Heat and Cold

Chapter 2

As the class ended, I started packing up my things to prepare myself to leave. Every move I make, every thing I touch, and every action I do, makes me feel like I will turn this man’s attention onto mine, and I will be bullied again. And I have to be careful not to even touch or disturb him.

I experienced the bullying of Nathan, and it is a nightmare, and I do not want to know what experience I will be getting when Michael plays with me.

But as much as how careful I am with everything I do, I accidentally spill his coffee when I get my bag but it is tied onto the foot of my chair, making my chair fell onto his, letting his coffee spilled out onto his….

White shirt.

“Fuck.”

I could hear my classmates gasping and there “Oooohhhh” like they have been waiting all day for this entertainment to happen.

“I... I am so sorry!” I apologize immediately, my voice shaking as I frantically grabbed a handful of crumpled tissues from my pocket. I leaned over, desperate to wipe the stain off his chest before it set, but I just made it worse by spreading the stain all over his shirt shirt. “I didn't mean to, my bag got caught, I'm so sorry, Michael—”

"Don't touch me!" Michael snapped, slamming his hand down on the desk so hard the wood rattled. He stood up abruptly, towering over me as the coffee began to soak through the fabric of his shirt. He glared at me with pure fury, his dark eyes looking like they wanted to burn me alive. "Keep your hands to yourself, nerd. You've been clumsy since the second I sat down."

"I'm sorry, really, I'll pay for the laundry, or I can get you a new shirt—" I kept apologizing, my heart hammering against my ribs as I shrank back against my desk.

From across the room, Nathan’s loud, mocking laugh cut through my frantic apologies. He walk over, a smug, entertained grin plastered on his face as he looked at the massive brown stain on the captain's chest.

"Don't waste your breath begging, Niel," Nathan called out, winking at his buddies who were watching from the doorway. "He's the troublemaker captain. He does that all the time. Honestly, Michael, it's the first day of school and you're already terrorizing the helpless over a little coffee?"

Michael didn't even blink. He slowly turned his head toward Nathan, his jaw tightening so hard a muscle twitched. "Shut your mouth, Nathan, unless you want to spend afternoon practice doing laps until you puke."

"Just stating facts, Cap," Nathan shot back, stepping closer and clearly enjoying the drama. "But hey, if you want a piece of him, you have to wait in line. I found him first. He's my target for the year."

"Is that a joke to you?" Michael sneered, taking a slow, deliberate step toward Nathan. The sheer size of the two hockey players made the classroom feel incredibly small and suffocating.

The rest of the class started whispering excitedly, egging them on. It was turning into absolute chaos. Two star athletes were seconds away from tearing each other apart, and I was trapped right in the middle of their egos, clutching my backpack like a shield. Nathan’s smile turned nasty as he prepared to push Michael's buttons even further.

AHHHHHHHHHHH!

A piercing, blood-curdling scream echoed from the hallway outside, tearing through the loud noise of the classroom.

The shouting inside stopped instantly. Nathan froze mid-sentence, and Michael’s head snapped toward the closed door. It wasn't the sound of someone fooling around or pulling a prank. It was a scream of pure, unadulterated terror.

After that loud scream coming from the hallway, everyone got curious and ran towards the door to see what was going on. And as much as I want to see what is happening, all I can think of is running from the situation I am stuck with.

“What is going on out there?” Nathan asks one of our classmates. “They said that Hudson Monette is on our campus.”

Hudson Monette?

Why is he here? What is he doing here?

“Hudson Monette? Really?” Nathan excitedly said and rushed towards the others outside the classroom. As soon as I walked away from him, I was stunned when he held my arms to stop me. I just closed my eyes, waiting for whatever is coming at me. And there it goes, I felt something was thrown to me.

I look back, only to be surprised by what I saw.

His half naked body, with an extreme 6 packs abs being exposed, to my eyes.

“What the!” I immediately shut my eyes before I could picture his whole body and be saved in my brain. “You haven’t seen a man's body before? You act like you’re a faggot.” He said.

Wel… I am a faggot.

“You can open your eyes now.” He said and I do not know if he is joking around, or if he is serious. “I am done.” He said. I slowly open my eyes to learn that he is not lying, he is already wearing his varsity jacket. “Make sure that you will give it back to me, purely clean and white” Before I could even nod, he slung his heavy duffel bag over his shoulder and walked out of the door, leaving me completely alone in the quiet room.

I stood here by myself, my heart finally slowing down. I thought something worse would happen to me, but I am just happy that Michael did not do anything painful to me.

I looked down at the fabric on the floor, the one he threw on my head, after a second I picked it up and looked at it in my hands. Without hesitation, and completely without knowing why, I lifted Michael's shirt to my face and sniffed it.

An intoxicating, powerful scent filled my lungs. It was the undeniable smell of a luxury man. It didn't smell like a typical locker room; it was a rich blend of crisp winter air, expensive cedarwood cologne, and a faint, masculine warmth that lingered beautifully on the threads. It felt forbidden, and it made my head spin.

A harsh, mocking laugh shattered the silence of the room. That made me stop doing what i am doing.

As I jumped from surprise, my head snapped toward the back door. Nathan and his crew were standing there, their phones raised. A bright camera flash blinked right in my eyes.

“Oh, this is absolute gold!” Nathan roared, tapping his screen frantically. “The school nerd is a total freak. Look at him, sniffing the captain’s dirty laundry! Wait until the whole team sees this.”

Panic, hot and terrifying, surged through my veins. “Delete that! Please, Nathan, delete it right now!”

“In your dreams, Niel!” Nathan laughed, turning on his heel and sprinting down the chaotic hallway.

“Wait!” I screamed. Forgetting all my usual fears, I bolted out of the classroom and chased after them.

The hallway was a complete zoo, packed shoulder-to-shoulder with students whispering and shoving toward the main courtyard. I pushed through the crowd blindly, my eyes locked onto the back of Nathan’s jacket, desperately yelling for him to stop. I wasn't looking where I was going, my focus entirely consumed by the threat of that photo destroying the little peace I had left.

Until I stop.

I slammed hard into what felt like a solid brick wall. The impact knocked the wind completely out of my lungs, and my thick glasses slipped violently down the bridge of my nose. I stumbled backward, losing my balance entirely, and braced myself to crash onto the hard tile floor.

But before I could hit the ground, a strong, firm hand clamped onto my forearm, pulling me back up with effortless strength.

“Easy there. You alright?” a deep, incredibly smooth voice asked.

I blinked, hastily pushing my glasses back up into place, and looked up at the person I had just run into.

My breath caught in my throat.

Standing right in front of me was Hudson Monette. He was the famous, star hockey player of Team America, and a literal household name. Seeing him up close, he carried an undeniable aura of power, though a shadow of grief always seemed to linger around his sharp features. Everyone knew his story, he was the illegitimate son of Hillary Monette, the legendary hockey pro who had tragically died in a horrific car accident just four years ago.