Jack Is a Jerk

JACK THE JERK CHAPTER THREE

The kiss felt as if it would carry on for ages, when in reality it was only a couple of seconds.

Poor Josh Pallister didn't quite know what had hit him...he had kissed girls before of course, Tasha wasn't THAT much of an Ice Queen, thank God for that, but this was the first time that he had been kissed by a guy...a dude...a fellow class- and team mate for good measure. He swore that under normal circumstances, he would have broken away from Jack the Jerk's lips which was still lodged onto his very own, but in that moment, within that sprinkle in time, he was frozen to the ground, and solid at that.

Somewhere in between Jack must have realised just what he was doing and WHO he was doing it with, because as quickly as he had kissed Josh to begin with, he withdrew his lips from the latter's...a bright shine of red cascading over his entire face, and quickly at that. He reached up with his right hand and covered his mouth, as if he was ashamed, or maybe more shocked at what he had just done.

And again...with who he just did it with.

Josh's eyes were as wild as anyone had ever seen him...not even he had run a record time at last year's nationals, had he been as shocked and as disturbed as he was now. He was straight...he was into girls, and he had no fucking idea why he had allowed Jack Lavery to even get close to him as he had just done. No fucking idea.

There was a deathly, eerie silence all across the small classroom in which they were forced to sleep for the duration of the weekend, neither boy made any sort of movement or any sign that they wanted to talk about what had just occurred. Josh's eyes refused to leave those of Jack's however and vice versa, as if they were drawn together by a sheer magnetic field of justice, pulling them towards the other like a vice.

Jack's eyes softened somewhat, probably because he realised that Josh WAS in fact NOT going ballistic on his ass for kissing him, giving the boy the freedom and the courage to get even closer to the boy which he was supposed to hate with all his might.

Josh didn't move...even for one second. It wasn't only the fact that Jack had kissed him...the dude who had him pulling out his hair from the very moment that he had transferred to Freedom High, the dude that he STILL after all these weeks were CONVINCED had tripped him in their 400-meter relay, allowing Jack's then, high school to win the regional championships...the boy who was a complete and utter mess, therefore earning him the name Jack the Jerk within just his first week of attending Freedom High.

And still...the boy was swallowing feverishly; he licked his lips...Josh watching Jack's every move as if from the seat within a cinema...perhaps subconsciously willing him to DO THAT AGAIN...

Jack's eyes flickered over the entirety of Josh's handsome face, his lips were tingling to get back on those of Josh...his deep, dark secret that he had been carrying for years and years on end, finally getting out onto the surface...

Josh was caring, he was kind, he was the first ever person in Jack's life, as far as he could remember, that had actually CARED about him. When Josh had gathered up Daniel and Tyson to take on those bastards who wanted to actually throw him into the bon fire at the BBQ earlier that night, something within Jack Lavery snapped. It BROKE...it nearly fucking collapsed. He couldn't believe these guys, whom he had given such a hard time since joining the school, was actually willing to take on bigger jerks than him, FOR HIM, and actually WIN.

Jack's heart was on fire...Josh was beautiful, he knew that from the moment that he had met him. That very day that he had seen the sexy teenager on that athletics track...he knew...my God, he knew...that he would LOVE to get to know him better. But as he had always done ever since he was twelve, and realised that he preferred dicks over pussies, he tried too hard to HIDE what he felt. The only way that he KNEW to behave was to make people HATE the crap out of him.

Because that way...they would never suspect who and WHAT he well and truly was.

Jack was shaking as he realised that Josh still hadn't said anything. He knew the guy was straight...he had a girlfriend...he was probably the most popular kid in the entire school, because of his athletic prowess...so why the hell wasn't Josh Pallister SAYING anything? Doing anything? Just fucking STANDING there like a fucking cement sculpture...

Jack took a deep breath, and leaned in to kiss Josh once more, before the boy finally seemed to get complete control back over his limbs, and slowly moved away from the incoming smooch, lifting up both of his hands and placing them slowly, ever so gently, on to Jack's upper chest, to stop him.

Jack hissed with grief, launched his body backwards, away from Josh and those beautiful features the boy possessed, standing away from him as far as he could, covering his face with both of his hands.

"I'm sorry...Jesus Christ, I'm sorry...I'm so, so, so sorry..." he whispered over and over, refusing to look at Josh...the one kid that he had thought earlier tonight, who he MIGHT, for once in his miserable life, have considered to be a friend, and just LOOK what he had gone and done! If he looked directly at Josh Pallister now...and saw that same hatred on his face which he had always done to himself, he didn't know whether or not he could handle it.

Josh swallowed some pent-up saliva slowly, before his eyes widened as he saw what amount of clear mental anguish this dude was putting himself through. He couldn't for shit, imagine either Tommy, nor Daniel, not even to mention Tyson openly acting the way that Jack was now. It seemed for the world, that he was actually...punishing himself for laying his lips on Josh's.

Josh's heart swelled just a tad...and all the times where he had thought terrible things about Jack Lavery seemed to vanish into thin air, as he once more heard soft cries coming from behind the boy's closed-off face.

"Jack...Jack, come on, man talk to me..." he whispered, his voice as dry as it had ever been, and slowly moved forward towards Jack, nervously reaching out and placing his hand solidly, carefully, onto the boy's shoulder.

At once, as if he had just been struck by lightning, Jack moved away from Josh, holding up both of his hands in protest before him, very much as Josh did earlier, but his body language was simply ten times worse than what the latter was.

"Don't...don't touch me! Don't you fucking touch me!" Jack shrieked out loud, with Josh thanking which ever God was up there, that they were on the third floor, away from their teammates and the rest of the attending school's students, before he tried to get close to Jack once more...

"Dude, come on, you're my teammate, and we're fucking sharing this room for the weekend, I gotta try and help you, if I can..."

Jack barked out a laugh, before he shook his head.

"There is no one...NO ONE that can help me! And I swear...I fucking swear Josh Pallister...you tell anyone what just happened and I'll..."

"...you'll what? Huh, Jack? What will you do? Kill me, like you threatened to do the other day? You couldn't even hold your own earlier with those older boys, I had to come and fucking HELP your sorry ass!"

Jack sneered and spat out, his watery saliva missing Josh's shoes by mere centimeters.

"DID YOU SEE ME ASKING FOR HELP? NO! Look, Josh...just...I don't wanna fight, but after what just happened, obviously we can't stay in here together anymore, so..."

Josh aimed for the door the very moment that Jack seemed like wanted to bolt away from all of this.

"Where the hell do you think you're going! This is Cape Town! We're in the middle of fucking WINTER! Do you wanna freeze to death?"

Jack shook his head, and slowly wringed his hands in sheer haste, before he looked upwards at Josh again.

"I kissed you...now you know who and what I am. And I can't expect you, someone like you, to..."

"Wait, someone like me? What the hell do you mean by that?" Josh nervously demanded.

Jack grimaced slightly, and carefully, pushed Josh out of the way, and opened the door to the classroom, before turning back the latter, his voice full of hidden emotion...

"You're straight...you're handsome as hell, you have a girlfriend...you're the fucking bee's knees around these parts..."

"What the hell are you even talking about?"

Jack sighed and walked out of the room, refusing to look at Josh one more time.

"Don't come and look for me...please...I just need to be alone..." he whispered, before he took off in the direction of the stairs, with Josh hearing his shoes jogging them down two by two, before he finally could hear him no more.

"Jack! Jack! For God's sake, we have a race tomorrow!" Josh screamed after his teammate, but he quickly realised that he was talking to literal walls. He sighed as well, before he closed the door to his room, but he didn't lock it, just in case Jack came back, which he highly doubted.

He laid down on the bed that was assigned to him, and as if on sheer instinct, he couldn't help but to look over to the empty one now next to him. With a deep sigh, he turned on his back, and switched off the bed light plugged in next to his bed, and proceeded to stare up at the ceiling, with total darkness surrounding him.

Why...why didn't he pull away immediately?

Why didn't he just punch Jack's lights out the very moment when the dude laid his lips on his?

If it was any of the guys, he would have in a fucking heart beat!

The town of Freedom wasn't exactly known for their open mindedness...by any means, they fully believed and taught their offspring from a young age that homosexuality was a sin...then again so was having sex before marriage but he knew of several Freedom residents over the years who HAD to get married just for the sake of a kid...

Josh, never really understood why gay people received so much hatred, if he was honest. He himself never thought of kissing another guy, but now that it has happened...

...it wasn't like the world had ended or stopped. It wasn't like he was struck by a bolt of lightning from heaven for what they did. It wasn't like the kiss was bad...it honestly wasn't that bad at fucking all.

Be that as it may, tonight he saw a side of Jack Lavery which he was totally sure that not many people have ever had. Those three high school boys who wanted to fucking end his life by throwing him into the bon fire, totally seemed to crack his normally hard and solid facade. But now that he has seen it, the vulnerable side to Jack the Jerk, he wasn't sure where to fucking go from here.

Closing his eyes, he seemed to slip away into a light sleep, to the point where he woke up the very moment that the door of the classroom opened once more, several hours later. Still pretending to be asleep, knowing that his body was turned away from where Jack's bed was, he lied in wait to see or hear what the boy would be doing, but all that he heard was several sighs and the giving way of the mattress underneath Jack as he finally lied down, before rummaging around a bit, probably to get himself comfortable for the rest of the night.

Suddenly and inequivalently, it was as quiet as it was before the boy had re-entered the classroom, with only those who was still out drinking and partying outside that could be heard from where they were three floors up. Waiting for something...Josh himself wasn't sure, some sort of sign, some sort of conformation that everything would be okay, not only with what happened earlier, but between the two of them, but nothing came.

Josh finally closed his eyes and expected to fall right back asleep, when he heard the bed next to him creek and crack under unexpected weight being shifted around...

"Josh?" came the whisper, so softly and so bloody timid, that Josh nearly couldn't hear him.

To this day, Josh Pallister wouldn't have been able to explain why he didn't just...turn around and face the boy who had made his, and the rest of Freedom High's teenagers' lives hell for nearly a month now, but his brain told him to keep acting like he was fast asleep.

"Josh?" came another attempt from Jack, but still Josh felt like he couldn't DARE move out of position.

Another sigh came from the opposing bed, before Josh heard Jack sniff a couple of times, before he one more turned around in his own bed, before darkness, as well as silence, completely over took them.

**

Jack was gone the following morning when the alarm on Josh's phone went off.

Quickly as possible, he jumped out of his bed, taking a quick shower, making sure that his hair was neatly styled in the way that he always liked it, before he got dressed in his athletics gear in quick succession. He could actually SMELL the majestic aroma of bacon and eggs as well as freshly brewed coffee coming from the cafeteria downstairs, giggling as his tummy rumbled with the utmost effect.

The last thing that he could remember eating, before all the shit of the previous night ever happened, was the two burgers he and his teammates had grilled on the communal BBQ that the school had organized, so he was hungry AF and like any typical sixteen-year-old, he craved, needed food and he needed it NOW.

He sprayed some cologne on before he once more allowed his eyes to flicker over the already-made bed that Jack had supposedly slept on. Jesus...the dude was supposed to run a mammoth relay today in the one race that Freedom High couldn't afford to come even second in. They had already lost some crucial points with regionals where...well, at the time, Josh was sure that Jack had tripped him in their previous race, where Jack was still enrolled at Edgemead Academy, but now, he suddenly wasn't so sure anymore.

Smiling slightly, he reached up and gently touched his lips...and he couldn't help but close his eyes and relive the kiss that they two of them had shared. Again...how wasn't he freaked out? How, wasn't he at least angry AF because a BOY had kissed him against his will? How come last night, he hadn't gone all mortal combat on Jack the Jerk's ass for doing to him, what they had been taught from young age, that boys should never do to each other?

Josh didn't think he was gay, per say...for God's sake, he was dating Tasha! He shook his head and got the hell out of the room, quickly making his way down to where he could still smell the delicious food coming from. Focus, Pallister...your team needs you today, even if you for once, won't be the guy running in the race.

Quickly spotting his teammates, Josh helped himself to a hearty breakfast at the buffet organized by the host school, before walking over to Tommy, Daniel and Tyson who was sitting down by themselves, away from the other schools, who had already probably heard what the hell had been going on between the Freedom High boys and the ones from the Capetonian Highschool the previous evening. Josh's heart dropped just a tad as he realised that Jack wasn't with them...Jesus, did he run away or something? Was he sulking somewhere? That jerk better turn up for the race...he was their BEST chance at actually winning!

"Why are you lot looking so out of it? What happened?" he asked as he sat down, his plate and his cup of steaming coffee before him, and he knew that the answer wouldn't be good, the moment that he laid his eyes on Tommy...his best friend in this whole entire world.

"JESUS! What the hell? Oh my...no...Tommy, dude...is that...is that BEER that I'm smelling?" he asked in sheer disbelief, with Tommy continuing to lie down with his head inside the crook of his folded arms, and turned to Daniel and Tyson, angrier than he had been in a very long ass time.

"You guys were okay with this? You fucking allowed this?" he demanded, placing his arm around Tommy's shoulders, feeling the boy's body shiver and shake with the morbid after effects of what was a severe hangover. As far as he knew, Tommy Hartman has never had as much as a drop of alcohol in his life!

Daniel rolled his eyes and crossed his arms before him, leaning back in his chair.

"Don't go looking at me or Ty here, buddy boy, this is all on YOU!" he hissed towards Josh, with Tyson quick to agree with his teammate.

"Oh wow...now THIS I gotta hear...what the hell happened to Tommy and why did you guys allow him to drink thjs much! JESUS! Guys, he's not gonna be able to run at all, just fucking LOOK at him!"

Tyson angrily smashed his fist on the table top, with Josh's undrinked coffee jiggling inside his cup, before he sarcastically sneered at his team captain.

"Oh, so you have selective memory now? You remember you guys had a fight over us helping Jack?"

"Yeah, no shit I remember, those bastards wanted to fucking burn the dude alive! Is this, what THIS is all about? He couldn't handle me telling him off, so he got beer from somewhere and drank himself stupid?"

Daniel sighed and took another look at their fallen team mate, before he shook his head.

"Us fighting is not gonna help jack shit, brother. Obviously, Tommy here won't be able to run, because lets fucking face it, he can hardly walk, and the Coach is gonna totally freak, but what the hell do you want me to even say? And talking about the jerk, where the fuck is Jack? Didn't you guys share a room?"

Josh frowned as he heard his friend's worrying words.

"Ya'll haven't seen him all morning?"

Both Tyson and Daniel shook their heads, whereas Tommy groaned out loud at the sound of Jack's name.

Josh angrily grabbed a piece of bacon before stuffing it into his mouth. As always when ever he as angry as hell, he tended to wanna eat, and right now was absolutely no exception.

"I suppose I can always do a lap...I just can't be in last like I always am, my ankle so isn't ready for that amount of speed..."

Another groan from Tommy as he suppressed throwing up whatever the hell he had ingested through the night, before Josh rolled his eyes and patted his friend on the back.

Well then...this entire weekend is going wonderfully well, isn't it?

Fuck sake.

**

"ARE...YOU...KIDDING...ME...RIGHT NOW?"

Tyson looked at Daniel, Daniel looked at Tommy, Tommy TRIED to look at Josh, before Josh gingerly nodded at the Coach and shrugged his shoulders, and timidly at that.

They knew the Coach was going to be pissed as hell, and with Jack STILL no where to be found, it was looking more and more like the relay team from Freedom High was going to have to forfeit the race. Even if by some miracle, Josh would be able to run the relay with his ankle still not ready, said relay had to consist out of FOUR members...without Jack the Jerk, they would physically be unable to compete! WHERE THE HELL WAS, HE?

"It was your job to make sure that Jack is here and ready to run, Josh...I trusted you, man! And YOU! Tommy Hartman, never in my life have I had to deal with a DRUNK student before a race! You ought to hang your head in shame!" the coach thundered out to them, but shook his head and WILLED himself to calm down...losing your temper is totally not gonna solve anything right now.

"I'm here! I'm here!"

The entire team representing Freedom High swung around like one man possessed and watched in awe and shock how a speeding Jack was racing towards them as quick as possible. When he finally reached them, he was so out of breath, that he actually needed to lean forward with both of his hands situated on his knees, as his lungs were seemingly on the verge of total collapse.

"WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN?" Coach hissed towards the newbie on the team, whereas Josh quite frankly didn't know whether to be relieved or anxious...himself and Jack of course hadn't spoken since they had shared THAT kiss in the early hours of the morning...he didn't even know what to say to the guy, if he was brutally honest.

Jack forced his upper body upwards, pulled the rubber band from his long, blond hair, allowing the white strands to fall alongside his face and the back of his neck. A sudden prang inside his sixteen-year-old chest shocked Josh somewhat...oh come on...yesterday he couldn't have given a lesser shit about how good Jack looked.

Okay...he had to admit that the dude was a looker. He could see why the girls in school were so after him. Those long blond locks being so carefully taken aback in Jack's hands, fastening it into a solid ponytail, before he finally dropped his arms and looked urgently back at the coach.

"Those idiots from last night locked me in the locker room this morning before I even had breakfast! Coach, I swear, I tried my best to be here sooner!"

Josh could see that the coach tried his level best to stay calm, before he turned and looked at his team, in the eyes, one by one.

"And what...happened last night?" he asked softly, his voice as cold as ice.

Before anyone could answer him, the calls were being made over the speakers for the main event which was about to take place, in the form of what everyone who was anyone had come to see. The 400-meter relay.

"Edgemead Academy, Parow High School, Bellville High School, Tygerberg High School, Stellenberg, Eben Donges, Freedom High, all step forward now!" came the familiar blast over the waves, as Josh looked carefully over to the Coach, who sighed in sheer disbelief.

"Tommy Hartman...I swear.... look, you can't run a race in this state...and Josh, I know you wanna help, but that ankle is gonna get even more hurt than it already is, if you run on full power..."

"Coach, please! I'm here! Let me do it! Let me run this race!" Josh defied the man to whom he had looked up to for so much of his young life, begging him, willing him to say YES. He was more than ready, as he caught the eye of Jack, who nodded at once, actually confirming to the Coach to grant Josh his wish.

Tommy shook his head and sat down before he fucking fell over, with an exasperated Coach leaning down to help his student upwards before he fucking hurled all over the place, with Tommy's balance totally non-existent due to the sheer pain inside his head and the intense ringing in his ears.

"Okay...we have no choice, but Josh...I'm putting you in the third lap...remember, Jack will be waiting for you at the finish line to run the last and final lap, so you gotta trust him, you gotta TRUST each other, do you hear me? You SLOW DOWN when that ankle is starting to hurt, you DO NOT strain it any further! I know you two haven't really gotten along..."

"...that's the understatement of the year..." Daniel giggled, receiving a dagger in the eyes from the Coach.

"...be that as it may, you gotta TRUST each other, even if only for the next couple of minutes. Even if you slow down, trust that Jack will be able to catch who ever is in front of him. Okay?"

No more waiting, no more postponement. This was it. From suffering total and utter humiliation in regionals, to having a chance to win at nationals...this was IT for Freedom High.

The entire team, including Jack, and with even Tommy somehow managing it, high fived Daniel, as he was the one to start the relay, which was usually Tommy's spot. Daniel winked excitedly at them, before he got into position, with Tyson standing at the ready, waiting for him in the second lap.

"ON YOUR MARKS.... GET SET.... GO!"

The gun used to indicate the start of the race blasted smoke all over the nearby spectators as well as the pitch, with all the runners immediately looking to get ahead in this, the most grueling and most anticipated of the day's events. Please let this work...please let this work...prayed Josh Pallister to no one in particular before he rolled his eyes at the sight of Tommy puking whatever was left in his stomach all over the grass they were sitting on.

Daniel ran a good race, and came around the corner bend in a solid third place, with the boys from Edgemead as well as Parow High currently in first and second place respectively. At once, Josh realised that the bastards who fucking wanted to burn Jack alive were all on the Parow High team, and his blood boiled once more. Tyson stood in position with his right hand behind his back, ready and able to accept the metal bar inside from Daniel, which he did without much trouble, starting the second lap.

"You nervous?"

Josh turned to his right, as at one he saw the Coach signal to him to come forward and step in place to run the third lap of the relay, before he turned directly towards Jack.

"A little," he admitted, nervously staring over to where Tyson was trying his level best to hawl in the two runners before him, nearing the corner at every passing second, with the Coach nearly going ballistic over the fact that Josh wasn't down there as yet.

"Look at me. Josh, look at me..." Jack said, before the latter did as he was told.

"You got this. You hear me? YOU...GOT...THIS! I trust you...do you fucking trust me?" Jack asked, his voice low and deep, the most serious that Josh had ever heard it.

Josh took a few seconds, before he noticed the crowd getting up and at it, cheering on the home team of Parow High as the front runner paced around the bend, with the dude from Edgemead in close second, the Tyson still third, a whole few yards it seemed, in front of the remaining runners behind him.

"I trust you, Jack..." Josh whispered, before he saw the boy wink at him.

"I'm waiting for you at the finish line...make sure you get there fast..." he replied with a sly smile around the corners of his mouth.

Jesus.

Jack was right. He could do this.

HE COULD DO THIS!

Before Josh really even knew it, he found himself down all the way to where the athletic track was, and the Coach patted him on the shoulder, before he got in position to get the metal bar from Tyson.

The moment that he felt the warm, hard object land in his hands, he SPED off like he had never before.

His foot felt okay for the moment, as he gave it his all, completely ignoring his Coach's advice in the process. The only thing that he knew...with every step he took in giving a hell of a chase, was that he was hawling in the dude from Edgemead inch, by very inch. The crowd suddenly gave an AWE of note, as they realised that the position had changed, with Josh having caught up to second spot, and had finally made it his very own, now chasing down the idiot from Parow High with everything he had inside him.

In his mind's eye he saw the Coach's angry face as he was openly defying the odds at what he was doing, and as he rounded the corner coming up to the finish line sprint, he felt it. OH SHIT, was he feeling it! His ankle was cramping up, and heavily so, and Josh knew he should slow down...trust the process...trust what the coach was saying...you need to TRUST JACK.

Slowing down had the crowd in the stands on the edges of their feet, as the Parow High boy, one of the very same crew who had wanted to burn Jack alive the previous evening and who apparently, and gone to the efforts of actually locking him in the toilet to avoid him running in this race, laughing out loud as he realised his closest challenger was seemingly giving up the race.

"Can't catch me now, you loser!" the Parow boy yelled over his shoulder as he neared his final teammate, the very same one who was the leader of the pack in attacking Jack last night. Josh looked up...his eyes burning with the stress of having placed more and more weight on his ankle, but he promised Jack that he would get there...Jack said he would be waiting for him.

The Parow High boy handed his metal bar over to the final boy who would run their final lap, and just as he had promised, Jack was in line, with one hand behind his back, waiting for him. Josh's heart swelled to its full extent, as he neared the boy who had kissed him so passionately last night, before he solidly and securely placed the bar inside his hands.

"GO ON, JACK! WIN THIS!" he shouted in sheer pain as he doubled over on the grass, rolling around on his back with his foot held tightly in both of his hands, as the Coach as well as Daniel and Tyson descended down to where he was. He had never heard the Coach swear in front of them ever before, but today was the first of many, but Josh didn't even hear him. With Daniel and Tyson's help, he managed to sit upright as he watched the final lap of the race unfold before his very eyes.

"Jesus...look at him go!" Daniel whispered at his side, and even Tyson had his breath in the back of his throat as he watched Jack the Jerk get closer and closer to the Parow High fucker every step that he took. When Josh had given the bar over to Jack, he estimated that he was about ten seconds away from the frontrunner but NOW...fucking hell, that distance had to be more or less two or three seconds at the most by now.

The crowd rose as one person as finally, with heart in mouths, the Freedom High lot started to get excited as hell, as Jack the Jerk had by then totally caught up to the leader, and was challenging him all the way. The other schools' runners all but forgotten, this was gonna be between Freedom High and Parow High...and after what had happened the previous evening, this was personal as hell.

Josh stood on both his feet, the pain totally forgotten, as he WILLED...BEGGED...WHISPERED to Jack with all his might, to hell if the dude could hear him or not, spoke to him the entire way that they sprinted to the finish line.

"You can do this...I believe in you...come on Jack...COME ON!"

Both teenage boys crossed the finish line at virtually the same time, and at once Josh looked up at the umpires, which flag they could raise, whether it would be blue for Parow High, or green for Freedom High...

...he slumped to the grassy terrain as he saw that it was blue. The idiot from Parow High had JUST managed to squeeze across the finish line before Jack did.

Josh turned towards where he knew Jack was. The poor guy was once more lying on the track, totally wasted, totally tired, having given just about EVERYTHING that he had inside him, and yet it wasn't enough. Josh rose to his feet, and looked at both Daniel and Tyson as he did so.

"Come on guys...let's go and get our teammate..." he said out loud, and the three athletes were off, joining their fallen, runner up teammate, congratulating him, patting him on the shoulder, helping him upwards, standing on his own two feet once more.

From enemy, to jerk, to fucking hero...poor Jack Lavery didn't quite know what had hit him. Even the coach pulled him into a solid hug, as he whispered over and over how PROUD he was of him.

Josh's eyes widened as he saw a genuine smile on Jack's face for the first time since he had known him...the boy had smirked and sneered before now, but this...that smile was for REAL. It wasn't faked or hidden behind some or another mask or facade any longer. He saw Jack Lavery for what he was...a brilliant and talented young athlete.

As he too, finally, came face to face with Jack, after all of the congratulations were given, Josh realised that Jack was nervous...he seemed hesitant to even be close to him. Jesus, was this STILL about that damn kiss?

"You did us proud...holy shit, Jack...the way you raced and caught that fucker and nearly beat him...I wouldn't have been able to do that, being so far behind. See? We need you, brother. We fucking need you. You're one of us now..." Josh said, coming sincerely out of the deepest depths of his young heart, with Jack blushing furiously, looking down at his old hand-me-down shoes as he did so.

"You really think so?" he asked, looking straight at Jack as he whispered his last word, hoarsely as hell, totally overcome with the love and acceptance he was getting for the first time in his life, finally feeling that he TRULY belonged somewhere, other than being shifted from pillar to post, in between foster homes.

Josh saw the tenderness inside the jerk's eyes...but he felt that he knew Jack a whole lot better now. He understood where he was coming from. And God help him...but he had a sudden urge to wanting to get to know Jack Lavery a WHOLE lot better.

"I fucking KNOW so!" he said with gusto, holding out his hand towards Jack, as a means to a handshake. The mischievous twinkle inside Jack's eyes that he knew all too well by now was suddenly back, and for a second, Josh was convinced that the dude was gonna totally leave him hanging...

...but his hand was grabbed tightly inside Jack's warm own, leaving boys shivering and shuddering with the electricity that seemed to just POWER through them like a hot knife through butter.

"We good, brother?" Josh asked, still not taking his eyes off of Jack.

Jack smiled...and once more Josh didn't know how he didn't see how beautiful this boy before him really was, until now...he never thought about it THAT way...but there was no denying it. As far as dudes went...Jack was the most beautiful person had ever seen. There was no other way to say it...hands up, it was true.

My God, it was true.

"Oh, we good," Jack whispered back, squeezing Josh's hand as he did so.

**

"What's the story with you and Jack the Jerk?"

Josh froze as he heard Tommys voice behind him, and it wasn't that long before the dude entered the classroom that he had Jack were sharing for the weekend, sitting down with Josh on the bed, and running his fingers through his hair.

"How's the hangover?" Josh asked, anything to fucking change the current subject.

"I'm fine. I don't usually drink but you fucking know that, we've been best friends for over ten years, ever since Mama Hartman adopted me...that's not the fucking point, is it? I couldn't have been THAT drunk to imagine you and Jack holding hands after the race was finished..."

"Dude! It wasn't like me and Jack were on a fucking DATE! For fuck sake! I was congratulating him on a race well run...did you even see what happened? We nearly fucking beat Parow High! It was THAT close! And we have Jack to thank for that, whether you like it or not!"

Tommy closed his eyes for a few seconds, before he looked over at Josh, staring deep into his eyes and what also seemed like he was looking down into his soul.

"Why couldn't you just have said congrats and leave things there? You forgot what and who he is? Jack the Jerk! The guy who's been making my life utter hell from the moment that he had moved in with us back home!" he spat out, hissing as his migraine was not yet fully over.

Josh sighed and stood up, taking a good look at Tommy.

"Brother, the only reason that I had to even run today, was because you were too hungover to. Okay? My ankle feels like crap, but I had to do it, because YOU let us down! Okay? How about trying with Jack? How about you fucking start to GIVE a crap about anyone else except yourself, okay?"

Tommy grimaced noisily as he gingerly stood up, stretched out his tired limbs and shook his head as he made for the exit of the classroom.

"I don't know what the hell is going on here, brother...before we left Freedom for this dump, YOU were the one who was hell bent on hating Jack! What the hell changed? You fucking each other up the ass now or what?"

It suddenly and unexpectantly got very cold, very icy in Josh Pallister's world as he heard those sharp, scathing words, only for him to turn towards Tommy as he heard him laughing slightly, only to once more, grab the side of his head in the palm of his hand.

"Don't worry brother...I'm only teasing. You can never be one of those fucking homo's you see on TV...not you, not fucking Josh Pallister. Because if you were...it would REALLY fucking be done between you and me...can't stand those faggots taking huge dicks up their asses with all those diseases going around and shit...man, I gotta go get some fucking sleep. Tomorrow, we finally go home!" he replied, patting his best friend on the shoulder, or rather trying to, in his condition, before he stumbled out of the classroom, to where the team's shared bedroom was down stairs.

Josh closed the door, harder than what he had meant to.

Jesus.

What the actual hell has happened to Tommy? Where was his best friend, and just WHO was this imposter?

He couldn't believe what he had just heard!

Then again...himself and Tommy never really had to have a conversation about THIS type of content and theme. Just because Tommy was his best friend, didn't mean that Tommy shared all his views about things...talking about homosexuality, just wasn't something they ever did. Was Tommy THIS much of a bigot all these years, and he just failed to even see it?

If Tommy knew he and Jack kissed...

...honestly, he didn't even wanna think about it.

**

"Josh! Quick, come here!"

Josh spat out water from the tap after brushing his teeth and making sure everything was packed and ready to go, for when the bus would leave tomorrow morning at seven sharp for their trip back to Freedom, before he heard the incessant whispering coming from the inside of the classroom itself. Looking at himself in the mirror, wiping his mouth and drinking one more glass of water, he hung up his towel and stepped outside to where he saw that a smiling Jack was waiting for him.

"Dude, where have you been all this time? I was about to come and check out all the toilets around here..." Josh said, giggling as he did so, and he was rightly awarded with a middle finger shoved his way for his trouble.

"How many times in my life would I EVER have the fucking opportunity to come to Cape Town? Me, a fucking foster kid? Anyway, I have been all over the place, just walking and checking out the scenes, when I saw a communal pool, not too far away from here. and guess what, the security guard must have forgotten to lock it, because when I was just over there, it was OPEN!"

Josh yawned as he took off his shirt that he was wearing in getting ready for bed, before he shrugged his shoulders and looked at Jack, confused as hell.

"So? What do you want me to do about it?" he asked in reply.

Jack rolled his eyes and before Josh quite knew what was happening, the former had his arm placed securely around his shoulders.

"Are you fucking deaf and stupid? Didn't you hear the part where I fucking said...there's a communal swimming pool not to far from here! What the hell do you think I'm saying? We're totally blowing this joint and going for a night swim! Come on, get your trunks and towel!"

"Are you crazy? It's the middle of fucking winter!"

Jack smiled sneakily at his newly found buddy, and looked deep into his eyes.

"If you don't come with me, I'll tell everyone that you kissed me..."

Josh nearly choked on his saliva.

"WHAT THE FUCK? Are you serious right now?" he hissed towards Jack.

Jack cackled out loud, but suddenly regained his seriousness when he saw how upset Josh was at his terrible attempt at blackmail.

"Of course, I'm not. I won't...ever, okay? I just...we're leaving here tomorrow and I don't wanna go back without...look, what I'm trying to say is...I just kinda, wanna spend some time alone with you...please come with me. Please?"

Josh sighed as he saw the yearning look in Jack's eyes...before slowly but surely the excitement of actually having an ice-cold swim in the middle of winter started to dawn on him. And who knows...it might be exactly the thing his sore foot now needs.

"FINE! GEEZ! Can we just not fucking run...I literally can't even walk properly..." he said, straining his voice as he tried to put his full weight on his injured ankle, only for a sharp pain to slash through his entire lower body.

"If you ask me nicely, I'll even carry you there..." Jack whispered, placing his hand on Josh's shoulder.

**

"Are you fucking sure we should even BE here? I'm totally sure we're not supposed to..."

"DUDE! SHUT UP! Just get in the water and stop being a fucking pussy, okay? You'll get more than enough of that when we get home to your beloved Tasha!" Jack snickered towards Josh before he stripped off the warm jacket that he was wearing, which was quickly followed by his t-shirt, before he turned towards Josh and pumped out his upper chest, in full view of the cold, injured teenager.

"What, am I supposed to be impressed by all those paper muscles?" Josh said with his eyebrows raised, a small smile stretching around the corners of his mouth.

"I don't see you looking away..." came the giddy answer back.

The two boys stared at each other in total silence without actually saying anything, before Jack barked out a loud laugh, and ran off towards the icy cold water, and dived in at the deep end without even being THIS much afraid of the freezing liquid.

Sighing, but still upbeat Josh took off his own shirt, shivering immediately as he felt the cold, Capetonian winter air lodging onto his body like a freezer, never to let go, before he made his way all around the pool to where Jack's lanky body was still bobbing up and down in the water, his long blond hair totally smudged over his forehead.

"Come on, you lazy ass! The water is warm as hell!" Jack shouted out loud, waving his arms around in said water, as if to prove a massive point.

They say in the winter Cape Town gets degrees of minus three...Jesus.

Josh closed his eyes, he didn't like the fact that he was now basically being forced to do what Jack wanted, but then again, he didn't wanna look like a coward in front of the boy either. And he LOVED swimming!

The two of them had JUST become friends...and when you put that together with what had happened the previous evening inside that classroom...there was a weird feeling that he didn't wanna lose...all of this, whatever this even was, just yet.

Caressing his arms for some extra warmth, Josh steadied himself, preparing himself for what he was sure would be BLISTERINGLY cold water, before he looked at Jack one more time, and dived into the pool.

JESUS...it felt like every single nerve, every fucking fibre of his entire being was...

...HOT?

What the hell?

This water should be cold as ice, and yet...

Josh came up for some air, and looked in sheer bewilderment at the steam that was rapidly rising where the very spot where he had just dived in so fucking securely. He looked over at Jack, confused as anything, but the latter had just a little problem at that point...the point being that he couldn't' stop laughing, nearly sinking down into the pool, as he was holding his stomach and pointing fingers over at Josh.

"Jesus...DUDE! What the hell are you playing at? This was a fucking HEATED POOL ALL THIS TIME?" Josh hollered over towards his new friend, with the latter, by now hopping around on the spot, slapping the water with both of his arms as he tried his best to get a word out in between all the cackles and sheer giggles, upon giggles of laugher.

"I...I told you...I told you the water was nice and WARM!" Jack shouted back, still manically laughing over Josh making a complete and utter fool of himself, which did SO not go down with the latter and his fragile teenage male ego.

"You could have fucking told me!" he shouted back, trying his best with his injured, throbbing foot, to make his way all the way to where Jack was. Jack realised what was about to happen, and tried to get way as fast as he could, but he totally underestimated Josh, who grabbed him by his leg and refused to let him go. Together the two boys splashed water at each other, playfully grabbing each other, as much as they could, laughing and giggling like they both never had ever, before.

Jack managed to finally get away from Josh's kung-fu grip, before he laughingly splashed another bout of water towards him, but his heart shook inside his teenage chest as he saw Josh slipping in the water as the splash powered him over, and the first thing that came to mind was, OH MY GOD...Josh needs me!

Quick, with speed and the grace of a ninja, Jack made his way over to Josh and stunningly stopped him just as he was about to fall head first into the water from where he had simply mis stepped somewhat. Unlike the previous evening, where Josh had saved HIM from falling head first on the floor when his legs had given way...this time it was up to Jack to save his new buddy boy.

The water around them continued to swerve and to cascade against the sides and onto their bodies...for Josh and Jack, time once more seemed to stand agonizingly still. Jack blinked a couple of times, before his eyes softened once more as he couldn't seem to stop staring that the sexy, beautiful dude that was in his arms, yet again.

They both knew what happened the last time they were this close, but Jack was too hesitant this time...Josh DID push him back when he went in for a repeat performance...like Josh, he also felt that they only now start to become FRIENDS...and God damnit, the first real, true friend in his life that Jack Lavery had felt he ever really had.

For Josh...this wasn't about being gay or straight any more. No, fuck no. It was about what FELT RIGHT! And what felt right, right now...was being with Jack. God help him, if he was going to hell like he had always been taught, would happen to those who were homosexual...who were anything apart from what GOD demanded of you.

Josh took a deep breath...Jack...come on man, Jack was just THERE! It would be so easy to just...

Suddenly Josh wasn't scared anymore. He didn't know what the hell he was doing, but he knew he only had ONE shot at this.

This time...however, it was HIM...who leaned in and placed his lips on those of Jack.

**

Jack felt it, he knew what was happening...his brain had a tough ass job in digesting what was going on, but eventually he got there. His heart beating a thousand times a fucking minute! A handsome, sexy, beautiful boy was kissing him, and he was kissing him the hell back!

Together the two boys continued to slowly, sensually, as if they were afraid the other would disappear if they got into this way too eagerly, swapped kisses as much as they could. The one, couldn't get enough of the other, as they held onto each other for dear, dear life, clinging to each other as the water finally started to cool off, just a tad.

Jack was the one to finally break the kiss as he leaned forward and simply hung his head on Josh's shoulder, with the latter immediately hugging the boy to him, as his sexual instinct clearly was telling him to. Long they stood on that very spot, refusing to let the other go...all of this new and exciting, but also scary and weird.

"I think we should get out at some point..." Jack whispered, his lips slowly forming a kiss from saying the words as he placed a gentle smooch on Josh's shoulder.

"Yeah...I guess so..." Josh whispered back, very much reluctant to let the boy in his arms go, but eventually he knew that had to return to the school at SOME point...and slowly, still holding eye contact with Jack, allowed the release of his body.

Together the two boys, and in Josh case, slowly, made their way out of the pool, where suddenly, once they weren't inside the warm water anymore, felt the cold chill for real.

They dried themselves off as best as they could, pulling on their clothes and jackets to protect them against the harsh Capetonian winter. The moment that Josh zipped up his hoodie that he had been wearing, he noticed that Jack was coming closer to him. He too, had been dressed back into his t-shirt and windbreaker that was nearly two sizes too big for him, probably hand me downs from one of Mama Hartman's former foster kids.

Jack seemed tense, before he came as closer to Josh as humanly possible, before he cleared his throat and reached downwards with his right hand...and without even bothering in asking permission, he solemnly took Josh's hand inside his own. Josh's eyes once more widened as he realised what Jack was doing, and he looked up into the beautiful blond boy's blue eyes.

"Tomorrow...tomorrow morning, we go home..." Jack whispered, slightly squeezing his hand as he did so.

Josh slowly nodded, still not having the guts to look away from Jack himself.

"Yeah, I guess we have to," he also replied.

Jack took a deep breath, and breathe it all out into the open air, before he giggled slightly and turned towards Josh.

"What if we just...imagine we could just stay here. Just you and me. I mean...it's insane and it would never fucking happen, but what if we could? Would you?" he asked, his eyes glimmering with every word.

Josh smiled with mischief in his heart, and shook his head.

"You're fucking crazy, you know that?" he smiled as he pulled Jack closer to him, taking the lead this time as well, placing his hand behind Jack's neck and pulled his face towards him, allowing the boy to share another kiss.

Jack bit the bottom of his lip before he allowed it to slip away, groaning out loud in mock objection.

"Yeah man...tomorrow afternoon when we get back to Freedom you will be hanging all over Tasha again like a fucking rash...and you'll probably forget all of this ever happened...you'll probably have her in your bed by fucking midnight..."

"Seriously, do we have to DO this now? Who says I'm even gonna do that! In the two days we have been here, has she phoned me even once? Sent me like ONE WhatsApp message? Hell no! So please, dude...let's just leave Tasha out of this...and as far as sex goes, why the hell do you think people call her the Ice Queen?"

Jack stood back, allowing Josh's hand to fall from his grasp, as he stood aside, clearly stunned. His eyes flickered all over Josh's entire being, before he placed his hand over his mouth.

"Dude...brother, you wanna tell me, Josh Pallister...you're...nah you can't be...someone with your looks, and your fucking popularity...you really wanna tell me your ass is a virgin?"

Josh rolled his eyes and grabbed his still wet towel, why he didn't know, and draped it around his neck for what he hoped would be extra warmth. And perhaps to hide his humiliation.

"I'm not fucking ashamed of it, okay? She wanted to stay celibate and I had feelings for her...so I wanted to fucking respect her wishes! And what about you, anyways? Are you just a big talker, or is your ass being fucked on a regular basis?"

Jack's smile disappeared faster from his face, quicker than you could say BUSTED. He shook his head and sat down on the concrete ground before them and suddenly, Josh knew what whatever he just said, he had said something horribly wrong. He sat down besides Jack and placed a warm arm around the boy's shoulder.

"Jack...oh man, dude, if I said something wrong, I'm sorry...I'm just new at all of this, plus we don't know each other that well yet and..."

Jack shook his head and smiled slightly as he leaned in to Josh's caresses.

"Brother, stop worrying, you didn't do shit...its fucked up stuff about my past I'm thinking about. And to answer your question, no...I'm not a virgin. But perhaps not in the way you might wanna think."

Jack sighed, his breath by now making circles in the cold night sky, with Josh still holding him in from the side, from if anyone would walk past this scene and see it, it would honestly look for the world as if two boys were cuddling on a cold, winter's night.

"It's just...I never had a mom or a dad...if I did, I don't know who the hell they are. I had been in foster home all over this fucking country by now, it seems. In some homes, you tend to be happy, because they are warm, loving people, and even after a few weeks, everything is going to unbelievably well between you and the couple that wants to adopt you...until it isn't."

Jack cleared his throat, and leaned even more into Josh's touch.

"I was ten when it happened. This husband-and-wife couple took me home on a trial basis...I had so many issues...you know about my fear of fire...and back then I used to piss myself every night...it got to a point where I started having night terrors. I would dream about huge fires before me...and I could imagine myself that there was even a car in between all the flames. The flames were coming closer and closer until I would wake up screaming my lungs out. So, eventually they took me back to the orphanage, because they couldn't handle it no more."

Josh slowly leaned down and softly kissed Jack's blond hair. He didn't even know WHY he did it...he just KNEW in his heart that he WANTED to...desperately so.

"Then, two years later...watching the other kids get adopted one after the fucking other, until I was the oldest remaining at twelve...this older couple wanted to foster me. Josh, I'm telling you, for the first time in my life, I actually started to think after a few weeks...this is it! THIS IS IT! I'm finally getting out of that dump of an orphanage and getting to live with a real family...that was until their oldest son arrived home from college that summer."

Jack sniffed a couple of times, before he bravely continued.

"Remember dude...I was twelve years old. I didn't have anyone...so when that happens, you tended to fall in love with someone if they gave you just...a fucking BIT of attention. I thought it was love at first sight, that was the first time I really knew I was...you know...gay and all that. He was so...stunningly fucking beautiful and I truly believed that he loved me too...he said it so many times, we even gave each other blowjobs often...no one suspected anything, we were always hella careful...until one night, he came back from his girlfriend's house and he told me he had major blue balls. Until he fucking said it, I didn't even know that he had one."

Josh shivered as Jack finished. He pulled Jack even closer to him, if that was at all possible, before he slowly dared to even ask...

"Jack...Jack, you gotta tell me...I'm fucking fuming here...if he touched you...Jack, did he...did he HURT YOU?"

A lone tear escaped from Jack Lavery's right eye as he remembered every bit of his history.

"He said if I loved him, I would let him do it. He was...Jesus Josh, he was so different from the dude that I had totally fallen for in the few weeks that he was there. He pinned me on the bed and he...and he...well, you get the fucking idea. Only thing is...his parents overheard us. I was screaming so loud that night, that I'm surprised no one called the cops! Next thing I knew I was back in the orphanage...with only one fucking difference from before...I now had a record saying that I fucking SEDUCE older men! Who the fuck would want a kid like that? Jesus...it's a wonder Mama Hartman even as much as LOOKED at me!"

Josh encircled both arms around Jack as the latter tried his best to keep his tears to himself, and thanks to a super human effort, he managed to, for the most part, before he smiled tearfully and turned towards Josh.

"Now tomorrow, when we get home...you and me...this has been the fucking two best days of my entire life, Josh Pallister, and I mean that! But when we get home...we both know this...us...whatever the hell this is, can't go on. It just can't! So...how about I just save everyone the trouble and just...go somewhere where you guys would never see me ever again? I fucking know Tommy will be pleased as hell!"

Jack stood up from Josh's embrace, and the latter turned around so quickly that his ankle shot a gripping pain through him. A groan from behind made Jack turn around, from where he was about to get the hell outta there, but seeing Josh in pain...he groaned out loud as he knew he would never get it over his heart to just LEAVE him here.

"Damn it Josh...why did you have to come into my life and make me FEEL all kinds of stupid things..." he murmured to the boy, who simply rolled his eyes and together, as one, they made their way back to the school.

**

"So, one night, and then we go back to reality. Sounds good to me," Jack said as Josh was by now safely and warm in his own bed, before he too jumped in under the covers and tossed and turned to get himself as warm as he could. Before he could reach over to switch the bed light off, he felt Josh's hand touch his own...seems that they had the same idea as to what to do next.

"I don't want things to change..." he could have sworn he heard Josh say.

"What was that?" he replied.

Josh buried his face inside the crook of his pillow and groaned out loud.

"I can't just...brother, I can't just FORGET what happened these past two days!"

"Oh, trust me, you will as soon as you see Tasha..."

"I DON'T CARE ABOUT TASHA! I FUCKING CARE ABOUT YOU, YOU IDIOT!"

Silence. Deathly silence.

"Josh...I have been through enough bullshit in my life...I'm actually begging you here, please don't fucking say that if you don't mean it...I know I have been a jerk to all of you but..."

"Which part of this don't you fucking understand, Jack the Jerk!? I wanna get to know YOU better! YOU, JACK! Not Tasha, not anyone else! I just...I can't make any promises...you know how fucked up Freedom is, and if Tommy and the guys ever knew ANY of this, they'll actually fucking kill both of us!"

Jack rolled over in his bed, now seeing Josh's desperate face clearly in the serene moonlight that was shining in through the window, providing the only light inside the entire classroom.

"Josh...I came here...I fucking came here hating the crap out of everything, everyone, even you...but when you defended me last night against those guys...no one has EVER done that for me. Dude...I'm willing to give this a go, when we get back home...see where it takes us...and if it doesn't work, it doesn't work...but I don't wanna let you go without even trying!"

Josh smiled slowly, his heart rate once more accelerating to a hundred miles a minute at the sound of Jack's words.

"This is all so weird...you're a guy, and I'm a guy...fucking hell, we shouldn't even be TALKING about this. Jack...you really wanna try and do this? This...being together and shit? You realise NO ONE can ever know!"

Jack squeezed Josh's hand, and slowly allowed it to fall back to it's owner.

"I've never been so sure of fucking anything. But dude, if we seriously don't get any sleep, we ain't waking up before the bus goes back to Freedom tomorrow morning!"

Josh snickered.

"Would that even be so bad?" he whispered, as teenage cackle once more filled the entirety of the classroom.

**

Over in Blue Downs taxi rank, a colored man was not so patiently waiting for his informant to arrive.

He inhaled the last bit of the joint that he had been roasting on for the last few minutes, before he dropped the butt and stomped it dead on the dirty, filthy ground.

His eyes fell onto a young woman, who was getting off one of the nearby taxi's before she nervously clutched her bag and quickly walked to where she needed in order to get home, just he had seen her do for the past few nights...hence why he had told his informant that he needed to meet him here, and nowhere else.

He turned to one of his cronies, and signaled his attention towards the young woman.

"I want her for tonight, make sure she never gets home..." he said in his dry, hoarse voice, before he nodded as two of his best men took off.

He laughed silently as he realised that poor woman would never live the same life as she had known it until tonight. He hoped she had at least said goodbye to her family and friends before she used the public transport system this evening...because she will never see any of them again. Not when he just chosen her to become his own.

A car pulled over and a person got out of said vehicle, complete with files and several loads of paper that she stashed into an ordinary flip file, before they walked over towards him.

"Curtis September?" they asked.

The man nodded and came closer to them.

"You have what I asked?" he demanded.

The person nodded, terrified at their current surroundings, but in these tough times, they needed to make money anyway that they could, and if that meant doing dodgy deals with dodgy people in more than dodgy areas, than so be it...one had to survive in this world, come what may.

Curtis sighed...and bit his lip in sheer and utter anger as he saw the pictures of the boy inside the file.

"Where...where the hell did you even get this and how do I know this is genuine?" he hissed towards his informant.

The latter pointed towards the photos in Curtis's hand.

"With all due respect, I think you can see that boy is your son...he's the spitting image of you. He's white and you are half-colored clearly, and apart from him having long blond hair that he always wears in a ponytail, the resemblance is there. You can see it."

Curtis seethed.

Sheridan was white. Sheridan also had long blond hair. Literally everything else in this boy was his...that boy was more his than hers. He KNEW it! He knew if he just searched long and far enough, that someday...some way, he would FINALLY get to see and to meet his son.

"See, I know she had to go west...that car crash that was in all the papers back then...FUCK! Why did it take me thirteen years to FIND MY SON?" Curtis yelled out loud, finally losing control as he realised what it had meant.

"Finally...finally, my son...my fucking flesh and blood will be reunited with me. Together me and him with RULE the streets of Cape Town like never before! Just me and him...father and son...my boy...and you...you keep playing the part that I have been paying you to, you hear me! You keep close to him! You keep on his track! You fucking follow him everywhere he goes! Otherwise...you can say goodbye to your lovely old mother living in that dump of an old age home...we good?"

The informant nodded, closed their eyes and silently prayed for forgiveness. If they would have had a choice...none of this would have to happen. Curtis September...he was one nasty son of a bitch and one of the most notorious gang members in the entire Cape Town.

God knows what would happen to Jack Lavery...if he would EVER end up in the hands...of his father.

**

THANKS FOR READING!!

Just WHO is the mystery informant feeding info to Curtis about Jack?

And now that both Josh and Jack had admitted how they felt about each other, will everything change once they get back to Freedom?

Love it? Hated it? LOL...send me an email either way xx

liciousryan@gmail.com