Chapter 6

Ralph stirred in his new bed. It was a queen, with rich blood red silk sheets, the same colour as Shawn's hair. The duvet cover was a patchwork of black and red leather, which was sewn together with a tan coloured hemp twine. The bed itself was a four-poster. It had a black wrought iron frame, and from the top, red velvet curtains draped the bed in splendour. Ralph's cinnamon eyes flickered open, and he looked around the room. The walls were painted black, and there was red carpet on the floor, and the ceiling had been painted to match the floor. Every few feet along the walls there was a black wrought iron wall chandelier, holding three red candles each, comprising of nine fixtures, and twenty-seven candles in the room, each flame softly burning casting an eerie glow. The furniture was also red, with black pewter handles. In the centre of the ceiling, there was another piece of black wrought iron that had crystal teardrops hanging form it. This was electric, the only electric light in the room, and the light bulbs were false candle flames, that didn't throw much light anyways. Ralph was blown away by how ornate the room was, even for only having two colours.

Ralph looked over at the clock. It was 6.30 in the morning. He decided to get up, and get ready for school. He walked over to the blinds and opened them, to get a blast of sunlight in his face. He squinted and made his way back to the bed, and sat on the side. Ralph felt a little cold, and just then he realized he was naked. I don't remember going to bed. Ralph thought. So then I was brought here, and undressed by someone.

Ralph got up and dressed himself, and then walked down the hall and down stairs to the kitchen. He saw that Jack was sleeping on the couch. He looks so cute. Ralph thought. I just want to go over there and - wait a second! What the fuck am I thinking? I'm got gay, am I? Ralph was getting worried. He knew that he was at the point of his life where certain changes happened, but he didn't think that things were going to go like this.

Ralph decided to make some breakfast for the two of them. He was whipping around the kitchen, grabbing eggs, and onions and peppers and tomatoes and ham and bacon. He was really cooking up a storm, he was whipping eggs and frying onions and bacon together, with the ham and peppers. He took the whipped eggs and poured them into the fry pan with all the other ingredients.

Jack started to stir on the couch. "Mom? I though I told you that I don't need you here to cook for me. I can do it myself."

"C'mon you sleepyhead," Ralph said. Jack sat bolt right up when Ralph's sweet candy voice reached his ears. "Breakfast is almost ready."

Jack dragged himself off the couch. As he walked towards the bathroom he saw that Ralph was making freshly squeezed juice. He really is a great guy. I think this relationship is going to be way more then just sex. Jack had a big happy grin on his face when he returned to the kitchen.

Jack sat at down at the table and looked at the feast that had been placed in front of him. There were omelets, lamb sausages, bacon, baked tomatoes, baked potatoes, and roasted vegetables, and a cheese spread.

"Wow! I didn't even know that I had all this stuff in the house!" Jack exclaimed.

"Most of it was in the freezer. You have quite a lot of food in there." Ralph answered, his cinnamon eyes glowing with pride. Ralph walked over to Jack, and let his passions run free, and kissed him on the cheek. Jack immediately blushed, very happy that Ralph was coming around to his way of life.

"Wow, that was an amazing breakfast," Jack said. "I haven't eaten like this for eight months, when I got my own place away from home. Our cook was really amazing. I don't know if you've heard of him or not. He's supposed to be really famous. His name is Jamie Oliver.

Ralph's jaw dropped. "You mean the Jamie Oliver from the cooking shows 'The Naked Chef' and 'Oliver's Twist'?"

"Yes, the very one. His shows didn't do so well, and his restaurant went bankrupt, and he needed a job so..."

"I loved his show, I watched it all the time. It's a pity that he didn't do any better." Ralph added, as he cleared the table, putting dishes in the dishwasher, and left over food in containers. "You better go get ready for school, Jack. It's almost 7.30 and we have to leave by eight."

Jack got up, walked over to Ralph and gave him a hug. "Thanks for breakfast, Ralph."

"No problem. Cooking's what I live for." Ralph said, being very humble toward the compliment.

Jack went up to his room. His room wasn't as wild as the spare room where Ralph was staying. It was more chic and modern, like a New York loft. The walls were eggshell, and had many light fixtures upon them. The floor was also done in a white marble tile with veins of black and grey running through them. The bed was placed along the centre of the back wall, between two gorgeous brushed steel fixtures that had frosted glass in them. Behind the bed there was a giant canvas, serving as a headboard that was painted with earthy tones of terra cotta, tones of red and orange, blended for a granular and stone like vision. The side tables and armoire were a light, almost smoky lilac, colour of pine, and the drawers had a semi- translucent front to them. On the walls, between the lights, and sometimes below them, there was artwork, all of which had been done by Laura. Jack adored Laura's artwork, and insisted that she never threw any out, and that if she didn't want it, to give it to him.

The ceiling was a giant mass glass, supported by metal, with a brushed steel finish as well, giving the room an industrious hospital look, which Jack thoroughly enjoyed. At the top middle of each wall, was a halogen spotlight, which shone out through the glass roof at night, but still reflected enough to light the room. Since it was morning, the room was filled with glorious shades of orange and pinks and magentas and blues, reflected from the sky above the glass roof.

Jack undressed and walked into en suite bathroom. This bathroom was made in such a way that the showerhead was in the middle of the ceiling, and there really was no designated shower area. The entire bathroom was the shower. All the fixtures, from the sink, to the circular basin type bathtub, and the toilet were stainless steel, and the floor was a black, rolled steel floor. In this room, the walls were totally marble, and there was another sky light, above the tub.

Jack turned on the water and let it get warm and then stepped along the cold steel floor, and under the warm water. I just don't know what to do about Ralph. He thought to himself as he washed his hair, the soap and water running off of his golden strands, down his muscular chest, around his thighs and down to his feet, before going down the drain. I can't tell if he's made his decision of his orientation, or not. Jack was thinking about Ralph, big cinnamon eyes, his cute little ears, which he thought could use a few piercings, and his soft muscular arms, and his slightly toned chest, and his abs, which were just visible underneath his skin.

Jack soon realized that thinking about Ralph was making him rather horny, and he was wishing that Ralph would explore him all over, like the water that was jetting from the ceiling. Jack quickly pleasured himself, and then turned off the water to the shower.

Downstairs, in the kitchen, Ralph had just taken his clothes out of the dryer and put them on. He had to wash them because he had worn them yesterday, and he hadn't been to his house yet to get his belongings. He glanced at the microwave to see the time, and saw it was already ten to eight. I might as well go, he thought. Who knows how long Jack could be. Ralph took out a piece of paper and a pen and wrote a note explaining what he had done, and left it on the kitchen table. Ralph grabbed his school bag and headed out the door.

Jack came down the stairs soon after, calling for Ralph.

"Ralph, Ralph? Yo, dip-wad? Are you there?" Jack called out to the empty house. He noticed the note on the table, and read it aloud.

Dear Jack, I'm sorry to have left you before you were ready for school, bit I didn't know how long you were going to be, and I didn't want to be late for school. I packed you a lunch, and it's in the fridge, in a brown paper bag, next to the milk.

Love, always, Ralph.

Jack pocketed the note, and opened the fridge and grabbed the brown bag, right next to the milk as Ralph has said, and stuffed it in his bag and headed out the door.

Ralph walked into the crowded lunch area, and canteen. Today, the cafeteria was serving Sloppy Joes and fries, with a selection of coleslaw, macaroni salad, or potato salad, a nice selection, but expensive, none the least, four dollars. He had a packed lunch, as it was, the same as Jack had. Left over sausage from breakfast, and freshly baked rolls with butter. Ralph really was a wizard in the kitchen. Ralph soon spotted an empty table, and went and sat down. He pulled out his sausage and buns and nibbled away at them. He wasn't really hungry; because of the fest he had had that morning.

On the other side of the room, Roger entered, and was also looking for a seat to eat his lunch. He saw that Ralph was sitting alone, away from Jack, and he seized the opportunity to make a move on him.

"Hey there," Roger said as he sat down right next to Ralph. How have you been? I haven't seen you since," Roger paused as if afraid to say it. "Since the island. You know, I wasn't going to hurt you, well not much. They had planned to cut off your head, if and when they caught you. I didn't want to do that to you." This talking about the island was really bothering Ralph, but Roger wasn't paying attention to Ralph's facial expressions which were telling all that needed to be known about his twisted feelings towards that goddamn fucking island. "I was going to keep you safe, and make you mine." Roger said as he moved closer to Ralph and put an arm around him. "You were the most beautiful goddamn thing on that fucking island. I just wanted to fuck your brains out." Ralph pulled away in shock and horror to have learned that Roger wanted to rape him when he had been thirteen. This time Roger did see the look upon his crushes' face. "I will be gentle, unless you want me to be rough." Roger then grabbed Ralph and forced his lips upon the others', and forced his tongue into Ralph's mouth.

Ralph bit down hard, and he tasted blood. Roger shrieked like a little schoolgirl, and the entire cafeteria went silent to see what had happened. Just at that moment Jack walked into the room, and saw Roger pulling away from Ralph's lips, blood dripping from both mouths. Jack ran past a group of girls who were whispering, and bolted straight for Roger.

"WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON HERE?" Jack's booming voice rung throughout the echoing cafeteria. Jack went to throw a punch at Roger, but he had disappeared. "That fucking ass hole, the next time I see him,"

"No, Jack, it's okay. Him doing that to me just made me think about things, it's okay, really." Ralph defended Roger. "C'mon, lets get outta here."

The two boys left the cafeteria, which was still eerily silent. They went out the front doors of the school, and headed towards the library.

"Can he go somewhere private?" Jack asked Ralph, as they went out the front doors of the school.

"Sure," Ralph responded. "How private?"

"I was thinking that we could go into the washrooms over at the pool."

"You're not going to do to me what Roger just did, are you?"

"Of course not," Jack said, wiping some dried flaking blood from Ralph's chin. "I wouldn't do that to you, unless you wanted to."

"Thanks, Jack." Ralph still wasn't sure about himself. Was he gay? It was all so confusing for him.

The two boys entered into the building that was next door to the school, and went into the public bathroom together. Immediately, Ralph broke down, fell into Jack's arms and cried.

"I can't do this, Jack," Ralph whispered. "I miss them so much, and people aren't helping, even though I know that they are trying to help. It's just frustrating."

"I think I know what you mean, Hunny." Jack whispered back, comfortingly. "When I first moved away from home, and was on my own, I" Jack paused a moment. "I cried too, because I was so alone." Jack let a single tear gently roll down his cheek. "But you're not going to be alone, I'm here for you, and always will be. Never you mind what happened on that God forsaken island, I'm here for you now." He gave Ralph a little squeeze.

Jack was really falling for him, and he could tell. He never admitted to anyone that he had cried when he left home. Not even to his own mother, whom he had missed so dearly.

Ralph was feeling a lot better now that Jack had talked to him. Jack was the only person in the world that Ralph could really call family, and not just because Jack's parents had adopted him, but also because they had become such good friends in the three days that Ralph had been at this new school. Ralph hoisted himself up, and sat himself on the sink in the washroom. His was now at eye lever with Jack, who was taller, when standing. Ralph pulled Jack closer to him, somewhat straddling him, as he sat on the sink, and pulled him into a warm embrace.

"Jack I think," Ralph started. "I think," He couldn't say it, so he expressed it. He pulled Jack into him, and pressed their lips together, locking them in passion.

The two boys were experiencing the most passionate thing that they had ever endured, until then, at least. Ralph lightly pressed his tongue against Jacks lips in the middle of the kiss and Jack opened his mouth to let the other in. Ralph's tongue explored Jack's mouth, feeling the soft flesh inside, their tongues softly rubbing, making the other feel better and better with every touch.

Jack let a quick little moan then broke off the kiss. "Want to see what I got earlier this period?" He asked Ralph, lifting up his shirt to expose his perfectly muscular chest. On his upper torso, on the left side was a big red heart, with a name in the middle.