Well here is Chapter 6 of Guilty as Charged.
Before we get to the story, here is a few things I would like to say. First of all thanks to the many people who have sent me e-mails. I really appreciate the response and know that I am not just writing this for the fun of it(even though it is fun), but that other's are getting some enjoyment out of my story. Secondly, Keep reading and keep those e-mails coming, also let me know what I can do to improve the story.
I will try to answer all my e-mails, if I don't get back to you right away, please don't be discouraged, since my real life job keeeps me very busy.
The next few chapters are meant just to be fun chapters...so enjoy them.
CHAPTER SIX
"Who is it?" Todd asked, quickly pulling away from Keith.
Good thing they had turned the music up loud enough so anybody who would have come to the door wouldn't have heard what was going on inside. He ran his fingers through his blonde hair, straightening it up the best he could. He opened the door to see Carrie standing at the door.
"It's about damn time you open the door," she said, "I've been knocking for over five minutes, I was about getting ready to leave." and then as an afterthought she said, "Damn Todd, you look like shit, you shouldn't drink like that it doesn't look good on you."
"I'll keep that in mind,"Todd said.
"And how do you feel this morning, babe," she said, to Keith, reaching up and kissing him. She pulled back from him as if she had been burned. She had kissed Keith enough to know his taste, and the taste on his lips wasn't the taste she knew. Even though she knew Keith was gay, and had told him she was okay with the fact and would do anything to protect his image she never really figured he would find somebody else. She looked up at his eyes and saw that he had that look, the look of complete happiness that only comes from somebody completely in love.
"We were planning to go to The Cliffs to go and messs around in the water," she said, "Todd why don't you go ahead and grab a shower, well I run Keith to his house so he can grab a shower, and his swimmng trunks and then we'll meet you back here in about an hour."
"I can't swim very good," Todd said.
The truth was, he couldn't swim at all. Todd Miller was not just afraid of water, he was deathly terrified, he had learned to control it enough to at least take a shower. On occasion he would still have the terrifying nightmares of the water rising above his head, pulling him downunder. In his dreams the man had not been standing on the side watching the whole scence and jumping in to rescue him, in real life, which he had got a black eye for from Todd's father. Todd was around six years old and they were at the local swimming pool, and Todd was walking with his father around the pool towards the deep end, when without warning his father grabbed him and flung him straight into the water. Panic quickly enveloped Todd, and he started sinking faster then a rock, the man saw it all and jumped in, pulling Todd to the edge and handing him back to Todd's dad. Todd's dad yelled at the man "If your gonna pull his pusssy ass out before he tries to swim, then the little mamma's boy is never gonna learn to swim." The man glared at Todd's dad and said, "If that's how you think you teach your child to swim, then I think you need some serious help." The man didn't see it, until Todd's father's right hand caught the man flush in the face. The man fell backwards into the pool. Todd's father grabbed his hand and they left the pool. They were banned from the pool for life, which was just fine with Todd, since he didn't have any desire to go back there ever again. The man didn't file charges, which he could have easily did, instead he felt sorry for Todd's dad, who seemed to be a man uncapable of loving his only son.
"Hell," Keith said, "Rob can't swim either, but that information is confidential, and if anybody else finds out, then he'll probably kick my ass, besides you don't even have to know how to swim to have fun at The Cliff's, hell most of the water is no more then four feet high."
"Jumping off a cliff into four feet of water, isn't that kinda dangerous," Todd said.
Carrie and Kieth started laughing at the same time, "Bro, The Cliff's isn't actually cliff's, it's the local waterpark, slides, a lazy river, which is Rob's favorite thing, concession stand, and a bunch of half naked girls running around." And a bunch of cute looking guys, he thought to himself, even though none were as cute as Todd.
Todd tried to think of an excuse to keep from having to go, cause he knew that even four feet of water would terrify him and he didn't want to seem like a pussy in front of his new friends. He figured they would make fun of him like the kids and his old school did when they had went swimming for P.E., and he started crying when the teacher told him he had to get in the water. He could still remember the taunts and stares and they started laughing at him. He couldn't come up with a viable excuse so he finally relented to going.
"So do you love him?" Carrie asked.
"What?" Keith asked, "love who?"
One thing that Keith had liked about Carrie, and which had made them real good friends was Carrie's straightforwardness, which someother people may have mistaken for rudeness. She had something to say, she came out and said it, and didn't care who or what anybody. if it hurt your feelings, well just to bad, you'ld get over it.
"Todd," she said, "do you love him."
"were just good friends," Keith said, starting to sweat a little.
"Oh," she said, "you and Rob are best friends, and you have never kissed him."
"I've never kissed Todd," Keith lied, "what makes you say that?"
"Keith how many times we've kissed, I should know what your lips taste like," she said, "and that kiss this morning wasn't your taste, or at least not the taste I remember. If you are falling in love with Todd, then like I told you before I will be happy for you, and continue to act like your girlfriend to protect your reputation until you are ready to come out..." she took her hand and wiped a tear that was starting to fall from her eyes. "If you kiss another girl, other then a female relative, then I will kick your ass from here to Kingdom Come."
Keith laughed, "I have no doubt you would actually do that."
"Well," she said, "do you love him."
Keith smiled, and that was all the answer she needed.
They pulled into Keith's driveway, and Keith noticed his mother's BMW still parked in the driveway. He looked at his watch and noticed it was a quarter till nine. His mother should have already been at work, and was wondering what she was doing at home. He opened the door to see his mother sitting at the kitchen table, drinking a cup of coffee.
"Hi, mom," he said, reaching down to kiss her cheeck.
"Hi, babe," she said, "where were you last night?"
"I stayed at a friends," he replied.
"If you are not going to come home," she said, "then I suggest you call us and let us know. I was so worried about you when I got up this morning and you weren't in your bed, that I called in to work and told them I wasn't going to come in, until I knew you were okay."
"I'm sorry, mom" he said, "I didn't think you would worry that much."
"Keith," she said, "your my only son, I love you more then life itself, and if anything ever happened to you, I don't know what I would do."
"Don't worry, mom," he said, "I won't let it happen again, I promise."
"Oh, I"m sorry, Carrie, where are my manners. How are you this morning?"
"Fine, Mrs. Mitchell," Carrie replied.
"How many times have I told you to call me Linda. You don't have to be so formal."
Keith and Carrie excused themselves and went straight into Keith's room.
"Man," Carrie said, "you don't realized how lucky you are to have parents like yours. My mother would have just not given a shit if she ever saw me again...okay maybe she would have cared, but she sure wouldn't have lost any sleep over it."
"Yeah," Keith said, "I am pretty lucky."
He wondered how they would take it if he came out and told them he was gay. He knew they had accepted his father's friend, but then his father's friend was expected to give them grandchildren to play with and watch grow up. He had thought on many occasions of telling them, but never seemed to be the right time.
"Keith," Carrie brought him out of his thoughts and into reality. She was holding a pair of dark red swimming trunks, with blue piping down the sides of each legs. "Wear these shorts," she said, "you look so sexy in them, and Todd will just want to eat you up." she laughed, which caused Keith to also laugh.
Thirty minutes later, after Keith had showered and eaten a real light breakfast, at the insistance of his mother. They were back in Keith's car, heading towards Todd's house. It was nine-thirty in the morning and the temperature was already well into the upper eighties, and their didn't seem to be any sign of rain. With school already underway, The Cliff's would only be open for a couple of more weeks, before it was offically closed down for the winter.
"Rob and Wendy are coming too right?" Keith asked.
"I'm not sure," Carrie said, "Hell, with all the excitement this morning, I didn't even think about them."
"Well if you haven't seen Rob, then how did you get my car?"
Carrie laughed, " Rob thought he would be a big man and challenged Dale to a chugging contest. Big Mistake..."
At the same time they both said, "Nobody beats Dale in a chugging contest."
They both laughed. It was starting to turn into a wonderful day.