Date: Wed, 22 Jun 2011 23:44:58 -0400
From: Ronyx <ronyx@woh.rr.com>
Subject: It's Not Easy Being a Tree    Chapter 23

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.


It's Not Easy Being a Tree            Chapter 23


I went straight to my room when I got home. I didn't want to be anywhere
near Dad. It's an awful feeling to dislike someone who you're supposed to
love. Dad and I had never really been close. Jon was always his favorite
son. Now that he's getting older, Dad is starting to turn his attention to
Glenn. Me? I've just always been caught in the middle.

But now, I was starting to not like him. Hate is too strong a word. I've
never understood why he didn't give me the same attention he gave Jon. I
lived in his world, but I was never a part of it.

It's sort of the same way my brother has always treated me. I'm someone he
shares a room with, but I'm never really there. He's always called me runt,
which just about sums up how he sees me. It's a weird feeling living with
two people and them not seeing you for who you are.

Now, I guess, they are going to see me only as being gay. Ross already told
me Jon doesn't care. It's not because he doesn't like gay people. He just
doesn't care enough about me to even think about my sexuality. It's sort of
like someone telling him Elton John is gay, and he replies, "Who cares."

I heard the phone ring a couple of times. A few seconds later I'd hear Dad
slam it down and start ranting. I guess we were still getting calls about
my involvement at school. I had to hold back tears when I heard him holler
once, "Fucking kid." He said it at the bottom of the steps, so I think he
wanted me to hear him.

Glenn and Glenda came home a little later. Glenn ran to this room and
started playing MY video games. He left his door open to make sure I could
hear him squealing as he played. I was beginning not to like him, too.

I walked over to the window when I heard car doors slamming shut. I looked
down as Jon, Connor and Ross exited Jon's car. Several minutes later they
came upstairs.

"Hey, Bud," Connor said as he came over to my bed and sat down. Jon cast
him an angry glance, but he said nothing. I guess he was afraid if he did,
Connor might blacken his other eye. Ross walked over and sat down on the
other side of me.

"I thought you guys had football practice?" I asked.

"Coach called it off tonight," Connor informed me. "He was pissed he had to
attend that meeting after school."

Ross started laughing. "He was a little more than pissed." He looked over
at Jon, but he was lying on his bed watching a soccer game.

Connor stood and stretched. "I'm bored." He walked over and smacked Jon's
dangling foot that was hanging off the bed. "Let's go do something?"

Jon turned on his side. "Do what?"

"I dunno," replied Connor. "How about we go to the mall and walk around. I
could use some new sweats."

Jon got off the bed. "Sounds good. Let's go." He put his gym shoes on and
tied them up.

As they were leaving, Connor stopped and looked at me. "Come on,
Woody. You're going, too."

"No!" Jon barked. "That homo's not going anywhere with us." Connor balled
up his fist, but Ross grabbed his hand before he hit Jon again.

Connor stepped back and threw up his arms. He stood defensively before
Jon. "Okay," he said angrily. "I'm a homo, too."

"No, Connor!" Ross screamed. "Don't do this! Now`s not the time!"

Connor turned to Ross. "No," he replied, "I'm doing this."

He turned back toward my brother. "You heard me, I'm a homo, too." He
walked over and put his arm around my shoulder. "If you can't accept Woody,
then you can't accept me."

Jon just stood in the middle of the floor staring at us. It was obvious a
million different thoughts were running through his head. Ross stepped over
and stood in front of his brother, in case Jon decided he wanted to fight
him.

Jon started laughing. "You ain't no homo. You're just saying that because
Woody is."

Connor stepped around Ross and stood in front of Jon. "I'm gay, Jon," he
said softly. "I've always been gay." Jon's eyes widened and he looked over
at Ross. Ross nodded his head.

Connor stepped back and stood beside me, putting his arm around my shoulder
"It's who I am, Jon." He looked down at me. "It's who Woody is. If you
can't accept that...then..."

There was a deadening silence as my brother stared at his best friend for a
moment, then he sat down on the side of his bed, burying his head in his
hands.

Ross grabbed my arm. "Come on," he said as he pulled me from the
room. "They need to talk." As we were leaving, I watched as Connor sat down
beside my brother.

"You think they'll be all right if we leave them alone?" I asked Ross as we
descended the stairs. I envisioned them fighting like they had two nights
earlier.

"They'll be all right," Ross assured me. "Connor has wanted to come out to
him for months. He just didn't know how to do it. I guess you gave him the
reason he needed."

We went out to the backyard and sat on the patio. I got up and went into
the kitchen to get us something to drink. When I returned, Ross surprised
me again.

"Connor came out to Mom and Dad last night."

"What!" Ross laughed when he saw the astonished look on my face.

"Yeah," he smiled. "They took it pretty good. Better than I thought they
would."

"Why did he do that?"

"Because of you."

"Me!"

"He didn't think it was right that you were going through all this alone,"
Ross explained. "He felt he was partially to blame."

"It wasn't his fault," I insisted. I really never blamed Connor for the
situation I was in. Indyboi91 could have been anyone. It just happened to
be Connor.

"He felt it was," he replied. "That's why he decided to come out to our
parents, and then Jon right now. He says he's tired of living a lie."

"I know that feeling," I replied.

"He's actually pretty proud," Ross remarked. "He said he slept better last
night than he has in years. It was like a big weight had been lifted off
his shoulders when he told Mom and Dad."

"So they weren't upset?"

He laughed slightly. "Sure they were upset. But after he talked to them for
a couple of hours and explained how he was feeling inside, they kind of
started to understand."

"I wish Dad would understand," I replied sadly.

"Give him time," Ross said. "He'll come around."

"I doubt it." We sat quietly as we drank our soda. I couldn't believe
Connor had come out to his parents. He said was going to wait until he went
to college to tell them. I was also worried about what was happening
upstairs. Connor hadn't come down yet, so that was a good sign that things
hadn't gotten too out of hand.

A few minutes later, the patio door slid back and Connor and Jon
emerged. Both their faces were drawn and taut, but neither had any bruises
as if they had been fighting.

"We're going to the mall," Connor announced sharply as he stepped off the
patio and headed around the house. The rest of us trailed behind and got
into the car.

Just before we pulled off, I shouted excitedly, "I can't go! Dad will kill
me. I'm supposed to be grounded."

Connor turned and put up his hand. "It's okay, Woody. Jon talked to him and
your dad said you could go."

"He did?" I stared at the back of Jon's head. I couldn't believe he had
talked Dad into letting me go with them.

No one said anything as we rode to the mall. I could feel the tension
between Jon and Connor. Connor would occasionally glance over at my
brother, but he said nothing.

Just before we arrived at the mall, Connor's cell phone rang. He answered
it, and then handed it back to me. "It's your mother"

"Mom?" I couldn't understand why she'd be calling me on Connor's phone.

"Woody," she said. "Could you call Lucas? He's called here several times
worried about you. I thought you were still at school. Your father just
told me you were with Jon and Connor."

"Thanks, Mom," I smiled. "I will." After getting Connor's permission, I
called Lucas.

"Where are you?" he screamed into the phone. "I thought something had
happened to you!" I assured him I was safe with my brother, Connor and
Ross.

Connor turned in his seat. "Ask him if he wants to join us." I noticed that
Jon glanced quickly at Connor. I wasn't sure, but it appeared he rolled his
eyes.

Lucas tried to protest, but Ross grabbed the phone and convinced him we'd
like him to join us. After getting permission from his father, he told us
he'd be waiting outside the church.

Jon grumbled when he had to turn around, but he didn't say anything Ten
minutes later, we pulled up outside the church where Lucas stood nervously
waiting for us. I scooted into the middle as he climbed in beside
me. Connor and Ross immediately spoke to him. Jon looked at him in his
rearview mirror. I know he was trying to figure out why we were picking him
up. He had only seen Lucas a few times at church, and he didn't know that
Lucas was involved in the mess with Mr. Dewberry.

When we got to the mall, we strolled around looking in store windows. Ross
and Lucas seemed to enjoy it. They were quickly becoming good friends. I
would have gotten jealous, but I knew that Ross was no threat. Now if it
had been Connor....

Jon and Connor walked together, but they didn't talk. Connor kept glancing
over at my brother, probably trying to figure out if he was still his best
friend. Ross got excited when we passed the Arcade.

"Let's go in," he said as he grabbed Lucas and me by the arm.

"I don't have any money," I protested.

He dug into his pocket and pulled out some money. "I do," he grinned. "I
mowed three yards this past weekend. Come on!"

We had a lot of fun. Since Lucas didn't get out much, he was like a kid in
a candy shop. He ran from game to game watching other people play. The
times Ross insisted on paying for a game, he didn't do very well. It really
didn't matter, though; he was having fun.

Once when I was watching Ross and Lucas, Connor stepped up beside me. "He's
really cute." I looked up into his smiling face. "You like him, don't you?"

"Yeah," I said embarrassedly. "We're kind of like boyfriends."

Connor nudged me in my side. "Good, you deserve someone nice. You're a
great guy." I laughed when I looked over and he said disappointedly, "You
could have waited for me."

I nudged him back. "You're graduating in a few months. You'll forget all
about me."

"I doubt it," he smiled. "You never forget your first crush."

"Shut up," I giggled as I elbowed his side. "I won't forget you. either."

He started to say something, but Jon walked up and stood beside him. When
they started talking about football practice, I knew that things were going
to be okay between them. They were talking like they always did. It seemed
like nothing had changed.

After several more games, we finally decided we'd had enough. We went to
the food court and ordered two large pizzas. Lucas sat close beside me as
we ate. Jon sat across from us and he would occasionally look over at us.

"So," Jon asked as he pointed at me and Lucas. "Are you two like
boyfriends?"

I looked at Lucas and he nodded. "Yeah," I said as I looked back at Jon.

He simply said, "Okay, cool." He then shoved an entire slice of pizza into
his mouth.

Later, as we left the mall and headed to his car, he put his arm around my
shoulder and pulled me into him. He held me tightly as we walked side by
side through the parking lot.

It felt good being me.

THE END


The Epilogue


Wow! Where do I begin? The past three months have been a roller coaster
ride. There have been a lot of ups and downs.

I guess I'll start with the ups...

Things are better at home. Jon and I are actually acting like real brothers
I guess his mind works differently than others. I thought after Connor told
him he was gay, Jon would turn his back on him, but he didn't. If it's
possible, they are closer now than ever. I think it's my brother's mission
to make Connor straight.

It's fun to watch them interact. Jon tells Connor he needs to find a
girlfriend, and Connor tells him he should swing both ways. A few times it
appears like Jon is considering it. I'd laugh my ass off if someday I came
in the bedroom and saw them making out.

After the incident with Mr. Dewberry, Connor really became protective of me
I think it made Jon realize how he'd been a real dick over the years. They
include me in a lot of things now. I'm even beginning to enjoy lying on
Jon's bed and watching football games with them.

I don't know how he did it, but a couple of nights after we went to the
mall, Jon convinced Dad to return my computer and video games. I came home
from school one day and it was back in our bedroom. He installed a parental
control device, though. I thought about removing it, but I didn't. I don't
go to any porn sites anymore. Jon's tried to get me to change it so he can
visit his t and a sites. Maybe I will. After all he's done for me, I should
do something nice for him.

Connor and Jeff are seeing each other. We were in the cafeteria one day
when Connor came over and sat down at the table. Jeff was telling everyone
about the time I spent the night and how I hated the smell of the
barn. Connor made some comment about how cool it would be to grow up on a
farm. Jeff asked him if he'd like to spend the weekend sometime. Connor
agreed, and a week later he did. Neither will actually tell me what they
did, but I think it involved a lot more than what Jeff and I did.

They are a good match- boyfriends with no strings attached. Connor didn't
want to become involved with anyone because he was going to graduate and go
off to college. And Jeff, he still wants to get married and have kids
someday. So I guess it works for them. They're just having fun while it
lasts.

Ross is dating a cheerleader. She's really pretty and everyone at school
thinks they are a perfect couple. He's also having a lot of sex with
her. Connor is always teasing him because he has to buy condoms for him at
the drugstore. Ross looks cute when his cheeks turn a bright red.

I'm also growing taller!! I had Jon measure my height a couple of weeks
ago. It's been ages since I last marked the door frame to see if I've
grown. I'm two inches taller than the last time! Now if I can just gain
some weight, I'll look like a normal teenager. I go downstairs a couple of
times a week with Jon. He's put me on a special program to build up my
muscles. Maybe some day I'll look as good as him.

And Lucas. I'm saving him for last. We're getting closer each day. Dad and
Mom lifted the punishment and let me start spending the weekends with
him. I had to promise, though, that I'd go to church on Sunday and return
home with her. Lucas still gets nervous before he has to sing, but I'm
there to comfort him. We go downstairs to the bathroom and make out for a
little while. When he's singing, he'll look down at me and blush. I'm
really starting to fall in love with him.

I even told him that last week. He told me he loved me, too. We haven't
really had sex yet. We've both agreed that after what we've been through,
we should wait a little while. We do get naked in his bed and jack off
together. We are sixteen. We've touched each other a few times, but that's
all. When we do finally have sex, I want it to be perfect. So we'll wait
until that special moment arrives. Right now I just enjoy it when he holds
me and tells me he loves me.


And now the downs...

Things with Dad haven't improved much. He looks at me like I'm a freak or
something. I suppose the whole gay thing is something he's never
experienced very much. I think Jon's acceptance of me has helped a little
bit. I've noticed him smile a couple of times when my brother and I are
bantering back and forth. Maybe someday he'll come around and realize I'm
not such a bad son after all.

I blame myself for his attitude toward me. I put him and Mom through a
lot. I didn't think of the consequences when I started my involvement in
the chat room. For months I've drug them into a dark, perverted world that
no parent should have to face. They've had to ward off reporters and
inquisitive friends who want to know why they didn't monitor my behavior
better. They weren't to blame, but they still feel guilty that they weren't
more aware of what I was doing.

Things at school got really ugly for a while. For days the paper began to
report more details about Mr. Dewberry and his involvement with boys over
the past several years. After a lengthy investigation, it was determined he
had sexually assaulted more than fifteen boys. Most had been from the
church camp in the summer. Many of the boys were from our school, so
everyone tried to guess who might have been involved. Lucas became a prime
suspect because his father's church sponsored the camp outing. However,
after months of wild rumors, no one is really sure.

Mr. Dewberry was charged with multiple felony counts of rape, aggravated
sexual battery on a minor, forcible sodomy, coercion and enticement. They
also found numerous pictures of young boys on his home computer, along with
the ones he had of me and Lucas. As a result, he also faced numerous
charges of possessing child pornography. The prosecutor even charged him
with kidnapping since he refused to let me leave his classroom that day
Lucas showed up.

Everyone at school knew I was involved. I did manage to protect Jeff,
though. The police showed me pictures they'd found on Mr. Dewberry's
computer and asked me if I could identify anyone, especially the pictures
of me with Jeff, but I told them I couldn't. They didn't believe me; but
since they had enough evidence on Mr. Dewberry anyway, they didn't pursue
it.

Things were embarrassing for the first month. I couldn't walk down the hall
without someone giggling or making a comment. I think most students were
afraid of Mr. Calloway's reaction if I would make a complaint; therefore,
no one threatened or intimidated me. Ross also told me that Jon and Connor
were going around warning other students that there would be consequences
to pay if they did mess with me.

I always enjoyed going to lunch because I was with my friends- and they
were my friends. No one deserted me when I was outed. Jeff wasn't
embarrassed to walk with me, even though rumors spread that we were
probably `doing it.' Kate was great. She would meet me at my locker before
school and after school. She was like a protective mother hen. I heard she
even threatened to claw another girl's eyes out because she called me a fag
in front of some other students.

And Anna. Anna is Anna. I think God threw away the mold when he made
her. If only everyone could be so innocent. She just goes through life in
one mode. Nothing bothers here. Well, maybe algebra tests.

After Brandon Metzger's arrest, no one saw him again. The police charged
him as an accessory to Mr. Dewberry's sexual assault on me. He was also
charged with disseminating sexual material. Detective Davis told Pastor
Sparks that Brandon had basically acted alone. Mr. Dewberry told him how I
was rejecting his advances, so Brandon took it upon himself to try to
intimidate me into having sex with him.

Brandon was immediately suspended from school for ten days and Dr. Chavers
later expelled him. The last rumor I heard was that his parents had worked
out an agreement with the prosecutor. They shipped him off to some military
school in South Carolina, instead of him spending time in a juvenile
facility.

The school was abuzz three weeks ago. Mr. Dewberry pled guilty to most of
the charges. I guess he struck a deal with the prosecutor. I was happy
because I was told that Lucas and I might have to testify against him if
the case went to trial. The most serious charges against him, rape of a
minor and kidnapping, were dropped. He was still sentenced to sixty years
in prison for the other crimes. The judge also took away his teaching
license. I found that amusing since he'd be in prison for almost the rest
of his life and he wouldn't need it.

Things are returning to normal. The stares and comments are becoming less
frequent. I can walk through the halls without people looking at me like I
am some carnival sideshow.

Through all this, though, I learned a valuable lesson. A moment of fun can
have a lifetime effect. My life changed dramatically since that time I
registered as Elmer Fudd. Then I was a shy, skinny sapling looking for
someone.

Today, I'm stronger. I walk a little taller. I don't see myself any longer
as Charlie Brown's sickly, little Christmas tree. Today, if Mrs. Chapman
asked the class to write what it's like being me, I could probably write
something I'd be proud to read.

However, there was a price to pay. I have to live with that the rest of my
life.

* * * * * * * * *

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