Exit, Emergency

i originally had a friend post this for me, now i am posting it on my own so i can add to it... enjoy, and please email me with comments or whatever panicattehdisco@gmail.com
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Naming a boy Ashley is just cruel. Johnny Cash made it clear a long time ago that boys do not need to get girls names, and one would think by now people would understand that. But Deborah and Brent Williams named their first and only child, Ashley. Ashley Levon Williams. So not only does he have a feminine first name, but he doesn't even have a good middle name to fall back on.

However, for everything he lacked in phonetically, he made up for in appearance. He wasn't tall, but he was just the right height, and he wasn't as in shape as a body builder, but he looked good and toned. He wasn't blonde, but had very well kept short brown hair. So instead of a typical hunky tall blonde hunk of muscle, he was an atypical good-looker, and that made him all the more interesting…

Anyways, as I was saying, naming a boy Ashley is cruel. It's like a way to make sure he has an unusual childhood, because he has two choices.

One: Become the Typical Bully. Ashley had the choice of having people call him AJ or AC, even though those aren't his initials, and beat up anyone who made fun of him for his real name, or anything else for that matter. Living a life bitter at the world, AJ would grow up mad at everyone, and even more upset with himself, because he wasted his childhood being mad at the world he assumed hated him.

Or Two: Fall into the Stereotype. Doesn't it always seem there is some strange feminine characteristic about every homosexual or bisexual guy? Take Chris for example, his eyebrows are perfect. Never a hair out of place. And the honest to God truth is… he wouldn't even know how to take care of them if you set out a tub of hot wax and some strips, tweezers, a mirror, and even a straight razor. He'd be clueless. Yet he has perfect eyebrows, light brown, and shaped perfectly above his eyes. Why, who knows, but it proves my point. Chris is the president of the GSA at the high school, and he is not on the "S" side, so to speak. The point is, many guys who are born with or who develop feminine qualities seem to be more likely to take on feminine taste in guys as well. And for Ashley…

He did both.

He liked guys as much as his mom liked his dad, but he was a bully, taking out his frustrations on everyone unlucky enough to cross him in Elementary School. This trend of pestering all those he deemed worthy of his wrath until…

I figure I ought to introduce myself first. My name is Aron, yes, one A. Not like Aaron Carter, not like Erin or Airon. Just Aron. Aron James Guild. Not AJ, not AG, Aron, please. (Sorry, but a name is very important to me.) I am now a senior at Benjamin Franklin High (BFH), which happens to also be where Ashley attends. I'll explain my how he applies to my life after I tell you some more about myself.

I'm tall, almost too tall. I'm the kind of tall, that when mixed with skinny, makes buying clothes impossible. I have to wear Extra Large just to get the length right, but I swim in the arms and torso of the shirt. However, if I step down to a Large, I look like a Hooters waitress with how much of my stomach shows. So I don't get to wear the tight band shirts like the scene kids, or the nicely fit Polos like the preps do. I wear anything I can find that fits me and my 6 foot 6 lanky body.

People also say I have strange hair, but strange in a good way. Its thick, very thick, and naturally curly, but I never let it get long enough to curl around too much, don't want to look like a Hobbit rip-off. Its dark brown and I wear it straight forward. My eyes are the same color brown, soft eyes, with perfect eye lashes (blessing and curse). And I am lanky, as I said, but there are faint ripples on my abs, but its mainly just flat, smooth (yes I wax it) skin with a cute little belly button.

Back to Ashley, and how he came into my life. I met Ashley back in 7 th grade, and we both had something in common. We were closer to the bottom of the social caste system. I was tall, awkward, and wore thick glasses. He, well, he was named Ashley. We met in gym class, in the "fun" gym class, and by fun, the coaches meant, we know you suck at athletics, so we will lump you all together and let you sit on the wall while the jocks and cheerleader girls play soccer or softball. So one day I happened to sit next to him, not like I had a close to friend I could hang around. He acknowledged me, and nodded, and I nodded back, you know, like guys do. I noticed his name on a paper sticking out of a folder, and recognized it, of course I knew who Ashley Williams is. So, I said "Hey, so you're Ashley." Which for most people would be a bad move, but I'm so awkward and naïve, he knew I wasn't looking to start any issues with him.

We started talking, the same old uncomfortable beginning of a guy to guy friendship. He asked my name, and I told him. We then talked about what classes we had, and it turns out we have all the same classes, just in different hours. So we whined about our teachers, making sure to cuss in any and all appropriate situations, to make sure the other guy knew we were tough. Then, I said, "So, you seem to be pretty popular, I hear about you all the time, why are you in this gym class." And I swear he came within two or 3 inches of driving my nose up into my brain, landing a strong fist right on my right cheek. And even though I was sitting, I fell over pretty far, and hit my head on the bleacher below me. Tears welled up in my eyes, and I rubbed my cheek.

As soon as I got myself composed enough to talk, tears still running from my eyes, and my nose making that typical sniffling noise of someone who isn't quite sobbing, but is still turning on the waterworks, I asked him in a slightly subdued voice, "Ashley, what was that for?" and turned away from him, and said "I'm sorry if I struck a nerve, I didn't really mean anything bad by it." Of course, being the tough guy, he remained silent, not sure if I was giving him bull or not. Or else he was embarrassed at what he did. I looked at him, and he remained stoic, so I figured it was a lost cause. I said, as I walked away, I said "It's just I've heard that you were a cool guy, my mom knows your mom and says you are a very kind kid, that's all." And I walked into the locker room, grabbed my bag, and walked home. Yes, home. Gym was my last class, so I wasn't skipping anything. I would never skip.

I got home, and my mom greeted me at the door as always. I don't have a father, and explaining why I don't would be a story of its own I'm sure. But mom has always left it at this; "Honey, your father had no interest in raising you, so he left me before you were born." She still holds his last name, so I'm not sure what the whole story is, but I'm sure it was messy. Anyway, she gave me a kiss on the right cheek, and I winced, and mom instinct kicked in.

"What happened, Aron?"

"Nothing, Mother, just a sore tooth or something"

"No honey, you have a red mark too, what happened"

I realized either I tell her the truth, or make up a lie she would uncover the truth of anyways. She knew everything about me, including the fact that I was bi. I didn't have to tell her either, she knew, and she loves me all the same. In fact, when we watch E! News, we argue over which male celebrities look more attractive. So I told her.

"That Ashley you told me about, I told him I had heard a lot about him, and he punched me in the face, and then didn't tell me why he did."

Her face turned down a bit, and she said "Honey, he doesn't exactly get along with all his classmates, in fact, he doesn't have any friends at all. He's pretty much a bully, because everyone made fun of him when he was little about his name." She hugged me. "I'm sure you were just trying to be friendly honey, just give him another chance, and I'll talk to Debbie." So mom picked up the phone and called Debbie, and they talked for a while. I went up to my room, finished my homework in about 5 minutes, and then played Halo and listened to some Jimmy Eat World on my iPod. I was in a zone, focused on nothing but the music and the game, until I felt my mom's familiar tap on my shoulder. She was holding the phone, so I took off my headphones and paused the game. I grabbed the phone, and mouthed 'Who is it?" and she nodded and left the room, locking it on her way out.

"Hello, this is Aron"

It was Debbie Williams, Ashley's mom.

"Hey Aron, I was talking to Meghan, errrr, your mother, and she told me about what happened. Ashley has been obviously upset about it all day long. He has locked himself in his…"

"Hey, Aron, right?"

It was Ashley.

"Yeah, that's me."

"Hey, this is Ashley, I ummm…I wanted to apologize, I thought you were trying to pick on me or something because I get in trouble so much and everything, and I'm sorry, its just sort of reacted out of instinct. My mom told me you were just trying to be friendly. So I'm sorry."

"It's cool; I don't take things personal like that, after a while it's all the same, not the first time I was punched. The hardest maybe, but it was not the first time. I just wanted to start a conversation; my mom says you are a great guy, and that we share a lot of interests and stuff, so I was trying to start talking. I hear you like Houston Calls?"

"Yeah, I do, ummm, so, am I forgiven?"

"Don't sweat it. And they are in town tomorrow night."

"What?"

"HC, they are in town, tomorrow night, at the Social."

"Oh, for real, is that tomorrow night, I know the tickets sold out, aren't they opening for Midtown or something?"

"Yeah, and it did sell out, but if you are interested, I have an extra ticket… I mean you don't have to go."

"FUCK YES I'll go, dude, if you can believe me that I swear I won't deck you again, please take me with you."

"Alright, alright, chill, you can come, just walk home with me after school tomorrow, we'll hang out, and then walk to the Social, it's like a quarter mile from my house."

"Sweet, I'll talk to you in gym tomorrow."