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Written by: Nicky Smith Edited by: JD Kaster
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT: BACK TO SCHOOL
TREY'S POV
"Are you sure you've got everything?" Mama asked like this wasn't the third time I was going away to school.
"Yeah, Mama, I've got everything," I said while trying not to sound exasperated with her which I was. I was gonna miss her though too. My sisters came in from taking my two bags outside to my truck. Dad, Calvin, and I had gotten everything else loaded up.
"Come home soon Trey," Cara said before giving me a hug which I returned.
"Yeah and soon doesn't mean Thanksgiving," Carly said with her arms folded and a look that was so her mother that they could be twins as well.
"Yeah right, smartass," I said before pulling her into a hug. I heard Mama snort.
"Mom," she dragged out but I pulled her back into the hug. I felt her hug me tighter, then pat my back a few times.
"Did you just plant a bug on me?" I asked as I pushed her back.
"Don't be so paranoid," she said much too innocently before walking away. Cara gave me a look like she was telling me that it was likely true before following her.
"Seriously though, did she put something on me?" I asked as I tried to look at my back.
"Probably," Mama said nonchalantly with a shrug before walking over and hugging me.
"They're too grown," I said as she held me.
"Yeah, they are," she said with a sigh.
"Tell Dad and Calvin that I'll see them soon," I said after we separated. Dad had gone to a meeting that he had with a client and Calvin had been summoned by Anika.
"Okay, and be careful," Mama said as I walked toward my truck. I slid into my truck and sat for a second. I looked up at this house where I'd spent most of my life and I knew I'd always miss it no matter how long I was gone from it. I started my truck and waved at Mama before pulling out of the driveway and driving away.
On the drive back to school I thought about the summer and about what I had in store for me this year. Summer had been different than I had first thought as we had to be sensitive to Bear's healing shoulder. Also, he got to spend more of it with me than initially thought as he didn't have to be at school for fall training.
The official story was that a wild party had gotten out of control and Bear had gotten caught in the crossfire. Bear's friends on the team and his head coach knew the real story though. His football buddies wanted a piece of Mike but that'd have to wait.
Thanks to some wheeling and dealing with our parents and their different connections the real story of what had happened to Bear was kept out of the media in case it made it to the wrong place and Bear got outed. Mike also got charged with stalking, kidnapping, attempted murder, and cybercrimes involved with hacking Bear's and my phones. When tallied up he was looking at a good 30 years. His lawyer took a plea agreement though to avoid a trial and he only got 10 years and would become eligible for parole in 5. It sucked but it was better than nothing.
As I drove my truck I tried to not think about how he had put trackers on my and Bear's trucks. I still felt like it was still something in it even though Zane had told me that he'd had it swept several times after they had found it for any kind of surveillance devices. Turns out Mike had used my truck to transport me to the warehouse and stashed it in an abandoned garage down the road from the warehouse. Even still though, every time I had driven my truck after I'd gotten it back I had felt like I was being watched.
I tried to ignore that though as I continued toward school. After a while, I was pulling up to the parking lot where I would be parking for the year. I found an empty parking space and pulled into it before shutting off my truck.
I got out and took in a breath. The summer had been nice, even with the downsides, but now it was time to get back into the swing of things. Time to buckle back down and put my nose to the grindstone. Time for more sleepless nights and exhaustion. It would be weird without Drake around but at least I had a bigger room and rooming with people I actually liked, aside from my 4th roommate whom I hadn't met yet.
I grabbed a few bags and headed for my new dorm. I looked at the building and I could already tell I was gonna like living there. I went inside and the lobby was busy. Students were running around talking to each other, bringing in bags and other stuff they'd need for the year. I saw my Dorm director Hank and went over to him.
"Hey... Trey Healey," He said as I walked up. it took him a few seconds to remember my name. I was impressed though.
"Hey," I said, kind of nervously though I didn't know why.
"You're up in 311 with Richard Clark, Reese Walton, and Andrew Hale," he said and I finally had the name of our 4th roommate.
"Okay, cool," I said. He then gave me a packet that contained my room keys, important papers that I'd need, and various other things. I noticed a box of condoms and almost laughed.
"I see you noticed," he said and he looked amused.
"Uh, yeah. Hard to miss," I said unable to hide the amusement on my face.
"Just wanna make sure all my guys are keeping themselves safe," he said and I guess that was cool.
"Um, you do know that not all guys are the same, right?" I said trying to hint that these condoms might not fit all the guys unless he had some kind of mystic ability to tell how big a dude's dick was just by looking at them.
"It's a variety pack with different sizes," he said before giving me a buddy slap across the back. He excused himself to tend to a potential problem between two guys near the door.
I went to the elevators and caught one with a few other guys. When I reached my floor one of the guys got off with me. I realized that I didn't know how our 4th looked and it could be this guy. I looked him over briefly as we got off the elevator. He had a little meat on his bones as some would say but this dude was not ugly.
When I reached my door though he gave me a nod and kept walking so he wasn't the one. I nodded back and tried the doorknob. The door was unlocked and it opened to my new suite. I expected to not be impressed with the room as Bear and Deacon shared a similar style room but this one looked a bit bigger. I guess it was because there would be four people sharing this one instead of two.
It did have a similar layout to Bear's place with the bedrooms and bathroom on the back wall and the kitchen, which looked to be bigger with a stove and a full-size fridge, to the left when entering the suite.
I checked both bedrooms and they looked about the size of my previous dorm room only nicer. They were bare, waiting for us to add our personal touches to them. I checked the bathroom and almost laughed. It was bigger than expected. It had a urinal and a toilet with a divider between them and another divider between the toilet and the big shower on the back wall.
I chuckled a bit and left the bathroom to start the arduous task of moving my stuff in. Normally I'd have Bear helping me but with his injury, I had ordered Miriam to keep him busy. I didn't envy her task. I headed for the door but the doorknob turning interrupted me. The door opened and on the other side were Richie and Reese. They each carried a few duffel bags and Richie had a box.
"Yo dude, you're already here," Reese said as he saw me. Richie's vision was blocked and I then noticed that Reese had been guiding him along.
"Yup," I said with a smile. He walked in and dropped his bags on the floor before reaching out his hand which I shook. Richie did the same after he dropped his stuff as well.
"How long have you been here?" Richie asked as he looked around.
"Just a few minutes," I said. He looked like he was satisfied with what he saw.
"That all you bring?" Reese asked pointing to my duffel bags near the door.
"I wish," I laughed and they joined in.
"Well, I just got a few more things to get in. I traveled light," Richie said.
"Me too. I'll get more of my stuff from home over time if I need it," he said and I wished I'd had the same thought.
"Well, I'd better get started," I said. They said they'd help but they didn't have to. When I opened the door there stood a group of football players with my stuff. I couldn't help but smile, especially at the big doofus who lead the group.
"You gonna let us in?" Bear said with a self-satisfied grin on his face.
"You just can't help it, can you?" I admonished, but I was still smiling to let him know I wasn't really mad.
"Nope," he said as one of my bags hung from his good shoulder.
"We tried to stop him but he just had to help," Deacon said. I took mercy on them, especially Deacon and Flynn who had my fridge. They came in and after a brief discussion on which room we'd choose and who would room with who, they took my stuff to the room that I would share with Richie. He and I took the left room and Reese said he'd take the right one with our 4th.
I managed to talk them out of unpacking my stuff for me. It was nice to have my own moving crew but I didn't wanna impose on them too much. They hung out for a few minutes before they had to go. Bear hung around though as he didn't have to do any training yet. There was a knock at the door a few minutes after they left. I thought it was our 4th at first until I realized that he had a key and that the door wasn't locked. Richie opened the door to Miriam and Drake. That was a surprising duo.
"What are you two doing together?" Bear asked with a slight scowl.
"We're dating now," Drake said as he wrapped an arm around Miriam and pulled her to him. She looked like she'd bitten into a very sour lemon.
"Get your arm off of me before I do unspeakably bad things to you," Miriam said in a deceptively sweet tone.
"You've been corrupted by my ex I see," Drake said as he removed his arm and took a step into the suite to get away from Miriam.
"Hey, friend. Thanks for the favor I asked you to do," I said sarcastically with a fake smile.
"Oh, please. Don't try to act like you don't know how hard it is to keep him from doing something when it involves you," Miriam said and she was right but I wasn't gonna admit it.
"Uh-huh," I said instead.
"I am a big boy. I can make my own decisions," Bear said but I just rolled my eyes. Miriam finally came in and Drake plopped down on the sofa while she snooped around.
"So, what brings you over here?" I asked as I stood in front of him.
"I came to see you boo," Drake said with a cheesy smile. I saw him cut his eyes over to Bear to make sure he was looking and listening. I heard the unmistakable sound of his jealous growl.
"Why must you do that?" I asked but I did sit down next to him to tease Bear a little bit.
"Cause I can," he said looking directly at Bear.
"Yeah, and I can put my foot in your ass too," Bear said grouchily.
"Sorry, I don't get down like that," Drake said with all his former arrogance.
"You will be when I'm done," Bear growled with a deep frown.
"Moving on," Drake said after he and Bear stared each other down for a minute or so.
"Weird?" Reese asked Richie while watching the show.
"Yup," Richie responded
"So what brings you by?" I asked and he frowned for a bit before he let out a breath. I looked at Bear but he just shrugged.
"I hated you so much," he said not looking at anyone and my eyebrows went up before I knew it. Bear made a move toward Drake but I held my hand up to stop him without looking away from Drake. He looked a bit troubled.
"Yeah," I said dragging it out to push him to elaborate. He resumed after another minute.
"I mean, I really hated you. I didn't like you from the first day we met," he said and I was finding it hard to not be mad at him for bringing up our past. I was content not remembering that. It's the only way I could stand being acquaintances with Drake.
"I'm aware," I said, my tone betraying my mood.
"I knew I had to fake it to get in with your group though. I played my part but as I look back on those years, I can see how much of a bastard I was to you even then," he said and I was surprised he would admit this, especially out loud and in front of witnesses. I looked at Bear and he just shrugged again with a studious look on his face.
"Then I found out about you and Bear and that cemented my hatred for you. I mean, I'll admit that I sorta looked up to Bear and here you were corrupting my friend with your gayness. I wanted to hurt you, especially when he didn't denounce you and instead stood proudly with you. I knew I couldn't physically hurt you though as Bear would hurt me so I hurt you in other ways."
"Back then I delighted in hurting you and seeing my work made me happy in some strange way that now I can't even understand. I hated gay people and you somehow became the lightning rod for my gay hatred. I didn't care back then even though I was aware of this."
"Then Senior Prom happened and I really and truly hated you. I started plotting horrible things I could do to you. Then I went off to college and during my freshman year, I started to see new things, and even though I saw Bear occasionally, I thought about you less and less until I completely forgot about you."
"Until Sophomore year when I walked into my room and you and Bear were standing there. My hatred was renewed and I wanted to hurt you again. Or at least I thought it had. I was pissed that you were there sure, but as I ranted and raved about you to Serena I realized that I was conveniently leaving out a lot about you, especially about you being gay."
"I wondered about that and then I remembered that through Serena, I had met people that were somewhere on the "not-straight" spectrum and I hadn't had any violent or hateful reactions to them. After that, I couldn't justify hating you anymore and I found that it was easier than I thought to let that go and it felt better". He finally stopped and I waited for him to speak again but he was quiet. I looked at Bear and Miriam but they just shrugged looking just as confused as I was.
"Is there a reason that you chose to tell me this now?" I asked as while it was good to hear some of this, I was confused about the sudden confession.
"I realize now how much of a jerk I was back in high school, but to see it with my own eyes was quite another thing," he said, and that further confused me. What did he mean to see it with his own eyes?
"What do you mean "with your own eyes"," Bear asked and I should have known he'd feel my confusion.
"My new roommate," he said with a frown, and I started to get an idea of what was going on.
"So what you're saying is that the new "enlightened" Drake is now rooming with his former self and it's caused this bout of introspection and this confession," I said and Bear snorted.
"I didn't say all that but yeah I guess so," he said. I looked at him and for the first time, I think I saw true regret for his old self. I'd seen glimpses of it before but this time it was written plainly on his face.
"What happened?" I asked because there seemed to be more to this story than he found out his roommate was a homophobic jerk.
"He had just finished getting his stuff moved in when he said he was going to get a drink from the vending machine. He came back in a few minutes later mumbling about "fucking fags being everywhere now".
"Turns out the new guy who moved in a few doors down had the nerve to be kissing his boyfriend in the hall when Dirk was coming back from the vending machine. He went on and on about how you can't even turn on the TV or even walk out the front door without seeing some dude sucking face with another dude. He hasn't shut up about "those fags" ever since," Drake said before a deep frown etched his face. It was weird as a few years ago this guy would have been a kindred spirit of his.
"Sounds like your "old self" was reincarnated with an old-timey flair added," Miriam said and I let out a brief snicker.
"Yeah," Drake said with a heavy sigh.
"What, you don't like the mirror being held up in front of you?" Bear asked and I wanted to chastise him for it but I was secretly thinking about it myself.
"No. One doesn't generally like a mirror showing you how ugly you are," Drake responded with a Liberty-inspired snarkiness.
It was weird seeing Drake sitting here lamenting his past. On the one hand, I was happy that he seemed to have been serious when he said that he wanted to change and was actually doing so. On the other hand, a secret part of me was enjoying him finally seeing what kind of person he had been in high school.
"While I'm sure you want me to reassure you that you aren't that person anymore, and maybe you aren't, I can't help but feel that maybe this is your "reward" for the past. I will say though that you shouldn't let this guy get to you if you truly aren't that guy anymore," I said and he looked deep in thought.
"Yeah, I guess I can't expect more from you. It's just that it's so hard to listen to that shit all the time. I don't know how I'm gonna deal with that for a whole year, especially when...," he said trailing off.
"When your new roomie finds out you are besties with one of those fags," I finished for him and he laughed.
"Since when are we "besties"?" He said and Bear raised an eyebrow at me.
"Since you have a homophobic roommate. I think I'm gonna stroll on over to the old room wearing my most gay outfit with a shirt that says "Drake's Bestie" in rainbow letters on the front," I joked and everybody but Drake and Bear snickered. Drake looked at me with a raised eyebrow while Bear frowned.
"No, you won't," Bear said simply.
"And pray tell why not?" I asked like I was serious about this.
"Because that's guaranteed to provoke a reaction from this guy and his reaction will provoke me to stomp his ass," Bear said and I had to admit he was probably right. I didn't wanna provoke any situations that would cause Bear to get physical with some jackass with his still injured shoulder.
"Good point," I said and he smirked at me like he knew what I had just been thinking. Damn him and his psychic-for-me powers.
We heard the doorknob sound like somebody was trying to unlock it. Richie went to the door since he and Reese were still standing and opened it to a guy standing there with several bags hanging from his body. Richie took a few from him and he thanked him.
He walked in and I got a better look at him. He was white because of course he was. He had curly black hair and brown eyes from what I could tell, and he wore a pair of gold wire-rimmed glasses. He looked what Jessica would call "collegiate".
"Hello everybody," he said as he looked around. I could see he was slightly nervous.
"Hey, I'm Richie," Richie said as he extended his hand which the new guy shook.
"I'm Andrew but people usually call me Andy," the new guy said.
"I'm Reese," Reese said as he walked over and shook his hand too.
"I'm Trey," I said from my seat on the couch.
"The three of us are your roommates. The rest of these guys are Trey's friends," Richie said and I appreciated that he didn't say that Bear was my boyfriend. I didn't know this guy yet so not only coming out to him but outing Bear as well was not on my schedule at the moment.
"That's Miri, this is Drake and the big guy is Bear," I said gesturing to each of them. He spoke to each of them before doing a double take at Bear.
"You're Bear Davidson. I've seen you play," Andy said sounding almost as star-struck as Reese had been. This could be a problem if he didn't share the same sentiment toward gay people as Reese did.
"Yeah, I'm Bear Davidson," Bear said. He had a smile on his face but he didn't look as excited that a fan recognized him as I expected. Maybe he was feeling like I was.
"I heard about you not playing this season. I'm sorry to hear that," Andy said. I watched Bear carefully to see his reaction to Andy's words and he looked like I expected but was confused by.
"It's not that big of a deal. Besides, it's only half the season, maybe not even that long," Bear said but he didn't look like he cared one way or another.
I know that some may say that I was looking for something to worry about but Bear had been very into football for as long as I could remember. When I was sure he'd be alright when he'd been shot, I was worried that he'd be depressed to not be able to play for some or maybe all of the season, but he's been his normal self. Maybe he was putting on a brave face for me but I didn't think so. I guess I just needed to stop worrying about it.
"Well I hope to see you on the field soon," Anny said still in his fanboy state. Bear just nodded. He looked at me and gave me a covert wink further confusing me.
Reese told Andy that they were roomies and he and Richie helped him take his stuff to their room. Andy came back in and we all got to know each other better. I didn't mention anything relationship-wise and the others steered clear of the subject too although there was a tense moment when Andy asked Bear if he could hook him up with any hot chicks. Bear just waved him off. Richie guessed that Bear had a girlfriend that had him on a tight leash and Bear sorta agreed but didn't elaborate.
As the day wore on Drake said that he had to go meet Serena so he had to go. Miriam left around the same time saying she had to be somewhere. I noticed that Richie tried to appear nonchalant, but I could tell that he was curious. That was one relationship that I was curious about. I wondered what would happen to her and Dale's agreement after college as we were only two years away from graduation.
Around night time Bear announced that he had to be leaving. He asked me where was the book that I had for him. I looked at him confused for a second before I clued in and told him it was in my room. I excused myself and he followed. We entered the room and he closed the door behind him. I worried a bit about that but ceased to care when he pulled me to him and laid a deep kiss on my lips. We both moaned into the kiss and I delighted at feeling his body against mine.
We kissed for a few more minutes with me doing the bulk of the groping because Bear's arm was still in a sling. We separated when I realized that we were probably spending too much time in my room alone. I cursed the new living situation and started to resolve myself with the fact that I needed to come out to Andy sooner rather than later if I hoped to be free to show affection toward Bear freely in our suite.
He smiled and gave me another peck on the cheek before I searched for a book that I wouldn't miss but that looked plausible that I was lending out. He chuckled at that and took the book before I checked myself in the mirror on the wall and we left the room. Andy was absent but Richie and Reese were trying to suppress smug knowing smiles. I hissed at them to stop as I showed Bear the door. He snuck in another quick peck on the lips before he split. Andy came out of the bathroom about a minute later and asked if Bear was gone. I said yes and I heard Reese let out a brief snort of suppressed laughter. Yeah, I had to deal with the elephant in the room sooner rather than later.
The first two weeks back at school were hectic. I didn't realize I would have to jump back into the thick of things so soon and I could tell neither did Reese. I expected an easement of sorts but it was a "jump into the deep end" from the get-go. Andy wasn't in the program but he did have a heavier courseload than Richie so Richie had much more free time than we did.
I tried not to resent this but it was a challenge. Besides, I had wanted this and while I was happy with being challenged, I wondered at the same time if maybe I was crazy too. I mean no sane person would needlessly subject themselves to this. I was just thankful that I wasn't alone as Reese was there along with me. By week three though, we needed a break and thankfully Richie was inadvertently about to provide that break, for better or worse.
"I see you two are zombies," Richie said as he came into the suite. Reese and I were both sitting on the couch. I'd had my head lying back against the back of the couch before he'd come in while Reese was slipping in and out of consciousness as his head rocked back and forth.
"Ha ha," I said before my head fell back.
"Well, Papa Richie can tell you two need a break so tonight we're hitting a club," he said, and I both liked and hated the idea. I liked it because we needed a break. I hated it because I didn't think I had the energy to get up off the couch.
"Can't move. Forget about me," Reese said before tipping over and lying on the couch. He put his legs up on the couch which meant they were lying across my legs. I wanted to make him move but I didn't have the strength to care.
"This is where Papa Richie comes to the rescue again," he said, and I wanted to roll my eyes but my eyeballs were too tired. I did look at him though as did Reese and he held 2 cans of Red Bull and two bottles of 5-hour energy. I'd had both separately before but I might need both to make it through the night.
"Give me both of 'em," Reese said as he struggled to sit up. He managed to do so with my help.
"Sure but you'd better not take both of them together. Your heart might explode," Richie said, and while that may be possible I didn't care all that much. Reese downed the Red Bull while I took the 5-hour energy.
Once he was satisfied that we looked a bit more energized he sent us to get ready. I texted Bear while Reese took a shower to help the Red Bull to reenergize himself. I told him the plans and asked if he wanted in. I should have guessed that he would and I told him to head over when he was ready.
After Reese was done I took my turn and was glad that he hadn't used all the hot water. I felt much better after the shower and headed to my room to get dressed. I then thought about it and texted Miriam and told her of the plans as well. She was in as well and said she'd be over when she was dressed.
Once I was dressed I looked myself over in the mirror and liked what I saw. I just hoped Bear would as well. This was our first time going out to a bar since turning 21 as contrary to what Zane had said, we didn't go to a strip club for our 21st birthdays.
I didn't feel comfortable going cause I knew my lady friends would want to go and I didn't wanna deal with that. Although considering the type of strip club I'm sure Zane would have dragged us to my lady friends would have been more than at home.
I did go buy the alcohol for the party that Sean threw for us though. I handed the cashier my driver's license with a huge cheesy smile that I could feel on my face. I'm sure he saw the date and realized that I had just turned 21 as I'm sure nobody was that giddy trying to pass a fake ID. He just chuckled and gave me a cigar "on the house". I still had it.
I exited my room to see Reese and Richie talking about something. Reese cleaned up well as I could see. I was just about to comment as such when the door opened to Andy coming in. He looked at us and looked curious.
"We're going clubbing," Richie said and Andy smirked and shook his head.
"Well, that sucks. I gotta meet my sister and her fiancé for dinner. I'd much rather be with you guys hunting chicks," Andy said, and I was suddenly glad that he was busy. I needed to deal with this gay secret soon.
"Guess we get all the chicks to ourselves," Richie said before looking over at me with a smirk. I just rolled my eyes. They were not subtle at all.
"Sucks for you man," Reese said adding his two cents.
"Yeah. Well, maybe next time," He said cheering up rather quickly. He then excused himself to his and Reese's room. I glared at my two other roommates before heading to the couch to wait on Bear and Miriam.
"Well, I'm off," Andy said as he exited his room a few minutes later in different clothes.
"See ya," Richie said. As he opened the door there stood a guy that looked like he was about to knock on the door.
"Hey," Andy said in a greeting to the stranger. The stranger looked like he was about to speak before Richie spoke up.
"Hey cuz," Richie said as he headed for the door.
"Hey cuzzo," the guy said. Andy nodded another greeting on his way out of the door. Richie's cousin came in and Richie closed the door.
"Guys, this is my cousin Randy. Randy, that's Trey and Reese," Richie said pointing to each of us. I almost laughed at all the r-named guys I'd met lately.
"Hey," Reese said.
"Yo," I said with a head nod in greeting. He responded in kind.
"My cousin hipped me to this club we're going to," Richie said before looking at me. I was curious why.
"Yeah, it's an LGBT-friendly club so you don't need to worry about just being yourself," he said and I looked at Richie with a pointed look that let him know I was pissed if I was right that he'd told his cousin about me.
"Now before you get mad you should know that Randy is a member of the rainbow mafia," Richie said with a smug grin, and I gave him another pointed look.
"I told you to stop saying that," Randy said before rolling his eyes. He then looked at me. "He is right though. I'm gay," he said, and I chose to not be mad as I guess it was okay that he had told my secret as long as it was to a fellow gay.
"I guess it's alright," I said, and I could tell that Richie secretly looked relieved. I was saved from any further dwelling on the subject by a knock on the door. Richie went to the door as he was closer and opened the door to a very hot-looking Miriam and a delectable-looking Bear.
"Uh, hey," Richie said as he took Miriam in.
"Hey yourself," she said kind of softly before brushing past him. I noticed that she made sure to make lingering contact with him. I heard Bear snort from the doorway.
"Come here you," I said and he raised an eyebrow in that sexy way he did but he obeyed. Once he was near me and the door was closed, I pulled him to me and kissed him deeply. I could tell he was shocked but he recovered quickly and reciprocated in kind.
Once we separated he looked happy but surprised. I introduced him to Richie's cousin and told him that he was part of "the family". He understood almost immediately and patted him on the shoulder. It was kind of hard though and I couldn't help but think he was asserting his dominance as "top gay" now that there was another gay in the vicinity of my person. The thought made me chuckle slightly.
Randy told us where the club we were going to was and said that he would meet us there as he had to pick up his date. Richie teased him a bit before he left. We followed a few minutes later and headed for Luminance Bar.
"The music is so loud," Miriam yelled as we entered the club. Bear had no trouble getting in. On the contrary, the doorman looked like he couldn't believe that Bear was so young. He gave me the same treatment as the doorman at Paragon with multiple looks between me and my license before giving it back to me and gesturing for me to go on in.
"Yeah, this is louder than when we went to Paragon," I yelled back. She gave me the stink eye when she realized what I'd said. She as well as the rest of my friends had been salty when they'd heard that Bear and I had been to Paragon. Liberty threatened her sister with bodily harm if she ever kept a secret like making fake IDs for us again. Justice looked unconcerned for her safety.
"Let's find somewhere to sit," Bear said next to my ear. I nodded and tried to hide the effect his deep voice had on me at that moment.
We searched for a place where we all could fit in and found an empty booth that could seat all of us. We took a seat and Bear and Reese volunteered to get us some drinks. I had a brief memory of when Mike had tried to drug me. Bear must have seen it as I had told him about it after the hacking event because he leaned down next to my ear and said "don't worry, I'm gonna keep you safe". Again I tried to hide the effect his voice had on me along with the new feeling of safety and security.
Bear and Reese went to get the drinks after everybody gave their orders and were back in short order. I drank my frozen margarita and laughed at myself for feeling like a grownup drinking alcohol like this was my first time doing so.
Richie and Miriam went dancing and Reese went to scope out the dance floor while Bear and I hung back. I continued drinking my drink and enjoyed having a night off.
"How are you feeling?" Bear asked as he sat close to me. He grasped my hand and started to make lazy circles on the back of my hand with his thumb as he watched me. The music wasn't too loud now and we were close to each other.
"Surprisingly I feel okay. I mean, I'm tired but it's not too bad," I said honestly.
"You'll tell me when you get too overwhelmed?" He asked but I knew it was a demand.
"I promise that I'll let you know if it gets to be too much," I said. I was a glutton for punishment though so that may be easier said than done. He smiled at me before his smile became a mischievous smirk.
"I'm gonna nibble on your neck now," he proclaimed with a sexy grin.
"Well, thanks for the announcement," I joked. He snickered before doing what he'd said. He licked, sucked, and nibbled on my neck and I tried to hold myself together and keep myself from jumping him right here. We were interrupted by a knock on the table. We looked up to see Miriam and Richie back from the dance floor. They were smirking at us before they sat down. Reese arrived shortly after.
"Hey guys, sorry I'm late. I had a bit of a problem," Randy said after arriving at our table.
"No prob cuz," Richie said.
"Anything wrong?" Bear asked being the considerate guy that he was.
"Just that my boyfriend is a bit shy. I practically had to drag him here," Randy said, and I wondered if he was shy about anybody seeing him with another guy. Maybe he wasn't comfortable being out.
"Where is he?" Miriam asked. Randy looked back towards the door and shook his head before asking us to wait a minute. He left the table and weaved through the crowd.
I looked at Bear and he just shrugged. He smiled at me and I smiled at him and I forgot that anybody was in the room beside us for a bit. Bear could transport me to another reality sometimes, where it was just us, with his eyes and smile. I was brought back to reality though by a gasp from Miriam and her grabbing my hand in a vice grip. I looked at her to see what was wrong before following her gaze to see Randy walking up to our table with a stunned-looking guy trailing behind him.
"Babe, this is my cousin and his friends. Cuz, this is my guy," Randy said looking so happy. Reese and Richie looked normal for the situation as did Randy as they had no clue. Bear, Miriam, and I along with Randy's boyfriend looked anything but normal though as this boyfriend was none other than Kenji Matou, my former friend.
"Kenji," Miriam said in a shocked hiss.
"You- you said we were meeting your friends," Kenji said with bucked eyes that darted between me and Miriam.
"Well, technically these are my friends. Well, my cousin and his friends," Randy said before finally realizing something was up.
"Miri, what's up?" Richie asked as he looked at Miriam and her reaction to his cousin's boyfriend.
"What are you...," Miriam said before trailing off.
"Wait, how did you know his name? I didn't tell you," Randy said looking confused.
"That's a good question. Care to fill him in Kenji?" Bear said in a deep tone with an edge.
"I gotta go," Kenji said real fast before trying to leave but Randy grabbed his arm and pulled him back.
"Wait a minute. What's going on?" Randy asked with a frown as he looked at Kenji. He looked at me with a spooked expression and I just raised a questioning eyebrow at him. I might have thrown in a slight smirk as well.
"You tricked me. This was all a setup to embarrass me," Kenji accused as he yanked his arm from Randy's grasp and fixed him with the same expression he usually reserved just for me.
"Tricked? Setup? What the hell are you talking about?" Randy asked looking equal parts confused and pissed.
"You were working with them to expose me! I'll bet you're satisfied now," Kenji said to Randy before turning to me and saying the second part.
"I don't know what the fuck you're talking about," I said, not in the mood for his bullshit, especially now that he seemed to have his own "big gay secret".
"Babe, I don't know what you're talking about. I just met these people earlier this evening," Randy said as he gently grasped Kenji's hand.
"Don't call me that," Kenji said as he yanked his hand free.
"Why?" Randy asked, looking confused. I could tell he had an idea of what was going on.
"I'm not a fag!" Kenji almost shouted. We had drawn a bit of attention in our direction. Randy looked shocked, then hurt. Finally, he looked pissed.
"That's funny. You weren't saying that when you were sucking my cock and begging me to fuck you," Randy exploded. My eyes bucked and my jaw dropped, Miriam gasped very audibly, and Bear whispered "whoa". Reese had chosen the wrong time to take a sip of his drink as he did an excellent spit take spewing the contents of his mouth all over the table.
Kenji looked stunned. He recovered quickly though, as after looking at our reactions to Randy's revelation he drew back and punched Randy square in the nose. His head whipped back and Richie was up in a second shoving Kenji. Reese and Bear got up too and I guess Kenji realized what he'd done. He looked over all of us before booking it out of the club. Miriam got up and ran after him. I checked to see if Randy was okay. Once I saw that he was only bleeding slightly I followed after Miriam and Kenji.
Once I was outside I took a moment to let my eyes adjust to the streetlights then looked around a bit before I saw Miriam running to catch up to Kenji. I ran after them and I caught up just as Miriam reached Kenji and grabbed his arm.
"Wait a minute Ken," she said sounding a bit winded.
"Leave me alone," he groused as he snatched his arm from Miriam's grasp.
"Kenji, wait. Talk to me," Miriam said, and he looked like he wanted to do so, for about a second before he became aware of me walking up.
"I have nothing to say," he said coldly as his expression hardened.
"Kenji, I-" I started but didn't get that far.
"You did this, didn't you? You set me up," he accused as he glared at me.
"What?" I said because he couldn't be serious.
"Ken, no. You're wrong," Miriam said but he just rolled his eyes.
"So this whole thing is just a coincidence? Bullshit. You set this up to embarrass me. You planned this whole thing with Randy," he said sounding kinda belligerent.
"What the hell are you talking about? I just met that dude earlier today. He's my roommate's cousin," I said but he didn't look like he wanted the believe me.
"Well, I hope it was worth it. I'm sure you got what you wanted," he said as he looked at me with pure spite in his eyes. I stopped feeling sorry for how he was outed and started feeling pissed at this whole thing. He had judged me all this time, said all kinds of crap to me and about me and now here he was, exposed.
"I didn't do a damned thing to you. I just told your ass that I just met your boyfriend today," I said, not hiding how pissed off I was at his accusation anymore.
"He's not my boyfriend," he said, a bitter look crossing his face when he said the word boyfriend. I just rolled my eyes and I heard Miriam let out a sigh.
"Well, your boyfriend seems to be under the impression that you have one," I said with a smirk and he frowned.
"Trey," Miriam said in a pleading tone but I wasn't having it.
"Naw, I'm gonna say this," I said and Kenji's glare intensified.
"Say what?" he said coldly.
"That it's funny though that you have a boyfriend when you were all gung ho to tell me how disgusting you thought "fags" were when you found out about me and Bear. I'll bet that the only reason that you were pissed when you found out about me and Bear was that that meant that you couldn't have me for yourself. That's probably also why you were trying to isolate me from my friends. So you could have a better chance at me," I said and the more I spoke the more pissed he looked.
"Trey, that's stupid," Miriam said but I couldn't help but notice that he didn't say anything to debunk anything I'd said.
"Oh really? Then why isn't he saying anything to deny what I said?" I asked her and she looked at Kenji curiously as if waiting for a response.
"Because nothing you said is worth addressing," he said as he rolled his eyes and crossed his arms.
"Kenji, why didn't you tell us?" Miriam asked still sounding so compassionate. Too bad he wasn't appreciating it.
"There is nothing to tell. I'm not gay. I was just... confused," he said, and I couldn't prevent the scoff that escaped me.
"It doesn't work like that Kenji. You aren't a young teenager just entering puberty. You're 21 years old. You're a grown-ass man and you know whether or not you're attracted to men and want to have sex with them," I said and the furious look that overtook his face was a sight to see.
"I'm not a fag like you are," he spat with malice complete with a cruel glare. I just smirked.
"According to your boyfriend, you are. You're a fag, a queer, a fairy, a sissy, a big flaming homo, just like me," I said adding emphasis to every word of "just like me". If looks could kill I would be dead but they couldn't. A fist could hurt though, which is what he threw my way. I was surprised at my reaction speed as I dodged his fist. Then I grabbed his arm in mid-air and spun him around until I was able to pin the offending arm behind his back. Justice would have been proud of one of the few defensive moves she'd taught me over the summer. He struggled to get free but I had him.
"Kenji!" Miriam shrieked.
"Trey, are you okay?" Bear said as he ran up. I looked to see Richie, Reese, and Randy pulling up the rear.
"I'm just fine", I said through gritted teeth before I forcefully shoved Kenji away from me. He struggled to stay upright but managed to do so. He turned around to look at all of us. I felt Bear step up behind me and he took another step back. I could imagine the look that Bear was likely giving him. Even with one arm in a sling Bear still looked intimidating.
"Kenji, I can't do this with you anymore. I'm done," Miriam said sounding supremely pissed off as she glowered at him.
"What?" He had the nerve to say after the way he'd acted tonight at the least.
"I've listened to you say all kinds of mean and hateful shit about Trey being gay for years and all this time you were secretly gay as well. Then tonight, when your big gay secret was revealed you accuse Trey of setting you up, you deny your own boyfriend, and finally, you attack Trey when he rightfully called you out," Miriam said and I could hear the hurt in her voice. I felt sorry for how Kenji was hurting her. He just didn't see that she wanted us to be friends again.
"Did you hear the shit that he just said to me?" He asked still looking furious.
"And what part of it was a lie?" She asked with a challenging look and tone.
"All of it! I'm not a fucking fag!" He yelled and I just shook my head.
"Yes, you are. It's just a shame that you can't accept yourself and that you're hurting Randy in the process with your denial," Miriam said and shook her head before walking off.
"I guess you're satisfied now huh," he said in a cold tone as he glared at me.
"Go fuck yourself Kenji. That is what you like, right? Getting fucked? At least, that's what I hear," I said, finishing with a smirk before walking off as well to find Miriam. I heard footsteps behind me and looked to see Bear and Reese following me. Richie hung back with his cousin.
I found Miriam at Bear's truck when we reached it. I received a text from Richie that said that he was gonna stay with his cousin and that we could leave without him. We all got in and I drove back to the dorm. Miriam decided that she was gonna head to her dorm from the truck. I asked if she was okay and she said she would be. I wanted to talk to her more but I decided to give her some space.
I know that she had been secretly holding out hope all these years that Kenji just needed time to accept me and then we could be friends again. I'm sure though that finding out that he had been gay as well, or at the very least had same-sex inclinations, all this time, and still behaved the way that he did towards and about me put the final nail in the coffin of that hope. I hoped she would be okay.
Bear walked with me and Reese back to our room. When we made it back Reese opened the door and we went in. He excused himself to the bathroom while I took a seat. Bear sat down next to me and slung his arm across my shoulders pulling me closer to him.
"Are you okay?" he asked as he regarded me seriously.
"I'm fine. Just shocked is all," I said and he hmphed.
"You're telling me," he said and let out a whistle. I just chuckled and he looked briefly surprised before he too smiled. I grasped the sides of his handsome face and pulled him to me. He didn't hesitate to move and our lips met. His kiss had a calming effect on me that I didn't even realize I needed. Too bad I didn't think before doing so.
"What the fuck?!" I heard and we both startled and jumped apart.
"Andy!" I said as I looked back toward his and Reese's room.
"What?" Reese said as he came out of the bathroom and looked around to see what the commotion was about.
"They were kissing! They were FUCKING KISSING!" He said, his voice raising with every word as he pointed at us looking slightly panicked.
"Damn," Reese said looking grim.
"Fuck," I hissed. This is just what this night needed.
To be continued...
Author's note:
Well, that was some tea...
Welcome back to the astounding tales of The Chronicles of Trey. In this chapter we see the start of junior year of college. Things are progressing rather fast for our characters and life doesn't stop. Trey has new roommates and new worries as one of his new roommates doesn't know about him and Bear. Throughout the chapter, Trey is struggling with telling new roommate Andy about him and Bear so they don't have to hide. By chapter's end though, the secret is out. How will the big secret lay with Andy? Does Trey have any reason to worry?
Trey and Reese have jumped into the deep end in regards to their studies and helpful roommate Richie comes up with a plan to help out his roommates with their stress and exhaustion in the form of going clubbing. After meeting Richie's cousin Randy who's a part of the "rainbow mafia" (Richie's words, lol) they go out to the bar. Things seem to be going well until Randy shows up with his shy boyfriend and it's none other than Kenji, former friend of Trey's. Things escalate and even after being caught being in a relationship with another guy, he still hates Trey for being gay and denies being gay himself. How will things proceed now with the three of them? Is this truly the end for Miriam and Kenji? Will Trey try to intercede?
Find out in the continuing tales of The Chronicles of Trey.
I hope everybody enjoys this chapter. I've been waiting to get to this chapter for a while. This and the upcoming storyline have been anticipated from me. I just nervous about the upcoming storyline though as I'm out of my depth in writing this subject. I just hope that I can do it justice. As I stated in the last chapter, I've started another story. If you haven't read it yet, please check it out (Jude's Arc in the Beginnings section) and let me know if I should continue. I've also been thinking aboding some Chronicles of Trey side stories. Like, maybe a chapter or two about some side characters that people might want more insight into without having to bog down the main story with them. If that sounds interesting, please let me know. Please send all comments to thestoryguy9783@gmail.com. I might be getting a new email soon. If I do I'll put it in the author's notes. Also you can contact my editor at the email below
Until next time... Nicky
Editor's note:
Well that just happened.
Hey everyone it has been too long but here we are, another chapter in the life of Trey. Hope everyone has had a good year, here's to 2023. Also hope you all enjoyed the new chapter.
The new school year starts and Trey has some new roomies. To bad one of them don't know about him and Bear but looks like that is going to change after him witnessing them kissing. Hopefully he won't cause too much of a problem.
And speaking of problems, I will say I didn't see that coming with Kenji, I thought he was gone from the story and what a twist. Wonder if we will see him return again and if he does I'm guessing it will be just to cause problems.
As always hope you enjoyed the chapter, you can reach Nicky at the email above to let him know what you thought of this chapter. You can reach me at jd.kaster1987@gmail.com
Until next time...
JDK