Zealous Hearts

fifty

"Alright, babe, be careful." I kissed Beau on the lips and he smiled softly.

"Are you going to be okay? You don't look so good..."

"Don't worry about me, babe, I'm fine." I smiled through the pain and kept myself from holding my head. "Go to class, alright?"

Beau nodded and went off to class and I went off to the field, taking the opportunity to finish the chemistry homework our teacher had given to us in class.

I drank some water, and I started feeling a whole lot better.

"Hey, Phoenix." I looked up and saw one of the players on the team, Mason, standing in front of me. "Don't you have class?"

"Yeah. I'm just hungover. I need a break."

He smiled and sat down. "I see. So, how's Beau doing?"

I was very confused. I've never talked to anyone at school about Beau, and the only person who knows that we are together at school is Alice.

He must've seen the hesitant look on my face, because he smiled and clarified. "Oh, because of the whole getting beat up thing. Is he still getting bullied?"

I put my papers back in my binder and shrugged. "Probably. I've tried everything. For some reason, everyone hates him. I don't understand."

"I know how it feels. Before I moved here, one of my brothers were getting bullied. We couldn't do anything to help it, so we had to move. I almost got in serious trouble trying to defend him. When my parents got divorced, he left with my dad."

"Sorry to hear that."

"So, how did you meet Beau? I know you guys aren't brothers."

I smiled. "He's my best friend. Has been since birth. I've always protected him. He's so small and fragile. I can't bear watching him hurt."

Mason smiled at me. "Just a friend?"

"Yeah, why?" My heart raced. If I let it slip, then things would only get worse.

"Best friends don't kiss in the hallway."

I was silent, not knowing how to answer him.

"I won't tell a soul, honest. It's really none of my business. I just happened to see it when nobody else did. Maybe you should find a new kissing spot."

He slapped me on my shoulder and gave me a wide grin. "I'll watch out for that kid too, alright? Oh, and practice starts in a few minutes. You might want to get to your next class." He winked at me and and stood up, jogging to the locker rooms.

Beau's POV

I was putting my things in my locker and then it slammed closed.

"Hey, fag." I looked up at the group of large kids standing in front of me. My heart started racing. They could probably snap me in half if they wanted to.

"W-what do you want?"

"Where's your little boyfriend? We need to talk."

I then realized that this was the same boy that Phoenix beat up weeks ago after he was messing with me.

I just had to annoy them until they went away. "He's not little."

They looked at each other and laughed. "So he is your boyfriend?"

"I never confirmed that."

"You didn't deny it either. Look, I'm only gonna ask you nicely one more time where Phoenix is, and then it's gonna get ugly."

"It got ugly when you three showed up."

Before I could blink, I was grabbed and pinned up against my locker. I kicked and screamed and tried to get away, but there was nobody in the hallway. Honestly, shouldn't they have teachers in the hallways, or even a camera or two?

"Leave him alone."

I opened my eyes and saw Phoenix walking towards us. I sighed and the boy put me down, turning to Phoenix.

"Look guys, I don't want any trouble. I'm just trying to go to class."

"No, you're just trying to get in our business. We were looking for you anyways. Time that we talked about getting even."

Phoenix rolled his eyes. "What good is trying to fight me going to do for you? Just let us both go to class."

One of them stepped up to Phoenix and the other two grabbed me. I struggled around and whimpered when they twisted my arm behind my back.

"Stop, you're hurting him!"

"Exactly. I never said that I was gonna fight you, Phoenix, but your little toy here is gonna pay."

The boy held Phoenix back and one of the other two went to work on me. I couldn't even see or remember what happened. It's like it was all a blur, and it didn't even hurt.

"Stop! Stop, you're hurting him! Leave him alone!"

They finally threw me back into the lockers and left. The boy let Phoenix go and ran off with his friends.

I tried to make sense of what happened while Phoenix grabbed me and hugged me tightly, crying all over me.

"Oh god, baby, I'm so sorry, I couldn't get to you, and-"

"Phoenix, I'm fine." I wiped his tears away and smiled. "I'm fine." The pain was sorta coming to me now, but I could handle it.

"Beau, I'm so sorry." He helped me up and ran his thumb over my lip. "Baby...you're bleeding. C'mon, let's go."

"Where would we go, Phee?"

×××

Phoenix got out of the car and ran to the side of the lake before I even took off my seatbelt.

When I finally reached him, he was staring out at the water, his eyes red.

"Phee? What's wrong?"

He wiped his tears away with his sleeve. "I just watched my boyfriend get hurt and there was nothing I could do about it. I'm sick and tired of you getting beat up for no reason. No matter how much I try, I can't protect you the way that I want to anymore and I'm pissed off! It isn't like when we were little, Beau. Back then, I was bigger than almost everyone. It seems like everyone is bigger than me, and it's making it harder for me to protect who I love! And you, damnit! Do you not know that you're so much more than how they treat you? They treat you like absolute shit, and you fucking put up with it!"

"Phee..."

"I'm just so fucking tired of my best not being enough!"

I sat next to him and lifted his arm up bfore wrapping it around me and holding onto him.

"Look at me, Beau."

I looked up at him and he kissed me softly. "Even if you don't think so, Beau, you mean the entire world to me. I want to show you what you're really worth..."

"You mean-?"

"Yeah. If you'll let me."

I nodded and he leaned in to kiss me over and over again. I winced as I felt my arm starting to hurt and he slid my sleeve up, frowning when he saw the bruise that was forming there.

"C'mon, let's go home and get you some painkillers or something. We can stay at my place, because my parents aren't gonna be home until late tonight."

"Okay, daddy."