3.

I had to keep hiding my hands around Paris. Not that it was hard to do, but I was suddenly more aware of what I was doing or how I was handing things to him. The last thing I wanted him to notice were the huge scratch marks I got from when I was shoved to the ground. They still stung like hell and continued stinging like hell anytime I washed my hands or when I was eating but I couldn’t cover it up with a bandage or I risked Paris seeing it and asking questions. I decided to keep that my own secret. My roommate, if he ever noticed anything, didn’t say a word. We continued going through our week and I noticed I was more bored in my other classes that weren’t with Paris. But unfortunately, in my math class, which was on Friday, I was stuck with James, Jason, David and Marcus from chem. David was another one of James’s lackeys. Just another spoiled little rich boy with too much time and money on his hands. Marcus, as previously explained was suddenly starting to tag along with them, even when they began to attack me. As I sat in that class, trying to stay awake, the constant slur of mutt, half-breed, gutter trash and others was often heard. I wasn’t as charming or as good looking as Paris was so girls didn’t come running to my defense. It wasn’t as if I needed any, so I would often turn and glare at them, showing I wasn’t scared of them and I didn’t care who they were and who their fathers were. They would still continue with the bullying. That Friday, as I went to leave, James walked past me, knocking everything from my arms and making it spill to floor. I looked down as I then looked back up, mumbling,

"Asshole."
James stopped laughing as he grabbed my arm and flung me outside of the classroom. I slammed against the wall, luckily not falling as James rushed out after me and said,

"You fucking mutt, who do you think you’re talking to!? I already warned you-"
"James, leave him the fuck alone!"

We both turned, seeing Paris standing there.

"Stay out of this slut!"

"Fuck you! Leave him alone! He didn’t do anything to you. Is your dick really that small that you gotta pick on a freshmen to make yourself feel like a man!? Oh wait…it is."

Without waiting, James balled up his fist and struck Paris across the face. My roommate, surprisingly, took it. His head only turned slightly as he stumbled just an inch back, almost close to me. He then turned his head and faced James as he said,

"You done?"

"Whore."

They walked away as Paris then turned to face me as I saw his lip had been broken. Luckily, it wasn’t near his lip ring. I stood frozen for a moment as I said,

"Paris…?"
He shook it off, cupping his hand around his mouth s he said,

"We should head to our room."
I nodded as I put my hand on his shoulder and the other on his elbow as we rushed back to our room.

Once he was sitting, I blotted a tissue to his lip as I said,

"How did you just take that?"

"I’m not as weak as I look."

"Did it hurt?"
"Of course it hurt, he just split my lip open."

"Why did you get involved?"
"Because I saw James pushing you against the wall being the dick he is."

"I could have defended myself."
"Yeah, you were doing a great job just standing there glaring at him."

"I wasn’t going to let him just treat me like that."
"He said he warned you before. When?"
"Huh? What are you talking about?"
"Don’t play dumb. He said he warned you. When?"

"Last week. When I went to get dinner for the both of us. They pulled me outside and warned me not to stick up for you."

"That’s where you got your hands all torn up huh."
I moved back slightly, curling my fingers in as I started hiding it behind my back as he said,
"Be easy. I saw it when you got it. I just didn’t want to say anything since you were keeping it to yourself for a reason."
"I’m sorry."
"Not a problem."
"James said…James said you’re probably using me…so he was warning me I guess for my own sake."
"James say that to anyone to isolate me."

"I didn’t buy it. Besides, if you were using me, joke’s on you because I don’t have anything anyway."

He laughed a little as he said,
"Idiot."

I then leaned down again, blotting the tissue against his lip again as I noticed there was less blood then before. I then said,

"I’m sorry for not telling you about what happened."

"It’s okay."

Once the tissue was soaked enough, I threw it away and said,

"You should be fine. It’s nothing really. You’ll just get a bruise."
"Probably."

He licked at the side of his mouth as he said,
"Well now that I’ll develop a nice healthy bruise, wanna get some lunch?"
"Sure."

We got up and then went to get something to eat.

The first month of school was already drawing to a close. Paris and I had grown fond of each other’s company. Outside company was still far and in between. Chelsea was the sweet girl I knew that actually began to hang around me and for once, not for the sake of being close to Paris. The only time a crowd of girls circled me was to squeeze information out of me about Paris. They asked if he was dating, if he liked anyone, what he wore to bed, when he was free…anything. I didn’t care that they used me as their close connection to Paris, it somehow made me feel better about my roommate to know he wasn’t completely shunned by everyone. Chelsea and I sat together after class while Paris was surrounded by a group of freshmen girls that dared to approach him as Chelsea smiled and said,

"It’s not at all surprising he gets hit on."
"I’m surprised you’re not there."
"Not me…I don’t have a chance in hell."
"Why not?"

"Look me. It’s plain Jane versus the Barbie squad."
"You’re not plain."

She laughed a little as she said,

"Sure."
"Do you actually like Paris?"
"Not like that. He’s just a really nice guy. Besides, it’s too early in the year to settle on just one guy. Not with all the cute boys around here."

I laughed a little as she then said,

"You? How about you? You like anyone?"

"Not really. I’m fine right now."

"That’s good. But you’ll like someone later, I guarantee it."

"Thank you for cursing me."
She laughed this time as she then extended her leg out, showing off her designer Mary Janes and black knee highs as she said,

"Going to class on Monday?"
"Don’t I every Monday?"
She nodded as she said,

"Yup, just checking. We have Religion that day. Did you do the reading?"
"I’m going to today. Knowing Farwell, he’ll ask a million questions about it."

She nodded as some of her friends began leaving Paris alone. They waved to Chelsea as they shouted her over. Chelsea then picked up her Prada bag and said,

"That’s my signal to go. I’ll see you later."
"Later."
She gathered her books from the bench and then left to join her friends. Paris then came over to me as he said,
"Hey, you ready?"
"Yeah."

I got up, picking up my bag beside me as we left and went to do something with ourselves.

That night, I was trying to do my reading for Religion as I heard Paris say,

"This sucks. I hate reading this shit. It’s so hypocritical of itself."
"I know."

He then gave up and threw his book across the room, the pages flapping and then the spine of the book crashing and hitting the wall before falling down to the ground. I looked at Paris who had turned on his back on his bed, his blazer and sweater vest removed, his shoes near the door as he threw his arm over his eyes. I sat up a little after making a dog ear on the page I was on as I said,

"You okay?"
"Yeah. Just bored."
"You wanna eat?"
"No, I wanna do something else for once."

"In school there’s not much we can do."

"I know. Wanna play pool?"
"I don’t know how."
"I’ll teach you. We’ll go to the student lounge and we’ll play."
"It’s okay."
He sighed again as he then sat up and said,
"Be nice if there was something else going on."

"I know."

He turned his head slightly, letting his short, slightly layered hair fall over one of his eyes, the light from the lamp catching hues of blue off it as he thought. I then felt bad, knowing Paris was just dying for something to do so I sighed and said,
"If you really wanna go, we’ll go."
"No, I know you don’t want to. I don’t wanna force you into anything."

I sat on the edge of my own bed, my arms holding me up slightly as I tried not to slouch as I crossed my ankles over each other as I looked down at them. It was quiet again before Paris got up, raising his arms over his head as he then brought them back down and then sat next to me. He clasped his hands together as he rested his elbows on his thighs and leaned forward slightly as he said,

"I’m bored."

"Me too."

"I saw you and Chelsea talking before."
"Yeah, she’s a friend."
"I think she likes you."
"Oh come on."
"No, seriously, I do. Besides, if she did would it be so bad?"
"I don’t know. No one really liked me before."

"Sucks."

I nodded as I then brought my hand up to my hair, moving the cheek length hair away as I heard Paris say,
"You know what?"
"What?"
"You’re still naïve in some way."
"I guess."

"No, not a guess, fact."

"I’m not as worldly as I’d like to be."
"You never want to be too worldly though."
"I know."

We were quiet again as I then turned to say something to him as he did at the same time. We both stopped as he laughed a little and said,

"Go ahead."
"I was just going to say we could go watch a movie in the lounge. Don’t they show one every Friday?"
"Yeah…good idea."

I then turned away, looking back down at my crossed feet as I uncrossed them and got up. I went over to my shoes, putting them on as Paris got his sweater vest back on. I decided to go without my coat since it wasn’t that cold yet. Once I got my shoes on, I went to push my hair back again when I saw Paris just looking at me. I stopped as I said,
"What?"
"Nothing."
"You just keep looking at me all day."
He gave a shrug as he then got his shoes on as well. I went over to the desk and picked up my ID and snapped it to the cuff of my sleeve as I then picked up Paris’s and handed it to him. He took it as he then said,

"Raphael."
"What?"
He stepped a little closer, looking down at where he was snapping his ID and said,

"You ready?"
I had a feeling that wasn’t what he was going to say but I nodded and we went.

The movie wasn’t disappointing and it gave us something to do. We then grabbed something to eat and on our way back to our dorm, James and all his loser friends were in the hallways talking. Paris sighed to himself rolling his eyes as he said,

"Sucks we’re on the same floor."
"Yeah."

We walked pass them, ignoring their starting comments. As we ignored them, David grabbed Paris’s arm and pulled him back as James said,

"Hey Paris, how’s the lip? Still good for sucking dick?"
They laughed as Paris snatched his arm away and said nothing, turning back to walk with me. As he did, Jason stuck his foot out, tripping Paris as James caught him and said,

"Careful now, you might fall and break something important."
"Get the fuck off me."

He pushed James away from him as Jason groped him and then David grabbed my arm to make sure I didn’t try to move myself. I moved away from him away as James then grabbed a fistful of Paris’s hair, slammed him against the wall as he said,
"Think you’re something special just because you got the mutt here now?"
"Go to hell James."

"You just remember that you were a slut long before the mutt was here. He didn’t get to see you at your best. Turning tricks for most of the senior class and the juniors of course."

Paris glared at him, saying nothing as James said,

"Yeah, you were fun then Paris, what happened to you?"

They laughed as the security guard then came from passing the elevator and said,

"What’s going on down there?"
James backed off as he said,
"Nothing, just making sure some friends of ours got to their rooms okay."

They let go of Paris as we then left and finally locked ourselves behind the door of our room.

"I would love nothing more then to drop kick those guys in the neck."

Paris didn’t say anything as he turned and went to his bed, sitting down for a moment before finally laying down and then turning away from me.
"Paris?"
He didn’t answer me so I sat beside him and said,
"You okay?"
I knew he wasn’t and it was a stupid question to ask. But he turned and sat up as he said,

"Yeah, I’m good. Don’t worry about it."

"You sure?"
"Yeah."

He ran his fingers through his hair as he then slouched slightly, his shoulders going forward, his head lowering slightly as his eyes looked up at me, almost slightly bigger. He suddenly looked very child like if not for the silver hoop going through the bottom of his lip. He said,

"I have to ask you something."

"What?"

"Do you believe what I am?"

"What, all that stuff that James and all them say?"
"Yeah."
"No. I believe you made a mistake. That’s all. They took advantage of you and then made it something else."

He nodded as he said,
"I’m glad you don’t think I’m some slut that would spread for anyone."
"I don’t think you are."

He nodded again as he then said,
"Would you be mad…?"
"If what?"

I knew it was coming the moment he asked if I would be mad. He sat up straight, leaning forward slightly, pausing slightly before me before he went the rest of the way. He kissed me. It was my first kiss and I wasn’t sure what to do so I sat there, feeling his lips against mine, the slight chill of his lip ring against my skin. My eyes were open, not from shock but mostly from lack of experience. It lasted only a few moments and then he pulled back, his eyes looking at me as he waited in silence for my reaction.

"I’m not mad."

"You sure?"
"Yes."

"Would…you do it again?"
"I don’t know."

I stood up from his side as I took off my blazer and hung it up as I pulled off my sweater vest and began changing for bed as if nothing had happened. Paris didn’t say another word either and began changing as well.

I laid in bed for a while, looking up at the ceiling, one of my arms on my forehead while the other laid across my stomach. I wasn’t sure what to think or how to act after that. I had always known that I liked girls, my own sexuality had never been an issue with me. But that simple kiss had suddenly made me start questioning everything. I could hear Paris through the dark but I wasn’t sure if he was lost in his own thoughts or if he was sleeping. I couldn’t see since the window casted enough light in to obscure figures and shapes and throw the right shadowing over everything. I frowned slightly as I then turned and tried to sleep. I had nothing else to do all day tomorrow, but I had a feeling I wouldn’t be with Paris.