I went home that night worried that by morning I would have no friends. Sure, James and William were impressed, but that wasn’t hard to do with two shallow people like them. They had, after all, followed me around all summer.
But I wasn’t sure how the other students would react. However, I didn’t need to worry. The phone rang all night. My uncle kept shouting that I was tying up the phone. I’d been here for weeks and not once had anyone called him.
Everyone wanted the story on my parents. By the time I went to bed, I had a father who was a hit man for the Mafia. He had supposedly killed nine people one time in a shootout. My mother was his accomplice. She had killed at least three people herself. I didn’t volunteer any of this information. I just didn’t dispute it when they’d ask me something bizarre.
When I entered school the next day, I was treated like a celebrity. I was the son of a gangster. I had even adopted a kind of New Jersey accent to make it seem more real. Kids moved away from me in awe when I walked down the hall. I guess they were afraid I was going to pull out a machine gun and start spraying the hall with bullets.
I tried to intimidate Bobby for putting up the posters, but the principal kept watching every move I was making. One time I accidentally ‘bumped’ into him in the hall, and she took me into her office. She told me if I messed with him or Mark again, she’d see that I was expelled from school for sexual harassment. What was that all about? Mark had been the one who started it. Why was she now on my case?
My newfound celebrity status gave me many rewards. Even teachers showed renewed respect for me. I guess they were afraid my father would send out a hit man if they gave me a bad grade.
Girls approached me in the hall and asked me to sleep with them. One girl even told me she wanted to have my baby. I guess she thought her child would be heir to a fortune. Several guys asked me to have sex with them.
Mark returned later that week to school. Bobby was always beside him. I was surprised when I entered the cafeteria on Friday and saw Richard sitting with them. He had been ignoring me for several weeks, but now he had joined the enemy. I couldn’t believe it. I started over to say something to him, but Dr. Johnson stepped in front of me and gave me an angry look. I wish my father was a gangster. I’d certainly put out a hit her.
I went to the mall on Saturday night with some of my friends. We went to the food court and then headed off to a movie. While we were standing in line, I saw a really cute boy. Have you ever seen someone and really wished you knew them? It was as if your whole world stopped, and you were totally drawn to that person. That is how I felt when I saw this guy.
He didn’t go to our school, or I would have noticed him before. I felt I really had to know him. He was with a couple of other guys. I thought it was strange, because with his looks, he should have been with a girl.
“Ryan!” William yelled. The cute boy looked over at my friend, as he rushed over to him and gave him a hug. William knew this boy! I stood stunned as he took his arm and led him over to us. I couldn’t stop looking at the dark, brown eyes and curly eyelashes. This guy was definitely hot!
“Ryan,” William brought him over to me, “I want you to meet my good friend, Scott. His dad is a gangster,” he said admiringly. Ryan stood and looked into my eyes. It was as if we were locked in a stare, and neither of us was willing to break it.
“Uh, guys,” William giggled. “Enough already. Get a room.” Both of us started blushing.
“Ryan is my cousin,” he explained. “He lives in Riverside.”
William invited Ryan to join us for the movie. Ryan sat beside me when we took our seats. William was on my other side. About ten minutes into the movie, William reached over and put his hand on my knee. I couldn’t believe he was doing it in front of his cousin.
Ryan looked down and saw William’s hand. I started to push his hand away, but Ryan leaned over and whispered, “No, don’t.” I could tell by his shaky voice that he was getting excited. He then put his hand on my other knee.
I couldn’t believe it. This extremely cute guy sitting next to me was gay. It seemed like all my dreams had finally come true. I reached over and placed my hand in his lap. “Let’s wait,” he whispered. “You want to go home with me tonight?”
“I’ll have to call my uncle,” I told him. I knew it wouldn’t be a problem. Uncle Roger usually didn’t care what I did as long as I didn’t bring the police to his house.
As we were walking out, Ryan suggested that I call my uncle before his mother arrived to take him home. I had come with William, and his dad was probably already outside waiting on us.
William begged Ryan to let him go with us, but Ryan refused. William became angry and then began to pout. He knew we were going to Ryan’s house for some fun, and he didn’t want to be left out. Ryan kept insisting that we weren’t going to do anything; however, William knew better.
When we left the theater, William got in his dad’s car. He slammed the door as he angrily looked out his window at us. Ryan shrugged his shoulders and led me to his mom’s car. We rode for about twenty minutes to Riverside. It was my first time visiting the small town. It only had one stop light. I also noticed an ice cream parlor. It was still open and I was hoping we’d stop for some.
“Mom,” shouted Ryan. “Pull over.” He grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the car.
“See you at home,” he told his mother as he closed the door. She gave him a nod and pulled off.
“You’ll love this place,” he smiled. “It has the best ice cream.”
We went inside and ordered our ice cream in waffle cones. I had rocky road and Ryan ordered cherry vanilla. We then went outside and sat at one of the umbrella tables. The ice cream was delicious.
I looked over at Ryan, and he was licking his cone seductively. He kept looking into my eyes and smiling. He was really turning me on.
We continued to talk and play sexually with the ice cream. After a half hour we headed toward his house. He said he lived three blocks away. After we left the bright lights of the ice cream parlor, Ryan reached down and held my hand as we walked. It worried me at first that someone might see us, but it didn’t seem to bother him. After a few minutes, I relaxed and enjoyed the togetherness we were sharing. I had never felt like this before.
We reached his house and entered. He introduced me to his father. Ryan looked remarkably like him. He was an exceptionally attractive man; that is, for someone as old as he was. He had to be at least thirty-five.
After stopping by the kitchen for a snack, we went upstairs to his bedroom. He turned on the light and locked the door behind us. Once inside, he grabbed my hand and pulled me over to the bed and pushed me onto my back. He then straddled me.
“I’ve wanted you all night,” he murmured as he began planting kisses all over my face.
“Mmmm,” I purred, “me too.” I began to kiss him deeply. He started to squirm on top of me. He suddenly jumped off the bed and started to undress while I lay back and watched. He was beautiful.
“Let’s go get in the shower.” He jumped from the bed and grabbed my hand, leading me into the adjoining bathroom. We showered slowly, making out as we washed each other’s body completely. “I can’t wait any longer,” he said excitedly, pulling me back into the bedroom.
Ryan was hot and extremely willing. Of all the boys I’d ever had sex with, no one had as much experience as he did. He showed me things that I had never experienced.
“That was fantastic,” Ryan said. “ I’ve never felt like this before.”
“Really?” I asked incredulously.
“Yeah, really,” he insisted.
He lay on his side and threw his arm around me. We kissed and then fell asleep. When I awoke in the morning, he was still wrapped around me. I felt I could wake up every morning like that.
After breakfast his mother drove me home. She kept looking at us suspiciously. I had a feeling she knew what we’d done the night before. We hadn’t exactly been quiet in our lovemaking. I’m sure she and Ryan’s dad heard us.
Ryan had given me his cell phone number and email address. We agreed to meet next weekend. His mother was going to pick me up and we were going to the mall to see another movie. Then I was going to spend another night with him. I couldn’t wait.
Things at school were getting strange. Richard had become close friends with Mark and Bobby. He was sitting at the table eating lunch with them. A few times I tried to talk to him, but he’d walk away when he saw me approaching. I didn’t have any interest in having sex with him. Besides, I now had Ryan.
Something else happened that I didn’t understand. Randall Thompson, one of our school’s most popular students, started hanging around Ryan, Mark and Bobby. Randall was a star basketball player. I could understand him hanging with Richard, but Mark and Bobby? They didn’t have anything in common with him.
Randall was also protecting Mark in gym. Anytime I’d try to do something to him, Randall would retaliate. Once he grabbed me and told me to leave Mark alone. On the way to the locker room, I asked Mark if he had hired Randall as a bodyguard.
It was becoming harder to do anything to Mark and Bobby. It seemed like everyone was protecting them. If Dr. Johnson wasn’t watching me, then Randall was. He’d even stare at me when we were sitting in the cafeteria. A few times he flipped me off. Things were not going as I had expected.
I also had a feeling they were planning to do something. They had already plastered pictures all over the school with my parents’ prison pictures. It was hard to tell what they were capable of doing. I just had a feeling they were watching me, expecting me to mess up.
I really messed up one Saturday night a couple of weeks later. Ryan and I had been emailing each other all week. We were going to attend a movie. When we got there, Mark and Bobby were at the theater also. I tried to act like I didn’t know them. I was with Ryan, and nothing was going to spoil the evening.
I don’t even know what we saw. All week long we’d chatted about having sex during the movie. I had been looking forward to it. About thirty minutes into the movie I reached over to feel on Ryan. He reached over and pushed my head down.
Ten minutes later, I noticed Bobby heading to the lobby by himself. I figured he was going to use the restroom. I can’t explain it. Maybe I was excited because I had just had sex with Ryan. As I watched Bobby as he left, an enormous urge swept over me. I wanted to him. I had always wanted him. He was so vulnerable. He was so much like me just a few years ago.
I told Ryan I’d be right back as I got up and followed Bobby into the men’s room. He was standing at the urinal when I walked in. I waited until he finished. Before he could zip his pants back up, I grabbed him and pulled him into a stall. He was screaming and struggling as I unbuckled his pants and pulled them to his ankles.
Suddenly, someone grabbed me and threw me out of the stall. Since my pants were down around my knees, I lost my balance and fell to the floor. I looked up and saw Mark’s angry face just before he kicked me in my side. The pain was excruciating. Flashbacks of my dad beating me filled my mind as he continued kicking me.
The men’s room door swung open and Ryan walked in and looked down at me.
“What ids going on in here?” he shouted as he headed over to me.
“Ask your boyfriend what happened.” Mark said as he kicked me one last time. He walked over and helped Bobby pull his pants back up and they left.
Ryan knelt beside me as I writhed on the ground in absolute pain. He looked into my eyes and then stood up.
“Did you try to rape that boy?” he asked angrily.
I couldn’t even respond. I was so ashamed of what I had done. I couldn’t explain what had happened. Ryan and I could have had a good future together, but now I had ruined that.
I knew by the look on his face that he hated me. I heard the door open and close. I lay in pain with tears running down my face. Again, my world was crashing down around me. I should be used to it by now, but it still hurts.