Date: Fri, 13 Aug 2004 12:14:11 EDT
From: ICONvsICON@aol.com
Subject: Marcus and Kyle #12

Marcus and Kyle
By Christian Mitchell
Copyright 2004.  All Rights Reserved.

Chapter Twelve

    I woke up late Thursday morning.  Kyle and I got together at noon then
went to the Beverly Center.  Tyler and Paul joined us for lunch at Jerry's
Famous Deli then we headed to Tower Records on Sunset Boulevard.  Because
we had decided not to hang out later I returned home about five o'clock.
When my parents arrived home they announced that we were going out to
dinner.

    My father had talked to Principal Michael at some point in the afternoon.
 He managed to get Michael to keep the suspension off my transcript, but he
was not able to cancel my suspension.  Principal Michael said he was willing to
keep my record clean because the school year was nearly over and I'd be going
to college soon.  However, he thought that the punishment was justified and
he could not forfeit the opportunity to use the fight as an example to the
other students.  My suspension remained in intact.

    I basically just hung out at home with my family.  I started to clean and
organize my bedroom but that chore didn't last long.  I was checking my
e-mail when Roger called me soon after nine o'clock.

    "Hey, how are you?" I beamed.

    "I'm good.  Enjoying your time off from school?"

    "Sure."

    "Good.  You should take advantage of it," he replied.

    "I know.  I still have Friday and Monday off.  So we'll see what
adventures an extended weekend provides."

    "Well, the reason I called was because I wanted to invite you and Kyle
out with me tomorrow."

    "Really?  What did you have in mind?"

    "I know you and Kyle are just now getting comfortable with yourselves and
being open about your relationship.  But I'd like to be the one to expose you
to an environment that you might feel much more relaxed in."

    "Yeah, what environment is that?"

    "West Hollywood," he answered.

    I considered the thought for a moment.  West Hollywood is the gay area of
Los Angeles.  Most of the clubs and restaurants that catered to a
predominantly gay crowd were there.  Being a Los Angeles native I had been in areas of
West Hollywood many times.  I, however, had never been to the heart of Boys Town.

    "Maybe," I replied.  "I'll have to ask Kyle."

    "If you guys aren't ready, that's cool.  I just wanted to extend the
invitation.  And when you guys are ready to take me up on my offer, then let me
know."

    "Thank you," I responded.

    "Of course, you guys may decide to explore it on your own.  And that's
fine, too.  But if you'd like an educated tour guide, then I'm your man."

    "Cool, man.  Thanks," I replied.  "I'll let you know."

    "Okay," Roger said.  "It will be fun.  Call me and let me know how Kyle
feels about it.  If he wants to go, then we'll set up a date."

    "Alright.  I'll call you back tonight or tomorrow."

    "Great.  Have a good night."

    "Thanks, Roger.  You, too."

    Kyle called me about a half-hour later.  "Other than saying good night, I
wanted to check in with you," he said.

"Oh, I'm fine," I replied.  "I was trying to clean my room but I got bored so
I signed online."

    "I should clean my room, too.  But I still have three more days of
suspension so I'll wait to do that."

    "Something to occupy your time, huh? You can do it when I go back to
school on Tuesday."

    "Yeah, I'll think about it."

    "Roger called me," I told him.

    "Oh, yeah.  What's he up to?"

    "He was calling to say hi.  He also wanted to invite you and me to West
Hollywood."

    "You're kidding!" Kyle laughed.  "You know, I haven't even thought about
West Hollywood.  I mean, I've thought about you.  I've thought about how
things are changing in my life.  But I forgot that West Hollywood is only miles
away."

    "What do you think about the idea?"

    "I don't know.  You?"

    "I guess it could be fun and educational," I responded.  "Going to West
Hollywood makes everything seem so real.  At this very moment, you and I are
gay.  I mean, unless something happens in the future that tells us otherwise,
you and I are now involved in a gay relationship."

    "Being in West Hollywood would really bring it on home," Kyle replied.

    "Exactly," I agreed.  "What do you think about that?"

    "That's fine by me.  We decided to be together because we love each
other, right?"

    "Yes," I answered.

    "And it might meet some people that we like.  Maybe make some new friends
that we can relate to better.  You know?"

    "That would certainly be a change from our regular group of friends."

    "Then maybe we should just go for it.  What harm could it do?  We might
enjoy ourselves and realize that we like being there.  Or we'll realize that
it's kind of nice and all, but not for us."

    "Yeah, I hear ya," I said.  "So I should tell Roger that we'll go with
him?"

    "Sure.  What the hell."

    "Okay, I'll call him later."

    Kyle interjected," you know what?  Give me Roger's number and I'll call
him."

    "If you want to."

    "Well, it's cool that he's reaching out to us.  I know you know him
better than I do.  But I feel like I should have some sort of communication with
him.  I don't want him to only being calling my boyfriend to relay messages to
me or invite us places."

    "Are you getting jealous?" I teased.

    "Well, maybe a little.  I'm sorry.  But I just don't want him to be
solely focused on you, as far as you and me are concerned."

    "It's okay.  I understand.  And I don't think he'd mind talking to you
more.  Maybe the two of you will become friends."  After I recited Roger's
phone number I turned my computer off and sprawled myself out on my bed.

    "Cool.  So I'll call him just as soon as I hang up with you."

    "Is there anything else going on with you?  How are things at home?"

    "Everything is good.  My dad mentioned that he might call you about comi
ng over here for dinner on Sunday night.  So be prepared for a possible phone
call."

    "I'll do that," I replied.

    "Other than that, nothing much is going on with me at all.  My mother is
making me study."

    "Well, that's probably a good thing."

    "Yeah, I know.  It's just a pain in the ass," Kyle complained.

    "It's all good."

    "Okay, baby.  I'm gonna let you go for now.  I love you."

    "I love you more.  Talk to you tomorrow."

    "Okay.  Good night."

    "Good night."


    Roger was excited to hear that Kyle and I wanted to join him in West
Hollywood Friday night.  He seemed to be very happy that we had decided to take
him up on his offer.  At school Roger was quite laid back and never drew too
much attention to himself.  Now that he was going to be our tour guide, he
appeared to come out of his shell a bit.  He arrived at my house with a permanent
smile on his face.

    "I'm glad you guys are taking the steps to expose yourself to WeHo," he
beamed.

    "This might be a really good thing for us to do," Kyle replied.  "You
know, experience the world outside of our neighborhood and circle of friends."

    "Exactly," Roger replied.

    He tugged on the sleeves of his T-shirt, which seemed to be slightly too
small for him to wear.  It did present his body much more clearly than the
clothes he typically wore to school.  Due to Roger's Hispanic background he had
olive toned skin and black hair.  It was styled in a slightly messy fashion.  I
could tell that he was somewhat of a different person when he wasn't at
school.

    After we said good-bye to my parents Roger asked," who wants to drive?"
Kyle and I both shrugged our shoulders.

    "Let's take Marcus' car," Roger suggested.  "If you guys feel like you
want to leave then we'll leave.  If I decide to stay, I'm sure some friend of
mine will be around to drive me home."

    "Are you sure?" I asked.

    "Yeah, it's fine."


    We drove east on Santa Monica Boulevard in my Mustang.  When we arrived
at Doheny Roger started to point out buildings and such.  Once we were at
Robertson there were many more people walking around.  Roger mentioned places like
the Abbey, Rage, Mickey's and some twenty-four hour gym that really wasn't a
twenty-four gym.  Apparently management restricted business hours in an effort
to discourage non-work out related activities.

    As we continued to drive east Roger talked.  "You guys would probably
like this place here," he said, pointing to a little building on the corner of
the block.

    "What is it?" I asked.

    "The Flowering Tree.  It's a health food restaurant.  No sugar.  Stuff
that's good for your body.  You know, all that crap," he smiled.

    "Yeah, we'll be there at some point," Kyle replied.

    "There's Buzz Coffee, which used to be a really cool place to go," Roger
continued.  "And right across the street is Marco's, an Italian restaurant.
We should eat there."

    "Now?" I asked.

    "Well, tonight.  We can keep driving but once you get to Fairfax there
really isn't too much to see.  I mean, there are some places all the way to La
Brea.  But, pretty much, this is it."  He paused then pointed to the left.
"And this is the French Market.  It's okay if you're not looking for some out of
this world cuisine experience."

    "Well, so far we've seen a gym, clubs and restaurants," Kyle said.  "So,
basically West Hollywood promotes working out, drinking and eating."

    "No!" Roger exclaimed with a laugh.  "There are places to shop.  You can
see those better when we're walking down the street.  I just wanted to give
you a general idea of what's here."

    "Yeah, yeah, yeah," Kyle teased.  "It's okay.  I work out.  I like to
eat.  And I've been known to drink a few too many Coronas."

    "Well, some of us are vain.  Some of us like to have a good time.  But
not everyone is like that," Roger replied.  "You know, whatever makes you happy."


    We did decide to eat at Marco's Trattoria.  Roger explained that the food
was really good and that it was one of his favorite places to eat when he was
in West Hollywood.  "The owner's mother used to work here all the time.
Everyone called her Mama.  Mama Italiano.  Mama Marco.  She was a very sweet and
funny lady, but she died of cancer a few years ago."

    "Oh, that's too bad," I replied.

    "Yeah, she was a real character," Roger laughed.

    We had a nice dinner.  The food was good.  The conversation was lively
and entertaining.  The three of us had a good time.

    Kyle and I decided that we would return again when we were in the area.


    The three of us walked around the other side of West Hollywood, between
the gym and the Abbey.  It was interesting to see a lot of gay people walking
around.  It seemed to be a very liberating experience to a lot of people,
especially Roger.  He was totally in his element, smiling and laughing as we walked
along the street.

    Some people did seem to be staring at us as we walked along.  Roger said
that it was because we were good-looking guys.  To me, it seemed like we were
being judged. My insecure mind was telling me that everyone instantly knew
that we were the new kids in town.  Or maybe Kyle and I looked like we were out
of place.  Not that I was uncomfortable, but I was a bit nervous.

    "Do you guys wanna get some coffee somewhere?" Roger asked.  "We can hang
out and talk.  Watch the people.  And I can introduce you to a few people."