"Uhhhh..."

  I toss and turn in bed, my thoughts swarming with my mother's screams the moment I open the door. The two words that come out of her mouth still cut deep into my brain like a knife. Have the two five-letter words I've dreaded my whole life finally been said?

  No! It is a dream, a bad dream—it has to be! Isn't it? I don't know anymore. Everything feels both dreamlike and real at the same time.

  Suddenly, I let out a terrified gasp as my eyes pop open at the loud sound of a man's voice coming from down the hall. As I hesitantly sit up, I'm hit with a sudden flash of nausea. God, I feel so awful. What is the matter with me?

  I force myself to my feet and shuffle down the hall to the kitchen, where I see my mom preparing breakfast. A gruff male voice booms from the radio that sits on the counter next to my mom.

  "Parents are asked to guide their children firmly in matters of conduct," the news announcer begins. "In difficult times, there is no room for shameful behavior."

  "Amen," my mom mutters under her breath.

  I hesitate for a moment, but then finally find the courage to approach her.

  "Mom?" I ask.

  She pretends not to hear me, and instead has her head turned to the boiling pot of hot water she uses to make Kasza Manna for breakfast.

  "Mom," I say again, slightly louder than before.

  Nothing.

  I stand in silence as my mom rushes past me as if I were a ghost. Tears start to fill my eyes, and without a word, I leave the kitchen to sit idly by the dining table as I nervously rest my hands on my lap and wait for breakfast to be done.

  I wait.

  And wait.

  And wait until I notice the sound of the radio slowly fading. It's become clear to me that my mom isn't cooking in the kitchen anymore. She's in her room, enjoying the breakfast she made for herself, and she isn't going to get me anything.

  That's fine. I can manage without anyway.

  I pull away from the table and begin getting myself ready for school. I don't want to go to school today, but since Gabriel and I worked so hard on my homework yesterday, I might as well return it.

  I drag myself to the kitchen sink, where I lean over and splash my face in ice-cold water. As I dry myself with a towel, I hear my stomach growl viciously.

  I haven't eaten since yesterday afternoon, when Gabriel and I had a slice of bread for a snack to make us last until... until Christmas dinner.

  I tightly squeeze my hands around my stomach to prevent it from growling so much when suddenly, my eyes widen at the sight of a leftover bowl of already prepared Kasza sitting on a corner of the counter.

  I look around, puzzled, then slowly walk over to the counter. Despite how angry my mom is at me, she couldn't let me starve.

  I grab a spoon and shamefully force every last bite into my mouth as if someone might take it from me, while still appreciating the warm, sweet flavor as I rush through breakfast and run to school.

  By the time I arrive with my assignments in hand, almost everyone is already seated in class, waiting for Mrs. Majewska to show up. As I stand stiffly by the entrance, Gabriel looks up at me from his seat and gives a warm smile.

  I awkwardly smile back and begin to walk through the desks in search of an empty seat, for the one I usually pick is taken.

  I walk past Gabriel when suddenly, I hear him whisper, "Psst! Daniel! Over here!"

  I turn to see him motioning me over to a chair next to him.

  "But that's Wanda's!" I whisper back.

  "Huh? No, no, it's fine, I'm sure she won't mind!"

  I turn toward the entrance to make sure Wanda wasn't just now coming in, and reluctantly steal her seat.

  Everyone sits in silence as we wait for our teacher to arrive, except for a few whispers and giggles being exchanged between a couple of students in the last row.

  I shudder to think what may be keeping Mrs. Majewska after her little visit last night.

  I slowly glance over at Gabriel, whose elbows rest upon the wooden table as he holds up a history book that seems to be keeping him occupied. As I observe his stance, I notice what appears to be a severe bruise on the side of his neck.

  "Gabriel..." I say in alarm.

  "Huh?" Gabriel asks, annoyed, his book still up to his face.

  I reach out my hand and gently touch his neck as my fingertips trace the large, dark mark that could first be mistaken as a shadow.

  "What happened to you??" I ask in concern.

  Gabriel shrugs, then snaps, "Nothing! Just—just lay off of me, will ya?"

  My heart comes to an abrupt stop as I sit paralyzed by his words.

  After a moment or two of silence, I feel my hands drop slowly from his neck and onto my lap, where I tuck them under my legs.

  Just then, Wanda rushes into the classroom, carrying several books in her arms as she makes her way toward her seat—the seat I'm sitting in.

  She walks up to me with a mean glare and says, "Oh, Daniel. This is... a surprise."

  She glances over at Gabriel and then back at me. "Um, may I ask what you're doing in my chair?"

  "I can leave," I quickly respond, pulling myself up.

  "No, no, it's fine! Sit back down!" Gabriel insists.

  Wanda sighs and walks over to the girl sitting on the opposite side of Gabriel.

  "Josephine," Wanda begins, annoyed, looking through the girl's round glasses into her dark brown eyes. "May I please borrow your chair?"

  "Oh, why, yes, of course!" Josephine says with wide eyes and a warm smile as she rises from her seat to find another.

  Wanda expresses her gratitude as she takes Josephine's seat and cuddles up next to Gabriel's shoulder. I can tell by the expression on his face that he is uncomfortable.

  I sigh and reluctantly plop myself back down.

  After a while, I hear Wanda cry, "Gabriel, darling! Whatever happened to your neck??"

  I look down at my desk.

  Suddenly, everyone's muffled voices are nothing more than a distant echo, including... including Gabriel's. Tears start to drip from my cheeks onto the surface of my desk.

  What is the matter with me?!

  I quickly wipe away the tears as I cover my face in shame. I recall the blurry image of the boy Gabriel gives me away to, as the whole event comes back to me. Everything makes sense now...

  Gabriel gave me away to someone else in fear that I might fall for him. How hopelessly naive of me to ever imagine us together...

  For I am not the one.

  My bubble of thoughts bursts the moment Mrs. Majewska finally enters the classroom.

  "Good morning, class," she greets. "I trust everyone had a pleasant holiday this year?"

  The class shyly nods, probably out of embarrassment to say otherwise.

  "Well, I'm glad."

  Mrs. Majewska then looks over at Gabriel, who is now sitting between Wanda and me in the third row.

  "Um," Mrs. Majewska nervously begins, barely even whispering, "Gabriel?"

  Gabriel, whose book is still covering half of his face, clearly didn't hear Mrs. Majewska address him and carries on with his reading.

  Mrs. Majewska clears her throat and once again asks for him, this time slightly louder than before.

  "Gabriel?"

  Gabriel finally looks up from his book.

  "What?" he asks, very much bothered.

  "Well, I—I just wanted to tell you," Mrs. Majewska begins, stumbling over her words like a schoolgirl, "I was walking by some shops the other day when I laid my eyes upon the most darling pocket watch through a glass display, and I said to myself, 'Well, why not? It's—it's just a little something.'"

  She pauses for a second as she glances down at a very enthusiastic Gabriel.

  "Um, would you like to see it...?"

  Gabriel shrugs.

  Mrs. Majewska reaches into her purse and pulls out a white-cased pocket watch attached to a stylish, flowing silver chain. The class gasps in awe.

  I watch as Mrs. Majewska approaches Gabriel and tenderly lays the watch inside his left vest pocket, attaching the silver chain through the vest buttonhole.

  If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

  Gabriel raises an eyebrow as he looks down at the chain draping across the front of his vest.

  Mrs. Majewska smiles lovingly and says, "Oh, Gabriel... You look like such a proper gentleman."

  Everyone turns to gawk and stare at Gabriel. As if he wasn't already the center of attention, he most certainly is now.

  As soon as class ends, the students rush over to the Sala Jadalna, as usual. To the students here, the Sala Jadalna is more than a dining hall—it serves as an escape from studying and a place of freedom.

  I am the last to walk into the Sala Jadalna, and suddenly, I realize I forgot to pack anything for lunch. It hardly matters, though. All I would have packed would have been a slice of bread.

  I stand by the entrance, pondering whether I should even enter, when Gabriel runs to me in excitement.

  "Daniel! Guess what?"

  "What?" I ask.

  "Wanda left early today!"

  I arch my eyebrow. "Um... okay?"

  "Well, isn't that wonderful?" Gabriel cheerfully remarks with wide eyes. "Now, we can spend the rest of the day however we please without her constantly nagging us."

  "'Us?'"

  "Well, yeah, I—I mean, if you're cool with it, that is."

  I smile. "Of course."

  "Splendid!" Gabriel exclaims.

  He looks down and notices my empty hands and asks, "Didn't you bring anything?"

  I shake my head.

  "You know what, don't even worry about it, you can share what I've got. It's not much, just an egg, really, but..."

  He pauses as his eyes fall to mine.

  "What do you say?" he asks, in nothing more than a whisper.

  "I'd like that," I answer with a gentle smile.

  Gabriel then grabs my hand and leads me through the dining hall as we walk past a group of three loud boys chatting by their table.

  As Gabriel continues to lead me over to his usual spot, we overhear one of the boys shout from behind us, "Oi, Gabriel—want us to call her mama or miss?"

  Gabriel pauses.

  "Maybe if we all smiled pretty enough, she'd buy us trash to go in our pockets too!" one of the boys snorts.

  I can tell by the way he flinches that Gabriel is getting triggered, so I clasp my hand tightly around his.

  "Gabriel," I say gently, pointing to an empty table on the opposite side of the room.

  Just then, the boys' voices turn to murmurs.

  "Careful, teacher's precious little pet will go crying to her if we all but look at him the wrong way!"

  Gabriel jerks toward their faces, and before I can stop him, he approaches the boys, who are sitting on the bench of their table.

  "I dare you to say that again to my face!" Gabriel shouts.

  I recognize the boy sitting in the middle as Roman, who's around the same age as Gabriel, with tan skin and dark, messy hair. He looks up at Gabriel and smirks.

  "I dare," he says. "I said, we best be careful, lest the teacher's precious little pet will go crying to his daring mama if we all but look at him the wrong way!"

  Gabriel scoffs.

  "Come on, Gabriel, let's just go," I say with a fake laugh to ease the tension.

  As if he pretends not to hear me, Gabriel leans across the table to get in the boy's face and sneers, "If admiration looks like favoritism to you, perhaps that explains why you've never experienced either."

  While Gabriel faces Roman, one of the boys reaches into his pocket and takes his watch.

  "Hey! Give it back!" Gabriel yells as the boy quickly rises from his seat to hide behind Roman.

  "Oh, but of course," Roman teases, as he grabs the watch from his lackey and tosses it to the third boy across the table.

  "You want your worthless trinket so bad? You must be willing to earn it like the rest of us, instead of it being given to you on a silver platter!"

  Gabriel clenches his fist and mutters, "You know nothing of what I go through."

  "G-Gabriel, let's just go!" I say, desperately tugging at his sleeve, before things escalate for the worse.

  Once again, I am ignored.

  "Alright, alright," Gabriel begins, smacking his lips as he plays along with their little game. "How do I 'earn' my watch back?"

  The boy laughs. "The way every hard-working man does, which is, to say, you must be willing to suffer for it! Although I bet you won't last five minutes against what I have in mind."

  Gabriel smirks. "Try me."

  The boy leans forward and whispers, "I dare you to swim in the freezing lake for two whole hours..."

  We wait in suspense as he finishes the sentence.

  "...naked!"

  The boys burst into laughter.

  "I dare," Gabriel boldly responds.

  I groan.

  "Gabriel, ignore them, let's just go already!"

  "But my watch—"

  "Forget the watch, it's not worth it!"

  Gabriel hesitates for a moment.

  "Please!" I beg with pleading eyes. "Don't do this!"

  After a moment of silence, Gabriel slowly looks up at Roman and gives him the nod of approval.

  Roman smiles. "I knew you'd come around."

  Roman leads us, along with his two henchmen dragging behind, outside the schoolhouse and through the outskirts of town, away from all of the busy streets, until we reach an empty, peaceful, snow-covered meadow dotted with trees, by a large lake full of deep, tranquil water.

  This spot is especially popular among swimmers during the summertime. However, no one has ever dared swim in its ice-cold water in the winter.

  However, no one has ever dared swim in its ice-cold water in the winter.

  That is, until now...

  I inhale deeply and take a long sigh, when suddenly, I feel myself relaxing to the playful tune of birds singing in their nests, and the whistling sound of wind rushing across the water. It's almost as if nature itself is trying to reassure me.

  Abruptly, Roman breaks the peace as he points toward the lake, and my sense of dread returns.

  My jaw drops as I see Gabriel approach the lake and slowly strip off his clothes, revealing his gorgeous, masculine structure. Without any hesitation, he jumps into the ice-cold water as I cry out, "No!" but before I can run up to him, the two boys grab me by my arms to prevent me from interfering.

  "Now," Roman begins, looking over Gabriel's watch, "Let us see if this thing actually works."

  After observing the time, he gazes across the meadow at Gabriel and shouts, "Might as well get used to the cold, sonny, 'cause you ain't going nowhere anytime soon!"

  He then turns to the boys holding me back.

  "Well," he begins, exhaling as he sits himself down on the snowy grass. "Might as well get comfortable."

  As the slow minutes tick by, each one feels like a small eternity of endless anxiety over Gabriel's well-being.

  We all watch from a distance, sitting in the snow, as Gabriel swims naked in the freezing water.

  I feel like I'm about to get sick. If only there were something I could do! I can't stand watching Gabriel suffer like this!

  However, as I gaze into Gabriel's squinted eyes, his expression is not that of suffering, but rather... shame.

  Roman checks the watch, and after waiting for exactly two hours, he rises from the ground and looks down at me, with his two buddies still holding tight to me, and says reluctantly, "You're free to go."

  The second the boys get their hands off me, I run as fast as I can through the field until I reach Gabriel.

  "Gabriel!" I cry out as he climbs out of the water, frostbitten. "Oh, Gabriel!"

  I run up to him to hug him and to provide warmth from my clothes.

  Roman and the two other boys stand upon a mound of snow across from us.

  "I've kept my end of the bargain!" Gabriel shouts. "Now it's time to honor yours!"

  "Meh," Roman shrugs. "This was far more boring than I had hoped it would be, and for that, you'll get nothing."

  Roman and the other boys laugh down the hill back to town.

  Gabriel's eyes fill with rage, and he tries to rush past me toward Roman, as I struggle to keep him calm.

  "Gabriel, Gabriel," I say gently, acting as a barrier between him and the boy he wants to kill.

  "You worthless, lying, cowardly, jealous, piece of filth!" Gabriel shouts out, still trying to make his way around me.

  "Gabriel, look at me."

  "You only hate me because I'm chosen—and you always will be! Because no one looks at you twice unless they're—"

  "LOOK AT ME!!" I scream, having had enough.

  Gabriel immediately falls silent, looking down at me with big, round eyes filled with fear.

  "Pup..." he mutters under his breath.

  "You ruined our whole evening by going on some wild goose chase trying to win something back that you didn't even want, when I pleaded with you not to!" I protest.

  "And for what? All you accomplished was making a fool of yourself and a good chance of catching a cold!"

  "No, no, I feel fine!" Gabriel reassures me.

  "It's all about you, isn't it?!" I yell in outrage, fighting back tears.

  "You do these things without one thought or care about how it affects the people around you! Do you have any idea how concerned I was for you that I didn't even care to notice the bruises on my own hands left by the two that were clinging onto me for TWO HOURS?!"

  Gabriel remains silent as I pause for a brief second, then go on to ask, "This was never about the watch... was it?"

  We stand face to face with tears streaming down our eyes.

  "No... You did this out of your own self-esteem and insecurity, that you couldn't bear the thought of losing to someone lesser than you."

  "T-that's not true, I swear!" Gabriel cries.

  "Then what is?!" I shout.

  "The truth... the truth is... I couldn't bear the thought of you thinking any less of me!"

  I dart back at his words.

  "W-what?" I ask with wide eyes.

  "I did it... because I didn't want you to think any less of me."

  We stand in silence with the cool breeze rushing through our hair.

  "Well," I say as I turn my back to him, wiping away my tears. "What I think clearly isn't worth much."

  As I walk away, Gabriel yells, "Daniel! Wait! Look, I'm a jerk! I'm a complete jerk! And I know there's nothing I can do to make up for what I did, other than saying... I'm sorry. And I won't blame you if you never forgive me, so you might as well just go..."

  I turn to face him.

  "Gabriel..." I say, choking on my tears as I slowly walk toward him.

  "That's all I wanted to hear from you," I say with a weak smile through all of my tears. "Of course I forgive you."

  "You do?!" Gabriel's eyes widen in shock.

  I laugh. "Of course."

  My gaze turns to the pile of clothes lying upon the ground.

  "Oh!" I exclaim as I rush over to gather the clothing and hand it back to Gabriel, whose arms are wrapped around his chest for warmth.

  Gabriel quickly changes into his warm clothes, and we start our long walk back to town before it gets dark.

  Upon returning to town, Gabriel motions for me to follow him, leading me through an overgrown churchyard buried in layers of snow and surrounded by tall dead trees.

  This church has been abandoned for as long as I can remember. Why would Gabriel take me here, of all places?

  As he lures me inside, the smell of damp limestone and old wood fills the air.

  He then takes my hand as he guides me up the worn, uneven steps of the narrow staircase, which slightly curves around the tower, the cold stone biting through my shoes, until we finally reach the top.

  We duck our heads as we climb the last step to avoid hitting the large, rusty bell that looks as if it hasn't been used in centuries.

  Gabriel walks ahead as I stop to admire the breathtaking view overlooking the entire town in the midst of the bright orange sunset.

  "Wow..." I say, glancing around the tower. "I've never been up here."

  Gabriel sits on the stone ledge, legs swinging over the town, and lights a cigarette as I plop myself down beside him.

  "Really?" he asks skeptically. "You've lived here this long, and you've never thought to climb the haunted, abandoned church at the edge of town?"

  I laugh.

  "Well, of course I've always known of its existence, but... I just... never went out much. That is, until I met you."

  I pause for a second, then begin, "When I was little, my mom and grandmother would get into these huge arguments, as they often still do, and I wanted nothing more than to run away from all of the screaming and misery, and hide out at the 'haunted, abandoned church' so no one would find me."

  "Oh, yeah?" Gabriel laughs. "What stopped you?"

  "The same thing that would stop any frightened kid. I was scared."

  "Aw, nah, fear's like... like an annoying ringing in your ear," Gabriel explains. "If you learn to ignore it, it will pass without you even noticing."

  "But what if the ringing is serious?"

  Gabriel sighs and leans over to me.

  "Look," he begins, "There's nothing I wouldn't do if my gut told me it's right. There are times when I mess up, and when that happens, I know not to do it again. If fear held me back, I wouldn't be able to tell wrong from right."

  I smile.

  "Spoken like a true philosopher," I tease, playfully pushing him away from me.

  Gabriel laughs. "I try."

  We sit side by side for the rest of the evening talking, playing, and laughing together underneath the vibrant, orange, crimson sky.

  I glance over at Gabriel and notice him shaking uncontrollably. He's been shaking ever since he got out of the water, and I had thought it would surely pass after a few hours, but it's only getting worse.

  Despite the fear of getting lashed out at again, I ask gently, "Are you okay?"

  Gabriel shrugs, rubbing his hands together. "Eh, I think the cold must have got to me..."

  "Here. Let me help."

  I lean closer to him and snuggle up against his shoulder, providing body heat for us both.

  Gabriel snickers and begins, "You know, I've never been seen bare in front of anyone before. It was... new to me."

  "Really?" I ask. "But you acted so calm."

  "Maybe I'm just good at hiding it," Gabriel responds.

  "Well... I think you're beautiful," I say with a smile.

  Gabriel nervously laughs and slowly turns his head as we now gaze into each other's eyes.

  Gabriel's smile darkens into something more serious, and suddenly, scoots down the ledge away from me.

  "Oh, um, I just remembered," he begins as he pulls himself up, "Wanda and I have a date tonight."

  "Oh..." I mumble.

  "Yes, well, I'd best hurry along lest I miss our date. We wouldn't want that to happen, after all. See you, pup!"

  He lightly grinds his knuckles against my head in a playful gesture as he walks past me and down the stairs, leaving me all alone on the tower with static-charged hair.

  The comforting warmth of the setting sun beaming through me now turns to a cold breeze as the sun slowly disappears into the horizon.

  Before I know it, tears are dripping from my eyes onto my cheeks.

  I'm never going to be good enough for him, no matter how much I try. I'm only a boy, after all... and Wanda... Wanda's everything a man could ever dream of. Every man but me, apparently.

  I gaze down at the long drop from the church tower to the ground, when suddenly, I feel myself sliding off the edge.

  I immediately pull myself back.

  "What is wrong with me?" I say to myself, tears streaming down my face.

  I dart down the stairs and walk back home in the midst of twilight.