You Promised Me a Tomorrow
Chapter 1
I stand in an empty cemetery looking down at a freshly dug grave. It is covered in two day old flowers,
many already dried and withered. Gone are the mourners dressed in black with tears streaming down
their cheeks. They no longer stand weeping at a silver coffin with a floral arrangement and a red ribbon
with the words LOVING SON laying atop it.
Loving Son! Fucking Bullshit! They didn’t love him. I loved him. They hated him for loving me. They
hated me for loving him. I rip the ribbon off the arrangement and ball it up and throw it away. It doesn’t
belong anywhere near his grave.
The wind blows my hair as I stand over the fresh mound of dirt. I can no longer cry. I have shed so
many tears over the past week, my mind has become numb. To maintain my sanity, I have completely
shut down all feelings. He is gone, and I don’t think I can live. I don’t want to live. At seventeen, my life
feels like it is over. I can no longer go on without him beside me.
I look at the headstone. His name is already carved coldly on the gray granite.
Timothy James Somerset
Loving Son and Brother
Born: 9-17-1989 Died: 4-12-2006
I stare unfeelingly at the words before me. Died. I cannot let my eyes leave that word. Died. Why?
Died. Died. Died. God! I’m going crazy!
I don’t want to hate him, but it is hard not to. He promised he would always be with me. We would grow
old together. Our love would be never-ending. We would laugh as we imagined ourselves racing
around in our wheelchairs in a nursing home. He didn’t keep his promise. I want to hate him for leaving
me alone, but I can’t. I promised him I would always love him. I will.
Timothy James Somerset
Loving Son and Brother
Born: 9-17-1989 Died: 4-12-2006
I fall to the ground and clutch at the dead flowers on the grave. I scream out his name. I pray to God to
bring him back to me. God doesn’t answer my prayers. With a blood curdling yell I begin digging at the
soil, desperately wanting to touch him one more time.
“Damn you, TJ! You promised me there would always be a tomorrow!”
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
“Randy! Get out of bed! This is the last time I’m going to call you.” My mother screamed down the
hallway at me.
Damn. I hate the first day of school. I had a lot of fun during the summer and I sure didn’t want to go
back to school. It was alright for kids who had nothing better to do, but not me. I’d rather be anywhere
but in that hellhole.
“Shit! 7:30.” I moaned as I rolled over and looked at the alarm clock. I never set it. I had my own alarm,
and right now it was screeching from the kitchen.
“Randy! Get your butt out of bed. We’re going to be late. I have to get to work.” This was the fourth
time she had called me, so I knew I better get my ass up. Last year she came in the room on four
occasions and poured a pitcher of cold water on me. My mother was not one to make idle threats. I had
learned that years ago.
I crawled out of bed and headed to the bathroom, still in my boxers. Yeah, I like boxers. Most guys my
age still wear the tighty whiteys, but not me. I like to let it hang free, not that I have all that much to
hang! From my experience with most guys, I would guess I’m just about average. At least I’ve never
had any complaints.
I like to take cold showers when I’m running late, because I usually take care of business in the
morning- if you know what I mean. But I don’t have time this morning. Under cold water my poor balls
remain tight in the sack and my cock is shriveled, trying to hide from the frigid condition. I’m in and out
in minutes.
Now to make the biggest decision facing most teens- what to wear the first day of school.
I’ll be a sophomore this year, so I guess I have to look somewhat preppy. The urban look, with my pants
hanging down over my ass is over, much to my mother’s delight. Boy, did we have several knock
down-drag out fights over that. I thought about dressing that way today, just to piss her off; but then
again, I didn’t want my friends to laugh at me.
This was the first day of school. I had to make a big impression. This chance only comes around once a
year. That first day back is like a model’s walk down the runway. You had to look good. If not, you could
be labeled the rest of the year. geek, nerd, goth, stoner, fag.
Fag. That’s the one label I didn’t want. Sure I was gay, but the whole world didn’t need to know. Those
that I cared about knew. My parents, my older sister and a few close friends. Of course, a few of the
guys I’ve blown over the years knew too. But for the most part, I try to be discreet.
I hate guys that have to let the whole world know they suck cock and take it up the ass. I’m just as much
a man as any straight guy. I just don’t think it’s important that the whole world knows who I sleep with.
At the moment, no one. I haven’t had a good lay in almost five months.
I had a brief affair last year. Brief. Yeah, right. Three whole weeks. But the sex was great! I guess
that’s why it didn’t last. We were so busy sucking and fucking we never talked. When the novelty wore
off after a couple weeks, we realized we really didn’t have much in common. It’s hard to make a
relationship last when you don’t have anything to say other than, “You want to do it again?”
“Randy! Get out here!” There she goes again. I’d wish God would strike her mute, but I love my
mother. And my dad. I know, I don’t sound like the typical teenager. We’re supposed to hate the rents,
right? Nope, not me.
When I came out to them two years ago when I was fourteen, they were great about it. I’d read stories
about teens who got kicked out of the house or were shipped off to a distant relative. Wouldn’t want a
fag ruining the good old family reputation. But not my parents.
They sat me down and we talked for hours. They held me tight while I cried. My dad even told me how
proud he was of me. Proud. Wow! I was blown away. My mother let me cry on her shoulder and wiped
my tears away. The next day we went to a bookstore and they bought several books about teens coming
out. We took turns reading them and then discussed it around the dinner table at night.
So I’m proud of who I am. My parents made sure that I understood my sexuality. I guess it is because of
them that I don’t need to shout to the world, “I’m Here, I’m Queer!” I’m me, Randy Lawrence. Son of
Milton and Evelyn Lawrence. That makes me feel good.
My sister is also very supportive. Sharon is four years older than me and attends the state university
two hundred miles away. We’re really close, but we don’t get a chance to see each other except on
holidays and an occasional brief weekend visit. She has a boyfriend, Brad. They are planning to marry
when they graduate in two years.
“I’m counting to three, young man!” She yelled. Trouble. In minutes she would be coming through the
door with a pitcher of water in hand.
“ONE!”
“I’m almost ready, Mom.” I opened the door and shouted down the hall. I quickly put on a pair of beige
khaki shorts and a green Old Navy shirt I had bought over the weekend. The green shirt matched my
green eyes. OK. They’re really a dull hazel color, but the contacts make me look like I have green eyes.
Since it was hot outside, I decided to go with a pair of sandals.
I applied some gel to my blonde hair and spiked it on top. I stepped back and looked at myself in the
mirror. Damn, I look hot, even if I have to say it myself. If I was not me, I’d be all over me. Bet that
makes a lot of sense!
Now, out to face a new day.
“You look cute, Honey.” My mother said, trying to pay me a compliment.
“Mom! Puppies look cute.” I informed her.
“Alright, then. You look handsome.” She walked over and applied a little spit on her finger and wiped
off some dried toothpaste on the corner of my mouth.
“Jesus, Mom. That’s disgusting.” I yelled, stepping back. She frowned and walked back to the kitchen
counter.
“I guess next you’ll want me to stop kissing you.” She sounded hurt.
“Never, Mom.” I walked over to her and kissed her gently on the cheek. This brought a broad smile to
her face. It made me feel good too.
“You ready to go back to school?” She asked.
“You’ve got to be kidding, right?” I answered smugly. “Three months of nothing but sun, fun and
swimming, and you ask me if I’m ready to go back to school.”
“You’ll never get anywhere-” She started.
“Without a good education.” I finished. We both broke out in laughter.
“Hurry and eat. I have to get to work.” My mother was a legal secretary for a law firm. She had
arranged it with her boss to go into work after dropping me off at school in the morning. School starts
at 8:30, so she reported for work at 8:45. I rarely saw my father in the morning, except on weekends. He
was a plant supervisor and had to be at work at 6:30. We usually get to spend time together in the
afternoons before my mother gets home.
My father is a great cook and usually prepares most evening meals. Ever since I was a little boy, I had
helped him out in the kitchen. As a result, I had also acquired a knack for cooking. Between the two of
us, my mother rarely cooked at night. Most of her friends wanted to marry my father and adopt me as
their son.
After eating a quick breakfast, we jumped in her Honda and headed to school. It was a short drive,
since we only lived about a mile and a half from my school. At night I would walk home. If it was raining,
I would give my father a call on my cell phone and wait about 30 minutes for him to pick me up. I have
my license and my mom will let me borrow her car whenever I need it on the weekends, but I still want
my own car. They told me I can have her car when I graduate. But that’s two years away. I can’t wait that
long!
I gave my mother a quick peck on the cheek and got out of the car, looking around to make sure none of
my friends saw me kiss her goodbye. That would really be a good start to the beginning of my
sophomore year! I’d be branded a momma’s boy for the rest of the year. All my close friends knew how I
felt about my parents, but a stranger could make my life a living hell.
I entered the heavy double doors to good old Dwight D. Eisenhower High School. How lame is that?
Going to a high school named after a World War II general and president. They have pictures of him in
the lobby. Man, that dude is old! Why can’t they name schools for what they really are, like Hellhole
High?
“Randy, wait up.” I heard a familiar voice shout out. I turned and watched as Dean approached me. He
keeps looking better each year. We’ve messed around a few times, but Dean is more like a brother to
me. I feel guilty every time I suck his dick. I feel like I’m committing incest. But I’ll say one thing, Dean
is a loyal friend. If I ever need someone to go to bat for me, Dean is my go-to guy. We’ve always got
each other’s back.
“Hey, sexy!” I said as he got near enough so no one could hear me. He did look sexy. He had grown
about two inches over the summer. He was now about 6 feet tall and weighed 160 pounds. He had put a
tint on the edges of his dark curly hair. This only accented his beautiful features and flawless skin. He
even had a slight mustache! Damn, he looks good. What did I say about him being like a brother?
Forget that! Just kidding.
“Damn, Randy! You look hot!” He whispered in my ear. “Let’s forget school and head back over to my
house.” He stepped back and grinned evilly.
“Don’t tempt me, man. Look at you. My little boy has grown up.” I threw my arm around his shoulder as
we both began laughing.
“Hey, Randy.” I rolled my eyes as I heard her sweet girlish voice. Dean began laughing.
“What’s up, Deanna?” I forced a smile. Deanna was Dean’s twin sister. She has had a crush on me for
over five years. We were in the same room in the fifth grade and sat at the same table. She marked me
as her property that year. She got into at least four fights with other girls because she thought they
were flirting with me.
She knew her brother was gay, but she never suspected that I was. Maybe she did, but just held out
hope that maybe one day I would ‘change.’ Dean was my best friend, and we spent a lot of time
together. If she had ever come into his room on one of my sleepovers, she would have known that I
would never be her boyfriend. I wonder what her reaction would be if she walked in on us one night
when Dean was ramming his cock up my ass.
Deanna is very pretty. If I were straight, she’d be my first choice as a girlfriend. She and Dean look
remarkably alike. She has the same dark curly hair as her brother. Her eyes shine a bright sparkling
brown and she has beautiful features. I have never known her or Dean to ever have a facial blemish.
Unlike me, who’s been known to have an embarrassing zit break out occasionally on my face. I always
keep a tube of Clearasil handy.
“You ready for a new year.” She asked flirtatiously. “Maybe we’ll be in some of the same classes this
year.”
“Maybe not.” I thought. “Yeah, that would be nice, Deanna.” I said instead. She smiled and then
grabbed my arm, leading me off to the cafeteria. Counselors and teachers were sitting along the side of
the large room, distributing student schedules. I found Sophomores- J-L and stood in line ten minutes
waiting for my prison sentence.
“Oh, no!” I screamed, just as Dean approached, examining his schedule.
“What’s wrong Randy?” He looked down and read my schedule.
“I’ve got Old Lady Watson for Algebra II this year. Sharon warned me about her. She says she’s a real
bitch. She gives a ton of homework each night.” I moaned.
“You think that’s bad. Shit! I’ve got Toupee Tommy for chemistry.” He said sadly. Toupee Tommy was
Mr. Waters. He was a dictator in class. Students were scared shitless around him. It wasn’t unusual for
first year students to go running out of his class crying. To add to his sinister countenance, he wore a
black toupee that was always just a little tilted on his head. If he wore a small, black mustache, he would
look like Hitler.
“I’m doomed!” Dean cried. “I’ll never pass his class. Shit. I’ll have to take summer school next year to
get the credit.”
“That sucks, man.” I frowned.
“I’m going to see my counselor. Maybe she can change my schedule.” He quickly disappeared out the
cafeteria door, leaving me alone.
“Excuse me. Can you help me?” I heard a timid voice behind me, but I wasn’t sure it was directed at
me. Then I felt a slight tap on my shoulder. I turned and let out a short gasp as I looked at the boy
before me. Holy Shit! He was cute. No, not cute. Puppies are cute, right? Damn, what is wrong with
me? I couldn’t even think straight. Talk about first impressions. He probably thought I was some sort
of an idiot.
“Yeah, Dude. What do you want?” I finally managed to squeak out. He looked into my eyes and there
was an instant connection. I felt he was reading my soul with those pretty baby blues. We stood in the
middle of the cafeteria, just looking at one another. Finally, he broke the gaze and looked down at his
schedule.
“I’m new here, and I don’t know my way around yet. Can you tell me where room 212 is?” He looked up
and returned his gaze. I was mesmerized. We were almost the same height- 5’11.” He appeared thinner
than me, maybe about 150 pounds. He had beautiful curly light brown hair, combed back over his ears.
It appeared to be sun bleached. He’d probably spent a lot of time at the beach, because he was well
tanned.
But if he was trying to make a good first day impression, it wasn’t working. His clothes looked tattered.
Not the kind of look a suburban rich kid would try to wear. His looked like real hand-me-downs, or
maybe purchased from Goodwill. They appeared clean, but very used. If I had to label him, I guess the
closest would be poor boy. I could see this guy being picked on by some of the elite students of our
school.
“Hello! Anyone home?” He began to giggle, waving his hand in front of my face. I was suddenly jolted
back to reality.
“Sorry, man. What did you say?” I knew my cheeks were red with embarrassment.
“Room 212? You know where it is?” He laughed pointing to his schedule.
I took it from him and examined it. Timothy Somerset. This beautiful Adonis had a name. Timothy, Tim or
Timmy? I wondered which he preferred. I scanned his schedule and found out we had three classes
together- 1st, 5th and 6th. There is a God in heaven! I would start my day saying hello to him and end it
by saying goodbye.
“Yeah, Timothy. Actually we have first period together. You can walk with me.” I said as I handed him
back his schedule.
“TJ.” He stated.
“What?”
“TJ. My name’s TJ. Only my mother calls me Timothy.” He began to blush. It was so cute. Alright, not
cute. Yes, cute. With TJ everything is cute- just like a puppy.