Top and Tail [boyxboy] [slash]

Chapter 8: Have You Ever Had a Girlfriend?

We were only able to, uh, 'hold hands' for a few short minutes. Once we reached to top of the stairwell voices began to echo up, indicating that some other students weren't far behind us. I looked at Jay, panic clearly written across my face. He seemed to get the message, because he dropped his hands to his sides, again fiddling with his jeans.

For some reason, my hand felt kinda cold without his, so I tucked it into my pocket. My fingers were just as warm in there as they were in Jay's hand but... it just didn't feel right.

"Ok, your surname is McCallion, yeah?" I double checked. Jay raised an eyebrow but nodded all the same.

"Yeah. Why?"

"We've got four houses in my school," I told him. "Each one's named after a Saint, and each one has a different Guidance Teacher. We're basically sorted according to our surnames, so me and you are in different houses."

Jay made a face. "Ok, so, um, kinda like in Harry Potter?"

I couldn't help but laugh. "I guess. But don't get excited – we don't have a sorting hat in this filthy muggle school."

He joined in with a faint chuckle. "Figures. So what house am I?"

I scratched my head awkwardly. "Honestly? I ain't that sure of the houses other my own. I think Mc and Mac surnames are either in St. Aleydis' or St. James'... I'm in St. Dominic's and the last house is St. Xystus."

"Saint who?"

"Xystus," I repeated, absently pulling at the corner of a poster proclaiming 'Jesus Loves You This Much!' Underneath the ornate lettering was a rather morbid image of a bloodied man with his arms spread across a wooden crucifix. I shuddered. "Don't worry, nobody's ever heard of him."

Jay smiled and then turned his attention to the poster. He rolled his eyes. "Is this school really into religious stuff?"

"Kinda," I shrugged, trying my best to ignore the vibrantly coloured poster. "I mean, most of the kids don't care but the teachers are kinda into it..."

I could see Jay's eyes widen in anticipation as he imagined the teachers coming down on him in a reign of religious fury. I almost laughed in response.

"Um..."

"Hey don't worry about it," I reassured him, gently squeezing his shoulder as an added comfort. "You'll be fine... as long as you keep your head down."

"Um Ash? You're really not helping."

"Hey, I'm trying! Appreciate it, sunshine!"

Jay snorted and folded his timetable in half, neatly placing it in his jacket pocket. He raised his fist to the doorway marked 'SMT' and after a brief moments hesitation knocked on the door three times.

Mrs Healy, my own guidance teacher answered the door a few moments later.

"Ash? What's wrong? Are those boys harassing you again-?"

"No! No way, haha... Nothing like that..."

I chanced a glance at Jay, who looked utterly unfazed. Hard to believe as it is, when I first started secondary school I was an even scrawnier, snarkier little git than I was now. Well, maybe not snarkier but you get the picture. I wasn't exactly social at the best of times, and after a few embarrassing blunders involving a football and the girls changing rooms I soon became an easy target. My first couple of months at this school were hell. I'd get shoved in the hallways, locked out of the PE blocks, and some of the more scheming students took it upon themselves to sabotage my homework jotters. Needless to say the teacher eventually cottoned on after this stunt and promptly put their foot down, leaving me friendless and labelled as a 'grass' for the rest of high school.