Date: Sun, 26 Dec 2004 14:04:45 +0000 (GMT) From: roy p...... Subject: Peter Johnson part five Here we are, part five of the Peter Johnson saga - or soap opera as someone has suggested. Perhaps Nifty could sell the advertising rights to a commercial break halfway through each episode! Usual warnings and disclaimers: Shouldn't mustn't - then don't. All characters, places and incidents are fictitious, more's the pity. Part Five The next morning Peter was up early and dressed ready for school. And the day's adventure. When his mother came down to prepare breakfast, he was just finishing off his second piece of toast, and had eaten a bowl of Sugar Flakes as well. "It's Ian's introduction day at school," he answered his mother's questioning stare with. "I offered to show him round, so I'm going to his to get him!" Marjorie Johnson was still amazed by Peter's change in attitude to life. He was always so perky nowadays, full of life as a teenager ought to be. He hadn't mentioned a girl's name yet, but well, Christmas would soon be here, and perhaps he'd want to bring a 'special friend' home during the holidays. The peck on her cheek woke her up again. "'Bye Mum, see you later" and with a rush he was gone. She daydreamed back to her own teen years, remembering the excitement of falling in love with - but that had been a long time ago. She'd met Henry, the brash young apprentice, had a whirlwind romance, the white wedding her mother had planned to the finest detail, the Spanish honeymoon paid for by his parents, and had quickly settled down to her life as housewife and mother in comfortable suburbia. She'd forgotten the argument, the hard slap to the face that stung more than her skin, and the tears. Her Father had been right, this was what she had to do. Marjorie pulled herself back to today, and lit the gas under the frying pan. Ian opened the front door before Peter's finger was off the bell push. "Let's do it." He said. "Let's go." Peter told Ian some of the stuff he needed to know about the school and the way it was run on their walk, but really they didn't talk much. Peter was too nervous to chat, and Ian was running through his mind the plan he had to follow. They soon reached the school and met Nathan just outside the gates, he flashed a smile at them as they approached. Actually it was 'that' smile flashed at Peter, and it began to have the usual effect on him. Ian caught the smile too, and whispered to Peter "You lucky bastard - actually, though, I don't know which of you is the luckier bastard!" Peter just elbowed him in the ribs. "Behave!" "O.K," Nathan started, turning into the school yard, "This way to the Secretary's office. Come on!" and led the way through the yard and into the main school building. Ian glanced at several groups of boys, chatting amongst themselves. Some heads turned and watched him, the stranger in their camp, and he wondered if any of them - "Here it is." Nathan said, and added "come on - stop daydreaming!" Mrs Burns had just sat at her desk when the trio walked into the outer office and introduced Ian as a new starter, and asked if he could have a look around. She looked through a couple of files on her desk, then smiled at Ian. "Ah, yes, here we are. Mr. Price, you're due to start here next Monday, but I'm glad you've popped in early, there's a few details I've got to get down about you." The first bell of the schoolday rang out, quickly followed by the sound of hurrying footsteps in the corridor outside. "Look," she continued, "I've got to deal with this morning's mail first, then type up the minutes of yesterday's staff meeting - why don't you go along with your friends for a couple of lessons, then come and see me at dinnertime. Or after if you're going to eat here. Here, I'll give you a note to show the teachers, so they know who you are and why you're here, and it'll give you a feel for the place." The plan was coming together. Peter's first lesson was English, and Ian went with him to that while Nathan went off to the science block for Physics. Ian showed the note, actually a hastily filled in printed form, to Mr. Gorton, the class teacher, who nodded his understanding and pointed Ian towards an empty seat. The boys all settled down somewhat, aided by Mr. Gorton saying to the class "This is Mr. Price who will be joining us from next week. Now don't stare at him like he's some sideshow freak, pay attention to me, I'm the main attraction!" There was a ripple of laughter, the ice was broken and the lesson started normally. Afterwards, Ian told Peter he thought Mr. Gorton was O.K, and liked his slightly humorous way of teaching. "Don't cross him though," said Peter, smiling, "he 'humorously' gives extra homework if he catches you talking in class." "Oh, O.K, I'll have to be careful with him then. What's the next lesson?" "French" replied Peter. "With Mr. Tyler. He's O.K, quite easy going actually. Then P.E. I think you'll be the 'main attraction' in there, though!" "We all will be," said Ian, "Whether it works or not." The French lesson passed easily enough - Ian had passed the stage they were at and joined in with some of the answers to Mr. Tyler's questions to the class and read aloud, and translated, a passage from a French Newspaper the teacher had brought in. They entered the gym changing room and found Nathan already almost changed into his gym kit. As he pulled up his shorts, he saw two pairs of eyes staring at the diminishing gap between the shorts' waistband and his vest. He tried to smile at Peter and scowl at Ian at the same time, but the resulting look just became stupid. Peter giggled. "Here he is!" hissed Nathan to Ian as Mr. Hunt strode in through the door from the gym. "Hurry up you lazy tykes!" he bawled at the roomful of boys, "You should all be ready by now!" Ian walked purposefully up to him with the form held out and said, not particularly quietly "Hello, my name's Ian Price and I'm starting here next week. I'm to show you this form from the secretary's offi- Oh, hello Mr. Hunter!" Hunt/Hunter froze, a look of shock on his face as he heard his old identity spoken out. The shock moved slightly towards horror as he recognised the face of a boy from his previous school. "I - I -" he was thinking fast, but not as fast as Nathan and Peter moved to stand either side of Ian. "Ian's told us," Nathan said calmly, but not quietly, "that you left Northbridge Secondary a bit sudden, and why. Do you remember Jack Jones," he added, using the most probable name Ian had given him, and not giving Mr. Hunt time to reply, "Jackin' Jones was his nickname afterwards!" "I - I'm not going to be blackmailed by you pair of faggots!" Mr. Hunt burst out, burning the bridges of both sides with his first retort. The room, already hushed, fell silent. Every ear was trained on the outburst. "I'm not into blackmail," Nathan continued, "in fact I don't believe in keeping secrets from - anybody!" he said the last word louder, and twisted round to look at the now very attentive audience of boys behind him. As he untwisted back, Hunt lashed out toward him with a clenched fist. Nathan sidestepped the blow, then instantly regained his position beside Ian. "Oh Mr. Hunter, I didn't know you were into violence as well." He carried on, still calmly, and quieter now. Everyone could hear clearly. Hunt's face was crimson, there was practically steam coming from his ears. "You - you - fucking little queer!" Hunt screamed, holding a clenched fish less than two inches from Nathan's nose "I - I'll -" "No you won't," said Nathan, still calm until then, but screwing up his face in anger to snarl "you'll NEVER molest an innocent boy again!" He wanted to scream 'FUCK OFF!' into Hunt's face, but he knew he was winning, he didn't need to. Hunt's arm dropped. He was fighting a losing battle with anything he could grab. "Innocent? INNOCENT? What were you doing to him then?" Hunt spat out, too late realising he'd shot himself down instead of his opponent. Nathan regained his composure, and calmly said "I love Peter Johnson and what I do is to make him happy." Peter groaned and wished the ground would open and swallow him up. He felt a couple of dozen pairs of eyes on the back of his neck. Why did it have to go this way? Why was Nathan, whom he would die for, throwing him to the lions of his class - and the school? Nathan's snarl snapped him back. "What you did and wanted us to do was for your own personal pleasure, not ours, so you're not blackmailing us into that. And certainly not when I hear you've done it before at Northbridge!" Hunt turned on his heel and stormed out of the room. Ian was shaking with fear at the outburst, he hadn't guessed it would have been this public. Peter's tears streamed down his face. Everybody knows now, he thought. Why did his life always turn to shit, just as he got happy. Nathan took Peter's hand, returned to the bench and sat, his legs stretched in front of him and crossed at the ankles, closed his eyes, squeezed Peter's hand and basked in the glow of his victory. Peter stood in front of him, his hand as trapped as he was in full view of those he feared most at that moment, his class. The room erupted in talk, shouting, statements and questions. Nathan opened his eyes, saw a crowd of boys before him, all shouting questions at him. "Peter's my boyfriend," he stated, calmly but loud enough to be heard, and still holding his hand. "Live with it. We do." A quieter buzz of conversation followed "and SOMEBODY" he added, "needs to tell the office we need a teacher for the rest of this lesson!" After a somewhat shortened P.E. lesson, tutored by a disgruntled geography teacher whose otherwise free period had been suddenly snatched from him, Ian asked Nathan if they were going to have a dinner in the school canteen. As he'd said that they weren't, he'd thought it better to lie low for the dinner break time and he'd have to calm Peter down after publicly outing them both, and their relationship, Ian decided to return to the school secretary and complete her record update she'd asked him to do. When he reached the office, all was in chaos. Headless chickens were running everywhere, and Mrs Burns stopped only long enough to apologise she wouldn't have time to deal with him today - "We've just had a teacher resign - just walked in, slapped this down -" she held up a short letter written on a page ripped from a school book - "and I've got to revise the rotas and organise an advert for the vacancy for the Headmaster to authorise, so I can't possibly see you today. You'll just have to miss your first lesson on Monday." She said. He smiled to himself as he left the school on his way home, glad he'd been able to help Peter, and Nathan, and hoped he'd paid off more of his apology debts to them both. Already some boys were staring at him, pointing fingers and whispering. He wondered if there'd be any trouble for him, after all he'd stood with two others as they'd outed themselves spectacularly to a room full of boys, he'd be classed as 'one of them'. Oh, well, he wouldn't be alone this time. Nathan took Peter round the school until they found an empty room they could use for a private talk. He sat facing Peter, holding his hands. Peter's tears streamed down his face again. "Why'd you have to say that?" he sobbed. "Why'd you tell everybody about us? They'll make our life hell. I can't go on like that, I can't stand it. Everybody'll know in hours, it'll get out and - and -" he broke down, sobbing hard. Nathan squeezed Peter's hands tighter. "Sorry, Pete, I had to. I had to take away the only weapon he had left, the blackmail of us, what we are. I hated myself as I said it, no way did I want to embarrass you like that, but I had to take the threat from him. If you hate me for it, I'll understand." He watched the tears stream down Peter's face, and it hurt him deeply. Perhaps he shouldn't have done it like that, or at all even. He considered the alternatives, and when the thought of what Hunter had wanted from them came, he felt physically sick. Again he looked at Peter, and feared he would lose him, drive him away by trying to protect him. Tears ran down his own cheeks and between sobs, he said "I love you so much, Pete, I had to. I couldn't bear the thought of him - doing - to you. I just had to stop him there and then." Both boys heads fell on each others' shoulders as the tears flowed and the sobbing wracked their bodies. "Don't leave me, Pete! Please don't leave me!" Nathan sobbed into Peter's ear. Well, what happens next? Is Peter strong enough to stay with Nathan? Does he really want to after the humiliation he's gone through? Do their classmates accept their difference, or treat them as outcasts? Can I be bothered to write any more? Feedback, please - and thanks to those who already have written. sunbeamtb@yahoo.com Roy