Date: Thu, 14 Jun 2012 10:17:56 -0400
From: Ronyx <ronyx@woh.rr.com>
Subject: A Delicate Situation  Chapter 2

The following is a work of fiction. Any similarities to anyone are purely
coincidental. The story is intended for a mature audience. It may contain
profanity and references to gay sex. If this offends you, please leave and
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A Delicate Situation   Chapter 2


I walked around in the drizzling rain for what seemed like hours. I wasn't
sure what the proper protocol was for this sort of thing. Since I'd never
had an older brother, I didn't know how long it would take before I could
safely return.

When I did return, the door was slightly ajar. I slowly peeked in to see if
the girl was still in the room. Travis was alone in his bed, and he
appeared to be asleep. I quietly entered and began removing my
clothing. With my boxers on, I climbed into bed. After lying down, I saw
Travis sit up in bed.

"Sorry about earlier, Dude." He apologized in a whisper. "I thought you'd
know what the underwear on the door meant. My brother and I used it all the
time at home."

"It's okay," I responded in a hurtful tone. I still resented him for making
me stay out in the cold, drizzling rain for hours with nowhere to go.

"Well, anytime you want to get laid, do the same thing and I'll know not to
come in. Okay?"

"Yeah, sure."

"Just make sure it's a girl," he laughed. "I don't want no homo shit going
on in here." He laughed again and lay back. A few minutes later, he was
snoring loudly.

I hardly got any sleep. Travis's loud snoring kept me awake most of the
night. Every time I'd get close to falling asleep, he'd dispel a loud burst
and wake me up. By morning, I was ready to scream from listening to the
irritating noise across the room.

I was also upset by his homophobic remark. I'm sure he suspected I was gay,
although we'd only shared a few words. He probably discussed it with his
parents when he escorted them downstairs yesterday. His father surely gave
him some fatherly advice about sleeping with one eye open. However, the
room was as much mine as it was his. If I wanted to entertain a male guest,
which I was not even considering, then who was he to set the rules? The
more I thought about it, the angrier I became. By morning, I had decided
that I was not going to be ruled by Travis as I had been for years by my
dictatorial father.

I awoke from a light sleep when Travis climbed out of bed. He was naked as
he stood in the middle of the room and stretched. He looked at me as he did
it. I think he was challenging me to stare at his nude body to see if I
would react. I rolled over and turned away from him. A minute later, he
left the room.

I climbed out of bed and went to the closet to find something clean to
wear. It was a little past eight, and I had to meet Sydney downstairs so we
could go to breakfast. After finding something suitable to wear, I stood in
the middle of the room and removed my underwear. As I began to dress,
Travis came into the room. He had taken a shower and still had a towel
wrapped around his waist. He stopped when he saw me standing naked before
him.

"Damn, Dude," he remarked scornfully. "Ain't you hit puberty yet? You still
got the body of a little boy."

I quickly put on my underwear, and I was reaching for my shorts when he
grabbed my arm. "Didn't you hear what I said? You look like a fucking
girl."

I turned and shouted, "Fuck you!" He balled his fist and approached me. I
closed my eyes and winced, waiting for the blow. Suddenly, he backed
away. I think he realized the consequence that he would have paid if he hit
me.

"Just stay out of my face," he snarled as he dropped the towel and reached
for a pair of athletic shorts lying on the floor from the night before. We
occasionally exchanged angry glances as we dressed.

I hated him. He didn't even attempt to get to know me. He had probably
expected to room with a jock, someone he could share his sexual exploits
with, perhaps to even share. I wasn't someone with whom he could toss a
football, or stand in the shower and talk about baseball. We came from two
different worlds. There was no way I was going to last the year rooming
with Travis. I'd be lucky to make it a week.

Sydney noticed my angry mood as soon as I walked off the elevator onto the
first floor. "Uh, uh," she quipped. "What happened?"

"I'm going to hate this fucking school," I spat. "I wonder if it's too late
to transfer?" She grabbed my arm and led me outside into a cool, brisk
wind. It wasn't raining like the night before. I was still tired from
spending a restless evening, and the cool breeze felt good on my face.

Sydney glanced over and asked, "Want to tell me what happened?" I sighed
deeply, and then I told her about Travis's first night tryst and his remark
to me this morning. When I was finished, she was as upset as me.

"Fucking moron," she said angrily. "Don't worry," she assured me. "Guys
like him flunk out after the first quarter anyways. The come here to party
and never study."

"I won't make it that long," I replied. Just then, someone called out
Sydney's name. We turned to see a tall, lanky black girl running toward us.

"That's Jade," informed Sydney. "She's my roommate. I asked her to join us,
but she said she had things to do. I guess she changed her mind."

Jade ran up, bent over and tried to catch her breath. "I'm getting too old
for this shit," she laughed as she stood and faced me. "Hi," she extended
her hand to me. "I'm Jade Hamilton, Sydney's roommate." Her eyes scanned my
body before she looked over at her roommate. "He's cuter than you said he
was." I glanced over at Sydney, and she smiled slightly as her face
reddened.

Jade took my hand and started leading me away. "You'll get used to me." It
surprised me when she grabbed Sydney's hand and held it while we
walked. Several students noticed us, but no one seemed to care.

I immediately liked Jade. Besides being pretty, she was witty and extremely
funny. I was jealous of Sydney because she seemed to have been paired with
the perfect roommate. Even though they'd only known each other for a day,
they appeared to have known each other for years.

We went to a pancake house for breakfast. Sydney and I sat together, and
Jade sat across from us in the booth. After ordering, she immediately began
to tease us. "So have you two set a date for the wedding?"

"What?" I was taking a sip of coffee and almost spat it across the table.

Jade started laughing. "Sydney couldn't stop talking about you last night."
She winked playfully at me. "I think a June wedding would be perfect."

"Jade!" shouted Sydney. "Would you stop it!" Sydney's face was turning a
bright red.

Jade sat back and smiled. "Well, he is a cutie. If I swung that way I might
be interested."

I had just taken a sip of coffee and began to choke. Sydney patted me on my
back until I could breath normally again. Jade laughed as I wiped coffee
from my chin. "Sydney told me you were gay, Dorian. I just wanted to get
everything out in the open so we can all be good friends." She reached over
and took my hands in hers. "You are cute as hell, though."

Breakfast was entertaining. I couldn't remember being so open before. It
was exactly what I needed after the horrendous night I'd spent. We spent
two hours talking about ourselves and getting to know each other. I already
knew about Sydney's brother, but I wasn't aware that her parents were
separated. Her father was an electrical engineer who had met a younger
woman and was now living in Seattle with her two children. She said she was
still dealing with it, but attending college would give her a chance to
focus on other things.

Jade and I shared a similar past. She came out to her family when she was
thirteen. Her father was a minister, and he rejected her as a daughter. She
said her life was miserable after that. She said dinnertime was especially
bad because he would say grace and always end it with her repenting someday
of her sinful ways. She had two older brothers who also shared her father's
sentiments.

However, she was strong willed, and she refused to let their prejudices
determine her outlook on life. She always tried to discover the good nature
of people to counter the negative attitudes of her family. I admired her
for that. While I had become a recluse at home, she had involved herself
with life. Not only had she graduated as valedictorian of her senior class,
she had been a student member of the Board of Education, starting forward
for the girls basketball team and editor of her school newspaper. By being
valedictorian, she had received a four-year scholarship to the
university. She explained she was not trying to brag about her
accomplishments, but rather to point out that it was important to rise
above adversity. In one morning, she had made more of a positive impact on
me than anyone I'd ever met my entire life.

I was last to describe my background. Sydney and Jade listened attentively
as I told them about my authoritarian father and how I'd withdrawn from
life. Tears filled our eyes as I told them about how lonely I'd been for
years. They seemed surprised when I told them how I felt my appearance was
a curse, and how little confidence I had in myself. When I finished, I was
embarrassed because, unlike Jade, I had never taken a stand to make my life
better. I had acquiesced to my solitary life, and I was now hoping to make
a new start.

Jade seemed surprised when I finished. "As cute as you are, and you've
never had a boyfriend?" I embarrassedly shook my head.

"I don't find myself all that cute," I stated sadly. "I'm short, thin, and
I have a body of a twelve year old. That's what Travis said this morning."

"Who's Travis?" Jade asked. I then explained what had happened since his
arrival. I told her about the girl in the room and how I had to spend the
night in the rain. She became livid when I told her about his homophobic
attitude just an hour earlier.

"You'd better be careful, Dorian," she warned. "Guys like him can be
dangerous."

"I know," I replied.

"However," she said. "The main reason I came here was because they have a
very supportive policy concerning students with different lifestyles. They
won't put up with any shit. They also have a very active GLBT organization,
too." Her eyes lit up as she looked at Sydney and me. "I was going to join
it. Why don't both of you join with me?"

Sydney jumped at the opportunity. She said it would help her better
understand her gay brother. She couldn't wait to call him and tell him. I
was a little more hesitant about the prospect of joining a gay group. I
feared I would be outing myself to Travis and other students. I didn't know
if I was yet ready to do that. Another reason I didn't want to join was
because my father was running for reelection. Even though I hated him, I
didn't want to be an embarrassment to him if it was discovered that I was
active in a gay organization. He was, after all, one of the most important
members of the state. He would be running for his fourth term, and there
had been rumors that he was on a short list as a vice presidential running
mate. I could become a delicate situation for him to explain.

Of course, when I tried to explain my fears to Sydney and Jade, they tried
to assure me that I was now a man and could make my own decisions. Jade
insisted that coming out would be the first step to building
self-confidence. She seemed pleased when I told her I'd think about it. She
looked over at Sydney and smiled. "He's going to do it."

So at breakfast, I acquired two friends- two good friends. As we walked
back to the dorm holding hands, I'd felt like I'd known them all my
life. Perhaps my life would have been different if I had.

Travis wasn't in the room when I returned. The room was a shambles,
though. In one day he'd managed to turn it into a pig sty. His clothes were
all over the floor, and several beer cans were on top of his desk. It
appeared he'd had some of his buddies in before he went out, probably to
play football again. I didn't know if I should tidy the room up for fear
that he'd be mad if he came back and got angry that I'd touched his
personal property. However, I refused to live the rest of the year in a
messy room. I kicked his clothes into the closet, took the beer cans, and
deposited them in a trash container in the hallway.

Since no one seemed to be around, I decided to take a quick shower. The
water was warm so I decided to remain longer than I had the day before. I
had my head back letting the water flow comfortably down my face when I
heard the door open. A minute later, a guy walked naked into the shower
area. He was large and beefy with a ruddy complexion. I averted my eyes
from him as I turned and shut off the water.

I heard him say, "You don't have to go, Cute Thing." I quickly glanced at
him. He was stroking his small cock in an attempt to make it hard. He
laughed loudly as I wrapped my towel around my waist and fled from the
room.

I got up early the next morning to go to the administration office to
register. I was to meet Sydney in the lobby at 8:00. We were going for a
quick breakfast before we had to attend an orientation meeting.

Travis was sleeping when I climbed out of bed. He had come staggering into
the room around 2:30 and plopped down in his bed without even
undressing. He was snoring loudly as I dressed and left the room. At first,
I thought I should wake him so he wouldn't be late for registration, but I
figured if he'd been concerned then he wouldn't have spent the night
drinking with his buddies. If he missed his scheduled appointment, then
he'd have to suffer the consequences that meant most classes would be
closed and he'd have to take those that no one else wanted.

Jade was waiting with Sydney when I exited the elevator. As the day before,
she was smiling broadly. She hugged me and kissed my cheek when I
approached.

"There's my little brother," she exclaimed cheerfully as she wrapped her
arms around me.

"What?" I laughed as I stepped back and looked at the color of my arm. "I
don't think so," I laughed.

"Forget it, Dorian," explained Sydney. "You're all she talked about last
night. She's adopting you as her little brother, so you might as well get
used to it."

"That's right," remarked Jade as she grabbed my arm and started to lead me
from the dorm. "Get used to it, Cutie."

Breakfast was as enjoyable as it was the previous day. We went to a Dunkin
Donuts and got coffee and a dozen crème doughnuts and went outside to
eat. The sun was shining brightly and students were already scurrying down
the sidewalk. Most students had arrived over the weekend and were busying
preparing for the opening of classes on Wednesday. Freshman had to attend
orientation sessions where we would be assisted in selecting classes. From
looking over the class offerings, it appeared my freshman year in college
would be nothing more than another year of high school. Since I was a
liberal arts major, I was required to take core classes.

When we arrived at the building for our orientation, we were divided into
groups and assigned a room number. Jade and I were in one group while
Sydney disappointedly had to join another. We were taken to a large
computer lab where we would register online for our classes. There were
several people standing around whom I assumed would probably assist us.

After sitting down, a large man asked us to get quiet. He introduced
himself as Dr. Swanson. He said he was the assistant dean of the
university, and he would be in charge of our orientation session. As he
began to speak, a student entered the room and handed him a piece of
paper. After reading it, he looked out over the room and asked, "Is there a
Dorian Gale present?"

Jade glanced over at me. My face began to redden as I stood. "Yes, Sir," I
responded timidly.

He then announced, "You're to accompanying this young lady."

"Where to?" I asked.

"I don't know," he said sharply. "Just do it quickly." I glanced over at
Jade before gathering my materials, putting them into my book bag and
leaving the room. Once in the hall, I asked the young girl who appeared old
enough to be a senior where we were going.

"To President Avery's office," she informed me as she quickened her pace. I
almost had to run to catch up with her."

"Why are we going to his office?"

"I don't know," she said. "I'm only an assistant. They just told me to come
get you." I tried to think of what I'd done wrong since arriving. I'd seen
Dr. Avery's name in most of the material I'd read. He had been president of
the school for over fifteen years, and he was described as a pioneer in the
field of higher education. Enrollment had doubled during his tenure.

I followed the assistant to the third floor of the administration
building. She directed me to Dr. Avery's office where I was introduced to
his secretary. She asked me politely to have a seat in a large leather
wingback chair. I looked around nervously as I waited for him to see me. I
still couldn't think of anything I'd done to warrant a visit to his
office. Besides, I thought, doesn't the Dean of Students usually handle
disciplinary problems?

After waiting for about ten minutes, the secretary led me down a hallway to
the President's office. He was standing at the door waiting for me. He was
tall, square-jawed with grey, thinning hair. He looked very authoritative
in his dark blue suit. His countenance reminded me of my father. "Dorian
Gale," he remarked enthusiastically as he shook my hand. "It is an honor to
have you attend our school." He pointed to another leather chair facing his
desk. "Have a seat."

He sat down and shuffled some papers on his desk. He then looked at me and
smiled broadly. "Dorian Gale," he said again in a reverent tone. "Senator
Jonathan Gale's son. What an honor."

Suddenly, I realized why he wanted to see me. I was a trophy student, like
the star quarterback signing to play for the school. I was a senator's son,
another achievement for his professional portfolio. He opened his desk
drawer and handed me a packet in an ornate binder.

"What's this?" I asked as I opened the binder.

"It's your schedule," he informed me. "Everything has been taken care of
for you. I've seen to it that you have been assigned the best professors. I
think you will be very happy with the selection. I've also provided you
with the names of top-notch graduate students who will tutor you in case
you have any problems in your classes. We here at the university want to
make sure your educational experience is an enjoyable one."

I thumbed through the papers and looked at the courses he had selected for
me. As I did, rage began to build up inside me. I stood and faced
Dr. Avery. "Why are you doing this?" I asked angrily, "What if I wanted to
select my own classes?"

His smile quickly changed to one of astonishment. "What on earth do you
mean, Dorian? You have a remarkable schedule. I've personally taken care of
it."

"But why?" I asked indignantly. "Because I'm a Senator Gales son?"

"But of course," he replied. "You're not just an ordinary student. Your
father is one of the most important men in this state. He has worked
effortlessly to make this university one of the best schools for higher
learning. Through his leadership in the Senate, he's helped the school
attain hundreds of millions of dollars through grants and other legislative
actions."

"I'm not my father," I replied rudely as I laid the binder on his desk. His
eyes narrowed in anger. "I've done nothing to deserve this. Thank you, but
I'd rather make it here on my own." I hurried from his office before he
could stop me.

On the way back to the registration building, I was seething with
anger. Not once in the past few years had my father even noticed my
existence. He hadn't even attended my high school graduation. My mother had
come alone. Now, however, I was a means to attain the perks he probably
thought he deserved for the work he had done for the university. One of the
things I'd hope to accomplish by leaving home was taking control of my
life. I didn't want him or my mother involved in my decisions anymore.

As I approached the registration area, my cell phone rang. It was my
father. I hesitantly answered it. "What the hell is going on?" he shouted
into the phone. "I was interrupted in the middle of a foreign relations
committee meeting. Dr. Avery said you were very rude in his office."

"I just wanted to make my own schedule," I responded meekly into the
phone. Even though I had decided to make my own decisions, it was easier to
do when I thought about it. Confronting a father I'd feared for years
wasn't quite as easy.

"Bullshit!" he barked. "Dr. Avery is an old friend of mine and he went out
of his way to make sure you're being taken care of properly. Now, you take
your insolent ass back to his office and apologize, or I'll be down there
this afternoon and drag your ass to his office and make you do it!" he
shouted. "Do you understand me?"

I knew he meant it. After being a senator for over twenty years, he was
used to having his way. No one ever refused to do what he wanted him or her
to. If he said he'd get in his car and come see me, he would. He'd probably
bring along several state patrolmen just to intimidate me even more.

"Well?" he screamed. "I've got to get back to my meeting. I don't have time
to deal with this stupid shit."

"Yes, Sir," I replied timidly. He hung up the phone.

I reluctantly made my way back to Dr. Avery's office. I was sure he
wouldn't be happy to see me again. If my actions before had warranted an
immediate call to my father, then I'm sure he had been offended. He was
sitting at his desk when his secretary led me to his office. He had an
angry scowl on his face as he handed me the ornate binder.

I knew he expected me to leave, but I sat down in the leather chair. "I'm
sorry, Sir," I apologized. I was trying to seem as remorseful as
possible. I'd decided on the way to his office that if I had to submit to
their authority, then I could play the game to get what I wanted out of it
also.

His scowl turned to a warm smile. "It's quite all right, Dorian," he
remarked. "Your father and I are only doing what we think is best for you."

"Yes, Sir," I remarked agreeably. "Could I ask one favor of you?"

"Of course," he smiled. "Anything for Senator Gale's son."

"Well, Sir," I began. "I made two good friends yesterday, and I think I
would do much better if they were in my classes to help me. Is there anyway
they could get the same schedule as me?"

"That would be no problem," he replied smilingly. "Just give me their names
and I'll take care of it."

"Sydney Newcombe and Jade Hamilton."

I went to my dorm room when I left Dr. Avery's office. Thankfully, Travis
wasn`t there. He'd probably gone to the orientation. He did leave the room
a mess again. I usually like to make my bed when I get up in the morning,
or at least throw the covers over so it looks more presentable. I wouldn't
be surprised if Travis had never made his bed or put away his clothes. The
room looked like it had the day before when he left. After tidying up a
little bit, I sat down and looked at the schedule Dr. Avery had prepared
for me.

I had three classes on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. He had enrolled me in
English 101 from 9:30 to 10:30. My next class wasn't until 1:00. It was
Sociology 101. My last class of the day was Math 201 at 3:00.

On Tuesday and Thursday, I had two classes. Unlike the other classes that
ran an hour, they were an hour and a half. At 8:00, I had Modern Biology. I
didn't mind the early start; however, I probably wouldn't have time to eat
breakfast on those days. Then at 1:00, I had World Civilization.

Looking over the schedule, it didn't seem much different from being in high
school. All the classes looked boring, but at least none looked too
difficult. I'd been a pretty good student throughout high school. I wasn't
a straight A student, but I did manage to make good grades. I guess if I'd
applied myself better, as my mother was always harping, I would have
probably done better.

I started to go online to find out what books I'd need for the courses when
my cell phone indicated I had a text message. It was from Jade.

Meet us downstairs Lil Bro

* * * * * * * *

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