Southern Hospitality: Chapter 1
A/N: I own no characters in this story. Any and all reviews are appreciated.
It was Sunday morning when 17-year-old John Helmsley stepped off the plane in Mississippi; he had just moved from Connecticut. A year ago he chose to live with his aunt Stephanie Helmsley after some troubling times at home with his parents, Hunter and Shawn; and his brother Adam Helmsley. They used to live in Connecticut, but Adam got into some deep trouble. Hunter and Shawn thought Mississippi may be a nice change for the entire family; they thought it would have a better effect on Adam and his behavior.
Stephanie's husband got a job in Alaska and they were leaving Connecticut, so John decided to go home to Mississippi with his family. Hunter and Shawn practice law and they have their own law firm. John is still in high school and so is Adam; Adam is a year older than John.
John truly hated to be in Mississippi. It was always hot and humid; and there was nothing to do. It was a boring state. Hunter picked him up from the airport. "It's good to see you, son." he said. "You, too," he said as Hunter helped put his bags in the car. The drive home was a quiet one. John's new home was in Madison, Mississippi. The house was all brick; the neighborhood was very quiet; the houses were nearly uniform. They didn't have picket fences; they had wrought iron gates. They pulled up to the drive and Hunter rolled down the window to put in a password to open the gate so they could enter the drive leading to the house. John shook his head at the elaborate set up.
When they finally pulled up to the house and got out, Shawn quickly came running from the house to greet his husband and son. "John! I'm so glad you're finally home." he said as he tightly hugged his son. "Get your stuff and let me show you your room!" he said excitedly. John grabbed his bags and followed Shawn inside.
The inside of the house was even more elaborate than the outside. All of the floors were hardwood. The kitchen had granite counter tops with an island in the center. Lights dangled from the ceiling onto the island and made the surfaces shine. The cabinets were mahogany in color with glass doors. The refrigerator looked like one seen in a home interior catalogue. John got a glimpse at the living room and saw 2 huge sofas and a large recliner. There was a plasma screen TV mounted on the wall. An enormous rug centered the room.
Shawn led John up the spiral staircase to his room. On the way, they passed Adam's room; his door was closed, but they could hear a TV playing behind the door. Next was a guest room decorated with neutral colors; fit for a guest of any gender. Eventually, Shawn stopped in front of a closed door and turned to John with a grin. "Are you ready?" he asked with excitement. John simply nodded. Shawn opened the door and let John in first.
John was pleasantly surprised at how the room was decorated. The thing that caught his eye was the bed. It was a king sized bed with a tan quilted headboard and wooden frame. The comforter was dark with tan stitching to match the headboard. The curtains were a darker shade of brown; they were the kind of curtains that could block out the sun regardless of the time of day. There was a trunk with a cushioned seat that sat at the foot of the bed. The night stands, dressers, and closet armoire were all wooden and painted to accent the bed frame. The walls were painted dark cyan with white trim. The chandelier hanging above the bed tied everything together. There was also a door that lead to a private bathroom.
"What do you think?" Shawn asked him. "It's great. Thanks." Shawn smiled, "You're welcome. Now, unpack and wash up for dinner." John nodded and watched Shawn walk out of the room. Down the hall John heard Shawn talking to Adam. "Go help your brother unpack." There was silence. "NOW!", he heard Shawn yell. Seconds later, Adam walked into John's room. "Dad wants me to help you unpack and you're going to tell him that I did." He said with an implied threat. "Good to see you, too, Adam." John mumbled. Adam huffed and said, "Look you little shit! Nobody wants you here anyway! You should have never come back. Just stay out of my way." Adam stormed away and left John to unpack the rest of his bags.
At the dinner table, Hunter told John about the school he would be attending. "It's called Madison High School. It's not far from here; I'm sure you'll love it." Adam just sat at the table and mumbled about not wanting John at his school. Adam was a senior at Madison High school and John would be a junior. Adam didn't like the idea of John invading his personal space at home and at school. They never really got along; it was one of the reasons John stayed behind in Connecticut when his family moved to Mississippi.
After dinner John volunteered to wash the dishes and clean the kitchen. While cleaning, he thought about the changes and transitions he was about to face. He had been going to the same school in Connecticut since kindergarten. He thought to himself, "At least it's a new school year. I'm not going in as the new kid in the middle of the semester." When he finished the kitchen, he explored the rest of the house then went up to his room. He showered, pulled on some boxers and went to bed. John really didn't want to be in Mississippi, but he had to make the best of the new situation.
The Next Day (Monday):
John woke up to a blaring alarm clock. He got out of bed, showered, and dressed for the day. It was August in Mississippi, so he put on khaki shorts and a tee shirt with a pair of sneakers. He grabbed his cell phone and backpack then went downstairs to the kitchen for breakfast. When he got there, Hunter and Shawn were drinking coffee and reading the newspaper. "Good morning," John said as he made his way to the refrigerator. He got yogurt and a banana and sat down with his parents.
John was half-way through his cup of yogurt when Adam came running down the stairs. "I'm gone!" he yelled going towards the door. Hunter got up from the table and chased Adam out the door, "How are you getting to school?" he asked his son. "I'm getting a ride with Jason." Adam explained. Jason Reso had become Adam's best friend. "Well, be home by 7 o'clock for dinner!" Hunter yelled after him. "Yeah, whatever." Adam said as he got into the passenger side of Jason's car. Hunter went back to the kitchen where John was finishing his banana. While Hunter was out, Shawn made the decision to drive John to school. "You ready to go, John?" Shawn asked. John nodded, gathered his things, and went to the car. When John walked out of the house, Shawn turned to Hunter and said, "I hope everything will be okay with the boys." Hunter hugged Shawn and said, "Everything will be fine. They're older now; they'll be okay." Shawn sighed. "I hope so. I have to go. I'll see you later." Shawn said. They shared a quick but passionate kiss before Shawn left.
When John walked into Madison High School, home of the Mustangs, he was first introduced to the school secretary, Michelle McCool. "You must be John. Have a seat in the waiting room and the principal, Mr. Calaway, will call for you when he's ready." She kindly pointed him to the waiting room outside of Mark Calaway's office. There were three seats, but two were taken. He sat between the two guys he had never met. A tall man walked out of the office and bellowed John's name. John stood up and introduced himself. He walked into the office where he was handed a school handbook full of rules he had to follow. "You'll have a guide to show you around school. He's the junior class president." Mr. Calaway got up and opened the door. "Ted? Come on in." One of the guys from the waiting room walked in. "Hey, John. I'm Ted. I'll be showing you around for the next couple of days." John shook Ted's hand and they started a tour.
Before they left the waiting room, Mr. Calaway came out of his office scolding the remaining guy in the waiting room. "Randy, it's the first day back and you're already breaking dress code! You know your shirt should be tucked in at all times." John turned to see what Mr. Calaway was talking about. He saw the tall, tan young man standing there explaining himself. Randy was in the process of tucking in his shirt when John got a glimpse of his well-defined abs. He was staring and Randy caught him. "Hey. Name's Randy." he said sticking out his hand. John snapped out of the stare to shake his hand. "Um. Hey. I'm John." He struggled to say. Randy chuckled. "Good to meet you, John. See you around." John smiled and nodded.
During his tour with Ted, John asked about Randy. Ted laughed and told him what he wanted to know. "Randy? He's pretty cool for a jock. He's the star quarterback. Pretty well known around here. He can be arrogant sometimes but I'm used to it. He's my brother, twin actually." John was puzzled. "Twin? You two look nothing alike." Ted laughed. "Fraternal twin." he explained. They walked past a smaller version of Ted. "That's Cody. He's my little brother. He's a grade below us. The three of us are on the football team." Ted said. John nodded at what Ted told him.
He heard a deep British accent down the hall. "Who's that?" John asked. Ted groaned. "Wade. He plays ball, too." John was dumbfounded. "Does every guy around here play football?" he asked. Ted chuckled before answering. "Nope. He doesn't." he pointed to a guy wearing a Ramones tee shirt. "Who?" John asked. "Phil. He doesn't play. He's just an ass. Rumor has it he's sleeping with the PE coach, Dave. I don't know if it's true, though." John had heard more that he cared to know.
The rest of the day was pretty normal. John went to all of his classes and went home. When he arrived, Hunter was working in his office. "John? Is that you?" Hunter called when he heard the front door close. "Yeah. It's me." John said as he followed Hunter's voice to the office. "How was your day?" Hunter asked. "It was fine. Nothing big." John answered nonchalantly. "Where's dad?" he asked. "He went to the grocery store for dinner. I've been here all day working on a case." Hunter answered. "Oh, okay. I'll be in my room." John said. Hunter smiled and nodded.
It was time for dinner and the family gathered at the table to eat. Well into the meal Shawn asked, "How was everyone's day?" John let Hunter answer first. "It was quiet. I worked on that case all day. I went through all the evidence and came up with an opening statement." Shawn nodded and looked to Adam to answer next. "What?" Adam asked after a few seconds of Shawn staring. "How was your day, Adam?" he asked. "Oh. It was fine." Adam gave a brief answer. Both Shawn and Hunter sighed.
Shawn finally asked John about his day. "It was nice. It wasn't much." He answered. "Did you make any new friends?" Shawn asked with excitement. John chuckled. "Friends? No. I met a few new people." Shawn gave a small smile. "Who all did you meet?" He asked. Shawn was really involved in the school, so he knew most of the kids. John thought before he answered, "I met Ted, the class president; Mike, he has a huge ego. He's always saying how awesome he is. Oh, and I met a guy named Randy. He pretty cool." John's eyes lit up when he talked about Randy. Adam shifted in his chair when John mentioned Randy.
"That's great, John. I'm glad you're meeting new people." Shawn said with a smile. Hunter spoke up, "Are you interested in any extracurriculars?" After some thought, John answered. "Not really. I mean, I just got to the school. I don't want to get into anything right now." Hunter nodded, "I understand."
Soon, dinner was over and Hunter told Adam, "Since John volunteered to clean up yesterday, you're doing it tonight. Get to it." Adam almost snapped, but he held his tongue and gathered the dirty dishes.
John was in his room doing homework when someone knocked on the door. "Come in," he said. Hunter walked in. "Hey, Pop." John said. "Hey. What are you up to?" Hunter asked. "Just homework." John said. "Oh, okay." Hunter said. He just stood there in the awkward silence before speaking again. "Are you okay, John?" John looked at him, confused. "I'm fine, Pop. What makes you ask?" Hunter thought for a minute and sat on the corner of John's bed. "Well, you've been really quiet since you got back. I just want to make sure you're doing okay." John smiled a little. "I'm okay, Pop, really. This is just all new to me. I'm fine. I promise." Hunter smiled at his son's response. "Okay. I just needed to know. You'll learn to love it, kid." John smiled and nodded as Hunter got up to leave. "Good night, Pop." John said. "Night, kid." Hunter replied.
John finished his homework and got ready for bed. He took a quick shower and pulled on a t-shirt and boxers. As he settled into bed, John recapped his day. It wasn't as bad as he expected it to be. John realized that he could actually like Mississippi after all.
The Next Day (Tuesday):
It was Tuesday morning and John's alarm clock blasted him out of his sleep. He got up, showered, and dressed for the day. He put on a white t-shirt and a jacket with a pair of dark wash jeans and sneakers. When he opened the door of his bedroom, he immediately smelled bacon frying. He nearly ran down the stairs to see Shawn making pancakes and bacon for breakfast. "Good morning, John! Is Adam awake, yet?" Shawn said. "Good morning, Dad. I don't know. His door was still closed when I came down here." Shawn nodded. "Okay. Do you want some breakfast?" John smiled and nodded. John was setting the table when Hunter walked into the kitchen. He heard the conversation his parents were having.
"Good morning, Shawn." Hunter said. "Morning." Shawn said with a smile. They shared a small kiss. "What are we going to do about Adam, Hunt?" Shawn asked with concern. "I don't know, babe. Maybe he's changed and won't be such a hassle." Hunter answered with optimism. "At least John is here now to balance everything out. We hardly even have to worry about John; he's so responsible." Shawn said. Before Hunter could say anything more, John walked back to the kitchen from the dining room. "Good morning, Pop." John said to Hunter. "Hey, John. Did you sleep well?" John smiled and nodded.
Adam had come downstairs just as the rest of the family finished their breakfast. "See ya!" he shouted. No one really replied; they just watched Adam run out of the house. Shawn drove John to school again. "Have a good day, John." He said as John got out of the car and walked up the school. John had new classes today. He had 4 one day and 4 the next day; they were different every other day. It was called a "block schedule"; similar to college classes. Randy was in his first class.
"Hey. John, right?" Randy asked as he sat next to John. "Yeah. And you're Randy?" Randy smiled. "That's me. How do you like Madison so far?" Randy asked. "It's okay, I guess. Is there anything fun to do around here?" John asked. Randy pretended to think. "Nope." He finally answered. He continued, "Just the movie theaters, restaurants, and malls. That's it. Football is the thing around here. If somebody doesn't play, they watch. It's a pretty big deal." He explained. John nodded. "I can tell. Ted was telling me about how a lot of guys here are on the team."
There was a beep on the intercom and a Michele McCool, the secretary, started talking. "Good morning Mustangs! We just want to remind you all about the Fall Festival coming up next month. Tickets are $12 per person and $20 per couple. We can't wait to see you all there! Have a Mustang of a day!"
"What's the Fall Festival?" John asked Randy. "It's just a dance to celebrate the start of school. It's a pretty big deal. The girls get all dressed up and guys get to wait for them to get ready. Fun." Randy said dryly. John laughed a little. "Are you going?" John asked. Randy shook his head. "No. I just got out of a pretty bad relationship; I don't want to go."
Phil heard the conversation. He walked up next to Randy and snorted. "Wow. Pretty boy Orton couldn't keep his bitch on a leash. Too bad, Randy. Really." Randy stood up and asked, "So, I'm assuming you have a date, Phil? Oh, wait. I forgot. Students can't take teachers as dates. What are you and Coach Dave going to do now?" Phil shoved Randy pretty hard, but Randy retaliated with a harder push, putting Phil off balance. Phil threw the first punch and a fight broke out. John got up to break them up even though Randy was winning. "Come on guys! This is stupid. Just break it up." They stopped and Phil glared at him as he walked away.
The rest of the day went according to John's schedule. It was time to go home as John walked out of the building. He was attacked from behind by Phil. He wailed on John; his punches were quick, but hard. He kicked John in the stomach and stomped every body part in sight. "If I was you, Johnny, I'd stay the hell away from Randy. He's bad news." With one last kick to John's stomach, he said, "I bet you'll mind your own business, now, bitch!"
A/N: Well that's it for the first chapter! Any and all reviews are appreciated. Thanks for reading.