by Matt Zachary
“No!” Sarah yelled and grabbed Billy around the waist. “We want you to stay!”
Billy didn’t know what to do. He didn’t really have a choice in the matter. Even if he could stay, he knew he would never feel comfortable there anymore.
After calming the girls down, he packed his clothes back into his suitcase and headed downstairs.
“I’m so sorry!” Aunt BJ stopped him and hugged him tightly. As she did, she stuffed some money into his hands. “You call me if you need anything,” she whispered.
Billy said he would, but it was a lie. He appreciated the money but he didn’t want to cause any more trouble for his aunt. He was almost an adult and would need to learn to stand on his own two feet sooner or later anyways. After giving his aunt a kiss on the cheek and telling her that he loved her, Billy walked down the driveway to his jeep, taking one long look back to capture the moment in his memories.
Chapter 13
As quickly as he could, Billy threw his suitcase in the back seat and put the jeep in reverse. He had no idea where exactly he would go because he had nowhere near enough money to travel all the way back home to Stuart.
Instinctively, he headed for town so he could talk to Stuart and figure out a plan. As he drove over the dry dusty roads, Billy’s adrenalin began to wear off leaving him with just a nauseous feeling in his stomach.
As soon as he was close enough to town for his cell phone to get signal, he dialed Stuart. “Tell me you love me,” he said when his boyfriend answered the phone. He was worked up and just needed to feel cared for.
“Hey...what’s wrong?” Stuart asked, his voice changing from one of merriment to one of concern.
Billy explained everything that had went on and how he wound up essentially homeless and, as he talked, he began to calm down.
“Well, fuck them! You don’t need them!” Stuart angrily shouted, getting worked up himself. Billy was a bit surprised, at least at Stuart’s language. It was rare for him to swear. “You’re coming home!” Stuart added with determination.
Billy told Stuart that he didn’t have the money for gas to get all that way, and that he would have to get a job or something. “I have....let’s see...about a hundred...and eighty seven, no eighty-eight dollars,” he announced as he counted the money in his wallet along with what his aunt had given him. “That might be enough to get me home...if I don’t eat,” Billy joked.
After realizing that it was possible for him to get back to Stuart, Billy was filled with excitement. He used his phone to see how long the trip would take and it was going to be about eighteen hours, not counting stops for gas and bathroom breaks. He told Stuart he would most likely split it into two nine hour legs with a nap in between.
“Yay!” Stuart cheered. “Tomorrow night you’ll be in my arms!”
Neither boy took into account what would happen then, but Billy suddenly realized he had no place to stay. “Where will I live?” he asked. He had no money for rent anywhere, and knew he couldn’t stay with Stuart.
“Let me worry about that...you just hurry up and get here,” Stuart ordered with a smile.
Immediately, Billy input his destination on his GPS and made a u-turn so he could fill up with gas. Twenty minutes later, he was on his way back home. The two talked for the next three hours but then Billy noticed that his battery was going dead. “I’ll call you tomorrow,” he told Stuart. He planned to drive a little longer and then stop somewhere that had an outlet so he could charge his phone. Then, he would do the remaining three or four hours before taking a nap in a parking lot.
As Billy made the turn off of the highway and onto a rural road, he wished he had his car charger. The road was pitch black and just having someone to talk to would’ve made it easier to stay awake.
After an hour on the dark country road, Billy’s GPS announced that he would be entering the highway in two miles. He let out a sigh of relief. Just as he was turning onto the onramp, though, he hit what he assumed was a pot-hole and heard a loud pop. He didn’t even have to wonder if his tire was okay...he could feel that it was completely flat.
Billy pulled over and stepped out of the jeep. Fortunately, there were lights on the onramp, so he could see. He hoped the tire would be fixable but as he looked at his passenger-side front tire, it was shredded. “Great!” he cursed under his breath.
After digging through his glove compartment and finding his car insurance info, Billy checked his phone to see if there was enough battery left to at least call for a tow truck. The screen was black. The phone was completely drained.
Realizing he had no other choice, Billy got out the jack and began replacing the tire himself. His spare was small and not meant for driving on for any length of time, so Billy knew he was going to need a new tire. Things were not going well, and after he finished changing the tire, Billy just sat in the front seat and put his head in his hands. He felt like crying. The last time he had replaced a tire, it ran close to a hundred dollars. He didn’t even have that much left and, even if he did, it would leave him nothing at all for gas. He wasn’t sure what he was going to do, but he put the car in gear and headed to the closest exit with several businesses.
Chapter 14
Billy found an exit with two hotels and a gas station, so he pulled off the road and into the parking lot of the nicer hotel. It had an inside lobby and he asked if he could charge his cell phone. The Indian man behind the front desk was very friendly and said, “Sure, no problem.”
Billy sat on a sofa in the lobby and watched the television as his phone charged. His eyes started to get heavy a few times, but he was careful not to fall asleep. He didn’t want to take advantage of the courtesy he was extended.
“Do you need a room?” the Indian hotel manager asked after close to an hour.
“I don’t have any money,” Billy answered honestly with an embarrassed look. “I’m going to need to get a tire tomorrow though. Do you know the closest place that might sell used tires?” he asked.
The hotel manager told wrote down directions to garage that he knew sold used tires. “It’s just five miles away,” the man told Billy before forcing him to at least take some of the fruit that was sitting out with him when he left. “You can park here and sleep in your car,” the man offered once Billy’s phone was fully charged.
“Thank you,” Billy smiled. It wasn’t a bad offer. The man had given him a little food. There was access to power and a bathroom. He considered himself lucky.
It didn’t take long after reclining his seat for Billy to doze off. Before he knew it, his alarm was going off. He re-entered the hotel to splash some water on his face and use the restroom before heading over to the garage. He looked around for the Indian man but instead there was a lady at the counter.
“Can I get a sheet of paper? I’d like to leave a note for the man who was working last night,” Billy said. The front desk clerk obliged and Billy quickly wrote out a letter of thanks.
“I’ll see that he gets it,” the clerk told Billy with a smile before proceeding to help a guest that was checking out.
Billy wanted to call Stuart and tell him everything that happened, but he saw no need to get him worried. Plus, he didn’t have an address for the garage, only directions, so he needed to pay closer attention while driving than usual.
The directions the Indian man had given him were right on the nose. Billy found the garage with no problems. “Hello?” he called when he entered the building’s drab lobby. Billy didn’t imagine the place got a ton of business, but he didn’t care as long as the place sold cheap tires.
A minute or two later, a man appeared. He had come from what Billy assumed was his office. The man looked Billy up and down as Billy told him what happened and how desperate he was for a tire. “What size do you need?” the man asked.
“I don’t know,” Billy answered, so he and the mechanic went out to check his jeep. As they walked, Billy couldn’t help but smell the man. He reeked of body odor, and his overalls were already covered
with grease. Billy assumed that he didn’t bother changing or showering before coming in to work. As the man checked Billy’s tire size, Billy once again told him that he had no money. “I can do odd jobs or something to pay for the tire,” Billy suggested desperately.
The man scratched his beer belly and once again looked Billy up and down. “I can work with you,” the man told Billy with a wink.
“Thank you!” Billy said and grabbed the man’s hand to shake. He was so happy to know he’d be getting a tire that he didn’t even bother to ask what ‘work with you’ meant.
“I’ll need your keys,” the man said. Once Billy handed them over, he was told it would only take a few minutes.
Billy paced the lobby for about twenty minutes waiting on the mechanic to return. When the man did emerge again, he told Billy, “Come on back.”
Billy entered the garage and saw his car had a full sized tire on its front passenger side. He felt so relieved. “I don’t know how to thank you,” he gushed with appreciation.
“Well, nothing comes free,” the mechanic said, his voice now harder than before. “Why don’t you come over here and show me how appreciative you are,” he said as he unzipped his jumpsuit and pulled out his dick.
Billy couldn’t believe what the man expected of him. “No,” he stumbled for the right words. “I’m not a prostitute. I’ll work off the bill some other way.” He said, keeping his distance.
“Ain’t no other way,” the man grinned, blocking Billy from reaching his jeep. “You ever want to see your keys again, you’ll get your cock-sucking mouth over here and take my load! NOW!” he yelled, making Billy jump.
Billy felt panic rising in his chest. He didn’t know what to do. Without his jeep, he couldn’t get back home...but he was scared. Slowly, he took a step forward. His eyes showed that he had resigned to his fate. As he reached the mechanic standing there with his overalls around his feet, Billy gagged from the smell. “Just give me a minute,” he pled.
“You go as slow as you want. I plan to make it last a looonnngggg time,” the man cackled.
Before the mechanic even had a chance to react, Billy pushed him back, making him trip over his overalls. Quickly, Billy jumped to his feet and kicked the man in the stomach. He didn’t like having to hurt anyone, but he had to make sure the man wouldn’t get back up.
It took a second, but Billy fetched his keys from the man’s pocket and quickly raced over to his jeep. “I’m gonna call the cops!” the mechanic shouted.
Billy should’ve just drove off, but he couldn’t resist responding. “Make sure you tell them that you tried to rape a minor!” he shouted back. He watched with a smile as the man’s face turned scared.
Before anything else could happen, he started the ignition, put the jeep in gear and exited the garage. He was shaking and could barely hold the steering wheel straight. For a while, he half expected to see the flashing lights of a police cruiser speed up behind him. After an hour of being back on the road though, he figured the man had no intentions of reporting anything. It would only get him in worse trouble.
Chapter 15
After his nerves had calmed, Billy called Stuart. He didn’t mention anything about the shredded tire or the incident at the garage. He didn’t want Stuart to worry. Stuart had to help his step-dad so he couldn’t talk long, but that was fine with Billy. He wanted to conserve his phone’s battery so they could talk later.
The weather was nice, and most of the rest of the trip was all interstate so Billy drove with his window down and his satellite radio up. He sang at the top of his lungs, getting odd looks from the other cars driving by but he didn’t care. All that mattered to him was that he was going to be seeing Stuart again that night.
Just after he passed the state line, Billy’s phone rang. It was Stuart calling. “Did I wake you up?” he asked, not sure if Billy was still on the road or not.
“Nope. I’m heading towards you and should be there in two hours and forty-three minutes, according to the GPS,” Billy happily answered.
The two stayed on the phone the entire time and, before Billy knew it, he was pulling into Stuart’s apartment complex. He felt as though he had never left.
The first thing he did when he greeted Stuart was give him a long, passionate kiss. It was only after the kiss that he realized Stuart’s step-dad could be home. “I’m sorry. I couldn’t help myself,” he apologized with the charming grin Stuart had missed so much.
“He’s not home,” Stuart quickly said before asking Stuart to come inside. Once they were seated, Stuart got right to business. “I made some calls and found you a place to sleep for a night or two, but we’ll have to work on finding some place more permanent,” he informed Billy.
“I don’t care where I have to sleep. Hell, I’ll sleep in my jeep. I’m just happy to be back here.”
“Well, remember you said that,” Stuart said as he broke the news of who Billy’s bunk-mate would be.
“Jeff? The same Jeff that beat you up?!” Billy exclaimed, not sure if he had heard Stuart properly.
“I ran out of people to call. He and I talked a long time and he seemed genuinely sorry for what he had done,” Stuart told Billy.
“Things really have changed a lot since I left,” Billy thought to himself.
Since Stuart’s step-dad would be at work until morning, Billy spent his first night in the arms of his boyfriend. After showering and changing into some clean clothes, the only thing Billy wanted to do was lie in the arms of the man he loved.
“It’s so good to have you back,” Stuart said without the hesitation of the stutter he used to have when the two had first met.
They stayed up half the night telling stories, looking at pictures and discussing the future. Billy and Stuart both planned on getting summer jobs to help cover Billy’s expenses until they started college. Then, he would be legal and hoped that any scholarships or financial aid would cover things.
“I didn’t tell you,” Billy said just as they turned off the TV and were getting ready to finally go to sleep. “I got an acceptance letter the day a few days ago.
Stuart looked at Billy with a confused look. “I thought you had already been accepted?”
“Well, I was...but I decided I’d rather go to school in New York, with you,” Billy answered.
To be continued....
The Resurrection
of The Past
matt zachary
Chapter 1
“Happy Birthday To You! Happy Birthday To You!” Stuart sang as he brought out the birthday cake he made from scratch for Billy’s eighteenth birthday.
Billy was touched. He had only known Stuart for about six months. In fact, they were celebrating their half year anniversary that weekend. Since the two had bet, Billy’s life had been turned upside down. Just before their high school graduation, he found out his dad, an influential judge, had been arrested and that he was going to have to move to Alabama to live with relatives he never had even heard of or knew existed. Unfortunately, his being gay didn’t sit too well with his Uncle and he was kicked out. When he got back home, Stuart had arranged for him to stay a few days with his ex-best friend, Jeff, but that situation turned permanent.
“Well, come on, blow the candles out!” Jeff yelled from behind Billy. He and Stuart had planned the surprise party together, which was a miracle in itself. Not very long ago, Jeff had beat up Stuart for taking away all of Billy’s attention. Fast forward six months and all three of them were best friends. Even Billy’s ex-girl friend, Jessica Leigh, was at the party and celebrating. Life had almost come full circle.
Billy closed his eyes and made his wish. He didn’t really expect it to come through, but he could hope. “Well, what’d you wish?” someone in the crowd yelled out.
“I can’t tell you or it won’t come true,” Billy joked. He wouldn’t have told anyways. It was personal. If he told anyone, it would be Stuart...in private.
Almost immediately after Billy blew out the candles on the
cake, Jeff began passing out cups of beer and liquor, including one special concoction reserved for the birthday boy.
“Fuck! What’s in this...jet fuel?!” Billy yelled after taking a large gulp of the blue liquid and convulsing involuntarily. His throat felt like it was on fire. It did take his mind off of his wish though.
“So, I shouldn’t go out for a job as a bartender?” Jeff joked while making Billy a second drink.
The party raged on, loudly, into the night. “I’m beat!” Billy finally announced, hoping that everyone would get the hint and start heading out, or at least take the party outside. He couldn’t really make them. After all, it wasn’t his house. He knew he had drank way too much, though, and had to start packing the next day for college.
“Did you have a good time?” Stuart asked as he followed Billy up the marble staircase of Jeff’s elaborate home and to the spare bedroom.
“Yeah, it was nice,” Billy answered but Stuart could tell there was something else...something he wasn’t saying.
“What is it?” Stuart asked, concerned that Billy didn’t like the party or his cake.
“I’ve just been thinking about my dad,” Billy confessed. Even though he and his dad had not been close in years...not since his mother died several years ago, he still wished they could mend their relationship. Billy’s dad was in jail awaiting trial and he had gone to visit him once, but the visit only would up in an argument that resulted in Billy storming out without even saying goodbye.
“I wish there was something I could do,” Stuart replied, feeling helpless. He wanted so badly for Billy’s birthday to be happy and joyous. For weeks he and Billy had worried about the state finding Billy and forcing him into some sort of foster care system until his birthday. Finally, his birthday arrived, though, and Stuart thought it would allow Billy to finally feel happy and free.