School Will Never Be the Same

He lead me back up to his room, stopping at my teachers rooms to let them know where I would be for the rest of the day. I also dropped a couple of texts. Now I was seated in the back of Mr. Ways class room working on my history coursework. Although I was finding it hard to concentrate, as I always did around him. I would find myself watching him teach and walking around his class. I had begun to think of the idea that there was a possibility that Mr. Way cared for me. Had more than teacher care for me. Teachers aren’t supposed to hug their students, yet he had. A full body hug while we were alone in the first aid room. If I could I could have him arrested. But I liked the hug. It was an awesome hug. It had everything a hug should have and more. And it doesn’t hurt when you have feelings for the guy whose hugging you, it tends to help the hug.

What was confusing me was he was talking to me as though I were his equal and not his student. Why would he do that? But I'm not getting my hopes up, I never get my hopes up, over anything. It’s never a good idea. And this is one of those times when I know I'm right when I say that there is no chance that Mr. G. Way has any romantic feelings for me.

Lunch time came. I reached and got my premade lunch from my bag. I opened my sandwich and took a nice big bite. I heard movement from the cupboard. I thought Mr. Way would be in the staff room by now. It’s not like he needs to eat with me. I'm fine alone, I always am. So I started to panic. Had Max found me? Had they done nothing to them yet? Were they letting him getting away with threatening and abusive behaviour? If so this is a worse school than I thought. Or there was the possibility some year seven just doesn’t understand the concept of lunch. Both guesses were wrong. I saw his head of messy black hair first as he carried a large cardboard box, backwards, from the cupboard. I was going to help him carry it to it’s destination but, he put it on a desk before I could get up. I think that’s also best for my back right now.

“I hate year 9 projects, they all want theirs to involve heavy equipment and my slightly podgy body isn’t made for lifting. None of us Way’s are. My brother is a stick and he’s not the best lifter. But he’s married so he has to shut up and get on with.” Gerard has never said anything so personal to me before. No teacher has ever said anything that personal with me. I swallowed my mouthful before I tried to respond, I didn’t fancy spitting pieces of food on him.

“I don’t have any brothers or sisters, I'm an only child, so my dad does all the lifting, that’s when he’s home at least. Most of the time he’s out at work.” I shrugged. Mr. Way got his lunch out and pulled his chair over so he was on the opposite side of the table to me. His knee bumped into mine and the interesting thing to me was neither one of us moved. I know why I didn’t, but I have no clue why he didn’t.

“I can’t imagine growing up without Mikey. He’s a little bit younger than I am, but we’ve always been close.” He smiled opening up his lunch.

“I would love to have a sibling now, my parents are always at work and it can get a little lonely after school. My friends do come round from time to time but sometimes it’s just you, the internet and your TV.” I didn’t make eye contact when I said that, I don’t normally show my vulnerable side, but today Gerard has seen me cry so I feel some kind of barrier has come down between us. And that we’re seeing another side of one another. “When I was little I don’t think it would matter much. And I guess when I move out it won’t matter. But now I wouldn’t mind someone around while I'm at home.”

“I spent a lot of time, by myself, in my room when I was your age, and throughout my teens.” Mr. Way smiled. “But its normal to want human company. It’s always good to have close friends though.”

“Oh, I have close friends. Its just not all of my friends are share the same interests. And I know that’s good but if I want someone to go to a Green Day concert with me it can take some time to organise that. Then you end up going with your cousin because a bunch of your friends don’t like rock and the others don’t have the money.” I said with a bit of a chuckle at the end.

“Oh my god, I would do anything I could to see Green Day. I would sell space on my body in order to get the money. Your friends are crackers. And who doesn’t like Green Day?” I knew where he was coming from. But when you have the friends I do you start to understand that.

“I guess not everyone is made of awesome like us Green Day fans, well I guess its nerdfighters who are made of awesome but still people who like Green Day are made of awesome like nerdfighters.” I smiled. Mr. Way nodded in agreement.

We talked about music for the rest of lunch. I found out we have a bit in common when it comes to music and such. And w both like comics and art, obviously. And we were both nerds.

“I can’t picture you as a nerd.” Gerard shook his head, I could see the flash backs of me back in the day as if they were playing out for me right now. I would offer to show him pictures but I don’t tend to carry horrible pictures of me around. That would be weird as well as horrifying to lose around me.

“Ask anyone, I was as cliché nerd as they get. But when I started to develop and change as I grew up, I spent more time focusing on art and realised that’s what I loved and then somehow I came out of the nerd spiral, although a lot of my likes and dislikes have not changed. I can’t picture you as a nerd. I see you more as the type of teenager who could have modelled for some sort of Hollister bags or something.” When I saw his reaction I realised I had basically said he was good looking to me. He seemed shocked and rather flattered. Lucky for me that’s when my art class began.