Different Interests, Different Lives

It had almost been a year since Matt and Chris hadn’t talked and Chris was still moving along at what felt like a slow pace. Everything muffled, and slow. In the beginning of that year, Evan and the others had began to jeer at Chris every chance they got. They even went after Sam because he had left that group to be with Chris, and had become a ‘faggot’ along with him. It had slowly built up over the course of a year, and it had only been little things. Name callings across the hallways, or vandalizing things, but there was one day when they took things too far.



“Hey queer-boy,” The three of them smirked at Chris as he walked along with Sam and Whitney, who had become a new-found friend of theirs. “Where’re you and your boyfriend going with your little slut?”



Chris glanced at Whitney who was blushing and tugging at her skirt and halter top nervously. He grabbed her hand and sped up with Sam, but Eva followed and continued shouting insults. “Oh, are you with her now? First the math teacher, now some little whore you found. Have some decency Chris.”



“Evan, you got what you wanted, now be a big man and stop while you’re ahead.” Chris was getting irritated and it took him a moment to realize he was squeezing Whitney’s arm a little too hard. “Besides, she’s got nothing to do with it, so shut your mouth.”



One of the other guys laughed and Evan snorted. “If it bothers you so damn much, why don’t you go cry to that faggot. That’s what you do anyways.”



Suddenly the smiled disappeared from his face as he saw Chris turn and suddenly plow through the other two guys, throwing them back like they were nothing. His face showed panic and he backed to the wall. Chris scared him because of the anger reflected in his eyes. In fear he swung a fist at him but it was caught and pinned tot eh wall. In a panic, he tried the other and made it but Chris didn’t seem to acknowledge it and Evan jerked at his arm a bit then froze in sheer shock. A hand slid between his legs and gripped him hard in the groin, sending a pulsating pain through his loins. When he looked at Chris again, there was a strange smile on his face.



“Here’s something you probably already know about being gay Evan.” He slowly squeezed harder and stopped when a cry of pain escaped form Evan. “There are some guys out there that want to be castrated. Some want to be a woman! You act like such a bitch that you only need your dick snipped off and a set of tits and you’re set to go.” He squeezed harder, sending a burning pain all through Evan’s stomach. “Some pay thousands of dollars to get it done, believe it or not, but I’ll make you a deal. I don’t care what you say about me, but talk about Whitney, Sam, or Matt again and I’ll do the job for free.”



Keeping his grip he pushed into Evan to give that last shock of pain then let go. Evan fell over and the pain that was searing into his stomach made him vomit on the ground. As he rolled over, Chris stepped over him and the three of them hurried down the hall.



“Was it smart to do that?” Whitney took a few glances back to be sure no faculty was following.



Chris didn’t glance back but only checked his hands for anything blood from hitting the other two guys. “I don’t think so, but I’ll be alright just so long as they don’t tell anyone, or come after me. Evan’s the type of guy who doesn’t fight fair. He acts like he’s tough when really he just gets others to beat people down a bit so he can have a shot. Just a mouse hiding behind a pair of dogs.”



Sam nodded a bit grimly and looked at him. “Chris, don’t forget you…”



“What?”



“Nothing.” It wasn’t something he could say to Chris outright, and in front of Whitney. Chris needed to hear it, but it wasn’t the moment. Sam wasn’t sure he would ever be able to find the right time to tell him. Whitney only had an idea of what was going on, and consulted with Sam her own concerns of Chris, but she didn’t know enough to say anything to him, and she knew that. Besides that, Sam wasn’t sure if it would be strange to suddenly bring this up. But I want you to know Chris, that we care for you. You have people watching over you. If you’re not careful, you’ll hurt everyone around you because right now you’re fragile, and that makes us fragile too.



“Sam…” Whitney’s voice floated out to him. “You alright? You almost ran into someone.”



“Hmmm? Uh, yeah I’m all right. Just thinking.” He looked around and saw Chris was gone. “What happened to Chris?”



“He left to start walking to work. What were you thinking about?”



Sam shrugged. “Nothing important.”







There were no other incidents with Evan and the other two, except for meaningless glares and whispering but it wasn’t enough to aggravate Chris again. Yet, even if Evan had done more than glare and whisper about him across the room, he was too busy to notice. He was too busy with his jobs to worry about much of anything, but he didn’t mind being so busy. As Sam suspected, it kept his mind off of Matt. The time after his encounter with Evan crept by slowly and painfully. Chris continued to think of Matt often and would sometimes even dream of him. He seemed to have nothing to look back on, nothing but a pain that always made him cry. So he had no memories to think of, nothing fond to smile about. It only brought pain. He soon reasoned if he didn’t remember what happened between them, he wouldn’t think back on it, and start to cry, and he wouldn’t hurt. But he couldn’t forget. Chris wouldn’t allow himself to forget Matt. So he just didn’t think about it. That was how he lived, and that was how he survived. It wasn’t easy for him, and there were a few times he wondered if he should just leave. There were too many things that held too many memories there, and it might have just been better if he left, but he couldn’t. He couldn’t live there in that town, afraid of all the pain he was causing himself, and he was afraid to leave Matt behind in jail, to rot in solitude. Rot seemed to be a good word for it, because if Matt was as heartbroken as Chris was, he was suffering as much as he was. Chris was afraid of hurting Matt, and hurting the last person on earth who loved him totally and completely. So he shut everything out, and kept it out of himself, only allowing himself to open up for Sam and Whitney. The next year or so went by and he was going to turn eighteen. He had waited for this day for a long time, and it was on that day of his birthday that he was going to do what he had planned do during that horribly agonizingly long wait.



“Chris, what are you doing for your birthday?” Sam asked one afternoon. His hair had changed to a red, as he had died it so many times to find the right color. He bobbed into the bedroom, looking rather happy. “You should go out with Whitney and I. We’ll give you a birthday you wont forget.”



Chris shook his head as he packed his clothes. “No thanks, I’ve already got something planned.” He had already told Chris part of his plan, and that was to pack up and leaving the house on his birthday. Sam’s mother had been lead to believe he didn’t want to burden them any longer, and Chris thought Sam had too, but he could see Sam wasn’t quite convinced of the entire story. Sam’s parents were fine with it though and they agreed it was fine if Chris left, though Sam’s mother wanted him to stay a bit longer. She had told him that it was nice having him, and she gave him the most pleasant smile, it almost broke Chris’ heart, or what was left of it, to see such a smile. He was going to miss her, and Sam, but other than an occasional visit, he had his own life he had to get back on track and he didn’t let something like that bother him much.



“What plans, you haven’t got anything special going on,” Sam said as he sat on his own bed and ran his fingers through Chris’ hair which was to his shoulders. “God, when was the last time you cut your hair?”



“A year or two. I’ve been busy with work,” Chris replied as he swat the hand gently out of his hair and went on packing. “Now, I’ve got some packing to do in the next two days before Friday, so I’ll tell you after my birthday what my plans were.”



Sam pouted a bit but the playful look faded and he sighed, “Well that’s not fair.”



“Life isn’t fair sometimes but you just have to deal with it,” Chris said, the truthfulness of his words hitting himself deeply. He took the extra clothes he had packed and tossed them over by the door then started on the extra things he had on the table above his head, “Sorry I can’t spend it with you guys.”



Sam smiled and shrugged, jumping off his bed and heading out the door. “It must be special if you’re leaving us behind to do it.”



Chris watched him go then finished packing. The next few days went by quickly, and that made Chris a bit more cheerful than he had been in a long while. When the day came, he was tired of waiting and just wanted to leave for his destination, but he got up at an early hour, packing the last few things he needed and when he was finished with that, all he had to do then was wait. Sam’s parents threw him a small party with a little cake and some ice cream to go with it, and it seemed at that point, that the clock stopped moving altogether. Chris was anxious at this point and when the clock chimed two he was more than ready to jump in the car he had bought himself and speed off to his destination. His heart raced and he could feel his first piece of excitement about anything in his life. The one thing he had looked forward to every day coming home from school was what he was feeling now. Seeing Matt. Chris stopped off at the bank to get some money from his savings before continuing down the road. When he got there, he hurried inside and looked around the room. There were a few officers standing around, one of which was the one with the scar, one of the officers that had taken Matt away from him. He eyed Chris with a look of recognition and started heading for him. Chris knew he was going to want to talk so he rushed to the front desk and began discussing with the lady about paying bail.



“For who?” She had a high voice, but it was pleasant, not whiny like some women have.



“Uh, Matthew Heights.” Chris relaxed a bit when he saw the officer leave out of the corner of his eye.



“Fill this form out.” She ordered gently as she handed him the clipboard. He finished it quickly at the desk then handed it back to her and she smiled, saying she knew she recognized the name.



“We had a beer once. He’s a friendly guy, you two friends or something?”



Chris was anxious and did not want to spend much time talking so he just answered with, “Something like that.”



The lady nodded and asked him to wait in a chair. He went and sat down, jiggling his leg. Anxious all over, nervous all through his stomach, Chris began to wonder if he was going to throw up from being this excited. Chris began to race questions through his head, wondering what Matt would look like after all this time, what he would do when he saw Chris. What would he say to him? It was only two years, true, but it seemed like it was longer than that. Paying bail had been a good idea but not at the time. It was too soon to do that. Chris didn’t know why Matt hadn’t seen it at first, but even if it was true that the time was wrong, Matt’s voice haunted him. His voice had sounded so weak and helpless. That wasn’t how Chris wanted to remember him by. He didn’t want to think that he caused the strongest person he knew, and the person he loved most in this world, to become so sad and weak.



“Chris?” A familiar voice came from somewhere in the room and when he looked u he saw a man with blond hair, past his shoulder blades. He was a little gaunt and pale but Chris knew immediately who it was.



“Hi Matt.” Chris stood up and smiled as warmly as he remember how to, which was very little. After shutting things out for so long, it was hard to remember how to do that. “Let’s go home.”



Matt started to say something but only followed Chris out the door and to the car. As Chris started it up, they left that place behind him, and left behind those two years that were lost in their lives. There was a stifling silence in the car that Matt couldn’t stand. He had to say something.



“Chris, you alright?” he questioned, then looked away. That wasn’t what he wanted to ask, no. That’s not what he wanted to say…



“I’m better than how I’ve been,” he replied with a smile, glancing over at him, but it disappeared when he saw the look on his face. He placed a hand on Matt’s while driving. “What about you?”

Matt nodded then laced his fingers with Chris’. They felt a bit bony but it was welcoming to feel his skin again, to feel him there. “You’ve lost weight.”

“So have you.” Chris glanced to Matt again. Slowly they were coming back to life. It had been hard for them, especially hard for Matt to be in jail. For those two years, they were dead to the world and lost among people who could be considered strangers. They didn’t love them, but they didn’t hate them. Those people were just there, and there as masses that walked with them, talked with them, and kept them company. Matt was holding himself back, wary of a lot and trusting of little. Chris seemed to be recovering faster than Matt was. When they stopped at a stoplight, Chris pulled Matt’s hand to his lips and kissed it.

“Chris, why didn’t you get me out two years ago?”



He had the hand to his lips and kept them there until he finally answered, “I’m surprised you don’t know…”



Matt sighed. “I know the reason, but…we could have left. We could have just left this place!”



Chris shook his head. “They wouldn’t have let me near you…” Matt tried to object but Chris stopped him and kept going. “I wanted to wait until I was eighteen before I tried to pay bail.”



Matt looked ahead as a guy cut Chris off, honking loudly as if Chris was the one at fault. Looking back to him, he could see that Chris was serene, calm, and even happy. “And you’re eighteen?”



“Today I am. It’s my birthday.” Chris gave him a coy smile and then looked back to his driving. “I had thought about it and figured that even if I did try to get you out, they wouldn’t let you see me, and if I tried sneaking around to do so, we could get in trouble…and you could go back for even longer.” Chris felt Matt scoot over in the bench seat of the car and buckle himself next to him. “And I didn’t think I could take that. Having you get taken away a first time was hard enough. It broke me, a lot. I don’t think I could take that happening a second time.”



Nothing was said by Matt, he only leaned in and kissed him when he stopped at a stoplight. At this point, he knew that he could start opening up again. That things could go back to the way they were before, and all that pain could just seem like a bad dream. There was a thrilling happiness in the air, because now, they didn’t have to hide it, they didn’t have to keep things a secret anymore with the exception of public affections. Before they knew it, they were back at the house and Chris used the key he had taken from the small visit Whitney and him had made to the house so long ago. It was dark and when Chris flipped on the lights, the dust was visible over everything in a fine layer and the air smelled musty.



“We should clean,” Chris murmured as he threw his things on the ground along with Matt. As Chris walked away, Matt listened to him ramble on a bit. “The fridge is probably covered with mold but I don’t feel much like cooking anyways. Why don’t we order pizza?”



Matt didn’t move from his spot by the door and only nodded. Chris frowned and went back to him, pulling him through the door into the house. “C’mon Matt. This is home. Aren’t you happy to be home?”



He nodded then grabbed him back, stopping them both short at the stairs. Matt turned Chris’ face towards him, stroking his cheeks and then his hair, pulling him close. “You grew your hair out.”



Chris nodded as Matt kissed him on the head. He knew what it was Matt wanted and in return, he slid his hand up his shirt. “I didn’t have time to cut it.”



Chris’ gesture excited Matt greatly, having not been touched by him in over tow years. He took a bit of Chris’ hair in his fingers and pulled his head back, kissing him deeply and receiving one in return that was just as deep. When they were done, Matt said, “I think I like it long.”



They both smiled and laughed. Everything was back to normal now and they were back to life. Matt and Chris went upstairs into the bedroom and they did what they hadn’t been able to do for two years, what they had longed to do since that day that Matt left. As they were together, under the sheets in reuniting embraces and dream-like kisses, they came to a realization, a realization of what they went through and how it affected them, and as they lay in bed afterwards, it all seemed like just one long bad dream. A scar that never really goes away. Something that made them half the men they were in that time, and almost made them forget what brought them together in the first place. But what didn’t kill them, only made them stronger, more trusting, and able to hold on without doubt. What makes you cry, gives you the ability to smile brighter than you did before and when you have something worth holding on to, for the sake of that you try with all your all to fight to stay alive just for that.



“Hey Chris, how would you feel about moving?” he stroked Chris’ head and wrapped that same arm around him. “I mean, out of town.”



He thought about it then looked up at Matt with a soft smile. Move out, away from everything I grew up with? “That, that sounds nice. That sounds like a great idea.”



That idea was fine with Chris. It was time for something different, for something other than this familiar place and its familiar people. Everyone knew too much about each other, and was to into everyone else’s business. It held just too many memories that Chris didn’t want anymore. Too much pain, and too much sorrow. “Somewhere, not too far away. I want to be able to visit Sam…”





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Omg so yes! that is the last chapter.

sooooooo much happened~

and I know its a lil cliche, but I think its an overall well written story if I do say so myself. hehe.

so.

Review, and tell me waht you think :P

and read my other stories!

helpful things!

Ja ne! ^.^V