Date: Mon, 18 May 2015 19:01:59 -0600 From: Jesse Hamill Subject: The Love of Rainn - 7 Jesse Hamill This is a love story between two consenting males and contains sexual themes and graphic depictions of sexual acts. It is by no means a sex story, and focuses on the relationship and romance first. This is also work of fiction. All characters in this story are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. This is my first work for Nifty and any criticism, comments, improvements or thanks can be directed at jesse.hamill88@gmail.com. ***As always, a special thanks to Ash, my editor. Your hard work is much appreciated by me and the readers. Thank you!*** Remember to please donate to nifty.org to help keep these stories free. We depend on your support, and even a small donation will do! * * * * * * * * * The Love of Rainn: Chapter 7 Jesse thought back to last week as he drove the jeep to the diner. He had heard Mark talking about how much he hated gay people to his friends during gym. At the time, Jesse didn't even know Mark's name, but he knew right away that he was an asshole. It's a nickname that kinda stuck in Jesse's mind. "They're against the natural order of things! How can two men or two women have kids?" he said, as they ran laps around the track. "All of them are sinners destined for hell!" His friend agreed. Jesse was running behind them, eavesdropping on their conversation. He wasn't one to intervene or defend himself unless provoked, but this asshole was taking it too far. Jesse debated whether he should tell him off and get beaten to a pulp or just ignore him like the rest of the homophobes he's met over the years. "I heard that emo kid is gay," his friend replied. "Someone said they overheard it at the diner." "Which emo kid?" the asshole asked. "That one that paints and draws all that crap. He's always in the paper. I think his name is Thunder or something..." "Wait... you mean Rainn? He lives just down the road from me!" "Yeah, that's the one!" "Figures that little shit was a fag! I always thought there was something wrong with him!" the asshole said. Jesse listened only for a little longer before he had enough. He sprinted passed them, leaving them behind as he ran ahead. He could still hear them talking to each other behind him. "What the fuck's that guy's problem?" the asshole asked his buddy. "I don't know... He's weird. He doesn't talk to anyone. Like, ever." "He's probably a fag, too!" Jesse spent the rest of gym as far away from them as possible. He didn't want to hear any more of their trash. He always respected other people's opinions but not when they were hateful. Jesse understood that not everyone accepted homosexuality, and that was fine. But, he also didn't care for when they went out of their way on a campaign to stop it because they didn't like it, or understand it, or because they thought it was sinful. Jesse remembered arguing with another bully at his old school. Billy Something-Or-Another was always running his mouth. The asshole and Billy would have gotten along great together. Jesse had heard rants like this from Billy, usually on his way home. "It just bothers me when I know that somewhere out there, there's two guys kissing. Like it's normal or something!" Billy said one day, talking to nobody in particular. He and Jesse unfortunately had the same bus together. "I mean, it's even in the Bible. There was Sodom and Gomorrah, full of sin, and they had to be punished for what they did. It's just fair and right! They shouldn't live like that! It's sick! And now there's all this talk of legalizing gay marriage--" "Shut up," Jesse interrupted. "What?" Billy shot back. "Are you talking to me?" He wasn't really that tough, but he said cruel things to intimidate people. "Yes! Shut up!" Jesse retorted. People started looking in his direction. Was he really talking like that to Billy? "What, you some sort of gay activist or something?" he asked. "Am I hurting your `feelings'?" he said, using air quotes around "feelings" as sarcastically as possible. "No, but you're annoying, and nobody wants to hear your stupid propaganda," Jesse said cooly. "Stupid!? I'll tell you what's stupid--" Billy started. "No, I'll tell you!" Jesse interrupted again. "You don't like for men to kiss each other? Then don't kiss one. You don't like gay people getting married? Then don't marry one. You don't like gay people fucking?" Jesse was shouting at this point, but he continued on. "Then don't fuck one!! Nobody's asking YOU to do anything with them! If they want to do it, they should! Why do you have to fucking care!?" Billy had just sat there, too stunned to say anything. No one had ever told him off before. Everyone on the bus was also listening in. While most remained quiet and shocked at what they heard, some actually cheered and clapped. "Hey! Watch your language!" the bus driver yelled. "I'll kick you off the bus right here!" Jesse was still pissed, so he just grumbled an apology that he didn't really mean. He didn't realize it then, but it was Billy who would seek revenge on him, nearly kill him, and be the reason Jesse got expelled. But, that was a year ago and things have gotten better since then... When gym was over, Jesse went to the locker room to change with the rest of the guys in his class. He avoided everyone on purpose and by now they left him alone. Jesse preferred it that way. That asshole from before was still talking to his friends about how much he hated fags. Jesse hated that word, and just hearing it made his blood boil. So, he just ignored it as much as he could. They were talking about how fags were corrupting society, giving people diseases, and being child molesters. Jesse bit his tongue before telling him how stupid, ignorant, and fucked-up he sounded. He breathed deep, and just let it go. He couldn't change the way people were, especially when it's engrained so deep. Telling him off wouldn't change anything and he risked getting in trouble or beat up. Again. As he changed and left the locker room, he heard the asshole talking about that Rainn kid he lived by. He was all for teaching that kid a lesson. Jesse couldn't leave school fast enough that day it seemed. The asshole from gym had ruined his afternoon and left him in a foul mood. The only thing he had to look forward to was going to the diner across town. They had the best patty melt he's ever had (and he's tried more than a few) and the doughnuts were also pretty kick-ass. His mom had the jeep that day, and he would have to walk there, but Jesse didn't mind. It would give him a chance to calm down. The town was new to him and he felt like a stranger here, never really welcome anywhere. He did like that most people here were more open to the gay community (well, except for a few homophobes from his gym class), but everything was still too new. As Jesse got to the diner, his mind was focused on school work. He had two papers he needed to finish and he needed to research quasars for his science course. The usual waitress took his order and he ate and worked in quiet. Jesse was thinking on how to quote some material from his text when he saw him. The guy looked like a young and clean shaven Adam Lambert. Well... without the make-up, but with the edgy haircut. He was slim, but cute and his eyes were an amazing shade of green. Jesse kept his cool and continued working, but he stole glances of that guy, too. From what he could tell, the cute guy worked here as a busboy and talked to the pretty blonde waitress that usually took Jesse's order. They had moved their conversation closer to the counter and Jesse overheard his name. "Rainn, did you take the tip from that table over there?" the waitress asked him. "No... I don't think they left one," he said. "Ugh! I knew it! That guy was such a perv, but I tried being nice! After everything he ordered, he left nothing!?" Rainn. The asshole from gym was talking about him earlier. Jesse hoped that he was kidding about teaching Rainn a lesson, but he didn't think so. Jesse continued to watch him out of the corner of his eye. He could tell nothing from his voice or his behavior that meant that Rainn was gay. He wasn't flamboyant, or feminine or any other stereotype. He just seemed shy and timid. In fact, he was probably straight. He liked talking to the waitress, after all. *It would figure that an asshole would want to teach a person smaller and weaker, a "lesson." What a jackass...* Jesse had a feeling that he should stick around just in case he saw the guy from gym. Maybe keep an eye on the cute guy for a while. Jesse wasn't that strong, but he had fought off bullies before and he could help if he needed to. *Besides, he's really cute. His eyes... I've never seen anything like them. Who wouldn't want to protect him?* Jesse left about fifteen minutes before the diner closed. He overheard Rainn and the waitress talking again, and that Rainn was going to walk home after closing. Jesse planned on walking just ahead of him, and keeping an eye out for danger. As he walked from the diner he stopped at the nearest traffic light and waited for the diner cutie to start on his way home. Jesse wasn't sure where the guy lived, so he waited to see which way he was headed. As he counted out the minutes, he listened to music on his mp3 player. Eventually, Rainn came out of the diner and started heading in Jesse's direction. Jesse crossed the street ahead of him and kept looking back occasionally in case Rainn changed directions. He kept making sure he was just ahead of him, hoping that Rainn would see him and ask to walk with him. As Jesse kept ahead, he heard familiar voices from earlier that day. In the fading evening light, he strained to see who was talking in the distance. He heard some choice words, like `fag,' and Jesse realized it was the asshole from gym. He was right. That guy was going to teach Rainn a lesson. Jesse looked back and saw Rainn stumble a little on the curb. He slowed his pace down, so that Rainn could catch up. In the distance, though, he heard the asshole yelling something. He looked back again and saw Rainn walking faster and that he would catch up to Jesse soon. Jesse also could hear that asshole yelling and calling him a fag. How that word just infuriated him! Rainn was close now, so Jesse stopped and waved. "Hey, you're the guy that works at the diner right?" Jesse asked. "Yeah." he said. "Hey...umm... can I walk with you a little ways?" "Sure," Jesse replied. *I'd do anything for you and your beautiful eyes. I'd give you a kidney if you asked! Jesse thought.* However, his thought was interrupted by the asshole walking behind them. "Hey FAG! Did you find yourself a boyfriend now?" *Great, Jesse thought. It's déjà vu from my old school all over again.* Jesse had already planned what he would do. He would take all the harassment for the cute guy. He would play it off like the asshole was talking to him. "Maybe I did! What's it to you?" Jesse shouted back. "You jealous or something?" "I wasn't talking to you! Mind your own damn business!" the asshole shouted. The asshole looked confused and that suited Jesse just fine. His plan was starting to work. Jesse turned back around and continued walking and Rainn followed. That was good because if they could keep walking, they could get closer to where Rainn lived. At the last straw, he could tell Rainn to make a fun for it. "You a fag too, huh!?" the asshole shouted. "You suck each other's dicks?!" *Yawn. How pathetic, Jesse thought, turning to him and rolling his eyes.* "What's it to you?!" Jesse yelled back. "You want to watch or something?! You seem AWFULLY interested in fags and what they do! You have something you want to admit?" He hoped to embarrass him in front of his friends and make him leave. It wasn't working that great, though. The guy was pretty dense. "SHUT THE FUCK UP!!" Mark roared. "I'm no fag! And you're a stupid motherfucker to try and talk to me like that!" "Then I have an idea for you," Jesse said. "If you don't like what I'm saying, then why don't you and the rest of your asshole friends go home?" "Don't tell me what to do faggot," the asshole responded. "You're going to regret what you said. You and that little fag you're protecting." He watched as the asshole threatened to throw a rock. He threw and caught a rock in his hands a few times. "This is what I think of fags like you!" *Oh hell no! He's throwing it at the guy from the diner! That's not gonna happen!* Jesse saw the rock fly through the air and stepped in front of it. He didn't even budge. Jesse had taken worse than a rock before. The asshole from gym class still wasn't done, though. He was making his way towards them, but Jesse was ready. He reached down in his pocket and felt the small can of mace. Jesse readied himself to use it and yell for Rainn to run. Jesse just waited for the asshole to make a move. He just needed to get close enough to spray his face. A few tense moments passed. Jesse wasn't in range of his face, but if he came any closer... "Fuck this shit. Let's get out of here," the asshole finally said. Well, it looks like he's had enough and chickened out. Jesse took a half step forward to emphasize his point and the asshole from gym took off. *Good! Get the hell out of here! Jesse thought.* The street-lamps finally came on. Jesse turned to see if Rainn was still there or if he took off running. He couldn't blame him if he did. It would have been the smart thing to do. Rainn was just standing there, scared half to death. He was staring down at Jesse's hip, right where the mp3 player was clipped to his pocket. *Why is he looking there? Oh! He must have thought I had a gun!* "Don't worry, I'm not armed!" he said, half-lying. He chuckled a little. Jesse wouldn't freak him out anymore by showing him the can of mace. Rainn looked like he might have a panic attack if he did. "Oh my god!! You scared the hell out of me!!" Rainn replied. Jesse chuckled a little more. "That was the the plan, I guess. I can't believe that asshole threw a rock at you." "I can't believe you blocked it," Rainn said. He was staring at Jesse a little too long. Jesse thought he looked a bit green and woozy. "Are you alright?" he asked Rainn. *Don't pass out on me... I'm not even sure where you live!* "Yeah... I'm fine, but you're bleeding..." Rainn said. *Oh shit! The rock! I didn't even feel it!* "Is it bad?" he asked, touching his forehead gently. "No it's just a small cut," Rainn said. "I live just down the street. Let's get it looked at." "Okay," Jesse said. *Good. I'll get to see where he lives in case that asshole decides to comes back. Speaking of which...* "Hey, who was that asshole?" he asked. "You don't know?!" Jesse just shook his head. He knew him from gym, but not his name. "That's Mark. He's the football team captain," Rainn said. "That makes sense," Jesse said. "Sorry I brought you in on this. I was just hoping that they'd leave me alone if I walked with you. Power in numbers and all that stuff," Rainn said. "No problem. I hate to see anyone get bullied just so pricks like that can feel better about themselves. I'm Jesse by the way, nice to officially meet you, like, outside the diner." "I'm Rainn. Like the weather, but spelled with two n's." "Hey, now that's a cool name!" Jesse said. He already knew his name, but not how it was spelled. He liked it, though. It was different and clever. And it just happened. Jesse was in love. He knew it from the second Rainn spoke to him, the second he protected him, the second he could really look into Rainn's eyes. As I've said before, we are all strangers when we find the ones we love. They are new to us, a mystery to unfold, a puzzle to solve. They are strangers to us because they enter our lives so unexpectedly. They are strangers to us, but they're familiar, too. It's like we've known them our whole lives. We learn to love and to trust our hearts with these strangers, but we know deep down it's okay. They know us better than we know ourselves. We live and we love them, and we wonder how we ever did anything without them. Now though, Jesse was on his way to see Rainn one exact week later. They had texted in the library, hung out at his place and he even helped Rainn out of a humiliating mess. Jesse learned that Rainn was crazy talented as an artist, and sometimes Jesse felt inadequate around him. He still cared for him and would always be his friend, even if that was all he ever could be. Jesse got to the diner and was happy to see Rainn. And, it got even better when it was Rainn who took his order that afternoon. It was usually the blond girl, and he didn't mean to be rude, but he just wasn't interested. He studied a bit while he ate, like usual, but... Jesse noticed a lot of funny things were happening that afternoon. First, the blonde waitress was putting lipgloss on way too close to where Jesse was sitting, trying to eat. Second, it seemed to him that everyone was really clumsy all of a sudden. There was a lot of dropped and broken plates that afternoon. And third, Jesse noticed that Rainn was acting extremely nervous. Was he changing his mind about having Jesse over? He hoped not. He really liked Rainn's company and hoped he didn't make him mad or feel uncomfortable. *Maybe he caught you staring at his cute behind when that waitress dropped that plate. Great. Rainn knows you're a perv, now, Jesse thought.* Rainn was also acting strange around that blonde waitress. They kept stopping to talk and having very animated conversations. More than a few times, Jesse thought Rainn was looking at him and mentioning him. *Well, whatever. He was probably telling her who I am.* He wasn't going to make a big deal out of it. Jesse figured that it wasn't worth talking to Rainn about. Especially if it made him upset and ruined their plans this evening. He still wanted to tutor Rainn in math when they got to his house. Jesse realized that Rainn was standing there without an apron, apparently ready to go. He hoped Rainn didn't see him lost in a thought. How long had he been waiting? Jesse hoped it was only momentarily. "You ready to go?" he asked. For a second, Jesse was afraid he was going to say no. He was sure he offended Rainn somehow. But, he was relieved when Rainn nodded. "Okay, let's go," Jesse said grabbing his books and his bag. "I brought the jeep, so we don't have to walk today. It's raining pretty hard out there." Jesse got in and Rainn followed. He started up the jeep and drove them to Rainn's house. The weather was beautiful and the thunderheads were making a stunning light show in the distance. They got to Rainn's driveway and parked. They quickly dashed through the downpour to the safety of Rainn's house. As Rainn led him to the house, Jesse got excited to see his room. * * * * * * * * * Author's note: I thought it would be nice to see Jesse's side of things from Chapter 1. Some of the elements here are important for future chapters, as they have another confrontation coming up. *** Okay I asked last week if two chapters a week is a good idea, or if should I stick to just one, and the answers are in. I would love to be able to post twice a week, but some of my readers made a good point: I might run out of chapters and then have to write shorter or crappy chapters and I would hate to see that happen. The story is going fine as is and I would like to keep the characters and plot just as good as it is now. This week will have two chapters, look out for the other one on Friday. But after that, we're back to one a week. *However, there will definitely be some weeks in the future where a bonus episode will premiere, just keep a look out!*** Thank you readers for your input! I appreciate all the kind words and thoughtful replies that I have received! Copyright Jesse Hamill and Nifty.org 2015. All rights reserved.