Yeah, Right...
Chapter 17: Lawn Chair
By: Sadie
JC swatted aimlessly at the fingers that pinched his upper arm. But they didn’t stop, instead increasing until JC moaned in pain and opened his eyes.
“What?” he scowled, his voice was gruffy from sleep. Two green eyes stared at him from above, not answering the question, but searching for something in JC’s face.
“Tell me” he finally spoke, “that you’re not just shitting with me. That you mean this. Whatever the hell this is.”
“Lance,” JC sighed. “Why would I do that to you?”
“I don’t know, Jayce. Why have you done any of the things that you’ve done to me? I don’t get you. But...I want to. But, I...I need to know that this isn’t a joke.”
“No, Lance. It isn’t.” JC answered truthfully. This was the most honest and least fake he had ever been in his whole life.
“What changed your mind?” Lance questioned, still searching JC’s face for any sign that he wasn’t telling the truth, but there was none.
“Nothing. I mean...my mind didn’t change, Lance. I just started thinking about how miserable I was in past with Bobbie, Hannah and the lies. Then I remembered how comfortable and real you made me feel, how natural it was for me to sling an arm around your shoulders or hug you or cry with you....and..” JC paused and reached up to Lance and brushed his cheek gently with his hand, letting it make a slow path down to his chin, careful as to not irritate Lance’s bruises, “when I saw you on the locker-room floor I froze. My heart completely stopped. I wanted to run over there and scoop you in my arms and kiss away your pain. But, I was frozen. I just couldn’t move. I was so angry and scared, I just couldn’t move, Lance. God,” JC choked. “I am so sorry..”
“ Stop saying that.” Lance leaned into JC’s hand on his face then moved forward, slowly closing the space between his and JC’s lips. Kissing gently and chastely.
“Good mornin’.” Lance smiled on JC’s lips.
“God, I love you so much, Lance.” JC breathed.
“I know.” Lance pulled himself away from JC and climbed down the small ladder of the bunk-bed.
“Goin’ to talk to my parents.” Lance informed JC as he pulled a baggy T-shirt over his head.
JC had twisted himself, and was now resting his face in his hands on the railing of the bed.
“It’s probably better if its just y’all for now, huh?”
“Yeah. It is.” Lance smiled simply then turned to leave but JC’s voice stopped him.
“Hey.” Lance turned around, his blonde hair disheveled, a bruise still covering his slightly swollen eye and a light blue shadow tainted his chin, but he gave JC a lop-sided smile anyway and it brightened his face.
“Lance...I’m sorry-”
“I told you to stop saying that.”
“I know, but I feel like this is my fault in some ways.”
“Don’t.” Lance sighed. “Something like this was bound to happen between me and one of those jocks before high school was over anyway. It just happened while you were here and they used you an an excuse to get what they wanted all along. Its not your fault.” Lance turned around, closing the door behind him as he made his way down the hallway and into the living room.
Diane poured a cup of black coffee into her #1 Mom mug that Lance had made for her in the first grade on Mother’s day.
“Hey.” Lance offered his parents a weak salutation as he entered the kitchen.
“Lance.” Diane walked over to her son, heated coffee mug still in hand. She reached her son and with her other hand brushed a few stray strands of blonde hair away from his mildly swollen eye.
“Where’s JC?” She inquired.
“In bed still.” Lance answered, ready for the interrogation he knew was coming.
“Now what happened exactly?”
“Want me to kick their asses?” Jim asked from behind the Austin-American Statesman.
“No, dad.” Lance rolled his eyes.
“Want me to.” Diane suggested.
Lance let out a low laugh.
“No, mom.”
Jim put down the paper, taking in the sight of his son.
“Well.” he cleared his throat. “You look like shit.”
Lance laughed again.
“I feel like it too.”
“Oh..” Diane cooed and she set down her cup of coffee to hug her son. “I love you so much, Lance.”
Lance winced. He had to tell her. How was he going to to explain everything that happened unless she knew? He sucked in a breath. Bracing himself for the unknown.
“Mom.” he said, cautiously pulling away from the embrace. “Dad. I need to tell y’all something.”
He paused there, trying to configure the most gentle way to put this.
“I’m...I..Well, those boys, the basketball team and Justin Timberlake,” the name stung Lance’s lips, “well, they beat me up yesterday...because...because I’m gay. And I was in their locker room and I shouldn’t have been. That was their territory. I should’ve realized that. I’m..I’m sorry.”
“What? Lance, why are you sorry?” Diane looked disapprovingly at her son.
“Well, if I hadn’t been such an idiot-”
“Lance, this isn’t your fault. The locker room is school grounds, you are a boy and you were looking for someone. You had just as much right to be in there as Justin whoever. And, certainly you're not sorry for being gay. Because Lance that is just nothing to be sorry about.”
“So...you guys-” Lance looked past his mom and over at his dad who was offering a comforting smile to his son “-aren’t dissapointed in me?”
“No, Lance. We couldn’t be. We love you too much.”
“Wow.” Lance exhaled slowly, he felt ten pounds lighter.
“That went smoother than you thought it would, huh?” Jim chuckled.
“Yeah, a lot.” Lance laughed along with his parents.
“Lance, now its my turn to be honest with you.” Diane began. “Yesterday, I was in your room and I found a box, it was actually just lying out on your bed.”
Lance eyes widened when he realized what she was talking about.
“Oh my god.” Lance covered his mouth.
“We kinda knew sweetheart.”
Lance couldn't control the laughter from escaping his lips, soon Diane and Jim joined him.
JC heard laughter coming from the kitchen and decided that was definitely a good thing.
He rubbed his temples, trying to go over the events of last night in his mind. Everything had happened so quickly, he couldn’t believe he’d actually made it until morning.
He was gay. I’m gay. He told himself. Fag. Queer. Fairy. Light in the loafers. JC giggled at that one. The words didn’t bother him. They would’ve a couple days ago. He would’ve been afraid that maybe they applied to him. But now that they did and he knew it, he felt like he could wear a ‘queer’ ribbon across his chest with pride. Of course then his mom would see it and Justin. Justin. The name made his face turn red. Fuck Justin Timberlake and the rest of the team. But, the tournament. He really wanted to go. He wanted to win. Why should he let Justin stand in his way? Because Justin was a homophobic ass. Shit. Just when his life had finally begun to make sense is when things were going to get more complicated. It seems like everything had been a breeze so far. He was miserable, but at least it was easy. Thoughtless. Go through the routine that everyone wanted you to go through. Say the things you were expected to say and make everyone proud. Now he was proud but he wasn’t so sure if anyone else was going to be. JC dragged his hands down his face, muting a low growl.
Lance. Lance was proud of him. He knew that. Lance’s smile before he left to talk to his parents was ingrained in his mind. He hadn’t realized how much he missed seeing Lance’s green eyes sparkle and crinkle at the edges and the way the his pink lips parted to reveal the most light-hearted and warming smile JC had ever seen. JC’s face cooled, he let his anger and confusion melt away as he thought of Lance. JC heard another outburst of laughter coming from the kitchen. Wow. What did they do, find out their son was gay and throw a freakin’ party? JC got out of the bed and decided it was safe to make his way out to the kitchen.
“JC.” Lance turned his head away from his parents to look at his boyfriend.
“Hey.” JC smiled and resisted the urge to plant a kiss on Lance’s cheek. Instead he let his hand fall casually to Lance’s shoulder, trying not to look too needy, but craving the contact.
Lance smiled.
“Good morning, JC” Diane said as she reached into a cabinet for a pan, “I was just about to fix Lance some French toast, would you like some?”
“If it’s anything like Lance’s, I’d love some.” JC grinned and pulled a chair out at the table next to Lance.
“Who do you think he learned from?” Diane smirked.
“Yeah. Maybe mine are the second best this side of the Mississippi.” Lance resigned.
“Oh.” Jim suddenly exclaimed, “Diane, did you tell JC the good news?”
“Well, I was going to wait for Karen to tell him, Jim. She should be waking up soon.”
“What is it?” JC pried.
“Well, I might as well tell you now that Jim already started.” Diane shot a glare at her husband and he pulled the paper back up, covering his face.
“Last night an old friend of ours, Marie Oliver, offered your mother at job at her law firm as a secretary. It’ll be good for your mom. She also happened to be looking for a renter for a small apartment off of Fifth street, so y’all will be moving into your own place real soon. Probably today or tomorrow.”
JC quickly shot Lance a look of disappointment, but mustered up a smile for Jim and Diane.
“That's great.”
“Yeah. It really is a generous offer for her to make. She’s making the rent really cheap, at least for the first month or so.”
“Wow.” JC smiled faintly. Now that he’s finally come to grips with his feelings for Lance, he was going to have to move. Shit. He had just been imagining how perfect his and Lance’s life would be, being able to sleep in the same bed at night and not have to worry about suspicious parents.
“Oh, Karen.” Diane greeted her friend, “we were just talking to JC about what Marie offered you.”
Lance poked JC and JC shook away his thoughts to greet his mother.
“Mornin’ mom.”
“I know you probably wanted to tell him, but Jim and his big mouth over there...” Diane continued.
“Oh, that's alright.” Karen reassured her.
“That's great mom. I’m really excited for you.”
“Well, you’ll get your own room.”
“I know.” That was exactly what he didn’t want.
Diane placed a plate full of French toast down in front of JC and Lance. Last night had been so hectic neither had eaten any dinner, and the sweet smell of the powdered sugar and syrup filled their nostrils and reminded them both how hungry they were.
“When are we moving out?” JC asked, before stuffing his last bite from his fifth piece of toast in his mouth.
“Today. She said the apartment was basically ready to go. Jim took the day off from work to help us get some of our furniture out of storage and set it up in the apartment.”
“School.” Lance suddenly blurted out. “Oh my god. I completely forgot.” He glanced up at the clock. Ten o’ clock. He already missed his first two classes.
“Oh, Lance you can take the day off too. You can’t go to school like that. Plus you can help JC.” Diane waved her hand casually, signifying that it wasn’t a problem.
“Money.” Lance stuck his fork in another piece of French toast.
Lance opened the door to his room as the phone simultaneously rang. He dove towards the receiver, answering quickly.
“Hello?”
“Lance. Oh my god. You’re alive.” A high voice gasped from the other end.
“Yes, I’m alive, Bethany.”
“Joey told me. You should’ve called me.”
“How did Joey know? And, I was kinda distracted by other stuff.”
“Never mind Joey. And what other stuff?” Beth inquired hastily.
“Just stuff.” Lance shot a glance over at JC, who was seated on the edge of the bed.
“Well it better be some damn good stuff.”
“It is. It's wonderful stuff.”
“What the fuck is it?” Beth whined.
“I’ll tell you later.”
There was no reply, just a growl.
“I hate you. But... I’m glad you're not dead. I’m going to kick Justin’s fucking ass.”
“Jesus. Justin really has it coming. That's you, JC, Justin, my mom and my dad.”
“Well, he deserves it. And wait, JC wasn’t on his side?”
“No. Let’s just say you were wrong.”
“What?”
“Later.” Lance said in sing-songy voice.
“Maybe you should’ve died.”
“I have to go. JC and Karen are moving out today and we’re going to help them. Why aren’t you at school?”
“I am. I’m on my cell. You’re the talk of the school today Lance.”
“Oh. I didn’t know anyone cared.”
“They do when it involves the city’s best basketball player getting kicked of the team.”
“What?”
“Well, Kirkpatrick hasn’t done it yet. I don’t know if he’s going to now. But he’s not happy with him at all. Turns out he has a close friend who’s gay, so this really hit a chord with him.”
“Wow.”
“I know. Okay, I really have to go. Mr. Roberts is going to try to expel me.”
“Bye Beth.” Lance laughed.
“Bye, Lance.”
Lance hung up the phone. “She was just concerned...I guess.” Lance answered JC’s question without letting JC speak.
“Hey.” Lance sat next to JC on the bed. “Did you know that Kirkpatrick is really upset?”
“Yeah. He told me yesterday if I didn’t want to come back to the team he would understand.”
“Well, it also turns out that one of his good friends is gay. So he’s really upset personally. He might even kick Justin off the team.”
“But the tournament...” JC couldn’t help but wonder.
“Some things are more important to stand up for, JC.”
“You’re right, Lance. I just knew that that meant a lot to him too.”
“And to you.” Lance tapped the end of JC’s nose with his index finger and JC captured his hand before he could take it back. He placed feathery kisses in the palm of his gentle hand.
“You mean so much more.” JC said softly in between kisses.
“Josh.” Lance purred as JC began to lick and suck on the tip of his fingers.
“You’re suppose to be packing.” Lance reminded himself and JC.
JC stopped his ministrations to look up at Lance.
“I don’t want to leave you.” JC frowned and leaned forward, placing a kiss on Lance’s powder-sugar sweet mouth.
“I know, Jayce. But, you’re not. Fifth street isn’t that far. And I actually think its better. This way we can have more of a normal relationship. I don’t think that it would be healthy for us to live with each other right away.”
“You're probably right.” JC complied. “But I was so looking forward to being with you every night and holding you and talking you to sleep.”
The idea did sound appealing, but the rational side of Lance knew this was the better arrangement.
“You’re such a romantic.” Lance grinned and kissed his boyfriend again before standing up.
“C’mon, JC. Its time to get you packed.”
JC and Lance rummaged through what seemed like the hundreds of boxes that littered JC’s new room. They were given the job of sorting through stuff that belonged to JC and setting up his room, then the bathroom. While Jim, Diane, Karen and Marie all worked on the rest of the small house.
“Where do you want this piece of shit?” Lance asked as he retrieved an old basketball from the bottom of a cardboard box.
“Oh my god.” JC reveled at the item Lance held, before snatching it out of his hands. “I almost forgot about this thing.” he sighed.
“A basketball?” Lance raised his eyebrows.
“No. Not just a basketball, Lance. Look at that.” JC spun the ball around so the other side was facing Lance and he brought it closer to his face. Lance could barely make out what looked like a faded scribble on the orange ball.
“What?” Lance shrugged when nothing spectacular jumped out at him.
“Jordan.” JC practically glowed.
“Knight?!” Lance perked up.
“No!” JC scoffed. “You’re so gay.” he laughed, playfully hitting Lance’s shoulder.
“We’re here. We’re queer. Get used to it. Don’t fuck with us!” Lance quoted, laughing along with JC.
“Michael.”
“Who?”
“Michael Jordan. That's who’s autograph it is on the ball.”
“Oh.” Lance’s disappointment was evident.
JC threw the ball to Lance so he could get closer look.
“That's one of the only really great memories I have with my dad.”
“Really? What happened?” Lance placed the ball in his lap as he sat down and motioned for JC to join him.
“It was my fourteenth birthday. The local radio station was giving away tickets to the playoffs in DC and I remember I begged my dad to call in for me while I was at school to try and win them. I left the numbers and the times to call-in on top of the television. When I came home that day, he had them. I don’t know how he actually won them, but he did. Front row floor seats with a guarantee to meet Jordan and everything. God, I could’ve pissed myself I was so excited.”
“Did you?” Lance smirked.
“No.” JC rolled his eyes.
“But, it was like a dream. Watching the game so close I was practically being sweat on by the players.”
Lance made a disgusted face at that, but decided not to interrupt.
“Then afterwards the local DJ took a small group up to Jordan to get autographs and pictures. I was trembling, and I told him I wanted to be just like him.”
“What did he say?” Lance inquired.
“’Keep growing, kid’.”
“I think you still have quite a ways to go.” Lance looked his boyfriend up and down.
“I miss him.”
“JC, you only met for two minutes...”
“Smart-ass. My father.”
“Oh.” Lance nodded. He tilted his head to the side, letting it fall on JC’s shoulder.
“He is such a fuck-up, Lance.”
“Why don’t you at least call him?” Lance suggested.
“Eh. I don’t know what my mom would think.”
“I’m sure she would understand.”
“Yeah. I guess I will. Once, we’re settled down though.
“You know you’re not a fuck-up, JC. You’re the most wonderful thing that ever happened to me.”
“Now who’s the romantic?” JC remarked with a huff.
“Shut-up and kiss me.”
It didn’t take much coaxing for JC to place Lance’s soft chin is his hands and kiss his lips gently. His tongue moved forward licking greedily at Lance’s responsive lips. Lance opened willingly, caressing JC’s tongue with his own and moaning quietly, so as to not rouse any suspicion from the parents in the next room, as JC’s hand crawled up his back, eventually tangling in Lance’s blonde locks. Lance scrambled up slightly, scooted himself so he was sitting in JC lap, running his hands up his chest and resting them on his cheeks.
Lance breathed heavily onto JC’s lips. “I want you so bad.”
He moved his hands back down JC’s chest, hooking them under his shirt, and caressing his rippled abdomen. JC groaned and nodded his head, not trusting himself to form a complete sentence.
Lance started to undue the top button on JC’s jeans, rubbing his erection through his jeans. JC brought his mouth to Lance’s neck to stifle his moans, sucking slowly on his protruding Adam’s apple. Lance moved his hand under the denim and began to caress through the thin layer of JC’s boxers.
“Lance! JC! The pizza’s here!” Diane hollered towards JC’s room.
“Shit.” JC whimpered into Lance’s neck.
“Coming!” Lance called back.
They both snorted at the pun.
Then Lance gave a dejected sigh.
“I guess this can wait till later, huh?”
“You’re killing me.” JC gave him a sexy grin, and planted a final kiss on Lance’s milky neck.
“Don’t even think about dying yet. I have so much more I want to do to you and necrophilism just isn’t my bag.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” JC shook his head and Lance helped him up off the floor.