Canyon Lake Blues: Chapter 6

James and Jeremy’s Story, Part 2 (December 2000)

Jeremy Anhalt was worried about James Kaplan. Ever since they'd dropped those pornos in the teacher's lounge, he's been acting squirrelly. He seemed like he was a million years away, at times. He spaced out often and his laughter rang hollow. Jeremy's best guess was that the hostility between the Kaplans had reached an all-time high, but that theory had been refuted two weeks ago when James' dad moved out of the house. James had even said that things were a lot better now because his parents seemed happier apart. So, if it wasn't that, then what was it? 

James was sitting on the couch, sipping a soda, half-watching television and half lost in his thoughts. He didn't notice that Jeremy was watching him closely, trying to read his mind. He was too busy thinking of what he'd seen in the teacher's lounge earlier in the fall. Those two guys...together...intimately...what would it feel like? Could he actually try it? Or worse - what would his friends do if they found out? 

"James." Jeremy's voice broke through the fog in his brain. "Are you all right? You've been a little off lately. Wanna talk about it?" 

James couldn't bring himself to meet Jeremy's concerned gaze. He just shook his head and replied, "Nah, I'm cool." 

"You sure? You've been acting weird." When James simply repeated himself and said, “Yeah, I’m cool,” Jeremy knew he had to pull out the heavy artillery. "You know, I'm not the only one who’s noticed it. Everybody thinks you're a little out of it."

This time, James couldn't help but look at his friend. Jeremy's eyes only confirmed what he'd stated. James's face paled and he swallowed hard, wondering if he'd given himself away.
"Look, man, I know something's up and I want to know what it is. Whatever it is, I can help you through it."

James swallowed again, a lump rising in his throat. He couldn't tell Jeremy what he'd seen! If he told Jeremy that his uncle had gotten head from a guy, Jeremy would hate him! Then he'd probably tell his uncle who would deny the whole thing. James would lose it all.
"It's nothing. It's nothing...really," he finally replied.

Jeremy sighed and turned the TV off with the remote. "James, have I ever given you a reason to not trust me? Whatever is wrong, you can tell me. I'm your friend, and in our social standing, it's pretty rare to have an actual friend who will be there for you no matter how many girls you disappoint or how many fumbles you make. I like you for who you are - not your athletic ability and certainly not for your ability to score with girls. So, like I said, whatever it is, you can tell me. I want to know so I can help you."

James felt the lump in his throat grow as tears threatened to overwhelm him. No one had ever said anything like that to him before. And what Jeremy said about real friends being a rare thing for them, it was true. Popularity had its perks, but one thing he could do without was the loneliness. He never knew who liked simply because he was on the football team or who truly liked him for who he was. With Jeremy, he'd always felt more relaxed and comfortable than he did with anyone else. Maybe there was more to his friend than he'd initially thought. But, still, he couldn't bring himself to tell Jeremy about his uncle, and about how it had made him feel. 

"I can't say, Jeremy. You wouldn't understand."
"Try me," his friend pressed. "You might be surprised."
James lept off the couch, pacing across the floor and wringing his hands. 
"You wouldn't understand, ok? You just wouldn't. I'll be okay. I just need some time."
"I wouldn't understand? Let me tell you what I don't understand. You barely speak, you hardly ever smile, and you haven't been on a date in weeks. That's what I don't understand.
"Now, James," he continued, "make me understand. I'm your friend, probably the only real friend you have, and I want- no, I need to know what's going on with you!" 

He got up from his seat on the couch and approached a red-faced James. He held his friend by the shoulders and finished, "James, tell me. Please!"

James sighed and went back over to couch, dropping down on to it wearily. He would tell Jeremy everything. He had no reason not to now. And Jeremy was right, it would feel good to get it all out in the open. Besides, as weird as he was acting, it only be a matter of time before someone found out. 

He drew in a deep breath, and the words came pouring out of him; he couldn't stop himself. Before he knew it, he'd told Jeremy everything - about Mr. Winters and Principal Anhalt, how he'd been aroused, and how he no longer found himself attracted to girls. Since the incident, his attraction to the opposite had steadily waned and had all but died out completely. He wasn't excited by women at all anymore.

When he was finished, he fell silent, waiting for Jeremy to call him a liar, or a fag, or to kick him out of his house; but Jeremy didn't. What Jeremy did next shocked James to the core.
Still silent, Jeremy leaned forward, and pressed his lips against James's. James felt his whole body tense up and then relax as he settled into the unexpected kiss. He felt as if he'd been plugged into about ten thousand volts of electricity as Jeremy's lips remained on his. When Jeremy finally broke the smooch and pulled away, James was disappointed. 

"Did you feel that?" asked Jeremy, a small smile playing upon his lips. 
"What?"
"I asked you if you felt that. You said that lately, you've felt nothing when you kissed girls, but since you might like guys, I wanted to know if you felt something when I kissed you. Did you?"

James's response? He lunged forward, his lips instantly connecting with Jeremy's. Jeremy, a little taken aback at first, recovered quickly and wrapped his arms around his friend in a tight embrace. He was thrilled! James was the first guy he had truly fallen for and he'd been wanting a chance with him since they'd met. Now, it seemed it was happening!

Back to Wyatt and Kelly… 

Wyatt awoke from a fitful sleep, staring absentmindedly at the clock. Nine o'clock...man, they'd been asleep for a while! He yawned and stretched, mildly disturbing Kelly who lay haphazardly over him. He mumbled something inaudible and slid off Wyatt without waking up. Wyatt glanced down at the sleeping boy and found himself mesmerized by Kelly's beauty. His whole countenance was hauntingly enhanced by the glow of the moonlight. His light brown hair had become liquid gold, spilling over his shoulders and the sheets; his full, pink lips looked like lush rubies, slightly parted while he breathed deeply; his skin was smooth and flawless, unblemished. There was only one word to describe Kelly - "handsome" didn't apply, "good-looking" was a gross understatement, "cute" wasn't enough...Kelly Fiore was beautiful!

Wyatt felt his heart drop into his stomach. He wanted nothing more than to curl up once more with this living work of art, but there was something he had to do: damage-control! He had to find Adam and Zane and try his damndest to explain away his questionable actions that day.

Wyatt rose from the bed without a sound and hunted in the dark room for his clothes. Quietly, he dressed, being very careful not to wake Kelly, who slumbered on, completely oblivious. He opened the door slowly and was ready to leave when he thought of something - he should leave a note. If Kelly woke up to an empty bed and there was no explanation of why Wyatt had left, he would think Wyatt had played him and that would stamp out their chances of any intimate encounters in the future! He turned around and went over to Kelly's desk that sat on the other side of the room away from the bed. He spotted a notepad and a pen lying on top of the rubble that Kelly called a desk, and he proceeded to scribble out a hasty note to his new lover. 

"Kelly," he wrote. "Went to find the boys, be back soon. Stay sexy for me." He was about to write the word "love" before he signed his name, but caught himself, swearing silently under his breath. It was nothing to be worried about, right? Everyone wrote that on letters, even if they didn't mean it; it was just a formality. But Wyatt didn't want to take that chance. He signed his name quickly and tossed the note on the pillow on his side of the bed, quickly exiting the Fiore house.

"We're glad you called, man," said Zane Morrison. "We were beginning to think that Kelly had brainwashed you or something." He put down his beer, and looked from Adam to Wyatt. They were both rabidly curious as to why Wyatt had taken up with Kelly Fiore. This was completely out of character for him.

Wyatt, for one, was stunned that they even agreed to speak to him. Adam had seemed especially curt with him, but Zane at least was willing to hear what he had to say. He had to take this chance to redeem himself in front of his friends.

"Look, guys, I have to be honest here," he began, deciding to be straight-forward with them. "I'm bored as hell and I've had every girl in this damn town! I've done them all! I've been with the girls that every guy wants, and I've been with the girls that most guys won't even look at." 
"So, do them again," Adam muttered. Zane sent him a sharp look that clearly told him to keep his mouth shut. Zane was the more level-headed of the two and was known for his laid-back, easy-going attitude. Adam, on the other hand, was a hot-head who was always the first to fly off the handle about every little thing.

Wyatt continued. "I fucked Kelly because I wanted something new and different, Adam. If you're content to stick to the same-old thing, fine, but I'm not you and I know there's a world outside Canyon Lake. Kelly may be what he is but at least he realizes that. Go ahead and leave your head stuck in the fucking sand. Until I can get the hell out of this town, I'm going to do whatever and whomever I please, whether anyone else likes it or not!" 

Adam simply stared back, his eyes hard like small black pieces of coal. Zane was impressed; Wyatt had spoken his mind, the plain truth, and he made no apologies for it. You had to admire that in a guy; he had balls! That was what made Wyatt so popular; the way he carried himself with a "world be damned" attitude. 
"Well, I can't speak for Adam, but I think I know how you feel. We are stuck here and we should be allowed to enjoy ourselves any way we can until the day we can get the hell out of here! If you don't want this publicized, I won't say a fucking word - we won't say a fucking word, right, Adam?" 

Zane forced Adam to meet his steely gaze and judging by the hard tone in Zane's voice, the other boy decided not to argue. "Yeah, whatever. We'll keep your secret and shit," mumbled Adam before taking a hearty swig of beer.

Wyatt looked at his friends, silently claiming this one as a victory. With a forced bravado, he found himself saying, "Thanks, but the more I think about it, I really don't care if anyone knows. One day, I'll have gotten the fuck out of Canyon Lake and this place will be history!"

Kelly sat alone in the living room, watching a movie on TV, but not really paying attention to it. Instead, his eyes kept flicking towards the note that Wyatt had left, which Kelly kept tightly clutched in his hand as though it were life support. The more he read and re-read the note, the more irritated he became. Who did Wyatt think he was?! Did he think Kelly had nothing better to do than wait around for him?

Yet, there Kelly sat, waiting and reading...reading and waiting, numbly eating pizza on an already full stomach. Just then the phone rang, breaking up the monotony of his routine. He didn't even bother checking the caller ID, subconsciously hoping it was Wyatt to say that he was on his way.
"Yeah, hello?" 
"Hey, Kel! Whatcha up to, babe?” a cheerful, female voice asked him.

Kelly couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. "Nothing really, Dina. Just watching TV and eating pizza. Speaking of, I could use some help finishing off that other pizza. Want to come over and give me a hand or are you and Brent busy tonight?" 

Dina Morrison was Zane's sister and Kelly's best friend. The two had been close since fifth grade when Dina, an energetic and outgoing girl, had started kicking the back of his chair to get his attention. Her excuse was that Kelly was too quiet and she wanted to get a reaction out of him. Eventually, it worked and Kelly yelled at her, but Dina had been determined. She went back to kicking his chair, and the next time he whirled around to face her, instead of yelling, they both burst into laughter. Kelly and Dina had been two peas in a pod ever since and had been through a lot of rough times together. They were there for each other when Dina's mother commited suicide, when Kelly found out that he'd been adopted, as well as when he came out. 

"Nah, I think I'm done with Brent. He's too whiny. Hate guys that whine more than I do...well, you're the exception, of course!"
"Aw, thanks, sweetie. You always know what to say don't you?" Kelly quipped. "If you're not busy then get your ass on down here! I'm bored!"
"Oh yeah? Where did your houseguest go?" Dina questioned slyly.

Kelly gulped. How did she know about that?! He had planned to tell her, but somehow she'd found out before he could say anything! 
"Uh...what- um, how did you know about that?" he managed to squeak. 
"Zane told me - well, actually he asked me. He and Adam came by and they both looked like they'd lost their favorite stuffed animals. Zane told me what happened at your place and wanted to know what I knew."
"And you told him you knew Jack Dookie Squat, right?"
"Yeah, of course, though I have to admit I'm a little pissed that I wasn't the first to know!"
"Hell, Dina, I didn't even know! He started ogling me at school today in the cafeteria and then he said he wanted to talk." Quickly, Kelly filled her in on what had transpired that day. 

When he finished, Dina let out a long, low whistle. "Wow! Of all the days I choose to skip! I always miss the good stuff!"
"I should have skipped with you, but you know how that would go over with the parental units." Kelly's parents were normally very easy-going, but when it came to his education, they were known to crack down with an iron fist.
"Yeah, yeah I know. Listen, I'll be over in a few, ok? You sure it's all right for me to come by?"
"It's cool. I'm alone. Elvis has left the building."

Dina giggled wickedly. "Did he at least thank you? Or stop to smoke a cigarette?"
"Bitch! Just get the hell over here, will you?"
"Ok, babe, I'm just joshing you," Dina said, still giggling. "I'll be right there. Quit stuffing your craw and save me some. I'm fucking starving!"
Kelly laughed as they both hung up. He looked at the note once more, hesitated for a moment, and then crumpled it up. He tossed it into a nearby wastebasket, seriously doubting that his paramour would come back. Zane and Adam would convince Wyatt that he was the devil incarnate and had worked him over with some gay Jedi-mind tricks. Wyatt may never even come back around for a little nookie every now and then.

Kelly chose to ignore the empty feeling in the bottom of his stomach and pretended not to notice the slight ache that began to throb in his heart. It wasn't like he even liked Wyatt, after all. He was just another self-absorbed, bone-headed jock - a jerk just like the rest of them. Why should he care what Wyatt did or didn't do? But as he went to let his best friend in, he knew it wasn't true, and Dina, who knew Kelly as well as she knew herself, immediately sensed that all was not as kosher as it should have been.

*Keep your eyes peeled! Chapter 7 is coming soon!!!*