Date: Sat, 1 Apr 2023 06:21:24 -0700 From: Saudade Survivor Subject: Tabula rasa Chapter 2 This story, depicting sex between a consenting seventeen-year-old male and other consenting males, if this subject offends you or is illegal in your area please do not read. This story will also deal with sexual assault, child neglect ( emotional), Anti-LGBT Bigotry, Racism, Ableism, Discrimination and other possibly sensitive topics.this story is fiction and completely a product of my imagination. The author retains all rights to this work. If you enjoy it, or wish to contact me, or tell me what you think, questions etc please tell me so at SaudadeSurvivor@gmail.com im always happy to hear what you guys think! This story is brought to you by Nifty, providing interested readers with entertainment and pleasure. If you enjoy reading Nifty, please support it. Please remember to donate to Nifty if you are capable of doing so. your donations keep this as well as other stories and reading materials on the site free to the public. Thank you! Ch.2 The Beginning of the Last Year The leather seat was cold and uncomfortable. The kind that looks more comfy than it actually is. Old padding that does nothing for comfort like it might have in its long forgotten past. I picked at the cracked maroon leather as I refused to look my parents' attorney in the eye. Two months had passed by since my parents' death. All the money in the world couldn't protect them from that drunk truck driver. Death seemed to be one of the very few equalizers in the world. Death doesn't care who you are, what you do, how rich or poor you are. Everyone is merely a drop in the bucket where death is concerned. "Mr. Aronovich, are you listening to me?" The 60-something lawyer inquired with thin lips pursed in a flat line. " Hmm? Oh no, sorry I guess I got distracted in thought again..." I couldn't think straight since I was effectively made an orphan. The balding attorney seemed to glare down at me in frustration as I finally looked up to meet his gaze. "I said that I have reviewed the joint will of both your parents. In the Event of their Deaths you as their one and only benefactor have been left all assets both liquid and solid that your parents had owned, with the exception of the pensions for your Governess, the maid and butler at the main estate in New York, and your parents' personal driver, all of whom I have already bequeathed at the original reading of the will last night." " Mmk that's fine." I replied with a total lack of interest. " Well since you couldn't be bothered to show up for the original reading it would do you well to pay attention to me now because once you leave this office I will no longer be your family attorney, and I will not be repeating myself." He exacerbated. I merely nodded along " who will be looking after my parents estate then?" The elderly man gave an irritated frown " as I said earlier, had you been paying attention, I will be retiring by the end of this quarter and your family's estate and assets will be handled by my nephew, now shall I continue ?" I simply nodded with a limp gesture of my hand for him to continue. "As I was saying, being the sole inheritor to your parent's estate , Mr and Mrs Aronovich have left some conditions to your bequeathment." "What?" I went to sit up a bit straighter in the chair as if I hadn't heard him right "what sort of conditions?!" "Your inheritance shall be a monthly stipend of 500 dollars until you have fully graduated from high school or turned eighteen, whichever comes first." He explained curtly before moving on " Secondly your entire fortune shall be allowed to you with the explicit agreement to what lay within this Letter, to be open only after you turn eighteen." I shook my head in disbelief " you've got to be kidding me! What am I supposed to do until then?! I can't live off of that small of an amount! That wouldn't cover rent let alone food !" I screeched out in irritated defiance.The elderly man shook his head " you will be placed with your closest, and really only living relative in the states; your mother's sister, Lynda Dyles" he continued. "Keep in mind Mr. Aronovich, that if you do not comply with the wishes of your parents you will only get this stipend until you turn 18 at which point aside from a small trust fund your mother had set up in your name you will not be eligible to collect and keep your inheritance..." That scratchy elderly man's voice seemed to fade as I regained consciousness. I groggily tried to take in my surroundings as things came rushing back to me. I don't know how much time had passed but the sky had gone from a gray early morning to a dark quiet night. It seemed as if I had been merely tossed to the cold damp sand like a discarded ragdoll. I tried to stand up in defiance of what felt like a jackhammer going off in my skull only to get dizzy from the headrush. I fell over on my hands and knees, retching what little I had in my stomach into the sand below me. Seeing my phone on the sand next to my bag, I crawled over to grab it, turning over to lay on my back. I felt exhausted and completely drained. I shakily lifted the phone in my hand with very little strength that I had to see that it was nine at night. I let out a defeated groan as I lay in the cold sand with a shiver. My jacket had been tossed on the ground near my other things. I reached over to wrap it around myself as I tried to rest and gain a little energy. My hand shot to my neck with a gasp as I fully put what happened back in my mind. I ran my fingers over where I had felt the pain before only to feel ..nothing. No pain or feeling of marks as I ran my thin fingers along the flesh of my neck slowly. I could not have imagined this. I quickly unlocked my phone and turned on the app I had been talking to that stranger in. I immediately found the chat history along with the heated text I had not had the chance to hit send on earlier. The man's profile was still there but it didn't show any location anymore. I suddenly noticed I had four missed calls and nine missed texts from my aunt all asking where the hell I was. I tossed the phone unceremoniously on top of my bag with a groan. Closing my eyes as I tried to get a better hold on the throbbing headache bursting through my skull. I slowly moved my hands down to check my pants with a sigh of relief. I didn't feel any pain under my waistline and my pants didn't seem to have been pulled down or undone. I could at least rule out rape. On my way up my frame to check the rest of myself for any damage I grimaced in pain at my stomach. I quickly pulled my tee up and looked down at my small belly. A large dark bruise in the shape of a hand had appeared where my assailant had grabbed me there. Leaning my head back against the cold moist sand beneath me I slowly took a few breaths. I was, for the most part, unharmed. I checked my bag only to find no missing items or cash. So if not Robbery or rape why the fuck was I targeted? What the hell happened to me? What caused the awful pain in my neck? Or the euphoric aftershock after for that matter? I covered my eyes with my left hand as I tried to calm down. I took slow deep breaths before exhaling out in an equally slow rhythm. Getting to my feet I grabbed my phone and my bag and started heading back into the direction of my car. I felt so sluggish. I hadn't felt this bad since I had done that blood drive at the private academy up in Michigan. The stupid attendant overdrew me and I had to be taken to a hospital for, as ironic as it was, a blood transfusion. Even now I still thought it was stupid since they still had my blood and could have just reintroduced it but supposedly they couldn't, something to do with the rules and regulations. I'm normally used to getting stares from strangers but this was strange. Many of the late nighters to the boardwalk kept giving me these looks of confusion and giving me a wide berth as I walked by like I was a leper. I rolled over my car's door frame with a plop into the leather driver's seat, feeling too exhausted to even really open the door. I rummaged through my bag until I found the pack of cigarettes I was craving. Putting a dart to my lips I looked up to light the thing and froze. The cigarette fell from between my gaping mouth as I stared at myself in the rearview mirror. Holy fuck was I a mess. No wonder people were staring at me. My skin was so pale with deep bags under my eyes you'd think I was on chemo. My once neat hair was a tangled mess of knots and caked on sand. I quickly tried to wipe the sand off from my face and hair, before looking at the rest all over my clothes. "What the fuck happened to me?" I wondered out loud. I brushed the sand from my jacket and shirt before picking the dropped cigarette back to my lips. I lit the thin thing, taking a long well needed drag as I tried to comb as many knots and snags from my hair as I could in the mirror. Exhaling the smoke I started my car and started driving back to my aunt's house. On my way down the road I saw the seven eleven from earlier coming by and decided at the last minute to turn into the place at the behest of a rather loud growling complaint of hunger from my stomach. My head throbbed at the sound of the familiar jingle of the glass door sliding open addressing my entrance. Making sure to put out the cigarette I had been quite enjoying before stepping inside with a dejected sigh. I had just started the cigarette and it felt like such a waste. I practically ignored the girl at the counter who sent a greeting my way, heading to the isles of colorfully packaged junk food options before me. I slid a hand along the cold plastic of each option, landing finally on a package of two premade peanut butter cookies the size of my palm. Taking a simple bottle of water from the back fridges. I slowed down a little as I remembered earlier today. The three well built men, and the one in the middle who wouldn't stop staring at me. I could so easily picture his handsome angular face in my mind's eye. Those dark deep eyes staring into mine like he could see my very soul. I gave a bit of an exhale of the breath I didn't know I had been holding In as I finally put my finger on how the look he gave me earlier made me feel. I felt like prey, like how a deer must feel as it looks into the eyes of a stalking wolf. I've never felt like that before. I've been bullied more times than I can remember, and equally beaten to a pulp by those same people but I never felt like that. I never felt that domineering, predatory presence. Usually it was disgust, or masochistic cruelty but never like a rabbit in the jaws of a fox. I was brought out of my thoughts with a jump from the attendant speaking to me as they ring up the items. "Dude are you ok?....Do you need an ambulance? you look like you're going to pass out!" She had an utter look of concern on her round freckled face. "Ah no I'm fine hah I just,... Fell asleep on the sand underneath the boardwalk and haven't really eaten all day heh I'll be fine" giving one of my very practiced fake smiles that I'm sure I have perfected over the years of hiding how I truly felt from the staff at my parents home. "Oh ... uh ok well I hope you feel better." She stated as she put the items in a small bag without even asking if I had wanted them to be. "You know I haven't seen any guys like you around before, I would have remembered a cute guy like you." She went on "Are you new here?" "Oh! Uh y-yeah I just moved here about a month ago. I'm supposed to start my senior year at Bridgeton High tomorrow " why did I give her that much info?! I'm usually much less forthcoming. "Oh my gosh, that's so awesome! I'm actually a senior there this year too ! My name is Gabriella but my friends call me Gabby!" This sandy blond girl had her hand outstretched as she gave me a huge smile that let me practically count all her teeth. "I'm Alex it's nice to meet you" I say it more like a question than a statement as I'm not used to people being this cordial with me so quickly. "Hey can I put your number in my phone? I've never had a gay guy as a friend before and I know we'll be as thick as thieves!" My eyebrows shot up rather high on my face in surprise at such bluntness. She looked at me with immediate embarrassment written on her face. "Ah shit I'm sorry that was kind of rude. I can sometimes be a bit blunt with how I talk when I'm excited" she admitted as she handed me the bag and receipt to go with it. I immediately turned the paper over and wrote my info on it before handing it back to her "oh no you're fine aha believe me, i've been called WAY worse" I shook my head as I laughed at her reaction. "Can't have enough friends right? And I might as well start making them now, one is better than zero I suppose" She practically snatched the receipt out of my fingers with that wide grin of hers. "Awesome! I'll send you a text when I get off my shift, it was nice meeting you Alex!" "You too Gabby I'll see you tomorrow" I walked out the door, waving at her gleaming face as I walked back to my car. The minute I got back in my car I ripped into the cellophane covering the peanut butter cookies. I don't think I have ever eaten something more quickly in my life. My god these cookies, it was like the best food in the world. I wondered if this was what it was like for someone who's been stranded for too long without proper food. Today seemed to be a day of new things. That was the first time I've ever experienced highway hypnosis. It was as if I blinked and I was pulling into my aunt's driveway. The second my head hit the pillow I was out. I was back underneath the boardwalk. But things felt different, as if there was a pane of glass between me and my environment. As I tried to turn around I was roughly stopped by two large, pale, clawed hands. One grabbing my waist as the other slides across my mouth, gripping tightly just like yesterday morning. My body starts to shiver as I think to myself "Not again! This can't be happening again!" I wasn't expecting to hear any response to my internal thoughts, but I did. A cool, deep, foreboding voice whispered into my ears with such animosity. " Yess, again! ... and again, and again, and again! " Each time this person, this THING, said the word "again" another large pale hand would slither from behind to grasp tightly around my body. Those long sharp nails piercing my flesh. It was only then I realized I was naked. " As many times as I want you this will happen. You. Are. MINE!" The thing emphasized as the hand turned my head to the side and back. All I could see were two deep staring eyes, as green as a granny Smith but as dead inside as a fish left in the sun for hours. The thing turned my head back to the front and I noticed we are no longer on the beach but in a dark endless void of nothingness. " Your prospects of love are as full as the space before you" the voice whispered with a tickle against my ear. "No one has or will ever love you for anything but what you can give them. Your money, your body, your... MMh juices" the last part was emphasized with something sharp running over my exposed neck. "You're already mine, don't fight me, just give yourself TO me, don't fight me..." the thing pleaded as a final hand slithered out from between my thighs only to grasp my exposed groin. I tried to scream but found I couldn't even force the sound into my throat. I tried to pull away from these grasping claws but I couldn't. I felt the hand grip, sinking its claws into my groin before it roughly yanked, releasing my genitals from my body with the tear and mutilation of my flesh. The hand on my face forced me to look down at that full hand between my thighs. But what I saw wasn't my mutilated genitals. where they had been on my groin was a bloody ripped mess but in that crimson covered hand was instead my bare heart, still beating as the fingers gripped along the slippery wet organ. I willed everything in me to scream, to thrash, but I found my wishes and reality did not match up. I couldn't make a sound, but I could hear myself screaming from far away, over and over and over. I heard a sickening laugh as that sharp pain returned to my neck. I bolted upright in bed with the scream I had wished for escaping from my throat. Panting hard as I look around my room. The alarm from my phone was going off and I realized that that's what I had heard. I was dreaming. It was only a dream. I look down at my sweat covered sheets and give a shiver as the sickening dream lingers in my mind. I don't usually have bad dreams, let alone nightmares. After my breathing finally slowed down I went to take a quick shower, rubbing my eyes with irritation as I remembered that today was the first day of senior year. "Fuuuuck" I let out to the empty room as the warm water soothed my thin frame. I got out and dried myself off with a towel thoroughly. I combed my hair, the wet red-orange locks are already beginning to slightly curl and become wavy as I finish my ritual of eyeliner, shadow and Mascara. Not soon after exiting my bathroom I began rummaging through my drawers. A nice red bikini cut for today, the wet looking fabric clinging to the skin of my ass in such a perfect way that I loved so much. I decided to go with one of my many band Tees that I had cropped to show off my belly, Ghost. I may be a beanpole but I thought my tight smooth tummy with its innie belly button was one of my best assets. Finally I finished the look with a pair of tight black bootcut leather pants and a simple pair of high tops. Looking in the floor length mirror and quite satisfied with what I saw I grabbed my phone and bound up the stairs to the kitchen. I looked at a text from Gabby as I waited for my toast. G: Hey this is Gabby! I just got off my shift and thought I'd text you my number! Do you need a ride to school? I decided I might as well respond now since I was asleep when she sent it. Me: Hey Gabbs! Sorry I'm just getting your text, thanks again for being so worried for me last night. Nah I have my own car thanks though. I'll see you at school. Surprisingly she responded so immediately I couldn't believe she could text so fast. G: OH! Ok! Well here's my class schedule, let me know if you need help finding your rooms :) Attached was a picture of the same type of paper I was given with a list of room numbers, class titles and names of the corresponding teachers. Most of our classes seemed to be different with the last two being the only exceptions. Phys Ed and Art. I'm definitely glad about my choice in clothing. The sun was out hot and shining brightly, wind running through my hair as I pulled up into the High School parking lot. There seemed to be quite a lot of other students, mostly cheerleaders and the jock crowd, just standing around talking shit, catching their friends up on their summers. As usual I seemed to get quite a few stares from the other students as I drove into the Lot. Most of the guys were staring at the car, the girls were staring straight at me. Turning the car off, I jumped out the side, slamming the door as I stood up. I had to squint from the bright sun as I looked around at the group of other teens. I seriously needed to buy some sunglasses. Holding my Bag closely to my side I quickly made my way past the group of teens. I noticed one guy in particular looking at me with a look I was all too Familiar with getting from the guys I met up with sheer and utter lust. The guy had his arm firmly around the waist of a rather busty black haired cheerleader. Her dark straight hair seemed to clash in stark comparison to his short, wild ringlets of blond mop that was the top of his side-shaved head. The letterman jacket hanging from the shoulder farthest from his cheerleading arm candy told me all I needed to know. I could hear them begin to whisper as I entered the front Office. I gave a light smile to the overweight frowning muffin of a woman behind the front desk. Her plastic name tag read Agnis, it had been hastily pinned to her rather scratchy looking cardigan, making me have to turn my head to the side a bit to read it properly. " Can I help you young lady?" she asked, looking up at me from under her reading glasses. Giving my attire a once over with a frown. " oh, uh my name is Alex, my aunt told me to drop these papers off here before I start today," explaining to her why I was in her presence. I found it Easier to just ignore her misgendering, no point in bringing any attention to it, especially with how i presented myself. Agnis gave a few small slow nods as she looked over the Paperwork I handed her. She gave a kurt grunt as she finished " Very well Mr. Aronovich." she gave a wave of her hand as if pushing away a fly and didn't say a single word after. I awkwardly turned around and went out back front. The Crowd had seemed to dispurse while I was inside. I was walking down the main hall looking at the schedule in my hands. I was trying to memorize the coresponding room numbers with each class, before I slammed into a wall, falling ass first backwards on the ground with a grunt. I grabbed my bag, tossing the items that fell out before looking up and freezing. I immediately Felt as the Prey once more. The wall I ran into was no wall at all but the man From the seven-eleven. My breath stuck in my throat as I looked up into those dark eyes. He had the same Predatory expression on his stern, sharp-edged features as they did that day. A wolf Sizing up the deer. What felt like a hundred minutes was only a few seconds as I finally found my voice as I got back on my feet, brushing the ass of my leather pants off with a hand as I hauled my bag back onto my shoulder. "S-sorry I guess I wasn't exactly looking where I was going heh'' god I felt like such a stammering idiot. He merely stared at me with that wolfish hunger before giving a quick single nod of his head. " Mmh not like you could hurt me none" he replied with a smirk. He had such a deep rich voice, it seemed to roll like thick rich chocolate. He uncrossed his arms, reaching out to offer me his hand, the thick bicep involuntary flexing under the tight gray V-neck he wore. " Mu'izz Owis" he stated as I slid my small hand into his tight baseball mit of a hand. "But you can call me Izz" that lopsided smirk returned as he looked me up and down. My Face felt like it was as warm as the big hand grasping my hand from the sheer amount of blushing I was doing. His hand grasped mine with such a careful Delicate grip, as if he was afraid to crush my hand. Jesus fuck he was so warm. I merely looked at his hand encircling mine like a complete idiot before quickly looking back up at his face when he cleared his throat. If I could blush even more I knew I would have. " O-ooh sorry heh My name is alexi, but you can call me alex" I reply with what I hope was a warm smile. My hand went limp to let the handshake go but his tight grip did not seem to want to go. "That's a rather pretty name, for such a pretty boy" he said with such authoritative intent behind his words it was more like he was stating a fact of life rather than an opinion. He finally released my hand as i instinctively tried to pull away "your only one of two people so far to tell i was a guy from first glance heh" He seemed to be thinking of something, his brows pressing together a bit before he bluntly stated with a shake of his head bluntly stating "You don't have the scent of a girl" He started walking past me before turning with a sly grin, eyeing me like I was a helpless rabbit in his sights " I'll see you around Alex" All I could do in response was give an awkward wave of my hand as he turned and continued down the hall. God I felt like such an awkward idiot! ... and what the Fuck did he say?! "You don't have the scent of a girl" ?! what a fucking weird thing to say to someone your meeting for the first time...well at all for that matter. I tried to shake the encounter from my Head as I continued on to find my first class as the first Bell rang above me. I headed off to the first class of the day, Orchestra. Everyone else seemed to have already arrived and sat down speaking to those sitting next to each other. I noticed once again quite a few stares and some whispers as they did so from others. I decided it may be best to sit in the farthest row to hopefully not gain too much attention. As I sat down in the chair farthest in the back and to the right of the room the Teacher walked in. She seemed to be on the short end, with straight black hair that came down to her earlobes but only just. " Alright settle down now my little musicians!" She had a rather cheery disposition. She continued on as the others went silent and looked ahead. "Now! Here is a list of the different pieces who will be practicing this semester,...." She handed a stack of papers to the first row, each student taking one packet and handing the rest down the line. Her eyes stopped on me after taking in the rest of the class " oh! You must be the new student Alexi!" She said with a tooth filled grin" " This class has been together since freshman year so we all know where we all sit on instrumentals and our level of difficulty. I'm assuming you play an instrument yourself considering you were placed in this class ?" I furrowed my brow a bit " uh it's actually just Alex ma'am and I play a few yes..." I was reluctant to say much else. I had no idea this class was a four year endeavor but I guess it made sense. " A few eh? I'm surprised, most people your age barely know one if any ahah" her laugh was more like a winded chirp. " What instruments do you know then?" She asked, emphasizing the plural words with hard enunciation as if she didn't really believe me. " Well... I started with piano so I've played that the longest, but I've also been versed in the cello, the violin, and the sitar...though the sitar has been more of a hobby than anything I've learned academically" I muse looking up at the ceiling as I list the different instruments. Each private school had made the decision of what to play for me so I had learned to play quite a lot. That and the private piano tutor my mother insisted on. Her mouth was agape as I looked back over and it was at this point I noticed the rest of the room was looking at me with a mixture of shock and what looked like skepticism. " I see you're a fan of the strings then!" She replied finally with another chirp. " Yes ma'am" " Oh please Alex, just call me mrs.Nemik , ma'am makes me sound so old aha!" "Yes ma- Mrs. Nemik" catching myself mid way. " Well I'm normally the one on piano since no one else plays but, why don't you take up that role? If that suits you? " She gestured to the piano at the front of the room. " Sure I don't mind." I started plainly. " I have the most practice with the piano anyways" I admit. " Excellent! How much have you played? If I might ask?" She gave me a sideways glance. " I merely ask since I know where the rest of the class is in skill but have yet to gauge yours" she explained politely. " Well my mother had me being taught by a tutor since I was five and I had to practice every weekend until I was fifteen" I explained, a bit quietly, not really enjoying putting myself or my past out there In front of all these strangers. " My my that is a long time!" A couple of the others in class gave me a dirty look like I was trying to show off or something. " Well you shouldn't have any trouble with what we have planned then hmm?" Gesturing at the packet of music. The rest of the class went pretty quietly. Mostly going over the different scores in more detail and practicing the first score. The majority of the pieces seemed to be parts of four seasons by Vivaldi. After orchestra was advanced biology and then calculus. Both classes didn't have much going on. Or at least that is how I would describe the two periods if Mu'izz hadn't been in both. In biology I had gotten there early. I didn't really have anyone to slow me down with conversation like the other students. Mu'izz had come into the classroom followed by the other two I had seen with him that day at the gas station. He seemed to whisper something to the two, staring at me the entire time he did. The other two moved to the station directly behind me as Izz took the other seat at my own station. The rest of the students poured in soon after. I couldn't even tell you if the class was boring or not. I couldn't pay any attention due to the big guy sitting next to me. His thick forearm kept brushing up against my side and arm. I could have sworn he was doing it on purpose. Between the constant contact and his thick scent distracting me every word the teacher said went in one ear and out the other. He smelled so wonderful. He had a mix of fresh pine, some rich spice I couldn't put my finger on and a smell of masculine musk. It wasn't sweat or body odor but just a smell that seemed to be his natural self. I felt suffocated in his scent, but God would I more than love to succumb to suffocation if it was from Izz's smell. I wasn't even sure he used any cologne or deodorant with how little of any chemical undertones present. The scent and subtle touches had me going from half mast to fully aroused and back again. I don't think I was ever not in some state of arousal the entire period. A couple times I thought I heard his friends snicker behind us. Each time he would look back at them with a stern expression, ending their sounds of amusement instantly. As the bell rang I immediately darted from the room as quickly as my spindly legs could take me, holding my bag In Front of me to hide my embarrassment. Even though calculus had separate desks he had sat directly behind mine. Again I could barely concentrate as I felt his stare baring a hole into the back of my head. What was this guy's problem? It felt like he didn't want me out of his site. There were two lunch schedules. Mine took place right after calculus while the second lunch group, group B, was immediately after. As I got out of the lunch line I just stared down at the sorry excuse that this school called lasagna. "Alex! Over here!" I looked up to see Gabbs waving at me from a table near the middle of the room. She was dressed in the school's iconic white and baby blue cheerleading uniform. Though she was the only one wearing it at her table it seems. I didn't see a single other cheerleader in Lunch A other than her in fact. I slowly walked over to the open seat next to hers with a warm smile. I rarely got a chance to smile and actually mean it. " Hello Gabby, it's nice to see you today. How are you doing?" It was hard not to feel welcome with Gabby's warm inviting smile. She made you feel like you belong, like you were the most wanted person around with how she looked at you. " Me? Oh I'm fine hun but how are YOU? First days can be scary at a new school, especially one where everyone else has had three years to get used to each other." She looked genuinely concerned. " It's been... fine for the most part. Second and third were a bit hard to concentrate on actually." " Oh honey i'm sure they'll get easier to do so when everyone gets used to you bein around!" She replied as she seemed to get a bit excited. " Speaking of whiiiich" she gestured to the others at the table " Guys this is Alex, that guy I told you I met at work the other day" "Alex this is" pointing left to right " mark, Xander, and Carlotta" her grin was that of one who was showing off prized possessions. " Wait, you're a guy?!" The one named Xander responded. Gabbs gave him a look that could kill. "Alex, do not listen to Xander he can be a total idiot at first impressions" she scolded his behavior. " WHAT? I just mean... I seriously thought you were a girl with your looks." I gave an awkward laugh " yeah... I get that alot." I responded. The misunderstanding on the part of my sex was something I was well used to coming up frequently. " So I suppose you don't have any interest in asking any girls out? What with how you dress..." the plush brown haired girl named Carlotta said rather bluntly. Gabbs seemed to be embarrassed for me. " Oh my god Carlotta... I can't introduce anyone to you lot can I?!" She complained frustrated with their responses. The one named Mark simply smirked under his hand. " ... no you guess correctly, I uh, is that a problem?" I ask hesitantly. " NO ! Of course not!" Carlotta responded quickly " I just didn't want to make any assumptions without SOME confirmation!" She had her hands up as if to show no hostility which was a bit counter to her sly grin. "Hah! I figured as much though I'm not so bold as to ask like Carlotta here." Xander said looking at Carlotta " that's like asking if a stop sign looks like it does to stop drivers at intersections, don't ask stupid questions" I looked between the four. Gabbs had covered her reddening face with her left hand at this point. " I've never been one to hide my sexuality, it sort of comes out in my taste in clothes " I admit to the small group. " I hope you guys are ok with that" Mark was the first to speak up first " are you kidding? That just means less competition for dates! And I'm not saying you would, but, what's more complimenting than a gay guy saying you look good, again not that you would" he retorts. " Jesus Christ you guys" Gabbs seemed to not enjoy this conversation topic. Her reaction just made me laugh. " Honestly Gabbs it's fine. Actually one of the least painful conversations I've had about my sexuality" I admit " Most times it just ends up with me on my ass and a string of new bruises" I snorted. The others at the table didn't seem to find what I said funny. " Geeze I didn't even think of that man" Mark replied with a pained expression. Carlotta spoke up just then. " Hey Alex, why is the Beast staring at you?" " Who?" I inquired, confused. "The beast, Mu'izz the beast? We call him that because he acts like a total feral beast on the football field. He's captain of the team, does he know you or something ?" I looked at the direction that had her attention and just like she said Izz was staring straight at me from across the lunchroom. His two friends that might as well be called his shadows were practically wrestling each other at his table behind him. He merely gave me that predatory stare, not even turning away as I looked over but rather a grin seemed to spread across his face instead. "Well I ran into him a few times, I have a couple classes with him but I don't really KNOW him, you know?" I had to look away, I felt too intimidated looking directly back at him. " He's been staring at you for the past five minutes." Carlita stated. I picked at my lasagna uncomfortably. "Do you think Mu'izz is gay" Mark asked the table as he looked over at Mu'izz' table with the others. I merely shrunk down in my seat trying to make myself smaller. "I mean he's had nearly every girl in school practically throw themselves at him but he turns them down like they're beneath him! Talk about fucking aloof" Xander said back to mark. Gabbs simply shrugged her shoulders. " I can't really picture someone as manly as Mu'izz being into men." Carlotta said with a scrunch of her nose before looking over at me " I mean no offense." She quickly added. I simply shook my head as I looked down at the table " no offense taken I know what you mean heh" I said awkwardly. " Anything's possible!" Gabbs said with a wide grin, nudging my elbow, my face now blushing profusely. Anything is possible. I don't know why but I hoped that this of all things was possible. What a joke. As if someone like him could ever be interested in someone like me. "He probably just wants my notes or something for calc and bio" I think to myself. The rest of lunch went pretty uneventful. I mostly just sat quietly while the others flew from topic to topic. Talking about this or that, random nonsense others my age seemed to care about. Art was right after lunch. I always enjoyed Painting, though all they had were watercolor, no oil paint. One of the other things I was made to Learn at one of the private schools was how to properly paint. It's rather relaxing actually, many times i'd be painting and just lose track of time and feel the tension wash away. The nice thing was that no one really seemed to give me any mind in this class, and Gabbs was here so we were able to just sit and talk shit that period. History was one of my least favorite classes and topics. I get that it's important, and I'm not saying that it can't be interesting, but it is definitely not my bag. I could care less what Napoleon said when, or the battle of so and so, in so and so place. Surprisingly this is the only class today that even took roll call. Since I got to class pretty early I got to sit in the back, the best place to just space out and just not be noticed. Not being noticed went completely out of the window when the teacher got to my name, much to my chagrin. "Alexi Aronovich...?" he asked as if my name confused him a bit. " uh, here.." I meekly responded. "...Aronovich...wait, that surname sounds so familiar!" he said to himself, snapping his fingers as he thought. Oh god I knew exactly where he heard my last name, it was so hit and miss when a history teacher did, but this isn't the first time, ugh! " RIGHT! Are you a member of THE Aronovich Family? Your family was one of THE largest land owning SURFS in russia before the Tsar's dethronement." he exclaimed with a wide grin on his face remembering what he knew. " Infact; wasn't your family actually related to Alexandrovich?" Many in the class looked back at me. I slumped in my chair, rubbing my forehead out of irritation that this was being brought up. "Uh, j-just by marriage and only through a distant cousin twice removed on my Grandfather's side..." I hated when this part of my family history came up. It had literally nothing to do with me and who I was. I hate when people find out about my family's net worth, it makes people alienated, or simply want to get buddy buddy with the rich kid. You can't tell who is really your friend and who just wants handouts, or "perks". When people think you're associated with royalty it's ten times worse. They think you think you're a total snob or think that you think you're better than them or just want to rub elbows with the "upper class". I fucking hate it. " Mr. Honley, I really don't feel comfortable talking about my family's past... and please, just call me Alex, not Alexi." I mumbled, surely with a face filled with a bright shade of maroon. Quite a few other students had wide eyes...and again with all the stupid whispering. " Sure, sure, of course alex, my apologies but..." he went on "It's not every day you have someone connected with history in your classroom!" he stated with an excited grin. "Honestly, I have nothing to do with my family's past. All that happened two generations before I was even born..." I retorted with an irritated sigh. After that embarrassing conversation was over, he continued taking names before getting into our class Census for what we will be going over this semester. THankfully Russian history was NOT on that list of topics. Hopefully he'd stop grinning like an idiot. Finally I was off to my last class of the day, Physical education. Now don't get me wrong, I am a total twig. However I'm not ALL bad at phys ed. I am very good at gymnastics. I've never been very good at anything that has to do with endurance or strength; but damn if i'm not flexible heh. I tried to keep my eyes down as I entered the Men's locker room, knowing from experience what could happen if I'm caught looking. I couldn't help but look around the room instinctively, seeing quite a few VERY hot guys in different levels of undress. A rather well fit guy with a well cropped mop of blond hair looked over at me with a questioning expression, whom later I would be told was the soccer team captain,Chet Brensen, the fellow whom I had seen at the front of the school with the cheerleader on his shoulder. I quickly got to an empty locker a bit further away from the other guys. "Hey, you." Chet said towards me as he walked a bit away from his locker. I looked up at him silently, expecting trouble. "You know the girl's Locker Room is on the other side of the gym," he explained with a gesture with his thumb behind him. I tried to ignore him, and went back to putting my things in the locker. "Hey, I'm talking to you! There's no girls allowed in here!" he said walking a bit closer to me. I was starting to get irritated with this crap. "Hey!" He grabbed my shoulder and turned me towards him. "Are you Deaf or something?" I snapped. "yes yes HAHA i'm effeminate I get it, you're so funny!" I reported sarcastically " you're not the first fucking Neanderthol to make the joke, can I just change my fucking clothes now in peace please?" He pulled his hand back with a wide eyed expression "oh shit you're a dude?!" his shock quickly turned to anger as he balled his fists. "What the hell did you call me you fag?!" pushing me rather forcefully to the ground. I quickly got back on my feet with a frustrated sigh "look can we just cut past the heated bullshit conversation and just get it over with? If you're gonna beat me up, just fucking get it over with, or just go away, I have been through this too many times, and I don't want to waste my time on repeating it" I stated bluntly, looking up at him defiantly. Gritting his teeth, he raised his fist, I closed my eyes in expectation of the fists landing, trying not to flinch or show fear to the larger male. I wouldn't give him the satisfaction of response. I heard the slap of flesh against flesh, but I didn't feel anything. I opened my eyes to see why I hadn't been hit. "What the fuck do you think you are doing chet?" Mu'izz was roughly gripping the wrist of Chet's mid-thrown fist, standing in front of me. Shock was once again over Chet's face, before he angrily ripped his hand out of I'zz's grip. " why are you protecting this Mouthy fag M'uizz?! He your boyfriend or something?" he said with a sneer. " Who I date is none of your Fuckin business, You want to get kicked off the soccer Team for beating on another student? Especially one smaller than you?" "I don't think Coach will care about beating on some small queer" Chet spat as he looked over his shoulder at me. ".....If you touch him, not being able to play soccer will be the least of your problems" Izz had this look of anger, staring him down as if to say "try me". Chet stared back for a few seconds before shaking his head and turning to walk away. "Not worth bruising my knuckles.." he murmered. Izz stared him down until he was fully back at his locker, before turning around and looking me over as if looking for any hints of hurt. "Are you ok Alex?" I simply nodded, I couldn't seem to verbally respond. That feeling of Predatory want and ownership was nowhere to be found over his expression. He seemed genuinely concerned, and had this look of caring. He looked at me like I was a Delicate piece of glass. "T-thank you Izz, I-I'm ok, you didn't need to get involved. I've dealt with this before." finally finding my voice, my brows scrunching up. "I'm not gonna stand there and let a guy as big as Chet beat on someone who's smaller than them." he said with a straight face, looking me over once more before that predatory smirk reappeared on his handsome face as he slowly walked back to his locker. What the fuck is with this guy? Super caring and in less than a second back to looking like he wanted to devour me alive. That look he gave me like I was some delicate piece of glass had me feeling quite a few different emotions. I was irritated that he would think of me as such a small delicate thing like I can't defend myself, or like I'll break if someone is too rough with me. Another side of me swooned, it was nice to feel someone caring about me, worrying about me. I wish I was really worthy of having someone actually feeling like that towards me. It was at this point I noticed he was only wearing a tight pair of satin boxers and holy fuck; nearly every inch of his well muscular form was dusted with dark hair. a t-shape of thicker hair along his chest and eight pack tummy with a very deep treasure trail disappearing below that waistband. I went back to looking down at my feet as I changed into the sweat shorts and t-shirt with the school's Logo on them as quickly as I could before quickly walking into the gym. I bounded up the stairs of the bleachers, and took a seat next to Gabbs, and a happy surprise, Carlotta. "Ok now Chet Brensen is staring at you, he looks super pissed...what did you do alex?" Carlotta whispered into my ear, loud enough for Gabbs to hear. I looked over in the direction Carlotta was looking, and there was Chet looking over from around the other jocks, and a couple cheerleaders on the other side of the bleachers. He was staring daggers at me. " He thought I was a girl in the locker room and got a bit heated at me when the meathead finally figured out I wasn't." I responded, looking back forward as I heard the door to the gym open. My eyes widened as I saw who just walked into the room. "I-Is that the P.E. Teacher?!" I quickly whispered to Gabbs as my eyes followed the familiar well built man walking to the middle of the room looking at a clipboard. " Yeah, Mr. Nemik, he's also the school's soccer and football Coach, his wife is the music teacher, why?" Gabbs questioned with a confused look on her freckled face as she looked over at me. My one and only "frequent Beau", my "Married Burley Bedmate", stood at the center of the gym looking over the papers on his clipboard before looking up at the class with a broad tooth-white smile. " n-no, well, he doesn't LOOK like your common P.E. teacher." I quickly, and clumsily tried to hide the actual shock on my face at seeing him here. " I suppose he is pretty fit and young for a highschool teacher, and waaay too hot for one!" Carlotta started fanning herself. " Carly, ew! he's married and like 15 years your senior!" Gabbs replied with a look of shock and disgust at her behavior. " He looks like he should be a Private trainer, not someone trying to get teens to act healthy." I said as I stared at him, he was saying something about the class, and what it will be about this semester. "Maybe he just likes working with teens" I Immediately Laughed loudly, the sound echoing through the entire gym before I could cover my mouth in response to the statement that was WAY more accurate than Gabbs knew, or meant by her statement. Quite a few students turned around to see where the laugh came from. The realization of who I was to him was plastered over his face. I tried to hide my face out of Sheer embarrassment, hearing him stutter a bit before going back to talking about the future of this semester. I instinctively looked to my left as I felt someone staring at me. Izz was looking at me with a look of confusion. He looked over at Mr. Nemik, and I swear his nostrils flared, before immediately looking back at me with wide eyes. He again looked over at Nemik, but now with a look of pure rage. His friend named Mossadak, the one with the dark shaved military-esque hairstyle, leaned down and whispered something in his ear as he was squeezing his shoulder. Whatever he told him seemed to calm him down a little at least, nodding his head to what his friend was telling him. What...the...fuck...is with these guys?!