New Kid

Adam twisted in his new seat at the back of the classroom while Dave and Ted traded turns glaring at him. His days had been interesting, as Suzie had predicted. Some of the people who used to acknowledge him in the hallways turned their backs on him when he passed. And others tried to push him around. It was too bad for them he didn’t do the bullied routine. One in particular learned that the hard way when Adam threw him into the boy’s room wall and punched his friend in the stomach before he’d had time to react.

Frowning, Adam began to realize just how lonely and scared Gavin’s time at school must be when Bobby and his friends weren’t around … or had been. He’d quickly confirmed some of the rumors Dave and Ted spread about him being on friendly terms with Gavin. And he’d made it clear that anyone wanting to hurt the boy wouldn’t just be dealing with Suzie Johnson’s friends, but with a very pissed off Adam as well. In fact, after the skirmish in the bathroom, followed closely by another in the hallway, where he’d sent Ted to the floor on his face, more kids were inclined to avoid him than approach.

And Gavin had been able to go to his locker any time he’d wanted to without worrying about Ted stalking him. Even Bobby was beginning to warm up to Adam now, actually talking with him at lunch. It had been over three months since he’d broken with his old friends, and Adam still didn’t regret it one bit. And now that the school year was ending soon, he knew he’d be able to see Gavin more. He’d even managed to get a part-time summer job at the bookstore and planned to match his hours with the boy’s.

Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to get much further in learning family information about Gavin. He knew the boy had two older brothers, out of high school already and working full-time retail jobs. Gavin skirted the issue when Adam asked if they’d ever thought about college. He’d never been inside the boy’s house either. Gavin always seemed to wind up going to his after school though. Or Adam would drive him to work. He also picked him up after the shift was over. When he’d found out the boy usually took a bus to work and nearly always missed the last one coming home due to store cleanup, Adam insisted he drive him home. Gavin hadn’t put up much a fight either, enjoying the sweet kisses goodnight. But he never asked Adam inside.

Sighing, Adam was glad it was the last class of the day. Gavin didn’t have to work that night and he was taking the boy to book reading at the science library two towns away. There was a new title out on the science behind bioterrorism, and that had been the plot line to one of the books he and Gavin had read last month. He just knew the boy was going to be as fascinated by it as he was. Gavin’s whole face had lit up when Adam asked him to go a few days before.

The bell rang and Adam grabbed his books, as all of his classmates filed to the door along with the teacher. All but two. Sighing he replaced his books on his desk and regarded his two former friends in wary resignation. Dave sat on his desk cross-legged and rested his chin on his hands. Ted stood behind him, his arms folded across his chest.

“What?” Adam finally asked as his patience ran out.

“Nothing,” Dave shrugged. “Aren’t you late meeting your boyfriend?”

Ted snickered but didn’t add anything beyond it.

“Why are you such an asshole?”

“Me?” Dave looked affronted. “I’M the asshole? You’re the one who ditched us after 11 years for New …”

“Gavin,” Adam supplied helpfully.

“Gavin,” Dave spat. “You ditched us for him.”

“I gave you the choice,” Adam said flatly. “You made the decision.”

“Why?” Ted piped up.

Adam turned his dark eyes to him in question.

“Why him, Ad?” Ted clarified. “There’s a whole school full of people you could have become friends with if we weren’t enough for you. Why him?”

Adam sighed and sat back down in his chair. He knew these two would probably never understand his friendship with Gavin. Hell, they’d be horrified to find out how far that friendship went. So he calmly collected his frustrated thoughts before answering.

“You know those books you two always ragged on me about?” he asked. “The ones you said were too techy to understand?”

“The science mysteries?” Dave asked, wrinkling his brow. “Yeah. What about them?”

“Do you know anyone else who reads them?”

“No one in this school can understand them besides you,” Ted huffed.

“Gavin does,” Adam nodded. “That’s what made us friends. He’d read a lot of the ones I did and he actually wanted to talk about them.”

The other two silently listened to him and seemed to be thinking about it. For the first time in three months, they didn’t look like they wanted to beat the shit out of him.

“So, that’s it?” Dave asked finally. “That’s why you ditched? Because New,” he paused, “because Gavin understands the same books you read and likes to talk about them?”

“I didn’t ditch,” Adam replied firmly. “And it’s more than that. He also likes talking about my father’s digs with him. He even sat through some of the films my dad made. He likes science, and he’s happy to sit in on the science club, too, and lectures at the museums. I asked you two. Remember?”

“What? We were busy!” Ted shrugged.

“For two straight months?” Adam snorted. “That’s why I stopped asking. I know you guys didn’t want to hurt my feelings, but those lectures were important to me, and I’m not allowed to drive to the city alone. I missed some really good ones, too.”

Ted shuffled his feet uncomfortably and Dave looked down. Adam knew they felt a little guilty about that, especially since he’d never missed a football game or a wrestling meet for them. At least he hadn’t until they’d fought three months before.

“I guess you don’t miss any lectures these days, huh?” Dave tried to sneer, but his voice sounded sullen.

“I still miss some,” Adam shrugged. “Gavin works on Saturdays and my dad can’t go to many. But I can catch a lot of them now. It’s not a matter of choosing him over you two,” he tried to explain. “It’s just trying to be friends with someone who shares my interests … in addition to you guys. Why can’t I be friends with you, too?”

Dave and Ted exchanged looks while Adam watched interestedly. He knew it took a lot for them to talk to him calmly like this, especially after Ted’s unfortunate tumble the month before. And he appreciated the sincere attempt they were making to understand. But the choice was again theirs. If they refused to accept Gavin, things wouldn’t change.

He knew he couldn’t tell them about his true relationship with the boy. They’d probably doubly hate Gavin for “turning” their friend, as they’d put it. Plus the boy still didn’t want anyone else to know. Though Adam was sure Suzie suspected. She gave them off looks at lunch, and small smiles. Apparently, she didn’t always ignore Gavin and she seemed to really want him to be happy.

“We ain’t hanging out with him,” Ted finally said, bringing Adam’s thoughts back to the present.

“I don’t remember asking you to.”

“And we don’t want you to hang out with him so much,” Dave added. “It’ll make you look gay. He’s been branded a fag.”

“By you two,” Adam pointed out, standing up. “And that stipulation is unacceptable. He’s my friend and I’m hanging out with him as much as I want.”

He picked up his books and turned back to them. “You guys are still my friends,” he said to them. “But you have to decide if I’m still yours.”

He walked past them to the door, turned back to give them a small smile and then exited. When he walked to his locker he saw Gavin standing there, looking nervous. Chris stood close by talking with a girl Adam didn’t recognize. His eyes kept drifting over to Gavin every so often. When he saw Adam approach he gave him a nod and walked off with the girl in tow.

“Hey, baby,” Adam smiled.

Gavin looked up in relief.

“I thought maybe those two were beating you,” he said softly.

Adam gave the boy’s shoulder a small squeeze, as he didn’t want to do anything to make him uncomfortable in school, and turned to open his locker.

“They didn’t touch me,” he assured Gavin as he put some of his books away and pulled out a few others. “They only wanted to talk.”

“About what?”

“About me ‘ditching’ again,” Adam sighed. “What else?”

“And … they didn’t touch you?”

Adam closed his locker and smiled at Gavin. “No. I think they’re trying to fix things, actually.” He led the way to the parking lot.

“They’ll probably still want you to stop seeing me,” Gavin sighed sadly.

“Well then they’re out of luck.”