Part Three
"So he helped you up, and you just… left?" Arching an eyebrow, Ellie starred at her friend with a slightly confused look.
"Will you just drop it El," Marco muttered, making his way down the hall next to her. He just looked down at the ground as they walked, looking up after a moment to find Jimmy and Craig in front of his locker. "Hey guys," Marco began, expecting them to move when he took a step towards his locker, "um… what's up…?"
"Marco, man…" Jimmy began, glancing to Craig before stepping out of the way. There, obviously spray painted in white were the letters 'F-A-G.' Marco just starred blankly at his locker, walking up in front of it.
"…Whoever it was must've done it pretty early this morning," Craig spoke, looking to Jimmy for support, "but we got the janitor, and he's gonna try to clear it up. Radditch is also on the lookout."
Still not speaking, Marco slowly opened his locker, making sure nothing was messed with inside. So this was what Dylan meant about them trying to get to him. Had Dylan gone through the same thing? All he knew was that he wasn't Dylan, and he didn't know how strong he could be. "…Just go head to class guys, I'll catch up with you later."
Craig and Jimmy just nodded, patting his back before walking off down the hall. "You're not going to let them get away with this are you? Just have Dylan beat--"
"I said, go to class El," he took out a few books and slammed the locker door closed. Marco continued to his homeroom, pulling off the denim jacket before taking a seat.
By the end of the period, the letters were gone. Yet every time he looked to his locker, there seemed to be an imprint that only he could see. Like a bad scar. He didn't know how to fight prejudice, but he knew someone that did. After lunch, Marco headed straight for the library, hoping to find Dylan again. He wouldn't be surprised if Paige's brother wanted nothing to do with him after what he did the previous day, but he was the only person Marco could go to.
After awhile, he found the older blonde male talking Paige's friend Hazel and reading some kind of book in his hands. His voice was barely more than a whisper when he walked up behind the two. "Dylan… can we, go somewhere to talk…?" They both turned around to look at Marco. Hazel looked a bit confused, but Dylan just starred at him with a deadly blank look. "Ok… I understand. Thanks anyway…"
As Marco turned away, he felt a hand taking his own. Dylan opened a door down the hall and they walked into the empty classroom. Now his features looked sympathetic as he leaned back against a desk. "I saw what they did. You just have to ignore--"
"Just shut up! You don't know how I feel! All you have to do is wave their fist and they leave you alone. I can't do… anything…" Marco finally stopped pacing the room, turning away from Dylan as a few tears began to fall from his eyes. Yet again he felt that strong yet gentle hand on his shoulder.
"Marco… you don't think I know how you feel? I lost a lot of my friends when I told them, and every hockey practice was like hell. Life was hell. Then one day, I just got tired of it. If someone hit me physically or mentally, I'd just hit back twice as hard." He squeezed the boy's shoulder, trying his best to comfort him.
Marco spun around as tears continued to run down his face. After words failed him, he just wrapped his arms around Dylan and cried. "…but I'm… not as strong as you."
The taller teen held him tightly. "You'd be surprised how strong you can be when you decide that their opinions don't matter at all," Dylan responded, wiping the tears from his eyes, "and when you have someone to help you through it." After a moment the bell rung. Marco sniffled a few times and broke away, just starring up into Dylan's eyes. "So what do you say… we meet at my locker after school and give it another shot?"
Marco wiped his eyes with his sleeve, nodding slowly. They walked out together, and for the first time that day, he felt a smile creep onto his lips. He found Ellie at her locker and leaned back against the one next to it.
"What are you so happy about?" she asked.
"Well, I can't be sad and gay at the same time. It'd be kind of an oxymoron, you know?" Marco responded.
"If you say so."
"So he helped you up, and you just… left?" Arching an eyebrow, Ellie starred at her friend with a slightly confused look.
"Will you just drop it El," Marco muttered, making his way down the hall next to her. He just looked down at the ground as they walked, looking up after a moment to find Jimmy and Craig in front of his locker. "Hey guys," Marco began, expecting them to move when he took a step towards his locker, "um… what's up…?"
"Marco, man…" Jimmy began, glancing to Craig before stepping out of the way. There, obviously spray painted in white were the letters 'F-A-G.' Marco just starred blankly at his locker, walking up in front of it.
"…Whoever it was must've done it pretty early this morning," Craig spoke, looking to Jimmy for support, "but we got the janitor, and he's gonna try to clear it up. Radditch is also on the lookout."
Still not speaking, Marco slowly opened his locker, making sure nothing was messed with inside. So this was what Dylan meant about them trying to get to him. Had Dylan gone through the same thing? All he knew was that he wasn't Dylan, and he didn't know how strong he could be. "…Just go head to class guys, I'll catch up with you later."
Craig and Jimmy just nodded, patting his back before walking off down the hall. "You're not going to let them get away with this are you? Just have Dylan beat--"
"I said, go to class El," he took out a few books and slammed the locker door closed. Marco continued to his homeroom, pulling off the denim jacket before taking a seat.
By the end of the period, the letters were gone. Yet every time he looked to his locker, there seemed to be an imprint that only he could see. Like a bad scar. He didn't know how to fight prejudice, but he knew someone that did. After lunch, Marco headed straight for the library, hoping to find Dylan again. He wouldn't be surprised if Paige's brother wanted nothing to do with him after what he did the previous day, but he was the only person Marco could go to.
After awhile, he found the older blonde male talking Paige's friend Hazel and reading some kind of book in his hands. His voice was barely more than a whisper when he walked up behind the two. "Dylan… can we, go somewhere to talk…?" They both turned around to look at Marco. Hazel looked a bit confused, but Dylan just starred at him with a deadly blank look. "Ok… I understand. Thanks anyway…"
As Marco turned away, he felt a hand taking his own. Dylan opened a door down the hall and they walked into the empty classroom. Now his features looked sympathetic as he leaned back against a desk. "I saw what they did. You just have to ignore--"
"Just shut up! You don't know how I feel! All you have to do is wave their fist and they leave you alone. I can't do… anything…" Marco finally stopped pacing the room, turning away from Dylan as a few tears began to fall from his eyes. Yet again he felt that strong yet gentle hand on his shoulder.
"Marco… you don't think I know how you feel? I lost a lot of my friends when I told them, and every hockey practice was like hell. Life was hell. Then one day, I just got tired of it. If someone hit me physically or mentally, I'd just hit back twice as hard." He squeezed the boy's shoulder, trying his best to comfort him.
Marco spun around as tears continued to run down his face. After words failed him, he just wrapped his arms around Dylan and cried. "…but I'm… not as strong as you."
The taller teen held him tightly. "You'd be surprised how strong you can be when you decide that their opinions don't matter at all," Dylan responded, wiping the tears from his eyes, "and when you have someone to help you through it." After a moment the bell rung. Marco sniffled a few times and broke away, just starring up into Dylan's eyes. "So what do you say… we meet at my locker after school and give it another shot?"
Marco wiped his eyes with his sleeve, nodding slowly. They walked out together, and for the first time that day, he felt a smile creep onto his lips. He found Ellie at her locker and leaned back against the one next to it.
"What are you so happy about?" she asked.
"Well, I can't be sad and gay at the same time. It'd be kind of an oxymoron, you know?" Marco responded.
"If you say so."