He was soaked as well, with the droplets of rain pressing his white shirt into his stomach. Ian’s eyes darted away, startled as the man crashed straight into his sheltering tree without warning.
“O-Oww.” The newcomer rubbed his nose, trying to laugh off his clumsiness. “...Can’t fucking see—” He looked up as a shiver took hold, recognising Ian's pulled face. “Hey, don't I know you?”
Harry Burnside. Of all the neds he could’ve ran into, it had to be the hardest, most feared bully in his former high school. Ian tried to be polite, thinking of what he could possibly say that wouldn’t result in a stabbing.
They both chatted awkwardly about their school days for a while, gossiping about who was pregnant, who moved away, who was a total druggie... All of the idiots who actually had control over their lives, while Ian could only wait around and watch the clouds.
The rain slowly began to recede, and Ian figured it meant that there was no reason for Harry to force a conversation with him any longer. He stayed, however, insisting that Ian should stay and tell him about what he was doing now.
“Mechanical Engineering, bloody hell...” Harry repeated, dressing the words up with his gravelly voice. “You always fancied your books more than any girls in our class. Guess it finally paid off!” The thug gave a cheesy thumbs-up, making Ian snort with laughter. He’d never made a sound like that before, not ever.
Both of their attentions shifted to the side, following the noise of a speeding car on the nearby road. The tires splashed into a massive puddle, giving them no time to react.
“W-Watch out!” Harry spread his muscular arms wide, protecting Ian from the oncoming tsunami of ice-cold dirty water. Frozen for a few seconds after he was hit, he only had to turn before setting Ian off into another fit of giggles.
His entire face was muddied brown, letting the numbing rainwater drip from his nose which must’ve tickled slightly. The absurdness prompted a cold shudder, mixed with a low chuckle as he wiped the water off and splashed it towards Ian.
Harry playfully pushed his former schoolmate backwards into the wet tree, pressing him up against it as they laughed and wrestled with each other. Flicking his soaked hair into Ian's face, he restrained him until they were almost making contact... and they held themselves there.
The sparking electricity pulled them both closer, suspended in the air all around the two boys. Gazing into Harry’s eyes for an instant, time stood still as Ian considered the possibility, if only for that brief moment.
The thug didn’t seem as scary anymore. Not in the rain.
Pulling Harry's neck closer towards him with both hands, their drenched bodies barely touched as their lips connected.
----
“Ian... H-Hey, Ian!!” I shook his body from side to side, hoping that he would wake up. As he slowly opened his eyes from his dreamy stupor on the community centre floor, he was surprised to find myself, my mum, Beth, Harry and even Millie surrounding him.
“Daniel? I... I passed out?” Ian gleaned as 'nurse Joanna' nodded. He didn't look terribly good — his face was swollen bright-red, and for the first few seconds of consciousness he had this strange, almost euphoric smile plastered across it.
Wherever his mind was, it seemed to be a much happier place than our harsh reality. That giddy expression of his collapsed as soon as the memory of his parents came flooding back. His swallowed hard, trying not to crack.
“Haa… Fainting. That's so embarrassing. Only girls do that.”
It sounded like his father’s words had really gotten to him... I shook my head, knowing how taxing the last 48 hours had been on all of us. “Don't be stupid. You haven't slept in days, it’s no wonder. We're... waiting, to do that thing . When you get better, at least.”
I subtly informed him that we had decided to hold off on confronting the police, despite Millie's protests that we
“O-Oww.” The newcomer rubbed his nose, trying to laugh off his clumsiness. “...Can’t fucking see—” He looked up as a shiver took hold, recognising Ian's pulled face. “Hey, don't I know you?”
Harry Burnside. Of all the neds he could’ve ran into, it had to be the hardest, most feared bully in his former high school. Ian tried to be polite, thinking of what he could possibly say that wouldn’t result in a stabbing.
They both chatted awkwardly about their school days for a while, gossiping about who was pregnant, who moved away, who was a total druggie... All of the idiots who actually had control over their lives, while Ian could only wait around and watch the clouds.
The rain slowly began to recede, and Ian figured it meant that there was no reason for Harry to force a conversation with him any longer. He stayed, however, insisting that Ian should stay and tell him about what he was doing now.
“Mechanical Engineering, bloody hell...” Harry repeated, dressing the words up with his gravelly voice. “You always fancied your books more than any girls in our class. Guess it finally paid off!” The thug gave a cheesy thumbs-up, making Ian snort with laughter. He’d never made a sound like that before, not ever.
Both of their attentions shifted to the side, following the noise of a speeding car on the nearby road. The tires splashed into a massive puddle, giving them no time to react.
“W-Watch out!” Harry spread his muscular arms wide, protecting Ian from the oncoming tsunami of ice-cold dirty water. Frozen for a few seconds after he was hit, he only had to turn before setting Ian off into another fit of giggles.
His entire face was muddied brown, letting the numbing rainwater drip from his nose which must’ve tickled slightly. The absurdness prompted a cold shudder, mixed with a low chuckle as he wiped the water off and splashed it towards Ian.
Harry playfully pushed his former schoolmate backwards into the wet tree, pressing him up against it as they laughed and wrestled with each other. Flicking his soaked hair into Ian's face, he restrained him until they were almost making contact... and they held themselves there.
The sparking electricity pulled them both closer, suspended in the air all around the two boys. Gazing into Harry’s eyes for an instant, time stood still as Ian considered the possibility, if only for that brief moment.
The thug didn’t seem as scary anymore. Not in the rain.
Pulling Harry's neck closer towards him with both hands, their drenched bodies barely touched as their lips connected.
----
“Ian... H-Hey, Ian!!” I shook his body from side to side, hoping that he would wake up. As he slowly opened his eyes from his dreamy stupor on the community centre floor, he was surprised to find myself, my mum, Beth, Harry and even Millie surrounding him.
“Daniel? I... I passed out?” Ian gleaned as 'nurse Joanna' nodded. He didn't look terribly good — his face was swollen bright-red, and for the first few seconds of consciousness he had this strange, almost euphoric smile plastered across it.
Wherever his mind was, it seemed to be a much happier place than our harsh reality. That giddy expression of his collapsed as soon as the memory of his parents came flooding back. His swallowed hard, trying not to crack.
“Haa… Fainting. That's so embarrassing. Only girls do that.”
It sounded like his father’s words had really gotten to him... I shook my head, knowing how taxing the last 48 hours had been on all of us. “Don't be stupid. You haven't slept in days, it’s no wonder. We're... waiting, to do that thing . When you get better, at least.”
I subtly informed him that we had decided to hold off on confronting the police, despite Millie's protests that we
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