June 22, 2009
Dylan
It had been six days since Dylan and EJ last talked to each other. Every time Dylan tried to make even the slightest attempt at small talk with EJ, he would always make up excuses about being busy with his school works or the upcoming Back to School Bash. It hurt whenever EJ said he had no time to talk or hang out because it felt like he was icing Dylan out.
Even if it hurt, Dylan knew that it was his fault that EJ was treating him this way. If I hadn't kissed him, maybe things wouldn't have changed, and he would still want me around, Dylan thought to himself as he brushed past a couple of students who were loitering in the hallways. Some were playing guitar, others were holding court on the stairs that led to the haunted third-floor classroom, and a few annoying freshmen were playing tag, reeking of sweat and body odor.
He rounded a corner that was a bit secluded from the view of other students so he could eat his lunch in peace. Ever since EJ started to hang out with him less and less, eating alone in the cafeteria felt like a chore. He didn't want to hear Brandon and Christian's constant questioning, which was bordering homophobic.
So, he resorted to finding a place where no one could see him.
He took a seat on the marbled floor, the coldness of it making him shiver. He opened his lunch bag, took out his food container, and removed the lid. Tears pricked the corners of his eyes when he saw what his mother had packed for him—lasagna, good for two people. It felt like a cruel reminder of his loneliness.
He took a small bite of his lunch as tears rolled down his cheeks. He felt himself slowly slipping back to how he used to be when school had just started. As he was eating, two male students walked towards the hallway he was in, talking animatedly and loudly.
"Have you heard the news?" one boy asked his companion. "EJ Medina and Lorraine Diamante are going to the Back to School Bash together."
His friend's eyes widened. "Really?" he asked.
"Yeah, lots of guys in our section are jealous of EJ because Lorraine is like the hottest girl in school, and EJ managed to nab her as his date."
Dylan suddenly lost his appetite when he heard those words from his two schoolmates. He looked down at the floor to hide his face and the tears streaming heavily down his cheeks. I really had no chance with EJ after all. He knew he had no right to feel hurt, but he did. It felt like a knife was lodged deep within his heart and was twisted for maximum effect.
Maybe this is my punishment for being gay.
He sat there on the cold, marbled floor, his lunch forgotten beside him as the ache of the moment settled in. The laughter and chatter of the two boys who had been talking faded into the background as they walked further away from Dylan. He pressed his palms to his face, trying to stifle his sobs, but the tears continued to flow, unbidden and harsh.
His thoughts spiraled, fixating on the image of EJ and Lorraine together at the Back to School Bash. He imagined them walking side by side, their laughter mingling in the dim, flickering lights of the dance floor. EJ's dimpled smile, so genuine and bright, would be reserved for Lorraine and only Lorraine, and Dylan couldn't help but feel hurt at that thought. It was as if the smile that had once been his was now given away, and it stung deeply to imagine it directed at someone else.
What did I expect? he thought bitterly. That things would magically work out between us? He replayed the brief, precious moments they had shared in his mind—the secret smiles, the stolen glances, the fleeting moment when EJ kissed him back. Those memories now felt like sharp, stinging reminders of what could have been but never was.
YOU ARE READING
Somebody to Love (bxb) (Complete)
Teen Fiction(COMPLETED) Dylan and EJ came from two very different worlds. Dylan was born and raised in Albay, Bicol, where he was surrounded by the familiar comforts of his school, friends, and everything he had ever known. However, the 2008 recession forced...
