Date: Sat, 22 Jan 2005 20:48:52 -0800 (PST)
From: T J <dreemarz@yahoo.com>
Subject: Dare to Dream: 4 - Run-Ins

Dare to Dream
	By: TJ

	If you are offended by male/male relationships and sexual
relationships, or homoerotic situations and scenarios, then please leave,
for your own benefit. If this conduct is illegal in your area, or if you
are underage, you must leave. Otherwise, enjoy. This is copyrighted by me,
so please don't copy or steal, ask and you'll be rewarded (maybe).

Chapter 4
	Run-Ins

-----Brendan-----

	Waking up to the sound of an alarm knowing that there's a long
school day ahead of you is not fun, by any means. But waking up knowing
you'll be meeting Darren is enough to want the day to never end. Such a
dilemma isn't it? School and Darren, or freedom and no Darren? Hmm...I
suppose I could sill find freedom with Darren, although that would take
some time.

	Begrudgingly, I got up and out of bed and made my way over the
bathroom. Taking a quick shower, I exited grabbing some new clothes I had
brought from my vacation along the way. Orange and brown, match well and
moderately exuberant. Perfect.

	Slipping downstairs and past my parents who were two busy bickering
at each other to notice, I grabbed some OJ and some toast before dashing
out the door. I wanted to get to school early in case I missed Darren. I
didn't want the whole school to mob him all at once, at least with me
there, I could fend them off, for a while, maybe. Anyway, driving down, I
allowed my mind to wander as it reeled through some thoughts, most
inconsequential. Rolling down the windows, I allowed it to wash through my
hair. I can see the advantages of growing out your hair as it feels
wonderful, but it was way too bothersome.

	Pulling up into the parking lot of your relatively new school, I
noticed Emma's car there. Already? I glanced at the clock and noticed it
was only 7:30 A.M. Why would she be here so early? Darren said he would be
walking. Curiously, I exited my car and made my way across to the building
as fast as my two legs would carry me. If only I could catch her before she
left from the office. Otherwise, it would be a nightmare to try and find
her in the maze that they call school. That is, if she was here to see the
principals. Although why, I couldn't understand. Maybe it was to talk about
Darren. Time would tell.

	As I pulled open the door, I yanked someone along with it. I heard
a muffled hiss of pain before realizing that Darren was on top of
me. Horrified, I got up before realizing that by doing that, I had
literally sent him falling to the ground. He hissed again, and his
half-naked image flashed through my eyes.

	Long scars adorned his otherwise perfect body. His pecs and abs
were rock-hard but they were discolored, as if someone had accidentally
started to paint over an already finished masterpiece. The darker tan was
evident, it looked like he had gotten into a fight or worse, been
beaten. His shoulders were scraped with multiple cuts; the shoulder blades
were raw with blood-red cuts, as if they were only beginning to heal. Who
or what could have hurt this beautiful person so bad?

	Snapping back to the present, I watched him in dismay. "Darren! I'm
so sorry. Are you ok?" As I bent down to help him up, he brushed my hand
off saying he was fine. "I'm so sorry Darren, I should have watched who was
behind the door. I was being clumsy. It's just I was in a rush to catch
Emma because I noticed her car outside. I had no idea you'd be here too." I
got up along with him but he wouldn't meet my eyes. I was taken back a
little but I shook it off, believing he was only temporarily annoyed with
me. Key word, temporarily.

	"It's really okay Brendan. Don't worry about it, I'm fine. After
all, we all make mistakes. If you want to catch Emma, you should
hurry. She's almost done talking with Mr. Richards." Without so much as a
bye or a smile, he left. I was speechless for a couple of seconds as his
coldness struck me. I hoped I hadn't done any permanent damage. I truly
wanted to get to know him. I thought about chasing after him but decided he
needed some time alone. Plus, I really did want to talk with Emma. As I
once again stretched my hand out to open the door, the door opened in my
face, slamming the handle into my stomach. I let out an `oomph' before
clutching my stomach.

	"Brendan! What are you doing? Oh my gosh, are you okay?" Emma bent
down to meet my eyes. The concern was evident in her eyes. I was touched by
how much she genuinely cared about me. Smiling, I stood back up right.

	"Don't worry Emma," I chuckled, "compared to what happened to
Darren earlier, this was nothing." Noticing the question in her eyes, I
continued, "I opened the door same time he did and he ended up on the
ground. He seemed like he was hurt a little but he left to go somewhere. Is
he ok?"

	Emma held me with her gaze. She was sizing me up and I hated it
when she did. She rarely did that, only if she felt I had ulterior motives
behind what I was asking.

	"Emma?" I asked nervously, my feet shuffling under her gaze.

	"We need to talk B. When are you free today?" I didn't like her
tone, she sounded weary. Tired even. That shocked me because Emma was
always as bright as the sun no matter what she had done the day before. For
her to sound tired meant there was more in play than I could even begin to
grasp.

	"I'm free now." I replied, hoping I could figure out what was going
on before I would confront Darren again. She shook her head, lightly
laughing.

	"Nice try mister. I'm not going to let you miss your first day back
at school." I pouted but she held firm. Damn luck of mine. "Anyway, about
Darren. Just give him some time B. He'll come around. He's got a lot of
things to deal with right now, and he doesn't need anyone to nose about
it."

	"I would never nose Emma. You know that." I was slightly offended
that she would think I would nose around, but I knew she had a good reason
for saying it. But my worst fears were, for better or worse,
confirmed. Darren had been through something and he was staying with Emma
for it. I could only hope he was truly okay. I knew he was holding in a lot
and I just hoped that one day, he could trust me enough to share the pain.

	"I know you wouldn't B. Just protect him at school. Undoubtedly,
the girls will have a field day." I smiled at the prospect before Emma
continued, "Just make sure you protect him from a distance." I raised my
eyebrows in question about her last comment. "Give him room B. I can't
really explain why right now, but just know he's a kind of loner at the
moment. I just hope he'll one day regain the charisma he used to have." She
looked so nostalgic at that point, she seemed almost like she was going to
cry. I felt like giving her a tight hug and did just that. Her arms
embraced me and she whispered something unintelligible in my ear. I gazed
at her with concern before she reverted her eyes and let go of me.

	"Same lunch?" I nodded my head silently. "I'll pick you up here
quarter after. Deli's sound fine? Who am I kidding? Of course it's fine,
you practically buy all the food they make." I smiled at that comment
before shrugging my shoulders.

	"So what? The food is good, what can I say?" She smiled too before
she began to make her way to her car. Turning back, she looked at me again
before continuing again. Just as I was about to enter the building to drop
off my stuff and make sure Darren hadn't gone too far, I heard Emma calling
my name

	"B! Just make sure Mitch stays away from him." My smile faded and
my eyes hardened. Mitch was the gay slut of our school. He had gotten into
any guy's pants that wanted even the slightest hint of sex. I had had the
misfortune of being one of his fantasies. He had stalked me till I had
finally given him what he wanted, me.

	That was the day I had lost my virginity, I can still remember it
clear as the day is bright. It was also one of my worst memories. I would
do anything to change that day, to get back my virginity. It had been after
that I had lost all inhibitions. I suppose I could say I was similar to
Mitch. The thought repulsed me, but I knew that my previous actions held
true, whether I liked it or not. I looked back at Emma before nodding my
head in agreement. I didn't trust my mouth in the state I was in.

	The mention of Mitch had brought back too many memories that I
didn't want to deal with. I had buried them after all to prevent myself
from thinking them. I wanted them gone, erased, anything, just not
remembered. But they were a part of me, and I couldn't change it. But, what
I could change was my future.

	"Would you like to tell me why you look like a zombie?" I jumped at
the sound of my best friend's voice.

	"God Kelly. Don't do that. Don't sneak up on me, you know I hate
that." She frowned before she hit the side of my head. "Fuck, what the heck
was that for?"

	"For accusing me of sneaking up on you, you know I wouldn't do that
honey. I've been standing here for a good five minutes trying to get your
attention. What was Emma doing here anyway?" That snapped me out of my daze
and I glanced at my watch. I cursed under my breath as I realized I had
been standing there for at least ten minutes. That meant Emma had left
right after I nodded and I had been too busy to notice anything else.

	"Sorry girl, I just had a lot on my mind. Emma was talking to me
about something. Don't worry about it." Kelly sighed before staring at me
deeply.

	"Lemme guess, you were there last night?" I frowned at her tone.

	"Yes I was, why?" She placed her hands on her hips before stepping
on my foot . "Damn it Kelly, what is up with you?" I hopped on one leg
trying to console my toes where her heels had stabbed me.

	"What is up with you B? You're out of it. First, you tell me you're
going to make it to this party, then the next thing, you tell Kyle you had
something important come up. Now, Emma is talking to you about god knows
what and you tell me it's nothing important. Coincidences occur honey, but
not in rapid-fire succession. Something is up, and you're not telling
me. You know I tell you everything honey, we're pretty much brother and
sister." I looked into her eyes and I noticed the same concern I had
noticed in Emma's. Except Kelly's concern was much deeper and older.

	Hell, I had known the girl forever. I realized I was in the
wrong. I was letting my thoughts and emotions take over my reactions and it
wasn't working. "Sorry girl, it's just my emotions. I'll tell you
everything, but you want to head down to the pond?" Our school had a pond
that was in a secluded area at the back of the school. It had been a
present from the Class of '03 and it a very peaceful place to talk.

	As we made our way there, my story poured out onto her. She
listened attentively, smiling about me meeting Darren for the first time,
my shock at finding out who he was, the talk with Emma, and the incident
with him half-naked. I did leave out his scars though, it seemed personal
to him and it wasn't my place to intrude. She punched me slightly when I
went into further detail about how beautiful he was.

	I had never really told her about Darren since Emma had asked me to
keep him unknown to my friends. I, still to this day, couldn't understand
why. It's not like they were going to go and abduct him, but I trusted her
judgment and had enough respect to concede. As we continued walking, she
put out her hand over my mouth and tugged on my shoulder, her eyes staring
at something in the distance. When I turned to where she was staring, my
breath left me.

	Darren was sitting on the rocks, feet dangling on the water, his
face turned towards the sky. Eyes closed, he seemed to be thinking,
profoundly at that. His shirt hung loosely on him, exposing the skin around
his neck, inviting the eyes to explore. His neck was so slender and
beautiful, perfect for kissing and biting gently. His eyes were closed, his
eyelashes long and beautiful. Many girls would die to have his
eyes. Personally, I was a sucker for a good body and nice, long dick, but
for some reason, the thing that appealed me most about Darren was his
eyes. Sure, I hadn't seen his dick, although I had fantasized about it a
good many times, it really didn't matter. If it was anything like the rest
of him, it was perfect. That much, I knew.

I don't know how long I was in my trance but I was soon snapped out of it
thanks to a pinch on my skin. I shot Kelly a dirty look before I found her
smiling at me. I looked at her quizzically before she shook her
head. Whispering, she said, "you've got it bad B. I've never seen you take
to anybody before like this. You almost seem wistful, and that, B, is
something I would never have imagined coming from you." Offended I tried to
pull away from her grasp, but she held firm. "Oh don't pull your shit on me
honey. You know I'm right. Come on, the great master of one-nighters, crazy
over another boy. If it was anybody else, you'd have gone right up to them
and asked them out for tonight. That, and probably not have made it out of
the car before devouring their mouth." She smiled sweetly at me but I knew
she was right.

	Sometimes, I wondered what had happened to me. Mitch had
happened. Repulsed by where the thoughts were going, I physically shook my
head so as to clear it mentally. Ironic, isn't it?

	"Well, aren't you going to go talk to him?" She pushed me forward
but I didn't dare move of my own accord.

	"No, not now. Not yet at least. He seemed a little mad about
something this morning and I don't want to disturb him." She nodded in
understanding before sitting down on the grass. That was one thing I loved
about her, she wasn't like other girls. I mean, can you tell me about a
single girl who would so carelessly sit on the ground without having
plastic wrap wrapped around their skirt so as not to get it dirty? None.

	"You weren't kidding B. He is beautiful. Not your handsomeness or
even your hotness. His beauty is different. I definitely wouldn't call him
hot. Hot means something that is sexy and sex just doesn't seem to fit
him. At least not right now, he seems so forlorn. Do you know why he's
staying with Emma?" There. She had asked the one question that had my mind
spinning. Oh how much I wanted to know, but I knew I had to wait. Emma
wouldn't tell me unless it somehow had some direct relation to me. I would
have to wait for Darren to tell me, and by the looks of it, that might be a
while. I sighed before leaning against a tree.

	"I don't know girl. I wish I did, but I don't. He seems so sad
too. I really hope he's ok." When I looked down, I found Kelly looking at
me, mouth hanging open. "What?"

	"I don't believe it. I don't fucking believe this." Her words had
me confused and I was getting slightly annoyed. Damn feelings. "Well, I'll
be. I didn't think I'd see the day you were in love anytime in the next few
years, let alone this year." My ears perked up at the mention of `me' and
`love' in the same sentence. Me? Love? Impossible.

	"What are you talking about Kelly? You know how I feel about dating
and the sort." She giggled before tracing the petals on a flower.

	"I thought I did. But this boy has you wallowing in love
honey. Damn, I was praying and hoping for this day. You know I hate it when
you sleep around." That was probably our longest argument. She always was
steady with her boys until she found someone better. It really wasn't her
fault that happened often. What can I say, the people at our school change
often. As for me, you know my spiel on dating

	"Whatever girl. You sure you're okay?" Funny how the roles
reversed. I went back to staring at Darren. He seemed so calm and peaceful,
and ever so beautiful. God, I could stare at him all day and never get
bored. For the strangest reason, my lower extremities had not reacted to
the sight before me. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't complaining, just
curious. I closed my eyes, imagining what it would be like to be sitting
next to him.

	"Brendy! There you are! I've been looking all over for you babe!"
Before I could do anything, I had someone's tongue down my throat and their
body pressed up against me. Out of instinct, I responded with the like
before realizing where we were and that Darren had been sitting there,
peacefully. I tried to push the person in front of me off of me but with
little success. My eyes flew open to reveal that it was none other than
Josh. I pushed harder and he growled in my mouth. I tried to close my mouth
but his tongue in it prevented me from doing so. Kelly sighed before
getting up, and forcefully pushing him off of me. I hope I didn't forget to
mention that she was quite strong from all her training with volleyball and
track.

	"Kelly, what you doing? I want some time with my man." She slapped
him, none to gently and told him to shut up. He looked at her with
puzzlement before shrugging and turning to me. I held my finger up to his
mouth before gazing in the direction of Darren. I was, to say the least,
horrified to find him staring at me. I couldn't really tell because of the
distance, but if I didn't know any better, I'd bet his eyes were stormy. He
seemed annoyed that we had disturbed his respite. I wanted to run over to
him and apologize but Josh prevented me from doing so. Luckily, Kelly
recognized my dilemma and grabbed Josh's hand before dragging him
off. Forcefully. That girl really did hate him, and he knew
it. Unfortunately for him, he couldn't say anything about it because he
knew I loved her to death.

	Without wasting any time, I quickly hurried over to Darren. Closer,
he seemed slightly amused, perturbed even, but not mad. I sighed a
relief. He looked at me with interest, as if contemplating what to
say. Then it struck me. He had no idea I was bisexual. I suppose this was
one way to break the ice, but it was not the way I'd have expected. He
looked away again before sighing.

	"Sorry about this morning Brendan. I was upset over something and
it wasn't right of me to take it out on you like that. I hope you can
forgive me?" He looked at me with cutest, most innocent eyes. He was asking
me for forgiveness? The thought, let alone the action, was absurd. But it
was so sweet.

	"Of course Darren. It's no problem, like you said, we all make
mistakes." I couldn't resist his smile because I found myself smiling in
turn. He reached his hand for mine and I reached down to help him
up. Instead, I found my ass on the cold rock. He had pulled me down to sit
next to him. He laughed a little before leaning back on his hands.

	"You know, you made me fall on the ground too. This is only a part
of my revenge." He sounded so serious it made me crack up. He looked at me
again and I found myself getting lost in his eyes. Did I mention how
beautiful he was? "Anyway, who is he?" His question was so sudden it
surprised me.

	"Who?" I was confused now, and it sucked. I hope I didn't come off
like a complete airhead.

	"The boy. You know, the guy you were just kissing a moment ago?" My
cheeks flushed a deep red and I started to stammer in hopes of finding a
suitable excuse. That caused him to laugh and his laugh was
heavenly. "Don't worry about it Brendan, it's not my place to ask
anyway. Sorry, I was being nosy." His words struck me. He truly was
genuine.

	"It's ok. His name's Josh." I didn't elaborate anymore because in
truth, I didn't no much more. I know it sounds horrible and makes me look
like a slut, but it really isn't my fault. After all, it was he who had
approached me.

	"Cute." I looked at him in wonder. Cute? What did he mean? It
looked like he understood because he continued, "you and him. You two
looked cute together. I can tell he really likes you." I think I was about
to cry because he thought we were cute together. I wanted to tell him that
Josh meant nothing to me, that he was just a fuck, but I knew that would
make me as valuable as dirt in his eyes. Although you must agree, dirt is
quite valuable. After all, it is what allows plants to grow. And without
plants, there would be no humans. Maybe it wouldn't be too bad.

	"Actually we're not going out. It's kind of complicated." I looked
away, feeling embarrassed. I didn't have the heart to continue.

	"It's ok, don't worry." He hesitated a little, as if carefully
choosing the next few words he'd say. When he was done contemplating he
looked back at me, cautiously. His eyes were deep and he seemed
troubled. "Do you want to show me around the school?" I think the sound of
my jaw hitting the floor could be heard throughout the school grounds.

TBC: Chapter 5: Joshie

Author's Note:

     Hmmm...it's been quite interesting indeed. Someone please tell me if
the story gets too diluted. Chapter 4 is the true `beginning' of Dare to
Dream, Chapter 1-3 are kind of like a prologue, somewhat. I realize the
story might be somewhat confusing, but that's expected. Most of it well be
cleared up soon, I hope. If it seems truly baffling to you, email me and
I'll try and explain. Anyway, how is the dual-setup working now? Better?
Worse? Tell me. I hope you understand the two characters better now since
you got to know both of them better.
     Also, you can find my story on www.thescribblerspad.com. Thanks to the
Carolina Scribbler for hosting Dare to Dream (thanks Johnny).

If you have any comments or suggestions, please email me at:
dreemarz@yahoo.com