Another day, another gym class, another humiliation. Daniel Kimp was sick of it all. Sick of being picked on. Sick of being fat and unattractive. Sick of the moronic alpha males at school who were only one step above monkeys that threw their shit at each other. He know what was coming next. It happened every day since grade school. Why should freshman year in high school be any different? He went to the boys locker room and mentally prepared himself.
Rushing towards his locker he tried to change as quickly as possible. Sometimes if he did it fast enough he would be able to get out before they decided to have some fun at his expense. Not often, but sometimes. Today was not meant to be one of those times.
“Hey Dan, yeah I'm taking to you, you fucking fagot. Kimp the blimp, did you know you run like slugs fuck?” The main culprit of the group was a particularly nasty and large boy but the man of Craig Martin. He often had a few friends who joined in with his harassment. Most of the other students had learned to look the other way. One time a random kid tried to stand up for Dan. Craig kneed him in the groin and hit him in the head with baseball helmet.
“Oh look at that 'little piggy pout' on your face. Are ya sad? Are ya gonna cry like a little bitch? Well if you do just take one of those fat folds and use it to wipe your tears away from your ugly face. Maybe being that fat will finally be useful for something.” While Dan admitted he could certainly afford to lose some weight he wasn't all that bad looking consider. Craig seemed to have a much less attractive face on the whole objectively.
“Just leave me alone Craig. Don't you have anything better to do?” Dan knew it wouldn't help. He had started to think of ways to handle his interactions with Craig over the years. Craig had made Dan a personal project on and off since 6th grade. Dan knew if he said nothing Craig would only use violence to get a response. But if he insulted him or said too much back Craig would feel the need to respond even harder. He knew what Craig wanted to hear so he gave it to him.
“Leave me alone? Is that all you ever have to say? The same stupid lines over and over again. Fat, ugly and retarded.” It was intentional that Dan used the same lines over and over again. It made Craig surprisingly predictable.
“Can I go now?” Dan had finished changing. He had learned if he just tried to leave Craig and his friends would stop him or if they didn't act fast enough they would just be that much more energetic at the next encounter. If he asked they would give him a hard time but would be pleased to have demonstrated their authority over him.
“Say, 'please, may this fat piggy go'. Then you can leave.”
“Please may this fat piggy go.” He said it as mono toned as they'd allow. If he said it too indifferently they would get mad. Too much emotion and they would see what else they could get out of him to amuse themselves over.
“God, your such a loser. Get the fuck out of here, you're boring me.” Craig meant what he said entirely. The last part was the key. Dan did his best to be boring to pick on. It was all he could do. If he tried to fight Craig he would get his ass kicked. He tried before in the hope that if he stood up to him he would back off. It just made it worse.
If he somehow kicked his ass then Craig would feel he needed to really crush him to gain back his manhood and respect. Also Craig's friends would kick his ass too. Of course talking to teachers or parents would only make his situation worse. While Craig's group gave him crap at least he wasn't bothered by anyone else. Honestly a lot of his schoolmates felt bad for him.
If he snitched even on a scumbag like Craig he knew breaking that unwritten rule would hurt those bonds. And he doubted it would stop him. Frankly, no one liked Dan. His father was a small time ex-con busy fucking around on the side and his mother was an alcoholic. Their family was poor and lived off the government. His father who was 20 slept with his mother when she was 16.
She dropped out and he went to jail on and off over small time scams. When he was home he would get drunk along with his 'wife'. He often felt Dan didn't give him the proper respect for all he did for them (which was very little). He smacked Dan around a few times when drunk but thankfully it wasn't a regular thing. His mother saw it and instead of saying anything took another sip of cheap beer.
They wouldn't have cared even if he told them what was going on. Dan use to have something along the line of friends. Ever since Craig really started to give him shit they stopped hanging around him. Everyone around Dan also turned into a target. That was except for Alison.
Alison lived 6 houses down from Dan. On the outside she couldn't be any more different. She wore nice clothes. She was tall for a girl. Taller than Dan by an inch who was below average height for his age. She was thin and pretty. Not the prettiest girl in school but clearly a very decent catch in the looks department.
Dan and Her had developed a very deep bond. She wore nice clothes but put in effort into find them at 2nd hand stores and Goodwill. Her mother was a single parent with a deadbeat father. She had 2 sisters, both of which were younger than she. They struggles to get by and also received government assistance like most people who lived on their road. There were no train tracks in this town but if there were they would have both clearly been born on the other side of them.
Being a pretty girl she was immune to the bullying that Dan received from Craig. Another one of the unspoken rules. A lot of the guys ignored what Craig did to Dan. But if they could stand up for the Alison and get on her good side they'd jump at the chance. Maybe they'd get her to fall for them and it would lead to the hot dirty sex they yearned for in their young fantasies. Simply put, Alison had value and Dan did not.
Craig wasn't all that smart but he instinctively understood this. He had taken to only bullying Dan when she was not around so as to avoid her sticking up for him, which would put him in an odd situation. Bathrooms and locker rooms were always safe places of course. Honestly, perhaps the biggest reason he decided not to bully Dan in front of Alison is this. He wanted to fuck her.
Dan knew this cause Craig specifically told him not to talk to anyone about the things Craig did or he would make him suffer 10 times worse than he has been. He especially better not tell Alison.
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Soon it was lunch period. Dan sat on the edge of the table. Alison was beside him and across the table were the rest of her friends. Dan really had no other friends besides Alison at this point and her friends tolerated Dan at the table. He was quiet enough most of the time and allowed them to carry on their conversation.
“That's a pretty small lunch Dan, are you trying to lose some weight again?” Alison had known Dan a long time and knew of his on and off again affair with dieting. He had never been thin since she has known him. At best he had been chubby.
“Well, I'm just trying to get back down to what I was at the end of last year. I'll see where it goes from there.” In his brown bag which he often reused was an apple, banana and PB&J sandwich. It was smaller than the lunch he usually brought but he doubted PB&J could ever truly be called healthy. It was the kind of lunch his family with food stamps could afford. Alison's was a bit better but not by much.
Dan hated to be cliché. But he knew what his relationship with Alison was turning into. After all, she was the only girl in class who gave him the time of day and was cute to boot. Of course he knew it was no doubt doomed to fail. He was trying to loose weight now in the hopes that if he did approach her with going on a date he would at least have a shot to hear a yes. Not a good one but a shot. His phone buzzed.
Yes, even as poor as he was everyone had a smart phone. This was of course a very old model he was able to get for free and there was no way he could afford a plan. It could at least get email and wifi.
***
Dear Dan, after careful vetting we have concluded you are eligible to play THE GAME. If this is something you wish to take part of please dial the following number xxx-xxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxx into any phone. When you dial we ask you be alone and available for a fairly lengthy period of time anywhere between 5 minutes to 1 hour. If you succeed in completing the game you will get various options for rewards. Details will be given once you decide you wish you play.
Choosing to sign up to play is completely voluntary and details about your game and potential prizes are to be given upon acceptance to play the game. No money or personal information required!
Sincerely, Game Master.
***
What a crazy email. Also what kind of phone number was that? It was way to long. Did it go overseas? Seeing the confusion on his face Alison asked to see what was on his phone. After reading it she wanted it back.
“You should delete that. Maybe, it even has a virus in it.”
That was the last thing Dan needed. His only electronic device getting messed up. He hurried to put it back in his pocket. Craig grabbed it out of his hand to look at it from behind him. “Hey there buddy, so what are you looking at here? I saw your expression and just had to come and check it out. I thought maybe your friend Alison caught you looking at something you shouldn't be if you know what I mean.”
Craig was hoping it was some kind of porn and he could 'innocently' give Dan a hard time for it. “Give it back Craig, don't be a jerk.” Alison still didn't like Craig from all the picking on him that she saw him do in the past. She thought that was over now.
“Come on Alison, me and Dan as just having a little fun. It's a guy thing. This email seems weird. You know what, I may call this number just to see what kind of crazy scam their trying to pull.”
“It will just be a waste of your time, but do as you like. Now give Dan his phone back.” She went back to her meal. Craig finished writing down the number on his hand and tossed the phone back on the table.
“So what are you doing this Friday Alison?” Craig leaned towards her and forced Dan to learn a bit back.
“I'm busy.” She ignored him.
“Yeah, doing what? Are you and Dan going to go out on a date?” He was annoyed of being given the cold shoulder so he wanted to get the attention off him and on to Dan and play it off like he wasn't just rejected.
“No offense, but that's really none of your business.” Alison started to get more annoyed.
“Well, I'm sure he'd love to go out with you. Do you think if you asked him out he would say yes or no?”
“I honestly haven't really thought about it.”
Craig seeing Alison's hate of him dropped the pretense. He figured if she was never going to come around to him then he may as well ruined any chance this fat fucking pig had. There's no way he was going to get with her over him. “Well, let me in on a secret. I know he would say yes. In fact, I'm positive he has a very big crush on you.”
“Just ignore him Dan.” Alison turned further away from Craig.
“You act all innocent but you have to know he does. I bet you've caught him looking at you a few times.” Craig didn't know any of this for sure. This Piggy never gave him any reason to think he had a crush on Alison but there was probably no way he didn't.
Neither Dan or Alison spoke. “You know, since he wants to ask you out. If you don't let him know you'd like to, isn't it the exact same thing as rejecting him? I would think so. To bad there Dan. Better luck with the next girl.” Craig finally walked away.
“Just ignore him. He's an idiot.” Alison went back to eating her lunch as nonchalantly as possible. She couldn't help but blush a bit being by the scene he caused. Even though he was an idiot; Dan, Alison and everyone else knew there was a certain truth to what he said. If Alison said she was willing to go out with him. There is likely no way Dan would say no. Her not doing so in a way constituted an unspoken rejection.
They ate their meals in silence, Even with Dan haven not eaten much that day he found his appetite was gone. The rest of the school day ended without much else happening. He and Alison got on the school bus and were dropped off at the same stop just like they had been since she moved onto this street over 10 years ago.
“Don't worry about what Craig said. We both knows he's an asshole, He's a loser right now and always will be a loser.”
“Yeah, that's true. Then again. What he said isn't wrong either. I mean, there's no way you would say yes if I ever asked you out right?” He had no idea why he said it. It would have been better left unsaid.
“Dan, I just never thought of you that way. You're my best friend after all. You're just letting Craig get in your head.”
Dan needed to do some big damage control before this became a bigger issue. “Oh, I didn't mean just you. I meant every girl I'd ask.”
He saw she had both a revealed and hurt expression. He didn't know what to make of it. “Well, I’m sure someday you'll find the girl that's right for you. I guess you can do better than me after all. You probably fantasize about those clean cut blond girls who talk about what their daddies are getting them for their sweet 16 right?”
Suddenly him acting like he didn't see her romantically as any different than any other girl was taken badly. Alison was at the age where she was fairly insecure and just being lumped in with a bump of other girls didn't make her feel good about herself.
“Just forget about it okay? I'm in a bad mood and being a jerk. Sorry. I'll talk to you later.” With that he turned around and walked away. Nothing would help this conversation so it was best to just leave it. Alison didn't say anything back and he quickened his pace.
Walking into his house he saw his mother was drunk and passed out on the couch. His dad was out again and would probably not be back till near midnight, if at all. He went to his room to plug in his phone and play on the wifi. He was able to get the password of a local business and used it to get on the internet which his family couldn't afford. While the connection wasn't good it gave him something to do. He was also able to also use his phone to make calls while on the public wifi.
He thought about the email he got again. It was so strange. Maybe he should give the number a call just to check it out. What was the worst that could happen?
*****
He woke up in a strange white room. He rubbed his eyes and felt a wall behind him. He sat up leaning against it.
“Well look who it is. Any idea what the fuck is going on here Piggy?” Craig was standing in a corner looking down on him.