Wishes In The Dark - A Peterick Fanfiction

Eleven

The next day, in science, I'm sitting at a desk on my own, writing as quick as I can about the solar system. Hayley sits at the desk to my right, Chad sits directly in front of me, and Pete sits at the desk to my left. While I'm furiously writing, Chad turns round in his seat and looks at my writing-filled page.

"What the fuck," Chad frowns. "How have you written that much?"

I look up timidly and start to blush. "Um," I say quietly. "I don't...I don't know."

"Do you do research in your spare time?" Chad sniggers. "Cause if you do, that's pretty sad."

"I don't," I say.

"Then how have you written that much?" Chad asks again.

If he won't accept the true answer, what am I meant to say? I notice that Pete's head has snapped up and he's watching Chad talk to me with beady eyes. Hayley's also watching.

I awkwardly look around and shrug.

"Oh, you do do research in your spare time!" laughs Chad. "You sad little nerd. And why are you wearing this, huh?" He flicks my cap off my head.

Out the corner of my eye, I see Pete's grip on his pen tighten.

I bend over to pick up my cap.

"And what the hell are your clothes?" Chad sneers. "You look like my mom's curtains."

I look to Hayley, but she's just sitting there, blankly watching. She's my friend...why isn't she standing up for me? But then I realise - she doesn't want to go against Chad.

But I'm her friend...

"Dork," Chad grins.

That's the first time I've heard that word since I joined Wilmette High. The last time I heard it was in my old school, when the bullies ran my life. I thought I'd escaped that...I guess not. I get a lump in my throat and look away.

Pete slams his pen down on his desk. "Are you done, Chad?" he snaps.

Chad frowns at Pete. "Was I talking to you?"

"You were talking to my friend," Pete says, with a slight pause before the word "friend".

"You're friends with this loser?" laughs Chad.

"Well, if I just assess this situation..." Pete says.

Where is he going with this? All eyes are on him now.

"I've taken someone in to live with me because his brother died - I've done a good thing, so I'm not a loser; Patrick is super smart and gets straight A's - he's also a great guy, so he's not a loser; that leaves..." Pete exaggerates a moment of thinking to himself, and then smirks at Chad. "That leaves you. And let's see...you don't get A's, or even B's, your first instinct is to be rude to everyone, you can't seem to understand the concept of men loving men...the only loser I see is you."

I raise my eyebrows. Where did all that sass come from?! It was fantastic!

Some people exclaim "OOOOHHHH" or laugh. I just stare at Pete, who's smiling sarcastically at Chad. Chad scowls at him.

"Standing up for your boyfriend?" Chad sneers after a long pause. Now, though, he doesn't seem the slightest bit intimidating. It's slightly comical, actually.

I notice Pete blushes slightly, but his sass doesn't waver. "Ah, there it is again. That blunt stupidity of yours. You can keep using it all you want, but you're just making yourself look stupid."

"Fuck off," Chad grumbles, doing the smart thing and returning to his work.

Pete briefly glances at me, then looks at Hayley with a frown of disapproval.

"Nice to see you sticking up for your friends," he mutters.

Hayleylooks at everything but me, sitting stiffly. Pete starts working again and I smile.