The following program contains material suited for a mature audience. If you are not over 18 you should be leaving now. Of course I can't control you and neither can anyone else really. This story is entirely false except for the true parts. This is the eleventh segment of this story and I highly recommend reading the first ten segments that can be found in the Nifty Archive. And now for our feature presentation. Viewer Discretion is advised...
My web site is located at http://www.geocities.com/chipdyp/index.html
Judgment Error- Chapter 11 by: Chip Dyp (chipdyp@hotmail.com)
"You have to eat, Ian." Mom sat on the edge of my bed with a sandwich on a plate.
"I'm not hungry Mom."
"Ian, if you don't eat we'll have to take you to the hospital and get them to feed you intravenously."
"I know, I know," I said. I closed my eyes and turned away from my mom.
Mom sighed and stood up. I listened as she walked out the door and down the hallway. I rolled over and looked at the sandwich. It was my favourite--turkey with cheese and lettuce. I frowned and sat up. I lifted half the sandwich off the plate and took a bite. I wasn't really all that hungry but I managed to eat half the sandwich for my mom. I hoped that it would ease her worries.
I crawled back under the blanket and closed my eyes. I wasn't getting much sleep at night. I'd sleep for only an hour or two before I'd wake up shaking and sweating from some dream about Stefan. The dreams were one thing I wanted to talk to the shrink about when I went in for my appointment. I was hoping she could help make them disappear.
It'd been three days since I'd come home from the hospital. My parents had tried to talk to me several times, and had been trying to get me to eat more at every turn, but it wasn't helping.
I had just woken up when I heard a tapping on my bedroom door. I just groaned and rolled away from the door. I didn't want to talk to my mom or my dad. I just wanted to lie in my bed in peace.
"Oh good, you're awake." I rolled and looked towards the door. Standing there with his hand on the doorframe was Will. "How are you feeling?"
"Will?" I asked shaking my head and squinting.
"Yep, that's my name." Will walked into the room with a big smile on his face. "So, how are you feeling?"
"A little better," I replied cautiously.
"That's great," Will said. "Me and a bunch of people are going out to see a movie and then we're going to hang out at this girl's house. So let's get you into the shower, so that you're ready when Rob comes to pick us up."
"What?"
"We're going out tonight. Go get into the shower, so that you're ready to go to the movie. The Sixth Sense is playing, I hear it's really good."
"Will..." I started to protest but he interrupted me.
"Ian, I want you to come out with us. I talked to your mom and dad and they said that it might be good for you to go out with us."
"Thank you for inviting me, Will. I just don't think I'd fit in with your friends."
"Why don't you think you'd fit in? Is it because you're gay?"
I closed my eyes and rolled away from Will. He knew I was gay! I couldn't even hide in the closet anymore.
"Ian," Will said as he walked around the bed. "Ian, it's all right. Rob and I and a few others know you're gay. It's all right. We don't care, you're still a great guy."
I averted my eyes so I didn't have to look at Will. He smiled and lifted my chin so he could look me in the eyes. "It's all right. We want to be your friends, if you'll let us."
"I'd like that," I said quietly.
"Good, so you go have a shower, and I'll go talk to your parents for a bit."
"Will, you won't tell anyone I'm, um, gay, will you?"
"Not if you don't want me to. Now go shower, we only have about half an hour till Rob gets here."
"All right."
Will walked out of the bedroom, leaving me alone in my room. I didn't really want to go out, but I knew I'd have to face these people eventually. I rolled out of bed and walked down the hallway to the bathroom. I looked at myself in the bathroom mirror and tried to smile. I sighed aloud and crawled into the shower.
It didn't take me long to clean up and get dressed. When I got upstairs, I found Will talking with my parents in the living room. "Hi," I said quietly.
"Hey Ian," Will said. He looked at me and smiled. "You're looking a lot better."
"Thanks. Is Rob here yet?"
"Nope. Your parents were just telling me about Toronto. Sounds like a cool place."
"Did you want something to eat before you go out, Ian?"
"I'm fine, Mom." I was just about to sit down in the living room when the doorbell rang. I looked through the peephole and saw this huge guy standing at the door. I opened the door and peered into this mammoth guy's eyes. "Hello."
"Hi Ian, I'm Rob," Rob said offering me his hand. I placed my hand into his massive paw and squeezed it as tightly as possible. He squeezed my hand, but stopped before he hurt me. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm feeling better, thanks for asking."
"Will, you ready to go?"
"Yeah. It was a pleasure meeting you Mr. and Mrs. Reynolds."
"You boys have fun tonight," Dad said as my parents stood to see us out.
I let Rob lead the way out to the minivan that was idling on the driveway. There was a girl sitting up front in the passenger seat and she smiled when the three of us walked out of the house. Rob walked around to the driver's door while Will and I went to the sliding door. Will opened the door and got in first. The girl looked back at me and smiled as I sat down and did up my seatbelt.
"Hi, I'm Erin. You must be Ian. I've heard a lot about you."
"Hi," I said shyly. I didn't have a clue who Erin was.
"How are you feeling?" Erin asked.
"I'm fine, really. My ribs are a little sore, and other parts are a little tender, but I'm fine." I changed the topic not too subtly. "We should get going, though. We don't want to be late for the movie."
Rob looked back at me and smiled. "Yeah, we better get going."
Erin smiled back at me and when I looked at Will he was smiling too. It was really creepy. When we arrived at the theatre, Rob pulled into a parking spot fairly close to the door. We walked up to the ticket booth and Will surprised me by buying my ticket.
"You didn't have to buy my ticket," I said quietly to Will.
"Ahhh, it's nothing. Besides, I didn't get a chance to surprise you on your birthday like I had hoped to," Will said blushing.
"Fine, well treats are on me."
"Okay," Will said nodding. I got in line beside Rob and waited patiently as the two girls at the counter hurried to get everyone's sweets before the movie started. It took a while before I noticed that people had lowered their voices and were trying to take surreptitious glances at me. I looked around, my eyes scanning people's faces. Whenever I looked at someone they would avert their eyes. Everyone knew.
"Hey, Ian," Rob said tapping my elbow, "What did you want?"
I shook my head and looked at the clerk. "Um, two large popcorns and two large cokes."
"That'll be $8.50," The clerk said as she started filling up the massive popcorn tubs and cups. I reached into my pocket and pulled a ten out of my wallet. The clerk handed my popcorn and my drinks and handed me the change.
As I walked over to where Erin and Will were standing, people shuffled out of the way, eager to get as far away from me as possible. I looked back over my shoulder when I neared Will.
"Hey," Will said, taking a container of popcorn and a drink from me. "Is something wrong?"
I looked back at Will and shook my head. I put on a smile and said, "No, nothing's wrong. Let's go find some seats."
As Will and I walked into the theatre I tried listening to what people were saying. I thought I heard my name in a few conversations and I know I heard Stefan's name at least twice. Will found the four of us some seats down near the front in the middle of the row. I took the seat beside him and put my popcorn down on the floor. As I sat in my seat I listened to the snippets of conversation that I could overhear.
"What's wrong, Ian?" Will asked, leaning forward and looking at me.
"Everyone knows, don't they?" I asked.
Will put his hand on my thigh and squeezed. "Yeah, news, rumours and gossip spread quickly in this town. I'm sorry, Ian. They don't know everything though. Only Rob, three others and I know about the other thing.
All these people know about is what Stefan did to you."
I just nodded and looked down into my lap. Will looked at me, and asked, "If you're feeling uncomfortable we can leave. Did you want to go?"
"No, let's just watch the movie."
Will smiled and took his hand away from my thigh. "All right, you're the boss."
The theatre grew dark and the coming attractions started playing. For the rest of the movie, Will and I sat in silence, watching the movie. The Sixth Sense was phenomenal. I'm not a big Bruce Willis fan, but his performance was fantastic. On the way out to the van, the four of us talked about the movie and the ending. We all agreed that it was one of the best movies of the summer.
"So, are you ready to go to Jennifer Wilson's house?" Erin asked, smiling at me.
"Uh," I looked at Will.
"It's up to you," Will said with a smile.
"Um, sure, let's go."
"All right!" Erin said turning around in her seat to face front.
When we arrived at the house, I stood by the van door looking fearfully at the house. Will wrapped his arm around my waist and smiled at me. "Scared?"
"A little," I replied. I was a little uncomfortable with the attention that Will was paying me. He was being so friendly that it was starting to scare me.
"Come on, she won't bite."
I let Will guide me to the front door of the house behind Erin and Rob. Just before the door opened, Will took his arm out from behind me.
"Rob! Erin! Come in!" I took a long look at this tall blond girl as she ushered Rob and Erin into the house.
"Hello Jennifer," Will said as he walked up to the door behind Erin and Rob. "I'd like to introduce you to Ian. Ian this is Jennifer."
"Hi, Ian," Jennifer said. She came outside to give me a hug. She towered over me and Will, making me fell tiny. She told us to come in and to have a seat. As I walked with Will into a living room filled with people, I heard Jennifer quietly ask Erin if I was the guy Stefan had beaten. I didn't hear Erin's answer and when I turned back to look at the two girls who were talking about me, Jennifer quickly put on a smile.
"Come on, Ian. I'll introduce you to everyone."
Will spent the next five minutes introducing me to the 20 people that were sitting around a TV watching videos and chatting. A couple of girls were dancing together in a corner. No one seemed to know what to say to me. They were all trying to find out about what Stefan had done to me, but none of them had the balls to ask.
After about an hour of sitting around and making small talk, a guy who had been drinking got up and walked over to me. He looked at me and pointed. "Hey, you're the freak who said that Stefan raped him!"
I looked up at the guy not knowing what to say. I didn't get much of a chance to say anything before the guy got right down in my face. Everyone was watching him, waiting to see what he'd say next. He leaned forward so our noses were almost touching.
"Back off Keith," Rob said quietly.
"I heard that you're a fag," Keith said, staring at me intently
"Keith, back off!" Rob said a little louder as he stood up.
"Settle down, Rob. I'm just asking him some questions. So are you a fag? I haven't seen a fag before."
"What's it to you? Are you looking for a boyfriend?" I growled.
Keith glared at me and then stood up. No one had said a word. They were all staring at us, to see what Keith had to say.
"You are a fag. You hit on me again and I'll beat you, you little fuck."
Keith stormed off, but everyone in the living room was still staring at me.
I sat there in silence for a couple for a couple of seconds. The rumours and gossip would continue until I squashed them. I stood up and surveyed the room. "I might as well answer all the questions you have. I'm gay. I've known that I am gay for a while. I loved Stefan but he didn't love me.
He raped me once and was going to rape me again before Will and Rob stopped him. And now that you have all found out what you wanted to know, I'll be leaving. It's been a slice."
Turning around, I quickly walked to the door. It didn't take me long to find my shoes and slip into them. I was out the door and down the driveway before Will caught up to me. "Ian! Ian wait up," Will said as he hopped on one foot on the porch trying to pull on his Doc Marten's.
I kept walking down the street, not looking back. It didn't take Will long to catch up to me. He touched me on the shoulder and started walking beside me. "Hey, tired of the party already?"
"Yeah, I think it's time for me to go home."
"You know, Rob could've given you a ride home."
"I didn't want to inconvenience him," I said quietly. My voice remained calm and even as I stared down the road.
"Ian, what you did took a lot of guts. I'm proud of you," Will put his arm around my shoulder and pulled me close. My body twitched and I shrugged off his arm.
"It was stupid. All those people didn't need to know that I'm gay. All I did was open myself to fear and hatred."
"So why did you do it then?"
I didn't answer him. I just kept walking. "Ian, are you all right?"
"I'm fine," I snapped. "I'm just fucking marvellous."
Will wrapped his arm around me and tried to hug me close. I pushed him away and turned to face him. "Would you quit touching me!" I yelled.
"Okay, okay," Will said, holding his hands up in front of his chest. "Just relax."
I kept walking down the street leaving Will standing by himself on the sidewalk. When I reached the corner, I looked up at the sign and tried to remember how to get home. I was about to go straight when Will called out, "You want to turn left at this corner."
I didn't turn back. I walked around the corner and listened as Will ran to catch up with me.
"Ian we need to talk."
I sighed and stopped. I turned around and faced Will. I wanted to pre-empt what he was going to say. It would be easier that way. "Look, Will. You're a very attractive guy and I'm flattered, but I'm not interested in you, all right? I need to sort things out on my own, and I am not looking for a boyfriend."
"What?" Will said looking at me in shock. "Ian, I'm not gay."
"Oh God," I said turning around. My knees felt weak. I sat down on the grass looking across the road.
"Why did you think I was gay?"
I just sat on the grass. How could I have been so wrong about Will? He crouched down in front of me and smiled at me. "This is a bit of a surprise, Ian. Why did you think I was gay?"
"It was just a feeling I had. You were very friendly, and everything even after you found out I was gay. Very few straight guys are as understanding as you are. I can't believe I embarrassed myself that way."
Will wrapped his arm around my shoulder and hugged me tightly. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize I was sending out weird signals. So, you think I'm cute, huh?" Will asked with a conspiratorial wink.
"Don't let it go to your head," I said, smiling.
Will laughed and stood up. He offered me his hand and helped me up. "I won't. Let's get you home."
Will and I walked home talking about what the other students at the high school might think about me being gay. He thought that some of the students might have some problems, but that the majority of the school body would accept me for the most part. When we arrived at my house, I invited him inside. He smiled and said he had to get home so he could go back out to the lake to work.
"I'll talk to you again soon, Ian," Will said as he stood in front of me on the front step.
"Yeah, give me a call when you get back into town."
"I will." Will stepped forward and hugged me. He gave me a small kiss on the cheek and stepped back. "Give Rob a call. I'm sure that you two will get along.
"All right," I said, opening the door, "Have a good night."
"Night."
I walked into the house and went down to my bedroom. I thought about everything that Will and I had talked about. I thought about everyone at the party, trying to figure out which people at the party would have a problem with my homosexuality. It was hard. I didn't really know these people all that well.
As I undressed, I thought about Will. He was very cute, but I didn't have any sexual feelings for him. I realized that he could be one of the best friends I had ever had. I crawled into my bed and fell fast asleep.
When I woke in the morning, I felt restless. I pulled on a pair of baggy swim trunks and walked out to the pool. My parents weren't yet awake as I dove into the warm clear water. I did a couple of laps, and then treaded water in the deep end. Dad walked out onto to the patio with a cup of coffee and smiled at me. "Feeling better?"
"A little."
"How was the movie?"
"It was really good. You and mom will enjoy it when it comes out on video."
My dad nodded and stood on the deck of the pool looking down at me. "And how was the rest of your night?"
"It was okay. I came out of the closet to everyone at the party." My dad raised an eyebrow. "It's a long story."
"Okay, so are you up for some breakfast?" My dad asked as I pulled myself out of the pool.
"Yeah, I'm actually really hungry."
"That's good. I think Mom is preparing a big breakfast for us."
I smiled and took the towel my dad offered me. He wrapped his arm around my shoulder and we walked to the house together. There were only 30 days left before I started school. I didn't know what to expect, but I knew that it would be interesting.
Continued