This is entirely my Lit teacher's fault.
Threat.
By Tyger
"Why do you put up with it?"
asks Malik. Malik is the prettiest man I've met. And he knows it,
gods does he know it.
"It doesn't matter." I say,
and walk into the kitchen to get us drinks. Malik waits at the door.
He isn't aloud in my kitchen. He knows that too.
"Yes is does." he says, and
sips at his drink. We sit down at the couch, and I think about
turning the TV on, to try and distract him. I don't - it would
probably just encourage him.
"I mean, you just can't let people
treat you like that!" he says, and pouts at me. Idiot.
"It doesn't hurt anyone. It
doesn't matter." I say.
"It does matter. You've got to
keep your self-respect, you know." he says. That's about the
difference between us. He cares about other people.
I pick up the book I was reading last
night. I know I'll be hearing about it until the others get here.
Malik's like that.
"You can't let them do that! It's
wrong! It's degrading! Treating you like... like you're just a
thing, not a person." he says.
"They didn't even say anything. I
don't see what you're getting so worked up about." I say.
"They didn't need to!" he
says, one hand flailing wildly with the other clutches his drink.
Eventually he calms down. He looks at his drink, resigned. We've
had this conversation before.
"I mean gods, Baku." he says
"If nothing else, it's a threat to your masculinity." he
says.
"I
know. It is. It still doesn't matter." I say, and smile at
him.