Date: Fri, 21 Jan 2022 23:37:08 -0500 From: James Heady Subject: The Boy With the Emerald Eyes--Chapter 21 The Boy With the Emerald Eyes By James Disclaimer This is a story which deals with sexual/romantic situations between teenaged males. Should you not be of the legal age to read such material, or if you're offended by such stories then please find something else to read. This story also will contain scenes of violence, instances of Hate Speech and at times possibly scenes dealing with or dialogue concerning rape. If those themes disturb anyone who reads this story, then I urge them to find something else to read as well. Please remember to donate to Nifty, as your donations help to keep these stories and related information open, and free to the public. Finally, if anyone would like to contact me regarding this story, I can be reached at jamesheady1985@gmail.com. I respond to all e-mails, but flames and other e-mails that are, or that I suspect are trolling or flaming in nature will be ignored. The Boy With the Emerald Eyes Chapter 21 Dakota During the last week of October, I worked on school work, as well as homework, along with spending time with Caleb. We would also spend time with Tyler, Devin and Mandy whenever she was available to hang out. She was keeping busy with several after-school activities, but she definitely enjoyed hanging out with us when the chance presented itself. I was also spending some time alone with my dad since Sarah was away for that last week of October visiting one of her friends who lived where she and Tanner originally lived before they moved here to Sangger. I would never forget that week as that brought Tanner and I even closer, and made me love him even more! At the beginning of that week, Caleb and I had dinner with Tanner, and Monday night we were joined by Amy and Christopher, then it was just Caleb, Tanner and I on Tuesday evening eating dinner together. Caleb and I would lay on my bed cuddling after dinner those two nights, then on Wednesday night it was just Tanner and I since Caleb was studying for a test in Biology, and he was putting in most of the evening with it, though he would text me a couple of times every couple of hours to check in, and I loved that he did that. Aside from Caleb's texts, and a quick call before he went to bed, Tanner and I spent the evening with getting dinner taken care of, as well as talking about one another's day. Sarah called after dinner, and Tanner and I talked to her at the same time as she was on Video Chat, which made it easy to do that. It was that Thursday evening though that stuck out in my mind that was the moment that brought Tanner and I even closer together! As Tanner and I finished up eating, he went out to get the mail, and after I finished putting the last dish in the drainer, he returned with an official looking envelope. The only time we got envelopes such as that kind was if it had something to do with Adam's case. Adam had been in jail awaiting trial for what he had done to me, so I didn't think about him too much. I had worried about if he would get out on bail, but once we got a letter stating that bail had been denied, I put him out of my mind, but now there was another envelope, and I wondered what it might say. Tanner read off the name, and sure enough it was to do with Adam's case. Tanner opened the letter, and wheeled closer to me then read it. The up-shot was that Adam did a plea bargain with the District Attorney, and the end result was that Adam would be in prison for ten to 20 years for what he had done to me. I was glad that it was over, and I had feared from time to time that I would have to go through a lengthy trial, and that I'd have to testify. I had worried about what Adam's attorney could do to damage my credibility, as well as how bad they would make me look. I also was afraid of the possibility of Caleb and my other friends believing them, or at least doubting me even a little. None of that seemed to be coming true, and I felt lighter than I had for a while knowing that it was over. "I'm glad it's over," I said hugging tanner after he put the letter in the file cabinet reserved for exactly these types of letters. "So am I," he said hugging me back. "I was afraid sometimes of having to testify if Adam's attorneys would call for that," I said as Tanner and I continued holding one another. "I was also worried about if his attorneys were able to twist anything I'd say, if that would make Caleb and my other friends doubt me, even a little." "I'm sure they wouldn't have," Tanner replied. "They know the kind of person you are, and so do I. Adam Tomson is a hateful person, and a part of me would like to hope that he could come to understand what he did, and how and why it was wrong, but I want to see him pay for what he's done." "I feel the same way," I answered as we wheeled over to the couch and transferred out of our chairs and on to its cushions. Once seated, Tanner put an arm around me, and I looked left to face him. We locked eyes for a moment, then I turned the rest of the way to the side to put my arms around him. He held me while I held him, and we just sat like that for a long time as the rain fell heavily outside. My head rested on Tanner's shoulder, and it was nice to feel his arms around me. Finally though I lifted it, and looked at him again. "Dad, I love you," I said, and I held him tighter as he did the same. "I love you too," he answered, and I could hear the emotion in his voice even though I couldn't see his face as I had my cheek pressed against his. "I love you more than anything my son!" "I know I haven't called you Dad yet, but I feel comfortable calling you dad now," I went on. "It's really nice to hear," he answered continuing to hold me close. "I know you adopted me, and that I'm not related to you by blood," I said. "But you truly are my dad, and it doesn't matter what genetics says about it." "I feel the same way about you as well Dakota," he responded. "You're my son in every way that matters, and I always want you in my life!" "I'll always want you in my life as well Dad," I replied. After we separated, I got a shower, then got in to bed. My dad sat with me for a few minutes telling me how much of a nice evening he had spending it with me. I told him that I felt the same way, then after a few minutes more of talking, I was falling asleep fast. "I love you Dakota," my dad said then kissed my cheek. "I love you too Dad," I answered then was asleep shortly after he left turning off the light and closing the door to my room. 0000 The boy had been moved from his room down in the basement, and up to a room on the first floor. He screamed when he saw a couple more rats come through the hole in the wall to the left of the door, and he screamed loud and long enough so that one of the guards came in the room to see what the problem was. He had been beaten for disturbing the others, or at least that's what they said the reason was for their beating the shit out of him. Whatever it was, at least he was out of that room. The room in which he had been locked was small like the one in the basement, but this one had a window. It was set in the wall across from the foot of the bed, and there were bars covering it. He looked at them, and studied the screws holding the frame over the window in which the bars were set. The screws looked like one could insert the edge of a dime or a quarter in to, and that's when he got an idea. He had been given money for the pay phone on which he was allowed to call home once every two weeks, not that his dad or anyone else in the family wanted to talk to him much, but they did want progress reports on how he was doing, as well as to talk to him if only to talk more shit to him. As he dug in his pockets, he found a quarter in one of them. Gripping it tightly, he listened to see if there was anyone coming. He then looked at the clock, and it read 9:30 P.M. He figured that he would wait, since the guards seemed less likely to check on the kids after 12:00 A.M. With that in mind, he lay down on the bunk and fought to keep himself awake. The boy jerked awake when he heard a door slam somewhere off in the distance. He sat up, and looked at the clock. He then felt a little better, for it was one minute until 12:00 A.M. He readied himself, and once the clock changed, he got up as quietly as he could, and walked over to the window. He took out his quarter and checked to see if it would fit like he hoped it would. It did, and he gave it a twist. It was hard, but he kept going with it. He found the screw loosening up, and then he removed it. He went to work on the second one, then the third. There were three screws in the bottom of the frame, then three in the top of it. Finally, he removed the last screw from the top part of the frame, and then he grabbed the bars so it wouldn't fall to the ground. Once he sat it down on the ground, he looked at the window. It was a huge sheet of glass, and he checked to see if there were any weak points in the frame around it he could start making even more compromised. He hoped he could weaken things even more so that the window would be loose enough for him to remove from the frame, but he was finding out quickly that no such weak points existed. "Damn!" he yelled in his head. He knew what he had to do. He hoped that it would be a long time before any of the guards came, so he inhaled once holding his breath, and took the metal frame. He slammed it hard against the glass, and it shattered in to a million little pieces. He climbed out the window careful not to cut himself, and after stepping away from the open window frame, he listened. He didn't hear anything for a moment, then a ear-splitting alarm sounded, and he ran fast and hard! He ran for what seemed like miles, and now he heard doors opening behind him, but it was far away. As he kept running, he didn't feel anything but the cold wind in his hair, and he was totally high on adrenaline! The sounds got more and more further away, and he was flying down one path, then another until he saw the city lights of Sangger. He kept running, and didn't stop until he got to a place where several storefronts were established. He stopped for a moment to get his strength back, then he ran once more completely shocked and excited that he had gotten out of that Hellhole! "Yeah Bitch!" he screamed as he flew down the sidewalk! "I'm free! Bitch!" Finally he stopped running once he got to where another row of businesses stood. He looked to his right, and he was coming up to where a church stood. He looked up, and saw a cross over top of the doorway, then to the right of it was a rainbow flag. He knew by now what that sign was, and the still somewhat active hateful part of him wanted to go on a total hate-filled attack against it, but he fought the urge as hard as he could, and walked to the door and went in. 0000 Tanner turned off his book player, then after wheeling himself through the house checking to see that all the doors and windows were locked, and that the lights were off, he went in and after getting ready for bed, he went in to Dakota's room to check on him before he got in to bed for the night. Looking in at his son, Tanner saw him with the sheets and blankets pulled up to his neck with only his head visible. He looked at him lying there, and he was resting on his side facing the door, and Tanner could see just part of his face and a little of his hair, and he wheeled over to him. He sat there lightly stroking his son's hair for a while, then he looked at him as he slept. "I love you my son," Tanner whispered, then leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. He wheeled out of his room closing the door behind him, then he went to his own room where he got in to bed, and was asleep within minutes. 0000 Caleb I awoke, and it seemed darker than it usually was in the room. Perhaps it was my state of mind, and the dream from which I had just awakened. I checked the clock on my bedside table, and it was 12:10 A.M. I sat there after turning away from the clock, and I knew that it was now the early morning hours of Friday, and though I had talked to Dakota the night before through a couple of texts, and a quick call just like the night before, I still couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. I thought back over the dream I had just awoken from moments before. Already it was starting to fade, but the little I still remembered was disturbing as Hell! I had remembered that I was standing where Dakota had been thrown through Adam's balcony window, and in my dream I couldn't get to him. I watched in horror as he fell exactly as he had when he had fallen when Adam threw him through the window in real life. I could see his head bounce as he had described it, then I remembered that they had gotten to him too late, and he could only lay immobile, and in a permanent coma. I worked to put the memories of the dream out of my mind, and after using the restroom, I went back to bed, and for the rest of the night there were no more nightmares to trouble my sleep, but I still worried about what that dream might mean if anything. Author's Notes I figured that this would be a good place to stop. I hope all of you enjoy reading about what happens next with the unnamed boy, as well as seeing if Caleb's nightmare does mean anything, or if it's just a meaningless dream. There will be another character coming in to the story within the next couple of chapters, and they're one I talked about a few chapters ago, but I'll save that reveal for when it's time to introduce them. With all that being said, I hope everyone is staying safe, having a good evening and I'll see everyone in Chapter 22.