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It has come to that time of the year- a test every second day, cold mornings sun coming out at noon and setting before dinner, no birds in the sky. The magical time of winter.
I couldn't believe it was happening. It was almost Christmas, and I could go and see my dad! I couldn't be happier. I was going through the halls, not a bother in sight. I know I had a math exam I had to study for, but at the moment, all I wanted was peace.
And I got it.
Last lesson of the week. Then just one more week to go and no more school. I happily skipped to the class, not worrying about how I looked. I sat down in my usual place, ready for this day to be over. But then it got longer.
Brad sat down next to me, seeing as it was the last place left in the class. Damn, I never knew a class could be this full right before Christmas. I thought everyone was going to skip. We made brief eye contact, before we both turned our heads away, pretending to not know each other.
I loathed Bradley Uppercrust the third. He was the reason I was stuck so many times in detention- just because of his big mouth. He used to tell on my friends and me whenever we skipped class or did something slightly out of order. As if he has nothing better to do than to tell on us all day long.
In one of our encounters, I found out that he doesn't like being called Brad. Since then it's the only name I use to address him. Well, alongside with asshole, of course.
Yet the lesson went by well. Everything was going smoothly- I pretended like he didn't exist and he did the same- it worked wonders. But by the end of the lesson, ten minutes before the end, a student from the student council came in. We all knew this meant the lesson would be longer.
“Hello, dear students. I would like to inform you about this year's Christmas concert. As you all know, it happens on Wednesday of the last school week before Winter break. I would like to ask you if anybody would like to volunteer for this event. All you would have to do is hang the coats and sell food to the guests. Anybody?”
Nobody.
No hand was in the air. Nobody wanted to work more than was necessary, everyone would like to just chill.
“Me,” somebody said. We all turned our heads to see who said it. To my surprise it was Bradley. Even though it wasn't that surprising, thus his snuck-up ass would like to help out.
“Great! Could you please tell me your name so I could write you an email about this matter?” “Ah, yes. It's Max Goof.”
I tensed. I turned to Bradley, finally acknowledging his existence. What? His name was for sure not Max, let alone Max Goof. But I could see right through him. We all knew that nobody knew you from your face- you had to identify yourself with your name. And this bitch just gave me extra work.
I put my hand in the air without thinking, ready for a comeback. “Me as well. The name is Bradley Uppercrust the third.” Bradley looked at me flabbergasted as if he just didn't do the same to me. Just then, the bell rang and we all went out merry way, ne running as first out of the classroom.
Who does he think he is, pretending to be me? What did I ever do to him? Well, now he is stuck to do the work as well-
I stopped mid-track. Oh shit. I closed my eyes, rethinking my IQ. How come I didn't think of this before? Not only was I now stuck to do it, I was stuck to do it with him. And I didn't even realize it. I cursed under my breath, obviously frustrated.
I was about to turn around and tell the woman I would not be participating, but just then my phone pinged with a new notification- the email from the school council. Well, now it's too late. I can't bail now.
With a sigh and defeat in my eyes, I went home to lay in bed and scream in the pillow. But before that, on the way home, I got a small sweet treat for myself, to help me deal with this misery.
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I told my friends Bobby and PJ what had happened, explaining to them how frustrating this was. “Now I will be stuck with him for hours and I have to help people and look approachable as well. God help me.” “Now now, Maxman, there will surely be other people. You can't be the only two losers that will help out from the whole school, right?”
Dear Max Goof,
Thank you for volunteering for this magical event. We are sorry to announce that you and another participant, Bradley Uppercrust the third, are the only ones who happened to volunteer.
But no worries, we are sure it will be a lot of fun either way! We made sure that you will not have to do too much work on this lovely afternoon.
We await your attendance.
Sincerely,
Your school council
I was totally fucked. The email from the school council just said it itself. It's just Bradley and I. I couldn't hold back. I started laughing, gripping my hair. Fuck.
“Ups. Well, turns out you are the only two losers doing this thing,” Bobby said after reading the email while looking over my shoulder. PJ glared at him, turning to me, trying to make me feel better. “Well, no worries, we will come by and say hello, to make your time go by faster. Don't worry, it will not be that bad. It's just one night.”
I really wanted to believe him, but I couldn't. This was a bad situation. Very bad. This event was one of the biggest events in the school year. A lot of people were coming in, and because of that, nobody wanted to ever cater it, thus it was always very stressful. Until now it has always been a group of at least five people managing it. But this year? Two of us? We will die, of we don't kill each other sooner.
Hopelessly, I said goodbye to my friends and went to bed, not feeling happy about the coming Christmas holidays.
I had a feeling this was only the beginning, and the next week would be hell.
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And I was correct. After that night, two new emails came to me. One was informing who all would bring the food and drinks and where we would find them, and the other one was informing about the dresscode. It also informed us we would have to come two hours before the event to set it all up and stay behind until it was all cleaned away with no other help. I was loosing my mind.
Not only did I have to spend an entire day with Brad, I had to spend it working for no money. I was so frustrated that my friends took me to a bar to drink on my sorrows.
The whole week I was out of it, each day bringing the end nearer. I can't do it. By the end of my last free day, I was banging my head on the wall, beginning for an injury so I wouldn't have to go. But it never came.
As Wednesday morning came, I was exhausted. I still had to get my father a present, and I had a presentation to do over the holidays that I wanted to finish before I went to see my dad. But I had no time.
I got myself a coffee and went to my classes, trying to survive. I didn't pay any attention at all, debating my outfit for tonight and how much money I could spend on presents this year. I wasn't poor, yet I wasn't that wealthy either. Thankfully none of the teachers noticed my lack of attention, otherwise, I would have gotten an F as a Christmas present. Not so pleasant.
For lunch, I met up with my friends, and they treated me a pasta for my troubles. We ate and went to our afternoon classes, they were happy that their day was almost over. Mine was just about to start.
After classes I quickly went to my dorm to change, trying to find something suitable. I settled on a white button-up shirt with some black dress pants and a black blazer, yet I couldn't find a tie anywhere, so I hoped it would be all right. None of my clothes were super nice, but it will have to do.
I got to the venue, not expecting Brad to already be there. Yet he was. And I must say, he didn't look half bad. He had the same outfit as me, yet he looked a hundred times better. I bet it was also a hundred times more expensive than mine. It was no secret that his father was rich. And he had a tie as well. A black one, but a tie nonetheless. I felt like a charity next to him. Just awesome.
I went over to him, giving him a slight nod before getting to work. We worked in silence. I got the chairs in the salon ready, while he got the cakes food and all the drinks out with the necessary equipment. It took us nearly an hour to set it all up.
After that, we went to the president of the student council for some money, so we could give out change and everything. We still had half an hour before the venue Beginn left, when we figured out we had to hang coats as well.
Brad came up with the system of giving out notes with the number of the hanger so we could give out the coats more easily. It was a very smart idea, but I didn't want to let him know that, so I stayed quiet.
We put on some Christmas playlists on the speakers at low volume, so it wouldn't be so quiet around here. And soon enough, the first guests came. Brad and I have still hardly spoken a word with each other, yet it was working fine.
After the first guest, we kind of just stood there, not sure what to do or say. So I turned to him and said awkwardly. “Hey... So... How are you going to spend your Christmas? Any idea what to gift to your parents yet?” He looked taken aback, slightly shocked, but he answered, probably the silence being too uncomfortable even for him. “Hey... I will be visiting my parents, and I have my presents secured.”
“Cool, cool, cool. And what are you gifting them?” “I will be giving my mother a voucher for a week spa, all-inclusive, what else. And for my dad, I bought a very fine aging wine. What about you?” I was speechless for a minute. I knew he was rich, but not this rich. It took me a moment to get my composure under control.
“Well, I still don't know what I will gift my father. He is easy to shop for because he loves everything, but I want to gift him something unique, something from the heart. I still haven't figured it out.”
After that, our conversation fell silent. I could tell he was debating whether or not he should say something back to me, but just then the second guest came. I took their coats while Brad took care of the money and the food. The show didn't start for the next fifteen minutes, yet the door was already open and people started to slowly pour in.
I surely got my cardio in. I was running back and forth with the coats, while Brad was standing at one place, just taking money. Pretty unfair, but between us two, I had more brawls while he had more brains, so I think it was okay.
After the terrible sitting, peace came back. I sat down, a little out of breath, debating whether or not I would get away with taking a piece of cake. Just then, Brad spoke up. “Sorry for getting us into this mess. I was doing a dare, and I didn't think I could be stuck here with you, and I definitely didn't think we would be alone. So sorry for that.”
Once again, I was speechless, but now for a whole new different reason. “It's fine. At least someone is doing this, and we can now feel better about ourselves before the holidays. We did our good deals for the season. But yeah, it was a dick move.” He smiled for the last part, deserving it.
From then on, our conversation went on fluently. We talked about academics and Christmas traditions. It was relaxing.
A late guest came in. It was some rich-looking lady, but so was everyone in there. I got up and went straight to her to get her coat. “Good evening, Madame. May I take your coat?” She looked me up and down, and with a slight frown gave me her fur coat. Not surprised, thus she wasn't the first one with such a reaction this evening, I took her coat and went to hang it.
Nobody was around, just Brad, me, and the lady, and I wasn't under such stress as before, I could hear their conversation pretty easily. “Hello, young man. I'll take a slice of that lemon cake and a glass of punch please.” “Right away, ma'am. Anything else?” After a short silence, the lady continued in a slightly quieter tone. “Could you please make such that... boy, doesn't steal anything from my coat, dear? We all know how people like him behave when not under watch.”
I gulped. So this is why they all looked so disgusted. It's because I don't dress as fancy as Mister Uppercrust over here. The tears stung in my eyes, but I forced them down, trying to listen to Brad’s answer. “That will be six ninety, please.” It was one thing he didn't promise her, yet another thing to not disagree. I listened until I heard the door to the salon close, only then did I come out.
I couldn't even look at Brad. To how many people did he promise to look after me so I wouldn't steal anything? I felt sick to my stomach. “I’m going to the bathroom. Be right back,” I said, and without even waiting for his answer, I went straight to the bathroom, not looking back.
After closing the door behind me, I looked into the mirror. All I could see was a sad face looking back at me, with messy hair and no tie. I looked down at my clothing, trying to see the issue. There was none. It didn't even look that cheap. It had no holes, it didn't have any spots, and it was rich in color.
I even remember my dad gifting me this suit for my first job Interview, so I would look good and suitable. They did take me in and I had this suit ever since. It was also my only suit. It did cost my dad a lot of money and I am proud of him. I liked this suit.
Yet people looked at me and assumed the worst just because I couldn't afford Gucci or whatnot like them. Assuming was one thing, but saying out loud was another.
I pressed my back against the tiles, the tears coming out. I was sad and furious at how they treated me, and how much they assumed. How much they humiliated me. Not just them, but everyone. Every rich person I have ever met has just humiliated me. Brad, and all of his friends, my dad's boss, these people. I was sick and tired of it, yet what could I have done against it?
And so I sat on the tiles, crying silently, muffling my sobs with my hands.
After a while I got up and cleaned myself, washing my face to get rid of the redness, and got back to work.
As I came back, Brad was looking all weird at me, silent. I couldn't maintain eye contact, and just sat down on the chair and looked in front of me. After a while, I could hear Brad coming near me, stopping right beside me.
“Max? Is everything okay?” I wanted to answer ‘yes’, be nonchalant, and look like I didn't care. But I did care. “No. Nothing okay. You have been promising people to keep me from stealing? Is that what you all rich people think of me? That I am some poor fucked up kid who knows no better than to steal?”
I was angry, and it showed. Yet I was hurt as well it that showed too. Tears stung my eyes again, trying to come out. But I wouldn't let them, trying to save any dignity I had left.
Brad looked intensively at me, still silent. “Is this what you think of me? That I see you like that? No, honey. You got it all wrong. I did not agree to ‘look after you’ once. I tried ignoring them, yet I couldn't tell them what I really thought, because it would be considered inappropriate. So I held my tongue. I think of you so much more highly. So much.”
I held my breath, not sure how to react or what to do with this information. Was this a love confession? It sure did sound like one. I gulped, my eyes reaming his face, looking for a clue that he was kidding, simply joking. None. He continued.
“I don't think I could ever tell you with words how highly I thought of you. So I think actions would have to do,” and with these words, his mouth collided with mine.
I was so surprised, my body freezing, not sure what to do. But his aggressive kiss became quickly sweet and full of passion, letting me melt into it, enjoying it. I gave in fully, grasping his hair and pulling him closer to me. He fell on his knees, still kissing me, being in control. He bit my lip, making me moan, and took this opportunity to explore my mouth from the inside.
Our tongues battled, but not for long, he won right away. I kept my eyes closed, too lost in the moment to care that anyone could possibly see us at any moment.
Brad himself ended this beautiful moment, cupping my cheeks in his hands, sweetly smiling at me. “You have no idea how precious you are to me.” With these words, he got back up, and right on cue a guest came out of the salon to buy some cake.
I just sat there, not entirely sure what just happened. Brad showed me he was an excellent kisser, and that he thought highly of me, yet he had a weird way of showing it for the last couple of months. I made a mental note to ask him about it later, and in the meantime, I went to the bathroom again to fix myself.
My face was burning, and my hair was even more messy than normally. I quickly fixed my hair splashed some cold water onto my face and hurried back so it wouldn't look like I was ignoring him.
As I got there, he was already waiting for me, leaning on the counter, his arms crossed on his chest. I've always known that I was bi, but this just took a crazy twist in my life story.
I shook my head, my feelings still not making any sense to me. I can't like him after one kiss. He had made my life so difficult, and now he is kissing me? No, something is not right. I can't like him. I turned to him, only one question in my mind. “Why did you kiss me?”
He looked unimpressed. “I told you. Words couldn't describe how much you meant to me. So I showed it to you. What don't you get?” “Do you like me?” He laughed. “Of course, dummy. How more specific could I have been?” “You made my life so difficult for the past few months. How could you like me? It doesn't make any sense. Your words and actions don't align with each other.”
He stood there, clearly uncomfortable with how I was brought up with behavior for the past half a year. But there was nothing I could do to make this situation any more comfortable for neither of us. Sure, the kiss was amazing, but it still didn't make any sense whatsoever as to why he kissed me.
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We sat there, waiting for the pause to come. We knew it would be hell when they came out for the twenty minutes, yet both of us wanted to use the distraction, and therefore couldn't wait for the crowd.
And the crowd did not disappoint. I was giving cakes left and right while Brad was trying to keep up with the money. It wasn't an easy task, but we managed, both of our minds getting busy in the process.
After the pause, another hour of the concert went on, and after that, we would have to clean up as well. I could tell he didn't want to be here anymore, but if I had to suffer, so did he. Once the door closed and the concert continued, an uncomfortable silence spread around us. Neither of us knew what to say, so we said nothing.
The silence interrupted a late guest who was probably in the bathroom. An older lady walked towards us, already picking out a cake with her gaze. “Good evening, ma'am. What can I get for you?” I said politely as I did the whole evening. She glared at me, not a new sign, and ordered a chocolate cake with chocolate ganache. As I served her and we were waiting for Bradley to give the rest money back, this lady did the unthinkable.
“Young man, who let you in this establishment?” Taken aback, I tried to answer the best I could. “I- I'm sorry. I am a student here-” “Impossible. You are nowhere near the league that it takes to be taken here. You know, this is a school, you study here.” I was getting anxious and pissed, but I tried to regain a calm face. “I know ma'am. I do study here.” “Don't lie to me.”
Her hand shot up and slapped me across the face. I was taken aback, embarrassed, and confused. “You disgusting creature. Don't you dare to lie. I can see right through you. They wouldn't even let you near the register, they know what you are.” I bit the inside of my mouth, shame going over me even though I did nothing wrong. I did not lie. But the lady didn't care. She lived in her own world, having her own rules there.
Just then, Brad came back with the money and sent the woman on her merry way. Her attitude towards him was very different from the way she just treated me. She sweetly smiled at him and thanked him for doing his job. He thanked her back and off she went to the salon.
I still stood there, unsure of what to do. It was starting to piss me off that people were judging me this hard just because of my outfit. Yet I was scared. Scared of what they might do to me if they thought I actually did something. This lady just slapped me. Will there be a different guest who loses judgment after a few glasses of champagne and might actually harm me?
Without even realizing it, I started shaking slightly, all of the possibilities flashing in front of my eyes, making me worry more and more. I was taken out of the trance by a hand on my shoulder. I flinched, awaiting a hit. Thankfully, one never came, just concerned eyes of Brad. “You okay? What happened? And why is your cheek red?” After he realized I would not respond, his manner changed. He seemed softer.
“Max... Come here. What happened?” He slightly nudged me to a hug which I gladly accepted. Strangely, I felt a lot safer in his arms, making me calm down. I told him how the lady hit me and how I was scared someone might do something worse to me. His face darkened as I mentioned the old hag, yet his tone towards me was still warm and soft.
We stayed like that until I fully calmed down. Once we parted, Brad gave me his tie. It was a really nice tie. At first, I didn't understand why he did that, but it made sense. Now I had something expensive on me as well, I might fit in better. I smiled at his hospitality, glad to be stuck here with him.
The next hour went by quickly. Bradly and I talked some more, the mood getting lighter. He explained why he acted like he did in the past. He explained how he was confused when he fell for me, we were both guys and before me he only liked girls. So he tried to stay away from me as far as possible. And he thought that when he told himself he hated me, his feelings would go away. But they never did.
I couldn't believe what I was hearing. He was into me for this long? I was falling for him more and more with each sentence. I have been single for so long that I didn't care that we didn't know each other that well. We could figure it out later.
He caught my gaze, as I zoned out and just stared at him. He chuckled and brought me back to my senses with a light kiss. I wasn't sure what we were, but I liked it.
The end of the concert came, and everyone started to go home. I was running one again back and forth with coats, this time ignoring all of the mean glances as I touched their precious fur coats and whatnot. It took us nearly forty-five minutes to serve everyone, but we were finally finished, saying goodnight to the last guest. We were tired. So tired. Yet we still had to clean up.
This time, however, we decided to clean up together, not in our separate regions. We first put away the register with the money and the leftover cakes and punch. We put it in the back room where we got it all from in the first place.
I was putting away the cake forms when I felt a presence behind me. Suddenly, a hand was on my waist and spun me around, making me face them and pressing my back against the wall. “Are you crazy? What are you doing?” “I've been waiting for this moment all night. A moment when we are alone with no chance of anybody seeing us.”
He kissed me passionately, his hands pulling my waist towards him. I melted into the kiss, suddenly not giving a damn anymore about how to stack the cake forms so they would fit in the cabinet. He broke the kiss, his mouth working his way down to my neck, sucking and licking, making me moan and giving me hickeys.
It didn't take long before his hands were under my shirt, and my in his pants. We looked at each other, giving consent, and ripping the clothing off our bodies, the cloth between our bodies being too much. We didn't stop kissing, now bare chest on chest, making it more erotic.
His hand wandered to his jeans, taking out a condom and putting it on. “Wow, not even a foreplay.” “Oh, come on Max. We both know you don't need it. You are as horny as a dog in heat.” I smiled and pulled him nearer, burrowing my face into his neck. Once he was finished dressing his prince up, he took me in his arms and slowly lowered me onto his cock.
The sensation was something new, yet it didn't feel bad. I wrapped my legs around him, hoping I wouldn't fall. Once he was fully in, he gave me a few moments to readjust, and then he slowly started to thrust into me. His neck was muffling my moans, my nails scratching his back.
The experience was something new, something dangerous yet beautiful. He does up his tempo, the neck not being able to muffle my moans anymore. I was a mess. I was begging moaning and drooling, not sure who I was or where I was, only being able to tell it was amazing. I could tell he was coming close, as I was, and with his final thrust, I bit down on his neck, marking him as he did with me.
He hissed from the pain, yet the overwhelming sensation of an orgasm took over, letting him forget all about the pain. We were both panting, our boding slick with sweat. We popped out of me, throwing the used condom away, helping me clean up before dressing us both up. We were both smiling like idiots the whole time.
After we got dressed up, we cleaned up the salon quickly and made on our way to Bradley's dorm. He lived alone, and we weren't done yet.