When the office bully goes after the new IT guy, who happens to be gay, it's difficult to watch. But watch we do, because everybody is afraid of the bully and his willingness to exploit his personal relationships with management to stay out of trouble.

But when the bully and his cronies strap a banner across the new guy's cubicle, one that reads "QUEER BOY" in big red letters, I decided enough was enough. I couldn't sit back and be silent any longer...especially since I was gay, too, and had been hiding it for a long time.

Little did I know that that one incident would lead to something amazing -- and the unearthing of a secret that might save me from a life of torment, after all...

Story length: Approx. 5,400 words.