A/N: Hey guys! Sorry for the delay, had a bit of writer's block. So we
start off observing a different scene, right after Marco & Dylan's kiss.
This is the saddest chapter (in my opinion), but I hope you like! BTW: NO
ONE DIES!
"God that sickens me. How. how. it's just so GROSS!" Jason, better know as "Jay", was sitting near the Ferris Wheel, observing Marco and Dylan not more than thirty feet away. He made a face, as if he had just eaten something very nasty, and turned away to his girlfriend and posse. "Please tell me you guys have the stuff." The guy in a red coat behind him smiled, and held up a large trash bag.
"Got everything here. Eggs, shaving cream, toilet paper, even a can of graffiti." He smiled, and nodded his head. Jay walked up to him and peered into the bag.
"Too sweet! Where's the graffiti from?" Jay was picking things out of the bag and looking at them. He cautiously opened the egg cartons and waved a hand over his face, trying to get the smell of rotten eggs away from him.
"Leftover from last weekend. You know, when we were over on 45th street?"
"Ohhh yeah. I can still see the look on those idiot's faces." The boy behind him laughed, and they slapped each other's hands. Jay looked over to where Marco and Dylan had been, made sure they were gone, and then made a hand motion to the rest of his gang. "Let's do it." He took his girlfriend's hand and walked in the direction of the parking lot.
"Wait, Jay," said the other guy in the black hoodie, "how are we going to get there before them and have enough time?"
"Already taken care of that, Jerome." He smiled and continued on his way to his car, and chuckled as he saw Dylan peering down at the tire on his car.
"Dammit," Dylan cursed under his breath. Marco came up behind him and put his hand on Dylan's back.
"What is it?" Dylan stood up and leaned against his car, facing Marco.
"My front tire's flat. And I used my other spare last week."
"We can walk. It's basically our only other choice.
"We can take the bus; I've got a schedule in my pocket." Dylan took the schedule out of his pocket, and scanned it. "There's no bus that comes anywhere near here for another three hours. I guess we will have to walk."
"And what about your car?" Marco walked over and leant beside him on the car.
"There's nothing special enough for anyone to steal it." Dylan opened the door and looked through it. "Except for your backpack.. and my sunglasses." Dylan grabbed Marco's backpack and stuck his shades on. Marco laughed.
"Sexy." Marco pulled them off of Dylan's head and put them on his own.
"Hey!" Dylan reached to take them off of Marco, and Marco pulled Dylan in by wrapping his hand around his waist. "You have most beautiful eyes I've ever seen." Marco blushed and looked back at Dylan. He took his hand and pulled Dylan along.
"Come on. Its seven thirty and we've got to walk home." Marco ran to the sidewalk, pulling Dylan behind him. As they reached the sidewalk, Dylan took Marco's hand. "Are you sure we should be doing this out here?"
"You said that you were over doing stuff in public. Are you not?" Marco shook his head.
"No. Yes, I mean. I'm over it." Marco tightened his grip on Dylan's hand. The two walked for a while, silently. When they stopped at an intersection, Dylan thought about earlier that day.
"Marco?"
"Yeah?" Marco looked up at Dylan.
"About earlier today. when you were asking me something and you were interrupted. What were you asking me?"
"It's not important anymore. I think I got my answer."
"Still. what were you going to ask?"
"I was going to ask you about how you are so calm about everything. The teasing, the taunting, I didn't get how you get through it so well. But I know now how you do it."
"Well, how?"
"At least. I think I know how you do it."
"Marco, just say it already! We already missed one chance to cross."
"You have other people there for you." Dylan smiled at this and looked up to see if the 'walk' sign was green. It was, but Dylan didn't want to ruin this moment with Marco.
"Close. Very close."
"What? Wait, where did I get off track?" Dylan saw the 'walk' sign turn green again, and he took Marco's hand and ran across the intersection.
"Okay. Just had to get across. Let's walk."
"Will you answer my question?"
"Marco, did I ever tell you the exact moment that I knew I was gay?"
"No."
"It was when my best friends Derek and Jerome found a playboy magazine in Jerome's dad's dresser drawer, and they brought it over to my house when we were supposed to be working on a school project. Jerome and Derek drooled over it when I had no interest at all in it. I finished the entire project myself while they memorized ever graphic in the magazine."
"Really? How old were you?"
"Thirteen."
"Thirteen? That's a little young to know for sure."
"I know, but it just didn't feel right looking at all those women. And for the next couple of months, I felt horrible. I didn't want to talk to anyone, and I didn't want to do anything with my friends because I was so confused. I didn't get who I was or what I was."
"That's exactly how I felt last year."
"Yeah, I think its how all gay guys feel at first. But, Marco, do you know who woke me up? Got me out of my hole?"
"Uh, some guy you had a crush on?" Dylan laughed at that one.
"No. My sister. Paige. She figured it out and helped me."
"But wasn't Paige like 12 or 11 at the time?"
"Yeah, but things had changed by then. People started to talk more and more about homosexuals and Paige knew about them by the time she was eleven. And she helped me a lot. But she wasn't enough. Nobody but other people like yourselves can help you completely. When I was fifteen, like you, I met Jared. Yep, he was gay, but I didn't like him in that way. I liked him as a friend, you know?"
"Yeah. So he's the one who helped you?"
"All the time. He was always there for me. He helped me tell my parents, he helped me confront all my friends, and he woke me up to who I was and made me realized how wonderful it is to be yourself."
"Wow. Sappy stuff." Marco and Dylan both laughed. They walked up to the sidewalk in front of Marco's house, a couple of blocks away from Dylan's house. "I got to get in or my mom will kill me. Bye." Marco started to walk up the front walk to his brick house, but Dylan put a hand out and stopped him.
"Wait." Dylan leaned in and kissed Marco, longer than he had earlier before. Marco pulled away, smiling a huge grin.
"I'll see you later." Marco stuck his hands in to his pockets, holding on to the letter he had read earlier. Dylan watched Marco leave and then walked in the direction of his house; it was less than three blocks away. When Dylan came to the block before his house, he heard sirens and saw police lights. He started running, and when he came close enough to see his house, he stopped practically in mid-air. His eyes ran over his house, scanning it bit by bit. There was toilet paper all over the trees, eggs smashed against the windows, shaving cream all over his front yard, and right, smack-dab in the middle were the letters "F-A-G" in pink fluorescent paint on his front door. There were at least three police cars, maybe more that he couldn't see in the dark. Police men with dogs on leashes searched the front of his house, and he saw Paige come out of the front door, Ashley, Hazel, Terri, and a reluctant Ellie following her.
"Oh, God, where could he be?" Paige had tears running down her eyes, searching frantically for her brother.
"Dylan's a smart kid, Paige. He's going to be fine." Ashley put a hand on Paige's shoulder, just as worried.
"But Marco was with him too! What if something happened to both of them?"
"I know Marco. He and Dylan can take care of themselves." Ellie's forehead was scrunched up, scowling at her own lie. Paige had never found out about the night at the hockey rink.
"Who's that?" Terri pointed to a shadowy figure not thirty yards away. Hazel ran down the steps with her flashlight turned on.
"I think it's. oh, it is! Paige he's right there!" Hazel pointed with her finger to where Dylan was still standing in a state of shock.
"Oh, praise the Lord. Dylan!" Paige ran down the steps in the direction of her brother. "Thank God you're safe!" Paige hugged her older brother, who was as stiff as a tree trunk. All Dylan could do is stare at his house, and the wreck that it was.
"P.. P. Paige what happened?" Ashley, Terri, Ellie, and Hazel had caught up to where the brother and sister were standing.
"Dylan! Are you okay?" Ashley ran up to him, shining her flashlight to his face, making sure there wasn't any scrapes.
"Ashley, get that light out of his face." Terri walked up and put her hand on the flashlight to direct it downwards.
"Dylan, where's Marco?" Ellie still had a look of concern and worry on her face, and it matched Paige's exactly.
"Marco's at his house. Who did this?" Dylan barely managed to get the seven words out of his mouth. All he could focus on was his house, and if Marco was safe.
"Dang, it's chilly out here. Paige, can we go inside?" Hazel was rubbing the top of her arms with her hands.
"Yeah. Dylan, come on. I'll tell you everything inside." The six of them walked up to the door, and Ellie closed it behind her, getting a glimpse of the ugly word written on it. Ellie looked over, and she noticed that tears had flooded Dylan's face, but he had no scrapes or bruises. "I have no clue who did this, but they did it while Terri, Hazel, Ash and I were at Ash's studying. I got a call on my cell to come quick, and when we did there were neighbors all around our house and three police cars outside of it. I called El to know if she had heard from Marco, and when she asked why I told her to come over."
"Don't call me 'El'," Ellie interrupted. Paige didn't even listen to her.
"Do you have any idea who could have done this, Dylan?" Paige looked at her brother lovingly, also very concerned.
"I don't know. I. I." Dylan got up from the couch he, Paige, and Hazel were sitting on. "I have to be alone." Dylan shot up the stairs, and locked his door. He flopped down on his bed, and cried his eyes out. So much for his 'you can't let them get to you' speech that he often gave Marco. That thought made him cry even more. He didn't want to think about Marco, but that was all he could think about.
Paige and the other four were downstairs talking about who could ever possibly do such a thing. They each, except Ellie, had a bowl of ice cream in their hands. Ellie would rather starve than eat food from Paige Michlachuck's kitchen. She was here for Marco, not to bond with the cheering squad. Ellie took her cell out of her pocket and dialed Marco's number.
"Hello?" Marco was just about to get into bed when his cell rang.
"Thank God you're not dead."
"Dead? El, why in the world would I be dead?" A confused look grew on Marco's face, as he lifted up the covers of his bed to get in. Paige, back at her own house, grabbed Ellie's cell phone. Ellie grabbed at her cell, scowling at Paige. Ashley held Ellie back as Paige put the phone to her ear.
"Marco?"
"Paige? What's up over there? Why are you talking on Ellie's cell?"
"I'm so glad you're safe. You need to get over here quick."
"What? Paige I'm about to go to bed!"
"Marco, I'm serious. Dylan needs you."
"Paige, tell me what happened!"
"Get over here, Marco. I have to go. And be careful coming over, okay?"
"Paige, wait-" Marco heard Ellie's cell click, and he flipped his phone. Why in the world would Dylan need him at ten in the night? He was fine half an hour ago when he dropped him off. But Marco knew that Paige wouldn't joke about Dylan with him. Marco got out of bed and changed into a pair of jeans, threw a random t-shirt on, and grabbed his coat and gloves. "Mom?" Marco yelled down the stairs to see if his mom was home.
"Yes, Marc?" Marco's mom called him Marc, even though it annoyed him thoroughly.
"I've gotta go out."
"I don't think so young man. Go back up there and get changed for bed. What's has gotten into you?"
"Mom, one of my friends needs me. I have to go." Marco still hadn't mustered up enough courage to tell his family. Even though they were all very close, it would take more than family ties to get them to understand who he was.
"Which one of your friends? Ellie?" Marco's mother still thought that he and Ellie were together.
"No, mom. Paige." Marco's mom smiled, nodding her head.
"You have thirty minutes. If you need more than that, you have to call me. I'll let you sleep in tomorrow morning before you go to school."
"Thank you, mama." Marco hugged his mother, and took his cell and wallet from the dining room table. He waved goodbye to his mother, and ran down the sidewalk. He'd walked to Dylan's house before, but when he had, Ellie had been with him. Marco had only a slight clue where he was going.
"Dyl?" Paige knocked on Dylan's door, scared for her brother.
"What?" Dylan's faint voice came from behind the door.
"I called Marco." Paige heard something slam from behind the door. Dylan unlocked the door and threw it open.
"You did WHAT?" Dylan had been crying, but now he had an angry look.
"I called him. I thought he could help." Paige started to back away, she knew what her brother was capable of when he was mad.
"Well, call him back! I don't want him involved! What if they're still out there, Paige? Do you have any clue how I would feel if anything happened to Marco?"
"I'm sorry Dylan. I would kill myself if anything happened to Marco."
"No you wouldn't! You don't care about him the same way I do! Dammit, Paige!"
"Dylan, how do you feel about him?"
"How do you think? I love the boy!"
A/N: I'll try to post the next chapter sooner, possibly in two/three days. Love ya lots!!
"God that sickens me. How. how. it's just so GROSS!" Jason, better know as "Jay", was sitting near the Ferris Wheel, observing Marco and Dylan not more than thirty feet away. He made a face, as if he had just eaten something very nasty, and turned away to his girlfriend and posse. "Please tell me you guys have the stuff." The guy in a red coat behind him smiled, and held up a large trash bag.
"Got everything here. Eggs, shaving cream, toilet paper, even a can of graffiti." He smiled, and nodded his head. Jay walked up to him and peered into the bag.
"Too sweet! Where's the graffiti from?" Jay was picking things out of the bag and looking at them. He cautiously opened the egg cartons and waved a hand over his face, trying to get the smell of rotten eggs away from him.
"Leftover from last weekend. You know, when we were over on 45th street?"
"Ohhh yeah. I can still see the look on those idiot's faces." The boy behind him laughed, and they slapped each other's hands. Jay looked over to where Marco and Dylan had been, made sure they were gone, and then made a hand motion to the rest of his gang. "Let's do it." He took his girlfriend's hand and walked in the direction of the parking lot.
"Wait, Jay," said the other guy in the black hoodie, "how are we going to get there before them and have enough time?"
"Already taken care of that, Jerome." He smiled and continued on his way to his car, and chuckled as he saw Dylan peering down at the tire on his car.
"Dammit," Dylan cursed under his breath. Marco came up behind him and put his hand on Dylan's back.
"What is it?" Dylan stood up and leaned against his car, facing Marco.
"My front tire's flat. And I used my other spare last week."
"We can walk. It's basically our only other choice.
"We can take the bus; I've got a schedule in my pocket." Dylan took the schedule out of his pocket, and scanned it. "There's no bus that comes anywhere near here for another three hours. I guess we will have to walk."
"And what about your car?" Marco walked over and leant beside him on the car.
"There's nothing special enough for anyone to steal it." Dylan opened the door and looked through it. "Except for your backpack.. and my sunglasses." Dylan grabbed Marco's backpack and stuck his shades on. Marco laughed.
"Sexy." Marco pulled them off of Dylan's head and put them on his own.
"Hey!" Dylan reached to take them off of Marco, and Marco pulled Dylan in by wrapping his hand around his waist. "You have most beautiful eyes I've ever seen." Marco blushed and looked back at Dylan. He took his hand and pulled Dylan along.
"Come on. Its seven thirty and we've got to walk home." Marco ran to the sidewalk, pulling Dylan behind him. As they reached the sidewalk, Dylan took Marco's hand. "Are you sure we should be doing this out here?"
"You said that you were over doing stuff in public. Are you not?" Marco shook his head.
"No. Yes, I mean. I'm over it." Marco tightened his grip on Dylan's hand. The two walked for a while, silently. When they stopped at an intersection, Dylan thought about earlier that day.
"Marco?"
"Yeah?" Marco looked up at Dylan.
"About earlier today. when you were asking me something and you were interrupted. What were you asking me?"
"It's not important anymore. I think I got my answer."
"Still. what were you going to ask?"
"I was going to ask you about how you are so calm about everything. The teasing, the taunting, I didn't get how you get through it so well. But I know now how you do it."
"Well, how?"
"At least. I think I know how you do it."
"Marco, just say it already! We already missed one chance to cross."
"You have other people there for you." Dylan smiled at this and looked up to see if the 'walk' sign was green. It was, but Dylan didn't want to ruin this moment with Marco.
"Close. Very close."
"What? Wait, where did I get off track?" Dylan saw the 'walk' sign turn green again, and he took Marco's hand and ran across the intersection.
"Okay. Just had to get across. Let's walk."
"Will you answer my question?"
"Marco, did I ever tell you the exact moment that I knew I was gay?"
"No."
"It was when my best friends Derek and Jerome found a playboy magazine in Jerome's dad's dresser drawer, and they brought it over to my house when we were supposed to be working on a school project. Jerome and Derek drooled over it when I had no interest at all in it. I finished the entire project myself while they memorized ever graphic in the magazine."
"Really? How old were you?"
"Thirteen."
"Thirteen? That's a little young to know for sure."
"I know, but it just didn't feel right looking at all those women. And for the next couple of months, I felt horrible. I didn't want to talk to anyone, and I didn't want to do anything with my friends because I was so confused. I didn't get who I was or what I was."
"That's exactly how I felt last year."
"Yeah, I think its how all gay guys feel at first. But, Marco, do you know who woke me up? Got me out of my hole?"
"Uh, some guy you had a crush on?" Dylan laughed at that one.
"No. My sister. Paige. She figured it out and helped me."
"But wasn't Paige like 12 or 11 at the time?"
"Yeah, but things had changed by then. People started to talk more and more about homosexuals and Paige knew about them by the time she was eleven. And she helped me a lot. But she wasn't enough. Nobody but other people like yourselves can help you completely. When I was fifteen, like you, I met Jared. Yep, he was gay, but I didn't like him in that way. I liked him as a friend, you know?"
"Yeah. So he's the one who helped you?"
"All the time. He was always there for me. He helped me tell my parents, he helped me confront all my friends, and he woke me up to who I was and made me realized how wonderful it is to be yourself."
"Wow. Sappy stuff." Marco and Dylan both laughed. They walked up to the sidewalk in front of Marco's house, a couple of blocks away from Dylan's house. "I got to get in or my mom will kill me. Bye." Marco started to walk up the front walk to his brick house, but Dylan put a hand out and stopped him.
"Wait." Dylan leaned in and kissed Marco, longer than he had earlier before. Marco pulled away, smiling a huge grin.
"I'll see you later." Marco stuck his hands in to his pockets, holding on to the letter he had read earlier. Dylan watched Marco leave and then walked in the direction of his house; it was less than three blocks away. When Dylan came to the block before his house, he heard sirens and saw police lights. He started running, and when he came close enough to see his house, he stopped practically in mid-air. His eyes ran over his house, scanning it bit by bit. There was toilet paper all over the trees, eggs smashed against the windows, shaving cream all over his front yard, and right, smack-dab in the middle were the letters "F-A-G" in pink fluorescent paint on his front door. There were at least three police cars, maybe more that he couldn't see in the dark. Police men with dogs on leashes searched the front of his house, and he saw Paige come out of the front door, Ashley, Hazel, Terri, and a reluctant Ellie following her.
"Oh, God, where could he be?" Paige had tears running down her eyes, searching frantically for her brother.
"Dylan's a smart kid, Paige. He's going to be fine." Ashley put a hand on Paige's shoulder, just as worried.
"But Marco was with him too! What if something happened to both of them?"
"I know Marco. He and Dylan can take care of themselves." Ellie's forehead was scrunched up, scowling at her own lie. Paige had never found out about the night at the hockey rink.
"Who's that?" Terri pointed to a shadowy figure not thirty yards away. Hazel ran down the steps with her flashlight turned on.
"I think it's. oh, it is! Paige he's right there!" Hazel pointed with her finger to where Dylan was still standing in a state of shock.
"Oh, praise the Lord. Dylan!" Paige ran down the steps in the direction of her brother. "Thank God you're safe!" Paige hugged her older brother, who was as stiff as a tree trunk. All Dylan could do is stare at his house, and the wreck that it was.
"P.. P. Paige what happened?" Ashley, Terri, Ellie, and Hazel had caught up to where the brother and sister were standing.
"Dylan! Are you okay?" Ashley ran up to him, shining her flashlight to his face, making sure there wasn't any scrapes.
"Ashley, get that light out of his face." Terri walked up and put her hand on the flashlight to direct it downwards.
"Dylan, where's Marco?" Ellie still had a look of concern and worry on her face, and it matched Paige's exactly.
"Marco's at his house. Who did this?" Dylan barely managed to get the seven words out of his mouth. All he could focus on was his house, and if Marco was safe.
"Dang, it's chilly out here. Paige, can we go inside?" Hazel was rubbing the top of her arms with her hands.
"Yeah. Dylan, come on. I'll tell you everything inside." The six of them walked up to the door, and Ellie closed it behind her, getting a glimpse of the ugly word written on it. Ellie looked over, and she noticed that tears had flooded Dylan's face, but he had no scrapes or bruises. "I have no clue who did this, but they did it while Terri, Hazel, Ash and I were at Ash's studying. I got a call on my cell to come quick, and when we did there were neighbors all around our house and three police cars outside of it. I called El to know if she had heard from Marco, and when she asked why I told her to come over."
"Don't call me 'El'," Ellie interrupted. Paige didn't even listen to her.
"Do you have any idea who could have done this, Dylan?" Paige looked at her brother lovingly, also very concerned.
"I don't know. I. I." Dylan got up from the couch he, Paige, and Hazel were sitting on. "I have to be alone." Dylan shot up the stairs, and locked his door. He flopped down on his bed, and cried his eyes out. So much for his 'you can't let them get to you' speech that he often gave Marco. That thought made him cry even more. He didn't want to think about Marco, but that was all he could think about.
Paige and the other four were downstairs talking about who could ever possibly do such a thing. They each, except Ellie, had a bowl of ice cream in their hands. Ellie would rather starve than eat food from Paige Michlachuck's kitchen. She was here for Marco, not to bond with the cheering squad. Ellie took her cell out of her pocket and dialed Marco's number.
"Hello?" Marco was just about to get into bed when his cell rang.
"Thank God you're not dead."
"Dead? El, why in the world would I be dead?" A confused look grew on Marco's face, as he lifted up the covers of his bed to get in. Paige, back at her own house, grabbed Ellie's cell phone. Ellie grabbed at her cell, scowling at Paige. Ashley held Ellie back as Paige put the phone to her ear.
"Marco?"
"Paige? What's up over there? Why are you talking on Ellie's cell?"
"I'm so glad you're safe. You need to get over here quick."
"What? Paige I'm about to go to bed!"
"Marco, I'm serious. Dylan needs you."
"Paige, tell me what happened!"
"Get over here, Marco. I have to go. And be careful coming over, okay?"
"Paige, wait-" Marco heard Ellie's cell click, and he flipped his phone. Why in the world would Dylan need him at ten in the night? He was fine half an hour ago when he dropped him off. But Marco knew that Paige wouldn't joke about Dylan with him. Marco got out of bed and changed into a pair of jeans, threw a random t-shirt on, and grabbed his coat and gloves. "Mom?" Marco yelled down the stairs to see if his mom was home.
"Yes, Marc?" Marco's mom called him Marc, even though it annoyed him thoroughly.
"I've gotta go out."
"I don't think so young man. Go back up there and get changed for bed. What's has gotten into you?"
"Mom, one of my friends needs me. I have to go." Marco still hadn't mustered up enough courage to tell his family. Even though they were all very close, it would take more than family ties to get them to understand who he was.
"Which one of your friends? Ellie?" Marco's mother still thought that he and Ellie were together.
"No, mom. Paige." Marco's mom smiled, nodding her head.
"You have thirty minutes. If you need more than that, you have to call me. I'll let you sleep in tomorrow morning before you go to school."
"Thank you, mama." Marco hugged his mother, and took his cell and wallet from the dining room table. He waved goodbye to his mother, and ran down the sidewalk. He'd walked to Dylan's house before, but when he had, Ellie had been with him. Marco had only a slight clue where he was going.
"Dyl?" Paige knocked on Dylan's door, scared for her brother.
"What?" Dylan's faint voice came from behind the door.
"I called Marco." Paige heard something slam from behind the door. Dylan unlocked the door and threw it open.
"You did WHAT?" Dylan had been crying, but now he had an angry look.
"I called him. I thought he could help." Paige started to back away, she knew what her brother was capable of when he was mad.
"Well, call him back! I don't want him involved! What if they're still out there, Paige? Do you have any clue how I would feel if anything happened to Marco?"
"I'm sorry Dylan. I would kill myself if anything happened to Marco."
"No you wouldn't! You don't care about him the same way I do! Dammit, Paige!"
"Dylan, how do you feel about him?"
"How do you think? I love the boy!"
A/N: I'll try to post the next chapter sooner, possibly in two/three days. Love ya lots!!
