Episode 34

"«Dominick...»

«I wanna fuck...»

"HELP... Help me..." I start speaking in a broken voice, lying on the ground, waiting for them to start beating me.

"What did you say?... SAY IT LOUDER, I CAN'T HEAR YOU, YOU SON OF A BITCH!" he shouts as his foot hits my abdomen forcefully. I feel all the air leaving my body in an instant, and a tremendous pain that has just begun makes everything more intense.

«Dominick...»

"Oh... P... Please..." I whisper through gritted teeth, trying to catch my breath.

«Damn it, Dominick...»

"Come on, guys, let's get this faggot!" I manage to hear before being kicked again, this time harder and more painfully.

I gasp in pain from the relentless kicks I'm receiving. I can't see them clearly; everything is dark. One of them grabs me by the neck and starts squeezing tightly, cutting off my air supply. I'm running out of breath, out of sight, and that's when the worst begins: the blows are now directed at my face, hitting me repeatedly without mercy.

I give up.

"Stop it, Diego, enough!" I hear someone shout. I can't see anything. They let go of me, and I do nothing to prevent myself from falling to the ground like a lifeless body.

"And who are you?"

"It doesn't matter! Leave that boy alone, you damn homophobe! ROT IN HELL, DIEGO!" he shouts again. I actually understand what he's saying. But I can't see anything; my breath is leaving my body, and I know it's true that my time has come.

"Let's go, guys... Let's leave these faggots alone." I hear their footsteps as they walk away, and it brings some comfort.

"Hey, brother, are you okay?" he addresses me, helping me to sit up.

"H..."

"Did you say something?" he asks.

"He...lp me..." I manage to say.

"Oh, my God! Someone help me!" I hear him shout before closing my eyes and losing consciousness.

Adam

"What?" I manage to utter as words, which clearly they weren't.

"What? Are you another homophobic asshole? Is that it?" he asks me, almost angry.

"No, not at all. It's just that..." I lower my gaze, "I didn't expect it... Do you guys live together?" I ask, trying to avoid showing how I felt about what he had told me.

"Well, yeah." he confirms right away.

"Where is he now? I would like to talk to him..." I say, swallowing the lump in my throat.

"He's at school now... But if you want, I can give you my address so you can come to my place anytime you want." he replies kindly. Why is Dom gay?. "Okay?" he brings me back to reality, and I nod without having any idea if he said anything else.

Dominick

Everything is cold. I can feel a coldness with a taste of death running through my body.

«Dominick...»

What is happening to me...?

«Shut up, Dominick!»

I open my eyes abruptly and look around. A guy is next to me: he's about 5'8" tall, with a sunburned complexion, and to be honest, he's quite handsome. His eyes are closed, indicating that he's asleep.

"Nurse?" I ask. He wakes up immediately and approaches me.

"Hey, bro, are you okay?" he asks me, and that's when I remember who was shouting for help.

"Yes, thanks." I answer, still somewhat dazed.

"Diego won't bother you again. I assure you." he says, and it sounds like a statement.

"Why are you helping me?" I inquire. "You don't know me..."

"I've heard about you, Dominick."

"What? But I don't even know who you are..." I assure him. How is it possible that he knows me when I've never seen him before...?

"You're the hottest person at school. Everyone talks about you, and please be afraid because they want to hurt you."

"But..." his words really scare me. I don't understand why he said that.

"No, don't say anything. Let's go." he says, pulling me up by the arm.

"Where...?" I ask, noticing his absence.

"They're all coming for you." he tells me, and then I look around and see a group of students heading towards me. The guy pulls my arm and makes me run.

They approach from all sides. They're getting closer and closer. Their eyes show fear and hatred towards me. It's intense.

We enter the bathrooms, and my heart is pounding out of my chest.

"Hey, Dom. Come out already, you fucking faggot." I hear one of them speak. "Come out and try to fuck one of us." he taunts. "Where are you?! Come out of your hiding place, you damn rat."

"Shh... don't speak, don't say anything." the guy whispers to me.

"What's your name?" I whisper.

"Harry. That's my name. Now, be quiet, or they'll find us." he orders, and I immediately obey.

I can hear their footsteps approaching our hiding spot.

"Hey, what are you guys doing in there?" they ask us; it's an adult, someone mature, judging by their voice. I close my eyes, trembling, like never before.

Where is that Dominick who fears nothing?

"Harry... Who are you in there with?" they ask again. I recognized the voice right away. The language teacher.

I raise my head and look at him, yes, it's him.

"Dominick?" he's surprised to see me.

"Teacher. What... What are you doing here?" I ask nervously. And I don't understand why I'm like this. He lets out a small amused laugh.

"I think I should be asking that... Since this is the teachers' bathroom." he replies. Then I look around and see that he's right.

"Oh, I'm so sorry..." I say. Harry remains silent. I stand up as quietly as possible.

"Are you going to tell me what you were doing here?" he asks, and I silence him by placing my index finger on his lips.

"They want to hurt me..." I whisper to him, "please help me..." I plead. My heart is racing, and at any moment, I feel like I might die.

"Wow... Are they harassing you?" he asks me. He looks at Harry for a moment and then back at me.

"I don't know if that's the right word for this." I reply.

"Alright. I'll help you guys." he says, heading outside, guiding us to the exit.

"Thank you, teacher. Thank you so much." I say with a smile. I glance at Harry for a second, who looks very scared. I turn my gaze back to the teacher, and what I see is terrifying:

"There you have it. Dominick. He's all yours now." I open my eyes wide in shock, fear takes hold of me once again, and my heart is now in my throat like an impossible knot to swallow.

"Wha...? What's happening?" I say, stuttering. I look towards Harry, who appears very frightened.

"Wonderful! The happy couple..." Diego starts talking. "Tell me, have you fucked him yet like you do with everyone else? Oh, Dominick... You're going to suffer like never before. And I'll make sure of it."

Everyone is looking at me, it's chilling. They all look at me with contempt, as if everyone at Inste is homophobic.

And that terrifies me.

Emily

So many things have changed that I truly feel like a different person. The one who stopped suffering a long time ago. Every night, I can see it, night after night, what my family did to me. They tore me apart, closed me off, and changed me.

Now, after spending all this time with Josh, I've decided to go out into the world and stop dwelling on so many things...

«Dom... Mom... Mariza... Dory... Wh... What are you...? What?...»

I've been in therapy for a few months now because I felt the need to rebuild my entire life.

We're here in Valencia, enjoying the vacation that I so deserved.

The sun is intense, hot, and scorching. I'm sitting in a beach chair, looking at a Moda & Fashion's magazine.

"What the hell...? Emily?" I hear someone call my name. I raise my head to see who it is. The surprise is terrifying.

"Dor... Dory?" I stammer. "What are you doing here?"

My sweet savior.