The Body's Growth and Development

The Body's Growth and Development

fiction
edward w pritchard

Wily put on muscle no matter how much he starved himself or how little or what type of food he ate. Wily desperately wanted to stay thin and petite and every day as he got older his body betrayed him. Wily was 14 years old and was gay, not in secret but flamboyantly; he often played a stereotypical character so he didn't have to be anything other than that or explain his nature, just let it broadcast itself so to speak. Being still in junior high school this made for numerous problems and complications in his life for his fellow students were uncomfortable with him, especially those who had known him since his youth and didn't like the changes occurring in him as he came out. So in addition to the problems in his life at home being gay caused he also suffered at school because of it.

Today was Tuesday and he was staying after school and playing badminton in the gym with two very fat girls in his class who he liked, and who didn't judge him or treat him as a freak, or treat him as anything other than himself. Often they would joke with him about himself but not maliciously like some of the other students but just like that, authentic. They had their own issues because they didn't fit in, they were different, and in truth they were much more persecuted in junior high than he was; more than he was for being one of the only openly gay students and for being the only gay black student. One of the two girls was black also, and they were of course both persecuted for being women, but worse for them both by far was the problems for being very over weight at a young age. They were teased and picked on, and people would say incredibly mean things to them or worse, everyone just ignored them and acted like they weren't there or didn't exist. Wily liked the two girls, felt comfortable around them, and was sensitive to their suffering because of their weight problems.

This morning Wily before school had been staring at his upper body and the muscle he kept putting on through his chest and back and arms, no matter how he starved himself or how many carrot sticks he ate. He had drug out an old picture he had of his Mom's Father who he was supposed to resemble. His maternal grandfather was not popular with the family, for he had not married Wily's grandmother, and had not done anything financially to help raise Wily's Mom. Of course the Grand Father was not gay but once his Mom had told Wily he looked like her Dad more than Wily's own Father, who incidentally was having trouble adjusting to Wily's Gay behavior. His maternal grandfather was about 20 in the picture, about 6'2" 190 slim through the hips and very powerfully built through the upper body. He had once played a year of college football and looked like it. Wily kept the picture and often looked at it out of fear he would get built like that if he ate too much; for more than anything he wanted to be petite, slim in the hips and waist and demure and slim in his upper body. He liked to look good in his clothes and was fearful and disdainful of his developing muscles.

When Wily was 9 his Dad had made him play a year of pee wee football which he didn't like. In spite of that however, and to please his Dad he had stuck with it and Wily was a remarkable athlete. Very strong, very fast, and although he didn't like football, he hit very hard. About the age of 10 he began to come out in his gayness and him and his Father after many fights agreed that he wouldn't have to play any more football.

As Wily and the two heavy girls in his class played badminton, two of the football players on the freshman [ 9th] grade team came into the gym, and were shooting baskets, and began to taunt and make fun from the sidelines of one of the two girls he was playing badminton with. Both girls were embarrassed and were trying to ignore the two athletes but something exploded in Wily and he felt an aggression and anger of monumental impact and before he knew what he was doing he was punching them both out. Both of the two students were strong, lifted weights and were very macho. They fought fiercely but Wily quickly began to overcome them because of his speed and ability at boxing although he hadn't practiced boxing or hit someone in several years.

There was an over weight policeman on the stage in the gym who did afternoon security until 4:00 and by the time the policeman was able to clumsily jump off the stage, race across the gym and drag Wily off the two boys they were both bloody in the face and pretty beat up.
end of part 1