Justin told them to wait for them at the diner. Brian could see how nervous Michael was. It didn’t matter how much he told him this guy was lucky that he said yes. There wasn’t much choice that Brian had because he knew Michael wanted this. He thought all this was stupid, who wanted a boyfriend? It was stupid to tie yourself down.
What could only be described as a boat on wheels pulled up beside them. The front doors to the car opened and out stepped Justin and David Cameron. Brian couldn’t believe what he was seeing, David Cameron down here with the peasants.
“David,” Michael said with a sigh and silly smile. Brian caught Justin’s eyeroll. Apparently, he wasn’t the only one that thought this was nauseating.
“Hope I’m not a disappointment,” David said, crossing over to stand in front of Michael.
“What is this monstrosity?” Brian asked, pointing to the barge parked in front of the diner.
“This is a classic,” Justin said with an offended look. “And she’s all mine.”
“Who gave you this…this thing?” Brian asked him.
“It was my great aunt’s. I found it just sitting in one of the barns. My dad had it tuned up and they said I could have it.”
“It’s a convertible, which makes where we are going better,” David said.
“It’s a land barge is what it is,” Brian said shaking his head.
David and Michael got into the backseat which left him in the front with Justin. After they were all in, Brian decided to see why all the secrecy.
“What’s with the cloak and dagger stuff?” he asked.
“I just didn’t want Michael saying yes or no because of who I am.”
This struck Brian wrong and ruffled his feathers a bit. “You think Michael is shallow?” he growled.
“I didn’t say that. I think Michael is the most genuine person I’ve ever met. But there have been rumors about me that I was worried that would color his opinion.”
Brian snorted. “You mean that you’re just like your old man,” Brian sneered. David’s father had owned GS Dale with a partner, it had been the livelihood of the town for decades. The partner died and David’s father sold the factory to the highest bidder. The company that bought it did, because it was competition, they closed the factory and put almost everyone in the town out of a job. That included his own dad. His dad was a supervisor at GS but had to start all over. He got a job at the dog food plant at the edge of town, technically in Hanson and not Call City. But now his dad was just a janitor, making him angrier when he drank. It was another reason he was glad he got kicked out, the beatings were getting more violent by the day.
“I don’t think we should be comparing ourselves to our fathers,” David said, getting Brian’s attention. “I ran into yours at the drug store the other day, he was yelling at Mr. Parker about him not giving him his full prescription.”
“Yes, let’s not talk about fathers. I mean I don’t even have one,” Michael said. He knew his best friend well enough to know he was trying to break the tension with his glib response. “Where are we going?”
“So glad you asked. First, we are going to Tommy’s. Then we’re going to the drive-in. It’s the last week Independence Day will be showing,” David said.
“We’ve already seen it,” Brian told him.
“We all have but you don’t go to drive-ins to watch movies. Haven’t you ever seen Grease?” David asked.
“Not that kind of gay,” Brian said, looking out the window.
He could hear chatting go on around him but blocked them out. Soon they were pulling into Tommy’s, a 60’s leftover from another time. A carhop skated out to them and took their order. Justin put the top down and even he had to admit, it was pretty nice. It was the start of Fall so soon the weather would turn too cold for this. This was probably the last weekend it would be nice.
David and Michael got out of the car and when to a picnic table to eat their food and talk. Justin and he stayed in the land beast.
“Are you sure you can control this thing?” Brian asked after he swallowed a bite of his hamburger.
“I didn’t stall out once, thank you very much.”
“I saw you with David the other day. I didn’t know you knew each other,” Brian said. He had decided to get to know more about the blond.
“My great aunt and his family were friends. After her family was killed, they made sure she ate and took care of herself.”
“Killed?”
“They were killed in a hit and run in ’71. She didn’t want to keep going but her friends here helped her. “My great aunt died not knowing who took her family away from her.”
“A hit and run? Probably a drunk,” he said. He had seen his father drink and drive countless times. His mom on the other hand drank but she never drove. He knew she had a license, but she didn’t drive. His dad would mock her saying things like her being a terrible driver. For a split second he thought maybe his father or mother could hit someone and keep going. But then he remembered in ’71, his dad was fifteen and his mom was fourteen, neither old enough to drive let alone have their own car.
“Probably. Let’s talk about something else. What are your plans after graduation?”
“College, much like anyone else’s. I have scouts coming to watch me play. That means hopefully a full ride. Then I’ll get a degree in business or something and be rich. You?”
“Art school but that’s all on a hope and a prayer. They are really hard to get into, the good ones. I want to go to Pittsburgh Institute of Fine Arts. But I haven’t put all my eggs in that basket. I want to be a famous artist, I always have.”
“Well, I want to make money, but some people can’t live off mommy and daddy when the world won’t buy my drawings.”
It had its desired effect, Justin’s face closed off and he shut up until Michael and David were back in the car. The silent treatment lasted until they were at the drive-in. Justin parked where David told him to park. It was in the corner and Brian noticed they weren’t in view of many cars. They were pretty closed off but could see the screen well. It didn’t take long before David and Michael were huffing and puffing in the backseat. Justin got out of the car and Brian followed, he didn’t want to hear Mikey get it on with the rich boy.
Up near the concession stand there were several picnic tables so people could eat outside of their cars, a small speaker hung on the end, it was turned on, Brian turned it off. Justin sat down and Brian sat opposite of him.
“Do you want anything?” Brian asked. Justin just shook his head. “Why don’t you sit with us anymore? Emmett and Mel already feel like shit about what they did.”
Justin shook his head, pulling a sketch pad and pencil seemingly out of nowhere. “I forgave them a while ago.”
“So why not sit with us?”
“Pride, I guess. I know I overreacted but it’s hard to admit that.”
“Then don’t. Just Monday sit back at the table and let the pieces fall where they do.”
“Is that what you would do?”
“Fuck yes.”
They sat in silence for a while, Justin sketching and Brian watching him. It was surprising how good he was. Lindsay was an artist, but she didn’t hold a candle to Justin. In the span of ten minutes Justin had an outline of Brian with the drive-in screen and cars behind him.
“What time do you have to be back home?” Brian asked him.
“My parents and sister are in Pittsburgh this weekend because my dad had some business. So…I don’t.”
“Want to come back to my place?” Brian asked.
“Or you could come to mine,” Justin proposed.
Justin was so nervous, they had dropped Michael and David back off at the diner, which was closed. The other two wanted to go somewhere and ‘get to know’ each other. Justin just hoped they were safe because he didn’t know where David’s dick has been.
When they got to Justin’s house, Brian smirked at him.
“What?” he asked the older boy.
“Just pictured you somewhere more fancy instead of here.”
“We needed a fresh start,” Justin gave the reasoning his mother gave him.
“I’ve been in this house before,” Brian said as they entered.
“What? Really?”
“Yeah, when I was little. My grandfather brought me.”
“Was he friends with my aunt?”
“Don’t know, I just remember there was crying.” Brian looked like he knew more but wasn’t saying anything.
“She wasn’t a happy person,” Justin said, shrugging. He never saw his great aunt happy.
“Want to show me your bedroom?” Brian asked suggestively.
Justin didn’t have to be able to read minds to know what was on Brian’s. “That depends. Are you going to treat me like you don’t know me on Monday? Avoid me like before?”
“I suspect you won’t let me.”
“I’ll only have sex with a boyfriend.”
“Since when?”
“Since I decided that I don’t like strange men touching me.”
Brian looked angry but didn’t seem angry at him. “Who?”
“Some old guy at the club they took me too. If Mr. Murray wasn’t there, I don’t know what more would have happened, he didn’t seem to want to take no for an answer.”
“Next time that happens, break his fucking wrist.”
Justin laughed. “I did threaten him that I would break his hand if he didn’t remove it.”
“Good. I don’t do boyfriends so that’s not going to happen. I fuck who I want to fuck, being tied down in an imitation of a hetero relationship isn’t something I’m willing to do.”
Justin was afraid of that, but he wasn’t willing to let himself go in favor of Brian. “I guess that’s that. I’ll take you home,” Justin said, grabbing his keys from where he put them.
There was a sigh from the older boy. “Wait…”
Justin paused, looking over at the older boy. The light from the living room lamps were making a halo over Brian’s head. That was something that Jusitn wanted to draw.
“I guess it wouldn’t kill me to have a boyfriend but I’m going to fuck who I want.”
The look in Brian’s eyes told Justin he wasn’t budging on that. So, either Justin had a boyfriend that slept around, or he had a friend that he fucked.
“What about me?”
“I don’t care if you fuck other guys, girls or trees, that’s not my business.”
“Alright.” Justin grabbed Brian’s hand and led him upstairs to his room. It was just for the school year, both of them were going their separate ways after graduation anyway.
The slamming of the screen door woke Brian up with a start. Looking around he saw Justin’s eyes were open too. They could hear loud talking and a child’s laughter.
“Fuck, my parents are home already,” Justin whispered.
“How cool do you think they would be?” Brian asked.
“Not cool at all. Quick, out the window.”
Hell no, that wasn’t happening. Brian got up and quickly got dressed. “I’m not going out the window,” he said, looking out the bay window. It was a far drop, he could climb down the tree, but it looked like it was going to fall over any day now.
“Please, Brian. I will do anything if you just go out the window.”
“How the hell and I supposed to get home? I live miles away and don’t feel like walking.”
“Go to the barn by the road, I’ll pick you up there in about twenty minutes. Don’t go in, my mom says it’s dangerous and will fall any minute. Please, Brian, you are my boyfriend now, you should at least want me not to be grounded for the rest of my life.”
He knew agreeing to the boyfriend thing was going to be the end of him. “Fine but if I fall to my death, it will be your fault.”
“Yes, yes, all my fault, I’ll mourn you until the end of time. Now get out,” Justin said, pushing him to the window.
Brian opened the side of the bay window and slowly climbed out. Stretching so he could grab the limb to the pull his body to the tree. Just then someone started to knock on the door. “Wait,” he said, as Justin shut the window and closed the curtains. “So much for loving boyfriend,” he griped. Justin was a quick learner about everything else though, so he could be forgiven. Slowly, he made his way down the tree and breathed a sigh of relief as his feet hit the ground.
He made sure he wasn’t in view of the house as he walked to the end of the long driveway and found the barn close to it. There was a heavy looking lock on the double doors, but as Brian walked around the barn, he found a smaller door, it had a lock on it, but the lock was broken open. Opening the door, he went inside and stopped in his tracks.
“What the fuck?” he said, looking around.
There were old newspaper clippings, all about the death of Justin’s aunt’s family. Then there were several polaroid pictures with names on them. There was a picture of his grandfather, on the tab of the polaroid had his grandfather’s name. Under it had pinned up paper, it had two categories, yes and no. Under yes there were things like ‘drunk, no eye contact.’ Under no there were things like ‘In Louisville at the time.’ His grandfather wasn’t the only one like this. There was about ten people only a few Brian didn’t recognize.
A hand fell on his back, causing him to jump. “I told you not to come in here.”
“What is this?” Brian asked.
“It took me a while to figure it out, but I think she was trying to solve her family’s death. These were her suspects.”
“That’s my grandfather. He’s long dead,” he said pointing at his grandad.
“She had crossed him off, look see the X,” Justin said, pointing to the end of his grandfather’s name.
“I thought that just meant he was dead.”
“No, because look here, there is an X here, but I know they are alive,” Justin said, pointing to Mr. Calloway from a few farms over.
Something occurred to Brian, the pictures were old and worn but the paper under them looked new.
“This paper is new. When did your aunt die?”
“Four years ago. The barn had a lock on it when I found it. Mom said the barn looked ready to fall but I was curious. After finding this, the ink on the yellowing paper was almost invisible, but I was able to copy it. Some were eating by bugs and mice, but I got most of it.”
“Half these people are dead. What good is it to bring all this up now?” Brian asked, looking at all the pictures.
“I think it will let my aunt rest in peace, it’s always there on my grandmother too.”
“Well, she’s marked off five. That only leaves five, one of them is dead but four are alive.”
Justin’s blue eyes widened. “You know these people; you can help me.”
“Do I fucking look like Dick Tracy to you?”
“Please Brian, if I can solve this, it might put my family back together again.”
“And tear up another one.”
“So, you won’t help?”
“When you’re stuck on something, I’ll help you out but I’m not putting my time and energy into this wild goose chase.”
“Thank you. Let’s go before they wonder why my car is still at the bottom of the drive.”