The Happy Ending

Part One: It's Not So Bad... Not

**Every part in this story has some mention of triggering/mature behavior/events. If you are bothered by things like homophobia, violence, self-harm, bullying, homosexuality, sexual behaviors, or anything of the sort, this is probably not the story for you.**

MARIUS
A new high school. Marius is nervous entering this new phase of life. He and his mom moved to another town because his dad left for another woman. His mom, Laurel, was a stay at home mother, but when his dad split, she was left with no money to pay bills or any help to raise Marius. So, she renewed her nursing license and secured herself a job at a reputable doctor's office a few hours away from life as they knew it. Which brings Marius to this new school. No friends. No clue what he was doing. He was overwhelmed.

Middle school and his first high school wasn't so bad, but this... This is a whole other beast to tackle. Everything seemed so intimidating to Marius. And as he looked around the crowded hallway, his anxiety began to rise. There were so many people Marius didn't recognize. And everyone all seemed like they knew where they were going and what to do. Marius, on the other hand, felt clueless. Staring at his schedule, he decided to suck it up and just try to make it to his first class.

Upon entering the classroom, the first thing he noticed was that everyone else was already seated, and they were all staring at him. Marius gulped audibly and slowly made his way to the lone seat in the very back that was empty. Once seated, he laid his head on the desk and exhaled the breath he didn't realize he was holding.

The next thing he noticed was the constant chatter of the room as people finally lost interest in him and resumed what they were doing. He was thankful for this. He didn't like all that attention on him.

The last thing he noticed was that a lone pair of eyes remained trained on him. He dared a quick glance at the owner of those eyes and gasped, turning his gaze to the front of the room. It was a boy staring at him. A handsome boy with dark brown hair and striking, icy blue eyes. Marius couldn't figure out why the boy was staring, but it made his stomach erupt with butterflies. Maybe this whole high school thing wouldn't be so bad?

The teacher finally made an appearance, and introductions were made. The teacher, Mr. Golden, or Mr. G, now wanted everyone in the classroom to introduce themselves. And as everyone shared their names and one thing about themselves that they wanted everyone to know, Marius only half listened. He was curious about the boy with the icy blue eyes.

When it was Icy Blue's turn, Marius payed attention a little harder.

"I'm Jae, and I love football and basketball," the boy said, his eyes lingering a little on Marius before looking away and sitting back down.

Marius' heart did a little flip. Jae's voice was deep, and it sent shivers up his spine. He dared another glance at Jae and admired just how handsome he was with his sharp jawline, sexy, naturally red lips, and smooth, tanned skin. He was so enthralled that he didn't realize when it was his turn. Only when the person sitting next to him poked him on the arm did he snap out of his trance.

Marius stood up nervously, now aware that all eyes were on him, again.

"I-I'm Marius," giggles erupted from a few classmates, including Jae.

Marius' anxiety rose even higher, now beginning to sweat.

They're laughing at me, and all I did was say my name.

Marius gulped and was thinking about bolting out of the classroom. He decided, instead, to just get on with it like everyone else so that he can sit down, again, and hopefully not have any more attention on himself.

But now, the dilemma is this: what did he want the class to know about himself?

Without even thinking about the repercussions, he blurted out the one thing he would later wish he kept to himself.