Burn Bright (frerard)

Chapter 5

I passed out the papers of the homework assignment. The students worked on it while I sat at my desk and graded papers. I noticed how Gee glanced at his phone then at the door. He came up, a sweet look on his face that would make me buy him a diamond necklace if he asked.

"May I use the restroom?" He asked.

I nodded my head and he walked out. After ten minutes he still hadn't come back. I stood up, noticing how the kids were all just working and some were chatting quietly amongst themselves.

I walked out of the classroom and down the hall to the nearest bathroom. It was empty when I walked in except for some kid washing his hands. I bit my lip, walking around the halls. I've had kids do this before, just ask to use the bathroom and they don't come back and just ditch instead and I don't even bother looking for them. But ditching class isn't something that Gerard does.

I was about to give up when I heard crying. I found Gee curled up in a little ball in an empty hallway. His knees were pulled up to his chest, head ducked down as he sobbed.

"Gee?" I asked softly.

He sniffled, curling himself up into a little ball even more. I sat beside him, rubbing his back softly. It didn't take a genius to know that it was Bert who had upset him. Thankfully Gee leaned into the touch, burying his face into my shoulder as he cried.

"Hey, it's okay, Gee," I whispered.

He hugged me tight and plopped himself down into my lap. I blushed as I ran my fingers through his hair and he calmed down a little bit.

"Do you think you can come back to class?" I asked. "I can write you an excuse if you'd like to just go back to your dorm."

He shook his head. "I-I don't wanna go back to my dorm but I don't want the other kids to see me crying."

"Alright, lunch is about to start so how about you come back to the classroom and you and I can eat lunch together in my room?" I suggested.

He nodded quietly but made no move. I stood up, carrying him bridal style in my arms. Gee's arms wrapped around my neck and his head rested on my shoulder as he sniffled. I walked back to the classroom, setting him down outside the classroom. I glanced in the window and saw everyone was still just working.

The bell rang five minutes later and people all filled the halls. Gee ducked his head down and I used my body to block everyone's view from him. To everyone else it might just look like we were having a private conversation but I was trying to protect him from prying eyes while he sniffled and wiped his nose on his uniform jacket.

When the classroom was cleared out, the two of us headed inside. Gee sat in his seat, looking down at his lap as I sat at my desk. I watched him for a moment as he just pulled out his phone. It was then that I realized he doesn't have a lunch. I grabbed my own lunch, setting it on his desk.

"That's okay, you can have it," he said.

Gee looked up at me, his eyes red and puffy and a slight bruise on his cheek.

"You eat it, Gee," I insisted.

He blushed deeply, taking my lunch. I sat at my desk, drinking my coffee as I checked my e-mails. I felt someone watching me and looked over just as Gee looked down blushing. I smirked , looking back at the computer screen.

There were footsteps and I looked up at Gee standing there. He had stopped crying but you could still see that he definitely had been crying recently. I smiled softly, setting down my coffee.

"Hey, Gee, what's up?" I asked.

"Do you really think I'm pretty?" He asked.

"Of course I do, Gee," I said.