The Castaway Hotel - 2 - 10. Chapter 10 - The Trials And Joys Of Youth

The next morning the triumvirate went in to wake up Trey, but they gave him a break his first morning with us. All they did was pull off his covers and jump on the bed around him, but they didn’t let up until he was fully awake. Pat heard the commotion and walked down the hall to peak into the room. Graham saw him out of the corner of his eye and turned toward him immediately.

“We didn’t do anything bad, really,” he announced, with a scared expression on his face. “We just wanted to welcome Trey to the family.”

“You’re safe this time,” Pat told him, as he stifled his laughter. “They must like you, Trey, because you got off easy. We’ll tell you at breakfast about the things these three have done to us.”

“I guess there’s no need for alarm clocks with these guys around,” Trey added, as he poked playfully at the three boys on his bed.

“Only dad has an alarm clock,” Pat told him, “but these three usually have us up before the dang thing goes off. Right, Dad?” he asked me, as I walked out of my room to go down to the kitchen.

“Is what right?” I responded, puzzled, as I was still trying to shake the cobwebs from my brain.

“That our little monsters get us up before your alarm clock goes off,” Pat clarified.

“Did they get Trey already?” I blurted out, shocked. “I must have been really tired, because I didn’t even hear a thing.”

“We did it nicely,” Cole called out, from inside Trey’s room. “We didn’t do it loud or scare him?”

“Is that true, Trey?” I pressed, not totally convinced.

“Yeah, they weren’t too bad,” he admitted. “They just pulled the sheet off of me and danced on my bed until I got up.”

“Well, I don’t know if that means they like you or they’re playing it safe after what Pat did to them,” I replied.

“What did you do to them, Pat?” Trey inquired, curious about my comment.

“I’ll tell you at breakfast, along with everything else,” Pat assured him.

Before long the house was buzzing with the sounds of boys getting ready for school. I went down to start breakfast and the boys collectively filled Trey in about how lucky he was this morning. When the others had finished telling their tales of horror and concluded describing how Pat had paid them back, Trey winked at the trio and said simply, “Thank you for going easy on me,” before they moved on to the next topic.

About an hour later, I was striding into my office at school, so I could get things ready to register Trey, when a sudden concerned look came over his face. It suddenly dawned on me that all of us had forgotten to mention to Trey that I would also be his principal. After seeing my nameplate on the door to my office, Trey froze, with his mouth hanging open. It was then that I concluded he’d thought I was merely accompanying him in, so I could sign some papers to get him enrolled. It must have come as quite a surprise to discover I was also in charge of the place, but he kept it to himself and didn’t say a word. Besides Trey, only Cole and Graham still attended my school, as the others were now at the high school.

On the way home that night I heard Trey confide his shock to the others. “Why didn’t one of you tell me he was going to be my principal too? I almost died when I saw his name on the door.”

“I guess we never thought about it,” Ricky told him. “He’s just always been there, but it didn’t really make a difference for you, did it?”

“No, but I was just shocked when I found out. I thought it meant he’d be really hard on us, but now I think it’s kind of neat. Most of the kids at school seem to really like him, except for the troublemakers. I heard one of them say he think he’s a bastard, because he’s so hard on them, but they deserve it. Some of the kids I met today also told me I was lucky I get to live here. The things they said made me feel really good and I kind of felt important after that.”

“Well, don’t let it go to your head and don’t try to take advantage of the fact that he’s your dad or you’ll see the side of him that the troublemakers see,” Danny informed him. “He always told us we’d get no special privileges because of our relationship and that, in fact, he would expect more from us than the other kids, because we should know better. It is neat, but it’s also harder. Don’t forget that.”

“Thanks, I won’t,” Trey agreed.

“And don’t forget to call him Mr. Currie at school,” Graham added. “He makes us all do that, to show the other kids that he treats us all the same.”

“Oh, okay. I didn’t know that,” Trey admitted, “but that’s what I did anyway. I guess I probably did it because I’m not really sure what to call him yet, but I’ll remember to keep doing that whenever we’re in school.”

That evening went pretty much as usual, except that Trey went to his room to read after dinner, instead of coming into the family room with the rest of us. Later, when the boys began to prepare for bed, Kevin went to Trey’s room and asked him if he wanted to share the bathroom with him again. Trey readily agreed and they were in the upstairs bathroom together, when Dustin went up to take his shower. A few moments later, I heard some screaming and pretty soon Kevin came down in tears.

“What’s up, bud?” I asked him.

“Dustin got mad because Trey and me were in the bathroom together,” he sobbed out, with the tears streaming down his face. “I don’t know why, because we didn’t do anything. We didn’t even shower together. We just shared the bathroom at the same time. I just didn’t want Trey to feel left out.”

“Although I’m not sure I understand why Dustin reacts like he does,” I explained, “it seems to me he still has feelings for you.”

“But he keeps talking about girls all the time,” Kevin shot back, “but then he tells me he can see I want Trey and don’t care for him any more, but that’s not true. He’s the one who makes me feel like he doesn’t care about me any more.”

“Have you told him this?” I asked, hoping maybe he had discussed this with Dustin.

“Yes and that’s when he got mad at me,” Kevin responded. “I told him I thought Trey was nice and I wanted to be friends, but that I wanted to be with him more. When I called him Dusty, he screamed that he didn’t want me to call him that any longer. He said he only let me call him Dusty because I loved him, but now he can see that’s not true any more, he doesn’t want me to call him that from now on.” Kevin was having a tough time holding it together, as his chest heaved while he told me this.

“When I reminded him about how he was always talking about girls now,” Kevin continued, “and that he was the one who stopped loving me, he got even madder. That’s when Dusty told me that one of us would have to move out of the room, because we just couldn’t be together any longer. What am I going to do, Dad?”

“The first thing you need to do is give Dustin some time and space to calm down and think this through. You can sleep with me tonight or ask Danny if you can sleep with him, whichever you want.”

“I’ll sleep with you,” Kevin answered quickly. “That way Dusty won’t get any madder. If I sleep with Danny, he might think I’m after him too.”

“Good thinking,” I agreed. “Just give it time and things will work out. Where’s Trey and how is he taking this?”

“I guess he must be in his room,” Kevin answered. “Once Dusty and I started arguing, I think he took off and I guess I kind of forgot about him after that.” As Kevin told me this, I began to wonder how Trey was responding to what had happened.

“I’m sorry, Dad,” Kevin apologized. “I guess I was too upset and to think about Trey. I hope Dusty didn’t scream at him too.”

“Well, I’ll just go upstairs and find out for myself,” I assured him. “While I’m seeing how he’s doing, I want you to stay down here with the others.” Kevin nodded his agreement, so I headed for Trey’s room.

When I arrived there, I knocked on Trey’s partially closed door. “May I come in?” I asked.

“Sure,” he answered, although he looked surprised that I was the one who was there.

“How are you doing? Do you want to talk about what just happened?” I inquired, but he didn’t answer right away, so I pressed on. “Sometimes you have to trust people and talk about things or the problems get bigger. Why don’t you just tell me about what happened a few minutes ago?”

There was another slight hesitation on his part, but he finally opened up to me. “I’m not sure what happened, except I guess I kinda messed things up for Kevin. Dustin got mad at us, because we shared the bathroom together, but I don’t understand why.”

“It’s because Dustin and Kevin have feelings for each other and have had them for a long time, although Dustin tries to deny it most of the time,” I told him. “I believe Dustin is jealous that Kevin is being so nice to you, but you had no way of knowing this. You see, Dustin lived with Kevin’s family for a while and they were pretty close. In fact, Kevin’s father threw him out after he discovered the boys had feelings for each other. He also battered Kevin pretty badly, because of it. That’s how they both came to live here.”

“But we weren’t doing anything,” Trey blurted out, as if he were also trying to convince me.

“I know and I suspect Dustin does too,” I told him. “However, I think he’s just scared about losing Kevin and isn’t thinking straight. Give him time and things will return to normal.”

“I didn’t mean to cause any problems,” Trey added, trying to ease his conscience.

“I know you didn’t, and you haven’t,” I assured him. “Dustin just happened to use you as his excuse, but it could have happened at any time and with anyone else to whom Kevin was being nice. Don’t blame yourself and don’t worry about it. I certainly don’t want you to stop being friendly with the other boys because of this. Like I said, give it time and it will all blow over.”

“Thanks, I do feel a little better now,” Trey admitted. “I thought it was just me.”

“And Kevin thought it was him,” I explained. “You both need to just shrug it off and let Dustin calm down. He’ll come around. I’d bet on it.”

I left Trey and thought about going to speak to Dustin, but decided I needed to heed my own advice and let him cool down first. If I approached him now, I might just end up fanning the flames of this brushfire and turn it into a full-scale blaze. Instead, I’d wait and speak with Dustin either later tonight or tomorrow – playing it by ear.

I joined the others in the family room, until we decided to call it a night. Kevin was already in my bed when I got there, so I merely slid under the sheet beside him. Almost immediately, I sensed Kevin moving toward me, so I stretched out my left hand, slid it under his head and wrapped it around his shoulders. His head dove straight for my shoulder and I could hear the muffled sounds of his sobbing. I didn’t comment about this, since I felt he was trying to hide his tears from me, but I did pull him into me to let him know he was loved. I thought he had fallen asleep, when he lurched into a sitting position.

“Oh, shit,” he blurted out.

“What’s the matter, Kev?” I asked, concerned.

“I left something in my room and I can’t sleep without it,” he informed me.

“Well, why don’t you just go and get it,” I suggested.

“No, I can’t do that,” he responded. “If I see Dusty, we’ll just start fighting again and I don’t want to argue with him any more.”

“Do you want me to go get it for you?” I asked, already fairly certain about how he was going to reply.

“Would you?” he asked, while seeming almost afraid I might say ‘no.’

“I wouldn’t have asked if I wasn’t willing to go,” I assured him. “Tell me what it is and I’ll go fetch it for you.”

“Okay but don’t let Dusty know what it is,” he confirmed, nervously.

“I promise,” I countered, in an attempt to assuage his concerns.

“It a little velvet, drawstring bag in my nightstand,” he told me. “I sleep with it under my pillow every night.”

“Okay. I’ll be right back.” I strode down to Kevin and Dustin’s room and quietly opened the door. I was moving noiselessly in the dark, thinking Dustin was asleep, when he spoke.”

“Who is it?” he challenged.

“It’s only me,” I offered, feeling a little guilty I hadn’t knocked first. “Kevin wanted me to get something for him.”

“What?” Dustin wanted to know.

“That’s not important,” I told him, “but how are you doing?”

“Fine,” he answered, yet I felt his response lacked a sense of sincerity.

“You don’t sound fine,” I challenged, hoping this might lead to a discussion.

He didn’t reply, so I continued over to the nightstand and groped around until I found what I was after. As I turned around and prepared to slip out of the room, Dustin spoke again.”

“I just feel betrayed,” he told me, on the verge of losing it.

“I’m sorry to hear that,” I assured him, as I walked over and sat beside him on the bed. When he didn’t object to my being there, I reached out my arm and placed it on his shoulders. “I’ve talked to the other two and think you may have overreacted a little.”

“I don’t agree,” he stated, defiantly. “That’s two nights in a row that Kevin asked Trey to join him. I think he’s falling in love with him, Dad, and I just can’t handle that.”

“Are you sure he isn’t just trying to be nice to your new brother?” I pressed.

“No. I’ve seen the look on his face, whenever he’s watching him,” he admitted. “You can see it in his eyes. It’s the way he used to look at me. I can tell.”

“Well, he might be attracted to Trey good looks,” I conceded, “but I’ve spoken with both boys and they have each told me there is nothing going on…”

“Not yet, but it will,” Dustin interrupted. “You just watch.”

“I’d be willing to give you the same advice. You watch too and see if you’re not mistaken,” I challenged. “I can tell just by what he’s told me that Kevin has very deep feelings for you. He’s crushed and hurting in my room. He wouldn’t even bunk in with Danny tonight, because he was afraid you might misread that as well. Besides, I think you’re giving him confusing signals.”

“Why? What do you mean?” Dustin shot back, unable to grasp my implication.

“Well, you now act as if you want to be close to him, maybe even like a boyfriend,” I began, “yet you constantly keep telling us you’re straight and hope to get close to the girls at school. I think Kevin is confused about what to make of all this.”

“Well, I do want to have a girlfriend,” he told me, half-heartedly, “but I still have feelings for Kevin too. I don’t know. Maybe I’m bi. I’m just not sure. I don’t want to be gay, because I know what other people think of them and I hear what the guys at school say about Brandon, and sometimes even Danny. I don’t want them talking about me like that, but then again, I do really love Kevin and I guess that’s why I acted as I did.”

“Maybe you should let him know that then,” I suggested.

“I’m not sure I can,” he admitted, “at least not now.”

“And why not?” I pressed.

“Because I think he’s falling for Trey,” he confessed, while seeming to be hurting nearly as much as Kevin was over this.

“I’m not sure that’s happening,” he told him, “but keep your eyes open and you might be surprised by what you see. You might discover Kevin wants you more than anything else.”

“I will,” he agreed, “but I still think you’re wrong.”

“Well, at least give it a fair shot,” I encouraged him. “Good night, Dustin.”

“Night, Dad.”

Now that our conversation had ended, I left his room and walked back down the hall. Kevin was staring at the door as I entered, nervously waiting for my return. “What took you so long?” he pressed, as soon as I walked through the door.

“Dustin was awake, so I talked to him for a few minutes,” I admitted.

“What did he have to say?” Kevin countered, hoping I would tell him that Dustin still had feelings for him.

“He just let me know he was hurting too, much like you are, and he’s confused,” I explained. “Give him time, Kevin, and I think this will all blow over.” After saying that, I handed Kevin his little pouch. He took it from me and clutched it to his chest. “What’s in there, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“They’re things that I’ve kept, since Dusty and I first got together,” he replied. “It’s really nothing special, but each thing means a lot to me. There’s a poem Dusty wrote for me once, a lock of his hair that I clipped from his head one night while he was sleeping and a cheap kids ring. He gave it to me when we were younger and joked that it made us a couple. I don’t even think he knows that I kept it. I just can’t sleep unless I hold everything in my hand or put it under my pillow.”

“You know, it might help if you told Dustin what you just told me,” I encouraged him. “I think he might stop questioning your feelings for him, if he knew how much those things meant to you.”

“I can’t tell Dusty about this,” Kevin shot back, while looking apprehensive. “He’d think it was childish and that I was just being stupid about it. He’d say I was acting like a baby by clinging to such things, like a child to his blanky or pacifier, and then he’d want somebody else, someone who was more grown up and mature.”

“I don’t agree with you, so I hope you will reconsider about telling him,” I replied. “I think Dustin would feel honored and special because you thought those reminders of him were worth keeping, but it’s your call. Let’s get to sleep and you guys might look at things differently in the morning.”

Agreeing with at least that portion of my advice, Kevin cuddled up against me, with his little treasure bag clutched in his hand. It wasn’t very long before I heard his low, gentle snoring, which let me know he had fallen to sleep. I lifted my head slightly, so I could kiss his forehead, before joining him in the land of Nod.