A Tale of Three By J.C. Vascardi
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Legal Disclaimer: This story is fictional, as are the characters featured herein, which are solely the product of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, either living or dead, is entirely coincidental. If you are under the age of eighteen, offended by male/male material, or if such material cannot be legally viewed where you live, then you should be leaving now. Otherwise, please enjoy the story.
Character Profiles: http://jayson.worldofslash.com/a-tale-of-three/profiles/index.htm Yahoo Group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/storiesbyjayson Writing Journal: http://jaycolin.livejournal.com
This story is ©2004-2010, 2011 by J.C. Vascardi. This story is the sole property of its author and may not be copied, in whole or in part, posted on any other website, or included in any form of book or media, without the explicit written permission of the author.
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Dedication: This chapter is dedicated in loving memory of Eric Draven, 1977-2004. He will be dearly missed, and I extend my deepest and most heartfelt condolences to his friends and family.
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Chapter Three, Part One Erik's Perspective Tuesday, January 4, 2005
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When the alarm clock went off I reached over and shut it off and then blinked a few times before waking up to find myself in Nick's bedroom. At first I didn't know why I was in his room, but, after a moment, I remembered the thunder storm last night. Knowing how terrified Nick is of thunder, I quickly came down to his room when I heard it.
It was then that I became aware of my nephew laying there with his head on my chest, cuddling up next to me. I suppose to the casual observer, the two of us lying their cuddling in our underwear in Nick's twin-size bed would make them think that we were a couple. The sheets and blankets of the bed being as rumpled and twisted as they were, would probably only serve to strengthen the hypothesis, as they would probably see that and assume that Nick and I had enjoyed a night of passionate sex.
Of course, nothing could be further from the truth. Never once have Nick and I felt any desire whatsoever to have sex with one another. I know some people like that sort of thing, but I could never see Nick in a sexual way. One possible reason for that is that I was only ten years old when my older brother and his wife had Nick, so growing up, I've always thought of Nick as more of a younger brother than my nephew. While incest may appeal to some people, it didn't appeal to me then, and it doesn't appeal to me now.
After a few moments, I looked at the alarm clock and realized that a half-an-hour had already passed since I turned off the alarm. Knowing that I had to get Nick off to school that morning, I quickly disentangled myself from him and then woke him up. Despite his obvious dreading of the end of the school day when he'd have his first tutoring session with Jake Bradley, he seemed okay this morning. No apparent ill effects from the thunderstorm last night, except for the rumpled sheets, which were the result of him being plagued with nightmares during the night.
"Well, Nick, I'm going to go get dressed," I said, "and get started on breakfast. Aaron and his mom will be over for breakfast in about half-an-hour, so get in the shower and start getting dressed."
"Okay," replied Nick, simply, as he sat up in bed, stretched, and then got up and headed across the hall to the bathroom.
Aaron Zachary Forrester is Nick's best friend and my ex-step-son. I was married to Aaron's mother, Karen, for a brief time after her husband Lance, Aaron's father, passed away, but the marriage didn't last because it was more or less a marriage of convenience. Karen didn't want to raise Aaron alone and I figured I could use help raising Nick, so we got married and moved from Chapel Hill to Wilmington. Of course, it quickly became apparent that Karen and I didn't love one another and after awhile, we realized our marriage was only doing more harm than good, so we divorced. She bought the house next door, since she didn't want to break up Aaron and Nick, who've been friends since pre-school.
About half-an-hour later, Nick came into the kitchen, just as there was a knock on the back door. Seeing that I was busy at the stove, Nick walked over to the door and opened it, letting Aaron and Karen into the house. Aaron set his backpack on a chair by the door, before going over to the kitchen table with Nick, as Karen came over to me and asked if there was anything she could do to help with breakfast. I quickly put her to work cutting up some fresh fruit, while I finished up the bacon, eggs, and waffles.
"So, how about we play some video games after school?" asked Aaron.
"I'd love to," replied Nick, "But, I can't."
"Why not?"
"Because I have tutoring tonight."
"Tutoring?"
"Yes, Aaron," I answered, "Mr. Bradley, the geography teacher, will be driving you two here this afternoon, because he's going to be tutoring Nick here for an hour every day after school from now until the end of the year."
"Ah, okay," Aaron said after a moment. "Well, there's plenty of time after your tutoring session for some fun."
"Yeah," Nick said, somewhat absent-mindedly.
"Nick is something wrong?" Karen asked, as she helped me carry all of the breakfast food to the table.
"Wrong?" Nick asked, suddenly defensive, "What could be wrong?"
"Oh, Nick, just tell them," I replied, "You can trust Aaron and Karen."
"Tell us what, Nick?" asked Aaron, looking genuinely curious.
"All right fine," Nick replied, "I suppose you've both been wondering why I failed Mr. Bradley's class last year, seeing as how it's so easy. The truth is, I failed his class on purpose last year because I have a crush on him, okay?"
"Nick and I have already talked," I said. "And he knows it wasn't the smartest thing to do."
"Okay, I see the problem now," said Karen. "You're dreading your tutoring session, because you're going to be spending an extra hour a day with Mr. Bradley now every day after school."
"Well, it's one thing to lust after your teacher in a classroom full of other students, but one on one it's just, it's just..."
"More intense?"
"Exactly," Nick replied, nodding at Aaron with a nervous grin on his face.
"Well, if it makes you feel better," said Aaron, "I'll sit with you and Mr. Bradley during the tutoring. I don't have him as a teacher anymore, but I can do my homework while he tutors you and give you a little moral support all at the same time. Maybe then you won't be so nervous."
"That'd be great, Aaron," Nick said, suddenly a little more animated then he had been.
"Well, its fine with me," Karen said. "Though you will have to clear it with Mr. Bradley first, of course."
"Oh I think it'll be okay," Aaron said. "Mr. Bradley is such a nice guy. I must say you have very good taste in men, Nick."
"Thanks Aaron," Nick said. "Just don't get any ideas, because Mr. Bradley is mine."
"Now Nick," I admonished, "please remember to actually do some studying and not spend all of your tutoring time fantasizing about your tutor."
"I know uncle," Nick said. "I intend to study, because I do want to graduate with the rest of my class."
"Yeah, Nick," Aaron said. "You have to, graduation just wouldn't be the same without you, bro."
"Ok, well, let's eat breakfast before it gets cold," I said, looking at my watch, "We have to leave in like twenty minutes to get you two to school."
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Chapter Three, Part Two Ryan's Perspective Tuesday, January 4, 2005
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I have to admit that after having lived and worked in Milan, Italy for the last six years, it felt strange to wake up in my old bedroom at my parent's house in Wilmington, North Carolina. Of course, it wasn't my parent's house anymore at that point, it was my brother Jake's and his partner Chris' house, but it felt very strange nonetheless. It also felt very strange to be unemployed after six years of working in a job that I loved.
I hadn't really gotten much sleep though, because it was obvious that Jake and Chris were not used to having the other bedrooms in the house occupied. The master suite may be across the hall, but I could still hear every moan and groan that they were making during their love making sessions at nine o'clock the previous night, again at midnight, and then yet again at three o'clock that morning. I've always thought of my youngest brother Kyle as the horny devil of the family, but after what I heard that night, I couldn't help but think that Kyle may have lost that title to Jake while I was in Europe.
I don't know where Jake and Chris got the energy to do it that many times in one night, especially considering that both Jake and Chris had to go to work that day. I was assuming that they'd both want a full night's sleep, but I guess I was wrong. Now, don't me wrong, I'm not complaining about hearing my brother and Chris making love three times over the course of the night, because to be perfectly honest, I was turned on by listening to it. Honestly, it had been like listening to a porn movie. True, it was gay porn and I'm straight, but there was just something about listening to Jake and Chris going at it that got me very hot and bothered.
Of course, it was probably that I hadn't had sex for the last three years prior to coming back to the States because I was just so incredibly busy with my job that I didn't have any time to date. And I wasn't then and I never will be the kind of person to go to a bar and pickup a stranger for a one-night stand. To me sex is something special which should only take place between two individuals in love with one another. I know that some people find that idea to be totally stupid, but I'm also not the type who cares what other people think. I've always believed that everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but that they shouldn't go around trying to change everyone else's opinion to match their own. To be blunt, if a person doesn't like me or my opinion on something, they can go screw themselves for all I care, because I'm not about to change myself or my beliefs to please another.
After finishing with my morning routine in the bathroom and getting dressed, I headed downstairs to the kitchen where I found Jake and Chris having breakfast, and I just couldn't resist embarrassing them.
"Hey bro," I said with a smile, before asking, "When did you take Kyle's title?"
"Kyle's title?" Jake asked, looking very confused, as I poured myself a cup of coffee and sat down at the table.
"Yeah, you know, Kyle's title, the horny Bradley," I replied with a grin.
Chris practically choked on his coffee, before blushing about ten shades of red and asking, "You mean you heard us?"
"Oh yeah," I replied, a huge grin on my face. "I heard you all right. 'Oh Jake, baby, yes, yes!' and 'Oh, oh, Chris, you're so tight!'. All three times over the course of the night, might I add? I honestly don't know where you guys get your stamina."
After a long and somewhat uncomfortable silence, Jake coughed and then said, "Um, I'm sorry you had to hear that."
"Oh, that's okay," I said, with a smile. "To be honest, I kind of enjoyed it. It was like listening to a porno."
"You enjoyed it?" asked Jake, sounding a bit shocked.
"Yeah, strangely, I did," I answered. "And, Jake, Chris, really, if you guys do that all the time, Kyle most certainly has lost his title. I mean I heard him with Matt and Jordan a couple times before going to Europe, and even he wasn't that vocal."
At this point, Chris' color deepened by roughly another thirty shades of red and Jake started blushing as well, something which I've not often seen to be honest. Unless something changed while I was in Italy, it's always been my experience that it takes a whole hell of a lot to make Jake blush, so when he does, you know he's very embarrassed. Of course that's exactly what I was hoping for. I am after all the eldest Bradley brother, so I see it as my duty to torment my younger brothers from time to time.
"But, anyway, guys, I whole-heartedly thank you," I said. "I haven't gotten off that many times in one night in years."
Chris and Jake's heads, which had been looking down towards their laps, suddenly shot up to look at me, with their eyes looking like they were about ready to pop out of the heads.
"Oh don't look so shocked," I said, doing everything in my power to embarrass them as much as possible. "I haven't had sex in years, so, the occasional hand job is the best I've gotten in awhile. But, damn, last night were certainly some of the best orgasms I've had in recent memory."
"Oh god, I can't believe I'm having this conversation," Jake said after a moment, so embarrassed that his voice was wavering a bit.
"Okay, okay, I'm sorry," I said, with a grin. "I shouldn't make fun, because I know you guys are in love and it's perfectly okay to show that to one another, but could you try to keep it down next time?"
"Why?" asked Chris, suddenly, "I thought you enjoyed it. If we keep it down next time how will you get off?"
I laughed and then replied, "Oh, Chris, I wasn't serious about that. I didn't jack off while listening to you guys, I only said that to embarrass you, and judging by how red you both are, it worked."
At that point, Jake threw a dish towel at me, before we all just laughed and got on with eating breakfast. After breakfast, Jake headed for work, and I started helping Chris clean up the breakfast dishes.
"So, what's on your agenda today, Ry?"
"Well, I suppose I should get started looking through the employment ads," I answered.
"You did consulting work for a commercial real estate agency, right?"
"Yes, why?"
"Well, I might be able to get you a job at work," Chris said. "We deal mostly in residential properties, though there has been some talk of possibly expanding into the commercial market. You might be able to provide some valuable insights into that."
"Wow, I don't know what to say," I said, as I hugged Chris. "Thanks."
"No problem," Chris said, as he returned my hug. "I'll run it by my superiors today and let you know what they think."
Once the dishes were all loaded into the dishwasher, Chris said his goodbyes and headed off to work, at which point I headed into the living room and started looking through the employment section. I know Chris was going to try to get me a job, but I figured it'd still be a good idea to go through the paper and circle a few possibilities just in case the job at Chris' office didn't work out.
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Chapter Three, Part Three Aaron's Perspective Tuesday, January 4, 2005
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As usual, the first day back to school dragged on and on, and I couldn't help but think that it was never going to end. Of course, it's always been my experience that most days at school are like that. When you're in school, the hours seem to drag on forever, but when you get home, the time seems to literally fly by and then before you know it, it's time to go back to school again. But, that particular day, being the first day back after the two-week-long winter break, was even worse because after not being in school for the last several days, it was hard to get used to the routine again.
In homeroom that morning, we received new class schedules, and while most of the classes were the same as last semester, I couldn't help but notice that I now had a study hall scheduled for the last hour of the day, with none other than my best friend Nick's crush, Jake Bradley. I had already known that I'd be getting study hall, because the first semester I had taken an English class called Mythology and Folklore, but it was only a one semester class. While there was a second semester class called Contemporary Literature available with the same teacher, I had decided not to take it, as I only needed one semester of English to catch up with the English requirements and had already met all of my elective requirements.
So I said I'd just take a study hall, which I thought would be nice for the last period of the day to just relax a bit and be able to get some of my homework done, and thus have more free time once I got home. Of course I had never thought in a million years that I'd get assigned to a study hall with Jake Bradley. Nick and I are in different homerooms, but we do have lunch together, so when lunchtime came we compared our new schedules and I found out that Nick had also been assigned to the study hall last period with Mr. Bradley. While he didn't say it, I could tell that Nick was at that point dreading the arrival of the eighth and final period of the day, as it meant spending another hour in the company of Mr. Bradley.
By the time I arrived at my locker, which was right next to Nick's, that afternoon, Nick was already there and quite frankly, I couldn't help but worry about him because he looked like hell. I had already known that he was dreading study hall and the tutoring session to follow, but I didn't know that he was dreading it so much that he was having a physical reaction to it. If someone had told me how he looked, I would have thought they were exaggerating, and even seeing him with my own eyes I could barely believe it. He honestly looked like he had been sick and hadn't slept in days.
Having lived with Nick for the year and a half that his uncle was married to my mom, I had seen him sick before, but this wasn't really the same. When I say he looked sick, it wasn't like he had a cold or the flu, this was sick like he only looked when remembering some things from his past which would make just about anybody sick. Knowing the look on his face from experience, I quickly stowed my books in my locker, before closing both my locker and Nick's and then leading him to the nearest men's room. Almost as soon as we got into the room, he dashed for the nearest available stall and proceeded to vomit his guts out.
Hating to see Nick in pain, I did what any truly good friend would do in that situation, and knelt down beside him and gently rubbed his back, as he continued to vomit. I suppose some people would really be getting worried right about now, and honestly, a part of me wanted to worry, but I knew that this is something that Nick did from time to time when he got very nervous or scared or when he was reliving some not so pleasant memories of his past in his mind. I know Nick perhaps better than anyone, as we have been friends since pre-school, and then when my mom married his uncle, we shared a bedroom and a bathroom, so we've seen each other at every stage of undress, at some of our best moments and some of our worst moments.
I suppose some would wonder why we didn't ever start dating, because we are so close to one another and we are both bisexual, but to be honest, while I do love Nick, and I know he loves me, we both came to the realization quite awhile ago that a romantic relationship would never work between us because we love each other like brothers. Nick and I are the brother that the other never had, so dating one another, would just not be something that we could do, but one thing is for certain, and that's that whenever Nick needs me, I will always be there for him, no matter what, and I know that he will be there for me in return.
I hadn't even heard the sound of someone leaving the bathroom, because I was so concerned about Nick, but I soon realized that someone in the next stall had finished up and then seeing what has happening, must have left the bathroom and got the first male teacher they could find, because I soon heard a very familiar voice asking, "Is he alright?"
Nick cringed at the sound of the voice and soon let another volley of puke into the toilet, as I turned my head back to see none other than Nick's geography teacher, Mr. Jake Bradley, standing there, concern and worry written all over his face. Knowing that I couldn't betray Nick's confidence and tell Jake the truth about what had caused Nick to start throwing up, I quickly thought up a cover story, and nodded to Mr. Bradley, before replying, "I'm sure he'll be fine, Mr. Bradley. His lunch must not have agreed with him, so he may need to miss his tutoring tonight and rest."
Nodding, Mr. Bradley said, "Okay, that's fine. Nick's health has to come first. I'll go and excuse you both from study hall. Is there someone home that I can call to come pick you two up? Nick's uncle perhaps?"
"He's at work," I replied. "But, my mom is home, you can call her. The attendance office should have the number on record."
"Okay, Aaron," Jake said. "I'll go and call your mom to pick you two up. I hope Nick feels better soon."
"I hope so too," I said, with the best smile that I could muster, as Mr. Bradley left the bathroom.
After Mr. Bradley left, I turned my attention back to Nick, continuing to gently rub his back and humming softly in his ear, to try and calm him down. After a few more minutes, Nick finally stopped throwing up and slowly and shakily got to his feet as I flushed the toilet. He wrapped his arm around my shoulder and I slowly led him over to the sinks, at which point I took some paper towels from the dispenser and gently wiped his mouth before helping him to splash some cold water on his face. When I was satisfied that Nick wasn't going to get sick again, I led him out of the bathroom, not worrying about the fact that he was clinging to me with his head resting on my shoulder because passing time was over, so nobody else could have seen us and gotten the wrong idea. Although to be honest, even if someone had seen us like that, I wouldn't have cared what they thought, because at that moment, the only thing on my mind was making sure that Nick was okay.
After stopping at our lockers to grab our coats and backpacks, I led him to the attendance office, where the secretary led us into the small conference room in one corner of the room and told us we could have a seat there, while waiting for my mom to arrive to pick us up. It didn't take more then maybe twenty minutes for my mom to arrive, at which point we helped Nick get his coat on, and we then led him out to the car. I didn't have to explain to my mom what had happened, because she had obviously seen Nick like this before as well, and she already instinctively knew what the problem was. The ride back to the house was silent, and upon arriving at our house, my mom grabbed Nick's and my backpacks and carried them, while I helped Nick into his uncle's house and upstairs to his bedroom.
Once in his room, I helped him undress down to his boxers and helped him into bed, before I also undressed down to my underwear, and crawled into bed with him. I simply wrapped my arms around him for comfort, slowly rubbing a hand through his hair and humming softly. It wasn't long before we both fell asleep and I could only hope that my presence there would prevent Nick's subconscious from plaguing him with the nightmarish memories of his past.
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Chapter Three, Part Four Jake's Perspective Tuesday, January 4, 2005
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As I left the bathroom, I started to head for the attendance office to tell the secretary to check Nick and Aaron out of school and to call Aaron's mom to come pick them up, when it occurred to me that there's no way she would do that. I knew from experience last year that Agatha Truman is a stickler for the rules, and one of the school rules is that no student can be checked out early after 1:45 in the afternoon without a doctor's excuse or permission from one of the administrators. It's a somewhat stupid rule, but I suppose when it was made, it was figured that by the time 1:45 in the afternoon rolled around, any student who got sick could hold out until 2:45 when school let out for the day, even if they had to lay down on one of the cots in the nurse's office. Of course, one could only do that if the school nurse was there and like most high schools, we did not have a nurse in the building on a daily basis, and today happened to be one of the days that the nurse was at a different school.
So instead of heading directly to the attendance office, I stopped off at the main office and asked the secretary there if I could have a word with the school principal, Dr. Miranda Webber. The secretary smiled and told me that I could go right in, so I went over to the door leading to the principal's office, knocked, and then entered to see her sitting behind her desk, working on some paperwork of some kind. I had no doubt in my mind that I'd be able to get Dr. Webber's clearance to allow Nick and Aaron to be checked out of school early, simply because I had a special connection with her that none of the other teachers at the school could claim: the simple fact that I'm her nephew. Miranda was my mother's older sister, who had reverted back to using her maiden name after she divorced her husband some twenty years earlier. Most of the teachers didn't know about my relationship with the principal, as it might have brought up questions or concerns that I was getting special treatment or something.
Once I closed the door and took a seat in front of her desk, my aunt smiled, and said, "Hello, Jake, what can I do for you?"
"I would like you to clear two students for an early release from school," I replied, "I know it's after 1:45 now and that Mrs. Truman won't do it without a doctor's excuse or clearance from you."
"May I inquire which students and the reason?"
"Nickolas Jensen and Aaron Forrester," I answered. "I was informed by another student that someone was throwing up in the men's bathroom, so I went in to check and found Nickolas hunched over the toilet basically vomiting his guts out. Aaron was kneeling next to him rubbing his back and I know from having them both in my class last year that they're both really good friends, so I doubt that Aaron would be able to concentrate on anything else for the day, knowing that Nick is ill, not that either of them really needs to concentrate, considering that they're both in my study hall this period."
"Okay, I assume there is someone who can be called to pick them up?"
"Well, I had previously made arrangements with Nick's uncle to drive them both home myself today because I'm going to be tutoring Nick after school at his house for the rest of the year."
"Ah yes, I remember his uncle," my Aunt Miranda said. "Erik Jensen isn't it? He's the one who was calling me every day for a month until I finally gave him your home phone number. I take it was to setup the after-school tutoring?"
"Yes, it was," I replied. "Nick failed my class last year and he just barely passed first semester this year, so I'm going to be tutoring him. Today was supposed to be our first session, but since Nick isn't feeling well, I've cancelled it."
"Okay, so I assume I should tell Mrs. Truman to call Nick's uncle?" my aunt asked as she picked up her phone to call the attendance office.
"No, Aaron said that Nick's uncle is at work and that I should instead call his mother."
"Nick's mother or Aaron's mother?"
"Aaron's mother," I answered. "I know it's a bit out of the ordinary to call another student's mother to come pick someone up, but if I remember correctly, I think I once heard in passing that Nick's uncle and Aaron's mother were married at one point, so I think it should be okay."
"All right then," said my aunt, as she started dialing the extension for the attendance office. "I'll call Mrs. Truman, have her call Aaron's mother and tell her that Nick and Aaron will be on their way to attendance to wait. You should probably get to your classroom now, Jake, because class has been in session now for the last ten minutes."
"Okay, thanks, Aunt Miranda," I said, with a smile, before standing up and leaving the office.
After leaving the main office, I quickly headed for my classroom knowing that I'd probably have to quiet the students down, who had probably taken my absence as a chance to misbehave, especially being the last hour of the day. As I neared the door of the classroom, I could tell that I was right, but you'd be surprised how quickly things changed the second I walked in. The students went from obviously loud and misbehaving, to sitting quietly at their desks studying. I couldn't help but grin inwardly as I walked over to my desk to sit down and take the roll call.
Before I knew it, the end of the day bell was ringing, so I finally said, "Class dismissed," at which point all the students in study hall quickly got up and filed out of the classroom. I know that in some schools, students don't wait for teachers to dismiss them when the bells at the end of a period rings, and there probably were some classrooms in the school where they didn't, but despite my rather short stint teaching, almost the entire school already knew that I would not allow any student to leave with the bell. I made for sure and certain that every student who's ever entered my classroom knows that they're not allowed to leave just because the bell rang and that they can only leave after I've dismissed the class. When I first started teaching, I would even get up from my desk and stand in front of the door to block it, though after awhile, the students got the hint and started to do as I expected.
I do of course from time to time get a student who is new to the school who doesn't know about my rules and packs up all of their school supplies five minutes before the bell so that they're ready to get up and leave when it rings. When I see that I always go over to their desk and unpack their supplies for them, before putting my face right in theirs, a look on my face stating that I mean business and they better not argue, and said, "Class is not over until I say it's over, so never pack up before the bell thinking you're allowed to leave when it rings. Do this again, and you'll be in detention so fast you won't even have time to say your own name."
On the rare occasion, a student or two has then proceeded to ask me what they'd be doing in detention, at which point I smiled at them and replied, "You'll be writing, 'The bell means nothing. Class isn't over until Mr. Bradley says it is.' You'll be writing that a hundred times, with the number increasing by another hundred times every time you end up in detention." Needless to say, very few students who've ended up in detention with me for this reason, have ever had a repeat visit. I suppose some people would accuse me of being too strict over a trivial matter, but while they are entitled to that opinion, I'm not required to agree.
Once the classroom was empty, I quickly did my usual sweep through the classroom making sure that nobody left anything behind, before I went back to my desk to pack my briefcase. I had of course intended to drive Nick and Aaron home that evening, but due to Nick's illness, I could go home early. Not that I was complaining, because while I certainly didn't mind tutoring Nick, I wasn't about to be mad about getting to go home early and spend time with Chris. As I walked out of the classroom that evening, I remembered wondering how Chris would react when I arrived home earlier than expected. I remember that I grinned inwardly as the thought that perhaps Chris and I would go upstairs and make wild, passionate love to one another crossed my mind. Of course, that sadly didn't happen. A pity, really.
I drove home in silence, thinking about nothing in particular, before pulling my car into the garage. As I was getting out of the car, I heard a loud clanging noise coming from the direction of the garbage cans, as if something heavy had just fallen against them. Quickly locking my car and closing the garage door, I ran over to the cans to see what had happened, shocked by the sight before my eyes. There on the ground, laying unconscious amongst the tipped over cans and garbage was a young man in his early twenties with black hair, wearing an orange shirt and blue jeans. Recognizing him, I quickly kneeled down and scooped him up in my arms and carried him into the house.
Chris was in the kitchen with Ryan when I arrived and while I'm sure they were surprised to see me home early, they didn't say anything, probably because of the fact that I was carrying the young man in my arms. Upon seeing me, Ryan quickly stood up and came over to me, as he said, "Oh my god, Sean?!"
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To be continued.