by M.D. James
Chapter 10
The next day, Chris bumped into me in the restroom, and told me he had mailed the letter for me. I ended up telling Zack everything about the letter, because he was starting to feel bad that I was keeping secrets from him. He understood that the only reason I hadn’t told him prior was to make sure Grandfather couldn’t find out and stop the letter from making its way to my Mom.
Zack and I didn’t share the same class schedule, though we did have a few classes together. While I didn’t see any sign of Horace, he was on the roll for my third period class. I was hoping he had moved. I had gotten used to my new life, and didn’t need any abuse at school.
In my second period class, Spanish I, I was assigned the seat next to Tracie. She didn’t say much to me the day before, but I think she was forming a crush. Out of the corner of my eye, I kept seeing her gazing at me. I was not sure whether to be flattered or disturbed. She was a pretty girl, and I could imagine us dating. She had long, straight, blonde hair that shimmered like spun gold. I could smell her fruit punch flavored Chap Stick lip balm from where I sat. My mind wandered, thinking about what it would taste like to kiss her. Up to this point, my only experience with kissing was the liquored-up assault from my father. I figured kissing Tracie would be a little bit different.
“James?” Señora Stone repeated. “Diego es falta oy!” she joked to the class.
“What?” I asked, snapping out of my daydream.
“I asked you to please conjugate the verb vivir.” I did as she asked, while a few of my classmates snickered at me. I’m not sure if they saw me daydreaming about Tracie, or just thought it was funny that I was caught not paying attention. “Muy bueno,” Señora Stone commended when I had finished. By that time, I already knew she’d be one of my favorite teachers. She was around 5’6”, with curly, almost frizzy, brown hair. She wore a pair of glasses with thick, brown plastic frames, and a colorful dress…the kind of dress one would see women wearing in Mexico. Unlike other teachers I had, she made a point to tell us about her life outside of the class and how she was married with two kids. She seemed very kind, and was always telling jokes in class. That day’s joke was at my expense, but luckily, she didn’t seem too upset with me over my daydreaming.
Mr. Behrman was my American History teacher, for third period. I took my seat and looked around for Horace. I didn’t see him.
Mr. Behrman welcomed us back to class, and told us to close our books and clear our desks for a pop quiz. Man, was this teacher hard! Mr. Behrman was around the same age as Señora Stone, but had about the exact opposite personality. I was sure he wasn’t married, and likely didn’t have any kids. He wore blue jeans and a flannel shirt every day, and had a strange habit of pulling on his ear lobe all day. Watching him tug on his ear over and over was quite distracting. Just as I was putting my book bag under my desk, the classroom door slammed shut. I looked up, and saw Horace heading right for me. He wore a sadistic smile and whispered, “Hey, thief,” as he passed to sit down at the desk right behind mine.
How am I ever going to be able to concentrate on this class with him behind me?
Throughout the entire class, Horace kicked the back of my chair. Every time I turned around to give him a dirty look, Mr. Behrman gave me the stink eye…as if I were the one being a disturbance. I managed to make it through the rest of class, but a migraine headache had formed.
At dinner time I still had the headache, so I excused myself to my room. I just wanted to go to sleep early, and maybe dream about being reunited with my Mom.
Zack came up and brought me a plate of food. “Thanks, Bro,” I told him as I lay on my side in bed with a hot washcloth draped across my forehead.
“Are you feeling any better?” he asked, sitting down beside me.
“Naw,” I replied. “My head is still killing me….stupid Horace!”
“Well, I’m here if you need me,” he offered as he rubbed my back.
“Ohhhh…..that feels good. Keep doing that.”
Zack laughed, and playfully added “Yes, Sir.”
We talked about a funny movie we heard about and I eventually dozed off. Zack must’ve taken off my shoes and socks because I awoke without them, and was tucked under the covers. I still wished I had my old life back, but gaining Zack as a brother was something I definitely wanted to keep from this life. The money wouldn’t hurt either….
School went well over the next several days, and surprisingly, I didn’t have any trouble with Horace. I wondered if he was feeling well. I was feeling a little sick myself, and in third period I had to excuse myself to the nurse’s office. There was a nasty cold going around the school, and she just gave me some Dayquil, and sent me back to class. I still didn’t feel great, but I could already tell the foul tasting medicine was clearing up my sinuses. When I got back to class and sat down, there was a Post-It note that read: I BET UR GRANDFATHER WOULD LIKE 2 KNOW WHAT YOU DID! The note gave me a chill. I wasn’t sure what the note meant, but I definitely didn’t need any trouble out of Grandfather. I looked around the class, but no one was looking at me to gauge my reaction. I suspected Horace left the note, but why would he attempt to be anonymous with his harassment? He never had before.
I put the note out of my mind, and got through the rest of my day. That night we were meeting Chris and Mark for a quadruple date. Chris and Mark were dating twin girls that went to another school. Zack asked Angie out, but only as friends, and Tracie was my date. We were all nervous, but being in a group took off some of the pressure.
“Awww! My baby is growing up,” my mother said when she found out. She hugged me tightly. It was quite a change from the first hug she gave me. We were really starting to be like a family. Father was never around much. I think he was too ashamed to be around me, though he never apologized. It was fine with me if I never saw him again.
Zack and I didn’t dress up, since we were going to a pizza joint for the date. It was the first time we’d see the girls out of their uniforms, and the first time they’d see us out of ours so we wanted to look as cool as possible. I used some of my Armani cologne. Tracie told me in class one day that she thought I smelled wonderful. I loaned some to Zack because he told me that he liked how I smelled too. It sounded a little weird to me, but it was good cologne.
Mr. Bryant dropped us off at the pizza place. “Go get ‘em, tigers,” he told us with a wink. My hands were getting super sweaty. Tracie and I had been flirting for a couple of weeks, so I don’t know why I was so nervous. I guess being outside of school and classes made it a little more real.
Chris and Mark were already there. They looked spiffy in their Banana Republic clothes. We shook hands and teased each other about being nervous. “Jimmy, guess what came today?” Chris asked with a sparkle in his eye.
Was it a letter from my Mom? “No way?” I said in disbelief as he pulled an envelope from his jacket pocket.
“Yes way!” he said as he handed me the envelope. I felt like it would crumble in my hands. I had waited so long. The girls were on their way, though, so I waited to read it until we got home. I considered going into the bathroom, but I wanted a little more privacy than a smelly restroom when I read it.
We decided it’d be nice to go ahead and order some pizzas and sodas, so they’d be ready when the girls arrived. Plus, if we got too tongue-tied and didn’t know what to say, we could always stuff our mouths while we thought of the next topic to talk about. “There they are!” whispered Chris and Mark, simultaneously. They didn’t normally act like twins, but this was the exception. Being rich, the twins and Zack knew how to behave with the acceptable manners that were expected of them, so they stood as the girls approached our table. I just watched and did what they did, since I grew up slightly differently.
The girls told us that they rode together, because they were so nervous. “I was going to cancel if even one of the other
girls pulled out,” joked Angie. She seemed to be a nice girl. I didn’t have any classes with her, but I could tell she definitely liked Zack. He only wanted to be friends with her, though.
As the night progressed, Angie began hanging all over Zack. I made contact with him and his eyes seemed to be saying, “Save Me!” I considered making him squirm longer, so we could tease him about it for the next few weeks, but since he was my bro, I decided to help him. “Hey girls…you want to come watch Zack and I battle it out on DDR?” DDR stood for Dance Dance Revolution, a dancing video game, where you played against someone to get the most accurate score. You had to step forward and back, and do turns to match up with arrows on the screen. I figured it would give Zack a few minutes where Angie couldn’t hold onto him.
“Sure,” said Tracie and Angie.
“We’re going to get some salad,” answered the twin girls, Jodie and Janie. I think they just wanted some alone time with Chris and Mark.
“We’ll catch you later then,” I told them as we headed over for our DDR Battle.
We played a few games, and even with my Mom’s letter on my mind, I won two of the three. As I expected, this just gave Angie an excuse to try to comfort Zack. I laughed and suggested the girls battle it out. Tracie and Angie agreed. While they were dancing, I asked Zack why he wasn’t into Angie. “She’s pretty, right?” I inquired.
“I know…I’m just not ready to date,” he said, nervously.
“Why?”
“Just drop it, okay?” he snapped. I don’t think I’d ever seen Zack lose his cool. I knew I’d better let it drop, but wondered what the big deal was. Maybe he’ll feel more comfortable talking about it some other time.
After the girls battled, we returned to the two sets of twins. They were making out already, and it was a little awkward re-joining the table. Tracie was teasing Angie about beating her at DDR. “I wouldn’t be too proud, Tracie,” I teased, “both of you did pretty badly. It was quite embarrassing, actually.” We cracked up laughing.
The night ended with me giving Tracie a kiss on the lips, and Zack kissing Angie on the cheek. We said our goodbyes and headed home. Zack was unusually quiet on the trip home. I tried to get him to talk more, but I didn’t want to push him again so soon.
As I was getting ready for bed, there was a soft knock on my door. It was Zack. “What’s up, bro? You’re scaring me a little. What’s wrong?” I asked, when he didn’t really answer.
“What was it like?” he finally asked. “Kissing a girl, I mean.”
“I don’t know…,” I said, at a loss for words, “I really have nothing to compare it to.” I wasn’t about to tell him about father kissing or raping me. “I guess it was okay. I was nervous so I barely remember it. I didn’t see fireworks or anything, but it was nice,” I continued.
“Oh,” was all he said.
“Seriously, dude. What’s wrong?” I was starting to get really concerned.
“I can’t tell you.”
Why couldn’t he tell me? What couldn’t he tell me?
After a while and a lot of silence, he finally spoke, “I love you, Jimmy.”
“I love you too, Zack. You can tell me anything.”
“No,” he said, “you don’t understand. I’m in love with you.”
I had to sit down. I didn’t know how to reply to that. Was Zack gay? I had no idea. It started to make sense now. He never seemed into girls, and was a little touchy-feely. As confused as I was, I knew he must be feeling horrible. I tried to console him and let him know I’d accept him no matter what, but he left to go to his room.
I really wanted to read the letter from my Mom, but I had to be there for Zack first. I had waited almost a year to hear from her. I decided another few minutes wouldn’t hurt.
We talked for about an hour and Zack told me that he wasn’t really my brother. “What do you mean?” I asked, confused.
“I heard mother and father arguing about it a few nights ago,” he told me. “He said he never loved her, not since she had a baby with another man. He just couldn’t get over it.” I was stunned. He continued, “she asked him if that’s why he was unfaithful and had a baby with his secretary.” Apparently, Zack did some checking up on it, and our father’s secretary at that time had died of a brain aneurism while giving birth.
“That means we have different parents?” I asked, still in awe.
Who was my father, then? Did he die too?
That was too much information for one night. I told him we should watch a movie…something funny to lighten the mood. We put on a bluray, and hopped on his bed. I had my head propped on a pillow, while laying on my back and Zack rested his head on a pillow that was draped across my stomach. I caressed his back, like he did for me when I was sick. I’m not sure why, but I was beginning to get aroused. Up until that point, I thought I was straight.
Did I have feelings for the boy that I thought of as a brother just a short while ago?
I’m not sure how it happened, but Zack kissed me, lightly at first to make sure I wasn’t going to reject him. When I didn’t push him away, he kissed me again, this time with more passion. We didn’t say anything else as we fell asleep in each other’s arms.
We proudly present
As the Snow Falls
Volume 2
M.D. James
Turn the page for a preview of
As the Snow Falls – Volume 2…..
Preview
Finally, mother came back out, and you could tell she had been crying quite a bit. Her eyes seemed somehow frightened. She approached me and told me that Grandfather wanted to see me.
“Me?” I asked with genuine wonder. “Alone?”
“Yes. Go on. He told me to send you in.” Even on his possible death bed, he was still giving orders. Maybe he will outlast us all, after all.
“James….come here,” Grandfather motioned with a weakened resolve. “I need to talk to you.” I assumed that even in his weakened state, he still wanted to punish me for something. “I won’t be around much longer…”
“Sure you will,” I interrupted.
“Be quiet, boy!” he snapped. “I’m not looking to be consoled. I know I am nearing my time. After I pass on, many things will change. You will be required to take on much more responsibility.”
What responsibility? I didn’t know what he meant, and I certainly couldn’t imagine a world without him ruling with his iron fist. Almost three years ago I arrived in Rome, Georgia. My past life seemed to be just a fading memory. With my Mom dead, and Sarah on the run, this was the only family I had left.
“You will have to lead the family,” he continued. “It’s why I had you brought back here. I’ve been grooming you for the day you will have to become the man of the family.”
Grooming me? Do you call beating me and holding me hostage, grooming me? And, why would I become the man of the family? Where is father going to be?
“You will look down on me for the things I have done, as secrets make their way from the shadows,” Grandfather revealed. “But, I did what I had to for the family. And, one day, you will know what that requires.”
What secrets could possibly still be hidden?
Get “The Muse Saga: Complete Collection” now if you liked “As the Snow Falls – Vol. 1”
It contains all 6 volumes from the Muse Series, at a discounted price.
Check out another Great Porterlance Book:
Ember
M.D. James
Turn the page for a preview...
Excerpt
“Uncle, Uncle!” I yelled as I barged into the cottage. I expected to find Uncle asleep, but when I ran in he was standing there talking to Dargon and one of his men. Beside them was a chest of mine from the barn. It’s what I kept my belongings in.
“Why aren’t you out in the barn?” my Uncle growled.
“Why’s my chest in her
e?” I asked, ignoring his question of me…and even forgetting what I came in to tell him.
Before he could answer me, I realized he was giving me to the thieves. I began to get very upset. A warm breeze entered through the open door. At first I thought that it was just the warmth coming off of the burning cottage on our neighbor’s land, but it kept getting hotter and hotter. I was feeling calmer and more in control.
“She’s a sorcerer!” the thief with Dargon yelled as he ran from the house.
Dargon reached for his sword, but I raised my hand to protect myself and he was suddenly ignited on fire. As he writhed and screamed in paid, I silently watched him burn.
He would never again hurt anyone like he hurt Momma and Poppa and so many countless others.