Silver

ACT II Alis volas propiis - He flys by his own wings

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2019

Eckley, CO

Cameron woke up in the bathroom this time, to be exact he woke up curled up in the shower. The first thing he did was checking if the hairpin is still in his hand but of course he couldn't find it. It was just a dream and the hairpin with that not real.

But he has to figure out how to get his sleepwalking under control. Next time he could wake up in the principal's office. Or even better, in the middle of a lake. Or on a container ship to Tanzania.

The classes were pretty uneventful. He still has problems remembering the names of his teachers and classmates but at least he has Sonny to help him out. Cameron catches himself spacing out from time to time, reliving last night's dream. And then he ends up staring at Kaz who in his school uniform and with the concentrated look on his face seems so different from the Kaz his brain reproduces at night. Cameron can't see him ever being a stripper. Or a drug dealer. Maybe he should start seeing a therapist again, the nightly fantasies he's having make him feel like he is going insane.

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After the last class ends Cameron makes his way to the gym to talk to the football coach. Sonny had told him that he'd have good chances getting into the team and Cameron misses being out on the field.

The gym is quite big but empty. The warm light of the afternoon sun shines through the tall windows and illuminates the beige floor. Sounds are coming from one of the small rooms probably used for storing sports equipment.

Cameron walks towards the noise and when he enters through the door, he can see a man bend over a bunch of deflated volleyballs, looking for something.

"Excuse me Sir, are you coach Patrick?" The man gets up and turns around. He must be in his forties and has short brown hair. His body seems quite muscular and he is wearing a navy blue leisure suit. "I am. How can I help?" "My name is Cameron, I'm new here and I've heard that the school has a football team so I wanted to know if there was a chance I could join." The man's face lights up. "Have you played before?" "I've been playing at my old school for five years and I was a quarterback for the last two so I'd say yes." Cameron lets out a nervous chuckle.

He doesn't like bragging with the quarterback thing because people quickly get the wrong idea. But he is very proud of it.

"I like the sound of that. We actually could really use a new strong team member. Practice starts in 30 minutes so why don't you join today and we'll see how it goes?" That was easy. "That'd be great. Thank you." "Yeah yeah. You know where the changing rooms are? And have you been to the field yet? When you leave the gym go right and through the little wood. You think you'll find it?" "Yeah, no problem. I should get my clothes then." He raises his hand for a short wave and then makes his way to the exit. "Don't be late!"

After changing in his dorm, Cameron got Sonny to show him where the football field is. His friend then left again, saying he needs to study.

With surprise, Cameron noticed that Seth is on the team as well. He didn't expect that because although he doesn't know the guy too well, the one time they met, he didn't seem like somebody who is into team sports.

And then he started noticing how some of the other guys gave Seth weird looks or threw insults into his face, all while the coach was just watching, not interfering. Cameron would've said something because Seth didn't bother defending himself, he just kept flipping people off, but nobody really likes it when the new kid speaks up.

A loud whistle interrupts the current exercise. "Ten-minute water break!" Everybody leaves the field and Cameron jogs over to Seth who is grabbing his water bottle.

"Hey what's all this about?" He doesn't bother looking at him. "It's called football. It's a very popular yet incredibly stupid team sport." "That's not what I mean." Seth looks up and shrugs his shoulders. Strands of dark sweaty hair fall into his eyes. "Then what do you mean? I can't read your thoughts, dude." Cameron sighs. "The bullying. Why are some such asses?"

An emotionless short laugh leaves Seth's throat. "They are too brain dead to be bullies. That's just them being homophobic Christian cunts." Cameron's eyes widen. "Are you gay?" Seth narrows his eyes. "Does it matter?" "No, no! I just...you're right. It doesn't matter." Seth turns away and leans against a tree. An awkward silence develops. At least to Cameron it's awkward.

"Exactly. It doesn't fucking matter. But one day one of these cunts put out the rumor that I'm gay and now they are on my back all the time. Even if I was, it's none of their business. Never was and never will be." "I get that." "Oh really, do you?" Cameron scratches his neck. Should he tell him? Fuck it, why not. He clears his throat.

"Yeah, I mean it's not the exact same for me. I am gay. But it still sounds weird saying it out loud." Seth looks at him for a while before replying. "Be careful with who you decide to tell that. Some people, as you've noticed yourself, are assholes. It's easy to say that you don't care what they think or talk behind your back. But in reality, it still hurts."

Cameron painfully remembers the last school year. He already went through the bullying and loss of friends. He doesn't need that to happen again.

"Well, you won't use it against me. I hope. And I've known Sonny for years so I'm not worried about him either. And I don't really plan on making any more friends." "You think we're friends?" Cameron grins. "I mean why not? If you want to of course." Seth doesn't reply anything to that so Cameron just takes his silence as a yes.

"You could get together with Kaz." "W-what? Kaz?" Cameron feels the blood rushing into his cheeks. "You always stare at him. And now that I know that you're gay, I with my smart brain came to the conclusion that you have a crush on him. You're lucky that he hasn't noticed yet." Is it really that obvious? Cameron should be more careful.

"And...why do you think I could get together with him?" "He's closeted. Obviously. You're hot. I guess. The amount of time he sits around in the library he has to be single. So why not?" "Wait, what do you mean he's closeted? How do you-"

"Break is over, back onto the field!" Everyone puts their water bottle down but Seth holds Cameron back. "As far as I know he's really into basketball. There's a game on Saturday and a party at some other guy's place afterward. Kaz will probably be there. So you should be there as well."

Without waiting for a response he walks away. Cameron's eyes follow him. Why is he trying to help him? "Cameron, come on!"

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When he enters his room, Sonny is sitting on his bed, grinning, as if he had been waiting for his friend. Cameron raises both eyebrows. "What?" Sonny gets up and slowly walks closer. "So, is this from your ex or do you have a girlfriend you didn't tell me about?" "What do you-" Sonny raises his hand.

And there it is. Between his thumb and his index finger, he is holding the silver sparkly hairpin.

"Hey give that to me!" "Sorry I-" Cameron rips it from his hand and then closes his fist. "Where did you find that?" "It was on your bedside table. Dude I'm sorry, I didn't know...I..." "It's fine just don't touch it again, okay?" His tone is harsher than intended but he doesn't really care, his heart is beating quickly. Way too fast. "Okay. Sorry dude."

What is going on? It was a dream so how can the hairpin actually exist? Did somebody know about it and tried to prank him? Did he talk in his sleep and Sonny overheard it? He turns around and walks towards his bed. Cameron looks closer at the pin. It's simply plastic with fake stones. But then his eyes notice something. A single red curly hair.

His breath gets stuck in his throat. And then he sees it all again. The club, the dancers, Kaz handing him a glass of pink lemonade.

If the hairpin is a prank, then where did the hair come from?