Simon shivered as he stepped into the school for the first time in a month. He shrunk away from most people, and it was obvious that Simon had yet to fully recover from the "incident" (What his parents referred to it as). A few times, Mike had caught him trembling in class. Instead of keeping his calm and firing back a witty retort when the history teacher snapped at him, Simon flinched and muttered an apology. The teacher's glare softened and she merely frowned and continued her lesson.
During gym, instead of going into the locker room to change with everyone else, he hung around outside the door and went in after everyone else had left, changing slowly. Chris followed him in, sitting down on a bench.
"You dealin'?"
Simon looked over, and Chris winced as he saw some of the fading bruises covering his friend's pale skin. Tossing a shirt on, Simon nodded. "I'm fine."
"Then why didn't you come in with the rest of us?" Chris asked pointedly. Simon hesitated. "Yea.. That's what I thought. Look, you can't let this mess your life up. You have to --"
"I'm fine, all right!?" He slammed the locker shut and turned away, shutting his eyes. "Everyone seems to think I'm going to turn into this ...this fucking mess of a person."
"Simon.. I never said--"
"I'm bloody spectactular.." He sat down onto the bench and let out a quiet sob. Chris frowned and walked over, sitting next to him and wrapping an arm around Simon's shoulders, hugging him tightly. Simon buried his face into Chris' shirt, crying softly.
"Hey, man.. come on.. we were all scared for you.. Christ, I cried when I heard about it.. I thought you were gonna die.. I didn't wanna lose my best friend." Chris sighed, rubbing Simon's back lightly. "Don't worry.. things'll be all right."
"My ass they will be."
"I don't need to be thinking about your ass, Simon." Chris teased, and Simon laughed in spite of himself. "Look, we all care about you a lot..and it hurts to see you like this.. if something bothers you, tell me.. or hell, even the coach."
"I think he's mad at me for losing the game."
"Nah."
"You sure?"
Chris grinned and ruffled Simon's hair. "I'm sure. Come on.. we want our captain back."
Simon stood up slowly and sighed, nodding. "I'll be fine. Thanks, Chris."
"Anytime." Chris smiled warmly and stood as well, walking into the gym. The coach raised an eyebrow at the two of them, and how late they were, but didn't say anything, seeing how he was thrilled to have Simon back on the basketball team. He blew the whistle and the boys obediently started their laps around the gym. Simon still looked a little nervous around so many people, but with most of his teammates surrounding him, he relaxed. Some of the football players snickered as they jogged by, but the basketball team was happy to ignore them.
During class, Simon became completely oblivious of his former pain, happy to be back playing sports with his friends, and after class, he filed back into the locker room with the other guys, ignoring the catcalls of the football players as he undressed and stepped into the shower. He gasped and yanked himself away from a large burly teen as the guy pinched Simon's ass. The man snickered.
"Funny, you liked it before, in the alley."
Simon's cheeks turned red and before he could say anything, Chris had strode up and punched the man swiftly across the jaw, causing him to fall back. Everyone stared at Chris in shock. He was always the quiet, pacifist one. Chris grinned sheepishly and shrugged, and a few of the boys laughed, going back into their routine. Simon wrapped a towel around his waist, and smiled faintly at his friend, who nodded silently. Chris followed Simon to the cafeteria after, where Mike was waiting at their usual table. They sat down, and Simon proceeded to tell the entire story of what happened.
"I thought you were a pacifist." Mike said, taking a bite of his sandwich. Chris giggled nervously.
"Hey, I'm not about to let them pick on my best mate anymore." He opened a bag of chips and took one, offering some to Simon and Mike, who shook their heads. Mike smiled faintly at Simon, who smiled back, and Chris became uncomfortably aware of a certain connection between the two, but he didn't say anything and probably never would.
"So, wanna come over and watch a movie tonight?" Simon asked quietly. "My parents are going to a banquet tonight."
"Sure, we can order some Chinese food.." Chris nodded, taking a bite of his sandwich, chewing thoughtfully. "I wonder.." He said, his mouth full.
"Tuna salad.." Mike commented, turning a faint shade of green as he looked up at his friend. Chris swallowed.
"Sorry. I wonder if they caught the blokes who did it."
"I know who did it." Simon murmured.
"Yes, but you don't know which members of the football team did it. Hell, it might not have been them."
"I know who did it." He repeated.
"You do?"
Simon nodded. "Yeah, I think so."
"Then we'll go to the police."
He sighed and shook his head. "It didn't help. They said they were going to investigate and they would contact me if anything new came up." The three boys sighed in unison. "Look, let's just forget it, all right? I'm fine." He offered a smile. "Besides, we gotta think of other things."
"Like what?"
"Which movie to rent.. two egg rolls or three each.."
"....Each?" Mike blinked.
"I'm a growing boy, Michael." Simon grinned, and his friends relaxed visibly. Simon was finally back. It may have taken weeks, but he was back.
During gym, instead of going into the locker room to change with everyone else, he hung around outside the door and went in after everyone else had left, changing slowly. Chris followed him in, sitting down on a bench.
"You dealin'?"
Simon looked over, and Chris winced as he saw some of the fading bruises covering his friend's pale skin. Tossing a shirt on, Simon nodded. "I'm fine."
"Then why didn't you come in with the rest of us?" Chris asked pointedly. Simon hesitated. "Yea.. That's what I thought. Look, you can't let this mess your life up. You have to --"
"I'm fine, all right!?" He slammed the locker shut and turned away, shutting his eyes. "Everyone seems to think I'm going to turn into this ...this fucking mess of a person."
"Simon.. I never said--"
"I'm bloody spectactular.." He sat down onto the bench and let out a quiet sob. Chris frowned and walked over, sitting next to him and wrapping an arm around Simon's shoulders, hugging him tightly. Simon buried his face into Chris' shirt, crying softly.
"Hey, man.. come on.. we were all scared for you.. Christ, I cried when I heard about it.. I thought you were gonna die.. I didn't wanna lose my best friend." Chris sighed, rubbing Simon's back lightly. "Don't worry.. things'll be all right."
"My ass they will be."
"I don't need to be thinking about your ass, Simon." Chris teased, and Simon laughed in spite of himself. "Look, we all care about you a lot..and it hurts to see you like this.. if something bothers you, tell me.. or hell, even the coach."
"I think he's mad at me for losing the game."
"Nah."
"You sure?"
Chris grinned and ruffled Simon's hair. "I'm sure. Come on.. we want our captain back."
Simon stood up slowly and sighed, nodding. "I'll be fine. Thanks, Chris."
"Anytime." Chris smiled warmly and stood as well, walking into the gym. The coach raised an eyebrow at the two of them, and how late they were, but didn't say anything, seeing how he was thrilled to have Simon back on the basketball team. He blew the whistle and the boys obediently started their laps around the gym. Simon still looked a little nervous around so many people, but with most of his teammates surrounding him, he relaxed. Some of the football players snickered as they jogged by, but the basketball team was happy to ignore them.
During class, Simon became completely oblivious of his former pain, happy to be back playing sports with his friends, and after class, he filed back into the locker room with the other guys, ignoring the catcalls of the football players as he undressed and stepped into the shower. He gasped and yanked himself away from a large burly teen as the guy pinched Simon's ass. The man snickered.
"Funny, you liked it before, in the alley."
Simon's cheeks turned red and before he could say anything, Chris had strode up and punched the man swiftly across the jaw, causing him to fall back. Everyone stared at Chris in shock. He was always the quiet, pacifist one. Chris grinned sheepishly and shrugged, and a few of the boys laughed, going back into their routine. Simon wrapped a towel around his waist, and smiled faintly at his friend, who nodded silently. Chris followed Simon to the cafeteria after, where Mike was waiting at their usual table. They sat down, and Simon proceeded to tell the entire story of what happened.
"I thought you were a pacifist." Mike said, taking a bite of his sandwich. Chris giggled nervously.
"Hey, I'm not about to let them pick on my best mate anymore." He opened a bag of chips and took one, offering some to Simon and Mike, who shook their heads. Mike smiled faintly at Simon, who smiled back, and Chris became uncomfortably aware of a certain connection between the two, but he didn't say anything and probably never would.
"So, wanna come over and watch a movie tonight?" Simon asked quietly. "My parents are going to a banquet tonight."
"Sure, we can order some Chinese food.." Chris nodded, taking a bite of his sandwich, chewing thoughtfully. "I wonder.." He said, his mouth full.
"Tuna salad.." Mike commented, turning a faint shade of green as he looked up at his friend. Chris swallowed.
"Sorry. I wonder if they caught the blokes who did it."
"I know who did it." Simon murmured.
"Yes, but you don't know which members of the football team did it. Hell, it might not have been them."
"I know who did it." He repeated.
"You do?"
Simon nodded. "Yeah, I think so."
"Then we'll go to the police."
He sighed and shook his head. "It didn't help. They said they were going to investigate and they would contact me if anything new came up." The three boys sighed in unison. "Look, let's just forget it, all right? I'm fine." He offered a smile. "Besides, we gotta think of other things."
"Like what?"
"Which movie to rent.. two egg rolls or three each.."
"....Each?" Mike blinked.
"I'm a growing boy, Michael." Simon grinned, and his friends relaxed visibly. Simon was finally back. It may have taken weeks, but he was back.
