Chapter 18

As soon as Sammy stepped one foot through the school gates, he was there, loping over like a greyhound with the sad but hopeful look upon his face.

"So? Did you think about it?" Mike asked, wiping sweaty hair from his forehead.

A glance over at the basketball court revealed he was practicing with his friend. Eddy, now abandoned on the court, dropped the ball when a group of girls sauntered past.

"Come play me," Mike suggested with too much enthusiasm. "We'll be like Kuroko and Kazuma."

Sammy laughed, genuinely warmed that Mike had remembered the characters names even though he wasn't even an anime fan.

"I'm no good," Sammy said.

"So?" Mike shrugged. "I'll go easy on you."

This made Sammy smile. He'd never played basketball in school before, but he'd played with his sister plenty on the court by the park. It belonged to the middle school and was locked after hours, but only with a flimsy sliding lock. Anyone could get in, and they often did, making sure to leave the place how they found it. He was sure the school's attendant knew, but so long as they caused no trouble, he was happy to let the kids have their fun.

He decided to indulge Mike, dropping his coat and bag at the side of the court before going one on one with the captain.

Mike, predictably, was a far more formidable opponent than his sister. He literally ran rings around Sammy, leaving him sweaty and out of breath after a few minutes.

Playing with Mike was fun, but the joy was short lived. Some of Mike's other friends approached, faces contorted with confusion.

"What's all this. Why are you playing with that fag?" Simon asked.

"Because I like him. And when I say like him, I mean like him, like him. Got a problem with that?" Mike asked, looming over Simon.

'Did he really just say that?' Sammy gawked. It didn't seem real.

He watched as Simon swallowed, looking to the other boys in the group to gauge their reactions. He wasn't the sort of lad to form opinions off his own back.

"That's cool, man." Larry shrugged as if it was nothing. He turned to Simon, adding, "My uncle's gay and he'd kick your ass."

Being 6 foot 4 and built like a bear, Larry was probably the most feared kid in the school after Ricky. He could have earned the top if he'd had any penchant for scrapping, but Larry described himself as a 'lover, not a fighter.' As with anything, being a tough guy took practice. Not that Sammy knew anything about being tough. He was probably weaker than a lot of the girls in his class.

"Yeah," Eddy joined in once he returned from his girl-hunting trip. "Homophobia is so 90's, get with the times, will ya? You sound like my grandad."

Despite being small and wiry, Eddy was the most powerful member of the popular crowd, since he alone decided what was cool and what wasn't. Anyone could be cast out or raised up on the strength of Eddy's word, even someone as unpopular as Sammy, it would seem.

The others nodded in acceptance before changing the topic onto something they collectively found more interesting—Miss Days unfortunate choice of semi-transparent shirt.

As they headed toward the building, Sammy felt a hand slide into his.

He looked up to see Mike's dopey smile and puppy-dog eyes practically begging him to accept.

His felt himself becoming hot as he squeezed the boy’s hand, making his dopey smile even wider.

As they entered the classroom he quickly pulled away, afraid that Caine would see. He'd made a promise to Caine, one that was becoming difficult to keep. Every time he saw Mike it felt as though their jaded past were nothing more than a distant and murky dream. Memories of being tormented and jeered at discolored and faded as he looked at the boy's soppy expression.

"So, are you two a couple now or what?" Eddy asked, making things a hundred times more awkward. He felt pressure from all sides as Mike and Caine both stared in this direction, awaiting his response.

"I, erm, I don't know," Sammy uttered, lowering his head as he'd always done in the past. It didn't have the same effect without the curtain of hair to hide behind.

Luckily, Mike was smart enough to take the hint. He told Eddy to leave as he made his way to his seat, leaving the question hanging for now.

Without his hair to hide behind, Sammy retreated to the bathroom when situations became too much for him. As he stood at the sink washing his hands, he heard the door scrape open.

Looking up at the mirror, his heart sank when he saw it was Caine. He realized two things at that moment. The first was he'd been hoping it was Mike who followed him to the bathroom. The second was how afraid Caine made him feel.

Trying his best to smile and act natural, Sammy asked the intimidating boy what was up.

"It's all the spell you know, if you forgive him, he won't adore you anymore. I can see you like him, and if you want him to return those feelings you have to do as I say," Caine explained.

Only half listening, Sammy let out a gasp as he finally figured out what was odd about Caine.

When Caine raised his eyebrows in question, Sammy blushed.

"I just noticed... you never blink," Sammy blurted.

"Oh." Sammy closed his eyes and opened them, inspecting his face in the mirror. "Sometimes I forget."

The strange boy turned to leave, looking back as he reached the door.

"If you stop following my advice, things won't go so well for you."

Left alone with the sound of dripping water and the smell of urine, Sammy mulled over his options. How long could he string Mike along for? And did he still want to hurt him? Childhood memories of reciting the Lord's prayer surfaced.

'Forgive me, as I forgive those who trespass against me.'

Mum was always asking, "What would Jesus do?"

In this case, the answer was crystal clear.

It was only a matter of when.