Trigger Warning: homophobia, bullying<\/p>\n\n\n\n
they walk through the halls<\/p>\n\n\n\n
their hands intertwined<\/p>\n\n\n\n
his rings touching their fingers<\/p>\n\n\n\n
as he grasps tighter <\/p>\n\n\n\n
his hands trembling<\/p>\n\n\n\n
because he\u2019s afraid<\/p>\n\n\n\n
they both are<\/p>\n\n\n\n
one is viewed as stronger<\/p>\n\n\n\n
because they aren\u2019t sensitive<\/p>\n\n\n\n
don\u2019t flinch at the words<\/p>\n\n\n\n
yet is still holding back tears<\/p>\n\n\n\n
they receive looks<\/p>\n\n\n\n
whispers<\/p>\n\n\n\n
glances<\/p>\n\n\n\n
scoffs<\/p>\n\n\n\n
narrowed eyes<\/p>\n\n\n\n
insults flow through the air<\/p>\n\n\n\n
as easily as a river<\/p>\n\n\n\n
crashing against the shore<\/p>\n\n\n\n
of their minds<\/p>\n\n\n\n
they try to ignore them<\/p>\n\n\n\n
but it\u2019s difficult <\/p>\n\n\n\n
when they\u2019re hurled<\/p>\n\n\n\n
directly at them<\/p>\n\n\n\n
pitched as fast<\/p>\n\n\n\n
as a baseball<\/p>\n\n\n\n
sometimes<\/p>\n\n\n\n
they absorb the words<\/p>\n\n\n\n
believe them<\/p>\n\n\n\n
accept them<\/p>\n\n\n\n
the damage gets done<\/p>\n\n\n\n
bullets to their relationship <\/p>\n\n\n\n
arrows piercing their connection<\/p>\n\n\n\n
just a few words<\/p>\n\n\n\n
can change everything<\/p>\n\n\n\n
can ruin something <\/p>\n\n\n\n
so beautiful<\/p>\n\n\n\n
perceived as wrong<\/p>\n\n\n\n
monstrous<\/p>\n\n\n\n
revolting<\/p>\n\n\n\n
outrageous<\/p>\n\n\n\n
but is really just<\/p>\n\n\n\n
a love like any other<\/p>\n\n\n\n
a promise yet to be broken<\/p>\n\n\n\n
he\u2019s slipping<\/p>\n\n\n\n
falling<\/p>\n\n\n\n
drowning<\/p>\n\n\n\n
hurting<\/p>\n\n\n\n
scrambling<\/p>\n\n\n\n
to cling on<\/p>\n\n\n\n
to a lifeless thread<\/p>\n\n\n\n
eventually<\/p>\n\n\n\n
it breaks<\/p>\n\n\n\n
he breaks<\/p>\n\n\n\n
physically he\u2019s fine<\/p>\n\n\n\n
but mentally he\u2019s bruised<\/p>\n\n\n\n
he can\u2019t do it anymore<\/p>\n\n\n\n
the voices in his head<\/p>\n\n\n\n
tell him he\u2019s not enough<\/p>\n\n\n\n
that he\u2019s a freak <\/p>\n\n\n\n
an outcast<\/p>\n\n\n\n
that he doesn\u2019t deserve <\/p>\n\n\n\n
to be here on this planet<\/p>\n\n\n\n
he\u2019s tried to ignore them<\/p>\n\n\n\n
to block them out <\/p>\n\n\n\n
with his own attempts <\/p>\n\n\n\n
at internal reassurance<\/p>\n\n\n\n
he\u2019s begged them to leave him<\/p>\n\n\n\n
prayed for them to leave<\/p>\n\n\n\n
but he knows they will stay<\/p>\n\n\n\n
stay in his mind<\/p>\n\n\n\n
stay in his soul<\/p>\n\n\n\n
invite themselves in<\/p>\n\n\n\n
without permission<\/p>\n\n\n\n
to destroy everything good<\/p>\n\n\n\n
he\u2019s ever had<\/p>\n\n\n\n
when the insults and slurs<\/p>\n\n\n\n
are hurled at them<\/p>\n\n\n\n
he doesn\u2019t fight back<\/p>\n\n\n\n
he holds his breath<\/p>\n\n\n\n
bites his tongue<\/p>\n\n\n\n
scrunches his eyes closed<\/p>\n\n\n\n
he knows if he sees them<\/p>\n\n\n\n
if he looks up at them <\/p>\n\n\n\n
instead of down <\/p>\n\n\n\n
at his stained sneakers<\/p>\n\n\n\n
he will cry<\/p>\n\n\n\n
instead he tries <\/p>\n\n\n\n
over and over again<\/p>\n\n\n\n
to reassure himself<\/p>\n\n\n\n
you\u2019ll be alright<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n what if i\u2019m not?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n he doesn\u2019t want<\/p>\n\n\n\n to answer that question<\/p>\n\n\n\n too afraid of the response<\/p>\n\n\n\n the whole world judges him<\/p>\n\n\n\n for something he cannot control<\/p>\n\n\n\n it\u2019s not fair<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n i can\u2019t help it<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n i didn\u2019t do anything wrong<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n he wants to yell at them<\/p>\n\n\n\n to scream at them<\/p>\n\n\n\n nearby <\/p>\n\n\n\n someone whispers<\/p>\n\n\n\n a single word<\/p>\n\n\n\n that he dreads hearing<\/p>\n\n\n\n and he knows<\/p>\n\n\n\n in that moment<\/p>\n\n\n\n he can\u2019t do this anymore<\/p>\n\n\n\n he opens his mouth<\/p>\n\n\n\n he stammers<\/p>\n\n\n\n his lips move up and down<\/p>\n\n\n\n but the words he needs to say<\/p>\n\n\n\n won\u2019t come out<\/p>\n\n\n\n his confidence disappeared<\/p>\n\n\n\n with the first look he received<\/p>\n\n\n\n now he\u2019s just a cracked shell<\/p>\n\n\n\n of the person he used to be<\/p>\n\n\n\n why can\u2019t they <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n leave me alone<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n why do i get <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n discriminated against<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n not just me<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n avery too<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n why are we called out<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n for a love like any other<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n what\u2019s different about it<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n what\u2019s wrong<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n he wonders<\/p>\n\n\n\n he has to get out of there<\/p>\n\n\n\n before he breaks<\/p>\n\n\n\n in front of them<\/p>\n\n\n\n he releases his grip<\/p>\n\n\n\n on his partner\u2019s hand<\/p>\n\n\n\n he runs through<\/p>\n\n\n\n the crowded hallway<\/p>\n\n\n\n past the teachers<\/p>\n\n\n\n the students<\/p>\n\n\n\n his friends<\/p>\n\n\n\n his enemies<\/p>\n\n\n\n he shoves the door open<\/p>\n\n\n\n stumbles on his way out<\/p>\n\n\n\n breathes in the fresh air<\/p>\n\n\n\n he jumps over the steps<\/p>\n\n\n\n his shoes landing <\/p>\n\n\n\n on the soft grass<\/p>\n\n\n\n he positions his bag <\/p>\n\n\n\n over his shoulder<\/p>\n\n\n\n and he runs <\/p>\n\n\n\n he runs <\/p>\n\n\n\n he doesn\u2019t stop<\/p>\n\n\n\n because he knows <\/p>\n\n\n\n there\u2019s nowhere left for him<\/p>\n\n\n\n he\u2019ll give them <\/p>\n\n\n\n more to talk about<\/p>\n\n\n\n but he doesn\u2019t care anymore<\/p>\n\n\n\n he was once a golden boy<\/p>\n\n\n\n bright as sunshine<\/p>\n\n\n\n he offered them his flame <\/p>\n\n\n\n his spark of life <\/p>\n\n\n\n but they drenched it in water<\/p>\n\n\n\n and crushed the match <\/p>\n\n\n\n beneath their shoes<\/p>\n\n\n\n now he\u2019s as dark<\/p>\n\n\n\n as the night sky<\/p>\n\n\n\n who\u2019s lost its stars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Trigger Warning: homophobia, bullying narrator they walk through the halls their hands intertwined his rings touching their fingers as he grasps tighter his…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":855,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-849","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blueandread.asbarcelona.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/849","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blueandread.asbarcelona.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blueandread.asbarcelona.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blueandread.asbarcelona.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/36"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blueandread.asbarcelona.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=849"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/blueandread.asbarcelona.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/849\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":852,"href":"https:\/\/blueandread.asbarcelona.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/849\/revisions\/852"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blueandread.asbarcelona.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/855"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blueandread.asbarcelona.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=849"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blueandread.asbarcelona.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=849"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blueandread.asbarcelona.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=849"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}