Reconciled - 14. Chapter 14

It had been a long time since the girls had got together, they had drifted apart last summer and the affair between Vicki and Arran's father had left her absent. Then the accusation by Vicki had caused an almost irreparable rupture, but despite that, here they were going out for a coffee.

The pale winter sun shed a semblance of warmth over the frosty streets, but did nothing much to raise the temperature. Their breath vaporized in misty trails as they made there way to the cafe opposite the green. It felt much more warm and cosy once installed inside.

Jennifer gazed out at the white tinged grass and the people wrapped up in coats and scarves walking across the common. The tennis courts were deserted, empty pitches without their nets, little white cobwebs clinging to the tall metal grill. She remembered how different it was last summer, when the grass was covered with people lazing around getting some sunshine, or sweating energetically chasing the ball on those same courts.

"So, Vicki, you've sorted things out," Jennifer said, giving her that look of mild disapproval.

"I know you think I'm a bitch for what happened, but yes, all sorted," Vicki replied.

"As in completely finished?" This was Alison confirming a line had finally been drawn.

"I withdrew the charges, John is free and clear. That should make Arran happy. What's he doing anyway, your ex?"

"He's living at home. His dad has gone away. Got a job in Belgium. That was why he paid me to shut up." Vicki frowned. "I knew it must be him behind it."

"You're wrong. It wasn't Arran's dad," Alison replied.

"Oh no?"

Jennifer was sitting quietly, not interrupting, but interested.

"No, it was Arran."

"You are kidding me! Where did he get five hundred quid from?"

"He paid you five hundred pounds?" Jennifer asked, sounding surprised.

"I thought we had this conversation already. No matter. Yeah, and it should have been double, but I never got the rest. Frigging jerk."

Vicki was looking cross and when she got angry she had a foul mouth. Both the other two girls had never made a big thing of Vicki's swearing, but now it sermed more and more she was angry and complaining all the time. A situation Jennifer thought she had only herself to blame for and Alison was inclined to agree. Vicki had made a lot of trouble for Arran's dad, although he had played his part by getting involved in the first place.

They finished their coffees and Alison made her excuses to leave. She was not going to say anymore, certainly not to Vicki. Maybe they would keep in touch, meet up from time to time, but they were no longer that tight little group of three. They left together, going back out into the cold afternoon breeze, a chill that made noses red and eyes watery. Vicki left them, saying she had somewhere to be, they didn't ask where.

"How did Arran pay her that money?" Jennifer asked, when they were alone.

Alison linked arms with her best friend and they walked together back across the green. As they walked Alison shared the story which she had discovered piecemeal starting with her little brother.

"He made a porn video?" Jennifer said, a mixture of disbelief and shock in her voice.

Alison nodded.

"What kind of video?"

"I never asked, but one thing's for sure it was gay porn." Alison couldn't help a little giggle. "Oh, come on, Jen, don't be such a prude." She squeezed her arm tight and pulled her closer.

"I'm just surprised."

"Yeah, so was I when Sammy told me."

"Sammy?"

Alison giggled again. "Yes. I suspected my little brother might prefer boys and well he does. Sammy had the video of Arran on his computer."

"Boys," Jennifer tutted and then she too was giggling.

They hurried through the park and off home.

With everything going on they had both stepped back a little from college. The course work got done and there were no problems, but the enthusiam which was there for the True Life project had faded. Perhaps more so for Arran than Tom. Tom had always been more involved, he was still looking after the Art room two days a week.

That evening, when he was tidying up, Max was still there and he came over to talk to Tom. They had always been on good terms, naturally enough seeing as how they saw each other regularly. The upcoming project for the final end of year summer exam was focused on cinematography. Not the making of a movie, but the promotional art work which accompanied the advertising of a film. Which was how they began talking about videos.

"I saw a video with a guy that looked a lot like you," Max told him.

Tom had finished putting everything away and was about to leave.

"I've never done anything like that," Tom stood looking curiously at his teacher.

"No? Well it wasn't perhaps your usual video."

Tom got a strange feeling that this conversation was about to open up a secret part of his life, but he wondered how the hell did Max Arnold get to be watching porn?

"What sort was it?" He decided to play things cool, edge around the subject. No way was he going to reveal what they'd done.

"I wouldn't have guessed," Max smiled. "I know you and Arran are..." he paused, "good friends."

"Arran?"

"The two of you were stars." Now Max was sitting at his desk smiling broadly.

Tom felt awkward. It wasn't funny to him, not if Max had seen the video. He said nothing.

"It was purely research, you understand."

Max was looking very amused, Tom shifted uneasily, but stayed listening.

"I'm just playing. We can be up front with each other."

There was a silence between them, which was broken by Tom.

"You don't know how that happened," Tom said.

Max looked up at him. "No, I'm sorry, I shouldn't make light of it. It was, unusual. Seeing you two."

"It was once. An arrangement to help Arran's dad."

Tom wondered if he hadn't said too much, but what had happened at least as concerned John Taylor was in the local paper. He gave Max a summary of how they'd come to make the video.

"Not exactly legal," Max remarked.

"Does anyone care?"

"You are almost eighteen, right?" Max asked.

"Almost, but not yet."

Max Arnold went on to explain about a project he had to make a film. "So you see, it's got a gay theme and for two guys like you and Arran it's an opportunity. This is art, not porn, you get paid as well. A summer job."

"This is real?"

Tom was trying to get his head around the revelation. His art teacher was making gay art house movies. Max reached down beside his desk and pulled up his old tattered leather briefcase. Opening the clip he reached inside and pulled out a pile of papers which were bound together.

"Take this. Talk to Arran. Read it. If you're interested we can talk about it."

Max pushed the bound papers across the desk. Tom read the words printed across the top page: 'The Bunker' it announced in a large typeface, 'Dan R Lomax.' He picked it up.

"You were hot in the video," Max stared at him.

"You're a special kind of art teacher," Tom turned to leave.

"Hey, any gay guy would have found it a turn on."

Tom looked back and gave him a little smile before heading out of the room and home. His head was full with this odd turn of events.

"I think my brother has fallen in love with you," Alison smiled.

"Oh, yeah! I don't think so." Arran wandered around the lounge, looking out the large windows at that big old tree in the middle of the garden.

They were alone together in the house. Samuel was out with her parents. He hadn't seen Ali since her idea to offload Sam on him, because she thought that would be a good move. Judging by his reception, she was pleased. Sam must have worked out a few things and he was getting the credit.

"Well, whatever you did to him he came home smiling."

When Alison made that remark it was all he could do not to laugh. What he did was cough as he felt himself blushing. Arran had this picture of talking to Sam and not really knowing what he was saying or doing, just trying to smooth things along.

"What are you thinking?" Alison jogged him out of his revelry.

"Nothing, I'm just not sure I did very much."

She raised her eyebrows. "Oh!"

"We only chatted."

"Well he seems okay now and you must have had something to do with it" She had that serious expression on her face. He could see her as a school mistress keeping tabs on what all the kids were up to.

Arran began explaining about Salem and his brother. As he was telling the story he couldn't help wondering what she would make of it all.

"It was his brother?" Alison had that tone in her voice of incredulity after he had told her who attacked Tom.

"You understand," he felt like he was trying to convince her. "It is terrible for him. Imagine you have this heavy, huge guy, forcing you to... to conform, I suppose. Go along, well pretend to be macho and hate gays, but he is gay."

She looked like she was struggling to sympathise.

"And he's a half brother. His parents are homophobes, his brother is an animal."

"Yeah, I get it, Arran. Don't go over the top. And this boy is gay?"

Arran nodded, calming down a little.

"And you like him?"

Arran smiled, feeling she was softening her attitude.

"Yes, I suppose. Salem is not a bad person. Actually, all things considered, he's pretty brave."

"And what are you going to do with him?"

"Keep him," Arran announced, laughing.

"He's not a stray dog."

"No, but his brother would kill him and his father probably as well."

She looked like she was giving some thought to the situation.

"You're getting in deep, Arran. Just be careful, okay."

He smiled. "I knew you still cared."

She hit him playfully, then took hold of his arm.

"We could have made a good couple, you know."

There was wistfulness in the way she said that. She was right, he felt the same, but he had to be true to himself and much as he cared for her, the physical attraction wasn't very strong. He couldn't say there was nothing between the two of them, but it was nothing compared to the attraction he felt for Tom. There was also Salem...