Ok. This chapter was inspired by my friend who helped me with the messenger talk thing. I don't know if they actually do this for under age offenders, but I figured, what the hey. So the boy IS at home with a bracelet thing.
Chapter 12.
Why was Kyle doing this again? he thought to himself, as he flew across the Nevada desert towards California. He wanted to show SOMEONE that he was actually real. Why he was doing this for his friend Paladin he didn't know; but it would be nice to have someone know that Kyle was the super boy on TV.
At least Paladin had made him feel somewhat better about not being able to be everywhere at once. Kyle could only do so much. It was nice to have a reminder, even if the guy was still pretty sure he was lying.
Kyle shook his head as he soared through the air. Flying also made him feel better. The open sky above him, the clouds surrounding him; it was always so peaceful for him up here. He could do this forever if he didn't have other things going on.
Soon, he pulled out the map he'd printed off and tried to guess where he was. Damn it; this was annoying. Especially trying to find where he was going all the time.
Kyle landed on the street where the camera crew and local news reporter were standing. The man was dark haired and very friendly.
"This just in!! Arriving on the scene is the well known boy super hero. Excuse me... but can you tell us why you're here today?" the news man asked. Kyle liked him. He wasn't obnoxious like most reporters for some reason.
"I wanted to speak to Aaron," Kyle said. He'd read the internet article and it didn't quite add up to him. Why would a young boy rob two banks? He lived in a rather nice neighborhood, and it was obvious the house was well cared for.
"Can you tell us why?" the man asked, but Kyle had already turned to walk up to the house. A lot of people were picketing on the sidewalk, and none of it was supportive; they all seemed to want him to face an adult penalty.
After waiting several moments for a spot to open, Kyle decided to screw it and levitated over the mass of people who hadn't noticed he'd arrived. He could hear several welcoming cries, as if he were there to support them. What?
Kyle landed on the front door step and then rang the door bell. There was some scuffling inside, and then the door opened a crack. "If you don't get off our lawn, I'm calling the police!!" the lady who answered the door said. She looked older and very harried; her long blonde hair starting to show grey.
"No... I'm not here to bother you. I saw the news... and I wanted to speak to Aaron," Kyle half said, half asked, hopefully. How could he explain he wanted to help?
"Well, if he wants to talk to you," she replied, standing back and opening the door. "I still wish I knew what was going through his mind." She shook her head.
"Aaron!! You have someone who wants to speak to you! It's THE boy from TV!!" she yelled.
"Stop joking, Mom; it's not funny," a young voice said. Kyle scratched the back of his head as he followed behind her. What was he doing here again? Kyle had no clue what he was going to say to this kid. Mostly he was here because he wanted to prove to Paladin that he was right.
"Maybe I'd better just leave," Kyle said, regretting that he'd come. Why had he gotten involved? To help? Why? Why? Why?
"No; I think you can help," She replied. "Go on up." She pointed. Kyle followed her finger to the stairs, and then headed up. He walked down the hallway where he could hear sniffling.
"Hello?" he said, as he found the bedroom door. There was a slender, blond haired boy, about Kyle's height, a little older looking, lying on a bed. Kyle looked around. It was a standard boy's bedroom; slightly messy.
"Who are ...it really is you," he sniffed, rolling over on his back. He was cute, even when he was crying. But he couldn't compare to Jason.
Kyle sat down on the bed, feeling awkward. How was he going to start this out? "Look. I saw the article. It doesn't make sense. Why rob two banks? You're 15," Kyle started out. Might as well be direct.
"I ... just... you wouldn't understand; nobody would," he cried, rolling back into a curled up ball. Kyle patted his leg, hoping it would help.
"Try me. I have my share of problems too you know," Kyle replied evenly.
"Like what?" the boy asked desperately. "You have super powers; you can just blow up anybody who doesn't like you."
"But I don't; and I only recently discovered them. I still have the same problems as before... although my PE grade is going up." Kyle laughed a little, but got no response from the boy. "Look; you seem really nice. I don't see why you would need to rob a bank... or two for that matter," Kyle continued.
"I just... wanted someone to feel my pain," the boy sniffed.
"What pain? I think everybody has pain. Please tell me. My friend.... he has a lot of pain. He started cutting himself because of it," Kyle said quietly.
"A cutter?" the boy asked. There was a name for what Jason was doing?
"I guess so. I'd never heard of it 'til he told me," Kyle said, now slouching on the green bedspread. "Look; I'm sorry I came... I'm not sure what was thinking... "Kyle began.
"No. It's ok; I was just at a breaking point. I'm sick of being called a freak, being called evil, being called sick," Aaron began.
"For what? You seem really nice to me," Kyle said. How could anybody call this boy evil?
"I'm gay. And I wanted everyone to feel my pain. If the world was going to call me that, I was going to fit their role, and make them pay," he said, tears streaming down his face. "I was going to...I don't know. Everything got fucked up at the second bank. I wanted to be shot... but not before I took somebody out," he said vaguely. Whoa! Kyle knew how he felt.
"Look; I know how you feel. I'm gay too. I just found a boyfriend; today, actually," Kyle said. Saying `boyfriend' really made him feel good.
"You're gay??" Aaron said, rolling back to look at Kyle. Kyle could see his mind turning behind his eyes.
"Yes; I am gay. And I think that you don't quite deserve all the blame here," Kyle decided. "I'm pretty sure that robbing a bank to vent your feelings wasn't a good idea. But I'll find a way to help, I swear," Kyle said. By now Aaron was sitting up.
"I'm not alone anymore," he sniffed, but he seemed happier. "Too bad you're taken; you are pretty cute," he said.
"Yeah. But there are other gay teens around. I'm sure you could find some," Kyle suggested.
"It's not that easy," Aaron said.
"I know. I will make it easier. I promise."
Kyle made it home, and was surprised to find out no one had called. He'd given his interview, and then he'd left as fast as he could. Flying faster to get home was getting easier as he learned the land marks better. He'd expected Jason to have called by now, and had hurried home to catch his phone.
Kyle turned on the TV and was surprised to find that the news hadn't even mentioned him. What gives? he wondered. Wait. Didn't the man say something about being a local station? So if that was the case... they were probably still selling the footage. Wow. Well he could always go upstairs, after it came on, and watch it with his parents. That would be good. Kyle flopped on the couch to wait for the news announcing his coming out.
********************** Jason was working on homework when his mother called up to him. "Honey; that boy is on TV again." Jason rushed downstairs, his feet thundering along the way.
"What is it?" he asked over the sound of his feet thundering down the stairs.
"There was a boy in California that robbed two banks. Well, he tried to rob a second one, and got caught."
"You mean the boy caught him?" Jason asked, sitting on the chair.
"No. The boy WENT to see him," his mother corrected.
Jason watched the TV as the reporter began to speak. "And WE have here live, the strange boy that has been appearing at numerous emergency and crisis sites to lend his powers to the less fortunate. Now you've agreed to answer some of our questions, if you can say some something, correct?"
The boy nodded. "Yes. Fire away," he answered.
"Well, first off, do you still stick to your story about how you got your powers?" the reporter asked. That was interesting. Why would he be lying?
"Well, yes. I can't remember. I couldn't do any of this BEFORE; and now I can," the boy explained. Jason nodded. Fuck. He was so enthralled by this boy; this super boy that could do anything.
"So, do you intend to continue this plan of helping?" he asked.
"Yes."
"And how do you respond to the idea that, if you hadn't showed up, the building that was detonated on top of you wouldn't have happened?" he asked. What? Blaming the boy because some religious wacko wanted to kill him?
"My fault? I help the world, and some wacko thinks I'm the end of the world and tries to kill me? How is that MY fault?" the boy countered, his aura flaring brighter for a split second. Damn right!! You tell him!! Jason thought.
The reporter laughed in reply. "I guess it isn't. Now, can you tell us why you decided to come here this evening?" Jason watched interestedly. Why was this kid at the boy's house?
"Something didn't seem right. I mean why would a 15 yr old boy rob two banks?" Kyle asked. The TV played footage of the kid walking into a bank with a gun, and taking money... then getting away in a car...? Wow.
"I read an internet article, and I thought it seemed weird. So I came to see what I was missing," the boy explained.
"And what did you find?" the man asked.
Jason watched as the boy took a breath and ran his hand through his blonde hair. "It's serious. That boy... was in pain; pain that he felt from society." Jason thought the boy sounded sad. "And so I'm here to help; maybe take some pressure off of him."
"I want to say... that I am attracted to boys. I don't find it wrong; and I don't find it evil." Jason's mouth fell open. "I want any teens in pain to know this. I don't want another one of these things happening." The boy gestured at the house behind him. "This boy was in pain...because he didn't like who he was... because his society told him that he was evil." What? Just because of being gay? Jason knew it was looked at as bad; but he didn't' realize that someone could feel THAT much pressure.
"So then, do you blame society for what happened here?" the reporter asked. Wow. This guy was really asking some tough questions.
"Yes and no. I know it was wrong for this boy to do this. But still; if the whole gay thing wasn't treated the way it is by so many people, things would be a lot better. And maybe there wouldn't have been a decision for Aaron here to react the way he did." The boy was looking very nervous now. Jason didn't blame him. He'd be nervous too if he was on TV like that.
"Anyway; I gotta get moving...." The boy waved, and looked as if he were about to leave when the reporter stopped him.
"One last question; why do you ignore the requests of the government to meet with you?" he asked. The boy looked surprised.
"Oh yeah. I'd forgotten about that. Well, if they are listening... they should know that when you invite someone to come over... you give them a time and location. Nobody bothered to indicate where and when!!" the boy said. "And now I really have to go." He took off with the camera following him out of sight, and then going back to the reporter.
"So there you have it, live. The coming out of a super hero," the reporter said. Shit. This was going to really cause a stir up. Oh shit!! Gotta call Kyle!!
The phone was ringing, and Kyle was pretty sure it was Jason. "Yeah. I'm watching it now," Kyle said, and was rewarded with a laugh, after stampeding down the stairs to answer his own phone.
"Can you believe that he's gay? A gay super hero!!" Jason said. Yeah, he could definitely believe that.
"Well, I've been doing reading online... and 1 out of 10 people is supposed to be gay, so it's a 10 percent chance he would have been gay," Kyle replied, and then laughed.
"But still. This is going to like SHAKE everything. Do you think WE could like tell everyone that we're together?" Jason asked. Wow. Kyle hadn't even thought about that. Wait. He had just wanted to let teens know that it was ok to be this way... but what if he'd suddenly inspired millions of teens everywhere to come out?
"If you want," Kyle said vaguely, his mind on other things. Why had he DONE that? What was he thinking? He had just wanted to make things better for depressed gay kids; but now... he might have made things worse If they suddenly started coming out.
"Well, if you don't like the idea..." Jason said, sounding down suddenly. Of course he would love to be out with Jason; but still...
"Let's see how the guys take it first," Kyle replied. "I would LOVE to be out with you. It would be so cool to hold hands and walk places at school, and cuddle at lunch." This was going to be really interesting.
"You would cuddle with me at school?" Jason asked.
"YES!! That would be so cool," Kyle replied, pacing around his living area. Technically, it was the family room, but his mother let him use it. His parents were so good about giving him his privacy.
"What about at your house?" Jason asked, this time giggling. That was a good question. What about at Kyle's house? What if his parents walked in? Wait. Should he tell his parents? He was planning on using the news report as a stepping stone anyway.
"I don't know yet. I haven't asked my parents how they felt yet," Kyle said, pacing the floor.
"Oh wow. I guess you could. Well you should get going before you um... chicken out." Jason laughed, but Kyle knew he cared.
"Thanks." Kyle hung up the phone and then began to trudge up the stairs, his feet feeling heavier than normal.
"Hey, Dad. It was just Jason, asking me if I saw the report," Kyle said, reaching the top of the stairs. His father was reading the newspaper, and watching TV at the same time. Kyle didn't know how he could follow both, but he did.
"I see. So what did he have to say about it?" he asked.
"That it's going to shake things up," Kyle said, sitting back down.
"Your friend is smart," his father said with a smirk.
"Why is that?" Kyle asked. He knew it would shake things up. He'd known it before he'd given the stupid interview.
"If this is real; do you have any idea as to how many people he's just offended? And a religious group already called him the antichrist, and brought down a building on his head, with nothing to show for it. This kid can say ANYTHING he wants to... and nobody can, well, argue with him." Wow. Kyle hadn't thought about it that way. It was true; anything he wanted to say... he could say. And if anybody didn't' like it... they COULDN'T do anything about it.
"I didn't think about that," Kyle admitted. He sure hadn't expected his comments to have THAT big of an impact. But apparently they could. "So what do you think about the gay thing?" Kyle asked. "Does it bother you?"
"Why should it? I say let people do what they want as long as it doesn't hurt those around them," his dad said. Wow. Kyle hadn't expected that. "Did it bother you?" his father asked him back, now looking at him again over the newspaper.
"No. I just wondered what you thought. "Why had he done that? Kyle was starting to regret ever deciding to visit this boy.
Kyle got up and walked down the hallway to find his mother. As usual, she was in her bedroom, watching the evening news and folding clothes.
"Hi Mom," Kyle said, sitting on her bed.
"Hello dear. I assume you saw the latest news on that super boy?" she asked. Kyle would have laughed, if he hadn't had so many different thoughts running through his head. Where to start thinking?
"Yeah. I just wondered what you thought," Kyle said, stretching out on the bed next to his mother.
"Well; I think he's awfully brave to say that on TV like that," she began. His mom thought he was brave? He hadn't expected that.
"I don't think he's got anything to worry about," Kyle said. And it was true. Kyle didn't have to worry about any direct attacks on him due to being gay.
"Well, it stills takes some guts to say that kind of personal thing in front of cameras like that," she argued. Kyle didn't think so. He wasn't really thinking about all those people watching at the time. Wait. All those people? Not to mention the internet crowd. Kyle suddenly felt dizzy, and was glad he was lying down. Until now, he hadn't actually taken in how many people were going to see him.
"Yeah," Kyle agreed. "But what about him being gay? I asked Dad, and it didn't' bother him at all."
"Well, I must say I really don't like the thought of two boys together." Kyle felt his stomach tighten. "But if he feels that way... he can't change it." Kyle felt some pressure leave his stomach.
"If there's something you want to tell me..." his mother continued. What? Did she know he was gay? It's not like he acted like it. "It's ok." Should he? Maybe it would be easier to tell her now.
"Actually Mom, I am too," he said, tears springing to his eyes. She looked at him, and then pulled him close, hugging him tightly. "Oh Mom. Thanks for not hating me," he cried, surprised at how much relief he was feeling.
"You're still my baby; you'll always be my baby." she cooed, rocking him gently. Oh it felt good. Kyle hadn't had a hug like this from his mother since, like, forever. *****************
Jason sat watching the follow-up news as the super kid's comments had spread. Since it had been a local channel that had apparently gotten the interview, it was being steadily passed along.
It had exploded into a massive controversy, with different religious leaders being interviewed. Some had tactfully taken a no position stance; some had actively welcomed him and some had actually said that he was a menace to the morality of society. What? Just because he wanted teens to be okay with themselves?
Jason trudged downstairs to see what his mother was watching. It was weird to know that at this same time... Kyle was at his house asking his parents what they thought of the whole gay issue.
"Hey Mom. Did you see that news thing?" Jason asked, wondering how many teens were saying that or versions of it across the country. Wow. What an upheaval. Jason wondered if this super boy knew exactly what he'd started.
Well another chapter ends. Please send me some reviews!!! Thanks to my new fans Jaex, Dogs Heart, and Centaurisle.. Medea, and David. I remembered!!! Ok... So I didn't; I just checked my sent box to see who I'd written. I'm pretty smart!!