IN TIME

Chapter 7

It is now February. We celebrated Valentines Day and had a special romantic dinner together that evening. We spent the remainder of the evening in bed making love to each other. We have made love to each other on numerous occasions. We soon found out that I enjoyed having him in me and he enjoyed being in me more than me in him. We still switched every now and then but we mainly keep it with him in me.

Our parents have been spending a lot of time together and have gotten to become best of friends.

School has been good and the new homeroom teacher made a speech the first day letting us all know that he will NOT tolerate any type of bigotry in the classroom and if anyone had a problem with it then they can take it to the office and notify them. As he said that I smiled to myself and had a good time in class for the first time.

No matter where I went there was always a football player close by. Even though the majority of the school now accepted Alex and me together, there were still a few that didn't. Like Jimmy Hoggs. He made sure that whenever a football player wasn't near that he made some kind of a comment. But what I didn't know was that some of the football player's girlfriends or friends were around and they told them what happened.

Well needless to say, one day Jimmy found himself tied to the flag poll with a letter tied around him saying he was a gay basher. Everyone laughed. The school called his family and at first they were pissed that no one was caught but when they showed him the letter and questioned him they changed their mind. They said they didn't bring up a gay basher and he would be punished. He would help out in the local gay youth club and keep things quiet there. He didn't like it at all.

Our relationship became deeper. There were times when the only time we were apart was when we had classes. Our parents saw this and decided to come up with a plan. We had NO idea what was in store for us.

One day at school we saw a boy sitting by himself being quiet who seemed VERY upset. I told Alex and the others what I saw and they agreed to see what we could do. I walked over to him and said "Hi" with a smile.

"Oh hi, am I at your table?" he asked looking scared.

"Na, I sit over there," I replied pointing the table where the other football players were sitting watching me.

"OH, you're on the football team. I hope I didn't do anything," the boy said almost in tears.

I felt bad for him. I sat down and looked at him. "No, you didn't, we saw you sitting here and you looked sad so I thought that I would come over and see if anything was the matter," I said looking at him.

He looked like he was about to cry. "No nothing is the matter," he said with a single tear running down his right eye.

"If nothing was the matter then you wouldn't be crying. What's wrong?" I asked him.

I touched his right arm and he flinched. I looked at him questioningly and I pulled up his shirtsleeve. What I saw amazed me. There were black and blue marks all up his arm. He looked at me and tried to pull away but I held on tight. I grabbed him and put him in my lap and he started to squirm. After a few minutes he stopped.

"What happened?" I asked in a quiet voice.

"Nothing. Please don't hurt me," he said shaking and crying.

"I am NOT going to hurt you; I PROMISE you that. I am going to take you to the bathroom and I want you to show me what else you have, ok? I SWEAR TO GOD I am NOT going to hurt you."

He looked at me and nodded. I looked at the table full of football players and swung my head. They understood what I meant. I got up with the boy and we started walking out.

"What's your name?" I asked.

"Billy Ward."

"Cool name, I'm Brett Mikells," I replied.

We walked into the bathroom and I had him clean his face. While the water was running and he was washing his face the football team walked in. When he was done he looked up and saw them.

He got scared and tried looking for a way out. "You said you weren't going to hurt me," he said crying.

I walked over to him and slowly put my hand on his shoulder. "We are NOT going to hurt you, I told you that. This guy here is my boyfriend Alex. Behind him is the rest of the football team, well most of them. That's Brian, Eric, Todd, Michael, Trent, Chris, Robert and there are a few more but they're on the next lunch," I said.

When I said Alex was my boyfriend Billy got this wide-eyed look on his face. When I finished the rest of the names he looked at me.

"HE is your boyfriend. So the stories I've heard about you two are true then?" he asked.

I smiled and nodded my head. "So let me see the rest of your chest and back, ok?" I said in my softest tone.

He looked around and got nods from the rest of the guys. He slowly pulled off his shirt and I about died right there. His chest, arms and back were nothing but a sea of welts and bruises.

"What happened?" I asked tears running down my cheeks. Alex put his arms around me and held me tight.

"Nothing," he replied looking at me and not understanding how a stranger to him would be upset that he looked this way.

"Please tell me," I pleaded looking at him.

He looked at me then opened his mouth. At first nothing came out then he spilled it all. "My step father. He caught me and a friend of mine kissing and doing other stuff. He came in my room one night and started hitting me. My friend wasn't allowed over anymore and I barely see him. When I do, he sees my arms and starts crying, that's why I wear long sleeves from now on," he said breaking down in tears.

I walked over to him and hugged him gently. "What about your mother?" I asked.

"She doesn't know. He told me if I told her he would hurt her, too, and that she didn't need a FAGGOT in the house." With that he started breaking down and crying even harder.

I had him put his shirt back on and I took him to the nurse's station. "Hey, I need you to call my mom and my dad," I said to her.

"Why, Brett?" she asked.

"Please do it before I go and kill someone," I said still in shock.

She looked at me then went to the phone and dialed the house number. She told my mom what I had said then hung up. My mom was going to call my father. About a half an hour later they showed up. When they came in they saw me sitting there with my arms around a little boy and Alex's arms around me.

"What's wrong Brett?" my father asked me when he saw I was crying.

He came near me and when I looked up I leapt into his arms and started crying harder. He got me calmed down and I told him what Billy told me. He had Billy take off his shirt and he examined him. He said there were some series bruises and maybe a few cracked ribs and other bones. He needed to take him to the hospital. I asked to come along, as did Alex. The nurse called Alex's mother and got permission and explained what was going on.

We got to the hospital and started taking x-rays and other tests to see how far the damage extended. Good thing he did. Billy was in such a mess. They said his spleen was about to rupture and his appendix looked like it may burst. He had three cracked ribs and a cracked vertebra.

When Mrs. Graham and Mr. Graham, Billy's mother and stepfather, came in, I saw red. I walked right up to Mr. Graham and knocked the hell out of him. When he fell down, I fell on top of him and started punching him. He didn't see it coming and was too shocked to do anything about it. Alex and my dad had to grab me and pull me off. Mrs. Graham was hollering and trying to figure out what was wrong.

With Alex and my dad holding me back I started screaming at him and telling her what was going on. "WHAT'S GOING ON? THAT BASTARD HAS BEEN BEATING ON BILLY AND HAS REALLY HURT HIM. HE CAUGHT HIM AND ANOTHER BOY KISSING AND MESSING AROUND AND STARTED BEATING ON HIM. THAT'S WHY HE'S WEARING LONG SLEEVES. HE TOLD BILLY THAT YOU DIDN'T NEED OR WANT A FAGGOT IN THE HOUSE AND THAT IF HE EVER TOLD ANYONE THAT HE WAS GOING TO HURT HIM AND YOU," I screamed at the top of my lungs.

I was still wiggling trying to get at Mr. Graham when I felt a shot in my arm. I looked at my dad and he was holding a needle. He said something but I couldn't understand what it was. All I saw was darkness. I awoke a few hours later in a room with Alex and my parents there.

"What happened?" I asked. Then all of a sudden Billy came back to me. "Where is Billy? What happened with him? How is he doing?" I asked all at once.

Alex came up to me and put his arms around me, quieting me down. "Remind me NEVER to PISS you off. You know you really hurt Mr. Graham," Alex said to me.

He kissed my check and I relaxed a little. My parents came near me and sat on the bed.

"Well, after I gave you that shot you passed out and Alex and I put you in a chair. Mrs. Graham just looked at Mr. Graham and asked him if it was true. He said, yeah that he didn't want a faggot around, and that when Billy got out he was going to do it again to STRAIGHTEN him out. Well, Mrs. Graham did NOT like that. There was a policeman there and she had him arrested for assault and battery to a minor and child abuse. He couldn't believe it. She told him that Billy was HER son and she didn't care if he was gay or NOT that she loved him for him. Well, Mr. Graham was taken out of the hospital. We talked and I explained who you and Alex were and then Alex explained what happened at the school. She called her lawyer and is filing for divorce. Billy had to have his spleen and appendix removed but he is doing much better. When Alex told him what you did he cried and said to tell you, 'thank you.' He doesn't understand why another boy would do that. So I explained to him about your real parents and how protective you were of other kids. He smiled and is happy. Well, a few hours later another boy appeared named Jamie. He was the boy that Billy was with. When he saw Billy lying there he started crying. Mrs. Graham took him in her arms and got him calmed down. He explained how it was his fault. Even though it really wasn't, he felt it was. She told him that it was ok. Well, it turns out they talked for a LONG time. He told her that he loved Billy and that Billy told him he loved him, too.

What they didn't know was that Billy was awake. They heard him sniffle and they went to him. Billy said he was sorry and his mom said there was nothing to be sorry for if anything she was the one at fault for not seeing the signs. She told him that his stepfather has been arrested and will not ever be coming back. From what she told me after that she said that Billy looked at Jamie and Jamie started crying. Telling Billy that he was sorry for not coming by and helping him. She said that Billy shut him up the only way he knew how, by kissing him. She said at first she was stunned to see him do it and yet a little relieved that he was happy. She told me that Billy and Jamie exchanged I love you's and are together with her and Jamie's parents blessing."

While dad was telling me this, Alex put his arms around me and held on tightly. I was happy for him and glad that he was happy. We heard someone clear their throat and we turned and looked in the door. Standing there were Mrs. Graham, a boy I am assuming was Jamie, and in-between them was Billy in a wheel chair.

"Hey," I said sitting up.

Since I was only in the hospital because of the sleeping shot I got, I got out of bed and went over to Billy. I squatted down in front of him and gave him a soft hug. He hugged me back and started crying.

"Thank you," he said smiling at me.

"No, thank you. You were the strong one for believing in me and letting me help you," I said.

He just smiled and then I turned to Mrs. Graham.

"Thank you. You helped him," she said hugging me to her. I hugged her back.

I turned to Jamie. "You must be Jamie. I'm assuming you're his boyfriend?" I asked with a smile.

He blushed and nodded his head shyly. I walked over to him and gave him a hug. "Take care of him, ok," I said.

His smiled "I will, I love him," when he said that he blushed again but took Billy's hand.

Billy looked up at him and smiled and kissed his hand.

A few days later he was released from the hospital. He and Jamie walked into the cafeteria back at school. We saw them and I walked over to them.

"Hey guys, do you two want to join us?" I asked looking and smiling at them.

They looked at me, then the table of football players and were VERY surprised to see the team nodding their heads. "Are you sure?" Billy asked.

I just nodded. They smiled got their food and started to head to our table when a bigger boy stopped them and said loudly, "Hey, the FAGGOTS table is over there," and pointed to the back of the cafeteria.

I saw Billy with tears in his eyes. I started to tear up and the next thing I knew Alex was over by Billy and Jamie.

"Hey ASS HOLE, did you say something to my friends?" Alex asked with a mean look on his face. The boy that said that looked scared and shook his head.

"Good, IF ANYONE says ANYTHING about these TWO, come and talk to me and MY TEAM," Alex said looking around.

No one said anything and Alex took Billy and Jamie over to our table. When they got there they saw me with tears on my face but a smile as well.

"What's wrong, Brett?" asked Jamie.

"I was just hoping you two wouldn't have to go through that, that's all. But I'm glad that Alex was there to help," I replied looking lovingly at Alex.

Alex smiled back and took my hand in his. He kissed it and continued to smile at me. After that we all ate lunch. Billy and Jamie were now a part of the table.