Translated from Russian into English.

Translator Anna Polyakova.

5' 8"-5' 9"

Considering Noah's situation, he shouldn't have come to the students' party in honor of the beginning of a new academic year, especially considering the fact that there was not a single soul waiting for him at this celebration of life. However, Andrea insisted. She said that this school year just HAS to be different from the previous two. In her opinion, this party was a sick opportunity to give it a fresh start. Noah decided not to remind Andrea that she also labeled the cafeteria's coffee as a sick beverage, even though it tasted like dishwater. And Psycho III was sick, but everybody knows that it's a terrible movie. Anyways, Noah agreed to go to the party despite all the doubts. He didn't hope, though, that everybody would be diagnosed with amnesia during this summer break (although it would have been great) and, suddenly, they would finally stop gossiping behind his back or posting offensive jokes on social media. Noah decided to attend this party to make everyone understand that he won't be giving a shit about their opinion for the third year in a row. Of course, deep down, he cared about their opinion but he would never show it to these people. Only Andrea had a chance to face his true emotions once in a while. Scott was a person who saw them even less. To be honest, Noah's main audience were his granny's cats – Peanut and Fluffy. The rest of the world thought that Noah was completely care-free and he was okay with it. 

"How much more are you going to eat?!" Andrea's indignant voice scared Noah so much that he stuffed more tartlets with an unknown green stuffing into his mouth in case she decided to drag him away from the snack table. 

"I've just started!" Noah tried to assure Andrea, swallowing his gain and reaching out for a new one. The girl shook her head judgmentally and slapped Noah's hand a little, trying to stop him from stealing more from another plate. 

"Do you usually come to parties just for snacks?" she asked him, perfectly knowing the answer. 

"Also for drinks," Noah reminded her, "I love free drinks as much as free snacks," he said, and demonstratively drained his beer from a plastic cup.

"You know what I mean!" Andrea frowned and flicked her black curly hair that was shoulder blades long. 

"No way, don't say that he's gonna eat all the food that was brought here for 50 people!" Scott jumped out of nowhere and stared at Noah as judgmentally as Andrea did. Scott was on her side in any possible situation, probably because, during all the years of their friendship, he was utterly head over heels in love with her. He never confessed his love, though. On the other hand, Noah had a feeling that Andrea was very much aware of Scott's feelings. He could nothing but guess why she didn't want to dot the i's and cross the t's.

"Why do you care so much? Did you make it yourself?" Noah snorted while pouring himself another glass of beer, "If you don't want me to eat or drink, what do you want me to do during this unbelievably fun occasion?"

"What do you mean?! Relax! Have fun! Meet new people!" Andrea even spread her arms around. 

"Yeah, sure," Noah grunted as if surprised that his friend doesn't consider food as entertainment. 

"Why are you so pessimistic?" Andrea was standing with her hands on her hips, "If you're still worried about that stupid gossip, I wanna draw your attention to the fact that there are tons of freshmen here who know nothing about you or about those absurd stories surrounding your persona." 

"I wouldn't be so sure," Noah sighed with a sense of déjà vu. Andrea was saying exactly the same thing a year ago. However, last year, she also added that everybody had already forgotten all this stupid gossip. But she was so wrong. Nobody forgot about it then. So there was no reason to hope for anything better this year. 

"Well, be sure then! This very moment! Stop consuming this annual food supply on your plate and go put your personal life together!" ordered Andrea, which made Noah roll his eyes at her. Personally, he has already put an end to his personal life and didn't understand why his friend couldn't do the same, "Wait, but first, help me put together mine!" and, while saying that, Andrea was already going through her purse. Scott pulled a long face. 

"Who's the victim this time?" Noah got curious and smiled. Andrea was not from a timid dozen at all. If she liked someone, she would throw all her forces in order to achieve reciprocity, and that's why Noah admired her. Unfortunately, none of her affairs lasted more than a month because Andrea would almost immediately lose all interest after getting what she wanted.

"Otto Philips! God, I could drown in his eyes!" stated Andrea while still trying to find something on her phone. 

"Another dumb football player?" Scott snorted coolly, like he couldn't care less. However, Noah understood, from a tiny change in his facial expression, that his friend's mood was completely ruined for tonight. 

"Na-ah: another hot dumb football player," Andrea started laughing as if she didn't notice, or didn't want to notice, Scott's sadness. God, they needed to talk a long time ago. But Noah had no idea how to delicately encourage Scott to do it without hurting his feelings or being a busybody, "Found it!"

"What's up?" Scott was about to approach Andrea but she pulled her phone to her scoop neckline, not letting him look at the screen. 

"It's not for your eyes," she said and gave her phone to Noah.

"Why is he allowed and I'm not?" Scott was indignant. There were even slight tones of jealousy in his voice. This hit the most because Scott knew very well that Noah was not a rival for him. 

"Darling, even though you're my friend, you're straight. A gay guy, on the other hand, won't get confused by my underwear!" That's how Andrea announced the main reason why Scott shouldn't get jealous of Noah. 

It was true, Noah wasn't confused by Andrea's bathroom selfie, despite the fact that she was standing wearing just her silk lace underwear. He wasn't confused also because it wasn't the first and certainly not the last picture of that kind. What did bother him a little was a withering look coming from Scott. Noah just helplessly shrugged his shoulders in response. 

"Do you want an adequate review or… 

"Oh, I don't give a damn about adequacy! I need help from your 'Devil's Eye'!"

Andrea named 'Devil's Eye' Noah's talent to hunt out blunders where no one else would ever pay attention. In other words, while everyone else is staring at bombshells with huge boobs, cute kitties, or pumped up machos, Noah notices a stupid hole in the wall, a socket that was completely out of turn, or even trash in the background right in the corner of the picture. Sometimes 'Devil's Eye' goes wider, and Noah starts noticing even the slightest flaws about people surrounding him. In order to reach that point of negativity, Noah should be in an extremely bad mood. 

"Here, take a look, there are a couple of pictures here. Tell me, which one is the best," Andrea asked. Noah's friend has asked for help so many times now that he was about to ask for salary and social benefits. 

"Overall, pics are good. Red suits you well," Noah decided to start from the distance, but then again he noticed Scott being tense, so it was best for him not to say too many compliments or details about the pictures, "But there's one thing that pisses me off." 

"I bet there's not just 'one thing'," Andrea nodded without being offended. She usually gets so concentrated when Noah gives her comments, like it's her thesis being commented on, not her nudes. 

"That's true," Noah agreed and glanced at the picture again, "But the rest isn't so obvious." 

"What's wrong then, tell me!" Andrea was impatient, standing on the right of him, looking at the picture, and trying to predict Noah's comments like she was looking with his eyes. 

"Your underwear," he answered calmly. 

"Oh my god, I'm fat, aren't I? I knew it was too much for me!" she threw her hands up. Andrea was constantly worried about her weight because, in her opinion, her shape was far from perfect. Sometimes she would diet too much and get angry and jealous, looking at Noah eating like a horse and still being as thin as a herring. However, Noah, himself, thought that Andrea was incredibly beautiful and could go to anyone's head with her curvy shape. Well, she could go to anyone's straight guy head, at least. But Andrea didn't want to hear any of that. 

"No, it's not that," Noah sighed, "Your underwear is rumpled." 

"I'm sorry, what?" Andrea sounded surprised, so she zoomed in on the pictures and took a closer look. "Oh, you're right. Do people iron underwear?" 

"I have no idea. But speaking of your panties, they look like you've played football with them before putting them on." 

"Okay, understood. I can fix that. Is there anything else?" 

"There's your hairbrush in the foreground with so much hair, it's scary. Feels like it's about to come to life and run away to kill. You can't see it in the other pictures, though. Perhaps, you decided to fix your hair during this whole home-photoshoot. And here, in the first picture, you're standing a bit further than in the others, so now you can see toilet paper in the background. Sure thing, you can't imagine a restroom without it, but the whole sexy vibe vanishes." 

"Okay, gotcha. So we pick the second one. There's no hairbrush or toilet paper here. And I can fix the panties with a photo editor," Andrea sounded like they were doing business. She took her phone back. "I'm not too fat, though, am I?" she asked. 

"You look marvelous. Chocolate-brown skin and red underwear – it's super erotic," Noah assured her, being 100% honest. Andrea brightened up and started editing the picture. Scott sipped his beer nervously, trying not to look at his friends. A minute later, the picture was sent. 

"Aren't you worried that Otto can show your picture to the whole football team?" he mumbled finally. 

"I'm not. I can send nudes only under the sole condition," Andrea winked. 

"I'm afraid to ask now," Scott snorted. 

"They have to send nudes first! So, if my picture gets spread around the college, so does Otto's"-she gave a cute smile-"and, trust me, I'm the goddess in this picture! You should have seen Otto… Those awkward pictures you, guys, are sending trying to look sexy, it's unbelievable! Noah, if you ever decide to send sexy-photos to your hypothetical boyfriend, please, send them to me first, okay? So that we can do something sick!"

Noah skeptically grunted. There's no way he could get a boyfriend, not in his lifetime, but Andrea had the opposite opinion. 

"And stop looking like you came to the memorial service! I want you to relax and… Oh, look, Samantha's here! Sorry, guys, but I haven't seen her the whole summer, I gotta go and say hi!" Andrea shouted and ran to her classmate. Scott sighed again and followed her. There was no way he could leave her. Like a faithful dog. He could stop 'guarding' her only if Andrea had another affair. Then, it was the date's duty to provide her safety. 

From one point of view, Noah was happy that he was finally alone. Nobody is going to salt the wound, reminding him that he's still single. A relationship with someone was just his dream, and he felt like a stupid kid, who'd been reading too many fairy tales about princes and princesses. 

From another point of view, while Scott and Andrea were with him, Noah could feel at least a tiny bit relaxed, but as soon as they were leaving, he immediately started catching mocking glances at himself. 

"What, really? No way, he looks normal, though… 

Noah's ear caught something, and he turned around earlier than he realized it was a bad idea. There were two girls whispering just a couple of steps away from him. One of them was Miranda - she was from the same faculty. He didn't recognize the other girl, which means, there's a 99% chance she was one of the freshmen. Gossip girls looked at Noah, but as soon as they realized that he saw them, they effaced themselves and made it look like they were talking about something else. Like he could believe that. 

Here we go. 

Rumors. 

They were growing and multiplying, like cancer cells. 

Look at that, after finding a new audience, rumors started spreading right on the first day. It's just interesting, what was in Miranda's head when she decided to share questionable information about Noah with that freshman girl? Maybe she mentioned that he's cute, or even thought of getting acquainted with him? Or maybe, maybe Miranda just got bored and decided to settle down to a good old gossip. Noah, of course, was the best subject for that. 

Usually gossip was on everyone's lips for no longer than a couple of weeks because even the craziest things, after being told a thousand times, became boring. So, in a weird way, Noah could consider himself a chosen one. Rumors have been following him for two years now, and there was a big chance the same thing could happen again. It felt like there was no end in sight. Supposedly Noah's story got so scandalous that the crowd was still interested after all this time. But the problem wasn't about the scandal or its reasons. The problem was that somebody was stirring up interest among the others. Noah had no idea who that person was. 

'Devil's Eye', fully impregnated with his owner's bad mood, started slowly spreading around the room full of people. It worked a bit differently on people than on pictures. Finding defects in the pictures isn't the same as doing it with people. And Noah didn't mean the defects that were out of tune with the beauty standards of the past. He tried to look for something people considered to be their defects. Something that could offend them just by mentioning it. Noah wasn't a person who liked talking shit to the others but he was put in a position where he had just two options: he could either run away (he had already tried it before but got no outcome), or he could face the conflict and fight back. If they hurt you, hurt them back. Noah's mom, a hot-tempered Catholic woman, used to say that Jesus tells us to turn the other cheek. Firstly, Noah didn't need any recommendations. Especially from Jesus! Second of all, he liked his cheeks, and if one is constantly burning from the strokes of misfortune, he's going to cherish the second one to the last. 

When Noah suddenly heard a loud laughter coming from the farther corner of the room, he had already spotted new acne on Paul Dias' nose and all those extra pounds that Jody Wood had gained over the summer. He turned around and winced a little. A group of people was sitting on a u-shape couch, and there was another unpleasant familiar face among them. Rufus Hughes was casually sitting on the cushions and telling something to the people around him. Sometimes his words were met with a chorus of loud laughter. Noah didn't like Hughes because Hughes didn't like Noah, and he didn't even try to hide it. That's why the fact that the party was going on at Rufus' house and Noah was there was even funnier. Hughes played basketball, that's why the group of friends he was hosting consisted of guys from his team, cheerleaders, a few basketball fans, and… 

'Devil's Eye' stopped on a new guy and froze on this new character. A stranger was sitting right in the middle of the couch, squeezed between two twin-cheerleaders. Unlike the rest, he wasn't laughing at Rufus' jokes and wasn't showing a single emotion. An empty sight of dark-gray eyes was aimed at the coffee table with scattered nuts on top of it. It was impossible to hide from Noah that Hughes looked quite uptight while keeping an eye on him: he looked at him as if he was a bomb with an unsettled clockwork that could explode at any moment. 

One of the twins snuggled against him while laughing at another Rufus' jokes, and it couldn't hide from Noah that the guy looked stiff and like he had just woken out of a trance. Even though his jaw was hidden with a black medical mask, it was easy to read all of his emotions from his eyes and wrinkles above the nose bridge. It was weird. What kind of guy would refuse to have two bombshells wearing short skirts and long socks cuddle him? Even Noah would be flattered, despite his preferences. But the stranger wasn't happy with such kind of intimacy. He even slightly pushed one of the girls away, making it look like he really needed to check his earplug. The girl moved over, not even thinking that she was just a victim of a guy's plan. The other twin was just hanging on his arm, just a bit above the elbow. Just as she got lower to a stranger's wrist, the girl was moved over with the same technique as her sister. 

Noah could probably continue staring at the guy, questioning himself about why the hell he's wearing a roll-neck sweater and a big hoodie on top when it's so freaking hot here in California, why he needs a freaking medical mask, and don't his palms feel sweaty in these fingerless gloves, but suddenly the phone in his back pocket of jeans woke up. And not just his. The whole house started buzzing with the tones of incoming messages. Noah swallowed nervously, hoping it wasn't something he thought of. His hopes vanished in a split second. Every student in the room checked their phones first and then stared at Noah. Somebody giggled. Another person gave Noah a look of undisguised disapproval. Muttering and giggling started spreading through the room, getting bigger like a coming avalanche. The first thing that came to Noah's mind was to escape and run, run up hill and down dale till he loses his breath. With a supreme effort of will, he quenched this cowardly desire and did exactly the opposite: he stood still and decided to be one of the last ones to leave the party. Out for spite. If the others thought that he could be crushed down by it, Noah had some bad news for them: he was crushed down within the first semester of this nightmare. Now he preferred to go with the flow, pretending like none of this bothered him. 

Noah, under the careful supervision of the crowd, started taking his phone out super slowly in order to find out the level of his humiliation for tonight. He clicked on the TalkPanik [Nonexistent messenger made-up by the author] notification. There was a new message in an anonymous group that, if not everyone, at least the majority of the students followed. It said:

'Attention-attention! An attraction of unprecedented generosity from Noah Morgan! Three blowjobs for the price of two! Only today, don't miss the opportunity!'