Date: Mon, 12 Mar 2001 12:08:45 -0700
From: tarantau tarantau <tarantau@hotmail.com>
Subject: Ryan's Odyssey Chapter five

Here is the fifth chapter to Ryan's Odyssey  I hope you like it

Thanks to everyone who has read the story, and sent me e-mails, I appreciate
all the support.  Keep them e-mails coming and let me know what you think .

RYAN'S ODYSSEY

CHAPTER FIVE

I knew he would be coming out of English, when I pulled into the parking
lot, even though I was nervous as hell about telling me, I knew it was
something that had waited long enough.  It was now or never.  I parked next
to his car, and waited for him to see me.

"Hey bro," he said, when he approached my truck, "looks like your feeling
better."

"You don't know how much," I replied, "Hop in let's go for a ride."

Our town isn't a real big town, but it's big enough to have a McDonald's, a
Pizza Hut, and a Subway, so with all of this places to eat, we both decided
to get a burger at Carl's Burger Palace. The burgers there were ten time
better then at McDonald's, and twice as big.  We ordered two Super Duper
Burgers, two orders of large fries, and two large Dr. Pepper's.  We got our
food and then we drove out towards the lake.  The music was blaring from the
speakers, and we were both singing along to the sounds of N'Sync.

"What was wrong with you?" Kyle asked.

"I had a real bad ache in my body," I said.  I wasn't lying, I had a bad
ache in my heart, and that is part of my body.

"Well you missed the pop quiz in Miss Timberwoods Math class," he said,
"Like it matters anyway."

I pulled the truck onto a little side dirt road, that led to a grove of
trees about two miles off the road.  I had been coming here for years when
ever I had somethings on my mind to think about, but as far as a I could
remember this was the first time I had ever brought Kyle out here.  I had
never even brought a girl out here.  It was my special place, and after
this, if things went the way I wanted, it would be our special place.

"And what was your last comment suppose to mean?" I asked, "I still have to
pass the class or I won't get to play in the big game on Friday."

Oh, I think I forgot to mention, Friday was the opening game of this Years
football season.  And the party we had at Kyle's on Friday was the last big
fling of the Summer Season.  It was one at one of these partys were I first
became to starting tailback.  Jarod Mitchell, who was a senior this year,
had been but he had got caught drunk driving and was suspended for three
games.  I got the starting nod and as they say the rest is history.  I
averaged over two hundred yards a game and three touchdowns and never looked
down.

"Miss Timberwoods will give you a make up exam, and the hardest question on
the whole paper will be, what is ten times ten," Kyle said, with a bit of
sarcasm in his voice."
"I've worked hard for everything I'v ever got," I said, "I don't want
anything handed to me on a silver platter.  I'd be the first one to pull
myself out of a game if I think it would help the team."

"I know that and you know that," he said, "but this town wants a state
championship and without you it just isn't gonna happen.  Face it Ryan, your
the town's Golden boy.  Remember last year when you wore the tie to school?"

"Yeah, what about it?"

"Well, you probably didn't notice, but for almost three weeks after that at
least ten or twelve guys wore ties to school also, just to be like you.
Hell if you mentioned to someone that you happened to like the Billy Gilman
Cd, everyone would claim to like it also, just because Golden boy does."

I pulled into the grove of trees, turned the engine off, and said, "For your
information, I do happen to like the Billy Gilman Cd.  I told you and your
someone, so let's see if by the end of the week, everyone else is listening
to it."

"I don't count," he said, "I'm your best friend, I know how big of an
asshole you are."

We ate in silence, finishing our burgers, when the Cd changed and to both of
our surprise Billy Gilman started singing through the speakers.  I pushed
the fast forward key 'till I got to the song "What's forever for."

"Hey," Kyle said, "my mom's got an album, you know one of those old big old
circular discs, you play on a record player with this song on it, by a guy
named Michael Martin Murphy, but I kinda like this version better."

"It's a good Cd," I said, "Open your mind to new possibilities, and you will
learn more then you will ever know."

"Kyle, " I said, "You said earlier that anything I did would be okay with
the town, right?"  I had figured out a way to approach the subject of my
gayness, without coming right out and just saying Kyle, I'm gay.  "I think
your wrong, there is one thing I could do to turn everbody against me."

Kyle laughed, "I don't think so."

"What if I announced I was gay," I said, "everyone would hate me, I'd be the
laughing stock of the town."

"Bullshit," Kyle said, turning towards me, "I'd bet by the end of the week
being gay would be the in thing, and people who think it's disgusting would
claim to be gay just to be like the golden boy.
Face it, Ryan, nothing you can say or do, would turn this town against you,
or at least not until you graduate from High School, or an injury ruins your
football career.  Besides, there is no way in hell you could be gay,
Sport's heroes are true blue he-man."

"Kyle," I said, I had tried as hard as I could to keep the tears from
falling, but it was just about impossible now, "I am..."

* * * * * * *

I grabbed the doorhandle and ran from the truck and ran as fast as I could,
the tears blurring my vision.  I couldn't believe what he had just told me.
There was no way in hell, Ryan was gay.  I know you think I should have been
happy, but I wasn't and for the life of me I couldn't figure out why.  Part
of my mind was telling me to turn around and run back to him and let him
know I was gay also, and part of me was telling me he just wanted to prove
me wrong, or maybe he knew about me, and this was all part of some big joke
him and the football team had come up with.  I know that sounds stupid, but
rationally thinking was about a million miles away at the time.  I fell on
the side of road, buried my face in my hands and cried harder then I had
ever cried in my life.

When I finally lifted my head, he was standing beside me, crying just as
hard, "I'm sorry, Kyle," He said, "I just couldn't live with the lie
anymore.  I wasn't sick this morning, it's just so hard sometimes to pretend
to be someone I'm not.  I had to tell you, and if you hate me now, I'll
understand, and walk right out of your life, but I will let you know
onething, regardless if you hate me, and never want to see me again, I will
never stop loving you."

He loved me...  The words took me by complete surprise.  I grabbed his hand
and pulled him down towards me on the ground.  I didn't say a word, I just
leaned forward and pressed my lips to his.  I really couldn't describe the
power of that first kiss, but it was like the beauty of the forth of July
fireworks display, getting a brand new Jaguar for your Birthday, it was real
and magical and the same time.  I knew at the moment I loved him just as
much as he loved me.  We wrapped our arms around each other and just held.

"I love you, too, Ryan, " I finally said, "I want the world to know, but
even though I still think people who be okay with you being gay, I would
rather keep it between us for now.  I'm not as popular as you are, and it
maybe bad for me."

"I'm not ready either," he said, "Only two people know about me, and that's
how I'd like to keep it for now."

"You told your mother," I said, "how did she take it?"

"She's the one who convinced me to tell you, it's funny I kinda thought you
would be okay with it, but I never expected for you to tell me you loved me
too.  If we hadn't been so afraid of what the other person was gonna think,
we could have been together long before this."

I leaned in and kissed him again.  This time it was even better if that was
possible.

"Remember," I said, "this is our secret, until were both ready for the world
to know."


Little did either one of us know at that moment, but we weren't the only two
people on the road at the time.  Things in our life were starting to get a
little interesting, and my theory of the golden boy was about to be put to
the test.