Chapter 8

Sire

"Are you ok?" the officer asks.

They have been asking me questions about finding Jamal's body. Shivers are still running down my spine, to be honest. I'm shocked that I actually saw a dead person. Sure Henry's death had a lot to do with us fucking with him but I never had to see his body.

"I'm good," I state.

"Do you know anyone who would want to hurt your friend?"

GQ is quick to butt in, "He wasn't our friend."

"Do you know anyone who would want to hurt him though?"

GQ and I look at each other. The school would be mad if we interrupted the experiment. Going to the cops and telling them the weird shit that had gone down would possibly cause an issue with it.

GQ shakes his head, "No."

The detective gives me a long hard look. I keep looking away. I keep wondering why Jamal was murdered. Not too long ago he escaped the Red Room in the institution and now he was dead. This wasn't normal. How was that possible? I get so fucking nervous but the truth is I just have a feeling. I have a feeling the Headmaster had something to do this. I don't know why but it's eating up inside me.

"Hello?" the detective asks, "You there?"

I keep staring at the ground where Jamal's body was. I was the emotional one. I was the one who kept going through things.

"He doesn't know anything," GQ tells the detective.

The detective looks over at me, "I was talking to him."

I want to say something. I want to tell them just how weird this school was. I want to tell them about Henry and the fact that the school knew about his death. I want to tell them how they covered it up by making Jamal disappear only to bring him back for a short time. That had to be enough right? That had to be enough to have the detective look into this at least.

"I..." I pause, "I don't know anything."

The detective stares hard, "You sure?"

GQ is quick to butt in again, "He's sure."

The detective doesn't believe GQ. It's written all over my face no matter how I want to act cool. I'm not like GQ. I can't just play this off. I'm worried about this. I am blown away that this has happened.

"We should get going," I state.

The detective hands me a card, "If you think of anything, please call me."

He gives me a long look. He is specifically looking at me when he says it. He doesn't even give GQ a card. It's almost as though he knows that I know something. If he knew just how weird this was then he wouldn't be giving me the fucking card.

GQ is quick to walk to the car and get in. I saunter after him and he pulls off relatively quickly. He's quiet in the car but I can tell he's steaming.

"What the hell are you thinking?" he asks me.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"I know you," he tells me, "You know that, don't you? I fucking know you. You were about to tell those cops about Henry."

"You don't think it has anything to do with Henry? Jamal found dead like that."

He pauses.

"Of course it has something to do with Henry. But that school is weird. Do you really want to be on Pine's bad side? Jamal wasn't the first person something weird happened to in the school. There were other boys. We didn't know them but you've heard the stories. You know what they do."

I sit there and think about it. He's right. There were whispers. They were never too loud. A bottom boy disappearing in the middle of the night without saying goodbye. Three boys in the V-Dorm just up and deciding to leave the school without taking any of their things with them. It's weird. It's always been weird. But seeing this dead body was something different.

"Imani is getting away with this," I tell GQ, "You know that don't you?"

Imani was the one who made Jamal disappear again. Then the school releases a video of us to blame us for Henry's death. Karma hated us. Now Jamal was dead. Everything was working out perfectly for Imani. He was the boy who pulled all the strings and he was finally getting his way.

"I can't believe we're just leaving him...letting him win."

"We don't have to..."

GQ looks at me. He's thinking the same thing I'm thinking.

There was no way we were going to let Imani get away with this. GQ makes a U-turn in the middle of the street. He starts heading back to the Dread Fort.

~

Karma is in the T-Dorm. It's the middle of the night and all the other boys are asleep. Joker is sleeping on the common room floor as he usually does. Normally Sire would feel bad for GQ and put him up in a room somewhere but that didn't happen tonight. He's reading when he sees someone come up to him. He lifts his head from the book and sees Imani standing there.

"How're you doing?"

Karma looks up at Imani. Imani doesn't have a shirt on. He has nothing but basketball shorts on. The shorts fall a little low and it becomes very clear that Imani doesn't have underwear on. His tall, thin and defined body pops. His handsome face is clearly defined almost like some sort of perfect model. Imani wasn't like GQ. He wasn't overly sexualized and he was a little reserved. He had this mystique about him that Karma couldn't help but notice.

"Besides the fact that I've been dating someone who was responsible for killing my brother?" Karma responds, "I guess I'm doing OK."

"I couldn't sleep either. The last few days have just been...crazy."

"Your friends are dicks. I just hope you know that."

"You probably won't have to see them again," Imani tells him, "I noticed today that they both packed their stuff. They are both gone."

Karma nods, realizing he hasn't seen either Sire or GQ in a while.

"Fuck GQ. I'm glad you exposed them."

"Let's...stop talking about them," Imani states seeming somewhat uncomfortable.

It's weird how uncomfortable he is and how desperately he wants to change the topic they are discussing. Imani sits on the arm of the chair. He's close. He's real close. Karma can smell him the manliness of him. He feels so alone at this moment that he can't help but to feel how weird it is that Imani is here checking on him right now.

"Did you have anything to do with it?" Karma asks him, "Honestly."

Imani looks at him for a minute. Karma wonders if he's going to do something else but he violently shakes his head and denies it.

"No. Hell no. I hate Sire and GQ for what they did. Maybe we can go out one day. You know...talk about it. Just the two of us."

"I'd like that. There are so many questions I have. Maybe you can help fill in the blanks. I know it sounds crazy because I didn't know Henry like that. But the fact that he was robbed from me before I really got a chance to know my brother man? You know what that means to me?"

Karma is sensitive. He starts leaning down. He looks like he's about to cry and he's keeping it in. The last thing he wanted to do was sound lame.

"It's OK to let go you know?"

"This coming from the guy who doesn't let anyone touch him?"

Imani squeezes his way on the couch. He takes his arm and wraps it around Karma. Karma isn't expecting it. Imani is so weird when it comes to physical attention but right now he seems to be more comfortable than Karma has ever seen him. He looks up at Imani. Imani was thin but his chest is very solid. He isn't mixed but he has a really light, almost yellowish tan complexion. He has this look on his face that says he isn't nice but still has this sexiness about him. He's a bad boy. Chris Brown-type demeanor and confidence was already built in. He could have any boy, girl or transgendered individual that he wanted. He could be touched by anyone...but he wants Karma to touch him. He wraps his arms around Karma. He lets Karma lean in.

"I let you touch me," Imani whispers in his ear.

Karma can feel his warm breath up against the side of his neck tingling the hairs on his neck. Imani's eyes dress him. He can feel them the tension between them.

"Why me?" Karma asks.

"I ask myself the same thing every day."

"Maybe it's coming back to you?"

"What?"

"The fact that for so long you've been untouchable. Literally and figuratively," Karma suggests, "Now all of a sudden someone comes around who you don't expect and all of a sudden...all of a sudden..."

"All of a sudden I can't keep my hands off of you."

That's when Imani kisses him.

Karma kisses him back.

Their tongues clash on the couch. His fingers curl up against Karma. Karma presses his fingers towards him. He can feel Imani's hard cock growing as he climbs on top of him. He grinds, pressing up against Karmas asshole through his pants. He tongues down Karma's neck. He feels his hands pressing up on Karma's body. Karma struggles with it. Imani was attractive. So attractive. For someone who hated physical contact, he was good at it. Before he knows it he's helping Imani take off his pants. He's taking a long look at Imani's long, thick dick as it aims at his face.

Not too far away Joker is snoring but it doesn't matter to Imani or Karma for that matter. Maybe that's why Imani stands up on the chair they are sharing. He thrusts his hips forward until his dick is leveled with Karma's lips.

Karma takes his dick into his mouth. He begins to suck on it. Imani has precum oozing from his tip and Karma licks every bit. It doesn't have the normal salty taste of precum. Imani's comes in a special flavor. It is thick and smooth. It's sweet. Karma lets his dick settle on his tongue and he allows Imani to shove his dick deep down into his throat.

He thinks about GQ. He's struggling with this. GQ had been a fraud but he can't lie. They had a connection. GQ lied to him though. What loyalty should have to a liar? So he swallows Imani's dick letting his dick go all the way down his esophagus.

His lips fold over the shaft. His tongue swipes up and down on a vein on Imani's dick.

He swallows his dick over and over and Imani is moaning. He can see Imani throw his head back and thrust forward pushing his yellow dick as far into Karma's mouth as possible. Imani's legs buckle as though he's about to nut.

He pulls his dick out and a string of cum lands into Karma's lap.

"Damn..." Karma states, seeing himself covered in Imani's man juices.

Imani gives him a clever smile, "I'm not done yet. I want you to be mine Karma. I want to be inside of you."

"You want to fuck me?"

"No more than that man. Since the first day, I met you I knew I wanted you for myself. And honestly, I want to see if we can work on that."

Karma gives Imani a weird look. At least GQ respected the fact that he was a virgin. Imani wasn't doing that though. It was almost as though Imani was ready and willing to fuck him right here and right now if Karma was down with it. Imani's dick is still hard. This look in his eyes is all lust.

"I was dating your best friend."

"Man fuck GQ. He's not my best friend. Henry was my best friend."

Karma stares down. He looks over at Imani and raises his eyebrow, "I thought you said that you didn't really know who Henry was."

Imani pauses.

"Um...did I say that?"

"Yeah. You implied you guys weren't that close when we first met."

Karma gives Imani a weird look. He can see Imani's brain spinning almost as though he's trying to make some shit up. The longer it takes Imani to respond the more obvious it is.

"Our relationship was complicated."

"Well uncomplicated it for me. Were you friends with Henry or not? If I knew you were close to him I definitely would have asked you a lot more than I did. I need to know how close you were with him."

"Ok we were close but I had nothing to do with his death."

Karma gives Imani a long look.

"Man something's not right here."

Karma starts getting himself together. He pushes past Imani. Imani is desperate to grab him and keep there.

That's when the door opens...

And GQ and Sire return.

~

My mind is spinning when I see Imani and Karma standing there. Imani is completely naked. Karma is just now getting dressed. Karma looks upset about something. My mind is spinning. Karma was a virgin. Had he...

Had he just?

I'm sick to my stomach but not as bad as GQ.

"You fucking slut!" GQ goes off.

He's not talking to Imani. That's the worst part. He is talking to Karma. He walks over and shoves Karma as hard as possible. I don't know why he does it. GQ doesn't show a lot of emotion but when he does show it, he goes overboard.

"Don't put your fucking hands on him," I state.

I'm tempted to yoke him up especially with Karma watching. I want Karma to know that no matter what situation he's in I would never put my hands on him. That's what he gets for dating a piece of trash like GQ anyway. GQ didn't know the first thing about treating a guy.

"You fucked him?" GQ states.

GQ is all emotion right now. But I'm the emotional one. He's scaring Karma who is walking backward away from him. He looks like he's about to lose it.

I do the only thing that makes sense. I stand in front of Karma. I block him off from GQ and his wrath. Luckily that causes GQ to stare down Imani instead who is standing there with his dick still out looking like the snake that he is. He couldn't even wait 24 hours before trying to take advantage of Karma's emotional state and shooting his shot.

"You need to calm the fuck down. You out here tripping," Imani makes it clear to GQ.

"I should fuck you up."

"Wow, this coming from someone who I considered my friend."

GQ walks over and pushes Imani hard, "Never that. You know damn well you never considered me a friend. As soon as I leave you are going after my fucking man."

"He's not your man," I quickly jump in.

"Don't worry about what goes on between me and Karma," GQ responds spazzing out at that moment, "Neither of you gives a fuck about him. I actually cared about him. He's nothing but a prize to the rest of you."

"He's right..." someone states.

We all turn and notice it's Karma. He's standing up against the wall.

"Karma I know you're mad at me but we had good times," GQ states, damn near begging, "You was feeling me."

He sounds pathetic. They went out on a couple dates. You would think GQ was ready to engage Karma by how he was talking. All those boys he played and now all of a sudden he was trying to be all romantic and in love. I didn't fucking buy it. I hated the fake shit with GQ. It was always that. It was always him wanting to go after men that I was interested in.

"I don't belong to you," Karma explains to GQ.

This causes Imani to laugh. I have to believe this causes me to smile too. I don't think anyone has ever refused GQ in life. Seeing GQ be humbled in the way he was humbled right now was the moment of a lifetime. His face sinks. He stops believing that just because he's this exotic looking Blasian mix with a muscular body that any boy would just roll over and take the bait. I've been waiting years for GQ to be as humble as he was right now. Here he was begging a boy that didn't get half as much attention as him and the boy wanted nothing to do with him.

Imani smiles at that moment, "GQ you had your shot man. Whatever was happening between me and Karma right now was just none of your business. I'm sorry."

For the first time, GQ is quiet. He's completely quiet.

And Karma is the one who has something to say now.

"The three of you are up to something. I don't know what it is, but I know there's something wrong here," he states.

I can't take it anymore.

I look at Karma and I see real hurt there. I've always been the type to give up on something when it got too hard. I'd move on to my next love interest. I don't see myself moving on from Karma. There are these emotions here where I don't care about how I feel.

I have to say something.

I have to say it now.

"All my life all I cared about was my image and how I looked. Not physically. No. It was deeper than that. I had to be the Prince Charming. I had to be that guy who everyone liked and everyone thought just was the nicest person."

Imani rolls his eyes, "No one fucking cares Sire..."

"Let him talk," Karma interrupts.

I look over at Karma. The other two would be pissed about this but I had to do this. Bullshitting Karma didn't work. He saw right through me. He saw right through all of us. He was smart like that. He was smarter than Winter, and Joseph and Anthony and all the idiots I've dated before. He didn't immediately just assume I was someone because of how I portrayed myself. He knew.

I had to stop pretending to be this Prince Charming and actually be that person if I really wanted a shot with Karma.

I shake my head and just tell the truth, "I was in love with Henry."

My friends both raise their eyebrows. They both look shocked.

"What?" GQ asks.

I have to admit it, "He denied me. I'll remember what he said. He just said that I was attractive but the personality wasn't there. Just like Karma. And it broke me. And since being denied not based on looks but personality I wanted to pretend I was someone with this great personality. I let Imani do the dirty work but deep inside I am this spoiled, rotten little fucking brat who can't keep a man because I don't want something too easy. I don't want something that isn't worth it. I only wanted the best. I only wanted Henry. And that's why I helped drug him with you guys. I was mad he revealed the truth to me so I helped get him fucked up the night he killed himself."

Everyone stops.

Karma just is looking. I can't tell by his expression how he feels but I can see the expression in the other two boys. They are pissed.

GQ shakes his head, "Karma doesn't need to hear all of this right now."

Imani follows up with, "He's starting with that emotional shit."

Maybe I was. Maybe it was all emotions but I was tired of lying about who I was. I was tired of pretending.

"And maybe that's why we are so attracted to you. Maybe deep inside we all were a little bit in love with Henry. We always wanted his acceptance. And when he didn't give us what we needed...we got rid of him. And we hoped that we could make repentance with his brother...but truth is you see right through me. And the truth is...you've challenged us in ways no other boys have. And we all transfer our jealousy, our hatred, our love for Henry onto you."

Karma nods.

I used the word love. Maybe the other two didn't feel that way but they don't deny it. I've been in lust enough to know that this was different. I'd never felt like I needed to chase a man in my life. Karma was different. Seeing him give other boys his attention was killing me. I wanted all of his attention. Every last bit of it. I wanted his acceptance.

There was no other reason I had come back to the Dread Fort. I wish I was the only one that felt that way but I know I'm not. GQ had come back as well. He didn't want to be here. He had come back to make things right with Karma.

Nothing was going to stop me from doing just that.

"So it's true? It's all true. You all were responsible for Henry's death? All three of you?" Karma asks.

It's Imani who finally gives in his part in all of this.

He nods...reluctantly but he still nods, "Yes."

It still isn't fair. The whole school would still blame GQ and me for it, but at least Karma knew the truth. The look on Imani's face is letting me know this probably matters more to him than the others. I'm glad to know that he wasn't walking away without any blood on his hands.

The other two boys get quiet.

If Karma had any doubts I was going to make sure he didn't. They could call it a weakness. They could call it anything they wanted. Both of them have had intimate moments with Karma. Karma never even allowed me to get close enough to do that. He saw right through me immediately. He could see how fake I had been being at the door.

Karma looks at me hard, "Thank you."

He walks over and puts his hand on my shoulder. He's touching me. I can see the other two boys looking at me with envy in their eyes wishing they thought of giving themselves up first. This isn't a plot to me anymore though. I want Karma. I'm willing to fight for him if necessary but I wasn't going to trick him...not any longer.

GQ shakes his head, "I for one was not in love with Henry or even attracted to him. Not my type. Just uh...to put that out there."

"You aren't helping," Karma tells GQ.

Imani looks over at Karma, "How can we make this right with you?"

"Tell the cops what happened."

"What?"

All three of us look at each other. Karma looks at us as well. My heart is racing at the idea of giving ourselves up.

"That won't bring Henry back," Imani answers resisting as best as he can, "It would just ruin our lives."

"You asked," Karma stated.

Imani is struggling with this, "It's over. It's all over this is dumb. I care about you Karma. I swear I do. I care about you more than I want to admit. I think about you all the time. I fell out with my best friends with you. I'd do it again. It may be even love, but you're asking me to give myself up to the cops and have everyone look at me crazy. It was an accident."

"I'll do it," GQ states.

I look over at GQ. My heart drops. He says it without hesitation. That's when I realize that he may be bigger competition for Karma's affection then Imani. Imani is still resisting not understanding all Karma wanted was for us to take accountability for our actions. GQ was going to be someone I had to keep an eye out for.

"It won't fucking matter," Imani responds, "Henry's dead."

"So is Jamal," I say.

Imani stops.

"What?"

"This isn't over. We were leaving town and we found Jamal's body on the side of the road. It's almost like it was left out there for us..."

"Almost like a warning," GQ adds.

GQ and I look at one another. Too strange. The timing was way too strange.

Imani looks away from us as though he knows something we don't, "I asked Pine to get rid of Jamal for good this time."

"What?" Karma asks.

"I didn't mean kill. I just meant send him away. You know? Kick him out of school," Imani responds, "I promise I didn't want him killed."

I'm pissed at Imani. I think we are all disgusted by him at this moment. There he went again attempting to put shit into his own hands and take control of him. I can't believe I was ever friends with the guy. Right now he's just making me sick how fucking slimy he is.

"Well you probably are the reason he's dead," I state.

"Or Pine is..." Karma responds.

Imani clearly realizes how bad he looks right now because he seems frantic, "Listen. We'll go to the cops. We can call them right now."

"Our phones are being routed to campus security," Karma states.

We all look at each other when Karma says that. That shit didn't sound right. That shit didn't even sound legal. How the fuck was that possible?

"Karma are you sure?" GQ asks.

"I'm serious," he states, "We barely have a signal and when we do if it's on campus it's routed to campus police. They direct us to go see Pine for emergencies."

Weird.

Too weird.

"I have a number," I tell them, "I can call a detective. I can have the detective come on campus and tell us everything."

"Maybe we should wait," GQ responds, "Maybe we should talk to Pine. This could all be one big miscommunication."

Imani interrupts him, "I've learned my lesson about trusting Pine. Hate me or love me, what I said to him I said in confidence about the two of you. He released that. Pine is messing with us, on purpose. I don't trust him. He's fucking with us."

"It's time we fuck with him back," I state, "We go off campus a little bit, try to find a signal and we call the detective who was looking into Jamal's murder."

"I'll go with you," GQ states.

"No...I will," Karma responds.

GQ gives me us both a long stare, "Karma I have a car."

"Well, you're going to give me the keys and let me drive it," Karma explains, "I don't trust any of you. No offense. If Sire wants to call then I'm going to be there."

I have no problem spending some one on one time with Karma. I swear a smile spreads across my face as I walk over to GQ and take his keys out of his hands. He looks like he wants to fucking bite my face off but I don't care.

"You heard the boy."

~

The whole time I'm driving off campus looking for a signal, I'm really staring at Karma. He leans over in the chair. He is looking at the road. This is the first time in forever we've had some alone time and my heart is racing.

Why does this boy make me so nervous?

Sure I was addicted to Henry like this but it was more physical. With Karma, it was something else. It was the fact that he was able to challenge me. He was so fucking smart. I didn't have to pretend with him. Hell. I couldn't.

"You have a signal," he tells me.

I get interrupted when I pull out my phone. Sure enough, I had a signal. I pick up the phone and dial the number.

"I think I may know what happened to Jamal," I tell the detective.

I tell the detective where I am at. Now it is just a waiting game. As we wait I turn back towards Karma. I lock on his lips. I look at his eyes. I look at his smile. I look at the way he holds his head in one place. I look at all that and my heart just grows.

"You're staring."

"Yeah, sorry."

I turn around clearly embarrassed. I wasn't going to lie to him that I was staring at him.

"Why'd you tell the truth?" he asks me out of nowhere.

He turns. This time he stares at me.

"For the first time when I told the truth you looked at me."

"I looked at you a million times," he admits, "It's kind of hard not to with how you look."

"No not like that. You didn't look at me as some chocolate sexy guy who portrays himself in a better light so he can front. You look at me and see the real me. You see this scared boy who wasn't always attractive and never really grew into his looks so he rushes to find love because in the back of his head he wonders if one day he'll wake up and be that fat kid he used to be. He'll wake up and be the fat black kid that no one really loved. You saw that kid."

"I could care less if you were fat or not. Just as long as you tell the truth."

"That's why. It was my greatest fear but with you, I realize that you appreciated that fat kid I buried. You appreciated the truth. So I told it to you."

He leans his hand over. He grabs my hand. It's slow. It's methodical. It's just a hand but it might as well be him telling me there was a shot. It might as well be him smiling as I confessed my love for him.

I was falling hard for this boy and there was no bottom in sight.

I make my move. I lean in and I purse my lips. I don't care if he wanted me to give myself up. I don't care if he wanted me to go to jail. I'd do all that to make things right with Karma. I just wanted to feel him one last time before I went. I wanted to feel those lips.

All of a sudden we see a car pull up. There are several men that come out.

"Those aren't cops!"

All of a sudden I watch as the men come to driver's seat. Before I can pull off they drag me out of the car. I can see these men have all white on. Then I can see who is with them. I see Karma in the passenger seat of the car. He's screaming for me. He's screaming for them to let me go but they don't.

Then I see Pine.

Pine is with them.

Somehow Pine knew I had called that detective. I can see it in his eyes. He's angry.

"Take him to the Red Room..."

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