Longer than I first imagined, sorry for that :)
-Lx

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~Clara~

"Oh so if I turn it like this" I turn my arrow around on the paper ready to glue it down. "It will look better, all because it's at a different angle?" I ask, glancing up at the vacant expression of Miss Peterson.

"Yes Clara" she sighs, I look up to find her eyes looking down at her chipping dark red nail polish, her attention seems moderately focused on Elliot who sits working not far from me. I roll my eyes and clear my throat. Her head snaps up and she smiles sheepishly, nodding her head quickly at my page.

As I look up again, Elliot looks down again, I furrow my eyes, that's the fifth time I've caught him looking at me. And from the look of things he hasn't even really done a lot, what's going on with him?

"Okay Miss, I think I'm done for today" I say, without looking at her, waiting to see if he'll look up again. He does, his icy blue eyes meeting my hazel ones and then he jumps and glances down at his page, pen poised, ready to write...yet apparently not writing.

My shoes click as I return my folder to the cupboard, I offer Miss Peterson a week smile and leave the room. On my way down the corridor I walk past Mrs Burberry's room. I crane my neck to look around the window but the room is empty and dull with a lack of light. Dammit, it would be great to talk to someone right now.

I grip my bag tighter, pulling the strap further up my left arm and holding it right and I begin to walk towards the exit again, I push my hair away from my face and focus on getting to the exit as quick as I can.

"Clara!" His voice echoes behind me through the empty corridor. I groan quietly as I find myself halting and turning in my steps to watch Elliot race down the corridor towards me.

So yeah I know what Hugo said about El and I is totally wrong. But I find my heart beating rapidly just because he is rushing towards me. I shake my head and clear it from my mind just as he reaches me. Because of out of all girls he is rushing towards me the small, insignificant, little, fairly new, Italian girl.

"Clara" he breathes, his eyes lit and his smile wide as he beams down at me. I look away from him as the next few words slip from my lips:

"Look, if this is about Hugh...I can't say, I'm sorry..." I say as his smile falls, I turn more to face him as he clears his throat.

"No, I just wanted to walk with you, but...okay I respect that"

I nod and begin to continue walking down the corridor, but he catches up and walks alongside me, he keeps glancing at me, unsure of what to say next.

"On a scale of 1-10 how much is whatever this is going to affect my friendship with Hugh?"

My mind reels back to when he told me, remembering how he cracked and broke in front of me. It was heart-breaking. But I understood why he didn't want to tell El...At least not just yet I replied. Because he couldn't just keep this from him, then he made it slightly worse for himself by ignoring Elliot which again he explained and alright I guess it made sense. I am trying my best let's just say that.

"Depends how strong your friendship is" I cringe. Hugo's so afraid of what he's going to think. I'm trying to support him as much as I can. I'm supposed to be meeting him after this actually.

"Shit. Clara you're really fucking scaring me right now"

"I'm really sorry Elliot"

We exit through the double doors to the main grounds and courtyard leading to the gates. I frown just from knowing that I can't tell him anything, I swore I wouldn't. It feels horrible to come between them like this but who else would he confine in other than Elliott?

Well Chloe I guess. But then Nessa would come prying. Maybe Vanessa is he was really desperate, but I have a feeling if he told Vanessa it would blow up in his face. Then the whole school would find out.

Then he stops, his eyes look hurt, he grabs my arm and spins me round to face him, I find myself unable to look away. I press my lips together until I'm pretty sure they go white as he searches my hazel eyes with his dark brown ones.

"He likes you, doesn't he?" His voice shakes, his expression set and looking a mixture of both anger and upset. My eyes widen and I push his hand off my arm and take a step away from him.

"What?!" I exclaim, staring at him in pure astonishment.

"And you like him. Is that what this is about?" his voice seems to only get louder and more frightening. A passing cleaner in a blue vest hurries into the storage cupboard with a sense of discomfort.

"What?! El don't be ridiculous. Calm the hell down for gods sake!"

"Okay, okay! Don't tell me! Let's just keep walking"

I stand bewildered to the spot as he storms ahead, I roll my eyes and sigh, before jogging to catch up with him as he paces down the driveway.

"Look, would it help if I try to get him to come talk to you about it? He wants to tell you, he's just so scared of how you'll react" I ask, trying to keep my own voice calm but reaming weary at the same time.

"I won't mind! If he came into school and told me that he'd murdered someone I'd disapprove but I'd try to help him"

"Seriously?"

"Okay bad example. But you get the point!"

"It's more serious than that El, it's not the simple matter of you minding, it's the matter of you understanding and all the problems that come with it"

He groans, running a hand through his hair as he nods stubbornly.

"Okay, but yeah I would appreciate that"

"I'll do that then"

~Elliot~

We walk out of the gates in a rather uncomfortable silence, my hand keeps twitching because in my head I keep chanting "hold her hand, hold her hand" which stays at her side. I in the end decide to stuff my hand into my pocket.

I really hope Clara does convince Hugh to talk to me, I miss him; I really do. I could talk to him about stuff like this, and he wouldn't laugh.

Well, he tried not to anyway. He could be serious when he wanted to be.

As we walk side by side, the only sound being the wind ruffling the trees and the fly ahead of a few birds. The peaceful sanctity is ripped apart in seconds by a loud honk of a car horn.

Clara and I both jump and I spin round fast to find the mint green fiat that belongs to my older sister Jess. She sits in the drivers seat with odd hipster-esque glasses on, twisting her pastel purple finger nail idly through her hair which is now a shade of bubblegum pink, she blows out a bubblegum bubble that is the same shade as the hair she adorns and she raises her eyebrows up impatiently.

Some of her hair slides with her through the open window as she pops her head out into the air.

"Come the fuck on Elliot, I haven't got all day, Ed and Jane are back from Uni and 'good old goody two shoes' is driving me bonkers!"

"Jane isn't that bad" I roll my eyes at her as she tuts and then snorts in laughter.

"Puh-lease, she told me dying my hair was wrong and bad for my well-being or some shit. And she expects me to believe that dark brunette mop of hair she has is real?"

"Jess! Umm...Clara, this is Jess my older sister, Jess this is my friend Clara" even though I emphasise the word friend, it doesn't stop Jess from smirking.

She slides her sunglasses down her nose to look at Clara better as she bites the end of them.

"Hi sweet, sorry. Bit of a bad mood, El prefers me to be in a bad mood because I'm less hyper. It's lovely to meet you though love"

"Likewise" Clara smiles and I find myself smiling too which oh for gods sake, Jess definitely saw. I won't hear the end of this.

"Ohh is that a hint of Italian? El why the fuck have you not brought Clara home yet? Get a move on lad, Mum, Dad, Ed heck even Jane would all love her!"

Clara's face reddens and from the sudden heat that I feel on my face I'm sure mind does too.

"Too soon? Alright soz. Do you want a lift home Hun?"

Clara glances up at me for approval, I just smile; she clutches her bag more, her hand brushes mine ending a shiver down my arm as she raises her hand to her hair.

"Well if you don't mind-"

"Course not, delay us getting back to my older idiot of an older brother and his know it all girlfriend"

I shoot Clara a look of panic for her accepting the offer as I open the booth to shove our bags in, she bits her lip to muffle a laugh and we both slip into the white leather back seats that Dad has customised especially.

"Sorry Jess I didn't reply, yes, I was born and raised in Italy, I only moved here in September"

"Fascinating. I went to Rome on a college trip, I take an art and photography course at college you see"

"Oh well there are a lot of great art museums in Rome, I lived there, I've lived all over Italy though"

"Oh? Do your parents have jobs where they move around a bit"

My eyes settle on Clara. She always seems a bit put off and...I don't know, sort of...panicked whenever the topic of her family is brought up. Maybe it's just me being nosy, I don't know.

"They work at the UN" she says quickly, my eyes glance over to her face as she says it. There it is again, that panicked look.

And why would her parents have to travel a lot for the UN if they are Italian representatives?

"Oh?"

"I guess they just figured that I'd be better here as they are so busy, my Nan lives here see"

"And how are you finding the school?"

I sit there like an idiot, just watching the pair converse, wondering what is actually happening. How is everything flowing so quickly?!"

"It's alright"

"Well I'm sorry you have to hang around with my dope of a brother"

"Hey!" I interject, frowning as the pair laugh.

"And I guess Hugo too?"

"We're not talking" I say harshly, glancing out the window as the car falls silent. I hear Clara sigh and Jess clears her throat to try to ease some of the tension.

"Oh...um...that's a shame, why not?"

"I don't know"

"What do you mean 'I don't know'?"

"I honestly don't know why he isn't talking to me. But he's talking to Clara, I guess that's all that matters" I simper sarcastically.

Clara gives me a bad look and I look away again, silence filling the car quickly, but this time it's way more uncomfortable.

***

My feet step on a branch and it cracks, I jump, as I continue to walk down to the football field end of the park though. The lawn lights flooding that section of the park in light. My trainers squeak against the slightly wet grass. My hands are shoved deep into my pockets, my shoulders hunched to try and consume as much heat as I can.

As I get closer, I can make out a lone silhouette in the flood lights, leaning against one of the goal posts.

Hugo.

Oh my god, why is it, out of all people, in all situations, I end up in some of the most dramatic ones? Like this and the whole Chloe incident of 2015...um...yeah. But I'm so thankful to Clara for getting him to come.

As I approach him, his features become clearer in the light and he turns to look at me. He doesn't smile and neither do I, I just stand about a metre in front of him.

I raise my eyebrow, motioning for him to say something, he takes a deep breath and smiles shakily.

He really does look awful, whatever this is seems to be tearing away at him. He nods in acknowledgment, not making direct contact with me.

I open my mouth to say something, but he shakes his head, pressing a finger to his lips and motioning for me to follow him.

Letting myself follow him, I wonder what's wrong with him because no matter how irritated or angry he makes me, I need to know what's going on.

I follow him up the steps of the bleachers, he trips up in the dark on one of the wooden steps. But manages to regain balance.

"You alright?" I ask, looking at the back of his head. I think we both know I'm not really talking about him tripping up. I watch him as he doesn't reply for a few seconds.

He just shrugs and continues up to where we used to sit as kids before we were in the team and before I realised that football isn't really my thing.

I sit myself down beside him as he stares down at the playing field below, I look at him, waiting for him to say something.

"Remember when we used to play here as kids?" He smiles fondly at the memory, although it is still a very weak one due to whatever problem this is. His voice is dull and unhappy and unenergetic.

"Yeah. Browe Beavers for the win and all that"

Silence settles again. He closes his eyes and breathes, then turns to me.

"El, you know something?"

"What?"

"I hate this...this...whole religion thing. Being catholic" he sighs and shakes his head, the lights around the field give him an odd glow as his voice starts to tremble.

"Is this why you weren't talking to me...because you hate being catholic?!"

"No! I um...Okay El. Fine I'll tell you, but just...don't freak out or punch me or anything"

"Alright..."

"Oh god El. I didn't want to admit it to myself, I felt vile and disgusted and oh..." his whole face scrunches up, his shoulders tremor as he hides his face in his hands. Alarmed, I put my hand on his shoulder.

"I-I thought...I've always had this image, standing next to you, getting all the girls, being your best friend, the flirty but fun guy who couldn't care less right? Wrong. In their eyes its wrong... of course I haven't told them yet-"

Hasn't told who...what?

"Hugh" I encourage.

"Right. Oh right, okay" he breathes, he turns to face me again, eyes scared and wide as he seems to shrink in on himself. I've never ever seen him like this, he wasn't even this scared when we watched The Blair Witch Project and he hates horror films.

"I think I've known for a while, always denying it, telling myself to not be so stupid and to grow a pair already. Clara said that there was absolutely nothing wrong with it, that I shouldn't feel disgusted, that I should accept who I am for who I am. Point is Elliot, I'm um...I'm gay"

"Okay" I smile at him as he looks at me, slightly freaked as to how I will react. "That's okay" a feeling of warm relief spreads through my body and I feel myself relaxing.

"You don't mind?!" he says surprised.

"Of course not! I always thought your flirty attitude with girls was a bit faux"

He grins, but still seems utterly stunned at how I reacted. I laugh with him as he shakes his head in amazement.

"Yeah well..."

"So the Christmas party? You spent all that time with Austin..."

His cheeks tint red even in the low light and I smile, hugging him to me tightly, letting him know everything is okay.

"How I felt when I was with Austin confirmed everything, then I felt scared, I knew Mum and Dad might not approve..."

"We'll cross that bridge when we need too"

"We'll?"

"Of course. I'm going to support you every step of the way until you're comfortable within yourself, even after that"

"Oh god El, I'm so sorry, I was so scared to tell you. I just felt so...trapped and afraid"

"It's fine...honestly it is" I add when he looks doubtful. We just sit there for a while, I don't think I've ever felt more relieved.

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SEE? ALL GOOD.

I don't know if I'm happy with this, let me know what you think :)

-Lx