Quin's point of view.
__________________________________________________________________________
“I’m dropping out of school,” I announced, slamming open my locker.
“Why?” Lisa asked, glanced up from stuffing a jacket, a pocketbook, and a stuffed hippo into her backpack.
“Why do Du think?” I asked. “My secret’s out. I need to drop out of school.”
Lisa rolled her eyes. “Quin, you’re taking this way too seriously. This is one of those things that everyone teases Du about for one day, and the Weiter Tag they’ve completely forgotten about it. ‘Kay?”
“Okay,” I sagte grudgingly.
Lisa tried to marmelade her pocketbook into her pack. She had gotten in the jacket, but what with the Bücher in there as well, she just couldn’t fit in the pocketbook and the hippo.
“What if Du put those in your locker?” I suggested.
Lisa stood and turned the combination on the blue metal door of the locker, then swung it open. Pencils, paper, and an iPod case covered in rosa and white rhinestones rained down on her.
“No room,” Lisa said. She plucked the case off of the white tiles that covered all the school’s hallways. “Been looking for this,” she Kommentiert absentmindedly.
“You can put your crap in my locker,” I offered.
She grinned. “Thanks.” Lisa stuck the jacket, the hippo, and the pocketbook into my hands and took off down the hall, slinging her backpack up onto her right shoulder.
I opened my locker, shoved Lisa’s stuff into it, and slammed the door closed. Someone touched my shoulder. I turned. It was Wesley.
The super-confident boy. The boy who was nice to everyone, but could stand up for himself, and still without saying a cruel word. The boy who could make someone feel tiny just Von smiling at him.
“Uh…hi,” I said. I definitely felt tiny right now.
He smiled at me. He had a great smile. “Hi. Hey, can I ask Du something personal?”
“Um, yeah. Yeah, sure.”
“Are Du really gay?”
He must have seen the shock on my face, because he sagte quickly: “you don’t have to answer if Du don’t want. I was just wondering, because I am.”
“You’re gay?” I asked.
He nodded.
“I didn’t know that.”
“Well, it’s not like I go around ‘hey, I’m homosexual!’ If someone asks me about my sexuality, I answer honestly. If they don’t ask me, I’m not going to randomly go up to them and tell them.”
“But you’re completely open with it,” I said. It wasn’t a question. I could tell he was, but he nodded anyway.
“Yeah,” he said. “I learned to accept it, and then I was ready to ask other people to.” He looked into my eyes. “You’re not ready, are you?”
I shook my head. He smiled a little.
“Well…if Du need help with it, Du can come to me. If Du want.”
I nodded. “Thanks,” I said, genuinely grateful.
He grinned and headed off down the hall.
Lisa turned out to be right. Everyone had forgotten about the rumor except for Tonia, who kept trying to change the subject to it. Then Ryker oder Zoë would just change it back to whatever we were talking about previously, though, so it was alright.
Fawn sat with us again, even though Lucy and Ammine were back. She sagte she didn’t feel like sitting with them. Personally, I think she just wanted to sit Weiter to Ryker. I noticed her sneaking coy glances at him out of the corner of her eye multiple times.
I also noticed Wesley sneaking glances at me. I wondered why he was doing that.
Then I remembered: he was gay, too.
But that still doesn’t exactly explain why he kept looking at me. I mean, I’m not that cute oder anything. I have straight, light blond hair, I’m a little shorter than most of the boys in my grade, and my nose turns up slightly at the end. And my complexion is practically white. My face turns almost scarlet when I’m embarrassed. Also, my eyes are some weird greenish-brown color that my mom says is hazel.
I think that word’s a little too pretty for the color of a swamp.
No, he wasn’t looking at me because he liked me oder anything. It was something else.
It must be.
Either way, I found myself thinking about him through the day. He was sort of cute, in a way. Not as cute as Travis, but still cute.
At least we could be friends. Me and Wesley. I mean, we had that in common. I had been hoping that someone would admit to being gay. I’m too shy to do that.
I mentioned him to my mom when I got home. She seemed happy about it, but told me not to tell my father.
Well, duh. My father has some huge problem with people who are bi oder homosexual. He’s just another person I’m never gonna tell.
I just nodded at my mom, though. “I won’t tell him.”
I walked up to my room and flopped onto my bed, pulling a kissen over my face. I closed my eyes. I was tired. I needed to rest.
My phone vibrated inside my pocket. I dug it out and flipped it open. “Hello?”
“Hi. This is Wesley.”
“Hey,” I said. For some reason, my herz did a weird little flutter in my chest. “What’s up?”
“Nothing much. I was just wondering how Du were doing,” he said.
I felt weird, talking to him. Not being able to see his face. But I don’t usually feel awkward on the phone. “Pretty good,” I said. “How about you?”
“Same. Except my little sister. She can get really annoying sometimes, always coming into my room and taking stuff. Yesterday, I went into the living room and she was playing around with my phone. She cracked the screen a little, but it still works. I guess I couldn’t be calling Du if it didn’t.” I can tell that he knows I feel awkward, and that he’s trying to make me not. It’s working.
“You have a little sister?” I asked. “I do too! Her name’s Lulu. She’s five.”
“Mine’s six. Name’s Susan.” He paused, and I was about to say something when he started talking again. “Maybe we could get them together sometime.”
I nodded, then remembered he couldn’t see me. “Yeah, that’d be cool,” I said. “What’s your number? Maybe we could plan them a play datum sometime. oder they could just talk on the phone.”
I snatched up a pen from my desk. I couldn’t find a piece of paper, so I used a wrapper from a piece of mint gum that had been crumpled at the bottom of my pocket for a while. Wesley recited his number, and I scribbled it down.
“So...see Du at school,” I sagte after I had written it down.
“Okay. Bye.” He paused again. “We should hang out more. At school.”
“Yeah. That’d be nice,” I said. My herz did the weird fluttery thing again.
“Goodbye,” he said.
“Goodbye.” I didn’t hang up, though. I kept the phone to my ear until I heard the click of the phone on the other line. Even then I didn’t. I kept it there for the longest time, just holding it there, and smiling, the gum wrapper held tight in my fist.
__________________________________________________________________________
“I’m dropping out of school,” I announced, slamming open my locker.
“Why?” Lisa asked, glanced up from stuffing a jacket, a pocketbook, and a stuffed hippo into her backpack.
“Why do Du think?” I asked. “My secret’s out. I need to drop out of school.”
Lisa rolled her eyes. “Quin, you’re taking this way too seriously. This is one of those things that everyone teases Du about for one day, and the Weiter Tag they’ve completely forgotten about it. ‘Kay?”
“Okay,” I sagte grudgingly.
Lisa tried to marmelade her pocketbook into her pack. She had gotten in the jacket, but what with the Bücher in there as well, she just couldn’t fit in the pocketbook and the hippo.
“What if Du put those in your locker?” I suggested.
Lisa stood and turned the combination on the blue metal door of the locker, then swung it open. Pencils, paper, and an iPod case covered in rosa and white rhinestones rained down on her.
“No room,” Lisa said. She plucked the case off of the white tiles that covered all the school’s hallways. “Been looking for this,” she Kommentiert absentmindedly.
“You can put your crap in my locker,” I offered.
She grinned. “Thanks.” Lisa stuck the jacket, the hippo, and the pocketbook into my hands and took off down the hall, slinging her backpack up onto her right shoulder.
I opened my locker, shoved Lisa’s stuff into it, and slammed the door closed. Someone touched my shoulder. I turned. It was Wesley.
The super-confident boy. The boy who was nice to everyone, but could stand up for himself, and still without saying a cruel word. The boy who could make someone feel tiny just Von smiling at him.
“Uh…hi,” I said. I definitely felt tiny right now.
He smiled at me. He had a great smile. “Hi. Hey, can I ask Du something personal?”
“Um, yeah. Yeah, sure.”
“Are Du really gay?”
He must have seen the shock on my face, because he sagte quickly: “you don’t have to answer if Du don’t want. I was just wondering, because I am.”
“You’re gay?” I asked.
He nodded.
“I didn’t know that.”
“Well, it’s not like I go around ‘hey, I’m homosexual!’ If someone asks me about my sexuality, I answer honestly. If they don’t ask me, I’m not going to randomly go up to them and tell them.”
“But you’re completely open with it,” I said. It wasn’t a question. I could tell he was, but he nodded anyway.
“Yeah,” he said. “I learned to accept it, and then I was ready to ask other people to.” He looked into my eyes. “You’re not ready, are you?”
I shook my head. He smiled a little.
“Well…if Du need help with it, Du can come to me. If Du want.”
I nodded. “Thanks,” I said, genuinely grateful.
He grinned and headed off down the hall.
Lisa turned out to be right. Everyone had forgotten about the rumor except for Tonia, who kept trying to change the subject to it. Then Ryker oder Zoë would just change it back to whatever we were talking about previously, though, so it was alright.
Fawn sat with us again, even though Lucy and Ammine were back. She sagte she didn’t feel like sitting with them. Personally, I think she just wanted to sit Weiter to Ryker. I noticed her sneaking coy glances at him out of the corner of her eye multiple times.
I also noticed Wesley sneaking glances at me. I wondered why he was doing that.
Then I remembered: he was gay, too.
But that still doesn’t exactly explain why he kept looking at me. I mean, I’m not that cute oder anything. I have straight, light blond hair, I’m a little shorter than most of the boys in my grade, and my nose turns up slightly at the end. And my complexion is practically white. My face turns almost scarlet when I’m embarrassed. Also, my eyes are some weird greenish-brown color that my mom says is hazel.
I think that word’s a little too pretty for the color of a swamp.
No, he wasn’t looking at me because he liked me oder anything. It was something else.
It must be.
Either way, I found myself thinking about him through the day. He was sort of cute, in a way. Not as cute as Travis, but still cute.
At least we could be friends. Me and Wesley. I mean, we had that in common. I had been hoping that someone would admit to being gay. I’m too shy to do that.
I mentioned him to my mom when I got home. She seemed happy about it, but told me not to tell my father.
Well, duh. My father has some huge problem with people who are bi oder homosexual. He’s just another person I’m never gonna tell.
I just nodded at my mom, though. “I won’t tell him.”
I walked up to my room and flopped onto my bed, pulling a kissen over my face. I closed my eyes. I was tired. I needed to rest.
My phone vibrated inside my pocket. I dug it out and flipped it open. “Hello?”
“Hi. This is Wesley.”
“Hey,” I said. For some reason, my herz did a weird little flutter in my chest. “What’s up?”
“Nothing much. I was just wondering how Du were doing,” he said.
I felt weird, talking to him. Not being able to see his face. But I don’t usually feel awkward on the phone. “Pretty good,” I said. “How about you?”
“Same. Except my little sister. She can get really annoying sometimes, always coming into my room and taking stuff. Yesterday, I went into the living room and she was playing around with my phone. She cracked the screen a little, but it still works. I guess I couldn’t be calling Du if it didn’t.” I can tell that he knows I feel awkward, and that he’s trying to make me not. It’s working.
“You have a little sister?” I asked. “I do too! Her name’s Lulu. She’s five.”
“Mine’s six. Name’s Susan.” He paused, and I was about to say something when he started talking again. “Maybe we could get them together sometime.”
I nodded, then remembered he couldn’t see me. “Yeah, that’d be cool,” I said. “What’s your number? Maybe we could plan them a play datum sometime. oder they could just talk on the phone.”
I snatched up a pen from my desk. I couldn’t find a piece of paper, so I used a wrapper from a piece of mint gum that had been crumpled at the bottom of my pocket for a while. Wesley recited his number, and I scribbled it down.
“So...see Du at school,” I sagte after I had written it down.
“Okay. Bye.” He paused again. “We should hang out more. At school.”
“Yeah. That’d be nice,” I said. My herz did the weird fluttery thing again.
“Goodbye,” he said.
“Goodbye.” I didn’t hang up, though. I kept the phone to my ear until I heard the click of the phone on the other line. Even then I didn’t. I kept it there for the longest time, just holding it there, and smiling, the gum wrapper held tight in my fist.
"no" Kyle said. "I'm so sorry."
"What for? Du were always there for us, what else could Du have done?" James said.
"I could've been Mehr of a brother, instead of your leader." Kyle sagte and looked at his brother.
"But then what would I have gotten angry at Du for then?" James sagte they smiled at each other.
"Take care of them.Kyle said, " Kyle croaked, "Please?" James nodded "I will." James wanted to say dont go oder something, but he knew it was time. "I'll be watching you, hot-head." he said.
James looked down and didn't speak.
"I wish it were different to." Kyle told him. James hugged Kyle tightly, "Say hi to mum for me"
"I will, bye" Kyle cried on James' shoulder and he cried on Kyle's. "To let Du know, I do need you."
"Your a funny kind of brother, aren't you!?" Kyle whispered. "Goodbye." sagte James.
"Look under my bed, remember Sheila" his eyelids growing heavy. "James. Du couldn't have stopped this"
"What do I do without you?" James asked.
"Live on"
"What for? Du were always there for us, what else could Du have done?" James said.
"I could've been Mehr of a brother, instead of your leader." Kyle sagte and looked at his brother.
"But then what would I have gotten angry at Du for then?" James sagte they smiled at each other.
"Take care of them.Kyle said, " Kyle croaked, "Please?" James nodded "I will." James wanted to say dont go oder something, but he knew it was time. "I'll be watching you, hot-head." he said.
James looked down and didn't speak.
"I wish it were different to." Kyle told him. James hugged Kyle tightly, "Say hi to mum for me"
"I will, bye" Kyle cried on James' shoulder and he cried on Kyle's. "To let Du know, I do need you."
"Your a funny kind of brother, aren't you!?" Kyle whispered. "Goodbye." sagte James.
"Look under my bed, remember Sheila" his eyelids growing heavy. "James. Du couldn't have stopped this"
"What do I do without you?" James asked.
"Live on"
Ya know,
All these years
I've been standing here
In the darkness,
And I didn't know what to do
oder what to say
But when Du came by
Boy, Du gave me strength.
And Du told me
Girl you're beautiful,
Now go on with your life
I've never met someone
Who has made me so strong,
But I told myself,
Oh you're amazing,
Oh Du made me brave.
The story of my life
Is oh so sad to tell,
But sometimes that is why
Life is so memorable.
The way that he helped me out
Has made me carry on.
And all that gave me courage
Is my awesome little hero.
U R Beautiful,
And I know that I am too.
Well, now, maybe.
U R Beautiful
Boy Du gave me strength.
All these years
I've been standing here
In the darkness,
And I didn't know what to do
oder what to say
But when Du came by
Boy, Du gave me strength.
And Du told me
Girl you're beautiful,
Now go on with your life
I've never met someone
Who has made me so strong,
But I told myself,
Oh you're amazing,
Oh Du made me brave.
The story of my life
Is oh so sad to tell,
But sometimes that is why
Life is so memorable.
The way that he helped me out
Has made me carry on.
And all that gave me courage
Is my awesome little hero.
U R Beautiful,
And I know that I am too.
Well, now, maybe.
U R Beautiful
Boy Du gave me strength.
Hi. My name is Jake Gartner, and right now, basically a huge mutant serpent is coming to schlucken me whole, tear me to pieces of flesh, so I have no time to talk right now. Oh, um...you want to follow me? Sure, just accept that everyday will be the best of the thrills. Right now, we are not getting any help from the immortal world, so just know that we have a horrible system of magic right now, and we have an extremely low supply of weapons, thus, the chance that Du will get out of this mess is around eighty-six percent. (because of me, the master of war) Oh yeah, the serpent. Enough talk. (ROARS) Off to kill a mutant serpent!!! (stabs, deflects, cuts a gash in its head, dies) That's only our first one, trainee. Whatever your name is. Weiter time, I invite Du to Mitmachen with us on our battle. And it will be even Mehr life-consuming, if Du know what that means.