Never Give Up Ch 16

The sun shone light into Matt's room. A devious grin made its way across his lips. Today was the day.
****

Bill's day began with a tired yawn and and a bowl of cereal. Just a typical Monday, he got ready for another brutal day of school. Before he even got there, he wanted it to be over. He made his way into the school and walked into the first classroom of the day. He couldn't help but notice a few glaring eyes who were staring at him harshly. As far as he knew, he hadn't done anything different. It was simply odd for that many people to look at him all at, but he stopped thinking about it once he saw Tom flash a little smile at him. He took his seat, ignored the stares, and followed the teacher's directions for the rest of the period.

Lunch came around and he started to walk home to eat his lunch. There were a few points and snickers aimed at him, but he knew he shouldn't let it bother him, he had Tom, and that was all he needed.  Matt watched Bill walk out the campus doors to go eat lunch.

'Once the end of the day comes, Nobody else is gonna have to see him walk out those doors for lunch ever again.'

He turned back towards the cafeteria to grab lunch and talk with some of his buddies.
****

The bell rang for the end of school, Tom shoved his books and papers into his bookbag and got started for the door.

"Hey Tom, come with me to my locker?" Georg asked Tom once he got out the door.

"Uh. Yeah sure." Tom answered, he had nowhere to get to.

The two walked down a few halls and they reached Georg's locker, also known as, the end of the universe.

"Georg?"

"What?" Georg looked up from his bookbag.

"If the lockers go alphabetical from last name, why the hell are you back here? Your last name is Listing." Tom asked, he had taken about 6 minutes to actually get to Georg's locker.

"Dude I have no idea. The principal must have something against me. I mean, look," he pointed at the lockers, "Zimmerman, Zucker, Listing. What the fuck?"

Tom laughed at how much Georg had been screwed over.
****

Bill had been trying to open his jammed locker for about 10 minutes. It was a lower locker so his back was aching.

"Hey faggot, turn around!" A voice said rudely.

Before Bill had turned all the way around, he felt a sharp kick in the side. He immediately stood up to see who it was. Just as he saw, he was kicked in the leg. He fell over helplessly as he clutched his leg.
****

"Do you hear that?" Tom's head perked up, and his face had gained a serious tone.

"Dude. No one's even around! What are you on and where can I get some?" Georg joked.

"No no no. Shut up. It sounds like taunting, and Matt. Let's go check it out." Tom started walking as Georg stood up.
****

Bill clutched his side, and looked at his hand, it was coated with a layer of blood.

"Gonna cry fagnuts? Go jump off the school roof. Wait, you didn't have the balls to last time!" Matt jeered, revealing Bill's secret.

Bill face flushed red, how could Tom have told him?

"How did you? How-" He was cut off by a punch in the shoulder.

"I saw you standing up there crying and shit. I was just wishing you would have jumped. You useless piece of shit."

Bill was only a bit relieved that it wasn't Tom that told him, but the array of punches and kicks were really starting to wear him down. He was bruised and bleeding, with a black eye. Another punch came at him and hit his bottom lip, making it swell and bleed. He couldn't help but wonder why this was happening, but his thoughts were just answered.

"This better teach you to keep your gay crushes away from everyone, especially Tom. He's just too fucking nice to tell you off himself!" Another tall boy in Matt's group yelled to his face.

Tom had just walked close enough on the circle of students to see what was going on. Through the bulk of everyone's bodies, he could see Matt and a few other bodies taunting someone, he weaved through the crowd to see who the victim was. His jaw dropped and he flushed bright red to see Bill on the ground, bleeding and beat up. He could see the tears welling up in Bill's eyes. He made his way to Matt and punched him in the guts before pushing him to the ground. He rushed over to Bill's side.

"Bill! Bill are you alright!? You're bleeding all over!" Tom asked with a worried look.

Bill nodded slowly, his lip bleeding and his eye bruised.

"Whoah whoah whoah. What the fuck is wrong with you Tom? Why are you defending him? He's just a useless faggot." Matt asked after getting up.

Tom furrowed his brows and clenched his fist.

"Because he's my boyfriend and I love him! Get the fuck away!" Tom shouted. Bill smiled as much as he could bear.

Matt's jaw dropped, "What the fuc-" He was cut short by Tom's fist flying into his face.

The whole crowd turned silent, shocked by Tom's words. Tom just ignored them like they weren't there. He turned back to Bill.

"It's okay. I'm taking you home. Can you stand at all?"

A tear dripped down Bill's face, "With one leg.."

Tom helped him up and acted as a crutch, holding Bill up. He wasn't surprised that he was as light as he looked. He helped Bill limp past all of the sneering faces, and past Matt, scorn on the ground.

"I'm sorry." Tom said quietly after they left the school.

"It's not your fault. Don't blame yourself. I'm okay." Bill managed to get out, before letting out a cry of pain.

"No, you're not, you're bleeding and bruised all over. They beat you up bad. I'm so sorry."

Bill was silent, he was just focusing on getting home. He was so glad to have Tom. They worked their way up the steps to Bill's house. Bill flinching a bit with each step.

"The door's unlocked," Bill began, "just twist harder."

Tom managed to get the door open and set Bill down on the couch.

"I'll be right back. There's a bunch of medical stuff at my house. Don't move!" Tom said, immediately rushing past Bill and out the door.

Bill couldn't move much if he wanted, he blushed at Tom's concern.
****

Tom fumbled through his pockets for the key to his house and sloppily opened it. He started through the kitchen until he saw his mum and Gordon at the dinner table, eating a late lunch.

"Tom! What...why are you covered in blood? What happened to you?" he was plagued by a million parental questions.

Tom ignored them and started to bolt up the stairs.

"Stop. Right. There. Get back down here and explain." Gordon said sternly.

Tom slowly returned back to his stepfather.

"Did you get in a fight?" Gordon asked.

"No. No. I'm fine it's just-"

"What happened then?"

"Bill got beat up, listen I really have to get-"

"Bill? Then why are you so bloody? Who beat him up? Why?"

"I helped him home. Because no one likes him, they were calling him a faggot and stuff and being really me-"

"A faggot? Well it's because of that goddamn eyeliner. I bet you he really is gay. He's bad news." Gordon snapped.

"You know what? He is gay. Want to know how I know?" Melissa turned pale, "I'm his boyfriend. And he's the best fucking thing that's ever happened to me." Tom said in all seriousness.

"Language!" Melissa added.

"Tom! I did not raise you to be a gay! You do not like men! You hear me? This isn't how I raised you!" He repeated.

"You didn't raise me. Dad did. I'd rather have him than you! If you can't handle me and Bill I'm leaving!" Tom shouted defensively and ran back out the door, without supplies.

He left his parents in shock.

He was back at Bill's house, without anything to help Bill gained.

"I didn't get any stuff. I told Gordon I was gay. I can't go back there. At least not soon."

"You really did? What did he say?" Bill wondered.

"He said he didn't raise me to be a fag. So I ran out. I told him I was leaving. I'm glad I did that." Tom smiled, proud of sticking it to Gordon.

Bill smiled because Tom was. Tom glimpsed at the injured boy on the couch.

"Oh right! Where's all your medical stuff? I couldn't get any."

"In the closet down there." Bill pointed past the kitchen and clutched his hurt arm.

Tom rummaged through a bin full of medicine and returned with a couple band aids, some gauze, tape, and a wrap. Not as much as he wanted, but it would have to do until whenever Simone returned.

Tom carefully took care of Bill's gashes and wound the wrap around his hurt ankle.

"Thanks." Bill said with a smile.

Tom was amazed at how Bill could even be smiling, as hurt as he was.

"There's no other place I'd want to be right now." Tom replied and laid down next to Bill on the couch.

They laid there for some time, just watching TV for a few hours and talking.

"Let's go upstairs." Bill suggested and began to sit up.

"Are you sure? Can you?" Tom worried.

"Yeah I feel better. A little. I can make it up the stairs."

Tom followed close behind Bill as they walked up the stairs. They got to Bill's room and laid down on Bill's bed, got relaxed, and continued talking.

"Matt told me that you didn't want me around. He was just making that up right?" Bill glanced to Tom.

"Matt's full of bull. I would never say that. Ever."

"He also said that he saw me on the roof, and he wanted me to jump. He wanted me to kill myself." Bill's eyes started to tear up.

"Well he's just a giant asshole. If you jumped. I'd go down with you." Tom wiped the tears from Bill's eyes.

"He is kind of ass like, isn't he?" Bill said with a chuckle.

Tom laughed, "Haha yeah."

"I wrote you a song a while ago. Do you want me to sing it?"

"That's all I could ever want right now." Tom grasped Bill's hand, lightly.

Bill started singing,

" In mir, wird es langsam kalt, wie lang können wir beide hier noch sein
Bleib hier, die Schatten wollen mich holn
Doch wenn wir gehen dann gehen wir nur zu Zweit
Du bist alles was ich bin und alles was durch meine Adern fließt
Immer werden wir uns tragen, egal wohin wir fahrn egal wie tief,"

Tom's eyes started to well up a little, and he closed his eyes,

"Ich will da nicht allein sein lass uns gemeinsam in die Nacht
Irgendwann wird es Zeit sein lass uns gemeinsam in die Nacht..."