Leopard Spots - 27. Chapter 27

Neil gave his room one last glance. He didn’t expect to be back, and he wanted to make sure he wasn’t leaving anything important. He would’ve preferred to leave his school backpack and books behind, but he knew that both Todd and Jim would insist he continue to go to school.

Neil glanced nervously at the door. He had moved his dresser across to block it, but he didn’t know how soon it would be before his parents tried to enter. That uncertainty had meant that all he could do was to throw a few things into a couple of bags and hope he had everything he needed. Besides his wallet, phone, the envelope with the money from Liam, and the clunky old laptop, that had meant a few changes of clothes and not much else.

He slipped open his bedroom window, carefully pushed out the flywire screen, and then lowered the two bags and backpack onto the ground outside. His parents had bought a house with old-style, double-hung sash windows; something that Neil had never fully appreciated before. It made leaving that much easier and quicker. Just as importantly, it meant he could be quiet.

A few minutes later, with the backpack on his back and a bag in each hand, Neil was headed to the train station. He had to get there as quickly as possible because he didn’t know how much of a head start he had. His parents might guess he was on his way to Lilydale, and all he could do was to hope he arrived before they did. Once he was away from the Lilydale train station, his parents would have no way of knowing where he had gone. Neil had never given his parents the addresses of any of the Leopards players.

While he had been packing, Neil had also been wrestling with a decision to be made. He knew he would have to leave his parents a note – not doing so never crossed his mind – and he had to work out what he would include. In the end, the fear of premature discovery led that note to be a single word: Goodbye.

* * *

The three guys at the Bronson Avenue house had just finished dinner when there was a knock on the door.

“I’ll get it.” Oliver stood up.

Todd grinned. “You just want to get out of cleaning up the dishes.”

Oliver smiled as he lifted his middle finger in Todd’s direction and headed to the front door. He was still smiling when he opened the door and found a familiar young man, his head bowed. Two bags and a backpack lay at his feet. “Neil!”

Neil didn’t raise his head. “G’day, Ollie.”

Oliver frowned at the depressed tone. “Come in and tell us what’s happened.” He stepped aside to let Neil in and then changed his mind and reached forward to pick up one of the bags. His head hit Neil’s as they both went for the same object.

“Sorry!” Neil grabbed the handles of that bag, slipped his spare arm through the straps of the backpack at his feet, and then picked up the last item.

“It’s okay. My fault.” Oliver grimaced as he stepped back and rubbed his head. “I’m guessing you’ve been kicked out.”

Neil staggered past Oliver and then glanced around. “Where...?”

“Just leave them there. We’ll move them later.” Oliver raised his voice. “Todd, Paul! We’ve got company.”

“Who...” Todd paused in the doorway from the dining area, causing Paul to run into his back. “Neil?”

Neil lifted his head, gave Todd a half-hearted smile, and then dropped his gaze to the carpet. “G’day.”

Todd stepped forward and gave his young friend a hug. The bags in Neil’s hands fell to the floor as Neil buried his head in Todd’s chest. Neil was visibly shaking. “It’s going to be okay, Neil. It’ll all work out.”

Oliver caught Todd’s and Paul’s eyes. From their shocked expressions, they had also seen the large red mark on the side of Neil’s face. Whatever had happened, it hadn’t only been verbal.

Todd ushered Neil into the lounge room and onto the couch. Oliver noticed how docile Neil was being. He suspected Neil was in shock. “Would you like something to eat or drink, Neil?”

“Coffee...maybe some toast.” Neil’s voice had no animation and an almost dead tone.

“How do you want your coffee, Neil?” Paul asked.

“Black, please.” Neil glanced up, wild-eyed. “Don’t tell my parents where I am!”

Todd smiled. “We won’t.” He then pulled out his phone. “Neil, I know this is stressful, but I think it might be smart to get some photos of your face. May I?”

Neil’s head jerked up and down. “Don’t tell anyone I’m here! I can’t go back. I can’t!”

“We’re not going to make you leave, Neil,” Todd said as he raised his phone. “If you’d just turn your head so I can see the mark...”

Oliver stepped back. Todd was the person Neil needed the most. Once Neil had calmed down, they could find out what was going on.

* * *

Neil had just finished telling them what had happened when he suddenly stiffened. “I need to get online!”

Todd frowned. “What for?”

“Alf will be waiting for me. I need to tell him...” Neil stopped and then dropped his head into his hands. “I can’t! I can’t tell him. Not yet. I’m not ready.”

Todd used the arm that he still had around Neil’s shoulders to give the young guy a squeeze of support. “I don’t think it’ll matter if you miss chatting with him one night. I think the priority at the moment is to work out what happens next.”

“I can stay here, can’t I? Please, I’ll try to stay out of everyone’s way.”

Todd smiled. “We’ve already said you can stay. Don’t worry about that. I’m thinking more what we do tomorrow.”

Paul was thoughtful. “From what you’ve told us, your parents still don’t know you’re gay, and they don’t know where we live. That means there shouldn’t be any risks other than keeping you away from them.”

Neil stared wide-eyed at first Paul, then Todd. “You said I could stay here when my parents find out I’m gay. Don’t send me back just because they don’t know yet!”

Todd sighed as he pulled Neil into a full embrace. “Your father hit you simply because you’re friends with Jim. That’s close enough for me. I don’t want you going back; it wouldn’t be safe.”

“Too right,” Oliver said. “The bastard lost any rights as far as I’m concerned when he struck you. But Todd’s right, too: we need to work out what to do tomorrow. Should we get some extra people involved?”

Todd let go of Neil, though he kept one arm around the still fragile young man. “Neil’s father’s met Paul and Ty and knows of Jim. He’ll probably show up at the club tomorrow, so we need to alert Ty and Jim, at least. I’m trying to decide if we need to let Peter or Anne know.”

Paul cocked his head. “Why don’t I ask my sister to come over? Julie might be able to help us with that.”

Todd gave Neil a quick look, but it was clear to him that Neil wasn’t in a fit state to be making decisions. “Okay, Paul. Ollie, can you ring Ty and Jim and tell them that Neil’s here and we need them to join us as quick as they can.”

* * *

“Anne, can you please come down here. There’s a problem at reception,” Glenda Williams, the front office manager for the Leopards, said. Anne glanced at the clock; it was 9:30, Friday morning.

“I’ll be right down.” Anne had thought about asking for clarification, including why she was being contacted instead of either Eric Blackman, the club President, or Colin Mann, the manager in charge of public relations, but she trusted Glenda. If she was being asked to go to reception, it was for good reason. Legal matters fell into her bailiwick, so it sounded to her like there was a legal problem.

Anne paused as she passed through the doors and into the club’s reception area. Glenda was facing down an angry, middle-aged man whose stance threatened violence, as well as a distraught woman of a similar age that Anne guessed was the man’s wife. What made her pause, though, was that Glenda was flanked by Eric and Colin. Whatever was going on was big enough for Glenda to have called for all three of them to get involved.

“...I don’t know, but we’ll investigate immediately and try to find out.” Eric turned to Anne and gave her a faint smile. “Anne, please meet Phillip and Mary Rosewood. They claim that some of our players have kidnapped their son.”

Anne’s first reaction was to wonder why the accusation was being taken seriously. The police should’ve been called and the parents placated until they arrived. She frowned. There was clearly more to it than was immediately obvious.

“It’s that bastard Todd and his mate, Ty! They’ve corrupted our son, and now he’s run away. We want him back and those two arrested for what they’ve done!”

“Why haven’t you gone to the police? Why come here?” Anne asked.

Mr. Rosewood glared. “We went there last night. They said there was little they could do because it looks like Neil has run away, and that’s not illegal. But I know it’s because of those bastards! They’ve twisted his mind, and he’s not thinking straight!”

Mary took a step forward, her arms outreached as if she was going to grab Anne, but she stopped when Eric took a half-step to intervene. “Please, I just want my Neil back. I don’t know what’s happened, but I want him back home. Please, can you help us?”

Anne suppressed a frown. For some reason, she felt that she should know what was going on, but the reason escaped her. “Eric, the boardroom should be free. Why don’t we take the Rosewoods there while Colin chases up Todd and Ty?”

Eric nodded, a pleasant smile still painted on his face. “Mr. and Mrs. Rosewood, would you like to come with us? We’ll go somewhere more comfortable while we sort out this confusion.”

Phil slammed a fist down onto the reception counter. “I don’t want to be more fucking comfortable. There’s no fucking confusion. Your players have stolen our son, and we want him back! We don’t want him near those fucking poofs, that Ty guy and Henderson.”

Anne’s memory clicked into place. She remembered Neil and his problems at home. “Please, we all want to get this sorted out as soon as possible. Everyone wants what’s best for Neil, so let’s all calm down and make sure that happens.” She didn’t see a point in correcting Mr. Rosewood’s misunderstanding about Ty, and given the lack of response from her colleagues, none of them did, either.

Phil glared. “What’s best for Neil is for him to come home!”

Mary put a hand on his arm. “Please, Phil, this isn’t helping. They’re trying to help us find Neil. Please do what they want.”

Colin grabbed Anne’s arm as she started to follow Eric and the Rosewoods towards the boardroom. Mr. Rosewood was still grumbling, though most of it was under his breath. From what Anne could overhear, she didn’t want to know what she was missing. With Colin’s prompting, she slowed down, allowing a small gap to open up between her and Neil’s parents.

Colin leant across to whisper. “Neil’s staying with Paul, Todd, and Ollie. His father hit him last night after finding out that Ty’s a friend of Jim’s.”

Anne glanced at the group ahead and then turned back to Colin. “How do you know?”

“Tony contacted me first thing this morning. Jim and Ty went to see Neil last night.”

“Do you know where Neil is now?” Anne knew they didn’t have much more time as they were almost at the boardroom.

“Not sure, but he’s going to be with one of the players. They didn’t think it would be safe for Neil to go to school.”

“Find out, and get them to bring Neil here. We need to get everything out in the open. That’ll be best for Neil in the long run as well as being best for the club.”

“I’ll get onto it.”

Anne placed a smile on her face and entered the boardroom. Melissa, Eric’s personal assistant, was there ahead of her, asking the Rosewoods what they’d like to drink.

“I don’t fucking want anything to drink! I want my son!”

“Please, Phil, we’re doing our best.” Eric glanced at Anne. “We’re chasing up now to try to find him.”

Anne nodded. “That’s right. Colin’s contacting the players, and as soon as we have news, he’ll be back to let us know.”

“Why the fuck don’t you just get the players in and demand they give Neil back?”

“I’m sorry, Phil, but we’re not an AFL club. The players all have jobs, either part-time or full-time, and aren’t available whenever we want.” Eric glanced at Anne, clearly expecting her to continue the conversation.

She frowned while thinking quickly. She had to juggle privacy concerns while thinking on her feet. “Todd’s a full-time electrician. Paul and Jim should be on their way back from the radio station after this morning’s AFL round preview. Friday is one of the days Ty works, so the best option is to wait for Paul and Jim to get back. Unless they’ve headed off somewhere else, they shouldn’t be long. Regardless, Colin will be contacting them and asking them to come in.”

Mr. Rosewood glowered. “Tell them to get here as fast as they can or I’ll rip their bloody balls off! I’m tempted to do that to the bloody poof, anyway.”

“Phil, please calm down. These people are doing all they can. Threats aren’t going to make things happen any faster.” Mary flicked Anne an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry, Phil isn’t usually this rude. It’s just that with Neil gone...we’re both...” She shook her head, clearly unable to continue. She started to pull a handkerchief out of her purse but was interrupted by an embrace from her husband.

Phil was still comforting Mary when Melissa returned with a tray of drinks. After placing the tray on a side table, Melissa approached Eric and whispered something. She then left, closing the boardroom door behind her.

“Mel’s told me that Jim and Paul are on their way back and should be here in about ten minutes.” Eric smiled. “Mary, perhaps a nice cup of tea will help settle your nerves? I can understand your concerns. If anything happened to one of my kids, I’d be exactly the same.”

Anne wanted to leave so she could question Colin as to what was going on, but she knew it wasn’t fair to leave Eric alone with the Rosewoods. Besides the fact that Eric didn’t have any background on Neil’s situation, Anne was still uneasy with Neil’s father’s attitude. She thought it was safe to be around him, but she wasn’t certain. It was better to have two people around, so if it became a police matter, there would be a witness. Just in case, she had taken a seat on the other side of the boardroom table from the Rosewoods.

When the door opened, everyone turned to look, but instead of Jim and Paul, it was Zach, the team’s ruckman. Anne smiled, not only to see him, but also because she realised that Colin must’ve sent him in. Zach was the tallest player in the team and was an imposing figure. Anne’s only concern was that he was also young, only nineteen, and, outside of the playing field, was generally a nice guy. She wasn’t sure he would be able to apply the required force to Phil Rosewood if it was needed, but she suspected he was the only option Colin had available to him on short notice. The club didn’t have dedicated security personnel; they’d never needed any before.

“G’day, everyone. Colin said that there was a problem I might be able to help with.” Zach smiled at everyone, though his expression was tinged with puzzlement when he glanced at Neil’s parents.

Phil rose and glared at the tall player. “Where’s my son? What the fuck have you done with him?”

Zach frowned. “Who?”

“He’s talking about Neil. The young man who was the new runner for the game last Sunday,” Anne said.

Eric frowned, which made Anne realise that that was news to him. Thankfully, he kept his mouth shut; it was not the time or place to reveal his ignorance.

Zach’s forehead wrinkled. “Neil?” He looked at Anne. “Is he okay? He’s a nice guy. I’d hate for anything to have happened to him.”

“He’s disappeared. It seems he’s–”

Anne was interrupted by Neil’s father. “It’s you bloody Leopards! You stole him away! You’ve filled his mind with some fucking weird crap, and he’s gone! It’s you and that fucking poofter that’s responsible!”

Zach scowled. “I don’t care if you’re Neil’s father, you do not talk that way in front of Anne. I’ll do whatever I can to get Neil back, but you’ll keep a civil tongue in your head, or I’ll–”

“Zach, enough!” Anne glared at him and waved a hand at the chairs around the large table that dominated the boardroom. “Sit down and be quiet unless you’ve got something productive to say.” She turned to Eric. “Jim and Paul will be here soon. I don’t think there’s anything else for us to do until they arrive.”

“I think you’re right, Anne.” Eric smiled at Phil and Mary. “It shouldn’t be too long. I’m sorry to say that I don’t know your son, so while we wait, how about you tell me something about him? Does he play football?”

“No, he fucking doesn’t!” Phil glared at the club president. “Is that all you bloody people think is important?”

“Phil...” Mary smiled at Eric. “Neil’s not a particularly sporty person. He tends to keep to himself, but he’s been changing a lot over the last few weeks.”

“Yeah, too bloody much! It’s you Leopards–”

“Phil!” Mary scowled at her husband until he slumped back in his chair. She then smiled at Eric. “He’s been happy, the happiest I’ve seen him for a long time. That’s what makes this...this...” She sniffled and pulled out a handkerchief. “I don’t understand! Why did he run away?” She dabbed at her eyes and then blew her nose.

Anne noticed Zach straighten in his chair, but a touch on his arm kept him quiet. Eric continued to quietly question Mary, filling in time as well as presenting a sympathetic ear while not making any concrete commitments. Anne had her fair share of differences with the club president, but she knew he was a consummate negotiator and charmer. She suspected it was for that purpose that Glenda had contacted him earlier, so he could try to calm the Rosewoods while others found out what was going on.

Anne took advantage of the distraction that Eric was providing to whisper to Zach. “You’re here in case anyone gets violent. Keep your mouth shut and your eyes open. Hopefully, you won’t be needed.”

“Gotcha.” Zach’s expression hardened into one that Anne recognised as his game face. Phillip Rosewood didn’t know it, but he had just become Zach’s opponent for the day.

Five minutes later, Jim and Paul entered the room. Both wore expressions that showed that they knew what they were there for. To Anne’s surprise, they were followed in by Peter and Julie.

Mr. Rosewood jumped to his feet. “About fucking time! Where’s Neil? If you’ve hurt him in any way I’ll rip your fucking balls off!”

Jim scowled. “We’re not the ones who’ve hurt him. You’re the one who hit him last night.”

Phil took a couple of steps towards Jim. He only stopped when Paul stepped past Jim. Zach also stood up and moved towards them. “You’re the fucking poofter who’s been corrupting him! If you hadn’t done what you’ve done, I wouldn’t have needed to do anything!”

“Please, everyone calm down.” Eric scowled at Jim. “Take a seat, Jim” He turned to Neil’s father. “Mr. Rosewood, the first priority is finding Neil. Can we please put everything else on hold until we know he’s safe?”

Phil glared at Jim before returning to where his wife was now standing. They both sat back down. Phil took Mary’s hand and started to pat it. “It’ll be fine, Mary. We’ll find him and get him back.”

Eric turned back to Jim “Do you know where Neil is?”

Jim nodded. “He’s safe. He’s with Ollie.”

Phil made an aborted attempt to jump to his feet but was restrained by the grip that Mary had on his hand. “Finally! I want him here now!”

Jim’s tone was flat as he responded. “Ollie said that they’ll be here in an hour. They’ve got something they need to do first, and they’ll come here after that. Todd said he’ll be coming in, too.”

“An hour! What the fuck is going on?” Phil glared at Jim, who stared impassively back across the table.

“That’s their business. All you need to know is that Neil will be here in an hour’s time.”

“Fuck!” Phil turned to Mary. “That’s not enough time to make it worthwhile to go home and come back. It looks like we’re stuck here in this stinking dump for another hour.” He glared back across the table. “Fucking poofter. I don’t know what you’ve done, but I’m going to make sure you regret it, if it’s the last thing I do.”

* * *

“What are you two doing here?” Anne asked Peter and Julie when the Rosewoods stepped outside to go for a short walk. Zach had started to follow them out but stopped when Anne shook her head. Jim and Paul had left immediately afterwards to go see Colin.

Peter tilted his head towards Julie. “She invited me.”

“Paul contacted me last night, and I went around to see Neil. I was part of the council of war that was held to decide what we’d do.” Julie scowled. “I suspect Neil’s face has cleared up by now, but I saw what that bastard did to him. He’s not going to get a second chance if I have any say in the matter.”

“You’re part of this, too?” Anne asked. “I had the impression that it was only the players.”

Julie shrugged. “I met Neil over Easter, but I only really joined the pro-Neil camp last night. I wasn’t aware of his family issues before then.”

“Neither was I.” Zach shrugged. “I still don’t know what’s going on, but I’m not a fan of his father.”

Eric scowled at Anne and the two coaches. “Can someone please fill me in on what’s going on? It looks like the club is being dragged into a family dispute, and if so, I think I need to know about it.”

“The short story is that Neil’s gay, and his parents are homophobic,” Anne said.

Eric rolled his eyes. “I didn’t know about Neil, but I’d already worked it out about his father. What’s that got to do with the Leopards?”

“Neil came to the club at the start of the season to see Jim. As it turns out Todd and Ty have taken him under their wings and are looking out for him. Neil has been expecting to be kicked out of home, and Todd’s offered to put him up for the rest of the year so he can finish Year 12.” Anne held up a hand as she noticed Eric was about to say something. “The club’s in the clear in that respect. Legally, the contract is between the landlord and the players. The club’s not involved, even though we organised the deal. If Todd wants Neil to stay with him, it’s got nothing to do with us.”

Eric frowned. “Thanks, but that wasn’t what I was going to ask about. If Neil’s so sure he’s going to be kicked out of home, why are his parents doing so much to get him back? And why did Neil run away?”

Julie jumped in. “His father hit him. That’s why he ran. It was that stupid magazine article on Dad. Neil’s father saw it and found the picture of Dad and the brat. The brat’s been to their house, so Neil’s father recognised him. That brought everything out into the open. Well...almost everything, but Neil doesn’t think it’ll be long before his father finds out he’s gay. When he does...last night’s slap across the face is likely to be minor in comparison to what happens then.”

“Why didn’t anyone alert me before this? It’s better to head these things off before they blow up.”

“Up until now, it’s been a private matter. A few people knew, but everything was informal and off the record.” Julie shrugged. “Hey, I only got involved last night. I told Peter this morning that there might be a problem, but I didn’t see the point in bothering you or Anne if it turned out that nothing happened.”

Eric narrowed his eyes. “What’s Tony’s involvement? If Jim and Colin are both involved, Tony is going to be, too, but I haven’t seen him around, and no one has mentioned him.”

“He’s doing his job.” Julie’s belligerent tone indicated her rising annoyance at the third degree she was receiving. “Like everyone else, he’s doing today what he would normally do, which in his case is visiting potential sponsors. Those appointments had already been made, and he didn’t feel it would be professional to drop them for a private matter that doesn’t directly involve him. He said he’d discuss the situation with Colin before making a decision. Given that Tony’s not around, I’m guessing that Colin told him to go while Colin kept an eye on things here.”

Anne nodded her agreement. “Colin told me that Tony had filled him in this morning. Since no one knew that the Rosewoods would come here, it made sense that they didn’t alert everyone—just a few.”

“Where are Neil and Ollie now?” Eric asked.

Julie shrugged. “I don’t know, but I can guess. It was one of the things that was discussed last night if the opportunity arose.”

“Well?”

Julie bit her lip as she glanced at the clock at one end of the boardroom. “They should be about finished, so I suppose it’s safe to say.... They’re probably at Neil’s home, gathering together everything he wasn’t able to take last night when he ran.”

* * *

Oliver peered around the room. “Is that the last of it? What about this other stuff?”

Neil glanced at what Oliver was looking at. “I don’t want it. Mum might, though, so she can keep it.” He hoisted the two garbage bags full of clothing that he finished collecting. “Thanks, Ollie. That’s everything. If I’ve missed anything, I can buy a replacement.”

Oliver pulled out his phone. “We’ve still got ten minutes before we have to head off. It might be nice to clean up a bit before we go. Your mum’s going to be upset anyway; we don’t need to make her mad by leaving a mess to be cleaned up.”

Neil scowled. “She’s going to hate me. I know she will. What difference will it make if we leave my room in a mess?”

Oliver started shifting the pile of rejected items from Neil’s old bed to the closet. “We’ve got the time, and there’s no point in needlessly antagonising her. Come on, mate, help me clean up.”

Neil sighed. “Okay. But only because it’s you asking. I wouldn’t do it, otherwise.”

Oliver flicked Neil an annoyed glare before returning to his task. “You’re being immature. You need to grow up fast, Neil, because you no longer have anyone looking after you. We’re looking out for you, but we’re not your housemaids. That means you’ll be doing your own washing and cleaning and sharing the cooking. Your mum’s not going to be there to help, and it won’t be long before you realise exactly how much she’s done for you. You might have problems with her, but she’s still your mum. Don’t act like a spoilt brat.”

Neil grimaced for a moment and then his shoulders slumped. “Okay, Ollie. I’ll put these bags in the car and then I’ll come back and help.”

“Thanks, Neil. Leave the other bags for now; we’ll take those when we go.”

Oliver was surprised that they’d managed to get everything done. As soon as they had word that Neil’s parents were at the club, the two had headed to his old home. The opportunity to retrieve the rest of Neil’s belongings when they knew his parents were out was too good to pass up. The price was to agree to confront his mother and father afterwards. It was the only way to guarantee that they wouldn’t be interrupted while cleaning out Neil’s bedroom.

Neil hadn’t initially agreed, as he was afraid of his father, but then his resolve had firmed. He was going to come out to his parents and then move on. He didn’t expect his mum and dad to accept him, but he had somewhere else to stay and was prepared to continue his life without them.

Oliver still hoped that things wouldn’t be as bad as Neil made out. Paul, Todd, and Ty had all passed on negative comments about Phil Rosewood, but Oliver still felt that there was a chance that Neil and his mother would be able to reconcile. At least, that’s what he told himself as he tried to reduce the mess she’d have to clean up when she returned and found Neil’s room had been stripped of most of his belongings.

* * *

“Neil!” Mary raced forward, but pulled up suddenly when Neil ducked behind Todd to avoid her. “Neil?”

“Mum, Dad. Can we get this over and done with?”

Phil’s approach was halted when Paul and Todd both stepped in his way. Zach had been told earlier than he could leave, but he had decided to stick around. He stayed back, but his eyes never left Neil’s father.

“Neil, you’re coming home. I don’t know what the fuck has gotten into you, but we’ll discuss that in private, not here.” He glanced around at all the Leopards players and staff in the room, clearly aware that he was significantly outnumbered.

Facing Neil’s parents at one end of the boardroom were Paul and Todd, with Neil just behind them. Oliver waited by the door, while Jim stood to the side with Peter, Eric, Anne, and Colin. Zach was behind Neil’s parents, lounging against the wall.

“Sorry, Dad, but no. We’ll talk about it here where I’m safe. I’m not going to go home. I’m never going home again.”

“Neil, don’t say that.” Todd turned and frowned at his friend while still keeping a wary eye on Mr. Rosewood. “You can’t go home now, but don’t say you’ll never return. Never is a long time.”

Phil glared at Todd. “Why the hell can’t he go home now? What have you bastards done to him?”

Todd glowered back. “We didn’t do anything. You’re the one who hit him. He thinks – and I agree with him – that his life’s in danger if he goes home.”

“That was a terrible mistake.” Mary started to wring her hands. “Phil was surprised and upset. He didn’t mean it; he just reacted. He’s sorry,” she turned to her husband, “aren’t you, dear?”

Phil glared at Todd for a moment longer and then sighed and gave Neil an apologetic look. “I’m sorry, Neil. I don’t like being lied to, and when I found out the truth about your so-called friends, I overreacted.” He gave Todd and Jim another glare before turning back to Neil and screwing up his face. “Please forgive me?”

Neil scowled. “No one lied, Dad. We just didn’t tell you all the truth. What lies did we tell?”

Phil opened his mouth and then shook his head. “Okay, you didn’t lie, but you shouldn’t’ve been keeping things like that from me. Why did you do it?”

“Because I knew you wouldn’t want me to know him!” Neil pointed at Jim, though he kept his attention on his father. “And why wouldn’t you want me to know him? Because he’s gay. No other reason!”

“You know what poofs are like, Neil. I’m trying to protect you.” Mr. Rosewood glanced around the room. “This isn’t a conversation we should be having in front of all these strangers. This is a private matter and none of their concern.”

“These people are my friends. I want them here because I trust them. I don’t trust you. You’re right on one thing, though. I do know what poofs are like...because I’m one of them!” Neil started to drop his head, but then he straightened his back and glared at his father. “I’m gay, Dad. I’m one of those people who you want to rip their balls off and stuff them down their throat. That’s why I’ve been keeping secrets, because I don’t want you to kill me!”

Mr. Rosewood’s jaw had dropped. Nothing was said for a couple of seconds, and then his expression hardened. He turned and pointed at Jim. “You! You fucking bastard. You did this to my son!” He lunged forward, but was intercepted by Paul and Todd. Zach quickly moved up and added his strength to help restrain the struggling and ranting father.

“Neil, I think you’d better go,” Anne said. She caught Oliver’s eye, receiving a nod in return.

“Neil?” Mrs. Rosewood had approached unseen while everyone’s attention was on her husband. “Neil, is it true?”

Neil glared at her. “I’m gay, Mum, but Jim had nothing to do with it. I came here to see him the first time because I’m gay. I worked that one out years ago, but I never told anyone until I came here. The people here at the Leopards accept me as I am. They’ve accepted me as a friend, the first real friends I’ve had in years. I’m gay. I can’t change that. It doesn’t matter if you hate me because of this, but it’s who I am. I’m sorry, but I can’t go home. I don’t want to go home. I’m going to stay with people who care about me, not some picture of me that they’ve got in their minds that’s got nothing to do with reality.”

“Neil...I...” Mary Rosewood stared for a moment. “I don’t hate you. I’m not happy that...” She grimaced. “Please, just remember that I still love you.”

Neil stared. He swallowed once, and took a half step towards her. Another outburst from his father placed a scowl on his face as he glanced past her. “Goodbye, Mum.” Neil turned and marched out the door.

Peter stepped forward and put his face close to Phil’s. “You’ve got a great boy there, Mr. Rosewood, but unless you calm down, you’re going to lose him. I understand that you think you’re trying to protect him, but all you’ve been doing is hurting him. In a couple of minutes, after we’re sure Neil is safely gone, the guys will let you go. If you leave quietly, then nothing more will happen. If you try to become violent, the guys will hold you until the police arrive. Understand?”

The only response was a string of expletives. Peter stepped back. “Hold him for a bit longer, guys.” He turned to Mary, who was staring blankly at the door through which Neil had left. She was wringing her hands, while tears streamed down her face. Peter grimaced and glanced at Eric.

Eric sighed and stepped forward. “Mrs. Rosewood, I’m sorry, but if you truly love your son, be patient. He seems a good kid. When he feels it’s safe, he’ll come back to you. Have faith.”

She stared at him blankly for a couple of seconds and then nodded her head. “Thank you.” She glanced at the door once more before turning her attention on her husband. “Phil, honey, please. We’ll find a way to get him back, but we can’t do it now. Please, I need you to take me home.”

Phil’s struggles slowed and then stopped. He didn’t stop glowering, though, and his focus remained on Jim. “We won’t let you get away with this. We’ll find a way to reveal what you’ve done to our son. Just you wait.”

Peter tapped Jim on the arm to attract his attention. “Make yourself scarce. You’re not helping by being here. I’ll see you later.”

Jim nodded. He glanced back at Neil’s father once before leaving. The animosity from Mr. Rosewood was clear to everyone, even though no further words were spoken.

* * *

Liam grabbed Clarissa by the arm. It was lunchtime, and she was just about to sit down with Mary and Evelyn. “I need to talk to you. Now!”

She frowned down at his hand and then back at him. “If you don’t want to lose that hand...”

Liam shook her. “I’m not playing games! I need to talk to you in private. Like, now!”

Her eyes opened wide. She searched his face for a moment and then nodded. She turned to her girlfriends. “I’ll be back when I can.”

“Are you sure you don’t want one of us to come with you?” Mary asked, her eyes flicking to Liam as she spoke, though her head didn’t move.

Clarissa smiled. “I’m sure. He might be a jerk, but he’s not going to hurt me.” She glanced at Liam. “Let’s go.”

A couple of minutes later, they were in a relatively private part of the schoolyard under a tree next to the football oval. “Okay, mister, this had better be good.”

“Have you heard from Neil, today? A text or something? He’s not at school.”

She stared, her eyes narrowed. “This is what’s so damned important?” She turned and started to head off, only to have her arm grabbed again. “What the fuck is wrong with you? Get your fucking hand off me!”

Liam let her go. “Please, I’m worried. I’ve checked with the office, and it doesn’t look like he’s called in sick. He’s listed as absent, and I had the impression that his parents haven’t spoken to the school, either. I think something’s happened.”

“He takes one day off school, and you think something’s wrong? He’s probably sick and his parents have forgotten to tell the school. That happened to me once. It’s no big deal.”

Liam grimaced. “There’s more to it. I can’t tell you how I know, but something went wrong last night. Neil was supposed to contact someone, and he didn’t. No email, no messages. Nothing.”

“How...?” Clarissa stared at Liam. She stepped forward until their faces were close enough that if he wanted to, he could’ve leant over and kissed her. “Oh, my God, I don’t believe it! You’ve got a crush on him!” She lifted a hand and jabbed a finger into his chest. “You leave him alone, Liam. He’s not gay, and even if he were there’s no way he’d have anything to do with you.”

Liam winced. “Please, don’t make this about me. I’m concerned. Do you have his phone number? Can you send him a text, asking where he is? I’m not asking for a lot; I just want to make sure he’s okay.”

Clarissa pursed her lips. After a couple of seconds, during which Liam swallowed once under her steady gaze, she nodded. “Okay, but this it for you. I’m not going to let you close to the guy after this. You’ve ruined his life enough.”

Liam smiled with relief. “Thanks, Clarissa.” He waited.

“What?”

“Aren’t you going to send the text?”

“Now?” She shook her head. “I don’t believe this. You really are crushing on Neil. Of all the things...”

“Please, just send the text. Let me know if he answers. You don’t have to tell me what he says; I just want to know if he replies.”

She pulled out her phone. Before she started typing, she glared at Liam. “I want your promise that you’ll stay away from him.”

Liam closed his eyes. “No.”

“What? Are you fucking crazy? You want to hit on a straight guy. That’s not going to go down well with anyone, but especially not with Neil.”

Liam sighed. “I’m sorry, Clarissa, but it’s not your place to say no for Neil. When I eventually ask him out, he’s the one who’ll need to say no. If he does, I’ll walk away, but I’m not going to do that until he tells me.” He opened his eyes. “Please don’t say anything to him. If I ask him now, he’ll throw it back at me. I’m trying to make up for the last five years before I ask him out. Let me do that first. Please?”

She glared for a moment and then screwed up her face. “Shit! Okay, you’re right in that Neil’s the one who needs to tell you to fuck off. I’ll hold off telling him...for now. But if I get even the whiff of some sort of plan to hurt him, your arse is on the block.”

“Thanks, Clarissa.” Liam smiled and nodded his head towards her phone. “If you could send that text...?”

“I don’t believe I’m doing this. I don’t even believe this is possible. My ex wants to date the guy he’s bullied for as long as he’s known him.” She shook her head as she typed. “The world’s gone crazy.”

* * *

Liam and Doug intercepted Clarissa as she was about to leave school. “Well? Did you hear from him?”

She frowned. “No, but that doesn’t prove anything.”

“Damn! I’d hoped he was okay. He’s not at any of the local hospitals, either; I rang them all at lunchtime after I spoke to you.”

She glanced at Doug who looked to the heavens for a moment before giving her a wry smile. “Liam told me you worked it out. I think he’s crazy, and it sounds like you do, too. But he’s my best mate, and I’m not going to stop him unless it looks like he’s going to hurt himself.” Doug winced. “Well, at least hurt worse than how he’s going to feel when Neil tells him to fuck off.”

Clarissa glanced around, but there were few students near them. “Liam, give it a rest! He’s probably sick in bed and can’t be bothered to get up to check his phone. That’ll be all it is.”

“You could be right, but we can check on that. If you don’t need to get anywhere urgently, come with me to Neil’s house, and we’ll see if he’s there. If he is and is simply sick like you suggest, we can say hello and then leave.” Liam smiled hopefully.

Clarissa shook her head. “I would, but I don’t know where he lives. He was very private about that; I asked once and didn’t want to ask again.”

“I know where he lives,” Liam said.

Doug frowned. “You do?”

Liam shrugged. “I followed him home one day after school. I kept my distance,” he added quickly when two sets of narrowed eyes stared at him. “He didn’t know I was there.”

“You were stalking him?” Doug asked.

“You’re fucking crazy!” Clarissa said.

“Hey, leave me alone! Okay, it wasn’t the smartest thing to do, but I’m glad I did it. If I hadn’t, we wouldn’t be able to check on him.”

Doug shook his head. “He doesn’t need us to check on him. Hell, he wouldn’t want us to check on him!”

“While I’m surprised to hear myself say this, Doug’s right. Neil doesn’t want you anywhere near him, Liam.”

Doug frowned at her. “You called him Liam.”

She glared. “Unless you want the name ‘Jerk Face’ transferred to you, butt out.”

Doug held up both hands in surrender. “Hey, I was just surprised.”

Liam grimaced. “You’re both right, but I’m still going. I won’t be able to sleep unless I know he’s alright. Okay, I’m sick and stupid. Accepted. Now, who’s going with me?”

Doug and Clarissa exchanged looks. Both sighed. “We’re both in, but only to stop you from making a fool of yourself,” Doug said.

Liam smiled. “Thanks, mate.” He nodded to Clarissa. “Thanks.”

She waved a hand. “Lead on, MacDufus. Show us the way to insanity.”

Liam maintained a steady pace. Doug and Clarissa dropped back a few steps so they could talk while Liam single-mindedly marched on.

“How long has he been crushing on Neil?”

Doug hesitated before answering. “Since Easter. What has he told you?”

“He’s told me nothing. I don’t understand how he can go from bullying to crushing in such as short space of time.”

“He hasn’t told you why?”

“No.” She frowned. “You know?”

Doug grimaced. “I do, but I can’t tell you. It’s not my place.” He sighed. “I wish I could, but Liam’s made it quite clear to me that I can’t say anything.”

Clarissa shrugged. “I’ll get it out of him. Besides you, I don’t think there’s anyone else who knows Liam as well as I do.”

Doug’s pace faltered for a moment, and then he chuckled. “Yeah, you’re probably right. Just don’t blame him when you find out the truth. It’s not his fault.”

“What the fuck are you talking about?”

Doug grinned at her. “You’ll find out. Eventually.”

Liam glanced back at them. “We’re almost there.”

A couple of minutes later, Liam knocked on the door to Neil’s house. The three waited for a minute, and then Liam knocked again.

“Maybe there’s no one home?” Clarissa said.

“If so, then that means Neil’s not here, either, which means he’s not at home sick, like you suggested.”

Before she could respond, the front door opened. A distraught middle-aged woman stood there, her makeup in streaks down her cheeks. “Yes?”

“Hi,” Liam said. “We’re...er...friends from school. Neil wasn’t there today, so we thought we’d drop around to check that he’s okay.”

Mrs. Rosewood’s body shook and more tears started to fall. “He’s not here! I don’t know where he is, but I don’t think he’s coming back. My little boy’s gone!”

* * *

Neil leant back in the chair and smiled as he patted his stomach. “I think I’ve put on a kilo or two, Ollie.”

Oliver grinned. “Now that you’ve been here, what do you think?” He waved a hand to take in not only the cafe, but also the chocolate shop and factory that made up the Yarra Valley Chocolaterie and Ice Creamery.

Neil chuckled. “You were right. It’s chocolate-lover’s heaven.” He glanced down at the mudhoney dessert pizza that he hadn’t been able to finish. “But I don’t think it’s a place I’d want to visit too often or I’d need to roll everywhere.”

“Yeah, I know what you mean. I save it for special occasions: for romantic getaways — and when someone needs cheering up.” Oliver smiled. “Feeling better?”

Neil sighed and nodded. “I’m still pissed off at my dad, but I’m ready to move on. He knows now, so he won’t be chasing me to come home. I’m free.” He glanced wistfully out the window at the peaceful Yarra Valley country scene as he repeated his statement in a softer tone. “I’m free.”

“That doesn’t mean there won’t be challenges.” Oliver frowned at the empty plate in front of him. “Mine will be working out how to get through training tonight. I think I ate more than was sensible, but then I do that every time I come here.” He grinned across the table. “But it’s still the best three hours I’ve ever spent.” He paused. “Without sex, at least.”

Neil chuckled as he wiped his lips with the napkin and then tossed it onto his plate. “Ready to go?”

“Yep. Do me a favour and text Todd to tell him we’re heading off and that he won’t need to cook us dinner tonight. I need to go to the toilet before we leave.”

“Sure, but can I borrow your phone?”

Oliver cocked his head as he pulled out his phone and handed it over. “Where’s yours?”

Neil shrugged. “I turned it off last night after Mum and Dad started to ring. I left it back at the house. I didn’t want to take any chances on speaking to them before I was ready.”

Oliver smiled as he stood up. “Smart thinking. Okay, send Todd a text, and then we can go.” He stretched. “I’m going to be in trouble at training, but that’s okay. It won’t be the first time.” He winked at Neil. “Though usually the reason involves a girl...”

Neil laughed and started to type on Oliver’s phone. Coming out to his parents and having the support of the guys had made a huge difference. It was as if a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He felt like he was ready to take on the world.