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I guess I should've known that something was bound to happen when I went to Gregory's house. After all, Gregory's attraction to me was so overt that being in the same room with him, for an extended period of time, away from anyone else's prying eyes, was sure to result in him breaking his promise not to take our relationship any further than the quick but close friendship that had developed. I imagined us entering the doorway and him throwing himself at me the moment the door closed.

I guess I should've been more surprised, then, when he didn't.

Gregory's house wasn't terribly far from school; it was right around the midpoint between school and my own house. He led me into the living room, which was small and sparse, hardwood floors covered by a single area rug, and just enough furniture to make it look like he hadn't just moved in. The white walls had only a few decorations, mainly framed prints of art and a couple of light fixtures. "Would you like something to drink?" Gregory asked as I sat down on the plush white couch. "I'm afraid all I have is water."

"I'm fine, thanks," I replied. "So, this is where you live, huh? Nice place."

Gregory sat down beside me. "It keeps me warm and dry; not much else I need from a home."

"So, what would you like to do? What are you interested in?"

"I have a chess set if you would like to play."

"Chess?" I repeated. "I guess we could give that a try. Never really played it, though."

"That's all right," Gregory replied. "I could teach you."

"Sure. And after that, maybe we could play some Halo or something."

"Halo?" Gregory asked, as if he'd never heard the word before.

"You know, Halo. Or Smash Bros. What system do you have?"

Gregory gave me a quizzical look. "I don't know what you mean."

"Come on, Gregory. You don't have an XBox? Playstation? Nintendo?"

All I got back was a vacant stare from Gregory for a moment, and then he laughed. "Oh, you mean video games. I'm afraid I've never played one."

"Are you serious?" I asked, astonished. "You've never played video games? Ever?"

"I've always preferred to interact with the world around me rather than play around with one that's been made up. Not to say I don't know how to use a computer; I find that quite useful, as a matter of fact. But not for recreation."

I nodded, a little confused. How could a teenager have never played a single video game? Maybe his parents didn't like them because they were too violent. But he seemed pretty good at incapacitating Robbie after our little scuffle earlier in the week.

I gave the room another look around. "Your parents divorced or something? This place seems rather small for three people."

Gregory sat down beside me. "Oh, I live alone."

"Alone?" I asked, confused. "But what about your parents?"

"My parents," he explained, "passed away, quite some time ago as a matter of fact."

"They did? I'm sorry to hear that. But, you don't have grandparents? A foster parent? Someone had to buy this house for you."

"I did," he said plainly.

"You did? But how could a 16-year-old afford to buy a house?"

Gregory gave me one of his trademark smirks. The kind that told people that he knew a lot more than he was going to tell you. "Those are elements of my history that I'd rather not share right now."

"Why not?" I asked abruptly. "You seem to know a lot more about me just by osmosis than you've been willing to say about yourself. Am I not allowed to ask a reasonable question like how someone your age can afford to buy a house of his own and live in it without any supervision?"

"You are allowed to ask," he replied. "But I'm afraid I can't answer those questions quite yet."

"Why, 'cause I won't let you fuck me?"

"Nick..."

Everything started to click that moment. "That's it, isn't it? This is some twisted little game you're playing. Make a pass at one of the less popular kids in school, make them feel special and wanted and liked for a while, but you make sure you keep your distance the whole time until they put out for you. Then, you dump them and make them feel even lower than they were before. Probably did this the last place you lived at, too, didn't you?"

"Nick, I-"

"You manipulative son of a bitch!" I got up from the sofa. "I'm outta here."

"Nick, wait! I'm sorry!"

"Yeah, sorry you never got a piece of my ass." I walked to the front door and turned the knob.

Suddenly, Gregory's hand pressed against the door, holding it shut. I looked in shock over at him, not just at what he was doing, but at how fast he managed to get there.

Now I was scared. I'd already seen what Gregory had done to Robbie during class. I remembered how cold and sinister his voice went those moments when someone was threatening to do me harm. And now I'd angered him, and without the luxury of witnesses. He stared at me, his eyes as calm as a psychopath.

Then he spoke. "If you walk out this door," he warned, "you will be returning to the same world of torment, inadequacy, and pain that you have had to suffer through your whole life. I am trying to offer you an escape from that world. To do that, however, you must trust me, something you still refuse to do."

"Of course I don't trust you," I argued back. "Why should I? You appear out of nowhere, latch onto me like a parasite, refuse to answer any questions about yourself, make sexual advances at me that you know make me uneasy, and now you're holding me against my will in your house! Gee, Gregory, I can't imagine why I wouldn't trust you."

"There is one thing you fail to realize," he replied. "If not for me, you would be dead by now."

"Excuse me??"

"Last week," Gregory explained. "You were in your room. It was late at night. Your ploy to garner sympathy by running away from home had backfired, and you had been subjected to more ridicule than ever before. You were ready to kill yourself by swallowing massive amounts of pills, and yet you stopped yourself before going through with it. It is no coincidence that I came to your school soon after, get assigned to the locker beside yours, befriended you, and gave you the confidence necessary to excel not just in physical education, but in all your other classes."

My mouth fell open. "How... how did you know?"

"That is not your concern. All that matters is that if I was truly interested in just finding a boy to have sexual relations with, I would not have gone to the trouble of coming to your aid, and I would have no reservations about breaking the promise I made to you. I am here to help you, Nick. It is your decision whether or not you will accept that help."

We stared at each other for a moment.

"Look, you don't have to decide right now," he continued. "Take tonight to think it over. If you do want my help, then come back here tomorrow evening. I will answer every question you have for me then, with complete honesty. In return, I will help you off the path of despair that nearly destroyed you a week ago."

I nodded slowly. "And if I don't come back?"

"I promise, you will never see me again."

I remained in the doorway for another few seconds. Then, I opened the front door and left, making my way back home.

As I walked, a million different thoughts zinged through my head. Would I really take Gregory up on his offer? Was he telling the truth when he said I'd never see him again if I didn't go back to him? It always sounded as if he was trying to put me at ease, but the words he said only served to make me even more uncomfortable. And how did he know I tried to commit suicide, anyway? We hadn't met each other yet. It was too late at night, so he couldn't have been just walking around the neighborhood. In fact, nobody saw me do anything that night except... except...

Oh, my God.