Surviving Elite High

SURVIVING ELITE HIGH

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transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic

or mechanical,

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the publisher.

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters,

places, situations

and incidents are the product of the author’s

imaginations or are used

fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events,

locales, or persons, living or

dead, is purely coincidental.

Published in Australia

Digitally by

Dare Empire eMedia Productions

Chapter One

My knees were shaking. I don’t really know why I

was  so  nervous.  I  had  walked  down  these  same
corridors  before,  but  this  was  my  first  time  here  as  a
junior. I stood looking down the main hallway, watching
as  the  world  slowly  passed  me  by,  and  feeling  as  if  I
was completely invisible to everyone. I held myself for
comfort, then took my first step and froze. As my heart
pounded, that stupid knot developed inside my stomach
again.  I  hated  that  feeling.  I  looked  around,  trying  my
best  to  spot  Madison  or  Kitty,  but  I  was  completely
alone among all the commotion. I lowered my head and
continued with my excruciating journey. Suddenly, two
shadows blocked my way. I looked up and came face
to  face  with  my  two  tormentors:  Jacob Ashmore  and
Matthew Ward, better known as the basketball jocks.

“Hello, little guy,” Jacob leered as he looked down at

me. He stood six inches taller than me and was strong
as a bull. “Did you miss me?”

I stumbled backwards.

“Where are you going, bitch?” Matthew barked as

he grabbed my collar.

He pulled me in and lifted me into the air. My two

feet swung from side to side.

“I…I was—”
“Shut the fuck up, fag!”
“Let's give him the welcoming,” Jacob suggested with

a grin.

Oh, no, not the welcoming. Anything but the

welcoming. I knew what they wanted to do. They were
going to throw me inside the huge trash can behind the
school.

“PUT HIM DOWN!” shouted a familiar voice.
We all turned to look. It was my best friend Kitty

Scott. Her red hair was visible from a mile away, and
her black eyes gave her a demonic look. I thanked God
when I saw her pointing at Matthew. He looked at her
with  a  smirk.  He  knew  that  Kitty  would  explode  and
make a big scene. Matthew unwillingly let me go, and I
fell  flat  on  my  ass.  I  ran  to  Kitty's  side  before  they
changed  their  minds.  I  wrapped  my  arms  around  her
and faced my attackers.

“See you soon, pussy,” Matthew added as they

turned around and walked away.

I turned to Kitty. She was all steamed up. Her

freckles seemed to have spread and were red hot. She
turned to me with a scowl on her face.

“Why do you let those assholes treat you like that?”

Kitty asked me as she placed her hands on her hips.

“Geez Kitty! They're bigger and stronger than me.

Plus, they're jocks, you know.”

“I thought they stopped bullying you,” Kitty stated as

she led the way through the crowd.

“So did I. Besides, two against one is an unfair fight,

especially against me. Have you looked at me lately?”

Kitty stopped in front of her locker. She glanced at

me  and  then  opened  the  small  compartment.  I  wasn’t
small.  Five  feet  and  seven  inches  was  a  reasonable
height.  I  was  too  skinny  though.  I  didn’t  have  any
muscles on my body and she wanted me to fight those
two giants. Was Kitty insane?

“I know, but you've got to stand up to them.

Madison and I can't be with you every single second of
the day. They bullied you around for two years and it

has to stop now!”

Kitty slammed the door closed.
“I know,” I murmured while I spotted Madison

behind her. “Hello Madison!”

“Hello my two best friends in the whole wide world,”

Madison answered as she stood beside us. Madison
Adams had long black hair, dark eyes and porcelain
skin. She quickly scanned our faces. “What happened?
I thought you'd be excited to see this slut?”

That was Madison, alright. She knew how to sum

things up.

“Jacob and Matthew,” Kitty mumbled as she walked

down the hallway.

Madison turned to me with a smile. She embraced

me and we immediately dashed to Kitty's side. As we
walked, Madison turned to me.

“Are they still bullying you?”
“Ye—”
“Yes they are,” Kitty interrupted as she pulled to my

right.

As usual, I was in the middle.
“I thought they stopped bothering you,” Madison

murmured as she smiled at a senior.

“Yes, for summer.”
“Consider yourself lucky,” Madison replied as we

walked into English class. “Who wouldn't want to get
roughed up by two hot jocks?”

“Me,” I answered meekly as I sat in the first chair of

the first row.

Kitty sat beside me, and Madison sat behind her.

This was our usual seating arrangement for all our
classes. They turned to me.

“Don't worry, just stick with one of us and you'll be

fine,” Madison assured me.

“I know, but we still have gym and I have to change

with them.”

“That's hot! Take some pictures for me!”
Kitty rolled her eyes.
“Sorry kiddo, we can only do so much. You've got

to stand up to them.”

“I'm dead meat! Why does this school have to stress

sports so much? Four years of mandatory physical
education is just crazy. Why in the world would they do
that?”

“Blame the Children Against Obesity Association.

No more sugar in this school, as if we need to lose
weight. We're perfect.”

“Yeah, soon they'll start to sell sugar like crack,”

Kitty added as she high-fived Madison.

They giggled as I turned to the door. A young man

stepped inside and I immediately recognized him. It was
Nicholas Anthony Hawking, also known as Nick Wild
Hawk, captain of the Elite Hawks. Girls nicknamed him
Nick Wild Fuck because of his promiscuous nature. He
was six feet tall, light tan skin, short dirty blond hair, and
crystal baby blue eyes. The guy was dreamy. He was
the most popular jock in school, the school's star
quarterback, and athlete extraordinaire. He was as
perfect as they come.

“I want to have his babies!” Madison murmured as

Nick walked to the back of the class.

“Why does he always have to walk in like that? As if

he's some type of god or something? He wasn't like that
a few years ago,” Kitty replied as she examined Nick.

“He is a god. Look at him! The guy's hot,” Madison

answered.

“And a stupid jock,” I added irritably.
“I know that you hate jocks, but Nick is F-I-N-E!

Look at the package between his legs! It looks like the
perfect Christmas present.”

“I agree with John. He's a jock and a huge dick.”
“Yeah I bet,” Madison answered with a smirk. Kitty

and I rolled our eyes. “Don't get me wrong, all jocks
are assholes, but this one is fine as hell.”

“Why don't you say that in front of his girlfriend?”
“Are they still dating?” Kitty asked us.
“Yeah, that lucky bitch,” Madison replied.
Everyone knew that Allison and Nick were a couple.

They were crazy for each other or so it seemed. Allison
was the head cheerleader and last year's vice president
of the student body. Nick was not surprisingly last
year's president. Everyone knew they won because of
their tremendous popularity and extreme wealth.

“People like Nick and Allison make me sick.”
“Us too,” Kitty answered
Madison immediately nodded in agreement.
“I just hate that I have to endure two more years of

mandatory physical education.”

“Stand up to those stupid pricks then,” Madison told

me. “We don't want them to bully you around
anymore.”

I smiled. The door opened once more. It was Mrs.

Carter, our new English teacher. She walked in with a
huge smile from cheek to cheek and introduced herself.

* * *

“John? Can I have a word with you?”
It was Mrs. Carter. Her class had just ended and

everyone was leaving the room. I turned to my two best
friends who signaled that they’d wait outside. When the
door closed behind them, I knew we were all alone. I
stood silently in front of her desk and admired my old
Nike shoes. My heart began to pound and that stupid
knot  in  my  stomach  returned.  Did  I  do  something
wrong? Why does Mrs. Carter want to speak to me?
Suddenly,  she  cleared  her  throat.  I  looked  up  to  find
her  smiling  warmly.  Her  smile  immediately  calmed  me
down.

“Yes, Mrs. Carter?”

“I heard from your last English teacher that you're

quite an amazing student. You've maintained a perfect
GPA and you're ahead of all your classmates.”

“I simply do my best.”
“Precisely. I also know from your school record that

you owe a few tuition payments from last year. This is a
private institution and we can't have a student owing
more than three months—”

Oh my God! There goes my education! I had to say

something.

“Mrs. Carter, my mom is doing her best to keep up

with the payments, but the recession—”

“Let me finish.”
“Sorry,” I answered as I hung my head.
“I'm aware of your financial difficulties since I'm the

new Financial Affairs consultant. I spoke to your mom
this morning and found a solution to your problem.”

I looked up. She was smiling warmly again. I thought

I was getting a scholarship. I wanted to jump and
scream out of pure joy right there in front of her, but
Mrs. Carter continued.

“I've enrolled you in this year's tutoring program.

You're being assigned to a special student. The
student's parents will pay for your monthly school fee
and in return, you'll tutor their son for the entire school
year.”

“Why me?” I asked her suddenly. “Um…with all due

respect, Mrs. Carter, why me?”

“Well, you're the best student in your class and you

do need the financial help. They want the best for their
son so they graciously agreed to pay for your monthly
school fee. It seemed like the perfect solution.”

“Oh, I see…”
“Meet me today at 3:45 at the Financial Affairs office

to discuss the details.”

“Yes, Mrs. Carter, and thank you,” I told her with

tears of gratitude threatening to escape.

“You don't have to thank me. You're a great kid and

it would be a shame for you not to reach your full
potential and graduate next year,” Mrs. Carter
answered as she picked up her briefcase. “Remember,
3:45.”

I nodded with a smile. I quickly made my way out of

the room. Outside, Kitty and Madison greeted me.

They stared at me for a few seconds until Kitty spoke
up.

“What happened? What did she want?”
“She wanted to talk to me about…school and this

upcoming year.”

I have no idea why I lied to them. Maybe I didn’t

want to tell them that my mom was late with payments
again or that I was a new charity case for some rich
folks. It was already humiliating enough to wear ragged
clothes and get bullied around for being poor.

“Can we get to class?”
“Okay,” Kitty answered as she glanced at Madison.

* * *

“I hate this food,” Madison complained, poking at

the rice biscuits. “Did you know they feed this to
starving children in Africa?”

“I don't mind the food,” I remarked, taking several of

them.

The food was free so I filled my plate with

everything.

“Whatever. Can I have milk?” Madison asked the

cafeteria worker, who rolled her eyes at her.

The woman faked a smile and slapped it on her tray.

I, on the other hand, asked for three.

“Come on! You two take forever!” Kitty shouted.
When we reached her side, we made our way to the

back  of  the  cafeteria  where  our  table  was  located.  It
was the best seat in the room since it had a clear view
of  all  the  other  tables.  We  could  easily  blend  into  the
background  without  being  noticed  by  anyone.  We  sat
down, facing the other students, and as always, I sat in
the  middle.  I  was  starving  so  I  began  to  devour  my
food.

“We can't even get chocolate milk!” Madison

stabbed the carton of milk with her straw. “And these
rice biscuits taste like shit!”

“Madison? Will you shut up and eat!” Kitty pleaded

as she took a bite of her rice biscuit, which she
immediately spat out. “God, Madison! You're right, this
does taste like shit!”

I had already finished my biscuits. Kitty and Madison

generously donated theirs to me. We continued to eat

our lunch until Madison spoke up.

“Are you going to tell us what you discussed with

Mrs. Carter?”

“It's nothing,” I murmured as I played with a grape.
“Come on, Johnny Boy. You can tell us anything.

We're your friends and we love you,” Kitty told me.

I sighed, turning to her with teary eyes.
“My mom is late with the tuition payments again.”
“Oh, Johnny Boy,” Kitty cooed as she hugged me.

Madison gently rubbed my back. “You know you could
always count on me for help.”

“And me,” Madison added as she pressed her head

on my back. “But you're so stubborn! Why do you
refuse our help?”

I pulled away from Kitty's warm embrace and

addressed them.

“I can't take anything more from you guys. I don't

even know how to repay you for the clothing and shoes
you guys bought me last year. I need to maintain my
dignity. It's a guy thing.”

“John, I'd love to help pay your school fees if you’d

let me,” Madison told me as she wiped my tears. “You

deserve that and more. You help us with our
homework, and we value your friendship more than all
the money in the world.”

“And you're the sweetest kid ever,” Kitty remarked

as she tousled my short brown hair.

“And cute,” Madison added.
I smiled happily.
“Mrs. Carter enrolled me in this year's tutoring

program. She wants me to tutor a special student. In
return, his parents will pay for my monthly school fee.”

“Special? Like retarded? Who?” Kitty asked me.
“I don't know. I have to meet her today at 3:45.”
“And you said yes?” Madison asked me.
“I don't have a choice.”
“That's a great deal! You tutor a dumb rich kid and

continue to study at Elite High.”

“Exactly, you should be happy!” Kitty added with a

smile.

“I know, but I feel like a charity case.”
“Don't say that! You're getting paid for your services.

Besides, it must be an extremely rich family who wants
to invest in you because they know your worth.”

“Exactly!” Madison added. “And what if he's a sexy

little stud? You’d better take a naked picture of him for
me.”

“You slut!” Kitty laughed.
“I know, but you guys love me so!”
“Yes we do!” Kitty and I shouted as we hugged her.

* * *

It was nerve wracking to say the least. I sat in Mrs.

Carter’s  office  and  kept  glancing  at  the  time.  It  was
4:30. My tutee should have been there at four o'clock
so  we  could  arrange  a  timetable  at  his  convenience.
You  know  what  was  strange,  though?  She  always
referred  to  him  as  simply  'him.'  She  never  told  me  his
name  and  I  was  too  embarrassed  to  ask.  Maybe  she
wanted to keep the suspense in the air. I simply sat and
waited. When the door opened, Mrs. Carter stood up
to greet him. I didn’t even need to glance back because
I  immediately  recognized  his  voice.  My  heart  twisted
into a knot.

“Please don't let it be him,” I whispered to God.

“John? This is your tutee.”
I stood up, but I kept looking at my old shoes.
“I'm so sorry that I'm late but I had practice,” he

explained as he stretched out his hand in front of me. I
grabbed it and gently shook it as he introduced himself.
“Nicholas Anthony Hawking.”

“John Henry Ames,” I answered him.
“Hey! I know you from somewhere,” Nick declared.
“We've been in the same classes for the last two

years.”

“Oh! I'm sorry. I'm just really dumb sometimes.”
“Okay, then. I'll leave you two alone,” Mrs. Carter

stated.

An awkward silence crept into the room as soon as

she left. Nick examined the small office while I did my
best not to stare at him. I literally wanted to die on the
spot. I had no idea why I had agreed to tutor him in the
first place. Nick's voice startled me.

“I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to be rude or

obnoxious by not knowing your name. I'm a huge dick
sometimes.”

Yeah, that's what Kitty says. Whoa, Nelly! You

actually know the meaning of obnoxious!?

“It's okay…apology accepted.”
“Okay, can we sit?” Nick suggested. I immediately

sat down. He chuckled. “I guess I didn't have to say
that twice.”

“Sorry.”
“You don't need to apologize.”
Nick sat down beside me. To be honest, I was

freaking out and I had no idea why. It was probably
because he was too close to me and I could feel his
body heat. Damn! He smelled so good. I realized then,
why Madison wanted him. No! I had to snap back to
reality. Nick was the king of the jocks and my number
one enemy.

“Are you okay?”
Shit! Nick was waving his hand in front of my face.
“Yes,” I answered him.
“Good, cause I asked for your time schedule.”
“Here it is.”
I handed him the piece of paper. My hands were

shaking. As a matter of fact, my entire body was
convulsing! Nick smiled while he examined me.

“Thanks. You really are a quiet little guy. Why are

you so nervous?”

“I'm not.”
“You appear to be terrified by my presence.”
“No I'm not. It's just that…”
“Just what?”
I sighed.
“I never thought that you'd be my tutee.”
Nick smiled while he continued to look at my

schedule. I sat looking at him, but he kept glancing at
me every now and then. Each time he did that, I
lowered my head. I could clearly see him smiling at my
reaction. I began to play with my fingers since I was so
nervous. Why was he looking at me like that? Was I a
joke to him? After he finished, he turned to me.

“I see. We could meet every day after 4:30 except

on Fridays since those are game nights. Is five okay
with you?”

I simply nodded.
“Cool,” Nick said handing me back my schedule. He

stood up. “I guess I'll see you tomorrow.”

“See you,” I murmured.

I immediately bolted through the door. As I glanced

back at Mrs. Carter’s office, I suddenly felt like I’d hit
a  rock  wall  and  was  instantly  hurled  backwards.  Oh,
no!  It  was  Matthew  and  Jacob  was  standing  beside
him.  He  stared  down  at  me  like  a  raging  bull  on  the
loose.

“You're dead, Ames! You're a dead little bitch!”
I instantly began to crawl down the hallway.

Matthew grabbed my legs and spun me around. With a
single tug, he pulled me under his feet. He bent down
and grabbed me by the collar of my shirt. With a single
jerk, Matthew lifted me into the air and slammed me
into a nearby wall. A malicious smile developed on his
face.

“I'm going to fucking kill you, you little poke!”
“Let's fuck him up!” Jacob suggested with a

mischievous smile. “I bet he'll love to get fucked by two
jocks since he's a dirty homo! We can fuck him in the
locker room and no one will hear a thing.”

My heart dropped out of my body. I could not

believe what Jacob suggested. They had always made
sexual comments, but never that filthy or nasty.

Matthew's smile grew as he heard Jacob's idea.

“Please—”
“Shut the fuck up, you little fag!”
Matthew slammed me against the wall again.
“PUT HIM THE FUCK DOWN!”
It was Nick. I immediately thanked God! That was

the first time that I’d seen him angry. I re-thanked God
for  the  fact  that  he  was  not  looking  at  me.  Matthew
glanced at him and dropped me on the floor. My two
tormentors  took  a  few  steps  back.  They  looked  like
they  had  just  seen  the  ghost  of  Christmas  past!  I  had
never  seen  such  a  look  on  their  faces  before.  For  a
moment, I experienced the feeling they must have gotten
when  they  tormented  me.  I  loved  that  look  on  them.
Matthew tried to explain.

“Sorry Nick…we…we were just playing around.”
“Two against one? That's one fucking unfair fight.

Why don't you two stand up to me like that?” Nick
asked as he stepped forward.

“No man, we don't want any beef with you,” Jacob

answered him.

“Sink this into your heads. You fuck with him, you

fuck with me! Understood?”

“Yes, Nick. Sorry man!” Matthew called out as they

ran down the hallway.

As I stared at them, I didn’t realize when Nick

reached my side and squatted in front of me. I turned to
him.  On  impulse,  I  hugged  him.  I  felt  his  warm  body
against  me,  his  protective  embrace,  and  his  masculine
but  gentle  hug.  As  I  came  to  my  senses,  I  quickly
pushed him away. He laughed.

“Sorry!”
“It's okay. They really scared you,” Nick reassured

me with a smile as he stood up. He stretched out his
hand and helped me to my feet. “Now listen to me, if
those two ever give you shit again, you tell me. I'll deal
with them. Understood?”

I nodded in awe.
“Come here,” Nick insisted as he placed his left arm

over my shoulders. He pulled me into him. “I'll take you
home.”

We walked outside and yes, I was freaking out! I

had never been so close to anyone like that before, I
mean, besides my mom and my two best friends. What

I am trying to say is that I had never been so close to
another guy before. I loved the security that his tight
embrace offered me since, for the first time in my life, I
felt protected. That was the one thing that I wanted
most in the world. I wanted protection.

Nick took me to his new 2009 Shelby Mustang. It

seemed like every year he had a new car, but always a
Mustang. Nick loved Mustangs. Mustangs, sports, and
girls  were  among  his  favorite  things  in  the  world. And
sex.  Nick  loved  hot,  wild,  animalistic  sex.  How  did  I
know  that?  Ask  anyone  in  Elite  High.  We  all  knew
Nick's life, or at least we thought we knew.

I quietly sat on the passenger seat and studied him as

he drove me home. He was born to look cool and be
cool. His aviator sunglasses gave him a cockiness that I
envied.  After  a  short  stopped  at  Baskin  Robbins,  he
dropped  me  home.  My  house,  compared  to  Nick's
luxurious  mansion,  was  a  dog  kennel.  His  tree  house
was  probably  bigger  than  my  residence.  He  quietly
stared at me from the comfort of his car.

“Meet me tomorrow at the library. I was going to tell

you that, but you dashed out the door. Do you play any

sports? You're built for speed.”

My face got red while I smiled nervously.
“No, I don't. Thanks for the ride home and for the

ice cream.”

“No problem. See you, kiddo.”
Nick started his car and sped down the street. I

stood there, watching Nick drive down the street for a
couple  of  minutes.  He  was  the  opposite  of  what  I
originally  thought.  I  imagined  him  to  be  an  egocentric
jock  that  couldn’t  care  less  about  me  or  anyone  else.
Surprisingly,  he  was  not  selfish.  He  was  Nick  Wild
Hawk:  the  hero,  the  lover,  the  friend,  and  athlete
extraordinaire. I could go on and on, but on that day, I
saw  a  side  of  him  I  had  never  seen  before.  I  saw  his
compassionate side. I turned around and walked back
into my world. For a few seconds, I had been inside his
world, but now, I had to face my own reality.

I stepped into my house. It was dark. I tried to turn

on the light, but the bulb was burnt out. I walked into
the kitchen and headed straight for the refrigerator. It
was empty as usual. I honestly did not know why I
bothered to check each time I got home. I guess that I

always wanted to find something inside. I found a few
stale  bagels  and  a  jar  of  jam  on  top  of  the  kitchen
counter (or in other words, my dinner for the night). I
walked  into  my  room  and  locked  the  door.  As  I
plopped  on  top  of  my  bed,  I  observed  my  almost
empty room. At least I had a bed, a closet, and a small
black and white television, although cable was off limits.
I  did  have  a  thin  wire  that  I  attached  to  the  window
from  my  television  set.  With  that  technological
innovation,  I  managed  to  get  a  few  local  channels.  It
was better than nothing.

I began to remember my day, my sexual tormentors,

my friends, and Nick. My heart pounded at the thought
of  Nick  standing  in  front  of  me.  He  was  perfect  and
completely out of reach. Nick would never see me as
anything  more  than  his  shy  tutor.  He  deserved  better,
much  better.  With  these  and  many  more  thoughts,  I
dozed off into a deep sleep.

Chapter Two

It’s not like I don’t know that I am gay. I’ve been

aware of that since pretty early on. Yes, I am gay, but I
would never have the courage to say it out loud. First,
there’s my mom. What would she say? Would she still
love  me?  Would  she  understand  me?  Would  she  hate
me?  Would  she  disown  me  as  her  one  and  only  son?
As  for  my  father,  I  never  once  met  the  guy!  And
honestly,  I  did  not  want  to  meet  him.  I  never  once
asked my mom about him and, in reality, I do not even
know  his  name.  He  abandoned  me  when  I  was  born.
He  simply  left.  He  didn’t  want  the  responsibility  of
raising a child. I was a complicated birth. I was born at
seven  months  weighing  only  two  and  a  half  pounds.  I
was  her  miracle  baby  and  therefore  I  did  not  want  to
disappoint her.

Then, there are my friends. I think that they would

understand and love me. Finally, there’s society. Let’s
face it; society hates everyone that does not fit into their
perfect little standards. They instantly discard them as

social outcasts. I, for one, did not want to be the poor
gay guy. It was bad enough being the poor guy only.

I got up early the next day and went straight into the

shower.  It  was  freezing  cold.  Hot  water  was  a  luxury
rather than a necessity. After I took my cold shower, I
searched for something presentable to wear. I found an
outfit that Kitty gave me for my birthday last year. After
putting it on, I ran downstairs to find something to eat.
To  my  surprise,  I  found  a  note  from  my  mom  on  the
kitchen  counter.  She  congratulated  me  for  my  tutor
position  and  said  that  things  were  going  to  change  for
the better. My mom also left a plate of waffles behind; it
showed her appreciation for my getting a new job. The
fact that I was getting paid to tutor took a huge weight
off her shoulders. Making the waffles also showed her
genuine love towards me. Yes, she worked three jobs
and we barely had something to eat, but she did all of
that for me. Paying for the most expensive school in the
region was not easy. It took a lot of work and sacrifice.
My mom knew that a good education was the key to a
brighter future.

I ate my food and stepped outside. I hated that part

of the day. I had to walk three miles because Elite High
didn’t offer public transportation. Against my will, I
began my long journey to school.

I stood at the entrance once again. As I walked

down the hallway, I spotted Matthew and Jacob. I
froze and immediately turned away. I prayed to the
dear Lord in the highest that neither of them would spot
me. While I stood in front of the first locker, I glanced
down the hall. Shit! They were staring at me. I panicked
and headed towards the entrance. Suddenly, I bumped
into Madison, who wore her usual vibrant smile.

“Good morning.”
“Morning, Madison.”
My shaky voice sold me out. Madison stared at me

and followed my fears like a dotted line. She also
spotted Matthew and Jacob. As she hugged me, she
whispered into my ear:

“It's okay.”
Against my will, Madison dragged me down the

hallway while Matthew and Jacob stared at us. They
were definitely angry about yesterday and I could tell
they wanted revenge. A smirk developed on Matthew's

face when we passed in front of him.

“Bye, little friend.”
Madison scowled at him. When we were at a safe

distance, I turned to them. They were making their way
towards another corridor.

“Assholes,” Madison murmured. “You need to

report them.”

“I can't, Madison. They'll have it out for me even

more and the school won't do anything to them because
of their parents. I don't want to die young, you know.”

She gave me a comforting smile and examined my

outfit.

“You look cute.”
“Thanks.”
I blushed. Suddenly, we bumped into Kitty.
“There you are! I've been looking everywhere for

you two.”

“We just got here,” Madison answered.
“Cool, let's head to class.”
We walked to Mr. Peterson's Literature class and

sat down in our usual seating arrangement. They quickly
turned to me. Kitty was the one that spoke this time.

“So, who's the kid you're tutoring?”
“No one important.”
Kitty immediately glanced at Madison, who quickly

leaned towards me.

“Tell us, Johnny Boy. We'll find out eventually.”
“I know, but I wanted anyone else but him.”
“Oh, no! It's Matthew! That's why he called you little

friend a minute ago.”

“Say what!?” Kitty asked immediately.
“Hell no! Thank God! Anyone but those two freaks.”
“Then who is it?” Kitty asked eagerly.
I sighed.
“Nick Wild Hawk…”
Their mouths dropped open and remained that way

until Madison spoke up.

“Shut the fuck up! Nick Wild Hawk?!”
“How comes?” Kitty asked me.
“I don't know. I'm guessing that he needs a tutor.”
“You need to get a naked picture of him!” Madison

blurted out with a smile.

We scowled at her while we shook our heads.
“What? Do you guys have any idea how much a

naked picture of Nick would cost in the porn industry?
We could sell that shit and make enough money to
survive for years.”

Kitty laughed, but quickly turned to me.
“What are you going to do? You hate that guy. As

far as I know, he's a huge dick.”

“Kitty's right. Many girls say that he's huge,”

Madison added with a smirk.

I had to laugh. Madison turned everything sexual

funny.

“I don't have a choice. He seems like a cool and

down to earth guy.”

They glanced at each other. Madison turned to me.
“Why do you like him all of a sudden?”
“I don't! It's just that…”
“What?” Kitty asked smiling.
“He…saved me.”
“Saved you? From whom or what?”
After a long sigh, I recounted to them the events that

transpired  the  previous  day.  I  left  out  the  sexual
harassment  part.  I  don’t  know  why  I  was  so
embarrassed  to  tell  them  that.  After  all,  it  wasn’t  my

fault.

“That's so heroic,” Madison sighed, smiling. “That's

why Matthew called you little friend.”

“Yea—”
At that moment, Nick came into the room. He

nodded  at  me  as  he  walked  by.  I  instantly  became
nervous and my stomach twirled. I hated the feeling of
little butterflies flapping around your guts to the point of
nauseousness.  Madison  and  Kitty  smiled.  They
suspected that I liked him and that I was gay. They just
never  said  anything  to  me.  The  teacher  came  in  after
him and our conversation ended. I thanked God again.

* * *

It was the dreaded third period, or Physical

Education.  Do  not  get  me  wrong.  I  maintained  an A,
but what I hated was the locker room. I had to change
in  front  of  everyone  including  Matthew  and  Jacob.  I
was  extremely  vulnerable  here  since  my  two  best
friends  were  far  away.  One  time,  Matthew  and  Jacob
found  it  so  funny  to  place  their  jockstraps  around  my

neck. But you know what was worse? It was at the end
of the class! I bathed at least fifty times that day.
Another time, they locked me inside one of the lockers
and left me inside for the entire period. One time, I only
had my towel on and they yanked it away from me! I
was naked in front of everyone while they laughed
merrily! I was their little fun target. I would have loved
to trade places with Madison since she always wanted
to see naked jocks.

Anyway, here I was again, standing at the entrance

of the male locker room. I sighed while I pushed the
door open.

Many students were stripping off their clothes or

walking around naked. I simply lowered my head and
made my way to my locker. I quickly opened it and
threw my bag inside. I retrieved my gym clothing, which
consisted of a white shirt and blue knitted cotton pants
with the school's initials on the right leg, and stripped to
my boxers. Suddenly, two voices startled me.

“Hey little friend.”
“My cock missed you.”
Fuck! It was Jacob and Matthew. I gulped as

Matthew's hand touched my right shoulder and spun me
around. Matthew was butt naked and a blue jockstrap
covered Jacob's family jewels.

“What's the matter, little bitch? You like my big

dick?”  Matthew  taunted  as  he  leaned  towards  me.  I
shook  my  head.  “You  want  it,  don't  you  little  fag?
Kneel  down  and  put  that  thing  in  your  mouth.  Please
your man. You'll fucking love it, faggot.”

I walked backwards until I bumped into my locker.

Matthew smiled evilly. Suddenly, someone cleared his
throat and they quickly glanced to their right. As
Matthew turned to me, his face went pale.

“See you around little guy!”
“Remember, we've got your back,” Jacob added as

they headed towards the opposite end.

I sighed. As my heart rate slowed down, I turned to

see their worst nightmare, Nick. He was standing at the
other end with his gym bag in his right hand. When he
stopped beside me, Nick dropped the bag on the
bench and turned to me with a serious face.

“Were they bothering you again?”
I shook my head.

“You sure?”
I nodded. I have no idea why I lied to him. Well, I

think  I  do.  I  just  wanted  to  put  them  behind  me  and
move on with my life without any violent confrontation. I
knew  that  if  Nick  found  out  the  truth,  he  would  hunt
them  down.  He  was  that  kind  of  guy.  Everyone
respected  Nick  Wild  Hawk  since  he  fought  like  a
professional.  Many  of  his  victims  ended  up  in  the
hospital while he just got a few cuts and bruises. I once
heard that he beat up three guys who were bigger and
stronger  than  him  at  the  same  time.  Nick  won  easily.
Personally,  I  thought  people  exaggerated,  but  later  in
life, I found these rumors to be true.

“Good. I'm going to change here since my locker is

too far away. I switched gym group.”

“Really?” I asked him shyly as I put on my shirt.
“Yeah, most of my friends are in this group anyway.”
Nick took off his shirt. Holy shit! Nick's body was

the living statue of a Greek god. He  was  not  buff  like
many  other  athletes,  but  he  was  almost  there.  Bottom
line, his body was perfect. He proceeded to take off his
pants  and  alleluia!  The  guy  looked  spectacular  in  his

jocks.

“Aren't you going to finish changing?” Nick asked me

as he sat down to put on his sneakers.

I nodded. I quickly stepped into my gym pants and

put on my sneakers. He smiled at my initial reaction. I
was so nervous in front of him and I didn’t know why.
After we finished dressing, Nick led me to the football
field where I met Kitty and Madison. I joined them
while Nick joined his jock friends. We had to wait for
some other students, but as soon as they arrived, we
began to stretch.

“Looks like Nick is in our gym class,” Madison

noted as she stretched her legs on the grass.

“Yeah, and I bumped into my two best friends a

minute ago.”

“What? Does Nick know?” Kitty asked me as she

stretched her arms.

“No. As soon as they saw him, they walked away.”
“You should have told him.”
“Nick isn't my dad. I shouldn't be answering to him.

He's my tutee. Besides, I don't know what his real
intentions are.”

“He's right, Kitty. Why is he being friendly towards

him all of a sudden? Jocks like him use people all the
time, you know.”

“Okay, just keep your guard up.”
“I will.”
“Now that we settled that…did you see him naked?”

Madison asked with a mischievous grin.

“No, but I saw him with his jock only.”
“Oh my God! Details!”
I couldn’t tell Madison anything since Coach Jordan

began with his torture. We ran fifty laps around the field
and  did  every  exercise  demanded  by  the  Children
Against  Obesity  Association.  I  would  have  loved  for
them  to  go  through  that  one  hour  of  pain  that  we
endured every Tuesday and Thursday. Kitty, Madison
and I did our best, but many students had to stop every
five seconds because they were too hot and exhausted.
The jocks, on the other hand, had a blast. To them, it
was like a picnic on a cloudy day while we dragged our
asses  through  the  finishing  line.  God,  I  hated  them,
almost all of them.

“My boobs! I can't feel my boobs!” Madison cried

out as she dropped on the ground holding her precious
pride  and  joy.  Kitty  and  I  looked  at  each  other  and
laughed.  We  were  sitting  next  to  her  while  we  cooled
off,  making  the  best  out  of  our  two-minute  break.  “I
need water!”

“Don't worry girl, half an hour left,” Kitty told her.
“Oh my God! I'm going to die,” Madison exclaimed

as she sat up straight. We got quiet as we watched the
jocks play a short game of American football. “Imagine
what it would be like to be pounded in bed by Nick
Wild Hawk? I bet that he could go on and on and on.”

Kitty and I looked at each other. Madison was

something else. She was not afraid to show off her
sexual side. She hated the double standard that men got
over women. Madison was a proud postfeminist.

“Why does Nick keep glancing at us?”
Kitty and I turned to Nick. She was right, since Nick

kept looking at us every now and then. Suddenly,
Coach Jordan blew his whistle and we were ready for
the second round.

* * *

I was exhausted. I just wanted to go home, drop on

my bed and forget about the world. I painfully dragged
my  aching  body  back  to  the  locker  room.  Now,  the
shower rooms in Elite High School were different from
your normal ones because they consisted of many stalls.
Bottom  line,  you  could  have  a  private  bath.  I  thanked
God because I did not want to shower with Matthew or
Jacob.  I  quietly  waited  outside  since  I  was  avoiding
them.

“Aren't you going in?” Nick asked as he crept up

from behind me.

“Yeah, I'm just waiting for the others to finish.”
“Come on, kiddo. They won't hurt you. I won't let

them.”

Nick hung his towel over his shoulder and pushed me

inside.  We  were  lucky  since  there  were  three  empty
stalls.  I  went  into  one  and  closed  the  glass  door.  I
quickly undressed and bathed. Thanked God the school
had  hot  water  available  because  my  muscles  ached.
When I finished, I silently left the stall, but Nick was still
showering. I didn’t know what to do. I wanted to leave,

but I couldn’t leave him behind. He had been so nice to
me  so  I  decided  to  wait  for  him.  He  came  out  a  few
minutes  later  with  a  towel  wrapped  around  his  waist.
Nick's  wet  body  was  anyone's  fantasy  come  true.  He
smiled and nodded at me to follow him.

“You don't talk that much, do you?” Nick asked me

as he slipped into his boxer briefs.

I didn’t see anything since he still had his towel on.
“I'm just…”
“Just what?” Nick asked as he took off his towel.
“Shy, I guess,” I answered as I put on my pants.
“I see. It's just who you are and you should be proud

of yourself. We're not all the same.”

“Thanks. I guess…I lack confidence too.”
“We can work on that.”
We finished changing and left the room. My friends

were  waiting  for  me  outside  while  a  few  jocks  were
waiting  for  Nick.  We  parted  ways  with  a  short
goodbye.  Madison  asked  me  tons  of  questions  about
Nick and I happily answered them.

* * *

After classes, I headed to the library to wait for

Nick. I was two hours early, but that gave me enough
time to do my homework. Nick walked into the library
at  exactly  5:00  PM.  Everyone  stared  at  him  as  he
entered  the  room.  Many  girls  released  small  sighs  of
admiration  while  I  tried  my  best  to  ignore  him.  He
pulled up a chair next to me and sat down.

“We meet again.”
“Ah! Tell me. In what exactly do you need my help?”

I asked him with a little more confidence than before.
To be honest, I was even surprised at myself when I
asked him that question. He always made me nervous
whenever we were alone, but for some reason or other,
I felt more comfortable when other people surrounded
us. “We didn't discuss that.”

“In everything, actually. I've got to get into Princeton

because my parents went there. I've been fucking
around for the last two years.”

Fuck! Nick wanted to get into my dream university! I

couldn’t believe it.

“Okay. So, basically you need to boost your GPA in

order to get into Princeton. Am I right?”

“Yeah, that sums it up.”
“Princeton is a high ranking university. Getting there,

won't be that easy.”

“That's why my parents got me the best tutor in

school. I had no idea you were that smart.”

How was Nick able to say that? He didn’t know that

I existed until yesterday! Nick began to search for
something inside his schoolbag. I pulled myself together
and said what I had to say.

“Thank you.”
Nick froze.
“For what?”
“It's because of you that I'm still here. Your parents

are paying for my monthly school fee.”

“You don't have to thank me. My parents have lots

of money. They just want the best for me and you're the
best.”

Anyone would have melted if he was not talking

about academics, but sadly, he was.

“But still, I'm thankful for the opportunity.”
“You want to thank me? Help me with my

homework. Later, we can review the last two days of
classes. I have to get into Princeton.”

“Sure.”
We began with our English homework. We even

discussed the Children Against Obesity Association and
Physical  Education.  Can  you  believe  that?  Somehow,
Nick  made  every  topic  sound  interesting.  One  thing  I
hated was how often he glanced at me with a tiny grin.
He  made  me  so  nervous!  I  did  my  best  to  resist  him,
but it was useless. He found something amusing in me.
The unknown world of jocks was one territory I would
never be able to cross. Our session ended a little after
six. By then, almost everyone in school had already left.

“You hungry?” Nick asked me as we walked out of

school.

“Yes I am. PE left me exhausted.”
“Cool, because I'm in the mood for burgers.”
We jumped inside his car and Nick drove to the

nearest Burger King establishment. I love Burger King.
I think everyone does! I could actually count the
number of times I tasted those delicious burgers. Three.
I tasted them when I graduated middle school and for

my last two birthdays. I should thank Madison and
Kitty for those times. It’s so funny that three of the most
important people in my life took me to Burger King.

“Are you sure you're going to eat that?” I asked

Nick as I gazed at his super size king burger.

“Hell yes! The question really is…are you going to

get full?”

Nick smiled as he looked at my medium size burger

and Pepsi.

“I don't eat a lot, but it looks like you do.”
“When you train hard like me, you're hungry all the

time,” Nick explained as he took a huge bite of his
burger.

I laughed. He had a drop of ketchup at the top right

corner of his lip. Nick turned to me.

“What?”
“You've a little something there,” I replied as I

pointed to the right side of his lip.

Nick took a napkin and wiped his mouth. When he

finished, he turned to me with a smile.

“That’s embarrassing.”
I lifted my burger and took a small bite. He laughed.

“What? Do I have something on my face too?” I

asked as I wiped my mouth.

“No. It's just that you take small bites. No wonder

you're so slim. You need to eat a lot in order to build
muscles. Don't chew your food, swallow it.”

“I love my body. I'm not fat or thin.”
“True, but that doesn't help you against Matthew or

Jacob.”

I placed the burger down as I remembered their

words.

“Whoa! You really are afraid of them. Aren't you?”
“Yes. They are two mean bullies. Matthew is the

worst one, though.”

“Don't worry, I've got your back now. I promise you

that no one will ever hurt you again. Now, eat because
I'm ordering a second round!”

I examined every inch of Nick as we ate. His smile

was warm and welcoming. He was the perfect guy.
Allison was one lucky girl. Trust me, Nick did not lie.
He ordered a second round, but I took mine home. I
didn’t want to eat it. I wanted to keep it as a souvenir. I
know it sounds stupid, but I wanted to keep something

that would remind me of that night. I still have that
Burger King paper bag in my memory box. After he
finished with his second round of food, Nick took me
home.

When I got home, my mom was there. I found her

sleeping on the sofa so I covered her with a blanket and
turned off the television. She looked exhausted even
when she slept. I loved her long honey brown hair and
eyes. Many argued that I was the male version of my
mom. I kissed her good night and headed to my room.

I immediately jumped into my bed. My entire body

ached. It felt as if every muscle had been tugged out of
place.  I  closed  my  eyes  and  relived  my  day  as  I  did
every night. Usually, my days were dull and uneventful.
There  was  nothing  exciting  about  my  life.  It  was  the
same old routine: survive Elite High. Yes, Madison and
Kitty enlightened my day, but besides them, my life was
boring  and  flat.  But  something  occurred  the  last  two
days that made my life more interesting. Nick probably?
Nah! He had always been there, in the background, but
now  that  he  was  in  the  foreground,  things  changed
completely. Was I falling in love with Nick?

Yes, I craved Nick's love, but I was still afraid of it.

Why? I did not want to fall in love with someone who
would not love me back. That would suck so badly,
and I was trying to avoid that nightmare. I did not want
to get my heart broken by a naïve Nick Wild Hawk. I
would end up hating him. We were from two very
different worlds and should remain that way. Nick was
superior in every way possible. I was nothing compared
to him. I closed my eyes. It did not take long for me to
fall asleep.

Chapter Three

I wanted to see the Burger King establishment again.

For  some  silly  reason,  I  needed  to  relive  the  previous
night so I decided to pass by on my way to school. As I
walked  through  the  parking  lot,  I  looked  through  the
windows  and  saw  Nick  and  Allison  French  kissing.
They  were  sitting  on  the  same  spot  where  we  sat  the
previous night. It felt as if a knife went through my heart
and twisted itself around. I didn’t know why it hurt me
the way it did. It’s not like I didn’t know that he was
dating her. Everyone knew who Nick dated. Maybe it
was because I saw them with my very own eyes. I hung
my head and cried my way to school.

I had no idea why I was crying. That’s a lie; deep

inside, I knew. I had fallen in love with Nick Wild
Hawk. I guess seeing them together made me to realize
that I was in love with him. How was I going to look
Madison and Kitty in the eye? We all hated the jocks.
Well, Madison wanted to sleep with them, but she still
hated them. I briskly walked to school and stopped at

my  locker.  For  the  first  time  ever,  I  didn’t  bother  to
look  for  my  two  sexual  predators.  In  fact,  I  was  so
angry  that  if  I  would  have  seen  them,  I  would  have
knocked them out with a single punch. I wanted to pull
every  single  hair  from  Allison's  head  and  shove  them
down her bitchy throat.

“That bitch!” I shouted as I slammed my locker door

shut.

“Whoa, Nelly! Somebody's angry!” Kitty exclaimed

as she stood beside me.

“Oh, Kitty! I…I didn't see you,” I answered with a

nervous laugh.

“Nor me,” Madison murmured from behind her.
“Oh, hey Madison!”
“So, who's the bitch? I mean, besides Madison that

is,” Kitty asked with a wink.

“Hey!” Madison replied with a laugh.
“No one.”
I began to make my way towards English class. They

ran to my side. Madison spoke before Kitty.

“There's something you're not telling us.”
I froze. As I turned to them, tears poured out from

my eyes again. Kitty walked up to me.

“Sweetie, what happened?”
“I…”
“Matthew and Jacob?” Madison asked me as she

gently combed my hair.

I shook my head and sobbed.
“Nick! I knew that cheap whore couldn't be

trusted!”

“What did that son of a bitch do to you?” Kitty

asked me.

I shook my head again as I tried to calm down. I had

to tell them. They were my best friends, but I could not
tell them that I had fallen in love with Nick. I had to tell
them my other secret and finally come clean. I needed
to tell someone.

“I'm…”
“What?” Madison asked as she wiped my tears.
“I'm…gay.”
Madison and Kitty turned to each other. A few

seconds later, they started laughing. Yes, they started
laughing. That was their first initial reaction. I stared at
the two while their laughter died out. Kitty turned to me

with a smile.

“Baby, we knew that before you did.”
“Yeah, we know you like the back of our hands.”
“We were just waiting for you to tell us.”
I was shocked. Did that mean that my mom knew

too?

“Oh. So, you don't care?”
“Of course not,” Madison answered, smiling.
“Yeah, what difference does it make if you like guys?

You're still the same person and we love you no matter
what.”

“I thought that you guys would dislike me at least.”
“I think that's why we love you more,” Kitty

answered she extended her arm over my shoulder and
pulled me closer.

We slowly made our way to class.
“Yeah, and it makes me more comfortable to talk

about boys and my menstrual cycle in front of you,”
Madison confessed as she hugged me.

“I feel like a fool.”
“Don't feel that way,” Kitty told me as we walked

into class.

“We're your friends and we love you,” Madison

reassured me as we sat down.

“It's just that I never expected you to be so cool

about it.”

“We're just two cool bitches,” Madison replied.

“However, I feel like that's not the reason you were
crying. What made you realized that you were gay?”

“I guess I've always known. I just came to accept it.”
Madison and Kitty looked unconvinced. They knew

that  I  was  hiding  something,  but  they  didn’t  press  on
because Nick and Mrs. Carter entered the room. Nick
nodded at me and I replied with a faint smile. I didn’t
want to show my resentment towards him. What would
I  gain  from  that? Absolutely  nothing!  I  would  lose  his
friendship,  and  I  wanted  to  be  his  friend.  I  could  be
happy with just being his nerdy buddy.

* * *

“Can you believe how much homework we have for

the weekend?” Madison said as she drank her diet
coke. It was lunchtime and the cafeteria was busy.

“Thank God the first week of classes is over.”

“I know what you mean. Thank God it's Friday!”

Kitty squeaked excitedly.

“Yup! Well, well, well…look at the happy couple,”

Madison pointed out as she witnessed Nick kissing
Allison. “They sure are spending a lot of time together.”

I didn’t look up. They were sitting a few tables away

from us, but I could not bring myself to glance at them.
It was too painful to watch.

“Football season starts next Friday so they're making

the best out of the situation,” Kitty added. She turned to
me. “How are the tutoring sessions going with Nick?”

“Surprisingly well. We'll start to meet later next week

because the new football season,” I answered as I
examined my empty plate. “Even though he's a C+
student, he's doing remarkably well.”

“Who knew a jock could be smart instead of stupid.”
“A hot, horny and smart jock,” Madison added.

“He's the perfect guy.”

“Yeah,” I replied.
“Too bad his girlfriend is such a little bitch.”
Believe me, she was. She hated anyone that was

smarter than her. That actually meant that she hated the
entire  school.  Nick  fell  in  love  with  that  stupid  bimbo
because she looked like those blonde playboy bunnies
from  the  magazines.  He  cheated  on  her  left,  right,  up
and down! She was just too dim-witted to realize that
Nick  was  having  sex  with  the  entire  squad  behind  her
back.

“I heard Carol blew him last week at his dad's

office,” Madison continued.

“I heard she had a sore throat all week,” Kitty added

with a smile.

“You have to admit that's hot! I also heard that he

fingered Alice during science lab.”

“Yeah,” Kitty answered, laughing. “After that, he

boned Beatrice in an empty classroom.”

“Can we talk about something else?” I asked

irritably.

“Is that jealousy I smell, Johnny Boy?” Kitty asked

me with a smirk.

“Hell no!”
“Mm-hmm,” Kitty replied.
“Stop that!”

“It's okay, Johnny Boy. You can say that he's hot,”

Madison told me.

“No. He's a big, stupid and horny jock!”
“But, that doesn't change the fact that he's hot as

hell.”

“Now you're calling him stupid? You just called him

smart a few minutes ago,” Kitty told me.

“I said he's a C+ student.”
“Just admit it,” Madison told me.
“Admit what!?”
“That he's hot.”
“No!”
“Yes,” Kitty replied.
“No!”
“Yes!” they said in unison.
“NO!”
“YES!”
“Fine! He's hot!” I begrudgingly admitted.
They dragged it out of me. They started laughing and

I turned red. I had never told anyone that I thought
another guy was hot. Kitty turned to me with a smile.

“I knew you liked him.”

“No. I said he's hot.”
“We know you, Johnny Boy.”
“You love him, don’t you?” Madison added.
“No I don't!”
“You get nervous whenever he comes near you and

jealous whenever you hear those naughty rumors about
him.”

I sighed. Madison and Kitty could read me even if I

was written in fifty-three different languages. I could
never lie to them.

“Fine, I like him a lot and I hate hearing stuff like

that.”

Kitty smiled while Madison hugged my arm.
“I don't know what to say. Being in love with

someone who doesn't love you back is horrible enough.
That's probably the worst feeling ever.”

“I know, but what can I do, Kitty? I can't stop loving

him. Believe me, I wish I could control my emotions
towards him.”

“Nick is straight, baby. He has probably slept with

half the school.”

“Yeah, and he hasn’t slept with the other half

because they're guys,” Madison added.

She made us laugh. There was never a dull moment

with Madison around. Never! We turned to the happy
couple who were talking in hushed tones. Apparently,
they had already exchanged enough saliva.

“I love how he inadvertently flexes his muscles,”

Madison continued.

“Allison is one lucky bitch.”
“Yeah,” I answered as I examined Nick's biceps and

leaned back.

At that moment, Allison stood and bitch slapped

Nick across his face. Our mouths dropped open in
unison. The entire school froze and focused their
attention towards the previously happy couple.

“You fucking asshole! Why are you dumping me!?”
“I think we're better off alone. Can we talk about this

privately?” Nick pleaded as he looked around.

“Why!?” Allison shouted at the top of her lungs.
“Stop, screaming! Lower your voice, please.”
“Why Nick!? Why!? I love you!”
“Look! Shut the fuck up already! I'm just tired of the

same thing over and over again! You're too much

drama! I want to live my life, okay? Bye, bitch.”

Nick turned around and walked out of the cafeteria.

Yes, Nick was a huge asshole and a dick! In a twisted
kind  of  way,  that  was  the  reason  all  the  girls  wanted
him. He was rugged and sexy. Girls love bad boys and
Nick  was  the  worst  of  them.  Allison  immediately
dropped  to  the  floor  crying  and  made  a  huge  scene.
Her two best friends helped her up, but she continued
bawling anyway.

“Oh my God!” Madison exclaimed as we closed our

jaws.

“He dumped her in front of the entire school,” I

declared with a laugh.

“What an asshole!” Kitty added.
I had been having such a dull day, but after

witnessing  that,  I  became  Mr.  Happy. Yes,  I  felt  bad
for  Allison  because  Nick  should  have  handled  things
differently.  It  was  official—the  era  of  ‘Nickson’  was
over.  It  was  just  Nick  or  just  Allison  now.  As  we
headed for the period after lunch, the entire school went
nuts. Everyone was talking about what happened and it
looked  like  a  Miss America  Pageant  hit  the  hallways.

All the girls were combing their hair, fixing their clothes,
applying more make-up or perfuming themselves. Nick
was up for grabs and girls would do anything to be his
new girlfriend.

“Can you believe these people?” Kitty asked as a

student changed her blouse in the main hallway.
“They're going all out for him even though he just broke
up with Allison a minute ago.”

“I know,” I answered her with a smile.
I was happy. Nick would be far away from that

stupid bimbo; however, he would probably have a new
girlfriend by the end of class. We walked into Spanish
class and found Nick surrounded by at least eleven
girls. As we sat down, Nick stood up. He walked over
to where we were and sat behind me. I was a nervous
wreck. My heart stopped as he leaned forward and
spoke softly.

“Hey!”
“Hi,” I answered breathlessly, but he just chuckled at

my reaction.

“Can we meet today at three instead? Coach is

giving us the day off so we could enjoy the last free

Friday of the season. I've got to get into Princeton.”

“Yeah, sure.”
“Cool,” Nick answered as he turned to Madison.

“Looking great, Madison.”

“Thanks,” Madison answered as she looked away.
No! Nick was hitting on my best friend! Not Nick

and Madison! Not them! Kitty turned to me and smiled
weakly.  I  immediately  faced  the  front  and  focused  on
Mrs.  Sanchez.  I  heard  them  talking  throughout  the
class, but I completely blocked them out. I’d rather not
know  than  get  hurt.  Nick  was  hitting  on  Madison  and
there was nothing I could do. At the end of the class,
Madison got my attention.

“John, can we talk?” she asked as Nick left the class.
“About?” I asked trying to sound casual.
“Nick.”
“I'll leave you two alone,” Kitty remarked as she

walked out.

“I'm not going to date him. Yes, he looks good, but

you're a million times more important to me.”

That touched my heart. Tears instantly poured out of

my eyes. I hated crying in front of my friends or anyone

else for that matter. I was just too sensitive.

“Madison,” I muttered as wiped my tears. “If Nick

wants to date you, you should go out with him. You
both have the right to be happy. I can't make him
happy.”

“Johnny Boy, I'll never date him. Nick is a huge

fucking dick! You saw it today. He uses girls for his
own pleasure and amusement. I don't want to be
another one on his list. I'm doing this for myself too, you
know? I may act like a slut, but I do have some dignity
and pride.”

“Whoa, Madison, you truly are an amazing

individual.”

“I know,” she answered, smiling. “Now, let's go get

math over with.”

Madison was truly amazing. I trusted her with my life.

I knew Madison and Kitty would never hurt me. To my
Madison, friends came before any cocky good-looking
guy, even if that guy was Nick Wild Hawk. We joined
Kitty for the next period and she was happy to see us
smiling again.

* * *

“Guess who just asked me out?” Kitty asked us

while she stored away her phone.

Our last class had just ended.
“Who?” Madison asked her.
“Ryan.”
“Ryan? Ryan Robinson?” I asked her. “The skater

dude?”

“Yes, and he wants Madison and I to go on a double

date with him and Chris Olson.”

“Chris Olson? The hot sexy senior?” Madison asked

excitedly.

“Yes! They're picking us up at seven. Does that

mean that you'll go?”

“Hell yes!”
“Good, cause I told him yes.”
Madison was extremely happy; she loved seniors.

And yes, I was glad to know that she would be going
out with Chris instead of Nick.

“You ready to go?” Nick asked as he stood beside

me.

“Yeah,” I answered him with a smile.
Nick was wearing a tight red washed-up shirt and

faded blue jeans. He was looking ten times hotter today
than usual. Probably because he was single now.

“Cool, let's go,” Nick told me. He turned to the girls.

“Ladies, see you Monday.”

“See you, Nick, and take good care of him,” Kitty

said playfully.

“You know it.”
“Bring him back safe and sound,” Madison added.
“I'd never hurt my best friend.”
It was embarrassing. I felt like a sixteen year old

going out on her first date. I wanted to kill them, but all
I did was blush. It didn’t even register that Nick had
called me his best friend. We walked out of class and
headed towards the library.

“I'm sorry about Madison and Kitty.”
“It's cool. Your friends are really overprotective; I

understand. The jocks haven't been that friendly
towards you.”

“Yeah,” I agreed as I opened the library door, but

Nick kept walking towards the exit. “Where are you

going?”

“Just follow me,” Nick answered as he continued

down the hall. “Come on, I won't bite.”

I wished he would. I followed him into the school's

parking lot where we jumped inside his Mustang. He
drove out of school and headed towards the center of
town. Saint Peter Town was very busy at that time of
day. Many students were heading to the mall to release
the tension of the first week of classes. Others were just
hanging around on the streets and drinking with their
friends. Nick stopped at a Pizza Hut parking lot.

“I'm hungry.”
“You're always hungry.”
Nick chuckled.
“True, but I couldn't eat during midday. You saw the

little scene.”

“Everyone did.”
“Yeah, let's go inside and order a large pizza.”
We stepped out of the car and Nick led me inside

the restaurant. The Pizza Hut was relatively empty when
compared to the outside world. The waitress took us to
our table and gave us the menu. Nick instantly ordered

a  large  pizza  with  every  meat  topping  and  giant  jar  of
Pepsi. I liked that about him. He always knew what he
wanted  and  went  for  it.  In  a  way,  that  came  out  as
cockiness,  but  he  was  just  too  confident.  He  silently
examined me. I was too nervous so I looked away. A
few seconds later, I glanced back at Nick and he was
still  staring  at  me.  While  I  turned  my  attention  to  the
napkins on the table, Nick chuckled.

“Why do you get so nervous whenever I stare at you

like that?”

“I…I don't.”
“Yes, you do. I'm not stupid. I've noticed.”
“Anyone would be uncomfortable when someone

stares at them that way.”

Nick laughed.
“You have to be more confident. We really have to

work on that.”

The waitress brought the jar of Pepsi and two glass

cups. He silently stared at her ass as she walked away.

“That's one tight ass,” Nick murmured as he took a

sip of his drink.

I ignored his comment. He turned to me. I had to say

something before he began to stare at me again or
worse, read my mind like Madison or Kitty.

“Why did you dump Allison?”
Nick placed his cup on the table and sighed.
“Well, to be honest, I was just dating her to get

pussy.”

I could not believe it myself and I was hearing it.

Nick really was an ass. I kept my mouth shut and
continued listening to him.

“I didn't want to continue with the charade, so I did

what any man should have done. She wants to plan a
wedding date! Can you believe that?! She's thinking
about marriage and we haven't even graduated or
turned eighteen!”

“Whoa, Nelly! She's a little cuckoo.”
Nick chuckled. Damn! He looked so sexy whenever

he smiled.

“A little? More like completely and mentally insane! I

just want to live my life! Yes, I want to settle down one
day, but not until I meet my one true love.”

One true love? I knew Nick was a sensitive bad boy.
“But, from what I heard, you've been living your life.”

“Those are rumors, okay?” he said, smiling.
“You sure? People would swear under oath that

they're true.”

Nick chuckled again.
“Okay, yes, some of them are true. I've slept around

with a lot of girls and I fuck like there's no tomorrow.
But, in my defense, sex is the best thing in the world.
You understand that. You're a guy.”

I instantly turned red. In fact, I almost choked on my

drink. Nick laughed at my reaction.

“Or, are you a virgin?” Nick asked me with a smirk.
“Yes.”
I have no idea how that came out. I wanted to take it

back, but it was too late. Nick looked like he was
taken aback. I saw the smirk creep across his face.

“Well, if you were a girl, I'd take you home with me

tonight.”

Yes, he did say that to me! No joke! I almost died

on  the  spot.  My  face  got  redder  than  the  Pizza  Hut's
roof.  Nick  was  laughing  his  ass  off.  Just  then,  the
waitress arrived with the pizza. I praised the Lord in the
highest!  To  me,  that  was  divine  intervention.  Nick

served me two slices and served himself four. We ate in
silence until he spoke up a few minutes later.

“I won't tell anyone. Don't worry about it, okay?”
I panicked. I wanted to turn the focus back on him,

so I blurted out the first question that formed in my
head.

“How many women have you slept with?”
Nick replied with laugh.
“A lot actually, but I always use protection.”
“That's says a lot about you,” I answered as I ate my

pizza.

“Yeah, I fuck women like a crazy maniac,” he said

with a grin. “I don't stop until they beg for mercy or
crawl out of bed on a wheelchair.”

I was speechless. Nick was such a dick. In fact, he

was a pig! Sex was on his mind twenty-four hours a
day and seven days a week. I choked on my pizza, and
Nick chuckled.

“Don't worry, someday you'll experience it.”
“Okay,” I mumbled.
“You will, trust me,” Nick reassured me as he took a

huge bite of his pizza. “John, tell me more about you.

You know everything about me and I barely know
anything about you. Who is the guy behind the name?”

“What can I say about me? Well, my mom is a single

parent that works three jobs to keep up with the bills.
We don’t have much, but she wants me to get a good
education at Elite High so I can have a brighter future.
I'm not lucky like everyone else in school. Sometimes, I
go without things most people take for granted. Things
are hard, but we do what we have to do to get by.”

“Well, believe it or not, you're the lucky one. You

have a mother who loves you and you're not shallow
like everyone else in school. You're not like them. I like
that about you. You're humble. Yeah, that's the perfect
word to describe you. Humble.”

So it seemed there was still hope for Nick Wild

Hawk after all. There was actually a human being inside
that egotistical, cocky sex machine.

“Thanks Nick. And I know deep down you're a

caring and sensitive guy. And I don't want to make you
uncomfortable by saying that, but it's just that everyone
thinks you're this cocky sex-maniac who only cares
about himself. Do you get what I'm trying to tell you?”

“Yes I do, and I know that's my fault. I'm a player

and a huge dick to women, but I want to change. I
really do. Yes, I've had lots of sex, but I always end up
feeling empty afterwards. In a way, I feel used by the
girls I sleep with. I crave more than just casual sex. I
crave love. Not just any love but real love. Whoa, I just
realized that.”

Nick smiled.
“It's never too late to change, Nick. I know that you

can.  I  have  no  doubts  about  that.  If  you  do,  you'll  be
able  to  find  the  true  meaning  of  happiness  and  be  the
perfect  guy.  You're  almost  perfect.  You  just  need  to
control that compulsive organ between your legs.”

Nick laughed.
“Thanks. I'll change and find somebody to love. It's

difficult to do it alone though. Would you help me out? I
doubt that I can do it by myself.”

“Sure. I promise to help you tame the beast between

your legs.”

We both laughed. Nick was an amazing guy. He just

needed someone to help him find his way in life. Yes, he
had been a dick in the past, but I knew that he could

change. He wanted to change and that was important. I
decided to make it my mission to help him out.

We got to know each other pretty well that night. I

found out that many of the rumors about him had been
slightly exaggerated. Carol had a sore throat, but it was
thanks  to  a  virus  not  Nick's  large  penis.  All  of  the
rumors  had  some  sort  of  truth  behind  them,  but  it
wasn’t as bad as I thought. It wasn’t until seven that we
decided to head home. Nick stopped at a grocery store
on the way. He said he needed to pick up a few things,
so  I  patiently  waited  inside  the  car.  It  was  then  that  I
spotted  two  figures  making  their  way  towards  me.  It
was Matthew and Jacob.

Chapter Four

I panicked since I was alone and on the opposite

side of the empty street. I silently stepped out of Nick's
car  and  made  my  way  towards  the  grocery  store.  I
needed  to  get  to  safety.  With  a  low-  pitched  whistle,
they  let  me  know  they  had  spotted  me.  I  was  like  a
deer caught in the headlights. I didn’t know what to do!
I made a run for it.

“Come here you little fag!” Matthew shouted as he

tackled me to the ground.

He grabbed me by the collar of my shirt and dragged

me  away.  I  tried  to  set  myself  free,  but  it  was
impossible since Matthew was too strong for me. The
scent  of  alcohol  let  me  know  that  he  was  intoxicated.
He  grabbed  me  by  the  neck  and  slammed  me  against
the wall of an empty building. Jacob silently watched as
the events unfolded.

“You little fuck! You got me in trouble with Nick!”
“I didn't tell—”
“Shut the fuck up!” Matthew shouted as he slammed

me against the wall again.

“Dude, let him go. Nick has this kid's back now,”

Jacob reminded him as he looked around.

“Fuck Nick! That bitch isn’t around here!”
Matthew turned to me. He looked like a deranged

psychopath.

“I'm going to beat the shit out of you! But first, I'm

going to tear your fucking faggot ass apart. I'm going to
show you how a real man fucks!”

He rubbed his genitals over my right leg and moved

upwards. Suddenly, I felt his hard penis against my soft
one. I was petrified. Tears poured out of my eyes. My
entire body began to tremble uncontrollably. Suddenly,
Jacob took off running. He left me alone with that crazy
monster. After Matthew punched me in the stomach, I
hit the ground hard. I was going to die.

“WHAT THE FUCK DID I TELL YOU!?”
I looked up. It was Nick. He was scowling and

pointing at Matthew. Matthew stepped forward and
spoke to him defiantly.

“Fuck you, asshole! You think you're hot shit

because you're the star quarterback!? You're nothing

more than a piece of shit like this fuck here!”

Matthew pointed at me at the end of his sentence.

Suddenly, he lunged at Nick. Nick quickly moved out
of  the  way  and  kneed  him  in  the  stomach.  Then,  he
connected his fist with Matthew's lower jaw. Matthew
flew backwards and fell on the ground. Before he could
do  anything  else,  Nick  kicked  his  stomach.  He  sat  on
top of him and savagely punched his face. It was a side
of  Nick  I  had  never  seen  before  in  my  life.  It  was  his
dark side. He kept punching Matthew like a wild animal
on crack. That is the only way I could describe him. He
looked  like  a  deranged  beast.  When  I  managed  to
stand, I hurled myself at Nick and I  tried  to  push  him
away  from  Matthew.  It  was  useless;  Nick  was  still
going at him.

“Nick! Baby! Please! Stop it! Please! You're going

to kill him! Please!” I shouted while I tried to get him off
Matthew.

Honestly, he could have killed Matthew, but I didn’t

want  Nick  to  go  to  jail  or  become  a  murderer  on
account  of  me.  I  continued  to  push  Nick  away  from
Matthew  until  he  finally  heard  me.  He  glanced  at  me

and stood up. I was still hugging him when I looked
down on Matthew. His face was swollen and blood
stained his shirt.

“Motherfucker! Touch him again and I'll fucking kill

you!”

“Nick, please! Let's go!” I shouted as I continued to

hold him off.

In reality, there was no way I could hold Nick off

when he went psycho. I was merely in his way. He
could have easily pushed me aside, but Nick was not
going to hurt me. He promised me that.

Nick nodded. He grabbed my wrist and we ran to

his  sports  car.  I  turned  to  look  at  Matthew.  He  was
trying  to  sit  up.  He  was  going  to  be  okay;  he  was
another  jock  like  Nick.  Matthew  could  take  it  like  a
man, even if he wasn’t one.

We jumped into Nick's car and sped down the

street.  We  were  a  few  blocks  away  from  my  house
when  Nick  came  to  a  sudden  stop.  I  noticed  that  he
was  still  fuming  with  rage.  We  didn’t  say  a  word  to
each other. After a few minutes of complete silence, I
glanced  at  him.  He  held  his  chin  with  his  hand  and

stared blankly ahead, deep in thought. Suddenly, he
punched the steering wheel. His action made me
jumped. Nick turned to me.

“I'm sorry, John. I'm not angry at you. I'm angry at

that lowlife piece of shit!”

Nick turned to face the end of the street again. I

began to play with my fingers instead. I tried to come
up with something to tell him, but nothing came to mind.
Nick continued to breathe deeply for a few more
minutes until he calmed down. He turned to me with a
smile.

“You should try out for the football team. None of

the guys try to tackle me when I have the ball.”

We laughed.
“I can see why,” I answered, smiling. Nick chuckled.

“Thank you for saving me again, Nick.”

“You don't need to thank me. I just lose my mind

whenever I see someone bullying someone else. I didn't
tell you this before, but one of my friends was bullied in
middle school. He lost his eyesight after his attacker hit
him on the back of the head with a baseball bat. That
led to his suicide a few months later. Ever since then,

I've had zero tolerance for bullies. Eventually, I was
bound to kick Matthew's ass. It was just a matter of
time.”

That was the reason Nick protected me. In my own

fantasy world, he would have done it because he loved
me, but in reality, he did it because I was weak and
pathetic. I sighed.

“I'm so sorry Nick. I can see why you beat him the

way you did. You have a lot of anger inside of you.
What they did to your friend was cruel. Nick, do you
think that Matthew will be okay?”

“That fucking asshole will be fine! I just wanted to

break his nose and bruise his eyes. That way, whenever
he tries to bully someone, he thinks twice. Why do you
even care about that fucking punk!?”

I sensed his temper rising again. I had to say

something before he hit me.

“I don't give a shit about that asshole, Nick! He

could drop dead. I care about you! I don't want you to
get in trouble or end up jail because of me.”

Nick curiously looked at me for a few seconds. I got

nervous again. It sounded weird for me to tell him that I

cared so much for his safety. A smile developed on his
face.

“Thanks for caring. Madison was right. You truly are

an amazing friend.”

It seemed that was what they were talking about

during class and I got the wrong impression. I wanted
to hug Madison at that moment.

“Thanks.”
“Matthew should be thankful because if it wasn't for

you, I'd have beaten him up real good.”

“Bring down your testosterone level, Mr. Hawking.”
“Yeah, I should go home and jerk off.”
I laughed, even though his comment made me a little

uncomfortable. The topic of sex always made me
uneasy. Nick laughed at my reaction. Suddenly, he
froze.

“I'm such a fucking dick! Did he hurt you? Do you

want to go to the hospital?”

“No! I'm fine. He just punched me once in the

stomach. Don't worry, I'm okay.”

“You sure?”
“Positive, Nick.”

“Okay, let me take you home before Madison and

Kitty kill me.”

I laughed. Nick started his car and sped down the

street. When we arrived at my house, I realized that the
lights were off. That meant that my mom wasn’t home
yet. I stepped out of the car and thanked him for
everything. As I turned to my house, he called me back.

“Wait! These are for you,” Nick insisted as he took

out six grocery bags from the trunk of his car. “I don't
take no for an answer.”

“Nick, you really shouldn't have,” I replied as I took

them. “Please, let me know if Matthew reports you. I
think I won't be able to sleep tonight.”

“Don't worry, I'll be fine. Give me your number and

I'll call you if anything comes up.”

“We don't have a phone, Nick,” I admitted meekly.
“It's cool, take mine,” Nick replied as he took out his

Blackberry from his right pocket.

“Nick I—”
“I don't take no for an answer. Don't you want to

know if I'm going to jail?”

“Yes, I do.”

“Then take it,” Nick insisted as he dropped it inside

my front pocket. He quickly walked back to his car.
“And you owe me a tutoring session. I'll call you to
confirm when and where, okay?”

“Sure,” I answered him with a smile.
Nick jumped into his car and disappeared at the

corner of my street. I ran inside to unpack the grocery
bags. I was dumbfounded. Nick had bought everything
a  household  needs  for  an  entire  week.  Finally,  after
many  empty  weeks,  the  refrigerator  was  filled  to  the
max. I admired it for a few seconds and headed to my
room. I was ecstatic. The day turned out to be amazing!
Nick  dumped  Allison,  we  got  to  know  each  other
pretty well and he saved my life again. I could not wait
for Monday so I could tell my girls everything.

When I dropped on my bed, I felt something inside

my  pants.  It  was  Nick's  phone!  I  took  it  out.  I  found
forty-three  missed  calls  and  twenty-three  texts  from
Allison.  Nick  also  had  over  three  hundred  texts  and
calls  from  many  other  girls.  I  laughed  at  their  puny
attempt to contact him. His phone was on silent mode
and that was the reason why I did not hear it throughout

the  day.  I  quickly  opened  his  phone  book.  I  was
stunned. He had over eight hundred contacts. Nick had
every  teenager’s  phone  number  within  a  fifty  mile
radius.  He  had  a  few  sexy  messages  from  many
different girls, but no replies. I decided not to invade his
privacy and placed the phone on my nightstand. I was
exhausted.  I  slowly  crawled  into  my  bed  and  a  few
minutes later, I fell asleep.

A buzzing sound woke me up a few hours later. I

rolled on my bed and sat up. I realized that Nick's
Blackberry was ringing. When I glanced at the screen,
the word “House” was flashing repeatedly. I quickly
answered it.

“Hello?”
“Hey, what's up? Did I wake you up?”
It was Nick.
“Nah, I was watching television,” I lied to him after

glancing at the clock. It was eleven thirty. I quickly
remembered Matthew. “What happened with
Matthew? Did he report you?”

“Nah! That pussy said that four guys beat him up

because they tried to rob him. I just talked to Jacob.

Can you believe that he apologized on his behalf?”

“Thank God! I was so worried.”
“You worry too much, Johnny Cake.”
“Johnny Cake?”
He laughed.
“Sorry, it's just that your nickname, Johnny Boy,

reminds me of a Caribbean bread call Johnny Cake. I
tasted them this past summer.”

“Oh, I see. I like that nickname!”
“Okay, Johnny Cake. Turn off my phone and get

some shuteye. If you don't, you'll get at least a million
calls tonight. I'll call you tomorrow after nine so we can
decide where to meet and study. Cool?”

“Okay Nickelodeon! Good night and sweet

dreams.”

Nick chuckled again.
“Good night to you too, Johnny Cake.”
After he hung up, I dropped on my bed and glanced

at the clock. Nick was going to call me in less than ten
hours. We were going to see each other again! I was so
happy. I turned off the phone and drifted to sleep.

A small noise woke me up. I looked up. Nick was

standing at the foot of my bed wearing nothing more
than black pajama pants. I immediately sat up. Before I
could say anything, he crawled on top of me.

“How did—”
Nick placed his hand on my mouth and whispered

into my ear.

“Shh! You'll wake up your mom. I had to see you

again. I couldn't wait until tomorrow. I want to make
you mine right now.”

Nick leaned in and our lips met. It really was an out-

of-body experience. I had never felt that shocking
feeling that starts in your lips, travels throughout your
entire body and rests in your heart. Once he stopped,
he stared at me and touched my body.

“I love you, John. I love you John. John…John…

JOHN!

I opened my eyes and came face to face with my

mom. She was sitting on my bed with a perplexed look
on her face. It was all a dream. Nick was far away from
me.

“Mom? What happened?”
“Baby? Where did you get all that food?”

“Oh, Nick gave it to me.”
“Nick? Who's Nick?”
“The guy I'm tutoring. I didn't want to take it, but he

convinced me.”

“And that phone?” she asked me as she pointed to

Nick's Blackberry.

“That's Nick phone. He lent it to me last night

because he wanted to call me today so we can schedule
a study session.”

My mom nodded.
“Okay, I need to meet Nick so I can thank him for

the food, but you have to return that phone as soon as
possible. We don't take anything that's not ours.”

“Mom, I didn't steal it. He lent it to me because we

don't have a house phone.”

“I know honey, but what do you expect me to think

when I find the refrigerator full and an expensive phone
on your nightstand? I know that you'd never steal. I'm
just making sure that you're on the right path. I'm really
surprised that you took those items. You never take
anything from Kitty or Madison. Nick sounds like a
silver tongue talker.”

“Believe me, he is. He's such a nice guy too.”
“You thanked him and his parents for helping you

with school?”

“Him, yes, but I haven't met his parents yet.”
“Okay, when you do, you know what to say,” she

instructed me as she stood up. “Now, I'm going to get
ready because I'm running late. Help yourself to
breakfast. Love you, sweetie.”

“Love you too, Mom.”
She walked out of my room and closed the door. I

glanced at the time. It was 7:45. I dropped on my bed
and  turned  on  Nick's  phone.  Almost  immediately,
several  messages  flashed  on  the  screen.  It  took  the
inbox a few minutes to process the information. He had
sixty-two  messages  from  Allison  and  seventy-seven
from other girls. Those bitches must really be desperate
for Nick's large wiener! I didn't read the messages since
I didn’t want to cross Nick's line of trust.

I unwillingly crawled out of my bed. I hated cold

showers, but I needed one after my hot dream with
Nick. After my shower, I made my way to the kitchen
with Nick's phone in hand. I opened the box of Frosted

Flakes and sat on the sofa to eat and watch television.
Suddenly,  Nick's  phone  lit  up.  It  was Allison.  Believe
me, I wanted to pick up and tell her that Nick was off
limits,  but  I  thought  of  the  consequences. Allison  was
not worth losing Nick's friendship. The phone stopped
flashing. A  few  seconds  later,  it  continued.  It  was  like
that  for  the  next  thirty  minutes. You  would  think  that
anyone would get the message after the first few rings,
but not Allison. Suddenly, I heard a knock on the front
door  and  I  quickly  glanced  at  the  clock.  It  was  a
quarter to nine. I knew that it wasn’t my mom and Nick
said that he would call. I headed towards the front door
thinking that it was Madison or Kitty since they always
dropped  by  unexpectedly.  I  slowly  opened  the  front
door and peeped outside. It was Nick.

“Morning, John.”
“Nick? I thought you were going to call me first.”
“Yeah, but I knew that you were home so I dropped

by.”

“Oh, I see,” I remarked as I examined him from head

to toe.

Nick looked amazing in a white singlet and blue

basketball shorts.

“Aren't you going to invite me in?”
“Oh, God! I'm so sorry! Please come in!”
Nick chuckled. He stepped into my house and

looked around while I closed the door.

“This way,” I stated as I directed him into the living

room. Nick followed me. He dropped his schoolbag on
the floor while he sat down on one of the sofas. I sat
next to him while I pointed out the obvious. “Make
yourself at home.”

“I like this sofa. I could see myself relaxing here,”

Nick admitted as he felt the fabric.

“Thanks. Here's your phone.”
“Thank you,” Nick replied as he took it from my

hand. He began to search for something inside his
schoolbag. “This is yours.”

He handed me an identical Blackberry phone.
“Nick, I can't take it.”
“Yes you can and you will. I need you to take it.”
“Why? I can't afford a cell phone plan.”
“Don't worry about that. They'll charge it to my

credit card. I really need to keep in touch with you.

What if I've got a question about homework or need to
talk to you about my addiction?”

“Addiction?”
“My sex addiction,” he added with a smile. Nick

looked at me seriously and continued. “You did
promise me that you were going to help me tame the
beast.”

I had to laugh. Nick was funny. Madison and Nick

would definitely have good conversations.

“Okay, but I won't abuse your generosity.”
“Okay, but you do have unlimited texts, calls and

web browsing.”

“Really?” I asked looking at the phone while he

nodded and handed me the charger. “Thank you,
Nickelodeon.”

“You're welcome, Johnny Cake. Now, get me a

bowl of milk because that cereal looks great!”

I smiled and immediately headed to the kitchen. We

spent the entire morning eating cereal and watching
television. We had an amazing time. At noon, he
ordered a large pizza and gave Eric, the pizza delivery
guy, the tip of a lifetime. He was so happy with his one

hundred dollar bill that he gave us extra cheese, ketchup
packs, and ground pepper. After Nick consumed three
fourths of the pizza, he turned to me.

“You spend the entire day alone?”
“Yeah, my mom works all day. She usually comes

home after nine.”

“Whoa, I never thought we'd have that in common.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, my parents are always traveling. I barely get

to see them. I hate being alone in my house. It's too big
and I feel lonely.”

“I know what you mean, but they work hard so you

can have everything you want.”

“Maybe, but your mom works harder.”
“Yes, except that my mom makes way less than your

parents. You're welcome here anytime.”

Nick smiled warmly. Suddenly, his phone lit up. It

was Allison again.

“This chick is starting to tick me off! What the hell is

she thinking? Doesn't she get the message?”

“Apparently not.”
Nick nodded while he pressed the answer key.

“Stop calling me! I don't want to hear shit from you

anymore!”

My heart stopped. He silently listened to her for a

few seconds and then continued.

“Yes, I fucked your two best friends! I fucked the

entire squad behind your back and they loved my dick.”

My jaw dropped. I could not believe that Nick

admitted that to Allison. I felt bad for her.

“Stopped crying and calling me names because

you're the same shit! You think I didn't find out about
what happened a week after we began dating? I swore
to get back at you! Yes, Samantha told me while I was
banging her.”

Apparently, Allison cheated on Nick a week after

they got together. Samantha was one of Allison's best
friends. Isabelle was the other one.

“Tell Isabelle to shut the fuck up because she went

down on my dick for the last two weeks!”

My jaw dropped open. Nick was such a bad ass.
“Allison, you and your gang of whores could go to

hell for all I care! Leave me the fuck alone!”

Nick hung up.

“Drama, drama, drama. What did I get myself into?”
“Nick, sooner or later, you'll have to face your

mistakes. So, prepare for the worst.”

“You're scaring me,” Nick answered with a faint

smile.

“If you want to change, you'll have to face your

mistakes so you can move on with your future.”

“I know,” Nick agreed as he sighed. “Thanks. If it

wasn't for your words of wisdom and support, I'd be
drinking my ass off and having more sex.”

“No! No drinking and no more sex,” I told him,

smiling.

“Does masturbation count as sex?” he asked with

smirk.

I laughed.
“No, no it doesn't. Go crazy with your hand.”
Nick chuckled.
“Do you want to give me a hand?” Nick asked.
“What?” I asked him as my heart skipped a few

beats.

Nick chuckled. I didn’t know what he meant or why

he was laughing. Suddenly, his laughter died out and he

extended his right hand to me.

“Come here, Johnny Cake.”
I hesitated at first, but I wanted to let him do anything

he wanted to me. I slowly walked to where he stood.
Before I knew it, he had grabbed me into a headlock
and  rubbed  his  fist  on  my  head.  Somehow,  that  was
male  bonding  time  for  him.  Regardless  of  that,  he
smelled  so  good.  Nick  let  me  go  and  laughed  at  my
hair.

“That hurt!” I told him as I combed my short hair.
“Sorry kiddo. I need to rough you up. That way, you

can stand up for yourself. What if a bully comes
around?”

“Well, you did promise to protect me.”
“True, but I won't be with you all the time. You have

to learn to put up a fight.”

He was right. What if Nick hadn’t been around the

previous night? Matthew would have raped me, beat
the shit out of me and ditched my body inside a drain. I
was lucky that Kitty, Madison and Nick had been
around to protect me. Alone, I would have been dead
meat a long time ago.

“I'm going to teach you how to throw a punch,

okay?”

I nodded. We spent the entire afternoon practicing

how to throw a punch, kick and run. That was what
Nick told me to do. As soon as I could, I should run
and get help.

We had Chinese food for dinner, and eventually,

Allison finally got the message and stopped calling
Nick. Sometimes, hurtful things have to happen before
the truth is realized. Allison and Nick were not perfect
for each other. He deserved someone better and so did
Allison. Together, they dragged each other down. Both
of them needed someone to help them change into
better individuals. I was going to help Nick, but Allison
was on her own.

Nick left my house around seven. He told me

something very important that day. He told me that if I
ever saw Matthew again, I should hide and call him;
however, he doubted that Matthew would get close to
me ever again. Nick was terribly wrong.

Chapter Five

I saw Matthew again three weeks later on a beautiful

Monday morning. His bruises had healed and he looked
better  than  ever.  Madison  and  I  were  walking  to  our
History  class.  She  was  in  a  deep  conversation  with
Chris.  They  had  been  dating  for  two  weeks  now.  In
Madison's world, that was like two whole years. Kitty
skipped  second  period  so  she  could  finish  her  lab
report  that  was  due  the  following  class.  We  left  her
working in the library and headed to History. I glanced
at Matthew as we entered the classroom. He looked at
me  with  a  smirk  and  walked  away. A  cold  chill  crept
down my spine.

Inside, we found Nick reading his World History

book.  He  smiled  when  he  saw  us  and  continued
reading.  Nick  and  I  were  closer  than  ever.  He  had
become  my  third  best  friend  and  we  spent  every
afternoon, Saturday and Sunday together. My mom met
him  the  previous  Friday  and  found  him  absolutely
dreamy and attractive. Every Thursday Nick would buy

groceries for us. That was his personal way of thanking
me for being his tutor. It only showed how amazing and
wonderful  Nick  really  was.  Girls  would  still  taunt  him,
but  he  was  slowly  changing.  Three  weeks  without  sex
was torture for Nick Wild Fuck, but he was hanging on.
After  winning  Homecoming  King,  more  girls  threw
themselves  at  him.  Temptation  was  strong,  but  his
willpower was stronger.

“Can you believe that I left my lab report home?”

Nick whispered into my ear.

“You left it home? What are you going to do? It's

due next period.”

“My mom's chauffeur will drop it by.”
“Lucky you.”
Without warning, Mr. Wright entered the room with

his  usual  warm  smile.  He  was  a  forty-seven-year-old
dynamic  speaker  with  twenty  years  of  experience.  He
was  the  father  of  four  and  probably  the  best  husband
around.  Out  of  all  the  teachers,  he  was  definitely  the
one to trust. He was always willing to help anyone and
would  go  the  extra  mile  for  his  students.  Bottom  line,
Mr. Wright had a heart of gold.

“I saw Matthew near the main entrance,” I told Nick

as Mr. Wright wrote on the blackboard.

“Really? Did he tell you anything?”
“No, all he did was smile, but he looked so wicked

when he did that.”

“I see. Just be careful and stick to one of us.”
“I will.”
“I won't let him hurt you again, John. Jacob warned

me a few days ago that he’s changed. He has become
angrier and meaner. He also told me to be very
careful.”

“Then, you should keep your guard up.”
“I’m not afraid of that bitch.”
“Please, Nick, just be careful. I don't want him to

hurt you.”

“Okay, I'll take care of myself. I promise.”
When Mr. Wright cleared his throat, we stopped

talking.  The  class  continued  with  Mr.  Wright  talking
about  some  revolution.  I  just  kept  thinking  about
Matthew's  malignant  smile.  He  looked  so  malicious.
Nick left five minutes before the end of the class to pick
up his lab report. He asked me to take his bag to the

science  lab.  Madison  and  I  headed  through  the  door
with  Mr.  Wright  walking  behind  us.  As  soon  as  I
stepped into the hallway, I saw Matthew coming out of
the  bathroom  near  the  main  entrance.  Matthew  stared
at us and froze. A maniacal smile slowly spread across
his face. I knew I was safe in the presence of the entire
school, so we continued walking to the science lab. We
were going to turn into another hallway when I glanced
at  him  again.  Matthew  slowly  placed  his  hand  into  his
letter  jacket  and  took  out  two  pistols.  My  heart
stopped. He was pointing at us.

“Madison!!” I shouted as I pushed Madison towards

the left-wing of the school.

Madison flew down the corridor while I threw myself

to the right. That was the moment I heard the first two
shots.  I  instantly  felt  a  burning  sensation  between  my
heart and shoulder. Something metallic and hot pierced
through me and rested inside. After that, I heard a lot of
screaming and tumult. Chaos hit the halls of Elite High. I
dropped  both  bags  on  the  floor  and  ran  towards  the
right-wing  emergency  exit.  Everyone  was  pushing  and
screaming.  Suddenly,  I  heard  the  second  round  of

shots. This time, I heard even more uproars of
confusion. I held my left shoulder as I bumped into a
student. I examined my right hand. It was stained with
blood.

I kept running and looking back. I saw the frantic

faces of the students as they ran towards the emergency
door.  At  that  moment,  I  heard  a  fifth  shot  that  was
followed  by  a  sixth  shot.  I  panicked.  I  had  never  felt
that  type  of  anguish  before  in  my  life.  The  emergency
exit was too far away and I felt like I was about to faint;
I wasn’t going to make it. I had to hide, so I opened the
first door that I could find and stepped inside. It was the
school's  gymnasium.  I  dropped  on  the  floor;  my
breathing was becoming more difficult by each passing
second.  I  painfully  crawled  across  the  empty
gymnasium floor. A rack of mats was neatly packed at
the  end  of  the  room  so  I  decided  to  hide  behind  it.  It
was the safest spot that I could find.

I held my shoulder tight and moaned. The wound

burned whenever I applied force to it, but I had to keep
it from bleeding out. I knew I was getting close to
bleeding to death. The screaming had died out by then

and  everything  was  dead  silent.  My  heart  pounded
against  my  chest.  I  did  not  want  to  die.  I  had  not
experienced my first real kiss, gone out on my first date,
gone to prom or had my first real heartbreak. I wanted
to  live!  My  body  began  to  tremble;  a  cold  chill
penetrated my body. I continued to apply force to my
wound,  but  my  strength  was  slowly  decreasing.  Two
more shots broke the silence. They sounded ten times
louder and closer than ever. I prayed that Madison and
Kitty were okay. I knew that Nick was safe because he
was at the school's parking lot. I slowly closed my eyes.

After a few minutes of silence, I heard the door open

and close behind me. I opened my eyes. Tears instantly
filled them. Someone found me. The person froze and
slid a barbell from a nearby rack. Then, he continued
making his way towards me. I closed my eyes tight. I
was going to die. I knew it. Someone tugged on my
right shoulder and I jumped and squealed.

“John! It's me! Nick!”
I instantly opened my eyes. Nick was clutching a

barbell in his hands.

“Oh my God, John! You're bleeding!”

He knelt in front of me and removed my hand from

my shoulder. By now, I was shaking uncontrollably. He
took off his shirt and placed it on top of my wound.

“Hold it,” Nick instructed as he placed my right hand

over my shoulder again. “Don't move. I'm going to get
some help.”

“No, Nick! Please! Please don't leave me! Please!”
Nick hesitated at first, but he eventually sat down

next to me. He pulled me into his arms and hugged me
tight. I began to sob.

“Everything's going to be okay,” Nick whispered as

he pressed his lips against my temple. “I'll never let
anyone hurt you again. Just hang in there. I had no idea
that it was you. I saw the traces of blood and I
immediately knew that someone needed my help.”

“I'm going to die, Nick.”
“No! You're not going to die. Don't say that!”
“Yes, I am. I know it.”
Nick stared into my teary eyes.
“Don't say that again, okay?!”
I cried even more. I lay my head on his shoulder and

continued crying. I knew that I was going to die. I was

bleeding to death and my body felt cold and numb. I
was going to die in Nick's arms. A million things rushed
through my mind.

“Nick?”
“What?”
“I've got to tell you something,” I said desperately as

I gasped for air.

“Please, save your strength. Someone will come to

get us soon. I know it.”

“No, Nick. This can't wait anymore.”
Nick sighed as I stared into his eyes.
“I…”
“Please save your strength, Johnny Cake.”
“No,” I answered as I shook my head. “I've got to

tell you this before I die.”

“Don't say that! You won't die, John!”
“Yes, I know it,” I told him. Nick sighed again.

“Nick, I…I…love you…”

Nick smiled and held me tighter. His embrace was

warm and loving.

“I know.”
I was speechless.

“You…knew?”
“Yes, it was obvious after you called me 'baby' when

I was beating Matthew,” he explained with a light smile.
“I just thought it was really cute that my best friend had
those feelings towards me. That's the main reason why I
kept you so close to me all the time. I knew that you
loved my company.”

I cried even more. Peace finally entered my soul.
“Thank you for not hating me, Nickelodeon.”
“I'd never hate you, Johnny Cake. You're my best

friend.”

I sobbed louder. I could not take it. Nick touched

my heart and soul. He did not resent me for loving him.

“This all sucks…I'm going to die so young. Madison,

Kitty and I dreamt of going…to prom together. I won't
get to experience that or…my first kiss. I don't even
know if they're okay.”

“They're fine. Madison told me that she lost you

inside and that's why I came back. I ran into Kitty as I
was running inside as well.”

“I'm so happy to hear that, Nick. I…can die in peace

now.”

“Don't say that! You won't die today!”
“I know…I will Nick. I know it,” I mumbled as I

closed my eyes.

“Don't fall asleep, okay!? Please! Someone is

coming for us,” Nick pleaded as he grabbed my head.
“Look at me! Don't drop asleep, okay!?”

I nodded, but my eyes felt heavy.
“I'm not afraid of dying, Nick. It's just that…I'll miss

out on so many great things.”

Nick sighed. “Like prom and your first kiss?”
I nodded. Nick stared at me while he gently combed

my hair with his right hand.

“Please don't die,” he told me with a smile. “I hope

that this encourages you to live.”

Nick leaned towards me. His warm lips pressed

against  mine.  My  body  stopped  shaking  and
functioning. A  strange  electrical  feeling  rushed  through
every fiber of my being and stopped inside my heart. It
was ten times more intense than I ever imagined. As his
lips  parted  ways  with  mine,  he  smiled  warmly.  I
answered him with a faint smile.

“I feel like superman,” I stated weakly.

He hugged me tighter while I stared into his eyes.

Nick Wild Hawk was crying. That was the first time
that I saw him cry.

“I'm not giving up on you yet,” he told me. “You may

have, but I won't.

Nick stood up. He cupped me into his arms as I held

my wound. I was feeling light headed and extremely
sleepy. He dashed towards the door. As Nick pushed
the door open, he peeped outside. He made his way
out of the gym and briskly walked down the empty and
messy hallway.

“Hang in there,” Nick told me. “We're so close to

the nearest exit.”

“STOP MOTHERFUCKER!”
My heart froze. It was Matthew. His voice

resounded throughout the school. Nick froze as well,
then spun around to face him. Matthew was pointing his
pistols at us. I cried when I saw him standing a few feet
away from me.

“Matthew please! He's dying!”
“SHUT THE FUCK UP!” he screamed as tears ran

down from his eyes.

Matthew was shaking violently. Suddenly, he burst

into a hysterical laugh. As he made his way towards us,
his laughter increased.

“You two are the two people that I wanted in the

first place! And here you are, standing in front of me
and at my mercy!”

“Matthew, please don't do this. He'll die.”
“Matthew please! Matthew please! Now you

respect me? Now that I've got two guns pointing to
your motherfucking head?! Until now!? Where's the
almighty Nick Wild Hawk now? Where?!”

“Matthew, I'm sorry that I never respected you, but I

couldn't let you bully innocent people.”

“Because of you two, I'm a murderer!”
“No,” I argued weakly.
“What did you say, you little fuck!?” Matthew

shouted at me.

“He's dying. Don't –”
“Shut the fuck up and let the homo talk!” he told

Nick. “What did you say, bitch?”

“You're not a murderer because of us. You chose to

come here and open fire. You chose to bully anyone

that was weaker than you, but you know what? You're
the weak and pathetic one that hides behind the barrel
of two guns.”

Mathew stood still, looking at us with hatred.
“Before I kill you, I'll fucking tear your queer ass

apart! I'm going to finish what I started that day in the
hallway and that night. Nick saved you twice, but he
won't save you this time. I'm going to fuck you hard!”

Nick was stunned. He could not believe what

Matthew intended to do those times or at that moment.
As he walked closer to us, Nick took a few steps back.

“Move again and I'll shoot you motherfucker. Trust

me, I will.”

Nick glanced at me. I smiled weakly and nodded.
“Put him on the ground,” Matthew ordered him.

“Now!”

Nick slowly placed me on the floor.
“Now, step to this side!” Matthew told Nick as he

pointed the spot with one of the guns. Matthew turned
to me as he pointed the other gun to my head. “If you
fight me off, I'll shoot Nick. Understand?”

I nodded. I would die for Nick and I was willing to

go through hell for him. Matthew knelt beside me and
proceeded to unbutton his pants.

“Oh my God, Matthew, please don't do this,” Nick

begged him.

“Shut the fuck up and enjoy the show!” Matthew

answered as he laughed like a maniac.

As Matthew grabbed the waistband of his boxers, he

stopped. A knocking sound caught his attention. It was
coming from inside a classroom. Matthew stood up and
glanced down the hall.

“Who's there?!”
The knocking continued as he made his way towards

the room. Abruptly, he turned to Nick.

“Don't think about moving!”
Nick nodded. Matthew continued making his way

down the hall. Someone was now banging on the door
with all their strength. Matthew pointed at the door with
his shaky hands. All of a sudden, he kicked it open. He
peeped inside and carefully walked into the room.
Without warning, Mr. Wright flung his body towards
him. He tried to wrestle the guns away from Matthew's
hands.

“RUN!” Mr. Wright ordered Nick.
Nick stood up and lifted me up into his arms. While

Nick jogged towards the exit, I heard Matthew and
Mr. Wright struggling to get possession of the guns.
When Nick reached the emergency exit, he pushed the
door with his body. It was at that moment that I heard
the last five shots.

The sun was shining brightly outside. It was then that

I realized how good and wonderful the sun was. I heard
a  policeman  shouting  at  Nick  as  he  made  his  way
towards  a  large  crowd.  I  saw  a  few  ambulances,  fire
trucks,  police  cars,  several  onlookers,  policemen,  and
many reporters.

“Put him down and put your hands above your

head!”

“Please! He needs help!” Nick shouted as he placed

me down.

He quickly lifted his hands above his head. Several

footsteps  made  their  way  towards  me.  Three  men  in
white  appeared  out  of  nowhere.  One  of  them  placed
something  on  top  of  my  wound  while  the  other  two
lifted me from the ground. I closed my eyes. Finally, I

could rest in peace.

* * *

I don't remember a lot after I closed my eyes. I just

remember seeing a bright light and nothing else. I woke
up Wednesday with blurred vision and a huge pain on
my shoulder.

“He's awake!” Madison shouted enthusiastically.
“Welcome back, baby!” Kitty exclaimed with tears

in her eyes.

“We thought we lost you!”
“What happened?” I asked weakly as I looked

around.

“You didn't die,” Nick added with a smile.
I froze when I saw him and suspired. The three

laughed.

“I thought I was going to die.”
“You thought wrong,” Madison corrected.
“Yeah, luckily, the bullet didn't touch any of your vital

organs,” Kitty told me.

“Yeah, you lost a lot of blood though,” Nick added.

“Where's my mom?”
“We finally convinced her to go home, shower and

take a nap. She's been here since Monday…she and
Nick actually,” Kitty told me with a smile.

I turned to Nick. He nodded.
“We promised her that we'd call her as soon as you

wake up,” Madison added.

“That's right! I'm going to call her now,” Kitty told

me as she kissed my forehead.

Kitty picked up her purse and walked out of the

room. Madison silently stared at me for a few seconds.
She was fighting back her tears. Suddenly, she
wrapped her arms around me.

“I'm so sorry!” Madison said as she sobbed.
“Sorry for what?” I asked her as I hugged her back.
“For…for…leaving you behind.”
“Madison, I was happy and relieved that you and

Kitty were okay! That made me feel better.”

I glanced at Nick who was scratching his head. He

walked to a nearby chair and sat down.

“I should have made sure you were behind me,”

Madison stated as she pulled away from me.

“But, you told Nick and he saved my life again.”
“Do you forgive me?”
“No. I've got nothing to forgive you for, silly.”
Madison smiled. She wiped her tears while she made

her way to a table full of gifts. She retrieved a giant
heart-shaped box.

“This is for you,” Madison stated as she handed me

the box of chocolates.

“Thank you, Madison! You know how much I love

chocolates!”

“See? He loves my gift more,” Madison told Nick.
Nick chuckled while he shook his head.
“We'll see about that,” Nick answered, smiling.
I smiled while I examined the remaining gifts. A giant

cream teddy bear caught my attention. It looked fluffy
and soft. I also admired an assortment of helium
balloons, a giant get well card, and a beautiful bouquet
of white and yellow roses. Those were my favorite
colors. Unexpectedly, Madison spoke up.

“Nick brought you the teddy bear.”
“Really?” I asked Nick. He nodded, smiling. “Thank

you.”

“You're welcome, Johnny Cake.”
“Kitty brought you the get well balloons. The giant

get well card is from all the students in school. All of
them signed it by the way,” Madison explained.

“And the flowers?”
Madison immediately turned to Nick. He scowled

while Madison turned to me.

“They're from Jacob.”
“Whoa, Nelly! For a minute there, I thought you said

Jacob.”

“I did.”
“I told her to throw them away,” Nick interrupted

and walked towards me.

He carefully sat on my bedside.
“Jacob sent me flowers!?”
“Yeah, straight guys don’t send other guys roses.

They only do that when they are…” Madison
remarked, glancing at Nick.

“In love,” Nick finished as he stared at me.
“That's not true. You send flowers on many different

occasions.”

“Well, for birthdays, special anniversaries, funerals or

to tell someone how you feel. Since none of the first
three fit into the equation, it's the fourth reason,” Nick
explained.

I glanced at Madison. She simply nodded. Out of the

blue, Matthew hit my mind.

“Matthew! What happened with Matthew?” I asked

as I started to shake. The pain in my shoulder
intensified. Nick placed his hands on my chest. “What
happened with Matthew?”

“Relax, please. He won't hurt you again. You've got

to relax.”

“What happened? I don't remember anything after

you took me out.”

Nick let me go. He turned to Madison. She

answered him with a tiny nod.

“Matthew killed four students and Mr. Wright,” Nick

told me.

“What!? No way! He killed him?”
I sobbed at the thought of Mr. Wright losing his life.
“John, please, don't cry. It's not good for you,”

Madison told me as she held my left hand. “Please
relax. You've got to relax, baby.”

I nodded as I tried to calm down.
“Mr. Wright saved our lives.”
“I know. Nick told us.”
“Who are the students?”
“Julia Seymour who was a freshman and three

sophomore students: Bryan Campbell, Jake Brown and
Arlene Lorry. They were placed to rest this morning
and a vigil will be held tonight at school.”

“And Matthew?”
After a long sigh, Nick answered me.
“His trial will most likely be next year, so we will

most likely testify against him.”

“What?”
“Yes, we witnessed his violent rampage and

survived.”

“I see,” I answered him as I examined the box of

chocolate in my hands. “Thank you, Nick.”

“For what?”
“For saving my life again. You and Mr. Wright

should be honored as heroes.”

Nick looked at me with a warm smile.
“I'm no hero. I did what anyone else would have

done in my position. The real hero in this story is Mr.
Wright.”

“May God bless his soul and may he rest in peace,”

Madison added.

“Well said, Madison,” I told her.
Suddenly, Kitty walked into the room.
“Your mom is on her way. I also called the school

and everyone else. Now, one question remains, which
gift did you like the most?”

We laughed.
“Kitty, that shouldn't be a question,” Madison told

her while she glanced at Nick.

Nick was unaware of her action.
“Madison, let's get something to eat!” Kitty

interjected abruptly. “I'm starving! Nick can take care
of John while we grab a quick snack. Right, Nick?”

“Yeah, sure,” Nick answered as he stood up.
“Okay, see you later Johnny Boy!” Madison

mumbled as Kitty pulled her arm.

The girls giggled while they walked out of the room.

Nick stared at me for a couple of minutes. I quickly
looked away. I hated whenever he did that because my

stomach always turned into loop. As my heart rate
increased, one of the machines started to beep fast.
Nick chuckled.

“Relax, I don't want you to have a heart attack,”

Nick said smiling as he sat on my bed.

“Okay,” I answered as I took huge breaths.
“How are you feeling after what happened?”
“Good I guess, my shoulder hurts a little, but I'll be

fine.”

“No, I meant after your first kiss or did I suck that

bad that you don't remember it?” Nick asked, smiling.

“Oh!”
I wanted to die of embarrassment! Back then, I

honestly thought I was going to die. That is why I told
Nick that I loved him and he kissed me goodbye.

“Oh?” Nick asked me. “Usually, girls would say:

Whoa, Nick! You're awesome! I want more!”

I laughed while he smiled.
“Nick, I don't know what to say. I honestly thought I

was going to die.”

“It's okay. I understand. The same fear rushed

through my mind at some point in time, but I had to stay

positive for both of us,” Nick explained as he stood up
and walked towards the foot of my bed. “I've got to
thank you though.”

“For what?”
“For being willing to do anything to keep me alive.”
“No, you did that.”
“Nope, you were willing to let Matthew rape you.

That's heroic in my book.”

“Matthew is a sick person, Nick. I didn't want him to

kill you.”

“John, I—”
Nick started his sentence, but my mom burst into the

room sobbing hysterically. She jumped on top of me
and hugged me. Instantly, she began to shower me with
kisses. Nick smiled warmly and made his way towards
the door. He turned to us before leaving the room.

“We'll continue with our conversation some other

time. He's all yours Ms. Ames.”

“I'm so sorry, dear,” my mom answered him as she

wiped her tears.

“It's okay, I understand,” Nick answered, smiling.

“I'll catch up with Madison and Kitty. See you, John!”

Chapter Six

It’s funny how something so tragic can flip your life in

a second. I was invisible, but now, it seemed like even
the  president  of  the  United  States  could  spot  me
comfortably  from  his  office.  It  is  really  sad  that  a
tragedy  had  to  happen  for  me  to  be  noticed  by
everyone.

I left the hospital a week later. Kitty took me home

after  she  beat  Nick  and  Madison  in  a  rock-paper-
scissors contest. Nick was going to play his fourth game
that Friday night. The Friday after the school shooting a
silent  rally  took  place  in  memory  of  the  five  victims.
When  I  got  home,  I  realized  that  my  house  had  new
furniture. Several get well cards and gifts from random
strangers  filled  my  room.  I  also  found  another
arrangement  of  flowers  from  Jacob.  Nick  wanted  to
throw them away, but I stopped him. Nick, Kitty and
Madison  spent  the  entire  afternoon  with  me  and  we
went through all the stuff that people sent me. We had a
blast. Nick and I did not continue with the conversation

that my mom interrupted at the hospital. Deep inside, I
wanted to know what he was going to say. His last
words were: “John, I…” John what? John I hate you?
John I love you? John I thought you were going to die?
John what? As much as I wanted to know, I did not
pressure him to tell me and with the girls around, he was
not going to tell me anyway.

“Looks like I'm going to need a tutor,” I told Nick as

I read my literature assignment.

The girls left early because they wanted to give us

some alone time. I loved them for that. Nick was sitting
on a recliner and reading The Scarlet Letter. He turned
to me with a smile.

“Nah, we've been handing your assignments in time.

The girls have kept you up to date.”

“I should be tutoring you. What will your parents

say?”

“They understand and they support you. They want

you to be my tutor.”

“Thank you for paying my hospital bills, Nick.”
“I didn't pay your hospital bills. I wanted to, but

when I went to pay them, someone had already paid

them. I thought Madison or Kitty beat me to it.”

I examined him closely. Nick wasn’t lying; he was

telling the truth.

“Madison, Kitty and my mom thought that you paid

them.”

“What? No I didn't.”
“If it wasn't you, then who was it?”
We looked at each other in deep thought. My only

friends were Kitty, Madison and Nick.

“Maybe it was a generous patron,” Nick suggested.
“Perhaps.”
There was a tiny knock on my door. Nick stood up.

The door opened slightly and my mom peeped inside.

“You have a visitor. Should I send him in?”
“Sure, mom,” I answered.
“Okay,” she replied.
“A visitor? Whoa, you truly are famous! You sure

you don't need some extra pillows?”

“No, I’m fine, Nick. You—”
I froze when I saw my mysterious visitor. Nick

turned to the door. He menacingly walked up to Jacob
and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. Jacob was

like a deer caught in headlights. He didn’t know what to
do. Nick slammed him against the wall.

“What the fuck are you doing here!?”
“Nick!” I shouted.
“Nick, what's wrong? I thought that we were cool,

buddy?” Jacob questioned him.

“Cool? After your best friend tried to kill me?”
“Nick! Please! Put him down!” I shouted as I stood

up.

“Don't get up, John!” Nick told me as he let go of

Jacob and walked up to me.

Nick helped me to lie down again.
“Nick, please don't fight in my mom's house.”
Nick was angry. He slowly let out a deep sigh and

cooled down a little.

“Fine.”
“If you want I'll leave right now,” Jacob stated as he

made his way towards the door.

“No! Wait!” I told Jacob as Nick scowled at him.
Jacob froze. He glanced at Nick and rested his eyes

on me.

“I just wanted to talk to you,” Jacob told me as he

glanced at Nick.

“Okay, speak,” Nick told him.
“It's okay, I'll come back when John isn't busy,” he

replied as he headed towards the door again.

“Wait!” I shouted as I glanced at Nick. I turned to

Jacob. “Do you want to talk in private?”

Jacob glanced at Nick and then nodded his answer.

Nick shook his head tentatively. He was getting angrier
by each passing second.

“Nick? Will you please –”
“You can't possibly be thinking about asking me to

leave and leave you alone with this bitch!?”

“Nick, I just want to know what he has to say and

you're scaring him off.”

“He better be scared,” Nick told me as he glanced at

Jacob. “What if he came back to finish what his little
friend started, huh?”

I glanced at Jacob who was silently crying.
“Nick? Look at him.”
Nick turned to Jacob. After a few seconds, he

sighed.

“Five minutes, and I'll be standing outside the door,”

Nick demanded as he walked towards the door. “You
better not touch him.”

Jacob nodded as Nick stepped outside. Jacob

immediately turned to me. I knew he was nervous
because he carefully made his way towards my bed.

“I'm so sorry,” Jacob started, crying. “I'm sorry for

everything I did to you and for what Matthew did. I
know that my apologies come too late, but I'm really
sorry, John.”

It was at that moment that I saw him, the real Jacob,

not  the  bully  or  the  jock,  but  the  human  being.  The
sincere  person  that  was  sorry  for  his  mistakes.  Jacob
was  not  perfect,  but  he  wanted  to  make  amends.  He
took the first two steps all by himself; he was remorseful
and  asked  for  forgiveness.  I  no  longer  saw  him  as  a
monster,  but  as  a  person.  I  saw  a  seventeen-year-old
basketball  jock  with  black  hair,  light  green  eyes  and
evenly tan skin. I saw a human being standing in front of
me with tears rolling down his cheeks.

“Don't dwell on the shadows of the past, but move

on with your future. That's what my mom says to me
and that's what I say to you. Let's place the past behind

and move forward with our lives.”

Jacob cried until he had the courage to speak up

again.

“God, you're an amazing person! I always knew that,

but my ex-friend was a real asshole. He forced me to
do treacherous things so I wouldn't look weak in his
eyes.”

“Then the asshole wasn't a good friend to start with.”
He chuckled.
“Yeah, nothing like Nick. He really protects you,”

Jacob observed as he sat on the recliner.

“Yes, he does. He's the older brother I never wished

to have.”

Jacob laughed while he shook his head.
“I don't even want to think about what someone has

to go through just to go on a date with you while Nick
is around.”

I laughed, but I found his comment really interesting.
“Yeah, he'll probably tackle those bitches to the

ground,” I replied with a smile as he laughed. “Thank
you Jacob.”

“It's okay. It was the least I could do. I knew your

mom would find it difficult to pay the hospital bills.”

I was speechless. Jacob was the one who paid my

hospital bills!

“I was going to say thank you for the flowers, but

thanks for letting me know that too.”

“You didn't know?” he asked me. I shook my head.

“You do now. You like the flowers then?”

“Yes! Yellow and white roses are my favorite. How

did you know that?”

“Remember in second grade when Mrs. Trolley's

class and Mrs. Jones' class united to paint flowers in
groups of two's for Mother's Day?”

“Yes I do! Wait…you were my third grade partner!?

How do you remember that? I was one year below
you.”

Jacob chuckled.
“I'm not that dumb. I remember that you painted

yours yellow and white.”

“Yes! And you painted yours…black.”
He laughed again.
“Yeah, I thought that they'd look manlier,” he

confessed with a smile.

“What is that supposed to mean?” I asked him,

smiling.

“That –”
His smile faded as the door swung open. Nick stood

looking at us.

“Time's up.”
Jacob instantly stood up. He turned to me.
“It was great talking to you, John. I guess I'll see you

on…”

“Monday,” I finished with a smile.
“Cool,” Jacob answered and walked towards the

door. He glanced at Nick, but Nick gave him an angry
stare. “See you, Nick.”

“See you,” Nick mocked as he slammed the door

close.

Nick stared at me for a few seconds. I smiled

weakly. Shit! Nick was angry at me now!

“I'm not angry at you. I'm angry at him. What the

fuck did he want?”

“Talk.”
“About?”
“He came to apologize and I forgave him.”

“You forgave him after his friend tried to kill us!?”
“His ex-friend, Nick. It was Matthew who tried to

kill us, not Jacob.”

Nick stared at me for a few more seconds. He

sighed.

“Nick? Why do you hate him? You were so cool

with him.”

“I don't want him to hurt you again.”
“He won't. I know you won't let him.”
“You bet your ass I won't,” he answered, smiling.
We laughed. Nick walked to the recliner, picked up

his copy of The Scarlet Letter and we continued with
our literature assignment. Unbeknownst to Nick, I was
thinking about the short and intriguing conversation I
had with Jacob.

* * *

I sat alone in my room after days of having people in

and out. It was a very peaceful and relaxing Sunday
afternoon. Detective Morgan had visited me the
previous day. Finally, I gave him my statement. He told

me  that  he  would  contact  me  in  a  few  days  regarding
Matthew Ward's trial on the third week of January. My
heart sank at the thought of seeing him again. I did not
know if I was ready to see him or how I was going to
react to his presence. Thanks to Matthew, I relived the
school shooting every single night. Sometimes he would
kill  Madison  while  other  times  he  would  kill  Nick.  I
dreamt several outcomes, but all of them ended with my
being  dead.  I  hated  being  alone  in  my  room  since  I
thought Matthew would return to finish what he started.
I would lock my door and cover myself with all the bed
sheets.  I  knew  Matthew's  ghost  would  haunt  me
forever.

“Are you awake?” my mom asked as she knocked

at the door.

“I'm up, Mom!” I announced as I slowly stood up. I

made my way towards the door and unlocked it. I
examined her face. She was smiling warmly. “What is
it?”

“You have a visitor.”
“Really? Who?”
“I don't know. She says that she knows you. Should

I send her in?”

“Sure, Mom,” I answered as I walked back to my

bed.

“Okay, honey.”
I fixed my bed a little and sat down. I stared at the

door until a young woman stepped inside. I immediately
recognized  her.  It  was  Jessica  Allen,  the  new
Homecoming Queen. She looked a lot like Allison, but
was ten times bitchier. She carefully examined me from
head to toe and faked a smile. She  was  holding  a  get
well  card  inside  her  hands. As  Jessica  walked  to  the
foot of my bed, she scrutinized every inch of my room.
After she inspected it, a smirk developed on her face. I
had always disliked her. She was one of those rich kids
who viewed the poor worth absolutely nothing.

“Hello,” I told to her.
“Hi,” she declared with a nasally voice. “You might

be wondering why I'm here.”

The bitch actually read my mind. I nodded to her

question.

“I just wanted to meet the Great John. The legend

behind the name,” Jessica told me as she raised one

eyebrow. “Nick has told me so much about you.”

I did not like the feeling in the pit of my stomach. I

knew something bad was coming.

“Really? Why would Nick be talking about me with

you?”

“Oh, you don't know,” she said, smiling. “Hasn’t

Nick told you that I'm his new girlfriend?”

When she said those words, my heart stopped. I

glanced at my lap and turned to her. Jessica was smiling
happily. I pulled myself together before speaking again.

“No.”
“Oh, really? I thought you two were best friends.”
“Maybe he's waiting for the right time. I found out

yesterday that my best friend Kitty is dating Ryan. He'd
have told me when the time was right.”

“Oh, whatever. I just wanted to give you this,”

Jessica explained as she threw the card on my bed.

“Thanks.”
“I also wanted to see the place and the person that

my boyfriend spends so much time with. He barely has
time for me.”

“Okay,” I told her as she walked around my room.

While she admired the teddy bear that Nick gave me, I
spoke up to her. “When did you guys start dating?”

“Friday, during the silent march. He's such a

gentleman, you know. He's not the type of guy
everyone says. He truly is a prince charming.”

A gentleman? Thanks to me! She should have met

him a few weeks ago.

“I'm glad to hear that.”
“Yeah,” Jessica answered as she turned to me. “I

hope we can be friends.”

“Sure,” I mumbled as my heart froze.
“Very well then. See you around. Ah, one more

thing! Please don't tell Nick I dropped by. For some
reason or the other, he doesn't want me to meet you
yet. I don't really know why though.”

“Sure,” I answered her as she walked out of my

room.

After Jessica closed the door, I sobbed

uncontrollably. Nick was moving on with his life and I
was still stuck on the tiny kiss that he gave me! The kiss
meant absolutely nothing to him! It was just another
goodbye kiss that he would have given to anyone who

was  about  to  die.  I  was  nothing  to  him,  but  a  close
friend.  I  was  angry  at  myself  for  actually  thinking  that
someone like Nick Wild Hawk would fall for an insect
like me. That was how Jessica and many other students
saw me. They saw me as a weird bug that needed to be
crushed  sooner  or  later.  I  examined  the  card  with  her
name on it and threw it across the room.

Suddenly, my phone rang. I glanced at the screen. It

was Nick. I contemplated answering, but I simply
turned it off. I could not speak to him while I wanted to
vomit all over his face. I stood up, but my knees caved
in and I dropped on the floor sobbing. I wanted to die
and mend my broken heart with tears.

I have no idea how long I was on the floor. I cried

and cried, and made no effort to get up. I wanted to die
rather than live through the terrible pain inside my heart.
Nick  should  have  left  me  to  die  on  that  gymnasium
floor. It was less painful than having my heart stabbed
to  death  by  Jessica Allen.  I  hated  that  bitch!  The  fact
that  she  would  be  with  him  hurt  me  even  more.  She
would  kiss  and  touch  him  while  his  heart  skipped
happily. All  of  a  sudden,  the  door  swung  open,  but  I

didn’t turn to look.

“John!” Nick gasped as he cupped me into his arm.

He immediately carried me to my bed. “What
happened? Are you okay? Did you get hurt? I called
you, but you didn't answer. I was worried, so I came
over.”

I wiped my tears away. He stared at me for few

seconds and I looked away. Suddenly, Nick made his
way to the jar of water on the other side of the room.
He poured some into a glass while he continued to look
at me. He looked confused and lost. As Nick walked
towards my bed, he came across the card on the floor.
He silently picked it up. While he examined the card, I
cried even more. Nick sighed deeply. He walked to my
bed with a faint smile on his face. As he handed me the
glass of water, he sat on my bedside.

“I wanted to tell you, but I couldn't find the words,”

Nick told me as I placed the glass of water on my
nightstand. “I didn't want to hurt you. Jess shouldn't
have come here anyway! I ordered her not to visit you.”

I shook my head.
“It's okay Nick. You're free to do as you wish with

your life. You don't have to answer to me or ask for my
permission. We're just friends.”

“But, I know how you feel about me and that's why I

feel bad.”

“Don't feel that way, Nick. I think you and Jess

make a ravishing couple.”

Nick sighed as he lay down beside me. He pulled me

in  with  one  arm.  I  automatically  lay  my  head  on  his
shoulder  and  hugged  him.  At  that  moment,  a  weird
feeling  rushed  through  my  entire  body.  It  was  as  if  I
belonged to him.

“Remember the last time I held you like this? You

were dying in my arms and I didn't know how to keep
your spirit up.”

I nodded as I tried to hold back my tears.
“I also promised you that I’d never let anyone hurt

you again. I'm hurting you now and for that, I'm sorry.”

I cried even more while he hugged me tighter.
“It's not your fault, Nick. It's my fault because I

shouldn't feel this way towards you. It's not natural. We
are from two different worlds. Please don't walk away
from me! I rather die than lose your friendship.”

“No, that'll never happen,” Nick reassured me as he

hugged me tighter. “You're my best friend.”

Nick stayed with me that night, but nothing

happened.  We  slept  in  the  same  bed,  fully  clothed.
Nick held me all night though. I was in heaven for those
couple of hours. His body was warm, soft yet firm. His
chest's muscles made the perfect pillow for my head. I
knew where I belonged, but I also knew that he did not
feel the same way. I woke up in the middle of the night
and  gently  ran  my  hand  across  his  chest  and  lean
abdomen. I wanted to go lower, but I could not abuse
his hospitality. Cuddling with a gay guy would be a huge
sacrifice for any straight guy who was not comfortable
with  his  own  sexuality.  Nick  was  comfortable  enough,
though. I slowly fell asleep again. I didn’t have a single
nightmare  that  night.  I  felt  relaxed  and  happy  to  be
inside his arms.

When my six o'clock alarm rang, I sat up. Nick was

long gone. I lay down again and ran my hand across the
spot where he had slept. I could still smell him and feel
him. Suddenly, the door swung open.

“Rise and shine!” my mom shouted.

“Mom!” I exclaimed as I realized that I was still living

under her roof.

“Yes, or were you expecting someone else?” she

asked me as she walked towards my bed.

“No, it's just that…” I murmured as she sat down

beside me.

“You thought I was Nick?”
“No. Have you…seen him?”
“Yes, he left a few minutes ago. I made him

breakfast.”

“You did?” I asked her as I lowered my head in

shame.

She smiled and lifted my head up with her caring

hand.

“Don't be ashamed, honey. I know that you and

Nick did nothing inappropriate. I kept an eye on you
just in case.”

I could not laugh at her joke. My heart was pounding

against my chest. There was no doubt in my mind that
she knew I was gay.

“Mom I…I didn't want you to find out this way or

disappoint you.”

“Why would you disappoint me, sweetie?” she asked

as she wiped my tears.

“I just thought you…you'd hate me.”
“Hate you?” she asked me as she hugged me. “I will

never hate you. You're my one and only son and I'll
love you unconditionally until the end of time.”

I started crying inconsolably. I cried inside her arms

until she pulled away from me. She stared into my eyes
and wiped my tears away.

“I knew that you loved him before I even met him.

You'd smile with your eyes whenever we'd talk about
him, but I was waiting for you to tell me.”

“I do love him, but he's straight, Mom. He has a

girlfriend too.”

“I know. He told me during breakfast.”
“You see! Nick will never love me, but I'm happy

with just being his friend.”

She smiled warmly and kissed my forehead.
“That's the definition of true love. You let it go and if

it ever comes back, it was meant to be.”

“There'll never be an us, Mom. That could only

happen if I were a girl.”

“True, but love is a strange mystery that no one has

been able to solve.”

“I know, but Nick's love will always be different than

mine. He loves me like a little brother.”

“Very true, but let time dictate what happens next.

Try to look for love elsewhere. What if you're missing
out on a very special person because you're only
focusing on sexy Nick?”

She made me laugh, but she was right. What if true

love had been staring me in the face all this time, but I
was too blind to see it? I should look for love
elsewhere. Maybe just then, I could find it and be
happy.

“You're right, Mom. You always are.”
“A mother knows best. I just want you to love and

be loved. Only then will you find the true meaning of
happiness. Now, get up and hit the shower. You have a
long day ahead of you.”

I nodded. She stood up and kissed my forehead. As

she walked out, I stared at her in awe. My mother was
special because she lifted my spirit whenever it was
down and gave me the weapons to continue fighting. I

Chapter Seven

I stood once again at the entrance of school, but this

time,  everyone  was  staring  at  me.  Some  were  smiling,
and many were talking discretely on the sidelines. Many
rumors circulated as to why Matthew tried to kill me. A
few even blamed me. None of them said anything to my
face  though.  They  just  stood  looking  at  me.  I  would
have  preferred  that  they  shared  their  feelings  towards
me  openly  instead  of  doing  'the  stop  and  stare.'  I  felt
completely  alone  and  vulnerable.  Suddenly,  someone
stood beside me. I looked up to see Jacob. He smiled
meekly and placed his hand over my shoulder. With a
small tug, he pulled me into him. While everyone stared
in  awe,  we  made  our  way  through  the  crowded
hallway. I spotted Nick with Jessica inside his arms. He
was kissing her. I lowered my head and looked away.

“Everything's going to be fine,” Jacob murmured into

my ear.

I answered him with a faint smile. I turned to Nick.

Jessica was standing beside him, looking angrily at us.

Nick  was  doing  the  same.  He  shook  his  head  as  he
walked  away.  I  lowered  my  head  and  continued
walking  along  with  Jacob.  He  left  me  in  front  of  my
locker since he had to get to class early. I tried my best
to  remember  the  combination,  but  for  some  reason,  I
was too nervous to function properly.

“Hey stranger,” Nick told me as he sneaked up from

behind me.

“Oh, hey Nick,” I answered as I finally opened the

small compartment.

“Be careful.”
“About?”
“Jacob. I don't like or trust that guy.”
“I’m giving him the benefit of the doubt,” I told him

while I packed my schoolbag. “He's willing to change.
Once upon a time, a jock like him came to me for help
and he turned out to be a pretty decent guy.”

Nick smiled.
“I'll keep an eye on him. I know he's up to no good.”
“I'll keep my guard up too,” I assured him as I closed

my locker.

I turned to the spot where Matthew shot me. Every

memory of that day rushed through my mind. I saw him
pointing at me, pulling the trigger, everyone running
away and Mr. Wright fighting for his life. Tears filled my
eyes as I stared at that significant spot. Nick glanced
back, hugging me in front of everyone as I cried.

“Everything's going to be okay. Come on, let's get to

class.”

I parted ways with him while I dried my eyes.
“Will you walk me to class?” Jessica asked as she

came up from behind him.

Nick pulled her away from me. He took her to a safe

distance and Jessica became upset after Nick told her
something. She gave me an angry look. I immediately
looked away. They were arguing, but I couldn’t hear
what they were saying. When she pointed angrily at me,
I knew I had to leave. I turned around and walked to
class. My knees were shaking. My stomach rumbled. I
felt nauseous, and wanted to throw up.

“You didn't wait for me,” Nick stated as he caught

up with me.

“Oh! I didn't want to cause any problems with you

and Jess.”

“What problems? Let me tell you something, my

friends come first. Jess will have to accept that sooner
or later. If she doesn't, the door is wide open for her to
walk out.”

I smiled and realized that we were standing in front of

our class. We crossed the spot where all my memories
were tied together. Nick pushed the door open and led
me inside. Madison, Kitty and the entire class
welcomed me back.

* * *

Pretty soon, everything went back to normal since no

one wanted to stir up the past. They wanted to forget
that  Matthew  ever  existed.  It  was  on  Nick's  ninth
consecutive win that things got a little interesting. I had
the house to myself since my mom was visiting my sick
grandma  up  north.  By  now,  everyone  in  school  knew
that  Nick  and  Jessica  were  a  couple.  Girls  would  still
line  up  for  Nick’s  attention,  but  he  would  politely
decline their offers of hot and steamy sex. Madison and
Kitty didn’t talk about 'Nick and Jessica' because they

knew how much that hurt me. Not even Nick
mentioned her during our tutoring sessions. Jacob and I
became close friends, though. We would talk whenever
Nick wasn’t around. Nick would get extremely irritated
whenever I mentioned Jacob. I avoided his name like
the plague in front of him.

“So, are we going to the Elite Hawk's game tonight?”

Madison asked.

It was a beautiful Thursday night. Madison was

driving her Jeep while Kitty sat on the passenger seat. I
quietly sat on the back seat listening to their
conversation.

“Count me in,” Kitty responded as she turned to me.
“I don't know.”
“Come on, it's their ninth game! If they win, they'll be

division champions,” Madison stated as she glanced at
me through the rear-view mirror.

“Yeah,” Kitty answered. “Besides, you've never

been to one of Nick's game.”

“Neither have you guys,” I answered, smiling.
“That's not the point,” Kitty replied quickly.
“Yeah, imagine dirty and sweaty Nick jogging all

over the field, bulging in the right places and tackling
other dirty boys. That's like soft-core porn,” Madison
added with a smile.

We laughed. Madison was uniquely funny. Those

were the perfect words to describe her.

“Fine,” I agreed as they let loose thrills of excitement.
Madison immediately turned the Jeep around. We

headed to the mall to kill some time since the game was
scheduled for six o'clock. It was inside the mall where
Jacob approached us. We were having a milk shake at
Kitty's favorite ice cream shop when he spotted us and
walked over to our table.

“Mind if I join you?”
“Not at all,” Kitty replied with a smile.
The girls had softened up to Jacob since they saw his

huge effort to change. I was glad because with Nick
around, we would not have the time to socialize.

“How come Nick isn’t around?”
“He has a game tonight,” Madison answered as she

glanced at a cute guy across the shop.

“Oh, that's tonight? I thought it was tomorrow.”
“Nope, they changed the date,” Kitty answered.

“Are you going?” Jacob asked me.
“Yes, for a while.”
“For a while? You said that you'll go with us,”

Madison replied.

“Exactly. I said I'll go, but I didn't say how long.”
“You little slut!”
“Why for a while?” Kitty asked.
“I don't like sports. Besides, I don't even know how

you play American football.”

“Well, I'm not leaving until that game is over,”

Madison told me. “I guess you'll walk.”

“I can give you a ride if you want,” Jacob suggested.
“Don't encourage him,” Kitty answered, smiling.
Jacob chuckled. Suddenly, Madison spoke.
“Oh, my God! Kitty look! It's Roger. Melanie's

boyfriend and he’s with another girl!”

“Shut the fuck up! No way! Come on! Let's follow

them!”

“What? Are you crazy?” I asked as they stood up.
“Don't worry, we'll be right back! Keep an eye on

him, Jacob!” Kitty shouted as they briskly walked
towards the door.

Jacob turned to me with a smile.
“Those are some really hyperactive friends.”
“I know, but I love them that way. I wouldn't change

them for the world.”

“That's great to know. So, after the game, do you

want to go and see a movie?”

“With you?”
“Yeah, why not? We could see the new Harry Potter

movie.”

“You like Harry Potter?”
“Who doesn't like Harry Potter?”
“I thought you'd be more of a Twilight fan since

you're all mysterious.”

“That horrible version of a chick flick mixed with

sun-loving vampires? Hell no!”

“I know! How can a vampire walk in the sun?

Where have you heard that before?”

“Exactly! Or a werewolf that looks like a giant dog?

Where in the world have you seen that?”

We laughed.
“Does that mean that you'll go?”
“Sure, why not?”

The door opened again and the girls walked in

looking more excited than ever.

“We've got to go or we'll be late,” Kitty announced

as she pulled my arm.

“Okay, bye Jacob and see you after the game!” I

shouted as Kitty dragged me through the door.

“Call him!” Madison added.
“I will! See you, John,” he answered, smiling.
We immediately headed to Nick's game. Truthfully, I

was excited. I wanted to see Nick running up and down
the  field  while  I  admired  his  beauty  and  grace  with  a
football  in  his  hands.  Even  though  hundreds  of
spectators filled the benches, we managed to find a few
empty  seats  near  the  middle.  The  cheerleaders  were
entertaining  the  crowd  while  the  band  played  the  Elite
Hawk's anthem. I saw Allison cheering the crowd along
with the rest of the cheerleaders. She was not the same
after Nick left her and broke her heart. She was often
alone because she parted ways with her 'friends.' I felt
her pain. We wept over the same man who had stolen
our hearts and shattered them into pieces.

“Ladies and gentlemen, get ready to rumble!!” the

sportscaster  announced  as  his  voice  resounded
throughout  the  field.  The  crowd  went  wild.  “Welcome
to  the  duel  between  the  Elite  Hawks  and  the  Newton
Giants!! And  now,  the  moment  we've  all  been  waiting
for, presenting to you, the visitors: the Newton Giants!!”

The crowd cheered as the team made their way

through a banner that was held by their cheerleaders.
The Elite Hawks’ cheerleaders came out running with
plastic smiles on their faces.

Isabelle and Samantha, who were wearing their

traditional black-and-white outfits, held another banner
with the team's name on it, while Allison cheered the
crowd on the sidelines with the rest of the cheerleaders.

“And now, introducing to you, the Cinderella story of

the decade: the Elite Hawks!!” the sportscaster shouted
as  the  entire  crowd  stood.  They  cheered  even  more
when the team strode through the banner shouting and
screaming.  “And  now,  ladies  and  gentlemen,  the
moment we've all been waiting for! He is the man of the
night  and  the  one  who'll  lead  the  Elite  Hawks  to  an
undefeated season, Nick Wild Hawk!!!”

The entire crowd went insane when Nick ran into the

field  wearing  a  black-and-white  shirt  with  the  number
one imprinted on its back. In a form of triumph, he lifted
his  helmet  in  the  air.  Even  the  opposing  fans  stood  to
welcome  him.  The  marching  band,  which  had  been
quiet  all  along,  stood  and  played  their  victory  anthem.
They  worshipped  him  as  an  idol,  a  god  and  a  hero.
Madison  and  Kitty  were  jumping  up  and  down  while
they screamed his name. I sat in my seat while I laughed
at their excitement.

“Come on, John! That's your man out there! Cheer

him on!” Madison exclaimed, smiling.

“Madison! Someone might hear you,” I answered

her as I looked around.

Madison laughed and continued screaming her lungs

out. While the referee stepped into the field, both teams
made their way to their respective sides. With a high-
pitched sound, the game began. Nick quickly received
the ball and ran as fast as he could towards the
opponent's goal line. He scored the first touchdown of
the night. The crowd went insane while the girls chanted
his name. I watched the game in silence since I had no
idea what was going on. I simply admired Nick's grace

and beauty as he moved from side to side.

“Hut!” Nick shouted as he ran forward and received

the ball again.

He made another touchdown. The crowd instantly

responded  by  chanting  his  nickname.  The  game
continued  and  both  teams  proved  why  they  were  fan
favorites.  When  Nick  scored  the  last  touchdown,  he
gave the Elite Hawks the division title. Everyone rushed
to the field after the buzzer and lifted him off the ground
while they chanted his nickname. They took Nick to the
center  stage  where  Mr.  Lewis,  our  school  principal,
gave  him  the  division  trophy.  He  lifted  it  into  the  air
while everyone continued to chant his nickname. I was
extremely  proud  of  him.  The  moment  was  picture
perfect.  Suddenly,  Jessica  jumped  onto  the  stage  and
hugged  him  in  front  of  everyone.  Madison  and  Kitty
slowly  turned  to  me  as  I  watched  the  events  unfold.
Jessica  wrapped  her  legs  around  his  waist  and
passionately kissed him in front of the entire mob. They
cheered even louder.

“That horny bitch!” Madison shouted angrily.
I stood and turned to Madison.

“That horny bitch is his girlfriend!”
“John!” Madison and Kitty shouted in unison as I

made my way towards the steps.

I ignored them. I tried my best to hold back my tears

as I glanced back at Nick. He was holding the trophy in
the air and staring into the crowd. That was when my
teary eyes made contact with his own. Nick froze. His
smile quickly faded. He did not expect me to be there. I
shook  my  head  and  ran  towards  the  exit.  I  heard
Madison  and  Kitty  running  behind  me  and  screaming
my  name.  I  just  wanted  to  run  and  never  look  back.
When  I  reached  the  parking  lot,  I  continued  running.
Suddenly, I crashed into a garbage can and landed face
first on the grass.

“John!” Kitty shouted she reached my side.
I stared into her face and hugged her. She instantly

replied with a warm embrace. As I sobbed inside her
arms, Madison reached our side. She wrapped her
arms around us.

“I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have made you come,”

Madison conceded as she sobbed.

“It's my fault too. I thought it'd be a good idea,” Kitty

added.

“No! It's my fault! I shouldn't be in love with that

stupid and whorish jock!” I shouted, crying.

“I love you John,” Madison whispered. “I love you

Kitty.”

“I love you Madison. I love you John.”
“I love you Kitty. I love you Madison.”
“No more crying!” we shouted in unison.
We did that every time we would cry together. That

way, we would stop crying and talk our pains and
problems out. We let go of each other and wiped our
tears. Madison had her hair roughed up while Kitty's
mascara was all over her freckles. I laughed at them.

“Why are you laughing?” Madison asked as she

removed a banana peel from my head.

We laughed again but quickly stopped since

someone  cleared  his  throat.  We  immediately  turned
around.  Jacob  came  out  of  the  darkness  of  a  nearby
tree with a huge smile on his face. As we stood up, we
hurriedly  picked  up  the  garbage  bin  and  tried  to  act
natural.

“How long you been there?” Kitty asked as she

cleaned her face.

“I was at the game, but when I saw John's reaction

to Nick's kiss with Jessica, I followed you guys.”

“Oh, you saw and heard everything?” Madison

asked as she fixed her hair.

He nodded while he stared at me. I blushed, and

hung my head since I was so embarrassed. All of my
friends knew that I loved Nick.

“Oh,” I muttered as I turned to the girls. “I think we

should get going then.”

“Wait!” Jacob said, smiling. “I thought we were

going to see a movie.”

“You still want to go with me?” I asked him as I

glanced at the girls.

“Yes, right after I spray you with some Frebreze.”
We laughed. Madison signaled me to go with him

while Kitty smiled.

“Take good care of him,” Kitty told Jacob as I

walked to where he stood.

“Yeah, don't play nice and only do dirty things,”

Madison added with a wink.

“Madison!” I shouted while Jacob laughed.

“Follow me,” Jacob directed as they walked away.
He took me to the motorcycle parking section. By

now, people were leaving the stadium and going home.
We reached the spot where a black ninja bike was
parked. I realized that it was Jacob's bike. He climbed
on top and turned to me. He signaled me to sit behind
him, but I was reluctant.

“Come on, I won't bite unless you want me to,”

Jacob teased.

I laughed while he smiled.
“It's just that I've never been on one before.”
“Really? Don't be afraid. You're safe with me. Hop

on.”

I smiled while he handed me his helmet. I put it on

and carefully sat behind him.

“Okay. Now, wrap your arms around me and hold

on tight.”

I was reluctant again.
“Don't be afraid. If you don't hug me, I'll go Tokyo

Drift with this motorcycle! Believe me, you don't want
to experience that.”

We laughed. I slowly wrapped my arms around him.

Jacob  started  his  bike  and  slowly  sped  down  the
parking lot and into the street. He was the second guy I
ever  hugged.  I  slowly  lay  my  head  on  his  back.  His
body was warm and welcoming. We did not talk since
talking  on  a  speeding  motorcycle  was  close  to
impossible; however, it was a revitalizing journey.

When Jacob parked his bike outside the cinema, I

took off his helmet and looked around. At the end of
the street, I thought I saw Nick's car, but I knew that
Nick was celebrating with his hot girlfriend. I shook the
thought from my head while we walked into the cinema.
Jacob bought everything on the counter for us to eat. I
tried to pay my share, but he ignored my request. The
theater was full, but we managed to find two empty
seats at the back.

“So, how was your first motorcycle ride?” he asked

me while we waited for the movie to start.

“Good. I was afraid at first, but I loved it. I love old

fashion motorcycles, though. I think that they look
cooler than the new ones.”

“Oh, you like the classics. I've got three of them and

two ninjas. They're more comfortable and smooth to

ride. I'll take you on another ride one of these days. We
can go to my parents’ beach house.”

“That sounds great,” I answered him as the movie

began.

Jacob smiled. We watched and discussed the movie

while we ate tons of candy. He had actually read the
seven books and had seen the six movies, well, seven
after that night. After the movie, I could not wait to see
part two. We made plans to see it in three-D. As soon
as we stepped out of the cinema, I glanced at the car
that resembled Nick's car. It was still there. Jacob got
on top of his bike and I sat behind him. While I hugged
him tightly, Jacob smiled.

“The movie was great!” Jacob shouted as he tried to

talk to me while we drove through town.

“Yes! It was awesome! It was the best so far!”
“I'm glad you liked it! I hate to see you sad because

of that jock prick!”

“Thank you for caring!”
“Don't mention it!”
I did not want to talk about Nick. It hurt too much to

talk about him after witnessing his love for Jessica.

Jacob took me home and walked me to the door. We
silently stood looking at each other. Jacob smiled
nervously.

“I'm sorry about Nick.”
“Oh, Nick is an impossible dream.”
“Yeah, you aimed too high with Nick. He's a huge

vibrator and a slut.”

I laughed while he chuckled. Jacob continued.
“If you ask me, he's really stupid to miss out on an

amazing person like you.”

His words were shocking and scandalous. My heart

skipped a few beats when he stared into my eyes. The
same  knot,  which  developed  in  my  stomach  for  Nick,
formed  for  Jacob.  He  continued  to  stare  at  me  in
complete silence. I slowly closed my eyes when Jacob
leaned  forward.  I  clearly  felt  when  his  soft  lips  tasted
my  own.  My  heart  came  to  a  sudden  stop.  At  that
moment, I also heard the screeching of the wheels of a
car at the end of the street. The car took off, but I kept
staring at Jacob. He glanced at the street and turned to
me.

“Who the fuck was that?”

“You kissed me,” I mumbled still thinking about his

kiss.

Jacob sighed.
“I'm gay and I've always been in love with you,

John.”

“Oh, my God.”
“Yes, I know I've been a huge dick to you in the

past, but deep inside I always had these feelings
towards you. I know that you love Nick, but if you give
me a chance, I can help you forget that cheap tramp.”

I was speechless. There are no words to describe

how I felt after Jacob's revelation. It was too much
thrown at me at once. I thought of Nick and Jessica's
public display of affection. I was still upset at him, but I
should not have felt that way towards him. At the end of
the day, Nick had the right to date anyone he wanted.

“I don't know what to say.”
“I understand. It's a lot to think about, but Nick has a

girl and he's straight. I know that I can make you happy
if you give me a chance. I'll protect your heart with my
life. I'll take care of you like no other person in this
world would.”

I nodded. I remembered what my mom told me a

few weeks ago.

“Okay, Jacob,” I told him, smiling. “Help me to

forget him.”

Jacob's face enlightened.
“Really?”
I nodded again.
“You won't regret it, John! I promise.”
He leaned in again. This time, he kissed me

passionately. After he finished kissing me, a huge smile
developed on his face. He gently grabbed my hands
and kissed them as well.

“Good night, John,” Jacob told me as he walked

away.

“Night, Jacob,” I replied as I opened the front door

and walked inside.

I silently watched as Jacob put on his helmet and

hopped onto his motorcycle. He slowly rode down the
street. Suddenly, he did a wheelie. Jacob was beyond
happy, but I couldn’t say the same for me. I went into
my room, buried my head on my pillow and cried. I
wanted Nick not Jacob, but I had to let him go so I

could find happiness with Jacob. The kiss meant
absolutely nothing to him. It was a simple goodbye kiss.
I needed to move on with my life. Nick proved to me
that we would never be together. He wanted Jessica
and he would never desire me. I was a fool and in love
with the wrong person. As I closed my eyes, I drifted to
sleep.

* * *

It was around three in the morning when I heard

someone banging at the front door. I jumped out of bed
and grabbed the baseball bat that I had behind my bed
for emergencies. The banging continued as I tiptoed
towards the front door. Suddenly, the banging got
louder. I silently stood behind the door.

“Who is it?”
“It's me! Nick!”
I opened the door. Nick was holding onto the side of

door for support while he held a beer bottle with his
other hand.

“Why?” he asked me with a drowsy expression as I

dropped the bat on the floor.

“Nick? Have you been drinking?”
“Why?” he asked me again as he zigzagged his way

into my house.

“What happened? You don't drink,” I told him as I

closed the door.

“Why?” Nick asked louder as he smashed the beer

bottle on the floor.

It scared me a little, but I knew Nick would never

hurt me.

“Why what?”
“Why did you kiss that fucking bitch?”
I knew he was referring to Jacob, but I said nothing.
“Why did you say that you love me and then kiss that

fag?”

“Nick, he kissed me. Why do you even care?”
Nick made his way to where I was standing.
“I do care!”
“Why?”
“Because I love you!”
At that point, I thought I was dreaming. It was

impossible for Nick to be inside my house telling me

that he loved me. I closed and rubbed my eyes in an
attempt to wake up. Suddenly, Nick cornered me by
placing his hands on the surface of the wall behind me.
He stared into my eyes.

“Ever since I kissed you, I can’t stop thinking about

you.  I  discovered  something  inside  of  me  that  I  didn't
know  was  there.  Yes,  I  like  fucking  women  for
pleasure, but I love you! I love your heart and soul! I
figured out that I've been fucking around so I could hide
that  part  of  my  life  away  from  everyone  else  including
myself. What I’m trying to say is that I'm bisexual, John.
I  wanted  to  tell  you  the  other  day,  but  I  lost  the
courage. But today, when I saw you crying, running into
his arms and kissing that motherfucker, it drove me the
fuck insane!!”

Nick punched the wall behind me. I could not believe

my ears. Nick Wild Hawk was bisexual. I couldn’t
manage to speak so I just listened to what he was
saying.

“You can't love that bitch! You should only love me!

Me! You're mine and no one else's!”

Nick pulled me into his arms and kissed me with

such passion that I felt it all the way down to my toes.
Not only was his desire there, but his love as well. He
wanted me. Me! Suddenly, he stopped kissing me and
spoke to me in a desperate tone.

“I want you to be mine…only mine. Please, John.

Let me make love to you.”

I was shocked. Nick wanted to make love to me!

Love, not sex.

“Please, I want you so bad. And not for cheap

pleasure or sex. I want you to be the first and only
person I'll ever make love to again. Please, baby.”

I nodded. With a huge smile on his face, Nick

scooped me into his arms and carried me to my bed
where he lay me down. While he slowly took off his
shirt and pants, he stared into my eyes. I was trembling
as Nick crawled on top of me.

“Don't be afraid. It's my first time too…with a guy

that is. I'll do my best to make this the best experience
of your life. You'll never forget this day. I promise.”

Nick began to kiss me, tenderly at first, but then with

greater urgency. I had never known such a feeling of
pure happiness and delight. And he was right. I will

never forget that night. I’ll never forget the feeling of his
weight  on  top  of  me,  the  feeling  of  his  body  pressing
hard against me. The way he kissed me with so much
desire, I thought I would die on the spot. The way his
hands roamed over my body as he undressed me. And
most of all, I will never forget the look of pure ecstasy
on  his  face  when  he  entered  me  for  the  first  time.  He
stared into my eyes as he continued to move inside me,
making me feel like we were the only two people in the
universe.  That  was  the  night  Nick  Wild  Hawk  made
love to me.

Chapter Eight

Waking up the following morning inside Nick's arms

was  one  of  the  best  feelings  of  my  life.  I  carefully
examined  his  angelic  face  while  he  slept.  Nick  was
incredibly handsome. No wonder girls would kill to be
with him, if even for one night. I kissed his neck and lay
my  head  on  his  chest.  I  closed  my  eyes  again  while  I
rubbed my right cheek against his tan skin. Instantly, my
entire  body  erupted  in  goose  bumps.  I  sighed  as  I
listened to his heartbeat. I was in heaven.

“Morning,” Nick told me, rustling from his sleep.
I looked up to find him smiling at me.
“Good morning,” I replied as I cuddled in his arms

again. “I think I'm dreaming.”

“Nope, it's the real thing, babe. I love you.”
“I love you too, Nick.”
Suddenly, I glanced at the clock on my wall. It was

7:15 A.M.

“Shit! Nick! Get up! We're going to be late for

school!”

I stood up. Nick immediately rolled out of bed and

began to search for his clothes. Damn! He looked so
good naked, but there was no time to waste. I dashed
to my closet and picked up the first outfit of clothing I
could find. I also tossed him the biggest shirt I owned.

“Wear that! We won't have time for you to go

home!”

We changed quickly even though Nick fell a few

times while he tried to put on his pants. I giggled each
time he fell. I picked up my school bag as I dashed
through the door. Nick hurriedly ran behind me. We
jogged into the kitchen and retrieved food items that we
could eat on the go. After that, we raced outside where
I found Nick's car a few feet from my front porch. He
turned to me with a smile.

“I was kinda wasted.”
There was no time to laugh since we were really late.

We hopped into Nick's car and sped down the street.
We were a few blocks away from my house when Nick
stopped at a stop sign. Out of the blue, Jacob drove in
front of us on his motorcycle. He didn’t see us, but we
definitely saw him. My heart stopped. I completely

forgot  about  Jacob!  As  I  remembered  everything  he
told  me  the  night  before,  a  tremendous  wave  of  guilt
washed over me. I started dating Jacob the night before
and  I  slept  with  Nick  a  few  hours  later.  I  cheated  on
him  with  Nick!  I  felt  dirty.  My  conscience  was  killing
me.

“Oh, my God! Jacob…” I whispered.
“What about that bitch?” Nick asked me as he drove

his car.

“Last night, Jacob asked me to be his boy or

whatever you want to call it and I said yes.”

Nick stepped on the brakes and I was flung forward.

He turned to me.

“What!? Why did you say yes!?”
“Fuck!” I groaned as I rubbed my aching forehead.

“Because you're dating Jessica and I thought that there
would never be a Nick and John!”

“That bitch is history as of last night! I dumped her!”
“What? Why?”
“Jesus Christ! Because I love you! How many times

do I have to say it?”

I laughed. On the spur of the moment, I threw myself

on top of him and kissed him passionately. Nick tried to
take off my shirt.

“Let's do it in the car,” he told me desperately as he

kissed my neck.

“No, we've to get to school.”
“Fuck school!” Nick answered as he caressed my

body.

“No!” I insisted as I sat back on my seat. “We have

to go. I have to talk to Jacob.”

Nick nodded. On the way to school, I could not stop

thinking about Jacob. We started dating the night before
and I had to break up with him the following morning.
Never in a million years did I think I would do that to
anyone.  I  simply  did  not  know  what  to  say.  I  just
wanted the ground to open up and swallow me alive. I
didn’t want to break his heart like that! He had been so
happy the previous night, but Nick left Jessica for me so
I had to leave Jacob for him. We arrived at school five
minutes  before  our  first  class.  As  we  pulled  into  the
parking  lot,  I  saw  Jacob  standing  at  the  entrance.  My
heart  sank.  While  we  walked  to  the  entrance,  Jacob
silently stared at Nick. That was the first time that Jacob

stood his ground against him.

“Hey, John,” Jacob told me as he scowled at Nick.
“Hi.”
“You got a problem?” Nick asked Jacob.
“Yes and it's called you, bitch!”
“What the fuck did you say?!”
Nick grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and Jacob

responded by doing the same. They silently scowled at
each other with looks of anger and hatred. It looked
like they wanted to tear each other into tiny pieces.

“Jacob! Nick! Please!”
I tried to separate them, but it was useless. They

were not letting go of each other. They remained that
way until Madison and Kitty came up from behind
Jacob.

“Guys don't start a fight!” Madison shouted as she

pulled Nick away.

“This school has seen too much violence!” Kitty

shouted as she grabbed Nick's arm.

“Get him off Jacob!” I told the girls. I quickly turned

to Jacob. “Jacob, please, let him go. Don't be the jerk
that you once were!”

Jacob glanced at me as he released Nick. Nick did

the same in return. The girls immediately got in the
middle. They pushed Nick away while I pulled Jacob
away.

“Let's get to class, Nick!” Kitty shouted as they

pulled him inside.

Nick continued to scowl at Jacob as he made his

way inside. Jacob stared at Nick until he disappeared
from sight. Suddenly, he turned to me.

“You slept with him, didn't you?”
“What?”
“I saw his car parked in the middle of your yard this

morning and I saw you together as I drove to school.
He's also wearing one of your shirts. I loved that shirt
on you.”

I lost my words. Tears filled my eyes. Jacob let out a

small sigh.

“Jacob, I didn't want –”
“Please don't cry. You don’t have to explain either.

I'm not angry at you. I'll never hate you for going after
the person you love. I did the same last night, but I lost.
I hope he realized how much you’re worth. If you’re

happy, then I'm happy for you. I had a strong feeling
that he liked you, but I had to give him a run for his
money.”

I looked at him with a faint smile.
“The last thing I wanted was to hurt you, Jacob.”
“I know. You're not the type of person that would

deliberately hurt another person's feelings. I'll tell you
this and I'll tell him this: if he ever hurts you, I'm going to
fuck him up,” Jacob warned, smiling.

I laughed.
“You're an amazing person, Jacob. It really sucks

that I didn't fall in love with you.”

“True, but that's my fault. I made terrible decisions

and now I've got to man up to the consequences.
Maybe if I’d been honest with you sooner, things would
be different. I'll be waiting for you though, but for now,
I just want your friendship, nothing less and nothing
more.”

“Sure, Jacob.”
He wiped the tears from my eyes and gave me a

quick hug.

“Good. Let's get to our classes,” he said with a warm

smile as we walked into school.

I told Nick about Jacob as soon I walked into class.

He was happy to know that Jacob was not going to be
a problem and that he walked away peacefully. Jessica,
on the other hand, was another story. She stared at us
like a vulture stalking her prey. She was extremely
angry at the fact that Nick dumped her. I knew Nick
was famous for dumping people, but I had no idea what
he did to her. It was during lunch that I found out the
juicy details from Madison and Kitty.

“Do you guys know how Nick dumped Jessica last

night?”

“You don't know? Everyone is talking about it! It

happened last night after you and Jacob went on your
date,” Kitty answered, smiling.

“It wasn't a date, Kitty. We just went to see a movie

since you two aren't fans of the boy who lived.”

“Call it however you want, sweetie. Okay, this is

how it happened. Nick came running after us and –”

“After us?” I interrupted.
“Yes,” Madison added. “After Nick saw you crying,

he went looking for us. He spotted us in the parking lot

and asked us about you.”

“Yup,” Kitty continued. “We told him that you and

Jacob “went to see a movie.” He got extremely pissed
and ran to his car while Jessica ran after him. She yelled
at him for leaving like that, but he told her that he didn't
care about another victory celebration.”

“Yeah,” Madison added. “She told him that he was

acting like a real asshole. Nick exploded. He told her
that she wasn't good enough to fuck and that was the
main reason why he didn't touch her herpes infested
body.”

“No way!” I said laughing as I glanced at Nick's

table.

“Yes he did! I laughed my ass off,” Kitty laughed.

“She was dumped in front of two schools. Everyone
laughed at her! Nick is such a bad ass.”

“Oh my God! What happened next?”
“She cursed at him like a true professional sailor and

then she ran inside to hide from all the embarrassment,”
Madison finished as she tried not to laugh again. “Nick
is a huge dick!”

“You have no idea,” I mumbled, laughing.

Madison glanced at me. I continued eating my food.

I saw her lifting her eyebrow to Kitty while she smiled
evilly. Suddenly, they leaned towards me. Kitty spoke
this time.

“Johnny Boy, what happened last night? Why did

Nick and Jacob almost kill each other this morning?”

“Nothing. Jacob and I saw the movie and then he

took me home,” I explained as I tried not to stare into
their faces.

“Okay then. Why is Nick wearing the shirt I bought

you last Christmas?” Madison asked.

“Oh, come on! There are tons of shirts like that!”
“He's lying to us,” Kitty told Madison.
“No I'm not! Why would I lie to my two best

friends?”

“You tell us,” Madison said with a smirk. “Why do

you smell like hot and steamy sex?”

“Madison!”
“Oh my God! You had sex with Jacob! You lost

your virginity to Jacob!!”

“No I didn't!”
“Yes you did, you little slut! No wonder you can't sit

properly or stop smiling. He fucked the shit out of you!”

“Madison!” I said with laugh. “That's not true! It

wasn't him!”

Fuck! I said it. I confirmed it for them. I hated it

when they did that to me. Somehow, they always found
a way to get things out of my mouth. Maybe, it was my
fault for being too uncomfortable when topics like that
surfaced. They froze while their mouths dropped open.
Kitty turned to Madison.

“The shirt!”
“Nick!” Madison exclaimed.
“You had sex with Nick!” Kitty said in a low voice.
“Oh, my Lord!” Madison shrieked as she leaned

closer. She glanced at Nick who was laughing with his
jock friends. “What happened? Tell us now you little
whore! Now I tell you!”

“You better not lie to us!” Kitty added.
I sighed as I examined their eager faces.
“You've got to promise me that you won't tell

anyone.”

“We swear!” they chimed in unison.
I told them everything about the night before and the

events that took place that morning. They listened,
amazed at what I shared with them. Periodically they’d
glance at Jacob or Nick whenever I mentioned their
names. When I finished, they were smiling from ear to
ear.

“Oh my God! Jacob is a homo and Nick is bisexual.

Who would have thought?”

“Kitty! Someone might hear you,” I said as I glanced

around.

“No wonder you can't even sit properly. Nick has a

huge dick. You've got to take a picture!”

“Madison!” Kitty and I cried out in unison.
“What? I want to see it really bad!”
The three of us laughed again. Kitty continued.
“Whoa, Nelly! Nick actually made love to you. I've

never heard that before.”

“I know. He was romantic, caring and loving. He

wasn't wild like everyone says he is.”

“Anyone could see that you two are amateurs,”

Madison replied with a smirk. We turned to her.
“Johnny Boy, he's preparing you.”

“Preparing me? Preparing me for what?” I asked her,

smiling.

“Baby, it was your first time. He had to be gentle, but

wait and see what happens next.”

“Meaning?”
“Since it was your first time, he was tender, sweet

and loving. But soon, Mr. Eight and a Half is going to
fuck the shit out of you! He's going to show you why
they call him Nick Wild Fuck!”

I glanced at her and then at Kitty who was laughing

heartily. Kitty nodded.

“Oh my God! Nick is going to murder me!”
They giggled.
“Relax, eight and half isn’t that big. I've seen bigger.”
“Madison! You dated three black guys,” Kitty said,

laughing.

“That's why I know my shit.”
“You're just a slut, Madison!” I told her.
“Welcome to my world,” Madison answered as she

hugged me. “I love you guys!”

The three of us hugged each other. We knew we

were going to be best friends forever.

* * *

Nick took me home at the end of the day. He

decided to spend the upcoming days with me since my
mom would be out of town for three more days. He
went home and picked up some clean clothes. As for
his parents, they were cruising on their private yacht in
some foreign sea.

“Honey, I'm home,” Nick bellowed as he walked

into my room and dropped his bags on the floor.

“Hey, love,” I replied as I walked up to him and

kissed him.

“Mmm…delicious,” Nick moaned as he hugged me.

“I could imagine my entire life with you.”

“So can I. You have no idea how happy you make

me,” I answered him. That made me realize something
so I changed the topic. “Nick? What are we? Boyfriend
and boy…friend?”

Nick laughed as he walked to my bed. He plopped

himself down on top of it and turned to me.

“Well, I'm your boyfriend and you're my Jaan.”
“John?” I asked as I walked up to him and lay down

beside him.

He pulled me in so I could rest my head on his

shoulder.

“My Jaan, J-A-A-N. That means my love or life in

Hindi.”

“You know Hindi?”
“That's the only word I know,” he answered with a

smile.

“I like it,” I told him as I caressed his chest and arms.

“You're my boyfriend.”

“Only yours and you're only mine. No one else's. We

do have to keep this a secret for a while though. I know
that you told Kitty and Madison. That’s cool with me
since I know that they'll never hurt you. The one person
that concerns me is Jacob.”

“Jacob will never say anything. I know that he won't

because we know about him too.”

“And that gives me a little peace of mind. We've got

to tell your mom that we're already dating though. She's
more understanding than my parents. I'll tell them when
the time is right.”

“Already? What do you mean by that?”

“Remember when we cuddled for an entire night and

your mom made me breakfast the following morning?”

I nodded as I carefully listened to his words.
“Well, I told your mom that I was confused. I told

her that I might be bisexual. She encouraged me to do a
lot of soul searching and to find the real Nick. She
advised me to think things through before making an
important decision that could change my life forever.”

“That sounds like my mom.”
“She is amazing, Jaan,” Nick proclaimed as he

hugged me tight. “Have you showered yet?

I shook my head. He smiled as he stood up and

scooped me into his arms, carrying me to the bathroom.
Once inside, he stripped me naked using his hands and
mouth,  undressing  himself  at  the  same  time.  I  was  the
luckiest person on earth. After that, we quickly jumped
into  the  shower.  The  water  was  freezing  cold,  but  we
kept  each  other  warm.  I  slowly  soaped  his  body,
touching every inch of him. God, he was like a work of
art. Nick stared into my eyes. I could tell by the look on
his  face  that  he  wanted  me  as  much  as  I  wanted  him.
Suddenly,  Nick  kissed  me  passionately  and  began

caressing my body in return. I quickly jumped into his
arms. I wanted to feel him inside of me again. He
carried me to the bed and made me stand on the floor.

“Nick, what’s wrong?”
“It's time for lesson two,” he proposed.
He lay down on the bed and spread his legs open.
“I'm going to teach you how to please me good,”

Nick said as he stretched out his hand to me.

I grabbed his hand. He instantly pulled me on top of

the bed. I knew what he wanted to teach me so I knelt
between  his  legs.  Everyone  in  school  knew  Nick's
favorite  sexual  act.  He  instructed  me  step  by  step,
teaching me just how to please him until his excitement
burst. Nothing pleased me more than pleasing him. We
proceeded  to  spend  the  entire  weekend  together,
making love.

* * *

When my mom arrived home, we told her about our

relationship. She supported us, but she gave us one rule:
we could not have sex under her roof or before the

legal age limit. Nick and I glanced at each other. She
should have told us that earlier.

In school, things went back to normal. Nick was still

a hot commodity among the girls, but I knew he would
never  cheat  on  me.  Many  wanted  to  date  him,  but  he
politely  declined  by  saying  that  he  was  involved  in  a
forbidden love affair. That made the girls drool over for
him  even  more.  Jessica  started  dating  Chris  since
Madison  dumped  him  for  a  sexier  senior.  Kitty  and
Ryan  were  still  going  strong  and  I  was  happy  for  my
girl.  Jacob  and  I  were  still  friends  since  Nick  had
warmed  up  to  him  a  little.  They  would  occasionally
salute  each  other.  That  was  a  huge  step  for  both  of
them.

Since the Elite Hawks won the division title, they

would  go  on  to  the  regional  title  in  the  first  week  of
February.  It  was  postponed  until  that  month  because
there  was  a  huge  scandal  that  involved  a  team  using
steroids. Everyone had to take a drug test, even Nick.
The  investigation  took  so  long  they  had  to  delay  the
date.  I  was  so  proud  of  him,  though.  He  promised  to
win  the  title  for  me.  The  school  had  never  been  to

regionals  before  and  Nick  was  losing  his  mind.  There
was  not  a  state  title  in  New  Jersey,  but  I  knew  Nick
would  have  won  that  too.  He  was  also  doing
remarkably  well  in  school.  He  had  gone  from  being  a
C+ student to an A student. Yes, you heard right! Nick
Wild Hawk was getting As in school. His parents were
extremely  proud  of  him.  It  was  during  our  Christmas
break that Nick told me he decided to tell his parents
the truth. It was on a cold winter day with little snow.
We were sitting on the trunk of his car and enjoying the
sunset on the horizon when he told me.

“Tomorrow is Christmas Eve and I want to tell my

parents that I'm bisexual.”

“Really? Will you tell them about us?”
“Not yet, Jaan. I want to warm them up first before I

tell them that.”

“It sounds like a pretty good plan.”
“Yup, I'll tell them that and see how they react. In

time, I'll tell them about us.”

“What if they don't accept me?”
“That would be their loss because I'm willing to walk

out on them for us.”

“I don't want to cause any problems between you

and your parents, baby.”

“I know, love,” Nick sighed as he pulled me into him.
I rested my head on his shoulder as I admired the

scenery.

“But, they have to learn that if they don't accept you

then I don't accept them as my parents.”

“But first, you've to tell them about yourself.”
“Exactly,” Nick answered as he kissed my temple.
“What if they don't accept you for who you are?”
Nick sighed.
“Then I'll go with plan B. I'll probably need a place

to stay.”

“You can stay with us. You practically live there

anyway. All your things are in my room.”

“Yes, but I don't want to abuse your mom’s trust and

generosity. Remember what she said?”

“No sex,” I answered him with a smile.
“Yup.”
“Nick, we have sex all the time.”
“Shut up, you're making me horny again,” he

whispered into my ear.

I kissed him. He glanced at his car, smiling devilishly.

We quickly jumped in the backseat. We undressed
each other and spent the entire night having sex inside
his car. The next day he dropped me home before
heading to his parents' house. He told me to wait for his
call. We were going to spend Christmas Eve away from
each other, but he needed to talk to his parents. I spent
the entire day worrying about him. I paced nonstop until
I caught Madison’s attention.

“Will you relax? You're making me dizzy.”
“I can't, even if I try.”
“Drink some wine,” Kitty suggested. “That might

help.”

“I want to be sober, not high,” I stated as I sat on my

bed.

The girls would usually drop by every Christmas Eve

for a short visit.

“What time did Nick say he was going to call?” Kitty

asked me.

“Ten.”
“Ten? John, it's 6:15 PM!”
“Yeah, you're worrying too much,” Madison added.

“Guys, can't you see that our future is at stake? If

Nick's parents don't support him, what are we going to
do?  There'll  be  no  more  Johnick.  They'll  force  him  to
do  whatever  they  want.  I  love  Nick!  I  don't  want  to
lose  him.  My  life  will  be  empty  without  him.  We  just
want to be happy. Is that too much to ask?”

Kitty sighed as she sat down beside me. Madison

hugged my arm.

“Put your faith in God,” Kitty told me.
“Yeah, I know that things will work out for you guys.

You know why?”

I shook my head.
“Because you two sincerely love each other. I've

never seen two people more in love than you and Nick.
Everything's going to be fine.”

“Yes,” Kitty continued. “And if you ever need our

help, you know where we are.”

Madison nodded. I wrapped my arms around my

two best friends. I loved them like you have no idea.
Where would I be without them? Nowhere.

“Thank you, guys. I couldn't ask for better friends.

There are no words to describe how much I love you

and what you mean to me.”

They hugged me back. At that moment, my mom

called us for dinner. We made our way to the table and
had one of the best dinners of my life. It would have
been better if Nick was around, but I knew next year
we would be together.

The girls left my house around nine. I was freaking

out  by  then.  My  mom  was  watching  television  and
waiting for Nick's call as well. I paced nonstop across
my room until my feet hurt. I lay down on my bed and
closed  my  eyes.  I  asked  God  for  help  and  guidance
since  I  needed  Him  more  than  ever.  A  few  prayers
later, I glanced at my clock. It was 10:30 PM! I knew
something was terribly wrong. Nick would have called
by now. My heart rate rose as I dialed his number. His
phone  was  off.  My  heart  sank  to  the  bottom  of  my
stomach.  Suddenly,  a  knock  on  the  door  got  my
attention. I dashed towards it. As I grabbed the knob,
my heart came to a halt. I slowly pulled the door open.
Nick stood in front of me holding a large suitcase and a
yellow  letter.  I  stared  into  his  crystal  blue  eyes.  Tears
filled  my  eyes  as  I  threw  myself  on  top  of  him.  He

hugged me back while he silently cried. My mom
walked up to him and took the suitcase from his hand.

“You're home now, sweetie.”
Nick nodded. He let me go so he could step inside.

As  he  wiped  his  tears,  Nick  handed  me  the  yellow
paper. I slowly unfolded it. My heart skipped as I read
the first line. The letter was a petition for emancipation.
I glanced at the bottom of the page and found Mr. and
Mrs.  Hawking's  signatures.  I  hugged  Nick  again.  That
was  his  plan  B.  He  emancipated  himself  from  his
parents  because  they  did  not  accept  him.  I  could  not
believe or comprehend the idea of how someone could
do  that  to  their  one  and  only  son.  Nick  hugged  me
tighter and whispered into my ear.

“Everything's going to be fine. I'm home now.”

Chapter Nine

Nick broke my heart as he cried, but there was

nothing I could do. He slept on the sofa since my mom
did not want us to sleep in the same room. I sneaked
out of my room around twelve and cuddled in his arms.
I had never seen him so sad. His parents rejected him
for being himself. Parents should love their children no
matter  what.  They  should  always  be  there  when  times
get rough. I thought of my own father and what he did
to  me.  Do  they  think  that  just  because  they  gave  us
birth,  they  have  the  right  to  throw  us  away  like
unwanted kittens? I never even met my father! At least
Nick  had  the  opportunity  to  meet  his.  Honestly,  I
thanked  God  for  the  fact  that  I  never  met  him.  If  my
dad had thrown me out like Nick’s parents threw him
out, I would have hated him.

“I'm so sorry, Nick.”
Nick had stopped crying.
“It's okay, Jaan. I've got you and that's all that

matters. Things are going to be tough from now on

though. I'll have to get a part-time job so I can help
your mom with the expenses of the house. It won't be
fair for her to support me as well.”

“Then, we'll both get jobs.”
“Hell no! I want you to focus on your studies only.”
“But, baby—”
“But nothing. I'll show my parents that I don't need

them.  One  day  I'll  even  provide  for  you  and  your
mom,”  Nick  promised  after  he  kissed  my  forehead.  I
rested my head on his chest while I listened to him. “I
know  that  things  will  get  hard  around  here  because  I
don't  have  access  to  my  parent's  cash.  I've  got  some
money  saved  so  that'll  help  us  for  a  few  weeks  or
months if we stretch it. I'll start to look for a job as soon
as possible. You're the only one that I need right now. I
love you, Jaan.”

“I love you too, Nick,” I answered as I kissed his

neck.

We didn’t sleep together that night. Nick respected

my mom's rule whenever she was around. I sneaked
back into my room and slept for a few more hours. My
mom woke me up around nine the following morning.

“Get up sleepy head!”
“Good morning, Mom. Where's Nick?”
“Watching television and waiting for you to get up so

we can have a family breakfast. Can you believe that he
doesn't want to eat without you? He's such a darling.”

“That's why I love him,” I explained as I hugged her.

“Thank you.”

“For what, baby?”
“For allowing Nick to stay with us.”
“Sweetie,” she answered as she stared into my eyes.

“I couldn't abandon Nick at a time like this. He's such a
great kid.”

“His parents did.”
“His parents are just confused and probably

devastated. They have a different vision of their son.
Soon, they'll come to realize what they did and seek his
forgiveness.”

“You really think so, Mom?” I asked as she walked

towards the door.

“Yes, trust me. I'm always right. Now, get ready so

we can have breakfast because we're waiting on you.
It's Christmas,” she reminded me with a smile as she

walked through the door.

I nodded. I got dressed and headed to the kitchen

where I found them waiting for me. Nick walked up to
me and kissed me good morning.

“Nope! Not while I'm around!” my mom told to us.
We laughed and sat down for breakfast. While we

ate, Nick told my mom that he wanted to get a job.

“No! You need to focus on your education only!”
I just sat back and watched the heated debate

between them.

“But, Ms. Ames, I can't put this burden on you.”
“You're not a burden, Nick. Call me Caroline. No,

Mom is even better.”

“Okay, Mom. I've got to support myself in some

way or my parents will think I'm a failure.”

“You're not a failure! Don't say that! You're a bright,

funny, smart, and loving boy. You need to graduate and
then worry about a job. Your job right now is to study.”

“They called me a failure last night!” Nick recounted

as he began to tear up.

“Nick,” my mom said as she stood and walked up to

him. She squeezed him tightly while she consoled him.

“That's their anger speaking. You're not a failure, baby.
I know this is hard for you, but you've got to graduate
from Elite High. Only then will you have a bright future.
That school can get you far, honey.”

“Just a part-time job,” Nick told her as she wiped his

tears. “Don't try to stop me.”

My mom sighed as she let him go.
“Fine,” she agreed as Nick stood up and lifted her

from the ground.

“Thank you, Mom!” Nick shouted as he brought her

back down.

“Only if your job doesn't interfere with your studies.”
“I'll make sure.”
“Good, now let's open our presents.”
We ran to our small Christmas tree and found two

presents  underneath  it  for  the  first  time  in  many  years.
Both  gifts  were  from  my  mom.  I  opened  mine  and
found  a  silver  bracelet.  Nick  also  found  the  same
bracelet, but his nickname was inscribed on the surface.
He  was  so  happy.  Nick  immediately  began  to  search
for something inside his suitcase. He pulled out two gifts
and  handed  them  to  us.  We  were  shocked  since  we

didn’t expect anything from Nick. He had already done
so  much  for  us.  Nevertheless,  we  thanked  him  and
opened our gifts. He gave my mom a gold locket and I
got a beautiful silver chain with a cross pendant. It was
the  best  Christmas  of  my  life.  I  gave  Nick  his  present
later  that  night.  He  loved  it.  It  was  a  set  of  edible
whipped  creams  that  Madison  (of  course)  helped  me
pick out.

* * *

The following days proved to be a little tough for

Nick. It was difficult for him to find a job during the
Christmas break. He decided to look for one after the
holiday.

Elite High opened its doors on the second week of

January. We were so excited to get back to our lives.
On the first day of classes, we were headed to our first
period when we were called to the Financial Affairs
office where we found Mrs. Carter inside. I knew that
things were going to get much worse.

“Hello boys. Have a seat.”

We sat down while she smiled warmly.
“I know that you may be wondering why I called you

here today. I've got two main issues to discuss with
you. The first and most important one is your financial
situation.”

“Financial situation?” Nick asked her.
“Yes, Mr. Hawking. Your parents didn't pay for

your, and Mr. Ames', second semester.”

My heart sank. We turned to each other and I clearly

saw that Nick was surprised.

“They didn't pay? Why?” Nick asked her.
“Their reply was that they no longer have

responsibility to you because you emancipated yourself
from them last year. Is that true?”

“Yes, but I never thought they’d do that to me.”
“Sadly, they did. You know the school's policy and

–”

“Please don't kick us out!” I interjected.
“I wish I could help you, but the policy states that –”
“You're going to kick us out?” Nick asked as he

stood up.

“Nick, please have a seat and let me finish,” Mrs.

Carter directed as she pointed to the chair.

“Nick, please sit down,” I told him as I tugged his

arm.

He glanced at me and sat down. Mrs. Carter

continued.

“The policy states that you've got until Friday to pay.

If you don't pay by then, we'll politely ask you to
leave.”

“We've got until Friday to pay?” I asked her.
“Yes.”
“That's a lot of money,” Nick told her.
“I wish I could help you boys, but this is a private

institution and there's nothing I can do. My hands are
tied.”

Nick sighed.
“Don't worry Mrs. Carter, we understand. We'll pay

by tomorrow. I promise.”

“Tomorrow? How are we going to get that amount

by tomorrow?”

“Relax Jaan, I’ve got a plan. What's the other issue,

Mrs. Carter?”

“I hope you boys find a way. The next issue is simply

a reminder. Monday is Matthew Ward's trial and
you’re expected to testify against him.”

My heart stopped. I had completely forgotten about

Matthew! What was even worse was that I had to see
him in one week! The last time I saw Detective Morgan
and his lawyers was before the Christmas break.

“Detective Morgan asked me to remind you to be in

court at eight sharp. Your parents will also be notified.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Carter, we'll definitely be there,”

Nick answered as he stood.

“Okay boys, you may leave.”
Outside, I turned to Nick.
“What are we going to do?”
“Don't worry, just say what he did to you.

Everything's going to be fine,” Nick told me as he
placed his arm around me.

“No, I meant with the school fees.”
“Don't worry, I'm the man of the house now, second

to your amazing mother that is,” Nick added with a grin.
“Wait! I didn't mean to call her a man.”

I laughed.
“You get me right?”

“Yes I do, baby.”
“Okay, I'll provide for you now. I've got a plan.”
“A plan?”
“Yes, a plan. Shut up and trust me.”
I left everything to him. Three girls swooshed in

beside us and smiled at Nick.

“Good morning ladies.”
They giggled and answered him back. I quickly

elbowed him.

“Ouch! Don't be jealous. You're my Jaan,” Nick

answered as he held me tighter.

I smiled back. We went back to class and the day

went  unbelievably  smooth.  I  found  out  about  Nick's
back-up plan later that night. I was watching television
when  he  arrived  home.  He  kissed  me  hello  since  my
mom  was  working  late.  He  sat  down  beside  me  and
pulled me into his arms.

“I tried to call you.”
“Really? I didn't hear my phone.”
“Our phone plans has been disconnected.”
“What? Why?”
“My parents cancelled my credit cards.”

“So what? We don't need cell phones.”
“Nope, but we do need this,” Nick stated as he

showed me a check.

I examined it. I could not believe my eyes.
“Nick, this is enough to cover this year and next

school year for both of us. How did you get this large
amount?”

“I sold my car.”
“You sold your new car!? You love that car!”
“I only love you,” Nick answered me. I wanted to

melt  in  his  arms.  Nick  was  a  huge  heartbreaker.  He
always  knew  what  to  say.  I  rested  my  head  on  his
shoulder while I handed him back his check. “Consider
this  a  long-term  investment.  We  get  a  good  education
now  and  someday  we  will  buy  a  new  car.  For  now,
we've got to walk to school. I also got a job.”

“You did? Doing what?”
“Do you remember Eric?”
I shook my head.
“Eric, the pizza delivery guy?”
I remembered him. Nick always gave him a good tip.
“Yes, what about him?”

“Well, he put in a good word for me with his boss

and the old man offered me a job.”

“You're going to deliver pizzas?”
“Yup, I start tomorrow from four to ten.”
“Awesome, baby! You'll be one sexy pizza delivery

guy,” I boasted, kissing his neck.

“Don't kiss me there! You always make me horny,”

he cautioned. “I get an instant erection!”

“Really?” I asked, licking his neck.
“Alright,” Nick declared, standing up. With a single

tug, he lifted me from the sofa and placed me over his
shoulder. He slapped my ass while he carried me to my
bedroom. “We're going to celebrate tonight!”

With one hand, he yanked down my pants while he

threw me on the bed. Then, he proceeded to rip off my
white singlet. Nick Wild Fuck was ready to rumble.

* * *

The following day, Nick paid the school and began

his first run as a pizza delivery boy. He looked so
handsome in his uniform. All I wanted was to strip him

naked and eat him alive. His first run was slow, but as
soon as word got out that Nick was delivering pizzas,
pizza  frenzy  hit  the  town!  Girls  would  order  pizzas
everyday  just  to  see  Nick  at  their  front  porch.  They
would  ask  for  Nick  to  personally  deliver  the  pizzas.
Agostino  di  Duccio's  pizzas  sold  out  every  day  from
four to ten. The manager gave Nick a raise on the third
night  and  asked  him  to  take  another  shift  with  double
pay, which Nick declined. My mom would have killed
him if he ever accepted his offer. He got huge tips from
his  clients  just  for  being  Nick  Wild  Hawk.  Some  girls
would  tip  him  really  well  just  to  see  or  touch  his  lean
abdomen. Some even offered him a condo and a new
car  in  exchange  for  sex,  but  those  types  of  offers,  he
declined.

“I'm exhausted,” Nick admitted as he dropped on

my bed. It was the Sunday before Matthew Ward's
trial. I lay down beside him and he hugged me. “What a
crazy week.”

“I know. Who would have thought that you'd be so

good at your job?”

“Is that an insult or a compliment?”

“Both.”
Nick laughed.
“Look,” he said as he took off his shirt.
Nick had several bills tucked inside the waistband of

his pants.

“Whoa, Nelly!” I said as I began to retrieve them

from his pants.

“I know, that's enough for this year's rent.”
I retrieved the bills and packed them inside our small

private strongbox.

“You're amazing, you know that?” I asked him as I

cuddled back into his arms.

“I've heard that a few times,” Nick answered as he

kissed my forehead. “Tomorrow is the trial. Are you
afraid?”

I sighed.
“Nervous actually.”
“He'll never hurt you again, love. I promise.”
“I know, baby. I just want us to move on with our

lives.”

“We will,” Nick told me as he closed his eyes. “We

will…”

Nick slept like a baby, but I barely closed my eyes.

Matthew kept running through my mind the entire time.

* * *

The next day, the past was stirred up once more.

Everyone was talking about the trial and a media circus
surrounded the courthouse. We arrived at exactly eight
sharp  since  the  trial  was  scheduled  for  nine.  I  was
extremely nervous, but Nick was my rock and comfort.
He soothed my soul and gave me peace of mind. Mr.
Patrick Baltimore, the prosecutor, told us that Matthew
would plead insanity. He did not want him to win. He
wanted  Matthew  to  pay  for  his  violent  rampage  and
murder spree. If he pleaded insanity and won, he would
be  institutionalized  in  a  mental  facility  and  could  be
released in a few years. His psychopathic ass needed to
be behind bars for the rest of his life. Nick, Jacob, my
mother and I waited inside a small room to testify. I was
scared  because  Nick  was  not  going  to  be  there  with
me.  I  walked  up  and  down  until  my  body  began  to
tremble. I sat down next to him.

“Relax,” Nick told me as he held my hand.
I answered him with a faint smile and tried my best to

relax.  Jacob  was  called  first  to  testify,  but  he  never
came  back.  At  10:45  AM,  an  officer  took  Nick  to
testify.  My  heart  sank.  I  was  about  to  lose  my  mind.
My  mom  hugged  me,  but  I  was  still  freaking  out.  The
officer  returned  fifty  minutes  later,  but  Nick  was  not
with him.

“Where's Nick?”
“He's in another room. It's standard procedure.

Follow me.”

I nodded and I followed him. As I walked down the

hallway, every memory of that day rushed through my
mind. I was reliving it again. I sighed deeply when the
officer stopped in front of a red door and pushed it
open.

“Good luck.”
I nodded. There was no going back as I stepped into

the room. The first person that I saw was Matthew. He
was dressed in an orange suit with the most heinous and
cold smile I had ever seen. It sent chills down my spine,
but I continued walking to the witness stand. The

adrenaline in my veins allowed me that feat. A man,
dressed in a black suit, walked up to me. He asked me
to place my hand over the Bible while I lifted the other
one.

“Do you solemnly swear that the contents of this

affidavit by you subscribed are true, so help you God?”

“I swear.”
I sat down on my chair and glanced at Matthew. He

was staring at me with a smirk. Suddenly, he licked his
lips. As I looked away, Mr. Baltimore stood up. He
fixed his jacket and walked to the witness stand. I
focused my attention on him. I ignored Matthew during
the entire interrogation process; I could not bring myself
to look at him.

“Mr. Ames, do you recognize the person sitting in

that chair?” Mr. Baltimore asked me in a strong British
accent as he pointed to Matthew.

“Yes. His name is Matthew Ward.”
“Would you say that you and Mr. Ward were close

friends?”

“No.”
“What was your relationship with Mr. Ward?”

“We were anything but friends. Matthew and Jacob

bullied me for the first two years of my high school life.”

“Bullied you for the first two years of your high

school life? What made them stopped bullying you this
year?”

“My friend, Nick, stood up to them.”
“Would you say that Mr. Hawking and Mr. Ward

had a conflict because Mr. Ward bullied you?”

“Yes.”
“What happened the night when Mr. Hawking beat

Mr. Ward on Kingston Street?”

“I was waiting for Nick inside his car since he was

buying  a  few  groceries.  When  I  saw  Matthew  and
Jacob  heading  my  way,  I  jumped  out  of  his  car  and
tried to make my way to the grocery store since I only
felt safe with Nick. Matthew caught up to me, grabbed
me  by  the  collar  of  my  shirt  and  violently  dragged  me
away. Then, he grabbed me by the neck and slammed
me against the wall of an empty building.”

“What happened next?”
“He told me that I got him in trouble with Nick and

that I was going to pay for it. Jacob tried to talk him out

of it, but he ignored his pleas. He told me that he was
going to rape and kill me. I even felt his hard penis
against my legs.”

People started mumbling while Mr. Baltimore

glanced at Matthew.

“Silence!” the judged shouted as he slammed his

gavel on the table.

Everyone got quiet. Mr. Baltimore continued.
“Was that the first time that Mr. Ward sexually

harassed you?”

“No. He would usually make sexual remarks to me

during gym or whenever we were alone.”

Everyone began whispering again, but the judge

quickly silenced them. Mr. Baltimore cleared his throat
and continued.

“What happened after Mr. Ward threatened to rape

and kill you?”

“Jacob took off running and Matthew punched me in

the stomach. I dropped to the ground because the pain
was unbearable. Suddenly, I heard Nick's voice. They
exchanged a few words until Matthew threw the first
punch. Nick dodged him easily and began to beat him

up. I tried to get Nick off him, but it was useless.
Finally, I managed to talk some sense into Nick and he
stopped beating Matthew. After that, we ran home.”

“You saw Mr. Ward again three weeks later? Am I

right?”

“Yes, it was on that terrible Monday morning.”
“What happened that day?”
“I was walking to my second period when I saw him

staring at me with a malevolent smile so I told Nick
about Matthew during class. He told me to be careful
because Jacob warned him that Matthew had changed.
Nick left early from class to pick up an assignment, but
he asked me to take his bag to third period lab. While
my friend, Madison, and I walked to the silence lab, I
saw Matthew exiting the bathroom near the entrance to
the school. I clearly saw when he took out the two guns
and aimed at me.”

“What happened next?”
“My reflexes kicked in. I pushed Madison down a

corridor and threw myself to the other side. At that
moment, I heard the first two shots. I felt a burning
sensation on my left shoulder. I dashed towards the left-

wing  emergency  exit.  While  I  ran,  I  placed  my  hand
over my shoulder. It was then that I realized that I was
bleeding  to  death.  I  wasn't  going  to  make  it  to  the
emergency  exit  because  I  felt  weak  and  light-headed.
So, I decided to hide inside the first room that I came
across.”

“It was there where Mr. Hawing found you. Am I

right?”

“Yes. Nick found me and we waited for someone to

rescue us, but no one was coming. So, he lifted me into
his arms and carried me out of the room. Matthew
spotted us in the hallway and pointed the guns at us.
Nick begged him to let us go, but Matthew told him that
he came that morning to kill us.”

Another wave of distant voices hit the room, but the

judge silenced them again. I glanced at Matthew for the
second time. He was still smiling treacherously so I
looked away. Mr. Baltimore continued with his
interrogation.

“What happened next?”
“He told us that he was going to finish what he

started so Matthew asked Nick, at gun point, to put me

on the ground.”

“Do you think he was going to rape and kill you?”
“Yes. Matthew ordered Nick to step away from me.

He  knelt  beside  me  and  proceeded  to  unbutton  his
pants.  He  was  about  to  pull  his  boxers  down  when  a
knocking  got  his  attention.  He  immediately  stood  up.
He  ordered  Nick  not  to  move  from  his  spot  while  he
followed  the  knocking  that  was  coming  from  a
classroom. Matthew kicked the door open and peeked
inside. Suddenly, Mr. Wright flung himself on top of him
and tried to wrestle the guns from his hands. Mr. Wright
told Nick to run so he picked me up and ran outside.”

“That'll be all, your honor,” Mr. Baltimore said as he

walked to his seat.

“Do you wish to cross-examine?” the judge asked.
A fat man, with hardly any neck, stood up and made

his way to the witness stand. He made me extremely
nervous.

“You stated that Mr. Ward and Mr. Ashmore bullied

you for the first two years of your high school life. Is
that right?”

“Yes.”

“Why didn't you report them to the school or to a

higher authority?”

“I was afraid that they might bully me even more if I

told anyone.”

“Why didn't you report the sexual harassment then?”
“I was afraid that no one would believe me. It was

my word against the word of two rich kids. Who would
you have believed?”

The defendant smiled as he stared into the crowd.
“No more questions, your honor.”
I was relieved. Finally, I could get away from

Matthew and move on with my life. The judge signaled
an officer to take me away. As the officer made his way
towards me, I stood up. Without warning, Matthew
jumped over the table and ran towards me. He
screamed at the top of his lungs.

“WHEN I GET OUT I'M GOING TO FUCK

AND KILL YOU, JOHNNY BOY!!”

I was scared for my life. Matthew was going to kill

me. The officer pulled me away while six more officers
fell on top of Mathew. Everyone screamed as Mathew
was wrestled to the ground. The officer pulled me

through the door and locked it shut. He gently grabbed
my shoulder and led me to another hallway. He opened
a door, and there were Nick, Jacob, and my mom.
Nick silently examined my pale face. Suddenly, I lunged
into his arms and began sobbing.

“What happened, Jaan?”
I couldn’t find the words to explain to him what

happened so I simply cried.

“Everything's going to be fine. He won't hurt you

again, baby boy.”

“I know, love,” I whispered into his ear. “Matthew

signed his own death sentence.”

Chapter Ten

Three consecutive life sentences without the

possibility  of  parole  was  Matthew  Ward's  punishment
for  his  violent  rampage.  It  only  took  one  hour  for  the
jurors  to  come  back  with  a  guilty  verdict.  Finally,
Matthew was in my past and I could move on with my
future.  The  following  day,  we  awarded  Mr.  Wright  a
medal  for  saving  us  that  day.  Mrs.  Wright  cried  with
happiness and hugged us tenderly after we delivered her
the  heroic  ornament.  Things  got  better  in  our  house
since Nick was doing so well in his job. He proved to
his parents that he was not a failure and that he did not
need  them  to  survive.  People  in  our  school  supported
Nick  after  his  parents  kicked  him  out  for  being  a  bad
ass.  That  was  the  rumor  that  circulated  around  school
as to why they kicked him out. Supposedly, his parents
could  not  handle  or  control  him  anymore.  Many,  in  a
strange way, saw him as a role model because he was
living  independently  from  them.  Others  felt  that  action
just added to his bad boy image. I, on the other hand,

was seen as the best friend who offered him a place to
stay in a time of need. No one suspected that Nick and
I were more than just friends. To them, it was
impossible to think that Nick, the womanizer, the hero,
the lover, the star quarterback, and athlete
extraordinaire was my boyfriend. To be honest, I loved
that they thought of him that way.

“The day after tomorrow is the regional

championship,” I told Nick as I served him dinner. We
were home alone since my mom was working late.
“You excited?”

“Hell yes! I can't believe we made it that far! The

guys are losing their freaking minds!” Nick answered
me as I sat down beside him. “I reserved a room for us
in a small motel. You'll go with me, right?”

“I wouldn't miss that game for the world. Hopefully,

you win, because tomorrow is your seventeenth
birthday.”

“Tomorrow is the fifth?”
“Yes, silly,” I said as I walked up to him and sat on

his lap. Instantly, he wrapped his arms around my waist.
“What's the plan?”

“You know the plan,” Nick retorted as he cupped

my butt.

“I love that plan.”
“Maybe, we should go with the plan right now.”
“No, eat first,” I insisted, smiling as I stood up.
“Damn!” Nick muttered with a smile as he continued

eating.

“Nick, how are we getting to Atlantic City

tomorrow? We don't have a car.”

“I'm renting one. I'm an adult, remember?”
“Awesome,” I said as I served him a slice of

cheesecake.

Nick examined the piece of cake.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” Nick reassured me as he stood up,

scooped me into his arm and grabbed the entire dish of
cheesecake. “Let's have dessert in our room.”

* * *

The following day, the school was buzzing with

excitement since it was the clash between two great

titans.  The  Elite  Hawks  were  facing  off  against  the
Southeast Sparrows! Each team was the best on their
side  of  the  state.  Madison  and  Kitty  were  losing  their
heads.  They  were  more  excited  than  me.  Everyone
wished  Nick  good  luck  throughout  the  day.  We  were
heading to our last class when Principal Lewis stopped
him. I continued walking, but I waited for him at the end
of the hallway. Nick's face lit up while they exchanged a
few  words.  After  the  short  conversation,  he  ran  to
where  I  was  waiting.  His  face  was  beaming  with
excitement.

“What happened?”
“You've got no idea! Mr. Lewis said that a

representative of Princeton Tigers will be at tomorrow's
match. If I play to the best of my abilities, they might
offer me a full scholarship to Princeton!”

“Shut up!”
“Yeah!” Nick exclaimed as he lifted me from the

ground.

“Nick! Someone might see us!”
“I don't give a fuck!” Nick answered smiling as he

put me down. “Can you believe this? I'm going to

Princeton!”

“I'm so happy for you!”
Nick looked around and then kissed my lips. He was

excited to say the least. Princeton had been our dream
university since we were young. One of us would have
our dream come true. I wanted to go to Princeton, but
with our financial situation, it was impossible for us to
attend the university together. Nick read my mind and
let out a small sigh.

“I know that Princeton is your dream as well. I

promise to work hard so one day you can attend
Princeton, Jaan.”

“Nick, you're my dream. If I never attend Princeton,

I don't care because you'll go and make our dream
come true. And besides, you're the breadwinner now.”

“You bet your ass I am! When I begin to work full-

time, I'll buy you anything you want. There will be no
limits! I promise you the world, Jaan.”

“Thank you, baby. Now, let's get to class. We're ten

minutes late.”

* * *

As soon as the class ended, we headed to the

nearest  car  rental  store  where  Nick  rented  an  old
brownish Mustang. We picked up our luggage and set
off  to Atlantic  City,  home  of  the  Southeast  Sparrows.
On the way, we drove through Princeton and admired
the  beautiful  buildings  that  made  up  the  campus.  We
visited  the  old  Nassau  Hall, Alexander  Hall,  the  Fine
Hall, the University Chapel, and the famous man-made
lake,  Lake  Carnegie. After  spending  a  few  minutes  in
Princeton,  we  continued  on  our  journey.  After  a  few
miles, Nick noticed something strange.

“Do you see the black car behind us?”
“Yes,” I answered as I examined the car through the

rearview mirror.

“I could swear that it's been following us since we left

Princeton.”

“You think so?”
“Yeah, I didn't notice if the car was from home

though.”

I examined the car and found it oddly familiar. It

resembled Chris' car, but it couldn’t be him. The

mysterious car followed us all the way to Atlantic City.
On the way to the motel, Nick tried his best to shake it
off our tail. After a few spins around the city, the car
disappeared a few blocks away from the motel. I was
glad because my heart was about to explode.

“Who was that?”
“I don't know, but they were definitely following us,”

Nick answered as he took out the luggage from the
trunk. “Don't worry, we're safe now.”

I silently followed Nick to the receptionist area

where we got the key to our room. The young man
took us to our room and opened the door. It wasn’t a
five star hotel, but it was comfortable enough to spend
the night.

“It's all I could afford.”
“I don't care as long as you're with me,” I assured

him as I gave him a hug.

“I know, but you deserve the best,” Nick told me as

he kissed my forehead.

“Nick, you're the best. You're always saving me.”
Nick lifted me into his arm and carried me to the

bathroom where he stripped me naked while he kissed

me passionately. We stepped into the small tub and I
sat comfortably on his lap. Life was perfect with Nick
by my side.

“I love you, Nickelodeon,” I told him as I rested my

head on his shoulder.

“I love you too, Jaan.”
“Oh my God!”
“What’s wrong?”
“I have a birthday present for you.”
“Really?” Nick asked me, smiling.
“Yes.”
I ran out of the bathroom. After flipping my suitcase

over, I found his gift at the bottom. It was inside a tiny
blue box with an orange and black ribbon. I chose Kitty
to help me pick out Nick's present since Madison
would surely have chosen something naughty. I walked
back into the bathroom and handed it to him.

“What is it?” Nick asked me as he shook it.
“Open it,” I answered as I sat on the edge with my

feet inside.

He quickly opened it. Nick smiled as he retrieved the

silver chain with the Princeton shield pendant.

“This is awesome!”
“You like it?”
“Hell yes!” he answered as he placed it around his

neck. “Thank you, Jaan. But, this better be part one of
my gift because I'm fucking horny as hell!”

I laughed. Nick began to kiss and lick my legs at the

same time. Shivers went up my spine as he moved up
and down. Nick was an amazing kisser. Suddenly, a
knock on the door stopped him in his tracks.

“Who’s that?”
“I don't know. It must be Madison or Kitty. I told

them we were staying here.”

“I thought they were coming tomorrow.”
“They weren't sure,” I said as I stood up and put on

a bathrobe. “Be right back.”

“Okay, but tell them to hurry along because Nick

Wild Fuck wants to play tonight!”

I smiled and headed to the front door. I slowly

opened it. I was shocked to see Jessica standing in
front of me with a huge smile on her face. I tried to
close the door, but the bitch blocked my action with her
foot.

“I knew it!” Jessica screamed as she pushed me

aside and walked inside. “I knew he was fucking you! I
saw him kissing you earlier!”

I could not move or even say a word.
“Where is he?” Jessica asked me as she looked

around. “Where's that fucking fag?”

“Madison and Kitty, Jaan and I want—” Nick

started to say as he exited the bathroom.

As soon as he saw her, he came to a halt. Nick was

only wearing a towel. He glanced at me and turned to
her.

“What the fuck are you doing here!?”
Jessica laughed maliciously.
“Nick, Nick, Nick! What happened? You banged all

the girls in school and now you've moved on to the
guys?”

“Get the fuck out of my room!”
“You're in no position to be threatening me, asshole!

I got your future in my hands. I knew someday you’d
pay for what you did to me! You humiliated me in front
of the entire school!”

“Jessica?” I asked her. “What do you want?”

“From a fag like you, nothing!” Jessica answered as

she scowled at me.

“Don't talk to him like that!”
“Oh my God, Nick! You settled down for this

queer?” Jessica sneered as she pointed at me. “You
chose him over me?”

“Jessica! Get the fuck out of my room you, ugly

twat!” Nick shouted as he grabbed her arm.

“Let me go or I'll tell everyone that you're banging

this homo!”

Nick let her go, but he continued to stare at her with

rage.

“Do you know what people will say about you?

When they find out that their star quarterback is banging
guys in the shower room? What will Princeton say
about that? Bye-bye scholarship!”

“Don't do that Jessica, please!” I implored her.
“What do you want?” Nick asked.
A smile of satisfaction crept on her face. She struck

the right chord to manipulate us. She closed the door
and walked around the room, focusing her attention on
the towel around Nick's waist.

“What are you willing to do for me so that I’ll keep

my mouth shut?”

“What do you want, Jessica?” Nick asked her

calmly.

Jessica smiled again.
“Drop the towel.”
“What?” Nick asked her in disbelief.
“Drop the fucking towel!”
Nick looked at her and dropped the towel on the

floor. Jessica turned to me.

“You must have a lot of fun with him, don't you?”
I immediately scowled at her. She was one annoying

little bitch.

“Tomorrow I want you to make a public apology to

me at the end of the game and in front of the entire
school. I want you to kneel down and beg me to come
back to you.”

“What!?” Nick asked her, losing his cool.
“You heard me. I won't repeat myself twice. And,

tomorrow night…” Jessica paused and turned to me.
She continued talking to Nick, but it seemed like she
was waiting for my reaction to what she was going to

say next. “I want you to make love to me like a wild
animal in heat. I want to know why they call you Nick
Wild Fuck.”

As I closed my eyes, tears rolled down my cheeks.

Nick quickly covered himself with the towel. He looked
at her with anger and spoke.

“You're one crazy bitch, you know that?”
“Think whatever the fuck you want! The way I see it,

we all win. I get to humiliate you in public and I get one
night of pleasure while you get to keep your fag and
Princeton. Take it or leave it.”

“We'll take it,” I told her as I wiped my tears away.
Nick and Jessica turned to me. She smiled.
“What!? Why do you want to do anything for this

crazy bitch!?”

“Nick, what other choice do we have? We can't let

people know about us. It will ruin your chance to attend
Princeton. That is your dream university.”

“I guess we know now who has the brains in this

relationship,” Jessica answered with a smile.

Nick scowled at her. She walked to the door and

opened it.

“It was nice doing business with you boys. You can

fuck the shit out of each other now,” Jessica said with a
laugh as she closed the door.

Nick grabbed a nearby chair and launched it at the

door while I curled up on the floor and sobbed
inconsolably.

“Baby,” Nick cooed as he dropped to the floor to

hug me. “Don't cry. I hate seeing you cry.”

“Nick, what are we going to do?”
“I'm going to hunt down and murder that fucking

bitch!”

I cried even more.
“Please stop crying,” Nick told me as he kissed my

forehead.

I continued crying anyway. The mere thought of Nick

sleeping with someone else was like a knife stabbing
straight into my heart. He scooped me into his arms and
lay me on the bed. With tender love and care, he
wrapped his arms around me, and I rested my head on
his shoulder.

“What did we ever do to them? Why can't we just

be happy?”

“You never did anything to anyone, Jaan. This is

entirely my fault. My past is catching up with me, and
I've got to pay my dues.”

“I don't want you to sleep with her, Nick, but what

other choice do we have?”

“I don't want to sleep with her either, love!

Remember the night I kicked Matthew's ass?”

I nodded.
“That night I promised that the next time I slept with

someone else, it would be because I'm completely and
madly in love with that person. I love you, Jaan. I'll find
a way to get out of this mess. I promise.”

He held me the entire night while I cried. I spend

most  of  the  night  thinking  about  this  horrible  situation,
and,  judging  by  the  way  Nick  tossed  and  turned  all
night,  he  couldn’t  get  it  out  of  his  mind  either.  I  fell
asleep in his arms, but woke up the following day to the
sound of his footsteps. Nick's birthday celebration had
gone down the drain.

“I'm sorry, I didn't want to wake you up,” Nick told

me as he knelt beside me.

“What time is it?” I asked him as I rubbed my eyes.

“Nine, I'm leaving in a short while. The game will

start at five, but coach wants us to be there early.”

Nick kissed my forehead. I planted myself into his

arms and sobbed. I was devastated. Just thinking that
Nick was going to spend the night with Jessica made
me depressed.

“Everything's going to be fine. I promise.”
He grabbed my head and kissed my forehead.
“Are you sure you're going to be fine?”
I nodded.
“Okay, Madison and Kitty will drop by around

twelve. That was the original plan. Don't open the door
to anyone before making sure who they are first,
understood?”

I nodded. Nick kissed me again and left the room. I

cried  until  Madison  and  Kitty  arrived  around  12:30.
They  were  excited,  but  as  soon  as  they  saw  my  face,
their laughter died. I recounted to them the events that
took  place  the  previous  night.  They  were  fuming  with
hatred. They wanted to beat Jessica up, but that would
not solve our problems. The truth of the matter was that
our  future  was  in  her  hands.  We  had  lunch  at  a  small

diner  across  the  street  and  headed  to  the  mall  to  kill
some  time.  I  tried  to  forget  everything,  but  it  was
useless.  No  matter  what  I  did,  I  could  not  forget
Jessica.

“That bitch!” Madison shouted as we parked outside

the Southeast Sparrow's stadium. “We should do
something. That's blackmail!”

“Bribery!” Kitty shouted.
“Guys! There's nothing we could do!”
“We could beat that bitch up for once! That would

make me feel better,” Madison maintained as she
stepped out of her car. Kitty and I followed her. “She
can't get away with this.”

“Let's cut that bitch open!” Kitty shouted.
We laughed. Kitty was not one to turn to physical

confrontation to solve any problem. It only showed how
angry she really was. After calming down, we made our
way inside. The stadium was full, but we found three
empty seats near the front. Both teams were on the field
and warming up. I spotted Nick, but he was looking the
other way. A man, dressed in an elegant suit, made his
way to where he was. They shook hands and talked

until the referee walked up to the field. The whistle was
blown and the game began.

Overall, the game was a blood bath. Both teams

proved  that  they  hated  each  other's  guts.  Nick  got
tackled  so  many  times  that  at  some  point  in  time  I
thought  he  was  dead.  Nick  played  a  lousy  game  that
night. He was present, but his heart and soul were not
with  him.  The  opposing  team  called  a  time-out  thirty
seconds  before  the  end  of  the  game.  The  teams
immediately  huddled  on  their  respective  sidelines.  The
Elite Hawks were down by one point. It was do or die.

As the teams made their way back to the field, they

looked  like  savage  animals  on  the  verge  of  extinction.
They  were  exhausted,  but  the  passion  of  winning  was
driving them over the edge. I heard when Nick shouted
“hut.”  Instantly,  the  teams  clashed  against  one  another
with  loud  thuds.  Nick  ran  forward  while  his  team
members  tried  their  best  to  get  possession  of  the  ball.
Finally, one of our players stole it. He tossed it across
the  field  to  where  Nick  was  running.  Nick  ran  faster
and  leaped  into  the  air.  As  he  did  that,  the  entire
stadium rose to their feet. Nick caught the ball in midair!

He  ran  forward  and  dodged  the  first  opponent.
Suddenly,  another  player  appeared,  but  Nick  ducked
him as well. He dodged a third player  as  I  glanced  at
the clock. Six seconds remained. Nick was a few feet
away from the goal line when the biggest opponent on
the team got in his way. The player threw himself at him,
but Nick leaped into the air and stepped right on top of
the  three  hundred  pound  beast.  Suddenly,  the  player
stood  up  and  Nick  was  hurled  forward.  I  could  not
believe my eyes! Nick flipped in the air and landed over
the goal line. He scored the winning touchdown!

The stadium exploded with cheers and applause.

While  Madison,  Kitty  and  I  hugged  one  another,  the
team and the stadium crowd rushed to the field to pick
up  the  Elite  Hawk's  captain  and  hero.  They  lifted  him
from the ground while they worshipped him. After a few
minutes  of  praise,  the  team  and  Nick  rushed  to  the
podium  while  the  organizers  took  out  the  medals  and
the regional trophy. One by one, each player received
their gold medal from Mr. Lewis. Nick was the last one
to receive his gold medal. I could not be more proud of
my man. The team began to chant while the organizers

handed Mr. Lewis the regional trophy. He took a few
pictures with the trophy and then made his way to
where the team was celebrating. Mr. Lewis was proud
of Nick. His enormous smile said it all. Everyone was
proud of him that night. Mr. Lewis grabbed the mic and
addressed the crowd.

“It's with great honor that I give this trophy to the

captain of the Elite Hawks! He's also the best
quarterback we’ve ever had. Thank you, Nick! Thank
you for leading us to victory in an undefeated season.
We'll definitely see you next year, son!”

As he handed Nick the trophy, the entire stadium

chanted his nickname. When Nick lifted the trophy into
the air, thousands of fireworks illuminated the night sky
and  gave  the  people  of Atlantic  City  an  extraordinary
show.  I  spotted  Jessica  making  her  way  through  the
crowd and I signaled to the girls. We tried to make our
way  through  the  mob,  but  it  was  useless.  Jessica
reached the podium before us. A fellow team member
helped her up. I wanted to smack him in the face! Why
did he help her out? My heart sank as she pushed her
way  to  where  Nick  was  holding  the  trophy  in  the  air.

Nick spotted her and grinned. He quickly made his way
to where Mr. Lewis was standing. He took the
microphone from his hand and turned to the crowd.

“Good night, everyone!” he announced as everyone

cheered him on. “I'm glad that my ex-girlfriend is here
because I've got a few things to say in front of her.”

Jessica looked around with a triumphant smile.

Madison and Kitty turned to me. They could not
believe that Nick was doing exactly what she wanted.

“Everyone in my school knows that I was a huge

womanizer, a ladies' man, a Casanova, a lady-killer and
the world's number one seducer. The girls that I've been
with even nicknamed me, Nick Wild Fuck!” Nick
admitted as he ended his sentence with a laugh.

Everyone laughed including Mr. Lewis, but Nick

continued.

“And you bet your ass that I live up to that

nickname!”

Everyone laughed again, but he continued talking.
“I slept with so many girls and broke so many hearts

that sometimes I can't even sleep at night. My past
keeps catching up with me while I'm trying to move on

with my future.”

My heart sank further after those two lines. I wanted

to move, but I could not even twitch. I just listened to
Nick like everyone else.

“I stand here in front of you to tell all those girls that I

slept with and coldly broke their hearts that…I'm sorry.
I'm sorry for being the world's biggest dick and using
you for my own pleasure and amusement. Let's face it, I
find women to be incredibly beautiful and sexy. I mean,
who doesn't right?”

All of the guys nodded and the team cheered him

proudly.

“But, a few months ago, I discovered a part of

myself that I didn't know. I fell in love with the most
wonderful person in the world!”

Everyone applauded him while Jessica smiled

happily. The bitch thought he was talking about her.

“I stand here in front of Jessica to tell her and the

entire world that…I'm bisexual.”

If my heart could have sunk to the bottom of my

sole, I would have been standing on top of it. Instantly,
many scattered conversations rushed through the entire

stadium while a few people clapped for him. Jessica's
face, on the other hand, was priceless! She looked
amazed and shocked. She did not know what to do.

“Jessica found out my secret last night and threatened

to tell everyone that I'm in love with another guy if I
refused to sleep with her.”

This time, laughter mixed with boos, filled the

stadium.

“Don't take it out on her! She's just another one of

my victims. I've made terrible decisions in my past, but I
want to move on with my future. Jessica, I'm sorry that
I hurt you, but I can't sleep with you. It's not that I don't
find you attractive, believe me, any guy would be lucky
to be with you. If I'd have met you a few months ago,
I'd have made your wildest fantasies come true and the
following day I'd have moved on to another girl. I can't
sleep with you, Jess. I'm not that asshole anymore. I
truly love the person I'm dating and I'd never cheat on
him or worse, hurt him.”

Half of the crowd started clapping. Madison and

Kitty were freaking out by now.

“Jaan,” Nick declared as he turned to me. Everyone

in the stadium placed their eyes on me, but I just kept
looking at him. “You're always saying that I saved you,
but in reality, it's you that saved me. You turned me into
a better person. This medal and trophy are yours. If it
wasn't for you, I wouldn't be standing here in the first
place! Your words of encouragement and wisdom are
my motivation and drive. I fucking love you!!”

The entire stadium started clapping as Nick jumped

down from the podium. The crowd instantly made way
for him. Nick stood in front of me with a huge smile
from cheek to cheek. He took off his medal and gently
placed it around my neck.

“This is in your honor,” Nick announced as he

handed me the trophy.

The trophy was heavier than I expected, but I

managed to hug him anyway. Nick kissed me
passionately in front of the entire crowd. Nearly
everyone clapped.

“I love you, Jaan!”
“I love you too, Nickelodeon!”
Nick kissed me again. That night, he showed me and

everyone else how much he loved me.

Chapter Eleven

Waking up the following day inside of Nick's strong

arms  was  ten  times  better  than  the  first  time.  The
previous  night  he’d  told  everyone  how  much  he  loved
me.  At  first,  I  thought  that  it  was  all  a  dream  or  a
product  of  my  imagination,  but  it  was  real.  My  entire
body  ached  since  we  celebrated  all  of  Saturday  night.
Now,  we  had  to  face  the  world  since  everyone  knew
about  our  relationship.  I  truthfully  did  not  care  about
what people in our town thought of us; however, I did
care  about  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hawking's  opinion.  What
would they say when they found out their son was in a
committed  relationship  with  another  guy?  Nick  didn’t
care since they already disowned him.

As much as we wanted to stay, we left Atlantic City

around nine. Nick had to work that night. When we
arrived at St. Peter Town, we found the remains of the
previous night’s celebrations. The team and the fans
went all out and celebrated their first regional win.

“How do you think that this will affect us now?” I

asked Nick as we drove home.

“I have no idea, but we'll face it together,” Nick

answered as he held my hand.

I sighed, knowing that things were going to get much

worse for us for two main reasons. One, we were the
only openly gay couple in town. And two, we were not
even eighteen. If you would have compared us, he
looked ten times more mature than me since he always
took care of his body by working out daily.

When we reached home, my mom welcomed us.

She also congratulated Nick on his win and for standing
up for love. She could not be more proud of him. Nick
and my mom left for their shift that afternoon and I had
to  stay  home  alone.  It  was  around  nine  that  someone
knocked  at  the  front  door.  At  first,  I  thought  it  was
Nick, but his shift ended at ten and my mom's shift at
eleven.  I  carefully  made  my  way  towards  the  front
door.

“Who is it?”
“Is Nick home?” a woman replied.
I opened the door and came face to face with Mrs.

Hawking. I recognized her from a few pictures that

Nick showed me when I started tutoring him. I was in
shock since I had no idea what she wanted with Nick at
that hour.

“Is Nick home?” she asked again.
“Oh, no! His shift ends at ten,” I relayed as I

examined her eyes. She was beautiful. Nick inherited
her crystal blue eyes and perfectly tan skin. “Please
come in.”

“Thank you,” she answered politely as she walked

inside, scrutinizing every inch of my house. “I need to
see him.”

“He'll be back by ten. You're welcome to wait for

him.”

She nodded.
“Can I offer you anything to drink?” I asked her. She

shook her head. “Please, have a sit then.”

Mrs. Hawking walked to the sofa. She looked

around and gracefully sat down on the same spot where
Nick sat to watch his sports channels. I didn’t know
what to say since I was still in shock.

“Nick loves that spot,” I told her, whereupon she

burst into tears. I was mortified. “I didn't mean to make

you cry! I'm really sorry!”

I dashed across the room and returned with a box of

Kleenex. She gently pushed the box aside and shook
her head.

“I'm fine, thank you,” Mrs. Hawking answered. She

took out a handkerchief from her expensive purse and
blew her nose. “I just miss my baby.”

“And he misses you too, Mrs. Hawking,” I told her

as I sat down facing her.

“I didn't want him to leave, but Edward lost his mind

that day. He made me sign the emancipation papers. I
love my son. He's perfect to me.”

“And Nick loves you too, Mrs. Hawking. He's

mature beyond his years. You should be proud of him.”

“I am. He won regionals yesterday. We were there. I

know Edward misses him too, but he is too stubborn.”

“Like Nick,” I answered with a smile.
“Yes,” she answered, smiling. “They're father and

son. When they get something inside their heads, no one
can make them change their minds. They take huge
risks, even it if it means losing the ones they love.”

“Mrs. Hawking, Nick is a huge risk-taker, but he'd

never risk losing the ones he loves.”

“He took a huge risk with you. He left us for you.”
“No, Mrs. Hawking, with all due respect, you kicked

him out.”

Mrs. Hawking was baffled. She could not believe

what I told her.

“How dare you!”
“I'm sorry, but that's the truth, Mrs. Hawking. Nick

was just being honest with you. He wanted his parents
to accept the real Nick and you turned your back on
him. You kicked him out. You basically told him to
choose between living a lie and being himself. He made
his decision. Well, you made the decision for him.”

“I see that the gloves are off,” she said, smiling.

“Looks like pity won't work with you.”

“What do you mean?”
“Why are you so interested in my son? Is it because

of his great wealth?”

“I can't believe you just said that to me!”
“I know people like you. You're just after his money.

Name your price. I'll pay you anything.”

I could not believe it. I jumped to my feet.

“Get out!” I ordered as I signaled her to the door. “I

don't care if you're Nick's mom. I won't allow you to
come into my house and insult me!”

Mrs. Hawking made her way to the front door. I

opened it for her.

“Let me tell you something, Mrs. Hawking. We may

be poor, but at least we've got class. Don't come back
until you've learned some manners or you're ready to
welcome Nick back into your life. I won't let you hurt
him again. It's such a pity that his own mother behaves
like a malicious old woman. And for your information, I
love Nick more than my very own life! Good night!”

I slammed the door in her face. Did everyone think

that I wanted Nick for his money? Why would they
think that? I ran to my bedroom. I dropped on my bed
and cried into my pillow. It was there where Nick found
me a few minutes later.

“What happened, baby? Why are you crying?”
I wiped my tears as he sat on my bedside.
“Nothing. I'm just too emotional, love.”
Nick was unconvinced.
“I know you too well. You're lying to me and I don't

like it. Tell me what happened, Jaan. Don't you trust
me?”

I sighed.
“Please don't be angry at me, love. I didn't want to

tell you anything because I don't know if you're going to
believe me.”

“Let me be the judge of that.”
I told him everything. I didn’t hold back any detail of

his mother's strange visit to our house. Nick got really
upset, but he believed me. After I told him everything,
he let out a loud sigh.

“I know my parents are capable of many things, but

offering you money? They've reached the lowest of
lows! I can't believe that they’d put a price on my
happiness.”

“Love, please don't be angry,” I told Nick as he lay

down beside me.

“I'm not angry at her. I'm upset at her behavior,”

Nick answered as he wrapped his arms around me.
“She acted like a major…I don't even want to say that
the word.”

“Then don't say it! At the end of the day, she's your

mom.”

Nick smiled.
“You see why I love you, Jaan? You've got an

amazing heart. Anyone else would have cursed at her
and kicked her out of the house, but you politely asked
her to leave. I love that you did that for me.”

I smiled and changed the topic since I did not want

to talk about an issue that would hurt him.

“How was your shift? I bet that you didn't sell as

many pizzas as before.”

“Believe it or not, I delivered twice as much.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, girls love the whole “I'm not available” idea.

They flirted with me even more. In a twisted kind of
way, some even told me that they found my sexuality
hot and sexy.”

“I can't believe it! You're lying, right?”
“Nope. I also got tons of male customers now. I'm

telling you, some of them made me really
uncomfortable.”

“Is there anything that'll make people hate you?”
“We'll see tomorrow,” Nick answered with a

worried look.

My heart sank. Tomorrow we were going to face the

backlash of Elite High.

* * *

My knees were shaking. I was a nervous wreck. I

stood looking down at the main hallway, studying every
face  in  the  crowd.  Suddenly,  Nick  stepped  up  beside
me  while  everyone  stared  at  us. After  he  grabbed  my
hand,  we  made  our  way  through  the  crowd.  I  saw
Allison and Jacob smiling. Yes, Allison was happy for
me! Even Jessica had the same expression on her face.
I  honestly  thought  the  world  was  coming  to  an  end.
Yes, there were a few that stared at us, yet no one said
anything to us. I thought the guys would be talking shit
to us, but they were still afraid of Nick. At the end of
the day, he would still kick their asses. Many students
congratulated  Nick  for  his  victory;  however,  no  one
congratulated  him  for  his  new  love  interest.  I  guessed
that ignoring the fact was ten times better than accepting
it.

It was after our third period that we experienced the

first backlash of Elite High. We were having a snack in
the  cafeteria  with  Madison  and  Kitty  when  Coach
Jordan  took  Nick  away  for  a  short  talk.  We  patiently
waited  for  him  since  something  was  definitely  up.  The
look on Coach Jordan's face said it all. A few minutes
later, Nick burst through the door and exploded in front
of everyone.

“Can you believe that after I took them all the way to

regionals, they want to remove me from the football
team!?”

“What? Who? Coach Jordan?” I asked him.
“No! The fucking president of the PTA! Accordingly

to her, my promiscuous nature is sending a bad
message!”

“That's bullshit!” Madison shouted.
“Exactly! I've been fucking around since I got my

first boner and they come with this shit now!?”

“But they can't do that.”
“John's right, Nick took us to regionals and we

won!” Kitty shouted. “We've never been to regionals.
They're doing this because Nick is…”

“Bisexual, Kitty! I'm no longer afraid to say it!”
We looked at one another for a couple of minutes

while Nick calmed down. We sat down after realizing
that the entire school was staring at us.

“Now what?” I asked Nick.
“Coach wants to have an emergency meeting with

the team in twenty minutes. We'll see what happens
then.”

I examined his sad face. The one thing that Nick was

good at was sports. They wanted to take away one of
the most important things in his life. He lost his parents,
his opportunity to attend Princeton, and now he might
lose the game that he loves. Things were going from
bad to worse every day.

“We'll face this together,” I told Nick as I held his

hand.

Nick smiled.
“Together,” Madison agreed as she placed her hand

on top of ours.

“Like friends do,” Kitty added as she placed her

hand on top of Madison's.

Nick answered us with a warm smile. I was so proud

of my friends. As long as we had each other, we could
accomplish anything.

* * *

We attended the meeting that was held inside the

boy's locker room. The entire team was there. Some
were sitting on the benches or standing around the
room. Coach Jordan called for everyone's attention.

“Welcome everyone! I wish we were here to be

celebrating  our  recent  victory,  but  I'm  afraid  I've  got
bad  news.  The  PTA's  president  contacted  me  this
morning  and  asked  that  Nick  be  removed  from  the
team due to his personal lifestyle.”

The room exploded with angry remarks towards the

PTA's  president  while  Madison  and  Kitty  smiled
happily.  They  were  really  upset  at  the  fact  that  they
wanted  to  remove  Nick  from  his  spot  and  the  team
itself. The team supported Nick Wild Hawk! I did my
best  to  hold  back  my  happy  tears.  Nick's  face  was
beaming with excitement and happiness.

“That crazy bitch could suck my cock!” Jacob

shouted.

“Mr. Ashmore! You're not even a member of this

team!”

Everyone laughed as they turned to him.
“That doesn't mean that I can't give my opinion! Last

time I checked, this was a free country!”

“Very well then,” Coach Jordan answered. “Now,

Nick is the best quarterback that this school has ever
seen. He took us all the way to regionals this year and
we definitely have a second shot next year.”

Everyone cheered, but Coach Jordan quickly

shushed them.

“The PTA can't do anything without your support so

let's put this to a vote. All those in favor of Nick staying
as the team's captain and quarterback, raise your
hand.”

Everyone lifted their hands including Madison, Kitty,

Jacob and me. Nick was so proud of his team. Nick
Wild Hawk was holding back his tears.

“Great job, gentleman. I'll call the president of the

PTA and inform her of the team's decision.”

With that said, Coach Jordan walked to his office

and called the PTA's president. While he talked to her,
Nick's teammates thanked him for leading them to the
first  regional  championship  title.  They  even  asked  him
about us. Finally, someone asked about us! He happily
answered them while Madison flirted around with a few
guys.  Coach  Jordan  returned  with  a  huge  smile  on  his
face.  He  gave  us  two  thumbs  up  and  everyone  burst
into happy chants. Nick remained as captain of the Elite
Hawks. That was our first victory as an official couple
in Elite High.

* * *

“I can't believe that the guys all backed me up!” Nick

told me as we walked home.

“I know! For a minute there, I thought they were

going to kick you off the team.”

“Yeah, everything—”
Nick froze when he saw a vintage car riding beside

us. The back window slowly rolled down.

“Dad,” Nick murmured.
“I had to see it for myself,” Mr. Hawking said in a

strong British accent as his car stopped in front of us.
“My son is a fairy.”

“Why can't you just be happy for me for once?”
“I’ll be happy for you the day you become a man

again”

“I emancipated myself from you so I don't have to

listen to your bullshit anymore,” Nick retorted as he
held my hand and pulled me away. “Come on, Jaan.”

Mr. Hawking did not follow us that day. Enough was

said with those few lines. He watched as his only son
walked away from him. I knew moving on with our lives
would be tough. We reached home and Nick headed to
his job. We continued with our routine like nothing had
ever happened.

* * *

Things were bearable at school. Yes, there were a

few who saw us as weird bugs, but we stood tall and
strong. They never said anything to us after Nick kicked
the shit out of two seniors after they’d called him a fag.
I have no idea where Nick learned to fight. Whenever

he  was  extremely  angry,  he  turned  into  a  powerful
killing  death  machine.  He  pounded  the  two  seniors  to
the  ground  all  by  himself.  He  got  one  or  two  bruises,
but nothing major. The guys on the team looked out for
me  whenever  Nick  wasn’t  around.  I  didn’t  know  it
then,  but  Nick  asked  them  to  keep  an  eye  on  me.  I
heard  a  few  remarks  as  I  walked  down  the  hallways,
but  I  never  told  Nick.  He  had  gotten  away  with
Matthew and the two seniors. I knew he may not be as
lucky the third time.

For my birthday, we headed to Burger King to

celebrate.  All  my  friends  were  there:  Madison,  Kitty,
Jacob  and  his  boyfriend.  Yes,  Jacob  was  dating  a
freshman  named  Rick  who  looked  a  lot  like  me.  He
finally  gave  me  up.  Nick  was  overjoyed  since  Jacob
was  his  only  competition.  I  found  that  stupid  because
there was never a competition to begin with. Nick had
always been my first choice, even Jacob knew that, but
Nick and his machismo could not see Jacob as only my
friend.

Nick bought me a large box of chocolates that day.

It was the biggest chocolate box I have ever seen. We

spent  the  night  at  a  nearby  hotel  since  we  were  not
allowed  to  be  within  fifteen  feet  from  each  other  at
home,  thanks  to  my  mom  and  her  rules.  She  honestly
thought  that  Nick  respected  me  inside  her  house.  I
loved  that  she  tried  to  protect  me,  though.  I  saw  her
point.  She  made  Nick  take  three  STD  exams  just  to
make  sure  that  he  was  clean.  Deep  inside,  she  knew
what was going on, but she never said anything to me.

My mom had always been my rock and comfort until

Nick  came  into  my  life.  Our  lives  completely  changed
when she came home early one night. It was one week
before  the  end  of  classes  and  I  was  doing  what  I
normally did: cleaning the house and cooking for them.
Honestly, Nick and my mom were not the cleanliest of
all people. I had to clean my mom's room twice every
day  and  that  surprised  me  because  she  was  always
working. And  thanks  to  Nick,  the  living  room  looked
like  a  junk  yard.  I  swear  to  God  that  I  saw  a  snake
crawling  around  his  dirty  clothing  one  night.  But
anyway,  I  was  home  cleaning  and  cooking  when  my
mom arrived around eight. She looked sad, as if she’d
received  some  bad  news.  I  asked  her  about  her  day,

but she replied, “When Nick gets home, we'll talk.”

She headed to her room and locked the door. My

stomach  churned  after  she  said  those  words.  I  had
never  seen  my  mom  act  that  way  before  in  my  life.  I
knew  that  some  problem  had  caught  up  with  us  again
since  we  finally  had  some  tranquility  in  our  lives.  I
should have known that it was not going to last for long.
I sat on the couch and waited for Nick. He came home
smiling, but as soon as he saw my face, his smile faded.

“What happened now? I knew things were too good

to be true.”

“I don't even know myself. My mom wants to talk to

us.”

“Good. You're home, baby,” my mom said as she

entered the living room and sat down. “Please sit down
because we've got something important to discuss.”

Nick sat beside me and held my right hand.
“What is it?” Nick asked her.
“I'm afraid that I've got bad news.”
“Just tell us what's going on, Mom.”
“Well, you know that your grandmother has been

sick for the last few months.”

“Oh my God! She's not dead, right!?”
“No, baby, but, I'm afraid that she could die. She has

breast cancer.”

“What?” I asked my mom as I began to tear up.
“Relax John, it's only the first stages, but grandma is

going to start chemotherapy in a few weeks,” she
answered me. She paused for a few seconds while she
examined our worried faces. “With that said, we're
moving to Newark.”

“What? We can't go,” Nick told her. “We've got our

friends and school here.”

“I was only referring to John and myself.”
My heart sank. My mom was going to take me away

from Nick. My mother, not a stranger or a random
person on the street, wanted to take me away from
Nick.

“You can't do this to us, Ms. Ames!”
“Mom!! Why!? You know what we've been

through! Why do you want to take me away from him!?
I love him!!”

“I know sweetie, but I can't leave you here

unattended,” she answered me as she stood up. She

tried to touch me, but I backed away from her. “Please
understand.”

“Wait! I can go with you guys!” Nick said as he

stood up.

“No, sweetie,” my mom answered. “You've got your

parents and school here. I know your parents will come
around soon.”

“I’ve got school here too!” I shouted at her with

tears rolling down my cheeks.

“John, please understand. I—”
“Understand what?! That you want to take me away

from Nick and my friends? Madison and Kitty are like
my sisters! Nick paid senior year in advance. All that
money will go to waste! Nick sacrificed a lot for us to
attend Elite High!”

She sighed deeply as I continued speaking.
“You have always said that it's your dream to see me

graduate from Elite High. That's my dream too! Don't
take my dream away from me! Don't take Nick away
from me!”

“Jaan, if your mom wants you to go with her, then

maybe you should.”

I could not believe my ears. I looked into his eyes

and realized that he wanted to cry, but he was being a
man.

“Don't bring that bullshit now! I refuse to let our love

story have an unhappy ending!”

I had never spoken to Nick like that before. From

the look on his face, he never expected it. I turned to
my mom.

“Mom, I can take care of myself. You know that

very well. I've been doing it since I was little. You were
always  working  and  you  were  never  here.  I  can  stay
with  Nick.  We  can  take  care  of  each  other.  Please,
Mom,  don't  take  away  the  best  thing  in  my  life.  I  can
take  a  part-time  job  and  we  can  support  ourselves.  I
can tutor for money! That way I can study and work at
the same time.”

“I know baby,” she told me as she gently wrapped

her arms around me. She wiped her tears and smiled.
“You're right, baby. You can take care of each other.
You two are more mature than anyone your age. I'm
just afraid of letting you go into the world too soon.”

“Is that a yes?” I asked her with a smile.

She smiled happily.
“Yes,” she answered as Nick ran to hug her. “You

better take good care of my son.”

“I'll protect him with my life.”
“Okay,” she answered. “I pronounce you husband

and wife.”

We laughed. That night, Nick and I won another

battle  that  life  threw  at  us.  My  mom  left  for  Newark
two  days  later.  Nick  and  I  decided  to  move  to  an
apartment building that was closer to school and much
cheaper. We moved out two days after school closed
down for summer vacation. I talked to Mrs. Carter and
I will start tutoring for money when Elite High reopens
in  September.  We  do  not  know  if  we  will  have
something  to  eat  or  even  if  we  will  be  able  to  cover
every month’s rent. But no matter what, we will face it
together. Yes, we are seventeen and naïve, but we love
each  other  like  no  other  couple  in  the  world.  What’s
next for us? Senior year.