With All of My "Art" Chapter 1: First Encounter
"Jay?" Lynn Vanderveen called her son from the garage door. "Jayson?" There was still no answer. "I swear that boy is made of stone," she said to herself as she brushed a long strand of blonde hair out of her eyes and walked to back to the bottom of the stairs for the tenth time in the past five minutes. "JAYSON! GET YOUR SKINNY BUTT IN GEAR! I HAVE A STAFF MEETING IN AN HOUR!"
"I SAID I'D BE RIGHT DOWN," the tall blonde yelled. Jayson closed his suitcase, checking to make sure he had everything he wanted. He grabbed his IPod, put on his shades, and lugged his suitcase downstairs to the trunk of his mother's LeSabre. At least the trip to the dealership would be a short one, he kept telling himself. He didn't think he could stand listening to 90.5, the local Classical/Public Radio station, all the way to Grand Rapids. Thank god his car was finally fixed!
~*~
Adam had pulled over to the side of the highway, cursing himself for not stopping for gas two exits back. He was also cursing his ex-boyfriend Brad, for borrowing his car in the first place, and then "forgetting" to fill it back up. His friend Shayna had given him a ride to Lansing, on her way to Detroit.
He gave up trying to find help after everyone in his phone book was either busy or out of state. Looking at his watch, he saw that he had been there for only half an hour, instead of the two hours it felt like. Some movement caught Adam's attention, making him take notice. Glancing up to the rearview mirror, he saw a car pulling to a stop behind him and a hot blonde getting out.
Jayson closed the door of his car and walked up the highway to the stranded Saturn. The door of the car opened and a boy, not looking much older than Jayson, got out.
"Hey, thanks for stopping. It feels like I've been here forever." Adam said, shaking Jayson's offered hand.
"No trouble. It looked like you needed help," Jayson said while discreetly checking the other boy out from behind his sunglasses.
"Yeah, my ex borrowed my car and forgot to fill it back up. Naturally everyone is busy."
"You need gas? I could call AAA and wait with you until they get here."
"Oh, would you? That'd be great," he said, breathing a tiny sigh of relief. "I'm Adam, by the way."
As Jay pulled out his cell phone and started dialing numbers, Adams phone rang, he gazed down at the caller ID of his phone and bit back a groan. "What?" he answered in a more or less exasperated tone. He wasn't happy at all with the person on the other end of the line at the moment.
"Hello to you too," Brad said in a greeting. "What's wrong with you?"
"Oh nothing. Just stuck on the side of the road because someone forgot to fill up my car with gas after using it," he said slightly sarcastic but the words didn't hold the harsh tone he had answered the phone with.
"Oops," the other male said, not at all meaning it.
"Oops? Oops doesn't help me out," he said with a groan.
"No need to bite my head off."
"I'm not biting your head off, I'm just saying...next time fill up the car when you're done." Sometimes Adam felt as though he were talking to a child.
"Whatever."
"What did you need?" Adam said while rubbing the bridge of his nose.
"Nothing, never mind."
"Well you had to have called for some reason. What was it?"
"I said never mind. Forget about it."
"Brad-" Adam began to say but was cut off when he heard the click of the phone and then the dial tone. He pulled the phone away from his ear and stared at it. "Oh, he didn't just hang up on me."
An uncomfortable silence began to grow between the boys, and Jay quickly noticed it. He was about to clear his throat and ask Adam where he was going, when Adam shoved his phone back in his pocket.
"That fucktard!" Adam said, completely forgetting about the boy standing less than a foot away from him. "He uses up all my gas, makes me ask some random asshole for help, and doesn't even have the decency to do anything about it!" He turned around and punched the trunk of his car. "GOD DAMN IT!" he grabbed his hand and danced around the side of the highway in pain.
"Dude, are you ok?" Jay was looking at Adam with genuine concern, barely noticing the tow truck pulling in front of Adam's Saturn.
"What the fuck do you think?" he snapped without thinking. "I am just peachy keen, thanks for asking Mr. Obvious" the sarcasm dripping from his words.
"Sorry, you seemed hurt and I just..." was all Jayson got out before Adam started up again.
"No shit Sherlock, you really know how to state the obvious don't you? Especially when it's painfully apparent it isn't needed," he said sounding irked.
Jayson was stunned by the reaction. Whatever self confidence he had managed to build up was quickly getting shot down in flames. His bottom lip quivered and Adam continued.
"What are you some kind of fucking moron? How the hell do you think I feel?!" Adam's voice began steadily gaining volume as he was reaching his peak. "All I want to do is get home but it seems to be some cruel fucking joke because that ain't happening. I have to wait here with some stranger who is acting holier-than-thou and sticking his nose into shit that doesn't concern him. Now tell me oh smart one, how would you feel after all that? Don't think that because you need to be on some fucking pilgrimage to rid the world of pain and do "good" that people would be receptive...fucking goody-goody!"
He was stunned. As his eyes filled with tears, Jayson turned around and ran back to his car. Flooring the accelerator, he left behind a cloud of dust and a still pissed Adam. Giving up trying to see through his tears, he pulled into a rest area and broke down completely. After he calmed down a little, he pulled out his cell and called his childhood friend, Jo.
"C'mon Jo, pick up." Jay said as the phone rang.
~*~
Reaching over and quickly checking to see who it was, the quirky girl let a small smile play over her lips. "Jo's pool hall, 8-ball speaking," she said picking up the phone and giving the usual odd greeting to her old friend.
"Jo! Oh thank god you're there! I just met the meanest person ever! You know how low my self-esteem is, right? Of course you do. Well I saw this car stopped at the side of the road so I decided I'd stop for once, because I was feeling really up and..." Jayson was talking so fast she couldn't understand a word he was saying. He started crying again.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa... Slow down there Jay," Jo immediately sobered up and heard the pain in her friend's voice. She dropped the book she had been reading onto the table and tried to decipher what her rattled friend was saying. "Why not try this again but more slowly. What happened?" she asked softly hoping that it would calm him down some.
Jay sniffled, took a deep breath and started over again. "You know how low my self esteem is right?"
"Yeah I know," she answered without thinking. Lord only knows why though, when you look the way you do, she thought to herself and knew better to say it out loud.
"Well I just got my car back from the shop after my little accident so I was feeling pretty good. On my way there, I saw this car stopped at the side of the road and decided to stop, after all how can helping someone hurt me, right? So this guy gets out, and says that he ran out of gas and couldn't reach any friend with a car to help him. So I call Triple A and decide to wait with him, you know, give him some company. Well that's when things went down the tubes."
"Oh Jay," she said trying to comfort him as she knew how much he was hurting right now. The poor boy had too big of a heart for his own good. He was always trying to help others. She couldn't count how many times she had to console him after something went wrong when all he wanted to do was something right.
"What a prick," she mumbled into the phone wanting very much to hit the person who would hurt her friend like that. "Well forget him, you don't need to worry yourself over someone like that," she stated with conviction.
Jay sniffled as he listened to his friend. She always knew exactly what to say. That was the main reason he was moving in with her and this mystery roommate of hers. "Thanks Jo. I should be there in about 15 to 20 minutes, by the way."
"Great," she said with a happy smile though Jay couldn't see it. "And you know I'll have something waiting for you when you get here," she kidded knowing that Jay would catch on to what she was saying.
Chocolate, the one weakness not only of most women but also that of a certain blonde friend of hers. It never hurt to have some on hand no matter what the situation was.
Jo was beyond ecstatic that she was going to be rooming with Jay this year. Two of the guys that meant most to her in this world were her roommates. She was even more excited for those two guys to meet each other knowing they had a lot in common and would hit it off almost immediately
~*~
Ten minutes later, Jayson pulled into the parking lot behind Jo's apartment building, his apartment building now. He opened the trunk of his car, and promptly proceeded to drop a heavy duffel bag on a sandal-clad foot. Cursing and rubbing the injury, he grabbed the duffel and a suitcase and headed to the front desk to retrieve his keys. Within two minutes he was opening the door of his new apartment. "Lucy, I'm home! You've got some splaining to do," he called out to Jo, doing his best Ricky Ricardo' impression, knowing she could remember their favorite show and return the inside joke.
"Ooooh Ricky it was an accident," came the response in the worst nasally voice Jo could muster as she got up off the couch and went to greet Jayson. "Hey sweetie," she smiled placing a closed fist on her hip. "So you just going to stand there or do I have to force you to give me my hug?" she said trying to sound offended but the not able to keep the smirk of her face.
Jay grinned and dropped his duffle on his foot again. Closing the door, he limped over and threw his arms around his oldest and closest friend. "I've missed you, Josie." It was his childhood nickname for her. Their mothers used to let them watch Josie and the Pussycats all time when they were little. Jo used to run over from next door, bringing the cat ears. Jay supplied the tails. As far as he knew, he was the only one she let call her Josie.
Standing on her tip toes, she was able to wrap her arms around his neck to give him a proper hug. The one draw back about being smaller then most guys was having to reach up to them to give hugs, but when it was Jay, Jo didn't mind much.
"I've missed you too pussycat," she said pulling back and continuing to smile up at him. She thought against teasing him about taking too long as a certain incident had detained him in the first place. "C'mon in and sit down. Take a load off," she said grabbing his hand and leading him into the living room. She plopped down on the couch, tucking her leg beneath her and sitting up against the arm rest of the couch.
Jay sat down next to her and rested his head on her shoulder, the spikes of his hair, brushing her neck and ear. "It's so good to see you again, babe. I know it's only been a year, but I've missed you like nothing else!"
She reached over with a hand and patted the top of his head while running her fingers through his hair. "I missed you too. It was so weird not having you near me," she said with a chuckle. "I got so used to being able to see you whenever I wanted to, that it took me a few weeks to get used to the idea. Ah ha but now I have you here and am not letting you go," she kidded while leaning her head to lie atop his.
"Aww, thanks hon, its times like this when I wish you were a guy."
"Or that you were straight," she teased him knowing that was never going to happen. "Hmm though I do have to wonder what it would be like to be a guy..." she trailed off jokingly before shaking her head.
Jayson laughed. "I got my car back finally. Mom was almost reluctant to let me have it back after what I did with it." He blushed, remembering how pissed his mother had been when she found out that her own son had just rear ended her. "Maybe now we can cruise for hot guys together!"
"Hey don't laugh at me, it's a legitimate thought," she said sounding offended but was anything but. "I still can't believe you rear ended your own mom. I mean I know why you had to but still....your mom?" she said shaking her head in disbelief while giggling. "Ooh good idea, only one problem sweetie? How are you supposed to go crusin' for guys when I'm the only one here that knows you're gay?" she said looking down at him. Her statement meant to be playful but also it held some serious truth.
"What if people find out? I'm sure everyone'll hate me. It's not like when we used to go out to the meadow together as kids."
"So what if people find out?" she asked waving a hand in the air. "Hey Jay answer me this," she shrugging her shoulder to get him to look up at her. "Do I hate you? Does my mom hate you? Or your mom?"
"Some days I just want to go back to being 12 at the meadow. Remember the meadow and how our moms thought we were having sex? All we were doing was naming hot male celebrities," Jay said with a giggle.
She dismissed the fact that he hadn't answered her...for now. Maybe he had gotten her gist or maybe not, she hoped for the former. "Yes I do remember it," she said with a hint of a smile. "But sorry to burst your bubble sweetie, but we aren't 12 any more. We can't go back to that time; we have to be here...now. And now is the time to be yourself," she said meaning it in all the possible meanings.
"It's just that the guy today looked at me with such hatred in his eyes. I wanted to shrivel up and die! If that's what I get when I'm closeted, I don't even want to think about if I come out!" A tear ran down his cheek, and was noticed immediately by Jo.
She reached over behind her back searching for the box of tissues on the side table. Finding the box she pulled out a sheet and handed him a tissue.
"Jay I can almost guarantee that his outburst had nothing to do with whether you are in the closet or not. He was just some prick who needs to get the permanent stick up his bum taken out, with force," she nodded her head and couldn't help but smirk just a tiny bit at the end of her statement. "Don't let guys like him get to you. You deserve to be happy and the only way you can do that is if you can be you," she said taking a finger and poking his chest.
Jay took the tissue and was blowing his nose when the door swung open. His eyes widened as he recognized the person who had just entered.
"Ah, the other husband has returned," she kidded as she heard the door open and saw Adam step in. "About damn time you showed up. What took you so long?"
Adam didn't look up as he stepped into the apartment, closing the door and toeing off his shoes. "Don't start Jo," he said more or less in a grumpy voice.
It only took two words for Jay to let Jo know. "It's him!" he whispered harshly into her ear, trying not to break down again. Josie's mere presence helped with that.
"What happened to you?" she asked Adam, momentarily forgetting about Jayson until she heard him whisper something. "What?" she said, now looking between Jay and Adam. "You mean..." she said, looking between the two guys. "Oh shit," she mumbled to herself.
Still keeping his eyes down, Adam made his way into the kitchen to get something to drink. Bending down to look into the fridge, his voice came slightly faded due to his head being ducked down. "I'll tell you later," he said grabbing a pop and closing the door with his hip. "So when is this unbelievable and wonderful friend I have heard sooooo much about getting here?" he said forcing a chuckle out and finally turning around. He took a large sip and set the can down on the counter. He cocked an eyebrow as he took in Jo and the guy clinging to her for life. "Oh um..." it only took a few moments of looking at him before Adam placed his face. His eyes widened in shock as he recognized that guy as the hottie who had helped him earlier. "Oh shit," he said to himself.
~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~*~
To Be Continued.