Remember how I stopped hanging out with “Elmark”(Name changed due to Privacy Issues)? Well, today he comes up to me before class and starts talking up a storm. Unfortunately brevity wasn’t going to work here; I was waiting for class after all.
He was doing his usual odd mixed signal souffle and I was finding myself, yet again drawn in by his attractiveness(Lamia, slap me).
Anyway, J.W. comes up(A gay older gentlemen) and snaps me out of it, and I go to class thinking it over with. Wrong.
After class I needed to fill my water bottle up again. I swear that water bottle is descended from the Fountain of Fate™. He exits the class room and approaches me, asking what I have planned for the day.
Technically I was planning on going with my mom to buy lotion and facial cleansers, but forgetting that my mom wouldn’t be home the next day, I told him I wasn’t busy.
He tells me that he needs help with a homework assignment - Sure, O.K., boy needs help. I’m cool with that. Then he tells me that the paper is actually about me. He called it a “Psychology Life Management Paper”, whatever that means. Now I would feel bad not helping him. Myself convinced, I part with him to use the restroom - at this point my body is doing its usual over-reacting to emotional stimuli. (He makes me nauseous; have coughing fits; my heart pounding, the annoying descriptions go on and on.)
Anyway, when I come out of the restroom and head down the stairs, he is talking to his friend B. I am introduced to B, and no surprise, she is charismatic and sweet just like him.
I tell him I am going to meet him at the Lab. At said Computing Lab, I wait. Nine minutes later he comes through the door, B in tow. He sits down. Now he is massaging my shoulder and smiling at me smugly. B has a similar grin on her face.
“So, here is how this is going to go,” He began, still massaging my shoulder. “You’re going to write this paper - being a faster typer - for me. It’ll be like roleplaying…you’ll be you and I’ll be me…I mean, you’ll be me and I’ll be you. I’ll be showing B some stuff on the internet here - once you’re done with that, we will tackle this [gestures to second folder]together.”
The whole time B is smirking. I immediately hated her. My jaw was too stunned to fall open; it all became clear.
He knew I was gay. He knew(or figured) I was smart but socially inexperienced. Perfect prey. He actually expected me to swallow this nonsense and do his homework for him.
Then I thought of all the other times I hung out with him. The longest one in which he spoke to me involved me helping him with his homework assignment. The other two times he, 1) fell asleep and 2) left(despite having made me a sandwich. He just handed it to me.). He was using me!
I admittedly blurted out,
“No, I won’t write the paper for you- it would be unethical!”
“No, you will.” He said with that same smile; now his hand was at his side. I was trying to collect my thoughts, and ended up throwing out a bunch of random words. He ignored me and started chatting to B.
“You know what - can I use your phone?” I ask.
“Sure.” He said. He shows me how to unlock it and I dial my mom’s number.
It turns out that my mom is outside the college waiting for me; lucky break.
“Look, I got to go…my mom is outside…I wasn’t going to go to the store with her today, but she is actually outside so I have to go.”
“O.K., see you tomorrow man.”
I stand up.
“And in all honesty, I would never write a paper for you.”
“Yes, you would.” He says with a confident (but short) laugh.
“No, I wouldn’t. See you tomorrow.”
“Yeah, bye.”
“Bye B.” I say, too infuriated to say farewell to “Elmark” himself. I walk out, stomping down the stairs and sorting through my now chaotic thoughts.
Yep guys; we now understand why he was around me to begin with. It is such a relief to finally know his reasons; to finally figure out why he sent so many odd signals. On that same thimble, though, I feel embarrassed for not seeing this sooner. One of those human things.
I figured some of you might want to know; I apologise if you did not!
