Sunny's Angel - 9. Chapter 9: A first date and the Day goes to Hell

The neighborhood was old and run down, with cracks in the sidewalks and potholes in the middle of the road. Sunny opened his eyes and grunted as Devin’s jeep ran over another pot-hole, watching as the tall grass from the empty lots moved past him. He closed his eyes again when they hit the next pot-hole, wishing Devin hadn’t woken him up so early to take him somewhere. The worst was when Devin had casually informed him with a cruel grin that he didn’t have any aspirin for Sunny’s hangover, and to suck it up and be a man about it. After all, it was Sunny’s own fault that he was in such bad shape.

Sunny knew it would be futile, but tried again.

“Devin, where are we going?” Sunny asked. He heard the whine in his voice, and hated it.

“We’re already here, I’ve been driving around in circles for about 30 minutes now,” Devin replied. Sunny grimaced as Devin’s smooth voice echoed briefly in Sunny’s aching skull.

Sunny opened his eyes and glanced around with renewed interest.

“Why didn’t you say anything?” Sunny asked.

“Because, I figured sooner or later you’d open your eyes and start asking what the hell we were doing out here,” Devin replied with some amusement.

Sunny frowned. The vacant lots were un-mown; trash was lying everywhere and cars were sitting on cinder-blocks. The derelict neighborhood seemed to be populated only by a few teenage guys and girls standing on the corners, and a handful of men and women in their 20s and 30s skulking in alleyways. There was nothing there of interest to him. He turned his head and looked at Devin once more; the annoyance he felt was plain on his face.

Devin sighed. “The teenagers, Sunny, what do you see when you look at them?”

Sunny frowned at the disappointed tone in Devin’s voice. He took a closer look at the teenagers standing around on the corners. Most of them were in groups of two or three. Quite a few held bags on their shoulders, or kept them close by, ready to snatch them up at a moment’s notice.

As Devin circled the block, a few of the teens watched closely, as if waiting for something.

Sunny kept frowning, watching one guy in particular as Devin finally pulled the jeep over. The was dressed in ragged clothing; there was a gaunt; hungry look on his dirt-smudged face. It was the hopeless, lost look in his eyes that finally clued Sunny in.

“Devin, are these…?” Sunny stopped, unable to complete the question.

Bells tolled in the distance, delaying Devin’s response. Sunny looked at Devin. What he saw on Devin’s face made him want to look away, but he couldn’t.

Sunny had not realized until that moment that he had never been able to read Devin, and watching as Devin’s features continued to shift with different emotions was like watching the sunlight weave among the ocean surf.

Out of the corner of his eye Sunny watched as several of the street kids moved toward an old building that had its windows blackened out. Many of them relaxed as they greeted each other and entered the doors, their hands wrapped possessively about their bags.

“They’re homeless kids,” Devin said quietly. A soft sigh escaped him at the end of his statement. Devin turned his head, watching someone.

“Many of them are out here on the streets because they don’t have any place to go. Their parents didn’t want them, or were abusive to them, so they escaped the only way they could. A few of them ran away thinking they’d be better off out here. Some may have come to the streets influenced by their ‘friends,’ others have family out here; whatever the original reason, now they’re all stuck in a rut that they can’t seem to get out of.”

Sunny watched Devin for a moment, before he turned his attention to where Devin was looking. It was the street kid that Sunny had noticed the first time around, only he wasn’t alone anymore. Another kid had joined him and was handing him sandwiches and money.

Sunny knew that kid. It was Kyle, and he looked like he was arguing with the older boy about something. Sunny turned back to Devin, ready to say something.

“Some of these kids, they could go back home if they wanted, but they don’t know how. They get caught up in drugs, prostitution, stealing. For them it’s become a way of life, going day to day wondering if they’ll live long enough to see the next.”

Devin turned his and finally looked at Sunny.

“They don’t live like kings out here on the streets,” Devin finished.

“Why don’t they ask for help?” Sunny asked, still trying to grasp what he was seeing and hearing, but ultimately knowing that he would never really be able to truly understand it unless he lived that life.

Devin smiled a short, bittersweet smile.

“Some do, Sunny. And they make it off the streets. Others, they ask as well, but the siren call of the drugs pulls them back in. There are shelters out here with counselors willing to help these kids off the street, but the kids don’t always want to go get the job, or stop using and abusing. Every now and then a few will come back and they’ll actually succeed.”

“Why doesn’t the Child Protective…” Sunny started to ask.

Devin had seen that question coming.

“Group homes and foster homes aren’t always much better than a person’s home with their families. A lot of the people that run foster homes are in it for the money; they don’t give a rat’s ass about these kids. Several of them just want sex objects. But you get a few foster parents that actually care, now and then, and if they can get through to the kid, then things usually work out. But the kid has to be willing to listen and have an open heart as well. As for group homes, kids run away from bullying and other stuff. There are just too many reasons, and unfortunately you can’t fix all of them.”

Sunny frowned. This was the first time he had ever actually heard Devin talk something that he was so obviously passionate about. And he had no clue about what to say in return.

“Devin, I don’t know…”

Devin gave Sunny a cynical half-smile.

“Don’t say anything, just think about what I’ve told you, and what these kids are going through before you decide that you’d rather run away then deal with Ian, Sunny. Because like it or not, they are your family, and adjusting just as much as you are,” Devin replied softly.

“But…”

“And if you don’t believe me, well, we can always go into that building there and check it out to see what’s going on. Perhaps talk to a few of the kids ourselves, you can hear their side of the story. Or we can walk over there and embarrass the hell out of Kyle,” Devin said, nodding his head toward where Kyle was standing with his arms wrapped around the older kid.

Sunny frowned. “Devin, do you think…”

“I don’t think anything, Sunny, because I don’t know, and wouldn’t unless I asked Kyle.”

Sunny’s frown got bigger.

“Savannah’s still mad at you for not helping Kyle out in that fight a few weeks ago,” Sunny said.

Devin snorted.

“Savannah would change her mind if she knew why I hadn’t gotten involved in that fight,” Devin retorted.

Sunny’s face went blank for a moment.

Devin sighed, having just realized something.

“Why didn’t you get involved in that fight? I mean, you were there following us one moment and the next thing I know you’re sitting in your car waiting for us,” Sunny asked.

Devin banged his head against the steering wheel.

“It’s complicated,” he finally muttered.

Sunny gave his companion a look, before turning to look at the clock on the CD player.

“Hey, are we still going to the mall to catch the movie like you said before?” Sunny asked, deliberately changing the subject.

Devin raised his head and looked at the clock as well; nodding his head when he realized what time it was.

“Yeah, and Sunny, pretend you don’t see Kyle when we drive away.”

Sunny nodded his head as Devin started up the jeep and pulled into the street. Both boys ignored Kyle, even though he looked at them as they drove past him.

**************************

Sunny yawned, barely watching the scene playing on the screen.

He raised his arm up in the air; brought his other hand to his mouth and brought his other arm back down again, wrapping it around Devin’s shoulder slightly.

Pleased with how smooth he was, he took his other hand away from his mouth and put it in his lap, not daring to look at Devin to see how he reacted to this maneuver.

The other moves he’d put on Devin hadn’t gone well at all.

When Devin had put his arm on the hand-rest, Sunny had placed his arm on the hand-rest as well, hoping to get Devin to take his hand.

Devin put his hand in his lap instead.

Sunny had been deliberately making their hands bump together every time Devin reached over to get some popcorn. Devin kept pulling back his hand and apologizing.

Things definitely were not going well.

Devin got out of his seat abruptly. Sunny looked at Devin.

Devin smiled briefly at Sunny. “I have to pee. I’ll be right back,” Devin explained upon seeing the look on Sunny’s face.

“Again? The movie’s practically…” Sunny whispered.

Sunny stifled a frustrated groan as Devin moved past him.

Sunny slouched down in his chair and allowed his eyes to close as he wished away the frustration that he was feeling.

That frustration turned to confusion when he opened his eyes a couple minutes later to find that Devin had returned, only this time he had left one seat between them and brought his own small bag of popcorn.

Sunny frowned, unhappy with this new development. He definitely felt a bit hurt, and sulked for the next fifteen minutes until the credits began to roll. He bolted out of his seat so he could storm past Devin.

That didn’t matter though, because Devin was up and out of his seat before Sunny could get past him, moving quickly through the chairs, down the steps and out the front of the theatre.

Sunny growled, exasperated with the situation and his inability to throw a temper tantrum so that Devin would pay attention to him.

He did the only thing he could do: He followed Devin to the food court, distracted as he watched Devin glide silently across the floor. Sunny wondered how he could get Devin’s attention.

Sunny had almost caught up to Devin when the older boy stopped abruptly. He ducked behind a kiosk and looked through the display of headbands at a pair of individuals standing about ten feet away. Devin cocked his head as if trying to listen to their conversation. Sunny stopped, too, and watched and listened.

“…party is in the warehouse district tonight, right Dave?” an older man asked a blond teen. The man was dressed sharply, although his hair was graying and his stomach bulged slightly over his belt.

“That’s the plan, accordin’ to Mac,” the teen said.

Sunny started as he recognized David McClure, the star football player of their high school football team.

Sunny frowned, wondering what was going on.

“Do I need to bring anything?” the man asked.

“Just booze and lots of cash man, you know how we work,” Dave replied.

The man nodded, having been to a McClure party more than once.

“Right, what’s the address again? I’ll order several kegs and have them dropped off,” the man replied.

Dave frowned at the man, giving a slight shake of his head as he shifted uncomfortably.

“Come on Dave, you know I have a hard time remembering the address of the place, and my little car isn’t big enough for five kegs and a couple cases of whiskey,” the man replied in a slight whine.

Dave sighed and gave in as the thought of a party without enough booze to get through the night made him shudder.

“1250 Lake Street, 8 o’clock is when the party starts” Dave finally replied.

Devin turned and looked startled for a moment when he saw Sunny right behind him. Shooting an undecipherable look at Sunny, Devin brushed past him and walked leisurely in the other direction, away from the two people he had been spying on.

Sunny felt his frown grow bigger as he followed behind Devin, unhappy with the way their date had gone. A thought occurred to Sunny as he followed Devin out the mall doors and into the parking lot, making him stop in his tracks.

Sunny assumed the worst.

Devin wasn’t in love with him. He was in love with David.

Sunny felt his bottom lip tremble. He was so sure of his suspicions that he was barely aware of getting into the car with Devin. He didn’t bother to speak at all.

Sunny didn’t know what was really going on with Devin; he did know one thing though. There had to be a bottle of something with his name on it, and that thought consumed him for the remainder of the ride home.

Drawn from his thoughts as they pulled up in front of his house, Sunny opened the door and got out of the car. He slammed the door shut and bolted around the back of the car and toward his own house.

So intent was he on getting to that bottle of alcohol that he never noticed when Devin leaned toward him.

Devin frowned at Sunny’s back as the younger boy rushed toward his house, but he didn’t worry about it long. He shrugged his shoulders.

He pushed on the gas pedal, propelling the car forward and into his drive-way. Looking at the clock on his cd-player, he noted that it was 6:30.

Sunny opened the door to his house, allowing it to slam against the wall in his rush. Hopping through the door, Sunny grabbed for the door handle and threw the door back behind him, not even checking to see if it shut properly as he bolted for the stairs to his bedroom.

And all his forward momentum came to a stop as someone grabbed him around the waist and spun him around and gave him a light shove, propelling his behind into the couch.

Sunny landed with a slight grunt at the unexpectedness of the assault, but shot up instantly, ready to fight.

“Where the hell have you been, Sunny!” Ian demanded; his face was red with anger.

Sunny stopped and gaped at his older brother, stunned first by the sudden unexpected physical assault and now the verbal assault.

“I was out with Devin!” Sunny exclaimed, blurting out the truth.

“Since when? You didn’t even sleep in your own bed last night!” Ian said, continuing on with his one-sided shouting match.

“And how would you know that?” Sunny replied, scowling as his temper began to rise.

“I…”

The implications of what Ian had just said hit Sunny suddenly.

With a growl low in his throat Sunny took a step forward. Sunny’s move surprised Ian, making him take a couple steps back from his youngest brother. Sunny didn’t wait for Ian to recover but lunged past Ian, pounding up the stairs toward his bedroom.

“…what the hell is going on...?”

“…are you two doing?”

“Not now,” Ian replied to the two voices that Sunny heard coming from behind him.

More footsteps pounded up the stairs behind him.

Getting to his room, Sunny ran into his bedroom and turned around; ready to slam the door shut. He stopped suddenly as he took in the sight of the cracked doorframe and the new door knob.

That did not have a lock on it.

Casting his eyes about the bedroom he noted the one chest that was still out, feeling a slight sense of relief as he realized that at some point between his waking up the night before and crawling out the bedroom window he had put the lock back on it, protecting his biggest secret from his brothers.

That sense of relief didn’t last long as his eyes made their back to the cracked door frame, as the full sense of his eldest brother invading his privacy hit him.

Sunny closed his eyes in disbelief as a feeling of intense anger washed over him; opening them a few seconds later just as Ian rounded the corner.

“Your bed is made and the window is wide open, the gutter drain outside your window is bent and hanging off the wall!” Ian shouted, pleased that all the evidence pointed to him being correct.

Peter and Andy came into Sunny’s line of sight, worry in their expressions as they saw what was going on.

“My bed is made and the window’s open, the gutter drain’s bent and hanging off the wall,” Sunny mimicked and rolled his eyes, sarcasm apparent in his every move.

Ian felt his temper skyrocket.

“Don’t you talk to me in that tone of voice, young man! You’re grounded!” Ian shouted, putting as much parental authority into his voice as he could.

“And what is it, exactly, that you are grounding me for?” Sunny asked in a low voice, feeling dangerously close to losing his temper.

“First off, for running away last night. Second, for disrespecting me!” Ian snapped, hating the cocky tone in Sunny’s voice.

“Disrespecting you…Disrespecting you! How about you disrespecting me!” Sunny shouted as he finally lost his temper.

“I’ve shown you…”

“You broke into my room and removed the locks from my door! What the fuck is wrong with you?” Sunny shouted

“You keep running away and hiding!” Ian shouted back.

“I wouldn’t have to run away and hide from you if you’d keep your fucking hands to your goddamn self you fucking queer-bent bastard!” Sunny shouted, not caring that he was queer himself, hoping to provoke Ian into striking him again in front of everyone.

“Su…” Peter began to shout, his words breaking off suddenly.

Sunny’s verbal aim had been true.

Ian swung without thinking. But Sunny was prepared this time, and took a step backwards.

All for nothing.

Ian’s hand struck the wall with a resounding crack that left Ian recoiling in pain.

Sunny took advantage of this and rushed through the doorway. He slammed into Ian with as much force as he could and shoved with all his strength.

Ian, surprised, slammed into the wall and felt his head crack against the wall behind him; his knees collapsed underneath him as pain rushed through his body. Ian gasped as the wind left his lungs.

Andy and Peter were too surprised to stop Sunny as he rushed past them and out the door, running for all he was worth down the street and onto one of the main thoroughfares in their neighborhood.

Luck was with him; a bus pulled up next to the bus stop.

Sunny got on it; panting for breath as he dug through his pocket.

Dumping his change into the money-collector, Sunny made his way toward the back of the bus and slumped into a seat, not caring for the moment where the bus was heading or what he’d do once he spent the couple hundred of dollars that were in his wallet.

All he knew at that moment was that he no longer had a home or a family.