We watched as the teacher dragged himself into the classroom and slumped down at his desk.
"What's up, sir?" Kane asked finally.
"I've got a cold and a hangover, so just…do what you want, as long as it doesn't involve bodily harm." he mumbled in reply, his head buried in his arms.
"Did you have a good night, then?" Ray laughed and took a deep breath of cannabis.
"No, Ray, I went the way of all good depressives and drank myself into unconscious in front of the TV. Put that out or pass it here." Stubbornly, Ray folded his arms and looked out the window. I chuckled softly, hiding my worry for my newfound boyfriend. "Ray. Joint. Here. Now. Do not make me raise my head." Shrugging, Ray passed the joint forwards and reached for another one. Sir took the joint and inhaled deeply, letting out a satisfied sigh and throwing the half-used drug in the bin. We sat in stunned silence.
"Well, well, wait until my parents hear about this," Ray nudged Jim and spoke in a loud stage-whisper. His eyes were glittering radiant gold with recklessness.
"I'm supposed to care about your parents, Ray?"
"I'll have you sacked!" Everyone stared at Ray in shock. This guy - weird or not - was the best teacher any of us had ever had. Bryan and Brooklyn were calmer, Tala had started looking a little bit less "druggie," heck, I even understood simultaneous equations now, after three years of knowing about as much about them as a six year-old!
"You'd better not!" Bryan growled, his eyes narrowing. There was a murmur of agreement from the rest of us, the mood turning ugly in seconds. Even I couldn't find it in me to support my rash boyfriend and I knew why he was as out of control as he was today, or could make a damn good guess.
"Ray, stop being stupid!" I pleaded. "Leave it, okay?" But Ray was beyond listening, to me or to anyone. His lean, tanned body was tensed as if for a fight, his unusually long canines on full display.
"I could do it, you know! I've got three teachers sacked before!"
"Yes, on the charge of trying to seduce you, I know." came the emotionless response. Ray paused, slightly taken aback, before barrelling on regardless.
"Yeah, so I can do it to you!"
"What would you say?" The teacher, despite looking half-dead, actually sounded interested. Ray shrugged.
"Oh, I don't know. I've got a good imagination." He smiled, a dark, twisted expression that sent chills down my spine. "Maybe you just kept looking at me in the changing rooms. Or maybe you took it a step further, maybe you came in and pinned me against the wall and started taking my clothes off-"
"I get the point, thank you, Kon." We all stopped, shocked by the quiet anger in his weak voice. "Parents or no parents, you accuse me of anything like that again and I will personally ensure you never pass your GCSE's, or need I remind you that you failed eight out of ten exams five times in row? As this rate, you'll be fifty before you get any A-levels, or failing that, any kind of job." Ray paled, although whether it was with fear or fury, not even I could tell. Silenced, he turned to look out of the window sullenly. The silence was broken by the teacher sneezing loudly. Jim sniggered. "Hilarious, I'm sure, James." Sir mumbled thickly.
Everyone sat in awkward silence. The tension between Ray and Sir was so thick it seemed to actually stop speech before it left your mouth. Ray was staring out of the window, a scowl on his face that could have cracked glass, and Sir still hadn't lifted his head. Or even moved it. Eventually, the bell rang for break.
"Get out. I need to overdose on painkillers without spoiled brats threatening to sack me for drug abuse." he snapped. The class stood and straggled out: all except Ray and I. "You two as well. Get lost." he continued harshly. I started signing "Just a minute, sir," but gave up with an inaudible groan as I remembered that he couldn't actually see me. Ignoring him, I wrapped my arms around Ray and stared anxiously at him. He shuffled aside and I sat down in the space he had created. His body was trembling, and so tense that I could see rope-like muscles jutting against his tanned skin.
"I - want - to - kill - him." he gritted out jerkily.
"Who?" I signed, not sure if I wanted to know the answer.
"Him," was the only response. Suddenly, he pushed his chair back so hard that it fell to the floor with a deafening clatter. "I'm out of here. See you around." He bent down and gave me a fierce, almost brutal kiss. I reached up and caught him by the wrist. "Let go!" He pulled ineffectively. I forced my voice through my frozen vocal chords.
"Ray, don't let…" I trailed off. Not because of my voice, but because I had just remembered that Sir was still in the room. Ray smiled down at me, a frightening mixture of sadness and acceptance swirling in his beautiful golden eyes.
"There's only so much one person can take, Maxie. Even a superior being like me." He smiled again. The expression had a defeated quality. Thousands of words rushed through my head - no, you promised, why you, why me, don't hate yourself, it's not your fault, don't hurt yourself, I hate him for doing this to you… When it came to speaking, there was only one, hopelessly clichéd phrase that I wanted to say.
"Ray…I love you…" Suddenly, his arms were around me, tears flowing down both our cheeks.
"Love you too." he whispered. "Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere…" The unspoken word hung in the air even as he kissed me.
Yet.
We sat in each other's arms peacefully, until I suddenly noticed that Sir hadn't moved since dismissing us. I nudged Ray and pointed, who raised an eyebrow in surprise.
"You okay, sir?" he asked loudly. The teacher didn't stir. Ray shrugged. "Probably asleep. Let's go," He stood and looked down at me, bewildered. I kept my eyes fixed on Sir's unmoving form. "What's up?"
"It doesn't feel right." I signed - pointing to my head, then at Sir and making a quick cross sign. Ray frowned and sauntered over to the desk. He put a hand on the teacher's arm and shook it gently. No reaction.
"Sir? You okay, sir?" he repeated. A groan came from Sir's mouth, muffled by the position he was in, and he stirred, trying to pull away from Ray's gentle grip. "Sir? Can you talk? Do you want anything?" Another groan, the man's eyelids flickering as he woke up. Mischief glimmered in Ray's eyes. "What's your name?" Dazed amethyst eyes stared groggily up at Ray.
"Kai…" he mumbled, a split second before his gaze shot back into focus. "Repeat that, and you die." I hurried up and, without a warning to either of them, put my hand on the teacher's forehead, feeling for a temperature. And wow, did I feel one!
"Sir, you've got a temperature!" I scolded, filing his name away for future reference. Hm…Kai. Suited him.
"Give the kid full marks for observation…" he mumbled weakly. I scrutinised him carefully. He was ashen, his raw nose the only splodge of colour in his face. Even his usually dazzling amethyst eyes were dull and glassy.
"You shouldn't be in school." Ray commented, his voice nearly as cold as the teacher's.
"Tell me something I don't know." Sir sat up slowly, one hand on his forehead. "I apologise for arguing with you earlier. That was stupid and childish of me, to let myself be provoked." The apology was stiff and uncomfortable, but still out of the blue enough to make both Ray and I gape soundlessly in shock.
"I shouldn't've started it." Ray muttered awkwardly, averting his eyes.
"Doesn't matter." He closed his eyes for a brief second. "I'm…sorry." The word came out sounding almost comically forced. Ray shrugged, clearly uncomfortable with the unfamiliar situation. As for me? Well, I was quite enjoying it, really. The two of them really were too alike for their own good sometimes.
"He's enjoying this, isn't he?" Sir asked. Ray nodded.
"Yep." They both glared at me. Laughing, I turned away and headed for the door.
"Coming, Ray?" I called over my shoulder.
"Yeah, wait up." He jogged level with me and slung an arm possessively around my waist. I shot a sideways look at him, noticing the dark look still in his eyes. He smiled at me without bothering to make eye contact.
I tugged Ray over to a deserted spot outside and grabbed his head, forcing him to look at me.
"Ray, talk to me," I pleaded softly. He smiled again, thinly, humourlessly. Ignoring my request completely, he took hold of my wrist and gently rolled my sleeve up. I flinched and tried to pull away, but he just held tighter. Last night's wounds revealed themselves. I never bothered with plasters: why would I cover up what I had created? What was the point in doing it if you couldn't see them?
His index finger traced the cuts almost tenderly, his beautiful face as blank as a statue, golden eyes soft and dreamy.
"Did they hurt?" he asked at last. I shrugged. I supposed they probably had hurt, they had probably all hurt, but I was never in a state of mind that registered pain at the time. "How long does it take before they stop hurting?" I stared at him, aghast. He frowned and shook his head, as if jolting himself awake. "Never mind." I made eye contact again. This time, we held it, our eyes boring into each other's.
"Did he do it again?" I asked softly, raising my hand and stroking his cheek. He tilted his head into the caress and nodded, his eyes downcast. Suddenly, he resembled nothing more than a lonely, confused child. I moved forward and hugged him reassuringly. He leaned into the embrace, and I felt my shoulder become damp with the tears that were streaming down his cheeks. He raised his head and rested it on top of mine. Silently, I reached under his jumper and T-shirt and ran my fingers over the welts and cuts that decorated his flat, muscular stomach. Those muscles tensed at my touch, creating a hard surface that I couldn't have made an impression on by punching with everything I had.
"I hate him, Max...I hate him so, so much..." I kissed the hollow at the base of his throat and nuzzled into his chest. He didn't want an answer, he just needed me to be there for him.
I was there for him.
"Sometimes...when he does it...I can convince myself it's not happening...but that just makes it worse when he leaves me alone..." His hair was loose today and it was hanging around us in a shining, black river, our little cocoon from the world. "I hate him, but I hate myself more."
"Don't say that!" I snapped, glaring up at him. He looked away, colouring with shame.
"I do," he whispered. "It's all my fault...if I'd been different, nothing would ever have happened...he would never have touched me,"
"That's not true," I said firmly. He stared at me, something frightening welling up in his eyes.
"Oh, isn't it? I ask for it, behaving like a complete slag, like a prostitute, I might as well walk around with a big sign that says "Shag me, I'm game!" written on my forehead!" His voice rose steadily until he was yelling.
"Yes, but who turned you into that?" I inquired calmly, more calmly than I felt. He stared at me wildly; I could practically see his mind working, trying to find the answer in the logic of self-blame that he had built up around himself.
He couldn't; and it disturbed him, this hole where there should be an easy answer. I could see the panic in his eyes.
"I started it." he repeated stubbornly. "It's my fault." I opened my mouth, then closed it again in defeat.
"It's not your fault, Ray," I murmured hopelessly. "It's not your fault."
Kai wearily dismissed the class. End of the day at last, he thought. His head was swimming, and he couldn't stop shivering. His sinuses felt raw and burnt. Gradually, the sounds of everyone leaving faded. Taking a steadying breath, he tried to stand. The world blurred and whirled around as though he was on a merry-go-round, and he was only vaguely aware of somebody catching him and lowering him to the ground.
The cool floor felt good against his cheek, despite the chills that raced through him. An uncomfortably cold hand rested on his forehead.
"What have you done to yourself, Kai?" his rescuer asked, sounding only slightly concerned. Kai groaned mentally. Great. The very last person he would ever choose to see him in this state.
His ex. Their relationship had been quick, explosive in every sense of the word, and very nasty to end. Violence had ensued.
Hiro Granger. Of all people, why did it have to be him?
(Grins evilly) Betcha no-one was expecting that! Hiro might play quite a big part soon, I've got some ideas floating round my head at the moment. Kai has a cold purely because I've spent the whole of this week feeling like hell with one!
Wow, is Ray ever messed-up! Not that Max is perfect. Or Kai, in fact.(grins again) This fic is FUN to write! Anyone want to hazard a guess to what's going to happen next chappie?
Please, please review!