*CONTENT WARNING!* This chapter contains an attempted sexual assault and may be triggering to some readers.

By the time lunch rolled around that Monday Trent and I were the talk of the school. Everyone was looking at me in all of my classes, whispering to their friends next to them and pointing as if I couldn't see them. I just put up my hood, pulled my sleeves down past my hands, and curled up into a ball, hoping if I could just make myself small enough I would disappear. I also had a lot of people coming up and congratulating me, and then there were the angry people, accusing me of turning Trent gay, asking how I did it. The comments were honestly preferred to the snickering behind my back, well it was more like in front of my face but, you get it. I was so relieved when I got to the cafeteria and Trent was already there, sitting with Nat and Brayden, he noticed me walk in and his eyes lit up. I quickly began to make my way over to him, so quickly that I didn't notice Kyle at one of the tables along the way. I also didn't notice as he stuck his foot out in the middle of the walkway until I was already falling. I tripped and would've landed face first on the linoleum if Trent hadn't caught me. He had noticed Kyle stick his foot out and ran over to me instantly, making it just in time to catch me. A roar of laughter erupted around us as Trent stood me upright, then turned to face Kyle. The laughter stopped when Trent's fist collided with Kyle's face, turning into a chorus of gasps.

"You fucking faggot," Kyle spat, wiping the blood from his lip.

"I may be a faggot, but I can still kick your ass. Don't fucking try me Kyle," Trent warned. Out of the corner of my eye I saw teachers start to enter the cafeteria for lunch duty. I tugged on Trent's sleeve, trying to pull him away from Kyle as the teachers eyed the situation suspiciously.

"Trent, l-let it go," I begged. He looked around the cafeteria, noticing the eyes on us, the teachers ready to break up a brawl, and he backed down, grabbing my hand and walking to our table.

"Are you okay, Gray?" Nat asked, worry in her voice.

"I'm fine," I said.

"I can't believe Kyle gets away with that bullshit," Brayden seethed.

"Well, when your daddy is on the school board you can get away with murder," Trent said, staring daggers at Kyle and his friends.

"It's really f-fine guys," I tried to reassure.

"Gray, you might not see it, but it so is a big deal. You don't deserve to be treated that way, and it breaks my heart that you think you do." Trent said, taking my hand in his. There was sadness in his eyes as he spoke, no doubt because he understood why I felt that way.

"I just don't want you to get in trouble again for defending me," I explained.

"I would get expelled for you," he joked with a smile.

"Let's hope it doesn't get to that," I laughed.

We ate lunch in peace for the rest of the period, talking and laughing with each other. It felt normal, I felt normal. For the first time in my life I felt like a normal teenager, just sitting at the lunch table with their friends talking about all of the stupid things that high schoolers talk about. I never wanted that lunch period to end honestly. I knew that once it was over the normalcy would cease. I would go about the rest of my day, go home to a house where I wasn't safe, and I wouldn't be a normal teenager anymore, I would just be this damaged and sad boy.

At the end of the day I met up with Trent, who was waiting for me outside of my history class, and we quickly made our way out of the school, hand in hand. "How did you do today?" He asked.

"Okay," I admitted.

"I can only imagine the harassment you got. People were asking what turned me gay, laughing behind my back, congratulating me, it was so weird. Why do people care so much about who people are fucking? Not that we're fucking... or will be any time soon. Not that I don't want to though!" I started laughing hysterically at Trent as he just put his foot farther into his mouth.

"It's okay, I know what you mean." He went to say something else and then just decided to shut his mouth. "Yeah, people were asking how I t-turned you, also congratulating me, and there was a lot of laughing. I didn't know that many people kn-knew me."

"Well, unfortunately people know me, so now the whole school knows who you are too. Just, don't let it get to you too much. People will be over it in a week."

"I hope so," I sigh as we get into Trent's truck. He drove us back to his house, smoking a cigarette as he drives, and I look at him confused.

"My dad is performing surgery tonight, so he's already at the hospital. I thought you might like a break from your house."

"Thanks, Trent," I smile as I get out of the truck. We enter the large house and I am again assaulted by the sterile environment Trent's brain surgeon father had created. We grabbed some snacks from the kitchen before heading up to Trent's room. My jaw nearly hit the floor upon entering the room. The beer bottles and cigarette cartons are gone from the room, the piles of clothes are now either in the hamper or I assume put away in the closet. "Wow, it's so clean!" I teased.

"Oh, so you have jokes now?" Trent scoffs as he flops on his bed. I sit down next to him, the closest we've ever sat while on a bed before.

"You will come to find I'm very funny."

"I'm sure I will," he smiled at me. We sat there for a moment, just staring into each other's eyes. In those few moments, I was at peace, Trent and I were the only two people in the world.

"So, what do you want to do?" I asked, interrupting the silence. As much as I wanted to sit there forever and just melt in his emerald eyes, I was too tempted to kiss him, and that was a kind of intimacy I just wasn't ready for.

"I was thinking we could watch Star Trek?" The biggest smile imaginable spread across my face at his suggestion. I nodded eagerly and Trent went to Netflix and found the original Star Trek series and started playing it. We spent the whole afternoon just watching the show and eating snacks, laughing at the ridiculousness of the 1960s special effects, and how often William Shatner got laid. For another moment I felt like a normal 16-year-old kid, sitting with my boyfriend watching TV, laughing and talking together. For the first time in a very long time I was getting a taste of what it was like to be normal. It was like meeting an old friend, but you're both very different people. Something is just a little bit off; the rapport isn't there and it's awkward and a little bit uncomfortable. You know that this is something that won't last, you probably won't see each other for a long time after this, so you savor the weird, short time you have together before you go your separate ways.

My time catching up with normalcy would end sooner than I thought. The next afternoon Trent drove me home from school, but he had to help his dad with some things around the house and couldn't stay. Mom and Dad both had to work again, so it would just be me and Adam until they got home between five and six p.m. Given the fact that Adam had tried to get into my room again last night, I was nervous about being alone with him. Trent said to call him immediately if things got bad, that he would have his phone on him the whole time. I quietly entered my house and ran up to my room, immediately locking the door behind me. I breathed a sigh of relief when I was safely in my room, and threw myself in my bed, hiding under the covers from the rest of the world. I played Animal Crossing on my Nintendo Switch to try to kill time until my parents came home. I didn't think Adam realized that I was home, he made no attempt to enter my room or call out to me. It was a relief to be invisible in my own house right now.

*TRIGGER WARNING: SEXUAL ASSAULT* If you are sensitive to sexual assault please feel free to skip the end of the chapter, it is not imperative to understanding the rest of the story.

That invisibility didn't last. I soon heard footsteps coming up the stairs and stopping right in front of my room. It was about 4:30, and my parents could be home within the hour. My breath caught in my throat as the door handle started to jiggle. I texted Trent to let him know what was happening.

Grayson: Adam's trying to get into my room.

Trent: Are you okay?

Grayson: I'm freaking out, but as long as he doesn't get in, I will be.

"Grayson?" Adam's voice called from the other side of the door. "Can you let me in please?"

"G-go away!" I shouted. He tried harder to turn the door handle in response, hitting up against it to try to break it down. Thankfully it was a sturdy door, and he soon walked away.

Trent: Do you think he'll be able to get in?

Grayson: Don't know. He tried breaking the door down and then walked away. He might come back though.

Trent: It's okay, babe. Just keep texting me, if anything happens, I will come right over and get you.

Grayson: Thank you.

Grayson: Trent he's coming back. He's trying to pick the lock.

I ran into my bathroom and locked the door, giving me an added layer of protection in case he got into my room. I tried to focus on my breathing and stay calm but there was a weight on my chest, crushing it and making it impossible to breathe. I heard my bedroom door swing open as Adam successfully picked the lock.

"You know what happens to boys who don't listen, Grayson." Adam called as he stalked over to my bathroom door, attempting to pick that lock as well. I quickly texted Trent to let him know.

Grayson: He's in my room, currently breaking into my bathroom, help!!!!!

I heard my phone buzz as Trent responded, but I couldn't answer as Adam broke his way into my bathroom. He grabbed the collar of my shirt as I tried to move away from him and dragged me out of the bathroom, throwing me onto my bed. I whimpered in fear as tears began to stream down my face.

"You know, I've dreamed about this," he said with an evil grin on his face. I curled up into a ball at the top of my bed, trying to put as much distance in between myself and Adam as possible. I watched in horror as he removed his clothes.

"M-my p-parents will be home s-soon," I stuttered, hoping that would deter him.

"It's okay, I don't need much time," he said as he walked over to my bed, grabbing me. I shouted out as he tried to remove my shirt, hitting him and kicking to try to get him away from me. After a few minutes of struggling he got a grip on my shirt, pulling it off of me as I shouted, begging for him to stop. As I struggled against him, he was pushing me back, trying to keep me still. He pushed me so hard my head flew back against my headboard, and the last thing I remember is the sound of the collision before everything went black.