Boyslife

Well, here you have it, Episode Five... I hope you all like it... Thanks so much for all your letters and the way you seem to connect with the characters... those of you who like Perry will want to pay attention to this episode... and then let me know what you think... I love hearing from you, and Please let me know if there is anything you want to see in upcoming events, etc. Enjoy! -JCH

BoysLife - Episode Five

Jason Harmon opened his eyes and rolled over to wrap his arms around his boyfriend. But all he felt was air. He opened his eyes, and realized the space next to him in the bed was unoccupied. Trevor Keiser, his boyfriend, was not there.

Then he remembered. Trevor had rushed off to Chicago with his Grandmother, leaving him alone, with his two other roommates, Josh Maxwell, his cousin, and Perry Adamson.

Jason smiled and got out of his bed, reaching for the phone. He dialed Trevor's cell phone number, hoping to wish him a good morning. But after one ring, Jason heard Trevor's voice mail system begin, and he was prompted to leave a message.

"Hey babe, it's me," Jason said into the phone. "I just woke up and it was so strange not having you in bed with me. I miss you a lot." He paused. "Things here are okay I suppose. How's your trip? I can't wait to hear from you." Another pause. "Well, I'm gonna get going now, I know this voice mail thing cuts me off all the time. I love you." He hung up the phone. With a sigh, Jason got up and went into his walk-in closet and chose his outfit for the day. As he did, he thought about his message for Trevor.

He had told Trevor that things were okay, when in reality they weren't. Perry had gotten himself into a serious situation with his boyfriend Wade Zimmerman. Wade was a drinker, and recently had punched Perry while they were having sex, while he was drunk. It had left a nasty bruise on Perry's face, and Perry only admitted it to be from Wade to Jason the night before. Neither Josh or Trevor knew about it, and Jason had promised not to tell them. But he was very worried about his friend, and he did not like seeing Perry get hurt.

Jason grabbed his clothes, went into the bathroom, showered, and went downstairs into the kitchen. Perry was there, sitting at the table, sipping a cup of coffee.

"Hey there," Jason said, sitting down next to Perry.

Perry didn't say anything.

"Perry, I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings last night," Jason said. "I didn't mean to be so harsh."

"It's all right Jay," Perry said. "You got me thinking."

"That's all I wanted," Jason said.

"When I first met Wade, I would have never thought he was a drinker," Perry said. "He was so nice and gentle and romantic." He laughed softly. "I mean, I thought he was perfect. I guess that I was wrong."

"When you first meet someone it's easy to become so infatuated with them that you think they're perfect," Jason said. "Believe me, it happens."

"I know," Perry said. "But then he actually started taking interest in me a few weeks ago, and I was just so overwhelmed. And then we moved in here, and I started getting to know Josh better."

"Why didn't you mention Wade to us?" Jason asked.

"I don't know," Perry said. "I was so wrapped up in him, and it all seemed so perfect. I honestly did not think to tell you guys."

"I see," Jason said.

"The very first time he touched me I thought I was going to melt," Perry said. "He was great. And then I saw the side of him that likes to get drunk and act stupid, and I just don't want to be a part of something like that."

"Good for you," Jason said.

"I realize that I've been acting like a fool," Perry said, wiping a tear from his eye. "I never thought I'd be blinded by love to the point where I threw all my values out the window."

"What are you going to do now?" Jason asked.

Perry paused. "I need to talk to him. I need to try and convince him to get help. And if he won't, I am going to have to break up with him."

"I know it is not going to be easy," Jason said. "But you cannot force him to get help if he does not want it. And you may not want to accept it, but you may just need to break up with him, and let him fix things on his own."

Perry nodded. "Yeah, I know."

Jason stood. "Well, you're on the right track then. You just need to do what your heart tells you to do."

"Thanks for understanding Jay," Perry said. "And thanks for listening."

"I'm always here," Jason said. "All you have to do is come and talk to me." He smiled, and then began fixing himself something to eat for breakfast.

Later that afternoon, as Jason was getting ready to leave for work, Josh came into his room.

"Hey what's up Josh?" Jason asked, running a brush through his hair.

"Nothing much," Josh said, sitting on the bed. "I have a question for you."

"Sure," Jason said, pausing to look at his cousin. "What is it?"

"What do you feel about Internet meetings?" Josh asked.

"Meeting people on-line?" Jason asked. "I think it's cool, I have a few on-line chat buddies."

"No," Josh said. "I mean, like meeting those people in person."

"Oh," Jason said slowly. "Well, I'm not sure. I've never been in that situation before. Did you want to meet someone face to face?"

"Well, there's this guy," Josh said. "His name is Mark and I have been talking to him for almost a month now. We don't really talk that much, but every once in a while, you know? And we talked today about meeting sometime soon."

"Have you talked to him on the phone?" Jason asked.

Josh shook his head. "He gave me his number and I was thinking about calling him today before I went to work. I just wanted another opinion about it."

"I think you should call him first," Jason said. "I mean, there's no harm in talking over the phone, and then if things seem to work out, you can meet with him. I don't really think there's anything wrong with it." He paused. "And I think you are a good enough judge of character Josh, you'll be able to tell."

"Thanks Jay," Josh said, standing. "I think I'll call him then."

"Good idea," Jason said.

"Have you heard from Trevor?" Josh asked.

"Nope," Jason said.

"Strange," Josh said. "I would have thought he would have called you the minute he arrived, to let you know that things are okay and all."

"Yeah, I would have thought the same thing," Jason said, with a sigh. "Oh well, he's probably busy or something. I'm sure he's all right. I did leave a message on his cell phone, so he'll get back to me."

"Of course he will," Josh said.

"Well, I think it's just about time for me to get going," Jason said. He grabbed his keys and wallet of the nightstand, and followed Josh out of the room. "I will see you tonight then Josh," He said, as Josh went downstairs. But rather than following Josh downstairs, Jason continued to the end of the hall, to Perry's room. He knocked on the door.

"Yeah?" Perry called out. Jason went in and found Perry laying on his bed, staring at the ceiling. He went in and sat next to him.

"You leaving?" Perry asked.

Jason nodded. "Yeah. Have you talked to Wade yet today?"

"No," Perry said. "I'm waiting for him to call me. It seems like I'm always the one calling him."

"I understand," Jason said. "I just want to make sure things get worked out."

"Yeah," Perry said. "Thanks Jay, it means a lot."

"You're welcome," Jason said, standing. "Well, I'll see you tonight when I get home I guess."

"Okay," Perry said. "Have fun."

"Always!" Jason said, laughing. He went out of the room and shut the door behind him.

Josh had his hand on the phone, about to dial Mark's number, when it rang, startling him. He pressed the power button. "Hello?" He said.

"Hey Josh, is Jason there?" It was Trevor.

"Hey man!" Josh said. "No, Jay just left for work."

"Oh," Trevor said. "Well, will you let him know I called?"

"Sure," Josh said. "How are you doing?"

"I'm all right," Trevor said. "We got here all right, and I already want to come home." He paused. "How's things back there?"

"Everything is okay," Josh said. "Something's up between Perry and Jason though."

"What do you mean?" Trevor asked.

"Well, last night Perry went out with Wade to The Pub and then Jay went out to pick him up," Josh said. "And since then they've been like buddies or something. I heard them downstairs talking seriously in the kitchen this morning."

"Hmm..." Trevor said. "I'm sure it's nothing. Maybe Perry is starting to see the light about this Wade thing." He paused. "Look, I need to run. Please tell Jason that I called, okay?"

"All right," Josh said. "Take care of yourself Trevor."

"Oh don't worry," Trevor said. "I am. I'll see you soon Josh."

"'Bye," Josh said, hanging up the phone.

He stared at it for a moment, and then punched in Mark's number. "Well, here goes nothing," He whispered to himself.

Perry wasn't sure when he fell asleep, but he woke up to the house completely quiet. He sat up in his bed, rubbing his eyes. He looked at the clock. It read 3:47 P.M. Josh would have already left for work, and that meant that he was indeed all alone.

He went downstairs and got himself a glass of water and an aspirin, for he was feeling a headache coming on. Then he went into the living room to watch television. He would be glad to start working on Friday, he wouldn't be sitting around the house all the time, being bored.

As he watched some horror movie on one of the cable channels, the doorbell rang. He got up off the couch and looked out the little window in the door. It was Wade standing there. Perry sighed and opened the door.

"You left me the other night," Wade said, coming inside. "Where did you go?"

"I told you Wade, I came home," Perry said. "Jason came and picked me up."

Wade looked confused. "I don't remember you telling me that."

"Well, I'm sorry," Perry said, sitting down on the sofa. Wade sat in the recliner, across from him. For some reason, Perry felt very uncomfortable alone in the house with Wade. He wanted to just tell Wade what he was feeling, and get it over with, but something held him back. He knew he didn't want to stay in the house, alone with Wade.

"So what's up?" Wade asked.

"Nothing really," Perry said. "Actually I was just getting ready to head over to the mall."

"Okay, I'll come with you then," Wade said.

"Let me go get my stuff," Perry said, running up the stairs, breathing a sigh of relief when Wade did not follow him. He knew that he was going to have to confront Wade about the drinking, and the issue of being hit, but he knew he needed to collect his thoughts and say exactly what he needed to say. He was not happy about having to go stroll around the mall with Wade. Maybe they would go in and see Josh at work, that would get Wade off his back. Perry grabbed his keys and wallet, and went back downstairs.

"All right, I think I'm ready," Perry said. "I'll drive."

"That's fine," Wade said.

As they drove, Perry did his best to keep normal conversation going, but he felt strange talking to Wade, because he knew what he wanted to say, and somehow he could not say it. As soon as they arrived at the mall, Perry parked and headed straight for Josh's clothing store.

"Why are you going here?" Wade asked.

"I want to look at some things," Perry said, walking in ahead of Wade. He saw Josh towards the back, arranging sweaters on a shelf. He went up behind him and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Hey Perry!" Josh said, turning around. "I didn't expect to see you here."

"Well, I wanted to stop in and say hello," Perry said. Wade had come up behind them.

"Hello Wade," Josh said, trying to sound polite.

"Hi," Wade said.

"I've been dying to come in here and look for some trendy clothes," Perry said. "You always come home with such nice stuff from here."

Josh laughed. "Yeah, well a forty percent discount helps." He leaned in close to Perry. "If you find something, I can give you my discount."

Perry smiled. "That would be nice!"

Just then Amy Martin, Josh's co-worker, came up to them. "Hello there Perry," She said. "And is it Wade?"

Wade nodded but didn't say anything.

"It's nice to see you again," Perry said.

"You know, I know of the perfect outfit for you," Amy said, pulling Perry by the arm to another part of the store, leaving Wade and Josh standing there, kind of staring at each other in an awkward silence.

"So," Josh said, trying to think of something to say. "You guys just out hanging at the mall?"

Wade shrugged. "I guess. Perry wanted to do some shopping I think." Again they fell into silence.

"Are you staying at the house tonight?" Josh asked.

"No, I am going to a party tonight," Wade said. "I am going to try and get Perry to come with me."

Josh nodded, and was thankful when Wade drifted away, looking at clothes, and then a customer appeared at the counter, giving Josh the chance to escape. He rang up the customer's purchase, and then joined Amy and Perry.

"So she's got you all set up with a new outfit now?" Josh asked.

Perry nodded. "Yeah, she's pretty good when it comes to stuff like this."

"That's why I work in a clothing store!" Amy said with a smile.

"So you're getting that then?" Josh asked. Perry nodded. Josh took the clothes from him. "Let me ring this up for you then, so I can make sure it gets done right."

"What you don't think I can do it right?" Amy asked, following Josh back behind the counter. "Excuse me mister, who had to help who with that crazy woman in here earlier?"

"Okay, okay, you are good with this computer," Josh said. "Let's just say I want to give Perry special treatment."

"Oh I see," Amy said, nodding and smiling. "Well, you go right ahead there, I think I'll go work on those sweaters you failed to finish."

Josh looked at Perry and smiled. "She's the best."

"Yeah, she is a nice girl," Perry said.

"I hear you guys talking about me!" Amy said loudly. Josh and Perry laughed.

Jason was not at all surprised to see his sister come to see him at work, close to closing. He figured she wanted to go out for ice cream or something. But he was very surprised to see their little brother with them.

"Hey there Kevin!" Jason said, coming out to meet them.

"Hey Jay," Kevin said.

"I thought I'd be nice to the guy and take him out tonight," Sabrina said, hugging her brother. "And he wanted to see his big brother."

"Well, I get off in like ten minutes, so maybe we can go back to the house or something," Jason said.

"Yeah, so I can finally see it," Kevin said, a grin on his face.

"I did promise to have you over didn't I?" Jason said. "Well, we'll go over then... you two want a soda or something while you wait for me?"

"Sure," Sabrina said. Kevin nodded his head, and Jason went and filled two to-go cups with soda and gave it to them.

"I'll be out as soon as my last table leaves and I get cleared," Jason said.

"Okay, we'll wait out in the car," Sabrina said.

"If you want, you can go on over to the house," Jason said. "You have a spare key, don't you?"

Sabrina nodded. "Yeah, we'll do that."

"Okay," Jason said. "I'll see you guys in a bit then." He watched them walk out and then returned to his last table, asking if they were ready for their check. They said yes, for which he was grateful. He brought the check, they paid, and then left.

"My section's clear," He said to the manager. He was told he could go, since it was already after his scheduled time off. He gathered his things, and went out to his car. Soon he was home. Sabrina's car was there, along with Perry's truck and Wade's car.

Jason went inside, where he found his sister and brother alone in the living room watching a movie on television. "Hey guys, where's Perry?"

"Upstairs I think," Sabrina said. "They're going to some party I believe."

"Okay," Jason said. "I'll be right down okay?" He saw them both nod, and then he went upstairs and knocked on Perry's door. Perry opened it.

"Hey Jay," Perry said.

"Can I talk to you for a second?" Jason asked.

Perry came out into the hallway and shut the door behind him. "What's up?"

"What are you and Wade doing tonight?" Jason asked. "Sabrina said something about a party."

Perry nodded. "Well, yeah I am going to a party with him."

"But..." Jason said.

"Don't worry," Perry said, cutting him off. "We're driving separately, so that I can come home before he gets too drunk."

Jason didn't say anything for a moment. "Are you sure this is a good idea?"

Perry shrugged. "I want to go. I want to talk to some of his friends, find out exactly what he's like, before I go making too many conclusions about him."

"Please be careful," Jason said.

"I will," Perry said.

Perry and Wade left for their party, and Jason gave Kevin a tour of the house.

"It's a pretty cool place Jay," Kevin said, when they had returned to Sabrina in the living room. "I like it."

"Doesn't everyone?" Sabrina asked. "This seems to be the spot to hang out."

"Hey why not?" Jason said with a shrug. "So how's my little brother been?"

"Bored," Kevin said. "I start school in about a week."

"Oh the good old school days," Jason said. "You ready?"

"Not really," Kevin said. "Mom is taking me shopping tomorrow I think."

"That's cool," Jason said. "What did you guys do tonight to be up all the way by work?"

"We saw a movie together," Sabrina said. "Nobody else would go see it with me."

"Which movie?" Jason said. "That vampire one?"

"Yeah," Kevin said. "It was really good."

"It was all right," Sabrina said. "That chick was a little out of it."

"It was about a girl vampire?" Jason asked. "What a thought."

"She was hot!" Kevin said. Sabrina and Jason laughed. As they laughed, the front door opened, and Josh came in.

"Sounds like fun in here!" He said, coming into the room. "Hello Harmon cousins!"

"Hey Josh!" Sabrina said. Kevin and Jason said hello as well.

"Wow, it's weird to see all three of you at the same time," Josh said, smiling as he sat on the sofa next to Kevin. "How have you been Little Guy?"

"I'm all right," Kevin said.

"So we're all just hanging out here for no reason," Josh said.

"That's basically it," Sabrina said. "Don't we lead such exciting lives?"

"Oh yes!" Josh said sarcastically. "Jay, Trevor called today. He told me to tell you that."

"How is he?" Jason asked.

"He sounded tired," Josh said. "And he didn't have much time to talk."

"Oh," Jason said.

"He wants to come home already," Josh added.

"Geez," Sabrina said. "The guy's been gone for what, a day?"

"I'm sure he misses us," Jason said.

"Yeah, but Trevor travels a lot," Josh pointed out. "So he's probably used to being away from home."

"Maybe," Jason said. "I don't think I could ever get used to it."

"Well, yeah, me neither," Josh said. He stood. "I think I am going to go upstairs and try navigating the Net tonight."

"Can I come?" Kevin asked. Josh shrugged and then nodded, and he and Kevin left the room and went upstairs.

"So you two had a good evening together?" Jason asked his sister.

"Yeah," Sabrina said, nodding. "I need to spend more time with Kevin. I feel like I hardly see him anymore."

"I know what you mean," Jason said, getting up and going into the kitchen. Sabrina followed him. Jason took a can of soda out of the refrigerator and offered Sabrina one.

"I talked to Dad today," Sabrina said. "When I went by the house to get Kevin."

"What did he have to say?" Jason asked.

"Nothing interesting," Sabrina said. "He was asking all these questions about you, and I told him that if he really wants to know how you're doing to find out for himself."

"I bet he didn't like that too much," Jason said.

"No," Sabrina said, sipping her soda. "He left me alone after that."

Jason shook his head in despair. "Oh well, what can we do?"

"He'll get over it," Sabrina said. "And if he doesn't, then it's his loss."

"Isn't that the truth?" Jason asked with a laugh.

Perry came home right as Sabrina and Kevin were getting ready to get into Sabrina's car. "You guys leaving?" He asked.

"Yeah, it's getting kind of late," Sabrina said. "I guess I should get this guy back home."

"All right," Perry said. "I'll see you later then." He threw them a wave and then went into the house.

Jason came out of the kitchen. "Hey there Perry, how'd it go?"

"I found out quite a few things I never knew about my so-called boyfriend," Perry said.

"Come on upstairs and tell me about it," Jason said.

Perry followed went upstairs and into his bedroom, quickly kicking off his shoes and changing into shorts and a T-shirt. Then he went into Jason's bedroom, and sat next to Jason on the bed.

"So what did you learn?" Jason asked.

"Well," Perry said. "First of all, Wade's had a big drinking problem for the longest time. I met his ex-girlfriend tonight."

"Wow," Jason said.

"Yeah, I talked to her more than anyone else," Perry said. "She seemed concerned that Wade had hurt me like he hurt her. And she noticed the bruise."

"It is kind of obvious," Jason said.

"I know," Perry said. "Anyway, she told me that Wade started drinking over a year ago when he was still dating her. She didn't think it was a problem until he started getting aggressive with her."

"Did she say if he had ever hit her?" Jason asked.

"She said he tried to a few times," Perry said. "But she said that she'd taken a few self-defense classes, and so she was able to stop him or get away. Finally she just got tired of dealing with him and she broke up with him."

"Good for her," Jason said.

"And get this," Perry continued. "The day after she broke up with him, Wade came to her house yelling and screaming and trying to beat her up."

"Oh man," Jason said. "So did you actually talk to him?"

"Not really," Perry said. "I left without telling him. After talking to this girl, I did not want to be around him anymore."

"Perry you need to break up with him," Jason said. "He's going to keep on coming around unless you do something about it."

"I know," Perry said. "But he was drinking tonight, and I want to talk to him when he's sober."

"Whenever that may be," Jason said.

"Yeah," Perry agreed. "He's going to stop by tomorrow night, and then I'll break up with him, I suppose."

"If you need anything, you let me know, okay?" Jason said. Perry nodded. "You know I am here for you," Jason went on. "Please don't hesitate to ask me for help."

"Thanks Jay," Perry said. He stood up. "I'm getting kind of tired, so I think I am going to get off to bed now."

"All right," Jason said. "Good night Perry." Perry smiled, and left the room, closing the door behind him.

Jason sat there in silence for a moment and then picked up the phone. He punched Trevor's cell phone number in quickly, and listened to it ring. After a moment, he heard the sweet sound of his boyfriend's voice over the line. "Hello?"

"Baby!" Jason squealed, like a child squealing at a new toy.

"Jay-Bird!" Trevor said excitedly. "I was just thinking about you. I didn't know if you'd still be awake."

"Yeah, I was just talking to Perry for a little while," Jason said. "Oh I miss you."

"I miss you too babe," Trevor said. "My bed seems so cold and empty without you."

"Same here," Jason said. "How's Chicago?"

"The same as it was about five years ago when I was here," Trevor said. "And Grandma's a little better now that we've seen Aunt Martha and the family."

"Well that's good," Jason said.

"How are things there?" Trevor asked.

"Well, it depends on what you are talking about," Jason said. "I'm fine, I guess. Josh is okay too I suppose, and Perry's dealing with this whole Wade thing."

"I see," Trevor said. "I feel strange not being there in the middle of everything."

"I know," Jason said. "When are you coming home?"

"I'm not sure," Trevor said. "Grandma wants to extend her vacation here a little longer, but I told her I need to get back to work. So if she decided to stay I just might get home earlier than I expected."

"You'll just try and change your flight?" Jason asked.

"Yeah," Trevor said. "So we'll see how it all works out."

"Yes, I suppose," Jason said.

"Listen, love," Trevor said. "I need to be going now."

"All right," Jason said disappointedly. "I just wanted to call and tell you good night."

"I'm smiling right now," Trevor said with a small laugh. "I really do love you."

"And I love you too," Jason said.

"I'll talk to you again soon," Trevor said. "Good night Jay."

"Sweet dreams, my love," Jason said. Then he hung up the phone, a single tear falling from his eye.

The next morning Jason took Perry shopping for clothes and things he would need to start his job. Then they went and got haircuts together, and then Jason treated Perry to lunch. When they got home, Amy was sitting outside on the front step waiting for them.

"Hey guys!" She said.

"Did Josh leave already?" Jason asked, grabbing a few of Perry's bags out of his trunk.

"I guess so," Amy said, shoving her hands in her pockets and walking towards them. "I don't know what his schedule for today was."

"Oh, okay," Jason said. He shut his trunk and walked up to the door.

"Do you need me to give you a hand?" Amy asked, grabbing a bag out of Jason's hand.

"Thanks," Jason said to her, putting the key into the lock with his free hand. The three of them went inside and dumped Perry's bags onto the sofa.

"I was bored so I thought I'd stop in and say hello," Amy said.

"I hope you weren't sitting out there too long," Perry said, as the three of them went into the kitchen.

"Nah, just a few minutes," Amy said. "And it's a nice little neighborhood over here, I didn't mind sitting outside in the sunshine."

"It must be nice!" Jason joked. The found a note from Josh on the counter telling them that he had been called into work early, and that he would be working until closing like usual.

"Well then I will get to see him tonight," Amy said. "I wasn't sure who I was working with."

"Would you like something to drink Amy?" Perry asked, opening the refrigerator. "I made this really good iced tea this morning."

"That sounds wonderful!" Amy said.

"How about you Jay?" Perry asked, pulling the jug of tea out.

"Sure," Jason said. Perry poured them glasses of tea and then they sat at the table.

"So how long have you guys lived here now?" Amy asked.

Perry and Jason looked at each other. "Wow, it's been less than two weeks I guess," Jason said. "I didn't really think about it until now."

"Yeah," Perry said. "We moved in last Sunday."

"Wow," Amy said. "This place just feels like you guys have been here forever."

"Yes it does," Jason agreed.

"I think that's awesome," Amy said. "I wish I had a place of my own. But my parents spoil me since I'm an only child."

"That must be nice," Perry said.

"It has it's benefits," Amy said. "But like anything else, it gets old."

"I can imagine," Jason said. He sipped the last of his tea. "Well, I think I'm going to hop in the shower now and get ready to head off to work for the day."

"Yeah, I should be going," Amy said, standing.

"You can stay if you want to!" Jason said. "I'm sure Perry would enjoy the company."

"Yeah," Perry said.

"No," Amy said with a laugh. "I need to get home now. Thanks guys for the talk, and the tea, it was wonderful."

"We'll see you later," Perry said.

Jason went to work, leaving Perry all alone in the house once again. Just as Jason's car pulled out of the driveway, the phone rang. Perry answered it. It was Wade.

"Did you want to hang out tonight?" Wade asked.

"Wade, I have something important I need to talk to you about," Perry said.

"Really?" Wade asked, a cold chill to his voice. "What's wrong?"

"I'd rather talk to you in person," Perry said, gritting his teeth.

"Sure," Wade said. "How about we get some dinner later on tonight and we can talk."

"That sounds nice," Perry said.

"I'll pick you up around seven then," Wade said.

"Fine," Perry said, hanging up the phone. He went upstairs to his bedroom, laying down on his bed. He knew what he had to do, break up with Wade if he wasn't going to get help for his drinking problem. And Perry had a feeling that Wade was not going to get help without something major like a break-up. And it would prove if Wade truly loved him or not. If Wade had any strong feelings for Perry then he would get the help he needed and then they could resume their relationship, if there was any chance for them at all. Perry was completely unsure if Wade truly cared about him or not. Wade had never said that he loved Perry. Perry wasn't sure if he did. But he knew that he was not going to stay with him and let himself be treated the way that Wade treated him. Not anymore.

That evening Perry made sure he looked very nice. He put on a pair of khakis a blue button-down shirt, and a tan sweater vest with a blue center stripe. When Wade got there, his eyes went wide in surprise.

"Is this something special you need to talk to me about?" Wade asked.

"Not really," Perry said. "You'll see. Let's get going now."

"All right," Wade said. The two of them went out to his car, and he drove to the restaurant. During the meal, Perry tried bringing up the subject of drinking twice, and Wade brushed them off casually. Perry wanted to bring it up more, but he just couldn't do it.

"So what's this thing you need to discuss with me?" Wade asked, as they waited for their dessert.

Perry sighed. He took a deep breath and said, "Wade I want to talk to you about your drinking."

"My what?" Wade asked, a puzzled look on his face.

"Your drinking," Perry said. "Wade, don't you think you get drunk a little too much?"

"What the heck?" Wade asked, an angry look crossing his face. "Is this what you wanted to talk to me about?"

"Wade, I don't like it," Perry said, trying to be calm.

"Who cares what you think anyway?" Wade asked, an angry frown glued to his face.

That stung Perry like a slap on the face. He didn't say anything else, but sat there in silence and confusion. He did not say another word to Wade until the had pulled up in Perry's driveway and gotten out of the car.

"Wade, I need to talk to you," Perry said, stopping Wade before he went into the house.

"I thought you already did," Wade said angrily.

"Wade, listen to me," Perry said. "I care about you, and I want you to get help."

"Help for what?" Wade asked, almost in a yell. "Who do you think you are trying to act all perfect on me?"

"I'm not," Perry said.

"So what are you telling me then?" Wade asked, stepping closer to Perry. "That I have a drinking problem."

Perry tried not to feel angry at Wade. "Yes, Wade, you do. And I for one am not going to sit around watching you act like a jerk all the time." Now he was upset, and he could feel tears stinging his eyes. "I thought you loved me!" He said loudly. "But I guess I was wrong."

"What do you mean?" Wade asked gruffly.

"I'm breaking up with you Wade!" Perry said. The words felt so good flying out of his mouth. "I don't want to be with some drunk who wants to hit me around and use me for sex."

Wade's fist shot out and smacked across Perry's face, right at the edge of his lip. Perry felt himself falling back, and then Wade slammed him to the ground.

"I don't need you loser!" Wade shouted, getting in his car and roaring away.

Perry lay there on the ground, crying, alone in the dark.

Jason had been able to get off early that evening, because of a scheduling error, where they had scheduled too many waitstaff. So he was home, sitting on the sofa, watching television when he thought he heard the sound of a car pulling up in the driveway. He didn't think anything of it, he knew that Josh was at work and Perry and Wade were out at dinner. He kept on watching the show.

Jason jumped as he heard the lock on the door being turned, and then it opened, and Perry came in, his head down.

"Hey there!" Jason said. Perry started to walk by, not saying anything.

"Are you okay?" Jason asked. Perry stopped and turned to face him. His eyes were red with crying, and a spot of fresh blood was on the corner of his lip.

Jason jumped off the couch and enveloped his friend in a hug. Perry broke down and started crying again.

"Oh Perry, what happened?" Jason asked. "Did Wade do this to you?"

He let Perry cry for a minute and then helped him sit down on the couch. "Talk to me Perry. Josh isn't here, and you know you're not going to get a lecture from me." He looked his friend in the eye. "Did Wade hit you again?"

"I broke up with him," Perry said. "Just as he brought me home." He stopped and looked at the floor. "He got angry and hit me, and then threw me on the ground."

Jason put his arms around his friend again. "Perry I am so proud of you. Everything's going to be all right, we're not going to let anything happen to you."