You Don't Know Me

Marcus had been able to snag a table at the club, and he was glad to be sitting. He had Michelle’s purse next to him as he watched her dance with Tony, smiling to himself. While he was definitely enjoying watching Michelle’s body shake around, he hated dancing himself. He was glad she had someone to dance with.

Over the din of the exuberant crowd, Marcus couldn’t figure out at first where the noise he heard was coming from. Then he suddenly realized that Michelle’s cell phone was going off in her purse. Fishing it out, he rose to hand it to Michelle. “It’s ringing,” he told her, and Michelle flipped open the phone as she walked from the dance floor. Tony followed them and sat down across from Marcus. “It’s Sean’s parents,” Michelle said with confusion as she checked the caller id. Putting one hand over her ear to muffle the sounds of the club, Michelle answered.

“Hello…? No, it’s okay. What’s going on…?” Michelle’s face froze and Marcus knew immediately that something was wrong. “Is he okay…? Which hospital…? No, Tony’s with me. We’ll come right there.”

“What happened?” Tony’s face was pale with fear. Sean’s parents had said something about a hospital to Michelle. “Was it a car accident?”

Tears filling her eyes, Michelle shook her head. “No, um, apparently Sean got into a fight or something in the parking lot and… and he hit his head and… and he’s not awake yet…” Michelle’s voice broke off due to the sobs she was trying to hold back. “I… I told his parents we’d be right there…”

Taking Michelle into his arms, Marcus felt her body heaving with fear. He looked into Tony’s eyes, which were glassy by now. “I’ll drive,” Marcus said determinately. “Come on.”

The entire car was silent as Marcus drove towards the hospital. Tony sat beside him in the passenger seat, staring stonily out the front windshield. Behind him, Michelle was in the back seat leaning forward, her chin resting on the seat and her arms wrapped around Tony comfortingly. After what seemed like forever, they arrived.

Rushing into the hospital, Michelle found Sean’s parents immediately. Surprisingly, Janette was there too, sitting beside them in the waiting area of the emergency room. “What are you doing here?” Tony asked Janette, whose eyes were puffy and red from crying, as she rose.

“I, um, I saw what happened,” Janette’s voice was shaking as she looked at Tony. “I tried to stop it, but… I couldn’t. I called 911.”

“How is Sean?” Michelle turned her attention to his parents.

A small smile crossed Sean’s mother’s worried face. “He woke up a few minutes ago,” she said softly as her husband put his arm around her shoulders. The relief was evident in her voice. “He had to get eighteen stitches, and he has a concussion, but he’ll be alright.”

Letting out a heavy sigh, Tony smiled at Sean’s parents. “I’m so glad to hear that,” he said, his eyes filling with tears of relief. Turning towards Janette, Tony reached for her and hugged her. “Thank you so much,” he told her.

“No,” Janette pulled back. “I wish I had been able to… to stop it before anything happened. And it was Luke… He was drunk and being a dick, and he hit Sean. Sean stumbled… and he fell back and hit his head. The cops came shortly after the ambulance, and they arrested Luke for assault or something like that.”

“I’m going to want to kill Luke tomorrow,” Tony said. “But right now I’m too relieved to think about it.” He turned to Sean’s parents. “Can we see him?”

“Well,” Sean’s father spoke this time. “They said only family is allowed in right now. Michelle, I told them we were waiting for Sean’s sister to arrive, because we knew you would want to get in there. So just tell them that’s who you are.”

Turning towards the tall boy in front of him, Sean’s father gave Tony a small grin. “And as soon as Sean woke up, he started saying he wanted to see you when you got here. He told the nurse that either you could be allowed in, or he’d pull out all the tubes and IVs and come out here to see you.” He patted the boy’s arm encouragingly. “I told them that it wasn’t an empty threat. Anyway, that means you two can come in.”

Turning around, Michelle faced Marcus and put her hands on his waist. “Is it okay if I go in?” she asked, looking into his eyes.

“Of course,” Marcus said without thinking, running the back of his hand over her cheek gently. Pushing some loose hair from her face, he leaned down and kissed her lips softly. “Tell Sean I’ll see him tomorrow, okay? I’ll just wait here.”

“Okay,” Michelle gave him a small grin. “I love you.”

“I love you, too,” Marcus kissed her forehead gently before releasing her. He watched as she moved towards Tony, and they followed Sean’s parents down the hospital corridor. Marcus looked over at that moments and saw that Janette was watching him, looking sad. In his relief at the news, he had completely forgotten she was there. From the expression on her face, Janette had obviously just seen the tender moment he and Michelle had shared, and had realized what it meant. Her gaze fell to the floor, and she didn’t say anything.

Not knowing what to say, Marcus looked at Janette. “I’m so glad you were there to help Sean,” he said finally.

Looking up, Janette shrugged and gave him a small smile. “Me too,” she said, falling silent again.

“Listen,” Marcus began, tilting his head. “About Michelle and me…”

Shaking her head, Janette wouldn’t meet Marcus’s eyes. “It’s okay,” she said softly. “Really. You don’t owe me an explanation. And with everything that happened tonight… It’s really not a big deal in comparison.”

“I should have told you, though,” Marcus admitted, causing Janette to finally meet his gaze. “Rather than blowing you off. That was cowardly of me, and I’m sorry.”

“Thanks,” Janette seemed to relax some at Marcus’s words. “I’m sure I didn’t make it easy, throwing myself at you all the time. But I appreciate the apology.” She paused again. “And she seems really sweet.”

“She is,” Marcus replied appreciatively.

“Well, I think I’m going to head out, now that we know Sean is going to be okay.”

“Are you okay to drive?” Marcus asked, his face filled with concern.

Nodding, Janette bit her lip. “I’m fine,” she told him. “So… I guess I’ll be seeing you, then…”

“Yeah,” Marcus replied. “See you.” As he watched Janette gather her purse and head out the hospital doors, he let out a loud sigh. “What a night,” he thought ruefully as he sat down in a chair in the waiting room.

-----

Tony and Sean’s parents were staying at the hospital overnight with Sean, so Michelle and Marcus left alone. Without asking, Marcus drove Michelle back to his apartment. He couldn’t imagine not having her with him after everything they had been through that night. She didn’t comment about it, meaning she felt the same way.

“Here,” Marcus handed Michelle a clean t-shirt once they were in his apartment. “You can sleep in this.”

Smiling appreciatively, Michelle took the shirt from him. She quickly slid out of her clothes and pulled the shirt over her head. Marcus had removed his own clothes, leaving him in just his boxers. They both climbed into his bed, and Marcus turned off the light.

“Come here,” Marcus beckoned softly, pulling Michelle to his chest. He ran his hand over her arm soothingly. “How are you doing?”

“I’m fine,” Michelle replied. “I mean, Sean’s going to be okay, so-”

“No,” Marcus interrupted, causing Michelle to tilt back her head to look into his eyes. Even in the darkness of the room, she could see his penetrating gaze watching her. “I know Sean’s going to be okay. But how are you?”

Biting her lip, Michelle’s eyes quickly grew glassy. Marcus knew her so well, and she knew what he was asking. “I was so scared…” she admitted, a sob catching in her throat. “When I heard Sean’s mom telling me what happened, I felt completely displaced from reality – like it was a dream or movie or something.”

Pulling her closer to him, Marcus kissed her head. “It was awful,” he agreed. “And there’s nothing wrong with admitting how scared you were. I know you were holding it together for Tony and Sean’s parents, but you don’t have to do that with me.”

Burying her head further into Marcus’s chest, Michelle didn’t reply. Silent tears were falling from her eyes, wetting her cheeks and dripping onto Marcus’s chest. Somehow, though, this felt good. It helped ease the pain and fear she had felt earlier in the night to be lying here with Marcus. She felt like she was drawing strength from him just by being held in his embrace.

Closing his eyes, Marcus kept his hold on Michelle tight. She needed to feel safe, she needed to feel protected. He wanted to do that for her. “I love you so much, Michelle,” Marcus finally whispered a few minutes later. He wasn’t even sure if he had said the words out loud; they had been looping through his mind several times before they escaped his lips.

“I know,” Michelle sighed softly, her voice revealing how close to falling asleep she was. Marcus could only grin at her words. They were better than if she had said she loved him back. They told him that she trusted him, and he knew that was an incredibly hard thing for her to admit.

-----

“He’s going to be okay, Mom,” Michelle’s voice woke Marcus up on Friday morning. She was sitting at the kitchen table, with the telephone nestled in the crook of her neck. “They said they’re going to release him later today or tomorrow at the latest… I will, I’ll tell him… And I’ll be home a little later, after we stop by the hospital… I love you, too… I will. Bye.”

Looking across the small apartment, Marcus gave Michelle a tired smile when her eyes drifted to him. He watched as she padded barefoot across the room and curled back into bed with him. “That was my mom,” she said as she pulled the sheet up over her and settled close to Marcus. “She told me to give Sean a hug for her, and she asked me to thank you for being so together last night. I wanted to thank you for that, too.”

Wrapping his arms around Michelle, Marcus drew her close. “I want to be the person you can depend on when things go wrong,” he whispered, running his hand over her back. “And…” he struggled to continue. “And I want you to be able to trust me…”

Leaning up on an elbow, Michelle looked questioningly into Marcus’s bright eyes. “I do trust you,” she reminded him. “Completely.”

Feeling his heart rate increase, Marcus studied Michelle’s soft gray eyes. “I have to tell you something,” he said softly.

“Uh oh,” Michelle tried to joke, but her nervousness made her voice sound false. She sat up and leaned against the headboard. “What is it?”

Pulling himself up beside her, Marcus looked so uncomfortable, Michelle became even more nervous. “I have tried not to lie to you since I’ve met you,” he began, looking down at his hands rather than into Michelle’s eyes. “But I did withhold something from you.”

“Marcus, you’re really starting to freak me out,” Michelle admitted, causing him to glance up. “Please, just spit it out.” Not knowing at all what to expect, Michelle’s mind was running wild with speculation.

“Back in January, Janette and I slept together.” The words started tumbling from Marcus’s mouth. “It only happened once, and I know I should have told you before we started trying to work things out, but I just… I didn’t know how to say it. I’m so sorry.”

Letting out something between a sigh of relief and a bemused laugh, Michelle reached over and touched Marcus’s face. “Back in January?” she asked incredulously. “What was that, a month and a half before we even really started dating? Back when I wouldn’t have anything to do with you? You’re apologizing to me for sleeping with a girl at a time when I was a complete loon and wouldn’t even speak to you?”

Taking her hand in his, Marcus felt like his heart was going to burst in his chest. “So you’re not mad at me?” he asked nervously.

Shaking her head, Michelle moved over quickly to slide onto Marcus’s lap. She took his face in her hands and kissed his lips softly. “No, I’m not mad,” she told him, her voice barely above a whisper. “I can’t even believe you have been feeling guilty about this for the past few months. But I will say that it makes me trust you even more, because obviously you’re not very good with guilt.”

Chuckling, Marcus wrapped his arms around Michelle’s waist. “I’ll do my best to make sure I never hurt you,” he promised dropping his head to her shoulder. He pressed soft kisses against her neck innocently. “I love you,” he breathed against her skin.

“I love you, too,” Michelle murmured in response. She leaned back, causing Marcus to regretfully lift his mouth from her throat. “But it’s after nine. We should head over to the hospital now and see how Sean’s doing.”

Nodding, Marcus agreed. “Yeah, we can pick up some decent coffee and donuts for everyone on the way, too,” he recommended.

Scrambling off him and standing up, Michelle paused to look admiringly at Marcus for a moment. “You’re a good man,” she said finally, her voice strong and sure. “Stop trying to convince yourself otherwise.”

Watching her retreat into the bathroom to wash up and dress, Marcus shook his head. He couldn’t believe the change that had come over Michelle in the past few months. She was now much more confident and in control. Self-doubt had not taken over when Marcus had told her about Janette; she was the one to see things clearly now. In fact, here she was being the one to give encouraging words of support to Marcus. Smiling to himself, he thought about how lucky he was to have her.

-----

“It’s been two weeks,” Sean smiled reassuringly at Tony as they walked across the parking lot. “And I just got a cut on my head. You don’t have to keep treating me like I’m an invalid.”

Sliding his arm around Sean’s waist despite the smaller man’s protests, Tony raised his eyebrows. “A cut? A CUT? You split your scalp in two places and had a concussion!” He stopped walking, pulling Sean to a halt as well. Snaking his arms around Sean’s waist, he looked down into his eyes. “I was really scared,” he told him, his voice shaking some. “And I’m so mad at myself for not being there to help you…”

Wrapping his arms around Tony’s neck, Sean gave him a small grin. “You told me all of this already,” he reminded him kindly. “Repeatedly. And I’m sorry you were scared, but I’m okay now. I’m here, safe, with you…”

“I wish I had gotten my hands on Luke for five minutes before he went upstate,” Tony grumbled angrily. As soon as Luke had been released on bail, he had packed a bag and gone upstate to live with his grandparents. He would have to return for the trial, but that would most likely not happen for a few months.

“I don’t,” Sean ran his fingers through the hair at the nape of Tony’s neck. “He’s going to get his due. I’m fine with leaving this in the hands of the law. The last thing I need is for you to be getting yourself in trouble by beating up Luke…”

Running his hands over Sean’s back, Tony looked down into his eyes. “I don’t know what I would have done if anything had-” His words were cut off though, by Sean’s mouth. Pressing his soft lips against Tony’s, Sean kissed him tenderly. As his lips parted, Tony felt the hot moisture of Sean’s breath on his mouth. He sighed as he felt Sean nibble gently at his bottom lip, and he let out a soft moan when Sean’s tongue finally ventured into his mouth, desirous and comforting at once. Pulling Sean’s lean body flush against him with his muscular arms, Tony kissed him hungrily.

“Hi guys,” a friendly voice behind them made Tony and Sean jump.

“Oh, hey Peter,” Sean’s face was scarlet as he greeted the younger boy. “So, um, happy birthday.” This was the reason that everyone was meeting tonight – to celebrate Peter’s sixteenth birthday. “Hi Maura. Um, so Peter, um, get any good presents yet?”

Glancing over at Maura standing beside him, Peter smirked. “Apparently nothing as good as Tony got you as a get-well present. Maura’s not really creative in the gift-giving arena - OW!” he jumped as Maura slapped his arm hard.

“You’re an ass,” Maura said, her eyes dancing.

“Well, let’s head inside,” Sean looked eager to change the subject. “Marcus and Michelle are probably inside already with Troy and Brigitte.”

“They probably walked right by you and didn’t want to interrupt,” Peter laughed, pointing at Marcus’s car parked not far from them.

“Yeash,” Sean grumbled in chagrin as they headed towards the restaurant. But as soon as he glanced over at Tony’s face, still flushed from their kiss, he grinned. Ever since he had been released from the hospital, Sean felt like he had a new lease on life. Reaching for Tony’s hand, he squeezed it a little. Tony… that was the thing he felt best about.

-----

“Your mother is always so nice when we go over there,” Michelle told Marcus as they entered his apartment building one night later in the summer. “Look, cookies! And brownies! And muffins!” She held up the tin of homemade baked goods that Marcus’s mother had given them when they stopped by to visit.

“It’s just you,” Marcus grinned. “I never get cookies. I always get asked to mow the lawn.” He fished his keys from his pocket. “I wonder if Peter and Maura are here yet,” he said aloud as he unlocked the door. Marcus had invited Peter and Maura over to watch movies. Even though Peter was doing well on his own now, living with his aunt and uncle, working part-time and dating Maura, Marcus still liked to keep an eye on him. He had even given him a key to the apartment, in case he ever needed somewhere to go.

“Oh crap,” Marcus said as he opened the door. Michelle’s mouth dropped open, and she immediately looked down in embarrassment.

Pulling her open shirt as tightly around her as possible, Maura was blushing deeply. “Marcus, Michelle,” Peter leapt up from his spot on the carpet, pulling his t-shirt over his head as fast as he could. “Hey, we got here a little early, and I guess we kind of lost track of the time…”

Even though he knew it was inappropriate, Marcus had an overwhelming urge to burst out into laughter. He knew from personal experience that there was very little that high schoolers wanted less than to be caught heavily making out and having to deal with a ‘talk’. Which was exactly what was about to happen. Shaking his head, it amused Marcus greatly that he was finally in the role of authority figure and not half-dressed kid.

“Yeah, I see that,” Marcus tried to give Peter a stern look. “Listen, we haven’t picked up any movies to watch yet. Pete, why don’t you come with me to get them? Maura and Michelle can stay here and… catch up.”

Looking defeated, Peter nodded and glanced back at Maura. “That okay?” he asked softly.

Biting her lip in mortification but not looking up, Maura just nodded. All she really wanted was for Marcus to be out of the room. It was one thing to be caught making out. It was quite another to not be able to button her shirt yet because of the twenty-year-old man still standing there. As soon as the door shut, Maura quickly moved her hands over the buttons of her shirt and looked up at Michelle.

“That was fucking embarrassing,” she admitted in a soft voice.

Letting out a little laugh, Michelle patted her arm as she walked by her. “It’s bound to happen several more times in your life, I’m afraid,” she told Maura, making the girl feel more comfortable. “Come on,” Michelle beckoned her towards the kitchen. “I have the feeling this is one of those times I’m supposed to impart older-woman wisdom on you.”

“Sounds like fun,” Maura replied sarcastically as she rose from the floor and followed Michelle. Still, she shot Michelle a small friendly smile and sat across from her. “Okay, do it. Impart away…”

“Okay,” Michelle said. “Number one rule: boys are bad.”

Laughing despite herself, Maura started relaxing. Michelle and Marcus really were nice people. She was glad that Peter had introduced her to them.

-----

“So,” Marcus bit back a laugh as he began driving towards the video store. “What’s up?”

Looking out the window, Peter’s cheeks were still burning brightly. “Are you going to torment me or yell at me?” he asked, glancing over at Marcus with a smirk.

“Neither,” Marcus insisted, but quickly backtracked. “No, that’s a lie. I’m not going to yell, but I’m probably going to torment. Just a little.”

“Great,” Peter shifted his position in the seat.

“No, Pete, I just… I mean… you get why I have to talk to you about this, right?” Marcus glanced over, his voice more serious, his eyebrows raised. “I can’t just walk in on you and your girlfriend half-dressed and not say something to you.”

“I guess not,” Peter grumbled. “But there’s not really much that you have to say right now. I mean, that’s the furthest we’ve ever gone – taking off our shirts. You don’t really have to worry about other stuff just yet…”

Pulling into the parking lot of the strip mall, Marcus quickly found a parking spot. “It’s amazing how quickly you can get from second base to home without even realizing it until it’s too late,” he looked seriously at Peter as he turned off the engine.

“You do know how dead baseball terms for sex are, right?” Peter smirked.

“Whatever,” Marcus rolled his eyes. “What I’m saying is… you just need to be careful, Pete. And you don’t want to rush anything – really.”

Finally seeming to gather the courage to discuss this with Marcus instead of just making snide jokes, Peter looked down at the cup holder between the seats. “So, what’s ‘rushing things’ in your opinion?” he asked nervously.

Sighing, Marcus felt more content that Peter was actually willing to talk to him about this. “I’m going to take it you haven’t…?” Peter shook his head, still not lifting his eyes. “And has Maura ever…?” Again, Peter shook his head. “And you’ve been dating how long now?”

Biting his lip, Peter thought hard. “Almost two months,” he said.

Nodding, Marcus considered this. “Do you love her?”

Blushing, Peter shrugged. “I don’t know – I think I do, but I haven’t said anything. And she hasn’t said anything…”

“So,” Marcus furrowed his brows. “You’re less nervous about having sex with Maura than you are telling her you love her?”

“Well… if I tell her I love her, can she and I have sex?”

“Smart ass,” Marcus warned jokingly. “I see how much you care for Maura. So, for her sake and yours, take your time, okay? Lots of people wish they had waited longer for their first time. Don’t be one of them, and if you care about Maura, don’t let her be one of them, either.”

“Are you?” Peter asked quietly a moment later. “Are you sorry about when you first had sex?”

“Oh, yeah,” Marcus nodded immediately. “I definitely wish I had waited longer.”

“How old were you?”

“Um, the actual number doesn’t matter…” Marcus tried to get past the question.

“Marcus…” Peter looked warningly at him. There was no way he was going to let Marcus away with holding back when he himself was being so open.

“Thirteen,” Marcus admitted.

“Damn,” Peter’s eyebrows shot up.

“And,” Marcus added, looking over at Peter again. “I also got my girlfriend pregnant at sixteen. We had sex once without a condom, once in two years of dating, and she ended up pregnant.”

“Damn,” Peter said again. “Well… damn. I don’t really know what to say about that.”

“Say that you and Maura will try to keep your clothes on for a while,” Marcus told him. “And say that if you do decide to go further, you’ll talk to me ahead of time. Okay?”

“Okay,” Peter nodded. “I promise.”

Opening his door, Marcus smiled. “Okay, let’s go rent ‘Babe’ or ‘Shrek’ or something else equally non-sexual.”

“Fine by me,” Peter said, still reeling from everything Marcus had told him over the past fifteen minutes. It was a lot of information to take in at once.

-----

“That’s too funny, dude,” Troy laughed as he sat at Marcus’s kitchen table a few days later. When Marcus shot him a withering look, he tried to explain himself. “I’m sorry, but you have to remember that I was there through all your… exploits. So seeing you playing the ‘just say no’ pro-abstinence role with Peter… it’s just funny.”

Shaking his head, Marcus sat down across from his friend. “Enough about this,” he said. “I wanted a night to just hang out with you, to catch up. So what’s going on?”

Shrugging, Troy leaned back in his chair. “Everything’s good,” he admitted. “I finally feel adjusted to school. I took a part-time job at a record store off campus. My roommate’s a really good guy. I guess that’s it.”

“And things with Brigitte…?” Marcus raised his eyebrows teasingly.

Trying to appear nonchalant, Troy just shook his head. “You know, we’re so far apart during the school year…” he took a big sip of his soda to avoid having to say more.

“So the sex you guys have been having ever since you got back for the summer… it’s just friendly?”

Nearly choking on his beverage, Troy tried to compose himself. “She told you, huh?” he blushed. “I was trying to be a gentleman by not saying anything…”

“Aw, come on,” Marcus smiled at his friend. “It’s me. You know anything that goes on between you two will eventually make it back to me. So… is this just a summer fling between two friends, or what?”

Looking Marcus straight in the eye, Troy shook his head. “I’m in love,” he told him softly.

“That’s great, Troy,” Marcus said encouragingly.

Looking a little sad, Troy shrugged. “I don’t really think it is,” he replied quietly. “I don’t think Brigitte feels the same way.”

“Have you talked about it?” Marcus asked gently.

Biting his lip, Troy stared down at his soda. “Nah, it’s just a feeling I get…”

“Talk to her,” Marcus advised. “It can’t make things worse, can it? I mean, you don’t have to blurt out ‘Brigitte, I’m in love with you.’ Just… just ask her if what’s going on between you two right now is one piece of your continuing friendship, or if you guys are starting something new – like a relationship.”

Troy seemed to be silently taking in Marcus’s recommendation. “That might just work,” he admitted. “Thanks, Marcus. Hey, look at you. Reckless Man has turned around his life, and now he spends his days keeping sixteen year olds from having sex too soon and guiding unlucky-in-love college undergrads to true happiness.”

“As long as Reckless Man doesn’t fly around in tights fighting crime, I’m okay,” Marcus grinned back.