Daniel did something as he entered homeroom that caused everyone to stare in disbelief- he had a big smile on his face. Pearly whites and everything. As he sat and looked across the room, his smile lowered a tad. Eddie wasn’t there.
Daniel waited and waited, not noticing how his back was straight like that of an obedient student. Or a dog.
Mrs Meek’s words drove a silver stake into Daniel’s heart. ‘Eddie’s sick,’ she said as she glanced at the roll before moving on to the next student like it was nothing.
The pearly whites hid under Daniel’s pursed lips. James stared at him. ‘You okay? You’re acting weird.’
Daniel’s shoulders jolted up. ‘Y-yeah! I’m fine! Totally fine.’
James rolled his eyes. ‘Faggot,’ he said with a smile. His eyebrows shot up when he saw Daniel’s hand shaking.
When recess rolled around, James took Daniel aside and spoke to him outside. ‘Okay, dude, usually I don’t give a fuck about whatever you’re doing. Your business is your business. But… why are you being so weird? I mean, I still don’t get why you invited Eddie to hang out with us. He’s not a good fit for us. No offence to him, of course. So, are you two… you know… doing it?’
Daniel’s eyes burst outwards like someone had put explosives in them. ‘No! What the hell!? You know I’m not gay. He’s just helping me with English.’
‘Really? Cause you kind of act like his bitch.’
‘No, I don’t! Don’t be stupid.’
James shrugged his shoulders. ‘Then you should be fine if you stop inviting him to hang out with us. It’s honestly kind of awkward hanging out with him. I’ve got nothing against gays but does he need to shove his gayness down our throats?’
‘He’s just being himself,’ Daniel mumbled.
‘See what I mean? You’re totally his bitch. And what’s up with that fake name? I don’t see why a guy with such an edgelord name has you wrapped around his finger.’ Daniel’s knuckles tightened enough to hurt. ‘He’s not even that good looking or anything. Hell, I bet other gay guys don’t want him. Maybe that’s why he’s trying to turn a straight guy like you-’
Daniel’s fist put a crater in James’ cheek. Hot pain seared through his knuckles faster than adrenaline could suppress it.
James immediately pushed Daniel’s shoulders back with all his might. Daniel reached around James’ torso and threw him to the ground.
Students gathered and cheered but some yelled at them to stop. James held Daniel down and punched him, his knees digging into his legs. Everyone heard a crack.
Daniel screamed. ‘My leg! You broke my fucking leg!’
‘Oh, come on, you wuss!’
‘I’m serious! I’m gonna have to go back to the hospital because of you!’
The crowd glared at James, silent as a graveyard. James looked around him, sweat dripping down his neck.
‘W-well, maybe it wouldn’t have broken again if you weren’t so obsessed with that faggot.’
The students glared harder. ‘What the fuck, James?’ one girl asked. Another girl grabbed Daniel by the shoulders and hauled him up, a few others joining in to help.
Daniel’s eyes and face were so tear-struck that the water blocked his ears and he couldn’t answer his helpers’ questions.
He was taken to the sickbay, where he once again couldn’t answer any questions. All he could do was cry. The nurse tried to tend to his leg in the hopes that he would eventually feel less pain and therefore stop crying. What she didn’t realise was that Daniel wasn’t crying because of that.
That night, Daniel’s tongue searched for a taste as he chewed on the gravy-covered steak. When he found none, he sighed and pushed his dinner aside, grabbing the tiny cup of fruit in jelly.
James hadn’t shown up. Then again, neither had Eddie.
This thought made Daniel rip off the lid much harder than expected, causing some of the juice from the fruit to spurt out.
‘Shit,’ he hissed.
‘Honestly, Daniel, that’s what you get for skipping right to the dessert,’ A mature woman’s voice said. Daniel looked up at his mother and scowled at her. ‘I was kept up at work,’ she explained. ‘You should be used to that by now.’ Daniel placed the jelly cup back down, trying with all his might not to slam it down. ‘Has anyone visited you?’ Daniel shook his head, looking down at his food without eating it. His knuckles turned from bruise purple to icy white.
His mother slowly inhaled and exhaled with the loudness of a smoker’s breaths. ‘Nobody at the school explained what happened. They just said you got in a fight. Why?’ Daniel was silent. ‘Explain to me everything or else you won’t be going to footy training again. Seriously, you only just got out of the hospital and what did I tell you? It sure as hell wasn’t ‘hurt your leg again so your dear old mummy has to pay the medical bills and twiddle her thumbs until the rebate comes’.’
Daniel growled with his mouth closed. ‘James called my new friend ugly.’
‘You must be joking. James insults people all the time. He insults you in front of me.’
‘But… he insulted Eddie.’
‘Who?’
‘The guy who’s been tutoring me. You met him, remember?’ He sighed at his mother’s confused face. ‘Eddie didn’t deserve that. He wasn’t there to defend himself. He… he… he’s so…’ The flood in his eyes raged destruction on his cheeks and nose, where snot began to drip. ‘He’s so nice… and he accepts how different we are and… he’s so happy and… and…’
His mother stared at him with one eyebrow and one side of her lips up. Daniel continued, and would likely continue whether she was there to listen or not. ‘I’m so confused. What’s wrong with me? Why did this guy have to walk into my life?’
‘Confused? You mean sexually?’
Daniel grit his teeth, cursing his mother’s habit of blunt language. ‘I just… I want… I don’t know what I want. I think… I might be... bisexual or something. Argh, why did this have to happen to me?’
‘Well, you did say you were confused. You’re not bisexual, Daniel. Calm down a bit and think things through before you give yourself a label like that.’
Daniel nodded and wiped his face with his arm. His eyes widened and he looked side to side. Everyone in the room must have heard. Oh God, they must have all heard. He looked down at his dinner and finally resumed eating. He had to do something to return normalcy to the situation.
He pushed what his mother said about labels to the furthest corners of his mind as he ate, once again focusing on trying to find a taste in what he was made to consume.
Another day, Daniel turned off the television and sighed. It had been three days and still no Eddie. James’ usage of the word ‘bitch’ played in his mind every hour or so like the most aggravating cuckoo clock in existence.
‘Oh my god, how are you feeling?’
Daniel’s heart came back to life. He grinned, holding back his tears. Eddie put a teddy bear on the table beside the bed, one with a nurse’s cap and fairy wings.
‘I’m good.’
‘Phew. Sorry for being so late. I had to make sure I got over my cold before coming here. Hospitals don’t allow sick visitors, do they? Oh, speaking of which, you absolutely have to get better. My dad got me two tickets to Black Blues’ concert next week. They’re this rap metal band that mixes its rap metal with influences of… I just think you’ll like them.’ Eddie handed Daniel one ticket. ‘Dad thinks I’m going to give it to a date but I’d honestly rather give it to you.’ He chuckled when Daniel stared at the ticket like it was some newly discovered ancient trinket. ‘No homo.’ He put on an old man’s voice. ‘That’s what the kids say these days, right?’
Daniel rolled his eyes. ‘I don’t think ‘no homo’ works when you say it.’ Eddie giggled. Daniel reached out to Eddie and brushed his fingers against his arm.
‘So, uh, what exactly happened?’ Eddie asked.
Daniel remembered the interactions with his mother. ‘I’d rather not talk about it. Let’s focus on this band you want me to see. Lecture away.’
Eddie beamed from one temple of his head to the other. He spoke about Black Blues for a good hour, though not without tangents into industrial metal and jazz, both of which were apparently related to this band.
Eddie made sure to visit Daniel every day that week, giving him homework from the teacher as well. He would often bring his iPod to play music from Black Blues and put one earbud into Daniel’s ear. Daniel’s cheeks always heated up when his face became so close to Eddie’s.
On Tuesday the following week, Eddie had an idea. ‘Hey, how about I tutor you here? You’ve still got the essay to do so you should be prepared for that before you leave the hospital. Speaking of which, when do you expect to leave the hospital?’
‘My operation’s on Saturday morning.’ Eddie frowned. Daniel looked at the ticket on his bedside table, which said ‘Saturday 7 PM’. He looked back at Eddie’s face and felt like a homeless person trying to cheer up a millionaire. ‘I’ll be at the concert. I promise.’
‘You sure?’
Daniel looked away and put his hand on Eddie’s. ‘Of course.’
Daniel’s hand became cold as Eddie’s hand slipped out from under it. Eddie continued talking, though Daniel couldn’t concentrate on his words.
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