Date: Mon, 14 Feb 2005 06:15:22 -0500 From: Mike & Bagger Subject: Mike Our Star Player II-8 Once again folks this is a fictional story. : A couple of times during II-7 I accidentally referred to Mark as Mike. Damn Typos :) When we got to my house I thanked Crag and told him to tell Marie I might call her later on to explain what happened tonight. If Mark tells me more of what has been happening at Marty's house I may be suggesting that she provide some help to resolve the conflict between Marty and Mike. After we got settled in I told Mark that I was going to take some medicine than turn in. I told him to feel free to watch T.V. since it was not a school night and he could stay up later if he wished. << Marks POV >> Monday, the first day back to school after my weekend "date" with Mark, the first since this past summer, and what a weekend it was for all four of us (MD Terps vs. Duke at the Comcast Center courteous of Mr. Mike --- MD had beat Duke earlier in the ACC season). It was Valentine's Day as well as the first day back at work for Mr. Mike. I walked by his office and man did he get flowers (from both the guys and gals at school) as well as many cards and posters. As I walked down the hall I thought about the past few days. My father had insisted that I repay Mr. Mike for my ticket as well as Mark's to the basketball game. But Mr. Mike told me that since the tickets were very expensive that he would pay for them and that I had to pay, not charge dinner for Mark and I instead. I asked Mark to be my Valentine's date for dinner prior to attending the basketball game. Mark informed me that we would be going "Dutch Treat" since the two of us had to start the dating scene all over again, after the way that I had acted towards him since this past summer. For some reason going to Pizza Hut with Mark as my date did not seem all that crazy, but then I overheard a comment by a classmate that caused me to have a flashback to last spring. **********************FLASHBACK **************************************** Last spring when we attended "The Spring Fling", I had wanted Mark to look to the nine's, while Mark had insisted on renting his own tux to wear, I had to have the best and I picked up the tab. He had saved up money to buy me a plain (ok I can not describe it) gold ring, and once again I had to have my way and buy us more expensive matching bands, plus getting our ears pierced. Mark had won a prize that included a free night's stay at a hotel with a free ride to and from our prom in a limo. Again I wanted only the best and biggest and had to make changes. I called the hotel to have the room changed to a suite along with having the limo changed from a regular one to a stretch limo with a sun roof. Little did I realize what this was doing to Mark. When we got back from our partying that weekend Mark offered to help me study for our final exams. You know me pretty well as I told him that I could pass them with my eyes closed --- I failed and was told to take the course that summer or NO FOOTBALL since I would have an incomplete on my record. (New Town Highs School has a policy that if a student has passed all assignments, tests and fails the final exam than the teacher can either give an F with no credit for the course or an INC which means the final needs to passed before the next course can be taken) My course that I got the INC in was Math, my worse course and Mark's best. That summer instead of going on vacation with dad and I, Mark took the job offer from Mr. Mike to watch his guide dog Bagger, while he was in the hospital. Yeah he got paid a good deal for it. When football practice started dad informed me that the new principal (Mr. Mike -- I did not know that he had taken the opening) had suspended me for the first grading period or until I got the INC off my record. NO FOOTBALL!!!!!! To hear my former teammates referring to Mark as "Our Star Player" since I could not play ate at me, and I turned into the biggest bigot around since Judas. Oh yeah I got to play in the final couple of games, but this season I was not the Star Player and my ego took a major hit. *****************END OF FLASHBACK **************************************** As we walked and talked from the pizza place to the location where we were to meet Mr. Mike and my father; it was nice just being able to talk to Mark again, like we had before, when he felt safe telling me how he was feeling. I kinda think that it really bothered Mark to tell Marty and I that he was going to stay at Mr. Mike's place because he felt there were things that two of us needed to talk out instead of yelling like we had the other night, which lead him to say, "Mike, I hope that you talk to Marie either with Marty or alone because unless you do I will not be returning to your house". When we met up with the other two I walked beside Mr. Mike and asked him, "Do you think that Marie can help start to mend the problem between Mark, dad and myself?" "Mike, all I can say is if you are truly honest with Marie, she may be able to help you start to mend a lot of fences. But understand this Mike; I will not take part in any sessions that you, Marty, and Mark have scheduled, because prior to the death of my baby brother your actions made me ill. So call her number to see if she can see you either during free periods, after school or when ever, because its your life that needs to be fixed as soon as possible not Marty's or Mark's," was his reply. I moved back up beside Mark and the two of us talked as we headed up towards the Comcast Center for the game. Behind us Mr. Mike and Marty were also talking very seriously. I soon learned out how serious it was from my dad. "Michael!!! (Oh shit I am in trouble, he called me by Michael not Mike)," came his sharp voice to my ears. "Yes sir," was my reply as I moved beside my father. Dad told me what Mr. Mike and he had talked about prior to getting to the Comcast Center, and I had a gut feeling that I was not going to like a thing that had been said between the two adults. I was right once dad began to speak, "The other night when Mr. Mike was at our house the reason he called his brother-in-law to take he and Mark back to his place was because he did not feel safe with us. The other thing you must understand Mike is that I have very strong feelings for Mr. Mike, and have told his sister about these feelings. That is why he was to come to stay at our house with the three of us, and now he is scared of you Mike. Please do not take this the wrong way, but Mr. Mike has heard you say some nasty things towards Mark and it reminds him of the comments made by the teenagers who killed his brothers. He told me, `Marty, I have strong feelings towards you, but I need to keep Mark where he is safe from a homophobic bigot who turns on and off like a light switch. So until I hear and see the actions to back them up of a change in him, I have asked Mark to stay at the condo, so that he can be who he is.' He has also informed me that he was sorry to tell me this but he does not think that the two of us should attempt to take our relationship further until you come clean with all of us." My father continued to say, "Michael, I know that the most important thing for you to do is start from scratch with Mark. As a part of this you are going to call Marie to setup a family counseling session with the two of us as soon as possible. I also want you to think about things that you have said that have made both Mark and Mr. Mike not feel safe around you for any reason." My dad was asking a lot from me with that last statement, but I knowing that I wanted and needed Mark back as my partner and as an equal it was something I HAD to do. If Mark and I, as well as dad and Mr. Mike, were going to have a chance to be together then I had to come clean both with myself; and what I have said about both Mark and Mr. Mike. This conversation gave me a killer headache, but I knew I had to spill my guts about what I have said towards both Mr. Mike and Mark, which I will do in the next tape/chapter. TBC........ Thanks to my editor Richard!!!! PS: I received some 20 flames about the two parts that were based on my eal life issues, and my only reply is that I AM NOT SORRY THAT I HONORED MY BROTHER'S IN THIS WAY!!!! And for those that sent e-mails saying that all 3 got what they deserved, I say this to you, "Thee without any sin may cast the first stone." Once again gang I am writing this as fiction and just like other writers here on Nifty that include personal experiences in their stories they submit. If the subject matter offends you than please just ignore the story.