Chasing Rusty Parker - 42. What Makes A King?

Chapter Forty-Two – What Makes A King?

Was it a good idea to tell Rusty about the strange call from Connor? If he did, he’d have to disclose all the matters discussed… which was basically just one, and it could mean that they were getting dangerously close to the issue of the cat boy, which they both used for teasing each other, as far as he knew. However, in this very interesting game of two, he also had his trump card, so maybe he could just steer the conversation toward the now famous Rybalt, to see if Rusty cared to offer some insight into his stage persona. After all, he was in this up to his eyeballs and wanted to learn everything he could about his partner in crime, if he could call Rusty that.

He was still staring at his phone, lost in thought, when Rusty’s energetic knock pulled him out of his reverie. He got the door, a frown on his face. He didn’t want to keep things hidden from Rusty. Well, there was the secret identity game they were playing, but they were both aware of it, so that didn’t count.

“Did something happen?” Rusty asked directly, as soon as he was inside. “You look like you’ve swallowed a rat.”

How apropos. “No, I just took a call from one,” Matty explained. “Connor called, using John’s phone.”

“What did he want? Don’t tell me,” Rusty said with a groan while he plopped himself down on Matty’s bed. “John’s a hostage again. That dude’s going to develop Stockholm syndrome or something.”

“That ship must have sailed in his case, I’m afraid. He didn’t get kidnapped again, and he seemed quite a willing participant.”

“Hmm,” Rusty let out. “So, what did you talk to him about?”

No, he wouldn’t lie, and his decision was made. “About the cat boy. It looks like they finally reached the conclusion that it’s not a girl in that suit, but, to quote Connor, a young man. A young man who attends Sunny Hill. And lives on campus. The additions were willingly made by John, who apparently acts as a second voice for the leader of douchebags.”

He waited patiently for Rusty’s reaction. A snort followed right away. “That guy totally wants to lick Connor’s balls. I’m not so sure about Connor wanting them licked, though.”

“What makes you say that?” Matty wasn’t usually curious about what other people were getting up to, but, in this case, he had to make an exception, for the sole reason that Connor and John were hovering dangerously close to the cat boy’s real identity. Also, he was quite happy that Rusty seemed to glide over it, without giving any hint at wanting to bring their little game to an end.

“Well, based on their interactions this morning, Connor seems to hate his partner’s guts.”

“For real? I thought they were on the best of terms. Why would they scheme together?”

“Good question. But my eyes don’t lie.” Rusty crossed his eyes for a moment, making Matty laugh. “Connor looked like he could barely stand that John was there. Isn’t that weird, given their track record? And John should stay clear of that asshole, who held him hostage and took his phone. Ah, what am I saying? That might be his kink.”

Matty was already laughing so hard that Rusty had to pat him on the back and then pull him down to sit on his knees. “John might be hot for Connor, and I agree this time around. Why else would he endure that guy treating him like that?”

“My point exactly. Hey, want to hang around at the house? You can bring that little monkey, too. Something tells me Dex will be happy to see her.”

Matty couldn’t believe the awesome opportunity being delivered to him on a silver platter. Rusty was generous like that, anyway, and if some of that could be extended so easily to Zoey, too, he liked him all the more. “Let me just check on her.”

He fired off a quick message to Zoey and, within seconds, a reply came. “Hmm, how odd,” he murmured under his breath. “Zoey says she’s busy.”

“Another time, then?”

“Yeah, just wait a moment.” He began typing again.

It’s an invitation to the castle, Zoey!!! Are you sure you’re that busy?

A few moments later, another ping announced a new message. I know what comes after winter.

Realization dawned on him, so he felt his lips stretching into an ear to ear grin. No invitation to any castle in the world could beat that.

“So?” Rusty asked, evidently curious.

“She’s busy indeed.”

“Too bad. Dex’s going to be disappointed.”

Or maybe not, Matty thought while he wrapped his arms around Rusty’s neck and gave him a kiss. If Connor wanted to out him as the cat boy, he’d deal with it once they crossed that bridge. For now, like Zoey, he was too busy being happy.

***

This was one meeting he would have liked to skip, but it was better to do it now than later or never. The coach had always been nice to him, in his own hard and bellowing way, so the least he could do was to let him know of his formal abdication from the team.

“Look who decided to pay us a visit,” the coach remarked when all his teammates’ eyes fixed on him as he entered the locker room where he had come regularly – as regularly as his hectic way of being allowed – for the last three and a half years. “Parker, where the hell have you been? Do we need to send out a posse, just for you?”

“Sorry, coach, just busy.”

“Don’t just stand there. Practice starts in ten.”

Rusty drew one deep breath under the questioning gaze of his aging basketball coach. “I won’t be attending practice.”

The man tsked. “You might have a sack of talent, Parker, but the more you miss practice, the less helpful you’ll be for your team out there.”

“I can’t be on the team anymore,” Rusty said in one breath.

The coach reacted as if he couldn’t believe his ears. “What do you mean, you can’t be on the team anymore?” he bellowed in his usual fashion.

He might have escaped a verbal thrashing from his dad, but the coach might not let him off the hook that easily. “I have other things I need to focus on. I’m really sorry, coach, and guys,” he added, throwing a look around at faces filled with consternation.

“What other things?” The coach dismissed the guys with a flick of the wrist. “Out, out, start the practice without me. I have a boy here who needs to get it through his thick skull that he’s making a mistake.”

It looked like the coach wanted to talk to him alone, and he understood that. However, he didn’t miss the annoyed and surprised looks a few of the guys on the team sent his way as they walked out of the locker room.

The coach took him by the shoulders and talked kindly, the complete opposite of his earlier tone. “Is it true, about you getting a girl pregnant, Rusty?”

That story again. “No, coach, it’s just that I need to focus on the things I’m going to do after college. And, let’s face it, I’ve mistreated basketball enough to know that I’m not going to be a star on the court.”

“That’s too bad, Rusty,” his coach said and sighed. “I can’t say that I don’t want to pull your ears because you have something special that you can give to this sport. But, to tell you the truth, I was expecting you to come and tell me that you wanted to give up. How did your dad take it?”

Yeah, his dad and the coach talked to each other on occasion, so that question was no big surprise. “He’s not happy about it. But it’s my choice.”

The coach patted him on the back. “Then I wish you good luck, whatever you choose to do. In case anyone asks, I really gave you a dressing down. I don’t want the boys to think I’ve gone soft or something.”

Rusty laughed. “I’ll do that. And thank you, coach. You’re a really great guy.”

The man just waved it off like he didn’t want to hear it again. “Off you go now. Since you’re of no use to me anymore.”

That had gone well. Rusty was satisfied with the outcome, and his heart was easier. Becoming more Rybalt with each passing day and visiting Mrs. May for coaching were now two of his life’s beacons.

And getting chummier and chummier with Matty. That, too. Because they were that good for each other.

***

What makes a king, Sunny Hill? Truth be told, we find ourselves not-ruled and not-guided by the one who is supposed to be in charge. The Implacable Team is taking up arms. Alcohol still remains a touchy topic with the administration. And what does our leader do?

He’s giving up on basketball! Yes, you heard us. He’s not charming girls in his spare time… or ever. And he doesn't give a rat’s ass about ruling over you, guys and gals of Sunny Hill.

Is Rusty Parker no longer our king? Who’s going to stand against Connor’s army and bring back fun as we know it? We would have liked to have gotten that memo if that’s the case.

He was all in the business of bringing back fun, but Xpress didn’t have to know about it. Actually, the less that gossipy rag looked in his direction, the better. He very much intended to leave the limelight to Rybalt and charm everyone out of their socks. Actually, the fact that Xpress was so willing to dethrone him worked in his favor more than those silly columnists would ever know. Any new celebrity needed a news outlet to document their salad-eating habits and latest shenanigans, and Xpress might as well serve a noble purpose for a change.

And, we didn’t want to mention it last time, but he even lost face to the leader of the Implacables. The meeting at the Dean of Students’ office had Rusty Parker leave with his tail between his legs, while Connor held his head high. What is this? What kind of world are we even living in?

Now, they were just being scumbags, Rusty decided. He hadn’t lost anything to Connor, face or not. Was that their way of trying to rile him up? There was no need for that. He already had his strategy in place, and Rybalt was going to play them all like an instrument, one of his own choosing. A flute, maybe? That only meant he needed to brush up on his German pronunciation.

Well, Sunny Hill would find out that fun could mean many things. And did Connor want to lift the morals of the student population to the highest heights? He had nothing on him, and Rusty would prove it.

***

It was quite late when Matty heard his phone ring. He smiled as he saw Zoey’s name on the screen and picked up right away. Since he needed to focus on his studies, too, he was alone in his room, while Rusty was probably busy with cultivating his Rybalt persona. Since the meeting at the ‘castle’ had left them with little alone time, he hadn’t yet had the chance to discover why Rusty liked to keep his singing abilities a secret from the world.

However, one thing had confirmed his suspicions regarding his bestie’s activities that afternoon had been Dex’s absence from the house. No one appeared to wonder where he was, and he kept Zoey’s secret if that was what it was.

“Hello, stranger,” he drawled as soon as he heard Zoey’s cheerful voice. “What’s the deal with winter?”

“Oh, don’t start with me. No, actually, please do start with me. Dex came… and I remembered my pickup line!”

“For real! You’re the woman, girl,” Matty teased her. “What did he say? How did he react? Tell me everything.”

“Everything-everything? I warn you, this might get pretty X-rated and fast.”

“Okay, maybe you can leave some parts out,” Matty agreed. “Give me at least the tl;dr version.”

“I delivered the line. We made out. Matty, he’s so big,” Zoey explained excitedly, “when he kisses me it’s like he’s about to swallow my whole head!”

“Frankly, that sounds a bit scary, Zoey, but who am I to judge? So, have you started naming the kids?”

“Not so fast,” Zoey said in a sly tone. “This guy’s not easy to tie down. For now, we’re – how should I put this? – kissing buddies.”

“Really? You promised R-rated stuff, and this is what you deliver?” Matty teased his bestie again. “Is that what you’ve done for hours?”

“Not only that. We talked, too. He was really pissed because of Connor’s war on beer. I told him I could set up a mini bar at my place just for him. He liked the idea. Then he kissed me again and told me something about hobbies getting realigned. I have no idea what he meant. I was too busy checking my head, making sure it hadn’t been swallowed.”

“A reasonable concern, given the circumstances.”

“What’s new on your front? Gosh, my skin is all goosebumps, still, but don’t get into too raunchy details about you and Rusty. I might not be able to handle it right now, I am that close to combusting.”

“I have great trust in you that you can weather all trials and tribulations coming your way,” Matty joked. “Actually, a weird thing happened to me.” He proceeded to recount the story of the phone call he had received from Connor earlier that day.

“That sounds pretty ominous,” Zoey agreed. “Do you think they’ve guessed you’re the guy behind the suit? Wait, that isn’t right… you’re not behind the suit, you’re inside it. Okay, I got this. Did they guess you’re the guy behind the mask?”

“I can’t be sure, but, without a doubt, they are suspecting something. I told Rusty about the convo, too, and he didn’t seem rattled in the least.”

“Well, that’s good, because he doesn’t know you’re the cat boy, and, unless you plan a big unmasking, you should first let your bestie know so that she can bring a piñata and throw a real party.”

Matty pondered for a moment. Rusty knew, but would their game be affected by other people knowing?

Zoey ignored his silence and continued. “By the way, what about you and Rybalt? Are you living a risky double-life for real?”

“I don’t know about that,” Matty replied, feeling honest for a change.

“Ah, he’s dreamy, though,” Zoey said with a deep sigh. “Not as dreamy as Dex, obviously. By the way, don’t tell Rusty anything. I have no idea where we stand for now, so I don’t want other people to end up feeling disappointed when nothing comes of it.”

“Hey, it’s not like you to be a pessimist. I’m sure he likes you. By the way, how did he find your room? That’s where you two met, right?”

“He asked around. And he came to check on me. Then, I remembered my line and said it in a heartbeat. Then, he laughed and patted my head. I still think he wanted to kiss me on the forehead, but I made a move like a medaled gymnast and he ended up catching me and kissing me on the lips. The rest is history.”

“That’s some nice history,” Matty commended his friend. “Okay, I’ll keep it a secret. But it’s a great sign that he was so interested in you that he asked around to find you.” And yet, Dex hadn’t asked him about Zoey’s whereabouts, although, by now, he had to know that he and she were BFFs.

“Do you want me to spread my antennas and see what the Implacables are up to?”

“Zoey, I believe you’ve risked your skin enough. But you know what? I’m not going to cower in the shadows. If they think it’s that easy to catch a cat boy, they better think again. Like all cats, I like playing with my food… I can’t believe I’m saying such insane things. Also, I really don’t want to put my mouth on either of those despicable dudes.”

Zoey laughed. “Yeah, keep that mouth of yours for Rybalt. I’m sure he’s dying to feel your tongue down his throat again. Check on those amazing vocal cords, Matty. I’m sure they’re pure gold, but you’d be in the privileged position to check them out.”

“Hey, he kissed me,” Matty protested, not very convincingly. Later, when everything was out in the open, he’d make amends to his bestie. For now, he and Rybalt were caught up in a game of cat and… opera singer.

***

“What is this?” People were murmuring among themselves while checking some new posters on the campus’s announcement board.

Matty couldn’t imagine what could get the students of Sunny Hill so excited first thing in the morning, so he made his way through those crowding in front of the board. He stopped and bit hard on his bottom lip not to laugh when he saw the content of the posters. That was a message for him if he’d ever seen one.

A muse, a muse, my kingdom for a muse! Pointy ears and fluffy tails are a must. Only cat boys need apply. Taking interviews Wednesday evening, ten sharp, the roof of the science building. Getting there without a scratch is part of the stuff that’ll get you hired.

So, Rusty wanted him out in the open, just as much as he wanted himself. He looked closely, and then he noticed that the fresh posters had been glued over something underneath.

“Make way, make way,” someone called in a stern voice, and Matty couldn’t say he was that surprised when he saw Connor, followed closely by John, who appeared to be glued to his leader like a shadow.

Connor gave him a brief curious look and then proceeded to tear down Rusty’s posters, all the while grunting and mumbling to himself. Matty knew he was pushing his luck, but he hovered close, very interested in what the leader of the Implacables had in mind besides trying to stop people from getting more and more enamored with the new celebrity on campus.

“Hand them to me,” Connor said shortly, and only then Matty noticed that his former roommate had a few coiled sheets of paper under his arm.

Connor began gluing his own announcements over the shreds of Rusty’s call for a cat boy as his muse. It didn’t matter; the cat boy in question now knew that he had been summoned. As for Connor and John, if they really suspected him of being Slicky Coolplums, how come they were only focused on their little errand? They should have known that he had seen Rybalt’s ad, so any measure they intended to take wouldn’t serve them in any way.

That was until his eyes fell on the fresh announcement plastered in five different copies over the announcement board, taking up all the real estate available.

We are calling for a ban on questionable characters! We are calling for a real age of high morals, Sunny Hill! Anyone with information on the true identities of the vandal pretending to be able to sing and the cat impersonator that have been wreaking havoc on our campus grounds for too long is kindly demanded to send it to us. We will take care of the unmasking and bring back order!

Kindly, my ass, Matty thought and leaned against the frame of the announcement board, crossing his arms and pinning Connor down with his eyes. If this guy thought he was going to intimidate him so easily, he had to think again. He stared until the S.H.I.T. leader turned around to look at him. “What’s up, guys?” he asked and smiled.

For a moment, it seemed like Connor would lose some of his righteous indignation and perfect composure, but he wasn’t a leader of crapheads for nothing. His smile was so fake someone needed to take it to the recycling bin. “Oh, Matthew, how nice to see you.”

“Really? We don’t even know each other, so why would you think that?”

“Why wouldn’t I? You are one of the better people here. You study, you’re proper, you have high morals--”

“Just like you, you mean?” Matty asked calmly, keeping his claws carefully sheathed behind an equally plastic smile.

“Like us.” Connor even dared to touch his shoulder and lean forward as if they were sharing some secrets mere mortals couldn’t be put at risk to partake. “It’s a real shame John hasn’t managed to convince you to join our ranks.”

There was only so much he could do not to shake off Connor’s slimy touch. Not that his hands were clammy or that he portrayed the image of someone unkempt, but his morality was so dubious Matty didn’t want to have anything to do with him.

Luckily for him, Connor withdrew his hand so that he could stare with reproachful eyes at his acolyte. John looked down, but only for a moment. The next, he set his chin high and looked Connor in the eye. Matty had to say that his former roommate appeared quite brazen to the unknowing bystander, but he had seen enough to realize that there was a certain dynamic between the two worshippers of ‘high morals’ that must have developed recently.

“Matty will come to realize the errors of his ways on his own, I’m sure,” John said from the tip of his lips, as if he could barely be troubled to say such things.

“There are no errors in my ways,” Matty said promptly. “All this concern for me is touching, guys, but I have no need for it.” Then, he gestured with his chin at the freshly posted announcement. “What do you really want to achieve with this?”

“Isn’t it clear from the ink wasted?” Connor asked and, this time, he glared as if he was just beginning to realize that Matty was firmly against him. “The Dean of Students is too soft on the morals of the students of Sunny Hill. Someone with a firmer hand must do something.”

“And that someone is you. Go figure.”

“Yes. I don’t understand why a straightlaced individual such as yourself would fail to see that we are right.”

“Graduation is only months away. Do you really want to spend the last of your college days doing this?” Matty inquired calmly.

“Don’t you believe in leaving a legacy, Matthew? This will be mine. And it will be a testimonial for my future endeavors in the world.” Connor looked ahead and slightly to the side, as if he could truly envision an incredibly bountiful future for himself, based on his accomplishments during his time spent at Sunny Hill.

“Looking to go into politics?” Matty asked, reaching the only logical conclusion he could from it all.

“It is how one changes the world,” Connor confirmed and looked at him again. “And I have every intention of doing that. It is my life’s goal. What’s yours?”

Not being a scumbag. Enjoying life. Loving Rusty Parker. “Not pissing off people by taking away their beer,” he said promptly instead.

Connor made a long face, just to show how disappointed he was in Matty’s choice of words. “Is beer that important? Our youths consume way too much alcohol as it is. And that is a habit that can grow to become a real problem in later years. If we can save one person from alcoholism and related problems through our actions, I’ll still call it a win.”

“It’s each person’s choice what they do with their liver,” Matty replied. “And I believe that a lot of people know what moderation is.”

Connor sighed deeply. “You’re such a libertarian, Matty. You almost make me think you’re a contrarian, too.”

“I’m not in the business of labeling myself,” Matty replied. “I can only tell you one thing. I believe in common sense.”

“Yes, of course,” Connor said, feigning affront as if he believed Matty to have just accused him of having none of that. While that was true, Matty’s intention hadn’t been to accuse the craphead of all crapheads of anything of the kind.

“So, see you on Wednesday?” Matty cut the conversation short with a well-aimed challenge. He gestured toward the announcement board, although Rusty’s ad was no longer visible. “Since you’re so keen on catching Rybalt and the cat boy.”

Connor’s lips twitched for a moment. “We’ll see about that,” he replied, imagining himself all mysterious by doing so. “Goodbye, Matthew. Something tells me that you will soon become one of ours. Just so you know, there won’t be any hard feelings related to the past when that happens.”

“Why should there be?” Matty asked with a broad smile.

“I’m just putting it out there for your consideration,” Connor replied. His smile was self-assured as he walked away with John in tow. John, who threw a look over his shoulder at him. His eyes were unreadable. Matty had no idea what to make of that and didn’t care to, either.

His only current interest, besides the usual, was to find some time for proper stretching before the big interview. After all, he was more than certain that Rusty was going to be a tough interviewer, and he had to prepare properly for the task.

***

Had Matty seen the ad? He hoped so, but, in hindsight, he should have tried a method that was sure to succeed, and not leave everything to chance like this. Just in case Matty didn’t make an appearance at the established place and hour, he would have to reconsider his strategy of contacting the cat boy. Too bad fooling around like that in costumes was so much fun. It was the only thing keeping him from blurting out the truth and getting to hang out with Matty as they saw fit, costumes or not.

Maybe that wasn’t the only thing. What would Matty think – really think – of his singing? At first, he had told him that he didn’t think much of Rybalt. It wasn’t like him to experience so much doubt, but there they were, and doubt was par for the course. Matty was definitely bold and sure of his cat persona, and that was a plus. But what if it was all nothing but a fantasy? One that would end once college was over, and they had to face the real world, as older people often put it?

He didn’t want to think about such things. His MO with them was to sweep them under the rug. That imaginary rug was probably now sitting about one foot off the ground, but it didn’t matter as long as others had no idea of its existence. It had worked so far, right?

How was he going to be sure Matty would be there, dressed as the cat boy as if taken from one of his hottest fantasies with slender young dudes dressed in latex? Rusty shook his head. There was no point in dwelling on things that were bound to make him horny. Unless, of course, he could call Matty over for a quickie.

Without one moment’s hesitation, he grabbed the phone. “Hey,” he drawled, as Matty picked up on the second ring. “Do you have time?”

“Ugh, unfortunately, not really.”

That was a bummer, but Rusty had always said that he would be respectful of Matty’s study time. “What are you busy with?”

“Stretching,” came the prompt reply.

Now that was something he hadn’t expected. “Interesting. I thought you were pretty limber already. I recall certain sex positions we’ve tried that even weathered contortionists might find themselves hard pressed to pull off.”

Matty snickered, a sound that had come to tickle his ear in the most pleasant of ways. “Well, that should tell you that keeping myself in shape is paramount, or otherwise we might end up as a bunch of knots when together.”

That was surely not as bad as it sounded. Rusty could see himself all wrapped around Matty and Matty wrapped around him. “Well, if that’s the case, I’d say carry on.”

“Wait, why did you call?”

“I was wondering if you were available for a quickie,” Rusty admitted in his usual forthright fashion when it came to sex.

“How quick are we talking about?”

“Hand to hand combat,” Rusty explained. “I’m already horny.”

“You could watch porn,” Matty suggested.

“I’ve hardly watched that since we’ve gotten together.” Now that was one huge confession for him. Why watch porn when he had the sexiest dude in his bed? Not even cat boy porn mattered anymore. He had the real deal. That reminded him. “What are you going to do on Wednesday evening?”

“I’ve heard there’s going to be a Rybalt event. I wouldn’t miss it,” Matty replied promptly.

Ah, so his message had been received. That was great to know. The only matter left unsolved was his horny dick. “Can I come watch you stretch, my limber friend?”

“Sure. Since you’ve admitted that I ruined you for watching porn, it’s my duty to help you get off.”

That was everything he needed. Also, he had a little gift for Matty. He could barely wait to see how his baby dude was going to look dressed in it.

TBC