. 01

Hi everyone,

I'm trying my first story on this site. I won't bother you with the 'please be gentle with me blah blah blah". You do you, and I'll pick whatever feedback may help me improve my writing style.

Also, be aware that sex isn't the main purpose of this story. Now don't get me wrong, there will be a few hot scenes (though I have not much experience with this kind of writing), but not in this chapter and they will be rarer than in most average Literotica stories. So if you choose to get on this boat with me, it will be mainly for the main plot.

Without further ado, let's get on with it.

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Chapter 1: An Unexpected Gift

Riley Miller stood in front of the little bigger than average house, not even knowing why he even wanted to get here. Eleanor Buckley was having a party for her 18th birthday, and he was sure as hell, that he wasn't invited.

Although he was a very average young man, he wasn't really appreciated in his school. If that was not for the bullying he was getting, he wouldn't mind. He had other, much more important, things on his mind. The bullying never got physical, though. They would mock and taunt him about how he was a loner and a nerd, never without a book in his hands. For a reason, the few 'I don't care' or 'get out of my way' looks he generally sent would dissuade them from actually turning violent. Something about his careless attitude freaked them out. He wanted to be, if at least not respected, left alone, though.

So his plan tonight was to casually enter this party and act like an invited guest. He would maybe drink a few beers and stand there, hiding in plain sight, just to show everyone that he couldn't care less if they didn't like him. They'll have to deal with him anyway.

Having made his decision, he walked into the house through the front door. Although it wasn't luxurious, it was a quite big and comfortable house. He made his way to the kitchen, opened the fridge, and took one of the beer bottles provided for the party. He opened it and took a few sips before making his way toward the living room. The room was slightly spacious, and it was obvious this was where the core of the party was held.

The room was in the center of the house and wasn't enclosed with doors and the few open spaces in the wall were large enough for him to have a good view toward the dining room, the kitchen, the stairs, and another room in the back of the house that looked like a library with many bookcases. 'And they say I'm the nerd'. He didn't feel resent toward the way he was being treated, but if he could hate anything, it was hypocrisy. Although the party hostess didn't take an active part in his bullying, she did call him a nerd quite a few times. The tingle of anger he felt, though, was quickly replaced with the attraction that dragged him toward the room full of many knowledges. Without realizing it, he had already taken a step toward the books gathered in the room. He slightly shook his head to get his thoughts in order and went to lean on the wall which faced all the other entrances of the room, making sure he would be spotted.

He was already starting to receive weird glances from people, but most didn't care and weren't even part of the group that bullied him. In the corner of his eyes, he saw movement in the library. Eleanor was talking with her father, and the man gave her a little wrapped-up package which was probably her birthday gift. The girl took her father in her arms and said something Riley could guess was 'thank you'. Then she broke the embrace and went out of the room toward the stairs, all the while seeming very emotional.

Suddenly, he sensed a tall muscular figure standing in front of him, his arms crossed, staring menacingly at him. Although they were the same size, Riley was way less muscular than Bradley. It didn't matter to him though. He still knew how to throw a punch, and most importantly where to aim to cause enough damage. He really wasn't impressed and did nothing to hide it. He even dared to show a confident crooked grin.

"What are you doing here?" Bradley asked in a no-nonsense tone. Riley hesitated between antagonizing him or playing the 'I don't want trouble' act. He chose a third option by silently sipping his beer without even making eye contact with Bradley.

Angered by the confidence this little disrespectful piece of shit showed, Bradley stepped up his tone a level and insisted, "Are you deaf? What the fuck you think you're doing here?"

This time Riley chose to answer with the smartass attitude, he was an expert at showing. "I'm sipping a beer," As to emphasize his point, he took a quick one. "without antagonizing anyone. What are you doing here?"

Bradley didn't believe the audacity of this punk nerd and felt like throwing a punch, but as always, he was afraid that his careless attitude could hide something. One thing was sure, he didn't want this nerdy asshole to crash this party. He was planning on making a move with Eleanor tonight and wanted to make sure this little loser wouldn't try and get in the way. So he tried intimidation once again. "Unlike you, I was invited. Which means you should take what's left of this beer and go. And you should feel lucky I even allow you to keep it."

Riley felt like this couldn't go better. He didn't really know what to expect when he came to this party, he wasn't really a planner, he acted mostly on instinct and backed up with a little hint of logical assumptions to prevent the worst-case scenarios. But this, right here, was God-sent. He wasn't afraid of a fight, and if he played his cards right, he could make perfectly clear that you don't mess with Riley Miller if you don't want your head shoved up your own ass. He couldn't act at this moment though. He really disliked drawing first blood and only used violence in self-defense.

So again, he chose silence and took a sip of his beer. Bradley stared at him in disbelief. He was about to burn out. Riley knew his kind, they were ruled by anger. In a sense, he almost felt pity for him, because he probably had a shitty early life to be this angry at everything. That's also why he didn't quite resent the major actor of his regular bullying. Right now, he needed to make sure his schoolmates started to respect him, and Bradley was just what he needed for that.

After letting just the right amount of silence set him near the edge. He handed the bottle to Bradley. "I have no problem sharing, there's plenty of drink in that fridge." By the look in Bradley's eyes, it seemed like his brain was about to burn, not that he had any uses for it anyway. He snapped the bottle from Riley's hand with the back of his hand. It shattered against a near wall, frightening the few guests who stood here seconds ago and had stepped away from the fear of getting cuts. At this moment, Riley knew he was near his objective, Bradley was either going to hit him, or back down. Either way, everyone will understand that Riley couldn't be pushed around.

"Now, now, that was not a very polite way to refuse a drink. Where did you learn your manners?" He dared to say, knowing that this time, he crossed the line just the right amount he needed.

Bradley's eyes went large when he shouted. "Fuck you!" Followed by the biggest backhand slap he could send. Throwing Riley down on the floor, without knowing that's exactly what he expected. Riley had a secret way to handle pain without much trouble, which grew very effective in this situation "See," the bully started thinking he had finally made his point clear. "I slapped you like the bitch you are. 'Cause you're my bitch, now, understood!"

'Didn't know you were this kinky' was what Riley wanted to reply, but now was not the time to play smartass. Now he needed to go full berserk on his ass. He calmly, but promptly stoop up. Starting to stretch his limbs, obviously showing he was preparing for a fight.

Bradley couldn't believe what he was seeing. He was sure the punk was down, learning his lesson. Since he never went into a physical fight with the man, he didn't know what he was capable of. 'No,' he thought 'I'm not gonna let that little loser push me around, I'm way stronger than him and I could knock him out with only one punch.'

Riley watch another God-sent sign as he saw that Bradley stood just in front of the wall to the dining room. The events that were about to follow were already unfolding in his head. "You want me to go full fist on yo' ass? Fine, let's do this!" shouted Bradley before throwing his fist at Riley.

Without thinking, Riley rushed Bradley before the fist could connect to his face, and pinned him to the wall behind, his forearm to the bully's throat. He wasn't very strong, but since he was lean, he was fast. It didn't help Bradley that in order to throw a fist, he had to slightly lower his defense. It didn't was much, but enough for Riley to take advantage of.

Having his opponent stuck against the wall, Riley was the one shouting this time, "Leave... Me... The fuck... Alone!" Each word was punctuated by a hit of his knee to the bully's groin, and he finished him off with an uppercut right to the man's liver. This had the effect of contracting his thoracic diaphragm and making his breathing incredibly painful. He shouldn't pass out nor die, though. That was probably for the best. Even if this was legitimate defense, it wouldn't fit right with him to end someone's life.

Suddenly, something took over him, he felt the urge to kick the guy's guts until his own foot would bleed open. Although he wasn't familiar with this feeling, he recognized it right away: This was anger. And it was the first time in his life, that he felt it. Trying to get ahold of himself, he rushed out in the hallway and leaned on the railing of the stairs. He closed his eyes and whispered his mantra to himself: "Why bother with something you can't control?" He repeated it three times before his heartbeat returned to normal and all his anger returned to Pandora's box.

He stood there in disbelief. This catchphrase was a saying he used when his feelings began overwhelming him. It was more than just a mantra, it was his philosophy of life. He was still stunned that he had to use it again though. It was several years since he felt that emotional, the saying having been rooted so deep in his personal beliefs that he didn't even had to say it out loud anymore for it to have any effect.

After a few seconds, he returned to his natural calm and smart self. He went toward to door when he felt another urge in him. It wasn't at all emotional this time, it was instinct. If Riley trusted one thing, it was his own instinct. He felt the need to go up those stairs. 'But why?' He thought. His instinct didn't answer but he followed it still. Once on the first floor, he saw a slightly opened door, and again his instinct pushed him toward it.

For the sake of staying polite, he knocked on the door before opening it. Once inside, he recognized the figure who sat on her own bed, clutching a letter in her hands. It was Eleanor. While starting to understand what (or who) his instinct was dragging him toward, he still had no idea what it wanted from him. All his thoughts dispersed when he saw her gaze on him, telling him he wasn't welcome here. For the first time in his life, his gut contracted for an unknown reason. No, that wasn't true, he knew why they contracted, what he didn't know was, why would he suddenly feel bad about being an annoyance to her.

With an inquisitive tone, she asked, "What are you doing here?"

The question rang in his head. "I honestly don't know." He said, "I shouldn't have invaded your room, I don't know what had gotten into me. Sorry."

As he took a step back, she replied. "No! What are you doing inside my house? I don't remember sending you an invite."

These words were like a stab in his gut. For a reason, she hated him. What he couldn't comprehend was, why it bothered him so much. There was one thing he understood though. He now knew what his instinct wanted from him. It was the same thing that got his eyes constantly in books: Understanding! Knowledge! About any- and everything. Right now, he needed to understand her feelings toward him.

"Actually, I know what I'm doing here." He replied following his instinct. She stayed silent. While despising him, she was still curious about his intentions. Seeing he got her attention, he continued, "I have a question for you: Why do you hate me so much? You and your little group of high school perfect."

Whatever she expected, it certainly wasn't a so blatantly asked question. Although, now, she feared he might become angry from the treatment he received.

Always being perceptive, he noticed the change in her eyes. Without noticing, his tone raised slightly at the gaze she gave him. "And why are you looking at me, like I'm some goddamn predator." He sat on a chair in the room to try and gather his thoughts and let it all out. "What did I ever do to you, for you to despise me like this? Is it so wrong to like reading books? And if I'm a nerd for that, what does that make you, a bookworm? I saw your library down there. Even I don't own as many books and there's barely a day that passes without me reading at least one." He barely managed to take his breathing between each sentence. When he finished, she was left agape, like a fish out of the water.

"I... I..." she tried to bring him an answer, but thinking about it, there wasn't even a reason for the way she treated him. A feeling came to the surface, one that she didn't think she could feel one day: guilt. The man before her was being socially mistreated, and he wasn't even angry or resentful, nor did he even ask it to stop, but just at least to have a decent reason for his fate. And here she was, unable to even give him an answer. She did have a good excuse for it, after what she just learned earlier, but she felt like she owed him at least a word. A feeling she couldn't explain. She couldn't care less for Riley Miller before this conversion. Yet, that's how she felt now.

Before he could hear her answer, Riley heard loud footsteps on the stairs and shootings. "This little punk, where the fuck is he?" Without further warning, Bradley barged into the room, and Riley stood just as quickly. His gaze was attracted to the knife clutched in the man's right hand. 'Ow. I'm fucked' he thought.

Deciding not to go without at least defending himself, he analyzed quickly his surroundings while Bradley was going all-big-talk again. "I told you to stay away from her. She's mine!"

"What the fuck!" This came from Eleanor. She liked Bradley a lot. Well, that was before he acted like she was some kind of property to him. "I'm nobody's bitch! And I invite anyone I want in my room."

Spotting a dress laying on the backrest of the chair he was just on seconds ago, Riley quickly but discreetly grabbed it, while Bradley's focus was on Eleanor. "What do you mean? You invited him? Him!?" he repeated the word like he was talking about a gift left by his dog in the garden.

Eleanor went still for a second. Blushing, she straightly answered, "Yes." She didn't know how she felt about Riley or why she blushed, but she sure was liking that it added to Bradley's discomfort. Putting in him the idea that something was going on here, she hoped that it would make Bradley come to his senses and drop the knife he was holding. Her eyebrows raised in terror when she saw him lifting the knife over her instead. Never having thought one second, that he would use it against her.

Riley experienced another unfamiliar feeling for the first time: fear. Whatever tricky situation he got into, fear never got to him, but right now, it wasn't his own life on the line, it was Eleanor's. Without a glimpse of hesitation; he jumped between Bradley and Eleanor and blocked the knife with the dress. He managed to stop the blow, getting neither of them hit.

"Alright then, you first." Bradley said, and punched Riley in the face. This time, he didn't fall to the ground and managed to keep up his balance. Bradley had already taken the dress off the blade and was throwing another hit. In reflex, Riley put his hands for blocking the attack. As it tore through the flesh of his palms, he couldn't hold back a slight cry. As good as he was for ignoring pain (or accepting it would be a better choice of word) this one was going to leave a mark. Bradley shoved Riley backward while taking out the blade from his wound, doubling the pain for his opponent. Riley fell backward against the desk, near the chair he was sitting on earlier.

Seeing Bradley sending another blow, he sent a silent prayer, hoping his instinct or, who knows, God himself would guide him for survival, but it was too late... The blade tore through his stomach. If the pain from his hands was something, what he felt now managed to take the first tears that were ever drawn from his eyes.

Sending a glance toward Eleanor, he saw that she was on the verge of tears herself, her hands over her mouth in a shocked expression. On what he guessed was his final thought, he hoped that Bradley would at least spare her. 'Why would I suddenly care?' he thought to himself. Unfortunately, he guessed he wouldn't have time for a last introspection.

While glancing at Bradley, he recognized the look of a man who asks himself 'What have I done!' He could almost have felt sorry for him if he wasn't about to die.

Leaning backward on the wall just aside from the desk, he felt his legs give him up. In a desperate attempt to stay on his feet, he tried to grab the furniture around him. In his fall to the floor, still against the wall, he dropped something from the desk that fell on his knee: It was a necklace.

A very beautiful necklace with an electric blue pearl hanging on its end. Upon seeing it, Riley felt attracted to it. He took it in his hand admiring it much closer. When it came into contact with his skin, the pearl turn out into a shiny golden color that hypnotized Riley even more than before.

Suddenly, he felt the pain go dull and the room becoming colder. An eerie black silhouette appeared near one corner of the room. It was a cliché representation of the angel of death, with a large black hooded cloak, a bright sharp scythe, and most importantly a skeletal appearance, with a face and hands just made of bones. They approached him calmly.

Curiously enough, he didn't feel fear anymore, just regret. There was so much he still wanted -no! Had to do, -to learn. Death let out a series of eerie incomprehensible sounds. Riley understood what they meant though: It's time.

Letting out one last tear, he said: "I wish I hadn't been stabbed." Suddenly, Death stopped in their track, then disappeared. The cold sensation vanished, and while the pain from his wound started to reappear, it quickly went dull again and vanished completely. When he looked down at his wound, he saw that there was no wound anymore. There wasn't even a patch of blood or any signs of tearing on his shirt. Even the wounds on his hands had healed completely.

He stood up and saw that the blade was back in Bradley's hand as if he had never used it. "I... I'm so..." Bradley started, but Riley interrupted him with a held finger.

"Don't!" he started, "Don't you dare apologize after nearly killing me." Looking at the necklace again, he felt another tug in his guts. "I wish you remember what happened here, every time you get angry at someone." Eleanor let out a discreet weird sound, somewhere between a moan and a groan, and Bradley's iris became golden for a few seconds. "Now, go and don't try to kill anyone again," Riley ordered him.

Bradley still stunned by the events stood in place without being able to move. Even though he couldn't help himself but hate Riley, he never meant to end anyone's life. While the process washed him of all the anger he's always felt, he, to an extent, would have felt awfully guilty for what happened. Some part of him was relieved, that his worst enemy was still alive.