FOREVER MY LOVE

by Jason Finigan

This story is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. This story may contain scenes which involve sexual situations between young males. If this type of material is offensive to you, or it is not legal for you to be reading this type of material, please do not read any further. This story is copyright © 2008 by Jason Finigan, all rights reserved. Please do not copy this story for distribution or post on any online server without the author's permission. Please send all your comments to: jasonfinigan@yahoo.com. You can also visit my website at: www.jasonfinigan.net.

From the last chapter:

Dinner was ready just a bit after five, and ended up having two servings. I really wasn't kidding when I said I was hungry. While I normally usually eat quite a bit, and was one of the lucky few who didn't pack on the weight after eating as much as I do, the amount I had for dinner was definitely more than I usually ate during dinner. I think it helped that my mother had cooked lasagna, which has to be, by far, my favorite food.

I was done well before six rolled around which gave me some time to help my mother with the dishes. That task alone took all of five minutes since we don't wash dishes by hand, instead we put them in a dish washer. So all I had to do was rinse off the dishes and put them in the dishwasher. My mother added the soap and turned it on.

With nothing else to do, I went back up to my room to make sure everything up there was in order. I generally like to keep my room fairly tidy, but with Jon coming over, I wanted to make sure it was especially clean. As it happened, it didn't take long at all. Probably due to the fact that my mother regularly comes in here to do the dusting and some tidying up.

Truth be told, really I was nervous about Jon coming over because I didn't know how he felt about me. I knew we were friends, but I wanted more than just a friendship and I didn't know how he would take it if I told him that I was falling in love with him. The fear of rejection was there big time. I don't generally handle rejection very well, and I think it would kill me if I lost Jon's friendship because of this. I decided I was going to have to take it slow and play it by ear, and maybe take a chance depending on how things go. As my father told me, you'll never truly know how someone will feel about you unless you ask them.

It was at that moment that the doorbell rang causing me to jump slightly, and then run out of my room.

Chapter 2

So fast was I in leaving my room and rushing to the front door that I actually made it there before my mother did. Opening the door, I saw Jon standing in the doorway, dressed only in a white t-shirt and dark blue cargo pants. His red hair was neatly combed and I could detect the faint odor of shampoo telling me that he had taken a shower before coming over.

"Jon!" I said, reaching out and grabbing him into a hug.

"Hey, Jay," he answered, hugging me back.

"Dear, aren't you going to let your friend in?" my mother chuckled from behind me.

Reluctantly letting Jon go, I moved aside to let him come into the house after which I closed the door and proceeded to introduce him to my mother. "Jon, this is my Mom, Karen."

"Hi, Mrs. Finn," Jon said, holding out his hand.

"Hi, Jon. It's really nice to meet you, and please call me Karen," my mother said shaking Jon's hand.

By now, my father had left the kitchen where he had been sitting, joining us in the front hallway. "I'm Jason's father, Don. I'm glad that Jason has you for a friend. He doesn't make friends easily. I would also like to thank you for helping Jason with Paul earlier today."

"Jay's a cool guy, and I don't like it when people do stuff like that other boy did. Besides, I had to talk to Jay about our English assignment," Jon said, looking at me with the most silly grin on his face.

"Oh man! I completely forgot! Mom, Dad, is it okay if Jon and I go up to my room? Mrs. Williams assigned our class a group project and Jon is supposed to be my partner."

My mother looked at me. "Okay dear, but remember it's a school night and I'm sure Jon's parents don't want him out too late."

"Actually its just me and my Mom, but yeah, I'm supposed to be home by nine," Jon told her.

I looked at the clock in the kitchen, seeing that it was now six thirty. Well, if I only had two hours to be with him, I planned to make the best of it. It's kind of funny, now that I think about it, but I have never had my mind so fixed on any one person like I did with Jon. Could I really be falling in love with him? Is this what love does to you? Well if it does, I'm certainly not going to complain. I definitely like it.

I led Jon up to my bedroom where once we were inside, I closed the door. I motioned for Jon to take a seat on my bed while I opted for the chair next to my computer desk, turning it around so I could face Jon when I sat down.

"Jon, I'm really glad you came over today. I don't think I really got to thank you properly for doing all you did for me back at school."

"It wasn't anything, Jay. Like I told your parents, I really hate people like this Paul kid."

"Well, still. Thanks."

"Any time," Jon said, giving me another smile. "You know, ever since my mom and I just recently moved up here from New York, I haven't really had a chance to meet many people or make new friends. You're pretty much my first one."

"Thanks. Sorry. I'm not used to having friends myself. It's not easy for me really."

"Hey, don't worry about it. We're here now, and I know I like you. I get the feeling that we'll become really good friends. At least, I certainly hope so. I find that most of the other kids in school are so into sports and I really couldn't care less."

"Tell me about it," I laughed. "I'd rather watch it on TV myself. The only thing that I like doing outside these days is hopping on my bike and going for a ride."

"Sounds really nice to me. It kinda shows that you do a lot of bike riding," Jon said, playfully tipping his head to the side in an exaggerated effort to look at my butt.

"Hey!" I protested, shifting in my seat which only served to make him laugh.

"So, anyways. Tell me what the story is with you and this Paul kid," Jon said.

Knowing that he'd find out sooner or later, one way or another, I sighed deeply, then began to tell him how it all began.

"Paul and I were in the same class in grade 5. It wasn't a big class and Paul had a reputation for being a practical joker. I liked his sense of humor and thought that he and I could be friends. At first we were. We didn't go to each other's houses or anything but we talked a lot and hung around each other a lot at school. Then one day I was heading to my next class, I can't remember what it was, and I had just reached the door to the classroom when I heard Paul's voice. He was speaking to some of the other guys in our class. I wasn't at all prepared for what he was telling them as I found out that he was only pretending to be my friend because he wanted to play a big joke on me. I didn't know what to do, I guess I was kinda in a state of shock, so when I walked into the room, I started to cry a bit and just sat down at my desk, trying to hide the fact that I was crying from them. I definitely didn't want them to see that. Of course, Paul did; instead of trying to find out what was wrong, as I had hoped he would, he and his friends started to laugh at me. They began to call me names like sissy and wimp and things like that. They stopped just as the teacher walked into the room. I'm sure the teacher heard what had been going on in the room, but all she did was looked sternly at Paul. He didn't get in trouble or anything.

"After school was finished, I put away my books and things, put on my jacket and left to go home. Just as I stepped out of the doors, I saw somebody's fist heading for my face. I felt a sharp pain and fell to the ground. When I looked up, I saw Paul standing over me, laughing, and saying how much a fool I was to think he could ever be my friend. Then he just walked away leaving me on the ground, dirty and crying. One thing I've always hated is that I really don't handle pain well. When I go to the dentist they have to knock me out just to fill a cavity. It's like I'm immune to that needle they give you. It just doesn't work on me for some reason.

"Well, after I got home, my father saw the bruise that was beginning to show on my face and made me tell him how I got it. After that, he marched up to Paul's house and confronted Paul's father. Fat lot of good that did. Paul's father is an alcoholic and couldn't give two shits what his son did at school, which only made my father even more upset. Because of things Paul has done to me, my father has had to visit his house two other times. Each time Paul's father answered the door drunk, and gave my father the same type of response. The last time, I thought Paul's father was going to get violent. Thankfully he didn't. I have been kicked, pushed, dunked in the toilet, insulted and just plain picked on by Paul and his little circle of friends ever since. I never stood up for myself, thinking that if I didn't fight back, they'd eventually tire of picking on me and leave me alone. I guess I was wrong."

By the time I had finished telling Jon the whole story, I was in tears. I had never felt so ashamed of myself as much as I did then, and I just couldn't look up at him, instead I was looking down at my feet, all the while crying silent tears. Movement on my bed made me look up, and what I saw there I was not expecting at all. Jon was crying as well. He slowly stood up from my bed, walked over to me and pulled me up into a tight hug, which only made me cry even harder. It was as though being in his arms allowed me to release all the hurt I had suffered up till now. All of it was being washed away with my tears.

Eventually the tears slowed, my sobs reducing to the occasional sniffle. Jon let me go and looked into my face, raising it with his finger under my chin. "Jay. I didn't know. I'm sorry. And I'm sorry for what I said to you back at school about you not sticking up for yourself. I guess I've always felt that a person should stand up for themselves and I never thought to consider that a person's fear of pain could make that impossible. I don't want you to get hurt again. I like you."

"Thank you, Jon. No one has ever said that to me before. Jon, I have to tell you something, but I'm afraid that if I do that you'll hate me. I like you too. A lot. And I don't want to lose the chance of being your friend."

"Doubt there's anything you could say to change that. You are my friend, Jay. Come on, what is it?" he asked me softly.

I started to shake my head, definitely afraid that if he knew that I was beginning to have feelings for him, that I'd lose the only friend I had. There was no way he could be gay. I just couldn't believe that he'd have the same feelings for another guy, much less for me.

"Jay, I'm serious, you can tell me. I will not think any less of you."

'Might as well get this over with,' I thought. Knowing how hard it is for me to hide my own feelings, he'd find out sooner than later. Taking a deep breath I said the words that I feared would end our friendship. "Jon. Since I ran into you in the hall at school I haven't been able to keep my mind on anything else besides you. Even at the hospital. Well, except for when the doctor put my nose back in place." That last part I added with a nervous smile. "I've never felt this way before and it is kind of scary. I was afraid that if I told you that you wouldn't want to be near me again. Jon, I'm gay and I think I'm falling in love with you. Please don't hate me!" I cried.

Minutes passed by, though they seemed like hours before Jon said anything to me. He just sat there looking at me, his expression completely unreadable. All I could do was ready myself for the rejection I knew I was about to get. The silence was killing me. I couldn't stand it. I'd much rather have him hitting me, or running out of my room or something. But just sitting there looking at me, it was tormenting. When he at last did speak, it was with a slow and measured voice.

"Jay, I could never hate you. You are my best friend."

"Jon, please understand that I don't want you to feel that you can't trust me. I want to be your friend very much. I've known I was gay since I was twelve years old. My parents don't know. You are the only one I have told."

"I do trust you, Jay. There's something about you that makes me believe you could never hurt me. I have only told this to my mom and while she wasn't too thrilled by the idea she loves me and will support me no matter what. Jay, I am gay too. And I think I am falling in love with you as well," Jon finished, completely blowing me away. At first I stared at him in total shock, but then, slowly, a huge smile formed on my face as what he just told me began to sink in. He's gay too, and he's attracted to me and has feelings for me! I grabbed Jon into my arms and we both stood there, tears of joy running down both of our faces.

The tears didn't last, but our smiles never faded. Still wrapped up tightly in each others' arms, neither of us saw the door to my bedroom open and my mother walk into the room. "Now that is the cutest thing I have ever seen," she said with a great big knowing grin on her face. Jon and I quickly released each other and looked in shock and horror at my mother.

"Mom, I..." I started, trying to come up with something; anything to explain why Jon and I were hugging each other just then.

"Jason dear, you don't have to explain. Your father and I had an idea about you being gay for some time now. We both love you very much and there is nothing about you that would make us stop loving you," she said.

I ran to her and gave her a big hug. "Thank you. Mom. I was afraid to tell you. I've known I was gay for a while now and I didn't know how you would react if you found out."

"Jason, we are your parents, we love you. You can tell us anything at all and we will still love you. Now if what I was seeing is any indication, you and Jon have feelings for one another and that Jon is gay also?" she asked me, still wrapped up in my hug.

"Yeah, Mom, I like him. And he told me that he likes me too," I answered.

"Mrs. Finn, I don't want you to think that either of us planned this. It just happened. But I really do like Jay, and if it is okay with you, I would really love it if he'd be my boyfriend," Jon said, speaking up, giving me yet another shock. I didn't even have to think about that for one second. Releasing my mother, I pulled Jon back into another tight hug.

"Jon, nothing would make me more happy than to be your boyfriend," I told him, unable and unwilling to contain the excitement in my voice. My mother just stood there smiling at us. You could almost see how proud she was of me in her eyes.

"Well, Dear. Don't you think you should introduced your new boyfriend to your father?" She asked me.

"But Mom, Dad's already met Jon."

"Yes but then he was just a friend. Don't you think you should introduce him as your boyfriend?" She was right of course, but for a second, my smile was gone, replaced now with a look of nervousness and fear. Telling my father...

"Don't worry, like I said, both your dad and I figured it out," my mother said, as if reading my thoughts."He isn't going to be upset. Trust me."

My mother gave Jon and me a chance to compose ourselves a little better. There were still some wet streaks on my cheeks where my tears had fallen, and our clothes had become a little unkempt. Deciding that we were as good as we were going to get, the three of us left my room and headed back downstairs. My father was sitting in the living room, watching TV, which he usually does after dinner. He didn't miss the fact that the three of us had come into the living room, however, looking up and giving us a smile.

"I see your Mom managed to drag you out of your bedroom, finally," he observed.

I couldn't help but smile. My dad has a smile that is very infectious. Then I got serious. "Dad, there's something I need to tell you. Mom already knows. I'm gay and I would like you to meet my boyfriend, Jon." Upon hearing that, and looking up at my mother who nodded her head in confirmation, my father turned off the TV and looked over at me. Between my parents, it was my father who was the most difficult to read, well, except when he was smiling that is..

"Jason," he started, sighing reluctantly. "I know. I guess I've known for a while now I just never wanted to face it. I guess that is going to be rather difficult to do now. Boys, come stand here, please," he said, indicating a spot in front of him as he got up from the chair. Nervously Jon and I walked up to him and looked up. Without saying another word, he just pulled Jon and myself into a hug. "I'm am very proud of you, Jason. Very proud. Not many people your age feel they can come out to their parents like you have. And to find out that you've found someone, Jason, your mother and I couldn't be more happy for you. Honestly your mother and I have been worried about you, but now I think you will be alright."

Jon and I hugged my father back while I repeated "Thank you" over and over again.

My father finally let us go and looked at the two of us. "Jon, I want you to know how proud I am of how you have been there for my son. I don't think I could have wished for a better boyfriend for my son than you. Jason, you have found someone to share your life with in ways that I really don't understand. But I want you to know that both your mother and I love you very much and will do everything we can to support you. You both realize that if the students in your school find out, you could be in for a rough time?" my father asked us.

"Mr. Finn, I wasn't out at my last school but I knew a couple guys who were. I know what can happen and I promise we'll be careful. I like Jason very much, and don't want to see him get hurt."

"Dad, I like Jon just as much and it would kill me if something happened to him. You know I keep to myself most of the time usually, but now that I'm with Jon, I plan to be with him as much as possible at school. I promise I won't do anything to give the other kids a reason to suspect that either of us are gay. But if they do find out, I have Jon, you and Mom. I don't want to get hurt, but I can't live my life hiding who I am any more."

My mother and father looked at each other and smiled. 'Our son is growing up,' was their mutual thought. It was my mother who spoke up next though.

"We know, Dear. All we ask is that you be careful. The both of you."

"Now, unless I'm mistaken, Jon, your mother said that you needed to be home by nine. Its now a little after nine thirty and your mother is probably wondering where you are. While I'm giving her a call to let her know you are on your way why don't you and Jason go back upstairs and get ready to go," my father said.

"Okay, Dad," I agreed, leading Jon back up the stairs to my room. Once there, I closed the door before we fell into each others' embrace, this time though, as boyfriends. After a few minutes of a very satisfying hug, we separated slightly so that we could look into each others' eyes.

"Jay, I'm really glad I came here. It is so cool how your parents accepted the fact that you are gay," he said.

"Yeah. Just when you think you have parents figured out they throw you for a loop," I said almost in a whisper. "Come on, Jon. Let's get back downstairs. My dad is probably ready to take you back home now."

After one more quick hug, we left my room for the last time that night as a couple, and went down stairs. I saw the car in the driveway was already running, the headlights shining brightly towards the living room windows and my father loading Jon's bike into the trunk of the car. Jon put on his shoes then turned to my mother, who was standing with us by the front door, and said goodbye to her. I opened the door for Jon and walked outside with him. Together we walked to the front passenger side of my dad's car and we hugged each other one last time before saying goodbye to each other. He then climbed into the car and closed the door. Stepping back slightly, I watched my father back the car out of the driveway and then drive off, taking Jon back to his home. I so much wanted to go with him, but it was late and I knew my mother was going to want me to get ready for bed. It was still a school night after all.

With her arm around my shoulders, my mother led me back into the house where I went back up stairs and fell into my bed. Everything was so perfect. My parents knew and accepted that I was gay, I had found the love of my life and Jon and I had become more than just best friends, we had become boyfriends. What more could a guy ever want out of life?

I don't know whether it was my smile or the vacant expression I had on my face that made my mother smile down at me. So engrossed was I in my thoughts that I hadn't even realized that she had come into my room.

"Come on, Jason. School tomorrow. Get into the shower and get ready for bed," she said before turning to leave the room, looking back only briefly to make sure I had heard her. I let her know by nodding my head and closed my eyes for a second before reluctantly swinging my legs over the side of my bed and pushing myself up. Leaving my room once again, I went straight for the hallway closet, removing a towel from within, then walked into the bathroom, closing the door behind me. Inside I stripped off all my clothes and started up the shower, making sure the water was at a comfortable temperature before climbing in.

I quickly finished washing myself, then turned off the water before climbing back out again and getting dried with the towel that was hanging on the wall by the tub. The last thing I did before pulling on my underwear and leaving the bathroom was to brush my teeth. Once out in the hallway again, I went back into my room, turned off the light and climbed into bed, instantly falling asleep with the largest grin on my face I've ever had.

* * *

The next morning I was rudely awakened by my alarm clock, which was set for seven. While most mornings I groan and complain before lazily shutting off the alarm, this time I was up and out of bed like a cannon. I felt awesome. That was probably the best night's sleep I had ever had and I'm sure that I had some really good dreams. I never do remember them, unless of course they are nightmares, but just by how easy it was for me to wake up, I could only guess that the time I spent with Jon and what happened in the shower really helped me get a good nights sleep.

I took care of my normal business in the bathroom, got back to my room and pulled on my socks, some slacks and a t-shirt. I made sure I didn't wear anything old looking or worn, wanting to look perfect for when Jon and I met up in school this morning. On most days, you wouldn't catch me dead getting ready for school this fast, but this time was different. This time I had a boyfriend to meet up with. My father had already left for work an hour earlier so it was just my mother sitting in the kitchen when I ran downstairs.

"Hey, Mom!" I greeted her cheerfully.

"Well this is a surprise! Usually you are like the walking dead in the morning. You must have had a really good sleep last night," my mother quipped, snickering slightly.

"Yeah, Mom. I feel good. I can't wait to see Jon in school today!" I said as I sat down and poured some cereal and milk into the bowl my mother had already put on the table for me.

"Oh, so it's Jon that has got you so wound up this morning is it? Well I'm glad to see you as happy as you are, Dear."

The rest of breakfast was spent in silence but I still had that grin on my face as I quickly ate my cereal. I wasn't even really hungry; I guess the excitement of seeing Jon had something to do with it. I never had an appetite when I was nervous or anxious about something. When I finished I took the bowl and spoon over to the dishwasher and placed them inside. I then went upstairs to the bathroom so I could brush my teeth.

After I'd finished in the bathroom, I returned to my room where I started to get my books and things ready for school. I didn't have any homework from the day before because of that incident in the hallway, but I'm sure the teachers would be giving me something to take home to make up for what I'd missed. Looking at the huge gym bag that I carried everything in, I made a decision and went back downstairs to the kitchen where my mother was still sitting in her chair.

"Mom, would I be able to get a backpack for school?" I asked her.

"But you already have that bag of yours upstairs. I thought you liked using it?" she asked me.

"Not really, Mom. I only use it because I can get to my classes quickly so that I don't have to run into some of the bullies as much," I explained to her. Come to think of it, I think that's the first time I actually told her just why I used that bag. Most other times I came up with some other excuse, even when the bag was looking a little worn, I still opted to use it. "I'm going to start to use my locker and only carry what I need for each class in the backpack."

"Honey, why didn't you say something before? I knew you were having problems with Paul and his little gang, but you should have said something to us. There are things we could have done to help you at school," she said.

"I know, Mom, I just didn't feel comfortable telling you about it. I mean, we really don't talk about these kinds of things," I told her honestly, bowing my head forward a bit trying not to show her the embarrassment that could plainly be seen on my face.

She looked at me and smiled knowingly. "I know, Dear, and I'm sorry about that. You are right, we should have talked to you about how you are feeling. Your father and I knew things were bothering you, and we should have asked you about it. I want you to know that if you need anything, or just want to talk, we're both here for you. Especially now."

I wrapped my arms around her neck as I bent over and gave her a hug. "Thank you, Mom. I should have known I could talk to you both, but I was so scared of you finding out."

"Well don't be. We both love you and want only what's best for you. Just because you are gay doesn't mean we love you any less and we will do whatever we can to help you. Now, a backpack sounds like a good idea. I really couldn't understand how you could carry that heavy thing around all day long. After you get back from school, we'll head over to the mall and see what you like, okay?" she said to me after I had released her from my arms. I could only nod my head in agreement, which prompted her to give me another smile.

Looking at the clock, I saw that there was only five more minutes before I had to leave for school. Running up the stairs, I picked up my school bag and brought it down to the front door. While I was pulling on my shoes I saw my mother standing in front of me.

"You have a good day at school, Jason. Take it easy there and I'll see you when you get back," she said, pulling me into a hug, letting me go a few seconds later.

"I will, Mom. Bye!" I said as I grabbed my bag, and left the house for school. It only takes me about fifteen minutes to get there which normally gives me plenty of time to get settled in at my first period classroom before the day started. This time I went to my locker, which I had never used since school started, and put my bag on the ground. I started taking all the books, papers, and other things out of the bag and put it all into my locker. I didn't have much really, its just that all those textbooks really do start to get real heavy after a while.

I was just putting the last book into the locker when I heard someone behind me. "Well if it isn't Jason Finn," Paul said with a snarl. "I got in trouble with the principal because you ratted me out you little shit!" he said, pushing me hard up against the locker.

"Paul, leave me alone. You had your fun yesterday. You broke my nose with that stunt you pulled. Why can't you just go away." I couldn't believe it. I have never stood up to Paul like that before, and apparently, Paul couldn't believe it either by the look on his face. At first it was surprise, but quickly turned to rage as he pressed his face close to mine.

"You talking back to me, dickwad? You think breaking your nose was the worst that I could do to you. Well just you wait. You're just a little sissy-coward and I'm going to make sure you pay for getting me in trouble yesterday."

A movement from the corner of my eye caught my attention, and I was just in time to see someone's fist fly towards Paul's face, knocking him flat on the ground, and leaving him groaning in obvious pain from the swelling that was already beginning to form under his left eye.

"Maybe you didn't learn a thing I taught you yesterday, punk!" A loud voice said on my right. I looked over, and saw Jon standing beside me, his eyes red with anger as he stared down at Paul. "I told you to leave Jay alone, and I meant it!"

Paul slowly started to get up just as we all heard the sound of heavy footsteps coming towards us. "What's going on here?" bellowed a voice that seemed to reverberate throughout the hallway we were standing in. We looked towards the voice and saw a large man come walking towards us. It was my gym teacher, Mr. Campbell-Rayne. Mr. Campbell-Rayne was definitely one man you didn't went to mess with, and I've seen a number of smart-alec students get under his skin. The results weren't very pretty. By the time he was finished with them, they'd ended up running laps around the gym well into the early evening for detention. Not many people dared act out in his class after the first couple students had to serve on of his detentions.

Jon was still pissed at Paul and I could tell just by the way he was staring at Paul that he wasn't going to try and hide it from Mr. Rayne. "Sir, Paul here didn't listen to me yesterday when I told him to leave Jason alone. Yesterday he tripped Jason in the hall and broke his nose," Jon said, still glaring at Paul. "Just before you came here, I witnessed Paul pushing Jason up against the locker and yelling in his face, threatening him. So I hit him. I'm sorry, Sir. I just couldn't let Paul do that. It's not right," Jon finished, looking up at Mr. Rayne as he did.

Mr. Rayne took a good look at the thee of us, me with my back still up against the lockers, Paul still on the ground, his eye turned a dark blue and swelling up pretty good, and Jon standing beside me, proud that he was able to stop Paul, but also worried that he'd be getting into trouble. He knew that fighting, for whatever reason, wasn't tolerated at this school.

"Well, I think you and Paul both need to go and see the principal. Jason, I believe you have a class to go to and I suggest you get there before you are late," Mr. Rayne said with finality. Reaching down, he pulled Paul up from the floor, and marched him and Jon down the hall towards the office.

I was still a little shaken up when I got to my first class. Most of the students still hadn't arrived yet, so I sat there alone in the classroom, contemplating what had happened. So focused was I, on my own thoughts, that I failed to notice my first period teacher walking into the room and to her desk. As it was Wednesday, my first period class was Computer Applications which was actually one of my favorite classes. Being one of my stronger subjects, I was enjoying a high grade for which my parents were immensely proud, but right now, I really didn't care about all that. The only thing that I could think about was the events that had transpired earlier and the worry I had for Jon, worrying about what the principal was going to say about him hitting Paul. The last thing I wanted was for him to get into trouble.

"Good morning, Jason. Nice to see you here early as usual," the teacher, Ms. Cox said to me with a smile. Her smile was just like my father's, warm and infectious, and even though my mind was in turmoil, I couldn't help but smile back.

"I'm sorry, Ms. Cox. I haven't had a good start today. My best friend is in trouble for sticking up for me. He and Paul are in the office right now after Mr. Rayne saw him punch Paul and knock him to the ground," I told her. I could always tell her what was bothering me. She always listened, too.

"Well, I wouldn't worry about it too much. I'm sure everything will work out fine. Now, I have to get ready for class. Did you get the work done that I assigned on Monday?" She asked me.

"Yes, its right here," I told her, as I opened up the binder that I had taken from my locker along with my Social Sciences textbook. From the flap in the cover of the binder I took out my neatly prepared project and handed it to her.

"I'm impressed, Jason. I know you like this subject and it shows in the work you do. This is a very well prepared report," she told me, obviously impressed.

"Thanks. I just hope Jon won't get into too much trouble I really like him," I don't know why I said that, and already I could feel myself getting hot as all the blood in my body seemed to rush into my face.

"I see," she said, leaning up against my desk. "I am happy that you have finally found someone you care about, Jason. And don't worry, I don't mind. My brother is the same as you and Jon and he and his partner are living happily together."

"I'm sorry, Ms. Cox. I didn't mean to blurt that out. Please don't tell anyone!" I cried.

She put her hand on my shoulder. "Jason, I would never do that to you. Only you can decide when you want to come out and who you come out to. But I've had a feeling you were gay for quite some time now. Don't worry about it. Now, I'd better get back to work," she said, this last bit as a couple of other students started to walk into the room, leaving me to compose myself knowing that it wouldn't do me much good in other student's eyes if I was being comforted by a teacher.

* * *

As is usually the case, my class continued without any difficulties. Despite the ease in which I did the work, my mind still kept being drawn back to Jon. I'm sure Ms. Cox knew this, but she didn't say anything to me. Before long the bell sounded announcing the end of the period and I gathered up my binder and book and headed back to my locker.

The hallway was full of students as they all filed out of their classrooms, heading off to their next class. When I got to my locker, I saw something I didn't expect to see; Jon. He was leaning up against my locker, looking at me with a great big grin on his face. I rushed to him as fast as I could, which wasn't too fast considering the number of people that were still in the hallway, predictably stepping in front of my path and forcing me to navigate around them. With an obvious smile on my face, I finally managed to make my way to him; and to my locker. It was too crowded for what I wanted to do, which was to pull him into a great big hug and kiss him passionately, instead, I simply put my hand on his shoulder.

"Thank you," I told him, my eyes not once leaving his. He just nodded his head and smiled at me. Putting my books in the locker and getting out the things I would need for my next class, Jon began to tell me what happened after I went to my first period class.

"Jason, don't worry, I didn't get into that much trouble. Besides, it was worth it. The principal was furious with Paul for starting this whole thing up, especially after having to go to the office yesterday after he had tripped you. I got off lightly and only have to serve detention after school today for hitting him. I'm sure he was only as lenient with me as he was because Mr. Rayne backed me up," he told me.

"What?! Mr. Rayne backed you up? Why? I don't have a problem with Mr. Rayne, but he doesn't strike me as someone who would do something like that. I've always thought that he loved to get kids into trouble."

"Nah," Jon said, waving his hand dismissively. "Mr. Rayne is actually a cool guy. He looks all tough and all that but he really is quite fair. I've only been to a couple of his classes but I can tell he really does care. I think he likes you, Jay. If you know what I mean."

"Huh. You could have fooled me. Whenever I talk to him he always seems so distant with me, like I'm not even there," I told him.

"Nah, that's they way he is with everyone. He doesn't like bullies though, I can tell you that." I reminded myself to tell Ms. Cox that she was right about things turning out alright.

"I'm glad you didn't get into too much trouble. I couldn't stop thinking about what had happened all class. The last thing I want to see happen to you is for you to get into trouble because of me.

"Listen, and listen good, Jason. I love you. You're the best friend I have, and you're my boyfriend. There's nothing I wouldn't do to make sure you didn't get hurt. And you know, in your own way, I guess you help me out too."

"Me? How?" I asked.

"Well. Since I started school here, I really haven't had many friends as you know. I talk to a couple people, but none of them really seemed like the kind of people I could really be friends with. You're different. You don't come across as a know-it-all, or pretend to be someone you're not. I really like that about you. So I guess you make it so I don't feel alone, and believe me, I really do appreciate that.

"Wow. I didn't know," I said softly. "You're never going to be alone though, Babe," I whispered into his ear, being careful to make sure no one overheard me.

"Not with you to be there with me," he answered back.

"Do you want me to meet you after detention?" I asked him.

"As much as I'd like that, I'm sure that you have things you need to do after school. It's okay."

"Jon, the only thing that matters to me is you. I'm not doing anything really important. Besides, I want to be able to thank you properly before I go home," I told him quietly. We both had English together for second period and we were just behind another group of our classmates as we walked into the classroom.

* * *

Second period was over fairly quickly and it was now time for lunch. Together, Jon and I made our way to the cafeteria together and got in line for our food. While in line, we didn't say much as neither of us wanted to risk being overheard by anyone, especially if one of us said something definitely not intended for another person's ears.

I didn't realize it at first, but this was actually the first time that Jon and I were able to sit down and enjoy a lunch together. If it wasn't for Jon being with me, lunch would just have been another typical lunch; walk in, get my food, eat, put the trays back, and go on to my next class. But with Jon here, I actually think I spent more time talking to him than eating the food on my tray. Several times he had to point out to me that I'd hardly taken a bite out of anything and that lunch period would be over soon, just to get me to eat. A couple times I ended up just staring at him with a goofy smile on my face.

"What?" he asked me.

"Nothing really. I was just thinking about the last couple days. I mean we really haven't had the chance to get to know each other, but yet it feels so right to be with you, Jon." I answered.

"Hey, I think you are a pretty cool guy, Jay. Any guy would be proud to have you for a friend and I thank god that we could be friends."

"A little more than that I think eh?" I whispered to him as I got up to put my tray away. The only answer I got from him was the cutest little smile I have ever seen.

* * *

The rest of the day Jon and I were in separate classes. Time crawled along as it usually does when you are anxious to do something. My mom and I were going to go shopping for a new backpack but I had to wait a little longer for Jon to finish his detention before I was going to leave school. I was at the point now where I wanted to spend every minute with Jon and for him to be away from me for even the shortest time caused me to miss him terribly.

The last bell rung, signifying the end of school for the day and I went to the library to wait for Jon to finish his detention. He had told me that he had to stay behind and write lines for the principal and should be done in about fifteen minutes or so. I started to use the computers in the library, doing some research for the English project that Jon and I had to work on together. While doing that, I must have lost track of time because when the I looked at the clock above the door to the library I saw that I had been on the computer for thirty minutes now.

"Damn!" I said loudly, to which several people looked at me scornfully for my outburst. I rushed out of the computer room and looked for Jon. After a couple minutes I determined he wasn't in the library. 'Oh no, did he come looking for me? If he couldn't find me, did he leave?' I was panicking by this point, almost to the point of tears. I ran down the hall towards my locker hoping that he might have gone there to look for me. When I came around the corner, I sighed a breath of relief. Jon was there, standing by my locker and staring at me. He must have seen how upset I was because he started towards me.

"Jay, I'm sorry for not meeting you in the Library like I said I would. I really am. The principal kept me later and I didn't see you in the library. I'm sorry, baby! I didn't want to go home without trying to find you first and I thought you might have come back to your locker," he said.

Without saying a word I ran right up to him and pulled him into a hug. "Shhhh. Jon, I'm sorry too," I started as I let him go and looked deep into his wonderful eyes. "I was in the computer lab in the library doing stuff for our English project and I lost track of time. I'm sorry, Jon!" A single tear ran down my cheek.

"Hey, Baby. It's alright. I missed you a lot. All I could think about was you. Even during detention. I'm surprised I was able to concentrate enough to finish the lines I had to write..." he began until I brought my face closer to his, pressed my lips against his and for the first time kissed him, right there in the hallway.

Editor's Notes:

It looks like Jason and Jon are going to really be close, doesn't it? It was really nice the way Jason's parents treated him and Jon, when Jason came out. Let me give you a little tip. If you are going to come out to a parent, don't do it when you are angry or upset by something. I remember when I came out, and it wasn't a pretty picture. My mom and I were having a discussion (read argument) about something or other, Gawd it has been so long now, anyway it started getting personal and my mom actually told me that the way I had been acting that she was sure that I had gotten a girl pregnant and was trying to keep it from her. Of course, by that time I was already worked up about whatever the argument had already deteriorated into, so I just burst out laughing. Another tip, never laugh at something your mom says when you are in the middle of an argument. It isn't pretty. She started yelling at me. I wish I could remember what all she said, but hey, I'm lucky I can remember that we even had an argument. In any case, she wouldn't let up, so I finally said, "Look, if the person I had sex with gets pregnant, the news crews will be called in and there will be one hell of an uproar because he doesn't have the right equipment to get pregnant." I don't think she ever really forgave me for telling her about it that way. She was absolutely sure that he corrupted me into being Gay. After all, how else could I have gotten that crazy idea? My folks accepted me being gay, but I don't think they liked him after that. i really do think they blamed him for me being gay. His parents disliked me as well; They somehow had the exact opposite view as to how our relationship had started. In their eyes, I was the one who corrupted their fine upstanding son. Needless to say there weren't a lot of warm fuzzies exchanged by our respective parents. Each set of parents found as many things wrong with their son's choice an a mate as they possibly could. Sad isn't it? I am sure, however, in my case, at least, that my mom took it harder because of the circumstances of my yelling at her and blurting it all out in anger. Well, let's see what happens in the next chapter.

Darryl AKA The Radio Rancher