“.... At least he wasn’t mad at me,” Hoity concluded but frowned. “Still, it’s disappointing that it didn’t go anywhere.”
It was Monday when Hoity told Orchid, Ivy, and Cinnamon about what happened at Fancy’s. Well… maybe not everything. He didn’t tell them how his homeless problem was solved, nor that he was living at the mansion. What he did tell after the school assembly was that he did try to make a move on Fancy, but it didn’t go anywhere. The tone that Hoity told his three friends wasn’t the heartbreak that they had expected, but rather… disappointment.
While most of the students were exiting the gym, Hoity had told them the story, his back hunched over, head propped up by his hooves, and wore a frustrated face.
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Orchid patted him on the back.
“Still, you actually kissed him?” Cinnamon said, “And he didn’t punch you in the eye for it. You must be really brave or lucky.”
“Does that matter?” Hoity questioned. “It still means that I’m back to where I started. All those weeks of trying to get close to him was a waste of time.”
“Well, so what?” Ivy asked, getting a sharp eye from Hoity, “No offense, but just because you’re back at square one, doesn’t mean that you couldn’t find somepony else.”
Hoity raised an eyebrow, “Name one.” They blinked, “Please, go on and name me one gay colt you know that is both single and might have the slightest interest in me.”
Ivy raised a hoof, “What about Handy?”
“Who?”
“Handy Red, he’s the filmmaker guy?” Hoity blinked, “He’s mostly red and I think he’s in the Designer’s Club.”
“Red, Red…” Tapping on his chin, Hoity remembered who was in the club. Recalling every face that could match what Ivy was… “Wait a minute? The red colt that’s always nervous? He’s gay?”
“I’m more surprised you didn’t know that.” Orchid said, “He’s one of the few students that we know is definitely gay.”
“.... Why did none of you bring this up before?” Hoity questioned.
“I thought you’d already know,” Ivy replied, “And I thought you’d already have heard about the rumors. From what I’ve heard, the guy is not exactly subtle.” Hoity asked for a few examples. “Well, hasn’t he always opened the door for you?”
“I mean… now that I think of it, he has.”
“Does he give any compliments on what you’ve been working on in that club?”
“Hey, it’s not just him, everyone else does too.”
“And does he slip in a couple of bits before you leave?”
“Wait, that was him? I thought somepony kept forgetting their money or something.”
“Not from what I’ve heard,” Ivy shook her head, “from what I’ve heard, Handy has a crush on you.”
Hoity blinked… and blinked again. Was this true? Even if it was, how come he never noticed until now? Well… maybe not gone unnoticed per-se, he honestly thought that all of that was just a nervous colt’s way of being nice. But to be fair, he had been so focused on trying to get Fancy to notice him that… maybe he was blindsided about everything else?
Still… on the one hoof, why exactly would he care? He didn’t know anything about Handy outside of the club - or inside of it for that matter. If anything, he seems just so odd whenever he’s around him to the point where he could barely spit out a “Hello.” But… if it was remotely true, was he being insensitive without realizing it? After all, not too long ago he was in the same horseshoes where he hoped against hope that maybe his crush would like him back but…
“I don’t know him too well,” Hoity folded his forelegs, “but… maybe since Fancy was a flop, I guess it wouldn’t hurt to just go up and talk to him. Who knows, if he’s decent, maybe we could go out.”
“What’s this? The Gay Lord is interested in going out with a Sissy? Stop the presses!” That unpleasant taunt came from behind them. Several rows behind them were four chuckling athletes in varsity jackets - a few jocks of the buckball team.
Hoity’s frown deepened. Just what he needs. “Don’t you have a slasher film to be killed off in?”
“Nah, we wanna hear what your plans are, Princess.” Another said, getting a laugh from his friends. “So as a queer, will you be the one to have your flank stuffed, or his?”
“You guys are disgusting, you know that?” Cinnamon got up from her seat.
“Hey, we’re not the ones hanging out with a sissy.”
Orchid too stood up, “Wow, and here I thought the rumor that everypony on the buckball team are virgins - now I can see why.”
“Hey! We get laid.”
“Unlikely,” Ivy turned around, “I mean, picking on a gay guy is kinda hypocritical, isn’t it?”
“What are you talking about?”
“By saying that you hate gay colts, what you’re basically saying is you all prefer straight colts, which lowers any of your chances of getting a filly - which is pretty gay, isn’t it?” All mocking laughter went dead silent. Even Hoity and the other girls were looking at her after dishing out such savage logic. “Yeah, I thought so.”
For Hoity, he wanted to get out of there. Not just because he was getting offended by these idiots, but because he didn’t want to stay any longer before it might escalate into something ugly. Getting up, Hoity tells his friends that they should leave. He had no time to be bullied by ponies who should have known better.
And yet, as they were heading out into the hallways, thinking that they put all that behind them, one of the jocks ran up. “H-Hey wait! Wait!” This particular jock was a yellow-orange young stallion with a short blue mane. The varsity jacket he had on was open to show the muscle underneath it.
“Stop following us,” Hoity warned, “or I will get the school cop to-”
“Wait, hang on, I just wanna talk about what happened back there.”
Hoity and his friends stopped to look at him with suspicious eyes.
“My friends are idiots, okay? They’re stupid but they’re not going to beat you up for it.” Then after an awkward pause, he offered a hoof, “And uh, it’s Buck, by the way. Buck Mountebank.”
“And I don’t care to be associated with those that just called me a Gay Lord, a Sissy, or a queer.” Hoity turned around and was about to walk away when Buck was suddenly in front of him.
“Hey, look, I get it. We weren't thinking and we’re sorry. Really, they won’t bother you just… I wanna talk to you. Is that okay?”
Hoity raised an eyebrow, “Why? So you can dunk my head in a toilet? I may be gay, but I’m not stupid.”
“I’m not gonna hurt you either just… I wanna talk.”
“.... You’re not gonna leave me alone if I don’t, will you?” Hoity let out a frustrated sigh, “Okay, fine. What do you want?”
“Well… can we go somewhere private?”
Hoity looked over at his friends, he told them that if he was not back in the next couple of minutes, they should get help. Having to agree to talk to Buck, they went into the colt’s bathroom.
Curiously, the first thing that Buck did when they entered was to check under the stalls to make sure that they really were alone. Once he was satisfied, he went up to Hoity.
“Look, I know that this is a pretty bad look on my end, but really, I’m sorry that my friends bothered you. But that’s just because of all the attention you’ve been getting.”
“That’s what all this is about? Me getting popular?”
“Well, kinda. It’s more that they wanted to take you down a few pegs since you’re able to get the attention of someone like Fancy Pants. It’s kinda hard not to see why when you’re practically like a runway model every time you come to school. So really, they’re just jealous that you’re getting all the attention.”
“Is that all?”
“That… and why they’ve picked on you for being so…” he waved a hoof towards him, “Yeah. The thing is that you’re one of the few colts that is this unapologetically effeminate in how you dress and such. Which… okay, I should have just told them to leave you alone back there.” He rubbed the back of his head, an embarrassed blush on his cheeks.
Hoity stood there, eyebrow raised and unimpressed. “Is there a rest stop between now and the point?”
“The point?”
“I may be a colt that’s gayer than south Hinnywood decadence, but it might be surprising for you to learn that I’m not an idiot. I’m getting noticed by the school and you Neanderthals want to take me to be down a few notches - so what? I nearly expected this sort of backlash from the beginning.” Hoity took a few steps forward, pointing out, “But what I don’t get is that immediately right after all of that, you take me aside into the colt’s bathroom and say that you had a change of heart? Just like that? And why check to see we’re alone when you can do that apology stuff out in the open?”
For an awkward moment, Buck didn’t seem that he had any comebacks from that observation. Just stood there with an embarrassed blush on his face as though he had said something stupid. But, coughing into his hoof and pulling his mane back he said. “Normally, yeah that would seem odd. But… what I’m trying to say,” He smiled. “With all this popularity stuff, there’s another side to you that I don’t think you quite fully appreciate.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean,” he put a hoof against a wall to lean on while he looked him in the eye. “Whether you realize this or not, there are those that have eyes on you. And I don’t just mean that you’re the best dressed, or that’re whispers of how envious they are that you’re always one step ahead either. No. I mean the kind that in many ways, look up to you. You know?”
Hoity wasn’t entirely sure what was going on. Was he trying to intimidate him? No… If he heard he would have made some kind of threat. But his tone doesn’t quite match that psychopathic drive of you’re-going-down sort of thing. There was something in Buck’s voice that sounded like a deep purring, where his eyes were half open… When Hoity took a step back, Buck stepped forward towards him.
“The truth is,” Buck continued, “while it may not look like it… I respect you. Even now after what my idiot friends had said, you stand your ground. For being gay, you’re not a pushover, I’d bet you don’t let anyone tell you what to do, huh? And you know what…? I like you for that.”
When Hoity backed up to the tiled walls of the bathroom, it clicked to him what Buck was trying to say. “Wait…” Hoity tilted his head, “Why are you making it sound like you’re asking me on a-”
“Date?” Buck smirked, “In a way… yeah. I would like that.”
Hoity’s jaw dropped, “Hang on… You’re gay?”
At the very word, Buck instinctively checked the bathroom again to make sure no one heard it. “I wouldn’t say that… more like never met a filly that has such… interesting traits like you have.”
Another moment later, Hoity asked, “You’re in the closet, are you?”
“I just… don’t see the need for anyone else to know. But that doesn’t mean I can’t help who I like, right?” Buck admitted but quickly changed the subject after coughing in his hoof. “I mean besides, anyone else that swings that way would kill to get the chance to go out with you. Hint, hint.” He raised his eyebrows while emphasizing those last words.
“Oh really?” Hoity raised an eyebrow, “Even like… Red Handy?”
Buck let out a dismissive scoff. “Oh please, Handy? Everypony knows that fag is a slut for whatever dick he could get into his mouth. Sure he may be a nice guy, but if you ask him, all he would want is to have his plothole stuffed. If you ask me, he’s too beneath you. Not good enough for someone that’s independent and assertive. Unlike say… me?” Buck said with a smile.
For a long minute, Hoity stared at him. He wondered to himself if this buckball jock is for real. He almost expected him to say “Just kidding,” or make a joke out of that. But no. Buck was being honest with him and thinking he was charming him. But in that stillness, it gave him time to articulate a reply.
“Wow… You are incredible. I never knew anypony could be this big of a hypocrite.”
Buck blinked. “Come again?”
“Hypocrite. Two-faced. Shameless double-life phony. You hang out with friends that pick on me for being gay, yet you’re asking me out on a date. You make excuses for your teammates instead of having them apologize to me; but here you are calling another student a fag, while saying how much you look up to me. I may not have dated a lot of guys, but I can certainly tell you that I’m not attracted to manipulative, single-minded closet cases.”
“But c’mon! I have to! My friends-”
“Friends? Or a facade to make you look as normal as possible? Maybe there’s a lot about you I don’t know about. But to constantly lie, pretend, and fake your way while doing your damnedest to hide it will catch up to you eventually. Someday, those friends of yours will know that you’re not interested in fillies - and when that happens, you’ll find out pretty quickly who your so-called friends really are. I’d rather date someone that is a little more honest to themselves, and their friends than you are.” Hoity slipped by him, and before he exited the restroom, he added, “So to answer your question - I’d rather degrade myself to go out with Handy, than a hypocrite like you. So… no. I don’t want to go out with you.”