Chapter Two
One Week Later
It was the first night Jeff had off of work in a while and we were "watching" the Lion King. Though really we were arguing over whether Timon, and Pumba were friends or in love. Suddenly we heard a knock on the door. I walked over to answer it and three of the Warblers walked in, the council memebers.
"Congratulations boys." David said.
"We got in?" Jeff asked, and I turned to smile at him, proud he was voluntarily talking to people other than me.
"Yes, but you cannot say anything until tomorrow. You will need to be in the room just to the left of the Warbler Commons at eleven AM tomorrow, and we'll introduce you to the rest of the boys." Jeff and I stared at them for a minute before the shock wore off.
"Thank you." Jeff said at the same time that I said "We'll be there."
"We got in" Jeff repeats.
"We got in!" I echo as we just around the room excitedly. We dance around like dorks for a couple minutes, both really excited we're Warblers! After a couple of minutes I notice the movie still playing and start singing along to Can you Feel the Love Tonight. Dancing around while singing to each other, until we collapse in a fit of laughter, and I turn my face away from him, hoping he won't see the blush on my cheeks, as I realize I wish he could be in love with me tonight.
The Next Morning
"Our new Warblers are: Nick Duval, Trent Manchester, Henry Red, Toby Todd, and Jeffery Sterling." I grinned as the names were announced and we were allowed to walk into the commons, and the Warblers swarmed us. I felt completely loved and welcomed into the club. I caught sight of Jeff after about a dozen hugs and pats on the back, and hand shakes, and I'd never seen him smile that big.
"Thank you." He mouthed at me. I shrugged and smiled back at him.
After what felt like a hundred more handshakes everything calmed down, everyone sat down and I ended up on a couch between Trent and Jeff. The meeting started, and seemed to go one forever as we heard about the sacred traditions of the Warblers, and more history and traditions, and then we got a long lecture about how it was all sacred and secret. Afterwords we worked on a song for a while, and long while. Then we went to dinner in the cafeteria together and were loaded into the upperclassmen's cars, and driven a short ways to somebody's house for a party I don't even remember whose.
I was in the last car to arrive, along with three other guys whose names have already blurred together. I walked into the colossal house as the music was being turned up really loud, and the all the boys were shedding their jackets, ties and some of them their button up shirts too leaving them in their plain white undershirts. A couple boys were manning a bar that was set up in a corner. A few others were setting up music, and some were starting to dance near the appointed DJs.
I pulled off my jacket but left the tie on. I joined the group dancing and singing, while watching the line for booze grow and grow. I felt an arm on my shoulder and turned to see Jeff. I smiled as I sang along to the song, and he grinned back. I was happy to see him out of his shell, and showing off his beautiful smile. Wait beautiful smile? I need to stop with these feelings for Jeff, I don't need a crush on my best friend and roommate.
He noticed the confusion that crossed my face and raised an eyebrow. I shrugged and restarted singing along to the song, and began dancing along with Jeff and the other boys.
An hour or so later I was exhausted and wandered out of the crowd that was slowly getting more intoxicated, and found an empty couch. I closed my eyes and caught my breath. Someone sits down next to me and I hear a familiar voice say "Hey."
"Hey Jeff." I answer without opening my eyes.
"Thanks for making me try out."
"No problem, thanks for helping me pick a song."
"It wasn't hard, you listen to him all the time, and your voice fits the song well, and its the best known of his."
"Well thank you none the less."
"After all you've done for me it was the least I could do."
"It was nothing, all I did was befriend the shy boy who showed up in my dorm with a duffel bag, and a backpack."
"Enough serious stuff for tonight, this is a party!" He said, obviously still trying to not explain his strange arrival.
"But I'm tired." I whined.
"Whiner, come dance again." He said standing up, and I glared at him but allowed him to pull me to my feet and back into the crowd of dancing Warblers.
After another hour or so of dancing I see Jeff start to leave the dance floor. I follow him.
"So I don't get to stop dancing, but you do?" I ask him.
"I have work at eight tomorrow."
"Oh, and you don't have a way to get back to Dalton, everyone's keys were confiscated, and everyone was just gonna crash here."
"Yeah but I didn't drive so I can get to work tomorrow. I just need to walk back to Dalton."
"I'll walk with you."
"You don't have to, stay here, and have fun."
"Everyone else is drunk, I don't wanna be around when they're all vomiting tonight, or waking up with hangovers tomorrow."
"Fair enough." he said as we pulled on our jackets and he stuffed his tie in his pocket.
"Why aren't you drinking?" He asked as we left the party.
"Not a fan."
"You just don't like it?"
"Not really, my big brother drank so much once that he was in the hospital for a night then in jail for two because he was seventeen, so it's always made me kind of nervous."
"Fair enough." We walked the rest of the way back to the dorm in silence.
A Week Before Thanksgiving Break
The ending music to credits of Harry Potter four played in the background as Jeff and I laid on his bed looking up at the ceiling.
"Are you going home for break?" I asked.
"No."
"Me either."
"Why?"
"Plane tickets too expensive."
"Oh."
"I'll be going home for Christmas though."
"That's nice. You'll get to see your family again."
"Why are you staying here?"
"I don't really have a family anymore." I rolled over to look at him, and waited to see if he would continue. He seemed to think about it for a moment but he must have decided to tell me.
"They kicked me out in the middle of the summer. My dad was always a little .. well, anyways he cornered me one afternoon and asked if I was gay. When I didn't answer he told me I had ten minutes to get my stuff and get out of his house."
"Which is why all you had when you moved here was that duffel full of clothes and your backpack." I guessed. He nodded and continued.
"I also took my car, I was really thankful I had bought it, and paid for the insurance and gas and everything all myself, so he had no claim to it." He stopped for a minute and ran his hands through his messy hair.
"I sat in a park and just thought. I didn't cry, didn't get angry, didn't really feel much of anything, but worthless and unloved. I stayed there until it was time for me to go to work and at worked I asked for more hours which I got, and then I slept in my car in the parking lot of a Wal-Mart that night, and the next, and the next. I use to shower at a truck shop, and I mostly ate out of vending machines, or at the restaurant I worked at. I was really thankful when school started, and I started to use the locker room showers, telling the coach I was sick of sharing with my sister, which I a lie, I don't have a sister. Anyways I kept living out of my car, eating dinner when I was waiting tables, doing homework on break and in study hall, sleeping in my car, and showering in the locker room, when one night I was working, and the table I was waiting had my history teacher and his family. We happened to leave around the same time, and he saw me climb into the back seat of my car and wrap up in a blanket. He walked over, knocked on the window, and well the truth just kind of came out, and he helped me apply here, and next thing I knew I was here." He gestured to the room.
"He's the only one who knew until now, and he didn't know why I was kicked out, just trusted me when I said I wouldn't be allowed back. Now here I am, I've talked to him twice since when he's called to check up on me, and I've sort of talked to my brothers, not about being gay, they don't know that, but they know I'm here, that I'm not welcome at home, and that they shouldn't talk to our father about me. But yeah, I, I don't have a family anymore. Not that we were much of one before but..." he trailed off and got a vacant look in his eyes. I put my arms around him, and pulled him to my chest. After a few minutes I leaned down to his ear and whispered.
"I'm glad you told me." He just nodded into my chest.
"You're the bravest person I know." I added a moment later.
"Thanks. But it's not like I had a choice." He mumbled.
"You could have gone to the police, or a shelter."
"I would have been put in foster care, and I would have aged out in a little over a year and ended up on my own anyways."
"I forgot about that, and you're really old for our grade, you'd be eighteen at the end of junior year."
"Yeah, and who knows how many homes I'd live in, how many schools I'd go to in between now and then. I probably wouldn't be able to keep a job long enough to make enough money to support myself, until I graduated high school, and this way I might be able to get a full ride to a college if I keep my grades up."
"Sometimes I forget how logical, and smart you are."
"Thanks." He mumbled awkwardly. I decided to change the subject.
"Now I know why you turn bright red when I sleep in my boxers."
"Yeah I'm embarrassed for how unattractive you are. You poor baby." He shot back sarcastically.
"You think you're real cute don't you."
"No." he scoffed "I know I'm cute. I'm cuter than you."
"We'll go with your theory." I replied sarcastically, and he slipped out my arms.
"Harry Potter Five?" He asked.
"Borrowed it from Blaine yesterday." I replied getting up to retrieve the dvd.
Thanks for reading.