Date: Sat, 17 Aug 2013 16:52:31 -0700 (PDT) From: Walt Michael <waltmcheese@yahoo.com> Subject: I'll Make You Popular- Chapter 12 Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. It is about 2 teenage boys who find themselves and what not. The story involves sex between them and between other people. If this offends you then click the x button in the upper right hand corner. If it does not then enjoy the story. Don't forget to donate to the site! Keep the site free! I would like the thank my amazing editor Chris for sticking by me. Thank you everyone who has emailed me! It makes me happy to know people are enjoying the story! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Dylan I woke up feeling sick. Not like throw-up sick, but like the nervous type of sick. Not only did I have a HUGE game against our school's biggest rivals today. I had to deal with the Sean situation today. I have to do it sooner rather than later. Just in case he didn't tell Rickey yet. `I just need to get this over with.' I thought. I got up from my bed feeling like shit. The mirror in my room agreed with how I felt, but I forged on with the day. Getting showered and dressed. When I got into Logan's car, I was greeting with that Logan smirk; the smirk that made things better. The smirk that only Logan could pull off; maybe he could teach me the ability that allows him to deal with this in a way only he could. I just need to ask subtly. "How do you do it?" I asked. He raised his eye brow at that. "Do what?" "Be so happy and awake this early in the morning knowing that you are going into a school with people who wish for your fall from grace?" "This wouldn't have something to do with you and Sean would it?" He said. "No, I was just wondering how you got so much thick skin that it doesn't bother you at all," I said. How the fuck did he figure that out so fast? I was totally subtle! Well I think I was... Why couldn't Logan be one of the brawn people instead of one of the brain people? It would make this so much easier. "While I think there is an ulterior motive for you asking this. I'm going to give you some insight so maybe you could deal with the problem. Just know if you need me I'll help as much as possible," He said, "The way I deal with it all is... Be as nice to as many people as possible. The more people that like you, the less power the people who hate you have. Respect from people who like you goes a lot farther then respect from people who hate you. The people that like you are a lot less likely to stab you in the back. So the more people I treat people with respect the less I have to worry about people who hate me. And if something happens, I know I have a bunch of people to back me up, especially Jjay and Amanda. They are not the people you want to have on your bad side by a long shot." "That actually makes a lot of sense and does help a lot," I said. It did make sense. Thinking about it, I believe very few people dislike me. I think I'm a nice and caring person. I don't step on many people's toes. I try to do right by people and I have a circle of friends who can help me out. Cody, Victoria, Jjay, Colin, Bryan, Shayne, Amanda, and Logan; I have a group of people who will back me up. Anything that Sean and Rickey could throw at me would be nothing; as long as I have them with me. For the first time since Sean walked up to me at my locker. I actually feel like I can deal with this. "So? Am I going to find out what's going on?" Logan said. "After I deal with it I'll tell you." We arrived at school and went our separate ways. I got to my locker and was getting my things for class. Now when was I going to talk to Sean? Grab him before lunch? I don't see him during class or after classes. I don't want to push it off until after school. I don't have time to talk to him. Have to head right over to the rink for my game. "Hey Dylan," I heard someone say. I looked over and saw Cody walking up to me. "What's up dude? Ready for today?" "Been looking forward to it all month dude, we are gonna crush them," He said, "He listen can I... talk to you in private?" "Uh... sure" I said. This was weird. What could Cody want to talk to me about that needs to be private? Does he know something? I'm going to go out on a limb and say he talked to Sean or something. We walked outside and to the side of the building. We had a little bit before the go to class bell rang so we had time. "What's going on Cody?" I said to him. I already had a feeling what this was going to be about. "So I wanted to figure out what was going on at lunch yesterday..." "Sean fucking told you didn't he?" "Yea... he did." "Shit," I said. My head fell back and I looked straight up to the sky. This was where everything was going to fall apart. I don't think Cody is the type of person to care about it. But people are going to notice something is up if me and Cody are fighting with Sean. Sean is the type that will only release the information he has at the point where it hurts. "Sean's not going to tell anyone," Cody said. I shot my head right down and looked Cody dead in the eye. "What?" "He said, `I actually like Dylan. He's really nice; I don't know what Rickey has against him. Besides that he feels that he needs to be just like Jake. He has nothing to fear from me telling people. His secret is safe'" Cody said, "He thinks you being gay could possibly be one of the best things to happen to the 15." "If I come out that is," I said. "Yea, but it's not something we are banking on Dylan. We want you to be happy. Sean is an ally that is on the other side. He will back you if you do come out. You have no worries." "Unless he is lying to us." "Why would he lie to us? What's in it for him to do so?" "It allows him to get closer to us to find out more about us." "I don't think Sean is like that Dyl. He is actually pretty cool. He is Rickey's best friend to only keep an eye on him; kind of how Logan and Jake use to be." "Like Logan and Jake use to be? Does that mean there is a chance he could split from Rickey?" "That I'm not sure." I sighed. This was good news I guess. Sean won't tell anyone, but now more than just Sean know. I'm not sure how Logan will take it. Thinking of Logan; I wonder how much Cody knows... "How much did Sean tell you?" I said. "Everything... Including about... You and Logan," He said. I felt like it was hard to breathe. Logan was not going to take this well at all. And there is nothing I could say that will make him take it better; I can't sugar coat this, I can't not tell him. This was going to be horrible. "Your secret is safe with me. I actually think it's great that you to are dating. You two make a good couple." That perked me up a little. "You think?" I said. "Yea, you guys work good together. Honestly I thought it would have been you and Colin. But you and Logan work good together." "Why do people think there is something between me and Colin? Logan swore that there had to be something between us." "It's just the way you guys act around each other," He said, "You guys just seem closer than just best friends." "He's like a brother to me, besides he has his eye on a girl." I said. "Has he actually said it's a girl he has his eye on?" Cody said. "Yea he did actually," I said. Well I actually more of snapped at him. It probably didn't help the case. So this is the second person to see something between me and Colin. And as Cody guessed Colin never said it was a girl. I kind of just assumed it was and he didn't say confirm or deny. So I got the problem with Sean taken care of, and now this with Colin might be starting. It's like I'm being written about in a story for other people's entertainment. It all really needs to stop. We heard the go to class bell go off. So we went back inside and went to our classes. On the walk our classes Cody filled me in a little more on what happened between him and Sean. So I sat in class just looking at Colin from the corner of my eye. He can't be gay; he's my straight best friend. That's how it works. He is the hetro to offset my homo. I can't be thinking about this now. I still have to figure out how to tell Logan what's going on. School ended and I caught up with Logan. "So did you fix that problem?" He said. We were walking back to his car so he could give me a ride over to the rink. "Yea I did." I said. I figured I could start off with just Sean knowing before I brought up Cody knowing. Baby steps. "So am I going to find out what it is?" "Before I tell you, I'm actually surprised that you don't know already. I thought you would have already had your hand working finding out what it is." I said. "Well I wanted you to tell me yourself. If you don't want me to know, then it's something personal and I hope you would tell me in your own time," He said. "Plus if it was something you couldn't handle on your own, I know you would ask me yourself. If you think you can handle it. Then I trust you can." "Thanks," I said. It actually makes me happy to know he trusts me to be able to deal with things on my own. That he won't force his way into everything. That he will let me figure things out and make my own mistakes. That he will be there to help me if I need it. "Anyway, what was going on between me and Sean was..." I started, "Was that he, he being Sean, kind of... saw us at the concert." Logan stopped dead in his tracks. I shifted my head to the right, enough to make out his face. It was one of the only times I think Logan ever had a look of pure fear on his face. "You mean Sean... as in Jack's pick? Sean as in Rickey's best friend? The same Rickey who is Jake's pick... Where Jake is my enemy. Where he will do anything to destroy me." "Yea that same Sean..." He was taking this exactly how I expected him too. He turned to look at me. "And you didn't tell me about this earlier because?" "Because I wanted to take care of this..." "This is not something you take care of on your own Dylan. Especially when it involves something like this! Sean could ruin both of us. He controls us now!" "No he doesn't. Like I said I took care of it," I said. "Did you kill him or something? Because that is quite possibly the only way the secret can stay secret." "I didn't kill him. Cody kind of threw him into a tree and apparently they talked it out. He said..." "Did you say Cody?" Logan said. I watched him as his upper lip started to twitch. He looked like he was about to lose it. That he was losing the control he had over everything in his life. He looked like for once in his life he didn't know what to do. He was truly displaying fear. Fear mixed with anger. Those two feelings combined can make the worst combination. It resonates with the fight or flight instinct that humans have. And Logan is a silent fighter. He could destroy everything in words. Without getting blood on his hands. It was the first time around Logan I was scared. I didn't know what he was going to do or say. I mean I can't read him at all. But this is the first time I felt that he might actually hate me, that he might try to destroy me to save himself. Destroy all evidence before it leaks. "As in Cody Read? Who the fuck else knows about this Dylan?" "Just those two... Cody saw the same looks between me and Sean that you did. I told him to stay out of it. But he decided to find out what was going on." I said. "Both Sean and Cody are fine with it Logan. They won't tell anyone." "Are you sure about that? We can trust Cody. I made sure of that when Jjay picked him, but Sean. He is on the other side Dylan. You can't trust that said. I know I created that side when I created Jake." "What do you mean? `When you created Jake'?" I said. This is a completely different side of Logan. I was seeing the darker side of him right now, he looked unstable. "That's not important," He snapped. I watched him close his eyes. He looked like he was trying to control himself; trying to calm down. "What does matter is we have a long talk with Sean and by we I mean me. I can make sure we don't have to worry about him." "Why can't we just trust him instead of just intimating him? He is not defined by who is friends are! Look at Amanda, she's friends with Jake's side but you still trust her!" "Amanda is a different story. She's there to protect me. She is playing the part I use to with Jake; his rational side. That was my job before our fall out. Now it's hers. I know that because that was something her, Jason, and I decided on during Jake and I's war two years ago." That I didn't see coming; was Logan playing a long con of Jake? Putting an ally close to Jake so he can rip her away when he needs too? No... if that were the case. He would have made it so they wouldn't talk and would hate each other. Being friends makes the obvious. "I think we can trust him Logan. So does Cody," I said, "Can you please be with me on this? I haven't given you any reason to not trust my gut. And my gut tells me we can trust him." He closed his eyes again and took a deep breath. "Fine, but if he proves any type of disloyalty I will come in and ruin him." He said. "I understand that." I said, "He will be playing like he isn't on our side though. He doesn't want anyone to know we are allies." We started walking back to the car in silence. I ruined everything. It was as we were nearing the rink that Logan's breath returned to normal. He pulled off on the side of the road and turned the car off. I looked over at him. I was scared to look at him. I just saw a different side of Logan. I side I kind of hoped didn't exist. It was scary, that side could destroy anything it wanted. I hope I never have to see that side come out again. "Hey Dylan listen..." He said, "I'm sorry you had to see me like that back there... That side of me is difficult to deal with I know. "It only comes out when someone I care about has a chance of getting hurt. What you may have read as fear for myself was actually fear for you. I can take people hating me. I am leaving at the end of this year. You will still have two more years left. I don't want to leave you in a place where you might be hurt. I care too much about you. I don't want to see you hurting at all. If I scared you I'm sorry. I just want what's best for you." When I caught his eye, it actually looked like tears were forming in them. He actually cared about me and he didn't hate me. A weight was lifted off my shoulders and I let out a sigh of relief. He didn't hate me at all. He actually cares a lot about me. "I know Logan and I'm sorry I didn't tell you to begin with. I just... I just didn't know how to tell you. I was so freaked out when he told me. I didn't know how to react. I just shut down. The only thing I could think of was `how can I fix this?'" I said, "And I didn't even fix this. I let someone else do the work for me and reap the benefits from it." "That's honestly the best way to do it. Let the muscle be the muscle, and let the brains do the thinking. That's how I've always done it." He said, "It is always better to have people around you to take care of things for you. That way you can handle more things at once and react to things better. Other people see things you don't." He started the car back up and drove off. We got to the rink and I ran off to the locker room and got ready. Right skate then left skate. Sit in front of my locker. Clear my mind and sit waiting for the coach to come in. After the starting spiel about how this game was important, they are our biggest rivals must win game. He told us the starting shift. Which I was on, I never start on the first shift. I was being placed on a line with Cody as the other winger. Does this mean I am being moved up to the first line? I didn't let myself dwell on it long. We had a game to play. I actually scored two goals during the game. My first ever two goal game, the coach pulled me aside after the game to talk to me. "Dylan, I noticed your work ethic has changed a lot recently. You have improved a lot since the season started. Today was a test to see how you would do on the first line. And I think you did a good job. You and Cody seem to have some chemistry. So we are going to let it play out a few more games and see if it was a onetime thing or not. Keep up the good work." I was ecstatic. I, Dylan Johnson, am on the first line. They are the ones who get the best chance of moving up to Varsity. Meaning I have an even better chance of playing on Logan's wing or on the team in general. So now I'm home and in my bed. Barely able to stay awake, between how my morning went, then my conversation with Logan. Followed by the game AND practice with Logan afterwards. I was tired. Everything in my life is going great. I just wonder when the next problem is going to hit. Every time something amazing happens this year it is followed by something bad. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Well there is the chapter of 12th 'I'll Make you Popular' I hope you enjoyed it. I also ask you to be patient in how long it will take me to update. I'm really bad at focusing. But I seem to be able to get a chapter out every 2 weeks or so. Hopefully I can keep up this pace! If you have any criticism I would love to hear it. Editor's Note: Hey guys! Sorry if I missed any grammatical errors, as usual I did my best to catch everything! If you see me repeatedly missing anything, email me at: gleek887@gmail.com I'm not kidding when I say the story is quite enticing and I have trouble stopping reading when I start. (Don't worry, I read through it twice to try and catch all the grammar/spelling). Be sure to email Walt and tell him how fantastic the story is and to keep writing! And, preaching to the choir, DONATE TO NIFTY!! KEEP THE SITE FREE!! Peace and Love People! -Chris