Nightmare

Gabriel's POV

I didn't even have the chance to say no. The air in my tiny, cramped dorm room felt like it had been sucked out by a vacuum the moment Derek’s belt hit the floor. The metal buckle made a sharp clink against the linoleum that sounded like a gunshot to my nerves.

Connor was behind me, his grip on my arms so tight I felt my circulation cutting off. He was laughing, that wet, annoying snicker he always did when he was watching Derek destroy something. I wanted to scream, but my throat was a desert.

"Down," Derek commanded. It wasn't a request.

I sank to my knees, my glasses sliding down the bridge of my nose. I looked pathetic. I knew I did. A nerdy, stuttering boy with ginger hair and a heart that was currently trying to beat its way out of my ribs.

I looked up at him, and God, I hated myself. I hated that even as I was trembling, even as I was terrified of what was coming, my eyes couldn't help but trace the line of his jaw. He was so beautiful in the most disgusting way possible.

"Open up, Gabe," he whispered, his hand fisting in my hair and yanking my head back.

The next few minutes were a blur of gagging and the metallic taste of salt. Derek wasn't gentle. He never was. He slammed himself into my mouth with a rhythmic, violent force that left me clawing at the air, trying to find a rhythm that didn't exist. Every thrust was a reminder that I was nothing. I couldn't breathe. My eyes were watering, blurring the sight of his satisfied, angry face.

Connor’s laughter echoed in the small space. "Look at him, Derek. He’s taking it like he was born for it. Your little step brother is a natural."

Derek didn't answer. He just groaned, a deep, guttural sound that vibrated through my skull, and then it was over. He shoved me away so hard I fell back against the legs of my desk.

I gasped for air, my chest heaving, a string of saliva hanging from my lip. I felt filthy. I felt used. And yet, there was that sick, traitorous heat curling in my stomach because for those five minutes, Derek Miller wasn't looking at anyone else but me.

He reached down, grabbing my jaw in a grip that I knew would leave purple thumbprints by tomorrow.

"Listen to me, you pathetic slut," he hissed, his sea-blue eyes burning into mine. "If you don't find a way to kill that wedding, I will make your life a bloody living hell. This was is nothing. If my father puts a ring on your hoe mother’s finger, I will spend every night in that house making sure you regret being born. Understand?"

I couldn't speak. I just nodded, my chin trembling in his hand.

He let go, wiped his hands on his expensive jeans like he had touched something rotten, and walked out. "Pathetic," he muttered over his shoulder.

I stayed on the floor for a long time. My glasses had fallen off during the struggle. I crawled on my hands and knees, squinting at the floor until I found them near the trash can. I put them on, the world snapping back into sharp, ugly focus. I looked at my phone. My mom’s voice echoed in my head, Go and kill yourself. You won't ruin my miracle.

I didn't have a mother. I didn't have a boyfriend. I had a monster for a step brother and a god who seemed to be enjoying the show.

The Chemistry lab smelled like ammonia and old dreams. I sat at my station, my fingers shaking as I tried to measure out the copper sulfate. My mouth still felt sore, and every time I swallowed, I tasted him.

"Hey, Gabriel?"

I jumped, nearly spilling my beaker. It was Sarah, a girl from the front row who usually ignored me.

"I heard a rumor," she said, her voice loud enough to carry across the room. The clinking of glass stopped. The whispers started instantly. "Is it true? Is your mom really marrying Derek Miller’s dad? Are you guys going to be brothers?"

The whole hall felt like it was closing in. I could feel everyone’s eyes on me, the pity, the mockery, the sheer disbelief that someone like me could end up in a family like that.

"I... I..." I stuttered, my face heating up.

"Answer the question, dumbass," a voice boomed from the back.

I looked up. Derek was leaning against a lab table, his arms crossed over his chest. He was watching me like a cat watches a mouse it’s already crippled.

"Uhm... no," I lied, my voice cracking. "It’s not true. It’s all lies. Just... gossip."

Derek smirked, a dark, chilling expression. "Good boy."

The rest of the class was a nightmare. I kept my head down, staring at the blue liquid in my flask until my eyes ached. When the bell finally rang, I scrambled to pack my bag, desperate to disappear.

Bzzzt.

My phone buzzed in my pocket. A text from Derek: Wait after class.

I froze. I waited until the last student left. The lab was silent, the hum of the ventilation system the only sound left. Derek walked toward me, his tall frame casting a long shadow over my desk. He leaned in close, so close I could see the tiny flecks of gold in his blue eyes.

"There’s just something about you, Gabriel," he said, his voice a low vibration. "Something that makes me want to always tear you apart. And now you are about to be under my roof." He laughed, a dry, joyless sound.

"Can you just... let me be?" I whispered, finally finding a shred of courage. "I have never done anything to you."

"Wrong," Derek snapped. "You are wrong. You fucking pervert. Do you have amnesia? Your fucking sketchbook is still with me bitch. You have been jerking off to me for months, haven't you? You like what you see, Gabe?"

He leaned in further, his chest almost touching mine. My heart was thudding so hard it hurt. The shame, the anger, the sheer unfairness of it all finally boiled over.

I didn't think. I just swung.

My fist connected with his jaw with a solid thwack.

Derek’s head snapped to the side. Silence. Dead, terrifying silence.

"You little.....!" Connor, who had been lurking near the door, lunged at me. He swung a heavy fist that caught me right in the eye, sending me sprawling over a stool.

I braced myself for the kick to the ribs. I waited for Derek to join in and finish me off.

But instead, I heard a grunt of pain. I looked up through my blurred vision to see Derek holding Connor by the collar. Derek didn't look at me, he looked at Connor, and then he buried a fist into Connor’s stomach.

"How dare you!" Derek roared, shoving Connor back against the whiteboard. "I am the only one allowed to lay a hand on him. If you touch him again, I will kill you."

He turned back to me, looking at the blood trickling from his own lip where I had hit him. He didn't look angry. He looked... hungry.

"Well.....well..my little brother has just grown a spine."