Soft. Sissy. Switch hitter. Disappointment. When I was younger, he used his fists to put me in my place. Now he uses words. I spend my days chasing any distraction: Hanging out with my friends. Working at Clinton’s. Doing everything I can to tune him out. I spend my nights trapped in my own mind: Replaying his rejection. Witnessing his disgust. Remembering how it felt to be shoved back into the closet. I told my dad everything and begged him to help. He told me I was asking for it with my smart mouth and my tight jeans. It won’t be like this forever. I just need to survive the next ten months under his roof. I know who I am. I know what I’ve overcome. I know who I want to be. The thing I don’t know? If I’ll ever be able shake off the hold he has on me. Content Warning: Rowdy Boy is a new adult coming-of-age novella. It is the prequel to Jake Whitely’s full-length romance novel, Mr. Brightside. It is a complete story that does not end with a cliffhanger. Rowdy Boy contains content some may find triggering, including alcohol abuse, consenting MM and MF scenes, offensive language, emotional and psychological abuse from a parent, and flashbacks to attempted SA.