DISCLAIMER: Standard disclaimers apply. If you are underage (18 or 21, depending) and/or are offended by mature themes including consensual sexual contact between teen males, then DO NOT continue. This work is entirely fictional and any resemblances to persons (other than myself) either living or dead, is entirely coincidental. If you wish to reprint this story, just drop me an email letting me know where, and make sure you give me (Menzo) credit.
Feel free to give me criticism; my writing is far from perfect! Comments are very much appreciated, so please drop me a quick email at menzoberranzen_of_the_drow@yahoo.com
~Menzo
"Enjoy the Ride"
Chapter 5 - Revelations
I was still fuming at Dorian when I got back to the house, but as soon as I rounded the corner onto my street I noticed a familiar car parked out front. All thoughts of Dorian were driven from my mind as I redirected my anger. I wasn't the person they thought they knew, and they were about to find that out first-hand.
"Get the fuck out of my house," I yelled, almost casually, as I hung up my coat. As expected, two very unwelcome faces appeared in the hall before me with Jesse not far behind, making apologetic gestures.
"Here are your coats," I said nonchalantly, passing them each a coat. They didn't take them, and I sighed heavily.
"Why don't you come with us for a while, Jamie. We'll go grab supper," said the older fellow, my grandfather. I was a bit taken aback by his politeness, but I hadn't fallen for that ruse since I was 13 years old and he had taken me for 'ice cream,' only to give me lecture - with a physical component, of course - about why boys weren't interested in fashion.
"I just ate," I replied, maintaining the façade.
"Coffee, then," he smiled. I could almost believe he meant it - almost - but I knew I would only get hurt more if I accepted.
"I'll pass," I responded curtly. He was not a patient man by any stretch of the word but, compared to my uncle, who was the other man present, he looked like a saint.
"You ungrateful little bugger," snarled my uncle, raising his hand. I felt a stinging sensation on my head; I was honestly quite shocked. It wasn't unexpected, but after the affair with my immediate family, it set me off. Rather than defer, as he expected, I retaliated with a backhanded smack across his face. There was no more pretense of civility, and Jesse had rushed over to stand beside me.
"I think it's time you left," he said calmly to my relatives. Apparently he wasn't even worth their attention, because I was still the focus of attention.
"You listen to me, brat!" snapped my grandfather. "You should be damn grateful that you have such wonderful parents." I wanted to unleash a stream of obscenities, but I wasn't going to prolong this any more than strictly necessary.
His tirade continued along in much the same vein; I was ungrateful, needed professional help and should be on my knees begging to be taken back. When he was red-faced and out of breath, I finally deigned to speak.
"Are you quite finished," I asked. Not waiting for an answer, I continue. "Yes? Excellent! Now, if you don't mind, I really do have things to do tonight."
He looked flabbergasted, and I permitted myself a small smile. Perhaps taking the high road was worth it after all. Much as I wanted to start screaming, it was oddly satisfying to watch him struggle for words. Never one to be at a loss for words, well, four letter ones at least, my uncle took his turn to verbally assault me.
"You little fucker," he began. "I'll see you get the faggot beaten out of you, if I have to do it myself."
"Please don't," I taunted, amusing myself to no end.
"Shut the fuck up! You're coming with us, NOW! We'll get you out of this wretched, faggot-loving whore house..."
"Hey," snapped Jesse angrily. My uncle just rode over him; not even my dear father could override this guy.
"And get you back into a normal, sane house. Somewhere you can grow up to be a normal person." He seemed to calm down, seeing my lack of reaction. He may even thought he was making some headway with me.
"So," I mused aloud. "By normal, do you mean a deadbeat, middle-aged man who lives with his father?"
His eyes widened and I thought he was going to take another shot at me, but Jesse stepped in.
"Enough!" he shouted. "You," he roared, pointing at my uncle. "Can get the fuck out of my house."
"Don't tell us what to do, little bastard!" yelled my grandfather, looking livid. I was afraid things were about to get violent, when Lily walked in the door. She must have heard something, because she caught on very quickly to what was going on.
"This is my house," she said authoritatively. "You have until the count of three to be out of my sight, or I'll call the police."
She reached for her phone, and my relatives looked defeated. She smiled in satisfaction, holding the door open for them.
"This isn't over," one of them snarled, as they left. Jesse put a hand on my shoulder, but I couldn't resist one final jab at the men who made me cherish my time with my father.
"Actually, I think you'll find that it is. If you set foot in my house again, I will personally file a restraining order against the both of you."
With a few final unintelligible curses hurled in my direction, they got in their car and drove off.
"That was entertaining," I said after a while.
"If you say so," Jesse muttered, walking into the sitting room. Lily look scandalized that I could even suggest such a thing.
"Don't give me that look," I teased Jesse. I jumped on him, pinning him to the couch. We wrestled on the floor for a while, but soon Jesse sat up, flipping his hair out of his face.
"Seriously though," he started. My face fell and I sighed, reclining against the sofa.
"Don't tell me that wasn't hard," he continued, determined to do this now.
"It was," I said slowly. "But it was still amusing. Besides, why get worked up over it anyway? I don't care about what they think or do, as long as it doesn't affect me."
He pursed his lips, but soon was smiling. "I guess you're right. So, how was coffee with Dorian?"
I groaned aloud; at least that little episode had taken my mind off of Dorian for a while. "He's being a bitch," I said sullenly.
"Oh?" Jesse raised his eyebrows, looking surprised.
"Yeah, I don't get him sometimes," I sighed. "We had a great time and then as we left I said goodbye to the waiter and he freaked out on me."
"Would this be the same waiter you spoke to after practice last night?" asked Lily unhelpfully.
"Yes," I frowned. "So what? I mean fuck, if he has a problem with me being gay why is he hanging out with me at all? And what the fuck does 'if you don't know, I'm not going to tell you' mean, anyway?"
"Well," Jesse started diplomatically at the same time his sister burst into laughter and smacked me lightly on the head.
"You really are an idiot sometimes," she said with a shake of her head.
"What?!" I exclaimed. "Me? How the hell should I know what his problem is?"
"It's kind of obvious, no?" she said, rather than asked. Jesse shot her a warning glance that I did not miss.
"Alright, what is it?" I demanded, looking furious. Jesse started to object, saying I should ask him myself, but Lily cut him off.
"He likes you, moron," she said with exasperation.
"And..." I said, not understanding. "That's what I assumed until he went all bitchy on me."
"No dummy," it was Jesse this time. "He likes you."
It took me a while to wrap my head around what he was saying.
"What? No, that can't be right."
They just looked at me with amazement in their eyes and waited for it to dawn on me.
"Well, that might explain why he doesn't like Julian then," I said.
"Julian?" asked Lily.
"Starbucks guy," I explained.
"Yeah, I should think so," said Jesse. "All he has done since that party is try to get you to notice him!"
"Notice him?! I spend almost as much time with him as with Matt and Ben."
"Don't be deliberately obtuse."
Now it was my turn to purse my lips but my annoyance couldn't last long. I was soon rolling around on the floor, being tickled by the two of them.
"No fair, it's two on one," I whined.
"What? Lily, did you notice that there were two of us?" he laughed, giving me a brief reprieve. I took the moment of peace to kick him playfully in the side and stagger to my feet. I tried to look angry, but the grin splitting my face in two was ruining the effect.
"Truce," I panted. "Where are your parents, anyway?"
"They went out for dinner," said a very red-faced Lily. "I'm cooking tonight."
"Oh no!" groaned Jesse and I in unison, earning us nasty looks from the chef.
"Fine, then!" she huffed, stomping away. "Starve for all I care."
We laughed at her expense and then quickly ran after her, not wanting to miss dinner. The rest of the evening was extremely enjoyable, and the three of us watched T.V. together after supper. However, things went downhill - as they often did - that night when the lights were out and I found myself alone and on the verge of tears. I don't know if he was watching me or not, but it was not long before I heard a gentle knock on the door. I turned around to see Jesse, wearing nothing but his boxers, standing there with a soft smile on his face. He didn't speak, he just made a beckoning motion with his hand. I needed no further prompting, and I padded quietly after him into his room.
"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked as we settled into the bed.
"I was thinking about today," I admitted.
"Dorian or..."
"My relatives."
"Hey, don't worry. They're still family, it must be hard on you," he said, placing his hand on mine.
"It's not that," I said truthfully. "I just want them to leave me alone and let me get on with my fucking life."
"You are still living the same life. They were in it for 16 years, how quickly do you expect it to go away."
"I don't know!" I said, frustrated. "But everything would be so much easier if it wasn't there, haunting me. Even Alannah. She keeps calling me, wanting to talk. Why can't she just leave me alone?"
Rather than the soothing remark I had been hoping for, I felt him sit up in the bed beside me and turn on the light.
"Jamie," he said seriously. "You don't mean that."
"Yes I do..."
He brought his finger to my lips, silencing me. "She was one of your best friends. I know she might not be supportive of the gay thing, but that didn't stop from being friends with her you before getting kicked out."
"That was different," I mumbled.
"Why?" he asked simply. With most people, I would have gotten frustrated but not with him; not after what I had already shared.
"Because, I could ignore it then..." I said, somewhat lamely.
"I can't say I like the idea of you hanging out with a homophobe, but god Jamie, she adores you and I know you aren't ready to give up on her yet."
"I guess your right," I smiled. "As per usual. I still want to get on with my life, though."
"I know," he said, reassuringly rubbing my arm. He turned out the light and slid back into the bed.
"Jess...thanks. For the talks; for everything. It really helps."
He smiled at me and then reached around into his bedside table. He pulled out something I didn't recognize at first, but I was soon on the verge of tears again when I saw the ratty leather bracelet. It had a tarnished brass plaque on one side that, if I remembered correctly, said Friends.
"Oh my god!" I whispered. "You kept it all these years?"
"Of course I did. Just like you still have that ugly collage I made for you hanging over your bed."
I could feel the water-works starting again, but I held them in.
"Damn Jess, do you ever cry?" I asked teasingly.
"Oh I dunno, I guess I just figure you do enough for the both of us," he laughed. I blushed a bit and he just smiled.
"Didn't think that when Melissa dumped you for that prick, now did you?"
"Hey, that's way below the belt!" he said indignantly. "So, I shed a few tears."
Now it was my turn to smile; if memory served me, he had balled his eyes out on my shoulder for hours.
"And that time after gym that Brad saw you naked and said you had a small..."
"Enough!" he choked, blushing crimson.
"Goodnight," I snickered.
"G'night," he said softly to me. Once again, he had put me to sleep with a huge smile on my face.
A new day, with new challenges had begun. I found myself easily slipping into my routine of run, shower, eat, go to school. Except that, of course, I would have to face Dorian today. Amidst the turmoil of everything going on yesterday, I hadn't really given it much thought.
"Hey guys," Liz called out to us as we pulled into the parking lot.
"Hey," I replied to the trio of friends. Jesse walked immediately over to Matt and whispered something into his ear. Matt's face split into a huge grin and he walked over to me.
"So," he said keeping his voice low. "Finally figured it out did you?"
"More like we told him," laughed Jesse.
"What?! Dorian will be pissed."
"He already is," I said bitterly. "Apparently didn't like me flirting with Julian."
"Julian?" It was Ben who spoke this time. "That shy guy in our grade?"
"Yeah. Jealous?"
"Not at all," he said smoothly. "That's Dorian's job."
I hit him in the arm with a sulky grump.
"Am I the only one who doesn't think this is funny?" I demanded.
"Yeah," was the general chorus of replies.
"Fine," I snapped.
"Oh, come on Jamie," called Liz. "We still love you!"
"Don't even," I said threateningly, catching Ben before he could shut his mouth. He at least had the decency to look abashed. We had no more chance to talk, as the bell had just rung and we were all running off to different classes. I walked into physics class and the first thing I noticed was Julian, looking shy and somewhat haggard. How had I never noticed him in class before? I thought to myself absently.
Seeing Dorian out of the corner of my eye, I avoided speaking to Julian. I took a seat and, to my surprise, Dorian put his books down right next to mine.
"Hey," he said casually.
"Hi," came my wary response.
"Sorry I snapped at you yesterday. I thought I had been pretty clear about it."
"It?" I asked, wondering how I should broach the subject.
"Still haven't figured it out, huh?" he sighed.
"I think I've got a pretty good idea," I replied. I didn't want to get my friends in trouble for spelling it out for me.
"So..." He had obviously never done this before, but then again, neither had I. However, confidence had never been problem for me and I wasn't terribly shy.
"So, I think you would love it if we went for dinner on Friday night. Say, 7:00?"
He smiled at me and blushed a bit before nodding his agreement. With the tension between us somewhat dissipated, the rest of the day passed smoothly. Jesse ate lunch with his friend Ryan, and I promptly vacated myself from the area. I looked around for Matt or Ben, but they were nowhere to be seen and I wondered where I should sit. I had no real desire to make myself feel unwelcome around people I didn't know or like but I was saved that trouble by Aaron.
"Hey Aaron," I smiled as he walked over to me.
"Hi! Why don't you come have lunch with us?" he asked me.
I wondered who would comprise 'us' but I thanked him and followed him over to a table in the far corner. I recognized one face from cross-country, but the rest were all unfamiliar. They did the best to include me in their conversation but I did far more listening that talking. It wasn't unpleasant, but I didn't want to impose on them. After a while, I excused myself from the table and walked over to Julian. He had just gotten up from his table and looking a bit down, as he often did. I think he felt comfortable around me, because he smiled when he saw me.
"Hello," he said. I noted that he wasn't nearly as shy with me as he had been before.
"I can't believe I never saw you at school before," I commented as we walked.
"I take a lot of advanced classes," he shrugged. "And I'm usually with my friends during breaks. Still, it's nice to see somebody different every now and then. I'm sorry about your boyfriend, by the way."
The way he threw that last line out so casually, it took me a minute to register what he had said. When it hit me, I did a double take.
"He's not my boyfriend," I said automatically.
"Right," he said, with just a hint of sarcasm. "Sorry. There's nobody around though."
"No, no, it's not that...Well it is, actually, but he still isn't my boyfriend. Just a friend."
"I didn't mean to imply anything, I just thought..." he trailed off and looked slightly aloof.
"I try to keep it quiet, but so far everybody I meet seems to know I'm gay within the first few days!" There, I said it aloud to him.
"Don't worry," he laughed. "You're not that obvious. I just have good gaydar."
I choked slightly, but managed to keep my composure. So, he's gay, I thought idly to myself. Perhaps this dinner with Dorian wasn't such a great idea, after all.
"Mine is terrible," I said truthfully. "Well, selective actually. I only ever think attractive guys are gay."
He laughed at that and asked innocently if I had thought he was gay. I smirked and told him I wasn't sure, earning me a sore arm. I laughed and looked up, but Julian looked worried.
"Shit, sorry. Are you ok?" he seemed very upset now.
"Yeah, no worries," I grinned broadly. Just how shy and insecure was he, anyway?
"So, are you out?" I asked, not sure what else to say.
"Not really, but I'm sure people have their suspicions about me. My boyfriend is, though, which doesn't help the rumors."
Sigh. He was taken. I was surprised, but knowing he was taken did not diminish my feelings. I admit that it was, at that point, more of a physical attraction, but as I got to know him better, the more I thought I liked him.
"No, I can't imagine it does. Does he go to this school?"
"Yup, he's a senior. It's not really my place, but that guy you were with is totally infatuated with you."
"So I've been told," I said sulkily. Surely he hadn't been that obvious! Julian laughed but just then the bell rang and we both dashed off to our separate classes.
"How's Julian?" asked Dorian, somewhat sharply, as I walked into the class. I wondered if he had been watching me.
"He's fine," I replied casually. "He's really shy, though. Sweet, but shy." I knew I was treading on dangerous ground, but if Dorian was going to get jealous every time I talked to another guy, then there was a problem.
"I haven't spoken with him, much," he said simply.
We didn't speak about Julian for the rest of the day and things went smoothly. Derek still went out of his way to be obnoxious, but nothing serious or violent at the moment. I talked to Susan briefly about my relatives' visit, but there was nothing really to be done about it. Friday was a relatively boring day, although I endured endless teasing about my 'date' with Dorian that night.
"Jamie, where are you and Dorian going for supper," asked Lily, politely enough. Jesse thought it hilarious, though, and earned himself a sharp kick.
"Ow," he whined.
"Oh, get over it," I laughed. "I haven't really thought about it yet. Any ideas?"
"Well," she mused. "If you don't want to be seen - which I'm sure you don't - you should probably try somewhere small."
I frowned at that; I hadn't really considered the implications of going on a date in public.
"I go out with Matt and Jesse all the time..."
"To white table-cloth places?" she asked.
"Well, no," I conceded.
"There's a little Thai place down on Water Street that is really nice," Jesse pitched in. "Nobody from school would be there."
"That sounds nice. I like Thai food." That was true, although it had been years since I last ate it. After a couple other suggestions, I eventually settled on the Thai restaurant and went to get dressed.
After showering and doing my hair, I settled on a pair of gray pants with a button-up shirt to wear. I was more curious than worried about the evening; after all I had never been on a date before and, well, I wasn't sure things would work out with Dorian and I.
To be honest, the meal started out in an awkward fashion. I picked him up from his house and we drove, in almost complete silence, to the restaurant. A tension was present that hadn't ever been there before in our brief friendship - a warning sign that I missed, at the time. Once the appetizers had arrived, he forgot about the whole 'date' situation, and we chatted amiably about the various things that occupy the life of a teenager. From that point on, the night progressed much like any other time we were together. Once we had finished our superb, if spicy, meal I paid the bill - despite his protests - and we returned to the car. The awkwardness rose sharply, once we were in the car and we endured another silent car ride.
However, things became significantly more noteworthy when I pulled into his driveway. We said the usual pleasantries but then he said something, apparently to himself, and leaned over to kiss me. It wasn't a deeply passionate kiss, but it was certainly a shock to me. I eventually gathered the presence of mind to kiss him back, but once we pulled away, I just looked at him questioningly.
I realize that this wasn't the greatest chapter, but I was having some trouble writing it and it was more of a transition chapter than anything. I think the next one should be better.
Comments, criticisms and suggestions are all very welcome. I write because I enjoy it, but I post them here for you so please let me know what you think of the story.
Menzoberranzen_of_the_drow@yahoo.com
~Menzo