Boyfriend Lessons

Chapter 1

Nick's POV

I think the worst day of my life was the day I told my family I was gay. I'd thought about it for a while beforehand, but I didn't think it would be this bad. My parents hadn't ever said anything about it, so I assumed it was okay for me to be this way, too... I was wrong.

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My alarm beeped loudly, waking me from my sleep. I groaned, forcing myself out of bed. My muscles were stiff from practice yesterday, and I still had bruises on my torso and back. I turned the alarm off quickly, to keep from waking my parents. Father hated being woken early. I mean, he hated a lot of things, but... 

Sighing, I walked to the closet and pulled out a long sleeve black shirt, jeans, and a pair of sneakers. My house wasn't too far from the school, so it was pretty easy to walk back and forth. Besides, I liked the walk. It gave me time to think. 

The trail from my house to the school was fairly quiet, so I had a lot of time to myself to think and gather my thoughts before getting to school. I sighed heavily at the idea of another day at school. I wasn't one of those kids who hated school or learning or anything, but...

Before I could finish the thought, I looked up and saw that I'd arrived. Shaking my head, I pulled my backpack closer around me and went inside. People were all over the hallway when I entered, talking, laughing, gossiping, kissing... The usual stuff. It wasn't new to me.

But, what was new to me, was standing right beside my locker, chatting it up with each other. Keegan and Christian. The 'boyfriend shirt couple.' People gave them the name after last year's homecoming game, when they came out to the school after Keegan wore Christian's jersey.

I paused a few feet away from them, watching Christian lean close as Keegan blushed and pulled back. I grit my teeth, my hands clenching into fists at my side as I looked down. I wasn't proud to admit it, but I had bullied Keegan before. I didn't hate him or anything, I was just... Jealous. Jealous of his ability to come out and not be hated. Jealous of how people still came to love him. Jealous of how easily he could get a boyfriend, when I'd been trying to get one for ages... I sighed. It's probably because he's small and cute and the shy type of person who blushes at everything and I'm... None of the above. I'm just me.

Besides, I'm not the best at expressing my feelings. After all, who do I have to tell them to? I usually bottle them up, and when it becomes too much I just... Burst. I punch and kick things, or I make snide comments. I can never just let anything go. Just like my dad, I suppose. Of all the things I could have gotten from him, this was the one thing I did get. It didn't exactly help my 'getting a boyfriend' problem. If anything, it made my life a lot worse.

After a while I came out of my thoughts, finally realizing that Keegan and Christian were long gone and that I'd been standing in the middle of the hallway like an idiot. Coughing awkwardly, I went to my locker, shoved my stuff inside, and headed to first period. My schedule was fairly simple;

Period 1 - Algebra 2
Period 2 - English
Period 3 - Spanish
Period 4 - History
Lunch
Period 5 - Health
Period 6 - Gym
Period 7 - Science

My grades were also fairly average in all my classes, As and Bs, and I never really tried to excel at anything. Really, my plan was just to graduate and get as far from here as was possible.

When I sat down and looked up at the board, a guy I didn't recognize stood by the whiteboard. I frowned. A substitute? No... Too young... "Good morning class!" The teacher, a peppy young woman named Ms.Alex, came into the room, standing next to the mystery guy. "I have some exciting news! Starting today, we have a new transfer student! Anthony, do you want to introduce yourself?"

The guy nodded and stepped forward, but he didn't smile or make an sort of friendly gestures. "I'm Anthony Lee," he stated.

"Where did you come from?"

"The south," he answered simply. I looked him over. He was pretty tall, and I knew he'd probably be taller than my 5'9" if I stood next to him. He had short brown hair that he swept up away from his forehead, and light green eyes. I didn't notice any accent in his voice, though, for someone who was from 'the south'.

Ms.Alex nodded. "Thank you, Anthony. You can sit... Um... Oh, there, by Nick."

I looked up, then to the left of me at the empty desk. Anthony shrugged, picking up his bag and walking over. When he sat down, he stared forward and didn't say anything. So, I did the same to him.

Ms.Alex started the lesson, and I was sure to keep my focus at the front of the class the entire lesson. Probably better to leave the guy alone, as it was obvious he wasn't talking. We both ignored each other for the rest of class, focusing on quadratic equations rather than conversations. By the end of class, I still knew nothing about him but his name.

It was probably better that way. A new guy like him would probably fit in just fine eventually. I mean, he's tall and not bad looking. And sure, he's a little aloof but some people like that. Me, I'll never fit in. No matter how hard I try.

And I should try to keep my distance from him. He's probably straight anyway, and probably hates gays. Who knows? I don't, but I'll assume it anyway. Better to assume before I get hurt.

A/N: Hey guys! Hope you enjoyed the first chapter (I know it's sad, but it gets better I promise). Anyway, I was thinking some people might ask this question, so I figured I'd answer it now; this story takes place the year after Boyfriend Shirt. So, everyone is a year older, and so their classes are different. That's why this schedule doesn't match up with the one from Boyfriend Shirt. If you have any other questions feel free to ask them and I'll try to answer them as best I can. Happy reading!