Where Boys Fear to Tread
Can't Open My Eyes
"Hey Freakshow".
Jasper was alone in the school corridors, waiting patiently for Conor. His eyes were closed tightly against fluorescent lights and masses of students moving through the walkway. He was waiting.
"I'm speaking to you".
Conor had said that he needed to get something. He said if Jasper waited right here, then Alex would be there any moment, he needn't worry.
"Fucking listen!".
Jasper's back hit the wall with a hollow thud. He opened his eyes.
"Can you even hear me in that messed-up head of yours?"
The face of Markus Short wavered in front of his eyes. Jasper flinched away from the too-large face with wide set eyes and heavy jaw. The boy seemed to take this as encouragement and bared his teeth.
Markus had been pushing Jasper against walls since he and Conor started at this school. He took some sort of perverted pleasure in make Jasper squirm and whimper in crowded hallways. He took even greater pleasure in ambushing Jasper when he was alone, taking him to empty locker rooms and storage sheds and beating him until his pale skin was barely visible beneath a lacework of purple-blue bruises.
Though these bruises were always strategically placed by Markus and his friends where they would not be seen unless Jasper removed his clothes.
A thin whine escaped Jasper's lips as he pushed himself hard against the wall behind him. At that moment he wished so desperately that it would engulf him, or at least give slightly, so he could get further away from Markus and the foul breath he blew into Jasper's face.
"Can you?!"
His voice was so vicious. Jasper nodded quickly.
He wasn't worried about Markus dragging him away now, the corridor was too crowded, too many people were looking on with sadistic interest. He was more worried about Conor coming back and getting himself into a fight trying to keep this boy made of stone and steel off Jasper.
He wanted to close his eyes and wish Markus away, but Markus wouldn't treat him so gently if he closed his eyes again.
"Good," the boy's voice was as rough as gravel, and made similar tracks against Jasper's eardrums. "Now I want you to listen Very. Carefully."
Jasper nodded again. He would listen. He would listen so carefully that he would never forget a word.
"I'm going to let you go."
Jasper felt his mind waver. He blinked hard, trying to force the feeling away.
"When I do you have thirty seconds to get out of my sight, otherwise me and the boys here," Markus gestured over his shoulder, to two boys with wide shoulders and heavy eyelids stood behind him. Jasper hadn't noticed them earlier. "will have a nice little talk with you this afternoon." A smirk pulled at the corner of his mouth.
Jasper swallowed dryly. He was still trying to steady his mind, as his vision slipped in and out of focus.
"Ready?"
Those eyes were so cruel.
Markus lowered his lips to Jasper's ear in a gesture intimate enough to make him gag. He closed his eyes tightly.
"Go."
The word was a whisper. As soon as it was issued it was followed by a pained gasp of breath.
Angry words echoed in the corridor, but Jasper's mind wasn't working quickly enough for him to comprehend them. The weight of Markus' body was no longer pressing on the air around him, but he didn't know if that meant he should run, or stay where he was. Something didn't seem quite right about the noise that bounced off the walls, the rush of chattering voices that flooded around him.
He opened his eyes, with shoulders tense and his body drawn into a position that suggested he would flee any moment.
Alex?
Conor wasn't lying, Alex was coming to find Jasper. And he did.
Now his long limbed, limber body was atop Markus' stomach and his delicate fingers were balled into fists and pounding against the other boys face.
It was only a fraction of a second before two more bodies joined the scuffle. Markus' friends each took one of Alex's arms and dragged him backward. Jasper saw a flicker of panic in the thin boys eyes. He knew that he mirrored it.
Alex wasn't as fragile as Jasper, not quite as twig-thin, but still held all of his substance in his height.
Markus was all girth. Broad shoulders and thick arms.
He felt sick looking at the way they dragged him, at the way they held him as Markus got to his feet. Bile rose in the back of his throat.
He wanted to run at them and pull them off Alex. His bones would break just looking at those boys, but he wanted to try anyway.
One slight step forward...
"Oh. Fuck."
Jasper exhaled heavily.
"Don't you even think about stepping into that"
He turned his head to meet Conor's eyes, giving him a silent affirmation of his obedience.
"Hang on, wait here".
Conor disappeared into the fray of onlookers. Even when he was gone, Jasper kept his eyes fixed on where his brother had been. He couldn't bare to look towards Alex, where he could hear every sharp exhale and every soft thud when Markus' fists collided with Alex's stomach.
Jasper only turned around when the noise stopped. Conor was back beside him, his expression uneasy. When Jasper followed his line of sight he could see Alex and the other three being escorted away through the throng of students and teachers hurrying them along.
"This isn't going to end well".
Jasper was alone in the school corridors, waiting patiently for Conor. His eyes were closed tightly against fluorescent lights and masses of students moving through the walkway. He was waiting.
"I'm speaking to you".
Conor had said that he needed to get something. He said if Jasper waited right here, then Alex would be there any moment, he needn't worry.
"Fucking listen!".
Jasper's back hit the wall with a hollow thud. He opened his eyes.
"Can you even hear me in that messed-up head of yours?"
The face of Markus Short wavered in front of his eyes. Jasper flinched away from the too-large face with wide set eyes and heavy jaw. The boy seemed to take this as encouragement and bared his teeth.
Markus had been pushing Jasper against walls since he and Conor started at this school. He took some sort of perverted pleasure in make Jasper squirm and whimper in crowded hallways. He took even greater pleasure in ambushing Jasper when he was alone, taking him to empty locker rooms and storage sheds and beating him until his pale skin was barely visible beneath a lacework of purple-blue bruises.
Though these bruises were always strategically placed by Markus and his friends where they would not be seen unless Jasper removed his clothes.
A thin whine escaped Jasper's lips as he pushed himself hard against the wall behind him. At that moment he wished so desperately that it would engulf him, or at least give slightly, so he could get further away from Markus and the foul breath he blew into Jasper's face.
"Can you?!"
His voice was so vicious. Jasper nodded quickly.
He wasn't worried about Markus dragging him away now, the corridor was too crowded, too many people were looking on with sadistic interest. He was more worried about Conor coming back and getting himself into a fight trying to keep this boy made of stone and steel off Jasper.
He wanted to close his eyes and wish Markus away, but Markus wouldn't treat him so gently if he closed his eyes again.
"Good," the boy's voice was as rough as gravel, and made similar tracks against Jasper's eardrums. "Now I want you to listen Very. Carefully."
Jasper nodded again. He would listen. He would listen so carefully that he would never forget a word.
"I'm going to let you go."
Jasper felt his mind waver. He blinked hard, trying to force the feeling away.
"When I do you have thirty seconds to get out of my sight, otherwise me and the boys here," Markus gestured over his shoulder, to two boys with wide shoulders and heavy eyelids stood behind him. Jasper hadn't noticed them earlier. "will have a nice little talk with you this afternoon." A smirk pulled at the corner of his mouth.
Jasper swallowed dryly. He was still trying to steady his mind, as his vision slipped in and out of focus.
"Ready?"
Those eyes were so cruel.
Markus lowered his lips to Jasper's ear in a gesture intimate enough to make him gag. He closed his eyes tightly.
"Go."
The word was a whisper. As soon as it was issued it was followed by a pained gasp of breath.
Angry words echoed in the corridor, but Jasper's mind wasn't working quickly enough for him to comprehend them. The weight of Markus' body was no longer pressing on the air around him, but he didn't know if that meant he should run, or stay where he was. Something didn't seem quite right about the noise that bounced off the walls, the rush of chattering voices that flooded around him.
He opened his eyes, with shoulders tense and his body drawn into a position that suggested he would flee any moment.
Alex?
Conor wasn't lying, Alex was coming to find Jasper. And he did.
Now his long limbed, limber body was atop Markus' stomach and his delicate fingers were balled into fists and pounding against the other boys face.
It was only a fraction of a second before two more bodies joined the scuffle. Markus' friends each took one of Alex's arms and dragged him backward. Jasper saw a flicker of panic in the thin boys eyes. He knew that he mirrored it.
Alex wasn't as fragile as Jasper, not quite as twig-thin, but still held all of his substance in his height.
Markus was all girth. Broad shoulders and thick arms.
He felt sick looking at the way they dragged him, at the way they held him as Markus got to his feet. Bile rose in the back of his throat.
He wanted to run at them and pull them off Alex. His bones would break just looking at those boys, but he wanted to try anyway.
One slight step forward...
"Oh. Fuck."
Jasper exhaled heavily.
"Don't you even think about stepping into that"
He turned his head to meet Conor's eyes, giving him a silent affirmation of his obedience.
"Hang on, wait here".
Conor disappeared into the fray of onlookers. Even when he was gone, Jasper kept his eyes fixed on where his brother had been. He couldn't bare to look towards Alex, where he could hear every sharp exhale and every soft thud when Markus' fists collided with Alex's stomach.
Jasper only turned around when the noise stopped. Conor was back beside him, his expression uneasy. When Jasper followed his line of sight he could see Alex and the other three being escorted away through the throng of students and teachers hurrying them along.
"This isn't going to end well".