Hello everyone!! I'm very pleased to say that the first chapter of Joey's Tale got a better response than I expected. I really am glad about all the comments I received and hope that the readers keep in touch. I will do my best to upload chapters frequently but I will definitely try harder if I keep receiving encouraging emails or constructive criticism. This chapter gives you an insight on Joey's past and to the lives of his newfound friends. I really hope you like it! Enjoy and comment!
Love,
Joey --------
Joey's Tale
Chapter 2
I couldn't run fast enough, no matter how hard I tried to. I felt every muscle in my body burn in pain but I couldn't stop. I heard the savage screams of my tormentors right behind me. I knew that if I stopped even for the slightest fraction of a second, they would get me and pull me down into that dark pit I had sworn myself never to return to. As I ran for my life's worth I saw Mary far away. She was crying her eyes out and screaming an inaudible sound. I saw my parents on their Sunday clothes standing behind her with a disgusted look on their faces. Just as I was about to reach Mary's hand I felt someone snatch me from behind and pull me back.
"I got you now you fucking faggot!" The raspy voice said. I tossed and turned and heard myself scream in the most awful way ever.
I woke myself up with my screaming. My sheets were wet with cool sweat that made me shiver in horror.
"Is everything ok sweetie?" I heard my mom's sleepy voice as she entered my room and sat on my bed besides me.
"Nothing mom, just a bad dream. Don't worry." I tried to convince her but she could see I was on the verge of tears and just held me as I quietly sobbed on her shoulder. She was the only person in this world who could read my mind like an open book, even Mary would sometimes get frustrated when she couldn't figure out what was bothering me. But my mom just seemed to look into my soul and try to fix whatever was wrong.
I adored my mom. Her name is Laura. She is a former pageant queen from a wealthy family. All through her younger years she was always known to be a beautiful and friendly girl with a big heart. My father, Robert, fell in love with her at first sight. Her parents hated Robert, but her good natured heart belonged to him. Her love for him blinded her from his flaws. Don't get me wrong, I still feel love for my father, even after he left us to start his own family a couple of years back, but there is no one in this world with a bigger heart than Laura Weaver.
I looked up to her and saw how the pain over the years had caused her beautiful face to be flawed with wrinkles, but she always stood tall and proud no matter what. I felt so honored to be her son, but so ashamed that I couldn't just forget the horrible things that happened before and carry on with my life.
"Thanks mom, I feel better now." I said calmly.
She smiled at me and said, "So how was your first week of high school? I'm sorry I wasn't around to see you off on your first day but you know how busy work is right now."
My mom was the CEO of her father's own advertising agency. He had started it when she was a child, and now, with my mom in charge, it had grown to become a multinational company. We never had any sort of financial problem, on the other hand we were pretty well off, but this meant that my mother had to work very hard almost every day.
"It was great mom, I really feel like things are going to be different this time around. I have already met awesome friends that I would love for you to meet one of these days." I said happily.
She smiled at my words and said that she would be thrilled to get to know my new friends, kissed me on the forehead and left me to get some more sleep. Not that I was able to sleep after that horrible dream, so I just decided to take a long shower in my en-suite bathroom and relax.
I walked down the stairs with my backpack, expecting Mary to be anxiously waiting to drive me to school, instead I found a note that said that she had to arrive to school early, because that day (Friday) they would announce the new cheerleader squad. This meant I had to take the bus. I hurried outside and unto the bus stop just in time to see it arrive and hop in.
As I paid my fee to the driver I heard someone call my name cheerfully. I turned and saw Sarah as she cleared the seat next to hers and waved me to go sit with her. I was so happy to know that I did not need to ride the bus alone.
"Hey there hot stuff" she said enthusiastically.
"Hey Sarah, how's it going?" I returned with a smile.
"Better now that you're here, I hate driving this bus alone. But how come I hadn't seen you this week?" She asked.
I told her about my sister and her cheerleading. I enjoyed talking to Sarah, even though I had just met her I felt really drawn towards her. She was a very pretty girl, with long red hair and soft brown eyes. Her freckles made her seem like a harmless angel, but as soon as you met her you knew this little redhead could probably kick your butt.
We were laughing at a joke she had said when all of the sudden she turned serious and out of the blue she asked me something I did not see coming.
"So do you like Alex?"
"Of course, I mean, he's cool." I answered.
"No, I mean do you LIKE Alex?" She said, making a clear emphasis on the word like. I felt all the blood rush to my face. I mean Alex was really cute with his shaggy blond hair and dreamy green eyes, but I didn't really like him. I was surprised that Sarah would find it completely acceptable that I would like another boy in that way, and just assumed I liked boys. I must not be so successful at hiding it as I thought.
"No, I mean, I don't know, I just... How did you..?" I tried to ask but just couldn't form the words.
She just smiled and shrugged saying "I just knew it when I saw you. It's a shame though; you really are a cute piece of candy." She said more to herself than me.
I felt more blood rush into my face and she laughed at my little anxiety display. We spent the few remaining minutes of our bus ride discussing whether Alex or Dylan was cuter. She said that, since she had known Alex since kindergarten, she saw him as an annoying brother, so she thought Dylan was the hotter of the two. I couldn't disagree that Dylan was pretty hot.
He was taller than me, and had really broad shoulders. He wasn't really buff, but he looked to have a swimmer's build. He kept his dark brown hair very short. He had a grey-blue eye color that would change according to what he was wearing.
"He totally likes you" she said giggling as we got off the bus.
"Shh! Sarah, someone might hear you" I told her while I looked around to check and see that nobody had overheard us talking.
"You know I'm right. He is always looking at you at lunch, and you should've seen his face the day you skipped lunch to go to the nurse office. He looked like a lost puppy." She said giggling.
"But you don't think he's... gay, or do you? How can you be so sure?" I asked incredulously.
"A girl always knows when she is not the object of a boy's desires." She sounded almost sad. I wonder if there was more behind those words but I had to leave that thought for another time as the warning bell rang.
I said good bye to Sarah and headed for my Spanish class. I always took the same route in hopes of bumping into my blue-eyed angel who I have yet to meet, but have been unsuccessful so far. Today was no different.
The class went by pretty boringly, with Ms. Oliviero nagging on our lack of interest and me and Alex passing notes back and forth.
"This is so lame." I wrote.
"I know, I can't wait for it to be over." He answered.
We were just chatting about regular boring Spanish class things when all of a sudden he got nervous, scratched what he had written on the note and re wrote it several times before passing it to me.
"Weird question: If I like someone I totally shouldn't but I can't help it, should I tell that person?"
I felt a knot in my stomach as my brain worked fast on how to respond to this. Could he possibly be coming on to me? I would totally believe Dylan to be gay and I kind of liked the way he kept looking at me, but I would have never guessed Alex had some sort of crush on me.
"I think you should go for it and see what comes from it. Why? Who's the lucky one you like?" I asked.
He thought before writing something down on the note just as the bell rang. As everyone rushed to get out of the classroom Alex gave me the note and quickly left.
I unfolded it and was shocked to see the surprise it contained. Things were about to get interesting.
Oh my God! I'm having so much fun writing this story. I really am digging into my past to include personal details about my life, but some of it is altered to your pleasure. I know that the contact to other characters has been scarce, but in the upcoming chapters you will get to see a little less conversation and a little more action if you get what I mean. I would love to read your comments on this chapter and/or suggestions to the story. It is the readers that keep a story alive.
Lots of love,
Joey