Chapter Six
JJ,
nose taped-up, lip-busted, face bruised, visited David in the hospital and
couldn't help laughing at the sight.
David
flipped him off. "Shut up. It's not that bad."
"Right, I
hear the eggplant look is so in right now," JJ said, dodging David's incoming
spitball. "Real mature, Green. What are you, five?" he said, launching a
spitball of his own.
"Aw, you
shrimp. You got me right in my eye."
JJ loaded
his straw with another spitball. "That's what your mom said."
They burst
out laughing.
David
pressed the button to start his morphine drip. "JJ, seriously, don't make me
laugh. It hurts too much."
"Sucks to be
you, dude. I only got a broken nose and a few bruised ribs out the deal." He
shot another spitball, catching David on the nose.
"You're lucky
my leg and ribs are broken, or I'd come over there and teabag your punk ass."
He launched a spitball at JJ, missing him. "I'd rather be all jacked up like
this than be an albino four-foot-nothing stick with no dick."
JJ really
wished his growth spurt would come, as it had last summer for David. "Well,
excuse me for not being a sasquatch like you. And for your information, I'm
four-foot-eight . . . and a quarter inch."
Laughing,
David clutched his ribs. "That's still short as hell. Tell me, do ya still shop in the toddlers' section?"
"Screw you!
I'm big where it counts."
"Dude, you
crack me up. You prolly don't even know how to use
it. I've seen you talk to the ladies, but have you hit it?"
He remained
quiet, hoping David would move on to another topic, but he didn't, and the lull
in the conversation engulfed them. JJ hazarded a look at David, and their eyes
met. "I mean . . . no."
David looked
at him askew. "What's up with that?"
JJ paused,
looking at the floor as he thought, his heart ready to rocket into outer
space. I'm sick of hiding, but what if David and Jason don't want to
hang with me anymore? Could I live with the loneliness? And what if they tell
everyone at school and my parents find out?
But I
can't keep bottling this stuff inside. Like Nana Giovanni says, `Que sera sera.'
Taking in a
deep breath, JJ steeled himself, ready to bolt for the door. "H--has it ever
occurred to you that I might not like girls?"
"Come again?
You're joking, right?"
JJ shook his
head. "This isn't a joke. I like dudes."
"Shit, man. You're not secretly in love with me now, are ya? `Cuz The David don't swing
that way, bro."
JJ's nose
and chest ached from the fit of laughter that wracked him. When it passed, he
said, "No offense, but you are so not my type. I'm not big on
the whole `roided-out look.
Seriously, man, there's such a thing as too much muscle."
David
gestured at himself. "How could you not like all of this?"
"Conceited
much? Just cuz I'm gay doesn't mean I drool over
every guy I see. I'm not a man-ho like you and Jason."
"Ha, good
one, squirt. So, you like got a boyfriend?"
"You're
being pretty meh about this, but no. I'm single."
"Well,
that's `cuz Jason's bi, and we're like total bros, ya know? Yeah, it's kinda weird
when he talks about hooking up with guys, but otherwise, dude's hella chill. There someone you got your eye on?"
"Hold up.
Jason is bi? Since when? I legit didn't suspect that.
Man, my gaydar must be broke or something. And if you must know . . . I liked
Travis until I found out what a complete douche nozzle he was."
"Turner or
Smith?"
"Turner," he
mumbled.
"No offense,
JJ, but your taste in guys stinks."
"Says the
breeder." He scowled. "It's frustrating. I hate him, but I love him. Like I'm
the only one who sees the pain he hides behind his walls, and I just want to
take it all away. But he hates me and is so screwed in the head. FML."
JJ's sobs
filled the room.
"Listen to
me. Everything's gonna work out, okay?"
JJ sniffed
and wiped his eyes. "Really?"
"Yeah. I
love you, man. No homo."
JJ chucked
his soda can at David, and it clunked his forehead. "That'll teach ya, fucker."
"That's
assault."
"You earned
it."
"Meh. We
cool?"
"Yeah. So .
. . Jason's bi?"
"Mmhmm. Say,
if you like Turner, then why have you been picking on him?"
Before
JJ could reply, the unmistakable sound of an explosion from the floor above
them caught his attention.
***
Out of the
darkness that covered him, Travis found himself back on the plateau overlooking
a river with trees and plants of all colors.
"Beautiful,
ain't it?"
He turned,
and seeing himself, he got in a defensive stance.
"Yo, chill cuzo. I'm not
Oblivion."
Travis
focused on his hand and gathered a ball of black flames. "Why should I believe
you?"
"Wouldn't
I have attacked you by now?"
Pursing his
lips, Travis thought it over. "Then who are you?"
"Your headmate, silly."
If this were
a Tex Avery cartoon, Travis's eyeballs would have
popped out of his head. "I'm crazy."
"The
verdict's still out on that, but this is for real for real."
Travis
inclined his head, not believing what he was hearing. How is this
possible?
"Hey,
I'm just as confused about this as you are."
Travis
stared at him dumbfounded. "You can hear my thoughts?"
"Duh. We
share a body . . . among other things."
"What's that
supposed to mean?"
"Never
mind."
Travis
scrunched up his face. "Whatever. Where are we?"
His headmate scratched its head. "Well, I don't
exactly know how to describe it, but we're in your head. Or rather our heads. I
think."
Nodding
slowly, Travis said, "Right. You have a name or what?"
"`Course
I got a name. It's Prometheus, but you can call me Pro, bro."
Like an itch
in the back of Travis's mind, the name seemed familiar, but he couldn't quite
place it.
"Don't
strain yourself, kid. When the time's right, all will be revealed."
Scoffing,
Travis folded his arms. "Way to be vague. I'd say it was a pleasure meeting
you, but then I'd be a liar. Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to go home."
He turned
away, but Prometheus grabbed his shoulder, turning him so they were facing each
other.
"No
can-do, partner. I saved yo' ass, and now you owe me.
So, how's about you start by saying thank you?"
Travis
shrugged off Prometheus's hand. "Didn't ask for your help."
Prometheus
grimaced and sucked in his lips. "I knew it was too soon to meet your
stingy ole bitch ass self."
How dare
this usurper speak to him like that. He gritted his teeth, his vision going red
as he balled up his fist and focused all his anger on forming a ball of blue
flames. After blasting him with fire, Travis turned to leave, but Prometheus
appeared in front of him, murder in his eyes.
"Nice
try, dumb ass. But we were born of fire and ash."
He socked
Travis in the jaw, and they exchanged blows. Travis dodged the best he could,
but Prometheus was faster than him and played dirty, teleporting behind him and getting in cheap shots.
When Travis
tried teleporting, he felt as though being torn into a million pieces.
"Ha,
kid. You ain't ready for that yet. Now sit yo' hyper self down and listen up while your boy Pro schools ya for a minute."
"Yeah, no.
I'm going home."
Prometheus
laughed. "I'd like to see you try. I got that ass on lock, son."
He snapped
his fingers, and Travis found himself wrapped in chains.
"What the--"
"You in
Pro's house now, nigga. And you ain't going nowheres
till we had a little chat. See, that dream you had weren't
no dream."
"Then I--"
"You
fought the devil and won. Course not before we underwent a little change."
He pointed
into the distance and told Travis to look. Following Prometheus's hand, a
creeping gray mist was coming toward them, draining everything it touched of
color; it was fast enough for Travis to notice but nothing that concerned him.
"So?"
"So, numbnuts, that grayness is . . .
well, I don't know what it is. But I know it's bad news."
Travis
laughed. They must have hit me harder than I thought to hallucinate
this--or given me some primo pain killers.
Groaning,
Prometheus wiped his hand across his mouth. "Look, we got powers,
okay, and one of them is like ESP."
Rolling his
eyes, Travis tried to hide his mounting fear. "We can see the future? Yeah, right."
"I ain't
say all that, but we get hunches and can see bits of what might happen. That's
how I knew Oblivion was no good. You'll get them, too, once you stop being so
uptight."
Screaming
internally, Travis said, "Whatever you're smoking, stop."
"A'ight. I'll prove it. You know JJ?"
"What of the
paramecium-brained dunderhead?"
"He
likes you, and you likes him."
"What did
you just say to me?" Black energy arced from Travis's body.
"Still
in denial?"
Travis
growled. "Giovanni is the last person I'd ever be with."
Laughing,
Prometheus shook his head. "Oh, boy. You just don't know. But that's
all Imma say about that. While I have you here, let's
get a few ground rules out the way. First, no mo'
being a punk-ass nig--"
White
tentacles sprouted from Travis. "Use that word again, and I will eviscerate
you."
Prometheus
backed up. "Chill!"
Travis
looked down and the chains binding him were gone.
"Kid, ya have to watch yourself. Every
time you get angry, Oblivion's. . . shit I don't
what's it called. But if you don't chill with all this wanting to kill folk,
it's game over, nig--negro."
Travis
thought over the day's events. "Say I believe you
about Oblivion and the other stuff. Why is this happening now?"
"Hell if I know. Maybe it has something to do with us hitting
puberty. Anyways, rule two: any time you require my help, asked for or not, I
get to take the old body for a spin. Starting now."
Prometheus
disappeared, leaving Travis standing there beyond perplexed and pissed. It was bad enough having Prometheus in his ear 24/7
ragging on him, but to be trapped in his own body?
Hell to the fuck naw. "Next
time we meet, Imma bust my foot off in your
ass!"
***
Sometime
later, Travis ventured out from his spot on the plateau and tried teleporting
and the flame attack he used on Prometheus. He didn't know how long he'd be
there, so he made the most of his time training. "You won't beat me again."
In the
distance, a faint bird cry reached him. Again, he felt as though there were
something he should remember but couldn't, and for reasons unknown to him then,
Travis cried.
A/N: This
chapter covered a lot. JJ finally came out to someone
and it didn't blow up in his face (yay for straight allies). What was your
coming out process like? Let me know.
And What do
you make of Travis and Pro? Is Travis hallucinating or is there more going on
here? I'd love to hear your theories and constructive criticism. I can be
reached at phenix39@yahoo.com and
remember nifty needs your donations to keep this site free (https://donate.nifty.org).