Hide Away - 2. East Of Eden

James opened the red door leading into his house while a flashback of a happier James flashed in his mind. He remembers running through the front door laughing with Max, or another one of his friends. James closed the door and walked into the kitchen where his mother was talking on the phone. It was obviously a work call because she walking as she talked up some house, while using her I will kill to sell this house voice. James grabbed a bottle of water out of the fridge before walking down the hallway into his room, not once looking at the door leading to Cody's room. He placed the water bottle beside his Macbook before opening it up, and quickly typed in the address he frequented so much that it almost popped up automatically: LiteraryLoversChat.com. He typed in his screen name (wilderthanwilde) and went into the main chat room. As soon as he entered someone private messaged him. He noticed the screen-name, dorianspicture, which amused him, but no smile broke on his face.

Dorianspicture: A fellow Wilde fan I see, how are you?

Wilderthanwilde: As good as can be expected, waiting on my lab partner to come over. What about you?

Dorianspicture: Relaxing with a hot cup of tea, first day of school today, always tough.

Wilderthanwilde: Same here, but I am relaxing with spring water instead of tea.

Dorianspicture: Well, we can't all be faux British like myself, lol

Wilderthanwilde: How does someone become faux British?

Dorianspicture: Years of practice, I will have to teach you. That is only if you have the time.

Wilderthanwilde: Some other time, I assure you. I must prepare for my lab partner.

With that said, James quickly signed out of the chat room. For a split second he did feel bad, it wasn't that persons fault that he was fucked up, but James didn't want to get close to anyone real or in cyberspace. James had been on that site since he was twelve, a private chat was not unheard of for him. Even after Cody died, he would talk to people in chat, as it was easier to talk to people that he didn't have to look at that didn't have to see his pain. The gentle chime of the doorbell sounded through the house and James sighed before getting out of his computer chair and walking to the door where Seth was standing . His hair still wet from the after practice shower and an odd look in his eyes, James moved away from the door signaling for him to walk in, which he did.

“Nice house!” said Seth, while James just shrugged.

“It use to be. My room is down the hall,” said James as he led the way to his room and shutting the door behind him. Seth looked around the room, and it reminded him exactly of James; the walls were a bare white color that screamed cut off. There were no posters or pictures on the wall, and he almost felt like he was in a prison or insane asylum.

“Do you hate color?” asked Seth, not meaning to come off smart ass-like, but meaning it to break the tension, no such luck.

“What's the point of making this room feel like it's mine” said James, but it wasn't a question but a statement. A statement that Seth understood, but could not admit to James. “So about this paper, how do you want to do it?”

“We could each write a paragraph, if you can write about what happens if we don't take care of our Respiratory system, and I can talk about the boring parts of it” said James. Seth nodded and they both started writing away in their notebooks with their books beside them. James finished first, and Seth wrote the last sentence on his before the urge to pee struck him.

“Where's your bathroom?” asked Seth.

“Down the hall to the right” stated James. Seth nodded at him and walked into the hallway. He went into the first door on the right and quickly noticed that it was not a bathroom but a bedroom. Looking around the walls posters of bands, famous sports stars, and one with a dove on a guitar “welcoming” him to Woodstock. As this room was the complete opposite of James', he walked closer to a picture on the wall. A blonde haired guy with the same, yet stronger features of James looked back at him wearing a soccer uniform and a smile. Seth knew that this was Cody. He had seen him in the halls of school before, and sometimes sitting with James at lunch.

“What are you doing in here?!?” came a female's voice as Seth turned around to see a attractive woman in her 40's looking at him with her arms crossed.

“Oh, I am sorry. I'm Seth, a friend of James.” The word friend seemed so wrong as he continued, “I got lost trying to find the bathroom. I'm so sorry.”

“Don't be, I should be apologizing. No one comes in here anymore, but I left it just the same. Isn't that what all the moms do in movies?” asked Kate with a shrug, Seth nodded, “I am sorry for your loss.”

“Me too. You would think I would be the one who locked themselves in their room after it happened, but my son took it upon himself to become the Miss Havisham” said Kate with a sigh, Seth knew that this wasn't mean to be a derogatory statement about her son, but rather a reference to Great Expectations.

“She eventually got better, if I am not mistaken” said Seth, while Kate simply smiled and shook her head.

“Yes, she did understand that she couldn't cause pain, but she caught on fire and died” said Kate, Seth immediately regretting not reading the book.

“I am sure that will not happen to James” said Seth, making Kate smile.

“I hope so as well, the bathroom is one more door down” said Kate as she left the room, Seth looked at the room one last time before leaving and finally finding the bathroom.

…......

Seth opened the door to the double wide that he detested calling home. Not one of his friends has ever seen around his house, and he was going to make sure it stayed that way. Not that he was ashamed of living in a trailer, but because his parents never once stopped yelling unless they were passed out from a bender. No such luck at the moment. His dad was sitting in his chair staring at a wrestling match on television before looking up at Seth.

“Where have you been?” asked Victor taking a drink from his beer can.

“I had to go to a friends to work on a paper.” said Seth, Victor chuckled.

“Your mom cooked dinner for you and was real upset when you weren’t here to eat it” said Victor. Seth looked at his “dinner” two hot pockets and chips. “I am not real hungry anyway, I am just going to bed”, Seth growled with a frown.

“You need to eat something because I know you aren't eating that girl of yours pussy” said Victor, while Seth winced at the word pussy.

“Dad, I am just going to bed and don't talk about Lynn that way!” said Seth, and Victor just laughed at his son's attempt of chivalry. “That girl will be real heartbroken when she discovers her boyfriend is a fag, I bet you were out butt fucking a guy tonight” said Victor with a laugh. Seth just ignored his dad like always. He walked to his room, locking the door behind him. He picked East of Eden off his shelf and put it in his DVD player. He wasn't even sure why he wanted to watch this movie but he needed to escape his reality right now. Neither boy knew that they were in the same reality at the moment, James was reading Steinbeck's classic while Seth was watching it.