“Well, he sees that, too, of course. And again, he wants you to know that you're not alone."
"I don't care about being alone though,” Jake scoffed. "And let me ask you this, isn't God totally against a person being gay?"
“That, I don't know." Mason averted his gaze. "That is something that I've prayed about, but have yet to receive an answer for."
Jake noticed Jimmy beaming from behind. True, there was something that got to him, too, as Mason revealed himself, so exposed and raw. The words he spoke came from somewhere deep, and up until now he hadn’t taken Mason for the type to showcase his feelings so freely. He realized just how important his religion was to him. At the same time, he just couldn’t help but to keep pushing on. There were some questions that still needed answering.
“So, in the meantime, why deprive yourself pleasure?" Jake flexed his arms forward, shielding his chest.
Mason dropped his eyes to the floor yet again. "Until I know for certain, I want to make sure I'm doing everything I can to be a good person. And sometimes, that means putting other priorities before your own needs."
Jake looked at Jimmy. "You hear that, Jimmy? Sometimes it’s okay to put others’ needs before your own."
Jimmy shook his head. "I think that's a great mentality, Mason.”
Mason turned around to smile at Jimmy. "Thanks."
"Come on, Jake, we're gonna be late. Mason, you should come with us." Jimmy nodded towards them from the doorway.
“I'll be there in a sec, just need to do one more thing." Mason got up from his desk and went for his dresser.
"Alright, see ya in the car." Jake hopped off of the desk and followed Jimmy out of the room. They made their way across the main hall quietly until Jake finally spoke up.
"Man, who do you think he's trying to impress?"
Jimmy shrugged. "I think it's kinda cool that he's into something that much."
Jake grabbed his shoulder and whipped him around. "He believes in something that's one hundred percent against us. I find that hard to believe."
"Well, I believe in God too, but I don't think he's against us at all. Being gay is such a small part of who we are. Why would God care?"
“So, what about all the bible-thumpers then? What about all of the hateful things they spew about a vengeful God?"
"I say let them believe what they want to believe." James chewed his lip. "I don't believe in the book, but I do believe in God."
Jake nodded sideways in agreement. “Hmm...never thought of it that way.”
Sure, Jake could be cocky, arrogant, stubborn, and insensitive, but he had no problem with being open to new things or ideas every now and then. He thrived on experiencing life in all its forms. That was one of his most attractive qualities other than his outward appearance.
“Did you notice how Mason's opening up a little bit more?" Jimmy asked Jake on their way through the main hall.
“Yeah, totally,” Jake walked past him and skipped down the final set of steps before turning back to him. "Maybe he can teach me the way of ‘the righteous’ a little bit."
"It's gonna take a lot more than that for you,” Jimmy joked.
"Ha!" he laughed. "True. But in that case, we can help each other out. A virgin bible guy, that's gotta be worth double points, right?” He smirked at his own realization. He then noticed a look on Jimmy’s face that he recognized all too well. It was the same look he himself gave Mason when he and Jimmy were becoming chummy on his first day.
Jake could feel that there was something slowly forming between his roommate and the newest member of the Academy. He wasn’t sure he liked this budding relationship in his midst all that much. If there was one thing Jake Parker excelled, it was in the art of seduction. He felt in his heart that if he really wanted something, it could be his. A slew of frat boys, ex-boyfriends, and random hook-ups would all agree. It was then that Jake set his sights on his next target. A new distraction.
Chapter Two
-ALEX-
Alex lazily dragged a pencil across his sketchbook, retracing the same circle over and over again. Whenever he began a new drawing, he always started with the head. As far as he was concerned, it was the most important part of any portrait. The face was the key deciding factor of the overall tone of the drawing. Not to mention the fact that it contained the eyes—the single most important indicator of the mood.
Alex squinted his own dark, chocolate-brown eyes in frustration, fixating on the mess he was creating. The circle eroded through the paper, undoubtedly bleeding through to the wooden desk it laid upon. He placed the pencil down and rubbed his eyes furiously with his closed fists. He was running on only a few hours of sleep from the hectic night before, and his body was beginning to shut down due to fatigue.
He peered over to his roommate who was sound asleep with the covers draped only over his midsection. Kyle could usually sleep through anything and everything. Alex was almost insulted, seeing as though they had a major blowout the night before. He figured that he could at least appear to be a little more shaken up.
Alex shifted his attention, landing on Kyle's blonde hair, which was a little messy and pushed to one side from the way he slept on the pillow. It was more natural that way, and in his opinion, better than when he doused it in three cans of hairspray. Kyle's face was twisted in an odd manner, and his arm slanted across his face. Alex's expression softened as he thought about how cute his boyfriend was to him without him even trying.
He then suddenly remembered why he wasn't in bed spooning him. The way Kyle acted the night before was ridiculous. Alex leered at him, wondering how he could go from unwavering anger to sympathy within a matter of seconds. Only Kyle could do that to him. They were in love, there was no denying that.
Alex turned back to his sketchbook, returning to his drawing. He continued to trace the circle as the image of Kyle's face crept its way back into his thoughts. They had been in a relationship long enough to realize that what they had couldn't be broken so easily. It would take something huge to destroy a bond like theirs. The fight last night was in no way large-scale enough to truly split them up, Alex knew that, but he couldn't bring himself to give in this time. He felt he was always the one who gave in and overcame the argument with an apology.
Sure, he made his own share of mistakes in the past, but so did Kyle. Alex felt very strongly about this most recent battle in particular. The constant accusations. It was all too much.
The pencil finally ripped through the paper. It dug deep into the desk, carving a permanent half-circle before ultimately breaking in half. Alex threw the two pieces of useless lead across the room in anger. He glanced back at Kyle, who hadn't so much as budged an inch.
Alex shook his head and sighed. He leaned back in his chair, watching Kyle as it screeched across the hardwood floor. Still, not even a twitch. Alex's lips tightened while the rest of his face slowly twisted with rage. He picked up his eraser and chucked it at Kyle's head. The eraser soared across the room, landing smack dab into his face with a faint thwack before pin-balling down and disappearing under the bed.
"Ouch!" Kyle shot up, shifting from side to side in confusion.
Alex swung swiftly back around to face his sketchbook.
Kyle sat up in bed, rubbing his head. “What was that?”
Alex remained silent, pretending to be enthralled with his drawing.
“You’re still not talking to me?” Kyle persisted.
Still, Alex refused to let out a peep.
Kyle lifted the covers and threw them aside, sighing as he stood up. “You can ignore me all you want, Alex, but eventually you’re going to talk to me. We always get back together, and you know it.”
Silence.
“Fine, I’ll leave you alone.” Kyle declared, heading for the restroom. Before he could exit, he caught a glimpse of the drawing. “It’s good to see you sketching again.” Then, he left without another word.
For a moment, Alex smiled to himself, knowing he had Kyle right whe
re he wanted him. But that thought slowly faded as he looked down at his pathetic excuse for artwork. He held up the paper from his desk with both hands. He then started to slowly tear the sheet in half, right down the middle.
EAST LOS ANGELES—One year ago
“Hey, bud, come here." An unsightly man in a padded coat two sizes too big for himself waved Alex closer.
Alex continued straight ahead on his path, avoiding eye contact with the peculiar, little man.
"Come on, dude. I know you can hear me." The man threw his hands up in the air as Alex quickly made his way up the stairs of his apartment building.
If Alex wanted drugs, he could get them—easily. He was used to the harassment from street vendors and drug dealers in his part of town by now. He would usually humor them by making small-talk for a leisurely moment or two, from time to time. But today he had no time for anything of the sort. Today, he had the house to himself, and that meant more to him than anything.
It was such a rare occasion in which the Cortez household was completely empty. Alex could only remember two instances throughout his entire lifetime. The first was when his mother, father and three brothers caught a plane to his grandmother's funeral in Florida. Alex had contracted chicken pox, so his aunt Vanessa who happened to live down the block, came over every so often to check on him. During that time, she would drag along his annoying, little cousin, so he didn't really feel like that time counted. The only other instance Alex could remember was before his twin brothers were born. His mother had to be rushed to the hospital for an emergency C-section, leaving him with his third sibling—so that really didn't count either. The more Alex thought about it, he realized that he could not recall a time when he was actually alone. This would be his first, and he had every intension of taking full advantage of it...
It was late afternoon on a Saturday during the summer. Alex’s father would usually be at his second job at the car lot, but he was taking his wife to a distant cousin's wedding up North in Oakland. They would be gone for exactly thirty-two hours. Alex knew the timing was correct because when his mother said she would be somewhere at an exact time, you'd bet she would be there, five minutes early. Mama Cortez was the last person to leave her children alone, but her sister was happy to take the kids to a theme park in San Diego—nearly two hours away.
Vanessa was Alex's favorite aunt. They were only a few years apart, so when he expressed his disinterest in driving down to San Diego with his three out-of-control brothers and pesky cousin, she assured him that he could have the day off—their secret. She insisted that the kids could be easily bribed to keep their mouths shut. All it took was a couple of new toys from the gift shop.
Alex helped corral the gang into the stretched, red mini-van and waved them off. When they disappeared up and over the hill at the end of the busy street, he let out a deep sigh of relief and rushed back up to the apartment.
Alex forced his way into the crappy, jammed door of the apartment and shut it behind him with the help of the weight of his body. He leaned his back against the door and reached behind to click the deadbolt shut. Suddenly, a wide grin spread across his face. It finally dawned on him that this wasn’t just a dream—a real luxury that he thought would never happen. A million different ideas, from blasting his own music, to sitting around the couch in his underwear popped into his head. But soon all that wilted away when what he really wanted to do with his freedom became crystal clear.
He reached into his pocket and retrieved his cell phone. With one hand he entered the code swiftly to unlock his phone. The unlock screen illuminated the background picture of himself and Kyle, holding hands as they strolled the pier of Santa Monica. Alex clicked the call log icon and eagerly scrolled through his list of contacts as he stumbled through the cluttered living room like a blind man.
"Ow!" Alex moaned, using one hand to rub his sore toe. He brought the phone to his ear as he plopped down on the couch, waiting for a response. Alex clenched the phone between his cheek and shoulder as he reached for the tiny, hazardous toy firetruck that almost drew blood. He shook his head and threw it across the room in frustration.
After another failed attempt, Alex looked to his phone and sighed. He pressed the redial button and stood up, making his way to the living room window. He parted the curtains and poked his head through to get a good look at the driveway, scanning the area nervously. He was just about to give up when a voice finally answered from the other end of the line.
"Hey!" Alex exclaimed. "I have the house to myself."
He paused for a moment to bask in the idea of it. Not to mention he also had to wait for the excitement to die down on the other side of the line before continuing, "If you want to come over, then you’d better head over now." After he hung up, he proceeded to run over to the window every five minutes, just to make sure the coast was still clear.
Only about half an hour went by before a rapid knock came pounding on the front door. He jumped up from the couch and made a beeline for where the sound was coming from. He took a long, deep breath to calm his nerves. Despite the fact that he was standing perfectly still, his heart hammered away in his chest. He couldn’t really believe this was actually happening today. Right now, at this moment. He jerked the door open in one quick motion.
A tall, muscular boy, who appeared to be Alex’s age, framed the doorway. His arms were folded over his bulging chest in a relaxed manner. A black, baseball hat was turned backwards, covering his neatly shaved head.
"I didn't believe you at first." The beefy boy coaxed with a smirk. "What made you change your mind?"
The guy had sex written all over him. Maybe it was the way he confidently leaned into the doorway, entrancing Alex with his sultry, heavy eyelids. Or maybe it was his bronzed biceps, barely contained within his tight-fitting athletic shirt. Whatever it was, Alex couldn’t hold it together a moment longer. He yanked the boy into the apartment by the neck of his shirt, stumbling into a forced kiss. The boy kissed Alex back forcefully, covering him with his own full lips. The energy between these two Latino men was both passionate and aggressive. They wrestled their way through the living room, tripping over more toy firetrucks and plastic pots and pans. They fumbled to undress each other, taking turns ripping off each article of clothing, one at a time while they continued to meet in the middle with barraging smooches. By the time they reached Alex’s bedroom, they were down to nothing but the mere rising body heat of their bare bodies. Alex tore away for a moment to catch his breath. His heart hadn’t slowed since he first answered the door.
“What’s wrong?” The boy begged, locking eyes with Alex.
Alex hesitated, staring back into the boy’s deep, brown gaze. He quickly snapped out of the trance when he felt heavy arms squeeze around his body. Without another word, he shut his eyes and closed the door to his room with his foot.
The world evaporated in the next instant. A heavenly vibration of pleasure rang through, casting all distractions away and leaving nothing but white noise. The boys lay together in the moment of ecstasy like rag dolls on Alex’s tiny mattress. Alex could still feel the large biceps of his bedmate pressing against his own sweaty body. His own skin still tingled and chilled him to his core when he thought about it.
A few minutes later, silence was flushed away by the sound of traffic from the world below. Alex let out a deep sigh of relief—a sigh that sounded like it had been held inside himself for months.
"Thank you, Julian,” he praised with a smile.
Julian turned to face him, stifling back a laugh as he propped his cheek onto his palm. “You don’t have to thank me, I’m not a whore. This was my choice too, ya know.”
Alex chuckled, slightly embarrassed. Usually he would be much too shy to counter, but given his current state of euphoria, he was more than game to play along. “Well, that is questionable, given some of those moves you pulled.”
The boy sniggered, only this time he trailed off as he stared into Alex’s eyes. “No, really though, what is
this?"
"Oh." Alex promptly sat up, his grin beginning to fade. "You know about Kyle…”
“Yeah, dude, you guys are always together. Not to mention he’s plastered all over your wall.”
Together, they glanced up to Alex’s ceiling, littered with paintings and art of all sorts. The common theme seemed to be Kyle, showcasing portraits of him in various poses and scenes.
“And, I thought your parents were strict?” The boy continued, placing his hands behind his head and resting on his muscles. “I know if my parents saw guys all over my walls, they’d call me a faggot and kick my ass out on the street.”
“They don’t really suspect anything,” Alex explained. “They don’t understand much about art, but luckily they support it. Whenever they ask about Kyle, I tell them he’s my art-lab partner.”
“You’re treading a thin line, dude,” Julian insisted. “Just be careful with that.”
“Sucks, doesn’t it?” Alex buzzed, “The fact that we have to hide us like this. I wonder if things will ever be different.”
“Nah,” Julian shot down. “Your parents aren’t gonna change. They’re strict Catholics, am I right?”
“How did you—“
“All Latinos are Catholics, c’mon,” Julian interrupted.
Alex shrugged, followed by a nod of ultimate agreement.
“I understand. I know exactly what you’re going through.” He massaged Alex’s thigh, clutching it inch by inch as he worked his way up.
Alex moved away and rubbed his leg as if he needed to scratch an itch.
“I can be more to you, Alex. I can make you feel really good.”
“I told you, I’m with Kyle,” he giggled nervously.
“You like guys, Alex—men. I felt the way you latched onto my arms while I fucked the sense out of you.” Julian inched closer, yet again.
Alex shifted uneasily. The feeling of pure, limitless bliss was beginning to wear off like cheap cologne. His senses returned to normal as well, like when a superhero defeats the villain and returns to his human state of being.
Lost Boys Academy (Book Two: Distraction) Page 2
