As they gathered outside Adam's house, Alice prayed that Mike would take Riley up on his offer. Whatever was written inside the note he'd left on their table three days ago had to be better than the alternative.
"Riley, can I ask you something?" Alice said, taking his arm and pulling him to one side. It was a diversionary and delaying tactic, but there was something she genuinely needed to know. Something that had been gnawing at her. "How did you about Adam threatening to gang-rape me?"
"A little birdy told me," Riley said, tapping his nose with his finger. When Alice stared blankly, not happy with this level of explanation, he added, "Felix. It was Felix who told me about that. He pretty much knows everything. The guy's both a genius and a major snoop."
'Felix,' she thought. 'But did he get that information from my little brother?'
The idea that her little brother mi
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"Adam... don't go inside," Alice whispered.The look on her face and the tremble in her voice made him nervous, but he swallowed his fear. "It's my fucking house, Alice."She made a low-pitched whining sound as he barged past her."Don't look. Don't look," Mike cried. He was bent over, holding a bundle of towels.'Is that blood?'he thought, seeing the growing patches of red seeping through the fabric. The wall and mirror also featured a streak of red drips, as well as the new cushion. He remembered standing in the store with Zoe as she'd helped him pick out new furnishings. She'd insisted the mustard yellow cushion was stylish despite it being so damn ugly and bought it for him with a shit-eating grin on her face. Now it sat plastered in blood.He felt hypnotized as Mike lifted the bundle and a brown and furry leg fell out from beneath the folds.
"Oh, you look different today," Hannah said, frowning as Alice arrived to help set up the lesson. They were doing crafting since there was little else to do, and the materials had to split between the tables to stop the kids from wondering. Not that it would work. Half the school was already at home isolating, including most of the teachers."I wanted a more casual look," Alice said. Instead of straightening her hair and putting on a dress and heels, she'd gone the opposite way. A glow-down, some might call it. With her hair in a messy bun, flat shoes, and an old pair of her mother's work trousers she would draw less attention."Well, you look pretty either way," Hannah said, smiling. Alice got the feeling Hannah might be a lesbian but didn't feel she was hitting on her. She was simply being sweet."Thank you." Alice blushed, tucking a stray hair behind her ear."Do you mind picking up some more card
After internet stalking Felix for hours and coming up with very little, Jamie decided to bite the bullet and send him a message saying hello. He didn't expect a reply at all, let alone an immediate one. He was shocked when Felix hit him up after only a couple of minutes."Remember all those fun times in the showers?" Felix replied with a winking emoji. "Did you miss those days?""Not particularly," Jamie replied. He had to be very careful about how he spoke to this guy. Being his true self wasn't an option if he wanted to gather any information on Felix. He'd have to pick a persona. "Your name came up in conversation and I wondered what you were doing these days.""I’m doing 6th form at Rowshill School," he replied curtly. "Will that be all?"Jamie's teeth ground together as his left hand curled into a fist so tight he had to type one-handed.'You arrogant prick,'
When Alice saw Riley and the others waiting at the gate, she panicked and almost turned back. Unfortunately, he'd already spotted her."I have something really important I need to do today," she said, pressing her palms together."More important than me?" Riley asked."Well... yes," Alice admitted with an apologetic wince. "Please may I be excused?"When his only response was to stare blankly at her, she bent her knees and bowed her head. "Pleeeease, please, please?"She heard Riley tut and sigh. "Fine. Whatever. It's not like you're even useful.""Wow," Felix commented. "You're so soft on her. Whatever will people say?"There was a definite shift in the mood as a dank quiet fell over the group—you could almost cut the tension with a blade.It was Riley who broke the awkward silence with a yawn that seemed to re
Alice had almost drifted off when she heard a voice."Well, well, well, what do we have here?"She looked up to see Riley standing over her, surrounded by the usual suspects and a couple of others she vaguely recognised.As a reflex, she pulled her hand away from Adam's like it was hot coal, though she knew it was too little too late. She'd been caught in the act."Riley—""Shush." He crouched and placed a finger on her lips. "You just curl up there. Cover your eyes and your ears, okay?""Oh, please, Riley, don't!" she cried. "You promised. You promised you wouldn't hurt him.""And you broke your side of the bargain." Riley smiled sadly and shook his head. "It was only a matter of time, so don't feel too bad. I was just having a little fun with you.""I—I didn't. I didn't—" Alice stammered, gla
Adam looked down at the blood and pliers, reliving that awful moment. It wasn't the pain or humiliation but the fact that he'd broken. He'd given in—agreed to do anything to make it stop.Before today, he'd never even entertained the thought of yielding to another man. Others bowed to him. He'd bullied countless weaklings, forcing them to bend to his will or laughed as they begged at his feet, but he'd never once been on the receiving end. Never in his life had he felt helpless, his life completely in the hands of an unforgiving and cruel maniac.Now that he understood how it felt to be utterly powerless, it wasn't just the shame and fear crushing his spirit but the realisation that he was a monster to so many others.As the painkillers wore off and his mouth throbbed, he thought about the times he'd punched other guys teeth out for kicks. He'd remembered the thrill he'd gotten from seeing his victims in tear
After fantasising about this moment hundreds of times, Jamie almost couldn't believe it was happening. It felt like a dream. Seeing Adam apologise and grovel was something he only ever expected to see in his imagination, but now that it was playing out for real, it was his reaction that shocked him the most.The sight of Adam on his knees sparked revulsion and disgust. He cringed away, pulling his hand from Adam’s, and pedalled back to the corner of the bed. Hiding between his pillows and giant plushies, he waved a hand at Adam."Get up, you moron!" he cried. "Stop that right now."Adam obeyed despite looking deeply confused. He stood and shifted on the spot, scratching his head. "I thought that was what you wanted.""Eww." Jamie shuddered. "I did too."Jamie turned his head into his giant Pikachu and squeezed, giving himself a moment to think. Why did seeing Adam beg make
Alice took her sandwiches and unwrapped the cellophane. The egg filling that had looked so delicious this morning had now begun to smell. She looked about guiltily, happy that only two others were currently taking their breaks. Most of the teachers were in isolation and teaching remotely on giant screens, including Hannah, who had always seemed so careful. Things were getting beyond ridiculous. Most of the management were also off sick, and those left to cover had little clue what they were doing.Every morning Alice prayed the school would close. That way, she would get paid and wouldn't have to see Riley or his gang. She hadn't bumped into any of them since that horrible night, but it was bound to happen at some point, despite her evasive tactics.Her eyes widened as the IT guy entered, caught her eye, and turned away so fast he dropped his pot noodle."Oh, crap," he uttered, scooping up the splatter of dry noodl