have much of a problem. And we have eventually made it.”
“You never felt discomforted that your partner was a guy, did you?” I ask. Throughout the story it was only Vincent who had problems with being a couple.
Ethan sighs, “No. I was fine with it….girl or a boy, it didn’t really matter to me. If you have to put a label on me, I guess I’ll be bisexual.” He shrugs, “But in ways I am glad that it’s Vince.”
“And now he is fine with it too?”
“Yes.” Ethan smiles, “We had our ups and downs but we have eventually learned to love each other. That wasn’t much of a task, since we already loved each other as best friends or brothers at least.” He adds dryly.
I smirk, “I think that tends to make things more awkward.”
I mean, come on, that’s like Aakir and I being partners. It spells awkward in every direction. But I do not voice my thoughts.
Ethan shrugs, “I was fine with it, ecstatic even. It took Vince a while…but eventually he realized too, that when you grow to love someone, you start loving that person and not his or her body parts.”
A silence falls after that wise comment. Only the sound of the whooshing sea is there. The conversation is quite enlightening but it certainly doesn’t convince me much. I can’t help but relate myself with Vincent. I am similarly reluctant about this issue, as he was. If only my partner can be as persuasive as Ethan. But my partner is an ignorant, laid back guy who has a girlfriend.
Who has a girlfriend.
“Ethan?”
“Hmm?”
“My partner has a girlfriend.” I tell him, “And I am not jealous of her.”
Ethan chuckles.
“Josh….think of the long term life ahead of you. And then ponder over if you’re jealous or not that your partner will spend his whole life with his girlfriend, away from you.”
Well, when he puts it that way, I certainly don’t like the mental image. And with that thought, I realize how deep in shit I am. I try to take comfort in the fact that I am more worried about the ‘away from you’ part than other things.
After another round of discussions, we return back home. On the way back home, we are silent. My thoughts are muddled by the revelations in Ethan’s story. In his story, I notice that Ethan played a very important part in curbing Vincent’s attempts. Vincent may have eventually succeeded at having sexual relations with another girl and maybe even marry her, all the while remaining alongside Ethan. But Ethan made his disappointment and jealousy as clear as a cloudless day. On top of it, he incessantly demanded and pleaded Vincent to not go down the road that Vincent is planning to follow. Ethan’s perseverance surely has helped in giving romantic inclination to their relationship. If Ethan had instead complied with Vincent, would both of them still end as a couple? Ethan will surely say ‘yes’ to that answer. But I am still not entirely sure.
Once at home, I hastily bid Ethan a goodbye. Mentally drained, I waste no time in reaching my room and collapsing on my bed, my conversation with Ethan being the highlight of my thoughts. Out of habit, I check my phone last time before succumbing to sleep and see a text message that I have received barely a minute ago. I automatically sit up when I see that it’s from Neal,
‘I am not angry at you, if you thought so. The game was cool.’
Call it a desperation act or a simple choice for distraction, unconsciously my hand moves towards the call button. It takes only two rings for my partner to pick up the call.
“You’re up this late.” He drawls immediately, his tone jesting. No hello, no nonsense greeting.
“So are you.” I drawl back, “Apparently worried of making a wrong impression.”
“Oh? You’ve mistaken once more, Lichinsky.” Neal says, scoffing a laugh, “It was I easing your conscience. After all, I run the paper.” He continues in a sarcastic tone, “So, it’s you who should be worrying about making the right impression.” He ends up laughing, destroying his act of snobbishness.
“Yeah, you have no idea.” I mutter back, my voice too muffled for him to make out my words. Not that it matters. He is busy laughing his ass off.
But it’s true. I do desire to make the right impression on him but certainly not for the reason he may assume. My life has suddenly become so complicated.
8.The Gay And The Lamentable
“This is unethically taking liberty of your position, Mr. Stephens. I am very disappointed in you.”
I watch as Neal bows his head down at being reprimanded. His expressions are stoic so I can’t make out if he is embarrassed or ireful or guilty at being lashed out at.
“If I see someone getting discourteously and incessantly insulted in The Plutocracy again, I might just have to stop your paper from getting published.” Lev Ivanov, the principal of our school, continues, his steely gaze directed at Neal.
Neal turns his head up, his face still stoic, an ugly, bluish bruise forming on his right cheekbone, “I apologize, sir. I’ll make sure it’s not repeated again.” He gives a sideways glance towards the corner where Duato is standing. Duato’sbottom lip is busted and his shirt is slightly bloodied, “However, my complaint regarding Duato’s retaliation still stands, sir.”
“You deserved it, prick.” Duato snaps.
“Enough.” Ivanov snaps back sharply, “You have no entitlement to speak freely, Mr. Blanter.” He says to Duato. “You have certainly crossed limits. You had no right to bring people from outside into our school premises and you certainly had no right to attack one of your fellow companions.” Ivanov turns towards the school coordinator, who is standing silently beside us, “Natasha, please call Duato’s parents.”
“But, Sir,-” Duato protests.
Ivanov simply raises a hand and cuts him off. He is a very strict principal, very scary. I am not surprised that Duato shuts up immediately. Then Ivanov turns his gaze at me, making me swallow audibly.
“I am very disappointed in you too, Mr. Lichinsky.” He says to me, disappointment more than clear on his angry face.
“Uh, Sir, I-” I stutter.
“He was just helping me.” Neal interrupts, defending me. “It’s not like he had intentions of fighting.”
“Yes,” I add, “I just saw Duato cornering Neal…and I came to help.”
I can feel my heart thundering in my chest. I obviously don’t want my parents to get involved. Father will not be happy to know that I got myself involved in a fight.
“It will still not be tolerated, Mr. Lichinsky.” Ivanov thunders, looking at me, “if you see something wrong, you immediately call for the nearest faculty member. You don’t cavalierly get involved in the wrongdoing.”
“I am sorry, sir. I simply acted on impulse, not wanting anyone to get hurt. I’ll take care in the future.” I mutter audibly.
Ivanov appraises me for a moment, with his cold eyes. Then he sighs tightly, “Alright, I am going to let you off on a warning, simply because you were helping your friend. But that doesn’t mean you’ll be let off the hook if I see you in a similar situation again.”
I breathe in relief, “Thank you, Sir. I’ll make sure I don’t disappoint you again.”
“You better.” Ivanov grunts and then turns at Neal, “And you, sir, need to show me the subjects handled in The Plutocracy.”
“Yes, of course, sir.” Neal replies tightly, “Though I assure you Duato is the only one I wrote about so…honestly.”
Ivanov simply grunts, “Meet me at the end of the school, Mr. Stephens. I’ll discuss your paper then. And you better not publish demeaning things in your paper again.”
He dismisses Neal and I, turning to reprimand an already humiliated Duato some more. Well, he deserves it. Personally, I am astonished that the principal let go of Neal and I so easily. We haven’t exactly left Duato scratch free plus it is Neal’s publicizing the wrongs of Duato that infuriated him in the first place. I shouldn’t complain. Duato has certainly crossed some invisible line. Getting people from outside school because he has turned into too much of a los
er to get support from the students of this school. Then he gallantly corners Neal in the early morning along with his ‘gang’. It is a good thing that I was already looking for Neal in the first place. I end up finding them in a compromising situation, with three guys holding down Neal as Duato was preparing to clock him. I can’t even explain the sudden furry I felt. All I know is that Duato had that busted lip coming to him. Once I had taken down one of the guys holding down Neal, Neal faced no problem in single handedly fending off the other two guys. That was a surprise to me of course. I don’t know, every time Neal displays his machismo in such arenas, it always leaves me flabbergasted. Again, that is probably because he doesn’t seem enough strong to be capable of defending himself so well. And I again remind myself, that a fight requires more skill than strength.
Finding myself in the principal’s office this early on a Wednesday morning was something off schedule for me. Well, so was finding Neal in a helpless situation. And so was a teacher spotting us amidst a fight. And so was-
You get the idea.
As soon as we are out of the principal’s office and out of earshot of the receptionist, I turn towards Neal.
He is already looking at me sideways.
He is smirking.
I shake my head, “You’re finding this amusing, aren’t you?”
“Look at the bright side, Lichinsky.” Neal says, grinning, “Duato won’t be bothering me again.”
“And how do you know that?” How can he be confident that the