Can't Fight This Feeling (larcel)

Chapter 1

The locker room slowly fills up as I walk down to my locker. Locker 163. I put in my combination and pop it open. On the inside its mostly bare and if you simply removed the clothes, it would look untouched. I'm not one for personalization of something like this, I find it pointless.

"Excuse me.. oh sorry.." I hear someone coming my way. Must be someone new, they certainly don't sound familiar. I see someone approaching a locker a few places down from mine out of the corner of my eye. I look over at them as they struggle to get the locker open. It's a boy who looks rather wimpy. He has big glasses and rosy cheeks and perfectly gelled hair. He dresses like a Gap mannequin. It's very likely he gets picked on. He looks up as he gets his locker open and catches me looking at him.

"Oh hi! My name is Marcel, I'm new here." He says cheerily.

"Louis." I say gruffly. I'm not interested in talking to most people, but especially not a geek like him.

"Pleased to make your acquaintance, Louis." He reaches out his hand to shake mine. I reject it completely and roll my eyes. He looks a little disheartened by this but I just close my locker and walk away.

Marcel's POV

Maybe this guy Louis is just having a bad day, we all have bad days. I brush off his mean gesture and carry on with what I'm doing. I'm too embarrassed by my scrawny little body to change in front of everyone else so I change in the bathroom stall. When I come out there are some 'tough guys' smoking cigarettes by the sink. I start to walk by them and cough a little, covering my nose.

"What're you stuck-up?" One of them comments snidely.

"What?" I stop walking and turn to face them.

"He said are you stuck up, or something? Fag." The other one joins. Fag is only a word I've seen on TV. I believe it is highly offensive and is rude to use against someone.

"Please don't call me that." I say with my eyebrows furrowing nervously.

"Why the fuck not, fag?" The first one says pinning me up against the wall. "It's what you are." He spits.

"Maybe you're the fag, you're the one hanging out in the boys bathroom." I state.

"What the fuck did you say to-" he starts. But he's cut off by a coach looking man sticking his head through the door.

"Oiy, if you arses are done in here, it's time for P.E." he says gesturing out. The boy releases me and makes his way to the door, his friend follows.

"Next time, dickwad." He says back to me before leaving the bathroom.

•••

My last class of the day is Science and coincidently the boy named Louis is in it. He doesn't even look at me when I enter the room though. I sense we got of on a bad foot. Maybe I'll try again tomorrow, after all it'd be nice to get a friend in this place.

I walk in and sit towards the front of the room at an empty table. Nobody else joins me as the class fills up. I see Louis take a seat at the back of the room next to a dark-haired girl. Our teacher Mrs. Littleton introduces herself.

"Today you will be getting your lab partners which you will be doing projects with and keeping for the rest of this class." She starts partnering people together. So many people I don't know get strung off. I wait anxiously as the names get called off until it's only me, Louis, dark-haired girl and this chubby kid whose name I think is Armando.

"...Lexi and Armando...Louis and Marcel. Everyone please move yourself to your lab partner." She finishes off.

Wow. It may not be so bad that me and Louis get put together because at least I know him. But there is the problem that he was rude to me this morning when I tried to shake hands with him. It's a simple common gesture, I didn't think it was too much to ask. But as I said, I hope it's just one of his bad days.

When I look up with Louis he looks annoyed and minorly ticked off. He's giving me a look like he's not going to come here so I get up, grab my stuff and walk back to his table, sitting beside him.

"We met this morning remember?" I ask cheerfully, trying to lighten our relationship.

"How could I forget." He mutters and half rolls his eyes.

"I think this class is going to be fun." I ignore his remark.

"Great you can do all the work."

I just shut up this time. It seems like there's no good was to divert this guy from his negative attitude. And if we both just keep quiet then it won't rub off on me. I don't want to feel negative because this day's been pretty good except for being pushed around in the locker room. But I'm used to that.

The rest of the class goes by quickly and we stay quiet for the rest of the time. Before I even know it, class is over. Time goes by fast when you're having fun. I leave the building and walk down to the city bus stop. I have to wait here about 10 minutes before the bus comes to pick me up. It drops me off about a block away from my house and I walk the rest.

When I enter the house Mom is still at work and will be until 5ish. She works as an accountant at an insurance company, it seems like a boring job to me but I don't think we really have a choice. We just stay afloat with dad gone.

•••

"How was school, Honey?" mom asks from across the table.

"It was good." I say shortly. I decide not to tell her about the boys in the locker room.

"What was your favorite class?" mom prods.

"I think I liked English the best. The teacher seemed to like me okay." I say moving my food around on my plate. I take a few slow bites.

"Anything else?" mom questions. She's always been this way.

"I got paired up with a bit of a pessimistic in science. He seemed to be in a sour mood no matter how I tried. So I just stopped trying." I say with a frown.

"Once he gets to know you he'll see how fun you are and he'll lighten up. I'm sure honey." She really needs to stop calling me honey, I'm 17. But I think she likes to keep me as her little boy so I don't say anything.

"Yeah maybe." I say. But I'm not so sure.

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