Date: Mon, 22 Feb 2010 05:40:35 -0800 (PST)
From: Claudiu I. <ghostofoldtrafford@yahoo.com>
Subject: Divine Punishment 4

Be warned, this story portrays gay relationships. SHOCKING, I know!

But wait, there's more! No sex! Are you still conscious? Good. What I mean
by that is that this is intended to be more a PG-13 story. Well, in terms
of sex, anyway. You can't expect no swearing, now can you? So, if you're
looking for some masturbation material, there are plenty other fine sources
around, but this story, I am sorry to say, is not one of them.

Keeping that in mind, if you decide to go ahead and read, feel free to
always contact me at ghostofoldtrafford@yahoo.com


DIVINE PUNISHMENT


Chapter 4


"Good morning, Vietnam!" Terry yelled, shaking my bed. I squinted and
managed to make out the squiggly numbers on my alarm clock. 6 AM.

"Oh, for fuck's sake, don't tell me you're a morning person. There's
already one of `em in the house. And I can at least lock my door to keep
her out, while you can just go through it, doing your Casper shit."

"Well, how do you think I managed to obtain my awesome physique?"

"Steroids?"

"Ha-ha. Stop. You're killing me."

"That would be a bit redundant, don't you think?"

"Yeah, yeah. You're a regular Seinfeld. But seriously, I woke up early, ran
and did a fairly thorough work-out."

"And yet, by eating greasy food and lazing about, I outlived you. Take
that, vegans!" I shook my fist and then pulled the cover back over my head,
trying to keep the light out and hoping for at least another hour's rest.

"Oh, no you don't. Dude, I'm dead. I have nothing better to do. I'm getting
you in shape. Besides, I kinda look at it as part of my
responsibilities. I'm gonna turn you into a mean, lean, fighting machine."
He said, as he yanked the cover off and pulled me out of bed by the ankle.

"Terry, I'm the size of a 6th grader. What exactly do you think you'll
accomplish?"

"Well, for one thing, stamina. You were never able to outrun me in
school. If nothing else, we'll make a mean runner out of ya, so you can
ditch for cover."

"So, you want to perfect my cowardice?"

"For starters, yes. But don't worry, we'll get some muscle on ya, then you
can maybe stand up for yourself more. It'll give you self-confidence."

"Well, you asshole, the fact that you tormented me on a daily basis and
made me feel like shit is kinda the reason why I lack confidence in the
first place." I spat through gritted teeth.

"All in the past, my man. You have to learn to move on, don't dwell on
things you can't change. Tomorrow's always gonna be a better day and all
that."

"I...I really, REALLY hate you."

"I'll grow on you."

"Yes, like a fungus, I have no doubt."

"Now, put on your sweats and off we'll go." He said, crossing his arms and
leaning against the wall next to my closet.

"We're both getting WAY too comfortable with me being naked around you."

"Well, I've been around naked guys in locker rooms for years, you know?
Besides, you have nothing to be ashamed of. And if it'll make you feel
better, I can get naked too..."

I froze in my tracks. A multitude of thoughts crossed my mind. First of
all, the whole thing was creepy as hell. Yet strangely arousing. Dead or
not, I'd have loved to take a gander. As I kept mentioning, the bastard was
extremely handsome. But no, that was just what he wanted. It was a
trap. No, I shall not show my weakness. I shall stand proud and refuse!

"No, no, I think that'd be too weird, what with you no longer being alive
and all."

Terry laughed. "Yeah, right. You'd have been more convincing had you not
started drooling once I mentioned it."

"I beg your pardon! I did no such thing." I said, wiping the corner of my
mouth on the back of my hand.

"Whatever. Your loss. Of all the guys I've seen, only one has me beaten in
that department."

"Egomaniac to the bitter end and beyond, I see..." I mumbled as I got
dressed and headed downstairs, where my mom and sister stood open-mouthed
and wide-eyed at my appearance at such an early hour.

"Honey, are you feeling alright?" mom asked.

"Yeah, sure."

"Your room isn't infested with giant spiders, on fire or become a giant
whirlpool, sucking down the very essence of the universe?"

"Not that I know of."

"Then...why on Earth are you up so early?"

"I thought I'd start exercising. You know, put in a good run in the
morning."

My sister spilled the milk and the box of cereal all over the kitchen
floor, she was laughing so hard. If it were anyone else, I might have found
her reaction offensive.

"Well, that's...nice, dear." Mom said, ignoring my sister and barely
containing her own laughter. "See you soon, then. Have a good run." She
finished, chuckling. Needless to say, I was fuming when I exited the house,
slamming the door as hard as I could on my way out. That'll show `em!

"Easy there, tiger." Terry said. "Just, you know...prove them wrong. No
need for hissy fits. Start with some stretching exercises and then we'll
just jog, not outright run. You're still a long way out from that."

"I'll show you! All of you! I'm stretched enough..."

"So, you put the dildo to good use, then."

"AAAHHH! You're all such jerks!" and I went off sprinting. 5 minutes later,
I was sprawled out on the Mickelsons' lawn, at the end of the block. "I'm
dying. It burns! On the inside! And the outside! God, it hurts so much!
Make it end."

"Oh, for the love of... I see we have our work cut out for us, you little
sissy." Terry said. "Get up."

"No, the grass is so soft here. I just wanna take a nap."

Terry waved his hand and the sprinklers came on. That took care of my
shower nicely. I hate ghost powers. But it got me moving. When I walked
back into my house, both my mother and sister were laughing. I'm still not
sure whether they had yet to stop laughing since I left or they just
started again when they saw me hobble up the drive, soaking wet and
complaining about aches and pains like an old man.

I managed to make my way through the rest of the morning and finally to
school. Terry kept yapping the whole time, but I just started tuning him
out. Maybe I could become quite adept at ignoring him after a while. Then
the door to a locker swung open and smacked me in the head.

"Oh, no you don't. You're not gonna ignore me, got it?" Terry asked. I
shook my head and looked around. The hallway was fairly
deserted. Figures. The memorial was scheduled for 9 AM. I fully expected
grief counselors and the cancellation of classes, so that the student
population could deal with the great loss. Gag!

"Christ, you have to stop that kind of shit. First the sprinklers, now
this. I thought you said you were forced to be nice to me."

"Well, I'm supposed to behave, yes. But these are just friendly pranks, you
know?"

"Well, no more. Treat me nicely or I'm lodging a formal complaint and
you'll get consumed by hellfire or whatever it is that's supposed to
occur."

"Fine, fine, but I was pissed because I kept repeating myself and you
weren't paying any att..."

"Sharon, hey!" I yelled, running towards my friend, leaving Terry behind,
no doubt to grumble. He'll get over it.

"Hey, munchkin." She proceeded to give me a big bear hug. "You okay? No
more temporary insanity?"

"I'm great."

"Good to hear. Let's go, so we can find a good seat in the auditorium. I
want to be fairly close to Natalie, see the water works."

"Yeah, now that's what I'm talking about!" Terry said, walking up to me.

"Some people can be so insensitive." I said.

"Hey, it'll be fun." Terry and Sharon said almost at the same time. I never
knew Sharon to be so...mean.

"Sharon, I didn't peg you for one to find amusement in the situation."

"Oh, Xander, you know how I feel about it. What happened to Terry was
tragic and I feel bad, but Natalie's a bitch. She's the one person I
dislike the most. You know my policy on hating people, but she is so
infuriating! I definitely could learn to hate her."

"Well, good to know you're human like the rest of us." I said, pushing open
the auditorium door. The sight before me made me pause. "Well...It doesn't
look like she's crying..."

Natalie was on the stage, being restrained by two of her friends, next to
the remains of what looked like Terry's smiling portrait and masses of
flowers. They were all pretty much shredded and Natalie was screaming at
the top of her lungs. "The fucker! I told him I was pregnant and he went
ahead and got himself killed. Well, I hate him! And I'm gonna sue his
father for child support!" she yelled, while being dragged off the stage.

"Yes, thank you very much, miss Gianni." said Mr. Morris, the Principal. "I
think we need to...err...I...Coach Willis?"

"Everyone, go home. No classes today. Dismissed." The Coach concluded.

"Well, that was certainly interesting. And to think I wanted to skip this."
I said.

Sharon was speechless. Surprisingly, so was Terry. Well, he seemed really
pissed, truth be told, and I was afraid he'd go apeshit on the place.

"Oh, Sharon, I think I should go. I need to...see a grief counselor. Yeah,
that. Bye." I ran out, not waiting for a reply, hoping that Terry would
follow. He did, but he was still steaming, so I went into the nearest
bathroom, hoping it would be empty. It wasn't. Lance Mitchell and Henry
Willis -- yes, the fucking coach's son -- were in there, smoking. In
case you haven't guessed, they were part of Terry's goon squad. Just
fucking perfect. I tried to ran back out, but it was too late. I was caught
and the two of them appeared set to inflict some pain on me, apparently in
memory of Terry. Because that's the way to honor one's memory -- a guy
who had great grades, was a sporting hero and all that gets honored by
continuing his bullying tradition, instead of celebrating his positive
achievements. Fucking high-school!

"Hey, dipshit. How `bout one last go with your head down the toilet? Just
like good ol' Terry used to do to you."

"Umm...no thanks, I think I'll skip that, thanks."

"It wasn't really a suggestion." Henry said, grabbing me by the arm and
pulling me towards a cubicle. This was usually the part where I would start
crying and begging for mercy, but dammit, I had a ghost on my side now, and
that ghost was already pissed. So, next thing I know, water explodes out of
two toilets and I'm talking serious, massive columns of water, the kind you
usually see in a Roland Emmerich disaster flick. They slammed into Lance
and Henry and gave me the opportunity to get the hell out of there as the
two lay spread-eagle on the floor. As I was running, I realized I was also
laughing. Can you blame me? It was exhilarating as all hell. And fucking
cool. I really felt like a superhero right then. Terry made sure to bring
me down to earth right away, though.

"That fucking bitch!" he said when we stopped in the parking lot. "How
could she do that to me?"

"Natalie?" I asked, panting. I definitely needed to get in shape.

"Of course her." He answered, slamming his fist down on Henry's car,
denting the hood. You know, one expects the whole immaterial, `go right
through everything' crap when it comes to ghosts, but apparently they have
no trouble breaking shit when they want to. "Can you believe that crap? How
can she ruin my memorial service?"

"Yes, the nerve of her..."

"I know, right? And that was such a great portrait."

"And those floral arrangements..."

"Exactly."

"So...about you being her baby's daddy and all..."

"What? Oh, that. It's total bullshit. I always used a rubber, man. She
tried that shit on the night of my party, dude. Telling me how she's
carrying my baby and we should get married. Did she think I was stupid? I
told her that if she doesn't stop with the baby shit, I'm dumping her ass."

"I guess your death kinda solved that issue anyway."

"Yup. Wait...You don't think..."

"What?"

"Dude, with me dead, my dad's gonna pay her off, baby or not, just to keep
her quiet."

"Sad, but what's the point?"

"What if she killed me?"

"Oh, don't make me laugh. She's like half your size. How exactly did she
kill you? Not to mention make it look like an accident. Get over yourself,
dude. No one conspired to murder you. You just got drunk and dove into the
lake. The end."

Terry remained thoughtful for a minute, but finally conceded the point,
bowing his head. "Yeah, you're right. But it still bugs me that I can't
remember exactly how it happened. And I guess I'm just pissed that Natalie
would cause such a scene. Oh, fuck!"

"What now?"

"Christ, if she did this at school, I can't even imagine what she'll do at
the funeral home, with my dad..."

Turns out, she didn't do much, since she wasn't allowed in. I made my way
there later that evening and found Natalie struggling with two suit-wearing
gorillas. Or they might have been bodyguards. Whatever. A tall,
blond-haired and weary-looking man came out and pulled her aside to talk in
hushed voices. I didn't need Terry to tell me who he was. Terrence
Williamson II. The old man, the tree from which the apple fell, the block
from which the chip came. I didn't stand around to eavesdrop, since that
would be rude. Instead, I went inside and left Terry behind to spy on
them. When he rejoined me a few minutes later, he had a somber expression.

"What's wrong?" I asked a bit too loudly and a pudgy older woman in a gaudy
dress shot me a displeased look. I pointed to the Bluetooth headset I was
wearing and smiled apologetically. While talking on the phone in a funeral
home where people are supposed to be grieving isn't exactly the most polite
thing to do, it's still better than appearing to talk into thin air.

"My dad offered her 50 grand to just walk away and keep her mouth shut."

"And she accepted?"

"No. She wanted double that. And of course dad gave it to her."

"But why? I mean, if you say she wasn't pregnant..."

"Simple. Avoid any potential scandal. Even with the truth on dad's side, it
doesn't matter. You still have ` Dead millionaire's son leaves pregnant
girlfriend destitute' all over the papers. My dad loved me. It's about
protecting my memory as much as it is protecting his name."

"Huh."

"Yeah. Come on, let's go."

"But we just got here. I thought you wanted to say bye and all."

"I'm in a bad mood now, thanks to Natalie. Besides, Jordan's not here. He's
the one I wanted to see most of all. Maybe tomorrow, at the funeral."

The next day, at the funeral, things were...awkward. As I mentioned, to say
that Terry and I didn't frequent the same circles would be an
understatement. So, I just hung back, trying to make myself as small as
possible, but still not small enough, judging by the puzzled looks from
close family and friends and the hateful stares from Terry's goon
squad. Apparently, only his close friends from school were there. Like, you
know, Henry and Lance. So, I stood out like a sore thumb. I wanted to run
away, but Terry was adamant about staying until he could see his body be
`swallowed by the earth from which it came', as he put it. Not exactly
healthy, if you ask me, but no one ever does, so I just shrugged and
obeyed.

As the priest droned on, Terry moved closer to the grave and left me
alone. Soon, a tall black guy walked up next to me. Well, he had dark
caramel skin, not really black. He looked about as tall as Terry. Maybe
taller, perhaps 6'4", with a swimmer's build, from what I could tell
underneath the suit he was wearing(yes, I immediately pictured him naked
-- can you blame me? He was hot!), short cropped dark hair and dark eyes.

He leaned in close to me and whispered "I don't think I've seen you before
and I know pretty much all of Terry's friends. No offense, but you just
don't seem the type to fit in with his usual crowd." He smiled a bit
bitterly, but even that small smile was enough to make my stomach do
summersaults.

"N-n-no. I`m not really a friend. More like an acquaintance. But I felt
obligated to come. I'm Xander. Xander Pryce."

"Jordan Fryers. I'm Terry's cousin."

"You're...what? But...you're black!"

"Very observant."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to...I love chocolate. It's delicious. Or
caramel...Crap, I'm such an idiot."

Jordan chuckled. It was still reserved, trying to keep quiet, but it was
heartfelt. "Don't worry. I imagine that's exactly what my grandfather said
when he met my father." Jordan's expression became serious again when he
mentioned his father. "My mom was uncle Terrence's sister. And you know how
it is, love knows no boundaries. My dad's black. So, I'm a mutt."

One hell of a cute mutt, I thought, but left it unsaid. One funeral for the
day was quite enough. Jordan and I struck a conversation, mostly on the
topic of Terry. Before we knew it, the service was over.

"Hey, you should come by the house, for the reception." He said to me as we
stood, the rest of the people attending moving towards the cars.

"No, I don't think so. I've done what I came here to do."

"Well, maybe I'll see you in school then."

"School? But I thought you didn't live here."

"I didn't. But things changed. I'll be attending your high-school from now
on. So...maybe we'll run into each other again."

"I'd like that. I mean...sure. See ya." And then I hurried off, hoping he
wouldn't see me blush.

"Smooth." Terry said, grinning, as he walked up next to me.

"Where the hell were you?"

"I thought you'd like your privacy."

"Very considerate of you. So, that's your cousin?"

"Yep. I told you he's hot."

"Quite. But you didn't tell me he'd be going to school with me."

"I didn't know. He's been attending a boarding school. I don't know what's
up."

"A boarding school? And now he's moving here? Won't his parents miss him?"

Terry grew quiet for a few seconds, as we kept walking. "It's a long story
and it's not my place to tell it." He finally said. "Maybe he'll tell you
all about it one day."

"Yeah, right. As if we're gonna be friends."

"Jordan's not like the people I used to run with, dude. You'll find you
have far more in common than you expect." He said, smirking.

"What's that supposed to mean? Hey, don't you walk away from me! What do
you mean?"

"You'll find out sooner or later..."

Turns out it was sooner. The next day, actually, at school. Terry turned
out to be quite helpful during my math test. I have an invisible ghost who
can walk around the classroom and get me the right answers. Can you guess
exactly how he helped me?  Anyway, since, with Terry's coaxing, I had
decided to turn over a new leaf and I was already out to my family, I
decided to drop by the Gay-Straight Alliance meeting, taking place at 2
o'clock. I was fashionably late, because I needed a few minutes to work up
the courage to actually attend the meeting. Yes, turning over a new leaf
and all that, but give me a break. When you're a coward for all your life,
finding courage all of a sudden isn't an easy thing to do.

When I walked in, I saw about a dozen kids sitting in a circle, in the
middle of the room, the desks pushed against the walls. There were two
girls, the rest were guys and they were in the middle of a debate. And my
eyes were immediately drawn to one guy. Even with his back to me, I
immediately recognized Jordan. I glanced at Terry and he just winked at me,
while I tried to keep from hyperventilating. Then I realized everyone in
the room was staring at me, including Jordan, who had turned around.

"Umm, hey. I'm Xander." I said.

"I knew it! I knew you were gay!" one guy I recognized from my English
class said. Perfect.

"Well, hooray for your gaydar, Jackson. Now leave the poor guy alone." A
slightly effeminate kid said, gesturing for me to grab a chair and join
them. "I'm Justin Hollander. I'm the President of the GSA." He then started
making introductions but, honestly, I wasn't paying attention. I was
staring at Jordan, who must've become uncomfortable under my scrutiny,
because he scratched his head and tried to look away.

"Anyway, where were we?" Justin asked, as soon as the introductions were
over.

"Monogamy." A cute red-haired guy answered. "And why I think it's
bullshit."

"Yeah, yeah. Well let me tell you something, Ryan." Jordan began. "I don't
think it's bullshit at all. Gays are just like any other minority. We want
the same rights as the majority, to be treated the same, yet we still want
to be recognized as `different', and the way we perceive sex and
relationships is a part of that. How does that work, exactly?

"The notion that, just because you're gay, you're not supposed to adhere to
the heterosexual `code' of relationships is something that has become
ingrained in a lot of us. Why? Gay people -- not all, of course --
scoff at straight people because they're limited in the way they view
relationships, as one-on-one and all that. Why does the notion of rebellion
have to exist? If you want to be treated as equals, why insist that some
things just don't apply to you?"

"Because that's the way it is, man. It's the equivalent of sitting in the
front of the bus. We're rejecting the hetero world's rules." Ryan replied.

"Oh, that is just crap. Humans inherently crave affection. And stable,
one-on-one relationships provide security and affection far more than
`open' relationships. Now, I'm not advocating the `together forever'
idea. Maybe there's an expiration date on all relationships but, as long as
the one you're in provides you with happiness, why screw it up just for the
sake of sexual gratification?

"No one's saying that you should stick together until death do you part,
like a good little Christian, because there is always the chance that love
will turn into resentment and bitterness. But as long as love is there, as
long as it works, why mess with it when you come across some eye candy?
Just because you're queer and it's expected of you not to play by the
`straight' rules? How does that make sense?  "Now, maybe it's because men
are generally more afraid of commitment and that's why really long-term
relationships don't work. But I`m not talking about that. I'm talking about
ALL relationships. Even those just a few weeks or months old. If you're
with someone, then be with them for as long as there are feelings between
you and let those feelings grow. Don't let a casual fuck with the first
person willing to share your bed get in the way. Monogamy for the sake of
monogamy, in the absence of happiness, is pointless, as we see all the time
with straight couples. But you know what else is pointless? So-called open
relationships born out of the idea that gays shouldn't act straight when it
comes to sex and relationships."

"Damn!" I said, as quiet descended over the room.

"My cousin's smart, ain't he?" Terry asked, beaming.

"Well, that's just how I feel." Jordan said, looking at me with a scowl on
his face.

I shook my head and tried to reassure him. "No, I feel the same
way. Really, I do."

"Well, good." Jordan smiled, while Ryan sneered at us.

"Well, this is a topic I feel we will never all agree on, I'm afraid. So,
let's move on." Justin said. And move on we did, but I have no idea what we
talked about, because I was back in my creepy staring at Jordan mode. This
time he didn't appear to be as unsettled by it, though, since, as soon as
the meeting was over, he approached me.

"Hey, Xander. I was thinking...Maybe, you'd like to have dinner some time?"

"Ummm..."

"Yeah, get to know each other better. Talk. About Terry, maybe..."

"Yeah, Terry..." I said, grinning. "I love food. I'm surprised I don't
weigh 300 lbs, the way I eat. What I mean to say is, yes, I'd love to have
dinner with you."

"Tomorrow? 8 o'clock?"

"We'll take care of the details tomorrow at school."

"Well, for now...it's a date."

"It's a date." I parroted, blushing, as Jordan walked away, laughing.

"Aww...You are too cute for words." Terry said in a mocking baby voice.

"Shut it. It's just dinner."

"And maybe a little desert..." he said, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.
"You remember, I did say only one guy had me beat in terms of endowment,
right? Well, that's Jordan. God, if you play your cards right, you might
not be able to walk for a week." I gulped and Terry started laughing like a
maniac. What a prick...