Date: Sat, 11 May 2002 09:54:02 -0400
From: Stan Unknown <stan992001@hotmail.com>
Subject: Chapter 10 of Beating The Odds

				Chapter Ten

"Hi. I'm Joan Michaels. This is my son Jim. Jim knows your son Brian. I know
this is an imposition, but could we come in for a few minutes? We are just
trying to help your son. We know what happened."

Brian's Mom looked puzzled for a few seconds. They could tell she had been
crying. "Sure. I guess so. My husband's just come back from the hospital. I
guess you know what Brian did to him. He's lying down in our bedroom."

"Thanks, Mrs. Anderson. We won't take up much of your time. Jim just wants
to help Brian."

"Please have a seat. Uh, how can he help Brian? He's just a boy like Brian."

"Mrs. Anderson, I just want to understand what happened. I'm kind of helping
my Dad in Brian's case."

Brian's Mom looked confused. She didn't say anything for a few seconds and
then said, "What does your Dad have anything to do with this?"

"My Dad is Chief of Police. I'm trying to get Brian released on bond so he
doesn't have to spend the night in jail tonight."

"He deserves to spend the night in jail! He deserves a lot more than that!"
a voice shouted from the back room.

"Fred, don't get excited. You need your rest," Brian's Mom shouted.

"To Hell with that. I'm coming in there," he yelled, as they all heard him
struggle to get out of bed.

"Fred, please stay in bed."

He finally walked in. His face was bandaged from falling on the glass coffee
table. He was limping noticeably. "I don't have a son any more. What do you
want? He can rot in jail as far as I'm concerned."

"Fred, please. Not in front of our guests."

"I don't give a damn who they are. I want them out of my house. NOW!!"

"Just a minute, Mr. Anderson," Jim's Mom said, as she got to her feet. "Your
son's in danger, staying in jail. He's only 15. You should think of his
safety first and settle your problems after you have him safely at home."

"You don't get it, do you, lady? He isn't coming home. He crossed the line
and hit me. And he can't ever take that back. I don't have a son anymore."

Jim rose to his feet then. "But Mr. Anderson, isn't it true that all of this
started when you tried to make him play football when you knew he didn't
want to play? If you hadn't done that, none of this would have ever
happened, would it?"

"Who the FUCK are you, and how dare you speak to me like that in my house?
Get the Hell out of here, both of you! I told you that I don't have a son
any more," he said, as he started to walk towards them. They could clearly
see that he had started drinking heavily since he had been released from the
hospital.

"FRED! Don't say those kind of things in front of company. PLEASE!" Brian's
Mom yelled, as she broke out in tears.

"They aren't company! They have no idea what happened when my only son
attacked me!" he screamed.

"Sir, Brian told me the whole story. How you brought over the coach of the
football team to try and make Brian play whether he wanted to or not. How
you tricked him into talking to you in the den and then started to beat him
instead. How you cut your face when both of you fell on the glass coffee
table. And how you picked up a piece of glass and was going to cut him with
it unless he stopped you," Jim said loudly.

"So what? I would kill the bastard right now if he was here! Yeah, if I
could of, I would have slit his throat right then. All I was trying to do
was make a man out of him when I asked the coach over here. And I did try to
beat the gayness out of him. But he still does have some of me inside him
because he knocked the piece of glass I was going to wedge in his throat out
of my hand at the last minute! But he is a faggot!!! I had a right to kill
him!!!"

"MR. ANDERSON!!! We are leaving. My son is gay, too. In fact, he's in love
with your son. But because they are gay, that does not give anyone the
reason to squash them like they are a bug. They are people just like you and
me and I will fight anyone who says they are not as good as anyone else. Or
have the same rights. I think you should go back to bed and sleep this off!"
Jim's mother yelled. Or almost yelled. She still kept her dignity.

"Fuck you, bitch! Who the fuck do you think you are? This is my house. Get
out before I throw you and your faggot son out!" he bellowed, as he started
to limp around the chair that separated him from them.

"FRED!!! DON'T!!!"

"Stay out of the way, woman. You don't have any say about what goes on in MY
HOUSE!"

"WE ARE LEAVING! YOU LIFT A HAND TO TOUCH ME OR MY SON AND YOU WILL BE IN
THE CELL NEXT TO YOUR SON!!!"

Jim had taken a defensive position and was ready to take on the much larger
man. His eyes showed fire. "Mom, get behind me," he said, as he got between
Brian's father and his mother.
"Go back to bed, you drunken son of a bitch, while you still can."

"I'll kill you too!" he bellowed, and rushed Jim. Jim pivoted at the last
minute and caught him the side of his shirt and pulled him forward. He fell
in a heap across the edge of the sofa.

Jim started to follow him and start to beat the shit out of him but his
mother screamed, "JIM!!! That will only make things worse. We need to leave.
We've seen enough!"

"Yes. Please go. You have caused enough trouble here. And don't come back,"
Brian's Mom said, as she rushed to help her husband.

Jim and his Mom watched from the doorway as she helped him up and cowered to
his ever need and whim. Neither knew they were still there. They both knew
that Brian's Mom had her spirit broken years ago. She was just a slave to
his every wish.

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

"That was a great movie, wasn't it?" Rob asked, as they walked home.

"Yeah. It was awesome. I could go to see it over and over again."

"Me too. I'm glad we saw it together."

"Me too. Ryan, what's wrong? I've like known you forever. I know something's
wrong. What is it?"

Ryan wouldn't look at Rob for a long time. They were next to a park as they
walked home. "I can't tell you."

"Me? You can't tell me? Come on, we've always told each other everything.
We're best friends. You know you can tell me anything. I won't tell anyone
else."

Ryan looked up at Rob and their eyes met. "I'm just scared to tell you," he
said quietly.

Rob stared at him for a long time. "Ryan, I swear, there is nothing you can
tell me that will make any difference to me. You can trust me with
anything."

Ryan stared back and finally said, "Can we go over here and talk?"

"Sure. Lead the way."

Ryan led them over to a bench out of the way of the lights that lit up the
park. They both sat away from each other. And stared each other in the eye.
They both knew this was an important moment.

"So what's the big secret?" Rob asked.

Ryan just blushed. "I... I ... have been thinking about this morning."

Rob also blushed a little bit, but they maintained eye contact. "Ok."

"I... I'm really... I don't know. I don't know how to tell you."

Rob tried to understand and then he thought he did. A smile lit up his face.
"And?"

Ryan bolted out of the bench and walked away. "I don't know. I'm so
confused."

Rob walked up behind him and placed his hands on Ryan's shoulders. "You know
I will always be here for you, no matter what, don't you?"

Ryan didn't do anything for several seconds, but finally put his hands over
Rob's on his shoulders. "I know. I am just scared I will lose your
friendship."

Rob broke the union of their hands and spun Ryan around. "You could never do
that. Now tell me what's going on."

Ryan stared at his best friend for what seemed like hours. Then he said,
"Rob, don't hate me please. But I think I love you."

Rob's eyes got wide. So did Ryan's. Ryan actually flinched when Rob threw
his body towards Ryan's. But they were in each other's arms and kissing
madly in seconds.

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

"Dad, it can work. I swear Brian is a good kid. I'll be with him every
second. Please don't keep him locked up here like he's a mass murderer or
something," Jim said.

"Jim, you know it isn't that easy. I can't just let prisoners come live in
my house. This isn't Mayberry."

"But he's innocent. Mom heard him admit everything. She's already told you
that."

"Yeah, but that won't stand up in a court of law. He can deny everything he
said."

"No, he can't," Jim giggled.

"What do you mean, son?"

Jim took something out of his pocket. "I told you this would come in handy
when I asked you to buy it for me for my birthday." Jim said, as he sat his
miniature tape recorder on his Dad's desk.

"You recorded his conversation?" his Dad asked.

"Every word from when we first walked up their steps."

His father just grinned at him. "I want to hear it right now. Are you sure
it recorded everything?"

"Yeah, Dad. I played it when Mom returned to the house before coming over
here. It's totally clear. You can even hear him fall when I threw his fat
ass down on the couch."

"Jim!" his Mom said.

"Sorry, Mom. But Dad, isn't this enough to get him out until his court date?
I'll pay his bond if he has to have one."

"I don't know if the court will allow it. I doubt it. But even if they
don't, this ought to make Brian's lawyer very happy. Maybe it will be enough
to get his Dad to drop the assault charges. I couldn't believe a father
would do that to his son anyway. Yeah, I guess we could let him stay with us
for a few days until we sort this whole mess out."

"Thanks, Dad," Jim said as he ran over and hugged him hard. He even kissed
him on the cheek. "Thank you too, Mom," he said as he also hugged and kissed
her. "Can I go let him out now, Dad?"

"I guess so. Tell Rick I said it was all right."

"Dad, you won't be sorry," Jim said, as he ran out of the room, slamming the
door shut.

His Dad and Mom stared at each other until she finally said, "You know he
loves Brian, don't you? He admitted to me that he was gay before we ever
went over there."

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

Tim drove home slowly. He knew his mind was mostly on Kevin. He finally
pulled into his driveway and cut off the engine. He didn't get out for a
long time. All he could think about was Kevin holding him in his arms
without his shirt. And his heart was killing him since he knew that he
didn't have a shot in Hell in having someone like that love him for who he
really was. All everyone saw was he was FUCKING HANDICAPPED!!! Like he
wasn't a REAL PERSON!!!

Tim sat behind the wheel for a long time and wished it could all be
different.

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

Jim walked up to the cell with the keys in his hand where Brian couldn't see
them. Brian heard him coming, though, and ran over to the bars when he saw
it was Jim. "Where have you been?"

"Is that a proper way to greet your boyfriend?" Jim asked, smiling.

Brian grinned too. "Is that what we are? Boyfriends? I like the sound of
that."

"Me too. But I'm kind of hurt by your first greeting. Looks like you could
have done better than that for the person that just saved your ass!" Jim
kidded.

"Saved me, huh? Well, I'll do a much better job of greeting you whenever I
finally get out of here?"

"Oh, is that right? And if I could get you out right now, what would you
do?" Jim teased.

"I'd take you into my arms and give you the biggest kiss of your life,"
Brian kidded back.

"That sounds interesting. Maybe I should see if you are a man of your word,"
Jim said, as he quickly unlocked the cell door and stepped inside. "You'r
going to live with us until your trial starts


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

"Jimmy, I have to agree. You look great in all your new clothes. I know you
need to take some of them back or your father is going to have a heart
attack, but I just can't make you choose between them."

"I know, Mom. That is why I always come to you for advice. You understand
me. Dad sure doesn't. I have to look better than anyone else. You know how
it is for me. You were the same way, right?"

"Yes, I had to have the best of everything. I guess you are my payback from
my high school days. My Mom had so may fights with my father over buying me
everything I had. I guess I have to do the same for you. Thank God your
brother doesn't care about all the best clothes like you do."

Jimmy just smiled to himself. He knew he had won again. And who cared if his
little mutant brother liked torn jeans and t-shirts? That just left more
money for him to spend. And spend he would!

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

"NO!           NO!           NO WAY!!"

"Dad! Please! Why not? You know this makes the most sense."

"Jim, you know the way things work around here. You have been hanging around
here since you were a little boy. Yeah, I run this police station. I'm the
boss. But I just don't make all the rules. The government does."

"Dad, you have his father's testimony. Brian isn't a criminal. All he did
was defend himself. You can't keep him locked up for something you know he
didn't do. That is a violation of his civil rights. His parents refuse to
take him back into their home. And how long would it be before a foster home
could be found? It could be days. Maybe weeks. You can't lock up an innocent
boy all that time!"

Jim's Dad just rolled his eyes. `Shit, he will be a good lawyer one day',
the thought. "But Jim, think of how this would look to everyone else."

"Dad, I don't care how it looks. I love Brian and I'll fight for him, no
matter what!"

They stared at each other for what seemed like minutes. Neither was willing
to give in. Finally the Chief broke the impasse and said, "I am going to
kill you if this doesn't work out."

Jim got a huge grin on his face. "Thanks, Dad. I know I'll hear about it for
the rest of my life if it doesn't work out. But it will. You'll see."

"Just don't think you two are going to sleep in the same bedroom. You know
you have always made me agree with you lots easier than your Mom. Wait till
she sees the three of us walk in and you have to explain all of this to her.
I think seeing that might be worth all the shit I will get around here for
the next few days."

His father just grinned at him and Jim thought about his Mom for the first
time. All he had thought about up to now was Brian. AND HE HAD WON!!!! But
now, he realized, the real battle was just starting!

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

"Josh, when can I see you again" Tom asked.

"School is starting Monday. I have to cut down my activities now. You know
my cell phone number. Call me, OK?"

"Sure. And I really enjoyed last night."

"Yeah, me too," Josh answered. `Yeah, right! Tom got loaded and after twice,
he was out like a light. And then I was stuck there listening to him snore
because I had promised I would spend the night. FUCK!!! Why do I do this?'
Josh thought, as he got into his car and drove off.

                                       To Be Continued

E-mail responses to the stories, story suggestions or other 'constructive'
comments or advice may be sent to: stan992001@hotmail.com. All e-mails will
be answered. You can also visit the young gay guys support group I created
after my "Matt and Mike" story at www.groups.yahoo.com/group/gbct or our web
site at www.gayteensunite.org. There is a forum section there where you can
enter comments about this story for everyone to see. All comments will also
be forwarded to the eleven guys from the group that are in the story.