Aloha! This is the fifth chapter of the fourth segment of the continuing saga of Kayden, Zac, and their friends...and families. For those of you who just found this story, I suggest you check out the previous three chapter series… Seriously, or you’ll be as lost as I am without GPS. If you’ve checked them out already, then I approve of your reading this chapter…yay!

 

It’s been a while since I wrote (king of understatements). But I recently just moved into my new place and started working full time. To keep my mind off someone close to me but very far away, I will dedicate my Saturdays to writing for you guys. Not only does it provide me with peace of mind, but it’s also relaxing. I found this awesome café about five minutes from my apartment and I absolutely love it. It has wireless Internet and organic teas (like 50 varieties). Anyway, this is gay-oriented fiction. If this type of material offends you, it may be good if you stop reading now J.

 

If you think you’re too young to read this, I’ll let you be the judge of that. If you can manage to find your way here, I think you’re old enough to make the decision on what material you should or should not read. Other than that, enjoy!!

 

            Masses of students had left the building. Those who remained either had after school activities or found the eeriness of the nearly-deserted building a suitable environment for studying. Far from the main foyer, a construct of notes pierced the walls. The music came to a halt and was followed by cursing.

            Kayden sat near the entrance to the cafeteria, in an open area often occupied by loitering students. A smile formed on his lips as he heard a few words exchanged, and then the music picked up again.

            Turning back a few pages in the KZ journal, Kayden read some of Zac’s latest entries. It was a new form of communication that was both stimulating and informative for the pair. Every few days, they would alternate possession of the journal and record random events and thoughts during their period of custody. It gave each an intriguing summary of the other’s thoughts during their time spent apart.

            The latest entry detailed Zac’s desire to operate an electric car. His description of a recent mishap at a gas station listed everything he found wrong with standard cars. In his quest to master driving, Zac, along with Scott, had acquired considerable knowledge about cars. Initially, Scott had only been helping Zac look for the information, but after picking up a few articles, he had become as involved as Zac.

            Kayden began his entry:

 

So, I have a confession to make, my love. That hour you spent telling me why we need electric cars… well, I wasn’t really listening. If you stopped and realized what I was doing, you’d have noticed me trying to shut you up with my endless touching and caressing. But just like always, you’re unresponsive when you’re talking about something. Cars are cool and all, babe, but shit, you need to spend less time reading about them and more time driving them! Your driving isn’t getting any better.

 

Kayden read over his last sentence before continuing:

 

    I hope I’m not within punching distance when you read this.

 

Kayden wrote some more and then read his entry, deciding to add more that night. He preferred re-reading what his boyfriend had written in the past months. Most of it had to do with the wait for baby Amelia Hunter, who was finally born on November 26^th. She was overdue by more than two weeks. Zac was literally flying off the wall when his dad told them they were heading up to Algonquin Radio Observatory in Algonquin National Park for a demonstration. Although Diana was a week overdue, she insisted on going, and Zac was concerned for her well being as well as the baby’s. He would never admit it, but he was concerned. He blew up when he saw a video his father took of Diana sitting up at the 50-metre-high antenna.

The actual birth of Amelia Hunter was uneventful. Diana announced without alarm one morning that the baby was coming out. Kayden had never seen two people so restless. Both Zac and his dad paced for hours before they were allowed to see her. Only when the baby was delivered without complications did Zac finally return to his seemingly unconcerned self. It was short lived, though; the moment his dad placed Amelia in his arms, he became a protective shield for her. He hovered over the newborn as much as his parents did.

Kayden read a few entries from around that time. Zac had written almost three pages on the different things Amelia was doing, both awake and asleep. The entries gradually got shorter as they detailed other events:  Shin’s birthday, Joe dumping Melody, Joe dating Lenne a few weeks later.

            Kayden shook his head in wonder. It had been a bit of a touchy subject for Lenne. Even with the grace period they had, after Lenne and Joe hit it up so fast, half the school was talking for weeks.

            Christmas passed quietly enough for the two. There were no huge parties to celebrate with friends. It was more of a family get-together at Zac’s house. Kayden stayed over without question, as well as Zac’s grandparents. It was only one year earlier that Zac and Kayden had nearly lost each other for good. They tried to ignore it, but both still felt uneasy as the date approached. Both knew nothing would happen on Christmas, yet for some strange reason, neither could shake off the sadness that accompanied the memories. The dark cloud finally lifted on Christmas day. The two were able to enjoy the rest of the holidays with their family and friends.

            The only significant event fast approaching was Kayden’s birthday. Zac made such an effort to do a countdown on their journal entries that even Kayden was anticipating it.

 

***

            “Let’s start again,” a boy commanded.

Kayden looked into the cafeteria and watched Zac walk to one side of the stage and grab a bottle of water from a table.

Kayden smiled at Zac, who made eye contact with him. He could sense that Zac was running out of patience.

            Zac sighed and rolled his eyes before taking a peek at his watch. He decided that his prior engagement with Kayden was more important. He ran a hand through his lightly-gelled hair and headed off the stage.

            “Hunter! Where are you going?” Ryan called out as Zac packed away his guitar.

Zac turned to address the short kid, whose words were full of accusation. Zac held an air of silence long enough to push the boy into uneasiness. Even though Ryan was the band’s lead singer, Zac thought he didn’t have what it took to lead anything. He was loud, quick to lay blame, and didn’t offer encouragement when it was needed. What was worse was that he never admitted his mistakes, blaming the rest of the group for his errors. Zac knew he had to do something drastic, lest everyone’s efforts go to waste. His move would have to be on another day, he decided, as he was running late.

            “I told you I could only practice until six,” Zac said as he shouldered his bag and picked up his guitar case.

            “Well, at least we know the extent of your commitment. It’s no wonder we suck as much as we do,” Ryan said as he crossed his arms. Ryan’s attempts to put people to shame and guilt were coming to an end, Zac promised himself.

            “Listen, Ryan, what we need is for you to pull your shit together. If you’re going to call the shots around here, you better be willing to make sure the preparations are on track. Maybe then we wouldn’t start practice so late. We were all here right after school. Where were you? Where were you when we were borrowing stage time from other people because you forget to book it? The week is packed, now. We can’t practice again until next week! If you’re going to pin anything on someone, then look in the mirror. Get your shit together by next week if you want any chance for this farce to work.”

            Zac glared at Ryan as the other members watched. They always buckled under Ryan’s bullying and relied on Zac to speak for them. They enjoyed seeing Zac jerk Ryan’s chain.

            It had been almost a month since Hank had approached Zac with the idea of playing some tunes for the Spring Performance of the Arts. Hank was in the school band, but he wanted to start something on his own. His biggest mistake had been letting Ryan join the group. Then, Hank was asked to perform with the school band in Montreal. That show would fall in the same week as the Spring Performance. At first, Hank decided to skip the Montreal event in order to pursue his own project. However, within a week, Ryan managed to convince Hank to abandon his dream and stick with the school band. Ryan slid into the position of leading the group, as soon as Hank was out of the way. It was easy for Ryan to convince the other band members to stay around. The only reason Zac stayed was that Hank asked him to. Hank had been allotted a time slot in the show, borrowed the sound system from the school, and selected a number of songs to perform. He had pulled in a lot of favors to make his plan bear fruit.

            Zac’s cell phone buzzed in his front pocket. Kayden’s name on the display brought a smile to his face and cleared the previous annoyance from his mind. He looked towards his boyfriend, outside of the cafeteria, and smiled at him.

            “Hey, soldier,” Zac cooed into the cell, “how’s the fighter doing?”

            “Just waiting for you. I heard Ryan bitching up a storm. Everything cool?” Kayden asked.

            “Practice is over. Ryan is still locked in his quest for glory,” Zac replied, rolling his eyes.

            Sensing Zac’s tone, Kayden knew immediately that things hadn’t gone so well. “That bad, eh?”

            Zac opened the cafeteria doors and at the same moment closed his phone and continued his conversation with Kayden.

            “I don’t want to think about it. I don’t even know why Hank asked Ryan to be in the group. He sucks ass.”

            “He’s cute,” Kayden pointed out.

            Zac had to agree. Ryan had a boyish look that girls adored. Unfortunately, it only seemed to inflate his ego. “Yeah, too bad this isn’t a model show. If it was, we could have asked ‘Mr. Idol’ to take his place,” Zac said with sarcasm, referring to Brad. Zac recalled the way Brad’s eyes had recently been looking sunken. He tried to convince himself that he couldn’t care less, but something told him the boy was into something, and it was deep.

            “Maybe Hank has a thing for Ryan,” Kayden suggested.

            “Huh? Sorry, my mind was elsewhere.”

            “I said Hank probably has a crush on Ryan.”

            Zac paused for a moment. “And just how would you know if Hank is gay or not?”

            With a chuckle, Kayden slipped in a snide remark. “Well, he plays in a band…”

            “Oh, fuck off!” Zac smiled.

            “I could always arrange it so that Ryan falls on something. You know, like my fist?” Kayden suggested.

            “I appreciate it, Kade. But, as much as I’d like to have Ryan out of the picture, I still want to try to pull this thing off. I know Hank wants this to work. It shows whenever I give him an update on our…what’s the opposite of progress?”

            Kayden’s laugh brought a smile to Zac’s face.     

            “So, even if Ryan thinks he makes the group, you’re the one pulling the strings, aren’t you?”

            “If I weren’t, Max and Arty would have dropped out by now. They know Ryan is a total idiot.”

            “Hey, guys.” Zac and Kayden turned to the sound of their friend Mai’s voice.

            “Where’s your boy?” Zac asked after they greeted her.

            “Where else? I swear, Shin cares about video games more than he cares about me.”

            “Well, I guess we are to blame for that,” Kayden said, turning to Zac.

            Zac and Kayden had pooled their money to get one of the games Shin wanted for his birthday in December. Shin was smart in letting each of his friends and family members know of a particular game he wanted by talking non-stop about it to them. There was no overlap, because he kept track of whom he targeted for each particular game. In total, his friends and family purchased eight games for him.

            “Is that healthy? With exams coming up?” Kayden wondered.

            Mai and Zac exchanged confused looks before laughing. “Actually, it’s the other way around,” Mai explained. “Shin is at home doing his homework and projects. Business before pleasure, that guy. I think his grades actually improve when he has a string of games he wants to play.”      

            Kayden said, “Yeah, that sounds like him. I guess you give a guy a goal and he’ll put up more effort, right?”

            Zac and Mai didn’t hear Kayden. They were astounded by the appearance of the boy who was walking towards them.

            “Oh, my God! Is that…” Mai turned to Zac, who quickly shook his head to silence her.

             Kayden’s gaze trailed to where Zac and Mai were looking, and he raised an eyebrow. Brad seemed to walk in his own world, sporting a unique haircut that didn’t complement him at all. Kayden realized that the cut was uneven, and he wondered if it was a style. A quick look at Mai told him it wasn’t.

            Brad noticed the people he was walking towards and gave an intimidating look towards Zac. Zac didn’t react, but Kayden and Mai noticed the one-sided hostility.

            “What was that about?” Kayden asked.

            “Just leave him…” Zac smiled at Kayden, but then his smile faded as he looked towards Brad. “I don’t think he knows who he is, anymore.”

            “Have you heard the rumors?” Mai asked excitedly.

            “Mai…” Zac started.

            “Well, not really rumors. Brad isn’t the only model in our school. Pat does some modeling with his girlfriend. Well, according to Pat, Brad hasn’t had a photo shoot since…well, last year! And now with his new hair…” her voice trailed off. “I mean, what the hell did he do? Cut it himself?”

            Kayden shrugged. “Live and let live, right?”

            Zac nodded. “Exactly.”

            “Whatever,” Mai said, already dismissing Brad from her thoughts. “My mom should be here by now. Your place this Friday?”

“Yep,” Zac answered.

“Say hi to your family for me, Zac. Bye, Kayden”

            Kayden and Zac fell silent for a moment once Mai was gone.

“Zac?” Kayden turned to his boyfriend. “What triggered Brad to lose himself? He can be outgoing when he wants to. When he first tried to be my friend, he was funny and it was easy to like him.”

            “I don’t know. Maybe what you saw then was the real Brad. Maybe in the absence of love, his pride breeds envy and jealousy… I hope he finds himself. The different masks he puts on aren’t doing him any good.”

            Kayden nodded as they continued to walk towards the exit. “Since you’re done early, wanna head over to my place for a bit? The guys won’t be at your house until after dinner, right?” The guys were going to Zac’s for a few games of pool. They usually got together without the girls during the weekdays, whenever everyone was free.

            Zac didn’t reply, but instead casually took Kayden’s hand and kissed it. It was the start of the week and Zac wanted to spend some time with Amelia, but he also wanted to be alone with his boyfriend. The two released hands and stepped out into the cold, frigid January weather.

            Trey sat lazily on Brad’s leather couch, smiling amusedly as he watched the boy. “You have a boy on the side now?” he joked.

            Brad turned and half smiled at his permanent visitor. He didn’t question Trey’s extended stay. In the short time Brad had known him, more and more of Trey’s belongings had accumulated. Boyfriends live together. They were boyfriends. Brad told himself so. The subject was never discussed; the norm for Brad’s relationship with Trey.

Brad believed that Trey understood the troubles he faced, and he felt that he was special to the older boy. At first, he had found Trey overbearing, but soon he came to believe that Trey had his best interests at heart. It dawned on Brad that Trey treated him like a human being. His mother’s weekly calls had grown non-existent. He remembered the hours he would talk with his mother before he moved to Whitby. He was convinced she didn’t understand what he was going through. No one did. No one but Trey. His mother wasn’t the only one on his speed dial, but his father didn’t call him unless he wanted something or someone to criticize, and his sister had her own life. Brad didn’t have any friends in Whitby. When he was with Trey, he felt accepted and needed.

            “I’ll take that as a no, then?” Trey flashed a grin. “How long will you be gone?”

            “I’ll be back in a few hours.”

            “Can you pick up some food? I don’t feel like cooking lunch. And you’re outta protein powder,” Trey complained.

            “Can’t you do it?”
            “I don’t have a car,” Trey answered.

            “There’s a grocer across the street.”

            “It’s cold out.”

            Brad’s feelings were reflected in his troubled look. He was about to question Trey’s lack of consideration for his generosity.

            “Trey, listen,” Brad started with a bit of edge.

            “Jeez, I’m not asking you to buy me diamonds or something. It’s on the way to wherever you’re going. If there’s anything good about this town, it’s that there are grocery stores in like every block. But if you don’t want to do it, then it’s fine. I can pick up some food on my way back to Toronto.”

            “You’re going home?” Just like that, Brad’s voice became sullen.

            “I have classes tomorrow,” Trey said. “I should leave now if I want to be home before midnight. I gotta bus down, take the train, then take the subway back to my place.”

            Brad’s mind raced. “Why don’t I drop you home? I’m just going to hockey practice.”

            Trey smiled. “And you couldn’t even tell me that?”

            “I didn’t want you to leave… Sorry,” Brad apologized.

            “I just thought you didn’t want to hang out with me anymore. People don’t usually take off for a few hours without saying why. I thought maybe you’re tired of my company,” Trey whispered, looking out the window.

            Brad sat down beside Trey and stroked the young man’s firm thigh. “You are keeping me company. Sorry. I should have told you. Can you please wait for me?”

            With a pouting look, Trey asked, “What am I going to do here?”

            “Watch a movie?” Brad suggested, pointing to his big screen.

            “We watched all of them,” Trey reminded him.

            “You can order from the movie channel…my treat!”

            Trey stared at Brad skeptically.

            “If you wait for me, I’ll take us out for dinner. A nice place, too. Then I’ll drop you home.”

            “You have school, kiddo,” Trey reminded him.

            “I’ll go. Don’t worry about it.” Brad shouldered the bag that held his gear.

            “All right.” Trey shrugged.

            “Good. Just make sure you’re here when I get back.”

            “Oh, I’m planning on clubbing with some friends this weekend. You wanna come? It’s a 25 over club.”

            “You’re over 25?”

            “I have a fake for these things. It’s a crime to be 22 sometimes.” Trey laughed loudly.

            Brad bit his lower lip. His fake ID had him at age 21; he wouldn’t be able to get in.

            “We’re always going clubbing,” Brad complained. “How about we have a house party?”

            “I don’t want to have to clean up my place again, Brad. Plus, I made a deal with my neighbors. One party a month. I’ve used my quota.”

            With his mind racing, Brad shot off his mouth, “Let’s have it at my place!”

            “Are you sure?” Trey looked around, “Here? It’s spacious and stuff, but I don’t think so…”

            Pausing for a moment, Brad nodded. “We could have it in Toronto. My family has a condo downtown. It’s pretty big. Remember I told you my dad uses it when he has business in Toronto? I have a key to it. It’s a penthouse suite.”

            “Well, if that’s what you want.” Trey smiled. “Thanks, Brad. Oh! By the way, my friend was asking about your car. He thought you were really cool and he wants to chill with us again. When he’s back in town, we should take him around in your car.”

            Brad looked at his watch and sighed. “Yeah, okay. I’d stay, but I gotta go to practice.”

            “Have fun!”
            Trey watched Brad leave. He then took his cell phone from his pocket and pulled up a friend’s phone number. He picked up Brad’s phone and dialed the number.

            “Hey, Joe. Everything’s cool. I just spoke to Brad about it. What time do you guys get in tomorrow? Really? Great. Brad said it’s cool to use his dad’s penthouse… Haha, yeah, I mean I TOLD him it’s cool to use his dad’s place. He was easier to break than I thought. Oh, yeah, he won’t mind a few calls. And don’t worry about food. I can always get Brad to take us out to one of those fancy Toronto restaurants. Man, I tell you, I’m living like a king.”

           

************

 

Brad walked into the change room fully expecting to be the only one late, but, as fate would have it, he wasn't. It appeared as if even fate wasn't particularly fond of him. Brad stared at the torso belonging to Jett, who was removing his T-shirt. His arms were still inside, giving Brad an eyeful of his chiseled chest.

            Jett was the last person Brad wanted to see at the moment. Still, his gaze lingered until Jett was out of the shirt. Their eyes met for a moment. He thought about the words he’d recited hundreds of times. With his pride in check, he told himself to wait. Instead of leaving, Brad did what he tried to do at school; he ignored Jett.

Brad walked up to his locker and swallowed as he turned the knob, trying to ignore the fact that his palms were wet and that his heart was racing.

Although he didn’t intend to, he listened as Jett continued to discard his street clothes and slip into his gear. Brad caught himself wanting to peek, but he continued staring into his locker, not moving, not breathing.

            Jett broke the silence. "So, why are you late?"
            At the sound of Jett’s voice, Brad’s anger surfaced. It was like the scared puppy inside of him suddenly turned into a rabid dog. "I don't see how that's any of your business," he retorted defensively.

            "All right," Jett said, calmly getting up from the bench. He headed towards the arena doors and paused. "We're on the same team, Brad. Our team is doing their best, and so we should do our best, too. That will mean working together and dropping the attitude. We won't win if we don't have team unity. It might be hard…" He paused. "It is hard, but let's just try to get along."

            "You have some fucking nerve, you know that?" Brad was beyond angry, but he didn’t know why. His lack of popularity wasn’t Jett’s fault. He’d brought it on himself.

Brad generally ignored Jett at school, but he sometimes tried unsuccessfully to anger the larger boy. Jett always returned a look of sympathy towards him. It was as if Jett felt sorry for him and was aware of his pride, but did his best not to exploit it.

Could it be that he knows what I’m trying to do? Brad asked himself. It wasn’t that he blamed Jett for his moods. Jett was ignoring him, too, but ignoring someone and being ignored were different to Brad.

And after that shit he said to me, did he really expect me to forgive him? Brad thought. Jett watched him with an air of confidence befitting the captain of the hockey team. Brad wondered who was talking to him -- Jett the boy or Jett the captain.

 "Don't try to act all cool with me, Jett. You're a total asshole," Brad shot at him.

I could get under that armor, Brad thought, with bitter determination

            Jett stood still, without showing emotion. Brad’s tantrum didn't seem to faze him.

            "Be that as it may," Jett replied without raising his voice, "I'm captain of this team, and unless we just put everything behind us…"

            “The captain…” Brad's words flew out of him without thought. “Fuck you! Don’t you hide from me behind this hockey bullshit! If you have something to say to me, then fucking say it!” Brad went red in the face. “You never told me! You lied and...you played me like a fool! Why couldn’t you..."

            "Would you have cared?" Jett roared.

The booming voice startled Brad into forgetting what he was about to say. He was paralyzed as Jett stepped towards him. His mind told him to run, but his feet were frozen to the floor. 

"You obsessed over Kayden…over Zac! You cared more about making Zac look bad than you cared about me! You don’t care about me…" Jett stared at Brad with a fierceness that was gone in a flash, flushed out by his own forced calm. "You think I’m hiding? From what…you? You really are full of yourself. Not everything is about you! I’m not the one trying to fool myself. You’re the one who’s alone."

            "You know what, you know nothing about me!" Brad’s voice betrayed his cover.

            "I know enough." Jett stepped back, shaking his head. It was as if he was looking at Brad and saying he wasn't worth it. The look stabbed at Brad. "I hope it was worth it, Brad. You have such a twisted idea of love… Kayden turned you down and there won’t be a second chance. Kayden chose Zac. He isn’t right for you." He turned away from Brad.

            This isn’t about Kayden, Brad wanted to yell, but instead, he asked Jett, “Then who is?”

            "I am!" Jett blurted out. A moment of silence fell upon them, for Jett was as surprised as Brad. "I mean, I was,” he corrected. "It's too late, Brad…"

            Jett walked out, leaving Brad still in his street clothes, frustration and anger showing in his eyes.

            I won’t cry. Brad Canning doesn’t cry.

 

*****

 

            Zac pondered silently while his entourage stared at their friend Jett. Jett had been the last one to show up at Zac’s place, and he was leaning on his pool cue while looking blankly at a wall. Usually, Jett had adrenaline pumping through him for a few hours after hockey practice, but instead, he just seemed out of it.

            “So how long do you think he’s going to keep staring at that wall?” Scott whispered to Zac.

            “That’s Jett. He’ll be here all night, just thinking, unless someone snaps him out of it,” Zac whispered back.

            “Should we do something?” Kayden asked.

            “Wait a bit; he’ll snap out of it,” Scott answered.

            Shin was watching Jett with the rest of the guys and was just as silent. He stepped up towards Jett and paused a foot away from his large friend, who didn’t respond.

            “Here I go!” With a kick, Shin forced the supporting cue away from the leaning Jett. An audible crack told of Jett’s head hitting the wall before he fell backwards onto his ass.

            “What th’…” Jett sat dazed, a red mark the size of a baby’s fist forming on his forehead. The drywall showed a crater where his head had impacted.

            “BWAHAHAHA!” Shin roared.

            “See? I said he would snap out o it,” Scott said, turning to Kayden.

            Kayden stood stunned, his mouth open.

            “Dammit, Shin!” Zac exclaimed as he knelt to see if Jett was okay.

            “What happened?” Jett asked him.

            “Zac, do you still keep drywall mud in the garage?” Scott chuckled.

            Cracks in the drywall from roughhousing were common in Zac’s basement, but this was the first incident in the new house.

            “Yeah…” Zac sighed as Jett placed a hand on his forehead and winced. “Kayden, can you grab me a bag of ice? Shin…” Zac turned to the prankster, who had an impish grin on his face. Zac also grinned, as he pointed to the stairs. “Go change into some of my old clothes. You’re fixing this before my dad finds out.”

            Scott was already up the stairs as Kayden and Shin turned to follow him.

            “Are you all right?” Zac asked.

            “Yeah,” Jett replied, realizing he’d fallen victim to one of Shin’s pranks. “It doesn’t even hurt anymore.”

            “No, I mean, are you all right? You were staring at that wall for probably five minutes, and then three minutes more while we watched you,” Zac said, as he helped Jett stand and then helped him to a couch.

            “Yeah… well, no. I don’t know. Everything is so weird. I wish I could just erase some memories.”

            “I think we all wish that,” Zac said, thinking of Kayden’s past. “But we can’t, so we just deal.”

            “Just bite the bullet and move on, I know. But what if the same bullet keeps hitting you in the heart even when you try to dodge it. Fuck, even a bulletproof vest does nothing when…”

            “Brad?” Zac asked.

            “Yeah… I mean, I can’t avoid being around him. He’s on my hockey team. And sometimes I have to talk to him, and he just snaps at me. He makes me lose my head so fast that before I know it, I’ve retaliated,” Jett said dejectedly.

            Zac considered his best friend’s dilemma for a moment. “Have you considered maybe meeting other guys? I mean, it only hurts because you’re still getting over it. Maybe seeing another…person…” Zac was still confused about what to call Jett’s sexuality “…might make the bullets bounce off you.”

            Jett smiled at his friend’s attempt to help him. “I’ve considered that, but what if he was the only guy I ever felt something for?”

            “Wait, what about me? I thought you had a crush on me?” Zac jokingly accused.

            “Fooling around with your best friend is different!” Jett laughed.

            “I think you just need to give other guys a chance. Trust me. Even if Brad miraculously turned selfless and good, you guys might discover you’re not compatible.”

            The sound of footsteps on the stairs ended the discussion, but Jett silently rejected Zac’s argument. But what if we are?

           

************

           

Angered still by what had happened with Jett before Monday’s practice, Brad was hoping that Trey would clear his head. He wanted to meet up with Trey and his friends, but had been getting voicemail all day. He waited again for the voicemail to kick in. “Uh, hey, Trey. You haven’t called me back yet. I was hoping I could come down and hang out with you. I’m thinking of taking off after second period. I haven’t heard anything from you since Wednesday. I’m not complaining; I just want to see you… So yeah, let me know, okay? I miss you.”

            Brad was feeling a bit used, because he had played host to Trey’s visiting friends, buying them lunch and chauffeuring them around Toronto all day Wednesday. Trey had pretty much ordered Brad around that day, and ignored him when he voiced any complaint.

            Brad grudgingly headed towards his economics class. He had missed a couple of days, but that wasn’t bad, compared to some of his other classes.

            A pair of eyes watched Brad as he entered the classroom. He stared back defiantly until Scott turned away. Brad gave a satisfied grunt before walking to the end of the room. Other students entered the room and joined small pockets of conversation. Brad watched Scott interact with those around him. He couldn’t believe how a guy from a wealthy family would not care about his own image. Scott wore typical skater clothes and didn’t buy any extravagant things. In fact, most of his middle-class classmates bought more expensive things than Scott bought.

            It’s a fake image. It has to be.

            Brad reasoned that to be friends with Zac, you had to fake it. It only made sense. If Scott were his true self, he’d be shunned like Brad was. But by buying the common items of the middle class, Scott had removed any reason for people to be envious of him. Brad convinced himself that that was true. He believed if he faked himself like Scott did, others would want to speak to him, too. Everyone was just jealous of him, he reasoned.

            “Hey, Brad.”

            Brad turned to a boy whose name he couldn’t recall.

            “Yeah?”

            “You were away the last two days, right? The teacher covered some important concepts. I have my notes if you want to photocopy them.”

            Brad stared at the boy, who was browsing a binder for the notes.

            “We have a test next week,” the boy said, handing Brad the papers. “I made some extra notations about what we should be expected to know.”

             Staring at the notes, Brad was confused. Who is this boy and why is he being nice to me?

            “I saw you driving to school today. That’s a pretty cool car you have! What year is it?”

            “2004…”

            “Really? So it’s like brand new! I think I saw it parked at the mall one time. I work at the mall.”

            Something snapped in Brad. “And let me guess…you think it’d be pretty cool for me to drive you home once in a while?”

            “Huh?”

            “Pretty sly deal. Scratch the rich boy’s back with some notes and get favours in return,” Brad spat.

            “What? No… I didn’t…”

            “I don’t need your notes! Brad tore the papers in half and let them fall to the floor. His voice held a hint of anger, but more of contempt. “And I don’t need you ordering me around.”

            “Ordering you?” The boy had a blank look on his face. The shock of being accused of taking advantage of another person had not yet registered in the boy’s mind. Instead of saying anything else, he stared at his ruined notes on the floor. Brad walked out the door. The classroom was dead silent, as Brad’s outburst had been heard by all.

            “Brad!” Scott shouted, a few meters outside the classroom.

            Brad kept walking.

            Scott caught up to him, and with a shove he sent Brad crashing into a row of lockers.

            “What the fuck is your deal, man? That was totally uncalled for.” Scott’s face was red as he held Brad by the collar.

            In an instant, the situation was reversed, with Scott’s face against a locker and his arm being twisted behind him. Brad was in control, and he could easily have pounded Scott’s face against the locker using the hand that gripped his hair.

            “It has nothing to do with you,” Brad said through clenched teeth.

            Both boys were red in the face as Scott tried to break free. Brad twisted his arm more, causing Scott to yelp.

            “You have two seconds to release him before I step in.”

            It felt like a dark, cold hand had gripped Brad’s spine. Only the voice of Kayden Pierce could paralyze someone. With almost trembling fingers, Brad released Scott and then stood back as Kayden helped him up from the floor.

            “You okay?” Kayden asked Scott.

            “The fucker's got some sneaky moves,” Scott puffed, trying to gain control of himself.

            Brad looked around, then spun on his heels, ready to head for the nearest exit. Behind the small crowd of people stood Jett. The displeasure evident in his eyes scared Brad.

            Jett slipped through the crowd without taking his eyes off Brad.

            “What do you…” Brad didn’t have time to finish. Making a quick grab, Jett threw him against the lockers and lifted him from the floor. Before Brad could even react, Jett pulled him forward and then slammed him against the lockers again.

            “If you EVER lay a hand on my friends again, Brad, so help me God I will destroy you! You hear me?” red-faced Jett roared. The students in the hallways fell silent as Jett’s threat rang loud and clear.

            Brad could have gotten out of the hold, but something prevented him from trying. The hallways were packed with students who wanted to see a fight. Teachers who had been on their way to classes were trying to make their way to the disturbance. Brad remained motionless as the ringing in his head abated. Suddenly, he was released, and he slumped to the floor. Sitting stunned, his legs refused to budge. It wasn’t until a teacher helped him up and asked if he was all right that he realized the magnitude of Jett’s threat.

 

******

            “Looks like we’re starting class late again. Fitting for a Friday.” Zac sighed, twirling a pencil around his finger.

            “I think it’s a sign, Zac,” Maya replied without looking up from her textbook. “You should catch up on the reading. It’s actually pretty interesting!”
            “Zac! Maya!” A student approached them with a giant smile on his face.

            “Jett just threatened Brad in front of the whole school! Brad was fighting with Kayden and Scott and then Jett jumped in and-”

            “WHAT?” Maya and Zac exclaimed at the same time.

            “It’s true!” A girl said, walking up. “Some teachers who were there are rounding them up to the main office.”

            “It was sick! Jett just threw Brad against the lockers and was like, if you touch Scott again I’ll fucking kill you!!!” the first student continued.

            Maya and Zac didn’t even gather their belonging before heading towards the door. The classroom seemed suddenly alive as the students shared the hot news.

 

******

            Brad sat in the office of one of the vice principals. He didn’t like her. She sat at her desk staring at him.

            “Whenever you’re ready, Mr. Canning.”

            “What do you want to hear?” Brad asked smartly.

            “Well, eventually I’d like to know why a student who has no record of physical aggression in his three years at this school suddenly decides to threaten another student about harming his friends. No one has ever had anything but good things to say about Jett. However, the number of complaints I’ve had against you would fill one of my cabinets,” she replied sharply.

            Brad said nothing.

            “Why don’t you tell me why I have one of the grade 11 reps outside, very distraught because you ripped up his notes!”

            Brad’s head twitched. “Grade 11 rep?”

            “Yes, Brad. He’s on student council. He’s well known for helping his classmates who miss classes, by unselfishly offering his notes to them.”

            “I-I…” Brad didn’t know what to say.

            “Brad, we have a very serious problem here. I have no choice but to suspend you for a week. We’re going to have to call in your guardian and your parents.”

            “WHAT? No! We don’t need to get my dad involved in this.” Brad was suddenly sitting upright in his chair.

            “I have to, Brad. This is a serious situation. A student has been provoked into verbally threatening another student, and the situation has to be taken seriously. Your sister is your legal guardian, but bringing her in hardly seems to do anything about your attitude towards school. Maybe it’s time we inform your parents of your activities. Authorities will have to be contacted, as well.”

            Brad sat in silence while the VP picked up her phone and requested a number from the secretary.

He felt like he had nothing to prove. He was completely broken. Brad realized why he had frozen after Jett grabbed him. It brought back memories of when he was bullied in elementary school. In particular, it reminded him of when Zac had stood up for him.      

Jett asked him to…

            He remembered sitting in the dirty mud while everyone stood around him, laughing at how pathetic it was that someone else had to fight his battles for him. He remembered the disgusted look on his father’s face as he derided his son for being weak; “spineless” he called it. The feeling of helplessness was the same. And again, Jett had been the one to cause him to feel sorry for himself. Brad tried to call forth the hate he had for Zac and focus it on Jett, but he couldn’t. Hating Zac was different, but he couldn’t figure out why.

 

            Mr. Liscombe sighed as he heard noises outside his door. Usually, disciplinary issues were left to the vice principals. When the noise seemed to get louder, his interest was peaked. He went to his door and peeked out. “Is there a problem here?”

            The secretary seemed overwhelmed by the students crowding in front of her. “Mr. Liscombe, these students refuse to return to class!” she bellowed.

            Mr. Liscombe immediately spotted Maya and some of her friends in the crowd. Maya was always his first choice when he needed a student’s help in public relations. Her personality and her rapport with adults made her the best candidate for easing parents’ minds regarding various school events.

            Shin was the school’s jester, and the nightmare of every teacher who taught him. They complained that his laughing disrupted their classes at least several times a day. Although they complained about the boy, they never requested he be removed from class. In fact, when there was a conflict in his class schedule, a teacher who often complained about him didn’t think twice about accepting him into his class. The girl holding onto Shin’s arm the principal knew to be a gifted student with an eye for fashion and art. He wondered if they were dating.

            The other two in Maya’s cluster were a blonde girl and a familiar-looking boy who seemed to lead the group as they invaded the outer office. The principal saw something similar about the two. He wondered if they were siblings, but remembered the girl had only joined the school the previous year. The boy looked at the man and sighed, as if he was happy to see him.

            “Sir, they have this all wrong. Jett couldn’t have threatened Brad.”

Apparently unaware of what had transpired in his school, Mr. Liscombe nodded and looked at the boy. “If that’s the case, then we should really get to the bottom of this. First of all, who is Jett?”

The secretary explained, “A boy named Jett Emerson apparently threatened another boy. It involved four other boys -- one of the grade 11 reps, plus Scott Kendal, Kayden Pierce, and Brad Canning, the student who was threatened.” She gave the principal the full account, while the students stood around and listened as if hearing the story for the first time. Of the boys mentioned, Brad and Scott were the only ones whose names Mr. Liscombe recognized, though the secretary did not name the grade 11 rep.

Scott was a student who constantly tried to gain his support for various world organizations. He had overheard from the faculty that Scott and Maya were a couple. He thought they complemented each other nicely.

Brad was almost a daily visitor to the office because of infractions, so the principal was not surprised to find the boy once again making problems in his school.

Just as the secretary finished her account of the incident, the door to one of the nearby offices opened and a vice principal escorted out a very muscular boy, who looked only towards the floor. Mr. Liscombe concluded that he was the boy who had made the threat, and he wished that a different VP had been the one to deal with the boy. That one was known to be harsh on students for even the most trivial things. Another door opened and three boys were escorted out by another VP.

The VP who was with Jett spoke first to the principal. “Excellent, I was about to come see you. This student’s mother has been called. She’s on her way.”

“Well, we have some time before she gets here. Where is the student who was threatened?” Mr. Liscombe asked.

“Lori is with him in her office,” said the secretary.

“Okay, well, I want to see this Jett fellow and the other three boys to get a full account of what happened.”

“We’re coming too,” said the boy who seemed to have lead the group to the offices.

“Why aren’t all of you in class? This doesn’t concern you,” said the grumpy VP who was with Jett.

“Let’s not jump to conclusions,” the principal spoke up. “I have a feeling something has been going on for a while that involves all of them. Am I correct?” Mr. Liscombe had directed his question at Zac, who was unsure whether he should confirm or deny the man’s assumption, so he did neither. “Well, if we are to get to the bottom of this, we will need them here. We have to ensure that this is the last we hear of this. Threats are not taken lightly here, and some serious consequences may be in order if Canning decides to press charges. Everyone into my office, please.”

            Zac and his friends were left in Mr. Liscombe’s office while he, the VPs, and two police officers spoke to Brad.

            Jett looked like a scared boy with his face in his hands as Lenne sat beside him trying to calm him.

            “Deep breaths, sweetie, it will be okay,” Lenne whispered.

            They all knew that that wasn’t the case. Jett could lose his position as captain of the hockey team if Brad pressed charges and their coach found out.

            “I’m sorry, guys. I didn’t mean to worry all of you. It was supposed to end with Brad walking off. I got carried away,” Jett apologized.

            “Dude, don’t apologize. Brad was out of line,” Scott said. “It means a lot that you stuck up for me, Jett, but I never thought you’d threaten Brad like that. It’s a fucked up situation, with you being captain.”

            “No wonder you were out of it after practice the other day,” Kayden said. “I guess you need to stay in a neutral position regarding Brad.”

“Because he’s such an addition on the hockey team,” Zac quickly added.

            Zac and Lenne remained quiet. They knew that Jett’s torn state was partly due to how he felt about Brad.

            “Doesn’t help that he loves Brad, eh?” Shin remarked.   

            “WHAT? That’s crazy talk,” Mai said, turning to Zac.

            “Right, Shin.” Maya laughed, thinking that was the boy’s way of lightening the mood.

            “But he does. You can see it when-”

            Zac’s hand immediately covered Shin’s mouth. “Seriously, Shin, what ARE you talking about?”

            “We all know Jett is into women,” Lenne added, staring daggers at Shin.

            Jett sat with the color draining from his face.

            “Well, yeah, we know Shin’s talking shit again,” Scott said. He gave Zac and Lenne a confused look. “What’s up with you guys?”

            “Nothing,” Lenne and Zac said simultaneously.

            “We should think about turning this around on Brad if he decides to press charges,” Kayden suggested.

            Lenne, Zac and Jett gave Kayden smiles as he changed the topic.

            Shin broke out of Zac’s hold. “I’ll get in contact with the yakuza to silence him,” he said in a mock serious tone.

            The group ignored him, but before they could suggest anything, Mr. Liscombe entered with Jett’s mother.

            “Jett, are you all right, dear? This is nothing like you,” Mrs. Emerson said, ignoring the fact that his friends were there. She was comfortable with all of them and Jett didn’t mind. She knew her son, and she was dismayed that he would threaten another person.

            Mr. Liscombe sat down in his chair as Jett remained silent. “You’ll be happy to know that Brad has decided not to press charges against you, Jett.”

            Looks of surprise were evident on the students’ faces as Mr. Liscombe took in their reactions. Only Shin seemed to nod at the decision as if he’d expected it.

            “According to school policy, we will punish you for causing harm and threatening to cause harm to a student. Jett, you’re suspended for one week. Your teachers will be informed. I understand that you were simply trying to protect a friend, but your actions were violent and must not be tolerated. I also understand that you and Brad are on the same hockey team. Hoping to prevent further violence outside of school, your coach will be notified of today’s events.”

            Zac and his friends looked ready to protest, but Jett spoke up. “I’m fine with the conditions, sir. I understand that I let my friends, my family and this school down. I promise I won’t let my anger take hold of me like that again.” Jett’s tone was one of absolute resolve. He had a vulnerability that was suddenly exposed. “I just realized how dangerous my size can be when left unchecked.” His voice wavered. “I didn’t know I was capable of doing what I did. I’ve already decided to quit hockey in order to make sure this doesn’t happen again.”

            “WHAT?” everyone yelled. All his friends began talking to him at the same time, but Jett kept his eyes on the principal. His mother covered her mouth in shock at her son’s decision.

            “Jett, I understand you regret your actions, but before you do anything you will further regret, I want you to speak with your coach. From what I can tell, you are a fine young man. I think your mother raised you very well, to admit your faults and to discipline yourself. I was told that your teachers have been dropping by to voice their support for you. I’ve been told you are a very able athlete. It would be a waste for you to prevent yourself from reaching your true potential because of this bump in the road. Do you understand?”

            Everyone was silent as Jett’s mouth hung half open. His eyes glistened from what the principal had told him.

            “Think hard on this, Jett. Is this is the first run-in with Brad among all of you?”

            The friends exchanged looks and Mai secretly pinched her boyfriend, who had opened his mouth. Jett kept his eyes level with Mr. Liscombe and said, “This was the first, sir.”

            “Very well. Mrs. Emerson, your son is a good kid. You are free to take him home. The rest of you can go back to class. I’ll permit the secretary to give you hall passes.

            As the group left, Zac looked back and made eye contact with the principal. Mr. Liscombe smiled at the boy and he smiled back.           

Mr. Liscombe had wanted to find the root cause of the issue, but the students had insisted that the run-in with Brad was their first. Little did they know he had already spoken with other students. He remembered finally who Zac was: the student Brad had publicly outted in front of the school.

The other boy that Mr. Liscombe didn’t know was Kayden Pierce. The boy simply seemed to fade into the background. That intrigued him, and he decided to keep an eye on the boy.

 

*********

            Brad silently brooded in his apartment. His sister had left after she repeatedly got little response from him. The school had gotten in touch with his father, who was traveling in the U.S. It had been his father’s decision not to press charges, as he simply dismissed the matter as a case of Brad seeking attention. Brad’s father had said he would contact Brad later. That meant he planned to visit him.

            Brad’s sister had been sympathetic while trying to talk some sense into him. She kept speaking of his happiness, something he could imagine his mother doing. His sister and mother were quite similar. Brad believed that his father loved his sister more. Because of that, he couldn’t stand getting sympathy from her.

            Thinking about Jett, he realized he had finally gotten the boy to hate him. Deep down, he wondered if maybe Jett harbored feelings for him. In fact, he was hoping for it. He hated himself for things he had done to Jett. .

 Because I wanted him to suffer. Because of this pride of mine…

His cell phone rang. He looked at the caller ID and then threw the phone against the wall, where it exploded into pieces. Trey was trying to call him, but for the first time, he didn’t want to speak with the Trey.

His house phone began to ring and he knew it was Trey again. He let the voicemail pick it up. The flashing light then showed there was a new message. He wanted to delete it, but his curiosity got the best of him.

“Heeeeey! Sorry, I had classes.” Brad knew that wasn’t true. He knew Trey’s schedule, and he didn’t have classes Monday or Friday.  “Anyways, my friends are heading home on Sunday. We’re going to head over to your dad’s penthouse tomorrow afternoon. Will you pick up some booze? I want to make sure we have enough there. If you can do that, I will make it worth your while. By the way, you’re super cool for letting us use that place for a party. My friends won’t stop saying how lucky I am, and I really am. You’re the best, Brad. MUAH, I will see you tomorrow afternoon.”

Brad sat silent. After a short time, he reached for his keys and then opened the coffee table drawer that held his fake ID.

 

******

            The entire crew was at Zac’s, including Jett, whose mother had almost forced him to go to Zac’s house to get his mind off what had happened. She knew her son felt that he had let everyone down. There was no point in punishing him more than he was punishing himself. She knew that being with his friends was the best thing for him.

            A couple of them were shooting pool while the girls hovered over baby Amelia. Zac watched from afar, concerned that maybe with so many people she would be scared and cry. His concern was for nothing, as she seemed excited and happy with the girls.

            “Hey, Zac, can you help me here? I dropped one of the bottles of pop and it exploded,” Kayden called out.

            “Your boyfriend is calling,” Scott said, laughing.

            Zac passed his cue to Shin, who grinned at Scott.

            “Hey, no fair!” Scott protested.

            Jett sat on a stool, watching. He was happy he had such great friends. For the first time in a while, he didn’t think about Brad.

            Zac walked into the cold room with a mop and bucket and found Kayden sitting on a box, but nothing was spilt on the floor.

            “Where’s the spill?”

            “In my pants.” Kayden smiled.

            Zac rolled his eyes, but smiled at his boyfriend’s efforts.

Kayden stood and waved him over.

            Zac put the bucket down and walked over. He met Kayden’s kiss. Their tongues danced for a moment, but Kayden could tell Zac’s mind was elsewhere.

            “Amelia has Lenne looking out for her. She’ll be all right. Nothing to be worried about,” Kayden said.

            “Yeah, I know.”

            “Then stop tensing up. Just relax.” Kayden cupped Zac’s cheeks.

            Closing his eyes for a moment, Zac let out a sigh. “All right.”

            “Good, now kiss me again.”

            That time there was no hesitation. Kayden slipped his hands around Zac’s waist and cupped his buttocks. Zac flexed them for a second and got a moan from his boyfriend.

            “I love it when you do that.” Kayden grinned as they broke the kiss.

            “You mean when I do this?” Zac teased as he did it again.

            “Mr. Hunter, you sexy, sexy man. Will you let me stay over tonight?”

            “Of course. I’ll even set the alarm for you. You have to teach tomorrow, right?”

            “Yeah. I’m free after three, though. We should go do something. Just the two of us,” Kayden suggested.

            “I’d like that.” Zac nodded. “We could go over to your place and stuff.”

            “Yeah.” Kayden grinned. “And stuff.”

            They stared into each other’s eyes for a moment. Zac felt that at that moment, nothing tormented his boyfriend. He was glad for it.          

            “Zac…” Kayden whispered.

            “Yeah?”

            “I love you…”

******

 

            The furious boy groaned as he sat up. He couldn’t sleep with the phone ringing. He reached over and pulled the receiver to his ear.

            “Hello?”

            “Good afternoon, Mr. Canning. We have your father here in the lobby. He insists on visiting his penthouse, but you left instructions last night that you be called before anyone is allowed up there.”

            Brad’s eyes opened wide as he tried to gather his wits. He realized three bodies were in bed with him and began to panic. He was wearing boxers and the others had their jeans on.

            “Sir?”

            “Ah, yeah, thank you, let him come up.” Brad hung up the phone and stood up. His head throbbed and he nearly fell over, but panic kept him going.

            “Everyone get the fuck out!” he shouted.

            The others mumbled and moved sluggishly but no one got up.

            “Fuck, fuck, fuck!!!” Brad swore as he found a pair of jeans and pulled them on. He looked around the room and found four guys sprawled on the floor on blankets. At least they were dressed.

            He moved at a fast pace out to the living room and swore again when he saw two more bodies stretched out on the full couch and a loveseat. Without thinking, he pulled the one from the love seat and dragged him into a vacant bedroom.

The dazed man awoke but didn’t struggle. “What’s goin' on?”

“Shut up and stay in here,” Brad ordered.

Brad didn’t waste time as he dragged the other body from the couch and threw him into the same bedroom.

Shutting the door, Brad went back to the living room and grabbed his head. It was pounding, and queasiness was building in his stomach. He forced his sickness down as he surveyed the room. It was trashed. He could remember only a few things about the night, but he knew there had been at least twenty-five people packed into the suite. A snore directed his attention to the bar. Behind it, he found someone propped against the wall. The snore was loud enough for his father to investigate if he put the guy in a bedroom. He eyed the rooftop terrace.

A knock at the door forced him to make a decision.

“I’m coming!”

He opened the sliding door and dragged the snoring frat boy outside and left him on the cold terrace. He jumped back inside and closed the door and the drapes. He couldn’t hear the snoring. He just hoped his father wouldn’t open the drapes. He realized again that the suite was trashed, but he couldn’t remedy that.

The front door opened, and Brad realized that whoever had last left hadn’t bothered locking it.

“What do we have here?” a deep voice demanded.

“Dad!” Brad answered. His heart was pounding and it took all his willpower to remain standing.

Brad’s father was dressed in business attire. Brad suddenly realized he didn’t have a shirt on and swore under his breath.

“Listen, Dad, about what happened at school…”

“Brad, if you’re going to address me, you had better do so with your thoughts collected and not waste my time.”

Brad took a deep breath. He knew his dad hated when someone babbled excuses. Any problem had to be summarized, the issue identified, the cause of the problem stated, and the solution presented. Trying to justify a mistake was seen as incompetence.

Moments passed in silence. Brad fought hard to organize his thoughts, but his hangover was taking its toll.

“Brad, take a seat before you fall over,” his father said mockingly.

Brad didn’t argue, but he moved slowly, trying to buy some time.

“First, tell me why I was called by your school.”

“Because a boy threatened me.”

“That doesn’t tell me anything. I get threatened on a regular basis. Why was I called, Bradley?”

“Ah…”

“Don’t stall, Bradley. But don’t speak unless you have an answer. I’ve been briefed on the issue by the school. I want the problem identified.”

 “I was threatened by another student because I attacked his friend.”

“So, the root of the cause was you. It only took you a few minutes to reveal that. And how do we prevent something like this from happening in the future?”

“I stay away from them?”

“Are you asking me?” his father said in an intimidating tone.

“No…I should stay away from them.”

“Wrong! Avoiding people will be seen as weakness.”

Brad stood dumbfounded.

“You hurt someone who has friends, and one of them stood up to you. The lesson to learn from this is that you should not make yourself vulnerable. You should have known that doing something at school increased the chance of other parties getting involved. Correct?”

“I- I didn’t think…”

“No, you did not think! You reacted. Haven’t I told you to keep a cool head when facing adversaries?”

Attacking Scott hadn’t been the start of it, yet his father considered his inability to control himself to be the cause.

“That’s correct,” Brad told him.

“And how will you control your actions in the future?”

Brad’s head was clearing and his heart wasn’t pounding as hard as it had been. “By waiting for the right time to act. When the conditions give me the greatest advantage,” he answered.

“And in this case, when would that have been?”

“After school. Some place where no witnesses were. And with something to hold over his head -- some sort of leverage as a way to exploit him,” Brad said, as if it were a revelation.

“You’re not a lost cause after all. You lost the battle this time, though, Brad. By getting the school administration involved, you let the controllable variables slip out of your hands. Where is the benefit in that?”

“There is none.” Brad realized a lot of things. His loss to Zac months earlier had been only due to the weak link that was Jett. His plan had been perfect; he had just miscalculated Jett. He didn’t think Jett would value anything more than his reputation, or that the boy would double-cross him. He played out what could have happened if he hadn’t been over-confident of his own skills.

“Brad…”

His father’s voice brought him back. “Sorry, I was playing out how it should have happened. I could have been victorious and expanded my control.”

“Excellent!” His father seemed pleased, but then turned solemn. “Now, tell me, what the hell do you make of this mess? My condo looks like a pig sty. Is this how you live your life?”

“I could answer that, sir.”

Brad and his father turned to see Trey in the hallway, leaning against a bedroom doorframe.

Mr. Canning’s face boiled with rage.

“Is he part of your homosexual lifestyle, Brad? Is this what you spend your time doing? Entertaining men?”

Usually, Brad would shove his sexuality in his father’s face, because he enjoyed how it bothered the man. But when his dad was especially angry, he was known to cut Brad off from his credit cards and other luxuries. He knew that whatever came out of his mouth would test his father’s patience.

“Rest assured, sir, I am not part of that aspect of Brad’s life. My girlfriend would kill me. In fact, I’ve been trying to convince your son that that was all a phase. I have a brother who was the same, but now he’s two years with his girlfriend. He bangs other chicks behind her back, too. You know how we men are. And from what the women told me last night, your son is quite the man.” Trey spoke convincingly to Brad’s father.

A look of surprised interest showed on the man’s face. “Really?”

“Yes sir. Last night was sort of a party for your son. I knew he’d had a problem at school, and sometimes letting loose is what a man needs to bounce back. You can only mope and brood for so long.”

The older man turned to his son. “Is that so? And who is my son’s latest conquest?” By his tone it was easy to see he was not convinced.

“My best friend, actually,” Trey said. “Her name is-”

“Sophie.” Brad and Trey said together.

Brad knew of Trey’s only female friend.

“You should meet her, Mr. Canning. You’ll agree she is quite the woman. In fact, I’m starving, so how about I call her and we can all meet up for lunch? She’s still in Toronto and loves eating out,” Trey offered.

“I would like to meet this Sophie,” the elder Canning said.

“Then suit up, Brad,” Trey said, tossing Brad a shirt he had been holding behind his back. “Let’s go. I’ve already called my own housekeepers; they’ll be over to take care of this mess.”

“Trey, you can come with me in my limo. Brad, take your car,” Mr. Canning ordered as he turned to leave.

After he left, Brad turned to Trey. “What are you doing?”

“Saving your hot ass. Why have your old man hate me when he can think of me as a saint? That way, he won’t be suspicious whenever he finds me here. He’ll think I’m keeping his son on a straight path.”

“I don’t like the idea of him talking to you without me there.”

“Please, Brad, I’m an adult. I can deal with an old man.”

“My father is very resourceful. He’ll do his research on you. When he finds out-”

“What, that I have friends all over the world? That I’m getting through school on my own? I’m pretty convincing when I want to be, Brad. Don’t fret. I’ll take care of your daddy. Now let’s get going. We don’t want to keep him waiting, do we?”

 

***

            The lunch went surprisingly smoothly at first, with Mr. Canning speaking mostly to Sophie and Trey. Sophie held Brad’s hand the entire time, as if they were a couple. It mystified Brad how Sophie could know so much about him, but the fact that she did convinced his father that they were more than just friends. He had never even met the girl, having only heard about her in Trey’s stories. He didn’t know how Trey had managed to convince her on such short notice to play the part. It didn’t seem to matter much in the end, as Brad was grateful for what they had done. Although he never liked hiding his sexuality, he was happy that he could at least have a peaceful lunch with his father.

            Near the end of the lunch, though, it seemed as if his father and Trey were joining up against him. Both criticized him for several things, including his “personality problem” and “hot-headedness”. When lunch was finally over, the older man bid them all farewell and asked Trey to keep a watchful eye on his son. He gave Trey his business card, something he had never done for Brad’s friends back in British Columbia.

            Driving Trey and Sophie to their university, Brad listened as the two joked about the deception they had perpetrated.

            “Poor old man. He doesn’t realize his son is one hundred per cent gay and takes it more than he gives it,” Trey joked.

            “Well, when a girl as hot as me is part of the scam, it’s pretty convincing,” Sophie added.

            As much as Brad hated his father, he respected the man’s business sense and logic. Hearing the two of them mock his father was making him angry.

            “Aww, why such a serious face, Bradley?”

            Sophie laughed when Trey used Brad’s full name.

            “Don’t call me that, Trey,” Brad warned.

            “Brad, I’m like your father’s best friend now. I turned his son straight. Don’t make me call him.” Trey rolled his eyes as Sophie giggled.

            “Fuck you, Trey. Your friends had better be out of the condo by the time I get back there.”

            “Now, now, everything’s taken care of. I called a cleaning service and charged it on your card.”

            “You what? How the hell did you get my credit card number?”

            “Chill, Brad. I did you a favour. Your old man is treating you like a human. What else do you want?” Trey said, getting angry. “You have nothing to complain about. I could have left you in the mess you made for yourself and let your dad find those guys. He would have thought you’d had a male orgy, with that many guys passed out in the place. You fucking owe me, you ungrateful asshole!”

            Brad bit his tongue.

            “Well?”

            “I’m sorry…”

            “Good, now be a good boy and drive us to the mall. You need to buy Sophie something nice for what she’s done for you. I think a Coach bag or something at least that pricey would be sufficient.”

 

*****

            Zac pulled off his helmet as Kayden shut down the bike’s engine. Several police cruisers were parked at the school, and officers were outside speaking to students. Many of them looked distraught while being questioned.

            “What do you think happened?” Zac asked.

            “Maybe another drug bust in some lockers?”

            At least once a year, officers would search the school, using dogs to sniff out marijuana.

            “I don’t think so,” Zac said. “There’s Jett and everyone. They might know something.”

            Kayden and Zac approached their friends, who appeared visibly shaken.

            “What happened?” Kayden asked.

            Scott answered for the group. “It’s Terry. His parents said he didn’t come home Friday night. This morning the police found his body in the creek. They said he died from a stab wound.”

            “Oh, my God,” Zac said. “Did they catch whoever did it?”

            “No, but we heard that his cousin is missing, too. There might have been an argument between them and the guy fled,” Jett offered.

            “The cops are asking anyone who knew Terry if they remember anything unusual involving him in the last few days,” Maya added.

            Zac was rocked. He knew Terry a bit. They shared a class, and he seemed like an okay guy by Zac’s standards. He had attended some of the parties at Zac’s house.

            “Who’s his cousin?” Kayden asked.

            “Cory, somebody,” Jett told him. “Remember the dude you pounded at one of Zac’s parties last year? The dude who brought weed to the party?”

            Kayden froze. He knew the boy Jett mentioned. He was the one who had told Neil that Kayden was in Whitby. Kayden had not told his friends that. It was one specific detail that he hadn’t revealed when he had disclosed that people were after him.

            “Are you okay?” Zac asked, taking his boyfriend’s hand.

            Kayden felt numb, but the grip of Zac’s hand countered that. “I’m fine,” he replied.

            The group fell silent as the police continued to talk with the students around them. Kayden prayed that the case had nothing to do with Neil.

Nearby, Alicia kissed her boyfriend on the lips and then jumped out of his car.  She was yapping endlessly while the guy kept an eye on Zac and Kayden.

“I’ll see you, baby,” Alicia finally said.

“See ya, babe. I’ll call you later.”

At that moment his phone rang. He picked up, but didn’t say anything.

“Are you seeing what I see, Alex?” the caller asked.

“Yeah,” Alexis answered.

“Kayden’s a fag! Wait until Neil gets a hold of this,” the voice said.

Alexis, who was in his early twenties, grunted before hanging up. He stared at the two boys who were holding hands, wondering how to deal with the new turn of events. He had thought Kayden would be tougher looking, and he had not expected him to have a boyfriend, let alone a guy Alicia had previously had a crush on. She had pointed Zac out several times, accusing him of being the bane of her existence. She had wanted him to beat up the boy named Zac, but he hadn’t wanted to get in trouble with the police. He decided that, for the time being, it was best to avoid contact with Kayden, too.

 

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Ry’s Corner:  I decided that this chapter, although touching upon Zac and Kayden’s happiness, is more about Jett’s choice and Brad’s fallen state. So I thought the title was fitting. For all of you who are upset of the Brad exposure, don’t worry, next chapter is all Zac and Kayden. I just thought I’d give Brad and Jett some closure.

 

And- what’s my excuse this time? Well...work actually...Yes, I blame work. Last few weeks have been a bit hectic. I came home one Sunday evening and was going to bed at 11:05 PM when I decided to check my e-mail (curse you blackberry!!!). There was a short e-mail requesting I join a conference call at 11:00 PM. Well, suffice to say, the call ended at 3:00 AM. That was the start of hell week that lasted for the most of 2 week x_x. I really should rename this to Ry’s Rant!

 Anyways, I decided to give you the tentative title of the next chapter. Chapter 6 - Dream’s End. Sort of makes you wonder what the next chapter is all about and if there will be new characters.

 

How about that Alexis and Alicia... I really thought I had written the last of Alicia’s dialogue way back in those earlier chapters. But I thought it makes things a bit interesting that she’s involved.

 

When is the next chapter coming? I really don’t know. I can’t seem to hit writing deadlines like I do with milestones in a project L. Don’t worry, I figure if I don’t give myself a deadline for this, I’m not pressured to write crappy chapters. Because the one I had originally planned sucked ass!!!

 

Anyways- that’s all for now. Let me know what you think of the latest chapter. And let me know what you might think will happen in the next chapter! Post in the yahoo group too!

 

As always, let’s give The Mail Crew a round of applause. This chapter was not possible without their comments and the editing expertise of Aaron and Rain. Seriously- I wonder if I should post a document of the red marks Aaron had of my first drafts. You’d be surprised!

 

So until the next chapter comes out, stay cool, and be patient :D

 

Cheerz!

 

Ry!

 

ryankeithstories@gmail.com

 

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Membership in Ryan’s Yahoo! group, One Life and More, has increased to over 525 members. Check it out.

 

Ryan’s stories are hosted by The Mail Crew, and they also appear at premier story sites AwesomeDude and DeweyWriter.