This is a fictional story that may involve sexual acts between two or more males. If this offends you, why are you here? If you are under the legal age to read sexually explicit material then do not read any further. This story in no way represents any person living or dead. Any resemblance to any real person is purely coincidental.

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A long habit of not thinking a thing wrong gives it a superficial appearance of being right.

Thomas Paine

Readers Note: The events taking place in this chapter of Brent's Struggle correspond to the time frame of Devyn's trip with Sam.

Brent's Struggle Chapter 34

Brent felt his phone vibrate. He pulled it from his pocket and looked at the text from Alex.

"I'm just thinking of you and wish I was there to help."

Brent wished there was something Alex could do but no one could make this easier. Brent texted Alex back and then put his phone away. Looking at the screen was making him a bit sick.

Brent glanced over at the door. He wished this guy would hurry up and come in already. The waiting was making Brent more nervous and making him feel sick. He could not believe he was going to be talking to a perfect stranger about what had taken place at the clinic. He wanted to be anywhere but there. He was wishing he were dead so he would not have to face the memories and the feelings that talking about Wilson and the clinic invoked.

"You alright soldier?" Bryan's blue eyes were reflecting the man's concern for the teenager.

"I don't know." Brent wanted to say he was not alright. He wanted to just jump up and run from the room. He wanted to just run over to the window, throw it open and jump out. Of course, since they were on the second floor, he would only end up injuring himself.

"You can do this." Matt's voice was soft and soothing. "You are stronger than you believe." Matt lightly rubbed Brent's shoulders. He can feel the tension in the teenager. Matt wished he could do this for the boy. He wished he could take the pain from Brent.

"I'm sorry I kept you waiting." The man came into the room. He moved around the conference table. "I got hung up on another case."

Introductions were made and the small talk flowed around and over Brent. He answered when something was directed at him but other than specific questions, he was quiet.

The man was sitting across from Brent. His eyes finally looking directly into Brent's. "I understand this is going to be extremely hard on you," he said.

Brent looked up to meet the man's gaze. He thought the blue-green eyes were kind and sympathetic. The man's voice was also filled with empathy. Brent wondered how much he had been told prior to the meeting.

"I just would like you to relate to me in your own words what happened to you in the clinic under the care of the doctors and staff there."

"Um, Mr." Brent paused. The man's name was missing from Brent's memory. How stupid could he be? The man had just introduced himself moments ago. "Sorry, I..."

"It's alright Brent, I know it is a lot to absorb. My friends just call me Jay. Let's just avoid all the Sirs and Misters."

The man's smile was warm and his eyes were kind. "Um, thanks. I'm, um, well..."

"I'm sure stressed is an understatement. Just try and relax. Just take your time. I've got nothing else today and if you need a break, then we take a break. You are in control here."

"Um, thanks, um, Jay. It, um, is hard to, ah, talk about this for me."

"I know and I'm sorry you have to go through this. I, um, have the records from the clinic so I have some idea of what..." Jay paused searching for the right word. "I read what was done to you, at least what was put into the clinic's files. I need to hear it from you now in your own words. You can be as graphic as you need. Don't worry about what terms to use. I will not be offended."

"Thanks." Brent looked down at the table. The silence drug out. Brent's mind was whirling with thoughts. He could not nail down a good place to begin.

"Brent," Matt said softly, placing a hand on Brent's shoulder. "If you are reluctant to talk in front of us, Bryan and I can step outside."

"But know, it won't change anything." Bryan placed his hand on Brent's other shoulder. "Nothing you tell us will change how Matt and I feel about you."

"We love you and we know you are stronger than you think." Matt squeezed the shoulder he was holding.

"I, um, am not sure where I should start."

"Just start at the beginning," Jay said. "Tell me what you first remember about the clinic."

Brent started with his mom taking him to the clinic. He talked for a long time about the weeks of physical therapy and the sessions with Wilson. He began slowly talking about his private sessions with Wilson. His speech got faster as he began to tell how the private sessions grew increasingly disturbing.

Matt closed his eyes and listened as Brent talked. He never removed his hand from Brent's shoulder. He wanted to do more for the boy but he did not know what it would be that could help Brent.

"The sessions were not too bad at first. I mean my private sessions. They, ah, were just, ah, mostly talking about my feelings and what I didn't remember. It, ah, wasn't until later that she, um, began to..." Brent's words trailed off. He closed his eyes trying to not remember the feeling of her hand on his arm or knee. "She began touching me. My hand or arm at first. Then my back and shoulder. Eventually my knee and thigh."

Jay remained silent and wrote down more details as Brent related them. He could see just how hard this was for the teenager.

"I, think, it was when she realized that Steven and I were becoming close that she moved passed the touching to the, um, more sexual acts."

"Can you tell me a little more about that?" Jay's voice was soft. He could not imagine how hard this was for the kid.

"She, um, made me watch porn with her. It, um, was, ah, straight porn or, um, girls with no guys."

"I understand."

"I felt dirty sitting there with her but, um, she was, um..."

"We know you had no choice," Jay said.

"As Steven and I became closer and we both became more defiant to her authority, the sessions got worse. Steven warned me but he never told me exactly what went on during his private sessions."

"How did they get worse?" Jay was watching Brent closely and making notes. He could not believe what this attractive kid had been put through.

"After a few sessions of us just watching, she, um, made me, ah..." Brent paused. He could feel his ears burning. He could feel Matt and Bryan sitting there next to him. He looked down at the table. What would they think of him if they knew it all?

"What did she make you do, Brent?"

Brent looked up at Jay's warm eyes. He then looked back down at the table. He could not tell him but he had to tell. "It's so..."

"I know you feel embarrassed and maybe even like it is your fault, but it was not your fault. You do not need to be embarrassed. Everyone in this room understands it was against your will." Matt leaned down closer to Brent. "We love you, just tell us what happened."

"She was always interested in our masturbation. She encouraged us, I mean me and the other guys, to jerk off nightly. She wanted to know what we fantasized about while we jerked off. When I stood up to her, that was when my private sessions changed and she wanted me to do more than just tell her about my jerking off. She, um, she wanted, a, me..."

"Go on Brent." Jay's voice was soft. He could see the fear in the way the boy was sitting. He could hear the tremble in the teenager's voice.

"She wanted me to jerk off in front of her. She wanted to watch me."

"Did you?"

"I did not want to. I refused. I wasn't going to do it with her sitting there beside me. I started to leave but when I got to the door of her office and opened it, there were a couple of the attendants there. She must have been prepared for me to refuse. They knew exactly what she wanted. They... they stripped me and held me down and she... she did it."

"She jerked you off?" Jay asked softly.

Brent nodded. "I didn't want to. I hated it. I... I didn't even get hard until... until..." Brent was fighting back the tears. He could feel her hand around him. He could feel her stroking him. "She injected me with something and I got hard."

Tears were sliding down Brent's cheeks. Matt leaned over and wrapped his arms around Brent. Brent turned his face into Matt's chest. He hated crying in front of anyone. Now he was doing it in front of this prosecutor from the Department of Justice.

Jay waited patiently for Brent to regain his composure. He was going to make sure that Wilson never saw freedom again. She was never going to be allowed to do this to another boy. Jay was determined to make sure she rotted in a federal prison.

Brent felt like hours passed as Matt held him. The man had to be uncomfortable leaning over the way he was but he just continued to hold Brent.

"I, ah, I'm alright."

"Are you sure, Brent?" Bryan asked. "If you need a break or maybe to come back tomorrow..."

"No, I, I."

"We have as much time as you need, Brent." Jay passed Brent a box of tissues. "We can take a break or we can continue this tomorrow. You're in charge here. You tell me what you want to do."

Brent blew his nose and wiped at his eyes. "I haven't felt in charge for a long time."

"Well, in this room, you are. I will take my lead from you. If you tell me you are done for today, then we are done for today."

"Thanks." Brent was beginning to like this man. He seemed to be genuinely sympathetic to Brent. "I'd like to go on."

"Then was this the only time that happened?"

"No, it happened every session after that." Brent explained about his daily sessions with Wilson and her masturbating him or forcing him to masturbate in front of her. He found it less disgusting to jerk off himself than to have her touching him. Although sometimes she would touch him while he was doing it.

"Were you always naked during these times?"

"Yes, she wanted me naked. If I did not cooperate, then she would have the staff hold me while she did it. She liked to undress me. I started doing it so she wouldn't have an excuse to touch me."

"Did she touch you frequently?"

"Yes, if I undressed, then there were less chances for her to touch me. If she undressed me, then she would touch my chest, cheek, arm and and my, my..." Brent was once again fighting the tears back.

"She touched your penis and testicles?"

Brent nodded. "Yes. She often fondled me while undressing me. I started undressing as soon as I got into her office so... so she wouldn't do it."

"Then once you were nude?"

"She would put on the porn and tell me to masturbate. I did it to get it over with. I would try and cum fast so... so it would not last as long."

"Did she just watch?"

"No, sometimes, even though I cooperated and was doing what she wanted she... she would..."

"Take your time, Brent." Jay wanted to reach out and touch the boy. He wanted to give him a hug but he had read in the file about Brent's reaction to casual physical contact. He was so glad he had done his homework on this case.

"She liked touching me while I was jerking off. Sometimes it was just my leg, shoulder, or chest. Other times..." Brent swallowed as he tried to fight down the nauseum. "She would fondle me while I was stroking."

"So, you were naked, jerking off in front of her and she was touching you."

Brent nodded.

"Did she do more?"

"Sometimes she would jerk me off. I would try and fight her when she did that but she would just have someone come in and force my arms into the restraints."

"Restraints?" Jay looked up from his legal pad.

"The chair in her office... it had straps on the arms and the front legs. The men would come in and force my arms into those and then my legs. They would be so tight that they hurt."

Jay closed his eyes momentarily and then went back to writing his notes. His own stomach was starting to churn with the images Brent's words were creating.

"How often were these sessions?"

"A few times a week."

"Each time, you were forced to masturbate until you climaxed?"

"Yes, she wasn't happy with me until I shot."

Jay swallowed. "Please go on."

"It was after a few weeks of these sessions that I tried running away from the clinic. I thought I was actually going to get away but they caught me. I thought they had broken my arm but the shoulder was dislocated. They, um, stripped me by, um, cutting my clothes off me. I, um, passed out when they fixed my arm."

"What happened when you woke up?"

Brent swallowed. He could remember all too well coming awake in that room. He could also remember Ned and Steven sneaking in to rescue him.

Brent told Jay about Ned and Steven and them trying to help him escape. "Ned was reluctant but he showed up anyway." Brent left out the part about the phone call to Matt.

"We got caught before we were able to even get out of there. That was... that was when Steven and I ended up in the basement. I never knew what happened to Ned. He might have said Steven forced him. I would not blame him. I would have probably said anything to stay out of that basement hell.

Jay could see that Brent was looking emotionally drained. The boy was pale and trembling a bit. "Do you need to take some time before continuing?" Jay was concerned as he watched the young man. The boy had been through more than anyone his age should have endured.

"I think that is a good idea," Matt said. He was concerned that the interview might be causing Brent more emotional trauma.

"We can get some lunch and then come back," Bryan offered.

"I'm not sure I can eat," Brent said, "but a break would be good."

"That is fine. Come back after lunch." Jay stood and headed towards the door. He turned back to Brent before he left. "Brent, you are doing amazingly well. This will help protect some other boy from enduring what you have."

"Um, thanks."

#

"I know you said you were not hungry but try and eat a little," Matt encouraged. They had walked a short distance to a nearby restaurant. The food smelled good but Brent had no appetite.

"Um, what do I tell him about how I got out? I mean I can't tell him you, um, broke me out."

"Talk about what happened to you after you and Steven were confined to the basement," Bryan said.

"He's only interested in the events in the clinic," Matt said. "When you get to the point where we got you out, just say you escaped. It is true, you and Steven did escape. Just don't volunteer anything about having a little help."

"I can do that," Brent said. "Um, thanks for... um being here with me. I know you had to take off from work." Brent looked at Matt. His eyes meeting the man's.

"There is nowhere else I would be," Matt said. He was not going to tell Brent that Albert had been forced to do a lot of juggling of the schedule to get Matt the day off.

"Now eat something," Bryan said. "At least some bread." Bryan passed the basket of bread sticks to Brent. They had picked an Italian place because Bryan insisted it was Brent's favorite. Brent would have been fine with anything.

Brent nibbled at the breadstick. He tried again to eat a fork full of the pasta. He had trouble swallowing it but managed. "Um, do I still have my visitation tomorrow?"

"Yes," Matt said. "I could try and get it moved, if you want?"

"Um, yes, I can't face that right after this."

"I'll give Gloria a call and we will just move it to next week."

"Thanks Matt."

"Well, since you will have free time tomorrow afternoon, how about we start your driving lessons." Bryan was trying to think of something that might help the teenager relax.

"I guess." Brent wasn't sure he wanted to learn to drive. He was already behind his classmates as he had turned sixteen while in the clinic but had never taken the required drivers education course. It was just one more thing that the `blonde bitch Wilson' had messed up in his life. He hoped they locked her away forever. He did not want her to ever get out. It was that thought that was giving him the courage to go through with this.

Brent felt his phone vibrate. He had felt it several times. Brent sighed and took his phone from his pocket.

"You doing alright? I'm worried about you."

"Alex?" Matt asked.

"Yes," Brent said as he was answering the text.

"That guy cares about you," Bryan said.

"He does," Matt agreed.

"I guess. He wants to see me tonight or tomorrow."

"I think that would be good," Matt said.

"Maybe tomorrow. I'm not going to feel like it tonight." Brent popped another forkful of the pasta into his mouth.

"I am sure Alex will understand that."

"Do you think we could just go back? I'm not going to be able to eat more and I, um, want to get this over with."

"Sure," Matt said. "I'll pay the bill and we can go."

#

Brent was never sure how he had made it through the afternoon. He had finished his interview with the prosecutor and felt like he had been through an emotional roller coaster. The prosecutor was going to travel to Montana to interview Steven next. Brent had talked to Steven and he sounded more ready than Brent had been. Steven was looking forward to seeing the bitch locked up.

"I can't wait to see her in handcuffs and disheveled." Steven told Brent when they had last talked.

"Aren't you, um, finding it hard to, um, talk about the clinic?" Brent would do anything rather than talk about his experiences there.

"Well, um, I try not to but to make sure she is locked away, well then, we have to do it. We can't allow her to get away with this and do it to someone else."

Brent knew that was true. They had to make sure that the blonde bitch stayed locked away. "You're right."

"I know it will be harder on you, um, she never did to me what she did to you."

"It was so humiliating."

"It wasn't, um, easy to, um, watch."

"Let's not talk about it. I'll have to think about it enough when I do the interview with the prosecutor."

Brent was glad that Steven seemed to be adjusting so well. Maybe he should visit him. He wondered if Matt and Bryan would be up to that trip. He hated to ask them for it. They had already done so much.

Bryan turned out to be a talented driving instructor. The man seemed to be good at anything he did.

"You are doing great." Bryan was watching Brent closely from the passenger's seat. Bryan was hoping that being able to drive would help Brent regain some confidence in himself.

"Thanks, but it isn't too difficult out here where there isn't any traffic."

"Oh, don't worry, we will be throwing you into heavy traffic soon. With you being able to drive, I'll be able to take more naps."

"Sure," Brent said.

#

"You are being more quiet than usual." Brent and Alex were walking down one of the more narrow paths. It felt like snow in the air. "I know it was a rough week." Alex wanted to help Brent; he just was not sure how he could.

"It was. I, um, hope I don't have to do that again."

"I hope you don't either. I feel like..."

Brent paused to look at Alex. "What do you feel?"

The sharpness in Brent's tone surprised Alex. "Just that it was hard on you. You, um, are pulling away from me."

"Alex, you know you are better off without me."

"I'm not. I'm going to touch your shoulder." Alex moved his hand to Brent's shoulder. He wanted to do more than this but he knew from the look in Brent's eyes that Brent had slidden backwards on the being touch scale. "I want to be here to help you recover. I want to be here to see those sexy lips curve into easy smiles. I want to see that sparkle back in those baby blues."

"Don't you get it?" Brent pushed Alex's hand off his shoulder. "That is never going to happen. What she did to me has made that impossible."

"Brent, time..."

"No, there is no fucking time. There is none. I'll be ninety fucking years old before I can fucking get off. Hell, after reliving that shit this week, I may not even be able to get hard."

"You just need the right motivation."

Brent turned and headed up the trail. "I think you should just go. I'm not good company today."

"I'm not going anywhere." Alex was hurrying to keep up with Brent.

Brent spun around. "Go Alex. Just go. I don't want you here. I want to be alone. I just want to walk and be alone." Brent turned back leaving Alex behind.

Alex stood there a little stunned by the direction things had gone. He swallowed down the hurt and Brent's words. He used his thumb to wipe away the tear that slid from his left eye. He watched until Brent disappeared around a bend in the trail. He debated for several minutes about following after Brent but decided to give the guy some space. With his head down, he slid his hands into the pockets of his jacket and headed back in the direction of Matt and Bryan's cabin.

Brent paused after several minutes of vigorous walking. He heard movement behind him. Part of him was mad that Alex had followed him and part of him was glad. He was glad that the man cared enough to put up with Brent. Brent spun around and discovered it wasn't Alex following him. It was just a big rust colored dog. Brent's eyes traveled from the dog to the trail and there was no sight of Alex. Then Brent's eyes returned to the dog. "Where did you come from?" Brent took a few steps towards the dog. The dog seemed to shrink in fear. "I won't hurt you." Brent squatted down and held out his hand. "Come on. Let's be friends."

Slowly the dog moved towards Brent. He sniffed at Brent's hand and then gave it a tentative lick.

"That's a good boy." Brent moved his hand to scratch the dog's ear but the dog backed away. "I'm not going to hurt you, boy." Brent thought the dog was a boy but he had not yet gotten a good look to verify that.

It took time and patience for Brent to coax the dog but he eventually got the dog to let him scratch an ear. The dog was so skittish that Brent was sure it had been abused. "It seems like we both got the short end of the stick. At least we both got away from our abusers." Brent continued to sit there on the cold ground talking to the dog and occasionally patting him. The dog kept enough of a distance that he could bolt at any moment or sudden movement.

As the stars were coming out, Brent realized he had been sitting there for hours. "Shit, Matt and Bryan are going to be getting worried." He wondered if that had been who texted him. He pulled his phone from his pocket and looked at the text. They were from Alex. The last one read "Please, please, please let me know you are alright. I'm calling out a search party if I don't hear from you soon."

Brent shook his head. He could not understand Alex. He did not know why the guy continued to come around. "Fine" Brent waited a second for Alex to respond. "I'm glad you are alright."

Brent got up from the cold ground. The dog quickly backed away. "I'm not going to hurt you." With a little coaxing, Brent got the dog to come closer again. He scratched the dog's head. "I wonder if Matt and Bryan will let me keep you." Brent straightened up. He could feel a couple more vibrations from his phone. He figured it was Alex and was going to ignore them for now. The guy knew he was alright. "Come on," Brent said to the dog. "I had better go back before Matt and Bryan come out looking for me."

With some effort and patience, Brent managed to get the dog to follow him back. He had not realized just how far he had walked. He was glad there was a moon tonight. Even with that light, it was still dark in the trees. He used the flashlight on his phone to help light his way. He was glad when he came to the main trail and knew it was just a couple turns before he would come out into his backyard.

As Brent emerged from the trees into the yard, he saw a shadow move. It startled him and the dog. The dog darted away. "Shit!" Brent turned his light on the shadow revealing Alex. "What the hell!"

"Sorry. I didn't mean to startle you." Alex had just gotten up from the cold ground. His back hurt and his legs were stiff from sitting there for so long.

"You scared him away!"

"Sorry, I didn't..."

"Why are you still here? I told you to go."

"I wanted..."

"I told you I was fine. You should have left."

"Brent, I'm sorry."

Brent was not listening. He was looking into the trees. He was hoping to see the dog there so he could coax him back.

Alex moved closer to Brent. He felt bad at upsetting Brent. He guessed he should have left but he had not wanted them to part with Brent angry with him. It looked like now that he had made things even worse. "Where did the dog come from?"

"He's a stray." Brent did not see the dog anywhere. Brent turned back to Alex. "Well, now I'm back. You can go home."

The words were cold and struck at Alex. "I thought maybe we could..."

"Alex, go. Leave."

Alex slid his hands into his pockets. He did that more to stop himself from reaching out to Brent than because of the cold. "Brent, I know it was a rough week..."

"It was a fucking horrible week. You are making it worse."

Alex swallowed. "I'm sorry. I'll go. Would you, ah, call me tomorrow."

"Sure." Brent agreed but at the moment he had no intention of calling Alex.

"Bye then." Alex waited but Brent did not say anything. "Brent, I'm here for you anytime."

"Bye Alex."

Alex looked down at the ground. He turned to walk around the cabin and to his car. He paused and said softly, "I love you." He did not wait for a response. He hurried towards his car. He was fighting back the tears. He did not stop until he was around the corner of the cabin and out of sight. He took in a shaky breath and then wiped at his burning eyes.

#

Brent had no luck at finding the stray dog. He finally gave up and headed into the house. Matt and Bryan were sitting together on the sofa. There was a fire burning in the fireplace and a game on the television.

"We thought you two were going to stay out there all night." Matt realized that Brent was alone. "Did Alex leave?"

"Yes." Brent's voice was sharp.

"Did you two have a fight?" Bryan could see that Brent was more tense now than he had been when the teenager and Alex had left for a walk.

"Yes, No. Hell, I don't know."

Matt got up from the sofa. He sat his beer on the end table before walking over to Brent. "We know it was a rough week."

"Why does everyone keep saying that? It was beyond rough. It was fucking horrible!"

"Yes, it was a fucking awful experience for you."

Brent looked down at the floor. He was yelling at the man who had dropped everything for him.

"But you made it through it." Matt's voice was strong but gentle. "You survived Brent. The worst is over."

"I'm sorry Matt. I'm just. I'm just. Hell, I'm not even sure what I am."

Matt reached out and put his hand on Brent's shoulder. "Having to relive what you went through...well I can only imagine how hard that was for you." Tenderly Matt brushed the blonde hair back from Brent's face. He could see the teenager tense up but at least Brent did not pull away.

Brent fought down the urge to pull back from Matt. He knew that would only hurt Matt. "I'm sorry you had to hear about it. I, um, didn't want anyone to know what I did."

"Brent, surviving that hell shows us how strong you are. I understand you not wanting to talk about it but you did nothing wrong then. You are a victim. You were raped by her. You have no reason to be ashamed. The only person that should be ashamed is Wilson."

"But I let her." Brent's voice was cracking. He was fighting hard to hold back the tears.

"You fought her. You stood up to her."

"But I, I came and now...and now..."

Matt moved closer to Brent and put his arms around the teenager. He pulled Brent in tight and held him.

"I'm fucked up. I came and now I can't. I came with her but now..." Brent's words broke off as the sobs overtook him. He put his arms around Matt and held on to the man. His face was pressed against Matt's chest and the tears were sliding down Brent's cheeks and onto Matt's dress shirt.

"It's alright. Let it out." Matt rubbed his hand up and down Brent's back and kissed the top of the blonde's head.

Time seemed frozen as Brent cried there with Matt holding him. He did not understand what was happening to him. He had never been like this before. He had never sobbed to his parents like this. He had never stood there and cried into his dad or Mom's chest. Well not since he had been a little kid.

Matt tenderly ran his fingers through Brent's soft blonde hair. He could feel the boy's sobbing subsiding. He heard Brent sniff and take in some deep breaths.

"I'm sorry. I don't know why I'm not stronger."

"Brent." Matt moved so he could look into Brent's eyes. "You keep associating crying with being weak and that is so wrong. It takes more strength to let this out and share it than to hold it in and hide it."

Brent rubbed the tears away. "I, um..."

"If you say you are sorry, I'm going to ground you."

Brent's lips twitched. "I did not mean to be so sharp with you."

Bryan joined the two bringing Brent a box of tissue. "I was kind of expecting you to snap sometime soon."

Brent took several tissues and blew his nose. He so hated feeling like this. He wondered if he would ever get past this feeling of shame and sorrow.

"Did you snap at Alex? Is that why he left?" Bryan was curious. He did not see Alex being that easy to push away.

Brent looked down at the floor and his dirty shoes. "I wasn't very nice to him."

"He'll understand," Matt said.

"I'm not sure I want him to understand."

"We thought you two were doing well," Bryan said.

"He seems like a good guy," Matt said.

"He is. He's too good. He's too understanding. He, he knows I'm fucked up and he just keeps coming around. He needs to... to find a guy that... that can be a boyfriend. That isn't me."

Matt and Bryan exchanged a look. They could see the pain on Brent's face and both men felt it tear at them. "It never hurts to have a friend."

"He wants more than that. He wants a boyfriend. He wants someone who can be normal. I'm not that. She fucked me up. She messed up everything!"

Brent turned and hurried from the room. He darted into the bedroom, closing the door behind him. He hoped that neither Matt nor Bryan would follow him.

Matt started to follow Brent but Bryan placed a hand on Matt's arm. "Give him some space. It was a dreadful couple of days for him."

Matt took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I just want to help him."

"I know babe." Bryan moved closer pressing himself against Matt from behind. He held Matt and kissed Matt's neck. "I want to help him too but he needs a little space. He needs to process everything. Some of the stuff he told us and Jay..."

"It was horrible. I've never wanted to harm someone as much as I want to throttle that bitch!"

Bryan could feel the tension in Matt's body. He kissed Matt's neck again. "Me to babe. Me too."

#

Copyright 2022 by Keith yates (keith.96@att.net) all rights reserved.

No copying, reposting, or distributing is permitted without the author's written consent.

Reason obeys itself; and ignorance submits to whatever is dictated to it. Thomas Paine

Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it. Thomas Paine

To argue with a man who has renounced the use and authority of reason, and whose philosophy consists in holding humanity in contempt, is like administering medicine to the dead, or endeavoring to convert an atheist by scripture. Thomas Paine

Character is much easier kept than recovered. Thomas Paine