Date: Mon, 12 Jun 2023 16:13:50 -0400 From: Lee Wilson Subject: My Roommate Teaches Me - Chapter 13 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 12 "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. CHAPTER 13 - Rod Apologizes and Domenico Returns Time to spend a moment or two in the scary mind of Rod Quincy. I feel like the biggest dickhead on the face of the earth. Jim said DM came to the school with some baggage. I wonder what else besides his family dying. Although maybe being gay and alone was enough. Someone must have signed him up here though. Doesn't matter. Whatever his problems were, I made them worse. And not just with DM, the rest of the guys all walked past me at lunch when I didn't let Jake sit with me. Getting close to dinner time. I need to get there after at least most of them, beg their forgiveness. I'm sure I've got a long battle ahead of me to get back on their good side. I just sit and wait until 5 after 5. Hopefully they all headed over right away. After I get my food, I see they're all sitting at our regular table. Well, I hope it's still ours. There's another kid there with them. I bet he's Bill's new roommate. Yeah, I fucked up royally to have Bill be mad enough to want to move out. I take a deep breath and walk up to the table. "Hey guys. Mind if I sit with you?" "Sure you want to be seen with us fag lovers?" "I guess I deserved that Jake. I was wrong. I've felt like shit since Jim told me DM got sent to the hospital." "You've got some catching up to do. I felt like shit since last night, until I talked with Dr. Paulson." "Sorry Don. Well, can I?" They look around at each other. Bill asks "take a vote?" All but the new kid vote yes. But it's not bad, he just doesn't vote at all. "No vote Gene?" "Well, I don't know him enough to have an opinion Bill. Not voting is better than an uneducated no." "Thanks guys." I sit down and start my dinner. "I'm real sorry I was an asshole. I, I don't know. I let my feelings about gay people override friendship. I'll do whatever it takes to make it up to you guys." Jake is bitter, probably because he knows DM best. "It's not us you need to make it up with as much. It's Domenico. I just hope you get the chance." "Why, you don't think he'll come back?" "Yeah, he probably will. He's got nowhere else to go." "Huh?" "His uncle hates him, his aunt doesn't make waves, and there's nobody else. Being rejected by a friend didn't help at all. If and when he comes back, I wouldn't expect him to be civil if I were you." "All I can do is try." "And all I can do is kick the shit out of you if you do anything to hurt him again. And I won't get expelled because I'll find a way to do it quietly. That, and I'd probably have 4 or 5 iron clad alibis." "I get it. All I want is a chance." We finish eating in relative silence. The topic moves away from me and Domenico. After we clean up, we all head back to the dorm. I'm not going to push my luck and invite myself along with whatever they'll do, so I just head back to my room. We'll leave Rod stewing and tag along with Jake. Something interesting is about to happen after Bill brings a few things over for the night. "What's that beeping noise?" "Sounds like it may be a ringtone. Not your phone Jake?" "No. It may be DM's. I think it's coming from his desk." "Yeah, here it is. It's his Aunt Carmela." "Give it here, but I start to get too angry, try to calm me down." "Um, OK." "Hello." "Hi. Who is this? I was looking for Domenico Martini." "Hi, um, Aunt Carmela. This is Jake, his roommate." You'd know that if you bothered to call once in a while. "Oh, hi Jake. I was hoping he would have had his phone. I've been trying all day, since I heard from Dr. Pauls. She called to get insurance information and permission to send him to the hospital, but I don't know much else." "Yeah, he had somewhat of a breakdown. Dr. Paulson said that he never really grieved for his family and he had a feeling of abandonment. Which I'm sorry to have to say was due to you and your husband." "Oh no. I tried to convince Bob to let him come home with us and not send him to that school, but I couldn't. I hoped a structured environment like that would at least be better than essentially being in limbo." "Maybe, but last night something happened that put him over the edge." "Really? What happened?" "Um, I'm not really comfortable sharing that, he'll have to if he wants." "Oh. Well, I suppose I'll have to trust you on that Jake. You seem like a level-headed boy. Do you know where he is?" "No. I would guess probably St. Mary's. That's the closest hospital according to google. Dr. Paulson would know for sure." "OK, I'll have to call her. If you hear anything else, would you please give me a call? This is my cell, so Bob won't answer." "Sure. I doubt I will hear anything but if I do, I'll call. Just a suggestion, it might help Domenico if you called once in a while. He might not feel so alone." "Yes, alright. I will do that. I may have to hide from Bob, but I understand the contact will help. Thanks. Bye." Or you could kick the asshole out. "Bye." "You stayed calm." "Yeah Bill, she actually seemed pretty nice. Like DM said, it's his uncle that apparently hates him. She said she'd have to hide from him to call." "Wow. What a jerk." Let's jump back to Rod for a moment. What was that doctor's name Don said. Parson? I gotta have my school directory around here somewhere... Paulson. I'll have to try and talk to her tomorrow. I can't stand feeling like such a shit. Monday October 3 Over at St. Mary's, Dr. Ames has been happy with Domenico's progress. After another session this morning and a teen/tween group session, Domenico has gotten a little bit of freedom, having the ability to spend time in the common room outside his room. He even found someone close to his age to hang around with, play games. etc. Dr. Ames saw that as a good thing as well. Back to Rod. I hope the doctor is around. Knock knock. Hmm, no answer. The door is open so I go in and see another door, obviously to her office proper. I knock on that one. "Come in." "Hi. Dr. Paulson?" "Yes, what can I do for you?" "Um, I need to talk to you." "That's what I'm here for. Come in, sit down. May I ask your name?" "Oh, yeah. Rod Quincy." I see she recognizes my name. She's probably going to hate me. Oh well, forge ahead. "I wanted to talk about Domenico. I think it's my fault he, um, cracked." "Yes, I understand you may have played a part in it." "Yeah, well, I've felt like shit since yesterday when Jim told me he was sent to the hospital. I let my, what's it called, homophobia?" "Yes, that is correct." "I let that override my friendship. He and I were friends until Saturday night when I found out he was, or rather, assumed he was gay. I tried to make amends with our friends, and it seems like they're going to give me a chance. I'm just afraid I won't be able to when he comes back. He'll probably hate me." "I don't think you should assume anything about Domenico's frame of mind when he comes back. He'll be learning of ways to deal with his problems, and more specifically his sexual orientation. He may very well accept it and no longer be afraid of people finding out." "But what should I do?" "I'd say give him a little time to re-adjust to being back. Then after a day or so, just say hi. Ask how he's doing. Show your concern. If he does have a negative reaction, yells, screams, or whatever, just stay calm. Reacting badly will only act to alienate yourself further. If he reacts calmly, apologize, tell him you're going to try to do better to be friends again. Remember, he may not be civil toward you right away, just be patient with him." "OK. Thanks. Do you know when he'll be back?" "Not exactly. If he makes good progress, and so far his doctor does seem satisfied with that, he could be back by the end of the week. The minimum stay is generally 72 hours, but he could be there longer. That's up to him and his doctor." "OK, thanks. At least I'll know how to act when he does come back. Calm and patient." "You're welcome. Good luck." "Thanks. Bye." Things go along pretty much back to normal for a couple days. There's still a little tension between the boys and Rod, but they can tell he's trying. Wednesday October 5th "Good afternoon Domenico. How are you doing?" "Pretty good Dr. Ames. I think the therapy sessions are making a big difference." "I'd have to agree. I think as long as there are no setbacks, we can discharge you tomorrow." "Really? That's great. I miss my friends." "Since you have no local family to come pick you up, we can get an ambulance to transport you back to the school, but that's an unnecessary expense if we can find an alternative. Can you think of anybody who may be willing to come get you?" "Well, all my friends are too young to drive. Maybe Jim Parkin, the floor monitor." "All we can do is ask. Is he a student too, or..." "Yes, he's a senior." "OK. I'll come back later and we'll give him a call." "Thanks." "OK, see you in a bit." Later Dr. Ames brings me to his office so we can call Jim. "Hello, Stephen Walsh School for Boys. This is Shelly, how may I direct your call?" "Hi Shelly. This is Dr. Ames over at St. Mary's. If I wanted to reach a dorm monitor, would they have a direct line?" "Yes, but I can transfer you. Who do you need to speak with?" "Jim Parkin." "Dorm 1, floor 2. Please hold." "Hello?" "Jim Parkin?" "Yes, who is this?" "Hi Jim. This is Dr. Ames at St. Mary's hospital. I have one of your charges here who'd like to ask you a favor." "Domenico?" "Hi Jim." "Hey Domenico. How are you doing? And what can I do for you?" "I'm doing well. I should be discharged tomorrow. I can pay to get an ambulance to bring me back, but I was wondering if maybe you could come pick me up?" "Tomorrow? Shouldn't be a problem. I can come after classes." "What time to you finish Jim?" "2:45 Doctor." "OK, I can make sure he's ready around 3." "OK, see you then." "Jim." "Yes Domenico?" "Do you think you can bring Jake along?" "Yeah, I think I can make that happen. Need to clear it with the Dean, but it shouldn't be a problem considering the circumstances. I'll see you tomorrow." "Thanks. Bye." Jim makes a quick call over to the Dean's office, explains the situation and gets the OK to take Jake off campus. He walks down the hall to Jake and Domenico's room. Knock knock. Riding along with Jake now. "Oh hey Jim. What's up?" "Hi Jake. I was wondering if you'd be able to take a ride with me after school tomorrow?" "Yeah, I guess so. What for?" "Can it be a surprise?" "Well, I don't think you're going to kidnap me, so sure. Of course I'm going to wonder why until then." "Nothing bad. I'll drop by tomorrow after school." "K. See you." Jake wonders what could be up the whole time before dinner, when he brings it up to the guys. "Hey all." "Hey Jake. Why you looking so confused?" "Jim asked me to take a ride with him after school tomorrow Bill, but he wouldn't tell me and I can't figure out why." "Hmm. Is it too soon to go pick up Domenico?" "Yeah, probably Marcus. Dr. Paulson said it'd be a week or two." "Your brothers go to school here too, right? Maybe it's something with them?" "Yeah, that makes sense Rod. That's probably it. I definitely don't want to get my hopes up thinking Domenico's coming back already and then be disappointed it's something with my brothers, which would probably be good too." Thursday October 6th I'm sitting in my room after classes, anxiously awaiting Jim. Still wondering exactly what the trip is for. Finally, Jim knocks. "Hey Jake. Ready to go?" "Yeah. Do I get to know where we're going yet?" "No, but it should be obvious in about 10 minutes." "You know I hate you for this." "Ha ha. I suppose. That won't last much longer." I follow Jim to his car and we head out of the school. He doesn't drive around to the high school side, so I'm doubting it's with my brothers unless we're meeting them somewhere. I can't sit still with the anticipation. Finally I see this big building ahead. It's St. Mary's hospital. "No way! Really?" "Really. Domenico asked if I could bring you. Had to clear it with the Dean, but he understood the circumstances." "Oh my God. Thank you. I was hoping it was this, but I figured it was too soon." "Nope. Dr. Ames said he was making good progress." We walk into the lobby and give them Domenico's name. We're told he'll be in Dr. Ames' office, room 402. The door is closed, so we knock. "Come in." We open the door and Domenico runs up to me, jumps on me and starts kissing me. Jim's a little shocked but recovers quickly. I am too, but so happy Domenico's coming back that I don't care who's there. "Oh God Jake. I missed you so much." "Me too Domenico. I think you shocked the heck out of Jim though." "He'll live." "Ahem. I'm Dr. Ames, why don't we all sit down for a moment." "Uh, sorry doctor. I was just so excited to see Jake." "Not a problem. Not to share anything too personal, but it's obvious Jake and Domenico have more than a friend relationship. Jim, you have some responsibility over him, so I'm comfortable sharing. As you know, Domenico was here for a little help processing some issues he was having. Being found out as gay being one of them. That's apparently no longer a problem. He'll need to see Dr. Paulson regularly for a while. He has the schedule. Tomorrow, next Monday, Wednesday and Friday. After that a couple times a week and as long as she's satisfied with his frame of mind, weekly for a period of time afterward. You will open up to her like we spoke Domenico?" "Yes Doctor. I treated her pretty badly when I was first brought to her. I have to apologize for that." "I'm sure she understood. OK, I'm giving you all my card. If you see any indication Domenico is having more problems, please give me a call. I don't expect that, but one never knows. OK. Domenico. Good luck and take care of yourself. Remember your coping mechanisms." "I will. Thank you doctor. No offense, but I hope I never see you again." "Ha ha. Same here. Goodbye." Domenico grabs my hand as we're walking out of the office. I can't believe how much I'm smiling. I look at Domenico and somehow, he's got a bigger smile on his face than I do. "I don't mean to pry, but like the doctor said, I guess you two have more than a friend relationship?" "Yes. I don't think we've ever called each other boyfriends, didn't want the rest of the guys to know, but we love each other, right Jake?" "You know it Domenico." We get to Jim's car. Domenico and I sit next to each other in the back seat. He can't resist kissing one more time. Jim happens to notice it in his rear view mirror and I see him smile. We get back to the dorm and are able to get to our room without being seen. I had copied Aunt Carmela's number into my phone. I would have told her Domenico was coming home, but I didn't know until we were almost there. Anyway, I tell DM I need to make a phone call. The phone rings. "Hello?" "Hi. This is Jake." "Oh hi Jake. Have you heard something?" "Kind of. One second." I hand Domenico the phone. "Someone wants to talk to you." He looks at me like 'who the hell could it be?' "Hello?" "Domenico?" "Aunt Carmela?" "Oh I've been so worried about you since Dr. Paulson called me on Sunday. I talked to Jake on Sunday evening so I at least knew you were OK. I'm so sorry we made you feel abandoned. I tried to convince your uncle to let you come here, but he wouldn't listen." "Yeah, I knew it was all him and you couldn't fight him. That didn't make it easier though. Things came to a head Saturday night. I have something to tell you." "What is it hon?" "I recently discovered I was gay. That was one of the issues I had to deal with, people finding that out. But I'm comfortable with who I am now, and since we're talking, I felt you ought to know." "I'm glad you're comfortable being who and what you are. I love you no matter what. Your uncle doesn't need to know. I don't think he'll react too well." "Yeah, probably not." I step out to go to the common room to give him a little privacy to catch up with his Aunt. It's so amazing to see him happy even though he told her he was gay. My Domenico is back. I point down the hall to let him know where I'll be and go. Bill and Gene are there playing pool. "Hey Jake. Back already? What was the surprise ride? Wait, you're like really happy. Domenico's back?" "Yeah Bill. He's talking with his Aunt right now. I figured I'd give him a little privacy." "That's great. How does he seem?" "He's happy. Probably happier than I've ever seen him." "I'm happy for you two Jake." "Thanks Gene. I just hope Rod eating with us doesn't throw him into a tailspin." "I'll keep my fingers crossed." Next Up - "Dinner with Rod and Continued Improvement." 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