*
My escape from the party took me through the dark looming forest, stumbling in the shadows of moss, fallen trees, and stuff like that. I was not one to be scared of the dark or anything, but wandering drunk through the forest in the middle of the night wasn't the most pleasant experience. I knew there were animals living out here, and that when I was startled by a twig snapping that was what it likely was.
Yet, here I was, scared shitless, hiding behind a tree, panting from having bolted through the forest utterly directionless. I was drunk and alone in the pressing quietness of the dark forest, except for the cracking steps of my feet shuffling through the snow.
"LOGAN!" I heard someone scream. I snapped around, stumbled and fell over, drunk as I still was.
It was Jeremy's voice. And soon behind was also Zach. No Robert to save the day now. Was the final reckoning upon me? Though behind them were both Amanda and Anna. What were they doing here?
"Hey, buddy," Jeremy said, extending his hand to me. "Get up from that cold shit. You gonna freeze to death."
"You're not gonna kill me?" I asked.
"Not today, shitbird," Jeremy said. "I guess I overreacted. I promised a month, didn't I? You just stood up too fast and drank too much, pussy."
"Yeah, and Jeremy was a real gentleman and helped me find a new shirt, so it's honestly okay," Anna explained.
I hated the sound of that. He helped her. Not me. Because of me, to make it worse. But did that mean... Did that mean Jeremy saw Anna in her bra? A pit filled my stomach at the possibility of my crush having accidentally exposed herself to my bully. Because of me, to make it worse.
"Look!" Amanda whispered. She pointed beyond a couple of old walnut trees, past a large, wrought iron fence.
There it stood. Hidden behind shrubs and overgrown trees and bushes. The old house.
It looked so much bigger up close, though I knew it was more or less the same type of factory-made house built in the 1960s that I lived in myself, perhaps of an even older standard. Yet the rotten planks and the dark windows seemed a more dominating presence as we stood so close. Come to think of it, I had actually never been this close, in fact, as it was now just beyond the fence and then a few steps. Not even living on the same street had I ever gotten such an up-close look. The front yard always acted as a small leeway between the strange house and the rest of the world.
My eyes wandered across its features until I found myself staring into a window. Heavy curtains hung on each side, gray with dust obvious even from out here. The moonlight reflected in the shards of glass as teenagers had practiced their throwing arms against those windows for years. I was one of them once upon a time, being the clueless little idiot I was.
"It's so ugly, why won't they take it down?" Anna snorted.
"Agreed," Amanda said, fear and awe in her voice as the five of us looked at the house.
Then we all gasped. There, in the kitchen window, one of the dusty old curtains was pulled aside. Slowly, and meticulously. The four others immediately bolted toward the woods, and me to round the house. There was a hole in the fence down the slope, so I hurried to get down there. Still drunk I slammed to the ground, scraping my knees, but quickly got back up and sprinted away.
Ice shot through my lungs as I heaved and my heart throbbed, leaning on a fence post outside my own house some minutes later. It was only a few houses over, in our little cul-de-sac neighborhood, but the street light and the closeness and safety to my own home were reassuring regardless. The fact that I had to run to a nearby chain link fence to slip through probably created some imagined distance too, which probably helped. Even if I could almost see the house from where I stood.
I clutched my chest as if I was gonna pass out. What was that? I swore those curtains moved. And... thinking back... did I see fingers wrap around those old dusty things?
No. No way. It was the wind, and then excessive drinking and the right mindset made me susceptible to bullshit. Yes. I shook my head.
"Logan?" I heard. This time it wasn't some high school bully, but Dad, who had appeared in the front door. He had stayed awake to make sure I got home safe, I figured.
"Yeah," I responded, turning to walk up the driveway. I shot a glance toward the strange house, but it just sat there. Quiet and alone. Sitting still and unbothered behind a series of unkept bushes. Doing nothing suspicious at all.
"What happened to you?" Dad asked worriedly, inspecting me.
I guess I had some bruising from Jeremy slapping me, then some scrapes from falling over again and again. Dad knew of my bullying issues, but I didn't want him to worry, so I scrambled for an excuse. And I had a good one. Things were getting good with Jeremy and Zach lately, so I didn't want to complicate things.
"The old house. I got spooked walking home and, erh, tripped," I said. It was the truth but just parts of it.
Dad looked at me suspiciously but decided to let it go. He instead guided me inside and to the kitchen.
"So how did the party go?" Dad asked. Yeah, I didn't lie to Dad ever, except when I just now withheld some information about my bruises, so I told him before that I was going to a party.
"Y'know. Cold. A lot of underage drinking," I said, confident my own intoxication had fazed itself out.
I had become quite clear-headed after throwing up, and a stroll and a sprint through the forest had sobered me right on up.
"Yeah. Kids do that," Dad said, putting a cup in front of me, filled with steaming coco. "I'm just glad you're responsible. And I know you may or may not partake, it's inevitable, but at least I know my boy is gonna be sensible about it. Right?"
"I know. I try to not get too mixed up," I said. It was the truth. Kinda. Next time I'd make sure to move around a bit more. No big deal.
*
Winter break came and went. Christmas was always my favorite time, as I got to spend it with my family. Gran and Granny had died a few years ago, while it had been devastating for me, it had led to my Dad and his siblings getting together more often. It was as if to fill the gap of those two. Gifts, food, and hanging out together. What a season.
But then it ended. Back to the assembly line. What do we assemble? Tired teenagers who could do with a few more extra days, and who had college scholarships to prepare for. I didn't have the greatest ambition in that respect. I knew I'd get into the local community college with decent enough grades, so I was among the few who chilled out. Relatively, of course. However, a change of scenery would be very much welcomed as well.
Something that had changed from the before the break, was Zach and Jeremy. While they had almost been friendly around that very last day before the break, they were back to their regular old selves afterward.
"Hey there, gay boy," Zach laughed, as I came walking towards them. "What you want? You can't suck me off right now, it's just before class!"
I don't know what I expected. Maybe I thought they would be different now that we had hung out together. What happened to a month with them easing off a bit? Indeed, I asked them as much.
"I thought you guys would leave me alone for a month," I said. "There's still two weeks."
Yet I had been the one who approached them as if they were friends, or I was part of their crew now.
"Sorry. Old habit," Zach smirked.
"Listen, burglar Sackins," Jeremy said, surprising me by even making a play on words with Bilbo Baggins' name. "Back to school party this weekend. Think you can hook us up?"
"What do you need?" I asked before catching myself. I couldn't make this a habit, but I also didn't want to be excluded just when I had a foot in the door.
"Everclear and forties. Same procedure," Zach responded eagerly.
But by now I had gotten a good dose of reason into my old noggin. This couldn't happen again. One time was bad enough. Twice? Would they ask me to rob that store more and more?
"Guys, actually-" I began, but Jeremy grabbed me by the collar and shoved me hard against the lockers, hurting me.
"Listen here, you little shit, you're doing it, or your ass is dead," Jeremy said, filling my face with his snarling, angry face. "What, you thought you were one of us just because we tricked you into being fucking stupid? You better do as you're told!"
"Heh, we filmed it, buddy. So you better get us what we need, or it's jail for you, butt boy. Though, I suspect you'd like that," Zach chimed.
"BOYS!" we heard from the other end of the hallway. A teacher had seen what was going on.
"Sorry, I, erh, fell on him," Jeremy said, shoving me against the lockers again before letting me go. "After school. Got it?" he muttered. I nodded.
"Hey, Anna! We got it fixed!" Jeremy exclaimed, walking away with Zach, leaving me to rub my aching shoulder. I think my shirt ripped too.
"Are you alright?" the teacher asked, coming over.
"Yeah. Just fell a bit hard," I muttered. The teacher eyed me for a moment and headed off.
Like I said, Jeremy's dad was a prominent figure in the community, and more or less untouchable anyway. If only I was big and strong like someone like Robert, or my Dad. I figured then no one would mess with me. Dad had tried talking with the principal several times as well as the two thugs' parents, but to no avail. The principal had insisted there was no bullying in his school and that 'boys will be boys,' and simply brushed it off. Mom had also tried, but she met the same resistance. Jeremy and Zach's parents were worse. They were either willfully ignorant or simply didn't care.
And as promised, after school Jeremy, Zach, Amanda, and to my huge dismay, Anna were waiting for me. I had to wonder how much the blondes knew of me being blackmailed. Amanda wouldn't care, but I had to believe Anna was better than this? I hoped I could try to explain to her later at the party or something, that I wasn't like this. I knew she was a decent person, and that she would understand
"Dildo Sackins," Zach chuckled as I jumped in the back. A small snicker followed from the others, and to my embarrassment, Anna too. "That's your new name from now on!"
"What's with the gay stuff, Zach?" Jeremy chuckled. Even from the trunk, I could see the redness in Zach's face as he was confronted.
