Disclaimer: 1) a renunciation of any claim to or connection with; 2) disavowal; 3) a statement made to save one's own ass. This is mainly a fictional story, with some real people in it, and thus is not meant to reflect anything about their sexuality. This story should not be read by anybody who is not legally allowed to read it.. So if you're underage, leave right now!!
Author's Notes: Well, I finally got around to finishing this fourth chapter! All my efforts were concentrated earlier on my big Halloween update, and after I got hit with a flu-like bug, I've been a bit behind. And I've been doing plenty o' planning as far as this story's backstory goes, and its future plot. So the next update should be much sooner than this one.. If you have any comments or suggestions, e-mail me at THRAWN5678@aol.com
I want to thank all the really kewl people who have sent me e-mail telling me how much I like the story. I appreciate you all!! Special dedications go out to Mike, my editor, for everything, and to Chris, who knows what he means to me!!
I've created a website for my two main stories. This way, you can read the most recent versions of Last Chance and Never Guess!! Also, you can expect the website to have the new chapters as they are written a few days before Nifty, so visit if you want a jump on the story!! Vote on the Poll!! Sign the Guestbook!! Leave a message on the message board!
http://www.squallthrawn.com
Last Chance for Jason by Squall Thrawn
previously in Last Chance...
"Thank you, Kevin. Anyway, I'll leave you two boys to your conversation," said Mrs. Parker, turning towards the door. "You're still welcome to stay for dinner of course, Jason." She walked out the door, but turned around. "And if you two help set the table in a while, I might just let the two of you sit next to each other." The big grins on the boys' faces were immediate. With that, she left to get dinner ready.
"Wow, Kevin, that was intense," said Jason, wiping his forehead. "But I can't believe that your mother was so cool about it!!"
"I know, I never would have guessed," said Kevin, wiping his own forehead. "I mean, I figured she'd come around eventually, but never this fast."
"What are we going to do about our fathers?" said Jason, his brow creasing slightly. "I mean, my father would pitch a fit, definitely, and your mother seems to think your father wouldn't approve either."
"I don't know, Jason, I don't know..."
Chapter 4
"So, who's your friend, Kevin?" asked Jonathan Parker as he sat down at the head of the dinner table. Kevin and Jason were already seated next to each other on Mr. Parker's right. Mr. Parker didn't seem to notice that Kevin's right hand and Jason's left hand were both under the table.
"Oh, I'm sorry," said Kevin apologetically. "Father, this is Jason Schuler."
"I'm pleased to meet you, Mr. Parker," said Jason, smiling shyly.
"Well, I'm glad to meet you too, Jason," said Kevin's father. "Kevin doesn't have many friends over at the house anymore." Just then, Elayne Parker brought over the steaming hot pan of lasagna. She cut four large squares of lasagna and placed one on each plate.
"There's more if you're still hungry after that," said Elayne with a smile on her face. "Nobody leaves this house hungry."
"Thank you, Elayne," said Jason, smiling broadly at her. Mrs. Parker sat down across from Kevin. Mr. Parker made sure that everybody was settled, then he clasped his hands together to begin the before-meal prayer. He noted with satisfaction that there was no hesitation on Jason's part.
"Bless us, O Lord, for these thy gifts which we are about to receive, from thy bounty through Christ, our Lord, Amen."
"So, Jason," said Mr. Parker as they were eating, "Are your parents religious?"
"Sir, my mother died when I was three," said Jason, calmly. "My father has never liked going to church, and stopped completely after my mother died. I still go to church every week, though."
"Good," said Mr. Parker, nodding his head. "So, how did you two meet?"
Kevin shot a look at his mother, silently asking her why his father was interrogating Jason. She shrugged slightly.
"We both work at Wal-mart," said Kevin. "Jason has my old job of pushing carts."
"Good, good," said Mr. Parker. "Nothing like honest work to keep kids out of mischief. How old are you?"
"I'm 18, soon to be 19," said Jason. Anticipating the next question, he volunteered some information. "I'll be entering college next year, but I haven't decided which one yet. Most likely a local one. And I'm undecided on my major."
"At least you're planning on going to college," said Kevin's father, nodding. "Not like these other kids who graduate from high school and get their girlfriends pregnant and are forced to flip burgers at some fast-food restaurant." Mr. Parker had little patience for people such as these, who, in his opinion, wasted their potential and God-given talents. "Kevin here is planning on going to law school, to follow in his father's footsteps, aren't you Kevin?" Kevin merely offered a brittle smile.
"How was your day at work, today, honey?" Elayne Parker interjected, breaking up her husband's interrogation. Soon enough he was droning on about a client of the law firm he was a partner of, complaining about billing or some such nonsense, according to him. Granted, anybody who had an opinion that differed from his, was full of nonsense. Meanwhile, Kevin and Jason ate in silence, out of the limelight. Eventually though, Mr. Parker's story about his- in his way of telling it- exciting day at work ran down, and Mrs. Parker picked up the slack.
"So, what do you guys have planned for tonight?" asked Elayne, looking at the two boys. Her tone of voice indicated to them that she wasn't resuming the interrogation of before; indeed, she just sounded curious.
"Well, we were thinking about taking in a movie," said Kevin, smiling at his mother.
"That sounds great, Kevin," said Elayne Parker, warmly. "Would either of you like some more lasagna?"
"No thanks, Elayne," said Jason, smiling at her as well at her motherly attitude. Jason was shocked at how quickly she had practically adopted him as another son. He was sure that she was still having a few problems adjusting, but at the same time Jason knew that her attitude was genuine. He could also see that Kevin's father was going to be a major problem. Mr. Parker couldn't be less like Jason's dad if he tried; the only similarity was their homophobia. But while Jason's father opposed gays because it wasn't the "macho" thing to be, Jason suspected that that didn't figure into Mr. Parker's equation at all. It was simply that it wasn't what Mr. Parker had planned for Kevin, and it was against what Mr. Parker believed in. He idly wondered which was the greater sin to Mr. Parker.
Just then, Kevin, whose right hand was already under the table, put his hand on Jason's thigh and slowly started rubbing it. Jason turned abruptly towards Kevin, who gave him the most innocent smile he'd ever seen. Jason smiled back shyly, then blushed when he saw Elayne Parker's knowing smile. He gently but firmly removed Kevin's hand from his thigh.
"Excuse me, Father?" said Kevin, respectfully. Mr. Parker looked at Kevin. "May we be excused from the table?"
"Yes, you may," said Mr. Parker, nodding his head. "I'm glad to meet you Jason, and I hope to meet you again."
"Thank you, sir," said Jason as he and Kevin stood up. "I know I'll be back; this is probably the best meal I've ever had."
"Thank you for the compliment, Jason!" said Elayne Parker. "You're welcome over any time."
Jason thanked her for the open invitation and he and Kevin made their way to Kevin's room.
"Do you see what I mean about my father?" asked Kevin as he closed the door behind them.
"Yeah," said Jason. "He seems to be very.. umm... resistant to change." Jason was struggling to be diplomatic.
"I guess you could say that," said Kevin, shaking his head. "That's probably the nicest way of putting it."
"Do you want to go to law school and follow in your father's footsteps?" asked Jason.
"Does it matter what I want?" asked Kevin bitterly. "The great and powerful Jonathan Parker has spoken, and whatever he says is law."
"And yet you're willing to defy him by not giving in and 'becoming straight'," noted Jason. He was sure he was going too far, but he couldn't help himself. Kevin appeared as if he was going to get mad, but then the fight went out of his eyes and his shoulders slumped.
"I just.. I don't want to disappoint my dad too much," mumbled Kevin, barely audible. "I remember when my sister Jenna moved out and said that she was through living the life my father had planned for her. My dad barely speaks to her any more. I know my mother still keeps in touch with her, though. When Jenna moved out, all the burden fell on me. If I got a B on a test, I was grounded for a week. You'd think my father would make me quit my job if my grades weren't good enough for his liking, but he insisted that I work. Said I needed the experience and the discipline. Most kids argue with their parents on a frequent basis, but I learned that there was no point, years ago. It's impossible to argue with a parent who's a lawyer, and even if I did make a valid point, he'd start saying that he was the head of the family, and what he said goes. Maybe, just maybe, if I can convince him that I know what I'm talking about with my sexual orientation, he'll relent on that. But career-wise? Not a chance in Hell." Kevin finally turned towards Jason, and Jason was struck by the sense of deep hurt, almost a sense of hopelessness.
Jason walked over to where Kevin was sitting, and stood in front of him.
"Listen to me, Kev," said Jason. "Before I talked to you today, I was a mess, emotionally. But you gave me the greatest advice ever. You told me to follow my heart. And it told me that I should be with you. Listen to your own advice. How can you be happy if you're not doing something that you want to do? Follow your heart. It'll steer you in the right direction, just as mine did." Jason used his hand and gently wiped the tears from Kevin's eyes.
"Thanks, Jase," said Kevin emotionally. "I just need to think on this a bit, ok?"
"Take all the time you need, Kevin," said Jason sincerely. "And just know that I'll be here if you want someone to support you."
Just then, somebody knocked on Kevin's door.
"Kevin, honey, it's me." Elayne Parker's voice was unmistakable. "Could I ask you to do a favor for me?"
"Sure, Mom," said Kevin. "You can come in; we're decent." Jason giggled a bit at his comment.
"I would hope so," said Elayne Parker as she opened the door and walked in, smiling. "First of all, do you work Friday night?"
"I work Thursday night," said Kevin, "but I managed to have my Friday night off."
"How about you, Jason?" asked Elayne Parker, turning to Jason.
"I don't have to work on Friday night, either," said Jason. He turned to Kevin, who gave him a grin.
"Well," said Elayne Parker, shaking her head at the expressions on their faces, "I was wondering if you could pick your sister up at the airport at 7 pm."
Kevin's head jerked up. "Jenna's coming into town?"
"Well, her plane is landing a little before seven, so I guess that means she is coming to town," said Mrs. Parker.
"Isn't this a bit short notice?" asked Kevin, curious.
"Well, you know how your sister is," said Mrs. Parker lightly, but Kevin could sense that there was more to it than that. But he didn't pursue it.
"I'd be more than happy to pick her up," said Kevin, sincerely. He truly did love his older sister.
"Thanks a lot, honey," said Elayne Parker. "Why don't you bring Jason along too? I'm sure she'd be glad to meet one of your 'friends'; after all, she'll want to see who took her place as best friend."
"You know that nobody could replace Jenna," said Kevin, smiling. "But I haven't even come out to her. How could I introduce her to my boyfriend?" Jason smiled at that comment.
"Try the same tactics that didn't work today with me," said Elayne drily. "But practice. She'll at least be able to guess that there is somebody in your life, so you have a choice. Introduce her to Jason, your boyfriend, or Jason, your really close friend. So if and when you get the courage to tell her, it won't take her by surprise."
"That sounds like a plan," said Kevin. He turned to Jason. "Do you want to come along? It's your call."
"Well, if you don't think I'll be in the way of your reunion with your sister, I would like to meet her," said Jason. "You've talked enough about her that I'm eager to meet her for myself."
"Then its settled," said Mrs. Parker, satisfied. "I'll give her your cell phone number, in case she doesn't have it. That way if something happens, she can get ahold of you." With that, Mrs. Parker left Kevin's room, closing the door behind her.
Kevin was already deep in thought. Jenna. Usually older sisters just tolerated their younger brothers, and didn't give them much thought. And Jenna had been seven years older than him. But Jenna had treated him almost as an equal. She was undeniably his best friend. And when she was 16 and started dating, she made sure that Kevin approved of her boyfriends.
Kevin remembered that day, seven years ago, when Jenna finally moved out.
"Kevvy, can I talk to you about something?" Jenna said, walking into Kevin's bedroom. He was busy playing a video game, but paused it and looked up at his sister's serious face.
"Sure, Jenna," The twelve year old Kevin said, smiling. She was the only one allowed to call him that, and then only when it was just the two of them. She'd called him that for as long as he could remember.
"Well, you remember Casey?"
"How could I forget her?" asked Kevin, grinning. "She said I was cute." He still didn't know if she meant it, or if she was just saying that because he was her best friend's little brother. But he wasn't going to debate the matter.
"Yeah, she did say that," said Jenna, a brief smile on her lips. "Well, we've been doing some thinking and planning, and we've finally found a cheap apartment for us to rent down in Orlando, Florida. Her job has approved her transfer to their division down there, and I'll check out the job market when I get down there."
"What are you talking about, Jenna?" asked Kevin, his smile long gone.
"I'm moving out, Kevvy," said Jenna, her smile gone as well. "It's nothing you did; don't ever think that. You're actually one of the only reasons why I waited this long."
"Why are you moving?" asked Kevin, heartbroken. His best friend in the world was leaving him.
"Because I'm tired of not being able to live my own life. Everything has been dictated to me since before I was your age. I just want to be able to make my own choices. And according to him, that's not possible." She practically spat out the word 'him.' Kevin didn't need to ask who she was referring to. "I just want to be myself. And Orlando's a beautiful place. When we get settled down there and I earn some money, I'll buy you a plane ticket, and you can visit me down there. And in the meantime, we can still talk on the phone. Okay, Kevin?"
"I'll miss you," said Kevin, his eyes tearing up. He gave his sister a big hug.
"You have no idea how much I'll miss you too," said Jenna, openly crying as well. "Be good, and don't let him get you down." She reluctantly ended the hug, and kissed him on the forehead. "I love you, Kevvy. Don't ever forget that."
Seven years had passed since Jenna had left, and despite her promise to fly him down to Orlando and call him frequently, Kevin had only seen her three times since she moved out. His father had not taken the news well, and had cut her off completely from contacting Kevin. On those rare times that she visited, they could only meet outside of the house. And though she never admitted it, Kevin suspected that living down in Orlando wasn't quite as easy, or as cheap as Jenna had made it sound.
"Hey, Kev! You there?" Jason cut into Kevin's reminiscing. Kevin jumped.
"Oh, sorry, Jase. I was just thinking," said Kevin.
"That was fairly obvious," said Jason, smiling. "Thinking about your sister, aren't you?"
"Yup," said Kevin. "It's been a while since I've seen her. Two years, I think. I've talked to her on the phone a few times since then. My father doesn't allow too many calls to her. Sometimes I get the feeling he's blocked out the fact that he even has a daughter. I do chat with her online occasionally, when she's using her friend's computer." Just then, Kevin looked at his watch. "Shit! if we don't hurry, we'll miss the 7:20 showing of Spider-Man." The two boys jumped up and quickly made their way out the door to Kevin's car.
"Don't drive too reckless," said Jason, as he buckled his seatbelt. "I would like to get there in one piece."
"Don't worry! Trust me!" said Kevin with a grin on his face.
"So, what did you think of the movie?" said Kevin, as he and Jason walked out of the movie theatre.
"That was totally awesome!!" said Jason, grinning. "And Tobey Maguire and James Franco were pretty hot, too!"
"Hotter than me?" asked Kevin, mock seriously. He stopped and looked at Jason as if he was hurt by the thought.
"Hmmm.." said Jason, as if he was seriously considering it. Then he grinned widely. "Not a chance in the world!!" He quickly looked around to see if anybody was watching, and gave Kevin a peck on the cheek. Realizing how exposed they were, his face turned a bright pink.
Kevin glanced around. "I don't think anybody saw us, and even if we did, there probably wouldn't be anybody we know here." With that, he kissed Jason back. Without further incident, they made it back to Kevin's car and started back on their way to his house so that Jason could get his car.
"Hey, Kevin?" asked Jason, as they drove along the highway. "How are we going to handle work?"
"What do you mean, Jase?" asked Kevin, keeping his eyes on the road.
"Well, for starters, I seriously doubt it would be a good idea to come out. You know how the people there are."
"That's probably true," said Kevin, nodding his head. "And they'll probably assume we're a couple if we start hanging around each other constantly, after not talking for all these months."
Jason winced. "I wasn't sure of my feelings, and I didn't want to be outted at that place. Despite the fact that I flirted with the girls there quite often, some of the guys there were teasing me about being gay. That's why I showed them that first note. I thought it was a joke from one of them."
"Well, all that matters is that it did work out," said Kevin, smiling. "I've an idea. I'll come around and start talking to you, gradually, and eventually everybody will accept that we're friends now."
"That should work," said Jason. "You're a really smart guy, Kev. How did I get so lucky?"
Kevin blushed crimson.
"Well, I'll see you tomorrow at work," said Kevin, as Jason got to his car. "Drive carefully."
"Alright, Kev," said Jason, unlocking his door. "Have a nice night. Sweet dreams, and all that good stuff." Kevin laughed. He quickly glanced around, and kissed Jason. Not a peck on the cheek, but a real kiss. Jason tensed at first, since they were somewhat exposed here, but soon relaxed. Jason's mouth opened and Kevin's tongue was soon exploring every part of Jason's mouth. Kevin could feel himself getting hard, and from the feeling of something poking him in the hip, Jason was getting excited as well. So Kevin reluctantly broke the kiss, before they got too excited. Jason smiled that shy smile and opened his car door.
"I... Sleep well, Jase," said Kevin, changing what he was about to say.
"With thoughts of you, how could I not?" said Jason, smiling. He was soon pulling out of the driveway, and heading towards his home.
Kevin silently cursed himself for almost slipping there. It was too soon to be saying something like that. He didn't want to scare Jason away or anything.
Kevin walked to the front door of his home, his mind filled with thoughts of Jason, and of the thought of his sister coming to visit.
So we find out about Kevin's sister! Will she accept him or reject him? And what about Kevin's father? RAFO!!!
Squall Thrawn THRAWN5678@aol.com http://www.squallthrawn.com