Date: Sun, 22 Nov 2009 03:04:11 -0800 (PST)
From: ghostofoldtrafford@yahoo.com
Subject: Lean On Me 9

This story is a work of fiction. It contains description of sexual acts
between minors. If you find the events depicted within offensive, then, by
all means, stop reading. Places and people portrayed are entirely
fictional.

For criticism, advice and the occasional praise, feel free to contact me at
ghostofoldtrafford@yahoo.com

LEAN ON ME

Chapter IX


Alexi tried to go to sleep, he really did. But his mind was in overdrive.
Strangely, it wasn't the night's events that kept him awake. Well, not the
BAD things, that is. Sure, the whole thing was fucked up, but he somehow
managed to lock it up, at least temporarily. `Jesus, when a poor
psychiatrist gets a peek inside my head one day, they'll be in line for
therapy right next to me.'

He would revisit those thoughts when the time came, he was sure. But he
didn't want to deal with them right then. What was the point, anyway? He,
Hunter and Evan were alright. God, Evan...Alexi closed his eyes and
envisioned the boy's face. HIS boy. His boyfriend! A huge smile spread
across Alexi's face and he was sure it was enough to illuminate the dark
room. Well, it only made sense. This new feeling, this new emotion, burned
so brightly inside of him, that it was only natural to show on the outside
as well. Alexi imagined a radioactive green radiating from him and started
giggling. He really didn't understand what Evan could possibly see in him,
but he didn't want to think too much about that. He was sure that, if he
overthought the situation, he would depress himself. He would look in the
mirror and find himself lacking. Such thoughts were dangerous. He didn't
need his self-confidence to spiral down into the dark hole in which it had
resided for so long.

No, Evan loved him. He was sure of it. And whatever the reason, he felt
blessed and the last thing he wanted was to tempt fate by asking too many
questions. But there was still a lingering doubt. An idea taking seed, that
when Evan has time to actually take a good long look at him or spend enough
time in his presence, he'd realize what a terrible mistake he had make and
kick Alexi to the curb. `Better to have loved and lost, eh?' he thought.
Well, if that day were to come, he didn't want to think about it anymore.
He didn't want to bring it about himself. He'll gladly close his eyes and
let the warm emotion envelop him for as long as Evan would have him. If he
were to be discarded, he'd rather not have a countdown and just bask in the
glow of that love. He didn't want to think about the future for one more
second. For now, he had Evan and it was all that mattered. `Ignorance is
bliss'.

"Yo, Alexi!" Hunter's voice broke Alexi's train of thought. "Dude, you
awake?" Hunter asked, shaking Alexi.

Alexi groaned loudly. He hadn't even heard Hunter come into his room.
"Ugh. I am now, aren't I, you little fuggrghhhrr..." he mumbled, turning
his head and burying his face in the pillow.

"Right, well...Ummm, I couldn't sleep." Hunter said, a bit sheepishly,
fidgeting in place. "I thought, maybe, you know...we could talk or, you
know, you'd at least keep me company?" he continued, almost timidly.

Alexi didn't turn his head, but pulled the cover away a bit. "Just get in
the bed already." Hunter grinned and practically jumped next to
Alexi. Well, that certainly put all thoughts of sleep from Alexi's head, as
Hunter's impact almost made him bounce. "Okay, no more coffee for you."

Hunter settled down. "Sorry. It's just...I used to do this sort of thing
with Bran, when I had a bad dream. It's just...nice, you know?" Alexi
finished in a murmur.

 Alexi sat up, resting his back against the headboard, pulling Hunter close
to him. It was a bit awkward at first, but then Hunter leaned his soft
cheek against Alexi's shoulder and accepted his new brother's comforting
touch. "So, what's on your mind, bro?" Alexi asked, breaking the silence
after a while.

"It's just...tonight, you know? That was some messed up shit."

"Yeah. Next time you run away, your ass is on its own. God, I still can't
believe I agreed to stay the night. I should've just dragged you back."

"Yeah, as if you could...gimp." Hunter said, pulling away abruptly and
looking straight into Alexi's eyes. The room was barely illuminated by the
pale glow coming in from a street lamp, but Hunter could still see the hurt
in Alexi's bright green eyes and he felt his heart drop. `Fuck, is being an
asshole hardwired into me or something?'"I'm sorry, I didn't mean that. It
was a joke."

"It's alright."

"No, goddamn it, it's not. It was a mean spirited joke. I wanted to hurt
you. I thought I was over all that shit, but I guess tonight really rattled
me."

"I understand."

"Do you? You seem just fine with it. Doesn't it affect you?"

"Of course it does. But...I don't really know how to explain it. I guess,
well, I've just been through so much that I'm able to kinda take it for
now. I don't know, accept it, I guess."

"More like bottling up, it sounds to me."

"Maybe..." Alexi shrugged his shoulders, half in acknowledgement, half in
surrender.

"But what if you snap one day?"

Alexi gave a short bark of laughter. "Well, then I suppose you'll need to
keep me away from any guns and clock towers when it happens."

"SO not funny."

"I suppose. But I'm serious. I'm counting on you to be there. And I hope
you can someday feel the same about me."

"Already do. That's why I'm here right now, dude." Hunter said,
smiling. The two boys stared at each other for a while, then they fell into
a heartfelt embrace. Again, Alexi felt that powerful sense of safety and
comfort. He felt it with Evan as well. It was a bit...different. It wasn't
born of the same kind of love, but it was just as strong and meaningful.

"I've gotta say, dude..." Hunter continued when they broke apart from each
other's embrace "Evan kinda scared the crap out of me."

"What?" Alexi asked in bewilderment.

"Yeah. Well, the whole puddle of blood on the floor thing messed me up,
but...well, Evan was the one who, you know, CAUSED the puddle."

"Huh?"

"Dude, where do you think the blood came from? It wasn't Evan's...He was
cut a bit from the glass, but other than that, not a sign on him. He
must've messed that guy up pretty badly. There was just a lot of blood."

"Where are you going with this?" Alexi asked, narrowing his eyes. What
Hunter was saying resonated with Alexi on some level. He knew that. After
all, he had spilled his guts, quite literally, when he saw that living
room. But it sounded to him like Hunter was...accusing Evan of something.

"Well, nowhere. Don't get mad at me, okay? I know you like the guy..."

"I love him!"

"Whoa! You barely know him, dude. How can you say that?"

"I have no idea, but I know what I'm feeling. I know how my heart starts
going crazy when I think of him, how my stomach is in knots when I miss him
and how safe I feel when I'm with him. I feel like I belong when I'm by his
side. Maybe he doesn't feel the same about me, Hunter, but as God is my
witness, I LOVE him."

"Okay, okay. Sorry, don't get defensive. I'm...I'm happy for you. But, it's
just that, he said those guys ran away, but their truck was still there,
and he told us to stay in the bathroom for a few minutes, while he did God
knows what. Dude, I'm just saying...I have a bad feeling about the guy. I'm
sorry, but I just do. I think you need to be careful around him."

"Nice way to show gratitude, asswipe! He saved both our lives. And for me,
that's the second time he's done it. What does he need to do in order to
prove he's one of the good guys? Take the guys who SHOT at us to the ER?
Maybe kiss their boo-boo, make it all better?" Alexi asked, rolling his
eyes sarcastically. "Honestly, you're some piece of work!"

"Okay, I'm sorry. Please, believe me. Like I said, it's just that the whole
thing kinda shook me a bit, that's all. You're right, he's a good guy. And
if he makes you happy, even better. I'm honestly glad you love him and as
long as he returns that emotion, the kind of love you deserve, then I'm
happy for you. Both of you..."

"Thanks, Hunter. You just have no idea how much he means to me right now."

"Well, I hope to understand one day, if I'm lucky enough to find someone."

"A hunk like you? Yeah, THAT'll be a problem." And they both started
chuckling.

"So...what are you gonna do about school?" Hunter asked once they became
serious and silence had settled.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you know...they're all gonna know."

"Know what?" Alexi asked nervously. He felt pressure building in his
stomach.

"About you being gay. Matt's been babbling about it to everyone who would
listen all day Saturday. When I was at the lake, before you guys came up, I
got a few calls from friends at school, to "let me in" on the secret or
something, I guess."

"Oh, fuck. Oh, fuck..." Alexi started rambling. "Christ, what AM I going to
do?"

"Well, chill, okay? Most people really won't care. I'm sure quite a lot of
people knew about Evan, if not everyone, but they never gave him any shit
about it." Hunter paused and rubbed at his chin thoughtfully. "Well, not
after he kicked Matt's ass last year, anyway."

"Well, that's just great. I either need to beat him over the head with my
cane, or cling to Evan in the hopes that he'll protect me 24/7."

"Oh, relax, will you, ya little sissy? You're not alone in school, you
know? I'm there as well." Alexi snorted. "What? You think I'm useless or
something? I'll have you know, just because I hide in bathtubs when armed
men break in, it doesn't mean I'm a coward!" Hunter huffed indignantly.

"Okay, okay. Settle down, bad boy. Didn't mean to wound your pride. I guess
I'm just a little scared. Well, A LOT..."

"I told you, don't worry. Most people don't really care. Sure, they'll
whisper and gossip and maybe stare a bit at first, but that's just because
of the novelty of the thing. Pretty much like a foreign exchange student or
something. After a while, they'll settle down. If you actually decide to
come out, that is."

"But you said..."

"Yeah, but it's still Matt's word against yours. That's why I asked you how
you're gonna deal with it. You can deny it. Heck, after Evan kicked his
ass, a lot of people could see this whole thing as his pathetic attempt to
get back at you or something."

"Fuck, high-school politics make Congress look easy."

"Indeed. So?"

Alexi thought about the situation. Hunter was right. He could deny it. And
most people would probably believe him. But that night with Hunter, the
following morning with his parents...he had decided to stop lying about it
and he was adamant in his resolve. No more lying. There was the option of
ignoring it all. Go the "no comment" route. But that would just further
fuel the flames of hearsay. And he'd rather have the gossip out of the way
as soon as possible. It was like Hunter said, they'd get over it
eventually. By neither admitting nor denying the "allegations", he would
only prolong his own misery, by giving the rumormongers ammunition for
weeks, possibly more.

"Just like a Band-Aid."

"What?"

"Rip it off...Get it over with. What's the worst that can happen? I've had
crazed men with guns try to kill me twice this week. I think I can survive
a bit of high-school drama, especially if I have Evan with me." Alexi
finished, the smile back on his face, as his thoughts turned back towards
his love.




He was sitting at a large, rectangular table, in the corner of the
restaurant. It was empty, aside from their own little party. He was
glancing around nervously, wiping his sweating palms on his pants once in a
while. `Fuck, I'm gonna stain them with grease or something.'

"Stop fidgeting, bastard!" Eric said, leaning to whisper in Evan's ear from
the seat to his right. "Behave yourself or it'll be both our heads. We need
to make an impression together, got it? You need to prove yourself worthy,
and I need to prove that I've done right with you. So stay still, damn you,
and straighten your back."

Evan complied immediately. He was already far taller than Eric, even at
15. And he was very skilled when it came to fighting, but there was
something about Eric that brook no argument. It was in those mean, black
eyes. A certain emptiness. Something that made him feared. Something that
kept Evan in his place.

Evan looked at the good-looking young man sitting across from him. Again,
that emptiness. Hosea had a relaxed, somewhat lazy posture. It was the
opposite of Eric's rigor, but he still managed to exude menace. The sneer
he gave Evan certainly didn't help any. Oh, yes, Hosea, didn't like his
younger half-brother. Why would he? Hosea was almost identical to his
father. A true heir to the throne. He had barely turned 20, but he still
gave off the same unmistakably alpha male vibe that his father did. Whereas
Evan was every bit like his mother, except for his height. That he had
inherited from his father.

And in came the man himself, Myke Henson, that regal posture of his and
all. `God, all he needs is a damn mantle and a crown...' Evan thought. The
man came to the table and Hosea, Evan and Eric got to their feet, to show
their respect. Henson shook Eric's hand.

"Dad..." Hosea said, extending his own arm.

Henson barely glanced at Hosea, then ignored him completely and turned to
Evan.

"So, my boy. Eric says you've been progressing quite nicely. You might
actually become useful to me. You see, I love my family, Evan. I really
do. It's the most important thing to me. To most people, I'm sure. That's
why I want you close to me. I won't actually acknowledge you as my son, I'm
afraid. You're more valuable to me if people don't know the full extent of
our relationship, you understand?" Evan nodded meekly. "But like I said,
you're family and family comes first, so I'll take care of you. All you
have to do is remember who your family is and be ready to help me when the
time comes. You can do that, can't you?" Evan nodded timidly once
more. "Good. Good. How `bout we drink some wine, eh? Celebrate a bit." He
signaled one of the waiters standing across the room to bring them some
drinks.

"I love this restaurant. My great-grandfather opened it in 1928. It's where
it all started, boys. Our family." The waiter filled their glasses. "Drink
up, drink up."

"What are we celebrating, dad?" Hosea asked.

"Why, family, of course, son." Henson responded, turning to his son. "And
your new business arrangement."

Hosea swallowed nervously. "My what?"

"Now, now, don't be modest. I know all about your little plans. Well, GRAND
plans, really." Henson turned his gaze back to Evan. "Your brother...he's a
sneaky one, he is. Well, can't really say I'm surprised. I was just as
ambitious at his age. Not as stupid, but still, the always reaching for the
sky."

"Dad, I...It's not like that. It was meant for you. I mean, sure, I made
the deal, but you'd be the beneficiary in the end."

"Will you listen to that? Beneficiary, he says...Makes me laugh, he
does. You don't have his sense of humor, do you, Evan?" Evan shook his head
from side to side. "Yes, I can see that. You're serious. Very focused. Eric
told me that. That's good. Very good."

Myke drained his glass and smiled at Eric. "Good shit, huh?" He pushed his
chair from the table a bit and turned to face Hosea. "As I was saying,
boy...family. It's the most important thing to me. And others as well. Do
you agree that it's the number one thing for real men?"

"Yes, dad, of course. You know, I was actually gonna ask Vi to marry me
soon."

"Good, that's great to hear. So, if you understand the importance of
family, can you please tell me why the FUCK did you shoot and kill the
Samuels' son yesterday?"

"Dad...He said it was the best way to do it. That he'd then have better
access, take advantage of the situation and hand me...us...YOU the whole
business."

"You fucking killed his son! Do you have any idea the kind of war you've
started? You fucking moron! Not only do you betray me by making a deal
behind my back, a deal that would eventually end with me in a grave, I'm
sure, but you put EVERYTHING I've built in danger by making a retarded
move. Family, Hosea...You tried to destroy one and you betrayed another."
Myke shook his head in disappointment and disgust, then pulled out a
pistol.

Evan's eyes were as big as saucers. He wanted to get the hell out of
there. Run and don't look back. But he was glued to that spot. It was fear,
he knew that feeling well, but it was more than that. Was it...curiosity?
Yes, he wanted to see how things played out. And there was even more than
that. Hosea hated him, so seeing the discomfort, no, the TERROR on his face
gave Evan pleasure.

"Evan, you'd never do something as stupid as Hosea, would you?"

"N-n-no, sir." Evan replied

"I believe you. But damn, boy, you need to be more assertive. Speak up,
make yourself heard, impose respect. You're gonna need that in order to
fulfill your potential, son. And I think we're gonna start making a real
man out of ya today. Get up." Evan's eyes darted back and forth between his
father's gaze, fixed on Hosea, and his gun, held loosely in his hand,
pointing nowhere in particular. "Come on, get to your feet." Myke repeated,
as he got up himself.

Evan stood on trembling feet.

"Come here, close to me." His father said. And so Evan did. His father's
word, a command in its purest form. Myke pulled him in front of
himself. Suddenly, he placed the pistol in Evan's right hand. Hosea didn't
dare move from his seat. He was sure his father was just trying to scare
him, teach him a lesson. Oh, he'd certainly learned it. He'd stay in his
place from now on. He had been stupid, alright. He could see that. Ambition
got the better of him. But he'd keep his head down, do whatever his dad
told him to do, accept any punishment, work his ass off and make his father
proud once more.

Myke took hold of Evan's arm and raised it until the gun was pointed
straight at Hosea's head, then he talked softly in Evan's ear. "Do it,
Evan. Shoot him."

Evan started trembling and he could see his half-brother experiencing the
same reaction. The horror he saw in Hosea's eyes no longer pleased him. It
made his eyes well up with tears. He couldn't...Surely, his father was
kidding. Or trying to scare Hosea. Yeah, that was it...The gun probably
wasn't even loaded. It must've been a test as well. His father was testing
him. Two birds, one stone, as it were. Teach Hosea a lesson and see if Evan
had it in him to do anything he was told, to prove his usefulness. But he
still couldn't do it. An asshole he may be, but Hosea was still his own
blood. Half of it, maybe, but it still made him the only living relation he
had except for the man who placed the gun in his hand. He just couldn't.

"Dad..." he whimpered. "Dad, he's family, you said..."

" He screwed over his family, Evan. You don't do that without
consequences. Now shoot."

"Dad, I can't..."

"Shoot, prove to me how much you love me. Prove to me you're
faithful. Prove that you're useful and obedient. Prove that you're mine."

"Dad..."

"Prove that you have more of me in you than you do that dirty whore of a
mother. Show me that you don't deserve to follow her down the gutter."

"But, dad..." Evan whispered, through sobs.

"SHOOT!"

And he did. He squeezed the trigger and the thunder cracked loudly in the
small restaurant. The gore was terrible...and fascinating. Even as he
vomited at what he'd done, he understood what the horrible hollowness in
Eric's eyes was. It was the emptiness he'd see in the mirror from that day
on. There was no going back now.

Evan woke up covered in cold sweat and shaking. He couldn't move for a good
half hour. If he did, he was afraid he'd collapse to the floor and lay
there until he died. But he thought of Alexi. He thought of that sweet soul
and how much better than Evan he deserved. He thought about what he had
originally set to do and it made him sick. But that would never come to
pass. He would make sure of it. He'd die first. He had made his choice and
knew then, perhaps better than ever before, that he had chosen well. Alexi
was his only chance at salvation. He needed him. He anchored himself in the
image of Alexi's beautiful smile and hauled himself out of bed. He dragged
his feet as he went to take a shower and then went to the kitchen for
breakfast. Or lunch, as he noticed the clock on the wall. 12:47.

He had barely opened the fridge when Eric came into the kitchen,
bleary-eyed and in a foul mood. `Heh, at least the fucker didn't get much
rest last night either.'

"You sure made a mess out there." Eric said coldly.

"Could've been worse." Evan said, shrugging.

"Oh, it certainly could be..." Eric replied, an evil grin spreading on his
lips. "Your father wants to see you..."