4I Dare You
Chapter 1
So Liam is being obnoxious again, and I totally get that he's allowed to do whatever he wants, but still...
"Dude..." he says with a laugh. "The fag is totally getting locker-checked again." He points at the opposite end of the hallway and I wince as the skinny kid rocking the indie/hipster look falls to the ground, papers and books scattering over the floor.
"Dude, don't call him a fag, it's not cool," I reply, and yeah, I know that's just inviting trouble, but my parents are from San Francisco. My family's so liberal my mom marched in the teachers' union rally. We only moved to this stupid-ass town in the middle of nowheresville because of Dad's work, and Dad only accepted the transfer at all because in this economy he couldn't afford not to.
"Look, Sam. I get you're trying to be all sensitive new age guy on us, big city guy educating the dumb country hicks, but you live here now. This isn't 'San Fran'." I shudder at my hated nickname for my old home. Some habits die hard, and Liam is not one to let anything that will get him an easy reaction go.
I guess I'm being too hard on the guy. I mean, he is my best friend in this town, and apart from the whole homophobic language thing, he's a good guy. Someone you want to have your back, more importantly, he's someone who'll have you're back whether you want him to or not. Yeah Liam's a good guy. Just a massive tool sometimes.
"Yeah, man. I know," I say with a shrug, my eyes still on the kid as he scrambles for his papers. I'd go over and help, but it's like all the way at the other end of the hall, and who wants to put themselves under a spotlight like that when they've only recently moved in? Not me. I'm lucky I'm good at sports, or that'd be me on the ground. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing but pity for the kid, but that doesn't mean I'm willing to trade.
"Look, you know I have nothing against the queer," Liam says. This time I'm pretty sure the homophobic slur is actually for getting a rise out of me, and not just an epithet. "But you have to admit it's kind of hilarious to watch him scramble over there." I finally break my eyes away from the kid and shake my head.
"No man, it's just sad."
"Mom! Dad! I'm home!" I yell.
"How was school, honey?" my mother replies.
"I forgot to set my watch back 30 years this morning," I call back and then wince. I'm about to get a lecture. My mother pokes her head around the door.
"Honey, I know you miss the city, but do you really have to insult this town at every opportunity?"
Yes.I think to myself before answering. "No, Mom. Sorry, Mom..." I sigh. "It's just... culture shock, I guess." My mother pats me on the head.
"I know it's hard, fitting in," and there I tune out. Yeah I know, rude of me. What'cha going to do? She's about to give me a spiel on making friends. That's not the problem here. I have loads of friends. I'm peachy. I'm just sick of having to be the one cramping on everyone's fun because if I didn't, some guy is going to have his day ruined for no good reason. Sometimes I wish I were a douche. Life would be a lot easier. Mom finishes and I settle into my homework. It's kind of a quiet night from then on.
So the next day I almost fall off my cafeteria chair in shock. Liam actually apologized to me.
"Hey man," he began, scratching at the back of his head. "I'm sorry for giving you a hard time about the qu-" He visibly checked himself. "about Daniels." So that's his last name. Liam gave me a long look. "Um dude... don't freak out when I ask you this..." He scratched his head awkwardly again. "You don't... like him, do you?"
"What? No!" I say quickly, throwing my hands up. "I don't even know the guy." I realize half a second too late that that probably shouldn't have been my first objection."Also, I'm all about the tits, me." Because I am. Tits are awesome. End of story.
"No offense, dude. It's just you were a little intense yesterday is all. I was wondering if there was more to it."
"No, no." I look a little green. Hey, I never said I was a perfect bastion of tolerance and understanding. "I wouldn't have the first clue nor inclination about hooking up with guys." Liam gets a dangerous grin and I get a sudden feeling of trepidation.
"You should totally ask Daniels out. It'd be hilarious to see his reaction." I'm more than slightly taken aback. Can he not see that it's a bad idea?
"Liam..." I give him a hard look.
"Come on dude, I dare you, it'll be classic!" I glance over at the table where I know that only one kid is sitting at and back to Liam, shaking my head.
"That is needlessly cruel. He's got no-one at this school. Can you imagine if I gave him a little bit of hope and then yanked it away again? Kids kill themselves over shit like that." Liam had the good sense to look chastised.
"I just thought it'd be funny," he replied with a sigh. I look over at the almost empty table at the wrong moment and lock eyes with Daniels who glares and stands up. I am suddenly mortified as he strides purposefully over to our table.
"What?" he asks angrily. "Is there something on my face?" I shake my head mutely. "Is there some other reason you're staring? God, you'd think straight guys would have better things to do with their time than to gossip over gay guys all lunch." Before either of us can react, he storms off, and I get the idea that he's trying very hard not to flounce. The cafeteria has gone dead silent for a few seconds before the murmuring starts up again.
"Stupid bitchy queen, what'd he do that for?" Liam asks going slightly red as literally everyone turns to look at us.
"Don't call him that," I snap on reflex and Liam sighs a defeated sigh.
"Do you really have to be Samuel Laker: Minority Warrior every single day? Can't you chill?" There's an awkward pause.
"I guess so," I say with a sigh. "I dunno, I just get caught up in causes, ya know?"
"Yeah, and it's cool that you do, bro. Everyone likes you because you're nice, not in spite of it. But lay off the crusade for an hour or so, kay? You don't have to try so hard. Just lay off until school ends."
School ended and I was walking home through the pouring rain, or rather attempting to. I had long since abandoned the idea of wearing my waterproof jacket considering how desperately it was needed to protect my highly expensive textbooks that my parents had instructed me to protect with my life. I barely notice the car pulling up along side me because of the noise of the rain.
"If I offer you a lift, are you going to think I'm hitting on you?" I jerk around in surprise. Seriously, how does one sneak up on a pedestrian in an SUV? Daniels, the gay kid from before is looking out the wound down window at my bedraggled form with a mixture of sympathy and hilarity.
"At this stage, I wouldn't even care if it got me out of the rain," I reply with a bit of a forced jovial tone in my voice. Daniels raises an eyebrow, clearly not buying my attempt at chipper and motions for me to get in. There's already a towel spread over the passenger seat.
"You're Daniels, right?"
"I prefer my first name, but if it's not going to be Thomas, I guess 'Daniels' is better that 'Fucking faggot' or something like that." There was an awkward silence for a bit. "Sorry," he murmurs and I quickly wave it off.
"No biggie," I say. "Hell, if I was in your situation I'd be saying things that were a hell of a lot more bitter than that." Thomas smiles.
"Clearly I am the god of self control," he says grandly. "That or all you football jocks just don't have the mental faculties to pull off my act." I crack a smile.
"N-now see here, boy. I resemble that remark," I say, giving my best Foghorn Leghorn impression.
"Looney Tunes, nice," Thomas replies, his eyes on the windshield. There's another awkward silence. "Look, I'm sorry for getting in your face at lunch. I was in a bad mood and took it out on you."
"No probs," I say, because even if his reaction was a bit strong he was right. We had been gossiping about him. "Bad day?" I ask out of politeness. Clearly the wrong thing to ask though as his expression hardens as if a wall had shot up between us.
"Like I ever have any good ones at this school," he mutters bitterly and I wince.
"That must be hard," I say sympathetically. Thomas looks over at me with a 'no duh' expression on his face and I instantly warm to the guy. He really takes no shit from anyone, and with a start I realize that I'm being incredibly condescending with my pity and all that.
"So why were you staring at me at lunch?" he asks with a curious tone. I know without checking the mirror that I've probably gone bright red.
"Liam..."
"Lunkhead with the leather jacket?" he asks and I nod, because that actually is a perfect description of my best mate.
"Yeah, he was being a bit of a tool. Dared me to ask you out and then shoot you down as a joke. I refused of course." I'm totally not prepared for Thomas to burst out laughing.
"Wow!" he says with a shit-eating grin on his face. "I'm actually impressed." I make some kind of noise to show how lost I am. "That would, without a doubt, be the biggest dick move on the face of the planet! I would have totally torn you a new one."
"I'm beginning to get that impression," I say with a chuckle and before we know it we're cracking up at the mental image of the short, skinny indie-nerd towering over the cowering football jock. I suddenly realize that we've been just sitting in the empty parking lot for almost five minutes without moving.
"I guess you probably need my address," I say. Thomas smiles.
"I was wondering when you'd realize that. You football players really do not have a lot of brains up here, do you?" he asks tapping the side of his head. I sigh.
"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up. I probably get better grades than you," I reply with a grin. Thomas rolls his eyes.
"Yeah, but you're like... a mutant or something. Some kind of genetic freak hybrid of Homo Sapiens Sapiens and Homo Neanderthalis Footballjockius or something like that."
"That's me, grown in a lab by secret government agents. Now you know my secret, I'll have to kill you."
"Well the experiment can't have been too much of a success, you still haven't told me where I need to drop you off."
"Shit, I am slow today!" I exclaim before giving him my address. We pull out of the parking lot and there's a long silence, but this time it's not awkward. I catch myself thinking that it's really cool that we can be this comfortable after one conversation when Thomas gives a relieved sigh when we exit the school grounds that I'm pretty sure is because he's forgotten I'm here and not for my benefit. I turn to look at him and he flushes.
"Sorry," he says on reflex. "It's just... good to get out of there."
"You do this apologizing thing a lot, don't you?" I ask. This time it's Thomas who goes bright red.
"S..." he begins and catches himself before blushing again. "I totally wasn't going to say sorry."
"And I totally believe you," I reply with a laugh. Before I know it we've pulled up under my carport, and when Thomas turns off the engine, I can barely hear my own thoughts above the noise of the rain on the roof.
"Well," he says. "Here we are. Thanks for the company."
"No, thank you for the ride," I reply. "I can't imagine what it would have been like to have to walk the entire way home in that."
"See ya around, I guess," he says quietly. I open the door and pause as my own words from earlier in the day suddenly hit me like a particularly malicious boomerang.
'He's got no-one at this school.'Before I know what I'm doing, I'm walking around to his side of the car.
"What are you doing?" he asks with a bit of trepidation.
"Why don't you come in and wait out the storm?" I ask. "The roads aren't particularly safe, and I have a PS3." I know instantly that I've made the right decision because of the look that springs to his face before he can stop it. He suddenly looks almost bashful and I find it very hard to reconcile him with the assertive extrovert from before.
"Yeah..." he says tentatively. "I think I'd like that."