That's Life
Author's Note: La, La, La. You should already know what I write here after the first seven chapter. If not, go read it then. Keeping this short.
Previously:
Melissa walked up to Darryl. She noticed his head down, so she couldn't really see his face.
"Hi, I'm Melissa." {Melissa}
"Oh sorry. I'm Darryl." {Darryl}
Darryl looked up to meet Lance's girlfriend. It hit him.
"You." {Darryl}
"You." {Melissa}
Darryl ran out of the apartment with his bag.
"Not again." {JC}
Chapter 12: What Happened?
So many things have happen to this group of people especially to the boy that thought his life had changed for the best. He thought he had confronted the worst, but now his life was going to change. Would it be for the best or would it be for the worst? He was going to find out soon enough.
Darryl knew whom it was at that moment when he looked into her eyes. Her eyes reminded him of the past that he tried to repress. A cork sealed the bottle of emotions from his past. The pressure began to build within him. Slowly the cork would be released, and he would have to confront his worst enemy. Why did it have to come to him now? It was suppose to be a vacation for him. A time for him to hang out with his friend, but instead he was sent to hell. He should have left, but it was too late.
Tyler couldn't believe his eyes. Darryl had run off again once more. He had to catch up to him before he did something terrible. He felt sorry for Darryl.
His life had been nothing but sorrow since he came here. Why couldn't God just give him a day off? He ran out of the door too without anybody stopping him. Melissa sat back down on the couch. She couldn't believe she would ever see him again. Out of all the people that lived in this world, even this one city, she would have never expected to see him again. She never would think they would cross paths again. Her fist began to tighten. Her repressed anger slowly rose. She would have her chance to confront him. She would be able to tell him what he did to her life. How he ruined it?
"What just happened?" {JC}
"I'm not sure." {Kyle}
Lance walked to his girlfriend. He could see the pain radiating from her body. He saw anger but sadness. He wondered what was going on in her head.
"Are you ok?" {Lance}
"No I'm not. Do you even know who he is?" {Melissa}
"Yeah. Why?" {Lance}
"What's my last name?" {Melissa}
"Johnson. Why?" {Lance}
"You're Darryl's sister." {JC}
"What do we have for the winner?" {Melissa}
"How is that possible? Darryl told me he only had a brother." {Kyle}
"Looks like he hasn't told you the whole truth." {Melissa}
"What's going on, baby?" {Lance}
"I'm going to have to start from the beginning." {Melissa}
"I have all the time in the world now. Time to find out what really happened to Darryl." {Kyle}
"Guess I better order some pizza or something." {JC}
"You better Josh. This is going to be one long night." {Melissa}
Tyler had no clue where Darryl could possibly have gone. He didn't leave any clues behind. He had just run off. Tyler began to slow down. He looked around, but couldn't see Tyler. He could have taken a turn at any corner. Why was he even looking for him? It should be Kyle's job. Kyle was his friend. They weren't. At least not right now. Tyler walked around and soon approached the park.
He could hear someone strumming their guitar and singing. The voice was faint, but the words were still audible. The voice had a tone of sadness but calmness. The person tried to hide something, but the words itself spoke enough for Tyler to understand. He believed he had found his man. He just stood there and listened to the words.
Secrets come Secrets go But what inside No one knows They will bring Pain and shame Lost in a fear Where my life will be
Tyler was puzzled by the words. What secret was Tyler hiding? Did it have something to do with Melissa? He had to know more. If not, he would be torn by two sides, a best friend and a possible lover.
I don't know what to say Allow my friends to say go away The truth will hurt But I don't know Can I live this life all alone?
Tyler couldn't hear anymore. Those last two lines wanted to reach out to him. He wanted to comfort Darryl, but he couldn't. Darryl and he had made their decision earlier today. Darryl had decided to ruin it.
They say all I need is love To be in happiness and bliss But how can you live a life When a secret is involved
Tyler reached his hand towards Darryl. He placed it on his shoulder to provide comfort. To let Darryl know somebody was there for him. Darryl placed his guitar and notebook down. He didn't even turn around to confront his friend. He had a good feeling who it was.
"Go away, Kyle. I want to be alone." {Darryl}
"I'm not Kyle." {Tyler}
"Tyler? What are you doing here?" {Darryl}
"I would ask you that too. It's mighty dark for writing." {Tyler}
"This lamppost is enough light for me. Again, what are you doing here?" {Darryl}
"Looking for you." {Tyler}
"Me? I thought I would be the last thing that you would be worried about. Haven't I caused you enough pain? I know I have." {Darryl}
"Stop it. I don't want to talk about that now." {Tyler}
"I've always been passive in my life. I've always let someone control me. Tell me what to do. Not this time. We will and shall talk about this. No if's or but's about it." {Darryl}
"Don't get all authority on me. I will talk when I want to talk." {Tyler}
"Fine. Then I don't have to talk either." {Darryl}
"You fucking spoiled bastard." {Tyler}
"Whatever." {Darryl}
"Fine. You want to talk about earlier. Then we will talk. I am fucking pissed off at you." {Tyler}
"I know." {Darryl}
"You know. You even know why?" {Tyler}
"Yes I know why?" {Darryl}
"Then why?" {Tyler}
"I said something that I shouldn't have. I hurt you because you had feelings for me. I was a manipulator and did not consider other's feelings. But why are you getting so pissy at me. How the hell am I suppose to know that you had feelings for me? You shouldn't be overreacting. Now that I think about it, screw you." {Darryl}
"What the hell! I do have a reason to overreact. You know what I'm going through. I found out that my brother was gay. He had kept something from me all these years. You know how much that hurts, but if I say anymore, I would just be a hypocrite. Today I told him I was gay. You know how hard it is to say those words. I don't care that he is gay too, but it was hard to admit. I wouldn't have to say anything if I didn't have feelings for you. I could have gone through life acting straight, not acting on my feelings, but no you had to come along. You had to make me fall in love with you." {Tyler}
"Love? How can you say love? We've only known each other for three days. Probably less. You can't just fall in love in that short of time. It is not possible. You are attracted, maybe lusting after me, but you can't in no way say its love." {Darryl}
"Do you know how many times that I had to contemplate the idea? I spent the rest of the day with you on my mind. Figuring out why I was still thinking about you. Like you said, you should be the last person that I would think about. But I couldn't. I thought about how you hurt me, but then I started to defend yourself. It is not fun with split personalities." {Tyler}
"It's not my problem." {Darryl}
"Yes it is." {Tyler}
"How?" {Darryl}
"Because I want to get to know you. I want to act on this affection. I want to be with you." {Tyler}
"I can't." {Darryl}
"I know. You have a girlfriend." {Tyler}
"That's not the main reason, but it does play a role. I don't want to hurt you. Every person that I get involved with is bound to get hurt sooner or later." {Darryl}
"You're girlfriend hasn't gotten hurt yet." {Tyler}
"That's not truth. I just put her life in jeopardy." {Darryl}
"What do you mean?" {Tyler}
"Josh didn't tell you. After I was raped, the rapist left me a message. He told me he would be after somebody that was close to me. He'd been following my whole life since I was 10. He was the same guy that raped me when I was 10." {Darryl}
"I didn't know. I'm sorry." {Tyler}
"There is nothing to be sorry about. I don't want you to get close to me. I don't want to put your life in the same place." {Darryl}
"I'm willing to take that chance." {Tyler}
"And what I'm suppose to do with my girlfriend if I let you. I can't just dump her. She is my world." {Darryl}
"I know. I guess we are done. You want to go back now." {Tyler}
"I guess." (What about Melissa! I can't go back and face her.) "I can't go. I have to stay here." {Darryl}
"Why is that?" {Tyler}
"It is Melissa. I can't see her." {Darryl}
"What did she do?" {Tyler}
Josh had ordered the pizza. He was sure this story was going to last a long time. He wondered where Darryl had gone. He hoped Darryl wouldn't get hurt. He had faced enough already, but this time he had Tyler to watch out for him. He wondered what they were doing at this moment.
"You already know a little about the past." {Melissa}
"Yes the one about confronting your brothers. I already told Kyle about it." {Lance}
"Ok. Well, you just met one of them. He is the jackass that ruined my life." {Melissa}
"How the hell can you say that?" {Kyle}
"Not right now, Kyle. You can tell her your point of view later. I think you should start from the beginning, Melissa." {JC}
"Alright. I will start with how Darryl ruined my life. He had been a disgrace to the family since the beginning. At least to my father he was one. Darryl had only caused problems. He had made my father mad. He was a baby. He always cried and whined. I was never around much because I couldn't see my father mad. He was a different person, and Darryl did that to him. He turned him into a monster. When I came home, he was always calmer and happier, and every time I passed by Darryl's room, I would hear him whimper. He was acting like a baby. He was 9 and still acting like a baby.
He cried every night. The first night I had reached out to him and comfort him, but when it became a daily basis, he disgusted me with his infant attributes."
"Do you even know why he was crying? Did you even bother to ask? Did you even act in the best interest of your brother? Were you even a sister?" {Kyle}
"Kyle, I said stop it. Melissa, continue." {JC}
"Then there was the dreaded moment when he was raped at the age of 10. You know how embarrassing that is. The other children mocked me. They said I had a gay brother. A boy doesn't get raped unless he was gay. It hurt so much. I hated Darryl the most at that moment. Why did he have to be so stupid? He had to run away that night. He didn't consider how this would affect others. He just thought about himself. All he did was end up and ruined up my life and my father's life. After that incident, my father lost his job. They didn't want anyone that was related to someone gay. You would think I would loathe homosexuals, but I don't. I mean if I did, I wouldn't be able to be friends with Josh. Anyways, this was all the work of my brother. He had to be stupid. After that, my brother moved out three years later. I still had a good relationship with Aaron, until a few months after that. He returned and took Darryl. I was glad that Darryl was gone, but hurt that Aaron would do something like that. I never saw Aaron or Darryl again until this day. Anyways, after another few months, my mom divorced my dad. She said she had an affair on him when I was 14 years old. She couldn't take looking at my father. She said he wasn't a good husband or a male role model to Darryl. Again, Darryl had once again caused problems. My father was devastated. He had lost his son and wife in that one year. All because of Darryl. I stood by my father's side.
I helped him get through it all. He had gotten better and then I met Lance. My father was doing better now, so he didn't need me anymore. He told me to go off with Lance. That's where I met all of you guys." {Melissa}
"How old were you when you met Lance?" {Kyle}
"I was 19. Anything else. I think now you know why I hate Darryl." {Melissa}
"I don't have any more questions, but more of a comment." {Kyle}
"Ok." {Melissa}
JC could see the anger in Kyle's anger. He was ready to explode, but it was too late. He couldn't do anything about it. He just hoped that this was not going to be the start of World War III.
"Don't do it babe." {JC}
"Don't do what?" {Lance}
"You fucking bitch. Do you know what Darryl had to go through? You don't even know the whole fucking truth behind your story. You need to get a clue. If anybody, you should be mad at your dad." {Kyle}
"What the hell are you talking about?" {Melissa}
Darryl sat there contemplating what he should say next. He didn't know how to explain Melissa to Tyler. He didn't even tell Kyle yet, and Kyle was his best friend besides his brother. His brother. If he explained about Melissa, then he would have to talk about Aaron. He couldn't do that. It would bring bad sad memories. He was not sure if he could handle it again.
"Do you want to tell me?" {Tyler}
"I don't know." (I do know. I can, but why?) {Darryl}
"You don't…" {Tyler}
"No, I want to. I trust you for some reason. I feel like we are soul mates." {Darryl}
"No wonder I can't stay mad at you." {Tyler}
Tyler's comment brought a smile to Darryl's face. It wasn't romantic or anything, but it just made him smile.
"Melissa is my sister. I don't hate her or anything. She just reminds me of my past with my father." {Darryl}
"What happened?" {Tyler}
Darryl couldn't explain it. He was verbally and physically assaulted, but a lot of kids were. There was no way to actually explain, but take off his shirt.
Tyler sat there wondering what was going. Darryl was taking off his shirt.
What was he trying to do? They were talking, and now he was trying to seduce him. It was not going to happen and not in a public place.
"What are you trying to do?" {Tyler}
Darryl had no clue what Tyler was talking about. He was not in that state of mind. He still removed his shirt. Tyler looked at his body. He had a muscular body, but Tyler never noticed before. Those shirts he wore hid a lot. He finally noticed what Darryl wanted him to see. He saw the scars. He couldn't believe his eyes. He had so many. He had to know what happened now.
"What happened?" {Tyler}
"This is my past. My sister reminds me of this past." (Darryl)
"Why do you have to be so cryptic? If you don't want me to know, then don't say anything." {Tyler}
"My father used to beat me. Physically and verbally. Melissa just reminds me of that. She brings the past with her presence. Not only the past that she had existed in, but the past that I had to face alone. Each one just leads me into another predicament." {Darryl}
"I still don't understand. If Melissa didn't do anything, why should you just push her away?" (I know why Melissa pushes him away.) {Tyler}
"Because she reminds me of my brother." {Darryl}
"Your brother?" {Tyler}
Pain flashed across his eyes. Tears would be released if Darryl wouldn't push them back. Darryl looked like a lost five year-old. He didn't know what to do. Darryl wanted to run away from this, but his legs wouldn't respond.
Tyler feared the worst once again for Darryl. His brother was tearing him apart inside, but he didn't know why. He looked into his sullen eyes. The pain and anguish screamed for attention. He leaned in to embrace his friend. The comfort Tyler provided gave Darryl a boost of confidence, but not enough to speak the truth. Tyler still looked into those eyes, but Darryl still would not respond. Darryl fought all the emotions, decisions, and ideas that stopped him from continuing. He had to do it. Not for Tyler, not for Kyle, but for himself. He would let his emotions take control. He leaned in and kissed Tyler gently on the lips. The world instantly stopped for the kiss. The passion between them rose, and they felt nothing could stop them. They would finally be together. The unexpected had become the expected. As their lips departed, they stared into each other eyes. The world started its rotation again. Life could continue once again. Tyler couldn't believe what had just happened. He had kissed Darryl. It felt amazing but at the same time wrong. Darryl had a girlfriend, and now something was going to happen. Darryl on the other hand had no regrets for kissing his friend and possibly new lover. His flame for Deanna had extinguished and was replaced by a new flame Tyler. He only hoped that the flame would still continue to burn in his heart.
"Can we go home now?" {Darryl}
"Sure." {Tyler}
Kyle's eyes were filled with rage. At any moment he would erupt on Melissa. She had pushed him too far by blaming Darryl. She would now get a piece of his mind.
"Are you going to say something?" {Melissa}
"You want something. I'll give you something." {Kyle}
"Don't Kyle." {Lance}
"No Lance. She wants to hear what I have to say, so I am going to say it." {Kyle}
"Lance, let him talk. I want to know what gibberish my brother has filled into his head that I call air." {Melissa}
"When I'm done, it won't be gibberish." {Kyle}
"Go ahead." {Melissa}
"Your brother has been abused." {Kyle}
"That's it. That's nothing. I bet you he did it to himself." {Melissa}
"Melissa, you are my friend and all, but you have to think about this." {JC}
"Your brother was abused by your fuckin father. He hurt your brother. He left scars all over his body. He verbally abused him to a point where he hasn't been able to have any esteem. Do you know how long it took him to build it back? To gain the confidence he needed to survive in this world." {Kyle}
"My father didn't do that. He wouldn't. Darryl was the one that destroyed my father's life. It wasn't the opposite." {Melissa}
"Yes he did. It took Darryl's brother forever to help him. To let him know that it was ok to cry, to show emotion, to be a man." {Kyle}
"You are full of shit. Aaron took Darryl away from us. He destroyed my family. He destroyed everything that meant so much to me. He destroyed my home." {Melissa}
Melissa broke down in tears. All she had known was crumbling down. The wall around her past couldn't stand the punishment. It had to collapse, and Melissa was going down with it. Would she accept the new story to her past? She couldn't. Her father was right. Fathers are always right.
"I'm sorry Melissa, but you need to hear the truth." {Kyle}
"This is shit. Why are you telling me crap that I don't need to know? You all are lying to me." {Melissa}
"Melissy, do you remember when your brother was raped at 10?" {JC}
"Yeah, I remember. How did you know? I never told you." {Melissa}
"Neither did I." {Kyle}
"I know. When I was 16, I was driving home with Justin from the MMC. I saw a little boy walking alone on the street. I offered him a ride home, but he wouldn't oblige. I brushed it off and went home. The next morning I found out that the same boy was raped that night. I didn't pay much attention to it since I was 16, but I remembered the name. When Darryl was raped the other night…" {JC}
"Darryl was raped the other night?" {Melissa}
"Yes. We don't know who it is." {Kyle}
"Actually we do." {JC}
"Who?" {Lance}
"The same guy that raped him when he was 10." {JC}
"That's not possible. How do you know?" {Kyle}
"When I asked you what Darryl's full name was earlier today, it dawned to me that he was the same kid that I saw 10 years ago." {JC}
"But that doesn't explain how you know it is the same guy." {Kyle}
"When Darryl was kidnapped and raped, the man had told him that he was the same guy. He was acting upon his fascination for Darryl since their first encountered. The rapist is also the guy that kissed Joey. He used my secret to force Darryl into obeying his every actions." {JC}
"I can't believe it, but what does this have to do with me?" {Melissa}
"The first encounter was not caused by fate. Your father hired the rapist. Your father didn't pay, so he began to study Darryl's life to get his revenge on the father, but to be only fascinated by Darryl's life." {JC}
"Why did Darryl tell you this stuff and not me?" {Kyle}
"I don't know. I think because it sorta involved me." {JC}
"I still don't believe this bull shit. Darryl is just getting you guys to tell lie. I bet you he made Lance here call me, so he can change my opinion on him. Well I'm sorry folks, but your brainwashing didn't work on this gal." {Melissa}
"Hold on one sec. I didn't call you because of Darryl. I wanted us to be together." {Lance}
"Lance, didn't know you guys were related. I didn't even know you existed. Darryl told me that he had one brother, and that was it." {Kyle}
"Well I won't believe it until I hear it from him." {Melissa}
"Hear what?" {Tyler}
Tyler and Darryl had walked through the door upon hearing the end of Melissa's last statement.
"What did you want to hear sis?" {Darryl}
"Thanks for telling me you had a sister." {Kyle}
"I couldn't tell you Kyle. She was with dad then. I didn't want anything to do with him." {Darryl}
"Let me see your scars." {Melissa}
"What?" {Darryl}
"Take off your shirt now." {Melissa}
"Why?" {Darryl}
"DO IT!" {Melissa}
Darryl removed his shirt. All he could do was to comply with her request. Once the shirt was removed, she gasped by the appearance of Darryl's body. It was covered with a number of wounds. The wounds that wouldn't cry.
"How did you get those?" {Melissa}
"I hurt myself." {Darryl}
"Tell her the truth." {Tyler}
"Dad used to beat me." {Darryl}
"I don't believe you." {Melissa}
"Why do you think I lied? I knew you wouldn't believe me." {Darryl}
"He is telling the truth, Melissy." {Tyler}
Could she accept all of this? It was less than a day, but she received news that covered many years. She would have to digest it. It all seemed connected, but her father couldn't be wrong. They are always right.
"Then tell me where Aaron is." {Melissa}
This was the second time today that he was approached about Aaron. He couldn't respond. It was too much for him to handle. He had not come to grips to his brother's death. All he could do was listen to his last words before he left. Be a man. Darryl would act like a man this time, and he broke down into tears. Tyler ran immediately to the fragile man and wrapped his arms around. He tried to mollify his new lover by saying soothe words. JC, Kyle, and Lance were surprised at what was occurring in front of their own eyes.
"It will be ok. Just tell us what happened." {Tyler}
"I can't. It hurts too much." {Darryl}
"Some of the pain will go away if you tell us. You can't keep it bottled up. You need to let your emotions free." {Tyler}
Tyler's words reminded Darryl of his brother's words. He had to stand strong and tell them what happened. He couldn't keep it inside, or it would rip him in half any second.
"Aaron died in an airplane crash three years ago. They never found the body. All of the bodies were missing at sea. They say that if there was any survivors, then they probably became shark food." {Darryl}
"I'm sorry." {Tyler}
"I never got to say goodbye. Even when a person dies, you can say goodbye to them at a funeral. Aaron never got a funeral. I couldn't afford it." {Darryl}
"You will get your chance. I will make sure by it too." {Tyler}
Melissa couldn't believe her ears. Her brother couldn't be lying. He had so much sorrow in his voice. He couldn't have faked it unless he was a good actor, but she knew that was something he wasn't.
"I'm sorry Darryl. Why didn't you call home?" {Melissa}
"Call home? How could you ask me something like that? I was horrified of Dad. I don't even know what happened to you. You suddenly resent me for no reason." {Darryl}
"I only resented you because after you left, mom and dad got a divorce." {Melissa}
"Why?" (I know it is a stupid question, but maybe it was actually for another reason.) {Darryl}
"Mom had been cheating on him for about three or four years. Also she called him a bad father. It destroyed him and destroyed me. I didn't have that mother and father family." {Melissa}
"But how does that have to do with me?" {Darryl}
"You are the one that made dad be a bad father." {Melissa}
"I can't be here anymore. You can't even see what I've gone through. I walked alone for three years. The only person that I had was Deanna. She couldn't feel my pain. She didn't know my past." {Darryl}
Darryl began to break down into tears again. He had said the one word that he would have to confront tomorrow. He couldn't let her go another day knowing that he had cheated on her. He couldn't handle being in a room with Melissa for another second.
Can I go back to your place, Tyler?" {Darryl}
Tyler looked at Kyle and Josh for their approval. They nodded.
"Sure. Let's grab some stuff and go." {Tyler}
They headed to the room to grab some of Darryl's stuff.
"I think it's time for us to go." {Lance}
Lance and Melissa headed out. After a few minutes Tyler and Darryl left. The apartment was now filled with silence. Something that it had not seen in the last hour. Kyle and Josh were to tired to think. It was time for bed. No time for pizza. Tomorrow would bring a new day for a new beginning.
End of chapter 12. Hope you like. What will the new day bring? Can Melissa and Darryl work on their relationship? What will happen to the relationship between Deanna and Darryl? Most importantly will Darryl and Tyler relationship last or will they end up hurting each other? Email me at d_man116@hotmail.com. I can't promise any answers, but an email would be nice. My mailbox is lonely, and it would be nice not to only read harassing advertisements. Also, my webpage is www.geocities.com/d_man116