Date: Tue, 5 Jun 2007 17:40:21 -0700 (PDT) From: "ddrarrow_reborn@yahoo.com" <ddrarrow_reborn@yahoo.com> Subject: Memoirs of a Teenager Chapter Seven Hello, guys, girls, and... Uh... I dunno. Aliens, possibly? Anyways, I guess it's time for another chapter of this story I call Memoirs of a Teenager. This story is, for the most part, fictional. Most of the characters and events in this story don't even exist. This story (Memoirs of a Teenager) and all of its contents are copyright of me (ddrarrow_reborn@yahoo.com) and are not to be distributed or reproduced without my permission. If you want permission, then send me an email asking for said permission. You need to tell me where (if on the internet) you are going to place this story and why you want to redistribute it. This story is only to be shown on the Nifty Erotic Stories Archive and its mirror sites, even though there is no erotica, for the most part. If you violate any of the above terms, then you are agreeing to Beatrix Kiddo assassinating you with her Hanzo sword. ...Yeah. It is the time for the story! ---------- Memoirs of a Teenager Chapter Seven: Error & Trial ---------- 'The D.A. is dressed in the nines... In the mirror he practices all his lines. To his closing argument, twelve hearts beat in favor, I'm guessing that he read the morning paper. The headline reads, "The Man Hangs", But the jury doesn't...' It was about a month or so since Elliot attacked Jake and I. In the preliminary trials, he was sent off to Juvenile Detention. His lawyer wasn't a very smart one. In fact, he was one of the stupidest lawyers I'd ever seen; Elliot pled "Not Guilty" under one charge of assault and battery, one charge of armed assault, two charges of simple assault, and on top of all of this, he has a hate crime penalty enhancer on all of these charges. Matt, on the other hand, pled "No Contest" and got off with two years of probation and 75 hours of community service. "Hey... David?" Jake asked. "...Yeah?" "What are we gonna do once the trial comes around?" "Hm... I've been thinking about it for a while. I know that we'll end up discussing your homosexuality once the hate crime thing comes up." "Yeah... But I'm ready for that." "Alright... I don't know what the hell Elliot's lawyer was thinking... Elliot's gonna get well over a year or two downstate, where the REALLY bad kids go." "What do you mean?" "Well, where Elliot is right now isn't so bad. It's a holding area so that Elliot doesn't cause any more damage to the public. If he's convicted, then he'll be sent downstate, where it's more like a punishment area... At least that's what I've heard. The murderers and other bad people like that are over there, whereas where Elliot is is filled with kids that probably went against their probation or did drugs." "Oh... Damn." "Yeah. As for the actual case... Well, I can't really predict a lot outside of the whole gay thing. I don't know what Elliot's lawyer is trying to do, so it's hard to see his strategy. I mean, all of the odds are against him, so why would he try for a complete acquittal?" "Hmm... I'm not all that sure. Maybe he's fabricated some evidence or something, like he'll try to say that you forced Elliot to attack me or something, sort of like on those TV shows." "I doubt it. I'd actually laugh if he tried that crap, though." "Hah. Good point. Well, there's not a lot of sense worrying about this, so I guess we'd better go to sleep. G'night, David." "Alright. 'Night." Oh yeah... I forgot to mention that Jake and I have been sleeping over at each other's houses for the past month now. Jake and I told his parents that we were together, and they were cool with it. We haven't come out to my parents yet, but they'll find out eventually. Jake snuggled up right beside me and we spooned for a while. Eventually, we fell asleep in each other's arms. Que romantico. I awoke to a sea of blonde in my face. I got up and turned off the alarm clock. Today was Tuesday, and unfortunately, Tuesdays equal school days. I nudged Jake in his sleep. "Hey, Jake... Wake up. It's a school day, remember?" No response. Not even movement. This kid sure was a heavy sleeper... "Hello? Jake?" I said. I pushed his shoulder a bit. Still no movement. "Ugh... Damn..." I said to myself. I guess I had no other choice... I dragged Jake over to the bathroom. About halfway there, he finally woke up. "Huh??? What the hell??? Unghhh... David...? What are you...?" "Finally, you're awake." "Yeah. You know me." "Hahah, I guess. Anyways, get your white ass in the shower. Today's a school day." "White ass? What's that supposed to mean?" "Psht, I'm just assuming you don't go tanning butt-naked." "Psh, whatever." He walked in and closed the door. I sat on my bed and turned on the radio. As usual, it was just a bunch of talk shows, so I plugged in my iPod. 'On the corner of Main Street, Just trying to keep it in line... You said you wanna move on, and, You said I'm falling behind, Can you read my mind? Can you read my mind? I never really gave up on, Breaking out of this two-star town... I got the green light, I got a little fight, I'm gonna turn this thing around, Can you read my mind? Can you read my mind?' Suddenly I found myself zoning out. I began to think of the music video for that song... "Damn... That video's pretty trippy... Silly Japanese..." "Hey, David! I'm done! The shower's all yours." "Huh? Oh, alright!" Jake walked out, as wet and shiny as any guy could be walking out of a shower. He looked so cute walking out of the shower. I started to feel my hormones taking over, but I quickly calmed myself down and went into the bathroom. "Hahah... Excited much, dude?" Jake teased. "Hah... You know it." I replied, grinning. "Don't worry, we'll get there sooner or later." Jake and I haven't done anything sexual, just cuddling and stuff. I feel that our relationship is more emotional than sexual, but my hormones can still act, right? I stepped in the shower and washed myself off. I soaped myself, being careful not to agitate the wound on my left leg. I got that one about a week ago, and let's just say that wooden plank beats shin. Basically, I was kinda doing nothing when I heard some music coming in the direction of my backyard. It sounded like a live band, so I decided to first investigate from my backyard. My backyard is basically in three tiers: a bottom tier of concrete, then a wooden deck, then the grassy area. The concrete area and the deck were separated by a staircase, and the deck and grassy area were separated by a smaller set of stairs, then a planter. There was also a grassy ramp off to the side that led to the grassy area. So, basically, I wanted to listen to the music from my backyard. It was probably 9:00 pm, and I didn't have a flashlight. It was too dark to use the ramp, since I was worried I'd slip and fall into this tree with really spiky leaves that was on the side. I went up to the deck, and I reached out for the other side of the planter with my foot. Once I found it, I jumped from the top of the stair set to the edge of the planter. It was probably a two-foot height differential and a five-foot horizontal distance from where I was to where I was going. Since I didn't have a flashlight, I didn't see the tree over to my right, so I basically ran into the tree and lost my footing. My shin landed on the wooden outer edge of the planter and I fell inside. Thankfully, I was wearing jeans that night. Once I recovered, I climbed up and searched for the source of the music. I couldn't find it, so I went back inside and got ready for bed. When I took my pants off, I saw this lovely gash on my shin, and there was a lot of caked blood on the inside of my jeans. Once I was done with my shower, I dried myself off and put on my contact lenses. I brushed my teeth and Wrapped my towel around my waist, then I went back into my room. Jake was probably downstairs, eating breakfast, so I locked the door and started dressing up. I probably got as far as putting my boxers on when I heard a noise. "Huh? Uh... Must be my imagination..." I said to myself. I put on my jeans and sprayed on some Axe. I was in the middle of putting my shirt on when I heard another noise. It was coming from the closet. "What the hell...?" I said. This was starting to worry me a bit. What if Jake was in there, being the little perv that he is? Well, there was only one way to find out... I walked over to the closet and opened the door. I saw a pile of yellow flying out of the closet. "Aah!" I said. Well, it was more like a yelp. "Uh... Hey, David. Are you okay?" Jake said. "Uh... Yeah... I'm... Uh, fine..." I replied, in a bit of shock. "Uh... Alright, then." I heard Jake going back downstairs. I took the gigantic plush Pikachu and shoved it back in the closet. "Jesus Christ..." I muttered. I had that Pikachu ever since I was five, when the whole Pokémon craze was going on. I kept it with me when I moved to Fairfax when I was eight, and I brought it back with me when I was ten. But now, it just sits there in my closet. I'd thought of throwing it away, y'know, 'cause it's kinda childish and immature, but I never had the heart to, seeing as it's like a part of my past that I want to hold on to. I brushed my hair, then I immediately shook my head wildly, sort of like a dog, so that my hair wouldn't be all stuck together. I never liked the "prim and proper" look, after all. "Hey Jake," I said. "Did you finish the cereal again?" "Uh... No. I know you like your fruity pebbles. Y'know, 'cause they're fruity." Jake said, with a grin. "Oh shut up, why don't you?" I shot back. "Whatever." he said. "So... What was that upstairs?" "Uh..." I said. I was blushing, and Jake saw it. "C'mon... Tell me..." he whined. "Oh, alright... Uh... It was..." "What? Tell me!" "It was a Pikachu." Jake almost snorted milk out of his nose. "A... A what??" "A Pikachu, okay!? It was a Pikachu!" "Dude, what kind of crack are you smoking?" "You know what, follow me. I'll show you what I mean." We went upstairs to my room. I opened the closet, and surely enough, the plush doll fell out of the closet. "I heard a noise from the closet while I was dressing up. I opened the door, and lo and behold, this thing falls out and scares me!" "Huh... So why is this here?" "Uh... I never bothered to throw it out." "I find that cute." "What?" "I find that cute." Jake repeated." "...Really?" "Yeah. Sure, it's childish, but I find that cute." "Hahah... Thanks." "Sure. Now, then, we should get going. The bus is gonna get here soon." "Yeah." As usual, we walked to the bus stop and waited for the bus to bring us to school. We got on, talked, and waited for the driver to bring us to another day of torturous boredom. Once we got there, Jake and I got off and went to the band room. Jake was sick and tired of first period art, so he switched out of that and into my class. Ever since then, Guitar class has become much more bearable. Jake and I usually just go off somewhere and start playing random stuff. Jake and I had the same taste in music, and helped with our "jam sessions". Whenever Jake comes over, we end up playing a bunch of The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus' songs. I also introduced him to this new band called Classic Case. I liked them a lot, and he seems to like them as well. "So... I've been thinking... Do you think we can actually start up a band?" "Hmm..." Jake was in deep thought for a second. "Well, I think that the two of us sound great, but we still need a drummer and bassist." "Yeah, that's the thing. Where are we gonna come up with a drummer and bassist?" I asked. "Well, why don't I get some of my friends and we can try to get something together?" "Huh?" I turned around. It was Alex. "Y'know... Eli plays drums, and Eric plays bass. We can get together and do something sometime, right?" Eli and Eric were two of Alex's friends. Eli used to go to Tae Kwon Do classes with us, and Eric was one of Alex's friends from elementary school or something. "Hmm... That's not a bad idea... Whaddaya say, Jake?" "Sounds great to me. When are we gonna do this?" "Uh... How about today? Eli and Eric are already coming over and we've been thinking of a way to make the band... Uh... More complete, I guess would be the term." "Sweet. See ya then." Jake said. "Yeah, sounds like a plan. ...Wait..." I said. "What?" "Don't you have a class or something?" "Uh... Latin sucks, maybe?" "Psh... Alright, skipper." "Whatever." So our plans were set. Jake and I would go to Alex's place after school. This might be it; finally, a band! I was so stoked that the rest of the day just sort of flew by me. I met up with Jake and Alex, and we met up with Eli and Eric. We all made our way to Alex's house. "...Hey, Eli? How're you gonna bring your drums over?" I asked. "Uh... Well, they're already there. I just leave them there and Alex's house is like my practice space now." "...Huh. Alright then." The five of us made it to Alex's house. We all got something to drink and then we went off to the room where Eli's drums were. "My parents had the room soundproofed just so we could play as loud as we want in here." Alex pointed out. "That's sweet, man." Jake said. He was oozing excitement. "So," I began. "What kind of music do you think we can play as a group?" "Well, I like Fall Out Boy." Eli said. "Cool, David and I do too, sort of." Jake said. "Dude, no... Fall Out Boy's gone to crap now." Alex whined. "Alright, fine. Fall Out Boy is probably not happening. Uh..." "What about Metallica?" Alex asked. "Nope. I'm not all that into Metallica." I replied. "Hmm... What about Green-" Eric began. "NO!" the rest of us said in unison. "Hmm... What about the Red Jumpsuit Apparatus?" Jake asked. "Hey, that's a great idea!" I said. "The Red who?" Alex asked. "The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus. Here, I've got some of their songs on my iPod. Listen to this." I put on a couple of their songs. Alex seemed to be liking their sound. Looks like we have a winner! "Hmm... They're alright. I think I can roll with that." And with that, I started teaching Eric the bass lines for "Waiting" and I started to sort out the guitar parts. Since we had three guitarists but the RJA only had two, I had to find a way to shove in another guitar without messing up the whole thing. I gave Eli my iPod so that he could listen and pick out the drum line. "Okay, guys. We're all gonna have to tune down to a drop C tuning. This means that we tune to drop D, then we go down a full step." "David, are you sure?" "Yeah, I'm sure. I've been picking apart this song for a while now, and there's a part with a low C5 chord." "Okay, then." After working with Eli a bit on the drum part and helping with the guitar parts, it slowly became evident that I was gonna be the frontman of the band. Once everyone was confident with their parts, we all got back together to see how it would work out. "Alright. Ready? 1,2,3,4..." Eli set the tempo for the song, then we all started playing. I was the singer, seeing as nobody wanted to sing, but I seemed to have the best voice. "Whoa-oh... Oh-oh... Feeling sorrow... For all the things you had to steal and borrow... Bring back the days we had before tomorrow... Relapse and then collapse into yourself once more... Waiting for this life to change seems like it's taking me forever. And I can't, hold on. This life, is breaking into the day this life is gonna change, Seems like it's taking me forever. And I can't hold on. This life, is breaking into the day..." Jake and I played the little riff after the post-chorus and jumped back into the verse. I was switching between smooth, clean singing and coarse, heavy screaming. "Void I can't fill... The doctor tells me to relax and stand still... Prescribes me a new pill to quell my anger... Wish I could make her pull herself off of the floor... Waiting for this life to change seems like it's taking me forever. And I can't, hold on. This life, is breaking into the day this life is gonna change, Seems like it's taking me forever. And I can't hold on. This life, is breaking into the day... Again... Into the day... Again..." It was all really coming together! This was it. We had a band. "Waiting for this life to change seems like it's taking me forever. And I can't, hold on. This life, is breaking into the day this life is gonna change, Seems like it's taking me forever. And I can't hold on. This life, is breaking into the day... Take time to contemplate who you are and where, you want to go... Take time to contemplate who you are and where, you want to go... Into the day..." After Jake and I played those last few notes, the energy in the room was noticeably charged. We were all excited since we had finally gotten together and now we had a band... ========== Dressed in khaki pants and black shoes. Black socks, black belt, and blue shirt. Black tie to finish the outfit. I looked in the mirror to make sure that I looked halfway decent for today. The last time that we would have to deal with Elliot. "Are you ready?" Jake asked. "Yeah. We should get going. The trial's going to begin in about two hours, and we should get there early." "Alright then." I had slept over at Jake's house. My parents gave me the OK to sleep over and go to the trial. They weren't coming, since they didn't really need to be there, and they were still a bit nervous about the courtroom after what had happened last year. "Hey guys, let's go!" Beth called from downstairs. "Alright, we're coming!" Jake yelled. "Nervous?" I asked. "Of course. Now let's do this." Jake was shaking a bit, but I knew that he was confident on the inside. "Okay, then." I gave him a kiss on the cheek and then we went into the car. The courthouse was big. I had been here quite a few times. This time, I would be going to the D.A.'s office, on the side of the floor opposite of the waiting room. Beth, Jake, and I were all ushered into the room. Alex was already inside. "Hey, guys." he said. "Hi Alex," Jake said. "Are you ready?" "Yeah. The prosecutor's on his way, I think." "Alright." The prosecutor came in after a few minutes, and then we discussed what we were going to do for the trial. We knew that Jake's sexuality was going to come up, so the prosecutor made it a point to tell Jake that he was not going to let the defense harass Jake. We also knew that the defense attorney was not changing his mind as was not willing to do a plea bargain. After about a half on an hour, we were called into the courtroom. Walking into the room, I immediately saw the judge who had resided over my trial, Judge Osbourne. She was a very nice person to everyone, but was also stern when she knew that a person had done wrong. In my "trial", she understood that this was all a terrible misunderstanding, but she had to make an action under the law. When she saw me, she smiled slightly and I smiled back. We took our seats behind the prosecutor, and then the case began. "Now I am calling to order the case of the Commonwealth of Virginia versus Elliot Kilday. As I recall from the last portion of this trial, the defense has pled Not Guilty to all charges; one charge of assault and battery, one charge of armed assault, two charges of simple assault, and a hate crime penalty enhancer on all of these charges, correct?" "Correct, Your Honor." The defense attorney said. "Alright, then. Your opening statement, prosecutor?" "Yes, Your Honor. As stated in the police report, the defendant, Mr. Kilday along with two other people, one being the Mr. Caudilo who pled No Contest, attacked Mr. Johnson between 7:45 and 8:00 am on the morning of the 15th of February. Mr. Johnson was then later seen by Mr. Hernandez at approximately 8:05 am by the school tennis courts, and that was when Mr. Johnson told Mr. Hernandez that he was attacked by Mr. Kilday and the two other people. Mr. Hernandez confronted Mr. Kilday about this incident, and Mr. Kilday attacked him. Mr. Hernandez then had no other choice but to defend himself, and had no choice but to incapacitate his attacker once he realized that the attacker would not cease." "Okay... Can you tell the court about what happened afterwards?" Judge Osbourne asked." "Of course." the prosecutor said. "During Mr. Hernandez's and Mr. Johnson's lunch period, Mr. Kilday attacked them unexpectedly. They were back at the tennis courts. Mr. Kilday landed a punch on Mr. Johnson, and Mr. Hernandez was attacked by Mr. Caudilo. Mr. Hernandez stunned Mr. Caudilo and then proceeded to separate Mr. Kilday from Mr. Johnson. Mr. Hernandez proceeded to tell Mr. Johnson to get help while he stalled the two attackers. After a while, Mr. Hernandez called for help, and Mr. Roux came to assist him." "That is enough. I would like to hear the rest from Mr. Hernandez." "Very well then. Step on up, David." I stepped up and sat in the chair. "Your name and occupation, just for the record." Judge Osbourne said. "Alright. My name is David Hernandez. I am a student at Yorktown High School." "Okay. Now proceed where the prosecutor left off." "Very well. When I called for help, Mr. Roux came to my assistance. Mr. Roux separated Mr. Caudilo from Mr. Kilday, and we proceeded to... I can't really say "fight" since it carries the connotation that I was also an aggressor..." "You may say "fight"." "Okay, then. So we proceeded to fight. I fought Mr. Kilday, while Mr. Roux fought Mr. Caudilo. As I was fighting, Mr. Kilday took out a knife and tried to injure me with it. I managed to disarm him and once again, had no choice but to incapacitate the attacker. That was when the police, the principal of the school, and Mr. Johnson arrived." "That is enough. Thank you." "You are welcome, Your Honor." "Excuse me, Your Honor, may I begin my cross-examination?" "Very well. The defense will begin its cross-examination." "Okay, then. Mr. Hernandez... You said that you had no other choice but to defend yourself, is that correct?" "Yes it is, sir." "Okay, then. Are you sure that you did not incapacitate my client out of anger due to the fact that he had allegedly attack your friend?" "Yes. I am very sure. I have always made it a point not to harm another person unless I am being attacked." "Are you sure? Were you not once-" "Objection, Your Honor. Relevance and badgering the witness." "I agree. I do not like, nor do I see, where this is going. Choose a different path to take, sir." "Very well. The defense rests." "Hmm... That was too quick... And a bit close..." I said to myself. "The prosecution calls Elliot Kilday to the stand." Elliot made his way to the witness stand. "Your name and occupation, sir." "Elliot Kilday, student at Yorktown High School." "Okay, thank you. Can you present your side of this incident?" "Very well, sir. On the 14th of February, after school, I was confronted by Mr. Hernandez over there. He told me that he was suspicious about the new kid in school, and he told me to go beat him up with a couple of my friends. He paid me $100 to attack him, but he also said that he would pummel my face in if I didn't do as he said." I knew it. Elliot was completely bluffing. I could easily see through this veil... The contradiction was almost screaming at me, but I let him continue. I wanted to see where he was going with this... "So, I attacked Mr. Johnson over there on the morning of the 15th. I had no choice but to. When I was later confronted by Mr. Hernandez, he attacked me suddenly and knocked me out. Later, that morning, I attacked him out of anger. He moved out of the way and I accidentally hit Mr. Johnson over there again. I'm really sorry, man." Jake was having none of this. He just sat there and waited for Elliot to continue. "So, David called for help and then that other kid came and attacked me." He was becoming more informal by the second. "My friend Matt heard what was going on and tried to separate them from me. Then, David pulled a knife on me and began attacking me. Luckily, he did not land any sort of blow on me, and I was able to knock away the knife. However, I was arrested by the police, and so was my friend. This is all just one humongous misunderstanding." Elliot's testimony was over. Jake was fuming inside, but I was calm. I had predicted this, and after hearing his testimony, I was every flaw in his testimony. There were so many holes that it just practically fell apart. "The prosecution will now begin its cross-examination of the witness." "Hey, you see them too, right? There are too many flaws in his testimony. Pick a few and this'll be over in no time." "Uh... Alright, then." The prosecutor was ready to end this so I could go home. "Mr. Kilday, you said that Mr. Hernandez confronted you after school. At what specific time did you two meet?" "Hmm... I think it was at about 5:00 pm." Hah. He just dug the hole deeper for him. "Hmm... That's odd... I would like to call Mrs. Johnson. Your name and occupation, ma'am?" Beth stood up. "Beth Johnson, schoolteacher at McKinley Elementary School." "Thank you. Can you please testify about what happened at the time that Mr. Kilday has stated?" "Yes, sir. At 5:00 pm on February 14, I was driving to Mr. Hernandez's house to pick up my son." The defense attorney's eyes widened. This was going to be the first of several bullets in his client's testimony. "Thank you, ma'am." Beth sat down. Jake was grinning. "Now then..." the prosecutor began. "So you say that Mr. Hernandez was the one who held the knife, no?" "Correct." "I would like to bring up the knife in question. I have had it scanned for fingerprints and the prints are a complete match with those of the defendant. I have the results with me and I would like to submit them as evidence." "Very well then. These documents are accepted into evidence. They check out. Mr. Kilday, your testimony seems to be very weak..." "Your honor, if I may?" "Yes, sir?" "May I present another witness?" "Hmm... It is unorthodox... But I will allow it." "Thank you. Mr. Kilday, you may step down. I would like to call to the stand, Mr. Matt Caudilo." From behind me, Matt stepped stood up. I didn't even notice him, I guess. He walked up to the stand and took his seat. "Your name and occupation, please?" "Of course. Matt Caudilo, student." "Thank you. Now can you verify either side's testimony?" "Hmm... Well, Mr. Kilday's testimony is completely false, as far as I can see. I can verify most of the prosecution's testimony. He told me that he was going to attack Mr. Johnson under the assumption that Mr. Johnson was a homosexual. I disapproved of this personally, but I did not stop him. Afterwards, I was present during the first clash between Mr. Kilday and Mr. Hernandez. Mr. Kilday was doing nothing but attacking, and Mr. Hernandez was doing nothing but effectively defending. Afterwards, when Mr. Kilday regained consciousness, he told me that he wanted revenge against Mr. Hernandez since he felt that Mr. Hernandez had made him seem weak. When Mr. Kilday and I were fighting with Mr. Hernandez and Mr. Roux, I was Mr. Kilday brandish a knife, in fact, it was the one that was earlier presented as evidence." "Thank you. That is enough." the prosecutor said. "Will the defense begin its cross-examination?" "Yes it will, Your Honor. Mr. Caudilo, why are you doing this?" I was what this guy was trying to pull. He was trying to shove the blame on Matt. But it was too little, too quick, too late. "Simple. I feel guilty about what had happened to Mr. Johnson and Mr. Hernandez." "But then... Why did you attack them in the first place?" "Peer pressure. Simple peer pressure." "But-" "Objection. Badgering the witness." "Allowed. This cross-examination is over." "Very well, Your Honor." This was over. The judge was going to deliver her verdict. "This court finds the defendant, Mr. Elliot Kilday, guilty on all charges. In addition, there is evidence of a hate crime going on. Mr. Kilday, you will serve four years in the Richmond Juvenile Detention Facility, with an additional year for your hate crime penalty enhancer. Once you are released, you will be left on probation until you reach the age of 21 and 200 hours of community service will be assigned to you. That is all. Court is dismissed." Judge Osbourne banged her gavel. It was over. Now we could all go home. "That wasn't as bad I expected it to be." Jake said as we were walking towards the parking lot. "Yeah. That was fairly quick." "Thank you so much, David..." Jake's eyes began to well up. "No, no... It's okay..." "If it wasn't for you helping me back then..." "Don't worry. It was nothing, really." "What did I do to deserve you?" Jake was now sobbing slightly. "Nothing. We just wanted each other, and that's how we're here now." "David..." Jake ran over and hugged me. He was crying on my shoulder. "It's okay... I love you, man..." "I love you too, David... I love you so much..." "C'mon. Let's go home." "Okay..." Jake and I walked to Beth's car. She drove us to their house, and Jake and I went up to his room. "David... I'm tired." "Yeah... Let's go to sleep." "Okay." "Good night, Jake." "G'night... Oh... Uhm... David?" "...Yes? What is it?" Jake seemed unusually nervous... "Uh... David... Can we... Can we... Go a step further...?" "You mean..." "Yeah. That." "Hmm..." I was confident that our relationship was gonna work. "Sure, Jake. Of course we can. Let's just get some rest for now." "Okay. Love you." "I love you too." I pecked Jake on the lips. He curled up and we both fell asleep. Today was fairly rough for Jake, but now we could finally sleep peacefully. ---------- Sorry that I took so long on this one. I've just been busy doing... Uh... Nothing, really. ...Yeah. I've got no excuse.