This story is a work of FICTION. The events described are my own invention. Any similarities to actual events or persons are strictly coincidental. The author retains the copyright, and any other rights, to this original story. You may not publish it or any part of it without my explicit authorization.
This story contains depictions of consensual sexual acts between teenage males. It is intended for mature audiences only. If you find this type of material offensive or if you are under the legal age to read said material; please proceed no further.
Comments are always welcome at: hailcaesar2011@hotmail.com
A Light in Dark Places Chapter 7
I woke up Sunday morning to the sound of knocking on my door. I sat up and put my glasses on, then saw Tyler waving at me through the glass. It was early, only 7am and I don't know any teenager who likes to get up that early on a weekend. I opened the door to find Tyler already dressed, a little nicer then the casual dress code I'd seen him observing so far.
"What's up Tyler?" I yawned.
"Hi, uh, did I wake you up?" asked Tyler.
"Yeah," I yawned again.
"Sorry, I just wanted to ask if maybe you wanted to go to church with me," he blushed.
"Seriously?" I asked, curiously.
"Well, yeah, I mean if you don't want to that's ok, I just thought I'd ask," said Tyler.
"Uh, what denomination?" I asked.
"Methodist, there's a church in town, I told Dr. Collins that I wanted to go and she made arrangements for me. There are a couple of girls going to the Catholic church and Mrs. Potter is going to drop us all off," Tyler explained.
Attendance at Sunday service was compulsory at Philips Academy but it wasn't a real church service. Our weekly gatherings were more like an all school assembly, with a prayer and a hymn or two thrown in. I attended church regularly, with my parents, when I was home and I was a baptized Methodist. The fact that Tyler was the same religion as me, seemed like more than a coincidence and I decided to go, if for nothing more than to get away from the clinic for a couple of hours. I also thought it might do me some good to commune with God; maybe faith was the answer to the sense of loss I felt over Connor.
"Yeah, ok, I'll go," I finally replied.
"Are you sure? You don't have to if you don't want to, it's just that I know I sometimes feel better after church and maybe you will to," said Tyler, "I don't know, it's probably silly."
"No, it's not silly," I reassured him, "thanks for inviting me Tyler."
"Great, well, you need to get dressed, we have to leave at 8:30," Tyler smiled.
I agreed to meet Tyler in the dining room, then looked for something to wear. I didn't have anything really nice with me, but I had a decent pair of khakis and a pair of penny loafers so I wouldn't stand out for having no shoe laces. I quickly found a clean white button-down and headed for the shower. I washed quickly and got dressed, my shirt looked a little funny, tucked in with no belt, but I wasn't going to a fashion show, I was going to church in rural Massachusetts, I didn't think anyone would care. I found Tyler in the dining hall, sitting with Wendy, she was still in her pajamas.
"You're up early, going to church with us?" I asked.
"Hardly," Wendy scoffed, "I couldn't sleep so I thought I'd get something to eat, speaking of which, eat your breakfast."
"Yes mom," I said, rolling my eyes.
I picked up my toast and ate the first piece in three bites.
"Good boy," said Wendy, patting my hand sarcastically.
She may have been teasing me but whether she noticed it or not, she seemed to like mothering me. I didn't understand why she had latched on to me, she wasn't really forthcoming about herself. The way she'd dodged my question about why she was here, the day before, told me that she wasn't ready to open up to me yet so I decided to take her mothering in stride. I've been in boarding school for 2 years and I've become pretty independent, but I'd be lying if I said it wasn't nice to have someone looking out for me.
"Hey did you guys here all that commotion last night?" asked Tyler.
"What commotion?" I asked.
"Sometime after midnight, I was sound asleep and I heard this loud banging and then Mr. Perkins swearing," said Tyler.
"Yeah, I heard that too," said Wendy, as she laughed, "Jacob told me that he heard that someone caught Perkins napping and tied his shoelaces together."
"That's hilarious," Tyler laughed, "he was cussing up a storm."
I tried hard not to laugh, I was blushing profusely and a smirk started to spread across my face. Wendy and Tyler recovered from their laughter, but my expression was a dead giveaway.
"Oh my God, Peter, you didn't?" asked Wendy.
"I uh, don't know what you're talking about," I smiled.
"Peter, I can't believe you!" Wendy exclaimed.
"Well, he's a jerk, right?" I asked, then started laughing.
"Wait, you tied his shoelaces together?" asked Tyler, being slow on the uptake.
"Uh, duh!" Wendy roared with laughter.
Her laughter was infectious and I couldn't help but burst out into a belly laugh of my own.
"Preppy, I keep telling you you're full of surprises, that was great," said Wendy.
"Yeah Peter, how did you do that?" Tyler giggled.
"Well, I couldn't sleep last night and I found him there asleep and well, I just couldn't help myself," I explained, earning another bout of laughter from my friends.
"You should have come and got me, I would have loved to have gotten some payback on that bastard," said Wendy.
"I didn't exactly plan it," I explained.
"Ok, good point," said Wendy, "but maybe we should plan something for tonight."
"I don't know, it was just a spur of the moment thing, I don't want to cause any trouble," I protested.
"Come on Peter, it'll be fun," said Tyler.
"Oh, you want in on this to?" I asked.
"Well, he shouldn't be sleeping on the job," Tyler giggled.
"Alright, let me think about it," I stated, ending the conversation for now.
With breakfast over, Tyler and I met Mrs. Potter and the two Catholic girls, Michelle and Renee, out in the van. It was a short drive to the church and we were met by an usher, when we were dropped off, who told Mrs. Potter that the service would be over at 10am.
"I'm so glad you boys could join us today, let me show you to your seats," said the usher.
He led us to the front row and introduced us to the minister, Pastor Monica Goodwin. It became clear that the clinic had a relationship with this church, and probably all the local churches where their patients might go to worship. We weren't exactly being watched, but I was also sure that someone would notice if either of us tried to walk out alone. I was distracted by my thoughts and wasn't listing, while Pastor Goodwin spoke with Tyler, until I heard something that caught my ear.
"Unfortunately our pianist isn't here today, but we have a very good choir," said Pastor Goodwin.
"Peter plays, you could ask him to fill in," said Tyler, offering my services.
"Really Peter, would you mind?" asked Pastor Goodwin.
"Uh, well, I don't know the music," I blushed.
"All of the sheet music is right there on the piano," said the Pastor.
"Well, uh, I guess that would be ok," I agreed.
"Wonderful then, Peter, you come with me and I'll take you to the piano, before I start my sermon you can come back and sit with your friend," said Pastor Goodwin.
"Good luck Peter," said Tyler, flashing me a radiant smile. His smile was so powerful that I forgot to be mad at him for volunteering me, there was only one person whose smile had ever had that affect on me.
There were three hymns and the sheet music for each was laid out on the piano. The first song, or call to worship, would be Ode to Joy, after which, the worship leader would ask the congregation to share any joys or concerns to pray over, followed by the second hymn, Nearer My God to Thee, and lastly On Eagles Wings. I was a little nervous, I could play the music but I didn't know any of these people and I didn't want to embarrass myself in front of them.
Fortunately everything went fine, I blushed a little bit when Pastor Goodwin introduced me to the congregation and announced that I would be filling in for the pianist, but once I started playing, I felt comfortable. When I was finished, when the last hymn had been sung, I hurriedly moved down to the front pew and sat next to Tyler, who was beaming awfully brightly.
"That was great, you were really good," Tyler smiled.
"Thanks but don't do that again," I scolded, gently.
"I'm sorry, I thought you liked playing," Tyler apologized.
"I do, I just get nervous in front of strangers," I explained.
"Oh, sorry, I just like hearing you play, I didn't mean to upset you or anything," said Tyler, looking dejectedly at the ground.
I felt bad, I didn't mean to come down on him, I liked him, I liked that he'd asked me to church and that he wanted to be my friend.
"Look, Tyler, I'm not mad, I was just a little caught off guard, ok?" I asked.
"Ok," said Tyler, flashing me a weak smile.
I wanted to do more to assure him that I wasn't upset with him but the pastor started speaking and I didn't want to be rude. Pastor Goodwin's sermon felt like it had been written for me, she talked about loss and pain and God's plan for us all. I took comfort in the words and I was glad Tyler had brought me here. I thought about Connor as the pastor spoke, I thought about how I missed him and cleansing tears washed down my face. Tyler took my hand and squeezed it tight, when the sermon was over, he released me and flashed me a sheepish grin. I took my glasses off and dried my eyes, we both thanked the pastor for welcoming us into her church, she then asked us to stay behind for a moment, while she said goodbye to her parishioners.
When the last person had left, the pastor walked over to us and patted us each on the shoulder.
"Thank you for playing for us today, you were quite wonderful, Peter," said Pastor Goodwin.
"Thanks," I blushed.
"Listen boys, I spoke with your doctor, Dr. Collins, about you attending our service today," said Pastor Goodwin.
I knew it, I knew that someone from the clinic had been in touch with the church, someone had told them about us so that they could keep an eye on us. It wouldn't do for one of the clinic's patients to slit his wrists in a church restroom.
"I just wanted to tell you that you're welcome to join us any time that you would like and to ask if you might take a moment to pray with me," said the pastor.
"Uh, yeah, sure," said Tyler.
I think he was a little embarrassed that Pastor Goodwin knew what we had tried to do to ourselves, but thankful that she wanted to pray with us. I was a little shy about it myself but Pastor Goodwin had a warm and motherly quality that made me feel at ease. She put her hands on our shoulders and the three of us bowed our heads to pray.
"Father God," began Pastor Goodwin, "I pray for Tyler and Peter, that they might be brave in times of trial, when others lay crosses on their shoulders, when mountains must be climbed and chasms must be crossed, when hope can scarcely shine through. I pray that every gift you have given them might grow along with them and bring the gift of joy to all who care for them. I pray for Tyler and Peter that they always have a friend worthy of that name. One whom they can trust, and who helps them in times of sadness, who will defy the storms of daily life to stand at their side. I prey that in every hour of joy and pain, they may feel closer to you. I ask all these things in the name of your son, Jesus Christ. Amen."
"Thank you for that," sniffled Tyler.
"God bless you boys," said Pastor Goodwin, and then she hugged each of us.
We said our goodbyes after that and found Mrs. Potter and the girls waiting in the parking lot. Tyler seemed a little emotional, after the pastors prayer, so I took his hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze, before we took our seats in the van. As we were driving back to the clinic, an opportunity presented itself, one of the girls asked to stop at the drugstore, with the excuse that she was out of deodorant. Strictly speaking, trips like this were against the rules, going to church was one thing but side trips weren't allowed. Mrs. Potter agreed, under the proviso that we stayed together as a group, under her watchful eyes.
The girls bought all of the toiletries they needed and Tyler, who had a wicked sweet tooth, raided the candy aisle.
"You're going to eat all of that?" I exclaimed.
"No, not all of it," said Tyler, who had more bags of candy then he could carry "I thought that I'd grab a bunch of stuff and share it with everyone, since they can't come down themselves."
Wow, he really is a sweet guy, I thought. While the girls paid for their things and Tyler paid for his candy, I decided to make an impulse purchase. While I'd been waiting, I spotted a large stuffed Doberman, and while reading the tag attached to its ear, I decided I had to have it. The clerk put it in a bag for me and we went back to the van.
"What did you get?" asked Tyler, he'd been distracted when I made my purchase.
I pulled the stuffed dog out of the bag and showed it to him.
"Awww, that's so cute," Tyler gushed, like a little boy.
"Yeah and check this out," I stated, as I gave the dog a squeeze.
"It barks!" Tyler exclaimed, while the stuffed dog, growled, snarled and yes, barked.
Tyler thought the stuffed toy was adorable, I'd bought it because when I'd read on the tag that it could bark, an idea started to form about that prank Tyler and Wendy were so eager to play on Mr. Perkins. By the time we got back to the clinic, I had a fully formed plan rattling around in my head.
"Hey it's the God Squad," said Wendy, as we passed her in the foyer.
"Not now," I replied, "I've gotta take care of something."
I walked past her and then headed straight upstairs to my room. Once I was alone, I changed out of my church clothes and started to examine the stuffed, barking dog. As I'd expected, there was a concealed zipper and when I opened it, I was able to pull out the small speaker and circuit that caused it to bark. I pocketed the circuit, zipped the dog back up and plopped down on my bed to read for a few hours before dinner. When it was time to eat, I joined my friends at our table and forced down another meal.
"So, were you guys serious about pulling a prank on Perkins?" I whispered.
"Yeah, totally," said Wendy, her eyes agleam with mischief.
"Gee, I don't know, we're not supposed to be up after lights out," said Tyler.
"Come on Tyler, don't be such a goodie two shoes," said Wendy.
"Hey, Tyler's a good boy," I defended, "if he's having second thoughts, that's ok."
"No," said Tyler, "you're right, that guy is a jerk, he's sleeping on the job when he's supposed to be watching all of us, what if someone hurt themselves? I'm in."
"Right on," said Wendy, "what's the plan preppy?"
"I've got it all figured out, I don't want to go into detail here, but at midnight, you two meet me in front of the girls bathroom, and keep quiet," I instructed.
After dinner, we went to arts and crafts like usual. We went about our regular activities and when it was time for bed, we each nodded at each other, acknowledging our midnight rendezvous. I lie in bed until the appointed time, then I met Tyler in the hall and we walked to the girl's bathroom, where we met Wendy. We could hear Perkins snoring down the hall.
"Ok what's the plan?" asked Wendy.
"Right, Tyler, you're going to stand watch by the stairs in case Dr. Collins or someone comes up, Wendy, you're going to set the alarm clock on Perkins computer for 12:30 and I'm going to attach this to his chair," I explained, pulling the barking dog circuit from the pocket of my pajamas.
"Uh, what's that?" asked Wendy.
"It's a speaker attached to a circuit, I got it out of the stuffed dog I bought this afternoon, care to guess what it does?" I asked, rhetorically.
"Awww, you broke that cute little doggy?" asked Tyler.
"Relax Ty, I'm sure it didn't hurt," I said, rolling my eyes.
When we were ready, Tyler took his position at the stairs and Wendy and I made our way to the attendant's station. As I'd expected, Perkins was leaning back in his chair, feet up on the desk. I got on my back and taped the circuit to the bottom of his chair, it had a pressure switch that would make the dog bark when you squeezed it. My plan was that when the alarm clock on Perkins computer went off, he'd sit up and hit the pressure switch, causing the "dog" to bark and scare the shit out of him. While I was working on the chair, Wendy made the adjustments to the computer. When I was finished, she helped me to my feet and we had to stifle our giggles while we collected Tyler.
We dropped Wendy back in front of the girls bathroom, then Tyler and I tiptoed silently back to our rooms. Along the way, I came up with an idea and told Tyler to wait in the hall for a moment. I went into my room and grabbed the stuffed dog, before returning.
"Here, why don't you take Rex?" I stated, handing Tyler the dog.
"But you just bought him," said Tyler.
"I know, but I only wanted the circuit, you take him," I stated.
Tyler looked at me for a moment, then he reached out and gave me a hug.
"Thanks Peter," he smiled.
"You're welcome buddy, see you in the morning," I smiled back.
Back in my room, I got under the covers and watched the clock countdown to 12:30. The plan worked like a charm, at the duly appointed time, the alarm clock went off, the noise was so loud I was afraid it might wake up some of the sleeping patients. As expected, Perkins snapped upright in his chair and our whole floor could hear the loud barking of a large, angry Doberman. Either the alarm woke some of the other students or they weren't sleeping anyway, I heard laughter and it wasn't just coming from Tyler or Wendy's rooms.
"God damn brats," Perkins bellowed, followed by the joyous laughter of a bunch of depressed teenagers.
I slept soundly that night, at least my nightmare didn't come until the late morning. I woke up shivering and sweating, like the previous nights, but at least the sun was up and I didn't have to lie awake all night.