New to This State

USUAL INTRO & THANKS ====================

So here we are again. Another couple of days, another chapter. Sorry the last one was so short, everyone who wants to know what is going on with Tyler and Curtis, or whether Tyler and Drew are going to be okay. This part should answer some of your questions. But, as I keep saying, I'm making this up as I go, so it may not. I always write these intros before I write the actual chapter, so I can't say what'll be going on five thousand words from now. Read on to find out! Those of you who talked to me on MSN or AOL after the last chapter was posted, thanks a lot, it was greatly appreciated. Hopefully, by now, I am caught up with my emailing and you should all have received responses to your messages (albeit short responses!), I really do read them all and it's a pleasure to do so. If you want to be notified of when updates to the story are completed, please just email me and ask. My thanks are also due to Savage Garden, who I have been listening to almost non-stop for the last few chapters - and especially to "Affirmation" and "Two Beds And A Coffee Machine", which are truly great songs.

This chapter is dedicated to Matt, who will probably be surprised that I remembered, and that I meant it!

DISCLAIMER ==========

This is a work of fiction; any resemblance to persons living or dead is entirely coincidental. The author asserts all legal and moral rights (copyright (c) 2000 - ardveche@hotmail.com) to this work and you may not copy it or transmit it in any way except in its entirety and with this disclaimer. This story features descriptions of sex between consenting (all over the legal age, at least in my jurisdiction they are) males:

• if such material is prohibited in your jurisdiction, please DO NOT READ ON, - if you're under the legal age to read such material, please DO NOT READ ON, - if you don't like, or are offended by such material, please DO NOT READ ON.

Now, if everyone who is still here is meant to be here, let's get on with it. All comments are welcome and gratefully received (email them to ardveche@hotmail.com).

NEW TO THIS STATE =================

Chapter 7 - Skeletons

"Hey guys." I tried to keep my tone light and cheerful, even though I was burning to know what had been going on between them in here. "You're awake, how are you feeling?" I turned to Curtis who smiled weakly and made a non-committal grunting noise by way of an answer and lay back on the couch, closing his eyes. There was a small silver crucifix hanging round his neck which I hadn't noticed before.

"I've been better. I owe you, buddy."

"You shouldn't have given me the slip like that."

"I know."

"Here." I suddenly remembered the cigarettes in my pocket and threw them onto the couch beside him. "But you can't smoke them in here."

"Thanks." He laughed quietly, obviously pained by the movement it caused.

"Drew, I'm gonna see if I can help your grandma, let the two of you talk for a bit, 'kay?" Tyler, who I had been pretty much ignoring spoke up.

"You don't have to." I said.

"I know, but you two need to talk about some stuff - so I'm going to." And without another word he turned and left. I watched him go and then slowly turned around to face Curtis again, sitting down by his legs, being careful not to hurt him.

"You've got it bad." He said, his face utterly unreadable. "You told him, huh?"

"Yes."

"And did he take it well?"

"He didn't hit me."

"Just as well, he sure as hell worked my dad over." Again, I couldn't read from that what Curtis felt about it. He seemed to have withdrawn back into himself and was almost as cold as he had been that first day at school. He wouldn't meet my gaze and it seemed like he really wanted me to leave him alone.

"Actually, that was partly me." I confessed, and waited a moment for his reaction, which didn't come, he simply looked up and waited for me to go on. "When I saw what he'd done to you, I just saw red, I was so mad I wanted to kill him, Tyler had to physically pull me off him. I'm sorry."

"Why?"

"I hate violence, it made me as bad as him."

"Maybe."

"Are you going to say anything that isn't a monosyllable?"

"Maybe isn't."

"You're not clever." I was beginning to get annoyed, and bored with this game, but I tried to keep my tone as light and jovial as I could manage. I realized he'd had a rough day (not to mention a rough life), and I didn't want to add to his troubles.

"If you say so."

"Listen. Do you want me to leave you alone?"

"No!"

"Oh." The vehemence of his response surprised me, he was certainly acting like he wanted me to go away.

"I mean...well, it's not that. Okay?"

"I don't know. Is it?" Okay, so maybe that wasn't a constructive answer, and I know I should have been more concerned about his well-being than I was, but I was feeling pretty hurt and rejected as well. There was obviously something going on between him and Tyler, something they were happy to play the village idiot over rather than tell me about and here he was being so cold towards me, I didn't know what to think. I felt exactly like what I suppose I was; an outsider.

"Hand me that shirt, would you?" He changed the subject abruptly, looking away from me again, and I didn't know how to respond, largely because I just didn't know what I was feeling. I did notice that he said 'that' rather than 'my' shirt, after all it was the one I had loaned him. Was I reading too much into the word? Probably, I reached over and handed it to him.

"Where are you going?" I asked as he struggled into it. I guess I should have helped, but I didn't I just stood watching him with my lips pursed and my hands thrust deep into my pockets.

"To the kitchen, dummy, I'm not an invalid." He grinned at me and the mood palpably lightened.

"That's a matter of opinion."

"And only mine counts! Listen, it hurts like hell, but it's not so very bad. And it's over now. Okay? I need to be up and doing things for myself, so I can get out of your hair as soon as possible."

"You can stay here as long as you need to."

"I know that, but I don't want to."

"Oh." I said, yet again. Feeling confused and let down, and not for the first time.

"It's not that I don't appreciate it, but I don't want to be a burden, or get in the way. I can look after myself, okay?"

"I guess. You seem to have made your mind up already." I couldn't keep the bitterness out of my voice, and I winced internally at the way I sounded.

"Oh, for God's sake, Drew!"

"You're right, I'm sorry. I guess I sort of understand. I just hoped you'd stay here for a while."

"I think I'll have to. I can't see Lois letting me walk out anytime soon. Can you?" I laughed at that, but I still had that dull ache in my gut. So this is what rejection feels like, huh? I don't think I like it. It struck me then that maybe this is how Curtis felt when I told him that I was only interested in Tyler. Ouch.

He rose unsteadily to his feet, but seemed to be okay standing until he bent to retrieve his jeans from the chair, he gasped and winced a little as he bent over then straightening up again he turned to me and raised his eyebrows. "Guess I won't be doing many pushups for a while." I couldn't decide whether to laugh or to cry at the way he was handling this whole, awful, situation, so I just shook my head at him. "Lighten up, Drew."

"Sorry."

He made no response, just finished getting dressed with occasional little pained noises. I stood where I was the whole time, sensing that he was already embarrassed enough by how many people had seen him in the state he was in and wanted to do this for himself. When he was done, he rose to his feet again and smiled weakly at me, indicating that I should lead the way through to the kitchen. Tyler and Lois were laughing over some joke or other when we walked in, and I was immediately impressed at how quickly they had 'bonded', he was busily slicing tomatoes as Lois buttered the bread and they looked for all the world as though they'd known each other forever. Not for the first time, I found myself filling up in the presence of my grandmother. Her bluntness and good humor just seemed to put people at their ease around her, a skill I greatly admired.

"Oh, hello, Curtis." Lois said, obviously surprised to see him moving about. They both stopped laughing, and Tyler shot me a questioning look.

"Hey." He smiled bravely and maneuvered himself onto a stool. He was obviously moving with care, as not to hurt himself, but he was putting on a great show of not being badly hurt at all. Lois nodded once, clearly deciding to say nothing about the day's events until he did and returned to what she was doing.

"You can have turkey or pastrami." Tyler announced with a smile, he was going to play along with the game it seemed. Had everyone gone mad? Oh well, if that's how he wanted to play it, I could go along. For now.

"Turkey!" Curtis and I said as one. We turned to face one another and cracked up. Tyler and Lois, likewise looked at one another, but they just shrugged and shook their heads.

"Ow! Ow! Oh, God! Don't make me laugh!" Curtis gasped, his arms wrapped round his belly, rocking back and forth.

"Serves you right." Tyler commented dryly.

"So much for the compassionate society." I chimed in while Curtis got his breath back. "Back to work, kitchen boy!"

"You'll regret that remark." Tyler grinned at me. I couldn't help but grin back, though I did try not to.

"Drew, why don't you get the lemonade out and pour four glasses?" Lois asked.

"Can do." And a few minutes later we were all seated, happily munching on our sandwiches and drinking home-made lemonade. As though this were just like any other day and nothing remotely out of the ordinary had happened. Curtis and I remained fairly quiet while Lois filled us in on her morning at the hospital and Tyler told us we should all come to the game on Saturday. All in all, it was quite a pleasant lunch. When we were done, Lois rose to clear the plates away.

"Well, I have things to do. So you three had best get out from underfoot and let me get on." She bustled about the kitchen tidying things up. "And, Curtis?"

"Yes?"

"The brave soldier routine is very nice. And I'm impressed by how big and strong and independent-minded you are. But for goodness sake, take it easy. At least for a day or two. Okay?" At first he tried to defiantly meet her stare, but eventually he hung his head and muttered a response.

"Okay."

"Good boy. Now, out, all of you."

We obediently trooped out of the kitchen and flopped into seats in the parlor. Silence descended over the group, until Tyler, our very own pep-rally, broke it. "So what now?"

"Well I don't know about you two, but I need a cigarette. Is it okay to smoke on the back porch?" He glanced over at me.

"I guess, but you shouldn't really smoke, should you?"

"Maybe not, but if you thought I was cranky before you should see me if I don't get nicotine." He grinned broadly to show he was kidding and pushed himself upright again to go outside. I was about to follow him. "S'okay, Drew, I'll manage. And I wouldn't want you bitching at me about passive smoking!" I lowered myself back into the seat and moments later I was alone with Tyler again. This was potentially awkward.

"Hey, you know what?" I finally asked, as a thought occurred to me

"What?"

"Curtis's guitar wasn't with the stuff we brought over."

"He plays guitar?"

"Yeah. He taught himself." I said with pride.

"Wow. Is he any good?"

"Um, I've never heard him play. But I'm sure he is." I felt my pride in my friend deflate a little.

"Me too." Tyler smiled.

"Maybe I should get him a new one? You know, to cheer him up a bit?"

"They're not cheap, Drew."

"I know that."

"Would it be out of line for me to split the cost with you?" My expression must have been questioning, because Tyler shrugged and looked away, before continuing. "I feel I sort of ought to get him something too."

"Why?"

"There's a place in town that sells them second hand. 'Stanley's', David used to work there."

"Smooth subject change, Ellis!"

"So sue me. Okay? I feel bad for the guy."

"He doesn't need your pity." Why was I being so defensive all of a sudden? Maybe because I still desperately wanted to know what had passed between the two of them. I knew there was no point in asking Tyler about it, but maybe I could work on Curtis. Unless he decided to be stubborn about it, then I'd get nothing from him either. Perhaps Kate would know?

"I know. And it's not pity."

"Fine. How much are we talking about?"

"I don't know, a hundred, maybe a hundred and fifty dollars?"

"That much?" I was astonished. I had maybe forty dollars in cash, more in my savings account, but I didn't want to touch that. Still, this was pretty important. At least to me it was.

"I guess. You got that much?"

"I can get it. You okay for half?"

"Sure. It's worth it."

"Hang on a minute." I trotted through to the kitchen where Lois was filling a watering can at the sink. "Loissssss." I put on my best wheedling tone.

"No."

"You don't even know what it is yet."

"Okay, spit it out." She turned round and leant back with arms folded to hear my piece.

"Tyler and me, we thought it'd be a nice thing to do for Curtis if we got him a new guitar, on account of how he left his at his father's." She continued to look at me, in silence. "And, we don't want to give him an excuse to go back there."

"Drew, that's a lovely idea. Where do I come in?"

"Well, there's this problem..."

"How much?" She sighed.

"It's only a loan."

"Fine. How much?"

"Maybe forty or fifty bucks?"

"Okay. But if your mother finds out..."

"Thanks, Lois!" I kissed her cheek. "You're the greatest!"

"This is a nice thing to do, Drew. Forget about the loan, just take the money."

"No. I mean, that's okay. I want to pay you back, I want this to be from me. You know, properly?"

"Understood. Here." She handed me fifty dollars from her purse. "Pay it back whenever you get the chance." And then she smiled at me. "You're a good person, Drew, deep down maybe, but it's there."

Back in the parlor, Tyler was flicking through a gardening magazine with all the enthusiasm of a patient in a dentist's waiting room. I held up the money and the forty that I had of my own. "I have ninety. So we can afford to get him something good, huh? You don't have to put that much in, though."

"Cool. That's fine."

"This is really nice of you, Tyler. I mean it."

"Hey, it was your idea, buddy!" I handed him the cash. "Thanks. I know the guy who runs the place, sort of, so I'll make sure we get the best he's got. I'd ask David for advice, but maybe this is best just between us, huh?"

"Yeah. Probably."

"So should I go now? You keep him busy?"

"Cool. Be quick, or he'll get suspicious."

"I'm sure you can distract him from my absence!" And off he went to his car. I stood pondering the meaning of that remark for a few minutes and then went out the back to join Curtis. I stood at the door watching his back as he leaned his elbows on the rail and slowly smoked, staring off into the middle distance. He looked so peaceful, like when he was asleep, as though at that moment nothing bothered him.

"I know you're standing there, Drew." He didn't turn round.

"How'd you know it was me?"

"I can smell your cologne."

"Really?"

"Nah. I heard Tyler's car leaving. He gone back to school?"

"Um, yeah."

"You just going to stand there or are you coming out to join me?" He still hadn't turned around and I didn't know whether he wanted me to stay or to go. If he needed some time just to think and to get his head around what had happened, I didn't want to get in the way, but equally I didn't want him to be lonely and to start brooding and maybe blaming himself. I decided if he didn't want me there, he'd say so, so I let the door swing shut and went to lean on the rail beside him. Upwind! We stood like that in silence while he finished his cigarette which he crushed out and carefully placed next to another on the rail, presumably to put in the trash later.

"So." I said.

"So."

"Here we are."

"No doubt about it."

"I like your teddy bear." I tried to lighten the gloom which had descended.

"Thanks."

"What's his name?"

"Um, it's pretty dumb." He was obviously embarrassed by this line of conversation, and I could understand why. He was trying to be adult and strong and there he was risking his neck for a scraggly old teddy.

"C'mon."

"Okay, his name is Pooky. Happy?" There was just a trace of amusement in his voice.

"Pooky?" I had to laugh. Wouldn't you?

"He was my mom's." As quickly as it took to say he had changed from amused to wistful. Not sad exactly, as though he was still pained by his mother's death (which of course he didn't know I knew about) but was remembering a happier time.

"Oh. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to mock..."

"No, it's okay, really." He seemed okay with me laughing at him, he even turned and smiled a little at me. "It is a pretty dumb name."

There was another prolonged silence, while we both thought our own thoughts. Or at least, I assume he was thinking his own thoughts. I was just staring blankly at the trees and enjoying the feeling of not thinking about anything much. I found it strangely easy to just be silent and to do nothing around him, there was something oddly comforting about his presence.

"I really am sorry about this morning, Drew. I didn't know he'd come back and catch me there. Guess he lost another job." He snorted derisively.

"You've nothing to be sorry for."

"Yes I do, I shouldn't have dumped you like that, that was wrong. If we're going to be friends I need to open up more and trust you. Don't need another..." He trailed off.

"Another what?"

"Another Tyler. Okay?"

"No. I don't understand, what are you talking about?"

"It's a long story."

"People keep saying that! So? I'm listening."

Curtis drew in a heavy sigh and I saw him wince slightly again. Part of me was angry at myself for making him do this, but I had to know what was going on. And some of the ideas that were forming in my mind were distinctly unpleasant, I really wanted for him to tell me I was way off. And I utterly dreaded him telling me I was right!

"Okay." Another sigh. "Years ago, Tyler and me were friends, right through grade school." He paused as though to order his thoughts, and lit another cigarette, taking a long draw before continuing. "He was real competitive then too, way fitter and more into sports than me. I worshipped him, you know? He was so cool, and his folks had money and he was popular and smart."

"So what went wrong?"

"Jeez you're impatient! I'm getting to it."

"Sorry."

"And you apologize too much. What went wrong was, my mom got sick. Cancer."

"I'm sorry."

"You did it again." He joked, but his heart wasn't in it. I decided to shut up for the rest of the story. "I was about thirteen when it started to show, I think. I didn't know how serious it was." He sniffed, and I noticed for the first time the tears forming in the corners of his eyes. I reached out and put my arm round his shoulders, at first I thought he was going to jerk away from me but he didn't.

"You don't have to tell me, if you don't want to." So I guess that resolution didn't last too long. I have to stop making promises I can't keep.

"No, it's okay. My mom and dad were pretty caught up with it all, they didn't have much time for me. I guess I sort of resented it, I'd always been the center of attention before, you know? Only child." I nodded to show I knew how that was. "I went a bit off the rails. Got in fights. Stole stuff. Nothing major, attention seeking I suppose. It was just another hassle for them, one they didn't need. I didn't see that then. I made her last few months so bad, you know?"

"I'm sure she understood."

"Maybe. My dad didn't, that's for sure. That's when he started drinking heavily. But I can see why, the medical bills were so high, and he spent all his free time looking after her. We had to sell up and move to a smaller place. And I was turning into some sort of fucking delinquent!" He sniffed again and pounded the rail with his fist, and I could hear the anger in his voice, the poor guy was beating himself up over something that just wasn't his fault. I wished there was some way I could make him see that.

"Curtis..."

"And then she just died. Just like that, she'd been getting worse for months, but it was still so sudden. I got sent home from school for fighting again and she was dead. The last time I spoke to her was in anger. I told both of them I hated them. The last thing my mom ever heard me say was I hated her. Oh, God, Drew!" And he turned and buried his face against my chest, his body heaving with the tears. I felt my own tears rising again in sympathy for his pain, he didn't deserve this.

"Curtis, your mom knew you didn't hate her." I choked the words out, but he made no response, just kept on crying. I don't know why, but I had the feeling this was long overdue, something he'd needed to do all these years but had bottled up inside, so I just rode it out in silence. I held him and waited. Finally he pushed me away and swabbed at his face with his shirt sleeves.

"Anyway, after that my dad started really drinking. At first it wasn't so bad, he'd just get fall down drunk and pass out." He paused again to sniff and wipe at his face, giving me an apologetic smile. I put my hand on his arm and squeezed gently. "But then, I don't know, he must've started to build up tolerance or something. He lost his job, and he started to get mean, that's when he started to beat me." He paused to light another cigarette and his hands were shaking so badly, I had to strike the match for him. "Thanks. He used to say it was my fault she was dead. 'You ungrateful little bastard!', stuff like that, 'you killed her sure as any goddam cancer', you know?"

"Curtis..." I started again. And I'm glad he interrupted me, because my voice quavered so much I wasn't sure I could have finished.

"And at first I believed him. He was right, I had killed her. Or at least I'd made it come sooner." His voice, in contrast was gaining in strength as his guilt was replaced by anger. "God, that was so unfair. I was fourteen, I didn't know. I just took it, for years. It wasn't so bad lately, I was working after school so mostly I wasn't in the house."

"You should never have had to deal with that."

"Shouldn't? Yeah, well, life's a bitch, right? I don't need your pity." He shook my hand off his arm and turned his face away again. I replaced my hand at once.

"Don't be like that. Please. You know what I meant."

"Yeah. Sorry. So, anyway, I missed a ton of school, Tyler tried to help me. He was younger than me, but he was smart. Well, smarter than me. But I started to avoid him at school after the beatings. I didn't want him, or anyone else, to see the bruises. I don't know, maybe I still thought my dad was right to be doing that. I was trouble in class when I was there anyway, 'disruptive'. So the teachers never missed me. I got held back a year, but I didn't much care. Then I got arrested for stealing stuff in the mall. I don't even remember what, nothing much, not even something I wanted. And then Tyler's mom said he should stop seeing me. He was like the last person who still tried to talk to me."

I stayed quiet and waited for him to go on. Now that he'd got started it seemed he was going to pour out his whole story.

"Didn't surprise me. I made out like I didn't care, I was strong." He made a fierce face. "I didn't need anyone else. Anyone I got close to would just die or leave anyway. God, I was messed up. He tried to defy his mother, came round to see me. But I didn't want to talk, so I ran off. HE caught up though, he was a lot faster than me." He snorted a little bitter laugh. "Guess it was kinda dumb to run. But when he caught up I shouted at him and we ended up fighting, I mean with fists and stuff. He didn't know what was going on, I shouldn't have turned on him like that. But he was stronger too, so he pinned me down and hit me a few times and then he just got up and ran off. Home I guess, but that was the last time I talked to him. Until today." He stopped and stubbed out his cigarette.

"And today?" I asked.

"Don't play dumb, Drew, it doesn't suit you." People kept telling me things didn't suit me lately. "I know you were listening, even if he doesn't." I flushed and shuffled my feet awkwardly, turning to face forward again, my face burning.

"I'm so sorry, but I had to know what was going on with you two." And secretly I was so damned happy that it wasn't what I had feared. But at the same time, I couldn't believe how awful Curtis's life had been and I felt so bad for him.

"Don't sweat it. I never laid a finger on him."

"Aw, Curtis! It's not like that." I used to think I was a pretty good liar, but since I'd met Curtis he'd seen through all my pretense, and I knew this time would be no different. He'd hit the nail right on the head, and he knew it.

"I need to sit down." He turned and walked over to the bench, gingerly taking a seat and patting the slatted wood next to him, I could see how strained he looked as I went over to sit beside him.

"You want a drink or anything?"

"No. I'm fine."

"You think about your mother a lot, huh?"

"Yeah. More lately. I go up to her grave quite often and talk to her. I know it's dumb, but it makes me feel better. I tell her what's going on in my life, you know, important stuff, and how sorry I am for everything." He paused and I sat quietly for a moment, sensing there was more he wanted to say. Very quietly he spoke again. "I told her about you." I was overwhelmed, I felt a lump form in my throat. "That's where I went after dinner that night."

"Curtis, I don't know what to say."

"You wanna hear really dumb?" He asked, looking at me a little shyly.

"Sure."

"Sometimes, when I learn a new tune, I go up and play it for her. She loved music."

"Curtis, that's not dumb either, that's about the sweetest thing I've ever heard." I leaned over and hugged him and after a moment's pause (as though he didn't know if he could trust himself) he hugged me back. I felt the tension leave his body slowly, and after a few moments I kissed his cheek and released him. He put his hand up to his face, to where I had kissed him.

"Why'd you do that?"

"To thank you."

"For what?"

"For trusting me enough to share." I kissed him again.

"I miss her." His voice trembled.

"I know. But she's at peace now." I stopped myself from going on, realizing that coming from a seventeen year old that might sound either hopelessly corny or terribly, terribly patronizing.

"She was so weak at the end, Drew. It was horrible. I miss her so much, but I know that she wanted the pain to stop. My dad...he misses her too, he fell apart. He's not a bad man, he just didn't know how to cope without her." I didn't know what to say, as far as I was concerned anyone who beat a kid that badly, whatever the circumstances, WAS a bad man. "Do you think there's a heaven?" He looked up at me, his eyes moist and he seemed so scared and alone my heart went out to him, I started to cry too, all I could manage was a nod.

"I hope so. I hope she went somewhere better, she deserved to." He continued to look straight at me, his pain nakedly displayed in his lovely green eyes. I knew this was something he had to work through, but I never wanted to see his eyes like that again. "I hate to think of her any other way, cold and dead in that box, all alone up there..." he had to stop and sniff back the tears.

"Your mother was so much more than what's in that box, Curtis." And then we were hugging again and he was clinging to me, like that poor confused kid he used to be, who could never cry for his mother because he thought he'd killed her. I ached along with him, his pain was so raw.

"I miss her. If it could've been me instead..."

"No! Never say that! Never!" I shook him a little more roughly than I intended and heard his teeth click together. "Your mother would never have wanted that." I hugged him fiercely, trying to will my strength into him, make him see how stupid a thing to think that was. We were still sitting like that when I heard the crunch of tires in the drive again and knew that Tyler had returned.

"Who's that?" He looked up at me.

"I'll go see. And I'll get you something to drink and a Kleenex while I'm doing it. Okay?" I tousled his hair as I stood up and he swatted weakly at my hand, so I guess he liked it about as much as I did, but the smile on his face said it was only token protest. I went back into the house and dashed to open the front door. Tyler was walking towards me with a guitar in his hand and a big smile on his face. "Perfect timing!"

"Hey. Have you been crying?" He looked concerned.

"Yeah." I sniffed and wiped at my face. "Curtis just told me about his mom. He's been through hell." I explained and Tyler flinched slightly.

"I know. I wish I'd done more, tried harder."

"From what he says you did try hard."

"Not hard enough though. Here. You should give this to him, and here's twenty dollars, it was only one-forty. I'm gonna leave you to it."

"No. It's from both of us and we should both give it to him."

"I don't want to intrude."

"You're not. It's over, he'll want to act like it didn't happen now, and that'll be easier if we're all there." I was surprising myself by how maturely I was behaving. "C'mon." I quickly made a cup of tea in the kitchen while Tyler hid the guitar from view, and then I called to Curtis to come inside.

"Hey, you." Tyler said.

"What's going on?" Curtis asked looking from one grinning face to the other.

"We got you a surprise. It's from both of us." I said as Tyler produced the guitar with a flourish and handed it to Curtis who looked absolutely amazed. He gazed at the guitar and then back from one face to the other.

"I can't afford this..." He finally started to say, his voice quiet and a little uneven, I could see he was on the verge of tears again.

"Why would you need to 'afford' a gift?" Tyler asked.

"But this must've cost a fortune." He seemed confused.

"It doesn't matter what it cost, we want you to have it, it was supposed to cheer you up a bit." I said.

"It's wonderful. I don't know what to say guys. Drew, you've already done so much for me. And, Tyler, I've only ever caused you trouble. I..." His voice trailed off and he heaved in a deep breath. "Thanks, so much."

He propped the guitar against the wall and held out his arms to both of us and the three of us hugged, a little awkwardly, but it was wonderful for all that. I felt the tears in my eyes again and could see that Curtis was crying too, but this time, I could see that it was because he was happy.

"This is the nicest thing anyone's ever done for me." He said stepping back and wiping his eyes. "God, look at me, crying like a baby. Thank you guys. Thanks. I..." He trailed off again.

"So play us a tune, maestro!" Tyler said, the first of us to recover. I glanced at him, and I wouldn't swear to it, but I thought I saw the glimmer of a tear in his eye too.

TO BE CONTINUED... ==================

(Before I write Part 8, I want to explain a little of what the point of this story is. I know it's not like most of the stories in the archive, and I know there's been hardly any sex in it. So what's it doing here? You might wonder. Well, I could say that there's a difference between 'erotic' and 'pornographic' but that would suggest that I think of 'pornographic' as bad in some way. Which I don't. Plus it would ignore the fact that this story hasn't exactly been 'erotic' for the most part, either. It started out that way, but as I write I am getting more and more caught up in the lives of the characters, and their stories. I have, and I will continue to do so, included sex where it is a necessary part of the story (and I'm the judge of when that is!), and I will not start throwing it in gratuitously. If you find the pace of the story too slow, or the want of sex too burdensome, I can only suggest that you try some of the 20,000+ other stories in the archive. Okay, so maybe this isn't the most appropriate forum for this story, but here it started and here it will finish. I've had dozens of emails suggesting that I get it published; and in a reworked form (longer chapters broken up, timeline slowed down a bit, and new chapters told by other characters interspersed), I intend to try. I will try to bring this version to a satisfactory conclusion first, and I'll be sure to keep everyone on the mailing list posted. Thanks for your time, and thanks for your support.)