Homecoming - 18. Chapter 18

Paul and Kyle walked out of the hospital and headed towards the diner a block away. They passed by Paul’s truck, which caught the owner’s attention. Paul preoccupied his thoughts thinking of the DVDs he had in his glove compartment, that he wasn’t listening to Kyle talking about their mother.

“Paul?” Kyle turned to his brother who was looking behind them. “Paul? Did you hear me?” Kyle saw that his brother was acting anxious. Kyle reached and grabbed Paul’s arm, stopping their pace. Paul glared at Kyle as if he was surprised to see him.

“What?” Paul asked.

“Paul, you weren’t listening to a word I said.”

“What—you were talking?”

“Yes.”

“Listen, Kyle, go on to the diner, I need to go back to my truck and get something.”

“What?”

Paul stared at his brother and was going to make up something, but then decide against it.

“Never mind that, just go on,” Paul started to walk away. “I’ll meet you there okay,” he called back, before Kyle could protest.

Paul reached his truck and struggled with his key, dropping it a few times before getting it in the lock. He swung the door opened. A cold chill washed over him as his shaking hand opened the glove compartment finding the DVD’s gone. Paul snatched everything out of the small area dropping it to the floor. Defeated, he slammed the compartment and his truck’s door. His mother was being accused of a crime, he committed.

************

Adam took off after hearing about the police finding DVD’s and Eric Perkin’s key on his mother. He needed answers, but needed to clear his head first. Eric Perkin’s farm was not one of his favorite places as a child. Trouble always seems to raise its ugly head whenever Adam went by Perkins’s farm. The first time he was playing baseball with his friends at a nearby field. Adam was at bat and he hit a pop fly that landed on Perkin’s property.

Adam went over to retrieve the ball running into Perkins, who would grin at him, then refuse to give the ball back. Another time Adam was throwing a boomerang his older brother Damien bought him, in the woods between their farms. He wore a helmet, a promise he made to Damien whenever he played with it. He threw it as hard as he could, practicing catching it when it returned. He missed a lot of times, but started to get the hang of it. He moved throughout the woods throwing it low and high and managing to catch it a few times.

His friend Ricky came over with his own helmet and Adam let him take a turn throwing it. He persuaded Adam it would be better to do it by Perkin’s farm being as it had more open space. Unfortunately, his friend tossed it so hard it traveled on to Perkins’s farm and embedded itself into his window.

Both boys took off running. Ricky begged Adam not to tell on him in fear of Perkins firing him. Adam promise not to say a word but didn’t want to go over to Perkin’s to apologize by himself.

Adam tried to keep it a secret, but Perkins called his parents. His father was furious and grounded Adam. Thankfully his mother went over to apologize for him.

Adam didn’t take his jeep, he wanted to walk for a bit. He saw a bookstore and stepped inside. No one was in the store except for the clerk who ignored Adam while he shelved books. Adam headed to the back where a long inviting couch sat against a wall for anyone who wanted to sit and read. Adam collapsed on the couch feeling the stress in his neck. He closed his eyes and covered his face when he senses someone near him. Dropping his hands, he looked and saw a familiar face standing in front of him.

“Hello, Adam. Welcome home.”

“Ricky?”

Ricky Webb and Adam went to school together from kindergarten, but hung with different crowds. Where Adam was outgoing and popular, Ricky was meek and a hermit. Ricky’s favorite article of clothing was hoodies. He wore the hood over his head in class and if anyone talked to him Ricky would just walk away or ignored them.

When they were in middle school Ricky pissed a boy off and was being punched and kicked in the play yard. Adam intervened to defend Ricky. From that day on he and Ricky became friends. None of Adam’s other friend’s liked Ricky because of his cold behavior so, Adam would hang out with him from the others, which was fine with Ricky.

Adam met Ricky’s mom who owned the general store in town. Out of all the time his mom or dad took him there he never once saw Ricky.

“I’ve delivered a few times to your house,” Ricky had told him, one day when they were thirteen, by a pond they were throwing rocks into.

“I never saw you,” said Adam.

“You were always out.”

“Well, what do you like to do?”

“I love dungeon and dragons.”

“No way, so do I. In fact, my dad has role playing events near our farm.”

“I know it’s, in that old ghost town.”

“Yeah, my dad just bought it, now it’s ours.”

“That must be so cool.”

“It is, you should come.”

“I want to but my mom can’t afford it.”

“Well, you can come as my guest. I’ll ask my mom and dad, I know they’ll say yes.”

“Really, that would be great.”

“Do you have a character you like playing?”

“A Ranger.”

“No way, that’s my favorite.”

“Well, I can play something else.”

“No, we can go as Rangers, but different.”

“What?”

“I’ll explain at my house, come on I’m starving and my mom’s making spaghetti.”

“You’re sure I can come?”

“My family is cool. And my mom loves guest. Besides, they know you, so there.”

“Thanks. My mom works late and I have to eat TV dinners.”

“Don’t worry my mom will hook you up with leftovers and desserts. He’s neat like that.”

“You’re so lucky Adam.”

“Come on Ricky, we have planning to do.”

But what Ricky wasn’t telling Adam was that his mother wasn’t working late. She was in the hospital; Ricky’s grandmother was staying with him. His mother’s store was sold because of the rising cost of her medical bills. Ricky still worked as a delivery boy, but under new management…

Adam rose from the couch and stepped to Ricky who didn’t move. Adam’s short temper got the best of him as he grabbed Ricky by his jacket and pushed him back against a bookshelf knocking a few books down. Ricky didn’t flinch.

“You prick, I told you I never wanted to see you again! I told you to pretend you don’t know me and keep walking!”

“Good to see you too, Adam,” said Ricky, smiling. Adam released Ricky with another shove before stepping back. Not wanting to say anything to Ricky, Adam started to walk around him, but Ricky stepped in his way.

“Come on Adam. Our past is water under the bridge. Are you not over it? I am.”

“Fuck you, Ricky.”

“Adam, come on, we’re grown men now. You’re not going to let some childish game…”

“Childish game?” Infuriated, Adam punched Ricky sending him down to the carpeted floor. Ricky almost blacked out, but managed to stay awake as he looked up at Adam, who stood clenching his fist by his side before stepping around Ricky to leave. Adam stopped short and kept his back to Ricky.

“Stay away from me and my family Ricky, or you’ll regret it.”

“Is that a threat Potter?”

“Take it any way you want Ricky.”

Adam left the bookstore with the clerk staring at him, then looking down where Ricky laid. Walking back into the cool air seem to calm Adam a bit, but he needed something more to help him clear his mind. He went back to his jeep and pulled out of the parking spot heading back to the farm.

Ricky stumbled out of the bookstore rubbing his chin. He walked to his bike and mounted it when he heard a beeping sound inside his jacket. He reached in and removed the cell phone he found and saw that the program he used on it unlocked the phone. He noticed a picture of Adam as the backdrop. He opened the photo file and saw Adam smiling with an attractive male. Other pics showed a female dressed up as anime characters. Then he saw the same female with Adam kissing him on the cheek and lips. Ricky studied the female more closely, and realized the handsome male and pretty female was the same person.

“Wow Adam, you dog. You found a beauty,” Ricky whispered. He checked out more pics of the male in drag getting a hard-on when he came across a photo of himself in the Cave next to a table. “Where did he…” he started to say out loud when he saw another photo that had him standing next to Eric Perkins, who sat impaled on a battle ax. “How the fuck did he get these?” Ricky wondered. “Tina?” he said out loud. He shoved the cell in his pants pocket and started his bike driving off.