Jamie Lawrence

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***************************************************************************** Jamie Lawrence - Chapter Seventeen

When Sunday rolled around, Darren's nerves were fried. Even morning mass hadn't soothed him. The idea of meeting Kyle's family was terrifying, but also rather exciting. If anything, it was a clear sign that Kyle intended to stick around.

When Darren had mentioned his nerves to Kyle, Kyle had been his usual self. "Oh, shush Baby Doll. They'll just fall head-overz for you! Just like I did."

That had done almost no good for Darren, and now he found himself stepping off the bus around the corner from Kyle's parents' house with rocks in his stomach. His only solace was that he would be spending the whole day with his little Angel.

Kyle had been living with his parents, having been too scared to stay alone in his own flat. He said that the words 'I'll Get You' were etched on the inside of his eyelids, and as a result, he was now staying in his childhood bedroom.

At the door, Darren knocked twice, but the voices within the house didn't falter, so he tried again. He knocked and knocked until his knuckles were sore when finally he gave up and simply walked in.

Seeing the family for the first time, Darren was stunned. He had grown up with just his Mum and Dad. No uncles or aunts, and grandparents who never visited meant that his house was never busy.

The Summers, however, were a hectic bunch. Three men, one in his fifties and two in their twenties, were in the lounge screaming at the television. Three women and Kyle were in the kitchen, frantically keeping track of six pans and a thousand other things. Two little boys, no more than seven, were running around screaming at each other and an ancient looking Newfoundland was wandering up to Darren looking completely exhausted.

Darren dropped to his haunches to greet the old dog. "Hey you!" he said in the 'cute' voice that people always adopt when speaking to dogs. "Aren't you gorgeous!" Darren wrapped his arms around the huge dogs shoulders and gave it a hug. He took a surreptitious look at its underside and established that it was a 'she'.

Greeting the family had gone out of his head. Darren had always wanted a dog, especially a Newfoundland. His mother, unfortunately, was allergic. Now he was looking at the most beautiful pooch he had ever seen and he was in love. He spotted the nametag on her collar. "Kiki."

He put his hand out in front of the dog and she immediately put her paw into it. "Hello, Kiki. I'm Darren." Kiki licked his face and then let off a deep, chest-vibrating bark.

This bark alerted Kyle to Darren's presence and he came bouncing out of the kitchen. "Hey lovey! I see you've met my baby girl," he said, giving Kiki an affectionate rub on the head.

"She's lovely. I might have to steal her before I leave tonight."

Kyle winked at Darren. "Who says you're leaving tonight?" Kyle leaned down and kissed Darren; a kiss that left no question as to what he was thinking. "Well, let's get you introduced!" Kyle grabbed Darren's hand and pulled him to his feet. He dragged him into the kitchen, Kiki on his heels. "Alright ladies! This here is my sexy beast of a beau. Hands off!"

The three women dropped what they were doing and came over to inspect Darren while Kyle made the introductions.

"This is my Mummy dearest; Klarissa." He pointed to a heavy set woman in her forties. "This one is May- she's Kevin's- my eldest brother's wife." He pointed to a six foot imitation of Aphrodite. He turned to the last woman, who had held back from the other two, seeming unsure of herself. "This is Becky. She's Karl's fiancée." He leaned in to Darren's ear. "The wedding is in a month!" he said in a conspiratorial whisper.

Darren was about to speak, but Klarissa was turning him around and examining every inch of him. She gave his bum a quick squeeze. "He'll do nicely."

"Oi! Behave youself, mother. Come on, Darren. I'm sure the football will be infinitely more interesting than us four girls cooking." Kyle took Darren's hand and led him into the lounge.

He pointed to the twenty-nine year old. "That's Kevin. The two little brats running around are his." Kevin shook Darren's hand before he sat back down and returned his attention to the football game.

Kyle pointed to the next member of his family. "That's Karl." Karl nodded at Darren. "And this!" shouted Kyle as he jumped into the lap of the middle aged man in the arm chair. "Is my Diddy."

"Diddy?" asked Darren.

Kyle giggled. "When I was five, he told me that I was 'diddy', but I turned it around on him, saying that he was my 'Diddy Daddy'. I've called him Diddy ever since." He kissed his Dad on the cheek. "You should probably call him Keith."

"I think I'm detecting a theme in the names of this family."

Keith laughed and wrapped an arm around Kyle. "My wife thought it was fate that she and I had 'K' names so she wanted to keep it going, so we ended up with Kevin, Karl, Kyle and Kiki. It's a nightmare when we get post for 'K Summers'."

"It gets better!" said Kyle happily. "Kevin's sons are called Nicholas and Nathan. May is pregnant and if she has a girl, she'll be called Nadine. If it's a boy; Niel."

Darren sat on the couch and was immediately joined by Kiki. She placed most of her body on his lap and rested her head on his chest.

"I think you've made a friend there," said Keith.

Darren spent the next hour getting to know the men of the family as they screamed and shouted at the television and the disappointing performance of the teams involved. When dinner was served in the dining room, the ensuing chaos staggered Darren.

Every arm shot into the middle of the table for one plate or another. The ladies fussed over the two young boys, while Kyle made Darren's plate for him. Karl and Kevin stood in the doorway for a minute, finishing cans of lager. Kiki was the only calm one. She slowly moved to her bed in the corner and flopped down with a grunt.

About halfway through dinner, however, she sat up and barked loudly before growling in the direction of the hallway. After a moment of concern, Darren thought he heard a car speeding away. Kiki ran into the hallway and returned a moment later to deposit an envelope in Darren's lap. He patted her on the head. "Thank you, beautiful."

The envelope wasn't sealed, and since nobody was looking besides Kyle, he opened it.

Inside was a photograph which Darren stared at, confused. It was of North Manchester General Hospital. Kiki sniffed at the underside of it and Darren turned it over. On the back, written in red paint were the words 'I'll still get you, Kyle.'

"Oh, fuck," muttered Darren.

"What have you got there, babz?" asked Kyle, snatching the photo from Darren's hands.

"No!" said Darren, not wanting Kyle to worry.

As Kyle looked at the photo, and then the message on the back, his face paled. "But...how..."

"What's going on, dear?" asked Klarissa while she cut up Nathan's dinner.

"Nothing, mother." Kyle grabbed Darren's hand and dragged him into the hallway. "I can't stay here! He knows where I work, and somehow that I'm staying here. I can't put my parents in danger like this."

"I'm sure they would just worry if you weren't here."

"I'm not going to let this fucker hurt my parents!"

"So what then?"

Kyle buried his face in his hands. "Then I move back to mine. My parents won't be involved."

"You're not staying there on your fucking own! No way."

"Well I'm not staying here!"

Darren searched his brain for a solution and found one that he actually really liked. "Fine. Then I'm moving in with you. I'm going to protect you."

"Then I...wait, what?"

"I'm moving in with you to protect you. I'm not letting the guy I love get hurt!"

Kyle looked like he was about to argue, but froze. Finally, he jumped into Darren's arms and locked lips with him. They kissed for a long time until they heard a young voice say "Eww! They're kissing like Mummy and Daddy!"

"That's because they're together like Mummy and Daddy," said the older boy, Nicholas. "They're boyfriends, right Mummy?"

"Yes, sweetie," said May sounding exhausted.

Kyle pulled away from the kiss and blushed. "I think they're on to us."

"No! Absolutely not. Not in a million years!" said Michael, shaking his finger in Darren's face. "I'm not going to entertain this ridiculous idea for a second longer!" He could feel his blood boiling, and Tanya's continuous reminders about his blood pressure were not helping.

Darren conversley, seemed perfectly calm. "Dad, I'm doing this. Besides, it's only temporary."

"I don't give a shit! You are not moving in with that boy! You're sixteen!"

"Really?" asked Darren sarcastically. "I hadn't noticed."

Tanya turned to Darren. "Now, Darren. Do you really think that sarcasm is going to get you what you want here?"

"NOTHING is going to get him what he wants, Tan. I am NOT letting this happen!"

"Dad. I'm doing this with or without your permission. What are you going to do? Lock me in my bedroom?"

"It's a fucking thought!"

"Now, honey," said Tanya. "Be reasonable. Given the things that some teenagers are doing nowadays- and the things that Darren has done in the past- don't you think that moving in with somebody is quite low on the list of potential travesties?"

"I...I..." Michael stammered.

"It's not like I'm going to vanish," said Darren placatingly. "I'll be here after college every day before I go to meet Kyle at the hospital, and it's not like he lives in Siberia."

"Fine!" shouted Michael. "Do what you want!"

Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks?" said Darren. He was sitting cross legged in Kyle's living room facing Kiki who was patiently waiting for Darren to give his next command. "I just taught her to 'speak'!" Kiki barked and Darren chuckled.

When Kyle and Darren had tried to leave the Summers' home, Kiki had blocked the door and cried loudly. It was only when Darren took off his coat that she stopped. Then the moment he put it back on, she started again. It was decided, there and then, that she would temporarily come to stay at Kyle's. It seemed she had fallen hopelessly in love with Darren.

"Kiki. Speak!" Kiki barked again and Darren chucked her a morsel of chicken. "Okay; Cuddle!" He commanded. She clambered to her feet and put her head on Darren's shoulder while Darren wrapped his arms around both of hers. "That's my girl."

"Hey!" said Kyle from the kitchen doorway. "I'm getting jealous over here!"

"She'll probably do it if you give the command too," said Darren earnestly.

"Not her, you ninny. You!"

Darren chuckled. "Oh." He jumped up and pinned Kyle to the wall, sliding his tongue into the little man's mouth. Pulling away, he said "Better?"

"Oodles." He smiled. He seemed lost in thought for a moment. "Dazzle, are you sure about this? I mean, we only had our first date last Saturz. Isn't ten days a little fast to start playing house?"

"Yep. It's way too fast, but it's kind of exciting too, isn't it?"

"But, what about your parents? They must be foaming at the mouth!"

Darren smiled a little sadly. "My Mum understands, but my Dad is furious. I'm not changing my mind though. I'm here until we know you're safe. Now, when is bedtime?" asked Darren with a sly smile.

Kyle took Darren's hand and led him towards the bedroom. Kiki seemed to know what was about to happen and stayed on her little bed. Inside the bedroom, Kyle pulled off his shirt and lay on the bed. Darren stared at his trim physique and felt himself plump up.

As much as Darren loved Kyle, and desperately wanted to do this, he was shaking to his core. "You okay sweetie?" asked Kyle. Not trusting himself to speak, Darren just nodded. "Oh. I get it." Kyle climbed back off the bed and kissed Darren. "We can wait if you want. I don't mind."

"I really want to do it. I'm just..." He breathed shakily.

"Scared. I know. I remember the first time I was with a guy. 'Course I was thirteen and drunk..." Kyle kissed Darren softly. "Tell you what. We'll go really slowly, and if you want to stop, just say so." All Darren could do was nod.

Kyle pushed Darren onto the bed and straddled his lap. Much to Darren's enjoyment, they kissed for a good five minutes. Darren's dick strained against the denim of his jeans and he started to moan as Kyle rubbed his dainty hands across the tenting material. Darren's hands roamed wildly over Kyle's bare chest, acting almost as eyes as they recorded every little bump and each inch of soft, supple skin.

When Darren had finally started to relax, Kyle helped him off with his shirt and undid the zipper on his jeans, at last releasing the pressure on his throbbing erection.

"Lie back," said Kyle. Darren did as instructed, lifting his hips slightly as Kyle pulled his jeans off. He heard them hit the floor and two seconds later, he gasped as he felt Kyle's lips wrap around his seven inch dick. He rolled his eyes back in his head and revelled in the feel of Kyle's warm mouth.

To Darren's dismay, Kyle pulled off and rose to his feet. He struggled out of his skin-tight jeans before he slipped his thumbs into the waist band of his skinny briefs. "Wait!" said Darren.

"What's wrong?"

Darren didn't speak. Instead, he fell to his knees and replaced Kyle's hands with his own. Very slowly, milimetre by milimetre, he started to pull the briefs down. He kissed the three little stars on Kyle's stomach, before kissing his shaven pubis.

As the briefs came lower still, Kyle's five inch hard-on flipped upwards, tapping against Darren's chin as if it were trying to get his attention. Not wanting to disappoint, Darren kissed it at one-inch intervals before wrapping his lips around the base.

"D...Darren..." said Kyle, clearly enjoying himself immensely. "Not that this isn't...ah...fucking awesome..."

Darren released Kyle's dick and kissed up his chest until he reached his lips.

Kyle pulled away and turned to his chest of drawers. "Remember, you can say 'stop' at any time." From the drawers he pulled a towel, a condom and a tube.

"What's that?" asked Darren, pointing at the tube.

"Don't tell me you've never heard of KY jelly before."

Darren shook his head and Kyle sighed. "You really are woefully innocent. He laid the towel on the bed and turned back to Darren before kissing down his chest again. Once he was on his knees, he ripped open the condom wrapper and rolled the rubber over Darren's quivering erection before slathering it with a generous helping of KY.

He took Darren's hand and pulled him down onto the bed before rolling to lie on his front on top of the towel. It didn't take more than a few of Darren's brain cells for him to work out what he was supposed to do next.

He couldn't hear anything over the sound of his heart. Everything felt almost like a surrealist painting and at any moment, everything would melt away leaving him hopelessly unsatisfied. He took a deep, steadying breath and hovered over Kyle's naked form. He used his hand to guide his dick to its goal, shaking as he did. When he felt the head press to Kyle's pucker, he started to breath more heavily.

He pressed on and felt his helmet breach Kyle's rosebud. Kyle let out a sound somewhere between a gasp and a moan. Fearing for Kyle, Darren paused.

"Is something wrong, Dazzle?" asked Kyle, clearly sensing Darren's hesitation.

"N-no." Gathering that Kyle was fine, he pressed on, and in. Internally, he counted off, inch by inch until he felt his pubes pressing against Kyle's cheeks. Feeling his dick, so enveloped and warm; the pressure of Kyle's bottom squeezing his dick tight, Darren let out a small gasp. He rested his forehead on Kyle's shoulder and just enjoyed the feel of it for a moment.

"Fuck, this feels incredible," said Darren breathily.

"It'll feel better when you start to move," said Kyle, tittering as he did.

Taking the hint, Darren pulled out just a little before he pressed back in. He pulled out further before returning, and before long he found the perfect rhythm for both he and Kyle. After a minute or two, Kyle started to moan into his pillow and lifting his arse to meet Darren's thrusts.

"Oh, God!" cried Kyle. "Yes!"

Darren was in Nirvana. Discarding the notion of worrying about Kyle, and forgetting his own nerves, he started to thrust hard and fast into his little boyfriend.

"Ah! Fuck me, Darren!" shouted Kyle.

Kyle started to whimper and moan, grabbing the bedrails. He buried his face in the pillow and screamed into it as Darren felt Kyle's arse tighten around his dick.

"Fuck!" screamed Kyle.

This did it for Darren. His climax, that had already been building, was shunted forward by Kyle's tightening and his screams of ecstasy and Darren came hard and fast, filling the condom to overflowing.

He flopped down onto Kyle's back and the pair just lay there, breathing heavily, spent.

Darren made to lift off Kyle's body, but the little man shouted "No! Just, stay in me 'til you're soft."

And stay he did, until finally, the pair fell asleep in the same position.

The following morning, the two bustled about in the kitchen getting ready for the day. "Do you want a brekky smoothie?" asked Kyle, dumping three bananas and an assortment of other fruits into the blender.

"Sure." He finished buttering his toast and sat at the table. "Kyle, I want to talk to you."

"Oh. It's about last night, isn't it? I know I tend to get a little...um, expressive, but..."

Darren laughed. "It's not about last night you goose."

"Oh. Okay."

"It's about this whole stalker situation. I think you need to make some changes."

"Like what? Start wearing a wig? I actually have a few so that won't be too much of a stretch."

"Behave. No, I mean...well for a start, no more cigarette breaks. I want you to stay inside the hospital all day, unless somebody is going with you."

"Ooh, harsh."

"And I don't want you to ever be in this house alone. I'm going to meet you at the hospital every day at the end of your shift and we'll come home together." Kyle came over and sat in Darren's lap, handing Darren a smoothie as he did. "And I'm going to see if I can get you some Pepper Spray."

"It's nice having a guy worry about me," said Kyle, planting a kiss on Darren's lips.

"I'm also going to strip the paper off that wall. I'm sick of looking at that message."

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" bellowed Jamie in the middle of the foyer of Bury College.

"Thanks, Titch," said Matty accepting Jamie's hug and kiss on the cheek.

"You're officially older than all of us again."

"It has its advantages," said Matty. "I can be condescending to all of you again!"

"When are you not?" asked Shane.

"Okay!" shouted Jamie giving Shane a hard stare. "I have to go to a lesson right now, so I'll give you your present later." Jamie smiled and gave Matthew another hug.

He turned and kissed Shane on the lips which, for once, didn't bother Matty. He flitted off to his lesson, leaving Matty with Shane and Darren.

Matty had never had much cause to hang around with Darren in high school, but he found that he liked the guy. He only ever had nice things to say about Jamie, Shane and his boyfriend; Kyle. Also, he was into all the same sports as Matty.

Matty was about to suggest they all go to the Cafteria for breakfast when he saw the most spectacular thing he had ever seen walking towards him; Oliver Rose.

Oliver walked over to Matty with quick little steps. He was wearing the same old hoody and, as ever, had his books clutched to his chest. His eyes were still down, though he frequently glanced up at Matty. When he drew near, he looked up shyly.

"I didn't know it was your birthday," he said simply, pointing quickly at the '17' badge on Matty's chest.

"Yeah, you rushed away so quickly last week that I didn't get chance to tell you."

"I would have bought something."

"No need," said Matty honestly. Just hearing Oliver's musical voice was gift enough.

"I guess this'll have to do." He stood on his tiptoes and pressed his cherry lips to Matty's right cheek. Matty's eyes went wide. For him, everything slowed down, and all there was in the entire world was Oliver's lips on his cheek. When Oliver pulled away, his hands still clutched around his books, he blushed. "Happy Birthday. I'll see you in Economics." He walked away quickly, his head down and his quick little feet darting down the stairs.

Matty pressed his hand to his cheek and watched Oliver scurry away, his eyes still wide. Shane and Darren stood either side of him and put their arms about his shoulders. "I think our boy here is smitten!" said Darren to Shane.

"Can't tell you what a relief it is!" said Shane.

Matty was still frozen, watching Oliver disappear.

"Matty?" asked Darren sounding concerned.

"I..."

"Wow," said Darren. "This boy's really got you, hasn't he?"

Matty walked into Economics at noon and took his seat next to his little red-head. Since that first day in Business Studies, he had found that he and Oliver had three of their four subjects in common, and thanks to Matty's persistence, they now sat next to each other in all three.

He removed his coat and looked sideways at Oliver who was, as usual, blushing. "Hi Oliver."

"Hello," said Oliver quietly, not looking up from the desk.

"I loved my present," said Matty, a goofy smile on his face. Oliver turned an even deeper shade of red and hid behind his red locks, a slightly abashed smile on his face. "Now I can't wait 'til next year."

Oliver looked as if he were about to catch fire when the teacher rescued him by standing and announcing the lesson's work. He assigned an essay and told the class that they had one hour to write two thousand words.

Matty had never had any difficulty when it came to writing essays. He could write coherently and never got flustered about time constrictions. What DID stall him was when the teacher said "Go!" and Oliver's pen burst into life, flitting across the page at near light speed. He watched the little fireball go before he casually picked up his own pen and started to write at a far more langourous pace.

After forty minutes, Matty was losing interest. He had long since passed the two thousand word requirement, though he still had more to say, yet he found himself paying more attention to his right hand.

Being that Matty was a lefty, and Oliver was a righty, that left two hands in between them with not very much to do, and over the course of the last twenty minutes, Matty had casually inched his hand closer and closer to Oliver's, which was delicately resting on the desktop.

What Matty would not have given just to hold that hand for a moment; to gently kiss each knuckle. All he could think was how wonderful it would be, but somehow his hand seemed to get heavier the closer it got to Oliver's.

After what felt like an eternity, he was in touching distance. Both boys had their palms pressed to the table top, their fingers splayed out. Matty carefully moved his pinky finger to just brush against the side of Oliver's.

As he made contact, a wave of excitement washed through him. Oliver's skin was so soft. Oliver didn't move away, but his whole demeanour changed. He had tensed up inside his old hoody. Disappointed, Matty moved his hand away.

Again, there was a shift in Oliver's posture. His body relaxed, but he stopped writing. Matty returned to his essay, but out of the corner of his eye, he could see Oliver's hand rise a centimetre off the desk and move inexorably toward Matty's. Matty waited, his heart in his mouth.

His little hand came to rest with the ring finger and pinky resting on the back of Matty's hand. Matty froze. Somehow it felt as if he were dealing with a wild deer and if he were to move too suddenly, the skittish little creature would flee. He had to admit, however, that feeling just those two fingers on his skin was the most thrilling thing he had ever experienced.

Oliver seemed to relax at last, the tension going out of his body. Leaving his hand where it was, he picked up his pen and returned to his writing, even as Matty continued to do the same. Again, a couple of minutes passed and Oliver's hand, seemingly unbidden by its owner, moved over another inch, and then another until finally, Oliver's hand entirely covered Matty's.

Matty's breathing had become irregular. He was tenting in his jeans. He could feel a slight nervous sweat breaking out on his forehead and his mouth had gone dry.

When the teacher stood and said brightly "Right, you lot. Papers on my desk, and get out of my classroom!" neither Matty nor Oliver moved an inch. They hadn't written anything for the last five minutes. Instead, they had been gently stroking each other's hands, never making eye contact and never speaking. They simply held hands.

"That means you two as well, Misters Rose and..." he glanced at his register. "...Donovan-Samuels. Christ, that's a mouthful."

They rose and Matty nodded, his mouth still dry. They were still holding hands when they walked to the teacher's desk, when they walked out of the class and into the next one.

When that lesson ended, they walked down to the cafeteria, still hand in hand. When they sat down having collected their lunch, Matty sighed.

"What's the matter?" asked Oliver, his voice quiet as ever.

"I can't eat with one hand, but I'm afraid if I let go of your hand now, you'll never let me hold it again." He kept his fingers interlocked with Oliver's and tightened his grip, afraid to let those delicate fingers slip away.

Oliver blushed. "I promise I'll let you hold my hand again." He seemed just as reluctant as Matty to separate.

They pried their hands apart and Matty tucked in to his fruit salad. He chewed a piece of pineapple slowly, wrestling with a quandry.

He and Oliver hadn't spoken since his hasty departure from the cemetery, and the question of Oliver's unusual graveside declaration still hovered in Matty's mind. He had to ask, but he was frightened of inciting the same reaction from the boy.

He remembered something else Oliver had said to Ronnie and decided that he could lead with that. "So how's Uncle Walter?"

"How did you...?"

"I heard you mention him to Ronnie."

"Oh. He's fine. He had cancer but he finished his chemo and it looks like they got it." He took a tiny bite of his sandwich and chewed slowly, not meeting Matty's eye. "I know what you want to ask."

It was Matty's turn to blush. He hadn't been as clever as he had thought. "I shouldn't ask though. You know what curiosity did to the cat."

"It's okay. My therapist says it's good for me to talk about it." He popped the last bit of his meagre meal into his mouth and swallowed. He scooted closer to Matty. "It was in February. Ronnie had moved in with his boyfriend and I didn't like it. He had always been there, always with me. Then suddenly he wasn't, and I resented it."

"I started acting out at home. Ignoring curfew, not doing my homework. Typical teenaged rebellion stuff." Matty put down his spork and rested his hand on the table. Oliver immediately interlocked his fingers with Matty's, sending a thrum through Matty's heart.

"Anyway; on Valentine's Day I went into the City Centre with a bottle of Vodka and a spliff and got plastered." He lowered his eyes, looking sad. Matty gave his hand a squeeze. "I guess my parents must have called Ronnie 'cause I wouldn't answer my phone. He called me and I started to yell at him."

"Ronnie was his usual self. Really nice to me, even though I was calling him all the names under the sun. Finally he asked me where I was. He promised he would stay with me that night, so I told him where I was and he said he'd pick me up."

He paused. Matty could see his chin wobbling. "It's okay. You don't have to tell me," he said, even though his insides were burning with curiosity.

Oliver shook his head. "I was in some stupid alley near the Gay Village, and about ten minutes after I spoke to Ronnie, six guys came round and spotted me." Oliver started to squeeze Matty's hand tight. "'Look! I found a faggot!'" said Oliver in an exaggerated voice.

"They taunted me for a while, but 'cause I was high, and pissed, I didn't really do anything. One of them kicked me in the chest and broke my rib. When I screamed, they laughed."

He was shaking. Matty moved closer and wrapped his arm around him.

"I started crying, and then I heard Ronnie shout my name and saying 'Get the fuck away from him!' The guys turned on him. 'Look, another faggot!' Ronnie was trying to get past them, throwing them against the walls and trying to keep them away from me."

"One of them headbutted him and he fell on the floor." Oliver started crying openly.

"Oliver, you can stop." Having an imagination as vivid as Matty did, it was like watching Oliver's story on a screen. Imagining the terror in his little red-head's eyes; the pain in Ronnie's. Matty's heart was breaking.

Again Oliver shook his head. "I sat and watched them kick him and kick him. I lost count of how many times." A tear fell down his cheek. "I watched them kick the life out of my big brother."

"I heard a siren somewhere and they all ran off, leaving me and Ronnie in the alley. I couldn't even fucking recognise him. His face was swollen and bleeding. He was coughing blood all over me."

He went silent for a few minutes. "It's not like in the movies," said Oliver lamely. "There's no famous last words. Ronnie was just looking at me, and then he wasn't." He buried his face in Matty's chest and cried. There were funny looks from the people around them, but Matty just stroked the side of Oliver's head, tears falling from his own eyes.

"He should've just left me. Somewhere in the middle of all of it, I shouted 'No, Ronnie, just go.' He should've just left me. It should have been me; not him."

"And you blame yourself," said Matty, his voice almost breaking. Mutely, Oliver nodded.

"Who is Jamie talking to over there?" asked Darren, flicking his cigarette into the bin.

Shane looked over. It was a boy of about 5'6 with blonde, short, curly hair and a bright, infectious smile. "His name's Theo. He's in Jamie's German class."

"Well, I don't want to alarm you, but I think 'Theo' is flirting with Jamie."

"What? No. Don't be silly."

"Why is that silly? I hate to break it to you, but your boyfriend is a little hottie. If he and I were both single, I'd definitely have a go."

"Darren, I know we're back to being friends, but I'm not above breaking your nose again."

Darren held up his hands in surrender. "Not that I would try anything. I've got Kyle." His eyes glazed over for a moment when he mentioned Kyle. "Where was I? Oh yeah. Just because you and Jamie are together, it doesn't mean other guys aren't looking at him."

Shane pondered that for a moment. It was true that he had become complacent. He felt so certain that Jamie loved him that he had all but stopped doing anything romantic. Jamie had complained of this once before, but Shane, teenager that he was, had thought that he could get away with it.

"So what should I do? Punch Theo?"

"Or maybe a less violent solution?" said Darren teasingly.

"Maybe I should do something romantic. Make sure Jamie has no reason to stray." Darren didn't respond and Shane eyed him. He was staring off in to space. "Darren?"

"What? Oh, sorry. I was thinking about Kyle."

"Yeah, I can see that." Shane pointed at Darren's crotch which was swelling rather noticably.

Darren grimaced. "Fuck. I'm gonna have to go the toilets and sort this out before class." He took off his coat and dangled it in front of his crotch, concealing his raging hard-on. "I'll see you in Maths."

Left alone, Shane sat and watched Jamie and Theo. They were running about, hitting each other with rolled up newspapers, giggling as they went. Shane ground his teeth together and started imagining all manner of horrific things happening to Theo.

Suddenly Jamie looked up and spotted Shane. He smiled that beautiful smile of his and waved at Shane with both hands. All the hatred immediately went out of Shane's body and he walked over to slip his boyfriend a little tongue.

"But I still have lessons to go to," said Oliver, his face still covered in tears.

"Like you're going to be able to concentrate," said Matty. The two were still holding hands, but Matty was taking advantage of this to drag Oliver to the Millgate.

The Millgate was the shopping centre in Bury town centre and was frequented by students with nothing to do between lessons. Matty pulled him into the building and into the very first shop; Cards N' Stuff. It wasn't cards he was interested in, however. He walked straight to the display in the centre of the store, grabbed a stuffed dog, put it into Oliver's arms and looked at it critically.

"Nope. Doesn't fit." He put it back and grabbed a stuffed cat. He tried that in Oliver's arms and shook his head. "Nope." He put the cat back. He circled the display and found the perfect animal. He hid it behind his back as he came around to Oliver.

Oliver, as usual, was blushing. "You don't have to get me..."

"SHH!" Matty stuck his finger over Oliver's lips to quiet him. He drew his other hand from behind his back to reveal...

"An Orang-utan?" asked Oliver, eying the monkey sitting happily in Matty's arms.

Matty grinned. "It has Velcro in its hands so that it can hang off your neck! Look." He pulled the primate's hands apart and wrapped them around Oliver's neck. As he did, he caught a whiff of Oliver's hair and he almost swooned. He smelled incredible; unbelievable.

Matty recovered himself. "There; it's like having a permanent hug. It even matches your hair." As if to confirm it, he took a lock of Oliver's hair and pressed it against the Orang-utan's head. "See? So what what are you going to call him?" he asked, still playing with the lock of hair, feeling its silky texture and wishing that he could bury his face in it.

"How about...Matty?"

"Matty?" asked Matty.

Oliver nodded, a smile pulling at his beautiful little lips. "Because you're both cheeky monkeys."

"Orang-utans aren't monkeys. They're apes."

Oliver poked Matty in the chest. "Yes, but 'Cheeky Ape' doesn't sound as good, does it?"

Matty rolled his eyes and smiled lop-sidedly. "Come on. Let's pay and then get some coffee." Matty took Oliver's hand and the two walked off together.

I hope you liked what you've read.

Chapter Eighteen will be along shortly. Happy New Year, chaps!

Bobby.