Velvet Rope
Chapter 1
Terrany
Poison
It seemed to Aiden something would change in his life, but it didn’t. Everything remained exactly the same after Vincent dropped him off at the bus station. It was an awkward goodbye. He had wanted to kiss him, or say something familiar. But he didn’t know this man and he certainly wasn’t anyone more or less than he was to Vincent prior to their encounter. Vincent had driven him because the cab had taken longer than it took Vincent to locate his keys and grab lunch, so Aiden was shoved in a coup with tinted windows and driven down to where his father was meeting him. He’d gotten out of the car with a ‘Thanks’ and shut the door and it had driven off as soon as the door was shut. He still had to go to high school the next day and he still had to address classmates, teachers, his parents and siblings as if he hadn’t had a man worth more than his life fuck him.
“How was the concert?” His friend slid in next to him and playfully wrapped an arm around the boy before class. He was in homeroom, hung over and still walking in a daydream trying to recall his encounter with Vincent as real. He'd had all day yesterday to recover from his session, instead he'd raided his dad's liquor cabinet and sat by the pool watching the birds at the feeder and downing shot after shot.
“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.” Aiden mumbled and let his head fall into his arms.
Jake huffed. He’d wanted to go but his super conservative parents hadn’t let him, creating another issue Aiden wasn’t ready or willing to address at that very moment which was why he sat in homeroom under the watchful eye of his homeroom and English teacher. “Try me!” He challenged him and Aiden let his gaze wander over to his friend. With a smirk he hid behind his arm he gave his response.
“I got fucked.” It was half muffled in Aiden's arms, but still clear as day
Confused Jake moved closer to hear him better. “What do you mean? You didn’t get to meet them?”
“No, I mean I got fucked.”
Now his smile was clear and he had a mysterious gleam in his eye. Jake drew back a moment and then it dawned on him, “What!? By… who? Shit, don’t you have to…”
“Shut up.” He didn’t want to hear what he should and should not do. He was still pretty thrilled he’d actually been mouth to mouth with THE Vincent from his favorite band, let alone everything else that transpired.
“But, do you know who it was?” Aiden lifted his eyes to his friend’s and couldn’t help but smile softly at the look of concern.
“I'm not that big of a whore. Yeah. I do. It was Vincent.” He chuckled.
“Who?” Aiden knew Jake wasn’t catching on, so he rolled his eyes.
“You know the band right?”
“… Vincent’s the bassist…”
“Yeah.” He grinned his triumphant smile.
“Holy shit!” His friend jumped out of his seat, drawing attention to them, a few kids stood up, expecting a fight. “Are you shitting me?”
“Mr. Malone. Do I have to send you to your homeroom?” The homeroom teacher asked. Both the boys looked outside at the group of kids standing in the hall and Jake shook his head sitting back down.
“Are you kidding me?” This time he dropped his voice to a whisper.
Aiden watched for a moment the boys outside the classroom and Jake followed his gaze. A blond stared at him with an annoyed look, Aiden turned his attention to his friend, “No. Look if you don’t believe me…”
“I believe you.”
Aiden smiled, “What if I was lying?”
“Why would you?” The other boy seemed genuinely puzzled and Aiden couldn’t help but laugh.
There was still a matter of his “date” Aiden had to tend to. After homeroom bell rang he packed up his bag slowly and watched the door from the corner of his eye. His homeroom teacher watched him a moment as kids began to shuffle in and his homeroom teacher looked out the door noting the figure leaning against the wall and watching him. Aiden shuffled by slowly and he cleared his throat to catch his student's attention.
“Is everything okay, Mr. Kenni?” He made it obvious he noticed Aiden avoiding someone.
Aiden looked up, “Yes, everything is fine.”
He moved to his desk and Aiden waited to be dismissed. Instead he pulled out a hall pass and wrote it very slowly and Aiden moved across his desk to wait for the slip of paper, “Did you enjoy your concert?”
“Yes sir.” He smiled, “They were great, as expected.”
“You ended up in the mosh pit?” He glanced over the swollen lip and bruised cheek Aiden was sporting and he shrugged.
“I needed a souvenir.”
The teacher laughed as the bell rang and handed him the paper and Aiden looked out the door to notice the hall cleared. He smiled a thank you and headed out and down to his first class.
+++
“This is such shit” Zack threw down his hat and fell onto the couch. “What the fuck is with this heap of shit?”
“Well, “ Vincent sat calmly across from him and leaned forward, his chin rested on his hands analytically, “You did insist on getting the two thousand dollar tour van, used by some garage band failure instead of having our manager buy us a more comfortable mobile abode.”
Zack cast him a glare, “How are we supposed to experience the road if we drive in a mobile mansion?”
Kyle laughed, “No better way than to basically walk the entire way from city to city.”
Zack huffed, “Least I ain’t giving away your good clothes to my random hook ups.” He crossed his arms and frowned.
“Fuck off.” Vincent leaned back, ready for the conversation to change course, and covered his eyes.
The last member of the band walked into the bus to interrupt the conversation, coolly looking over his friends. "Helps on the way. You didn’t fill the tank up in our last town.” William looked over to Zack, wiping his hands on a towel he'd acquired, who jumped at the accusation.
“I did too!”
“No, you didn’t because if you did, we wouldn’t of run out of gas.” His logic was infallible and Zack slumped, “I called a tow. He’ll be here with gas within the hour. But we aren’t going to make it to the next city in time.”
Zack shrugged, “So Vincent doesn’t get laid. Life goes on.”
Vincent frowned, “I recall someone in a dress.”
+++
The last bell rang and Aiden was admitting defeat. He’d avoided this conversation all day but he knew how the rest of it would go. He left his last class and skipped his locker, already having his books in hand. He left out the back but his strategic avoidance was guessed and he frowned at the Ford 4x4 sitting at the bottom of the steps. The door swung open and for a moment he debated walking back in the school and joining debate club or something equally as populated but by the expression on the senior’s face he guessed that wouldn’t avoid the subject. He trudged to the passenger side and tossed his bag in the bed of the truck, pulling himself up.
“About fucking time.” The other boy waited for the door to shut and tossed his cigarette out the window, pulling out another and pulling away with a calmness that was unnerving.
“How’s Nick?” Aiden asked idly, wanting to avoid the subject that was coming up.
Chris shrugged, puffing at his cigarette, “Prude. Naive. Attractive. Expensive. The complete opposite of you. Where’d you go after the concert?”
Another shrug and Aiden looked out the window, watching the city slip away turning into country and squirming at the feeling of dread building in his stomach. Chris had gone with them, but they'd been separated and when Aiden hadn't bothered to look for Chris after the concert the blond had left in a fury. He glanced at his phone and Chris took it, tossing it in his book bag sitting behind him in the cab, he watched it for a moment, feeling his life line ripped away, “Dad picked me up.”
“Yeah?” Chris frowned and tugged at the collar of his shirt, “Did he also give you that fucking hickey?” His hand rose to his cheek and slapped him, “You want to tell me the truth?”
Aiden rubbed his cheek, “Chris...” He was pleading, if he didn’t think of a good lie he was in deep shit, but his mind couldn't conjure up anything that explained the marks randomly placed on his torso and neck. Chris waited and he looked out the window, “We’re not even anything. You’re with Nick.” Chris shot him an annoyed look and he didn’t respond so Aiden was supposed to keep talking. After a moment he tried again, “I met the band.” Chris knew that part, “I slept with Vincent.” He winced, expecting another hit. None came and after a moment he looked over at Chris whose gaze was completely absorbed by the road ahead of him. There was another fifteen minutes of driving to go and the silence was deadly. When Chris turned on his street he looked over at Chris, “Do you believe me?”
“That you’re a slut? Yeah. I believe it.”
Aiden winced, “That it was Vincent?”
Chris shrugged, “I don’t care who you think you fucked with. You admitted to acting out on your whore behaviors. This needs to be addressed.”
Aiden resigned himself to his fate. For a moment he hoped today was not the day Chris’s mother had night classes but it was only Monday so that theory went out the window. He then thought about his dad so he sighed, “Can I call my dad so I don’t get grounded?”
Chris pulled in his driveway and shifted the car into park roughly, handing Aiden the phone. He gently brushed his finger over the screen to find his father’s number and frowned at a text message from a number he didn’t recognize.
“Pink wasn’t his color.” Aiden frowned at it and simply texted back, “Wrong number.” before dialing his dad.
Chris listened carefully so he picked his words with care. “Hey dad.” He smiled to put a happy attitude in his voice as he spoke, “Yeah. I’m at Chris’s. We have that Hindu project for World, still.” He waited a moment but he knew Chris could hear his father clearly tell him to be home before 9.
Chris spoke up so Aiden’s father could hear him, “I’ll drop him off Mr. Kenni.”
There was a moment of reminders and Aiden hung up resigned to tonight being one of those nights he’d rather be killing himself during. He handed Chris his phone and Chris shut it off and Aiden hopped out of the truck and grabbed his bag before following Chris in.
He shuffled through the living room and then into Chris’s room. As soon as the door was shut Chris grabbed him and shoved him against the wall his arm at his throat and slapping him. Aiden tried to guard from the blows but as soon as his hands were up Chris threw him back on the floor and straddled him, pushing his arm to his midback. Aiden screamed but no one was around to hear it and tears burned in his eyes, “Useless fucking whore.” He pushed his arm up higher and Aiden screamed, his arm felt like it wanted to come out of the socket and he struggled against it. Chris grabbed his hair and slammed his head forward and he screamed again, thrashing wildly to keep his arm from breaking and to avoid anymore abuse to his nose and lip. He was released and Aiden laid there trying to catch his breath but Chris kicked him in the side and stomach and Aiden shoved himself up and scrambled against the wall between the bed to try to hide from it.
“Please. Please stop. Chris please.” He begged, crying, “My dad. Please.” He heard the movement stop and the bed squeaked at Chris climbed on it to peer over the edge at Aiden. The look was almost childish if Aiden hadn’t just been beaten by this person. He raised his eyes after a moment and screamed as something went into his eyes, gripping his face.
“Whore.” The sound of something dropping was followed by the door slamming.
Aiden curled on the floor half under the bed, screaming in agony. He didn’t know how long it took for the pain to subside but his vision was blurry and he pulled himself up to cross the hall and splash water in his face. He tripped over something as he walked that way and fell, whining about the pain in his side from being kicked. He heard the TV on and Chris flirting with Nick over the phone so he stood and stumbled the rest of the way to the bathroom, flushing out his eyes. His vision was still bad but he could tell minor details when he looked in the mirror, like the fact that his eyes were red like he’d just climbed out of the pit of hell. He wandered back to the room familiar enough with the house and picked up what it was he tripped over, holding it in front of himself carefully to see it. It took some moving it back and forth to force some of it to be in focus and he whined when he realized it was Mace.
He tossed it in the garbage pail and grabbed his book bag, not entirely sure how he was supposed to do his homework, but he supposed he should try. Instead he laid there until he couldn't bother with consciousness anymore and fell asleep.
He disliked Chris for many reasons, the thing he had for using Aiden as a punching bag was one. Another was how he used him as a sexual object. Aiden was woken up naked and to kisses against the back of his neck, Chris was already hard and slipping his dick between Aiden’s thighs, but the moment he shifted Chris had him pinned and pressed into his ass roughly. Aiden screamed again, gripping the sheets.. Chris hadn’t bothered to use anything so Aiden was left to grip the sheets and cry out with precum as his only form of relief. The boy on top grabbed Aiden’s hair shoving his face into the bed and he struggled, unable to breath.
“Can you see, yet, bitch?” Chris laughed and Aiden drew his legs under him. Chris repositioned himself, letting Aiden on his hands and knees and then grabbed his hips fucking him mercilessly. Aiden squinted through blurry vision at the clock and prayed this was fast, he still had homework to do. The grip was bruising and he wondered how he had undressed him in his sleep. His eyes, nose, and mouth stung from the mace still but in the position he could breath and Chris just took what he wanted so it was less painful for him. On his back Chris insulted him and hit him, if he let his head fall he'd smother him to keep Aiden from breathing, blowing him Chris would mouth fuck him, or ignore him entirely only bothering to comment if Aiden stopped before he finished. On his hands and knees Aiden just worried about how rough Chris got, he'd leave Aiden limping or give him wicked rug burn. Chris gripped his hips harder, his pace becoming desperate Aiden heard him muttering insults and he suddenly grabbed Aiden's hair, pulling it back so Aiden's back was against his chest and he came inside him. They were like that a moment before Chris literally dropped him and climbed off the bed. The junior scrambled up, not wanting to be vulnerable to any blows he still might be thinking about. Chris shrugged on a loose shirt and sat across from Aiden, handing him a book.
"Read."
He opened it to the first chapter and Chris opened a notepad listening to his classmate and jotting down notes. This was the side of Chris he liked.
+++
He was never entirely sure how he hid what happened at Chris’s house from his father. He was positive that Chris would leave marks his father would notice, he prayed that his dad would force him to tell the truth, but he found his method of dressing far too convincing.
Aiden had a thing for eyeliner, he was never without it and his eyes were always carefully lined. He disliked his red eyebrows and eyelashes but he thought that the eyeliner drew attention off that and to his green eyes which even he thought were nice. He also never left the house without a collar on, which hid the marks Chris was always making. Today he felt lazy but he’d put on a mesh long sleeve shirt under his band shirt and, as always, wore his heavy black Tripp pants with actual metal chains. Combat boots topped off the look. All the marks Chris had caused were simply covered and he hid the limp with ease. The only thing his father commented on was the red eyes and Aiden brushed it off with a comment on being sleepy. He knew his father thought he was smoking pot, but he also knew his father didn’t care. He laid on his bed when he got to his room and groaned into his mattress. Chris had been especially rough with him and he had spent the last hour there in the bathroom throwing up from the way he’d shoved into his mouth. Chris had laughed and told him he should be grateful, leaving him heaving.
He turned on his phone and waited a moment, not expecting anything. Just as he put it to charge he received a text and he clicked on it.
“Hardly. Though lets play a game since I know who you are, Aiden. Who am I?”
Aiden frowned. Well wasn’t that just the cherry on top? He gets beaten, fucked, and now he’d acquired a dickhead stalker. He was ready to stop being Aiden any day now.
Annoyed he texted back, “Not feeling particularly playful, to be honest. Just tell me who you are.”
The response was immediate, “No. Guess.”
He growled and tossed his traitorous phone to the side, kicking off his boots and hiding under his covers. He prayed for demons in the closet or monsters under the bed that would just devour him and let him be done with life. His eyes stung and anytime he laid the wrong way the pain in his lower back became unbearable. Reaching blindly at his bedside table he grabbed a package of pills and popped two. At least he’d sleep.
+++
Vincent paced. He had his makeup done and his costume on and he could feel the heat of the lights from where he stood. William smiled and watched the roadies set up his drums.
“It’s a bit crazy, isn’t it?” Vincent looked up at the blond who stood holding the side stage curtains and listening to the crowd. “It’s so different from high school. Back then, we didn’t get anything for this.” He turned to Vincent and for a moment their eyes met. “I have to step back from it all, sometimes. It’s so amazing.”
Vincent nodded and closed his eyes, listening to the fans outside talking and some cheering. “Yeah.”
“What’s the plan for tonight?”
“You want to go down and get some real food? I’m not in a partying mood and I miss meat.”
William nodded. “Suddenly I'm starving.”
Vincent raised an eyebrow, "For meat?"
The blond laughed, "Asshole. No."
Concerts were always a high, they give you drug talks, telling you a high is the rush you feel free falling when you go sky diving or that feeling of gravity when you’ve climbed a mountain. Anything amazing. Vincent had discovered early on, you don’t need to go on stage trashed to feel that high. For him, he found, drugs ruined the experience of first hitting that chord and listening to the crowd erupt in a sound that drowned out any sound that was going on on stage or thought in his head. For him, it was a high standing there looking over and seeing the thousands of people lined up outside.
Zack’s vocals were always amazing, such a wave of energy erupted from such a small guy. Zack was the smallest in the group. He was the group’s Freddy Mercury or Kurt Cobain, without him they couldn’t play. He was their energy, he was their source of power, but for them, they knew if one dropped out the band was doomed. They had found their key players in high school, for 3 years these four had been the source that dominated the music world and they had flown with the momentum producing 2 top selling CDs and doing 4 tours that had sold out months in advance. The feeling was still so unrealistic, to watch Zack sing and prance about on stage like he was born to do it, to hear the people screaming his name, and then rehearsal after rehearsal after recording after promotion. He was only 23 but he felt a hundred, Kyle had found a relief through alcohol and sex, and Zack had found it in drugs, Vincent had found his match in the gym, hiding from the excitement and putting his mind in a place of peace. William had never changed. He always had such energy on stage, he was the drummer and the beats he kept were demanding and quick, rarely was there a song that had a slow beat that they relied on, but once off stage he was in the background, mellow and to the group the wise man. He had always smoked, started when he was 12, he had cut down to three cigarettes a day when they started their first tour and since then had managed to keep the smoking down.
This was his reality, high after high, and he could scream it was so amazing to have seen as much as he had, to meet all of his childhood stars who said they loved his music. It was the music that moved him, and that had treated him so well.
+++
Aiden had avoided Chris in school but Chris hadn’t minded. Under his arm all day sat the freshman that had the senior so absorbed. He was a perky skater with sky blue hair and 50 cent tats he’d purchased from bubble gum machines. When he allowed Chris to hold him in public Chris was in bliss, quietly whispering in his ear and ignoring his friends. Aiden didn’t know what Chris had said that had allowed this newest form of public affection, but it had worked. Nick sat contently on his PSP and Chris spoiled him handing him candy and keeping some sort of contact with him. Neither Aiden nor Chris so much as acknowledged the other one, except once when Chris had poked at a bruise and made Aiden yelp. A reminder that Aiden was still tagged and Chris could still hurt him.
Aiden didn’t particularly like the kid. It wasn’t jealousy, in fact he appreciated the days Chris blew him off to take Nick out or beg for some alone time with the twink. It was the fact that he didn’t see what sat in front of his face. Aiden was abused in every aspect of the word by this kid and Nick cooed words such as ‘sweet’, ‘kind’, and ‘affectionate’ about the blond. All he needed to do was look in Chris’s phone to see the abusive comments he made to Aiden but he wasn’t even curious. It frustrated Aiden completely, but he wouldn’t stir trouble because then trouble would return to him.
Jake had growled at Aiden when he hissed from a bruise on his side and demanded he go to someone, but Aiden had pushed the subject aside and Jake had dropped it, too uncertain to do anything without Aiden’s permission. He trudged home with him after school, though. Jake would follow Aiden to his tutoring in two hours and play at the skate park a bit while Aiden did as ordered, then he’d walk with him back home.
He’d growled at a new text from his stalker as they walked and shoved the phone at Jake who happily responded after seeing this new game, “I won’t let you give up on me.” It insisted.
Jake tapped back, “How did you get my number?”
Another immediate response, “I got it off your phone, dipshit. And you gave me your name.”
“And if I changed my number?” Jake inquired.
“It wouldn’t kill you to know who I am? I know you are at least slightly curious.”
Jake shook his head and looked at Aiden, “Smart guy. Do you have any clues?”
Aiden shook his head, “That’s the thread in it’s entirety.” He walked through his door to his house and tossed his bag, taking his phone away and grabbing his prized CD from the shelf. The subject was changed effectively and Jake’s eyes grew as wide as saucers.
“I still can’t believe you had this signed!” Aiden laughed as his friend spun around gripping his CD and fell on the bed.“Oh. My. God. That means they touched this CD!” He squealed like a girl and Aiden fell over laughing. The display wasn’t as funny as the pure change of mood. Jake was a breeze of positive attitude that Aiden needed at the moment so he let himself laugh too hard not worried about being judged.
“Jake, don’t molest it, please.”
“Wait… if you… can I have sex with you?” Jake gave him a predatory look and Aiden almost half believed his intent.
“No.” Aiden grinned and Jake crawled over and lifted a strand of hair off of Aiden’s shoulder.
“You have done every fans fantasy. I want your body.”
“Get away from me.” He pushed Jake away and Jake mock fell off the bed.
“Oh, the cruel hand of rejection, I…”
The phone buzzed and Aiden and Jake looked over at the phone. Both of them recognized the ringtone and Aiden eyed his phone like it was a cobra ready to strike carefully picking it up to read the message. “Check in, whore.” Chris.
The mood was effectively ruined and he tapped back, “Home. With Jake. Getting ready for tutoring.”
“Try not to let him fuck you, would yah?”
Aiden bit back his sarcasm, still too sore from yesterday, “Yes sir.” Was his best response.
+++
Words: 4586/6668
