The Outside Lines (boyxboy) - Chapter 33: Chapter 33

Nathan's POV
Our friend group was pretty much already gathered at lunch. Everyone was there aside from Noah. They were mid conversation when I jogged over.
"Oh, Nathan. Did you hear?" Zenda started, turning around in her seat.
"Hear what?" I asked stepping up to the table, looking between the group.
"The party last friday has been the talk of the school."
"Seems like it's all everyone is talking about right now."
"Yeah, and some of the popular kids don't seemed too happy about it." Taylor chimed in, her hands folding under her chin.
"I haven't seen how Haley's reacted to it yet. She's a very competitive person, so watch your back." Taylor warned. I found it ironic seeings as Taylor herself set the date of the party on the same day as Haley's. Getting to know Taylor these past several month I could tell that it was more than likely just to piss her off. I could tell she was in a good mood just by her mannerisms.
"I can't shake the feeling she's going to get Chad involved somehow, if he doesn't already get himself involved." Taylor pondered in concern.
"Nathan, watch out for Noah will you? I'm going to be out of town from friday to sunday to celebrate an early thanksgiving with my relatives. I need someone to keep an eye out for him, especially since he seems to be a little distant at the moment." Taylor asked. A little was an understatement, but I eagerly agreed to take on the responsibility.
"I've been looking for him all morning, has anyone seen Noah?" I asked the group, remembering my haste to find him. A concerned frown formed on Taylor's face, Zenda shook her head, Amber was silently staring off into the distance as she had been since my arrival, and Scott seemingly too distracted with the variety of junk food likely belonging to Taylor displayed across the table.
Just as I wrote him off as lost in another world he interrupted the question. "I have a riddle." His voice went from an intrigued high to a settled low as he raised a finger.
"Why was Cinderella cut from the basketball team?" He riddled, leaning over against the table with his dull expression staring into mine. His gaze was so hypnotizing I almost didn't realizing him swiftly removing a handful of chips from the bag sat at my end of the table.
"Err..." I froze trying to solve the riddle as quickly as I could since I didn't really have time to waste. You know when you're in those situations where your mind tries to form a million different responses at once and just freezes? That's what was happening to me at this very moment.
"I don't know." I gave up. "Sorry, I'm kind of in a hurry." A slight panic was audible in my tone.
"She was cut from the team cause she ran from the ball'" He used quotations to emphasize the end of his sentence. Taylor sighed laying her head against the table. I didn't know how to respond, I just flashed a weak smile. I'd never heard that one before.
"She was sent to the bleachers to watch from the sidelines for the rest of her life." Scott snickered.
Just as I was turning to leave I was greeted by two brunettes. They were dressed casually, but I could tell their clothes were expensive. "Hey guys, we just wanted to thank you for inviting us to that amazing party." The girl on my left said.
"Yeah, when's the next one?" The other asked.
"Mmmh." Taylor thought to herself. "I haven't given it much thought. There are several holidays coming, not to mention the school fair is right around the corner, so I don't think the world will cry if I hold off for a couple months." Taylor answered learning on her arm.
"Oh right, I totally forgot about the fair." The girl responded, tapping a finger against her bottom lip.
"Oh right, I heard you were looking for Noah." The girl on the right giggled as she hopped over to me.
"U-um... yeah, have you seen him?" Caught a little off guard by their friendliness, I stumbled over my words.
"We did! He was hanging out in the school gym." She answered visible stars almost radiating from her perkiness.
"He looked a little upset when said hi." The brunette on the left pouted, looking over to her friend.
"I'm sure he was probably like just distracted or something." The other girl reassured her.
"Thanks guys." I smiled at the two, running hastily for the door. They were pleasant. I don't think Amber felt the same way though. She was glaring holes through their sides the entire time. I wonder if they knew each other?
Just as I made it halfway across the room something rattled my brain. I was probably over thinking it but...
Deciding to satiate my curiosity I turned around. Low and behold the only one staring back at me was Scott. The realization that his riddle was likely the answer to Noah's location gave me chills.
He crunched on a handful of potato chips and turned the other way as if realizing I'd solved the true meaning behind his riddle.
Why wouldn't he just tell me out right though?
...I guess that's just how he is.
It was a race against the clock. There was only so much time before the next bell went off. I had to find Noah before then.
"Bleachers." I repeated to myself running through the halls. The hall monitor propped up against the wall as I sharply turned the corner was shooting me dirty looks, but I made sure I wasn't running as I passed. I power walked like a yoga mom on a mission, taking long strides while always having a foot on the ground.
I stopped at the entrance of the gymnasium to collect myself. I didn't want to go up to Noah like a bumbling buffoon.
After an intense stare down with the door I finally made my way inside. PE was our next class so the gym was occupied with students already warming up.
I took a few curious steps forward, scoping out the room for the boy. At the very end of the bleachers sat a distraught Noah on his phone.
I stepped up onto the wooden platform and cautiously approached him as if I were approaching a wild rabbit.
Noah's POV
"Why am I feeling this way?" I sighed to myself playing with the phone in my hand. Why did Nathan have to go and do that? I could've ignored these feelings... But that kiss, it lit a flame of jealousy and possessiveness inside of me. For the longest time I've always been jealous of Nathan stealing Taylor's attention, now I'm jealous of anyone else stealing his. How ironic is that?
Why am I hiding out here? I'm going to have to face these issues eventually. Me hiding will only make things more problematic for me in the long run.
I feel so pathetic.
"Noah." A deep voice belonging to the very person on my mind called out. Were my thoughts about him really getting so out of hand that I'm hearing his voice now?
"Noah?" He called out again, startling me half to death the moment I realized my imagination wasn't playing tricks on me. In a flustered panic I flailed around like an idiot, trying to catch my phone.
"You startled me, what are you doing here?" I asked, scratching the tip of my nose embarrassed.
"I was looking for you, actually." His response caught me by surprise. My head snapped towards him being met with a soft, handsome gaze.
Dang it Nathan why now?! I cried out in my head.
"How did you know I was here?" I questioned. "Did Scott tell you?" I narrowed my eyes, but not enough to blatantly admit I was avoiding him.
"Not... exactly." I noticed his eyes shift a little. "A couple girls saw you come here and told me where you were."
I mouthed an "Oh." turning back to the device in my hand.
"Why were you looking for me?" I asked him, a number of ideas already blazing through my head.
"I... I wanted to apologize, for what I did to you, during the party." His head lowered slightly and he began tracing the edge of his perfect jawline. My heart skipped a beat at the sight, and his words. Did he actually notice I was upset about him kissing Amber? Did he actually have feelings for me?
"I didn't mean to embarrass you in front of so many people. I just... I didn't have control over myself." Of course he wasn't apologizing for the kiss. A wave of disappointment and anger washed over me, prompting me to stand sharply from my seat.
"It's fine. It didn't bother me." My voice came out sounding a little more aggressive than intended as I stood there looking into the giant dope's eyes. Despite me standing up as high as I could, even elevated by the bench beneath me Nathan still towered over me.
Not wanting to get entranced by his handsomeness I immediately turned around and walked down the seats of the bleachers. A confused, perplexed look dominated Nathan's perfect face while he stood frozen, as if he were analyzing what it was he'd said to make me upset. I was trying my best not to let on that I was upset but I guess I wasn't doing a very good job at that...
I quickly paced off to the boys locker room to prepare for PE, hoping Nathan wouldn't follow behind. Luckily he didn't. He was still stood in the same spot when I left the gym. I felt petty for handling the situation the way I did, but I honestly didn't know how to handle it any other way.
PE played out very similar to how it did on our first mandatory day. I was paired up with Taylor again and pit up against Chad. This time he seemed a lot more aggressive. He was pissed off the entire time we were out there.
My friend group and I almost seemed like we were the popular students there. We were getting cheered on left and right. A lot of them didn't know how to handle the sudden attention brought on by the successful party.
Running helped me can my emotions. While it only ended up being a temporary solution I made sure to enjoy every second of the clarity in my head.
I hunched over after running myself to the point of exhaustion, which is rare for me. Beads of sweat rolled down my forehead, dropping to the dirt beneath me.
Suddenly, while holding onto my knees I felt my body being shoved forward sending me falling to the ground.
I glanced up from the dirt to see an irritated Chad hovering above me.
"Tsk, watch where you're standing, queer." He spewed like a dragon spitting lava. Do... dragons spit lava?
"You're the one who bumped into me nut brain." I insulted back, both of us now glaring at each other as if we were about to gnaw each other's throats.
Normally I would've been too afraid to talk back, but I was fed up with the blatant discrimination running rampant around school. Chad and his friends play a major role in that.
Our burning stares started drawing some attention. Soon enough everyone caught on to the dark aura emitting from both of us. Everyone stood silent, probably expecting us to go at it. I might just have if it wasn't for Nathan's intervention. His hand extending out to me snapped me out of my boiling rage. While I was still upset with Nathan I'd much rather be around him than Chad. I slid my hand into his and he pulled me from the ground. The way he lifted me with ease caused my face to go a cherry color.
My eyes were too hesitant to meet with Nathan's. Instead I just walked off. PE was just about to end so I didn't stick around any longer than needed. On my way out I could feel the stares of pity and even some of disgust. I wasn't surprised though. I didn't expect everyone to suddenly be okay with "the gay kid".
The days kept moving and so did I. I went on with my school life, still avoiding Nathan as best I could. That also meant distancing myself from Taylor and the others.
Today is the last school day of the week. I was very much looking forward to the weekend. I'd be able to have some definite alone time. Maybe I could finally sort out everything in my head.
I brushed my teeth in the bathroom across from my room. Sunlight was beaming in through the small window displaying the outside of the house like a photo in a picture frame.
After taking a quick shower I quickly trotted down the set of stairs at the end of the hall and made for the kitchen. Dad already had the bag of whole wheat bread laid out on the counter along with some PB&J.
Seeing his unassuming, unbothered face roaming the kitchen almost set me off. The fact that he's been cheating on mom lit a fire under me.
"Hey, Noah. How about we play a game of catch after school for old times sake. Just the two of us?" He proposed, leaning up against the granite counter top at the center of the kitchen.
"Eeer, I might have a... thingy to do after school, so I'm not sure if I'll have time." I tried to worm my way out of it without seeming suspicious. I definitely failed at that though.
I've been doing my best to avoid him. Not only am I disgusted and upset by him, I'm also scared. What if he found out I knew about the affair? What lengths would he go to in order to keep it a secret?
"Aw well. I guess some other time then." He seemed genuinely disappointed, pushing himself away from the counter.
Phew... it didn't seem like he was onto me, not yet at least.
"Oh come on, why don't you make some time for your father? I miss seeing the two of you out in the front yard acting like fools." Mom reminisced, joining us in the kitchen. I missed those days too. The warm summer evenings when dad and I would play catch on the lawn while the smell of mom's famous chili graced the air. These memories made it all the more difficult knowing what dad had been doing behind our backs.
"We live under the same roof, I'm sure there will be plenty of opportunities to play." I told her, trying to keep my cool.
"That doesn't mean you will though, does it." She raised a brow, wearing her testy expression.
"Fine mom, just for you I'll make sure to play with dad sometime soon." I gave in, unable to continue without drawing suspicion to myself. A long, bright smile wore on her face. She seemed... happy.
"Candy?" She offered, pulling it out of her purse before I had a chance to respond.
"Sure, why not." I accepted, taking it from her hand. Oh, it's strawberry! Mom only ever has mint left, my least favorite flavor, so I was caught by surprise with the sweet scent of strawberry.
I scanned the living room from the kitchen searching for Nan while I popped the candy into my mouth.
"Mom, where's Nan, shouldn't she be up by now?" I asked, sucking on the penny like treat.
"She said she'd be down in a bit. She wanted to get a little extra sleep since she wasn't feeling well." Mom answered, in the process of make a PB&J sandwich.
"Honey, grab the grape juice will you." Mom nudged her head towards the fridge just to the right of the counter.
"Sure thing." He replied, popping open the fridge and pulling out a carton. He poured a glass and handed it my way.
"Drink up, or you'll be late for school." He chuckled, holding it in front of my face. With a bit of hesitation in my reach I took it from his hand.
"Here, have this with it." Mom said, handing me the sandwich she'd been crafting.
"Thanks guys." I smiled weakly at them, then turning my sights to the sweet breakfast I held in my hands.
I ate out in the yard, enjoying the warmth of the fall sun, and the bird song. I bit into my sandwich like I hadn't eaten in days and lifted the glass of grape juice from the white plastic table for a drink. Despite me setting the glass down softly, the openness of my surroundings made the sound much louder than it normally would've been.
After breakfast I waved to my parents and ran down the hill towards the nearest bus stop. Taylor hasn't been picking me up lately at my request. If I hung out with her Nathan would always know exactly where to find me.
That reminded me, I was supposed to text her back last night before I fell asleep. She left town this morning with her family to visit their relatives.
I snagged a window seat and reached for my phone in my pocket.
It wasn't there.
I patted down my entire body in a panic, looking back and forth in my seat, hoping it would somehow materialize next to me. Just as the bus doors shut I realized I'd left it on the kitchen counter. My face went pale knowing I'd have to get through the day without it. I felt a tinge of self consciousness wondering how I became such a degenerate that I couldn't even go a day without my phone.
I just sighed and sunk into the hard material of the bus seat.
It was lonely being by myself, but I couldn't bring myself to face Nathan. That said... He's been hunting me down to apologize every day. Every. Single. Day! He'd find me hiding in the bathrooms, the garden, and even the dang supply closets! I was almost convinced he was an all seeing seer, tracking my every move. While it was charming in a way it hurt knowing he had no idea why I was upset with him in the first place.
I'm certain to the heavens above I have a mad crush on him. But I know there's something going on between him and Amber. I feel like he's been stringing me along out of pity.
Nathan wasn't the only one causing me problems though. Ever since the party the popular kids have been giving me trouble. They've spray painted over my lockers, vandalized my school desks and have been gossiping and spreading false rumors about me behind my back. Thankfully this was mostly just within a contained group that are close to Chad and his friends. I'd still get warmly greeted by at least a dozen people a day. It reminded me of the days before I was outed. Everyone was so nice to me back then. After a lot of struggling things finally seem to be going back to normal.
I sighed to myself, my head exploding with thoughts while on my way to get a drink of water from one of the fountain sinks. Friday's PE had just finished up and we ran out of bottled water so I walked my sweaty self down the halls, trying to remember where the fountain sinks were located. Strands of my soaked hair bounced with every step I took. The cool air entering from the windows and blowing down the halls hugged my sweat drenched tank top, sending a chill across my skin.
After a bit more searching I stumbled upon a sink near the entrance of the school. It had a bright silver shine to it, but I could tell it was used quite a lot. There were wrappers and soda cans strewn about, littering the area.
"Just what I was looking for." I cheered quietly to myself after completing my long journey for some cold H-Two-O!
"You'd think coming in this way everyday I would've remembered it was here." I muttered to myself.
On my way up to sink I noticed a figure approaching from the other end of the wall just left of me.
"Just what I wasn't looking for." I whispered to myself, even quieter than last time. It was Chad. The moment he spotted me his neutral expression morphed into one of pure hatred.
I swear, the few milliseconds it took for me to blink was enough time for him to have me shoved up against the nearest wall. Gasps and whispers rang out from the few bystanders hanging around the area.
"I thought we were over this. I thought we moved passed this!" I yelled at Chad who had his arm up against my throat. His scowl was fierce and the heavy air blowing from his nose was practically visible. His rage had his arm shaking against my windpipe. The pressure wasn't too consistent to where I was unable to breathe though.
"You... The more I try to cut you from my life, the more your annoying little face pops in to cause trouble." He growled. I narrowed my brows at him, having no clue what he was on about.
"Just when I was finally about to have my way with Haley... Taylor and your dumb self show up to ruin everything."
"She... she won't shut up about your damn party. She's beyond pissed off. I can't sit around and pretend to care for everything she's mouthing off about." He gritted his teeth.
"I'm sure you've had your way with Haley many times over. Everyone practically knows you two are screwing." I bit back trying to shove Chad off of me, but to no avail. He slammed me backwards, undoing the few inches I'd managed to make away from the wall.
"I see someone thinks they've grown some balls." He hissed.
"Pssh, what a joke..."
"I should just beat you down right here and now. That would shut Haley up for awhile." His expression wrinkled slightly as it closed in on mine. I half expected him to rip off my head with his teeth.
...
Suddenly, a loud crash at the door startled the both of us. A familiar voice following along and yelling out my name in what sounded like anguish.
"Noah!"
Both Chad and I turned to look at the distraught woman standing in the door space appearing to be out of breath.
My heart sank when I identified her. "M-Mom?"
Not here, please, not at my school...
"What are you doing here?" I asked her, my voice going shaky and my hands getting clammy.
I've always had nightmares about my parents coming to school.
"You wouldn't answer your phone so I came here instead." She barely manged to speak through her huffs and puff.
"It's Nan... S-she collapsed a few hours after you left the house. She was immediately rushed to the E.R. but they're not sure she'll make it through the night." My mother was on the verge of tears in her panic. Her sentence was unable to process in my head. I repeated it over and over, and over, my world ever so slowly becoming a blur of confusion and fear.
...
"W-what's going on here?" Mom finally asked the dreaded question, realizing Chad having me pressed up against the wall with his forearm wasn't just friendly shenanigans. A new layer of fear instilled upon me, snapping me out of what felt like an eternity in my head.
"I asked you two what's going on?!" She repeated, this time raising her voice.
"This faggot is being a needle in my side, so I was just telling him to keep his distance."
"You don't refer to your friends that way! And don't you dare call my son a... a." My mom scolded the boy she once believed to be my friend, her eyes beginning to bulge. I shut my own, tilted my head back and hope for all of this to end.
"He's not my friend. Not since I found out the freak fantasizes about me, not since I found out he's been eying my dick." Chad's tone increased, slamming me against the wall once again.
I peeked out of my closed eyes to see my mom standing still, struck in disbelief.
"Oh, so she doesn't know huh?" Chad smirked, narrowing his eyes at me.
"He's the biggest creep I've ever known. He's always checking out my friends in the locker room, eying every man like a hawk as they walk down the halls. He's a faggot in every sense of the word." Chad proceeded to tell one lie after another, essentially digging my grave ten feet deeper with every word.
Please stop.
"You can ask anyone here at school and they'll tell you the same thing." He said, glaring over the few students watching the drama unfold from the sidelines.
I don't know what to do.
Chad gripped me by the collar tightly before dropping me to the floor and storming off.
I slid down the wall like an insignificant drop of water and sat on the hard uncomfortable floor, as still as a puddle.
For a solid minute not a single sound graced my ears other than the lonely wind blowing across the building. Slight sobs from my mother broke that.
My life is over, inst it?