1 Chapter 1: Hello World

"Sammy, time to get up baby!"

My mother's Beyonce-like voice wrecked through my dream of an angry ogre stomping on unicorns.

I had no idea which part of my brain produces my absurd dreams. I just knew that those dreams came from my brain and that my brain was losing a few screws.

The maintenance team couldn't maintain it.

I peeled the blanket off of my body and sat up. Thor took his chance to hit me with a pounding headache which was a consequence of playing Xbox the entire night. I slipped my glasses on, seeing clearly what my 200/20 vision deprived me of.

I greeted the bathroom mirror with a perfectly loused up hairdo that described what a chaotic human being I was, adding up the bright and red pimple on my nose.

"Hello ugly Sammy," I told my reflection.

If I could summarize my entire life in school I would shorten it to being "burnt potatoes that were chewed and spat out."

I need a new therapist just thinking about all the hyperventilation I would do today.

As much as I despised that horrible place containing vile creatures, I had good grades. I only went to school for my parents but aside from that, I had no interest in studying.

My whole life, school had become my hell. For some reason bullies swarm me like flies but they'll leave me be when they find out who my Brother was.

After a cold shower, I put deodorant on my hairless pits and dreaded my pimple for a few more minutes until I heard my mother scream:

"SAMUEL EZRA CORRIGAN!"

That was my cue to get my butt into black pants and slip into a comfortable black hoodie.

My mom was a thick and curvy woman who was the embodiment of a Goddess. My dad had the same rich olive skin color; he was tall and bald and had an athletic build. He was in his business suit, reading the morning paper.

To be adopted by such wonderful people, my brother and I will forever be grateful. Some people would question the diversity of our family—me looking like a pale Scandinavian vampire that experienced the Great Depression and my brother being the fine tanned Mexican hottie who had the worst luck with women.

My mom wasn't capable of conceiving a child. She was envious of our aunties having children to spoil and nurture.

"Hi honey, excited for school?" My mom asked as I took a seat beside my brother, Damien.

My brother scoffed and downed his orange juice. He and I were close. Not in the incest way like you people were thinking, but we confide our problems to each other and he looked out for me since I was a total bully magnet.

"When did he ever get excited about school?" Damien asked. "School is hell for this kid."

I wanted to pat his back for that. He knew my agony.

"I'm sure it will be different this time around," my mom chirped.

She told me that at our previous school and the school before that.

"Just be sure to protect your brother, Damien," my dad said and sipped his coffee.

Damien hit his palm with his fist.

"I'll break their necks!" he declared.

My brother had a bad life in the streets. He told me how he was so good in pickpocketing but when karma strikes him with bad luck, he'd get ganged up.

"Don't break any bones or damage any vital organs," my mom humored.

"I'll try not to," Damien laughed.

I took a bite of my pancake; the anxiety pooling in my stomach. Everything tasted bland.

My brother sat beside the driver's seat and I seated at the back. I thought I was going to puke my breakfast.

"Stop worrying, I'll be there for you," my brother assured.

I gave him a nervous smile and mumbled a 'thanks.' My dad drove us to school. My palms became sweaty and I kept on wiping them on my jeans.

"Bye kids, take care," my dad said with a comforting smile. He nodded at me as if assuring me that everything will be okay.

"Bye dad," I mumbled and got out of my haven.

I froze in place and zoned out. I felt tiny and helpless once I heard dad driving away.

"Come on, relax buddy," my brother whispered.

His heavy arm draped protectively around me.

"Breathe in," he instructed. "Breathe out.

My nerves relaxed a bit as I continued to exhale my dread. I looked down and had a conversation with my thoughts.

Hello, floor... Has anyone ever told you that you look beautiful today? You could be a supermodel.

The crowd of students pushed me out of my comfort zone and it annoyed me. Girls were checking my brother out.

He is my brother! Miiiine!

Bark bark bark!

Sometimes I wonder if my brother will ever get married. I hate his girlfriends down to the bone. All of them were either cheating or downright crazy possessive.

The walls of the hallway were lined by endless lockers. We got our schedule from the Principal's secretary.

"Here we are," my brother said. When he noticed my uneasiness, he scowled. "Hey relax, you'll be okay."

"Wh-what if, wh-what if I got bullied again?" I asked, teary-eyed. "Wha-what if someone pours paint on me or stick chewing gum on my hair?"

My brother gripped my shoulders firmly.

"Then you punch them in the face, got it? You'll be okay. When you think of something bad then it'll probably happen. So relax and take deep breaths. I'll pick you up at lunch," he assured and lightly pushed me inside of the room.

I looked at him one last time and he smiled at me. My breaths were shaky. I sat on the last row beside the window. The bell rang and students poured in.

Mrs. Young taught Geometry. She just started with the outline of the lessons that will be discussed. I paid attention to her until a boy began to sound like a desperate cobra behind me.

"SSSSSST..."

I ignored him and pretended to be busy but the "SSSSSST" got louder.

"Hey...psssst."

I took a side glance and blushed when I saw how handsome he was.

"Can I borrow a pen?" He asked.

I licked my lips and grabbed a pen from my bag. I shyly handed it to him and took another fast look before pretending to listen. I can't focus anymore. Did I hand him the pen too fast? Did my handshake too much?

"Thanks, man, you are uh...Samuel right?" He asked. "I'm Dominique Panov, nice to meet you," he said.

I gave him a nod and a blush spread in my cheeks. I know how to naturally show how gay I can become.

"Ye-yeah," I whispered, wanting to be invisible.

"Okay class, I hope you understood our orientation for today, class dismissed," Mrs. Young spoke.

I quickly stood up from my seat and bolted out of the room. My next class was a foreign language. I took Spanish. I took the same seat as earlier and to my surprise, Dominique was sitting beside me and waived.

"What's the rush, Speedy Gonzalez?" He beamed, showing those pearly white teeth.

If my vision could get even worse than 200/20, it could have happened because of his blinding smile.

The Spanish Teacher had a weird mustache. Dominique cackled like an idiot but his laughter infected the entire class.

"Hey Sammy," he called out in a whisper; I was startled by the nickname he gave me. "His mustache looks weird."

I nodded in agreement and blushed. "I-I feel like I'm looking at a vagina..." I whispered back.

Dominique looked at me with wide eyes and I shifted nervously on my seat. This was another start of a horrible school year.

The boy burst into hysterical laughter as he clutched his stomach.

"You're funny!" He chuckled.

The teacher glared at him yet he continued te-heeing like an idiot.

"What's so funny?" Mister Martinez asked with his hands on his hips.

"No-nothing sir!" Dominique replied with a wide grin on his face.

"This is my first warning boy. I will send you out the next time!" The teacher threatened.

"Yessir!" Dominique replied.

My third class was biology and after that will be lunch. Dominique wasn't in my Biology class, if he was, I won't be able to concentrate again. It took me all the courage I could muster just to look at him.

I waited anxiously for my brother and buried my nose in a novel that I wasn't reading. I didn't want to look stupid with the nervous look on my face.

After a few minutes, I decided to walk with my head down and bumped into a door.

"So-sorry!" I yelped.

"Did you apologize to a door?" Dominique asked me.

I jolted when an arm slung around me. It was Dominique in his handsome glory.

He noticed my uneasiness with his closeness.

"Hey, you okay? You look stressed."

I started hyperventilating and Dominique matched mine with panic.

A deep voice startled me and if my heart could leap out, it would have flown to Taj Mahal.

"What's happening here, Dom?"

He was a grizzly bear stuffed with muscles. Goddess of all twinks...His clean-cut hair was gelled to perfection. His black shirt hugged his body like a second layer of skin and his thighs could crush my skull.

Compared to him I was a poorly baked bread-stick.

I didn't know if I was hyperventilating because of nervousness and social stress or if I was hyperventilating because of this man's hotness.

Two other men who were as big as him shadowed him from the back and I sweated bullets. They were wearing red jerseys with yellow sleeves.

I can tell that this was the scene where they'll pummel me with their thick football muscles that were probably from steroids.

I should scream.

"I'm so sorry! I'm so so-sorry! Pl-please d-don't beat m-me up!"

"Dude! Calm down!"

"What the hell did you do, Dom?" One of the hunks asked with a chuckle.

"I didn't do a thing, man!" Dom defended.

"What do you think you're doing to my little brother?!" A strong and furious voice growled.

Finally!

Damien engulfed me into a warm hug that made me feel both secure and pathetic.

"Hey dude, I was just trying to make friends with him! Honest!" Dom explained.

"My brother has enough with this shit! Get the fuck away from him!" My brother shouted.

I glanced at the three men who were offended. I took all the courage I had and tried to stop the hiccups.

Even though my brother was tough, he can't handle guys who were made from the blood of Dwayne Johnson.

"Da-Damien, pl-please, th-they di-didn't do an-anything. I-I just h-had one of m-my ne-nervous-bre-breakdowns..."

I can do a voice over for Optimus Prime.

Damien embraced me closer.

"You sure they are not scaring you?"

I nodded and shyly looked at Dominique who had a concerned look on his face.

"I'm so-sorry Dom-Dominique."

Dominique became relieved. "No harm is done, dude. Man, you had me worried."

I glanced down in guilt.

"Hey, you're the one who joined the Football team right?" The grizzly god asked.

"You're the captain?" My brother asked.

"Kingsley Hunter."

The guy extended his hand and my brother gripped it.

"Damien Corrigan, this is my brother Samuel Ezra Corrigan. Sorry, my brother is not fond of socializing. But, we're working it out," he explained and ruffled my hair.

"I'll help! We have the two same classes," Dom offered.

"Yeah, that'll be great, thanks. We better go, my brother, is starving."

"See you whenever Sammy!" That nickname made me feel like an old man on a farm.

"O-okay," I mumbled and took a glance at the grizzly bear again.

I blushed when I saw him sparing me a glance.

My brother and I ate the ham sandwiches that our mom made at the cafeteria. He even bought me chocolate and vanilla pudding.

"You okay? I'm sorry I was late, I signed up for the football club, and I didn't think the line was long," he said.

"It's okay."

I savored the flavor of vanilla in my mouth and let the dessert melt.

"I'm sorry for being a burden; you almost got kicked out of the football team because of me."

Damien frowned and messed with my hair.

"I'd quit anything for you and you know it's not your fault; it was those fucking abusive assholes who made your life hell."

I nodded and willed my tears away. Only Damien and my parents knew what happened to me in the past.

After eating lunch, my brother escorted me to my next class and promised to arrive on time. My next subject was art—my favorite. There was a canvas in front of each chair. I sat on the chair by the window and relaxed. My eyes were red and puffy.

I looked at the blank white canvas and thought of what to paint. I was lost in thought that I didn't notice two walking Greek Gods entering.

Dominique peeked at me from above the canvas with that silly smile.

"Hello, kitten!" He greeted.

My jaw hung in fear. He flopped on the chair beside me and I tensed, even more, when The King" sat behind me. Eyes were burning holes in my back.

What a great day to start the school year.