“Why don’t you ever change with the rest of us?”
Sisky blushed, “It’s just easier to get to my next class from the bathroom.”
“Oh.” The taller boy studied him carefully.
Sisky sighed inwardly in relief and grabbed his book bag to retreat to the bathroom he usually changed in before running to the opposite side of the school so he wouldn’t be late for Algebra. He didn’t notice the upperclassman following him into the men’s restroom. He didn’t notice until the boy said something.
“Why do you really change in here? You always run to the other side of the school. I’ve seen you.”
Sisky shuddered at the unexpected voice and dropped to his knees automatically. “What do you want?”
“Hey what are you…? Stop it. I’m not trying to… I just want to know why you’re always hiding,” Sisky looked up into the older boy’s eyes and remembered his name: William Beckett.
The younger boy got to his feet and retreated into a stall, speaking in a small quiet voice, “You’d hide too if you were like me.”
“What do you mean?” William stepped forward, following hesitantly as the scared sounding kid gestured him forward.
Adam closed the door when William was in the stall too and locked it. He didn’t know why he was showing the other boy this. He never showed anyone. “I… I don’t have…” He reached in his pants to pull out what he stuffed them with, and then unzipped them to prove his point.
“Oh,” William backed up against the wall. “Oh.”
“Please don’t tell anyone,” Adam Siska’s eyes filled with tears as he fixed himself up again. “I’ll do anything.”
“Wait, what do you mean you’ll do anything?” William asked in a worried voice that Adam misread.
“Anything,” the younger boy turned around and plastered himself against the stall wall opposite William. “Anything you want me to do.”
“Hold up a second,” Bill reached out and wrapped his arms around the younger boy, he still considered Adam a boy, and pulled him close. The tears in the kid’s eyes were unmistakable. He’d been wronged. “I’m not going to hurt you.” The boy turned in his arms and cried into his shirt. “Shhhh.. Calm down. I’m not going to hurt you. I promise.”
-
A small hand prevented Travis from turning the doorknob and he followed the attached arm up to a face. He knew he’d never forget this face even if he never came back. Even if Gabe decided he never wanted to see him again. Even if he forgot everyone else.
“Don’t go, Travis,” Sisky said, removing his hand and stepping back into the Butcher’s arms. “You’ll get used to it after awhile. We’re not actually always this crazy. Pete makes sure the guys go to bed at a decent hour on weekdays.”
“What if I don’t?” Travis kept the tips of his fingers on the cool bit of metal as he turned to face the younger man.
“You will. If you want to go now, it’s okay. Nobody’s going to stop you. Just please come back. We want to help,” Siska pulled the arms around him a little tighter. “Nobody should have to be alone.”
-
Sisky pulled his knees up to his chest and hugged them, resting his face against his own bony kneecaps as he cried. He was feeling depressed again and William wasn’t there to hold him this time. William wasn’t there to rub his back and tell him all this fears were baseless. His friend was out with Mike. He wasn’t jealous, no. He just realized that there was nobody out there for a freak like him. Nobody could never love him the way he needed, the way he ached for.
“Hey.”
Sisky jumped and looked up frantically at the sound of a new voice. “H-hello?”
The bearded stranger with the tattooed skin and the skimpy clothes dropped his smile and just stared, “You’re beautiful.”
“N-no, I’m not,” Sisky put his face down on his knees again.
“Yes, you are,” he felt his chin being tilted up and his legs being pushed down. He was being pulled into the lap of someone who didn’t even know his name. He was being kissed more passionately than he’d ever been kissed before.
“No, I’m not,” Sisky insisted weakly.
The stranger looked immeasurably sad, “Who told you that?”
“I just know…”
“Well, it’s not true. You are beautiful.”
-
“Travie?” Gabe asked hesitantly.
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Sun Sep 09, 2007 2:13 am
