Unlikely Circumstances

Part IV "Merging Plotlines" / Chapter 10 / Aero

"Gabriel Cavalli, don't you recognize me? We're in the same class together. Class of 2022. I've been here almost a year."

"We must have different classes..."

"I'm not that noticeable, so I don't blame you for not really knowing who I am," He says, toying with his sleeve, "I'm kind of a loner, the unpopular kid."

"Oh, right. Sorry, I do know who you are, I just never really pay attention to people at Valken... I like music, always have. I'm always plugged into that world, trying to escape this one."

"I understand that, trust me."

I go over to the bench, sitting next to the young Gabriel.

"So what did you ask me here for?"

"I just... I don't know. You interested me, I guess."

"I would have to say the same about you, Gabe."

"No one calls me that anymore."

"What? Since when?"

"Since you disappeared into music-land, apparently." He says with a laugh.

An eerie silence appears, one we wouldn't know at this time would happen a lot between us.

"Stop me if you think this is wrong." Gabe says, suddenly.

"If I think what is wrong-?" I say, getting cut off.

He had started to reach over, and before I knew it, I was pulled into a kiss.

Not only a kiss, but my first kiss, like, ever. Boy or girl.

Eventually, he pulls back, wide-eyed and blushing.

"I'm sorry, I should-"

"Wait!" I say as he tries to get up, grabbing his forearm, "That wasn't bad, don't get me wrong, you just caught me off-guard."

He looks back at me, and sits back down.

This time, I pull him in for a kiss.

A couple days later, we'd been meeting up everyday after school, during the inbetweens of school, and finally once before school even started.

But it all came to an abrupt end when I was walking home from school, just having left a meet-up with Gabe, the fifth day after our first re-meeting, and I get jumped out of nowhere.

An eighth grader, getting jumped.

Weird, I know.

I tried fighting back, but whoever it was kept punching me in the stomach, the sides, and eventually the face, yelling homosexual slurs - which I didn't really understand at the time, until finally it stopped and I was crying into the snow (even though it's only October 3rd, there's somehow some snow), my face sideways and I could clearly see red in the snow.

"Hey, kid, can you hear me?" A muffled voice asks urgently.

I don't respond, and soon enough I can tell I'm being lifted up into a vehicle and then, only then, do I fully blackout.

The next day I woke up in the hospital, my mother's tired face looking at me.

"Hey, Aero. How you feeling?" She asks, stroking my right hand.

"Mom? I'm- I'm- alright, I guess. What's- ah, what's going on?" I say, pain causing me to pause after almost every word.

"I'll tell you later, querido. Later, when you're a little more healed, in a better state of mind."