“So what’s your story Justin, why are you here?” Wow, this kid didn’t waste any time going straight to final jeopardy did he? I started to answer his question but then I thought, what the fuck made Brian think he had the right to ask me something so personal? We’d barely said hello to each other for fucks sake and all of a sudden he wanted to know my life story? Well I figured two could play that game.
“Why don’t you tell me your story first Brian,” I said trying to sound more confident than I really was. “Why are you here?” He looked at me with a smirk and stated simply “There’s not much to tell really, my mom and dad are fucking drunks end of story.”
The hurt and pain I saw in his eyes told me that it wasn’t quite as simple as he would have me believe. Even with me being in my own fucked up situation, my heart still went out to him. I suddenly felt an overwhelming need to protect him, to offer him my support and understanding. I vowed right then and there to find out everything I could about the beautiful brunet. Brian’s voice pulled me from my thoughts as he moved close enough for me to feel his breath ghosting over my face and practically purred “I showed you mine; now it’s your turn Sunshine.” My mouth went dry and I could feel the color staining my face and tried to hide my embarrassment as well as the obvious bulge in my Bugle Boy’s (unsuccessfully I might add) I stood there paralyzed while Brian eye fucked me relentlessly waiting for me to say something, anything but my brain wouldn’t allow my lips to form the words. Damn, how can someone I barely know have such an affect on me? We were still standing in the doorway in awkward silence when Blake joined us a self- satisfied smile on his face. Unbeknownst to us, Blake had been watching the whole exchange from the make-shift coffee bar on the other side of the room.
“Justin I see you’ve met Brian.” I nodded absently curious as to what their connection was. Were they just friends, family, lovers perhaps? My heart sank to the pit of my stomach at the thought of the possibility of the latter. Fortunately for me, my curiosity wouldn’t last long. Blake explained that he was Brian’s youth advocate and this was his first time to a meeting. I didn’t even want to think about how ridiculously happy it made me to find out they weren’t involved romantically. Although when I thought about it, Blake being Brian’s advocate made perfect sense. Blake could understand Brian on a level that would allow him the freedom to be open and honest about who he is. After all, they did share a lifestyle so he wouldn’t have to hide. Blake looked at his watch noting that the meeting was due to start in the next fifteen minutes.
“Why don’t you boys go grab a cup of coffee and have a seat, I have some paperwork to take care of before the rest of the group arrives,” Blake smiled and walked away. As we walked over to the seating area, Brian threw his arm over my shoulders after playfully swatting me on the ass and said “You’re not off the hook Blondie; you still haven’t told me anything about yourself.” In all fairness he hadn’t disclosed much about himself either, so I decided to call him on his bullshit.
“You haven’t said much of anything either green eyes,” I spat with my hand on my hip. The little shit actually had the fucking nerve to laugh at me and it pissed me off something royally.
“And what the fuck is so funny?”
“You, you’re fucking adorable when you’re trying to be indignant.” I felt myself blush again and to make matters worse, the hard on I’d managed to will away was returning … great. At that point I wished the floor could open up and swallow me whole.
“I’m so glad I could entertain you asshole.”
“It could be even more entertaining if we weren’t here for this useless meeting,” he whispered. Whoa, where did that come from? At first I thought I was just imagining things thinking he was really flirting with me, but the soft smile and subtle wink he gave me assured me that it wasn’t all in my mind. I let out a nervous laugh and was relieved when I heard footsteps approaching in the hall. A few moments later, Blake walked back into the room with three other members of the group. Shortly thereafter the room started to fill pretty quickly making it unbearably noisy in the small space. When the rest of the group arrived, Blake started the meeting in the usual manner.
“For those of you, who are joining us for the first time, my name is Blake and I want to welcome you to ALATEEN. I know some of you feel that you shouldn’t be here because you aren’t the one with the problem, nothing could be further from the truth.” It was true, most of the participants felt as if they were being treated like they were the addicts, like they were the ones who had to spend countless hours in rehab to rid themselves of an illness they didn’t even want to admit they had.
“The whole purpose of ALATEEN, is to help to understand your abuser’s illness and to equip you with the tools and knowledge of how you can help them to rebuild their lives,” Blake continued.
“Let’s start by introducing ourselves, newest members first.” Brian who up until this point, had been sitting with a bored expression on his face suddenly looked as if he could kill. I inwardly laughed at his misfortune and my good luck because now I would find out a little more about the kid. Brian slowly rose from his seat and cleared his throat.
“Uh…I’m Brian,” the obligatory simultaneous “Hi Brian” echoed the room causing him to scowl in frustration.
“And why are you here Brian?” Blake asked trying his best to gently ease him through the process. “Because you made me come here Blake,” Brian said angrily. The room grew deathly silent as Blake and Brian stared each other down.
“Yes, but why did I bring you here Brian?” I pushed to the edge of my seat watching him run a nervous hand through his hair and waiting to hear what he would say next.