A Boy Like Him; Brallon

2. A Dilemma

   School life was very different for Dallon. He was usually quiet with everyone though sometimes he was outspoken at inappropriate times. I didn't deem them as that but people would say the time for him to remark wasn't right. Like the Terry Anderson incident, all of eighth graders that were considered honour students, had to show the sixth graders what they were expected in middle school. Dallon had interrupted Cherry Tylers' sentence and said quite loudly that Terry was the prettiest and hottest boy he has ever laid his eyes on. Terry smiled and although he was straight he said thank you and complimented my friend back. Everyone else? Not so nice to him. The words faggot and fairy were tossed around like nothing but what did Dallon do? Talked Terry Anderson's ear off, disregarding the mean names he was being called, earning a Resting Bitch Face from Cherry Tylers and the rest of the honour students.

Though everything good in the world doesn't last forever.

Puberty took it's toll on Dallon, physically and emotionally. His autism made everything a hundred times worse for his mental health. Dallon soon realized that he wasn't the same as everybody else, he said that he was special but not in a positive way. This was one of those days where the bullying got so bad for Dallon that he actually let me hold him. He was slumped against me, sobs racking his body, my heart burning at how he felt. Usually, I wouldn't push for him to speak, he had already had enough speaking in front of the class. The teacher saying he needed to slow down when he was speaking or stay quiet.

"Cherry pushed me again and she called me a fairy and that I need to go to one of those retarded schools, she said that I don't belong here. And then I got a panic attack from that and she laughed at me and attempted to push me in the lockers but I got away and I don't know why I an like this. Am I stupid? I used to think I wasn't stupid-"

I had to cut him off, as much as I loved him, he rambled too much.

"Are you hurt? Did Cherry hurt anything when she pushed you?" I ask and he shakes his head. I nod and place his head in my chest to comfort him but he flinches and slides his way out of my grip. I apologize and he gives me a stern nod.

A reason why Dallon had such a hard time socializing and looking "normal" to everyone was because of the physical contact. Kids and adults with autism disliked physical contact, to me it was beyond my knowledge why, it wasn't that they disliked the person, as as matter of fact they had attachment "issues" that made them adore the person, it's just that touching just wasn't for them.

The bell rang signalling that class was over, and he sighs and stands up shakily, I stand up as well but I don't help him up, I don't want to freak him out more than what had already spooked him. Dallon slings his pink bookbag over his shoulder and looks at the ground. "You'll be okay, and if something happens, tell Miss Cox that you need to head down to the office, alright Dallon?"
My friend shakes his head, "I cannot go down to the office, Mr. Brooker absolutely hates me. He despises my existence. He gives me attitude, all the time and he scoffs when he sees me, and rolls his eyes-"

"Dallon, that's okay honey, just- just come get me from Ms. Dyer's class okay? Do you remember where that is?"

He nods, "It's in the Human Geography lab, right?" I nod.

My friend sighs and looks at me, "I'll see you later," he states.

"Love you," I tell him, he nods and gives me a pained smile as he leaves.

----

The good thing about this school was that the freshman were still stuck with middle school, technically speaking. Freshman had a whole block of the building to themselves which made them feel like they were superior to the eighth graders and the lower grades. That meant that I could take care of Dallon for one year longer. The horrible thing about this he'd have to be alone for a year or two because I was heading off to highschool next year. I tried my hardest not to think about that but it was getting harder and harder as we were nearing the end of the year and I got more and more things from highschool, like pamphlets from the clubs and the endorsements.

I had really messed up by leaving those pamphlets out on my desk.

He threw my stuff around my room for around ten minutes, he did not like the thought of me leaving.

"You're leaving me! How dare you leave me with those monsters! Those animals! You asshole! You piece of-"

"Dallon please! I'm sorry! I wish you could come with me to highschool! As it is you are one of the youngest eighth graders and they barely let you in because of your age, they wouldn't let you into tenth grade. I will visit you during lunch everyday, I promise, I can walk here everyday and sit with you behind the bleachers and we can still read comic books and play that card game you really like."

He shakes his head and puts his hands on his ears like he doesn't want to hear it and he starts to spin. This is what he did when he was panicky, he'd spin around in circles. "Dallon please-"

"No! You screw off!"

------

Not much time had passed since our fiasco at my house and I had originally assumed that once that had happened Dallon wouldn't go near me for a while, my assumption was proved wrong when he sat down with me behind the bleachers. He played with his whole-wheat peanut butter and jelly sandwich as I stared at him. "You aren't mad because of the pamphlets?" I ask, Dallon doesn't answer. Great, we were going for the silent treatment today. "Dallon, you knew this would happen, honey-"

"Don't call me that, Brendon. They always make fun of me when you do that." Dallon snaps and tears off the wing off of his sandwich angrily. My eyes widened at that.

"Dallon, there is no reason to get pissy and tear the wing off the Enterprise." I tell him borderline angry in my voice.

He scoffs and rolls his eyes and stands up, he's muttering under his breath as if he's mocking me. Dallon tosses his torn spaceship sandwich to the ground and walks away. I am tempted to go and get him back but he really needs to chill out. Maybe some more time apart from him wouldn't hurt.

It hurt him.

When it happened I was currently wanting to die because of all the homework Ms. Dyer was assigning us. What made my mood even more sour was the fact that Dallon had the audacity to come back to the bleachers to first give me the silent treatment then sass me. As much as I knew his moods would always be fluctuating because of his autism it didn't give him the right to be mean to me like this. Now, I loved him a lot, words couldn't describe how I felt for him but-

My thoughts are caught off guard when there was heavy and panicked knocking at the classroom door. It scared Ms. Dyer and most of the students to death and she quickly ran to the door to open it, receiving a loud gasp from her. We all crane our necks and I feel my whole world crashing down on me. I see Dallon drenched in chocolate milk. There was also cuts on his cheek from which the blood ran down from to his chin, mixing with the chocolate.

"Brendon-" Ms. Dyer starts but I am already grabbing my friend's hand and bringing out of the class and to the boy's restroom.

We are there within seconds and I'm quickly helping him with pulling his sticky and wet shirt off of him. Dallon starts to breath heavily and he was clutching his arms to his pale chest. I abandon my task of getting the brown substance off of his pink shirt and I ghost my hands over his shoulders.

"Dallon you need to breathe, honey."

"They- poured the m-milk on me.. I pushed one and then they punched me- I-" I don't let him finish, I just encircle him in a tight hug which I would usually think would freak him out, though it doesn't, which is quite surprising, he relaxes at the bone-crushing hug. This was new.

"I'll ask Ms. Dyer if you can stay with me for the rest of the class and the rest of today, do- do you want me to let you go? I know you aren't usually comfortable with thi-"

"This is fine, Brendon. Please don't say anything. You're ruining the moment." I respond with an okay, and held him closer, which made him relax even more.

"Thank you for calming me down."

"No problem, Dal."