Crisco is for Sissies[M]

[TruthSayer]

Crisco is for Sissies

IC: Raakaa Hakesh watched dispassionately as the glowing green numbers of his dashboard clock slowly ticked their way toward 0815. Around his red 1984 BiTurbo, students milled, talking excitedly about the new year, some even being so brash as to sit on his hood, though Raa was far from minding.

The knock on his window scared the shit out of him, making him jump and nearly spill his coffee all over the felt black and leather white Letterman's jacket he wore, though he manged to right the cup in time. Raa hissed quietly, and glared through the glass at Taylor Mahoney, one of the top five prettiest girls attending Sagemont High.

Sighing, Raa closed his eyes briefly, mentally prepared himself for yet another year of meaningless dates and listening to her bitch about her mother/little sister/menstrual cycle.

"Trophy boyfriend," Raa's uncle, Aban-Badi, said, voice thick with an Lebanese accent, shaking his head in disbelief at his nephew's ignorance.

"I'm not a trophy, Aban," Raa replied, rolling his eyes as he tossed a football back to his uncle. "I'm running back. There's no 'trophy' in that."

"Ah, I know how you say," Aban-Badi said, nodding sagely as he caught the ball neatly and tucked it under his arm. "You are in school team, in city that worship football as I worship Allah, with pretty girl that brag she date football star... Ah, no trophy in that. Why stay with her if you not glad? Is sex good?"

Raa choked on his spit. "UNCLE!"

"What?" Aban-Badi said, shrugging. "You eighteen, she eighteen. Consenting adults, right? So must be that sex is too good to leave her."

"WE ARE NOT HAVING SEX!" In one horrible moment, every single person in St. Andrew's Memorial Park stopped what they were doing and stared.

"Taylor," Raa said, pasting on a smile as he opened the door and stepped out.

"Raakaa! Oh, you'll never believe what happened to me this morning! Marcy, my younger sister, hogged up the bathroom so long this morning that I could have sworn I would pee my pants! And then my mother-..."

Raa tuned her out as effortlessly as if he were turning down an annoying commercial on television after taking a moment to contemplate how much he hated it when she refused to call him anything but by his full name; 'Raakaa' was a horrible name, in Raa's opinion, far too close to 'caca', the Hispanic equivalent of 'shit'. He turned off the car, locked it, and walked around to the trunk, from which he pulled out his bag. Slamming the trunk, he stuffed the car keys into his pocket, jangling them for a moment as if to assure himself they were really there. All the while, Taylor followed him, gabbing away, not noticing that he wasn't paying the least bit of attention to her, but grabbed his hand as he made his way toward the three story white school building, head high, red curls bouncing, petite breasts swaying inside a shirt that was barely large enough to contain them.

Plenty of males, and quite a few females, watched her lustfully, and for a moment, Raa attempted to see in Taylor what the rest of the school seemed to see in her, but found himself coming up blank. She was pretty, he supposed, and one of the smartest girls in the senior class, but she was as shallow as a cheerleader and acted as ditzy as Paris Hilton; Raa swore that if she used 'That's hot...' one more time, he was going to slaughter her in her sleep.

The bell rang, as loud and obnoxious as a fire drill, cutting Taylor off mid-sentence. "Oh, that's the bell!" she said, expression turning sultry as she leaned up to kiss Raa on the lips. "I'll see you in fourth, lover," she whispered, and sashayed her way into the building.

Raa snorted at that. "'Lover'? When have we every had sex?"

OOC: No, you're not seeing things: I do already have a character named RaaKaa Hakesh that is native to Altheria, but I'm using the name again for the purposes of this RP (because it's an awesome name ). The picture above is Raa's appearance for this roleplay. He's 5'8", muscular, and is slightly ADHD. His history will be revealed as the roleplay goes on. To establish the background of the character, he may sound a bit Gary Stu-ish at the beginning, but this will clear up rapidly, I promise. Also, Raakaa Hakesh is an Arab name, and although his family is from Lebanon, he's spent enough time in the US to not have any sort of accent himself.

To all the cheerleaders out there, I apologize for this remark. It's not how I feel, but is how Raa feels. Hopefully you can tell the difference. As for those Paris Hilton lovers out there... Well, I'm not going to apologize for that remark, lol. Here's the BiTurbo I'm referencing, for those that are curious.

[Tammika]

"Christ, Sam! Why can't you walk? I'm gonna be late! Now get your ass outta my car!"

Marcus actually had a few minutes to spare if he pulled away now, even with the first day traffic lining the drive of his sisters middle school, but she had been arguing with him the past few minutes. Instead of getting out and crossing the lawn like most others she was insisting he wait in the line and pull up to the front entrance.

"Come on Marc, I don't wanna get my shoes all wet from the grass. Please..?"

"No. Get out. If I'm late I will never ever give you a ride again and you know mom will back me, now move!" He put the car into gear.

"Fine! Your are such a jerk!"

"Love you too!" He called as he pulled off a little too fast in his '91 mustang. Marcus Davenport had a good relationship with his younger sister and he was well aware it was first day butterflies that made her a pain. By the time he got home he was sure she would be back to her normal self. She was starting middle school for the first time. He on the other hand was a junior. One more year after this to suffer through then it was off to college. He was set with three acceptance letters ready for him to choose from.

School wasn't too bad for him now that the whole 'Marcus is gay' rumors had been confirmed by him personally back when he was a sophomore. He found that answering them all plainly and moving on like nothing was different worked well in his small circle of friends. He lost a few and faced a small bit of ridicule from a few losers but other than that it was not too tragic. He had heard of worse stories. A supportive family helped as well, though it did take months for his dad to stop tip toeing around the issue. At one point he flat out told him just because he is gay didn't mean he did anything wrong. His dad actually laughed and calmed down about the whole thing... eventually.

He wasn't late but he still had to fight to find a parking spot. He didn't want to park in the overflow lot with all the lame sophomores. It was an unspoken rule that sophomores must park in the unpaved overflow lot, while the seniors filled the spots closer to the school. He grinned as he found a place and pulled in.

His phone buzzed just as he cut the car off and he looked down at his phone to see his sister with her finger up her nose with a caption of good luck bro underneath it. He started to reply when his door was jerked open.

"Let's go, dude. Chat with your boyfriend later. We have five minutes! How the hell are you almost late on the first day, Davenport?" His longtime friends and teammates from tennis Grant and Derrick forcefully jerked him out of his car. Partners in crime for three years straight. This year would be a little different. Marcus had been accepted into the new swimming program over the summer, but they all agreed to show up for each others games and swim meets as often as they could.

"It's my sister now quit before you rip my shirt ya freak." He shrugged them off laughing hysterically. "I am almost late, not late. There is a difference. Plus, I have to head to the guidance counselor for a schedule change. They have me in algebra two and it's supposed to be calculus."

"Damn, you know they're gonna flip your whole schedule around for that, right?"

"Yeah I know. So I don't really have a class to be late for." He flipped them off and ran for the building nearly running into a redhead on the way.

"Sorry! You okay?" He called back to her, walking backwards a few paces to make sure he didn't knock her over. She barely acknowledge him at first until she focused on who caused her to stumble. The look was always the same and he could almost here the thoughts. 'Oh it's the gay guy, the one that looks like a girl.' But she even added the once over like he was her competition or something.

"Yeah, fine." She replied rather slowly, still not sure how to take him. Marcus didn't bother to wait around for the imaginary contest that girls felt were important. He smiled and made his way to the office, before the counselor decided he needed to be punished for being late for non existent classes.

[TruthSayer]

Raa jerked, sat absurdly straight, and gazed wide-eyed at the teacher, feigning perfect innocence.

"Would you like me to end class, Mr. Hakesh?" Mr. Silvan asked, thick gray eyebrows pulling together in such a fashion that the creases in the man's forehead turned to ravines.

"No, sir," Raa said, and sat a little straighter.

"Are you certain? Because if my teaching is interrupting your snoring, I will be more than happy to accommodate you."

"No, sir," Raa said again, blushing slightly as the rest of the class snickered.

Mr. Silvan glared at him a moment more, then turned his nose back to the book he was reading from. "As I was saying, H. G. Wells is considered by many to be the father of what has grown into modern day steampunk, leading to such modern best sellers as The Osiris Ritual by George Mann, which, if you remember correctly, was on your summer reading list. Reports on this book are due..."

Raa kept his position for a moment more, then slumped gratefully back against his seat, sliding down into a slouch that nearly made the top of his head level with the desktop.

"Almost blew it there, didn't ya, all star?"

"Shut up," Raa muttered, careful not to even flick his eyes in the direction of his best friend and ultimate rival.

"What's the matter? Not enough sleep last night?" Ben prodded, voice so low Raa could barely catch it. "Too busy watching porn to sleep? Hand feeling chaffed? Want some... lotion?"

Benjamin Grant had been Raa's neighbor for ten years. The natural competition between them had started innocently enough, involving dares that grew more and more dangerous as time went on, until one dare went too far just before the end of Junior year. Ben was left with three severed ligaments in his right knee, officially grounding him from tryouts during the summer, and Raa with a slight concussion and the hangover from Hell. Raa apologized; Ben brushed it off, though his comments and attitude had become increasing biting as time went on, especially since he wasn't healing as quickly as his parents and football coach wanted. Tension ran high between them, and sparring matches often broke out between them; Ben seemed to take the added stress out on Raa every chance he got, and Raa, most of the time, took it as a way of shouldering the blame he felt was rightfully his, but there was often times only so much Raa would take.

"SHUT UP!" Raa roared, leaping form his chair and rounding on Ben, fist raised-

"MR. HAKESH!" Mr. Silvan was in his face so fast, Raa was momentarily stunned that the old man hadn't broken a hip while flying across the room. Nostrils flared, thin lips pressed into a white line, ravines prominent in his brow, the teacher still held himself with the same amount of no-nonsense authority as he did when he first began teaching, nearly thirty years previous. "Get your ass to the office. Now!"

Raa grit his teeth, lowered his fist, snarled something extremely disrespectful, and stalked out the door, leaving his books and backpack behind. The few stragglers in the hall, mostly freshmen on the wrong side of the school lost on their way to class, plastered themselves against the lockers lining the hall, though Raa was unsure if it was because of the Letterman's jacket, or his expression. Either way, he got a sick feeling of glee that blossomed in his gut at the site of it that served no better point than to fuel the anger he felt toward Ben.

First class on the first day of school, and he was already in trouble. Coach would not be pleased.

Raa rounded the corner into the Administrative Office, and barreled into the person leaving it. He reached out to catch the girl before she fell to the floor, catching sight of clear blue eyes and a short tuft of black hair before the move nearly slamming her into his chest.

"Fuck!" Raa cursed, "Sorry!"

OOC: Heh, a play on that Fiona Apple song this morning.

[Tammika]

"Come on Mrs. Fields! Please! Are you sure there's no way I can have calculus in a morning class? Please!" Marcus was on his knees in the chair opposite the desk leaning forward so he could see her computer screen. "I'll die if I have a math class after lunch. No ones brain functions after then."

"No. Now get off my desk and sit properly." Marcus slid back and sat on his feet with an exaggerated sad face expression. "Look, I would if it was possible but the morning classes are full- oh wait." She put her glasses back on and did some typing. "You are lucky. There is one class available. Let me reprint your schedule. I forgot to check all grades. You will be one of only four juniors in this class but it's second hour."

"Yesh! I love you Mrs. Fields! You are awesomesauce! Marry me?" He leaned forward again resting his chin in his hands and gazed at her lovingly.

"Boy stop. Here take your schedule and your slip and get to class." Her voice was rough but she was smiling at him. Marcus blew kisses as he walked to the door. "Thank you, thank you..."

"Get to class, young man." The voice of the assistant principal came from behind him and he turned slowly.

"Morning, sir. I was just... on my way out." He stepped sideways then turned and headed towards the outer main office. Once out of sight of the assistant principal he jumped in the air and ran for the main door. "Yes! Calculus in the morning!"

The main doors were propped open so Marcus ran out the door full speed intending to jump and touch the top of the door frame on the way out, but at the last minute he saw movement. It was too late to move and he collided with what felt like a brick wall, a brick wall wearing a letter jacket apparently. He flew back but was grabbed and jerked back into the fuzzy brick wall.

"Fuck!" Raa cursed, "Sorry!"

There was no exaggeration needed this time. Marcus got the wind knocked out of him, twice. "Dude. No problem, but can you let go now? Breathing is already a tad difficult." They were nose to nose and if Marcus moved before the other guy relaxed his grip their faces would touch. Marcus looked down, not knowing where else to look and afraid if he stared he would start to blush.

[TruthSayer]

For a moment, Raa couldn't move. Couldn't force his fingers to release the arm he held, though they were slowly tightening in the midst of shock.

The voice was definitely male, too deep to belong to a girl. The chest that brushed against his own was flat, and in the pit of his stomach, Raa knew that if he pushed his hips forward, he would not find the soft V between a girl's legs, but would meet with something else entirely.

"You're a..." Raa breathed, and blushed far deeper than his dark complexion usually allowed, and promptly held the boy out to arm's length, and dropped his gaze as he attempted to get his thoughts gathered- and noticed a pair of stonewashed jeans hanging stylishly low on slim hips, the silver snap peaking out from just below the hem line of a white tee shirt, and for a flash of a second, Raa found himself wondering if there was a fine line of hair that matched the hair on the boy's head running from his navel to his...

"I'vegottogo!" Raa hissed, released the boy, and practically ran out the door, down the hallway, and into the men's restroom, slamming the door behind him. He leaned against it, panting wildly, with one thought flying through his mind.

What the fuck was that?!

[Tammika]

Marcus found himself being pushed away and dangled like an animal with a disease. He would have moved but the brick wall still gripped his arm. He raised an eyebrow in confusion as he watched the other guys reaction carefully. Interesting. He understood what the rest of his phrase was going to be had he finished it and it wouldn't have been the first time someone asked him if he was a guy or a girl. Neither would it have been the first time a guy gave him the glance over "Yes. I'm a guy."

His phrase came out at the same time as the guy shouted something Marcus didn't understand and then darted back the way he came. For a full minute he stood there trying to piece together what happened. Mumbling to himself. "That was definitely a senior jacket and the brick wall... most likely football team? Maybe weightlifting. And..."

"To class young man!"

"Yes sir!"

Marcus darted down the hall in the same direction. When he came to the bathroom he paused. He thought maybe they did connect and the guy had a nosebleed. Marcus was running so he was partly at fault. He pushed the door open and stuck his head in. "'Ello? You alright man?"

[TruthSayer]

Raa stood over one of seven white porcelain sinks that lined the wall to the left of the door, staring into the mirror that fogged rapidly from the boiling hot water pouring unheeded down the drain. There was a very light blush that still stained his cheeks, he noticed with disdain, though if one were not familiar with Arab complexions, they would most likely not be able to tell. A line seemed permanently fixed between his brows, and he couldn't seem to stop panting lightly, though Raa was grateful that his heart had ceased beating quite so furiously.

He did not understand his reaction. It was not the first time Raa had ran into a person in the halls, especially another male. It was the first time Raa had been close enough to another male to feel nearly every nuance on a part of their body; he had been in a junior wrestling league in Junior High, after all, which required quite a bit of platonic groping...

Raa's eyes shot from the water swirling down the drain to his own eyes in the mirror, expression carrying the same shock of an epiphany.

Maybe that was it. Because the feelings that sprang up inside him with his body that close to that kid's definitely did not lend themselves the same reactions as platonically bumping chests with teammates in the locker room. Maybe because the kid was feminine looking enough that if Raa didn't look too hard at him, he could pick out a girl in there somewhere?

Aban-Badi was gay. Raa had grown up around it for as long as he could remember, but Raa had never before shared his uncle's attraction to the same sex, though he did not think badly of Aban because of it, nor did he look down on anyone who chose an alternate lifestyle; to do so would be a blatant betrayal to the only father figure Raa ever remembered knowing.

But Raa, himself, was not gay. He had never looked at another male with lust, or even basic attraction, although when he saw an overtly handsome man, he was not above appreciating it-

"Oh my God... Oh my fucking God..."

"Ello? You alright, man?"

"Off limits!" Raa roared, whirling around with the sole intent of severely punishing the idiot who interrupted him in his most dire and dangerous of moments-

And nearly tripped over his own feet when he saw just who was asking. The blush that just didn't seem to want to fade flared full-force as Raa's breath was effectively sucked from his lungs.

From farther away, Raa could see that the kid had the slim build of a swimmer, body hair nearly nonexistent against alabaster skin that carried a faint rosy undertone. Small, nearly feminine hands gripped the door lightly, fingers flexing against its weight in an almost imperceptible yet entirely hypnotizing rhythm.

For a moment, Raa couldn't say a damn thing, though a million phrases ranging from 'be the father of my children' to 'get the holy fuck away from me' flew through his head in one cacophonous instant. Luckily, what finally came out was, "I'm sorry. I didn't know it was you."

[Tammika]

Marcus actually flinched when he yelled. He was suddenly afraid this guy was one of those violent homophobes that either knew him by the rumors going around or just instantly assumed he was gay based on his appearance. The type that lashed out if you looked at them wrong, but when his voice changed he relaxed his grip on the door and opened it all the way.

Hearing loud footsteps in the hall he darted in with a whispered "Fuck!" and hopped into the closest stall. Leaving the door ajar and standing on the toilet to give the appearance of an empty stall. He whispered out to his new conspirator.

"If Dr.Jameson comes in here I am not here, okay?" If he crossed paths with the assistant principal one more time he would be in serious trouble on the first day of school. He didn't know how much but he didn't want to be on his bad list, it would be a first for him. Before he could ask for a reply again he heard the familiar squeak of the bathroom doors push open.

"Anyone else in here?" The voice of the assistant principal echoed in the nearly empty bathroom.

[TruthSayer]

Raa blinked, open and closed his mouth a few times, and uttered a curse himself when the assistant principal walked in.

Dr. Jameson was a mere two shades from being ancient. Retired military, he wore his hair in a sharp buzz cut that somehow did more to accent the CD-sized bald spot on the back of his head than hide it, a crisp suit that was rumored among the student population to be made from the down of baby seals, and black Kenneth Cole dress shoes that were shined to such a brilliant sheen that one could see their reflection in them. Being former military, the man ran his school like a well-oiled machine, gave no quarter, and expected the truth, up front and personal, with the refusal of which by those under his command warranting the considerable force of his full displeasure.

Raa very deliberately did not glance at the stall the kid hid in at Dr. Jameson's question. He grinned, effected a pose that said he had absolutely nothing to hide, and said, 'No sir. Only person in here is me."

Dr. Jameson watched him with a slight frown. "And I suppose you have permission to be outside of class?"

Raa nodded, grin unfailing. He reached into the back pocket of his jeans and pulled out a piece of tri-folded paper, holding it up between two fingers. "Over summer, my bladder doesn't stick to the school schedule, ya know? So it's not used to waiting until passing period."

"Humph."

Dr. Jameson and Raa eyed each other for a moment more.

"You're going to help win us the state championship this season, right?"

The way Dr. Jameson said it made it seem like an 'or else' should have been tacked on there.

Raa's grin widened, and he tucked the piece of paper back into his pocket. "Yes, sir."

"Good." Dr. Jameson nodded once, did a crisp about face, and walked out.

Raa breathed a heavy sigh of relief and rubbed his face roughly, leaning back on the sink in a nearly boneless slouch, and thanked his lucky stars the man hadn't actually looked at the 'note'; the retired Colonel was certain to not be pleased by being handed a grocery list.

[Tammika]

Marcus tried to wait a few seconds more but he couldn't hold his laughter in any longer. It started as muffled snorts and then grew into ripples of soft laughter that sounded somewhat clucking chickens. When Marcus came out of the stall he held his hand over his mouth. An extremely vain effort to stop the laughing.

"Um. Thanks a lot. If he saw me again today I'm sure I'd be in serious shit." He was still giggling between sentences. The idea of a football player not being able to hold it was just hilarious to him and he couldn't stop. He kept taking deep sighs even splashed water on his face but it took few tries to stop.

He wiped his face the last time and flung his wet hands instead of walking by the football player to grab a paper towel. The sudden shyness in his reasoning sobered him up even more. "Sorry, the bladder thing got me. You basically just said you couldn't hold your potty." He stuttered on the word potty but succeeded in stopping another fit. "Seriously, I gotta try that one. Oh, Umm I just came to check if you had a nosebleed or something. You took off so fast I was totally confused." And totally curious to get a closer look and the owner of the rock hard abs and beautifully dark complexion. He surprised himself at how he suddenly remembered the impression of his body against him and had to snap his eyes back up to his face. Straight guys did not like that and while this guy was showing signs of interest he was definitely straight. Don't get your hopes up Marky.

He leveled his blue eyes on the others brown ones. "You sure you okay, right?"

[TruthSayer]

Raa frowned and crossed his arms over his chest, suddenly feeling extremely self-conscious. "It's not that funny," he muttered, blush spreading like a stain across his cheeks, and looked everywhere but at the boy standing in front of him; he smelled like a mixture of muffins, pencil lead, and chlorine, something that should have been a strange mix, but strangely wasn't.

"And I'm fine." Raa rubbed his nose. "Fine," he said again.

There was a crack in the subway tiles in the far corner near the urinals with a disgusting looking stain that spread outward from it in a star burst pattern.

"I'm... Raa Hakesh," Raa said stoically, holding a hand out, blindly staring at the stain.

[Tammika]

"Okay okay I said I'm sorry. But yeah... it's hilarious." He took the offered hand and shook it firmly. "Bond, James Bond, no just kidding, sorry I'm a dork. Marcus Davenport, lowly junior at your service." He clicked his heels together and bowed his head sharply. "I owe you my life for your bravery in facing the General. I shan't forget it my good man." This guy was making him seriously giddy and he couldn't stop the flow of bad jokes. He liked being funny but this was crazy overboard. It didn't really matter. He probably wouldn't cross paths with him again anyway. "I gotta make my escape before he comes back around. Thanks again. Glad I didn't bust your nose."

Marcus slipped out the door as quick as he could, afraid of the pure stupidity that might fall out of his mouth next. He left so fast that one of the copies of his new schedule on the floor in the stall he had been hiding in. The one that needed to be signed by his parents and returned. A mistake he probably wouldn't notice until he got home.

[TruthSayer]

Raa watched the door long after Marcus left, chewing the inside of his cheek.

Marcus Davenport, as in the underclassmen's tennis champion two years running. As in, top qualifier and one of only three inductees out of thirty potential members to the school swim team. As in, outwardly and undeniably gay.

And all Raa could do was stumble over his own words like a complete and utter dork.

Angry with himself and feeling horribly embarrassed, but not entirely sure as to why, Raa turned and plunged his hands beneath the flow of water, rubbing furiously enough to redden the skin on his hands. "You're and idiot, do you know that?" he said to himself, glaring fiercely at his reflection.

The stall Marcus had hidden in was directly behind Raa's right shoulder, standing open and vacant. And on the floor...

Raa frowned and shut the water off, drying his hands off quickly on his jeans. He walked over to the stall and bent, picking up the piece of paper that lay on the floor.

Simple class schedule, nothing out of the ordinary... Except that it belonged to Marcus. It was a full schedule, detailing a wide range of classes from Calculus to Biology II- the same Biology II Raa had on his own schedule taking up the third hour spot.

Raa paled, cleared his throat, and glanced further down the list, blinking when he caught site of Culinary Arts. Maybe it was a gay thing...? Raa paused for a moment more, bit the inside of his cheek again, and stood, heading out the door back toward the Administration Office.

Maybe fourth hour Culinary Arts would be a good way to dodge Taylor.

[Tammika]

Marcus sat on the lab table with a foot in each chair, facing away from the door in deep discussion with the girls sitting at the next table. He was moving his arm back and forth as if pantomiming a wall. "I'm serious you can see the line forming, the invisible wall that seniors place around themselves with their aura of awesomeness." This class was one of mostly seniors also, with him and a handful of juniors tossed in the mix.

There were no assigned seats for now but the teenagers filed into their little social groups leaving a small island of juniors in the back corner of the room. Giggles erupted from his little corner as he went on in his absurd speech which ended up equating seniors with various wild animals all done in the voice of a nature documentary host, complete with a bad Australian accent. Most of the seniors that heard were laughing too and adding more to his montage.

"Davenport? Marcus Davenport?" He had placed his slip from the counselor on the teachers desk to notify him of the class change.

"Right here." The biology teacher paused and stared at him for a moment just shy of awkward before he made his intentions known. "Last minute schedule change. May I know the reason why and get off the table. The front office may approve but there have been students changing schedules just to get in a class with their friends." The middle aged man looked at Marcus with disdain over his glasses waiting for an explanation. He could have, should have done this privately but for some reason looked at Marcus and wanted to make him an example.

"Because I can't take calculus after lunch, it's bad for my digestion, plus rule twenty-five in the school manual states that student with a high GPA that participate in sports can make changes due to the early release for away games.'

"Thank you for your display of knowledge of the school rules young ..man. What sport do you participate in, Mr. Davenport, and what was your GPA last year?" The bell rang and a few more students dared to trickle in, seeing the teacher occupied grilling another student. When it finished ringing, Marcus replied in a deadpan voice, agitated by the whole thing. He wasn't paying attention to the students that had begun to fill in the seats around him.

"Swimming, sir, and my GPA was three point nine last year."

Long pause. "Very well then." The teacher moved on since he couldn't trip him up and Marcus relaxed a bit, still confused as to why he was singled out. "I had my lab partner assignments all done but thankfully you made the numbers even, Mr Davenport. You all should find your partner on the syllabus on your tables. Please take a look and pair up accordingly. Your name is not on there but you will be the partner of whoever is the single name on the list, a ... Mr. Hakesh I believe?"

[TruthSayer]

"Hey, Raa!" Janis Mitchell waved him over, leaning against her locker. She smiled in what Raa guessed was supposed to be an alluring fashion; around her, a gaggle of six of her closest friends giggled at her audacity.

Raa thought about acting as though he hadn't heard her, but changed his mind at the last minute, pasted on the same smile he had used for Taylor that morning, and headed over. "Hey, Janis. What's up?"

"Heard you gave Ben a black eye in first," she said, voice conspiratorially low. She leaned forward until her double-d breasts brushed against his arm.

Raa took a surreptitious step back and adjusted his backpack to where it was between Janis' breasts and his arm. "Would have, if Silvan hadn't opened his mouth."

"Silvan is a bastard," Janis said consolingly. "Did you get into trouble?"

Raa shrugged and made a show of glancing at his watch. "Class is about to start. I've got to go." As he turned, Janis grabbed his hand and held it between her own, sticking all three of them to her chest.

"Oh, Raa, you've got to promise me you won't get into any more trouble," she gushed. Raa was amazed to see her eyes actually fill with tears, though he was very certain her time on the drama squad helped with that particular act. "I just don't know what the team would do without you."

"Eh- I'm going to be late," Raa said, nearly ripping his hand away, and walked briskly into his next class just as the bell rang. He took his seat, neatly forgetting what hour this was, and who he was supposed to share this class with as he contemplated the strangeness of women, and how Janis Mitchell should have been saying all that damsel in distress bullshit to the quarterback: the position that really mattered.

"-Mr. Hakesh, I believe."

Raa glanced up at the mention of his name, saw who the teacher was talking to, and nearly dropped his three-pound biology book on his foot.

"Ooh, look who has to sit with the fag," Devon Zachary, ass of the senior class, taunted from where he sat directly behind Raa.

Raa rounded on him, hissing furiously under his breath, "Shut your face, Zachary, or I will shut it for you!"

Devon winked. "Just be careful that you pay the fag for his... services..." And winked again.

Both Raa's hands bunched into fists, trembling, and he stood very slowly, somehow managing to tower over a kid that normally towered over him. Struggling to hold his temper- it would not do to get popped for violence twice in one day- Raa whispered, "I will meet you after school, Zachary. Do you understand me?"

Devon paled considerably.

"And if you run out on me like the yellow belly I know you are..." Raa continued, very slowly sitting back down, "Just remember... I know where you live."

As he turned to face front, Raa was mullified and a little amused to see Devon look slightly green.

[Tammika]

Marcus froze when heard the name. No! And I just recaptured my inner dork that escaped!

Marcus had no idea who said it but he heard the words fag used and knew they were talking about him. If he heard it he was sure everyone else did, which made him want to sink into his seat. The word was just that. A word, but if he was going to be center of attention it would be on his terms, not because he was gay. That bothered him more than the intended insult.

Whatever. The teacher had tried to ruin his good mood unsuccessfully, and that prick wouldn't either. He did notice Raa stand and glare at the kid behind him but he didn't know why. He also didn't know what made him get up and go into the danger zone. He was the one with the empty chair beside him so Raa could come to him. In Marcus' mind there was no guarantee the guy would do that so he waltzed over and squatted in front of Raa's table. He folded his forearms on the table and rested his chin on them. So when Raa turned around with the smug look on his face the first thing he would see was Marcus' eyes and nose peeking at him. Not as close as when they ran into each other but close enough.

The girls he was talking to earlier were smiling waiting in expectation of Raa's response.

" 'Ello lab buddy."

[TruthSayer]

"Holy shit!" Raa yelped, and nearly fell off his stool.

"Language, Mr. Hakesh!" the teacher barked, his nose stuck in the class roster, while every single girl in the class burst out into a chorus of giggles.

"Don't sneak up on me like that!" Raa breathed, clutching his chest; his heart felt like it would pound right out of his chest, though he was unsure if it was due to the surprise, or the shade of those eyes peaking up at him. "Are you out to kill me, or what? I mean, first it was smashing into me in the Admin Office, then it was sneaking up on me in the bathroom, and now you just- just- jump at me from no where- Manners, kid! Jezzus Christ!"

[Tammika]

"Oh that was priceless." Marcus gave Raa a devious smile. "You ran into me, and the bathroom incident was a matter of survival, stealth was necessary and I did not jump. I am patiently awaiting your attention. I can't help it if you have guilt and paranoia issues." Marcus ignored the looks of disgust from the guy behind Raa and chose to concentrate on the chorus of giggles from his audience and how wonderful the year was going to be torturing his new friend. His new beautiful football playing friend. "So, you gonna scoot over or move back there with me?"

[TruthSayer]

Raa opened his mouth to say he would scoot over, but closed it almost immediately. He was not comfortable with the thought of spending an entire hour with Devon at Marcus' back-

His back! Your back, idiot!

He reached beneath the desk, pulled out his bag, and picked up his book. "Back there," Raa said, and made sure to bean Devon in the head while he shouldered his bag; the solid thunk it made when it connected served to uplift Raa's spirits considerably.

"You jumped," Raa said, grinning. They walked back to the back of the class, Marcus leading the way; it didn't cross Raa's mind no to stare at slim hips that held no hint of feminine curves as the boy in front of him moved, steps light and carefree with an aura that exuded a calm confidence that Raa, looking back on it later, would find himself sorely lacking. "And I'm not guilty. Paranoid, maybe, but I'm rarely guilty of anything."

[Tammika]

"No I didn't. How would you know Mr. Holy shit!" He said the phrase like a shrieking girl and waved his arms just like Raa did as he had tried to regain his balance on the stool.

Marcus didn't have a bag with him. He had left it in his car, so with each class he was amassing a monstrous pile of texts to carry around. With no locker assignment yet, this was going to be difficult. Going to his car would be risky. Maybe he could swing it during lunch hour.

He slid the book mountain over and motioned broadly with his arm. "Welcome to juniorville. Careful ladies, it's a senior just transplanted from the wild. Use caution. Don't try this at home. I am a trained handler."