Arranged Marriage (BoyxBoy)

Scrutiny

OK! Now that I've got THAT out of my system, maybe I can try again. This chapter isn't finished because the end of it keeps slinking away in the bad way. So, I'll just have to break it into two parts so I can get the first part out to all of you now.



---------------------------------



*Gabriel*



Why can't I say things correctly? Why is it that when I try I fail so miserably? I'd told my friends about Micah - they hadn't believed me.

Some friends they are!

But, seriously, if one of your friends suddenly told you a story like that, would you believe them? If so, there may be something wrong with you.

Yesterday was the dreaded press conference. I stood behind my father absolutely mortified as the feeding frenzy began, honing in on me. I could honestly say I was grateful when Micah put his arm around my shoulder. When we'd tried to leave, they'd shoved microphones and cameras right in my face, pushing in close to jostle us. The press of strangers bearing down on me had been so terrifying I'd turned into Micah's breast, huddling into the protective mass of his body. Seeing it on the news this morning, even I would have thought we were a genuine couple.

Good thing my father hadn't been callous enough to force the kids in front of the camera. The clandestine tabloid picture of me holding little Abby while I greeted Kenndy and Maddy with Micah shading us protectively, that one had made me feel like some pre-feminization housewife.

And now I got to go face the whole damn school, whose entire populous would now know the delicious gay hunk was tied to 'that random tiny emo kid'. I left half an hour early to make it to the bus stop I never actually used. No way was I going to school with Micah, and he kinda owned my car now. - Not that I'd ever told him dad had given him my keys, it wasn't like I actually enjoyed driving anyway. - I was going to do everything possible to prevent attracting attention.

I'd had to dress up for the press thing, maybe they wouldn't recognize me. I made it to my lockers, head down, and still invisible. Success!

Now I just needed that to last for another nine months or so.

I went to zero hour. My friend Kit sat three desks away (assigned seating). I just maintained my little staring contest with my shoes as he gaped at me the whole lecture. The bell rang; I made my escape. I relaxed at lunch with my friend Joy, we sat in a nice corner, and she never watched the news. She was the highlight of my day.

The next day it was even worse. Everyone in the entire school was talking about it the whole gob blasted day! I didn't speak to anyone until I met Joy at lunch. God bless her, she'd been the one friend to actually believe my chronicle that weekend, at least until everyone else had been so insouciant. She'd noticed the attention but had purposefully zoned out rather than soaking up the gossip running rampant about me. Something she usually did regardless of whom it concerned. So I got to speak to someone who's only awareness of the subject came directly from me, myself. It was refreshing.

"He even cooks because it was cheaper than eating out or buying readymade meals. Or, at least it was the cheapest option that wouldn't turn him and the kids into over bloated tomatoes with blood clots."

"So what's wrong with him," Joy asked poking my sulking cheek.

"Absolutely nothing," I whined, pleading for her to understand. "That's the problem. How am I supposed to live with somebody who's perfect!"

She screwed up her nose and hummed at me in that 'I don't know...' sort of way.

"Nobody likes to live with a saint," I quoted at her. She thought about it and nodded, finally seeing my point.

"Hey."

Well, speak of the devil and he shall appear. Or, in his case, ancient Greek demigod.

Hmmm, I wonder...If he reminds me of Perseus, does that makes me Andromeda? Cuz she didn't fare too well...

Yep, I'm fleeping Andromeda!

My Perseus shifted his weight looking nervous.

"So, yeah, I suddenly realized that if we were in the same study period, then we must have the same lunch 'hour'. So, I was wondering...ya know...if maybe I should just sit with you at lunch. If that sounds alright with you guys and everything." For once he was the one looking all hesitant. I did an internal little happy dance.

Well, dam, he can do shy and bashful too. Who'da thunk it?

I nodded and he sat. We finished our lunch in silence. A strangely peaceful, unstressed silence.

We all got separated in the massive conglomeration towards trash and classrooms. Which tended to happen since the passing periods were so distressingly short. Especially for those of us with short legs and heavy backpacks to lug about!

It was on my way to throw out my trash and head on to study hall that the whispering began. Or maybe it just got louder. Getting worse and worse, until they were hardly whispers as voices rose ever higher to be heard over the amassing din.

"That tiny little kid is getting married?"

"I thought he was a freshman."

"...jailbait...can't be legal..."

"In my class, thought he was one of those genius kids, you know, skipped a grade. Guess he's just a midget..." Laughter.

"Payne's name fits..." Laughter. "He'll definitely leave that poor kid in pain!"

"More like split him in half!" Laughter.

"Little slut, had to use his daddy's money to find himself a man didn't he...would have thought better of Micah..."

"...kids doesn't he..."

"Like to find myself some kinky rich cutie!" Whistles.

"I'd tap that!"

Comments like that last, and the wolf whistles and jostling, those were the worst.

I would have just skipped study hall and taken the detentions except that, in my fear, I'd blindly followed habit, and now I was already sitting at my desk in my homeroom with my homework out. So, wishing I was brave enough to at least be honestly chicken and run the fairy farting lights out of there, I set into my homework instead. When I felt his presence - yes, even I'm aware of when a sexy hunk walks through the door -, I angled my body against him, the door, and most of the room.

"Stuck up..."

"...won't even say hi..."

"...poor Micah..."

I let my long bangs swing in front of my eyes, shielding me from the rest of the room, and pretended I didn't feel their scrutiny.

Micah sat down at his desk next to mine. He hesitated a moment, probably debating trying to get my attention, then pulled out some homework to give me the option of ignoring him as I liked. Which I did.

"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Everyone either jumped or cringed at the ear piercing screech. The slut, what was her name? Bridget? Stacy? What's her face screamed again, flying across the room to attack me!

I tried to fight her off gently, which is obviously impossible - damn double standards. But-her-face got her way, mauling me.

"Hey there cutie!" Prep slut kissed my cheek and squeezed the life out of me. Literally, Micah had to pull her off me. She made a move to lunge at me again and like the looser I am, I squeaked and threw myself at Micah, cowering against his chest. And, like the kind hearted fool he was, Micah wrapped his arms around me and angled his body to put himself between me and my female attacker. Girls are scary, you're not allowed to hit them, so what do you do when they start attacking you?

"KYA!!!!!!" She screamed again, pulling out her phone and zooming around us in circles, pausing only long enough for the little lense to focus for each shot. The whispering definitely wasn't quite whispers anymore, but it was ok because the only thing I could hear was the rushing of my own blood in my ears.

I relaxed into the feel of Micah's arms around me, holding me, comforting me, protecting me, even shielding most of me from the rest of the room. He was my barrier, and I clung to him gratefully, hands fisted in his shirt until my trembling subsided.

If only this were love.

It was almost cruel, his kindness. Knowing I'd never get the chance to fall in love. That one of the most important things in life, one of the things that made it all worth living, would never be mine. But, I could never hate him for it; that I would always have this achingly hollow echo of what should have been.

"Snapshots of Yorkshire High's hottest new couple! See Bridget Fanning or Kelsy O' Brian to purchase! Discounts for members of the yaoi fangirl club or Gay Straight Alliance members!"

I gasped, eyes as wide as saucers and I turned slowly to look at the horrid monster soliciting photos of Micah and me to the entire class. Worse! A handful of girls, and even a guy or two, crowded around her.

What the hell is wrong with these people?!

Click. The prep bitch who'd propositioned Micah his first damn day of school here took a picture of the terror on my face cuddled against the wall I seemed to have forgotten was a person's chest.

How the hell was I supposed to just go back to my desk and start my homework now? Easy, I didn't. Finding my cowardly courage, I ran the flip out of the room marking my backpack, homework, and even my I-phone as casualties I'd just have to suffer for the greater cause of getting my plump rump out of there!



------------------------------------------------------



Haha, rump! Gabriel is so innocent it just seemed wrong for him to even think such a crude word as 'ass'. LOL [and yet, he thought words like 'slut' and 'bitch' towards the two attractive girls who keep hanging all over his delicious Micah each study hall >.<]

Please give me your thoughts.



Read > Vote > Comment > HELP! 日(TvT) 日