I do not own this universe. Unless something REALLY crazy and unexpected happens, I never will. Just borrowing it for a while!

Chapter 7: Grogan

The seconds stretched impossibly as Tom's brain went into overdrive. He noticed in the back of his mind that his heart seemed to be beating ridiculously slowly, but that thought was abandoned as the facts came crashing into place, sounding strangely like a bell in his head.

Grogan. Susan Grogan.

Clang.

Joshua Grogan. Skittish, shy boy who didn't have many friends, except for his brother and his loyal dog.

Clang.

Jacob Grogan's brother, who was raped when he was thirteen. The reason Jacob hated gays so much. The reason he'd beaten Tom to a heap of bruises countless times.

Tom? Tom! Are you alright? Carl's alarmed voice in his head wasn't helping matters.

Back off a little, Carl. Sheesh you're loud. Just...look at the situation. Quietly, please. The friend I just made is Jacob Grogan's kid brother. I'm shaking hands with his mom. Can't really talk too much right now. Tom put on his best smile so he wouldn't raise suspicions. "Nice to meet you, Mrs. Grogan," he said, because he didn't think saying 'Oh hi, by the way, the reason your older son just got suspended was because he was trying to murder me' was such a great idea.

Luckily for him, she released his hand. "Run along now, boys. I don't want to keep you from talking about Tilly and books, as they seem to interest you both so much." She looked ecstatic that her shy son had found a friend.

Shit, said Carl. To his credit, he was quiet.

You're telling me.

I meant what I said earlier. Stay safe. D'you want me to come make sure I can pull Jacob off you if he tries to attack you again?

Heh. No thanks. Not yet, at least. Let me talk to Josh for a while, okay? He seems like a really sweet kid.

"What're you smiling about?" Joshua's voice cut into his mental conversation. He didn't sound angry or suspicious, just innocently curious.

Oh really? A really sweet kid, huh? You thinking of asking him out? Carl's voice was teasing. Tom knew he didn't really mean it.

And have Grogan try to actually murder me? Yeah, right. I don't think so. I gotta go. He turned toward his new friend and realized that he had indeed been walking with a vague smile on his face. It was a little embarrassing, so he made sure to keep his thoughts and only his own thoughts inside his head. "Oh, just thinking about how a friend cares enough about my well-being to tell me to stay safe, that's all."

Josh gave him a strange look, then smiled wisely, eyes turning back toward his dog.

"Now what're you smiling about?"

"Oh, nothing, nothing at all." The smile grew into a grin, belying his words.

"Come on, man, tell me!" Tom was confused, and equal parts irked and amused that Josh was showing this side of his personality.

The black-haired boy shot him a sly sidelong glance, still grinning. "I think that you have a crush."

That was the last thing that Tom had been expecting to hear, and he choked on his own spit. His eyes teared up from his coughing fit. Josh laughed aloud, a high, clear, delighted sound. Tom merely glared, which made his friend laugh even harder. Finally he regained his breath. "I do not," he protested hotly, cheeks burning.

"Sure, sure, if you say so," Josh said, waving a hand and still smiling infuriatingly.

"I don't have a crush," Tom insisted.

"Okay."

"I don't!"

"Okay, I believe you." He obviously didn't. The smug grin was still there.

Tom glared daggers at him, getting only a smirk in response. He suddenly felt the need to change the subject. "Um...Josh?"

"Hm?"

"Remember how you said that I should come over sometime?"

"Yeah, so we can talk about books and play with Tilly and you can meet my brother."

With a deep breath, Tom told him, "I don't...I don't think that would be a very good idea."

Josh's brow furrowed. They had come to a nice shady tree, so they sat in the welcome coolness, while Tilly laid down and begged for a tummy rub. Her master obliged her. "Why not?"

"Well..." This was more difficult than it should've been. He took another breath to steel himself. Better to get this over with than to get beaten to a pulp. "Your brother and I go to the same school. He...doesn't like me very much." That was the understatement of the century.

The younger Grogan turned his quizzical blue eyes on his new friend. "Why not? You're nice. You like books. You like Tilly. Is it because you don't like sports? Because he gets a little frustrated with me because I don't."

Tom let out a huff of dry laughter. "If only that were the reason." He stared at his knees. The analytical part of his mind found humor in the irony that it was usually the black-haired boy who avoided the other's eyes. "No. He doesn't like me because I'm gay."

Tom was expecting a violent reaction. Maybe screaming, maybe scrambling to get away from him, maybe falling on him with the intent to kill. Anything but the shocked silence, followed by a quiet "Oh." He looked up, surprised, at Josh's face. His blue eyes were unreadable. "What, exactly, did he tell you?" The boy's voice was soft and devoid of emotion.

Well, he hadn't expected to have to explain this. Matching Josh's tone, he answered, "That you were raped by...my kind...when you were thirteen, and you're scared of everything now." Josh gave a short, sharp nod, so Tom continued. "That we should all be burned at the stake, and after that we'd burn in Hell, because we're all perverts who fancy little boys."

"That sounds like him," admitted Josh. "He left out some of it." He took a slow breath. "He blames himself. In his mind he was supposed to protect me, but I ran off. It wasn't his fault. I was playing that stupid wizardry game." His voice was bitter. "So then the man found me. I don't really remember that much of it, except he covered my eyes and it hurt. I was so ashamed, and Jacob d-didn't mean to, but he made it worse, blaming himself..." Josh stopped speaking and squeezed his eyes shut. Tilly whined and nosed his hand, and he took a shaking breath and continued. "I was thirteen. I thought if I were gone, he wouldn't have to blame himself, and I wouldn't be a burden. So I wrote a note and tried to kill myself. I almost managed it, too," he said with a noise that was half dry sob, half terrified laugh. "But there was s-so much blood, and I panicked and yelled, and Jacob found me. And blamed himself. Again. So much so that he refused to leave my side because he was terrified I'd try something else. I couldn't be around people, couldn't stand to be touched. Then he thought of getting Tilly for me. So I'm...better than I've been for a while, but a lot worse than I was...before." He shook himself and looked sadly at the ground. "You're probably wondering why I told you all this."

Tom nodded, unable to speak for fear that he would start bawling, and pity was the last thing he wanted to give the boy.

"I don't have many friends because they deserve to know why I act the way I do. I get moody and impulsive, and most of the time I'd prefer to read or spend quiet time with Tilly. Most of them leave after the story."

"Not me," Tom whispered vehemently, shaking his head. "The people who left after hearing that didn't deserve to have you as a friend."

A surprised smile slowly curved Josh's lips upwards. "You mean it?"

"Of course. You're a good kid."

Then Josh frowned. "But my brother hates you. He doesn't trust you."

"Well then," Tom said lightly, "we'll have to show him that he can, now won't we?"

"How are you planning to do that?"

"Listen, Josh," Tom joked with a lopsided smile, "if he has to be there to supervise us every time we meet and I have to have my hands tied behind my back, he wouldn't have much to complain about, now would he?"

The blue-eyed boy chuckled at the image. "Guess not. But you wouldn't really do that."

The freshman got a mischievous gleam in his eyes. "Oh wouldn't I?"

Josh laughed. "You're insane."

"So I've been told. On many occasions."

"Well. Now that we've got that out of the way..." A wicked grin took up residence on Josh's face, one that almost made Tom blanch in terror. "So who's this boy you're crushing on?"

"Honestly, you're worse than my parents, which I didn't even think was possible," he said darkly, shaking his head. "Carl is a friend who just so happens to be male. We've had to work together on several very important projects over the last week or so. I am not crushing on him." Why, oh why, were his cheeks and ears flaming? He was very glad he'd kept the mental shield up. Carl would tease him mercilessly if he found out.

"Of course you're not," Josh replied in a voice that was equal parts placating and doubting, and altogether infuriating.

Luckily for Tom, Tilly had decided that while having her belly rubbed was fine and dandy, she was more than ready to play. "Master! Tom! Playwithmeplease? Find a stick, throw stick, I bring stick back pleaseohplease?" The two boys couldn't help but laugh at her enthusiasm, and Tom was glad to drop the previous subject.

"Think she wants to play fetch?" the blonde asked, just so he didn't look suspicious.

"Probably. It's her favorite game." Josh smiled fondly at her, found a suitable stick for throwing, and hurled it as hard as he could. "Go get it, girl!" Tilly was off with the speed and focus of an arrow, a black and white streak against the green spring grass. When she brought it back she delivered it into her master's hand, then ran around in circles and exuberantly wagged not just her tail, but her entire rear end. He took too long to throw it, though, so she stood on her hind legs and planted her front paws on his shoulders. Tilly ignored his good-natured, laughing protests of "Hey, cut it out!" and knocked him to the ground, licking at his face. "Eeeew! Tilly...hahaha, Tilly, you goof, gerroff me!"

Tom couldn't help but join in the laughter. "C'mon, Tilly, get off him! Here." He reached down and took the stick that Josh had dropped and waved it near her face. Immediately she bounded off, barking madly and wriggling her excitement. "Go get it!" The boy pretended to throw the stick, leading her to run in that general direction and bark while he chuckled to himself. "You okay?"

Josh stood and brushed himself off, grinning. "Yeah, fine. That was a mean trick."

Tom handed him the stick, and Tilly came bounding back with a "Hey not fair you tricked me, gonna get it next time!" Josh smiled even more broadly and threw it for real, even clapping as she caught it mid-air.

The two boys and the dog played fetch for some time before Tom had to call it quits. "Josh, that was really fun, but I have to go home and get some homework done. See you some other time?"

Joshua smiled brightly enough to rival the sun. "Sure. Thanks, Tom. See you around! Tilly, say goodbye!" The dog threw her nose into the air and made an "ai-ai" sound, tail wagging.

Tom laughed. "That's brilliant. Good girl! Bye Josh, bye Tilly!" With a friendly wave he started home, leaving the boy and his dog to play in the receding daylight.

When he was out of sight he opened his Manual, something the younger Grogan had said niggling at the back of his mind. The boy had mentioned a game that had to do with wizardry. It seemed too similar to be a coincidence. "Run a search on wizards within a half-mile radius, please. Name: Grogan, Joshua; age: between thirteen and sixteen."

After a moment one entry was left. It read:

GROGAN, Joshua D.
84 Rose Ave.
Hempstead, NY 11575
(516) 555-4082 (on hiatus, rating unknown)

Tom gave the entry a long look, nodding slowly to himself. Josh's explanation about the 'games' he had played made sense. He must have rejected wizardry entirely with his head, but his heart still longed for it. The Powers must be giving him a second chance.

Hope you enjoyed this one! It was interesting to write. Oh, by the way, Tilly is based off my aunt, uncle, and cousins' dog, an Australian sheepdog of the same name. Though not quite as amusing as the one in the story, she's a great dog, and wags her entire butt instead of just her tail. :D