Justin's POV
“Hi sweetie how was school?” mom asks me, as she sits down at the dinner table.
I want to scream at her that it was the worst fucking day of my life, just like every other, but I don’t. “It was good actually. I was messing around with Chris and his buddies,” Yeah right, more like they were messing around with me. Fucking Hobbs! Why did I have to be so stupid.
“He’s on the football team right?” mom asks.
“Yeah,” I whisper and almost let my mask slip.
It was about two months ago, I can still remember everything as if it only happened yesterday. It was Wednesday and we had just entered the locker room after a painful game of dodge ball. Christ, I must’ve got smacked by the ball at least fifteen times. Luckily it was the last lesson of the day and I decided to take a shower. That was when it happened, Chris Hobbs, naked in the shower. I don’t know what made me to do it, but I ended up stepping into the shower with him. I still remember his face when he turned around and saw me. He was so angry; his eyes looked like they were going to burst. He pushed me hard out of the shower and I landed with a thud onto the floor. He quickly wrapped a towel around his waist and then gave me a swift kick in the ribs. By this time half the boys had heard the commotion and came running in to see what was going on. Chris then put his hands around my throat in attempt to strangle me, “I’M GOING TO KILL YOU!” he screamed, it was so loud the sound echoed off the walls. My vision was going blurry and I was having a hard time trying to breathe. One of the other students managed to get him off me and pull him to the other side of the room. Once he was a safe distance away from me, I scrabbled to my feet and ran out of the locker rooms. I bumped into the wall a few times on the way out, my vision was still a little blurred and I remember him screaming after me. “YOU’RE DEAD TAYLOR! DO YOU HEAR ME FAGGOT? YOU’RE DEAD!”
“Justin?”
“Huh?” I ask, turning to the voice that was calling my name.
“I said, are you going to tryout for the team this year?” my dad repeats.
Not fucking likely, I think and reply by shrugging my shoulders.
Brian's POV
Entering the diner, I see Theodore and Emmett sitting in our usual spot and walk over to them. “Hey Deb, can I get some service here?” I shout, sliding into the booth next to Emmett. Where the fucks Mikey.
“Keep your fucking pants on. I only have one pair of hands,” Deb yells.
“Hey Brian, it is nine inch night tonight at Babylon. You want to check it out?” Theodore says.
“I don’t care, but seeing as though it will be the closet thing you’ll get to seeing nine inches up close and personal, I could see why you’d be first in line,” I drawl.
“What the fucks got you panties in a twist? Cant you just for once….”
“Coffee please, Deb,” interrupting her.
“Yes, your majesty,” Deb mocks, adding a bow before she leaves.
The bell above the door rings and Michael enters the diner.
“You’ll never guess what I got?” Mikey says.
“Syphilis?” I smirk.
“No asshole, I got... a limited edition Captain Astro shirt,” he breaks out into a huge smile at this. Oh Mikey, the things that make you happy.
“Err... cool,” I reply, checking my watch. Shit! “Deb, make that coffee to go.”
“What’s the rush? Got an ass that you’ve got to fill?” Emmett jokes.
“As much as I’d love to be rushing off for that, it’s not the reason. I’ve got a meeting with a new client,” sliding out of the booth and paying for my coffee. I exit the diner without saying goodbye.
“Your welcome.” I hear Deb shout.
Justin's POV
“Justin, hurry up you’ll be late for school,” Yeah I wouldn’t want to keep Hobbs and his mates waiting. I think for a moment of faking illness, but decide against it. No point delaying the inevitable, I throw the duvet off me and walk to the shower.
Entering the prison that is school, I take a deep breath and make my way to the lockers. Reaching my locker, I open it and begin to put my books away. “FUCK!” I scream in pain, holding my hand from the force of the locker that was just slammed on it. Looking up, I look into the face of a smirking Chris. Oh great, just terrific.
“Hey Taylor, how’s your ribs?” he laughs, and I flinch. Chris high fives one of the jocks and they walk away. I breathe a sigh of relief and start to put my books away again. I hope that they don’t do anything else today. Shutting my locker, I turn around and bump straight into Daphne.
“Hey, watch it, what am I invisible?” she laughs.
“Sorry,” I mumble and stare at my feet.
“Don’t worry about it, what did you do last night?”
“Erm...” I get a flash of silver rush through my mind and the specs of red on my floor. “Nothing much really, I just watched TV. What about you?” I say, pulling at the sleeve of my blazer.
“I had to baby sit my cousin. The spawn of hell wouldn’t stop pulling my hair. I don’t even want to discuss what she did to my face with those fucking paints,” I laugh at the thought of Daph covered in kiddie poster paint. She puts her arm over my shoulder and whispers in my ear, “I wouldn’t laugh if I were you, or you’ll wake up tomorrow as a drag queen,”
“Noooo,” I laugh and we head off to class.
Brian's POV
I reach the agency in record time, and walk into the offices. Ryder approaches me before I even have a chance to get inside the building.
“Where have you been? They’ll be here in ten minutes,” he tells me and walks away.
I follow him towards the meeting room, as my assistant appears at my side. “So, what have you got planned that will wow them all?” she asks, walking along with me.
“I’ll tell you when I know,” I smirk and Cynthia laughs. I’d just finished preparing for the meeting when the new client walks in.
“Brian, this is Craig Taylor,” Ryder introduces and I shake his hand.
“Good morning, Mr Taylor. Shall we get this meeting underway?”
Justin's POV
I’m waiting in the lunch queue, and I try my hardest not to look like a pathetic fag that I am. Apart from the locker incident, Hobbs and his friends haven’t done anything else. After a few minutes, I collected my lunch and scan the room for Daphne. I spot her sitting by the window at the far end of the room. I walk over to her, tray in hand, when I’m suddenly tripped. I hear laughter and get up from the floor, looking down at myself and my shirt which is now covered in pasta sauce. “Aww poor baby,” I stiffen at the sound of Chris’s voice behind me, but I don’t turn around. “You missed a bit Taylor. Here let me help you,” I’m confused by his words for a moment, and then I feel hot liquid being poured over me. I scream for the second time today from pain and run out of the cafeteria. I hear laughter as I run out of there and the distant voice of one of Chris’s mates. “What’s the matter Taylor? Don’t fags like hot chocolate?”
I run into the boy’s bathroom and into one of the stalls. I lock the door and sit on the toilet seat, pulling my knees up to my chest and covering my ears. I feel my fingers beginning to itch for something, anything to make it stop. I start to scratch at my thighs and ankles, the tears falling silently down my face.