Date: Thu, 7 Aug 2008 17:30:54 +0100 From: mac_manap@msn.com Subject: American-English, pt. 5 Written by H.Mac. Co-Written by Rob. Sorry, again, for the fucked up postings. Entirely my fault. This chapter is shorter as I didn't have the time to finish it. But I like how it's turned out. Chapter six will take a while to come out as I haven't even started, but we have some ideas going. I think it's getting good! Happy Reading! This story is entirely fictional. If it seems familiar then it's because it is. I stalked you and took parts of your life for this story. I have that kind of time. If anything offends you, well, too late because you already read it. To be fair, you are on a site where you could come across anything, so you have no right to be offended. So there. If it is illegal for you to read this in your community, then I advise you to leave. However, I can't personally do anything about it. I won't to be honest, because I'm lazy. Thank you, I'll be here all week! Enjoy! AMERICAN-ENGLISH CHAPTER FIVE. QUESTIONS. "You have one hour. Begin." The paper turned over. Tick... Tick... Tick... Questions...so many questions... Tick... Tick... Tick... `Question One: Explain the reasoning behind...' Tick... Tick... Tick... `Explain the reasoning behind...' Tick... Tick... Tick... `Explain the reasoning...' Tick... Tick... Tick... Explain the reasoning. Explain it. Tick. Tick. Tick. Exam week had started. I had spent most of the weekend studying. I was head-deep in every book I could find, trying helplessly to concentrate on something. Monday was difficult. I spent so much time trying to avoid him that I couldn't fully pay attention to what the exam was about. But I managed to at least put something down on paper. Tuesday and Wednesday were easier; I hadn't run into him at all. No sign. He only sat behind me in exams. I didn't have to look at him. But Thursday... I woke up on Thursday with a groan. I had a biology test and then history. Both of them with Clay. I'd never noticed how many classes we had together. I rose from the blanket world of my bed and headed for the shower, reciting all of the details and specifics for the impending torture awaiting me. LeAnn was sitting the same biology exam as me, so we got to school early to revise some of the key topics before Alicia wished us luck as we made our way to the labs. Taking my place in the assigned seats, I looked around the room to see who else was there. From our lessons together, I knew that biology was not Chrissie's forte. This observation was only strengthened by the nervous tapping of her pen and her worried face. I couldn't help but feel a little glee at her expense. Most of the class was now settled. "Has anyone seen Clay?" called Mr. Adams, the department head of biology. The class rippled as it turned to look at the empty space not far behind me. I didn't move. I couldn't even bring myself to look at his abandoned chair. "You live near him, don'tcha? Have you seen him?" LeAnn asked me. "No." I blurted out. "No. No, I haven't seen him since Maths yesterday." She gave me a puzzled look. It hadn't exactly gone unnoticed that I acted strangely every time I saw Clay or heard his name. "You alright?" "Yeah. I just want to get this over with." "Chrissie? Have you heard from him this morning?" She looked back at Mr. Adams with a disgusted look on her face. Apparently the gossip didn't always hit the whole school. It was old news that Clay and Chrissie were on a `break', what ever that means. I don't know. Chrissie, it seems, had become fed up with being ignored by Clay. His recent spaced-out attitude had caused him to forget dates and meets with people. When he forgot to kiss her last week in the corridor she threw a fit. I remember, because he looked back at me for a second or so. A pitiful look... Distress etched on his face. "Well, since he's not arrived I will have to forfeit his right to sit the test. You have an hour and a half. You may begin... Now." Mr. Adams had the tendency to break my concentration by calling out how much time was left. "One hour, fifteen", "One hour", "Thirty minutes left" he would announce. Dick head. Soon after he called out we had twenty-five minutes remaining, however, the door burst open and Clay stumbled in the room. "I'm sorry..." he was panting like a greyhound. "Sorry...I slept in and...had to run...really...sorry," he put his hands on his knees, bending down to regain his breath. "I'm sorry, CJ, but you'll have to sit this one out. If you're late then you forfeit the right to sit the test." "But! I studied! I just fell asleep late and didn't get up in-" "It's your own fault if you're going to go out all night. There's nothing I can do for you. Now I need you to leave." Mr. Adams stated sternly. "I wasn't out," Clay pleaded. "I just haven't been sleeping well lately... I've had a lot on my mind..." he drifted off. He looked straight at me with the same, helpless expression that had been engraved into my head from Friday night. I turned away and felt bad as soon as I did. "You will have to take that up with the Vice-Principal. In the meantime I need you to leave," he said, half pushing Clay out the door. I could feel his intense gaze on me one last time before he turned and left the room, punching a locker as he walked by. "I'm sorry about that," Mr. Adams offered. "Y'all may have five extra minutes to the time to complete..." he went on and announced how much time we had left. I couldn't concentrate though. Was he acting like that because of me? I left the room soon after barely finishing the rest of the paper. LeAnn couldn't stop talking about it. "Did you see his face? He looked like he was about to cry!" She wasn't exactly a fan of the quarterback. It seemed she wasn't the only one making fun. "Oh god, I can't believe I dated him for so long! He's such a loser!" Chrissie declared loudly to anyone who would listen. When lunch came about I found a reason to leave the girls to their own devices. "Where you going?" Alicia asked. "Just need to see Mr. Neal about something on the test later. Plus I wanna get some more revision in." "Jake! It's an hour before you start! Just relax! Don't stress yourself out, babe!" I know, but I can't help it, I smiled back at her. "Well, we'll be here for a while if you get bored and wanna have some fun!" LeAnn added. "Yeah, I will." I felt bad for lying to them, but I had no intention of studying. I didn't know why, and I didn't know what I would say, but I knew I had to find Clay. He wasn't with his group. They seemed to have either abandoned him, or not realised he wasn't there. Laughter filled the air around their table like nothing had changed. "Arseholes," I muttered, glaring at them. With his absence from the table, I knew he must be hiding somewhere. Somehow, I knew where he would be. I walked straight toward the bathroom where our fight took place. It had been cleaned since my last visit; dusty crystals littered the floor no more. Stepping into the communal area, I noticed one of the doors was closed, yet unlocked. "Clay?" I asked quietly, rapping my knuckles gently on the door. A sniff from inside indicated a presence of at least a living creature. Pushing it open, I looked into the small cubicle to find Clay sitting on the toilet seat, a book in his hand and his face moist from what I assumed were tears. He looked even broader than normal, imprisoned in the small booth. His wide chest looked more muscular and his arms seemed to barely fit in the left over space. Nonetheless, he looked, once again, liked a little boy lost at a mall, waiting for his family to retrieve him. He pretended not to notice me walk in, his eyes fixated on the book. I doubted he was really reading. "Clay...?" I repeated, staring down at him. Nothing. Not a word. He didn't even flinch. "Clay, I know you can hear me." Still silence. His hand moved to turn the page. "You know what? I don't have time to deal with this. I just..." I could tell he was listening intently for he did not move a muscle. "I don't know...I just felt..." "You felt sorry for me?" He still didn't look at me. "A little," I lowered my tone. "Well you don't need to. I don't need your pity." He finally looked up, anger written on his face. "Alright," I surrendered. Walking in further, I sat against the closed door. I regretted that decision...who sits on the floor of a public toilet? Disgusting. I continued: "Clay, we need to talk...about..." I couldn't bring my self to say it. I didn't know how. There was nothing dirty about it in my mind. But to say it out loud felt strange. "I don't need to talk. It was a fluke mistake." Deciding to move on, I tried a different approach. "Well, why are you sitting in here?" "Cos I wanted some alone time, is that so bad?" He asked, emphasising the `alone time'. "Clay, please. Come on... It's no big deal. I don't mind if you're... If you're..." "Fuck you!" he half-shouted at me. "You don't know shit!" "Well, then why the fuck did you kiss me?" I retaliated loudly, standing. He didn't say anything. His anger dropped from his face and the pleading face returned. My stomach churned once again at the sight of him. He lowered his head to his book and cried silently. The sound of the words spoken out loud must have hit something inside him. It hit something inside me too. "Look, it's nothing to be embarrassed about," I said, as softly as I could. "You said it was nothing, right? Just a mistake?" He looked at me. I cannot explain the look. I won't. But in the look he answered my question. His face spoke to me. It wasn't a mistake. He realised that I had understood. I stood up and stepped as far back as I could. I suddenly felt very claustrophobic. "Oh..." I opened the door and walked over to the sink. A couple of minutes later he followed me. "So, you are..." He shrugged. "Oh..." I'm not brilliant with words at moments of high sensitivity or big problems. "I...err..." "You don't need to say anything." He answered for me. I broke a minute or so of pause. "How long have you..." "Felt about you? Or in general?" Finally understanding what he meant, I replied. "About...you know..." He paused and turned away. He walked to the frosted window and pushed it open a little. It seemed like forever before he said: "Since I first saw you." My gut performed a bad somersault, landing with a crash inside me. "Ooh." He wouldn't look at me. I don't think he could. I didn't know what to say. I wanted to either walk up to him and tell him that everything was okay, or walk out of the tense environment. Like a spirit in purgatory, I remained in the middle of the communal area of the bathroom. "I don't know what to say..." "You don't need to say anything." "Can I ask," I said before thinking, "what you mean by since you first saw me?" Turning with puzzlement, he stared at me and looked like I had asked the most ridiculous question in the world. "What I mean? Isn't it obvious?" "Not really," I lied. I really wanted to hear him say it for some reason. He sighed, pondering his words before: "Well...before you moved here, I hadn't ever thought about a guy in a..." Choosing words with an issue like this was difficult for both of us. "...in a romantic way." He and I both flushed. "How did you know though?" "The first time I saw you, you were walking down the corridor to your locker. I was sat reading at the bench near the door to the labs and..." He smiled, somewhat dreamily to himself. Realising, he looked embarrassed and looked at the floor. "Oh." Man I sucked. Not a fucking thing to say other than "Oh". Prick. "Look, I don't expect anything from you. I just want to be left alone with this so I can deal with it...by myself." He reached back into the cubicle, retrieving his bag and books. "We haven't got long `til the test and I can't afford to miss another one. I still need look at my notes one more time. I already have to make up for this morning with extra credit stuff," he snuffed, jokily. Walking straight to the door, he only turned to look at me once before he headed off, the tiniest flick of a smile visible for about a millisecond. I spent a few minutes just refreshing what happened. Clay liked me? I'm the only guy he ever liked... Did I turn him gay? Can one straight guy turn another one gay? Am I gay? Since the moment he saw me...how badly does he like me? Question after question filled my head. I didn't even notice myself walking to the history room. I took my assigned seat, behind Clay this time, just as the bell rang, and the room filled with people. Settling down, pens in hand and papers turned over in front of us, the occupants of the class room were ready to go. All I could do was stare at the back of Clay's head. Maybe if I looked hard enough I could look inside... The room went deadly silent as Mr. Neal stood at the front of the class. The ticking of the clock began to deafen the muted room. "Everyone ready?" he called to the seated students. I watched as Clay nodded with the rest of the group. I didn't move a muscle. "Okay, let's get started." He walked over to the clock, adjusting the hands accordingly. "You have one hour. Begin." The paper turned over. Tick... Tick... Tick... Questions...so many questions... Tick... Tick... Tick... `Question One: Explain the reasoning behind...' Tick... Tick... Tick... `Explain the reasoning behind...' Tick... Tick... Tick... `Explain the reasoning...' Tick... Tick... Tick... Explain the reasoning. Explain it. Tick. Tick. Tick... Hope you enjoyed that. Especially the tease at the end. Anyway. Before I leave you, I wanted to once again recommend: OPERATION: COLLEGE QUARTERBACK Hot sex scenes and an amazing storyline with incredible characters. My favourite. /nifty/gay/college/operation-college-quarterback/ FALLING FOR A STRAIGHT GUY A great, slow paced story about a young, very likable guy. I edit this story now. /nifty/gay/highschool/falling-for-a-straight-guy/ QUARTERBACK WITH THE EMERALD EYES The longest story I ever read with on Nifty with constant new storylines to keep you entertained! It will make you yell out "Oh, God, WHY NOT ME?!" many times! Awesome! /nifty/gay/highschool/quarterback-with-the-emerald-eyes/ HOUSE PARTY I just started reading this one today and it's really good. The characters are some of my favourites. /nifty/gay/highschool/house-party/ Let me know what you think of them! And my own of course! Response to mac_manap@msn.com Personal replies will be sent a.s.a.p. Thanks again. H.Mac.