Someday My Prince Will Come

Chapter 14

Will stood quietly, watching the crowd of people from his position against the wall. The student center was packed that night. His eyes wandered, falling on several familiar faces, who looked his way once and then turned. His name tag was proving useless; not one person had come to him for help that night.

'Why am I here?' He thought miserably, as a prospective student rushed past him, looking for the testing booth. He was supposed to be at this little orientation talk to future students and answer their questions.

His friends were no where in sight; the friends that remained by his side, anyway. Feeling bereft, Will gave up on the crowd and made his way to the door before bumping into a tall blonde.

"Oh, sorry, go ahead." Will muttered, allowing the man to pass. But the blonde remained, staring openly at him, amusement dancing in his eyes.

"Truman." He smiled and looked him up and down. Will frowned in confusion, fairly certain that he hadn't met this man before. He was wondering how he knew his name, since his name tag only said, 'Will' on it.

"Yea?"

"Noah. Sociology. Professor Albert."

"Oh, sorry, I don't recognize you."

"It's a big class." Noah flashed another smile, one Will did not really care for. "On your way out?"

"Uh, yea. Its all going well without me." said Will and he gazed over his shoulder at the flurry of people, before making his way out. Noah followed, his hands in his pockets and the same devious smile on his face. The cold hit them hard.

"Life goes on, even when the biggest things happen to you." Noah murmured absently.

"I suppose." Will rolled his eyes at the obvious and inopportune statement. Not wanting to be rude and just ditching his classmate, Will hesitated before walking off.. He didn't know this man at all, and he didn't get a good feeling from him either. The man hovered, and watched him, before pulling out a cigarette.

"Would you like one?" He asked, and Will shook his head. He kept walking along side him, just staring.

"What?! What is it?" Will asked in frustration. He glared up at Noah.

"Oh, nothing. You just clean up rather nicely." Noah took a drag and began to walk off. "I'll tell Jack you said 'hi''." He called back and made his way to the curb to hail a cab.

Will frowned, "What? Wait, you know Jack? Wait." Will glowered as Noah ignored him and got into a taxi.

'What a jerk.' The cold was stinging his arms, and he cursed at himself for wearing such a flimsy jacket. Meandering down the sidewalk, Will thought about his friend. 'Why the hell did we stop talking anyway? Its so stupid. I shouldn't have went nuts on him. There's nothing I can do about the way I am. And its not his fault that the world isn't in agreement with it either. Its neither of our faults,'

With newfound determination, Will decided he would call Jack.

Jack sunk into his seat, and prepared himself for another day. Drama was his favorite class, and yet he couldn't even concentrate enough to do his work. With James sitting directly behind him, it didn't make things easier.

He had forgotten his monologue workbook, and it was part of his midterm. He blamed his discomfort and lack of motivation on the virus. 'Christ! its getting worse.' He despaired and felt a cold sweat sweep over him.

'You're imagining these things.'

'Aren't cold sweats a symptom? So are frequent headaches!'

'Its all in your head.'

He kept berating himself, watching his teacher as she collected the workbooks. She came up to his desk.

"Jack? Where is your workbook?"

"I don't have it." He mumbled.

"Well, where is it?"

"I didn't do it."

The woman sighed heavily before moving on to James' desk. Jack groaned in shame and kicked the desk in front of him. The girl whirled around and threw him a dirty look. He stuck his tongue out and smiled un-apologetically.

Sad and embittered by the loss of companionship from Will, Jack felt himself getting sick with school and life in general. It all felt pointless to him now. But the strange thing was, he refused to cry anymore. It had been weeks since he last cried, and it was both a blessing and a bane.

'Why is Will mad at me anyway? Doesn't he realize that he needs me?!' Looking down at his notebook, he realized he had been scribbling Will's name all over the page. He smiled softly, and kept at it. Despite his frustrations, he still couldn't help feeling love for his friend. It was one of the only things that got him through the day.

Providing a fake note in order to avoid participating in gym, Jack watched his class march down the stairs to the hardwood floor. It was much too cold to use the outdoor courts.

Required to be in his gym attire, Jack brought his things to keep himself busy. He sat on the bleachers, watching mildly as the class began playing basketball. He pulled his walkman out and listened to the tape he had manage to salvage. He wrote in his notebook; mostly rambling on the paper about Will and various other wants and wishes. He had no desire whatsoever to do schoolwork. He continued scribbling until he grew sleepy.

Sighing aloud, he closed his eyes and sat back, dropping the notebook on the ground beside his feet. He hoped he would have a dream. Perhaps about Will, perhaps not. Perhaps about the one he was waiting for...

Maybe a tall, well built brunette, with striking dark eyes; it didn't have to be Will. But Jack didn't mind. He would ride up on a white horse, and tell him, "Have you been waiting long?"

Jack would nod and hop onto the horse. It didn't even have to be a horse, perhaps a motorcycle, or a Mercedes. Embracing his rescuer from behind, he would smile contentedly and they would ride off into the sunset, to engage in a number of shopping sprees...

Jack was so enthralled by this daydream he hardly noticed the students climbing the bleachers to return to the locker rooms. Startled, he rose and gathered his things. He felt around the ground for his notebook and felt his heart sink when he couldn't find it.

'Where did I put it?' He reached into his backpack, fishing around for it frantically; but to no avail. 'Did I kick it somewhere?' Jack scanned the bleachers around him, and found nothing. He raced up the steps, and ran towards the locker room. He inspected the ground, figuring someone must have kicked it up there.

"Looking for this?"

Jack's heart sank at the sound of that voice, but he raised his eyes, to give his nemesis an even glare. "Give it back." Jack demanded in a strikingly calm tone. He was much too irate to be pestered by James at the moment.

James considered this briefly, looking down at the notebook and smiling. Without shame, he began thumbing through it.

"Don't!" Jack shouted and charged forward in an attempt to snatch it. James swiftly moved away from him, his face becoming serious and angry.

Jack gave this boy the darkest glare he could muster. It wasn't enough that this boy bothered him every day of school, and pushed him around without remorse. He had to find unique ways to humiliate him! Jack did not want this closeted monster to take his anger out on him.

"Give it back James!" He hissed and stomped his foot. He didn't think he was threatening the senior at all, but it didn't stop the anger from boiling over.

"I don't think so." James opened the notebook and looked down at the page with Will's name all over it. His face became unreadable. His eyes met Jack's briefly, before he went into the locker room.

"No!" Jack went in after him, pleading now, screaming at him to return the notebook. James merely laughed and swung around to show his friends. Jack could feel his face growing hot, his palms getting sweaty.

"Hey fag," One of James' friends called. "Who the hell is Will?" They chuckled and fought over the notebook, reading some of the passages Jack had written, aloud. They went over them, sneering and mocking them, twisting his own words and turning them into something disgusting. They made obscene gestures with their hands and howling with laughter.

The mere sound of their voices replicating his own thoughts nearly drove Jack insane. He had never felt so enraged before. 'How dare they? How dare they?' He kept asking himself.

'Are you just going to stand by and let them do this?' He screamed at himself. The boys kept laughing and showing everyone the pages, tearing them from the notebook to pass around. James watched Jack with all smugness one could possibly exhibit.

This boy, Jack decided, was truly the evil one. All this time he had been berating himself, cursing who he was, because of this insecure fool: saturated in denial. The whole while, he was hating himself, just like his counterpart. Jack blamed this on James and got even more angry.

'You should do something!'

'Everything will end up the same anyway. Why not just show him and his friends what he truly is?'

'Its all his fault anyway.'

'He can't think he's immune to the curse... to what he is'

Numbly, Jack walked up to James, looked him in the face and pulled back his fist. Jack hadn't realized he'd hit James until he felt a roaring pain in his hand. He blinked and felt something cold rush through him. Everything was more vivid now. He shook his hand, hissing at the blaring pain.

Raising his eyes, Jack swallowed hard. James had stumbled back several inches, pure shock written on his face. The red haired boy then became red with fury, he made an unusual sound; something like a growl, Jack couldn't tell. And he couldn't care. He didn't feel so scared, he knew what was going to happen next, but he was still surprised and pleased with the blow he had landed on his enemy. Jack stopped shaking his hand and brought it down by his hip. He hadn't noticed, but the locker room was deathly silent. The dismissal bell cut through the quiet and students were no longer interested in the notebook. They rushed out of the building to go home.

James remained frightfully still, glowering at Jack. But Jack glowered right back, fully prepared for whatever awaited him. James' two friends hung back, surprised and amused that Jack had actually punched the older boy. The senior was not bleeding, but his eyes were flaring with an anger that almost made Jack cower.

Jack knew if he ran, it would make no difference. It was three against one. They would catch up to him.

It wasn't James who made the first move, but his friend, a boy named Richard. Jack was startled when he was shoved by this boy, and knocked backwards. He fell roughly on his bottom, dropping his backpack and sending its contents everywhere.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" Richard sneered and lifted him by the collar to hit him in the face. Shielding his face with his arms, Jack kicked frantically at the boy's legs, attempting to free himself from his grip.

James came around, pushed his friend away and hauled Jack up on his feet. He struck him once in the face, and slammed him up against a neighboring wall. He shook him with such a force, Jack felt his teeth clack.

"You fucking asshole!" James screamed into his face, and slammed him into the wall again. "You goddamn faggot!" He kept screaming, relentlessly shaking the younger boy and then slamming him again.

Dizzy and sick with the force, Jack wasn't sure what was happening. He felt his head bang against the wall and his back hitting it as well, but his vision was growing blurry. He could taste blood in his mouth, but he wasn't certain how it got there. Over and over, he was flogged into the wall, listening to James scream: faggot. It was infuriating. Through the pain, Jack couldn't help but feel annoyed at the hypocrite smashing him into the locker room wall.

Jack managed to raise his hands, in an attempt to dislodge James' hold on him. Insulted with this, James released him, only to deliver a ruthless blow to Jack's stomach. He accidentally bit his tongue.

Now Jack was certain where the blood was coming from. He keened forward, coughing violently. On his hands and knees now, Jack blinked several times, trying to clear his vision. But then he felt James's other friend, Mike come up next to him. He was kicked in the stomach, and fell flat on his belly, finally crying out.

"What now faggot? Try and hit me again!" James leered.

Groaning Jack tried lifting himself off of the ground, feeling self conscious with his assailants standing by watching. He managed to get on his hands and knees again, when Richard produced a trash can, and brought it down over his back. James cackled some more, and exchanged a joke with his friends that Jack could not hear.

'This is really happening.' Jack though the heavy pain in his back. On his belly again, Jack watched blood fall from his nose and onto the tile floor below. 'This is his fault. Not mine. It was never my fault.' Jack thought with wonder. 'The whole time. It was his own fault.' He began chuckling. He giggled so hard, that he began coughing again.

"What the fuck is so funny faggot?!" James demanded. Jack stayed on his belly, but looked up at his enemy with a cruel mirth in his eyes.

"I know what you are." He said simply and began chuckling again.

"What?" James said scornfully.

"I think you shook him too hard." Richard laughed.

Jack rolled over onto his back, propped himself up on his elbows and looked down at the blood that stained his gym uniform. He began laughing louder now, stopping to look up at James and then laughing again. James was feeling very uncomfortable with this, he snarled and pulled Jack up again.

"You're fucking sick in the head aren't you?" James said, not really expecting an answer.

"I know what you are." Jack said again, as if it were confidential. He began saying it over and over. "I know what you are."

"What the fuck is his problem?!" Mike asked.

"I feel sorry for you." Jack smiled. "I know what you are." He coughed a little more blood.

"Come on James, lets get out of here, before we get busted." Richard decided, not feeling good about any of this anymore.

"No. Not yet!"

As they fidgeted, Jack's eyes darkened and he looked James dead in the face. "I know who you really are."

James didn't let go of Jack, but his eyes were unguarded for a moment. Jack was no longer smiling, but sneering. A black and stinging anger blazed in his words. "You're just like me."

Once he said that, James hit him so hard, Jack thought he saw stars. When everything cleared, Jack could see James had let him go, but remained planted before him, breathing so frantically, Jack thought he was having an asthma attack. But it didn't last for long, James dashed forward, pinning him against the wall; his forearm beneath his chin, at the throat.

"Say that again." James dared him. Jack felt frightened all of a sudden. He had spilled the truth to him. It was something James knew, but didn't want to accept. He couldn't let this bastard go on lying.

"James..." Mike said nervously, looking towards the door. "James the janitors will be here any minute. Come on,"

"You're a fucking fag like me!!!" Jack screamed it so loud, he was sure the whole school heard it. A dark dread filled him in that instant, at the sight of James's face; so shocked, so angry, so full of hate. But he was on a roll. "You're a faggot James! You're a fucking queer. You think I can't tell? You have queen 'written' all over-"

Jack was cut off as James went mad and threw him down, kicking and cursing. He was like a crazed animal. Mike and Richard exchanged glances and decided to make a run for it. James was so sloppy now, missing and kicking at nothing, that Jack saw a chance for escape. He darted forward and out the door, heading for the gymnasium. But his aggressor was hot in pursuit.

Jack ran down the stairs, almost in fear for his life. The gym was utterly empty. He finally made to the bottom of the bleachers, only to stumble and fall flat on his face. James was on him in that instant, dragging him up and hitting him again.

Jack covered his face, and scrambled to get away from the crazed high school student. But once again, James had the upper hand. Pinning Jack to the floor, James gripped Jack by the throat and shook him hard.

"Take it back!!!" He screeched like a lunatic, and tried strangling Jack into taking back the words. "Take it back you sick fairy!! Take it back!!"

Jack clawed at the hands around his neck and coughed. How did James expect him to take back the words, if he couldn't even speak? Not like he would take back the words anyhow...

"Take it back!!"

Jack felt his eyes watering at the lack of air. He kicked feebly as James shook him, trying to break free. He wondered if James really intended to choke him and kill him. He looked James in the eyes, not relenting for what he said. Now he was beginning to panic, he dug his nails into the hands around his throat, hoping he would withdraw. He was gaining nothing. So he gathered the blood and saliva in his mouth and spat directly into the redhead's face.

This gave Jack a window to breathe, because James lifted his hands to wipe at his face. Jack took in a gulp of air, and almost went slack, feeling weak.

"HELP!" He hollered, and received another blow to the face.

"Take it back!" James demanded again.

"No!" Jack refused, struggling beneath the senior. "You're gay James! Its not my fault! Its YOUR fault. You're a goddamn fairy and you know it! And you need to stop lying, because I see it on your face. You're dying inside, and I know it..."

James held the angry look, his face twisted beyond recognition, but Jack saw something in his eyes fall away... he knew, and he was thinking about it now. Jack had the upper hand now. James was frozen in shock and humiliation.

Was he really figuring it out? Or was he so pissed that he couldn't move? Jack couldn't tell. He made a few pained sounds, still pinned by the larger boy, and hardened the look on his face.

"Let me go." Jack said breathlessly, and he wriggled around. "Let me go!"

James gave strangled cry, and slammed Jack into the ground one last time before releasing him. Looking down at the younger boy, the red headed senior backed away, shaking his head.

"You're wrong! You're fucking wrong!" And he was out of the gym in a flash.

Jack groaned and rolled onto his side. He laid there, recovering from the ordeal. His mind was a whirl, he couldn't determine where he was hurting and where he wasn't. With much effort, he stood up and staggered over to the stairs that ran up through the bleachers, back to the locker room. He stifled a whining sound and lifted his feet to climb to the top and gather his things.

Once he had ascended and ambled through the door to the locker room, he took a quick glance at the mirror. Quickly he covered his mouth, appalled at the sight that greeted him. His nose was bleeding and he was already sporting a nasty bruise near his right eye.

"That fucking asshole! I hope he gets whats coming to him!" He hissed aloud, and bent down to collect the sheets of paper torn from his notebook. Once they were all together, he looked down at them, and with a resigned sigh he stuffed them into a neighboring trashcan.

Still feeling woozy, Jack lifted his backpack from the ground and shuffled over towards the exit. Thankfully, everyone seemed to have gone home. There were no students roaming the halls at the moment. Jack made his way down the corridor, supporting himself on the lockers as he passed. He had barely managed to make it halfway down when a gust of dizziness hit him full force.

'I hope he didn't shake my brain!' Jack thought with a touch of fear. He truly hoped he wasn't seriously injured. He didn't want anymore attention, and he definitely didn't want his mother getting involved.

Pausing mid-step, Jack closed his eyes. It felt like the hallway was spinning. He took a couple more steps towards the door, halting and gathering more strength, and then moving foward again. 'At this rate, I'll reach the house by midnight!'

Reaching for the doorhandle, Jack walked out into the cold. He shuddered as the wind twisted its way past him, causing the pain in his head to augment. He walked down the steps and onto the sidewalk, and halted once more and he lost his ground.

He staggered foward onto the grass and swayed uncertainly beside a bench. He fell foward and gasped aloud, feeling everything going black.... he looked up, catching a glimpse of the gray clouds before closing his eyes.

Will dialed Jack's house one more time, waiting patiently for an answer. Once again the answering machine picked up his call. He hung up the phone and let out a sigh.

"Where could he be?" he thought aloud. A slight pang of worry hit him before Rob came in through the door.

"Hey Will."

"Hi Rob." Will looked up at his friend and stifled a laugh. There was smeared red lipstick all over his friend's mouth. "Did Ellen corner you again?" He asked playfully and laughed as Rob grimaced at his reflection.

"I saw your ex-girlfriend today." Rob said after he'd completed wiping his face.

"Really." Will tried not to look so nervous at this point. Thinking about Grace made him feel so guilty. "How is she?"

"I don't know. She looks okay. Ellen talks to her all the time, but she's never said anything to me." Rob shrugged.

"Oh." They were quiet for a little while.

"You should talk to her."

"I probably should..."

"But you won't."

"I don't know Rob." Will stood up. "Listen, I got a class in half an hour. I'll see you later."

Will left quickly, stressing over Grace, Jack and the midterm exam scheduled.