Date: Sat, 15 Jul 2000 01:37:43 +0200 From: Attemptatinger Subject: Cherry Trees 10 Hello, yes, I'm back! The music played once again, I got the itch in my fingers and I typed a new part of the story. If you like it you can find more at http://attemptatinger.tripod.com You can also e-mail me at Acol@groenjord.dk And now, I give you: The Cherry Trees by Attemptatinger Chapter 22: Neil sighed. "Do any of you guys want to go get a pizza?" he asked Sarah and Jeremy. They were in the living room at Neil's house, supposedly doing some homework. "No!" they shouted in unison. "Oh come on, I'm hungry." Sarah clutched her throat. "If I have to eat another pizza in the next 10 years I'll explode! He's out in three hours anyway. You'll just have to wait." "Hm." Neil turned away from the window he was looking out of and faced Sarah. "I was just hungry, you know." "Ha!" Jeremy slapped his thigh. "You've been to that pizza place 4 times already this week. Come on! You just think Tommy is cute in that uniform, admit it." Neil sat down in the sofa. "Maybe." "Will you just get over this?" Sarah said. "Tommy got a job, so what? He's with you every waking hour outside school and work. And watching him work while eating pizza just isn't a substitute anyway." "But I don't know what to do without him!" "Oh! Well, that's fine." Sarah crossed her arms. "I guess we're just too boring for company, Jeremy." "No, it's just you," Jeremy said. "I'm getting some coffee." Sarah got up. Jeremy put down his book - he hadn't been reading it for a while anyway - and looked at Neil. "Well I think it's a good thing," he finally said. "What?" "Tommy getting a job. It's a good thing." Neil glared at him. "Well I do!" Jeremy said. "I mean, he's happy about it. He's making money. He wants to do it. And look at it this way: Would he have done it before you got together?" "What are you trying to say?" "Maybe you had a good influence on him. He's more confident now." "You trying to sugarcoat this?" Jeremy grabbed his book. "Think about it." "You mean I should be happy that I drove him to that filthy place? I'm sure they have rats." "Oh please." Jeremy got up. "Don't be such a snob just because you don't have to work. Besides, why do you eat there if you think they have rats?" Neil opened his mouth, but nothing came out. "That's what I thought," Jeremy said. "You have to get over this jealousy thing. He's not doing this to get away from you." "Where are you going?" "I'm going home to read this book. The only time you're more boring than now is when Tommy's actually here." Jeremy's smile took the sting out of the words. Neil sighed. "I know. I haven't spent very much time with you lately, have I?" "Oh no, don't do a guilt trip now. I didn't mean it like that. Are you coming later?" "Of course." Neil smiled for the first time in hours. "He's done in three hours. You just try to keep me away." "Okay, I'll see you then." After Jeremy had left Neil picked up a book and then put it down again. His thought began to wander. Funny, he mused, already now when Jeremy calls Tommy's house 'home' no one lifts an eyebrow. When Tommy got home Neil was already there. Tommy was tired, but he didn't complain about it. "I'm getting a shower," Tommy said expectantly after kissing Neil. "Hm." "A shower." He looked at Neil. "Okay." "A.. a shower." "Yeah? Are you trying to say something?" Neil asked. "Well," Tommy began, but one look at Neil and he stopped. "You're teasing me!" "Yep!" Neil laughed. "Well are you coming then?" Tommy smiled. "Of course." Neil pulled off his T-shirt. "But what would your mother say?" "'Don't use too much water,' I guess." Tommy smiled. "At least that's what she said yesterday." After the shower, when Neil had dried Tommy with a towel - something he always enjoyed doing, and Tommy didn't mind at all - there was a knock on the door. "Boys? Can I talk to you please?" "Mom? What are you doing home already?" Tommy asked surprised. "You're not supposed to get home in another hour." "Just hurry up, please." "Wow," Neil said while putting on his underwear. "Sounds serious." "Where's Jeremy?" Tommy asked when they entered the kitchen. "He's at the hospital," mrs. McGann replied. "That's what I want to talk to you about." "His mother," Tommy stated. "Yeah. She took a turn for the worse all of a sudden and I had to call him to get him over there right away." "Do you.. do you think.." "That she'll die?" Mrs. McGann had no patience with people who didn't say what they meant, and she always tried not to become such a person herself. "Yes, very soon. Honestly I'm surprised she's hung around for so long." "Mom!" "Well I am. And I think it's best for Jeremy that this should end. As long as she's still alive he'll never be able to move on." "That's a bit cold, isn't it?" Tommy asked, but he knew his mother well enough to know that she always dealt with difficult things head on because it was the only way she knew. He didn't really blame her for it, and besides, he happened to agree with her. "Poor Jeremy," Neil whispered. "And poor Jeremy's father," Tommy added. Neil stared at him. "What? Have you forgotten he beat Jeremy?" "No, but his wife is dying.." "He doesn't deserve your sympathy!" By nature Neil took the side of his friends. "Well I do feel sorry for him." Tommy got that stubborn expression on his face that Neil knew so well. Neil shrugged. There was no way he could win. "You can go to the hospital if you think," mrs. McGann said. "I have to go back now, my break is over. If you get time you could do the shopping." Tommy nodded, and in fact they both went to the hospital. But Jeremy's mother had evidently decided to be unpredictable for once in her life, because she refused to die, and in the evening her condition was once again stable. Jeremy refused to come home with Tommy, but the next evening he did go home, and soon they were all back in the old routine. Neil didn't know whether to be relieved or not, because they were just postponing the inevitable. "Where are you going?" Mrs. McGann asked, lowering her cup of coffee. She glanced at her watch. A worried expression covered her tired morning face. "Why are you up already? Are you sick? Have you forgotten it's Saturday?" Tommy giggled. "No mom. We're helping Josie move. She got thrown out of her apartment. I told you already!" "Who's Josie?" "Archie's sister!" Tommy shook his head at her. "Oh," was all mrs. McGann said. She sipped her coffee, hoping it would clear her mind. "Yeah, Josie's the one who wanted Tommy," Neil smiled. "She didn't." Tommy blushed. "And she's, like, OLD." "She said she thought you were cute. And she's just 19." Jeremy raised his hands. "So she thought he was cute! Don't we all? Now could we just get out of here?" Mrs. McGann smiled relieved. "Thank God. I thought I was stuck in 'nauseatingly-cheerful-in-the-morning-land'." Jeremy just groaned. "Why does the woman have to move at the break of dawn?" "She has to be out at 12," Tommy replied, even though Jeremy's question was mainly rhetorical. "I imagined I would direct you boys to begin with, and then when you know what to do I'll go get some food for us," said Josie. "Oh you did, did you?" Archie said while tying his shoes. "And what are you going to carry?" "But I'm a frail woman!" Josie smiled. "And.. you're so strong!" "Well as long as you're sincere and believable," Jeremy mumbled. The boys eventually caved in, though. "Hey Josie? Why did you get thrown out?" Tommy asked. "Long story. Let's just say the landlord and I didn't see eye to eye. It was a lot of things." "Actually there was one thing that clinched it," Archie began, but Josie silenced him with an uninhibited look. Archie shrugged and went to Josie's CD rack where he began shuffling about. "Archie!" Josie said. "What? I'm not telling, am I?" He grinned. "Nice music you have here. But maybe.. SOME people don't like it.." "Oh for..! Okay!" Josie got up. "The landlord didn't like my music. Happy now, Archie?" "What's that?" Archie pointed at Josie's stereo. "That volume control looks a bit worn, doesn't it?" Danny laughed. "Did you blast your landlord away with your stereo?" "No, of course not! Well, I may have played my music a bit loud.." Archie erupted with laughter. "Well it wasn't that loud!" Josie insisted. "It was when he was having a spiritual seance upstairs. Imagine," Archie said to the others, drowning out Josie's protests, "the landlord and two guests with madam Romalena, whispering to each other while summoning the spirits from the other side. The contact is almost there, and in that second Josie hits her stereo big time. Wham!" "Well, we should get started around here," Josie said desperately, but no one listened. "But still.. throwing her out for that.." Jay said. "Oh, but he'd asked her not to make noise, hadn't he, Josie?" Archie smiled evilly. "Yes," Josie answered, conceding defeat. "But he was mumbling and anyway, you know how strange he is. He did say something about spirits.." She smiled. "But I thought he meant alcohol, and I thought if they were drinking they wouldn't mind the music." She laughed. "He should've been grateful. I bet it's the first bit of decent music they've heard in years." Because there were so many of them it only took the boys a few hours to get the stuff across town to the new apartment in a more modern building. It was hard work to get everything to the third floor, but it was done, and everyone seemed to end down on the street by the car afterwards when only smaller things were left. *Click* "Oh-oh." "No. No, you didn't." Josie tensed. "Tell me you didn't." "What? What?" Jay looked round. "What happened?" Neil pointed to the door, a mixture of amusement and horror on his face. "The door? Oh, sorry. I shouldn't have shut it, should I?" "Tell me, someone, please, now, that you didn't close the door? That you didn't leave the keys up there?" Josie said. "Sorry," Jay repeated. "Buzz the apartment and get someone to open the door," Danny suggested. "Who, Einstein?" Archie asked. Danny looked around. They were all on the street. "Oh." "Yes, oh. The only one who has spare keys is the landlord and he's away," Josie said, still with her back to the door. Then she sat down on the pavement. "I'm not dealing with this right now. I'm just going to sit here a while, and then maybe the problem will go away." "Yes, brilliant plan," Neil said. "Foolproof." "Why don't we buzz some of the other apartments?" Tommy suggested. It was a good plan, but unfortunately there was no answer from anywhere. Jay said nothing. Evidently he felt guilty for having closed the door even though no one had said anything to him. He sat in the doorway trying to will the door open with his eyes. Tommy said down beside him. Neil smiled a little. He knew Tommy felt sorry for Jay, and it made Neil love Tommy more. "Ack!" Danny jumped to his feet. Then he held out his palm and looked to the sky. Neil felt it too. "It's beginning to rain." Josie looked up. "No it's not. It's just someone playing a cruel joke on me." "Hey!" Jay said, opening the door. "Great! Someone buzzed it open." "Someone must have taken pity on us after all," Archie said looking up at the windows to see if he could see anyone. He couldn't though. "Good thing you reacted so quickly," Tommy said to Jay. Josie quickly ran through the door and held it open. "Hurry! We need to get the things inside." "Yes, and just throw it in some corner or something," Archie said, ducking out of Josie's reach. "And then, perhaps.. some food?" Danny asked, practically begging. "I need to cook it first," Josie answered. "What?! Get into the kitchen woman!" Archie said. "But I need to arrange those.." Josie protested, but Archie wouldn't have it. "Now! Look at me.. I'm emaciated! And the others.. well, never mind them." Archie grinned until Danny hit him on the head with a pillow. Josie had already gone to the kitchen. She knew her brother's friends well enough to know that they always ate, and besides, she had promised. "Sooo.." Josie asked, stirring the pasta sauce. "So what?" Neil asked. He was leaning against the table. "So how are things with the terrible love duo? The last time I saw you two was at Archie's party when you came out." Neil winced. That was not a night he cared to relive even in his mind. Josie noticed. "Sorry. Are things no better?" "Actually they are. They're a lot better. It's going pretty well though there's always some people.. especially on the team.." "I bet. How's Archie behaving? You know, I can always beat him senseless for you." Neil smiled amused. Archie was big and strong, while his sister was medium height and thin. In a confrontation she'd never stand a chance, and yet she'd said with supreme confidence. "No need. He's adapted pretty quickly. In fact it took about an hour for him to take to Tommy and now he's acting like they're old friends. Tommy loves it of course." Neil smiled. "And how are things with Tommy?" "He's doing very well I'd say. He's opening up." "And in bed?" She smiled mischievously. Neil coughed. "Huh?" "Forget it." She laughed and put the pasta in the water. "You know - that part's even better than I thought it would be. He's wild and wonderful." Josie stared at him, taken aback. Then she grinned. "You know - he's not the only one changing. You're changing too, and I like it. Here, take those plates. I'm glad to hear Archie's behaving. He's not as stupid as he seems, not QUITE anyway, and I always knew he'd be all right. He's a good kid - but don't tell him I said that." "He'd kick your ass if he knew you called him a kid. What are you, a year older than him?" "You know better than to ask a lady about her age. Now take those plates in there and tell them food will be ready in a minute. And tell your boyfriend to be quick or I'll snatch the seat next to you!" She batted her eyelids. The other boys looked strangely at Neil when he came into the other room laughing. Chapter 23: When it was time to go Neil and Tommy walked with Jay because he lived in the same general direction. Jay didn't say much though, but that was no change. Recently he'd been a bit withdrawn. "Hey, you're not still worried about that door thing, are you?" Neil asked. "No," Jay answered unconvincingly. "It could have happened to anyone and besides, there was no harm done. You solved the problem, didn't you?" Tommy said. Jay smiled a little. "I don't know about that. Someone buzzed the door open.." "Still." "Hmm." Jay shrugged. Although he had accepted the way things were with Tommy and Neil he never quite knew how to talk to Tommy, and it was as if he was beginning to distance himself from Neil. Neil was anything but pleased about that, partly because he hated loosing friends and partly because he had a feeling Jay didn't have many other friends. Neil wanted to say something to ease the tension, but he couldn't think of anything. Tommy seemed deep in thoughts and Jay looked the other way. Surprisingly it was Jay who broke the silence after a while. "Tommy, didn't I see you at that pizza place the other day?" Tommy looked up. "Huh? Oh yeah, probably. I work there." "Work there? You?" Jay seemed to be unable to imagine that. "Yes him!" Neil said, always ready to step in the ring for Tommy. "What's so strange about that?" "Well.. well nothing." Jay looked a bit confused. "I just didn't know, that's all." "Hmm." Neil didn't believe him and he was pissed. "Actually.." Jay seemed a little embarrassed. "I was thinking of applying for a job there myself." "Oh? I could ask them if they need anyone," Tommy suggested. "Yeah, that'd be great! Thanks." He smiled. "Well, this is my house. See you." "You're too nice to him," Neil said dryly when Jay was gone. "Maybe." Tommy smiled, looked around and grabbed Neil's hand. "Are you guys hungry?" Sarah asked. "Mom and dad are out and I thought I'd make my special." "In that case, definitely no," Neil laughed. "You'll come begging." Sarah turned around and went into the kitchen. "We will," Tommy said. "Yep. But until then.. do you want to come to my room?" "Whatever for?" Tommy grinned widely. "We'll think of something." "Okay, while you think of something I'll call my mom. She'll be alone - Jeremy's at the hospital." "I think she'll manage. Besides, we'll go there to sleep." Sarah appeared in the doorway. "Hey, did you see Jay today?" "Yeah, why?" Neil asked innocently. "You know why." Sarah smiled. "What did he say?" "Actually after he locked us all out he was kind of weird," Neil said. "He's been weird for a long time," Sarah sighed. "I never seem to get anywhere with him. One day we're sort of going out and watching movies and stuff and the next day he ignores me." Neil looked at her. "You really like him, don't you?" "Yeah, I guess." "Then do something about it. Ask him if he's interested." "Just like that?" She looked horrified. "Why not? The direct approach worked for me." "U-huh. I suppose you just asked Tommy if he was interested?" Sarah smiled skeptically. "Something like that, yeah." "Really?" Tommy said, putting down the phone. "I remember it a bit differently. There was this really attractive guy stalking me, but he never said anything like 'so are you interested?' He kept blabbing about some things from long ago." "Blabbing?" Neil put on a hurt expression. Sarah ignored him. "Do you think the direct approach would have worked?" she asked Tommy. "Are you kidding? I would have freaked - that is, if I'd have taken it seriously which I wouldn't." "I can just picture you telling your mom." Neil put an arm round Tommy's shoulders. "'Hey mom, by the way, Neil asked me to meet him so we could fuck'. I doubt I'd be alive today.." "Surely you wouldn't have put it quite that bluntly? I rather thought it was more than just fucking," Tommy said, pouting. "It was." Neil smiled and looked into Tommy's mesmerizing eyes. "Oh here we go again," Sarah sighed and returned to the kitchen. "Anyway, it's not like you chose the perfect way to tell your mother, did you," Neil smiled. "Chose? As I remember it it was you who fell asleep on my bed, wasn't it?" "Hey! You never told me that story!" Sarah yelled from the kitchen. Then she paused. "Not that I was eavesdropping on you or anything.." "No that'd be beneath you," Tommy grinned. "Yes." She once again appeared. "And don't think I can't hear the sarcasm. It's just beneath me to comment on that too. Are you in the mood for a lot of garlic or even more garlic?" "You're cooking, you decide," Tommy replied. Sarah's face brightened and she went whistling back to the kitchen. "Oh young one," Neil whispered. "You still have a lot to learn - you just gave her free hands to anything she likes to our food. Trust me - that doesn't pay!" "Well, I just thought that as long as she's busy cooking.." He looked meaningfully at Neil. "We could go to my room and.. er, DISCUSS something." Neil grinned. "You're right." "Maybe it's YOU who has a lot to learn, old one!" "I'm learning every day," Neil mumbled as he followed Tommy to his room. "Dinner's ready," Sarah yelled outside the door to Neil's room, making the boys jump. "Jeez! What did she do, tip-toe to the door?" Tommy asked. "You know I wouldn't rule it out," Neil said reaching out for his T- shirt. "You want some fresh clothes?" "No." Tommy stretched. "We'll be back to bed again soon enough." "Yeah," Neil smiled lustily. "Oh I didn't mean that! I meant it's getting late anyway!" "I know, I know. But it was a nice thought." Sarah was back and knocked on the door. "I don't care what you're doing in there. Food's ready and it's now or never. Me and Jeremy already started eating!" "You're back already?" Tommy asked Jeremy when they sat down at the table. "How was your mother?" "What do you mean 'already'? It's 8.30." Jeremy looked ready to pass out with fatigue. "And mom's the same, thanks." "How is she really?" Tommy whispered to Jeremy when they finished washing up. "Huh?" "Your mother." "Oh." Jeremy eyed Tommy. "I have to try harder to hide things from you, haven't I? She was worse the day before yesterday, better yesterday, worse again today and stable when I left. I don't know how long I.." Tommy hugged him, and unlike Jeremy he accepted the hug. "I'm even having bad dreams. I mean, I never have bad dreams." "It makes sense," Neil said while putting away the plates. "It's all you think about all day, so.." "You know you can always spend the night with us," Tommy offered. "We wouldn't mind, would we Neil?" "Anything for you, Jeremy." Jeremy smiled a tired smile. "Well thanks anyway. I think the overload of seeing you both undressed would be more than I could take." "You sure?" "Yeah." "Okay. But the offer stands. You know I.. I consider you family." Tommy blushed. "Thanks." Jeremy swallowed. "I feel the same. Well goodnight." He hurried into the hall and grabbed his coat. "See you tomorrow." Neil hung the dishcloth to dry. "Was he crying?" "I think so." "It must be so hard. I can't even imagine.." "Yeah you're right." Tommy sighed and leaned on Neil who opened his arms. "You want to go to my place and get some sleep? I'm sore from carrying all Josie's stuff. I mean, how many things do you need?" "I have everything I need right here," Neil said squeezing Tommy lightly. "Please," Sarah said dryly, walking in at that moment. She took a bottle of orange juice from the refrigerator. "You know, you have the WORST timing!" Neil shook his head, not letting go of Tommy. "Tell me about it. I've heard enough cheesy stuff from you to last me a lifetime, and I'm not even trying." She left. "Do you by that?" Neil asked. "No. She's trying all right." Tommy giggled. "And it WAS kind of cheesy." "Oh?" "Well in a good way!" "M-huh? It's a good thing I love you or you'd be in for it." "It's a good thing all right.." _________________________________ So did you like it? If you did, tell me at Acol@groenjord.dk and go to http://attemptatinger.tripod.com for more. Well, my bed is calling. Later!