A Scholar's Affection

3

It was painful to not talk to him as he usually did. Just acknowledgements of his existence and nothing more. The next day, where he planned to keep it up, Hansiel found a note on his homeroom desk: "go 2 the gym @ lunch" The scrawl was recognizably Slate's. Since it was a demand, not a request, he had to go.

Throughout the day, people have been asking Slate over why he hadn't been with Hansiel. Answers changed. "He is nowhere close to being my boyfriend." "I didn't choose anyone over anybody, I'm as single as a single-player game. It's this thing where you -- oh, never mind." "I'm not into any guys!" "I like girls, just not anyone right now." "You're a cute guy and all, but I'm going to be taken soon, hopefully." This went on.

Hansiel found Slate in the gymnasium with his arms crossed with a serious, maybe angry, face.

"What?" Hansiel asked.

"Why have you been ignoring me?" Slate demanded. "B's been all over me. She just doesn't understand boundaries, and you're my best wall!"

"Is that all I am to you?! A partition?!"

"No, that's not what I meant!"

"You've made me become something I shouldn't be in the first place! You're a bad influence on my studies!"

"Studies? Bad influence?! Where is this all coming from?"

"The fact that I can't resist being with you! You're all that I have to think about night and day, I can't stand being away! And now to hear that you don't feel the same way? You'll just tap some Green's shoulder and ask if she wants to spend the night with you committing intercourse, that's all you'll do! You won't think about me, much less the time we spent together! You won't feel the same way for me, you never will!" He panted, shaking.

The shorter man gawked in disbelief at his words. After a few minutes, he sighed and muttered under his breath "That's the torture of enamor." He squinted at the man. "You refuse to see me because of some crush? That's stupid, even for a Yellow."

"What?"

"It's not like it's my fault that you chose to hang out with me. It was your decision to say 'Oh, fuck it, I'll just hang around these guys for a while!' You got yourself into it, and by the look of your face, you've been doing that for a long time. First time we met, you were asleep. You and I did that thing to Ms. Leva! Not me and 'some Green', you and me!" His heavy dose of daily make up started to run from his eyes, tainting his face with black streaks.

Hansiel felt guilt deep down in him, twisting. He despised this immediately. "Then what about those 'cute guys and girls' you told people you look at?"

"What the fuck?! I don't have any interest in those people!"

"Then who? Who are you almost going to be taken by?"

"Well, I thought it was pretty clear enough to them that we're not just buddies."

"We're best friends, aren't we?"

"They think we're boyfriends, you dense idiot!"

"Aren't we already boy-friends, though?"

"Boyfriends. As in a couple."

"But that'd mean that you're also interested in me."

"I am, you retard!" Slate threw his hands up in the air. "I'm into you!"

"What?" Hansiel was taken aback.

"I do, I do, I do!"

They stood there for a while, staring at each other. The tension passed. "Would you like to be boyfriends?"

"Of course, you ass. Come here." Slate threw himself on him, anyway.

Hansiel kept holding him, taking him to the supply closet of the gymnasium and they kissed. And kissed some more. And kissed some more.

They were so close. Slate led Hansiel's kisses to his neck, Hansiel holding Slate on the wall while rubbing up against him. "What is this?" Hansiel asked.

"That's called temptation. You really want to do this."

"Well, that's not wrong."

Slate pushed off and smiled. "Now, it's my turn." He reached into Hansiel's pants.

Alert, Hansiel stood up a bit. "What are you doing?"

"Just trust me."

Minutes passed as they shared their passion for each other as a voluptuous activity. Lunch period passed and they missed a class while hiding in there, still. As soon as it ended, Slate asked Hansiel:

"Hey, how about we continue this over at my place?"

Hansiel blushed, muttering reservedly. "Yes, please."

Bertha shot up, clutching her tablet furiously, shaken of what she had just seen. Equally she was outraged, jealous of the oldest man. She cried, skipped dinner, cried, refused to sleep, crying. Angry at Riverstein, for picking Ming rather than her. Angry at nature, for not making her more attractive. Angry at herself, not being able to do anything about it but weep.

Hansiel made the justification he used to his parents as he frequently did for not going home along with why he didn't respond to the 60 messages and calls sent. "Group project."

"Your school seems to be distributing more and more cooperative assignments." His father commented.

"I suppose there has always been group work, I guess I just haven't wanted anyone to team up with." Hansiel said the next afternoon. He felt light and stupid. He didn't want anything that didn't have to do with his-

"-Boyfriend." Bertha sneered.

The pair of female classmates she was ranting to glance at each other in disbelief. "Are you certain?"

"I got the footage right here!" She lifted her pad, which was off. "Do you want to see how certain I am?!"

"Alright, we believe you." They nodded and walked away, whispering to each other.

Word got around before they even left the school, and it was evident when they returned. They got looks, nasty ones. It was a hatred and intolerance of the idea of a Red and Yellow becoming one. Criticism of Hansiel being convinced to "transform" into such a lowly race.

Hansiel walked up to Bertha the next day in lunch. She glared up at him and he returned the look, furious.

"May I help you, Hans?" She said with fake enthusiasm.

He grabbed her by the hair and slapped her face, hard. "Listen here, you shit-faced cunt," He said, "You're ruining my life now, and you will get the same from me. I will show you no mercy, and you shall suffer. You assume this will get you closer to him, but it won't, sweetie, because guess what? You're now farther from him that you once were, because that is my man you're bullying, and it's me who's coming for your cheeky little ass, bitch."

She shoved him off, incredulous. "You got nothing on me, man-whore."

"Watch me, hypocrite." He walked away, just like that.