CARTER'S ARMY: WILLIAM CARTER
1
Chapter 13 - By Christopher Patrick Lydon
December 6th
The day just seemed to be getting longer for Will, lunch time
he had planned just to find a quiet corner and hide, but for some bizarre
reason seniors kept saying hello to him. There were still dirty looks, even
a few snide comments thrown at him by kids in his own grade and lower, but
the seniors seemed split. Some openly acknowledging him warmly, some with
looks of pity and others with outright hostility.
As a group of senior girls said hello to him and walked away
giggling and throwing looks back at him over their shoulders, he felt that
all too familiar flush of embarrassment sweep over him.
"Well that's just strange!" Lisa observed reaching
into her locker to retrieve her lunch, she looked at Will and noted he hadn't
brought a lunch with him. She gave him a worried maternal look as she closed
the locker. "Do you have money for your lunch?" she asked in concern.
He nodded absently as his head turned to follow a couple of
seniors that had greeted him as strangely as the others had. "You think
they put something in the water today?" he craned his head around her
to look down the hall.
She looked him up and down and shook her head, "You're
just popular all of a sudden."
He winced, looking at her as if she had told him he had grown
a tentacle out of his forehead that was waving a Norwegian flag and screaming
un-boring... "Look I don't know much," his voice dipped, "But
this isn't supposed to happen..."
She shrugged at him leading the way down towards the cafeteria,
"Well if it makes you feel any better there's still a lot of people that
dislike you." She shrugged, "Maybe it's just the clothes, you do
look good..."
She drew up short and Will nearly collided with her, he stared
at her a moment the looked around to where Charlene blocked their path. The
cheerleader had her gaggle of Harridans with her. The popular girls that seemed
to flock together out of some kind of mutual need to stroke each others egos.
Charlene had a round face that wasn't so much pretty as it was...
soft. She had a mass of curls that built up on top of one another in a very
eighties style of volume hair. But she pulled it off with her own style. Her
cousin and best friend Marie-Lynn clutched her books to her breast standing
as ever at her right hand. The two were as inseparable as twins. Both in his
year, Will swallowed as he felt Lisa tense.
"We were looking for you Lisa." She said in a matter
of fact tone. The kind that said 'I'm popular so you will do what I tell you.'
She smiled prettily, "we were going to eat and I," the way she said
'I' it was as if she was taking sole credit for the decision, "Felt you
should join us."
"Well I was going to eat with Will..." she said nervously,
glancing at him.
He smiled, "I'll be alright, you go, we'll catch up later."
She looked at him for confirmation of his decision before Charlene
swept off with her arm around Lisa. And he smiled, circle jumping as Lisa
had called it last week. He was glad for her; she had always wanted to be
one of the in-crowd. He stuck his hands into his pocket and sauntered down
to his locker to get his new jacket.
He didn't feel like eating in the school cafeteria, but there
was a store just a half block away he could pick up some lunch there. Something
that wouldn't hit the plate with a cold hard splat as it was deposited there
by a lunch lady that looked as if she hated her job.
He had just crossed the lobby to the front doors when Jared
caught up to him. "Hey the guy everyone's talking about."
Will chewed on his lip as he scratched his temple, "I don't
get it, this morning it was as if I had some incurable disease and now..."
"Apparently Greenwood had a debate today about homosexuality,
and you were the case study."
Will's jaw dropped open, "what?" he choked. He suddenly
felt ill.
Jared patted his buddy's shoulder, "Don't worry it wasn't
like that. Apparently Todd brought your name up, and both Captain Amazing
and the Ice Queen shot him down."
"Captain Amazing and the Ice Queen?" Will asked in
open confusion.
"Andy Highmore and Robin Doyal," He grinned as he
followed Will out into the snow, the pair walking down the hill towards the
store together. Jared continued his description of events, "so Todd was
being an ass, no surprise there, and Andrew gets up and asks him if he ever
actually asked you if you were gay. And Todd was like, uh errr...and Andrew
went on to blast him about being prejudice, and then Robin gets up... and
we all know what a tongue she has on her, and she tore strips off of him.
Basically from what I heard, they said 'get to know him before you judge if
he's gay or not'."
Will shook his head in dismay, "Oh no..."
Jared nodded, "Yeah I know fucked up isn't it." He
glanced at Will, "so are you?"
Will balked, staring at Jared's bold question in shock.
Jared shrugged, "I figured I'm your friend, and since I
stick up for you I could ask..." he suddenly realized how his question
sounded and he shook his head, "No... no... I mean, its like I don't
care if you are or not, and I won't tell anyone or anything if you were...
I was just curious."
Will stared at the half inch of snow he was trudging through,
wondering at how he should answer that question. It wasn't that he didn't
trust Jared, he did, Jared was good to him, and had been absolutely amazing
to him since the start of the mess.
"I don't know," he said choosing the truth, "I'm
confused right now..."
Jared nodded sagely, "We've all been there." He punched
Will's arm playfully, "you'll figure it out...now me I like the ladies,"
his eyes sparkled as he grinned, "just in case you got any ideas."
Will grinned in return, as they both pushed their way into the
store.
* * *
Andrew sat watching the basketball team run through its daily
routine, small scrimmage games in the gym that really served no point other
than to kill time. Half of his team were out there was well bouncing balls
around, and he sat at the table normally set aside for the scoreboard controls.
It was his right to sit there while everyone else lounged on benches or on
the floor. It wasn't like it was a written rule; it was just that he usually
sat there on his lunch hour.
Greenwood's class had bothered him, and he had skipped his lunch
instead choosing to watch the basketballs bouncing around. Across the way
Bruce Guitard was playing badminton with one of the junior coaches. Bruce
was up for a regional tournament and was practicing whenever he could. He
was agile, quick and dominated the game.
Andrew didn't feel like participating, sometimes he did he could
play basketball, but it wasn't as much fun as hockey could be. He was looking
forward to his game on the weekend. And idly speculated that they would play
well, he had a practice after school and intended to work his team hard.
Coach Thorburn was refereeing the basketball scrimmage, he was
everything a football couch should be except that he lived and worked in Canada
where High School football was just impractical. He was a good coach, sharp
witted and protective of his team. But that meant most of them felt they could
get away with anything. Guys like Todd Gadreau who, since earning his jacket
had become a major asshole.
Andrew looked at his watch, glancing about him at the group
of people sitting chatting about nothing in particular. He noticed Charlene
and her friends were clustered around that waify friend of Will's. The Red
head that looked almost elfin in her appearance. They seemed to be talking
like they had been friends for years. It was amazing what a rumour, even a
bad one, could do for a person's popularity. Greenwood had been right about
reputations.
He got up, noticing the shift of some of his teammates getting
ready to come with him. He shook his head as he motioned for them to keep
sitting, "I've got to go to my locker." He said indicating he wanted
to be alone. Generally most people respected that, though sometimes there
were a couple of the juniors that hadn't learned to leave him be.
Today they stayed where they were. He nodded to himself in satisfaction
as he sauntered across the gym. His calm rolling gaits letting him amble through
the other kids. He never appeared to be in a rush to get anywhere, why hurry.
His Mother had always taught him that he would get there eventually.
He wasn't heading for his locker, he had finished his homework
the night before, but seeing Lisa had given him an urge to track down Will.
It was irrational and he knew it, what could he possibly say in school? And
some one was bound to notice eventually that the Captain of the Team was being
so friendly with a sophomore.
Reputation, reputation, reputation.
Greenwood's deep baritone voice rang in his ears, as he entered
the Lobby attached to the Cafeteria, taking a moment to stop and nod hello
to a few people that had done the same to him. He glanced around the brick
pillars that separated the lobby from the main cafeteria and saw no sign of
Will. He continued on past the office and leaned in the doors of the Library.
Still nothing. He sighed a little in frustration as he continued through the
school, glancing into the classrooms that were like carbon copies of each
other, square magnolia with chalkboards and cheap desks.
It was a typical high school a little older than most, built
in the late sixties and modernized several times since then. But it was clean;
there was no peeling paint. All the lockers were the same shade of deep magnolia
and all the doors were a drab olive green, pretty dull. He walked until he
wound his way down into the shop area of the school. Huge bays for auto shop,
wood working, there were even a welding class held down there once a week.
It wasn't Andrew's area of the school, but he figured find Brody and he would
probably find Will.
But other than some determined guys wrestling with an engine
block Andrew was disappointed again. It was turning into an empty quest and
he stuck his hands into his pockets as he walked back the way he had come.
Will was about somewhere, but was proving elusive, and it was getting close
to the end of the lunch hour, so Andrew felt he might as well just get his
books and go to class.
Something made him walk down into the basement where Will kept
his locker, that quiet corner of the school no one bothered with. Sure enough
Will was sitting at the foot of his locker, nose tucked into a book. He didn't
seem to notice Andrew approaching until the senior crouched down beside him.
"Must be a good book." He observed with a smile.
Will glanced up from it a surprised smile on his own face. He
set the book across his knees, "Its all right." He confided after
a moment, "what are you doing down here?"
Andrew looked at the darkened hallway and shrugged, "Looking
for you, you're a difficult guy to find."
Will shrugged, "I felt kind of uncomfortable with all the
attention so figured I'd hide down here." He turned slightly to face
Andrew, "though I think I have to find a better hiding place."
Andrew shifted to sit down beside Will, "I'll hunt you
down. You know us Canadian's great trackers."
"Ahh," Will said with a grin, "How does it go,
a Mountie always gets his man?"
Andrew chuckled, "Mission accomplished." He said with
a wry grin.
The bell rang and Andrew looked up at it in annoyance, so much
for his alone time with Will. He smiled a moment watching as a couple of students
hurried to their lockers, not even acknowledging the two young men sitting
on the floor. The vanished again as the second bell rang a couple of minutes
later.
Neither of them bothered to stand up, even though they were
now both late for class.
"We're late." Will observed.
Andrew nodded, "Detention for sure."
"I plead innocence your honour." Will said blushing
slightly.
Andrew laughed as he got to his feet, "We should get to
class." He extended a hand to help Will up, and as he pulled the younger
man up, he looked about him up the hall, confident no one was about he leaned
in to touch his lips to Will's.
Will blushed a furious shade of red, "We can't do that
here," he protested around Andrew's mouth touching his. Andrew ignored
him and gently brushed his nose under Will's.
He felt Will relax, and begin to return the kiss, his hands
reaching up into the warm jacket to touch Andrew's back through the thin cotton
shirt he wore under it. And then Will stiffened up, his eyes widening in shock.
Andrew broke his kiss and looked puzzled at Will a second before he turned.
Mister Greenwood stood in the hallway, a look of shock mirroring
Will's own on his aged face. He looked first at Will and then turned his head
to Andrew before turning back.
"Mister Carter I presume." Greenwood said regaining
his composure, watching as Andrew hurriedly stepped backwards, he looked over
at Andrew, "And you must be the mysterious man from the park."
"Um..." Andrew stuttered, Will looked like he was
about to suffer a complete heart failure; he was a shade of mortification
white, his eyes wide and glassy. And Andrew felt his heart go out to him.
Mister Greenwood looked between the two of them, the absurdity
of the situation finally became too much for him and he began to chuckle.
"You two are going to get to class," he said making his mind up,
"And I am going to forget I saw this today." He coughed in his own
embarrassment, "And I am going to give you both the same lecture I give
to... other people I find... kissing in the halls." He shook his head
in wonder, "Though this is the first time... well anyways... this is
a place of learning, and you do that in a classroom, not... err... in the
halls..."
Andrew nodded dumbstruck. Will just continued to stand there,
frozen with terror. "It won't happen again...Mister Greenwood..."
He added afterwards, "I'll just... well make sure Carter here gets to
class..."
Greenwood shook his head, "I think Mister Carter is in
need of a glass of water, you go Mister Highmore, I will ensure Mister Carter
gets to his next class."
"Y-yes sir..." Andrew said nervously, throwing a final
apologetic glance at Will before he jogged off as fast as he could.
