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Ch: Girls & Boys

Billy's POV

As soon as we stepped on the bus all eyes were on us. We looked for a seat toward the front just to avoid walking past all the staring and whispering kids. Unfortunately, the closest seat to the front of the bus was in the middle. Ned gripped my hand harder as we made our way to the empty seat, single file, me in front. As I walked by, there were a few glares but not nearly as many as I thought.

'Maybe it won't be so bad. Some of the girls are even giggling.' The girls right behind our chosen seat were giggling and pointing at our clasped hands. I felt my face get warmer when one of them winked suggestively.

'Oh boy.' I hurriedly pushed Ned in the seat and sat down just as quickly. Moze took a seat next to the girl sitting in the seat next to us and the bus started for the next stop.

"This isn't so bad." Ned whispered. I leaned over to whisper back but I was cut off by giggling.

"They are so adorable!" we both snapped our heads around to see the two girls behind us staring expectantly at us.

"What?" I growled out. The girl on the left turned her nose up and sniffed indignantly. They both sat back down and we could only hear whispering and giggles.

"Well, thats better than flat out despising us." Ned reasoned.

"Your too positive." I muttered. Ned threw me a sharp warning look and I crossed my arms and (I do NOT pout) muttered to myself. 'I hope the day goes quickly.'

The rest of the bus ride was much the same. The girls behind us continued to giggle and whisper about us and the new students that got on would either; glare at us in disgust, laugh at us, or giggle at us. Some of them didn't even seem to care and would act normally. I got a few weird looks because I don't usually ride this bus. Fortunately, none of them cowered away from me, which is good.

After twenty minutes we made it to school and filed off the bus. Ned squeezed my hand and I smiled slightly at him.

"Here we go!" he said brightly and dragged me over to Moze. "Lets go!"

"Alright." we headed in together and we made it all the way to Ned's locker before we were confronted.

"Hey Ned!" we both looked over to see Missy. I looked over to Ned questioningly to see him looking at me with the same look. "Oh hey Loomer!" I raised my eyebrow in confusion.

"Hey...whats...up?"

"Oh not much, I was wondering when you two would come back to school. Don't worry, you guys are like old news. Everybody stopped talking about you like a week ago, but there are still a few people that are a little pissed. No big deal though. So why were you guys gone so long?"

"Well, Loo-I mean Billy had to-" Ned was cut off by Missy.

"Oh my god Loomer! What happened to you!? You look like you were hit by a truck!"

"You could say that," I muttered. "but I have a question for you."

"What is it?" she asked excitedly.

"Why are you talking to us?" she giggled and waved her hand as if it was obvious.

"Well, once I heard Ned was gay I gave up on him and, after bitching about it for a while, I decided it would be pretty cool to have gay friends!" Ned face palmed and I sighed in annoyance.

"Missy, we are gay but we aren't like those effeminate gay guys. We are just regular guys who just happen to like kissing each other. No big deal." Ned explained.

"Well, I'm not effeminate, but I don't know about you." I joked and he elbowed me in the side.

"Well, at least I'm not a baby." he muttered and I rolled my eyes. Missy giggled.

"Anyway, sorry to burst your bubble, but we aren't going shopping with you and we aren't going to paint nails." I joked and she laughed.

"Thats alright, we can do other stuff! I heard that 'Blondes From Mars' was a good movie, you want to go watch it after school?" Ned looked like he wanted to say no but I hurriedly agreed.

"Yeah, sounds great," Ned looked at me like I just grew another head but I just smirked at him, "but on two conditions."

"Depends on what they are."

"Moze gets to come with us." Ned glared at me and I winked.

"Sounds fair, what else."

"Next time we get to see a movie of our choosing." she smiled and held out her hand.

"Deal. See you boys and Moze at four!" she walked off and Ned turned on me.

"Why did you do that!"

"Ned, I'm helping Moze out for one and it helps us out, too." he crossed his arms and looked at me questioningly.

"How does it help us?"

"Well, Missy doesn't hate us and is willing to hang out with us. Isn't that a good thing?"

"I guess and she might be pretty cool, but what about Moze, she'll kill you."

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that." 'Crap, she will kill me!' "Um, just tell her to meet us at the movie theater at four. I'll think of something."

"Alright." he opened his locker and pulled out a few books. "So, I'll see you later?"

"Yup." I slung my arm around his shoulders, which were at a perfect height for an arm rest, conveniently. "At least we don't have to find places to hang out in secret. Thats a good thing."

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that! Sweet." we walked to my locker next and I pulled out the books I needed. "You have math today, huh?"

"Yeah. Way lame." he snorted and wrapped an arm around my back and I returned my arm to his shoulders.

"Remember, you want to get better grades."

"Oh yeah. What was I thinking?" he laughed and started to drag me down the hall. People were moving out of our way and looking at us as we went. It was starting to get really weird. A group of guys, most likely jocks judging by their jackets, sneered at us and I winked at them suggestively, causing them to turn away in disgust. Ned elbowed me in the side and laughed.

"What?" I said jokingly.

"I see you've gotten over your fears of facing your peers." I snorted.

"I don't care what those idiots think. They're bigger morons than I am." we stopped walking outside of a classroom.

"Well, this is you." I looked at the clock hanging on the wall in the room.

"We're early. Classes don't start 'til 8:30."

"Yeah, but your turning over a new leaf and that means getting to class on time."

"Its 8:25?"

"I still have to get to class."

"Oh right. Well, next time I'll walk you to class, because thats what the man does."

"Oh? And what am I?" he put his free arm on his hip and looked at me, daring me to say the wrong answer.

"Um....I guess it doesn't really matter who walks who to class. As long as we get there on time, right?"

"Good answer. Now I gotta go, see you later." he went to walk away and I got an idea. 'Might as well give everyone a show.'

"Hey, aren't you forgetting something?" he turned around and raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"What am I forgetting?" he smiled.

"Well, we held hands, hugged, you walked me to class, you figure it out." I wiggled my eyebrows. He scoffed and smiled.

"Whatever." he walked over and tugged me down for a short peck. He let go and walked away. "Bye Billy."

"See ya!" I looked at the people, who were staring at me, and gave them a small wave. "Thats all folks!" they all turned away in embarrassment and I walked into class snickering.

'Maybe Ned was right, this isn't so bad.' I stopped and looked at the choice of seats. I usually choose one in the back but I was trying to buckle down on my studies, so maybe one toward the front would be better?

"The third row is close enough to the front." I chose a seat in the third row that was the farthest from the window since it always distracted me. I set my bag down and took out pencil and paper. I was only waiting for a minute before the rest of the students filed in. I noticed that Buzz and Jerry sat the farthest from my seat and they kept sending me strange looks. They weren't disgusted or angry looks but I couldn't tell what they were. I shrugged and looked to my paper.

I was labeling my paper when I heard people sit in the seats in front, next, and behind me. I looked around me and noticed that they were the same guys from the hallway.

'Ah crap.' Once the bell rang the teacher, Dr. Xavier, began to write formulas and lecture in that weird accent that I could hardly understand on a good day. I was in the middle of writing notes when I felt a tap on my shoulder. I could see the guy next to me lean over the aisle a bit in my peripherals and focused harder on what the teacher was saying. He tapped me a couple more times before the guy in front of me adjusted in his seat so that he was sitting sideways, his feet in the aisle. I continued to ignore the tapping and the feeling of eyes on the back on my head, no doubt from the one behind me.

"Mr. Loomer." Dr. Xavier had just written an equation on the board.

"Yes?" I gulped, hoping I wouldn't have to get up.

"Vy don't you come up here and finish dis equation?" she asked. I barely understood what she said but I did know I would have to get up. I sighed and got up. I went to step over the guy's legs and his foot caught mine. I tripped and fell on the floor.

"Uuuuugh." I tried to catch myself but I wasn't quick enough. My bruised ribs protested at the sudden hard contact. I gripped the desk next to me and pulled myself up, holding my ribcage all the while.

"Are you alright, Mr. Loomer?"

"Yeah, I'm okay." I winced at the pain in my chest. Breathing was causing it to hurt and I wondered if I fractured an already bruised rib.

"Maybe you should see the nurse." Before I could protest, she assigned somebody to walk me to the nurse's office. I felt somebody grip my arm and tug me out of the door. I looked down and recognized the person as Coconuthead.

"Those guys are jerks." he stated out of nowhere.

"You saw?"

"No but you aren't clumsy enough to trip without some outside influence. Plus, those guys have been talking about you two since they found out. It was only a matter of time before they let their thoughts be known now that your back." I looked at him in a new light. He was treating me nicely when only a few weeks ago I was giving him wedgies and stealing his lunch money. I felt regret bubble up in me for treating him so badly.

"Uh, I'm sorry for, you know, beating you up and stuff."

"Its alright."

"No, it isn't. I've been a real jerk to you and your friends, but your a pretty decent dude and I'm trying to 'turn over a new leaf' so to speak, so it would be cool if we could just start over, ya know? Forget about all the wedgies, swirlies, and other things I've done in the past." he smiled excitedly.

"That would be awesome."

"Cool." we continued on to the nurses office chatting about anime, which I found that we both like. We arrived at the office and he left for class, leaving me alone with the school nurse.

"Well, this is a first. I usually don't get you in here, I get your victims."

"Well, you won't be getting my victims anymore, but you might be getting me a few more times." she chuckled a little and motioned me to sit on the table.

"Just let me have a look. Where does it hurt?"

"Oh pretty much everywhere," I pulled up my shirt, "but right here is the most painful."

"My lord what happened to you?!"

"I um, tripped." I could tell that she didn't believe it but she didn't say anything and started feeling my ribcage. She made little 'hm' noises as she continued to work and after five minutes she pulled away.

"Well, you need to go to the hospital and I'm going to need to call your parents." she ignored my protests and left for the office.

'Oh man! This can't be good!' I pulled out my phone and sent a text message to Ned.

Nurse is callin my parents

Y?

Jocks tripped me in class, hurt myself, went to nurse

Do u hav 2 go home?

Hospital

Wat is goin 2 happen?

Idk, I'll let u kno in a little while

Ok, c u l8r

Bye

I put my phone in my pocket as the nurse came into the room.

"Your parents don't claim you anymore and you don't have any guardians listed, so I will be taking you to the hospital. Afterward, the childcare officials will take you until they can make contact with a relative. Now come on." I stood up in shock. 'What is going to happen? My closest relative lives in....Oh God.' I walked behind her and rode in silence. I sat in the hospital waiting room in a daze, where the nurse left me, until a voice knocked me out of it.

"Billy Loomer?" I looked up at a middle aged doctor, who was smiling kindly at me and gesturing for me to follow him. I got up slowly and followed him to a room where he told me to sit down. "So where does it hurt?" I lifted up my shirt for the second time and showed him my bruised chest. He checked them out, just like the nurse had, and then wrote something down. He motioned me to pull my shirt down. "What happened?"

"Uh, well-" just then I saw Mr. Bigby at the counter through the gap in the door. "Mr. Bigby!" I yelled out, causing him to turn around. I jumped off the table and opened the door.

"Billy?" he walked over to the door, "What are you doing here?"

"I..my ribs..."

"I see. Were they injured again?"

"Yeah, some kid tripped me in class and I landed on them."

"Wait, injured again? I knew it looked like somebody beat him up, those bruises are at least a couple weeks old."
"Would it be okay if I took him, Dr.? Hes a...friend of my son's." he looked like he was going to say no, but just smiled and nodded. I followed Mr. Bigby out of the door and to his office. The minute we sat down I blurted out what was really bothering me.

"My parents disowned me and the school nurse called child services." his eyes widened considerably at the outburst.

"Who is your closest living relative?"

"My Uncle on my mother's side. Hes in the military."

"That doesn't bode well."

"Hes a decent enough guy. I like him pretty well and hes never shown the same distaste my father has for...gay people."

"So whats the problem, it sounds like it'll be fine?"

"Hes stationed in Hawaii."

Oooooh! What will happen next?! Just read to see!!!