Love and a Hate Crime

"Hey," said White. "Don't get defensive. I just assumed..."

"If y-y-you're j-j-just like everybody else, w-w-why does everyone h-hate you so m-m-m-much?" Thad asked again.

"I don't know," said White. He buried his face in his hands.

Gray reached for White and put his hand on his shoulder to calm him. White let out a little sob. The gesture touched Thad, and he felt the first pang of remorse for what he was doing. "H-How long have you loved each other?"

The men sensed Thad's hesitation and moved closer to each other. "Going on thirty years," White said. "How long have your parents been married?"

Thad frowned. He didn't have parents. Just Mom.

Gray looked down at the mess on Thad's sweatpants. Thad was still semi-erect. "What's your name, buddy?"

"T-T-Thad."

Gray's eyes went to the open closet door. "Were you watching us, Thad?" Thad hung his head instead of answering. "You were, weren't you?" Thad nodded, but couldn't meet his eyes. "Then you know that we love each other. You don't need to hurt us because we don't hurt anyone else. We just love each other."

Thad nodded again. A smarter man may have thought that Gray was just trying to buy time, to weaken his defenses, but Thad thought only of love and what he'd seen them do. Thinking about it made his dick harder, and he tried to shake it off.

White looked at Gray as if to gauge whether this was the moment to make a move for the weapon, but before he could, Jimmy burst through the bedroom door. "Well, well, well, Thad. I was right. You're too fucking stupid to pull this off on your own, ya retard. And now, it looks like you're one of them. See? That's the problem with queers in the neighborhood. You spend half an hour with them, and they convert ya. Cover up, you assholes. I don't want to see your cocks." Gray reached for pillows and handed one to White.

"And look at you there, Thad, with your big ole boner. This queer shit is turnin' you on, Thad. What will your mama think when she finds out you went queer?"

"Y-You l-leave my m-m-mom out of this," Thad said, still looking at the men on the bed.

"She probably wouldn't care anyway," said Jimmy. "She's too busy fucking every guy she—"

Thad felt something in him snap, and he turned to Jimmy. He didn't hesitate, think it over, or give Jimmy a warning. He rushed his hulking frame toward him and dropped the broken roses on the floor. He grabbed Jimmy's shoulder with his left hand and plunged the box cutter into his stomach.

"What the fu—" Jimmy tried to back away, but he was no match for Thad's size and power.

Thad pulled the blade out, and plunged the blade into his midsection again and again until the box cutter broke, lodging itself in Jimmy's flesh. Jimmy fell over backwards on top of the mangled flower petals before the two naked men could jump off the bed to stop Thad.

Gray grabbed Thad and sat him on the bed while White dialed the phone.

"We need an ambulance."

* * * *

Twenty minutes later, Thad sat in the back of a patrol car, waiting. For what, he didn't know. He supposed he was going to jail for threatening the old guys and stabbing Jimmy. He guessed that Jimmy was dead, but nobody told him anything.

He was tired enough to doze off, and he dreamt of the two men he saw fucking. In his dream they welcomed him into their home and treated him like a friend. It felt safe and comfortable, and it wasn't until a big black cloud encircled him that he realized that he was an intruder in this cozy scene. He fought to clear the fog and scrambled to get back to the feeling of comfort and acceptance he felt with White and Gray.

He snapped awake when someone knocked on the window. He opened his eyes and saw Gray leaning down, looking into the window. A police officer stood behind him. The officer opened the door to allow Gray to speak.

"Hey, Thad. We weren't properly introduced back there. I'm Mike Stempien. My partner's name is Darren Fisher. I'm a lawyer, and I'm going to help you, okay, buddy?"

"W-W-Where's my mom?"

"The police officer will have her meet you at the station. I'll be there too, as soon as I get some respectable clothes on." He looked down at his ripped sweatshirt and old jeans and smiled at Thad.

"I-I-Is Jimmy d-d-dead?"

"No. He's hurt, but he'll be okay."

Thad hung his head, ashamed that he wished Jimmy had died. He was only gonna make Thad's life worse now.

"Don't worry, buddy," Gray said. "It's gonna be okay. We're gonna help you. I'll see you at the station."

"W-W-Why?" Thad asked. "Why are you h-h-elping me? After everything I d-did."

"Thad, you have it rough. You're easily manipulated. You need some guidance. Darren and I can give you that."

Thad was quiet for a moment. "I'm sorry I was gonna fuck you up 'cause you're queer."

Mike chuckled and patted Thad's knee. "I hate to break it to you, buddy, but I think you might be too." He closed the car door and walked away.

The police officer got into the driver's seat and eased the car into the street. The lights from the Jimmy's ambulance flashed against the white houses, like strange Valentine's decorations coming from his new friends' house.

As the police car passed his house at the end of the block, the cop in the passenger seat turned and said, "Is he a friend of yours?"

"N-no. He j-just p-pretended to be my friend. He's a j-j-jer...He's an asshole."

The cop smiled. "Not him. The gay guy. You know, the lawyer."

Thad nodded and looked out the window. "How can everybody hate Mike and the other guy and still like Jimmy?"

Thad recognized the look on his face. It was the are-you-fucking-stupid look her saw at least twenty times a day. "You know," the cop said. He looked to the driver to back him up, but the driver kept his eyes on the road. "They're fags."

The driver met Thad's eyes in the rearview mirror and sighed. "It sucks, but it's the sad truth."

"You know, I think I understand love," Thad said, as he watched his neighborhood fade into the distance, "but I guess I'm too slow to understand hate."

*

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