Date: Fri, 15 Aug 2003 18:32:12 -0700 (PDT) From: M D Subject: The Silent Violin - Chapter 4 (gay/highschool) Legal Notice: The following story contains descriptions of graphic sexual acts. The story is a work of fiction and has no basis in reality. Although the names of places used DO exist, they are in no way reflected factually in this story. Don't read this story if: * You're not 18 or over, * If it is illegal to read this type of material where you live, * Or if you don't want to read about gay/bi people in love or having sex. The author retains copyright to this story. Placing this story on a website or reproducing this story for distribution without the author's permission is a violation of that copyright. Legal action will be taken against violators. Note: This story will be slow moving, and plot oriented. It is not a porno, though sex will happen. It's a fact of life. Words in between <> are sign language, as text formatting does not support italics. E-mail responses to the story, questions, suggestions, criticism, and comments to: EquinusScorpius@yahoo.com Thanks for the feedback so far! THE SILENT VIOLIN CHAPTER 4 Slumped in the desk chair in the back corner of the classroom farthest from the door was a figure clothed all in black. He wore a black vinyl vest over a sheer black shirt, with spiked bracers around his wrists. Black jeans liberally ripped and safety- pinned were shredded at the cuffs, revealing buckled-up black military boots. Black hair was gelled flat to his head in spikes that fell into his face. His skin was unnaturally pale and his pallor was made more pronounced by the black eyeliner and lipstick he wore. Bastian couldn't help but stare a moment at him. He didn't look anything like the Aiden McKennough he remembered. Aiden had kept his face down during the initial introduction as the shock of recognition hit him. He felt dark tears of shame pool in his eyes and willed them not to fall. Bastian Blackmoore had come back into his life after ten long years. He was confused, angry, happy, and despairing all at once. Looking at Bastian standing there in his new clothes, slender and handsome with that lush black hair stirred feelings in his gut. He wasn't sure how to react to his presence, so decided not to react at all. Bastian made his way slowly to the back of the room and the empty seat. His lips were curled into a very slight smile, nervous and exhilarated all at once. He tried to meet Aiden's eyes as he took his seat, but Aiden look studiously at his history book. Confused, Bastian plugged in his laptop, looking over at Aiden from the corner of his eye. The smile on his lips faded and he cursed himself for getting his expectations up. What did I expect? he thought darkly. Aiden hasn't heard from me in ten years. Mr. Simmons began to monotonously chant at the blackboard and Bastian quickly opened a Word document to take notes. Out of the corner of his eye, Bastian could see Aiden watching him type. Inspiration struck him and he opened a blank document to type: Aiden? It's me, Bastian. I've missed you. The cursor blinked slowly as he considered his next words. I have lunch next period. Can we 'talk'? It's been too long. He glanced over at Aiden and caught him squinting at the monitor. Quickly Bastian selected the text, increased the font size, and turned the laptop slightly towards him. Aiden nodded slightly at the screen and scrawled 'Follow me after class' in his notebook so Bastian could see it. Bastian smiled and nodded. Both boys turned their attention to Mr. Simmons's lecture. Mr. Simmons assigned them homework and Bastian put his computer away before the bell rang. He caught Aiden's eye again and raised his eyebrow. Aiden nodded and picked up his backpack as the bell rang. Aiden didn't say a word as he wound his way between his fellow students, leading Bastian past the cafeteria with its crowd of teenagers stuffing their faces and outside into the cold winter air. Bastian sucked in his breath as the cold hit him, and looked to Aiden. He was shivering in the sheer black shirt he wore and rubbed his hands on his arms. Bastian pulled out his notepad and wrote with quickly numbing hands. What are we doing outside? It's freezing! He handed the note to Aiden who didn't even look at it. He closed his green eyes and laid his head against the rough brick of the school wall, sighing gustily. Bastian reached out his hand to comfort Aiden, then thought better of it and retracted his hand. "I guess you're wondering what's going on, huh, Sebastian?" Aiden said without opening his eyes. It tore at Bastian's heart to hear Aiden use his full name. Aiden's voice was surprisingly deep for such a skinny, lanky guy. Aiden took a deep breath, and the words seemed to pour out of him. "I kind of shut down when your mom took you away after the accident. Maybe the accident itself did it, but I just closed off. My parents made me go to counseling, but I couldn't talk about it to a stranger. I lost my best friend in the whole world, and with the way I was behaving, no one would want to be my friend. Maybe I just didn't another friend who would leave me." Slow tears leaked out of Aiden's eyes and across his cheeks, leaving dark trails of mascara. Bastian put his hand on Aiden's shoulder, causing Aiden to open his eyes. Vibrant green met smoky gray. "I've missed you terribly, Bastian. Even after all these years. I couldn't forget you." Aiden's voice choked, and he brought the back of one hand to his trembling lips. The pain in his eyes astounded Bastian. Bastian pulled Aiden into his arms and Aiden collapsed into him, sobbing uncontrollably. His hot tears soaked through the fabric of his shirts as Aiden cried. Bastian felt tears come to his own eyes and glanced around quickly for onlookers. They were sheltered in a recessed doorway; sheltered from the wind and prying eyes. He let his own tears flow freely, sharing in Aiden's pain to lessen it. He could feel Aiden shivering against him, from the cold and the emotions coursing through his body. He wished nothing more than to be able to whisper words of comfort in his ear, but he could only hug his best friend. Slowly, Aiden's sobs abated and his tears dried. He brought his head up and looked at the residue he'd left on Bastian's shirt. "I'm so sorry! I ruined your shirt. I probably look like shit too." He plucked at the black dress shirt marred with streaks of white foundation and wet mascara. His makeup was streaked haphazardly across his face and looked awful. Bastian smiled at him and kissed him, not thinking. Aiden froze, not responding. Bastian pulled back, aghast at what he had done. His eyes filled with fear and he turned to flee. Aiden grabbed his hand. "Bastian, no, wait." They stood there, Bastian facing away from Aiden who still held his hand. Silent tears rolled down Bastian's cheeks as thoughts flew through his mind. He'll hate me, he'll tell, I'll get beaten up. Why did I kiss him? Softly Aiden said, "Bastian? Why did you do that?" Bastian didn't turn around, and only shrugged his shoulders. He knew why he'd done it. But he couldn't bring himself to tell Aiden, afraid of what his response would be. "You know, people are going to hate you because you're my friend. I'm not popular here; not by a long shot. The clothes and makeup don't help things at all. And for the longest time I haven't cared who I alienated. I've ignored the name-calling, the shoves in the halls, spilled lunches. Now you're back here, and it will be hard enough on you, since you're new and you can't speak and not many people will take the time to understand you. I don't want to make things harder on you because you're associated with -" Aiden stopped talking when Bastian placed a finger across his lips. Bastian couldn't help but marvel at their fullness. Aiden opened his eyes and the pain and loneliness shining from them broke through Bastian's uncertainty. He replaced his finger with his lips, staring deeply into Aiden's green eyes as he did so. The pressure of Bastian's lips on his for the second time broke through the walls of pain and despair around Aiden's heart. He wavered uncertainly; sure it was a dream or a cruel joke. Then one of Bastian's arms came up to encircle his neck and pulled him deeper into the kiss. Aiden felt the soft flutter of Bastian's tongue on his lips and opened his mouth with a soft moan. He could taste the toothpaste Bastian had used that morning as their tongues slid across one another like mating snakes. He felt the soft scrape of Bastian's teeth on his bottom lip. Bastian's gray eyes shown with love and support and joy. There was also the tiniest hint of fear, but it was overshadowed by happiness. Aiden ground himself into Bastian and felt the evidence of his excitement and passion poking him in the hip. His own erection was confined painfully by the boxer- briefs he wore under his baggy black jeans. He wrapped both arms around the raven- haired boy and hugged him tightly, breaking the kiss and taking a deep breath. He took a step backwards and slipped on a patch of ice. A look of shock came over his face as he landed on his ass in a drift of snow. Bastian smiled widely down at him, mirth glowing in his eyes. Aiden burst out laughing, a warm happy sound. Bastian twirled around and fell into the snow next to him and then immediately shot up. He grabbed his notepad and began to write furiously. Jeez, that's COLD! I'm glad to hear you laugh. It sounds like it's been quite a while since you laughed. Are you okay now? You're not upset or anything, are you? Bastian handed Aiden the note, looking at him worriedly. Aiden smiled, reading it. "I'm fine, Bastian, and thank you. I think you helped me remember who I am." Shyly he added, "I'm glad you kissed me." Bastian smiled back, and laid his hand on Aiden's, then removed it to scribble another note that he then handed over. I'm glad I kissed you too. I think we both needed that. Now can we go inside? Let's get cleaned up. We both look a mess, with the tears and all. I'm sure lunch is almost over, and I haven't eaten a thing. I'm hungry after all that! "You're right, you do look a mess, and makeup isn't meant for tears. Hopefully we can sneak inside without being seen." He pushed himself up from the ground and dusted his snow-wet hands on his jeans. "Dammit, my jeans are wet too, and I still have three more periods to go. Come on, there's a bathroom just inside that door up there. It should be empty too, with everyone in class." The reunited friends made their way back into the school and into the vacant bathroom. As Aiden saw his reflection in the mirror he exclaimed, "Man, I do look like shit. How on earth could you kiss that?" He giggled. Bastian just smiled and shrugged. He pulled some paper towels off the roll and wet them down with warm water and soap. Gently he commenced cleaning the smeared makeup off Aiden's face. The brown towel came away smeared with white and black. It took several handfuls to remove all the makeup, and Aiden washed his face in the sink a few times for good measure. The water had loosened the gel that kept his hair in stiff flat planes and released them back to their natural curl. Aiden wiped the smear of black lipstick off of Bastian's lips with a smile and slipped the soiled dress shirt off his shoulders. "I'll wash out the makeup for you at home." He looked at their reflection in the mirror. "I never realized how silly I look like this. I mean it fits some people, but it isn't me." Bastian smiled at him in the mirror and leaned his head on his shoulder. The bell signaling the end of fourth period rang through the halls. Bastian's eyes flew to his watch, a look of surprise on his face. Oh no! his lips said. Aiden echoed his sentiments with a hearty, "Crap!" Aiden quickly folded Bastian's shirt into his ratty black knapsack covered with pins and patches. "Bastian, can you find your next class okay?" Aiden asked. Bastian slipped his schedule out of his bag, pointed to the class and location, and nodded affirmatively. Quickly, Bastian wrote on his notepad. They could both hear the roar of footsteps and the sounds of the school in the hall outside. I have orchestra today. Can you wait for me? Maybe come see me in the orchestra, if you want? If you can't, here's my phone number: 658-5555. (Author's note: I don't know if this is a real number or not. Please do not call it and bother someone. Thanks ? ) "I'll wait for you. You're in the orchestra? Wow! I can't wait to hear you play. But we both better get going before we're late. Later, Bastian. Love you." Aiden planted a quick kiss on his lips, grabbed his knapsack and flew out the door, almost running into another boy coming in to us the bathroom. "Oh, sorry. Excuse me." Bastian stood still in the bathroom and was looked askance at by the boy who turned to use the urinal. He said he loved me! was all that Bastian could think. He caught himself staring at nothing, nodded apologetically to the guy peeing and headed out the door to his next class. Algebra II and Health flew by. He gave his teachers the usual introduction letter and they introduced him. He sat through the classes in a semi-daze, only taking notes out of habit. He was surprised he was together enough to do even that. He let out a breath he hadn't known he was holding when the bell signaling the end of seventh period health class sounded. With hands that trembled slightly, he put away his laptop, nodded to the teacher and made his way down to the orchestra room. As he approached, he could hear the chatter of happy voices and the sounds of instruments warming up. The familiar sounds quickened his steps and he entered into the classroom. No one seemed to notice his entrance and he made his way to where he had stored his violin. With relief, he noticed it was still there and took the case with him to the back of the room. "Bastian?" a familiar voice called from across the room. He turned to see Harmony Jones making her way to him with her oboe in one hand and a black leather binder in the other. . He signed, happy he could finally 'talk' to someone. "You forgot?" she asked with mock disappointment. "How's your day been? Get lost any? Hey, weren't you wearing a different shirt or something?" She chattered away, smiling. "You better hurry and tune up before Mrs. Tolner gets here. She likes to start right away." She giggled. . For some reason, he didn't want to tell Harmony about meeting Aiden. . He smiled at her and opened his violin case to get ready. "Wow, Bastian, that's a cool violin. Where did you get it?" She asked, peering over his shoulder into the velvet-lined case. The hard ebony of the fingerboard and the varnish of the table glowed in the lights of the room. Reverently, Bastian took out the violin and brought it to his chin to tune it. When it was tuned, he opened his eyes and smiled at her. Carefully, he set the violin back in its case. . Next he brought out his bow, rosined it, and replaced the rosin in its pocket. ? Harmony tapped one red-lacquered nail against her chin. "Don't over do it. I wouldn't play your most impressive piece certainly. Play something that most people would recognize, and play it well. If your aim is to get first chair, well its Mrs. Tolner's practice that freshmen can't be first chair. So delay that until next year. Other than that..." She shrugged. "Good luck. Here she is now." Harmony hurried off to her chair between the clarinets and the flutes. Evidently, she was the only oboist. Mrs. Tolner was a short, pear-shaped woman with a cap of short dark hair and a stern, no-nonsense look on her face. She wore a pair of dark blue pants over her ample hips and a white polo shirt with the KHS Tiger on her right breast. She scanned the room and spotted hovering in the back. "You must be Sebastian Blackmoore. I was told I would have a new student. Please come to the front of the room. Let's see if you're fit to join." Nervously, Bastian strode to the front of the room, cradling his violin and bow in his arms. His eyes flickered to the impassive faces of the other musicians. Harmony gave him an encouraging smile. He smiled back at her and it withered on his lips as his eyes met Mrs. Tolner's flinty brown eyes. In soft, intimidating tones, she spoke to him. "I have high standards, and no time for children who think they can play. You better impress me, or you can find something else to do during your eighth period." Bastian was somewhat shocked by her statement, but saw through her scheme. He nodded, transferred his bow to his left hand, and took out his notepad. The Soldier's Chorus, from Bizet's "Carmen" ?? She glanced impassively at what he had written. She smirked. The look in her eyes told him she didn't think he could do it. He intended to prove her wrong. He took a step back, brought his violin up to his chin, and played the best he knew. _______________ To Be Continued.