“You gonna let me in?” Kent’s profound voice matched his new brooding appearance.
“Ye-yeah. Come in.”
Kent brushed past Mason, his scent of spray-on cologne lingering in the air as he moved into the living room, plopping his duffel bag on the floor.
“Are your parents with you?” Mason asked, still lingering by the door like a lost puppy.
“Nah, I drove up separately. My mom’s been crazy lately.”
“Oh, yeah?” Mason tried to sound surprised, even though he always thought she was looney. The real shocker was Kent finally admitting it out loud. He had always been a momma’s boy.
“Camp was great.” Kent sunk into the couch and stretched out on his back, putting his hands behind his head like a pillow. “You should go.”
“Wasn’t it a Catholic camp?”
“It was more of a sports camp than anything. It’s funny, my parents thought that they were sending me to get to a 'new level of faith', but it did the opposite.”
“What does that mean?” Mason inquired curiously.
Kent stopped and looked up at Mason, raising an eyebrow. “Never mind, I don’t wanna put ideas in your head. I know your grandma.”
It was true. Mason’s grandma was as old fashioned as they came, especially when it came to her religious beliefs. But Mason didn’t want that affiliation to stop him from hearing what went on in this camp.
“It’s okay.”
“Nah,” Kent sat up on the couch. “All I’m saying is that more often than not, when you send a kid to one of those camps to force them into being a certain way, they end up going the exact opposite direction. Ironic isn’t it? So, what have you been up to, Mace?”
Mason thought about something to say, but couldn’t think of anything remotely interesting to respond with. “Nothing much, just school.”
“I see…” Kent scanned the room as they both idled in uncomfortable silence for what seemed like forever. The only thing that had changed from the past was that Mason couldn’t take his eyes off of Kent.
“Oookay,” Kent stood up. “Can I use your shower?”
Mason’s heart skipped a beat, fluttering uncontrollably. A thousand alluring images of a showering Kent flashed within his mind until he caught himself staring into space. He finally acknowledged his question with, “Yeah, I’ll show you where it is.
Kent grabbed his duffel bag; the sound of clanking metal bats was audible as he followed Mason upstairs. Mason brought him into his room and started going through the hall cupboard, nabbing a guest towel.
“Thanks again for letting me use your shower.”
“Yeah, no problem,” Mason answered casually as he closed the cupboard. He couldn’t believe his eyes. Kent had begun to undress, and now was already down to his tight boxer-briefs. The vision that Mason had imagined of a ripped torso and muscled up thighs was spot-on. He then realized how dumb he must have looked, gawking over him like a Catholic school girl; so he quickly threw the towel on the bed and exited the room.
Mason went back downstairs to finish the dinner. As he chopped up a zucchini, he kept fantasizing of all of the things he would let Kent do to him. He didn’t know what had come over him. He was never like this and always pushed any notion of sexuality out the window. He never even had a chance to address it, being locked away in a tower like Rapunzel; but the mere sight of Kent was enough to make him scramble for any excuse to get another peek of that body.
He smacked the zucchini down on the counter and headed upstairs. He decided to casually walk by—he had in fact left the door open a crack. He could quietly slip inside, and if he was caught, he would just pretend to be searching for something in his room.
It was his room after all.
As he climbed the stairs, his heart began to race again, and he couldn’t quite calm it down even when he tried to focus on slowing it. He contemplated the consequences of if he was caught. The scenarios ran through his head. After years of growing up Catholic, Mason now questioned how perverted he must be to want to sneak in on a guy. But he put his thoughts aside and let go of his inhibitions for the moment.
Mason slid into the room softly. He grew more excited as he listened to the water pounding against the shower glass, echoing out the cracked bathroom door. As he inched closer, Kent’s blurry form began to come into view from behind the glass. It was far too steamy to see anything defined, but the parts that he could make out were enough to arouse Mason in a way that he never felt before.
Mason turned red hot, glued to the show Kent unknowingly gave him. He started to feel horribly wrong. It was not like him to do this at all. He wasn’t gay… was he? As he stood a few feet away from the door, he decided to try and forget the whole thing. He adjusted his pants and went to leave.
That was when he realized he was no longer alone.
Mason became ghostly pale as the color instantly drained from his face. He shook his head in disbelief as he locked eyes with his own grandmother.
She looked possessed. There was nothing in her eyes that showed any sort of humanity, just pure hatred. She limped purposefully toward Mason until they were face to face, while he stood, paralyzed by fear.
“I—” Before Mason could try to defend himself, he received a brisk slap to the face, sending his head spiraling sideways.
“How dare you?” Mason’s grandmother shook with rage, but her voice remained stern and clear, “I brought you into my God-fearing home when nobody wanted you. I taught you the way of a true Catholic gentleman, and you spit all over my generosity!”
Mason continued to stare to the ground. She had never hit him before, and he was speechless as she continued to let him have it.
“You’re sick, Mason. That is wrong and unnatural, and I won’t have it in my house. If you want to have a decent roof over your head, then you will cleanse yourself of your vulgar sins.”
Mason had nothing to gain from arguing, so he nodded in agreement. He would do anything to forget this moment and get back to his normal life, to leave the shame and embarrassment behind him forever.
Jimmy tried his best to keep up, but Mason moved too fast. He followed behind him until they got to the second floor where there was a small balcony lined with potted plants and hanging vines. Mason was already sitting at a small foldout table, looking at the vast city from atop the hill where the Academy stood.
"I've been here for over a month and never knew this place existed,” Jimmy announced, taking a seat at the only other chair next to Mason.
"I noticed it when the car dropped me off. This was the first place I came before finding the classroom." Mason sighed and put a hand to his forehead. "I don't do so well with crowds."
"Me neither."
Mason finally glanced at Jimmy, eyebrows raised with surprise. "You play it off very well then."
"I think it's just being comfortable with who you are. It took me a long time to get here."
"The fighting, the new people, I just couldn't take it. I don't know if I'll ever be able to."
"You will. Of all people in the world, you shouldn't let those guys make you feel like that."
"You're really easy to talk to. I wish the other guys were like you." He looked to Jimmy while a smile spread across his face. He was growing fond of Jimmy's natural swagger. Not just the superficial things, like his awesome red hair, or the way he dressed in his grungy looking all-black wardrobe. His laid-back attitude was also charming. He was just so—cool.
"Nah, I just know what it's like to be in your shoes. Some of us have been out way too long—gotten too comfortable."
"How long have you been...out?" Mason followed up directly, "If you don't mind me asking."
"A few years now."
"Really? How come your parents took so long to send you here?" Mason posed with a curious expression.
"I dunno," Jimmy paused for a moment, staring out to the city. “Well, I think I'm doing something great here. At least I hope so. I can't see the future yet, but I can try to mak
e it a good one, ya know?"
Mason nodded. "Sometimes it's so hard though. Nobody knows what it's like. I feel like someone is watching my every move, waiting for me to fail. I feel...so alone."
Jimmy shook his head. "Don't worry about all that. Just tell your story, and the rest will come to you." Jimmy placed a hand on Mason's shoulder. “You know Peter Pan and the lost boys? We’re like them, and lost doesn’t mean alone.”
Together, they looked out to the city again, only this time the sky was bleeding orange.
“They want us to find ourselves here,” Jimmy continued, “but some people don't want to be found."
Mason nodded again, "I think I know what you mean."
"And my offer still stands, if you need anything, you know where to find me." Jimmy looked Mason straight in the eyes. Together, they both shared a moment that neither quite understood, but both genuinely enjoyed for what it was.
"There you guys are!” Mr. Pierce exclaimed as he walked out onto the small balcony.
Jimmy instantly removed his hand from Mason's shoulder and focused on the ground. "I was just telling Mason my story."
"It was very informative, thanks." Mason confirmed.
"That's great, Jimmy." Mr. Pierce approached him, gripping his shoulder lightly. "Let's go inside, someone's got a badge to earn." He winked at Mason.
Mason turned bright red, “Yes, and I want to be found.”
Jimmy peered up from the ground, watching as Mason followed Mr. Pierce into the school. He sighed, and went after them.
Back in class, you could hear a pin drop within the silence. Kyle tapped his foot persistently on the floor as Alex sat quietly next to him, doodling on a piece of paper. Across from them in the circle of chairs was Jake, leaning back in his arms as he stared at the wall clock.
"I wonder what they're up to,” Jake broke the silence suddenly. His words stretched as he flexed his arms while yawning.
Jake turned to his neighbors. “God, this is boring. What if they're just like, taking turns fucking each other out there?"
Kyle didn't budge except to raise his eyebrows in what might have been considered an agreement, but nobody ever knew what he was really thinking.
Alex slightly smiled.
Jake took this small notion as an invitation to continue. "Who do you think is the bottom? Probably Mason, but that would be hilarious if it was Mr. Pierce, secretly wanting some younger guy to give it to him." He stood up, thrusting himself into the nearest desk a few times and slapping the air back and forth with his hand.
Alex couldn't help but laugh out loud this time, and immediately silenced himself when he saw Kyle, with a horrified expression on his face. Jake grinned at Alex, almost winking, which only set Kyle off even more.
"Seriously?" Kyle leered at Alex, who in turn looked to his paper and continued to doodle.
"I think he thought it was funny." Jake offered sarcastically.
"It wasn't." Kyle shot down. "Everything has been about sex with you. Grow up."
"Why don't you un-grow up." Jake retaliated, snickering at his own awful comeback. Kyle turned away as Jake continued, "I'm just having a little fun."
“Well, not everything is about you. Some of us want to progress here."
Jake cackled. “Are you serious? You of all people want to become straight? I find that REALLY hard to believe.”
“It’s not a choice for some of us. Some of us will have our trust funds taken away—left with nothing.” Kyle rolled his eyes. “Actors. I could care less if you were on TV.”
“Just because I’m an actor doesn’t mean I have piles of money laying around. I have a lot to lose, too, you know.”
"Oh, really?" Kyle challenged.
"Yeah, really!" Jake countered. "And not that it's any of your fucking business, but I haven't seen a cent of my own money. It was all earned while I was underage."
“Just leave me alone, okay?” Kyle turned away. “I don't want to even deal with you while we're here.”
Jake froze in place for a moment. He then shrugged his shoulders and sat down. "Whatever."
Mr. Pierce finally returned with Mason and Jimmy, taking their places in their seats. Mason recited his story to the class, and every so often glimpsed to Jimmy for support. After he finished, Mr. Pierce stood to address the class in his usual calm, cool tone.
"Thank you, Mason, for sharing that with us. Your grandmother seems like a stand-up woman, and I can see why you look up to her so much. What she did, in taking you in, was an act of God in itself. A lot of us forget about our religion when we're participating in things that are unnatural, maybe because we get lost along a darker path. I promise you this: if you want to find the light, it's possible, but you have to be willing."
Mason nodded, and Mr. Pierce went to his desk, retrieving a golden pin. He gently poked it through Mason's shirt and clapped loudly. The others joined eventually, although not as enthusiastically as Mr. Pierce.
"Congratulations class, you've all passed the first trial, and in doing so, have taken your first step to becoming found." He clapped again, only this time he was the only one, until Mason joined in, smiling fanatically at Mr. Pierce.
Mason couldn’t stop beaming. For the first time at the academy, he felt as though he were accepted. He was beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel that his grandmother had talked about time and time again. It was real, and he was going to get to it.
Jake leaned into Jimmy and in a low tone muttered, "What's gotten into him?"
“Me," Jimmy stated blankly, his mind clearly somewhere else.
"Oh, is that how you got him to tell his story?"
Jimmy turned his head and rolled his eyes, realizing the bait he had given Jake.
“Tonight, I want you all to take it easy,” Mr. Pierce continued, "in preparation for the next step in finding yourselves. Have a long look in the mirror, and try to figure out the thing you desire most. Look deep.” He looked at each of the boys. “I’ve dug deep when looking inside myself. And you can trust me when I say that what you truly want will make itself appear to you."
Chapter Five
-KYLE-
“So, why didn’t you say anything?” Kyle’s voice rose from behind the book Alex was reading.
Alex lowered the book to meet Kyle’s gaze. “Are we doing this again?”
Kyle folded his arms and paced back and forth in front of Alex’s bed. “I just thought you would choose me over him.”
“Of course I would. I will always choose you.”
“You say that, but you don’t mean it if you do the opposite. You just let him get away with saying those things to you.”
“I froze; I didn’t know what to say. You know I get like that sometimes.”
Kyle stopped pacing and went to his side of the room. “It’s more of the fact that you didn’t come to me. That makes it look like you chose him over me.” He went to his vanity and took a seat. As he focused into the mirror, he ran his hands through his blonde hair and raised an eyebrow. “I’m sorry. I’m not as hot as him. And I never will be.”
Alex sighed exaggeratedly, finally closing his book as he sat upright on his bed. Clearly, this was just the beginning.
“I hate when you say things like that. You’re the hottest guy I’ve ever seen.”
“Yeah, right.” Kyle lifted his eyelid with his finger, gawking at his own pupil.
“I mean it.” Alex walked over to the vanity and caressed Kyle’s shoulders from behind and over the chair. He lowered his head and began to kiss Kyle’s neck softly, one small peck after another.
Kyle shrugged his shoulders and pushed away.
“Why do you do that?” Alex’s voice began to rise as he stepped back.
“I’m not doing anything,” Kyle replied.
“Exactly. We haven’t done anything in over two weeks.”
“That’s not true.”
Alex answered as if he had it on the tip of his mind. “Lat time was the Thursday after we got here. I
remember 'cause that’s when we had our breakthrough.”
“So, now you’re counting when we have sex? Is that all you care about?”
Alex masked his face with his hands, and then lazily dragged his fingers through his hair. “You know that’s not true.” Kyle didn't respond, and Alex was beginning to lose his patience. “Just forget it.”
“What do you mean, 'forget it?'”
“I mean whatever. I can’t win.” Alex collapsed onto his bed, turning to face the wall.
There was no way Kyle was going to let the fight end like this. He couldn’t let Alex go to bed thinking he was the one who wouldn’t put out—as shallow as that sounded. Kyle walked over and slid into bed behind Alex, massaging his back.
Alex pushed his hand away and flipped over to look at Kyle. “I’m not going to do this now.”
“Why not?”
Alex sat up with an annoyed expression. “Because you just want to do it because we fought.”
Kyle sighed, moving away from the bed. “Oh, my God. I can’t make you happy. I tried. Maybe you should just be with someone better, like Jake.”
“I can’t believe you just said that!” Alex fumed in disbelief. He could barely find his words. “I can’t believe you would bring his name up again.” He tugged the comforter up over his head and rolled to the wall. “I’m done. I can’t do this anymore.”
Kyle stood in his place, confounded. “You’re just going to give up on us that easily? Wow, you really don’t want to be with me,” he accused.
“I am not giving up. You’re the one that isn’t happy. No matter what I do or what I say, you never believe me. You’re so negative all the time.”
“Well, maybe I have reasons.”
“I said I’m done, Kyle.”
“We've been together since high school, and you’re willing to give up, just like that?”
Alex’s voice lowered, “I’m tired, Kyle. I’m so tired of fighting.”
Kyle folded his arms and shook his head. “Then don’t be with me! If I’m so horrible.”
Lost Boys Academy (Book One: Orientation) Page 4
