Chapter Twenty-Five
After Josh made introductions, they
congregated in the living room to decide what they would do. Travis sat next to
Josh on the loveseat, while Brianna and Rachel sat next to Matt and Henry on
the sofa sectional. Lance opted to sit in the overstuffed chair by the big
screen TV.
"I say we game," Matt said. Henry and Lance
seconded the idea, and the girls sighed.
Brianna shook her head, her twisty braids
whipping around her face. "Naw. We ain't spending all
day inside watching you d-bags play your little games. All those in favor of us
chilling in the pool, listening to music, and then getting our grub on say
`aye.'"
Rachel and Josh said, "aye," making Travis the
deciding vote. He didn't mind doing either, but part of him was afraid to show
them his burn scars.
"Kid, get over yourself and have some fun."
He caged Prometheus but decided to take
his advice since with the heat index, it felt like it was 105.
"I say we chill in the pool."
Brianna whooped. "That's what I'm talking
about. My mans." She stuck out her fist, and he dapped it. Now that he'd gotten
a good look at her, he thought Brianna was cute with her coppery skin and
mahogany eyes.
"You're biracial, right?" he asked her.
"Uh, yeah. I'm Afro-Latina, you?"
"Black and white. Mixed kids of the world
unite!" he said, and they shared a laugh.
Josh cut him a dirty look. "Are we going
swimming or what?"
Travis went with the guys to change in Josh's
room while the girls changed in the guestroom. As they approached Josh's room,
his heart was in his throat. Taking a calming breath, he squashed his
nervousness down and put it in a box.
"Your room's way cleaner now," he said upon
entering it.
"Yeah. My parents made me," he said, slipping
off his shirt. The others followed suit, leaving Travis the only one in regular
clothes. Best get this over fast.
He was sliding on his shorts when he felt
someone staring at him. Turning, he found Henry and Lance gawking at him.
"What?"
"Nothing," they said. He shrugged it off and
went out to the pool while Josh got his Bluetooth speaker. Since Travis was the
guest, he got first choice of song: he chose Numb/Encore by Linkin Park, featuring Jay-Z. As the song started, he
bopped his head and locked eyes with Brianna, who was doing the same. He sang
along, not caring what anyone thought. When the song ended, Brianna
picked Diamonds by Rihanna, and this repeated with everyone
choosing a song. Then Henry said he was bored and started a splash fight.
It was Travis and the girls against the
others. And whenever Matt and Henry would gang up on someone, Travis sneaked up
on them and dunked them. He couldn't remember a time he'd laughed as much. Then
the mood turned when Henry and Matt sneaked up on Travis while he was dunking
Josh and pulled down his shorts.
He turned, seeing red, thankful for his
colored contacts. "What the hell?"
Henry held out his arms. "Chillax, dude. We
were just playing."
"Do that again, and I will end you," Travis
said, and a wind kicked up. Closing his eyes, he did 4-7-8 breath exercises. As
his anger dissipated and Travis's breathing returned to normal, the wind
stopped blowing. He dog paddled away from everyone, weighing whether he should
leave.
Josh swam over. "You
okay?"
"I'm fi " A violent coughing fit racked him,
and in between gasping for air, he told Josh to get his inhaler from his bag.
Travis puffed on his inhaler twice. Able to breathe again, he took three gulps
of air.
Josh placed his hand on Travis's shoulder.
"You good?"
"Yeah," he said. It took him a few moments to
recover, but he got back into the splash war.
Around two o'clock, everyone started getting
hungry, so they got out of the pool and ate while watching YouTube videos on
the 75-inch TV in the living room. Rachel left first, stating she had to work
at her parents' Chinese fusion restaurant. Briana left a bit after Rachel
because she had to watch her cousin's kids.
With the girls gone, Matt suggested they play Halo.
But Travis countered they should play Street Fighter. Josh sided
with him, and the tournament began. The only one to even come close to beating
Travis was Josh, and they traded insults the whole time they played.
"Come on. Let's play Halo," Matt
whined.
Lance concurred, and Henry added, "Yeah. This
sucks,"
"Not as much as you," Travis quipped, not
missing a beat as he hadouken'd Josh into oblivion.
"I'm outta here,
Henry yelled.
"Me, too, JJ," Lance shot over his shoulder as
he left.
Matt rolled his eyes as he got up. "Enjoy
spending time with your boyfriend, ya knob gobbler."
Josh flipped them off, telling them to sit and
spin. Travis and Josh continued playing in their own Travis and Josh world
until David and Jason buzzed in.
Josh bumped fists and chests with them and
introduced Travis, who shot them a death glare worthy of Thanos.
"Hey."
David half-smiled, half-laughed. "You're
the one our Joshykins has been spending all his time
with, huh?"
Travis puffed out his chest, hands akimbo,
chin raised. "What of it, Green?"
Josh looked from one to the other. "Cool it,
guys. What say I cream the whole stinking lot of ya
in Halo?"
Laughing, Jason ruffled Josh's hair. "Start it
up already, shrimp."
Josh flashed Travis a smile. "We're playing
teams. Travis is on mine."
"Go right ahead, squirt," Jason said. "He'll
need all the help he can get."
The round started, and Jason ambushed Travis,
getting in a headshot as he turned a blind corner. "Ha, you suck."
"Not as much as your mom," Travis
deadpanned.
David chuckled. "Damn,
dude. You want some ointment for that burn."
Jason's face went red, and he lunged for
Travis, but David held him back.
"Chillax. You'll get him back."
Jason cut Travis a dirty look but picked up
his controller, and they played on; he and David scored ten kills to Josh and
Travis's eight. Travis only got in one frag when David spawned right in front
of him.
After a few more rounds, the score was tied at
two.
Jason sneered at Travis. "Hey, ladies. You up
for a little bet?"
"That depends," Josh said, looking frazzled
and nervous. "What are the stakes?"
"Smart boy. If the Dave-meister
and me win, then you two have to run down the driveway
and back. Naked."
"No way," Travis said before Josh could reply.
Jason snickered. "It's okay. I understand if
you're scared to show us your micro peen."
Travis narrowed his eyes. "Deal, cocksucker. But when we win, you have to
be our slaves for the rest of the day."
Josh did a double-take.
"You can't be serious. You can barely move without getting shot."
"Now, now, Joshykins,
David said, flexing his biceps, "Travis is a big boy and can speak for himself.
You're on. BTW, I like your style. You got balls, bro."
Jason cut in, "And we'll all see just how big
they are when he loses."
Travis flipped him off, and the match
commenced.
Josh played at top form, evidently having
played hundreds of hours, but his skills weren't enough to overcome Travis's
errors.
***
Jason and David cat-called and wolf-whistled
at them as they undressed.
When they were down to their underwear, Josh
turned to Travis. "We don't have to go through with this."
Travis thought a second. I'm scared.
Matt, Henry, and Josh were about the same size as me, but Green and Miller are
almost four years older than me. Why if I do have microphallia?
"I knew you'd chicken out," Jason said
and clucked.
I'm not gonna let them think I'm a baby.
Travis shot him a stone-cold glare. "We made a
bet, and a man keeps his word." He gathered up his clothes, not trusting the
older boys.
Travis gave Josh a resolute look. "On the
count of three. One. Two. Three."
Josh dropped his Superman boxers and ran down
the driveway while Travis watched him transfixed. He snapped out of it, removed
his tighty-whites, and ran after Josh, his twig and
berries flopping around with each step.
"I can't believe you went through with this,
Josh said as they reached the end of the driveway and doubled back.
Travis scowled. "One, I won't let them push me
around."
"And two?"
"I got to see you naked." He punched Josh's
arm and then took off, laughing.
"You're dead!" Josh shouted, laughing.
When they reached David and Jason, the older
boys were screeching like howler monkeys, doubled over in laughter.
"And what's so funny, smart asses?" Josh said.
David flicked Josh's nose. "When we post this
to the school's Snapchat account, everyone is gonna be LOL-ing
so hard."
Travis stepped forward and got in David's
space, his head barely reaching David's stomach. "Delete whatever pictures and
video you took of us."
David jabbed his finger in Travis's chest. "Or
what?"
Travis stared down David, his insides an army
of angry bees trying to burrow their way out of him. Then he grabbed David's
arm and twisted it behind his back. "Or I'll call the police, and when they
find said material on your phone, you'll go down for production and possession
of child pornography. Now, what are you going to do?" He twisted David's arm
until he yelped.
"Alright, alright. You're stronger than you
look."
Travis let him go and turned to Jason. "You,
too."
"Jesus, bro. We were just messing around."
Travis had them unlock their phones, delete
the images and videos, and then pass their phones to him so he could verify
they'd followed through.
When that was done, only then did he finish
dressing and go inside.
Once everyone was inside, David, Jason, and
Josh got into an argument.
David puffed out his chest. "What the actual fuck? Turner's a psycho,"
"Maybe," Josh said, frowning, "but you were
wrong as hell for recording us, and you know it."
Josh finished getting dressed and was about to
tell David and Jason to leave when Jason grabbed his arm. "You're sticking up
for Turner now?"
He yanked his arm free. "Yeah. Because, unlike
some people, Travis likes me for me."
"What's that supposed to mean?" David
said.
"Figure it out."
Meanwhile, Travis had gathered his things and
announced he was leaving.
Josh's face fell. "Where ya going so soon?"
"I think I've had more than enough excitement
for one day."
Travis was halfway down the drive when
he paused and looked back at the house. He couldn't let things end like this,
so before he had a chance to overthink things, he doubled back.
Josh's face lit up. "You came back?"
Rubbing the back of their head sheepishly,
Travis said. "Yeah."
"When do you want to hang out again?"
Josh said with a pleading look in his eyes.
"Depends. Will the dip shit
twins be here?" he said, pointing to the older boys who were glaring daggers at
them.
"We're leaving. Come on, David," Jason said
and stormed out. David gave them a single grimace before joining him.
Travis let out a sigh of relief. "I thought
they'd never leave."
Josh placed his hand on Travis's shoulder.
"Hey, David and Jason aren't so bad once you get to know them."
He shrugged Josh's hand away. "I don't want to
get to know them." Travis paused a beat, then said, "I want to get to know
you." He hugged Josh.
Josh hugged Travis back, and they stayed like
that, gazing into each other's eyes until Travis pulled away.
"I better be going. My taxi should be here in
a few."
"Right." Josh's face fell. "See ya."
"Not if I see you first."
They both cracked up at this and started
singing The Ballad of Paladin until Travis made for the door
again.
"Later," Josh said. "And for the record, from
what I've seen . . . you don't have anything to be ashamed of."
With a Cheshire cat grin, Josh waved goodbye,
leaving Travis to think over what he'd said. Travis couldn't help feeling as
though he'd won the lottery.
***
When Travis Popped home, he learned his
parents took part of his birthday money to pay for a babysitter, and he was pissed, though not so much to risk another visit from his
probation officer.
He remembered having a few old shoeboxes in
his closet, and upon searching for them, he found one with over $12,000 in it.
This made him think of that time Prometheus took over his body, and when he'd
come to, he had a wad of cash in his pocket. Shrugging, he added the cash in
the box with his money, put it all in a ziplock bag,
and placed it inside the heating vent in his wall.
With that done, he called Grams and told her what
his parents did. She told him she wasn't surprised and would set up a joint
checking account for him first thing in the morning and email him the details.
She also told him she'd give a piece of her mind to his mother. They talked a
bit longer. Then he told her he had to go eat dinner.
After he'd cleaned the dishes, he read awhile,
then FaceTime'd Josh.
"Hey."
"Hey yourself," Josh said. "Wanna hear a poem I wrote?"
"I do."
"It still needs some work, but "
"Get to it."
"Ssh, you can't rush
art," he said, clearing his throat. "I'm a Trekker who ships Lucifer/ Chloe
Decker. I'm keen on all things Tolkien. A fiend for the lean, mean green
fighting machines. I get wet for peeps with the X gene. I lose sleep playing
games on Steam. I'm a sucker for characters who are more than they seem. I
watch anime and Buffy slay. I play RPGs with glee. See, I'm a closet geek. What
do ya think?"
"Two out of ten on artistry. Ten out of ten on
the funny."
Josh stuck out his tongue. "Dick."
"Don't ask a question if you're not ready for
the answer."
"Okay, smartass," Josh said, a serious
expression coming over his face, "what did you mean by you want to get to know
me?"
Travis sucked in his bottom lip. "That depends
on the you in question."
"Come again?"
"I detest JJ but want to know more about
Josh."
"But they're both me."
"Are they?"
Josh's brow furrowed, and his face scrunched
up. "I mean . . . no. JJ is just an act, a role I play for my friends. But when
I'm with you . . ."
"Go on."
"I can be my real self."
"And I like that version of you."
"I like you, too," Josh said. They talked long
into the night about their plans for the rest of summer until Travis told him
he had to go.
Josh sighed. "Parting is such sweet sorrow
that I shall say goodnight till it be morrow."
Travis stifled a laugh. "Really. Romeo
& Juliet?"
"Dude, don't be a moment spoiler."
"Fine, but just so you know, Romeo
& Juliet was written as a satire of young love."
"Must you be so pedantic? See you tomorrow."
"Yeah. Later."
They ended the call, and Tavis couldn't help
feeling sad like he was missing something.
"Or someone," Prometheus added.
Travis ignored him and Popped to the park to train a while before bed.
That night he worked on the mental side of his
abilities. One by one, he lowered his mental barriers; when the final one had
been lowered, he was bombarded with a million voices in his head. There were
too many, so he focused on one: Jenny. In his mind, he saw a blue
ribbon form, and he followed it, over land and sky.
When the ribbon stopped, he was in Jenny's
apartment, seeing things through her eyes. Agent Anderson was in bed with
her.
It didn't take him long to figure out the
score, and he exited. Only instead of coming back to his body, Travis was stuck
in Jenny's mind, sensing everything she did.
To say he was repulsed was an understatement.
Only when Jenny fell asleep was Travis able to exit her mind and return home.
The experience left him drained and traumatized, so much he vowed to train all
aspects of his powers every day, even if that meant pulling all-nighters. Once
he slipped into bed, he fell right asleep. But his dreams were anything but
pleasant.
***
Oblivion visited him, warning that Prometheus
couldn't be trusted. Given all the crap Prometheus had
pulled, Travis was inclined to believe Oblivion.
"Forget the Giovanni boy and focus on your
training. You are close to breaking the other's mental blockade. And with its
demise will come the power to save your life."
"How?"
"Have you done as I suggested and cleaved your
emotions from yourself?"
"I've tried, but "
"You've been preoccupied with Joshua."
"Yeah."
"Have you forgotten the rules that have well
served you these many years? He will betray you like everyone you've ever let
in. Search your mind; you know I speak true."
"Maybe you're right. Maybe I've imagined the
looks of longing Josh gives me when he thinks I'm not looking."
"Yes, child. Harden your heart. Remember
your words: people come into and out of our lives without predictability, so we
can only depend on ourselves."
Oblivion's logic was sound, and he'd been
honest with Travis from the start, but for the first time in his life, Travis
listened to his heart. He liked Josh, and if that meant they'd only be friends,
then he could live with it.
"No! I don't care what you say;
Josh is my friend."
"Have it your way. I'm merely trying to spare
you pain. Until we meet again, goodnight, sweet prince."
Oblivion vanished, and Travis woke up, lungs
on fire as a coughing fit tore through him. He puffed on his inhaler but
continued coughing. After three more puffs, he could breathe again, and he went
back to sleep.
In the morning, he called Jenny to tell her
about his coughing spells and to get more of his treatment as he was running
low. He kept the call short as he had flashbacks to last night that made his
skin crawl.
After he finished community service, she
checked him over and said she wanted him to go to the hospital for a few tests.
Three hours later, they diagnosed him with pneumonia, gave him some
antibiotics, and told him to get plenty of rest and fluids.
Still, after taking the antibiotics for a few
days, the coughing episodes continued. He shrugged it off, not wanting to
bother Jenny or his parents. He kept his inhaler with him at all times and
stocked up on over-the-counter cough suppressants, and
carried on his training regimen. This helped some, but he'd taken to carrying a
pack of tissues to cough into.
Soon enough, it was time for their next
therapy session. Josh went first since he had to leave early for a charity
event with his parents. As Travis waited, his thoughts turned to Josh. They had
been trying to get their parents to agree to a sleepover, but they'd refused.
They were now entering the halfway point of
summer vacation, and Travis's parents had started pushing back his curfew and
making the twins go to bed earlier. Soon enough, school would start. But would
he be alive?
Author's Note: Oblivion makes another
appearance, but what is his endgame? Next chapter finds Josh in another session
with Dr. Dull and he makes a major breakthrough. Travis
also goes to therapy and makes a huge revelation to Dr. Dull.
Reminder: Nifty needs your continued support,
so spare a few coins for the archivist if you can (https://donate.nifty.org).