Beyond the Horizon

by Ace Campillo

  ‘I’m actually very thankful to your family for taking care of me during my trying times. I don’t think I would have survived without you.’

  ‘All good man, we are brothers.’

  I did not think that he was going to be alright on his own, and so I invited him to have a sleepover at my place tonight. He initially declined and gave various excuses, but I kept insisting until he gave up and agreed. We returned to the house, and I was the first one to enter. She was about to scold me, but I pointed out that Andre was with me. She immediately calmed down and greeted him. It was a funny scene because she still had her hand up and her mouth wide opened when Andre saw her. It was like seeing the NASA people trying to return an already launched rocket. It's a good thing that Andre was here. Otherwise, I would be receiving a mouthful tonight. It's because she knew what was happening, so she avoided triggering negative emotions. The way she looked at me was a different story, though. I could feel that she would spank me any time she got the chance. I knew it's inevitable, but I'd enjoy my freedom for now.

  ‘Feel at home,’ she smilingly told Andre.

  ‘Thanks, Mrs Carter.’

  ‘I’m just going to get something to snack on,’ I asked Andre to go ahead and place his things in my room.

  ‘I can help you,’ he suggested.

  ‘Nah, go ahead. I’ll be with you shortly.’ I responded.

  As he was out of sight, my mother approached me and pinched the cheek of my face. She squinted her eyes and flashed an angry expression before asking me where I was today before joining Andre. I wanted to hide it because I don't want to be embarrassed by my mother, teasing me about it. However, I thought that it would be the only thing that would save me at this point.

  ‘I was on a date with a girl this morning,’ I said. The expression of my mom took a turn, and now, she’s smiling from ear to ear.

  ‘Why didn’t you tell me in the first place?’

  ‘I don’t think it’s something that I have to tell you. Well, not yet anyway.’

  ‘Of course, it is! Is she your girlfriend yet?’

  ‘Mom!’

  ‘Well, I have to know.’

  ‘No, not yet.’

  ‘Your father will be delighted to hear that news.’ She clasped her hands in front of her and tilted her head. I had never seen my mother so happy like this. I guess I saved my ass for now.

  ‘Yeah, but I think there's a more important thing that I need to attend.’ I continued telling her the story of how Andre was too devastated about his parents' death. Until now, he still felt that it was his fault that his parents tried to come home that night and that it was his fault that the car crashed. My mother was surprised to hear what I said, and she sharply rebuked the idea that it was Andre's fault.

  ‘I understand what he’s going through; no loss is easy to handle,’ she said.

  ‘Is there anything we can do for him?’ I asked.

  ‘Why don't you ask Andre if he wants to go on a trip tomorrow. I'll ask your dad for us to go to your grandfather.’ She responded.

  ‘Really?’ I beamed in apparent excitement, and I danced random steps.

  ‘It feels like you’re more excited than all of us,’ she laughed but quickly added, ‘the trip is for Andre, okay? So, behave yourself.’

  ‘Mom, what are you talking about? I’ve always been well-behaved.’ I glared at her.

  ‘You better start now and bring these sandwiches to your friend.’

  ‘Where’s mine?’

  ‘You two should not overeat. It's almost dinner time. I'll call you when dinner is ready, okay?’

  I hugged her, kissed her on the cheek and thanked her before heading to my room. As I entered, I saw him reading a comic book.

  ‘It’s quite interesting to see you read something aside from your textbook.’ I chuckled.

  ‘Duh, it’s not like I’m a total nerd who lives in the library.’ He also laughed at what he said.

  ‘It’s good to see you laugh.’ I smilingly said.

  ‘Thanks, man. You've always been there to support me.’ He sat up and pointed at what I was holding and asked, ‘what's that?’

  ‘My mom made it for us, but she said we can only have one each because it's almost dinner time,’ I answered, and I heard my tummy grumble in response as well.

  ‘It sure is telling that it’s almost time for dinner alright.’ As soon as he finished speaking, his stomach has also made a loud roar. We both laughed this time.

  ‘Yeap and the idea has been well seconded.’

  ‘How am I going to sleep here? I don’t have any clothes.’

  I threw him the nearest pillow I could grab. I found it quite funny that he would be saying that as if it’s his first time having a sleepover. It felt like he wanted to make an excuse to go somewhere else.

  ‘You can just borrow my clothes as always. Duh.’ I smirked.

  ‘Are you sure your parents will be alright for having me here overnight?’ He had an inquisitive look on his face, and I couldn't help but laugh at what he was saying.

  ‘You seem to be too concerned,’ I said as I moved closer to him before adding, ‘of course, why would you even ask that question?’

  He stared at me, and for a moment, I thought I saw him look at my lips as if he was going to kiss me. However, he looked away, and I just brushed off the ridiculous idea.

  ‘I just feel so helpless at the moment. I don’t want you to think that I am taking advantage of you.’ He plopped down on the bed and buried his on the pillows that were piled up.

  ‘Don't be silly. You would never be a burden, and we would never consider thinking that you are taking advantage of us.’

  He twisted around, now fully lying on his back, and he stared at the ceiling. I also joined him and just lay down beside him.

  ‘Mom says we’re going on a trip tomorrow.’ I turned to my side to face him.

  ‘What time?’ He also did the same and spoke, ‘let me know so I could go home before then, so you can prepare.’

  I understood that his emotions might be too high and might be clouding his thought process, but I was starting to also feel irritated. I gently hit his forehead with my knuckles, and I looked at him. He rubbed the area where my knuckles landed, and he raised an eyebrow.

  ‘Why’d you do that for?’ He asked as he continued to rub his forehead.

  ‘Firstly, can you stop being so melodramatic. I did not even hit you that hard. Secondly, you're coming with us, you doofus.’ I smirked.

  ‘But where are we going?’ He curiously asked.

  ‘We are going to visit my grandfather’s place in the south,’ I answered.

  ‘I don’t think it’ll be good if I joined you there.’

  ‘Why not?’

  ‘…because, it's a family trip, Jeremy.’ He insisted.

  ‘What's wrong with that? Mom specifically organised the trip, especially for you.’ I tried to persuade him by making a guilt trip.

  ‘I really don’t think I can.’ He flashed an apologetic look.

  ‘It’s fine with me. However, you need to tell mom about your decision.’

  ‘Can you not just pass my answer to her please?’

  ‘Oh mate, you know our dear old Sally. Just tell her you can’t make it, and she’ll understand.’

  I found it harsh that I kind of coerced him to do something, but I felt the need to bring him out to do something with us, or else he would just be in his room moping about things. We were then called by my mother later on to have dinner, and we ran downstairs like little kids. We were again surprised though that my dad was already sitting down at the dining table. He had constantly been popping out of nowhere recently.

  ‘C’mon kids, let’s have dinner,’ my dad happily exclaimed.

  ‘I thought you won’t be back until late tonight. I’m happy you came home early.’ I approached him to give a hug. Andre, on the other hand, gave him a handshake as they greeted each other.

  ‘My meeting unexpectedly got cancelled, so
it gave me a reason to come home earlier. Your mom also messaged me about visiting pop tomorrow,’ he spoke as he started taking a spoonful of viand from the serving plate and quickly added, ‘you need to wake up a bit early, so we can reach there on time.’

  I saw Andre’s troubled face, and so I took the opportunity to get their attention by clearing my throat.

  ‘Yeah about that—’ I pointed to Andre and said, ‘—Andre has something to say.’ I felt guilty as I could see his pained expression. My parents were asking him if he was alright. I was quite surprised by what he said that I almost spat out the food I was chewing.

  ‘I just want to thank you for being there for me. I can’t wait for the trip, and I hope we all enjoy it.’

  I smirked as our gazes met. I shook my head slowly as I continued to stare at him. He had a sheepish smile, and he shrugged his shoulders. The rest of the night was just the usual chatters. As soon as dinner was over, my dad went to the lounge to watch television. My mom, on the other hand, carried the dishes to the kitchen. We offered to do it for her, but she told us to go watch something or play in my room. I did not know if she was enlightened by the Holy Spirit, but she was a different person tonight. Dear Lord!

  I told Andre that I had a more exciting plan for the night and that included booze and strip poker. He told me that I was naughty, but he was also interested in it. He asked where we were going to get our alcohol when my parents were both downstairs.

  ‘Leave it to me,’ I smirked, and I pointed both of my thumbs towards me. I walked towards my wardrobe and pulled out a medium-sized box. I did not know what kind of alcohol it was inside, but I knew it was a good one because it came from my father's stash. He once asked us where his bottle of whiskey went, and I pretended to not know anything about it. I knew I was naughty, but I could not say I had full experience of my youth if I had not done anything stupid.

  ‘So, what is it?’ Andre extended his neck upward to see what I was holding.

  ‘Well…’ I pulled out the bottle and showed it to him.

  ‘Blue label Johnnie Walker says the label.’ He laughed but quickly added, ‘you def have the good stuff, dude.’

  I released the cork from the bottle, and it made a loud popping sound. We paused for a bit to check if we got the attention of my parents, but we waited but nothing happened. I placed the opening of the bottle close to my nose and attempted to sniff off the smell. It went straight to the back of my nasal cavity, and it sent shockwaves to the rest of my body.

  ‘Dayum… that’s one hell of a whisky. I hope it doesn’t make us tipsy very early.’

  ‘You have not even had anything yet, but you already act drunk.’ He chuckled.

  ‘I actually haven’t drunk alcohol yet in my entire life. How about you?’ I asked.

  ‘You mean this is your first time? I’ll be happy to go with your journey on your first naughty drink.’ He winked at me as he smiled. It made me blush that I actually had not tried it yet, and I was already turning eighteen in the next coming months. However, it’s not impossible that I was not the only one. Or was I?

  ‘So, it’s not your first?’ I asked him.

  ‘Nah… I had some shots here and there, but I would not consider myself a drunkard.’ He smirked. I thought I brought hell upon myself at that stage.

  ‘I think I'm going to lose this even before we start.’ I let out a burst of nervous laughter.

  ‘Nonsense! I’m pretty sure you’ll do good.’

  We decided to start our strip poker, and we incorporated a rule of either taking off a piece of clothing or take a shot of alcohol. It started easy, we were even in removing one article at a time as we lose the turn, but as soon as we were down to our underwear; I started taking shots of pure whiskey shots to avoid being totally naked. I was quite surprised to finally realise that the taste was not actually too bad, it's a bit strong on the first few shots, but it got better as I started having some more. However, I felt that I was getting drunker and drunker. I held on hoping that I'd survive, but in the end, I gave up and got naked. I thought I started mumbling things, and I started accusing Andre of being gay. He dismissed my allegation and said that I was no longer thinking straight because of intoxication. After that, I could no longer remember anything.

  I thought I blacked out and was immediately transported to dreamland. I was having a series of dreams, but it started getting naughtier and naughtier. I had a wet dream, and it was about me hooking up with a girl whose face I could not see. It started with a kiss, well, more of a peck on the lips. They were initially soft kisses until it travelled down to my joystick. It was a dream, but it also felt so real at the same time. My breathing started becoming heavy and erratic as the girl in my dream licked my groin with the tip of her tongue. I gasped as the warmth of her mouth had encapsulated my manhood. It did not take a long time before I exploded. I was already half-awake for most of what was happening, but I reckoned that I was still too drunk to open my eyes. I was like in a trance where I wanted to wake up, but my own body would not let me. It took a while, but I was able to finally peek through the darkness, and I saw Andre putting my underwear back on me. He noticed that I was awake.

  ‘You alright?’ He asked. I could not find my voice, and so I groaned in response.

  ‘I'm just helping you put your briefs back on,’ he said as he pulled them up and quickly added, ‘and we need to go to bed so can lie down properly. It's getting very cold.’

  I think it’s one of those drunk moments when I told myself that I would not drink again. I groggily got up with his assistance and swayed sideways in the process. I did not even want to think about what was happening. All I wanted was to rest my aching head. The only question I had was, was my dream actually just a dream?

  It was a dream, you idiot! It was a dream. I told myself before I passed out again.

  Chapter 4

  Being in deep slumber for me meant that I could not be easily awoken by an alarm clock. I could still remember when my mother pinched my cheek so hard, so she could wake me up in time for our early flight going to the United States for our holiday. Was I excited, heck yeah? However, I was so thrilled to be going somewhere else other than our traditional Christmas of visiting my grandpop. I was not able to sleep until an hour before I was meant to get up and prepare for our trip. My mother was so angry, and she kept scolding me as I groggily prepared. And now, I could feel the same way again. But this time, it was kinder. I could feel someone gently shaking me and occasionally tap me on the shoulders.

  ‘Jeremy,’ I hear a voice calling out my name, but I ignored it at first. The shaking and tapping became stronger, and I now realised that it was Andre trying to wake me up. I slowly opened my eyes and groggily murmured something.

  ‘Good morning,’ Andre laughingly said as he opened the curtains.

  I groaned and covered my eyes. I was still a bit hungover from the strong alcohol that we consumed from last night. Talk about regrets, but no, it was something that I introduced to both of us. I couldn’t say I regretted the experience, and I enjoyed every second of it. It’s just the headache that I was hating. I never thought a day would come that I would hate the sunlight more than everything. I reached for my digital clock on the bedside table and tried to read the time. It’s already 6:30am. Shit. I rubbed my eyes and yawned. Stretching out my body. I jolted as it seemed like I was going to have leg cramps for a moment. I looked at him as he was quietly giggling and slowly shaking his head.

  ‘You alright dude?’ He asked.

  ‘I am. I guess it’s time to get up.’ I sat down, and I felt the throbbing in my head started to get worse.

  ‘I'll get you water.’ He went out of my room, and a few moments later, he reappeared carrying a glass of water. He placed it on the bedside table and walked towards his bag to get something.

  ‘It's a good thing that I carry some Ibuprofen.’ He took two tablets out of the packet and handed them to me. I immediately grabbed them and consumed the water as quickly as I could.
I did not think I'd be this thirsty after drinking too much alcohol. I thanked Andre for his gestures and gave the glass back to him.

  ‘I know you're still waking up, but your mom told me that we need to hurry up,’ Andre spoke.

  ‘I know.’ I slowly stood up and went to the bathroom to wash my face. When I came back to the room, I told Andre to rummage through my clothes to see what he wanted to wear. I joked that he might want to spend the day with my parents, and I could just stay here at home and do my usual business. I laughed at my own joke, but he maintained his straight face.

  ‘Be thankful that you still have your parents, so get your ass to the bathroom and start preparing.’ He had a serious look on his face, and I understood the reason for it.

  ‘I’m sorry. Geez. I’m only joking.’ I answered.

  ‘I know,’ he said as he opened the closet and quickly added, ‘I’m sorry. I don’t mean to be angry.’ He tried to catch my gaze, and as our eyes met, he flashed an apologetic look.

  ‘We’re good, man. You know that I’m always here for you,’ I said.

  ‘Thanks.’ He smiled again.

  I told him that it suited him if he just maintained the smile on his face. However, a part of me mourned with him. I would never know how it felt to be orphaned, but I knew that he was in a significant amount of pain. I admired him for being strong because it's something that I could never be. It was in my mind as I hopped into the shower. I felt relieved, though when the warm water started to hit my body. The headache was still there, but it began to slowly dissipate. I was in the middle of lathering my soap on my body when I remembered the arousing sensation I felt in my sleep. I never experienced that feeling that it felt so real. Was it just a dream? Did something actually happen? I was keen to know, but I could not also assume anything as I was drunk as hell. Also, Andre was not acting any different. I was in the process of meditating when I heard knocks on the door.

  ‘You’re not sleeping in there, are you?’ Andre shouted from outside.

  ‘I'm almost finished,’ I yelled back. I hissed at him, not that he could actually hear me correctly, but I hate it when someone told me to hurry up. I did not like it. I want to usually take my time, and one thing I was proud of was the fact that I was never late to anything; that's what I thought anyway. I internally laughed. I hurriedly rinsed the soap off and dried my body. I had put on my underwear and went out of the bathroom. I saw him sitting down on the bed with a towel on his shoulder.