The Journey Begins Chapter 32
Author's Notes:
I want to thank my Readers. You guys are the best. Okay, these characters are not meant to resemble any living or dead persons. I make no apology to anyone who is offended by anything in this story. If you do not agree with the idea of guys being in love, then find something else to read. Let me know what you think of the story by emailing me at
Copyright © 2008-2018 by Chuck B
The Journey Begins
Chapter 32
Graduation Night
It is June 1st and tonight is graduation night for Steve and Eric. At their homes, they are getting prepared for the final night as high school students. They are both excited and scared. The guys are excited because tonight means no more high school. They can focus on their future dreams and goals. They're afraid because, in high school, life was laid out for you. Now the boys are on the verge of adulthood, they will walk into graduation night as teens, and at the end of the night, they will be that much closer to adulthood. A year ago, they were leaving their junior year behind them. In his junior year, Eric's life was crazy. A year later and things are looking up, life is looking up, and the future is so much brighter. There may yet be trials of fire, but Eric and Steve will come out of them more polished and more refined in the end. Eric and Steve have a sea of people applauding them for their achievements. There is some sadness tonight, Eric's and Steve's friends; Jason and Shaun can't be here to see them graduate, but it's okay. Steve and Eric are ready, and so are their friends and family are prepared to head out for the night.
***
The cars that are carrying Eric and Steve arrive at the school together. Somehow, they find each other amongst the sea of people.
"Are you ready for this Eric?"
Eric smiles as he looks back at his family. The guys take each other's hands. Eric doesn't answer Steve's question. He doesn't need too, because Steve knows the answer. It's a loud and echoing "Yes." The teens enter the school along with their families. They walk together until they reach the spot where graduates and families split up. They enter classroom opened for the night to allow the graduates to slip on their robes and their caps. Their families find their seats amongst other families here to see their graduates walk across the stage. Eric sees Steve and can't help his thoughts clean. As they are about to hug each other, a teacher says it's time to line up.
***
Steve and Eric walk away from each other and find their place in line. Thoughts are running through their minds as they line up. Steve is thinking about how much he wants the night to be over. Eric is wondering if his parents will stand up and applaud when his came is said over the microphone.
`I wonder if all the promises we've made to each other will come true in the end?'
Eric can't help but wonder about him and Steve staying together in the future. He wants to find his path in this life. A road he hopes Steve will join him in walking.
`Eric, this night is the start of something magical. I hope, our goals don't get sidelined by anything.'
Steve is right, tonight is the start of something bigger than anything else they've seen in their lives yet, and it will bless their lives in ways they can't understand, however, because of the twists and turns in the road.
`I want to be in his arms after this graduation is over so we can talk, talk, and maybe fall asleep in each other arms. Listen to me; I sound like some romance novel.'
Eric is day-dreaming a bit as he stands in line. Steve is standing in the line just like he is and all the guys want the night and then look to the future under the stars. Suddenly the music starts and the long line begins to move. Two by two the seniors enter the theater and take their seats. Eric stands as he waits for all of his classmates to enter the space and stand by their positions. He's thinking about the years he's spent in high school, and the years ahead of him.
***
One by one, Eric and Steve watch as their friends walk across the stage. Steve's begins to sweat a bit as he listens to the names. Why he's nervous is a mystery? Perhaps, he doesn't want to trip as he walks across the stage. It takes forever to reach the point where Steven hears his name being called. He gets up and walks up to the stage as cat calls come from the crowd. Eric hopes that his parents or Sarah and Mark are snapping pictures as Steve gets his diploma from the principal. As Steve accepted his diploma, he looks at Eric and winks. All of their friends know exactly, who that wink was aimed for, and they smile, do catcalls, and look back towards Eric. There are even a few teachers who smile at the wink. A little while longer and Eric gets up for his turn on the stage. After he accepts his diploma, he can't help but look down at Steve and blows a small kiss in his direction. Each person who is watching the stage sees Eric's blown kiss, but it's Steve who catches that kiss in his heart. After receiving his diploma, he returns to his seat, where he applauds and cheers for his friends as they receive their diploma's.
***
Finally, graduation is over, and Eric and Steve cried a few tears. Now it's time to pose with friends and family for pictures while mingling amongst their classmates.
"Hey Eric, I guess this is it huh? By this time next year, we will be in 2 semesters into college."
Cody sneaks up and wraps his arms around Eric. Eric is ready to be released from the grasp of the giant. Cody is already 6'2," and he wrestles.
"Yeah it is man, this is the end of high school. We are staying on contact, and we will be invited to weddings, birthdays of our kids, and whatever other special occasions might pop up."
Cody gives Eric a smirk.
"I didn't know that you and Steve were going to pop out babies."
Now, it's Eric's turn to throw some sarcasm at his friend.
"Hey, you never know what the future holds right?"
Cody hugs Eric, and then they take a selfie, and Cody walks off to find his team-mates. Cathy comes around and kisses him on the back of his neck.
"Hey boyfriend, I am going to miss you so much."
She says as she comes around to his front and continues talking to him.
"I want you to promise me, that you won't just go away, and forget about Cody and me."
Eric could never forget about Cathy and Cody. They've been there always ready to pick up the slack when Steve hasn't been around, and they've been there to try and comfort him when the world is out to get him. He can't help but remember his friends.
"I am never going to forget you."
Cathy knows that when Eric says something, he means it. Cathy smiles and then turns towards her boyfriend. He stops and visits with his two favorite teachers; Mr. Smith and Miss Gonalez. He gives them both huge hugs.
"I just wanted to say thank you for helping me to face the world. You...you guys are amazing."
Eric says as he shakes their hands and then Steve comes up beside him.
"Well, look who it is, How are you, Steven?"
Miss. Gonalez says as she reaches out her hands to get a hug from one of her favorite students. Steve gives his favorite male teacher; Mr. Smith, a huge hug. Miss Gonalez smiles at the teens, and Mr. Smith does the same.
"Don't let them leave."
Mr. Smith says to Miss. Gonalez. He disappears in the crowd as Miss Gonalez begins to grill the boys on their plans for the future. Ten minutes later, Mr. Smith returns to two cards. He handed one to each teen. Eric and Steve open their cards. The cards each contain one hundred dollars in twenties dollar bills and a gift card for $100.00 dollars at one of the best computer/tech stores in the area. Eric breaks into tears because he knows that teachers don't make a lot of money, so these gifts are amazing.
"Thanks! You shouldn't have done this."
Steve says as he hugs Mr. Smith, while Miss. Gonalez helps to quit the tears coming down Eric's face.
"Guys, we didn't know if we would be able to make your open houses. These gifts come from the two of us. We want you to use the money and the gift cards for college."
They are so thankful for the gifts. More hugs are going around between the four of them. Now, they take photos with them and then it's time to take pictures with each other. A few more friends come up to them for photos, and then it's time to head out with the family.
***
Their parents are taking their sons out for dinner. It's their first dinner with as high school graduates. There are no presents from the families other then a nice dinner. For Eric, it's nice to have a sit down dinner with the entire family. He's enjoying the time spent with his younger siblings. He can't believe how big Alex and Zach have got. For Steve, it's just nice to spend a night out with his family. For Eric's younger brother and sister, it's nice to spend time with their older brother. It gives them a chance get to know Eric after a year a part. With the dinners over, Eric and Steve head home with their families.
***
Eric is at home sitting on his bed when Sarah announces that Steve is waiting for him in the living room. Eric bounds the stairs.
"Hey Babe, what are you doing here?"
Steve hugs him. Steve couldn't believe that Eric even bothered to ask that question. Eric knows why Steve.
"Duh, I came to see you. I can't believe Sarah allowed me into the house. It's after 9:00 pm. Usually, she is kicking me out of the house at 9:15, and it's 9:30 already."
Sarah and Mark already talked about this day several months ago. They knew this day would come when the teens would graduate and that would change their relationship. Knowing, that life can change in the blink of an eye, the adults agreed that Eric and Steve needed a little bit more freedom.
"Now that you mention it, it is a little strange that she isn't telling me, to say goodbye for the night."
Eric is okay with Sarah giving them some space. He's quite happy. It's a step in the right direction for them.
"So are you sad about graduating?"
Steve asks Eric because he's feeling a little sad. Eric is a bit sad. Both guys know that over time friends will fall to the wayside as time moves on; and that is, what is making them unhappy.
"Maybe a little bit. But I am also excited because I can't wait to get into college and to spend time with you and see where we go as a couple."
What is true for Eric is also correct for Steve. They want to be happy. They can't see what's ahead of them and they want things to be good going forward.
"Can we go outside and sit?"
Steve wants to get out of the house and talk. Eric isn't against going out if it means spending more time with Steve. The guys get up and head outside. They sit on the steps looking out towards Jason's and Shaun's old house.
"I can't help but think what the future holds for you. I know, we've talked about it so many times that it makes no sense to discuss it now, so instead maybe we can sit here in silence."
Eric says as he embraces his boyfriend. They cuddle together on the porch kissing at least twice before releasing each other. Steve doesn't say anything instead; his gaze looks upward into the night sky. His eyes latch on to a star, and he silently makes a wish:
`Star bright, star light, I make this wish tonight asking for Eric and I will always have each other.'
A twinkle of the star makes Steve smile because he sees it as a sign that his wish is going to come true. Steve reaches out and takes Eric's right hand and lifts up and places a kiss on it. His actions make Eric's heart swell. Everything feels so different tonight. There have been numerous occasions that they've stood at the crossroads waiting for a path to present itself to them.
"Thanks for coming over tonight. It's been an amazing evening so far."
Eric's right the night has been amazing. The night has been excellent. There is only one thing missing from today; well maybe two things; Jason and Shaun. The older guys have a way of making sense of the future.
***
Steve looks across the street at the darkened windows of their friends' old house.
"I wonder, what Jason and Shaun would say to us now that we've graduated from high school?"
Steve asks as he slowly looks back at Eric. They would tell them to keep pushing forward together, to keep fighting for each other, and to never allow hate to break them. Eric takes a moment to look at the dark house.
"I think they would tell us how proud they are of us, and how we should keep reaching for our goals. Don't you think?"
Jason and Shaun are indeed proud of their young friends. Tonight finds them thinking about home and the friends they left behind here in Indiana. A twinkle of light in the heavens makes Eric want to hear from their friends. He stands up and starts to head off for their friends' house. At the end of the sidewalk, he stops before his left touches the street. Worried about Eric, Steve gets up and walks up to his boyfriend. Putting his right hand up on Eric's shoulder, he then pulls Eric into a hug.
"I miss them too Eric. Do you think they are still awake?"
Steve knows what Eric is asking for, even though the question hasn't been asked. It's time to head inside and make the call.
"Yeah, I think they are still awake. Let's go see if we can Jason and Shaun."
They don't waste another minute. The guys turn and head towards Eric's front door. Opening the door, they head for the bedroom.
***
Up in the room, Steve gets out his cellphone, and Eric grabs his laptop from his desk, and the guys sit on the bed. While Steve texts Jason, Eric is busy setting up the laptop for the video call.
"You guys still awake?"
Steve's finger hits send for the text. While the text is sending, Eric finishes up what he is doing on the laptop. While they are waiting for a reponse, the guys snack on food from Eric's stash. In a minute, Steve's phone sounds off with a chime alerting them to the text that just came in and the phone is checked right away.
"Yes, we are awake. Are with you Eric?"
Steve begins to type up his response to whichever guy responded to them.
"Cool! Yes, I am with Eric. We want to have a little video call with the most awesome adults on the planet; next to our parents?"
Steve clicks sends. They hope that Jason and Shaun will be okay with doing a video call. The answer comes pretty quickly. They are super excited over the idea of seeing their mentors and friends again.
"Yeah give us a couple of minutes okay. Shaun is feeding the cats their dinner."
Jason is true to his word. It takes just two minutes for the guys back in Utah to hit that call button. Quicker then a second, the call appears on Eric's laptop. Eric quickly accepts the request.
"Hey, guys, what's up?"
Eric says as he looks at the screen. The adults smile at Eric and Steve.
"We are settling in to life in Utah. I don't know how I feel about life here, but we're trying to make it work for us."
Shaun says as one of the cats climb up beside them. Eric misses them as well.
"What would it take for you guys to come back?"
Steve misses their friendship and their advice. It's hard to be a gay teen and not have the support of family and good friends. Jason doesn't want to answer that question because it already hurts to hear from them.
"Steve, we are just a phone call away. You, guys, know that we will do anything for you, but we can't just walk away from our jobs just to make people happy."
Jason wasn't angry with the guys. He doesn't want them thinking that they can just walk away from their lives out west.
"So what are your plans the for the summer?"
Shaun asks wanting to know what's on their minds for their first season as high school graduates.
"We plan on relaxing a bit before going to college."
Eric answered for Steve, and he smiles as he said it. Shaun hopes they would spend sometime relaxing before going off the school. Every fresh high school graduate should spend some time being free before going off to school.
"Good, I think it's important to have that downtime before going off to school. Well, I won't ask what you're plans are for college, because I think that you'll do just fine when the time comes for major selection."
Jason and Shaun are confident that the boys; the guys are going to make the right decision for them. To Eric and Steve, their positive outlook on their lives gives them a little extra hope for the future.
"Sorry, we couldn't be there for your parties. I hope you understand why we can't be there?"
Jason says wanting to apologize, but this is one of those times when an apology isn't needed. It's understandable. No one is expecting them to fly out for a couple of hours just to turn around and fly home.
"Don't sweat it, we understand."
Shaun yawns which signals the end of the video call.
"I guess, we need to let you guys go so that you can rest huh?"
Shaun speaks up immediately.
"Yeah, we both had a long day, but we wanted to see you guys and have a chance to talk for a bit before going to bed. Stay good guys."
Eric and Steve wave goodbye and then they click the end call icon. They get up and head downstairs to grab a drink. On the way down, Sarah passes by them and smiles at the two of them.
***
Eric and Steve are sitting in the dining room enjoying some freshly squeezed lemonade, while before Mark and Sarah tell Steve to head home. The adults join the teens at the table for some lemonade. David is already in bed for the night, so everyone talks quietly.
"I guess, I need to get ready to head home."
There is one small problem with the teens comment. Sarah doesn't intend to send him home. She figures that they are high school graduates, so why not allow them to spend the night together. Maybe, it doesn't make sense to anyone else, but it does to her. Mark even agreed to it. Heck, Steve's mom also agreed with the whole idea.
"I'm not sending you home. I've talked with your mom and with Mark, and we all agree that if you want to spend the night, you can. I am not saying that I want you guys upstairs having sex in my house, but you can spend the night. You can even stay in Eric's room."
The guys' jaws drop instantly. No one expected any of this to happen. Eric and Steve stare at Sarah in disbelief.
"Are you serious Sis?"
Marc nods his head at Eric letting him know that Sarah is very sincere. At first, Eric doesn't know what to think of Sarah's and Mark's decision. A part of him believes that maybe this is all a hoax, but they have never done anything like that ever. Steve somehow knows that his boyfriend is wrestling with the situation, so he distracts his boyfriend by heading up the stairs with him.
***
Steve leads Eric into the bedroom. Now just let me say right here and right now, while Steve may want to cuddle and kiss on his boyfriend, Steve knows flat out where Eric sits on the whole sex thing. Eric believes in the moral compass that his church instilled in him. Neither one man is planning on breaking Sarah's rule for the evening. They do sit on the bed together and cuddle and talk. They try not to dwell on the future, but it's impossible not to discuss things yet to come. With that in mind, they talk about kids, school, pets, adoption, and where they want to go together. Their discussion takes them long into the night. The guys take turns being big spoon and little spoon until Steve kisses Eric as Eric's eyes begin to close and then flutter open as he tries to fight off sleep. Ultimately though, Eric gives in to his sleepiness and Steve gets up and lets his boyfriend have the bed, while Steve grabs Eric's sleeping bag so he can sleep on the floor. Sometime in the night, Eric wakes up and grabs his comforter and lays down next to his boyfriend and curls up and falls to sleep.
***
In the morning when Steve and Eric wake up, Eric's entire family has gathered at the house. His mom and dad are a little shocked to see Steve come down the stairs from Eric's bedroom.
"It's okay Mom and Dad. We gave permission so that Steve to spend the night, so Steve could join us for tonight. Steve slept on the floor and Eric slept in his bed. It's all okay."
No one said a thing. In fact, to someone who was new to the family, everything appeared perfectly normal. You wouldn't know that Steve wasn't a part of the family.
"We wanted to take the family out for breakfast before Eric's open house today. Steve, you are more then welcome to come with if you want. I'll leave that up to you."
Eric's mom says as she looks at Steve. A year ago, he would have looked twice at the offer. Nowadays, he wouldn't pass up the opportunity to have a meal with Eric's family.
"Since I'll be here for the open house; I might as well just go out to eat with him."
"The more, the merrier."
Eric's dad says which warms Eric's heart along with Sarah and Steves. It means a lot to have that acceptance from Eric's dad. The family goes out to the cars. Eric and Steve are riding with Sarah, Marc, and David. The rest of the family rides with Mr. and Mrs. Keiser. At the restaurant, the staff at managed to place two tables together so that the whole family can sit together.
***
Everyone places their orders for both food and drinks. After the drinks arrive at the table, Mr. Keiser takes his orange juice in his right hand and then looks at everyone else. With a proud smile on his face, he begins to speak to everyone at the table.
"Guys, I want to take a minute to say a few words to Eric, and then to Steve. First off, I want Eric to know that I am very proud of you. You continued to push yourself despite everything that happened at home and in your personal life. I hope you continue to push yourself to succeed. Know that we love you son, and we always will. Steve, the last year is one that I would rather forget. If I've learned one thing from watching you and my son spending time together, it's that you're love is no different than the love that I have for Mrs. Keiser. Take care of my son for me. Now lets eat."
As Mr. Keiser ends his little talk, the waitress is bringing out the food to the table. As she passes out the food, Eric looks at his mom and wonders what is going on inside her mind. Eric and Steve are sitting next to each other of course and holding hands.
"Thanks, Dad for all the kind words."
"Thanks, Mr. Keiser. I'll take great care of your son as long as he wants me by his side."
There is even a quick kiss shared between them. It doesn't go unnoticed though, and a few people sitting around them are giving the family some ugly looks. Most people though are fantastic. There was one couple who upon seeing someone giving Eric and Steve less then friendly look, got up from their table and gives the two teens hug.
"Don't you dare, let those bigots affect your breakfast with your family."
Everyone at the table smiles at the couple. Mr. Keiser hasn't seen very many people showing this kind of love for his son before, and yes he has seen some people showing him respect, but not total strangers.
"Thanks for coming up and speaking with my son and his boyfriend."
"You are so welcome.
The lady of the couple is a sweetheart. She insisted that Mr. Keiser and Mrs. Keiser allow her to pay for Eric's and Steve's meals. Though they are met with some resistance eventually, the Keiser's decide to allow it.
"You don't have to do this."
Eric tells the couple, and they tell him to relax and let them pay for it. The couple leaves the table and returns to their table so they can finish their meal. The Keisers plus Steve finish their meals as well and then leave the tip, pay the rest of the bill, and then leave the restaurant to head home and set up the
***
A couple of hours later, Eric is at Sarah's house surrounded by friends young and old. Everyone is gathered around congratuling Eric on his significant achievement. Cathy comes up and kisses Eric on his lips. She then walks up to Steve and kisses him on the lips.
"Guys, I thought you should kiss a woman before you head off to school."
Cody sees the kisses and comes up behind Cathy and takes her hand with a smile. He bends down and kisses her hand as if she were a princess.
"Looks like, she found her prince huh?"
Eric say out loud to Steve so Cathy and Cody can hear what he said. It doesn't end there though. There are so many people here dropping stuff off here and visiting. It's incredible to think that everyone is here in support of Eric. Zach and the siblings all pitched in with a gift. Mr. Smith and his husband showed up. Eric spends time with Steve, but he also circulates among all his guests. His mom and Sarah bought pizza for the party. Once the gift table is somewhat full, Eric's dad announces that Eric is opening his presents. He already talked to Steve into taking all the pictures as he opens the gifts. Most of the gifts are monetary gifts or gift cards, but there were a couple of gifts that were not presents. The first gift that Eric opens is a set of reference books; an atlas, a thesaurus, and a dictionary. The other gift came from Marc is a couple of creepy crawly pets to add to Eric's collection. Eric immediately checked all the critters and smiled at Marc. Even Steve was checking out the critters.
"Thanks, everyone for coming."
Eric says to all his guests before he takes the animals into the house and begins the process of rehousing the critters. Steve grabs his backpack from Eric's bedroom and then comes downstairs to find Eric. He finds him in the petroom.
"Eric there is one more present for you to open but I wanted it to be just for you."
"You didn't need to get me anything."
Eric and Steve went out to Lake Michigan where Eric showed a love of fossils. Finding this out, Steve collected a few more fossils, and he even bought a few items from an online source. Eric immediately fell in love with them. He also managed to find some pieces of beach glass.
"Thanks, Babe."
Eric says as he hugs Steve. Steve hugs him back and then gives him a quick kiss.
"I need to go Eric, but I had a blast. See you later Sweetie."
"I love you, Steve."
"I love you too Eric."
Steve grabs his backpack, and then he goes home. Eric finds himself sitting on the couch from excitement when Sarah comes upstairs from the basement and sits down besides him.
"Looked like you came like a bandit huh?"
"Yeah, I did pretty well."
Sarah reaches down and takes his box to check out the rocks. Silently, she checks out each of his fossils and pieces of beach glass. Carefully, she hands it back to him.
"I take it that Steve gave you these fossils?"
Eric smiles and looks down at the box.
"Yes, he did. I love it."
Eric quietly gets up and heads upstairs to put them away. As he is putting them away, the night holds yet another surprise.
***
There is a loud knock on the door, and Sarah answers it. Two teens are standing outside. She invites them inside, and they sit in the living room, while she gets Eric. Eric comes downstairs to see Seth and Mason. They get up and hug their friend.
"Hey guys, how are you??"
Eric asks surprised that his friends are here at the house.
"We're good; we are sorry for not making it for the party. Mason had some family thing today, and he invited me to come along."
Eric might have been a little disappointed that they were not there earlier, but all is good.
"We wouldn't let the day end without stopping by and seeing you. Is Steve here?"
Seth says hoping that Steve is still here, so they could visit with him as well.
"Nah, he is gone. He spent the night, and he needed to get home. He stuck around long enough to give me my present, and then he headed out."
Eric gets into his closet and pulls out two presents one for Seth and one for Mason. Knowing that Seth loves to write, Eric got several 5-subject notebooks and even some nice pens and mechanical pencils. Eric's gift to the guys. Eric gives Seth a cook book for one to two people. Seth has started to cook a lot for friends and family. For Mason, he gives a book of venomous creatures as well as a book on Greek mythology. He loves this sort of stuff, and it may even fuel some writing as well.
"Thanks, Seth!"
"Yeah man, it's awesome."
Seth and Mason can't stay long, so they wrap up their visit and head out. Eric walks them out and says goodbye. But once again, he may not know it, but something else is about to happen.
***
There is yet another knock on the door, and this time, Eric opens up the door to find April standing out on the porch. She is standing there with two packages one wrapped in black and one covered in red. Jason and Shaun sent the gifts to April's house so that, she could hand deliver the presents. Eric has met April once or twice.
"Hi Eric, I am not staying long just wanted to drop the presents that Jason and Shaun bought for you and your boyfriend. I take it Steve isn't here?"
Eric reaches out his hands and accepts the presents from April. She smiles as she releases those gifts into Eric's hands. Steve will have to wait to get his present. Eric walks inside long enough to set the presents down on the coffee table, and then he returns to the front door.
"Thanks, April for bringing the presents. No, Steve was here practically all day, and he went home just a little bit ago. Thanks again."
Eric and April share a quick hug. April has to get going, so she heads for her car. Eric turns and closes the door. He turns and sits in the living room where he looks over each present till he sees his name. He carefully opens up his present to reveal a card, a check, and a new kindle fire bought for Eric.
***
The past two days have been downright crazy. Eric feels like he has done but run from one place to another. There has been crying, smiling, and laughing. Yesterday ends his high school career. All the struggles of his sexuality are behind him. Now, he has to face adulthood and the struggles that will come as he moves forward with his life.
***
For you Facebook users, come join us in the story group and share your thoughts on what you would like to see happen in future chapters. Discuss the latest chapters, and mention any of the other stories of Chuck's that you have read and would like to see him return to. We're only a small group now and would like to have more members.
*** Starting today, you must answer the membership questions in order to join.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/BlakeSagaandMore
If you don't want to join Facebook, there is now a yahoo group that is run by one of my readers.
http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/ThestoriesofChuckB/info
Remember if you liked this story please donate to Nifty.org so you that you can continue to read all my stories and all the other stories on Nifty for free.