Shane has never managed to catch a break. His mother died when he was a teen and his father left home the day he turned eighteen. Then he met a man he thought would fulfill all his dreams. Little does he know that Tyler will plunge him into a nightmare of both physical and verbal abuse.<br><br>With his self-esteem destroyed and no friends to turn to, Shane lives every day in despair. But when they’re invited to a neighbour’s house for dinner, things begin looking up. Michael, their host, is no stranger to Shane, for they have often said hello over the fence.<br><br>But is he the one who will come to Shane’s rescue? Or will Tyler make sure their friendship goes no further than the dinner?

Something from Nothing

Shane didn’t really enjoy beer and would have preferred wine, or a whisky, but he’d grown used to not being able to make his own decisions.


“I’ll be back in a jiffy,” said Michael, disappearing into the kitchen.


Shane kept his eyes on the small floral arrangement on the coffee table in front of him. He had no idea what Tyler was doing, whether he was looking at him or not, nor did he want to know. But if he kept his eyes averted, there could be no risk of incurring Tyler’s wrath.


A minute later, Michael came back, carrying three Coronas with wedges of lime stuffed into the top. After offering one to Shane, he handed Tyler one, then took a seat.


Shane knew better than to comment unless he was spoken to directly. Tyler liked to dominate any conversation. He suspected the reason was that Tyler was afraid he might say something he shouldn’t. Although it was more likely that Tyler considered anything he might want to say as being insignificant.


Chapter 4