Notice:

The contents of this story is purely fictional. The content matter of this story concerns love and may include sex between consenting males teenagers. If this is not what you like reading or it is illegal for you to read this material because of age or laws go somewhere else. This story is copyrighted by it's owner and may not be copied or published elsewhere without the owners permission.

Author's note:

Hey! Here is chapter 8. Thanks again to David my editor. Here's a link to his stories: David's stories.

As requested I am posting the remaining chapters.

Sam Lakes

SamLakes dot writer at Gmail dot com

The Greatest Gift

by Sam Lakes

Copyright © 2008 All Rights Reserved

Chapter 8

<Ethan Lewis>

This day started off all wrong. First of all, I barely slept all night. Tony and Jorge were arguing about me damaging his bike – the bike seat had gotten scratched. Today I was going to be tested to see how dumb I am for not having been in school for four years. Despite Emily’s assurance that I was super-smart, I could not get over my fear of being a total failure. I had a frightening dream about being stuck in school with little kids surrounding me and making fun of me.

“Good morning, Sunshine, wakey-wakey, rise-n-shine, and all that other shit Mom and Dad used to say to get me out of bed,” Jorge said, and laughed.

“Go away! I’ve changed my mind. I’ll get up later and go to the library,” I mumbled, turned over, and pulled my covers over my head.

“No, no, our new mom told us not to let you go to the library. You are going to school. Now get up, or I’ll get Tony to get you up -- and you don’t want that. Now get up.”

“No. Go away. I’m not going to school. I decide my own destiny.”

“Tony! He’s being awkward,” shouted Jorge.

I ignored them. I was not going to be humiliated for being dumb.

“Dude, get up now and stop acting like a retard,” Tony said.

“Fuck off!” I screamed from under the covers.

Seconds later, I jumped out of bed soaking wet from the ice cold water Tony had dumped on me.

“Fuck you, Tony! I’m not going! I’m not acting like a retard! I am a retard. Everybody will just laugh at me…I’m scared…everybody will hate me…p-please don’t make me go.”

I felt like I was standing above an abyss, and I knew I was doomed…I was falling, but then Jorge had me in his arms. “Baby brother, when are you going to believe in yourself? You’re not a retard. You are an amazing boy who is way smarter than the average teen. Emily says she thinks you are really at college level in your studies. The tests will only prove that. If it doesn’t, then you’ll get tutoring in the subjects you are weak in. Nobody could ever hate you, because you have a guardian angel watching over you.”

I stood cuddled in his arms for a while and then broke the hug. Tony had left the room.

“Okay…I’ll get ready.”

On the way to Lincoln High, I sat in the back; Tony and Jorge sat in the front. They were quite. I guess we all were. I know I was nervous and fidgety. I did something really stupid--but it didn’t seem stupid until a few minutes later. I found a pair of handcuffs on the floor and picked them up. Snap. Snap. I was cuffed.

Then we arrived at the school.

“Detective Briscoe you can uncuff me now; I promise not to run,” I said.

“What the fuck! Trust you to do something stupid!” Tony said.

“Tony, just knock it off!” Jorge admonished.

Tony stormed out of the car, slammed his door, rounded the car and opened my door. “Get out.”

I got out. “Uncuff me.”

“Sorry, I don’t have the key. I didn’t expect some idiot to cuff himself.”

“I’m not going in there like this!”

“You most certainly are!”

I turned to get back into the car. People were watching. Tony grabbed me and threw me over his shoulder like I was a sack of potatoes

“Put me down you…you…idiot. This is… police brutality!” I yelled.

“You have an appointment with the principal and you are going to keep it.”

“Fuck the principal! I don’t want to go!”

Draped over his shoulders, I started hitting him in the back. He threw me to the ground, almost knocking the wind out of me.

“Get up! It’s you that’s causing the scene,” he said.

I looked around and saw a really cute guy staring at me. He looked familiar. He and his friends were staring at me. I felt so humiliated. I got up and walked toward the school, following Tony’s directions and trying hard not to look at the people staring at me like I was a common criminal. No one would ever want to be my friend. I tried not to cry and humiliate myself further.

When we got to the office, Tony told me to sit, and pointed to a row of chairs where other students were sitting. I sat down next to a boy who looked at my cuffed hands and moved to a different seat. I didn’t say anything.

“I’ll pick you up after school,” Tony said, but I ignored him and continued to stare at the floor.

“Ethan Lewis?” a woman called.

I looked up. “Yes, ma’am.”

She smile and then she saw my cuffed hands. “Why are you in handcuffs?”

“I’m n…not a criminal. I‘m not!”

“Of course you’re not a criminal. Why don’t we talk about this in my office?“

I guess she could tell I was about to lose it, because as soon as the door closed she handed me a tissue. I started crying.

“Obviously, you don’t have the key. So, let’s see what we can do about that.”

A few minutes later, some man came in with a pair of bolt cutters. He couldn’t cut the cuffs, but he did cut the chain between them; at least my hands weren’t tied together.

After he left, the woman asked how I had become handcuffed. I told her. I had stopped leaking tears, but I was still in a funk. I was looking everywhere but at her.

“Are you ready for the test?” she asked.

I shrugged my shoulders and mumbled, “I guess.”

“You don’t really look to happy about it.”

“You’re just gonna find out how dumb I am…I haven’t been in school since I was eleven,” I mumbled.

“True, but Emily tells me you’ve studied nearly every day at the library,” she said, “But that’s not what’s really bothering you is it?”

I shrugged my shoulders again.

“I know something is troubling you. I may be a high school principal but I am also the mother of a teenage boy who’s about your age. I’m used to talking about things with my son. So, why don’t we talk about what’s troubling you?”

I wondered what her son was like. Had he seen me being brought in by Tony? “Does he go to this school?” I asked.

“Yes, he does. We usually ride together.”

“He probably thinks I’m a psychopath.”

“Well, knowing my son, he definitely would have noticed you but I seriously doubt that he thought that.” She smiled, and I wondered why. “No doubt when we get home he will grill me about you and by tomorrow everyone will know Ethan Lewis is not a criminal or a psychopath.”

“I hope so. Are you going to tell him how dumb I am?”

“Ethan, I don’t think you’re dumb. I suspect from what Emily has told me that you are ahead of your age group. The tests you will be taking will help us to place you in the right classes. If you’re weak in something, you’ll receive tutoring in that subject.”

“I won’t get put in a class of twelve year olds, will I?” I asked, remembering my nightmare.

“Heavens no. If anything, you might be in classes where most of the students are a bit older than you.”

I was relieved at that and said, “Okay, I’m ready.”

She introduced me to Mr. Curtis, who would be my counselor. He was a jovial, slightly overweight man.

“Okay Ethan, the testing will probably take all morning. Then we’ll break for lunch, and after lunch we will work out your class schedule,” he said.

My fears about the test proved to be unfounded. I finished them well before lunch. Mr. Curtis was busy with some other student, so I left the papers for him and went for a walk. I saw a bus that would take me by my old apartment building, so I caught it.

I had only been away from the apartments for three days, but it seemed like forever. I missed the twins more than anything. I should have stopped by yesterday after seeing Billy, but I was afraid I’d get into trouble. As it was, I got into trouble anyway for damaging Tony’s bike. When I got to my room I lay down on my bed.

I thought about what Mrs. Washburn had said about her son. I wondered if he were gay. Probably not, but at least if what she said were true, school might turn out to be okay. Wouldn’t it be great if her son and I became best friends?
Those nice thoughts were quickly spoiled by some rotten thoughts. I started thinking about Tony. Although I was totally pissed with him, I also felt really hurt because it seemed like for some reason he hated me. I guess it was because I put a scratch on his expensive bike seat. The scratch seemed so trivial…I don’t know…I guess basically I loved him, and in the short time that I had known him he had become my hero.

I was tired of thinking. Lack of sleep caught up with me. I yawned and closed my eyes for a few seconds.

“He’s here,” were the next words that I heard. I sat up trying to focus on what was happening but not succeeding very well. I close my eyes tight and tried to force my mind through the fogginess of being wakened from a deep sleep. Slowly my mind adjusted to what was happening.

“Oh! I’ve got to get back to school,” I said and then I saw Tony standing in the doorway. “I guess I’m really late, huh?”

“You might say that. It’s five o’clock,” he said but he didn’t seem angry.

“Are you all right?” asked Jorge as he came up behind Tony.

“Yeah, I fell asleep.”

“No shit,” said Tony.

“Why did you leave school?” asked Jorge.

“Well, I finished the test and Mr. Curtis was with another student and he said after he graded my test we’d meet after lunch. I had two hours until then so I went for a walk and caught a bus here. I didn’t sleep well last night and sort of fell asleep.”

“Okay, well, let’s go home,” said Jorge.

“I am home. I don’t want to stay with you guys any more. It’s better that I stay here. I heard you arguing last night; it was because of me, wasn’t it? Tony doesn’t like me. I’m sorry I damaged your bike. I told you’d I’d fix it or buy a new one. I don’t know what I did to make you hate me…

“I’m sorry I ruined your bike.”

I wished they’d go away because I could feel myself getting all emo.

“Just go…” I whispered. I close my eyes and a tear slipped out. I felt it rolling slowly down my cheek. “Damn it…” I whispered.

I felt someone sit down on my bed next too me. I peeked. It was Tony…”Oh please don’t let me loose it,” I pleaded with myself.

He took my hand. I opened my eyes. He reached into his pocket and brought out a key. I stared at my hand and the handcuffs.

“I’m afraid I’m not very good at this…” he said.

“I would have thought you were an expert. You slip the key into the hole and twist. I saw that in a movie,” I said not meaning to be sarcastic or funny. I looked up at his face.

He rolled his eyes, shook his head smiling at me, “Dufus! I meant apologizing.”

“Oh.”

“I don’t hate you. I’m sorry for embarrassing you at school. I could have taken you to the station and then back to school but I was being an ass. I guess I was jealous and mad and just reacted. It took one very pissed off principal to give me a reality adjustment.”

“Really? What did she say?”

“Well, it started out with ‘Tony Briscoe, how dare you…’ Let’s just say she convinced me that I was being a first rate asshole.”

“You know her?”

“Yeah, she was my math teacher when the shit hit the fan in my life. I stayed with her and her family for a while until I went to stay with Aunt Emily. They became good friends. Her son Justin was a cutie…still is.”

“Is he…never mind.”

“I have no idea, but he has a lot of friends. How many are friends just because he’s the principal’s son, I have no idea.”

“Well, I’m really sorry about your bike.”

“I’m not really pissed about that. As I said I was a bit jealous. I was pissed because I missed out on taking you shopping. I saw you when you got back and you were so happy and I missed it. I was pissed with Jorge too because he kept talking about you and him. Right before you got home yesterday we argued and I took it out on you. I’m sorry.”

Tony reached over to take my other hand. I leaned toward him and kissed him on the cheek. He unlocked the other handcuff.

“Okay, now that that’s settled, let's get going home. On the way home we’ll stop an pick up pizza…that’s still teen food, right?” Jorge laughed.

“Pizza! I love pizza!” I said and we left for home.

Comments welcomed - So what do you think? Love to get feedback from you.

sam lakes