---

 
 
A New Kid in Town - Part 1
 
It’s not very common for someone to be transferred in the middle of the year, at least, not in our school. That’s one of the reasons why Mark Coleman stood out among the students.

There was something else about him, though. He was quite short, he had a lovely face, and his gestures were sometimes a bit girlish. He obviously wasn’t a hunk, but he was kind of cute nonetheless.

Of course, that didn’t make him very popular among the other students. There are often some bullies who want to claim the disputable honour of being the first to harass whomever wasn’t an alpha male, and also the scavengers who wanted to scale up in the food chain by pushing others down.

In any case, Mark wasn’t a wimp either; he certainly knew how to defend himself. The first time he was bumped into a locker, he broke a couple of noses, and the second time he was ambushed, he did far more damage than he received, even though there were three against him. The teachers decided to look the other way, and no one bothered him again, the other students decided it would be better if they just left him alone.

My name is Paul Trey, and I’m 13 years old. Some of my geek friends sometimes call me Atreides or some other weird name from the book Dune, just for the name similarity, to annoy me, but I don’t really like it, so please don’t do it.

Mark was a year older than me, so we didn’t share any classes. That didn’t stop me from knowing everything about him, of course. He was the main topic everyone in school was talking about.

I think I was attracted to him since the first time I saw him. It wasn’t the first time I have had those kinds of feelings for another boy, though. I already knew that that probably made me gay, but it didn’t bother me in the slightest. I kept it to myself, though, as I didn’t want to purposely become the new target of all the bullies in the school.

My closest friends were a mixed group of two other boys and two girls: Jake, Terry, Sue and Becca. All of us were quite geeky, and fans of fantasy and science fiction in any format in which it could be delivered.

Jake was a nerdy, slender and tall guy with glasses and very short hair. He had a great passion for anything that had to do with the stars, other planets and civilizations, space operas and science fiction in general.

Terry, short for Terrence, was a slightly chubby boy whose main purpose in life was apparently to collect comics and books - we often joked that some day his mother would have to throw him out of their house to make space for his stuff!

Sue was also nerdy, and loved physics and was, since kindergarten, absolutely determined to become an astrophysicist when she grew up.

Becca was a very smart girl, who was extremely suited to maths and science, played chess and was an avid reader, but being a bit underdeveloped for her age, it was usually hard work for her to be taken seriously. She was very optimistic, and often smiled.

I’m a skinny boy, and a passionate reader, my main hobby was to design and make and paint scale models of things, and sometimes used them in role-playing games. I had already made several vehicles, different kinds of buildings and even a couple of whole fighting fields. Luckily, our garage was big enough so that I could store all my stuff there.

Mark usually had lunch alone at the edges of the school canteen. None of his mates seemed to want to have anything to do with him, and he also didn’t seem too keen to interact with the rest of the students. I kind of felt bad for him, he seemed to be a nice guy and I was sure that he didn’t deserve it. I liked him. There were just five of us at our table, so there was an empty seat. I was sure that he would be thankful for a friendly face.

“Hey, dude!” I called, as he passed us by, “You can sit with us if you want”. That earned me some weird looks from my friends, who didn’t really expect anything like that, and who honestly couldn’t really care less about the new kid.

“You mean, me?” he asked, with a surprised expression on his face.

“Yeah, you”, I answered, “You’re welcome at our table, if you want to join us”. I smiled at him.

He doubted for a second and I nodded to him again. He finally sat down and joined us.

“I’m Paul, and these are my friends Jake, Terry, Sue and Becca”, I made the introductions.

“Nice to meet you all, I’m Mark”, he said. All of us already knew who he was, everybody at school did.

“So, how do you find this place? Do you like it?” asked Sue, trying to make some casual conversation.

“It’s okay, I guess”, he answered, noncommittally.

“I bet you miss your friends in your old school?” she asked.

“Not really”, he replied. “In fact, I don’t miss them at all”, he added, mysteriously.

He turned out to be a nice guy, not the stuck up idiot as which some of his own peers had pictured him. He didn’t seem to want to talk much, though, as he was still not comfortable enough with us, but I had the feeling that sometime he might be. My friends might be idiots sometimes, but they’re good guys.

“I’d like to be your friend, if you don’t mind”, I told him after lunch, offering him my hand, which he shook friendlily.
 
 
As the days went by, we became used to having him with us for our lunchtime, and sometimes he met us at the end of school. He was slowly becoming a part of our group, and started to join us in some of our games. Even though his peers kept avoiding him like the plague, the students in our year seemed to also be becoming friends with him.

Of course, the bullies in his year didn’t much like that, and we started to get some harassment from them, especially me.

Once, I was bumped hard against my locker, and found myself surrounded by three big boys, a year older than me.

“So you’re hanging out with the faggot now?” started Josh, apparently the leader of the bullies. “Maybe he’s a queer too?” he added, looking at one of his friends.

“Yeah!” the other one replied. “Maybe he’s his boyfriend", he exclaimed. "Mwah, mwah”, he mimicked some kisses with his mouth.

“Stop it! Leave us alone!” I confronted them. “Listen", I added trying to keep calm, “We don’t want any problems, okay?”

A teacher was coming towards us, so they stepped away to avoid any problems for the moment.

“We’ll see about that, fairy boy”, said Josh finally, with a grimace on his face, before turning away and leaving. I just picked up my things and went to class.

Of course, I was not going to be intimidated by those bullies. I had already seen Mark stand up to them, and so would I. I decided to try to keep myself away from them as much as I could. I wasn’t eager to be looking for problems if I could avoid them.
 
 
The first time I went to Mark's house, it was weird. As we entered, his mother called to him from the kitchen.

“Laurie, that you? Back from school?” she asked.

“Mum, I told you not to call me that!” he exclaimed, upset. “There’s one of my friends from school with me”, he added.

His mom came out of the kitchen, to greet me.

“Oh, it’s a boy.” she seemed surprised.

“Of course he is a boy, mum!” he exclaimed, raising his voice. “It wasn’t going to be a dog!”

“Okay, hun, don’t get upset. I didn’t mean it in a bad way”, she replied. “Do you want some lemonade or something?" she offered. “You can play here or in the yard. I'd prefer if you don't get into your room together, but if you do, please leave the door open.” she warned.
 
 
“Your mum is weird”, I told him, when she was gone. “Why did she call you Laurie?”

“Ehm... It’s.... It’s my middle name, Laurence”, he explained. “I hate it when she calls me that. Let me change clothes and lets go out. Wait for me here, please, I’ll be right back!” he added, running up the stairs.

I took the opportunity to glance around the living room. There was a big plasma TV, many books, lots of decorative stuff, paintings, and also many photos around. There were photos of Mark and his mum, also someone who seemed to be his dad, older people who seemed to be his grandparents and photos of what appeared to be other members of the family and friends. There were also many photos of a girl with Mark’s parents and grandparents, and I wondered if he maybe had a sister. There was enough similarity between them to make me sure that she was. I would have to ask him sometime.
 
 
“Hey! Treides! Mark! We’re here!” called Jake when we were approaching the park.

“You dork, shut up! Don’t call me that!” I crumpled a sheet of paper into a ball and threw it at him. He just made a face at me and dodged it. I stuck out my tongue at him.

Many of our classmates usually met in the park when we were not at school. There were usually some 20 of us there during the day. Us nerdy ones, used to sit on the grass and talk about things. Others were playing sports or games, some roller-skating or skateboarding, and there were also some other groups around, chatting. Unlike those in the school year above us, we generally got on well with each other, and we had somehow adopted Mark as one of us.

Jake, Terry, Sue and I, were discussing sci-fi, Becca was talking with some of her girlfriends and Mark was playing ball with a few of our mates, when we saw Josh and his two minions in the distance. I had a feeling that this wasn’t going to be a very promising situation.

“Oh! Look at this!”, they exclaimed, walking towards Mark. “If it isn’t the faggot trying to play with the guys!” The three of them become confrontational as they approached the guys playing sports.

“Oh, fuck!”, I exclaimed unwillingly. “Well, what the heck, there’s no way to avoid this”.

I got up and went towards the bullies.

“Leave us alone, we are not bothering you!” I told them.

“You shut up, weirdo”, exclaimed Josh, annoyed. “This has nothing to do with you. You stay out of our way”, he added. His friends grinned at me scornfully.

I stepped forward. “He’s my friend, this has to do with me. I’m not gonna stay out of it!” I said, angrily. Our friends were amazed at my behaviour. I have always kept a low profile and had never done anything like this before.”

“Okay you girly, wanna stay in, I’ll grant your wish”. I never saw his fist coming. When I regained consciousness, I was laying in the grass, my nose bleeding, surrounded by many concerned faces. I sat up slowly. The bullies were gone.

“Now, that was really brave, Paul!”, exclaimed Becca, hugging me. “Are you okay?” I nodded.

“Come here, bro”, Mark offered his hand. “I’ll take you home”. He helped me up and held me. My head was still spinning a bit so I hung onto it.

“Where are they? Have they gone?” I asked.

“Yeah! We threw them out! If they know what’s good for them, hopefully, they won’t dare to come back!” said Sean, one of the guys in my class. I smiled, I liked how our class always stuck together when it was important.

Mark helped me going home. As I hung onto him, I perceived something I had not found out before. Under his loose clothing, he seemed to have a noticeable bandage around his chest. I looked at him, concerned that he might have been hurt or something, and he noticed what was bothering me. He put his finger to my mouth and whispered “It’s okay, Paul. We’ll talk later”.

End of Part 1
 
 
Lots of thanks to Amrad for helping me fix most of the mistakes in the text! The remaining mistakes are still my fault, and I apologize for them.
 
 

From previous part…

I stepped forward. “He’s my friend, this has to do with me. I’m not gonna stay out of it!” I said, angrily. Our friends were amazed at my behaviour. I have always kept a low profile and had never done anything like this before.”

“Okay you girly, wanna stay in, I’ll grant your wish”. I never saw his fist coming. When I regained consciousness, I was laying in the grass, my nose bleeding, surrounded by many concerned faces. I sat up slowly. The bullies were gone.

“Now, that was really brave, Paul!”, exclaimed Becca, hugging me. “Are you okay?” I nodded.

“Come here, bro”, Mark offered his hand. “I’ll take you home”. He helped me up and held me. My head was still spinning a bit so I hung onto it.

“Where are they? Have they gone?” I asked.

“Yeah! We threw them out! If they know what’s good for them, hopefully, they won’t dare to come back!” said Sean, one of the guys in my class. I smiled, I liked how our class always stuck together when it was important.

Mark helped me going home. As I hung onto him, I perceived something I had not found out before. Under his loose clothing, he seemed to have a noticeable bandage around his chest. I looked at him, concerned that he might have been hurt or something, and he noticed what was bothering me. He put his finger to my mouth and whispered “It’s okay, Paul. We’ll talk later”.

---

A New Kid in Town - Part 2

The‭ ‬worst part of being hit hard in‭ ‬the face,‭ ‬is the next day,‭ ‬when your eye is so swollen that you can‭’‬t even open it‭ ‬completely.‭ ‬It didn‭’‬t hurt too badly,‭ ‬though.‭ ‬There was no way I could hide it from‭ ‬my mother today,‭ ‬so I just resigned myself to it.

‏“‎My‭ ‬God‭!”‬ she exclaimed,‭ ‬as soon as she saw me.‭ “‬What happened to your eye,‭ ‬Paul‭?”

I simply shrugged.‭ ‬There was no way to deny that I had been involved‭ ‬in a fight.

She just nodded.‭ “‬Let me see it,‭ ‬honey‭”‬,‭ ‬she added,‭ ‬getting closer.‭ ‬There was,‭ ‬of course,‭ ‬nothing magic she could do to improve it,‭ ‬but at least she was able to help the swelling go down with some ointment and a pill.

At school,‭ ‬everything was more or less normal.‭ ‬No one teased me‭ ‬very much about my bruises.‭ ‬There was also a bit of‭ ‬over-protectiveness in the air.‭ ‬None of the students in Mark‭’‬s course bothered us in the slightest,‭ ‬and they didn‭’‬t even get near us,‭ ‬with the exception of Mark himself.‭ ‬I kept an eye on him just in case,‭ ‬and noticed that he also kept watching me from time to time,‭ ‬but nothing bad happened at all.

Becca seemed to be the most preoccupied of all about my eye.‭ ‬I kept telling her that I was okay,‭ ‬that it would get better soon.‭ ‬It was a bit disheartening seeing the always-laughing girl with such a concerned expression.‭ ‬Thankfully,‭ ‬we were able to explain to her that there was no reason to worry that much,‭ ‬that my eye would be okay again soon.

I was still a bit concerned about the bandages I felt around Mark‭’‬s chest the day before.‭ ‬I didn‭’‬t know how bad the bullying might have been for him,‭ ‬and I was wondering if he might have some broken ribs or something.‭ ‬I‭’‬d keep watching out for him,‭ ‬as‭ ‬there was no way I‭’‬d allow them to hurt him anymore.‭

That afternoon,‭ ‬I accompanied Mark on his way home,‭ ‬after spending a big part of the afternoon‭ ‬with our peers,‭ ‬in the park again.‭ ‬I loved being with him,‭ ‬and also wanted to make sure that he wouldn‭’‬t have problems on his way‭ ‬home.‭ ‬When had I become so‭ ‬protective of him‭?

“You should‏ ‎try to play ball with us sometime,‭ ‬Paul‭”‬,‭ ‬he suggested,‭ ‬making‭ ‬casual conversation while we were walking across the city.

I had spent most of the time playing cards with Jake,‭ ‬Terry,‭ ‬Becca and another guy called Victor,‭ ‬while Sue was avidly reading‭ ‬a book about real science in science fiction movies and books,‭ ‬that one of her uncles had bought for her.

‏“‎You already know that I‭’‬m not that‭ ‬good at all that stuff‭”‬,‭ ‬I replied.‭ “‬I guess I could try sometime,‭ ‬though.‭ ‬I‭’‬m awful at sports,‭ ‬you know‭?”

“Don‏’‎t worry,‭ ‬we just play to have fun‭”‬,‭ ‬he tried to convince me.‭ “‬Heck‭”‬,‭ ‬he added,‭ “‬I love your peers,‭ ‬I wish mine were half as good.‭”

I simply nodded and smiled.‭ ‬I knew he appreciated them a lot,‭ ‬and I also knew that the feeling was reciprocal.

During‭ ‬the conversation,‭ ‬something weird happened and,‭ ‬for some unknown reason‭ ‬-‭ ‬even for me‭ ‬-‭ ‬I‭ ‬casually held his hand.‭ ‬He didn‭’‬t say anything,‭ ‬and he didn‭’‬t even try to loosen it.‭ ‬It‭’‬s‭ ‬unusual for two boys to be holding hands,‭ ‬but,‭ ‬fortunately,‭ ‬the streets were empty,‭ ‬so no one would say anything.

‏“‎Wanna see something‭?”‬ I suddenly asked him,‭ ‬remembering something important.‭ “‬There is a place where I used to hide when‭ ‬I was a small kid,‭ ‬would you like to see it‭? ‬I still go there sometimes,‭ ‬when I don‭’‬t want to be found‭”‬.

‏“‎Yay,‭ ‬of course‭! ‬I‭’‬d love to see it,‭ ‬I didn‭’‬t know you had a secret place‭!”‬ he exclaimed,‭ ‬delightedly surprised.

‏“‎Come with me‭!”‬ I said as I started to run,‭ ‬still holding his hand.‭ ‬He came running just behind me.‭ ‬For some strange reason I wanted him to see my secret place.

It was in the‭ ‬outskirts of the town,‭ ‬but not far away from where we were.‭ ‬There was an‭ ‬old,‭ ‬run down building that used to be a hotel,‭ ‬that had been abandoned for years,‭ ‬at least as far as I could remember.‭ ‬It was‭ ‬in a really bad state,‭ ‬but if you went through a side passage and climbed a bit,‭ ‬you found yourself in an open space that most probably had been a nice garden in‭ ‬good times,‭ ‬and that a couple of friends and I had transformed into our own secret playground when we were younger.

‏“‎Wow‭!”‬,‭ ‬he exclaimed amazed.‭ “‬I didn‭’‬t know such a place existed here‭!”

“Yeah‏!”‎ I replied proudly,‏ “‎and it‭’‬s all ours‭!”

I wanted this to be our own secret place,‭ ‬with no one else around‭ ‬-‭ ‬our little world,‭ ‬in which we were free to do whatever we wanted.‭ ‬I looked‭ ‬him in the eyes,‭ ‬suddenly‭ ‬feeling a‭ ‬strong urge to kiss him.‭ ‬He looked back at me,‭ ‬with‭ ‬an unreadable‭ ‬expression.‭ ‬This was going to need a leap of faith‭;‬ it could take our friendship to the next stage,‭ ‬or ruin it totally.

I took a deep breath,‭ ‬closed my eyes for a bit,‭ ‬and opened them again.‭ ‬He was still there,‭ ‬looking at me with those wonderful‭ ‬deep green eyes.‭ ‬Gosh,‭ ‬this was going to be terribly difficult.

Finally,‭ ‬I couldn‭’‬t do it.‭ ‬I‭’‬d like to say that I was brave enough to kiss this lovely boy,‭ ‬with whom I was now totally in love,‭ ‬right there,‭ ‬but I just wasn‭’‬t.‭ ‬Why are these‭ ‬things so difficult‭?

"Lets go‏ ‎back,‭ ‬they’re gonna miss us‭"‬,‭ ‬I said,‭ ‬eventually, taking his hand again.‭ "I‭’‬ll have to be‭ ‬home soon or my mum will be worried,‭ ‬especially after this‭",‭ ‬I added,‭ ‬pointing at my still swollen eye.

The next day at school,‭ ‬I found it hard to‭ ‬keep my attention in class.‭ ‬My mind kept thinking about Matt.‭ ‬One of the teachers even had to reprimand me when he asked me about whatever he was talking about,‭ ‬and I had no clue even of what‭ ‬the question was.

After lunch,‭ ‬Sue approached me discreetly.

‏“‎Can you wait for me after class,‭ ‬Paul‭?”‬ she said.‭ “‬We need to talk‭”‬.

Just as she had said,‭ ‬she waited for me at the end of the class.

“‎So what‭’‬s wrong with you‭? ‬You have been the whole day with your head in the clouds‭”‬,‭ ‬she asked, as we got out of sight of anyone who might be able to overhear us.‭ ‬I just shrugged.

‏“‎You like him,‭ ‬don‭’‬t you‭”‬,‭ ‬she asked directly.‭ Sue had never been one to beat around the bush.‭ ‬I could play dumb,‭ ‬but there was really no point in doing that.‭ I stared at her for a few seconds.

‏“‎Is it that obvious‭?”‬ I asked her.‭ ‬She nodded.

‏“‎You were absent the whole morning,‭ ‬and drooling whenever you saw him.‭ ‬Yeah,‭ ‬I‭’‬d say it was pretty obvious‭”‬,‭ ‬she said,‭ ‬giggling.

‏“‎Yeah,‭ ‬I like him a lot‭! ‬He‭’‬s so gorgeous‭!”‬ I exclaimed.‭ ‬She smiled at me.‭ “‬He doesn‭’‬t know it,‭ ‬does he‭?”‬ I asked,‭ ‬panicking a bit.

‏“‎Maybe.‭ ‬Dunno‭”‬,‭ ‬she replied,‭ “‬you boys are always so blind to these things‭”‬,‭ ‬she giggled.‭ “‬Becca asked me about it too,‭ ‬just so you know‭”

“Great,‏ ‎now half of the school will know that I‭’‬m gay‭!”‬ I exclaimed,‭ ‬annoyed with myself.

‏“‎Don‭’‬t worry,‭ ‬luv‭”‬,‭ ‬she comforted me while smiling.‭ “‬We already knew‭!”

Could it be that obvious‭? ‬I hadn‭’‬t ever told anyone about my‭ ‬preference for boys,‭ ‬yet‭ ‬they already knew‭!

“Have you already kissed him‏?”‎ she asked,‏ ‎as if casually.

‏“‎No‭! ‬I mean,‭ ‬no‭ ‬-‭ ‬I wanted to,‭ ‬you know,‭ ‬but then,‭ ‬dunno,‭ ‬I kind of panicked‭”‬,‭ ‬I confessed.‭ “‬Do you know‭ ‬if I‭ ‬might have a chance with him‭? ‬I mean,‭ ‬what if he‭ ‬doesn‭’‬t like boys‭?”

“You‏’‎ll never know until you try,‭ ‬my dear Paul‭”‬,‭ ‬she replied.‭ “‬I don‭’‬t know if it works the same with a boy‭ ‬as with a girl,‭ ‬but if it does,‭ ‬being brave and knowing what you want will‭ ‬earn‭ ‬you points.‭ ‬Shy away and you‭’‬ll lose them‭”‬.‭ ‬So easy to say,‭ ‬so hard to do.

I didn‭’‬t feel like facing anybody,‭ ‬I didn‭’‬t go to the park,‭ ‬but went to my secret playground instead.‭ ‬I put on my earphones‭ ‬and my music player,‭ ‬sat on the floor and started throwing little stones‭ ‬at a tree.

When probably an hour had passed,‭ ‬maybe two,‭ ‬I felt someone taking the earphones off my head.‭ ‬I turned around and saw him standing‭ ‬right in front of me.

‏“‎I thought I‭ ‬would find you here‭”‬,‭ ‬said Mark.‭ “‬Mind‭ ‬if I sit down with you‭?”‬ he asked.‭ ‬I nodded,‭ ‬and turned the music player off.‭ ‬He sat by my side.

‏“‎I went to the park and you were not there,‭ ‬so I thought that I might find you here‭”‬,‭ ‬he said.

‏“‎Yeah,‭ ‬I didn‭’‬t feel like going today‭”‬,‭ ‬I replied.

‏“‎I guessed so.‭ ‬That‭’‬s‭ ‬why I thought I‭’‬d find you here.‭ ‬The guys asked about you,‭ ‬you know‭?”‬ he said.

‏“‎Sure‭? ‬Did they‭?”‬ I asked surprised.

‏“‎Yeah of course‭”‬,‭ ‬he exclaimed.‭ “‬They were a bit worried about you,‭ ‬for what happened the other day,‭ ‬you know‭?”

I looked‭ ‬him in the eyes and put my face close to his.‭ ‬He didn‭’‬t‭ ‬pull away.‭ ‬Neither of us said a word.‭ ‬I moved forward and just kissed him,‭ ‬straight on his lips,‭ ‬his lovely sensual lips.‭ ‬He kissed back.‭ ‬I had never felt that rush of electricity flowing through my body.‭ ‬Gosh,‭ ‬I loved this boy‭!

“No,‏ ‎I can‭’‬t,‭ ‬not now‭!‬ This just isn‭’‬t right‭”‬,‭ ‬he said sadly,‭ ‬a moment after our kiss ended.‭ ‬He stood up,‭ ‬sighed and started to walk away.‭ ‬I felt the tears coming out of my eyes.‭ ‬He came back and kissed me again with passion.‭ ‬Then he moved a step back.

‏“‎I have to think about all this‭”‬,‭ ‬he‭ ‬said.‭”‬I like you,‭ ‬a lot,‭ ‬but I just can‭’‬t‭! ‬Everything was going so well,‭ ‬and now this‭! ‬It‭’‬s not easy for me,‭ ‬you know‭? ‬I need to know where my head is,‭ ‬and where my heart is.‭ ‬Gosh,‭ ‬I‭’‬m so confused‭!”‬ he exclaimed‭ ‬.

He came back to where I was,‭ ‬and kissed me‭ ‬on the forehead.‭ ‬Then he turned to go.

‏“‎I think I‭ ‬‘big L‭’‬ you,‭ ‬you know‭?”‬ that was all I was able to say,‭ ‬as he was going away.

End of Part 2
 
 
Lots of thanks to Amrad for helping me fix most of the mistakes in the text! The remaining mistakes are still my fault, and I apologize for them.