Date: Thu, 8 Jun 2023 12:11:08 -0400 From: Lee Wilson Subject: My Roommate Teaches Me - Chapter 12 This story is an original work of gay fiction. None of the people or events are real. While some of the town names used may be real, any other geographic references (school, events) are purely fictional. Any resemblance to persons living or dead is completely coincidental. This story depicts sexual situations between minor males. If reading this is illegal where you reside, or you are not at least 18 years of age, you are reading at your own risk. This work is the property of the author, Lee R Wilson, and shall not be reproduced and/or re-posted without his permission. Story ©2023 Lee R Wilson. If you enjoy this or the other stories here, why not donate to keep the fun alive? Donate here: https://donate.nifty.org/ My Roommate Teaches Me Key Players: Domenico Martini - 12 Jacob (Jake) Mason - 12 Bill Nelson - 12 Rodney (Rod) Quincy - 12 Marcus King - 12 Donald (Don) Livingston - 12 Gene Jones - 12 Supporting Characters: Jim Parkins - 17 - Dorm Floor Monitor From Chapter 11 "Yeah, we've gotten quite open about nudity. Now I have to ask you if you can keep a secret." "I've kept probably being gay a secret for a couple years. I think I'm able." "Yeah, I guess so. It's all been solo, at least in a group, but we've all jerked off together." "Really? Wow. I don't know if I could ever do that." "Nobody will ever say you have to. If you don't want to do it, and it is kind of fun, so I don't really want to stop, but you can just walk away when the topic comes up." "Well, I guess I'll wait and see. Don't take this wrong, but I really wouldn't mind seeing you guys naked again." "Ha ha. I think you just crossed the line from probably to definitely. It's fine. To be honest, being able to do it in your own room makes it less awkward. Hiding in a stall to jerk off, not much fun. That and someone possibly seeing you go into the bathroom for like 5 or 10 minutes at a time a couple times a day... raises questions." "Yeah. I've had to sneak around with James being the way he was. I find it hard to believe the way you talk about Rod that he took part." "Yeah, after finding out how he really is, it does seem surprising. I wonder if fits the saying 'methinks he doth protest too much.' He might be doing everything he can to hide any gay feelings he may have. Just guessing, but it would make some sense. Anyway. Wanna go play pool?" CHAPTER 12 - Don Opens Up and The Psych Ward Mind shift again. We're going to join Don now for a while. "Hey guys, there's something I want to do. I'll catch up with you later." "Sure thing Don. If we're not here, Marcus and I will probably be in your room." "K. See you later." I hope Dr. Paulson is still here. I've been feeling sick about this whole thing since Rod started being a jerk last night. I get to her office and the light is still on so I walk into her outer office. She must be in the back. Knock, knock. She comes to the door and opens it. "Hello again Donald. I was expecting you might return." "Yeah, I guess I left that impression after asking if we could come back." "I stayed around thinking you might. Although another 10 or 15 minutes and I probably would have left." "Oh. I don't want to keep you from anything important." "What makes you think talking to you isn't important?" "Um. Yeah I suppose it is. I just meant anything else." "Well, come in and take a seat. Would you like another water?" She points me at the chair in front of her desk and sits in her chair. "No thanks. At least not right now." "Alright then, how can I help you?" "Well, I think it's kind of my fault that Domenico, um, freaked out after Rod said he didn't want to hang with him anymore. Or more accurately, what happened to make Rod say that." "And what was it that happened?" "Um. Wow, now that I'm here, it doesn't seem like such a good idea to start here, but there's nowhere else starting makes sense. Um. At the park yesterday the six of us had a contest at the tomahawk toss. The winner got to... no, let me back up a little more. The six of us have masturbated together. The rest of us aren't gay, it was just us guys having fun." "I can understand that. It's not uncommon for boys your age to experiment, see what they like or don't like sexually." "Yeah, well the winner got to, um, ejaculate on the loser or losers. Domenico was one of the losers. I was the winner. So when I ca... ejaculated, on Domenico's buttocks, he also ejaculated. That's what led Rod to think Domenico was gay. I guess as it turned out, he is and got upset about outing himself..." "I assume there's more?" "Yeah, well, if we didn't have the contest, and I hadn't cum on Domenico's ass. Oh. Sorry about the terminology." "Believe it or not, I have heard it before. If it makes you more comfortable using the slang, don't stop on my account." "Okay. Well if that didn't happen, none of what followed would have happened, so it's my fault Domenico did that and the shit hit the fan." "Do you think that something similar could have happened at some later point that would have generated the same reaction?" "Yes, probably. Marcus said that DM, that's what we call him for short, probably would have snapped later anyway." "So, because it was your action that triggered Domenico snapping, you think it's your fault?" "Well, yeah." "Would it still be your fault if, say Marcus would have done something?" "No, I guess not. But it wasn't Marcus." "No, it wasn't. But because Domenico was essentially a ticking time-bomb, anything could have triggered some reaction that would show himself as gay to the rest of you. So you were, as they say, in the wrong place at the wrong time." "But, why do I feel so bad about it? It was me that pulled essentially the trigger." "Yes Donald. But you can't blame yourself for something that might have happened anyway." "So it's not all my fault?" "Domenico agreed to the terms of the contest, correct?" "Yes." "So he is just as much to blame as you. Not that assigning blame makes much sense, but since he is gay, he could have foreseen that something like that might have happened. He didn't recognize that possibility. You need to take blame out of the equation." "I guess I didn't think of it that way." "So. Feeling better about what happened?" "Yeah, I guess so. It still hurts though that I was a part of it." "And feeling hurt is fine. But guilt doesn't have to tag along with that hurt. They're completely different feelings and don't necessarily go together." "Thank you Dr. Paulson. I'll try to keep the guilt at bay, knowing the hurt can remain without it." "You're welcome. It's what I love to do, help people past their, sometimes only perceived, problems." "OK. Thanks again, I'll see you around I guess." "Of course, like I said before, my door is open for all you boys." I feel a little better about things so I head back to the dorm find the rest of the guys. We're going to switch gears once again. The boys aren't able to visit Domenico at the fictional St. Mary's hospital, but we can. Let's once more get inside Domenico's head. "Good afternoon young man. I'm Dr. Ames, staff psychiatrist here at St. Mary's. Hmmm, you look reasonably healthy, so you must be crazy." I must have looked at him like he was the crazy one. "OK, I see my humor isn't up your alley. Sorry about that. Let me say then that you're not crazy. Perhaps a little depressed, a little mixed-up, maybe a little something else. I have some notes here from Dr. Paulson, but how about you share your perspective on the reason for your visit here today?" His statements don't register because I'm still reeling from Jake's silent 'I love you' as I was being pulled into the ambulance. Sure he's said it before, but that one just seemed so final. "Oh, sorry. I was thinking about something." "No worries. I bet you're going to do a lot of that while you're here." "I guess. Where's 'here'?" "You're in the behavioral center of St. Mary's hospital. Dawsonville, Georgia." Just the hospital name would have been enough. "How long am I in for?" "Ha. You make it sound like a prison sentence. It depends on your progress." "So, I can leave whenever I want to?" "Well, no. Not exactly." "Prison." "You'll be able to leave when my staff and I think you're in the right frame of mind to function normally back at school." "Thank you warden." I can see he's getting a little frustrated with me. OK, no more wise-ass comments for a while. You know what? No more of any type for that matter. I close my eyes and try to fall asleep. But he's not going to let me. "As I asked before, do you know why you're here?" He must think I'm an idiot. He said it right from the start. I'm crazy. He waits a couple minutes before he realizes I'm not going to answer. "It's OK. I've had uncooperative patients before. I'll leave you for a while on this note. If you don't talk to us, we won't be able to tell when you're better and you may never be able to leave." Bye. Don't let the door hit you on the ass on your way out. He leaves, unlocking the door before he opens it. After he's gone through, I hear the lock click again. I'll talk when I'm ready to talk to you warden. Now that it's quiet again, I doze off for a while. "Domenico? Wake up, it's time for dinner." Huh? No, it can't be her. My eyes pop open as I'm saying... "Mom?" Once I'm fully awake I see it's just a nurse. "No honey. Your mom isn't here. Do you know if anybody called her?" Did you graduate nursing school dead last in your class? "That would be hard. Read the fucking chart. That is if you can read." I roll over away from her and try to go back to sleep but I hear her pick up a clipboard and put it back down. (Quietly) "Oh dear." She leaves. I try to fall back asleep. Sleep is not meant to be. A few minutes later the door opens again. It sounds like two people this time. "I'm terribly sorry Domenico. I should have looked at your chart first." "Apology accepted, you can leave now." "Go ahead, it will be alright." Oh great, it's doctor warden again. I ignore him again. Yet he still insists on speaking. "Did you have a good rest? (pause) Not hungry yet?" Should I pretend to snore? I doubt that will stop him. "Well, you know the deal, you'll have to talk some time if you want to go back to the school. Let us know when you're ready." Thankfully, he leaves again. But if Jake wasn't there, I wouldn't want to go back. Even then, what choice would I have? I'm pretty sure Aunt Carmela and Uncle Bob's house is out of the picture. Running away would be amazingly stupid. Shit. I'm gonna have to talk to these people. That and I am hungry. I wonder if I apologize to the nurse for being mean, she'll bring me some food. I ring the call bell and wait. "Hello again. I really am sorry I mentioned your mother. Like you said, I should have checked the chart." "I'm sorry too. I was mean and I shouldn't have been. I'm just not myself right now." "We understand that here, a lot of people have gotten meaner than that. And you wouldn't even be here if you were yourself, right?" "Yes, I guess you're right. Um, is it too late to still get something to eat?" "No, of course not. This unit isn't like the rest of the hospital with rigid meal schedules. I've even brought dinner to patients late at night. I dropped off a menu when I started my shift. Take a look and tell me what you'd like. Just a warning ahead of time. Meats like chicken, pork, and beef get cut up into small pieces before we bring it. Knives aren't allowed here." "That's OK. I wouldn't be hurting myself, but I can understand that might not be true for everyone here. Um, I'll have the baked chicken and rice." "Would you like a soda, or juice, milk, whatever?" "Can I get a root beer?" "I think we can scrounge one up. Should I tell Dr. Ames that you're willing to talk to him after you eat?" "Yes. I guess I should apologize to him too. I just wasn't ready when I first got here." "And he'll understand that. Some patients go days before they open up to us. I'll be back in a few minutes with your dinner." "Thanks." I look around the room, really for the first time. Typical hospital room I guess. I may be locked in, but at least I can get out of bed and not have to use a bed pan. The toilet is my first out-of-bed experience. I finish in the bathroom at the same time the nurse comes back with my food. "Wow, that smells good. I guess anything would though, I haven't eaten at all today." "I figured as much. I didn't think to ask about dessert. I hope you like chocolate pudding." "Yes. Thank you for thinking about that. There a few names on the board, I'm sorry, I don't know what to call you." "Nurse Lisa would be fine, or just Lisa if you prefer." "Thank you nurse Lisa." "You're welcome Domenico. I like your name by the way. Dr. Ames will come back in about a half hour." "OK. Thanks again." She leaves me and I eat my dinner in what seems like 30 seconds. I figure out the TV and put it on for a distraction. Not really interested in anything right now aside from keeping the boredom at bay. It's probably closer to 40 minutes before the doctor comes back. "Hello again Domenico. Lisa tells me you're ready to talk?" "Yes sir. I'm sorry I acted like I did. Like I told nurse Lisa, I guess I'm not really myself today." "No apologies necessary. I've had much less successful first interactions with patients. Yours was actually quite tame. Although I must say, I don't believe a 12 year old as ever called me a warden before. That has occurred a few times with adults. You're obviously quite intelligent." "If I was so intelligent, I wouldn't need to be here." "To be honest, it's not unusual for intelligent people to become depressed too. Sometimes things don't move fast enough for their brains, they get frustrated, and time just compounds the issue. However, I don't believe your issues are related to anything like that. You're a growing boy, faced with a few things in your life that aren't going the way you'd like them to. Am I correct?" "Yeah. I guess. Maybe understated. Too many things in my life are fucked up would be a better description." "I see. And would you share what and why you think things are 'fucked up'?" "He he. I wouldn't expect a doctor to use that terminology." "Occasionally, I do use the proper medical terms for a condition." "I bet 'fucked up' doesn't appear in many medical journals." "No. I'd imagine not. But you're still avoiding the question." "Sorry, you sidetracked me with your 'medical terminology.' Ha ha. Well, like I told Dr. Paulson at the school, I'm gay. My family is dead. And nobody loves me. But I was reminded as I was being put into the ambulance that someone does love me. Maybe it's more like I don't feel like I belong anywhere." "That realization is a step in the right direction. But we still have a lot of work to do." We spoke until late in the evening. Dr. Ames listened carefully and pointed out how I can look at things in ways that I hadn't thought of before. He said it was because I was overwhelmed with being hit with so many things that are not common for a 12 year old to face. Being gay, losing my family and my Uncle treating me like shit. Well, the doctor didn't use that term, but I think if fits better than what he did say. He also said he liked my progress and that after another talk tomorrow I may be able to leave the room. Apparently, there is a common area outside my door that other patients get to spend time in. I'll also likely be joining a small group of kids for group therapy. I guess it helps to share your problems with others and see that maybe they're not as bad as you think. Back at the school, life goes on. Bill brings Gene back to out to the common room after they spend some more time talking. Jake and Marcus aren't there anymore, but they remember they need to let Jim know they're able to get along with each other well. Knock knock. "Ah, if it isn't the new potential roommates. Come on in... How are things looking?" "Pretty well. Bill and I had a really good talk. I did tell him the real reason James isn't here. Apparently our ex-roommates would have gotten along better." "Yes. Well, we try to take the information on your applications into account when matching people. Although most of the time, alphabetically works. We can't very well ask 'are you gay' or 'how would you get along with a gay person' on the application, so there are potential holes. Anyway. It's too late to start a full move today, Bill, you asked about staying with Jake temporarily. Is that something you still want to do, or would sleeping in Gene's room starting tonight be good?" "Um, no offense Gene, but I think I want to spend at least one night with Jake. I think I need to talk with him about Domenico some." "That's OK. I've been alone for a few nights. Believe it or not, being alone is more pleasant that living with James was." "I can believe that after what you told me." "OK then. We'll plan for a permanent move Saturday. Bill, I'll pull Rod in and talk to him for a while so you can take a couple changes of clothes, your books, and anything else you think you might need out of your room without a possible confrontation." "I'm not sure where Jake is, so I guess I should just put everything in Gene's room?" "Yes. You can get in and out of there easily enough with this." Jim hands Bill the second key to 201. "OK, why don't you two wait in the common room for a minute. I'll see if Rod is in his room and bring him in here. If he's not there, I'll let you know that too. I'll see you in a couple?" "OK." "Sure." Bill and Gene head over to the common room and Jim heads down to 210. Knock knock. Rod opens the door, apparently unhappy with being interrupted. "Oh. Hi Jim. What's up?" "Would you mind coming down to my room to talk for a while?" "Am I in trouble? Why not here?" "No. As far as I know you haven't done anything too terrible. And my room is set up better for a talk." "Whatever." They head down to Jim's room. Jim sticks his head into the common room, giving Bill an all clear sign. "Have a seat Rod... I suppose you can guess why I wanted to speak with you, or at least part of the reason." "I guess because I don't want to put up with the faggots?" "Um, yes. But if you continue to use that term, things won't work out too well for you." "Sorry, but it's how I feel. I'll try to do better." "OK. Well, apparently your homophobic views are a little much for Bill to handle. He's asked to spend some time staying with Jake while Domenico isn't here. And after that, he'll be moving in with Gene Jones in 201. I'm sorry to say you may have burned some bridges with your group of friends." "Yeah, well, if they want to be or hang around with the fa... gay guys, I don't need them as friends. Why isn't Domenico here?" "He had a little bit of a breakdown and Dr. Paulson, the school psychologist, had him sent to a hospital for treatment." "Shit. Because of me?" "I think at least partially, yes. Domenico did come to the school with some of his own baggage. I think your reaction to finding out he was gay was just the breaking point." "Yeah, I knew his family had been killed. He seemed to be adjusting OK." "Yes, well, there was more and he apparently he wasn't ready to announce to the world that he was gay. So everything all together is really what did it. So it wasn't just because of you." "OK. So am I getting a new roommate?" "At this point, no. It's possible we'll get a transfer in for the second semester, so maybe in the future. I still need to talk to administration, so if there's someone on the waiting list and it's not too late in the semester, perhaps there will be someone sooner." "But what about James?" "James is no longer enrolled here. I can't go into why." "Oh. OK." "OK, secondly, I need you to make every effort to become more outwardly tolerant. I'm not saying you have to go back to being friends with Bill and the others, I obviously can't force you to do that. But if you can't learn to do that, I wouldn't want to bet too much on your ability to remain at the school." "No. You can't kick me out. My parents will kill me." "Good. You have the motivation necessary to change your attitude. I can't stop you from hating gay people, but as long as you don't cause any trouble with anyone you perceive as gay or their friends, you'll be OK. Understand?" "Yeah." "OK. Stay here for a minute so I can see if Bill has moved enough of his clothes and things. He was uncomfortable about interactions with you so I wanted to give him the chance to gather some of his things without you there." "OK. Damn, I fucked things up bad didn't I?" "In a word. Yes. I'll be right back." Bill and Gene have moved enough of Bill's things to get by for a couple days, so Jim tells Rod he can go back to his room. Rod does some deep thinking. Next up - "Rod Apologizes and Domenico Returns" Author's Note Feel free to drop me a line if you haven't already. I appreciate the comments, good or bad. If you liked this, check out my other stories on nifty: https://www.nifty.org/nifty/gay/young-friends/look-but-dont-look/ https://www.nifty.org/nifty/gay/highschool/high-school-cum-boy/ LRW