Afraid of love

I woke up in the morning and got ready for school. I noticed that Matt had texted me, but when I opened our chat, I didn't see anything. Maybe he had sent something by mistake and then deleted it.

After eating breakfast and changing into my school clothes, I started walking to the bus stop. The road was icy, so I had to be careful. It was early December, and the cold outside was unbearable. Even though I was wearing a coat, gloves, a scarf, and a hat, I still felt frozen. Somehow, I managed to reach the bus stop on time and catch my bus. Ten minutes later, I arrived at school.

I hate going to school... I get bullied all the time for being a nerd. I don't have any friends in my class or anywhere in the school. Lately, the bullying has gotten worse. Luke, the guy who bullies me the most, started taking my assignments, and my grades have started to drop. I don't know how much longer I can keep going like this. I don't want to fail my classes, but I also can't say no to Luke. For now, all I can do is survive.

I grabbed my things from my locker and headed to my classroom. As soon as I walked in, my classmates shot me annoyed looks. I ignored them, sat in the back, and started preparing for the lesson. Then, Luke approached my desk.
"Hey, buddy. Hope you had a terrible weekend. Do you mind if I borrow your math homework?"
I just looked at him and quietly muttered, "Yeah... no problem."
Luke smirked and snatched my homework out of my hands. I knew he wasn't planning on giving it back. He was the worst of them all. If I refused to do what he wanted, he'd spread nasty rumors about me or worse, beat me up after school.

A few minutes later, the teacher entered the room and started collecting assignments.
"Michael, where is your assignment?" she asked.
I glanced at Luke, who was grinning at me like the devil himself. I couldn't say anything, so I just made up an excuse. "I'm sorry, I forgot it."
"That's not the first time. I've heard from other teachers that you've been failing to hand in your assignments as well."
I was stunned. I didn't think any of the teachers would notice. But I couldn't tell the truth, so I just said, "I'm sorry. I've had some problems at home lately, so I haven't been able to focus on my studies."
"Maybe you're just too lazy to do your assignments," Luke sneered.
I just stared at him, saying nothing.

The rest of the school day was tolerable. Luke left me alone, and I could at least focus on my lessons. When the final bell rang, I went to my locker, grabbed my stuff, and was about to leave when my class teacher stopped me.
"Hey, Mike. Can I have a word with you in private?"
I nodded and followed him to his office.

He sat down and gave me a serious look. "I've noticed that you haven't been submitting your assignments on time and that your grades have been slipping. You're usually a hardworking student, so I'm a little concerned. Is there anything you want to tell me?"
I knew this would happen eventually. My teacher was bound to notice something was wrong. But I couldn't tell him the truth... or could I? If I did, I'd finally be free. But what would Luke do to me?
"I'm sorry. I've just been struggling to focus lately. I think I just need to get my act together and start paying more attention to my studies," I said, hoping my excuse would be convincing enough.

My teacher didn't seem satisfied, but there wasn't much he could do if I insisted I was fine. "Alright then. I hope you'll get back on track soon. Have a nice day."

I quickly left his office, relieved that the conversation was over. But just as I was about to leave school, Luke grabbed my arm and dragged me into an empty classroom.
"Why the fuck were you talking to our class teacher?" he hissed. His eyes were filled with anger, maybe even fear. Did he think I had reported him?
"H-he just wanted to talk to me," I stammered. My voice was shaky. I had no idea what Luke was going to do to me.
"What did you tell him?"
"He noticed my grades were getting worse and wanted to know why..."

For a split second, I saw something in Luke's expression, nervousness. But it quickly turned into rage. He stepped closer and grabbed my throat.
"What did you tell him?" he demanded.
"N-n-nothing..."
Luke tightened his grip. "Don't lie to me!"
"R-really, I told h-him n-n-nothing. P-please, stop," I choked out.

Luke stared at me for a moment before finally letting go. I collapsed onto the floor, gasping for air. He loomed over me and growled, "If you tell anyone, you're dead."
Then, he left.

I sat there on the cold floor, still trying to catch my breath. My mind was blank except for one thing, fear. After a while, I forced myself to stand up and leave the school. I barely managed to catch the last bus home.

When I walked through the front door, my mom immediately started yelling at me.
"Where have you been?! You should have been home two hours ago!"
"I'm sorry... I was talking to my teacher about my assignments," I mumbled.
"I don't care. Next time, just text me!" she snapped. Finally, I made it to my room. The moment I shut the door, I collapsed onto my bed and burst into tears. I was exhausted. First, I lost my homework. Then, I had to deal with my teacher. And then Luke...

It was too much.

I felt like a total wreck.