Chasing Rusty Parker – Ch. 45
By Laura S. Fox
Copyright © 2023 Laura S. Fox
All Rights Reserved
Gay Erotica
Intended for Mature Audiences Only
This story will contain graphic depictions of sexual intercourse, strong
language and it is not meant for readers who are less than 18 years of age.
Consider making a donation to Nifty by clicking the little blue button
on the front page, as they help us all enjoy so many great stories, while
aiding authors like me to display their work.
~
Chasing Rusty Parker is the sequel to my story Good Guys Don't Date Bad
Boys that you can also find here, on Nifty.
Chapter Forty-Five – The
Lies We Tell
Rusty stole glances at
his mom, who grimaced slightly with each bite she took. A lot of convincing had
been employed just to make her sit at the table with them. When they arrived,
he and August had found his mom in a worse state than he'd expected, and that
irritated him. She had been the one to call him over, even encouraged him to
bring a friend, and now she was like this. As much as he tried to tell himself
that she wasn't responsible for her mood swings, and maybe those pills made her
worse not better, just as she had told him, he couldn't control the rancor he
sensed developing, hard as a rock inside him and growing at a frightening speed.
"You have a lovely house,
Ms. Wilder," August tried her best to make conversation.
Yeah, lovely. The lawn
was dryland, and it looked like his mom had chosen that precise moment of the
year to do some cleaning, because there were old things thrown out in the back yard
all over the place. At least she had taken some time to clean the living room
and the kitchen. He should have been grateful for small mercies. And August, of
course, tried to play the role of the pleasant guest, as much as she was able
to do that under the circumstances.
"It's a pain to keep a
house like this," Rusty's mom complained right away. "And this boy of mine has forgotten
he has a home. He only comes to see me if I call and call to tell him to drop
by once in a blue moon."
Definitely in a bad mood,
Rusty mused and looked down at his plate. The quiche Jonathan had battled with
him to take along seemed tasteless. Good thing he hadn't given in to the idea
of bringing Matty home. His mom was on the warpath.
"College can be very
demanding," August said, "especially since it's senior year. Rusty needs to
focus on his studies."
"He should focus on
family from time to time," his mom continued in the same vein. "And I know he
doesn't care about studying and college. He's just doing it for his father. As
if that will ever convince that wayward man to give a damn about his family."
August gave him a
sympathetic look across the table. Yeah, she had been the better choice, after
all. If Matty were here, what would he think of a scene like this? Matthew Han
looked like someone who came from a family that would never make their son feel
like this when bringing friends over. No, probably he came from a family with
strong values and a great love for their only son. A universe away from how he
had grown up. He crushed the napkin in his hand and then threw it on the table.
"I'm done," he said and pushed the plate away. "I'll show August around town.
We'll be back in a couple of hours." That was the minimum required to deal with
the anger growing inside him like a nasty beast.
"But you two just got
here," his mom protested. The look in her eyes was regretful, but Rusty had
learned a long time ago not to fall for that kind of act. If he gave in, she
took, and took, without thinking twice.
"I'll take care of the
dishes, Ms. Wilder," August offered and quickly got up. Probably, she couldn't
stand spending time in that awful woman's company a moment longer.
"This town has nothing
for you young people to see," his mom mumbled but mostly to herself. "Just make
sure to come back before dark. I go to sleep early. That's what the doctor says
I should do. He doesn't care that I suffer from insomnia. So, no loud noises,
all right?"
"Duly noted," Rusty said
and grabbed his own plate. He'd have to apologize to Jonathan for treating his
quiche like that. It looked like even the best food in the world tasted like
cardboard when served with a side of family drama.
***
"Well, do you regret
coming along already?" he asked August, as soon as they were outside and could
breathe freely. Even the air in that house felt oppressive. No wonder he had
spent all his days either outside or at Maddox's house since they'd moved here.
"No. I'm glad," August
replied.
"For real?" He put his
hands in his pockets and began walking fast. "Don't tell me this kind of thing
makes your day or something."
"No, but it was more than
enough to convince me that you needed someone by your side on this trip back
home." August took his arm and wrapped hers around it. "Has she always been
like this?"
Rusty took a deep breath.
"I'm so pissed at her right now, which makes me want to say `yes', but it's not
true. When I was little, she was different. She liked to laugh a lot. Actually,
she was sort of extreme, I mean like really hardcore. We would play together
until I couldn't sit straight because my eyes were closing by themselves. Then,
my dad came home and scolded us. Really, it was like she was the same age as
me."
"It sounds like she used
to be fun. So, was it the divorce that, you know, messed her up?"
Rusty shrugged. "That sounds
like a reasonable explanation, right? I mean, she always blamed my dad for
everything, even the slightest of her mood swings. And she made me believe
that, too." He took a moment to think about it.
August nudged him
lightly. "You're not so sure anymore, right?"
"No."
"Maybe you should ask
your dad, too."
He scoffed. "Yeah, like
he'd tell me anything. I tried a few times, you know? I tried to understand why
he left us."
"And what did he tell
you?"
"He gave me the spiel. He
and mom hadn't seen eye to eye in a long time, and discovered that they were
very different people. It sounds like a bunch of bull to me. He must be guilty
for it if he doesn't want to say. And that kind of confirms what she's kept
telling me all the time, doesn't it?"
August nodded thoughtfully.
"You've had it rough, my friend."
"Rusty Parker, when did
you get here?"
The sudden exclamation
made them both stop right in the middle of the street. Rusty's face lit up as
he saw Maddox's mom right there, a bag full of groceries in her arms, just
closing the trunk of her car, eyes smiling just as much as her mouth. At her
age, she was still the prettiest girl in the whole neighborhood. Without
looking standoffish, she had a way of carrying herself and dressing that always
made her seem put together and on top of everything. With seven kids at home,
plus Rusty, she had to be, or otherwise her soul would have ended up being
theirs alone.
"Mrs. K, let me take those
for you," he said gallantly as he grabbed the bag. "This is my friend August,"
he added.
"So happy to meet you,
August," Florence said and opened her arms.
August just threw him a
small alarmed look but she returned the hug. As they pulled away, she realized.
"You must be Maddox's mom!"
"The one and only. Have
you kids had anything to eat? I just got back from a farmer's market miles away
from here, but everything was a steal. If you come around in about three hours,
I'll have dinner ready."
"Oh, we wouldn't want to
impose--" August started.
Florence turned toward
Rusty. "Doesn't she know you're my eighth child? I can't believe you haven't
told your friend about me, Rusty." Her tone was playful, none of that
guilt-trip his mom was an expert at dishing out like it was her prerogative.
"And how is Matthew? Did you bring him along, as well? We all want to meet
him."
Rusty groaned. "Does
Maddie ever keep anything from you?"
"Hopefully, only the
things that don't concern me," Florence replied cheerfully. Then, as if she
could read his mind, she added, "And it does concern me when it's you getting
involved with a pretty boy with smarts that only rival our Jonathan's."
Just how much was Maddox
sharing with his mom? He was so going to kill his bestie once he got back to
Sunny Hill. But it warmed his heart to hear Florence talk like that. "I didn't bring
him this time," he admitted, and it was the first time since he got here that
he regretted doing just that. Maybe he should have brought both Matty and
August so that they could meet the famous mother Kingsley.
"Okay, we'll come over,"
Rusty said and snickered as Flo embraced him tightly, risking crushing all
those organic veggies between them. "Let me just take these inside for you."
August waited until they
were both outside again. "Wow, Maddox's mom is awesome, Rusty. And she's
seriously crazy about you."
"She's crazy about
everybody." That wasn't exactly true, but Florence did more than her fair share
of work when caring for all kinds of people. Such as his mom. Rusty felt his
anger coming back and pushed it down.
"Aren't we going to be
out too late if we have dinner at her house?" August asked. "Your mom seemed
quite annoyed with us."
"Yeah, when isn't she
annoyed with something or someone?" He breathed in and out once and loudly.
"We're going to be careful not to wake her up." He doubted she would even be
asleep. There was always the possibility that she was itching for a fight,
something he had dodged for quite a while. Despite Florence casting her little
ray of sunshine over his visit there, the reality of his family burned darker.
That wasn't something he
ever wanted to let Matty see.
***
It was sort of strange to
spend Saturday without seeing Rusty at all and, since he hadn't texted, Matty
had decided against being the first to do so. It was very clear that Rusty
disliked visiting his mom profoundly and blamed it on boredom, but he was quite
sure that there had to be something more to that dislike. Families could be
complicated but, in all honesty, he didn't know much about such things. His
family was a rock, a steady reality that he was a bit afraid that he must have
taken for granted on more than one occasion. His parents were best friends and
had always been, and that must have helped them become the happy family they
were. They could be strict, too, but that came with the territory. He had to
smile at all those Asian dad memes. It wasn't his dad always drilling into him
that he had to learn and succeed all the time, but his mom of Irish and German
descent. That also served as a recurring joke between him and his dad.
He hadn't spoken to them
in a while. Great, now he felt a little guilty about it, too. He took out his
phone without thinking twice as he sat on the bench in the quad that had been
marked by him and Zoey as theirs. These days she was busy with cornering Dex from all sides, as she described it, which was why he
was alone now.
His mom picked up on the
second ring. "Matty," she exclaimed right away, "how are you? Is school fine?"
Of course, that would be
her first question, so he rolled his eyes but did it with affection. "School's
totally fine."
"Just fine?" she teased
him.
"Absolutely great!
Amazing! All these books make me want to get a tattoo with the most complicated
math formula in existence."
His mom gasped for show.
"Don't you dare get a tattoo, young man."
"Come on, mom, a small
one," he begged.
She laughed. "How are
things, Toots?"
"They're great. I'm
studying just as hard as if you were blowing cold air down my neck."
"Cold air? I thought you
once drew me as a dragon," his mom joked, although that one was true. "Besides
studying. Have you met anyone? A cute boy, perhaps?"
With his parents being so
strict and all, he had feared that coming out to them while still in high
school would make them think differently of him, but his fears had proven
completely unfounded. His dad had just nodded and hugged him, while asking him
if anyone at school was giving him a hard time, while his mom had started a
long list of all the positive traits her son's future partner should have.
Rusty wouldn't make it through half of that list, Matty thought, and his heart
grew small. But that was his mom's list; on his list, Rusty was not only at the
top, his was the only name on it.
"A cute boy who studies
hard, knows seven languages, plays the violin and is already a neurosurgeon at twenty-one?
I think I saw one just the other day. He was saving the whales while teaching
unfortunate children math at the same time."
His mom laughed
wholeheartedly. "Say what you want, Matty, but it's important to have
standards. I mean, look at you. You're a catch. You're smart, accomplished,
ambitious, handsome. What more could anyone want in a partner?"
At least, his mom's list
where it concerned him was shorter and more realistic. Matty didn't care to
point out the stark difference between the two. "How are you and dad?"
"We're great. But for a
couple of oldies like us, days tend to be the same. You're the one who should have
news. And don't think I didn't notice how you dodged my question."
He wanted to protest.
Would it be so bad to let his mom know about Rusty, at least a little bit? He
didn't have to tell the whole truth. "Well, I sort of met someone," he said
quickly before he had a chance to change his mind. "He's a student here, at
Sunny Hill."
"Well, well, well," his
mom said slyly, "your tone of voice tells me there are things about this boy
you don't want your mom to know. I understand, Matty, don't you think I don't.
But I would very much like to remind you that both your dad and I were young
once."
"Oh, what a shock," Matty
said gamely. "I would've never imagined it if you hadn't told me just now."
"So, who is this young
man? What's his name?"
Matty licked his lips
nervously. "Rusty. Rusty Parker. He's a star of the basketball team." Used to be.
His mom's silence didn't
make him feel any less anxious. "He's a jock," she said matter-of-factly. "Not
exactly what I imagined my future son-in-law would be."
"Mom!" Matty protested.
"He doesn't even know he's my boyfriend." Now that just came out wrong. "I
mean, we are just getting to know each other, and I like him very much."
"I had no idea jocks
would be..." she seemed to struggle to find the right words.
"Gay?" Matty supplied the word she was looking for right away.
"They tend to be macho
types, yes," his mom continued, unfazed, as if she hadn't been hesitating just
a moment ago. "And the kind who cares only about sports. How did you and he get
to know each other? Is he new at the school?"
It was a very good thing
that he hadn't told his mom anything about his crush on Rusty over the years.
This conversation was difficult enough as it was. "No, but we just haven't
crossed paths until this year." At least, that was true. The source of his
anxiety regarding this talk with his mom was complex. Was he afraid to
disappoint her with his choice? What a joke. Of course, he was. All his life he
had only aimed to make her proud of him. However, this matter of the heart, so
to speak, was a lot more complicated than the good grades and academic
achievements he had brought home over the years. It was, first of all,
completely different. And then, there was the thing about his relationship with
Rusty, of not having a definition, one clear-cut and obvious, as to what it
was.
"You're awfully silent,
Matty. What is it about this young man, - Rusty, right? - that you don't like?"
"I like everything about
him," Matty replied. And he did. He had crushed on him for so long, but once he
had gotten to know him, he had fallen in love for real. His heart felt suddenly
so full that he couldn't keep in a sigh.
His mom laughed. "So, he
must be dreamy if he makes you sigh like that."
"Well, he is," Matty
said. "He's very handsome."
"And what else?" his mom
continued to prod him.
"He's very bright and
talented."
"Talented in regards to
how he manages to throw a ball through a hoop?"
"Come on, mom, you taught
me not to be judgmental."
"Sorry, sorry, just
trying to get a feel for his character here," his mom replied quickly. "Don't
blame me for being curious. You've never mentioned a boy before."
"He has more, like,
hidden talents," he continued.
"Hidden? Why does he need
to hide them?"
"It's complicated," Matty
said quickly. The more this conversation progressed, the more he realized that
it had been a mistake to start it. Rusty wasn't at all like the man his mom
pictured while building her long list of attributes for her future son-in-law.
"You're not getting too
involved in someone else's drama, are you, Matty?"
Of course, she would ask that.
She was very protective, and he got it, and she wanted him to have a life that
was all smooth sailing, but things weren't always like that. Even now, whatever
drama Rusty had to deal with while visiting his mom, he had wanted to be a part
of it. Too bad Rusty hadn't accepted his offer to come along. How could he
really explain Rusty and everything that made him so amazing in his eyes, when
the other person hadn't met him?
"I'm not," he said. "He's
worth it, though, and it's not drama. It's just that he's on a path to discover
who he truly is." He hoped that was the case. But Rusty didn't do things by
half. If he wore a mask and a cape to roam the campus at night and sing arias
from popular operas, it was because that had to be something he believed in. It
was, however, only guesswork on his part; one of these days, he'd have to ask Rusty.
He needed to put on his big boy pants and learn what truly made the guy he was
in love with tick.
"All right. But you sound
like you're not convinced, Matty. And what's your relationship with him? You
said that you're not yet boyfriends."
"Yeah." He didn't even
recognize his voice in that whisper. Was his affection that poorly woven that
the lightest breeze was enough to make it come undone? The sudden scrutiny, to
which he was subjecting himself of his own accord, made him see things in a
different light. He had been a coward, he realized, and got a little mad at
himself.
"But you want him to be
that for you, don't you?" his mom asked, oblivious to all the conflicting
emotions he was experiencing at the moment. "Then you know what to do. You go
at it with everything that has made you a success in life so far. I know you
have it in you."
"Really? I have your
blessing?" He couldn't believe his ears. This was his mom, the mom with the
list, the mom whom he had drawn as a dragon when he was little and overwhelmed
by her desire for him to succeed in his studies, and the mom who would never,
never allow anyone to hurt him.
Matty had a hunch that
even if hurting was involved, he'd be down with it, as long as it was Rusty
doing the hurting.
"As long as you don't
neglect your studies. It's senior year, Matty. You must give it your all.
Speaking of which, how is that Jonathan Hamilton doing? Is he showing any signs
of slowing down?"
"Unfortunately not, mom,"
Matty said, relieved to steer the conversation away from Rusty for the time
being. "He's truly gifted."
"So are you," his mom
shot back. "I wonder if it's because he comes from a wealthy family that he's seen
with different eyes by the faculty."
"It's not like that," he
explained. "Jonathan is really hardworking and intelligent. And he explicitly
forbid his parents to make donations to the school so that no one thinks he's
buying his way through." His mom didn't have to know all the details about how
Jonathan had supported himself through half of junior year.
"And how do you know
that? Have you talked to him?"
"We're friends,
actually."
"Really? That is one
important piece of news, Matty. Now, no matter how friendly you two are, make
sure that you steal his methods of getting such impressive grades on his
exams."
"I'm not turning to a
life of crime for your sake, mom," Matty joked. "Jonathan is simply a scholar
at heart." Also, an impressive cook. "I'm a practical person. I study to
achieve something beyond my studies." That was the kind of thing his mom liked
to hear, and he didn't want to keep her hanging.
"Well, keep me posted on
how things work out with your crush," his mom said cheerfully.
"Crush? It's not a
crush," Matty argued.
"It sounds like it is to
me."
Minutes after his
conversation with his mom ended, Matty was still turning her words over in his
mind and examining them from all sides. It was only natural that Rusty didn't
think he was serious; he had never said anything to that effect. What was the
worst that could happen? For starters, Rusty might never want to have anything
to do with him ever again. But if that were the case, wasn't he only postponing
the inevitable? They had been tutor and pupil, fuck buddies, friends, and what
else was necessary before they ended up having that talk?
It wasn't like he felt
insanely brave, and that was what he needed to be if he wanted Rusty's heart
for real. His mom had talked about Rusty being only a crush to him, because he
still acted as if they were at the beginning of their relationship.
How was he going to have
the guts to tell him how he felt? Truly felt?
"Hey, college boy."
Matty shook his head and
stared up at Jamie. They were so close he could tell that if he moved his feet
only a smidge he'd end up stepping on the other's toes. That also forced him to
tip his head back to look at the intruder on his thoughts.
Jamie grinned, his
tattooed arms crossed over his chest, the entire bad boy thing really working
for him, and, for a moment, Matty forgot that he was supposed to say something.
Jamie leaned forward,
bringing their faces close and making Matty lean back
even further. "Cat got your tongue, pretty thing?"
Just as he was about to
reply, Matty lost his balance and was about to fall
on his back in the most comical way possible when Jamie caught him and helped steady
him. "I've been told I make guys fall head over heels with me, but I never took
it literally."
"Thanks," Matty said
dryly, "you can release me now."
"And risk letting you
fall? No, that won't happen." Jamie laughed and pulled Matty forward and then
up to stand face to face. "What I really want to know is why that owner of
yours is letting you roam free."
It was difficult to keep
a serious train of thought with Jamie crowding his space like that. Matty liked
to believe that he wasn't that big a sucker for a pretty face, but it looked
like he wasn't as impervious to manly charms as he thought himself to be. "What
owner?" He sidestepped and managed to put some distance between himself and the
other.
Jamie followed him
casually, his strut as confident as the rest of him. "Consider it friendly
curiosity, but how on earth did you tame that beast, Matty?"
"I'm glad to see you know
my name," Matty continued. And then, completely sure of himself and even proud,
"I have no idea who you're talking about."
Jamie laughed and seemed
to not take the hint that Matty didn't want company.
"I see. You're playing hard to get. And that would be really exciting if Rusty
were into dudes to begin with. So, you see my dilemma? How did you made him
fall for your sexy ass?"
"The last time I saw him,
he was doing just fine, still walking on his own two feet. No sign of falling,"
Matty hurried to assure him.
"Not by what I saw,"
Jamie replied.
Matty was torn. On the
one hand, he wanted to learn more about Rusty from Jamie. On the other, he was
pretty sure that it wasn't healthy for him to spend too much time in that bad
boy's company. "Where are you going?"
"Right now? Wherever you
are, sweetie."
Matty rolled his eyes.
"I'm going to study in my room. Are you sure you still want to follow me?"
"Why not? I could rub
your feet while you read your boring books. I could suck on your toes, too. I
bet they're just as pretty as the rest of you."
"Oh gawd," Matty groaned,
"you're one of those guys into feet. That's like the most boring kink in
existence." He had no strong opinion about it, actually, but he wanted, no, he
needed to show Jamie that he wasn't interested.
"I'm just pulling your
leg." Jamie laughed. "See what I did there? Foot, leg."
"You're a total riot,
what can I say. Now, what do I have to do to get rid of you?"
"Finally, a reasonable question.
All I want is for you to join me for a cup of joe and chill."
"I don't drink coffee."
"I do. You can have
anything you like." Jamie took him casually by the shoulders, and Matty didn't
shake him off. It looked like playing along would bring him benefits, since now
he was really curious what the guy's play was. Something told him that all that
flirting was a smokescreen. "Me included," a whisper brushed by his ear.
Okay, so maybe the guy
was laying it on a bit too thick. But Matty was still curious.
***
"Okay, what is it that
you want to know?" Matty asked.
Jamie stared at him
intently. "What's the deal with you and Rusty?"
"What's it to you?" Matty
asked in the same manner and sipped his soda, his eyes never leaving the
handsome guy sitting across from him.
"You see, as much as it
might surprise you, that mofo is my friend. So, it
hurts me that he didn't let me know he got himself a boyfriend."
"Come on, dude, there's
only so much eye rolling I can do in one day without straining something."
Matty felt embarrassed as he remembered how Jamie had witnessed their public
kiss that time. He had been mad at Rusty and didn't recall much of how Jamie
had actually reacted. Now, he was trying to smooth things over by playing it
cool.
"You guys are fucking,"
Jamie said matter-of-factly.
"So?" Matty held his chin
high, praying inwardly that no one was actually close enough to their table to
hear what they were talking about.
Jamie threw him an
incredulous look. "That's all you have to say? That mofo
changes the girls he's banging faster than socks."
"He's not a big fan of
socks, it seems," Matty replied.
Jamie's face froze in a
gasp and then he grinned again. "I'll be damned." He shook his head. "Not a big
fan of socks, indeed. He's into ass. Your ass." He pointed at Matty with a
satisfied look in his eyes.
"Well, it's none of your
business, right?"
Jamie sighed. "I've known
Rusty for a while. He's tough, but, you know, I've never seen him being real
about someone."
"What are you trying to
tell me here?" Matty asked and took another cautious sip of his beverage. "That
I should... what?"
"Convince him to be real
about you," Jamie said with a shrug. "He needs that kind of thing."
"I had no idea you were
close enough friends that you cared," Matty pointed out.
Jamie opened his arms,
making sure to flex those guns in the process. "Call me a hopeless romantic at
heart. I see the two of you, and I get interested."
"I am so not buying one
word you're saying."
Jamie laughed but he
didn't seem to be hiding anything behind that laughter. "Do what you must,
Matty. Just to be clear. If Rusty gives you the boot, don't hide in a corner,
crying your heart out. Come to me. I'm good at comforting people." He pointed
both hands at his chest. "Some people might even call me an expert."
"I don't doubt it for a
moment," Matty said. "Still, why the interest in what Rusty does?"
Jamie leaned over the
table. "I owe the guy. And he never asked for anything in return until that
night when he wanted me to show you a good time. That was a shocker. Especially
since he changed the deal so I was left high and dry."
"You didn't seem that
keen on him that time. You got pretty pissed."
Jamie hunched his
shoulders and let them drop. "Eh, you were so pretty and I got worked up."
"Why are you here?" Matty
asked. It wasn't the first time Jamie had been on campus. "I mean here, at
Sunny Hill, on a Saturday."
"Why not? Hunting
grounds," Jamie replied. "And also on a little mission."
"To tell me... what? That
you want to offer your comforting services?"
"That, and to let you
know that Rusty is worth the trouble, the mofo."
Matty blinked. Jamie
wasn't the first person to tell him that. He sipped from his drink again. The
odds were going up. He needed to make his move soon.
TBC
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