Rochdale | LGBTQ+

.Ten.

I walked out of the police station, feeling way better than I had when I first walked in. The report had been filed, I put in my statement, and the police agreed to start gathering evidence on the bitch that nailed me in the back with that huge rock. 

Maddie was leaning on a bench outside the station, texting someone on her phone. When I approached, she hurriedly snapped it shut and shoved it into her bag. "Hey! How did it go? They took you seriously, right?"

I nodded. "Yep! They said they'll look into it. Apparently, this isn't her first offense. It's just never been to a guy before."

Maddie wrinkled her nose. "Huh. I guess that makes sense. I mean, you are the first guy Lucas has ever been with."

"Yeah, but she doesn't know that, does she?" I questioned, my heart sinking. 

Maddie shook her head. "There's no way. You'd have to seriously torture the hell out of my brother to make him admit he's the tiniest bit gay. Don't worry pumpkin," she said reassuringly. 'Pumpkin' was her newest vocabulary word. I wasn't sure where it came from or how it resembled me in any way, but it was nice to have a nickname like I used to when I was younger. I used to be called CC. But then that was too "feminine" for Greg, and he made everyone call me by my real name. 

I smiled at her. "Okay, thanks." It wasn't that I was ashamed of being gay exactly, but I was a little ashamed of falling just a teeny bit for a Sampson. Especially one that was too big of a pussy to actually kiss me. Seriously. Both times when it seemed perfectly appropriate, he'd threatened me in some way. I wasn't ready for everyone to know I was gay, either. 

We could save that for when I left this shitty little nut town and moved somewhere else. That could be my parting gift. "Bye whores, oh! By the way, I like dick!" I could picture it in my head as I got on a train with my bags, waving goodbye to them dramatically as they gathered to watch me depart. Yeah right. This isn't a movie, I snorted in my head.

I was worried that when people found out I was gay, though, they'd start treating me like some kind of fag-for-hire. I didn't have a problem with sucking cock for cash, but I had my limits, and I definitely had physical boundaries when it came down to it. But when those rich middle aged men came knocking at your door, it was in your best interest to listen to them. I didn't want to lose my freedom. I didn't want to be a stripper or a whore- what would the littles think? I was their beloved big brother, I couldn't become some sort of dependent servant for older men. I wasn't going to let them take advantage of me, because if the girls ever let someone take advantage of them, I think someone might just end up dead.

Maddie slid her hand into mine, swinging it playfully as we walked down the sidewalk. I hadn't fully figured out if Maddie's touchiness was just friendly affection or a crushing kind of attention, but it did help me uphold my straight reputation for a little while longer when people thought we were dating. I kept creepy guys away from her too, when they saw the muscular brunette walking by her side late at night. 

"Do you think she'll hold up in court?"

"If she can afford a good lawyer. We'll see," snickered Maddie. Maddie could turn into a real bitch when it came to people messing with me or the littles. I appreciated her support, but sometimes her cruelness scared me. I was just glad that I could trust her to never turn this mean side onto the girls. She adored them with every fiber of her being.

I looked up and down the road before crossing, our fingers intertwined. "It's such a nice day out," I commented. It'd been a rainy summer for a while. Cold, cloudy, and gray for what seemed like ages. School would be starting soon, too, and I was dreading my new math class. It was my senior year- which meant college was rapidly approaching. I needed to get as many classes in as possible this year to avoid a heaping pile of student debt.