Sarina and her friends caught up to Rion on his way home from school.

He heard them following him, not even bothering to be sneaky about it. A side-eyed glance over his shoulder confirmed that Sarina, Eric, and Kyle were talking and laughing as they walked down the sidewalk a few meters behind him.

Unlike Jolie and Monique, who were still liked in some circles, no one liked Kyle or Eric. Even Sarina didn’t like them. She was only on their side when it came to tormenting Rion. The rest of the time, she did her own thing.

Eric was big and mean. He wasn’t smart but he wasn’t stupid either and being average was somehow the worst possible combination. You couldn’t slip an insult past him but he wasn’t bright enough to behave like a normal person or cover up his bullshit. He had a nasty mean streak that made everyone keep him at a distance.

Kyle was a different kind of awful. He was a twiggy, greasy guy who had a weird, permanent mothball smell to him. He was the kind of kid you would expect to be the number one bully target, and he probably would have been if he didn’t suck up to Eric and act like his creepy little fanboy. He was Eric’s personal cheerleader and a little slimeball who would spread rumours and backstab people on a regular basis.

Rion disliked Sarina but he still had no idea how she could stand the other two. They were literally the worst people at their school. Hands down.

Rion let out a long breath. In a way, he was relieved that they were following him. It meant that they were going to pounce on him any minute, sure, but at least he wouldn’t have to wait another day, wondering when they were going to hunt him down. Today was the day.

“Hey! Rion!”

He didn’t turn around when Eric called out to him. He didn’t even glance back. One foot in front of the other and he would be home before he knew it. Maybe he could make it there without getting into a fight.

Probably not.

“Hey! Dumb-fuck! I’m talking to you!”

Rion knew better than to react, especially to taunts like that. It was a waste of energy.

“Eric’s talking to you, Rion!” Kyle called out.

“We’ve got stuff to stay!” Sarina added.

“No thanks!” Rion finally said, waving a hand in the air without turning their way.

It was a risky move to keep his back to them. Rion knew that. Still, he wanted to acknowledge them as little as possible for as long as he could.

Something hit Rion’s backpack with a sharp ‘THWAP’, making Rion jump and nearly stumble as he spun around to face the three behind him. Eric had thrown a long stick at him and it had bounced harmless off to the side of the road. It didn’t hurt. It was nothing.

But Rion was on the defensive now, heart in his throat.

“What do you want?” Rion demanded.

“Aww, is the little baby scared of sticks?” Eric sneered as they approached.

“Fuck off and leave me alone,” Rion said, gripping the straps of his backpack.

He didn’t want to fight but he might have to. There were three of them and the last thing he wanted was to be tackled onto the sidewalk. Faceplanting on cement was always painful.

“We just wanna talk,” Eric said.

“Sarina said you were a dick to her this weekend,” Kyle added.

“And? So?” Rion said, baring his teeth at them.

“You were supposed to apologize to me,” Sarina said. “And then you refused and made everyone think I was the bad guy while you hid behind them like a bitch. You owe me.”

The tense, uncomfortable sensation that made his throat tight grew sharper, bitter. Rion was immediately disgusted and angry, hating how Sarina twisted things. But he knew there was no point in trying to correct her.

Nothing he said mattered.

“Go fuck yourself,” Rion spat at her. “I don’t– Ow!”

Eric snatched him by the jacket and jerked Rion around. The force of it made him stumble and when Eric let go, Rion tumbled onto the grass of an empty lot, falling on his ass.

His old bruises ached and, instinctively, Rion curled inwards, cowering. It wasn’t dignified, but for a few seconds he could only fear being hurt again. His thoughts blanked.

Eric laughed and so did Kyle.

“You sure talk big for a pushover,” Eric said, kicking up dirt at him.

Rion tried to clear his head, tried to focus. It was adrenaline combined with the knowledge of how vulnerable he was that got him to move. He scrambled to his feet, trying to steady himself. His heart was pounding and his body ached. He knew he should run but he wasn’t ready.

“He looks like he’s going to piss himself,” Kyle laughed.

“Fucking pathetic, Rion,” Sarina said, curling her lip. “And you were acting so tough this weekend when you had everyone as your backup.”

“What a retard,” Kyle said.

“More like a dumb fucking queer,” Eric said. “How much time does it take you to do your makeup in the morning, huh Rion?”

Rion swallowed bile, biting his tongue. Denials were useless, true or not. They’d say he was trying too hard to deny it, that it must be true. If they thought there was a chance they were getting under his skin, they would keep hammering away. But staying silent was just as much as a confirmation to them.

They were going to talk shit and make whatever claims and run with them. That’s just who these three were.

It made Rion sick.

“What? Makeup?” Sarina said, rolling her eyes. “Rion doesn’t do any makeup. Otherwise he wouldn’t be half as ugly as he is.”

“C’mon, Sarina,” Eric said. “Look at him! I’ve said it before, Rion’s got this girly fucking face. No way that’s natural. Men don’t look like that.”

“It’s creepy,” Kyle added.

“I agree with you there,” Sarina said. “He’s still fucking ugly though.”

“Of course he is, ‘cause he’s probably a fucking faggot trying to doll himself up to get laid,” Eric said.

“Groooooss!” Kyle laughed. “That’s disgusting!”

“You wish, Eric,” Rion finally snapped, finding his voice.

“What?” Eric snorted, too caught up in his own insults to understand the implication right away.

“You fucking wish,” Rion repeated with emphasis. “I hate to be the one to ruin your sick fantasy, but even if I was into guys, there’s no way in hell I’d be interested in you.”

Eric jerked back, sputtering at the unexpected comeback. “What the–?! I never said–!”

“Why else would you want me to be gay?” Rion kept going, heart hammering in his chest. If they could twist words and situations, so could he. “Keep me out of your fucked up fantasies, you fucking freak!”

Eric lunged and grabbed Rion by the front of his jacket, jerking him forward. Sarina and Kyle were shrieking and jeering excitedly, but Rion’s mind was solely focused on Eric’s other arm, the one that pulled back, hand balled up in a fist, ready to pound him.

Rion thrashed, trying to free himself, briefly terrified of what was to come–

And then Rion was free, stumbling backwards through the grass. His arms pinwheeled at the unexpected freedom and he tripped, falling right back down, sprawled in the grass a second time now. He looked up, blinking owlishly.

Of all people, Peter was there. He had a vice-like grip on Eric’s wrist and he looked pissed.

“What the fuck!” Eric squawked, wide eyed. “Peter?!”

“What are you doing?!” Sarina cried out, her voice high and strained. “Peter, let him go!”

“Not yet,” Peter said in a stiff, controlled voice, staring unblinkingly down at Eric.

Between the two of them, Eric had a more muscular build. But Peter was taller and with that look on his face, he was ten times as intimidating. Eric shrank down before him.

Eric laughed in disbelief, trying to tug his arm free. “What the hell… You’re just some overgrown nerd! You’d better let go or else–”

“Or else nothing,” Peter cut him off. “This ‘overgrown nerd’ is a college student who’s been taking judo classes in the city for over a year. But more importantly, you pull any more shit, Eric, and you’ll be lucky if I don’t call your parents and the police.”

Eric froze, along with Sarina and Kyle. All three of them gaped at him, wide eyed.

“Y-you can’t do that!” Kyle squeaked out.

“I absolutely can,” Peter said. “I would be happy to have all three of you charged with assault.”

“Fuck!” Eric said, finally jerking his arm free. Or maybe Peter let him go. “We weren’t doing anything wrong! We were just defending Sarina–!”

“No you were not!” Peter snapped with all the authority of a paternal figure, making the other three tense and stare at him like he was a stranger. “Don’t even think about trying to bullshit me!”

Rion had never heard Peter talk to anyone like that before. And he had never seen Eric so cowed. It was crazy to see and Rion could only sit the grass watching, feeling stunned.

“Why are you being such an asshole!” Sarina piped up again. “Peter, you saw Rion–!”

“What did I just say?” Peter snapped at her. “I know what I saw and I know what I interrupted! I am not the asshole here!”

“But you don’t get it!” Sarina protested.

“I have no words,” Peter said and pointed sharply down the street. “Go. Get out of here. Right now.”

“But–!”

“Right now! Or I swear to God, I’m calling the police and you can answer to them!”

Effectively beaten, all three of them were left to scurry away with their tails tucked between their legs. Peter watched them go, standing stiffly until they were out of sight. Then, finally, he turned to Rion.

“Are you okay?” Peter asked.

He still looked angry but there was concern seeping into his voice as he held out a hand.

“Yeah, I… Yeah,” Rion said, allowing himself to be helped up off the ground.

He felt unsteady, but he was doing pretty good, all things considered. He wasn’t beaten to a bloody pulp. And he had Peter to thank for that.

“Are you sure?” Peter asked. “Rion… It looked like you were about to get the shit kicked out of you.”

Honestly, Rion would have been okay with it. Of course, he couldn’t say that to Peter. But Rion would have preferred to get beaten up over having to listen to the crap spilling out of Eric’s mouth about him being a fag and a queer.

Just thinking about it made him nauseous and dizzy. It wasn’t the first time Eric or Kyle had said those kinds of things and every time, it made Rion’s heart race. Even though it was obviously just the meanest, most derogatory thing they could think to say…

If they knew that even the tiniest part of that were true, that Rion really was… That he actually might be into guys… Rion would be done for. And if it spread around town… If people heard about it and they knew it was true…

It was easier to get beaten up than to imagine what kind of hell his life might become.

“Rion?”

He blinked, realizing he had zoned out and forgotten to answer Peter.

“Yeah. I’m fine. I’m good,” Rion said. “I just… I… I don’t know. I don’t feel too good.”

“Want me to drive you home?” Peter asked.

Rion realized that Peter had parked just down the block. He must have stopped the car to come running to Rion’s defense. He felt the heat rise to his face, ashamed that Peter felt obligated to drop everything in order to rescue him.

Wasn’t this the second time? Peter had carried him home in the rain. And now Peter was helping him again, seeing him in another stupid situation…

Rion was ashamed. He must look so weak and pathetic…

“You… I can walk,” Rion said. “Sarina and those idiots are gone now. It’s fine.”

“I would feel a lot better if I drove you home,” Peter said. “I was hoping that maybe we could talk anyway. Maybe…we could set a date for you to come over? Noa wants to see you.”

It was like Peter knew exactly what to say. His words were like magic.

Rion didn’t want a ride home but the mention of Noa lifted a weight off his shoulder, relieved the pressure and fear. The topic was suddenly a normal one, the kind of thing regular people talked about. It was safe.

The situation had gone from Peter pitying him to Peter wanting to have a normal conversation with him. And while it was too good to be true, Rion wanted to eat up the bait.

“I… Okay. Sure,” Rion said, blinking. “I’d like to come over.”

“I was thinking Friday,” Peter said as they started walking. “Would that work for you?”

“Friday… I’m free after school,” Rion said.

This was like a dream. Normal conversation. A normal subject.

It was the strangest thing. This should feel uncomfortable. It wasn’t a normal change of topic. But it was the kind of change that Rion wanted, and he almost felt like he could cry at being treated like he was a normal person. He was so happy that Peter wasn’t making a big deal out of what just happened. Rion didn’t even care that it was unnatural.

“Perfect,” Peter said. “I was also thinking that we should have another get-together, like how we hung out on Noa’s birthday. Do you think you could make time for something like that?”

“Yeah,” Rion said. “Yeah, I could. I think… Yeah, I’d like that.”

“Great,” Peter said. “Noa said he wanted you to come over, and I think it would be good if we could all spend more time together.”

They got in the car. Rion let himself sink into the seat and just breathe. There was some kind of music playing…

“Is that Lord of the Rings?” Rion asked. “Like, the film soundtrack?”

Peter blinked and then offered him an awkward smile. “I have the CDs… I can switch it over to the radio if you want.”

“No! No, it’s fine,” Rion said. “It’s very…you.”

“I hope you mean that as a compliment,” Peter said, pulling out onto the road.

“I do,” Rion said. “You, uh… You actually know judo or whatever?”

“What?”

“You told Eric… Is that some kind of martial art or something?”

“Oh. Yeah,” Peter said. “I’m not a black belt or anything like that. I took some classes in the city because some of my friends are into it. The instructor likes me because I’m a good height.”

“Right,” Rion said, “because you’re so tall.”

Peter let out a small amused chuckle. “Kind of. Judo is more about using your opponent’s own force against them. I’m usually the guy that gets tossed for practice.”

“Actually?”

“Yeah. Gives the beginners confidence.”

“Huh.”

Peter didn’t say anything for a moment. It wasn’t awkward but it was enough to make Rion uncomfortable.

“Do you want me to call the police?” Peter asked.

“What?” Rion said, blinking at him.

“Because of Eric and the other two.”

“No! Please… They didn’t even do anything,” Rion said, turning away, hating that the moment of normalcy had passed. “I don’t even want to think about it right now. They didn’t even do anything. It’s… I’m fine.”

Peter glanced at him very briefly before he turned his gaze back to the road.

“Okay, Rion,” he said. “I just wanted to check. We don’t have to talk about it.”

Rion sat, tense, waiting for whatever was going to come next. But instead…

“So, what’s your favourite game right now?”

“My favourite…?” Rion repeated, turning back to him. “Why? Aren’t you going to keep going on about Sarina and those other goons?”

“Like I said, we don’t have to talk about it,” Peter said. “So. Favourite game?”

Hesitantly, Rion began to relax again. “Animal Crossing.”

“Nice,” Peter said. “That’s a good one. Who do you have for villagers?”

And then Rion really did relax, sinking into the seat. Normal. Yes, he needed this.

“I’ve got some great ones,” Rion said. “Coco, Bob, and Bunnie… I’m trying to get rid of Hugh.”

“Hugh? Not familiar with that one.”

“He’s a really creepy blue pig. If you haven’t seen him, you’re lucky.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Peter said. “We’re trying to kick Rizzo out right now.”

“I hated him too,” Rion said with a small huff. “Took me a month to get him to move.”

He relaxed further, realizing that Peter really wasn’t going to bring up Sarina and the others again. He almost wanted to stay in the car when they pulled up at his house, despite the drive taking hardly any time.

“I’ll see you Friday then? After school?” Peter asked as Rion got out of the car.

“Yeah,” Rion said, feeling much lighter already. “Yeah, I’ll see you Friday.”