The Metamorphosis of Jeremiah Long, Chapter 12
Warning:
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David (dlee169@hotmail.com)
The Metamorphosis of Jeremiah Long, Chapter 12
"How's Mark doing?" Davy asked of Bradon at school the next day.
"Surprisingly well considering what he went through. He asked to sleep with me last night and I let him. It was good that he did because he had a bad dream and I was able to calm him down. I'm not sure what Mom thought about us sharing a bed, but it was all on the up and up. He just needed to know he was safe."
"I think it's awesome you were willing to comfort him like that. Some guys wouldn't do that for another guy, even their brother."
"We've always been close and even more so since Dad's been away. That's why I'm surprised he didn't confide in me about what the coach was doing to him. He said that he was worried about what I'd think, and that other kids would find out. By the way, he wants to thank you and Jon for helping rescue him, but he's rather nervous that word might get out.
"Please tell him that Jon and I won't breathe a word to anyone other than what we had to report to the police. The worst of it might be over for him. I doubt he'll even have to testify in court with the recorded phone call Jon made and the video I managed to get. All of our voices are on there as well as our faces on the vid. Since those jibe, there's no way Fanning or Collins can weasel out of the charges. Our testimonies should cinch it. I wouldn't be surprised if there's a plea deal before the trial even happens. We can all rest easier with both of them gone."
"Have you seen the new guy who's taking over the coaching duties?" Bradon asked. "He's got a great bod and he's young. I think everyone will take him seriously and we'll have an even better team. I heard he was a record-setter on the university team."
"Yeah, I know Cade. I guess I'll have to start calling him Mr. Carstenson. Um, he lives in our basement apartment and he's my tutor."
"Wow! I'll bet you'll be teacher's pet."
"Nah, he doesn't operate that way. He was a hard-ass with my studies and my swimming last summer, in a good way. He's tough, but fair – the kind of person I like to work with and I'd like to be."
"That's the impression I got first hour. You do have him for science too, don't you?"
"Yup, and he's gonna expect a lot from me. I hope I don't let him down."
Cade came over to see Davy and Jon at Jon's house after dinner. He looked distraught and the boys wondered what had happened.
"Man, are you okay?" Davy asked.
"No, I'm not. I heard that Coach Fanning got arrested because tried to rape someone. It didn't involve either of you did it?"
"We were involved in preventing it, but he didn't try to do it to us," Jon said.
"Thank God for that! I'm not going to ask who it was because I'm sure the kid doesn't want it told around if it can be prevented. I feel so damned guilty!"
"I don't get it; why should you feel any responsibility?" Jon questioned.
"Because I didn't turn him in years ago when... when he raped me..." Cade admitted, barely above a whisper.
"Oh my God, when was that?" Jon gasped.
"I was 12 at the time and had started to question my orientation. Actually, I knew I was gay, but I didn't want to admit it to myself, much less anyone else. He kept me late after practice at the Y back home and shared the shower with me alone. I stared at his big hard cock and..." Cade began to cry at the memory.
"You can't blame yourself!" Davy insisted. "You were young and vulnerable."
"That's what I keep telling myself, but my failure to do the responsible thing has given him the chance to hurt others; who knows how many? I pushed it out of my mind and didn't even know he was anywhere around or I would have reported him even now. I need to check on the statute of limitations. Perhaps there's still time for me to come forward.
I wish I could talk to the boy who's been hurt recently, but I know you can't break a confidence and tell me who he is. I'd like to apologize to him and attempt to help. I wish someone had done that for me."
"We could find out if he'd be willing to see you since we promised not to divulge his name to anyone." Jon offered. "He might like to meet another victim so he knows he's not alone. You recovered and turned out to be a cool person even though you were molested, so you could give him hope for his future."
Jon started the process that very night by contacting Bradon to see if Mark would talk with them. It took a bit of convincing, but Mark agreed they could come to his house after swim practice the following day. He really did want to thank them in person. He'd been so upset the day of the attempted rape that there were blanks in his memory after Bradon had shoved the coach to the floor and stopped him.
Promptly after practice, Jon, Davy, and Bradon rode their bikes to Bradon's house. Mark seemed jittery when they first arrived. Not knowing much about them or if they thought possibly he'd invited the coach's advances, he was understandably concerned. He soon began to relax in their presence because of their friendly manner.
"Hey Mark," Jon greeted him, offering his fist to bump.
Davy followed his example, letting Mark know he wanted to be a friend too.
Mark began to thank the boys, but then broke down as the horrific memories flooded his mind. Bradon quickly put an arm around him and the other two enveloped them both in an embrace.
"I'm such a baby?" Mark apologized, rubbing his eyes.
"No you're not!" Davy insisted. "You need to let it out. If you bottle it up, you'll suffer for a longer time."
"You sound just like my therapist," Mark said, letting slip something he'd intended to keep secret.
"You won't tell anyone I'm seeing a shrink, will you?" Mark pleaded.
"No, but I think it's great that you are," Jon assured him. "Don't you Dave?"
"Absolutely! I've been in counseling too after being kidnapped."
"I might as well tell you the rest of the shit now that you know I'm in therapy. The doctor thinks I need to share things with people I trust. Since you guys helped save my ass, I guess I trust you almost as much as Bradon."
"We're here for you," Davy assured him. "We've had a few run-ins with perverts too, but maybe not as scary as you did. Still, I think we understand."
"I'm sure being kidnapped was no picnic!" Mark exclaimed. "I'll start at the beginning but I'll make it quick. Coach Fanning took a special interest in me after Dad was deployed. At first, I thought he was the nicest man in the world and he certainly had Mom's approval. He spent extra time with me at the Y, helping me improve my strokes.
Then one day in the shower, he started talking about sexy things. I couldn't help getting hard and he said I had a nice dick. He told me I could touch his cock and I did. He went on to say he'd noticed how I looked at other boys and he knew what I liked. He could probably tell I was scared.
The next day, I wasn't going to stay after practice, but he called Mom and told her I needed more work on my technique and I was kinda stuck there because she was going grocery shopping since he offered to take me home. This time, he got down on his knees and sucked on me till I felt those awesome spasms. Then he made me suck on him. It scared the crap out of me when he squirted in my mouth. I cried and he called me a baby. He said I'd be begging to be his `bitch' before he was done. I told him I wasn't coming back again and I played sick the next day.
Of course he called Mom and told her I was being lazy and would never reach my potential if he couldn't coach me regularly. He put the idea into her head that I could someday be Olympic material. Naturally she insisted I continue with him and I was afraid to tell her the truth. He threatened to tell everyone I was gay and tell them what I'd done to him if I didn't do what he said.
"Are you gay?" Davy asked gently.
Mark closed his eyes and nodded slightly in response. Davy looked at Jon with a question in his eyes and Jon nodded his tacit agreement.
"Mark, we promised to keep your secret and we hope you'll promise to keep ours – you too, Bradon. It has to stay in this room for now."
Bradon nodded, suspecting what they were going to say.
"What?" Mark asked.
"We're gay too."
Mark looked at them in disbelief for a few seconds before he responded.
"AWESOME!" he cried as he hugged Davy so forcefully that they nearly ended up on the floor. "I've never known anyone who's gay. I figured I was probably the only kid in school who liked boys better than girls."
"I'm sure you aren't," Jon said. "I know that some people claim only about four or five percent of the population is gay, but others say it's at least twice. From the people I know in my life already, I'd go with the higher figure for sure."
"So, do you know any others in high school?"
"I know one for certain, two others I highly suspect, and then there's Davy who's my boyfriend," he grinned.
"Great! I'm so glad you got Bradon to convince me to see you today. I think you've done me more good than the therapy will."
"We know someone else who can help you, Jon continued. He wants to talk with you, but he doesn't know who you are and didn't push us to tell him."
"Is it another high school kid?"
"No, this is a grown man and a really great guy. Would you be willing to come to Davy's house to see him soon? We can set up an appointment with him if you like."
"I guess I would as long as you trust him and you're there too. I'll talk to Mom about it."
"Bradon, you didn't seem to be surprised when we came out." Davy said. "Did you suspect already?"
"I had noticed that you guys are always together and seem to talk about sleeping over at one house or the other a lot. Then there's the push to have a group date."
"Do you think we're using Jenna and Willa as cover?" John asked.
"Not really; it's more like a bunch of buddies going out together and I think it's great. It gives me a chance to be with Megan without going steady. I'm too young to have a girl want to get all lovey-dovey and expect me to go to bed with her. I'm not saying Megan is like that, but you know what I mean."
"Yeah, some of them can be very possessive from what I've seen." Davy agreed.
Mickey Witte frowned as she pondered her son's request to meet with a complete stranger so soon after he'd been molested by his coach.
"I'm not so sure it would be wise for me to permit you to talk to someone I don't know. It wouldn't be good parenting on my part. I'm afraid I can't let you."
"And I suppose it was good parenting to force me to continue working with Coach Fanning when I tried to tell you I didn't want to!"
"That's uncalled for, Mark! You know I had no idea what was going on!"
"I'm sorry, but I think I have good judgment. The guys who helped save my butt trust him, and Bradon and I trust them. They'll all be with me every minute. They think he can help me, and I'm saying you need to let me do this."
"I'll think about it, but I don't like your attitude young man!"
"Mom, if someone had forced you to perform oral sex on him against your will and had tried to rape you up the butt, you'd have an attitude too," Bradon yelled in defense of his brother.
"He did all of that?" Mickey gasped. "I didn't know; why didn't you tell me and why didn't the police?"
"He threatened me, Mom," Mark said quietly. "I know he's not as big as Dad, but he scared me. Dr. Troxel said people who prey on kids often get in good with the parents so they'd be likely to believe them instead of their own kids. He said Fanning had the classic MO of a child molester and I was helpless in the situation. By the way, what does MO mean?"
"It's modus operendi- Latin for way of operating," Mickey explained before the full impact of their discussion hit her.
"I begged the police to give me a chance to tell you the whole story before they did." Mark cried. "I didn't want to drop it all on you like I did just now. I thought I could work into it somehow, but I didn't have the guts, I guess..."
Mickey put her hands to her face and sobbed uncontrollably.
"I've been a terrible parent. I let that man fool me and he took my baby's innocence. I'm so sorry! I really didn't know! Bradon evidently figured it out and I didn't. If he trusts this stranger and these boys, I guess his judgment's probably better than mine. I don't blame you if you hate me."
"I don't hate you, Mom," Mark insisted as he hugged his mother. "The doctor said most parents are duped by men who are serial molesters. They're often married and have children of their own. They're almost always respected members of the community who no one would suspect like that minister who got busted for child pornography last summer."
"He was a terrible man who had a lot of people fooled," Mark's mother agreed. "I'm glad he's being charged with enough crimes that he's likely to rot in jail!"
"Mom, the boys who want to help Mark were involved with getting the goods on him just like they were with the coach." Bradon informed her.
"Well, in that case, I do believe they CAN be trusted."
The meeting between Cade and the boys was positive and good for all involved. Mark had an immediate crush on the man because of his great body and good looks. He was shy in Cade's presence initially, but warmed up as quickly as he had with Davy and Jon.
After their introductions, Cade began with an apology.
"Mark, I feel in part responsible for what you went through. I was molested by that creep; he even raped me. If I had told someone, he might have been in jail already. I hope you'll find it in your heart to forgive me."
"How old were you when he did it?" Mark asked.
"I was 12, going on 13."
"Same as me," Mark responded. "I couldn't even find the guts to tell Mom what he did to me and he only did oral things with me until trying to rape me. You were just a kid; how could I blame you?"
"Thanks!" Cade said softly as tears welled up in his eyes.
Seeing the pain, Mark did something he'd never intended to do. He hugged Cade tightly, trying to lessen his hurt. Both man and boy cried on one another's shoulder for a couple of minutes before they could get their emotions under control.
"Thanks again," Cade smiled through his still-watery eyes. "You have lifted a burden from my back. I hope I can do the same."
"Talking with you has helped already," Mark assured him. "I thought I was the only one and I figured I had probably done something to tempt him because..."
"You don't have to tell me why you thought that, but it might be the same thing I thought."
"No, I'm sure it's not." Mark said. "I need to get used to telling people, but I'm scared. I don't want to burden my parents more than I have already. I guess it's too bad I was ever born."
"I had those feeling too," Cade admitted. "At one time, I thought about killing myself because of being gay and wondering if that had made Fanning think I was inviting his advances."
"You're gay too?" Mark exclaimed. "Then you know exactly how I feel! I'm so fucked up! Sometimes I wish I was dead."
This time it was Cade who initiated their embrace. Mark wet Cade's shirt through with his salty tears. After the cry he'd had earlier, he couldn't believe there were any more left.
"Look at me, Mark. I've survived being molested and growing up gay. I now have an awesome boyfriend, a good education, and a new job. My family accepts me and most of my friends do too. Life is good! Don't ever consider opting out of it, not for one minute! You're a good person and you have a great life ahead of you. IT DOES GET BETTER!"
Mark smiled tentatively as he looked into Cade's eyes. His growing love for this young man had nothing to do with lust. It was based on admiration and empathy. In Cade, he could see himself in another 11 or 12 years.
"Thanks you, Mr. Carstenson. You've made me feel so-o-o-o much better. I can only hope my parents and friends will be as accepting as yours. If things don't go well, I'd like to feel I could talk to you, I mean if that's okay with your boyfriend."
"Of course it's okay. If things go bad, we could even put you up if necessary."
"Really, you'd do that?"
"I'm sure I can speak for Harrison as well because he's recently had a bad experience with his family over his orientation and even though he's a grown man who'll be graduating college in December, it hurt him a lot. Rest assured that you have people you can count on."
"What is it you're committing us to?" Harrison grinned, having overheard Cade's last words as he came in.
"Um, this is Mark." Cade said, briefly answering Harrison's question. "He's a friend of Davy and Jon, and this is Bradon his brother. I was offering assistance to Mark if he ever needed it."
"You don't need to hold back on what you tell him Mr. Carstenson," Mark said.
"Okay, I will in due time. Right now, I want all of you boys to call me Cade - in private at least. I suppose the three of you as students should keep it more formal at school for propriety's sake."
"Cool!" Mark smiled, more widely than before.
The homecoming dance turned out to be even more fun than the boys had imagined. Jon's solution to the dating situation seemed to have been a perfect one. The six of them never lacked for company. They took turns dancing in different combinations, but always as boy/girl even though two of the boys wished they could be partners. Ah, perhaps sometime in the future...
When Brock arrived to pick them up at the end, he was delighted to hear that they'd all had a fantastic time. He had been concerned about how the boy/girl "date" would turn out. Evidently his worry has been for naught.
Bradon made Megan's evening when he escorted her to her front door and planted a chaste kiss on her upturned cheek. She practically floated into the house.
Jon and Davy went to Willa's door with both Jenna and her. Since the girls were having a sleepover, it was only one stop and there was no need for pairing up. The boys weren't on the spot to repeat Bradon's performance since neither girl offered a cheek and no kiss was expected.
Brock proceeded to his home so the boys could grab their gym bags which were packed with a few things for overnight at Bradon's house. His mother had encouraged it after learning how much Mark wanted them to come over.
Mark was eager for the four of them to retreat to the basement rec. room, but had wait until his mother had made a huge bowl of popcorn for them to share. When it was ready, Bradon reminded her that she wasn't to come down without warning them because they planned to hang around in their underwear like frat boys. She frowned at his request which sounded more like an order to her, but agreed not to disturb them as long as they weren't too noisy.
The door at the top of the stairs had scarcely closed when Mark stripped down to his bikini briefs. He was starting to throw wood, but didn't try to hide it. In fact, it appeared as if he wanted the others to notice and check him out.
The rest of the guys shed their outer clothes also, but managed to keep their dicks under control. The three older boys sat on the floor with their backs against the sofa watching a rerun of "Saturday Night Live" on TV while munching popcorn. Davy and Jon were quite close together with their hips touching. Bradon was on Jon's right, about a foot away and Mark was perched on the recliner by himself. When they were done eating, Davy put his arm around Jon who snuggled up against him. Since the brothers knew about their relationship, they had nothing to hide.
Mark suddenly got up from his spot and wedged his body between Jon and Bradon, coming in skin to skin contact with both of them. Jon was a little uncomfortable with the closeness and scooted Davy and himself over to allow more room.
"Don't you like me?" Bradon asked in response to the move.
"Sure," Jon answered. "But it's kinda intimate feeling your bare leg against mine."
"I want to be cuddled too," Mark lamented.
"C'mere baby Bro," Bradon grinned as he put an arm around Mark to pull him close.
"Do you think I'm weird?" Mark asked everyone in general.
"Not any weirder than you always were," Bradon joked.
"Seriously, I want to know that people still want to be close to me even after they know the shit Coach made me do. I feel dirty, like no one's ever gonna want me."
"Come sit between Jon and me," Davy suggested.
Mark moved again immediately and was soon snuggled between the two of them.
"God, that feels good," he sighed. "I'm not trying to come on to either of you, but I really like this."
"Hey, you've deserted me!" Bradon exclaimed. "What am I, chopped liver?"
"No, you're my brother and you have to like me no matter what. I'm just extending my circle of friends," Mark responded. "You've held me every night since..."
Then he started to cry, remembering the trauma of thinking he was going to get raped. All of the sense of helplessness and fear washed over him, but not as strongly as it had in the past. Bradon quickly moved around in front of him and kissed him on his forehead. The other boys kissed him on the cheeks. Mark calmed down and soon began a tentative smile.
"Hug time." Jon announced nudging the rest to stand up.
Once they were all on their feet, the three freshmen enveloped the 8th grader completely in their embrace. Mark kissed each one of them on the cheek.
"Okay, guys, I'm getting a little claustrophobic here. I appreciate the love, but it's getting really hot."
"Hmm, something's getting hot," Bradon exclaimed as he brushed the back of his hand across Mark's bulge.
"Incest!" Mark giggled.
"Jeez! You should talk after pressing that thing against my butt half the night."
"Do not!"
"Do too!"
Then they all fell on the floor laughing like a bunch of kindergartners who'd learned a naughty word.
Pretty soon they spread out their sleeping bags on a couple of camping mattresses and turned out the lights. Jon and Davy were zipped into their matching bags and Mark and Bradon in theirs. That was the last thing they did before falling asleep.
Mark stayed awake longer than the rest, but not by much. He felt the best he had since that day in the high school locker room. He hoped he could find someone to cuddle with besides his brother. He was certain that Bradon was straight and he didn't want to do anything sexual with him, but he certainly appreciated the love he felt.
Author's notes: I heard from several faithful readers this week. I hope I haven't left any off the list. They are: Bill T, Paul R, Trish R, Mendy D, Bill K, Tony W, Roger L, Walt S, Tom A, Wayne, and Paul F.
News from Trish is that her mother is nearly good as new! She again thanks all of you for your concern. Roger L wrote to say that his mother passed away. She was in tough shape and it is, in a sense, a blessing. I know it's always difficult to lose a parent.
The muse hasn't been biting my butt as regularly as I'd like. If she/he doesn't get with it, I may put more space between postings. Yes, I have a few chapters ahead, but it's not all etched in stone.
David