Flashback

"But Mom! I don't want to walk home with Darren! He's a Dick!" I whined at my Mom driving home from school one afternoon.

"He seems like a lovely boy, me and his mother have spoken about it and we think it's a good idea, you two could get to know each other."

"I think we know enough about each other, for instance I know he's a twat and that he hates me."

"Oh, Dougie, he doesn't hate you." she said patting my knee.

"Today, he put a lab frog down my trousers and chased me around the school grounds with a brick, yes, I think he hates me."

"He just needs to get to know you, that's all."

"Have you been listening to a word I've said?" I asked glaring at her.

"Your walking home with him, end of discussion." She snapped.

"But-"

"End of discussion!"

I sighed loudly and sunk into my chair.

"Poynter! Over here!" I heard Darren's loud, annoying voice call me from outside the school gates. I ran over to him.

"Let's just get this over with, yeah?" He said glaring.

I nodded and we started walking.

"So-" I started.

"Don't even bother trying to speak to me, greasy."

I shook my head in disbelief and sighed. We walked home in silence.

Once we got to my house, I walked through the front door and slammed it shut. I walked into the kitchen and grabbed an apple.

"So, how did It go? Did you two speak?" Mom asked as she washed up.

"His exact words were 'Don't even bother trying to speak to me, greasy!'" I said mimicking Darren.

"He just needs to know more about you." She said smiling reassuringly at me. I shook my head in anger.

"Are you serious? Are you unable to tell who a dick is?" I shouted.

"Oi! Boy! Don't be so disrespectful!" I heard my Dad's booming voice from the living room. "Stay in your room until you can learn to be a respectful child!"

"Yes, Dad." I mumbled and walked to my room.

Me and Darren walked home like that every day for 2 weeks, either in silence or arguing. When I got home, I would slam the door shut and walk straight up to my room, mumbling swears as I went.

Until one day:

I slammed the door shut.

"Bloody, Darren, I bet he's gay but is too scared to admit it, ha-ha, he's so obsessed with what people think of him, urgh! I HATE people like that." I mumbled about to walk upstairs.

"Boy! In here!" I heard my Dad shout.

"Here we go." I muttered walking in.

I walked into the room and stood in front of my Mom and Dad, who were sitting together on the sofa.

"Yeah?" I asked.

"We have some bad news, your father has lost his job." Mom said looking up at me with teary eyes.

"And?" I said shrugging his shoulders.

"We can't afford to live here anymore, Dougie, we have to move."

I smiled, I was finally getting away, from Darren, from the school, from this house.

"Why are you smiling, you ungrateful git?" Dad shouted.

Oops!

"Err, no reason. Where are we moving to?" I asked.

"London dear, in about a month."

"cool! The big city!" I said and ran to my room.

"Morning, Gay Boy."

"Psst, Sophie, that's the gay kid, I was telling you about."

"No room for gay kids here!"

"Gay!"

"I can't believe you asked Darren out!"

"What were you thinking, Gay Boy?"

As I walked though the corridors the next day I could hear people mumbling and whispering about me. Some of them even started shouting at me and pushing me in the halls. Laughter was everywhere, surrounding me, choking me. I didn't understand.

It went on for 3 days until I finally had the courage to confront him.

It was lunch break and he was sitting at a table with all his friends.

I stormed up to him.

"What the fuck?" I said slamming my hands on the table.

His friend laughed.

"Look, I've told you once, Poynter, I don't swing that way." Darren said smirking.

"Yeah, very funny, why the fuck have you been telling people I'm gay?"

"Aww, sorry, aren't you ready to 'come out' yet?"

"I'm not gay!" I screamed in his face.

"Aww look, Poynter's having a girly fit!"

Everyone in the dining hall turned to stare at me and Darren.

"Listen Twat! I am not gay! If anything, I've seen you staring at people's arses in P.E!"

Darren stood up.

"Excuse me? I'd watch your mouth, Poynter." He was glaring at me.

Of course I was lying, but I couldn't back down now, he deserves it.

"Yeah, I've seen you look at his-" I pointed to a geeky kid in our class. "-His-" I pointed to a kid in the football team. "-Oh yeah, and His." I said pointing to one of his 'followers'.

"That's it!" He shouted and pushed my back against the wall. He started punching and kicking me, I fell to the floor but he didn't stop. Darren had snapped.

I heard his mates shouting at him.

"Dude, I think he gets it, you can stop now!"

"Darren, Stop!"

"Mate, He bleeding!"

Dinner Ladies ran over and it took 3 of them to force him off me, I stood up and ran out the school.

That was the last time I ever attended Gable Hall High School.

End of Flashback.