My breaths were uneven as I slammed the door, wrapping my arms around my body and huddling in a tight corner. I could see my hair, splayed and frizzy with sweat, at the tops of my eyes. I could hear the sounds of shouting and footsteps outside of the small room. I could feel my heart beating so hard it hurt.
My name is Joshua King, and this happened often to me. Not every day, but frequently I found myself huddling in a tight space, hiding from monsters. I call them monsters even though they aren't, but if you were in my shoes you would call them that, too. They're tall, ugly, and mean. And they're always there. But really they're just overgrown teenage boys stepping on each little bug in their path. It was normal, but that doesn't mean that it's fair.
Suddenly I heard the handle click, and the door swung open. Three monsters stood there, the typical, attractive leader in the front. I found myself trembling and closing my eyes as the captain grabbed my wrist and dragged me to my feet.
"You really thought you could hide in the same spot again, huh?" He snorted and half-pulled, half-dragged me out of the janitor's closet, down the hallway. I kept falling to my knees because the other two were tripping me and laughing. I was afraid to speak. Suddenly, the leader (his name was Nikolai) dragged me into the bathroom and tossed me against a wall. I was winded, but I tried to escape underneath a stall door. However, Nikolai grabbed my ankles and dragged me back out. I shouted and kicked at him, but the other two just yelled and kicked at my body. I found myself crying and trying to shield the blows with my scrawny arms.
Eventually I fell unconscious.
But I was okay. I would just spend the night trapped in a school bathroom, unless a janitor found me or my dad realized I wasn't not home.
I was fine.
