“Oh…”

“Is that a problem?”

I shook my head, “No, not at all…Just…You know…When Piers and his friends were calling you gay…I just thought…Well, you know…I thought they were name calling. I didn’t realise they were stating actual fact. Not really any of my business…” There was an awkward pause, “I’m not, by the way…”

David laughed, “It’s okay, I’m not about to pounce on you. I kind of guessed you weren’t going by conversations we’ve been having! But…I mean…How do you know if you’ve never tried it?” I looked at him with a worried look on my face. He gave me a wink and suddenly responded by bursting out with laughter, “I’m messing…Jesus, should have seen your face.”

“Yeah, good one…Okay…You got me…” I started to laugh; a delayed reaction.

I didn’t care whether David was straight or gay. His sexual preferences were of no concern to me. Just because he was homosexual, it didn’t mean I couldn’t have him as a good friend and, sitting here with him in my first week, I felt lucky to consider him a buddy.

“The story about you and Mr Fitzpatrick?” I asked when he had stopped laughing long enough for me to get a word in edgeways.

“That is a lie,” he said.

“Fair enough…”

“I just wish I had!” he started to laugh again. His infectious laughter set me off too. “I mean, his arse…To die for…Seriously…”

“Dude, please stop…” I said, still laughing.

“Oh, I see, it’s okay for you to discuss Mrs Price’s arse but not okay for me to discuss his tight, round butt…Imagine those muscles squeezing around your cock as you try not to squirt deep inside him…”

“Dude! I’m not listening anymore…”

“And he’d be groaning, and moaning…Begging even, to have it deeper in him…Deeper and harder…”

I put my fingers in my ears, “I’m not listening…I can’t hear your disgusting thoughts…La La Laaaaaaaa…..”

David cracked up and, as a result, thankfully stopped.

“You’re sick,” I told him.

“What are you two laughing about?” asked a pretty girl from my class. I think her name was Rebecca; the girl who sat in front of David. As soon as she got our attention by speaking, David stopped laughing and fell silent.

“You don’t want to know,” I said. I didn’t know her well enough to be sure she’d appreciate the comments between David and I. I had seen her hanging around with Piers, and his narrow-minded friends so…

“Listen, I just wanted to say I think you two were really cool…” she went on.

“How so?” I asked.

“I’m not stupid. None of us are. We know who caused those bruises…You not grassing them up to the Head…That was cool…” She smiled at me, a flash in her beautiful eyes.

“Well…Thanks…” I said. I felt myself blush; an annoying habit whenever a pretty girl spoke to me. I wonder whether, in years to come, I’ll be able to control that…Better yet, I wonder whether it will stop completely. That’d be nice.

“Some of us are having a party this Saturday…Be nice if you could both come. Show there are no hard feelings between anyone. You know, a fresh start…” she continued.

I looked at David, “Sounds good, would do you think?” He didn’t answer, he just stared at Rebecca as though he were expecting a punchline to some amazing joke she was telling. “David?”

“I can’t,” he said. “Busy. Some gay thing.”

“That’s too bad,” said Rebecca, “it would have been nice…And…I could have got to know you a little better too.” Her eyes were fixed on me. It was everything I could do to keep focused on her and not her cleavage. “Look, if you change your mind…” she fished in her pocket and pulled out a small card with a phone number on it…”Just give me a call and I’ll pass on my address…Be nice if one of you could make it at least.”

I took the card off her and, just as suddenly as she had appeared, she vanished back into the crowds of pupils all milling about with their lunches.

I turned to David, “I knew they were hiding from us. Scared of whether we had gone to the teachers…It’s good, isn’t it? A fresh start she said. Might leave me alone from here on in…Us alone. Both of us. Come on, it will be a laugh…”

“Have you heard the term ‘fuck-buddy’?” asked David.

“Of course I have…”

“Well she is fuck buddies with most of the school but…I think her and Piers are more than that. She’s a piece of shit.”

“She seems nice enough to me,” I said. I smelt the card in my hands, “Even her card smells like perfume…Come on, it will be a laugh,” I said.

“You can go if you want but I don’t want to. Wherever they are, I tend to avoid.”

“You mind if I go?” I didn’t want to upset David but at the same time I didn’t want to miss the chance to put things right with everyone. It would be nice to come to school not wondering whether I’m going to get another hiding or not.

“You do what you want,” said David. I could tell by his tone that he didn’t think it was a good idea and, more to the point, he didn’t really want me going but…Surely he wouldn’t fall out with me just because I chose to try and put things right…The chance to have things easier for both of us. How great would that be?

I couldn’t help but think how great this was, as Mrs Price pulled her skirt back up and took her seat amongst my fellow classmates. Her face is still red and the tears, in her eyes, are nothing more than an added bonus. I have a feeling, if she survives this, she won’t be so keen to belittle any of her students again. Hell, she might even quit. Never teach again. No loss to the education system, that’s for sure.

Rebecca was still crying in her seat too. Two scarred, hopefully for life, and one battered. I’m just disappointed the bruises will heal.

“Well, Piers, you ready yet?” I hope he tells me to ‘fuck off’ or something similar from his lacking intelligence; give me another reason to smash him in the face. Normally I’m against violence. I don’t think it solves anything. That’s partly why I never fought back on the occasions they jumped me. I mean…Ignoring how big he is in comparison to my skinny frame anyway. Even if I had wanted to fight back, I wouldn’t have gotten very far. I’d have covered even less metaphorical distance on the times his friends were helping to give me a hiding. I never understood why he had them help — it’s not as though he needed a hand.

Piers tipped his head back so it was facing me. His nose was still bleeding. How satisfying. I’m loving this. It’s nearly making me as hard as the sight of Mrs Price’s cunt and the feeling of Rebecca’s tongue. With his hand away from his face, he raised his middle finger.

Oh, Happy Days…A sadistic smile spread across my mouth. Like I said, normally I’m against violence but, I won’t lie, it’s slowly starting to grow on me.

“Are you going to want us to pick you up?” asked my mum. The problem with my mum is that she wasn’t trying to be helpful. She was trying to be nosy. She just wanted to get a glimpse of my new friends. No doubt she wanted to thank them for taking me under their wings as I found my way around a new school. She was always the same. It was embarrassing. The friends I did make often asked whether my mum would be home before agreeing to come around for a night of gaming on the console. They said she freaked them out a little. I couldn’t blame them. Her only son, she had a habit of treating me as though I was still a baby. Definitely embarrassing. When she first saw the bruises Piers and his friends inflicted…She wanted to frog march me back to school and demand the Headmaster expelled everyone immediately. I tried telling her it wasn’t necessary. I tried telling her it would just make things worse for me but…You know how parents can be especially when they have a bee in their bonnet about something.

“I’m fine,” I muttered as I pulled a clean, black shirt from my wardrobe.

“Don’t you have anything brighter you can wear?” she asked. “You’re always dressing in black…Colour suits you so well…”