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Stories posted in this category are works of fiction. Names, places, characters, events, and incidents are created by the authors' imaginations or are used fictitiously. Any resemblances to actual persons (living or dead), organizations, companies, events, or locales are entirely coincidental.
Note: While authors are asked to place warnings on their stories for some moderated content, everyone has different thresholds, and it is your responsibility as a reader to avoid stories or stop reading if something bothers you. 

Retaliation - 12. The Locked Down Unit

This chapter contains content which may be disturbing for some readers. Themes of suicide and rape are mentioned. Please use your discretion. It is never my intention to cause harm with my story.

Monday at school was rather interesting. Not only had word spread through the whole school about Dustin’s hospitalization, but word had also spread about Joey and his family being humiliated at church. I heard through Emily that the McKenzie family had left town for the week early that morning. It was funny, though everyone knew that Joey had gotten a girl pregnant and paid for her abortion, nobody seemed to care or realize that I was the one who had exposed him. Apparently, it was Pastor Carl who people were talking about. What would he do to Joey? Would he find some way to punish Joey’s family for their sins? Whatever. Even in my moment of greatest triumph, I was still a nobody. I swear, I could announce over the loud speaker that I was gay and I don’t think most people would even know who the hell I was.

“At least you don’t have people thinking you hired one of your classmates to suck your dick,” Brett said when I told him my theory as we sat together in the school cafeteria eating lunch. Oddly enough, I was nowhere to be mentioned in the news about Dustin, either. “By the way, thanks for bringing a naked gay prostitute to my house.”

“I panicked, okay,” I replied. “Where else was I supposed to go?”

“Yeah, I know,” Brett said. “Don’t worry, it’ll all blow over in a couple of days. At least I finally got to see the imfamous nine-inch dick, even if it was soft.”

“Dude, it’s ‘infamous’ not imfamous,” I corrected. “And it’s not nine inches. More like seven or eight.”

“Infamous, imfamous… Whatever. Most people have no idea that he was doing that stuff up at the park. I don’t know how Joey found out. Mostly people just have questions about what happened. I just tell them that he had an accident up in the woods and my house was closest and that tends to satisfy their curiosity. No one needs to know anything more than that. I’ve found that the truth always seems to find its way out eventually.”

“So, did your mom say anything about when Dustin will get out of the hospital?”

“Well, she had him committed. He’s in the mental health unit up at Mon General,” Brett explained.

“She put him in the nut house?”

“Dude, that is not funny. Don’t even joke about that,” Brett said seriously.

“Sorry, I wasn’t joking. I just don’t understand how things like this work. I’ve never known anyone who tried to kill themselves before.”

“Mom’s had a couple of her freaks try to off themselves from time to time, so I know the routine. If she has them committed, they usually go to rehab for a while until they’re ready to come back. It’s almost impossible to put somebody in there for more than ninety days, even for her. Anyway, I’ll bet we don’t see Dustin until next school year, if he comes back at all.”

“He’s already missed half of this year.”

“Oh, they’ll get him caught up on school work and everything in rehab and therapy. He’s smart. He’ll figure it out. I don’t know where he’ll end up afterward. I heard his mom kicked his dad out again, but I can’t see him going back there after everything that happened. Can you?”

“I don’t see how that would help him. Don’t we have child services in this town?”

“Dude, you can report all the shit that goes on in this town to whoever you want. Nothing ever gets done. You don’t think the cops know exactly what goes on at the park at night, or who’s up there? They don’t care as long as they keep making money. I’ll tell you what though. After the way you went after Joey, I wouldn’t be surprised if your parents got a phone call for something stupid.”

“This is one fucked up town.”

“Welcome to the outskirts of nowhere,” Brett replied. “How many times have I told you? This town is worse than Hell. I can’t wait for us to get out of here.”

“So, is your mom going to be Dustin’s doctor?”

“Nope,” Brett said, taking a bite of his apple. “She’s too close to the situation. Once she had him admitted she referred him to a specialist.”

“That makes sense. But why did she take care of me when I punched the mirror? I’m closer than Dustin.”

“You were a freebie. If you were, like, seriously fucked up she’d have referred you to one of her friends like she did to me.”

“Jesus, even when I have a mental breakdown I can’t win. Okay, so who’s going to pay for all this therapy and stuff? His parents couldn’t afford it even if they wanted to help him.”

“Don’t worry about it. It’s taken care of,” Brett replied.

“How?” I asked.

“Didn’t I just tell you not to worry about it?” Brett said.

“Oh… okay,” I replied. I knew Brett well enough to know when he was embarrassed about his mom having the kind of resources that could make things happen, so I didn’t ask anything further. I looked around the cafeteria. “Have you noticed how quiet it is today?”

“People don’t know how to react. Everybody knows something bad happened to Dustin, they just don’t know how bad it really was. The worst thing that ever happened here was when what’s-his-name almost died in class from a drug overdose,” Brett explained.

“Jerry Freemont,” I said.

“Huh?” Brett said, losing interest in our conversation, which wasn’t unusual for him. He smiled at one of our classmates as he walked by and then stared at the boy’s ass as he went to his seat.

“His name was Jerry… Do you always stare at other boys’ asses like that when they walk by?”

“Have you seen the way other guys stare at yours?” Brett asked.

“No… Do they?”

“Haven’t I told you that you have a great ass? I don’t just say that because I’m in love with you.”

I blushed. “Whatever. Anyway, who is that kid?”

“That is Doug Sanders,” Brett explained. “He’s really nice. He moved here a few months ago. He’s in a few of my classes because he’s dyslexic too. Don’t you think he’s kind of hot?”

I looked at the kid without trying to be too obvious. He was a lighter shade of blond than I was. He noticed me looking at him and smiled. He had a nice smile. I returned the smile and turned back to Brett. “He’s kind of okay, I guess.”

“He’s gay too,” Brett informed me.

“How could you possibly know that?”

“Gay-dar,” Brett replied, pointing to his head. “I can feel the gay flowing through him. That and he asked me out.”

“He what?!?” I asked, though not too loud.

“Don’t be jealous. I told him I wasn’t interested. It’s not like he knew we’re together. I am quite a catch, you know. If I wasn’t with you I’d be such a whore by now. Oh, that’s probably a really poor choice of words right now, huh? Anyway, I’d fuck anything that moved if not for you. But yeah, Doug’s pretty cool. Oh, and no one cares that he’s gay by the way, hint, hint…”

Before we could get back to our usual banter, Emily Barnhart walked up behind Brett and smacked him on the back of the head. “What did you do to Dustin?” she asked him angrily.

“OWWWWW!!!!! You bitch!!” Brett whined. “Why is everyone hitting me in the head lately? I have a concussion, you know.”

“Haven’t you milked that accident long enough? It was like ten years ago. I think you’ve healed by now,” Emily fumed, not realizing that Dustin had used Brett’s head as a basketball when he’d beat him up.

“You get hit by a car and see how quick you get over it, Barney. I still have nightmares about old codgers in Cadillacs. And I didn’t do anything to Dustin. Genius over there found him in the woods and brought him to my house.”

“Okay then, Billy. What happened?”

I explained what happened to Dustin, leaving out the whole gay prostitute thing. As I did that, Brett grabbed the banana I’d had on my lunch tray and unpeeled it, then he deep throated it. He looked at me seductively as he slowly started pulling it back out of his mouth. He smiled at Emily.

“So anyway I… Dude, seriously, stop it,” I scolded him.

“Stop what?” Brett grinned. He took a big bite of the banana. “I just really love eating your banana. I’ve never heard you complaining about it before.”

“Do you have to be so crass about it?” I asked.

“What? I told you I needed to practice. I thought you liked the way I enjoy your banana!”

“Dude!”

“What’s wrong with liking a nice thick juicy banana in your mouth?”

“You’re embarrassing Emily!”

Emily laughed. “Hey, leave me out of this. What you two do with your bananas is your none of my business. You two can talk about how much you like bananas all you want after we decide what to do about Dustin.”

“Well, with him being in a locked ward we may not even be able to see him, but we can try to visit him tomorrow after school. I can finally use my license.”

“That sounds good to me. What about you, Reilly?” Em asked.

Brett sighed. “Okay fine… It’s not like I have anything better to do tomorrow anyway,” he finished his banana and threw the peel on my lunch tray. “Aw look, your banana’s gone all limp, Billy,” he joked.

So that Tuesday dad let me use the truck. Em and Brett got off the bus at my house after school and we drove up to Mon Valley Hospital where my mom worked. It was mom’s day off, so we weren’t likely to see her there. I was surprised she wasn’t home, actually. Dad was much cooler about letting me drive than mom. When I drove with mom, it was like she was expecting the car to go flying off the road and burst into flames at any moment. Dad actually let me drive on my own now that I had my license. He was even talking about saving up a little money to get me a cheap car of my own if I worked with him over the summer.

We had to ask the receptionist where the mental health section of the building was. While Brett was familiar with his mom’s work, he’d never actually been to the locked ward before so he was no help. The receptionist informed us where we had to go, and told us that it was a locked down unit and we would have to use a phone at the door to be let in and that only one of us would be allowed to enter at one time. Brett had already told us that would be the case, so we weren’t surprised. We rode the elevator up to the fifth floor and followed the signs to a set of locked doors. We made Emily call the desk. She told us that since only one of us could go in and since she’d been the one to call she was going first. The door opened and a sour-looking nurse greeted us.

“Only one of you can come in at a time,” she said.

“Jesus, we know that already, lady,” Brett said.

Emily quickly volunteered to go in before Brett got us kicked out. Brett and I walked to the waiting room where we were surprised to find…

“Amanda!” I exclaimed.

“Billy!” She replied, mocking my surprise.

“What are you doing here?”

“Uh, gee, let me think… My baby brother’s in the psych ward after he almost killed himself. I wonder what I could be doing here…”

“Hey Mandy.” Brett said cheerfully.

“Tony.” Amanda laughed. “Still hanging out with this loser, huh? You could do so much better, you know. How you been, sweetie?”

“I’m good when your brother’s not kicking my ass. You still living in Pittsburgh?”

“Yeah. I finished my GED and I’m going to start college in the fall. Once things get figured out with our parents we’ll decide what to do with Dustin.”

“Tell me your mom is not going to let your dad live there again.” I said.

“She kicked him out again after what happened. He says he’s moving to Cleveland, but we’ll see how long that lasts until she lets him back in again. He’d better not come back or I’ll kill him myself. My brother won’t be home until August at the latest because after he gets out of here he’s going to a rehab place north up near Erie for ninety days. I told him that he can move in with me when he gets out if he wants. I can understand why he wouldn’t want to though. It’s not like I was the world’s best sister.”

“You did what you could,” Brett replied.

“Yeah, I hear you did too. I heard about my brother kicking your ass after you told mom about what dad did to him. I always knew you were tougher than you looked. That’s the Irish blood. But that’s how I knew how desperate things had gotten and that what you said was true. For all the shit my brother’s been through, he was never violent.”

“So how is he?” I asked.

“Oh he’s as chipper as ever!” Amanda said sarcastically. “How do you think he’s doing, dumbass? He’s all fucked up on drugs and strapped to a bed so he won’t try to kill himself again. He’s so depressed. I barely recognize him. Even when things were bad, he was always optimistic about things. He was always the one who held the family together. But now that’s gone. He’s just… empty. I hate seeing him like this.”

Emily returned to the waiting room, looking pale and ready to cry.

“It’s like it’s not even him,” she said.

“Depressing, isn’t it?” Amanda offered.

“He didn’t even say anything or look at me. He just laid there looking at the television.”

Brett moved to Emily’s side and put his arm around her shoulders. She hugged him. Brett looked at me and gave me a little nod to let me know that I should go to see Dustin while he took care of Em. I quickly went to the nurse who was waiting at the big double doors.

“I need you to give me any knives, nail files, or keys… Anything in your pockets,” she informed me. I quickly handed her my car keys and she used a metal detecting wand to make sure I wasn’t hiding anything from her. Then she led me down the hall to Dustin’s room. “Don’t close the door. Don’t give him anything. Try not to say anything to upset him. Don’t touch him, and do not under any circumstances loosen his restraints, even if he asks you to,” she ordered me. “You have ten minutes.”

With all that information swirling in my head, I walked in to Dustin’s room. I was shocked to see that his long black hair had all been buzzed off. He had a red buzz cut again. He was still whiter than a ghost, and he looked even more skeletal than ever. His arms were bandaged from his hands to his elbows and he was restrained to the bed by cloth straps. His earrings and nose ring were gone. He looked weak and tired. He had dark circles around his eyes, as if he hadn’t slept in a month. He was watching a cartoon on the television. He had an iv hooked up to his left arm. He glanced away from the television to see me standing there, and then went back to watching the television.

“You should have let me die,” he said quietly, not looking at me but watching the television.

“What was I supposed to do, leave you naked up on that hill?”

“I wish you had,” Dustin replied. “I’m sorry you found me.”

“I’m not sorry. I love you, dude. I didn’t want you to die.”

“Dude, I’m already dead. I mean, look at me.” He held up his arms as much as he could before his restraints kept him from moving. “They say I’ve got borderline personality disorder. What does that even mean? I crossed that border a long time ago. They’ve got me tied up like a dog. They butchered my hair. My wrists are scarred for life now. It’s useless. This world is useless. Everything is useless. Even if we live as best we can, even if we try to smile or try to make the world better, we still lose. It’s all random meaningless bullshit. I should’ve used a gun. I thought about taking one from your dad when I was at your house, but I didn’t want you guys to get in trouble.”

“I’m sorry your life is so fucked up, but I’m not sorry I saved you.”

“You and Reilly… My fucking heroes. Don’t you understand? You didn’t save me, you made things worse, Billy. I still want to die. All you did was keep the hell going. My life isn’t worth living. It’s all stupid. Pointless. The world will be better off without me. If I’d have died people might have remembered me for something. Now, I’m always going to be the freak who tried to kill himself. It’s humiliating. I’m such a loser. No one is ever going to treat me like a normal person again. I just wish it was over with already. All I have left is hate.”

“You still have people who love you.”

“Who, you? Emily? My fuckin’ sister? You don’t know half of what you think you do, Billy. You don’t know the places I’ve been, the things I’ve done. I’ve done some scary, evil shit, dude. Didn’t you ever wonder how I suddenly had enough money to buy all those black clothes and my trench coat? Would you like to know where I got the money? I bet your boyfriend told you I was up in the park selling drugs. But you had to know I would never sell drugs because it would hurt other people. No, dude. I wasn’t selling drugs I was selling myself. But I wasn’t even selling sex, really. I was selling my soul one piece at a time, until there was nothing left of me. It started out so simple. Once I found out what goes on at the park, I had to try it. It was easy. Just sneak out of the house at night, wait for some older dude to drive up and hand me some cash, get in the car and go someplace out of the way and suck his cock. I thought it would be easy money. And it was, until I realized what it was doing to me. Every one of those guys… They didn’t just get a blowjob. They took a piece of me with them. After a while I lost count of how many cocks I’d sucked. At least a hundred…”

“Oh my god…” I gasped. I’d never imagined…

“Does that number surprise you?” Dustin asked. “That’s just the beginning. Once you’ve given away your soul there’s really nothing left to give a fuck about. Pretty soon it’s not even about the money. Once life loses all meaning you really don’t care who does what to you anymore. Pretty soon blowjobs aren’t enough. It doesn’t take long… Everything has a price. Your mouth, your ass, your soul… It makes no difference. It’s all the same. I sold it all. And once it’s gone, you’re never satisfied. You can’t get it back. Nothing can fill the emptiness. No matter how many loads you swallow or take up your ass, no matter how many old perverts stick their ugly cocks up your ass… Nothing ever fills you. It’s all emptiness. Meaningless. I have no idea how many guys have fucked me. I don’t know the name of the guy who I sold my virginity to. Nothing. It’s all gone forever.”

I felt sick listening to what Dustin had become. But he wasn’t finished.

“Yeah, so thanks for saving me. I’m so glad I get to keep living. Oh, I’m sure glad I get to live with this. But hey, at least I don’t have HIV, right? Gonorrhea, sure. Syphilis, why not? But I won’t die from AIDS, so I have that to look forward to. Honestly, I don’t know how it missed me. I stopped caring if I got it a long time ago. I was kind of hoping I would have it so it could kill me eventually. But no. I got a shot in the ass and I’m good as new. I still don’t know how my dad found out about what I was doing. One of his friends probably fucked me and told him that I was up there. You know it was my dad who raped me, right?”

“Dustin, you don’t have to talk about this…”

“Why? Because I’m not supposed to get upset? Dude, I don’t even give a shit. People think the broomstick was the worst part because it ripped me open. Dude, I was already out by the time that happened. I woke up in a pool of blood and puke and here was a broken broomstick jammed up my ass. He made sure he got his money’s worth out of me, believe me.”

“Dustin stop…”

“Why? Don’t you want to hear the gory details? How my old man ripped off my pants and beat the shit out of me? The things he did to me? I guess once you turn a person into nothing but shit you’d be amazed what you can justify doing to them, even if they’re your son. To be honest though, I don’t remember much. It’s all a blur. Just a lot of pain and him saying over and over, ‘you’re no son of mine you dirty whore.’ It was just another meaningless fuck. I guess that’s about the best I can do for revenge. It meant nothing.”

“Jesus Christ…” I said, not believing what my best friend had been through. I’d only heard a small portion of it, but I had no desire to hear what Dustin had left out. Through it all, Dustin never showed any sign of emotion. He told me the whole story as if he was talking about going to lunch.

“Yeah. Jesus Christ. Some God he turned out to be, huh? I prayed so hard that dad would stop. I got my answer though. ‘Stop crying you fucking little slut!’ God… I just hope that all that crap they talk about in church about Hell is true, because I want to see a few people there when I get there. I’ve got to be honest, when I woke up after what I did I was kind of expecting to wake up in Hell. I’m sure that’s where I’ll end up, but it’ll be worth it to see my dad there. Hell won’t be all that different from everyday life around here anyway.”

“Dustin, I’m so sorry,” I said.

“I don’t want you to feel sorry for me.”

“I just wish I had said something before it got so bad.”

“Well you didn’t,” Dustin said. “Nothing you can do about it now. I’m guessing if your boyfriend knew then you must have known too, huh?”

“Yeah…”

“Yeah. Yeah, you’re a real friend, aren’t you? How’d you find out?”

“Mike told me,” I replied.

“Mike, huh? Figures. That piece of garbage. When did he tell you?”

“Last summer. Before volleyball started.”

“Really? Wow, you knew all this time and you never said anything?”

“What was I supposed to say?” I asked.

“I don’t know. It wouldn’t have stopped me. Whatever. Fuck Mike. Fuck you too, I guess. You should have told me you knew. Now I feel really stupid, telling you all that crap the other day about loving you… That was really dumb. It’s obvious you don’t give a shit about me.”

“Dustin, you know that’s not true!”

“Yeah, you’re someone I’m going to trust to tell me what’s true or not. You know what? I finally get you, Billy. I’ve known you my whole life, loved you for most of it, but I never really saw you for what you are until now. Blinded myself to it, really. You’re not an asshole or a dick like you pretend to be. You’re just a coward. You act the way you do because you’re ashamed of who you really are. You’re ashamed because you like dick. Ashamed that you’re a queer. You’re afraid of what people will think of you if they find out you like getting fucked up the ass. You’re such a pussy, afraid to be true to yourself and true to anyone else. You know what you are? You’re just like your mother. You smile in someone’s face and talk shit about them as soon as their back is turned, thinking you’re better than a whore like me. But really, you’re just a whore yourself. You’ve whored yourself out to this town. You want so desperately to fit in with these assholes, the same assholes who bought and sold me like a piece of meat. You’re just as guilty as they are. Under all your bluster and bravado, you’re just a scared little boy trying to be a man. You let Reilly get his ass kicked. You just stood there and let me beat the piss out of him, and that’s your boyfriend. Jesus, no wonder you never did shit to help me. I never realized what a worthless piece of shit you are until now. You have no heart, no soul, no guts. You’re a coward, Roberts. I’m sorry I ever knew you.”

“Dustin, I’m sorry!”

“Fuck your sorry, Roberts,” Dustin said angrily. “I got fucked by my own father and all you can say is ‘I’m sorry?’ You’re worse than he is. He never pretended to love me. Please don’t come back here. It would make me happy if I never saw you again.”

Dustin pressed the call button for the nurse. She appeared almost instantly.

“I don’t want any more visitors,” he said, tears streaking down his cheeks. “Get him out of here. Don’t let him anywhere near me.”

The nurse quickly escorted me out of Dustin’s room and toward the doors. “I told you not to upset him!” she scolded. She handed me my keys and asked me not to come back. And before I knew it I was back in the hallway. I walked to the waiting room where Brett, Amanda, and Emily were having a good and light conversation.

“So, do I have to go see him now?” Brett asked.

“No, he doesn’t want any more visitors,” I replied.

“Oh…” Brett replied. “Well, fuck him then.”

Emily scolded Brett for his rudeness.

“He said he never wants to see me again.”

“He’s on a lot of drugs,” Amanda said. “He’s really angry right now. Don’t pay any attention, he’s told me off every time I’ve gone back to see him.”

We were quiet on the way back home, even Brett wasn’t saying anything. I knew that Dustin was in bad shape, but what had happened to him had left me sick to my stomach. How could someone do something like that to their own kid? I was racked with guilt over it. I could have stopped it if I’d said something last year. Why had I listened to Mike when he said he had it under control? I dropped off Emily and then drove to Brett’s house. I parked the truck in their driveway and asked Brett to walk with me. I needed to go to the place where I felt the most safe, which was surprisingly the same place where both Brett and Dustin had been sucked into their worst nightmares, the park. We walked to the pond. The bench where my grandma had sat and watched us for so many years while we played, the place where we’d had our first kiss in the snow and cold was still there. Only now it was missing a few pieces and it was covered with graffiti.

“Wow, this place has gone to shit,” Brett opined.

“Yeah…” I sighed.

“I don’t even think the ducks come here anymore. It’s a shame,” Brett said as he picked up a rock and sent it skipping across the scum-covered pond.

“Do you think I’m a coward?” I asked.

“Yep,” Brett answered without even hesitating.

“No, seriously,” I replied.

“I am serious,” Brett said. “You have a lot of amazing qualities, Billy. You’re smart, you’re funny, you’re adorably cute, and you’re great in bed. But you’re not the bravest kid I’ve ever met. You’re the reason we’re not out. So yeah, I’d say you’re a coward. It’s not that big of a deal, so am I. I’m terrified of bicycles and clowns. Don’t get too down on yourself.”

“So you think I’m a pussy?” I asked, a little miffed.

“Yeah,” Brett replied. “Don’t ask a question and then get mad when someone answers it honestly.”

“I’m not mad at you, I’m just pissed at myself. I’ve never thought of myself like that. Dustin said some things that really hurt me.” I looked down at the ground, reached down and picked a four-leaf clover.

“How do you do that?” Brett laughed. “That’s just freaky.”

“I don’t know. They just stand out to me,” I said. “You want it?” I offered.

“Yeah!” Brett replied, taking the clover from me and holding it. “You don’t bring me flowers anymore…” he started to sing.

“I’m sorry Dustin beat you up,” I said, looking out over the murky water. “I’m sorry I didn’t stop him sooner.”

“I know you are,” Brett replied. “And I know you knew about Dustin doing what he did up here for a lot longer than you’ve admitted. I don’t know when or how you found out, but I know you knew long before I found out. I know you wish you’d have told somebody sooner. Maybe it would have helped, or maybe it would have made things even worse. We’ll never know.”

“I don’t see how things could have ended up any worse than they did,” I said. “You got the crap kicked out of you. Dustin got raped by his own father and almost died. Everything’s fucked up.”

“It’s not your fault Dustin got raped, Billy, I don’t care what he said to you. His dad is a sick son of a bitch. You’re picturing this big dramatic scene where you swoop in and play the hero, but it would have probably looked like what you did to Joey. Frank might have just killed Dustin himself. You saved his life. You were there when it mattered.”

“I still feel like shit, though.”

“He’s alive, isn’t he? There’s always hope as long as he’s got that going for him. And I’m all healed up and good as new. You can’t feel sorry about all the things you didn’t do, Billy. You tried your best, that’s all you can do.” Brett opened his wallet and folded the clover I’d given him into it and put it back in his pocket. Then he climbed up into the tree near the bench, just like he’d done so often as a kid. He maneuvered himself up to a tall branch and then swung himself upside-down, hanging on to the branch with his legs. I smiled.

“I love you, Brett Reilly,” I said. “You know that, right?”

“Yep,” Brett replied. “I’m very lovable.” He pulled himself up to the branch and spun around so that he was now dangling by his arms. Then he let go and dropped to the ground on his butt. I offered him my hand to pull him up, but he pulled me down to the ground on top of him instead. We both laughed as he held me close to him. “I love you, too, you damn coward.” We kissed gently as the wind blew softly through the trees. I felt as if my grandma was close by and watching over us. It made me feel a little braver than I’d been before.

This one was a challenge to write. It's the last we'll see of Dustin for a while. Only three chapters to go to close out this one.

Next time: Intuition
Copyright © 2017 jkwsquirrel; All Rights Reserved.
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Stories posted in this category are works of fiction. Names, places, characters, events, and incidents are created by the authors' imaginations or are used fictitiously. Any resemblances to actual persons (living or dead), organizations, companies, events, or locales are entirely coincidental.
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B)..........So that settles lock down question and so far Billy has not felt any repercussions except maybe the truth being thrown at him by Dustin and Brett. I'm not surprised at Billy's naivety  as I said before, but you'd think after three people (yeah, include Joey) tell you about yourself you would get the hint. It took Dustin under ten minutes for a light bulb to finally go off. I'm thinking we won't hear from Dustin anymore, maybe an update on his status in rehab. but that is it. Can we send Joey to Military School ( :2thumbs: ). That would end his charade as the towns snotty kid. Then Billy's absence from his mother's church seems very likely seeing how he is so honest :rolleyes: Of course it might help if Billy finally comes out to everyone. Three chapters left?  Sounds about right.  Great chapter (and Joey deserves everything he gets!)  :P

Edited by Benji
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59 minutes ago, Okiegrad said:

Wow, so much happening.  Brett has to be one of my favorite characters in any story I've read.  He's so honest and up front with his thoughts. He doesn't hide or pretend or care about hiding the truth.   I'm also really fearful that Billy's mom is having an affair with the crazy Pastor.  Something is way off with those two.

I don't know, I'm starting to think they're making secret plans to make Billy 'see the errors of his sinful ways'.  I think we'll be finding out next week.

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I don't know, I still have a hard time with these characters.  Everybody in the story is just so unpleasant ALL the time.  I get why Dustin was driven to attempt suicide, but am I really supposed to take his rant at Billy seriously?  I guess the other readers did, but all the actions of these characters in the previous books stand out in my mind.  

 

Billy should have told Dustin he knew?  When?  Mike told Billy about it during the period when Dustin and Billy weren't talking.  After Dustin physically assaulted Billy for being in a relationship with Brett.  After they started talking again, nothing Billy or anyone else said would've convinced Dustin to stop.

 

The issue of Billy's cowardice stands out in my mind as well, with which dear Brett is all to quick to agree.  The only thing Billy has been demonstrably afraid of that so can recall (and please everyone if I'm wrong or you remember something else tell me) is coming out of the closet.  That's not really all that uncommon for teenagers.  Especially during the time period this was written in.  

 

As Brett tells him he's the "reason" they're not out.  Has Brett met Billy's mother?  Or any of the assholes at that church he's dragged to every week?  Or his good buddy Joey?  If I was Billy I'd be terrified to say the word gay, let alone come out publicly about my personal preferences.  Per Dustin and Brett he's a coward for not wanting to air publicly what he does in private.  Imagine being Billy, seeing that Pastor renounce his own family member at that church, and his mother thinking that man walks on water.  From my point of view, Billy's instinct to keep private matters private is perfectly understandable.  His mother could try to have him kidnapped and sent to pray the gay away camp or something.  It's not about bravery but self-preservation.  

 

As for the rest of Dustin's rant, I still can't really take it seriously.  He's a coward for "letting" Dustin assault Brett?  No wonder he never did anything to help him?  Wow, considering that the person who finally did tell was Brett, and look how Dustin responded to that.  Let's not forget that Dustin had already physically assaulted Billy twice, when the poor kid was injured.  This feels more like Dustin once again lashing out and being an abusive asshole like his father, attacking those who are vulnerable.

 

Was there some truth in Dustin's words?  Sure.  Just like a FEW things Joey said were true.  But in both cases (especially Joey) there was so much malicious intent and bullshit mixed in it's almost impossible to sift through that to find it.  

 

Just had another thought here, does Brett have any idea what Joey actually said to Billy?  Does he know that Billy was dragged into a bathroom and accosted before he had the audacity to disrupt Joey's stellar reputation?  The reason I ask is, does Brett still consider that bottom-feeding, worthless excuse for a human being his friend?  Cousin or not, Joey has been bullying Billy for awhile, and that was the least of what that kid had coming.

Edited by spikey582
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2 hours ago, spikey582 said:

I don't know, I still have a hard time with these characters.  Everybody in the story is just so unpleasant ALL the time.  I get why Dustin was driven to attempt suicide, but am I really supposed to take his rant at Billy seriously?  I guess the other readers did, but all the actions of these characters in the previous books stand out in my mind.  

 

Billy should have told Dustin he knew?  When?  Mike told Billy about it during the period when Dustin and Billy weren't talking.  After Dustin physically assaulted Billy for being in a relationship with Brett.  After they started talking again, nothing Billy or anyone else said would've convinced Dustin to stop.

 

The issue of Billy's cowardice stands out in my mind as well, with which dear Brett is all to quick to agree.  The only thing Billy has been demonstrably afraid of that so can recall (and please everyone if I'm wrong or you remember something else tell me) is coming out of the closet.  That's not really all that uncommon for teenagers.  Especially during the time period this was written in.  

 

As Brett tells him he's the "reason" they're not out.  Has Brett met Billy's mother?  Or any of the assholes at that church he's dragged to every week?  Or his good buddy Joey?  If I was Billy I'd be terrified to say the word gay, let alone come out publicly about my personal preferences.  Per Dustin and Brett he's a coward for not wanting to air publicly what he does in private.  Imagine being Billy, seeing that Pastor renounce his own family member at that church, and his mother thinking that man walks on water.  From my point of view, Billy's instinct to keep private matters private is perfectly understandable.  His mother could try to have him kidnapped and sent to pray the gay away camp or something.  It's not about bravery but self-preservation.  

 

As for the rest of Dustin's rant, I still can't really take it seriously.  He's a coward for "letting" Dustin assault Brett?  No wonder he never did anything to help him?  Wow, considering that the person who finally did tell was Brett, and look how Dustin responded to that.  Let's not forget that Dustin had already physically assaulted Billy twice, when the poor kid was injured.  This feels more like Dustin once again lashing out and being an abusive asshole like his father, attacking those who are vulnerable.

 

Was there some truth in Dustin's words?  Sure.  Just like a FEW things Joey said were true.  But in both cases (especially Joey) there was so much malicious intent and bullshit mixed in it's almost impossible to sift through that to find it.  

 

Just had another thought here, does Brett have any idea what Joey actually said to Billy?  Does he know that Billy was dragged into a bathroom and accosted before he had the audacity to disrupt Joey's stellar reputation?  The reason I ask is, does Brett still consider that bottom-feeding, worthless excuse for a human being his friend?  Cousin or not, Joey has been bullying Billy for awhile, and that was the least of what that kid had coming.

I think you're being too hard on them for what they said to Billy.  Maybe they're not maturing as quickly as we'd like, but they're getting better.

 

I know what they were getting at with the "coward" remarks, and I agree with them.  Billy never really steps up to defend others when he has to, he just sits back and hopes someone else will take care of his problems for him.  Does that make him a coward? Maybe that's not the right word, but they were right to call him out on it.  And let's not forget that Billy has a bit of Joey's "I'm better than all of you" attitude as well.

 

Dustin's not being rational at the moment.  He destroyed emotionally, and he's trying to blame everything on Billy because he feels betrayed.  It's all Billy's fault in his mind, so I can see a reason to take his rant seriously.  We see the big picture and we know it didn't happen the way Dustin says.  He doesn't, so what he said makes sense in that context.

 

Maybe later on, Dustin will be willing to let Billy explain himself, but at this point I think that if he ever comes back, he'll be Joey x 10.

 

Billy not wanting to come out is in big part about self-preservation, but I also think it's because Billy doesn't want to get noticed.  I get the sense Billy sees this town as a 'prison', and he just wants to stay under the radar until he graduates and is 'free' from the place.  That's perfectly understandable, and while some people would call that cowardice for not being out and proud of who he is, I don't agree with that.

 

I blame Paula for Billy staying in his glass closet.  Her attitude doesn't give him any indication that she'd give him the support he needs if he ever came out, so of course he wouldn't.  I wish she'd get her head out of the Pastor's ass long enough to see the damage she's doing to her son, but I don't see that happening unless Billy did something drastic.  Personally I think that's what the next chapter will be about, but we'll see.

 

I keep wishing Billy just got up and walked out of that fucking church during one of their anti-gay sermons.

 

Edited by Shadow086
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It's always interesting to see what developments in each chapter gets highlighted in your comments, friends!

 

Here's the thing with Dustin.  He just went through the most violent and harrowing experience in his life.  He's got major PTSD going on.  His ranting at Billy came right after he'd just recounted the brutality of what his father did to him, the brutality that led him to try to kill himself.  He has been betrayed in the worst possible ways.  The people who were supposed to protect and love him are the very ones who wounded him and turned him into what he's become.  He's been violated, tortured, and abused.  The most mature and reasonable of adults would have a rough time trying to process everything after what he went through.  In his mind, Billy should have saved him somehow like a Prince Charming in a fairy tale.  But Billy is just a kid.  Everything seemed so clear as to why he never told anybody about what Dustin was doing.  It all made sense.  Then things spiraled out-of-control.  Of course Billy would have said something if he'd known how bad it was going to get, but how could he have expected what happen?  Dustin, with the benefit of hindsight, thinks Billy should have saved him from what happened to him.  In Dustin's pain-medicated mind, Billy's just as bad as the people who abused him, not because of anything he did, but because he didn't live up to Dustin's expectations of him.  He's not thinking logically, but emotionally.  Brett was right.  Even if Billy had spoke up, things were destined to crash eventually.

 

I enjoyed the interaction between Billy and Brett in this chapter.  Brett is becoming his own man, much more confident in himself and comfortable in his relationship with Billy.  I think that is the reason why he was so quick to answer Billy's question.  Billy is still a boy who is not comfortable living in his own skin.  While both Brett and Dustin use the word "coward" to describe Billy, I think they are seeing different aspects of Billy's character to draw that conclusion.  Dustin sees the hero who failed to save him, just like he failed to save Brett until the last minute.  Brett, who knows Billy much more deeply than Dustin, sees the young man who constantly doubts himself.  He tells Billy that he's attractive, that even other people are noticing his cute features, and Billy brushes aside the compliment.  He refuses to see himself as anything besides a loser who no one likes and who everyone will hate when they discover the "real" him.  What Brett means by Billy's cowardice is really his pitiful sense of self esteem.  When Dustin beat him down, Brett picked himself back up.  When Dustin beat Billy down (verbally), Billy lacked the strength to get back up.  Brett is convinced that if Billy were more confident then they could be more open in their relationship, and his impulsive nature doesn't care what the consequences of that openness would be.

 

 

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Exactly, @jkwsquirrel.  Dustin always saw Billy as his knight in shining armour, and it's when that illusion was broken that everything went to hell.  Now Dustin sees that Billy's only human, but I don't know if what he told Billy is what he really thinks.  I don't know how their friendship can make it through this, because Billy's not going to forget those words anytime soon.

 

While I like Brett's confidence in himself, I don't think he fully understands what it's like to live with someone like Paula.  I'm sure having to hear his mother parrot the pastor's sermon about gays does wonders for Billy's self-esteem.  And people are calling him a loser, but they don't like him it's probably because he's a dick and acts like he's better than them.  Brett doesn't think about the consequences while Billy thinks about them too much.  It's that constant overthinking that drives Billy to inaction and makes him look like a coward.

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On 8/24/2017 at 9:04 PM, Wesley8890 said:

Only three more chapter?!?!?! People might hate me for saying this but I'm finding it hard to have sympathy for Dustin, he's every bit the coward Billy is. Joeys family took a vacation, more like a running away. Maybe now though billy'll come out

Yep, only three more chapters... in part five.  And I don't hate you for your thoughts on Dustin.  He's a complex individual.

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On 8/24/2017 at 9:13 PM, Israfil said:

Amanda might have been the biggest shocker of this chapter.  I kind of assumed she'd run off and gone down hill.  I'm actually happy she's making a life for herself.  Not only that but she's not running away from how she treated Dustin  - many people in her situation would try to downplay their part in it but she just admits it.  I can definitely respect that. 

 

Her actually being nice to Billy after he spoke with Dustin certainly caught me off guard too.

Awesome!  See, Amanda was never a monster.  She seemed big and bad from the perspective of a couple of young boys, and she did torment her little brother.  But there was always love between her and Dustin.  Tough love, yes, but love nonetheless.  Of course she still thinks Billy is a loser...

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On 8/24/2017 at 9:19 PM, glennish said:

That was a very powerful chapter.  I can see why it was so hard.  We've always known Billy was a coward.  Dustin calling him on it maybe the tipping point for him. Did Billy not realize his cowardice?  Asking Brett and getting a blunt straight answer he seemed shocked. I hope he finds out he isn't as in the closet as he thinks. Bring on the next chapter. 

 

On 8/24/2017 at 9:27 PM, droughtquake said:

I think Billy’s surprise was more that others were aware of his cowardice. Billy seems to think he’s able to hide things from everyone else. He just assumes he’s so much smarter than everyone that they couldn’t possibly figure it out…

 

He seemed to ignore that Emily told Billy and Brett that she doesn’t care what they do with their ‘bananas’.

 

On 8/24/2017 at 9:40 PM, Shadow086 said:

Billy realised it, but hearing it so bluntly from someone he deeply cares about is much different from the way he halfheartedly admitted it to himself.  And I think he was shocked because he didn't expect Brett to agree so quickly.

 

I really think he realised just how much he let Dustin down, and he's going to try to make up for it by becoming the person Dustin thought he was.

 

This.  This is absolutely it!  You hit it right on the head!

 

On 8/24/2017 at 9:46 PM, glennish said:

Emily has known about Brett and Billy for awhile.  He outed himself to her at the volleyball practice. 

 

Yes, Emily knows and has known for a while about the boys.  That's why Brett is so open with her about the banana.  Of course, even with someone who knows about their relationship, Billy is guarded.

 

Billy feels terrible about what happened to Dustin.  He also feels responsible because he didn't speak up, but then, Billy often feels responsible for thing he had no control over.  What happened to Dustin was a case of things spinning way out of control that Billy had no way of stopping, but he feels responsible nonetheless.  Dustin is still processing everything that happened to him.  It will take time for him to work it all out.

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On 8/24/2017 at 9:31 PM, BlindAmbition said:

So much in this chapter. joey and his family skipping town... Good riddance! 
Brother and sister Amanda and Dustin. Both having their own version of HELL! Can Amanda be the light to give Dustin hope? 
Thank you for adding a little levity. The scene with the banana was hilarious... 

Thanks!  It was fun to just allow the boys to be boys for a while and not be caught up in all the drama.  There's a reason they fell in love with each other, and moments like the banana incident reveal why they are a couple.

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On 8/24/2017 at 9:30 PM, droughtquake said:

Proof that I’m not good at deconstruction!  ;-)

Nah, once a story is in the hands of the reader, it's theirs.  You can see things the author never intended and that's cool.  Also, just because the author says, "this is what this means," doesn't make it so.  It's art.  Meaning has many dimensions.

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12 minutes ago, jkwsquirrel said:

 

 

 

 

Yes, Emily knows and has known for a while about the boys.  That's why Brett is so open with her about the banana.  Of course, even with someone who knows about their relationship, Billy is guarded.

 

Billy feels terrible about what happened to Dustin.  He also feels responsible because he didn't speak up, but then, Billy often feels responsible for thing he had no control over.  What happened to Dustin was a case of things spinning way out of control that Billy had no way of stopping, but he feels responsible nonetheless.  Dustin is still processing everything that happened to him.  It will take time for him to work it all out.

And when he does have control over things, he just sits there hoping the problem will go away if he ignores it.  That's what's annoying about Billy.  I'll take your word for how Billy feels about this, but I'd also consider that he feels terrible because he didn't see how bad Dustin's situation really was, and as his best friend he feels he should have seen it.

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On 8/24/2017 at 9:32 PM, Shadow086 said:

I don't really know what to say, that was...

 

I hope Dustin finally hit the bottom of the barrel, and things just get better from here.

Like @Israfil, I also have newfound respect for Amanda.  I don't think she knew how bad things really were, especially since she left.

 

I noticed that in many ways Dustin's speech was the same as Joey's.  But coming from Dustin, it really got through to him.  And I can tell it hurt Billy to his core.  I hope we see Dustin again and he doesn't turn into a complete asshole to Billy.  Maybe Billy is better off keeping his distance and sort out his own problems before trying to contact Dustin again.

 

I'm glad Billy has Brett by his side right now, and I think Dustin's words are going to make him decide to come out.  If Dustin ever meets Billy again, he'll be a different person than the coward in that hospital room.

 

Edit:  Almost forgot about the next chapter title.  With Dustin out of the picture, and the things he said bouncing around in Dustin's mind, I think this is when he comes out to Paula.  Or maybe he finds out about her and Pastor Carl.  Either way, Paula's involved.  I'm starting to think it's not what we're led to believe, but that she's actually talking with the pastor to find a way to 'cure' Billy of his sinful lifestyle.  She only wants what's best for him, after all.

I don't see how things can get much worse for Dustin.  Hopefully he can find a way that leads to redemption and can fill the emptiness he feels.  There are some parallels between Joey's rant and Dustin's.  They've both known Billy and his parents for a long time.  I found it ironic that the very things he bitches about his parents are traits which he himself displays, and that his friends find irritating in him.  As for the next chapter, Paula is not the mother you're looking for.  I like your theory about Paula and Pastor Carl.

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On 8/24/2017 at 9:41 PM, JayT said:

Jeff :(...My poor Dustin is never going to be the same is he? I don't know why you hate him so much....oh wait, I remember, you CLAIM that he stole your lunch money, but I've never seen any proof of that. Good job, even though I'm spiraling down a pit of despair after reading that. ;) 

Music plays a big part in helping to get me into a mind frame to write.  For this chapter, I found inspiration in a line from the Metallica song "Fade to Black."

 

"Emptiness is filling me to the point of agony."

 

I think Dustin would almost rather face the abuse of his father than face the emptiness he feels.  He feels like he's even given his soul away.  To quote another Metallica song, "One:"

 

"Darkness, imprisoning me, all that I see, absolute horror.  I cannot live. I cannot die.  Trapped in myself.  Body my holding cell."

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On 8/24/2017 at 9:49 PM, Shadow086 said:

By the way, @droughtquake, Billy's little "OMG, how did they know?!" is getting a bit annoying because you'd think he figured out by now that people can read him like an open book.  He's going to come out at school and people are just going to shrug and go "Yeah, we've known that for months", then Billy will be all shocked again.

 

On 8/24/2017 at 9:53 PM, glennish said:

The only person who should "know" and seems to be blindly ignorant is Paula.  

That's kind of the vibe I'm after.  In that area Dustin was right about Billy.  He wants so desperately to belong and be one of the "normals."  Paula and Billy both have a longing to be accepted, and are willing to hurt their loved ones to get that acceptance.  In other words, they're willing to hurt the ones who already accept and love them in order to gain acceptance and love from people who don't accept them already as they are.

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On 8/24/2017 at 11:40 PM, Okiegrad said:

Wow, so much happening.  Brett has to be one of my favorite characters in any story I've read.  He's so honest and up front with his thoughts. He doesn't hide or pretend or care about hiding the truth.   I'm also really fearful that Billy's mom is having an affair with the crazy Pastor.  Something is way off with those two.

Thank you so much!  It's good to see some love for one of my favorite characters!

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On 8/25/2017 at 0:08 AM, Benji said:

B)..........So that settles lock down question and so far Billy has not felt any repercussions except maybe the truth being thrown at him by Dustin and Brett. I'm not surprised at Billy's naivety  as I said before, but you'd think after three people (yeah, include Joey) tell you about yourself you would get the hint. It took Dustin under ten minutes for a light bulb to finally go off. I'm thinking we won't hear from Dustin anymore, maybe an update on his status in rehab. but that is it. Can we send Joey to Military School ( :2thumbs: ). That would end his charade as the towns snotty kid. Then Billy's absence from his mother's church seems very likely seeing how he is so honest :rolleyes: Of course it might help if Billy finally comes out to everyone. Three chapters left?  Sounds about right.  Great chapter (and Joey deserves everything he gets!)  :P

Yes, I thought the title was self-evident, but I did enjoy the speculation surrounding a certain part of the anatomy being the titular "unit."

 

I don't know that many of us deal well with people telling us about the things that are wrong with us, especially when we know deep down that there is some truth to what they are saying.  While it would be nice to send Joey off to a deserted island, I don't think we've heard the last of him.

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21 hours ago, spikey582 said:

I don't know, I still have a hard time with these characters.  Everybody in the story is just so unpleasant ALL the time.  I get why Dustin was driven to attempt suicide, but am I really supposed to take his rant at Billy seriously?  I guess the other readers did, but all the actions of these characters in the previous books stand out in my mind.  

 

Billy should have told Dustin he knew?  When?  Mike told Billy about it during the period when Dustin and Billy weren't talking.  After Dustin physically assaulted Billy for being in a relationship with Brett.  After they started talking again, nothing Billy or anyone else said would've convinced Dustin to stop.

 

The issue of Billy's cowardice stands out in my mind as well, with which dear Brett is all to quick to agree.  The only thing Billy has been demonstrably afraid of that so can recall (and please everyone if I'm wrong or you remember something else tell me) is coming out of the closet.  That's not really all that uncommon for teenagers.  Especially during the time period this was written in.  

 

As Brett tells him he's the "reason" they're not out.  Has Brett met Billy's mother?  Or any of the assholes at that church he's dragged to every week?  Or his good buddy Joey?  If I was Billy I'd be terrified to say the word gay, let alone come out publicly about my personal preferences.  Per Dustin and Brett he's a coward for not wanting to air publicly what he does in private.  Imagine being Billy, seeing that Pastor renounce his own family member at that church, and his mother thinking that man walks on water.  From my point of view, Billy's instinct to keep private matters private is perfectly understandable.  His mother could try to have him kidnapped and sent to pray the gay away camp or something.  It's not about bravery but self-preservation.  

 

As for the rest of Dustin's rant, I still can't really take it seriously.  He's a coward for "letting" Dustin assault Brett?  No wonder he never did anything to help him?  Wow, considering that the person who finally did tell was Brett, and look how Dustin responded to that.  Let's not forget that Dustin had already physically assaulted Billy twice, when the poor kid was injured.  This feels more like Dustin once again lashing out and being an abusive asshole like his father, attacking those who are vulnerable.

 

Was there some truth in Dustin's words?  Sure.  Just like a FEW things Joey said were true.  But in both cases (especially Joey) there was so much malicious intent and bullshit mixed in it's almost impossible to sift through that to find it.  

 

Just had another thought here, does Brett have any idea what Joey actually said to Billy?  Does he know that Billy was dragged into a bathroom and accosted before he had the audacity to disrupt Joey's stellar reputation?  The reason I ask is, does Brett still consider that bottom-feeding, worthless excuse for a human being his friend?  Cousin or not, Joey has been bullying Billy for awhile, and that was the least of what that kid had coming.

Always interesting to get your take on things, my friend.  I think that yes, the boys are sometimes too hard on Billy, but that Billy does deserve some of it.  There is a mix of truth wrapped in their frustration and anger.  Joey wanted to hurt Billy because he doesn't like him.  Nothing worse than someone who you once thought of as a friend telling you, "I never liked you."  And Joey does know Billy enough to know where to hurt him.  As for Dustin, he just tried to kill himself, he's traumatized by what his father did to him, and he's searching for answers.  Billy was just the person in front of him at the time.  From what Amanda said, he is just lashing out at everybody, trying to make sense of what makes no sense.  As Emily said, it's like it's not even him.  He's mentally unstable at the moment.  So yes, while there was some truth to what he said, much of it was just pure venom directed, as you've accurately described, at someone who he knows can take it.  So much of his hate is meant for his father but is being experienced by those who love him.

 

As for Brett, I think you might be a bit hard on him in this chapter.  Previously, he's certainly deserved a more critical eye, as he was acting like a spoiled little brat.  But I think he's matured a lot since then.  I don't think he took Billy's concern about being a coward too seriously, given his flippant response.  It was the same way waaaay back in part one when Brett asked Billy with all seriousness if Billy thought he was weird, and Billy told him "of course" because he thought it was just Brett being Brett.  Also, I think it's pretty clear that Billy did not tell Brett everything about what Joey did to him in the bathroom, just like he glossed over what he and Dustin did the night of their sleepover.  I think that Brett just thinks that Billy feels for Joey the way he felt about Dustin.  While he had a very strong dislike of Dustin, he never actively wished him any harm.  He simply doesn't realize how hostile the situation has become, because Billy doesn't want to upset him.  Joey's certainly not going to tell him.

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58 minutes ago, jkwsquirrel said:

As for Brett, I think you might be a bit hard on him in this chapter.  Previously, he's certainly deserved a more critical eye, as he was acting like a spoiled little brat.  But I think he's matured a lot since then.  I don't think he took Billy's concern about being a coward too seriously, given his flippant response.  It was the same way waaaay back in part one when Brett asked Billy with all seriousness if Billy thought he was weird, and Billy told him "of course" because he thought it was just Brett being Brett.  Also, I think it's pretty clear that Billy did not tell Brett everything about what Joey did to him in the bathroom, just like he glossed over what he and Dustin did the night of their sleepover.  I think that Brett just thinks that Billy feels for Joey the way he felt about Dustin.  While he had a very strong dislike of Dustin, he never actively wished him any harm.  He simply doesn't realize how hostile the situation has become, because Billy doesn't want to upset him.  Joey's certainly not going to tell him.

Okay, that has been a big issue for me for awhile now.  Brett is stil friends with this homophobic, hypocritical creep who's been specifically targeting and attacking Billy for a couple of years.  Who sexually assaulted Billy in a bathroom and then verbally and physically accosted him before Billy aired a small portion of Joey's dirty laundry at that wonderful church.  I'm like this guy is supposed to be Billy's boyfriend and love him and yet is still friends with this guy and even is slightly defending him against what Billy did?  If Brett knew all this and still considered Joey his friend, I'd insist that he and Billy most definitely don't belong as a couple.  This settled Brett's character a bit for me because I'd been stuck on this.

 

That all being said, and this will continue to bug me without change and progression, when is Billy finally going to tell someone something?  People need to know what Joey has done and what he's going to do.  Will Billy ever tell?  He's now seen what can happen by remaining silent.  Will this FINALLY teach him a valuable lesson?

Edited by spikey582
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24 minutes ago, spikey582 said:

Okay, that has been a big issue for me for awhile now.  Brett is stil friends with this homophobic, hypocritical creep who's been specifically targeting and attacking Billy for a couple of years.  Who sexually assaulted Billy in a bathroom and then verbally and physically accosted him before Billy aired a small portion of Joey's dirty laundry at that wonderful church.  I'm like this guy is supposed to be Billy's boyfriend and love him and yet is still friends with this guy and even is slightly defending him against what Billy did?  If Brett knew all this and still considered Joey his friend, I'd insist that he and Billy most definitely don't belong as a couple.  This settled Brett's character a bit for me because I'd been stuck on this.

 

That all being said, and this will continue to bug me without change and progression, when is Billy finally going to tell someone something?  People need to know what Joey has done and what he's going to do.  Will Billy ever tell?  He's now seen what can happen by silent.  Will this FINALLY teach him a valuable lesson?

That's the thing, though.  I don't think Brett knows about any of this.  Joey certainly isn't going to tell him, and it looks like Billy (as usual) is avoiding the issue and doesn't want to tell Brett.  That's probably because he thinks Brett's going to go beat up Joey and he doesn't want Brett to get in trouble because of him.  Billy doesn't tell him because he always thinks that telling will make things worse.

 

So who else can Billy tell?  His mother? It's obvious she won't even listen to him.  His father? I don't think there's really anything he can do when Joey's parents are such "pillars of the community".  Billy basically stood up to the people who own this town, that might be the most courageous thing he's ever done, and it's going to bite him in the ass when Joey comes back.

 

I can understand Billy's reasons for not telling anyone.  They're stupid reasons, yes, but Billy doesn't see the big picture.  It's frustrating to see the boys constantly failing to learn from their mistakes, but I always try to see things from their point of view before being too hard on them for it.

  • Like 1
5 hours ago, jkwsquirrel said:

Yes, I thought the title was self-evident, but I did enjoy the speculation surrounding a certain part of the anatomy being the titular "unit."

As far as I was concerned, my suggestion was always a joke! What was the craziest interpretation possible for the title?  ;-)

 

But you could still make it happen! For his parents, it would ‘solve’ Joey’s sinful pre-marital sex behavior. And it would be extraordinarily embarrassing for Joey in Gym class when he had to change into his gym uniform and all the other guys noticed. And the gossip would be too juicy to not spread throughout the entire school like wildfire – I’m sure even the faculty would be talking about it, privately, amongst themselves anyway. Joey would feel like everyone was staring at him – and they would be, trying to see if it’s visible, no matter what he’s wearing. It would take a very long time for his notoriety to die down – and they’d talk about it at every class reunion too. Carl would applaud Joey’s parents from the pulpit for being ‘responsible’ parents.  ;-)

 

Of course that might even increase his appeal to his female classmates since they theoretically wouldn’t have to worry about pregnancy. But chastity cages do not prevent orgasms and we were all told in SexEd that semen deposited on the vulva lips could still manage to find its way inside and cause pregnancy. Men reach their fertility peak around 16 – it’s all down hill after that! It’s a good thing that most of us aren’t trying to get women pregnant!  ;-)

Edited by droughtquake

One of the themes that run through most gay stories is that youg gay guys are ok and should be accepted and i agree, but what makes me angry and sad at the same time is that old  gay guys are always refered to as perverts, why do we become perverts when we reach a certain age, being gay is ok if you are young and hot but not when you get over 40 then you are labled as a pervert even from other gay guys, i am an older gay guy and i am not a pervert just because i enjoy sex, one day all you young hot guys will reach a certain age and become a pervert too and you all bloody well deserve it.

  • Like 1
On 9/1/2017 at 5:22 AM, bubby1234 said:

One of the themes that run through most gay stories is that youg gay guys are ok and should be accepted and i agree, but what makes me angry and sad at the same time is that old  gay guys are always refered to as perverts, why do we become perverts when we reach a certain age, being gay is ok if you are young and hot but not when you get over 40 then you are labled as a pervert even from other gay guys, i am an older gay guy and i am not a pervert just because i enjoy sex, one day all you young hot guys will reach a certain age and become a pervert too and you all bloody well deserve it.

Don't worry about it Bubby!  In the mind of a 16 year old boy, everybody over age 20 is a pervy old man.  Just keep doing what you do, my friend.  Time does get us all eventually.


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