This chap is a little graphic. Kinda heavy PG13 or R. Just telling you.
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Someday My Prince Will Come
Chapter 7
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The room was cold. His arms were beginning to form goosebumps from just sitting and waiting there.
'Why do they call me in, and then make me wait? What if Will calls or something?' Jack fretted and leaned over from his seat to look into the nurse's office. The receptionist smiled and motioned for him to enter.
"Hello Jack."
"Hi Ms. Gongora." Jack replied, smiling at the kind secretary. She was the only person he really liked and trusted in the school. During some lunches, when the roof was closed off, Jack would sit and eat with her, just talking about fashion or other things.
"The nurse is talking with a medical official from a hospital in the city." The slightly young woman said, lifting her eyebrows as if it were a secret. "But she'll be out right now."
As soon as she said that, the nurse's door opened and a short, blonde woman emerged behind a tall middle aged man, with a stern grimace. They both looked at Jack and then at each other.
"Jack," The nurse began, with a cautious gesture to the man beside her. "This is Dr. Williams. We will need to speak to you inside my office. Come on in."
Jack swallowed hard as he walked into the spacious billet, sensing something foreboding about the whole situation. The man sat down behind the desk and opened up a folder already situated there. For a short while they were in silence, as the man sorted through papers. Jack began to grow sleepy in the heavily air conditioned room, and he glanced at the nurse, who stood by with a troubled look on her face.
"This one is what?" The man asked, his nasal voice cutting the silence like a dull blade.
"An eleventh grader." The nurse responded, looking briefly at Jack and then back at the doctor.
"Immunization card?"
"Right here." The nurse said briskly and pointed to a yellow paper in the back of the folder.
"How many years has he been here?"
"Two."
"Where are the records for ninth grade year?"
"He went to a Catholic school that year. I don't recall the name, but they should have the records."
"Doesn't matter, these are sufficient."
"What is this? What is this about?" Jack demanded, finally losing patience. The man looked at him, mouth turning down with disapproval.
"Jack," The nurse started and sat down in another chair beside the desk. "There are growing... concerns about-, well with everything going on- and health being such a priority, we just-"
"Mr. McFarland." The man interrupted, apparently annoyed with the school nurse. "Under the circumstances, with the AIDS virus and other health concerns, we are required to ask you some questions."
"Why?" Jack shrieked, a sick fear augmenting inside him.
"Well, due to your... sexuality, Im afraid its required. This is an epidemic we're facing here. You just need to answer a few questions." said the nurse.
"I don't want to!" Jack began to panic.
"Its not a matter of choice young man." The man's voice was muffled somehow. His heart was racing faster than ever, and his palms turned to ice. Their eyes were suddenly far away, their faces blurred; he was lost in his horror.
They took his silence for compliance and pulled out another set of papers. At first the nurse was sitting near him, but she soon rolled her chair over to the other side of the desk. He laced his fingers together and braced himself.
"How old are you?"
"Sixteen." Jack breathed. 'Easy one.'
"How long have you engaged in homosexual activity?"
"Excuse me?" Jack didn't understand.
"How long since you chose to be a homosexual?"
Jack frowned to himself and shook his head. "I don't understand. I didn't choose, its who I-"
"How long have you been a homosexual?" The man asked, already irate.
"Sixteen years." Jack said wanting to smile. The man looked up at him skeptically and didn't look satisfied. But he whispered with the nurse shortly.
"How many sexual partners have you had?" He asked bluntly. Jack froze, as if he'd been hit in the face. His mouth opened a bit, and then shut again. He hadn't had a steady boyfriend in a while. But all they did was kiss and some other things.
'Do they count as sex?' Jack asked himself, growing frightened. What did count as sex? He recalled kissing and getting half undressed on one occasion, and he recalled many times when he and his boyfriends would touch each other inappropriately. But he was still baffled.
"Mr. McFarland?"
"I don't know, I mean, I-"
"He's probably had too many to count." The nurse said and shook her head.
"Most likely." concurred the doctor.
"No!" Jack argued, slightly rising from his chair. "I haven't had sex! At least, I don't think so... " He ran a hand through his hair and groaned. "... oh I just don't know!"
"Jack, when was the last time you had... sex, with a man?" The blonde lady asked, her eyebrows drawing together.
"I don't know... "
"Full penetration?" The doctor offered stiffly, letting the words out as if they were bitter old pieces of food.
"What's that?"
"Penetration. Sodomy."
"No. No." Jack said in disbelief and recalled how he had first learned of the manner in which men made love. It was so distinctly different from the heterosexual way, he knew this much. And yet he always considered it a beautiful and enticing act. One he wanted to commit as soon as he found someone he cared about...
Were those words this doctor was using really how everyone saw it? 'Sodomy.' The word itself was pretty, and yet you couldn't help but hate it.
'What did Noah say?'
"Its what you have to know about, to tell about. One can't describe it to someone who hasn't felt it."
He'd never felt it. But here he was being told to verify something he'd never done.
"No." He said to them again. "No. I haven't done... that."
They turned to each other again speaking softly, and critically. Jack felt sick. They continued their prying the next fifteen minutes, presenting him with questions about bathhouses, drug use, and even lubricant. They described what gay sex was, since he apparently hadn't fully completed the process... and they defiled the image Jack had of the act. They spoke lowly of it, lips turning up in disgust every other minute. They filled it with crude scientific terms; cold facts of lacerations and sores that were the result of that form of sex.
"Very dangerous. Easiest way to catch the virus."
"Its not biologically the way things are supposed to happen."
When they were finally done, Jack sat up straight, fully numbed to his center. They discussed their notes and decided.
"We will need to take a blood test Jack." The nurse said, surprisingly gentle. "Just to be on the safe side."
"The safe side." Jack repeated in a hushed voice.
'There is no safe side anymore.' He thought and refused to cry.
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"Would you like to go back sweetie?"
"No. It felt like prison there. Although I did like to see my bullies get paddled when they were caught!" Jack smiled to himself. His mother took one look at his swollen lip and was determined to send Jack back to the private Catholic school he'd attended before. But the boy insisted on the public school, saying he needed to stay the course and finish up.
"Why did they gang up on you Jack?" His mother asked. Jack looked out the window.
"They're jealous."
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"We're going this weekend!" Jack chirped, and sprawled himself on Frank's sofa. Noah sat some distance away, thumbing through a magazine.
"You and the closet freak?"
"He's not a closet freak!" Jack defended his friend and turned his head to glare at the blonde in the recliner. "Not anymore at least."
"Please!" Noah laughed dryly. "He still acts like a closet case, walking around all stiff and nervous all the time!"
"He's not like that when Im around." Jack said proudly.
"Don't give yourself too much credit, kid. Next to you, he could act as gay as he wanted and no one would notice."
"Hey!" Jack sighed in irritation and lay his head back on the sofa. "I don't care what you say. He had a boyfriend for a little while, I think he's already well on his way!"
"Do you know where he's taking you?"
"Nope. But he said its upstate somewhere. We're going on a road trip." Jack sighed dreamily. "He's so great."
"Why is he taking you anyway?"
"I don't know, he just said it would be fun, our first adventure as best friends!"
"Probably saw that shiner there." Noah said thoughtfully.
"I thought I covered that up!" Jack whined and pulled out his makeup. He looked into the mirror and applied it around his eye until the discoloration was concealed. It was another gift from James and his friends... 'I hate those kinds of closet cases!' Jack fumed but smiled at his reflection. Noah looked deep in contemplation.
"So when are you going to tell the closet freak that you like him?"
"Oh! How dare you!" Jack cried, and feigned mortification. "He has a name you know. Its Will."
"So?"
"I don't know. Maybe when Im sure I like him. I mean Im not even sure." His eyes drifted over Noah for a moment. 'He said I wasn't mature enough. When I am mature, I know he'll tell me that Will would like me too!'
"Maybe when I get my braces removed."
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This weekend Will is taking me upstate somewhere. He said it would be just a nice little trip for two best friends to enjoy. Noah says its cause he feels sorry for me. But I see it as something else. No matter what anyone says, Will is getting braver and stronger. I see it all the time. His only problem is that his fear gets the best of him and he only sees the bad things of a situation. Hopefully this trip will make him feel better.
Supposedly the trip is for me, for what I don't know why. But I feel special so I'll just play my role and enjoy it. It'll be great to get out of this place for a little while.
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sorry if it was too talky. Chap 8 coming Friday night or Sat morning!