I introduced three new characters in this chapter. Enjoy! :D
Chapter 5 - Memories
Alfred fumed. He still couldn't believe his luck. He was only out for a stroll, getting some burgers from McDonald's for breakfast when he was stopped by him! He never wanted to see that man's face again. He rubbed his mouth furiously at the thought of how it was tainted by that freak.
After he gave the man what he deserved on the face, he had stalked away from the staring eyes of the crowds they had drawn in. He no longer had any appetite for burgers. He just wanted some damn coffee. A mixture of disgust and hatred enveloped his body. He felt a shiver and hugged himself. He sat down heavily on the curb, not really caring if anyone saw or not.
He was never as discriminated as this before, harboring unpleasant feelings toward homosexuals. Before that happened, he never really cared about anyone's sexuality. Alfred, like most normal guys, enjoyed the company of girls and kept secret stashes of pornography hidden under his bed, but that was the limits of his thoughts on the subject before...
It was about this time as well, Alfred thought, frowning. Seeing him again had reminded him of the memories that he was trying so hard to seal in the depths of his mind.
Five years ago, he was at a Christmas party with his friends and some seniors at a local cafe. He remembered taking a break from dancing and on his way to the washroom. Then, this older guy, Francis Bonnefoy, with shoulder length blond hair, had approached him when he was alone. He had smooth talked him easily and managed to convince Alfred into meeting him after that. He was good looking enough, and Alfred wasn't thinking that much, either.
Francis had expressed his interest in Alfred romantically on their first meeting, kissing Alfred gently after his vocal confession. Alfred was surprised that he did not exactly dislike this feeling, even though he was being kissed by a guy.
He was still confused with his feelings at first, but had gradually come to accept Francis after a few more dates. Nevertheless, Alfred had insisted on keeping their relationship a secret. Even though he had decided to have a relationship with a guy, he was not ready to let anyone know just yet. He was sure he would be the laughing stock in school if anyone found out. Francis, on the other hand, did not believe in secrecy. He would always try to put his hands around Alfred, and even went as far as kissing Alfred in public. Alfred's protests were usually futile.
One day, he appeared in Alfred's school, looking for Alfred. Alfred had turned green at the sight of him and feared that Francis would do something inappropriate. True enough, he had greeted Alfred by planting a big kiss on his lips in front of everyone. He wasn't able to run in time. It had been hell after that. Words spread like wild fire in an oil field about how he was seen kissing a guy. He was infamous after only a day.
It was unfortunate that someone managed to take a picture of that particular moment with their phone, and that picture had been posted on the notice board for the whole school to see. Like it was some breaking news.
At first, he was only being laughed at and taunted at for being gay. He only needed to duck his head and avoid looking at anyone in the eyes to get around the mess. He thought he would be able to take this until it became old news.
He was wrong. The situation had worsened when someone started dumping Slushies on him, then others started following suit. Even people who he didn't know would pick on him. His locker was vandalized with glue and graffiti, and when he finally managed to pry it open, the text books and belongings inside were utterly destroyed, shredded into unusable pieces. I AM GAY was scribbled inside in bright red.
There were also thumb tacks hidden inside his sport shoes, which he had unfortunately missed, causing minor injuries on his toes. Other passersby would deliberately bump into his shoulder very hard. There were fresh new notes everyday under his desk with the phrase, Gays are not welcome here. Even his own friends had started to shun him. He stopped going to basketball practice because his team mates refused to pass the ball to him.
He kept on telling himself that he could take this. He would take this. He would not let this get to him.
However, one day after school hours, he was half dragged, half carried to the roof top of the school building by a few seniors. They had stripped him until he was only left with a pair of boxers, and left him there with the door locked. He tried to shout and scream for help, but no one came. It was, after all, after school hours, and most students had already left the campus. He was delirious with fever when the janitor found him the next day.
The school called his parents when they found him, and they rushed to the school to fetch him after having stayed up all night, endlessly worrying. He was so traumatized after that, he refused to go to school and stayed at home. He had also severed any links with Francis. His parents finally decided to move to another area and transferred him to his current private school to let him start all over.
It had taken him a long time to pick himself up. And just as he was about to have a life, he had to meet Francis again.
He never wanted to see that fucker again, he thought as he clenched his fists.
Arthur was panting hard. He had finally caught up with Alfred, he thought as he saw Alfred sitting alone by the road side. He was not used to all that running.
Should I start doing some exercise? he wondered.
"Why, hey there, Arthur! Fancy meeting you here!" A cheerful voice said from behind.
It was Feliciano Vargas, a senior from his drama club. He was with another senior, Ludwig Beilschmidt, a tall guy, with his blond hair slicked back who was looking down at Arthur with a frown on his face. Vargas was always clinging to Beilschmidt, which made Arthur wondered about their relationship.
"Hello, Vargas! How are you?" Arthur greeted politely.
"Great great~! How many times do I need to tell you to just call me Feli? By the way, how's your preparations for the play? Everything going smoothly? Do let me know if you need any help!" Vargas exclaimed, as bouncy as ever.
Arthur groaned inwardly, this was just bad timing as he eyed Alfred not far away.
"Everything is going good here. I had most of the lines memorized. Thanks for your offer, though."
"We were just on our way to Fratini to have some pasta," Vargas exchanged glances with Beilschmidt before continuing, "How about joining us?"
Arthur declined politely.
"All right, I'll see you in school, then. Have a great day!"
When they left, Arthur couldn't be more glad. He started to walk toward Alfred but found that he was no longer there. He looked around and couldn't find any sign of him at all. Disappointed, he went back to the café. He wondered where Alfred was now.
Alfred went home, straight home, feeling grumpy. He was not prepared to find Francis lingering outside his doorway. He quickly turned to leave, hoping Francis did not see him, but he was too late.
Francis grabbed hold of his hand. "Let's talk, please?" he begged.
"What the hell! How did you fucking find me? And there is nothing to talk about." Alfred tried to fling off his hand, but Francis was holding him with a death grip. He was looking at Alfred as if his life depended on it. It was then Alfred noticed how Francis had seemed so much older and he had lines under his eyes that were never there before.
Alfred's heart softened. "Fine, just five minutes. Say what ya want and leave me in peace. Now, let go of my hand!" This time, Francis did let go of his hand.
"Oh god, Alfred. I just wanted to apologize for what happened before. You have no idea how sorry I am. I had been trying so hard to look for you, but you were gone! I couldn't find you anywhere. I couldn't believe it when I saw you today, and I thought, this must be God giving me another chance," he said desperately.
Alfred didn't say anything. He was looking down instead and not meeting his eyes. He was feeling quite torn at this moment.
When Alfred didn't say anything, Francis continued, "You meant a lot to me and I never meant to hurt you in anyway. I didn't know any of that would happen. I… I just wanted to apologize, that's all. I won't appear in front of you after this. Do you think there will any chance of forgiving me? S'il te plaît, pardonnes moi de t'avoir blesser?"
"I don't know, Francis. What happened had affected me too fucking much. Maybe one day, I might find the heart to forgive ya. And maybe not. But definitely not now," Alfred declared and refused to look him in the eyes.
"That's as best as I could ever ask for. Thank you for listening. I'll leave now."
And he left, but not after looking at Alfred in despair and leaving a very confused Alfred behind.
That night, Alfred tossed and turned. He couldn't sleep. Even though Francis was the reason for his change, he found that he couldn't really hate him, not after how he had apologized. But he wasn't sure he was ready to forgive him. Not yet. And Alfred is not going to suddenly welcome the homosexual community after just one night.