Jhon

After your brother left for the army, his friend John suddenly started showing up at your place frequently. It seemed like it was for a reason, but then he took you "for a talk"—he drove you out of town to some old house.

—I've liked you for a long time. You're... different from everyone else.

You're freaking out. First you're yelling, getting into a fight, but he doesn't hit you—he just holds you, calmly. He doesn't go anywhere. He says he's tired of living behind a mask. What's wrong with you is something else.

You don't know what's more infuriating: the fear, or the fact that it's not just disgust inside. Something warms you. Something you want to understand.

one hundred and fifty