by Semirhage
Rating: R for SLASH!! ^.^ (Like that's a bad thing! ::winks::) And, err, cussing.
Chapter Four
For the first part of gym, I barely saw Gavin. He waved at me from where he was talking with Coach (what everyone called her, although her name was Ms. Graizer), then I had to change clothes and do the everyday four laps around the football field.
In a way, I was thankful to the class - not only had it gotten me in good shape over the past year that I had to take it, I had learned about all kinds of sports. I really was not that interested in them, but now I could talk with Noah about them and not feel like a complete idiot because I had said something wrong. Noah loved sports.
Finally, when we were heading to the shower rooms to clean, Gavin jogged towards me with a goofy grin on his face. "Hey, Gav," I said, relieved at the cheery expression on his face. I was glad that I had not seen what he looked like earlier in lunch while talking with Noah. I would like to forever picture him with that carefree grin on his face.
"Time to shower, huh?" he asked, waggling his eyebrows at me. "Can I get in the stall next to you?"
I laughed and pushed at him. "Right - I see. You just want me for my body! I'll never get over the pain. Oooh, noooo."
Forest green eyes sparkled in merriment as Gavin opened the door to the showers. "I'm glad it's not just one big stall," he whispered as I walked by.
Frowning, I walked around the corner and began looking for an empty stall. "Why's that?" I asked distractedly as I sloshed through the water on the floor. Everyone else was already in their showers, and if we did not find one we would be late to the bus.
Arms wrapped around me and Gavin stepped close, his breath tingling my ear. "Because it always ruins something. I hate the casualness of discovering what's beneath someone's clothes. I like the discovery in intimacy."
My teeth dug into my bottom lip as I registered what he was saying at the same time as understanding what was happening. I laughed softly - or would that be called a giggle? I never can tell when I'm the one making the noise - and admonished him lightheartedly, "So not only do you just want me for my body, but you've got your eyes on someone here. Oh, cruel fate..."
"Nmmph." Gavin rubbed his nose against my neck, then sighed. "We'd better get cleaned up, huh?" he asked, slowly moving away. "Hey...look, there's a couple of people over there who just turned their water off. We can use their showers. Adrian? Are you all right?"
"Yeah," I responded automatically, although I was still breathing rapidly, my pulse was still racing, and I was definitely still feeling the effects of being so close to him. "Let's get cleaned up," I said, trying to sound as carefree as he did. Now I had more than one reason to get under the cool showers.
From a couple of showers at the end of the row, boys emerged with a single towel wrapped around their waists. Curiosity getting the better of me, I looked at Gavin and saw that his eyes were assessing the bare-chested boys heading our direction. They did not seem to notice, as both were busy scrubbing their hair with a spare towel and chatting about something mundane.
Neither of them was extraordinary, I decided as I tried to discover what Gavin saw when he looked at them. Was he interested in the lean, slightly muscular one, or the one whose stomach was probably soft to touch? Did he like sparse patches of hair, or was he more inclined towards none? Did he like tanned skin or pale? Or did he like all?
Gavin stepped into the first open shower, and I took the next. Hurriedly, I stripped of my gym uniform and threw it across one of the shower bars. There were extra towels lining the opposite bar, and for that I was thankful, since I had forgotten to get my gym bag.
I showered quickly (turning the faucet on cool always helped spur me on), then flipped the nozzle off so the water stopped pouring on me. The warm air from other boys' showers seeped into my skin, fighting against the wet droplets on my skin that were succeeding in making me cold.
After toweling myself down, I wrapped the dry towel around my waist and slung the other around my neck. I grabbed my dirty gym clothes and stepped from the shower. One look at Gavin's shower told me that he was not yet finished.
"Don't spend too long in there," I advised. "You might end up calling your Mom for a ride home after all!"
"Just a couple more minutes and I'll be done," the redhead replied.
I shook my head at the steam coming from his stall. "If you miss the bus, it's not my fault - I warned you." Sniggering, I made my way towards the lockers and retrieved my bag. I was about to head back to the changing rooms when a hand fell on my arm.
"Hi," a pretty, blonde haired girl breathed. "You're Adrian, right?" Her hair was styled short, and looked cute on her small face, and her gray eyes looked at him from under surprisingly long eyelashes.
"Yes, I am," I replied, holding my hand to her. "I don't think we've been introduced ever, but it's nice to meet you, Jessica."
"Well, I just thought I'd introduce myself while I had the chance. I snuck in here from Volleyball. Anyway, you should probably get back to getting into your clothes, hmm?" Jessica laughed, her mouth forming into a genuine smile.
"Adrian, I can't believe you were telling me to hurry up with getting showered and here I am, dressed before you." Gavin clicked his tongue and waggled a finger in front of my face. "Ooh, hi. You should keep your hair like that. It fits you."
Jessica's face lightened. "Oh, you're the new guy! I've heard so much about you already today!"
"And none of it's very complimentary, I bet," Gavin responded.
Risking a glance at my watch, I winced. "Hey, I'd love to stay and introduce you two, but if I don't go now I'll never get dressed in time to make it to the bus!"
"All right, go on," Jessica laughed. "You wouldn't want to have to run to your bus half-dressed!"
"We'll make do without you somehow - but you'll always be in our hearts."
For probably the billionth time that day, I rolled my eyes and waved my hand in farewell. "See you at the bus, Gavin!"
"And if I don't, I'll know you got stuck in the changing rooms," Gavin yelled as I headed towards the rooms.
Somehow, I managed to change and pack all my stuff before the bell rang. Of course, I was later getting on the bus than I usually was, and my seat was taken, but luckily Gavin had saved a place for me.
After collapsing on the seat beside him, I ran a hand through my drying hair. "Thanks," I said after flinging my backpack onto the floor.
"Don't worry, there wasn't even a threat of anyone wanting to sit here. I think they're all afraid I'm contagious." Gavin laughed, but I heard the bitterness tinting his voice.
I bit my lip and awkwardly patted his hand. "Their loss." I wished I was better at talking and making others feel better, because I hated anyone being sad or depressed. Situations like that always made me feel helpless to help anyone - I felt like a failure to humanity because of my inability to express myself in words.
"Well, at least I think I made another new friend. Wow. That makes two!" Gavin shrugged. "But you know what? I'd rather have two good friends than a lot of two-sided, back-stabbing ones."
I nodded in agreement, then unzipped my backpack and pulled a folder out. "Homework time," I said sourly as I stared at Mrs. Williams' assignments. "Errgh. Why should I care about Keats and Byron and any of them? Blah. What is the metaphor? Agggh."
Gavin leaned over to peer at the questions. "Sorry, I can't help you with that. I have no idea who any of them even are."
"I'll just make up something that sounds intelligent," I whispered, holding my hand to cover my mouth as if uncovering an important secret. "But don't tell Mrs. Williams. She always gives you a 100 for participation if you attempt to find the answers. Heh heh."
"Well, I'm sure there are some people who go to her with worse answers than you," Gavin noted as he picked a book off the floor. "The English teacher they gave me to wants me to read this. I wouldn't be able to make it through this in a year!"
My eyes scanned the book, then I nodded in recognition. "A Tale of Two Cities," I murmured. "If you want, you can borrow my notes over it. I won't need them for a couple of more weeks until the final, anyway."
"A couple of weeks! Hah. How can he expect me to read all of this in a couple of weeks? I couldn't even get through the first chapter of it in that amount of time! Arrgh. Evil teachers." Gavin tossed the book back on the floor. "At least I don't have anything else to do! English is my only hard class and next is probably that computer typing thing, and the teacher there told me we never have homework in her class."
"Hmpfh. Lucky you. Besides English, I have Chem and Algebra II! Agh! None of them are my strong points and all are things I have to take in order to graduate." I stuffed my English homework back in the folder and slid in the seat so I could prop my knees on the seat-back in front of me.
"Well, I might be able to help you with Chem because I took it last semester at my old school. But it's been so long since I've done Algebra that I wouldn't trust myself to teach things to you the right way. I'd probably go all Trigonometry or Calculus on you," Gavin said, laughing.
Shrugging, I leaned against the bus seat. "That's right...you have the same class third period as Noah. Advanced Calculus? And here I can barely pass Algebra! My oh my... Why do I always run into the brainiacs who make me feel like a caveman in comparison to their mental capabilities?" I wondered.
"I'm sure there's something you're oh-so-much better at than me," Gavin said. "What do you do, Adrian? You're not an exotic dancer, are you?"
My eyes widened at the suggestion. "You don't sound like you'd mind that very much," I muttered. "And no, I'm not much of a dancer."
Gavin grinned and said, "Well, sometime I'll take you dancing - that is, if you would want to."
I arched an eyebrow, responding, "You'll 'take' me dancing or we'll go dancing?"
"There's a difference?" Gavin wondered, scratching his head.
"Of course," I replied. "Taking someone dancing is like going on a date. Just going dancing is like clubbing with a friend." I did not tell him that this was something I had learned from Noah, who in turn had been told of it by Ashley. Just let him think that I was brilliant. That'd do for a laugh, I thought humorlessly.
"Oh. Hmm... Well then, I'd say that depends on what you want to do. Of course, if it were a date, I'd get to take you out to dinner and bring you flowers."
Folding my hands in my lap, I pretended to think about it, although I already knew my answer. I had never been on a real date before - girls had always looked past me to Noah. Not that I could blame them, but sometimes it was annoying, especially when I caught the look in his deep, chocolate eyes that suggested he just thought I was too immature to be interested in girls. Hah! Although I may not be sexually active, I did know my own hand intimately.
The feelings that surged through my body when I realized Gavin wanted to go on a date with me were good. So were the ones I had experienced in the shower room, the ones that had made my blood rush.
Scooting closer to Gavin, I lowered my eyelids and whispered, "I'd like for you to take me dancing."
"Really?" the other boy asked, his surprise evident in his voice. "I thought you'd be one of those people who would have serious issues accepting things like that."
Immediately, thoughts of Noah sprang into my mind, but I pushed them aside. He would not know for a long time, I decided, and by then I would have discovered a way to deal with his homophobia.
"What are you doing this afternoon?" I asked instead of responding to his comment. A new plan for the evening was already forming in my mind - dependent of whether or not Gavin was free.
"Let's see...I have no real homework, no mountains of friends to hang out with..." Gavin tapped his fingers against his pants leg. "So...besides eating, sleeping, and watching movies that I've already seen, absolutely nothing. Why? Trying to ask me on a date?" His eyebrows waggled and he grinned mischievously.
"Well, I thought maybe you'd like to come to my house-"
"Oooh, I see-"
Ignoring his interruption, I continued, "Eat dinner with me and my Mom, maybe watch a movie - although I can't promise it's one you've never seen - and maybe I can give you the notes over that book you've got to read..."
"Sounds like fun," Gavin said. "What time?"
"Five thirty... We usually eat somewhere from there to six, so you should be safe then. Besides, that'll give me time to do all my homework."
"And if there's anything you don't understand, just tell me and I'll see if I can help. With Chem and math, anyway," Gavin said.
After a few moments of him being silent, I tilted my head to look at him. His eyebrows were drawn together in a frown, and his mouth for once wasn't curved into a smile. "Anything I can help you with?" I ventured curiously.
"Adrian, what's your Mom like? I mean, how should I dress?" He turned to look at me, his green eyes dark with...worry?
"Momma probably wouldn't have a problem with you running around in your boxers," I joked. "Seriously, I'm pretty sure she'd rather meet you, not you trying to be different from what you are. Plus, I have seen in her closet a couple of times - she has some clothing in there that would make plenty of the teenage girls I know blush."
"All right," Gavin said, a grin splitting his face. Eyes sparkling impishly, he poked his tongue at me then turned to look at the trees flying past. "I think we're almost at your house, Adrian."
"Oh," I said, reaching towards my backpack and zipping it up. "Do you need a telephone number or my address or anything?" I asked before standing up. The bus would stop soon, I realized, but if he passed my house I could get off at the next stop and trek back to my house.
"I think I can make it," Gavin promised. "I'll study your house, then keep an eye on the roads we turn on. If I get lost I'll stop at someone's house and ask if they know where magnificant artist Adrian Wilson lives."
Shaking my head, I raised a hand in farewell, then carefully made my way to the front of the bus, wincing when I ran into one of the chair seats. Sure that I looked like a klutz, I debarked the bus and stood to the side, waving when I saw Gavin's window.
As soon as the big yellow bus had disappeared around a corner of trees, I turned and looked around the yard. "Looks like Momma mowed," I said to myself, happy that at least our lawn would look good when Gavin arrived a few hours later.
My eyes trailed over our two-story wood cabin, the trees intermittently sprouting from the ground, the rose bush by the front porch, and the flowering vines crawling up the wall on either side of the porch.
The house and land were hardly recognizable as the mess they had been when we purchased them. Everything had been in total disarray and the owners had been trying to get rid of it, so they accepted a small amount from us. Of course, we would not have been able to buy it if it had looked then what it looked now.
When we had bought it, Mom and I had put our heads together and this is what happened. I thought it looked beautiful, and so did many of the guests we had at the house.
Smiling, I followed the path of pebble rocks to the porch, then opened the beautifully trimmed wooden door and entered the house.
I always loved the fresh, wooden scents that greeted me when I walked in. The windows were open, letting in a fresh breeze. After closing my eyes and taking a few deep breaths, I walked into the kitchen and leaned against the door frame.
My Mom was the most wonderful woman in the entire world. I had always known that. She was kind, understanding, loving - she had high expectations, but that was nothing new. People often commented on how much we looked alike, and I agreed. It was not that she was masculine, or I feminine, it was...something else. She had the same raven-black hair, except hers was longer and pulled back in a ponytail, her eyes were gray instead of blue. We were the same height and about the same body size (something I was not proud of except for the fact that it made me feel closer to my Mom). That was not all, though. It was not that our mouths were alike, or the curve of our dark eyelashes, the shape of our eyes...
Noah had hit the mark when he said that the likeness was in our personalities. Our personalities, he had said, that were reflected in the way our eyes shined, our facial expressions, even the way we moved and dressed. Of course, Noah always had a knack for seeing things like that. Why did he not see the truth about Gavin, then?
"Welcome home, 'Drian," Mom suddenly said, not turning around from the sink where she was washing potatoes.
Slipping onto one of the seats at the table, I flung my backpack onto the table and pulled out my homework. I always worked at the table while my Mom prepared dinner; and when I did not have any homework, I would help her. Cooking was not my forte, not even close to it, but my Mom could help even amateurs make the most delectable dishes.
"Hi, Mom," I said as I began working through several formulas on my Algebra worksheet. "I hope you don't mind...I invited a new friend from school over. He just started today, and it doesn't seem like he's going to fit in too well." That will appeal to her inner sense of justice, I thought humorously.
"Why's that?" she asked as she began to cut the potatoes and drop them into a pan on the stove.
Pulling out my calculator, I replied, "He's gay."
"Oh."
When I did not hear anything else from her, I looked up to see she had turned around. "What?" I asked, biting my lip.
She flicked a lock of black hair behind her ears before responding. "I used to have a very good friend who was gay. He was probably the best guy I'd ever known - at least towards me. Adrian, I don't want you to be overly critical of him because of what he is-"
"It's okay," I said, smiling. "Really. Noah doesn't like him, but I... He seems like a good person, anyway."
Mom reached across the small table to ruffle my hair. "I'm proud of you, 'Drian," she said, her words making my smile grow toothy. "Now, I suppose he's coming for dinner? You told him to be here around 5:30, didn't you? Good. I'll just add another steak to the grill and make sure I set out another plate. Adrian, you better hurry up so you can straighten the upstairs, since I'm sure you'll be showing him around up there."
"Yes, Mom," I replied as I began working the second problem.
"Oh, and Adrian?"
Looking up from the table, I saw her poised by the door with a plate of steak on her hand. "Yes?" I asked warily.
"Don't get careless later and knock your paints all over the floor. While they will clean off bodies easily, stains are a pain to get out of the carpet." With that said, she waltzed from the house to the back porch to add another steak to the grill.
What'd she mean by that? I wondered. She couldn't've...no, she can't know. How could she?
Pushing the thoughts from my mind, I settled my concentration on my homework. The faster I got done, the more time I would have to clean myself and make sure my room was clean enough for company.
||Chapter Four||Chapter Six||
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