Date: Sun, 13 May 2007 13:10:06 -0400
From: ronyx <ronyx@woh.rr.com>
Subject: Taking Off the Mask  Chapter 13

The following is a work of fiction. Any similarities to anyone are purely
coincidental. The story is intended for a mature audience. It may contain
profanity and references to gay sex. If this offends you, please leave
and find something more suitable to read. The author maintains all rights
to the story. Do not copy or use without written permission. Write Ron at
ronyx@woh.rr.com with your comments.  Ronyx is a Nifty prolific writer.



Taking Off the Mask         Chapter 13



Love takes off the masks that we fear we cannot live without and know we
cannot live within. James Baldwin



When I arrived at school on Monday morning, I said goodbye to Jackie and
headed in the direction of Dion's locker. It was on the other side of
the campus from my first period class, but I wanted to see if I could
just `run into' him.

He was struggling to get a book out of his locker, and he ended up
pulling books and papers all over the floor. I watched as his shoulders
sagged and he bent down to pick them up. I walked over, knelt down and
started picking up stray papers. He looked up and a small smile formed on
his face.

"Hey," I said as I continued to pull papers into a small pile. Most of
them appeared to be notes for a research paper. Others were graded tests.
I was surprised that none of them were lower than a B+. I stopped and
stared when I picked up one that had my name written all over it. Some
were circled and others contained stars around them. One even contained
my name inside a heart. Dion startled me when he quickly yanked the paper
from my hand.

I looked into his very embarrassed face. "Thanks, James," he said
quickly. He then stood and shoved the papers back into this locker.
"I'm going to be late for class." He slammed his locker shut and then
scurried quickly down the hall.

I couldn't stop thinking about the paper with my name written all over
it. I had done it before when I was in the seventh grade, and I had
developed a crush on a boy named Jimmy. He was the blond boy who sat next
to me in history. When the weather was warm outside, he used to wear very
short shorts which revealed most of his legs up to his hips. I'd sit in
class and get hard while taking side glances at him. When I was finished
with my assignment, I used to scribble his name all over the inside of my
notebook. Jackie saw it one day and teased me unmercifully about my
crush. I tore off the notebook cover and threw it away in a trash bin on
the way home from school.

I wondered if Dion had a secret crush on me. Why else would he repeatedly
write my name on a piece of paper? He was also extremely embarrassed when
he knew I saw it. I kept remembering what Jackie had said about him
telling Roy that he liked me more than a lot. Is possible that a piece of
his mask was being removed? And if he did like me, was I prepared to like
him back?

"Well, Mr. Hoskins?" I looked up and Mr. Zimmerman, my computer science
teacher, was standing over me.

"Well, what?" I asked. My face was beginning to redden as I heard
students giggling around me. He must have asked me a question while I was
deep in thought about Dion.

"I don't know why I bother," he remarked as he stormed back to the
front of the class. "See me after class, James." I tried to pay
attention the rest of the period, but I knew it wouldn't matter. This
was now the third teacher I had upset in just a few weeks. At this rate
I'd probably have the entire staff of Anderson High School mad at me by
the time I graduated.

I remained seated when the bell rang. Mr. Zimmerman motioned for me to
come to his desk. "I'm sorry, Sir," I apologized.

"Is everything alright, James?" He asked. "You used to be my brightest
student. Now it seems like you're always preoccupied."

"No, Sir," I replied. "I'm fine."

"Well I know it can be difficult being a teen boy," he said. "Believe
it or not, I used to be young once." He sat back in his desk and let out
a small laugh. "If you ever need someone to talk to, come see me."

"I'll remember that, Sir," I said politely. Mr. Zimmerman was a cool
teacher for someone over thirty. He once told us he was thirty four and
unmarried. When a girl asked him if he had a girlfriend, he remarked, "I
haven't met a woman rich enough." The class laughed, but it left me
wondering why he had jokingly avoided the question.

"Am I free to go?" I asked. He nodded and waved his hand, dismissing
me. Before leaving I stopped and said, "Thank you, Mr. Zimmerman. I'm
sorry I wasn't paying attention today."

"It`s alright, James." He smiled. "And I mean it. If you ever need to
talk, you can trust me." I knew by the look he gave me and the tone of
his voice, exactly what he meant.

"Thank you, Mr. Zimmerman." I hurriedly left the room and headed to my
next class. The bell was ringing just as I entered Mrs. Horner's class.
Jackie looked over and gave me a questioning look. I gave her a thumbs
up, as I sat down.

I surprised Mrs. Horner when I raised my hand to answer several questions
that she posed to the class. More than half the class was asleep at their
desk, including Jackie. It appeared that Agatha and I were the only
one's who were really paying any attention to her. After class Mrs.
Horner stopped me and remarked on my positive behavior in class. I felt
that I still had a chance of maintaining my `A' average.

I told Jackie to go ahead of me to lunch while I stopped by the restroom.
As I was leaving, Raymond Saunders came towards me and grabbed my arm,
pulling me back into the restroom.

"I'm going to kick your ass," he said threateningly. "Your boyfriend
made a serious mistake fucking with me the other night. When I'm through
with you, I'm going to go looking for him."

He threw a punch into my stomach, knocking the wind out of me. As I
gasped for air, he drew back his arm to hit me again. I bent forward and
closed my eyes. I heard a rustling sound and then a loud thud. Raymond
let out a grunt. I opened my eyes and watched as Roy and Donovan grabbed
Raymond and pulled him into a bathroom stall. I couldn't see what was
going on; but by the threats that Roy and Donovan were making to Raymond,
it was obvious that he would never mess with me again.

I heard several thuds and Raymond let out a few loud grunts. The door
flew open and Roy and Donovan exited with very angry looks on their
faces. "Fuck with him again," threatened Donovan, "and we won't be so
nice the next time." Donovan looked over at me and then walked out.
Seconds later, Raymond emerged holding his sides and it appeared he had
tears in his eyes. He looked sheepishly at Roy, and then he ran from the
room.

"The bigger they are," Roy said angrily, "the harder they fall. Are
you alright?" He looked at me.

"I think so," I said as I pulled up my shirt and saw the red mark that
had appeared on my chest from the punch Raymond had given me. Roy
inspected it before I pulled my shirt down.

"We saw him follow you in here. If he ever comes near you again," he
said angrily, "you let me know. I'll make sure the son of a bitch never
touches you again. Come on." He threw his arm around me and we walked to
the cafeteria.

"Thanks, Roy," I said as we approached the cafeteria. "It seems like
you're always saving my ass."

"You're my friend," he said. "I'm going to always be there when you
need me."

"I don't even know how to repay you," I remarked.

"You already have," he replied. I looked over and gave him a
questioning look. He smiled and said, "You introduced me to Jackie."

"So you really like her?" I asked.

"I think so," he confessed. "I've never felt this way about another
girl."

"We're not talking the L word here, are we," I joked.

"Don't you dare tell her," he said seriously, "but yeah, I think
so."

"I'm happy for both of you," I grinned. He pulled me in tighter and
gave me a quick squeeze on my shoulders.

"Me, too," he said happily. "Me, too."

Jackie watched us walk over to the table. Surprisingly, Dion was sitting
across the table from her. I watched as her eyes narrowed. I know she
wondered why Roy always seemed to be so close to me.

"James Micheal Hoskins," she said through gritted teeth. "I've told
you- he's mine, find your own boyfriend" Suddenly, she looked over at
Dion and realized what she had just said. Her face began to turn red.

"But he's just so cute," said Roy as he grabbed my cheek and pinched
it. He realized what Jackie had said, and was trying to make light of the
remark.

"Yes," I squealed. "I'm just so cute. Don't you think so Dion?"

His eyes flew open and he began to grow embarrassed. He started to
stammer out a response as the rest of us broke out in laughter. "I
don't think he really wanted an answer to that question," howled Roy.

We laughed even louder as I looked at Dion and batted my eyes, "So you
don't think I'm cute?"

The rest of the lunch period was filled with playful conversation. Even
Dion began to grow more comfortable around us. I had never seen him laugh
as much as he did in the half hour we spent bantering back and forth.
Before leaving, we made plans to go to another movie on Saturday night.
It surprised us when Dion asked if we could stop once again at Ben and
Jerry's. "My treat this time." He looked at me and smiled warmly. In
that instant, I saw a corner of his mask being removed.

As the bell rang, and we broke up to go to our next class, I was aware of
someone walking closely behind me. I looked over my shoulder as Donovan
walked up beside me.

"Are you alright?" He asked softly. He kept walking without looking at
me.

"Yeah," I replied. "I'm okay."

"Good," he said. "Let me know if Saunders ever fucks with you again."
He patted me on my back, and then he turned and walked away. For the
first time since that Saturday night, I didn't feel that I had to be
afraid of him anymore.

Roy met Jackie and me at my locker after school. The three of us were
quickly becoming inseparable. I thought it was strange that they wanted
me to be around them constantly. I know if I had a boyfriend I wouldn't
want Jackie around. I guess they were building a relationship the way one
should be developed- become friends first. I was just glad they wanted me
to be a part of that blossoming friendship.

As we were getting ready to leave, I looked down the hall and noticed
Dion heading towards us. It was the first time I had ever seen him pass
by my locker on the way home from school. I smiled to myself, hoping that
he was doing it intentionally, so that he could see me.

He held his head down and didn't look up as he started to walk past. Roy
quickly reached out and grabbed his arm.

"Don't you walk by us like you don't know us," he kidded. Dion looked
up and gave him an embarrassed smile.

"Hey, Guys," he said bashfully. "I was just on my way home."

"Want a ride?" Roy asked. Dion's face lit up.

"It won't be out of your way?" He asked.

Jackie grabbed my arm and pulled me towards her. "See, I told you," she
whispered in my ear.

Jackie wanted to stop off and get something to eat, but Roy said he had
to get straight home. His mother was taking him to the dentist for an
appointment. He drove to Dion's house to drop him off.

When we pulled up outside his house, Dion sat quietly in the backseat. It
was as if he didn't want to get out. Finally, he looked over at me and
asked, "Would you like to come in for a while." I could see Jackie in
the front seat nodding her head.

"Yeah, sure," I said. "I'll have to call my mother and see if she`ll
come get me."

"Momma can take you home," he insisted. "She told me the other day
that if you ever wanted to visit, she'd see that you got home."

"Okay," I said. "Let's go." Roy gave me a thumbs up when I got out
of the car. Jackie mouthed the words, "Good Luck." I don't know why
everyone was eager to see us together.

As soon as Dion opened he door, Marky came running down stairs. His eyes
lit up when he saw me. "James!" he squealed. He ran across the room and
jumped into my arms. I fell back onto the couch as he straddled my lap
and grinned into my face.

"You kept your promise," he smiled.

"I told you I'd be back," I pulled him into me and gave him a big hug.

"So James is here and now you've forgotten about me?" Dion began to
pout. Marky jumped off my lap and ran over to him, jumping into his arms.
This kid sure loved to be affectionate. It's too bad people lose that
innocence as they grow older. It would be wonderful if everyone could
just reach out and hug someone they felt close to.

"I'm sorry, Dion," he apologized. "I didn't mean to hurt your
feelings."

"Well, you did," Dion acted like he was crying. I laughed as a sad
expression appeared on Marky's face. Dion carried him over and sat down
beside me on the couch.

"Don't cry, please," he begged. "James, make him stop crying."

"Maybe if you give him a big hug he'll stop," I suggested. Marky
hugged him tightly, but Dion still continued to pretend to be crying.

"He won't stop, James." Marky said sadly. "You better hug him, too.
Maybe that will help."

"You think so?" I asked. Marky started nodding his head.

"Stop crying, Dion," I giggled, as I put my arms around him and Marky,
pulling them both into a strong embrace.

I pressed my face to Dion's and Marky pressed his to mine. I closed my
eyes and enjoyed the closeness that we were feeling. I could sense that
Dion was doing the same. I could feel the warmth and softness of his skin
against mine. We slowly started to rub our cheeks together.

Marky pulled away, looked at Dion and started giggling. "Your pee pee is
getting hard." He lifted himself off Dion, and I saw a very noticeable
tent in his pants.

Dion lifted Marky up and placed him on the floor. "You go play," he
said embarrassedly. He gave him a playful push and patted him on his
butt. Marky went running out of the room.

We sat in silence for a few minutes. I could tell that Dion was
humiliated by Marky pointing out his erection. "If it makes you feel any
better," I admitted. "I started to get hard too." I reached down and
adjusted myself while Dion looked on. We looked at each other and started
laughing. He reached down and pushed his erection upward, so that it
wouldn't be pointing out to the side.

"I'm so embarrassed," he said softly. "I'm going to kill my
nephew."

"You've got nothing to be ashamed of." I looked down and stared at his
large cock still tenting the front of his pants.

"You don't either," he said shyly. I looked up and our eyes met. I
once again had an intense urge to lean in and kiss him. I could tell by
the look in his eyes that he was feeling the same thing.

"Would you like to go to my bedroom?" His voice cracked as he asked me.
I nodded and he got up and walked out of the room. I hesitantly walked
behind him. I knew that this was going to be a big step for us. I wanted
to make sure I was doing the right thing. I had rushed into a situation
with Donovan, and I didn't want to make the same mistake with Dion.

He turned and looked at me. I could tell he was feeling the same thing.
Both of us wanted, no needed, someone. I knew that his fears were much
greater than mine. I had been hurt by Donovan, but it was nothing like
the hurt that Dion had experienced. I had to make a decision if I could
commit myself to him, without hurting him deeper. I didn't want either
of us to be hurt by quickly jumping into something neither of was ready
for.

We went into his room, and he closed the door behind us. He tossed his
book bag on the bed, and then turned and looked at me. He had a very sad
expression on his face.

"I don't know what to do here." I watched as tears started to fall
down his cheeks. He brought his hands to his face. I walked over and
wrapped my arms around him, holding him tightly as he wept. I could feel
him trembling. After a few minutes, I felt him relax in my arms, and he
stopped crying. He lifted his head off my shoulder and looked into my
face. Our faces were only inches apart. I closed my eyes as he brought
his face closer. I felt his warm lips meet mine.

The kiss wasn't passionate, and it didn't last long; but it was enough
for us to express how we felt towards each other. He pulled me into
another tight embrace, and heard him let out a gentle sigh into my
shoulder.

He pulled away and wiped the remaining tears from his face. "I'm such a
baby," he muttered, as he started to walk away. I grabbed his arm and
pulled him back towards me.

"No, you're not," I said as I leaned in and kissed him again. This
time the kiss was more passionate. I opened my mouth and he slipped his
tongue into it and began to kiss me more deeply. I could feel his hard
cock pressing against mine.

Suddenly, the door burst open and Marky came running in. "Granny said
come get a snack." He stopped and looked at us as we jumped apart.

"Oh!" he squealed. "You guys were kissing." He turned and went
running from the bedroom. We could hear him singing as he headed
downstairs, "Dion and James, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G."

"God, Dion," I said remorsefully. "I'm so sorry. You're mom's going
to know now."

I walked over to the bed and sat down, burying my head in my hands. Dion
walked over and put his arm around my waist and held me tightly.

"It's alright, James," he insisted. "Momma knows." I looked up and
he was smiling. "I told her two years ago that I was gay."

"She won't care that we were kissing?" I was stunned. Dion seemed to
be so calm about everything.

"Actually, she'll be happy," he smiled. "She thinks the world of you.
I think she's been hoping something like this will happen."

"Something like what?" I asked.

"This." He leaned in and gave me another quick kiss. He then arose from
the bed and grabbed my hand. "We'd better get downstairs. It's hard to
say what Marky is telling everyone."

He held my hand all the way downstairs. I tried to pull it away when we
entered the kitchen, but he gripped it tightly. Nurse Dorothy was pulling
a batch of cookies out of the oven. She looked down and saw our hands
entwined and smiled.

"Sit down, Boys." She motioned for us to have a seat at the table
situated in the middle of the kitchen. I sat down and Dion scooted his
chair next to mine. His mother placed two glasses of milk on the table
and a plate containing about six cookies. It appeared that her eyes were
misty, but she wouldn't look us directly in the face.

"I want some milk and cookies," shouted Marky as he came running
excitedly into the kitchen and jumped into my lap. He snatched a cookie
off the plate, and then took a drink from my glass of milk.

"Marcus Dwayne Robinson," admonished Nurse Dorothy. "Remember your
manners. That is James's milk and cookies."

"You don't care, do you?" Marky looked hopefully at me while he
continued to stuff the remaining cookie in his mouth."

"No, Little Guy," I smiled. "I don't." He leaned in and gave me a
quick kiss on the cheek.

"See Granny," he grinned. "James don't care." With that he took
another swig of my milk. Nurse Dorothy just shook her head and turned
back to the counter.

We sat eating our snacks, as Dion and I kept looking over at each other
and smiling.

"Are you Dion's boyfriend?" Marky asked. I was taking a drink of milk
when he asked it, so I immediately began to choke. "I saw you kissing
him," added Marky.

Nurse Dorothy walked over and pulled him from my lap. "Go upstairs and
take your bath," she instructed. "And wash behind your ears."

"Will you play ball with me when I get through?" He asked.

"Sure," I said. "You go clean up, and then we'll toss the ball."

He squealed and went running from the room. He was pulling his tee shirt
above his head as he scurried up the stairs.

"He really likes you," said Dion. Nurse Dorothy gave him a playful
smack on the back of the head as she left the kitchen. "He's not the
only one," she teased.

We kept looking over at each other and giggling as we finished our snack.
The more he opened up to me, the more I began to feel that I was
beginning to fall in love with him. I found myself unable to stop staring
into his beautiful brown eyes.

"What?" He said embarrassedly.

"Nothing," I said, looking away.

"No," he insisted. "What are you thinking?"

I sat quietly for a minute. I was trying to sort out the feelings I was
having at that moment. I looked over and he was smiling at me.

"I think I'm beginning to really like you," I admitted.

"Are you scared?" Dion's comment took me by surprise. Suddenly, I
realized why I was having trouble understanding what was going on inside
me. I was scared. I had only been with one other boy, Donovan. We had met
so quickly, and I had let alcohol influence my judgment. I hadn't taken
time to get to know Donovan. It had been about sex, and nothing more.

With Dion, it was different. Sure, I was physically attracted to him; but
I wanted to get to know him. I didn't want us to jump into a
relationship too quickly. I could see us sharing our lives together, but
first I wanted to see behind his mask. I wanted to know what kind of
music he listened to.

I reached down and took his hand. "You have no idea how scared I am
right now." I admitted.

"You don't know how happy I am to hear you say that." He leaned in and
gave me another kiss. "I'm scared to death."

Suddenly, we heard someone knocking on the back door. We looked over and
saw Roy grinning at us through the window. He gave us a timid wave. Dion
motioned for him to come in.

"Sorry, guys," he said embarrassedly. "I hope I wasn't interrupting
anything. I got out of the dentist's office early and I thought I'd
drop by and give James a ride home."

"Won't Jackie get mad?" I asked.

"Not if she doesn't know," he said. "A guy's got to have a little
space once in a while. Just because she's my girlfriend, doesn't mean I
have to spend every minute with her."

"Now you're learning," I laughed. I lifted my hand and we high-fived.

He stood nervously before us and I saw his face begin to redden. Finally,
he looked down and asked, "Are you two together now?" Dion looked over
at me and our eyes met.

"Yeah," I said. I took Dion's hand and held it. "We're together."
He squeezed my hand tightly.

"This is going to sound weird," Roy gave us a serious look, "but I'm
glad. You two really make a nice couple."

"Thanks, Roy," I replied. Just then Marky came bounding down the stairs
and ran into the kitchen, jumping into my lap.

"Who are you?" he asked Roy.

"I'm Roy," he responded.

"I'm Marky," he said. He jumped out of my lap and started pulling me
to the door. "James is going to throw me the ball. You can play too, if
you wanna."

We played around in the backyard for about a half hour. Marky was a ball
of energy. Not only did he have us throw him a small baseball; he had us
toss him a football, race him around the yard and climb a huge oak tree
in the backyard.

"James, can you help me a minute?" Nurse Dorothy stood on the back
porch and yelled out to me. I nodded, and trotted over to her. "Come
inside, and help me make some lemonade."

She had me stand at the counter and squeeze lemons, while she took out a
pitcher and filled it with ice. I stood by and watched as she prepared
the lemonade. She kept watching Dion and Roy tossing a ball. Roy had on a
glove and was stooped down while Dion hurled the ball at him.

"I've never seen him so happy," she said. "He's like the Dion I once
knew." She then turned to me with tears in her eyes.

"You know what happened- with his brother?" I nodded.

"He was such a vibrant kid, a lot like Marky," she continued. "I'd be
worn out by the end of the day just trying to keep up with him. Then his
brother died, and he was never the same. He worshipped Terrence. He was
nineteen and Dion was twelve, but they were inseparable." She paused and
took out a handkerchief and blew her nose. I couldn't see her face, but
I knew she was crying.

"After the shooting, he went inside himself and wouldn't let anyone
in," she said. "I didn't have a lot of money, but I tried to get him
help. He wouldn't talk to anyone, not even me. For a while, I honestly
felt he was going to die himself."

She sat down and looked at me with a tear-stained face. I couldn't help
but start crying myself. She tore off a paper towel and handed it to me.

"I'm not telling you this so you will feel sorry for him," she cried.
"I'm telling you because I want you to know how much you mean to him."
She reached across the table and took my hands.

"Just when I thought it couldn't get worse," she continued, "he came
to me two years, when he was fourteen, and told me he thought he was gay.
He said that he didn't want to live anymore." Tears were rolling freely
down both our faces.

"I admitted him in a clinic," she said. "He was there for about three
months. They helped him work through a lot of his problems. He came home
better, but he was still quiet and withdrawn."

She squeezed my hands, and then smiled. "Then about a month ago, he
started to change. He seemed to want to go to school, and he didn't
complain in the morning. I couldn't figure out why, until the day you
showed up at St. Andrew's. I noticed how he watched you. I began to see
a sparkle come back into his eyes.

"Then last week when I came in and saw you two on the floor of the
supply room after he had cut his face, I began to see him smile." She
started crying again. "I hadn't seen him smile in four years."

"Thank you for giving me my boy back." She got up and walked over,
pulled me to my feet and embraced me. We stood crying into each other's
arms.

After a minute, she pulled back and looked into my face. "Just don't
hurt him, James. He can't take anymore hurt."

"I won't, Nurse Dorothy," I replied. "I won't hurt him." She gave
me another embrace.

"We'd better get this lemonade out to the boys," she said. I helped
her get glasses out of the cabinet and put them on the tray. She placed a
large plate of cookies on them, and then we went out onto the porch and
sat down. Within seconds, Marky came running onto the porch and jumped
into my lap.

"I jumped out of the tree and Roy catched me," he announced with a wide
smile. "It was fun." Just then, Dion and Roy came up and sat down.

"Dion and I have been throwing the baseball," said Roy. "He's got
quite an arm on him. I'm going to introduce him to the coach tomorrow.
We need a good pitcher. We don't start practicing for several months,
but we're going to start conditioning soon. I've talked him into
joining us."

Dion was looking down at the ground. "I think that is great," I said.
He raised his head and smiled at me. "Maybe I'll go out for the team,
too."

"Maybe not," said Roy quickly. "I watched you throwing the ball to
Marky. I think he would have a better chance of making the team than
you." Everyone broke out in laughter.

"This is great news," exclaimed Nurse Dorothy. "It calls for a
celebration. I'm inviting everyone for a cookout on Friday night. Roy,
you invite a date; and James, you bring your mother and little sister."

She walked over and pulled Dion to his feet. "I'm so proud of you,
Baby." They stood and hugged for a minute. She looked down and opened
her arms to me and Roy.

"You two, get over her." The four of us hugged on the back porch. Marky
wrapped his arms around my legs. I don't think I had ever felt that I
belonged somewhere, as I did at that moment.

________________________________

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