Elton exclaimed and I shot him a look.

~~~~~~

By 6th period I was excited to get to Calculus class, I mean math is my forte, and my plan to not screw up this class is foolproof. Or at least that's what I thought until the girl that sits in front of me turned around to face me. She hasn't spoken to me once, but in that moment I was instantly captivated by her beauty. Her honey-blonde tresses shone with the sun, her eyes sparkled an emerald green, and she had soft porcelain cheeks that I just know would feel so smooth under my fingertips.

"Hey, do you have a pen I could borrow?" she asked, and her voice was so calming, and I couldn't help but stare. She giggled at me, and I blushed.

I only had one other crush back in Australia, she was an Indigenous girl named Kirra and we were 6. It didn't work out... but this one hit me like a big red double-decker bus.

I handed her my pen, not realising I gave her my only good pen.

"Deaky, what do you say-"

She was...

"So pretty," I murmured, then I quickly realised I said it out loud and everyone was staring at me. Hastily correcting myself, I continued: "I mean, A sub N equals N plus 1 over 4."

Mr Kane nodded, smiling. "Very good, now let's talk about your homework..." As he talked about homework, I couldn't help but zone out and dream about the girl again. The way she smiled at me gave off the impression that she was interested, but maybe she was being friendly. 

At the end of the day, I walked past her desk and caught a glimpse of her notebook, which contained her name: Veronica Tetzlaff. I blushed a deep scarlet just staring at her name. Such a pretty name for an even prettier girl...

After I got home from school, I found my parents on the porch once more.

"Hey Johnny! How was your second day?"

"Better this time," I responded with a small smile.

"Were the people nice?" my mum chimed in.

"Some were, some weren't." I replied in a matter-of-fact way.

"Did you make any new friends?" Dad asked and I smiled.

"Quite a few." Then I walked upstairs and headed to my room for homework.

Tomorrow was Wednesday, and Elton was going to lend me his neon blue polo before class started.