Note: Thanks all for your support! So here it is the second chapter which takes place a few weeks later. It's kinda boring but it's setting up the big meeting in the third chapter. Kikyo gets a cookie, the couple was Matthew and Garret from Four Weddings and a Funeral. A classic! Enjoy.
"Uh…is that healthy?" Mark asked Roger as he shoveled spoonfuls of macaroni and cheese mixed with applesauce. Collins rubbed his chin and tilted his head to the side, "I doubt it could cause any damage. You can eat them separately without a problem. Unless you're lactose intolerant, that is." Mark nodded pushing his glasses up on his nose, "But mentally and emotionally?" Collins sighed, leaning back further into the run down blue couch, "Well…no guarantees…but Roger's so far gone I doubt anything could make him worse." Roger grabbed an embroidered pillow from the floor and tossed it as Collins' head. The teen was prepared and deflected it with his elbow.
"Nice try Roger." Collins said with a laugh tossing the pillow back at him, "Go ahead you can try again." He nodded to him with a huge grin on his face and motioning with his hands, "C'mon Rog, you know you wanna!"
Roger just shook his head and went back to the odd concoction he was eating. When he swallowed he looked up at Collins and mumbled, "You in for another threatened beating? You've been getting enough of them at school as it is." Mark kicked Roger gently on his back. "What it's the truth!" Roger called out with his mouth full.
"Davis, don't talk with your mouth full." Collins said pointing his finger at Roger. The musician groaned, "Yes, father." Collins smiled and patted Mark's head randomly. It was insane really, it had been a few weeks since the cafeteria incident. And here he was in Mark's basement. In a way it felt like Collins knew Mark and Roger all his life. He could even see himself playing cops and robbers with them as toddlers. Mark looking down the fake gun barrel wondering why it didn't shoot like in the movies, and Roger running around the gun in the air, eventually capturing Mark although they were on the same side. It was just perfect. And he knew that the boys liked his company as well. If they had just felt pity for him they would have just watched over him at school…but it was much more than that. If anyone started at Collins, Roger would glare at them, which would scare off most of the student body. People didn't realize that behind that black leather jacket and feathered hair was more of a poet than a thug. Mark would also help threatening to catch the act on film and send it to the Principal. Then usually Roger would glare and the kid would leave…Mark didn't have a very imposing presence. But Collins loved him all the same. He did love them. That was something he could never say about his previous friends. They would hang out, they would go to parties, they would eat lunch together…but they weren't close. Except Robbie of course. Whenever he was spotted by the trio they would walk in the other direction. He was the one obstacle they weren't willing to face yet.
Mark pushed Collins' hand off his head, "Hey hey don't ruin the hair."
"You sound like Roger." Collins said with a grin situating his hands on his stomach. Roger looked up from the floor and grinned, "Finally I'm rubbing off on him. I think that would be too good to be true. Naw you're starting to sound like Angel."
"Angel?" Collins asked leaning over to grab his soda from the coffee table. Mark gulped looking wary about discussing the person Roger just brought up. Roger didn't seem to be bothered at all and licked the bottom of the bowl making sure all of the applesauce was in his mouth.
"Uh yeah. A childhood friend of ours. He goes to another school." Mark looked down at his dirty dishes for a moment before taking Collins' and Roger's dishes. Without a word to either of them he went up stairs heading for the dishwasher. Collins watched him carefully and then turned to Roger, "Why is he so…you know?"
Roger grabbed his guitar that was standing by waiting for him to finish his food. Strumming a few chords he shrugged. "No clue. He's weird sometimes, Collins, you haven't figured that out yet?" He grinned to himself finally getting into playing Musetta's Waltz, a song Collins was slowly getting used to.
"Yeah I know…but he seemed to tense up when you mentioned your friend." Roger stopped playing song and went back to chords. He stayed silent for a few moments before saying, "Angel had a rough time. He was in our grade…a couple months before your family moved to Scarsdale. But he transferred cause he couldn't handle it anymore. At least his parents couldn't. Everyday was a battle, he knew every back way to every classroom to avoid getting beat up…and even though we wanted to help him we couldn't. Our classes were on the other side of campus. So he was left alone. Everyday a new bruise. Everyday a new break of the skin." Roger looked up at the stairs, "Mark sill feels horrible about it. Said that we should have saved him…but you know our school…homophobes all over. Angel's parents got tired of the bruises and excuses so with the help of some of his teachers he was labeled emotionally unstable. And sent to a school for 'challenged students'." Roger said using his fingers as quotation marks. "But he's happy there. Apparently there are less homophobes at this school. We see him once a month maybe if he's not too busy…and he's always doing something. Drums, design…interpretive dance I don't know." Roger finished explaining just as Mark came back down rubbing his cheek. "Cindy kissed me! Derek must have called." He said rolling his eyes before plopping back down on the cough next to Collins.
"So…" Collins started quietly, "I'm a charity case? Or a replacement?" Mark raised his eyebrow, frowning, "What?" Roger put down his guitar worry on his face as Collins explained, "You couldn't save Angel…so you found yourself another gay that you could save this time. Cause you knew the ropes…you knew that day didn't you? The day in the cafeteria." Collins shook his head and stood up, "I don't need charity. Or your pity." He headed for the door hanging his head. Mark jumped up grabbing his arm, "No Collins. We knew. Of course we knew, everyone in the whole school knew and we were quite aware that it wouldn't be easy. From experience. But that is our table…that was kinda fate I guess…but yeah we knew." Collins pulled back from him and tried to head for the door again. This time Roger ran in front of him, "You're right in a way. We wanted to protect you like we couldn't Angel…but we figured if...Collins, we didn't think we'd be anything but protectors. But we're friends Collins. We're friends because we like you. You're not his replacement." Roger said strongly trying to meet his friend's eyes. Collins looked up at him. He wanted to believe his words so badly. They had become to close for him just to be a charity case someone who was there just to fill the space.
Mark came around next to Roger wringing his hands, "Believe me Collins…Angel is nothing like you. Well you're both nice but…you can tell he's gay by just looking at him. You hid for years without detection. Angel walks in a room and the sirens go off…" Mark smiled lightly, "But we like you both. For who you are." Collins looked back and forth between Mark and Roger. From their eyes he could tell…they were speaking the truth.
"Ok…I believe you but…" Collins started to say quietly before a huge grin appeared on his face, "I don't like you guys at all." Mark frowned and Roger laughed going back to his guitar. When the musician looked back at Mark he sighed and pointed to Collins, "He's kidding!" Mark's eyes went wide, "Ohhhh…good." Collins laughed hard pulling Mark into a bear hug, "Ah Cohen. What would we do without you?"
"I could think of a few things…" Roger started to mumble before Mark smacked him over the head with a pillow.
Tom Collins slowly opened the door of the Collins residence. He winced as the door made a screeching sound which made his father stir from the sofa. It was his ritual, to sleep on the couch every night while his wife took up their large king bed on her own. There were fights, everyday there were fights. And the result was always the same. Slammed doors and Collins' father sleeping on the couch. Frankly, Collins wondered if his parents had ever slept in the same bed at all…though he supposed they had to at least once. But divorce was a four-letter word to his parents. Why would they get divorced? They were financially stable, but if they divorced that would be a different story. His mother was a housewife and hadn't done a day of work in her life. His father wouldn't have anyone to clean up after him. It just wasn't a smart choice. And after all they had to stay together for Tom. They didn't know that he secretly prayed for the divorce to come, then the fighting would stop. Then they could admit to the world that their picture perfect family wasn't perfect. Collins hated going out to dinners with his father's colleagues at those fancy restaurants. His mother would excuse herself time and time again just so she didn't have to sit next to her husband for one more minute. She would hide in the ladies room and reapply her makeup. Take it off and reapply it. Collins' father would laugh with his friends and explain to his friends how happy his family was. Collins usually followed his mother's lead and wandered around the lobbies getting lost in the small glass particles of the chandeliers. While his father spread lies of happiness, avoiding reality.
"Tom?" His father grumbled sitting up and turning off "COPS" which he had apparently fallen asleep during, "It's late." Collins pulled off his boots and nodded, "Yeah I know Dad. I was over Mark's house."
Collins' father accepted his son's answer but frowned, "I don't know why you stopped hanging around Neal Kinsman's boy. What was is name? Roland?"
"Robbie." Collins said hanging up his coat, "I already told you Dad we had a fight and now I have new friends. Better friends." He started to head up the stairs avoiding anymore questions his father threw at him.
"Fine Tom. The Jeffersons are coming over tomorrow night for dinner so you better be here." Collins rolled his eyes, it was time to play perfect family again, "Ok Dad I'll be here…but I was gonna meet Mark and Roger later that night. Is it ok if I go a bit early?" Collins' father didn't seem to thrilled with the idea but nodded turning the tv on again, "Just make an appearance…they have a daughter. A nice looking girl your age." He said looking up hopeful at his son. Collins managed to come out to his friends but his parents…that hadn't happened yet. With his father being so obsessed with projecting the image of a perfect family, Collins knew he wouldn't accept his son's sexuality. So Collins just avoided the subject and ignored the many girls that his father threw in his direction.
"Oh really…" Collins said trying to sound somewhat enthusiastic. His father grinned, "Yes. She got into Harvard as well." Collins nodded, "Wow….she sounds smart. I gotta go to bed Dad." His father waved to him apparently not so interested in talking to his son after all. Of course not, there were women jumping around on the television with barely any clothes on. Collins gulped and ran up the stairs wanting to lock himself in his room for the next few days. He could never handle his father in large doses. One of the things he had in common with his mother. As he passed his mother's room he heard her sobbing. He paused for a moment thinking about opening the door and trying to comfort her. But then he knew the outcome, she would push him away and say there was nothing wrong. She was just emotional. While his father lived in a fantasy world his mother lived in denial.
Collins pushed open the door to his room and went immediately went to sit in his bay window. It had started to rain. He cleared his throat and pulled out a book paging through it but not really reading it. His family life might not be what it seemed, but at least he had friends. He had Mark and Roger. And for right now that was enough.
Post-note: Thanks for all your encouragement guys. This chapter wasn't as exciting I know but I had to introduce Angel and her friendship with the boys as well as the reason why Roger and Mark just so happened to come across Collins. Next chapter you get to meet a few more bohemians you know and love!