Chris was rudely awakened by the irritating sound of his phone. The clock showed 6:50. Groaning, he turned off the alarm, hoping to catch a few more minutes of sleep. He was jolted awake again ten minutes later when the phone started ringing again. This time, he checked the battery - 45% - and plugged it into the charger. As he got ready for school, he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror: a thin boy with black hair and dark brown eyes, sporting large bags. He winced as he touched the wounds near his belly, feeling a tingling sensation.
After putting on fresh clothes and contact lenses, Chris was finally able to see clearly. It was already 7:50, and he knew he had to hurry. Just as he was about to leave, he heard his father's voice from downstairs.
"CHRIS COME DOWN!"
His heart racing, Chris rushed downstairs to find his father lounging on the couch.
"Took you long enough," he grumbled. "Can you go to the shop after school? We're out of bread bags and condoms. As a reward, you can keep some of the condoms. If you're ever going to use them."
Chris forced a laugh. "Uh, yes, sure."
"Good! And don't let them come to our house, and I don't want any calls from your new school."
As Chris rushed out of the house, he saw that he was already running late. He quickly put on his shoes and ran outside to his bike. Just then, his phone vibrated. He grabbed it from his pocket and read a message from a friend he met online.
"Hi, Chris! Good luck at your new school!"
Despite the friendly message, Chris felt a knot forming in his stomach. He knew he was about to face his first day at a new school, and he wasn't sure he was ready for it. When he arrived at the school, he parked his bike and saw a lot of students milling around. His heart racing, he walked inside the building.
The Director of the school, a small man with a mustache, greeted him and showed him to his office. After a few minutes of talking, the Director gave him his class schedule and the keys to a locker. Chris was then directed to his first class, which was in room 2IG3. He took a deep breath and walked in, only to be met by the stares of the entire class.
"Hi," he said nervously. "I'm new here."
The teacher, a tall man with a bald head, smiled and asked him to introduce himself. Despite his nerves, Chris managed to get through the introduction. But just as he was about to sit down, a student shouted out,"Sir, is he the Christopher from Elsa, but the failed gay version? Haha," the student yelled out, causing the entire class to burst into laughter. Chris was caught off guard, wondering how the student knew he was gay. Even the teacher was laughing, and Chris couldn't take it anymore. He ran out of the class, running through what felt like a large hall for five minutes before finding a restroom. He locked himself in a toilet cubicle and threw his bag down, tears streaming down his face.
Suddenly, the bathroom door opened, and Chris's heart started racing as he wiped his tears on his hoodie. He quickly grabbed his bag and opened the door, not even bothering to look up. He ran to the sink, trying to pretend he had just come from the toilet. But he could feel eyes on him, judging him for crying.
"Um... are you okay?" a kind voice asked him.
Chris slowly lifted his head to see a pair of clean Adidas shoes, but he couldn't bring himself to look any higher. Suddenly, three guys stormed into the restroom, making fun of him for running out of class crying like a girl. They started teasing him about hitting on someone named Luc, and Chris didn't know what to do. He heard someone hitting someone else and then heard them walking away.
Suddenly, he felt warmth and looked up to see a young student with a red hand. He couldn't remember giving the guy a red hand, but he felt grateful that someone cared about him. "You should've just ignored me. I'm not worth it," Chris said shakily before walking out of the restroom.
He ran out of the school, not caring where he went. He ended up on the roof of a building and thought about ending it all. But then he heard an innocent voice behind him, saying that they would notice if he was gone. Chris turned around to see a tall young man with tears in his eyes.
He took another step forward, but the young man's muscular arms wrapped around him, and Chris collapsed into his embrace. He felt embarrassed but also safe in his arms.
ns 172.71.195.41da2
and then Add to home screen.