This Is Me

Game Plan (Part Three)

Game Plan (Part Three)

"Son of a bitch!" I yelled as I pulled up in front of where I had parked earlier and saw that there was another car there.

"Oh, no. It's almost like your name wasn't written on the spot! Oh, wait!" Blaire joked, and I shot her a glare.

"Hop out and take these three coffees," I instructed, giving her all of the coffees but my own. "I'm gonna circle to try and find a spot. I'll meet you inside."

"All righty, Pete." Blaire smiled and got out of the car with the three coffees. "See you inside!"

With that, she closed the door and started making her way up to the school, and I let out a breath of relief before I began making my way around the parking lot, trying to find a vacant spot.

It didn't take me long to find a spot, though it was almost at the furthest point away from the school's entrance. Cursing silently, I grabbed my coffee and jumped out of the car and started making my way across the car park toward the school, and it wasn't long before I found myself walking through the doors.

"Mr Stone." A cold, stern voice greeted me almost as soon as I set foot inside the school, and I looked up to my right to see the Vice Principal standing next to me.

It was not my ideal situation.

"Mr Ryans. How are you, sir?" I responded to him coolly.

"Wonderful. Would you please come with me?"

Silently wishing I hadn't listened to Blaire and gone to get coffee, I followed Mr Ryans down the hall and up a set of stairs that sat at the end of it. On the way, I managed to catch a glimpse of Blaire, who was sitting in her homeroom class, though she didn't see me as I walked past, still following Mr Ryans.

"After you, Mr Stone." Mr Ryans gestured into a room to his right after he came to a stop and spun around to face me.

I silently nodded and slipped inside the room to my left and heard Mr Ryans close the door behind me. The room wasn't huge, but it may have only seemed that way due to the large desk that sat in front of a giant window overlooking the school grounds. Lots of medals and certificates lined the walls of the room, along with the school banner.

My eyes drifted to my side, where Mr Ryans had walked by, and I watched him as he slid behind his desk and took a seat. He looked across his desk and up at me before gesturing to the chair opposite him that sat in front of me.

"Take a seat, Mr Stone."

Again, I silently nodded and sunk into the seat, doing all I could to not look at the Vice Principal. My coffee, still warm in my hand, started to burn slightly, but I didn't know what else to do with it.

"Enjoying your morning?" Mr Ryans asked with raised eyebrows, and I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.

"Uh, it's not too bad, sir," I responded, not too sure what to say. Considering the circumstances, I didn't want to seem too happy.

"Do you know why we have homeroom, Mr Stone?" the Vice Principle asked, and I could feel his eyes searing to my head as I continued to look aimlessly around his office, trying to focus on anything but him.

At first, it was the pictures of his family that were spread out across his office, and then it was the large box of confiscated goods that sat tucked away in the corner.

"To maintain order?" I asked, not sure about what the correct answer was, or even if there was one.

"In a way," Mr Ryans responded. "It's to ensure the safety of the students. So, your wandering in late makes you unaccounted for. Meaning, if something were to happen to you..." he trailed off, leaving me to fill in the blank, though I didn't.

"I know. I understand," I said instead, finally forcing myself to look at Mr Ryans across the desk.

"You're not in trouble today, Mr Stone, as it is only a first offence. But don't make it a regular thing."

I nodded in response, shifting the hot coffee around in my hands, trying to stop it from burning my skin.

"Did you know that we have a school counsellor?" Mr Ryans suddenly asked, looking at me thoughtfully.

"Uh, yes," I responded slowly, a little taken aback.

"Students usually do things like this when something is bothering them, Mr Stone. Maybe a visit to Mrs Riggs will do you good."

"Oh, I'm, uh, glad that you care," I started, slightly lost for words. "But I'm okay. It was just a spur-of-the-moment thing."

It wasn't a lie. It wasn't the truth either, but there was a middle ground somewhere where what I said fit. Something was going on with me, but I doubted it would cause me to act out in any way. And even if it were making me act out, there would be no way in hell I would go and talk to a school counsellor about it.

"Just know the option is always there," Mr Ryans stated before standing up. "First period should be starting any minute now. You should head there. I'll let your homeroom teacher know that you arrived."

"Yes, sir. It won't happen again," I quickly said before getting up from my chair and rushing out of his office, taking a deep breath as I stepped into the hallway.

"Fuck me," I mumbled under my breath as I started walking down the hallway to my first period.

The thought of seeing the councillor was playing on my mind as I walked back down the stairs I had come up earlier. The idea itself was horrifying, and the consequences of following through with it also scared the shit out of me. But maybe there was something to gain from it.

Thinking about it logically, telling someone may make telling other people simpler. But Mrs Riggs? The school counsellor? I had never actually seen the woman in my life, let alone talked to her. I felt if I were going to tell anyone, it'd be someone I knew and trusted. That was if I was going to tell anyone.

"God, I wish this was easier," I whispered to myself as I came to a stop outside a vacant classroom, waiting for the bell to ring.

My mind began to wander while I waited, and the thought of the video I'd made started to circle in my head.

Knowing that the video existed was horrifying in itself, and there was a slight doubt in my mind that I shouldn't have made it, but in a way, it had helped me. Even though I'd known that I was gay since I was twelve, I had always had trouble accepting it. I still was having trouble. Maybe it was fear, or perhaps it was because I didn't want to be different.

All my life, I just wanted to fit in, and as things were now, I did.

A bell rippled through the school, the sound of students heading toward their first classes filled my ears, and I silently sighed to myself.

"Why can't this be easier?"

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A/N: Aye! The final part of Game Plans!

I hope you enjoyed it! If you did, make sure to vote on it and maybe comment on why you enjoyed it?

You can also comment an answer to this question if you'd like:

Have you ever been caught missing school?

And a question for the re-readers:

Uh, uh, did y'all have homeroom at your highschool?