"Ryke! Calm down! If you break that fucking locker, you'll be expelled for sure." I yelled over his pounding fist on the hard metal locker.
"God damn it! If that kid snitches, I'm done for anyway!" Ryke yelled, turning his back to the locker, he was still shirtless, and I looked away from his muscular chest.
"He won't say anything. I'm telling you. He's too afraid." I said, not entirely knowing if it were true or not. Ryke quickly put on his shirt, almost tearing it in anger. He breathed in heavily and put his hand on my shoulder.
"Just keep quiet. If his dad finds out I laid a hand on him... I'm seriously getting expelled."
And with that, he left very quickly out of the locker room, leaving his phone in his locker. I left the locker room a couple of moments later and could see Clive leaving the school.
"Hey! Clive!" I yelled, to which he turned around. He lowered his head, as if in fear.
"Do you need help?" I asked, looking down at the books in his hand, he seemed to be struggling and it looked to be like he was walking home.
"I mean... you don't have to... help." He muttered, but I already had the books in hand, I walked outside and followed him. If I was going to find out who Bl_ue was, I needed to be nice to people I never would have been nice to. Not that it entirely mattered who it was, but getting close with the only gay person I knew, this could make Bl_ue more comfortable with revealing themselves to me. Maybe I could be friendly with the other gay kids that Clive hangs out with.
"Thanks." He remarked, seeming embarrassed. "I can take those now." He said, not making eye contact.
"No no, I'm fine. I need to walk this way anyway, I'll just carry them for you." I lied, actually sounding quite convincing.
"Oh. Alright. I just live over there." He pointed, and began walking. I followed behind quickly. Looking around, making sure no one was watching.
"Your dad is the principal of the school, right?" I asked, making small talk.
"Yeah, it's a bit awkward, especially since he can't be bias and help me if I get in trouble." He joked, to which I laughed.
"Just right there." He pointed, but the sky was getting gray, and it had began to rain. I sighed and pulled my hoodie up. I followed him toward his house and once at his door, I handed the books back to him.
"Thank you again. It was kind of you, and I appreciate it." He said, opening his front door, and placing his stuff on his dining table somewhere in the house. I began to walk into the rain when I heard him running behind me, desperately yelling my name. "Rodo! Take this with you!"
I turned around and saw he was holding a poncho.
"Oh. No thanks." I said, about to turn around, but he seemed to have ignored, or simply not heard me, as he ran up to me in the rain and threw it over my head. He stood on his tippy-toes to put it over my head. I sighed, and looked away.
"There. Now you're clothes won't be soaked." He said, the kindness in his voice feeling... refreshing.
"Thank you." I said, starting to leave. I stopped for some reason. I can't tell why. I just had a sudden urge to say something. To... say his name.
"Thanks a lot Clive."
***
I got home and took the poncho off and laid it on my computer chair. I fell into my bed, almost bouncing off, and began throwing the ragged baseball on my nightstand into the air.
It felt nice to comfort Ryke.
But it also felt nice to help someone not as popular. Someone... different. Clive.
I... wanted to help Clive more for some reason. I wanted to stop Ryke. But if I did... what would I do it for? I mean... what would be the reason for protecting Clive?
Is it... because...
The baseball missed my hand and landed on the bed right next to my head. It rolled against my head, and I breathed out sharply.
"That was close." I thought, sitting up, and looking outside. The rain had cleared. The sun was out, and the rain was shimmering in the sunlight. The sun peered from the clouds and covered the land with it's light.
Maybe... rain isn't so ugly.
"Rodo!" My dad called, which I knew was for dinner, as he rarely called me for much else.
Going downstairs, the aroma of veggie soup was prominent. We were now going to be eating canned veggie soup for the third time this week alone.
I sat at the table across from my father. I ate as I usually do. I didn't look at him, and he didn't speak to me. Which I feel like I enjoyed inside.
"You're lonely because of him." I thought. Maybe I was just assuming it stemmed from him.
I finished eating and cleared the table as to not anger my father.
I took the cups and put them in the sink, the smell of alcohol in his cup was... gross.
I picked up the plates as he began to stand up. My elbow knocked over a plate and it shattered onto the floor. I shivered at the noise and my dad's eyes widened. He shot upward, his spine straightening. He looked at me in the eyes and growled.
"Clean that up! Right now!" He yelled, now in my face. He lifted his hand, and I fell to the floor as fast as possible, grabbing the plate shards and throwing them into the trash, sweeping up the rest of the shards as my dad watched, only stopping when he left the kitchen. I quickly slipped on my shoes and left for a walk around town.
It was dark, and I felt something wet on my fingers. I looked at it and could see some dark red stains and crimson liquid. I must had cut myself on a shard.
A dog barked and I could hear a boy shush his dog across the street.
"Rodo?" I could hear him ask.
Clive walked into the light of the streetlight, he walked up with his small chihuahua dog. We made eye contact and he quickly looked down at my hand.
"You're... bleeding." He said, pointing.
"I'm aware." I said.
"Oh."
"Yeah."
We sat in silence for a moment before he began digging through his bag.
"Um... sit on the curb there." He said, and I listened for some reason. Maybe because I was still in shock about my father almost thwacking me.
He pulled out a small makeshift med-kit of sorts, and pulled out a cotton swab and some peroxide. He drowned the cotton swab in peroxide and dabbed it lightly on my cut. It burnt a lot, and I winced in pain, pulling back.
He grabbed my hand and pulled it back out.
"Don't move!" He said, continuing to dab at it. Finally he stopped making me suffer, and wrapped it in a Band-aid.
"Weirdo." I said, standing back up and looking down at his dog, who looked up at me in either anger or... some kind of disgust?
"Heh." He said, and we both stood in silence for a moment again.
"Wait... why are you even out here this late... it's past curfew."
"Oh. Maggie needs a walk before she goes to bed." He pointed at his dog, who seemed to be happy now.
"Ah. You haven't been caught?" I asked, having been caught by police after curfew a number of times.
"Nope. I know which ways to go, and plus I like to play it smart if they do stop me. I just tell them I'm simply going home." He smiles abruptly, he looks very pleased with himself.
"Right." I said, looking around.
"I'll let you get back to walking around now. See you!" He yelled, seemingly sensing my awkwardness and desire to leave. He left quickly, running off with his small dog.... running off with Maggie.
I looked down at the band-aid, which had a space design to it. With stars and small planets with rings. I looked up at the sky, and could see such stars in a more realistic detail. In the sky was the moon.
I wonder what it'd be like to live up there. To be alone and free to do what you want.