A vast crowd of students and faculty stretched right along the sides of the countless school buses that were running. The heat from the engines hissed and clashed against the cold morning air, causing thin grey puffs of smoke to emit right in front of me as I followed right behind my class to walk towards our designated bus.
My art class had to share the bus with another in order to fill up the space, consequently making me wait a little longer to get inside. The wait filled me up with even more joy and excitement as I wished Dydan was able to come and be with me. He would have loved to see Cloud Lake, I'm sure of it!
"Okay everyone listen up, while we wait for the rest of Mr. Badgley's biology class to take their seats I'll go ahead and go over all your waiver's one last time." Ms. Knox took a momentary peek right into the bus before continuing. "Once I call out your name please come over to me so I can assign you a partner that you'll be working with when we get to Cloud Lake! Once you're both assigned, I'll go ahead and guide the two of you on where to sit!"
The names started to get out called one-by-one. I clenched my backpack and curiously looked around as I wondered who I was going to get paired up with.
"Leone Frasier!" A nervous cough escaped me as I hobbled towards Ms. Knox, eventually standing right before her to patiently wait for my partner's name to get called out next. "Nikolai Vinodetsov!"
The name she calls out ends up causing a tall shadow to appear right beside me. I let out a series of nervous blinks as I turned to look at who it was. It was the boy who usually sat in the corner of the class. I don't remember Nikolai as he used to be when I began high school, but I do recall seeing him sometimes. Although he was always quiet and kept to himself, his drawings were always exceptionally well-made.
Nikolai had medium-length hair that was a shade of light blonde. It framed his incredibly sharp and piercing features that included a strong chiseled jaw, an upturned nose, and the most unique set of eyes that I had ever seen due its differing colors that consisted of a blue that resembled the ocean, and a forest green that we're definitely way more luminous compared to mine. He had a lean waist, the kind that gradually grew more bulkier as it branched up to meet his muscular chest, arms, and broadened back.
I attempted to ease up my nerves in response to his intimidating presence by gathering up all the courage I had to share a small smile with him. It quickly faltered as he blatantly ignored it by walking right past me to get into the bus.
Oh, okay then.
Once I followed right after him, the sight before me immediately caused my heart to drop, hollowing out my chest to tense up along with the rest of my entire body.
"Well yeah but who cares, it's not like-" Eric cut his conversation off with Hudson at the sight of me. "Wait-holy shit, it's Limpy!" He immediately calls out, causing most of the people in the bus to draw their attention on me.
"With those girl clothes he loves to wear, broken leg Barbie is starting to sound a lot more fitting." Hudson added in with a snide chuckle, garnering a few laughs and agreeing whispers to fuel their egos.
I had to act like I wasn't at all fazed by the unwanted attention as I made my way down the middle of the aisle to reach my seat, clenching onto my backpack as I could feel the countless stares, whispers, and laughs piercing right into my skin.
My breathing struggled once I finally reached my seat where Nikolai already was, catching me by surprise as he quickly stood up to look down at me.
"Sit inside." He commanded as his voice was deep, really deep to the point that I didn't even want to try and defy him in fear of what he'd do to add onto the already uncomfortable atmosphere.
"Joshua would go absolutely crazy if he saw him here. He's still pissed as fuck about what happened to his car." I could hear Eric speak from a distance as I closed my eyes shut, in hopes that they would just shut up and hopefully not ruin this day for me.
"Dude, I know right." Hudson snorted. "I kinda wish he was though so we can jump that freak. He's not even supposed to be here. There's no way anyone would've ever signed his form, his mom is dead and his dad is a piece of shit, he probably forged his own signature or something." Hudson brutally spoke out.
"How are you so sure?" Eric asked, completely tuned in.
"Well because my dad is the sheriff. He tells me that he always catches his dad in fights at the local bar." Hudson explains plainly. "Shit's so embarrassing."
Eric clicked his mouth. "Well can you blame him? His wife is dead and his son is a raging faggot, I'd be drinking my life away too if I were him." The both of them bursted right into a fit of laughter.
I unconsciously slouched my body further down on my seat, wishing that I could just simply disappear. I could see Nikolai from the corner of my eye, taking his seat right beside me as he took turns glancing at me and the boys. I didn't even want to look at his face and risk seeing him amused by the whole thing as I was just glad that he let me sit inside, keeping me out of everyone's sight as my breath shook and weakened. I leaned my head right against the window, tightly hugging onto my backpack as I spent the rest of the bus ride roughly wiping away my uncontrollable tears.
The ride to Cloud Lake consisted of breathtaking views of wide open roads that occasionally turned into steel scenic bridges, transitioning our travel with ease as we passed vast stretches of large evergreen trees and breathtaking highlands.
Once we drove over a familiar incline, that's when we saw that the fog had just lifted from the large body of crystal clear waters. The lake mirrored the molten-gold sun with a glimmering sheen of serenity, nestled comfortably inside a large bed of trees that would often meet its shushing tides with its fallen branches. It's pebbled shore lulled an unrivaled comfort, singing along with the countless birds, the zipping of dragonflies, and the gentle swaying of the trees.
Cloud Lake was one of those quiet memorable places that instilled a subconscious high standard in my mind. I felt as if no other lake would ever be able to top it due to the calmness it brought to my tumultuous life.
Once the array of buses had stopped by a rocky parking lot, it took quite an organized effort to get everyone out to begin the day. Luckily enough my art class severed its proximity around Eric and Hudson's biology class, walking until we stopped by a private little spot that had a beautiful view of the vast sparkling lake.
"Alright class, I'm gonna go ahead and give you guys thirty minutes to walk around the area to try out the detailing technique amongst yourselves." Ms. Knox says right after her short lecture. "Remember to collaborate and discuss with your partner, okay? I really want you guys to take the time to observe and take inspiration from the nature all around us, now go have fun!"
I sat up from the large log that I shared with Nikolai, shyly turning towards him with my arms hugging tightly onto my sketchbook. "S-So where do you wanna go first?" I meekly asked throughout his intimidating silence.
He stares down at me without a single trace of expression before finally looking away from my face to point somewhere into the distance. His silence was unnerving as I followed his finger and anxiously gulped at the sight of the secluded area.
I didn't know what to think as it would surely leave the two of us alone from everybody else.
"Okay." I shakily let out as I began to venture my way out into the space in which he pointed towards. We were forced to pass by a few overgrown bushes and other obstructions as I could hear him follow right behind me. I finally stopped walking and proceeded to turn around with a shaky tone. "Y-You said over here, right?"
All of a sudden my heart instantly drops as Nikolai suddenly tightens his grip on both of my wrists, causing my body to hit hard against a tree as a result of his domineering height and width. "I know what you are!" He quickly roared right into my face as my heart inexplicably dropped.
"Ah-mmugh-what are you-stop!" I thrashed around within his grasp as he had me completely caged up against the tree without any hope of getting out.
"What has he done to you?! Has he bitten you!?" Nikolai's forest silver eyes were slightly covered by his loose blonde hair, transmitting nothing but pure burning fury for me. "Tell me!"
"W-Who? I-I don't know what you're talking about." My chest began to pound as the bark of the tree began to mark and scratch against my skin, causing me to whimper and wince at the growing discomfort.
"If you don't know what it is I'm talking about-" Nikolai slowly leaned in to meet his reddened mouth right against my ear, the heat of his cheek feeling as if it was being transferred right into mine. "Then why do you smell like them?" He continues his merciless accusation with a low husky growl and sniff.
My vision became blurred off by my tears as I began to rant despite my crippling fear. "Look I-I know that you probably don't wanna be my partner, especially because of everything that you heard in that bus-about me being gay and stuff, but I'm not! I'm not here to make anyone feel uncomfortable, I-I'm just here to draw, I'm just here for my mother, so p-please don't hurt me." I brokenly let out with a pained tone as my tears streamed all the way down to my lips, making me taste pure salt and toil.
Nikolai's eyes rapidly squinted into a piercing stare. "You really don't know, do you?" His tone immediately softened due to his sudden realization.
"N-No." I shook my head and sobbed to the side, hoping that he'd just let me go and won't plan to do anything to hurt me. "I don't know anything."
He instantly let me go with a look of pure pity for me, backing up to let me regather my composure. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you I just-I just thought you were-"
"Thought that I was what!?" I breathlessly interrupted. "That you thought I was gay!? Even if I was, what gives you the right to hurt me because of it!?"
"No it's not that, I-I wasn't-I wouldn't care if you were!" Nikolai hastily waved his arms right in front of me, in attempts to calm me down. "Because I am." He admits gruffly, rendering me completely shocked and speechless.
"Oh." I let out with furrowed brows as I soothed my wrists.
"I just-I just thought you were something else." Nikolai picked up my sketchbook from the ground, momentarily looking at some of the pages in awe before handing it off to me. "Something entirely different." He softly adds.
I turned away at the uncontrollable heat rushing to my cheeks. "What do you mean by something entirely different?" I couldn't help but grow only more confused with every passing moment.
"It doesn't matter." Nikolai shook his head as his entire demeanor began to shift and turn from being completely terrifying to now being completely ashamed and guilty of what he'd just done. "I'm sorry." He solemnly spoke out as he dropped his head down to the side.
"Holy shit guys, I just got that whole entire thing on camera and the people on my live are going crazy!" Hudson suddenly appeared out of nowhere with one hand holding up his phone and the other forming a fist right against his mouth.
"Woah, hang on there, Limpy!" Eric rushed towards me, throwing a heavy arm over my shoulder to hold me in place. "What are you two doing out here in the woods, huh?"
"What are you doing here?" Nikolai sharply amended with tightly clenched fists. "Aren't you supposed to be with your own class?"
"I'm the principal's son, I can do whatever the fuck I want." I could feel Eric's huff of breath down on my neck as I fought away a shiver. "But obviously seeing as to how your eyes are all fucked up, you obviously wouldn't know that.
"Yeah, what's the deal with the different eye colors, dude?" Hudson deviously smirked. "You blind on one eye or something?"
"Let me go!" I yelled out as every twist, turn, and thrust I had attempted were no help with my hopeless predicament.
Hudson looked down on his phone to carelessly start reading something aloud. "One person commented, 'those two are probably out there doing some sick, kinky, gay stuff.' Oh hell no!" Hudson chimed in before snickering off like a fool.
Eric mocked a loud melodramatic gasp right into my ear. "Is that true, Limpy? Can we join?" I abruptly threw my head to the side, causing him to let out a devious laugh. "What do you have here?" He swiftly snatched up my sketchbook.
"Give it back, Eric!" I protested with a whimper as I fought back frantic tears from escaping my pleading gaze.
I have never openly shared my work with anyone before. Therefore, to now have them in the hands of the last person I would ever want to share them with felt like absolute torture; it had caused both an internal and external pain to course all throughout my body, along with all the anger and absolute anguish I felt for what was happening.
Why was this happening to me?
"Let him go." Nikolai suddenly commanded with a stern voice, which only seemed to further amuse the two.
Hudson lifted up his camera to film Nikolai without a single ounce of care. "Chill the fuck out, we just wanna see what your boyfriend is working on." He annoyingly teased, mimicking Nikolai's angered stance before pointing the camera down at my sketchbook to televise my work to everyone behind the camera. "What do we think Eric?"
Eric lifted my sketchbook up in response to my attempted grasp. "Well let's see-um, well he likes to draw birds, flowers, ladybugs-" He described in an uninterested manner while simultaneously ripping up every page he had come across. "And what's this? A boy!?" He immediately faked out a gasp once he stumbled across the drawing I had done of Dydan's eyes; a drawing I was hoping I'd be able to share with him one day.
"Damn, exposed!" Hudson cartoonishly let out as he zoomed the camera in-and-out of my tearful face. "Just as expected from a raging fucking faggot." He ends by ripping Dydan's drawing up himself.
"Please, stop." I uncontrollably looked down in defeat as I wailed out a tormented sob. The sight of all of my work being torn to shreds and crumpled up on the ground had completely broken my heart.
"Don't call him that!" Nikolai yelled out loud as the two boys exploded right into a fit of laughter.
"What's wrong, you feeling left out? Well you shouldn't." Eric quickly closed my sketchbook and threw it in the corner, skimming up the grip around my shoulder to transfer it around my neck.
Hudson proceeded to pan the camera over to Nikolai. "Yeah you shouldn't, because thanks to that little confession you just did on camera earlier I'm sure you've made it pretty clear to everyone that you're just like him, you're just another raging, fucking-" Hudson took a pause before finishing up his sentence with a grimace. "Faggot."
And with that, Nikolai's fury immediately imploded as he didn't hesitate to snatch Hudson's arm down, making it brutally contort and snap until his bone began to violently protrude beneath his skin. "Argh-ahhh!" Hudson's yell was immediately silenced by Nikolai's hand as he flaunted his brutal vengeance as a warning to both of the boys.
"What the fuck!" Eric frantically yelled out as he immediately let go of me, shoving me hard onto the ground as he watched his best friend in excruciating pain.
"If I ever hear that word come out of your mouth again, I'll rip your arm off next time." And with that Nikolai quickly popped Hudson's arm back into place, tossing him right onto Eric's arms. "Both of you!" He thunderously roared, looking down at the dropped phone before meeting it with a few stomps.
"It's you, isn't it?" Eric slung Hudson's unaffected arm right over his shoulder to carry him, continuing to speak as he began to carry his friend away. "You were the one who ruined Joshua's car, you fucker!"
Nikolai began to slowly approach the both of them with an unsettling glint his eyes. "Get outta here."
Hudson hissed and groaned. "You're gonna pay for this!" He yelled and grunted as they proceeded to leave in an unbridled vehemence made out of pain, fear, and overall embarrassment. "Im gonna see to it that the whole school-the whole entire town knows about you're sick fucking secret, you freak! You're both freaks!"
The silence gradually returned to loom right over the suffocating atmosphere. My sweat had turned my flushed skin and hair completely unruly. My hands couldn't stop trembling as I was actively fighting back what I was sure would be a severe panic attack.
I kept quiet with a broken look rested against my face as I stumbled towards my sketchbook, not even bothering to open the pages and see if any of my work could be salvaged. I reached down and snapped it shut, resting it right against my hip as I held onto it tightly.
"Hey, hey-are you alright?" Nikolai carefully approached me as I unconsciously flinched back away from him.
"Just stay away from me!" I completely lost it with a gut-wrenching yell before sprinting away with my gaze towards the ground, trying my best to fight back tears as my surroundings had caved in to transform me into merely a creature of wrath and sorrow.