My Only Love Chapter 10
Hi everyone! Sorry it's taken so long for this next chapter to come out. I really didn't mean to procrastinate this long. But y'all know how life goes. Things come up that you didn't foresee, and the rest of your plans go down the drain.
Well, I love to get e-mails, so I am going to wait until I've gotten at least 20 e-mails responding to this chapter. And I don't mean just "nice story". I'd love it if people would offer suggestions, and/or comments. I can't promise to incorporate them in the story, but if they fit where it is headed, I'll go where the wind blows me. My e-mail address is gibsongirl101@hotmail.com.
Now, for the disclaimers. Don't read this if you are too young where you live, or if you are offended by stories featuring gay characters. Also, the town in which this story is set is completely in my imagination, as are ALL the characters. If there is any resemblance to persons living or dead, it is pure coincidence.
Now, on to chapter 10 of "My Only Love". Hope you like it!
Eric:
"Yes I am. But don't say I didn't warn you!" I told Mac and Eric. I couldn't believe that they would make a bet to see who would win a girl's heart first. It was just so stupid. Mac and Kyle went inside to see about breakfast.
I looked at Chris and he just smiled and hugged me. "Don't worry about it, Eric. No one will get hurt. It's only a game."
"Only a game? They are talking about playing with someone's heart. I don't think that Caitlyn will think of it as a game if she really falls in love with one of them. I mean, how would you feel if you found out I was only with you because of a bet?"
Chris looked thoughtful for a moment. "I never thought of it that way. We will just have to make sure that no one gets hurt, won't we?"
"Can't we convince Mac and Kyle to change their minds? I mean, it shouldn't be that hard, should it?"
"You don't know my friends very well, do you? Once they've made up their mind, there is no changing it. They will follow through to the end. What we can do is tell Caitlyn and let her get her revenge by putting them through hell."
I knew he was right. I may have just begun to get to know Chris' friends, but I knew enough about them to know that they both had hard heads. "I think that would be a giid idea. And it'll be fun to watch the two of them jump through hoops." I was quiet for a moment and then said, "Chris, do you mind if we get out of here. I want to be alone with you."
"I thought you'd never ask, baby. Let me just go tell Kyle and Mac what is up." Chris gave me a quick kiss and then ran into the house. He came back a few minutes later with two bagels, and we were on our way.
"Do you want to go down by the lake? We can sit by the water and talk." Chris said.
"Only talk?" I asked suggestively. Chris laughed and slung his arm around me. I snuggled up to him and we walked toward the woods, which were close to Kyle's house.
We had been walking for a few minutes in comfortable silence when we heard a scream tear through the woods.
"Did you hear that, Chris?" I asked him. I was very concerned. It had sounded like a woman or a small child.
"Yeah. We'd better go check it out. It came from over there." We heard another scream and started running faster.
As Chris was stronger and in better shape than me, I told him to go ahead, I would catch up. With one last glance behind him, Chris was off and running.
A few minutes later, I saw him holding a small figure in his arms. He looked at me, and told me with his gaze to look in the lake.
I did, and was shocked at what I saw. There was a body caught on branches. I blinked a few times, sure that I was seeing things. But the body was still there. I looked at Chris and he looked ill.
As he had his arms full of a distraught little boy, I decided it was up to me to call the police. "Chris, I am going to go back to Kyle's house and call the police. You stay here with him."
Chris nodded and I went on my way. I ran back to Kyle's house, and let myself in. I ran to the kitchen and grabbed the phone. Kyle and Mac were still eating breakfast, and looked at me curiously.
"Hello, police department." Came a voice on the other end of the line.
"Hi. This is Eric...Harrison.... there is a.... body in the lake...I am at 14...Briarwood Road...come quick!" I wheezed into the phone.
"Is this a joke, young man?"
"No, I am deadly serious." I said.
"Ok, a squad car will be there in a few minutes. Wait out front, so you can show them where the body is."
"Ok, I understand. Thank-you." I hung up and turned to see Kyle and Mac staring at me.
"What was this about a body?" Kyle asked.
"Chris and I were walking in the woods when we heard a scream. We ran to see what was wrong, and there was this child screaming his head off. Chris stayed with him while I ran back here to call the police. They should be here soon, so I had better go outside to wait for them."
"We'll come with you." Mac and Kyle said at the same time.
"That would be nice, but I don't know if the police will go for that."
"They'd better. You are one of our best friends, as is Chris, and you aren't going through this alone." Kyle said.
"Thanks guys. Let's go outside. The cops should be here any minute."
We were hardly out the door when a squad car came screeching to a halt in Kyle's driveway. Two young guys got out, and motioned to us to come closer.
"Which one of you is Eric Harrison?" asked the blonde.
"I am." I said.
"Ok, then, lead the way to the body." The dark-haired one said. "I am Detective Masterson and this is my partner Detective Patterson."
The five of us started in the direction of the lake. It only took 10 minutes to reach the place where Chris and the little boy were waiting for us.
When we got there, there were two more little boys sitting quietly beside Chris. Well, actually, one of them was sitting on Chris, who had his arms protectively around the boy. He looked so good, cradling the boy. He would be a great father some day.
"The body is still in the water," I told the detectives. They went over to the water's edge, and looked gravely at one another.
"We have to go back and radio for help. Can you guys watch out for the little ones?" Detective Masterson asked them.
"Sure. We'll keep them away from the water and too busy to think of what they've seen." I told the Detective.
"Thanks. We'll be back in a few minutes. I don't have to remind you to not touch anything, right?"
"Of course not. We won't touch a thing." I told Detective Masterson. He nodded, and they were on their way.
I walked over to where Chris was sitting with the boy, and sat down beside him. Kyle and Mac decided to take the other two boys back to Kyle's house, so they could call their parents.
"What happened?" I asked softly.
"All I know is that this little guy thought he'd caught a fish and really caught that. He hasn't said anything else since then, all he's done is cry." Chris said, hugging the little boy tightly.
"Do you know his name?" I asked.
"Davy Jackson. He's on the baseball team that I coach in the summer."
The three of us sat in silence until the detectives came back, this time with about 10 other cops. The cops immediately began to take stock of the scene. After about 5 minutes, they told us to take the boy back to Kyle's house, where the chief was waiting to question him. I guess we were in the way or something.
Deciding it would be better for Davy, to leave behind this nightmare, Chris and I left without an argument. If we'd been alone, I know we both would have wanted to stay. But we had to do what was best for Davy.
"I'll call his mother." I told Chris when we'd reached Kyle's house.
"Actually he lives with a foster family." Chris said quietly. "I'll call them. I know them and everything." He tried to hand Davy to me, but the boy wouldn't let go of Chris' neck. "Ok, you call them. The name is Jefferson. It's in the phone book under Karl."
I called the Jefferson's and they said they would be right over. They sounded irritated that I'd interrupted them at 9:00 on a Sunday morning. But I could have been mistaken.
When I went to look for Chris, I saw him with the chief of police, a very overweight man in his late 40's. He was gently asking Davy what had happened.
"I was going fishing with my friends. But when I got there, they were late. So I decided to fish alone." His voice was very small, and his eyes were full of tears. I felt so bad for the little tyke. "I thought I'd catched a big fish. But it wasn't a fish. Then I screamed and Coach found me." He looked at Chris with adoring eyes. Then he looked back at the chief with troubled eyes. "Am I in trouble?"
The chief's eyes softened and he told Davy that of course he wasn't in trouble. Davy smiled weakly and snuggled closer to Chris. "Well, I think that is all I need from you Davy. Are you ready to go home?"
"Ok." Davy whispered.
"Well your foster parents should be here soon to take you home. But, while we wait, do you want some ice cream?" Chris asked. Davy nodded. Chris looked at me, and I went to get Davy some ice cream.
Kyle and Mac were in the kitchen, playing Go Fish with the other boys. I asked Kyle where the bowls were, and scooped out a large helping of ice cream for the three boys.
A few minutes later, the parents of Davy's friend arrived, and thanked us for looking after their children. After they left, Chris and I sat with Davy outside in the sun. The little boy still looked scared, and wouldn't let go of Chris.
A car came screeching into the driveway, and beeped the horn. "That's my foster parents. I have to go. They don't like to wait." Davy whispered, reluctantly letting go of Chris. "Will you come visit me later, Chris?"
"Of course. Are you going to be ok?" Chris asked. Davy nodded and ran for the car. He'd barely closed the door before the car raced off again. "I hate letting him go with them!" Chris swore.
"Why? Are they mean to him?" I asked.
"I think that they abuse him. But he never has any bruises and never says anything. And his case worker just thinks I am a kid with an over active imagination." Chris looked very upset.
I put my arms around him and said; "We'll find a way to get him out of there, if you want."
"Do you think we can?"
Before I could answer, the detectives and their crew came back, carry the body with them. I couldn't see the face, but from the looks on the cops faces, I knew it had to be someone we knew.
Detective Masterson came over to Chris and handed him a piece of paper. "I think that you had better read this." With a doubtful expression, Chris took the paper and started to read it out loud. "I am sorry for all the awful things I have done in my life. I never meant them, but I couldn't help myself. I just want my parents to know that I love them, and never stopped loving them, even when I was a jerk. And I want to tell my friends that I am sorry for all the shit I got you into. And I want to tell Chris that I never meant all the horrible things I said. All I ever wanted was to be with him, but I was afraid. So I did the only thing I knew how to do. Be a bully. I am sorry. But none of that matters now. I am tired of living this life. I can't do it anymore. So, I am going to end it all. I'm sorry. Justin."
Chris was crying as he read the end of the letter. I couldn't believe it either. It all seemed so surreal. "So how'd he do it?" he asked.
"We don't know yet. WE didn't see any weapons, or a pill bottle. All we can think is that he took the pills at his house, and then went to lake to die. But we won't know anything until an autopsy is done."
"Justin Tripp wasn't the sort of person to take pills to end his life. He would have wanted it to be memorable. He would have used a gun." Chris said.
"Like I said, we won't know anything until an autopsy is done. Thanks for all your help boys," Detective Masterson said, and then left without another word.
Kyle and Mac came outside then and we told them what happened. They were as shocked as Chris and I. We watched as the cop cars and ambulance drove away. None of us knew what was going to happen next.