I sat there thinking back as I thought over the things I said and took a breath, "I wanted to treasure it because I was already broken before meeting him and I took that risk to follow him." I explained. "I guess I was reckless."

Elliot looked down and rubbed the back of his neck, "I don't think I know how it feels towards someone like that..." he said. "I never felt that way to anyone so I don't know what to say, but you have to move on from the past. What happened to you is something that doesn't need to be repeated again. It's fine if you want to have that sort of feeling with someone else, but to have a partner disrespect you and to think it's okay when it's not."

I turned away from him to wipe my face and took a deep breath. "I know... That's why I'm scared to trust people... I trusted someone heartedly and this is how I wound up." I said.

"It only means you're human. Not many people go through something like that and you're just trying to regain yourself. Be more confident." he said.

I rolled my eyes, "You always make it sound so easy." I said.

He shrugs his shoulders, "It's not, but sometimes you just have to." he said. "And I meant it and also what I said last night. You've been going to classes just fine, going to tutoring and it just seems like you need more confidence in yourself."

I looked down again; I'm not used to hearing compliments. "It's not always easy..." I said with a sigh. "I mean, it is, but I've just been having a hard time dealing with..."

"With?"

"David... It's David and just trying to deal with everything else." I said, feeling embarrassed.

"David's bullying you?" he asked.

"No... Yes? I'm not sure. He doesn't say anything to me, but he tries to bump into me or sometimes knock my books over." I tell him. "He makes me uncomfortable."

"I'll talk to him," he said.

I turned to him, "Don't."

"Why not? If he's bullying you then you have to say something, Michael," he said with a stern look like he wasn't going to let this go.

I sighed, "Okay." I said.

It got quiet between us and I didn't feel like talking about the past anymore. I didn't want to think about everything and having to remember those emotions that I dealt with. It was bad of me to remember Chris in such a romantic way and I shouldn't have. How could I when I end up like this while nothing happened to him? He's not dealing with the damage he created and is moving on with his life being able to pretend that he did nothing wrong. It also wasn't just him, but all the other people that were involved when I was young. I must have been lost in my thoughts because I didn't notice Elliot calling me until he reached out to grab my arm getting my attention, but I instantly pulled my arm away out of reaction.

"Sorry..." I said, a little embarrassed by my action.

"It's okay..." he said as he paused at what he wanted to say. "How about we go out? Let's go do something."

I sighed and thought about it for a second before nodding. "Okay. And go where?" I asked.

"It doesn't matter." He answered and pulled me out of the couch. "Go shower or change. We can buy lunch since you haven't eaten."

I went to my room grabbing a pair of jeans and a blue shirt then made my way to go shower hoping that would freshen me up. I took my time since I still wasn't in the proper mood and remembering about the past made me recall a few things that I push away so hard that I tried to forget. I sighed heavily as I stood there after getting dressed then reached for my jacket and stepped out of the room once I was completely ready. Elliot turned off the television and we both made our way out towards his car after I made sure I locked the door behind me. I got inside his car and we sat there quietly as he started driving, but luckily it wasn't that uncomfortable silence between us now.

"So, is there a place you want to go?" He asked me.

"No," I answered.

"Are you hungry?" He asked.

I shook my head. "No. Not right now." I answered.

"How about we go to the movies? I know you like watching movies." He asked.

I thought about it and shrugged my shoulders. "I don't mind," I answered.

"Alright." He said.

We drove off to the movie theater and we debated for a while on what movie to watch until we agreed on one. He stepped aside to buy some popcorn and drinks for us then made our way to find our seats. When we sat down it occurred to me that Elliot always picks places that I enjoyed, but what if he didn't want to be here and he's only doing this for me. I glanced over at him and tried to sit back comfortably as we both watched the previews until the movie started. We watched the movie quietly until it was over and we made our way out. We talked about the movie as we threw our trash away and slowly walked back to his car.

"Hungry? Where should we go?" he asked.

"I'm not hungry yet. The popcorn kind of filled me... Let's go somewhere you want to." I asked him. "You pick this time."

"Yeah?"

I nod as I sat inside the car once unlocked and I put on my seatbelt. "You should pick this time because I don't know what you like to do," I said.

"Well, I don't really go out often, but there is a place that I do like going to," he said as he started driving

We were heading to a new direction then we have ever gone before and I was curious as to where we were going. I tried not to show how nervous I am to him because this was my suggestion and I was curious about the things he likes. He finally went to a parking lot and I saw we came to a mall; I wasn't too sure what we were going to do here. I still wasn't used to being in crowded places, but I had to remind myself that there was nothing for me to worry about and that I can handle it. He parked the car and we both got out to make our way inside. I followed Elliot as I looked around and noticed that there weren't a lot of people around.

As we were walking, I looked around at the stores since I've never been to this mall before trying to see what they have when we walked up to a bookstore and I followed him inside. Elliot seemed to know where to go and we walked passed aisles until he turned to the left side to look at the educational section. I looked around seeing that the store was quite big and had more than books; like DVDs, collectible items, action figures, used computers, instruments, and so on. I slowly walked away to see what else was around and saw Elliot looking curiously at the books before turning to me.

"You can look around if you want. I'll be here," he said.

I nodded and began to explore the store, but I made sure that I was close to him. I was curious about what I'll find and saw a few records on the side of the store then saw the section for video games. I looked around wondering what they had as I came across the science fiction novels and picked out two that caught my attention. I felt like I was gone for more than fifteen minutes and made my way back to see Elliot still looking over at the books; he has three books already in his hands. I walked over to see what type of educational books he was looking at and saw that they were all psychology. I kind of hesitated as I looked at the books and reached out to grab one of them.

"Have you ever bothered reading these books?" he asked me.

"No, not really. I don't want to read books that remind me of how sick I am." I tell him.

"But they can be very educational. Like this one, it's a workbook with exercises and some meditation techniques," he said as he pulled out a book and handed it to me.

I looked at the cover before handing it back. "No," I answered shortly.

Elliot looked at me before putting the book in his pile. "There's nothing to be afraid of by learning something that can make you better," he said as he turned back to look at the shelf again. "Didn't you say that you wanted to get better? If you're not going to see a therapist right away then read a book."

I didn't say anything as I stood there before sighing and reached out for the workbook, "Fine," I said.

Elliot smiled as he continued to browse through the books making ourselves comfortable as I went over the book and he still adds more books to the pile.

"Sometimes I doubt myself if I have haphephobia. Like, I really don't like being touched and it does make me sick if it's too much, but then I feel like it's just what comes when having panic attacks. There is also my depression and anxiety...." I said quietly for us to hear. "Like it's just so much that it makes me feel like I'm just a label to all these disorders."

Elliot thought about this for a second before turning to me, "Have you thought about it being some sort of depression if it's not haphephobia? Like maybe, major depression? I've done some research and your condition pretty much match up with it." he said as he pulled out a book from the shelf and started looking through the pages. "You did say that they gave you anti-depressants, right?"

I didn't say anything at first as I looked through the pages trying to understand what was written on it before glancing over at him. "I guess," I mumbled.

Elliot looked up at me and slowly reached to grab my arm, "It's just a theory. I'm not saying that that's exactly what you have, but it's just something that you can relate to." he said and showed me a page from his book. "So, most people with major depression have conditions that can be identified from the 5 things listed: feeling sad or irritable most days, less interested in most activities you once enjoyed, lose or gain weight from a change of appetite, trouble sleeping or wanting to sleep more, feeling of restlessness, unusually tired, feeling worthless or guilty, difficulty concentrating, and lastly thinking of harming yourself or committing suicide."

I didn't say anything as I listened and I didn't know what to say because a lot on that list is what I can relate to. Mostly all of it that I can say happened to me countless times.

"Michael."

I turned to look at him. "Yeah... Maybe that's what it is." I said seeing that Elliot looked concerned.

"Michael, don't think too much about it. Yes, that's a lot that is on there, but this also means that you could be right. Maybe you don't have haphephobia, but depression is also a concerning disorder." he said. "You should see your doctor just to make sure," he said.

I sighed as I looked at the book before nodding, "It's not like I'm hiding about my depression, but I didn't know it's under the category of major depression." I said quietly. "I just never got used to doctors, but I'll look into that."

I never liked visiting the doctors since my last stay in a hospital, and I try not to go as often as I can. I grabbed a new book just reading the basic introduction and skim through the chapters finding a few things interesting before turning to Elliot.

"So you were serious when you said that you wanted to study psychology?" I asked him. "Like being some sort of therapist or doctor?"

"Yeah, I'm not set on that, but I'm trying to learn anything that I can read and learn from experience that comes in my life," he said looking up from his book. "You don't think I can do it?"

"I'm not saying that. You actually know some things and educating yourself is good." I answered him. "Does hanging out with me make it difficult?"

"You always think so bad of yourself like no one would want your company. It's all fine. I've been having fun hanging out with you and I'm trying to be what you want me to be: a friend." he said. "Just because you're sick doesn't mean that you are difficult to be around. It's just how you are and we're both still learning to be with each other."

"I don't want people to just deal with me because of my condition. It doesn't seem fair because I can burst out and lose myself or when I become upset. What can I do about it when it happens? I don't want to be a burden and be frustrated when around me." I said.

"You shouldn't view yourself like you're a burden. Never once have I thought you were," he said. "Honestly, you're a generous person and it just seems like you're only scared to step out of those boundaries that you created. You are a really good friend and honest."

I took a deep breath as I reached for another book, too shy to look at him. " I sometimes don't always get that through my head. I'm not used to comments like that." I tell him.

Elliot nodded as he finally started looking over the books he picked out from the ones he wanted. "It's okay to not be used to it. I'm not used to compliments either, but it's all true and it's always nice hearing them," he said as he kept two of the books he picked out.

"Why aren't you taking the other books?" I asked.

"They can be a bit expensive. I can't buy all of them so hopefully, I'll get them next time," he said.

I nod as we make our way to go pay and after a couple of minutes we were finally leaving the store. We started walking around the mall now, going into a few stores, and I tried to follow right beside him so I wouldn't get lost or lose him from my sight. I got myself a shirt while we were going through the stores and Elliot bought himself a jacket. Once we were done we headed back to the food court and we tried to decide what to eat. At this point, I was finally feeling hungry to eat and we decided to buy burgers that filled me up after eating. We continued to talk until we were done eating and we began to head back to the car making our way back to my house. Maybe there could have been more for us that we could do, but Elliot had to head back home after dropping me off and I'm sure my mom wants to talk as well after our conversation this morning.

Elliot left soon after he dropped me off and my mother didn't come for another hour after. It wasn't a long conversation that we had and we both apologized to each other. The day ended and by morning things were back to normal and finally, I am back in school again. During my time in school, I made sure that I tried going to the tutor sessions to help with some assignments and it's gotten easier to hang out with Jennifer. A few weeks went by and I decided to hang with Jennifer in the library after school to help me with my science homework, but it seemed like everyone didn't want to spend their time studying.

"So you know what's coming up?" she asked me with a wide smile.

"What?"

"Spring Formal. I honestly want to ask Elliot to the dance, but I doubt that he would say yes," she said, blushing. "You're close to him. Do you know if he's interested in anyone?"

I turned to her a bit surprised before clearing my throat. "No, not that he's ever told me," I answered. "I never heard him mention any girls when we hang out."

"What if he doesn't say yes?"

I smiled, "I think Elliot is too nice to say no." I tell her.

"That's the problem too. He's too nice. He probably would say yes to any girl who would ask him first." She said as her smile faded.

I shrugged my shoulders and ran my hand over the top of my hair, "Honestly, I believe that." I said turning to her.

"Do you have someone in mind?" she asked me.

I looked at her confused for a second before shaking my head, "No," I answered. "I'm not interested in something like that right now. I can't imagine myself going to a place like that. Maybe next year."

She nods, "That's true. I'm sure you'll hate the crowd and loud music. That could be uncomfortable." she said thoughtfully.

I rubbed the back of my neck, "Yeah..." I said quietly.

Jennifer was quiet for a second before turning to me, "You know, I can always introduce you to some of my friends if you like." She said, giving me a small smile. "I promise they are nice and fun to hang out with. If you ever change your mind on going."

I opened my mouth but decided to not say anything and shook my head.

"Sorry, was that a little too much? I didn't mean to." She said.

"No, it's not that. It's a nice thought. It is, but I'm just not interested in being in a relationship right now or even going out with someone." I said. "It's barely a month since I've started here and I'm still not adjusted."

"Well, if you ever ready you let me know. My friends wouldn't say no if anyone asked them out," she said.

"You should tell them they can't always say yes to just anyone," I said, smiling lightly.

I looked up to see Elliot walking over to our table and Jennifer tried to hide her blush when she saw him. "Hey, Elliot."

"Hey, I just finished volleyball practice and I came by to see if you were still here," he said, smiling at us. "So what are you guys talking about?"

"Nothing." Jennifer quickly and it was quiet for a long minute.

"How was practice?" I asked him.

"It was fun. I was about to head home, but I thought to pass by to see if you want a ride home? Or you guys not done yet?" He asked.

"No, we're done," Jennifer said as she closed her book and started putting her things away in her backpack.

I stared at her for a second then glanced over at Elliot as I thought of something and took a deep breath, "My mom is coming to pick me up." I said as I closed my book and turned to him. "But I'm sure Jennifer needs a ride home... You don't mind?"

Elliot glanced over at Jennifer and nodded, "Of course. That's if you would want to join me."

Jennifer turned to me before turning back to Elliot blushing lightly, "I... I would love a ride."

"Alright. Let's go," he said, getting up and starting walking. "I'll see you tomorrow, Michael."

Jennifer started walking behind him and I see her smiling as she mouths 'thank you' at me.

I waved at her as I watched them leave the library and I sat back in my seat alone at my table now. I felt the small ping in my stomach knowing that it was a good idea for them to leave together, maybe Elliot would like Jennifer as well, but I also didn't want him to leave with her. I sighed as I grabbed my backpack and started making my way outside to walk home. It sounded silly for me to be upset that I lied for them to have a chance to be alone because there's no chance for Elliot to have any sort of feelings towards me. I also had said many times that I wasn't interested in being in a relationship and I shouldn't even bother thinking of anyone in any romantic way. Maybe I shouldn't spend so much time with him and try to talk to other people in my classes. Aside from Elliot and Jennifer, I don't have any other friends.

"Look who it is..."

I was exiting the school when I saw David in the parking lot and I kept on walking making sure I wasn't making eye contact with him.

David grabbed his friend's attention and pointed at me, "That's the freak I told you about." he said as they started making their way over to me. "Said that he hates getting touched. So you all better watch out."

I tried to avoid them until David was in front of me and I paused a bit before trying to go around him. "Just leave me alone," I said.

"Nope. I want a word with you," he said as he made sure that I couldn't walk away from him. "Someone approached me saying that I've been harassing you. Have I been harassing you?"

I turned to him, surprised, and wondered when Elliot talked to him. "I... I didn't say anything." I stuttered.

He put his arm around my shoulder pulling me closer as if we were buddies, "It's okay. I'm not offended. We can be friends right?" he said in a kind tone that I couldn't trust.

I couldn't bring myself to answer as I felt his arms heavy in his hold and I slowly started to feel like I'm going to panic.

"Right?" he said with a straight face.

I nod my head since I couldn't bring myself to talk.

"Why do you look so scared then? Or am I making it difficult for you? And here I thought we were friends." he said and I can hear his friends laughing.

I don't know what to say as I was looking down, "I just want to go home." I mumbled.

"Now, hold on. How about hanging out with us for a bit?" he said as he started pulling with me to the parking lot where the other guys are at.

I almost followed along until I tried to take a deep breath, "No, I'm leaving." I said more firmly.

David held me a little tighter while I actually tried to get out of his hold. "Don't be a fucking pussy. Scared cause your boyfriend isn't here?" he said as he pushed me causing me to lose balance and fall to the ground. "Since you got here, everyone had to be careful but I really don't see why we have to be all sensitive about it."

I stayed in the ground as I felt my hand burning after landing on it and I didn't dare move as they walked around me. I can hear them getting in their car and I waited until they drove off before I picked myself up. I saw that I scrapped my hand and tried not to touch it as I slowly started walking. I couldn't tell which part was more annoying: that Elliot might have confronted David when I told him not to or David possibly putting me as his next victim to psychically hurt. I took my time walking home as I tried to ignore the bruise on my hand and when I finally got home I walked over to the restroom to clean it. It stung as I put disinfectant ointment and put a bandaid over it when I heard my mom opening the front door as she's coming home from work. I paused for a second before walking to the living room seeing her putting her things in her room before coming back.

"Hey, honey," she said, smiling at me only for a second. "What happened with your hand?"

"I fell while walking up the stairs in school. It's fine. Nothing broken." I told her and walked over to sit on the couch.

"Alright. As long as you're okay, but if you need to get that check we can go to the doctors tomorrow." She asked as she walked over to the kitchen. "I'm going to cook something. Are you hungry?"

"No, I'm not. Maybe I'll eat before I go to bed." I said as I turned on the television and tried to focus on a show hoping to change the subject. "Mom, does dad still want me to come over next weekend?"

"I believe so. I haven't messaged him in a while and it seems like he hasn't changed his mind either," she said.

I took a deep breath before turning to her, "Mom before you were with dad... Have you ever seen him date someone else before you?" I asked.

"Yes... I think he was with three other girls before we got together," she said before turning to me. "Why do you ask?"

"Did you ever feel jealous?" I asked.

"Yes and no. I didn't think much of it until I knew that I liked him," she answered. "I also had a boyfriend as well before I started seeing your dad."

I thought about this before turning to her again. "But you still liked dad?"

She sighed as she walked over to the table and placed her plate down and shrugged her shoulder as she sat down. "Yes. I tried to avoid not feeling anything towards him, but what can you do when you fall in love with someone you think you could never be with," she said.

I stared at her for a second and turned away. I'm not in love. I mean, I know how it is to feel loved and loving someone, but I also never felt like this before.

"So, are you ever going to answer me? What's with the questions?" she asked as she started eating.

I smiled, "I'm just curious." I said.

She smiled back. "Okay," she said.

I spent the rest of the evening talking with my mom, doing homework and by morning I tried to get myself ready for school. I looked at my hand, seeing a bruise, and I wasn't too sure if I wanted to go at the thought that I'll run into David. Maybe I should go walking as well. I was about to text Elliot when he suddenly messaged me first saying that he left early to pick me up. I sighed as I walked to the kitchen grabbing something small like a banana to put it in my bag and slowly started making my way outside to wait for him. I wasn't too sure if I wanted to see Elliot just yet because I was curious about how it went yesterday between him and Jennifer. I also couldn't bring myself to tell Elliot about David because I was also mad that he approached him without telling me and that led me to hurt myself.

"Hey!"

I looked up to see Elliot parked in front of me and I walked over to his car. "Hi," I replied as I got inside.

"You okay?" He asked, pointing at my hand.

"Yeah, I fell yesterday," I said, covering my hand.

"Doing what?" he asked as he started driving.

I paused for a second trying to think of something before shrugging my shoulder. "I just fell," I said, simply.

"Alright," he said.

It got quiet between us, and I looked outside the window. "How did it go yesterday?" I asked. "With Jennifer?"

"Jennifer? Um, I guess okay. It kind of was quiet, but then again I've never really had a conversation with her before... I know her brother because of the volleyball team." he said.

"I know; she's told me," I said and I thought about it before turning to him. "She likes you."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," I said. "She wants you to ask her to the dance."

He smiled as he parked the car then turned to me. "She told you that?" he asked.

I nod.

Elliot didn't say anything as he got out of the car and I got off as well trying to see what he'll say. "So...?" I asked as I followed beside him after he locked the car.

He smiled again. "So? I heard you and I'll keep that in mind," he said.

"Okay..."

Elliot turned to me, "Just because you tell me that she has a crush on me doesn't mean that I'm going to run after her. I hardly know her and even if I was interested in her I probably wouldn't ask her to the dance." he said.

"Why not?" I asked, confused.

"I was never planning on going," he answered me.

"Why not?"

He paused as he shrugged his shoulders. "I don't have any interest in dances. I might not seem like it, but I don't like things like formal dances or homecoming and I don't dance," he explained.

I blushed as I nodded as I looked down at the ground, "I see."

He pats my shoulder. "It's okay. Besides, I think you shouldn't be worrying about my well being when it comes to dating. I'm not too interested in dating since I'm a little busy with volleyball." he said as we both started walking. "So, you think you'll be coming for the game this Friday?"

I turned to him, "Yeah, I can try and sit it through the whole game. I've been wanting to watch you play."

"It won't be packed so you don't have to worry about the crowd and if you want you can ask your mom to come. It's the first home game so my family is coming too," he said.

I turn to him, "You mean, sit with your family?" I asked.

"You don't have to if you don't want to. I was only suggesting that since you're new in town we can have dinner afterward and it wouldn't be so bad for our parents to meet. It's already been a month since you started school here it can also be a celebration." he said as we paused at the front door to our classroom.

I looked down thinking about this then turned to the door and nodded my head, "Alright. I'll ask my mom." I answered.

"Okay," he said as we made our way inside now and I took my seat.

Jennifer smiled once she saw me. "Thanks for yesterday. I never thought I'll ever go home with Elliot or get inside his car," she said quietly. "I owe you. No, I have to buy you lunch."

I smiled, "It's fine. You don't owe me anything." I said as I thought about what Elliot said and now I wasn't too sure how to feel.

Was I happy that he wasn't going to the dance or should I feel hurt that I might have gotten Jennifer's hopes up? I'm also a bit confused and nervous that Elliot wants to introduce me to his parents. I mean, there's nothing going on between us so I shouldn't be overreacting about it all but I didn't see why he had to go so far to make introductions. I kept to myself during class as I only made small conversations with Jennifer and now my thoughts were if I should tell her about Elliot not wanting to go to the dance. Maybe I shouldn't if she'll end up unfriending me after she finds out, but Jennifer doesn't seem like the type of girl who would do that.

I went through my second class alone and during lunch I went to the library just hoping I could spend some time alone. I rubbed my wrist where I had my bruise and I still wasn't sure how I could bring this up to Elliot without making a scene of the whole situation. I'm mad that he approached David without telling me or even consoling me and he'll be mad because David slightly injured me after being warned to leave me alone. I sighed as I saw Elliot walking over to my table and he put his bag on the floor while taking a seat in front of me.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" I asked.

"Nothing. Just bored," he said. "I was wondering where you went."

I was working on my math homework and I looked down at the paper before turning to him, finally tired of letting my mind wander.

"Why did you tell him?" I asked.

"Tell who?"

"David. Why did you do that without telling me?" I asked him as I tried to keep myself calm.

"Is that why your hand is injured?" he said instead.

"It's nothing serious. I only have a bruise." I answered, running my hand over the top of my head and noticed that he didn't deny my question. "You should have told me."

"I'm sorry," he said, as he looked down and was being quiet for a second. "I was just mad when you told me that he's been bothering you so I thought I could just tell him to back off."

"You didn't have to do that. He wasn't that big of a bother. I've dealt with worse and I just wanted to avoid him as much as possible." I said as I started putting my things away. "I never asked you to do that or to act as my protector. I don't know if I'm actually pissed off or disappointed."

"Hey, come on. I'm sorry, okay?"

"Okay, and I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have told you if I had known you would go to him. Like, what did you expect by doing that?" I asked as I grabbed my backpack.

Elliot reached over to grab my arm and I was about to pull back away from him, but he let go of me first. "Don't be mad... please."

I stared at him and I know that I'm still mad, but it feels like it's more at myself now because I can only see his sad expression and I'm slowly giving in.

I sighed, "I think maybe we need a break from each other." I said and realized how stupid it sounds. Like a couple breaking up.

"What do you mean?"

"You should hang out with your friends and I need to make more friends. I know you have other friends aside from me and I need the chance to talk to other people as well." I said, simply.

"I know I have other friends, but it's not like I'm ignoring them," he said, actually looking both confused and surprised. "I said I'm sorry."

"Okay and I forgive you if that's what you want to hear, but that doesn't change my mind. I'll still come to the game, but for now, I don't want a ride to school or home. Don't come by tutoring and you should still consider asking Jennifer out on a date." I said as I started walking out. "I'm sure she'll like a date to the beach a whole lot more."

Elliot didn't say anything as he followed me out of the building so I took that chance to walk away from him and started making my way to my classroom before the lunch bell rings. Why did that hurt me then it wasn't supposed to? It wasn't a breakup, but it felt like it since I just told him that I wanted time apart. I told my only friend to leave me alone only because I was upset at him and maybe I was scared of getting too close to him as well. I can't just fall so easily to his words and be happy whenever he comes to get me or when he smiles at me. It'll only make me want to have him to myself because maybe he was the only thing that's been comforting me these days. The only person that's been able to help me whenever I have those bad days; when he was just there when I just wanted to quit.

I went to my next class after the bell rang to end lunch and I was able to sit down in my seat before David entered the room. I avoided making eye contact with him and made sure I kept my distance from him. I guess I wasn't completely in the right mindset because I forgot almost half the lecture and I just remembered that there's a project due in a few days that I haven't finished. I sighed as I started making my way to my next class and that meant that I'll be seeing Elliot soon. I made sure I was quick to change and walked straight to the basketball court where our class is meeting for a row call.

Jennifer was already there so I walked over to her and she smiled at me when she saw me. "Hey," she said.

I gave her a small smile. "You're here early," I said.

"I wanted to talk to my friends before they had to go to the football field for the row call. I heard that they want us to play here today instead of baseball," she said.

"Eh, I don't do well in sports," I said.

"I'm sure we can sit out. I don't want to play as well," she said as she moved to sit down on the court while the teacher started calling out names for the row call.

After a few minutes of basic exercises, some of the guys started pairing up to teams to start playing and I made sure I followed Jennifer to the side of the court. We found a spot to sit and this time two more girls were joining us who I never met before. I soon realized that one of them is in our English class, Karen, and the other is in my science class, Alex. I felt shy as they had their conversation until Jennifer brought up the event of Elliot giving her a ride. Of course, the girls gasped demanding details and were excited about the whole event. Now I can't ever tell her that Elliot is not planning to go to the dance or wanting to date as well.

"Michael, you're so lucky to have Elliot to yourself," Alex said with a soft expression.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Well, it's been a while since we've seen him hung around other people besides his classmates. He's on the volleyball team, but since we've known him, he doesn't talk to a lot of people." Karen said.

"I thought Elliot has a lot of friends," I said.

"Hmm, no, I don't think he was close with anyone. He would go sit with everyone in his team during lunch or field trips, but he keeps to himself as well." Jennifer said as she watched the guys play. "Elliot was always nice to everyone, but he also comes off as intimidating to approach. That's why I was so happy that he agreed to give me that ride."

I thought about this before turning to them, "The side of him sounds different compared to the Elliot that I hang out with. Like, it's a bit hard to imagine him being close off and I thought he was social with everyone."

"Yeah, we thought that as well, but he's quieter than we thought. He's been more open now that he's been hanging out with you which is different." Jennifer mumbled as she stared at me then slowly looked away.

I didn't know what to say as I decided to look around the field and saw Elliot playing flag football. I watched him as I pondered on what they said before I turned back, "I don't know what to do. I got mad at him and I told him that he needs to hang out with his friends because I thought we were spending too much time together, but now I'm wondering if he was close with me because he didn't have any other one else..."

The girls got quiet before Jennifer sighed, "That seems so complicated... So you're not going to be seeing him for a while?" she asked.

I shook my head, "Maybe you can take this chance to talk to him more?" I said. "He might get bored."

Jennifer smiled softly as she thought about it before turning to look at him, "Maybe... But what if he's not interested in me?" she asked.

"Then be his friend. If what you said is true then wouldn't it be nice for him to have another friend as well?" I said.

"Yeah, you're right," she answered.

The girls stayed quiet for a couple of minutes until they found a new topic to talk about and I wasn't too interested in the conversation now that it's changed. I glanced over at Elliot as he was playing before I turned away and slowly got up. I excused myself deciding that maybe I should go talk to him and maybe it was wrong of me to have pushed him away like that. I was making my way over when David moved to block my path and I couldn't help stepping back away from him. I almost hesitated as I tried to move around him when he put his arm around my shoulder like he did yesterday and it made me feel small next to him.

"What do you want?" I asked him, my voice coming out small.

"Nothing. I just wanted to see how my new friend is doing." David said as he led me in a different direction from where I was going.

"I haven't done anything to you," I said trying not to follow him but he was pulling me alone.

"Does it matter?" he said as we walked closer to the restroom and I can tell he was trying to get me out of everyone's view.

"It does," I said as I stopped walking and tried to push him off me. "Just because I'm different from everyone doesn't mean it's okay to pick on me."

David grabbed me and pushed me to the wall this time, "Do you think I'm interested in you just because you're different? It's not just because you're different, but because you look like a pussy and I think you come off as a little faggot."

I stared up at him as I heard his words and I couldn't help but shove him as hard as I could. "And if I am?"

"Then maybe someone should help toughen you up," he said as he raised his fist.

I stared at him unsure of what to do. I don't know where that confidence comes from, but now it's slipping, and I didn't know what to do next. I was just about to accept the pain of his first hit me when someone reached out to grab his arm and I turned to see Elliot.

"I thought you've had enough?" Elliot said as he pushed David away from me.

"I haven't." He said as Elliot moved in front of me.