The Strange House Pt. 01

Author's note:

This is perhaps a much slower story in terms of sexual development compared to other stories that I have published on Literotica. I hope you enjoy the read.

*

The house on the corner of the small cul-de-sac neighborhood of Milton Avenue had always stood empty. Never, at least as most of the other residents could recollect, had they seen anyone there. Their mailbox stood on the street in stoic solitude as the house it belonged to slowly decayed. Rotting, more like. Mold and boards were equally strewn about the overgrown bushes and shrubs in the yard.

Gray and sad. That's what the small two-story building was. The structure stuck out like a sore thumb in an otherwise neat cul-de-sac neighborhood even when the sun was out. Pulsing and hammering like a fresh wound in an otherwise splendid street. Wrought iron fences, with small vintage gates, surrounded the property, designed for another time, and forgotten ever since.

And of course, with anything dark and abandoned, the rumors of it being haunted emerged as time befitted it. It had become a common dare among the local rascals to challenge each other to venture inside the front gate, and for the most drawing, even the house itself. For a short few years, there were children's laughter, and scared screams, and multiple cherished memories were made due to the old house. But barely anyone ever actually ventured inside the structure itself, other than just beyond the door.

It was dangerous, folks said. Either there were rotten boards you could step through, or the whole could fall on your head at any minute. Atl east that is what people said. But as much as people said it, it never happened. The old house survived one generation after the other, even as it was surely decaying. Yet, it never fell down. It remained in its place decade after decade.

However, in time, as the local kids grew older, the house found its loneliness once again. Generations came and went, but every time a new set of kids grew just a bit too old for silly superstition, it became no longer the mysterious, slightly scary, strange house. Just a rundown old building.

This was the norm for most things in one's childhood. As you grow up, you forget. As you grow up, there will be a moment, where you don't even realize it, where it will be the last time you think of that one piece of your childhood. Maybe it is a friend, maybe it is an event, or maybe it is a special place.

*

You know that feeling when you try to stay awake to read just another page? Then you'll jolt up every ten seconds as you inevitably fall asleep anyway? That was me. Right now. It was a regular school night, last year of high school, and I was spending it reading one of my new favorite books. Lord of the Rings. I had always thought it would be so corny, so pedestrian, so... I don't know, pretentious? Boy was I wrong. It was a magnificent tale. Strong men, wise women, strong women, wise men. Courage, hope, and faith. A courageous person who had to leave the home he loved to save it. The perfect tale. Except for Tom Bombadil, what the fuck was that all about?

Trying to remedy the awful last season of Game of Thrones, I had ventured out to find myself a new fantasy world to immerse myself in. With the next Dragon Age and Elder Scrolls title nowhere near, I thought, why not explore the most explored universe of them all? Where it all began. In a hole in the ground, where the hobbits live. Heh heh.

"Shouldn't you get some sleep, kid?" Dad said in his deep voice. He was back from patrol, leaning through my door, still in his dark blue uniform.

"Right," I said, yawning. I looked at the clock. It was 2 am.

"Shouldn't you be out chasing girls, instead of sneaking in a few extra pages?" Dad said with a half-cocked smile.

I knew he was just looking after me. And his question was more of a reassurance of him being happy that I, in fact, wasn't chasing girls and being a general nuisance. I was perhaps a tad bit more secluded than your average teenager, and being secluded meant few girls. It wasn't that I wasn't interested in girls, it was more that I didn't interest them. I was incredibly shy and was more or less the definition of the boy they all stood well away from. But Dad always wanted a small chat before bed, if he caught me awake. Which he always did.

"Nah. I think I'm too young for that sort of thing," I excused.

"Eighteen isn't too young to have fun," Dad said, sitting down on the foot of my bed, and ruffling my hair. "Nah, you're too responsible for that," he said, smiling proudly.

"Fun is subjective," I yawned. Dad gave a chuckle at that. "Why did you become a cop, dad?"

I had a habit of doing that. Blurting out questions I wanted answers to. My curiosity was both a blessing and a curse.

"Well. It has perks and benefits. Retirement plan for one," Dad admitted, looking out into the room as if he was reading off a list. Then he shot me a side glance and a smirk under his thick mustache. He was a pragmatic man, and we both knew it. Almost to a fault. But that is why Dad was such a great guy.

"Well," Dad repeated himself. "I'll let ya get your sleep. G'night."

"G'night, Dad," I said and yawned for a third time.

As it was foretold by all the ancient gods, I was a zombie in the morning. Mom eyed me as I came down, knowing full well I had been up all night nerding myself up. Mom was beautiful and kind in her own way but could be... somewhat judgmental and perhaps not always as understanding of the prospect of having a nerd for a son. She married my dad who was an athletic football player in high school, who worked as a cop, and was a man's man in all the non-toxic ways.

My mom had hopes of me becoming the same, hence giving me the 'masculine' name of Logan. But that just wasn't me. It wasn't like I was fat or anything, or too skinny. I was just normal. A normal nerd. Though, I was given my dad's hawk eyes and thus needed no glasses. I saw my own reflection in the microwave. Scruffy, brown-haired, and sleep still in my blue-gray eyes. I guess I could be handsome, but I was sort of never able to find that out.

Why? Zach and Jeremy. Since we moved to the area in eighth grade I had never gotten a minute's break. The first winter up here, they took the brand new hat Mom had given me and filled it with snow, and then they emptied my backpack all over the place. Dad tried to talk with their parents, but apparently, that wasn't so easy. There were three main ones. One, Jeremy's dad was powerful, and a huge sponsor of this and that, the police's Christmas dinner for one. Second, according to their own parents, they were good kids. And third, Zach and Jeremy didn't care what anyone told them. Neither the parents who bailed them out nor the cops.

Thus, as a result of my snitching, they found me and shoved me down all the stairs from the top floor to the bottom floor at our school. And when I came with a bandaged hand the next day, they at first seemed to be understanding of my predicament, only to force Vicodin down my throat as they thought I needed medicine. I had to go to the nurse's office, but I begged her to not tell my parents so it wouldn't get worse. Short and sweet, I learned to endure and to shut up. Year after year.

Nope. I was just happy with the worlds I could disappear into so that I could forget about mine. Yeah, I didn't really have it all that great in high school, but at least I had my games, and my books, and from time to time I met the occasional nice person online through various communities. It was senior year, so there was only a semester left after winter break, but it was still a period of time I had to survive.

Though I have to say, I kinda made Mom out to sound like a cold bitch before, which she wasn't. She was creative, and kind in her own way, and she cared greatly about me. I remember when I was little, she'd sneak out during the night when the first snow fell and make snow angels, and then diligently remove her steps, making me wholeheartedly believe in angels for years. And in the summer she'd take me camping, as Dad worked a bunch, so to say, she was no squeamish housewife. In fact, she had a job as a secretary. While that was a cliche I guess, she had that whole office under her finger. And one Halloween she hand-crafted me a costume straight out of Harry Potter. I had pretended to be clumsy when I got back though, as Jeremy had ripped it open.

"Toast or pancakes, honey?" Mom asked. "Oh darling, you shouldn't stay up so late."

I guess my attempt at hiding my yawn was futile. It was an extra large one, one of those that give your parents the tell-tale sign of a long night of not sleeping. Today was a special day. The last day of the year before Christmas, aka winter break. And Friday. I wouldn't have to face Zach, Jeremy, or any of the other idiot jocks from school, for two whole weeks. I could just stay at home and read my books, play my games, and have the best vacation away from all of them.

Even better, there was a party this weekend I wasn't invited to. Not that I wanted to, or would've gone anyway, it just would've felt nice to feel included. I wasn't sure it was because the guys throwing the party knew who I was, or precisely because they knew who I was. Either or, neither here nor there, it still landed me where I would've been anyway. At home.

"Did you get that math homework done, Logan?" Robert asked, one of my classmates, as we stood waiting for the bus, on the corner next to the old creepy house and its thoroughly unkempt garden.

"Yeah," I replied. I did. It just took me a while.

"Could I just... erh... look a bit?" Robert asked. He had been struggling with his math, so he often asked me. I guess because I was a nerd people thought I was smart. I wasn't. I just didn't have much else to do.

So here's the thing about Robert. He was a part of the jock crew, or something adjacent to the jock crew. Tall, muscular, flat top, getting all the girls, the whole nine yards. So I wasn't about to say no. It just made it easier that Robert at least was one of the nicer ones. He had never thrown me into a bathroom stall and broken the lock to the door so I was late for class, nor had he ever robbed me of my lunch money and spent it on cigarettes so I would go starving. Once he even paired up with me voluntarily for a project, but I had a suspicion that it was so I could do all the work. Which I did. But at least Robert had the courtesy to feel bad about it, praising my work even when it was barely mediocre, and being an okay guy to even talk to.

"Sure," I replied, handing him my backpack.

"Jeez, this thing is fucking heavy," Robert muttered, picking up my thick Lord of the Rings book. "You carry this around?"

I didn't reply, as Robert just shoved it back down, finding the correct book.

"Awesome. I'll borrow it on the bus. You'll have it back before math," Robert said, studying the pages of my horrible handwriting as if it was the finest art that needed the most thorough inspection.

"Sure thing," I mumbled.

And then the bus came. Luckily Zach had gotten his license last year, so he and Jeremy didn't take the bus any longer. His dad had money from running a company that made roads. I know there is a proper word for it, but I couldn't quite catch it right now.

Someone who still took the bus was Anna. The girl of my dreams. The only reason it was worth bothering showing up to school every day. I had admired her divine beauty for the longest, as long as I could remember. Everyone did. Blonde, big breasts, athletically built like none other. Cheerleader, of course. An utter bombshell. I don't think I had even said a single sentence cohesively to her, as words failed me whenever I got near her.

Her bubbly bubblegum-like perfume filled my nostrils as I made my way past her, and her blonde locks became objects for my admiration as I slumped down in a seat two rows behind her.

The best part about her, besides being hot and perfect, was that I was convinced she was a closet nerd. I had seen her cosplays on Instagram, after all. Anna and I could probably talk about nerdy stuff for hours, I just knew it. If I only dared talk to her. Though, she was one of those girls who always gawked at the bad boys. Jeremy, in particular. Quarterbacks tended to do that. Meanwhile, I was a five-foot-six little guy who had no athletic talent whatsoever. Nothing the girls would flaunt over.

Bus rides without your bully tagging along are like most bus rides. Uneventful. So was the rest of the school day. I guess I should count my blessings, as neither Zach nor Jeremy had done anything yet except shove past me. Everyone was busy talking about the upcoming party. And Jeremy's new watch. I never knew what the fuss was about it, but I guess it was expensive and classy. To me, it was all too big and clunky. It would swallow my whole wrist.

"Logan, what you think? You gonna get one of these?" Zach called over to me. It was after the last period. For some reason, a calm weekend wasn't good enough for these assholes.

Jeremy and Zach made their way across the hallway and slammed my locker shut right in my face. Why did they have to come over? The whole day had been nice and quiet. Robert even remembered to give back my homework without me having to remind him.

But I didn't reply. That would just entice them further to mess with me. I had no business talking about expensive watches anyway, and neither did it interest me. Materialistic things weren't what made your character good or bad, in my book at least.

"Of course you don't," Jeremy chimed in, hinting at his family's wealth compared to mine.

While we weren't poor, we also didn't have a large excess of money. And certainly not like the parents of Jeremy and Zach. So no watches for me, and perhaps I sometimes could look a bit ragged. Half of that last equation was also due to the constant harassment, though.

"I've got the time on my phone?" I suggested, relenting my silence.

"That old thing? Does it even qualify as a phone?" Zach chuckled, brows high at me bringing up my phone of two years.

"By the way, what the fuck is that sweater? Is that Walmart?!" Jeremy exclaimed as if the very product offended him by its presence. I had gotten a new sweater from Mom, and Jeremy was displeased. Not that anything I ever wore, or did, would impress Zach and Jeremy.

"Leave me alone," I muttered, starting down the hallway.

"Hey, Jer, you heard of that party later?" Zach said to Jeremy as they were following just behind me as if we were buddies.

"Yeah, the whole school is going," Jeremy said loud enough for anybody to hear.

"You going, Logan? Gay boy?" That was my nickname. I never talked with girls, I wasn't some overly dominant alpha meathead, and thus I had to be gay. Right? The creativity of high school bullies never ceased to amaze me.

"I'm sure there is going to be some cock to suck at the party," Zach suggested, pretending to be serious about my imagined ambition to fellate someone.

"Hey, what about Anna?" Jeremy said. "You think she's going?"

My ears perked. That piqued my interest. Slightly. Or a whole lot. I didn't stand a chance, but with partying and alcohol involved, who knows? For once I regretted not being invited. Everyone knew I had a crush on her. At least Zach and Jeremy did. Suddenly, not getting invited got a little bit worse.

"Man, it sure sucks that good ol' gay boy can't join, then," Zach said. "Despite being so incredibly gay, he sure likes to gawk at women in their underwear."

I froze for a mere second but regained my composure. It was once. And it was an accident. Truly. It wasn't in my nature to peek, to be a creep, to stalk, or anything like that. But Zach had been the one who had caught me. That one time.

"Man, I sure want that bitch to suck my cock," Jeremy groaned. Now I certainly froze, as the two big fuckers loomed behind me.

"Me too, that bitch has dick-sucking lips for days," Zach agreed.

"She's mine. You got Amanda, you fucking idiot," Jeremy chuckled.

"What do you say, Logan? Anna got dick-sucking lips?" Zach asked me. I didn't reply. Why did they have to be so disrespectful? Anna was more than proper. She was a queen. They only wanted to degrade her, to put her on their list of girls they'd banged. Surely.

I instead decided to speed up. But so did Zach and Jeremy. They weren't done yet. They had gone the entire day without tormenting me, so here we are.

"You don't mind if I fuck her mouth, do you?" Jeremy asked. "I mean, it's not like she's your girlfriend or anything."

"Not that she ever would be anyway," Zach chuckled. "Or any other girl, for that matter."

The two boys rounded me and blocked my exit as we neared the parking lot. What now? I knew they wouldn't fuck me up too bad as most of the teachers parked around here too. I saw that Louise, our PE teacher, had parked here too, and she was always the first out the door on Fridays.

"Hey, I have an idea," Zach said. "Why don't we get Logan an invite?"

Invite? To what? The party? Why in the fuck would they do that. And why did I even bother to ask, "You'd do that?"

"Sure!" Jeremy said with the utmost sincerity. "I mean, I know we've fucked around with you for a bit, but hey, it's not your fault you're a fucking loser. I mean, everyone should have a chance at a crush, and what better place than at a party? You could bring roofies and be the true little creep you're meant to be."

"Yeah, and trust me, Anna's gonna need all the booze she can handle if you'd stand a chance," Zach said, chuckling still. The most annoying chuckle of all time.

"Whatever," I muttered, shoving past them. Of course. I should've known better to think they'd do anything for me, except ridicule.

"No wait, Logan," Zach said, grabbing my shoulder, suddenly sounding more serious. "Listen, Jeremy is right. We don't know how to not act like total juveniles, we get that but trust us. We can get you in on that party."

"Truly," Jeremy chimed. "And we'll even help you with Anna."

"All you gotta do is get us some beer," Zach said, and after thinking a mere moment adding, "And shots."

"I'm not 21. In fact, I'm a few months younger than you, remember?" I said, tired of these idiots.

"If you decide to pay, yeah. You just need to get it out of the store," Jeremy said eagerly.

They were trying to get me to steal booze for them? What the fuck?

"What? No! Why don't you do it? My dad's a cop, remember?" I said.

"Exactly! He'll bail you out! Me? I got a scholarship on my way, so I can't get caught. And my cousin owns the store, so I can't," Jeremy explained.

"And Zach?"

"Zach is a fucking idiot," Jeremy said without missing a beat. I had to stifle a chuckle when Zach didn't even react.

I didn't like the sound of this, nor where this was heading. "Isn't your dad loaded?" I asked. Jeremy simply shrugged.

"In return, we'll help you get laid with Anna, and we'll even let you off the hook for a week," Zach said.

"Or a whole month," Jeremy shot in.

They seemed desperate enough, throwing such propositions idly around. Maybe they were sincere after all. Every fiber of my being told me this was some trick. That this was fucking stupid. There was no good reason for this to happen. But... A tiny unruly part of my brain told me that this was my chance. Finally, Logan could show his mettle. I could show them I wasn't a total dork, and hell, girls like bad boys. Maybe this was my chance to show I could be that too when the situation warranted it? Anna would surely think so. Nerd and a badass?

And like they said, Dad was my dad and he was a cop. It wasn't likely I'd get in real trouble. A slap on the wrist, as they say.

"Hell, we'll even give you a ride. To the party, and to the store," Jeremy offered. "So what do you say gay- Logan?"