Der Kommissar (2/2)

"Der Kommissar" - Falco

🎵 Der Kommissar geht um! / Er wird dich anschau'n / Und du weißt warum / Die Lebenslust bringt dich um 🎵

5). Chemie [Chemistry, Continued]

"Max!" I heard a vaguely familiar deep voice call out as soon as I stepped foot inside the classroom.

In the far corner of the room sitting at a lab table was Erik from the Wasgau. His handsome face was stretched out into a wide smile as he gleefully waved a buff arm to signal me over.

I couldn't suppress my own smile as I happily skipped over to the chair that Erik actually pulled out for me. I remember him saying that he also went to Gymnasium too, but I'd also honestly believed that he'd been just saying that. Sort of like a "I'll text you later" sort of deal. No one means it.

Yet, Erik was here! And he actually wanted me to sit next to him!

As soon as I got to the table, the taller guy held his arms out for me. Of course we'd practically just met yesterday, yet if some tall buff dude wants a hug, then who am I to deny him such an innocent request?

I really tried to hide how happy I was that a guy was FINALLY showing that kind of attention that I've always longed for. If only I could write a letter to Little Max who always sat alone in his bedroom every Friday night to tell him that one day a hot guy would legit hug him in the middle of a classroom setting, as if he weren't afraid for others to see him with me. My past self wouldn't believe it.

Still, I practically threw myself into the other man's chest. Automatically, Erik's arms encircled around me, tightening as they pressed me even harder against his firm chest. There was an odd rumbling noise that vibrated his torso as he leaned down to nuzzle me.

"You're actually here," I heard Erik breathe, as if he were relived to see me. Odd, but nice.

Someone cleared their throat, interrupting our hug.

We both pulled back in time to see another guy, this one still tall but much more slender, stomp forward. His cute face was pulled into a sneer of utter disgust, as if he'd just witnessed something that had offended him to his very core. Yet, once he was in front of us, he forced a plastic smile on his face, yet his yellow eyes were still narrowed... at me.

The other guy directed his gaze to Erik, all traces of hatred disappearing in a snap. "Du hast nach dem Unterricht nicht auf mich gewartet," he gave a little laugh that sounded strained as he playfully nudged the taller guy's buff arm. The guy even went so far as to poke out his lower lip in a mock frown.

Erik motioned at me, talking to his friend. "Das ist der Junge, von dem ich dir erzählt habe. Der Süße aus dem Wasgau," he said in German, preventing me from understanding what he was talking about. I assume it's about me given his gesture.

The other guy dramatically rolled his eyes, but smiled nonetheless. "Hallo, I am Levi," he spat at me in a steely voice, narrowing his eyes again. "It's so nice to meet you..." He was frowning the whole time he said that.

"Um, I'm Max," I squeaked, feeling a little intimidated underneath the glare of the taller guy who looked like a model ripped straight from Vogue.

Seriously, Levi was so tall and slender that he seemed like he should walking the runway of Paris Fashion Week instead of being in a Chemistry class at Gymnasium. He seemed to be a master of the smoldering expression: his pouty lips were pronounced and he had a heated glare that sent a shiver across the classroom.

Meanwhile, Erik seemed to exude a happy-go-lucky aura as he beamed from ear to ear. It seemed to grow impossibly larger as I took the seat he'd offered me; and being the gentleman he was, he actually pushed my chair back in for me.

"Aww," someone in class gushed—

"Verpiss dich!" Levi snarled at them, making them whimper like a frightened puppy.

"Um, are they okay?" I asked, but Erik just shrugged his broad shoulders as he took the seat next to mine.

"They'll be fine," he waved them off. "But what we should really focus on is this: the annual Werwolffest is this weekend, and I'm gonna take you." He wrapped a buff arm around my chair as he flashed a crooked smile at the end of his statement, showcasing his sharp teeth.

The Werwolffest is a yearly festival that takes place in Bedburg every October. It's meant to commemorate the creepy story of the killer Peter Stubbe who was an alleged werewolf. Why a town would want to celebrate a real life murder story is beyond me, but then again, Germany was never well-known for its child-friendly stories. Regardless, since my time in Germany had only ever been during the summer months, I'd never had the chance to attend the festival which I'd heard was pretty fun. A lot of people wear these cheap wolf masks and get drunk as they venture from booth to booth in the town.

But that's besides the point, because Erik legit said that he planned on taking me!

W-was this a, *gasp, date?!

Holy guacamole! I've never been on a date before! I know that's super sad to admit out loud, but it's the painful truth. No guy has ever shown the smallest percentage of interest in me before. A part of me feared that I'd grow up to be one of those guys with a ton of rabbits (I know that cats are the cliché norm, but bunnies are my favorite animal). Part of me had even begun to accept my depressing future; but then came Erik! This man was my knight in shining, um, school uniform!

Wow, my first date. And that can even lead to more firsts for me too. My first kiss, my first make out session, my first hand holding... my first fucking. Erik is a big guy, so there's no doubt in my mind that he's proportional, if you know what I mean. *Wink.

"Y-yeah," I blurted a little too loudly to look cool, "that sounds great!"

Erik's smile, if it were possible, grew even larger. It was a grin of pure jubilation and it showed off all of his sharp pearly whites. I have to admit that I like that about Erik: he's not too cool to try to hide his joy by looking away or trying to act tough. I could easily tell that he was happy that I'd agreed to go to Werwolffest with him, and that made me feel all nice inside in tandem.

I tried so hard not to bounce up in down in my seat out of sheer joy. So far, this day has been excellent! I've managed to make some friends, I got to find a nice tutor in Mr. Abin/Viktor to help me learn German, and now I was going to go on a date with Erik!

Nothin can bring me down from this high! Ever!

Levi rolled his eyes. "I thought that we were supposed to go together," he piped up, nudging Erik again. "I already bought viel Pils."

Erik didn't even turn his head to glance at his friend, still gazing at me with those gorgeous yellow eyes that resembled golden saucers. "We can all go, the three of us."

A low rumble sounded out from the skinny guy. "There's not enough room in my car," he muttered. "My Bug doesn't have enough room... for extras." He narrowed his eyes even more in my direction at that last part.

Um, I'm starting to think that Levi might not fancy me.

Erik waved a dismissive hand at him again. "I'll drive Max and me there," he hummed as he moved his arm that was around my chair up north so that it rested perfectly around my thin shoulders. "We'll meet you there."

"Ficker..." Levi muttered under his breath as he plopped himself down in his seat with an exasperated huff.

Class began and the assignment for the day was to solve a few chemical equations. Science was my thing. Given that my life's aspirations involve me coming a veterinarian when I'm an adult, I'd known from the start that I'd needed to take tons of sciences class and to excel in them. That's what I do, too.

That being said, I had the wonderful opportunity to show Erik that I wasn't just a cute guy who'd make the perfect arm candy, but I was an intelligent young man too. That's right: Maximilian Cristobal Estrada isn't just a pretty face.

As the three of us worked on our assigned problems, Erik kept his arm secured tightly around my shoulder. I could smell his pine-scented cologne that had a hint of musk to it. It was pretty nice, and I even liked how it started to cling to my uniform. It smelt really nice and manly; I'll have to ask where he buys it so I can wear it as well.

"So," Erik whispered in his velvety smooth, deep voice as he leaned in closer to my ear, "at the Werwolffest, a few of us get together and play a certain game." The way he spoke so closely to me had his hot breath wafting over the side of my face, causing the back of my neck to break out into goosebumps.

"Wh-what kinda game?" I asked in a quiet voice.

"Paarungslauf."

I cocked my eyebrow. "What's that?"

Erik's smile morphed into a smirk, his sharp canines even poking out of his mouth. "It's similar to the American game 'Seven Minutes in Heaven'," he grinned.

Oh shit, I've heard of that. Granted I've never played it myself (unfortunately), I was well aware of the fact that it involved two people locked in an enclosed space where they pretty much just sucked face for seven whole minutes.

And damn, I was already down. "I'm in—"

"But," Erik continued, "since this is das Bedburg-Wolfsrudel, we added another part to the game."

I vaguely remember hearing that word a lot as a child when I'd last been here in Germany: "Wolfsrudel". I'd had no idea what it'd meant then, and I still don't know what it means now. I mean, I could try to dissect the phrase since common sense dictates that "Wolf-" means "Wolf", as in the canine. But after that, I was completely lost. Plus, what if it was an idiom? I suppose I could ask Dominik... nah. I'll ask Dad instead.

I nodded, encouraging the bigger man to continue.

"A few of us wear the werewolf masks," Erik explained, that smirk still superglued onto his handsome face, "and others don't. The ones who don't wear one have to run from the ones who do."

"Like Tag?" I interjected, earning a snicker from Levi.

"Jungfrau," he snorted, rolling his yellow eyes.

Erik turned his head to glare at his buddy for a second before returning to smile my way. "Kinda," he grinned. "Only, when I catch you, I get seven whole minutes to do whatever I want to you."

That really shouldn't turn me on.

Yet, the mental image of playfully frolicking through the flowers as Erik chased after me, only to totally dominate me once he catches me (I'm not a fast runner... at all) was sort of titillating. At the same time though, it did make me slightly nervous the more I considered it.

Whatever wants to do with me...

It didn't take a rocket scientist to extrapolate that Erik is a little older than me. Memories flickered into my head of my father warning Emilia about how older guys who'd flirt with her only wanted one thing: Kisses.

I assume that's what it was since I'd usually tuned him out when he'd start a lecture.

I've never kissed a man before! What if I'm bad at it?!

The horrible vision of me totally being dog shit at kissing flashed into my brain, making my stomach drop. I could image it: me being bad and Erik totally losing interest in a matter of five milliseconds. Maybe I can just Google "How to Kiss"? That could work...

Unaware of my inner anguish, Erik just continued to smile. "So make sure you wear some comfortable running shoes, because I always catch my prey."

...damn. I mean, after hearing that, do I even want to run? I'm just sayin'.

I can't just nod and say something corny that makes it sounds like I'm down to clown, despite totally being down to clown. I've watched loads of romance movies and teen TV shows, so I know with one-hundred percent certainty that whatever I say has to be witty and coy so as to express my interest, yet still make Erik work to gain my affection.

"Bitchin'," I blurted.

Luckily, Erik smiled at my corny ass response instead of cringing like what I'd expected him to do. However, his smile didn't last too long and he frowned a little bit. "Are you sure that your, *cough, Freund Dominik won't mind us hanging out though?"

For the millionth time today, Dominik was brought up into conversation as if he and I had some sort of connection to one another. Literally all that bonded us was that our fathers did one another! That's it!

I frowned. "He's my stepbrother," I clarified. "Not my friend."

"Is that why you smell like he rubbed his junk all over you?" Levi muttered.

"Huh?"

Erik shoved his friend, little harder than last time. Before he could do anything else, the bell rang.

I was in a hurry to gather my things and sprint out of class so that I could attempt to save face. However, as soon as I was on my feet, Erik stood with me, his arm still secured around me.

"What's your next class?" he asked me, his voice holding absolutely zero hints of disgust or contempt. Wow.

"Let's see," I mumbled as I grabbed my schedule out of my pocket. Dominik had been oh-so-kind to translate some of my classes for me, and given that this last one didn't have his smartass 'tude scribbled all over it, I figured that this translation was accurate. "PE."

"That's my next class too," Erik beamed.

"Me too..." Levi sighed.

"Let me show you the way then," Erik grinned as he escorted me out of the classroom and down the hall.

I also noticed that my phone finally didn't buzz, giving me slight peace of mind.

6). Sportunterricht [Physical Education/PE]

"Hier ist deine Uniform," the PE coach said in a gruff voice as he thrusted a pair of navy blue basketball shorts and a grey t-shirt at me, along with a combo lock. "Your locker is 1-13A."

"Danke," I muttered, taking the clothes that were far from fashionable from him. They were an awful cotton-poly blend that I wouldn't be caught dead in. Yet, given that this school requires uniforms, I don't really have a say in the matter. Ugh, my old school didn't require PE, so why does this one?

I shuffled my feet into the locker room where a lot of other guys were already changing into their PE clothes. The room stank of body spray and musk, and all I could see where abs, pecs, and bulges.

Sure I may know deep down that my virgin ass is a bottom; and there's no denying the fact that if I ever manage to snag a man that I'll be the quote-unquote femme in it. That being said, I'm still a man. Therefore, there's a microscopic part of me that is a little self-conscious over the fact that I'm one of the smaller males at school. That, and I lack any of the serious muscle tone that every dude in Bedburg seems to possess for some innate reason.

I don't wanna gross the rest of the male student body out with my visible ribs and compact figure. I mean, I might have a nice ass (thank you Mom's Latina genes) but that's all I have going for me!

My assigned locker was at the end of the first row, meaning that everyone who entered the room would gain a full view of my nude body as I changed... well, it wasn't exactly nude. I was wearing my Pokémon boxer briefs that had Pikachu's face on my butt.

I hadn't thought things through when I'd gotten dressed this morning, damn it!

"Well, look at that!" Erik preened as he stalked forward. "It looks like we're locker neighbors." He walked over to the locker that was right next to mine, undoing the combo lock and swinging it open to reveal the jumbled mess of PE clothes that he'd just carelessly tossed in there earlier.

Oh no!

I cannot change in front of Erik, a.k.a. the only man in the world to ever be interested in me! What if he laughs at my Pikachu chonies?!

"Y-yeah, how 'bout that?" I stammered, nervously cradling my new PE clothes to my chest. I frantically began to look around for the washroom so that I could make an excuse to go there and then change in the stall. The great thing about German washroom stalls was that the doors actually went all the way to the floor, eliminating that annoying, pervy gap that the ones back home had for some reason.

I spotted the blue sign on the far wall with the white icon of a guy, and I began to move my feet in that direction—

"Max?" Engel smiled widely as he entered the locker room and headed to a locker that was in the same exact row as mine. "Nice, it looks like we have another class together."

"Oh, hey Engel," I shyly waved, inwardly cursing that another guy I knew would have to see me change, and would thus projectile vomit all over these nice clean floors at the mere sight of my meh form.

Erik seemed to tense up as he looked my friend up and down. He puffed his chest out, his handsome face breaking out into a sneer. "Engel," he curtly muttered.

Engel's magnified eyes narrowed from behind his glasses as he gave his own look of disdain at Erik. "Erik," he growled in response... like, literally growled. I swear that his voice resembled that of an angry dog's, which was really weird.

"Geh mir aus dem Weg," Lars's deep voice bellowed as he roughly shoved his way past Engel, easily towering and out-muscling the other two men. He stomped over to a locker that was directly on the other side of mine, and when he laid his yellow eyes on me, he offered that small smile of his where only the corner of his mouth lifted by a half-centimeter. "Hallo Max."

No!

No, this cannot be happening! Sure I know that eventually one lucky guy would be able to get an uninterrupted view of my 2.5/10 physique; but I didn't think that that day would be today! I wasn't ready! Plus, sue me, but I'm shy and have a crippling low self-esteem!

"Hey Max!" Jakob and Anton said at the same time as they both walked up to their lockers which just so happened to also be in the same row as mine.

Damn it all!

Why?! Why on earth did fate decide to place every single person I'd spoken to today in the same row so they could just so happen to have to witness me changing into my PE clothes? Sure this may not be a big deal to normal people; but damn it! I'm really not ready for them to have all of their hopes and dreams about me being fine trashed!

At least it couldn't get any worse, right?

"Wo ist der Trainer? Ich habe einige Dokumente, die er ausfüllen muss," Mr. Abin asked in his deep voice as he strolled into the locker room, holding a manilla in his big hand. The exact second his yellow eyes landed on my paled face, they seemed to brighten up and his posture even straightened up. "Oh! H-hey Max!"

Six pairs of yellow eyes were all superglued to me, as if they were waiting in anticipation for me to change. They all refused to stray away from for the smallest fraction of time, unblinking. What made matters worse was that they all knew me too; hence, I couldn't pretend that I'd never ever see them every again in case my body grossed them out.

My heart began to race in my pathetic chest and I could even start to feel a cold sweat begin to break out on my forehead. Shoot, even my fingers started to tingle a little bit. This was terrible!

I shuffled nervously in my spot, unsure of what the hell was going on.

Erik smirked as he yanked his school uniform shirt off over his head, tossing it into his locker. My eyes nearly fell out of my skull as I took in the impressive sight of the young man's chest muscles. They were distinct and prominent, looking like Erik must've modeled for Men's Fitness Magazine. Seriously, the dude had abs that looked like I could grate cheese on them, and his pectorals were thick and prominent.

And yes, I know that it is disgustingly hypocritical of me to judge another man's body when I am so self-conscious about my own, but I found myself being oddly disappointed by how smooth Erik's muscled chest was. Sure it was impressive and must've taken years of gym dedication to craft; and kudos to him for that, really! But I can't help but equate hairless to boy. Whereas some hair means "Man" in my mind.

And I want a man.

Maybe I can ask him to consider growing out his chest hair?

I mean, after all, Dominik has both muscles and chest hair— EWWW! Why did I even think that? God, please kill me now. Please, strike me down with a bolt of lightening!

I was so engrossed in how nasty I felt that I'd barely noticed the rest of the men, sans Mr. Abin, peeling out their shirts to reveal their own chest muscles. Each of them had the same smooth skin as Erik, but there was a difference in their builds. Engel was the smallest. He wasn't little, but given that he was standing by the rest of the guys, it was hard not to notice that he was the skinniest in the group. Anton and Jakob looked like carbon copies of one another, and the only way I could tell the difference between them was that Jakob seemed to be the more out-going and talkative one; so it was safe to assume that he was the one who bounced his pectorals when I gawked. It was kinda cool. Lastly, Lars was the biggest by far! The silent giant was enormous. He didn't have chiseled abs, but his body gave off more powerlifter than modelesque, which was honestly hot in its own way.

I had to force myself to look away from the beautiful scene in front of me... only to lock eyes with Mr. Abin, who was not-so-subtly puffing out his own muscled chest against his tight button-down shirt. I swear if he takes in a deep gulp of air, some of those buttons will ricochet off like little bullets!

Um, what the hell is going on here? If I didn't know any better, I'd swear that these fine men were each trying to show off for me. But that's not possible, right?

Levi walked by, rolling his yellow eyes at the sight of the shirtless men trying to flex on each other in front of me. "Ich hasse jeden einzelnen von euch so sehr..." he sighed as he stomped away.

The six men each had their yellow eyes on me, waiting for me to get undressed.

That scared, insecure child inside of me wouldn't shut the hell up. I felt stupid for being so shy to change in front of other people. After all, this was a gym class, so everyone was expected to do it— I'm nothing special. However, I was also painfully and sadly aware of the blaring fact that I was shortest guy in the locker room, and I was definitely the skinniest. Fuck.

"Um, I'm gonna use the washroom real quick," I fake smiled as I scurried over towards the small area with my gym clothes clutched tightly to my chest. Unfortunately, because life likes to torture me, as I approached the washroom, I could see that there was only one stall... and said stall was occupied based off the nasty sounds thundering from it.

Shoot. Why the hell do boys' washrooms only ever have one stall?! That's so unfair!

My shoulders slumping, I slunk back to my locker, annoyed and unsurprised that all of the guys from earlier were planted in place. They were frozen like statues, all of them trying their best to look busy, yet their yellow eyes were trained on me for some reason.

Was it because I'm the new guy? Could it just be that I'm the new hot commodity? I mean, I guess Erik has let it known that he wants to take me on a date, so he's probably looking to scope out the goods; but why was Engel, Lars, Jakob, Anton, and Viktor all trying to sneak a peek at my booty?

My heart was still jackhammering against my ribcage, but I knew deep down that there was no use. I either refuse to change and then fail PE, or I just muster up what little courage I have somewhere in my puny body and just change. Any normal person would probably scoff at me and say that I'm being ridiculous since it's just changing into gym clothes; but I'm shy, damn it!

Sighing, I slid my backpack off and stuffed it into my locker first.

My fingers went numb as I began to tug that ugly sweater vest off, and they shook so badly that it was hard to unbutton my shirt. Back when I was younger, whenever I'd get nervous and needed to work my way through some daunting task, I'd always tried to pretend that I was someone else— preferably someone better. And said person I'd tended to gravitate to had been my forever idol: Mariah Carey.

If she were here, she would strip like it was a damn show.

I'm not gonna do that, but I'll try my best to pretend that I don't have a vomit-inducing body that borderlines medical anomaly. Screw it.

Taking a deep breath, I undid the buttons on my shirt and then folded it up nicely to avoid wrinkles before I placed it inside my locker.

The guys all had their yellow eyes wide as dinner plates, some of them even having their mouths agape. Shoot, Engel had some drool on his smooth chin.

Okay, it was all or nothing. I had on my white undershirt and once I remove that, I'll be bare chested and all of Bedburg Gymnasium will know that I've never stepped foot inside a gym once. I mean, I have in a Pokémon Gym... haha, nerd humor. But still!

I grabbed the bottom of my undershirt and tore it off over my head, forcing myself to stare directly at my locker so as to avoid the scrutinizingly glares of my new friends who would no doubt no longer wanna associate with me so that they wouldn't have to put up my lame-o bod.

The six men all gasped in unison, and I braced myself for the worst to come.

Curiosity got the best of me, and I couldn't resist turning my head slightly to side to see what they were so disgusted with— my face? My chest? My undefined arms?

I flinched when I noticed that Erik, Engel, Lars, Anton, Jakob, and Viktor all had their yellow eyes laser focused directly onto my left shoulder— right where that dog had bitten me when I'd arrived in Germany, and had left a mysteriously healed scar.

My face grew hot and I forced a cheesy smile onto my face as I shrugged. "Oh yeah, I was bit by a dog," I mumbled, trying my best to shake it off.

I swear that every other guy made that weird rumbling sound that I'd heard Dominik make whenever he was mad, which was often. It sounded like a blend of a sports car engine mixed with an angry dog. An angry dog, not like a chihuahua, but more so like a German Shepherd— big and menacing.

It was an odd sight to behold: each guy's yellow eyes narrowed in on my scar at the same time their upper lips started to curl up over their eerily sharp teeth.

Erik shoved his way from the rest of the crowd and began to stomp forward—

My locker was slammed shut loudly with a jolting bang that made everyone in the locker room flinch back in surprise, especially when we all looked over to see that it was none other than a very pissed off looking Dominik who had entered.

What?! Why on earth was Dominik here? The dude was at least twenty-one and he wasn't staff, so he had absolutely zero business being on school grounds!

Dominik quickly shrugged off his leather jack and draped it over my shoulders before he shot a heated glare at the other men. The dude then literally bared his sharp teeth like he was part dog, unleashing a furious growl that was low and bellowing. Since he was wearing only his tight t-shirt that was painted over his chest muscles that put the other guys' to shame, he looked massive and daunting.

In response, the rest of the men actually took a cautious step back, away from us.

Um... what is going on?

Why did Dominik growl like a frickin' dog? Why did the other guys look so intimidated by him? And why the hell was Dominik shielding me from view with his massive muscles?!

*Gasp! Was that why he didn't text me at the end of Chemistry class? Because he was busy driving over here?!

I was so caught up in trying to make sense of whatever was going on, that I'd barely noticed Dominik swing a buff arm out until it was too late. My stepbrother reached over with one arm and easily lifted my puny body up into the air, tossing me over his broad shoulder like I was sack of potatoes. He kept his arm secured around me, keeping me trapped in pace.

Dominik puffed out his chest, easily towering over everyone else in the locker room. Lars came close to meeting his height, but Dominik had him beat by a solid millimeter. He reached into my locker with his free hand to snatch my backpack at least.

"Ich befehle jedem einzelnen von euch, euch von meinem Jungen fernzuhalten!" Dominik barked in his deep voice.

I was stunned silent, unable to wrap my head around what the hell was going on. Dominik had just shown up to my school out of nowhere, only to toss me over his shoulder as if he owned me, and then he carried me out of the locker room! The douchebag kept his head held high as he carried me out of the school, stomping to the parking lot towards his motorcycle.

He set me down onto my feet with a huff, barely giving me time to gain my bearings before tossing the only helmet at me.

"What the hell!" I cried out in shock and bewilderment. All of my new classmates had legit just seen my stepbrother manhandle me. "And why the fuck did you growl... like a dog?!" Seriously, it was hard to get the image of Dominik behaving like feral wolf out of my mind. The man is not normal, for real.

"Get on," Dominik grunted as he swung a leg over his bike, kickstarting it with a loud, mighty roar.

This was my first day of school at a brand new place— shit, at a brand new country! Everything had been going well so far (kinda). Sure, PE hadn't been going so well, and people had been gawking at me like I belonged in a freak show thanks to that stupid, mysterious scar on my shoulder Alaric had tried to gaslight me into believing that I'd always had. Then Dominik had to come along and ruin everything!

I can never show my face around here ever again! He'd already ruined things at the Wasgau with me and Erik, and now he had to stomp all over everything at school, as if to just double tap!

What the actual fuck is his problem?! Why does he hate me so much? I never did anything wrong to him! But he'd always made sure to fuck things over me for me at every chance he gets; whether it was ditching me at Nordwestmecklenburg, punching that guy I'd met in Nordwestmecklenburg who'd only been taking me back to the train station, then calling me a "Nobody", then giving me a nasty towel he'd already used, then being mean to Erik at the Wasgau, and then literally carrying me out of my new high school for everyone to witness!

Damn it! I hate him so much!

My anger grew and I could feel my frustration over the whole situation growing to obscene levels. All I could see was red and the last thing in the world I wanted was to have to sit close to that asshole and to have to wrap my arms around him.

"I'm not going anywhere with you!" I cried, even tossing his motorcycle helmet to the ground where it clattered onto the sidewalk. "I'll walk home!"

God must have a mean sense of humor, because as soon as those words left my lips, tiny raindrops started to fall.

Rolling my eyes, I ripped my phone out of my pocket. "I mean, I'll call a taxi—" I lost my grip on my phone and it fell onto the hard, wet sidewalk. It landed screen up, showing that upon impact, the green had shattered, leaving purple and green lines all across it, thus rendering it useless.

FUCK!

"Get. On," Dominik hissed through clenched teeth, narrowing his yellow eyes at me, leaving no room for negotiation.

I knew that I couldn't even bother to walk home in a huff because of the rain, and now I didn't even have a working phone, so I couldn't call anyone for a lift. This day had gone from great to shitty all within a matter of minutes, and Dominik was at the epicenter of it!

At my hesitation, Dominik's growl matched the roar of his motorcycle engine. "I'm faster than you, Mein Hase," he had to just throw out there since apparently he thought that I was actually foolish enough to try to bolt.

I mean, yeah, I'd considered it, but I wasn't actually going to do it! I just need to be dramatic first to assert my dominance.

"Fine," I sighed as I picked the helmet off the ground and zipped Dominik's jacket all the way up so that it wasn't just loose. He'd grabbed me while I hadn't been wearing a shirt, so I was pretty damn cold standing outside in the Northern European autumn! After placing the helmet on, I swung my leg over the motorcycle and begrudgingly wrapped my arms around the jerk in front of me... but not too tight, just enough to ensure I wouldn't fly off.

I could feel Dominik tense up as soon as I wrapped my arms around him, but he didn't say anything. Instead, his broad shoulders slumped slightly and he revved the engine of the motorcycle, speeding down the road towards the house.

(Cue "End of Flashback" transition)

"School was okay," I muttered to Dad, closing my textbook with my assignment in it. "I mean, it's school, so how great could it possibly be?"

Dad frowned. "I thought you liked school, Maxie."

Of course I like school. As much as I don't want to admit it because it would totally ruin the Cool Guy persona I've built up over the years, I am a Grade A nerd. Hence, school was one of the few things I was actually not crap at! But today's events had filled me up with so many emotions that it was hard to decipher them all, making me wish that homeschooling was a thing in Germany.

I was nervous about a new school.

I was frustrated that I didn't speak the main language at my new school.

I was touched that I had such a nice teacher like Mr. Abin looking out for me.

I was relieved that I'd made so many new friends.

I was ecstatic that Erik had asked me out to the Werwolffest.

I was confused as to why everyone had been staring at me in the locker room.

I was weirded out by how a lot of people in Bedburg seem to have eerily sharp canines and yellow eyes.

I was humiliated over the way Dominik had stormed into the locker room and had literally carried me out over his shoulder.

I was pissed off that Dominik had downloaded a tracking app onto my phone.

I was annoyed that I'd broken my phone, rendering it useless and without proof of Dominik's creepiness.

But ultimately: I was filled with seething hatred for Dominik!

Even when Dad and Alaric set up the dining room table for dinner, Dominik and I sat on opposite ends of the table, staring daggers at one another. I don't know why he was mad at me— I'd done nothing wrong at all! I've been an angel since I've arrived here!

Nevertheless, Dominik's upper lip kept twitching up over his sharp teeth as he narrowed his yellow eyes at me from across the table. He violently stabbed his fork into his chicken, not even bothering to use a knife. Instead he brought the whole fillet up to his mouth, chomping down onto it with his razor sharp teeth.

Being the dignified and mature young man that I am, I decided to try another tactic other than silent steaming as I tried to eat this dry ass chicken (sorry Dad). "Is there something on my face?" I sneered, catching Dominik glaring for the thousandth time.

Dominik's face turned it usual shade of pink, but rather than lashing out or reaching over the table to punch my beautiful visage in, he just averted his gaze and gave a caveman grunt.

Our dads awkwardly sat side by side on one end of the table. Both of them tried their best to avoid making eye contact with either of us. My dad even spoke to Alaric in a hushed tone as they attempted to hold their own private conversation that was free from teenage drama... well, teenage in my sense. Dominik was a twenty-something year old man who'd never left home!

For the billionth time, Dominik's yellow eyes darted towards me again.

"Alaric," I grinned, placing my fork down onto the table, "would you be so kind as to tell your son to stop being such a creep?"

"Maximilian Cristobal!" Dad scolded, using my full first name and middle name in the way that meant he was mad. "Be nice."

Dominik matched my own smirk, taking a pause from his chomping. "Paul," he sneered, "would you please tell your son to not be such a brat?"

"Gott, warum?" Alaric groaned as he pinched the skin above his nose.

A brat? What a jerk! I've been the furthest thing from a brat for life! If Dominik wants to see a brat, then he's in for a world of hurt the second our dads leave on that cruise! It'll be three whole ass weeks of me making sure that I do not follow a single damn rule of his!

"Alaric," I went on, pretending to take a sip of my Coke Light, "would you please be so kind as to take your son to the hospital so he can have his head examined?"

Alaric chuckled, earning a glare from Dominik.

"Max, that's enough," Dad said, going so far as to place a stern hand on my shoulder.

"It's okay, Paul," Dominik growled, again sounding like a rabid dog, "but I do think it would be a good idea for someone to teach your son how to behave."

"Behave?!" I cried, jumping out of my chair in shock as I pointed an angry finger at my stupid stepbrother. "I've done nothing but behave ever since I got here... oops." I realized that I'd accidentally spoken to Dominik when I was supposed to be pretending that he didn't exist. "I mean, um, Alaric, can you please tell your son that I've behaved ever since I've gotten here, please?"

"I'm not getting involved," Alaric piped up, holding his hands up in surrender.

"Dad," I asked, "can you please tell your husband to tell his son that I've behaved ever since I've gotten here?"

"No," my so-called father huffed, taking a bite of his food.

Alaric scratched at the back of his neck. "Maybe you boys need some space?" he suggested.

Again, Dominik glared at him, this time there was much more heat behind his eyes for some reason. It was powerful enough to make the patriarch shrink in his seat a little bit.

My oblivious dad nodded. "Maxie, give Dominik his room tonight," he ordered. "You can sleep on the couch."

Has anyone even called a repairman to fix the broken window in my bedroom so I can gave my own space?

"Aye aye, Sir," I mumbled. Hell no I didn't want to sleep on the couch (again). Although, last night when I did, it had been super comfy. Still, it's not a bed, and call me pampered, but I want to sleep on a dang mattress!

Dominik shoved himself away from the table and stomped his feet all the way upstairs. The sound of his bedroom door slamming echoed out in the house. Whatever.

My dad sighed and looked over at Alaric, taking his hand in his. "Maybe we shouldn't go on the cruise," he sighed. "It looks like the boys aren't getting along."

Alaric also sighed, slumping his shoulders. "Maybe that would be best," he agreed. "After all, the full moon is— *cough! I mean, yeah."

Both of the mens' broad shoulders fell and their frowns deepened on their faces as the realization that their sons' piss poor attitudes had just ruined their plans for having a fun get together in the Mediterranean Sea— just the two of them.

Son of a bitch...

As much as I may wanna kick Dominik in the nuts, I don't like to see my Dad looking so sad and disappointed. Sure our relationship was a little rocky and there was a piece of me that still held a lot of resentment (and I wasn't in the wrong for that), but that didn't mean that I wanted to see him down. At the end of the day, he's my father and I love him.

I don't give a shit about Alaric. He can fall off the boat for all I care; but I don't like seeing Dad sad, and I don't like being the reason behind that either.

"No, it's fine," I grimaced, wanting to rip my tongue out, "me and Dominik will get along." I couldn't prevent the shudder that ran through me at the end of that statement.

Dad and Alaric studied my face for a good minute before they smiled warmly in what looked like relief. They really must've wanted this vacation, I suppose. Damn it, I hate being the bigger person!

All this did was confirm that Dad and Alaric would be leaving on some stupid lovey-dovey couples cruise at the end of the week, meaning I'd be trapped with Dominik for three whole weeks! Worse was that I don't have my driver's license, so I'll be unfortunately relying on that douchebag if I ever need to leave the house since this damn community where Alaric lives is on the outskirts of Bedburg, a little ways away from everything else!

Ugh, three whole weeks, twenty-one days filled with nothing but me and Dominik butting heads over and over. Damn it, this can't possibly get any worse!