Healing Gabriel (BoyxBoy)

✖ Chapter Twenty-Six ✖

       Turning back around so I was facing forward, I didn't pay attention to any of the conversations between the five others. Instead I silently mulled over whether I should say what I was thinking about saying to the girl behind me or not. I knew what it was like to get picked on, and it hurt. But when I received compliments from Evan I smiled, so maybe if I complimented her, she wouldn't be so upset anymore. Then again, Evan was far more good looking than me, so maybe that's why I felt wooed. Ugh, maybe by my unattractive self giving her a compliment she might just think I'm a creep.

       Say it, urged the little voice. You are too beautiful to be regarded as a creep. Just say it.

       I sighed inwardly. Since talking about Sixx to Evan, the little voice in my head hadn't led me astray. It had helped me through my anxiety attack and had proven my negative assumptions I'd assumed my father had thought about me wrong.

      Twisting around so I was facing the girl again, I decided to just do it. I didn't want her to be hurting like I did. Nobody deserved to have same amount of self-hatred that I had for myself. Not even Jurnee. I'd never, no matter how mean and cruel to others the person may be, wish for them to be inflicted and consumed by same amount of self-loath as me. Sure, I do believe something karma-related should come back and get them someday. But hoping for someone to have a mentality that convinces them to believe that they are nothing is just as cruel and inhuman as to what he did. And I'd never, ever be like him.

       "I, um, I like y-your shirt," I said in a quiet voice, stumbling over my words a bit since this was the first time in years that I was willingly saying something to a stranger. Something about talking to a complete stranger felt kind of familiar, though, and not entirely in a bad way. It was kind of weird.

       The girl looked up, cheeks red as she self-conciously touched her Avengers t-shirt. "You do?"

       I nodded my head, offering her a very tiny smile. "Mhm. Loki's my, uh, favorite."

       "But he's not even an Avenger," she giggled, smiling wider. I shrugged, biting my bottom lip to try and stop my words from cluttering together. She blushed for some reason.

       "He's got a cute hat," I told her. She laughed. Knowing I made a person who was most likely doubting the heck out of herself made me feel warm. The feeling of the warmth due to making a stranger happy was very familiar, but I couldn't recall where I'd felt it before.

       "Yeah, I like Thor. He's an awesome god and stuff and like, I love how old-fashioned he talks. I have a schoolbag of him but, ah, I don't wanna bring it to school because I'd probably get made fun of for it." Gah, another talkative female. I don't know why she kept fiddling with her hair and blushing. It was a bit distracting. I continued to listen to her talk about her love for Thor until she finally cut herself off. "Oh, jeez, I'm babbling. But, anyways, err, thanks," she said, giggling a bit.

       "You're welcome, I guess," I replied before turning around. Alana and Evan were staring at me with wide eyes. I felt my face heat up. "What?" I asked, nervously fluffing the back of my hair.

       "You just talked to a random person," Evan noted, eyes slightly wide. I purrowed.

       "Yeah, I know."

       Alana tapped her finger thoughtfully against her chin. "But why? That's so unlike you." 

       "I don't like it when people are made fun of. I know what it's like, and it's not fun," I admitted, looking down at my lap.

       "You're so kind, kitten," said Evan, briefly brushing his hand against my own. His pet name for me used to make me uncomfortable, as most nicknames did, but after a while I decided that I really liked it. It was like a permanent compliment; I was Evan's kitten and no one else's.