The Protest! :D

Dave is going to soon have a protest for gay rights,but in later part of the story......:) This will be a little long lead into the protest......:)

Jack Wilson came out of the closet in our school, Marshall Johnson Academy, a prestigious school in Jacksonville, Florida. It’s an all boys' school. Lots of students jeered and threw items at him. They called him queer and threw items at him.

At lunch, no one wanted to sit by him. When he sat down, the whole table cleared. He started eating lunch. He had a dejected look on his face. I felt sorry for him. I picked up my lunch plate and sat next to him. I started eating lunch with him. A lot of “Johnies” gasped in shock. But Jack looked at me gratefully. He was gratefully. He was grateful to have someone eat lunch with him.

“Thanks, Dave,” Jack said happily.

“No problem,” I said. We continued eating lunch. Paul Sanderson came by.

‘Dave, are you GAY?” He asked in surprise.

“No, I’m asexual. I don’t like men or women,” I scoffed.

“Oh,” Paul said.

I lied. I’m not asexual. I’m gay too, but I wasn’t ready to come out yet. I was proud of Jack for coming out though. It took a lot of courage to do that in this school. This school shuns gay people. There are approximately 580 Johnies who are gay, and are “in the closet.” This school is one big “closet,” if you know what I mean.

We finished eating, and we were walking back towards our classes, when more students threw items at jack. “Queer!” They hissed at him again. Jack held his head down low. It was really easy to see how much the taunting affecting him.

“Leave Jack alone,” I said, “sticking up for him. “He’s done nothing wrong.”

“This must be his dream come true. A school filled with boys,” Louis Alexander said with an evil smile.

To what I said, Peter Norris said, “He did nothing wrong but come to this school looking for a man orgy.” He sneered.

Jack said, ‘Leave me alone,” in a really harassed voice. I knew that voice. I had used that voice many times myself. I use that voice whenever George and Rob harass me. George and Rob always pick on me and beat me up. They are huge guys.

They laughed cruelly at him and dropped all his books and kicked them far away. Jack looked bothered. It was like looking into a mirror. Louis and Peter were like George and rob. And jack was like me.

“Let’s go get your books,” I told Jack softly. Jack nodded sadly.

We walked over to jack’s books. “If you pick up Jack’s books, we will start a rumor that you’re gay,” Louis told me, smiling an evil smile.

I picked up Jack’s books anyway. I softly handed them to him. I looked at him thoroughly. “You didn’t deserve any of that,” I told him. “It’s not your fault.”

“But, if I didn’t come out, none of this would have happened,” Jack said.

“It’s not your fault that there are narrow-minded people on this campus. You should be proud of who you are. You shouldn’t have to confirm to what society thinks is “normal.”

Jack said, ‘I know, I ought to be proud of myself, but it’s hard to in a world that makes fun of gay people and don’t accept them.

“Look,” I said firmly, people are afraid of what they don’t understand. If you show them that you are just like them, they won’t be afraid anymore.”

Jack smiled a little bit. He looked better.

I walked him to class. “Thanks,” he said, looking at me gratefully.

“You’re welcome,” I said, happily.

I walked to my own class. During classes, I thought of Jack. I myself should have had that courage. I was a cowardly wimp. You’re a hypocrite, a nasty voice screamed in my head. You bitch! It continued to haunt me. You just told Jack that he should be proud of himself, and you yourself are hiding in the closet. Why don’t you yourself come out? You’re afraid.

I was driving myself crazy. I tried to fight the feeling of guilt and shame I felt inside, but it was hard to. I tried my best to suppress those negative thoughts. I managed to do my assignments through the rest of the day.

I went to my dorm. I watched Sabrina the Teenage Witch. In the episode I was watching, Sabrina said to a full mortal, “You have no idea how it feels to carry around a deep, dark, secret around with you. I mentally answered, ‘Yes, I do.” Her secret was that she was a witch, mine was that I was gay. We were both afraid of showing our true identities.

I finished the episode, and did my homework and then showered, ate, and got ready for bed. I slept for 8 hours. When I awoke, I got ready for school. During school, I saw Jack once again being harassed.

Tommy and Paul were throwing dirt in his face and spitting on him. Jack looked helpless.

“Stop!” I yelled to his defense.

“Oh, look, it’s Dave. His boyfriend coming to rescue his lover,” Tommy said, unmercifully.

I guess Louis and Peter had spread the rumor pretty fast.

“I am not gay. I’m asexual. I don’t like boys or girls,” I lied again.

“If you’re not gay, leave him alone. Let us “play” with him. Only gays help other gay people out,” Tommy said. Paul nodded.

I had a tough decision to decide. If I helped Jack, I would be considered gay. But, if I didn’t, Tommy and Paul wouldn’t think I was gay, but Jack would be betrayed.

I knew what I had to do. I had to do the right thing again.

I said,"Leave Jack alone.” I pulled Jack away from them.

“Gay bitch!” Tommy hissed at me.

“FA....!” Paul said to me.

I had just stepped myself into something big. I was getting alienated too.

I walked Jack to his class again.”Thanks, Dave,” he said again.

I smiled at him.

Suddenly, he looked a little sheepish.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“Do you feel like I’m a burden to you?” Jack asked. “Do you feel resentful always coming to my rescue?”

I smiled and looked at him deeply. “I see so much of myself in you.” I told him softly.

“Is that a good thing?” He asked me.

“Yes, “ I replied.

Jack smiled at me and sat in his desk.

I went to my own class and did assignments.

I’m Dave Winston, a brown haired, brown eyed lean 6ft boy. I am 15 years old. I’ve been gay since I was 10 years old. I’ve attended Marshall Johnson Academy For Boys since I was 14. I have a boyfriend, Max Cartwright, who is 17. He has blond hair and blue eyes and is a lean 6ft 2 inches guy. We’ve hidden our secret because of the gay shunning. We’ve been dating for over a year. I was once a cocaine addict earlier this year for a little over a month, until Dean Riley caught me snorting and sent me to drug rehab. I beat the addiction in 2 weeks, which was a record.

Back to the present. I finsished my assignments, and I went to lunch.

I begun to eat pizza, corn, and begun drinking chocolate milk.

Rodney Kelly came up to me and smiled at me. I smiled back. Rodney is my best friend. Rodney and I began to eat our lunch together.

Jack came up to us and asked if he could eat lunch with us.

I was beginning to get a little annoyed with Jack. I mentally rolled my eyes. He was acting like a tag along.

“Sure,” I said aloud. I didn’t want to hurt his feelings. I saw Rodney REALLY roll his eyes when Jack wasn’t looking. Rodney was annoyed too.

Jack sat and begun to eat lunch with us. He began chatting about being new to the school and how “liberating” it felt to “come out.”

Rodney made a grimace face when Jack was looking at me. Then Jack looked at him and Rodney quickly smiled a pained smile. Rodney wasn’t a very good actor.

“Look, if I was interrupting something, I’ll just leave,” jack said, sounding hurt.

‘No, you’re not interrupting anything,” I said, trying to make him feel better. “Rodney just has a stomachache,” I lied.

“Yes, it’s true,” I have a stomachache, “ Rodney confirmed unconvincingly. “I’m going to get some antacid,” Rodney said, wincing. What a terrible actor.

After Rodney left, Jack turned to me. “Are you and Rodney a couple and I interrupted your quality time?” Jack asked me, looking imploringly.

I coughed in surprise. “We’re not a couple. We’re just friends,” I answered. “Remember, I’m asexual. I don’t like boys or girls,” I lied again.

“But, I remember you telling me that I reminded you of yourself,” Jack pointed out. Wouldn’t that mean that you’re gay too?”

Jack had a good point. And a good memory. “I didn’t mean that you reminded me of EVERYTHING about myself,” I said.

“So, you’re not gay?’ Jack asked.

“No, I’m not gay,” I said, lying through my teeth.”

“Oh,” Jack said. Then his face changed a little. “Rodney didn’t want to be around me,” Jack said perceptively. “He gave me a really bad vibe when I came to the table.”

Jack was smart. I didn’t say anything.

“So you agree. Rodney didn’t want me around,” Jack said sadly.

“I didn’t say anything,” I said aloud.

“Yes. Neutrality is a good weapon,” Jack said, looking at the ground.”

Rodney came back. “Oh, Jack, you’re STILL here,” he said with emphasis,. “My stomachache is back,” he said, clutching his stomach.

He dashed out the door.

“For a guy who has a guy who has a ‘stomachache,” he sure runs fast, “Jack said knowingly.

I had no excuse this time. “Rodney just has a hard time around new people,” I said.

“Oh,” Jack said, looking at the ground. He finished eating his food.

“I guess I’ll leave now,” he said dejectedly. “It’s obviuous that Rodney doesn’t want to be around gay people.” He held his head down low.

“That’s not it!” I thought. “Rodney’s gay himself! It’s you who butt into people’s time!” I finished thinking. But I clamped my mouth.

I again didn’t want to hurt Jack’s feelings. I finished my lunch too.

Again, we walked to our classes. Separately. I did some assignments and went to my dorm.

I did my homework, and Rodney knocked on my dorm.

“That Jack guy is annoying,” he said when I opened my dorm door.

“Come on in, “I said. He did.

“I know he’s a little annoying,” I agreed.

“Did you see how he just tagged along with us? What a third wheel.” Rodney scoffed.

“Rodney, he’s a new guy. He’s probably just nervous. Remember a then 14 year old boy who followed me around like a lost puppy?” I asked him teasingly.

Rodney blushed. “I remember him. He tagged along with you on field trips, begged to eat lunch with you, and even wanted to sleepover with you!” Rodney laughed, self depreciatively.

“And I let him and don’t regret it. And now, we’re close friends!” I said, giving him a big smile.

“Maybe we can all get along with Jack,” I soon suggested.

“Yeah, maybe we could,” Rodney said slowly.
“Rodney, how’s your “stomachache?” I asked him teasingly.

Rodney blushed. “He didn’t fall for that,” did he?”

“Rodney, people with stomachaches don’t go running out of doors,” I told him dryly.

Rodney said, ‘He’s not mad at me, is he?’

“No, he’s not mad at you. He’s sad,” I answered.

“Sad?” Rodney repeated, confused.

“He thinks you didn’t want to be around him because he’s gay.”

“I’m gay too,” Rodney said.

‘I know.” I said.

“After a while, I said, ‘Maybe we should go talk to him,” I suggested.

“Did you tell him that you’re gay too?” Rodney asked me.

“No. I told him I was asexual,” I answered him.

‘Why did you tell him that?” Rodney asked, looking bewildered.

“I told him that because I didn’t want to look like a hypocrite. I told him that he should be proud of himself the way he is. If I tell him that I’m gay, he’ll call me a hypocrite,” I answered Rodney.

“Why did you say that you were an asexual in the first place?” Rodney asked.

“I said that because I didn’t want to be shunned,” I answered.

“You should be proud of yourself the way you are,” Rodney told me mockingly.

“Why don’t YOU come out of the closet then?” I retorted back to Rodney.

Rodney blushed. “I don’t want to be shunned either,” he admitted.

`
After chatting a while, Rodney left. I ate and went to sleep.


After an uneventful day at school, I went to my dorm. I was just about to enter when Jack came up to me, crying. He looked horrible. I could see fear in his eyes.

“Dave, Dave, it’s horrible!” He sobbed uncontrollably. He was gasping for air and panting. He was shaking too.


“What happened, Jack? “ I asked. I was concerned for him. He said, “Look.” He led me to his dorm and I gasped. Someone had ramshacked his dorm. His bed was completely messed up and his books were thrown all over the room. His lamp was broken and his clothes lied everywhere. His dressers were pulled out, and there was garbage on top of his T.V and computer. It was also on the floor. It looked like he had been robbed. Or as if a tornado had blown through his room.


But that wasn’t the worst part of it. If all of this weren’t bad enough, on Jack’s wall, right behind his bed, someone had written, “Go home gay bitch! This school is just for straight boys!”

I saw fresh tears well up in Jack’s eyes.

What if you wrote quasi-autobiographical, pouring your heart out stories and nobody gave a flying fuck?

I stopped reading your fourth grade level drivel when the Darryl tale began.

You really do suck as a writer: just thought you'd need to know.

I'm mostly convinced she is a self-aware troll.

She's the worst form of attention whore: an asexual one.

"Oh, Dave,” he said sadly. "What did I do to deserve this?” He looked defeated.

“Nothing.” I said. I myself was offended by what had happened to Jack.

“Who did this?’ He asked me, with innocent, wide eyes, like a child.

“I don’t know,” I answered. Internally, I thought, “This has George and Rob written all over it. But, I can’t just go accuse them of doing this. They’ll kick my ass for that. Besides, they are more the “beat up” not the “taunt” type.

He lied down on his bed. “No, you can’t sleep here,” I told him firmly. “It’s dangerous for you to stay here after what happened. You’re sleeping with me tonight.”

He looked reluctant. “Are you sure,” Dave?” I saw the doubt in his eyes.

“Yes, I’m sure,” I answered.

He packed some things and we went into my dorm. He settled in and I gave him food from my mini-fridge.

He and I both ate, and he talked about what had happened. He said that he felt like trash when he saw his dorm.

“Maybe I shouldn’t have come out of the closet. This wouldn’t have happened if I had stayed in the closet,” he moaned dejectedly.

“No, I already told you, you did nothing wrong.” I told him. He still looked unconvinced.

I tried to alleviate his concerns by saying that it wasn’t his fault that people were narrow-minded, but he still looked concerned.

“Jack, don’t worry about what people think of you. Just worry about what you think of yourself.” I told him firmly.

“Then why don’t YOU come out of the closet?” The cruel inner voice mocked me.

I tried to ignore it. It was hard too. I suggested that Jack had had enough. I decided to suggest a protest.

“We should protest!” I told him excitedly. “Look at all this crap you’re being put through just because you’re gay.”

“I don’t know,” Jack said reluctantly.

“Look, you want to be treated as equal to the “Straights” don’t you?’ “I asked.

“Yes, “Jack said surely.

“So do I,” I answered. “So let’s protest!” I added.

“Okay,” Jack said reluctantly.

We slept. The next day was a Wednesday, so we got ready for school. During lunch, I gathered Rodney, Max, Jack, and 7 more “gay” boys. Rodney decided to be nice to Jack, and vice versa. I decided that we should protest gay shunning and protest for gay rights.

10 people agreed. Max didn’t agree and said, “I’m out.” I gave him a BITCHY stare. How could Max not stand up for gay rights?

“Max, you’re gay, and you don’t want your rights?” I glared at him.

Max said, “I care more about my life than “gay rights.” He scoffed.

“I can’t believe you.” I gave him another F.U face.

Max said, “I am sorry, but I am not protesting.” He left. I couldn’t believe my boyfriend was leaving me out in the cold.

I turned to the other 9 people who eagerly agreed to protest our rights.

We marched to Dean Riley’s office and announced that we wanted a protest.

“Dean Riley, we want to protest gay shunning and stand up for gay rights,” I said.

The other 9 nodded.

Dean Riley looked at us and said, ‘You know this school shuns gay.”

“That’s the point,” Jack said. I just thought of something. Jack could have been really hurt if he had been in his dorm during the attack! I could make it a matter of national security!

“I’d like to make something that happened a matter of school security,” I said quietly.

“What?” Dean Riley asked, very alert. No dean ever wanted to hear the words, “school security.”

“Jack’s dorm was messed up yesterday just because of his sexuality. If he had been in his dorm, he could have easily been the one to be messed up,” I said.

“But, he’s fine,” Dean Riley said, looking at Jack dismissively. “No matter of school security.

“What a bitch!” I thought.

“What would be a matter of security? If I had been knocked into a coma?” Jack said, shrieking emotionally.

“Yes,” Dean Riley said coolly.

Jack’s mouth had a hard look on it. “Next time, “I WILL be in a coma,” he said hotly.

“Then, that will be a matter of security,” dean Riley said dismissively.

Rodney said, “Dean Riley, you’re a cold, heartless man.”

Dean Riley said, “Please get out of my office.”

“No!” We all cried in unison. All 10 of us stood in a line, holding hands, blocking the doorway.

Dean Riley pressed a button, and Hank, a burly security guard showed up. He looked scary.

“Get out of the office,” Hank told us.

“We’re not leaving! This is a protest!” I screamed loudly.

Hank took out his nightstick!

“What are you going to do? Beat us?’’ Rodney asked with sneer. “That’s battery.”

Hank knew he couldn’t beat us. He called 911 and told them that trespassers had shown up.

“We are not moving,” I said firmly. In a few minutes, Jacksonville police showed up. Dean Riley said that we were trespassers.

“What a BITCH!” I screamed emotionally! “You BITCH!” I continued screaming, like a lunatic to him.

“They are 10 trespassers,” Dean Riley repeated.

“If we’re trespassers, why are we wearing Johnson uniforms?”” I asked the cops shrilly.

The cops agreed that I had a point.

“They stole them" Dean Riley said.

Steve said, “You LIAR!”

Dean Riley looked scared. “Get them away from me,” he said scared. “They are violators on school grounds.”

The cops put all of us into handcuffs and begun to escort us off of Johnson Estate.

As we were walking off of Johnson Estate, we passed Max. Max’s eyes held bewilderment.

“What’s going on?” Max asked.

A cop said, “These 10 boys were trespassing.”

Max stayed silent.

“Come on, Max! You know we’re not trespassers! You know we’re not trespassers!” I screamed emotionally. I couldn’t believe he was staying mute.

Finally, Max said, “These 10 are NOT trespassers. They’re students here.”

Enraged, the cop turned to Dean Riley. “Is this true?” He asked him.

“Yes, it’s true. I lied when I said that they were trespassers because they were protesting and wouldn’t leave my office.

“And what were they protesting?” The cop asked.

“They were protesting for gay rights,” Dean Riley answered, reluctantly.

And you wanted to get them arrested for trespassing because of that?” The cop asked, incredulous. “I’m gay myself,” the cop said. “I would fight for gay rights too.”

He and the other cops unlocked all of our handcuffs, and we smirked at Dean Riley.

Dean Riley looked ashamed of himself.

We went to our classes. After classes, I went to my hall. Jack said, “That was awesome! I loved standing up to Dean Riley!” His eyes had an excitement in them and he looked flushed with happiness.

“I did too,” I said.

Jack left, and I saw Max coming out of his dorm.

“Max, you were actually going to let us go to jail?” I asked him hotly.

“I told you, I didn’t think it was a good idea to protest,” he said calmly.

“You would have let us go to jail?” I screamed at him emotionally.

“I told them you weren’t trespassers,” he told me calmly again, but with a bit of an edge.

After I screamed at you!” I screamed. Man, my throat was getting sore. I swallowed some spit.

Max said, “I love you. I just don’t want to see you get hurt.”

“The only one hurting me is YOU,” I said with emphasis.

I saw the hurt, taken aback expression on Max’s face. He quickly turned away from me. He was trying to hide his emotion from me.

“I just care about you,” Max said, his voice low.

“Max, I know you do, but this is something I really care about,” I told him softly.

Max took a reluctant breath. “Okay, I can see how much you like this protest,” he said softly.

“I do,” I replied.

Max said, “I don’t like it, but that’s your business, not mine,” he said softly.

“Thank you Max,” I said. I reached up and stroked his face and then hugged him. Max apologized and we went to our own dorms.

The next day. We were at lunch, when I gathered the 9 boys.

“Let’s make another protest,” I said with a gleam in my eye.

Steve, Todd, Jack, Mark, Randall, Rudy, Randy, Rodney, and Sam all agreed.


We made our plans.

At 3 PM we attack!” I shouted, sounding like a dictator. Then in a calmer voice, I said,"We will protest at 3 PM."

We went to our own classes.


At 3.00 P.M., shortly after school, we went to an empty classroom and did a sit in. We locked the doors from the inside.


“Come on, you can’t stay in the school, after school,” Dean Riley said, knocking on the doors.

“No!” We shouted from the inside. “We will not be moved!” We cried in protest.


Chancellor Murray said, “You’re violating school property. Get out of the room.” He said quietly.


Dean Riley took some running steps back(we heard them), and then he threw his body into the door trying to get it to open. His groan of pain made it clear that it did not work.


We giggled happily amongst ourselves. We were winning.


We heard Chancellor Murray mumble something to Dean Riley. Dean Riley agreed.


I had a feeling I knew what it was. A key. We had locked the door, but they could open it up.


I told the other 9 my feeling, and they agreed.


We all pushed the big armoire against the door. Sure enough, a few minutes later, we heard a noise at the doorknob, and it begun to twist. Dean Riley and Chancellor Murray couldn’t open up the door, so they just yelled unprofessional expletives.


They left. We thought we were safe, but Mark pointed out that they could easily crawl in through the glass window. We all realized Mark was right. This classroom had a window without bars on it. Riley and Murray could easily crawl through it.


I ran to the window and locked it. A few seconds later, we saw Riley and Murray’s faces at the window. Mark was smart. They yelled at us to open the window. We refused to, and they gave us angry scowls.


We turned our backs on them and after a few minutes they left . Or maybe not. We weren’t sure if they had left.

We stayed in that room and did our homework and chatted. At about 4.30, Randall complained that he needed to go to the bathroom.

“Hold it in,” I hissed. “You’ll ruin everything!”

I saw the tortured pain in his eyes. He begun to do that unmistakable “dance”. The pee dance.

“Please Dave, I’m about to explode,” he said. He really did look like he was in pain.

“okay,” I told him reluctantly. “Go to the bathroom, but don’t get caught,” I told him shortly. “The secret password to let you back in is two knocks.”

We pushed the dresser out of the way and Randall ran out of the door, looking for sweet relief. We pushed it back.