Date: Mon, 23 Dec 2013 16:29:21 -0500
From: Ronyx <ronyx@woh.rr.com>
Subject: Birds Don't Sing Before a Storm  Chapter 14

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
find something more suitable to read. The author maintains all rights to
the story. Do not copy or use without written permission. Write
ronyx@themustardjar.com with your comments. Ronyx is a prolific Nifty
author. Visit my personal website at www.themustardjar.com for more
stories.


Birds Don't Sing Before a Storm     Chapter 14


I asked Karen, "Do you think it would be all right to go tell Lane about
the play?"

She smiled and patted my hand. "He's going to be so excited," she said
happily. She looked at my father and said, "I can't wait to see him on the
stage."

It surprised me when my father remarked, "It might be more fun than
attending a baseball game."

I stood and left the room. I felt like skipping down the hallway to Lane's
room. He was lying on his bed playing a video game. He stopped and sat up
when I entered.

He pouted and asked, "What was so important that I had to leave the room?"

I sat beside him and replied, "We had something to discuss, and it involved
you."

"Me?"

He giggled when I touched his nose and said, "Yes, you."

"What did I do?" he asked.

"Do you remember Shade and Megan who ate lunch with us today?" He nodded
his head. "They are in my seventh period drama class." He gave me a puzzled
look and nodded.

He then asked, "What does that have to do with me?"

"Okay," I replied, "You can tell me no if you want to..."

"Yes!" he shouted. "I don't know what you're going to ask me, but whatever
it is, I'll do it."

"You haven't even heard it yet," I laughed.

"I like Megan," he said as his face reddened. "She's pretty."

I took him by his shoulders and made sure he would understand what I was
about to say. "Megan is going to direct a play in a couple of months." Lane
nodded his head. "It's called the Sound of Music." He nodded his head
again.

"Do you remember the song we sang on the way home?"

"You mean Old McDonald had a farm?"

"No," I replied. "The other one."

"You mean the one about the deer and tea?"

I smiled and said, "Yes, that song?" He grinned and nodded his head. He
then began to sing it.

"See," he beamed proudly. "I remembered it."

"Very good," I said as I patted his hand. "Now listen carefully to me."

He gigged, grabbed his ears and said, "I'm all ears."

"Okay," I laughed. "Megan and I want you to sing that song in a play." He
broke out into a wide grin. "Do you think you can do that?"

"Yes," he said as he jumped up and started skipping around the room singing
the song. Karen and my father came to the door and started laughing.

"I see you told him," she remarked. Lane skipped over and hugged her. He
then skipped over to me, sat down in my lap and gave me a kiss on the
cheek. When I looked over at Karen, she was proudly smiling.

* * * * * *

Lane was almost uncontrollable the next morning. All during breakfast he
kept asking me when the play would be. He also asked me if I would be with
him when he sang, and I assured him I'd be watching from backstage. I
wasn't sure if he even understood what was involved in a theatrical
production. Then again, he might have known more than me since I was
clueless as to what was involved.

On the way to school, he skipped beside me and sang the do-re-mi song. By
the time we arrived, I was hoping I would never have to hear it again. I
took him to his classroom, and he immediately began to tell his teacher,
Mrs. Chambers, what he was going to do. When I left, about five more
students said they wanted to sing in the play. If Megan needed more
children, I knew where she could find them.

When I arrived at my locker, I noticed that the lock had been cut off. When
I opened the door, everything had been trashed. My books were ripped apart,
and a jacket I had inside had been slit several times. The student in the
locker beside me looked over and exclaimed, "Damn, Dude. Someone is out
after your ass." He closed his locker and walked away.

I slammed my locker shut and stood looking at it. I didn't know what to
do. I needed my books for my classes. If I didn't have them, then I
wouldn't be able to do the assignments.

"Shit," I muttered as I turned and rested against my locker. I looked
around the hall, and I wondered who might have done the vandalism. I didn't
have to think long...it had to have been Mike. He warned me when he left my
bedroom that he would pay me back. And he did. When the warning bell to my
first period rang, I headed slowly to my class.

I managed to get by until my English class.  Mrs. Hayes assigned us to read
a short story from the book, and then we were to complete an answer
sheet. After handing out the assignment, she walked around the room
observing us. I attempted to fool her by reading my Spanish book, but she
quickly noticed I had the wrong book.

She bent down and asked me softly, "Where is your book, Casey?"

I closed my Spanish book and responded, "I left it in my bedroom this
morning. Sorry."

"No, Casey," she replied with a tone of anger in her voice. "I'm sorry, but
you're new to the class. It is my class policy that if you don't bring your
book to class, then you must come in after school to complete it."

I sat up straight and stared into her face. "That's not fair," I said
rather loudly. Several students nearby stopped reading and looked over at
me. I was becoming worried that Lane would have to walk home alone. "Just
because I forget my book, you're going to assign me detention?"

"It's not detention," she stated adamantly. "I just want to give you the
opportunity to complete the assignment."

"Sounds like detention to me. I'll do it when I get home," I said angrily.

She stood erect and stared down at me, "You'll do it after school." By now,
everyone in the room was staring at us. It was deja vu all over again. I
didn't care, though. It wasn't fair that I was being punished because
someone had trashed my locker.

I rose from my seat and stared defiantly into her face. "I said I would do
it when I get home." I thought she'd back away, but she stood her ground. I
could tell she wasn't intimidated by me.

She turned and said, "You'll step out into the hall with me." She headed to
the front of the room and waited for me at the door. I looked around at the
classroom. They were waiting for my reaction. I walked to the front of the
room and quietly left the room. I stood outside and waited for
Mrs. Hayes. I could hear here telling the class to continue reading
quietly.

She came out and closed the door. She looked into my face, but she didn't
appear angry. "Casey," she asked, "Would you like to tell me what is going
on?" Since she didn't seem to want a confrontation, I let down my guard.

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Hayes," I apologized, "But I don't have my book. I'll do
it when I get home. Please don't make me stay after school."

"And why should I do that?

I explained to her why I couldn't stay. I told her how I walked Lane home
each afternoon. Rodney had been in her class the year before, and Curtis
was now in her first period, so she was familiar with the Crawford
family. However, she admitted she had never met Lane.

She sighed, "You've placed me in a dilemma, Casey. Over a dozen students
have come in after school to complete an assignment because they didn't
have their book. If I let you slide, then the others will expect the same
treatment next time. I understand your reasoning for not wanting to come in
after school, but it's just not a good enough reason to excuse you from
doing it."

I decided that it was unfair that I should be punished for something I
didn't do, so I spoke up. "What if I have a better excuse?"

She shook her head, "Casey, I don't want to stand out here and play games
all day. I have a class to get back to."

I took a deep breath and said, "Someone trashed my locker. They destroyed
everything. Your English book is in my locker ripped to pieces." I looked
at her surprised expression. "Is that a good enough reason?"

"Oh, my!" she exclaimed. "Have you reported the damage to one of the school
security officers?"

I laughed and said, "What good will that do?"

"For one," she stated, "It will excuse you from coming in after
school. I'll also be able to assign you another book." She reached out and
lightly touched my arm. "Please report the damage."

"I'll think about it," I replied. "Do I still have to report after school?"

"No, on one condition."

"What?"

"You'll agree to let me notify the proper authorities so they can
investigate the break-in of your locker," she insisted.

I considered her proposal. I figured I had nothing to lose. There was no
way they could prove that Mike or anyone else had broken into the
locker. They would merely examine the evidence, and I could then have all
my books replaced.

"All right," I finally agreed.

Mrs. Hayes patted my arm and said, "Very well. I'll notify security, and
you can talk to them. In the meantime, I'll issue you another book." I
followed her back into the room and to her small storage area. She took out
a new book and handed it to me. I returned to my seat with everyone
carefully watching me.

I was in my sixth period law class watching a documentary on violence in
America. We were taking notes for our daily assignment. Someone knocked at
the door, and Mr. Snyder rose from his desk. A minute later, he approached
and informed me that someone wanted to see me outside in the hall.

When I went out of the room, the principal, Mr. Snyder, and a female school
security officer were waiting for me. "Casey," said Mr. Snyder, "This is
Officer Talley." I looked at her, and then back at Mr. Snyder when he began
to speak again, "Mrs. Hayes informed me about what happened to your
locker. Would you escort us to it so we can see the damage?"

I nodded and headed toward my locker on the second floor with Snyder and
the officer following about six feet behind me. When I arrived, I pointed
at the busted lock and said, "There it is." The officer removed the lock
and looked inside. She then stepped back for Mr. Snyder to see the damage.

He asked, "Do you have any idea who might have done this?"

I shook my head and responded, "No, Sir."

"You must have been singled out," he said, "because we've had no other
reports of vandalism." He peered at me and asked again, "Are you sure you
don't know who might have done this?"

"I told you I don't know," I replied rather angrily. "I haven't even been
here a week, so how would I know?"

The officer removed the contents of the locker into a plastic bag. When she
was finished, Mr. Snyder told me to report to the office and wait.

I sat for ten minutes before he finally appeared. He spoke briefly with his
secretary. She typed something into the computer. She then wrote something
on a piece of paper and handed it to the principal. He walked over and
handed it to me. "Here's your new locker assignment. I'll inform all your
teachers to assign you a new book."

Before walking away, he shook his head and stated, "It's days like this
that make this job difficult." He shook his head again and muttered,
"Senseless vandalism."

I was upset when I entered the theater. Megan noticed immediately the
somber look on my face. "What's wrong, Casey?" she asked worriedly as she
wrapped her arm around mine.

"I haven't been here a week," I replied angrily, "and I already hate this
school."

She led me over to a theater seat and we sat down. "What happened now?" she
asked as she looked at my face. The bruising had faded, but it was obvious
I had been in a fight.

I told her about the incident with my locker. I also relayed how I had to
deal with Mr. Snyder and a security officer just a half hour earlier. She
shook her head and looked worriedly at me. She then asked, "Do you have any
idea who might have done it?"

"I have my suspicions," I replied, "But they are only suspicions."

Just then, Shade approached and saw us talking. He sat in the seat in front
of Megan and turned toward us. "Private conversation, or can I join in?"

Megan shook her head and then recounted the story to Shade. He kept looking
worriedly at me while she talked. When she finished, he asked, "Do you
think Curtis did it?"

"I doubt it," I replied. "He's a douche, but I don't think he would do
something like this. Besides, if Rodney found out, he'd kick his ass."

Shade asked, "Who else would do it? It doesn't sound like it was a random
act."

"Don't know," I replied. I then tried to lighten the mood by telling Megan
that Lane had agreed to perform in the play. She laughed when I told her
how I had `auditioned' him by getting him to sing the do-re-mi song on the
way home from school the day before.

She leaned over and hugged me. "That is wonderful, Casey. Lane is
absolutely adorable. The audience will fall in love with him."

I looked at Shade and laughed. "You'd better be careful, though. I think
Lane has a crush on Megan."

Megan blushed and asked, "Why should Shade be worried?"

I laughed again and said, "He might try to take you away from Shade."

Megan glanced quickly over at Shade, and then she sat back and
laughed. When she finished, she looked at Shade and then back at me. "You
think Shade and I are dating?"

"Well, yeah," I replied. "Aren't you?"

She laughed again and said, "Shade and I are many things to each other, but
being boyfriend and girlfriend are not one of them." I looked at Shade and
he was blushing.

I said confusedly, "I don't get it." I glanced over as they looked at each
other and smiled.

Megan stood, reached for my hand and pulled me to my feet. "You will," she
giggled as she pulled me down the aisle toward the stage. Shade followed
closely behind.

Megan left to talk to Max, and Shade spent most of the period showing me
around behind the stage. We really didn't get a chance to talk privately
because he was usually surrounded by other students. It was obvious that
they depended on his expertise in developing the set. I thought it was
amazing that he could juggle going to school, working on the set design for
the play, and then head off afterwards to work for several hours at a low
wage job.

However, he seemed to take everything in stride. Even when his battery died
on Saturday, he didn't react like most people. I probably would have taken
a bat and shattered a window or two. He merely pushed the car out of the
street and quietly bemoaned losing his job as a result. However, he didn't
show any sign of giving up. He immediately went to his old boss and got
another job.

I wished that I possessed his calm attitude. Students were already
beginning to panic, and the play was only in the beginning stages of
production. He spoke to them calmly, assuring them that they didn't need to
worry. I could tell that they believed what he was saying. Megan may be the
director of the production, but Shade was obviously the leader everyone
turned to for direction.

My eyes focused on his face when he asked, "What?"

"What, what?" I replied.

He smiled and began to laugh. "You looked like you were a million miles
away." His smile turned to a worried look. "Are you okay, Casey?"

"Yeah, sure," I replied with a forced smile. "Why wouldn't I be okay?"

He put his hand on my shoulder and led me away from the others. "You've
been through a lot," he said. "When I met you, you were running away."

I protested, "I wasn't running away."

He rubbed my back gently and said, "It doesn't matter." He stopped and
looked at the bruises on my face. "You got in a fight with Mike, and just
today your locker got trashed." He looked around before adding, "I have an
idea Mike might be responsible for that, too."

"It crossed my mind," I responded.

"Anyway, Casey," he said worriedly as he stared into my eyes. "If you ever
need someone to talk to, a shoulder to cry on, you can depend on me."

"Thanks," I replied as I blinked away tears.

He rubbed my back again. "I mean it," he said again. Suddenly, he started
laughing. I gave him a puzzled look.

"I only charge two hundred dollars an hour," he laughed. "and you've
already paid."

"Yeah, I guess I have," I replied as I returned his smile.

* * * * * * *

When Lane and I arrived home from school, there was a note on the kitchen
counter from Karen telling us not to prepare dinner. I asked Lane, "I
wonder what that means?"

Lane cheered and said excitedly, "We are going to a restaurant tonight!"

"A restaurant?" I asked. "Do you guys eat out often?"

"Not a lot," he replied. "Only on special occasions." He scrunched up his
face. "I wonder if it's someone's birthday? It's not mine. Is it yours?"

"No," I responded. "My birthday is the day after New Year's."

"Well," he replied as he grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the steps
leading to the family room. "It's something special. I hope we go to that
neat place that serves spaghetti. I like spaghetti."

"I got that," I laughed. "You ate two plates of it the other night."

I went to my room while Lane sat on the couch and watched cartoons.  I
dropped onto my bed and fell asleep for about an hour before Lane came
bounding into the room and jumped on the bed. "Mommy says to get your butt
up," he giggled. "She told me to tell you to wear something nice, too."

Lane was already dressed to go out. He was wearing a green polo shirt and
Docker pants. It was the first time I hadn't seen him wearing shorts or
jeans. I opened my luggage bag and rummaged through it until I found
something suitable to wear. I examined the clothes, and they were rather
wrinkled.

I asked Lane, "Do you guys have an iron around here?"

"Yes, Silly," he giggled. "Come on, I'll show you where the laundry room
is." On the way, Karen stopped me and attempted to take the clothes from
me.

"I'll do them," she insisted. She was already dressed in a powder blue
dress. It wasn't formal wear, but it wasn't casual dress, either. She
looked really stunning.

I pulled my clothes from her and said, "I got this. I've been doing my own
clothes since I was ten."

"My goodness," she smiled. "What a perfect gentleman. I wish all my boys
would take a lesson from you." Lane started giggling behind me.

I was ironing my pants when Rodney and Curtis arrived home. I heard Karen
tell them to get dressed. Curtis started ranting that he had better things
to do than go out and eat. When Karen questioned him about it, he said he
had to call some girl for a date on Saturday night.

"That's not that important to miss a dinner out with your family," she
insisted as she told him to go get dressed.

He asked sarcastically, "Is what's his name going?"

I've seen my mother get mad before. I was used to it. However, her worst
tantrum wouldn't even begin to compare to the verbal assault Karen gave
Curtis. It began in the living room and continued in his bedroom where
Karen slammed the door so I couldn't hear.

I had assumed all this time that Curtis and Rodney were pretty much free to
do what they wanted to do. However, I guess Karen had drawn lines that they
weren't permitted to cross. Listening to her verbal assault on Curtis, I
guess I was one of those lines.

I was in the bathroom brushing my teeth when Karen appeared at the
door. "Are you ready, Casey?"

I muttered with a mouthful of toothpaste, "Give me a minute."

I looked at her in the mirror when she said, "I'm sorry for Curtis's rude
behavior. It won't happen again."

I didn't have a chance to respond before she turned and walked away.

* * * * * *

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