Warning: strong offensive language, homophobic slurs, and graphic violence.
Trigger warning: mention of suicide attempt
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I run into the school bathroom on an unpleasant Monday evening with underwear wedged up my butt crack. It's quiet with only water dripping from the faucet, I quickly hide in the stall closest to the window and stand on the toilet seat. Finally, I think, I'm safe. At that moment these bathroom doors reopened, I could see from underneath the door familiar red Nike shoes and a pair of combat boots walking past. I hold my breath.
"Hey! Yo Fagg" The most popular boy in school, Ryder says. I cringe at the sound of him flicking his lighter.
"We just want to play" the Football quarterback, Eric says pacing around.
"A little birdy told us you give good blow jobs" Ryder chuckles.
I dig in a pocket for my phone and rapidly pull it out, but in a mix of things, the iPhone falls face-first onto the floor. BANG! Oh, I hope that's not broken, I think to myself. Suddenly I hear Eric pounding on the stall door like a crazy person. "Open the door she-man, before I bust it open" Eric shouts.
They will bust it open. I remember a few months ago Ryder used a screwdriver to take the door off, and they told Principal Steinbeck I did it. I got suspended for two days. My mom was pissed. She knew I didn't do it because I can barely use a leaf blower.
Eventually, after a few minutes, I unlock the stall door and open it. As I fix my underwear, my eyes glaze at Eric while a smirk appears on his face. "You wanna do this the easy way or the hard way?" He asks. Ryder hands Eric the lighter.
"Which one is less painful" I mumble.
Ryder laughs, then Eric says "Neither, you get burned either way".
" I hate you," I say firmly
"Aww...that's not very nice" Ryder grabs the back of my neck, then forces me onto one knee.
I sit there quietly as Ryder rolls up my shirt, showing a bare naked chest. My eyes shut tight. I start feeling the flame against my skin, and a smell of burning flesh lingers in the air. I begin to feel the skin peeling off, like shredded paper. That's when my eyes open and I jerk away. "Gay boy, what did I say about moving?" Eric asks.
Tears stream down my face, I didn't say anything but I knew the answer.
"What did I say about moving Kaizen?" Eric yells
" you..you said don't move or-"
"Don't MOVE OR I WILL GET burnt. AM I THE GAY BOY?" Eric grabs my throat, I gasp for breath which alarmed Ryder.
"No, I-" I gag
"Am I going to hell?" Eric yells
"Eric that's enough," Ryder says, grabbing his friend's shoulder
"I can't b-"
"You are going to hell so you need to get used to getting burned, bitch" Eric pushes me aside. I fall back against the sink and then breathe heavily.
"Eric.." Ryder says.
"Don't Eric me..." Eric storms out of the bathroom, Ryder looks at me with an apologetic expression and runs after his friend.
The burn marks along my ribcage are thick and wide, black with rough edges - red skin patches too. It feels like sandpaper.
Hi, my name is Kaizen, and welcome to my life. I'm new here. Well if you say moving to America from South Korea a year ago is new, then yeah it's my first rodeo. New school. New town. New friends. New language. Everything is different. I came to Maplewood High School recently last year. Things didn't go too well, I went to the wrong classes- and made some enemies. However, the most memorable thing was meeting a romantic senior named, Skylar Jaquiel who has been my boyfriend for six months.
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Closure (Editing) (Complete)
Teen FictionMrs. Carbine pulls out three composition books then hands us one individually "Let's try something else," She says, also grabbing a handful of pencils to pass around. "You guys are going to write journal entries about an issue, you have with someone...
