Love Encyclopedia For The Gays (boyxboy, girlxgirl)

6 - LOML

The meeting room in the gymnasium smelled like sweat. It also had no chairs so we either had to sit on the floor or on one of the various props lying around the room. By the time me and Aileen arrived, the floor was crowded and people stared as we passed.

Aileen led me to a spot near the back. While I sat on the floor, she sat on one of the squishy balls so she could see the board at the front. The way she kept bouncing on it made me smile a little, although not enough to alleviate my downtrodden mood.

The teacher started saying something and pointing at the board, but I didn't catch a word of it. My eyes were glued on Art's broad back, even though he just rejected me. The heart want what it want, I guess.

After a while, he must have felt my stare on his back because he turned around. I smiled at him weakly, embarrassed at being caught. He didn't smile back, and coldly turned his head to the front.

I withdrew into myself and let out a sound that sounded like a balloon deflating. Aileen patted my back in sympathy.

Maybe Art really was homophobic. It would track with the fact that he was stupid. 

"Dale?" The teacher's voice brought me out of my depressing musing.

"Yes?" I groaned.

I sounded so miserable the teacher raised an eyebrow.

"I was going to ask you to help put away the balls, but I can ask someone else if you're so exhausted. I didn't know being a referee was so hard."

Some people laughed. The teacher was still looking at me expectantly.

"Stop making fun of me. I'll do it," I told her and got up.

The entire class turned to me at the same time, their eyes locked on me not unlike a sea of hungry sharks. It was a little nerve wracking, but I reminded myself again and again that I hold the power of accidentally stepping on their fingers.

Eventually, I made it to the front of the room. The teacher gestured to a basket of balls on the floor. "Put these on the top shelf for me."

Sighing, I took the basket in my arms and heaved myself up. Thankfully, the basket was not too heavy, just smelled very strongly of baked gravel.

I quickly located the only empty top shelf next to the board. Gingerly, I raised my arms, which were just just long enough to be able to comfortably put the basket back in its place. I wondered how the teacher took down it in the first place since she was a head shorter than me.

Halfway through pushing the basket in, I heard someone call me. My head whipped to the side to see who it was, and I coincidentally made eye contact with Art. He was startled, but to my surprise, his lips bloomed into a shy smile.

Relief bloomed in my chest. Despite the entire class between us, I could only see Art. His eyes didn't leave me either, and the smile reached his eyes. Butterflies started to flutter like crazy in my stomach.

So my feelings weren't entirely rejected then? Perhaps they were even reciprocated, who knows. What homophobia, he was just shy, I needed to tell Aileen later.

I was so preoccupied I didn't notice my hands slipping. The entire basket fell, along with all the balls in it. One hit me in the face and at least two hit my body. I could hear shouting and the sounds of many balls hitting and bouncing off the floor.

The dirty ceiling of the meeting room was the last thing I saw before my vision went dark.

<3<3<3

I woke up to a pure white ceiling and the smell of antiseptic in my nose.

As soon as I wriggled a little, a face moved into my vision. It was Art's. How does he remain perfect when most people would have perished if viewed from the chin up?