"Oh, you look different today," Hannah said, frowning as Alice arrived to help set up the lesson. They were doing crafting since there was little else to do, and the materials had to split between the tables to stop the kids from wondering. Not that it would work. Half the school was already at home isolating, including most of the teachers.
"I wanted a more casual look," Alice said. Instead of straightening her hair and putting on a dress and heels, she'd gone the opposite way. A glow-down, some might call it. With her hair in a messy bun, flat shoes, and an old pair of her mother's work trousers she would draw less attention.
"Well, you look pretty either way," Hannah said, smiling. Alice got the feeling Hannah might be a lesbian but didn't feel she was hitting on her. She was simply being sweet.
"Thank you." Alice blushed, tucking a stray hair behind her ear.
"Do you mind picking up some more card
After internet stalking Felix for hours and coming up with very little, Jamie decided to bite the bullet and send him a message saying hello. He didn't expect a reply at all, let alone an immediate one. He was shocked when Felix hit him up after only a couple of minutes."Remember all those fun times in the showers?" Felix replied with a winking emoji. "Did you miss those days?""Not particularly," Jamie replied. He had to be very careful about how he spoke to this guy. Being his true self wasn't an option if he wanted to gather any information on Felix. He'd have to pick a persona. "Your name came up in conversation and I wondered what you were doing these days.""I’m doing 6th form at Rowshill School," he replied curtly. "Will that be all?"Jamie's teeth ground together as his left hand curled into a fist so tight he had to type one-handed.'You arrogant prick,'
When Alice saw Riley and the others waiting at the gate, she panicked and almost turned back. Unfortunately, he'd already spotted her."I have something really important I need to do today," she said, pressing her palms together."More important than me?" Riley asked."Well... yes," Alice admitted with an apologetic wince. "Please may I be excused?"When his only response was to stare blankly at her, she bent her knees and bowed her head. "Pleeeease, please, please?"She heard Riley tut and sigh. "Fine. Whatever. It's not like you're even useful.""Wow," Felix commented. "You're so soft on her. Whatever will people say?"There was a definite shift in the mood as a dank quiet fell over the group—you could almost cut the tension with a blade.It was Riley who broke the awkward silence with a yawn that seemed to re
Alice had almost drifted off when she heard a voice."Well, well, well, what do we have here?"She looked up to see Riley standing over her, surrounded by the usual suspects and a couple of others she vaguely recognised.As a reflex, she pulled her hand away from Adam's like it was hot coal, though she knew it was too little too late. She'd been caught in the act."Riley—""Shush." He crouched and placed a finger on her lips. "You just curl up there. Cover your eyes and your ears, okay?""Oh, please, Riley, don't!" she cried. "You promised. You promised you wouldn't hurt him.""And you broke your side of the bargain." Riley smiled sadly and shook his head. "It was only a matter of time, so don't feel too bad. I was just having a little fun with you.""I—I didn't. I didn't—" Alice stammered, gla
Adam looked down at the blood and pliers, reliving that awful moment. It wasn't the pain or humiliation but the fact that he'd broken. He'd given in—agreed to do anything to make it stop.Before today, he'd never even entertained the thought of yielding to another man. Others bowed to him. He'd bullied countless weaklings, forcing them to bend to his will or laughed as they begged at his feet, but he'd never once been on the receiving end. Never in his life had he felt helpless, his life completely in the hands of an unforgiving and cruel maniac.Now that he understood how it felt to be utterly powerless, it wasn't just the shame and fear crushing his spirit but the realisation that he was a monster to so many others.As the painkillers wore off and his mouth throbbed, he thought about the times he'd punched other guys teeth out for kicks. He'd remembered the thrill he'd gotten from seeing his victims in tear
After fantasising about this moment hundreds of times, Jamie almost couldn't believe it was happening. It felt like a dream. Seeing Adam apologise and grovel was something he only ever expected to see in his imagination, but now that it was playing out for real, it was his reaction that shocked him the most.The sight of Adam on his knees sparked revulsion and disgust. He cringed away, pulling his hand from Adam’s, and pedalled back to the corner of the bed. Hiding between his pillows and giant plushies, he waved a hand at Adam."Get up, you moron!" he cried. "Stop that right now."Adam obeyed despite looking deeply confused. He stood and shifted on the spot, scratching his head. "I thought that was what you wanted.""Eww." Jamie shuddered. "I did too."Jamie turned his head into his giant Pikachu and squeezed, giving himself a moment to think. Why did seeing Adam beg make
Alice took her sandwiches and unwrapped the cellophane. The egg filling that had looked so delicious this morning had now begun to smell. She looked about guiltily, happy that only two others were currently taking their breaks. Most of the teachers were in isolation and teaching remotely on giant screens, including Hannah, who had always seemed so careful. Things were getting beyond ridiculous. Most of the management were also off sick, and those left to cover had little clue what they were doing.Every morning Alice prayed the school would close. That way, she would get paid and wouldn't have to see Riley or his gang. She hadn't bumped into any of them since that horrible night, but it was bound to happen at some point, despite her evasive tactics.Her eyes widened as the IT guy entered, caught her eye, and turned away so fast he dropped his pot noodle."Oh, crap," he uttered, scooping up the splatter of dry noodl
Alice waited by the gate for the rest of her gang to appear. She figured at least one of them had been held back after the lesson, as was usually the case—with the teachers who hadn't given up on them altogether at least.As the group appeared from the main doors, Alice noticed something different about the way they walked. Usually, Riley would be the centre of attention, talking loudly to the others. Today he was lagging behind.'Almost as if...'"Good girl," Felix said, interrupting her thoughts. "I didn't think you'd obey."'Obey this,' Alice thought, making a fist.Riley pulled her fist down as he passed, saying nothing. He definitely wasn't himself."We're meeting the others at seven so..." Riley shrugged. "I got some shit I need to do at home."As the group broke up and left Alice stan
The brawl was already in session when they arrived, and it looked to Alice like Riley's side was losing badly. A guy she recognised was balled up on the floor, being kicked by three guys at once while a couple of others engaged in one-on-one fistfights.Her heart rate doubled as she ducked under the broken metal grate. She expected Riley and the others to steamroll in and start kicking butt, but instead of rescuing their mates, they moved slowly."You fucked up big this time," Riley said, announcing his presence.The other group turned and made faces, acting tough."I heard you had a girl in your crew now," the leader said, taking a step toward Riley. He looked Alice up and down, licking his lips. He made the gesture Italians made when talking about food. "She's quite fit. I'll fuck her when I'm d—"Like lightning, Felix stepped out and whipped out his blade.
Bonus Chapter Alice shuffled, shifting her feet beneath her on the soft sofa cushions. It was hard to move with the weight of the now fully grown Ivy planted across her lap. Adam, seeing her struggle, laughed but did not offer any help. Knowing him inside and out, she wouldn't expect or want any different. That was Adam. Her Adam. Ste and Jamie sat opposite. Both had fussed the dog for a while before settling in front of the television, entangled in each other, and arguing about the contestants of the show 'Glow Up.' "She's a total stuck up bitch, but I like her," Jamie was saying. "She won't last." Ste shook his head. Zoe was also engaged in the television, but Gary was focused purely on his phone. "Look!" Gary raised his phone to show the others a picture. 'A baby.'Alice frowned, puzzl
Alice sat opposite Jamie as he preened himself in front of a mirror. He moved about the same piece of hair multiple times before deciding it looked better in the first place."Got a date?" she asked.Jamie glanced up from his mirror for a second and nodded. "I didn't think I'd ever get feelings for Ste, but since he rescued me... it's just... different."Alice nodded. She had similar feelings toward Adam. The annoying thing was, he wasn't making any sort of moves on her. If she wanted him, she was going to make it blatantly obvious before he would pick up the hint."I'm glad things are going well for you two," she said, smiling at her brother. It was nice to see him in a happy and healthy relationship.Putting down his mirror, Jamie tutted, sighed, and gave her the saddest smile. "Alice, you're just too nice. I was awful to you, and you're still rooting for me."
"Are you sure you're okay to come back to work?" Hannah asked for the umpteenth time. She'd been fussing over her all morning, making her drinks and going out of her way to make as little work as possible."Honestly," Alice reassured her. "I'm completely fine."Standing on her tiptoes, Alice glanced over the teacher's shoulders at the classroom. The seat where Felix had always sat was now empty. There was something ominous about the way it was angled and edged away from the table—almost as if it were waiting for his return."I always knew he was a wrong'un." Hannah shook her head. "I still can't believe you aren't pressing charges, though. He's going to get away with it."Her mother had said the same thing repeatedly, the thing they didn't understand though, was the trouble she'd be causing for Riley, Adam, Mike, and all the other lads if the prosecution started asking too many questions.
The pain in Alice's stomach would intensify every so often before tapering off and becoming ignorable for a time. It emitted a grumbling sound, making her blush and apologise.Damien laughed. "I just watched you pee in a bucket. There's no need to worry about a few bodily noises.""You said you weren't looking." Alice narrowed her eyes, giving him an evil stare.Damien laughed and shrugged. "These might be my last hours. I should make the most of them, don't you think?""Okaaay." Alice let out a strained chuckle, unsure what to say to that. If looking at her bum made his last day even a tiny fraction better, she would allow it, as weird and perverted as it seemed to her. "Knock yourself out."Without warning, he took her hand and spun her into his side. Licking his lips, he stared down at her. "Since we have nothing else to do..."Alice pulled away, feeling h
Jamie listened to the sounds of their footsteps crunching down the driveway, waiting until they were well out of earshot before moving toward Felix.First, he wandered off into the kitchen and poured some warm water into a bowl. Then he went upstairs to get the first aid kit from under his mother's bed. Their kit was pretty extensive and well-stocked—one of the perks of having a nurse for a mother.Returning to Felix, he paused halfway down the stairs to still his heart. Seeing the way the smaller boy had defeated Adam so completely and utterly was...Jamie smiled to himself.It was... euphoric.The more he learned and remembered about his adversary, the more in awe he became.This guy was a genius who couldn't feel pain. He seemed to feel nothing at all, which made him godlike in Jamie's eyes.After gathering his senses
"I don't care what you do to me. I'll never tell you." Felix spat blood into Adam's face and grinned, showing a row of broken and red-smeared teeth. "I'm not like you, Adam."'He's right,'Adam surmised.'I was begging for mercy at this point, and he's not even broken a sweat.'Becoming frustrated, Adam grabbed the hammer. He raised it in a tight fist, gearing it toward Felix's skull before turning and bashing the molars he'd painstakingly extracted.'Good luck reattaching these now.'He smirked to himself, feeling his recently removed teeth with his tongue. They felt different to before, and he couldn't stop pushing his tongue into the gap."How is this not hurting him?" he muttered to Jamie. "I remember it well. It was torture.""One sec," Jamie uttered. His fingers tapped away at his laptop keyboard as his eyes darted about the s
When Alice woke up, her arms were numb from having to sleep in an unfamiliar position. She had no idea if it was morning or how much time had passed because of the darkness. It was so thick she could barely see her hand in front of her face.Shivering, she rubbed her arms before feeling about her surroundings in the hope he'd been kind enough to leave a blanket.He hadn't.'No big surprise there,'Alice thought.She was hungry, thirsty, and cold, but most of all, she was afraid. Afraid of slowly dying in this cold and dark tomb.Her heart jumped when she heard a clang in the distance. Could it be Felix returning? And would he feed her or kill her?After a moment she heard footsteps approaching but as she strained her ears, the sound dissipated.'Did I imagine it?'"Felix? Felix
When Alice awoke, the first thing she remembered was Riley's words:'This is a great way to get over my ex.'It felt like someone was kicking her in the stomach.Then she remembered Felix and the taser and she really felt sick. She rolled over and tried to move but couldn't. Chains rattled as she struggled, but it was too dark to see her surroundings.Using the sounds and her sense of touch, she eventually figured out her wrists were bound by a metal chain that was wrapped around a metal pole several times. She patted the soft and springy floor beneath her and guessed she'd been placed on a mattress or bedding of some description. it was giving off that sour water smell, as though it had been sitting in the damp for some time.She filled her lungs, preparing to shout, and noticed how cold and damp the air felt in her mouth.'Am I underground?'sh
Alice stared into Riley's eyes, unsure what to do.Her body was telling her to rip off her clothes and throw herself at him, but was it what either of them truly wanted? Or were these merely the lust fuelled urges of two people who'd survived a trauma together?She felt his fingers pulled around the bottom of her T-shirt and lifted her arms to let him slip the clothes from her body. Once her shirt was a messy pile at her feet, he reached behind and pinged her bra. Her breasts shifted and bounced out of the cups as they fell forward. Instinctively she raised a hand to cover them as the bra dropped to the floor.Riley chuckled lightly as he pushed her grip away, replacing them with his larger hands. Her nipples became instantly hard as he pinched them between his thumbs and index fingers.She moaned gently as he squeezed and took a step forward, pressing her back up against the wall.&