“Why don’t you tell her to back off?” Christian pressed.
“She can be a stubborn. She came over last weekend and told me that she signed me up for church camp. Bitch, please. Do I look like the kind of person who sleeps in tents and pees in the woods?”
Biting his bottom lip to hold in the laughter, Christian shook his head.
“Exactly!” Andy said. “We all know how mean I get if I don’t get my morning Starbucks. Can you imagine me having to go a month without it?”
“The fate of the world would be in jeopardy,” Devlin cut in dryly.
“Joke all you want. But we all know you’d react the same way.” Having finished Jessica’s sandwich, Andy snagged a banana and began to peel it. “You want to know the worst part about that camp?”
“I’m almost afraid to ask,” Devlin drawled.
“They make everybody wear uniforms.”
Christian shrugged. “So? You had to wear them when you went to private school.”
“Those were nice. The ones at the camp are cargo pants and t-shirts.”
Andy shuddered again. No doubt he was terrified at the thought of having to wear polyester.
James’s lifted his eyes and he exchanged amused glances with Christian. At that moment, everything almost seemed normal. All that was missing was Taylor. He must not have been the only one thinking that because Jessica asked, “How soon before Taylor comes back to school?”
“Mom says the doctor cleared him for classes next week. He’s still going to need help getting to class and stuff, but otherwise he’s doing great,” Christian said.
“I know he’s pretty anxious to get back,” James cut in. When everybody turned to look at him, he blushed, then shrugged. “We talked on the phone last night.”
“How’s he dealing with everything?” Andy asked.
“He said that Christian’s family has been treating him great. “ James’s brow creased with worry. “His dad hasn’t bothered to even call him, though. I just can’t imagine that.”
“Speaking of dads, how did things go after I dropped you off last night?” Devlin interrupted.
Christian’s stomach sank. Devlin had told him all about the confrontation. It scared Christian to think how, if things had gone down any worse, Devlin could have been seriously hurt.
James gave a tiny smile. “My mom said that if he didn’t leave me alone, she’d kick him out of the house.”
The entire table gasped in shock.
“Are you kidding? She was so quiet the night I came over for dinner,” Jessica said.
“I guess she talked to somebody who helped her realize that it was okay to stand up for me.”
“Who?” Jessica nagged.
Locking gazes with Christian, James said, “Angie.”
“As in my mom?” Christian pointed to his own chest.
“Yeah, she really helped out a lot.”
A burst of pride went through Christian. He could see his mother doing that. Even since he’d come out, both of his parents had been nothing but supportive. Now it looked like they were going to help others be more accepting of their children.
“You have no idea how lucky you are,” James said, affectionately.
As Christian glanced at the others and thought about their own personal battles, he had to agree. “Yeah, my parents are pretty awesome.”
Christian just wished he knew why all parents couldn’t be like that. Maybe then James would be happy, Taylor would have never been hurt, or Andy wouldn’t be so into abusing himself.
Letting out a sigh, Christian realized that they had a long way to go. He was determined to be there to help them every step of the way, too.
Chapter Five
Taylor had been with Christian’s family for almost a week, yet everything still seemed so surreal.
First of all, they all ate dinner at the table, just like all the families did on TV. Plus, they all seemed to actually get along. The fact that Christian’s mother actually worked, took care of her family, plus managed not to get drunk every night was another big change for Taylor. He couldn’t think of a day where his own mother hadn’t gotten smashed.
Taylor made his way down the stairs to the kitchen. Even though it was early, everybody was already up and moving around. Christian turned and gave him a bright smile. “So, are you ready for your first day back to school?”
God, no! I feel like I’m going to face my own execution. Since Taylor didn’t want to spoil the good mood, he managed a weak grin of his own. “Can’t wait.”
Christian came over and ran his fingers through Taylor’s hair. “You look pretty good. The cut you got yesterday is doing a great job of hiding the spot they had to shave your head.”
“Great, I wouldn’t want to show up to class looking like a troll or something.”
Angie held up a box of cereal. “Come, get some breakfast. I didn’t know if you bought or took your lunch, so I just put some cash in your backpack. If that doesn’t work for you, just let me know.”
A heat came over Taylor’s face. “You don’t have to do that.”
She came over and gave his a tender hug. “Of course I did. You’re part of the family now.”
As Taylor glanced around the bright, clean kitchen and its even neater wood floors, he really hoped that was true. It would be so nice to be able to live someplace that wasn’t filthy or full of jerks for once. Even with the lingering pain of his injuries, Taylor couldn’t remember the last time he had slept as soundly. The past week felt like pure bliss, a dream come true, and he worried that somebody would come along and snatch it away from him.
Christian’s dad looked up from his laptop. “Speaking of which, I need you boys to make sure you come home on time today. I thought it would be a good idea to start Taylor on some lessons.”
Taylor hedged, confused and a bit worried. While Christian’s dad seemed really nice, Taylor’s past with male family members had never been sterling. It didn’t help any that Christian’s dad looked like he was still in the military. He had his hair cut so short it was hard to tell what color it was, plus he had more muscles than the entire football team combined.
Angie put a bowl down on the table. “Eat.”
Sitting down, Taylor forced himself to ask, “What kind of lessons?”
Christian poured milk over his cereal. “Boxing. Dad’s great at it, and he’s been teaching me ever since I was little.”
Panic clawed at Taylor’s chest. He and sports had never gotten along, and Taylor didn’t think that’d changed. He knew that he’d only wind up disappointing Christian’s dad.
“Sir, I don’t—”
“Call me Steve, and don’t worry. You’ll do just fine.” He gave Taylor a warm grin.
“I don’t even know how to throw a punch.”
On the other hand, Taylor excelled at receiving them. If they ever made that an Olympic event, he’d take home the gold.
“I’m not expecting miracles. I just want to make sure that if you’re ever attacked again, you’ll be able to defend yourself better.”
Taylor thought that one over. Steve did have a point. Christian had been in the very same attack as Taylor, yet his friend had barely been hurt at all.
“Don’t worry, we’re just going to have you watch a lesson before you really start. You couldn’t do much until your wrist is better anyway,” Steve assured him. “Believe it or not, when I was your age, I was horrible at sports, too.”
Somehow Taylor doubted that, but he just nodded politely.
“If it will make you feel better, we can play the theme song from Rocky,” Christian teased.
Thoroughly confused, Taylor frowned. “What’s Rocky?”
Instead of being mad over Taylor’s stupidity, Steve acted like a kid who had just found out that it was Christmas day. His eyes grew wide and he let out a huge laugh. “You’ve never seen the movie?”
“No.”
“That settles it. After tonight’s lesson, we’re watching it.”
/> Christian used his spoon to point at his father. “Okay, but just promise that you won’t try to make me drink raw eggs again. The last time I almost puked.”
Taylor gave a nervous chuckle. “Why would he make you do that?”
“Because Sylvester Stallone did it. He’s lucky I didn’t get salmonella from it,” Christian griped, but his smile said he really wasn’t upset.
They finished eating, then gathered up their stuff for class. As they rushed out the door, Angie gave them both a kiss goodbye. Once they got into the car, Christian said, “Are you doing okay?”
Taylor knew without asking that Christian meant more than just physical wounds. Putting on his seatbelt, Taylor gave a small nod. “I think so.”
Once they were on the road, Taylor asked, “Are they always that nice?”
“Most of the time.”
Damn! Taylor would give anything to have a family like that. Most mornings, he would have been lucky to grab a banana and make it out the door without getting hit or yelled at. Even that little bit of care was sparse since his mother often forgot about mundane things like grocery shopping.
“You’re really lucky,” Taylor replied, softly.
“Yeah, I know, and it’s even better now that I have my best friend living with me.”
“I still don’t get why you guys are doing all this for me.”
Christian tightened his grip on the steering wheel as anger flashed in his normally caring, blue eyes. “Because you don’t deserve to be treated like crap. It was time that life gave you a break.”
There was a stretch of silence before Taylor confessed, “She called me last night…my mom that is.”
“Is she still in the hospital?”
“Yeah, and from the sound of her voice, they have her pretty doped up.” Taylor took a deep breath as he blinked away the tears. “She kept calling me Tommy. Even then, it still took me a few minutes to realize that she hadn’t meant to call me at all. She had just dialed the wrong number.”
“Shit,” Christian breathed.
Taylor gave a jerky shrug. “I guess I shouldn’t be too surprised, it just hurt because I thought that she cared at least a little bit about me.”
“I’m sure she does. After all, she does go to PFLAG meetings and stuff.”
“I guess you do have a point.”
And Taylor knew that Christian did have a point, it was just that after seeing how his friend’s family acted, it made Taylor all the more aware of how messed up his home life had been.
They didn’t talk until they reached the school. After he put the car in park and turned off the ignition, Christian turned to Taylor. “She doesn’t deserve you. None of them do.”
Taylor looked down at his lap as he gave a half-hearted nod. While he would like to believe that, after so many years of being told he was a loser, it was hard for him to think otherwise.
“I mean it,” Christian said in a strong voice. “You are a better person than Tommy or your dad ever will be. I don’t blame your mom as much since she has her own issues to deal with, but as far as I’m concerned, your father and brother are the ones who are missing out. You are great, and they are too stupid to realize it.”
Taylor glanced up and saw by the determined set of Christian’s eyes that he really meant that statement. He wasn’t just throwing around words to make Taylor feel better.
“Thank you…for everything.”
Christian leaned over and gave him a hug. “You would do the same for me.”
That was true. Taylor would do almost anything for his friend. Once they broke apart, they both looked toward the school.
“Are you ready for this?” Christian asked.
“I guess so. I know it will sound strange, but I hate all the attention I’ve been getting. I kind of wish everybody would just forget about me again. It’s weird knowing that the only reason they like me is because they feel sorry for me.”
Christian opened the car door. “Talk to Devlin. He’ll tell you that they’ll turn on all of us again soon enough.”
Yeah, that sounded like something their jaded buddy would say. Shaking his head, Taylor took off his seatbelt and got out. As he swung his backpack over his shoulder, a jolt of pain shot through him, and he let out a low hiss.
“Do you need me to carry your books?” Christian offered, his eyes growing wide with concern.
“Thanks, but I got it. I need to get used to doing everything again.”
As they walked inside, Taylor couldn’t help but notice the number of conversations that stopped as they passed. It made him feel awkward and embarrassed at the same time.
“I feel like I’m wearing a sign that says victim on it,” Taylor grumbled.
Devlin came rushing over and put an arm around Christian’s shoulders. “Just flip them off. That’s what I would do.”
Taylor smiled, happy to see his friend. “You would flip off the Pope.”
“Only if he ticked me off.”
Devlin tilted head down and playfully nibbled on Christian’s neck.
“Gah.” Taylor pretended to cover his eyes. “I don’t know what’s stranger, seeing you in a good mood or the fact that you two are actually a couple.”
“I say both of them are disgusting,” Andy said as he came over and started walking on the other side of Taylor.
Taylor realized they’d been waiting for him to arrive, and they’d made sure to be there to walk in with him. It made him love his friends all the more. Then they turned the corner, and Taylor spotted somebody waiting by his locker.
“James,” Taylor breathed.
The stress of having to face his classmates must have gotten to Taylor because all of a sudden his heart pounded a little harder in his chest. Or maybe it was just because he’d never seen James look so sad…so vulnerable…so lost.
James glanced up from under the fringe of his dark hair, his blue eyes rimmed with red, like he’d been crying. It tore at Taylor to think of how much James must be beating himself up over the whole situation. It was hard enough to come out as it was, but James had basically done it in front of the whole school.
Before he even realized it, Taylor rushed toward James. His friend let out a soft sob as he wrapped his arms around Taylor in a hug. There was a bit of pain, since his ribs were still tender, but Taylor didn’t care. He enjoyed being in James’s warm embrace and that was all that mattered.
“I’m so sorry,” James whispered.
“It’s okay. I still love you.”
As they continued to hold each other, Taylor realized that James needed the hug just as much if not more than he did. So, he just stood there and let James take in the comfort. It was several moments before James pulled away.
“Are we okay now?” James asked as he shuffled his feet.
“Of course we are.”
A group of jocks passed by and Taylor heard one of them mutter, “Fags.”
“Well, there goes all the good cheer and acceptance. That lasted long,” Andy said.
Devlin’s lips curled up in a wicked grin before he shouted, “Are you looking for a hookup? I’m sure we can find some guy who’s desperate enough to teach you the ropes. Hell, if you make cute eyes at him enough he may even give you his phone number when you’re done.”
Christian elbowed him. “Stop.”
The admonishment was hampered by Christian’s laughter. One of the jocks turned around to glare at them. Taylor tensed, wondering if they would attack, but in the end, the group kept moving on.
Once the tension ebbed, Andy said, “Speaking of hookups—”
Christian butted in. “Can we save the X-rated stuff for later? At least give me to lunch to prepare myself.”
Andy rolled his eyes. “That’s not what I was going to talk about.”
“Thank God,” Christian muttered.
“I already did, quite a few times last night, in fact,” Andy smirked.
His comment was met with a chorus of moans.
Andy made a waving gestu
re with his hands. “Anyway, what I was trying to say is, my friend, Seth, is part owner of Speedos, and he said if I want, I could bring you guys by Friday.”
“What’s Speedos?” Christian wrinkled his nose.
Devlin let out a sigh. “It’s a new gay club in Pontiac. I heard that place is pretty trashy, though.”
Andy shrugged. “Who cares? There will be dancing and hot guys, that’s all I need.”
Taylor rolled the situation over in his head, not liking what it was all adding up to. “You said he’s part owner? How old is this guy?”
“Old enough to take care of me and give me whatever I want.”
James and Taylor exchanged worried glances. It had never been a secret that Andy craved attention, but this was a whole new extreme—one that sounded more than a little dangerous.
Andy huffed. “Fine! I’m not going to force you guys. I can go by myself.”
“No,” Taylor rushed out. The last thing he was going to do was let Andy into walk into that kind of situation without some backup. “We’ll go. Won’t we guys?”
Understanding flickered over Christian’s face before he gave a nod. “Can’t wait.”
“It’ll be a blast,” James added.
Even as Taylor agreed, he had a strange fluttering in his stomach, the same one that always came before trouble. He didn’t know if it was because they were going to sneak into a club or out of worry for Andy. Taylor was sure of one thing, the situation had the potential to get all of them in trouble.
But what choice did they have? Andy was stubborn enough to go through on his threat to go alone. At least this way they would be there if Andy got into trouble. And Andy would be getting into trouble—if not Friday, than some other day. Taylor wasn’t Dr. Phil or anything, but even he could tell that his friend was out of control. Taylor just hoped that they’d be strong enough to save Andy from himself.
Chapter Six
Taylor winced as they walked into the club. He hadn’t been sure what to expect to find at a gay club, but this sure as hell wasn’t it.
While the sign outside proclaimed that it was new, the inside looked small, dank, and frayed around the edges. The tables and chairs were all mismatched, almost like they’d been collected from various garage sales. A stained, worn carpet covered all the floor save for one tiny space that had been cleared for a dance floor. That area was so small that it could only hold about a dozen people.
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