The day went on and after having arrived at school, Yuri left the comfort of Victor's side and made his way to his first lesson. Like most of the time, he wished he had more lessons with Victor. He found himself thinking this a lot over the past week, but it was not to be and he again found himself trying to catch a glimpse of silver hair as he rounded the corner, finding himself alone once again.
Yuri knew he had changed in the past week. In the park, he had told himself he would be fine. Just fine. However, since then he had come to know so much more and although Victor wasn't with him right at this moment he was still more than fine. The only thing that put a doubt in his mind was the constant looming fear of what would occur should he go home this evening.
Nevertheless, the day went on. At break Victor met him at his locker, his lips tasting as sweet as sugar as he greeted him. And finding it to already be lunchtime, Yuri persuaded Victor to sit outside with him as he did his usual business.
As they started down the hallways, Yuri took Victor's hand in his, their fingers intertwining and Victor's skin smooth and soft in his grip. They still got glances from people and the occasional glare. Whispers were what they heard most of the time though. Students would be crowded in groups, some Yuri recognised as Victors 'friends' as they heard the small murmurs of 'faggot' and 'fucking disgusting'. It was so fucking stereotypical of this school and Yuri sent a sad glance to Victor as they continued down the hallway.
He knew it was bad for himself, he'd always had this kind of treatment or similar but because of this, he didn't pay attention. All of it was just background noise to which he just ignored. Victor on the other hand, no matter how much he claimed it didn't bother him, Yuri would see the hopeful glances he'd send towards his 'friends' as they passed, only to be met with a scowl.
This was the hard truth and Yuri wasn't sure it really had anything to do with him being gay at all - after all Chris was openly gay and he didn't hear a word about it. He thought it was more likely due to the awful breakup he had with his girlfriend and then simultaneously getting together with the school's 'gay homework prostitute' - a nickname he didn't choose.
Eventually, they reached Yuri's bench hand in hand and slumped down onto the hard wood. Students were already beginning to turn up and Yuri was quick to pull his folder out of his bag, setting it down next to him and beginning to organise himself.
"Yuri?" Victor inquired, placing his own schoolbag down next to the bench and retrieving his lunch from within.
When Victor rose he was met with expectant eyes as Yuri continued to fiddle with paper, his gaze flicking between the two.
"What is it Victor?" Yuri asked, continuing to fiddle with his paper and sighing as he struggled to pull a few sheets out of a plastic folder whilst holding a sandwich in the other hand.
"You're busy," Victor gestured to the queue beginning to form, and began to help Yuri with the papers, "It's nothing really, we'll talk later."
With no further thought on what Victor was going to say and a queue waiting, the rest of the sandwich was shoved into Yuri's mouth and he turned to the crowd. Meanwhile, Victor sighed, leaning into Yuri before beginning on his own lunch.
The day was already getting darker, clouds forming in the sky and one by one filling up any nook or cranny that could allow even the tiniest ray of sunshine to escape the heavens.
One by one Yuri worked his way through the crowd, each student paying their due before taking there leave. Victor didn't know how Yuri managed to do all these assignments, after all, they had a date last night and Yuri spent the night at his house. It just left him to wonder if he had been doing it in lessons instead of his work. In the past Yuri had been caught in English doing science homework, he could remember it - the teacher gave him detention but was confused since the work he was doing wasn't even for any of his classes, it was for the year above.
Victor shook the thoughts away refocusing as the last student disappeared from sight. Another sigh escaped Yuri's soft lips as he attempted to pack away his things, though only to be barricaded by Victor turning himself on the bench and laying down so that his head was rested in Yuri's lap.
"Come on, I need to pack my stuff away," Yuri joked, attempting and failing at pulling Victor up.
"Not until we talk, ok?" Victor said, his voice coming out smooth as silk as it washed over Yuri.
Victors hand moved up to his cheek and he sat up slightly, tilting his head so that silver covered an icy blue. "Can I ask why you do this?"
"What...the homework?"
"Yeah, is it that you need money or something?" Victor continued, a sad expression crossing his features as the smile from Yuri's face began to droop. Worried, he began to sit himself up, unsure if he'd struck a nerve or something.
"Everythings fine, my dad's just struggling a little at the moment that's all." He murmured, forcing the smile back onto his face.
"If you ever need anything you know you can ask me, right?"
Yuri's smile dropped again and Victor worried if he'd said something wrong.
"I'm not going to ask you for money if that's what you're saying." Yuri uttered, seemingly put out.
"Yuri...I wouldn't have brought it up, but, it's just so much work that you do. I know that you weren't doing any last night because you were with me, and I'm concerned that you are forfeiting your own future to do this. You need to be studying the things from your classes otherwise you're not going to pass."
Victor looked on as Yuri slowly nodded his head, yet he didn't turn his gaze to Victor once. He didn't want to hear this from him right now. There was no choice in the matter, he needed to get money for his father otherwise neither of them would eat, and he would have hell to pay. But taking money from Victor was not an option, he wouldn't indebt himself to his boyfriend, he didn't want to feel the nagging feeling to pay him back whenever he saw him, it would be too much.
Although Victor's intentions were kind, it wasn't an option, he couldn't use Victor...
"I'll see you later?" Yuri asked as he finally began to pack his things away. Retrieving his bag from the ground he placed a chaste kiss on Victor's cheek before turning to leave him on that bench.
"Ok..." He heard behind him but couldn't find it in himself to stop or slow down, not at the moment.
Did Victor seriously think he was going to fail his exams? Surely not when Yuri was the one helping him with school...
Either way, next was maths and he allowed his mind to go blank as he wandered towards the heavy blue doors, only then catching a glimpse of Victor over his shoulder, picking up his own bag as the first few drops of rain began to fall.
Hastily Yuri made his way into the school building, ignoring the various whispers and taunts that came with it as he carried on towards class, on the way stopping at the bathroom.
Yet when he entered he came face to face with the person he least wanted to see at that moment.
"Hey look, it's Katsugay," JJ said, hopping off from his perch next to the sinks, his steely grey eyes meeting Yuri's from across the room, "You know, I still haven't gotten you back for that broken nose."
Yuri wondered if he'd have time to turn and run before JJ reached him - probably not. He counted two others in here besides JJ. One was tall and muscular, large. The other was just as tall but he carried less weight and was leaner. Yuri had seen them before, they were all jocks, Victor's 'friends'. They had been leaving Yuri alone since Victor and he had been dating but as they took a step towards him, he could see it happening all over again. Apart from, this time, he would be pinned against the bathroom wall as he choked and gasped for air.
JJ took another step forwards and Yuri a small step back.
"Where's lover boy? Not here to save your ass this time?" JJ mocked, inching closer still.
"You know...I've seen Victor staring at other guys when we've been getting changed for PE," one of the other guys decided to chime in, his face twisting into one of disgust at the thought, and the others joining shortly after.
"You hear that Yuri? Your boyfriend is a pervert who likes to watch boys get changed," JJ grimaced, turning back to face Yuri.
"He's not," Yuri protested, trying to find that place within him again which had given him the same courage as last time to stand up to them and to punch JJ, "he wouldn't do that."
"I don't think you quite understand Yuri," JJ advanced quickly, stepping closer. And all courage Yuri had managed to summon vanished in a heartbeat as JJ grabbed his jaw, standing too close and spitting the next words into his face, "Victor is disgusting, not only did he deceive us all for years, pretending he was the same as us. But his poor girlfriend wasted her time on a fucking fag pervert, who probably only took PE so he could look at guys in their pants."
"He was your friend last week," Yuri said, struggling in a futile attempt to shove JJ off, "don't you ever think about anyone but yourselves, how do you think he feels?"
"I don't fucking care. He didn't think about how we'd feel after he'd been perving on us for years!"
With all the rage pouring out of JJ, Yuri was shoved hard against the wall, a small yelp leaving his throat upon impact.
"You don't get to lecture me you piece of shit, you're just as bad as he is!" He growled.
Suddenly the bell sounded and JJ looked around as if contemplating on whether it was worth being late to class. He was too close, his breathing as erratic as Yuri's but he just stayed put, breathing down Yuri's neck. Thankfully after a few moments, his muscular looking friend came to Yuri's aid, laying a hand on JJ's shoulder and whispering something in his ear. Gradually, JJ's eyes darkened and the grip on Yuri's jaw tightened, bruising the skin beneath with a massive force, gaining more and more strength as words continued to be muttered to him.
"Consider yourself lucky pig!" He finally snapped, loosening his grip and spinning on his heel. Relief washed over Yuri as steps echoed away from him. His whole body turned numb as he began to slump further down the wall, the purple and blue undoubtedly already beginning to form.
The door slammed closed and he was left alone.
He knew that he couldn't trust JJ or anything that they had to say about Victor. They were the horrible ones, the disgusting ones. They were the ones who forced Victor to hide, if he hadn't he would have ended up like Yuri. Nevertheless, their words still echoed in his head as if it were a disc on repeat.
Victor, a pervert who likes to watch boys get changed...
It didn't seem real, he wouldn't do that, he was sweet and loving...
Slowly Yuri picked himself up, all notion of wanting to go to the bathroom vanished as he stepped out into the hallway, a hand on his jaw to feel the extent of the bruising. JJ and his goons had already disappeared and Yuri was left in the empty corridor, to listen to the sound of his sneakers slapping against the cold tiled floor as he neared his maths classroom.
A.N. I hope the writing didn't seem too rushed. I'm going to reiterate what I said in my other book...
Thank you to all you guys that do read, I know I'm not the best when it comes to updating but exam season is almost upon me and my first is in only a few weeks. So, again, thank you for your patience and bearing with me and updates being slow. My exams will all be finished sometime in July so hopefully I can update more then. Don't worry I won't be giving up on any of my books ;)
Love you all xxx