Alejandro was sitting peacefully in the park when Diego and his mean friends came and disturbed him. Diego gave Alejandro a pat on the head.

“Hey weirdo,” said Diego.

Alejandro wanted to get up, but Diego was holding him in a tight grip. “Let me go, Diego!” he shouted.

Diego and his friends started to laugh. “Hey, look, he even talks back!” teased Diego. Alejandro gave Diego a big slap. Diego got so angry that he grabbed Alejandro and threw him on the grass. He and his friends took Alejandro’s clothes off for him to walk naked. They gave him a box and ran off with his clothes. Alejandro was so angry with Diego that tears fell from his eyes.

Luckily, it was at night when this event happened. Alejandro went home naked. When he got inside his house, his family was already having dinner. They were speechless when they saw him like that.

“My son, what happened?” asked his Dad.

Alejandro didn’t answer; he just went to his room to take a bath. The next morning, everyone had their breakfast. Alejandro’s mother tried to talk to him, but he wasn’t responding. He went to school with his best friend, Kim. They were such close friends that people thought they were dating. Kim was also one of the hottest girls at school. Diego’s friend Mark really liked Kim a lot, but he didn’t know how to approach her.

When they got to school, Alejandro and Kim bumped into Diego and his friends. “Hey, baby, how was your walk last night?” teased Diego. Alejandro just looked at Diego very deeply without saying a word. Diego started to feel very uncomfortable.

“Do you know why I don’t say or do anything to you?” Alejandro asked. Diego asked why? Alejandro went closer to Diego and touched his face. “Let’s see, I don’t do anything to you, Diego, because I don’t want you to get into trouble, because I love you so much, Diego, and it’s not a friendship kind of love. It’s a deep, passionate love that I have for you. Yes, I’m in love with you, Diego,” Alejandro said.

Diego’s friends laughed at him. Diego felt so humiliated and angry with Alejandro that he just left. Kim asked Ale if he’d meant what he’d just said to Diego.

“Come on, Kim, being gay doesn’t mean that I should fall for any cute guy I come across. I also have a typical taste,” smiled Alejandro.

They went to class. “So, you admit that Diego is very cute?” uttered Kim.

“I think Diego’s friend, Mark, likes you a lot. I saw how he looked at you, he was checking you out,” Alejandro said.

Kim just laughed. “Do you really think a hot guy like Mark would fall for me? But I admit I do have feelings for him, but I don’t think he feels the same,” said Kim sadly.

Alejandro asked Kim if he could hook them up. “Would you really do that for me?” Kim smiled.

“Of course, you’re my best friend,” replied Alejandro. “I would do anything for you, anything.”

They got into class, but the teacher wasn’t there yet. Alejandro saw Diego and blew a kiss at him. At school, Alejandro wasn’t actually scared of anyone, he just didn’t respond to anyone who teased him. During the interval, Alejandro went to Mark and, of course, Diego was also there. Kim was waiting for Ale at their usual spot where they always sat.

“Hey guys,” Alejandro greeted. “Mark, can I talk to you for a sec?”

Diego told Mark not to pay attention to Alejandro, but Mark still went with him. They stood a little distance away from Diego and the guys.

“Hey Alejandro, I’ve been meaning to ask you something. Does Kim have a boyfriend?” asked Mark. Alejandro knew where this was going. He told Mark that Kim didn’t have a boyfriend.

“Oh, I was just wondering, do you think she would go out with me?” he asked. Alejandro started to laugh. He was actually happy to know that Mark also liked Kim.

Diego and the guys were watching Mark and Alejandro talking. “I wonder what that…that homo is talking to Mark about,” uttered Diego angrily.

Alejandro told Mark about Kim’s feelings for him. Mark was so happy to hear this that he gave Alejandro a tight hug.

The guys watching were so surprised by this. “Hey Diego, looks like Mark stole your love,” Steve teased. Diego gave him a punch on the arm.

“So, when can I see her? I mean…you know what I mean,” Mark asked.

Alejandro told Mark that they could meet each other at the park that night. Luckily, all of them stayed in the same town. Mark asked Alejandro if he was really in love with Diego.

Alejandro smiled. “Yes, I’m gay and I’m in love with Diego. Is there anything wrong with that? But I know that Diego is not gay, so I have to try and forget him and lose the feelings that I have for him.”

Alejandro smiled again and asked: “So, we’ll see you tonight at the park?”

Mark gave Alejandro another thank you hug and left. Alejandro went to Kim to tell her the good news. Kim was so excited.

“Hey Mark, what did you talk to Ale about?” Diego asked. Mark told the guys what was going to happen that night, but all of them already had plans, except for Diego.

“So Diego, can you please come with me tonight?” asked Mark. Diego agreed with difficulty, but he agreed.

The bell rang, so they went to class. In class, Mark and Kim kept smiling at each other. As Alejandro was busy on his phone, Diego couldn’t stop staring at him. “I don’t like Ale at all,” he thought to himself.

Tell us what you think: Have you ever experienced bullying? What is the best way to deal with bullies?