Hey guys heres the second one, its all kinda pouring out at the moment so i hope u like it! Thanks for the emails guys! i love em so keep them comming! ... hmm i sound a bit conceited there but if you have any suggestions please feel free to email me! yep so enjoy! Dane
Rian Chapter two
The next day at school, Tristian was waiting at the bus stop for Rian to arrive. He almost missed him as he searched for the familiar head. When he realized the boy with the head stubble was Rian he stared in shock.
"Holy fuck! Why the hell did you do that?" Tristian reached up and rubbed it a bit, it felt surprisingly soft.
Rian yanked away. "What's it to you?"
"Jesus mate, I'm just asking. I thought you liked your hair." Tristian was trying to placate his now quick-tempered friend.
"It was too girly." Rian snapped and started walking.
Tristian decided to let that one drop. "Cool, it's different. So do you want to hang out after school?"
"Can't, I've got soccer practice."
"Since when did you like soccer?" Tristian asked in a mild voice.
"Since now! Why the hell do you care?" Rian could feel tears building up and quickly hurried away.
Why was he pushing Tristian away? They had been friends for so long and Tristian had always been there for him and he had done the same. Rian realized he was scared of losing Tristian like his parents, in this liberal world people weren't all that liberal. That thought stopped him in his tracks, the way he was going he would likely lose Tristian anyway. He turned back to see Tristian standing there with a dejected and confused look on his face and Rian's heart broke. He scuffled back over to Tristian.
"Hey Trist? I'm sorry, look can I talk to you at lunch alone?" Rian asked softly.
Tristian stared at him for a moment then nodded. "Meet me near the quad, k?"
Rian sat through class trying to decide what to tell Tristian. He finally decided to bite the bullet and tell Tristian he was gay, he couldn't react any worse than his parents. Well actually he could, he could beat him up and tell the whole school. Rian pushed that out of his mind, he had to tell Tristian or risk losing him for sure. He really didn't want to tell him at school but had no choice, he wasn't allowed boys to come over anymore and had to come straight back from school except for soccer practice, so school it was.
Lunch seemed to come too fast and Rian walked with jittering nerves to the quad to wait for Tristian. When Tristian got there he suggested that they go sit on a corner of the oval and talk, sensing this was something serious that Rian didn't want people hearing or seeing.
As they sat down, Rian nearly lost his nerve but swallowed and looked over at Tristian. "We've been friends for a long time Trist and-" Rian started when Tristian interrupted with a stricken look on his face.
"You're not sick are you?"
"No." Rian took a deep breath and decided to remind Tristian that he owed him. "Do you remember in fourth grade when you knocked me out of that tree and I broke my arm?"
Tristian looked perplexed. "Yeah but-"
"Wait let me finish. I want you to remember you promised you would give me your new ninja turtle figurine that you were sure you were going to get for Christmas and never did, so you owe me, right?" I glanced up at Tristian and he was grinning.
"I never got a ninja turtle for Christmas that year so I couldn't give it to ya, could I?"
"Yeah well you still owe me a ninja turtle. Anyway remember that while I tell you this k?" Tristian nodded. This was a lot of build up.
"So um... I'm gay." Rian was staring at the ground almost waiting for the first blow.
"Rian, look at me, man." Tristian said softly.
Rian slowly looked up to see Tristian smiling at him. "I don't care if you want to have sex with hippopotamuses, you're my best friend."
Rian crinkled his nose. "Eww."
They both started laughing then Rian felt tears spill down his cheeks when he realized they were still friends. "Thank you Tristian."
Tristian just grinned then frowned. "Is this why you have been the ultimate moody, unpredictable teenager?"
Rian stopped smiling. "No. I told my parents."
"They don't like it? Don't worry, they are probably a bit shocked but they'll get use to it." Tristian smiled reassuringly.
"I don't think so Trist. They have been acting mental. First they took away my computer and now I have to see a shrink every week who is counselling me `not to be gay', dad forced me to join the soccer team and is making me go out with his friends daughters and now my hair!" Rian started crying. "I don't know what to do Trist! They won't talk about it and just shout at me that I'm not gay so don't be stupid. I'm not allowed friends over and I have to go straight home after school and practice. That's another thing! I hate soccer!"
Rian was close to breaking down, finally getting all his pent up emotions out. Tristian was frowning. It didn't sound like Janis and Mark, Rian's parents, but then he remembered the way Mark had led Rian out of school. He never picked him up before. He started to get worried.
"Rian, it'll be ok, I'm sure. Look can I talk to my dad about it?" Tristian asked quietly. Rian jerked his head up.
"No!" He really respected Tristian's dad Gus and he didn't want him to hate him too.
"Look Ree," Tristian hadn't called him that for a while. "My dad will ok with it, I know."
Rian was shaking his head. "That's what I thought about my parents! They are open minded but now they are acting like I shat on the carpet!"
Tristian couldn't help himself but giggle for a moment but when Rian's teary eyes looked at him he stopped. "Ree, my uncle Sam is gay. Dad and him are really close, he's not going to turn on you but he may be able to talk to your parents."
Rian was adamant and made Tristian promise not to tell him. "I'll handle it."
Rian was not handling it. He was sitting silent in the `fake' shrinks office that afternoon with his arms wrapped around his legs and his face resting on his knees.
"You have to talk son. Nothings going to get better if you don't." The portly man said as he stared at Rian with small reptilian eyes.
He was getting frustrated and Rian knew that. He had been silent for four sessions now and Dr Burch couldn't get him to say a word. He started in on the lecture he said every week.
"I know being a teenager can be a confusing time, you have hormones flying every which where. It can confuse the mind into `feelings' that don't really exist, they are just hormones speaking..." Rian tuned him out like he did each week, refusing to let the lectures get to him.
"Son! Listen to me, I'm just trying help, can you not see that?" Dr Burch snapped getting annoyed. "What you think you are feeling is morally wrong and you must put it aside! Love is about men and women, the way nature intended. Do you think we wouldn't have been created differently if it were to be any other way? Boys thinking they are homosexual all comes from those stupid reality shows, do you think there were so many homo's when I was young? You have to realize this or you will never amount to anything! Understood?"
Rian stared at the man and spoke for the first time. "What, you think you amounted to something? You're not even a real psychologist, you just wish you are! Why are you doing it, huh? Do young boys turn you on? Are you trying to convince me of all the trash that comes out of your mouth or yourself? That's it isn't it? You feel so scared and worried about homo's because it hits too close to home! How long have you been having these feelings, huh?"
Dr Burch stood up his face white with fury. "Get out now you fucking fag! Don't you dare come back! I'm going to tell your parents there's nothing they can do. You're perverted to the core!"
"Gladly." Rian stood and left. He walked smiling to his father who sat in the car outside. "I think that went well. I'm starting to understand somethings."
His father smiled happily for the first time in a month. That smile disappeared fast when they arrived home and his father answered the phone.
Rian still felt liberated and walked happily to his room, shutting the door, only to have it slam back open a minute later with his enraged father standing there, Rian's mother standing behind his shoulder.
"You disgusting fag! You dare accuse an upstanding man like Dr Burch of being as perverted as you!"
"I'm gay dad! Not sick! Not perverted! GAY!" Rian shouted back angrily. Suddenly his face flew to one side and a sharp pain filtered through his anger. His father had hit him. The shock of it left him standing there, mouth open. His dad had hit him.
"You will stay in your room tonight. We will not have the company of someone like you at the dinner table. From now on you are to go to your room the moment you get home from school and stay there. Your mother will bring you something to eat and you can use the bathroom. Then you are to leave for school in the morning, your mother will leave money on the bench and you can get your school lunch and something for breakfast. You are to come straight home after school except for soccer practice. I don't want you perverting any other boys. No friends. On weekends you stay in your room except for your soccer matches." He gave Rian another disgusted look and slammed the door.
Tears poured down Rian's face. What had happened? Where had his parents gone? They had never been overly affectionate but this scared him.
After a small meal his mother left at his door, Rian cried himself to sleep. Where had he gone so wrong? How could they hate him so much?
The next morning he rushed to get ready and out of the house. His parents ignored him if they saw him and he left for school feeling as if his heart was being torn apart. He decided to keep this from Tristian. No need to worry him.
Tristian met him at the gates with a smile that quickly faded. "What happened to your face?"
"Huh?" Rian touched his face and felt pain. Oh. "That? It's nothing." His mind raced for an excuse.
"What happened though?"
"I tripped up the stairs in the dark, stupid I know."
"Why were you going up the stairs in the dark?" Tristian looked puzzled.
"Err... Can't remember, mustn't have important." Tristian gave him an odd look but thankfully let it go.
Soccer practice was tough. Rian was not an athlete and knew he would just be a bench warmer. No one passed him the ball in practice and he felt so intimidated by the other boys that he always fumbled the balls in training. The coach was always rolling his eyes.
Word had got out that his father paid for him to be on the team and he was the receiver of constant snide remarks and jostling, the coach only half heartedly telling the boys to leave him alone. Rian didn't speak to anyone on the team and barely looked at them and no one spoke to him. He did notice one boy though. He was gorgeous, flawless olive skin, big almost honey coloured eyes, dark brown curly hair and a toned body, Rian had seen from the furtive glances he sent the boy in the locker room. Rian had noticed the boy looking at him with a puzzled expression and he had never joined in the taunting that the other boys gave him. Rian discovered through listening that his name was Jake.
That afternoon it started raining after practice and the coach locked the building as everyone left. Everyone except Rian. He couldn't see his father's car and stood in the pouring rain looking. Sighing he decided to look for shelter and wait. He ran around the back of the building and saw there was a covered area that doubled as a canteen during games. He found a forgotten soccer ball there and decided to kick it around as he waited. He only hoped that his father would actually come.
Rian started mucking around with the ball, stopping and starting and playing with it like he use to with his hacky-sac. He realized he was actually alright at it when away from all those glaring eyes. He flicked the ball up on his knee and managed to bounce it a few times before it went sideways and he caught it on his ankle, holding it there. There was a sudden clap and startled Rian dropped the ball.
"You're good at that man." It was Jake, soaking wet.
"Huh? Oh. Sometimes." Rian blushed.
"How come you're so hopeless out there?" He pointed to the field. Rian shrugged, unwilling to answer.
"Are you waiting for someone?" Jake asked after a pause.
"Yeah, my dad."
"Mind if I keep you company?"
Rian smiled shyly and nodded. "Sure."
"Pass me the ball."
They played for a while and Rian's skill improved considerably when not faced with his unwelcoming team mates. Jake was impressed; Rian was an agile player with good control of the ball.
"You're actually pretty good! Is it true that your dad paid for you to be on the team?" Jake asked suddenly his curiosity bursting through.
Rian's smile disappeared. "Yes."
"Why? You don't seem to enjoy yourself or put any effort into it." Jake was intrigued by the boy with the lips as red as blood.
Rian shrugged. "He wants me to play."
That seemed to end the conversation and they played some more. It was getting dark and cold and Rian had come to the conclusion that his dad wasn't going to come. The rain was still drizzling and he had no idea what he was going to do.
"Your dad's pretty late. You sure he's coming?" Jake asked.
"I guess I got it wrong." Rian said with a tight smile. He knew he was going to have to walk home in the rain.
"Can I give you a lift?"
"Huh? Aren't you waiting for someone too?" Rian asked and nearly melted when he saw Jake grin.
"Nah, I drive. I just thought I might hang out with you for a bit. Coming?" Jake started walking away and Rian hurried after him not sure what to think.
In the car Jake got an uncertain Rian's address and off they went.
"So you hang out with that Tristian kid hey?" Jake asked suddenly.
"Yeah, he's my best friend." Rian stared resolutely out the window.
"Cool. So you do literature hey? I'm in that class and in your modern history class."
Rian looked at him then. "I don't remember seeing you in class." He was puzzled, the class was big but he was certain he would have seen Jake before.
"I'm kinda new, only been here a month or so." Jake smiled at Rian who inexplicably blushed.
The drive was short, only fifteen minutes and soon they pulled up outside Rian's house. He looked at it nervously, wondering what new humiliation was in store for him. His heart sank when the front door opened and his father stormed down the steps.
Quickly Rian grabbed his bag and got out of the car. "Thanks for the lift, I'll see ya later k?"
Then his father was upon him. Rian could smell alcohol oh his breath. Since when did his father get drunk this early?
"Where the hell have you been? I said straight home didn't I? Didn't I?" He shouted in Rian's face. Rian went white. He knew Jake could hear all this.
"I had practice! You were meant to come pick me up so I waited." Rian shouted back not able to help himself.
"Don't you dare speak to me like that! You're just lazy and weak! Get in the house now, straight to your room!" His dad's face was turning red. They were both getting wet in the light drizzle of rain.
Rian was humiliated, he couldn't believe his father did that. He started walking towards the house his father hot on his heels. Rian had `missed' dinner that night so was just sent to his room, trying to ignore his rumbling tummy.
The next day he was out of the house with an hour to spare, neither parents had got up get so he had a clean get away.
Rian made his way to the shopping centre and got a McDonald breakfast with the money his mum had put on the bench for him last night. At school he was withdrawn and subdued to the point that Tristian demanded to talk but Rian brushed him off saying he was fine just tired from practice. He now noticed Jake in class and they smiled and passed pleasantries but no matter how much Jake pushed him, Rian kept a distance. Jake was dangerous to his heart and his mind.