Commencement - 10. The Erotic Adventures of a Boy and His Bike

Mom was really cracking down on the whole Brett situation as we approached the end of February. I knew it was because Pastor Carl was bearing down hard on her. Carl had moved beyond the idea that just homosexual practices were bad. Now, every Sunday sermon was full of the most hateful things about those who allowed the sin of homosexual thoughts to even be permitted within their homes.

 

“I wish you would end things with that boy,” she would tell me with increasing frequency. She begged me repeatedly to find someone else to take me to and from school. But since I was eighteen she couldn’t command me to do what she wanted. But she was obviously displeased. The two of them hadn’t spoken to each other in months.

 

Even though I had no way of knowing for sure, it looked like things were getting rough at the McKenzie house as well. Joey looked like a hostage. He looked like he was on the verge of a mental breakdown at any moment.

 

“I’m really worried about him,” Brett told me as we walked over to Dustin’s house on an unseasonably warm and sunny day for late February. “He’s not strong like you. He’s never had to deal with trouble in his life and he doesn’t know how to handle it.”

 

“Isn’t that too bad?” I replied with as much fake compassion as I could muster.

 

Brett just shook his head. “You know, I’ve made an effort to get to know your best friend and now my life is better off because I’m not carrying a grudge anymore.”

 

“Sorry, there’s too much that’s happened for me to feel sorry that Joey’s having a rough time. He deserves whatever happens to him.”

 

“It’s not like he beat the shit out of you. Oh, that’s right! That’s what happened to me by your best friend.”

 

“Well maybe you’re just a better person than me,” I replied.

 

“No, that’s not true. Look, I know Joey’s an ass hat. I don’t know everything that’s happened between you guys, but I know enough to understand why you don’t like him. I’m not asking you to suddenly become best friends. Just lay off him, that’s all. You don’t have to celebrate his pain.”

 

“This is coming from the kid who told Dustin ‘I’m glad your parents smack you around.’”

 

Brett sighed. “You don’t have to remember everything, you know.”

 

We emerged from the woods into Dustin’s backyard. We found Dustin working on the dirt bike. The Smiths’ yard was much improved since Mr. Smith had left. Dustin and his mom had cleaned up almost all of the clutter and debris and when spring came the grass was sure to be a greener shade than it had ever been.

 

“About time you guys got here,” Dustin said as we joined him on the concrete slab where he was working. He was wearing that old Donora Pizzeria Pirates cap that he always wore when he was working on something dirty. His hands were covered in grease and dirt. I leaned over Dustin to see what he was working on.

 

“I’m not going to spend all day watching you guys work on that stupid thing again am I?” Brett asked as he sat down on a lawn chair.

 

“No, we’re going to ride it,” Dustin said with a smile.

 

“Holy shit! You got it working?” I asked. Dustin had been working on that old bike for what seemed like forever.

 

“Thanks to you!” Dustin grinned. “It runs like new. I couldn’t have got it working without your help, Billy. I thought we could ride it up in the woods and stuff. It’s not street legal, but it won’t matter up there.”

 

“Cool!” I said.

 

“No way,” Brett said. “No. That thing’s a death trap.”

 

“Aw come on, Brett!” I said.

 

“He’s just afraid because of the Cadillac incident,” Dustin said.

 

“Hey, you bust your face on a windshield and see how eager you are to ride a bike again!” Brett protested. “I almost died!”

 

“But you didn’t!” Dustin replied. “And there’ll be no old men driving Cadillacs up in the woods.”

 

“No, just trees, and scratchy bushes, and bumps, and holes…”

 

“No one’s going to make you ride if you don’t want to,” I said.

 

“Really?” Brett asked.

 

“Sure. You can sit here and be a pussy and no one will think any less of you,” I replied.

 

Brett didn’t say anything, he just flipped me off.

 

“Well, before we do any riding, let’s go inside and grab some lunch. Mom’s heading to work soon.”

 

“You boys aren’t thinking about riding that death trap, are you?” Mrs. Smith asked as she presented us with hot dogs and macaroni and cheese. There’s just something unwholesome about a hot dog that’s been boiled in a pan, but we were hungry.

 

“Not on the street,” Dustin replied.

 

“Oh god!” Mrs. Smith groaned.

 

“Carol’s right,” Brett said. “It’s too dangerous to ride that thing you guys built.”

 

We didn’t say anything in reply, but from the silence arose a sound from both Dustin and me that sounded something like a couple of chickens. Brett wasn’t amused.

 

“Fuck you guys,” he grumbled.

 

“Well if you’re going to go out there, you better be sure to wear your helmet. I don’t want anything to happen to my sweet little Dusty.”

 

Mrs. Smith got up from the table and kissed Dustin on the forehead. Dustin’s face turned even redder than his hair. After Mrs. Smith left the kitchen to get ready for work, Dustin just sat there eating quietly. But he knew he was screwed.

 

“So, how’s your hot dog, sweet little Dusty?” Brett asked.

 

“Guys…”

 

“Don’t worry, Mrs. Smith. We’ll take real good care of your sweet little Dusty,” I said, causing Brett and me to laugh hysterically.

 

“Guys, please!” Dustin groaned.

 

“We should stop Brett,” I said seriously. “We wouldn’t want to hurt sweet little Dusty’s feelings!” Again, Brett and I laughed as Dustin turned even redder than before.

 

Needless to say, we tortured sweet little Dusty for the next hour until Mrs. Smith headed out to work. The three of us went outside to sweet little Dusty’s bike.

 

“If you guys don’t knock it off, I’m going to hurt you,” Dustin warned us.

 

“I’m sorry sweet little Dust… Ow!” Brett said as Dustin punched him in the arm. “That hurt, you dick!”

 

“What a shame! Can I help it if my mom is trying to make up for years of neglect?”

 

“I guess not,” Brett replied.

 

“All she had to do was pay a little bit of attention instead of acting like everything was fucking normal!” Dustin said. Neither Brett nor I knew what to say to that, so we ended up in an awkward silence that lasted for an uncomfortable amount of time.

 

Finally, Dustin broke the silence. “Sorry guys. Guess I ruined the mood, huh?”

 

Brett and I both insisted that he hadn’t ruined anything.

 

“Dude, we shouldn’t have acted like dicks,” Brett said.

 

“Yeah, we didn’t mean to upset you,” I added.

 

“You guys didn’t upset me. I’m glad you treat me like normal. It’s my mom who is acting like a moron. She thinks she can just make up for what happened by acting like everything is okay and trying to be super-nice. She acts like she thinks I’m made of glass and the slightest thing is going to break me. It’s way too late for that.”

 

“I get it,” Brett said. “That’s how my mom has treated me for years, dude. She’s always trying to buy my love with stuff. But all she ever had to do was just be a normal mom and give a shit every once in a while about me. I never needed all the crap she bought me. She just had to be there and tell me the truth.”

 

“Yeah,” Dustin sighed. “She just had to be there. You’re okay, Brett. I’m almost sorry I beat the piss out of you. And yeah, I totally noticed you pissed yourself when I kicked your ass.”

 

“Son of a bitch!” Brett replied, laughing.

 

“Okay, enough sentimental bull crap,” Dustin said. “Let’s take this bike out for a spin and see what she’s got!”

 

“Yeah!” I replied.

 

“Ugh…” Brett groaned. “If you boys want to kill yourselves on this thing, be my guest.”

 

“So you wrecked one time and got hurt. That was years ago,” I said.

 

“Dude, I could have been killed! I almost died!”

 

“Almost,” I said. “You survived.”

 

“Call me a pussy all you want. I’m not riding that thing.”

 

“No one will make you,” Dustin replied. “But I want to. I’ve been working on this thing for years.”

 

“Dude, you couldn’t have got it going without me. I want to ride too.”

 

“You want to go first?” Dustin asked.

 

“Sure!” I replied.

 

“Billy, no!” Brett insisted. “It’s too dangerous.”

 

“Maybe. But it’ll be fun!” I replied.

 

Dustin offered me the helmet and I tightened it on my head. Dustin gave me a few instructions and then I started it up. It was super loud, but I revved the engine just to annoy the neighbors and make Brett cringe. Then I picked my feet up off the ground and took off through Dustin’s yard and up the trail to the top of the hill. It was exhilarating! At the top of the hill, I decided to head down the trail toward my house. What was usually a ten minute walk took about thirty seconds. I emerged from the woods into my backyard, where I came to a stop. I revved the engine a few more times and saw mom peek her head out the window. I waved at her and revved the engine again before turning around and riding back up to the top of the hill, going way faster than was safe. But it was fun! I didn’t stop at the top of the hill this time. I continued all the way toward Brett’s house where I turned around without revving the engine. Brett’s neighbors might not have appreciated the sound of an obnoxious kid on a dirt bike like my neighbors. On the way back, I almost went airborne at one point. I never noticed how the trail dipped there, and I’d walked that path a thousand times. At the top of the hill, I reluctantly turned back down the hill to Dustin’s house where Dustin and Brett were waiting for me.

 

“That… was… AWESOME!!!!” I exclaimed as I ripped off the helmet.

 

“Dude, we could hear you revving the engine like a nut!” Dustin laughed.

 

“Yeah, that was at my house. My mom’s going to be pissed!”

 

“You should have seen how scared Brett was while you were gone.”

 

“Shut up!” Brett replied.

 

“I think he wet his pants again!”

 

“Dude, seriously! Shut the fuck up!”

 

“He threatened to hurt me if you didn’t come back.”

 

“Aw! That’s really sweet, Brett!” I replied. “Not as sweet as little Dusty, but sweet!”

 

We all laughed. Dustin took his turn next. We could hear the bike’s engine roaring as he took off up the hill.

 

“So are you sure you don’t want to try it? It’s really fun. I survived.”

 

“I… I really shouldn’t,” Brett replied. Ah! That was a change from a flat out refusal. I knew there was a chance!

 

Dustin returned and energetically jumped off the bike. He shared with us that he had gone over to the park and rode around there.

 

“This definitely beats playing board games,” he said.

 

“Yeah, and video games,” I replied.

 

“So are you going to go now?” Dustin asked Brett.

 

Brett groaned. I could tell he was tempted. Usually it was Brett who was trying to talk me into something.

 

“Come on, Brett. It’s really fun! We both made it back in one piece.”

 

“It’s easy,” Dustin said. “You only have to go as fast as you want to go. There’s nothing to it. You’re not going to get hurt and mess up your pretty face again.”

 

“Yeah, you don’t have to be afraid forever.”

 

“I’m not afraid!” Brett protested. I knew he was teetering.

 

“Yeah, he’s right. Never mind, Dustin. He doesn’t want to do it. He’s afraid he’ll get dirt in his vagina.”

 

“I told you, I’m not afraid!” Brett insisted. “I just don’t want to do it!”

 

“I’ll give you a blow job,” I said.

 

“Billy!” Brett said, his face turning red like Dustin’s had done earlier.

 

“You know how much you like it when I suck your dick. Come on, you give it a try and when we’re done I’ll blow you.”

 

“Oh, I do not need to hear about this!” Dustin said.

 

“You do give a great blow job,” Brett said. “Not as good as how I suck yours, but still pretty good.

 

“I’m just going to pretend you guys aren’t talking about sucking each other’s dick right in front of me.” Dustin said.

 

“After we ditch the redhead we can go back to your place and do a little sixty-nine. I might even rim you.”

 

“Tell me you did not just offer to kiss his ass!”

 

“Oh, I do like it when you lick my asshole,” Brett added, obviously enjoying making Dustin squirm. “Will you fuck me too?”

 

“Definitely. And when I’m ready to cum, I’ll pull out and let you eat it…”

 

“GUYS!” Dustin shouted. “Jesus, get a room!”

 

“What?” I asked innocently.

 

“So are you going to ride or not, Reilly? Because if not…”

 

“I’m thinking about it!” Brett replied.

 

To tempt him further I put my fist up to my mouth and licked the inside of my cheek to imitate a blow job, and then raised my eyebrows at him.

 

“Ohhhh… Okay. I hate you guys.”

 

“Yes!” I cheered.

 

“Okay so how do you work this stupid thing?” Brett asked. He reluctantly sat on the bike and Dustin gave him the helmet. We showed him how to operate the death trap he’d been coerced into volunteering to ride. Once Brett had been properly instructed, he slowly, very very slowly gave the bike a tiny bit of gas and the bike lurched forward about a foot and then stopped.

 

“There. I rode it,” Brett proclaimed. Dustin and I just looked at each other incredulously. Brett looked at us, hoping one or both of us would accept his footlong journey as some sign of his bravery. Receiving no such accolades, Brett glared at us.

 

“I fucking hate you guys,” he grumbled.

 

Brett gave the bike a bit of gas and the bike lurched forward again. It moved slowly forward, approaching the speed of a turtle, perhaps. The bike carried a reluctant Brett toward the woods like a monster luring away its helpless prey.

 

“He’s not really going into the woods is he?” Dustin asked. “I figured he’d just ride it around the yard a time or two.”

 

“You know Brett. He can’t let us get the better of him. We rode it in the woods, so he has to do it too.”

 

Brett disappeared into the woods and we heard the bike sputtering and wheezing as it tried to drag Brett up the hill. He was the heaviest of the three of us, but that was no reason for the bike to have any trouble lugging him up the hill. He was just being a wuss and not giving the thing any gas.

 

“I swear if he breaks it…”

 

“I’m sure he’ll be fine once he gets the hang of it.”

 

“So… You guys really do the things you were talking about?” Dustin asked.

 

“What things?”

 

“You know… The sex stuff.”

 

“Why wouldn’t we?”

 

“I don’t know. I guess I’m still trying to wrap my head around it all. I mean, I know the two of you have sex. I’m just kind of shocked that you of all people could talk so openly about it.”

 

“I didn’t freak you out or anything did I?”

 

“No. I just… I guess I never thought about you and him doing that kind of stuff.”

 

“Really? That’s weird. I mean, you’ve had more sex than just about anyone I know.”

 

“Yeah, but I’ve never had sex with anyone that I could just have a casual conversation about it, except maybe Mike. Everyone else, it’s all been a negotiation. Did you ever tell him about the time we jerked each other off?”

 

“Oh no! No way, dude. Do you think he’d be so nice to you if he knew what we did?”

 

“What do you think he’d do if he knew?”

 

“I think he’d try to pretend it didn’t bother him, but inside he’d be furious. I think he’d be angrier that I never told him anything. Brett’s kind of a complicated guy to figure out. He doesn’t flip out like he used to, but I wouldn’t press my luck with him. I wouldn’t want to get on his bad side.”

 

“Yeah… It’s hard to believe he’s the same kid who punched you in the face on your birthday.”

 

“Yeah, that was crazy, huh? Or how he yelled at Joey for paying more attention to the girls on the next lane than to the game.”

 

“Oh that was funny! I don’t think he’s been back at the bowling alley since that happened.”

 

“He probably just lost interest in it like everything else.”

 

“Oh no, he was humiliated. That was one of the most epic meltdowns I’ve ever seen. I wish I had a video of it. It was funny to watch him bowl back then. He’d get so angry when he didn’t throw a perfect shot. Or worse, when he threw a great shot and left a pin. He’d take himself right out of the game with his temper and miss the spare and then the next three shots. I’ll bet he’d be a lot better at it now that he’s got his head together.”

 

“I’m proud of him. I guess we all had a lot of growing up to do.”

 

“Yeah… So you’ve really licked his butthole?”

 

“Dude, there’s not an inch of either one of us that hasn’t been kissed, licked, or sucked at some point.”

 

“That’s one thing I never did. I had a couple of older guys do it to me, but I never did it to anyone else. It just seemed too nasty.”

 

“Something was too nasty even for you?”

 

“You act like I never had any limits. Besides the number of guys, my sex life isn’t really all that exciting. My dick is big but that’s about the most exciting thing about me. I just sucked and fucked mostly. Pretty pedestrian stuff. Some guys wanted to fuck me, but not as many as you’d think. For some guys, my dick was a turn off because it was too big. It was mostly blow jobs.”

 

“I guess I never thought about it. I guess I figured that because you had so much sex and you were a rent boy that you’d do a lot more stuff than I ever did. But it sounds like I’ve gone further than you in some areas.”

 

“Think about it. You and Brett have been together for a few years now. You’ve built up trust with each other and you know each other better than anyone else. I think that trust allows you to do more intimate things. For me, I barely knew anyone I had sex with, so there was no relationship. There was no growth. It was just on to the next one for me, and for him it was probably back to his wife and kids. I only had to give the guy about fifteen minutes at the most, certainly not a lifetime. You’ve only ever had sex with each other. Have you ever even had sex with a condom?”

 

“We used one once just to see what it was like. Every other time it’s been without one. Brett kind of insists on being completely naked when we do it.”

 

“Not surprising. You’re really lucky, Billy. Most guys don’t find love so early in their life, let alone someone who feels the same way you do and who isn’t already taken. I hope you guys realize how special what you have is. I’ll never find love like you’ve got.”

 

“Don’t say that. You never know what will happen.”

 

“Yeah, and at some point the conversation will turn to our past and what we’ve done and how many people we’ve slept with and when I say that I lost count a long time ago I’ll scare off whoever I’m trying to love.”

 

“You could always lie,” I suggested.

 

“No. That wouldn’t be right. It would mean the whole relationship was built on lies. If I ever fall in love I’m going to do it right, like you and Brett, and be totally honest.”

 

“Yeah…” I said, thinking of just how much I wished what Dustin was saying was true. I wished I could be as honest as he wanted to be with his future lover.

 

“He’s been gone an awfully long time. Hasn’t he?” Dustin asked. “Listen.” We both got very quiet and listened to our surroundings.

 

“I don’t hear the bike,” I said.

 

“Me neither,” Dustin said. “I knew he was going to stall out going so slow. Come on, let’s go get him.”

 

“Let me call his cell phone…” I reached for my pocket. “Shit, I left mine at the house.”

 

“Is that his phone sitting there on the table?” Dustin asked. I looked and sure enough there sat Brett’s cell phone on the patio table where Dustin had his tools.

 

“Yep,” I said. “Shit. Well, let’s go get him.”

 

We started toward the woods when Dustin stopped us.

 

“Shhh! Listen!” We both listened to the stillness of the woods again.

 

“What am I listening for?” I asked.

 

“I thought I heard something,” Dustin replied. “Come on.”

 

We moved with a lot more urgency up the hill through the woods. I was beginning to get worried. Surely Brett hadn’t gone faster than a snail in the woods. He couldn’t have gone far. At the top of the hill Dustin stopped suddenly. I wasn’t paying attention and walked right into his back.

 

“Ow! What’d you stop for?”

 

“Shut up!” Dustin snapped. He looked around to the left and right.

 

“REILLY!!!!” he shouted. Then he stood there still as a stone. His eyes darting about. This time I heard it too – a voice coming from the direction of Brett’s house. Dustin didn’t even say anything. He took off in the direction of the sound with me right behind him.

 

“Oh shit!” Dustin exclaimed.

 

“What?” I asked, only to discover what he’d seen. “OH MY GOD! BRETT!!!!” We both ran to the scene. Brett was laying on the ground by a tree and the bike was laying about twenty feet away. From the waist up, Brett looked fine, if a little bit scuffed up. Even his left leg looked fine. But his right leg had more corners than it should have.

 

“I think he broke his leg,” I said.

 

“No! You think?” Dustin snapped at me. “Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit!”

 

Brett was in so much pain that he was delirious. “My leg…” he moaned. “Tree…”

 

“It’s okay,” I soothed.

 

“Dude is that his bone sticking out of his leg?” Dustin asked. I had hesitated to look too closely at Brett’s leg until then. His pant leg was soaking wet and dark, stained with blood. There was definitely something poking from within the cloth. I turned away. Dustin turned and threw up. “Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit!” he cried. “What are we gonna do?”

 

“He’s in shock,” I said, my mechanical mind taking over. We’ve got to get him to the hospital. Help me move him.”

 

“I’m not moving him!” Dustin cried. “His leg’s fucking snapped like a twig!”

 

“Shut the fuck up and help me goddammit!” I shouted. I grabbed Brett under his shoulders and attempted to lift him, but that was a mistake. The sound that came from Brett still haunts my nightmares.

 

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!” Brett screamed in the most ear shattering cry of torment I’ve ever heard. If there’s a hell, that’s what it sounds like. I instantly dropped him back to the ground. Brett began to wail in horrendous pain. Now I was the one who was panicking. I was starting to bawl.

 

“Oh god! Oh god please help me!” I cried.

 

“Billy, is his mom home?” Dustin asked.

 

“His what?” I asked.

 

“His mom, the fucking doctor!” Dustin snapped. “Is she home?”

 

“She’s never home…” I said, my voice trailing off. Everything was starting to feel numb.

 

“Billy… BILLY!!!” Dustin shouted, grabbing my shoulders and shaking me. I snapped out of my shock. “Billy, did you say your mom was home?” he asked sternly. “This it important goddammit!”

 

“Yeah… Yeah! She’s there! I saw her!”

 

“Wait here,” Dustin ordered. He took off down the trail toward my house faster than I’ve ever seen him run in my life. I just knelt there next to Brett, gently petting his hair and trying not to bawl. Every once in a while I’d glance down at his mangled leg. I feared what was under that torn pant leg.

 

“It’s going to be okay,” I said, more to calm myself down than anything. I just held his head in my hands and kept stroking his hair. It occurred to me that the impact had knocked his helmet off, and it was laying on the ground a few feet from us. “Jesus, Brett! How fast were you going?”

 

Brett hadn’t said anything since that scream. I think he passed out. I prayed to God that he’d only passed out and not something worse. He was still breathing at least.

 

I heard the sound of footsteps coming quickly up the trail. I was expecting to see Dustin, but it was my mom. She was out of breath from running up the hill and carrying her bag of first aid supplies with her. She quickly scanned the scene and went to work.

 

“He’s hurt,” I said, tears rolling down my face.

 

“I know, baby,” mom replied. “I know. Dustin’s waiting at the house for the paramedics.”

 

Mom opened her bag and produced a pair of scissors and a roll of cloth. She pulled on a pair of latex gloves.

 

“It’s his leg,” I said. God, I was so fucking simple. I didn’t know what to do with myself.

 

“I gathered as much,” mom replied patiently. Mom took the scissors and cut through Brett’s bloody pant leg from his ankle right up to his hip. “We did a number on our self, didn’t we?” she said. “Brett, sweetheart, we’re going to have to stop this bleeding.”

 

“Billy, you might not want to see this,” she warned. I was in too much shock to even realize what she was about to do. Gently, she pulled apart Brett’s pant leg where she’d cut it and exposed Brett’s mangled leg. I probably shouldn’t have watched, but I did. His shin bone had snapped in half and part of it had ripped through his skin. Mom took the gauze and wrapped it tightly around Brett’s leg just above his knee.

 

“Billy, I need you to put your hand here,” mom said calmly.

 

“I… I can’t,” I said.

 

“I would prefer that he not bleed to death while we wait for the EMTs. Now put your hand here,” mom insisted. I did as mom told me and put my hand on the gauze. “Now, apply pressure right here, nice and firm. That’ll slow the blood flow until they get here.”

 

I could feel the thumping of his heartbeat under my hand. I pressed firmly against his leg. “His bone is sticking out,” I said.

 

“Yes it is,” mom said calmly. “We’ll need to get that covered to avoid infection.” She sliced through the laces on Brett’s bloody Nike shoe, and then gently pulled it off his foot. Then she sliced through the blood-soaked sock and freed his foot. “Looks like we’ve got a dislocated ankle here,” she said.

 

Brett groaned for the first time since mom had arrived.

 

“Aw, I know that hurts, dear heart,” mom said soothingly as she took more of the gauze and wrapped it gently around Brett’s lower leg, covering the wound. The white cloth quickly turned red.

 

“You need to press more firmly,” mom instructed me.

 

“Okay,” I replied.

 

“Now when the paramedics get here I want you to go down to the house and get ahold of Jenny.”

 

“I’m not leaving him,” I insisted. “Dustin can call her. I’m going to the hospital with him.”

 

“I understand that, Billy. I’m telling you to do this for a reason. You’re not in your right mind at the moment and you’re just going to be in the way when the EMTs get here. I don’t want you to have to see what they’re going to have to do to stabilize this leg. It’s going to hurt a lot and you don’t want to see him like that. Besides, he’s your responsibility, not Dustin’s. If you love him like you say you do, you’ll be the one who tells his mother what happened.”

 

“I… I don’t even know what to tell her.”

 

“Welcome to adulthood. Tell her what happened and where he’ll be. They’ll have to set the leg, probably going to be in surgery for quite a while. I’m sure you’ll want to be there.”

 

In all the commotion, neither of us realized that Brett had regained consciousness. “Billy?” he asked weakly.

 

“I’m here babe,” I replied.

 

He lifted his head and looked at me, then before we could stop him he looked at his leg. “Oh fuck…” he sighed and then he was out again.

 

Tears filled my eyes. “This is all my fault,” I said. “He didn’t want to ride it.”

 

"Billy… Don't you freak out on me." Mom said. "I need you."

 

I exhaled deeply, trying to regain my fragile composure.

   

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, we could hear Dustin and the paramedics making their way up the path toward us. I was never so happy to see someone in my life. Mom filled them in on what had happened.

 

“Who’s responsible for this boy?” the EMT asked.

 

“I am,” I replied.

 

“Billy, he means who is his legal guardian. His mother is in Pittsburgh. I’ll take responsibility for him until she can be contacted. Speaking of which, Billy, you need to get a hold of her now.”

 

“I’m not leaving him,” I insisted.

 

“Billy, we talked about this.”

 

“I’m not leaving him,” I said, more firmly than before.

 

“Hey, his cell phone is down at my house,” Dustin said. “I’ll go grab it so we can call Dr. Reilly.” Dustin took off like a bullet down the trail toward his place. It took the paramedics and my mom a long time to get Brett onto the stretcher they had brought with them. They were almost more concerned about his neck than his leg since mom had done such a good job with it. Mom was right, it was killing me to see them strap my boyfriend onto the back board with his neck in a brace immobilized and his blood all over my mom. Dustin made it back in time to grab a corner of the gurney to help carry Brett down the hill along with me and the paramedics. Mom led the way back to our house where the ambulance was waiting. Along the way Brett was in and out of consciousness. He would open his eyes and look up at me and then close them again. I could tell that he was in more pain than he could bear, and it was killing me. Once we got back to our house, the EMTs loaded Brett onto the portable stretcher with wheels and then loaded him into the ambulance. Mom got into the ambulance with Brett. I wanted to go with them, but mom stopped me.

 

“You need to call Jenny,” mom insisted. Gather up what you need from the house and then you can bring the car to the hospital. I can get a ride home with David later.”

 

“Mom…”

 

“William Aaron, please do as I’ve asked,” mom said.

 

The paramedic shut the door and the ambulance took my boyfriend away.

 

“I can call Dr. Reilly if you need me to,” Dustin said.

 

“No… This is something I have to do,” I said.

 

I opened Brett’s phone and scrolled through his contacts until I found “the bitch.” I dialed the number. In a moment, Brett’s mom answered the call.

 

“Well it’s not every day my little boy calls me! Everything alright peanut?”

 

“Jen, it’s Billy…”