Be Rad - 30. Chapter 30

September 28, 1980

I knocked gently on the door and heard mumbled voices and people scrambling. A few seconds later, Claire cracked the door to her room. “What?” she demanded rudely.

“I need to talk to you.”

“Now? It's not the best time.”

“Sure it is. You two need to get ready for dinner anyway.” She sighed and motioned me in, clutching her robe around her. Jack was in bed, obviously stark naked even though there was a sheet covering him from the waist down. Their nervousness just fueled my playfulness.

I plopped down on the bed next to him and looked at him, smiling. Then I lifted the sheet and looked down at his body. He pulled it back and laughed. “Hey, this ain't no peep show.”

“Too bad,” I leered.

“You came here to talk?” Claire said, pretending to be irritated.

“Roger will be here for dinner tonight,” I told her, hoping she'd get the hint.

“So?” She wasn't tracking with me. I snuck my hand under the covers and pinched Jack's ass. He yelped and smacked my hand. While he was distracted I focused my eyes on her with a purpose.

I mouthed the words: “I think he'll be here tomorrow too.”

“Ow. That's a hell of a way to hit on a guy,” Jack said, rubbing his ass. Claire gave me a weak smile and nodded.

“See ya later, sweet cheeks,” I said to Jack. He was still rubbing his ass. I had pinched him hard.

Claire walked me to the door. “Thanks Brad. I'll tell him.”

Mom had made sure to have a special dinner for us tonight, and it felt like a really big deal. The primary motivation was Mouse coming to join us, but there was more than that. I knew it, Tonto knew it, and Mom knew it. We all sat around the table and dug in. I looked at Mouse. He seemed perfectly fine now, a long way from the basket case I'd seen just a few hours ago. Roger sat next to JP and they were so obviously happy I couldn't help but smile. Tonto looked at me and rolled her eyes, as if to make fun of the love birds.

“I would like to propose a toast,” my Mom said. “I would like to welcome David to our family.” He stammered and stuttered a meek thank you while we all toasted. Everyone seemed really happy except Roger. I couldn't read what it was exactly, but something had disturbed him. I thought about the things he'd shared with me. His trauma was very similar to Mouse's. I don't know why that hadn't dawned on me before. Maybe he could help Mouse. No wonder he looked at the kid strangely. He was walking in Roger's footsteps. I credited myself with being perceptive and connecting the dots.

“I would like to propose a toast as well,” JP said. “We have another person joining our family. Roger is going to be moving in.” We all beamed at Roger. He looked happy, but something was still bothering him. We drank cheerfully and continued to eat. I looked over at Jack and he winked at me. Good. Claire had told him and he was cool with it. What he must think about our dysfunctional family was beyond me.

“All these people moving in, there's going to be a lot less room around here,” Tonto groused.

“Roger won't take up more room Tonto,” Claire said sweetly, “he's sharing Daddy's room.” We all laughed and giggled while JP blushed deeply. Tonto was pleased that she was able to stir up some shit.

“David, I didn't catch your last name,” Roger asked.

“It's Burton. David Burton.” I looked at JP and saw that he got it. The puzzle was complete. Burton was Roger's last name. Roger looked at him very sadly; a tear fell down his cheek. He got up and walked over to David and knelt next to him. He put his arm around Mouse.

“Do you know who I am?”

“You're Roger,” Mouse said simply.

“Roger Burton,” he said, holding out his hand. “I only saw you once, when you were still very young. I'm your uncle.” Someone dropped a fork. Everyone gasped. “I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry,” Roger said, and then grabbed Mouse and hugged him tightly. Mouse looked across at me, confused, but I nodded.

“Well there's never a dull moment around this place,” observed Tonto wryly. “You're not related to anyone here, are you Jack?”

He grinned, turning on the charm. “No, but Brad keeps trying to make me his girlfriend.” That got a big laugh and lightened the mood. Finally Roger let Mouse go and went back to his place next to JP. He was a mess. He couldn't stop crying. “Would you excuse me?” he said, and almost ran back to JP's room.

No one said anything. I looked to JP for permission, as it were, to talk about this at the table, and got a slight nod. “Mouse, did you know that Roger was your uncle?”

“No. I didn't even know I had an uncle.”

“Roger is your stepfather’s brother. The reason he is so upset is because he endured the same thing that you did.” Mouse looked at me, interested, but not shocked. “He experienced it at the hands of the same person.” Now Mouse got it. He nodded quietly.

“Would you mind if I, uh, finished dinner later?” he asked.

“Not at all,” said JP. Mouse left the table and headed off to JP's room. I wasn't as smart and perceptive as I thought I was.

“What the hell, er, I mean heck is going on?” Billy asked. Ace wasn't there yet either.

“Why don't you let Mouse explain it,” JP said, his usual reaction being to slide these things under the counter, or at least to postpone them.

“I think I can do it better,” I said, directly contradicting him. “You all know how Mouse was abused, right?” They nodded. “The abuse was not just physical, it was sexual.”

“Brad, these are very personal things. I don't think it's your place to reveal them. I think it's up to Mouse and Roger.” JP and his fussy sense of honor.

I was about to rebut him when Claire jumped in. “I disagree. Mouse and Roger are living with us. I think their emotional baggage directly concerns us. If we all don't understand what's wrong, how can we help them? I thought they were members of our family?” That's the first time Claire had stepped in and countered something JP had decreed. He glared at the two of us, much like a monarch would glare at rebellious subjects.

“Oh for Christ's sake, will you just tell us what's going on. It's not like anyone here bears them any malice or will try to hurt them. We all live here. Well except for pretty boy over there,” Tonto said, and pointed at Jack.

“He pretty much lives here,” observed Billy, and got an evil glare from Claire.

It was too much for my mother. “Brad, go on. Bare bones version please.”

“Roger was sexually abused as a child and even as a young adult by his brother. That brother is the same stepfather that abused Mouse.” No one said anything. They all just digested this. That did a lot to explain Roger's virtual breakdown in front of us. The thought that he didn't do something to stop his brother, and now his brother had gone on and done this must be almost unbearable. The silence became really uncomfortable.

“I have an aunt who's a lesbian,” Jack said, apropos of nothing, and broke the mood by making us all laugh. And giving us an excuse to stop talking about this and to finish eating.

JP was still irritated with me so I followed him to his study after dinner so he could vent.

“I don't think it's appropriate to reveal personal, confidential information about people without their approval,” he said as soon as we were in the room.

“Do you think it's fair to keep secrets from the family? Especially about people who we don't know all that well and are now living in our midst?”

He sighed. “Arguing with you is often tiresome.” Then he smiled. “Primarily because you make me think.” He looked at the papers on his desk. “You and I have very different styles, and approach things like this differently. Quite frankly, I wonder now that you have revealed Roger's confidential information, why you wouldn't do the same to me or anyone else?”

“You are saying you don't trust me?” I asked him, genuinely offended.

“No, I didn't mean it to sound that way,” he added hastily. “I just wish you'd learn to keep your mouth shut once in a while.”

I rolled my eyes. “And I wish you'd open yours more.”

“An impasse, then,” he said. “Go on, wreak havoc elsewhere. I have work to do.” He smiled at me.

I walked up and gave him a hug. I held him long enough to force him to hug me back. Then I went to find Robbie.

“Man, life at my house was never this exciting,” he said as we lounged around in our room.

“As Tonto said, never a dull moment.”

October 2, 1980

Compared to the weekend, this week had been dull. Just the standard shit. School, homework, fuck my boyfriend. School, homework, fuck my boyfriend. In that regard, it was really nice. I felt like Robbie and I were living in our own little world, and it was really nice. I found myself to be more contented, and more centered, than ever before. Still there were small dramas to deal with.

Ace was off with Cass most of the time while Claire and Jack were in her room presumably fucking like rabbits. That probably wasn't entirely fair. Robbie and I spent time alone in our room, but we weren't always having sex. A lot of the time, I thought with a smile, but not all of the time. I hardly saw Mouse at all, at least not at home. We hung out now in Art Studio and at lunch, which had given him a huge boost in social status. But once school was over, he spent most of his time with Roger.

If I hadn't loved Roger before, I did now. He was helping Mouse make an amazing transition. Between the time he spent with Mouse, and hooking Mouse up with his therapist, it was hard to recognize the crazed maniac Robbie and I had fucked last Sunday. And at night, he had Billy to satisfy that side of him. Billy was keeping his distance, but from what Claire and I could tell (from spying), Billy snuck into Mouse's room every night. All of this would create an interesting dynamic this weekend.

Then yesterday the football coach had decided that he was going to go head to head, as it were, with JP. He'd heard about my birthday trip, and I don't know if he was jealous or what, but he set up mandatory practices for the whole weekend. He told the team that anyone missing a practice was kicked off the team. Billy and Robbie were absolutely freaking out.

I felt as if I were an apprentice, as JP let me sit in his office as he called Gunn. His first call was to the coach, to see if he might reconsider his decision. The coach was adamant to the point of being rude. So JP called the school principal and was simply masterful. He reminded the principal of the thousands of dollars he pumped into the school booster fund, and other charitable events. And then he politely asked the principal to review the school policy on student absences. He closed the conversation by asking where his attorney could get copies of those policies, suggesting that perhaps the district would be a better resource. Practices were canceled.

All of that was behind me now, as I stood on the taxiway as the Falcon approached. I decided to ride out with Rafael to pick up Stef. I'd given Rafael a cool pair of Vuarnets to thank him for all he did for me, so he was in a great mood. The plane stopped slowly, the door flew open, and Stef was down the stairs and across the ramp like a gymnast.

“You are so agile!” I said to him.

“I have been told that,” he replied with a smirk.

“You should have come up last weekend. You missed some major excitement.”

We hopped into the limousine. “Well you must fill me in. I have not been able to talk to your father all week. I think he is avoiding my calls.” That was odd.

I told him all about Mouse. Stef was frantic, of course, to help him. Then I dropped the bomb about Roger, and about Roger being Mouse's uncle, or step-uncle.

I saw Stef's mood drop to the floor. He seemed terribly concerned and worried. “I met Donnie when Roger and I first started dating. I even, uh, never mind.”

“What Stef?” I asked.

“When Roger and I were dating, he had made me really mad, really angry, so I slept with Donnie to get back at him.”

“Why does that bother you?”

“It makes me feel as if I was complicit in this whole thing.”

“Now think about that. You know what nonsense that is. I think you are just worried about Roger.”

He paused to think for a bit, then smiled and ran his hand across my cheek. “I think you are perhaps right. He worked so hard to get over this. He will either help this Mouse, or he will destroy himself.”

“Roger seems strong, and so does Mouse. Roger has really helped him. Plus Roger is living with us now.”

He stared at me. “And you did not tell me this right away?” I chuckled.

“They say save the best for last.” I told him all about the touching scene Tonto and I had witnessed, and then the big dinner on Sunday.

We were at the gates of Escorial but we were still talking. “I hope I get to meet this Mouse,” Stef said as we sat in the limo.

“You will. You'll get to spend all weekend with him.”

He looked sad. “I assumed you would take him with you.” Stef always seemed worried that I was going to leave the shrimpy gay guys out. That was really irritating, considering how involved I'd been in Mouse's situation, but I didn't let it show.

“I am. I'm taking you too.”

“No Bradley,” he said insistently. “Take your friends with you. Do not feel obligated to take me.”

“I am taking my friends with me.” I held up my finger and he just stared at it. He held his own finger up and pushed it against mine, and a tear fell down his face. “But you can't be this emotional on the trip,” I teased.

He hugged me warmly, and then bounced out of the limo. We were just about to go in when he went back and said a few words to Rafael. Was that a leer on his face? Was he flirting with Rafael? I just shook my head and held the door open for him.

Stefan doesn't get somewhere, he arrives. He breezed through the door, and frustrated that no one was there to greet him, he headed straight to JP's room. I followed him. He opened the door and Roger and JP were in bed fucking. Not just a gentle fuck, a real, animalistic fuck. JP was on all fours while Roger was behind him. He had his hands on JP's shoulders, only he had placed them so his arms wrapped under JP and his fingers coiled over his shoulders. I felt myself getting hard.

Stef smiled and walked in. “You will excuse me Bradley?” he stated more than asked, and shut and locked the door. I tore through the halls to my room to try that position with Robbie. He liked it. A lot.

We sat at the dinner table waiting for JP, Roger, and Stef. I couldn't help giggling, despite dirty looks from Tonto. The three of them finally emerged, flushed and out of breath, ten minutes late.

“You are late and you appear quite winded,” Mom observed to JP. She was teasing him. We all started giggling and he blushed and stammered. “Welcome Stefan. I assume you are responsible for the delay?” He walked over to her and kissed her on the cheek sweetly.

“You need to curb your carnal desires. I'm hungry,” Tonto groused.

“If I did there would be so many disappointed people,” Stefan said, grinning at her.

“Oh, so now you notice me. You come in and say hi to everyone else and then you bother to say hi to me. What if I had dropped dead in the meantime?”

“Then dinner would be much quieter,” Stef said as he kissed her. We laughed and I saw her hide her own grin. He headed to his seat but stopped next to Jack. Robbie snaughed.

“And who are you? You are just adorable. Stand up. Let me take a look at you.” Stef thought he could embarrass Jack, but Jack was like him in a lot of ways.

Jack stood up and modeled, showing off his biceps and then doing a full slow turn. “Am I handsome enough for your niece?” he said.

“You are straight? What a disappointment. Still, maybe you would take a walk on the wild side....” And he gave Jack an incredibly slutty look.

“You are walking on thin ice,” Claire said authoritatively as she stood up and put herself in between Jack and Stef. We all laughed. It was pure theater. “And what is this that you're wearing? This does not match!”

“It most certainly does,” he argued.

“Let us eat,” JP said, “before we have to bring the editors of Vogue in to mediate.”

“We will find out what is fashionable and what is not when we get to Paris,” Stef said.

“You're going with us?” asked Jack. “That's awesome!” He knew Stef was going. He was just egging him on.

Stef studied him. “Perhaps you will be my roommate on the trip?” Claire just shook her head. Stef sat down and found himself next to Mouse. Mouse was still real shy, and was looking down at his plate.

“I do not believe I have met you yet,” Stef said. Mouse said nothing. “You do not like me?” Stef asked, feigning offense. Mouse looked up aghast and stared right at him. Stef whistled. “Forget that pretty boy,” he said gesturing toward Jack, “you are beautiful. Marvelous.”

Mouse blushed. “Thank you. You are very pretty too.” We all started laughing.

“You all do not think I am pretty?” Stef asked of the group in general, feigning offense. “These people do not appreciate beauty. You will be my traveling partner this weekend, no?”

“No, I mean yes,” Mouse stammered. From that point on, he worshiped Stef. Billy looked irked.

October 3, 1980

I got home from school, tired and crabby for no particular reason. I thought about smoking a joint, but I had to pack, and God knows what I'd forget if I did that. I had driven Claire home with me. She was bubbly and bouncy, all excited. She followed me to my room, seemingly determined to piss me off.

“You just sit there and be crabby Brad. I'll get some things together for you to wear.” That was the best news I had all day.

“Awesome,” I said. I pulled out a joint and lit it, getting a dirty look from Claire. She got high once in a while, but she didn't like smoke in the house. My turn to irk her.

Stefan came by and popped in. “Have you packed yet Stef?” Claire asked.

“I have not yet unpacked.”

“Should I come fix your wardrobe so you don't clash in front of foreigners?” They both had good taste in clothes. This friendly rivalry was a way that they bonded, but I wasn't in the mood for this.

“You came to see me?” I interrupted.

“I did,” he said and sat on my bed. I handed him the joint. “I am worried about Ace.”

“Why?” Ace? What was wrong with Ace?

“I think he will miss his lady friend this weekend.” I was about to offer some smart-ass response, but that wasn't fair. Ace was my best bud, my brother. I owed it to him to think of his feelings. Besides, how would I feel if Robbie couldn't go? I wouldn't go. Just like Lark. “You are spacing out on me,” Stef said.

“What can I do, and NO, you are not staying so Cass can go.”

He tilted his head and smiled. “It dawned on me that we would not have much luggage. That lightens up my little Falcon.” The Falcon was not little. I let him ramble on. “The pilots were able to reconfigure the seats so we can add another person. Granted, that couple will not be as comfortable, but perhaps they will not mind if they can be together?”

I smiled at him. “What a good problem solver you have become! Ace will forgive you for not getting him a Ferrari.”

“That was not my fault,” he objected, but I stopped him.

Claire came in and handed me Cass's phone number, the little eavesdropper. “Let's not tell Ace. Let's surprise him.” They beamed. Cass was ecstatic. Ace would be too.

We were fired up at the football game, especially since we were leaving right after the game. Our opponent was Los Altos again, only this time we were at home. The plan was to fly out of here as soon as the game was over. After Robbie and Billy showered and changed, we’d be off. I was kind of worried about Stef being at the game. Not everyone would appreciate his, uh, flame. I didn't have to worry. I could see from the student section that he got along with everyone. He even talked extensively to the Hobarts. I asked Jack about that nervously, but it was all business. Stef's real estate development company had invested in shopping centers where their grocery stores were tenants. What was hilarious was seeing The Childers totally suck up to him. After Lark bailed, I had thought about asking Doug to come along, but changed my mind and invited Dan instead. Ever since our dry fuck, we had gotten along really well. He was actually a really nice guy, and he was careful not to piss Robbie off.

Fortunately the team won handily. Robbie kicked all of the conversions, while Billy and Doug didn't play. That was odd, considering that Billy had played in every game since his spectacular interception. We all knew it was the coach striking back. He was playing with fire. I saw JP and Stef chatting with the Principal and another man. I think he was the Superintendent of the district.

We headed to the cars, with Ace really starting to lose it. Claire looked at me and giggled. We eavesdropped.

“I want to stay with you,” he whined to Cass. “Brad will understand. I don't want to leave you.” I rolled my eyes. It was a fucking weekend. Such was high school love.

“That is nonsense. You are going. Period,” Cass said, handling that perfectly. She leaned over his shoulder and winked at me. We all headed back to Escorial. Robbie and a very pissed off Billy joined us quickly. They were awesome. We were ready to go in 20 minutes. We piled into the limo.

“Can I ride along and say goodbye?” she asked sweetly.

“That would be great Cass,” I said with a straight face. Claire was doing well too, but Stef was having a hard time keeping a straight face.

“The fucking coach kept me out to punish me for going,” Billy said sullenly.

“I do not think you have to worry about that again,” Stef said. “Did you know who I met tonight? The District Superintendent. He was wondering how much support the school could count on, what with two of JP's children graduating this year.”

“What did he say?” asked Billy.

“JP told the Superintendent he had to reconsider his support after being jerked around by the coach.”

“So?” said Billy. He really was so shallow sometimes. Rather than explain it, we all just ignored him. I'm glad he wasn't sitting near me on the plane. I'd probably toss him out the door.

We got to the plane and piled in, a tearful goodbye with Ace and Cass that those of us in the know relished. Such pain, to achieve such pleasure. We piled in and then at the last minute Cass jumped in the plane and sat next to Ace.

“What?” he asked.

“I'm coming along. Brad worked it out.” He looked at me and I pointed to Stefan. The look in his eyes was worth it, and I felt so guilty for not including her in the first place. Until I remembered that it was my fucking birthday. They started making out.

“You have to wait until we're a mile high before you join the mile-high club.” I teased. I looked at Robbie, telling him with my eyes that he was about to lose his MHC cherry on this plane.

“I fear I will need a condom dispenser in the bathroom,” Stef said as the plane lifted off. He turned to Dan. “Do you have to go to the bathroom?” he asked flirting.

He looked straight at Stef and said “I'll wait till later when you go.” I started cracking up. We raided the bar and partied like crazy in the plane and had a blast. Stef, surrounded by high school students, regressed. Robbie and I made two trips to the bathroom. Ace and Cass went, and so did Jack and Claire. It was funny to watch Ace deal with his sister getting fucked six feet away from him, but he was really bonding with Jack, so he did OK. I felt bad for Mouse, but he seemed to understand that there was no way Billy was going to do that and out himself as, at the minimum, a bisexual. Dan tried to get Stef to go, and I think he was actually serious, but Stef was strong.