Date: Sat, 17 Dec 2016 16:16:09 -0800 From: True Fan Subject: It Can Work Out - Chapter 8 (gay/young-friends) It Can Work Out Chapter 8 *** ~~~ Tommy ~~~ *** I couldn't believe my eyes! Mr. Johnson, a teacher I've known for a couple years now, and I had absolutely no idea he was gay! I mean there wasn't even a hint of it in any of the classes we've had, and we've had discussions about the political climate, issues I would have thought he'd show some concern over, since they dealt with gay rights. I looked over at Andy and his expression made me feel like he was just as flabbergasted as I was. It was about that moment that Mr. Johnson broke his kiss, turned his head our direction and noticed us. He waved us over, so Andy, Grandpa, and I went to his table. "Good evening, Tommy, Andy... and this is?" He greeted us. "This is my Grandpa... Mr. Johnson, Mike Fielding." Andy replied. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Fielding." Mr. Johnson replied as if nothing were different. "Mr. Johnson... I really don't know what to say..." I said before being cut off. He chuckled and said, "Guys, this is my partner, we've been together almost ten years. Nigel, these are the two boys we were talking about. Tommy, Andy, what you just witnessed was actually the first time Nigel and I actually kissed in public. What you guys did today really inspired me. At school I have never allowed my own sexuality to come to light. In the past, an openly gay teacher would have been problematic, at best. But what you guys did today, and then asking me to be your adviser in the new Gay/Straight alliance kind of called my bluff. I spoke to Nigel about it and we've agreed I should come out at school." I was speechless, it was Grandpa who answered for us. "Mr. Johnson, please call me Mike. I take it you're unaware of the backlash from this morning's announcement?" "Mike, Please call me Robert, and no, we've been here for nearly two hours, what backlash?" Mr. Johnson replied. "Why don't you two join us and we can talk about things. I have a feeling you're going to have a bit of a reaction to what I have to tell you." That said, Grandpa arranged for us to get a larger table and we all sat down. After giving our drink orders to the hostess, Andy and I listened as Grandpa explained. "Robert, Nigel, first off, it's very nice to meet you two, but it seems Mr. Wolfe and Mr. Anderson have opened a can of worms. As we were preparing to go out for dinner this evening, Jim, Andy's father, had the news on the television. They had a report about the assembly that had taken place today and were covering a press conference called by Mr. Anderson. Mr. Wolfe was in attendance. In that press conference, they took credit for today's assembly, the creation of the Gay/Straight Alliance, but the worst part was, they gave the boy's names and showed their pictures on television." I could see Nigel's face contained an expression of surprise, to a calmer expression of anger. He composed himself, and said, "They can't do that! That would mean they just committed at least three different offenses in criminal law alone. They've also opened the school district, as well as themselves personally, up for a major lawsuit!" "Yes, they probably have." Grandpa replied. He held a grim face, but saw me looking, so he turned to Robert and asked, "So, do you have any ideas for this Gay/Straight Alliance?" I think Mr. Johnson, Robert, saw something in Grandpa's expression and quickly responded, "Well, at this point it's all up to the school administration's reactions to how the students want to run things. I technically only serve in an advisory capacity. But I'm sure judging how events are unfolding, I believe I might need to help these two munchkins keep them away from trouble! I've been an adviser for a few student organizations over the years, so I've got some ideas I can run by Andy and Tommy later." I was so relieved, with all of this going on, I honestly didn't know how I would run the club. Would I be in danger heading the GSA? How about Andy? Would we be exposing each other to more scrutiny and even potential violence? It's like my worst nightmare slowly coming true with the whole town hating me. I'm just glad I have Andy and I wouldn't be facing this alone, I hope. I looked at Andy and gathered myself to speak, "I think we have about sixty students who have expressed interest in the club. I think depending on the initial turnout during the first meeting, I want to lay out the foundation of our organization. I want to be clear about what we are, why we exist, and who we serve. I also want to talk about opening up the roles of various aspects of the organization to a few students. I don't think after this incident that Andy and I would be effective leaders without much help." Grandpa nodded at me and added, "Yes, I think getting your mission statement is very important. It sets the stage to set some ground rules of why the GSA exists. It can be powerful in helping your peers in school." Mr. Johnson added, "Of course, this would be the kind of stuff I'd be more than happy to help you with. I've drafted several of these, but this one will be the first one that hits so close to my heart." He looked at Nigel and smiled. We chatted about how that mission statement should look for a few minutes, as Andy and I asked Mr. Johnson and Grandpa all sorts of questions. Once we got a better idea of what the overview should be, Mr. Johnson and Nigel bid us farewell for the evening while we ordered our dinner. During the meal we talked about how we felt during and after the assembly with Grandpa. I gazed at Andy's face as I gathered strength to say, "I don't mind saying, but I was really scared until I actually got up to the podium, then it was like it didn't matter at all." "That's actually pretty normal." Grandpa started, then took a sip of iced tea before continuing, "Some people will get nervous and have to do some sort of mental trick to get over being scared when talking to a large group of people, others, like you, Tommy, once they're actually doing it, it's not a big deal. In my opinion, you're destined for some sort of career where you will be dealing with people. You seemed natural when you were talking." "Yeah, he did, didn't he." Andy said as he looked into my eyes and smiled at me. My heart instantly melted. "What about your question and answer sessions, anything interesting there?" Grandpa asked. "We had a few guys who actually came out to us. That was pretty cool. But I really think the first guy, Tyler, who came out to us would be a great person to have as a friend. I only spoke to him for a couple minutes, but I immediately liked him. What did you think, Tommy?" I asked. "I agree. I just hope he finds someone who cares about him. I got the feeling that he might be pretty lonely." Andy noted. Once we finished dinner and paying the bill, we left the restaurant and headed home. When we arrived, two police cars were parked out front. When we pulled into the driveway, an Officer got out of his car and approached. He came to the driver's window and kind of in a harsh way told us to step out of the vehicle. When we did, I noticed he had his hand almost reaching for his gun. "May I ask what business you have here, Sir." The Officer asked Grandpa. "Sure you may, This young lad is Andy, he lives here, and this is his boyfriend, Tommy. I'm Andy's grandfather." Grandpa, while still respectful, seemed a little annoyed in my opinion. About that time, Mom came out and assured the policeman that we belonged there. He nodded to her and returned to his car. Still shocked at the reality of things, we slowly walked into the house. Is this really how our lives are going to be from now on? We entered the living room and everyone took a seat. Jim was talking to another officer and when we entered they stopped. "Take a seat everyone," Jim stated, motioning with his arm to the couch before continuing, "this is Detective Sergeant Bolt, I will let him fill you all in on what's been going on." Looking at Sgt. Bolt, I had to bite my tongue a little. He was a rather large man, he had red hair and his complexion was that looked like someone who looked like he'd been in the sun a bit too long. I don't know why I thought he looked funny, but he just did. "Ok, as it was reported to me there was a telephone call to this residence about two hours ago. This telephone call allegedly threatened the lives of two minors due to the fact of their sexuality. This would qualify the perpetrator for prosecution under the hate crimes statutes of this state. We have requested the location where the call originated be researched and if it turns out to be a residence or cellular phone registered to an individual, we will question those involved. In the meantime, we will have increased presence on this street to keep an eye on things." The rather antiseptic description of the events kind of made me angry, but the thing that really scared me was that we hadn't been told about the phone call. Sure, we knew a call had come in, but we hadn't been told about the threat. "Thank you, Sgt. Please keep us informed on this." Grandpa said. The Sgt. left afterward. Hearing this was probably the most frightening thing, I think my emotions got the better of me because I broke down and started crying. Within seconds, Andy had me wrapped in his arms and was whispering in my ear that everything will be OK. "I think we've all had enough excitement for one day, why don't you two head up to bed. Becky and I have discussed it and, until this threat is resolved, it's safer if we all stick together. If you two want to stay home from school, we will not force you to go." Jim stated. Andy was still holding me as I calmed down so he answered for both of us. "I don't think, and I'm sure Tommy will agree if we hide from this then those people win. We should act as if nothing has changed. Sure, we'll be way more careful, but we need to be at school. Besides, if we were home all day, who knows what might happen up in my room." Mom had a shocked look on her face until Grandpa started laughing. "Becky, he was joking about that last part. I tend to agree that they should act normally." I finally calmed down enough to say, "Sorry I lost it for a minute. I agree with Andy." "About going to school?" Jim asked? "Well, that too, but I was talking about what might happen in his room." I joked. "OK guys, go ahead and head upstairs. We don't need to know what happens behind closed doors. We trust you two." Jim stated. With that Andy and I gave hugs to the three adults and headed upstairs. *** ~~~ Jim ~~~ *** The way those two interact touches me. They've known each other such a short time yet it's obvious to anyone how deeply in love they are. I pray that they stay happy together. Becky, Mike and I sat in the kitchen having coffee and talking over the day's events. "I spoke to Mr. Anderson while we were en route to the restaurant. It seems he feels that since he approved both the boys speaking at the assembly and the creation of the GSA, that he can claim credit for those events. When I asked about showing pictures of and naming the boys he said he was not party to them being released. Looks like he's going to offer Mr. Wolfe up as a sacrificial lamb." Mike explained. "I still think we should contact a lawyer." Becky offered. "I agree, Becky. Dad, didn't you say you would contact your lawyer?" "Actually, at the restaurant the boys had yet another surprise. It seems their homeroom teacher, Mr. Johnson, is gay. The boys walked into the restaurant and saw him with his partner in the midst of their first kiss in public. He told the boys that they inspired him to announce to the school his orientation." Dad averred. "Wow, it seems they did have an eventful day." Becky said. "That's not all, it seems his partner, Nigel, is an attorney. He has offered to represent the boy's interests pro bono." "That's wonderful, but I think we should get some rest also, I feel we are going to have a busy day tomorrow ourselves." I said. Dad said he was heading to bed but before I could show Becky to the other guest bedroom she asked if we could talk. *** ~~~ Andy ~~~ *** Once we were in our room we undressed and got into bed. I knew Tommy and I have a lot to talk about. It was still early, only 9 o'clock, when Tommy's cellphone chimed he had a text message. He looked at the screen and said, "I have no idea who this is from." After opening the message he said, "It's from Tyler. He's asking if he can call me, he doesn't say what it's about." "Tell him to call." A few moments later his phone rang and it was from Tyler. He answered it and put it on speaker. After the pleasantries were done Tyler said, "I know who called your house to make the threat." This surprised me because there is no way he could even know about a threat. "Tyler, how did you know and who is it?" "I really can't talk here, can I come over? It's important and I'm very scared." "Come on over." I gave him our address then Tommy and I dressed and headed downstairs. If today wasn't weird enough, we walked into the kitchen after not finding anyone in the living room and saw my dad and his mom kissing. We stood there for a minute, frozen. Neither of us able to believe our eyes. Our parents oblivious to us standing there sucking face. Simultaneously Tommy and I spoke, him saying "MOM?" me saying "DAD?" Then we looked at each other, then back to our parents Tommy then simultaneously as me, "Jim", "Becky"? Only then did they end their kiss and turn to look at us. About that time Tommy and I felt a strong hand on each our shoulders. Grandpa Mike leaned down and whispered in our ears, "You two think you have a monopoly on love at first sight?" I don't think I'd ever seen my dad blush. He looked at me in much the same way I must have looked at him the first time he caught me, um, `taking care of business'. The five of us sat around the table, none of us knowing what to say when we heard a knock on the door. Dad looked at us and raised an eyebrow. At that point I remembered why we'd come downstairs in the first place. I jumped up and answered the door. Tyler looked nervous. Quickly he brushed past me and said, "Quick, close the door before they realize where I went. I brought Tyler into the kitchen where my family sat. "Tommy and I actually were coming downstairs to tell you that Tyler called. He said he knew who made the threat. I wondered how he even knew actually about the threat, but he was afraid to talk about it on the phone so I invited him here." Tyler had tears running down his face. He looked at the five of us and I thought he was going to run. Tommy must have thought the same thing because he stood and wrapped Tyler in his arms and held him as he cried into my baby's shoulder. A few moments later, Tyler was able to get out through the sobbing, "I'm sorry to tell you that the threat came from my dad. When I told you that I was gay and told you I'd never have the balls to come out to you, it was because my dad is so homophobic. I knew if he knew about me he'd literally kill me. When I overheard him saying what he did on the phone he saw me and told me he wanted me to bring Tommy and Andy home with me from school so he could `show them what we do to fucking fags.'" He broke down again but recovered fairly quickly then continued, "I couldn't take it anymore. I looked him in the eye and told him I wouldn't do it because I was gay too! Then I ran out of the house. I ran for a long time to make sure nobody was following me. Finally, I was walking downtown and asked a man if I could use his cell. I called you." Becky got up and took over for Tommy. "Tyler, you're safe. Please sit down. Andy, get Tyler something to drink." Dad was on the phone, probably with Sergeant Bolt. He hung up, sat back down and said, "Tyler, we need you to be brave for a little while longer. The police are on their way and we need you to tell them what you told us. We'll make sure you stay safe." In just a few minutes there was a loud pounding on the door. We heard an angry voice yelling for Tyler. Seconds later the pounding stopped and we heard, "STOP! POLICE, STAY WHERE YOU ARE! DROP YOUR WEAPON!" We looked outside, Tyler grabbed me and held on as he watched his father being arrested. Soon thereafter, Sgt. Bolt arrived and took Tyler's statement. Since it was now nearly midnight, Dad asked Tyler if he'd rather just stay here for the night. He nodded. I went upstairs and grabbed a couple blankets then, after bringing them down, went back up to grab some pillows. "We're gonna camp out here in the living room. Dad, Becky, we will have to have a discussion tomorrow, Tommy, you two, along with Grandpa and me. This sounds weird for me to add say, but, shoo you two upstairs and to bed!" Grandpa looked at me and smiled before leading the miscreants upstairs. *** ~~~ Tyler ~~~ *** I don't think I'm going to get to sleep. Things happened so fast. I was walking on air all day after hearing Tommy and Andy's announcement then them being so cool when I came out to them. That all went south when Dad was watching the news and saw the report about them. He started yelling at the top of his lungs. The fact that he was yelling isn't what got me upset, it what he was yelling. Fags this and Fags that. I literally hid from him. Then I heard him talking to the information operator to get the phone number, then I heard the call. Hearing what he said made my blood boil, I was so angry. Tommy and Andy have been so cool since the cops left. We talked for half an hour then they suggested we get some rest. What they did next surprised me. They both stood and pulled off their pants. I mean they're cute when they have clothes on, but I couldn't help springing wood when I saw them in just their undies. They were even totally cool when I was embarrassed to take my pants off because I was afraid of how they'd react to me having a boner. The mental image of them in their undies is going to be with me for a long time. Laying there hearing them breathing slowly as they slept must have calmed me because the next I knew, Tommy was sitting next to me, still only in his undies, waking me up. We got dressed and went into the kitchen. Tommy and Andy's parents were there, and so was their grandpa. After we say down Andy's dad looked at us and said, "After Last night, Grandpa, Becky and I called Mr. Johnson's partner, Nigel." I was totally surprised. "Mr. Johnson's partner?" I asked. Andy chuckled before saying, "Right! Ya know? Last night Tommy and walked into a restaurant with Grandpa and saw Mr. Johnson, our teacher, kissing this guy. It was intense! Not as intense as what happened later..." He seemed to let the thought die then his Dad continued. "So, we called Nigel and let him know what happened. He told us that the three of you shouldn't go to school today. He and Robert, that's Mr. Johnson, will be here to go over what's going to happen." We had breakfast and sitting in the living room watching TV when Mr. Johnson and his husband arrive. It feels weird thinking of them like that, but at the same time it's pretty cool. Anyway, they show up and as a group we fill them in on what has happened. Nigel says that he's going to file a lawsuit against the school and Mr. Anderson and Mr. Wolfe. In the meantime, he's going to try to get temporary custody of me until my dad's trial is over. That's pretty cool! Until then I can stay with Andy and Tommy. After they left, Andy asked if I wanted to see his room. He and Tommy took me upstairs and we sat talking. It was difficult for me to see their bed. Stuff kept going through my mind. You know, Sexy stuff. Anyway, they said they needed to talk to their parents about some personal stuff and asked if I wouldn't mind staying up in his room and watch some TV while they took care of that. I told them it wouldn't be a problem. After Tommy walked out the door Andy grinned and whispered in my ear, "We don't mind if you need to rub one out while we're gone. You can even lay on our bed when you do!" I must have blushed so bad cuz he just grinned and left. *** ~~~ Tommy ~~~ *** For as long as I live I will remember yesterday for it being the best, worst, and weirdest day of my life. The assembly, the day answering questions, the events leading up to dinner, then finding out about Mr. Johnson. Going home and finding out about the death threat. Tyler's mysterious call leading to us finding our parents making out, geez that was an image I didn't need to see. Tyler's dad getting arrested. That must have been much harder for Tyler to watch than for us. I felt bad for him. I was glad he was allowed to just chill with us last night. I almost started laughing when I saw his eyes when we took our pants off. It reminded me of a cartoon where the guys eyes pop out of their sockets. I'm sure Nigel and Mr. Johnson will get things worked out. Now we have to do something that feels even weirder. We need to talk to our parents about walking in on them making out. Isn't that something parents are usually catching their kids doing? "Mom, Jim, Grandpa, can we sit in the kitchen and talk?" I could see the dread on the faces of our parents. At the same time, it looked like Grandpa Mike was about to bust up laughing. The five of us sat in the kitchen. Before either Andy or I had an opportunity to say anything, Jim started going on about how it wasn't something they planned, that it just happened. Like he was trying not to get in trouble over it. "Dad, just sit." Andy started, "Tommy and I are cool with it. Honestly." "Boy, you really need to learn how to make them sweat before you let them off the hook." Grandpa joked. "Seriously, I'm glad you two are being so grown up over this. I know you, Andy, must at some level feel that your dad is being unfaithful to your mom, my daughter. I can tell you right now that she would want him to find someone to make him happy. The fact that he found someone who just so happens to be the mother of the person you fell in love with is a bonus." Andy looked at his grandfather and said, "It's what I expected Grandpa. You know what I'm thinking even before I do sometimes." We got up and hugged our parents then said we'd be upstairs talking to Tyler. As we left the kitchen Andy said to me, Let's be real quiet and see if we can catch Tyler doing it." "What do you mean?" I asked. "After seeing his reaction last night, when we went to go downstairs to talk to Mom and Dad, I told him he could rub one out on our bed. Since it took way less time than we expected, I figure it would be funny if we caught him." "Andrew Reynolds! Until this very moment, I didn't think you had an uncool bone in your body. So, we gotta be real quiet when we go up the stairs!" I laughed. ... to be continued ...