Until I Met You

27

TW's:
-Bullying (homophobia+F-slur)
-Slight abuse

George's POV

I went to school reluctantly the next day. I really didn't want to go, but everything would only get worse if I stayed away. They would spread the pictures whatever I did, I would break apart anyway. I wanted to have the chance to explain it to Clay.

I left to go to school and I had never taken longer to arrive there as I had today. I was way too late for my first class and to make everything even worse, Clay arrived at the same time as me. I quickly started walking off as he saw me, but he smiled and grabbed my shoulder.

'Hi,' he said.

'Uh- hi,' I whispered, having my face beat up. 'I think uh- I have to go to uh- class quick,' I said trying to avoid him.

I didn't want to be with him when he found out about the pictures and I absolutely didn't want to be with him after I confessed my love, thinking he loved me too.

'How are you?' Clay asked me.

'It's uh- better if I go,' I whispered. 'I'm sorry.'

'No, stay,' Clay said, smiling at me. 'I like being with you.'

'No, you don't. At least, not as soon as you enter the school.'

Clay shrugged. 'I do like being with you, whatever someone did.'

'You won't, you will be disgusted by me.'

Clay shrugged again. 'You can say that, but I know I won't.'

I really tried walking away from him, but he stayed with me just as long as we entered the school and I already saw pictures of our Discord conversation hanging on the walls. I saw Clay looking at it and then at me.

'Is this what you're talking about?'

I nodded slowly and I wanted to run away, but Clay grabbed my hand. 'Someone acted like they were me?'

'Uh- I'm uncomfortable. Please, let me go. I didn't mean to say those weird things, I just thought you liked me too. This is really awkward for you and I understand that.'

Clay walked around the school and he grabbed all the printed pictures, just to rip them apart and smile at me after.

'I don't care what you said at all. They tricked you into saying that.'

'No, they didn't. I meant what I said and that's the worst part.'

'I don't mind, okay?'

'I know you think I'm weird or gross. I'm sorry I said those things.'

'I only read that one, I didn't read the others.'

'What did you read?' I whispered.

'Nothing important.'

'Please tell me, I'm very embarrassed.'

'I'm not even sure, I think you said you want to touch and kiss me.'

'I'm so sorry,' I whispered. 'I really have to go.'

I started running away and I saw pictures of our conversation everywhere in the school. Clay ran after me and he grabbed my shoulders. 'I don't care, okay? We are just going to remove all those pictures.'

'I don't want you to see more.'

'I won't read them.'

'But you will see it.'

'George,' Clay said as he grabbed my shoulders. 'What that person did was wrong, what you did wasn't wrong at all. You thought you were texting someone who was in love with you too, but you were texting a bully.'

'How can you still be this kind to a guy who has said such weird things about you.'

'What's weird about the fact you want to kiss the person you love?'

'I mean, it's more about the uh-.'

'Touching part?'

'Shut up,' I whispered with a red face.

Suddenly Clay smiled softly at me, his hand went up to my shoulders and down to my chest. He had a red face now too and he stood a little closer to me. 'Come with me,' he whispered smiling.

He grabbed my hand and he pulled me with him, but just as he wanted to pull me into the bathroom, someone came up to us. It was one of the bullies. Clay quickly let go of my hand and he looked at the bully with fear in his eyes.

'So George, you liked talking to me a lot, didn't you? We talked for hours, we discussed everything. Since you were so dumb to trust a stranger, now everyone else can happily enjoy. Including Clay.'

I looked at my hands. 'Why do you want to hurt me this much?' I whispered.

'Because you're a faggot, George. You didn't listen to me, you didn't kill yourself, you didn't switch schools. Now it's over, I have power over you and I want to get rid of you.'

'This is so mean,' Clay said. 'You're actually such a dick.'

'Yeah, and George wants to suck yours,' the boy said as he pushed me down on the ground.

I was fighting against the tears stinging in my eyes and I crawled up slowly. I got surrounded by people who walked towards us and I wanted to run away, but the boy pushed me down again.

'Please, let me go,' I whispered. It didn't take long before tears streamed down my face and Clay now pushed the boy away.

'Let him go, leave him alone. You've hurt him way too much now.'

'Oh, I see. You're a faggot too.'

'Shut up, you're not even funny.'

The boy started laughing really loudly. 'All those people watching find it funny.'

I looked around me, a whole crowd of people and only Clay stood up for me. No one was helping and most were laughing or looking at me in disgust. I wished I could go back and do everything I had done wrong differently, but I couldn't. And the only one who accepted me was the person I had been saying weird stuff about.

I looked back at the boy and then back at the crowd. The boy kept screaming about things I had texted and I seemed to break apart more and more. But then it all got even worse and my heart broke as I realised who was just watching.

Darryl.

1015 words