Hot Wheels - 18. The Second Coming

I was up all night tossing and turning. Ian had been sleeping restfully, and I wondered if maybe he wanted his brother’s accident put behind him. I seriously considered telling him what I know, or at least telling Everett; or I could go with my gut feeling, and say nothing, because I wasn’t obliged to. After a while of battling with myself I decided it would be best if I get up and start my day. There wasn’t much to do. The college would only re-open after this weekend and that meant that there weren't enough distractions for me to hide from Ian.

I quietly got out of bed, making sure not to wake him up. I got dressed and left the room. It was just after 8, and I thought it might be too early to be knocking on Everett’s room, so I decided to take a walk to the admissions office.

As I was walking, I knew it would be a waste of time because they might be too busy to talk to me, and because I had no business there, but I tried my lucky anyway.

“Good morning, I was wondering if you could help me with something.”

The woman who was sitting on the other side of the glass partition stopped typing and looked at me like I had done her a terrible deed.

“Sir, we've just opened for the morning and the system hasn’t started up yet. Any previously submitted enquiries should be done by Monday, unless you are a new student this semester, then I can try and help.”

Lord forgive me.

“Yes, I’m new.”

The lady clicked around on her computer before talking to me again. “Okay, what’s your name?”

“Uhm, actually, I just wanted to know why Marco left. I moved into his dorm room with Andrew Miller?”

“That is confidential information. If you have no enquiries about people related to you then please don’t waste our time.”

Normally I would think this woman was being extremely rude, but considering that I was probably depicting myself as a sketchy freshman, I decided to back off.

“I’m sorry for the inconvenience,” I said and she continued her work.

As I left the office, I heard the wheels of a luggage bag in the main foyer and I quickly looked around to see who it was. It was another student checking in, but I knew he was on the rugby team, so I took the opportunity to ask him what he knew.

“Hey bro, you know Marco, right?”

The guy looked at me, extremely nervous. He answered: “Yeah we play together, that’s all. What did you hear?”

“No, nothing. I was wondering if you know why he left so suddenly.”

“I don’t know man, and whatever you heard, it isn’t true!”

He sped off towards Everett’s side of the dorms and I was alone again, not knowing where to go.

“Maybe I should go check,” I said to myself.

As I slowly walked towards Everett’s dorm room I thought to myself how pathetic I was. I was drifting around campus and when Everett wasn’t around; I had nothing today, no life. I finally understood why I liked being home with my dad. I had a purpose, I could talk to people, and I made a friend.

I wasn’t relieved to see the door closed. I knocked quietly, hoping that I wasn’t disturbing his roommate.

“Come inside, horny little boy,” he yelled from inside.

And I blushed. Everett was sitting on his bed, shirtless and in a pair of shorts, doing some weight lifting with dumbbells in each hand.

“What are you doing?” I asked in a girly tone.

“I swear every time I’m shirtless your IQ drops like with twenty points,” he said jokingly.

“Yeah, I’m sorry, that was dumb off me,” I said, looking down at me feet.

“Nah I think it’s cute. It’s nice to have the old Andrew back, the one who obsessed over me 24/7.”

“I woke up a bit early and I didn’t know where to go, I didn’t want to disturb I…you, but I figured I should take my chances.”

“Well, I’m glad you did. I need some help,” he said as he flashed his sexy smile at me.

And so without letting him know, I felt happy again because I had found purpose. I helped Everett into the bathroom where I sat on the toilet, watching him have a bath. I’ve done it a few times before and it’s not a sexual thing, well for the most part…but yes, watching him clean himself had such a calming effect on me.

“Are you ready for classes this Monday?”

Everett looked at me with his leathered-up face, ”Yep. The nerd in me can’t wait to hit the books again.”

“I’m not really looking forward to classes,”

“You? That’s unbelievable!” he said surprised. “OK hon, I’m ready to get out.”

“Wait.” I said as I walked over to him. I sat on the edge of the tub and Everett looked at me with a puzzling expression. “You forgot your hair.”

I scooped my hand into the tub; my hand scraping against his thigh. Everett closed his eyes as I wetted his hair. It was so amazing seeing his dirty blond hair turn darker as I washed it, mixing it with shampoo.

“That feels so good, so tender,” he quivered.

I let go of his head and got off the tub, pulling my shirt over my head.

“What are you doing? You’re getting your shirt wet,” I heard him say.

I didn’t answer him. I continued undressing myself until I was completely naked; I wasn’t even surprised that Everett seemed astonished because this was so unlike me. I carefully stepped into the tub, which didn’t really have space for the both of us. I gently pushed Everett’s legs to each side, me sitting in between and my own legs hugging Everett’s hips on each side.

“The water got a little cold,” I said nervously, opening the faucet to heat up the bath.

“We’ve never…”

“I know,” I said, reaching out and running my hand across his face.

Everett instantly began to redden and I thought it was insanely cute. “Jesus, I feel like a little boy – you taking care of me and all…”

“I like doing this. I am the only one who can do this, and it’s a beautiful thing,” I told Everett.

“I was lying in bed last night and I was thinking…when I’m at home, it doesn’t feel like home anymore, but with you, whether we're locked up in a dorm room, on the field…or wherever, that’s where I feel at home.”

I felt like I had won some sort of jackpot. Everett was so emotionally open with me, but he was also strong and he made me feel protected, something I thought I could never find in a guy.

Suddenly I knew it was time to tell Everett what I know.

“Everett… You never told me about the accident.”

For a quick second I doubted bringing it up. Everett's expression went from happy to full-on melancholy as he moved back away from me.

“That’s something I don’t wish to talk about, ever again.”

I slid closer to him, and with a serious tone felt I had to convince him. ”Listen, I need to tell you something, but you have to tell me what happened first, OK hon?”

“What do you want to tell me? What do you know that I don’t?”

I debated on whether I should mention Ian, but decided to do so. “It has to do with my new roommate, Ian.”

“OK…uhm we went surfing one Saturday… There was a party on the beach, we had been surfing and we got drunk and stupidly got into the car, one of my friends at the time drove, I was passed out.”

“What happened after?”

With his voice filled with resentment, Everett continued, “I don’t know… I woke up in the hospital, I was the only one that didn’t have a seatbelt on, my friends walked away with a few bruises, that’s all.”

“What about the other car? Did anybody die?” I asked hastily.

Everett cocked his head, this time looking more confused than ever. ”Andy, there wasn’t another car… My friend drove the car off a hill and it wrapped around a tree. I know because I remember my dad coming into the room a few weeks later with pictures of the scene, yelling at me “Is this what you thought would happen if you go drunk driving?” Everett continued, “After he was done yelling, I told them that I couldn’t feel my legs.”

“Are you sure? Are you sure that’s exactly what happened?”

“Yes, I went to the site when I got released, and I saw the car in the pictures, it was five minutes from where we were partying at the beach, Andrew.”

I felt a sigh leaving my body as I came to realize that Everett’s accident wasn’t related to Ian’s brother’s death.

“Why are you asking me this?”

For a moment I thought that I should tell him what I knew, but then I realized that I shouldn’t bring Ian into it, because he had nothing to do with any of it now, and neither did his brother.

“I just came across an article mentioning a crash a couple of years ago and I thought it was about you…”

Everett raised a brow at my explanation; he knew something was up but I think he was glad to not have to continue with the topic.

“Are you getting along with Ian?” he asked.

“Yes…he is very…quiet,” I said with a smile.

“Well, this is awkward, talking about another guy while were butt-naked in a bathtub,” Everett said, and then he splashed water into my face in a quick swipe.

“Bitch!” I yelled out, retaliating with my own water bomb.

Our playfull battle lasted quite a while until the water went cold and our toes and fingers went wrinkly. I got out of the tub first, drying off and dressing myself.

“Maybe I should just leave you here…that way I get to see you naked and wet at all times,” I said jokingly as I looked over my shoulder.

“If you do that, the best part of me might shrink away for good.”

“Jenner?” I asked Everett with a devious smile.

“Jenner,” he said with the same tone.

I helped Everett get dressed and carefully placed him in his wheelchair, and we proceeded to his room where we mapped out our schedule for the day.

“I think we shouldn’t do anything. I think we should spend our last days in the dorm, cooped up and spending some quiet time together,” Everett announced suddenly.

I looked at him surprised, thinking he would have wanted to be outside. “If we were characters in a book, do you know what a boring story that would be?”

“Au contraire, I think the readers would enjoy two males like us, isolated in a room, left to explore themselves; even just lying in bed and holding hands would entice even the most faithful of readers.”

I raised my brow at Everett before making a final argument. ”I really thought you would’ve liked to do some outdoor activities.”

“You mean watch you enjoy outdoor activities?”

You would have expected Everett to sound bitter when he said this, but that wasn’t the case; he was making a valid point.

“Oh, that’s what it’s about,” I said, nodding.

“Yeah. I don’t feel like outdoor activities today, or tomorrow. We will leave that for when class starts, for when I have to roll myself around, even if I have to go pee, and come all the way to the dorm.”

“Aww, little boy not developed like the other boys yet?” I joked.

“Shut up!” He slapped me on top of my head as I was busy tying his laces.”

“Seriously Andy, just a lazy day, OK?”

“Tell you what, let’s go for a stroll outside and then we can laze around for the rest of the day, ok?”

Everett nodded, and I pushed him out into the hall. More and more students had started rolling in as the morning progressed and the quiet dorm had become a bit noisier with all the guys happy to see each other.

“Why were you up so early today anyway?” Everett asked as I push him out to the sports field.

“Ian was sleeping and I didn’t want to disturb him, so I snuck out.”

“I’m so glad you finally have a roommate you’re comfortable with. Now I can sleep better at night too.”

Everett’s concern brought a smile to my face, and I was yet again reminded that our lives have effects on the other partner.

I was staring into his eyes, and it felt like we were a pair of new romantics in the middle of the hallway as life passed us by, but this time I wasn’t the giddy-boy shy Andrew, I was more confident. Everett was the one who had to learn how to surrender to me now. He was the one feeling the butterflies, and as fickle as they are, one swing of a door could make them flutter away into the distance.

I didn’t pay attention to the person entering, but Everett’s loving expression turned into a gaping mouth, and I had to admit I knew it was 'him.'

It was Marco, but add a platoon of hair gel and a skintight pink t-shirt, and it was him walking right towards us.

“Marco, what are you doing?” I asked, knowing that there was something wrong with this picture. Marco was gay, but this style wasn’t his.

“I can’t get the words out of my mouth, so I’m wearing my orientation… I’m hoping people will take one look at me and they’d know… They'll know I am gay,” he said in a tone that tried to sound victorious, but was dulled down by an overwhelming mass of fear.

“You just did; you just said it,” I heard Everett’s voice say from beneath me. I had almost forgotten he was with us in the hallway.

“I’m not back officially. I’m just here to apologize, and to let you know that I didn’t do anything to your brother, dude.”

His apology left much to desire, but I understood and I nodded.

“You need to get out of this ridiculous outfit.”

We led him to Everett’s room, and there Marco undressed while Everett picked out a pair of jeans and a shirt that was more of Marco’s style.

“A peace offering,” Everett said.

Marco was so overcome with emotion that he couldn’t even talk, and I knew that he had a story to tell, so I sat him down, and much like the first time, I undressed him and helped him get into his new clothes.

“I feel like an absolute idiot…”

I laughed at the truth, a bit more in a rude manner than I intended.

“I deserve that,” Marco said as he buttoned up his shirt.

Marco smiled at me for the first time, a friendly and genuine smile. “You’re all right, Andrew,” he said.

“Yes he is,” Everett agreed.