The Sound of Starting Over - 2. Chapter 2*

Waking up to the rumbling of my stomach I roll out of bed and fumble around the walls to find the damn light. Flipping it on, the bright light causes me to squint. I notice a paper on my bedside table that says dinner is in the microwave. I take a quick shower and just throw on some briefs since I am pretty sure it is late and the house is pitch black.

Making my way into the kitchen, I run into the corner of the counter, and let out a hiss. I need to find a light. I don’t know where anything is in this fucking kitchen, so I follow the digital clock on the stove, hoping that there will be a vent light above it, and to my luck there is.

Reading the clock I was surprised to see it was 2: 30 a.m. I spot the microwave, and sure enough, there is a plate of food inside. It looks like lasagna. I hit the start button to warm it up and hop onto the counter to wait for the timer to go off.

I damn near have a heart attack as the main kitchen light comes on and jump a little as I see a figure enter the room. “Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you,” Chandler says, grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge.

“Maybe you could warn someone next time,” I snap.

I watch as he walks to the stool on the other side of the counter and sits. “Well, maybe you should turn on a light,” he says, taking a drink.

“I would have if I knew where the hell it was,” I tell him.

I feel his eyes on me, He makes me feel self-conscious, sitting on the counter in just my boxers. Finally, the microwave dings I hop off and grab my food. I start looking in the drawers for a fork. “Third one to your left,” I hear him say.

Sure enough, that’s where all the silverware was. “Thanks,” I mumble.

He is still looking directly at me. I can tell he hasn’t been to sleep; he has dark circles underneath his glasses, and he is wearing pajamas and a tank top. “Why are you up?” I ask, grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge.

He just shrugs. “Couldn’t sleep.”

I sit on the stool right next to him and watch as his body stiffens. “So, you just wander the house and scare people?” I ask and take a bite of the food. I am surprised that it tastes as good as it does.

“Why are you always such a dick?” he asks putting the bottle of water down harder than normal.

I just smile at this. “It’s what I am good at.”

“Figures,” is all he says.

“What the hell does that mean?” I ask, getting defensive.

He just laughs and shakes his head. “Nothing. You wouldn’t understand.”

“Try me.”

“That you would say it’s what you are good at. I don’t know you, but I can tell you how fucking lucky you are. You are going to have everything here. An amazing mother, stepdad and two cool brothers, but I am sure you will take it for granted, because that probably isn’t good enough for you, and that’s a shame.”

His hostility takes me by surprise. “I know you spend more time here than at your own house, Chandler, but trust me. Don’t feel threatened. I’m not trying to compete for whatever fucking attention Hank and Helen give you here since you obviously don’t get it at your own house.”

I know I hit a soft spot because I see him flinch. “Careful, Landon. Wouldn’t want it to sound like you are jealous that they give me attention.”

This leaves me speechless. He takes another swig of his water and leans in towards me. “I can play your game, Landon.”

“Congratulations, then,” I tell him. I want nothing more than to fucking hit him in his face right now.

He shakes his head. “Dude, look, I don’t know what happened or why you are here, but you have a pretty great family that wants to accept you, and you’re so damn hell-bent on being such a fucking dick that you won’t give them the time of day. I have tried to be nice. I think we could be friends, but I see that you are too immature. So, if you want to be left alone. Fine, I will stop trying to be nice. Oh, and one other thing you don’t know shit about my home life. Others aren’t as fortunate as you. Maybe you should take that into account and be sure to wash your dish when you’re done. No one needs to be picking up after you,” he says and walks away from me.

I laugh. Is this kid serious? I finish eating the food that has started to get cold again. I put my dirty dishes into the dishwasher and my conscience gets the best of me. I know he went up the stairs, so I trail after him. I see a light on in a room, and I assume it’s him.

I open the door slowly because I don’t want to risk knocking and waking the whole damn house up. I peek in, and no one is in the room, but there is a huge window open. I walk to it and lookout, and I see him sitting on the roof.

I climb out of the window and sit next to him. “What are you doing out here?” I ask feeling the breeze, I didn’t realize it gets chilly in Florida this time of year, I mean I have always heard it’s hot year-round.

He just shrugs. “The better question is, why are you out here?”

“I wanted to say sorry, but maybe I’m not actually that sorry.”

He laughs. “Wow, maybe you are human, after all.”

“Don’t tell anyone. I have a reputation to keep,” I say, smiling, bumping his shoulder.

“Secret is safe with me,” he says, looking at me.

I feel his gaze linger on me for a little too long. I know I must look damn good, sitting here in just my boxers. Hell, I know my package is on display, as well, but I seriously doubt Chandler is gay. Fuck, I’m not even gay. But, if by chance he is, and he wants to get me off, I wouldn’t mind. I haven’t got my rocks off in a bit.

“So, why are you up here?” I ask, breaking the silence.

“It’s a good place to think,” he says.

“About what?”

“Everything.” He laughs at this.

“You are a weirdo,” I tell him.

“I get that a lot, but hey, that’s what makes me so interesting.” He says grinning

I can’t help but grin as well. I wait for him to say something else, but he doesn’t. I get it, why this is his place to come and think about things. You can see the whole neighborhood and all the lights. It’s nice up here.

“Nervous to start school?” I hear him ask.

“Not really looking forward to it, but hell, maybe it will be cool to know other people here. Still kind of holding out hope that my father will change his mind.”

“Do you think he will?”

“No. Question for you, though? Do you have any weed on you, or know where I can get any?”

He just shakes his head. “I knew you being decent would only last for so long.”

“I’m gonna take that as a no. Whatever, I am going to bed.” I say getting up off the roof

Climbing back into the window I make my way back to “my room.” Shutting the door, I lock it. I don’t want to be rude again, but honestly, I don’t want to talk. I lay back on the bed. I don’t understand how the hell he got more out of me than I did him. I wanted to know a little more about him, but that didn’t happen.

I’m not going to hang myself up on it. I look around the room, and it isn’t as bad as I thought it would be. I run my hand over my abs, letting it slip up to my left nipple, and I give it a gentle pinch. I start to feel myself get hard, and I lift my butt up, so I can slide my briefs off.

My five and a half inch prick hits my lower stomach, and I spread my legs out. I run my hand through my closely trimmed pubes. I take my hard dick in my hand and give it a squeeze, letting out a soft moan. It won’t take me long to get off tonight. It’s been a long time since I came. I start pumping, going faster and slower, to make the feeling as intense as possible I spit in my hand lubing up my dick. I bite my lip from the ecstasy I am feeling.

I take my left hand and gently tug on my sac, drawing it away from my body. I take my hand off my dick, not wanting to blow my load just yet. But the toe-curling sensation doesn’t want to leave, so I spit in my hand again and place my hand back on my dick and continue to jerk off rapidly.

I can feel it in my nut sack, and the pit of my stomach. I buck my hips up, as the first three shots of cum hit my chest. I keep jerking, milking the rest of my cock, and spasm as my dick gets sensitive. I release my dick and lay my head back and take a deep breath. I look to my left at the side table, and there is a box of tissues. This makes me chuckle, ‘cause someone has a sense of humor.

****

I hear a knock at the door. I just grunt and turn over. There is another knock. “Leave me alone!” I yell.

The door opens; I still have my back to them. “Sweetie, come on, get up. We are going to the mall,” I hear my mom tell me.

“I don’t want to go,” I mumble pulling the covers over my head.

“Well, you have to. Hank is gone, and Liam and Jake are both at practice, so it’s just you, Chandler, and I. So, we are going to the mall. I know you need more clothes for school. “

“Can’t we go another day?” I moan

“No, so come on, get up. I will make some eggs.”

“How the fuck did you get in here?” I ask, sitting up in bed.

“We have keys to all the doors. Now get up I am making breakfast, boy you are harder to wake up than your brothers,” she says, shutting the door.

I grumble some more about how they aren’t my brothers. I throw a pillow at the now-closed door. I finally get up and pad my way to the bathroom to relieve this piss hard-on. It is the most difficult challenge to piss when you have a hard-on. I finish up and flush the toilet, splash water on my face, and make my way to my closet.

Helen might be right. I do need more clothes; my father didn’t pack half of my shit. I pick out the jeans that have a shredded leg and hole in the knee. My favorite pair. I am surprised my father even packed them. He hated when I wore them. All he would do is bitch about how he bought me all these clothes, and I just always wanted to look like trash.

I slip my jeans on, and since these jeans hang really low on my waist, I grab a belt. I pick out a light baby blue polo and throw it on with some deodorant. sliding on my vans I grab my hat and put it on backward. I flip the closet light off and leave the room.

I walk into the kitchen, and Chandler is eating a plate of eggs. I glance over at him. He has on cargo shorts and a black shirt, and some vans that slip on, like mine. “How do you like your eggs?” my mom asks.

“I don’t like eggs. I do like coffee, though,” I tell her.

“Well, you already missed the coffee, so can I cook up something else?”

“I’m good,” I tell her, sitting next to Chandler at the bar.

“Back to being emotionless?” he asks.

“Better than acting like a pussy,” I tell him.

“Landon, language!” my mom says.

“Sorry, Helen,” I tell her and smirk at Chandler.

I can see her tense up, that I don’t call her Mom. Honestly, I feel that she lost that right a long time ago when she left me and never came back. “Guess our talk had no effect on you at all,” Chandler whispers.

“I have no idea what you are talking about,” I tell him.

He rolls his eyes and gets up and washes his plate off and thanks, Helen. “You ready to go?” she asks, looking at me.

“Since I can’t stay here, I guess I am.”

I get up and she looks me over. “Those jeans need to be thrown out.”

“Like the sperm donor threw me out?” I ask.

She just shakes her head. I follow her and Chandler out into the garage and to my mom’s car.

I wish I had my phone right now. I could at least keep in touch with my friends. Fuck, this sucked. If I was back home, I could be making money or getting high. Instead, I am in this bullshit situation that sucks. “So, would you want to get frozen yogurt after the mall?” my mom asks a little excitement in her voice.

“I’m not ten,” I tell her. “Oh, wait, you wouldn’t know what I liked when I was ten. You took off.” I instantly feel like a dick, because I can see the excitement leave her face.

“That sounds good, Mrs. G,” Chandler chimed in.

I roll my eyes, and I can feel his eyes on me. “Of course, it sounds good to you,” I remark.

“It’s on then, Chandler. Whether or not my ungrateful son wants to join us is up to him.”

I don’t comment on this. So, she does have some sarcasm. I just keep looking out of the window as the two of them start chatting about random things. I do start paying attention when she mentions Chandler’s home life.

“How are things?” my mom asks.

“Things are okay. I mean, they aren’t great, but I guess it could be worse.”

“I’m sorry, sweetie. Like I said, the house is always open for you. You still have the spare key, right?”

“Yes, ma’am, and thank you. No one has really been home the last week, which isn’t unusual.”

“Not at all?”

“No, ma’am, not at all. That’s why I kind of came to hang out at the house this weekend. I didn’t want to be alone.”

“Sweetie, you are welcome anytime. You do realize it’s supposed to get colder here in the next few days. Do you have warmer clothes?”

“I will be ok,” he says.

“This weather sucks dick. It’s getting hot now, but supposed to be cold the next few days?” I say.

“Welcome to Florida in the winter,” Chandler deadpans.

I roll my eyes. “Yeah, well, Florida sucks ass.”

“LANDON! I will not tell you again about your language!” my mom yells.

I just smirk. “Look, we are all old enough. Jake isn’t around.”

“It’s out of respect for your mother.”

I don’t even say anything to him, only because Helen will agree with him. I know when to pick my battles and when to let shit go, and this was one of those things to let go.

We get to the mall, and Helen steers us into American Eagle. She tells me to pick out 3 pair of shorts and 3 jeans. I don’t argue. Fuck it, she wants to spend money, might as well take advantage of it.

I am browsing the jeans and can’t decide what ones I want. I like the slim fit but hate the skinny ones. I like the kind I have on, as well. One of the employees walks over to me and picks up a pair. “These will look fantastic on you,” she says, smiling.

I take them from her and smile. “You think?”

“Oh yeah, you have the body for them,” she says, eyeing me.

“You interested, then?” I say, smirking.

This causes her to blush. “It’s possible.”

“I like those who put up a little chase.”

She blushes some more. “You should try them on.”

“You should come in the changing room with me. I might have a problem getting these jeans off,” I say.

As she is about to reply, my mom walks up. “Hello, Kelsey. I see you have met my fifteen-year-old son, Landon.”

“Hey, Mrs. Greenfield. Yeah, I was just suggesting some jeans for him,” Kelsey says, backing off a lot.

I mentally cuss Helen out. “Yeah, I think I will get them.”

“How is Liam?” Kelsey asks my mom.

“He is good. Well, Kelsey, we must get going. More shopping to get done. Just because you and Liam broke up doesn’t mean you have to be a ghost. I miss having a girl around the house.”

“I will stop by sometime soon,” she says, and she looks like a deer caught in headlights. I can tell how uncomfortable she is because she keeps looking around as if an excuse to leave is going to pop out of nowhere.

“You definitely should,” I say, smiling.

My mom takes the clothes from me, I also see she has more pants and a hoodie. I figure she must be buying Chandler some clothes. I toss her a hoodie.

“You know Kelsey won’t flirt with you now,” Chandler tells me, coming up from behind me.

“Why not? I had her thinking about going into the changing room,” I tell him, smirking.

“Dude, she is almost eighteen, and your brother’s ex.”

“Stepbrother. Dude, she is hot. I want to hit that, and besides, she couldn’t resist me.”

He just shakes his head. I tell him, “Hey, look, I can get you a girl. You just can’t be all innocent acting, dude.”

He blushes. “No, I am good, thanks.”

“Your loss, but I suggest you get laid,” I tell him.

“You have?” he asks.

“He has what?” my mom walks back over, carrying bags, giving one to Chandler and one to me.

“Rode a horse. He was asking how life was in Texas,” I tell her, giving him a look.

“Oh, you have ridden a horse before. I didn’t know that Landon,” she says. I swear she looks like she won a prize from, learning this from me.

“Yeah, lots of times a few times bareback, but I don’t really suggest that,” I say, looking at Chandler, knowing he knows what I am really talking about. Even though I have ridden plenty of horses.

“I am sure that makes you sore,” my mom says, clueless to what I am really talking about.

We go to a few more stores, and she makes me get more clothes. After a few more hours and a trip to the car, we are done. I hate shopping and don’t want to do this anymore. “Sorry, boys, I have to run back in and get one more thing. You both can wait in the car,” my mom says, handing Chandler the keys.

We both get in and don’t say anything to each other at first. “Don’t throw a temper tantrum but why do you constantly act like a dick to your mom, don’t you think she’s gotten the message by now?” he asks.

“Tell me about your family first, and I will tell you about mine, ‘cause my mom isn’t some saint,” I tell him.

He doesn’t say anything, so the silence resumes between us. Helen comes back to the car and hands me a white bag. “Here you go, sweetie.”

I open it and it’s a new I-phone. “Thanks,” I mumble…. I don’t know what else to say I wasn’t expecting this at all.