AN: A new chapter already! Woohoo! Yay for putting off homework! Anyway, reviews would be oh so sweet. My last chapter had a bunch of hits, but no reviews at all! It's all sad and lonely. So please, give this chappy some review friends...even if you don't like it.

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November 6, 1983

"Hey, Freshman!"

I stopped walking and sighed, turning around already prepared for the following onslaught. "I'm not a freshman anymore, Jacobs. What do you want?"

The jock pointed at me threateningly, a malicious grin in his eyes. "Don't take that tone with me, Fag. Not after how nice I've been lately."

Of course. Just because I was quiet, sensitive, and my only real friend was a girl, I must have been gay. How original.

"I'm not gay, Jacobs. And even if I was, you wouldn't have to worry. I have standards, after all."

He completely ignored my jab and continued his verbal offence. "Well, that's the only thing I can figure, since you've known such a sweet thing like April all these years and haven't tried to fuck her. Don't even try to tell me you never wanted to."

"What?" I'd be lying if I said the thought hadn't crossed my mind at that point. But hell, I was thinking that way about everything. When asking someone if they wanna fuck their best friend, you have to take into account whether the next thing out of their mouth could be 'Hey, that's a good looking hole in a tree!'

He pinned me against the wall, eyes searing through me. "Don't play dumb with me, Freshman. I've seen how you look at her. You wish you could do all kinds of things to my girl, don't you?" I never understood how jocks could go from calling someone gay to accussing them of trying to steal their girlfriend in only a few short breaths.

I don't know if it was the fact that my arms were beginning to go numb from his pressure of his grip, his awful breath in my face, the fact that he was talking about April like an object, or all three, but something finally brought out the hatred in me. I gave my own searing glare and spoke with venom. "Funny you should mention that. I hope you had a good night out with the guys on Saturday. Oh, and if she says my name by accident next time, don't worry about it."

"Oh-ho, you're gonna regret that, Cohen."

"Michael!" We both turned toward the subject of our little discussion. She glared at him with a hand on her hip. "I thought I told you to leave him alone."

"It's no problem, Babe." I twitched at his little petname. "We were just talking. Right, Marky?"

I kept my eyes locked with his, a smug grin pulling at my lips. "Yeah, Ape. We were talking."

He pulled away from me, done with his playtime for now, and threw an arm around April's shoulder as they walked down the hall together. I stared at them leaving for a few moments, then headed the opposite direction.