The Race to Form

                                    

                                          


"Why does he walk down the hallways like he's so proud of himself?"
"He's such a gay loser."
"His hair looks like a bird's nest today."
Charlie walked out of geometry class, trying to tune out the usual comments that today brought him. It was the rugby guys again, but Nick was nowhere to be found. He fiddled with his hair, suddenly feeling self-conscious. 
He already wasn't having the best day - he overslept by almost 20 minutes, and his classes so far were much more boring than they normally were, so his hopes were down for the rest of the day. With a quick look up, he concluded that there were no teachers stalking the halls, so he pulled out his phone, swiftly checking his notifications.
He smiled when he saw a message from Nick. 
Nick: you excited for form? its 4th period today :)
He quickly typed a message back.
Charlie: im not excited about form, but I'm excited to see you <3
Someone snickered from the hallway, putting their foot out and almost tripping Charlie. He ignored it, waiting in anticipation as Nick typed.
Nick: me too. Want to sit with me at lunch?
Charlie: i promised Tao I would sit with him, but you can join us!
Nick: sounds good!
Charlie put his phone back in his pocket, walking faster to biology now that he was done texting. When he arrived, he slumped into his seat. Biology was his least favourite class he was taking this semester, mostly because his teacher, Mr. Peters, was a typical old homophobe with no personality. Even though he got good grades, Mr. Peters would always get Charlie in trouble for seemingly no reason.
"Today, we will start a lesson on infections in mammals and amphibians," the teacher said in his monotone voice. 
Charlie sighed, slumping down into his desk.
___
After the period was done, Charlie was the first to stand up and leave the classroom. Forms was about a five-minute walk from the biology classroom, and he needed to get there on time. At least, that was what he would say if someone asked him why he was running through the halls. In reality, he was trying to get there before Nick, because they had established a sort of competition about who could arrive at the class first. 
Many people stared as he ran, but he didn't mind. Everyone was staring at him anyway, so it didn't matter the reason. Lately, Charlie was caring less and less about what other people thought, instead just doing what made him happy, because in the end that was all that really mattered in life.
When he arrived, Nick was sitting at their shared desk, staring at Charlie dreamily, but also with a cunning smirk.
"Looks like I won today."
"My biology class is on the other side of the school," Charlie replied, catching his breath, and finally looking up at Nick.  
His hair looked perfect as always, and today his reddish-brown freckles were showing up really nicely on his skin.
"That's not a good enough excuse, Charlie," Nick said with a grin.
He looked down and rolled his eyes, then gazed back up at Nick. Charlie knew Nick wanted to kiss him—he could see it in his face, but Nick wasn't out yet, and that wasn't something they just went around doing. 
Nick looked around carefully, moving a bit in his seat, then he reached under the table and grabbed Charlie's hand, squeezing it briefly, then letting it go, flashing him an apologetic smile.
He smiled back, and then turned as the teacher walked in. The class fell silent, and the lesson started. 
Form was the most boring class in existence, but Nick Nelson made it bearable.