Oh How Times Have Changed

XXVIII

I finished my last exam, triumphantly throwing my pen down on the paper. My hand was cramping from writing for the last three hours, but it was done and that's all that matters. I looked around the room, noticing that people were still writing. I still had a while until the exam finished, but I was satisfied with my essays.

I spotted Jimmy across the room, hastily scribbling down answers. I wonder how he's doing. We had been doing a lot of revision together in the last month- the run up to our exams and exam season had been taking its toll. Explaining things to people helps me memorise things and Jimmy needed all the help he could get, so it was a perfect combo really. We hadn't spoken a lot, but I could tell he was processing things still.

He hadn't been showing up at my balcony at night, but I had been spending a lot of time at Mums while revising, only really seeing him in the library. I could tell he was nervous about walking around school, but the goons never visited the library. I had been nothing but focused, despite what Jimmy was going through.

I just couldn't believe school would be over the second I leave this exam room.

 I was buzzing with excitement, knowing that the whole squad would be waiting for me. They had finished their exams yesterday, but had waited so that they could celebrate with me. I had all my camping gear packed into the back of my car, ready to shoot off straight away.

Jimmy had been treated very differently by people. He wasn't pushed around as much, since he was a bigger guy than me, but people were avoiding him at all costs. Every time he walked down a corridor, a chorus of whispers followed him. I had received a lot more attention too. People think we're romantically involved, since we were at breakfast together when everyone found out.

However, we were pretty lucky that this had all happened over exam period. People are generally too busy- or not even in school- to worry about who's gay and who's dating who. I spent all my days holed up in the library or in an exam, so there wasn't a lot of study body contact. It was still obviously really hard on Jimmy, though.

Despite it going pretty smoothly for the most part, I did constantly have a nagging thought at the back of my head that this period wouldn't last much longer: the calm before the storm. As soon as exams were over, Jimmy would be the prime target of a group of beef heads with too much summer holiday down time.

Jimmy was already a bit of a mess. He often just started crying, needing a hug. 

He had been going to a lot  more therapy sessions with Daxx, who I think was beginning to suspect something more had gone on between Jimmy and I than I had let on. I was hesitant about leaving him here while I went camping, but he said he really didn't want to come. Maybe he needed some space. We hadn't spoken about what he had seen out on the balcony that night, but that was partly due to me avoiding it. I had given him some lame excuses to avoid talking about it, which had worked so far, but I had a feeling it wouldn't be satisfactory for much longer.

I noticed the examiner standing up painfully slowly and I bounced my leg, excited to run out of here and never look back. He announced that the exam was finished and began to collect in our papers. Once dismissed, I literally ran through the gym doors, leaving the exam hall. I bounded down the corridors- pep in my step. I broke into a run, my chest feeling light as my eyes zeroed in on the main exit. I threw up my hands, feeling free finally. I threw up my middle finger at a goon and dashed out the main doors.

I stopped and stood at the top of the school steps. I took a second to breath, to take it in. I had actually done it. I had survived high school. There were so many times that I thought I wasn't going to make it, but here I was, about to walk down these stairs for the last time. I looked up and saw my group of friends all sat around my car. Sleeping bags and backpacks filled to the brim were all piled up around my car, everyone other than Oli holding a beer. I had only ever seen Oli drink during the drinking game.