They made fun of him every day at school. Someone sprayed, Nick is Gay on the brickwall in the schoolyard.

He tried to pretend it didn’t bother him.

There was one boy Josh, whom he had a huge crush on since 7th grade, who treated him descently.
Looking back Nick thought he may have liked him too, but he was too afraid of what others would say and do. The incident of the spray painted mockery of him was just the beginning of the touture that Nick endured.
Josh knew about it, so Nick was sure that is why he was both sympathetic to him and wary to come out as Nick did.

The most horrendous day of freshman year was when a group of haters dragged Nick into the locker rooms, stripped Him naked.
Nick wriggled around so much he had cuts all over. His underwear had blood on it when he got home so he threw them out. He was sore all over and had bruises all over from the rough way they held him down.