Date: Mon, 25 Jun 2012 14:49:40 -0400
From: Ronyx <ronyx@woh.rr.com>
Subject: A Delicate Situation   Chapter 3

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 3


When I got off the elevator, Sydney and Jade were waiting for me. "I'm
starving," announced Jade as she grabbed my arm. On the way out, we decided
to eat at a nearby Subway.

Sydney looked at me and asked, "Where did you go during orientation? You
never came back."

I told them about my visit to Dr. Avery's office. I explained to them how I
had walked out of his office, and then the angry phone call from my
father. Jade couldn't believe what happened. "They treat you like this just
because your father is a senator?"

"One of the perks of his office," I replied angrily. "I know he's going to
be informed of everything I do." Then I started smiling. "At least I got
something out of it." I wasn't sure if they knew yet about Dr. Avery
changing their schedules.

Sydney asked, "What?"

I smiled and announced, "We'll be in the same classes this semester."

"That explains it," she said excitedly. "I thought I was going nuts."

"Me, too," agreed Jade. "I was on the computer selecting classes when all
of a sudden my screen went blank. I thought it had crashed. Then the screen
reopened and displayed a completed schedule."

"The same thing happened to me," replied Sydney.

I started laughing. I then explained how I had conned Dr. Avery into having
the three of us attend the same classes. "So at least one good thing came
of this," I remarked. We high fived each other as we headed toward the
restaurant.

As we ate, Jade pulled out her laptop and began typing. Sydney asked, "What
are you doing?"

"There it is," Jade replied. She then turned the screen toward us. On it
was a site called Campus Pride. It was our school's gay student
organization. The three of us read about the organization and their
activities on campus.

"They seem pretty active," observed Jade. She looked over at us. "The first
meeting is next Tuesday. Are you still going with me?"

Sydney readily agreed. "It's not just for gay students. Look." She pointed
to the monitor. "They say straight students are also welcomed. So I'm in."
She looked over at me. "What about you, Dorian?"

"I don't know," I replied worriedly. "After what happened this morning, I
don't know if I should. Dad will shit bricks if he discovers I've joined a
gay group here at school. He is bound to find out."

Jade gave me a disgusted look, and then she and Sydney spent the next half
hour trying to convince me I had to start making my own decisions. I tried
to make them understand that my dad wasn't just an ordinary father- he was
a U.S. Senator. However, they wouldn't buy the argument. They said I was
Dorian Gale, not Senator Gale. I was now nineteen and in college. Jade
giggled when she told me it was time to grow some cajones.

By the time we had finished eating, they had convinced me to at least
attend the first meeting. I still wasn't sure I was making the right
decision. I didn't want to tell Sydney and Jade, but there was the
possibility that he just might remove me from school if he found out I was
publicly coming out. Of course, I could always tell him I was straight like
Sydney, and I was just attending to support Jade.

However, I knew my father well enough to know he wouldn't buy it. He had
seen me in bed with another boy; however, I was twelve when that
happened. It didn't mean I was actually gay. Even though I'd never told my
parents I was gay, I'm sure they knew it. I never dated during high school,
which always aroused their suspicions. Dad even asked me a few times why I
didn't date. I just shrugged it off and told him I didn't have the time. He
was never around the house long enough to know what I had time to do. Mom,
though, had tried unsuccessfully to get me to date the daughters of some of
her socialite friends. By my junior year she stopped. I think she finally
realized I was gay, but neither of us would be the first to discuss it.

After eating, we went to the bookstore to purchase the books and materials
we'd need for our classes. Since we were taking the same classes, we
figured we could save money by sharing books. I had a credit card with an
unlimited account. Dad proudly gave it to me a week before school. He told
me to use it to buy anything I needed. He found it amusing when he warned
me not to buy a Mazerati with it. I was tempted when I went online and
found out one cost over $100,000. With his money, though, he'd probably
never miss it.

I knew that the girls' parents weren't wealthy like mine, so if I could
purchase the books and share, then it would help them. When we were at the
counter, I went first and told the cashier I was paying for
everything. Sydney and Jade protested rather loudly, causing everyone in
the store to look at us. I kept insisting that it was something I wanted to
do, but Jade told me I wasn't going to buy their friendship. It hurt me
when she said it, because that was something I hadn't even considered. I
just wanted to do it because they were becoming special to me, and I wanted
to express to them how much they did mean. I guess to them it looked
differently. When they saw the hurt look on my face, they relented and let
me purchase their supplies without objection.

"You really didn't have to do that," Jade remarked as we headed back to the
dorm. We each were loaded down with several heavy bags. "You charged over
$1,000 on your credit card."

"It's not my money," I laughed. "Dad's worth millions. This is chump change
to him."

Sydney started coughing. "Your father is a millionaire?" She gasped when
she finally caught her breath.

I shrugged my shoulders. "I don't know. He could be a billionaire. I don't
really know what he's worth."

Jade stopped and stared wide-eyed at me. "A billionaire!"

"I don't think so," I laughed. "I just know he's rich."

"Rich? Shit!" remarked Sydney. "My mom made $43,000 last year."

I started to feel really badly. I'd never thought about being a rich
kid. Actually, I wasn't. My father was. However, I never had to worry about
anything. From an early age, I had just gotten used to having servants in
the house. To me it seemed normal. And since I had few friends in high
school, I really wasn't sure how others lived since I had never been
invited to their homes. I always knew I lived a life different from others,
but I was now beginning to realize how much different it had been.

"Let's talk about something else," I suggested. "What do you want to do
tonight? We only have one more day before classes start, so we might as
well enjoy it."

"Let's rest a minute," moaned Sydney as she dropped her bags on the ground
and sat down on a bus stop bench. She looked over at me as I sat down and
asked, "If your father has so much money, how come you don't have a car? We
wouldn't have to be carrying these heavy ass bags back to the dorm."

"I don't know," I replied as I shrugged my shoulders. "I never went
anywhere, so there really wasn't a reason to have a car."

"But you have your license, right?" asked Jade.

"Yeah, sure," I replied. "Carlton used to let me drive sometimes."

Sydney asked, "Who's Carlton."

When my face began to redden, Jade started to giggle. "Don't tell me," she
laughed. "Carlton is your chauffer?"

Sydney stood and looked down angrily at me. "You have a fucking chauffer!
And my back is killing me from carrying these bags!"

"I don't have a chauffer," I insisted, before adding, "Well, not anymore."

Sydney picked up the large bags and began dragging them down the
sidewalk. "Call Carlton and have him come get us." I laughed as I grabbed
one of her bags and carried it for her.

When I approached my dorm room, there were loud noises coming from
inside. Several guys were talking loudly over the rap music booming from
Travis's stereo. When I opened the door, the room contained eight
guys. Many of them I recognized as roommates on the floor. Beer cans were
strewn all over the room, and the scent of marijuana permeated the air.

They looked at me when I entered. One of the guys was at my computer
playing a video game. I rushed over and snatched it from the desk. "This is
mine," I shouted angrily. "You have no right to use it without my
permission!"

He stood and towered over me. He must have been about 6'3" tall. "What you
going to do about it, Shrimp?" He pushed his finger into my chest, and I
almost lost my balance. I looked around as the other guys starting to laugh
uproariously.

"Just leave my stuff alone," I muttered as I put the computer inside my
desk drawer.

"Gay, mother fucker," one of the guys said loudly as the others laughed.

Another laughed and looked over at Travis. "You boning that at night?"
Again, loud laughter filled the room.

"Hell, no!" Travis responded angrily. "I ain't no homo. Fuck that shit!"
Again, laughter.

I attempted to leave, but two of the guys stepped in front of me and
blocked the door. "Where you going, Sweet Thing?" One was the guy who had
been in the shower earlier in the morning. He reached out and pinched my
cheek. "You just got here." He attempted to hand me a beer and said with a
lisp, "Sthay and have a drink wifth uth." Again, laughter filled the room
as I pushed him aside and hurried out the door. I could hear loud laughter
coming from the room as I stood trembling at the elevator. I had endured
taunting in high school, but nothing like I had just experienced. For a
moment in the room, I felt that they might want to harm me.

I exited the dorm and made my way to the administration building. It was
getting late, and I wasn't sure the offices would still be
open. Fortunately, they were. I went to the student housing office. There
were about twenty students cluttered inside a tiny room. I was informed
that if I wanted a room change, then I'd have to take a number. I spent the
next hour waiting impatiently to speak to someone about getting a new room
assignment.

However, the wait was fruitless. When I spoke to a rather large woman
inside a small cubicle, I was told that rooms were scarce. Unless there was
something about the room that made it uninhabitable, then I'd have to place
my name on a list and wait for a room to open up in the future. I wanted to
tell her that my roommate made it uninhabitable, but I could tell she was
tired and just wanted to leave for the day. I knew there was nothing I
could say that would make her change her mind.

I made my way back to the dorm. I didn't want to go back to my room because
I wanted to avoid another confrontation with Travis and his friends. I
considered going to see Dr. Avery to see if he could help me; however, I
realized that I would appear weak because I couldn't socialize with guys my
age. College was supposed to be my new freedom. Going to the president of
the university crying because I was taunted would not be a step toward
building my self-confidence. I'd have to adjust to the situation as long as
I wasn't physically harmed.

I went into the lobby to watch television on a big screen television, but a
couple of guys were watching Sports Center on ESPN. I soon fell asleep. I
don't know how long I had been sleeping when someone sat down beside me. It
was one of the guys I'd recognized from my dorm room earlier. I sat up and
instinctively looked at his hands to see if he was going to hit me.

"Relax," he smiled nervously. "I'm not going to hurt you." He offered me
his hand to shake, "I'm Seth Gorman." I reluctantly shook his hand.

Seth was handsome; however, like me, his features were somewhat boyish. He
was attempting to grow a beard, but it was rather sparse. He had brown eyes
and brown hair which was medium length and combed forward to make a blunt
bang across the middle of his forehead. He wasn't stocky like Travis and
the others, but he wasn't as small as me.

The thing that caught my attention most was how his brown eyes, even though
he was wearing thin, small framed glasses, seemed to twinkle as he looked
at me. "What do you want?" I asked cautiously. Even though Seth appeared
friendly, I still wasn't sure of his motive for sitting beside me.

"I just wanted to tell you I'm sorry for how the guys treated you earlier,"
he replied apologetically. "Most of them are pretty decent guys once you
get to know them."

"Travis is an asshole," I muttered.

Seth started to laugh. "He's not all that bad, really.  He's just away from
home for the first time, and he's having fun."

"I'm away from home for the first time, too," I remarked sarcastically,
"but I'm not acting like a jackass."

"Point for you," Seth laughed as he put his finger up and made an imaginary
number one.

I eyed Seth skeptically. He seemed like a nice guy, but I still wasn't sure
of his motive for sitting down and talking to me. "So what's your game?" I
asked.

"My game?" He seemed puzzled by my question.

"Yeah," I replied. "Why are you sitting here talking to me?" I looked at
the elevator. "What if Travis and some of the others came down? They might
think you're a fag for sitting with me."

He laughed and said, "They can think what they like. I'm comfortable in my
own skin." I met his eyes, trying to figure out his meaning. I still hadn't
determined if he was gay or straight, and his response didn't help. I was
afraid to ask him because I figured if he wanted me to know, he'd tell
me. And besides, I hadn't actually admitted that I was gay.

He looked at this watch and then asked, "It's after six, and I'm
starved. You want to go somewhere and get something to eat?" I wanted to
resist, but he his smile assured me that I would be safe with him. However,
I was afraid to be alone with him for another reason. He was cute, and I
was afraid I might say something wrong that would affect his obvious
attempt to be friends with me.

"Can I invite some friends?" I asked, hoping he would agree. I would feel
more comfortable if Sydney and Jade joined us.

"Sure," he smiled. "The more the merrier." I walked away, pulled out my
cell phone, called Sydney and asked if they wanted to go get a bite to
eat. I didn't mention that Seth would be joining us. Five minutes later,
they stepped out of the elevator.

Jade stopped when she saw me standing beside Seth. A slight smile formed in
the corner of her mouth as she approached. I knew what she was thinking.

She stepped beside me and whispered in my ear, "He's a cutie. Where did you
find him?" My face began to blush as I introduced him to Sydney and Jade. I
could tell Jade was appraising him as potential boyfriend material for me.

After a short discussion, we decided to eat in one of the student dining
areas inside the basement of an adjoining dorm. Seth said he'd eaten there
twice, and he guaranteed us with a laugh that we wouldn't get salmonella
poisoning.

I was surprised because it was like a large restaurant. Instead of going
through a buffet line to get food, as I expected, we sat down to a clothed
table. When Seth pulled out Jade's chair for her to sit down, Sydney looked
at me and waited for me to pull out her chair.  "Some guys are still
gentlemen," she remarked after giving Seth an appreciative smile.

A young waitress brought us a menu and took our drink orders. Most of the
menu items were burgers and chicken, but there were a few pasta and fish
dishes. It wasn't what I would have expected for a student dining
restaurant. Seth and I ordered spaghetti, while Sydney ordered the fish of
the day special and Jade got a cheeseburger. After the waiter left, Jade
grabbed my hand and announced she had to go to the restroom.

"Why don't you ask Sydney?" I asked. "She's a girl."

"Because I want you to go with me," she insisted as she pulled me from the
table. When we were a safe distance from the table, she turned and looked
back at Seth.

"He's adorable," she shrieked. "Where did you find him?"

"I didn't find him," I replied as I grabbed her hand and headed toward the
restrooms. We stood at the doors and talked. Several people came by to use
the restroom and stared at us. "I was sitting in the student lounge and he
sat down beside me." I then explained what had happened in the room
earlier, and how I'd tried to get a room change. She became upset, and an
old woman gave her a disgusted look when Jade muttered, "Mother Fuckers." I
then told her how Seth sat down and apologized for their behavior.

"Do you think he's into you?" she asked hopefully. "He seems like a dream."

"I don't know." Even though Seth seemed like a nice guy, I still hadn't
decided if he was gay. I had never been around many gay people to know. I
was hoping she could tell me, but her gaydar probably only worked with
other girls. Jade assured me she'd try to see if she could pick up some
signs that he was gay, and then we both went into the restroom.

On the way back to the table, Jade grabbed my arm and stopped me. "I guess
we can scratch Seth off your list as a potential boyfriend."

"Why?" She nodded at our table. Sydney had moved her chair closer to Seth,
and they were engaged in a very intimate conversation. She was holding his
arm and laughing at something he had said.

Jade walked over and grabbed Sydney's arm, pulling her up from the
table. "We need to go to the little girls' room," she stated emphatically.

"But I don't have to go," insisted Sydney as she gave Jade a puzzled look.

"Yes," replied Jade forcefully, "You do." With that, she pulled Sydney away
from the table.

"What was that all about?" Seth asked as he watched Jade leading Sydney
down the hall.

"Dunno," I replied; although I had a pretty good idea that Jade thought
Sydney was moving in on Seth before I had a chance to.

My heart sunk when Seth said cheerfully, "Sydney is great, don't you think
so?"

"Yeah, sure," I said sadly as I took a drink of my soda. Seth curiously
watched me as I looked down at the table.

"Wait a minute!" I looked over when he started laughing. "You thought I was
gay, didn't you?"

My face turned red when I looked at him and our eyes met. "More like hoping
you were."

He covered his face and started laughing. "Oh, Man, I can't believe this."
He looked over, grinned and started laughing again. I tried not to, but I
soon started smiling.

"So you're not?" He shook his head. "Then why did you start talking to me?"

"Jesus, Dorian," he replied. "Do all gay people think that straight people
won't talk to them?"

"Well, no," I stammered. "Well, yeah, I guess. What if Travis and the
others find out you're talking to me?"

"Fuck `em," he sneered. "I can be friends with whomever I want to be
friends with. If they don't like it, then they can kiss my ass." He looked
over and smiled. "Besides, my best friend in high school was gay. We did
everything together."

I laughed and raised an eyebrow. "Everything?"

Seth began stammering, "No, no, not everything, like in EVERYTHING." His
face started turning red. "I mean me and Adam were like best friends." His
face turned more somber. "I was there for him when he like needed someone,
you know. When things got really rough for him." Tears started to form in
his eyes. "You know, kind of like you today. You needed someone."

He didn't pull his hand away when I reached out and placed mine on top of
his. "Thanks," I replied as tears formed in my eyes.

Just then, Jade and Sydney approached the table. I quickly removed my hand,
but not before Jade noticed and started smiling. I jumped up, grabbed
Jade's arm, and announced I wanted her to go to the restroom with me. As we
walked away, I heard Seth ask Sydney, "What is it with you guys and the
restroom?"

Our waitress passed us as we headed for the restroom with our order on a
large tray. When we entered the hallway to where the restrooms were
located, I quickly explained to Jade about the conversation I had with
Seth.

"So he's not gay?" she asked disappointedly. I shook my head. "Damn," she
muttered.

"But he likes Sydney," I added quickly. Her eyes lit up.

"He does?" I nodded. She grabbed my hand. "Come on. He's a dream. If he
doesn't like you, then maybe she has a chance."

Dinner became interesting. Jade was a very forceful matchmaker. She asked
Seth a lot of questions, and she always made sure to include Sydney's
interests to match his. I was a little disappointed because Seth was a
really fascinating guy. Like Jade, he was attending school on an academic
scholarship. He had been salutatorian of his senior class, and he was
studying to be a pharmacist. He had played basketball, although he said he
mainly kept the bench warm. He had also been a pole vaulter in track. I
kicked Jade's leg under the table when she made a remark about me liking to
vault poles.

Surprisingly, he also revealed to the girls his close friendship with Adam
throughout high school. Adam, it seems, was a lot like me- his appearance
was feminine. Seth said he took a lot of verbal abuse from his classmates
for being friends with Adam. He said that many students thought they were
romantically involved. He had to hold back tears when he related how Adam
had tried to commit suicide his sophomore year. Jade and I gave each other
a knowing look when Sydney took his hand and held it as she attempted to
comfort him.

As we were leaving, Seth stopped and looked at his watch. "It's only a
little after seven, and I don't feel like going back to my room. Classes
start tomorrow, and we should have a little fun while we can."

Jade asked, "What do you have in mind?"

Seth shrugged his shoulders, "I don't know. This is a big campus. There
must be something going on." Jade pulled out her blackberry and searched
the school's online student site.

"Hey!" she said excitedly. "There's a freshman dance over at the Student
Union beginning at eight. They're calling it a Meet and Greet Party." She
looked expectantly at us. "Are you in?"

Sydney looked at Seth. "I'm in. How about you?"

"Sure," he replied. He looked at me. "You in, Dorian?"

"I don't know," I replied hesitantly. I wasn't too sure I was ready to
socialize with other students. I'd spent most of my high school years
isolated in my room. Except for graduation, I had never gotten involved in
student activities.

Jade reached out and grabbed my hand. "Sure you do, Dorian." She put her
arm around my waist. "You can be my date." I tried to pull away, but she
held me firmly. Seth started laughing.

"I don't think Jade is the kind of girl who will take no for an answer," he
laughed.

"Damn straight," replied Jade. She winked at me, and we laughed as we
headed toward the student union.

The large room was sparsely populated. It was still early, and most
students would probably not show up for another hour or two. We roamed
around the room and mainly nodded at other small groups who were waiting
for something to happen. The organizers were frantically running around
offering non-alcoholic beverages and snacks.

At nine, a band began to play, and students started going onto the dance
floor. The band wasn't particularly good, but at least it provided us some
entertainment. Sydney eagerly agreed to dance with Seth while Jade and I
looked on. They appeared to be having a good time.

"I think Cupid's arrow has struck," remarked Jade as we watched Seth
holding Sydney tightly during a slow dance.

"At least one of us got lucky," I remarked solemnly. Seth was really cute,
and even though I was happy for Sydney, I kind of wished it was me he was
holding.

"Someone's jealous," giggled Jade. I looked at her and rolled my eyes. Just
then, the band began to play a faster dance song. Jade grabbed my hand and
tried to pull me onto the dance floor.

"Come on, Dorian," she insisted. "I want to dance."

I admitted embarrassingly, "I've never danced."

"Nothing to it," she replied. "Just get out there and shake your groove
thing."

"My groove thing?" I laughed. She grabbed my hand and pulled me into the
center of students dancing wildly in the middle of the room.

"Yeah," she yelled in my ear. "Just follow my lead and do what I do."

I tried, but I kept thinking that anyone watching me would probably think I
looked like a chicken scratching in the dirt. Jade kept laughing and
encouraging me to "Let it go." I had no idea what I was to let go, but
after a while, I did begin to have fun.

That is until I looked over at the entrance where Travis and his buddies
had just staggered into the room. It was obvious they had been drinking
heavily. The large guy in the shower instantly noticed me and started to
smirk.


* * * * * * * *

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