Date: Mon, 9 Dec 2019 23:40:25 -0500 From: Justin Smith Subject: Lies within Ourselves - Chapter 8 Lies within Ourselves – Chapter 8 ******************** Warning: This story involves gay scenes and some harsh language if you are offended by this or it is illegal to read where you live please leave now. Otherwise enjoy! This is a work of pure fiction. No one in this story is a real person, living or deceased. ***IMPORTANT INFO: I would like to first apologize to everyone who has read this and that it took this long to update the story. When I started writing this I was 23 and my grandpa was going through cancer treatments. After writing Chapter 7 he died my family was devastated. I pretty much just stopped writing for a long time. Now it is 6 years later and a couple of people have emailed me about starting the story again. Life has been crazy the last few months. I am now fully self employed and have much more free time but also my mother was diagnosed with Stage 2 rectal cancer and thyroid cancer. I am currently staying with my parents to help them out. I am going to try hard to finish this story for you all.*** If you want to write me, please do so at: m.bennet35@gmail.com Join our Facebook group at www.facebook.com/groups/lieswithinourselves/ ******************** Prevision Chapter Recapitulation: Sean's attacker has been identified but after speaking with Brock, the attacker, he has decided not to press charges. Matt's mother has a new love interest in her life named Rusty, who also has a son named Austin. Rusty is hoping that Matt and Sean would talk with him and maybe try to be friends with him since he is very shy and has a hard time making friends at school. Travis has asked his mother if he can move out and she does not care if he leaves and tells him his father doesn't want to see him anymore. Chapter 8: I didn't want to bother Sean or his family again, they had done so much for me as it was. I definitely didn't want to be alone and had no where else to go. I felt horrible after basically being rejected by my own family. There weren't to many people I could turn to besides Sean and Matt, but on the football team there was Wes who seemed to be a down to earth kind of guy and we weren't exactly best friends but we did chat a few times and I thought if I could count on anyone it would be him. Wes arrived about twenty minutes after I called him. "Hey man, what is up? Is everything okay? " Wes asked with genuine concern on his face. "Thank you for coming Wes. I wasn't real sure who else to call tonight. " I started to explain to him what had happened and that I wasn't sure what to do. Wes looked worried about me which I was not use to. Not many people cared about what happened to me. "First of all Travis I know that school and life in general has been rough for you lately. You got suspended for awhile which I know is because of some bullying you did to Sean. Is that correct? " Wes asked me. I put my head down is shame. This was it he was not going to help me because I know that he is friends with both Matt and Sean. Shit. What am I going to do now. "Yes it is true I was horrible to Sean for along time and it took me being expelled and for Sean being attacked to realize how much of a jerk I really am. " I started to tear up a bit. "There is no excuse for what I did but I have since apologized to him and he accepted my apology. We have actually become friends despite all that has happened. " Wes looked relieved at what I was telling him. "That is so awesome man. I am glad that you are friends with Sean, he is really a cool guy. Now what is it I can do for you? " "Do you know of anywhere I could stay for a few days. " I asked Wes. "Just until I can find something more permanent out. I already have a job lined up for me and it won't be long until school is out for the summer. I just don't want to have to sleep in my car. I have actually been staying with Sean for few weeks but I don't want to put his family out anymore than I have. " I could see Wes' brain going into overtime trying to think of a solution. He smiled and said "I may have something. Let's get out of here." ************************ It's really strange to me to think of my mother dating again. I mean I am beyond happy for her but it has been just us for so long and I had to get use to the fact that life could really change if she decides to marry this guy. Not only would I get a new dad but also a new brother. Which also reminded be that I had to find out from Rusty when and how he wanted Sean and I to meet Austin. I didn't want to approach him at school since he was shy and all and I didn't want to scare the poor guy. "Hey Matty. What are you doing? " Sean asked me while he was browsing the web on my computer. "I'm going to ask my mom if she can see when Rusty wants us to meet Austin. I don't want it to be awkward but it might be since he is shy and might not feel comfortable meeting so many new people all of the sudden. " I replied back to him. "Good idea. Maybe since Rusty is going out with your mom you could be the one to meet him first. That way we don't overwhelm him all at once. " Sean suggested. I told him that was a great idea and that I would have my mom set it up. Then after we broke the ice I could maybe ask Austin to hang out with Sean and all the others we hang out with. It had been a few days since I asked my mom about Austin and Rusty told her that we could meet this weekend when he came over for dinner. To be honest I was a bit nervous meeting Austin because I didn't want to screw anything up for my mother and if Austin and I didn't get along this could be a very bad thing. I kept Sean in the loop about what was happening and we agreed to meet on Friday evening to go out to dinner since I would not see him on Saturday because of me meeting with Austin. I was excited to go out to dinner with Sean and just relax with him on Friday. School was getting closer and closer to ending for the summer and it meant that we had more work than usual to prepare for finals, this means less time for Sean and I to spend with each other and it was killing me. I missed him so damned much. It seemed like Friday would never come but once the school bell had rung to let us know it was the last class of the day I was really getting anxious to get out of there. My last class was a study hall so I was going to try and get as much work done as I could so I didn't have much to do over the weekend. Tonight I would spend with Sean then Saturday with my mom, Rusty and Austin. I possibly could see Sean earlier on Saturday depending on what my mom wanted to do or if she needed my help with dinner for that night. I practically jumped out of my seat when it was time for class to be done. I rushed to my locker hoping to see Sean at his which was not far from mine. "Hey sexy! " I heard Sean whisper while I was in my locker getting everything I would need for the weekend. I smiled at him and said "Hey stud. I'm so glad to see you. It seems like today took forever to get done with. What would you like to do before we go to dinner tonight? " "I was thinking of maybe going to the park and enjoy some of the sun we are getting today. " He said to me asking if that would be okay. "That sounds great to me. Maybe we could go on a walk on one of the trails for about an hour then we can head back to my house to get showered and then get dressed for dinner. " I replied back to him with a smile. He had a grin on his face. "Great now I want to skip the walk and head straight for the shower with you. " I chuckled and said "Come on, let's have some self control for once and take a nice walk. " It really was a beautiful day, one of those rare days where it is not to hot or cold. We choose a more secluded path to take so we could hold hands. Not that I was ashamed to be seen in public but I know Sean has had trouble in the past with bullies and he was still a bit nervous at showing to much public affection. I loved him so I wanted to give him as much time as he needed to be comfortable with it. We walked hand in hand for about thirty minutes before stopping and sitting on one of the big rocks that were scattered around the trail. "This is so peaceful and being here with you makes it even better. " Sean said to me snuggling up against me. "I love you Sean and there is no where else I'd rather be than right here with you. " I said with a big smile on my face. "I love you to Matt. " He replied back to me. I hated to break up the moment we were having but it was starting to get later and we still had to walk back to the car and get back to my house so we could get ready for dinner. When we arrived at my house my mom was in the kitchen cleaning and getting ready for tomorrow nights dinner. I asked her if she need help but she said it was almost done and wanted us to just have fun on our date tonight. Since my mom was home I decided we should take separate showers and I saw that Sean was a bit disappointed at this but while my mom was no prude I did respect her rules enough to not do to much while she was home, it would just be too embarrassing for all the parties involved. I let Sean shower first and after he was done I quickly showered myself. The water was still warm and it felt good on my body. Once out of the shower I got dressed then Sean and I headed out for dinner. "Matty, where are we going to eat tonight. You haven't told me yet. " He asked. "Good question I wasn't actually sure until earlier today. " I answered him. "Wes had mentioned a nice restaurant he had taken a date of his a few weeks earlier. It's not to far from downtown. It's called Hillside County Restaurant. " "Sounds good to me. I am starving so I'm pretty much up for anything. " He laughed. We arrived quickly at Hillside and parked a distance away in the outer parking lot. I hated being cramped by other cars and it was still warm out so a bit of a walk to the doors was not to bad. As we entered the restaurant a women smiled at us then greeted us and showed us to a table. The interior of the restaurant was tastefully done and the lighting was a bit dark but it seemed to create a good atmosphere. "What would you like to drink tonight gentlemen. " the waitress asked Sean and I. Her name tag said Peggy on it. "I'll have a coke please. " I said to her. "And I will have a diet coke please. " Sean replied to her with a smile on his face. She smiled and said it wouldn't be long until the drinks would be out and that we could take our time ordering. I looked at the menu and was interested in the Steak Salad dinner option that came with a side and roll. Sean told me he wanted the chicken tenders and fries. I smiled because that was his go to food whenever he wasn't sure if he would like any of the food at a restaurant. The waitress brought our drinks out and we ordered our food. It actually didn't take that long to get our food and we both enjoyed our meals. We talked for a few minutes with our waitress through out the meal as she refilled our drinks. She told us that the restaurant had recently gone through a ownership change and that they had weekly specials now to which she gave us a menu that listed the different specials of the week. I paid for Sean's meal and he left the tip and we both agreed that we should come back sometime to try out different dishes. After dinner we headed back to Sean's house. It was around nine thirty and he wanted to see his parents before they went to be for the night. ************************ I walked into the living room after getting home from dinner. I saw my parents sitting on the couch watching some television and they looked up when they heard me enter the room. "Hey sweetie. How was your dinner? " my mom asked me. "It was great we went to Hillside. Have you two ever been there? " I asked. My dad answered back "Your mother and I have been there once or twice. A few years back but we didn't really care for the food. " "Yeah we talked with our waitress there and she said it has new owners and the menu has changed. It was actually really good or at least I thought it was. " I said to them. "We will have to give it another chance sometime. " My mother smiled and said to me. I asked them if it was okay if Matt and I hung out in my room for awhile and they didn't have any objections to it. We entered my room and as soon as I shut the door Matt was there behind me hugging me from behind. I smiled and thought how nice it was to have someone I loved and trusted. He turned me around and kissed me gently on the lips. I returned the kiss and gently pushed him on the bed. We made out for a few minutes and it was hard to pull myself away from him but my room was right next to my parents and they would be going to bed soon so we couldn't do to much tonight. Matt and I spent most of the rest of the night watching movies and cuddling. Matt decided to head home around twelve in the morning, he had called his mother to let her know where he was and asked if he could stay a bit later tonight which she said was fine. We kissed goodnight. "What time is your dinner tomorrow? " I asked him. "Rusty and Austin will be at our house around five tomorrow night. " I said to him. I was going to miss him. I know that it was just one night but we haven't spent to much time together because of school. "Will I see you at all tomorrow? " I asked him. He smiled at me and said "If my mom doesn't need too much help getting ready for the dinner we can hang out for a few hours tomorrow. I was very hopeful for this and even said I could help his mom and him if they needed me. After he left I climbed in bed and reflected on the wonderful day I had. Life was good. ************************ I woke up to a strange surrounding, I was not somewhere familiar and it took me a few minutes to realized where I was. After I asked Wes for some help he came up with an idea that would benefit me as well as him. Wes' grandma lived alone and she was getting older and needed some help around the house. He talked with her about it and said I could stay there with the understanding that I would help out with the yard work and general maintenance of the house. Nothing to demanding but still it would help both of us out. I was very grateful to both her and Wes for helping me out. I finally felt needed for once and it was a great feeling. Only Wes knows about what happened with my family and I but I did plan on telling Matt and Sean sometime. I just wasn't sure when or how. After I was expelled from school I was able to talk the school into letting me take online classes through their cyber school program. That way I would not be held back and could finish the rest of the year on schedule. I wasn't a perfect student so this would be challenging since I would have no real teacher teaching me and I was not allowed on school grounds unsupervised. The school did provide live chat with a teacher during school hours if I needed help with any lessons. Which did help me out a bit a couple of times. Sean, Matt, Wes, Amber and I had not all hung out in awhile due to our schedules being so busy and even though everyone had forgiven me for what I did in the past I still feel like an outsider sometimes. Amber was the most difficult to win over she saw me still as someone who hurt one of her friends and it would take time for her to trust me even just a little bit. I had just got done mowing the lawn when Wes' grandma Mary came out with a glass of water. I thanked her and put the lawnmower back into the shed out back. "Mary, do you need anything from in town? I am heading there soon to pick up a few items that I need for an end of school project I have to do. " I asked her. She smiled at me and said "Could you get a carton of milk and some bread. Here is some money to cover it. " "I can pay for it Mary. It's the least I can do for what you are doing for me. " I told her. "Nonsense dear. I have more than enough to get milk and bread. How about next time I let you pay for it. We can take turns. I think that would be a fair deal and it wouldn't make any of us uncomfortable or thinking we are taking advantage of each other. " She said in the sweetest of voices. This was not something I was use to being treated with respect and kindness. It sometimes made be feel a bit sad because I wish my family could be loving toward me or at least decent toward me but I would have to overcome this and realize things would not change with my parents. In town I first went to the local office supply store. I needed some printing paper, thank God that Mary had a computer and printer, for the essay I needed to turn in before the end of next week. Even though I was in online classes the school liked to have a hard copy for my portfolio. I also got some more ink for the printer since I saw it was getting low. I had saved a bit of money from my after school job and since Mary was nice enough not to charge me rent I kept saving. Soon I might be able to get my own apartment since I would be eighteen in my senior year that fall. After I was done with getting paper and ink I headed over to the market to get bread and milk. It didn't take me long to find them and I was heading for the cash register when I saw some guys from the football team walking my way. I quickly dodged them and hid in an aisle. I had almost no contact with the team after being expelled from school and I knew most if not all were pissed at me for getting kicked off the team. The truth be told I was not ready to confront many people from school. I rushed back to Wes' grandmas house to give Mary her bread and milk, and then after dinner I shot Sean and Matt a text asking how they were doing. It took them awhile to get back to me but they said they just got done eating dinner at Hillside and that they were just hanging out. I figured they didn't need me to intrude on their alone time so I didn't ask if they wanted to hang out or anything. I was feeling pretty lonely the last few days but I always felt like a burden to others so I didn't want to ask any of the gang to hang out. I just laid down on my bed for awhile. I was staying in a guest room on the first floor of Mary's house which had it's own bathroom so I had privacy which was really nice. I heard some commotion in the living room but it was not uncommon Mary often had friends over or a family member dropping by to see how she was doing. A few minutes passed and I heard a quiet knock on my door. It was Wes I smiled at him and said "Hey man. How's it going? " "Really good dude. I wanted to say hey to grandma before I head home and also wanted to see how you were doing. " He said to me with a smile. "I am doing good. Thank you so much for helping me out. I really appreciate it. " I said to him. He smiled again and said "That is what friends are for. I am glad you are doing good. I talked to the coach today. He said if you keep your grades up and don't start any trouble they might let you back in school next year and you could join the team again. " I was so excited about this news and that I had a real chance to start my life again at school and start football again. I really missed it but I also had a lot to think about. Since I no longer lived with my parents I wasn't sure how I could handle a job, school and being on the football team and not to mention trying to live on my own. I didn't want to take advantage of Mary's kindness to me but I would just have to wait and see what happens over the summer. Wes stayed for about an hour and we talked about what was going on at school and how the team was doing. It made me feel less lonely to have someone my age to talk to. Sleeping that night was easy for the first time in weeks. ************************ Saturday started out really well. My mom did need me to do a few things around the house but I invited Sean over to help me out that way we could spend a few hours together before dinner. "Honey, Sean can stay for dinner if he wants to. " My mom said to me. "Thank you mom. Normally I would say yes but Sean and I discussed it and since Austin is shy we didn't want to overwhelm him with too many new people. " I told her. She smiled and said that was a good idea. "You are so thoughtful. How did I get so blessed with a son like you. " She said to me with a big smile on her face. "Just lucky I guess. " I chuckled to her. Sean and I started with dusting and sweeping the living room. After that my mom said all she needed me to do was clean my room a bit just in case Austin wanted to hang out in there after dinner. It didn't take to long to clean my room especially with Sean's help. It was around three when everything was finished. Sean and I just hung in my room for a awhile and did some studying for school. Both our parents were really good about us dating but did say that if our grades fell that they would limit our time together so we tried our best to stay on top of school work. Sean left around four thirty and headed home. After he was gone I went to the living room to see what my mom was up to. "Do you need anything else mom. " I asked her. "Thank you honey but I am good right now. I have a roast in the oven with some potatoes and vegetables. All I need to do is just take it out when it's ready. " She said to me. "Sounds good. I am going to chill in my room. Will you let me know when they get here? " I asked her. "Sure will. " She replied to me. I must of nodded off because I was awoken by a car door shutting. That must be them. I got up and brushed my hair because it was messy from me laying down. Straightened my clothes I was wearing up a bit and headed for the living room. My mom invited Rusty and Austin in and introduced me to Austin. He smiled and said "Hello. Nice to meet you. " In a timid voice and then he looked down to the ground. "Please come in and sit down. Dinner is almost ready. Would any of you like a drink? " My mother kindly asked them. Rusty asked for some iced tea and Austin asked if we had any coke. Which we did and I went and got it for them to help my mom out. I cleared my throat. "What grade are you in Austin. " I asked. He quietly replied "I am in tenth grade. " "Cool so you are a year behind me. How do you like the school so far? " I asked him. It took him a few minutes to answer "It's not so bad. " he told me. Rusty and my mom where talking about random things and I decided to ask Austin if he would like to hang in my room. Maybe play a game or he could surf the web on my computer. He said that would be cool and we headed to my room. "I know this might be a bit awkward for you meeting this way. " I said to him. He looked around my room and nodded agreeing with me. "I appreciate you being nice to me. I don't have a lot of friends and didn't even back in my home town. If you don't want to hang out with me I understand. My dad shouldn't of put you in this position. " he said to me. "Don't be silly I thought it was a great idea. I think we could be friends in time and my mom seems to like your dad. " I told him. "Yeah my dad likes your mom. I have not seen him smile this much in a long time since my mom died about three years ago. " He explained to me. "I'm really sorry about your mom. That sucks man. " I said with a hint of sadness in my voice. I tried to change the subject so it didn't get to heavy fast. "Would you be interested in meeting some of my other friends sometime. " I asked him. He seem to think for a little while and seemed a bit nervous "That might be nice but I don't want to intrude on anything and I am not sure they would like me. " "Man, don't you even worry about it. They will like you. You seem to be a great guy. " I said to him. He smiled and looked down at his shoes again avoiding eye contact for awhile. Not long after that my mom called us to dinner. "Matt are you on any sports teams at school. " Rusty asked me. I replied "Yup I am on the football team. " I answered. He smiled at me "What position do you play? " "I'm running back. " I told him. He smiled and seemed impressed. "Austin didn't play any sports back home but I was hoping maybe he could at least try out next year. " Rusty said. I looked over at Austin and he seemed a bit embarrassed at what Rusty had said. "Well I could introduce him to some of the guys on the team. If he doesn't like football he could try out for other stuff also. Our school has several different programs. " I said to Rusty which seemed to make him happy and he change the subject. I could see out of the corner of my eye that Austin seemed relieved that the subject had changed. Maybe he didn't like sports or wasn't good at them but I would do my best to at least help him however I could. The rest of the night went very well and it seemed like everyone had a good time even Austin seemed to be enjoying himself despite him being a bit shy. As they left I told Austin I would look for him at school Monday and that it was nice to meet him tonight. Rusty thanked us for the food and for the good time. After they were gone my mom turned to me smiling, "Well that went very well. Thank you so much Matt for being nice to Rusty's son. What do you think of him? " She asked. "He seems cool. He was a bit nervous and shy but he seemed like a fun guy to hang out with once he gets comfortable with us. I told him I would introduce him to Sean, Amber and the others sometime soon. " I said to her. She seemed really happy that things went well and it was so good seeing her smile so much. After my dad we both went through a rough time and I didn't know if we could cope without him. I helped my mom with the dishes and then went to my room. I wanted to call Sean and update him on how things went. I shot him a text asking if he was still awake and then called. "Hey babe. How are you? " I said to him. "Doing great. Miss you a lot though. How was dinner? " He asked me curiously. "It went really well. Austin was definitely shy but he seemed to have a good time with us. I told him I would introduce him to everyone soon. I hope that is okay? " I asked him. "Sounds good to me. Looking forward to meeting him. " Sean replied to me. I smiled and knew that Sean would like him also. From the little that Austin told me about himself I think Sean and him are a lot alike. Our little gang of friends seemed to be growing fast and there was nothing wrong with that. We were all really lucky to have each other. "Do you want me to come over tonight. " Sean asked me. I replied "I would love for you to but I am really tired. How about we meet up for breakfast. We can invite Amber and Travis if you want. " I could hear the smile in his voice "Oh... that would be great. We have not had much time to spend with them lately. I have talked to Amber a couple times on the phone but have you heard from Travis lately? " Sean asked concerned. "I have not heard much from him besides the text I got from him yesterday evening. " I said. "But I did hear from Wes that he is doing well and that everything is taken care of. Not sure what that means. I am not real sure if he is back home with his parents or not. I hope he is safe because I know how horrible his home life is. " I said to Sean. Sean replied in a hopeful voice "Yes I hope he is okay. I am glad we are going to hang out with them tomorrow hopefully Amber and Travis don't have plans. " I told Sean I would call Amber and Travis after we were done talking and ask them if they wanted to go out for breakfast. We spent the next hour just chatting and saying that we loved each other. It was real nice and I could not stop smiling. I called Amber first and she said that she could come. "What time should I be there? " She asked. I told her "Let's do ten in the morning. We can sleep in a little. " She seemed fine with that and then I told her I would see her in the morning. Next I called Travis. He seemed surprised to hear from me. "Hello Matt. How's it going? " He asked me. "Good man. Would you be able to hang out with us tomorrow for breakfast? Around ten in the morning tomorrow? " I asked him. He seemed really excited "Oh yes... That would be great. I have not gotten out of the house much lately. Where do you want to meet? " He asked me. I told him we would all meet at Marie's Diner. It had great breakfast choice and wasn't to badly priced. I told Travis goodnight and then headed to bed myself. Today was a long day and I was tired. ******************** Thank you to all who have emailed me encouragement over the years and I am truly sorry for keeping you all waiting for so long. Since it has been 6 years my writing style may have changed a bit. I reread the story and hope that I fixed all the mistakes I made in previous chapters. Also I am looking for someone to help me with editing the story. If anyone is interested please feel free to email me. If you enjoyed this story please consider donating to Nifty which is a great resource for many awesome stories! http://donate.nifty.org/donate.html ********************