New Kid (Gramon)

2

Graham nods to this and looks down at Liam, "What the hell are we gonna do with this waste," Graham questioned, poking Liam with his shoe as if he were just a pile of mysterious rubbish.

I shrug, "We'll leave him. He's left me in this state many times. A teacher will find him and then take him to the nurses' office where he'll be questioned as to what happened. Knowing Liam, he's got too much pride to admit who beat the shit out of him- Good move by the way," I laugh, looking up at Graham, "In the meantime, we scram."

"Where to," Graham questions.

I lead Graham to the parking lot, and then to a nearby forest. "What's your 5th period," I ask.

"Uh..." Graham ponders, "lemme look," he says, pulling a schedule out of his pocket. "Drama, with Mr. Dylan," he concludes, looking back up at me.

I smile, "Me too, Graham. Great then, we'll make it back for 5th period. Until then, we'll walk"

"Are you sure? That's skipping..."

I laugh, "yeah, it's fine. I was already in the middle of skipping my history class."

"Oh... I asked my teacher to use the restroom, though... Won't they get angry?"

"Is that why you were out there with Liam? Figures. If your maths teacher questions you about it, just tell them you had a run-in with someone. I've told many of my teachers that, they never care."

"Does Liam often pick on you? Is that why you've got a black eye," Graham frowned, leaning forward and feeling the purple skin around my eye.

I grimace at the contact, to which Graham notices and takes his hand away. He furrows his eyebrows, continuing to frown, as well as keeping eye contact.

I laugh, " 's okay, Graham. Yeah, I earned this shortly after 2nd hour," I say, flaunting my bruised eye as if it were an award I'd won.

"Does he do that often?"

"Daily. Sometimes he just gives me swirlies or writes "666" on my forehead with permanent marker," I laugh, looking at the ground, "He intimates me at times, though I'll never let him know that. He's such a bother. Sometimes I get up in the morning and just breath. I think, 'I'm alright right now. I feel fine,' and then I remember that Liam'll be beating my ass later that day."

Graham flashes me another concerning look, "Gee, Damon, I'm sorry... That's a lot..."

"Aww, Graham," I laugh, "I'm okay. I manage. I won't let you become one of Liam's targets, don't worry. Wouldn't want him ruining that pretty face of yours," I smirk.

Graham blushes and knits his eyebrows together, looking at the ground, "You've called me 'pretty' twice now... What's that supposed to mean?"

"It's simple. It means I think you're cute, Graham. It's not often you find boys like that."

"Are you... Are you gay then," Graham asks nervously, "I'm-I'm not gay."

I frown, confused by his last sentence, "I'm not gay. I fancy birds as well, making me bisexual. You got something against that," I say with slight verbal annoyance.

"Uh- um... I'm not sure. Boys aren't supposed to fancy other boys, I thought..."

I laugh, "Where'd yah hear that from? Liam? I don't know about you, but that's not someone I'd take advice from."

Graham looks at me cautiously, "It's irrelevant... Never mind..."

"No, what? Now you've got me curious."

"That's what people get kicked around for, Damon, you can't just go around calling boys 'cute'. I'm not even cute, anyways," Graham says worriedly, shoving his hands into his pockets as I sit on the ground, "What are you doing," he questions, looking down at me.

" 'm tired of walking," I shrug.

"Oh- uh... okay," Graham says, sitting beside me. We're both silents for a few minutes.

"What do you suppose you are, then," I question him.

He looks up at me in confusion, "What do you mean?"

"If you're not cute, then what are you?"

"Uh... Well, I don't like to think about that... I'd consider myself a little too unappealing for my own liking. But if we're talking soft wise, I'd say I'm not cute, I'm tough."

I frown and knit my eyebrows together, "You're not 'unappealing' at all, Graham. You're quite the opposite, actually. Don't tell yourself lies like that," I shake my head at him.

He looks up at me frowning, "Erm- I don't know about that. Th-thanks though, that's nice of you to say."

" 'm not just saying it, Graham. I know it, I'm thinking it right now," to this, Graham blushes and gets up.

"We should get to class," he mumbles, and I get up to follow him.