Mentors - A Joshler Fic

Chapter 4

Josh's P.O.V.

I looked down at my phone and sighed impatiently. Debby was in the changing room trying on a dress and I was stuck standing outside playing the role of a good boyfriend. I loved Debby, but I wasn’t sure I was in love with her, she was more like my best friend that I kissed. But I didn’t have it in me to bring it up to her, and potentially hurt her.

I let my mind wander to Tyler, my mentor. I hadn’t realized that the boy I helped to the nurses office was the same boy that was my mentor. I had only heard of Tyler, he had a reputation of being a loner. I think he had a rough time in school and people weren’t really that nice to him. It made me upset to think that he was being beat up. I decided to try and bring it up with him sometime during one of our meetings. I would try and be friends with him, maybe just being a friend to him would help.

Debby’s red head peered out of the dressing room first. “Ready to see.” I looked up and nodded. She popped out of the dressing room in a fitted black lacy dress. “Looks great,” I said feeling rather disinterested. “Josh you could at least act interested.”

“I’m sorry Debs, but you know shopping isn’t my thing.”

“Jesus, I need a gay friend.” “Nice to stereotype Deb.”

“Well you’re no help.”

“Whatever just get dressed so we can go, I have homework to do.”

She disappeared with a huff back into the dressing room and I sighed. I hated arguing, but I was impatient and wanted to be anywhere but here. She came back out of the dressing room and I stood to leave with her. I drove her home and she wouldn’t speak to me the entire ride.

******

The next morning I was running a little late to school but I sweet talked Mrs. Richards into not marking me tardy. I raced off to first period and gave a little nod to the teacher as I walked in, he didn't care that I was late. I went to take my seat next to all my friends and I noticed Tyler sitting in the back of the room with his hood up and his face down on the table like he was sleeping. I took my seat, but kept glancing back at him and the entire class he didn’t move so much as to twitch.

When the bell rang, I stayed behind watching to see if he was awake, when everyone else had left he lifted his head. His face was streaked with tears, a black and blue mark littered his cheek, blemishing his perfect pale white skin. He stood and pulled his hood further down his face, he stopped when he noticed me. He turned and darted out of the room and by the time I made it into the hallway he was no where to be found.

I was stunned and confused, but overwhelming me in that instant was the urge to help and protect the small boy. He was obviously in a lot of pain, whether it be physical or psychological I didn’t know but I wanted to protect him. I walked alertly to my next class keeping my eyes open in search for the small crying boy.

The day past by slowly and I was waiting impatiently for eighth period study hall, when I could finally see Tyler and ask him what was wrong. Finally it was the last period of the day when we were scheduled to meet in the library. I walked in and went a sat a table that was tucked away behind some bookshelves so it would be more private. But worried that he wouldn’t see me I went and stood near the front of the library and browsed a bookshelf nonchalantly.

I happened to look up just in time to see the flash of a black hoodie rushing by the front door of the library. I raced out into the hallway and saw him heading towards the backdoor of the school. I ran after him, bobbing and weaving through people, going against the flow of traffic. He made it out the doors, but I was only a few seconds behind him. I burst out of the back door and stopped looking around to see where he was. I stood there dumbfounded for a moment wondering where he could be. I turned and started walking along the side of the building towards the dumpsters.

As I got closer to the dumpsters I began to hear a noise, it sounded like crying. I started to run, and when I finally made it to the dumpster and peered around the other side I saw him crouched down on the ground. Tyler sat back against the wall of the school, knees tucked up with his arms wrapped around them and he was crying. I slowed down and approached him quietly, I tentatively called out his name. “Tyler.”

His head snapped up with a look of fear written on his face. Tears ran down his cheeks and his nose ran. He looked like a little kid, he was a little kid. He was only a freshman, probably only fourteen or fifteen years old. I was eighteen years old which wasn’t that much older but it sure felt like it. “Dude, it’s okay. I’m not going to hurt you,” I said holding up my hands to show I was harmless. His faced relaxed a bit when he saw me, but the tears still ran down his face, and a look of anxiety settled upon his features.

I crouched down and sat down beside him, keeping a bit of distance between us. He was looking everywhere but at me. I tried futilely to make eye contact but he averted his gaze. “Do you want to talk? I promise anything you tell me stays between us. I’m your mentor, you can trust me.”

“I hate my life. Everyone hates me and gets so much joy from hurting me. I didn’t ask for any of this, and I don’t want to do it anymore. I just want to die.” He broke down again, tears spilling from his brown eyes and my heart broke for the boy I barely knew sitting beside me.

“I’m sure not everyone hates you Tyler. I don’t hate you.”

“Everyone either hates me or is indifferent, which isn’t any better. And you will hate me. I’m a faggot. You’ll probably want to beat me up now. Everyone does, and why wouldn’t they? I deserve it for being a freak of nature.”

“Why would you say that? No one deserves to be beat up. And you're not a faggot, I hate that word. Your gay and that's perfectly fine, why would I hate you because of something like that?”

He shook his head incredulously, not believing a word I said. “I’m gonna go home.”

“No!” I said not wanting to let him out of my sight in the state he was in. “Why don’t you come home with me, I can sign us out of last period because I’m a senior and we can go to my house and you can get cleaned up and we can study… or talk. Whatever you want. I just don’t think you should be alone, you don’t deserve to suffer alone.”

“No, I’m fine. Don’t worry I won’t go and off myself...tonight.”

“Please Tyler, just come with me for thirty minutes then you can leave.”

“Fine.”

“You’ll come?”

“Yes.”

“Great, come on.” I said grabbing his hand and pulling him up after me. “You can go wait in my car,” I said handing him my keys. “These are o unlock it, its the blue subaru parked right next to the soccer field.” He took the keys without and word and trudged off towards the soccer field. I stood watching him walk for a minute with his shoulders slouched. I sighed and turned and went back into the building to the library to grab my stuff. Then I went to the office to sign us out of class. I burst out the front door and jogged over to the parking lot. I breathes a sigh of relief when I saw him sitting in the passenger seat, staring blankly out the window at the cars passing by. I didn’t know what I was getting myself into, but it felt right and I was just going with it.