Pubes in 5th grade (short one-shot)
Dave bent down to tie his shoe and noticed a tiny hole in the toe of his shoe. Great, he thought, I gotta tell my mom I need another pair.
“Hurry to class, now, David.” His homeroom teacher called to him.
“Ok, Mrs. Fielding.” Dave was trying his best to adjust to middle school. It was so different, always changing classes and that meant more stuff to remember. Dave sometimes felt like he couldn’t keep up. But it was cool he had his friends and he wanted to think that they were maybe struggling a little bit too.
Dave made his way to the gymnasium and through the boys locker room doors. He waved to his buddies and tossed his back pack in his locker. He kicked off his shoes and started to undress. Slipping down his jeans, the waistband of his underwear caught too and they slipped down a little, almost exposing his penis. That would not be good, Dave thought to himself.
Wait a minute. What was this stuff. Dave looked down at the area below his tummy. There was like dark curly hairs starting to show up. I know that’s wasn’t there last week, Dave thought. Where did that come from?
Just then his good buddy Finn walked up and took the locker next to him. “Hey Dave. What’s up.”
Dave was still looking down at his lower belly, “Hey man, look.”
Finn burst out laughing. “Dude!!! You got pubes!! Hey everybody, Davey has pubes!” Other boys circled around as panic spread across David’s face.
“Haha, that’s gay.” One boy shouted.
“No one wants to see your peepee, Davey.” Another called.
“Are you a homo, Dave, geez, keep it in your pants.” Someone laughed.
Dave began to boil inside. He was confused and angry. He looked to his friend, Finn who just stood there laughing with the rest of the boys. “That’s funny, man, you wanna show off your pubes. You’re gay.”
Dave slammed his fist into his locker and shouted, “No I’m not. You are! You’re the one looking!! Shut up, Finn!”
The crowd of boys, still chuckling, dissipated and David and Finn finished getting dressed for gym in silence.
But Dave couldn’t forget how that felt. He was angry and he wanted to hurt Finn. He thought they were friends. But friends are supposed to hurt each other’s feelings.
Finn was no longer his friend.
From around the corner, Kurt overheard what had just happened. His heart hurt for the big kid who just got teased. Kurt has already received his share of teasing, not for being more developed but the opposite, being small. He tried to ignore the constant comments about being girly and the mean names the other boys hurled at him. He pretended it didn’t hurt. But it did, really bad. And he knew exactly how that Dave kid felt.
Kurt walked quietly to the edge of his row of lockers and looked towards where the commotion had been. David was pulling his t-shirt over his chest and shutting his locker. He looked to where Kurt was standing.
Kurt attempted a friendly smile. Dave almost smiled back but stopped. His eyebrows furrowed and he glanced back at Finn.
His eyes locking on Kurt he shouted, “Stop staring at me, Homo.”
Kurt ducked back around the corner and held his breath. Shucks, he thought, he was hoping he could make a new friend. Someone who knew what it felt like to be teased. But that wouldn’t happen now. Dave wasn’t about to be his friend now.
Dave continued staring at the spot where that little kid had been standing. There was something about his face, something in his eyes. Dave could still see them even though he wasn’t looking into them anymore. A feeling of something he’d never felt before began in the pit of his stomach. He was confused, trying to figure out what the feeling was when he heard the coach’s whistle blow.
Nevermind, doesn’t matter, he thought as he walked with the rest of the boys out into the gym. Staring at boys meant one thing, that’s you’re gay. And I’m not gay, David heard the words echo in his mind. I’m not gay.
“Hurry to class, now, David.” His homeroom teacher called to him.
“Ok, Mrs. Fielding.” Dave was trying his best to adjust to middle school. It was so different, always changing classes and that meant more stuff to remember. Dave sometimes felt like he couldn’t keep up. But it was cool he had his friends and he wanted to think that they were maybe struggling a little bit too.
Dave made his way to the gymnasium and through the boys locker room doors. He waved to his buddies and tossed his back pack in his locker. He kicked off his shoes and started to undress. Slipping down his jeans, the waistband of his underwear caught too and they slipped down a little, almost exposing his penis. That would not be good, Dave thought to himself.
Wait a minute. What was this stuff. Dave looked down at the area below his tummy. There was like dark curly hairs starting to show up. I know that’s wasn’t there last week, Dave thought. Where did that come from?
Just then his good buddy Finn walked up and took the locker next to him. “Hey Dave. What’s up.”
Dave was still looking down at his lower belly, “Hey man, look.”
Finn burst out laughing. “Dude!!! You got pubes!! Hey everybody, Davey has pubes!” Other boys circled around as panic spread across David’s face.
“Haha, that’s gay.” One boy shouted.
“No one wants to see your peepee, Davey.” Another called.
“Are you a homo, Dave, geez, keep it in your pants.” Someone laughed.
Dave began to boil inside. He was confused and angry. He looked to his friend, Finn who just stood there laughing with the rest of the boys. “That’s funny, man, you wanna show off your pubes. You’re gay.”
Dave slammed his fist into his locker and shouted, “No I’m not. You are! You’re the one looking!! Shut up, Finn!”
The crowd of boys, still chuckling, dissipated and David and Finn finished getting dressed for gym in silence.
But Dave couldn’t forget how that felt. He was angry and he wanted to hurt Finn. He thought they were friends. But friends are supposed to hurt each other’s feelings.
Finn was no longer his friend.
From around the corner, Kurt overheard what had just happened. His heart hurt for the big kid who just got teased. Kurt has already received his share of teasing, not for being more developed but the opposite, being small. He tried to ignore the constant comments about being girly and the mean names the other boys hurled at him. He pretended it didn’t hurt. But it did, really bad. And he knew exactly how that Dave kid felt.
Kurt walked quietly to the edge of his row of lockers and looked towards where the commotion had been. David was pulling his t-shirt over his chest and shutting his locker. He looked to where Kurt was standing.
Kurt attempted a friendly smile. Dave almost smiled back but stopped. His eyebrows furrowed and he glanced back at Finn.
His eyes locking on Kurt he shouted, “Stop staring at me, Homo.”
Kurt ducked back around the corner and held his breath. Shucks, he thought, he was hoping he could make a new friend. Someone who knew what it felt like to be teased. But that wouldn’t happen now. Dave wasn’t about to be his friend now.
Dave continued staring at the spot where that little kid had been standing. There was something about his face, something in his eyes. Dave could still see them even though he wasn’t looking into them anymore. A feeling of something he’d never felt before began in the pit of his stomach. He was confused, trying to figure out what the feeling was when he heard the coach’s whistle blow.
Nevermind, doesn’t matter, he thought as he walked with the rest of the boys out into the gym. Staring at boys meant one thing, that’s you’re gay. And I’m not gay, David heard the words echo in his mind. I’m not gay.