It happened all in a flash, Gregory's lips were on his, and in the next second he had summoned the strength to push the bully hard enough to reach the ground.
"Oh shit!" Gregory lamented the moment his body made contact with the floor, his voice no longer like what it was a few seconds ago. Now it sounded exactly like the bully Damian used to know.
"YOU FUCKING FAG!!!" Gregory screamed out as he rushed at the still stunned Damian. "You're fucking spreading your poison everywhere, I'll kill you!" He threatened with raised arms that were ready to descend at any moment.
"Get away from him." Another familiar voice came to Damian's rescue, its owner shoving Gregory hard enough to make him back away.
"Ethan…?" Damian breathed as he recognized the figure that had just come to his rescue. "W…What are you doing here…?"
"I was invited, as the new kid it's easy to get invited to these kinds of things." Ethan explained as he assessed Damian thoroughly. "What's up with you though? What's going on with you and that dude, Gregory?"
Damian froze for a second, memories from a minute ago pouring back into his head. Had Gregory Murphy really just tried to kiss him or was it all in his head? No, it hadn't been in his head, he would never imagine something as disgusting as that. It had really happened, Gregory had really tried to kiss him.
But Damian wasn't sure if he should tell Ethan about that. He absolutely despised Gregory, but he was humane enough to not out someone who was definitely still in denial about what he was.
"It's normal Gregory, always looking for a fight somewhere." Damian shrugged it off with a smile. "I'm fine, so there's nothing to worry about."
Ethan wasn't exactly convinced, but he didn't press further. If Damian wasn't comfortable with telling him the truth, then he wouldn't bother, besides they had barely known each other for a day.
"You came alone? What about your friend...."
"Amanda? She's not here." Damian finished shyly. "I was with the upper-classman from the track team. I can't seem to find him anymore though…"
"Zayn Hale? He's making out with a chick at the back, I can show you if you want…"
Damian felt his heart shatter. He had no idea why those words hurt the way they did, but they did anyway. He tried to keep his face neutral, but the crack must have shown anyway because Ethan's expression softened instantly.
"Hey," Ethan said gently, stepping closer. "You okay?"
Damian forced a laugh that sounded hollow even to his own ears. "Yeah. Fine. Just… surprised, I guess." He looked away, toward the flickering orange glow of the bonfire, anywhere but Ethan's searching eyes. "I thought… Never mind. It's stupid."
"It's not stupid." Ethan's voice was quiet, steady. "You like him, don't you?"
Damian didn't answer. He didn't have to, and he didn't want to appear like an obsessed freak to Ethan. How did Ethan even know? Had it been too obvious? Or had they already told Ethan about him already? It didn't matter though, not saying anything was probably the best thing to do for now.
Ethan exhaled slowly. "I saw him earlier just around the back, I think her name's Mia or Maya or something. They were pretty wrapped up. I didn't want to interrupt, but… yeah. That's where he is."
Damian nodded once, swallowing the lump in his throat. Of course. Zayn was popular, gorgeous, straight-passing in every way that mattered at Redwood High. Damian had let himself hope, foolishly, dangerously, because of one rose, one smile, one ticket. But hope was a fragile thing, and tonight it had just been crushed under someone else's lips.
He wrapped his arms around himself, suddenly cold despite the fire roaring twenty feet away.
"Thanks for telling me," he said quietly. "And… thanks for earlier. With Gregory."
Ethan studied him for a long moment. "You sure you don't want to talk about what really happened back there?"
Damian shook his head. "Not tonight."
"Fair enough." Ethan glanced over his shoulder toward the crowd, then back at Damian. "You wanna get out of here? We can grab something from the cooler, sit somewhere quieter. Or I can walk you to the parking lot if you're ready to bounce."
Damian hesitated. Part of him wanted to run back home, lie under the covers, and pretend none of this night had happened. But another part, smaller and stubborn, refused to let Gregory or Zayn ruin the entire evening.
"Let's… stay for a bit," he decided. "But not near the fire. Too many people."
Ethan nodded. "Cool...there's a space just before the parking lot. There's not many people there."
Damain nodded, and Ethan immediately led the way. "First bonfire at a new school and I end up playing bodyguard. Not bad for day one." He joked, hoping to clear the tension that was clearly hanging around them.
Damian huffed a small laugh. "You didn't have to do that."
"Yeah, I did." Ethan turned his head, meeting Damian's eyes. "I don't like bullies. I had to change schools because of them, so if I see someone in a similar situation like I used to, I'm going to help."
"You were bullied?" Damian asked in a rather surprised tone.
"Yeah, a lot too." Ethan replied before taking a sip out of his soda.
"It's kinda hard to believe. I mean what could you possibly be bullied for? You're like…perfect…"
Ethan chuckled mildly, took another sip before finally speaking. "My skin color. I'm not fully black or Caucasian, and back where I'm from, it's difficult being mixed. You never fully belong to any group. So yeah, that's it. I'm hoping Redwood would be better."
"I'm sure it will." Damian answered with a smile. He had no idea someone like Ethan could ever be bullied, he wouldn't have guessed it right in a thousand years. He felt bad for being a little insensitive, but it didn't seem like Ethan minded even a little.
"You should try to be lively a bit, it helps a lot more than you know. No one really likes the overly quiet nerdy kid."
"Maybe you can help me be a little bit more lively…" Damian returned with a smile, one that Ethan mirrored.
"Sure, if that's what it'll take to stop you from getting bullied, then it's no problem."
"I highly doubt it'll stop the bullying, but I'm willing to try." Damian replied. Ethan nodded in agreement, and all Damian could do was smile. He was happy, a little. His night hadn't been completely ruined, and he was glad he chose to stay. Ethan was a great person, a great friend, and he was willing to see where this new friendship takes him.