1 Prologue

The bell signifying the end of the class and the beginning of summer break rang. Talk about being saved by the bell.I quickly gathered my books and tried to stash them in my back before...

"Hey Vance,"a deep,familiar voice called from behind,a voice that always seemed to terrify me every single time...Casey!

Knowing very well he hates being ignored,I slowly turned around to face him.My heart was pounding hard in my chest. For a moment, I actually thought that he would at least let me be,since it was the last day of school before summer break began.Turns out I was wrong.

Everyone,meet Casey,my tormentor from the time I was like five years.Casey is a monster,the guy has no heart.People adore him for some strange reason.I still don't get why,but they do.

Casey on the other hand,hates me,he always has.Ever since we were kids,he never passed the opportunity to bully me.He did it so much,it became a hobby.But what I couldn't seem to figure out was the 'why' part. Why he hated me so much. Cause as far as I remember,I never gave him a reason to hate me,not even once.

My mother works Casey's uncle as a maid. And he hates me just as much as he hates my mum.He proved that when he pushed me down the stairs when we were young,and he showed no remorse. My mother usually feels like she owes them,so when I was pushed down the stairs,it was 'my' fault!

I thought he would at least feel a bit guilty for what he did,and would come and apologize,but he didn't...at least not until his cousin Connie,forced him to.

Ever since,every school day has been hell for me,and Casey and his friends made sure of it.

"Leaving so soon Vance?"he asked walking towards me,with a sinister grin on his face.

"You could have at least said goodbye," Jake,his closest friend spoke behind from behind him.

"I-I-I n-need to l-leave,"I couldn't help but stammer.Casey scares me a lot,so cowering in fear in front of him just happens naturally,it's something I can't control anymore.

"I-I- n-need to l-l-leave"he mimicked me and his friends laughed.

These guys don't get tired of doing this.But I'm always too scared to stand up for myself.Maybe if I wasn't,they would leave me alone.But that's just a thought.Standing up to Casey would be suicidal.

The door opened and then closed. For some strange reason,I expected to see a teacher,or a caring fellow classmate,someone who could save me from these monsters,but it was only Brian,another one of Casey's friends.

"Did you get it?" Casey asked.

"Yep!"Brian proudly replied,digging his hands in his pockets,as if looking for something.After a few seconds,he took out a bunch of keys,and jingled them in front of his face,smirking.

God I really hate his smirk!

But then it dawned on me that those were the janitor's keys.They stole the janitor's keys?! This can't be good,especially if you're in my shoes.

"W-What are you going to do with those?"I asked,trying to move as far away from all of them as I could.

"What do you think?"smirked Casey,and my heart skipped a beat.

One thing was for sure,whatever they were planning,wasn't good...nothing ever is! I slowly backed away,step by step,trying to put some distance between us.But as I moved backwards,they moved forward.Casey was closing in on me,his friends backing him up. But I hit the wall.I was cornered!

"Looks like there's nowhere to run anymore Vance,"said Casey before he landed a punch on my stomach.

"Oof!" The pain I felt was enough to send me to the floor.

No matter how many times Casey has punched me,I've never really gotten used to the pain.If anything,it's usually more painful than the last.

Before I could even recover from the punch,another blow landed on my face. And another one on my back and stomach over and over again.I tried my best to block the punches,but my attempts were in vain.

I couldn't stop the tears from falling. I simply closed my eyes and waited for the blows to stop coming. Hopefully waiting for the pain to subside.

It felt like an eternity before they finally stopped,and I could hear them panting and breathing hard,clearly exhausted from torturing me.

I slowly opened my eyes and caught a glimpse of Brian,doing what he does best in such occasions,recording the whole thing,probably so they could watch it later and laugh about it,or share it with the entire school,or maybe show it to their kids in the future. Who knows for sure.

A deep chuckle escaped from Casey's lips as he smirked,clearly proud of himself for what he has done to me. He crouched so we could be eye level,and he grabbed my chin,forcing me to look at him. And what he did next is what shocked me the most....he kissed me! A rough kiss,biting my tongue and lower lip in the process.

I tried my best to push him aside,but it's clear that he's much stronger than me. When I felt like I was running out of breath,he finally broke the kiss. He the spat on my face and pushed my my head back so hard that I hit the wall.

"You disgust me!" he spat out before him and his friends burst out into laughter again," But if it's any consolation,you aren't a bad kisser at all,"

Casey has done many awful things to me,but to me ,kissing me is the worst! I felt dirty,filthy...and so violated! And yet again,he enjoyed it.

And then they left me to pick myself up,like they always do. But this time,I felt I couldn't. I felt tired...exhausted...and most of all mad! Mad at myself for not standing up for myself. Mad at Casey and his friends for abusing me. Mad at the entire school for always watching them torture and they'd just laugh it off,at the principal for always turning a blind eye,at my mother for always defending Casey over me,her own daughter,just because she works for his uncle. Mad at my dad for abandoning us...abandoning me!

My life has been a mess ever since my father left. He loved me,and my life was less miserable when he was around. But after he left,it's like he left a huge empty void in our family. My mother has hated me ever since. She says I'm the reason my father left.

"I'll see you after summer break Vance," Casey's voice snapped me out of my thoughts. I heard a 'click' before several footsteps leading away from the door,signalling that they had left.

A 'click'? It then dawned on me.

I ignored the pain I felt when I moved,and rushed to the door.I grabbed the door handle and tried to yank the door open,but it was locked! They've locked me in here! So that was the reason they stole the janitor's keys? Everything made sense.If only I had figured it out earlier. Maybe I could have left before all this transpired. But it was too late for 'what ifs'. I just have to sit tight and wait for the janitor to come by.He always cleans the hallways before heading home for the day.

I took a deep breath and slowly sat on the floor,leaning my aching body against the door for a little bit of comfort.

At least now I have some time to myself. I can use it to gather my thoughts or cry myself to sleep before Frank,the janitor,comes by in the evenings.

I soon drift off to sleep,asking myself one question, 'what did I do to deserve this?'