Andy's Shorts to GA Prompts - 34. Prompt #28

The fourteen year old boy looked around the playground from the relative safety of the doors at the front of the science building. It had happened to him three times this week already, and he had absolutely no intention of making today number four. He saw no sign of Joseph, so figured that he might just get away today, and make it home safely.

Like most of the kids at St Charles’, he hated crossing the playground in these bleak midwinter evenings. The snow was nearly eight inches thick (and more was falling), there was nothing to act as a shield from the freezing cold gusts of wind, and there were no sources of light. What that one frightened little boy wouldn’t give right now for there to be just one lamppost in the middle of the playground to throw some light on the scene; what every kid in the school wouldn’t give for a light source in the playground.

It was almost a hundred and fifty yards from the building he was in to the front of the school, then a further twenty yards to South Marigold Road; then from there it was only a quick sprint across the main road, and he’d be home.

It was only four twenty and it was already pitch black, and the school was in total darkness; Joseph could be hiding anywhere. Why, oh why, did he offer to stay late and help Mr Jasen tidy up after lab? Though, perhaps being this late, maybe Joseph had tired of loitering and had already gone home; he could live in hope, couldn’t he?

Things never used to be like this. There was a time when he used to be able to leave the school grounds, and not have to worry if someone was waiting in the shadows, or around corners, for him. He used to love walking across the playground, even more so when it was deserted like this; so that he could daydream and not have to try to dodge footballs and cricket balls. But now? Ever since Joseph started school here, it was impossible for him to make it home without being intercepted at least twice a week.

The boy buttoned up his duffle coat, put on his blue bobble hat, wrapped his thick multi-coloured scarf around his neck, and forced his hands into his mittens; he didn’t care that fourteen year old boys shouldn’t wear mittens, he just wanted to make sure that all of his fingers survived the winter. He took a deep breath, prepared himself to face the cold world outside, and began making his way across the playground.

A freezing cold gust of wind swept across the playground and the boy spun around as he heard a noise; his heart rate trebled, and a coppery taste flooded his mouth as the adrenaline began coursing through his veins. He strained his ears, trying to focus in on the source of the noise, and he realised that it was only the chains on the swing set rattling. ‘Dear God, I have to get a grip and calm down’, he thought to himself.

He kept his eyes open for any sign of movement, and really was only helping in making himself more and more paranoid with each and every footstep. He saw a flash of movement out of the corner of one eye and spun around; too quickly, as it turns out. He managed to trip over his own feet, and landed face down in the soft snow; thankfully there was a thick covering of snow, or he might have cracked his head open on the solid concrete underneath.

He jumped back to his feet and prepared to run, when it comes to the “fight or flight” response, it’s always “flight”; after all, he is only five foot four and a hundred and ten pounds soaking wet. When he saw what the movement was, he couldn’t help but laugh at his own damned foolishness. It had come to this! He had reduced himself to being terrified of a torn page from a newspaper that had been caught in the gusting wind.

Still he scanned the playground as he carefully made his way towards the main road. He could hear the traffic more clearly now, he could faintly hear the chattering of pedestrians, and then he heard a loud bellowing. Turning in the direction of the noise, he saw Joseph barrelling towards him. In the blink of an eye, Joseph had rugby-tackled him to the ground and they began rolling in the snow.

“Get off me, Joseph!” the smaller boy yelled. He tried to throw Joseph off, but the simple fact was that Joseph was bigger and stronger; a lot bigger, and a hell of a lot stronger. “I said, ‘get off me’!”

“Not until you say it.”

I looked up into his face and saw his eyes. Oh, those eyes; why did I have to look straight into those eyes. “Never!”

“Say it! I might let you walk out of here if you say it.”

Joseph was now sitting across his chest, his arms were pinned down on the snow, and he was finding it hard to catch breath. There was snow going down his back, it was getting in his socks and shoes, and it was even getting inside his trousers and underwear. He was so cold and so wet; he had no choice but to yield to the much larger boy.

“All right! All right! I’ll say it. I love you.”

A huge smile broke across Joseph’s face as he looked into the piercing deep blue eyes of his boyfriend. “And I am so deeply in love with you."

Link to prompt