constellations & ocean waves // snowbaz

i

BASILTON

Basilton Grimm-Pitch never liked the dark. He never liked any of his senses being compromised; never liked feeling weak or helpless. He supposed that came with being part of the local wealthy families. Their pride was unmatched, their properties were considered 'holy ground', and their chins held high no matter what. They were practically royalty, and Basilton was no exception.

Brooding, cold, mysterious; these were all words used to describe the resident high schooler Grimm-Pitch. Nothing he did would change that, yet he wouldn't want to in the first place. It protected his darkest secret, after all.

Basilton Grimm-Pitch, heir to a throne of fame, sole inheritor of the Pitch Estates, carrier of the family legacy, was gay. He was gay, and that was a scandal nearly unheard of in the tightly-knit collection of what they called the Old Families. Families grouped together not through mutual liking or relations, but power. They had lived in the city for as long as anyone could remember, gaining immeasurable respect and wealth. Not that anyone particularly liked them, of course. They didn't even seem to like themselves. But they loved tradition, and they loved to plan their children's lives out before they were even conceived. Basilton being homosexual simply didn't fit into their status quo.

Once upon a time, back when Basilton was around the age of 6, a teenage girl from one of the Families came out as lesbian. She was quickly disowned from the family, thrown out to the streets and told to never come back. No one has heard from her since, and no one has mentioned her for just as long. Basilton still remembered the whispered conversations, the disgust on his father's face, the side glances and shocked expressions. He remembered how the family of the girl retreated into their mansion, distancing themselves from the world until they could recover from the shame. He could never summon the courage to do what that girl did. He was a coward, and Basilton Grimm-Pitch always ran away from his problems.

Just 14 years old, Basilton had everything he could wish for, with the exception of freedom. Countless face washes, face masks, and clothes were set up neatly around his large bedroom, along with multiple musical instruments and an abundance of books. His family prided itself on appearance and togetherness, hence the reason they were practically the face of all Old Family organizations.

Nothing anyone did could keep the Grimm's, Pitch's, or Grimm-Pitch's from being the best at everything they do. Basilton was not exempt from the constant criticism and high expectations.

Excelling at violin, piano, and theatre, Basilton was heavily involved in the arts department at Watford High and well-known with each and every staff member; shocking, considering he had only attended the school for a total of 8 months. He was also the best member of the varsity soccer team (breaking records with every footstep), and since he was top student in every single class, Basilton was (to no one's surprise) first in line for valedictorian. He was exactly as everyone expected him to be, a prime example of a Pitch.

He knew it, his classmates knew it, his teachers knew it. He was exceptional, and that made students jealous. If he was from any other family, he may have been subjected to harassment from the other students. Or maybe he would have been popular, the hot jock that girls fawned over.

Instead, he was just left alone. He was intimidating, to say the least. His social status was so high up, nobody wanted to give him a chance. So every lunch, he either ate alone or skipped food to practice soccer or violin or maybe the script of the next school play. Basilton Grimm-Pitch was a grade A loner, a mysterious bad boy who probably drove a motorcycle even though he was underage.

No one cared for him, and he cared for no one.

No one except Simon Snow Salisbury, the gorgeous sunshine boy with the constellations for skin.