Unseen

Chapter 8

Flynn is noticeably absent all week which is not helping the rumours at all. In the beginning, people assumed it was just a prank; they figured he and Maddie had a falling out, and being the spiteful bitch she's known to be, she decided to concoct this elaborate lie to get back at him. His absence, however, has changed most people's minds, and everyone is assuming it's true.

The one bright side about him not being around is that without their ring leader, the jocks aren't really sure what to do, so I've been left alone all week. It's been nice, I have to admit. Not once have I felt the need to look over my shoulder or duck around a corner when I see one of them coming.

"Move," a low voice growls as I'm shouldered into a locker and I close my eyes against the pain. Spoke too soon... I reopen them and see the man himself stalking down the hallway, head held high and face fixed in a scowl as everyone parts for him to walk past.

"Guess we know why he's so angry all the time now," Connor muses from behind me and I turn around to see him roll his eyes.

"What do you mean?"

"Living a lie must be exhausting." I sigh and lean back against the lockers, staring down the hallway where he's already disappeared from.

"I kind of feel bad for him," I confess and return my gaze to Connor when I hear him let out a choked scoff.

"You feel bad for him? He's tortured you for years, Dalton, how could you possibly feel bad for him? The way I see it, this is karma." With a sigh, I shake my head and push myself away from the lockers as I start heading to my first class, Connor following close behind.

"Like I told Maddie, nobody deserves to be outed like this. What he did to me wasn't right, but if it's all true, it kind of... makes sense? I mean, he was trying to hide who he was, and what better way than to bully the openly gay kid? Nobody would ever suspect a fellow queer to stoop to such atrocities." He stares at me with a dumbfounded expression and I roll my eyes. "I'm just saying," I mumble.

"Hell no. Dalton, don't do this to yourself. As your friend, I am advising you to not feel sorry for him because it'll only get you in trouble later on, if not physically, emotionally. Stay away from him, D; nothing good will come from you being sympathetic." We enter the classroom together and sit down in our seats as the room slowly fills.

"There's nothing wrong with feeling bad for someone. I can't even begin to imagine what he must be going through. It was hard enough coming out on my own terms, but the choice wasn't ripped away from me. How would you feel if that's how you got outed?" His eyes dart around the room to see if anyone was listening before giving me a slight glare. "That's what I thought," I say with a snort and shake my head as I pull my books out of my bag.

Flynn walks in without so much as a glance in our direction and lazily flops down in his seat, staring out the window as the teacher walks in and starts doing roll call. When she calls my name, Flynn's whole body tenses and I frown, tilting my head to the side curiously.

"Dalton Irwin?" the teacher says again, staring right at me and I raise a brow at her.

"You're literally staring at me, clearly I'm here." A few chuckles sound out while her cheeks turn pink and she clears her throat.

"Pay attention, please." I roll my eyes and slump back in my chair while she continues down the list.

I spend the majority of the class observing Flynn, wondering why he's been so tense all class. Is it just because of the rumours, or is there more to it? The bell rings, startling me out my own thoughts, and I glance around as everyone begins to stand and gather their books.