Sam's body felt heavier than most days. He feared everything that took place around him. Jumpy at the touch of a shoulder. He made sure to keep away and make sure he wasn't in Casey's reach wherever he went. He could keep at this for half of the school day. He was afraid that when lunch hit, he didn't have many places to hide. The rooftop was Casey's territory, under the staircase, unused club classes, and literally every spot kids would use to skip, outside and in. Within just a few words Casey could ruin his entire reputation. He knew he probably shouldn't be avoiding him, but he just couldn't face him either. He was so embarrassed he couldn't even look at Casey now that he knows that he likes him.
As for Casey, he didn't know entirely what to think. After all, when he first read the love letter he immediately assumed it was a joke, and Sam was just trying to make a fool out of him. A sick joke. It seems Casey didn't know Samson at all, he realized. Noticing, he didn't know anyone, really. The first thing Casey can do when approaching and greeting a person is threaten them, as if he doesn't know how to do anything else. It's sad. He criticizes himself, gets angry, then criticizes the people, then criticizes himself for criticizing the people, and it turns into this big cycle.
Casey needs help.
He doesn't have any friends.
He doesn't know how to make friends.
Almost as if he doesn't know how to be nice.
He's never in a good mood, he's a very negative person, he gets mad at almost everything.
What Casey hates most is typical highschool popular kids. For some reason Samson was always an exception. He could tell from afar that Sam didn't always feel to belong in such big groups of people.
He pitied him.
If the letter had been from anyone but Sam it would've already been around the school.
But he was slowly regretting not doing that in the first place. Samson was avoiding him, and wasn't returning his messages.
Sam was sitting by a tree in the school's back courtyard during his free period.
He checks his phone, finding several notifications from his friend group chat..
Tanner: Hey manz. yall herd some bit ch likes fkin Casey Waldon
Kyle: Casey? Wtf?
Joey: That man scares me
Tanner: Yeh man
Dev: SO WHY DO GOOD GIIRLSS LIKE BAD GUYSS?
Kyle: Do yk who
Joey: I HAD THIS QUESTION FOR A REAL LONG TIIME
Tanner: No, only heard cz liek mad ppl talkn boutit but no 1 nos who
Kyle: Tis prolly fake news then. He be fuckin mad bitches idc n e ways.
Sam threw his phone face down on the ground. He should've expected it, knowing how reckless Casey was. He got up, and ran inside the building in search of him.
What if everyone already knows?! What if it gets to my friends?!
Just as he makes his way through the door he's grabbed by a set of arms. He could now make up the familiar rough touch without looking.
Casey pulled him back outside. Samson tumbled, falling onto the ground and onto his butt. He favors it as he looks up at the boy crouching before him. Meeting face-to-face. "You said you wouldn't tell anyone!"
"And you said you wouldn't run and hide." Casey grunts. Fighting the urge to beat Sam to a pulp for trying to test him. "So who's really at fault?"
Sam launches himself at Casey, and desperately tugged at his shirt. "You said! Did you show the letter? Did everyone read it?!" There was a panicked glow within his eyes. Or more.. terrified. Sam was terrified of what was to come if people were to find out about his feelings for Casey.
Casey shoves him off of him and Sam falls back to the ground. "Calm down, will you?! No, I did not show anyone the letter. People just think I have a secret admirer. It's nothing, and it's not even the first time." He leans closer and smirks, that crooked smile. "No one would ever suspect it being you.. It's fascinating, really. You have a strange taste." He fixes his posture, standing up straight again.
Sam remains on the floor.
"Now," Casey clasps his hands together. "I feel it is necessary that I make your place known since you don't understand how serious I'm being. Spreading the word of my 'secret admirer' I felt wasn't enough of a punishment." Casey taps his chin, staring at Samson's eyes. He squints for a moment. "Would you mind if I made you stop hanging out with your friends for some time?" Casey asks.
"What..?"
"You've gotta stick with me, be my shadow for the rest of the day."
"Why?"
"Just 'cause. It's not that bad, so be grateful. You just might see a few kids get beat, that's all."
The real motive behind the "punishment" was a bit different from what Casey originally would do. He wanted Sam to stick with him because he wanted to get to know him better. Throughout middle school up until now Samson was just one of those cocky big-ego loud immature athletic bastards who kept his grades up high for the sake of being able to play their sports. He had a lot of friends, and he had a lot of admirers because he was good at basketball. He sought him out as a target in middle school because to Casey, Sam was a challenge. Sam knew how to fight, he was built, knew his stuff, and wouldn't take any shit from anyone. He'd seen the way he'd fight back when picked on by other kids.
He thought of trying it himself.
Samson reacted completely differently. He didn't resist the bullying and took it.
Now he knew why.
Sam likes him.
Now, he wants to understand why.
Casey doesn't think too much of himself. He never did. He's well aware of himself being a horrible person. He doesn't see himself changing anytime soon, though. Not without a little help.
Samson got up on his feet, staring at Casey with much uncertainty. Some relief, as the deal wasn't that bad. He'd willingly take time off from his friends. "I'm sorry." He says. "Please don't do anything further, I was just embarrassed."
"-And scared." Casey adds.
"Embarrassed." Sam repeats, disregarding Casey's comment. It was true. He looks around. "So what? You're gonna make me skip class or something?"
"Yes." Casey concluded and shrugs. "Come with me."
Samson trailed behind Casey, trying to peer at him from the back. He was wondering what exactly went on in that boy's head. He'd slightly open his jaw to say something, hesitate, then give up, lasting it with a sigh.
"If I skip class I won't be able to go to practice today." Sam says. "Same goes for yo-" Sam's words fumble as he remembers football season isn't going on right now. "Sorry, nevermind. You don't have practice."
Casey continued forwards without looking back as he spoke. "You're risking practice for the sake of that dumb letter."
It's not dumb... you're dumb.
"Have some faith in yourself, kid. How controlling I am over you really only depends on you." He shrugs, turning a corner to where a staircase was, he approached the underside of it, where there was a group of a few boys. "Skipping again, are we? Are the hall monitors this lazy?"
"Most people become hall monitors just to skip." A boy replies. He's leaned up against the wall by an exit door with an unlit cigarette in his mouth. Sam found this odd. Smoking indoors? Although he's not really smoking.. yet? "I lost my dang lighter with this dumbass and he lost it.. and no one has one because these losers vape now."
Samson studies the boy. His hair is dyed a blood red and his eyes are a deep brown. He could've been the same height as Casey, and he looked older than him. Could've been a super senior. There were two other boys, bickering. The red-head stood and watched them at a distance. Though as soon as Casey approached they had both shut up and turned to him.
Are these his friends?
The two kids that were bickering stood face-to-face in front of each other at arm's length apart. The taller of the two looked like he was gonna shit his pants. The shorter one looked pissed.
"Hey," Casey says, approaching the two. He grabbed the slightly taller one and yanked his arm to face him. The boy gasped. "You better not be pissing off smalls here, yeah?" He questions, his tone daring.
"No, no... we're just talking." The boy responds and flinches, his voice barely above a whisper.
Seemed like the kid was the one being picked on. Sam watched from afar, until the red-head caught sight of his presence.
"Hey, is that Samson Darron? Basketball kid?"
Sam slowly turned to the older boy. "Uh- yeah."
He chuckled. "No way, skipping school with a trouble maker over here?" He speaks to Sam. "When did you two become friends?" His gaze on Sam stayed; not even trying to hide the fact that he was studying him.
Casey side-eyes the red-head. "You don't have to answer him, Sam. No- just don't answer him. He's not someone you want to talk to." He says, approaching the older boy leaning against the wall.
The older boy scoffs. "Since when do you care about who I talk to?"
"Not you, I don't give a rabid rat's ass about who you talk to, hot head. You can talk to Samson all you want, but he can't talk to you." He clarifies, snatching the cigarette out of his mouth and dropping it on the ground.
The older boy snickers and turns back to Sam. "My name's Avery." He tosses a mischievous grin. "This your punching bag for the week?" He asks Casey.
I swear, I don't understand delinquents. We've got hot-head ass super senior over here who's a karma lookalike and probably has his psychotic personality. As for Casey, I know he's worse. But this pepper head screams 'I hate my life' and 'I'll kill you over a rice grain'.
"Something like that." Casey responds, peering at Samson. He slowly steps back until he approaches the two boys again. The shorter one steps back as if he knows what is going to happen.
Casey quickly turns around and grabs the taller boy by his shoulder to hold him still, and the boy yelps. He used his leg to kick the boy's shin in and cause him to stumble to the ground, causing Sam to wince, feeling pain for the boy. He was left on the floor, and Casey held his sweater that slipped off of him during the fall. He reached into the pocket of the sweater and pulled out the red-head's lighter, tossing it to him.
"What the shit?!" Avery shoots an angry look at the boy on the floor, quickly launching himself off the wall. "You little cocksucker! Stealing my lighter?"
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" The boy whined shielding himself.
"Watch and learn, basketball boy." Avery says to Samson, then holds up the lighter to the sweater Casey held.
Sam immediately reacts. Running over and smacking the lighter out of Avery's hands and snatching the sweater. "That's dangerous.." He says and drops the sweater onto the boy that remained on the floor, who then mouthed a thank you. He nodded at him, offered a small smile, and took a step back. He looks back up at Avery. "You shouldn't.. burn other people's stuff. That cost money. Fire? That's gonna smell. What is wrong with-"
"Samson." Casey interrupts. "Shut the hell up." He picks the lighter up off the floor and hands it back to Avery.
Sam gives him a confused look.
Why the hell are you defending the pepper head? He's a maniac!
Sam didn't respond but he furrowed his eyebrows and frowned.
"I said you can watch, not interfere. Unless you really wanna become my punching bag." Casey grab's the boy's arm and yanks him off the floor, violently shoving him away. "Leave." He says, and the boy runs away. Casey darts his gaze back at Sam, an irritated look etched on his face, causing one of Casey's dimples to perk up, eliciting a smirk. "I've never seen you so mad looking before. What, are you jealous?"
"Think you pissed off goody two-shoes with your little comment." Avery crosses his arms.
"Man, that's too fucking bad." Casey shrugs. "He's just going to have to deal with it, I guess. Let's go, Samson." Casey walks from the underside of the staircase. Only a few steps later he turns around. "Are you coming or not?" He asks.
Sam grunts and follows up behind him.
He waited until they were in the hallway to speak.
"He didn't deserve that." Sam says.
"Yes he did." Casey protests. "He stole Avery's lighter then lied about it. Then, you smack Avery's lighter out of his hand."
"He's not even supposed to be smoking in school anyways!" Sam argues.
He stops in his tracks and the words just flood out of his mouth. He's been reluctant to say it all day, but he felt like he really needed an answer..
"Do I gross you out..? Do you just find me revolting?" He pauses. "Well- because of the fact that- you know, the letter." He clarifies, looking around to make sure no one else was around.
Casey slowly turns around, a serious expression takes over his countenance. He took a deep breath before responding, walking up closer so he was able to whisper. "I don't care that you're gay. That part doesn't concern me, but it's you liking me that does." He thinks for a moment. "And I don't find it gross or anything.. just confusing. Really fucking confusing." He turned back around and continued in the direction he was originally going, walking a little faster than before. "You don't have to follow me this time." He says, without a pause.
Sam reached his arm out, but Casey was too quick. "Confusing." Sam repeats, watching Casey's form shrink in the distance, then turn a corner at the very end of the hallway. "What is there to be confused about..?"