If love could win

The rowing competition

We were going to compete against the other school team. We were all dressed in green shirts. I could not keep my eyes away from Simon. I so badly wanted to be with him. But he did not want me. I could understand it. Dating someone in the royal family was not easy. Dating me would not be easy. And I had messed up. And now he had someone else. I was pretty sure he saw Marcus and that they were more than friends. It should be okay that he saw someone else as we were not a couple. But it could not feel that way. That was supposed to be me. Simon was supposed to be my boyfriend. Not anyone else's. And I knew how selfish that was. I could not even make myself happy being the crown prince and then I was jealous of Simon for trying to find love elsewhere.

"We are going to slaughter the other team, okay?" Vincent said. We all agreed. The locker room was loud. Simon was sitting with his phone. He smiled when he typed something. I had looked at his phone a few days before. He and Marcus definitely knew each other. Maybe it was him Simon texted now as well.

"Yeah. So what is the strategy today?" Nils asked. That Nils, of all people, was gay was still a mystery to me. I guessed sexuality was something you could not see on a person. That queer people existed in different shapes and forms. But my prejudiced ass had assumed he was straight. He had told me I had to be more discrete. Like him. He had definitely been discrete. At this school, you did not get to have a private life. Your private life was common goods. And still he had kept up a facade as if he was straight. People had been curious about me before the sex tape. They thought that Felice and I had something until she dated August. In reality I already had my eyes on Simon at that point. Even after the tape, I had heard whispers about me and Felice. Bi and pan people of course existed, but somehow people still thought that I was dating a girl after being caught in bed with Simon. I did not know how oblivious people were to believe that. The third year students went over the strategy and who was going to do what. I did not care to engage in the conversation. I was still observing Simon, who was still typing on his phone. Nils saw that my eyes were on Simon and he tried to catch my attention.

"Come on now, Wille," Nils said. "We are going to slaughter the other team, okay?"

"Sure," I replied. I tried to not look at August. He just made me angry. If I would slaughter anyone, I thought it might as well be him. Simon had said he would kill August. Maybe I could help, just a little bit. When we got out the audience was already seated. I saw Felice and some of the other girls in our class with green little flags. The gym teacher gave us a signal to start and we rowed for our life. I cheered on when Simon was in the rowing machine. He kept up with the competing team. He got off and August was in the machine. When Vincent was supposed to get into the machine, Simon lost the grip and Vincent lost a few seconds.

"Fucking idiot," he mouthed to Simon. I felt my blood boil. It was not Simon's fault. He had been far behind the blue team when he was in the machine. It was August that had let the other team get close. Nils took over spotting for Vincent. I looked at Simon, trying to ask him with my eyes if he was okay. His eyes were somewhere else. I noticed a tall broad shouldered boy by the entrance. It was Marcus. We lost the competition and the other boys seemed angry. Angry as hell. I also felt anger. Not because we lost. I went towards the locker room. Before I got inside I saw Simon kiss Marcus on the lips. How could he? Didn't he understand that it hurt to see him kiss someone else? The other boys were also upset with him. They blamed him for losing the competition. I sat down on a bench. Felt my eyes tear up. I saw Simon get inside the locker room.

"Simon held it too far. Even a three year old knows how to do it," Vincent cursed. The other boys were quiet. August said something that surprisingly was in Simon's favour. And I was just angry. Sad.

"How could you kiss him in front of me?" I finally asked, in front of all of them. The locker room went quiet. I could have heard a pin drop. Simon looked at me. He was also upset. Because everyone blamed him. He had even told Vincent he was off the team.