Sitting quietly in my seat I looked around the classroom. No real changes to the class since last term. No-one had left and no-one had joined. Still the same old class, still the same old assholes and art freaks and goths and nerds. Shame. I thought I would actually have someone to sit with this year. The closest I had ever got to fitting in with a group was with the art freaks but when they learnt about my secret they pushed me away. I sighed, looking at my bag on the empty seat next to me and pulled out my books and a pencil, I started doodling aimlessly on the front of my book. I didn't even notice when the teacher came in and asked for our attention, I heard parts of what he was saying to the class but I was too busy concentrating on a doodle of a little butterfly to care.

'Right class... Attention please... New Student... Make him feel welcome... Spare seat next to PJ...' It wasn't until I heard my name that I looked up.

There he was.

Perfection.

His hair was flicked to one side and he looked slightly scared yet confident at the same time. He had extremely long legs and arms that looked perfect in his tight jeans and woolly jumper. His face was perfection as well, those dark brown eyes and that little freckle he had on his chin. Oh god. I felt flustered just looking at him...

I went back to drawing to stop me from over staring then it sunk in what the teacher had just said to him

'There's a spare seat next to PJ.'

I'm PJ, there's the seat, he's coming over, my bag is in the way, he is going to be sitting next to me for the whole term, oh my god, he needs to sit down, move your bag PJ, you fool.

I looked up and seen him standing smiling slightly at me, I smiled back and went to move my bag. I grabbed on of the straps and pulled it under the desk. He sat down and let his eyes wander around his new class. From the jocks to the nerds, from the hot chicks to the ugly ones, from the popular kids to me. I noticed him study me for a while before turning back to the teacher. Since it was our first lesson we didn't do much, we just sat and were allowed to speak to our friends about our holidays. On a couple of occasions people turned around and asked the boy next to me a few questions, usually the same ones.

'What's your name?'

'Why did you move schools?'

'Where do you live?'

'Are there any girls here that you like so far?'

I didn't want to invade his privacy so I blocked everything out and went back to drawing.

By the end of the lesson I didn't know anything about the boy that sat next to me and I didn't seem to have any other classes with him because I didn't see him for the rest of the day.

That is until the bell rang to go home. I deliberately took longer than most people to pack away my stuff so that when I left the classroom I wouldn't run into the bullies that taunted me constantly. I walked out of the classroom and over to my locker. I twisted the lock until I heard a loud click and opened the door, it was quickly slammed shut again by someone behind me. I knew who that hand belonged to even before I turned around. I stared at Sean's hand for a while before turning around. I noticed that his knuckles were already bruised and he had a large amount of blood on them. Obviously some poor sucker had already suffered at his hands before I did, I turned my whole body and pushed myself back against my locker.

'Hello faggot.' he spat, locking eyes with me

'Hello Sean.' I replied as casually as possible

'Ready for today's beating?'

'I suppose I have to be, don't I?'

'Yes, yes you do.' Sean raised his fist and smacked me right in the jaw. I felt the tears welling in my eyes but I held them back.

'Do you know why I am doing this to you, you little queer?' He snarled whilst smacking me up against my locker.

'Is it because I'm gay and you think the more you beat me the less gay it will make me and it will make people like you more?' I asked looking straight into his eyes. As I stared into the pits of hell I noticed something snap. He stopped smiling and tightened his grip on my throat.

'I DON'T NEED PEOPLE TO LIKE ME MORE, EVERYONE ALREADY LIKES ME!' Sean let go of my throat and grabbed my hair, he pulled me through to the bathrooms and stood me in front of the mirror all whilst still holding me by the hair.

'What do you see?'

'What?'

'I SAID WHAT DO YOU SEE, YOU POOF.'

'I see myself and I see you, holding me by the hair.' I said looking at his reflection

'Do you want to know what I see?' Sean said leaning me closer to the mirror. 'I see a filthy gay and a loved jock. I see myself, I'm handsome and well liked. Then I see you, and it make my stomach churn.' He pulled my head back and smashed it into the mirror, the glass broke straight away and small shards went into my forehead. Sean picked up one of the larger fragments and pulled my sleeves up. The cuts from the previous night were still fresh on my arm, he dug the glass into my arm and pulled upwards, over all my old cuts. I couldn't hold back the tears any more, they streamed down my face and I started screaming. The pain was unbearable, I tried to struggle but it just made it worse so all I could do was sit and try not to pass out from the pain. When he was done with the glass he threw it to the side and dug his fingers into the fresh wounds. I yelped with pain and begged him to stop but he refused. It was always the same, he never stopped when I asked him to. That was the type of person Sean was, a leader not a follower, I suppose that's why he was captain of the football team. I began to feel light-headed as the blood drained from my body. I forced my eyes to stay open as Sean got up. He dragged me into one of the stalls and shoved my head into the toilet. He held me under as I struggled against him, pulling me up every so often so as I wouldn't pass out. Once he was done he dragged me back out and over to the sinks, he leaned me up against the wall and looked me up and down. He smiled as if I was a piece of art that he had just finished.

'See you tomorrow faggot.'

When I knew Sean was definitely gone I pulled myself off the floor stood at the sink. I stared at where the mirror used to me and looked at my arms. They cuts were worse than last time, I closed my eyes and ran the tap. I let the cold water run over my still raw wounds, I winced slightly at first but as I got used to the feeling of the water go in and out of my cuts I felt relieved. Once I was finished I splashed my face with water and checked the small bits of glass in my head, I managed to pull most of them out and wash the rest out with water. I turned off the tap and studied my arms again.

'Better go get some bandages. Again.' I muttered to myself. After the amount of times this had happened I always carried spare plasters and bandages in my locker. I turned around to leave when something caught my eye. A foot. Inside one of the stalls, it looked like someone was asleep on the floor.

'Hello?'

No reply.

'Are you okay?'

No reply.

I walked over to the stall and gently pushed the door open and peered inside. It was the new kid and he looked pretty rough, he had passed out with two black eyes and a bleeding nose. I crouched down and cupped his face with my hands. I let out a sigh, stood up and walked out of the bathrooms. I headed straight for my locker, I noticed the words 'die emo fag' had been written on it. 'I'll clean that up later' I thought to myself. I picked my bag of the floor and opened my locker. I pulled out a small first aid kit that contained some bandages, a few plasters and some anti-septic wipes. I also took out a small reusable ice pack and some water for me and the new kid. I really needed to learn his name. I closed my locker and replaced the lock, I trudged to back into the bathroom and carefully pulled the unconscious kid out of the stall making sure I didn't hurt him. I leant him up against the wall and sat next to him as I bandaged my arms, looking every so often to see if he had woken up yet. Once I had finished with the bandages and made sure they were done properly I turned to the boy next to me and looked at his injuries. They seemed pretty bad considering it was his first day? He must've said something to Sean that got him really pissed, I mean the last time I seen someone that had injuries that bad on there first day was me but that was only because I was openly gay...

This boy wasn't gay, was he? He sure didn't look it, he looked like on of those guys that all the girls swoon over. He must have said something to Sean that's the only reasonable explanation.

'Ughhhhh.'

I looked over to see the boys head lolling from one side to another, I shuffled over to him and put a hand on his shoulder.

'You okay?'

What? Ah. Please, don't hurt me.' he looked so scared, his eyes were filled with fear and he had made a feeble attempt to cover his face but he winced in pain and clutched his ribs.

'It's okay, I'm not going to hurt you. I'm here to help you.' I reassured him.

'Who done this to me?' he asked, still not letting go of his sides.

'Sean Orias, the football captian.'

'Oh yeah, I remember now. That big guy with the ugly face.' he smiled slightly and oh god it was beautiful. I couldn't help but smile back.

'What did you say to him to make him do this to you?' 'I didn't say anything, after our first lesson I was walking to my locker when Sean and his crew started talking to me about my old school, they must know some of the guys from my old school because they knew everything about me and my past and why I moved, they pushed me into the bathrooms and started beating me. That's all I remember. Then I woke up, you were here and now everything hurts.' he sighed leaning his head against the wall.

'Why did you move schools?' I looked at his face as I asked him, it looked like when I asked him he was taken back to his old school. That look of fear crept back onto his face.

'I'd rather not talk about it.' He turned to face me and looked right into my eyes. His deep brown eyes shone brightly even with the purple that surrounded them.

'Your face is a bit of a mess by the way,' I said picking up the wipes 'do you want me to... you know. Help you clean up?'

'That's was she said,' he laughed weakly 'I would do it myself but I don't know where the damage is, only if you don't mind. I'll be extremely grateful.'

'It's no problem.' I smiled as I dabbed at his nose with one of the wipes. 'I feel like I should introduce myself a bit better, seeing as I will be your nurse for this evening.'

'May as well, Nurse Ratched.' He laughed at his joke and winked at me, that laugh. I could listen to it all day long and never get tired of it. It was the most perfect laugh I had ever heard. And the wink, don't even get me started on that. I snapped out of my daze and started laughing too.

'I'm PJ, PJ Liguori. I'm Italian but I was born and raised in England.' I extended my free hand to shake his. He grabbed my hand and shook it softly.

'I'm Chris Kendall, I moved here from the North.'

'That explains the accent.' I smiled, still wiping blood from his face. I leaned in closer to his face and studied the the cut. I felt Chris' eyes on my face, my breath hitched in my throat and I felt my face go bright red. I tried to keep focus on his battered nose but I kept finding my eyes trailing back to his eyes. Even though his face was bruised he still smiled and showed those perfectly crooked teeth. I sat back and quickly scanned his face for any other signs of bleeding. There seemed to be none other than his bloody nose.

'Well that's all the blood gone,' I smiled 'Now to take care of your eyes.'

'Why? What's wrong with them?' He ran his fingers along his inflamed eyelid. 'Fucking hell. What is wrong with that guy...'

'Everything. He hates anyone that doesn't like him or anyone that is different.'

He looked straight at me. 'What do you mean by different?'

'You know, don't like sport, actually enjoy doing work, the art freaks, the goths, the gays...'

That last one made him stop breathing. He looked at me and searched my face for some sort of clue.

'Do you know any gays at this school?'

Everything changed. The light small talk had gone and it had been replaced by something more sinister. Should I tell him? He could end up being the only friend I have. What if it scares him off? But if I don't tell him and he finds out it could be worse. I start scratching at my arms nervous of what to say.

'I. I uh... No.'

'Oh...' he looked down as if he was disappointed. 'What am I going to do?'

'About what?'

'I can't go home like this, my mum and dad will go mental at me. First day and I get beat up, no way would they let me stay at this school...'

I don't know if it was the fact that he seemed so vulnerable like a lost puppy or the fact that I didn't want this perfect boy to leave the school or maybe a mixture of both that made me say what I said next.

'You could come to mines for a while?'

'Really?'

'Yeah, I don't see why not?'

'Oh my god, thank you so much for this. I really appreciate it.' he said trying to stand up. I quickly packed all the medical supplies into my bag and helped him. I took his arm and slung it over my shoulder and wrapped my arm around his waist, for sturdiness definitely not for personal gain, standing like this felt right. Like when you finally find the right piece for your jigsaw and after all those ill fits this one fits perfectly. I smiled and we hobbled out of the bathroom. We managed to get down part of the hallway before Chris' legs gave out.

'Fuck!' he cried as he landed on the cold marble floor.

'Do you think you can still walk to my car?'

'No? Shit. This really hurts.'

'Would you be okay with me carrying you?'

'I'm quite heavy though...'

'I'm quite sure I can manage,' I looked Chris up and down. He was tall but thin, lanky is probably the best way to describe him. Long thin arms and legs. Beautiful in my opinion.

'I don't want to be any bothe-' I cut him off by hooking one arm under his knees and the other around his back and lifting him off the floor.

'See,' I smiled 'I'm macho.' I laughed winking at him. Wait. I never wink. Where the hell did that come from. Chris laughed, I slowly stopped laughing so that I could hear his laugh better. That beautiful laugh, I didn't want it to end... but it did. Chris stopped laughing and looked me in the eyes.

'I'm really grateful for this by the way.'

'It's nothing, you seem like a nice guy and you didn't deserve what Sean done to you.'

'According to him I did...'

'Why? What did you do to him?'

'Nothing!' He shouted, I stopped walking. 'Nothing...' He looked down at his legs, I seen his eyes start to go red and he swallowed slowly. 'I've never done anything to anyone, they just. Don't like me. I'm not... normal.'

'What do you mean?'

'I don't want to talk about it, I'm really tired. Could I sleep in the car as well?' he looked up at me with his beautiful brown eyes and I melted.

'Of course.' He smiled sleepily and rested his head on my shoulder.

'Thank you so much PJ.' he whispered before falling asleep. I carried him the rest of the way to the car and lay him down in the back seats before clambering into the front seat and starting the car. I let the engine run for a while and turned the heater on, it was always cold in Britain and I wanted to make sure Chris was warm enough. He looked so vulnerable curled up on the back seats like that. I looked at him in the rear-view mirror then set off.

As I pulled into my drive I noticed the car wasn't there, thank god. No mum or dad to explain this to. I took the keys out of the car and stepped outside, I walked over to the front door and unlocked it before returning to the car to get Chris. As I lifted him out of the car he slowly woke up, I carried him inside and up the stairs to my bedroom. Once inside I lay him down on my bed and carefully brushed his hair to one side. Chris stirred slightly and opened one eye, he looked up at me and smiled before going back to sleep.

Knowing that he was sound asleep I pulled a blanket over him and went downstairs for some ice. I filled a small cloth with some ice for my jaw that had started to bruise quite badly, I checked my arms and noticed that the blood had seeped through the bandages badly and stained the sleeves of my jumper. Sighing heavily I put the ice down, pulled my jumper off over my head and took it into my room to wash later. I took off the old bandages and put them in the bin, opened my drawer next to my bed and pulled out a new roll. I sat in the chair in the corner of my room and started re-wrapping my wrists with the bandages. I tied the ends and found another jumper to cover the bandages with, I didn't want Chris to see them at all.

A couple of minutes after I had finished with my wrists I had went back downstairs and put the ice back on my jaw, I heard a noise coming from my bedroom and assumed Chris had woken up. I disposed of the ice so he wouldn't ask questions and went back to my room. When I walked in Chris was awake and sitting up on my bed.

'Good morning sunshine' I smiled at him as I walked in.

'Ughh, what time is it?' he asked rubbing his eyes and squinting at me.

'5ish? You want to go home or would you be allowed to stay over night? I mean, only if you want to. It's just that I don't think you'll be well enough to go home in the next couple of hour so it would be better if you stayed over night because then you will have all night and all of school tomorrow to recover, you can use my phone if you need to call your parents or anything.' I spluttered almost tripping over my words.

Chris started laughing loudly. 'Woah Peej, take a breath man.'

'Sorry...' I started blushing and looked down at my shoes.

'I feel like I've already overstayed my welcome...' Chris tried to stand but fell back onto the bed.

'I'm not letting you go home until you can go home without falling over or without my help.'

'Are you sure your parents will let me stay?'

'Yeah, they'll be fine about it' I smiled at him to let him know I wasn't lying.

'You are seriously far too kind, I am so grateful you found me in that bathroom stall.' He looked at me, his face looked confused. 'Why were you in the bathroom at that time anyway?'

SHIT. What am I going to do. Just lie PJ. Tell him something.

'I was just going to pee.'

'How did you get that bruise on your jaw then?'

'I uh... I slipped... and I ehm... hit my chin on the sink.' I said pulling my sleeves down nervously.

'That looks like more of a punch mark to me and your hair was all wet when I woke up as well. Sean gave me a swirly before I passed out. Is that... Is that what happened to you as well?'

'I uhh... No, I just...'

'That explains why your hair was wet, Sean beat you up as well. He hit you in the jaw and broke that mirror. It wasn't broken before I passed out, and he gave you a swirly.' he smiled smugly at his detective skills.

'Okay,' I held my hands up above my head. 'You got me.' I moved and sat on the bed next to him and laughed.

'I'm like Sherlock.' he said smiling at me. 'But there are still a few things that don't add up..' he looked down at my hands that were tightly gripping the end of my sleeves. 'Why were you putting bandages on your arms in here earlier and why was Sean beating you up?'

FUCK. I'VE BEEN CAUGHT. THAT LITTLE SHIT. HE MUST HAVE BEEN AWAKE WHEN I CAME IN EARLIER AND SEEN ME REPLACING MY BANDAGES. SHITTT. WHAT AM I GOING TO DO? RIGHT. I HAVE TO JUST COME CLEAN.

'I... I lied to you Chris.' I said rolling up my sleeves.

'About what?'

'About knowing someone at our school that is gay.' I slowly unwrapped the bandage from one arm at a time before pulling them off. 'The reason that everyday I get tortured by Sean is because I'm the only gay person at our school. I'm the filthy faggot that he takes his rage out on. Just because I'm open about being gay and about not liking him.' I ran a finger up the newly formed scabs on my arms.

'This was him?' Chris looked at my arms horrified.