Leopard Spots - 10. Chapter 10

Tony was seated in the lounge room talking with Ty when Jim entered the Tenterfield Street house. Though still slightly self-conscious about showing signs of affection in front of others, Jim strolled across the room and leant over to give his boyfriend a light kiss on the lips.

“Your room is that away, Dad.” Ty grinned as he pointed in the direction of the bedrooms. “Just make sure you close the door behind you. I don’t want to be scarred for life. Oh, and you’d better make it a quickie, because we have to get ready for training.”

Jim scowled for a moment as he considered how to respond to Ty’s teasing. He grinned as he realised that Ty had forgotten something.

“Come on, Tony. You heard the brat; we’re being sent to my room.” Jim smiled at Ty. “Can you tell Peter that I’ve decided to skip training tonight? I’ve got other plans...”

Ty’s mouth dropped open. “You can’t!” He narrowed his eyes. “There’s no way you’d not go, so what the fuck are you playing at, Dad?”

Tony laughed as he stood up. “Ty, Jim’s right. He and I have other plans for the night. However, you don’t have to tell Peter; he already knows.”

“You’re setting a bad example for impressionable young players like me, so how about telling me what you’re really doing?”

Jim smirked. “I thought you didn’t want to be scarred for life?”

“Dad...” Ty’s warning growl told Jim that his young friend was becoming irritated.

“Jim’s got an appointment at the tribunal tonight, Ty. He has to be prepared to testify about that incident near the end of the game on Saturday.” Tony’s expression went thoughtful. “Though, your suggestion does sound like a much better idea.”

Ty’s mouth opened and then closed. He stared for a moment before chuckling. “Okay, I’d forgotten about that. You’re going to make sure the prick gets as many weeks as possible, Dad?”

Jim grimaced. “I don’t want to. I’ve already decided I’m only going to answer the questions asked. I’m not volunteering anything.” Jim caught Ty’s momentary frown and guessed what it was about. “Players’ code, brat.”

“Players’ code doesn’t apply, Dad. That protects other players for simply playing the game hard.” Ty rose to his feet and jabbed a finger in Jim’s direction. “What that prick did doesn’t deserve the protection!”

Jim saw Tony’s confusion. “The players’ code of silence means we give the other players the benefit of the doubt. We don’t stick a knife in their back, and if the situation’s ever reversed, they do the same for us. I’ll answer any questions asked honestly, but I’m not going to volunteer the information that the guy’s a homophobe who had it in for me all game.”

Tony frowned, but he nodded his head. “Your call, Jim. I don’t think you’re right, but use your best judgement.”

“See! Even Tony agrees with me.” Ty crossed his arms. “Tell them, Dad, and get him rubbed out for as long as possible. The code of silence isn’t absolute; AFL players have broken it when it’s justified.”

Jim shook his head. “No fucking way! If I did that, the news will be through the league before the end of the night. I’ll be ‘that gay footballer who’s so precious that he bleats about being called names that the rest of us get all the time.’” Jim dropped the airy-fairy tone he used and scowled. “I never wanted to be known as a gay footballer, brat, and I certainly don’t want to be known as the gay footballer who’s always complaining that opponents are homophobic. If the guy gets rubbed out, it’ll be because of what he did, not what he said. That’s the way I want it.” He fixed Ty with his gaze and waited.

Ty scowled, but nodded his head slowly. “I can see where you’re coming from, and you’re probably right.” When Jim continued to stare at him, Ty shrugged. “Okay, you’re right. That doesn’t mean I have to like it.”

“Fair enough.” Jim took a deep breath and forced his mind into better channels. “Tony, I believe Ty was sending us to my room. Let’s go. There are a few things I want to...er...discuss with you.” He winked, knowing Ty would see it and jump to the wrong conclusion.

Tony grinned. “Okay, Jim. Bye, Ty!”

The two headed to Jim’s room. They were pursued by Ty’s parting comment. “Make sure you close the fucking door!”

Once they were in the bedroom and the door was shut, Tony asked Jim a question with just a smile and a raised eyebrow.

Jim felt his face going red. “I wanted to ask you how things went with Pride FM.”

Tony laughed. “Thanks. I was beginning to wonder how well I really knew you.” He sat down on the edge of Jim’s bed and patted the spot next to him. “Sit down and I’ll go through the proposal with you. Overall, I think it’s pretty good.” Tony pulled out his phone and started searching through his emails for the one he wanted.

Jim sat next to Tony and tentatively put an arm around his boyfriend’s back. Jim wanted the physical contact and closeness, but he was concerned that it might be sending a signal that he was asking for more than he intended. The smile that Tony flicked him reassured Jim that everything was fine.

“Essentially, what the radio station wants is for you to take over as one of the players doing the Friday morning AFL-round preview. From what I’ve seen, there should be plenty of time to get from the radio station to whatever school you’re visiting that day, but if there’s not, you’ll be able to phone in for the segment. Pride FM also wants you to participate on an irregular basis with some of the other programs, depending on your school-clinic commitments. They want a certain minimum participating rate, but I worked out that you should be able to cover that with extra time during the school holidays if you can’t meet the requirement during the school term. They’ll also ask you to record some station promos from time to time as well other promotional work, all subject to your football commitments.”

Jim frowned. “What about Roger and Paul? They’ve been doing the AFL review for the last few weeks. I don’t want them pissed off with me.”

Tony started nodding. “I knew you’d worry about that, so I’ve already spoken to Roger. He’s happy to step back and let you take over. He actually said he thinks it’s better for you to be doing it because he believes you’re going to have more media commitments in the future, and this will help make you comfortable in front of a microphone.”

Jim stiffened. “More media commitments! I don’t want more. I just want to be left alone to play football!”

“Sorry, Jim, but I agree with Roger. You can do your best to minimise it – I’ll help as much as I can with that – but you’re now a public figure, and you’ll be asked for your opinion on anything to do with gays and sport from now on. You can’t avoid it.”

Jim wanted to bury his head in his hands, but with one arm around Tony that wasn’t an option. Instead, he rested his head on Tony’s shoulder and sighed loudly. “I hate this.”

“No, you don’t. You’re not comfortable with it, and you would prefer your privacy, but you don’t hate it. You hated the paparazzi outside the house, but being asked for your opinion occasionally...?”

“Okay, you’re right.” Jim took a deep breath. “What else have you got for me?”

“That’s it for the Pride FM sponsorship. There’s some fine detail in there that I’ll go through with you, but the core things they want from you are the AFL-round previews, promotional activities, and some broadcast commitments when you can.”

“What do you think?”

Tony smiled. “It’s a good deal, and it’ll allow you to do what you want with the school clinics. They’ve even gone so far as to acknowledge in the deal that those clinics have priority. They know how important those will be and want to support them. They tried to get you to include Pride FM advertising material as part of the clinics, but I talked them out of it. No one wants you to come over as crassly commercial, and that’s how too many people would take it if you tried something like that at a school, especially if someone is trying to find fault.”

Jim pulled a face. “And there will be people doing that.”

Tony nodded. “There will. Not everyone will be happy to have their child’s school being visited by a known homosexual, but that’s why you’re doing this. You want everyone to see that you’re just another football player even if you are gay.”

Jim grimaced. He knew Tony was right in all respects. “Okay, when do I sign?”

“Tomorrow at the club, if you like. The sponsorship starts in two weeks’ time, so you can finish up with your current job. The first week at the radio station will be light, since I told them that you’ve got other commitments that week, but you’ll be able to work around them.”

“What other commitments?” Jim tensed up.

“You’ve got a photo shoot at the club on the Tuesday, mainly in the gym – though if the weather’s fine, they wanted some photos out on the oval – and another at a studio on the Thursday. You’ll have interviews both days, too.” Tony paused to give Jim a quick kiss. “You agreed to two magazine deals, remember.”

“Yeah, I know. I just didn’t expect them this soon.” Jim sighed, and his head slumped back onto his boyfriend’s shoulder. “I didn’t want all of this.”

“We don’t always get what we want, Jim.” Tony put out a hand and started to stroke Jim’s leg. “Sometimes we do, though.”

Jim found himself grinning. Tony was right. There was one thing he really wanted, and he had that person sitting next to him. It only took a moment for Jim to take advantage of his physical training, and then that person was lying on the bed, with Jim on top. “Yeah, sometimes we do.”

* * *

Neil lay on the bed, hands behind his head, staring up at the ceiling. He was supposed to be doing homework, but his mind couldn’t stop replaying the incident with Clarissa and Liam at the end of the school day. Two things struck him, and he wasn’t sure he understood them properly.

The first was Liam’s reaction to Clarissa. He seemed terrified. Neil guessed that she had some sort of hold over him, but he didn’t know what it was. He assumed it was something she’d learnt while she’d been Liam’s girlfriend and that she wasn’t afraid to use it against him. The part that really confused Neil was that she’d used it to help him!

When she first told him what she’d done, Neil could only see how things could get worse. If Liam’s reactions extended to Doug and Rod, maybe she had done him a favour. If so, he would need to apologise to her.

What held him back from doing so immediately was the second thing that he couldn’t get out of his mind. Liam’s comment about Clarissa being right had Neil worried. It was clearly in reference to himself, so what had Clarissa been saying to Liam? Neil had been stewing on that question ever since he arrived home. He wondered if Clarissa would tell him if he asked, and if she did, could he trust the answer?

Neil couldn’t work it out. What he needed was someone to talk to, someone neutral who could help him sort out what was going on. Unfortunately, he hadn’t had someone like that for years. He couldn’t talk to his parents because he didn’t trust their advice. They had never given him the support he needed from the bullying over the years. His father had made some mild platitudes about standing up to the bullies, while his mother had told him to tell the teachers. Neil had done both years before and neither had worked. If anything, they had made things worse.

Neil turned his head to stare at the blank spot on the wall where he wanted Jim’s photo to go. He couldn’t put it up because his parents would ask questions, but he could imagine that it was there. He stared, not seeing the reality but viewing the dream. Jim would be able to help him, Neil was sure of it.

If only he had Jim’s phone number. Neil had considered asking Todd for it, but he had held back, not wanting to take risks with that fledgling friendship.

Todd...

Neil rolled over and grabbed his phone. He hesitated and then composed a text message. He read it twice before making himself push the send button. He didn’t really know Todd, but he trusted him. Neil’s major concern, though, was that asking for advice might be pushing Todd too hard. Asking for Jim’s number would definitely be too much, but asking for help with the situation at the school might be okay.

Ten nervous minutes later, Neil had his reply. He smiled as he read and reread Todd’s answer. Neil would have to wait until after football training that night, but Todd would ring him around eight to help him with his problem.

Finally calm enough to concentrate on other things, Neil clambered off his bed and went to his desk. He had homework that needed doing.

* * *

Peter glanced at the two assistant coaches who were seated across from him in his office. “...and that’s what I want us to concentrate on for tonight’s training. Any questions?”

“Who’s got Ty tonight? You or me?” Will asked.

“You. I want your opinion by the end of this week as to whether he’ll be ready for the forward line on Saturday.”

Will blinked. “Against Geelong? Are you really considering it?”

Peter nodded. “My plan is to start the brat in defence, but I want to know if I’ve got the option of moving him forward. With a bit of luck, they won’t realise what’s happened immediately, and that may allow us one or two quick goals. We may not need it, but I want to know whether the option is on the table.” He fixed Will with a stern gaze. “Got it?”

Will smiled. “Got it. His work ethic is great at the moment, so if I’ve got him for most of this week, he’ll be ready.”

“Confirm it for me on Friday.” Peter turned to Julie. “Once Will gives the okay for Ty to play forward, phase two of his training starts, and you’ll be taking him one session a week. You asked for him a few weeks ago, and you’re going to get your wish. We may eventually get his skills level up to that of the other midfielders, but for now we just want him to the level of being able to fill in when needed.”

Julie chuckled. “He’s not going to know what’s hit him. Dad will keep him in line if he pushes back, but he’s going to be worked hard.”

“Speaking of Dad, Jim won’t be at training tonight.” Peter caught Will’s raised eyebrows and shrugged in response. “He’s got an appointment at the tribunal for that incident at the end of play.”

Julie winced. “I’m glad it was only a minor cut. It could’ve been a lot worse.”

“I know. The umpires know that, too, which is why I’m hoping that guy gets rubbed out for more than just a week or two.” Peter flicked his gaze between his two assistant coaches. “Anything else?”

Julie grimaced. “Dave.”

“I want him participating as much as possible. When it comes time for contested work, send him off to do accuracy drills for his kicking. He’s still part of this team.”

“Can you tell us what’s going on with him? He’s one of my midfielders, but I don’t know if I can trust him anymore.” Julie glanced to the side to see Will nodding his agreement.

Peter frowned. “Sorry, no I can’t. He’s got a problem – we can all see that – but the details remain confidential for now. Even I don’t know much, but Dave’s seeing a professional on Friday, and I want to give him the time to sort himself out.”

“What about Saturday? Will he be playing, or should I be planning on him sitting on the bench again?” Julie held up a hand to forestall a protest, though Peter hadn’t planned to make one. “I know we didn’t need him for the last game, but Geelong’s a completely different situation. We need all our players at their peak against last year’s runner-up, and it’ll make my life easier if I know who I’ve got to work with.”

Peter pulled a face as he admitted that Julie had a point. “He’ll be starting on the bench. We’ll probably need to put him on, but I don’t want him playing a full game. He kept his temper for the short time he was playing on the weekend, and I think that will be the best way to manage him for now: short spells as needed rather than a long stretch on the ground.”

“If you say so.” Julie frowned for a moment and then grinned. “That’ll make things challenging for me, but I can work with that.”

Peter grinned back. “Even though he’s been told he doesn’t have to, I’m expecting Charlie to show up tonight. Jackie’s told him what he can and can’t do, so let him do whatever he’s comfortable doing. Keep him with you when he can’t join in so he can start learning things from your perspective. When Dave goes to solo exercises, Charlie can help out with gathering footballs and kicking them back.”

Will’s brow wrinkled. “Is that wise? Dave was the one who injured Charlie in the first place.”

“And Charlie’s the one who’s defending Dave from any accusations.” Peter saw the disbelief in both of his assistant coaches’ expressions, so he explained. “Roger told me that Charlie ran interference for Dave after the game on Saturday. When Roger confronted him, Charlie asked him to back off and give Dave space. The two will get along fine.”

Will shrugged. “Charlie’s too nice. That’s his main problem on the ground.”

Julie nodded. “Agreed. He needs to be more aggressive, but there’s still a lot he can do without it. He’s got a good head on his shoulders, and he’s great at reading the play.” She glanced at Peter. “So that’s why you want him with me: to help develop that ability.”

Peter nodded. “Exactly.”

“Then why has he been told that he doesn’t have to be here?”

Peter smiled. “Because I knew he’d be here, anyway. He’ll be setting an example for the others. The next time someone’s injured, they’ll know that they’ll have come to training, because Charlie’s set the standard.”

Will grinned and Julie laughed.

“You’re cruel at times, Peter,” Julie said once she stopped chuckling.

Peter shrugged. “My job is to get the best out of my players. You’re here to assist me make that happen.” He grinned. “If the players want to help, too, even if they don’t realise it, I won’t object.”

* * *

“Okay, guys, that was a good hard session. Stretch out those muscles and then go inside and have a shower. Charlie, be careful with that shoulder.” Julie stared for a moment and then headed over to join Peter and Will.

Ty waited until she was out of earshot before turning to his teammate. “Charlie, you’re a bastard.” He grinned while starting a calf stretch.

“What do you mean?” Charlie asked, clearly perplexed.

Deon glared from where he was on the ground, working on his leg muscles. “Stop picking on him, brat. Just because Dad’s not here, that doesn’t mean you can run roughshod over others.”

Todd laughed while working on his quads, resting one hand on Ty’s shoulder to keep his balance. “Ty’s right, but in the nicest possible way. Charlie, you’ve got an arm in a sling, and you still got out there and did as much as you could. The rest of us will have to be in a wheelchair before Peter will let us off lightly.”

“And even then he’ll make us do laps to build up our shoulder strength.” Roger slapped Charlie’s back. “Ignore them, mate. You’ve got the right spirit, tempered with enough common sense to know what you couldn’t do.” He raised an eyebrow at Todd. “Unlike some people”.

Todd held up his spare hand in mock surrender. “That was four years ago when I was an innocent young man with more brawn than brains. I’m older and wiser now.”

“Older and slower.” Ty grinned as he ducking away from Todd’s grab. “See what I mean!”

“You’re in a good mood, brat,” Roger said as he shifted to stretching his pecs.

“It was a good session, and Will said he wants me to concentrate on my skills as a forward this week.”

Charlie’s eyes went wide. “Does that mean he’s thinking of you for the game against Geelong?”

Ty shrugged before starting a stretch of his triceps. “I don’t know, but I think so. I have to admit that I’m getting excited for when it finally happens. It’ll be a new experience for me; I haven’t played on the forward line since I was fifteen.”

Deon snorted before grinning. “What about the other week when they moved you up for part of the game? Have you forgotten about it already?”

Ty waved a hand to dismiss the suggestion. “That was a practise match. It doesn’t count.”

The banter continued for the next few minutes until they had finished their stretches and were on their way to the change room and showers.

“Ty, have you got a sec?” Todd asked in quiet voice.

Ty glanced at the rest of the team disappearing before turning back to Todd. “Sure.” He held up both hands. “But if this about you getting too old to keep up, I’m out of here.”

Todd chuckled. “No, it’s about something else. You’re a natural leader, Ty, but I wonder if that extends beyond the sporting arena.”

Ty frowned. “I don’t know what you’re getting at.”

Todd grimaced as he turned and stared out across the oval, resting his hands on the metal rail that surrounded the ground. “Did Jim tell you about the kid at the clubroom after the game?”

“Neville, or Nigel, or something like that. Why?”

“It’s Neil, and he texted me before training, asking for some help with some issues at school. I’m going to give him a call as soon as I get home, but I’m wondering if it would help if you had a chat with him, too. You’re a lot closer to his age than me.”

“If it’s to do with school, Charlie would be the better one to talk to him. He can think rings around me.”

Todd smiled. “I had the impression that this was more about people at school than school itself. You’re a much better person than Charlie when it comes to dealing with people. Neil’s not a sportsman, though. How well can you relate to someone like that?”

Ty moved next to Todd and joined him in staring across the oval. The lights were starting to be switched off as they watched. The air was warmer than normal for the time of year, but Ty could feel the chill starting to seep in. “Probably not that well. I can try, if you want me to, but I don’t really understand people who don’t take an interest in sports.”

“Neil’s taken an interest in the team, so you’ll have that to talk about.”

Ty gave Todd a wry smile. “From what Dad’s told me, that’s because Neil’s gay and he’s now got a male role model to follow. Dad would be better talking to him, rather than me.”

“Jim’s not here. You are.” Todd sighed. “If you’re not sure, maybe it’ll be better to give it a miss.”

Ty stared for a moment while he considered Todd’s suggestion. “If you think it won’t hurt, I’ll give him a call. I don’t know if I’ll be able to help, though.”

Todd gave Ty a light slap across the shoulders. “Thanks, mate.”

“Answer one thing for me, though. Why are you taking an interest in this guy? From what I’ve heard, you barely know him.”

“I’m not sure. I just sense something’s wrong...” Todd shook his head as if to clear it. “He needs some help, but exactly what type has got me beat. Lorraine and I both sensed it. We’ve already invited him to spend a couple of hours with us and the kids next Sunday. He seems to be looking for something; maybe we can work it out and give it to him.”

Ty frowned. “What time on Sunday?”

“About two. Why?”

Ty grinned. “If you supply the food, I can probably join you for the afternoon. Karen will be working, and I’ll be at a loose end. I can get to know this Neil guy then.”

Todd slapped Ty on the back. “Thanks, Ty. You’re one hell of a brat.”

* * *

Charlie took his time getting ready for the shower. Undressing while keeping his left shoulder movements to a minimum was a challenge he was mastering. He already knew from the work with Jackie earlier in the day that he had a good range of movement before he’d feel any pain, but he didn’t want to risk inflicting any more damage on the torn ligament.

A motionless figure in the corner caught his eye. Dave was half naked, staring in the direction of the showers where all their teammates had already disappeared. Charlie frowned as he watched. Even though it would reinforce the view that Dave was avoiding Jim, he had expected Dave to shower with the team. It appeared that Dave might have a different opinion.

With a sudden burst of activity, Dave threw on a tracksuit jacket over his bare chest and tossed his assorted gear into his bag. He then headed to the door out of the change room.

“Dave?”

Dave looked back, his face contorted with regret and pain. “I’m sorry, Charlie, but I can’t. I just can’t...”

Before Charlie could ask him what he meant, Dave was gone.

Charlie finished undressing and picked up his towel, keeping his left arm steady against his body. He looked up and found Roger coming out of the shower area. Roger frowned as he glanced around the room, his gaze finally settling on Charlie.

“He’s gone,” Charlie said, knowing what Roger wanted to know.

“I thought with Jim not here, he’d...” Roger’s voice trailed off.

Charlie shrugged. “He said he couldn’t. He was going to, but something kept him back.”

“What’s going on, Charlie?”

Charlie shrugged again. “I don’t know. I thought I did, but I’m not sure anymore.”

* * *

“Thanks for calling, Todd, I really appreciate this.”

Todd chuckled. “No problem, mate. You said you had issues with a couple of kids at school. How can I help?”

Neil found his mouth going dry. Now that it was time to talk, he felt uneasy, no longer sure that the matter was important enough to risk losing a potential friend.

“Neil?”

“I don’t know what to think!” Neil blurted out. “I’m afraid that...”

“Afraid of what?” Todd’s tone was encouraging. “I’ll help if I can, but you need to tell me what’s going on.”

“Tomorrow is April Fool’s Day, and I’m afraid I’m being set up.”

Neil went on to explain about Clarissa and Liam, which, in turn, led to telling Todd about the years of bullying from Doug, Liam, and Rod. When Todd asked about his parents, Neil explained how their advice over the years hadn’t helped, and he had stopped asking.

Neil relaxed the more he spoke. Todd was a good listener, and simply getting things off his chest helped Neil put things into perspective. Eventually, after over twenty minutes of talking, Neil finally stopped.

“That’s a lot to take in. I don’t know these people, Neil, but my best guess is that Clarissa’s not conspiring with Liam. If they were still a couple, you’d probably be right to be paranoid, but I can’t imagine someone pretending to be gay just to set you up.”

“Liam’s gay. I’m sure of that.” Neil hesitated after he said it and then shook his head. Todd was right; there was no way that Liam would pretend to come out as part of a practical joke.

“And that means Clarissa is almost certainly on the level. The timing is suspicious, but my advice is to simply wait a day. If, by the end of tomorrow, nothing’s happened, then you should apologise to Clarissa and start to trust her.”

Neil tensed. It had been a long time since he’d trusted anyone at school. “She might be setting me up for something else. It might not be an April Fool’s joke.”

Todd’s smile could be heard in his voice. “And it might be an honest attempt to try to be your friend, mate. I can appreciate you’ve been burnt a lot over the years, but this sounds like it might be kosher. Don’t be too trusting, but let your guard down a little and give her a chance. You can’t have friends if you don’t take some risks. My advice is that this is one of those times when taking a chance may be worthwhile.”

Neil grimaced. He was so used to distrusting people that keeping people away had become a habit. “I’ll try...”

“Would it help if you had a chat with someone else, too? Get a second opinion, though it’ll mean explaining things to them, too. I can have one of my teammates give you a call.”

Neil’s heart jumped as he mentally crossed his fingers. “Who?”

“I spoke to Ty after training, and he’s willing to talk with you. He’s only a year older than you; he might have a better insight into how things are at your school than I do.”

Neil kept his sigh of disappointment from escaping his lips. Ty wasn’t Jim. “Sure, if you think it’ll help.”

“Hey, cheer up, mate! Everything will work out in the end. The very worst that can happen is that the status quo continues until the end of the year, and then you’re out of school and free to do other things. Have you thought about what you want to do for the future?”

“My parents want me to go to uni, but I need to get out of this house. I have to have my own place so I can live my own life. I can’t keep hiding who I am.”

“That’s short term. What about longer term?”

“I’d like to be an engineer...but I don’t see that happening. I can’t afford to stay here, and I can’t go to uni if I have to work to keep a roof over my head.”

“But you’ve got a goal. Keep that in mind, Neil, because it gives you something to aim for. Could you get your degree part-time?”

“I don’t know. I’ve never looked into it; I just assumed I wasn’t going to do it.” Neil felt a glimmer of hope.

“Even if you can’t, another option could be to save up and start your degree in a couple of years’ time. Get yourself a part-time job to cover the rent and get your degree that way. Don’t give up just yet. If you put your mind to it, there’s going to be a way to do what you want.”

Neil hesitated and decided against telling Todd that he planned on dropping out of school and wouldn’t be able to go to university. He didn’t want to get into an argument with someone who was trying to help him, forgetting that Todd had been there when he’d told Jim of his plans.

“Thanks, Todd, I really appreciate this.”

“Anytime, mate. If you need to chat again in the future, just do the same thing we did today: text me and we’ll make a time.” There was a short pause. “You’re still set for Sunday?”

“Sure! Pick me up at two where you dropped me off on Saturday.” Neil had asked Todd to drop him off a couple of streets away from his home. He didn’t want his parents to see that he’d been given a ride home, as that might’ve led to questions he wasn’t prepared to answer.

“No problem. We’ll see you then. I’ll call Ty now and give him your number. He should ring you soon.”

“Thanks, Todd!”

Neil lay on his bed, a faint smile on his face. If nothing else worked out, he thought he might have a potential new friend in Todd.

* * *

“...so be easy with him, Ty. I hadn’t realised just how bad things were when I spoke to you earlier.”

Ty pulled a face. “I’m not sure I’m going to be much help, Todd. I don’t have any experience with being bullied. The other way around, yes, but not being the victim.”

“You were a bully?” Todd asked, clearly surprised.

“Yeah.... Is it that hard to believe?” Ty didn’t like admitting to it, but he’d been forced to face up to a lot of things over the preceding weeks, and recognising what he’d done in school was one of them. He hadn’t previously told anyone at the club, not even Jim, but given Todd’s request, he thought he should say something.

“You were arrogant when you started with the club, but I didn’t think you were the sort to pick on someone weaker than yourself.”

“Not pick on, just put them down. Telling them that they were never going to be as good as me and that they shouldn’t even try.” Ty cringed as he told Todd. It was something he was now ashamed of. Jim had taught him about teamwork and how building people up was better than knocking them down. Ty didn’t bother to mention the homophobic taunts he used to use. The details weren’t important.

Todd’s reaction was unexpected. He laughed. “Ty, do you really think that’s bullying? You’re competitive, that’s all.”

“And if I tell this Neil guy that he’s never going to be that good and he should just give up, how do you think he’ll take it?”

There was silence over the phone line before the contrite response came back. “You’re right. Sorry, Ty.”

“I’d be better off talking to those three bullies. Maybe beat some sense into them – figuratively speaking, of course.” Ty gave himself a wry grin. “Unless there are no witnesses around.”

“Ty...”

“I’m only joking. Gee, Todd, get yourself a sense of humour.”

“Sorry, but I’m worried about Neil. It sounds like he’s all alone and he needs friends.”

Ty grinned. “Maybe Dad will let me keep him as a pet. What do you think? He’ll meet a lot more people that way.”

“It’s not a joking matter, brat! The kid’s desperate for help. He’s turned to me, a virtual stranger, because he doesn’t have anyone else. Don’t fuck him up, Ty!”

Ty immediately went serious. “I won’t. I still don’t think I can help, but I’ll give it a shot. Dad would want me to.”

“Speaking of Jim, is he back from the tribunal yet? It should’ve finished by now.”

“He sent me a text. The guy got two weeks, and Dad’s spending the night at Tony’s place. I’ll catch up with him tomorrow sometime, probably at the club.”

“Good, though the bastard should’ve gotten more for what he did.”

Ty shrugged. “I’m not going to disagree, but Dad said he was happy with the result.” He grinned. “I suspect that he’s happier spending the night with Tony, though.”

Todd laughed. “I’m not going to argue. Okay, I’ll text you Neil’s number. He should be expecting your call.”

“I’ll ring him straightaway.”

After ending the call, Ty started thinking about what he could say to Neil. He suspected that the most he’d be able to do is to be a sympathetic listener.

* * *

Alex glanced up from his textbook as the door to the apartment opened. He was expecting Tony, though not that early, but Jim’s presence caught him by surprise. “G’day, Jim!”

Jim smiled tentatively. “Hi, Alex. I hope you don’t mind, but Tony suggested I stay here the night.”

Alex pumped his fist. “Yes! Tony goes for the goal and scores!”

Tony rolled his eyes. “I thought I’d warned you, Jim. Alex has a one-track mind.”

Alex grinned. “Two tracks, but I’ll admit that one of those is stuck on sex.”

“When’s Ethan around next?” Tony asked as he headed to the kitchen. He glanced back to Jim. “Coffee?”

“Thursday night. He’ll drop in tomorrow, but he won’t be able to stay.”

Jim nodded his acceptance to Tony before turning back to Alex. “How’s Ethan?”

“He’s doing fine. Pissed off with his boss at the moment, but he’ll get over that. He’s got some overtime he has to do, which is cutting into our time together.”

Jim sat down on the couch near Alex. “What does he do?”

“Computers. He’s one of the operational staff where he works. They’ve got a major upgrade project going on that’s requiring some late nights, but that’ll only be for another couple of weeks.”

Jim gave him a wry grin. “Don’t bother giving me any details. I know enough to use one, and that’s it. If the computer breaks, I get someone else to look at it.”

Alex chuckled. “I know a bit more than that, but not a lot. In my case, I hand it over to Ethan with strict instructions to either fix it, or copy off the porn so I can put it on a new laptop.” He glanced at his textbook to check what page he was on, and then moved it to the side. “Enough studying. What are you and Tony doing here tonight? I thought you had training; Tony isn’t usually home until later than this on a Monday.”

Jim shrugged. “I had an appointment at the tribunal, so I missed training. Since it was almost the same distance from there to home or here, Tony suggested I spend the night.”

“And despite the terrible inconvenience of sharing a bed with him, you were too polite to decline.” Alex gave Jim a large grin.

Jim laughed, though Alex sensed a nervous edge. “Something like that.”

“I hope you got off at the tribunal.”

“I was a witness, not the one charged. He got two weeks.”

Tony came back at that point with two mugs. “He should’ve got more, but Jim wouldn’t tell them that the guy did it on purpose. If he had, the bastard would’ve gotten three or maybe four weeks.” He handed one mug to Jim and the other to Alex.

“Thanks, mate. I didn’t expect you to do that,” Alex said as he accepted the coffee. “What happened?”

Tony shrugged as he headed back to the kitchen. “I knew you weren’t going to refuse.” He returned moments later with his own mug and sat down next to Jim. “Jim got kicked in the head near the end of the game. The umpires saw it, but the tribunal wasn’t sure if it was deliberate or accidental. Jim said he didn’t know, so the guy was found guilty of reckless conduct, causing injury instead of something more serious.”

Alex winced and gave Jim a sympathetic smile. “Since you’re here, it mustn’t have been serious.”

Jim shrugged. “Just a cut above the eye. It’s already largely healed.” He glanced at Tony. “I honestly don’t know; it could’ve been accidental.”

“Yeah, right, and the bastard probably has a second job as a drag queen.” Tony glanced at Alex’s textbook. “What are you studying now?”

“Statistics. I don’t suppose either of you know anything about Poisson processes or Markov chains?”

“I understand player statistics. Does that count?” Jim asked.

“No, not really.” Alex lifted an eyebrow at Tony, who stared sardonically back. “Okay, I’m on my own, then.”

Tony laughed. “Well and truly. At least until Ethan can stay the night.”

“Now who’s got a one-track mind?” Alex grinned. “If you need extra condoms, let me know.”

“Just shows how much of a bad influence you’ve been on me.” Tony grinned. “Thanks, but we’ll be fine.”

Alex caught Jim’s flinch and guessed at the reason. “Jim, you can ignore ninety percent of what I say. Most of it’s just teasing Tony and isn’t meant to be taken seriously. What you two do – or don’t do – is something private between you and Tony. I may tease and pry, but I don’t need to know. You can tell me to fuck off, and I won’t be offended.”

Jim’s smile was weak. “Okay.”

Alex grinned. “Now that that’s out of the way, what’s Tony like in bed? Purely for academic interest, of course; I’m more than happy with Ethan.”

Jim laughed, this time sounding more natural. “I think the answer to that one is ‘fuck off’.” He turned to Tony. “Never, I repeat, never introduce Alex to Ty. I don’t think I’d like what would happen if those two got together.”

* * *

Ty frowned at his phone. He had an uneasy feeling about Neil. There was nothing concrete he could put his finger on, but Neil’s questions about Jim and Tony during the conversation had made Ty wary. He sensed that Neil’s interests weren’t completely innocent, but he didn’t know why he felt that way.

After a minute of thinking and not getting any further than that vague sense of unease, Ty sent Todd a text message to say he’d spoken to Neil, reinforced Todd’s suggestions, and then they’d had a general chat.

It was only later, when he was lying in bed, that Ty recalled something odd. At one point in their conversation, Neil had asked him about Karen. Ty hadn’t mentioned her before then.

How had Neil known her name?