One Hell of a Day: Chapter 1.
This story is totally fictitious and is only a figment of my imagination. The storyline and the characters are all fictitious and are not representative of any person or persons. The story deals with a young teen's realization that he's gay and his attempt at suicide- A very real and unfortunately common situation. The goal is partly to acknowledge and to vindicate these circumstances as something that DOES happen but it's also to cast a positive light on life and show that suicide is not the answer. This story is about Dylan Davenport's failed suicide and subsequent life afterwards. It includes gay themes, strong language and everything else that you would expect to go on in the life of a teenager. If any of these topics are offensive to you, please choose another story from the archive.
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One Hell of a Day: Chapter 1.
It's been about a month since Dylan came back from Bellevue. He's definitely changed a lot; He's matured quite a bit and he seems much older than just 15- only two years younger than me. While Dylan still has bad days, he's having more and more good days. I'm just elated to see him happy again.
(This chapter will be told from Riley's perspective).
I'm over at Jenny and Dylan's house, waiting on Jenny to get off work so we can hang and maybe go smoke a bowl. Right now, it's just Dylan and I watching some TV.
"Riley, would you like me to make you some coffee?" Dylan asked me with a smile.
"Absolutely, buddy!!" Coffee is my stuff!! And Dylan always makes it just right for me.
"Hey, Riley? Could I maybe get a ride, tonight?" Dylan asked me from the other room as he was putting the kettle on.
"Sure thing, man. For you, anything." I meant it, too; I really would do anything for Dylan. I paused a second. "Where're ya going, tonight? You got a hot date?" I teased.
"Actually..."
"Wait, really?" Dylan? On a date? With a guy? Wow. That's pretty... big, considering where he was a few weeks ago. He must really be coming to terms with this. While I was happy for him, I couldn't help but feel instantly jealous of the other guy. I've had an eye on Dylan for a while- I knew I loved him from the minute I met him. I just never dreamed that he would actually be gay, too, and after all that's happened, I didn't want to ask him out too soon.
"Yeah." Dylan beamed. I could tell he was smiling just by the way he was talking. "I met him at the mall. He seems like a really nice guy. He's pretty cute, too. He asked me out for tonight so I said 'sure'."
"What, he didn't offer to pick you up?" I blurted.
"If it's a problem, you don't have to drive me..."
"No, no. It's not that. It's just that guys are supposed to go to their date's house and pick them up. That's date etiquette 101." I explained. 'I would've picked you up...' I thought.
"What?" Dylan asked?
"Huh?"
"'You would've picked me up'? I didn't know you were interested..." Dylan said, poking his head into the living room with his lips curving up at the edges.
"Well... uh... I-I..." I sighed. "I said that out loud, didn't I?"
"Sure did." Dylan said with a smile.
"Okay... Well, yeah... I've kinda had a little crush on you for a while, now. I didn't wanna say anything because of..." I trailed off. I didn't want to make reference of Dylan's situation last month. "Anyway, it's no big deal. The other guy just beat me to the punch." I feigned a smile and tried to play it cool. I couldn't just randomly tell him that I had more feelings for him than a simple crush.
Dylan laughed. "It's okay, bro." He said as he came back into the room. "Here's your coffee." He smiled. Well, at least I had the mug to make me feel warm.
Jenny came home around 7:30. She threw her work hat on the table along with her keys and stopped by her room to get some fresh clothes on the way to the shower. Within 10 minutes, she emerged and joined Dylan and I in the living room.
"Ah!! I feel human again!! I can't stand smelling like freakin' french fries."
"Don't blame ya there." I sympathized. Jenny and I worked at the same little burger shack and we always went home reeking of the Fryilator.
"I got food for the road and a little of the good stuff, too." She said, winking at me.
"Cool. I just have to drop Dylan of at some restaurant over in Little Italy."
Dylan went ahead and explained his date. He spared the part about me 'being a little jealous having a crush on him', thankfully.
"Nice going, bro!! Just remember to bring protection..." Jenny said.
"Ew!! GROSS!! Trust me, sis, THAT will NOT be happening tonight." Dylan was obviously flustered and the blush he was wearing was super cute.
I dropped Dylan off at 8:00. Jenny came along for the ride so I wouldn't have to ride back alone. We got back to the house and hung out and watched Archer on FX. I gotta tell ya, that show is fucking hilarious!! Mr. and Mrs. Davenport were already in bed by the time we got back. Nice as they are, all they do is work, come home, and go to sleep. I kinda felt bad for Jenny and Dylan because of that.
We decided it was best not to smoke so we just hung out and watched our show.
"Hey, Riley? Can I ask you a question?"
"Sure. What's up?" I asked.
"Welp. Dylan's out on his little date... And that's nice and all... but, well, I was kinda wondering... Are you sure you don't have any interest in girls?"
Fuck. Shit. Damn. I can just tell where this is going and it's not going to end well...
"Yeah, Jenny, I'm pretty sure. Why?" I laughed nervously.
"Oh. I see... I just wanted to know cause... Well, I don't know, I sorta... have had a crush? On you? Since... like, ever?" Yup. And there it is. I fucking KNEW she was gonna drop a bombshell. This isn't good.
"Well, Jenny..." I said as gently as I could. "I'm really flattered and all and you know I love you with all of my heart but..." I paused. He eyes started tearing up. Fuck me. "But... I just don't like girls." I finished. The tears starting rolling down her cheeks. Damn. Now don't I just feel like a winner?
"It's okay. I get it. I just... I think I am gonna go to bed." She said as she got up off the couch and started for the hallway.
"Jenny, hang on a sec!!" I pleaded.
"I'll catch you tomorrow, Riley!!" Said said quickly as she scurried down the hall, went into her room and closed the door behind her.
Terrific.
I wanted desperately to go home but I couldn't- I wanted to make sure Dylan had a ride home if he needed it. Ugh. Dylan and his date... Yup. It's official: I'm heartsick.
I curled up into my usual little ball and continued watching Archer but my mind just couldn't focus. I kept ping-ponging back and forth between Jenny's revelation and Dylan. Before long, I fell asleep.
At about 11:00, the door opened and Dylan came in. I peered over the couch and saw his silhouette.
"Nice hair." He giggled.
"Mn. Thanks." I said groggily. He flipped on the lights. "Ow. Bright light, bright light!!" I said in falsetto, imitating Gizmo from Gremlins as I squeezed my eyes shut. I blinked a few times while they adjusted. Dylan was scurrying around from here to there, doing nothing in particular. He was awfully excited.
"Where's the fam?" He asked while prancing all around the house giddily, like he had a million things to do.
"... Bed." I responded. I'm sure he'll get quite an earful about it tomorrow from Jenny. "I just stuck around cause I wanted to make sure you got in okay." I smiled at him but he didn't seem to notice. "How DID you get home?" I guess he didn't hear me.
"Oh. Oh, well. I can tell them tomorrow!!" He said, smiling at no one in particular.
Uh, oh. "Tell them what?" I asked. Here it comes...
"I've got a boyfriend!!" Dylan said excitedly and hurried into the kitchen.
Poof. Just like that, my heart shattered into a million pieces. 'Don't cry, Riley. Do NOT let him see you cry' I told myself. My eyes teared up, despite me. I knew it was coming so I had to get out of there quickly.
"That's cool, Dylan. I'm glad you got in okay. I've gotta go, though, so I'll catch you tomorrow?"
Dylan didn't say anything. He just seemed to be moving about in the other room, talking to himself.
I got up and showed myself to the door. "G'night, Dylan."
Silence.
As soon as I cleared the door, the tears started flowing. My chest hurt. I started the 10-block walk home, crying my eyes out all the way. When I got back to my family's brownstone, all the lights were off. I was thankful for that. I slipped in and went directly to my bedroom. Without even bothering to take my clothes off, I climbed into bed and curled up with a pillow against my chest and cuddled with it, sobbing quietly all the while.
'Boyfriend? Seriously? And after only one date?!' I thought. 'You belong with ME. I would make you happier than that LOSER.' It wasn't long before I had a pounding headache. Finally, at about 2:00AM, I fell off to sleep after I cried myself out.
What a day. Jenny confesses love to me and Dylan goes on a date with another guy and winds up having him as his boyfriend. Perfect. Just fucking peachy.
*** End of Chapter ***
What do you think, so far? I want to make this into a series. Comments and criticism are always welcomed. Please, write to me at: AdamsDJ1977@gmail.com