Men Do Cry

Bullies

The news about the rape of Liam gets widespread media coverage and the premise of Lexicon College is filled with news reporters. The college security kicks all the reporters out, but they wait outside the gate to take Liam's interview.

In the class, Liam sits worried as he cannot go outside. Mr. Marano tells him to stay in the class, and once the situation is cooled, he can leave from the back gate.

After classes, Liam packs his bag to leave, but everyone gives him a look, a look that he doesn't like. It feels like everyone is judging him secretly and he hears, "He got wrecked by that hillbilly. I knew they were gay."

Liam, however, ignores them and keeps on walking and reaches the football ground, where the seniors are practicing. Just as they see Liam, one of them goes, "Look, that's the dude that got bottomed", and the other ten boys present there start to laugh.

Liam keeps on ignoring them, but another one from the team throws the rugby ball at him and it hits his left arm. Now, Liam had enough and he is ready to raise hands, but his anxiety starts to rocket as he sees eleven big boys coming at him. He panics and starts to run, but the boys outrun him and surrounds him. One of them pushes Liam and he falls down, and as he looks up, the eleven boys are circling him like vultures.

"No way you got fucked by a dude."

"Yo, that's a disgrace."

"Time to cut your dick off."

"Wanna suck my dick too."

"Faggot."

"Shit, you got raped by your own friend. Disgusting shit."

He hears all these words as he is laying down on the ground. After a while, he hears the sound of whistle and all the boys moves away. The football coach, Mr. Mayers, arrives there and tells the boys, "This is no way to behave with someone who just went through so much. You all must be ashamed of yourself", shouts Mr. Mayers.

"But it is not us who said this. This is all over the internet", says one of the team members.

Liam opens his phone to check the internet and sees the similar kind of comments everywhere in the social media. People are reacting 'haha' in the news and few comments even says, 'At this point, he should kill himself already.'

He gets sad reading all of that, and just then Mr. Mayers approaches his hand and pulls up Liam so that he can stand.

"Go train. I will arrive in a while", tells Mayers to the team.

He dusts off Liam and tells him, "There are going to be people who are going to say even bad things about you. Read them, listen them, but son, don't take them by heart."

Liam is left numb with Mayers's words.

"This is the reality of us boys. We are so much told to be masculine, and strong, and to not cry, or man up, guards up, have balls, and whatnot. But do you think that we can do that every time till the day we die? No, even we are humans and we do cry, and it is normal."

"I don't know what to say, Mr. Mayers", says Liam.

"If anyone from the college ever comes at you like those boys, just tell me. I will show them who the man is", winks Mayers and gives Liam a smile.

Liam too smiles and goes towards the back gate.

Liam puts on a mask and a cap so that he is not recognized by the press, but just after walking a few steps, he sees Darien talking to someone. As he moves closer, he is left astonished seeing Kiara. Darien is telling something to Kiara, but as they are far from him, he couldn't listen.

Just then, someone pats Liam's shoulder and he jumps looking back. It was Hannah. She asks, "What are you doing here, Liam? I think you should run because the media is going crazy in the front."

"Yeah, I was just about to leave", says Liam.

"Well, the front gate is completely occupied by them and they are not even letting other students go out. So, I came running from the back gate."

"I am sorry for that, I guess it's my fault."

"It's not. It is the fault of those criminals. If you need any help, please don't hesitate to ask me. Okay, Liam?"

"Thank you, Hannah."

"By the way, have you seen Kiara?"

"She is there", points Liam.

"Oh, she is talking with her dad. Okay, bye", goes Hannah as she waves to Liam.

Listening the word 'dad', Liam is dumbstruck. He gets shocked to know that Darien is Kiara's father and now he realizes why he wanted Liam to be silent, and that is to protect his daughter. He is not able to speak anything and texts Yulian to come and pick him up or send someone.

Grant's Dormitory:

Dave is on his study table doing his assignments. He gets a call from an unknown number and when he says, "Hello", the person on the other side says, "Dave, it's me Grant."

"What the fuck!", gasps Dave.