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Harry approaches Charlie and puts his arm around his shoulders as Nick watches with trepidation.
"So, Charlie Spring, quick question. What's it like being gay," asks Harry
"It's fine" Charlie answers.
"You don't seem that gay, to be honest. You do sound sort of gay, but that's it" laughs Harry, as he looks back at his mates before he adds, "do you like musicals?"
Nick grabs Harry and pulls his arm off of Charlie.
"Harry, can you just piss off, please," says a frustrated Nick.
"Jesus, Nick. I'm just trying to get to know our little baby gay here."
"So, Charlie. What sort of guys do you like then?"
"I don't know."
"What about Harry Styles? He's pretty sexy. Hell...I'm straight and even I might jump on that" Harry and several of his mate's laugh.
"Just leave it" says Nick, with clear agitation showing on his face.
Charlie turns around and looks at Harry.
"Uh, ok. I could have done without that visual, to be honest."
Several of the rugby lads snickered at Charlie's comeback causing Harry to glare back at them a bit as Charlie turns around and continues to walk away. Harry then glances over at Nick and his spiteful smile returned before addressing Charlie again.
"What about Nick? Do you think he's hot?"
Charlie slows down as his face briefly shows a quick sign of terror at being asked that before quickly recovering and turning around. He takes a quick glance at Nick before looking back at Harry.
"What? Are you joking? Nick's not even my type."
Nick looks at Charlie with a hurtful expression on his face before looking down at the ground. He wasn't hurt by what Charlie said. He knew he was lying to protect him. But that was just it. Charlie is having to lie to people to protect him. He cannot help but think to himself how terrible that fact is. While he treats Charlie far better than Ben ever did, it still didn't change the fact that he has literally put Charlie in a similar situation of having to lie to everyone. He is keeping Charlie a secret just like Ben did. Sure, Charlie assured him that he is nothing like Ben and that this was completely different, but in so many ways it really wasn't.
Nick quickly gets snapped back to the present when Harry starts laughing at the situation.
"You do have a crush on him!"
"No, I don't."
"You do!"
As Harry says that, he grabs Charlie on his shoulder with his left hand while using his right to try to give him a noogie on his head before Nick finally gets out of his own mind and intervenes and rips Harry off of Charlie., who then immediately starts to walk away again at a much faster clip.
"Harry, just stop!"
"Wow! Learn to take a joke, mate!"
Nick just stands and glares at Harry's face before turning around and seeing Charlie walking towards the car park. Nick looks at Harry again with a disgusted face before turning around and walking away to go after Charlie.
Harry just watches him walk away with a seemingly resigned but angry stare feeling like he may have lost someone he did see as a friend, though his version of friend largely differs from Nick's and, well, probably most normal people.
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Charlie walks out into the car park at level 6 and takes out his phone to see a text from his dad telling him he has arrived and is driving up the ramps in the car park to get to his current level.
The door to the car park opens as Nick walks out. Charlie hears it and turns around and see's Nick with a sullen expression.
"My dad's here" Charlie pauses for a moment with a sad look on his face.
"I have to go."
Charlie immediately turns around and starts to walk away again.
Nick immediately goes towards him.
"Charlie," he says with a depressed voice.
Charlie doesn't turn around.
"Hey..."
Charlie continues walking. Nick then quickly jogs up to him and lightly grabs his left shoulder.
"Wait."
Charlie stops and turns around before Nick speaks up again.
"I'm so sorry," said Nick.
"It's fine."
"No. It's not. Harry was being a complete idiot and some of the others were being really unfriendly and we should have just left."
"Nick," said Charlie with a face that just looks like he is completely resigned to his fate.
"I'm honestly used to it by now. I'll see you at school."
Charlie turns around and continues to walk away as Nick momentarily watches him with a look of pure shame. Charlie telling him he is used to it by now hitting him like a ton of bricks. He realizes he is angry not just at Harry but also at his other mates. Sure, none of the others said anything directly. Some of them laughed. Some of them didn't. But absolutely none of them spoke up to defend Charlie...just like he didn't last year when Charlie was suffering the worst of the bullying.
Nick then turns around and slams open the door to the movie theater and walks back inside with rage.
Charlie hears the loud noise of the door causing him to turn around while he stares at it. He is suddenly worried about what might happen and starts to walk back towards the door before he hears someone call his name.
"Charlie!"
Charlie stops and turns around seeing it was Ben.
"I saw you holding hands with him...in the cinema," Ben says in a tone that can only be described as half surprised and half upset.
Charlie just stands in place with his mouth slightly open with a look of fear on his face. He doesn't say anything but looks down at the ground before Ben asks him the question he doesn't want to answer truthfully.
"Are you going out with him then?"
"No," Charlie says as he shakes his head a bit before looking down at the ground again.
"But you are getting with him."
Charlie looks back up with an exasperated look.
"No!"
Ben sighs and briefly looks away from Charlie with a quick fake smile because he knows Charlie is full of crap. He knows what he saw.
"Don't lie. Well, I believe that you're not going out with him."
Ben steps up and nearly gets into Charlie's face.
"As if anyone would ever want to go out with someone as desperate as you!"
Charlie looks at Ben and furrows his eyebrows.
"You did."
Ben gives Charlie a scowl.
"Are you joking? You actually thought I liked you? You were there like some tragic loser with barely any friends who ate lunch alone and let bullies walk all over you. I never liked you."
Charlie looks over Ben's shoulder trying to hold back the tears in his eyes that were welling up before Ben continues.
"I'm not even gay. I just felt really sorry for you.
Charlie just stands looking at Ben for a moment.
Ben suddenly grabs Charlie and pushes him back hard into a post.
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Nick is walking fast down the corridor of the theater with his fists slightly balled up to where Harry and the rest of the lads are still there joking around with each other. Nick then grabs Harry by the right shoulder and turns him around and gets in his face.
"Go on then. What's your problem with Charlie?"
"He doesn't exactly fit in with us, does he," said Harry with his trademark evil smirk.
"He can't play rugby, he's got this weird friend who won't leave me alone. You can't just bring some gay boy into our group and expect us all to immediately love him."
Harry and some of the lad's laugh.
"So this is a problem with him being gay" Nick scowls.
"Come on! None of us are being homophobic."
Nick has clearly had enough of Harry's bullshit and gets very angry and shouts back at him.
"OH JUST SHUT UP, HARRY!"
"YOU MADE HIM SO UNCOMFORTABLE WITH YOUR GAY QUESTIONS."
Harry just looks at Nick with an amused expression on his smug face.
"Someone really needs to learn to take a joke."
"No. You weren't joking though, were you? You just saw the perfect opportunity to make someone feel miserable and humiliated, as usual."
"I'm sure he can deal with it. He's probably used to it by now" laughs Harry as he looks back quickly to the other boys as if he needs reassurance before he pushes Nick back with both of his hands causing Nick to stumble back a bit.
Nick catches himself and holds his ground and just glares at Harry but doesn't say anything.
"Awwwww...Nicholas...you're getting so angry!"
Harry laughs as he shoves Nick back again with both hands.
"You can't help wanting to protect him, can you?"
"Because he's a pathetic....little....fag!"
Nick has had enough and goes to swing at Harry's face but his arm is pulled back before he is able to do so. Nick turns around really quickly and sees it is Charlie who stopped him from punching Harry.
Charlie then gets in between Nick & Harry.
"Nick. He's not worth it."
Harry squeals with delight.
"Awwww...Nicholas is so pathetic his little weak faggot boyfriend has to stand up for him."
Nick looks up at Harry with absolute rage in his eyes before Charlie gets his attention again.
"Nick! Look at me. Look at my eyes. Try to calm down. I don't want you getting into trouble or hurt by getting into a fight with Harry."
Charlie then turns his head briefly to look where Harry was at before turning around and looking Nick in the eyes.
"Besides," Charlie says as he gives Nick a lopsided smirk, "I want to do it."
Charlie then quickly turns his entire body around and punches Harry hard with a balled-up right hook sending the bully into the wall.
Harry grabs his chin and spits out some blood with a look of pure shock before quickly recovering and lunging at Charlie.
"You're going to regret that!"
Over the next 30-45 seconds, Charlie and Harry fight while Nick and the other lads just stare with what can only be described as pure shock and astonishment. By the time it is over, Harry is on the floor knocked out cold, and never managed to lay so much as a finger on Charlie. Charlie not only managed a couple more punches but also some kicks to Harry's chest and head.
After he was finished with Harry, Charlie turns around and grabs a bewildered Nick, and walks away back towards the car park. They go out the door before Nick stops walking. Charlie turns around.
Nick just stands looking at Charlie as if he is suffering from PTSD or something. Finally, he recovers enough to find his voice.
"Charlie. What??? What the hell just happened???"
Charlie smirks at Nick.
"Oh, well...let's just say...when you suffer a lot of bullying, you tend to get quite scared of what they could do to you physically. I discussed this with my dad and we both agreed for me to get some boxing lessons."
Nick closes and opens his eyes in astonishment as Charlie continues.
"Oh...and when I was little, I might have been signed up to take karate lessons...and did it long enough to earn a brown belt?"
Nick's eyes open wide as he continues to stare at Charlie. Charlie, with clear amusement on his face then gets playful with Nick.
"What? You think we nerds can only fight with our brains?"
Charlie then grabs Nick's left bicep and squeezes it.
"Besides...not all of us have big strong rugby arms to defend or intimidate our bullies with."
Nick grabs Charlie in a bone-crushing hug and lifts him off the ground and turns him a few times. Charlie starts laughing.
"Put me down you big brute!"
Nick does as he's told but keeps his hands on Charlie's shoulder before finally finding his voice again.
"Oh my God, Charlie!"
Charlie just laughs.
Nick hugs Charlie again before turning his head into his ear and lowering his voice into what can only be described as his 'sexy voice.'
"Char...that seriously was the hottest thing I've ever seen!"
Charlie just giggles in the cutest way possible with a smile that is as big as he's ever had. Nick then pulls away before looking at Charlie's right hand. He lifts it up and balls it up in both his hands before looking back up at Charlie.
"Did you hurt your hand?" asked Nick as he sweetly kisses his knuckles.
Charlie continues to smile at Nick as he continues to give many kisses to all of his knuckles.
"Nick...you are such a sap!"
"But I'm your sap!"
"Yeah. You really are!"
They both turn around and continue to walk into the car park and Nick puts his left arm around Charlie's neck and shoulders before coming to another stop as he see's Ben on the ground holding his nose.
"What the hell happened to him?"
Charlie looks at Ben and then back up to Nick and gives another smirk.
"Oh, yeah. Harry wasn't the only bully who had a lesson coming."
Charlie starts laughing as he turns around and walks away leaving Nick in place as he just watches him with his eyes as wide as they have ever been. Nick glances down at Ben. Ben looks up at Nick. Nick slowly smiles at him in pure amusement before jogging to catch up to Charlie and proceeds to put his arms around his neck and shoulders.
Both are laughing about the events that took place as both Charlie's dad and Nick's mum pull up. Nick removes his arm from around Charlie and gives him a hug before whispering in his ear.
"I'll text you later."
"Ok," says Charlie as he gives his little wave.
"Oh, Nick?"
"Yeah?"
"If you don't...I may have to pull out these babies!" Charlie says that as he flexes his right arm and kisses his small bicep. Nick just shakes his head and laughs at the joke.
Both boys then get in their parent's respective cars with huge smiles on their faces.
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Nick and his mum are driving home when she notices Nick with a smile that doesn't seem to want to go away.
"You're all smiley tonight."
"Yeah. I guess I am!"
"So I take it you had a good time? That movie must have been really good!"
Nick looks down at Nellie, who is sitting between his legs with her head resting on his lap before answering his mum.
"Yeah. I guess it is safe to say that movie twists aren't usually all that surprising...but I honestly never saw a twist kind of like tonight."
Nick chuckles knowingly to himself as they continue home.