Seth on the Road to Chaos - 8. Chapter 8

I almost skipped to my car. When I arrived, I turned and watched Craig speeding away. I know I should feel guilty, but I don’t. I just had a first-time experience with a hot guy. Unfortunately, it had to be with my sister’s boyfriend. Why couldn’t he just be gay? Then, we could do what we just did without feeling guilty. But I know I have to protect our secret. It would ruin both of us if anyone found out.

I also had another problem to worry about. We told Stacy that we were going to visit Roni. What would I say when Stacy asked me about it? I’m sure she would. She might even say something to Roni. Everything could backfire if she does, and Roni asks her what she is talking about.

Suddenly, my cellphone rang. I looked down and it was Craig. “Seth!” shouted Craig. “We forgot all about going to Roni’s.”

“I know,” I responded. “I was just thinking the same thing.”

He asked, “Do you know where she lives?” I told him I didn’t. He gave me the address, and he told me he would meet me there in about fifteen minutes. I put her address into my phone’s map. She lives only about ten minutes away. When I got there, Craig hadn’t arrived. I drove around waiting for him. I didn’t want to sit outside Roni’s house. She might look out and wonder what I was doing.

Five minutes later, I saw him turn onto her block. When he stopped in front of a house, I pulled in behind him. He jumped out and came to my car door. “I called Roni. She’s home.” Just then, she appeared at the door and motioned us inside.

She lives in a two-story home in a nice development. It looked much like mine. When we entered, I noticed that the house was nicely furnished. She pointed to a room off to the right and told us to have a seat. We entered into the family room. Craig sat down on a leather sofa, and I sat down beside him.

“Don’t sit there,” he whispered. “You’re too close.” I rose and sat in an armchair across the room.

Roni came into the room carrying three sodas. She handed me one, and then she sat down beside Craig. “What’s going on?” she asked. “I was kind of surprised when you called, Craig.”

“Um, yeah, well,” stammered Craig as he glanced quickly over at me. “Um, I was talking to Seth at the mall, and he said he needed to talk to you about the dance on Saturday.” He gave me a pleading looked and added, “Ain’t that right, Seth?” Roni gave us a skeptical look.

“I’ll be seeing him tomorrow at school,” she said. “I don’t know why you had to come here today.”

“Um,” stammered Craig. “He was wondering what he should wear. Everyone is wearing matching clothes.”

Roni started laughing, “We’ll, we’re not exactly a dating couple.” She looked over at me and giggled, “We don’t have what the other is wanting.” Her eyes widened when she realized what she had said. She felt she had outed me to her cousin.

“Yeah, well,” replied Craig. “You still should dress kind of like you’re on a date.” I don’t think he even considered that he had just accepted what Roni had said. Roni gave me a quick glance.

Roni rose and said, “Wait here. I’ll be right back.”

When she left, Craig let out a loud sigh. “Damn,” he muttered. “This ain’t going well. We should have come up with a better excuse.” I looked at him and nodded. It really didn’t make a lot of sense showing up on her doorstep on a Sunday afternoon pretending that I wanted to know what she was going to wear to a dance. I could tell by the looks she was giving me that she was skeptical of what was going on. Roni is also extremely intelligent. She can probably smell bullshit a mile away.

She reappeared at the door holding a dress. “This is what I’m wearing,” she announced as she walked around the room. I didn’t know what to say. It had bright strips with Pride colors.

Craig warned, “I don’t think they are going to let you wear that, Roni.”

She walked over to me and swung the dress in front of me. “What do you think, Seth? Is it too much?” My eyes widened. I was trapped. I glanced at Craig, hoping he would say something.

Roni began to giggle. “I’m just fucking with you guys,” she laughed. “I’m not wearing this.” I let out a deep sigh. “Cindy and I bought matching dresses to wear to a Pride dance later this year. I just wanted to see what you would say.”

“So, you’re not wearing that?” I blurted out nervously.

She laughed and replied, “Not unless you want me to.”

“No!” we shouted in unison. She placed the dress in another chair and sat down beside Craig. She patted the seat beside her and told me to join them.

I hesitantly walked over and sat down beside her. We began talking about the dance. She told us how excited she was to be going. However, she was disappointed that Cindy couldn’t be with her.”

“Seth will be a good second,” said Craig. “At least you know he’s not going to be trying to get into your panties all night.” She gave him a puzzled look.

As if to change the subject, Craig asked her what she was really wearing to the dance. “I’ve got his green dress I’m planning to wear,” she said. She looked at me and added, “But you don’t have to dress to match me.” I nodded my head. We talked a few more minutes about the dance. Roni asked about Stacy. She was interested in what she was wearing.

Suddenly, she gazed at my neck. She gently reached out and touched the area where Craig had given me a hickey. “What’s this?” she asked. She felt around it some more. “Who gave you a hickey, Seth?”

My eyes widened as I looked quickly at Craig. “Um, Um,” I hesitated as I tried to think of a quick explanation. “I was trying to get a box off the top shelf at Foot Locker. It fell and hit me on my neck.” I looked at Craig and said, “Ain’t that right?”

“Um, Um, yeah,” responded Craig nervously. “A box fell on him. I tried to catch it, but I was too late. Ain’t that right, Seth?” I nodded my head.

Craig suddenly rose from his seat. He looked at his watch, looked down at me and said, “I better get over to your house. I told Stacy I would stop by after we left the mall.” He leaned over, kissed Roni on the cheek and hurried from the room. Seconds later, we heard the door slam.

Roni sat and stared at me. I was becoming extremely uncomfortable. “What?” I asked after a minute.

She shook her head and frowned. “What is going on, Seth?”

“What do you mean?”

She rose and started pacing around the room. She stopped and looked down at me. “I mean,” she said, “How long have you and Craig been messing around?”

I jumped to my feet. “What?” I asked nervously. “What are you talking about?”

Roni walked over to the sofa and sat down. Hesitantly, I sat down beside her. I was afraid I wasn’t going to be able to deal with her questions. It was obvious that she had figured out that Craig and I had sex. She looked at the bruise on my neck. “Did Craig do that?” she asked softly.

I reached for my neck and felt it. What could I say? If I denied it, she would know I was lying. So, I remained silent. She looked sympathetically at me and said, “Seth, do you realize what you’re getting into?”

“What do you mean?”

“Jesus, Seth,” she replied angrily. “Craig is straight. He’s also your sister’s boyfriend. You’re getting into something you won’t be able to get out of.”

“We’re not doing anything,” I tried to convince her. It really isn’t a lie because what happened was a one-time thing. We were both just horny and things just got out of hand. It will probably never happen again.

She again looked at the hickey on my neck. She shook her head with a disgusted look on her face. She asked, “Did Craig force you into having sex?”

I didn’t know how to respond. If I said no, she wouldn’t believe me. I felt trapped. I trusted Roni, and I knew she could give me good advice. She was right when she said that I had no idea what I was getting myself into. She continued to stare at me until I answered. Reluctantly, I shook my head and muttered, “No.”

“Jesus,” she hissed. She rose and started pacing around the room again. Occasionally, she would stop and stare down at me. Finally, she sat down beside me. She sighed and said, “If someone had asked me an hour ago who I thought would be the last boy to have sex with another boy, I would have answered Craig.” She shook her head again. She asked softly, “Is Craig gay?”

“No,” I insisted. However, at this point I wasn’t even sure. He really enjoyed what he did, and he even indicated he wanted to do it again. I continued, “I’m not even sure how things happened. He asked me to go with him back to his house. We were in his bedroom, and I guess things just happened.”

“A straight guy doesn’t just have sex with another boy,” responded Roni. She looked at my neck again. “And he definitely doesn’t give another boy a hickey on his neck.” My face turned a bright red. She reached down and gripped my hand. “I can’t tell you enough to be careful, Seth. I’ve known Craig all my life. At one time we were as close as a sister and brother. If he feels threatened, I’m afraid what he might do.” She squeezed my hand tightly and sighed. “I’ll try to talk to him. Maybe he’ll tell me what is going on. I promise I won’t tell him that you told me you had sex.” She smiled slightly. “Well, technically you haven’t. Besides, I don’t want to know the details.” She squeezed my hand tighter. “Just be careful, Seth.”

“I will,” I tried to assure her. I looked at the clock on the wall. It was getting late, and Mom would have dinner ready soon. “I should be going,” I said. Roni held my hand as we walked to my car.

When I got in, she leaned and warned, “Be careful, Seth.” I nodded and backed out of her driveway. On the way home, I was worried that I had made the biggest mistake of my life. I should never have given in to Craig. I should have told him no, but I didn’t. I wanted it as much as he did. Now, I will have to live with the consequences of what we did.

Mom was in the kitchen when I got home. I tried to avoid her by rushing to my room, but she stopped me halfway up the stairs. “Seth!” she cried out. “I need to see you for a minute.”

“Just a minute, Mom!” I hollered. “I gotta pee first.” I hurried to my bathroom and locked the door. I stood in front of the mirror and looked at the bruise on my neck. It wasn’t too dark, but it was obvious that I had a hickey. It was round where Craig had sucked on it when he was fucking me. Roni didn’t believe it, so I knew no one else would believe that something had fallen on my neck. I reached into my pocket and pulled out the makeup Craig had given me. I applied some to the bruise. It helped lighten it, but it didn’t remove it completely. I went across the hall and searched the shirts in my closet. I pulled out a dark green shirt that had a wide collar. I had only worn it once because I didn’t like the way it looked on me. However, now, it came in handy.

After examining myself in the mirror, I went downstairs. “It’s about time,” my mother said. “How long does it take you to use the bathroom?”

I grinned and replied, “I had to take a shit.”

“Too much information,” she laughed and then gave me a puzzled look. She asked, “Why do you have on a nice dress shirt? Do you plan to go somewhere?”

“Um,” I replied nervously. “I may be going to the movies tonight.”

“With whom?”

“Um.” I had to think quickly. “Roni asked me to go see a movie tonight.”

“That’s nice,” she replied. “Isn’t she the girl you’re taking to the dance next weekend?”

“Yes,” I answered. “What did you want to see me about?”

“Oh, that,” she replied. She sat down at the counter. I sat down opposite her. “I’m going on a business trip this week. I’ll be gone for a few days. I’m leaving Thursday, and I’ll be home Sunday morning. I’m sorry I’ll miss seeing you and Stacy dressed up for the dance.”

“That’s okay,” I replied. “We’ll take pictures.”

“You’d better,” she said as a sad expression appeared on her face. “You twins are growing up so fast. It just seems like yesterday I was changing your diapers. Now, you’re going out on dates. Next,” she laughed, “I’ll be a grandmother.”

“Mom,” I assured her. “That’s not going to happen any time soon.” However, I was thinking that that would never happen, at least with me. I wasn’t so sure about Stacy.

“Anyway,” she continued, “Your Aunt Marie will be checking in on you each day. She’s agreed to come over in the morning and fix you breakfast before you go to school. Then, she and Uncle Steven will come after they get off work to fix you dinner.”

Aunt Marie is Mom’s older sister. She only lives a few blocks away. My cousins are older than me and Stacy, and they have moved away. My cousin Sarah is married and has a two-year-old daughter. Deborah lives in Phoenix. She graduated from college last year, and she is now a nurse there. Charles is a sophomore at the state university. When he was in high school, I used to go to his bedroom and play video games with him. However, I haven’t seen him in a couple of years.

Mom reached across the table and held my hand. “I want you to promise me, Seth, that you and Stacy will try to get along.”

“It’s not me,” I replied. “Stacy is the one who causes all the trouble around here.”

“I know, Dear,” she said. “Just don’t do anything to upset her. Okay?”

I smiled and said jokingly, “Why don’t you take me on your business trip? I could use a four-day vacation from Stacy, too.”

“I don’t think so,” she laughed. She squeezed my hand tightly. “Just try, Seth, to get along for four days. Promise?”

“I’ll try,” I replied. “But I can’t promise you anything. You know how Stacy is.”

“I’m going to talk to her,” she said. She then laughed. “I just hope I don’t come home to a homicide scene.” She looked over at the counter. “I better have Marie take all the knives to her house.”

“We’ll be okay,” I assured her. I knew it would be difficult. Stacy and I could barely get along in the same room with my mother. Without her in the house, I’m sure Stacy will try to boss me around. I would stay away, but Stacy depends on me to take her wherever she wants to go. One phone call to Mom while she’s away, and I would lose my driving privileges for a month. Mom hadn’t threatened me yet, but I’m sure she will before she leaves.

I grinned, rose from my seat and grabbed the largest knife in the knife rack. “I better take this to my room.” Mom laughed and grabbed it out of my hand and placed it back in the rack. I hurried from the room before she made any more demands. Although, she has several more days before she leaves. At some point she is going to sit me and Stacy down and read us the riot act.

The ride to school on Monday was boring. After picking up Maggie, she and Stacy talked endlessly about the upcoming dance. I don’t know why everyone is so excited about it. It is just a junior dance. I am afraid how everyone would act in the Spring when it is time for the Prom.

Maggie is going with Bobby. He is a classmate who we have attended school since the first grade. Everyone teased him about his small size until we entered seventh grade. Over the summer, he grew about six inches and gained fifty pounds. He looks a little bit like Craig, only he’s not as athletic. He is on the soccer team, but he sits on the bench a lot.

“He’s taking me to an after party,” squealed Maggie.

Stacy asked, “Who’s throwing a party?”

“Jim Owens,” she replied. “His parents are out of town for the weekend. You know we’re going to party our asses off.” She held out her hand for a high-five. Jim had thrown a few birthday parties over the years. His parents always went out of their way to make sure we had fun. For his seventh birthday, they rented a pony to give us rides in their backyard. If Jim was throwing the party, it meant there would be a wild time, especially since his parents wouldn’t be there.

“When I see him in school today,” remarked Stacy, “I’m going to see if Craig and I are invited.”

“You know Jim will say yes,” Maggie replied, “since they’re both on the football team. I bet the entire team will be there.”

“It’s going to be so much fun,” squealed Stacy. She held out her hand and high-fived Maggie again. I turned my head and rolled my eyes.

Ty, Maryanne, Jennifer and Sherman were sitting at the table when I entered the cafeteria. After grabbing a juice and donut, I joined them. I guess Maryanne would now be sitting with us for breakfast and lunch. Since Ty had asked her to the dance, they were acting more and more like a couple.

“Hey guys,” I said as I sat down. “How was everyone’s weekend?”

“Not as good as yours,” giggled Jennifer. She looked over and poked Sherman in his side.

“What?” I asked. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

She began laughing and asked, “Who gave you a hickey on your neck?”

I wanted to die. I had tried to disguise it with makeup and the green shirt, but somehow Jennifer was able to see it. The others leaned forward to see. I instinctively put my hand to my neck to cover it. Ty started to laugh. “Someone did give you a hickey!”

“I don’t have a hickey,” I insisted. “I was trying to get something off a top shelf in my bedroom closet, and a box fell and hit me.” Roni hadn’t believed my lie, and I was sure that they wouldn’t either.

Jennifer pushed my hand away and examined the bruise. “No, Seth,” she insisted. “That is definitely a hickey.”

Ty giggled and asked, “Did Roni give it to you?”

“Ewww,” squealed Jennifer. “What did you do? Have a threesome with Roni and her girlfriend.”

“That’s it,” I said angrily. “I told you what happened. If you don’t want to believe me, then go to hell.” I stood, pushed my chair back and stormed away.

On the way out of the cafeteria, I ran into Amber. My day had already gotten off to a bad start. I was sure it was only going to get worse. I was right.

Amber grabbed my arm and pulled me from the cafeteria. I walked with her to the exit, and we went outside and stood on the sidewalk. I quickly looked at my watch. First period would be starting in ten minutes.

“I’m glad I ran into you,” she said excitedly.

“Why?” I asked.

“It’s Blake,” she replied. She then told me that he finally came home around two in the morning. She said he was really depressed. He was supposed to be enrolled in school this morning, but he refused to come out of his bedroom.

I gave her a puzzled look and asked, “What am I supposed to do?”

She grabbed my hand and held it. “I think he likes you,” she replied.

I gave her a puzzled look and asked, “Did he tell you that?”

“No,” she said. “But I’ve known Blake since we were babies, and I saw how he was reacting to you at the pizza place Saturday. I’ve known for years that he likes boys, but you’re the first one I’ve ever seen him act like he did.”

“If you’ll remember,” I said, “He jumped out of the car and ran away.”

She replied, “That’s just Blake. That’s what he does when he gets confused.”

“So,” I asked, “What do you want me to do?” Amber asked if I would stop by her home after school and try to talk to him. She was hoping that I might be able to convince him to come to school tomorrow.

I shook my head and said, “I don’t know.”

“Oh, goodie,” squealed Amber. “I just knew I could depend on you.” She leaned forward and kissed me on my cheek. “I’ll see you after school. You can give me a ride home and talk to Blake.”

She rushed off before I had a chance to tell her I didn’t want to do it.