Date: Sat, 29 Jan 2022 00:02:27 -0500 From: James Heady Subject: The Boy With the Emerald Eyes--Chapter 23 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 23 Dakota It really was Eric. I couldn't believe it! I had know idea how it was possible, and I tried to prepare myself for what would happen next! I sat there watching him, and he stood there watching me! I took in his almost 6-1 height, and when I saw him when he was with Adam, I figured that he was around 140 LBs with the vast majority of it being muscle. His hair was black, as well as curly, and his eyes were a dark-brown. I looked at him more intently now, and he had lost a lot of weight, and I'm not talking about losing weight in a healthy way. He had gained some of it back, but the drop in pounds was noticeable. Where there had been hate, rage, anger and defiance in his eyes, now there was fear, uncertainty and a questioning look, as if he wasn't sure what to do, or where to go next. The constant sneer with which his lips had always been set, with the exception of the mean smile he'd flash when making a hateful joke, or when being abusive to another kid was gone. His mouth held an anxious frown, as if he worried constantly. As I sat there watching him in that moment, I found myself being surprised. I always thought that if I ever saw him or Adam again, that I'd cuss them out, say every hateful thing I could think of to them for how they had treated me, as well as possibly ending my verbal beat-down by telling both of them to go to Hell. None of those urges came to me at that moment as I looked at Eric. This was rather surprising, but also I was glad that it wasn't there. I thought for a moment about what I was feeling, and more than anything I was feeling the desire, as well as the need for things to be over where the chapter of Eric and Adam were concerned in my life. I figured that if we never saw one another ever again, I at least wanted to leave with things cleared up and everything said on my end that I needed to say. I just wanted it to be over. Then Eric spoke, and his voice was even different. Sure it was still part boy, but more man in it than had been there before when I knew him before. He was 14 at the time I knew him, and I figured that by now he was 15. I was even more surprised at what came out of his mouth at that moment, than in the slight change in his voice though. "I'm sorry for everything Dakota," he said looking down at me. "I'm so sorry for everything I did to you, and sorry for not stopping Adam for what he did to you. What we did to you was wrong, and we had no right to do any of that to you. I had no right to do to you any of what I did. I'm sorry for forcing you to eat the Sea Food that night at that one place, and sorry for all of the hateful things I ever said to you. I'm sorry for taking your journal, and I'm also sorry for reading it. Most of all though, I'm so sorry for giving it to Adam, and not thinking nor even caring about what the consequences of those actions might be. I hurt you really badly, and I had no right to do that!" He was close to tears now, and he moved a chair from the room where the boxes were, and sat it in front of me. He was on the same physical level as I was now, and I reached out for his hands. He stiffened initially, but then accepted the physical contact, and I held his hands as he kept talking. 0000 Eric I told Dakota about getting involved in the belief system to which my dad belonged, and about when I was sent to the place from which I escaped, and after telling him everything, he sat there still holding my hands. 0000 Dakota "I wanted to see you pay for a long time," I began. "A huge part of me hated you and Adam for how you two treated me, and I pictured what confronting the two of you, or at least just one of you would feel like, but now I just want everything to be over. I want Adam to pay though, since I don't think he's redeemable at all." "He's not," Eric said. 0000 Eric I told Dakota about how Adam treated me when we would spend time together, and he nodded his head in understanding. 0000 Dakota "Adam really was a hateful person," I said. "He truly was," Eric agreed. "I should say he still is. I haven't heard of him still not being around." "I told him about Adam taking the Plea Bargain, and he let out a relieved sigh. "I'm glad he's not getting out of prison any time soon," Eric said. "So am I," I agreed. "Aside from him though, I think you could be a good person, and you seem to be working on changing for the better." "I really am working on that," Eric replied. After he told me where he was staying, and the work he had been doing to change not only his life, but his outlook on minorities both Jewish, and LGBT, he told me that he was coming to realize that he was gay, and that this was part of why he got on the path he had been on for the time I knew him before, it was that he was terrified of facing that truth about himself, at least in any healthy way. He went on to say that he was especially afraid of others knowing that about him, especially his dad and brothers, though they constantly made jokes in front of him about him possibly being gay, as well as his dad beating him many times for almost anything he believed Eric to have done wrong, and some of the beatings would include Eric's dad beating him again and again while telling him that he better not ever be a Fagot. I felt sad for Eric at that moment, and as he talked, he broke down at that point. I took him in my arms which felt odd with him being bigger than I was, and me being smaller than him. "Even though you did things that hurt me really badly," I began,. "You still never deserved to live the way you did. You didn't deserve a father who took advantage of you being a kid and all of the weak points that implies to impose his disgusting Bullshit beliefs on you. You deserved better than that, and you still do. I hope you continue working on changing, and that you continue working to make a better life for yourself, and I'll be here to help you when you need me." "Thank you Dakota," he said as he wiped his eyes. "That really means a lot, and I promise I'll keep working at getting my life straightened out, and will continue working on becoming someone in whom you can be proud to call a friend." "I'm glad to hear that," I said as we hugged again,. Just then I heard footsteps walking in our direction, and I figured that it would be Caleb, Tyler and Devin. I worried for a moment about how they would react to seeing Eric. They knew what had happened to me when Caleb and I told them the story a little while after I met both of them, and they were as protective of me as was Caleb. Caleb was the first to walk in to the room, and he saw me, then he looked over at Eric. Tyler and Devin came in behind Caleb, and they looked where he was looking so that all three sets of eyes were on Eric. I at one point in my story told them what he looked like, and I worried for a moment if there would be a fist fight happening or not. Caleb closed the distance, and he looked down at where I sat. He then looked to Eric, then back to me. "Dakota," he began. "Is this Eric?" "Yeah," I answered. "I don't want any of you to hurt him. If that's what any of you are thinking, then I want you to stop thinking it. I just want all of this to be over. Adam's in prison, and Eric and I have had a long talk just before the three of you came in." Eric and I told them what we had talked about, and Eric apologized to Caleb, then after introducing himself to Tyler and Devin he apologized to them as well. It might have seemed odd, but he clearly understood that he would have had problems with the two of them if he didn't make things right with them either. He was clearly coming to understand that the four of us were united stronger than anyone could be united with other people, and he wanted to respect that. "I accept your apology Eric," Caleb said shaking his hand. "I do as well," Devin added stepping forward. "I accept your apology also Eric," Tyler responded. "I'll hold you to what you said about wanting to do better," Caleb said. "You had better not let me nor any of the rest of us in this room down, especially not Dakota. You'll deal with all of us if you do. Do you understand me?" "I understand," Eric replied. "I give all of you my word on that." Caleb reached out to hug Eric, and after a moment, he let himself be hugged, and he hugged Caleb back. Tyler and Devin did the same with him, and after separating, Eric's phone sounded, and he checked it. "I have to get headed home, but I'd like to talk with you all sometime later," he said. We all gave him our numbers, and he said goodbye to us once more, then he was gone,. I knew that after Sunday Dinner, the four of us would be comparing notes, then Caleb and I among ourselves would be talking later. After finishing up with dinner that Sunday, Caleb and I cuddled in our room. The adults were in the kitchen talking among themselves. Tyler and Devin were over at Devin's house for a bit, and so it was just Caleb, Christopher, Amy, Tanner, Sarah and I there for dinner. Once in our room, I lay in Caleb's arms, and we kissed for a few minutes, then he broke the kiss, and looked in to my eyes. "I'm really proud of you for handling things the way you did today with Eric," he said. "That's one thing I love about you, is your compassion for others." "Thank you Caleb," I replied. "Sometimes I don't have that much compassion for certain people, but I try to work at having enough so that I can at least stop myself from becoming like those I don't want to become." "I try to think that way most of the time as well," Caleb answered. "I'm glad you do," I responded, then we kissed again. "I love you Dakota," Caleb said, and it was amazing to hear those words come from him now. "I love you too Caleb!" I replied, then kissed him deeply. We shared a few more kisses, then I rested my head on Caleb's chest. "I think you and I managed to make a new friend today," he said. I smiled, then looked up at him. "I think we definitely did," I answered. "I'm really glad about that, and I hope Eric continues doing really good for himself, and that we all can have a long-lasting friendship with him." "I feel the same way," Caleb replied. "I hope we all can get to know him really well, and that he becomes as close with us as we all already are. I also hope that he keeps doing good, and that he can put everything behind him where his old life is concerned." "So do I," I answered. Author's Notes I hope everyone enjoys how I've handled things where Eric is concerned. I thought for a long time about what I would eventually do with Adam and Eric, and I couldn't really decide, but I knew that I definitely wanted Adam to pay for what he did, as I always felt that out of him and Eric, that he was the most hateful, but I always felt that Eric could be redeemed. So the boys will have more interactions between them and Eric, so I hope all of you enjoy how those turn out. All that being said, I hope everyone is continuing to stay safe, is having a good evening, and I'll see everyone in Chapter 24.