Camp Echo - 5. Chapter Five - Exposed (second edition).

It was a week later when nearly everyone got woken by banging and hammering on the front door.

“Jesus Christ, what’s going on!” Max rolled over to get up.

“You better go see,” Alex was half awake beside him.

As he arrived at the top of the stairs he heard Aeriol coming down from upstairs.

“Hold on! Hold on! I’m coming,” Max called down the stairs.

Adrenaline was starting to pump through his body as he moved quickly down the stairs.

“Police! Open the door!”

He had no time to think and did as instructed. Two uniformed policemen pushed past him and rushed upstairs, a third blocked the front door.

“After you kid,” the officer nodded towards the stairs.

“What the fuck?” Aeriol was standing in the hall as the first policeman entered the apartment.

Soon Aeriol, Max, and three police officers were crowded in the hallway. The officer who'd followed Max up the stairs produced a white sheet of paper and held it up.

“We have a warrant to search the premises. How many people are living here?”

“There’s me, Aeriol,” Max nodded towards Aeriol, “and Alex, he’s in the bedroom.”

“That’s all? Three of you?”

“No, Jules stayed over. He took the couch in the lounge,” Aeriol added.

“Right let’s all go into the kitchen and sit down. You,” he pointed at Max, “fetch Alex.”

Which is what Max did, coming back into the kitchen with a rather shaky Alex. It was at that moment Max started to come down from his adrenaline high. He began to feel the early morning cold. There wasn't any heating in the place, only the old gas fire in the lounge. He wrapped his arms around himself, realising he only had his boxers on.

“We have reason to believe,” the guy who appeared to be a senior officer was saying, “that there may be Class Two drugs on these premises and this warrant gives us the right to search.”

Nobody said anything.

“Look, let’s make this easy for everyone. If you have any drugs here, then tell us now.”

Max looked at the officer, he was trying not to shake.

“We don’t do drugs. Honestly.”

Now that statement could easily be taken as total horseshit. They did do drugs. However, as things turned out, they had gotten very stoned last weekend and they’d exhausted their supply. Luckily for them they had not been able to replenish that from their usual sources.

The officer looked hard at Max. “Who sleeps where?”

Max choked on his response. “Alex and me are in the back bedroom. Aeriol is upstairs. And I guess Jules is in the lounge.”

“You and him,” the officer looked at Alex, “sleep together?”

“It’s not against the law,” Max replied feebly.

“Okay, you,” the officer indicated Max, “go with this officer and watch while he searches your bedroom. You, Aeriol, that’s your real name?”

“Yeah, my parents had a sense of humour.” Aeriol grinned.

But the police officer didn’t look like he shared the joke.

“You go up to your bedroom with this officer. Then we’ll deal with the guy in the lounge.”

Alex watched as the other two boys left. At the same time the shortwave radio, the senior officer held, crackled alive. He moved away from Alex who all the same heard him confirm they were at the address and the search was in progress.

Max stood shivering as he watched the officer go through his things.

“Mind if I put on a sweatshirt, it’s freezing?”

The officer looked up at him. Max thought for a minute he was going to say no.

“Okay, but don’t touch anything else. You sure you don’t have any drugs in here? If I find something, it won’t be good for you if you don’t say. It will go down as conspiracy.”

Max wondered what the fuck he was talking about.

“There’s nothing. Really, we don’t do drugs. We’re into health foods and stuff.”

“And stuff... I can see that,” he replied looking at the bed.

Max shivered involuntarily, but remained silent. Finally, the search seemed over and the officer accompanied him back to the kitchen. Then Aeriol came in with the other policeman.

“Clean,” the first officer announced.

“Nothing upstairs,” the second officer added.

The radio came alive again. All three of them heard the conversation this time, or at least one side of it.

“No, we won’t need the dog. Nothing here. Just finishing up.”

The senior officer pressed a button to silence the radio. “This address was listed, along with other addresses, in a note book found when we raided the Whole Food Corner Shop. That’s why we’re here. Gavin Jameson, the owner of the shop has been arrested on drugs charges and he said when being interviewed that he knew you.”

The officer looked at each of them.

“Yeah he does,” Max spoke up. “I mean we sometimes cook some food for the shop to sell. You know, like biscuits, cakes, veggie pasties.”

“Why do you think your address was in that book?”

“Because like I said...”

The officer interrupted Max. “Alright, let’s wake up you friend in the lounge.”

Max accompanied by the senior officer headed to the lounge. He knocked on the door, but got no reply. When he went to open the door, it was locked.

“He's locked the door.” Max explained apologetically.

The officer leant around and tried the door handle. Then banged loudly on the door.

“Open the door, this is the police.”

It took a minute or so and more banging on the door before Jules unlocked it and let them in. The other two officers were called to help. Jules was asked his name, if he had any drugs, if he lived here. The room was quickly searched along with Jules bag. Seemingly satisfied the officers left. The senior police officer handed Max a card before going.

“If you learn of anything, or think there is something we should know, something that might be important, then telephone this number.”

And with that they left.

“What was that all about?” Jules asked.

Max explained what had happened, the book with their address, the arrest of Gavin. Then he excused himself saying he was going to go get dressed. What he needed was a long hot bath. Jules went back to bed, it was still only half past eight in the morning. Max joined Alex and Aeriol in the kitchen.

Aeriol smiled at Max, “You know the guy searching upstairs opened the attic door, took one look at all the junk in there and shut it.”

“So what?” Max asked.

“Well actually all those cannabis plants are in there drying. The ones we harvested from the dump. The ones you, me and Jules planted.”

Max was speechless. Alex looked just as shocked.

“You mean there’s drugs in your attic?”

“Yes Alex, exactly.”

“I’m getting my stuff and going home.”

Max looked at him, “I’ll see you again?”

Alex didn’t reply to that. He went to the bedroom collected his gear and left.

“You can never count on anyone Max,” Aeriol stood up and went over to fill the kettle. “Want a coffee?”

“Yeah,” Max said rather despondently.

“Not including me Max. You can always count on me.”

“Maybe that’s true. Despite your ego and terrible driving.”

“Hey that’s not fair!” Aeriol came over and wrapped both arms around Max’s shoulders, ruffled his hair, then leant over and kissed him on the lips. Max smiled and the kettle whistled.

“Max!... Max!” He heard Aeriol shouting but didn't want to answer.

He preferred to ignore him and stay lying on his bed.

“Wait a minute. He’s here, I’ll get him.” Aeriol put the phone aside and marched down the hall to Max’s bedroom. “Stop playing with yourself, Reuben's on the phone, he wants to talk to you.”

Reluctantly Max swung his legs off the bed and got up.

“Reuben, hi.”

“Max, I wanted to ask you if you’d come over?”

“I don’t know. I’m kinda busy.”

“Really? Aeriol said you were just moping around in your bedroom.”

“He should mind his own business.”

“Come over. I’m going to America very soon. Everything’s arranged. It might be the last time I get to see you.”

“Yeah, I guess.”

“That’s a yes then?”

“Yeah, alright.”

“You wanna get here for about six?”

“I don’t know. What’s the time now?”

“It’s quarter past three.”

“Mmm, okay then. Six.”

“See you later.”

Max hung up the phone and brushed a hand across his face, rubbing his eyes. He poked his head into the front room. Jules and Aeriol were talking. Woodstock was playing on the stereo:

“And I feel myself a cog in somethin' turning,

and maybe it's the time of year,

yes and maybe it's the time of man,

and I don't know who I am,

but life is for learning...”

“I’m going round to see Reuben in a while. I’ll see you later if you’re still here.”

They both turned and nodded.

“Okay, later” Aeriol turned back to Jules.

He heard them talking as he closed the door.

Max rang the doorbell. It was just after half past five, he was early. Reuben answered.

“You’re early,” he smiled. “Come in.”

Max stepped inside and waited for Reuben to close the front door. Then he followed him along the hall.

“We’re in my bedroom.”

Max had never been in Reuben's bedroom, and who were the we he was referring to? Reuben walked over and sat down on his bed next to a skinny young guy in t-shirt and jeans.

“This is Davy,” Reuben nodded towards the boy.

“Davy... Hi,” Max looked around for somewhere to sit.

Davy looked at him briefly, then quickly looked away.

“I guess I got here too early,” Max was still standing, walking around the room, looking at things.

“Let’s go into the lounge, there's more room,” Reuben got up.

Max followed the two of them to the lounge, he felt like he’d interrupted something, but at the same time he was pleased to finally meet this Davy kid. Even if it was at the moment Reuben was about to leave for America and he’d probably never see him again.

Taking a seat in the lounge, he smiled at Davy. “So what do you do?”

An innocent enough question, but to which he got a brusque reply.

“I’m at school.”

He thought Davy was being rather defensive.

Davy turned to Reuben, “I think I better go.”

“Really?” Reuben seemed a little sad. “Can’t you stay a bit longer?”

“No, sorry.” Davy stood up and glanced at Max. “Nice to have met you.”

That was probably one of the most insincere remarks that Max had received in quite awhile. Yet there was something in Davy's eyes, a kind of sadness, the same emotion that hovered over Reuben like a cloud.

“I’ll see you out.” Reuben accompanied him to the door.

Max didn’t hear their conversation, only the front door closing. He felt invaded by unhappiness, a gloomy despair. It had started with Alex leaving after the raid and continued here with Reuben's imminent departure and the look in Davy's eyes. Reuben came back and sat down next to Max.

“I’ll miss him,” Reuben announced.

Max didn't know what to say. He could easily relate to Reuben's emotions, he felt the same. He felt empty, to the point that he too would miss a boy he’d never get to know, he'd miss Reuben, a guy he had become close to even without any sex. A relationship that hadn’t really started. Alex was gone too. Max felt so depressed he could feel his eyes watering up. He buried his head in his hands, any minute he would burst into floods of tears. Reuben put an arm around his shoulder and pulled him close. They stayed like that for ages.

“You want some tea?” Reuben asked, and Max actually smiled.

“Sure, that'll be nice.”

Reuben went into the kitchen to put the kettle on. Max sat there, thinking. When he came back in, Reuben handed one mug to Max and sat back down next to him.

“No sugar right?”

Max managed a weak smile and nodded, “Right.”

Silence engulfed them, neither one seemed capable of speech, they sat, drinking the tea.

“Can I ask you something!” Max looked up from staring at his mug of tea.

“You can ask. What?”

“You and Davy. What exactly do the two of you do together?”

Maybe that was too personal to ask, he hadn’t known Reuben very long, they weren't lovers, but he had to know. It somehow irked to not know. Reuben looked like he was contemplating the question.

“Well I already told you what I’m not into. I don’t think I want to give you all the detail. But we were loving in a special way. We embraced, I would run my fingers over his skin, lightly, delicately touching him.” Reuben fell silent.

Max sipped his tea. He didn’t want to ask anymore. He had an image of the boy naked, or mostly naked, being touched and aroused. It only served to make him feel more depressed, it didn’t even make him hard, just sad. It was only half past six, but Max felt he had to leave, he needed to get out, to feel the cold outside air on his face.

“I’m sorry,” Reuben told him as he stood up to leave.

“About what?” Max asked.

“That I couldn't give you what you wanted.”

Max studied him, “it’s how it is, not your fault.”

Reuben watched Max walk away down the road. It was almost dark. Max didn’t look back, he couldn’t, tears wet his face, hidden only by the fading light.