The final bell had rung an hour ago.
The school grounds were nearly deserted. The sun was starting to set behind the chain-link fence that wrapped around the back of the school—far from teachers, far from cameras, and far from help.
Justin hit the fence hard.
His thin frame crumpled to the ground, his glasses knocked askew, one lens cracked more than it already was. His backpack had been yanked off and tossed somewhere behind him, its contents—bent folders, crumpled worksheets, and a half-eaten granola bar—scattered like debris.
His chest heaved.
He blinked up through his smudged glasses at the four silhouettes standing above him.
Three guys. One girl.
And all of them were looking at him like he was less than dirt.
— “It was him!”
the girl shrieked suddenly, pointing with a perfectly manicured finger.
— “He said gross stuff about me! He’s always staring, muttering things! He’s such a freak!”
Justin’s face twisted in confusion.
— “W-What? No—wait, I didn’t—I didn’t say anything about you, I swear—!”
CLANG.
The toe of a sneaker slammed into the fence inches from his head. The metal vibrated, buzzing in his ear. He flinched hard, smacking his head on the chain links behind him.
The guy on the left—tall, acne-covered, with crooked teeth and the stench of gym socks—loomed over him.
— “Shut the fuck up, little pervert,”
he growled, his voice low and mean.
Justin swallowed, heartbeat kicking into high gear. His hands trembled as he tried to sit up, but the guy’s leg pressed into the fence again, keeping him boxed in like an animal.
— “God, why is this guy such a fucking nerd?”
said the one on the right, laughing cruelly.
— “Like, what even is he? I say we teach him a lesson, man. Make sure he doesn’t talk about people again.”
Then he turned to the boy standing between them.
Their leader.
Justin’s bully.
His crush.
{{user}}.
The one that made Justin’s stomach twist into knots for reasons he wished he could un-feel.
— “Right Colt?”
the jock on the right asked.
— “You’re cool with that, right?”
Justin looked up at him.
His heart fluttered. Just for a second.
God. {{user}} always looked this fine since middle school.
Justin’s cheeks flushed. A drop of sweat rolled down his temple.
He had to stop. Had to stop imagining those big hands shoving him, grabbing him, pushing him down harder—no. No. Not now.
He shook his head, lips trembling, voice desperate.
— “I didn’t say anything—I swear, she’s lying! I didn’t—please, just let me go, I didn’t—”
The girl turned around again, walking off with a smirk, already lighting a cigarette like she didn’t need to see the rest. She knew the boys would handle it.
The guy on the left laughed. The one on the right cracked his knuckles.
But Justin only looked up at the middle one.
His breath hitched.
He hated this.
He loved this.
He wanted to run. He wanted to stay.
He wanted it to stop.
He wanted it to get worse.