Date: Mon, 12 Mar 2001 12:08:45 -0700 From: tarantau tarantau Subject: Ryan's Odyssey Chapter five Here is the fifth chapter to Ryan's Odyssey I hope you like it Thanks to everyone who has read the story, and sent me e-mails, I appreciate all the support. Keep them e-mails coming and let me know what you think . RYAN'S ODYSSEY CHAPTER FIVE I knew he would be coming out of English, when I pulled into the parking lot, even though I was nervous as hell about telling me, I knew it was something that had waited long enough. It was now or never. I parked next to his car, and waited for him to see me. "Hey bro," he said, when he approached my truck, "looks like your feeling better." "You don't know how much," I replied, "Hop in let's go for a ride." Our town isn't a real big town, but it's big enough to have a McDonald's, a Pizza Hut, and a Subway, so with all of this places to eat, we both decided to get a burger at Carl's Burger Palace. The burgers there were ten time better then at McDonald's, and twice as big. We ordered two Super Duper Burgers, two orders of large fries, and two large Dr. Pepper's. We got our food and then we drove out towards the lake. The music was blaring from the speakers, and we were both singing along to the sounds of N'Sync. "What was wrong with you?" Kyle asked. "I had a real bad ache in my body," I said. I wasn't lying, I had a bad ache in my heart, and that is part of my body. "Well you missed the pop quiz in Miss Timberwoods Math class," he said, "Like it matters anyway." I pulled the truck onto a little side dirt road, that led to a grove of trees about two miles off the road. I had been coming here for years when ever I had somethings on my mind to think about, but as far as a I could remember this was the first time I had ever brought Kyle out here. I had never even brought a girl out here. It was my special place, and after this, if things went the way I wanted, it would be our special place. "And what was your last comment suppose to mean?" I asked, "I still have to pass the class or I won't get to play in the big game on Friday." Oh, I think I forgot to mention, Friday was the opening game of this Years football season. And the party we had at Kyle's on Friday was the last big fling of the Summer Season. It was one at one of these partys were I first became to starting tailback. Jarod Mitchell, who was a senior this year, had been but he had got caught drunk driving and was suspended for three games. I got the starting nod and as they say the rest is history. I averaged over two hundred yards a game and three touchdowns and never looked down. "Miss Timberwoods will give you a make up exam, and the hardest question on the whole paper will be, what is ten times ten," Kyle said, with a bit of sarcasm in his voice." "I've worked hard for everything I'v ever got," I said, "I don't want anything handed to me on a silver platter. I'd be the first one to pull myself out of a game if I think it would help the team." "I know that and you know that," he said, "but this town wants a state championship and without you it just isn't gonna happen. Face it Ryan, your the town's Golden boy. Remember last year when you wore the tie to school?" "Yeah, what about it?" "Well, you probably didn't notice, but for almost three weeks after that at least ten or twelve guys wore ties to school also, just to be like you. Hell if you mentioned to someone that you happened to like the Billy Gilman Cd, everyone would claim to like it also, just because Golden boy does." I pulled into the grove of trees, turned the engine off, and said, "For your information, I do happen to like the Billy Gilman Cd. I told you and your someone, so let's see if by the end of the week, everyone else is listening to it." "I don't count," he said, "I'm your best friend, I know how big of an asshole you are." We ate in silence, finishing our burgers, when the Cd changed and to both of our surprise Billy Gilman started singing through the speakers. I pushed the fast forward key 'till I got to the song "What's forever for." "Hey," Kyle said, "my mom's got an album, you know one of those old big old circular discs, you play on a record player with this song on it, by a guy named Michael Martin Murphy, but I kinda like this version better." "It's a good Cd," I said, "Open your mind to new possibilities, and you will learn more then you will ever know." "Kyle, " I said, "You said earlier that anything I did would be okay with the town, right?" I had figured out a way to approach the subject of my gayness, without coming right out and just saying Kyle, I'm gay. "I think your wrong, there is one thing I could do to turn everbody against me." Kyle laughed, "I don't think so." "What if I announced I was gay," I said, "everyone would hate me, I'd be the laughing stock of the town." "Bullshit," Kyle said, turning towards me, "I'd bet by the end of the week being gay would be the in thing, and people who think it's disgusting would claim to be gay just to be like the golden boy. Face it, Ryan, nothing you can say or do, would turn this town against you, or at least not until you graduate from High School, or an injury ruins your football career. Besides, there is no way in hell you could be gay, Sport's heroes are true blue he-man." "Kyle," I said, I had tried as hard as I could to keep the tears from falling, but it was just about impossible now, "I am..." * * * * * * * I grabbed the doorhandle and ran from the truck and ran as fast as I could, the tears blurring my vision. I couldn't believe what he had just told me. There was no way in hell, Ryan was gay. I know you think I should have been happy, but I wasn't and for the life of me I couldn't figure out why. Part of my mind was telling me to turn around and run back to him and let him know I was gay also, and part of me was telling me he just wanted to prove me wrong, or maybe he knew about me, and this was all part of some big joke him and the football team had come up with. I know that sounds stupid, but rationally thinking was about a million miles away at the time. I fell on the side of road, buried my face in my hands and cried harder then I had ever cried in my life. When I finally lifted my head, he was standing beside me, crying just as hard, "I'm sorry, Kyle," He said, "I just couldn't live with the lie anymore. I wasn't sick this morning, it's just so hard sometimes to pretend to be someone I'm not. I had to tell you, and if you hate me now, I'll understand, and walk right out of your life, but I will let you know onething, regardless if you hate me, and never want to see me again, I will never stop loving you." He loved me... The words took me by complete surprise. I grabbed his hand and pulled him down towards me on the ground. I didn't say a word, I just leaned forward and pressed my lips to his. I really couldn't describe the power of that first kiss, but it was like the beauty of the forth of July fireworks display, getting a brand new Jaguar for your Birthday, it was real and magical and the same time. I knew at the moment I loved him just as much as he loved me. We wrapped our arms around each other and just held. "I love you, too, Ryan, " I finally said, "I want the world to know, but even though I still think people who be okay with you being gay, I would rather keep it between us for now. I'm not as popular as you are, and it maybe bad for me." "I'm not ready either," he said, "Only two people know about me, and that's how I'd like to keep it for now." "You told your mother," I said, "how did she take it?" "She's the one who convinced me to tell you, it's funny I kinda thought you would be okay with it, but I never expected for you to tell me you loved me too. If we hadn't been so afraid of what the other person was gonna think, we could have been together long before this." I leaned in and kissed him again. This time it was even better if that was possible. "Remember," I said, "this is our secret, until were both ready for the world to know." Little did either one of us know at that moment, but we weren't the only two people on the road at the time. Things in our life were starting to get a little interesting, and my theory of the golden boy was about to be put to the test.