Wanna Be Somebodies

I sit through my classes the next day, which couldn’t possibly go along any slower. I stare at the fake wood of my desktop, all too conscious of the ticking of the clock which seems to match my heartbeat. I start to get nervous around lunchtime, since the end of school is nearing. That means that wrestling is getting closer. I really do hope that they’ll be nice.
I enter the lunch room, to realize that not a single person I know here eats first wave lunch. Gerard is in vocal, so he eats second wave, and I don’t know about August and Coulter, but they must have vocal or class or something. I’m pissed that I’m so unfortunate as I sit by myself at a table in the far back corner.
That kid, the ginger from the other day spots me. He walks over, greeting,
“Hey. You’re Frank, right?”
“Yeah,” I answer cautiously. I then realize that he was the one to sit quietly as his poor choices of friends insulted me, so I let my guard down.
“I’m Matt. I’m sorry about earlier. Do you want me to sit by you?” he offers.
I glance around, to see a lot of other kids staring at us, trying to get an idea of what’s going on. Why would Matt Ellis waste his time on a new student, seemingly a freshman? “Um, I don’t think anyone else will, so I guess.”
Matt takes a seat, and asks, “So, how are you?”
I just now notice that he already has his food, which means that he’s a senior. I keep an eye out for the juniors to line up as I answer, “I’m good. How are you?”
“Great,” Matt answers. “First day of school’s great, right?”
“Maybe if you’re a senior,” I mutter.
Matt’s face falls, but he still tries to keep the conversation moving. “Do you have a girlfriend or anything?”
“I have a boyfriend,” I answer out of pure instinct. “His name’s Gerard.”
Matt recoils, and he says, “Don’t tell me that’s the freaky vampire kid.”
“That would be him,” I admit.
Matt makes a disgusted face, and continues, “You know, you’re kind of good looking. And that’s a straight guy saying this, so to girls, you must be really good looking. Why do you settle for boys, and even worse, creepy boys?”
“Gerard is not creepy,” I retort defensively.
“The kid wears Iron Maiden shirts and walks in the halls with his head down and headphones in,” Matt insists.
“And? That doesn’t mean anything. Maybe if you actually got to know him, you wouldn’t find him so weird. He’s actually a sweetheart. But no, you’re just being a judgmental jerk,” I rant.
“I’m just saying that you’ve got a lot of options here, kid, and don’t waste them on a dude, especially when he’s a giant spaz,” Matt hisses. “You can do so much better, so snap out of your gay phase, be a man, and ask a girl out.” He looks around, adding, “You have no idea how bad some guys here want a girlfriend. You’ve got this opportunity that you’re throwing away, which is selfish.”
“You want me to be a man?” I demand. “Like you? If that means putting kids down and being xenophobic then I don’t want to.”
Matt stands, snarling, “Fuck you, Iero. You’re just a faggot, you know that?” He gathers his things and takes off in a huff. By now, the freshman have lined up. I rise, meekly hurrying over to the lunch line.
Matt turns out to be the captain of the wrestling teams. He picks who fights who in the warm ups, as long as the two are no more than two weight classes apart. Of course, he puts me, in the 126 pound weight class, with the meanest, strongest kid in the 138 pound class. He brings me to the mat in a matter of moments. Most of the boys laugh, and others just look like they pity me. I feel my face flush with embarrassment. I’m not used to losing, and here I am, at a practice, losing to some kid without a fight.
“Jesus, work on your stance, Iero,” Matt admonishes, rousing more laughter from the rest of the wrestlers.
I disappear into the back of the hoard of boys, silently waiting as the next two are picked.
I get pinned again in front of everyone, in less than 20 seconds. The coach makes me run as punishment, which I despise. I return, only to again lose, and run another three laps.
I’m the last one to leave the gym at the end of practice, sulking with my heels scraping against the ground. I take off my headgear and throw it at my bag upon entering the locker room, almost in tears from such a shitty practice.
Matt spots me, and he grins maliciously and mentions to everyone, “Hey, Iero has a boyfriend.”
Most of them chuckle, and Matt shoves past me as he moves to the shower. “So do you suck his dick?”
I turn red, and start to strip, taking off my shirt.
“Hey, Iero, you fucking him?” someone asks. “Top or bottom?”
I pull off my pants, and someone points out the scratches on my hips left from Gerard. “Your boyfriend do that to you?”
“Gross, he’s bottom!” another guffaws, causing the others to laugh. I wrap a towel around my waist and head towards the showers, only to be shoved out of the area.
“We won’t let a fag shower with us,” one of them states, as if this was a common law.
“Hey!” someone yells. He’s a boy with dark hair with a bluish tint, and grey eyes. “Stop it with the homophobic shit! He’s not attracted to any of you assholes, are you, Frank?”
I shake my head quickly, and step into the shower. Still, everyone inches away from me.
I find the kid who had stood up for me and thank him. “Thank you so much. You have no idea how bad I wanted someone to say that.”
“No problem,” he replies. “I promise our school isn’t that bad. The jocks…. They’re another story, but generally, we’re a fine breed,” he assures.
“What’s your name?” I ask.
“Luke,” he answers. “And I got that you’re Frank.”
“Affirmative.”
“Do you want to go back to my dorm with me?” Luke offers. “I know it’s almost supper, but-”
“Sure!” I cut in. “Let’s go.”

Notes

Thanks so much for reading! Please comment, rate, and subscribe! Please check out my Frerard story The Sleepless Nights of Skinny Love here: http://www.mychemicalromancefanfiction.com/Story/39326/The-Sleepless-Nights-Of-Skinny-Love/ I'll try to update soon.