The Flyer (The Flyer Series Book 1)

by Frédérick S. Parker

  I was on my way to the bathroom, intending to wash away what I’d done when I realized something. I hadn’t used a condom. Shit! Uriah, you idiot! What were you thinking? That was the problem. I wasn’t. The whole thing was jumbled and confused. After fretting for several minutes, I decided to ask Theodora for help.

  Hey, I called to her in the Control.Can we talk?

  Of course, came her response.Where are you?

  In my room. I sat nervously on my bed awaiting her arrival. I didn’t know how I was going to approach the subject or even how she would react. I didn’t know anything about the STDs in this world. My heart thudded in my chest as I heard my would-be mother’s footsteps approach. A moment later she appeared in the doorway.

  Hey there, she greeted me.We missed you at the bonfire. Are you okay?

  I’m fine, I replied unconvincingly as my knee bounced sporadically.

  Honey, what’s wrong? Theodora asked, coming over to sit beside me.

  I, uh, I have to tell you something, but I’m not sure how.

  Whatever it is, I’ll understand.

  I slept with someone,I blurted out. Well, ‘slept’ isn’t the right word. We had sex.

  Okay…my would-be mother looked uncertain. Was it a Flyer in our community or…?

  What? No, it wasn’t a Flyer. It was someone… from the village. We didn’t use protection. I don’t know what I was thinking.

  Alright…Theodora looked decidedly nonplused.So, is this a relationship you wish to…? What kind of future do you want to have with this person?

  Uh, none. I wish it never happened, but we didn’t use a condom so now I’m freaking out.

  She looked pensive for a moment before speaking.I won’t lie, this could get complicated. If you got Sabrina pregnant—

  —It wasn’t her.

  What?

  It was a guy.

  Oh.Theodora exhaled audibly.Well, that’s a relief. I didn’t want to over-step my bounds, but seeing as you were raised on Earth, I think it’s a good idea to give you our version of the sex talk. Well, the Flyer version anyway.

  Thanks, but…

  While I’m not opposed to you experimenting with your sexuality, I must caution you about inter-genetic pregnancies. If you’re going to engage in sexual activity with non-Flyer females, I would encourage you to always use a contraceptive. With the return of the new ruler, any offspring you produce will most likely be Flyers which would be great except that as a father you would have virtually no say in what happens to your child or where he or she is raised. Don’t get me wrong, most non-Flyer mothers to Flyer children understand the importance of keeping them with their genetic group, but as you know, not all of them do.

  Of course,I murmured, darkness momentarily filling my heart. And thanks for the advice, but I still have a problem.

  What’s wrong?

  I raised my eyebrows. Uh, I had unprotected sex.

  I’m not sure how it is on Earth, but here gay and straight relationships go hand in hand. Especially in the Flyer community.

  What about STDs?

  What about them?

  I don’t want to get infected.

  Sexually Transmitted Diseases aren’t really a problem here,Theodora said matter-of-factly. But if you’re concerned, I can give you something that will purge your system. I must warn you, though it will leave you feeling pretty ill.

  For how long?

  At least a couple hours.

  Not a problem. If ever I did get Aaron back again, no way was I risking infecting him. Especially not with an alien STD. Theodora wasn’t kidding. The black goop she gave me tasted awful and it left me feeling pretty sick. For two hours I lay in bed, clutching my stomach as sweat gushed from my pores. On several occasions I bolted to the bathroom, thinking I was going to puke, but nothing came up. It was miserable and I vowed never to have unprotected sex again. At least, not with anyone who wasn’t Aaron.

  Chapter 32

  Aaron

  The days continued to multiply. I didn’t think I could do it and sometimes it felt like I hadn’t, but I managed to push Uriah from my mind. For the most part. There were days when I had to fight the urge to go to his world. In all honesty, the main thing that kept me from crossing over was the fear of walking in on him with some beach bunny-looking chick. I didn’t know what face to give the girl he called Sabrina so I pictured her as some tall, skinny bleach blond with baby blue eyes and a sun tan line. The exact opposite of myself. I’d given Uriah free license to sleep with other people, in fact I’d encouraged it, but I cringed at the idea of him actually following through. The farthest I’ve ever gotten with a girl was a quick kiss on the lips in middle school, so I had no idea what I was missing, but I feared my ex would prefer it to what he had with me.

  There was a guy named Cameron in my philosophy class who I would talk to from time to time. I happened to mention that I was looking for a job and he suggested that I apply at the restaurant where he worked. Apparently they were hiring and needed servers. I told him I didn’t have any experience, but he insisted that I apply anyway. Deciding it couldn’t hurt, I swung by the restaurant and requested an application. The hostess handed it to me with a smile and an obvious once-over.

  “You know, you can fill that out here,” she said, producing a pen from seemingly nowhere and twirling it between her middle and index finger. “Save yourself the time.”

  “Sure. Thanks.” I took the pen, sat at a nearby table and filled out the application. It didn’t take long seeing as I didn’t have any work history. I had friends who could vouch for me a mile long, but no business contacts. Dubious about my chances of getting hired, I returned the job application to the hostess before leaving the restaurant. The next day in philosophy class, Cameron asked if I turned in an application.

  “Yes,” I replied before retrieving my note-taking material. “But it doesn’t matter. I’m probably not getting hired as a server.”

  “Why not?”

  “Uh, I have zero experience.”

  “So, this is the perfect opportunity to get some.”

  “Yes, but…”

  “How are you supposed to get experience if you never work?”

  I gave him a polite smile, wishing I had his optimism. If I didn’t find a job soon, I’d be forced to return to Antomia and I didn’t want to do that. Being in the same world as Uriah would be too much of a temptation. When I thanked Cameron for his help, he studied me for a second before declaring that he was taking me out for drinks after class.

  “You look like you could stand to unwind.”

  “Well, that’s definitely true,” I said. “But I don’t know if drinks are a good idea.”

  “Why not?”

  “Not really feeling it. Besides, I’m not twenty-one.” This last bit was of course an excuse since I’d been drinking since I was sixteen. In fact, since college started, people like Tyler had invited me to a number of parties, but I’d turned them all down. Since my break-up, I didn’t feel like hanging out. Though I must confess, alcohol sounded really appealing at the moment.

  “You’re under twenty-one? Really?” Cameron looked me up and down. “You do have the whole boyish thing going on, but I thought you were at least of legal drinking age.”

  “Nope.”

  “How old are you?”

  “Eighteen.”

  “At least you’re legal,” he said, licking his bottom lip and giving me a wink.

  Is he hitting on me? I’ll admit, Cameron is cute and masculine in a very Uriah sort of way, but I wasn’t interested. Not returning his obvious sexual innuendo, I turned my attention to the professor who had just walked in. After class, as I left the building, Cameron caught up with me.

  “You want to hang out or something?”

  “Thanks, but no thanks. I’m just going to head back to my apartment.”

  “You live on campus?”

  “No, nearby.”

  “Well, if you change your mind, give me a call.”

  �
��Sure thing.” I wasn’t going to change my mind, but I still gave him a polite smile before heading down the sidewalk. Arriving back at my apartment, I started up what had become my routine over the last few weeks; make a snack, study, take a break, study, make dinner, avoid my friends, do some reading and go to bed. It was a good thing classes had started. With my mind on my assignments, I had very little time to think about Uriah. However, come the weekend, all beats were off. With no classes to attend and little homework to do, my mind was wide open. On Saturday, when my ex was all but consuming me, I was searching anxiously for a distraction. I was a little surprised when the restaurant called saying they’d like to set up an interview.

  “Any time is good,” I replied, my heart racing and my palms sweating.

  “How about now?”

  “Uh, sure.”

  Twenty minutes later, I found myself sitting across from a portly man with black hair and rosy cheeks. He introduced himself as Brian.

  “Sorry to ask you in on a Saturday,” he said, shaking my hand. “But we are in desperate need of servers.”

  “No problem,” I replied, trying to appear composed. “Apart from my morning and afternoon classes, I’m pretty much available anytime.”

  “That’s good to know.” Brian looked over my application. “It doesn’t appear as if you’ve had a job before.”

  “No, I haven’t.”

  “How is that possible? Is your family rich? Did you win the lottery? I got my first job when I was 15.”

  “Oh, well, uh. I guess I was focusing most of my energy on school. I didn’t want to get stretched too thin.”

  “I see.”

  “But I’m a fast learner. I’m sure I won’t have any trouble keeping up.”

  “Good. Cameron tells me you’re ambitious. Insists I give you a chance. This is me giving you a chance.”

  “Thank you,” I said, staking his hand while wondering if my newfound friend just got me a job.

  According to the restaurant dress code, the servers were to wear all black. It was a little stricter for the girls because apparently they’d had problems in the past with them dressing too provocatively. To air on the side of caution, Cameron suggested I wear long sleeved everything.

  My first day was Sunday, 6-close. When I arrived, the manager who was a tall lanky character told me I would be shadowing Cameron for the evening. For the next several hours I watched as he took orders, provided drinks and checked in on the guests. He showed me where to find everything like napkins, clean cups, plates and silverware, etc. He explained how the tables were divided up by section. Since a good portion of my income was tip-based, it was vital that I maintained a light, upbeat persona at all times. Cameron warned me that I would get rude and sometimes downright intolerable costumers, but I had to brush it off.

  By the end of the night, my head was full of new information. While we removed our aprons after having finished polishing and rolling the silverware, I ran everything I’d learned over and over again through my head as if I were studying for a test. When he saw my lips moving, Cameron placed a hand on my shoulder.

  “I know it seems overwhelming, but don’t worry. Before you know it, all this will feel like second nature. The people who work here are cool… for the most part. If you have any questions don’t be afraid to ask. And don’t forget, I’m always around.”

  “Thanks.”

  Over the next several days, I worked at the restaurant after class. Apart from Mondays and Tuesdays, I worked everyday. Just as Cameron predicted, it wasn’t long before I was moving through the restaurant like a natural. The manager was a bit of a tool, but so long as I stayed out of his way, he was bearable. After a couple weeks of working there, my classmate asked again if I’d like to hang out. Feeling indebted to him, I agreed. He lived on campus in one of the dorms. He was always complaining about it, but looking around I thought his place didn’t look too bad. His main complaint was having to share his space with a stranger.

  “I wanted to room with my best friend Chloe, but we got our request in late,” Cameron explained after giving me a quick tour. “Luckily my current roommate is almost never here, otherwise I’d never get laid.”

  “Hmm.” I wasn’t sure what to say to that. In class that one day, I thought he’d been coming onto me, but at the restaurant he’d been nothing but professional.

  “Care for a drink?” Cameron asked, jabbing a thumb in the direction of the kitchen. “I’ve got some beers in the fridge.”

  “Naw, I’m good.”

  “You sure? A week of classes followed by work? You could stand to take a load off.”

  After hesitating a minute, I relented. Thoughts of Uriah were starting to creep in. A cold beer could definitely help. Over the next hour, my friend and I drank and watched TV. I’d only meant to have one beer, but every time I finished a bottle, he’d hand me another. The first couple were downed out of habit and by the time I realized what I was doing, I had a pretty good buzz going. For a while I actually relaxed until Cameron tried to kiss me. A commercial had come on and I was idly peeling the label off my latest beer when he just swooped in. I was so startled that for a fraction of a second I almost let him. It was only when his lips were centimeters from mine that I pulled away.

  “Wait, stop.” I put a hand on his chest to halt him. In that moment, I realized that maybe I’d had a little too much to drink. The room swam a bit as I tried to figure out how many beers I’d had. Several bottles were scattered around my feet, but I wasn’t sure which ones were mine and which were Cameron’s.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked, looking just as intoxicated as I felt.

  “I, I can’t do this.” I tried to stand up, but couldn’t. The room was spinning like a tiltawhirl and my head swam like a fish.

  “Why not?” Cameron asked, his eyes fixed on my lips.

  I ran my hands over my face. “I just got out of a relationship. I’m not looking for anything or anyone right now.”

  “Not even a rebound? I could be your rebound.”

  “No,” I said, pulling away as he made another attempt to kiss me. “We were pretty serious. I can’t just jump into bed with someone else.”

  “Maybe that’s what you need to get over him.”

  “I’ve been down that road and it didn’t end well. I do need to get over him, but I’m not quite ready yet.” I was definitely drunk. The fact that I was talking about my relationship with Uriah proved it. I hadn’t told any of my closest friends about our break-up. I also knew I was hammered because, for the first time, I was able to admit to myself that I wasn’t ready to move on. Despite our short time together, Uriah had been a big part of my life. I couldn’t just move on.

  “I know what you need,” Cameron suddenly said, getting unsteadily up from the couch. “Another drink.”

  “No,” I groaned, covering my face. “I’ve already had too much. I need to get going.”

  “Nonsense,” he called from the kitchen. “What kind of friend would I be if I let you out on the streets in your condition? You’re staying here tonight.”

  “I can’t.” I made another attempt to get up, this time managing, but by then Cameron had returned and he promptly pushed me back onto the couch.

  “I insist.” he held out a class of orange juice. “Here, have a sip.”

  Only it wasn't just orange juice. I accepted the class while he set a bottle of vodka on the coffee table. I’ve never had vodka before. Just beer and a little wine. I admit I was intrigued. I might have been less intrigued had I been sober, but my drunken brain decided I might as well have a sip. Just to try it. Big mistake. Before long I was drinking straight from the bottle and soon after, my intoxicated mind was slipping into oblivion. The last thing I remember was being wrapped in strong, powerful arms. Arms that reminded me forcefully of Uriah. I might have called out his name a couple times, but I can’t be sure. The blackness swallowed me whole. When I woke up, I was lying on the couch, covered in a light-weight grey blanket. Sunlight was leaking
in through the curtains and I had a monster of a headache. Shit, what happened last night? Gingerly sitting up, I found Cameron lying on the floor. The blanket that was covering me was also concealing him, but when I moved, the material slid from his body. My heart nearly stopped when I saw that he wasn’t wearing any pants. Pushing back the blanket, I found that I was equally naked. Fuck! Did we have sex? I couldn’t remember. Last night was a blur.

  Scared of what might’ve happened, but determined to know the truth, I started searching frantically for a used condom. The thought of sleeping with Cameron was unsettling, but the possibility of having unprotected sex was terrifying. I’d only known the guy a few weeks. Granted, we’d gotten to know each other pretty well between class and the restaurant, but still. When I spotted a used contraceptive half concealed under the couch I breathed a sigh of relief. We had used protection. The relief was short-lived however as anger bubbled up inside me. Despite my throbbing head, I scrambled off the couch and gathered my clothes which were strewn across the floor. Was this Cameron’s plan all along? Get me drunk then have his way with me? My hands shook as I got dressed. A flashback of him thrusting into me sent a chill down my spine. I didn’t remember much, but I do recall thinking he was Uriah. I might have even begged him to fuck me. Christ! After pulling on my shirt and zipping up my jeans, I kicked Cameron hard in the side.

  “Ow!” he squealed, jerking awake.

  “You asshole!” I declared while pulling on my shoes. “I can’t believe you!”

  “What? What’d I do?” He squinted up at me in the morning light.

  “You got me blackout drunk so I’d have sex with you. I told you I wasn’t interested.”

  “You seemed into it last night,” Cameron said, sporting a lopsided grin, earning him another kick to the ribs. “Ow! I’m sorry! I thought you changed your mind.”

  “Bullshit! The only reason I let you fuck me is because I thought you were my ex.”

  “Any chance his name is Uriah?”

  “Yes.”

  “I wondered why you kept calling me that. I just figured you were role playing or something.”