One Foot in the Grave

Gerard booked it out of the classroom as soon as the bell rang. His hands were balled up in tight fists, his ragged nails digging into the skin. He kept his eyes down and headed for the nearest bathroom. Luckily it was just around the corner and -even better- it was mostly empty.

With his stomach growling for food, Gerard locked himself into a stall and sat down. His breathing was making him feel light headed and he slowly swayed on the toilet.

"Everything's going to be fine," he mumbled to himself, rubbing his right thumb into his left hand. It was a simple grounding technique his old counselor had taught him and it was usually effective. It was still difficult for him to breathe. Gerard's hands went to his chest, pulling his shirt away from his skin and allowing air flow. He also peeled his tight under shirt away from his chest.

Once he felt like the coast was clear, he unlocked his stall and left the bathroom. He peeked around the corner to see who was still cruising the halls. There was a small plan forming in the back of his mind to grab a sandwich from the cafeteria and hide out somewhere. His stomach growled again. Deeming it safe enough, Gerard headed to where he thought the lunchroom was. However, he didn't get far before he felt someone grab his arm and he was dragged down another hallway.

A pitiful grunt left his lips as he felt himself slammed into the wall. Gerard's eyes flickered up to see the three muscle heads from Speech surrounding him. The one who had given him the evil eyes during class seemed to be the leader. He had positioned himself right in front of the smaller boy.

"Hey Gerard," he said in a mocking tone. "We were looking for you all over the cafeteria. We wanted to invite you to sit with us."

He paused for a moment, as if expecting Gerard to say something. Gerard just let his eyes fall to his feet and his shoulders scrunched up defensively.

The jock continued. "The boys here were wondering how you kept your hairless balls warm during the winters up north. I was wondering how anyone could mistake you for a boy with that high voice of yours and that pretty face."

Gerard's stomach was churning with every word that dropped from the other boy's mouth. At the last statement, his eyes snapped up to meet the other boy's eyes. His palms were feeling sweaty. He started looking for an escape.

"We saw how you were looking at Frank the Psycho during class. It was disgusting. If you're not going to act like a man, we'll gladly give you pointers...."

At this moment, Gerard tried to make a break for it. One of the leader's goons grabbed him by the shoulder and yanked him back. Pain shot through his shoulder at the rough grab. The goon twisted his arms behind his back and held him still. Gerard struggled to regain freedom and stared pleadingly into the eyes of his attacker. His chest had tightened with panic and he couldn't speak.

"Now, now. Don't get too excited, fresh meat. The lessons are free and won't take too long. I expect you to pay attention though, because there will be a quiz." With that, a huge fist sunk into Gerard's stomach, causing him to dry heave from the force. After that, the hits seem to keep coming. Mostly to the stomach, but the jock managed to land some on his jawline.

Gerard could barely keep his eyes open and he felt himself going limp in the goon's tight hold. He was barely registering what was going on. From a short distance he heard shouting and he fell to the ground. The three jocks rushed past him to the opposite end of the hallway, leaving Gerard on the cold ground.

Rolling to his back, Gerard's eyes flickered open to see three other students kneeling over him. He didn't recognize the boy with curly hair or the boy with short blonde hair. However, he recognize the one giving them orders to go after the other three- Mr. Leather Jacket. Or Frank the Psycho as his attackers had referred to him.
He didn’t have much time to really think about it as his eyes slid in and out of focus and he passed out.

******************
He came to in the nurse’s office. It was a cramped little room with a cot shoved into the corner and a desk arranged haphazardly in the opposite corner. The nurse was a tall, curvy lady wearing a scrub top covered in cartoon angels.
“Oh good! You’re awake!” she exclaimed, swirling around in her chair to face him. Pinned to her top was a name tag that read ‘Nurse Lily.’ Her face seemed pleasant until she held up a torn piece of fabric.
“Care to explain why you had this on, young lady? It’s not healthy to be wearing so tight around your chest!”
Gerard’s face burned red at the misgendering comment. His heart also fell as he eyed his cut binder. It was a size too small, but it helped him feel so much better.
“I’m not a girl. I’m a fucking boy” he said assertively, his fingers curling tightly in the material beneath him. How the fuck could this nurse know nothing? He thought Principal Victoria had talked to all staff. How did this one slip through? Also, how the hell did he get here?
Nurse Lily gave him a incredulous look. “Oh you’re that kid. Vicki told me about you.” She turned back to her desk and scribbled a note. “Sorry,” she added in an unconvincing tone.
Gerard glared at her back. “So how did I wind up here?” he eventually asked as the nurse seemed busy hunched over her desk.
“Frank Iero brought you, saying he saw you pass out and slip down the stairs by the restrooms. When I saw this thing on you, I sent him back to class so I could cut it off you without exposing your bits to him.” She turned back around, not really making eye contact with Gerard.
“I’ve tried calling your mother three times, but she hasn’t picked up so far. Honestly, you look fine to me. A little scraped up from the fall and whatever damage this thing did to your torso. You should be able to go back to class.”
His stomach dropped at that suggestion. He didn’t want to give those jocks another chance at him, but it sounded like his mom was busy at her new job to come get him. He thought about hiding out in the nurse’s office until the end of the day, but he didn’t think he could stand to be near this nurse for one more minute. On the other hand, how would he explain breasts suddenly appearing halfway through the day? He bitterly wished she hadn’t destroyed his binder.
“Thanks, Nurse Lily,” he finally said, shaking as he got up. He tried smiling, but it felt forced and venomous. “What class period is it right now?”
She looked at him warily. “You’re welcome. We’re in fifth period right now, Ms….Mr. Way. Do you know where to go?”
He grimaced at the slip. “I’m sure I can find my way there,” Gerard lied through his teeth. He had zero intention of going back to class. He was going to get his bag and big baggy jacket from his locker and hide out until the bell rang. He had noticed plenty of hiding spots on his initial tour of the school.
With that, Gerard quickly left the nurse’s office, with his arms hugging his chest tightly to distract from his unbound disasters.

Notes

Hello! I tried to make this chapter shorter, but it kept getting longer and longer. Wanted to get a lot of information out and didn't want to break it up.

Anyway, hopefully you enjoyed this installment. Been working on it between work, class stuff, Quidditch, and Gay-Straight Alliance. I'm quite a busy little bee.

Also, wanted to say I've appreciated all the comments I've gotten so far. Ya'll helped me push through so hopefully this chapter meets your expectations. Next one won't be quite so long (maybe.)

Have a great day, everyone!
Bert