The Cost of Being Special (Survival of the Fittest Book 1)

by Shawn Keys

  Kyle let out a sigh. Class act, all the way, isn’t he? He mouthed the word ‘Thanks’ to Danielle.

  She blushed a little, turning away before she caused more trouble by talking to him.

  Happy to avoid the trouble, Kyle finished his walk to his friends with a little more caution. Nathan had been playing Riley while Dazz watched. The game had stopped when the commotion started. Now, they welcomed him back into their group with their own bit of ribbing.

  Nathan started it off, “Trying out for you starring role in ‘Death Wish: The Revenge’, are you?”

  Dazz jumped in, “I can think of about a dozen less painful ways to shuffle off this mortal coil, if you really are intent on suicide.”

  Riley buffed his nails as he offered his own criticism, “Some people say you can tell a man’s value from the quality of his enemies. Hope not, for your sake.”

  Kyle suffered their jabs as he dropped to his butt near the edge of the courts. “Alright, alright. I should have been paying attention. I didn’t need that. But my day has already been super weird.”

  Nathan asked, “This have anything to do with why Ms. Clarke kept you behind?”

  Kyle nodded, though he decided to leave out the specifics of what just happened. If they couldn’t smell the sex on him, he wasn’t going to spell it out for them. Dazz was already looking at him suspiciously. He decided to tell them. “Earlier today, I had to get tested to see if Persterim had cut off my balls. Turns out, I’m one of the so-called fortunate ones who isn’t sterile.”

  Riley’s eyebrows shot up. “Holy crap! That’s like winning the lottery. I mean, sort of. I mean, if you like that sort of thing.” He shivered. Given his preferences, finding out there would be no pressure to procreate had been one of the best days of his life.

  Dazz narrowed her eyes. “She showed you the mark on the app?”

  Happy she phrased it that way, Kyle was able to answer without lying. “She did. She told me a few other things, like the FDPC will sending a couple people to talk to me. But the biggest warning she said was that I should be careful who I tell.”

  Nathan chuckled. “You trust us to treat you normally?”

  “If anyone can, it’s you three.”

  Dazz objected, “I am a girl, you know.”

  Kyle thought inwardly, And a sexy one, in a goth / rebel / outlaw sort of way. Always loved her legs. That serpent tattoo on her left one only makes it better…

  Shaking that off, he chastised himself. Not that I’d ever tell her that. She’d probably eat my balls for breakfast if I dared do anything so stupid. Aloud, he said, “Well, sure, Dazz. But I can’t think of anything you’d avoid more than the mainstream pregnancy band-wagon.”

  She measured him a little longer, finally deciding he had given proper homage to her deliberate outsider status. “Alright, then.”

  With the crisis averted, Kyle shrugged. “Only question is how much I’m going to let this affect my life.”

  A silky hand ruffled his hair from behind, followed by a purposefully sexy voice, “When women start draping themselves across your lap, I don’t think you’re going to have much of a choice at all!” It was followed by a provocative little laugh.

  Not liking anyone invading his space without asking, Kyle lurched away, peering up over his shoulder. That was a poor choice, since now he was looking right up the bare leg of Chrissy in her cheerleader outfit, catching a flash of her red cotton panties beneath her skirt. She was purposefully close, making sure he got an eyeful. Her blonde hair was tied back in a bouncing ponytail, and her shirt was also deliberately left untucked so he could catch hints of skin and bra under the hem. She’s a snake, he thought, but damn she’s fine. Too bad she’s also poisonous.

  Kyle scowled up at her, “You heard the professor, Chrissy. It has to be a choice on both sides.”

  Chrissy wet her lips with an over-abundance of tongue. It was too much to be sexy. She was clearly mocking him, not offering anything real. “Mmm hmm. So says the loser horn-dog. What are you going to say when a woman comes and does this? No?” She stood on one foot, and then arched her closer leg and wrapped it around his shoulder. Her thigh… which Kyle had to admit was flawless and shapely… lay along his left cheek, while her calf lay along his chest. Her right hand pressed against his spine, using it to balance herself.

  This time, Kyle shifted away even further, putting a couple feet of distance between them. “What the hell, Chrissy? You’re with Fred, aren’t you?” Though maybe he had that wrong. Danielle had been all over him as well. Or was maybe they all shared. Who knew how it worked among the school’s ‘beautiful people’?

  She laughed lightly. “Oh, please. Like that even matters when that little blip on the screen shows up. Fred certainly didn’t mind me offering.”

  Kyle sighed. So much for ‘ladies didn’t tell’. Then again, Chrissy was more of an airhead than a lady. The fact that Fred was another of the gifted made total sense. No wonder he’s the next level of asshole. “I’m not playing this game, Chrissy.”

  She arched an eyebrow and struck a pose, giving a provocative fluff of her skirt. “You’re turning me down?”

  Kyle admitted that if her offer was for real, it would be hard. Damn, she takes her cheerleader workouts as seriously as any other sport athlete. Look at that figure! He bet she could probably run longer and further than him, and talk about flexibility…

  He shook off that brief flash of fantasy. It would be like sleeping with a scorpion! He slammed the door on her by calling her on her game. “Might be tempting if it was a real offer, Chrissy. You’re just trying to piss me off.” His eyes narrowed. “Which begs the question why –”

  He was cut off by the bullish bray of Fred cutting into the scene, “– What the fuck is going on over here?”

  Kyle yelled at himself for not seeing it faster. He remembered Chrissy trying to provoke a fight earlier. Guess she wasn’t willing to let it go.

  Dazz saw it too. She hissed at the other woman, “You little harpy!”

  Chrissy flashed her a poisoned smile, then whipped around to face Fred, “Nothing’s going on, Babe! Really. Kyle was just getting a little handsy. I mean, can you blame him?” She played the innocent girl badly, but enough to give Fred the excuse he was hunting for.

  He ran with it. Storming over, Fred snarled down at Kyle. “I saw the whole thing, you little putz. You think you can paw my girl and I’ll just turn a blind eye?”

  Kyle and his circle of friends all got to their feet, knowing that nothing was going to be helped by staying seated. Kyle shook his head in a tired way. “I don’t want to do this right now, Fred. Let’s just say you defended her honor and I’ll never come sniffing around her again, alright?”

  Fred stepped in and shoved Kyle’s shoulder. “What makes you think you’re worthy of breathing her air, loser?”

  Kyle sighed. The bully had completely ignored what he’d said.

  Before he could say anything more, another of the cheerleaders slid up to Fred’s side and made everything worse. “Because he’s like you, handsome.” Simone Grafton was a brunette instead of a blonde, but no less a part of ‘the elite’ clique that owned the ranks of cheerleaders. She held up her phone for Fred to see, clearly marked with two icons inside the gym. She had chosen to have her ‘possible male partners’ show up as cloyingly cute puppy-dog faces.

  Fred gawked down at the woman, waving a meaty hand at Kyle. “This little prick isn’t firing blanks? That’s insane! What makes him worthy?’

  Nathan snipped at him, “Apparently, the disease doesn’t have very good taste.”

  Fred stabbed a finger at him. “You shut the fuck up, you little –”

  Kyle cut him off, not about to hear the goon get started with whatever homophobic rant he was about to start on. “– Blind luck, Fred. You know it, and I know it. Did someone really sell it to you that you were somehow specially picked for this? It’s a stupid disease, and our DNA happened to hold some small little key that fits the right
lock. Lucky us.”

  Fred smirked at him. “Think you’re so smart? Far more guys who get the gift deserve it than you’d think. We’re bigger, stronger, and faster. Except you. Well, here’s a big word for you, but you better get used to it: anomaly. That’s what you are, loser. An anomaly.”

  Kyle was about to scoff at him, but then realized he had no idea. Could that be valid? It was taken for granted that until there was a cure or some understanding of where Persterim came from, then how could there be any pattern of who ended up being fertile? But just because he hadn’t heard anything didn’t mean Fred was wrong. Maybe he had staggered around online and found a meta-data study that suggested there was a ‘type’ who ended up fertile.

  Kyle shrugged that off. It was beside the point. “Fine. Call me whatever you want.”

  Chrissy wasn’t pleased that Kyle seemed to be talking himself out of a fight again. She had counted on him being mouthier and pissing Fred off once she got things going. “Wow, what a bold man you are. Willing to feel up my leg, but not willing to stand up to a real man’s challenge!”

  “Oh, shut up, Chrissy!”

  The exasperated comment didn’t come from Kyle or any of his friends.

  Instead, it came from Danielle.

  Chrissy’s mouth clicked open in shock. “What did you say?”

  Trevor was trying to hold her back, “Let it go, Babe.”

  “Don’t… just don’t do that!” Danielle huffed again. “This is so stupid, alright? We were having a nice game over there! Fred, don’t be a doormat.”

  Simone snipped at her, “You’re the one killing the fun, Danni. I mean, what the hell? Why the bleeding heart now?”

  Good question, Kyle had to ask. He saw Danielle duck away, avoiding his eyes. Ever since he had started showing up on the girls’ phones, she hadn’t been able to look his way. She’s been ignoring me for years. But now she can’t. Now my presence is right in her face. It felt like too little and far too late to save their friendship. But it might save him some pain in the short term.

  Danielle rolled her eyes. “I’m just sick of Chrissy’s games. Let this one go, Fred.”

  Chrissy goaded her boyfriend onward. “Don’t listen to her. He spat in your face. He thinks he could have me. I know it. Show him why he could never have me. Show him why you have me.”

  Unexpectedly, the red-head named Laura from back in the classroom stepped in on Kyle’s side. Or, more accurately, on Danielle’s side. “We all saw what you were doing, Chrissy. You were the one who was all over him.” The pretty red-head dove in to help Danielle, apparently better friends with her than the rest. “Just let it go and let’s go play our game. This is boring.”

  A fifth girl got involved, “Laura! Whose side are you on?”

  A sixth was standing nearby and pounced on Chrissy’s behalf. “I saw it too! This loser was practically licking her leg! Kick his ass, Fred!”

  Laura gasped as she was called a liar. “Are you serious, Lindsey?”

  Chrissy hissed, “Why do any of you care?”

  Fred thundered over-top of them, “Enough! All of you!” He held up hands to silence them, then stepped a pace closer to Kyle. “I don’t give a flying fuck if she draped herself naked over your face. You don’t touch my girl. You’re going to eat my fist as a warning to any other moron who doesn’t get that!”

  Chrissy looked all too pleased to have gotten her thug onboard. She seemed to like the idea that she was being claimed by him at the expense of someone else.

  Kyle held up a hand. “I’m walking away, Fred. You’ll look like a real man punching a guy in the back of the head. Go on. Tell everyone whatever you want. You kicked my ass. Congratulations.” He tuned to head for the doors, done with this whole stupid conversation. Another week in this place, then I’m gone. It was better when they were ignoring me! This damned ‘gift’ was going to be the death of him yet.

  As he turned, Trevor stepped into his path. “You aren’t going anywhere, punk.”

  Kyle exhaled, trying to stay patient. “New insults, Trev? Stretching that brain of yours for all it’s worth, huh?” Good idea, Kyle. Poke the bear!

  Trevor shoved him like Fred had done, getting into the bullying spirit a little more. “You don’t get to walk away after messing with another guy’s girl.”

  Kyle resisted the chance to take advantage of the off-balance shove. “None of us are going to be happy if we do this, guys. I mean it.”

  Nathan quipped, “Oh, I don’t know. I think I’m going to be entertained.”

  Kyle would have shot his friend a glare if he dared to look away from the bullies for even a second. He didn’t. But Nathan’s support was only going to set these two lunks off.

  Danielle tried one last time. “If you ever want a shot at me, Trevor, let this go.”

  Trevor snorted. “Been trying to get in your panties for a year, Danni. We all know you’re as frozen as your homeland. Year is over, so I’m done trying.”

  Danielle blinked, shocked at how quickly her supposed friends turned on her.

  Kyle regretted that. She was trying to be nice. But he had seen the feral politics of these high-class social circles. As long as you were one of them, you had a whole pack of wolves behind you. But they’d devour you if you howled at the wrong moon.

  Laura jabbed one of her sharp fingernails into Trevor’s chest. “How dare you say that to her?”

  Chrissy smirked. “Says her BFF. I never should have given you a chance. What’s the old saying? You can take the girl out of the trailer park, but not the trailer park out of the girl?”

  Embarrassed as she came under attack, Laura’s cheek flushed red. She looked ready to charge down the blonde. One of the other football players grabbed hold of her from behind before she could do anything that brash.

  Laura struggled, intent on clawing Chrissy’s eyes out. “Lemme go!”

  The guy, Brock by name, grumbled, “Cool it, Laura!”

  Kyle was watching an entire social circle destroy itself. He knew he wasn’t the only reason. The end of the year was coming. They were all ready to take the next leap in their lives. There were finals coming. The championships for at least three of the school sports were around the corner. Pressure was coming in from every angle. The sudden appearance of an outsider on the screens of their phones was the spark to a bonfire waiting to explode.

  Problem was, Kyle hated seeing other people fight his battles. The focus was shifting. Danielle and Laura were starting to take the brunt of the insults on his behalf. Kyle could put up with all kinds of insults thrown his way. But he wasn’t going to stand for this. “Alright, enough! Everyone! Come on, Fred. Stay focused. Remember who you wanted to take down a peg.”

  Fred had had enough talking. Taking what Kyle was saying as an invitation, he shoved Kyle again. “Let’s see what you got, wuss.”

  Kyle rode the push, keeping his balance while giving the impression he had stumbled. Just a shove. No big deal. Let them get it out.

  Trevor smacked him on the shoulder from the other side. “Well? Show us what a punk looks like when he gets angry. Bit like a yapping dog, I’d bet.”

  If their insults were better, I might actually be getting angry. Kyle gritted his teeth and hoped they’d get sick of this lame harassment that wasn’t providing any entertainment.

  Chrissy hissed in Fred’s ear, “Cuff ‘im one!”

  That set it all off. The jock had been willing to have his fun jostling Kyle around. But the demand from his girl pushed him over the edge. This time, his hand shot out in the shape of a fist, aiming to connect a jab against Kyle’s nose.

  That was enough to tick over into the level of a real attack. Reflexes could only be dulled so far, and that was more than Kyle’s trained reflexes were willing to allow.

  Fading to one side, he didn’t bother to block the strike. It wasn’t necessary. He simply evaded it. His own left hand circled around in a hook motion, smashing into Fred’s jaw with an open palm strike. No sense making his
knuckles hurt when the butt of his palm would do just fine. The impact was enough to rattle the guy’s jaw, but it was just the set-up blow.

  Fred’s punch had done more than simply miss. It had put him off-balance, leaning forward and bringing him down from the castle of his height. Kyle’s first strike added to the effect, knocking him sideways and bringing him even further in reach. Kyle stepped in, powering through with his hips, and slammed his elbow over the top of Fred’s extended, flailing arm. The elbow smashed into the other side of his jaw. The whip-saw action was enough fragment bone. His lights went out, and the big man went thundering to the ground like a bull before a matador.

  Chrissy shrieked as the sudden violence caught up with her and her beau crumpled at her feet. “What did you do? He was only messing around!”

  Kyle ignored the classic effort to turn the tables. He had a battle to win. He hoped he could do it through a little intimidation. Come on, Trevor. Be a little smart! He turned to face the other guy, glaring up at the taller jock. “Well, Trev? Still like your chances?” Didn’t have to come to this. But here we are. Swallow the embarrassment so I don’t have to make you swallow some teeth! He did his best to promise all that pain and more with his very best glare.

  Trevor grinded his teeth, wanting to go to war for his friend. But he had never seen Fred taken down with such rapid blows. Maybe he could take a little more punishment, but Kyle was suddenly an unknown factor. Trevor’s eyes showed a little fear. He didn’t know anymore what was under Kyle’s surface. And fear was the real bully killer. They hated even odds. And this might be even worse.

  In the end, all Trevor could do was stab a finger in Kyle’s general direction. “This isn’t over. Hear me?” He turned and stormed off. A small ring of his lackeys went with him.

  Chrissy screamed after him, “What are you doing? We need help! Someone call an ambulance! He’s hurt! This guy sucker-punched Fred and you’re all just standing around! Do something!”