Try (bxb)

Chapter One

I look in the mirror critically, though I know it doesn't really matter. Still, it's my first day of senior year so I could at least put in some kind of effort.

My black turtleneck comes up to my chin, making my pale skin look even paler. I have on blue skinny jeans and I pull a soft black sweatshirt over my turtleneck. I know that I'll stand out dressed like this in September, but it protects me. Sighing, I bend down and pull on my converse smoothly, watching my long, slender fingers as they tie them out of muscle memory. My brown hair brushes my eyes when I bend over.

I glance around my room and see my black beanie and my gloves sitting on my bed. I smile slightly and pick up the beanie, fixing it on my head and giving myself another glance. Once I manage to get my tight black gloves on, I'm as good as I'll ever be.

Picking up my backpack on the way out of the room, I walk down the stairs and wave goodbye to my mom with a small smile that she doesn't return before opening the front door with one gloved hand.

I spot Katie's car out front and jog down the steps, sliding into the passenger seat.

"Hey," I say, and she smiles back widely, turning in her seat to look at me. She stomps in the gas and I jump, having forgotten how awful her driving is.

"So you're excited too right!" She gushes, and I just stare at her. She knows what school is like for me, yet she asks me every year.

"Oh yeah. Thrilled," I mumble, and she slowly deflates, noticing my mood.

"Come on Chris, it might be better this year," she sighs, though we both know that's not true.

"Yeah. It might be," I try to sound hopeful but I know that she doesn't buy it.

"That's the spirit," she murmurs anyways, patting my knee.

****

I walk into the building slowly, keeping my head down and my shoulders hunched. There's a no-hoods rule, so I try as well as I can to hide my face under my hair by ducking my head, but it really just isn't that long. It barely brushes my eyes.

"Hey fag!" I hear behind me, and terror shoots through me, making me shaky. It's an instant reaction. I wade through the mass of people as quickly as possible and sprint down one of the empty hallways that are under construction, ducking under the tarp that separates it from the rest of the schoo and sliding into a corner between a row of lockers and a small couch. I bring my knees up to my chest and bury my face in them, trying to avoid the tears that I can feel in my eyes.

I'm so scared. They're going to start again, the very first day. That thought makes me curl up tighter, hoping to disappear.

My heart starts to beat frantically as I hear their footsteps turn down this hallway. At least two of them, maybe three. I start to hyperventilate and choke down any noise that I would make, the fear palpable.

"I know you're in here," I hear Kade's voice call out, laughingly. Kade is the leader of my little band of torturers, and the most violent. His voice sends chills down my spine and the tears finally fall.

"I don't understand why he bothers hiding," Jared chuckles. At this new introduction I finally let out a little whimper, and they all stop. My heart pounds and I start to sob silently, knowing that they've found me now.

"There he is! Our favorite little boy," Kade calls out, turning the corner and seeing me curled up against the cold metal of the locker. He flicks his shaggy blonde hair out of his eyes as he smiles sweetly down at me. "How are you doing C? Feel like I haven't seen you in forever," the end of his words turns into a threatening purr and I whimper again, pressing back against the wall. My tears flood my face and I sniffle a little bit, my vision blurred through the wet screen over my eyes.

"Awwh why's he cryin'?" Jared asks from behind him, watching as Kade crouches down to be at eye level with me.

"I dunno Jay. Why're you crying Christopher? We just came to say hi, maybe play around a little bit," he smiles again at me, reaching out and wiping one of my tears away. I jump violently at the contact and my breathing spins out of control. I reach up and claw desperately under my eye, trying to get his touch off as the panic descends.

"Look at him!" Jared laughs, doubling over. "What an ass."

Kade smirks and latches his hand into my wrist harshly, yanking my body out of it's curled up position and into the open hallway. I yelp and finally start to beg them.

"Please, please not today- it's the first day, just give me one day, please..." I call out to them, and Kade laughs and shakes his head, bending down on one knee next to me.

"You've had all summer, bitch." With that he reaches down and grabs me around the neck, pulling me to my feet and then shoving me against one of the walls. "Still a fag?" He asks, and I sob uncontrollably, too weak to even bother trying to get him off. "That's what I thought."

My tears dribble down off my cheeks and onto my sweatshirt, making a wet patch there.

"Please," I try again, and Kade's fist knocks into my jaw, drawing blood. The metallic taste makes my head spin and I desperately try to get air into my lungs but it won't work.

His knee knocks into my stomach hard enough to leave a huge purple bruise there tomorrow but not enough to break any ribs thank god. All the air I had managed to get into my body leaves in a sharp huff and as his fist slams into the side of my head I let my face loll to one side, resting it on my shoulder and feeling the blood dampen my sweatshirt again. Another hit makes my lip split open and another on my hip makes me cry out again softly.

Everything hurts, aches so badly. I just want it to stop, I want it to end so much. My lip starts to swell up and I can feel the blood and tears mixing on my cheeks. Kade drops me onto the floor and my head bangs against the tile, making my head throb.

"What the hell?" I hear from what seems to be a far distance away, and I jerk at the noise, trying to push my self off the floor. I can't see, I can't breathe, everything hurts and I'm just so desperate.

I can hear voices in the background and I wonder vaguely why they've stopped. Then a hard kick to my head finishes the job and I pass out.

****

When I wake up, the first thing I notice is a pair of big blue eyes above me, looking down at me with obvious worry. I blink a few times sluggishly and then frown.

"Who are you," I croak out, and my words come out strangely from behind my busted lip. Why am I not on the floor? Where are Jared and Kade?

"I'm Jason."