Juvenile Detention

By: Rick Masters
(© 2015-2016 by the author)

The author retains all rights. No reproductions are allowed without the author's consent. Comments are appreciated at...

masters@tickiestories.us

Chapter 56
The Friend

As the two boys walked down the street, Josh waited for Simon to begin. Simon was clearly thinking about something, so Josh just kept quiet, letting Simon get himself together. Josh thought it must be something important for Simon to struggle like this. They had walked more than two hundred yards at a steady pace before Simon began, "I've talked about my friend from school. We've been getting on quite well, and he wants me to go and sleep over at his house. But I don't want to leave you alone. So I was wondering, as he knows about you, if you would mind if I asked him to come and sleep over at our house instead? Of course after the news breaks today he'll probably know more than I have told him. He'll know what you look like if he sees it on the TV. Maybe all three of us can sleep in the same room that night. What do you think?"

"Simon, it's your home, and he is your friend. What I want doesn't really matter. But I do feel really good that you wanted to ask me. I'm happy for him to come and stay over, and if you want to go and stay at his house, I'm okay with that too. It's not like I haven't been alone before, and it's only for a night or two anyway. I want you to be happy. You don't need to check things like this with me. Some day I will move out. Hopefully you'll be able to come and visit, but we'll be living in different places then, and neither of us will check with the other on what to do. So you go ahead and do what you want. By the way, we've talked about him meeting me, but I don't think you've ever told me his name."

"Oh, sorry, his name is Godfrey and he lives just a couple of miles away apparently. At least if my understanding of his address is right. I think I know where the road he lives on is."

"Well you know where I used to live and that is well away, so I probably have not even heard of the road, let alone know where it is. Sorry. I guess I can't help you there."

"There is another thing. Godfrey has not said anything, but I get the feeling that he might be interested in a little man on man action. What if something like that develops?"

"If that happens and you two decide to become more than just friends I am not going to stand in your way or be jealous. Remember, I have Sam, and I have made it clear to you that Sam is my number one. Maybe Godfrey can be your number one. What has your mum said about Godfrey staying over?"

"I haven't asked her yet. I wanted to know what you thought about it first. At least if she wants to know that I can answer her when I ask."

"That's settled then. I want to be home in time for the news, which gives us about an hour. Fancy going to the Green and seeing if there is anything going on there?"

"Yeah, gives mum a chance to do some things without being interrupted. After tea can I get some help with more maths, please? I haven't quite managed to think of old Oxford Bags as anything else but that twerp maths teacher." Simon smiled as he said it.

"Oxford Bags?"

"Yeah, that's old Shelley, our maths teacher. He never lets us forget that he has a masters in maths from Oxford and he always wears these really big baggy trousers."

When they arrived at the green they saw a small group of younger teens kicking a ball around and an elderly couple out walking their dog. They sat down on a bench and chatted for a while more before Simon looked at his watch and suggested they head off back home to make sure they were there in time to catch the news.

When they got in Josh went straight to the sitting room and found Karl was home and had turned to the right channel for the news already. They greeted each other and Josh sat down on the couch to wait for the broadcast. Simon went through to the kitchen to find his mother and asked her about Godfrey coming over to stay. Esther passed the buck and sent him to ask Karl. Simon came through to the lounge just as the news was starting. As he began to talk Karl silenced him with a wave of his hand and called out to Esther to come and watch.

Josh had received second billing on the news, behind an announcement of the death of a soldier from the region in Afghanistan. There was a bit of an introduction and then the full video of Josh's short interview; they had edited out the questions thrown at Josh as he left the board room.

"You handled that very well, Josh. Saying that bit about wanting justice not revenge was very good. It shows the real reason for your fighting this case," Esther said and then returned to the kitchen to finish getting the tea ready.

Simon had sat down next to Josh and he put his hand onto Josh's leg. "That was a good interview."

"Simon, you wanted to say something before I shushed you to listen to Josh's interview."

"Yeah, dad. I have this friend from school called Godfrey. He wants me to go and spend the night with him, but I don't want to leave Josh out, and I obviously can't tell him to invite Josh. So I thought that maybe Godfrey could come and stay here instead. Mum said I had to ask you. Please say that it will be okay. I thought that if he does come maybe the three of us could all sleep on the floor in my room."

"Give me some time to think about it and I will tell you later. Then you can speak to your friend. Josh, how do you feel about this?"

"Well, like I told Simon, it's not my house and Godfrey isn't my friend. I don't really have the right to have a say anyway, but I am okay with it. And if Godfrey doesn't want me to share the room with them, that's okay too. I appreciate being considered."

"You are right. This isn't your house; but it is your home at present and for as long as you want or need it. Because it is your home, you need to be consulted in things like this. Just as I am going to have a private talk with Esther before I give Simon my answer." Karl got up to go through to the kitchen to talk with Esther. As he got to the door the phone rang and he changed his course to go and answer it. A few moments later he came back into the room. "Josh, there is a Timothy Clarke on the phone. He says you know him and he would like to talk to you."

"Thank you, Karl. Yeah, I'll talk to him." Josh got up and went through to the hall to take the call. After the call he got a little way back to the lounge when the phone rang again and he went to answer it. From both the lounge and the kitchen the others could hear him talking but not make out what was being said. Then Josh's tone rose along with his volume and they heard, "You didn't come to the first trial, why should I think you would want to come to the second? ... No, I don't want to see you or him. If you really cared you would have done more. You would have come to visit me, you would have got a decent lawyer like the one I have now. I don't want to even talk to you anymore." And they all heard the phone land fairly firmly in its cradle. A moment later they heard Josh's bedroom door close.

Simon got up but Karl called him back. "Give him a bit of time to calm down first and then you can go and try. If Godfrey agrees to come and spend the night, that is okay with mum and me, but it has to be a weekend night and we want to talk to his parents first."

"Thanks, dad. I really appreciate this. I think Josh has had a hard time of things and I don't want him to feel left out."

"You and Josh seem to be getting on very well now."

"You can't help it. He is a really nice guy and I can't believe how his mother could have done what she did, or at least not done what she didn't. I mean, even when I was being my worst you and mum would not have abandoned me like that. How does a mother do that to her own flesh and blood? And look at how it hurts Josh. It hurts me and she is not even my mother and it was not me she did that to."

"This world is made up of different people and I used to think there will be those that we might never understand. Now I am sure of it. But now we are his family, and that is why it hurts to see him upset like that. Go on now and see if you can cheer him up. Mum will have the tea ready soon, and it would be good to be together to eat it. But if Josh isn't up to it, don't push him."

Simon gently knocked on Josh's door and asked to be allowed in. Josh gave his permission and Simon opened the door and then closed it behind him to give them some more privacy. Josh was lying on his front and he turned his head to look at Simon for a few moments and then buried his face back in his pillow. The look on Josh's face was enough to cut deep into Simon's heart as he could see the pain and turmoil. He took the few steps to the bed quickly and lay down next to Josh, squeezing in and putting his arm over Josh's back. Slowly he moved and began to rub Josh's back and shoulders, feeling them to be very tense. No words were spoken for quite a while. Simon could feel the shudders in Josh's back as he tried to bite back the sobs. Simon changed positions so that he could really rub Josh's back.

"I can't even imagine what you must be feeling, because I have known all along that my parents cared about me. Even when I was being the worst shit possible, they still had a room for me and food on the table and love that though exasperated was clearly still there. So I don't really know what to say or do. But this I do know: we all love you, and we are glad you have come into our family and are a part of us. I know that in a few years we will probably be living somewhere else -- at uni or something. But this place will still be home for both of us, and there is definitely room for both of us."

Josh lifted his head and turned to look at Simon. Simon quickly bent down and kissed Josh on the cheek. Josh smiled and began to roll over onto this side. Simon quickly moved to give him the room he needed and then sat back down on the bed. He didn't know what to say and so changed the subject completely. "That guy on the phone earlier. He was the guy you went to the movies with when you were arrested, wasn't he?"

"Yeah. The two girls we went with saw the interview on TV and want to see me again. I need to speak to your parents and see if they can come and visit tomorrow evening."

"I'm sure there will be no problem with that, and speaking of that, mum must just about have the tea ready. You up to joining us, or do you want to be alone for a bit more?"

"No, I'll just go and wash my face. Thank you for caring. You don't know how much that means to me."

Josh left the room and went to the bathroom to splash cold water on his face and wash away the tear stains. Entering the lounge he said, "I'm sorry for all that fuss."

"Think nothing of it. It can't be easy, and we understand that. Ready to eat?" Esther asked.

"Actually I don't feel that hungry, but I will give a small serving a go, thank you."

"Fine. You will probably feel like a bigger serving once you start eating, and you can always come back for seconds."

"Thank you."

The four of them sat down at the table to eat and Esther dished out for them, giving Josh a much smaller portion than she normally did. While they were eating the conversation was fairly inconsequential until about half way through the meal, when Simon remembered that Josh had had the call from his friend before the upsetting one from his mother. "Josh, what did that Timothy guy want?"

"Oh, yes. Thank you, I nearly forgot. Would it be okay for Timothy and the two girls we were at the movies with the night I got arrested to come round and visit tomorrow evening, please?"

"I shouldn't think there would be a problem with that. What time will they want to come?" Esther asked.

"I haven't worked out a time because I didn't know if I could invite them yet. What time would suit you the best?"

"Josh, this is your home too. What time would you like for them to come?"

"If they could come after tea that would be nice."

"Is that a problem for anyone else?" Esther asked in a way that suggested it had better not be. When she received no objections she announced, "After tea it is then. Give Timothy a call and let him know."

"Thank you. You people are so kind to me. Thank you very much."

"Oh, and the folks have said yes to Godfrey coming for a sleepover, so I will talk to him tomorrow."

"My, quite a busy social calendar for this household then," Karl teased.

The visit by Timothy and the two girls was a rather unnerving affair for Josh. It was quite clear from the start that the girls were only really interested in satisfying their curiosity and did not care that much about how Josh had been treated. They had seen the report on the news and got hold of Timothy as he had mentioned to them that he had seen Josh. Timothy obviously felt rather awkward and embarrassed as he soon realised that the girls had just used him to get this access to Josh. When the opportunity arose, Timothy quietly apologised to Josh and told him he would get the girls away as soon as he could. Josh just nodded his head in response. Thus less than two hours after they had arrived Timothy was herding the girls out the door. Josh found out some time later that Timothy told the girls off on the way home. The girls got upset over this and did not speak to Timothy for several weeks, not that he was particularly concerned.

Esther's chat with Godfrey's mother went well, and Friday evening Godfrey was dropped off by his mother to spend the night. It did not take Josh long to work out that he liked Godfrey and hoped that his friendship with Simon would grow and last. Godfrey was openly interested in Josh's experiences and asked questions, but not in the same way that the girls had. He expressed concern over how Josh had coped with all that he had gone through. Josh decided that Godfrey was a compassionate person and genuinely cared about it all. He also had seen the news and declared how happy he was that Josh had won and been proven to be totally innocent. But through all of their conversation, Godfrey had been careful to make sure Simon was included, so that while it centred around Josh's experiences, all three teens were involved equally.

About half way through the evening the three boys moved from the lounge through to Simon's room where the mattresses from his and Josh's beds had been put on the floor and pushed together. There were three sleeping bags laid out across the two mattresses making it clear what the sleeping arrangements were. Even though Simon had not closed the door tight, Godfrey seemed to be a bit more comfortable and became freer in his behaviour, which did not go unnoticed.

When Simon left the room to go for a pee, Josh turned to Godfrey. "You should tell Simon how you feel about him."

"What do you mean?"

"I've seen the way you look at him and those little touches when the opportunity arises. You care more for Simon than just as a friend. He likes you too but is a bit nervous about these things. After all, he has been a bit of a bastard for a while."

"I didn't realise I was that easy to read. You're not going to tell him are you? He might hate me. And also he seems to think he owes you or something. How would that work?"

"Simon already knows that I have a boyfriend and I'm just waiting for him to come out of the Academy. And believe me, Simon will not hate you. I think you two could be really good friends. I know Simon quite well now. After all, I have been living with him for a few months."

"You have a boyfriend? You are gay, and Simon knows that?"

"Yes he is gay, and yes he does have a boyfriend, who is really cute." Simon said as he returned to the room.

"And you don't mind that he's gay and is going to sleep in the same room as us?"

"Not at all. Shit, man, Josh is a great guy and there is no way he is going to force himself on you. But if you want to try something out he might be willing if you ask him nicely enough."

"Does that mean that you have asked him already?"

"Hold on a bit. I don't think this is the way we should be discovering this sort of thing out about each other. Yes, I am gay. I make no secret about that, but you two need to think carefully. You are at the same school and if it got out that either of you are gay (and I am not saying you are) it could become very hard for you at school. So before you declare anything to each other, be sure you can trust each other. I think that I know that you both can be trusted, but that does not mean that either of you feel the same way. So let's back up a bit. Godfrey, you know that Simon was a right royal pain in the arse until recently, yet you remained friendly toward him and now I think count yourself as a friend of his. Care to tell us why?"

"As Simon knows, I came to his school from another one when my dad got a promotion and had to move. The first day that I saw Simon, I liked him and thought I wanted to get to know him better. He was alright at first, but I could see there was something that was holding him back. He got on with the other guys in the class, but none of them were friends of his. I guess I felt sorry for him and tried to stick close to him so that when he wanted someone I would be there. I saw little things that made me think that we were not seeing the real Simon. I saw the anguish in his face when we watched a film on the Nazi concentration camps, and even though he wasn't Jewish, he clearly was upset by what was being done to the Jews, even angry about it. I saw his compassion when a dog limped into the school grounds injured and it was Simon who picked it up and carried it to the office. And this sort of thing did not agree with the rebellion and aggression he was exhibiting to others. I decided that he was going through something that was either very painful emotionally or was scaring him. Simon would not let any of us get close enough to find out what it was that was tearing him apart inside. I had my guesses but I couldn't be sure. Then suddenly one day at school there was a different Simon. I didn't know it then, but I learned from Simon that it was a few days after you moved into his home. I am glad you did because it has helped me to get know him as a friend, and I want our friendship to continue."

"Simon you want to tell us why you behaved the way you did and why you changed?"

"Okay, I think you both really deserve it, but I think Josh has already guessed, and possibly you have too, Godfrey. Because you stuck by me when I was being such an arsehole I believe I can trust you, and Josh I already know I can trust you. I was having a terrible fight with myself because my body was telling me I was gay, but my pig-headed mind was telling me that I should not be. I didn't think there was anyone that I could talk to and didn't know what to do. I was afraid that everyone would be able to see that I was gay just by looking at me, so I tried to stop them looking at me by being a horrible piece of shit and making them dislike me. Then dad announced he was bringing this bloody jailbird home to live with us. I mean, shit, man, I was going to have to lock my fucking room every day and who knew what sort of diseases and crap he would be bring back from the prison and I had to use the same bathroom as him. It was alright for dad and mum, they have their own bathroom, but not me. And I wasn't even asked. I was just told. Sorry, Josh, but that was how I felt. To make matters worse, the day you arrived and were standing there in the lounge and dad called me in, I nearly died. I got an instant hard on when I saw you. I had never had that happen before, and here it was happening with someone I resented intensely. I didn't know you were gay then, but if you remember I went to my room straight away, telling you to stay away from my room. The first thing I did in my room was to drop my trousers and boxers and jerk off a load. After tea mum said I had to do the dishes, but I said I had to do some homework first. When I had done my homework I found you doing the dishes, even though mum had said you didn't need to do chores on your first day in our house. I told you then that you couldn't buy my friendship, and you just said you didn't want to buy friendship, because that never worked. You just felt that it was not fair for me to have to do extra because you were here while you did nothing. We hardly talked after that, but the next day when I got home from school and found that you had done the laundry for me and asked me not to tell mum because she had said you didn't have to do that sort of thing yet, I realised there was something about you that I needed to think about. So I just watched you and couldn't understand how you were not angry and seeking revenge, while I was angry because I was gay and didn't think I wanted to be. I overheard the conversation when Timothy's mum brought you home and wondered how I would feel if my family had abandoned me and couldn't see there was anything to be sorry about. I saw things in you that I liked and wanted for myself and realised that I needed to change to get those things. I hated being an arsehole, so it was easy to make a quick change to letting my true side out, and that is what you saw, Godfrey. So I owe both of you guys a fucking lot. Josh helped me to see what I needed to do, even though he was not aware he was doing that, and you stayed by me so that when that change came I had an instant friend and supporter. Even now, how many weeks on, there are still those at school who are not sure if this new me is for real. I can't blame them either."

"And that's what I saw in you. But I didn't know it was because we were alike that way, and even if I did I wouldn't have known what to do or how to do it. I also think that if I had come to you and said something like 'I think you are gay. Will you go out with me,' you would have punched me in the face and outed me to the whole school. Josh, you just told me to tell Simon how I felt about him because you could see it. Could you see if Simon feels the same way about me?"

"No, I can't say that, but I think that is because Simon has not had as long to think about you along those lines as you have. You have basically said you have had the hots for Simon from the first time you saw him. Simon was so at war with himself he has not had the chance to think about those things with anybody yet. But you can still be friends and maybe even friends with benefits and just wait and see if any gold pans out."

"I've waited a few years so far; a bit longer will not make that much difference. What do you say, Simon? Friends and we take it from there?"

"Friends for sure. But we are three friends, not two and one on the outskirts. I know that when Sam gets out Josh is going to want to be with him, but then I don't think you will be able to move to wherever he will be living and neither will he be able to move to here so you are still going to need us as friends to give you a helping hand."

"A helping hand? So you two have done some things together?"

"Maybe a bit. Does that make a difference?"

To be continued...
 

Posted: 11/11/16