Chapter Fourteen, Pt 2

“Jackpot,” he smiled to himself as he browsed the forum. He had conducted an online search in his bid to find others like him, confident that such people existed, and had come across a support forum for homosexual and bisexual teenagers. He hesitantly looked about himself from his seat in the school library, hoping that no one he knew – Tank especially – would happen by and notice what was on his screen, before leisurely browsing through the various threads. The site had a lot to offer, from places to vent to arranging meetings. It was during one such time that he came across who would turn out to be his first boyfriend.

They shared small-talk and stories over a coffee as they got to know each other, relaying their experiences of tolerance or discrimination and comparing notes. When it came to Ripp’s turn, he grew upset as he recounted all that he had to endure from the oldest members of his household. As innocent as he was then, he hadn’t noticed the warmth in the gaze from the boy next to him, although Ripp had shot him a sneaky glance now and then to drink in his chiselled features and flowing blond hair. His name was Michael, or Mike as he preferred to be known, and his rich blue eyes became sad as Ripp finished his story.

“Damn, you poor thing,” one of the others remarked.

“You miss her?” another asked with concern.

“Very much,” came the choked reply, “I just wish I could talk to her alone when she calls, so I could tell her everything…”

“Don’t you have a cell phone?”

“No,” Ripp replied with a shake of his head.

“Can always ask your old man,” one suggested, “Say it’s in case of emergencies – you wouldn’t be lying, that’s why my mom got me one.”

Ripp snorted as he gave a cold reply.

“Dad don’t care about me,” he growled, “He don’t even know where I am now. He never asked.”

“Hey, I’m sure he does really,” Mike soothed, nursing Ripp’s shoulder, “You’re still his son after all.”

“Not if he found out about this,” Ripp replied, his head turning to face him. Tears began to seep from his eyes, which Mike reached to brush away.

“Come here,” he offered, pulling him into his arms.

His eyes closed, blinking away more tears as he rested against Mike’s chest, drinking in his bodily warmth and enjoying his tender touch as he felt his fingers begin to stroke his hair. So long it had been since he’d felt such closeness with anyone, the warmth flowing through his own being was starting to seem unfamiliar. The blond boy began to peck his head as he held him closer, his free hand clutching Ripp’s as it rested on his lap. Ripp felt his heart begin to race as his eyes opened and his gaze lowered, watching as Mike’s hand caressed his own, allowing his fingers to stroke the lad’s hand in return before looking back into those beautiful blue eyes.

Their friends wore knowing smiles, deciding now was a good time to end the gathering and leave them to it, as much as they could in a public place.

Ripp thudded back to reality as he glanced about himself. The faces passing them by were unfamiliar, but no less accusing as they watched the two boys in their embrace. Sensing his apprehension, Mike released his hand but his arm remained round his shoulder as he spoke.

“We can go somewhere else if you’d rather,” he offered, “Don’t wanna sound pushy, but no one’s home…”

Not realising the true meaning of his remark, Ripp slowly nodded in reply. All he wanted then was to enjoy his touch somewhere without getting gawped at by strangers.

“Well, here we are,” Mike announced as they stepped inside his domain, “Make yourself at home.”

“Thanks,” Ripp replied, glancing about himself but suddenly becoming a little edgy. He had never been in this situation before, and now was unsure of what lay ahead.

“You okay?” Mike asked, his hands gliding round Ripp’s waist.

“Yeah,” came the response, “I’ve just never done this before.”

“It’s cool,” Mike smiled, guiding Ripp’s arms around him before drawing him in closer, “Just relax, let it happen.”

Ripp’s breathing quickened in anticipation as he felt Mike’s breath upon his face, his eyes closing as he tasted another boy’s lips for the first time. An unfamiliar heat spread throughout his soul as he soon became lost in Mike’s arms, pulling him near as their mouths began to caress each other.

As he grew more sure in his movement, he allowed his hands to run up and down Mike’s back, tightening his grip as they shared the blaze now fiercely burning between them. Ripp could feel Mike’s probing tongue as it sought to explore further, brushing against his own as their clutches strengthened. A moan arose from Mike’s throat as a hand lowered to Ripp’s rear, pushing his lower body against his own. Ripp grew aware of a hard object like a rod pressing against him, where he was already beginning to feel uncomfortable in a strange way. Funnily enough, the pressure now upon that area seemed to ease the ache a little, even adding a pleasurable feeling that he had never encountered before. His breathing continued to increase in pace as he too let out a soft moan, their lips parting as he felt Mike’s mouth upon his cheek and neck. He could feel himself perspiring, the strange sensation in his cargos growing more intense as he lifted his head, granting Mike’s lips easier access to the tender flesh along his throat.

Mike’s head raised once more to Ripp’s level, his eyes smouldering with desire as his voice lowered to just above a whisper.

“You want to come upstairs?” he offered.

Ripp eagerly nodded, not knowing what to expect but ready to embrace whatever it may be.

They wasted no words once they reached Mike’s room, gripping each other firmly as their mouths once more locked together, before tugging at each other’s shirts. Mike pushed them both towards his bed and onto the mattress as he continued to ply him with kisses, grinding their bodies together as Ripp’s tongue grew inquisitive, reaching for the warm cave of Mike’s mouth. The blond youth pulled them both to a sitting position, his hand firmly clutching the bulge in Ripp’s groin and prompting another delighted moan as their lips met again. He guided Ripp’s hand towards his crotch before his fingers worked at the fastening of Ripp’s trousers. Ripp moaned again as he felt Mike’s grip, deciding to try the same himself, and soon their hands worked together as they continued their embrace.

Mike pulled his head away a little, just enough to allow him to speak as his breathing deepened.

“You like that?” he asked.

Ripp merely nodded in reply, beginning to nibble at his bottom lip as Mike continued to knead him for a spell. He then removed his hand to coax Ripp’s lower garments away from his body, the brunette boy kicking off his shoes as he did so before returning the favour. He had heard about sex before, if only from his prejudiced father, whose abhorrence of all that took place now piqued his curiosity as he wondered just how hideous it really was. His heart quivered in anticipation and excitement at the prospect of being able to find out.

Mike paused for a moment to rummage in a drawer, producing a small foil package which Ripp eyed in bewilderment.

“What’s that?”

Mike smiled at the question, before briefly explaining.

“I’ll show you how to put it on,” he finished, passing the foil to him.

Ripp accepted the package and began to wrestle with it as Mike once more reached for him, talking him through applying the thin rubber jacket once Ripp had freed it from the metallic seal. Once it was in place, the older boy instructed Ripp to turn round as they slid off the bed, Ripp’s hands now resting upon the bedclothes as his heartbeat quickened again, this time with a slight anxiety.

“I’m a little nervous,” he confessed.

“You’re bound to be,” Mike smiled, “It’s okay, I won’t hurt you. Let me know if I am and I’ll listen, okay?”

Ripp nodded, firmly gripping the sheets as he felt him enter, chewing on his bottom lip as he gradually accommodated this new presence. Mike pressed forward a little too sharply, causing Ripp to grimace in pain.

“Ow,” he complained, “Slow down a little…”

“Sorry,” Mike apologised, before obliging. “This better?”

Ripp nodded and Mike continued to ease his way deeper inside him, prompting a gasp as Ripp’s eyes closed, his clutches tightening on the bedclothes.

“You okay?” Mike checked.

“Mm-hmm,” came the happy response.

Satisfied that he would no longer hurt him, Mike gave a moan as he plunged forth up to the hilt. Ripp’s back arched as he also gave a moan of delight, again nibbling his lip as Mike began to build up a rhythm.

“Does that feel good?” he murmured into his ear, planting a kiss on his cheek.

“Yeah,” Ripp groaned in reply, “Very… very good…”

He felt Mike’s breath on his face and turned his head to meet him, his eyes opening enough to peer back at the young lad who he’d granted such intimate access to his body. His hand laid on Mike’s face, bringing his head closer as he yearned to taste his sweet lips, moaning into his mouth as he once more felt Mike’s grip. Time lost its meaning as he immersed himself in his touch, enjoying the loving attentions he’d so sorely lacked at home since his mother had left.

“I don’t wish to see that, thank you!” she remarked in a light-hearted manner, watching as he stirred in his sleep. She had removed her hand when it grew obvious how far they were going, and now observed the boy with crossed arms and a playful stare as a smile flickered across his lips.

“Can I look again yet?” she asked no one in particular, leaning across to peer at his features.
Upon finding the same expression she did last time she checked, she rolled her eyes and feigned a check of her watch.

“Men,” she chided with a smile, “Well, they say a man thinks about sex every seven seconds.”

Her gaze flitted across to the green lad who was idly stroking his hair as they slept, and out of curiosity she investigated his memories for a moment. Her eyebrows twitched in wonder as she glanced between the two, while they continued to enjoy their very different dreams.

“Wow,” she acknowledged, her blue eyes once more resting upon the blond youth as a sadness tugged at her heart, “One year away from adulthood, and you’re the one who’s still a boy?”

Ripp seemed to settle, and to test the water she lay a finger once more upon his brow. Now it was merely his thoughts on what had happened, and to her relief they weren’t all good.

It had been nice, he admitted that much. Ripp could still picture them cuddled together afterwards as if it had happened yesterday, although even then it hadn’t felt quite as good as it could have been. Something was missing, only then of course he had no idea what. It hadn’t occurred to him at the time that Mike was mostly interested in the physical contact, even though he had plainly enjoyed his company in other ways. He was too young to realise that sex was meant to be a communication of love, and through the time that followed, he held no greater expectations of it than the gratification it offered him at the time. Looking back now, Ripp shifted awkwardly in his sleep as a rising tide of shame crept upon him. Now he knew better. Just a pity it took an exceptionally bad experience with one lad to make him realise the kind of damage he’d been causing himself.

“You’ve learned some hard lessons,” the woman muttered sadly as she continued to stroke his brow, “Haven’t you, my boy?”

The words drifted unheard through the air as she sought to explore further.

“Fight! Fight! Fight!”

Ripp pushed through the crowd of chanting teenagers in his bid to find out what this latest scrap was in aid of. His eyes widened when he recognised the now muscular form in the midst of the struggle, and grew angry as he threw himself among the grappling boys.

“Tank!!” he yelled as he pulled him off his opponent, before pushing him away, “What the hell do you think you’re doing?!”

“Get off!” Tank snapped, lunging forwards once more. Ripp exerted an unusual burst of strength as he forcefully shoved him backwards.

“Leave the guy alone!” Ripp snarled, “What’s he ever done to you?”

“He’s alien!” came the angry reply, “Don’t tell me you ain’t noticed!”

Ripp refused to glance behind at the blond boy in question, his attentions focussed on the youth in front of him.

“What if he is?!” Ripp challenged, “Live and let live? Don’t that mean anything…?”

“Don’t start that shit again,” Tank retaliated, his eyes narrowing at his younger brother, “Aliens are the enemy, remember?”

“That’s Dad talking,” Ripp reminded him, “Ain’t you got your own mind?!”

Tank stubbornly shook his head in disbelief as he gazed back at Ripp. “You don’t give up, do ya?” he sneered.

“No I fucking don’t!!” Ripp yelled back, the frustration now bubbling over as he could feel his fists clenching, “What’s happened to the real Tank, huh? You never used to be like this!”

Tank remained silent for a moment, glancing between brother and alien as the words stung at his blue eyes. Aware of this, he marched off without another word.

Ripp allowed a moment to compose himself as he nursed his brow, before a voice behind startled him.

“Thanks.”

Ripp turned to face the lad he’d saved from his brother’s wrath, noting that indeed he was alien, but still not understanding why that should be a problem. Forest green blood glistened on the boy’s lips as it trickled from his nostrils, complementing the jade sheen of his skin. His eyes weren’t the extraterrestrial black Ripp had come to expect however, his very human irises a peaceful shade of green. Nothing in his demeanour posed even the remotest of threats as far as Ripp was concerned.

Ripp dug into his pocket as he approached, pulling forth a tissue that he applied to the blond teenager’s face, soaking up some of the blood from his mouth and nose.

“I’m really sorry about this,” Ripp apologised, “As much as it pains me to admit it…”

“He’s your brother?” the boy finished with a wry smile, “Was kinda obvious from what you were sayin’.”

Ripp allowed his head to drop for a moment as the arms of despair and humiliation encircled him.

“Yeah, guess it would be,” he uttered, idly eying the emerald liquid upon his tissue. A hand laid upon his arm, and for some reason Ripp felt hot under the collar as he looked back up at him. There was a sadness in his eyes, understandable given his skirmish earlier, but there was also a kindness hinting that finally there was someone Ripp could turn to.

“I’m Johnny, by the way,” he introduced, a sheepish smile playing upon his lips as he realised they hadn’t even met.

“Ripp,” came the reply as they shook hands, Ripp marvelling at his gentle touch. “Johnny’s a cool name, wish I had a name like that.”

Johnny chuckled at his remark, before delivering his own.

“Ripp’s not bad,” he grinned, “Better than Tank.”

Ripp sniggered at his comment. “Yeah, true,” he smiled, finding himself trying to disguise the coy nature of that smile as he began to study Johnny’s features. Despite the bruises and the bloodied nose, Johnny wasn’t at all unpleasant to the eye, and Ripp was drawn to his smile and the gleam in his eyes.

“Look,” Johnny began, quickly pulling him from his happy ponderings, “If you wanna talk, I’ll be happy to listen.”

Ripp smiled with a mixture of gratitude and unhappiness as he considered his offer. It wasn’t as though he was in a position to judge after all, they were both frowned upon by the rest of society. Telling him of his orientation would be the easy part however, he mused.

“That’s very nice of you,” he accepted, “There’s a helluva lot to get through though…”

“I can tell,” Johnny observed, again laying a hand on his arm. “There’s a lot of pain there that needs to come out…”

Ripp’s eyelids bunched tightly together as his eyes ached, allowing the tears to trickle down his cheeks as the words of his new friend pierced his very soul.

She eyed the sleeping boy with a disgusted stare. Tank had become a bully? Where did all this spiteful talk come from? No, wait, that sounded familiar… Buzz! He’d been teaching their little boy to hate?! Unbelievable… Why did she have to take the short cut that night? Why couldn’t she have kept to the main streets? She did usually, so why were things so different? That act of foolishness had cost her life, and now she had no way to reach any of her children in this dark time, when they needed her so badly.

The night was crystal clear, the stars glistening upon the black velvet of the dark sky as Lyla ambled down the side-street. She hummed a tune to herself as she walked, her eyes darting about with no more than curiosity as she noticed movement in the shadows.

“Hey there baby,” a man’s voice purred in a low tone, laced with menace as its owner stepped into sight.

“Hi,” she greeted in a cheery manner, aiming to disguise the anxiety now growing within as her heartbeat quickened. “Not tonight thanks, I gotta get home.”

Another man appeared before her, joined by a third. Her face became serious as she realised she couldn’t joke herself out of this one.

“Look, I’ve got three little boys,” she persuaded, “Just let me go home, huh?”

A grimy hand clamped over her mouth as she was pulled into the darkness.

Ripp thrashed about in his bed as the scene unfolded before his mind’s eye, trying valiantly to drown out his mother’s screams as the tears began to flow freely down his cheeks.

“No,” he whimpered drowsily, “Mom…!”

Johnny’s brow twitched into a puzzled frown as he stirred from his slumber, his tired eyes widening in disbelief as he realised that Ripp was in the grip of what was plainly a terrible dream. He tried to sit up as he urged the troubled youth to wake from his agitated sleep.

The violence reached a crescendo in Ripp’s mind, pulling him bolt upright in his bed as a pained cry resounded from the depths of his throat.

“Nooooooooooooooooo!!”

Lyla’s ghost vanished as he awakened, leaving the stricken boy screaming and crying as it transpired what had happened. It was plain now, he had been fed those dreams by her somehow, and he had witnessed her murder. His mother was dead, his father a monster. His anguished heart felt it all too much to take.

“Hey, ssh, it’s okay…” Johnny soothed as he ran an arm across Ripp’s shoulders, but his words seemed to carry no weight.

“Mom!!”

Lights blinked into life from outside the room, their glare filtering through the gaps between Johnny’s door and its surroundings. The door then opened, intensifying the glow in the room and antagonising Johnny’s eyes as he looked up at the approaching figure.

“Hey,” Tank uttered as he sat by Ripp’s side, “It’s okay, just a bad dream…”

“It wasn’t just a dream!” Ripp whimpered in reply, “It was Mom…”

“Mom?” Tank checked in bewilderment.

“She’s dead Tank, I just saw it happen!”

Tank at first stared aghast at his younger brother, but his logical side was quick to sweep such news under the carpet.

“Whad’ya mean you saw it?” he challenged, “That’s impossible!”

“I don’t get it myself, but it’s for real, I swear!” Ripp protested, “It was like watching a movie!”

As movement beyond the room hinted at the volume of Ripp’s cries, Tank was left wondering whether the cracks were already beginning to show in his brother, or whether there could be any truth in his words. This was Strangetown after all, and however unoriginal its name, it had been called that for a reason.