AC/DC

Chapter IX

"So that's what you've been up to since we fought?" asked Juliana after I had read my self-written poem about Rhett to her three days later in the school canteen. She had actively tried to avoid my gaze when I was reading my poem, and I could sense the hostility and disgust within her.

Nodding my head, however, I replied with a smile to counter her negativity. "Well, not having my close friends by my side certainly did drive me to explore new things in life."

"Love isn't a new thing in life Mark," she scoffed, "Guys fall in love with girls every single day. Though not with the same intensity as you," she added.

Girls, I thought. That's what you think this is about.  I had actively omitted Rhett's name whilst reading the poem, as I was not ready to tell her the truth. 

However, as I sighed,  I came to a realization- it was time to tell Juliana the truth.

"Well, this isn't about girls, you know." My tongue-tied self began to doubt the next card that I was going to play.

"What the hell are you talking about?" asked Juliana suspiciously. Her eyes began to widen, a classic habit she always did whenever she suspected me of doing something.

Taking a deep breath, I made a confession that would come to bite me in the ass for the rest of my schooling days.

"I'm in love with a guy."

It may have been the 21st century, but my answer was definitely something Juliana did not expect.

"You're fucking gay!" she yelled in fear. Luckily, the canteen was devoid of people, except for a certain few who were at the other end. I was fairly certain that they had not heard her outburst.

Pulling her closer to me, my face expressed a guarded look of disgust. "Why the fuck are you shouting it out loud like that? People are going to know about it!"

"I'm sorry Mark, it's just that this... this is something really shocking."

"Well if it's shocking to you, imagine how it was for me," I admitted honestly, as thinking of the internal conflicts I had.

"How long have you known?" she asked, in a more mortified tone than before.

"Few weeks," I sighed, as my pupils dilated.

"Who's the guy you're in love with?" continued Juliana's interrogations.

Biting my lip, I realized how exposed I would be if I did disclose his identity. Juliana is going to hold me to ransom if she knows it's about Rhett, I thought.

"I can't tell you that," I admitted meekly. Sure, I may have just made up with Juliana, but the lingering feelings of distrust towards her still remained. Plus, the fact that all of this was still new and alien to me made me determined not to tell it to everyone I knew.

"Oh come on Mark," said Juliana disappointingly as she rolled her eyes, "Just tell me who it is please!"

I relented and dropped the bombshell to her. "It's Rhett Evans."

The petite girl was frozen to the ground as she gawked at me, slightly surprised at my romantic choice. A silence ensued for fifteen seconds before Juliana suddenly began to grin widely at me.

"You... and Rhett. Wow!"

An evil and sinister grin began to form on her lips as I shook my head in dismay.

"Holy shit, this is fucking hot! Muy Caliente!"

I rolled my eyes and groaned in embarrassment.