In Another Universe

Friday 10:09 Sad Season

Scrolling through Facebook, Charlie was just sitting on the floor in a corridor during the break. His feed was full of pictures of his friends back home, down under, enjoying the high season of surfing. It was getting harder and harder to be positive about being here.

Before, he couldn't even place Brighton on a map and all his friends made fun of him for going to gloomy England. Having to leave his surfboard and suit at his grandparents' for a lack of place, and Charlie's refusal to believe that he could actually surf in England had been painful. Who would want to go dipping in ice cold water? Not him. But he took everything else and sigh every time he catches a glimpse of his swim trunks at the bottom of his underwear drawer.

When he arrived, he really did not want to be there. August and that's what Brighton calls a summer? Right. He never left his house, as his lack of awareness of the presence of the sea showed. He played video games until he had to go to school.

He was surprised on his first day. This new guy from Australia... so many people seemed to want to be his friend. He was the cool new guy, benefiting from the stereotype of the Aussie, and from his good looks, tanned skin, blondish hair, blue eyes. He felt better. Maybe he could find a place there. It hadn't been perfect but he did find actual friends, that stuck with him, so he eventually saw himself getting used to live here. And he met Isaac.

That changed a lot. Put on the surface things about himself that he had been trying to ignore. For a while, he had been the happiest he had been here. Maybe ever. But this didn't last very long, and now he was alone, pushing people away, and missing Australia more than ever.

He felt someone sit down next to him and for a second, he thought he would have to tell Isaac off once more. But he turned his head to see Charlotte.

"If you're here to talk about yesterday, I'm sorry," he said, shrugging.

"Nah... You were already a good sport. I did kinda force you."

"Kinda..."

"Yeah... But you weren't bad."

"You say that like you're so surprised," he laughed, shaking his head.

"I was! You were also...hm... pretty intense, uh..."

Right... It finally hit Charlie that while he was on stage, all the others saw him staring at Isaac. At the time, he didn't feel like he could do it any other way. Now, he realises the mistake, but shrugged to dismiss it. Charlotte stayed silent for a second before sighing like was resigned.

"Can I ask you a question?" She asked shyly, to which Charlie answered with a slight nod. "I've heard a rumour, about you... and Isaac..."

Charlie froze. He was really not expecting that. A rumour? From who? Of course, Lea, who switched to the costume team, could have just told her. They knew each other after all, but this didn't make this any kind of comforting. Why did she know? He just hated the idea that people had made their opinions on him, when he wasn't sure of his own opinion of himself.

"You don't have to answer or anything, you know... It's your life. But it's cool if you're gay."

Swallowing with difficulty, he stayed silent. Was it? Was it cool? Was he? Was he gay? Yeah, okay, that yeah, even if it was still a new thing to actually think it, to associate the word with him. Was it cool? So far, it hadn't been all fun and rainbows so... he couldn't really tell.

"I just thought you should know I heard that... Lea told me. I don't know how many people know but I figured you might appreciate to be one of them..."

Muttering a small thanks, Charlie was playing nervously with his hands. It was maybe worst than he thought. He thought he would have more time to figure things out by himself before having to deal with the world.

"I can't do much but... I hope you can talk to someone, you know... because maybe you should."

He was going to thank her again but the bell rang and she stood up quickly. He watched her disappear within the crowd of students that flooded the corridor, answering her goodbye wave. Yes... Maybe he should.