The Colors You Gave Me

by CVDisley

Colors. They're everywhere in the world, and the world is designed as if everyone can see these colors, even though that's far from the case. For those who have yet to find their other half, their soulmate, the world is full of black, white, and all the shades of gray in between. That's the world you're doomed to see if you haven't found the one. High school Au, TOMCO

4. Chapter 4

Sorry it's been so long. I've had health problems and was focusing on a huuuuge original story project. my outline is insanely big.

Weeks passed. Marco could never bring himself to tell Star, or even his parents, about Tom. It wasn't because he scared, he definitely was, but his reasoning was different.

How could he tell them that he was addicted to the bully's touches? How could he possibly explain that every moment he was away from Tom he became anxious, but also paranoid? He understood now, why all the others wanted to find their other halves so desperately. The world, in color, was beautiful.

He still tried to avoid Tom. He didn't look forward to the pain that came from Tom's anger. The teen was quick to use violence, and had been covering Marco in a multitude of bruises. It ached to move sometimes, but even those were worth it. If Tom so much as brushed against his skin Marco became captivated by Tom's eyes. Over and over again he got caught up in the deep red.

Over the weeks the Latino had also had time to notice other things about Tom. His hair was a strange shade of salmon and wore a hefty amount of eyeliner for a man, but it looked good on him. His shirt matched his eyes, and the red star at the center had almost made Marco snort the first time he saw it.

Now he was cornered at the back of the school where no one would bother going. He stood against the wall, with Tom looming over him.

"How many times do I have to tell you to stay away from Star?"

Marco rolled his eyes. Something about Tom's repetitive orders brought out the small sliver of courage Marco had. The larger teen always seemed to make Marco throw caution to the wind, and he hated it. The only other person who had ever done that before was Star. When it was her taking risks was pleasant.

Why don't you just tell her how you feel?

Marco's face fell for a moment. The memory of Star's voice reminded him that taking risks didn't go well. It didn't matter whether Star was there are not.

"Freak?"

Could it really be that bad? To just tell the truth?

It was getting hard to breathe. He didn't want to remember much of last summer. All he wanted were the happy memories with Star, so why? Why did he have to remember that now? Marco had tried to forget. He had tried so hard. Why? Why couldn't he forget? Why did he have to remember? Forget it. Forget. Forgetforgetforget-

"Breathe in."

Color filled his vision, pink, red, and the pale shade of skin dominated him. He could feel the hot hands on his face, commanding his attention. He couldn't help but listen to what he was told.

"Good. Now out. Again."

Had anyone ever actually helped him during a panic attack before? Marco couldn't remember. Right now all he could think about was the voice commanding him and the red eyes looking at him in concern. It was a nice thought. The thought of being taken care of. He only hoped that this person would catch him as his vision faded to black.