"No, Norrustus you actually LEGALLY can't come!" Marshall said to Norrustus as they walked to school.
"Well... all right." Norrustus sighed and looked down and Marshall felt a tinge of unwarranted guilt. Perhaps it was a small attraction to him that made him feel a little remorseful of his tone towards Norrustus. Marshall then brushed the thought off and continued walking. No way in hell was he at all associated with a crossdresser, even if it was part of some ancient prophecy. Or at least he really really hoped so, he didn't want things to become complicated right when he'd gotten his first girlfriend, a girl he'd known for so long.
"On to school!" Marshall said, excited to go and see Sam. He suddenly stopped in his tracks as a pressure in his chest began to form. It suddenly felt wrong. He'd known her for so long and now everything was beginning to change. The weird femboy wasn't the only thing out of the ordinary. It was Sam herself. How could she disrupt the flow of their lives so suddenly? The dynamic would be completely crushed now. Richie his bro and Sam his bro....ette. He started to walk again while thinking. I just have to breath, he thought as he took deep breaths. Marshall saw someone at the intersection in front of him, it was Sam apparently waiting for him. She didn't see him with Norrustus did she? Marshall began to think. He approached her.
"Hey Marshall... who was that?" Sam asked.
"Um, just some dude." Marshall replied.
"You know... that doesn't really answer my question." Sam responded and stared blankly at Marshall. His answer was truthful and he didn't really know what to say.
"Should I lie?" Marshall asked.
"Forget it. Did you get..." Sam said.
"The..." Marshall said not knowing whether she was talking about the message or not. He was still skeptical it was her, even though it was her voice. He couldn't risked potentially ruining their friendship over a prank or misunderstanding.
"MM..." Sam continued. Marshall started to feel anxious. She's obviously referring to the message but he was still at least 1% unsure.
"Message?" Marshall asked.
"...Did you guess that word? Or did you?" Sam asked.
"Yeah Sam. I do like cheeseburgers." Marshall responded. There was something stopping him from just confessing, so he thought responding in a code would be easier.
"Oh you do..." Sam smiled, she seemed to get the code, as stupid as it was.
"Why don't we... get to school now." Marshall said. He couldn't handle the anxiety of the situation anymore and just wanted to focus his attention on something else. Sam seemed to have the same thought as they both started to walk together. Marshall's mind payed sharp attention to his hands, unsure of where to put them. They both looked forward without stealing any glances. Marshall thought it that if he just came off as calm and in his own world Sam wouldn't question him. Each step felt like another challenge, Marshall fighting to keep his posture and looks as calm as possible. He felt himself almost trip over his own feet multiple times now. Why was it so hard just to be normal.
They finally entered the building and their paths forked to go find their lockers. The stiffness in Marshall's body slowly faded and he could finally think. As he exchanged items in his locker he suddenly felt a disturbance in the air of the school. Something was off here, someone's movement seemed like it was disrupting the usual flow of things. He saw it. They walked with such vigor and flamboyance and a big smiled crossed their face as Marshall noticed them.
"Norrustus...what... the hell... are you doing here?" Marshall said, aggravated. Norrustus pouted and gave Marshall puppy eyes.
"You aren't glad to see me Marshall?" Norrustus said.
"What laws are you breaking by being here, Norrustus?" Marshall asked in an annoyed tone.
"Well, it doesn't matter at all, Marshall. There are things I can do to get away with it." Norrustus replied. "I'll blend in perfectly among the students of your little school." Norrustus put his hands on his hips as a boy walked by and winked at him. The boy blushed and looked the other way before jogging away.
"See, Norrustus, you're already disturbing the peace. He doesn't even know you're a guy." Marshall said, still exchanging items between his locker and his book-bag.
"And he never has to, Marshall. I'm yours." Norrustus replied while looking at the students walking by. "Oh look, one is approaching us."
"Oh my God..." Marshall looked behind him to see Sam walking towards him. "Norrustus..." Marshall gritted his teeth in anger and anxiety. He dug his nails into his palm as he clenched his fist. Sam approached closer and closer and he panicked to think of what to say to her.
"Hey, um, Marshall..." Sam said. Marshall froze.
"Hey." Norrustus waved at Sam and stepped his way in between him and Sam. "I'm new here, are you friends with Marshall?" Norrustus addressed Sam.
"Y-Yeah." Sam replied. Norrustus gave Sam a friendly smile.
"Marshall was just showing me around the school; big place." Norrustus said. Marshall sighed a breath of relief and almost giggled to himself at how unwarranted his panic was. He was glad Norrustus got the memo and didn't embarrass him around anyone he knew. "Oh! Am I in your way?" Norrustus didn't wait for an answer. He skipped out of Sam's way behind Marshall and put his hands behind his back. Sam looked at him again and he looked around the school and pretended like he wasn't paying attention.
"It's nice of you to show her around the school." Sam said to Marshall, looking back at Norrustus. "Must be hard for her transferring this late into the year."
"He seems like he's all right with it." Marshall said.
"Um... what?" Sam asked.
"What?" Marshall asked. He felt a tinge of anxiety again.
"You said 'he'" Sam replied.
"Oh... must've been an accident. My bad." Marshall said as he clenched his fist.
"To be honest, she does have a pretty masculine sounding voice." Sam said.
To be continued.
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