Santiago was a strong boy. Bravo and with little patience. Santiago was someone you wouldn't want to fight with. I've never seen him let anyone talk bad about him; that was why he was always involved in all the fights that took place at school. When they talked about something, I always heard his name, always saw the damage he caused to other people who dared to challenge Santiago's patience. And the victim this time was Diego, who had dared to curse Santiago and insult his sexual orientation.
And here I was, having to break up the fight at all costs. At the risk of even getting punched by the curly-haired boy.
— Diego, enough! — I ordered, holding him while another boy who walked with Santiago did the same.
Diego and I were friends since elementary school. We've lived on the same street since forever, and we only ended this relationship of friends/brothers because we fought badly because of hurt pride on both sides. But even though I've been with him since the beginning of everything, I still feel like we don't know each other as perfectly as any pair of friends with the same length of friendship as ours.
I dropped Diego to the ground, taking a deep breath.
— What was the need to do this? — I asked. I was angry. Of course, I was. Diego was someone who was easily offended by someone. Even a different breath in his presence makes him totally angry and hurt, as he takes absolutely everything personally.
— He challenged me! — he said.
— Of course not the fuck, Santiago was literally quiet with his group — I answered.
— Will you take my side or his side?
— I'm on the right side and guess what, he's right — I said sighing heavily. — Will did that hurt your fragile pride too?
— Of course, you will — he replied without looking at me. Diego never managed to be mad at me after our first fight. He actually just kept quiet and listened to me cursing him and then, when we split up and went home each other, Diego would fill my cell phone with messages regretting the things he did and cursing me.
When the director arrived I walked away from a little. Looking towards where Santiago was standing, I saw the rest of his group and his sister. Everyone there seemed calm, but when they looked in our direction they seemed to transform completely. Lupita when it came to being calm was like her brother. We don't always see twins that are so close and not so similar in personality.
Santiago wasn't that hurt. His hands were slightly reddened by the punches he gave Diego's face and other parts of the boy's body. Santiago was more rumpled than hurt, to be honest. Rumpled clothes and a small, insignificant cut in the eyebrow.
At home, I ended up getting busy. And I preferred it that way. The cell phone vibrating all the time, I was completely sure that it was Diego lamenting. It was always like that. I washed the dishes, listening to my sister complain in the background. My mind was on Santiago and what punishment he had received. Mr. Vero was someone who tried to be fair, so if you think about it that way he probably gave Diego the worst punishment, and maybe that explains the barrage of messages.
Already free of anything, I decided to pick up my cell phone and calmly read each of the received messages. For the most part, what didn't surprise me was a lot of name-callings, Diego immediately acknowledging his various mistakes and then talking about the suspension and how things had gone at school. He was like that. Explosive. And if there's something I know how to do well, it's talking about the flaws of everything and everyone. Diego is living proof of that.
The next day I was alone and the next day too, just like the next day and the next. And for people, it was hard to just accept the fact that I was alone during school term out of the sheer will. Someone always showed up to talk to me and ask if I wanted company, and my answer was always:
— No, I'm fine like that.
In my head, thousands of things got mixed up. The week Diego finally went back to school, Lupita, Santiago's sister, suddenly started to approach me. But always in a subtle way.
And Diego this time didn't seem willing to do anything, like arrange some intrigue with Lupita, even though he was more curious than I was to know about her sudden approach. Santiago too, despite never having exchanged a direct word with me or at least getting close to me at all, always passes where I am. Whether to look at what I'm doing, if I'm alone...
— Are you going to my house today? — I asked Diego.
— Can we do this work at your house?
— Of course, my sister studies this, if we need help we can ask her — I counted, packing my things.
— Can we stop by my house to get the rest of the stuff?
I shook my head.
— Cristian — Lupita approached. — Have you ever had a class with the physics teacher? Today in the case?
— Already why?
— Need help.
I looked at Diego, who just left the room.
— I won't be able to, sorry — I said. — You can ask Martines for help, he's good at physics and stuff.
I smiled leaving the room, going after Diego so we could leave.
As I said before, Lupita is always talking. She's always been like that, even though we're not from the same room. But, strangely, she started trying to get more in touch with me, we even exchanged numbers. And I don't like to think it's because she's interested in me. I say this because I have no feelings for her, so to think first that it is because she feels something is sad because I will never be able to respond to that feeling. In fact, it was easier for me to have some hidden feeling for Santiago than for her, and that's not what I mean, it's just the facts being put on the table. Not that Lupita wasn't cool and someone dating or whatever, but because I had my reasons and one of them was because I'm gay and it doesn't make sense to date a girl.