Disorder

Author's note: Wow! The responses I got to the last chapter were astounding. Not only did I know that many people were reading, but the quality of the suggestions was amazing. Thank you all for your support!

And oh yeah - WOW you guys seem to love Mark!

Disorder, part 6

Later that evening, my backpack rang. I rifled it and found a cell phone. It wasn't mine. I checked the caller ID, and the call was coming from BERNADETTE'S BACKUP CELL. That tricky little reporter!

I answered it, of course. "Very clever, Bernadette."

"Thank you." I could hear the grin in her voice. "They got my cell and the SIM card, but the phone in your backpack was recording everything. The story is mostly written, from memory, but I need you to send me the recording so I can make sure I remembered the facts correctly, and so I have proof of my story." She walked me through how to do that, and, in minutes, she had the recording back.

"How did they get the phone and card?"

"I was knocked into a fountain by a biker. It was an accident of course."

"Of course," I said. We both knew it hadn't been an accident.

"The cyclist paid for my broken cell phone."

"How generous." My sarcasm was dripping. "Anyway, good thing you thought ahead. Thank you again for doing this."

"Thank you for giving me a breakout story." I smiled, even though she couldn't see. I was starting to like this girl – she had brains and balls.

Something bothered me, though. "This story is going to out Shawn, isn't it?"

"Nope. He came out this morning when he came back to school. I think it was to lessen the impact and pave the way for you. Only a few people were nasty. Most of them were supportive."

He did that for me? That was beyond sweet. It was brave and wonderful. I had to think of a way to pay him back. "He's amazing," I said finally. "If you happen to stumble on a way for me to pay him back, will you let me know?"

"You could ask him yourself," she said. "That phone is Lassiter's, and he programmed a bunch of numbers into it for you."

I felt myself getting choked up. I sniffled a little bit. "Sorry. I'm getting a bit emotional. I'm not used to all of this..." I trailed off; not knowing what word really fit what I was feeling.

"Love?" she said. "No one feels that kind of outpouring until they're in need. Then they learn how much people are really willing to do for them. It's all very Hallmark. Anyway, I need to finish my story, so you take care."

"Bye Bernadette, and thank you again."

She chuckled at my tone. "Now don't go pointing that sentimentality at me. You already know I'm getting something out of this. Bye Rich." She hung up and I snorted. She was enjoying helping out, just as much as anyone else. She just wasn't going to openly admit to the warm fuzzies. It would crack her hard-hitting journalist façade.

I flipped to the contents page on the phone and dialed the number I really wanted to call most. "Hello?" came the now-familiar voice of Shawn.

"Has anyone ever told you you're the most fucking amazing person in the world?" I asked.

He laughed. "Not in the last twenty minutes or so. Hey Rich. How are you feeling?"

"Like a normal human being, and I'll keep feeling that way for another few days, thanks to you. But forget about me; how are you doing? That was a huge step you took today. Everything going ok?"

"Yeah. Between Kyle, Todd, and Mark all hanging around me all day, they pretty much let the school know they supported me and wouldn't let anyone touch me. Every gay kid should come out with bodyguards. It's awesome."

I giggled. "I'll have to remember that. I'm coming out remotely pretty soon, thanks to Bernadette."

"Who?" he asked. "The only Bernadette I can think of is on the school news...you didn't!"

"Sure did. My mother has to be exposed if I'm going to have a shot at getting through this. I can't really give the story without coming out."

"So you're coming out in the school newspaper."

"Yep." There was a long pause where he didn't speak. "You ok, Shawn?"

"Yeah," he said. "I thought I was being brave, coming out to my friends and random gossips. You're coming out to everyone at once. You have the biggest balls of anyone I know."

"You forget – I'm dying. Only big moves will save me."

"True. I keep forgetting that part. You're just so alive and healthy to me. It's easy to overlook the disease. I wish we could pass it off to someone I don't care about."

I melted a little. "You care about me?"

"Of course I do," he said; his tone incredulous. "You don't care about your friends?"

"Yes. I just thought you were saying more, like you were having feelings for me," I said.

"Trust me – I wish I did," he said. "The doctor told me what you needed to get cured for good. If I could be that person for you, I would. Being in love with someone who has the capability of loving me back would be a huge step forward in my love life."

"You gonna spill on who the mystery guy is?"

"Hell no!" He laughed. "No offense, Rich, but personal stuff tends to go public around you. You have too much attention on you right now."

I snorted. "I need the attention right now, but you're right. Too many people are focused on me at the moment for me to be a place for secrets. I was just thinking I could see if I could work some magic on your guy for you, wing man style. Getting you the guy of your dreams is pretty much the only thing I can think of that's worthy enough to count as payback for everything you've done for me."

"Aww, that's so sweet," he said earnestly, "But you really don't need to pay me back. Most of the help I gave you was quite...pleasant. I liked hanging out with you. Kissing you was fun, and the sex was just...wow!"

I chuckled. "I was so good I knocked you out for two days." He laughed at that.

"I think it would be worth trying when you're well," he said slyly. My penis approved of that train of thought. I told him as much, and he laughed again. We kept up the small talk for several hours after that. It was just nice having someone to talk to who related to me. I knew he felt the same.

We didn't stop talking until I stared yawning. At that point we both agreed that sleep was probably for the best.

The next morning, after useless doctors and shrinks, tutors came in. They were actually good, and I was impressed at my mother's choices. Both of them were women, of course; I wouldn't have expected otherwise. I supposed that, when her choices counted for something, like making her appear to be a good mother, she could be relied upon for good decision making skills.

After the tutoring session, I still had a couple of hours before school let out and I could talk to people. I pulled out the phone and looked at it. I had messages.

The first was from Bernadette. It said: PAPER RAN WITH STORY. STUDENTS BUZZING. PREPARE FOR INCOMING SHITSTORM. Good. I needed to stir the pot. I used the phone's internet to find out the number for the local news. I gave them an anonymous tip to check my school's newspaper for a huge story.

There were texts from Shawn and Kyle, asking how I was holding up, and confirming that things were getting riled up. I answered both of them and moved on to the next message. It was from Magda, saying she missed me. I told her that she was welcome to come over any time, but Cornelius would never make it past the guards.

A new text came in from Bernadette: LOCAL PAPER WANTS TO RUN STORY. I SAID YES.

I texted her back: I GUESS I'M COMING OUT TO THE CITY NOW.

NOT TOO LATE TO BACK OUT.

I thought about it for a minute. WE'VE COME TOO FAR TO BACK OUT NOW. She replied to that with a smiley.

I didn't hear from anyone else for a while, so I left my room. I had a small idea on how to figure out what was happening. I walked halfway down the stairs and sat down. The guard looked entirely too confused at that action.

"Are you too tired to make it all the way down here? Do you need getting back to bed?"

I smiled at him sweetly. "Just wondering how things are going down here. It's really boring up there alone."

"It's fine down here, now," he told me.

"Now? What was going on before?"

The guard looked like he didn't know what to say. Then he shook his head. "Mrs. Talbaine has been yelling most of the morning – I think she was on the phone. She left a couple of hours ago, mad as hell."

I nodded. "That would partially be my fault. I gave an interview to a reporter. The story just ran today."

"You what? How? Aren't you cut off from everything?"

The guard wasn't too bright if he was admitting to holding me prisoner. "You didn't screen my visitors well enough. You sent a reporter up to me."

The guard went ashen. "I'm going to be fired."

"I don't plan on telling," I told him. "I will, however, need your help with something. What do you know about this disease I have?"

"It's making you do gay stuff, which is why your mom is keeping you locked up."

"She lied to you. I already wanted to do the gay stuff, long before I got this disease. The disease makes me need to act on those feelings or die. Next week, you'll be unemployed anyway, since I'll be dead, unless you help me live." He looked at me skeptically.

"Are you trying to get me to have sex with you?"

I laughed. The guy was decent looking, but not really my type. "No, nothing like that. Just let your coworkers know the truth: if I die, there is no job. But, if my mother catches on to anything to help me, you'll be fired, and there will also be no job. You're all in a very tricky position."

"So you're going to need someone to have sex with, without your mother knowing he's here." By the look on the guard's face, I knew he was smarter than he let on. He didn't believe me. "You get everything you want if I help you, and your mother would be paying us for nothing. You're saying she's completely wrong, and you're completely right. I'm not stupid."

"What if you help me and I don't tell her you let a reporter through?" I suggested.

"No. I'm not going to cover up that I messed up my job by messing it up even worse."

I nodded. "Fair enough, and you're definitely smarter than I gave you credit for. However, everything I've told you is true." I told him everything we'd learned about the disease. He stood there and took it without reacting. "My mother does not want to believe I'm gay. Her denial is going to kill me. She's stubborn and thinks she can turn me straight."

"You can't cure gay," the guard said. "Even I know that."

"Who's gay that you know personally?" I asked him. To know that so instinctually, a straight person had to be close to someone gay.

"My sister," he said. "You're really gay? It's not the disease making you think you are?"

"You have my word on that. I was gay before I got sick."

The guard became pensive. "I need to think," he said. "Why don't you go back upstairs now. I'll let you know if I come up with anything that will help."

I nodded appreciatively and went to my room.

When I returned, I saw that I had a missed call and a text from the same unknown number: GOT THIS NUMBER FROM SHAWN. CALL WHEN YOU CAN. No time like the present. Dear God, who was trying to get hold of me through my friends? "Hello?" the male voice said.

"Got your text," I said. "Who am I talking to?"

"This is Mark. Is that you, Rich?"

I felt a flood of relief that it was someone I knew and was starting to trust, more so since he was helping Shawn come out safely. That put him firmly into the `ally' category. "Yep! What's up, Mark?"

"Not much. I was just worried about you since the article this morning. Just had to make sure your mother didn't kill you or something." Did all of the cute guys have to be sweethearts?

"I'm doing pretty well for a prisoner on death row," I told him. "At least I'm comfortable and my cage has some nice features."

"So you don't feel sick like you were?"

"We got it locked up, but the treatment will wear off Sunday. Until then, I'll feel normal. When the treatment does wear off, I'll go back to the way I was, but without Shawn there to keep me alive this time. Without him, or someone like him, my energy will fall fast, and I'll be dead within hours."

"Can we get you the treatment somehow?"

"The article didn't mention what the treatment was?"

"If it did, I missed it. Is it some sort of drug or device, or..."

"It's sex, Mark. Gay sex. I had sex with Shawn and I was better; back to normal."

He was quiet. "I'm going to try to think of a way to get Shawn to you," he said, finally. "Gay sex? Really?"

I snorted, which then devolved into a full-fledged laugh. The tone of innocence in his last question was hilarious to me. "Really truly. It's a medicine I really enjoy taking."

That made him bark out a laugh. "You crack me up, Rich. I want you fixed up and back to normal so you can just be you more. I get a kick out of it."

"Then I'll definitely have to kick this, now. Wouldn't want to disappoint you by dying." He chuckled at that. "Seriously, though, after the sex, the other guy gets knocked out for two days to recover from the energy loss. There needs to be a way to get the body out of the house."

"What if I got you out of there and to him?"

That idea definitely had merit. "I'm working on getting the guards to lighten up. Maybe I could get them to look the other way while you get me out. I don't think they'll agree unless I promise to only be gone for a couple of hours."

"What time on Sunday do you need to see Shawn?" he asked. It was such a simple question, but it derailed our entire plan. I hesitated. "Rich? You ok?"

"Yeah," I said softly. "It's just...it's not going to work. I don't know what time the disease will turn back on. I'm going to need to be with him all day somehow."

"Hmm...," Mark said. "I think I have something. Lucky for you, you have a master delinquent on your side. Sneaking out is one of my specialties."

I chuckled. "I hope you know what you're doing. I'd hate for you to get into trouble on my account."

He sniffed defiantly. "Trouble is my playground. Just leave everything up to me and you'll be fine."

"I know I shouldn't feel this way, but I do feel a lot safer with you helping me out. I guess sometimes right and wrong don't care about rules."

"You're one of a small few who understands that." His voice was somewhat distant when he said that. "Anyway, I need to go. I have plans to set in motion. I really, really don't want you to die." He trailed off at the end. Then the call ended from his side. What the hell? Cryptic much? He was acting like he...well, shit. Could it be Mark? Was he the one? I'd have to have him near me when the disease kicked back in to find out.

I laid back and thought about it. Mark was sexy as hell. I'd love for him to take me. But...would I be able to love him? I got a severe case of the butterflies thinking about him liking me that way. He was planning some daring rescue to smuggle me out and take me to safety, so that was a major plus for him. Also, he had a wicked sense of humor. And did I mention the sexy?

On the other hand, he was rebellious and mischievous. Would he be able to settle down, or would he use his subversive nature on me to get away with things? The thought of him sneaking around behind my back got me pissed off, and it hadn't even happened yet. I shook my head. Nothing, not a damned thing, happened, and I was already jumping to conclusions, based on other conclusions that I had already jumped to. I needed to calm my tits.

I tried calling Shawn to ask his opinion, but he didn't answer. I tried calling Magda, but she only answered long enough to tell me she was talking to Cornelius. That one stung. I was dying and my best friend didn't want to talk to me. So much for `bros before hos'. I sighed and went to my desk to study. I set the phone to silent, just as a precaution, and put it in my pocket. If I fell asleep, it would be hidden.

I studied for an hour and felt myself start to doze off. It was only six in the afternoon! I got up and left my room. When I got to the end of the upstairs hallway and to the balcony, the guard – my guard – perked up. "Coming down?" he asked. It was a welcome change.

"Yeah. I need some caffeine or I'm going to pass out studying." He nodded and followed me to the kitchen. I got a Code Red from the fridge and walked back to the stairs. When I got halfway up, I turned and sat on the stairs. "Does this mean that my idea to allow me guarded access to the rest of the house is acceptable to you? Or did you run it by my mother first?"

"I asked my employer first," he said. "She was impressed by how reasonable your solution was and said yes immediately. How did you know?"

I smiled at him. "She's been this way my whole life. Once I knew the basics of what she wants in a situation, I know what's off limits and what's ok. It's all a matter of reading the situation and the person. Are you married, Mr. Guard?"

He did a double take at my abrupt change of direction. "What does that have to do with anything. And it's Felix."

"Making a point, Felix. Are you married?"

He shook his head. "No, but I have a girlfriend."

"Is there anything you want to do that she doesn't want you to?"

"A buddy of mine wants to start hosting a poker game," he said after a pause to think. "My girl doesn't think I should be throwing my money away like that."

"Then don't gamble," I said without hesitation. "Do a game night with her and your friends instead. Include her and still have the fun of playing games instead. Everyone wins."

Felix tilted his head at me. "That just might work, kid. Is this how you work the system?"

"If you want to call it that," I said. "Basically, she just wants me isolated from anything or anyone who might have a `gay' influence on me. Beyond that, she doesn't really care what I do. I've never given her cause to."

"So you make your decisions based off of what she wants, not what she says."

I laughed. "There's no difference between the two. You just have to know what she's actually saying and implying. That takes practice. You actually have to observe and listen. It's the same for your girlfriend. If you can learn what she wants and what she's really saying, you can have her eating out of the palm of your hand, while making her think you're eating out of hers."

"That sounds complicated."

"I've been practicing for fourteen years. Just make what you want to do make it seem like it was her idea."

He smiled at me. It was a very warm and companionable smile. "You're alright, kid. You have the same ways as your mom, but you're different somehow. I can't really put my finger on it."

"We have the same powers," I said, deadpanning, "but I choose to use mine for good."

Felix burst out into laughter. "That's it! That's exactly what it is!" I chuckled with him.

The doorbell rang. I was glad I was already presentable. I took a sip from my bottle as Felix opened the door. The visitor stepped through the door, and I sprayed my mouthful across the stairs. It was Shawn. I could still tell it was him through the cheap dress, horrifying wig, and bad makeup. I bit my tongue. Maybe it would work.

"I don't think so, son," Felix said. "You didn't even stuff the bra right." There went that plan. Since I didn't have to hold back any longer, my laughter came out so strongly that my sides were hurting immediately and tears were streaming down my face. I fell back and nearly rolled down the stairs.

Between gasps of air, I managed to get out: "Worst. Drag. Ever!" Felix was doing a great job holding it back, but I could see in his face how badly he wanted to bust out laughing as well.

"Keep laughing, Chuckles," Shawn warned.

"I think I have a camera in my room," I said, wiping my eyes. "Felix! Hold him down!" That broke the guard's resolve, and he cracked up as well.

"Both of you are on my list now," Shawn huffed. He turned and saw a mirror in the entryway and jumped back with a quick yell. He dropped his head and shook it when he realized it was him. "Oh, Kyle is going to pay for this. It was his idea and his handiwork."

I broke out into a new round of laughter. "You let Kyle do that to you? He's male...and straight!"

"And apparently blind," Felix added, which finally broke through Shawn's anger, as he joined us in yet another round of laughter.

When he stopped laughing, Shawn said: "I'm sending him here tomorrow dressed like a girl, just for payback."

Felix placed his hand on Shawn's shoulder gently. "You know I can't let you past me, right?"

"Yeah, yeah," Shawn said. He looked up to me on the stairs. "I'm glad to see you're ok."

"Sunday is when it all turns to shit," I told him. "I'll be up and about normally until then. Felix, I think I have a raincoat in the closet there that will cover up most of that so he can get home." Felix nodded and grabbed it, handing it to Shawn. It covered up his dress, and the hood covered his hair, but if he turned the right way, his face was still visible. "You ok to get home now?" I asked him.

"Yeah. I was really hoping this would work out, though. I wanted to hang out with you some more."

"What about Kyle?"

"Still my best friend," Shawn said, "but it's nice having someone to talk to who just gets it." I nodded.

I heard my mother's car pull up. "She's home," I said ominously.

"Ok, Felix," Shawn said, "do your thing, and make it look convincing."

Felix smiled and grabbed Shawn's raincoat by the back of the neck. His face shifted into mean bully guard and he ripped the door open. He dragged Shawn through as my mother was walking up the stairs. He walked Shawn down past her. She caught a glance at his face and recoiled in horror, then rushed up through the door. I could just barely see Felix give Shawn a shove into the driveway. Shawn fell to the ground, but picked himself up quickly and scurried away. Felix came back up the stairs and closed the door behind himself.

"What was that hideous thing?" my mother asked.

"Just an unwanted visitor, ma'am," Felix replied.

"Well she looked like an eighty year old clown prostitute," my mother said. I barked a very loud laugh from my seat on the stairs. She turned to me and finally noticed me. "What are you doing down here, and what in heaven's name is so funny?"

"I was getting a drink when she got here," I said, holding up the nearly full soda. "And it's funny because that's exactly what she looked like." I decided not to let on that it had been Shawn. If she didn't know, she wouldn't get enraged.

My mother cracked half a smile. She rarely joked, so it always surprised her when she was able to make someone else laugh. She chuckled. "Time to scoot up to your room, young man," she told me without any of her usual tones. Was that good humor in her voice? I smiled and shook my head as I stood, then finished my way up the stairs. I crossed the balcony and went into the hallway, but only pretended to go into my room. After closing the door from the outside, I crept back to the hallway, just out of sight.

My mother's posture had slumped, and she sat in a chair usually reserved for guests. She rubbed her temples. She looked exhausted. I felt a stab of pity for the woman. I knew why she was tired, though. She was fighting to be right, and it was taking everything she had out of her. She stood back up and took a tissue out of her purse, then dabbed her eyes. Had she been crying? She walked the rest of the way across the foyer and into her office, closing the door softly behind her.

I walked silently back to my room and let myself back into my room, making as little noise as possible. I set my soda on the desk with the cap tightened on it. Sitting on my bed in silence, I pulled my knees up to my chest and rested my chin on them. I sat there like that until I fell asleep.

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And now for the fan part. Because there were so many good suggestions and comments last time, now I just have a fun question. This stems from an actor I based Doctor (Damon) Lassiter off of. If this were ever to be made into a movie, the good(?) doctor would be played by Eric Roberts. He's older, but not ancient, and really good looking for that age. He's also good at playing secretive and serious.

So my question is this: who would you picture playing any (or all) character(s), and why?

Tell me at academygm@hotmail.com

Have fun with this.