Date: Tue, 18 Apr 2023 05:51:02 -0500 From: Keith Yates Subject: Devyn's Struggle 58 This is a fictional story involving sexual acts between two or more men. If this offends you, why are you here? If you are under the legal age to read sexually explicit material then do not read any further. This story in no way represents any person living or dead. Any resemblance to any real person is purely coincidental. This story is the property of the author and no copying or posting to any other website is permitted without the author's written consent. To argue with a man who has renounced the use and authority of reason, and whose philosophy consists in holding humanity in contempt, is like administering medicine to the dead, or endeavoring to convert an atheist by scripture. Thomas Paine Please help keep Nifty going by making a donation to this important service. http://donate.nifty.org/donate.html Take some time and go check out the trailer for the indie LGBTQ rom-com series Marriage of Inconvenience. Here is the link: https://www.dekkoo.com/marriage-on-inconvenience-official-trailer Readers Note: This chapter in Devyn's Struggle starts off following the events in Chapter 57 of Devyn's Struggle. It is the morning after Devyn first saw Brent in the hospital. The events in this chapter correspond to those in chapter 40 of Brent's Struggle. I've never written a series like this before so I'll be looking forward to your comments. You can send them to me at keith.96@att.net. I do not believe that you have to read Brent's Struggle to follow the storyline but it might help. You can find Brent's struggle here: https://www.nifty.org/nifty/gay/highschool/brents-struggle/ Now on with Devyn's Struggle. Devyn's Struggle Chapter 58 Devyn had not believed he would be able to sleep. His mind was filled with thoughts of Brent and what had happened to put Brent in the hospital. He was also considering all the possibilities that would have brought Brent to live with Matt and Brian. Devyn had trouble figuring that part out. He knew that Brent had known Matt even less well than Devyn did and Devyn had not known the man that well. He had felt a connection to Matt but other than their few talks, he had little knowledge about Matt and even less about Brian. Despite his mind being filled with the stunning events of Friday, Devyn was able to fall into a deep sleep. He slowly began to wake up. He could feel the warm body snuggled up to him. His palm was pressed against the smooth chest. He could feel the soft skin. He at first believed it was Charlie that was in bed with him but then he realized the body was smaller than Charlie. He then remembered he and Travis were sharing the other bed in the room. The corners of Devyn's mouth curved up into a smile as he rested there next to Travis. He could hear Joe's deep breathing, which told him Joe was still sound asleep. Devyn felt the body next to him begin to stir. Devyn's eyes were closed but he felt a tap on his arm. Devyn opened his eyes and looked at Travis. "Good morning," Travis signed. "Morning," Devyn returned the greeting. "I like sleeping with you." Travis then snuggled a little closer to Devyn. "I like it too." Devyn squeezed Travis a little tighter to him. He could feel the younger boy's smooth chest under his hand. He could feel Travis' smaller body pressed against him. It felt so good having this kind of brotherly relationship with Travis. He was still sometimes surprised at how much he cared about Travis. It could not be stronger if the two were biological brothers. With Travis snuggled up against him, Devyn could not help but remember how he and Brent had woken up to find themselves like this. That had been on that camping trip when the two had slept together in the same bed for the first time. They had both been a bit confused and embarrassed. At least Travis would never experience that. Travis was going to be like Sam and just comfortable with anyone's sexual orientation. Lee was like that too. He would probably like being hit on by a guy. Devyn wondered what made Lee and Sam so much opposites from Frank and Tanner. It wasn't like Lee's upbringing could be that much different than Tanner's. They were in the same small town and were not that far apart in age. Oh, Tanner was a few years older than Lee and Joe but not that much. Of course, Lee was a bit crazy. Devyn could not help but smile at how much fun Lee was. Even with all of those self-defense training sessions, the man had been fun. Joe had been the serious one. He wondered if the two of them had ever done that whole good cop bad cop routine. Probably they had. The two could communicate with just a look. It was those looks that had caught Devyn off guard. He had learned to watch everything from the feet up to the eyes. A sound from Travis and then a soft elbow into Devyn brought Devyn's musing to a halt. He looked at Travis. He could see that Travis was about to make another noise. He placed a finger on Travis's lips and pointed over at Joe's sleeping form. Travis made the gesture of zipping his lips and then began signing. "I'm hungry. Are you?" Devyn had to admit that he was hungry. "You are always hungry." "It's been a long time since dinner." Devyn guessed that was true. He looked at the clock. It was still early and he hated to wake Joe. With the harvest over, Joe could finally relax and needed this weekend away. "Let's let Uncle Joe sleep and go see what the breakfast is downstairs." It only took a few minutes to get dressed and for Devyn to leave a note for Joe. Devyn was surprised that the man slept through them moving around the room. He guessed yesterday was a strain on Joe too. Travis stuck close to Devyn as they walked across the lobby towards the breakfast that had been included with the room. The smell of sausage and eggs made Devyn's own stomach start to grumble. He had not eaten much last night and the smell was bringing out his appetite. Devyn signed to Travis to see what the younger boy wanted to eat. As he and Travis communicated, he could feel people watching them. He guessed that no matter where they were, they were going to bring curiosity out in people. Devyn wondered if Pete was still working or if the guy's shift was over. The college student had been hot. If Devyn had not been involved with Charlie he could see himself fooling around a bit with Pete. Devyn got Travis the items he wanted and then Devyn fixed his own breakfast. He got coffee for himself and juice for Travis. They took a table far enough back to avoid some of the folks that were being a bit rude with their watching of the two boys. Devyn made a face as he took a drink of the coffee. It was not as good as the blend that Joe normally bought. It tasted more like the sludge that Tom used to fix. "Don't you like it?" Travis had seen the face that Devyn had made. "It's not that good." "Can I try?" Travis was curious. He had tried it at home but hadn't liked the taste much. "You won't like it. It's so crappy it will put hair on your chest." "You don't have hair on your chest." "Not yet." "Is that why Uncle Lee has so much hair? Because he drinks a lot of coffee?" Devyn chuckled. "I think that is more from all the whiskey Uncle Lee drinks." "He does drink a lot and that stuff burns." "And just how do you know that?" "Uncle Lee let me taste it once." To Devyn, that did sound just like Uncle Lee. "He did not let me have much. It was just a sip and it burned and made my eyes water." Travis paused. "Was that one of the things that I should tell Uncle Joe? Uncle Lee said I couldn't tell." Devyn had to be careful how he answered this. It was just last night that he had told Travis to tell him or Joe if Travis was doing something wrong and was told not to tell. "Uncle Lee is someone you can trust but you should always let me know about stuff like that." Travis shrugged. "Uncle Lee said it was just between us. He said I could only have one taste and then never again until I was older." "If you are ever unsure, just ask me." "I will." Travis dug into his breakfast. He then noticed that another boy older than him but younger than Devyn was watching Devyn. "That kid is staring at you," Travis said. Devyn tried to look where Travis indicated without actually looking like he was looking. The boy did seem to be watching them closely. Devyn bet it was because of them signing to each other. "Folks are always curious about us signing." "It's not unusual, is it?" Devyn wondered how to answer that question. "It is a special skill that most people don't know. It makes you interesting to them." "Just me? Not you?" "Maybe both of us." Devyn liked it when Travis just accepted an explanation. It was harder when he questioned everything. Devyn took his phone out and discovered he had missed a bunch of messages from Charlie. Charlie: How are you doing? Charlie: I'm a little worried about your meeting. Devyn knew that the meeting Charlie referred to was the one with his parents. He had never thought to tell Charlie that had been postponed. Charlie: I'm worried You aren't answering. Charlie: Please let me know you are alright. Devyn noticed that the time of the last message had been around midnight. He could almost hear the concern in his friend's words. He felt like a bit of an ass for not checking his phone last night. He started responding to Charlie. Devyn: Sorry the day got crazy. Devyn: The meeting was postponed. Devyn: I'll see them on Sunday. Devyn: There was a lot going on yesterday. Devyn paused, then wondering just how much he should tell Charlie in a message. He would rather talk to him in person about Brent. Charlie: Damn it's about time. Charlie: I was worried things went bad. Devyn's lips turned up at the corners. It felt good having someone concerned about him. Charlie: You know I'm here when you need to talk. Devyn did know that. Charlie was turning out to be a good boyfriend. He wished they were further along in their relationship. He wanted their commitment to each other to be stronger. Devyn: I know that. Charlie: What you doing today Again, Devyn did not want to tell Charlie about Brent in a text. Devyn: Right now, Travis and I are eating breakfast. Devyn: What you doing today Charlie: Working at the hardware store. Devyn could almost hear the sigh in Charlie's words. He knew Charlie was getting a bit tired of every weekend he was putting time in at the hardware store. Charlie: It's just me and Howard today. Charlie: Mom and Dad are off to a product show. Charlie: Dad looking at some new snowmobiles for the winter. Devyn: That's cool do you think we can test-drive them Charlie: Now that would be really cool. Devyn continued texting with Charlie as he and Travis finished up breakfast. In between bites of food and messages to Charlie, Devyn was also talking to Travis. # # # Joe was up by the time Travis and Devyn returned to the room. "I don't think I've seen you sleep so late." Devyn was watching as Joe came from the bathroom in just a towel. He could not stop himself from drinking in every inch of the man's exposed sexy body. "Yeah, it is kind of nice to not have to be up with the cows." Joe moved to his bed and lifted his bag to the bed to begin getting dressed. "I'll agree with that. Except for those trips at Thanksgiving and Christmas, we haven't left the farm." Devyn was watching the broad shoulders and the way Joe's muscles flexed as he started pulling clothes from the bag. "It's really our first vacation," Joe commented. "I'm sorry it is only for a few days." "I'm not sure I would call this a vacation. I mean the hotel is nice and all, but it is only for the weekend." Devyn wanted to take his eyes off Joe but could not help himself from looking. There was a part of him that wanted to go over there and pull that towel from around Joe's hips. He wanted to run his hands all over that hot body and trace every one of the man's muscles. "You are probably right about that. We should plan something fun for your summer break. Maybe a beach somewhere." Joe pulled the towel from his waist and started pulling on his underwear. Devyn ran his tongue over his lips. He could not help but look at Joe's hot ass. He wondered what the hair along that crack would feel like. He wondered if those ass muscles were as hard as they looked. "Um...well...that would be cool. I've never actually been to a real beach." "Then I'll start looking into that." Devyn forcefully pulled his eyes off of Joe. He had to do that or he'd have more than a semi-erect cock in his jeans. He flopped down on the bed he and Travis had shared. He looked at his phone so he would not be checking Joe out while the man got dressed. He decided he should send Sue a message. She had been worried about Brent as well. He might as well let her know he had found Brent. He wondered if Sue would want to see Brent. He wondered if Brent would want to see Sue. "You texting Charlie?" Joe was watching Devyn on the bed. The teenager had his nose in his phone. "Um, no." "Really?" Joe raised an eyebrow. "I'm actually messaging a girl." "Well, you do have a lot of girlfriends these days. Is it Julie or Stacy?" "Actually, neither one. I'm letting Sue know that I've caught up with Brent." "Sue as in your former girlfriend Sue?" "Yes, I thought it was only right to let her know I've seen Brent." "How much are you going to tell her?" "Hell, I don't know that much. I mean yes, he's in the hospital but that's about it. How he ended up with Matt and Bryan is still a mystery to me." "Maybe you will find out more today." "I hope so." While Devyn was texting Sue he got a call from Albert. The administrative assistant was making arrangements to pick Joe and Travis up at the hotel. He was going to play chauffeur as well as activities director today. "I think he wants to show you more than just the local attractions." Devyn had just finished sending Albert the address of the hotel. "I've got a boyfriend." "That doesn't mean he won't try to turn your head." "He can try." Devyn chuckled. He knew Joe was too honorable to have a fling with someone. Of course, Devyn wondered if Ethan would be that loyal. Joe tossed the truck keys to Devyn. "Since I've got someone driving me and Travis around, you might as well use the truck." "Thanks. If it's alright, Sue asked me to come over for a bit. I think she needs to prove to her folks that I am in fact alive." "That's fine. Just drive safe. No texting..." "Yeah, I know. I won't." # # # Charlie looked down at his phone. His finger hovered over the send button. Did he send it or not? He looked at the words again. "I love you." Was it too soon in his and Devyn's relationship to send that message? "Come on Charlie!" Howard's voice was loud as he yelled into Charlie's room. Charlie jumped in startlement. He almost dropped his phone. He hit the screen lock button as Howard entered the room. "What the hell you doing?" Howard's voice was loud. It was obvious that Howard was already in a foul mood. "I...um...was just...answering a text." "Well, we've got to get to the store. You've got shelves to stock and that storeroom needs organizing." "Yeah, and just what is it you will be doing?" Charlie was getting sick of these assignments that Howard invented for him. "I'll be supervising you." "Yeah, well, I'm not spending my whole Saturday at the store. I've got plans with Sam." "Screw those plans. I'm in charge and you've got work to do. Besides that, Sam's a loser. He went away with that fag for a weekend." "Shut up!" Charlie's eyes were blazing with his anger at Howard. "They're my friends and they're better than the losers you hang out with." "None of my friends associate with trash." Howard's voice was getting a bit louder as he glared back at Charlie. Charlie chuckled. "That's because they are trash. Hell, your best bud Dewayne got his ass arrested." "That's all because of that fag loving cop. He's always out there sucking them." Charlie shook his head. "You don't know Lee very well. The man's had a girlfriend for years. Him and Melissa are practically married." "Yeah, I bet she hasn't had a REAL man for years." Howard places extra emphasis on `real.' "You're stupid." "You're stupid if you believe there is nothing going on between that fucking dirty cop and that fucking old homo." "Shut up!" Charlie was getting increasingly pissed with every word that came out of Howard. "You know it's true. Why else does that fucking dickwad Lee spend so much time out there. He's getting sucked or he's sucking them. I bet he even lets them fuck him or maybe he's fucking that... "Shut the fuck up. You don't know anything about any of them!" "You know too much about them. You need to stop..." "Friends! They're all friends." "Sure, they are. Hell, they're probably all taking turns at that young pussy ass." "Shut UP!" Charlie's hand had curled into a fist. He took a step towards Howard. He wanted to punch him. He wanted to lay him out right there on the bedroom floor. Charlie wasn't sure he could actually take Howard but he was getting pissed off enough to try. The older boy was taller and had more muscle than Charlie. "Why are you two shouting at each other?" Barb's voice cut across the two brothers. "It's just a difference of opinion," Howard said. "Don't you have a shift at the hardware store this morning?" Barb was looking at her youngest son. "Um...yeah and then plans with Sam this afternoon." "No, you're going to clean up that storeroom," Howard said. "I've got plans..." Barb held up a hand. "I made up the schedule and Charlie was only working this morning." She turned from Howard to Charlie. "Of course, if you don't get there and get the stocking done, then you will be working this afternoon." "I was going to drive him..." "He can ride his bike," Barb said. "Your Dad is already there. Tell him we need to leave in about an hour to make it to the product show on time." "Sure," Charlie said. "Um...thanks, Mom." Charlie hurried from the room to get away from Howard and to avoid giving his mom a chance to change her mind. "Now you listen to me." Barb was pointing her finger at Howard. She had waited for Charlie to leave before addressing her older son. "You do not run the store and you do not get to boss Charlie around like he's your personal slave. He's an employee and you treat employees with respect." Howard started to protest but Barb cut across him. "Don't try and deny it. I've seen and heard the way you've been treating him. If you treat employees like that, you won't have any." "But he's not an employee he's..." "He's your little brother and that doesn't change a thing. Everyone should be treated with respect even if he is your brother." "You're always babying him. He's got to grow up and learn what the real world is like..." "That's the real world according to who...You?" "You're giving him too much freedom. He's going to go hang out with those losers this afternoon." "Don't you dare start in on that again. Sam and Charlie have been friends for most of their lives..." "Yeah, and Sam's a piece of trash. He's fucking going with that..." Howard started to say fag but stopped himself. He knew using that term would only set his mom off. "That other trash." "You need to watch your language." Barb took a breath. She knew she was getting close to losing her patience with Howard. "There is not one thing wrong with Sam. Yes, he's sometimes a little impulsive but his heart is in the right place. As far as the other trash you are talking about..." "Devyn, that damn Devyn is trouble. I know all about the stuff he's doing. Hell, him and Sam are probably doing each other..." "I'm warning you." Barb was pointing her finger at Howard again. "You had better watch your mouth. You will not talk that way in front of me or in my house." "Fine, how about their just...um...having sex." "I do not believe Sam is gay but if he is, then he is. It does not change anything. He's still Charlie's best friend. Until he does something to change that, then he's the same kid he's always been." "It isn't just that, you know that Devyn is using. You know he's strung out all the time. He drinks and I don't want Charlie mixed up in that." "Charlie is smarter than you give him credit for. He's not going to get mixed up in using drugs." "You don't know that. You don't know what kind of bad influence these two could be. Hell Charlie might not even know it until too late." "You are not the parent here." "I know what he's done. I got it all from the kids he hung around with last year." "You mean Dewayne, Terry, and the rest of that crowd?" "Yes, they went to those crazy parties. Hell, the guy was even seen getting so stoned he was with Mindy Valance." Barb was a little surprised. She had never found Devyn to be anything but nice and courteous. "I do not believe Joe would allow Devyn to drink or do drugs." "Yeah, you think too much of Joe. Who knows what he's like. Hell, until this kid showed up, he hardly ever came into town. He stayed where he...um...belonged." Howard had stumbled over the words because of the blaze of anger in Barb's eyes. "I'm going to say this once more. You are not Charlie's parent. I or your dad will deal with any problems. You do not get to tell Charlie who his friends are, who he can visit, or when he works at the store. You are there to learn how to run the business and not to take it over." She saw Howard start to protest. "This is not open for discussion. You are still skating on very thin ice. You are lucky you were not arrested." "I wasn't arrested because I didn't do anything." "That is not how Lee saw it..." "He's not much of a cop. I was trying to break up the fight between Devyn and Dewayne. The fight that Devyn started." "I'm sure you got that from Dewayne. According to Lee, Dewayne started that fight and it was Dewayne found with drugs on him and not Devyn." "That's what the fight was over. Devyn was going to buy them and didn't have the money for them. He already owed Dewayne for the last buy." Barb seemed to consider that for a moment. Could Lee have been mistaken by the fight? Would Lee have overlooked something because Devyn was Joe's foster son? She did not think so. Lee might be a bit crazy. But Lee was also a damn good cop. He had always seemed to know where trouble was and stop it before it got out of control. "See you can see what I'm saying is true." "I do not see it as true. I see it as a remote possibility. That is all it is. I'll take Lee's interpretation of the events before I trust anything that Dewayne says. Plus, the fact that you just said Dewayne was dealing should tell you something about him." "You've always had an issue with Dewayne. Maybe that's because you used to date his father?" "Who I used to date is not important." Barb could feel her blood pressure rising even more. How dare Howard bring up old issues that he knew nothing about. "Oh, I think it is. Your relationship with Walter has always colored your perception of Dewayne. Just because he dumped you..." "Howard!" Barb did not like Howard dredging up old grievances. "Oh, I hit a nerve." There was some satisfaction in Howard's voice at the look on his mother's face. "My past with Walter has nothing to do with Dewayne. Yes, we dated and yes we broke up." "Or he dumped you. At least that is what I read in that old high school gossip paper I found floating around. He dumped you for..." "We broke up. That is the end of this." "I really do think I've hit a sore spot." Howard was feeling some excitement at having gotten under his mother's skin. "You've hit nothing." Barb knew that was not exactly true. She could also see in Howard's eyes that her words had not convinced him either. She had never tried to hold her bad feelings for Dewayne's father against the boy. When the boy had been younger she had thought he was going to turn out to be a good kid. She had actually been glad that Dewayne and Howard were friends but the boy had changed when he reached middle school. "My issues with Walter have nothing to do with Dewayne. I think Dewayne has proven just what kind of person he is. He's in jail and that should tell you something." "He got a raw deal. That is what it tells me. That fucking..." "Don't you dare use that language in front of me again!" "Cop has wanted him for a while. He wanted an excuse to arrest him and he found one." "Looks to me like Dewayne handed it to him. How stupid was he to get into a fight when he had drugs on him? If he was selling them and not using them, then he's just not that damn smart." "You don't know nothing." Barb took a deep breath. She knew she was letting her anger carry her away. "The bottom line is, treat anyone who works at the hardware store with respect. If you don't..." "What you going to do, fire me?" Barb's eyes narrowed. "Yes, I will." Howard snickered. "You know Dad won't let you do that. He wants me to take over the business. He knows Charlie isn't up to that job." "Don't underestimate Charlie. He's at the store right now working. You're standing here arguing with me. It seems like Charlie is the better candidate to one day run the business." "Bull Shit!" "Howard!" "I'm leaving. I've got work to do." Howard stormed out of the house and slammed the door. The sound echoed in the room. Barb looked up at the ceiling as she listened to Howard's car start and peal out of the driveway. Why had she let him get to her? Had it been the comment about Walter? She knew that she had never allowed her feelings for him to influence her opinion about Dewayne. The boy had done that all on his own. It was crazy that one of the man's sons could turn out to be so good and the other one turn out to be a bad apple. Barb looked at the clock. She knew she needed to get going so she and Howard could get to the product show. # # # # "He was actually going to try and make me stay there all afternoon." Charlie was pacing back and forth in Sam's bedroom. He had just gotten there from the hardware store. Howard had tried to make Charlie spend the afternoon cleaning the storeroom. "He thinks he owns me. I don't know what kind of power trip he's on but I'm fucking sick of it." Sam was watching Charlie pacing back and forth. He had known Charlie had been pissed from the moment his friend had entered the house. "I've tried to tell you..." "He's a jackass," Charlie said, filling in the words for Sam. "Or Prick or dickwad..." "All of the above," Sam said. He was glad that Charlie was finally seeing Howard clearly. Sam had always thought that Charlie's older brother was a jerk. It had gotten worse this last year. Why the ass hole did not go back to college was beyond Sam. "He is." Charlie sounded a bit defeated. "I don't know what happened to him in college." "Um, Charlie, it isn't college. He's been a jerk to me since...well ever." Charlie looked at Sam. Sam had never liked Howard and Charlie had to admit that Howard had never been nice to Sam. Howard had actually gone out of his way to pick on Sam and to bully him. "I guess he's always been a dick." "With a capital `D.' I wish he had gotten arrested with Dwayne." Sam wanted to take the words back as soon as he said them. They were true but Sam was not sure Charlie's current anger at Howard would go that far. "What?" Charlie studied Sam's face. Sam shrugged. "Well, he's always been a bully." "Yeah, but that isn't a reason for him to be arrested. He's not like Dewayne. He's just...well..." Sam waited. He wanted to fill in the blank. He wanted to supply Charlie with the right words but Sam knew to let Charlie figure it out. "He's just a bit of a bully. Dewayne was actually..." "Dewayne was picking on Devyn. He's been after Devyn since the beginning of the school year. Well, actually since Devyn broke his nose last spring. That was so awesome." Charlie had to agree with that. That had been awesome watching Devyn haul back and punch Dewayne and take down Terry. The fact that Devyn had also come out to them that night and that had been when Charlie had let the first hint of his feelings be known to Devyn. "That did make Julie's party much more interesting." For Charlie, the best part of that party had been the truck ride home. He could still remember how nervous he had been that night. He had almost not gone forward with reaching out to Devyn but he had. He had then almost screwed that up over the summer. But now they were...well what were they? Charlie still was not sure. Yes, they were friends. Maybe even boyfriends. Were they more? Charlie felt like they were more but did Devyn feel the same way? Charlie wished he knew. He wished he could just tell Devyn exactly how much the boy mattered to him. He wished he were there with Devyn right now. He would have stood next to his friend while Devyn faced his parents. He wanted to be there for Devyn to lean on emotionally. "Earth to Charlie." Sam's voice brought Charlie back. "Um, what?" "I was asking if you had heard from Devyn this weekend. He said he was going to visit or at least meet with his folks. I've been a little worried about how that would go. I mean they did not part on good terms." Both Sam and Charlie knew Devyn had been kicked out when he had been caught with his boyfriend. Sam also knew that Devyn's parents were telling people that Devyn was dead. Sam did not let Charlie in on that piece of information. Devyn had asked him not to tell anyone and Sam would keep that word. "Um, he messaged me earlier...well actually I messaged him first and he was answering. I...um...wondered how he was." "Me too but I didn't want to bug him. How is he? How did the meeting go?" Sam had been concerned for his friend since Devyn had told him that he was going back to see them. Devyn had told him that when Sam had tried to get the three of them, himself, Charlie, and Devyn, together to do something this weekend. Devyn had been busy with one thing or the other since the weekend they had gone to the concert. "He said it got postponed. You should go ahead and send him a message." Sam pulled out his phone and started a text to Devyn. He did not want Devyn to think he was prying but he also wanted his friend to know he was worried about him. Sam: How you doing? Sam: If you need to talk, Charlie and me are here. "Um, Charlie have you noticed anything about Devyn?" Sam was looking at the picture of Devyn's arm he had taken. He had snapped the picture when Devyn had been sleeping. The bruises were not as noticeable in the photo as they had been on Devyn's arm. "Um...what you mean?" Charlie could feel his heart starting to race. Did Sam know something? Had Sam figured out that he and Devyn were more than just friends? "Oh, you know if he's...ah...limping or...ah...like hurt in some way?" "Well, um, no." Charlie had not noticed anything. "He did have like a bruise a couple of times but that was always from either Dewayne or Ted or one of the other assholes." Sam considered showing the photo to Charlie. Devyn had asked him not to tell anyone but it was Charlie. Devyn: doing alright. Devyn: thanks for checking Devyn: The weekend got a little crazy Sam decided he could not betray the confidence of his friend. Not even with their other best friend. Sam" Glad you are alright. Sam: Wish you were here. "Is he answering?" Charlie could see Sam texting someone. "Yeah, he says he's alright." Sam: you going to go meet up with that hot chick? Devyn: You mean Sue. Sam" Yes, if she's dumped that boyfriend, tell her I'm straight and available Devyn: LOL What about Gabby Sam: We haven't, like tied the knot or anything Devyn: You're a dog. Sam: She's hot. Sam: We are here for you if things get tough. Sam: Call anytime Devyn: TY "I'm telling him we love him," Sam said to Charlie as he was typing the message." Charlie hated that it came so easy for Sam to be able to send that message. Charlie had been agonizing over sending the "I Love You" message all morning. He had not done it. Maybe now he could. Sam put his phone away. He was glad that Devyn was doing alright. "Sam, why were you asking about Devyn being hurt?" Charlie had just sent his message and slipped his phone back into his pocket. "Oh, well..." Sam shrugged his shoulders. "He gets pushed around a lot by those fucktard jocks. I just thought you might have seen something. You know he's not going to go to Tanner." "Tanner isn't going to do shit even if he did." "True but we could tell Joe." Sam had wondered if he should do that anyway. If not Joe, then he could tell his mom. "Well, I haven't noticed anything." "Well, if you do, let me know. We can talk to Joe or my mom." "Sure." # # # # Devyn felt a bit nervous as he pulled up in front of the familiar house. He looked around. It was all familiar but it felt like a lifetime ago since he was last here. He parked the truck and turned off the engine. Devyn pulled his phone out of his pocket. He had felt it vibrate on the way over. He smiled at the last message from Sam. Sam: We luv u bud Devyn then noticed there was also a message from Charlie. Charlie: I love you. Devyn wondered if that was like the message from Sam or if Charlie's message meant more. Devyn hoped it meant more. He texted them back and then put his phone away. He was going to have to do a lot of thinking about his feelings for Brent and for Charlie. "Damn why isn't life easier? Why does everything have to be such a struggle?" Devyn pushed those thoughts away. He would have to deal with them later. Right now, he needed to deal with the feelings in front of him. Devyn looked up at the single-story brick house. The lawn was just as he remembered it. There were some bags of leaves sitting on the curb. He wondered if he should just toss those into the bed of the truck. They could just feed them to the cows. He looked again at the red brick house with the black shutters. He wondered if he should have just gone to the hospital. Had he used this as an excuse to postpone seeing Brent. He was no closer to figuring out his feelings about Brent now than he had been yesterday. He wondered if he should drive away before anyone realized he was sitting out here. He was tempted to do that but he had said he would come over before going back to the hospital. He slid from the truck and walked towards the door. He could feel his heart rate picking up as he stepped up onto the porch. He stood there for a minute. He told himself he was being stupid. He was about to ring the doorbell when the door was pulled open. "Devyn!" Sue threw her arms around Devyn. "It's so good to see you." Devyn returned the enthusiastic hug. "You too. Thanks for inviting me over." "We all want to see you. We've missed you." Sue looped her arm through Devyn's and pulled him into the house. The house was much as Devyn remembered it. The foyer had a new bench and a new hall tree for coats but the rest looked as it had the last time Devyn had been there. Sue pulled Devyn past the formal living room into the kitchen. The kitchen was just how Devyn remembered it. It looked more like it belonged on one of those HGTV shows. There was the large island with the pendant lights, the white cabinets, the stainless-steel appliances and there was the smell of baking cookies. Devyn was not sure what to expect when meeting Sue's parents again. He did not know what Sue had told them or what they would think of him. Devyn had not needed to be worried at all. Sue's mother gushed over him. She had tears in her eyes as she hugged him. "We could hardly believe it when Sue told us she had run into you at that concert." "I was a bit surprised too," Devyn said. "No, I mean the fact that you were..." Her voice trailed off as she did not want to hurt Devyn about how his parents had mistreated him. At least in her opinion, they had mistreated him. She had never found Devyn to be anything but a considerate and special young man. "Oh, you mean that I wasn't dead." "You don't know how hard that hit us," she said. "There were a lot of tears in this house over that," Sue's father Robert stated. "Yes, and they were not all from the women in this house," Sue's mother Sandy said. "I am sorry about that," Devyn said. "I never..." "We know it was not you're doing, son," Robert said. He lightly patted Devyn on the back. "I can't imagine what got into your parents," Sandy said. Devyn looked down at the counter. He could feel emotions bubbling up. He felt bad that Sue's family had been hurt by the lie Frank had begun. He also felt a bit warm at what seemed like their sincere caring for him. His eyes looked at the cookies that were on the cooling rack. "Yes, I baked your favorite," Sandy said. "I know you like them when they are still warm from the oven. Go ahead and have one." "Mom started baking when I told her you were coming over," Sue said. "Thanks," Devyn said. He reached out and picked up one of the warm cookies. "I don't think I've had a Snicker Doodle since the last time you baked them." He bit into the cookie. It tasted as good as he remembered. "It is odd that your parents would tell Sue something like that," Robert said. "Well..." Devyn was not sure what he should say but felt like he should say something. Thankfully, Sue was there to jump in. Sue slid her arm around Devyn's waist. "The important thing is that Devyn is here and well." "That's true." Sandy said. Sue pressed herself more tightly to Devyn's side. "I for one like having him back." Devyn was not sure what to say to that. He also wasn't sure how he should feel about Sue holding onto him. He had told her he was gay. He wondered if she had told her parents that. "Why don't you kids go into the family room," Sandy said. "I'm sure you have a lot to talk about." "Come on Devyn," Sue said. Before they could move though, the doorbell rang. "Oh, that will be Trent and Trevor." Sue released Devyn to go answer the door. She led the two other boys into the room. Trevor was a younger version of Trent. Devyn did not need to be told that this was Trent's little brother. Or reminded that Trevor was gay. The boy was thin and was dressed all in black. He had painted his fingernails black. Devyn thought the kid was attractive but the black clothes did not add to his appearance. Devyn bet the guy was around fourteen. Sue led them all into the family room. She arranged it so that Devyn and Trevor were sitting together on the small sofa while Sue and Trent took the other sofa. They were positioned at right angles to each other with a coffee table in front of them. The short end of the table faced Devyn and Trevor. Sue was close enough that she could place a hand on Devyn's. "I'm so glad you found Brent," she began. "Tell us how he is and what happened to him." Devyn felt a little odd talking about Brent but he could tell that Sue was concerned. "I...um...don't know all the details. There was some sort of accident and Brent had to have emergency surgery. When I was at the hospital yesterday, he was still out of it. I didn't get a chance to talk to him." "So, this just happened?" Sue gave Devyn's hand a squeeze. "Yes, just a couple of days ago." "First that accident at Christmas last year and now this. It seems like he's had it rough." With everything that had happened yesterday, Devyn had forgotten Sue had told him that Brent had been in an accident last year. Had both of these accidents been more than simple accidents? Devyn could not help but wonder. He made a mental note to ask Matt or Bryan about the Christmas accident. "The timing is crazy," Sue said. "I mean with it happening just before you come back." Devyn had to agree with Sue. It was almost like some higher force had made sure to bring him and Brent together at a critical time in Brent's life. "So, what does this mean for you and Brent?" Sue was still finding it a bit hard to believe that the boy she had dated had also been having a relationship with another boy. The idea that Devyn had been gay had never occurred to her. In fact, she still found it hard to believe. Devyn looked down at his hands. "I really don't know. We have a lot of history and well, things did not end well." Sue believed that. Brent had spread the rumor that Devyn had been mixed up in drugs. That was another thing she would have never expected of the boy she had dated. "You might not be good for each other. I mean with all the history." Sue's mom called from the other room then. "Trent, help me with the snacks Mom fixed." Sue got up and pulled Trent from the room. That left Devyn and Trevor alone. The silence was thick for a moment after Sue and Trent left. Then Trevor broke the silence. "It sounds like maybe you still have feelings for him." Devyn looked over at the younger boy. He was looking up at Devyn through long eyelashes. Devyn bet those eyelashes were the envy of every girl in the boy's class. "I honestly don't know." "Sue told me that you and Brent had to hide your feelings for each other. That must have been hard." "It was. We were confused and I guess on some level knew our families were not going to accept us being gay or our relationship." "At least you had each other," Trevor said. "Sometimes I feel like I'm the only one at school that's gay." "No one else is out?" "There are a couple of girls that are. There might be someone in an upper class that I don't know about but as far as I know, I'm the only gay boy." "I know how rough that can be." Devyn was sympathetic to how lonely Trevor must feel. He had felt that himself. Devyn reached over and gave Trevor's hand a squeeze. "You know odds are you are not the only one." Trevor felt his heartbeat increase at Devyn's touch. He did not believe he had ever seen a more attractive boy. He tried to control his breathing so Devyn would not think he was a total dweeb. "I guess so." "Eventually one of them will come forward. I mean if you...um...set a good example for them." "Would you come forward?" Trevor asked the question before he thought. He could feel his face start to burn a bit. "Well, in my new school, I'm already out but I'd definitely want to get to know another gay guy. It never hurts to have friends." Devyn gave Trevor's hand what he hoped was a reassuring squeeze. "So just be yourself and someone might feel comfortable enough to come forward." "So, you're saying I'm obviously gay." Trevor looked up at Devyn. His eyes met the older boy's. He did not believe he had ever seen more striking eyes. The flecks seemed to almost be glowing in Devyn's eyes. Devyn shrugged. "Yes, you kind of are. But that is cool." "I knew there was no point in hiding it." "It is easier to just be yourself," Devyn agreed. Trevor placed his hands on Devyn. "I wish you were in my school. I think..." Trevor's voice trailed off as Sue and Trent came back into the room. Sue's eyes seemed to light up when she saw Devyn and Trevor holding hands. "There are a couple different kinds of cookies my Mom baked and some cokes. You still drink Coke, Devyn?" Sue placed the snacks and drinks on the coffee table. "Sure, and I do love your mom's fresh baked cookies." Devyn released Trevor's hand and took one of the offered sodas and a couple of cookies. "I'm so glad you two are hitting it off." Sue turned to Trent. "I told you Devyn was right for..." "Hold on." Devyn held up a hand to stop Sue. He looked from Sue to Trevor. "Is this like a setup?" "I just had good vibes about how you and Trevor would interact." Devyn took a deep breath. "Trevor you are a good guy. Problem is, I've got a boyfriend." "You do?" Sue was confused. "But at the concert your friend..." Sue could not remember Devyn's friend's name. "Dang it! I'm terrible with names." "Sam," Trent supplied. "Right," Sue said. "Sam said you didn't have a boyfriend." "Right, I forgot that Sam had said that. Sam doesn't know. My boyfriend is not out yet. We are keeping our relationship low-key." "Oh Devyn, not again." Sue's voice was filled with her concern for her ex-boyfriend. She did not like the idea that Devyn had to hide his feelings for another boy like he had with Brent. "It's different this time. It isn't like with me and Brent. I'm out. My new family knows I'm gay. They are totally supportive of both of us. Charlie just needs to take his time coming to terms with it all. It's a small town and well I took a lot of shit in the beginning." "Not so much now?" Trevor asked. "Oh, there are still a couple of jerks, but I can handle that. They aren't really important." "That's great Devyn." Sue had hoped that Devyn and Trevor would become friends but she was glad that Devyn had found someone. "I hope you aren't too disappointed." Devyn had turned to Trevor. He hoped that the guy understood. Trevor was disappointed but he was trying not to show it. He liked Devyn and thought the guy was the most attractive boy he had ever seen. He wanted to get to know Devyn better. He wanted to touch that sexy body and kiss those inviting lips. He tried to push those thoughts away before Devyn or someone else noticed how excited he was sitting next to Devyn. "Oh, I...um...well it would have been nice but I understand. The distance would have been an issue. I don't have my driver's license yet. I won't turn sixteen for almost two more years. Devyn had been correct about the boy's age. Trevor seemed mature enough though. If Charlie were not there then Devyn might consider seeing how things would progress with Trevor. The distance would have been an issue. It would be hard to solve that one at their age. That could also prove a problem for him and Brent having a second chance at a relationship. That is if Devyn wanted to have a second chance with Brent. Devyn was still uncertain about that. If Charlie was not in the picture...Devyn tried to focus back on the now. He could figure out the relationship stuff later. "He'll find the right guy," Sue said. "It will just take a little longer." They continued talking until Devyn needed to leave for the hospital. "Thanks so much for coming over," Sue said. She had walked Devyn out to his truck. "Thanks for inviting me. I'm glad we can be friends." "Me too," she said. "Sorry about the mix-up with Trevor. "It's cool, Sue. I just hope he isn't too upset." "He's not," Sue said. "I just want both you and him to be happy." Devyn took Sue's hands in his own. "You are so special. I'm glad that you were my first." "Me too. I mean that you were mine. It was special, Devyn. You're special. "Thanks. I hope Trent knows what a lucky guy he is." "I think he does." Sue stepped closer and hugged Devyn tight. "If he mistreats you, call me. I'll plant a boot in his ass." Sue giggled. "I can't picture you hitting anyone." "Oh, I have my moments," Devyn said. "Just let him know, he hurts you and he's going to deal with me." "Thanks, Devyn." Sue moved in closer and kissed Devyn. "I'll let you know how Brent is doing." "Please do. Do you think I should go see him?" "I don't know. I think I'd wait until he's out of the hospital." "You're probably right." "I'll let you know his new address and stuff...that is once I find it out." "Thanks." "Bye, Sue." Sue watched Devyn climb into the truck and pull away from the curb. Sue was glad that her first love would always be a friend. # # # Copyright 2023 by Keith yates (keith.96@att.net) all rights reserved. Character is much easier kept than recovered. Thomas Paine A long habit of not thinking a thing wrong gives it a superficial appearance of being right. Thomas Paine