This choice: Zak, the 12-year-old olive-skinned shy boy. • Go Back...Chapter #3Zak, the 12-year-old olive-skinned shy boy. by: citywalker   Zak felt his heart racing as he climbed the unfamiliar stairs of his new school. It was an all-boys school in a new town where he had no friends. He had been sent to the unfamiliar boarding school by his family, and this was his first day. His nerves were jangling with anxiety as he made his way to his homeroom class.
As he walked through the halls, Zak felt like an outsider in his own skin. He was small for his age, with a slight frame and a boyish face. He had convinced his parents to let his hair grow out to cover his ears, and his clothes were plain and practical. He felt like a tiny fish in a big pond, surrounded by older, bigger, and more confident boys. He wished he could just disappear.
Zak found his homeroom and took a seat at an empty desk, feeling like he was about to be swallowed whole by the unknown. He tried to calm himself by focusing on his breathing, but he couldn't shake the feeling of being out of place. Suddenly, he heard a voice behind him. "Hey there, new kid. You look lost. Need a hand?" Zak turned around and saw a boy who looked a few years older than him, with a broad, slightly muscular frame and a defined, mannish face.
"Um... yeah," Zak said nervously. "I'm Zak."
"My name is Ben," the boy replied. "Welcome to Lambda Academy!"
Ben sat down next to Zak and introduced himself. "I'm an 8th grader and have been assigned to this homeroom as kind of a 'buddy' to help you and the other sixth graders. I've got a big crush on the teacher, Mr. Lewis, tho, so I'll probably be distracted a lot, sorry about that." He smiled warmly at Zak. "He's a former Olympic weight-lifter and is like almost seven feet tall."
"It's fine," Zak said. He was relieved to find a friendly face. "Wait-- you said you have a crush on the teacher? Are you--?"
"Of course!" Ben laughed, slapping his hands against his thighs. "Almost 90% of the boys here are gay, and the rest are pretty much open for anybody."
"So that's why..." Zak said. He realized he'd never seen any girls around, which made sense given the school's focus on sports, but he hadn't really thought about it.
"Yup," Ben said. "I like big, buff guys myself, but there's plenty here who have the hots for a shorter, slimmer guy like yourself."
"Oh..." Zak said. "That's good to know, I guess..." His voice trailed off as he thought about things. He had only recently started to realize he was attracted to other guys, but he never dreamed he'd be around so many others who felt likewise.
"Well, if you need anything, just ask me or my buddies." Ben's eyes suddenly lit up. "Here comes Mr. Lewis!"
Zak watched as a handsome, muscular, and very tall man entered the room. He moved gracefully from one wall to another, greeting each student with a warm smile and a firm handshake. When he reached them, he greeted them both with a firm hug and a kiss on their cheeks. "Welcome to Lambda Academy!" Mr. Lewis said. "You're going to love it here! My name is Mr. Lewis, and I'm your homeroom teacher this year. If you ever have questions about anything, please don't hesitate to ask!"
"Yes, sir!" the students echoed.
Mr. Lewis paused to look at Zak. "And what might I call you, young man?"
"Zak," Zak said.
"Very well, Zak," Mr. Lewis said, a wry smile on his face. "And I hear you're unfamiliar in this area, correct?"
"That's right," Zak replied.
"Well, you're in for a big year. I want to talk to you after class," Mr. Lewis grinned. "Nothing bad, I promise."
Zak nodded awkwardly as he watched Mr. Lewis step away and walk toward his own desk at the front of the room. He sank into the chair at his desk and breathed a sigh of relief. Having everyone's attention on him for so long felt really draining.
At the end of the class, Zak timidly walked up to Mr. Lewis' desk. "Excuse me, sir?"
"Yes, Zak?" Mr. Lewis asked. He was looking at something on his computer screen and didn't immediately notice Zak standing nearby.
"Uhm..."
"Oh, yes!" Mr. Lewis' eyes lit up. "I know you're new here and probably don't know anybody, so I wanted to help." He rummaged through his desk drawer, and picked up a small, white bottle with no label, then handed it to Zak. "This should help you feel more comfortable. Please take two every morning before breakfast. I think you'll like it."
Zak stared at the bottle in confusion. "Sir, are you sure?"
"Absolutely," Mr. Lewis said. "Believe me, they helped me when I was your age."
Zak shook his head. "I still don't understand."
"They'll make you more outgoing," Mr. Lewis explained. "Trust me; you'll like them."
Zak took the bottle and looked at it. There was about thirty or so black pills inside. The color stood out, as he'd never seen a black pill before. "Go ahead," Mr. Lewis said, "You can take the first ones now.
Zak opened the bottle and took a couple, popping them into his mouth. Mr. Lewis held out an unopened bottle of water, which Zak took and swallowed the pills with. He felt something tingle in his throat as he finished swallowing, but otherwise nothing. "Thanks, sir," he said, and turned to leave.
"Don't mention it," Mr. Lewis said. "See you tomorrow!"
"Yes, sir!" Zak said. He left the classroom with a smile on his face.
***
The rest of the day seemed to go on as normal, though Zak thought he saw more boys smiling at him than he expected. A few even started talking with him out of the blue. He was amazed how attractive all the boys in the school were. He had never felt ugly before, but here he knew he had to be on the low end of the looks scale.
The last class of the day was gym class, and Zak was surprised to see Ben in there. "Hey, Zak," Ben calls out and waves. "Looks like your 6th grade class is in here at the same time as us 8th graders!" Zak smiled sheepishly but turned away, knowing he was about to be embarrassed, at least in his head.
Sure enough, it came to be the case. He was in awe as he watched the older boys in gym class. They were giants compared to him, even though they were just a couple years older. By the time he finished his workout, as light as it was in this first day, he still felt exhausted and sore. He went back to his locker to change and discovered someone had left a note on his locker.
"Lookin' good out there, cutie." Zak flipped it over, but neither side showed a name or any other indication of who it came from. He thought for a second that he should know better than to get his hopes up like this, but the boys in the school had done nothing but make him feel like he belonged. The note felt like a welcome gift.
"Thank you," he mumbled aloud to whoever it was, and quickly closed the locker door.
***
The night at the dinner hall went better than expected, as a couple of boys he had his eye on came to sit with his table and eat with him. "Aren't you lucky," he overheard another boy say to one of them. "I'm stuck with a bunch of dorks and nerds." He couldn't help but smile as he listened.
One boy, Jake, was tall with blonde hair and a slightly muscular build. He recognized him as one of the eighth grade students in Ben's class. "God, you're lucky to be in Mr. Lewis' class. He's the nicest teacher and one hell of a looker too."
The other boy was named Dan, who was Zak's age and who wore glasses and a more slender frame than Jake but still larger than Zak. "I know, I've already jacked off in the bathroom twice thinking about him today."
Zak's eyes froze as he nearly spit out his drink, but Jake just laughed loudly. "You wouldn't be the first to get to three times on the first day."
Zak was stunned to see two boys so casually talk about stuff like that, but he wasn't sure if he should be offended or not. "Wow, okay." He cleared his throat.
Jake poked Zak's arm. "Don't worry," he said, smiling, "we don't have to talk about that if you don't want to. Though, it'll probably be hard to avoid sex talk anywhere on campus, to be honest."
"Yeah," Ben chimed in, suddenly having showed up sitting down next to Jake, "you're gonna have to learn to tune it out pretty quick."
"Oh," Zak said quietly. He had a sudden flashback to the conversation with Ben in homeroom earlier.
"So I guess you're probably not coming to the 'Pruning' this Friday then?" Dan smirked.
"What's the 'Pruning'?"
Jake laughed again. "It's the new student campout for 6th graders the first weekend of school." His eyes narrowed and his voice quieted only a bit. "Half the boys there lose their virginity at the 'Pruning'."
"And the other half had lost it way before coming here," Ben added. "It's a whole bunch of fun."
Zak nodded. "That sounds like it could be interesting. I guess I might come along..."
The boys laughed together, and the rest of their meal passed without much else happening. The boys sat with Zak until the end, and then he said goodbye to them and headed for his room.
Unlike most of the other sixth graders, his room was a single bed without a roommate. He had begged his parents to request this, and they had to pay extra, but it was worth it, he thought... though now he was having second thoughts.
He stripped down to his underwear and changed into a pair of loose sweats with no shirt, then sat on his bed and took a long look at himself in the mirror. He had been getting a lot of compliments on his looks, so much that it almost felt like a compliment on who he really was. He still was the same skinny short kid he was this morning, but he felt a little better about it.
As he laid down and drifted off to sleep, a small smile crept across his face. Maybe tomorrow would be even better.  indicates the next chapter needs to be written. |
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