Wild Child

Chapter 9

Over the next number of days, Brian spent more and more time away from the mansion. He went into Pittsburgh every day and did some work at Kinnetik. The rest of the time he spent in bed with Greg. Brian even stayed overnight in Pittsburgh several times. He called the house to tell Gus that he had been working late and was going to crash at the loft. Gus hadn't put up a fight so Brian thought he was all right with it.

Gus, on the other hand, was getting more and more upset about his father's absences. He thought he must have done something to drive him away. He withdrew more into himself, spending most of the day reading "Harry Potter". He was already on the third book, and he found if he read in the study off the master bedroom, Mrs. Hadley never found him.

Mrs. Hadley saw the subtle change in Gus. It started when he didn't want to swim even though the weather was hot and bright and ideal for swimming. Then Gus would disappear for hours on end. Mrs. Hadley wasn't about to go searching the house, but she was pretty sure she knew where he was. She started worrying that Gus might be heading for some kind of trouble.

When Brian called one night to say he would be home late, but that he was coming home, Mrs. Hadley decided to wait up for him. Mr. Kinney needed to know what was going on with his son.

Brian let himself into the dark house around midnight. He could see a light in the kitchen. He headed in there to get his usual bottle of water. He had reached the refrigerator when Mrs. Hadley spoke from the breakfast nook.

"Shit! You' scared the crap out of me."

Mrs. Hadley gave him a disapproving look in light of the language. "I waited up to speak to you about your son."

"About Gus? Is something wrong?"

"I'm afraid so."

"Why? What's happened?"

"Over the last couple of weeks Gus has started disappearing for large parts of the day. He hardly swims at all anymore, even though the weather has been very hot."

"What do you think he's doing?" Brian asked with a frown. He took a bottle of water from the fridge and opened it taking a long drink. He sat down at the table with Mrs. Hadley.

"I don't know for sure."

"But you have an idea," Brian stated looking at the woman who had worked for him for several years and had never asked him a personal question in all that time. She must be very concerned about Gus to be doing this.

"I don't think he leaves the house. I think he's found a hidden spot to read."

"That doesn't sound so bad," Brian said wondering why that would be a source of concern.

"He needs friends, not books. I'm very happy he is reading, don't get me wrong. However, there is more to life than books. I think he should be swimming and playing with his friends and riding a bike and doing all kinds of other things."

"You're right, but it's hard for him to meet other kids living out here."

"That's true, but he could join a club or a swim team or something."

"I was waiting till he started school to suggest that."

"You realize he's terrified of school."

"Terrified?"

"He says he hates it. To a teenager I think that means he's terrified, especially when he is smart like Gus and should have no problem doing the work."

"I think he's worried that no one will like him. He had some bad experiences at school in Toronto."

"He kind of hinted at that," Mrs. Hadley said thoughtfully. "But the other thing that worries me, and you're not going to like this…" She waited to see what her employer would say to that.

"Go ahead. I can take it," Brian said already steeling himself for what he knew was coming.

"Ever since you have started being away all day and sometimes all night, Gus has got more and more silent. He talked to me a bit when he first came here. Now I can hardly pry a yes or no out of him."

"Shit!" Brian reacted. "I can't be with him all day every day."

"I wasn't suggesting that. He just needs a little more of you than you're giving him right now. Once school starts he will be there all day."

"I need to sort out the school situation."

"Doesn't the private school west of here have an open house coming up?" she asked pointedly.

"Yes, I should make an appointment with the head of the school. I'm not sure they will accept Gus."

"Why ever not?"

"He … he didn't exactly pass last year. He was flunking every subject."

"But he's such a knowledgeable boy?" Mrs. Hadley said bewildered.

"Yeah, he is," Brian smiled. "Thank you for saying that."

"I said it because it's the truth."

That was one of the things Brian had always liked and respected about Mrs. Hadley. She told it like it was. "I guess I have some things to sort out," Brian said thoughtfully.

"I'd say so."

"Thank you for the heads up. I thought everything was fine."

"Kids can be tricky and teenagers keep a lot to themselves."

"He's not even a teenager … yet."

"Just think what you have to look forward to," Mrs. Hadley smiled as she stood up. "Good night, Mr. Kinney, and good luck." She walked away to go to her quarters.

"Thanks," Brian said to her retreating back. "I'm going to need it."

Brian took the rest of his bottle of water and headed upstairs. He opened Gus' door and saw the boy asleep with the fourth Harry Potter book lying on his chest. This sight had pleased him before, now it worried him. He went inside and removed the book kissing Gus' forehead once again. He would have to do something about what Mrs. Hadley had told him. He wished he knew what the fuck that was going to be.

Quietly he left the room closing the door behind him. He looked at the door to the room at the end of the hall wishing that Justin was there to give him guidance. With a sigh he went back downstairs and lit a fire in the fireplace. It would be another long night.

+++++

Gus walked out of his room. It was late morning but he had stayed up for a long time reading "Harry Potter", so he had slept in to make up for it. He hoped Mrs. Hadley had something good for breakfast, but if he had missed it, he could always have cereal. He crossed the hall and looked into his father's room. The bed was made and there was no sign of the man. He must have stayed in Pittsburgh again last night.

Gus let out a long sigh. He didn't understand what he had done. When he had first come there with his father, Brian had spent all day every day with him. They had had fun; at least Gus had thought they had. He had actually believed that maybe his life could be different, that maybe he could have a new start with his father. He should have known better. There must be something really wrong with him, something that made everyone turn away from him, made it impossible for him to be happy for more than a fleeting moment. He was such a screw-up.

Now everything in his life had changed again, and his father never seemed to be around, never seemed to have time for Gus anymore. He never even came home most nights. His father must really hate him. Gus let out a shuddering breath. He would have to admit to himself that he was unlovable. Nobody wanted him. Maybe he should run away, go back to Toronto. At least Jamal and some of the other guys liked him, as long as he helped them get their drugs. He wiped away the tear that had suddenly appeared.

He'd have to think about going back to Toronto. If his father didn't want him, he didn't know where else he could go. He sucked in a breath and decided to have breakfast before he tried to figure out what he was going to do.

As he walked down the big staircase to the front foyer, he could hear a voice. It sounded like his father was talking to someone on the phone. He stopped part way down the stairs and listened. His father must have spent the night in the library again. He wondered why Brian did that. Even so, his father was home and that was something.

Gus took a few more steps down and stopped when he heard his name.

"But I'd like you to meet my son, Gus … He's twelve … You could come out here and stay for the night … I can't be at the loft tonight … I think you'd like Gus … Greg, please … I need to see you … all right … in a few days then."

Gus had only heard one side of the conversation but it sounded like this Greg had been invited to the house to meet him. It also seemed that Greg didn't like that idea very much. Gus gave an involuntary shudder. This would be another person who couldn't stand to be around him. It sounded like his father wanted this Greg to be his boyfriend or something. Gus could only imagine what that might mean for his life. He quickly went down the rest of the steps and turned to go to the kitchen.

He stopped for a moment wondering if his father might like to talk to him. Brian hadn't seen him for a couple of days. "Get real," Gus muttered to himself. Nobody wanted to see him. Nobody cared what happened to him. He continued on to the kitchen.

While he ate the French toast that Mrs. Hadley made for him, Gus waited to see if his father would appear and at least speak to him. However, there was no sign of Brian during breakfast. Gus remained silent as he ate not saying any more to Mrs. Hadley than he had to.

She was reading the newspaper and Gus started reading the opposite page that faced him. Most of what he read was pretty boring. He realized she was reading the entertainment section and he kept waiting for her to turn the page so he could get to see what movies were on. That was, until he realized that nobody was going to be taking him to any fucking movie.

Finally she turned the page folding the paper back and starting to read a new part. Gus looked at the print that now faced him. It wasn't the movie listings unfortunately. It was the art scene. He glanced quickly at it as he finished his French toast. Then something caught his eye. It said there was an opening in two weeks at the Sidney Bloom Gallery in Pittsburgh and the artist was Justin Taylor.

Gus almost gasped when he read the name. It had to be their Justin, the blond guy in all the pictures with him and his dad, the guy who had painted the big canvas in the library where his father was right now. He wondered if his father knew that Justin was having this show. Brian had told him that Justin was in Europe, so he probably didn't know. Gus wondered if he should tell his father. He really didn't know what he should do about this.

Gus carried his empty plate over to the counter and then left the kitchen. Mrs. Hadley watched him go. He had been as silent as ever this morning. She didn't think that Mr. Kinney had talked to his son yet, but he needed to do something fast. She didn't like this silent Gus at all.

As Gus headed for the stairs to go up to his room, he heard his father's voice coming from the library once again. He stopped and listened.

"I could bring Gus there later this morning … I think you'll find he's a bright boy … I don't have all that information but I could get it faxed to you … I'll try to have that done before I arrive with Gus, but it is the summer holidays … Thank you for seeing us … I hope we can work something out."

Gus headed upstairs wondering where his father was planning to take him. Maybe he was through with his son and was planning to take Gus to an orphanage. But his father had said he was a bright boy. Gus liked hearing that. He didn't think you had to be bright to be accepted at an orphanage.

Gus grabbed his Harry Potter book and headed for the master bedroom. He quietly closed the door behind him and passed through the room. He wondered if his father and Justin had ever spent any time in there. He walked into the room off the master suite and made himself comfortable in the bay window. He looked out onto the pool at the back of the house. He thought maybe he'd have a swim later today, since he might not get many more opportunities if he was going to be sent away.

Gus opened his book and prepared to lose himself in the adventures of Harry and Ron and Hermione. That would be the best he could hope for, living vicariously through the characters in this book.

Gus had been reading for quite a while. His bookmark told him that he had read five chapters when he heard his name being called.

"Gus! Gus! Where are you?" his father's voice boomed down the hall.

Gus cringed. He wasn't supposed to be in here and now he was likely to be caught. He didn't know whether to go hide in a closet or just admit where he was. Suddenly he could hear muffled voices in the hallway. They seemed to be coming closer. Gus sat frozen in the window seat.

"Gus," Brian's voice said from the doorway.

Gus looked up and mumbled, "Sorry."

"What are you sorry about?" Brian asked.

Gus looked at his father. He didn't seem to be mad. Mrs. Hadley hovered behind her father.

"I know I shouldn't be in here, but I was just reading," Gus explained holding up his book.

"Who said you can't be in here?" Brian asked.

"You never come in here," Gus said.

"Just because I don't doesn't mean that you can't," Brian said gently.

"You mean it?" Gus said with relief.

Brian nodded. "But I need you to come with me to the private school down the road. We have an appointment with the principal in half an hour. You need to clean up."

Gus frowned. He wasn't sure he wanted to go to this meeting, but at least it wasn't an appointment with an orphanage. "What should I wear?" Gus asked.

"Mrs. Hadley will help you pick something. I have to make a few more phone calls."

Brian abruptly left the room and Gus could hear his father's bare feet slapping against the hardwood as he quickly crossed the bedroom.

Mrs. Hadley smiled reassuringly at Gus. "Come along, Gus. I'm sure we can find something nice for you to wear."

"I don't have a suit," Gus said softly. This meeting sounded important.

Mrs. Hadley chuckled. "It's summer, Gus. Nobody wears suits. We just need a shirt and some long pants."

"That's bad enough," Gus groused.

Not long after, Gus was seated beside his father in the big Mercedes. They were on their way to the appointment with the principal. Gus remained silent wondering what was going to happen. Brian glanced at his son and frowned. He wished Gus would talk to him about what he was feeling, about his fears and about what had happened at school in Toronto.

Brian half snorted. No one would believe that the infamous, cold hearted, Brian Kinney would actually be wishing to talk about feelings. But this was his son, and he'd talk about anything that would help the young man.

Brian pulled the Mercedes into an empty spot in the parking lot. There were quite a few cars already parked there. Brian could see some people wandering around the grounds, each of them ushering at least one child along with them. The open house was in full swing.

Gus got out of the car slowly. Brian watched him not liking the reaction he was seeing.

"Give it a chance," Brian said gently.

Gus tried to smile but it came out more like a grimace. "I'll try."

Brian could feel the fear in Gus' voice. "This is just a preliminary meeting. We don't have to decide anything today. Okay?"

Gus nodded and Brian squeezed his shoulder. They made their way inside the school. Brian followed the signs towards the office. As they reached the door to the main office, it opened and a boy with dark skin about Gus' age came out with his parents.

"What do you think, Ravi?" the man asked his son.

"It seems like a nice enough place," Ravi said non-committally.

Gus watched them pass by and he gave Ravi a little smile of sympathy. The two boys exchanged a look knowing that they were both in the same boat.

"Let's go look at the grounds," Ravi's father said giving his son a little push towards the front doors.

Gus watched them till they disappeared from sight. Brian had gone into the office and was talking with a secretary. "Gus," he called after a minute. "The principal is ready for us."

Gus released the door that he had been holding open as he watched Ravi and his parents disappear out the front door of the building. He walked into the office and followed his father to a wooden door that opened. A middle age man introduced himself as Mr. Jennings. He asked the two to come in and indicated chairs on one side of his desk. He sat in the big chair behind the desk and picked up a file which he quickly perused while Brian and Gus waited. Gus had a sinking feeling about this. He had been in the principal's office many times in his other school. It always worked the same. He'd be in trouble here too.

"So, Gus, how do you like our fine school so far?" Mr. Jennings asked.

"It's okay."

"Would you like to attend school here?"

"I don't know. Maybe."

"Well, I see that you've had some problems at your previous school. The kind of trouble you got into there won't be tolerated here. Do you understand that?"

"Yes, sir," Gus replied. He knew how to play this game. He knew the right answers to give. That didn't mean any of it was true.

"That's a step in the right direction," Mr. Jennings said. "Gus, would you like to go look around the school while I talk to your father for a moment?"

Gus looked at his father who nodded. Slowly Gus stood up. He thought he'd lay it on thick. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Jennings. I'll meet you by the car, father," Gus said formally.

Brian tried not to snort and he did manage to refrain from doing so. He gave Gus a wink before the boy disappeared out the door.

"He seems like a nice boy, but I am very concerned about his grades. He really shouldn't be starting high school with these marks." Mr. Jennings was holding a transcript that Brian had managed to get sent from Toronto with a little help from Melanie.

"I know he wasn't doing well, but he's trying to turn over a new leaf. If you look back a few years, you'll see he was top of his class. He has had some social problems that affected his grades."

"I understand that," Mr. Jennings said. "I'm willing to give him a probationary spot in first year, but he will have to pull up his socks. I'm going to give you some work that needs to be completed before the first week of school. I will expect you to supervise Gus' studies. If he can successfully complete this work, he can start school with the rest of the first years on September 8th."

Brian groaned inwardly, but he nodded to Mr. Jennings who proceeded to go over the requirements that Gus would have to fulfill to gain entry. Brian thought Gus should have been there to hear all this, but Gus had been sent away so Brian would have to try to remember it all.

Meanwhile Gus was wandering the halls of Bramley Hall. They had some interesting science labs with a lot more equipment laid out than he had had in his public school in Toronto. That might be good. Each classroom had an older student inside who would answer questions about that subject. Gus wondered where the teachers were, but maybe they were still on vacation. He'd like to be on vacation forever.

"Any questions?" the student helper asked Gus as he wandered into a lab with pickled frogs and other gross things lined up along a counter.

"Do we get to dissect those?" Gus asked.

"Not first year, but later."

"Gross."

"It's not so bad. If you're interested in medicine."

"I'm not," Gus said not liking the way this guy looked lovingly at the pickled animals.

"Too bad."

"Can you tell me where the art room is?" Gus asked.

"You one of those sissy artist types?"

Gus blanched. "No, I'm not. I just want to see it."

The aide smirked at him. "Out the door and to the left. End of the hall."

"Thanks," Gus said as he beat a hasty retreat. That guy reminded him of some of the older boys who had given him problems in the past. He was mean like they were, but he hid it better under his school uniform.

Gus never did get to the art room. As he exited the science lab, he saw his father come out of the office. He ran down the hall to Brian.

"You ready to go?" Brian asked.

"I've seen enough," Gus replied, and he had.

"Then let's go."

"What's all that stuff?" Gus asked seeing the sheaf of papers that Brian had in his hand.

"I'll show you when we get home," Brian said. He hoped Gus wouldn't blow up when he saw what the principal wanted from him.