Stumbling Ch. 07

"And that's, essentially, what the Watergate scandal was about, as well as its numerous effects on American politics and culture." Richey stated.

"Thank you Mr. Kirk and Mr. Doyle. You may be seated."

Mr. Sumner lead the class in its obligatory applause, which was decidedly less enthused than it had been at the beginning of the presentations. Overall, I'd say we got an A. This despite the fact Mr. Sumner rarely gives A's.

"That went pretty well, I think." Richey whispered to me as we picked up our papers from Mr. Sumner's podium.

"As well as could be expected."

We both made our way to the back of the class. One of Arthur Campbell's buddies stuck a foot out to trip Richey, who regained his footing without much effort. He kept walking, used to this sort of behavior. Stuart Murdock chuckled with his friends.

I wasn't.

"Oh shit!" I shouted.

Pretending to stumble, my body angled towards their table. I made damn sure the big mother fucker of reference book we'd used to quote from in our presentation, yay required book sources, hit Stuart in the face. Stuart squealed like a pig when it caught him in the nose, his eyes instantly tearing up. I leaned in close after I'd picked the book off the ground to whisper in his ear.

"Watch where you put your feet Stu, else someone could get hurt."

I stood up straight to grip his shoulder tightly.

"Gee Stu, I'm so sorry about that, are you okay?" I asked loud enough for the class to hear.

"Fine..." He muttered through the hands covering his face.

"Well thank goodness for that. So sorry, totally my fault." I patted his back before walking back to my seat next to Richey.

"Was that necessary?"

I plopped the heavy book between us.

"It felt like the thing to do."

"I can take up for myself you know."

"So can I."

"You don't need to though. I'm used to it."

"I want to, and you shouldn't be used to getting treated like shit."

"How noble of you. Out to change the world one page at a time." He thumbed through the pages of the heavy book for dramatic effect.

"He touched my boyfriend so I responded in kind. I don't see anything unreasonable there."

"Why don't you tell him that? He keeps looking back here, along with his friends."

"I'm sure I made an enemy or three."

"Just make sure you know what you're doing. We don't have that long left till we graduate. Ain't no need to stir the shit if we ain't gotta."

"Doesn't mean I'm compromising morals for the sake of convenience."

"It's not compromising morals, it's being smart. Why would you willfully invite trouble you could easily avoid? So what if they want to trip me, or shove me around a little? I can take it Ethan, I've taken it for years."

"And that's my fault." He started to interrupt. "No, it is. I saw it take place and I kept my head in that 'It's not my problem' mind set. I was wrong. When people let these idiots get away with this shit they only encourage them to keep being assholes. It has to be shamed out of them. A message has to be sent that this shit won't be tolerated."

"How's the air up there on your high horse?"

"Shut up."

"I think Mr. Sumner's going to pass out."

Mr. Sumner leaned back in his chair with his chin on his chest while Cindy Hawthorne's monotone voice droned on.

"Maybe. To be fair, Renaissance art never was all that thrilling to have read off to you. 'And this is the Mona Lisa, ain't it nice?'" I did my best Cindy impression.

Richey found it funny at least.

Class, as well as the rest of the day, went smooth. Richey and I studied for our various classes some more at my house. I'd only been to his house once. His mother had quietly thanked me, to which I mutely accepted. After that, she stayed in her study while Richey and I watched TV for a couple of hours. We both agreed that it perhaps wasn't best to bring our relationship in her presence if we didn't need to. She may not be willing to kick him out, but it was clear she didn't approve. His brother, Virgil, was rarely seen. The twelve year old son of a slain deputy apparently spent most of his time with the grandparents. Most of our time was spent at my house, or going to cheap restaurants.

The shit has to hit the fan some time though.

"So Lars says to the guy-"

"What's up fag?" Shot from behind my shoulder, instantly cutting off Richey's story.

We were sitting at our new table, minding our own duly processed government meals.

"Go fuck a dog Arthur, at least you'll have an I.Q. match for a change." Richey calmly retorted.

Arthur ignored this statement, choosing instead to place a hand on my shoulder to ask directly to my ear. "What're you doing hanging with this fag Doyle?"

I really wish Lars had been there. He had the flu. Bastard was probably eating soup while watching shitty daytime TV.

Anger festered up within me, boiling like a pot on the stove. Taking note, it occurred to me how close Arthur's nuts were to my elbow. A quick move would result in tears from both sides. Joy from mine, pain from his.

I looked up to meet his eyes, my face remaining impassive. Richey hadn't managed to catch my gaze, though I was somewhat aware of his quiet pleas to keep my cool. What can I say? I don't always listen.

"This 'fag,'" I let the word pour like acid off my tongue. "Is my boyfriend, as a matter of fact."

Arthur's eyes almost leapt out his skull. Every shiny tooth his parents paid for gleamed in his open mouth.

"Boyfriend?" He asked in a stunned voice.

"Correct. And as is my right as an overprotective prick, I demand you apologize for that insult."

"Apologize?!"

"Right again. Look at you, you're on a roll Arthur. This is a nice change of pace for you."

"Fuck you, faggot. I can't believe you of all people crossed over to the rainbow side. Tell me, how's his cock feel up your ass?" He was getting louder, drawing some stares from around the cafeteria. "What's it like being the bitch of a bitch? I bet-"

My elbow shot back into his orbs of imminent destruction. The air whooshed out of his lungs in a pathetic squeal which was only cut off from lack of oxygen. When he doubled over, I grabbed the back of his head and slammed in on the table, holding it there with my hand. He was on his knees next to my chair, holding his nuts with his right ear smashed against the table. His face was squished up from the pressure I was applying.

"Ethan-" Richey warned.

"Calm down Rich. I ain't lost my temper in many a year, and I ain't about to change that today. However, we are going to take this time we've been allowed to clear up a few things. First off," I took a bite out of my chicken sandwich, wanting nothing more than to create some extra time for Arthur's embarrassment. It occurred to me how none of his 'friends' were coming to the rescue. "You're done saying anything negative to Richey. From now on, if you say anything less than 'Good day Mr. Kirk.' I'll be sure to find you and expand on this lesson."

"Secondly, you're to leave me alone. I don't like you. I've never like you. You've treated everyone around here like they owe you something for just being you and I'm sick of it. You're dad's a dentist and your mom's a lawyer. Good for them. You're a piece of shit who couldn't find shit in a sewer. I've never met someone who was as self-centered as you. I'd rather be sodomized with a rusty fishing knife then listen to you talk for another minute."

I paused to take a defiant drink of my apple juice. One hundred percent all natural baby. Not counting preservatives, hormones, donkey piss, and whatever else went in there.

"Finally, the next time I hear of you giving anyone shit for being who they are, whether that be gay, straight, stupid, smart, or fat, I'm going to find you and show you just how much I don't like you. Much like the consequences from number one really. Sorry, I'm not that creative. Richey can think of punishments later. You know, after he fucks my ass. Now run along." I patted the side of his head, then pushed him over onto his side.

He sat back on his ass, legs curled in front of him. His face was red, his eyes much the same with a few clear lines going down his face. The heat coming off his face could've probably melted an iceberg. He looked around to find no one willing to come help him. With an angry huff, he stood up to shout.

"You'll pay for this faggot! This isn't over!" Then he marched out the cafeteria.

I looked over to notice the teachers at the faculty table had incidentally managed to all face the opposite direction. This made me laugh, as I can clearly remember it being otherwise when I'd looked over earlier.

"What the fuck was that?" Richey did not look especially pleased.

"My arm slipped." I went back to my sandwich.

He stared a hole through me as I avoided his gaze. His fingers drummed on the table. The cacophony of noise around us was nothing more than the animated conversation of our fellow classmates, no doubt discussing what they'd just witnessed.

"I thought I told you to keep calm."

"I was calm."

"That you were. You even freaked me out a little."

My head shot up to meet his eyes.

"Baby, you know I'm not a violent guy right? I'd never lay a finger on you if didn't want me to... You know that right?" My voice was going up a little.

His hand slid over to hold mine on the table.

"Chill Ethan. I know, I know." He chanted, trying to get my breathing to steady out again. "I just wasn't expecting you to do what you did."

"Neither did he, else he wouldn't have come over here in the first place."

"I'm willing to bet he keeps a distance for the next little while."

"I wouldn't put it past him to try and get a cheap shot in."

"I wouldn't either. Do me a favor, don't get caught walking out the parking lot alone."

"Not like I've done that in weeks, babe. We've been joined at the hip for a while now."

He grinned. "That's just about the correct area."

"Aw, you're so funny."

"Nice of you to say so."

"Lars is gonna be pissed he missed this."

"Oh Christ, don't remind me. If he hears about this from the rumor mill, you can expect a phone call."

"Filled with 'Oh my god, really!?!' and several giddy little giggles."

"That's Larsen for ya."

Richey let go of my hand to lean back in his chair. We had another ten minutes before the bell. I had the urge to hug him. Why the fuck not? I was now as out as one could get. The only thing that could've made it more so was a t-shirt saying 'I like cock' with a rooster on the front.

Richey's eyebrows drew down as I vacated my seat to walk around the table. I plopped down in the chair next to him. He continued to stare at me funny. My new chair made an awful racket as I scooted it next to his. He shook his head, though he was smiling now, when I slung an arm around his shoulder.

"This doesn't count as PDA, does it?" He asked.

"Hugging is allowed in the school handbook. Even so, nobody gives a fuck, especially not the teachers who managed to miss what the entire cafeteria just saw."

"Yeah, there's no way that was an accident."

"Nope. They all managed to get up and sit on the side facing the wall sometime between the beginning and the end."

"Did they now? I like this place a little more."

"Don't get too used to it. We only have a few months left."

"True that. What're you going to do?"

"I don't know. I've never been the smartest-"

"Babe-"

"No, I'm being honest. I know I'm about the upper side of average when it comes to the brain category. You've got me beat by miles."

"Just because you suck at math and science doesn't mean you're dumber than me. Hell, you know just as much history as I do. Not only that, but you can apply it and expand upon it. You practically try to embody the approach of learning from the fuck ups of others."

"You're completely unbiased, I'm sure."

"As much as I can be."

"What about you? We've never talked about this before."

"We always get distracted." He drew lazy circles on my chest with a finger. I grasped the hand to hold it in my lap.

"I can't imagine by what." He chuckled at this.

"Well, I've given some thought to teaching. The pay sucks though and I can't imagine spending the rest of my life in a high school after trying for so long to escape."

"It's like a convict wanting to become warden."

"Exactly. I'm not as practical or athletic as you, so something along those line is really not an option. Plus, I've seen what manual labor does to the body after thirty years. I'm not fond of the idea of every body part I have screaming in pain just because I tried to tie my shoes at fifty."

"At least you're thinking long term. I'll be honest, I think I'm going to wind up stumbling into a job as opposed to being like everyone else around here who walk around wanting to be a doctor or a lawyer. No one ever says they want to drive a delivery truck or be a store manager. People just fall into that shit, even though it's not that bad."

"True, very true. I've got a cousin who drives for UPS. The work's hard, but they pay fairly well."

"I could picture you being an accountant of some kind, like my mother. You're both good with numbers."

"Yeah, maybe. We got some time to figure it out."

"Nothing like some community college to bide your time with."

"Gives you some time to see what you like without killing yourself with debt."

"Agreed. Who knows, you and I may be stuck together for a while to come."

He smiled softly at me.

"I wouldn't mind that so much, as long as you treat me like the prince I am."

"Don't I do that now?"

"Yes. Good boy."

He pecked my lips briefly, just a chaste kiss. You'd have thought we had shoved each other's tongues down our throats. Gasps came from around us. Girls all gleefully clapped their hands together while their boyfriends looked on in confusion, unsure if they should agree with their lady friends or be the macho man who sneers at such things. Fuck 'em. I don't want a fan club, nor do I care for people who can't think for themselves.

"That little peck may have caused a bigger scene than Arthur's near miss ass-whipping." I said.

"Who cares? The other couples kiss all the time in the hallway. I'll be damned if I'm passing up the opportunity to piss in the wind of public opinion now that I've the chance."

"Some people just love to rock the boat." I smiled.

"Imagine white water rafting if you didn't get wet."

"It'd be boring as hell."

"Exactly. I don't want to drift down the river. This boy likes to make a splash."

"Fine by me babe."

We didn't draw as much attention as we thought inside of Mr. Sumner's class. There were excited whispers to match the stares. No one actually said anything to our faces. Even Stuart Murdock seemed to make a point of avoiding my eyes when I walked past. Good.

"That was downright creepy. I felt like an animal at the zoo." Richey said as we walked to our trucks.

"At least the ones at the zoo get peanuts."

"I'll take Ethan's nuts over peanuts any day of the week."

"That was corny, even for you." We stopped at the driver's side of my truck. "Let's go out tonight. It's Friday, we should take it on the road for a change."

"And do what?" He smiled, silently pleased with my suggestion, though he'd never admit it.

"Dinner and a movie sounds cliché enough to me."

He laughed, then leaned down to kiss me slow. Our tongues dueled for a few seconds of bliss.

"And just where do we go from there?" He asked, a smile planted firmly on his face.

"I'll leave that up to you."

"What if I wanted you to decide?"

"Then we'll figure it out together."

"That's perfect. In fact, that's the best idea you ever had."

We kissed again. The moment didn't last as long as the first one. Another issue plagued my mind.

"I'll pick you up at seven?" I asked.

"Good with me. I'll get some homework done for a change."

His truck left for our neck of the woods with no hesitation. Mine waited until he'd disappeared before turning toward town. I had three hours.

I'd been waiting an hour in the parking lot. The store was only thirty minutes from closing. The car I'd been waiting for pulled up with an annoyed speed. Her hair waived in the breeze as she stepped out. We met at the tailgate of my truck.

"What was so important that I had to leave work early?" She asked, her words running on top of each other in an annoyed tone.

"Can I ask a favor?"

"What kind?" She was suddenly serious. I never asked for favors.

"An expensive one, though not too much so. I just want this to be perfect."

"That leaves a lot of options open honey."

I nodded towards the sign in front of a small store, one of many in this strip mall. Her eyes followed before widening, an 'o' formed with her lips. A hand came up to cover said 'o.'

"Oh, Ethan. You've thought about this for a while, haven't you?"

"Yes. I'm absolutely sure mother."

She hugged me hard.

"I love you so much." Tears soaked into my shirt.

Now, I sat in Richey's driveway. Every nerve ending seemed to be finely tuned. Each hair seemed able to sense the slightest change in the air. My ears felt alive, if that makes any sense. My eyes darted over any object of interest. The passenger door opened, closing with a loud slam. Richey gave me a quick peck before settling in to fasten his seatbelt.

"Where we going?"

"How's Chinese food sound?"

"Like my boy knows how to treat me good."

I laughed. He was completely unaware of how this night would go.

"Turn right." He said.

"Why?"

"I want to go right."

"Well, I'm driving."

"And I'm not. You're my chauffeur."

"Maybe in your dreams."

I started to turn the wheel left to pull out the drive when his hand grabbed the wheel.

"Right."

My breathing picked up.

"Please... don't do this tonight. Let's just have a good time."

"We will have a good time. Fifteen minutes earlier than what's been our normal as of late."

"Rich please..." I begged looking into his eyes. He stared back, eyes full of compassion.

"Tonight's as good as any for facing some fears Ethan."

I looked down, noting the lump in my pocket.

"You may be right."

The wheel turned slowly right. My fingers were solid white throughout the entire drive. Turning onto the road I'd avoided for reasons I didn't want to remember, my entire body seemed to start rebelling. Images came to mind. Blood. All over the pavement, the grass stained forever in my mind. No end to the blood. His body, his body could still be seen. Silently basking in the moonlight, never to be disturbed. I could hear the sirens the closer we got. They got louder, louder, louder still.

Improbably, his voice came to me as we passed the exact spot. Some soul might ask how I could know exactly the spot we were in. It was dark then, it's dark now. I was excited at the time. The answer is simple. The grass hadn't regrown where the shooter had sped off, nor where the tow truck had collected Mr. Kirk's car for evidence. These marks were even with a large oak tree just off the road. That tree would be a permanent marker. The marks were a temporary scar.

Without warning, it was all gone. We'd gone into the bend, making a right this time instead of veering to the left as I had that night. It was all gone just as quickly as it'd came.

"You okay?"

"Fine." I muttered.

His hand made quick work of the tears I hadn't even realized I'd shed with a leftover napkin from my ashtray.

"I knew you could do it. You're stronger than the fear."

Instead of replying, I held his hand to the restaurant.

"What the hell did you order for me again?" I asked.

We were walking back to the truck. The action movie we'd just seen was the standard Hollywood love story between a man and his gun. Explosions completed the picture, as well as plenty of busty females. Truth be told, I woulda wished I'd kept the ten bucks had it just been me. As it was, ten bucks spent on Richey was money well spent.