I didn’t go out of the house the following days. I didn’t take any calls. Jen tried to call me once or twice. I didn’t bother to pick up. I still didn’t know what to do about her. I didn’t want to listen to her explanations until I was decided about how I wanted to move forward.I was testing my limit, too. Could I survive the next weeks, months or years being by myself and not have Jen shape my future for me? Would I be happier if I untie my fate from hers?Every day, after school, I go straight home. My father was in Europe for an extended trip so I was more or less free to go around the house in my boxer shorts, a pair of t-shirt or even in a Barney costume and nobody would tell me off. The maids already knew I was a little weird, but I think they still prefer me over my father, his mistresses and eccentric guests any day.In the evenings, I cook, which was something I was very good at. My mother was a genius in the kitchen and she taught me to experiment with ingredients.
Obsessed?I was left there, staring at her back and the hem of her pink sundress flowing behind her. That was six years of friendship walking away from me. Six years of nothing.Six years of… what the fuck was I thinking?I realized that everybody in the corridor was now staring at me. But the embarrassment I felt was nothing compared to the sting of Jen’s words. It was nothing compared to the anger that was threatening to burst out of me.Shit! This is what I get after everything I did for her?Obsessed? Did Jen think I wanted more than friendship from her? Is that what everybody thinks?I turned around toward the exit. I could feel eyes following me. I could hear the buzzing sound as they started to gossip.Who the fuck cares?No matter what they say or do, they could not make this day any worse than it already was.When I parked in front of my house, I noticed a car parked across the street. There were two guys sitting inside. They looked at me for a brief moment and then they roll
I was surprised that he knew my full name. The tone of his voice was grave and scary that I actually did stop and I just stared at his angry face.His grip on my left wrist felt like iron, trapping me, keeping me close without any chance of escape. He took a deep breath as he stared at me.“I didn’t,” he said in a gentler tone this time. He shook his head slightly. “I would never do that to you.”“Liar,” I said under my breath.To my surprise, he actually smiled. “Oh, kitten, I can be many things you accuse me of. But liar and rapist are most definitely not two of them.”“I woke up without my pants on!” I argued.“You woke up with your panties still on, didn’t you?” he argued back.“You took off my pants!” I insisted.He shook his head. “You did that yourself. As soon as I laid you down on the bed, you stripped off your jacket and pants. Believe me, I thanked God that you stopped there.” He stared at my face gently. He was calm but he also looked genuinely concerned. “How could you a
My name is Ken Clarke. Mackenzie Belle Clarke.I was named after my father, Robert Mackenzie Clarke, and my stepmother, Isabella Offner. Isabella and my mother were lesbian partners. I was born and raised in an unconventional home. No father, only two mothers. But I was raised in a home full of love and respect.Ever since I could remember, I never wore skirts nor blouses. I dressed the way my mother and Isabella dressed. Unisex clothes. Pants or shorts, T-shirts and jackets, boots or sneakers. No sandals, no flip-flops and most definitely, no stilettos.I never had long hair. I liked wearing it short like that of a boy, the way Isabella wore her hair. But I was also taught to take care of my body as a girl should, the way my mom did. I would soak myself in bath oils, or apply masks on my face and hair. I would shave as often as required, shower at least two times a day to make sure no trace of sweat and sun would be left on my body.In the world that I grew up in, gender didn’t make
My heart pounded in my chest and I swallowed hard. I took deep breaths, forcing myself not to panic.I felt myself being pushed forward. The intruder did not loosen his grip on me. When we reached the foot of my bed, I found myself being pushed roughly to the mattress.I struggled to pull myself up and put a distance between myself and my assailant. Two strong hands held me by the arms and whirled me around so I was lying on my back against the mattress.For the first time, I saw a glimpse of the intruder. I could make out his face in the little light that came from my windows.I saw a rough-looking man who hadn’t shaved in more than a week. He was big, almost twice my tiny frame. He loomed over me, wearing a vile expression on his face. He pressed his body against mine, pinning me to the bed.“Why, aren’t you a pretty sight?” he asked with a lustful smile on his face.I felt panic slowly creeping through me as I realized his intention, which was clearly visible on his face.“W-what d
I hugged my legs to my chest and leaned my forehead against my knees, tears rolling down my cheeks. I haven’t cried in a long time. Maybe the last time was when my mother and Isabella died. After that, I don’t remember shedding a tear at all. But now, I felt like I was at the lowest point of my life.My best friend just told me to stay away from her and my father just hired some maniac in his twisted attempt to knock some of his twisted sense into me. After escaping that unthinkable situation, I now watched Nicholas beating the living hell out of that man and I couldn’t help crying—in frustration, in relief.The man managed to free one of his hands. This was enough for him to punch Nicholas on the jaw and then quickly push Nicholas off him. He got up on his feet and ran to the direction of my house. I could tell that Nicholas wanted to run after the guy but seeing me on the side of the street in shatters, he decided to walk toward me instead.He knelt in front of me. “Are you okay?” h
All the lights in his living room were on. I noticed that he had a new black leather couch on the mezzanine floor, just outside his bedroom, beside the poker table. I didn’t remember seeing that the first time I was here.The drapes in the living room were fully open, offering a view of the distant lights from the other side of the city.I found Nicholas in the kitchen, looking fresh from the shower too, dressed in a pair of pajamas and white shirt. He was preparing some food.“Hi,” he greeted me. He looked at me from head to toe, studying how his clothes looked on me. I suddenly felt self-conscious. Not in my wildest dreams did I imagine wearing somebody else’s clothes, especially not a man’s. “It was the best I could find that might be comfortable for you. I hope it’s okay.”I nodded. “Th—”“I know,” he interrupted. “Whatever, right?” This time, he had a grin on his face.I nodded again. “Yeah, whatever.”He turned to the bar in the kitchen. “I ordered some food from Margaret. She h
“I don’t care if he didn’t love me, Nicholas,” I said in between sobs. “But what he did was pure evil. You don’t do that to a person. You do not do that to your child. You just don’t!”“Your father should rot in jail for this, if you ask me,” Nicholas said. “But the next step is up to you. And whatever you decide, I want you to know, I will be there for you.”As I rested my head on his shoulder, I realized that I was thankful for him. When I first met him, I wanted to take him down and burn him to the ground. But if I did, then what would have happened to me tonight if he wasn’t there? If he didn’t find it in his good soul to come to my rescue and take me in tonight when I had nowhere safer to go, I’d be on the street, half-naked and crying over my lost virtue.“And while you’re figuring things out, you’re welcome to stay here. I will keep you safe and offer you whatever help you need.”Nicholas sat on my chair, taking me with him. He put an arm around me as I leaned my head against h