Broken Glass.

 

           Hall’s eyes darted to Salem; then darted back to his two companions, hoping they wouldn’t notice him. Hall stood beside two boys nearly the same size as he. All three had a large build, but Hall stood about two inches taller, his shoulders jutting out almost as strong as his jaw. The three has straight, white teeth, and Nick and Hall shared the same straight blond hair and clear blue eyes. Though, Hall’s eyes were much larger than Nick’s; which was the only not intimating thing about Hall. Xavier stood on Hall’s left. He had dark curly hair, only about a shade darker than his skin tone. The three wore sports jackets and Reebok tennis shoes. Hall secretly hated this. He knew he looked like all the other jocks in school, but he was nothing like them and to be associated with them automatically, he saw as an irritating burden to bear for a scholarship; no matter how much needed…But he bore it, none the less.

            Xavier followed Hall’s anxious gaze. “Oh my God, guys, look!” Xavier pointed a dark finger at Salem, who was walking, head down, wearing black from head to toe.

            Nick gave out a loud laugh. “It’s that freak, again! Why does he walk this way? He should know better than that.”

            “We could teach him to know better than that,” Xavier said with a smile. Nick and Xavier hurried, almost running, to meet the speed Salem walked with ease. Salem had an unusual walk; as if he put his legs out much further than necessary. Hall jogged along behind Nick and Xavier, gritting his teeth. This was going to be a lose-lose situation for him.

            “Hey, Freak,” Nick called. Salem kept walking, head down. “Hey, Freak! I’m talking to you!” Nick caught up and shoved Salem to the ground. Salem still didn’t look up while he picked himself up and kept on his way. Hall looked around to see if anyone else was in the school parking lot, just in case things got out of control; but it was empty.

            Xavier ran in front of him and knocked a small pile of books out of his hands. Nick laughed obnoxiously. Xavier paused and bent to retrieve one. He examined the picture on the cover. It was a witch with, what seemed like, a black pot in front of her and children dancing around. The words “The Crucible” were plainly printed on the front. Xavier smirked and threw the book at Salem’s stomach. Salem caught it and began walking again.

            “You a witch or something?” Nick and Xavier shared in the same high pitched laughter. Hall stood still, fists clenched, the vein in his forehead growing larger, but only making him look even more handsome than before.

            “Hey, man, if you’re a witch, why don’t you get your mom out of jail?” Salem stopped, and turned around slowly. Hall groaned under his breath, trying to keep silent as Xavier and Nick began to hoot again.

            “Or,” Nick paused to muffled his laughter long enough to talk, “Better yet, why didn’t you hex your father out of hanging himself?” Salem winced at these words. Neither of them noticed. Salem never looked either of them in the face. His jaw was tight and his knuckles were white, clenching his books. “Get out of here, Freak!” Hall watched as tears welled up in Salem’s dark, intense eyes. Hall felt a burst of anger, and this time it could not be controlled.

            “Enough!” He yelled at them, deaf with rage, “Why don’t you guys shut the f**k up?!” He got out a few jagged breaths before he continued, “‘The Crucible’ is a famous play and you two idiots would know that if you knew how to read!” Hall shoved them both to the ground at the same time. “So, Why don’t you get the hell away from here and start working on that?!”

            Xavier and Nick shared a look, and then turned their heads to stare at Hall in bewilderment. Hall didn’t flinch. He felt the hate for them flowing out of his eyes. He couldn’t stop it. It was controlling him. He had to get away before he killed them.

            “Sorry,” Xavier muttered, Nick only nodded, taken a back. Hall spat on them and walked away in silenced, stopping to help Salem gather his books; but Salem was already gone. Hall knew the boys would act as if nothing had ever happened at practice. They always did when Hall could no longer take their idiocy. Everyone sucked up to Hall. Everyone wanted to say they were his friend as long as he stayed the star quarterback. Just as long as he kept winning.

            Hall entered his high school, disgust still plain as day on his face. He escaped, instantly, to the bathroom. He grunted as the cold water stung his face. He clenched the rim of the sink so that his hands were turning blue and purple. Hall’s breathing was fast and rugged. He stayed like that, gazing at the mirror, watching his anger and trying to dull it. But he couldn’t. It flowed through his veins so hard he thought he would surely have a heart attack. He thought of Xavier and Nick and Salem’s face when they brought up his dad. Everything had shown red to him. He punched the mirror and watched the pieces of glass shatter. His knuckles were sticky with blood. Hall wished it have been Xavier and Nick on the floor, in pieces. He left the bathroom, shoving his bloody knuckles deep inside the pocket of his sports jacket.

 

            Hall calmed as the day grew on. He passed Salem in the hall on his way to fifth period. Hall smiled, and Salem looked panicky. Hall chuckled at this when he was gone. What a strange, paranoid boy, he thought.

 

            Hall trudged to practice after school. He felt calm as he kicked up freshly fallen leaves. There was something about the autumn air that calmed him…It kept him sane. Now he was just another football player.

            He let out a tired sigh as he opened the field house doors and found his locker on the far corner. The field house was alive with conversations and laughter. He didn’t hate that part of being who he was. He didn’t hate everything about himself…

            “Hey, Man,” Xavier said, beside him. Hall flinched, but then took a deep breath.

            “Hey,” he replied, in a deep throated voice.

            “Sorry about earlier,” Nick appeared behind Xavier, leaning over his shoulder with his arm. Hall shrugged, “We got something that may cheer you up though.”

            Hall glanced up. “What’s that?” he asked, uninterested.

            “Go for it, Gabe,” Nick called across the room to a tall red headed boy, who grinned. Gabe started to do an imitation of a booty dance. His butt stuck in the air, Gabe shaking it side to side, and moving his arms and shoulders along with it in a mocking manner.

            Hall couldn’t help but to grin. The locker room burst into laughter.

            “I think I’m traumatized,” Hall said through chuckles.

            “Nah, Man, you know you like that,” Xavier winked at him.

            “Yeah,” Hall rolled his eyes.

            “You are so gay, you even got that eye roll going for you,” Nick teased, and Xavier laughed with him.

            “So what if I was?” Hall asked, still smiling. He was feeling more like himself now. Xavier and Nick laughed harder and so did a few ease droppers.

            “That would be the day,” Xavier added, then went to change. Hall pulled on his jersey, finally. They could think what they want, he thought.

 

           

            After school Hall pulled out last. He was always taking the longest shower of anyone. He saw Salem leave school on a motorcycle about twenty feet ahead of him and sped to follow without thinking. Hall knew where he was going.

            It was a reasonably quiet afternoon. Hall tried to concentrate on the music blaring from his radio. The notes consumed him. He liked to feel consumed so he wouldn’t have to think anymore.

            Salem pulled behind a bookstore and parked, pulling off his helmet and letting his long dark hair fall out of it. He placed it over one of his handle bars and quickly looked around him, then at Hall. Hall reached over and unlocked the passenger door beside him. Salem was at his door in two steps with his long strides, and he climbed into the car, silently. The leather squeaked underneath him.

            Hall turned off his radio and thumped his steering wheel in an awkward nervousness. Salem gazed out the window to the ditch on the left.

            “You know…” Hall looked up as Salem spoke, “You shouldn’t defend me like that…They’ll know.”

            “Only if you promise not to walk that way anymore; I’m going to end up killing them.” The hair on the back of Salem’s neck stood up as Hall said this. He believed him. He could see the anger in Hall’s eyes earlier that day.

            “I’m sorry. I like to see you in morning. You make everything…bearable.”

Salem made eye contact with Hall as he said the last sentence. Hall’s stomach tied in a knot at this as he saw Salem, once again had tears in his eyes. He felt out of control again, but this was a whole different emotion, entirely.

            Hall reached to hold Salem’s waist, and, pulling him closer, he kissed him with a need he felt he couldn’t express with words. When they pulled away Salem was crying harder.

            “Salem…” Hall said, softly, “I don’t care if they know. I love you, and I want everyone to know.” He lifted his chin to gaze into his dark eyes, “It doesn’t matter. None of it matters to me but you.” He wiped Salem’s tears with his sleeve. “Don’t cry, Salem, please,” he added, as if from his soul.

            “It was my fault,” He said, quietly. Hall scanned his eyes in confusion. Then realized what he was talking about and held him tighter.

            “No, Salem, it wasn’t.”

            “My dad killed himself because of me.”

            “No, Salem, he didn’t,” Hall whispered, “You kept him alive; just like you are keeping me alive.” Hall turned Salem’s wrist around, gently. He gazed at the freshly made cuts next to the old and almost healed ones. He brought Salem’s wrist to his lips and kissed it.

            “Live, Salem, please…” Hall, begged, “Live for me.” Salem sighed and sunk deeper into Hall’s chest.

Reviews

[Raef C. Boylan]

Not bad at all.
It was a good twist; i didn't suspect that Hall might be gay until right near the end - " "So what if I was?" Hall asked, still smiling " - and had no idea that he and Salem were in a relationship.
A very strong love story here, i felt kind of moved after i'd read it, by how much Hall cared, how much they both seem to care for one another. You also managed to avoid being too cliched, despite dealing with high school bullying, the topic whose essence most movies and literature fail to depict accurately.
This might be one to leave a while and then come back to in terms of editing. I often have trouble spotting the gaps in my realism unless i put the piece to one side for a while.

Thanks for sharing this with me.

p.s. one possible typo:
"they were his friend as long as he stayed to star quarterback" (get rid of the "to"?)

[Ralph was here.]

This is beautiful in many levels! I loved it. I love how I can feel the characters. At first, I thought Hall pitied Salem, and was secretly crushing on him. But whoa, they were actually a thing! This should be turned into a novel! I really want to know what happened and what will happen. Please do turn this into a book, or maybe create a sequel.

[Emily Willwerth]

I enjoyed this piece immensly.
Other than a couple tedious typos, it was amazing.
It's hard to find a boy x boy story that isn't sickeningly cliched, and this one is beyond any shadow of a doubt original.
Thank you for the great read. =D

[Raef C. Boylan]

"Hall spat on them and walked away in silenced" [silence]

Still a great piece.

[Deranged Kiwi]

This was both a great write and a great read. You had a strong opener, which was very descriptive and I enjoyed the underlying ideas that revolve around teens and their relationships with different people as well as with themselves; how they cover up for some or how they show all to others. I also admired how you pointed out the ignorance of some through the reference to the Crucible. Highly believable. "Ease dropping" should be "eavesdropping", I don't know if anyone pointed that out yet. I've never read anything dealing with homosexuality in a high school setting, although it is there, but you put a beautiful/unexpected twist on it. I loved the closing line. You eloquently addressed a lot of issues. Is there a part two?

[Chantal-lise Mirman]

Great H.S. story! The relationships were clearly defined and the just-under-the-skin nature of teen-age emotions well-portrayed. I DID realize there was a relationship between Hall and Salem right away, and I would have liked to see Hall's inner conflict defined a bit more. I link it might have been a good touch to have Hall say at the end, instead of "Live for me" (which sounds a little soap-opera-ish), "Make things bearable for me!" That common sentiment would seal their bond.

You do have some typos, but I can never get the notes to work for me...
In the first line of the second paragraph, it should read:

"The three had straight, white teeth"

[TL Boehm]

while this is unfamiliar territory for me both in real life and as a reader, I find it commendable. Such a difficult topic - and the high school setting really magnifies it. Your characters are believable - real and my heart goes out to them. I am interested. I can see this as part of a larger work or as a short piece. Definitely worth the read. Well done.

[Tabitha Kaufman]

This was a good write.... Different and it had a lot of detail but all in all it was a good write.

Thank you for sharing.
Tabitha

[Brette Medb]

Wow, I did not see that twist coming at all! Great write, I liked it alot!


B.

[Marie]

Nice.