New Brother - 8. Chapter 8

I woke up the next morning still tired. With so much going through my mind, my sleep had been very disturbed. I don’t believe I managed to get more than two hours sleep at once without waking up.

It was going to be a tough day at school. Seeing Liz throughout the day, knowing that she’d left me, was going to be hard enough. But there were also going to be questions about the fight at the basketball game, and the allegations against Adam. The only positive thing that I could think of was that I wouldn’t have any time by myself to sulk. The day was going to be too busy for that.

Dragging my weary body out of bed, I went and had a shower. As the hot water eased some of the strain, and began to bring me back to normal, my mind slowly came back to life. All too soon, it was time to get out, get dressed, and face the horror of the day.

After getting dressed, I shuffled my way down to the kitchen. Not surprisingly, I was the first one there. Normally I wouldn’t have gotten out of bed for another fifteen minutes, but there I was, already showered and dressed.

My appetite was still pretty poor, but Mum had drilled into us kids from an early age that we must have a good breakfast. So, more from habit than a desire to eat, I poured out a large bowlful of cornflakes, added a sliced banana, and started eating.

That was the way Mum found me when she came inside. From the way she was dressed, I knew she’d been out feeding the horses.

“David! You’re up early,” she said, surprised.

“I had trouble sleeping,” I replied, tersely.

Taking off her jacket and hat, she watched me eat. She was obviously concerned, but she didn’t press me. Once she had put the jacket away, she moved over to the kettle.

“Would you like a cup of tea or coffee, David?” she asked.

“I think I’ll have coffee today. I need something to wake me up properly,” I replied after a moment’s thought.

As she made me a cup of coffee, she spoke to me over her shoulder.

“I know the original plan was for me to take you boys to school. Unfortunately, I need to take Randy to see the doctor this morning. So I’d like you and Adam to take the bus. I’m going to ring the school soon to tell them that Randy won’t be in, but I’d appreciate it if you could take the doctor’s certificate to the office for me.”

“Huh?” I said, looking up from my breakfast. I hadn't really been concentrating on what she was saying.

She sighed as she turned her head to look at me. “Randy’s not going to school today. I want you to take to the office the medical certificate that excuses him. Can you please remember to do that?”

“Sure, Mum.”

Well at least Randy is going to be out of it today. I had been hoping that would happen, but I didn’t know what the doctor had said to my mum about him. Returning to my breakfast, I thought at least one thing was going right.

As Mum put a cup of coffee in front of me, I wondered about the plans that had been made. I knew there had been a lot of discussion, but I didn’t recall hearing the final decisions.

“Mum, can you fill me in on what’s going to happen? I sort of missed out on what you and Dad are doing today.”

Sitting down with a cup of tea, Mum sat for a moment as she organised her thoughts.

“Randy’s getting hurt has messed up a lot of the plans. I’m taking him to the local doctor for a final checkup. Hopefully, he’ll be cleared to go back to school tomorrow. As for Adam, your dad is getting some papers drawn up by a lawyer friend to appoint us as guardians. We’ll try to get those signed by Adam’s parents today. We’ll then be able to take those to the school tomorrow.”

Looking worried, she continued, “What we’re most concerned about is what might happen today. We don’t know if we should say something to the school now, or wait until we see what sort of reception Adam gets. Because we’re not his guardians, yet, we think we’ll have to wait until something happens.”

Pausing, she caught my eye. “David, if Adam gets hurt today, we need you to tell the school the situation. Adam doesn’t need the school ringing his parents and getting his dad on the phone. That would only cause trouble.”

As I finished my breakfast, I thought about what she’d said. It didn’t sound like there had been that much change. All they've done is put off telling the school what is going on.

Adam came in while I was making myself another cup of coffee. After a quick glance, we ignored each other. I tuned out while Mum spoke to Adam. I just wasn’t interested in what she had to say to him.

The time until we caught the bus went by too fast. Before I was really ready, Mum was driving us down to where the bus would pick us up at the end of the road. All too soon, our school bus showed up. We are one of the earliest pickup stops, so I wasn’t surprised to find the bus almost empty. There were a couple of younger students at the back and a year 12 student sitting in the middle. None of them did more than glance at us, so it looked like they hadn’t heard any gossip. I had let Adam board first, so I could see where he was going to sit. Noticing him sitting down at the front of the bus, behind the driver, I moved down to the back. I wanted to make it clear to him that he wasn’t going to get any support from me.

As I sat down in front of the younger kids, one of them leant over the back of the seat.

“Hey, Stick, where’s Giant?” he asked.

Turning to look at him, I responded, “Mum’s keeping him at home today. He broke his nose in a fight at the basketball game on Saturday.”

Startled, he sat back. I hoped that would hold off any speculation about Randy for a while. While fights at basketball are pretty rare, they do happen, so the story is believable. The fact that it’s true, if misleading, doesn’t hurt either.

As we continued on our way, I kept an eye on each person who boarded. It wasn’t that I was going to help Adam out, but I wanted to know what was going on. Most of them didn’t react to Adam’s sitting at the front, apart from the occasional questioning glance. After all, he wasn’t normally on this bus. Rick, one of the Steels Creek team, was the only one I saw react. He stopped dead, surprised, just as he entered the bus, and it was only the pushing of the people behind him that got him going again. He gave Adam a few glances over his shoulder as he moved down to the middle of the bus, but otherwise didn’t do or say anything.

Getting off the bus at school, I found Adam standing there, waiting for me. Looking concerned, he moved to intercept me as I headed off towards the school buildings.

“David, …” he started.

Not stopping, I interrupted flatly, “Get lost, Adam. You made your position quite clear yesterday, so now you’re on your own.”

“David, please wait. I’m sorry about what I said. I need some help here.”

Stopping in my tracks, I turned to him. A cold anger made me spit out my reply.

“Well that’s just too fucking bad. I may stay around to watch, but I’m not going to interfere. You’ve stuffed up my life enough. I won't give you a chance to wreck it further.”

Moving off again, I ignored the pleading he kept up. When I saw Liz up ahead, I stopped again. I couldn’t find the nerve to walk past her. As she looked up and saw me, I quickly decided to get out of there. Changing direction, I headed around the side of the school. My intention was to get to my class from the opposite direction, hopefully avoiding a confrontation with Liz. I noticed as I moved away that Adam didn't follow me. A quick glance back showed his dejected figure beginning to slump off towards the classrooms.

My first class was English. In many ways, it was going to be the worst class of the day for me. It was the only time that I would be in the same room as both Adam and Liz. Normally it’s my favourite class. The teacher, Mr. Landsmith, is an entertaining man who controls his class by making it interesting to practically everyone. Today, however, I expected it to be difficult. Steeling myself for the reception I was going to get, I headed to the room. Deliberately not going to my locker, I was hoping to avoid anyone who might try to waylay me there. I knew I would have enough time between my first two classes to use my locker.

Arriving at my English class about ten minutes early, I quickly looked around to see who was already there. Spotting Adam, but not Liz, I moved to an empty seat at the back of the room. Adam watched forlornly as I sat down, but made no move to approach me. A few other classmates looked at me, perplexed. It was only then that I realised that I’d made a mistake. Normally I sit in the middle or front of the class, so by sitting at the back I was advertising the fact that something was wrong. Accepting that it was too late to change, I pulled out my copy of Of Mice and Men and began to read. I didn’t really see what was on the pages, but it served its purpose of preventing conversation.

Watching as the other kids came in, I saw that a few were obviously choosing seats away from Adam. Most, however, paid no attention to him.

When Gary came in, he glanced across at Adam, but came straight over to me.

“G'day, Stick! How's Giant doing?” he asked, as he sat down in the chair next to me.

“Mum's keeping him at home until the doctor says he can go back to school. He's pretty chirpy, but he looks awful. Mr. Trent really messed up his face,” I answered.

“I'm sorry. I wanted to come over yesterday, or at least ring, but it was the day I was with my dad, and he took me up to Daylesford. He didn't drop me back home until late,” Gary explained. I had wondered why we hadn't heard from him, but with his parents divorced, he doesn’t get a lot of chances to spend time with his dad.

“That's alright, Gazza. I'll let him know tonight when I get home.”

Looking over to where Adam was sitting, Gary asked, “What's up with Ads?”

“Adam and I aren't speaking. It's a long story and I don't want to go into it.” My voice started to catch as thoughts of Liz took me by surprise.

Gary looked puzzled for a second, but then a look of sympathy crossed his face. “Liz, huh?” he asked gently.

Not trusting myself to speak, I just nodded.

Giving me a chance to settle myself, Gary turned away and started pulling out his books. He could sense that I wasn't ready for a chat.

With the typical surge of late arrivals, I saw Liz come in. Ducking down and lifting up my book, I avoided any chance of eye contact. I certainly didn't want it to appear as if I was inviting her to come and talk to me. After a short pause, I looked up from my book to find Liz sitting near the front of the class, where she normally sits. She was looking anxiously at the door, as if expecting someone, when Adam got up and spoke quietly to her. The way her head spun around to stare at me made me realise that she had been looking for me. Ducking my head back into my book, I couldn't work out if that was good or bad.

I managed to get through that class without too much stress. I kept catching pained looks from Liz until Mr. Landsmith told her to keep her attention to the front. Meanwhile, I was trying to plot my escape. It was looking like Liz wanted to speak to me. About what, I wasn’t exactly sure, but I knew it would be painful.

When the bell rang to signal the end of the period, I quickly grabbed my bag and pushed my way to the door.

“Stick, wait up!” I heard Liz call out, but steeling myself, I ignored her. I had just reached the corridor when I felt a hand grab my arm. Glancing back, I saw Liz’s anxious look.

“Let go, Liz,” I said quietly. I struggled to keep myself under control. I felt like bursting into tears from the pain at being so close to her. I couldn’t let that happen.

With other students pushing past us, many showing their irritation, I moved off away from the door, Liz still hanging onto my arm.

“Liz, I said let go!”

Letting her hand drop, Liz asked, “Stick, can’t we talk about this?”

“I thought we talked yesterday. What’s changed?” I replied, letting some of my anger at the world start to show. Liz was just the only target in sight.

“Stick, don’t be angry,” she pleaded.

“Why the fuck shouldn’t I be angry?” I said in a low, heated voice. “Between you and Adam, nothing is going right. I don’t think I can take any more. If you want to fix things, then go ahead. Just don’t expect me to do any fixing.”

Not waiting for a response, I headed off to my locker, leaving Liz behind. I should just have enough time before the next class to dump my excess books.

I’ve always struggled with maths, but I think I hit new lows. By the end of the class, I couldn’t remember a thing that had been taught. With my mind constantly wandering over the events of the weekend, the concentration required for trigonometry just wasn’t there. Adam and Scott were in the class, but at least I didn’t have to share it with Liz. I couldn’t stand another confrontation with her. A few students made obvious moves to avoid sitting near Adam, but I didn't hear any comments. The whispers and glances in his direction, however, increased as the class went on.

When the lunchtime bell rang, I quickly picked up my books and started to leave. Halfway to the door, I saw one of our classmates stop Adam. A regular member of the school soccer team, Peter Papadopolous is a popular student. We tend to have different circles of friends, but with both of us being sports mad, we cross paths every so often.

“Adam. There’s a rumour going around that you’re gay,” Peter said politely.

Besides me, half a dozen other students stopped and waited for Adam’s answer.

“So I believe,” Adam replied, evasively.

“Any truth to the rumour?”

Adam glanced around at the waiting students. His gaze rested on me for a second, before returning to look at Peter.

“Yeah, it’s true. Do you want to make anything of it?” he answered defiantly.

I heard a couple of gasps, but my eyes were fixed on Adam and Peter.

“Not really,” Peter said, though a look of disgust briefly crossed his face. “Do your parents know?”

“My dad's kicked me out of home. Does that give you an idea on whether or not they know?” Adam replied sarcastically.

“Holy shit!” Peter exclaimed, shocked. “That’s pretty bad. So where are you staying?”

“The Johnsons’ place,” Adam replied, glancing over at me. “Randy and his parents have been really great about everything.”

After thinking for a moment on what he had been told, Peter said, “I should warn you that I heard someone say that Luke’s looking for you. You might want to make yourself scarce at lunchtime.”

With a look of gratitude, Adam replied, “Thanks, mate. I really appreciate it.”

Luke Williams is an eighteen-year-old thug. Strong on muscles and low on brains, he trades on intimidation. School bullying rules keep him under control most of the time, but occasionally he cuts loose. When he does, if you’re the target, the smartest thing to do is to run as fast as you can.

As I was about to head off, Peter turned to me.

“Stick, I think it’s great what you and your brother are doing. No one deserves to be kicked out of home, even if he's a homo,” he said.

I started to answer when the mention of Randy prompted my memory about the doctor’s certificate.

“Shit!” I exclaimed.

Peter looked surprised. “What?”

“Sorry. I just remembered something I was supposed to do earlier. I’ll see you around, Pete. I’ve got to run.”

Running down to the school office, I thought about Peter’s reaction. As one of the more popular kids in our year, he’s got a lot of influence. If he’s okay with Adam, then there might not be too much trouble. Of course, there are always the Lukes of the world, but maybe Adam can just avoid that type until something else takes their interest.

Arriving at the school office, I found an older student I didn't recognise sitting there. The front desk was unattended, though I could see a couple of adults working at the back of the office, so I sat down and waited for someone to show up. A quick look through the magazines on the table by the chairs revealed nothing worth reading. Sighing, I resigned myself to being bored while I waited.

After about five minutes, the outside door was flung open. Looking up, I was shocked to see Aiden’s dad marching in. The fury on his unshaven face seemed to complement the wrinkled and stained clothing he was wearing. It looked as if he had come straight from the police cells where he’d spent the weekend.

Slumping down in the chair, I prayed that he wouldn’t look in my direction. Luck was with me as all he did was march up to the desk and start yelling.

“Where is the fucking principal? I want to see him now!”

The other kid and I exchanged glances. We weren’t used to seeing an adult in such a towering rage.

“Where is he? I fucking demand to see him, fucking now!”

The door to the principal’s office opened, and Mr. Pitt strode out.

“I’m Mr. Pitt, the principal. Please mind the language, sir!” he demanded sternly.

“I’ll fucking say what I fucking want! I’m here to take my son away from this bloody ridiculous excuse for a school.”

He’s going to do what? I just stared at him. Aiden had been afraid of what he might do, but I don’t think he expected this.

“Would you care to step into my office to discuss this?” Mr. Pitt’s reply was cold. Whether that was from the language being used, or from the man’s opinion of his school, was hard to tell.

“No, I fucking don’t. All I want is for you to get my son here, so I can get him away from the fucking faggots you’re keeping here.”

“I think this is best discussed in my office, sir. If you’ll come this way,” Mr. Pitt said, moving aside and gesturing for Mr. Trent to precede him into his office.

“There’s nothing to fucking discuss. I want my son away from that fucking faggot Adam Kennedy and his fucking boyfriend, Randy Johnson. You get him here now, so I can take him somewhere fucking decent.”

I looked, stunned, at the other kid. His eyes were round as he looked back at me in surprise. Aiden’s dad had just told the kid and half the school office that my brother’s gay. I tried to jump up and deny the accusation, but the memory of Mr. Trent decking Randy was too fresh in my mind. My body just didn’t want to co-operate.

Forcing myself out of the chair, I slid to the door and slipped away. Running out into the yard, I started looking for Aiden. I needed to tell him what I had overheard, as soon as I could.

Scanning our usual lunchtime places as I ran, I eventually found Aiden, Scott, Adam, and surprisingly, Michael O’Conner, sitting on one of the benches down by the outdoor basketball court.

As I ran up breathless, everyone looked at me. Adam looked away immediately, but Scott and Michael stood up to give me room to sit down. Waving them off, I rested my hands on my knees and took a few deep breaths.

Looking up, I ignored everyone else and spoke directly to Aiden. “Your dad’s in the school office.”

Fear swept over Aiden’s face.

Before he could say anything, I added, “He wants to take you out of school. He’s saying it’s to get you away from Adam and Randy.”

Adam interrupted, “Why Randy? I can understand me, but why Giant?”

I looked at him with disgust. “He called Randy your boyfriend. This is what I’ve been afraid of. The rumours are going to start now that my brother’s gay.”

Turning back to Aiden, I continued, “Mr. Pitt doesn’t seem to be too impressed, but I don’t think he’ll have any choice. I think they’ll be calling you on the PA soon. I thought you should know.”

Right on cue, we heard the PA system come on. “Aiden Trent to the office. Could Aiden Trent please go to the office immediately?”

“Thanks, Stick,” Aiden said softly, as he picked up his bag. His air of dejection was apparent to all of us.

“I’ll go back with you. I still need to hand in the doctor’s certificate for Randy,” I said. Receiving a faint smile in response, I picked up my bag and started keeping pace with Aiden.

I was surprised when Michael also joined us, walking on the other side of Aiden. When I glanced across at him, he smiled back. “My dad will want to know what’s going on. You should have heard him yesterday morning after he finished his shift at the station. He thinks Mr. Trent is a right old loon.” Looking apologetically at Aiden, he added, “Sorry, Aiden. I didn’t mean to insult your dad.”

Staring straight ahead as he walked, Aiden replied distantly, “That’s okay, Michael. I know what he’s like.”

I started getting nervous. Aiden clams up at times, but this was different. It was almost as if he had resigned himself to some dreaded fate. He was falling into himself, hiding his emotions. By the time we got to the office, he could have been a robot.

I bravely entered first. As I stepped to the side to let Aiden and Michael enter, I took in the scene in front of us. Mr. Pitt had been joined by the vice principal, Ms. Ng. Though shorter than most of the students, Ms. Ng carries a presence that could dominate any situation. Rumour has it that she has a black belt in Judo, though no one has ever claimed to see her use it.

Mr. Trent’s military background was obvious in the way he stood stiffly, with his arms held firmly behind his back. You could imagine that he was standing waiting for an officer to come along and give him orders to go and kill.

Sneering at me, he dismissed me from consideration as soon as he saw Aiden. He jerked into action immediately.

“Right, son. Grab your gear. I’m taking you home,” he said as he went to seize Aiden by the arm.

“Not so fast, Mr. Trent,” Ms Ng stated calmly, as she moved to stand between Aiden and his dad. “We have a legal obligation to not release Aiden unless certain circumstances are met. At the moment, you have not demonstrated sufficient need. If you would care to come back to my office, we’ll complete the paperwork required before you can take Aiden out of here.”

Aiden’s dad looked down at her with disdain. He tried to stare her down, but her calm expression never wavered. Mr. Trent was the first to crack.

“Bloody hell. Let’s get it over and done with it. I’ve wasted enough fucking time as it is.” Turning back to Aiden, he issued his orders. “Go get your stuff. You can leave the schoolbooks; you won’t need them again. I’ll be back soon.”

Realising I only had one chance, I grabbed Mr. Pitt by the arm as he started to follow the other two adults to Ms. Ng’s office. Startled, he looked at me before frowning.

“Young man, …” he started.

“Please, sir,” I interrupted in a low voice, “I need to speak to you urgently about Mr. Trent.”

He stared at me, as if to divine what it was that I was going to tell him. Putting on my most pleading face, I mentally prayed for him to listen. He glanced down the corridor to where Ms. Ng stood by her office door, looking back at us, before waving at her to continue without him.

“Come into my office. This had better be good.”

This was the first time I had been in the principal’s office. In normal circumstances, I would have felt intimidated, but this was anything but a normal time. Standing nervously by the chair in front of the desk, I waited for Mr. Pitt to settle into his chair.

“Well? Perhaps you can start by telling me who you are,” he demanded.

“I'm David Johnson, sir. Mr. Trent has just been released from police custody for the assault of two kids on Saturday night: Adam Kennedy and my brother, Randy Johnson. I’m afraid that he might take out his frustrations on Aiden. All I’m asking is that you check with the police before you let him take Aiden away.”

As he sat there, staring, I felt compelled to fill in the silence.

“Randy ended up in hospital, and is still at home now. I have the doctor’s certificate with me that excuses him from school today. He’s got a broken nose and he had concussion.” I was starting to babble, but I couldn’t help myself.

Reaching over the desk and holding out his hand, Mr. Pitt finally spoke. “Can I see it, please?”

He opened the envelope and read the contents quickly. Still reading, he picked up the phone and dialed a short number.

“Jeni, it’s Rob. Keep him there as long as you can. I need to do some checking before we let him take his son away.” After a short pause, he said, “Okay,” and hung up.

Looking up at me, he said, “Thank you, Mr. Johnson. You can go now. I’ll see what I can do.”

Before I was out the door, he was on the phone again. “Sally, please get me the Yarra Glen police station straight away.”

Closing the door behind me, I looked over to see Michael waiting nearby, watching me quizzically. Aiden was nowhere in sight, so I guessed he was out following his dad’s orders. I grabbed Michael by the arm and took him out into the corridor.

“Michael, how much do you know of Mr. Trent’s bail conditions?”

Looking surprised, he answered, “Not much. Dad doesn’t normally tell me details like that.”

“Damn,” I said to myself. Seeing Michael’s perplexed look, I added, “I was hoping there would be bail conditions that would mean that he wouldn’t be able to take Aiden away.”

Looking down the hall and seeing Aiden approaching, Michael said quietly, “I doubt they would do that unless there was a past history of assaults. I don’t think there is.”

Standing there silently, both lost in our thoughts, we waited for Aiden to reach us. When he did, he dropped his bag and grabbed me in a bear hug. “Tell Giant I’m sorry. Sorry for what happened, and sorry I didn’t get to say goodbye. Look after Giant and Ads for me, will you, Stick? They’re both going to need you.”

Shocked by the sudden display of emotion from the usually reserved Aiden, all I could do was nod my head. I didn’t really comprehend what I was doing.

Releasing me, Aiden reached out and shook Michael’s hand. “Thanks, mate, for being here. And thank your dad for Saturday. I think Dad could have killed one of them if your dad hadn’t stopped him.”

“Sure thing, Aiden. No problems.”

Butting in, I asked, “Do you want us to stay until your dad’s finished with Ms. Ng?”

“Thanks anyway, but no. Just go, please,” Aiden insisted.

I glanced at Michael and saw that he agreed. We said goodbye to Aiden and headed off to where we had left Adam and Scott. We walked in silence, but I was too wrapped up in my thoughts to say much, anyway.

First it was Randy in hospital, and then Liz breaking up with me. Now it was Aiden being taken away. What else was going to happen because of Adam?

When we got back, we found that Peter had joined Adam and Scott. Adam was in the middle of telling the story of what had happened since Tuesday night. Stopping, he looked questioningly at Michael and me.

“I've told the principal about Saturday night, and asked him to check with the police before they let Mr. Trent take Aiden out of school. It's up to them now.” My lack of enthusiasm showed what I thought the chances were of Aiden staying.

Nodding his thanks, Adam resumed his story. Giving a quick recount for Michael's sake, he picked up from where he had stopped.

Tuning them out, I felt myself fill with anger. I wanted to turn the anger on Adam, but at the bottom of my heart I knew that it wasn’t all his fault.

“There’s the poofter!”

Startled back to reality, I looked up to see Luke Williams and two of his cronies approaching. Because of the volume behind Luke’s comment, we were suddenly the centre of attention of all the kids in the area. Glancing at my watch, I saw that we had fifteen minutes to go until the end of lunch. Being saved by the bell wasn’t going to happen here.

“We don’t like faggots hanging around here, do we, boys?” Luke sneered, as he stared at Adam.

Adam was frozen on the bench, staring at Luke. Scott had slid off the side of the bench and was tugging on Adam’s arm, trying to get him to move. I was surprised, though, at Peter and Michael. As if they had practiced it, both stood up in unison and crossed their arms nonchalantly as they looked back at Luke. He would have to go through them to get to Adam. The fact that they could appear so unconcerned was amazing. Not only were they outnumbered, but their older opponents outweighed them by a lot.

“You can always go somewhere else, Luke,” Michael drawled.

“Hey, fellas, it looks like the cocksucker is pretty good. He’s already got two satisfied clients,” Luke called back to his two friends. I had seen them both around before, but I had never found out their names.

Frowning, Peter asked, “Why don’t you just leave him alone?”

Luke leant forward, “Because I fucking hate poofters, that’s why.”

Smirking, he added, “Do you really think you’re going to stop us from teaching him a lesson? It’s three of us against only two of you. Don't expect the faggot to fight, he might break a nail.” His two cronies laughed at the feeble joke. I should've expected that their mentality would match Luke’s.

At that point, there was a disturbance in the crowd that had surrounded us. Hoping to see a teacher, I was disappointed when Ian Ashton pushed his way through and stood between the two groups. The ruck-rover for the school's Aussie Rules football team and the local Yarra Glen football club, his solid build gives him the appearance of a brick wall. A year 12 student, he moves in different circles than me and my friends.

After looking at Michael and Peter for a moment, he turned to Luke.

“Get lost, Williams. You’re not touching them,” he said firmly. Luke’s surprised expression showed his confusion at this turn of events. I could understand. It was not what I would have expected from a football player.

“Out of the way, Ashton. This ain’t your business. We just want to show the poofter what we think of him.”

“I’m making it my business,” Ian growled. “You leave Adam Kennedy alone. If I hear you’ve touched one hair on his head, you’ll find yourself picking up teeth.” Taking a half step towards Luke, Ian raised his fists, ready to fight.

Looking a little uncertain of himself, Luke backed up. After a quick glance around at his friends, he looked past Ian to where Adam had dragged himself to his feet.

“You’re dead, Kennedy. Sometime, somewhere, you’re going to get it.” Turning his back, he continued, “Come on you two, let’s get out of here.”

After watching Luke and his cronies disappear, Ian glanced around at the crowd.

“The same applies to everyone. Anyone touches Adam and I’ll break their teeth. Got it?” he stated forcefully.

Looking slightly amused, he watched as Adam tried to sort out what had just happened. “I heard a little while ago what you said at the end of your maths class. When I found out that Luke Williams was out to get you, I followed him here,” he explained.

Turning to face Michael and Peter, he extended his hand. “Thanks, guys, for standing up for Adam. It takes real guts when you're outclassed. If you think you need any help in the future, let me know.”

As he shook their hands, I was amazed. Why was Ian doing this? As far as I knew, before today he had never even spoken to Adam. Now was acting as his guardian angel.

Standing up, I asked, “Why are you doing this, Ian? What’s it to you? He’s only a fucking homo.” I ignored the shocked looks that Peter and Michael gave me. They hadn’t been through the weekend that I had.

Ian walked over and glared at me. His physical presence and obvious anger made him loom larger than I would have expected.

“Do you want to know why I'm defending him? If you sit down and shut up, I'll tell you,” he growled.

“Okay,” I replied nervously as I sat down.

“Last summer, I made a comment like yours to my mum,” he started. His anger was evident by the intensity of his voice. “She said if that was my attitude, then it was time for some re-education. The next day she dragged me into work with her. In case you didn't know, she works as a palliative care nurse at a hostel in St. Kilda.”

He paused, then growled, “Do you even know what that means?”

“Uh... no?” I answered hesitantly.

“Palliative care is looking after people who are dying,” he explained tersely. “It's treating them so their last days are spent with as much dignity and as little pain as possible. Most palliative care nurses work with the aged, but my Mum specializes in working with AIDS patients.”

“AIDS? The poofs’ disease? They probably deserve it, anyway,” I said with derision.

Ian's face convulsed with rage as he grabbed my shirt and pulled my face up to his.

“Really?” he raged, getting louder as he continued. “Did the thirty-year-old girl who got HIV when she was raped by her boy friend when she was sixteen deserve it? Did the twelve-year-old who got HIV before he was born because his mum shared a drug needle deserve it? Or the guy who got it at a tattoo parlour that used dirty needles? Yeah, many of the patients were gay, but you know NOTHING about them. How dare you say what they do or don't deserve!” he yelled.

He pushed me back down as he stepped back. Stunned by his fury, I stayed silent.

“What I saw there opened my eyes to what a gay person is. I didn’t see it from the patients, but from their visitors,” he continued, reining in some of his anger. “Yeah, some were effeminate, but many were not. They looked and acted just the same as anyone else you would see down the street. There’s talk that the 'gay lifestyle' is loose, with shallow and short-lived relationships, but what I saw didn't fit that picture. There was the football player who came every day to help tend to his partner of eight years. The builder who spent all weekend retelling stories of their lives together with his partner of twelve years. The love and affection they showed was as strong as any that I've seen from married couples -- stronger than many, with the divorce rate nowadays.”

Looking over at Adam, who sat wide-eyed and stunned, he continued, “From these and other examples, I learnt that gays are just people like everyone else. The only thing different is the sex of the person they love.”

My eyes didn't leave his face, and I saw a range of emotions sweep across his face as he spoke. His anger transformed into pain and sorrow as his eyes lost their focus and appeared to recall scenes from that hostel.

“But I learnt the most from a guy named Craig.”

I could see tears start to form in his eyes, with his voice conveying the anguish he was feeling. The fact that this hulking football player was showing so much emotion was not lost on me. Whatever had happened had really affected him hard. A quick glance around showed a quiet crowd of teenagers hanging on Ian’s every word.

“Same as Adam, Craig was kicked out of home when he was fifteen and his parents found out he was gay. This was back in the early ‘80's. He didn’t have any money or a place to live, so he looked around for a job. But no one would hire a fifteen-year-old with no skills and no address. Yeah, he could have gotten a job at McDonald's or somewhere like that, but he wouldn't have earned enough for him to have a roof over his head at night.

“He couldn’t find any legal way to make enough money to live, but he was too honest to steal, so that left him with only one choice -- prostitution.”

His eyes refocused on me, and the anger came back to his face as he bent down to stare into my eyes.

“To make sure he could eat and have a place to sleep, he sold his body to whoever would pay.

“I'm sure you're thinking that he would have enjoyed that -- he was gay, after all. Well, it wasn’t like that. He wasn't anyone's boyfriend. He never made love. He was a piece of meat that was available for rent -- to be used in whatever way the buyer wanted.”

Straightening up, his eyes lost focus again, as he stared into the distance. His voice lost all emotion as he continued the tale.

“He put up with that for almost eighteen months. He made enough money to survive, if you could call it that, but he couldn't see what future he had. So, for his seventeenth birthday, he decided to give himself a present. He walked down to St. Kilda road and stepped in front of a bus.”

He shuddered and took a deep breath.

“He didn't get his present -- he lived. It was at the hospital that he learnt that he was HIV positive. At first he didn't understand what it meant. Once he did, he broke down and cried for two days.”

He looked back down at me with the saddest face I have ever seen.

“He had no family. The hospital contacted his parents, but they denied that he was their son. He had no job. His conscience wouldn't let him go back to his old trade, even if he had wanted to. He couldn't take the risk of infecting someone else with a death sentence. He was still suicidal. From his point of view it was a choice between killing himself then or dying painful from an incurable disease at some time in the future.

“He was lucky. While he was at the hospital, one of the pastors got him a job working at the Melbourne City Mission, helping other homeless kids. He worked there until the middle of last year, when he developed full-blown AIDS and ended up at the hostel. After all that time, the only people he knew were the ones he worked with. My mum assigned me as his carer. I was practically the only one to spend any time with him, which is how he came to tell me his story.”

Tears started to roll down his face, as turned and spoke directly to Adam.

“Through all of this, it was obvious that he was basically a good soul that life had dumped the worst possible shit on. To the end, he still claimed to love his parents. He never said a thing to indicate that he hated anyone for what had happened to him.”

The raw emotion that showed in his voice and on his face left no doubt at how much that man had affected him.

“Craig died, holding my hand, on Christmas Eve. It was the worst Christmas I have ever had.” His last words were soft, but the silence of the crowd meant that everyone had heard the pain they contained.

Blinking back the tears, he looked at me.

“Why am I defending Adam? It's simple. I don't want him to become another Craig.”