Hatsune Romance School

Questions

I've worked hard to reach where I am up until now.

In a school that ostracises anyone remotely different, I've done well to stay at the top, narrowly avoiding everyone's judgement day in and day out. It's always been easy to blend in. As long as you:

Act tough.
Show your dominance.
Be a man.

I was already at a disadvantage, since I'm somewhat chubby and short for the male student standard, but these three points were my defence mechanism from falling victim to bullying.
You gotta do what you gotta do.
Even if it hurts, grow thicc skin-don't show weakness.
And so, I hid my weakness with a mask.

Little by little, I've been perfectly crafting my mask, trying my hardest everyday to never let it slip, knowing that this façade was the only thing keeping me afloat in this school.
At some point, I started to believe I could finally fit in with everyone.

Until one day, my mask cracked.

"Hey, Anil."

Because of him.

#GIORGIL
A story by Jasmaen and Raezwaen

"A new student has transferred from Italy." Sir attempts to inform the class, but his voice gets drowned out by the endless chatter.
So when a tall, dark boy strides to the front of the class, we barely even take notice.
The boy looks hesitant to speak, and I find myself taking pity on him, and decide to shout, "Ay you man, shut up."

It sounds ridiculous, but that's how the 'popular' guys speak.

"Shut up!" I say once more.

After a few seconds the indistinct chatter dissolves, and all eyes are on the new kid. More anxious then ever, he scans the room frantically while he tries to collect his words.
We briefly make eye contact, and he nods at me slightly, perhaps because I made an effort to stop the class from talking.

Although, it was barely an effort.
I scoff, averting my gaze by rolling my eyes.

"H-Hello." he finally says. "My name is Giorgio."
Almost immediately, the students exchange tentative glances at each other, all to ensure that we're thinking the same thing:

His accent's funny.

That's his first mistake. Way to make yourself stand out, I sigh.
Whispers and sly sniggers can be heard scattered across the room.
Without even having completed his introduction, I already know what the guys have in store for him.

"One of you have to show him around." sir says, narrowing his eyes at the class, ready to choose.
The girls avert their gaze, and the boys...

"Oi, Anil-you go." Jaeskaeraenjaet demands.
I flinch at the sound of his voice, and instinctively nod.

Jaeskaeraenjaet: the real alpha male.

I may have avoided bullying, but it came with the cost of being Jaeskaeraenjaet's lapdog, as well as having to uphold my mask.
He shoves me out of my seat, forcing me to accompany this stranger.

The transfer boy smiles nervously, but I can only bring myself to snarl.

***

The entire 'tour' made me want to stab myself.

"And this is the field. Us man hang near there, so don't go there." I tell him dismissively, pointing at the spot nestled in between trees.

"Why can I not go there?" he inquires.

"So you don't get clapped, innit." I hiss.

"Oh, o-okay." he mutters, refusing to make eye contact. Before I begin to pity him, I sigh heavily at him, seeing weakness written all over him.
"Why did you come to these ends, anyway?" I ask, attempting to break the awkward silence that settles between us.
Suddenly, he perks up.

"Well, it's because I heard that Sophia Canaram goes to this school."

The prettiest girl in school, Sophia Canaram.

His second mistake is opening up about a girl.

"Oh, I'll give you her number if you want." I say, making him jitter with excitement.

"Yes, I would like that!" he beams.

Baka, everyone knows that Sophia would turn him down in an instant.
She only has eyes for hot guys like Jaeskaeraenjaet, after all.

"Hand me your phone, yeah." I say, snapping my fingers. He frantically searches his pockets until he finds it and gives it to me.

His lock screen is a picture of none other than Sophia, and it makes me recoil. His phone reeks of desperation.
While I punch in her contact details, he breaks the silence by saying,

"Give me your number too."

I choke on air.

"What?" I look up at his face, greeted with a grin stretching from ear to ear.

"Give me your number." he repeats slower but just as happily.

"Nah, fam-why?"

"Because..." he starts, suddenly pondering the question. "Because...

"Because I like you." he finishes.

Can you choke on air?
I'm currently choking on air.

"You are helping me, and because of that, I like you." he grins, his childlike innocence making me gag.

"Are you gay, fam?" I manage to croak in between coughs.

"Gay..." he pauses. "Ah, gay means happy!

Yes, I'm gay."

Right then and there, I know I'm meant to punch him, show him that people like him don't fit in. Don't belong here.

But for whatever reason, all I do is stand there, touching my cheeks, which I notice suddenly feel very hot.