Chapter 7

Sunday had been a bore without my phone. I had no other choice but to watch Umma's TV dramas with her most of the day. What's worse is that now I'm emotionally invested in the show we watched. (I totally ship this couple, Nari and Joon. They're the cutest together.)

I was kind of relieved to come back to school on Monday. When I arrived and met up with Yani at our spot, I had barely recognized her. She wasn't wearing any makeup.

"Hey, you okay?," I asked her as I sat down next to her.

She groaned and muttered, "Not really. I had a wicked hangover all day yesterday. My older brother, Carlos, had to drive me to school since I'm not allowed to touch my car for a month. I'm also not allowed to wear makeup for a month. I also can't come over to your house or go out anywhere until I'm ungrounded."

"Sounds harsh...," I commented.

"All of that would probably be bearable if my mom wasn't constantly eyeing me like I'm some federal criminal," she lamented.

"Well, you did screw up pretty bad..."

"Not helping, gringo," she muttered, glaring at me.

"Sorry. Don't worry too much. I'm sure the month will fly by," I said, trying to cheer her up.

"I guess," she mumbled. She yawned and asked me, "So, what happened at the party? Everything's kind of a blur."

"Oh," I started, "ya know... I ran into Eli, Wesley forced me to play a Truth-or-Dare, spin-the-bottle game, then proceeded to humiliate me with a recording of a call we had where I pretty much confessed to taking the nude photos of Eli. After that, I left the party, drove you home, and had an emotional breakdown."

"Oh my god..! How did all of that happen?!"

"I don't know. It just did. But I'm over it."

"What? How? Your reputation could be ruined!"

"Was it really a good reputation to begin with?"

"Calvin," she groaned.

I sighed and adjusted my glasses. "Things can't get any worse from here, Yani. I might as well accept it. Maybe this whole incident will be forgotten easily, like you said."

"I'm still worried for you," she murmured.

"I'll be fine. Trust me," I assured her and squeezed her hand. She managed a small, reluctant smile.

The school bell rang not too long after the conversation and we left for our classes.

•••

Surprisingly, physics wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Wesley still glared at me from across the room, but nothing else was different. No one whispered about me or called me out on the nude photo drama. It was the same for the rest of my classes, too. I expected the worst, to be honest, but this was okay, too.

Lunch came around and I wanted to take this time to try and find Eli. He probably has my phone with him so I should get it back. Plus, I kinda wanna see him again and getting my phone back would be a great excuse.

While I left my backpack with Yani at our booth, I went on a little hunt for the dark haired delinquent. It took a while to find him, but eventually I spotted him walking in between rows of tables. I tried waving at him to get his attention. It worked, but instead of coming towards me, Eli kept his signature scowl and then looked away. Things suddenly felt awkward.

The moment probably wouldn't have been so bad, if Eli hadn't walked right up to the table where Wesley and his crew sat, and took a seat right next to the blonde douchebag.

My stomach dropped and I froze.

Why is Eli sitting with Wesley? He said they weren't friends. He said he hated that blonde haired prick. Unless, he lied to me. About everything. No, he couldn't have.

But there he was, talking with Wesley, his back turned to me.

He couldn't have lied. What if last night really was Wesley's doing? What if I was being recorded by some camera somewhere in the dark of the park? Maybe that's why Eli took me there instead of taking me straight home. We could've even talked at the convenient store. If I was recorded, what if Wesley shared it on social media, for everyone to see?

No...

No.

No..!!

Panicking, I hurried back to Yani, trying my best not to scream at the top of my lungs.

Last night was too good to be true. I should've known everything was a fucking sham..! I shouldn't have let Eli kiss me and touch me. I should've bailed at the convenient store when I had the chance. Eli was too nice to me, too forgiving! That fucking bastard! He used me; made me confess my feelings and toyed with them. He really is no different than Wesley. He's probably even worse! That piece of shit! He's utter scum!!

So, why do I feel so bad thinking about him that way?

I'm pathetic.

•••

In graphic design, I wasn't in the mood to chat with Oscar. I just wanted to finish our project. He knew I didn't want to talk when I never answered his casual questions. The only time I ever responded to him was when he asked me about our logo. I felt bad, but I knew if I talked to him, my heart wouldn't be in it.

When PE came up, I wanted to both cry and punch something. I rushed into the locker-room, changed quickly, put my stuff away, then ran outside to get a head start in running. My coach was actually surprised in me but I didn't give a damn about what he thought. I just wanted to run and get my mind off of things. I wanted the burning sensation in my chest and the pain in my legs to distract me. But, I was too aggressive with my running and ended up stepping wrong on my left foot. My ankle buckled and I fell to my knees. I leaned over and groaned, the hot sun at my back.

"Are you okay?," a girl asked me.

"Just dandy," I told her, and got up. She gasped as she pointed to my knees, saying, "Y-You're bleeding! You need to go back to the coaches and--."

"I'll be fine," I grumbled, "Thanks for the concern." I started race-walking away from her, leaving her wide-eyed and confused.

When I passed by the coaches, one of the ladies stopped me to look at my knees. I tried telling her I was fine, but she sent me inside anyway. I changed out of my gym clothes (except the shorts because I couldn't get blood on my pants), cleaned my wounds, and walked to the nurse's office.

The nurse saw to the scrapes on my knees and iced my ankle just in case. I changed back into my pants and stored my gym shorts in my backpack. The nurse asked if I was doing better since last week, and I said no. She asked if I wanted chamomile tea, and I said yes. When she asked what was wrong, all I did was cry. When she asked if I needed a hug, I hugged her without answering.

I'm such a fucking baby for crying so much lately. This whole drama is all my fault. I'm just paying for my screw-up in the worst way possible.

I skipped the rest of PE class in the nurse's office, then went to my U.S. history class. I barely took notes in that class, even though I should've. Whatever. I just wanted to go home...

The last bell of school rang and I went towards the front to meet up with Yani. When I saw her, she could instantly tell I wasn't feeling good and asked, "What happened?"

I would tell her that Eli Gateman is a fucking scumbag, but then I'd have to explain why I felt so strongly about that. I couldn't tell her what I did with him Saturday night. She'd freak out and tell me that I made things worse. I don't need her to tell me what I already know.

"I scraped my knees in PE, and almost twisted my ankle," I (sorta) lied.

"Are you okay?"

I nodded.

She sighed and said, "Don't forget to take care of yourself, Calvin. Be more careful, yeah?"

"Yeah..."

Yani reached into her back pocket for her phone and I could see she was getting a call. She answered and talked to someone in Spanish. With a sigh, she muttered something, then hung up.

"Since I don't have my car," she started explaining, "Carlos has to pick me up now. He'll be picking me up practically as soon as the bell rings. I've gotta go."

"Oh...that sucks," I murmured. It really does.

"I know. Hopefully, you go home soon. Text me when you leave, okay? Bye, Calvin." She started walking away and I felt bad because I still needed to get my phone back.

I scoured the school for Eli, hoping I could find him before he leaves, if he hasn't left already. To my luck, I found him hanging out by the school gates, talking with some random, lesser delinquent.

My initial intention was to just walk up to him and ask him for my phone. That changed when the first thing I said to him as I stormed up to him was, "You bastard!!"

Eli and the other guy stared at me in surprise. Eli's expression shifted back sooner though, and he asked, "What's your problem?"

"My problem? My problem?! You know damn well what my problem is! Don't act stupid!!"

"First of all, quit yelling at me--."

"No!!"

The other guy stepped in, asking Eli, "Who the fuck is this guy? You need me to fuck him up?"

"I don't ever need you to do anything, Leonard," Eli growled at the lesser delinquent. "Back off."

The guy named Leonard frowned, harrumphed, then leaned against the gate.

Before Eli could start talking, I went straight back to yelling at him. "You used me! You lied to me! After all of the things I've been through, you didn't think it was enough? You and Wesley?!"

"What are you talking about--?"

"Quit talking like you didn't fuck me over, you no-good, lying, piece of shit bastard! You fucking deadbeat, scumbag! You dumbass, lowlife prick--!!"

Eli suddenly grabbed my arm very roughly and I snapped at him. I kept trying to yank myself out of his hold, cursing and screaming as I struggled, but he held on tight. I even went as far as trying to punch him, but he dodged my fist like nothing. He then grabbed onto both of my hands and held them behind my back as he dragged me away from the school gates, like I was some criminal.

People stared at us but Eli never hung around long enough to allow anyone to stop him. He yanked me towards the back of the school, where usually maintenance workers park their cars, and then let me go.

My first instinct was to shove him away from me as hard as I could and yell at him. "Are you finally going to beat me up now? Huh? Well, go ahead! Do it! But, I'm not gonna lie on the ground and take whatever you throw at me! I'll do whatever it takes to try to fuck you up, too!!"

"I'm not going to beat you up," Eli stated in a calmer tone than earlier.

"Yeah, right," I scoffed, "Why should I trust your word? You lied to me about everything Saturday night."

"How?"

"You lied to me about not being friends with Wesley," I started, "You lied to me about forgiving me. You lied to me about your emotions that night. You lied to me about your kindness and understanding. You're acting out a lie right now, pretending like I'm being a psycho, pretending that you're the good guy here!"

"I'm not the good guy."

I laughed and growled, "At least, you're smart enough to know that!"

He frowned and asked, "Why the hell are you so damn angry? I didn't do anything--."

"Don't you dare say that!," I snapped at him, "Earlier today, at lunch, I saw you sit with Wesley. Saw you chatting with him like friends. When I waved at you, all you did was glare and ignore me. Don't bother trying to explain yourself either, I've got you figured out."

"Oh, do you?," he said in a sarcastic tone.

"Oh, yes! Wesley put you up to following me to my friends house and offering to take me home. He told you to go to the park so that we could talk, where he would be waiting to capture what we did on camera, or something! Now, it'll only be a matter of time before he posts whatever he's got on social media. People will see, and they'll be repulsed by me, and I'll be the disgrace of the entire school! Maybe even the entire school district! Well, haha, congratulations, to you and Wesley! You've completely ruined my life! I hope you both got what you wanted!!!"

Tears had started streaming down my face and I wiped at my eyes with my jacket sleeves. I backed away and leaned against the brick wall of the school building, sliding down to the ground to cry in a ball.

So pathetic.

Eli walked up to me and I muttered to him, "Go away..."

"Calvin--."

"Go away!!! I don't want to see you anymore!!! Leave me alone!!!," I screamed as I shoved at his legs. He hadn't budged.

In a calm tone of voice, Eli asked, "Do you really believe all of that?"

I sniffled and covered my face so I wouldn't have to look at him. "I don't want to...," I whimpered.

I heard him sigh and then move around. His hands grabbed onto both of my wrists and he forced me to uncover my face. I struggled for a moment, but gave up and hung my head in defeat. He sat on the ground right in front of me.

"Just leave me alone...," I murmured, "Please... I've had enough..."

Eli wiped the tears from my face and said, "Let me say a few things first. If you still hate me after this, then I'll leave you alone for good." I didn't protest against it.

He started explaining, "The only reason I sat with Wesley was because he had only asked me to. I didn't sit there by my own choice. I'm honest when I say I hate his stupid-ass."

He paused for a moment to see if I would react. I only sniffled.

"The reason why I ignored you," he added, "was because I didn't want Wesley jumping to conclusions. I can't have anyone think anything happened between us, especially Wesley, because it would ruin you."

"You mean, it would ruin you," I remarked bitterly.

"No," he stated firmly. I shut my mouth.

"I'm not with Wesley at all. Plus, what kind of idea would it be for him to ask me to make out with you, and more? Also, why would I agree to it, and agree to being video taped if I'll also get harassed? It's stupid."

He was kind of right...

"But then...why did you take me to the park?," I asked.

"I had wanted to talk in a place where we wouldn't have any distractions," he answered, "My only intentions were to talk. I hadn't expected things to go the way they went the other night."

I looked away and murmured, "So, it hadn't meant anything, huh? Why am I even asking that question, of course it didn't..."

"Hell, yes it did," he argued, taking me by surprise, "I wanted every second of it. I don't regret a single thing. And god knows, I wanted to fuck you that night..."

A harsh blush reached my face and I looked away. Eli forced me to look at him by grabbing my chin and turning my head.

"To be honest, I have had my eye on you once or twice before," he admitted causally, "I thought you were cute. No guy has ever made me think like that. So, when you told me you liked me, I couldn't help myself to you."

I stared at him wide-eyed and I gulped. "Y-You're lying...," I murmured, "you're a liar..."

Eli leaned forward and kissed me, sending sparks through me. It was soft, and sweet, and I never realized how badly I had already missed the feeling of his lips.

"Calvin," he started, "I may be a delinquent; and a lowlife, and a jerk, and an utter failure...but one thing I'm not and will never be is a good-for-nothing liar." He kissed my cheek and I cried, this time from something else that wasn't anger and sadness. In my ear, he whispered, "I told you I don't like hurting people. I could never bring myself to hurt you."

My body trembled and my tears kept falling. I couldn't take it anymore. I wrapped my arms around him and started to cry into his shoulder. Eli placed a hand on my back as he held himself up with the other. All of my frustration from today poured out and I felt kind of bad that Eli had to listen to my gross sobbing. I want to believe him. I want to know that he's okay with me. I want to trust him so badly. But even with what he has told me, Wesley has fucked me up so much that I'm still unsure.

Almost as if he read my mind, Eli said, "If you don't believe me now, I'll prove to you that I'm telling the truth. Just stick around long enough and you'll see."

Sniffling, I nodded and whimpered, "O-Okay..."

I eventually let Eli go, and he reached into his backpack for something. He brought out my phone and handed it to me. "You forgot this in my car," he said, "I would've dropped it off at your house, but I hadn't noticed until the last minute."

"Thank you," I murmured.

He picked up my chin again and said, "I left a little gift in there for you. In your photos. Don't look until you get home."

"Why?," I questioned.

"You'll see," was all he answered and flashed me a smirk. The way he did that made my heart beat fast and I smiled.

Eli waited and sat with me until I felt okay enough to walk back towards the front of the school. I didn't want to leave. Sitting next to him and leaning on him felt so nice. I wanted to keep this feeling, because it made me feel like nothing could touch me. Not the drama, not Wesley, nothing. It was just us.

When I was feeling better, he helped me up off the ground and walked with me. He offered to take me home, but I told him I didn't want him to risk being seen with me in that situation. Despite that I could see that he wanted to argue, he respected my decision.

Right before we made it to the front, he stopped me. Swiftly, he pulled me close to him and kissed me again. I reached up to brush my hands through his soft hair, and savored the taste of his lips again. When he pulled away, I said, "I'm really worried about being like this with you..."

"Because Wesley will find out?," he guessed.

"Because it's gonna be torture when you're not around...," I said. He smirked and kissed me again.

"I'll make sure every moment without me is hell, then," he said to me so smoothly and I swooned.

After we had our fill of kisses, Eli told me to leave ahead of him first. "No one will suspect anything if we come back alone," he had stated. He was right.

Even though I really wanted to stay with him, I walked to the front of the school by myself. Mostly everyone was gone now since they were picked up. I took a seat against a column and waited for Appa to come and pick me up.

While I waited, I thought about all that Eli told me and how sincere he was when he spoke. I never would of guessed he was such a fair person. I never would have guessed he'd like a person such as myself, either. I guess I could say the same about my own feelings. I thought I only had a physical attraction to him, but now it's much more than that. For a long time, I had wanted to avoid it growing to where it is now. Now, I never want to let go of this feeling.

•••

It took another thirty minutes for Appa to come and pick me up. I preoccupied myself with my phone in the meantime. Curious, I went onto my Facebook (only ever use it for my parents) to check Wesley's page for anything. The only thing I found was a status update from last week: Been busy.

Yeah right, you deadbeat.

So he hasn't posted anything about me at all... I feel like that may change, but I'm hoping it won't.

Once I finally got home, I went straight to my room. I made sure to text Yani that I left school and put my backpack away. Sitting down on my bed, I stared at the Photos icon on my phone. The anticipation of whatever "gift" Eli left for me made my stomach flip. Biting my lip, I pressed the icon and went through my recents.

And there the gift was: Eli had taken pictures of himself, probably in his bathroom... naked. And it wasn't the cheap mirror selfies either, he took a picture of himself, and only him.

I covered my mouth as I shoved my phone against my chest in surprise. Oh my god..!

I peeked back down at my phone and went through the new pictures. Judging from them, he lied about finding my phone last minute. Still, I was okay with this. His body was the holiest thing I have ever seen. A fair toned, sinewy chest, fit stomach, a prominent V-line, and, oh, his beautiful cock. His dark eyes looked up at the camera in some shots, alluring me, teasing me, making me want him more.

As I scrolled, I came across video. I hadn't noticed there was a video before. Shaking with excitement, I hit the play button and was greeted by the sight of Eli's naked body again. He held the phone up as he recorded himself masturbating.

AaaaaAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!

FUCK!

My dick suddenly got hard and I groaned, desperately wanting Eli again. My only means of having him was through this video and I couldn't help myself. I dashed into my in-room bathroom, closed the door behind me, sat down on the floor and started unzipping my pants. As I held my phone in one hand, watching Eli stroke himself, I started doing the same with my other. I watched his toned chest move up and down as he breathed, watched the muscles in his left arm work, heard him growl and groan. For a moment, I closed my eyes just to listen to his sounds and get off on them.

I didn't know how long the video was, but I didn't want it to end. Everything looked so perfect in it. The lighting, the way his grey bedsheets were bunched up around him (Grey bedsheets. I wanna cling onto them someday), his sounds, the way his hair fell into his face sometimes, the way he bit his lip, him. All of it so perfect.

The video ended sooner than I wanted to, but at the end Eli had reached his climax and I watched him cum all over his stomach. I groaned and shuddered, remembering how it felt when he came because of me. Still needing to cum, too, I replayed parts of the video over and over and over, memorizing his groans and sighs. All of this felt so much better than any porn video could ever make me feel. This felt more real and in reach. It is real. It is in reach.

I kept rewinding again, and again, and again, until my body shuddered as I finally released. I bit my lip to suppress the moans I couldn't let my parents hear. My hand was wet and I let it rest upright on my lap. Taking a breather, I let my head lean against the wall as the video kept playing. Suddenly, I heard my name being called out and I looked down at my phone.

There was a part of the video I hadn't seen yet. Eli's gorgeous face was on my phone screen, smirking, slightly tinted with red. He called out my name in a gentle voice, before stating, "This is all yours now."

My heart jumped and I blushed.

All mine.

All mine.

I bit my lip again and whined, exasperated because of how easily he gets to me now. Yet, I wanted to feel this way forever.

After cleaning up in my bathroom, I went back into my room to sit down on my bed. As soon as I did, my phone started ringing and I checked the screen.

Eli.

Almost immediately, I swiped at the green answer button and yanked the device up to my ear. Despite my adrenaline, I managed to speak in a collected tone of voice, "Hello?"

"Hey," Eli's voice said to me, and I sort of felt relieved to hear it. "It's me Eli, if you haven't noticed. I wanted to call and ask if you got back home."

"Y-Yeah, I came back just a few minutes ago," I replied.

"Good. Are you feeling better?"

So much better.

"Yeah, I'm okay now," I said, "Thanks for asking."

"You haven't gotten any calls or texts from Wesley, right?," he inquired.

I shook my head. "Not that I know of. Why?"

"Just asking," he responded, "while I had your phone, he had sent some pretty fucked up texts to you. I felt tempted to tell him shit but I just deleted them all."

"What kind of stuff did he send?," I asked a bit reluctantly.

"Don't worry about it," Eli told me and I wouldn't.

"Are your knees okay? I noticed they got scraped in PE, and you could barely walk," Eli said. Just how observant is he? Then again, my legs were practically pouring with blood..

"They're fine. The nurse patched me up and everything," I told him.

"That's good to hear," he said, then sighed like he was tired.

"A-Are you feeling okay?," I asked him in return.

His chuckling caught me off guard, but he replied, "Yes, I'm fine." I smiled and blushed behind the phone.

Eli cleared his throat and asked, "So, I take it you've already seen my gift?"

My blush intensified and I murmured, "Y-Yes, I did."

He chuckled wryly and the sound was so lovely. "Can you trust me now that you have nudes and a video of me jacking off to you?," he asked. (To me?!)

Rolling my eyes playfully, I answered, "Yeah, I guess I can trust you now."

"I meant what I said in that video, Calvin," he stated quietly. My fingers fumbled with a fold of my pants as I smiled like a goofball.

"That's pretty bold of you," I teased.

"I don't mind being bold."

I laughed a bit. "That makes me happy. But, I'm gonna be honest, I'm not going to be easily swayed by nudes and a very, very 'entertaining' video of you."

"Oh, really?," Eli said, and I could hear the challenge in his voice, "What would it take to sway you then?"

"I'm a sappy guy," I proclaimed, "I like nice, romantic dates and cringeworthy phrases of affection."

"Like 'I'll go to the ends of the Earth and back to make you mine,?"

"Exactly," I laughed.

"I can do that. We'll start the cringe tomorrow after school. I'm taking you wherever you want to go for lunch and more."

"Whoa, you're quick to jump..," I remarked in awe.

"Is that bad?"

"N-No, it's not," I stammered a little, "I...I like it. Tomorrow, after school, then."

He gave another lovely, wry chuckle, then groaned and said, "Listen, I'm gonna have to go now. Work is, uh...well. Anyway, I'll see you tomorrow. If anything happens, you can call me."

"Okay.. Thank you, Eli."

"No problem. I'll talk to you later." After a few moments of static silence, my phone beeped, telling me he had hung up. I'd like to think that the silence was him not wanting to leave. I certainly didn't want him to.

Thinking about the new nudes and the video on my phone, I wasn't going to make the same mistake twice. But instead of deleting everything completely, I backed it up on my computer. I rushed to save everything before one of my parents came in and saw me at the computer and also transporting nudes of another man onto my hard-drive. After everything was set and done, I shut down my computer and deleted the photos and video on my phone.

I fell across my bed, grabbed one of my pillows, and hugged it close to me. I unlocked my phone, went to my contacts and picked out Eli's name. I stared at it, thinking about just how unreal this all felt. I can't believe something good came out of all of this stupid drama. With a giddy smile, I shut off my phone screen and held it close to me.

I'm going on a date with Eli Gateman.