DISCLAIMER: Mention of domestic abuse, mention of homphobic behaviour, mention of alocholic parents, bullying, mention of suicidal thoughts, angst but ends in kinda fluff

I hate the world and the world hates me back. The world gave me eyes that couldn't look at the sun and skin that would burn quickly. The world gave me abusive parents who beat me for anything I do wrong. The world gave me boys and girls at my school who push me over and kick me and then laugh at me. The world also gave me a heart and that heart is gay. That is one of the reasons why I hate the world. The whole reason my parents hit me is because I am gay. Of course, I've thought of taking the easy way out. Just a pop of one to many pills and I'm gone. But the thing is, it's too easy and there's no guarantee it'll work. My parents won't be proud if I try and die and they won't be sad if I do die. They don't give a shit about me either way. No one does. That's why I live in the shadows. It's a lot easier to hide in the darkness than it is to hide in the light.

I was walking to school, holding my backpack straps, when I was shoved forwards. I didn't have time to react and busted my chin open. All around me, there was laughter. Horrid, wicked and coming on in droves. There was one boy, however, who wasn't smile or laughing. He wasn't helping either. He was just standing there in shock. He looked cute. He had wavy brown hair and green eyes. I wiped my chin and stood up.

"Ha, ha guys." I said dead-pan. "Funny prank. You know, it'd be a lot funnier if you didn't do it to me every Monday." I turned my back on their astonished and angry faces and walking into school, extracting a small pack of tissues from my backpack.

"Hey! Wait up!"

It's that boy. Then new kid. I turn my back on him and continue pressing tissues to my chin.

"What do you want, New Kid?" I ask, putting my emotional walls up.

"I saw what they did to you."

"Yeah, no shit. You were gawping at me. Let's just all gawp at the freak with the bloody chin." I snap.

"It was wrong, what they did."

"You think I don't know that?!" I ask, whipping round to stare him straight in the eye. "You think I don't fucking know that bullying is wrong? I'll ask you again, what do you want?"

"I wanted to talk to you." He said. I laughed humourlessly, ignoring the pain in my chin.

"If you want homework answers or something like that, you won't get them out of me. Go and chat to Logan if you want to cheat on a test."

"I don't want homework answers, I want to talk to you."

"Well you're talking to me, aren't you?"

The new kid sighed and leaned his head back, looking up, before snapping his head back into place and looking me dead in the eye.

"I think we got off on the wrong foot. Let me try this again." He held out his hand. "I'm Roman Winston and I was hoping to sit with you at lunch seeing as I don't know anyone here."

I look from his eyes to his hand, trying to tell if he's serious or not. Eventually, I decide he is and I shake his hand.

"Virgil Summers and I don't have a table. Best place to sit at when lunch comes around is under the tree by the football pitch."

"Great! Oh, could you tell me where Room 302 is?" Roman asks. I smirk slightly at him.

"Up the green stairs, straight down past the library. You can't miss it."

"Thanks Virge." Roman says, smiling gratefully before running off.

Maybe the world isn't so bad after all.

(Word count: 637)