It's taken weeks, but Achilles has slowly stopped getting so annoyed when he teaches me how to fight. It might be because I'm getting better, but I think he's also just starting to get used to me. I'm still pretty terrible at punching, but Achilles says that self defence is what I need the most, so that's okay.

Achilles aims at my face and I lift my hands up to protect myself before aiming at his stomach. He dodges it easily and takes advantage of my being unbalanced my pushing me over.

"Don't lunge forward like that." He says, looking down at me. "Or you might trip."

"I didn't trip. I was pushed. You played dirty."

"Fair enough." Achilles smiles and pulls me to my feet. I stumble forward and accidentally headbutt his chest, which causes me to blush for some reason.

"S-sorry..."

"It's okay." Achilles says. I look at him, then frown.

"When did you get that?" I ask, pointing to a bruise on his jaw, which I somehow missed until now. Achilles lifts his hand to cover it defensively. "Menelaus?' I ask.

"I managed to deal with him." Achilles says tensely.

"I can't believe they're still acting like this." I sigh. Achilles shrugs and looks away.

"Yeah, they're so immature." He says quietly. I cross my arms and narrow my eyes.

"You started it, didn't you?" I accuse him.

"He deserved it." He turns away from me.

"I don't doubt that, but I still think you should just ignore whatever he says to you."

"Mm."

"Mind telling me what he said?" I step closer, softening my voice.

"I have an exam next week."

"Don't change the subject." I frown. Achilles sighs and turns to face me, then drops his eyes to the ground.

"He started insulting me, calling me gay." He mumbles.

"Are you gay?"

"No." He says quickly.

"There's nothing wrong with being gay." I tell him.

"I'm not gay!" He shouts suddenly. I put my hands up in surrender.

"I know, I'm just saying that there's nothing wrong with people who are gay. I'm gay." There's a long silence, and I start to worry that he's going to say something homophobic. He used to be friends with people who I know are homophobic, and he's so desperate to not seem gay, so maybe he-

"Oh, okay." He says. He looks up at me and gives me a tiny smile.

"You're not going to hit me?" Shit, I didn't mean to say that.

"Why would I do that?" Achilles' brow furrows. I shrug, and he steps closer. "I may not be gay, but I'm not an asshole."

"I beg to differ." I mean to say it as a joke, but Achilles looks upset.

"Look, I know I must come across as a dick to you, but I try not to..." He says, looking at his feet. "I don't want to be. I want to be a good guy, but I guess I got caught up in the wrong crowd, and now... I don't know anymore. I don't want to be a bad guy, but I don't want to be unpopular either, and it seems like-"

"I didn't mean it." I tell him, noticing tears in his eyes.

"I know, but..." Achilles sighs, and I almost hear a sob behind it. "I feel like I have nobody to talk to. Even when I had all my friends and Deidamea... Nobody ever cared, y'know?" A tear rolls down his cheek, and he quickly wipes it away.

"Hey, don't cry." I say, feeling helpless. "You- you can talk to me if you like." I offer. At that moment, my phone rings. It's my dad. I cast Achilles an apologetic look and answer the call.

"Come home." He says simply.

"Okay." I don't try to argue. My dad hangs up and I turn to Achilles, who has composed himself in the five seconds I spent talking to my dad. "I have to go..."

"Alright." He nods. "See you in Wednesday?"

"Of course." I smile. Achilles smiles back, but there's no life behind it. As if I'm controlled by somebody else, I step forward and hug him. Achilles tenses, then hesitantly hugs me back for a second before I pull away, bright red, stammering an excuse as I rush out of his room. Before his door closes behind me, I hear him mutter

"Fuck."

Fuck, indeed. I've just ruined everything.