Chapter 20

Dedication reason: for being an awesome girl who can write about twenty-thousand times better than I can.

This chapter gets things started for the next chapter, when all hell will break loose.

Enjoy the peace while it lasts!

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Chapter 20: Kent's POV, Thursday mid-morning, at school

After I walked away from Cole earlier this morning, I had completely immersed myself into my schoolwork in an attempt to forget what I saw Caitlin do to Cole. I didn't talk to anyone except Jerry, and that was only because I hadn't heard the equation that the teacher had said.

I guess that I was just angry, frustrated, and hurt all at the same time so I just got more and more introverted as the day went.

I sat in AP Literature as we listened to the teacher lecture about the meaning of symbolism. As the teacher said this, I began to ponder all of the symbolic things in my life and tried to figure out what they meant.

I started with my wealth; I think that it represents how happiness could be a facade that can only fill so much of an empty void that is felt from being lonely for most of my life. I then analyzed the color of the car that I owned since I had picked my car by closing my eyes in the lot and randomly chose one. Since my car was colored black, I believed that it showed how something so dark could also be so beautiful; it symbolized my quiet demeanor; it also showed how I would rather not stand out in society since I didn't like attention too much. The last this thing that I analyzed was the strict, rigorous study regimen that I had in my life. I think that it meant that I had, and still am, inside of a constricting box that limits my dreams and me from attaining my biggest dreams. I was frustrated by this last one; it was as if I had never lived life like a normal teenager. I had never gone to parties, never gone to a football game, I've never even had a day where I just sat around with friends and talked.

Just then,the bell rang to release us from class and onto the next period, which was right before lunch.

I ambled my way to AP American Government and took my seat in the back corner, next to Jerry, thankfully. I decided that since I needed someone to talk to about my feelings regarding Cole. I kind of felt bad about not telling him that I was actually dating a guy; I hadn't even told him that I was gay.

“Hey, Jerry,” I whispered as the teacher keyed the class' attendance into the computer. “Can I trust you with a secret?”

Jerry nodded as he took out his binder. “Sure, yeah, what is it?”

“I don't know any other way to tell you this, but...I'm gay,” I made sure to say the last part of that sentence when the teacher was lecturing so that no on else would hear my confession.

“Oh, okay,” Jerry looked at me blankly. “Well, you're still the same person before, so, cool, I guess,” Jerry returned his attention to the board and jotted something onto his notebook. “Is there any particular reason that you decided to tell me this now?”

I played with the pencil in my hand. “Uh, yeah, I guess so. Um, Jerry, I'm kind of...seeing someone right now. Is name is Cole Bradley; you have probably heard of him too, so-”

“Wait just a second, Kent,” Jerry turned his entire body towards me. “You're telling me that you're going out with football guy Cole Bradley? Isn't he straight?”

“Uh, no, he said that he had always had some feelings for a guy, so...” I let my voice trail off into the air around us.

“Huh, well, I hope that you're happy with him; I've never seen you ever try to make just yourself happy, so I'm glad that you're doing that now.” Jerry flashed a genuine smile at me.

“Thanks for supporting me though, but, I actually told you because I just wanted to talk to someone about something that's been bugging me since this morning. Well, this morning, when I was walking into school with Cole, Caitlin came up to us and started flirting with Cole right in front of me! And then she even had the nerve to kiss him in front of me too! So I stormed off down the hall to my locker where he followed me. After I told him to back off, I went to my first class. And ever since then, I've just been upset, I guess, but I don't know what this will mean for us, so...ugh, I'm just confused about him; I really truly love him, but now I'm just not sure if I can anymore. Is there any help that you can give me?” I hadn't heard anything that the teacher was saying now; oh well, this is more important to me right now. I'll just study more later.

“Well, I think that someone told me once that love was never easy,” His brown eyes looked calmly and seriously at me. “Do you honestly love him like you say that you do, even if this relationship is still 'in the closet', so to speak?” I nodded while skimming the board understanding what I was missing. “Well, then I think you need to prove to him that you love him so much, that he just can't ignore you and hopefully it rekindles what you two had at some point in this relationship. You can't give up in love just because the road isn't a flat, safe, easy, surface street. You need to realize that it's more of a highway: it can have it's fast and great moments and still have it's detours and accidents. Love is extremely special for a reason.”

I sat and pondered Jerry's comparison of love to a freeway and it made complete sense.

“Thanks, Jerry, I owe you one,” I grinned childishly at him. “I think that I know what I'm going to do now.”

Jerry and I turned our focus to the lecture for once, and as soon as he started spewing out note after note, our hands were saved by the bell. We got up and left the classroom and parted ways: Jerry to his locker and then to the library, and I would go to the cafeteria to talk to Cole...hopefully.

I entered the cafeteria and went to buy my poor excuse for a lunch, and then I let my eyes scan the room for Cole.

Since I didn't see him when I looked for a few minutes, I gave up and took a seat in a deserted table in the back. As I took my seat, I realized why it was deserted: it was old, cracked, caked with old, moldy food and dried out gum, and it was battered and worn down, just like me; how ironic....

I was trying to keep a more positive outlook than before, but I just never realized how hard it is to make my emotions not show after being with Cole. He was actually able to get me to come a bit out of my shell, and when Caitlin and he kissed, it just send me back into my shell, which I was still relatively used to, it's just this time, I went back into it even further.

Cole's POV: Thursday, lunchtime, at school

After hastily leaving chemistry class, I went immediately to the most likely place that Kent would be if he was truly upset and needed time to himself: the library.

Now, I really wasn't the kind of person who was comfortable in the library, since I wasn't an avid reader, so I felt a bit awkward in it. I wandered around the many bookshelves which brought back the memory of Kent's kiss with me when he helped me find a book. I smiled a weak grin as /i moved to the back corner which had a single, lone table with only two chairs.

The table only had one person who occupied it, but unfortunately, it wasn't Kent. Think that it was one of Kent's friends who was also really smart. Dammit, I should have listened to him talk about his friends instead of getting lost in his amazing eyes....

The guy was reading a science fiction book and was clearly engrossed in it, until I walked up to him and then took a seat across from the guy. He kind of reminded me of a more awkward and gangly version of Ron from Harry Potter.

“Uh, hi,” I said, timid and nervous in front of someone for once that wasn't Kent.

“Oh, you're Cole, right?” He, looked up from his book and cocked his head to the side.

“Yeah, listen, wait, what's your name?”

“Jerry.” Jerry placed a thin piece of paper into the book and then closed it.

“Okay, so Jerry, you're good friends with Kent, right?” Jerry nodded his head as his fingers drummed rhythmically on the table. “So, I'm going to tell you something, but you have to promise to keep it a secret, deal?”

“Uh, well, if it's about you two dating, then it's not a secret since Kent told me just last period. He also said that he had some trouble with you this morning; care to explain?” Jerry smirked at me.

“Oh,” I was kind of surprised that Kent told anyone about us, although, it did make sense if Jerry is Kent's good friend. So I decided to explain everything to him, although it didn't come out as clear as I wanted; it came out very rushed and insane instead. “Um, yeah. You see, Caitlin and I went out for a bit in the past and this morning, she started flirting with me with Kent there next to me. I was holding Kent's hand with hopes that she would realize that I really wasn't interested. But, alas, she didn't and just flirted more and more with me, even to the point where she kissed me. I really hated having Kent there seeing all of this, it's just that I wasn't going to push her away just so that she could claim that I physically assaulted her and to get me suspended. And after the kiss, Kent ran off, so I followed him to his locker where he told me to back off, and I really just-”

Jerry interrupted me and chuckled. “Kent told me that too, and yeah, he said that he was upset at you too. However, he said that he was going to try and find you during lunch, which is now.”

I got up and was about to leave and say goodbye and thanks, but then Jerry kept talking. “I could see something in his eyes that I'd never seen him ever have before: determination. All of my life, or so it seems, I have never seen Kent had to work for anything; everything just came naturally to him, so he's never had to stand up for himself and what he loves. But when he was leaving the classroom, I saw a spark of fire and fight in his eyes that made me think that he still loves you despite the whole Caitlin incident. If you want my advice, I think that you should just go to him and make sure that he knows that you still love him more than anything in the world. From what Kent told me in class, it sounded like you really loved him, and you still do love him. Am I right? Do you really love Kent as much as you say that you do, Cole Bradley?”

I turned my head to look at Jerry in the eyes and said with confidence, “Yes, I love Kent; I don't think that I could feel any other way about him either,”

“Then go get him, Cole, you know where he is,” Jerry got up from the table and gave me a firm handshake and left the library leaving me to ponder what Jerry meant about how I would know where Kent is.

“If Jerry said that Kent wanted to talk to me, and with a spark of passion in his eyes as well, then Kent would go to where he thought that I would go: the cafeteria.

So I quickly made my way to the cafeteria and let my eyes roam the room for the head of light brown hair that I knew so well.

I saw Kent sitting in the back of the room with a few of the basketball guys surrounding him, with the devil herself standing beside them: Caitlin Castle. I picked up my pace to a jog as I approached them and finally picked up what they were yelling at him about as Kent looked down at the dirty table's surface.

“Hey, faggot,” One of them growled as he poured a full carton of milk onto Kent's head.

Caitlin just laughed and kissed the guy that dumped the milk onto Kent's head on the cheek.

I stormed over there, ready to defend Kent, no matter what I had to do, and to put my final plan into action.

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So, you hate Caitlin even more now, right? Well so do I. I kind of had fun writing this chapter since now I get a person to take all of my rage out on when I get mad! :)

And yeah, some s*** is going to go down next chapter! >:)

Please vote, comment, or message if you liked this chapter, or if you think that bullying is wrong.

~Michael