Page 8 of Bend Him, Break Him
Colton couldn’t move, couldn’t think, could barely fathom the basic function of breathing as dread seemed to close his throat.
“Even if the school doesn’t enforce the expulsion policy because of the plagiarism, Professor Howard will enforce the automatic zero and write up for it. This is the final exam. It’s your whole fucking grade, which means you’ll fail this class.”
Colton didn’t need the explanation, understanding his situation all too well, but he suspected Isaac took some sadistic pleasure in beating Colton over the head with the details.
“That breaks the rules on your academic probation.” Isaac began counting off on his fingers. “Not eligible to play sports ball games, GPA too low for academic standing, and the grace period on your probation running short means you’ll be kicked out for that.”
“You’re just gonna destroy my whole life, and for what?”
“For what?” Isaac nearly ran up on Colton, stopping short of slamming into the jock. “Don’t you dare turn me into the villain of this story. This isn’t villainy. This is justified. You’re the fucking criminal who broke me, ruined me, humiliated me, and got away with it.”
“I’m… I’m…” Colton choked on his apology as he had a thousand times before when rehearsing it. “What happened was awful, but you came back stronger. If you do this, it’ll destroy my chances at any school. You don’t just walk off an expulsion.”
“You think I just walked off what you and your buddies did?” Isaac glared. “You think I had a little therapy and talked about my feelings and got over the fact I was stripped and beaten and thrown out naked for the school to see?”
“No, I didn’t mean—”
“You think I just walked off the idea of my first lo…crush, lustful whatever, dude I was sucking off’s betrayal?
” Isaac tilted his head, locking his icy blue eyes onto Colton’s.
“That fucked my head beyond repair. I don’t do relationships—not even many hookups—because all I think about is how you took my trust and spit it back into my face, how you shattered my fucking identity so a couple of homophobes could have a laugh at my expense. ”
Colton remained silent as Isaac’s speech turned more into profane comments than a list of all the horrors he endured.
“What do you want?” Colton asked, voice cracking and eyes glossy. There had to be something he could offer, something Isaac craved more than his suffering. After all, he brought him here.
“Personally, I would love to slit your fucking throat, but I’ll settle for burning your future to the ground.”
Colton took a deep breath, biting back the building fury inside him. Isaac’s nonchalant and brutal sarcasm wasn’t helping to keep him in check. In this instance, Colton was as angry as he was frightened, and when he found himself feeling this way, it usually helped to punch something…or someone.
It quickly occurred to Colton that Isaac intended to use this as blackmail. He hadn’t disclosed that part yet, but it was obvious enough.
“Besides ruining me, what do you want?”
“Want? I want to see you broken.” Isaac grinned. “That’s all I’ve ever wanted.”
Colton’s nostrils flared, and the building tears illuminated the fury in his green eyes.
“There it is,” Isaac said with this sadistic smugness, a voice which grated on Colton’s ears. “The fractured realization of defeat. The entitled ego still desperately searching for an answer. But I broke you. I broke the arrogant alphahole who thinks he runs everything just because—”
“You wanna see something broken?” Colton bolted toward Isaac and went to punch him.
But then Isaac did the impossible; he weaved around Colton, caught his arm, and hurled him over his shoulder.
Colton stared at the ceiling in bewilderment. The shine of the lights bearing down stung his eyes, but Isaac’s head helped block the inferno of brightness when he leaned over.
“I’m not the punching bag you and your friends had in high school,” Isaac explained. “If you think I’ll just take an ass kicking like back then, you’re even dumber than I thought.”
Colton swallowed his rage and sat up. “You can’t do this.”
“Really?” Isaac posed, practically prancing back to the podium. “Pretty sure I can. Pretty sure I did.”
“You sent it already?” Colton asked, unable to hide the quiver in his voice as he scrambled to his feet.
“All in good time.” Isaac grinned. “It’s not like I can barge into Howard’s office and demand she meet me now. I planned on telling her in person—better than an email—but I also know how to cover my bases.”
Colton still had a chance. A chance to stop this. He couldn’t grasp why Isaac would confront him, though. It was foolish and arrogant and cocky in a way Isaac professed to be so above.
“Why bring me here? If not to blackmail me, what the hell do you have to gain by confronting me?”
“Blackmail you?” Isaac chuckled. “How retro.”
“Why bring me here?” Colton asked again. He wanted to add the risk Isaac took in doing so, but he’d realized the skinny guy did a lot better defending himself now than he ever had before.
“I thought about waiting, lighting the match and savoring the look of defeat on your face after the fire burned down your life.” Isaac slinked toward Colton again, a serpent’s gaze as he circled the jock.
“Then I thought how delectable it would be to show you the matchstick before I ignited everything. To watch you scramble and struggle and try to blow out the fire to no avail.”
“You’re a fucking psycho.”
“How would you know?” Isaac gestured dramatically, wiggling his fingers with flair. The black polish glistened under the lights and swift movement. “It’s not like you paid attention in your Psych 101 course. I can almost guarantee you cheated your way through that one, too.”
Colton’s face burned, the shame of Isaac’s spot-on accuracy. He’d never done well in classes, struggling a bit more every single year. The more his athleticism improved, the worse his academic performance became.
By the time he reached freshman year and made the varsity team of three sports, he’d learned charm and confidence were the only things he needed to pass a class.
Either he would sweet talk a teacher into altering a score, find an eager ‘friend’ willing to help him study by which they’d finish the work, or complain to a coach until they put a bit of school spirit weight on the back of the reluctant teacher’s neck.
In any case, that was really the only thing Colton ever had to learn in high school.
“You’re a lazy, entitled, hot-headed, smug piece of shit,” Isaac said. “You get all the accolades. Brave queer athlete. Trailblazer. The world wouldn’t think you were so amazing if they knew how awful you were while hiding in the closet.”
“If you do this, I will fucking kill you.”
“There it is.” Isaac’s expression turned chaotic, inviting Colton’s ruthlessness.
Colton would deliver it, too, but he wouldn’t be swept into another basic defensive counter by Isaac. He rushed forward, snatching Isaac by his shirt. The necklaces around Isaac’s neck clicked against each other, and the patter of his heart skipped a beat from the jolt of Colton’s actions.
“I will make you suffer.” Colton pulled back a fist. “I will beat you until—”
“Please.” Isaac fumed, hands gripping Colton’s wrists tightly like he was ready to snap them.
There was no fear in his expression or his voice. There was only an invitation, he wanted Colton to swing, and it took everything in Colton to pause and think. If he struck Isaac, it wouldn’t solve anything. Colton knew he’d only further play into Isaac’s hand.
“You think after everything you did to me in high school, death scares me?” Isaac leaned in closer to Colton’s face, his breath pressed against Colton’s lips as only an inch of space divided them.
“Do your fucking worst. I have my emails scheduled and ready to bomb your life the same way you ruined mine.”
Colton’s anger fractured, and he knew Isaac saw the look of devastation that swept across his face.
He released Isaac, eyes flitting down to the baggy mesh sleeves held in place by the spiked bracelets.
Isaac obviously didn’t want to explain his scars to anyone on campus, so he’d turned them into a fashion statement most folks never suspected.
Colton knew about them, though, knew about them like everyone else in Isaac’s hometown.
He knew the lengths Isaac had taken to escape the pain Colton had caused, had allowed.
The care and concern on Colton’s face must’ve confused Isaac because his rage dissipated, and he shoved the jock away from him.
Colton didn’t apologize because that would be selfish.
He’d already spent too many years being selfish at Isaac’s expense.
The way he bullied and beat Isaac for years.
The way he used Isaac for months to get off with his own curiosities.
Colton suspected that maybe he deserved this, deserved the hate and judgment and punishment, but he wasn’t ready to surrender the life he’d spent his entire life clawing at.
Colton sacrificed all his personal freedoms to train and become the best; he’d put his life on hold for years just so he could build a life outside his parents’ vision. Would it really all come to an end here and now?
“Must be hard knowing there’s nothing you can do to stop this from happening.
” Isaac’s expression of twisted delight had washed away, replaced by this vacant contemplation.
“Imagine, fighting against that all-consuming sinking dread, yet knowing nothing you do will stop it. You’re gonna drown.
No one is gonna care. The golden boy charm and arrogant attitude won’t get you out of this one. ”
Colton tried to speak, tried to beg, tried to think of something—anything—he could say, but the words remained stuck in his throat.
“Enjoy your last week before winter break.” Isaac turned on his heel and headed for the doors. “I suspect they’ll have you booted before the kickoff of spring semester.”