"I like being with Kyle,” Alex defended.
“But, you like being with me, too.” Julian swiftly mounted Alex, pinning him to the bed like a pro wrestler. He leaned in close to his ear and whispered, “Don’t you like feeling my huge cock inside you?”
Alex was struck powerless, rendered paralyzed by Julian’s steamy advances. He couldn’t resist as he pressed his hard body against him, burying his face in Alex’s neck.
He closed his eyes, trying to think of a way to break free, but all that did was enhance his other senses. He wrenched his eyes open, attempting to shift his thoughts to something else.
He looked upwards. In that moment, the gravity of the situation began to sink in. As his eyes darted from sketch to sketch, pinned to his ceiling and walls, he began to fear the greatest possibility of all—losing Kyle. Yes, Kyle wasn’t the most masculine guy in the world, but that was part of the reason why Alex loved him. It was part of his charm. He was quick-witted, cleverly artistic, and cute. Sure, every once in awhile being the one that wasn't in control was a nice change for Alex, especially in the sack, but it was a fleeting feeling. It just wasn’t enough to give up everything he had for.
“You should be with a real guy—not that fairy,” Julian murmured from Alex’s nape.
Alex reluctantly pushed Julian up and rolled away. “I’m sorry.”
“Something wrong?” Julian demanded with a confused expression.
“No, my parents are gonna be home any minute.” Alex lied. “They’ll kill me.”
“Cool, I understand.” Julian stood up and lifted his jeans, buckling his belt speedily like he’d done this drill a thousand times before.
Alex couldn’t stand to face him. Instead, he continued to follow each of his drawings as a wave of shame flooded him.
Julian threw his foot onto the bed and laced his sneakers. “We should do this again,” he suggested.
“Ye-yeah,” Alex assured, unconvincingly.
Julian finished with a double-knot and waltzed over, plopping down next to Alex. “I just don’t want you to look back at this moment and regret it. We could be great together. Just think about it.”
He patted Alex on the back and walked straight out of the room without another word.
The guilt rattled Alex as he stopped on the very first drawing he had made for Kyle. He kneaded his face in frustration.
“Fuck.”
He picked up his phone and scrolled through his contacts until he reached Kyle's name, hitting the dial button. His heart raced again with a different kind of anticipation than the call before. It wasn’t long before Kyle’s voice answered on the other end.
“Hey, can you come over? We need to talk."
It was yet another perfectly sunny day in Los Angeles. Alex shielded his eyes from the bright rays of light as he squinted from the steps of the Academy. Mr. Pierce was already waiting in the big blue van that was used to transport the entire student body to their destination. They usually never went anywhere, but today they had a mystery trip to partake in.
Kyle soon appeared through the main doors of the Academy, out of breath and looking at Alex as though he had abandoned him. Alex seemed sympathetic at first as he clearly noticed the sad expression on Kyle's face. His heart sunk, and he wanted nothing more than to react to him. Although, he couldn't let his boyfriend get to him until he was able to realize he was in the wrong this time. Kyle needed to understand the error of his ways.
The remaining students piled out of the school, sifting through the duo. Alex took the opportunity and allowed himself to be caught in the miniature stampede. He could feel Kyle's leer following him intently, but he kept moving, trailing along with the small line of classmates to the van.
Mr. Pierce was his usual, positively cheerful self as he waved the students into the van. Alex wondered from time to time just how genuine his instructor really was. He hadn't had many personal one-on-one interactions with him, but he got a weird feeling he was hiding something behind that dauntless grin. How could someone be so happy, living a lie? To Alex, Mr. Pierce was an enigma.
"Everybody in!" Mr. Pierce announced.
Jake made a direct move for the front seat—the only seat next to Mr. Pierce. He jerked the passenger side door open, only to be abruptly halted by the force of Mr. Pierce holding it shut from the other side.
"Sorry, Jake," Mr. Pierce stated flatly, leaning across the seat. "I have to speak with Jimmy."
The look on Jake's face was priceless. The way his cute little nose scrunched up to match his wrinkled forehead. His big, brown eyes squinted, almost shut, as his lips curled downward to form a frown. It was as if he were a small child being refused a lollipop.
Although he could never admit it, Alex often found Jake's spoiled temperament to be somewhat alluring. He couldn't put a finger on his reasoning, but as he watched Jake's expression go from ecstatic to mortified in a matter of seconds, he couldn't help but grin. Perhaps in some ways, he reminded him of his own boyfriend. Kyle could also be a huge brat sometimes.
Alex then wondered what lay beneath the surface of the rather awkward exchange he was witnessing between the instructor and his student. Before he could put any more thought into it, he got a familiar sense of worry in the pit of his stomach—Kyle! He tore his eyes away by force of habit. If Kyle caught him watching Jake for even a second, he would never hear the end of it.
Alex averted his gaze and switched to Kyle, who thankfully, was watching the same display as he just was a few moments ago. The expression on his face was of pure innocence. For the second time in a matter of minutes, he was almost sucked into it again. And then, like lightning, the memory of the fight struck Alex. He turned back to the van and watched as Jake dragged his feet sluggishly. He jerked open the sliding door and sat defeated into the first row of seats, pouting as he folded his arms.
Alex nodded and made his way for the van like a man on a mission. He crawled into a small space, knocking past Mason who had already half of his bottom planted on the seat next to Jake.
“Sorry, Mason," Alex apologized. "I get motion sickness, so I have to, well, see the front window at all times." Alex hoped he sounded convincing through the obvious lie.
"It's ok, I understand." Mason adjusted his thick glasses as he climbed to find a spot in the back seat. He then folded his hands in his lap and waved to Kyle with a wide grin. “You can sit next to me, Kyle!”
Alex couldn't work up the courage to meet Kyle's expression. He knew this was a bad idea, but Kyle still hadn’t attempted to make up with him yet, so he had to use further measures.
"I wonder where we're going.” Alex nonchalantly expressed to Jake, avoiding eye contact. He tried desperately to keep his nerves in check as he felt Jake's eyes dart at him in response. He could see Jake's eyebrow raised in surprise, causing him to tap his fingers nervously as he clutched onto the seat.
"You talkin' to me?" Jake poked his own chest with his thumb.
Alex shifted his gaze from Kyle to Jake as he contemplated how to answer. He knew that what he was doing was wrong, but if this was the only way to get through to Kyle, then so be it.
"Yes. Yes, I am." Alex smirked, turning to Jake.
"Sorry," now both of Jake's eyebrows lifted in shock, "I just never heard so many words come out of your mouth before." Jake smiled. "Which, by the way, not to sound like a perv, but you have great lips." He propped his arm suavely on the back of the seat, clearly intrigued by Alex's newfound confidence.
Alex turned scarlet. The attention from Jake was nice; but just as suddenly as it had come, the smile began to fade as he felt the presence of Kyle entering the van.
"Can we go now, Mr. Pierce?" Kyle asked with a harsh tone. "We're all here now." He slammed the van door shut aggressively.
"Of course!" Mr. Pierce shouted back, throwing the van into reverse and backing up on the empty road. "Buckle up, guys!”
As the van bumped along, Alex peered out of the window. He wanted more than anything to make up wi
th Kyle, as much as it didn't appear to be the same case for his boyfriend. They were all each other knew for the past three years. It was a long road, full of their fair share of bumps and forks, but they had always trekked it together. Whenever they were apart, they felt incomplete. Although, at the moment, Alex figured he could enjoy the freedom while he had it. He just hoped he wasn't going too far with it this time.
Chapter Three
-JIMMY-
"Hey, Jimmy," Jake creeped forward in his seat, clutching to the back of Jimmy's headrest, "did you know Alex is an accomplished artist?"
Jimmy twisted his head back as much as his neck would allow until his eyes landed on Alex, who was blushing like a geisha.
"Nope, no idea."
Alex nodded with a hint of confidence while Jake grinned from ear to ear. Jimmy couldn't decide how he felt about the awkward scene before him. It was quite disturbing to see the two of them so chummy all of a sudden. One moment Alex seemed to loathe him, and the next he worshipped the ground Jake walked on. It was highly suspicious.
The pair sitting in the farthest row of seats was even more of an odd couple. Kyle and Mason sat a seat apart with their backs facing each other, utilizing every inch of empty space between them. Kyle, who usually had a terrible case of 'resting bitch face', had an expression filled with grief. He stared out the window with a far off gaze. If he had to guess, Jimmy would think that he had just come back from burying a childhood pet.
Mason, on the other hand, was in another world. His eyes darted back and forth between the tall buildings that came into view. Jimmy smiled at the newest member of the academy, wondering if this was his first time in Hollywood. It had to be. Mason's face held the look of someone who had never ventured into the captivating city of Angels. The allure of the city lit a fire within his eyes as they passed Mann's Chinese Theater, Hollywood Walk of Fame, and a stream of tourist shops. It was quite refreshing to see his excitement. Jimmy had a hard time remembering what that was like. Los Angeles had been his home for as long as he could remember, but Mason might as well have been an alien visiting from another planet.
Jimmy snapped back to reality as he noticed Jake's long, muscular arm waving out in front of him. He quickly wiped the smile from his face and raised his eyebrows as if to signal to Jake that he was listening.
"Hey, did you hear? Alex is going to draw me!" Jake exclaimed.
"That's nice." Jimmy bleakly acknowledged. He could feel thick tension building within the tiny space. Kyle had daggers in his eyes and appeared as though he would lunge across the seat and strangle Jake at any moment.
Jimmy whipped back around, facing forward again, breaking away from the increasingly uncomfortable situation. He must have missed something catastrophic between yesterday and this morning. Alex and Kyle had been practically joined at the hip since they arrived. Sure, they had their fair share of spats and random bickering, but never to the point where they were separated.
What could Jake have up his sleeve? The journalist in Jimmy began to take over as he slipped deeper into his own thoughts. It was in his nature to conjure up stories based on the facts provided, but there was nothing to go off of on this one. He decided he would investigate when they arrived to their destination. However, even that was still a mystery. Mr. Pierce was doing a great job of keeping it a secret. Before Jimmy could give it a second thought, he was interrupted by his teacher.
"Hey Jimmy, I wanted to thank you."
Jimmy stared blankly at Mr. Pierce.
"I mean, for helping out Mason. He seemed pretty lost when he first arrived. Whatever you said had a significant impact on him."
Jimmy smiled and nodded politely, even though he felt nothing but guilt. He peered out the window with a sigh. The message to Mason wasn't as clear as he had hoped. What he meant to do was subtly let him know it was okay to feel what he felt in his heart; that it was okay to be lost. The stories behind the Lost Boys Academy could catch fire within the news and media, and he wanted to make sure Mason was protected—he figured that he needed protection most out of them all. But somehow, the message was lost in translation. Mason took it as the complete opposite. He seemed to think that Jimmy advocated a change that was necessary in order to find yourself. Jimmy wanted nothing more than to clear this up, but now was not the time. His cover was much too important to blow, and Mason was in no way ready to hear the truth. It was all about timing, and Jimmy feared if he exposed his motives to Mason now, it would surely backfire.
"Something wrong, Jimmy?"
Mr. Pierce's eyebrows furrowed with concern. Jimmy turned to face him as his exuberance temporarily washed away the feelings he held. Mr. Pierce had a natural smolder that could make the worst of situations seem irrelevant. It was something that only he could accomplish without even trying. Jimmy fumbled for words before he finally responded.
"Nope. Not at all."
"Good." Mr. Pierce placed a reassuring hand on Jimmy's shoulder, shifting his gaze forward to the street ahead. "You have a bright future ahead. I can feel how much you want this, Jimmy. Don't let anything get in your way."
It was hard not to feel the overwhelming guilt return. It seeped through Jimmy as his grip, although light, felt like a claw. It wasn't that he particularly felt sorry for Mr. Pierce's delusional nature, but something far greater. Jimmy knew Mr. Pierce meant well, but he also knew that the story he was writing could destroy him. And although he was mysterious and a growing enigma, Jimmy felt that Mr. Pierce didn't deserve the fate that was laid out before him.
After what seemed as though hours had passed, Mr. Pierce stopped the van in front of a small boutique. The shop was nestled in between two high-rises, appearing as though it had been around for decades. The storefront was comprised of several mannequins wearing plain, khaki shorts complimented with white-collared shirts and varying styles of blazers.
Jimmy stepped out of the van, halting in the parking lot to kneel down and tie his sneakers. He stared up at the surrounding buildings, then shifted his gaze to the clientele leaving the boutique. To his surprise, the area they arrived at was familiar to him. As he rose to his feet, he realized he wasn't the only one to notice.
"Umm...Mr. Pierce?" Jake hopped out of the backseat, accompanied by Alex, Kyle and lastly, Mason. With the exception of Mason, the rest of the guys had the same confused expression on their faces. "You do know where we are, right?"
Mr. Pierce stepped out, locking the vehicle behind him with a click of his remote. "I do, Jake."
Jake raised an eyebrow. "Is there a reason we're in the gay capital of...everywhere?"
"We're going shopping today." Mr. Pierce stated without the slightest inkling of self-doubt.
"But...isn't this like giving crack to an addict?" Jake challenged.
"Mr. Parker, if you can't contain your urges for a single shopping trip, then we have much bigger problems than just your homosexual tendencies."
Jimmy turned to Kyle, awaiting a snarky response, but nothing registered across his face—not even a smug grin.
Mr. Pierce waved for the students to follow him as he approached the glass doors of the entrance to the boutique. "You are going to be surrounded by people suffering the same...afflictions. But nothing is forcing you to act on anything. Take today as a lesson, and think of shopping as a normal, mundane task."
Jimmy skipped up a little faster in order to catch up to his instructor. "Mr. Pierce, no offense, but you're acting like just because we're gay-"
"Homosexual." Mr. Pierce corrected.
"Homosexual..." Jimmy continued, "Well, you're basically saying that we're sexual fiends. We're not all about sex all the time…speaking for myself, at least."
"Don't take what I said the wrong way, Jimmy. And the same goes for all of you." Mr. Pierce turned to address the rest of the class. "I've been in your shoes. I remember what it was like to be your age, sexually charged and confused. Experimentation is part of human nature. It's perfectly natural to want to try things out, but at the end of the
day, you have to live with the consequences of your choices. If we accommodate every urge we've ever felt in life, the world would be Hell on Earth."He looked around at the small sea of faces. "We're not setting out to change you, just offering a guiding hand. The urges can be controlled, and you can live a happy life the way God intended. But that's another lesson for another badge." He turned to open the door.
Jimmy couldn't help but notice Jake's eyes roll. This was one of those rare occasions in which he fully agreed with his roommate. It was unfair to assume they were all hyper- sexual, like animals who couldn't control themselves. Mason, for example, was a virgin. How could he be compared to Jake, or Kyle, or even himself? The more he thought about it, the more it enraged him. He had a sudden impulse to combat Mr. Pierce's tactics, but he decided to suppress it. This was something he could actually could control, but not easily.
Before Jimmy could follow the rest of his classmates through the doors, he was stopped.
"Can I talk to you for a sec?" Kyle grabbed Jimmy by the arm and brought him away from the others, who were already spreading throughout the store.
"Me?" Jimmy asked quizzically, trying his best to hide the surprised look on his face. Kyle never spoke to him, so he felt the need to double-check.
"Yeah, I know we haven't gotten a chance to talk a lot, but you're the only person I'm not threatened by right now."
Jimmy didn't really know how to respond. He felt there was an insult thrown in there somehow, but he ignored it and let Kyle continue.
"Alex broke up with me."
The awkward car ride all made sense now.
“So, tell me I'm crazy in thinking that Jake would try and hook up with Alex if he knew he was single?"
Jimmy peered into Kyle's saddened eyes. He never saw him like this before. It was quite alarming. Jimmy hesitated, but decided he had to be brutally honest with him. "You're not crazy. Jake would try to hook up with Alex regardless of whether he was in a relationship or not. Him being single is just a huge plus."
Lost Boys Academy (Book Two: Distraction) Page 3