Date: Thu, 8 Jun 2006 11:48:34 -0700 (PDT)
From: Shannon <swimfan_777@yahoo.com>
Subject: Model Me Chapter 24

Disclaimer: Anything mentioned in this story is complete fiction. The
sexuality of anyone in the story is not necessarily true, but just written
to entertain. If you are underage or if it is illegal to read pornographic
material where you live, please leave now. Also, if you are uncomfortable
with gay relationships, you should not read any further. For everyone else,
enjoy the show....

*Season 2*

"Are you sure this is the right address?"

Craig frowned looking at the crisp map spread out on his lap. His finger
followed the red line of the highway they had just exited to the street
they were now on. He double-checked the address his lawyer had given him.

"Yeah," he said softly. "Let's go."

"Like back to the hotel?" Justin asked with raised eyebrows.

"Like back to Florida," Craig said folding the map and tossing it onto the
dashboard.

"Why?"

"I can't do this," he said turning away from Justin to look out of the
window. He looked over the dusty road they were parked on the side of, his
eyes following a scruffy brown dog that limped slowly between the car and
the sagging white picket fence that surrounded his brothers home.

"Baby I know you're nervous, but you have to at least try to talk to him."

Craig's eyes focused on the reflection of Justin in the glass. He saw and
felt the man slip his arms around him from behind and kiss his neck.

"I'll be with you every minute," he said softly in Craig's ear.

Craig could feel the man's warm soft breath along his neck as the faint
sweet smell of the syrup Justin had poured on his pancakes at breakfast
wafted towards him. He leaned back against Justin's chest feeling the
strong steady beat of his heart and sighed.

"I really think this is the hardest thing I've ever had to do," Craig said
melting back into the man's arms and closing his eyes. He felt dizzy. He
felt nauseous. He felt like he never wanted to move from that spot on the
side of the road.

"Are you ready?" Justin asked after a few minutes of silence.

Craig nodded and set up straight, accepting a light kiss on his lips from
Justin.

With each movement Justin made Craig's heart beat faster. When he started
the engine the man almost jumped out of his seat. Justin put the vehicle in
drive and Craig grasped the handle of the car door ready to push it open
and jump from the moving car like he was escaping from a kidnapper in some
Lifetime movie of the week. Justin maneuvered the rented black SUV into the
entrance of the community as Craig's heart jumped out of his chest and into
his throat.

As Craig read the faded sign that covered the entryway in an arch he
finally took his first breath in what felt like five minutes. 'Welcome to
Sunrise Vista Trailer Park.' It felt more like entering certain death to
him.

"What's the number again?" Justin asked creeping by each rusty old trailer
slowly to see the addresses.

When Craig said nothing Justin stopped the car and turned to him.

"Babe?" he asked running his hand over the man's pallid forehead.

A quick honk of a car horn brought them both back to reality. Justin
started back down the road slowly, pulling over to let the car pass him
when he had the chance.

"It's eleven twenty," Craig finally said.

Justin drove passed a few more rows of decrepit sagging tin roofs and
barefoot children with dirty t-shirts and red Kool-Aid stained faces. Craig
averted his eyes trying to not have the snob that was implanted in him by
his mother spill out. He didn't want to think poorly of his brother or the
people who were taking care of him but he had to wonder where the money
Jeremy had been sending was going. He immediately thought drugs. But even
the biggest addict couldn't spend $20,000 a month on drugs. Or could they?

Craig felt the car come to a stop and the engine turn off. He could hear
Justin breathing as he waited for him to make the first move. Craig finally
lifted his eyes afraid of what he would see, cringing at the fact that
being a place like that bothered him so much. He pushed that thought to the
back of his mind and concentrated on smaller things. For one, getting out
of the car. He did so, closing the car door as quietly as possible. He
walked around to Justin's side and stood there for a moment taking in his
surroundings. The lot the small pale yellow trailer was centered in was
almost completely bare. There were no plants or pink flamingo "lawn"
ornaments or colorful tattered lanterns or wind chimes singing in the light
breeze that blew through the trailer park. There were only two dirty lawn
chairs, one of which had a whole big enough in the seat for a small person
to fall through. The chairs were sitting adjacent to a stained card table
stacked high with old newspapers and littered with cigarette butts. The
part of the table that could be seen had a long jagged rip in it that gave
the impression someone had engaged in a poker game and got so upset with
their bad luck they sliced the table open with a pocket knife.

Craig wasn't sure how to feel. Part of him felt sorry for his brother
having to live in such squalor. But part of him was angry, really
angry. Why was Jeremy sending them so much money and not checking up on
them to make sure they were spending it the right way? For all he knew his
brother might be malnourished or not able to afford school. Suddenly a
thought hit him, something he had never even imagined before. What if he
was dead? Craig was unable to mull over that question for very long because
before he knew it Justin had knocked on the door. Craig looked at him
wide-eyed.

"We have to finish this baby," he said quietly as he intertwined his
fingers with Craig's.

He knew Justin was right. He knew logically that he had to do this even if
it meant finding out the worse. He couldn't let what ifs plague his life
like they had Jeremy's.

"What?" a deep rough voice said from the other side of the drooping door.

"Is Jeremy here?" Craig asked finding his voice was a lot stronger then he
thought it would be. He waited for those words that would make him
cringe. 'Jeremy's dead.' But they never came. Instead the door was pushed
open by a small tanned boy about five feet seven inches tall, with blonde
hair spiked at the top of his head in a fake mow hawk.

Craig's heart almost dropped to his feet with disappointment until he
noticed the boy's eyes. They were the greenest, purest emerald eyes in the
world.



Minus the hair, he looked exactly like Craig had at that age except the boy
had a small sprinkling of freckles right across the bridge of his nose like
Craig's dad. Or he guessed, like their dad.

"Who are you?" he asked frowning and crossing his arms over his broad chest
defensively.

"My name is Craig Walsh," he said pausing not for affect but for hope that
the name would mean something to him, anything.

The boy stared at him blankly, arms still crossed, bare foot tapping
impatiently on the dirty linoleum floor of the entryway of the trailer.

"I guess I didn't expect you to know me," Craig said trying to find a way
to segway seamlessly into the purpose for his visit. "You are Jeremy
right?"

"What's it to you?" he asked dropping his arms to his sides. "Who are you
guys anyway?"

"What's going on?" asked that same gruff voice. This time it was
accompanied by a man who seemed larger than life in height and weight. He
took a drag of his cigarette as he scratched the part of his hairy belly
that sagged from under his dingy white tank top.

"I don't really know how to say this," Craig tried to start again. He knew
if he didn't spit it out the door would be slammed in their faces. "I'm
your brother," he finally said.

The boy looked at him curiously, his head tilting slightly, something that
Justin had seen Craig do numerous times.

"What is this some kind of joke or something?" the man asked laughing so
hard he went into a sputter of phlegm filled coughs.

"No it's not," Justin said, finally speaking. He knew Craig had to do this
on his own but he would be damned if this guy was going to make it harder
for him.

"Can I just talk to you?" Craig asked looking Jeremy in the eyes.

"No you can't," the man said. "I'm his guardian and he's not going anywhere
with you."

"We can talk here then," Craig offered, still looking at the boy. Suddenly
he wanted to get to know him. He wanted to know what kind of music he
listened to and what his favorite ice cream was and what he wanted to do
when he grew up.

"No you can't," he said. "Take your fucking car and get the fuck out of
here. You don't think you're impressing us or anything with that thing do
you? That fucking monster? Where are you boys from? I know it's not around
these parts. Why don't you just get the fuck out of here and go home?"

With that he slammed the door in their faces.

Craig stood their, Justin next to him, their shoulders brushing
slightly. He didn't know what to do. Should he knock again? Would that be
smart? He could hear raised voices inside, mainly the man's loud deep voice
and the low mumble of his brother. There was a crash inside, something
glass breaking and a thud against the sidewall of the trailer where they
stood. Craig instinctively stepped towards the door just as it flung open
again. Jeremy jumped out in a sprint, surprised to see them still standing
there.

"I have to get out of here," is all he said before he took off running
towards the entry to the trailer park.

"Wait," Craig yelled as he ran after him.

The boy looked back but continued to run increasing his speed. As soon as
he hit the dirt road of the main street Justin and Craig had stopped on
what felt like hours before, he made a sharp right and then a bee line for
a group of trees a few blocks down near the side of the road.

Craig kept up with him as best he could, focusing on the goal at hand and
not the sharp pain that started to coarse through his side. Physically, he
was in great shape. He ran often for exercise but at the most it was a
quick jog for a few miles, never a full on sprint. He could feel the sweat
start to spring up in little clear beads on his forehead. His lungs felt
like they were on fire as he jumped over limbs and dodged tree branches in
the forest his brother had decided to detour through. He wanted to call out
to him. He could see him just ahead, his white t-shirt clinging to his
upper body as his basketball shorts moved with his sharp steps. Craig
watched as he leaped from overturned logs and practically swung from tree
vines to navigate the woods. He prayed the boy would get tired soon because
there was no telling when he would finally collapse on the moss covered
floor. He tried to concentrate on studying the way his brother stepped and
slid along the ground to make sure he did the same in an effort not to
break his legs.

Suddenly Jeremy stopped running and turned to face Craig who skidded to a
stop just in time to only lightly bump into him without throwing him
completely to the ground.

"Why are you following me?" Jeremy asked regaining his footing.

Craig was surprised the boy could talk. He didn't even sound out of
breath. Craig, on the other hand, doubled over coughing and sputtering to
try to suck air into his burning lungs.

Jeremy stared down at him and started laughing.

At first Craig was mad. He was the one running all over creation trying to
make sure this little shit wasn't going to get killed and now he's laughing
at him? He stood up straight meaning to tell him something similar but he
still couldn't speak. He started breathing harder, a smile crossing his
face, as he watched Jeremy shaking with laughter.

"How old are you?" he asked between giggles. "Like thirty?"

"Yeah something like that," Craig said between gasps of air. "What about
you?"

"I'm sixteen," he said still smiling.

As Craig stood upright again, this time staying that way, he saw the smile
fall from the boy's lips. "What?"

"You really are my brother huh?"

"I'm pretty sure. What made you say that?"

"You look like me," he said taking off again and hurdling over a row of
bushes.

"Fuck," Craig said loudly. He could hear his brother laughing as he ran
through the woods. Craig took a deep breath and followed his path leaping
over the bushes as well but not nearly as effortlessly as his brother. He
dodged tree limbs and jumped over rocks as he sped up to try and keep up
with the kid. He was a few feet behind him when he stopped again in another
clearing. Craig stopped next to him suddenly faced with a twenty-foot drop
and the most beautiful view of the city below.

"I come up here to think," Jeremy said sitting on the ground.

Craig did the same, lifting the bottom of his shirt to wipe the sweat off
of his face.

"Nice shirt," Jeremy said.

"I think it's ruined now thanks to you," Craig said with a laugh.

Jeremy smiled drawing his legs into his body and wrapping his arms around
them. He rested his head on his knees. "Tell me about him."

Craig looked at the ground, watching a perfectly straight line of ants
march their way passed his leg. "He died."

"How?"

"AIDS." Craig was shocked he had actually said the word. He had only
actually ever voiced it to one other person. Justin.

"When?"

"January."

"How'd you find out about me?"

"You're in his will."

"As what? The kid he never met?"

"Well yeah actually," Craig said frowning. He was having a really hard time
sugar coating any of this for the kid, but for some reason he thought
telling the complete raw truth might be the best thing for him. "What do
you know about him?"

"Nothing really. My mom's dead and she never said anything other then I was
named after him."

"When did she die?"

"I was three."

"Was that guy your uncle?" Craig asked nodding in what he thought was the
general direction of the trailer park.

"Yeah," he said looking down at the ground as he ran his finger in circles
in the dirt.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"He's not very nice huh?"

Jeremy shrugged, resting his chin on his knees again.

"Is he married?"

"To my mom's sister, Rita."

"Where is she?"

He shrugged again, "She goes off sometimes. I mean she always comes back
eventually. But she'll leave for a few days or weeks or whatever. I don't
know. I guess she needs a break sometimes."

"From what?"

"Life," he said looking at Craig with those eyes. They might have been the
same color as Craig's but they said something totally different. They were
not the eyes of a sixteen year old boy who should be worrying about who
he's taking to prom and getting his driver's license. They were the eyes of
a man. A man that had seen things no one should ever see, no matter how old
they are.

"How long have you lived there?"

"Since my mom died I guess. I can't really remember ever living anywhere
else. Where do you live?"

"Florida."

"Really?" he asked, his eyes lighting up for a moment. "Do you go to Disney
World all the time?"

"Not really. I've been there once before."

"That's it? I'd go there every day."

Craig smiled.

"Who was that guy you were with? Don't tell me he's my cousin or
something."

"No," Craig said laughing. "He's my boyfriend."

Jeremy raised his eyebrows. "You're gay?"

"Yes."

"Oh."

"You don't have any gay friends?"

"No way," Jeremy said laughing. "My uncle would kill me and then them. No
offense."

Craig shrugged, "People are entitled to their own opinions."

"So you really only like guys?"

"Not just any guys."

"Then what kinds?"

"My boyfriend. He's the only guy I ever think about."

"No way. I thought you guys had sex with everybody."

"I don't know about everyone else but not me and Justin."

"Is that his name?"

Craig nodded. "He's a really nice guy."

"Does he live in Florida too?"

"We share a house together."

"Are you going to get married? Can you?"

"Some places I think. I haven't really looked into it."

Jeremy looked down at his hands as he grasped his legs. He unclasped them,
leaned back against a tree and folded his arms over his chest again. "When
are you going back?"

"I don't know yet."

"Why did you even come here? Just to tell me I have a brother?"

"That was part of it. I mean, I would like to get to know you, spend time
with you if you want."

"I don't know. What's the point?"

"Well I figured that if we got along okay I would come visit you
sometimes."

"Why?"

"I don't really have any close family. I have an uncle who lives in Florida
too but I don't see him so much now after Jeremy died."

"You don't call him dad?"

"No."

"Why?"

"He never really felt like a dad to me."

"I know the feeling. At least you got to see him."

"I did sometimes.  He was busy a lot, though. Do you want to see him?"

Jeremy frowned, his upper lip turning up slightly, "What do you mean? Like
his body or something?"

"No freak. A picture," Craig said rising up slightly off the ground to
retrieve his wallet. "Here," he said handing a small picture to Jeremy,
"You can have this."

He glanced at it and crossed his arms again, "I don't want it."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I don't want it."

"I know you won't believe me but I know how you feel."

"How?"

"You hate him."

"I do not."

"Yes you do. You hate him for leaving you. You hate him for never being
there when you needed him."

"How would you know? You knew him."

"For the first nineteen years of my life it was by name and face only. But
I realized that Jeremy was just a different kind of person. No better, no
worse then anyone else. Just different. He did care about you."

"Then why wasn't he here?" he screamed suddenly tears springing to his
eyes. He wiped at them quickly and angrily with his fist.

"I don't know," Craig said quietly. "We'll never know now. But I know he
did think about you."

"No he didn't," Jeremy said turning his face from Craig.

"He sent you things. You have to know he was thinking about you when you
got them."

"What things?" he asked turning back to face him.

"Birthday presents, Christmas presents, money every month."

"I never got anything like that."

Craig stared at him. "But I know he did. Mr. Scheer told me."

"Who's he?"

"Jeremy's lawyer. How could you have not gotten one thing?"

Jeremy shrugged, "It doesn't matter."

"Yes it does," Craig said standing. "It had to be that man. He's been
keeping everything from you."

"He wouldn't do that."

"How can you say that? You said yourself that he's mean to you. You have to
live in that shit hole and Jeremy's been sending you enough money every
month to pay for a fucking penthouse in New York."

"Shut up!" he yelled jumping to his feet. "You don't know anything!"

"Then you explain it to me. Why are you living in a fucking tin can when he
sent you twenty grand every month for sixteen years?"

"I don't care how much money he sent me! He wasn't there! No one was there!
All I have is that shit hole tin can!" he screamed, tears streaming freely
down his face.

Craig couldn't believe how he had ranted and raved in front of his
brother. Of course he was upset but it was only money. His brother was
right, it didn't fix anything.

"I'm sorry," Craig said reaching out to touch his shoulder.

"Don't touch me!" he screamed jumping backwards. "Don't ever touch me!"

Jeremy sank down to the dirt-covered floor, tears spilling off of his face
and making muddy circles on the ground.

Craig kneeled next to him. He looked at how small and fragile the boy
seemed weeping on his knees in the middle of the woods. He wrapped his arms
around him tightly, afraid he would struggle. Instead, Jeremy clung to him
crying harder. Craig held him close to his chest rocking him back and forth
slightly until his tears slowed down to quiet sobs.

"Did he hurt you?" Craig asked in the softest whisper, he wasn't even sure
Jeremy could hear it.

Jeremy began crying harder, shaking violently in the man's arms.

"Shhhh," Craig cooed in his ear trying to get him to calm down. "He's not
going to do it again okay? I promise."

Jeremy clung to him finally feeling safe for the first time in years.



**Hope you guys enjoyed the new chapter. The next one should be up in about
a week. Any comments or criticisms can be emailed to
swimfan_777@yahoo.com.**