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.I want to kiss youat your locker.I want to do all the things that all the other couples do at school.""Mitch." Luka's voice was throaty and his eyes sparkled from the lake that wasforming in them."I don't know what to say.""Say you'll do this with me.""Of course I will." Luka's voice was barely higher than a whisper as he threw hisarms around me."We're a team."We broke the hug and kissed.It felt liberating, like I had finally earned my adultwings and learned how to properly fly, soar high above the clouds in the great, blueabyss.Chapter TenThere were gasps of shock and a sea of stunned of faces as Luka and I walkeddown the hallway hand in hand.It was easy to see that our fellow classmates didn'tknow if we were joking, if we had lost a bet, or what was going on.For the first time in my life, I felt like I finally lived.It felt great to do what wasnatural instead of what was expected of me.I couldn't help but wonder if more peoplelived life this way, would the world be a better place?* * * * *"Oh man, that was awesome!" Luka exclaimed as we walked home from school,our hands still joined.He laughed, picked me up, and spun me around, causing me to catch a fit of thegiggles."Did you see the looks on their faces?" He sat me down and caressed my cheeks."Did you see&.?"He never finished his sentence as his lips made contact with mine.Our eyes wereclosed, fuelled by the heat of our passion.For that moment there was no one else onearth but the two of us.Our kiss was interrupted by the sound of a car honking and sickening shouts ofdisgust.We saw Sara, Brant, and Brant's buddies drive past us in Brant's beat-up, blackpickup truck.As they passed us they shouted a series of derogatory names.Queers.Faggots.Fags.Fag boys.Homos.Every word was like a knife penetrating my heart.Asthe pickup truck passed us, our attackers threw open cans of Pepsi and Coke on usbefore speeding away, whooping and hollering.Standing there, I felt more humiliated than I ever had in my life.I knew therewould be people who wouldn't understand and who would hate us, but I neverthought in my darkest dreams that I would be the victim of a modern day lynch mobpowered by blind fear.I would soon learn all the evil that fear and hatred made peoplecommit.* * * * *I was in the shower, letting the hot, steamy water cleanse my body of the stickysoda.Luka had gone home to do the same.I had pushed the earlier incident to the backof my mind and now euphorically thought about the plans Luka and I had made forthis evening: a romantic dinner of big, greasy cheeseburgers and French fries at the localfast food joint and then a horror movie.The perfect date.I stepped out of the shower, dried myself off, and put on my robe, not wanting toget dressed yet.I was lying on my bed hugging my pillow, fantasizing it was Luka,when the doorbell rang.Thinking my lover had come back, I jumped off the bed and bounded down thestairs like a rabbit.I opened the door and quickly lost my smile.Brant and his gangstood at my door.Sara was also present, standing behind her brother and looking likeevil incarnate."Hi, Mitchell." Brant's greeting was too sweet and dripping with cobra venom.I was scared.What did they want? What were they going to do to me? I tried toclose the door but the stronger boys easily got through the barricade.They walkedinside and locked the door.They started to advance on me, smiling.My heart was a time bomb ready to explode in my chest.My breathing came inlittle, shallow gasps.My skin was clammy and the sweat dripped off me like meltingicicles.This must be how people feel when they're about to die.Please God, I begged.If you truly are loving and merciful, let whatever they do to me beover quickly."Scared, little fag boy?" Brant asked me as he slowly walked toward me, beatinghis fist against the palm of his hand.His intimidation factor was working."You shouldbe."I tried to scream but my mouth was one gigantic ball of cotton.No sound couldget out.I then did the only thing I could think of.I ran.The only thing on my mind wasto get the hell out of the house and away from these angels of death.I started to run.I felt as if I was running in slow motion, like in thoseinspirational movies about track stars.I made my way toward the group, hoping that Icould either plow through them or part them as Moses had done with the Red Sea.Suddenly I was stuck.Two of Brant's buddies grabbed hold of my arms.Istruggled against them, kicking and crying out as my feet left the floor, but I was nomatch against the older boys and their tree-trunk-like arms."Where you going, little faggot?" Brant asked as he walked toward me.I looked around, desperately, searchingly, hoping there was a weapon orsomething I could use to ward off an attack.But no such prize was awarded to me.Iwas in the middle of the living room [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]