Second Chances

*** Message from the author

So I know people are waiting for sequel to Unlikely given the number of people who have told me to hurry the fuck up, but I didn't really want to spend that much time on writing and having to reference a story I wrote a couple months ago, so be patient, it should come in the next month or two.

As with Unlikely, this isn't a story that should be read by people who just want to read about a lot of people fucking. Yes, there is sex, but it is not the primary focus of the story. Many characters are not even depicted having sex. -gasp-

So I feel like including this disclaimer now, because otherwise hoards of assholes are bound to complain. This is a work of FICTION. Therefore, I can throw caution to the wind and make people fall deeply in love in a matter of days. Shut up about it. I could do the annoying time lapse thing and go ~3 months later~ every couple paragraphs, but really, that would be annoying and I would need to set the situation again every single time and this just makes it read better and makes my life easier.

Again, thanks for reading, feedback is appreciated!

***

Hmm, if I'm going to tell you all this maybe I should at least let you know a little bit about me. My mom was killed when I was seven. Everyone knew it was my dad's drug dealer, since he owed a lot of money, which he couldn't pay, and the man just about admitted it. Of course, he knew what he was doing and after months of trying to put together a case against him the police more or less gave up. It's still considered open but I don't think anyone has opened the file for about ten years.

I'm eighteen. I have short brown hair and blueish green eyes. I have a pretty good body, though I definitely wouldn't win a marathon or pass as a body builder. I've always had good teeth, which is somewhat of a miracle given that my family could never afford dentist appointments for me, even when my mom was alive. I had been lucky and was sent to Stuyvesant for high school. I had got one of the highest marks on the entrance exam they had seen from anyone in my area. I had never thought of myself as immensely smart person, just smarter from the other dumb asses who inhabited my area. I suppose I was just more driven than everyone else. I accredit it to the fact that in middle school I had always studied more than everyone else, and the same happened in high school. I was not going to stay in this dump, and I was not going to repeat my dad's mistakes.

This month it was going to be harder than usual to cover all the costs, and as usual my father was one of the biggest obstacles. I had the rent money in one of my shoes. I should have known better than to leave money in our dump of an apartment unattended but I wasn't thinking. My dad found it and used it to buy some cocaine or something, so we were going to be evicted. On top of that he was high and was pissed at me for hiding money from him, so he decided to beat me. I could probably have fought back and done some damage, but I had long since resigned myself to it. I didn't really have any options. I could go to a loan shark but then I would need to pay him back as well as the rent next month, it wasn't an option.

I had decided to try theft. For some reason I had felt drawn to this apartment. That's how I found myself here.

I slowly opened my eyes. I was lying on a couch, no surprise; I slept on one since the small dumpy apartment my dad and I shared only had one bed. It seemed more comfortable than usual. I looked around. This was definitely not my apartment, the walls were painted, not covered in ripped wallpaper, and it smelled clean, unlike my apartment which smelled like a sour combination of mold, desperation, and my father's cigarettes, one of his many habits I swore from a very young age never to pick up. It took me a while to remember. Looking at me from a chair across the room was a man. He reminded me of someone, but for the life of me I couldn't figure out who it was. He looked like he had seen a ghost. I had bumped something and probably woken him up. I'd guess was about twenty-two. I had a large bump on my head from where he had hit me to knock me out. I had tried to rob him. Apparently I'm not great at theft.

I looked down, seeing my shirt under which the scar from years earlier was finally starting to disappear. I had a flashback to the night about three years ago my dad caught me and Doug, my then boyfriend, kissing on the couch.

It was sort of weird how we met. I was walking home from my after school job working at McDonalds, which I hated, by the way. It was about four blocks from the subway stop to my apartment, four very sketchy blocks that I would be terrified to walk in the dark and would do almost anything to avoid. Anyway, I was about half way home when I saw him walking towards me, well, towards the subway stop on a path that happened to be opposite to mine. He was dressed nicely, in a private school uniform and had a leather satchel draped over his shoulder. No one who knew anything about this neighborhood would ever walk through it wearing anything remotely nice. He was a walking target. He was gorgeous though, he looked to be about 6'1" and had short blonde hair and actually flashed me a smile. About a block behind him I saw three guys coming up behind him quickly, they looked like they were about to mug him, a sight you learn to recognize when it's as common as it is here. Usually if a rich kid was about to get mugged, I wouldn't give a shit, but for some reason I decided to help him out, by help him out, I mean grab him by the hand and tell him to follow me. At first he resisted but when I pointed across the street at the group of three very large sketchy men moving towards him he understood why. We ran a couple blocks and made it to the subway stop and got on the train right before the door closed. We were lucky for the timing because the train pulled away right as the thugs jumped the turnstiles.

"Hey, come back to my apartment with me, I want to give you something to say thanks."
"It's fine, it wasn't a big deal."
"It was a big deal, please, I really want to say thanks."
"Fine, out of curiosity, what the hell were you doing in that part of town?" I asked with a combination of concern and confusion as we headed towards Manhattan from the Bronx.
"My older brother is a student at Fordham, I was visiting him and forgot where the subway stop was. I'm Doug by the way" Fordham is an enigma, it's a good school with a beautiful campus located directly across the street from one of the sketchiest areas in the five boroughs.
"I'm Henry."

A fat guy got up off the bench at the end of the car we happened to be at. It was easily large enough for one person but was a tight squeeze for two.
"You can have it." I was fine with standing.
He sat down and gestured for me to join him.
"I'm kind of exhausted from that, do you mind if I close my eyes for a minute?" He laid his head on my shoulder; I didn't think much of it.
"Sure."
"Ok, wake me when we're approaching the 77th street stop."

His apartment was really nice. It was on Park Avenue up about ten stories. The elevator was broken so we had to take the stairs. The entire time I found myself staring at his ass. I had expected some money or something, but when we got there he took me by the hand and pulled me past his parents' room and brother's room to his, closed the door, and kissed me.
"What are you doing?" I was surprised, though not in an unpleasant way, I just wasn't expecting it.
"I'm giving you your reward. Do you like it, right?"

Instead of answering I pushed him onto his bed, climbed on top of him, and kissed him. "What do you think?"
That was all he needed to hear. He pulled me down next to him and rolled on top of me. Within seconds he had both our shirts off and was kissing my neck. He kissed down to my nipple and circled it with his tongue several times before biting it softly. I groaned softly. He then kissed down to my pants and started to undo them. He started to kiss my dick through my underpants which were now wet with precum.
The front door opened.
A woman's voice came from the entrance "Hi, Doug, are you home?"
"Shit that’s my mom, put your clothes back on." "Yeah, I'm here, I have a friend!"
"Who is it?"
"His name's Henry, you don't know him."

We had got our clothes back on and were sitting at his computer when she came in. Unsurprisingly, she looked rich. She had some makeup on, was wearing a designer suit and carried a Prada bag that was clearly real, unlike the ones some of the women who lived near me carried. She wore a wedding ring and her engagement ring was probably worth more than most cars. Her necklace and earrings weren't exactly cheep looking either.
"Henry is my mom, Anne Gaskey, mom, this is Henry."
"Nice to meet you Mrs. Gaskey." I got up to shake her hand. Manners was something my mom had managed to instill in me before she was killed, it definitely did not come from my father, who probably would have just burped at her or something.
"Oh please, call me Anne."
"So I don't believe I recognize you, are you from Doug's school?"
"Actually, he kind of saved me from some thugs. I don't know what would have happened if not for him." He leaned over and kissed my cheek. I was dumbfounded that he would let his mom see that, it may have been before my dad nearly killed me, but even now I was going to avoid letting him know I was gay at all costs. She just smiled.
"Well then, you're more then welcome here any time. Are you staying for the night?"
"I'm not sure I should."
Doug winked at me as his mom was straightening something on his desk. "Come on, stay the night."
"Well I suppose I can't say no to that."

His dad got home around 8 pm and we sat down to eat. I don't think I had ever eaten as well as I did that night, up until that point at least. Roast beef, mashed potatoes, and a tossed salad. Even for Christmas, the roast my grandmother made was definitely not even half the quality of that one, and servings were about a third the size. I managed to make it through most of the meal without talking much about my home life. As the maid, yes they had a maid, probably should have mentioned that, cleared the plates, Mr. Gaskey asked, "So what's your family like?" Shit, busted. I gave them the summary. From the reaction I might as well have said my entire family died in a car crash when I was three and I was forced to live with my horrible aunts who made me live in the basement and work in the garden. Actually, now that I think about it, I can kind of relate to James from James and the Giant Peach. By the time we finished dinner and sitting around talking and had endured about as much pity as any human being should ever need to, it was about ten. Doug's parents apparently were early risers and for them ten pm was about as much as they could take.

We went back to his room and sat on the edge of his bed. By the way, they were fine with us sharing a bed. There is no way in hell my dad would be ok with that. He kissed my lips. "Now where were we before my mom came in?" He pulled my shirt off over my head and then pulled his own off. In seconds we were both ripping our pants off. He straddled my waist and wrapped his arms around my neck and kissed my lips. My dick was completely hard and dripping precum like a faucet. "What can I give my hero to say thank you for saving me?" He winked at me.

I briefly came back to my reality. Couch, chair, unfamiliar guy, room, passed out again.

It had been about a month since I saved Doug from getting mugged and maybe killed. I had become a regular fixture at his apartment; his parents would almost assume I was there when they came home.

I'd only met his older brother once, and that was in passing. He was home for the weekend and I had come by to see Doug. He was even better looking than Doug. He had come out in a towel and claimed not to have realized I was there. I found myself mesmerized by him. He was about 6'2 and had a swimmer's build and styled short blonde hair. I wouldn't have been surprised to see him on an Abercrombie & Fitch billboard.
"You just wanted to come show off that you're better looking than me."
"Well I am, why not flaunt it?"
"Because my boyfriend is here. You always try to do this." Oh, he was also gay.
"You're right, I totally want to steal your boyfriend, and guys who are four years younger than me are totally what I'm looking for."
"Well, I can hardly blame you for wanting this one." With that Doug wrapped his arms around me and kissed me. I learned later that what had just transpired was somewhat of an inside joke with them and was absolutely not serious. I knew from Doug that they were really close, and told each other almost everything, which meant that I knew he already knew basically everything there was to know about me, and I mean absolutely everything, before he had seen me, and probably had seen about fifty pictures of us from Doug's phone. Doug thought that we would get along really well and that if I was a couple years older, he might be worried that his brother actually would try to steal me away. From the way he said it I was pretty sure he wasn't entirely kidding.

One day Doug said he wanted to see my apartment. I told him it was a dump and really wasn't worth seeing, and, if it were possible, I would never see it again in my life.
"Oh come on, you basically live in my apartment now, I want to see where you go when you leave."
"You do remember what happened the last time you were in my neighborhood, right?"
"Don't worry, I'll dress the part, no one will know the difference, besides, I'll have my hero there to protect me." He kissed me as he said that. He knew how to get what he wanted from me.
"Fine, we can go tomorrow morning, but I'm spending the night with you." I suggested that because I knew the next day was the day my dad was supposed to be in Atlantic City. Yes, he gambled too; doesn't my dad sound like a real winner?

The next morning we woke up and walked to the subway, took the 6 train down, got off at the correct stop, and walked to my apartment. We got there without incident. I put my key in the door, kicked it a couple times, and it finally let us in. I gave him the grand tour, which took approximately seven seconds, and sat down on the couch to watch TV on our twelve-inch screen that only had twenty channels and was grainy. He put his hand on my thigh and his head on my shoulder. I loved feeling his body against mine. The show ended and nothing else was on so we just sat there. It sounds boring, I know, but it wasn't. Just being in physical contact with him was exhilarating. I took his hand in mine and brought it to my mouth. Then I kissed each fingertip before gently starting to suck on them. He got the message and was immediately on top of me taking his shirt off. Our timing couldn't have been worse. As soon as his shirt hit the floor I heard the door open. My dad was on the other side. He was clearly high, and the fact that he was back so quickly from the casinos meant that it had been a bad day, even by his horribly low standards. He looked from Doug, to me, and then back to Doug. I felt like I was going to vomit. Dad started moving towards us. I got between Doug and my father and told Doug to run. He started swinging at me as Doug ran out the door. I wanted to run away with him but my father punched me in the gut. I doubled over in pain.

Dad said if he ever saw me kissing a guy again, he would kill me, and that if I ever talked about Doug, or he ever saw Doug again, he would track Doug down and kill him. Then to prove it he beat me within an inch of my life. I believed him... I believe him.

"So what's your name?" He spoke and brought me back from my thoughts.
I stared at the ceiling.
"Actually, you don't need to tell me it, I know it's Henry." Shit, I brought my wallet; did I have an ID in there?
"I'm Matt." He smiled at me like I was supposed to recognize it.
I still didn't respond.
"I can see the bruises on your arms, and the black eye is kind of obvious."
I didn't realize how bad I looked until this point. I knew I had got the shit kicked out of me, but it was such a regular thing that I guess I didn't even think about how it made me look.
"It looks like you got the shit kicked out of you. Your father?" People always assume it's the father. The fact that it was correct had no bearing. The fact that he guessed correct didn't even register as a blip on the radar.
"It's not a big deal." I didn't mean it but if there is one thing I hate more than my father, it's pity.
"Look, I really don't want to call the police on you. I know you don't have a lot of options, but I need you to talk to me." He genuinely looked like he cared. It wasn't the obligatory sort of thing people say when they see someone beat up. He seemed like he really wanted to help.
"I... I..." I broke down crying. I hadn't cried for years, I wasn't even aware I was still able to. I felt even worse for crying in front of this rich kid who probably had his parents paying for this apartment and probably had never wanted for anything.

He got up and crossed the room, then sat down next to me.
"What happened to you?"
I don't remember what happened next, I'm pretty sure I just passed out.

I woke up in the hospital, handcuffed to the bed. Matt was in the chair next to me, it took me a while to remember what happened. "Sorry about that, I had to explain what happened when I called the ambulance. I'm not pressing charges but they insisted you be cuffed."
"What happened?"
"You were bleeding internally and had a couple broken ribs. You should make a full recovery but they want to keep you a while for observation."
"It's ok, I'll be fine, I need to go, and my dad will be worried." That was a lie. I could disappear and my dad wouldn't notice I was gone until he was evicted because the rent hadn't been paid. I didn't want to admit that I didn't have any money or insurance. There was no way I could pay the hospital bill.
"The doctor was pretty insistent, you can borrow my cell if you want to call your dad."
I stared at the ceiling.
"You're sure that is the reason?"
Now I was just ashamed of how little my father cared.

"He really wouldn't be. He probably doesn't even know I'm gone. He won't notice I'm missing even when the landlord comes tomorrow looking for the rent and dad will just be high as a kite, like he always is, and probably go berserk again. Then we'll be evicted, which sounds a lot worse than it is, since our apartment is a shit hole anyway and sometimes I think I'd rather live on the street, then I wouldn't have to deal with his shit anymore at least." A tear rolled down my cheek.
"Shit." It was all Matt could get out. He was probably expecting something bad, but nothing like that. There was something akin to pity in his stare. Not the normal "I feel so bad for you" pity that I was so accustomed to from people who saw how bad it was. It came with a desire to help.
I passed out again.

When I came to, Matt was gone. I was disappointed, he had been the first person who genuinely seemed to care I had met in a while. What's more, he cared despite how we had met, me trying to rob him. Maybe he just felt bad for hitting me so hard that I needed to be hospitalized, even though I suppose I probably deserved it. I noticed the handcuffs were gone. I sat up on the edge of the bed. I had to get out of there. I was trying to figure out where the hell my clothes were when I heard a knock at the door. A nurse came in to check on me. She looked to be in her late twenties or early thirties, and very attractive.

"We're going to want to keep you another twenty-four hours for observation."
"Umm... I can't really afford that, I don't have any money or insurance."
"The guy who was with you said he would pay for it." I was shocked; I had most definitely not done anything to warrant that.
"Do you know where he went?"
"He had to go with the police to fill out some forms saying he wasn't pressing charges against you and to make a statement, did you guys have a lover's quarrel or something?"
"What are you talking about?"
"You don't need to hide it, I've seen him around you."
"He's not my boyfriend." That didn't mean I wouldn't want him to be, from what little I knew of him he was basically perfect.
"Well you should definitely nab him, he's a catch, and he's hardly left your side."
"How long have I been here anyway?"
"Three days." My jaw dropped. I had been awake for about ten minutes of it total.
"I'll be back later to check on you again, there is a button beside the bed, if you need anything press it and one of the nurses will come as quickly as possible."
She walked out the door. The knowledge that Matt was coming back made my desire to leave disappear. I lay back down and closed my eyes.

A few minutes later the door opened again, this time it was Matt. He came in and closed the door quietly behind him.
"Welcome back."
"How are you feeling?"
"My head hurts a lot, but besides that I'm fine.
"Why are you even being nice to me, all I ever did to you was try to rob you."
"I'll explain later. You should rest."
That was all the convincing I needed. I was out like a light.

The observation period ended and they released me. Matt signed some papers saying he would pay, for some reason still well beyond my comprehension. He hailed a taxi. The entire way to his apartment we were silent. When we got there he told me to sit on the couch. I didn't argue. He went to a closet and pulled out a cell phone, which I immediately recognized as Doug's. It was then that I noticed a picture on the end table. It was Doug, Mr. and Mrs. Gaskey, and Matt. I realized immediately who Matt was. It was Doug's older brother. I felt a bit ashamed I hadn't recognized him sooner. I had seen him in a lot of pictures in his family's apartment, though I had never actually met him myself. For a moment I was hopeful I might be able to see Doug again. Then I saw the look on Matt's face.
"What the hell is going on?"
Now it was his turn to cry.
"What is going on... What the hell is going on?"
"Doug... and our parents... they died a year ago."
I felt like someone had driven a spike through my heart. Three of the nicest people I knew... Doug who I still loved... Dead. I still had hoped somehow my dad would be removed from the equation and I would be able to find Doug again. Failing in that, I would have at least wanted him to be happy, to find a guy to spend his life with, maybe adopt some kids or something. He deserved better than to die.
"What happened?" I was in tears too now
"They were driving home from the house Hamptons. A drunken guy swerved into them and drove them into the embankment. Mom and Dad were dead when the ambulance arrived. Doug survived a couple days but died from complications. He kept asking for you in the hospital. I had tried to find you but he couldn't remember how to get to your apartment or your phone number, the crash had caused some brain trauma." I wanted to curl up into a ball and die. How could I not have been there for him? "He couldn't stop talking about you. The three days he laid in that hospital bed were nothing but Henry, Henry, Henry. In the end he started talking to me like I was you. I couldn't bear to correct him."

"Stop... Please stop. I can't listen to this. I can't even think about this." I was crying hysterically at this point, as was Matt. For a while we just sat there crying.
"He loved you more than anything you know." Matt finally managed to speak again.
"How could I not be there for him, how could I have let him down like that?"
"You couldn't have known, you hadn't talked in months."
"And that makes it better? We hadn't talked because I was afraid of my father. I wasn't there for his final moments because I had been too afraid of my drugged out father to leave. Your parents had even said I could move in, but I was too afraid of my goddamn father." I was almost saying this under my breath. I could barely manage to form words between the grief, guilt, and rage.
"I'm going to kill him." I finally managed to speak again. I meant it too.
"What?"
"I'm going to kill that bastard."
"Your father?"
"Yeah, its because of him I didn't get to see Doug again. Because he is a drugged out, gambling, drinking, smoking, abusive, sociopath. He doesn't have a single redeeming quality. The world would be better without him."
"You can't kill him."
"Watch me."
"What would Doug have wanted?" I knew he was right, Doug would never have wanted me to do that.

"I can't live with him. I can't be near him. I can't speak to him. I don't even want to think of him anymore."
"Ok, that's fine. You can stay here if you want. Doug would have wanted me to let you stay here."
"I couldn't do that, I couldn't pay rent or anything."
"It's fine, my brother would have wanted it. And if you want to pay, I'm sure I can think of ways that you can help out."
"I'm not sleeping with my dead boyfriend's brother."
"I meant with chores and cleaning, smart ass. Besides, I have an extra room and haven't been able to find someone to split the apartment with who I like anyway."
"When did you move here anyway, why not stay in the old apartment?"
"Too many memories of my family, I couldn't step inside without breaking down and crying." I probably would do the same if I went in there.
"Come on, let's go get your stuff."

We got to my apartment with a suitcase to put my stuff in at about 8 pm. I hoped my dad would be out. We were going to be evicted soon anyway so moving in with Matt seemed like a godsend. I climbed the six flights of stairs with Matt carrying the suitcase right behind me. When I got to the door I hesitated before putting the key in. What if he's there? What do I say? What do I do?
"Come on, Henry, just put the key in."
I put the key in and turned it. Then the customary several kicks, and the door gave way.
"Wait on the couch, my clothes are in the bedroom, I'll be right back, I don't have much to pack anyway." He turned the TV on.

I walked into the bedroom, closing the door behind me, and didn't notice my dad lying on the bed getting high.
"Where have you been, boy?”
"None of your business."
"You're my son, boy, that makes it my business."
"I'm moving out, it's not your business anymore. Fuck off."
"What did you say to me?"
"Fuck. Off."

He was not happy. I'm never sure what drugs he's high on at any given time, but right now I was guessing whatever it was made him quicker to anger than usual.
"You have a lot of nerve. You didn't pay the rent this month, you disappeared for a couple days, and now you come back here to say you're leaving for good. I bet you've been off with that fag of yours." He kicked me to the floor. I curled up into a ball and tried to protect my body and head with my arms and legs.
"You fucking thieving fag. There's only one way to deal with fags." He pulled his knife out. The only solace I took was that at least if I was dead I could be with Doug again, or, if it all just ends, at least I wouldn't have to be haunted by his loss.
"I'm gonna kill you, and then I'm gonna find your faggy boyfriend, and kill him too." He kicked me again. He was going to make this hurt. He drew his leg back to kick me again when I heard a thud, and then a louder one. I opened my eyes to see Matt standing over my father holding a pan from the kitchen.
"Are you OK, Henry?" He helped me stand up.
"I'll be fine, can we get out of here?" I was in a lot of pain and probably should have gone to the hospital, but I had spent the last several days in one. I just wanted to get out of there, and never come back.
"No, we're calling the police, I'm not letting your father come after you."

He got out his cell phone and called 911. I reluctantly stayed.
"My friend and I were trying to pick his stuff up from his apartment, his dad was high and attacked him. If I weren’t here he probably would have been killed. I knocked the guy out but if we could get a police officer over here or something that would probably be good."
Mumblemumblemumblemumble
"Henry, what's the apartment's address?"
I gave it. He passed it on.
Mumblemumblemumblemumble
"Ok, thank you." He hung up. "There is a patrol car a couple blocks away, they'll be here in a couple minutes."
"I hope they're fast." I looked at my dad's unconscious body on the floor and gripped my chest; it hurt from the repeated kicks. We carried him to the couch and I held onto the knife. I forgot that my dad keeps a gun under the couch.
"They're sending an ambulance too."
"I'm fine." I winced as I said that.
"Just let them check you out, he might have broken one of your ribs or something."
"Fine, but I'm not spending another night in a hospital, I don't want to have to listen to nurses running through the hall all night."
"At least you got a bed, I was in a chair." He smiled at me. He had his brother's smile that could make me do anything.
There was a knock at the door, I checked through the peephole to see a badge, so I opened the door. I opened the door to a cop that was almost a comical character of a New York City officer.
We were busy explaining what had happened and didn't notice my dad wake up.

BANG

I turned and saw my father fall to the floor, the left side of his head was a crater, and the area to his left was splattered with blood. He had done a brief stint in jail a couple years ago, and said he would never go back, I guess he thought with a cop at his front door it was his only out. I felt sick. I hated my dad and I wanted him dead but the sight was too much for me. The officer took us out of the apartment and radioed for them to send the coroner. When the EMT arrived, he checked me out and told me I was fine. Then we were taken back to the station and they took our statements. I just wanted to go back to Matt's apartment.