Haphephobia: the fear of being touched.
Blake, a second-year Psychology student, hadn't ever heard of such a phobia, until the day he was hired as a guide for Dean, the heir of a rich family.
Even though Dean had the appearance and behaviour of a ge...
This is the revised version of the original chapter 1. Even if you have already read the original chapter, I would love to know your opinions on this version.
(for those who commented on the original: don't worry, I didn't delete the chapter, it's just not public anymore)
Please don't forget to vote and comment :)
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Blake's thumb hovered over the names on the screen, trying to decide his fate.
- Mom? Finn? Mom? Finn? - he muttered to himself. - Die now? Die later? Die now? Die later?
Once again, he had lost track of time while at his friend's house and, even worse, he had forgotten to check his phone which was bursting with missed calls from his mother and texts from his brother, warning him she wasn't happy.
His survival instincts begged him to postpone his mother's rage as much as possible, but Blake knew it had to be done. As he tried to prepare himself for the incoming flood of reprimands, he looked out the bus window, into the rainy night.
Dim and sparse lampposts lined the road, blurred by the heavy night. It was almost impossible to see anything. Yet, something caught his eye. In between the bushes and low vegetation on the roadside, a light shape stood out. A shape that looked like a person.
The bus moved along and Blake twisted his neck, trying to decipher if what he thought was correct. His eyes must have been tricking him. It was quite late, not to mention dangerous, to be standing around in those lonely streets, especially with the rain pouring down. Surely, his eyes were deceiving him. He was tired after all. Yeah. He was mistaking. There was no reason to worry.
But what if he wasn't?
- Please stop the bus! - he yelled and the sudden plea had the bus driver stomp on the brakes, all four passengers propelled forward.
In between insults from the other passengers, Blake grabbed his bag by the strap and sped to the door. Considering the fuming look the driver was giving him, it wasn't a surprise that he wanted Blake out of there as fast as possible so, in no time, the doors opened and he jumped out of the bus into the pouring rain.
The water under his feet splashed as he ran to the place where he had spotted someone. After a few meters, he was already soaked to his core, with his hair sticking to his forehead and his uniform shirt see-through.
- Hello? - he called, looking around into the darkness. - Anyone there?
Nothing. Only the sound of the rain crashing into the ground. - Hello? - he screamed louder, with no response. Blake's arms dropped to his side and his head tilted back with a deep sigh.
Great. Now he was lost.
His mother would kill him. That was if some random person didn't show up to do it first.
