He’s still holding my face and leaning into me. “Good night, Donovan.”
“Good night,” I say softly, before he gives me one final chaste kiss and lets me go.
Chapter 7
Donovan
WhenIwokeupthis morning, Stephen had already left for his morning training session. I don’t know how he’s feeling about last night, but I’m still reeling from our kiss. I’d been so caught up in the moment, I didn’t even think about Kyle to compare the two, not that there’s any comparison. Stephen’s kiss was like something out of a romantic movie; it was perfect.
As for what’s going to happen next, I have no clue. Was our kiss a one-time thing? I hope not, all I want to do is kiss him again, and keep kissing him. He’d said a relationship was off the table, which I understand considering his circumstances, and I respect his decision not to come out. He seemed worried about trapping me in another secret, but keeping secrets isn’t new for me, and if it means getting to know Stephen better, and having him as my boyfriend, fuck, I’d keep that secret till my grave. He’d be worth it.
I head to my first class of the day and I’m excited because it’s with Mr. Porter; he’s the main reason I came to Winbrook. His special guest class this semester is about ‘Journalism in the Field’ and seeing as though it’s what I want todo with my life, it’s the perfect class for me. I take my usual seat, ready to take notes, eager to absorb all the information I can from him.
After an hour and a half of discussing and debating risk assessments in dangerous locations, I’m completely wiped but also wired; this course has got me thinking about my future in a whole new light. The travel and the intensity of being a working journalist, it’s a lot.
“Donovan Gálvez, would you mind staying back after class for a quick word please?” Mr. Porter says, as the rest of the class pack up their belongings.
My heart starts beating faster, I’ve never been asked to stay behind before. Maybe I’m failing, he’s going to tell me a mistake has been made, that I can’t be here and need to leave the class, or worse, leave Winbrook altogether. Or maybe he’s disappointed in me because I’m not doing enough…
My hands shake as I finish packing my bag and head to his desk where he’s sorting through some papers. He waits for the last of the students to leave before he finally looks up.
“How are you doing, Donovan?” he asks, his face giving me nothing.
“Okay, I think… am I okay?”
He must hear the nerves in my voice because he quickly smiles. “This isn’t anything negative about you, you’re doing great in class.”
“Oh, phew,” I chuckle.
“In our staff meeting this morning, it was brought to our attention that there was an off-campus altercation, involving you, Stephen Choi, and Kyle Griffin. I just wanted to check in with you.”
“Someone reported it?” I ask. “Who?”
“It was Kyle’s father; he’s on the Parents’ Council so very involved with the campus. And it wasn’t necessarily reported, just raised, and before you ask, I don’t know if further actionis being taken or not. I mentioned you were in my class and offered to be the one to speak to you about it. Other members of staff are talking to Stephen and Kyle today.”
“Oh, I see.”
He perches on the edge of his desk and folds his arms. “Do you want to talk about what happened?”
It’s been drummed into me since I was a kid that you don’t snitch; if you’ve got a problem, you sort it out yourself. But how can I fix this? Kyle’s clearly got his father backing him, and it’s not like I can go to my family and explain what happened, so I’ve got no one in my corner. The thought of Stephen getting in trouble because of this, because of me… I can’t let that happen.
“It wasn’t Stephen’s fault, he was defending me, he’s my roommate.”
“I see,” he nods, “and can I ask what he was defending you from?”
Fuck.
“Well, a couple of weeks ago, there was a… a thing between Kyle and I.” I glance up from looking at my feet to check he’s listening and not judging. His face is calm and collected so I carry on. “Nothing really happened with Kyle, we kissed, and then I stopped it because I became… um… uncomfortable, and I left.”
“Uncomfortable? Donovan, did anything happen without your consent?” he asks, his face suddenly serious.
“No, no, it wasn’t like that,” I assure him. “It was more my lack of experience that was an issue.”
“Okay, so what happened last night, with the altercation?”
“Well as you said, we were off campus, Stephen and I, there was a group of us, we were with his friends. Kyleappeared, and said something horrible about me, and Stephen reacted.”
“And this thing Kyle said, would it be classed as hate speech? Because you know he would be expelled for that, regardless of whether his father’s on the Parents’ Council.”
