Chapter 1 Chapter 1: My worst Bully

Milo

In just a few more weeks, I'm getting the fuck out of this hellhole.

That was the only thing that got me out of bed every morning.

“Stupid nerd!”

“Get out of here, you freak!”

They shouted these things at me whenever I walked by.

“Milo, there you are!” My only friend hurried over to me.

“Dolores, I already have the prom suit ready...”

“That's... actually what I wanted to talk to you about,” she said sadly, adjusting her glasses. “I heard they're planning a prank for a few people, and I heard your name.”

“Don’t tell me…”

“Blake, and his cousin, the blond one, Cameron, too. Along with their whole pack of idiot followers.”

My stomach dropped. Blake and his group had arrived in town ten years ago, and it had been torture ever since. Apparently, knowing we’d soon be going our separate ways, they had decided to put on one final masterpiece of cruelty.

"Damn it..."

"I know, I know. I’d rather go with you…”

"Please go, Dolores. I know how excited you are about it. Besides, I have work to do. I can work another shift at the store,” I replied.

Dolores was shy and curvy. People mocked her, too, although they were far more focused on guys like me. Unfortunately, I also had to admit that part of me was excited for prom.

"Do you think you have enough money now? I know college is expensive, and with only half a scholarship...” she asked worriedly.

"I'm getting there. I’ll probably end up living somewhere awful, but I’ll work there too." Work and work and work, all for the sake of my dream.

"You're going to make it! And you could always try Grand Mountain College next year. Then we could stick together!"

It was an amazing university, but it was too close to this town, and I wanted out. I knew I’d miss her terribly, but our friendship would last forever.

That afternoon, I went straight to the minimarket where I worked. I’d been a delivery guy, a waiter, I'd done everything. There wasn’t a single job in that tiny town that I hadn’t already done.

Wolf Valley was so small.

"Loser!" One of the guys yelled as they headed to prom, then walked in and knocked over a display of snacks.

I bent down and started cleaning.

"Just a few more days. Just a few more days."

But when I was about to close up shop and step outside to take out the trash, I heard footsteps.

"There he is, alpha! I found him!" There were at least five of them.

I knew exactly who was coming. The alpha, that's what they called Blake. Probably because of those ridiculous podcasts some guys listen to about becoming "more masculine" and turning into some kind of "alpha male."

"There you are, gay boy."

I realized I had nowhere to run. The alley was dark, but even under the weak moonlight, Blake's attractive figure appeared.

His black pants and white shirt fit him perfectly. His slightly long brown hair gave him a rebellious edge. His skin had a golden glow, and his almost six-foot height made him seem enormous.

“Thanks for finding him, Big B,” Blake said to the other guy who always followed him. He was almost as tall and muscular as Blake, but he looked more like Blake’s fighting dog. “Did you really think you could escape us? Your big farewell,” Blake added with a grin. But when he stepped closer, his expression changed completely.

"Do you guys smell something weird?" he asked the others. I dropped the trash bag in my hands.

"Actually, yeah. Something smells strange," Big B replied, covering his nose. Suddenly, he shoved me hard, and I fell, my glasses dropping to the ground.

"He smells like cheese!" another guy laughed. My family had a farm, and I worked there too.

But Blake wasn’t laughing. He raised one hand to silence them, and without taking his eyes off me, he gave a strange order, one that would change the course of my life, though I didn't know it yet.

“Leave me alone with him.”

No one questioned him. They simply obeyed. Blake had that effect on people.

There was no point in fighting back. I learned that years ago.

My family had never been especially kind to me. Wherever I went, people treated me as if I were worthless.

I got up and backed up until I was pressed against the cold wall of the alley. Blake stared at me as though I were an impossible puzzle. I heard the crunch of my glasses beneath his feet, but he didn’t bother looking.

He was too close; I could feel his breath.

His fragrance made my heart race.

"How old are you, pretty boy?"

Pretty boy? That was new, maybe just another insult.

"What...?"

"Your age? Are you eighteen?"

What kind of question was that? Why would he care? He was supposed to be here to beat me up, not chat.

"I...no." He let out a relieved breath. But then I added, "I turn eighteen in a couple of days..."

His brown eyes locked onto mine. He looked distressed.

"No fucking way! This is bullshit!" he growled, taking two steps back.

I tried to move, but he was suddenly in front of me again, faster than I could process. Sure, he was the best athlete in school, but this felt impossible.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

"I just—"

"You're leaving for a colleage far away, aren't you?" he asked, bracing his hands against the wall on either side of my head.

Damn. The top buttons of his shirt were undone, exposing part of his neck and collarbone. His heart seemed to be beating just as fast as mine.

“What are you going to study?”

"Pre- vet, I love animals..." I whispered. He let out a short laugh as if I'd told the worst joke imaginable.

"No shit..."

"What do you care?" I muttered. Blake grabbed my jaw roughly and forced me to look at him.

I hated admitting that my worst enemy looked like the most beautiful man I had ever seen.

“What did you say?”

"I..."

"Do you like men, pretty boy?" he asked. I swallowed hard.

"I...I don't know," I confessed.

He looked at me strangely. Suddenly, I felt his thigh against my crotch, and I almost had a heart attack.

“Do you like me?” he asked, his nose close to my neck. I felt his hand gently sliding down my shirt until it reached the button on my jeans. My breathing was so ragged that there was no way he couldn’t hear it. “I think you wanted me…” he smiled and bit his lip. Now his big hand was on my crotch; he squeezed, feeling me hard as a rock.

“Fuck…” I hissed through clenched teeth and closed my eyes. I waited for a blow. But nothing happened.

“We’ll see each other again…” he whispered, and when I opened my eyes again, he was gone. I collapsed to the floor, trembling and distraught.

"Damn it, I'm definitely gay."

And my worst bully turned me on.