My Salad Days ch 2
Mar. 7th, 2009 01:15 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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wl_fanfictionOoh, sorry, I forgot I was posting this here. qB
Title: 'My Salad Days (Green In Judgement, Cold In Blood)' Chapter 2 of probably lots.
Author: sinful_teddy
Rating: PG
Pairing: A teeny bit of RyCol that will become the main pairing.
Summary: It's senior student Colin's first day at a new high school in America. He never made any good friends at his last school - will this one be different? Of course it will, stupid. Colin meets some new people he feels like he could fit in with. He is intrigued by Ryan, the shy and awkward junior. WHERE WILL IT LEAD. /lame summary orz
In this chapter, Colin discovers something about Ryan and his friends he wasn't ready for. How best to deal with this new information? ...This is turning into the longest week he can remember having.
Warnings: High school AU. Some self-inserts of me and my sister that are purely for our amusement. Colin with hair (o: wtf). Ryan-breakage.
Notes: I FAIL with proof-reading, so if you spot any mistakes or inconsistencies, would you would point them out to me! c:
There is some French spoken in this chapter, so I have put the translation in the endnotes. (Three guesses where you can find endnotes! xP) It's also actually French-Canadian, as Quebecers would speak it, thanks to![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
iamcrazyodo! Big hugs!
Any chance, by the way, of getting an author tag and a series tag?
Title: 'My Salad Days (Green In Judgement, Cold In Blood)' Chapter 2 of probably lots.
Author: sinful_teddy
Rating: PG
Pairing: A teeny bit of RyCol that will become the main pairing.
Summary: It's senior student Colin's first day at a new high school in America. He never made any good friends at his last school - will this one be different? Of course it will, stupid. Colin meets some new people he feels like he could fit in with. He is intrigued by Ryan, the shy and awkward junior. WHERE WILL IT LEAD. /lame summary orz
In this chapter, Colin discovers something about Ryan and his friends he wasn't ready for. How best to deal with this new information? ...This is turning into the longest week he can remember having.
Warnings: High school AU. Some self-inserts of me and my sister that are purely for our amusement. Colin with hair (o: wtf). Ryan-breakage.
Notes: I FAIL with proof-reading, so if you spot any mistakes or inconsistencies, would you would point them out to me! c:
There is some French spoken in this chapter, so I have put the translation in the endnotes. (Three guesses where you can find endnotes! xP) It's also actually French-Canadian, as Quebecers would speak it, thanks to
iamcrazyodo! Big hugs!Any chance, by the way, of getting an author tag and a series tag?
NOTES ON GRADES AND AGES
Sophomores
Wayne, 16
Rowan, 16
Juniors
Brad, 16
Chip, 16
Ryan, 17
Greg, 17
Seniors
Sinead, 18
Drew, 18
Colin, 18
---
CHAPTER TWO: It Means I’m Your Friend
Colin caught up with Ryan at the drink fountain as the taller boy was taking a long drink of water. Ryan looked up nervously at the sound of close footsteps, but relief flooded his expression to see it was only Colin. Colin gave a little smile at the excess water that trickled from Ryan’s lip down his chin; Ryan caught it with his sleeve and wiped it away before it could go any further.
Their eyes met for a brief moment and they shared a wordless, reassuring smile before they simultaneously leaned down to take a drink from their respective sides of the fountain. They stood up together and there was another, more awkward glance between them before Ryan turned to walk back, and Colin started to follow.
Before they had gotten halfway, a group of cool-looking boys began walking their way. “Oh no,” Ryan muttered, head down, picking up the pace.
Colin hurried to keep in step, catching Ryan’s arm and stopping him. “What’s wrong?” he asked in confusion.
Ryan looked anxious, almost on the verge of panic. “Those boys,” he hissed to Colin. “Just keep back from them, OK?!” His voice cracked as he gave the command, and Colin stumbled back, startled, as the other boys approached and Ryan broke into a run. Two of them ran after him and grabbed him, throwing him to the ground. A cry of shock caught in Colin’s throat and all he could manage was a gasp. He looked up to find Drew and the others, but they were around the corner of a building, not to be seen by their friends.
Colin stood back in shock as the five boys surrounded Ryan, who was curled over on the ground, looking entirely submissive and much smaller than was right for someone of his stature.
“Hey faggot,” said a blond boy, whose green eyes twinkled with a merriment that was more menacing than friendly. He sneered, nudging Ryan with his foot. “Nice shoes.” His friends chuckled and without warning, he drew his foot back and lashed out, catching Ryan on the back. Ryan choked, obviously winded, and tried foolishly to get up. One of the bullies pushed him back down with his foot, kicking him in the ribs to make sure he stayed there.
“Please, please,” Ryan pleaded, and though his hands covered his face, Colin could hear the tears in his terrified voice. “Please, don’t –“
“Who’s that over there? Your boyfriend?” jeered the shortest boy.
“Hey, I know him. He’s in my homeroom,” remarked the kid next to him. “He’s from Montreal.”
The group jeered and catcalled as the blond one kneeled down beside Ryan to brush his hair away from his face and speak into his ear. “Does he speak French to you?” he cooed in a repulsive fashion, and proceeded to imitate the French language in a way that might have been comical in another context, but here seemed downright insulting.
With that, all five boys started attacking him from every angle, kicking him so that he curled up tighter to protect his ribs and groin. The circle broke and Ryan was pushed through the gap into the open, where he made a vain attempt to escape before a boy his height, with auburn hair, pulled him to his feet, and showed no hesitation in punching him in the gut. Cruel laughter broke out among his peers and Ryan was pushed back against the brick wall for them to converge on him.
Horrified and disgusted, Colin finally found his voice. He took a few bold steps forward and bellowed, “HEY!” with fury evident on his features. His hair hung in his eyes, which flashed with anger such as he hadn’t felt in a long time.
The group of boys turned around, and the auburn-haired one relinquished his hold on Ryan’s collar. Ryan sild down the wall to the ground, blood trickling from a cut in his lip and a bruise already beginning to blossom beneath his eye.
Colin was suddenly scared, but he knew he had to distract attention from Ryan, even if it meant receiving the same violent abuse as a reward. “Why don’t you jerks leave him alone?” he demanded, his voice more steady and confident than he felt. “Ryan is a hundred times manlier than you’ll ever be!” he roared, pointing an accusatory finger in their direction and holding his ground as they approached him threateningly. “And straighter, too! He’s not a faggot, but I wouldn’t be surprised if that was exactly what you fuckers were trying to hide!”
A quick glance past the bullies told Colin that Ryan had escaped, for he was no longer in sight. With a grimace, Colin turned tail and ran for his life, the adrenalin rush his moment of stupid bravery had caused him giving his feet wings. He did not risk a glance behind him but he could sense that he was losing them; he was no athlete, and they were obviously sporty types, but maybe fear had just blessed him with speed – or maybe they were giving up the chase, lest a teacher catch them.
Whatever the case, Colin ran on – away from the oval, past the gym and the sports shed – not stopping until he reached the tennis courts where he collapsed, panting, on a bench. It was fairly deserted here, except for the two girls he had just unwittingly sat next to. They exchanged looks of disdain and left in haste.
Colin sorely hoped that the bullies would not seek their revenge today. That short spurt of running had left him so exhausted he was about ready to faint. He closed his eyes and waited for his breath to return, vaguely wondering whether Ryan was alright.
Minutes later, Colin had the peculiar sense of someone standing over him. He opened his eyes and saw Drew and Wayne, looking concernedly at him. “Where’s Ryan?” Colin demanded tiredly.
“He’s at the nurse,” Wayne said, patting Colin’s shoulder to relax him. “He’s fine. The others are with him.”
“He told us what you did,” said Drew, looking at Colin with admiration. “That was really brave of you.”
Colin felt a swell of pride, and a faint smile graced his face before it was quickly replaced with a frown. “What happened to those bullies?”
“Mr. Elton is talking to them. It’s not the first time they’ve done this,” said Wayne with a look of distaste. “I hope they get a worse punishment this time. C’mon, get up now.” He grasped Colin’s hands and tried to pull him to his feet.
“What?” said Colin reluctantly. “Why?”
“Bell’s gone, dude, we gotta go to class,” Drew said. “You didn’t hear it?”
Colin was silent for a moment, and then shook his head. “No, no, no,” he insisted. “No, I want to see Ryan. Take me to the nurse.”
Wayne and Drew looked at each other meaningfully, conversing with their eyes. Then Wayne turned to Colin.
“I’ve gotta go to Biology. Drew will take you.” With that he turned and left, leaving Drew to help Colin out of his seat.
Colin lightly shrugged Drew off him. Drew barely batted an eyelid at this reaction and began to lead Colin in the direction of the nurse’s office.
They were silent for a while, until finally Drew spoke. “You know,” he said thoughtfully, as if getting around to a difficult topic, “Ryan told us what you said to those bullies.”
“Yeah? I just told the truth,” Colin said defensively, like he thought he was in trouble. “So what?”
Drew worried his lower lip for a moment before talking again. “You know how you told them he was…straighter?” Colin made no response. Drew sighed and stopped moving. Colin followed suit. “Well,” said Drew, “there’s something you should know.”
“Oh,” said Colin, cottoning on instantly. “He’s not—?”
“Yeah, yeah, he’s pretty gay,” said Drew. Seeing the blush creeping across Colin’s face, he added, “Don’t worry, you didn’t insult him or anything. He’s just worried you’re, like, a homophobe or something.”
“Oh, God!” said Colin in horror, his face flushing beet red. “Oh my God. That’s so far from the truth I – man! I have to apologise!”
“It’s OK. Come with me. We’re nearly there,” said Drew, grasping Colin’s arm and leading him the rest of the way to the nurse.
Drew knocked on the door. Colin fiddled with his tie impatiently, now so worried about what Ryan thought of him he didn’t know what he was going to say. A second later the door swung open and the nurse, a short, blonde-haired woman with rosy cheeks, appeared in the doorway. She looked at them expectantly, awaiting an excuse as to why they were out of class.
“We’re here to see Ryan,” Drew explained.
“Oh, no,” said the nurse briskly. “No, you have to get to class. I’m sorry. You can see him later. Go.”
Colin bristled. “Let me in,” he urged. “I have to see him now.”
Someone inside the office stirred at the sound of Colin’s voice. “Colin?” Ryan called. Colin tried to look past the nurse, but she blocked his way.
“Please leave,” she said insistently. “You can’t stay here during class time.”
“Come on, Col,” said Drew, “let’s go.”
Colin stood rooted to the spot. He heard Ryan from inside again: “Can you let him in? He’s the one who saved me.” Colin blushed again but met the nurse’s gaze defiantly. She stared back hesitantly, then cracked.
“Fine, fine. You have five minutes,” she said to Colin. “You,” she added, turning to Drew, “go.” Drew nodded, gave Colin a quick pat on the arm, and left for class. The nurse stepped aside, and Colin walked in.
He was in a waiting room. Ryan motioned to him from the next room, and Colin hurried to join him. They sat in chairs opposite the nurse’s desk. The nurse shut the door and watched them in concern for a moment, then walked into the next room to give them their privacy.
“Colin? Thank-you so much,” Ryan said genuinely. He looked exhausted and entirely pitiable.
“Ryan, I have to tell—“
“No, hang on,” Ryan murmured, his eyes shut. “Really, it means so much.” He reached out, his hand clumsily falling on Colin’s shoulder. He gripped it as if to reassure himself that Colin was really there. Colin looked on anxiously. “Can you…?” Ryan trailed off, and Colin placed a gentle hand on his, waiting patiently for him to continue. “Can you say something…in French to me?”
Colin was taken aback. Ryan was obviously tired from the ordeal, and not thinking straight. “I—what?”
“Sorry,” Ryan whispered. “You don’t want to, it’s weird, I understand…”
“Non, non,” Colin said quickly, stroking Ryan’s hand comfortingly. “C'est beau. Tout va bien aller. Shhh.” He saw Ryan’s eyelids flutter and a lazy half-smile flash momentarily across his face. “Personne ne peut te faire de mal. Je te protègerai.”1
“What does it mean?” came Ryan’s quiet murmur. If the room were not so silent, Colin wouldn’t have heard him.
“Ça veut dire que je suis ton ami.2 It means I’m your friend,” Colin translated. A deep, strangely comfortable silence lapsed between them. Colin pondered, still stroking Ryan’s hand softly, whether the honey-haired youth had fallen asleep. Without thinking, he bowed his head and planted a gentle kiss on Ryan’s fingers. Ryan didn’t stir. Colin didn’t wonder; the poor kid must be exhausted after what had happened. And by the sounds of what Wayne had said, this was not a one-time occurrence. ‘Poor guy,’ Colin thought, staring at his new friend with pity. ‘Makes life at my old school look fun.’
“Time to go back to class,” came the tentative voice of the nurse, causing Colin to jump. Ryan’s hand slipped from Colin’s shoulder to hang by his side. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but…” The nurse’s soft features crinkled into a frown. “We’ll both in trouble if I let you stay here. And Mr. Stiles’ mother is on her way to pick him up.”
‘Mr. Stiles?’ Colin looked over at Ryan, who was smiling faintly in his sleep. ‘Oh… That must be his surname.’ His frown mirrored the nurse’s as he stood up and took a few steps towards the door. He stopped at the nurse’s side and let out a shaky sigh. “Thanks,” he said, without meeting her eyes. She didn’t reply, and Colin left without another word.
His day past that point was painfully slow, and all he could think about was what had happened to Ryan and the moment they had spent together in the nurse’s office. Drew and Sinead shared some of his other classes with him, and there was still lunch to go, but in conversation he let his friends do the talking while he sat and listened.
“I don’t know how Ryan does it, but he always comes out smiling,” said Greg at lunchtime, with a shake of his head.
“One day those bastards will be expelled and sent to some horrible boarding school,” said Chip. It might have sounded like a fierce exclamation from anyone else, but he said it almost cheerily.
“What you did was really awesome,” Rowan piped up. “That’s the kind of thing I wish I had the balls to do.” Colin nodded wordlessly and stared at his sandwich.
“So how bad did the nurse say it was?” asked Wayne, after a short silence.
“He’ll be fine, she said,” Brad announced, picking through his salad. “He’ll be off school for the rest of the week, though.”
“I’ll miss him,” Sinead sighed.
“Yeah,” agreed Drew. “You gotta hand it to him though, he can really endure a beating.”
“Mhm,” said Greg. “I’ve always ended up much worse off whenever it’s happened to me.”
“Wait, wait,” Colin said suddenly. Everyone turned to look at him. “H-how many of you have been beaten up?” He looked around. Greg had raised his hand. Drew and Chip looked at him and followed suit. Colin was surprised. “I can’t believe it… That’s horrible…”
“It only happened to me once,” said Drew.
“Twice,” said Chip and Greg at the same time. “Ryan gets it the most though,” added Chip solemnly.
“Did anyone ever do that to you at your old school?” Brad asked Colin.
“No…” said Colin, still amazed at the revelation of the amount of violence that seemed to go on in this school. “I was never popular, and it happened to people I knew, but not me… Was it always those same guys?” he asked, turning the conversation back away from himself.
“Yeah, they’re the worst,” said Wayne. “The time when they went for Drew, me and Brad caught them and helped fight them off.”
“Most of them are surprisingly lightweight,” said Brad. “It’s just when they gang up like that…”
“Cowardly,” said Rowan.
“What do you expect?” said Sinead.
The others continued talking as Colin fell silent once more. So, Ryan would be fine in a week? That was definitely a relief. But he had been so exhausted earlier that Colin had gotten the impression there was something seriously wrong. Then again, Ryan was probably just worn down after having it happen so many times. Also, since Colin had never before seen the aftermath of a beating, how could he say what was the right reaction?
When finally the bell rang and he trudged off to his final class, Colin felt like the day could not go any slower. He only hoped the rest of the week would not progress at the same rate.
---
FRENCH TRANSLATION
1 “No, no,” Colin said quickly, stroking Ryan’s hand comfortingly. “It is alright. You will be alright. Shhh.” He saw Ryan’s eyelids flutter and a lazy half-smile flash momentarily across his face. “Nobody can hurt you. I will protect you.”
2 It means that I am your friend.
Sophomores
Wayne, 16
Rowan, 16
Juniors
Brad, 16
Chip, 16
Ryan, 17
Greg, 17
Seniors
Sinead, 18
Drew, 18
Colin, 18
---
CHAPTER TWO: It Means I’m Your Friend
Colin caught up with Ryan at the drink fountain as the taller boy was taking a long drink of water. Ryan looked up nervously at the sound of close footsteps, but relief flooded his expression to see it was only Colin. Colin gave a little smile at the excess water that trickled from Ryan’s lip down his chin; Ryan caught it with his sleeve and wiped it away before it could go any further.
Their eyes met for a brief moment and they shared a wordless, reassuring smile before they simultaneously leaned down to take a drink from their respective sides of the fountain. They stood up together and there was another, more awkward glance between them before Ryan turned to walk back, and Colin started to follow.
Before they had gotten halfway, a group of cool-looking boys began walking their way. “Oh no,” Ryan muttered, head down, picking up the pace.
Colin hurried to keep in step, catching Ryan’s arm and stopping him. “What’s wrong?” he asked in confusion.
Ryan looked anxious, almost on the verge of panic. “Those boys,” he hissed to Colin. “Just keep back from them, OK?!” His voice cracked as he gave the command, and Colin stumbled back, startled, as the other boys approached and Ryan broke into a run. Two of them ran after him and grabbed him, throwing him to the ground. A cry of shock caught in Colin’s throat and all he could manage was a gasp. He looked up to find Drew and the others, but they were around the corner of a building, not to be seen by their friends.
Colin stood back in shock as the five boys surrounded Ryan, who was curled over on the ground, looking entirely submissive and much smaller than was right for someone of his stature.
“Hey faggot,” said a blond boy, whose green eyes twinkled with a merriment that was more menacing than friendly. He sneered, nudging Ryan with his foot. “Nice shoes.” His friends chuckled and without warning, he drew his foot back and lashed out, catching Ryan on the back. Ryan choked, obviously winded, and tried foolishly to get up. One of the bullies pushed him back down with his foot, kicking him in the ribs to make sure he stayed there.
“Please, please,” Ryan pleaded, and though his hands covered his face, Colin could hear the tears in his terrified voice. “Please, don’t –“
“Who’s that over there? Your boyfriend?” jeered the shortest boy.
“Hey, I know him. He’s in my homeroom,” remarked the kid next to him. “He’s from Montreal.”
The group jeered and catcalled as the blond one kneeled down beside Ryan to brush his hair away from his face and speak into his ear. “Does he speak French to you?” he cooed in a repulsive fashion, and proceeded to imitate the French language in a way that might have been comical in another context, but here seemed downright insulting.
With that, all five boys started attacking him from every angle, kicking him so that he curled up tighter to protect his ribs and groin. The circle broke and Ryan was pushed through the gap into the open, where he made a vain attempt to escape before a boy his height, with auburn hair, pulled him to his feet, and showed no hesitation in punching him in the gut. Cruel laughter broke out among his peers and Ryan was pushed back against the brick wall for them to converge on him.
Horrified and disgusted, Colin finally found his voice. He took a few bold steps forward and bellowed, “HEY!” with fury evident on his features. His hair hung in his eyes, which flashed with anger such as he hadn’t felt in a long time.
The group of boys turned around, and the auburn-haired one relinquished his hold on Ryan’s collar. Ryan sild down the wall to the ground, blood trickling from a cut in his lip and a bruise already beginning to blossom beneath his eye.
Colin was suddenly scared, but he knew he had to distract attention from Ryan, even if it meant receiving the same violent abuse as a reward. “Why don’t you jerks leave him alone?” he demanded, his voice more steady and confident than he felt. “Ryan is a hundred times manlier than you’ll ever be!” he roared, pointing an accusatory finger in their direction and holding his ground as they approached him threateningly. “And straighter, too! He’s not a faggot, but I wouldn’t be surprised if that was exactly what you fuckers were trying to hide!”
A quick glance past the bullies told Colin that Ryan had escaped, for he was no longer in sight. With a grimace, Colin turned tail and ran for his life, the adrenalin rush his moment of stupid bravery had caused him giving his feet wings. He did not risk a glance behind him but he could sense that he was losing them; he was no athlete, and they were obviously sporty types, but maybe fear had just blessed him with speed – or maybe they were giving up the chase, lest a teacher catch them.
Whatever the case, Colin ran on – away from the oval, past the gym and the sports shed – not stopping until he reached the tennis courts where he collapsed, panting, on a bench. It was fairly deserted here, except for the two girls he had just unwittingly sat next to. They exchanged looks of disdain and left in haste.
Colin sorely hoped that the bullies would not seek their revenge today. That short spurt of running had left him so exhausted he was about ready to faint. He closed his eyes and waited for his breath to return, vaguely wondering whether Ryan was alright.
Minutes later, Colin had the peculiar sense of someone standing over him. He opened his eyes and saw Drew and Wayne, looking concernedly at him. “Where’s Ryan?” Colin demanded tiredly.
“He’s at the nurse,” Wayne said, patting Colin’s shoulder to relax him. “He’s fine. The others are with him.”
“He told us what you did,” said Drew, looking at Colin with admiration. “That was really brave of you.”
Colin felt a swell of pride, and a faint smile graced his face before it was quickly replaced with a frown. “What happened to those bullies?”
“Mr. Elton is talking to them. It’s not the first time they’ve done this,” said Wayne with a look of distaste. “I hope they get a worse punishment this time. C’mon, get up now.” He grasped Colin’s hands and tried to pull him to his feet.
“What?” said Colin reluctantly. “Why?”
“Bell’s gone, dude, we gotta go to class,” Drew said. “You didn’t hear it?”
Colin was silent for a moment, and then shook his head. “No, no, no,” he insisted. “No, I want to see Ryan. Take me to the nurse.”
Wayne and Drew looked at each other meaningfully, conversing with their eyes. Then Wayne turned to Colin.
“I’ve gotta go to Biology. Drew will take you.” With that he turned and left, leaving Drew to help Colin out of his seat.
Colin lightly shrugged Drew off him. Drew barely batted an eyelid at this reaction and began to lead Colin in the direction of the nurse’s office.
They were silent for a while, until finally Drew spoke. “You know,” he said thoughtfully, as if getting around to a difficult topic, “Ryan told us what you said to those bullies.”
“Yeah? I just told the truth,” Colin said defensively, like he thought he was in trouble. “So what?”
Drew worried his lower lip for a moment before talking again. “You know how you told them he was…straighter?” Colin made no response. Drew sighed and stopped moving. Colin followed suit. “Well,” said Drew, “there’s something you should know.”
“Oh,” said Colin, cottoning on instantly. “He’s not—?”
“Yeah, yeah, he’s pretty gay,” said Drew. Seeing the blush creeping across Colin’s face, he added, “Don’t worry, you didn’t insult him or anything. He’s just worried you’re, like, a homophobe or something.”
“Oh, God!” said Colin in horror, his face flushing beet red. “Oh my God. That’s so far from the truth I – man! I have to apologise!”
“It’s OK. Come with me. We’re nearly there,” said Drew, grasping Colin’s arm and leading him the rest of the way to the nurse.
Drew knocked on the door. Colin fiddled with his tie impatiently, now so worried about what Ryan thought of him he didn’t know what he was going to say. A second later the door swung open and the nurse, a short, blonde-haired woman with rosy cheeks, appeared in the doorway. She looked at them expectantly, awaiting an excuse as to why they were out of class.
“We’re here to see Ryan,” Drew explained.
“Oh, no,” said the nurse briskly. “No, you have to get to class. I’m sorry. You can see him later. Go.”
Colin bristled. “Let me in,” he urged. “I have to see him now.”
Someone inside the office stirred at the sound of Colin’s voice. “Colin?” Ryan called. Colin tried to look past the nurse, but she blocked his way.
“Please leave,” she said insistently. “You can’t stay here during class time.”
“Come on, Col,” said Drew, “let’s go.”
Colin stood rooted to the spot. He heard Ryan from inside again: “Can you let him in? He’s the one who saved me.” Colin blushed again but met the nurse’s gaze defiantly. She stared back hesitantly, then cracked.
“Fine, fine. You have five minutes,” she said to Colin. “You,” she added, turning to Drew, “go.” Drew nodded, gave Colin a quick pat on the arm, and left for class. The nurse stepped aside, and Colin walked in.
He was in a waiting room. Ryan motioned to him from the next room, and Colin hurried to join him. They sat in chairs opposite the nurse’s desk. The nurse shut the door and watched them in concern for a moment, then walked into the next room to give them their privacy.
“Colin? Thank-you so much,” Ryan said genuinely. He looked exhausted and entirely pitiable.
“Ryan, I have to tell—“
“No, hang on,” Ryan murmured, his eyes shut. “Really, it means so much.” He reached out, his hand clumsily falling on Colin’s shoulder. He gripped it as if to reassure himself that Colin was really there. Colin looked on anxiously. “Can you…?” Ryan trailed off, and Colin placed a gentle hand on his, waiting patiently for him to continue. “Can you say something…in French to me?”
Colin was taken aback. Ryan was obviously tired from the ordeal, and not thinking straight. “I—what?”
“Sorry,” Ryan whispered. “You don’t want to, it’s weird, I understand…”
“Non, non,” Colin said quickly, stroking Ryan’s hand comfortingly. “C'est beau. Tout va bien aller. Shhh.” He saw Ryan’s eyelids flutter and a lazy half-smile flash momentarily across his face. “Personne ne peut te faire de mal. Je te protègerai.”1
“What does it mean?” came Ryan’s quiet murmur. If the room were not so silent, Colin wouldn’t have heard him.
“Ça veut dire que je suis ton ami.2 It means I’m your friend,” Colin translated. A deep, strangely comfortable silence lapsed between them. Colin pondered, still stroking Ryan’s hand softly, whether the honey-haired youth had fallen asleep. Without thinking, he bowed his head and planted a gentle kiss on Ryan’s fingers. Ryan didn’t stir. Colin didn’t wonder; the poor kid must be exhausted after what had happened. And by the sounds of what Wayne had said, this was not a one-time occurrence. ‘Poor guy,’ Colin thought, staring at his new friend with pity. ‘Makes life at my old school look fun.’
“Time to go back to class,” came the tentative voice of the nurse, causing Colin to jump. Ryan’s hand slipped from Colin’s shoulder to hang by his side. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but…” The nurse’s soft features crinkled into a frown. “We’ll both in trouble if I let you stay here. And Mr. Stiles’ mother is on her way to pick him up.”
‘Mr. Stiles?’ Colin looked over at Ryan, who was smiling faintly in his sleep. ‘Oh… That must be his surname.’ His frown mirrored the nurse’s as he stood up and took a few steps towards the door. He stopped at the nurse’s side and let out a shaky sigh. “Thanks,” he said, without meeting her eyes. She didn’t reply, and Colin left without another word.
His day past that point was painfully slow, and all he could think about was what had happened to Ryan and the moment they had spent together in the nurse’s office. Drew and Sinead shared some of his other classes with him, and there was still lunch to go, but in conversation he let his friends do the talking while he sat and listened.
“I don’t know how Ryan does it, but he always comes out smiling,” said Greg at lunchtime, with a shake of his head.
“One day those bastards will be expelled and sent to some horrible boarding school,” said Chip. It might have sounded like a fierce exclamation from anyone else, but he said it almost cheerily.
“What you did was really awesome,” Rowan piped up. “That’s the kind of thing I wish I had the balls to do.” Colin nodded wordlessly and stared at his sandwich.
“So how bad did the nurse say it was?” asked Wayne, after a short silence.
“He’ll be fine, she said,” Brad announced, picking through his salad. “He’ll be off school for the rest of the week, though.”
“I’ll miss him,” Sinead sighed.
“Yeah,” agreed Drew. “You gotta hand it to him though, he can really endure a beating.”
“Mhm,” said Greg. “I’ve always ended up much worse off whenever it’s happened to me.”
“Wait, wait,” Colin said suddenly. Everyone turned to look at him. “H-how many of you have been beaten up?” He looked around. Greg had raised his hand. Drew and Chip looked at him and followed suit. Colin was surprised. “I can’t believe it… That’s horrible…”
“It only happened to me once,” said Drew.
“Twice,” said Chip and Greg at the same time. “Ryan gets it the most though,” added Chip solemnly.
“Did anyone ever do that to you at your old school?” Brad asked Colin.
“No…” said Colin, still amazed at the revelation of the amount of violence that seemed to go on in this school. “I was never popular, and it happened to people I knew, but not me… Was it always those same guys?” he asked, turning the conversation back away from himself.
“Yeah, they’re the worst,” said Wayne. “The time when they went for Drew, me and Brad caught them and helped fight them off.”
“Most of them are surprisingly lightweight,” said Brad. “It’s just when they gang up like that…”
“Cowardly,” said Rowan.
“What do you expect?” said Sinead.
The others continued talking as Colin fell silent once more. So, Ryan would be fine in a week? That was definitely a relief. But he had been so exhausted earlier that Colin had gotten the impression there was something seriously wrong. Then again, Ryan was probably just worn down after having it happen so many times. Also, since Colin had never before seen the aftermath of a beating, how could he say what was the right reaction?
When finally the bell rang and he trudged off to his final class, Colin felt like the day could not go any slower. He only hoped the rest of the week would not progress at the same rate.
---
FRENCH TRANSLATION
1 “No, no,” Colin said quickly, stroking Ryan’s hand comfortingly. “It is alright. You will be alright. Shhh.” He saw Ryan’s eyelids flutter and a lazy half-smile flash momentarily across his face. “Nobody can hurt you. I will protect you.”
2 It means that I am your friend.
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Date: 2009-07-12 12:26 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-07-14 04:53 am (UTC)Thanks for showing an interest!
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Date: 2009-07-14 05:11 am (UTC)