Last Chance High - 17. Chapter 17

The next day was Friday, and Antonio didn’t show up at school. By Lunch Marc was so worried he laid his head on the table to stare at his phone.

“Still haven’t heard from him?” Jack asked, rubbing his blue-eyed friend’s back.

“No. Not a word.” Marc mumbled, voice dripping in misery.

His friends exchanged worried glances. They weren’t really sure what happened but they knew there was a fight between the two boys. Just when it looked like things were working out Antonio took off.

“Maybe, you should ask Matt?” Alex asked unsure. “I mean, their best friends right?”

“Can I do that?” Marc lifted his head off the table and looked around at his friends. He was met with shrugs and unsure smiles. “I’m going to do it. Just, check in. Make sure he got home safe and all that.”

Still unsure his friends nodded encouragingly. Marc’s feet like lead with each step and his stomach was filled with dread.

When he approached the blonde boy his voice shook. “Hey, Matt?”

“What’s up, Marc?” The blonde turned towards him but wouldn’t meet his eyes. Marc could tell he was trying hard to act casual.

“Can I talk to you for a minute?” Marc looked at his feet. He could see the confused looks the others at the table wore. Marc had always been confident and sure. This scared boy standing in front of them was unrecognizable.

Finally Matt met his eyes, and a look of pity came over his face. With a sigh he stood up and headed out of the cafeteria with Marc close on his heels. Matt didn’t speak until they were sure they were alone in the boys bathroom.

“I’m guessing this is about Antonio?”

“I just want to know if he’s okay. I don’t even know if he got home last night. Have you heard from him? I was going to text him, but he said to give him space. I don’t want to upset him, or like, come off overbearing. You know? I’m just worried and I don’t know what to do. And you're his best friend, so I guess, I thought I would ask you if he was okay. And what I can do to like, let him know I’m here for him without smothering him. I just want to race over to his house and hold him and tell him I love him...”

“Breath.” Marc did as he was told. “Look, Antonio acting like a child right now, but he’s okay. Physically at least.”

“What do you mean?”

“You two need to talk. But you’re right not to text him or show up at his place; if you chase him he’ll just keep running away. He’s like a rabbit, runs when he’s spooked.” Marc nodded in understanding. “Do you really love him?”

Marc’s head shot up to look at Matt. “Did I say that?” Matt crossed his arms and nodded. “I didn’t mean to.” Marc frowned.

Matt raised one eyebrow. “So you don’t?”

Marc looked at his feet, “No, I do, I just didn’t mean to say it out loud.” He mumbled. “And I should have said it to him first.”

Matt smirked and chuckled softly. “It's okay I won’t say anything. Look, I’m doing my best to smack some sense into him. He’ll come around eventually; he just needs to be alone to work things out.” Matt put his hand on Marc’s shoulder and squeezed gently.

“I feel like I’m losing him, Matt.” Marc’s voice was soft and full of pain, “And I can’t breathe. He won’t even tell me what I did. How can I fix it if I don’t know what I did?” His voice cracked and squeezed his eyes shut against the tears that were threatening to spill. “I feel like I fucking idiot, because it’s only been a day. And I feel pathetic and weak because I know I’m freaking out way more than is necessary.”

Matt pulled the slightly taller boy into a hug, “Hey, it’s okay. Breathe. There’s no reason to feel embarrassed. You’re allowed to freak out. I wish I could say something to make you feel better, but Antonio’s barely even talking to me. If things aren’t better by Monday you and I will go talk to him, okay?”

“Thanks, Matt.” Marc snuffled, face pressed against the smaller boy’s neck.

The door swung open and a chorus of voices flowed into the bathroom breaking the silence. The two boys sprang apart in surprise.

“Umm... sorry.” The boy in the doorway looked away with a blush on his cheeks. Marc knew his name was Marvin Rice and he hung out with Bailey.

“It’s not what it looks like!” Marc exclaimed.

“No, whatever, it’s cool man. None of my business.” The curly-haired boy rushed out of the bathroom leaving the two boys alone again. But as the door swung closed eyes from the hallway spotted the two boys and whispers started.

“Oh God! That wasn’t good.”

Matt laughed. “Nah, it’s no big deal. It’s not like we were doing anything.”

“It doesn’t matter; you know how the rumor mill works. By the end of the day the stories going to be that Marvin walked in on us screwing in the bathroom. Fuck! What if someone tells Antonio!”

Matt took pity on the older boy once he say the panic in his eyes. “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure Antonio knows the truth.”

Marc blushed. “Do you have to tell him I was crying?”

“No, but I’m going to.” Matt laughed and clapped his friend on the back “Just take it easy this weekend and we’ll see how it goes on Monday. Alright?”

Marc nodded and followed Matt out into the hallway. Matt said goodbye and headed down the hall, Marc watched him go for a moment before turning to walk the other way. That was when he noticed a blond boy with pale eyes standing across the hall smirking at him. Of course Erik had to witness that. For the first time in his high school career Marc skipped out on the rest of the day. He just couldn’t deal right now. He thought, maybe, he knew what Antonio had felt when he said he ‘just needed to run’.

+X+

It was Saturday afternoon and Antonio had taken the bus to the mall. He hated mall, and crowds, but he had needed to get out of the house. And for once the feeling of being lost in the crowd didn’t make him shiver. Matt had shown up at his place after school yesterday. He pushed his way into the Italian’s house even though Antonio asked him to leave. He was forced to sit on the couch next to his best friend as the blond told him all about Marc’s break down in the bathroom, and how Marvin had walked in on them. His chest was tight with pain knowing he was causing Marc so much worry, but he wasn’t sure yet what he wanted to do. Matt explained that by the end of the day rumors of Marc’s infidelity were everywhere. Marc had been worried Antonio would hear and be hurt so Matt offered to come talk to him. Antonio almost laughed at that; he never would have believed it in a million years. Matt and Marc going behind his back? Yeah, that would never happen. He wandered the halls with a can of pop held loosely in his hands, his headphones drowning out the noises around him. He was starting to feel a little better, more in control of his thoughts. Last night after Matt had left, he had a great dream about a romantic day with Marc. It ended with the two boys wrapped in each other’s arms. It was reassuring to know spending time with the blue-eyed boy was still his favorite thing to dream about. He was deep in thought, convincing himself that it was okay to be attracted to someone else. It wasn’t something he couldn’t help and it didn’t mean he cared any less for Marc. He was so distracted he didn’t notice the bulk of a teen come up behind him; his attention was caught when the can was slapped out of his hand and he was shoved roughly into an empty corridor. He ripped off his headphones and spun to face his attacker, then froze.

Larry Daniels and two of his goons stood between him and the entryway, evil scowl on their faces.

“Look what we have here, a little kitten all alone.” Daniels smirked. His friends laughed and cracked their knuckles trying to look menacing. “Where’s your knight in shining armor today my sweet little kitten?”

“Fuck off Daniels, don’t make me kick your ass in front of your friends.” Antonio spat. He was proud that his voice sounded strong and sure, even if that wasn’t how he was feeling.

“Now now, I just want to talk. Two old friends catching up. Right guys?” His cronies snickered again.

“I’m really not in the mood to deal with your shit today Daniels. Just leave me alone.”

The three larger boys stepped closer, dark glints in their eyes. Antonio sighed, he was going to have to fight his way out of here. He just hoped he made it out of the mall before security showed up. He took his battle stance, preparing for a fight, when a soft voice drew the attention of all four.

“Toni?” The Italian couldn’t hide his surprise at seeing the pale eyed devil come out of the bathroom behind them.

“Erik? What the fuck you doing here?”

“Shopping. Uh, what’s going on?”

“Nothing. Screw off. I can handle this.”

“Friend of yours little kitten?” An evil grin spread across his face. Great, now Daniels was going to target Erik too.

“No. Erik, scram.”

“I don’t think that’s an option now, gattino.”

“Fuck you, don’t call me that.” Erik looked at Antonio wide-eyed.

“Sorry. But, Antonio, you’re not going to let them hurt me right?” He whispered stepping close to the smaller boys back.

Antonio sighed. “No, amico mio. I won’t.” He could hear Erik’s voice quiver a little.

The three boys advanced, as soon as he was in reach Antonio swung hard and smashed Daniels jaw with his fist. The older boy stumbled back, eyes wide in shock at the force the smaller boy had.

“Hey! What are you kids doing?” All five heads snapped around to the security guard standing at the end of the hall.

“Nothing sir, we were just leaving.” Daniels replied, full of propriety and respect. With a nod to his friends and a glare at Antonio the three boys took off. With a last glance at the two remaining boys the security guard too took off.

Antonio shook out his sore hand. Damn that dick had a hard head.

“Wow. You just punched that guy in the face.”

“It wasn’t that impressive.” Antonio grunted.

“Sure it was, you were really going to take those guys on. They were huge. And you weren’t even scared. You’re really brave Tesorino. Come on.” Erik grabbed his other hand and led him down the hall. Antonio was too stunned to pull away.

x+x

The two boys sat in silence on a bench. Antonio’s sore hand rested on Erik’s leg, the older boy was holding an ice pack against his hand. To keep the swelling down he said.

“Thanks, for protecting me Antonio.”

“They were after me in the first place.”

“Why?”

“I used to go to school with them. They were bullies.”

“Oh.” They lapsed back into silence for a few moments. “Well, thanks anyways. I’m not much of a fighter.”

“You’re welcome.” Antonio answered stiffly. The fates were against him. Of course Erik had to show up. And the stupid idiot didn’t even try to step in a save the day, no, this ass-hole had to cower behind Antonio and thank the younger boy for protecting him. Antonio sighed. Erik had trusted Antonio to not only take care of himself but to protect him as well. He didn’t try to coddle him, or treat him like glass. Why couldn’t Marc do that?

“Antonio...?” Antonio looked up, he had been lost in his thoughts and hadn’t notice the older boy moving closer. He could feel his warm breath against his lips. Erik’s pale blue eyes drifted closed as he leaned in towards Antonio. Is that what Antonio wanted?

The Italian put a firm hand against the older boy’s chest pushing him away and leaning his own body back.

“What?” The older boy’s eyes flicked open.

“Erik, I’m with Marc.”

“Oh, I thought... you broke up.”

“Why would you think that?”

“Well, after what happened in the bathroom yesterday...” Erik’s eyes flicked up to check Antonio’s reaction.

“You mean with Matt?” Erik nodded. Antonio chuckled, “Yea, that wasn’t anything. They were just talking.”

“They looked pretty cosy to me.” Erik snapped back.

“You were there?” Antonio lifted an eyebrow.

“Well, I mean, I was in the hall. I saw them come out.” Erik stuttered.

“So, you saw two boys, who have been friends for years, talking in the boys bathroom?”

“Well... I guess. But Marvin walked in on them.”

“Come on Erik, I thought you were too smart to believe everything you hear.”

“But, you’ve been fighting.”

Antonio shrugged. “Yea, but that happens sometimes. I’m Italian, I have a bad temper.”

“So, you guys are okay?” Antonio didn’t hear the disappointment and jealousy in the older boy’s voice. He was too busy smiling at himself as he thought about the answer.

“Yea, we’re okay.” And he really believed it.

x+x

Marc was lying on his bed in the dark, tossing a small ball up into the air. It was Sunday evening, just after dinner. He still hadn’t heard from Antonio. He was dreading going to school tomorrow, but he knew he had to. Besides, Matt had promised they would talk to the younger boy together. A soft knock on his door distracted him and the small ball fell on his face and bounced across the room. Marc’s eyes darted to the now open door and froze. Every muscle in his body clenched tight and his breath stuck in his lungs. Every fiber of his being was telling him to jump up, run over and pull his visitor into his arms. But he could barely force himself to blink.

“Hey, Marc.” At the sound of his soft voice Marc melted. His breath came in a whoosh and his muscles relaxed.

“Hey Tonio.”

“Can we talk?”

Marc nodded. He was terrified; he could feel his palms go cold and clammy as he swung around to sit on the edge of his bed. Gripping them together to hide the shaking. Yet, he felt better than he had all weekend now that his young love was here with him. Antonio joined him on the bed, one leg bent facing the older boy. He could feel those dark eyes on him, but he couldn’t bring himself to look. With a sigh Marc felt Antonio slip his hand between Marc’s and grip tight.

“I’m sorry.”

Marc’s head shot up to look at his boyfriend. “What?”

“Matt told me you’ve been worried, and I’m sorry I worried you. But I was upset and confused and I just needed some time. I’m not used to people worrying about me when I run, so I’m sorry I made you worry.”

“It’s okay.” Marc’s voice was soft and still held a quiver. Antonio leaned over and brushed his lips across the older boy’s temple. He hoped to give him some reassurance.

“It’s not, but we’ll deal with that later. We really do need to talk about something, and we’re probably about to get into a fight.” He felt Marc tense. “But I promise not to run this time. I won’t leave until we solve this or you ask me to. Okay?” Marc nodded again. Antonio took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

“I was at the mall yesterday, and I ran into Daniels.” His voice was soft and steady.

“What...” Marc’s hand gripped tighter as his head whipped over to look at his boyfriend. Antonio pulled his hands away as he turned and crossed his legs, now facing away from Marc.

“Shh. Let me get this all out. So Him and two of his friends have me blocked off in this hallway talking shit.”

“Holy shit. Are you o...”

“I said shut up.” Antonio only spared the blue-eyed boy a glance.

Marc’s mouth snapped shut. “Anyways, so their talking shit and I’m psyching myself up for a fight and all of a sudden Erik’s there.”

“What the...” Antonio turned his head to look his boyfriend in the eyes. Antonio could see he was frustrated. “Sorry.” Marc mumbled back.

“So Erik comes out of the bathroom and starts getting all scared and shit. And then he like, comes to stand behind me and he says, all quiet like, ‘you won’t let them hurt me, right? You’ll protect me’. And I just nod because that guy was scared. So he’s standing behind me shaking and Daniels is there in front of me. He comes at me and I hit him in the jaw and security shows up and they all run off. So my hands aching like a bitch and Erik gets an ice pack and we’re sitting on this bench and he’s like, cradling my hand in his while holding the ice pack to my knuckles. And he’s just going on about how brave I was and how grateful he is that I was there to protect him. And Marc I have to be honest, it felt really nice.”

“So you like Erik?” Antonio could hear the fear in Marc’s voice.

“No. I like that he didn’t even for one second think I needed his help. I like that he not only believed I could handle it, but trusted me to take care of him too.”

“I don’t get it.”

“I know. Look, you had my back when Daniels cornered me at the tournament. I froze, and you were amazing all weekend. I’ll never be able to express how much that meant to me. But Marc, sometimes, you treat me like in this porcelain doll. You make me feel like... I don’t know... like you think I’m this weak little girl who needs you to take care of her.” Antonio heard the anger in his own voice as the volume increased. “You’re always asking if I’m okay and you carry my bag and opening doors. And you tuck me under your chin like a doll and Marc, it really pisses me off.”

Marc sighed before turning to face the younger boy. His dark eyes glued to the floor and his hands were gripping his jeans. Knuckles turning white. He could see his right hand was still a little swollen.

“You protected me from Daniels at the convention.” Marc’s voice was soft.

“And the whole time you were begging me to walk away.”

“Look, I don’t think you’re weak. You are one of the strongest people I know.” Marc reached over to take hold of the younger boy’s chin. Forcing him to look right into those sparkling blue eyes. “You are strong and brave and I know this. I don’t mean to treat you like a doll. I know you’re not porcelain. Because you have been through so much, and you’re still here. I admire you so much Antonio Mancini.”

“Then why are you always trying to take care of me?” Antonio pulled his face out of Marc’s hands, but didn’t look away. He noticed he was gripping his pants and loosened his hold; the swollen hand aching.

“Not because I don’t think you can take care of yourself. But because I don’t think you should have to anymore. You told me you’ve always been all alone in this, no one ever had your back. And that’s not fair, you’re not alone anymore.”

“I guess... that’s okay.” Antonio mumbled as he studied Marc’s face.

“I carry your bag because you’re always putting in down and forgetting it. I’d let you carry mine, but I don’t use one. I open doors for you because I'm a gentleman and it doesn’t make sense for the passenger to open the driver’s door for them. But if you really want to, I wouldn’t mind.” Marc took a deep breath and smiled when he saw the corners of Antonio’s mouth tilt up. “I put my arms around you and tuck you under my chin,” As he talked he carried the motion out. Slowly reaching forward and pulling Antonio close, resting his chin on the top of the smaller boys head. “Because you fit here so perfectly. I just want to be close to you, all the time, as close as possible.”

Marc felt Antonio relax into his chest and wrapped his own arms around the older boy. Marc kissed the top of his boyfriend’s head. “I don’t mean to treat you like your porcelain; I try to treat you like your precious. Because to me, you are. Is that okay?”

Antonio felt his eyes burn with tears and he nodded. Marc began to pull back but Antonio held him tight. He didn’t want Marc to see him crying. But the older boy noticed and took Antonio by the shoulders and pushed him back. He looked deep into the dark brown orbs that always entranced him so much.

“Here I am giving you shit for treating me like a girl and you say one sweet thing and I start blubbering like one.” Antonio muttered, trying to wipe to tears off his face.

Marc chuckled and removed Antonio’s hands. Leaning forward he brought his lips to the Italian’s face and kissed the tears away.

“Crying doesn’t make you a girl. A vagina does. And I’m like, 85% sure you don’t have one of those. Everybody cries. Hell, Marvin walked in on me crying all over Matt in the bathroom on Friday.”

Antonio couldn’t help but laugh. “Yea, I heard about that.”

“Can I please, please, PLEASE, kiss you now?” Antonio looked up to Marc’s pout, baby seal eyes and bottom lip sticking out. The younger boy smirked and leaned in to nip the protruding thing. Marc gasped and pulled Antonio on the bed and underneath him, tickling the smaller boy until he couldn’t breathe. Yea, they were okay.