You Promised Me a Tomorrow - 11. Chapter 11

When I awoke, I was spooned against Randy’s body. He had his arm wrapped around my chest, and I could feel his erection poking me from behind. I lay there several minutes enjoying the warmness surrounding my body. I tried to open my eyes, but suddenly remembered what had happened to me. Everything was blurry. I could make out the light coming from the window, but I couldn’t focus on anything else in the room.

I sat up and began to panic. Randy grabbed me and pulled me back down into him. “Ssshhhh. It’s all right, Baby,” he whispered reassuringly while he held me tightly.

“I gotta go,” I insisted, attempting to sit back up. He held me tighter, refusing to let me get up.

“You can’t go anywhere, TJ,” he insisted adamantly. “You’ve been beaten pretty badly. Your eyes are almost swollen shut. What happened?” I felt coolness on my face, and I realized he had put an ice pack on me.

“What do you think happened? Your dad saw how I live,” I replied sadly. “I really can’t stay here any longer.” I pulled Randy’s hand off my chest and sat up in bed.

“Do you love him?” I asked sadly.

“Who?” He sounded puzzled at first. “You mean Dean?”

“Yeah.” I looked away. I didn’t want to hear the answer.

“Listen TJ.” He reached out and lifted my head. “I’m not going to lie to you,” he said. “Before I met you, I’ve been to bed with a few guys. Dean was one of them. We’re best friends. We’ve known each other since we were kids. We’ve done a few things before, a buddy helping a buddy out.”

He looked at me and waited for a reaction. When I didn’t respond, he continued.

“Yes, I love Dean. But it’s not like I love you. I love him like a brother. What you saw was just us messing around. We do it all the time. It doesn’t mean anything. You’ve got to believe me. You’re now the only guy for me. I don’t need anyone else but you.” He grabbed my hand and tightly squeezed it.

I knew he was telling me the truth. Suddenly, guilt swept over me. Randy loved me, and I loved him. Yet I had let Carter suck me. I dropped my head in shame.

“I think I’d better go.” I didn’t think I was deserving of a guy like Randy. I knew sooner or later I would hurt him. All this time I was afraid I would be the one who would end up hurt.

“Don’t go yet. Please?” he pleaded. “Your clothes are bloody, and you need to clean up. At least take a shower.”

“All right,” I agreed, “but then I leave.” He nodded his head and got out of bed. He stood before me in his boxer briefs, and I could make out his hand being extended to me. I reached out and grasped it. He pulled me into a hug. I could feel him planting gentle kisses on my face. He stood back and began to undress me.

“I can do it myself,” I said rather harshly.

“I know you can, but I want to help you.” He carefully pulled my shirt over my head. Then he knelt and removed my shoes and socks. He stood and unzipped my pants, and then he pulled my pants and underwear down in one move. I was standing before him naked.

“Not the pretty boy now, am I?” I asked sorrowfully.

“You’ll always be beautiful to me.” He approached and held me tightly. My cock began to harden. I could feel his growing inside his briefs as well. He reached down and began stroking it.

“Not now, please?” I begged. I didn’t feel like making love. I was embarrassed by my appearance. I knew what I looked like last night when I saw myself in the mirror. It had to look worse as the bruises had darkened. I could make out Randy pulling off his underwear.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

“Taking a shower with you,” he replied. “You need my help.” He grabbed my hand and led me to the bathroom. He turned on the water. When the temperature was right, he led me over and helped me in. I felt him step behind me. He lathered my hair and began to rub it in. I stood with the warm water hitting my body, and Randy pressed against me rubbing his hands gently into my hair.

“Feel good?” he asked.

“Yeah.” I was purring like a kitten. “Really good.” I relaxed and felt his hard cock press against my ass. He let out a small moan. He rinsed my hair, grabbed the soap and began to rub it around on my chest. He put his head on my shoulder and washed my body until he finally reached my erect cock.

He put his hand around it and gently stroked me. As he did, he rubbed his dick between my butt cheeks. He didn’t try to penetrate me; although I felt him rubbing it against my hole. I pressed back more firmly into him.

He kissed the side of my neck as he continued to rapidly stroke me. Within minutes, I felt myself ready to cum. I leaned back, and cum shot out and splattered against the shower wall. Randy moaned, and I felt him shoot a large load onto my back. We stood breathless for several minutes before he began soaping my body again. When he was done, I turned and cleaned his body.

Randy gave me a clean sweat suit from his dresser. We then went downstairs. Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence were in the kitchen drinking coffee. Mr. Lawrence’s friend, Dave, was with them. He was the attorney who had arranged my bail.

“Sit down, boys,” ordered Randy’s mother. She walked over to the refrigerator, got out some orange juice and filled two glasses. She brought them over to the table and placed them in front of us.

“TJ. We’ve got to ask you some questions. I know you don’t want to talk about what happened, but you have to,” Mr. Lawrence insisted adamantly. “You were violently assaulted, and I can’t act like it didn’t happen. Will you please tell us who did this to you?”

I put my head in my hands and covered my swollen face. I had a big decision to make. Should I be honest and tell them what happened? Or should I make up a lie they would never believe? I was so tired of the life I had been living. I knew telling them the truth would mean going away to a foster home. But at the moment, I really didn’t care.

“Butch.” I whispered almost inaudibly. “He did this to me.” I felt Randy’s hand on my back, rubbing it gently. His father walked over and gave me a hug.

“Thank you, TJ, for being honest.” I spent the next half hour explaining what had happened to me over the past twenty-four hours. I didn’t mention the incident with Carter, however.

I described the conditions at home. I told them about my alcoholic mother and drug abusing brother. I even told them how I drank to escape my problems. They listened intently and only asked occasional questions. Randy held my hand the entire time.

“I guess we have enough information,” announced Dave when I finished. He had been taking notes while I talked. “I’m going to notify the police and have your brother arrested. They’ll have to talk to you, of course.” I nodded my head.

“Then I’m going to notify children’s services.” I dropped my head. Randy sensed my mood and squeezed my hand harder. “I’ve already talked to Milton and Evelyn. Unless you have an objection, I’m going to ask that the court grant them temporary custody of you. After that, I’ll move that you be given your emancipation. Since you’re seventeen, I don’t think it will be a problem. We’ll have to prove that you can take care of yourself, though.”

“I don’t know how to thank you,” I responded cheerfully. I was happy that I would never have to go back to my home. I didn’t care if I never saw my mother or brother again. I was worried that I might be a burden to the Lawrences. However, when I looked into their smiling faces, I knew they were happy with the decision.

“Well, it looks like we’ve gained another son,” Mrs. Lawrence announced excitedly. “This calls for a celebration.” She walked over to the cabinet, took out a bakery box and placed it on the table before me. Inside was a cake that read, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TJ. Tears immediately welled up in my eyes.

“We have two things to celebrate. We have a new son, and he just had a birthday.” She gave me a gentle kiss on the cheek. “And what’s cake without ice cream?” She opened the freezer and brought out a half gallon of my favorite ice cream- butter pecan.

“Evelyn,” laughed Randy’s father. “It’s only ten in the morning. Isn’t it a little early for cake and ice cream?”

“Nonsense,” she replied. “It’s never too early to have a party.” We spent the next hour eating ice cream and cake. My birthday was the day before, but I didn’t care. It was my first birthday cake and first birthday party. I was with my boyfriend and his parents.

“Happy Birthday, TJ!” Randy shouted, and then they burst into a round of singing the birthday song. When tears of joy fell down my cheek, Randy reached over and wiped them away.

It was the happiest day of my life. Taking one look at me, you would wonder why I would say that; but it was. I would no longer have to go back to the place I used to call home. Now I would be staying with Randy and his family. I loved being with them. They made me feel like I belonged. When I had given up all hope the day before, I had no idea it would end like this.

Just when I thought I couldn’t be any happier, Randy grabbed my hand and led me up to ‘our’ room. He stopped before we went in, picked me up and carried me into the room. We were laughing uncontrollably.

“Sit down on the bed, TJ.” He pointed to the bed, walked over to the dresser and pulled out a small gift-wrapped box. He walked over and handed it to me.

“I was going to give this to you last night at your birthday party.”

“What is it?” I asked while fingering the beautiful wrapping.

“Open it up and find out.” He sat beside me and looked anxiously at me.

I carefully unwrapped the gift. I was overcome with emotion when I opened the box and saw what he had bought me. It was a beautiful silver bracelet. On it was engraved one word:

TOMORROW

TOMORRO

                                                                                                                     * * * * * * * * * * *

The next few weeks flew by quickly. I was walking on Cloud Nine. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think that the cute guy I met the first day of school would be living in my house and sharing my bed every night.

Dave did what he said he would do. He went to court and got my parents temporary custody of TJ. TJ couldn’t be happier. He loves my parents, and they love him. I sometimes get jealous of the attention he is getting, but then I remember I have been the sole recipient of their love for seventeen years. I guess it won’t hurt me to share it for a while.

Dave also filed with the juvenile court a request for emancipation for TJ. Once it is granted, TJ will be completely free from his mother’s authority. He seemed happy about it, but occasionally I suspect he might miss her. She has been his mother for seventeen years. He can’t just forget about her, even if she is a poor mother. She was all he really had.

His brother, Butch, was another matter. TJ hated him. The police came to our home three days after he beat TJ. They had him write a statement of the incident, and then they took pictures of his face. He didn’t have to go to court because Butch’s court appointed attorney plea bargained the case. Butch was sentenced to nine months in the county jail for assault. I guess TJ’s past is finally behind him.

In school, all my friends keep remarking on how happy I look. Trisha even told me I had a glow about me. I don’t know what that means. All I know is that I am happy. TJ also seems happy. Occasionally, he will appear nervous and edgy; but I just figure he is still bothered by what had happened to him. Who wouldn’t?

He didn’t go back to school for about two weeks after the beating. He wanted his face to heal before he returned. He didn’t want people asking questions. Friends kept coming up to me asking about rumors they’d been hearing. I could hear other students making comments behind my back. It was hard to ignore being called a fag and listening to students talk about my boyfriend screwing me at night, but I knew I had to. If I responded, it would only make matters worse. My friends knew what was going on. As for the others- fuck ‘em.

Fortunately, I have a lot of close friends who support me. Dean is my crutch. I can’t go anywhere without him by my side. He and TJ are getting along really well. Dean comes home with me almost every day after school. They will play video games or watch movies together. Sometimes it is like I’m not even in the room. If I didn’t trust Dean with my life, I would worry that he is trying to move in on my boyfriend. Dean is just being Dean, and I love him for it.

I convinced TJ to finally go back to school two weeks after the incident. The bruises on his face were hardly noticeable. If you looked closely you could still see a little light bruising. My mother wanted to put some makeup on him to cover up what remained, but he thought it was a ridiculous idea.

His first day back went all right until lunch time. Most students didn’t really pay us any attention. Word had spread around school that we were boyfriends. I guess in the time he was gone, most students had accepted it. A few stared at us as we walked down the hall side by side. We heard ‘fags’ and ‘cocksuckers’ muttered a few times, but most students were polite. As long as we didn’t make out in the hallways, I don’t think they really cared.

I met TJ at his locker after fourth period. We were going to meet up with the group for lunch. We were almost there when we saw trouble ahead. Dennis Murphy, Deanna’s new boyfriend, and three other jocks were blocking the hall. Deanna was standing behind Dennis with her arms crossed and a smirk on her bitchy face.

“We don’t want faggots here at Eisenhower,” Dennis said angrily. The four moved forward and began circling us. Students, sensing a fight, began to close in around us. I was getting nervous. In a fair fight I might have been able to take Dennis, but it was four against the two of us. We were also trapped. Students were blocking any chance we had to escape.

“Look, Dennis. I don’t want any trouble.” I moved around so that I was in front of TJ. I didn’t care if I got my ass kicked. I just didn’t want TJ to be hit again in the face. His bruises had just healed, and I didn’t want him hurt again.

“Kick his ass!” A voice shouted from outside the circle. Someone from behind shoved me into Dennis. He reacted by hitting me in my forehead. I saw stars, and I felt was going to pass out. I lifted my arm and was getting ready to return a punch when I saw Dennis go flying backwards. Someone had thrown him into the crowd and slammed him against a locker. You could hear the thud of his body echoing throughout the hallway.

My eyes focused, and I saw Wilson’s huge back heading over to Dennis. He picked him up off the floor and slammed his body again against the locker. Dennis looked like a ragdoll as he fell to the floor. Suddenly, Dean stepped next to Wilson and pushed him aside. He grabbed Dennis around the collar and lifted him up off the floor. He then punched his fist into the side of his face. Dennis winced in pain.

“You ever touch my boy again, and I’ll kill your fucking ass! You hear me? I don’t give a fuck if you are dating my sister. Touch him again, Mother Fucker!” I have never seen Dean as angry as he was at that moment. For a minute, I was afraid he was going to carry through with his threat.

He turned to Deanna and shouted, “You Bitch!” She cowered against the locker next to Dennis. “I know this was your idea. The same goes for you. You ever do anything like this again, and I’ll kick your ass so bad, even Mom won’t be able to recognize you when I get through.” She grabbed Dennis’s arm. He pulled away and broke through the crowd of students. Deanna followed behind, shouting his name.

Students began to disperse. The excitement was over, and more urgent matters needed attention- lunch. Several students walked by and patted my shoulder. TJ looked stunned. I walked over and pulled him into me. I didn’t care if we were in a crowded hallway. Since everyone knew we were boyfriends, why did it matter?

“Are you all right?” Dean examined the quickly forming knot above my left eye. He was still breathing heavily. The adrenaline rush hadn’t left his body yet.

“I thought you were going to kill him,” I said.

“I thought about it. But that piece of shit isn’t worth it. He and Deanna deserve each other,” he replied angrily.

I looked at my big teddy bear and smiled. “Thanks, Wilson.” I really loved the guy. He was there when I needed him, just like he’s always been.

“You okay, Randy? TJ?” He looked at us with concern. We both nodded. “Come on. We need to get you to the gym and get an ice pack on that knot on your head. You’re going to have some kind of a shiner later.” TJ looked at me, and I thought he was going to burst into tears at any minute.

“I’m okay, TJ. Really,” I assured him. “Now you can play nurse.” I looked at him and wiggled my eyebrows. I winced as pain shot through my face. I guess I was hurt more than I thought. He looked at me with even more concern.

We went to the gym, and Wilson put ice on my face. I knew I would be the talk of the school with the black eye that had formed. I was curious what Dennis looked like. Dean had really given him a hard punch to the face. I’m sure he probably looked worse than me.

Trisha walked in with Steph, another of our friends. They were carrying several trays of food. She had heard what happened, and she didn’t want us to miss lunch. We sat on the gym floor and had a picnic. It was fun. It took everyone’s mind off what had happened.

That is, everyone except TJ. He kept looking at me with a worried look. I began to see that familiar doubt creeping back into his face.

  for reading You Promised Me a Tomorrow