Sorry for taking so long...

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Someday My Prince Will Come

Chapter 4

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Will hopped off the bus and sighed as a crisp wind whirled around him. The neighborhood was mildly busy; cars whizzing by, people returning from work in cabs and cars. He glanced at a stoplight, and waited for the crossing signal to appear. Once it did, he hurried across the street towards Jack's house.

Winter vacation had been a very tense time for him. He had come out to his parents and his friends; losing several who were uncomfortable with his sexuality. Already burdened with the pressures of college life, he was now struggling with fitting properly in the gay world.

At least he wasn't alone. Will's thoughts wandered over to his friend and he smirked. The boy was a pest. But he had to admit, he made everything easier for him to deal with. And he did this all with such a cheerful disposition... it was unsettling and comforting at the same time. Will walked down the road and past a park, making his way towards a familiar row of houses.

Once again his mind was drifting elsewhere. He began to wonder if he would ever be comfortable with his sexuality, and if he would be as open about it as his younger friend. That thought made him cringe a little.

Will approached Jack's house. It was very dark, considering the fact that it was still early in the evening. It appeared that no one was home. The young man frowned slightly at the open gate and walked up the stoop, towards the door. He knocked a couple times. Receiving no answer, Will reached for the knob; the door was unlocked.

'Weird.' Will thought and entered the house. Perhaps Jack was still at the audition he had been going on and on about. 'He would have been home already.' The young man pondered, carefully stepping into the living room. Will clutched his bag and looked around the house.

"Jack?" He called out and sighed. The place was deathly silent; it made him nervous. There was no one in the lower part of the house. Will crept up the stairs, towards his friend's bedroom. The place was so dark, he began wondering if ambling about in someone else's house was appropriate. Cautiously, he pushed open the bedroom door, not sure if he would find his friend inside.

Greeted by the blackness of the room, Will squinted and felt along the wall for a light-switch. He couldn't find one. Fortunately, the window allowed some of the light from the setting sun to pour inside. As his eyes adjusted, he could barely make out the desk and the flower pot, with the wilting flower. His eyes roamed over to the bed, which was vacant and still made.

It was then that Will noticed a figure, curled up on the floor beside the closet. It was Jack. In an instant he rushed to his side.

"Jack?" Will shook him. The boy was not been sleeping but laying on the ground, with a distant look of exhaustion in his eyes. "Jack what's wrong?"

Jack's eyes broke from their perplexed state. As he noticed Will by his side, he sat up against the closet door.

"Will..." he breathed out.

Will frowned at the wan and pained look on his friend's face. His hair was disheveled, as if he had been pulling at it. And his cheeks were discolored from what seemed to have been a while of crying. He had never seen him in such a state.

"Jack what happened?" Will asked and sat down in front of his friend. Jack smiled brightly at Will, feeling completely relieved to see him. "Jack?"

"N-nothing." Jack managed, trying to find his voice. "Just a really bad day."

"Do you wanna talk about it?" Will asked gently, brushing some hair out of his friend's face. Jack's face darkened, and he tensed up.

"I really, really don't..." Jack wiped his face with the back of his hand and let out a sigh.

"How long have you been here?" Will asked.

"...little while."

A lie. Jack glanced over at the clock. He had been there since he had gotten home; a couple of hours. Will looked at him uncertainly, but he took the boy's answer and rose to turn on the light.

"I came over to return the record and cassettes you let me borrow." Will said as he found the lamp.

"Oh?" Jack struggled to his feet and sat down on the bed. "Done with them already?"

"Well, I was hoping you could help me some more. " Will sat down. "... you know with the dancing... "

Jack nodded mutely, still off in another place. Will frowned.

"Are you sure you don't want to talk about it?"

"Im sure." Jack bit curtly and walked over to the bathroom to fix his hair. Will watched him go into the adjacent room, with a stern look on his face. Something had happened to Jack that day. Something bad. The thought of his younger friend in pain made him feel uneasy. It was an anomaly that disturbed him. Will wasn't too sure if he should pursue questioning the uncertainty he was feeling...

"Hey Jack?" Will asked from his spot on the bed.

"Yea?"

"You wanna go out into the city or something?"

Jack paused shortly as he combed his hair. It was usually he who initiated what they did and where they went. It was strange to have Will suggest something.

"O... kay." Jack responded apprehensively. "But we can't stay out too late. I have school in the morning." He groaned as he was reminded of that reality.

"Of course. We could just go out for coffee or something... or Central Park. You're probably tired of this place." Will said, wandering over to Jack's desk, peering inside the drawers. Jack came out of the bathroom, with a look of wonder in his eyes.

"I am."

"Okay, let's go." Will smiled.

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Will and Jack wandered together down a secluded path in the park. The night was clear but a bit frosty. All evening the two had been together, not really talking, just enjoying each other's company. Jack was greatly contented with a few things his older friend had done for him. He took him to a shop to get a new jacket, and elsewhere for a couple of magazines. Then they went to a coffee shop for something warm to drink, while they meandered through Central Park.

Jack held his coffee close and looked down at the shopping bag in his friend's hand. The night was so peaceful, very different from the numerous frenzied activities they engaged in; such as dancing and going over gay regulations of dress. But now, it was different. Will was showing what he had to offer as a friend.

'I could get used to this.' Jack mused and looked up at the sky, believing he was seeing stars. It was difficult to find them in the middle of the city. He turned to see Will looking closely at him.

"What is it?" Jack asked, self consciously turning away.

"Nothing. Its just-never mind." Will smirked and kept walking.

"What?" Asked a now curious Jack.

"Its nice to see you like that."

"Like what?"

"Calm."

Jack blinked in bewilderment as Will found a bench to sit on. The younger boy took a sip of his drink and followed suit. They sat in a comfortable silence, watching the trees sway.

"I like this place."

"The park?"

"Sure."

Will opened his mouth to say something, but hesitated.

"Will?"

"Yea."

"What do you plan on doing, when you get your homo stamp of approval?" Jack joked.

"I don't know. I was hoping you'd be there to help me... to, you know, get a boyfriend or something."

"I'll be there don't worry. As long as you keep buying me pretty things!" Jack looked into the shopping bag. They smiled at each other.

"And what do you plan to do Jack?"

"What do you mean?"

"After high school. Do you plan on going to college or something?"

"I don't know about college. But, I do want to be a famous actor!" He exclaimed, his eyes sparkling. "I want to sing and dance on Broadway, and then maybe star in a movie with Cher."

Will chuckled and shook his head. His friend sure knew how to hope. Another thought crossed his mind and he grew reluctant to voice it.

Jack smiled at Will, taking notice of his now nervous demeanor. He seemed to want to say something.

"Jack... " Will began nervously. "Do you think there's true love for people, like... "

"Like what?"

"...like us." Will asked in a hushed voice. Jack's eyes flashed for a moment.

"Of course I do!" He said earnestly. Will bit his lip, fiddling with his empty paper cup. The air suddenly got chillier. Jack wrapped his arms around himself, watching his friend. 'Why would he ask a question like that?'

"I just wanted to know your opinion." Will said, as if he had been reading his mind. "Others see it... differently."

"Don't think about them." Jack said firmly. "I know they see it differently. But its wrong for them to tell us we can't find our dream guys and get married and be happy."

"Marriage?" Will asked incredulously.

"Well, yeah, why not?"

They were quiet, as a couple walked past them.

"And do you plan on waiting until marriage?" Will asked.

"For what?"

"To have... sex." He said the word as if it were illegal.

"Well, I don't want to wait that long." said Jack lowly.

"Well then? What are the rules for losing gay virginity?" Will asked, smiling a bit. Jack's eyes were clouded for a brief moment, and he bore inward, trying to find a good answer.

"I think..." he began carefully. "...if you do it, it should be with someone special... and hot, of course! That person doesn't have to be the one you marry... but he should be someone you love very much."

Will nodded and sat back, apparently satisfied with the answer, but a hint of pain still plagued his brown eyes. Jack sighed, feeling very tired all of a sudden.

"We should be getting back... " Will said and stood up. Jack groaned inwardly, not wanting to go home. He was finding himself very comfortable with Will. But, he had to get back before his curfew. Not that his parents chastised him too severely about it. Still it gave him a sense of stability to know he had to be somewhere.

"I love this city." Jack sighed as they neared the bus stop.

"Yea? It can be a pretty crummy place." muttered Will, his eyes narrowing.

"Maybe..." Jack murmured.

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Will made sure Jack got home safely, and began to travel back into the city. As he sat in the bus, a feeling of frustration flooded him. The night poured past him as the bus moved, and he watched with aching eyes as the cold city came back into view.

Until that moment he had not begun to feel so hopeless and afraid. He had not considered the fact that he was coming closer to finally being what he always was afraid of being. It was still difficult to think about these things. Much of him still wanted to hide, still wanted to be part of the crowd, part of what society wanted.

But he couldn't. And Jack was the brilliantly obnoxious symbol of that stark reality. He would always be who he was, what he was. Despite all of what he tried, what he wanted to try with Jack, everything he was trying to learn... he couldn't help but hate it. The depression overtook him for the rest of the bus-ride.

For some reason, he thought about Grace.

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Jack turned in his bed, holding the new jacket Will had bought him. He smelled it, still remembering how much he'd gushed over it, and how much Will insisted that he'd get it for him.

'Why was he being so nice tonight anyway?' Jack asked himself. As he remembered, a wave of realization washed over him. 'He saw me on the floor... he saw me when I was sad.' Jack cringed in shame, but only clutched the jacket closer.

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I missed the first day of auditions. But I won't let that stop me. I still got another day to try out for a part, or for the crew. I truly do not want to go to school tomorrow. Maybe I can ask Noah why people are so freaked out lately about this AIDS thing.

Will is getting better at the whole gay thing. I guess I should be proud. But his face looks sad and he acts as if being what he is, is such a curse. He wants to learn from me supposedly. I think he just wants to pretend some more. But he has the strangest way of cheering me up. I think its nice and yet I felt weird. He took me into the city, bought me stuff and just talked with me. I think he's so great. I wish I could spend time with him everyday.

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