Kel's Journal 10
Kel's Journal
Entry 10: New Horizons
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This story is a work of fiction copyrighted by Lastimer. Do not publish or reproduce on another site without author's permission.
Okay, time for the regular disclaimer: This is a story of mature themes (at some points at least). This may include some sexual acts. Be advised that if you're not 18 or older, (or whatever it is where you live), you shouldn't be reading. But if you defy this, it ain't my fault.
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Well, welcome to my first attempt at internet fiction. This is the main branch of this story, following Kel. There are future plans to expand this story to talk about other characters, but for now Kel is the narrator. This story really isn't designed to be an literary orgy, more a story of relationships, friends, and dreams. The chapters may seem a bit on the short side as of yet, but that's because I'm still new to actually writing down my story ideas. I'm open to any comments.
The place this story takes place is a fictional town in Central New Jersey. There will be references to other areas that happen to be real places.
If you are offended by the opinions expressed in this story, just remember they are those of the characters, and do not necessarily reflect those of their creator (ME).
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September 8
The Countdown has dropped to T-minus 0. Today, the final day of summer. However, I spent the day helping David get acquainted with the high school. I promised Dave that I'd help him out. Perhaps he'll have some of my old teachers. They all liked me, so I could get him into good standing on the first day just by association. Besides, it's only half a day, and Sarah would pick us up to finish off any clothing needs at the mall.
Other good news for Dave: His mom is finally out of the hospital. So he's moved back in with her while she's going through physical therapy. She thanks my family for helping her out so much, though Dave was really the one that helped us.
It was thanks to his mom's asking that Dave was allowed to have a personal tour guide for the first day. Normally the orientation committee stands in the hallways, directs kids to class, and occasionally pop into classes, but since they knew of Dave's "situation," they were willing to bend the rules.
Just as every other student, we started out in the cafeteria getting schedules.
"David Andrade, please," David said the girl manning the booth. I didn't know her, but I think she's a senior.
"Okay. Here you go." She looked at the schedule. "And your homeroom is Room 103, in the History wing. But I'm sure Kel will show you." It's not as if she knew me, all us "orienteers" had to wear name tags. "And by the way Kel?"
"Yeah?"
"It's a little secret but we get our schedules ahead of time. Kind of an incentive, I think. Go see Heather. She'll have it."
I decided that getting my schedule would be a good idea. After all, I should know if Dave was in any classes. Maybe not classes, since I'm in mostly sophomore classes. But he could end up in my gym class, and there's always lunch.
As soon as I received my schedule, we starting examining.
After looking David said, "We're not in any classes together."
"I didn't expect it to happen," I responded. "We're in different grades. But what period do you have gym? They put freshmen and sophomores together."
"Third."
"Damn. I've got it eighth. Well, maybe you'll be with Drew or Billie."
"Maybe. Say, what lunch do you have?"
"I'm in sixth. That's the best one normally time-wise."
"Cool! At least I can sit with you."
"No kidding? Good. Last year sucked royally, since I was in fourth period lunch, and Drew in sixth. I have to have lunch at 10:30 in the morning, and I was without my best friend."
"That sucks."
"ATTENTION STUDENTS." We hear from a small stage in the front of the cafeteria.. "We welcome all incoming freshmen to this year's opening day. As you may know, I'm Principal Kinney. I hope you have a great time here at Buckdale High School. Now if you will, please proceed to your homerooms as soon as you receive your schedules. You will have time to compare with classmates later."
Dave and I proceed to his homeroom. Good news is that he got Mr. Myers, probably the coolest teacher in school. He even has him for his history class. I didn't have him last year for history, since I was in honors. However, I got to know him as my track coach, and so we get along real well.
"Mr. Hutchinson? Did you get held back or something. I always thought you the shot put could outsmart you, but this is a little over the top." Don't worry folks, he's just joking. That's how you know you're on a teacher's good side. They crack jokes with you.
"True, but I'm still smarter than the javelin." That made him start laughing. "Anyway, I'm here helping my buddy Dave here."
"All right. You can stick around, just don't get in my way."
The rest of the day went pretty simple. The Lunch period was a bit interesting, though. I got to meet a few of Dave's other friends.
"Hey Kel." Dave came other with three other guys. "These are my friends: Jeff, Alex, and Hector."
"Nice to meet you guys." I shook all there hands, pretty business like. "You guys definitely chose a good friend in this kid."
Jeff and Will were new faces to me. Hector, on the other hand, is an incredibly smart kid. He would come over from the middle school just to go to my honors math class. He was really shy (probably because he was only a guppy in a much bigger pond), but seemed nice. What I wasn't saying, however, is that Dave had some cute friends. Especially Jeff.
"You're a sophomore right?" Alex asked me.
"Yeah. I was in the same boat as you guys as year," I responded. "If you need anything, just ask me."
"All right," Jeff contested, "What upperclass girls should we keep on our radar?"
Alex threw in the first answer, "Can't forget his sister!" Even I must admit that my sister is attractive.
"Let me be honest. NONE of us has a shot at anyone of them." Not like I'd even be trying, but that's not their business.
"Call it wishful thinking," Hector responded.
"Let's get down to business." Dave interrupted. "Will you sit with us Kel?"
"Let me see what friends I find tomorrow. But I'm sure we can all sit together."
We continued talking. Finding out more about these guys, telling them some advice, the like. Anyway, the remainder of the day was pretty boring. Sat through Dave's classes, gave him some hints for his English class (Straight A's, all four quarters!), and vegged out.
12:30 rolls in and my sister shows up in the car, looking real sexy. With her is Billie, looking just as good. If I weren't gay...
I gave them a wolf whistle. "Do your fathers know what you're wearing."
"Actually," my sister responded, "He doesn't. I changed at Billie's."
Billie added, "My dad's a bit too absorbed to notice my clothes. I'm not sure he'd noticed if I walked around naked."
"That's one I like to see," Dave answered.
"David," my sister pointed at him, "You'd might one to get in the car before you finish setting up the tent." Dave was obviously aroused by their dressing, and by Billie's comment. He blushed and quickly jumped in before any classmates could see him.
"All right," I said, "Let's head to Oxford Valley."
As a true Jerseyite, it is my duty to go to the best mall within a decent vicinity. Quaker Bridge doesn't have an Abercrombie, so it is instantly not good enough. And Marketfair's only good feature is a Barnes and Noble. Not exactly where I'm shopping for clothes. Thus, we drive all the way to Pennsylvania to go the mall. Plus, we can shop in peace, with less of a chance of being spotted by anyone we know.
Leave it to us to wait to the final day before school to do our shopping. But we were so busy with everything else to bother with it. Most of my clothes still fit, and look halfway decent. But when you're given money for the new, why not spend it?
While driving, my sister get a phone call on her cell. Risking our lives, she decides to answer. I won't tell Dad, since if he found out we'd both be stuck in the house for a long time. Me just because she can't take me anywhere.
"Hello? Oh hi!"
"You coming to the mall?"
"Great. We'll meet you at Food Court. In front of the elevator. Bye, Matt!"
I had to say something. "So you are hooking up with Matt?"
"No thanks to you brother! You've been so self-centered in your own boy drama that you haven't noticed me!" My sister snarled at me, adding a fake pout on the end.
Billie answered much nicer than my sister. "We decided to do some girl stuff today. And I got her to gain the courage to ask Matt to come to the mall."
"What happened to your soccer practices?" I asked her.
"Coach let us go home early. It's too damn hot to practice properly. So we just did a few drills. We have an easy schedule to start the year anyway."
"Is that the normal dedication the squad has? No wonder we always get creamed."
"Not with me around! I know I'm just a sophomore, but look out for an All-Star!"
"Here's the good news, Billie. We're in the Valley Division, so the only competition is Hopewell."
"Say, you do any sports David?" she asked him.
"Well, I used to play tennis. With my dad and all. But I don't know if I want to do it."
She responded, "Just go for it! I'm sure your dad you love for you to be on the team. He'll be looking down on you, watching every match. I feel that way with my mom at my soccer games."
"Wow. I've also wanted to try wrestling, but it always seemed so, you know, gay."
I intervened. "That it from me, I know that it's not a gay sport. I would know one if I saw it. They're probably the most macho guys in school anyway. They'd beat you up for looking at them cross eyed, let alone while they're naked."
Sarah added her two cents, "Love that picture!"
I pointed to my sister, "You, on the other hand, would be willingly allowed to view their bare bodies. I think they'd even pay you to do it."
"Aww. Thanks for the compliment, brother." She gave me a great big hug.
We were met at the mall by Sarah's new beau. Matt is a fellow track team member, and we got to know each other pretty well. I always wanted to hook her up with him, but since she was going out with his Assholiness, I put it aside.
He was a lot taller than any other us. A good 6'4", pretty strong build. He did pole vault, and was a two-time county champ at it. He also did some throwing stuff, and he looked perfect for it.
I always thought he would be a better match for Sarah. Another very thoughtful person who put others before themselves. It was time Sarah had been the one with attention lavished on her. She has been so gracious to helping me out, we never even thought about her.
GOOD SIGN #1: Compatible personalities
"Hi Matt," she said sweetly as she wrapped her arms around him. And that there were few occasions when they weren't. Maybe when she was picking up some clothes, or trying stuff on. But that was it.
"Hey Sarah. How are you doing?" Then he looked at me. "And how about you Kel?"
"I'm good," I answered. "Man, I'm starved. I'm gonna head over to Wendy's."
"All right," my sister responded. "Matt and I will meet you over there in a minute."
So I went over to eat with Dave and Billie. I opted for a salad, as did Billie. Same one, actually. Dave, on the other hand, went full out with Cheeseburgers and fries. Pure Murder!
"You know," I said to Dave, "If you want to wrestle, you're going to have to cut down on you eating."
"Yeah Dave," Billie added. "You'll need to start running, no matter what sport you do. You know, you should join us."
"I thought you two were serious runners."
"True, but I think we're going to cut back during the fall. Billie runs a lot in practice, so we're not going to run that much. Besides, it starts to get cold. My airways start to close up."
"I guess I will. But I think I can only do a mile or so for a while."
"That's okay," I said. "We'll just start at the lakehouse. Half mile out, half mile back. Then you can rest as we finished up."
"Deal."
Just as we just got a third runner, my sister and her white knight showed up.
"So how's everyone getting ready for the year?" He asked.
Sarah answered first. "Well, I just need to get some clothes, and I'll be ready."
"Same here," I answer.
He continued the inquisition, "What are you taking?"
"I'm doing all the normal junior classes: English, History, Trig, Chem." my sister responded, "and I'm taking two languages. I'm starting French to go along with my Spanish."
"No kidding!" He said. "I'm taking French I too. My mom wanted me to take a language, since it's good for college."
"That's what my mom thought. I already did art, and I wasn't a big fan of the classes we have. I can't sing, unlike Kel here."
"You can sing? Sing something!"
I hesitated. "I'm not really good on the spot."
"Okay. I'll take a raincheck."
I smiled. He was being nice, but not patronizing. Not like the old boyfriend.
I soon finished up, and wanted to start shopping. But before I could go get some school clothes, I needed a new Eagles jersey, badly. The season was just about to start, and I was stuck with a Jeremiah Trotter jersey! I wanted a defensive player (since I love defense in football), and he was my favorite. Now he's a damn Redskin (shudder). So I stopped to go get me a Vincent #23 jersey. He's a local guy, and the best corner in the league, if I say so myself.
I joined up with everyone else in Abercrombie. I saw my sister already had lots of stuff. She's joining to blow her budget really quick. Personally, I normally keep one A&F shirt just for show. I don't mind whether my clothes come from here or not. I'd rather buy lots of cheap clothes that look just as nice. I left the store real quick. Nothing I liked this year. Billie joined me quickly. She had her jeans in record time.
While we were waiting outside, I see an nice encounter outside. It's a pleasant surprise to see people I know here, so I was excited to see Mark walking with Stacy and her pack of friends. He was the only one carrying bags, and lots of them. Apparently, Miss Stacy was using her brother to tote around all their shit. Come on, he's a small thing. If he had one more bag piled on, he would fall over. And from the looks of things, she hadn't even hit Abercrombie. I guess Daddy gave Stacy a platinum card for Christmas.
"I'll wait outside Stace. It's really hard to carry all this stuff," I heard him say.
"Just remember, you're hear to carry our bags. Don't leave them unattended," She snapped back. How bitchy.
He just dropped everything on the floor and sat on the bench next to the one that Billie and I had settled down on.
I threw sympathy out to him. "That really sucks what she's making you do. If Sarah did that to me, her bags would end up in a fountain."
"Well," he said back, "I have to do it. If I don't, she doesn't protect me."
Billie questioned him. "Protect you? What the hell do you mean?"
"Hello. Who are you?" He asked her back.
"I'm Billie Morrow." She put her hand out.
"Mark Spencer." He put his hand out to shake hers. "You friends with Kel?"
"Yeah how'd you know?"
"Just a thought."
"Well, what did you mean by protection?"
I interjected, "I'll tell you later about it. Anyway, I don't care whether she makes 'protects you,' you shouldn't take her shit."
"I need her though. They make my life a living hell without Stacy."
"That's horseshit! If you need help, come to me, or Billie, or Drew, or any of my friends. I'm opening up to you. If you want true support, not the extortion your sister thrusts upon you."
Dave came walking up at this time. "Hey Kel! Who are you talking to?"
"Oh, hey Dave. Let me introduce you. Mark, this is Dave Andrade. He's a freshman now. Dave, this is Mark Spencer."
"Hello Dave. You're at our school this year?"
"Yeah."
"Have fun"
"I'll try."
"Oh shit! There's my sister. Better get back to bag duty."
I said goodbye to him. "See you later Mark. Remember what I told you."
"I will."
I turned back to my friends waiting for my sister and Matt.
"So Kel," Billie said, "Tell me about him."
"It's a long story. I really don't feel comfortable talking about it in a public place like this."
"Oh. It's that kind of thing. I think I figured it out."
"Tell me." She whispered her deduction. "Well, not exactly. I'll tell you in detail when we get home."
"Ooh!" Dave said. "Tell me! I have no idea either."
"You're going to have to wait too!"
Ten minutes later, Sarah and Matt finally show up with four bags. Man, they went to town.
"Sorry I took so long guys. I shopped for the both of us."
GOOD SIGN #2: She's already picking out his clothes on the first date. Soon enough, she will cook for him, clean for him, and become his mother.
"No problemo," I replied.
"Hey Kel. I saw Stacy in there and heard talking about Mark. She's making him her slave."
"I know Mark's different," Matt said, "but that's no reason to treat him like garbage. I wouldn't do that to anyone, especially my own brother."
GOOD SIGN #3: HE ACCEPTING OF "ALTERNATIVE LIFESTYLES"!
"Well I told him to put an end to it. If he needs someone, I told him he can turn to us."
"We are the right group, after all." My sister said. "You see Matt, me, Kel, and his best friend Drew are floaters. We don't like being members of any one clique. We think that's stupid to hole our selves as one thing, since people aren't just defined by one trait."
"Great. I think I'll fit in quite well with you. My parents are very liberal, old 60's activists who agree with everything. That's why they've taken in three adoptive children after they had me. I'm their only birth child, but the other are still my siblings. There's also different races from my and my folks."
"Wow. Can't wait to meet your family." It's official: She's head over heels for him. Funny, she clear the fences on the first pitch, while I've fouled off about ten pitches or so.
Tonight, I relaxed out by myself. I'm really happy to be there for Mark. I have to admit: I've really taken a shine to him. He's a great guy. I know I wanted a relationship a bit more hidden, but I might just risk it. Anyway, the time I spend with him is me being nice. Everyone knows I don't discriminate.
I got a phone call tonight from Mark too.
"Hello?" I said.
"Hi Kel? This is Mark."
"Hey! So what's up?"
"I want to take you up on your offer. I don't feel safe. Can I see you guys tomorrow at school?"
"Sure thing. Drew and I meet up at our lockers. They're across the hall from each other in the English wing. Down by the fountains. That's where we go in the morning. Bring your schedule, so we can prepare. But if you miss me then, I have lunch sixth period."
"Okay. What about afterschool?"
"It could be arraigned. Billie won't be there, since she has soccer practice. But Drew and I can meet you. Think you can get a ride to my house?"
"Maybe."
"Well, I'll talk to Sarah in the morning. If you can't get a ride you can just meet us after school lets out."
"Thank you. I just have one question."
"Shoot."
"Why are you being so nice?"
I thought for a minute. "Because I didn't like the way you were treated. First by Greg and his bozo friends. I thought Stacy was being real nice, but I guess I've see her true colors now. Was she always like this to you since you were outted?"
"Not really. When it first happened she was super nice."
"Oh I get it. Be the charitable organization for some good P.R., but as soon as it's not a big deal start exploiting it."
"I guess."
"Well those days are over. We don't care about stuff like that."
"So you're still accepting of me being gay?"
"Completely. It's not your fault. You were made that way." And so was I, but he didn't know it.
"Thank you so much."
"You don't need to thank us. It's like my mom says: Others may not like that you're different but fuck them. If you're so capable of hating, why even love?"
"I guess you're right. Say, you should write that down!"
I laughed. "Maybe you're right." Of course, I really did, but he didn't know that either.
"Well, I'll see you tomorrow Kel. Good night."
"Bye Mark."
After the call ended, I flopped down on my bed smiling. I earned the trust of someone I like. Maybe I will learn to trust him with something else: my heart.
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Looks like Sarah reeled in a big fish. Can Kel hook a whopper of his own? What new troubles will brew up once school starts? Keep reading to find out.
Oh. There were some interesting points in the story that people may need to be clarified. For any comments or questions, e-mail me at lastimer@hotmail.com .