C.W. Child Abuse, Mention Of Sexual Assault 

On a sweltering day, Lucas heard shouts echoing down the hallway where he had once been ambushed. Curiosity drove him to investigate, and as he approached, he saw a group of students shoving and striking Sergio while hurling insults and laughing cruelly.  

“Leave him alone, you bastards!” Lucas bellowed; his voice left the boys stunned as he glared at them with a stern expression.

One of the bullies, a tall and stocky boy, stepped forward with a mocking grin. “What’s this, Amery? YOU were the one who started bullying him, weren’t you? You used to make fun of him too. What's wrong with you now?”  

Lucas’s expression darkened, and without hesitation, he moved closer to Sergio. He scanned his friend’s face for injuries, then turned back to the bullies. “Not anymore,” he growled. “Got a problem with that, loser? Or do you need me to say it slower for your tiny brain, idiot? Stay the hell away from Sergio! He’s got nothing to do with any of you.”  

Lucas’s clenched fists and unwavering stance made it clear he was ready to fight if necessary.  

The group hesitated, unsure of how to respond. But then their leader, the stocky boy, signaled for them to leave. Muttering under their breaths, they slowly dispersed, casting uncertain glances back at Lucas and Sergio.  

As the tension eased, Sergio looked up at his friend, grateful and relieved.

“Thank you, Lucas…” he murmured, gingerly touching his sore face.  

Lucas offered a small smile and patted him on the back. “Nah, you don’t need to thank me. I’ve got your back, okay?”  

Sergio nodded, his lips curving into a shy smile, washing away the lingering hostility.  

** 

That evening, both boys returned to their homes, each to face a battle of their own.  

Lucas braced himself for what he knew would be a long night. His mother had been drinking since morning, and her violent behavior when she was drunk was inevitable. He prepared his usual refuge: a mattress hidden beneath his bed where he could sleep, far from the shouting and crashing sounds that would soon fill the house. Once again, his mother and stepfather’s arguments would entertain the neighbors. All Lucas wanted was to hold on to the day’s memories with Sergio. That was enough to get him through. If his mother drank herself into oblivion and vomited on the floor, it wouldn’t be his problem.  

Sergio’s night, however, was a different kind of nightmare. His uncle wouldn’t ignore him the way Lucas’s parents ignored him. Instead, Sergio knew he was waiting in his room, his intentions vile and unavoidable—with an unprecedented depravity.

**  

Some time later, on a cloudy afternoon inside the music classroom, Lucas and Sergio had built a makeshift hideout by stacking desks and chairs in the back of the room. There, the two boys worked on homework, shared snacks, or simply spent hours talking about things they’d seen on TV or heard on the radio. It was their escape from the harshness of home. Lucas had convinced his friend to stay after class, and the hideout became their sanctuary —a place far from the judgmental stares and noise they both loathed.  

“D-do you think… it’s okay for us to keep hiding here? I don't know,” Sergio asked nervously, sitting next to Lucas, who was lying on the floor using his backpack as a pillow.

Lucas, eyes closed as he attempted to nap, replied in his usual nonchalant tone. “It’s quiet, and no one bothers us. Unless you’d rather go home?” His bluntness wasn’t meant to offend, but Sergio flinched slightly.  

Quickly, the freckled boy shook his head. “No… I don’t want to.”  

Lucas opened his eyes, studying him intently. He knew, without words, that Sergio avoided home as much as he did. Neither of them ever admitted it aloud; talking about their struggles felt like opening wounds they preferred to ignore.  

“Then stay,” Lucas said with a faint smile, motioning for his friend to lie down beside him. “I want you to play a game with me. It’s simple.”  

“A game? What kind of game?” Sergio asked, intrigued.  

“Just lie down, and I’ll tell you,” he teased, a sly grin spreading across his face.