My thanks to IlovesMesomeGlee for some praise on the previous chapter. This chapter was agonizing to write. It was very, very emotionally draining. Let me know if it is too maudlin, or just right. Thanks all!
"W-what?!" Dave screamed.
"You're a liar, D." Azimio said, quietly.
"I am not a fuckin' homo, Az! What the hell?!" Dave said violently.
But Azimio shook his head, looking at Dave like he didn't even know him anymore. Of course this was correct, in only one giant way.
Azimio became a wheel of emotions – sad, disappointed, angry, amused…and finally, back to sad.
"And now you're lying to my face. Still!" Azimio sneered.
"Az, whatever you're thinking, it's not-"
"Yes it is." Azimio quietly interrupted.
Dave was exasperated. He glared at his best friend. Dave was terrified to give into the temptation of revealing his sexuality to a suddenly unstable and angry Azimio. Dave was so not ready for this, but found in his hesitation to respond to Azimio, a kind of truth being told.
Azimio simply nodded.
"Yeah. Thought so." Azimio said, quietly.
Dave said nothing, suddenly finding his conviction and strength to hide the years of secrecy from his best friend gradually more difficult. Dave started shaking.
Azimio said nothing. He waited. He looked at the walls, the floor, the lights, the bleachers – then, finally, back to Dave. Neither boy talked for a few more seconds until Azimio finally broke the ice.
"Couldn't even tell your best friend?" Azimio asked.
"How could I?!" Dave screamed, trying his best to fight off tears and crushing fear. "When would I have told you? When I heard you saying 'fag this' and 'fag that'? Or when your Mom was lecturing us on gay marriage being a sin right up there with murder?!"
Dave lost his battle. Enormous sobs rocked his body. His head dropped and all efforts to hide tears came to a crashing end. There's nothing harder to watch that an enormous jock bawling his eyes out.
Azimio simply put his hands in his letterman coat pocket. Dave's breakdown continued.
"Please don't hate me….." Dave quietly begged.
Azimio sighed.
"Sit down D, before you fall down." Azimio ordered. Dave did as he was told and sat down on the nearby bleacher. Immediately, he put his head in his hands as the agonizing tears and sobs took over.
Azimio sat near him. Dave could feel Azimio's presence but was too distracted to hear or feel anything else. His world was becoming cloudy, his peripheral edges no longer visible. His heart rate shot up and he was afraid he was having a panic attack or a heart attack or anything attack.
Please Kurt, help me! Help me! Hel-
"I hate this." Azimio firmly said.
Dave screamed into his hands. He screamed the release of years and years of hiding, secrecy, and agony. The screaming echoed around the walls of the emotionless gymnasium only to come smashing down on Dave's world. Tears fell into meaty, clammy hands along with those excruciating screams.
"I'm s-so sorryyyy, Azeee….." Dave said through even heavier sobs and tears.
Nobody came to the gymnasium. If anybody heard Dave's roaring screams, nobody bothered to care. Anything could happen in that gym at that time and nobody would do anything for Dave and his sinking world. The realization almost made Dave fall off the bleacher.
But when that realization hit Dave over and over and over, that's when Dave did start to fall. He was falling forward, not even bothering to try to catch himself. A 265-pound right guard was headed towards the wooden floor and there was no protection, no safety-net, no sympathy to save him.
Except for one African-American arm.
"Sit up, you fool." Azimio ordered. "You're gay, not dying."
.
"I am gonna dieeee!" Dave shrieked. "Everybody's gonna find out now and I'm gonna die!"
Azimio had had enough of watching Dave's meltdown. After he steadied Dave, he put his hands back in his coat pocket and smirked.
Dave, thinking the worst, looked at his friend like he didn't know him.
Azimio's chuckles soon turned into guffaws of laughter. There was no way in Dave's brain that any of this could be funny.
Dave was roaringly furious! Dave shot up out of his seat.
"Get up you son of a bitch! I'll knock you flat on your big black ass if you keep laughing at me! NONE OF THIS IS FUNNY!" Dave hollered.
"Oh, yes it is." Azimio laughed.
Dave launched at Azimio's coat, blindingly enraged. And as Dave pulled his arm back, fist tightly clenched, Azimio held his hands up in a type of surrender, his laughter suddenly coming to an end. That got Dave's attention.
"You see these arms of mine up, D?" Azimio asked.
Dave said nothing. Rage, fear, and tears clouded everything, but he listened nonetheless.
"This is what you shoulda done years ago." Azimio finished. Dave, confused, let go of Azimio's coat, but stood his ground.
"What the fuck are you talking about?!" Dave yelled.
"You shoulda given up", carefully began Azimio, but gradually becoming more and more angry, "on hiding. You shoulda been honest wid me, no matter what it coulda cost you. You shouldn't have lef me in da fucking dark!"
"Oh, really! Really! So you could call me a 'faggot' and run off and tell the whole school?!" Dave furiously replied.
Azimio hunched a little. This was something Azimio hadn't considered before. The boys looked at each other, trying to understand where they were both coming from. Around them, the gymnasium was silent. A nearby fluorescent light bulb flickered distractedly. The class bell had rung, but neither boy could remember exactly when that was.
Azimio and Dave looked at each other some more until it was Azimio who finally spoke up.
"A-ight. I get it. You couldn't tell your best friend, someone you been friends wid since the 7th grade, that you're into dudes because you couldn't trust your buddy with that information."
"Yes!" Dave said tearfully.
"And you didn't trust me because of the way me an' my family talked about gay dudes?" Azimio asked, a little thoughtfully.
"Yes." Dave replied, just a little calmer.
Azimio nodded, looking away. Dave looked away too. Dave couldn't help but notice that Azimio wasn't trying to beat him up and wasn't going anywhere.
Dave waited.
"But," Azimio started up again, "IF you coulda, you woulda tol' me, right? I'da been the first to know?"
Dave sighed.
"Probably…..I just wasn't sure how you'd react. You've been, like, my only friend for some time now. I didn't want to lose your friendship." Dave replied, almost casually.
Emotions were becoming cooler now, not as passionate. Dave's breathing started to return to normal, as conversation did the same.
Azimio just nodded again, thinking Dave's words over.
"And," Azimio started up again, "if I was OK wid it, you'd still, ya know, hang out wid me? Still, ya know, be my bro?"
For the first time in what felt like an eternity, Dave looked at Azimio. Azimio had just a hint of fear in his eyes.
Oh, I get it. I'm his only friend.
"Yeah. I would, Az." Dave answered earnestly.
Azimio nodded and looked away. But Dave kept his eye on his best friend. Dave could practically see the wheels turning in Azimio's brain. Azimio wasn't the brightest bulb in the bunch, but he had a big, caring heart. It was something Dave really loved about his best friend. Azimio didn't show this side to him very often.
Suddenly, Azimio looked at Dave with the biggest, soppiest grin Dave had ever seen.
Relief flooded Dave's consciousness then, almost knocking him over.
"OK!" Azimio said as he was getting up to leave the gymnasium.
Completely surprised, Dave called out to his friend.
"Nobody can know yet!" Dave yelled.
"I know!" Azimio responded, just as he dropped out of sight out the door.
Dave collapsed onto the bleacher. My God – he's cool with it!
.
4th period geometry class arrived sooner than expected. Dave was lost in thought about his best friend and couldn't remember 2nd and 3rd period classes. Azimio was furious that he didn't know about Dave's sexuality, but completely understood why Dave didn't reveal it. Azimio wasn't very bright, but once somebody like him understands things, you'd be surprised what someone like him can accept.
And accept he did!
As Dave entered 4th period geometry, he barely got one foot in the door before he felt a smack on his bicep.
"Owww!" Dave exclaimed, and whirled around ready to face the jerk that dared hit him, but stopped when he realized it was Kurt.
Kurt. God it's good to see you, baby.
"What happened?" Kurt asked, irritated. "What did Azimio want? Are you alright? What's going on?"
Dave smiled.
He cares about me. Awwwww.
"It's OK. There's a lot to tell and I will tell you in private later. Just know that Azimio Adams is awesome."
And with that, Dave turned away from Kurt and took his seat. Mrs. Martin was getting class started, but Kurt hadn't moved from his spot near the entrance.
"Mr. Hummel? May I begin class?" Mrs. Martin asked.
And as Kurt was getting ready to murmur an apology, he heard something else.
"Yeah, sit down faggot."
Jose Medina sneered at Kurt. Kurt tried his best to ignore him and walked towards his desk.
Dave saw red.
.
In-school detention was boring. You just sit. Sure, teachers tell you you're supposed to use the time to study, to constructively think about your punishable behavior, etc. But all Dave could think about was how hard Jose hit the floor after he angrily knocked Jose out of his seat.
Dave smiled.
If detention's what it takes to keep Kurt safe, I might as well bring a sleeping bag here.
Dave's smile widened.
.