Chapter 7: Acting

Although people were starting to get used to my presence, they still wouldn't accept me into the common room. So I decided to do some work while Serge went out to play in the snow with his friends. While time passed it became rather lonely in the room, so I decided to take a walk outside.

It will be just a few more weeks until winter exams are over and break will begin. Now that I have Serge, I don't mind not joining Augu for Christmas. Yesterday he sent a letter stating how he'll be heading to some place I don't know of, but I didn't care. Besides, Serge is planning to stay at school too, so we'll finally have some alone time together.

During my walk I made it to the front of the school, where Serge and some other boys happened to be playing. They spotted me, a few trying to ignore me. But Serge being Serge, he came up to me.

"We're planning on going back to the common room right now, would you like to come?" he suggested. I looked over at the others, who seemed shocked by his invitation. They didn't know about my change, so I decided to act like my old self.

I shrugged my shoulders and accepted his offer, much to the others' distrust in me. On the way I had to explain my little act. "They don't know about us, so I should just pretend to be the prostitute they all hate for now." Of course Serge understood and planned to play along.

The common room was almost filled, and Karl and Pascal just happened to be there. They all stared at me when I arrived with the others. I stayed behind while the others entered the room, and Serge was "persuading" me to join in.

"Come on in, Gilbert," he said. "The common room is for everyone after all." He took my hand and tried to pull me in. Jack, another boy named Jack and wasn't Dren, sent a dagger look at me. Serge shook his head. "Please no violence," he pleaded. Time for my part in this little act.

Like last year, I pulled his arm towards the wall and exposed my neck. "Kiss me here," I told him, "then I'll come inside. Right here." But unlike last time, he really did choose to kiss me.

"I don't want you to be rejected twice," he smiled slightly, "so if I must, then I must." He kissed my neck, and I tried hard not to look as if I were enjoying the touch of his lips. The boys in the room gasped.

"Oh my gosh, he really fell into his trap!" someone quietly exclaimed. "The little faggot!" Serge's cheeks went red; he wasn't comfortable when people he cares about were insulted. His eyes wandered a bit, and then he let go of my hand.

Some red-head named Kurt abruptly stood up. "There's no way I'm sitting in the same room as that dirty thing!" he shouted. He pulled Serge out of the way and began to push me out of the common room. "Get out and stay out!"

"Gilbert!" I heard Serge scream. He ran to help me up, but Kurt stood in the way.

"How is it that you've fallen into this dirty faggot's trap this time, Serge?" he asked him. "Are you now his little lover boy?" Serge stared at Kurt wide-eyed. I saw the smallest of nods from him, one that no one else saw.

Kurt pulled him away from me, but Serge broke from his grasp to help me up. He told me to meet him back in our room in a few minutes. I knew that he doesn't need to make up for anything, but I nodded anyways. When I left, Serge was talking to Kurt.

"I'm not his lover," he pointed out to the red-head, "but he is my friend. I apologize for making you all angry. I just thought that Gilbert should try being friends with some other people for a change. Now if you excuse me, I have a friend to comfort" Even though he was acting, pretending to not be my lover was heart-breaking.

Serge came back a few minutes later our room, where he told me to meet him. "I'm so deeply sorry Gilbert," he apologized to me, holding me against his chest. "I shouldn't have put you in that kind of position. Acting like I wasn't your lover was terrible. But I did enjoy kissing your neck, though."

He locked the door behind us and we sat on my bed. "Would it be okay to kiss you there again?" he asked me. I nodded; of course he's allowed to touch me. And so Serge repeatedly kissed my neck on both sides. My body began to squirm when his lips met the back of my ear.

Why is it that people must ruin our fun? Because once we were beginning to get at it, Kurt knocked on our door. He apologized and whatever, saying he's thinking of getting to know me better during our visit to Arles tomorrow. Acting like my old self, I shrugged and accepted his offer.