"You can't defeat the darkness by keeping it caged inside of you."
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Sometimes, when I get really high, I kind of think I'm psychic. When Nate Jacobs was 11-years-old, he found his dad's porn collection. His dad, Cal, was obsessive. His mom always said that's who he got it from. Then he quickly realized that the colored cases and placement were no accident. It was an elaborate code, one to ensure that no one fucked with his shit.
Every video was basically the same. They'd drink, make small talk... and then his dad would fuck the shit out of some... well, you get it.
By 12, he adopted a rigid diet and workout schedule. Within a year, his body fat dropped from 23% to 6%. He joined the football team as a freshman and quickly excelled. By the year's end, he was not only the starting quarterback but the team captain.
He loved the crowds, the pats on the back, the cheers, the feeling of winning. But he hated being in the locker room. He hated how casual his teammates were about being naked... how they'd talk to him with their dicks hanging out. He made a concerted effort to always maintain eye contact during these exchanges. Every now and then, he'd forget and accidentally catch a glimpse of someone's penis.
His older brother Aaron was a fuck-up. He could tell his dad didn't like Aaron, didn't think he had guts or brains or half a fucking clue, and Nate agreed. He didn't talk to his dad that much, but they didn't need to. They had a good relationship. He didn't like his mother either; she was weak and a pushover.
Plus, she didn't take care of herself.
He made a long mental checklist of the things he liked and disliked about women. He liked tennis skirts and jean cut-offs, but not the kind so short you can see the pockets. He liked ballet flats and heels. He hated sneakers and dress shoes. But he was fine with sandals, as long as they were worn with a fresh pedicure.
He liked thigh gaps, hated cankles. He liked tan lines, long necks, slender shoulders. He liked good posture and fruit-scented body mist. He liked full lips and small noses. He liked chokers, but the lacy ones with flower cutouts or delicate patterns. He hated girls who sat like boys, talked like boys, acted like boys. But there was nothing on planet Earth he hated more than body hair.
That was one of the first things he noticed about Cameron and Maddy. They were basically hairless. Cameron and Nate dated throughout freshman year and half of sophomore year. He'd walk Cameron home from school every day. It made him feel good to know that he was there to protect her. He knew the world was full of men that wanted to hurt Cameron.
Men who would hang out the windows of their car and scream obscenities at her. College guys who wouldn't think twice about drugging her. Lonely guys who'd spot her at the mall. Men who would rape her, torture her, sell her into sexual slavery. He didn't even like to think about it. He did, however, like to think about the things he'd do to protect her.
