Lockers and Boxers (boyxboy)

Chapter X - Marcus Walls

"Well, Marcus?" Gabe asks. I'm starting to get tired of the back and forth.

"I don't have anything to say." His reddened face tells a different story.

"Ok, I guess I'll tell you, Jake." Gabe sighs, like he has to mentally prepare for this. "So, a month or two ago, Marcus threw a party for our friend group because his parents were out of town. It was the last time I saw Ryan." I think back to the photos I saw when I did a deep dive into Gabe's Instagram profile. I feel a twinge of jealousy thinking of Gabe with his hand on Ryan's thigh.

"The party went well, and I stayed after to hang out with Marcus. We were both kind of buzzed, as you'd expect."

"Kind of?" Marcus echoes.

"Sorry, I was buzzed," Gabe corrects himself.

"And I was drunk." I don't see what difference "drunk" and "buzzed" make to the story, but I'm trying to stay patient. How is this relevant to me?

"Anyways, me and Marcus were watching TV and talking and it was fine." I see Marcus clench his jaw. "Until Marcus kissed me."

"What?" I ask automatically. I turn to Marcus, expecting some sort of objection, but he stays silent, looking resentful and embarrassed. I think all three of us are uncomfortable.

"He kissed me and then I pulled back. I was so confused - Marcus has been my friend since elementary school. We've slept over at each other's houses numerous times. We've talked for hours and hours, usually nothing too serious, but we know each other. And I was always under the impression that Mark was homophobic, so I never told him I was bi."

The bell rings, interrupting Gabe, but none of us move. I'm intent on hearing the rest of the story. "So I tell Mark, 'I'm sorry, but this isn't what I want.' I only saw him as my friend, my best friend, not anything romantic. Then, he asked me why."

Marcus is looking up at the ceiling. I imagine he feels exposed, which much suck, but I don't feel bad since he called me a "loser" and Gabe a "faggot," which, looking back, is quite hilarious since he's the one who kissed Gabe.

"I told him that I just wanted to be friends," Gabe continues. "For some reason, that was not a good enough answer for him. I could tell he was offended."

"I was not. I was just drunk." Gabe rolls his eyes.

"Sorry, he seemed offended. Then, he asked if it was because of Ryan. I hadn't tried too hard to hide that Ryan and I were in a situationship of sorts. I told him it wasn't because of Ryan, which was true. It was because I just wanted to be friends. That's when he got angry."

"I got angry because I don't like being lied to, Gabriel," Marcus shoots.

"Holy fuck, Mark, let me finish my damn story, we're already late for class." Gabe sighs. "Continuing. Marcus got angry and raised his voice at me, saying I was a liar and a tease and a fag and all this shit. Then he tells me that he'll out me to my family if I tell anyone about what happened. A few days later, I get a message from Ryan on Instagram. Someone told his parents he was bi and you know the rest of that story."

So, Marcus is the one who outed Ryan... and if he can do that to one person, he could probably do it to Gabe.

"Are you done, Gabe? Because you've made me late enough with your long-ass story."

"Yes I'm done, Marcus. Go back to class because we all know how important academics are to you." The other boy pushes open the stairwell door and lets it slam behind him. "Fucking Christ," Gabe says once Marcus is gone. "Sorry to bombard you with all that."

"You're good," I assure him. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah. I'm just frustrated. I shouldn't have let him talk down to you. Marcus is a fucking douchebag." I scoot next to Gabe and rest my head on his shoulder. "I'm done with his bullshit. What's he gonna do, tell my parents that he kissed me? Get both of us thrown in a Christian academy or homeschool or some kind of conversion therapy camp? He dumb, but not that dumb."

"I can't believe he did that and acted like it was your fault. It's just messed up."

"I think Marcus is a lot more insecure than people perceive him. He probably needs someone to talk to, but I won't be that person. Him being a dick to me is one thing, but being an asshole to you is what really pisses me off. No one should talk to my boyfriend like that." As soon as Gabe finishes his sentence, he blushes. "Oh, uh, sorry. I meant like, friend... boy?"

I can't help but smile at him. "It's okay. More than okay. Can you say it again?" Gabe blushes harder now.

"My boyfriend." I squeeze his hand. He smiles and laughs. "Boyfriend. You're my boyfriend, Jake."

"You're my boyfriend, Gabe." I love how the word feels. Boyfriend. "So, I guess we're officially more than a thing?"

"Hell yeah we are!" Gabe leans in and kisses me, soft at first before pulling me closer to him, kissing me harder. We make out for a few minutes, making up for the time we lost due to Marcus, before I pull back.

"We should probably go to class," I say, dejected. Gabe slumps forward and rests his forehead on my shoulder.

"Do we have to?" He groans. "I feel like we should get a free period allotted for making out in the stairwell. But just us specifically. It would be weird if everyone was in here."

"That would be nice. I would skip if it wasn't fucking AP World History. Signing up for it was such a big mistake. I swear to god that the teacher tries to make us fail with all the damn pop quizzes." The only redeemable thing about the class is that Gabe is in there, but it hardly helps since he sits across the room.

"Ugh, I guess you're right. You know he's going to ask where we were, though. I don't think we can excuse being 30 minutes late with a bathroom break."

"Say that you fell asleep in the computer lab. I'll come in a few minutes later and say that I lost track of time in the library. That way people don't think we were together."

"Ohh, smart. Have you done this before?"

"No," I admit. "I'm never late for class, really. But I people watch. The computer lab is essentially a nap room and no one would be surprised if I was in the library."

"You do know we're going to get detentions though, right?"

"Oh yeah, but I don't mind getting home late. I'm in no rush to face my mom's wrath."

"Understandable. Maybe I can call you after my basketball game tonight?"

I smile. "That would be perfect."

"It's a date! FaceTime date, I guess. Our first date as boyfriends." I laugh at the absurdity. I never saw myself going on FaceTime dates with Gabe of all people. "Well, see you in detention, Jake."

"See you, Gabe!"

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