The hallways weren't as frightening as he had expected. Feeling reassured by Miles's devil-may-care attitude, he allowed himself to fully experience the excitement swelling up in his chest. Here he was, walking hand in hand through the halls of Degrassi with the hottest boy in school. It was surreal. It didn't matter what anyone said to him. Nothing could bring him down.
So he thought.
Stopping at his locker for a text book, Miles leaned against the adjoining door and smiled dotingly as his boyfriend. "So Tris, I was thinking after school we might hang out? Frankie has a date, and my parents have a function this evening..." he left the thought hanging in the air hopefully, watching at Tristan dug through his locker, pulling out his English textbook.
Tristan laughed flirtatiously, "Miles Hollingsworth, what on earth might you be proposing?", pausing as a diminutive blonde figure caught his eye, charging straight towards him. "Shit. Here she comes."
Miles looked over his shoulder, and let out a frustrated sigh. Neither of them were in the mood for drama.
Avoidance was the name of the game when it came to Maya Matlin. Tristan attempted to apologize, only to be snubbed, which he attributed to the fact that the rumors about Miles and him had already began to run rampant. He knew deep down he would have done the same.
Now she was heading straight for him.
"I know we aren't really speaking right now, but I thought it was only fair to let you know he's back." She stated, clutching her books tightly to her chest, avoiding Miles's gaze entirely. As Tristan opened his mouth to question her further, she turned abruptly on her heel and marched away.
The warning bell rang, and Tristan slammed his locker, unable to move his feet, reality sinking in. Miles put his hand on his shoulder, a querying look in his eye.
"What the hell was that? Who's back?"
He didn't have time to answer.
"You two had better get to class."
Tristan recognized the voice immediately, a nightmarish dread washing over him.
Grant Yates walked purposely by them, not lingering for a second past his comment.
Miles clenched his jaw, the discomfort of the moment poisoning the air, until he glanced back over to Tristan, only to find him face panic stricken. The double punch to the gut of the last minute drained any confidence he had left in him. It was as if the world had popped, sucking all the happiness from the air. Even with Miles so near, he felt like a distant star.
"I... I can't do this." he sputtered out, stumbling over his words, not knowing what to call him or what to say, as his chest tightened as if an invisible clamp had taken hold. "I can't be here. Not with him."
"Tris, we can talk to Simpson and -"
A nauseous wave overcame Tristan and he dropped his books, turning away and running as fast as he could through the crowd. He weaved mindlessly through the remaining students in the hallway, and burst out the front door of the school. He didn't know where he was going or how long he had run, his designer sneakers pounding away on the pavement drowning out any coherent thoughts. As his body began to shudder, he sunk to the grass next to the sidewalk, mind blank, the black hole inside of him swallowing every feeling he could muster.
Before, he believed he had been rejected, which might have been the better option, had it been reality. The realization of his own naivety had been a solid punch in the gut. His heartbeat hammering in his hearts only made him feel more alone.
He didn't notice the footsteps approaching him.
He snapped back to reality as a slim figure sat down next to him.
"You're gonna get in trouble for skipping class." Tristan stated plainly, too drained to make witty comments, eyes trained to the rough gray pavement.
"And when had the threat of trouble ever stopped me?" Miles joked lightly, nudging Tristan with his elbow.
Tristan smirked for a second, and continued to stare at the concrete in front of him. His voice dropped to barely a whisper. "I didn't think he'd really come back. I thought maybe if I pretended he didn't exist, he'd just never come back."
Miles paused, pushing back his own anger at Yates, instead focusing on being a supportive boyfriend. "You can tell Simpson the truth."
"Very funny, Miles." Tristan scoffed, "You want me to turn to the authorities, and do what? Let him know that I lied to him? Why would anyone believe me now?" Tristan pulled his knees into his chest, feeling more embarrassed over his absolute denial of the facts when he last spoke with the principal.
"Tris, that guy... he's the only one in the wrong here."
"If I wasn't so desperate, it wouldn't have happened to-"
"No, Tristan." Miles interrupted his self deprecation, "You can't blame yourself. I won't have you thinking you're anything less than amazing." Miles reached out a reassuring hand. "I'll go with you. We can talk to Simpson."
"Together?"
Miles smiled as Tristan laced his fingers through his own.
"Together."