CHAPTER 4
Though Justin had only been there for about two days, he already had a place to stay. A retired maintenance man from some foreign company the blonde couldn't pronounce the name of, that was probably in his late seventies had found him the night he got to Allentown and decided to let him stay there, if he did him a few... favors. The young adult felt a little gross about paying the old man "alternatively" for him being able to live there, but he did what e had to do. The pale youth was walking down the slightly chilled street, letting his sad thought and doubts flitter out of his mind. It's gunna be a good day. He thought to himself, closing his eyes and turning his face towards the sun that was just barely breaking the clouds. Then he heard a conversation containing voices that made his heart stop.
"Where the hell would he be?" Debbie asked loudly.
"Let's find the Babylon of Allentown, he could be a go-go boy." Emmett suggested, always loving a chance for strangers to see his flamboyant outfits.
"I think we should check the streets, he doesn't know anyone here, he probably will be just walking around." Ted shrugged.
"I think art galleries would be a good place." The blonde lesbian suggested, her idea the most probable, they all had to admit.
"I agree with Lyndsay, Justin usually goes where he feels comfortable." The black haired female agreed, trying to hide her nervousness.
"I think... we should just go on top of a roof, and shout for him." The brunette in high school suggested, always trying to "help".
"ah, shii..." Justin said, trying to think fast.
Through his peripheral vision, he spotted a piercing shop, he turned his full attention to it, then looked back. Through the crowd of people, the drop out saw the ten people looking for him. His blonde head made a decision for him as his body moved, of it's own accord, into the slightly unfriendly shop. The place was packed, almost everyone that occupied the space had multiple piercings and tattoos, though the young male tried to ignore them.
"What do you want kid?" A semi-annoyed females voice asked while snapping gum, obviously questioning the sunny youth that was attempting to hide in the almost claustrophobic confines of the made to look grunge interior.
"Nothing, I just really need to hide in here for a couple of minutes." He explained, hoping she would understand.
"If it were any other day, I'd probably say yeah, because you're so cute, but we've got too many customers, so either you get pierced, or you have to leave. Sorry cutie." The blonde woman shrugged.
She reminded him of the woman who had pierced his nipple back in Pittsburgh.
"Uh, fine, what's the piercing that costs the least?"
"Usually it's an ear piercing, but because lip piercing have gone down in frequency, it's lip piercings now. You want one?"
"Fine." He agreed.
The boy called Sunshine followed the attractive woman to the back of the store, where they were the only two. The female in slightly skimpy clothing seemed to have done this on purpose, so she could talk to the younger boy.
"So, who you hiding from?" She asked casually, applying some strong smelling liquid to the outside of his lip.
She hadn't asked where he wanted the piercing, but apparently thought one right in the middle would be good.
"An old relationship I had to set free. The person and my adopted family from where I just came from are looking for me."
"And why won't you see them?"
"It's better for them... ALL of them, if I'm not around."
"But if they came to look for ya, then they must not think so."
"They don't know what's good for them. They've stayed in toxic relationships, stayed with druggies, men that treated them like trophies, people that cheat on them, people that take steroids, people that are no good for them, and that let me forget who I was, let me join a stupid gang that started fights. They don't know what's good for them... or me."
"Don't you think it's their decision though? If they stayed with those people, and they're still ok enough to come get a catch like you, they must know what's kinda good for them. And I don't think you're in a gang anymore."
"Well... everything did turn out all right for them, but still."
"Hun, I'm just saying, that if I had a whole adopted family come looking for me, then I would think over my decision a million and one times, to make sure it was the best for EVERYONE. Now, hold still."
The insightful woman then stabbed the slightly chilly needle into the blondes fair lip, he grimaced a little, but kept quiet. She put in the ring, and held up a mirror. Justin had to admit that he looked a lot different. Maybe he could hide in plain sight.
"But, if you do still want to hide, I don't think they're going home that easily. You need to change your appearance, wear different clothes, act differently, change your hair color." The woman with multiple tattoos surrounding her neck told him.
"You're right. Know any good places where I can get my hair colored for cheap?" He questioned her, ignoring the slight copper taste intruding on his mouth.
"Actually..."
XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx
An hour later Justin emerged with sixty few dollars in his pocket, and a completely new look. His sunshine yellow hair was now deep auburn, and his never-that-thick lips were now slightly swollen because of the silver ring that was plunged into the middle, separating his bottom lip, almost perfectly, into two. He couldn't help but smile, he felt great, no way would they know it was him if they saw him. But the male still decided to be careful, he kept to back roads and slipped on the pair of Ray Bans he had taken from Brian a few years previous. He walked with a more confident air, which Sindy, the very smart blonde piercer that he had talked with, had suggested would also make him appear different. as the now red head walked through a darkened alley, he remembered he hadn't checked his mail, and he knew his phone bill would be there. The cunning boy had had the great idea to show it to his "room mate" after they had some... alone time. Again, he wasn't proud of it, but he knew he had to do anything (literally) to survive. The changed man then set course for the post office, where his P.O. box would be laying in wait. He was about to open the glass door of the office, when he saw the ten people he was trying to avoid. Though it had been only two days, the advertiser looked thinner in the once blondes mind. It pulled at his heart, and made him want to run to the black haired male and kiss away the sad expression that was tap dancing across his features, and filling his pretty eyes. The young male held strong though, knowing that soon his decision would take effect, and the sadness would be washed away. Justin took a huge breath, and entered the building, hoping his disguise would be enough, while secretly wishing it wasn't. The pale male walked up to his P.O. box, that the group was standing right next to, confidently. As he put his key in to unlock it, the questions bombarded him.
"Where's Sunshine?" The eccentric waitress was the first to push the male she didn't know was who she was questioning about back slightly.
"Who's Sunshine?" The young male with auburn hair asked, taking on a southern accent to further cover himself.
"Justin Taylor. If you don't tell us where he is, we will kick your..." Mel started madly, taking a step towards the talented boy.
"Justin has told me not to tell anyone, anything about his whereabouts, sorry. I'd like to help a pretty girl like you out, but I can't, I gave my word. An if mamma taught my anythin' it's to keep to your word." The drop out still held true to the drawl he had thought to use just seconds previous.
The group was slightly taken back at the niceness of his no. He opened the small metal door, pulled out the two envelopes, closed the door, then locked it. The young male turned to the group.
"I had a joy of meeting you." He said, trying not to kick himself for saying it so weirdly.
The male then turned, and started walking away.
"I don't." Brian said suddenly.
Everyone looked at him, even Justin turned around to his ex-fiance. These words were the first he had spoken all day.
"Sunshine needs to know that." Was his version of elaboration.
The pale twenty one year old nodded, knowing that his love was referring to his short letter.
"Sunshine will be happy to know that." He said, trying to stop the tears of happiness and regret that threatened to give him away.
Quickly the male turned and fled the office. As soon as his feet touched the pavement, he was sprinting, trying to get as far away from the man who had his heart as possible, not wanting anyone to see him cry. Too soon, it seemed, he was "home". Rushing in, he almost ran into Thomas.
"Oh, sweet heart. You colored your hair, and got a new piercing. I like them, they suit you." The elderly man smiled, wrapping his arms around the thin waist.
As the old man attached himself to the youths neck, he let tears for his love make their way down his cheeks. All the while, the reassuring two word sentence spoken by the raven haired male filled with his love traveled through his mind;
"I don't."
