Date: Fri, 28 Dec 2012 00:00:52 +0000
From: Bobby Chester <thebobbyfish@gmail.com>
Subject: Jamie Lawrence, Chapter Seventeen

All of the usual disclaimers apply. See earlier chapters.

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do so can be found on the Nifty homepage and at the top of all directories.

*****************************************************************************
Jamie Lawrence - Chapter Seventeen

  When Sunday rolled around, Darren's nerves were fried. Even morning mass
hadn't soothed him. The idea of meeting Kyle's family was terrifying, but
also rather exciting. If anything, it was a clear sign that Kyle intended
to stick around.

  When Darren had mentioned his nerves to Kyle, Kyle had been his usual
self. "Oh, shush Baby Doll. They'll just fall head-overz for you! Just like
I did."

  That had done almost no good for Darren, and now he found himself
stepping off the bus around the corner from Kyle's parents' house with
rocks in his stomach. His only solace was that he would be spending the
whole day with his little Angel.

  Kyle had been living with his parents, having been too scared to stay
alone in his own flat. He said that the words 'I'll Get You' were etched on
the inside of his eyelids, and as a result, he was now staying in his
childhood bedroom.

  At the door, Darren knocked twice, but the voices within the house didn't
falter, so he tried again. He knocked and knocked until his knuckles were
sore when finally he gave up and simply walked in.

  Seeing the family for the first time, Darren was stunned. He had grown up
with just his Mum and Dad. No uncles or aunts, and grandparents who never
visited meant that his house was never busy.

  The Summers, however, were a hectic bunch. Three men, one in his fifties
and two in their twenties, were in the lounge screaming at the
television. Three women and Kyle were in the kitchen, frantically keeping
track of six pans and a thousand other things. Two little boys, no more
than seven, were running around screaming at each other and an ancient
looking Newfoundland was wandering up to Darren looking completely
exhausted.

  Darren dropped to his haunches to greet the old dog. "Hey you!" he said
in the 'cute' voice that people always adopt when speaking to dogs. "Aren't
you gorgeous!" Darren wrapped his arms around the huge dogs shoulders and
gave it a hug. He took a surreptitious look at its underside and
established that it was a 'she'.

  Greeting the family had gone out of his head. Darren had always wanted a
dog, especially a Newfoundland. His mother, unfortunately, was
allergic. Now he was looking at the most beautiful pooch he had ever seen
and he was in love. He spotted the nametag on her collar. "Kiki."

  He put his hand out in front of the dog and she immediately put her paw
into it. "Hello, Kiki. I'm Darren." Kiki licked his face and then let off a
deep, chest-vibrating bark.

  This bark alerted Kyle to Darren's presence and he came bouncing out of
the kitchen. "Hey lovey! I see you've met my baby girl," he said, giving
Kiki an affectionate rub on the head.

  "She's lovely. I might have to steal her before I leave tonight."

  Kyle winked at Darren. "Who says you're leaving tonight?" Kyle leaned
down and kissed Darren; a kiss that left no question as to what he was
thinking. "Well, let's get you introduced!" Kyle grabbed Darren's hand and
pulled him to his feet. He dragged him into the kitchen, Kiki on his
heels. "Alright ladies! This here is my sexy beast of a beau. Hands off!"

  The three women dropped what they were doing and came over to inspect
Darren while Kyle made the introductions.

  "This is my Mummy dearest; Klarissa." He pointed to a heavy set woman in
her forties. "This one is May- she's Kevin's- my eldest brother's wife." He
pointed to a six foot imitation of Aphrodite. He turned to the last woman,
who had held back from the other two, seeming unsure of herself. "This is
Becky. She's Karl's fiancée." He leaned in to Darren's ear. "The wedding
is in a month!" he said in a conspiratorial whisper.

  Darren was about to speak, but Klarissa was turning him around and
examining every inch of him. She gave his bum a quick squeeze. "He'll do
nicely."

  "Oi! Behave youself, mother. Come on, Darren. I'm sure the football will
be infinitely more interesting than us four girls cooking." Kyle took
Darren's hand and led him into the lounge.

  He pointed to the twenty-nine year old. "That's Kevin. The two little
brats running around are his." Kevin shook Darren's hand before he sat back
down and returned his attention to the football game.

  Kyle pointed to the next member of his family. "That's Karl." Karl nodded
at Darren. "And this!" shouted Kyle as he jumped into the lap of the middle
aged man in the arm chair. "Is my Diddy."

  "Diddy?" asked Darren.

  Kyle giggled. "When I was five, he told me that I was 'diddy', but I
turned it around on him, saying that he was my 'Diddy Daddy'. I've called
him Diddy ever since." He kissed his Dad on the cheek. "You should probably
call him Keith."

  "I think I'm detecting a theme in the names of this family."

  Keith laughed and wrapped an arm around Kyle. "My wife thought it was
fate that she and I had 'K' names so she wanted to keep it going, so we
ended up with Kevin, Karl, Kyle and Kiki. It's a nightmare when we get post
for 'K Summers'."

  "It gets better!" said Kyle happily. "Kevin's sons are called Nicholas
and Nathan. May is pregnant and if she has a girl, she'll be called
Nadine. If it's a boy; Niel."

  Darren sat on the couch and was immediately joined by Kiki. She placed
most of her body on his lap and rested her head on his chest.

  "I think you've made a friend there," said Keith.

  Darren spent the next hour getting to know the men of the family as they
screamed and shouted at the television and the disappointing performance of
the teams involved. When dinner was served in the dining room, the ensuing
chaos staggered Darren.

  Every arm shot into the middle of the table for one plate or another. The
ladies fussed over the two young boys, while Kyle made Darren's plate for
him. Karl and Kevin stood in the doorway for a minute, finishing cans of
lager. Kiki was the only calm one. She slowly moved to her bed in the
corner and flopped down with a grunt.

  About halfway through dinner, however, she sat up and barked loudly
before growling in the direction of the hallway. After a moment of concern,
Darren thought he heard a car speeding away. Kiki ran into the hallway and
returned a moment later to deposit an envelope in Darren's lap. He patted
her on the head. "Thank you, beautiful."

  The envelope wasn't sealed, and since nobody was looking besides Kyle, he
opened it.

  Inside was a photograph which Darren stared at, confused. It was of North
Manchester General Hospital. Kiki sniffed at the underside of it and Darren
turned it over. On the back, written in red paint were the words 'I'll
still get you, Kyle.'

  "Oh, fuck," muttered Darren.

  "What have you got there, babz?" asked Kyle, snatching the photo from
Darren's hands.

  "No!" said Darren, not wanting Kyle to worry.

  As Kyle looked at the photo, and then the message on the back, his face
paled. "But...how..."

  "What's going on, dear?" asked Klarissa while she cut up Nathan's dinner.

  "Nothing, mother." Kyle grabbed Darren's hand and dragged him into the
hallway. "I can't stay here! He knows where I work, and somehow that I'm
staying here. I can't put my parents in danger like this."

  "I'm sure they would just worry if you weren't here."

  "I'm not going to let this fucker hurt my parents!"

  "So what then?"

  Kyle buried his face in his hands. "Then I move back to mine. My parents
won't be involved."

  "You're not staying there on your fucking own! No way."

  "Well I'm not staying here!"

  Darren searched his brain for a solution and found one that he actually
really liked. "Fine. Then I'm moving in with you. I'm going to protect
you."

  "Then I...wait, what?"

  "I'm moving in with you to protect you. I'm not letting the guy I love
get hurt!"

  Kyle looked like he was about to argue, but froze. Finally, he jumped
into Darren's arms and locked lips with him. They kissed for a long time
until they heard a young voice say "Eww! They're kissing like Mummy and
Daddy!"

  "That's because they're together like Mummy and Daddy," said the older
boy, Nicholas. "They're boyfriends, right Mummy?"

  "Yes, sweetie," said May sounding exhausted.

  Kyle pulled away from the kiss and blushed. "I think they're on to us."

               -----------------------------------------------

  "No! Absolutely not. Not in a million years!" said Michael, shaking his
finger in Darren's face. "I'm not going to entertain this ridiculous idea
for a second longer!" He could feel his blood boiling, and Tanya's
continuous reminders about his blood pressure were not helping.

  Darren conversley, seemed perfectly calm. "Dad, I'm doing this. Besides,
it's only temporary."

  "I don't give a shit! You are not moving in with that boy! You're
sixteen!"

  "Really?" asked Darren sarcastically. "I hadn't noticed."

  Tanya turned to Darren. "Now, Darren. Do you really think that sarcasm is
going to get you what you want here?"

  "NOTHING is going to get him what he wants, Tan. I am NOT letting this
happen!"

  "Dad. I'm doing this with or without your permission. What are you going
to do? Lock me in my bedroom?"

  "It's a fucking thought!"

  "Now, honey," said Tanya. "Be reasonable. Given the things that some
teenagers are doing nowadays- and the things that Darren has done in the
past- don't you think that moving in with somebody is quite low on the list
of potential travesties?"

  "I...I..." Michael stammered.

  "It's not like I'm going to vanish," said Darren placatingly. "I'll be
here after college every day before I go to meet Kyle at the hospital, and
it's not like he lives in Siberia."

  "Fine!" shouted Michael. "Do what you want!"

               -----------------------------------------------

  Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks?" said Darren. He was
sitting cross legged in Kyle's living room facing Kiki who was patiently
waiting for Darren to give his next command. "I just taught her to
'speak'!" Kiki barked and Darren chuckled.

  When Kyle and Darren had tried to leave the Summers' home, Kiki had
blocked the door and cried loudly. It was only when Darren took off his
coat that she stopped. Then the moment he put it back on, she started
again. It was decided, there and then, that she would temporarily come to
stay at Kyle's. It seemed she had fallen hopelessly in love with Darren.

  "Kiki. Speak!" Kiki barked again and Darren chucked her a morsel of
chicken. "Okay; Cuddle!" He commanded. She clambered to her feet and put
her head on Darren's shoulder while Darren wrapped his arms around both of
hers. "That's my girl."

  "Hey!" said Kyle from the kitchen doorway. "I'm getting jealous over
here!"

  "She'll probably do it if you give the command too," said Darren
earnestly.

  "Not her, you ninny. You!"

  Darren chuckled. "Oh." He jumped up and pinned Kyle to the wall, sliding
his tongue into the little man's mouth. Pulling away, he said "Better?"

  "Oodles." He smiled. He seemed lost in thought for a moment. "Dazzle, are
you sure about this? I mean, we only had our first date last Saturz. Isn't
ten days a little fast to start playing house?"

  "Yep. It's way too fast, but it's kind of exciting too, isn't it?"

  "But, what about your parents? They must be foaming at the mouth!"

  Darren smiled a little sadly. "My Mum understands, but my Dad is
furious. I'm not changing my mind though. I'm here until we know you're
safe. Now, when is bedtime?" asked Darren with a sly smile.

  Kyle took Darren's hand and led him towards the bedroom. Kiki seemed to
know what was about to happen and stayed on her little bed. Inside the
bedroom, Kyle pulled off his shirt and lay on the bed. Darren stared at his
trim physique and felt himself plump up.

  As much as Darren loved Kyle, and desperately wanted to do this, he was
shaking to his core. "You okay sweetie?" asked Kyle. Not trusting himself
to speak, Darren just nodded. "Oh. I get it." Kyle climbed back off the bed
and kissed Darren. "We can wait if you want. I don't mind."

  "I really want to do it. I'm just..." He breathed shakily.

  "Scared. I know. I remember the first time I was with a guy. 'Course I
was thirteen and drunk..." Kyle kissed Darren softly. "Tell you what. We'll
go really slowly, and if you want to stop, just say so." All Darren could
do was nod.

  Kyle pushed Darren onto the bed and straddled his lap. Much to Darren's
enjoyment, they kissed for a good five minutes. Darren's dick strained
against the denim of his jeans and he started to moan as Kyle rubbed his
dainty hands across the tenting material. Darren's hands roamed wildly over
Kyle's bare chest, acting almost as eyes as they recorded every little bump
and each inch of soft, supple skin.

  When Darren had finally started to relax, Kyle helped him off with his
shirt and undid the zipper on his jeans, at last releasing the pressure on
his throbbing erection.

  "Lie back," said Kyle. Darren did as instructed, lifting his hips
slightly as Kyle pulled his jeans off. He heard them hit the floor and two
seconds later, he gasped as he felt Kyle's lips wrap around his seven inch
dick. He rolled his eyes back in his head and revelled in the feel of
Kyle's warm mouth.

  To Darren's dismay, Kyle pulled off and rose to his feet. He struggled
out of his skin-tight jeans before he slipped his thumbs into the waist
band of his skinny briefs. "Wait!" said Darren.

  "What's wrong?"

  Darren didn't speak. Instead, he fell to his knees and replaced Kyle's
hands with his own. Very slowly, milimetre by milimetre, he started to pull
the briefs down. He kissed the three little stars on Kyle's stomach, before
kissing his shaven pubis.

  As the briefs came lower still, Kyle's five inch hard-on flipped upwards,
tapping against Darren's chin as if it were trying to get his
attention. Not wanting to disappoint, Darren kissed it at one-inch
intervals before wrapping his lips around the base.

  "D...Darren..." said Kyle, clearly enjoying himself immensely. "Not that
this isn't...ah...fucking awesome..."

  Darren released Kyle's dick and kissed up his chest until he reached his
lips.

  Kyle pulled away and turned to his chest of drawers. "Remember, you can
say 'stop' at any time." From the drawers he pulled a towel, a condom and a
tube.

  "What's that?" asked Darren, pointing at the tube.

  "Don't tell me you've never heard of KY jelly before."

  Darren shook his head and Kyle sighed. "You really are woefully
innocent. He laid the towel on the bed and turned back to Darren before
kissing down his chest again. Once he was on his knees, he ripped open the
condom wrapper and rolled the rubber over Darren's quivering erection
before slathering it with a generous helping of KY.

  He took Darren's hand and pulled him down onto the bed before rolling to
lie on his front on top of the towel. It didn't take more than a few of
Darren's brain cells for him to work out what he was supposed to do next.

  He couldn't hear anything over the sound of his heart. Everything felt
almost like a surrealist painting and at any moment, everything would melt
away leaving him hopelessly unsatisfied. He took a deep, steadying breath
and hovered over Kyle's naked form. He used his hand to guide his dick to
its goal, shaking as he did. When he felt the head press to Kyle's pucker,
he started to breath more heavily.

  He pressed on and felt his helmet breach Kyle's rosebud. Kyle let out a
sound somewhere between a gasp and a moan. Fearing for Kyle, Darren paused.

  "Is something wrong, Dazzle?" asked Kyle, clearly sensing Darren's
hesitation.

  "N-no." Gathering that Kyle was fine, he pressed on, and in. Internally,
he counted off, inch by inch until he felt his pubes pressing against
Kyle's cheeks. Feeling his dick, so enveloped and warm; the pressure of
Kyle's bottom squeezing his dick tight, Darren let out a small gasp. He
rested his forehead on Kyle's shoulder and just enjoyed the feel of it for
a moment.

  "Fuck, this feels incredible," said Darren breathily.

  "It'll feel better when you start to move," said Kyle, tittering as he
did.

  Taking the hint, Darren pulled out just a little before he pressed back
in. He pulled out further before returning, and before long he found the
perfect rhythm for both he and Kyle. After a minute or two, Kyle started to
moan into his pillow and lifting his arse to meet Darren's thrusts.

  "Oh, God!" cried Kyle. "Yes!"

  Darren was in Nirvana. Discarding the notion of worrying about Kyle, and
forgetting his own nerves, he started to thrust hard and fast into his
little boyfriend.

  "Ah! Fuck me, Darren!" shouted Kyle.

  Kyle started to whimper and moan, grabbing the bedrails. He buried his
face in the pillow and screamed into it as Darren felt Kyle's arse tighten
around his dick.

  "Fuck!" screamed Kyle.

  This did it for Darren. His climax, that had already been building, was
shunted forward by Kyle's tightening and his screams of ecstasy and Darren
came hard and fast, filling the condom to overflowing.

  He flopped down onto Kyle's back and the pair just lay there, breathing
heavily, spent.

  Darren made to lift off Kyle's body, but the little man shouted "No!
Just, stay in me 'til you're soft."

  And stay he did, until finally, the pair fell asleep in the same
position.


  The following morning, the two bustled about in the kitchen getting ready
for the day. "Do you want a brekky smoothie?" asked Kyle, dumping three
bananas and an assortment of other fruits into the blender.

  "Sure." He finished buttering his toast and sat at the table. "Kyle, I
want to talk to you."

  "Oh. It's about last night, isn't it? I know I tend to get a little...um,
expressive, but..."

  Darren laughed. "It's not about last night you goose."

  "Oh. Okay."

  "It's about this whole stalker situation. I think you need to make some
changes."

  "Like what? Start wearing a wig? I actually have a few so that won't be
too much of a stretch."

  "Behave. No, I mean...well for a start, no more cigarette breaks. I want
you to stay inside the hospital all day, unless somebody is going with
you."

  "Ooh, harsh."

  "And I don't want you to ever be in this house alone. I'm going to meet
you at the hospital every day at the end of your shift and we'll come home
together." Kyle came over and sat in Darren's lap, handing Darren a
smoothie as he did. "And I'm going to see if I can get you some Pepper
Spray."

  "It's nice having a guy worry about me," said Kyle, planting a kiss on
Darren's lips.

  "I'm also going to strip the paper off that wall. I'm sick of looking at
that message."

               -----------------------------------------------

  "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" bellowed Jamie in the middle of the foyer of Bury
College.

  "Thanks, Titch," said Matty accepting Jamie's hug and kiss on the cheek.

  "You're officially older than all of us again."

  "It has its advantages," said Matty. "I can be condescending to all of
you again!"

  "When are you not?" asked Shane.

  "Okay!" shouted Jamie giving Shane a hard stare. "I have to go to a
lesson right now, so I'll give you your present later." Jamie smiled and
gave Matthew another hug.

  He turned and kissed Shane on the lips which, for once, didn't bother
Matty. He flitted off to his lesson, leaving Matty with Shane and Darren.

  Matty had never had much cause to hang around with Darren in high school,
but he found that he liked the guy. He only ever had nice things to say
about Jamie, Shane and his boyfriend; Kyle. Also, he was into all the same
sports as Matty.

  Matty was about to suggest they all go to the Cafteria for breakfast when
he saw the most spectacular thing he had ever seen walking towards him;
Oliver Rose.

  Oliver walked over to Matty with quick little steps. He was wearing the
same old hoody and, as ever, had his books clutched to his chest. His eyes
were still down, though he frequently glanced up at Matty. When he drew
near, he looked up shyly.

  "I didn't know it was your birthday," he said simply, pointing quickly at
the '17' badge on Matty's chest.

  "Yeah, you rushed away so quickly last week that I didn't get chance to
tell you."

  "I would have bought something."

  "No need," said Matty honestly. Just hearing Oliver's musical voice was
gift enough.

  "I guess this'll have to do." He stood on his tiptoes and pressed his
cherry lips to Matty's right cheek. Matty's eyes went wide. For him,
everything slowed down, and all there was in the entire world was Oliver's
lips on his cheek. When Oliver pulled away, his hands still clutched around
his books, he blushed. "Happy Birthday. I'll see you in Economics." He
walked away quickly, his head down and his quick little feet darting down
the stairs.

  Matty pressed his hand to his cheek and watched Oliver scurry away, his
eyes still wide. Shane and Darren stood either side of him and put their
arms about his shoulders. "I think our boy here is smitten!" said Darren to
Shane.

  "Can't tell you what a relief it is!" said Shane.

  Matty was still frozen, watching Oliver disappear.

  "Matty?" asked Darren sounding concerned.

  "I..."

  "Wow," said Darren. "This boy's really got you, hasn't he?"

               -----------------------------------------------

  Matty walked into Economics at noon and took his seat next to his little
red-head. Since that first day in Business Studies, he had found that he
and Oliver had three of their four subjects in common, and thanks to
Matty's persistence, they now sat next to each other in all three.

  He removed his coat and looked sideways at Oliver who was, as usual,
blushing. "Hi Oliver."

  "Hello," said Oliver quietly, not looking up from the desk.

  "I loved my present," said Matty, a goofy smile on his face. Oliver
turned an even deeper shade of red and hid behind his red locks, a slightly
abashed smile on his face. "Now I can't wait 'til next year."

  Oliver looked as if he were about to catch fire when the teacher rescued
him by standing and announcing the lesson's work. He assigned an essay and
told the class that they had one hour to write two thousand words.

  Matty had never had any difficulty when it came to writing essays. He
could write coherently and never got flustered about time
constrictions. What DID stall him was when the teacher said "Go!" and
Oliver's pen burst into life, flitting across the page at near light
speed. He watched the little fireball go before he casually picked up his
own pen and started to write at a far more langourous pace.

  After forty minutes, Matty was losing interest. He had long since passed
the two thousand word requirement, though he still had more to say, yet he
found himself paying more attention to his right hand.

  Being that Matty was a lefty, and Oliver was a righty, that left two
hands in between them with not very much to do, and over the course of the
last twenty minutes, Matty had casually inched his hand closer and closer
to Oliver's, which was delicately resting on the desktop.

  What Matty would not have given just to hold that hand for a moment; to
gently kiss each knuckle. All he could think was how wonderful it would be,
but somehow his hand seemed to get heavier the closer it got to Oliver's.

  After what felt like an eternity, he was in touching distance. Both boys
had their palms pressed to the table top, their fingers splayed out. Matty
carefully moved his pinky finger to just brush against the side of
Oliver's.

  As he made contact, a wave of excitement washed through him. Oliver's
skin was so soft. Oliver didn't move away, but his whole demeanour
changed. He had tensed up inside his old hoody. Disappointed, Matty moved
his hand away.

  Again, there was a shift in Oliver's posture. His body relaxed, but he
stopped writing. Matty returned to his essay, but out of the corner of his
eye, he could see Oliver's hand rise a centimetre off the desk and move
inexorably toward Matty's. Matty waited, his heart in his mouth.

  His little hand came to rest with the ring finger and pinky resting on
the back of Matty's hand. Matty froze. Somehow it felt as if he were
dealing with a wild deer and if he were to move too suddenly, the skittish
little creature would flee. He had to admit, however, that feeling just
those two fingers on his skin was the most thrilling thing he had ever
experienced.

  Oliver seemed to relax at last, the tension going out of his
body. Leaving his hand where it was, he picked up his pen and returned to
his writing, even as Matty continued to do the same. Again, a couple of
minutes passed and Oliver's hand, seemingly unbidden by its owner, moved
over another inch, and then another until finally, Oliver's hand entirely
covered Matty's.

  Matty's breathing had become irregular. He was tenting in his jeans. He
could feel a slight nervous sweat breaking out on his forehead and his
mouth had gone dry.

  When the teacher stood and said brightly "Right, you lot. Papers on my
desk, and get out of my classroom!" neither Matty nor Oliver moved an
inch. They hadn't written anything for the last five minutes. Instead, they
had been gently stroking each other's hands, never making eye contact and
never speaking. They simply held hands.

  "That means you two as well, Misters Rose and..." he glanced at his
register. "...Donovan-Samuels. Christ, that's a mouthful."

  They rose and Matty nodded, his mouth still dry. They were still holding
hands when they walked to the teacher's desk, when they walked out of the
class and into the next one.

  When that lesson ended, they walked down to the cafeteria, still hand in
hand. When they sat down having collected their lunch, Matty sighed.

  "What's the matter?" asked Oliver, his voice quiet as ever.

  "I can't eat with one hand, but I'm afraid if I let go of your hand now,
you'll never let me hold it again." He kept his fingers interlocked with
Oliver's and tightened his grip, afraid to let those delicate fingers slip
away.

  Oliver blushed. "I promise I'll let you hold my hand again." He seemed
just as reluctant as Matty to separate.

  They pried their hands apart and Matty tucked in to his fruit salad. He
chewed a piece of pineapple slowly, wrestling with a quandry.

  He and Oliver hadn't spoken since his hasty departure from the cemetery,
and the question of Oliver's unusual graveside declaration still hovered in
Matty's mind. He had to ask, but he was frightened of inciting the same
reaction from the boy.

  He remembered something else Oliver had said to Ronnie and decided that
he could lead with that. "So how's Uncle Walter?"

  "How did you...?"

  "I heard you mention him to Ronnie."

  "Oh. He's fine. He had cancer but he finished his chemo and it looks like
they got it." He took a tiny bite of his sandwich and chewed slowly, not
meeting Matty's eye. "I know what you want to ask."

  It was Matty's turn to blush. He hadn't been as clever as he had
thought. "I shouldn't ask though. You know what curiosity did to the cat."

  "It's okay. My therapist says it's good for me to talk about it." He
popped the last bit of his meagre meal into his mouth and swallowed. He
scooted closer to Matty. "It was in February. Ronnie had moved in with his
boyfriend and I didn't like it. He had always been there, always with
me. Then suddenly he wasn't, and I resented it."

  "I started acting out at home. Ignoring curfew, not doing my
homework. Typical teenaged rebellion stuff." Matty put down his spork and
rested his hand on the table. Oliver immediately interlocked his fingers
with Matty's, sending a thrum through Matty's heart.

  "Anyway; on Valentine's Day I went into the City Centre with a bottle of
Vodka and a spliff and got plastered." He lowered his eyes, looking
sad. Matty gave his hand a squeeze. "I guess my parents must have called
Ronnie 'cause I wouldn't answer my phone. He called me and I started to
yell at him."

  "Ronnie was his usual self. Really nice to me, even though I was calling
him all the names under the sun. Finally he asked me where I was. He
promised he would stay with me that night, so I told him where I was and he
said he'd pick me up."

  He paused. Matty could see his chin wobbling. "It's okay. You don't have
to tell me," he said, even though his insides were burning with curiosity.

  Oliver shook his head. "I was in some stupid alley near the Gay Village,
and about ten minutes after I spoke to Ronnie, six guys came round and
spotted me." Oliver started to squeeze Matty's hand tight. "'Look! I found
a faggot!'" said Oliver in an exaggerated voice.

  "They taunted me for a while, but 'cause I was high, and pissed, I didn't
really do anything. One of them kicked me in the chest and broke my
rib. When I screamed, they laughed."

  He was shaking. Matty moved closer and wrapped his arm around him.

  "I started crying, and then I heard Ronnie shout my name and saying 'Get
the fuck away from him!' The guys turned on him. 'Look, another faggot!'
Ronnie was trying to get past them, throwing them against the walls and
trying to keep them away from me."

  "One of them headbutted him and he fell on the floor." Oliver started
crying openly.

  "Oliver, you can stop." Having an imagination as vivid as Matty did, it
was like watching Oliver's story on a screen. Imagining the terror in his
little red-head's eyes; the pain in Ronnie's. Matty's heart was breaking.

  Again Oliver shook his head. "I sat and watched them kick him and kick
him. I lost count of how many times." A tear fell down his cheek. "I
watched them kick the life out of my big brother."

  "I heard a siren somewhere and they all ran off, leaving me and Ronnie in
the alley. I couldn't even fucking recognise him. His face was swollen and
bleeding. He was coughing blood all over me."

  He went silent for a few minutes. "It's not like in the movies," said
Oliver lamely. "There's no famous last words. Ronnie was just looking at
me, and then he wasn't." He buried his face in Matty's chest and
cried. There were funny looks from the people around them, but Matty just
stroked the side of Oliver's head, tears falling from his own eyes.

  "He should've just left me. Somewhere in the middle of all of it, I
shouted 'No, Ronnie, just go.' He should've just left me. It should have
been me; not him."

  "And you blame yourself," said Matty, his voice almost breaking. Mutely,
Oliver nodded.

               -----------------------------------------------

  "Who is Jamie talking to over there?" asked Darren, flicking his
cigarette into the bin.

  Shane looked over. It was a boy of about 5'6 with blonde, short, curly
hair and a bright, infectious smile. "His name's Theo. He's in Jamie's
German class."

  "Well, I don't want to alarm you, but I think 'Theo' is flirting with
Jamie."

  "What? No. Don't be silly."

  "Why is that silly? I hate to break it to you, but your boyfriend is a
little hottie. If he and I were both single, I'd definitely have a go."

  "Darren, I know we're back to being friends, but I'm not above breaking
your nose again."

  Darren held up his hands in surrender. "Not that I would try
anything. I've got Kyle." His eyes glazed over for a moment when he
mentioned Kyle. "Where was I? Oh yeah. Just because you and Jamie are
together, it doesn't mean other guys aren't looking at him."

  Shane pondered that for a moment. It was true that he had become
complacent. He felt so certain that Jamie loved him that he had all but
stopped doing anything romantic. Jamie had complained of this once before,
but Shane, teenager that he was, had thought that he could get away with
it.

  "So what should I do? Punch Theo?"

  "Or maybe a less violent solution?" said Darren teasingly.

  "Maybe I should do something romantic. Make sure Jamie has no reason to
stray." Darren didn't respond and Shane eyed him. He was staring off in to
space. "Darren?"

  "What? Oh, sorry. I was thinking about Kyle."

  "Yeah, I can see that." Shane pointed at Darren's crotch which was
swelling rather noticably.

  Darren grimaced. "Fuck. I'm gonna have to go the toilets and sort this
out before class." He took off his coat and dangled it in front of his
crotch, concealing his raging hard-on. "I'll see you in Maths."

  Left alone, Shane sat and watched Jamie and Theo. They were running
about, hitting each other with rolled up newspapers, giggling as they
went. Shane ground his teeth together and started imagining all manner of
horrific things happening to Theo.

  Suddenly Jamie looked up and spotted Shane. He smiled that beautiful
smile of his and waved at Shane with both hands. All the hatred immediately
went out of Shane's body and he walked over to slip his boyfriend a little
tongue.

               -----------------------------------------------

  "But I still have lessons to go to," said Oliver, his face still covered
in tears.

  "Like you're going to be able to concentrate," said Matty. The two were
still holding hands, but Matty was taking advantage of this to drag Oliver
to the Millgate.

  The Millgate was the shopping centre in Bury town centre and was
frequented by students with nothing to do between lessons. Matty pulled him
into the building and into the very first shop; Cards N' Stuff. It wasn't
cards he was interested in, however. He walked straight to the display in
the centre of the store, grabbed a stuffed dog, put it into Oliver's arms
and looked at it critically.

  "Nope. Doesn't fit." He put it back and grabbed a stuffed cat. He tried
that in Oliver's arms and shook his head. "Nope." He put the cat back. He
circled the display and found the perfect animal. He hid it behind his back
as he came around to Oliver.

  Oliver, as usual, was blushing. "You don't have to get me..."

  "SHH!" Matty stuck his finger over Oliver's lips to quiet him. He drew
his other hand from behind his back to reveal...

  "An Orang-utan?" asked Oliver, eying the monkey sitting happily in
Matty's arms.

  Matty grinned. "It has Velcro in its hands so that it can hang off your
neck! Look." He pulled the primate's hands apart and wrapped them around
Oliver's neck. As he did, he caught a whiff of Oliver's hair and he almost
swooned. He smelled incredible; unbelievable.

  Matty recovered himself. "There; it's like having a permanent hug. It
even matches your hair." As if to confirm it, he took a lock of Oliver's
hair and pressed it against the Orang-utan's head. "See? So what what are
you going to call him?" he asked, still playing with the lock of hair,
feeling its silky texture and wishing that he could bury his face in it.

  "How about...Matty?"

  "Matty?" asked Matty.

  Oliver nodded, a smile pulling at his beautiful little lips. "Because
you're both cheeky monkeys."

  "Orang-utans aren't monkeys. They're apes."

  Oliver poked Matty in the chest. "Yes, but 'Cheeky Ape' doesn't sound as
good, does it?"

  Matty rolled his eyes and smiled lop-sidedly. "Come on. Let's pay and
then get some coffee." Matty took Oliver's hand and the two walked off
together.

*****************************************************************************

I hope you liked what you've read.

Chapter Eighteen will be along shortly. Happy New Year, chaps!

Bobby.