The Jock and the Bad Boy (COMPLETE)

THREE

I don't sleep very well for some reason, and I'm still exhausted by the time I get to Math the next day. As soon as I get to my desk, I put my head down on my arms. I must clearly not be paying attention, because the teacher calls on me almost immediately.

"Eliott? Do you have an answer?" The teacher asks. She knows I don't. I look at the problem on the board, but it's too complicated for me to figure out on the spot. It feels like I've forgotten every single number I know, so I can't even make a guess.

"49," Thayer whispers. Before I can stop myself, I repeat what he said out loud.

The teacher shakes her head. "Not quite. Does anyone else have it? Flora?"

Flora answers 47, which is apparently right. I turn around to Thayer. On his paper, I see that he actually worked out the problem. Underneath a bunch of math, the number 47 is written and circled twice. "Dude, what the hell?" I hiss.

He shrugs defensively. "You get in trouble for having no answer, not for having the wrong one."

I roll my eyes. "But you had the right one," I reply. "So you could've just..."

He shakes his head at me with a look on his face like he's pleased with himself. "You don't get things for free just because you're on the soccer team," he smirks, "can't have you growing an ego like your friends."

Dickhead. I turn around and face the front of the room again. It's not like I need his approval.

~

I walk into Art. There's someone sitting where I sat yesterday, and the only seat available is next to a group of girls in the back. I walk over.

"I'm Eliott," I say, not really sure if I'm being loud enough or if they're paying attention.

A girl with dark shoulder-length curly hair gives me a look. "Sorry, our friend Hazel sits there."

The blonde girl sitting next to her shakes her head. "Hazel's sitting with her boyfriend." She points across the room to the girl who stole my original spot.

The brunette shrugs. "All right. I'm Faye," she says to me.

"Eliott," I reply.

"And this is Savannah," Faye adds, pointing to the blonde girl, "and Laynie," pointing to a girl with a pink bob who has not lifted her head from her drawing once.

"Lane," Pink Bob corrects. I nod.

"You're new, right?" Savannah asks me. I nod. "How's our school treating you?"

I shrug. "I met some other guys from the soccer team at practice two weeks ago, so I knew at least a couple of people going in."

"You're on the soccer team?" Faye asks. There's something in her voice. I can't tell what it is.

"Yeah," I reply. She nods, looking like she has something else she wants to say. Whatever it is, she doesn't say it. That's when I notice she and Savannah are holding hands. "Are you guys together?" I ask tentatively.

Faye completely ignores me. Savannah nods.

So I'm not the only one. Logically, I knew I wasn't, but I still feel a lot better. "I'm gay," I blurt out before I can stop myself. Shit, that probably wasn't the way to do it.

Lane tears her eyes away from her drawing for the first time in the entire interaction.

Faye nods slowly. "Cool. Uh, thanks for telling us... I guess."

"Sorry for... I don't know," I sigh, "I've never told anyone before and I just needed to... get it out, you know?"

"Don't apologize," Lane tells me, "I know what it's like."

I finally exhale. Maybe this year will be all right.

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