This story is a continuation of Matt Smith's (matterotica@hotmail.co.uk) fantastic story, 'Jack Hamilton Is Not A Nice Person'. I had often wondered what transpired directly after Jack storms away in the park. This was initially going to be a one-off, but while writing, I have decided to continue the tale that was left untold between Chapter 19, and the '6 Months Later' epilogue we see in Chapter 20. So, for those of you who have wondered what happened in the 6 months after Jack cut his puppet strings...here it is!
I would like to thank Matt Smith for creating the characters in the first place; and for his invaluable advice, input and suggestions which made this sequel possible. Especially discussing his characters' motivations and psychology with me. Please read his story first if you haven't already! https://www.nifty.org/nifty/gay/authoritarian/jack-hamilton/
An additional special thanks goes out to Jasper Cooper (jax.cooper@yahoo.com) for his input, especially having to do with the kinkier stuff. You can read his amazing story 'The Downfall of Nate Ramsey', the inspiration for Jack Hamilton!, here: https://www.nifty.org/nifty/gay/authoritarian/downfall-of-nate-ramsey/
Please consider donating to Nifty!
"I feel to be a cog in something turning. Well, maybe it is just the time of year, Or maybe it's the time of man. I don't know who I am, But you know life is for learning." (Joni Mitchell 'Woodstock')
THEN
"Alright, guys. That's the bell! Make sure to have your papers on my desk by Friday. We're not doing what we did last time, alright? I'm not going to accept late assignments anymore, because things are just getting out of control. See you all tomorrow." Mr. McMahon said to his second period World History Class. "....and Mr. Hamilton," he added. "Nice to see you dressed like a CIVILIZED member of society again."
Jack rolled his eyes. Mr. McMahon was joking and didn't mean anything bad about his comment. Surprisingly, most people at Holmepoint High School - students and teachers alike - hardly noticed Jack's re-transformation back to his old self. It was a testament to just how little high school even mattered, Jack realized. You're only as relevant as you are seen THAT DAY, for better or worse. Because of that, as he sat in class, or walked around the halls, he realized he had a certain disdain for the entire social structure. It just....seemed vapid and unimportant now. In any case, it was only one day since he stormed away from those pieces of shit in the park, but already his life was slowly getting back to normal....as normal as high school ever gets anyway. He took solace in that. True, he quit football this morning, but in actuality Jack found that he didn't miss it or his asshole teammates one bit. The painful thing that he realized after being awake all night thinking, was how much football was interfering with his studies. That's what school is and should be for, after all. For the past two years he was becoming complacent and used to having things handed to him as long as he "played the game" like a good little jock. Both literally and figuratively. Those days were now over, and while it may be difficult at first, he was prepared to put his nose to the grindstone and graduate with honors. Coming from an affluent family, he didn't have to worry about scholarships, or anything like that, so not only did Jack NOT lose anything by quitting the team, he stood to gain so much more. Both in the here and now, and for his future. The only stress he had to deal with today was making sure he didn't run into any of those jerks...especially Elliott. He talked to the principal when he got into school this morning about switching around some of his classes (namely, the ones he shared with Elliott and Danny), and his lunch period. This way, he didn't have to deal with any of them. His classes were not a problem, but lunch was a no-go. "You're going to have to stay put", the principal had said. "All the other periods are at full capacity." Jack was okay with this. Seniors are afforded the luxury to go home for lunch, and he would do just that. On his way to World History class, just 45 minutes ago, he DID spot Ben in the halls, clutching his books to his chest and looking utterly dejected. More alone and a great deal more depressed than when Jack was bullying him, as a matter of fact. 'Good', he thought to himself. For a very brief moment, he considered how sweet it would be if he put his foot out and tripped his former tormentor...watching the little rapist crash down to the ground. Or maybe tease and humiliate him in front of all the other students, making it known what he did to him for ten days. Jack felt bad for even entertaining such shameful thoughts, but he couldn't escape the fact that a part of him would derive some kind of satisfaction from it. However, he thought about the last words he ever said to Ben in the park lastnight, right before he stormed away:
"Ben, I'm sorry for all the times I hurt you. You didn't deserve it!"
Jack didn't know what was true anymore, though. Did he REALLY deserve that parting apology after everything that Ben did to him? If the younger boy could do what he did, regardless of whether he thought it was right or NOT, then what DID Ben 'deserve' now? Jack didn't know. His anger at what was done to him was at odds with his guilt for his previous behavior that caused this entire ball rolling in the first place. Yet...how easy would it be to teach them all a lesson that they wouldn't soon forget! He thought about what Davis knew and how he PLEADED with Jack the other night to go to the police station and file criminal charges against them. "Are you fucking INSANE!? You GOTTA do it! Look, I'll come with you and back you up on everything I know! We GOT those bastards, but jeeze Jack, fucking stick up for yourself!" Davis had said to him. The two ended up in a huge argument that night, with Jack coming close to hitting him...his own brother! He thought about the incriminating text messages Elliott would send and taunt him which he still had screenshots of and would probably never delete 'just in case', and he thought about what Mr. Wendell said to him yesterday, who knew everything that went on and WANTED Jack to turn them all in. So....why didn't he do just that?
'I could turn him in. Or I could own that piece of shit SO easily!' he thought earlier that morning as he stared at a depressed Ben, clutching his books like a baby clutching his bottle. 'I could own ALL of them....with a REAL blackmail threat!' As his anger increased, Jack was five seconds away from running up to Ben and slamming him into the wall, to lay out his demands 'or else', but he suddenly stopped himself. Ultimately, what would it accomplish? The more he stared at Ben, the more he saw utter guilt, shame and misery painted across the freshman's face. The boy was in far more pain than Jack could ever mete out against him, and it was obvious that his life could never be the same again. The same was no doubt true with all of them. Wasn't that enough? For the first time in his life, he had power. REAL power that he could wield against all of them if he wanted to. While it sent a satisfying feeling of vengeance through his bloodstream, it was enough for Jack to know that he COULD come down hard on them, and that they all KNEW he could if he had a mind to do so. He took a few deep breaths and kept walking...his anger fading with each step, being replaced by something akin to guilt for even considering bullying Ben again. In fact, he almost wanted to turn back around and HUG Ben now, apologizing for thinking such things, and telling him that all was forgiven, (even if that wasn't exactly true.) 'God, what's WRONG with me!?' Jack thought to himself. He felt that his emotions were being pulled from both ends, and he had no idea who he even was at this point. Jack was reminded of the old cliche of the angel on one shoulder and the devil on the other...both were whispering in his ear. For now, his best course of action was to ignore both of them and to just...do nothing. Rationally, Jack didn't feel that bad for Ben's obvious depression...after all, the boy deserved THAT much and brought it on himself. He was not going to make it worse, however.
He sighed and finally stood up out of his seat. His (new) third period was Earth Science and he was going to be late if he sat here in his revieire all morning. Suddenly, the boy who sat behind him approached him.
"Uh....Jack?" the kid said. He sported a ponytail, always wore all black, with silver spiked jewelry. Jack always pegged him as kinda odd but never had a problem with him. He never spoke up in class, and he seemed lost in his own little dark world. For the life of him, Jack couldn't remember his name but was pretty sure it started with a 'T'. He also shared his lunch period with him, but the kid usually sat at a table in the far reaches of the cafeteria, with several other guys who shared the same macabre fashion sense.
"Hey, what's up?" Jack responded as he flung his backpack over his shoulder. "Uh...you're.....um...."
"Theodore Locke." the boy responded to Jack's unasked question. "But everyone calls me Theo. I was just wondering...I noticed that the past week, um....not trying to pry, you understand...but lately you seemed a bit...what I'm trying to say, was there a reason that you....uh....nevermind." he stammered. "I uh....It's just...would you like to maybe hang with me and my buddy Devin at the mall in Cliffwood Beach after school?" he concluded rapidly.
"I mean, I don't have anything planned or anything. But why me?" Jack asked. 'Devin must be one of those kids he sits with at the Danger Table' (as some students called it) Jack pondered. This was so random that for a moment, Jack wondered if this too was some kinda strange set up against him. Jack casually put his right hand in his pocket and - he practiced this at home about one hundred times during his ordeal when he considered return-blackmailing Elliott and the others - slowly swiped his finger, tapped twice, and then tapped the bottom left....Good. His phone was now secretly recording audio. 'Just in case' he thought to himself. He was all set to do this last week several times....he already had Elliott's text messages (clearly the boy didn't know how to blackmail well at all, and Jack knew it!), but audio recordings would have REALLY sealed the deal! Yet....what they did to him strangely excited him and every night he said to himself in bed, 'Let me see where they take things tomorrow. Just ONE more day and it's over.' As things stood now, he would NOT allow himself to be tricked again of course, yet a part of him (and not a small part!) was pleased that he let things go on with Elliott, Ben, Bryce, Lincoln and Danny for as long as he did before finally bowing out. Luckly, he discovered he didn't even NEED to resort to threatening them. He had learned that Elliott was, and always had been, a coward at heart. All it took was for Jack to get angry enough and assert his dominance over his former best friend. 'There must be something wrong with me!' he thought as he admonished himself for LETTING them use him for as long as he did. He had multiple ways out, and he didn't use any of them, because his stupid libido was turned on from it all. To make things worse, as he thought about it, he was beginning to get hard in front of Theo. 'Fuck!' He slightly winced and internally talked his developing boner back down. Popping an erection in front of a guy who was introducing himself isn't exactly a good first impression!
"I dunno." responded Theo, looking at Jack sorta funny. "You seem like you could use a friend or two. Again, I'm not trying to pry or anything! And if you don't want to, that's cool! I mean.....I don't have many either and thought maybe we could hang out or something. I'm probably being stupid. You're like the captain of the football team!"
"Not anymore" Jack asked, with no regret in his voice.
"REALLY? What happened!?" Theo asked.
"It's a long story, and I thought you didn't want to pry?"
"Sorry! Yeah. Haha. I was just curious" Theo said clumsily.
Both boys finally walked out into the hall. Jack quickly looked left and right to see if any of those shits were around. Thankfully, the coast was clear. "Oh, why not!" Jack finally answered. "Actually I always wondered about you! You guys are emo, right?" he asked as they walked to the school's West wing.
"Bite your tongue! Them's fighting words!" Theo said, laughing. "Gothic. Although, I'm more of a metalhead than anything else."
"That's pretty cool. I don't know much about goth, but it's an awesome look." Jack had to admit that it was a pretty cool style, regardless of the fact that he knew absolutely nothing of what goths were into. In his mind, he envisioned witches' circles, drugs, booze, mosh pits, and devil worship. Aside from some booze, if anything else about his preconceived notions were true, he wouldn't be hanging out with these guys a second time. He didn't see the harm in chilling with them at the mall for a few hours, though. In fact, it could prove to be a much needed distraction from his merry-go-round of thoughts.
"Gothic. not GOTH." Theo lectured good naturedly. "I hate that word."
"Haha...sorry!" Jack said, just before he got a text notification on his phone. "One second, Theo" he added as he checked his phone....turning the audio recorder off. He was reasonably sure now that it wasn't needed. The text message was from Bryce. Four of them in fact. Three of them were from lastnight, but he was asleep at that point, and missed them. He blocked all of them on Facebook lastnight, but didn't get around to his phone yet. Sighing, he opened it and read:
[SENT 11:14pm] Hey Jack. We only JUST left the park a little while ago. Elliott got trashed. I just dropped him off at Ben's for the night. We wanna pay you back for the beer, by the way.
[SENT 11:18pm] Jack, we're very sorry. You had every right to say and do what you did earlier, and you were absolutely right. Every word. But please understand that you almost crushed Elliott's windpipe.....
[SENT 11:27pm] Not bringing that up to make you feel bad. You're really angry and you get destructive when you get like that. We don't want to see you do anything that gets you in trouble on our account.
[SENT 9:33am] After 3rd period can you meet us in the lobby? We all talked and we want to apologize and make this right. Elliott's not doing that hot, Jack. He's really hurting over what we did to you. We all are.
Jack shook his head, and blocked Bryce's number. He hurt Elliott pretty bad lastnight? GOOD, Jack thought. He was actually surprised how little guilt he felt. Elliott had it coming. "Uh, yeah, listen...I have to get to Earth Science like NOW. You drive?" Jack asked, turning his attention back to Theo. We can meet at the mall around 3pm if that's okay?"
"Yep! Here, lemmie give you my number, Jack. We're gonna have a blast. You'll really like Devin, too. He's a trip and a half!"
After Theo ran down the hall to whatever class he had for third period, Jack made a quick stop at his locker to grab his Earth Science book. After opening it up, he noticed that they had tampered with his locker again and somehow opened it. There was a hundred dollar bill, and two twenty dollar bills laying on top of his book pile, with a note that said FOR THE BEER YOU WERE KIND ENOUGH TO BUY FOR ALL OF US YESTERDAY. YOU ARE A NICE PERSON. WE LOVE YOU.
Jack now felt a little bad about attacking Elliott lastnight. Was he being too hard on them all? After briefly considering giving the cash back to them, he sighed, finally taking the hundred and forty dollars and putting it into his wallet. 'They didn't have to do this.' Jack thought. All anger for them vanished at this point. 'They didn't have to do this' he repeated in his head.
After all...the beer he bought for them yesterday only came to twenty one dollars and fifty cents.
NOW
While Bryce - completely naked as a jaybird - was currently exiting the park, and trying to avoid passing cars on route 35, Jack decided to get out of bed. No way could he sleep now. It was 3:15am, and while Jack couldn't remember any details from his dream, the feelings it invoked in him were as clear as a bell. He went to his closet and got dressed. He sighed as he chose a baggy pair of pants that were adorned with silver chains cascading down both legs, and a black t-shirt about three sizes too big which said 'I Will Wear Black Until Something Darker Is Invented' on the front, in a spooky green font. After heading to his bathroom, he applied black eyeliner and lipstick and combed his dyed hair over one eye like his new friends had taught him. "You know, you'd really look good with white-out contact lenses!" Drewcifer lectured the other day. Jack was hesitant, but the fourteen year old gothlet could be really persuasive, and after a bit of cajoling, Jack acquiesced and ordered a pair online, which should be arriving any day now.
Jack adored his new friends. The past month with them had been everything he could have hoped for. It wasn't only because they introduced him to so many new things that he never experienced before, but also how non-judgemental they were. They never put Jack down or made him feel embarrassed over anything, even when Jack got a song or band name wrong when talking about music, or his less than stellar Dungeons and Dragons skills. In fact, they would go out of their way to be helpful and supportive...and ALWAYS with good natured smiles. It was amazing....he had not been friends with them for even a month yet, and they treated him like he was one of their own for years. In the past couple weeks, Jack realized that this wasn't some kind of rare anomaly. Most close friendships are like this. It's just that he never experienced something like this before.
....And then there was Devin.
As the weeks flew by since they first met, Jack and Devin were getting closer by the day. The sixteen year old was exoctic and seductive, yet kinkier than Jack thought possible. Aside from their regular hangout sessions with their friends, the two of them tried to spend as much alone-time together as possible. Devin was really into sex in public places. Jack's car (he had just gotten "road head" from the younger boy last week), in the school bathroom, and behind the coffee shop in broad daylight! Sure, Jack had to make excuses why the two of them couldn't go to the park. Yesterday, Devin suggested that they have a picnic there, followed by some gaming at the arcade. The arcade was fine, but he was forced to lie to Devin...telling him that he lost his childhood dog in Rosewater Park, and the place evoked bad memories for him. Devin of course understood with zero suspicion. Still, Jack hated having to lie to his new boyfriend.
As Jack stared at himself in the bathroom mirror, he considered telling Devin - and quite possibly all of them - everything he was forced to do back in September. At first, he kept his mouth shut because he didn't want his new gothic friends to see him as weak. He knew now that they wouldn't see it that way, and would in fact be there for Jack and support him more than ever. He didn't want that either though. First, because he didn't think he deserved it. Second, he didn't want to be treated as a victim because he didn't see himself as one in the slightest. Also, though...he just wanted to FORGET what happened, and was doing quite well in that regard. Now it was just a memory with very little emotions attached to it. Why open old wounds? Not to mention Drewcifer was a bit impulsive and emotional. (the "forced" footjob on the day they met still turned Jack on, in fact!) Even if he swore them all to secrecy, he had a hunch that the youngest of them would do something stupid, and then there'd be a brawl and possibly blood in the halls which would bring everything Elliott and the rest of them did to light. This past month, Drewcifier took quite a liking to Jack. Not in a romantic way, but in a little brother-big brother sort of dynamic, and was fiercely protective of him....even telling Devin "you better NEVER break Jack-O-Lantern's heart or I'll put a curse on you!" If the boy found out what was done to him....well, Jack shuddered to think what Drewcifer's wrath would entail, or how evil the revenge would be.
Finally ready, Jack left the bathroom. On his way out the door, he literally bumped into his brother Davis who was about to walk in at the same time.
"Fuck! You scared the shit out of me, Jack!" Davis exclaimed, laughing once he caught his breath. "Just woke up to take a piss. I don't know if I'll ever get used to that new style of yours! I thought I ran into a vampire!"
"Sorry...I couldn't sleep. Bad dreams. I was just going to go for a drive for a while before the sun comes up."
"Oh, We wouldn't want that. I hear your kind must be in a coffin filled with the native soil from your homeland before the first rays of sun strike your skin, otherwise you burst into flames, right? By the way, how can you put all that make up on when you people don't cast reflections in mirrors?" Davis teased.
"Very funny. You....JUST DON'T GET IT!" Jack yelled quietly. A technique both brothers mastered over the years, to avoid waking up their parents. Jack stormed away from Davis and headed downstairs to the living room and slumped on the couch. Davis, being concerned about Jack ever since this new phase reared it's ugly head, followed.
"Oh calm down! What? You don't think goths existed when I was in high school!? Shit Jack, there were probably more of them back then then there are now!"
"So why are you always taking digs at me for this!?" Jack snapped as he pointed to his clothes. "Mom and dad don't say anything! Why do YOU always have to be all judgemental?"
"I'm NOT! I'm just really ....look, Jack....after you were rap......after everything that was done to you.....I'm concerned, that's all." Davis said as he sat next to Jack on the couch. "You know, It's not even that bad a look on you! I like rock and metal. It's just the timing of it, ya know?"
"You think THAT'S why I'm doing this?" Jack asked.
"Well...aren't you?"
"NO! I mean....if that never happened, I'd still be who I was back then, sure. But they have nothing to do with THIS! I told you over and over again....it's not what they DID to me that hurt. It's realizing what a douche I was. The pain I caused people! Now I just want a small circle of friends..." This was completely true. He wasn't merely telling Davis what he wanted to hear. Devin, Theo, Drew, Ethan and Taryn sorta fell into Jack's life. As it turned out, Jack discovered that he really liked these guys - especially Devin, who was for all intents and purposes, Jack's boyfriend. At least on the down-low. He wasn't doing this out of some kinda depressed PTSD-inspired sense of avoidance. He just wanted to impress his new friends, and fit in. There was a fear in the back of Jack's mind that if he didn't look the part, act the part, and play the part, his friends wouldn't accept them into their circle or invite him over to their houses, or even have anything to do with him whatsoever. If Jack excelled at something, it was blending into social situations and becoming what he thought was expected of him. He did that his entire life. Was he TRULY gothic at heart, though? He tried to convince himself that he was, in the same way he used to convince himself that he was a jock. That was secondary, however. The important thing was to placate his friends and make them happy....to especially make Devin happy. ".....is that so fucking wrong!?" Jack added.
"Absolutely not. I just don't want you pressured into....you know...doing things that you're not comfortable with." Davis said, clearly concerned and shell shocked over past events. "They don't have you taking drugs or breaking the law or anything, do they?"
"Of course not! They're not delinquents! If anything they're pretty geeky. We watch horror movies, play tabletop games and okay...at worst we drink wine now and then. Is that so evil?"
"Not at all. So you're not depressed, right? I mean, after quitting the team and everything, and just....you're not cutting yourself or anything, are you?" Davis couldn't help but glance at Jack's forearms and nodded to himself. Satisfied that he didn't see any marks.
"Davis, listen to me." Jack said sternly as he leaned forward on the couch and stared directly into his older brother's eyes. "I am happier than I have been in a long time. I never HAD a really close circle of friends like this before. This is NOT about what happened! This is about me trying to find out who I am. What happened to me opened my eyes, sure. How could it not? But it didn't traumatize me the way YOU think."
"So what are you saying? You're GLAD it happened!?" Davis asked.
That was the million dollar question. Glad? He was raped and violated. Repeatedly. How could that make him GLAD? Was he REALLY "raped", though? The more Jack considered it, the more he wondered if he WAS, in the classic sense. Yes, he was blackmailed into doing stuff "against his will". He could have used his "escape hatch" any time, though. Jack learned that people involved in BDSM play have what's called a "safety word". While he was never given one by his abusers, he HAD the equivalent of a way out. He never used it. On top of that, after talking with Elliott in the car on the night he stopped cooperating, it was confirmed what he always suspected but never one hundred percent sure about...that the blackmail ITSELF was a bluff. Finally, they didn't see it as any kind of sexual assault themselves, and tried to make it up to Jack when they realized what it was, and what Aaron called it. So...taken all together, could it be called "rape" if it was all a game and one that he could have put an end to at any time? No doubt, many crimes were commited against him, but was rape one of them? Did it matter, ultimately? Jack didn't care. The question Davis just posed to him, he DID care about, though....was he GLAD it happened? He was certainly glad of the benefits he reaped from it, sure! What about the others, though? Their lives were wrecked from the guilt they wrought. Lives ruined. Jack, in fact, made it worse when he taunted them in the park over it and he could NEVER be glad about that. For a few days after, his emotions were so turbulent that he even considered turning them in, or assaulting Ben in the halls. He didn't want to think about how close he was to doing it the day after and had to talk himself down. While it was true he could never be friends with any of them again, nor did he want to....he wanted them to possibly one day forgive themselves and lead some semblance of happy lives. What they did to him was wrong. There was no question about that. Was he glad it happened, though? Can ends justify the means?
"No! I'm not saying that at all." Jack lied. "It's just hard to explain, ya know?"
Davis shook his head. A veil of seething anger crept over his entire face. "I still think you should have gone to the cops. Those pieces of trash should be taking it up the ass in prison right now. You still can! My friend from Cliffwood Beach and I did some checking, and the statute of limitations says that you have literally YEARS before it..."
Now it was Jack's turn to get angry. The two brothers had not discussed this since last month, and he was not about to do so again. "DROP IT!" Jack snarled as he stood up. "What's done was DONE! We talked about this how many FUCKING TIMES!? And don't you DARE go talking to your friends about me...who the Hell do you think you are anyway!? Shit, Davis...you knew some of what they did to me and let them continue, you hypocrite!"
Davis stood up and calmly walked up to Jack. ".....how dare you" he whispered as he balled up his fists. "How fucking DARE you! You think I knew about the sexual abuse!? HELL NO! Yeah, I knew about the initial blackmail! I thought they were using it to make you dress like a girl and maybe doing their homework for them or something! I bent over BACKWARDS explaining this to you and apologizing!"
"Oh, you are SO full of shit! Just like you 'didn't know' you and Tracy were exclusive when you were screwing around with...what was her name? Judi with an "i"?" Jack cat-called in a mock female voice. "And let me ask you something....did either girl know about your extracurricular activities down at the club?"
Davis pushed Jack hard enough to make him fall back on the couch. "Shut the fuck up you vindictive little shit!" Davis exclaimed as he held a frightened and angry Jack down. "I FUCKING LOVED TRACY! You have NO idea what happened between us, so keep your FUCKING mouth shut...I NEVER want to hear her name come out of your lips again, understand!?"
"Let me go!" Jack struggled as he tried slapping his older brother's arm off his chest.
"And You have SOME fucking nerve to stand there and think I was in on the worst of it!" Davis continued. "After everything I'm doing to try to make this right for you...."
"What the Hell are you talking about...making it right?" Jack asked. He couldn't think straight. For the second time in a month, he came close to hitting his own brother. Stupid, because his brother could kick the shit out of him. Davis, however, let Jack go and looked nervous for a second.
"Like.......I dunno! Talking you into doing the right thing!" he stammered. "Oh, FUCKING FORGET YOU! Why do I bother!? Sometimes you can be such an unappreciative brat. Maybe that's why..." Davis caught himself.
"Maybe that's why WHAT!? That I brought this on myself!?" Tears began to form in Jack's eyes.
"Jack...I didn't mean....I'm sorry." Davis instantly regretted what he was about to say. He didn't even believe it himself. He was angry over it all, and part of him was royally pissed at his brother for not punishing his rapists. If he finished what he almost said, there would be fighting right now, which would have woken up their parents. Worse, it would have no doubt driven a wedge between the two brothers that may never have healed.
"FUCK YOU! IT'S MY GODDAMN LIFE! STAY OUT OF IT!" Jack said. He stormed away from his brother and marched into the kitchen to snatch his keys off his hook before violently existing out the front door.
Davis didn't say a word or try to follow them.
Jack was right.
........................
Davis sighed as he went back to his room. He HAD to get more sleep. His confrontation with Jack took a lot out of him. He wasn't angry at his brother. Not really. Merely frustrated that he never wanted to listen to reason. If being gothic and hanging around a bunch of vampire-freaks made him happy, then by all means...let him enjoy his phase. Still....Jack had no right to bring up Tracy. He KNEW that almost cost Davis his sanity, if not his very life two years ago. It sometimes disturbed Davis how, well, EVIL Jack can get when he's pissed off. His younger brother had a nasty streak sometimes and while it wasn't nearly as bad as it used to be, there were still times that, when pushed too far, Jack will say or do something that he may regret later, but can be utterly vicious in the moment. The dig about Tracy went above and beyond and was completely uncalled for. 'I only confided in one person back then.' Remembered Davis. 'It was Jack. Even though he was only fifteen years old at the time, he dropped everything to make sure I was okay...to help me move past it all.' In fact, Davis owed Jack a LOT. Which was why he felt the need to return the favor and help him now. He had a chance here to truly pay it forward. Why couldn't Jack just accept someone else's advice!? If he did, then Davis wouldn't have had to resort to such extreme....well....it was too late for regrets now. Davis had to see this through. For Jack, and for his own atonement for things past best left unsaid or unthought of.
Davis pulled out his wallet and took out a little photograph of a girl with long red hair, and glasses laying in front of green careworn eyes. "I miss you, Tracy." Davis said to the photograph. "I never got a chance to tell you how sorry I was. Now I never will be able to." He gently kissed the photograph and put it back in his wallet, next to a card of Saint Gertrude. After turning on the radio by nightstand to play some soft music, Davis slowly drifted off to sleep as the radio crooned in the background.
This is WLTB Light FM! Serving Cliffwood Beach, Matawan, Holmepoint Heights, Quiet Knoll, and Smithsville. Your home for easy listening...all the time! In local news, the recent string of car jackings keep plaguing the citizens of Quiet Knoll. Police say they have no suspects, but are following a few leads. Also, a naked youth with a broken wrist was just picked up walking along the border of Holmepoint Heights and Cliffwood Beach by local police. Given the age of the youth, his name has not been disclosed, but we will follow this story as it develops.....*
[Author's Note: I hope everyone is still enjoying where this is going. This has been, and continues to be, such a joy to write. Keep sending suggestions and comments, because hearing from you is really what makes this all worthwhile! Halloween is fast approaching us, both for us in the real world, and for Jack and his gothic friends. Without spoiling anything, it'll be a turning point for Jack that will make his question himself even more than he has been doing already. I hope you guys are not too disapointed by the lack of sex or kink in this chapter, but sometimes it's all about STORY, ya know? Things will ramp up again, I can promise you that! Next chapter in fact!]
If you have any questions, comments, suggestions, or opinions, please email me at riveracheron101@gmail.com