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Author's Chapter Notes:

(Will Justin get into PIFA this Time?)

Things were very different for Justin this time around.  News of his impending wealth had gotten around at St. James Academy and everyone wanted to be his friend.  Chris Hobbs, for one, and even Dickhead Dixon, and that was messing with his mind.

 

He looked around the school at the people in his classes and saw that he wasn't the only one that had been picked on, some were made fun of.  After talking it over those were the ones he and Daphne decided to befriend. 

 

Prom was coming soon and while he was fairly certain that Hobbs wouldn't be bashing him this time around, he wasn't sure he wanted to chance it.   If Daphne turned out to be insistent about going, he might risk it. 

 

It was a good thing that Daphne decided that matchmaking was a great idea.  She made a list matching all the girls who were never asked out with the boys who were too shy.  So far it seemed to be working out.  Hell, even Emmett and Ted took an interest was making sure his friends weren't hooking up with someone who might hurt them.

 

QAF

 

Brian had been acting antsy lately, so Justin suggested a night at Babylon.  They got there together and took in the sight of half-naked men, some wearing cowboy hats, jockstraps, and boots dancing in their cages above other half-naked men dancing on the floor.  Justin had a Deja vu moment before Brian dragged him onto the dance floor.  After a few songs, he noticed that he had lost Brian.  He looked around and spotted him on the second level.  Heading for the second level he stopped to watch two guys checking each other tonsils and remembers his remark of disdain.  He’s older now and views it differently this time around.

 

Opting not to say anything, Justin was happy when Brian slung an arm around his shoulders and pulled him over to the gang. 

 

Michael joined them with a frown firmly in place.

 

Emmett asked Michael, "What happened to Hunkalicious?"

 

"He tried to drag me into the back room!"  Michael said indignantly.

 

"The nerve."  Emmett was going with sarcasm as he danced to the beat.

 

Ted joined in.  "Treating you like a piece of meat."

 

"He gave me a hard-on," Emmett whispered to Ted. 

 

"Likewise," Ted responded, and Justin had to laugh.  He remembered the cause of this conversation.  Someone had finally come on to Mikey and he was upset.

 

Brian leaned toward Michael.  "So? You should do him!"

 

"What do you mean, do him?"  Michael can be so naive.

 

"Perhaps you should get him an instruction manual," Justin suggested to Brian.

 

"Such a smart boy."  Brian leaned in to whisper in Justin's ear.  "I was thinking the same thing."

 

"David would kill me," Michael informed them.

 

"David doesn't need to know," Brian told him.

 

"As if you'd even be tempted with Dr. Dreamboat in your bed," Emmett said before turning to see what Ted was up to.

 

In the meantime, Brian collected his coat and was putting it on.  "I'm leaving." He turned to Michael.  "Shouldn't you be going home to see your hubby?"

 

"He's going to some boring business diner."

 

"Hold on, I'll come with you," Justin suggested.

 

"Not tonight," Brian answered as he walked away.

 

"Where's he going?"  Justin asked Michael once again.  He remembered asking Michael the same thing last time and could tell that Michael knew and wasn't going to tell him.  Having to deal with Michael was such a pain, but he lived in hope.

 

Knowing it was going to drive him crazy, Justin said goodbye to the boys and headed home to the loft to look through his binder to see if there was something about this time that would give him the answer he needed.  It was frustrating to realize that things were going on around this time that he hadn't paid attention to, which could affect his and Brian's future.   He did his best to try and piece back together what he remembered.

 

He remembered going back to his old house to tell his mom he'd been accepted into PIFA and finding out that his parents were selling the house.  He wasn't sure that would be happening this time.  Not to mention he didn't have to worry about who was going to pay for his tuition.

 

Soon he was going to turn eighteen.  He was fairly certain that Lindsay and Melanie were not getting him anything, which meant that he would not be going to the concert and meeting Ethan.  He fell back on the bed.  Right now, things were going well in his life so why did he have this feeling of impending doom?

 

At least the starting up of Brian's business was in the talking stage, if only they could keep Ted's mind on it.  Ted was going on about this guy Blake, the one who'd given him drugs and left him before he went into his coma.   He was bitching about how Emmett was giving him a hard time about it.

 

"I'm sorry, Ted, but I have to agree with Em on this," Brian said.  "Talk to him about cleaning up his act, then maybe you two could have something going.

 

Later Brian confided to Justin that this might be what Mysterious Marilyn was warning about.

 

Then there were the problems Michael was having with his boyfriend David.  Brian had come back from the baths and found Justin in the loft doing some drawing.  He decided to tell Justin where he'd been and why.

 

Justin drummed his pencil against his paper.  "You went to a bathhouse?  Why didn't you want me to go?  I wouldn't have mind furthering my education."

 

"You're not quite ready for that," Brian said kissing the pout off Justin's face.  "Come to think of it, Mikey's not ready either.  You remember Mikey telling us that the Doc was having dinner with some clients?"

 

Justin nodded.

 

"Well, guess who I ran into at the baths."

 

"David?"

 

Now it was Brian's turn to nod.

 

"You going to tell Michael?"

 

"It's none of my business where the Doc goes."

 

"How do you think Michael will feel when he does find out and that you knew and didn't tell him?"  Justin asked.

 

Brian groaned.  "Fuck.  I thought you didn't like Mikey?"

 

"It's not so much I don't like him as it is that he doesn't like me."  Justin went back to his drawing.

 

"Doesn't matter because I like you," Brian declared.

 

"You don't like David.  Why is that?"  Justin asked.

 

"Besides the fact that he lied about where he was?  He's turning Mikey into a snob."

 

"That's not David's fault.  Michael can't seem to do anything without someone telling him what to do.  Look, suppose David decides to move, maybe to be closer to his son and Michael goes with him.  Think about it, Michael doesn't have you or his mother around to tell him how to live his life.  He'd be burning up the phone lines wanting you to tell him what he should do on everything.  You know that's true.  What about a job?  Would he even try for one?"

 

"So, what are you trying to tell me?"

 

"Even if he left with David, he'd end up right back here where his friends are."

 

"How'd you get so smart?"

 

"Fifteen hundred on my SATs."  Justin smiled his sunshine smile.  "Oh, by the way, this came in the mail."

 

Brian took the envelope and looked at the return address.  "It's from the Pittsburgh Institute of Fine Arts.  I didn't know you'd applied."

 

"Well, it was either that or Dartmouth."

 

"So, what's it say?"

 

"I'm afraid to open it.  Will you?"

 

Brian went to his desk to get a letter opener.  He slit the envelope and pulled out the sheet.  When he doesn't say anything, Justin started to worry.

 

"Well, what does it say?"

 

"Congratulations, Picasso."

 

"I got in?"

 

"You got in."

 

Justin shrieked and jumped into Brian's arms.  Brian grabbed him and swung him around before taking him to bed. 

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