The One

Timothy Douglas

Meanwhile, the bullies stood there like a pack of unthinking hounds, their eyes filled with simmering malice as they targeted Tim, who was fuming with growing anger. Their leader, a strikingly handsome boy with a cruel smile, took a menacing step forward, grasping Tim's collar with a smirk.

"Come here, Tim," he taunted, leaning in as if to intimidate.

The movement brought him dangerously close to Karol, whose eyes widened in shock as everyone bore witness.

William, who had been quietly cutting his food, suddenly slammed his utensils down. "Let him go, or you'll be sorry in the next three seconds," he declared, his voice low and threatening, his gaze locked onto the bully's hand as if was a snake ready to strike.

"1," Sharon called out, her lips curving into a smirk as she began the countdown.

"2," Karol joined in, amusement glinting in her eyes as she continued the countdown with a mischievous grin.

Before Sharon could utter "3," the bully quickly released his grip and stepped back, casting a wary glance at William before he walked away. Just as they were about to turn the corner, the leader sneered back, "No one can save you once you're on school grounds," the warning slipping off his tongue like poison.

"Do you want to sue them?" Sharon proposed, her tone half-joking yet filled with concern.

"Or maybe a restraining order?" William chimed in with a serious expression, his protective instinct kicking in.

"Why not just give them bad grades?" Anna suggested sarcastically, her eyes twinkling with mischief as she joined the rally against the bullies.

Karol then added with a playful tone, "How about I stick by your side throughout your senior year? That way, they'll think twice!" She earned four perplexed expressions in return.

"What? I haven't even graduated yet, and I'm a busy uni student," she spluttered, laughing nervously. "Correction—an almost graduate! I think you need another plan."

The five of them exchanged amused glances, bursting into laughter at their own antics.

"No sir, no madam, no ma'am and no miss," Tim grinned, turning his head from William to Anna, then Sharon, and finally Karol, playfully acknowledging each one.

"I'm okay, guys—really. Trust me! I appreciate the concern, but this isn't the first time I've dealt with bullies. I've grown accustomed to it. Besides, those jerks are already drowning in bad grades," he reassured them, attempting a smile.

"Alright, if that's how you feel. So, tell us something about you, Tim," William prompted, biting into his burger with a curious glimmer in his eyes.

"What to share... umm, my name is Timothy Douglas. I just moved here, so I guess I'm a newbie," Tim began, his shyness creeping in. "I'm 17, a senior in high school. This year is my last. I'm gay, as you all know, and I have an older brother who's 24 and a younger sister who's 15. My family moves around a lot because of my mum's job—she's an interior designer. That's about it, I guess." He happily took a sip of his milkshake, the cold liquid a comfort.

Karol rolled her eyes dramatically, pretending to yawn. "What a boring life! So normal. Do you have an ex-boyfriend, Tim?" she probed, crunching on her fries.

Tim's face fell. "No, I don't. Never have. I just crush on someone and then get bullied for it, or humiliated," he admitted, his voice softening.

"Oh, my poor baby brother! Now that your sisters and your new family are here, no one will disturb you," Karol teased dramatically.

"Sorry for her appalling attitude, she just wants someone to talk to since she's the neglected child," Sharon commented, stifling a laugh with her coffee cup.