A Tale of Three By J.C. Vascardi
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Legal Disclaimer: This story is fictional, as are the characters featured herein, which are solely the product of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, either living or dead, is entirely coincidental. If you are under the age of eighteen, offended by male/male material, or if such material cannot be legally viewed where you live, then you should be leaving now. Otherwise, please enjoy the story.
Character Profiles: http://jayson.worldofslash.com/a-tale-of-three/profiles/index.htm
Yahoo Group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/storiesbyjayson Writing Journal: http://jaycolin.livejournal.com
This story is ©2004-2010, 2011 by J.C. Vascardi. This story is the sole property of its author and may not be copied, in whole or in part, posted on any other website, or included in any form of book or media, without the explicit written permission of the author.
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Chapter Fourteen, Part One Aaron's Perspective Monday, January 24, 2005
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Going back to school knowing that Mr. Bradley had died over the weekend was very hard. Most of the other students didn't know yet, but that didn't really surprise me. The only reason that I knew was that Dr. Webber called my mom. When mom told me, I was shocked, scared, and I couldn't help but think that I was to blame. Mr. Bradley had been hurt trying to save me, after all. My mom must have read my mind, because she insisted that it wasn't my fault. Logically, I knew that if anyone was to blame, it was David, Shawn, Vincent, and Aidan. However, if there's one thing I've learned in life it's that one doesn't always think logically in times of crisis or great sadness.
Arriving in my homeroom that morning, I was very quiet. If any of my classmates noticed, they didn't say anything. I quietly took my seat, knowing that Dr. Webber would probably address Mr. Bradley's death during the morning announcements. The teacher took roll call and shortly thereafter, I heard the PA system kick in. The Star-Spangled Banner played, as was normal on Monday mornings. Normally, the student announcers would have come on after that, but as was becoming normal lately, Dr. Webber came on instead.
She spoke in a monotone and I could tell that she was fighting the battle to maintain her composure and not start crying. Of course, since the whole school now knew that Mr. Bradley was Dr. Webber's nephew, I doubt anybody would have held it against her if she had started crying.
"Attention faculty and students, it is with great sadness that I must announce that Mr. Jake Bradley, a respected member of our Social Studies department, passed away this weekend as a result of the injuries that he sustained in this building last week. Grief counselors will be on hand during the lunch periods for any students who feel the need to talk with one. I would also like to take this time to remind all students of the zero-tolerance policy on any violence as I outlined in the assembly last week. I remain very serious and I continue to have the full support of both the superintendent and the school board. So, please think about what you'll be losing the next time you feel the need to react violently while in this building or anywhere else on school property. The rest of the normal announcements will wait until tomorrow. Now, I ask, that you all observe a moment of silence for a wonderful and caring young man who has left this world much too soon."
The room was silent as Dr. Webber finished her speech. I could tell that many of my classmates were shocked to hear that Mr. Bradley was dead. Even students who I knew didn't like him because of his strictness looked both shocked and sad. Since the incident last Wednesday, other teachers from the Social Studies department were covering Mr. Bradley's classes, but that couldn't go on forever and I knew that eventually Dr. Webber would hire a replacement. I couldn't help but wonder what the replacement would be like. I also wondered how Mr. Bradley's death would affect the future of the GSA, because Mrs. Armstrong was still on maternity leave. School rules clearly said that no club could exist without a faculty advisor, so, unless we could find a new one, we'd have no choice but to disband the group.
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Chapter Fourteen, Part Two Christian's Perspective Monday, January 24, 2005
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It had now been twenty-four hours since my life had come to a screeching halt. Jake had been such a big part of my life since we got together in college and I just couldn't imagine not having him around anymore. When I got home yesterday after turning off the machines, I knew that I had done the right thing. I knew that I had promised Jake to carry out his wishes and doing anything other than that would have been wrong. That did not make the decision any easier, nor did it make dealing with the fact that the man I loved with all my heart was now dead any easier.
Going upstairs to our bedroom, I felt a need to feel close to Jake. Therefore, I stripped off every piece of clothing I had on and went into the bathroom. In the laundry hamper, I found the clothes that Jake had been wearing the day before the attack and found myself thanking every God and his mother that I had not done the laundry. Lifting up the yellow silk shirt and smelling it, I could smell Jake as clearly as if he was standing next to me. I put on the clothes and went back into the bedroom.
Sitting down on the bed and looking around the room, I was surrounded by memories of my life with Jake. Every nook and cranny of the house held memories and I knew in that moment that I simply couldn't continue living in that house. I had spent eight of the best years of my life in that house with Jake and now the thought of living there without him was simply unbearable.
It was then that I made up my mind to leave. I would stay long enough to wrap up any loose ends with my job and for Jake's funeral, but after that, I knew that if I was going to save my sanity, that I had to leave. Lying down on the bed, I grabbed Jake's pillow and hugged it close as I cried myself to sleep.
When I awoke on Monday morning, I went downstairs, still wearing the outfit that Jake had worn to school almost a week ago. Going into the home office, I walked over to the desk and sat down. On the desk were pictures of Jake's family, a picture of Colton, and a picture of Jake and I, that was taken on a trip to Antigua that we had taken the previous year. We looked so happy in that picture. Like nothing could harm us, as long as we had each other.
As my eyes drifted to the picture of Colton, my resolve to leave strengthened. A part of me felt like I should stay for him, as he just lost his father and I was, for all intents and purposes, his step-father, but looking at his picture, I was again struck with just how much he looked like Jake. As much as I may have wanted to stay for his sake, I knew that I simply couldn't stay and watch Colton grow up, looking more and more like Jake every day. Maybe I was being selfish, but in that moment, I honestly didn't care.
Opening a drawer of the desk, I pulled out a few sheets of stationary and began writing a letter to all the people I considered friends. Some people would say that I was being a coward, but I've never liked long goodbyes and I've often had difficulty expressing how I felt in words when I'm stressed. I decided that writing a letter to say goodbye was better, because I felt that I would be able to express my feelings better on paper.
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Chapter Fourteen, Part Three Nick's Perspective Monday, January 24, 2005
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Finding out that my first real crush was dead was definitely hard. True, I was dating Jayden now and I was very happy with that turn of events, but I'd be lying if I said that Jake's death hadn't affected me. I was fighting with myself in order to keep calm and not let my stress levels get out of control, because no matter what triggered the stress increase, it always lead to the same result. I'd start reliving the painful memories of my past and I'd end up hurling my guts out.
Aaron, his mom, his aunt and her family, and my Uncle Erik were the only ones who knew the reasons behind my attacks. While I had been very good friends with Jayden, Brian, Antonio and Caroline for the last three years, I hadn't told them all the gory details. They knew a part of the truth – the fact that I lived with my uncle because my parents were dead, but that was far from the whole truth.
Stopping at my locker, I put away my supplies for Physics class and pulled out the textbook and folder for World Geography. Closing my locker, I headed upstairs to the third floor where all of the Social Studies classrooms were and headed into room 304. Most of the class was already there when I took my normal seat. The bell to start class soon rang and still there was no sign of a teacher, so many of my classmates began to goof off, as is normal in high school when there's no teacher around.
Ten minutes after class started, the door opened and Dr. Webber walked into the room. As usual, she was wearing a crisp, black suit and carrying a walkie-talkie.
"Everyone please take your seats and settle down," Dr. Webber said from the doorway. As my classmates began to return to their seats and quiet down, Dr. Webber came into the room and said, "I'm sure all of you are still quite shocked by Mr. Bradley's unexpected death. However, I know my nephew would want us all to move on, so that is exactly what I'm doing. Please allow me to introduce your new teacher, Mr. Walsh."
At that point a young man, dressed in an orange button-down shirt and khaki slacks, walked into the room. He, like Mr. Bradley, was a young teacher, obviously only recently graduating from college. He had brown hair and an appealing physique. I was upset by Mr. Bradley's death, but I couldn't help but think that Dr. Webber certainly had good taste in picking young and attractive teachers. Of the five new teachers hired over the course of my time at Langley High, not a single one of them was older than 30. As a bisexual teenage boy, I can honestly say that all five of them were definitely attractive in their own individual ways.
"Hello all," Mr. Walsh said. "While I'm happy to be here as your new teacher, I am also saddened by the circumstances that led to my hiring. From what I've heard, Mr. Bradley was a great teacher and I wish I had had the opportunity to know him better."
Dr. Webber thanked Mr. Walsh for his kind words about her late nephew, before turning the class over to him and leaving the room. Since we got a late start, Mr. Walsh decided to spend the time getting to know the class better and working on memorizing everyone's names, instead of teaching anything. Before I knew it, the bell signaling the end of class had rung and everyone was filing out of the room.
I was one of the last students out the door and Mr. Walsh said, "Mr. Jensen? Could I have a word with you?"
"Sure," I said as I came over to his desk, as the last of my classmates left the room.
"I know you have another class to get to, so I won't keep you long," Mr. Walsh said. "Dr. Webber told me about the extra after-school tutoring that Mr. Bradley was giving you and if you feel you still need it, I'll be more than happy to help you."
"Thanks, Mr. Walsh," I said, as I pulled out my wallet and took one of my Uncle Erik's business cards from it. "Just call my uncle and you can set everything up. I don't know if Dr. Webber told you or not, but Mr. Bradley was doing the tutoring at my uncle's house."
"Yes, she did," Mr. Walsh said as he took the card. "That's fine with me. I just want to do my best to make sure that all of my students succeed. So, I'll call your uncle and set everything up. You'd better get going to your next class, before you end up being late."
"Okay, thanks," I said with a smile as I left the room and headed for my next class.
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Chapter Fourteen, Part Four Nathan's Perspective Wednesday, January 26, 2005
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To say that I wasn't nervous would be the biggest lie of the century. When Mom and Dad told us that we were flying down to Wilmington for Jesse's birthday, Jon and I were happy because we missed Jesse, Jason, and our other family in Wilmington. We also couldn't help being nervous though, because we'd be leaving our comfort zone. Everyone we come into contact with on a daily basis is used to the fact that Jon and I are conjoined and it's become a non-issue. In Wilmington, however, we were afraid that it would become an issue again. Jon and I don't really care what other people think about us or our decision to remain conjoined. When people do make fun of us and call us `freaks' and other names, we try not to let it bother us. It can be hard at times, though.
I know that as a whole, society seems to be under the impression that people need to conform to fit into what is considered normal. One thing that isn't considered normal is for two people to be physically connected to one another. Jon and I can't help the way we were born, though, and while it is true that the doctors could probably separate us, is it really too much to ask that society accept our decision to remain conjoined?
The standard argument is, of course, that Jon and I could lead more normal lives if we were separated, but my question is, what exactly is considered normal? I like to think that Jon and I, despite being conjoined, are normal young men for our age. We eat, we sleep, we play computer games, we enjoy listening to music, and we have friends that we like to hang out with. We're even athletic and have no problems keeping up with our non-conjoined friends in several different sports. So, I really fail to see how being separated would make us anymore normal than we already are.
Anyway, Jon and I were in our bedroom, packing some clothes for the trip, when our Mom walked in and said, "I need to talk to you two. Could you sit down?"
Moving the suitcase we were packing aside and sitting down on the edge of our bed, Jon asked, "What's up, Mom?"
"Well, the travel agent sent these over today," Mom said, as she handed us our plane tickets. "Your father and I should have said something before now, but we didn't want to upset you."
"Upset us?" I asked, completely confused.
"Look at the tickets," Mom said.
Doing as we were told, Jon and I opened the little folders that the tickets were in and looked at them. Having never been on a plane, I've never seen a plane ticket up close before and I had no idea what could possibly upset me about the ticket. Jon, however, was always the more studious of the two of us, and he was closely examining the ticket, scrutinizing every word.
After a moment, he looked over at my ticket to confirm that it was the same as his, and then he muttered, "They're one-way tickets."
"What?" I asked.
"They're one-way tickets," Jon repeated, louder this time. "We're flying to Wilmington, but we're not coming back."
"Don't be silly, Jon, of course we're coming back," I said, dismissing the notion. It was stupid, why wouldn't we come back? Our lives were in Minneapolis, not Wilmington.
"These are one-way tickets, though, Nat," Jon said. "Meaning they're good for a one-way trip from Minneapolis to Wilmington. Usually, if one planned to return, they'd buy round trip tickets."
"Your father and I did buy round trip tickets," Mom said after a moment of silence. "For ourselves."
"You mean?" I asked.
"Yes, Jon, Nat, your father and I will be coming back to Minneapolis after Jesse's birthday. You two, however, will not."
"Why?" Jon asked.
"Your father and I talked," Mom said, "and we both think it's time we cut the apron strings, so to speak. Nat, Jon, you'll be 21 in June and your father and I think it's time that you two went out on your own and maybe even considered college. We're not doing this to be mean, but we want you two to have every advantage and we agree that perhaps we've sheltered you too much over the years. We home-schooled you because we were afraid you'd get picked on if you went to a regular school, but you're older now and I'm sure you're capable of facing any challenges life throws your way."
After a few moments of silence, I said, "It's okay, Mom. I think Jon and I both knew this day would come eventually. I mean, we couldn't realistically think we'd be living with you for the rest of our lives. Where will be living in Wilmington, though?"
"With Jesse and Jason," mom answered. "They remodeled a bed and bath in their house for you quite awhile ago. In fact they've been asking for you guys to move down there with them for a few years now, ever since you turned 18, in fact. I think you'll enjoy it. It'll certainly give you more time to spend with not only Jesse and Jason, but your cousin Aaron and the new baby. And it's not like your father and I won't visit. Wild horses couldn't keep us away."
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To be continued.