Worthington High Series

DISCLAIMER: This story is a work of fiction intended for a mature
audience. All Similarities between characters in the story and people in
real life are completely coincidental. It may contain descriptions of sexual
activities between teenage boys.

If you are not over 18 years of age, or if you find this type of story
offensive, or viewing this material is illegal where you are, then please
DO NOT READ IT! If you choose to read it, then - enjoy! This is more a
romantic story than a sex story.

This story is copyrighted by the author and may not be copied without the
written permission of the author.

Authors Note: I love emails so please write. To the few that wrote thanks. Chapter 5 although written will be posted after I finish chapter 6, which I haven't even started. Emails are definitely an incentive to write.

Crusing the Halls of Worthington High

Sam Lakes

Mr. Baxter looked like he could kill someone -- "How dare you! How could you humiliate your brother like that?" He directed toward Keith.

I stood up from the table. Mom gently grabbed my arm. I looked at her and nodded. "I have to talk to Luc, Mom," I said softly, she smiled and I left the room.

The door opened. We stood and looked at each other for a moment. I smiled. He smiled and wiped the tears from his eyes. I tilted my head and opened my arms to him and we embraced.

"Yeah, I'm gay and yes, I love you," I said and kissed his cheek. He pulled back and looked at me.

"Can I kiss you -- uh, you know, uh, on the lips?" he asked shyly. I nodded and exaggeratedly puckered out my lips, which made us giggle. The giggle quickly turned into a laugh and soon we couldn't stop laughing. We kept trying to kiss but one, other, or both of us would laugh or giggle.

Finally I said, "Come on let's go eat. We have Zabaglione for dessert. It's from Sicily," I said in an Italian accent. "You gonna love it! Or I breaka your legs!"

The kitchen was sort of somber when we arrived. It was evident the Keith had been crying. His head was bowed. Katie saw me and looked down.

"Katie," I said smiling. She looked up with just a slight smile; "My, my, Miss Katie, you are so pretty when you smile," I said in my most southern draw accent. She giggled and smiled.

"Bro, I'm sorry. I-I didn't know," Keith said looking at Luc. Luc bent over and wrapped is arms around Keith, "Dude, I love you, but only as a bro." He looked at me as I was sitting down smiled and dramatically sighed, then saying in a southern accent but my true love sits yonder on the other side of the table."

"Why, thank you Luc, you are so sweet and we only just met," said my mom, "But alas I fear that I am far too old for you." Mom batted he eyelids.

The look on Luc's face was priceless. I burst out laughing, as did everyone else except Katie.

When we were nearly finished with the desert Katie asked another question that was a conversation stopper.

"Okay, the truth is I wanted her to be my mom. So, she adopted me," I said softly, "Did you like the dessert?"

"Well, Luc, we have work to do," I said wanting to get away before Katie asked anything else. As I stood up mom's beeper went off. She was on standby this week.

I waited. Knowing that it meant she would have to go to work and probably be there all night.

"Sorry, Robbie. I'm on call. Dinner was great and I really enjoyed your company Doreen and Ted. It's not very often I get out."

"That would be great! Please mom! We have a ton of work to get done. Please," I begged.

Mom smiled, "Okay, just make sure you behave yourself and mind your manners," she smiled, "and no flooding the basement."

"Okay when I was ten, I slept over at a friend's house. They had a basement. Well, we thought it would make a great swimming pool so we blocked the drain and turned on the water, well it was about six inches deep and taking forever to fill up. I tried to turn the water on more, the pipe was old and broke, and we couldn't shut off the water. When my friend's parents got home the water was five feet deep."

"Keep away from the basement, Rob," Mr. Baxter said with a serious face then laughed.

"Honey, they are both teenage boys. No telling what they could get up to," he laughed, "Right boys."

"Well, I banged around on them but I'm not that good. I really haven't played them for about two years -- I stick to the keyboard mainly."

"Nice set up!" I said. He had a nice set of Ludwig drums, a Yamaha synth, computer and the room was acoustically good -- that is to say sound proof to and from the rest of the house.

I smiled and wiggled my eyebrows as I picked up the sticks and sat down at the drums. I did a bit of a warm up then stopped and looked at him.

"They're one of my favs too. I practice everyday drums, guitar and keyboard to their songs since I first heard them. Practice has gotten to be a habit. I've practiced everyday for almost four years and I thought today was going to be an exception."

"That's two questions. First question -- I didn't want the heartache of losing friends so I figured if I didn't have any friends then I wouldn't have the heartache. Lonely -- Yeah..."

"My life is not like yours. I sit here thinking any second I'm going to wake up and find myself at home alone. Or that..." my voice tapered off. I looked away for a moment, "Never mind it doesn't matter. I'm here and we have an album to create. So, let's do it." I forced a smile. "But first I need to go to the bathroom. Is it upstairs?"

I knew he still didn't understand. He has had a picture book life full of love. I knew he'd keep asking. If he kept asking I'd eventually tell him of my past. I didn't think it would matter at first but whenever I told people about my past they sort of drifted away from me. It always hurt. With Luc I think it would hurt too much -- I love him and he says he loves me, but what happens when I tell him about my past. It's better for me to just leave than to suffer rejection. I left Luc's house unnoticed and walked home.

"I didn't want to stay. Besides, it's just going to end in misery. He's lived the perfect life, he will never understand my life or me, and even if he does what are his parents going to say when they find out. It will be the same as it always has been. I'm just saving me the heartache, Mom."

"Honey, I think you need to give Luc a chance. I saw the way he looks at you. He's not going to give up easily."

"I'll think about it, Mom. I gotta go answer the door. Love you." I hung up the phone and went to answer the door.

"No," I mumbled, "It's just me. I make a lousy friend. I'm sorry I didn't say anything about leaving but that's just me."

"Rob, my son is crying his eyes out because he thinks he did something wrong. He loves you. You owe him a reason for just walking out."

"He'll get over it. He has a million friends. Give it a day he'll be fine," I said coldly.

"He could have ten million friends but there is only one he wants -- you," he said slightly angered but then his face relaxed, "My son cried his heart out to me telling me he was in love with a boy. He thought I would be angry and hate him. I can't hate him and I think he made a good choice. When Keith upset him this evening I saw you get up and go to him so I know you care about him."

"Rob, I know you have a problem. I spoke with your mom. She wouldn't tell me anything only that you have problems in making friends. She said she's never seen you happier than today."

I looked at him for a moment not saying anything. "Come in," I finally said. He came in and I shut the door.

A few moments later Luc was there with is dad. Luc's eyes were puffy and red. I felt so terrible I couldn't stop my own tears from flowing.

"You want to see my room, my sanctuary from life," I said. I turned and signaled them to follow me.

My room is the coolest. Luc and his dad were the only people to ever enter the room other than my mother; the people who helped me set things up and me. I have three guitars -- one bass and one classical and one very nice Fender Showcaster; 1 Earl Scruggs banjo, 1 baby Grand, one upright piano (an antique), a Yamaha 5 piece drum set and one Triton Extreme 88 Key keyboard plus allsorts of electronic gadgets -- basically I have a mini-recording studio. There was a queen size bed in a corner; I had one chair, a desk and only one poster of John Lennon to mark the door to the bathroom.Without the poster it would almost be impossible to find the door if you were in a hurry.

My room is also totally organized. I do all the cleaning and arranging. I don't have a TV but I have an awesome stereo system that is piped to the rest of the house.

"Whoa! And I complained about what I paid for your studio," commented Mr. Baxter.

"Yeah, Mom paid a small fortune. There are advantages to being an only child," I replied, "But I gave up getting a car for all this and I had to promise I would do my best to get into Julliard. Would you like a drink Mr. Baxter? Luc?" I was feeling really nervous and scared.

"I guess you want to know why I left." They nodded `yes'. "It was because I was scared. And I knew I'd fall more and more in love with you and your family. I mean you have the perfect family. You know Mom is not my real mother. I met her when I was six. She was in college and she became my piano teacher."

"By the time I was eight I spent more time with Mom than I did at home. My home life consisted of my -- " I could feel the tears coming, "my older brother, Seven. He was two years older than me. He was my mom, my dad and my brother rolled into one neat package. Seven would send me to stay with Mom when things got bad."

"Bad. Bad was getting my arm broke and my ribs cracked when I was seven -- the excuse was I fell down the stairs goofing off. The thing is our apartment was one level. That was bad. When I was nine I lived with Mom most of the time -- I went home one day to see my Seven. Well, Bill and Jayne were high as usual. Bill got drunk as usual. He started beating on me as usual. I was too pretty for him, too much of a sissy boy because I played the piano and I lived with that damn..."

It was hard for me to continue because the tears were flowing and I was crying too hard. Luc came over to me and so did his dad. Both held me.

After a few minutes I pulled away from them I went to my desk and pulled out the drawer where I kept my private writings. I pulled out a page and handed it to them saying, "I wrote this when I was thirteen."

The day they called Mom a nigger
Was the day I lost my heart
The day they called Mom a nigger
Was the day I broke apart

I hate them for the life they took
I hate them for what they did
They took away my love, my Seven when he was just a kid

And all around me I'd hear them say
You know I think he's gay
Now that hurt a lot to hear them sneer or worse
But being gay is my blessing not an evil curse.

When you see your brother beaten
When you see your parents kill
Your heart becomes an ice cube
Your blood begins to chill

As they read I wiped away my tears. "It took me three years to write that. Seven tried to protect me and when Bill took the bat out of Seven's hand I tried to help but Jayne hit me with something. Right before I passed out I saw the fatal blow that Bill delivered to Seven's skull."

"They are both in prison now for life without parole. Mom adopted me when I was twelve. It was after I told Mom I thought I was gay. For a long time, I blamed myself for Seven's death. If I hadn't been gay maybe they wouldn't have beaten me."

"When I was twelve I had this crush on a boy who was fifteen. He and his parents invited Mom and I over. Well, he asked where my real parents were. I told him and two days later he told me his parents didn't approve of me -- I might follow in my parents footsteps."

"It really hurt. Music and this room became my refuge. So, now you know why I walked out. I saw the startled looks on your faces when you saw my mom and well... I left."

"I'll admit I was a bit surprised at first, but I really like your Mom and so does Doreen we planned to go out next Friday. I could never not like the boy my son loves," said Mr. Baxter as he wrapped his arms around me. I cried. "Rob the past is gone. You aren't your parents. You are you -- a bright, smart, musical genius who I am honestly falling love with."

"Hey." Luc said as he tapped my shoulder. I turned around. We fell into a hug. "Don't you ever leave me again. You hear me?" I nodded. He continued, "I'm in this for the long haul. You own my heart. I love you now and forever."

"I'll never let go of your heart, I promise," I looked back at Mr. Baxter who was smiling. I slowly leant into Luc and kissed him on the lips once then once again and he kissed back.

"Yeah one second, my baby is calling me," I said smiling and ran over to my keyboard, powered it up. And started playing some really upbeat cords cuz that's how I felt

Tonight I thought love was gone
I thought I'd never sing this song
Then you walked into to my life
got rid of all my strife
and set me free Yeah, yeah you set me free

Then your dad said I was smart
And you, you gave me your heart
You gave me your heart you made me free
- just you and me