When the Words Mean Nothing I'll Still Be Singing

Tom and I were, of course, fashionably late for out first classes. Though Tom ended up being a little later, because he walked me to class. I had tried to persuade him to skip the rest of the day. But he refused. I had missed too much school already for his liking.

Lunch couldn’t come fast enough. I wanted so badly to finally hang out with Tom again. And there was always the possibility that we would hang out with Oli too. Stranger things have happened in the past two weeks.

Tom was waiting outside of my classroom when the lunch bell finally did ring. I engulfed him in a hug, which he happily returned.

“To our spot?”

I nodded and grabbed his hand, “to our spot.”

We talked about what we’d been doing for the past few days. Tom had missed me just as much as I had missed him. And he was apparently instantly sorry for yelling at me. It didn’t matter now, we were happy again.

Before we reached our destination we heard some faint yelling. We exchanged a look that said we knew who was the cause of it. I wasn’t happy about it either. When Oli confessed how he really felt, I assumed that was the end of his bullying. But when Tom and I finally reached where the commotion was coming from, I was clearly proven wrong.

Oli had a scrawny boy named Jack pressed up against the wall. Jacks nose was bleeding, and his left eye looked like it was starting to swell. Oli’s knuckles were bloody, but that was the extent of the damage done to him.

I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. If this was who Oli was now, maybe I was better with my childhood memories. Where Oli was a kind, sweet, slightly perverted, little boy.

I hadn’t even really noticed that a couple of Oli’s friends were standing there encouraging him, until they called Toms name. Oli let go of Jack, who ran off without his stuff, and looked at us. He didn’t look at all sad, but rather proud. Even when he looked at me the smirk never left his face.

There were no words. I just shook my head and took Toms hand, before walking back to our spot at the front of the school. I felt so naive. How could I have believed that Oli was going to go right back to the way I remembered him? He had been so sweet with me. I couldn’t understand.

“You alright love?” Tom asked quietly before kissing the top of my head, “want a cookie?”

I nodded my head and accepted the cookie, “I think you were right.”

He looked confused, “about?”

“I don’t think Oli and I can be friends,” tears started to prick my eyes. I wanted so badly to still be his friend, “did you see Jacks face?”

Tom nodded before quietly replying, “I’ve seen Oli put you in a similar, if not worse, state.”

I rested my head on his shoulder, and he pulled my body closer to him, “I don’t know what I’d do with out you, Tom.”

He rested his head on mine, “I know this may not be the best time… but I’ve wanted to ask you this for awhile. Do you want to… ya know, go steady?”

“Go steady?” I looked up at him, “like, be your girlfriend?”

He lightly blushed and nodded his head. I just looked at him, “I can understand if you don’t want to.”

“Tom,” I pressed my lips softly against his, “there’s nothing I’d like more.”