Date: Tue, 26 Oct 2004 17:41:15 EDT
From: ICONvsICON@aol.com
Subject: MARCUS AND KYLE Chapter Nine

A Shift in the Universe
Christian Mitchell Copyright 2004

CHAPTER NINE:

    I stood at the front door for several seconds debating whether to knock
on the door and confront Mr. Levine or turn around and go home.  My mind was
screaming "fuck it! Just do it."  The rational side of me was telling myself to
leave and allow things to calm down before I approached Kyle's father to have
a conversation with him.  Yet, it was my heart that encouraged me to knock on
the door.

    No one immediately answered the door so I banged on it with more force.
Within two seconds the door was open and I was standing face to face with the
moody and loud giant.

    "Marcus, I asked you to leave," he sighed.

    "Yes, sir, I know you did, but I have something to say to you," I replied.

    "Maybe you should think twice before doing that," he said.  "Do you
really want to make things any worse than they already are at the moment?"

    "No, I don't," I stated.  "But I do not understand how you can treat me
the way you treated me a few minutes ago."

    Mr. Levine shifted his weight from one foot to the next.  "What the hell
are you talking about?  And who are you to question me?"

    "I'm the boy you've watched grow up since I moved to town in the second
grade.  The guy who is best friends with your son.  The one who has spent
vacations and holidays with your family.  I'm the person your wife calls her
`adopted son.'  That's exactly who I am."

    He fixed his gaze on me.  I could sense that he was becoming more
irritated with me.  He didn't necessarily look at me with hatred in his eyes, but his
voice could not conceal his anger.

    "Marcus, I'm the man of this house.  I do what I think is best for my
family.  And I'm not so sure that you're the best thing for Kyle right now."

    "Why?  You don't know what's best for your son!" I shouted.  "If you did
and you paid attention to him then you would know that I am what's best for
your son right now.  Listen to him."

    Kyle must have heard his father and I shouting at each other because I
heard him rush downstairs.  He appeared behind his father with a shocked
expression on his face.

    "I haven't done anything to you.  I don't deserve to be treated like a
piece of shit!  You're pissed off because you're not in complete control of
everyone around you!"

    "You need to stop yelling at me.  And I suggest that you bite your tongue
before you say something that you regret."

    "I'm not going to regret standing up for myself or Kyle," I sneered.
"That's something that you always told Kyle and me before games or if we got into
fights with other boys at school.  You told us to stand tall, have faith in
ourselves and defend what we believe in."

    Mr. Levine and Kyle looked at me but said nothing.

    "So that's what I'm doing.  I'm defending what I believe in.  I have
faith in my love for Kyle and his love for me."

    "Love!" he shouted.  "You don't know what the fuck you're talking about,
son."

    "Yes, I do.  I know exactly what I'm talking about.  And I suggest you
bite your tongue before you say something you might regret."

    Kyle said my name once but Mr. Levine quickly raised his hand to indicate
that Kyle should say nothing more.

    "What makes me different in your eyes today than yesterday?  What did I
do to make you force me out of your house and tell me not to come back again?"

    "You corrupted my son, that's what you did.  The two of you fucked around
and you have Kyle convinced that he's in love with you and that he should
avoid women from this point on."

    "I did not seduce your son," I stated matter-of-factly.

    Mr. Levine grabbed Kyle's shirt and forced him outside.  He pushed him
into me so that I stumbled back a few steps.  "Kyle, you need to tell your
boyfriend to leave right now.  Or I will call Marcus' father and have him come over
here to take his son away.  Or I will call the cops and have him removed from
my property."  He held up three fingers.  "Three options.  Pick one."

    Mrs. Levine appeared at her husband's side.  "Frank, stop it."

    He looked at me and pointed to my car.  "Go on."  Then he slammed the
door with such power that one of the panel windows cracked.

    "Holy shit!" Kyle exclaimed.  "What are you doing?"

    "I'm standing up for myself.  I'm standing up for us.  I'm not going to
be treated like shit and simply walk away with my tail tucked between my legs."

    For a moment Kyle appeared angry but then he laughed and shook his head.
"I can't believe you did that.  That took a lot of balls, man."

    My anger had not subsided at all.  "I'm glad I did.  Not so long ago I
probably wouldn't have said anything.  But I'm not a kid anymore.  And I'm not
going to take shit from anyone anymore."

    "Good for you.  I'm happy to hear that," Kyle smiled.  "But I'm not
exactly sure this was the right moment to start."

    "I'm sorry.  I couldn't help myself.  I wanted to tell that asshole what
was on my mind."

    "I understand.  But now I have a much bigger mess to clean up."

    Kyle had a valid point.  He probably could have talked to his father and
made him realize that he was wrong.  It may have taken a couple days -- maybe
weeks, but perhaps he could have made his father see things more clearly and
openly.  Maybe I should have waited until Kyle and Brad had talked to him.

    "I'm sorry," I apologized.  "If I made things worse, then I'm truly
sorry.  But I don't regret saying the things I said."

    "You shouldn't have any regrets," he replied.  "Right now, just go home
and let me try to handle my dad.  I know my mom and she's not going to let him
stay angry for long.  She'll make him snap out of it if he refuses to calm
down.  I know she will."

    "So you think she can help smooth things out?"

    "I hope so," he answered.  "I probably should have talked to her first.
She could have given me some advice about what to say.  Maybe she would have
told me how to tell him.  Or maybe she would have told me that it would have
been better not to tell him.  I'm not sure."

    "So you're going to try and talk to her again?"

    "Yes, but not tonight.  I'll do it tomorrow before my father comes home
from work."

    Kyle followed me to my car and opened the door for me.  "Don't worry," he
said.  "I'll be fine."

    "If he throws you out of the house or tries to beat you up then come over
to my place."

    Kyle chuckled.  "I don't think he'll try to beat me up or throw me out."

    "I hope not.  But you never know."

    "If anything happens I'll call you or come over.  I promise," he
reassured me.

    "Good," I replied as I got into my car.  "I'm sorry."

    "It's okay."

    My cell phone was vibrating in the passenger seat.  I picked it up and
looked at the display panel.  It informed me that I had missed a phone call.

    "Your parents?"

    "No, Brandon," I responded.

    "He tried to call me, too."

    I tossed the phone back into the passenger seat and returned my attention
to Kyle.  "If your parents ever come around, then let them know that I still
love them.  But I'm not happy with how they reacted."

    "And if they don't?"

    I shrugged my shoulders.  "That's fucked up, man.   I can't believe that
shit.  But, if they don't, fuck `em."

    Kyle tapped the roof of my car three times.  "I love you."

    "I love you more," I replied as I thumped my finger on the steering wheel.

    Kyle smiled and walked to the sidewalk leading to his house.  I pulled
away from the curb but braked in the middle of the street.  "Hey!" I shouted out
the window.

    When I saw that Kyle had turned around to look at me I honked the horn
four drawn out times.  Then I took off like a bat out of hell until I reached
the end of the block.


    I was nearly home when I heard my phone vibrating again.  As I pulled
into the driveway I picked it up and pushed the button once so that the display
panel would light up.  There was a text message waiting to be read.  I opened
the in-box and discovered a message from Brandon.  It was only four words.

    R u a faggot?