Ste turned the corner of Eastwell Crescent. It meant taking the longer route home but also meant avoiding the walk past Adam's house. Even though Adam had forgiven him, he didn't like the way Mike eyeballed him every time he caught sight of him. That guy gave him the creeps, always had.  He took a left down the alley and walked straight into Gary.  "Sorry," Gary cried, throwing his giant arms up as a reflex. He dropped them as he saw who he was talking to. "Oh. It's you." Ste thought he might have something more to say to him than that, but Gary was a man of few words. He turned and carried on his way without so much as a dirty look. "Wait," Ste said, chasing after him. "H—how have things been since—" "Since you tried to kill Adam?" Gary finished. "I didn't want Adam to get hurt. I swear, man. I just... I dunno..." A

As they gathered outside Adam's house, Alice prayed that Mike would take Riley up on his offer. Whatever was written inside the note he'd left on their table three days ago had to be better than the alternative.   "Riley, can I ask you something?" Alice said, taking his arm and pulling him to one side. It was a diversionary and delaying tactic, but there was something she genuinely needed to know. Something that had been gnawing at her. "How did you about Adam threatening to gang-rape me?"   "A little birdy told me," Riley said, tapping his nose with his finger. When Alice stared blankly, not happy with this level of explanation, he added, "Felix. It was Felix who told me about that. He pretty much knows everything. The guy's both a genius and a major snoop."   'Felix,' she thought. 'But did he get that information from my little brother?'    The idea that her little brother mi

"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

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

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