mintyce and monet for lowell farms

shot by me

cupid’s chokehold

shot by me

cierra x calvin klein

shot by me

Luke’s upbringing had been onerous. For his entire life, making friends had always been difficult due to a stutter. His father, an Army veteran, was a raging alcoholic who subjected both Luke and his mother to constant physical and verbal abuse. Five years ago, their divorce turned bitter. Luke’s mother had a history of shoplifting charges, drug possession, and prostitution. Ironically, she deeply loved Luke and would do anything to make him happy—even if it meant breaking the law or selling herself. Because of her legal troubles, his father won custody.

Throughout his childhood, Luke had only one friend: Chad. Or so Luke thought. Behind his back, Chad would steal cash from his father’s bedroom whenever he came over to play Xbox, and quietly spread nasty rumors about him. In eighth grade, they finally fell out when Luke discovered Chad had convinced the school that he ate crayons for lunch. The entire student body mocked him over it. Afterward, Luke avoided speaking to Chad entirely—but Chad made sure to torment him daily anyway.

One afternoon, Luke’s father confronted him about missing cash that Chad had stolen. Unaware of the theft, Luke denied his father’s accusations. But his father was already drunk and in no mood to listen. Pissed off, he snatched a nearby beer bottle and smashed it across Luke’s face, nearly knocking him out. Glass littered the floor as blood trickled from a cut on Luke’s temple. “You and your mother ruined my life,” his father growled. Luke was then forced to clean up the mess.

Freshman year brought a brief reprieve from his father’s house, but social anxiety made school feel like just another layer of hell. When Luke received his schedule, he groaned at the thought of first-period PE. He was out of shape and hated it, but dragged himself to the gym anyway. The moment he walked in, he spotted Chad. Their eyes met, and Chad smirked. Thirty minutes into class, after the coach went over the syllabus, Luke asked permission to use the restroom. As soon as he stood up, Chad snuck behind him and yanked his pants down. Annoyed, Luke shoved him hard enough to send him sprawling. Chad shot back up, furious, and launched himself at Luke before the teacher broke them apart. Both were sent to the principal’s office. Luke got in trouble too, and was picked up early by his father, who was furious about missing work over his son’s “fuck-up.” The moment they walked through the door, his dad took another drink and beat him with a baton. From that day on, a quiet malevolence settled over Luke.

Two weeks passed before Luke was allowed back at school. Staying home had been miserable, and his dad had taken to drinking even more heavily. But none of it mattered now—Luke had spent the last three days preparing for this day. After first period, the entire student body was herded into a mandatory pep rally. Luke hated them, but today he felt something sharper. When he returned to PE, Chad was back from suspension and immediately went after him, calling him a crayon-eater and a faggot. This time, Luke didn’t flinch. He just smiled silently. Chad had no idea what was waiting for him after class. The coach finally called attendance, cutting off the harassment. As roll call dragged on, Luke daydreamed about the night before. His dad had passed out drunk again, so Luke had slipped into his room and quietly taken the fully automatic Draco AK-pattern pistol—likely bought off a black-market dealer—along with extra ammo. His father had been something of a wild card in Iraq, earning a dishonorable discharge after “accidentally” killing several civilians. Drunk one night, his dad had warned him: if anyone found out about the gun, Luke would be kicked onto the street. Luke’s life had been a cycle of misery for as long as he could remember. He couldn’t take another day of his father’s abuse, and he’d heard nothing from his mother since the divorce. He’d originally planned to end it all that night, but then he devised something better. The bell rang, snapping him back to reality, and the students filed out toward the gym.

Since the pep rally was held in the gym, Luke’s PE class just needed to wait for everyone else to file in. Determined to stay off Chad’s radar, Luke decided to hide in a hallway bathroom until the chaos started, then slip inside once seating began. If Chad caused a scene before then, it would ruin his timing. When Luke stepped out of the restroom, he saw Chad standing right by the gym doors, clearly stalking him for an easy target. Chad spotted Luke and began walking down the hall at a slow, deliberate pace—the perfect opportunity to provoke him while teachers were distracted. Luke ducked back inside. He’d originally wanted to observe seating arrangements first, but with Chad closing in, he had no choice but to act early. Pulling the Draco from his backpack, he loaded it with practiced ease. The door swung open. Chad stepped into the bathroom and froze at the sight of him. Luke’s hands shook as he raised the silencer-equipped pistol. Thinking Luke wouldn’t pull the trigger, Chad took a step forward, hurling more insults. Realizing there was no turning back, Luke warned him to stop. Chad ignored it. Luke fired twice. The bullets punched into Chad’s stomach. Blood soaked the tile floor as he collapsed, gasping for help. Luke kicked him once, then hard. The door opened again—it was Ray, one of Chad’s occasional hecklers. He took in the scene: Luke holding a gun, Chad bleeding on the ground. Ray bolted toward the gym. Luke couldn’t let him raise the alarm. He stepped out, fired at Ray’s retreating back, and clicked his magazine home. Ray crumpled mid-stride. Walking past him on his way to the pep rally, Luke noticed a dark pool spreading from the back of Ray’s head. The adrenaline hit hard. After years of being pushed around, this was finally payback.

miami swimweek 2024