Devyn’s Struggle II

Published: 12 Aug 2024

Charlie felt his phone vibrate. He pulled it from his pocket to see who was texting him. He had been anxiously waiting for a message from Devyn. They had exchanged a short message before Devyn left to visit Brent. Charlie felt a boulder rolling around in his stomach every time he thought about Devyn going to see his old boyfriend.

“Just got here,” Devyn said in the message. “It’s a cool place. Looks like a real log cabin.”

“That does sound cool,” Charlie responded. Charlie wanted to say more but what did you say to your boyfriend who was getting ready to see his old boyfriend? Charlie could not think of anything.

“Well, guess I’ll go in,” Devyn said.

“Alright,” Charlie responded. He wanted to say “I love you” but he was not sure their relationship was ready for that. Charlie knew he was there but was Devyn? “I hope everything goes alright.” Charlie hoped that Devyn did not get hurt but he honestly did not want things to go well with Brent. He wanted Devyn to come back to him. “Call me later.”

“Thanks, and sure.”

Charlie put his phone back in his pocket. He went back to the chores he was doing at the hardware store. He heard laughter coming from the office. He knew his brother and a couple of his loser friends were there. While Charlie was out there working, it sounded like a party back there. Howard sure took advantage of their father being gone on a service call.

Charlie wondered if he could get a part-time job somewhere else. Then he would not have to deal with his brother…of course, then he’d need to explain to his parents why he did not want to work at the hardware store. Could he just say because his brother was a homophobic dick…probably not. Maybe he could approach it a different way. The sound of the chime of the door pulled Charlie from his thoughts. He left stocking the shelves to go take care of the customer. His brother should have been the one running the register, but it seemed whatever was going on in the office was more important.

“Oh, hi Joe,” Charlie greeted as Joe stepped into the store.

“Hey Charlie,” Joe said.

Charlie noticed that Travis wasn’t with Joe. “Travis didn’t come into town with you?” Charlie wondered if Travis was at home alone. The kid seemed too young for that but what did Charlie know about raising a kid?

“I dropped him off at his friend Seth’s house on the way,” Joe explained.

“I’m glad he’s got a friend his age,” Charlie said. “I can only guess how hard it is to make friends when you are deaf.”

“It does make it challenging sometimes,” Joe said. “Seth seems like a good kid, and they get along well.”

“Can I help you with something?” Charlie asked. As their eyes met, Charlie could not stop remembering Joe finding him and Devyn naked on Devyn’s bed after having just had sex…oral sex. They had not even had a chance to wipe the cum off their skin. Charlie felt the blush starting to creep up his neck.

“I’m getting ready for winter and need some supplies,” Joe said.

“What can I help you find?”

“Let’s start with some heat tape,” Joe said.

“We have that,” Charlie said. He had just unpacked it the other day. “Do you know your length?” Charlie went from behind the counter towards the aisle where he had unpacked the heat tape.

“Yeah, I do,” Joe said following Charlie.

Charlie could hear a hint of laughter in Joe’s voice. Then he realized how he had asked about the length. He could feel his neck heating up. “Umm…we’ve got three sizes.” After getting the size Joe needed, he headed back to the counter. “Can I get you anything else?”

“Yes, I do need a few other things,” Joe said.

Charlie helped Joe find the other items the man needed. Every once in a while, they could hear laughter coming from the back office. Charlie got the last item on Joe’s list and went back behind the counter to start ringing up the purchases. There was another louder than usual burst of laughter from the office.

“It sounds like a party going on back there,” Joe commented.

“Howard’s in there with Ted and Dale,” Charlie said. Charlie could not hide the tone of disgust in his voice. The three of them had teased him earlier about Charlie taking Heather to Homecoming.

“So they’re back there having a party while you’re here working.” Joe had heard the edge in Charlie’s voice. He wondered if the boy’s brother had been giving him a tough time.

“Howard’s supposed to be out here while I stock shelves but…well…there is something more important in there.” Charlie gestured with his thumb towards the office.

“I’m guessing since the mice are back there playing, that your folks aren’t around?”

“Dad’s out on a call,” Charlie said. There was another burst of noise from the office. “That’s why the place is full of rats.”

Joe chuckled. “Devyn told me you got grounded for being out too late.”

“Yeah, Mom was ticked at me. She likes knowing where I am.”

Joe could hear the frustration in Charlie’s voice. “My Mom was the same way,” Joe said. “They just don’t want to let their youngest grow up.”

“She is just a bit overprotective sometimes,” Charlie said. He finished ringing up Joe’s items and started bagging them.

“I am sorry you were grounded,” Joe said.

“It was my own fault. I should have called. I just…um…didn’t think.”

“I know you had other stuff on your mind,” Joe said, with a twinkle in his eye.

“Um…yeah…” Charlie felt his face turning red again.

“You are so easy to embarrass,” Joe teased.

“I know. I can’t hide anything.”

“Never play poker,” Joe said.

“Definitely,” Charlie agreed.

“Have you heard from Devyn?” Joe asked.

“Oh, um, yeah, he texted me a bit ago. He got there.”

Joe could see the concern on Charlie’s face and hear it in the boy’s voice. “Yeah, he sent me a quick text letting me know he was there.” Joe paused as he did not want to pry but he could also see Charlie was stressed. “Did he say anything else?”

“Um…” Charlie shrugged his shoulders. “Not really. Do you think…ah…I mean has Devyn said how he feels about him?”

Joe knew that the ‘him’ that Charlie was referring to was Brent. “Honestly Charlie, Devyn doesn’t know how he feels. I think part of him wants to be mad at Brent but there are also still strong feelings from their relationship.”

Charlie glanced towards the door to the storeroom and the office. He could still hear laughter coming from there. “Do…do you think…I mean is there a chance that…that they would…ah…get back together?” Charlie swallowed hard trying to hold back his emotions and hide the fear he felt at that thought.

“Charlie, I wish I could answer that, but I don’t know. From what I’ve seen, you two have a strong relationship.”

Charlie felt the blush once again spreading across his face. He knew exactly what Joe had seen.

“I was not referring to the other night,” Joe explained. “It’s more than just what I walked in on.”

Charlie looked up from the counter into Joe’s blue eyes. “You think so…I mean you think he feels…well…”

“He cares about you, Charlie. There is no doubt there.”

Charlie could not help but wonder if it was more. Was it as strong as what Devyn felt for Brent? Was it maybe stronger? Was it love?

“Devyn’s your first, isn’t he?” Joe’s voice was soft and filled with caring. “And I don’t mean sexually.” Joe kept his voice low as he had seen Charlie glancing at the doorway to the back.

Charlie nodded. Devyn had been his first intimate relationship and his first sexual experience.

“That makes it extremely special Charlie. Devyn knows that and, in some ways, you’re giving him the chance to experience that. He kind of got robbed of that experience.”

“He…um…hasn’t told me much about that. I…um…didn’t want to push and well upset him.”

“Push a little Charlie,” Joe said. “Sometimes we need to be pressed to talk to someone about the painful stuff in our past. Especially when it’s someone we love, and we know loves us.”

Charlie’s gaze snapped to Joe at those words. “Do…do you think he does?”

“Charlie, there’s little doubt there. I’ve seen the way he looks at you and I’ve seen the way you look at him.”

“I, um, think I do but we…um…”

“I know it is hard to say that word for the first time.” It had taken Joe months to work up to saying that word to Dan. But one of them had to go first and it had been Joe. “Wouldn’t it be better to know that you both feel the same?”

Charlie nodded his head. It would be good to know that Devyn felt as strongly as he did.

“Someone has to have the balls to take that step and from what I’ve seen…” Joe paused, and his eyes looked into Charlie’s. “You’ve got’em.”

“Ugh!” Charlie felt his ears burning again.

“You’re so damn cute.” Joe reached across the counter and ruffled Charlie’s blonde hair. “Now I’ve got to get going. I’ve got some other errands to do, and I need to pick up some feed for the calves.”

“Um…thanks, Joe.”

“Anytime Charlie. I’m here for you. That won’t change no matter where things go with your relationship.”

“Thanks.”

Joe picked up his purchases from the counter and headed towards the door. Charlie could not stop himself from looking at how Joe’s jeans hugged the man’s hot ass. There was no wonder Ethan was hot for that man.

“What the fuck!”

Charlie jumped when he heard his brother’s voice from the doorway. How long had Howard been standing there? Charlie had been so caught up in talking to Joe that he had not been paying attention to Howard and his friends.

“I told you, man, your brother’s becoming one of them,” Ted said.

“Shut up!” Howard barked at his friend.

“It’s true,” Dale agreed. “He’s always with that fag at school.”

Howard stomped towards the counter. “What the fuck was that?”

“Wha, what was what?” Charlie was not sure what Howard had heard or seen. Charlie thought he and Joe had kept their voices soft enough that they would not be overheard.

“He touched you. He ran his fingers through your hair.” Howard’s tone conveyed his disgust at the interaction.

“Yeah, he was patting you like a little dog,” Dale said.

“I think you were even panting after him,” Ted added, sneering at Charlie.

“Shut up!” Charlie barked.

“Maybe your brother’s his little bitch,” Ted said, looking at Howard.

“Shut the fuck up!” Howard shouted at Ted.

“Dude,” Dale said, “you got to see it now. Your brother’s one of them. He’s a fucking little fag.”

Howard turned on Dale now. “Say that again and I’ll kick your ass.”

Dale held up his hands. “I’m just telling you what I saw.”

“You better take care of this,” Ted said. “Or he’ll be on the list with those other two.”

Charlie wondered what that meant and who the other two were. Charlie knew one had to be Devyn, but who was the other one? The only other person that came to mind was Joe. If Howard and his two loser friends thought they would be able to take on Joe, then they would be more stupid than Charlie thought. Charlie had seen Joe working and knew how ripped the man was.

“It’s time for you two to go,” Howard said.

“Alright, but handle this dude,” Dale said.

Howard glared at Charlie until Dale and Ted had left. “So, what the hell was he touching you for?”

“Ur…um…I don’t know.” Charlie had no idea how to explain Joe ruffling his hair.

“I’ve told you and told you, that if you keep hanging around with that, that folks were going to think you were one of them.”

“Only your loser friends,” Charlie said.

“What else could they think with you letting him touch you.”

“I didn’t let him,” Charlie said. “It…it…um…just happened.”

“Shit like that doesn’t happen,” Howard said. He was leaning over with his hands on the counter so he could be right in Charlie’s face. “That’s him putting the moves on you. I should tell Dad so he can have that sick pervert arrested.”

“It wasn’t like that,” Charlie said.

“It fucking was!” Howard’s face was growing red. “You stay away from that old fucker and that fucking faggot of his. You stay away from all of them. Do you hear me!”

“You’re not my boss,” Charlie said, his voice growing a little louder.

“I am your boss. You work for me little brother and you will do what I say. You stay the fuck away from them.” Howard thumped Charlie on the chest for emphasis.

“You don’t tell me who my friends are!” Charlie’s voice was getting louder. He was tired of Howard trying to control him. “YOU. ARE. NOT. MY. BOSS.” Charlie enunciated each word and his voice grew louder with each word.

“I am your boss. You work for me. As your big brother, I’m ordering you to stop hanging out with those fags. Do you hear me!” Howard was shouting the last four words.

“What is this shouting?” Howard Senior’s voice came from the doorway to the back of the store. Neither boy had heard him return from his service call. “At least there are no customers to hear the two of you shouting at each other.”

Charlie may have raised his voice a bit, but he did not believe he had been shouting. All of the shouting had been coming from his brother, Howard.

“Never go at each other in the store like this,” Howard scolded his sons. “What if a customer had walked in and heard that.” Howard turned to his older son. “Some of those terms you were using were downright offensive. You need to be setting an example of proper etiquette for a business owner.”

Howard Junior remained silent. He knew his father would not understand that Howard was only trying to save his little brother.

“Now what was this all about?” Howard looked from one boy to the other.

“It was nothing,” Charlie muttered. He did not want to go into what Howard thought he had seen. He did not want his brother to make their dad believe that Joe had been doing something wrong. He wanted his parents to like Joe and Devyn. Then he would be able to spend more time with them. If his folks believe, like his brother, that Joe had been doing something wrong, then Charlie would not get to go to Devyn’s place.

“I was trying to explain how the world works to my thick-headed little brother,” Howard said. “He’s just so dense sometimes.”

“He’s not dense,” Howard Senior stated. “He’s young and maybe a bit naive.”

“He is,” Howard agreed with his father. “He just doesn’t understand how the real world works.”

“In the future, explain it to him with less volume and less colorful language.”

“Sure,” Howard agreed.

“You two know I’m still here, right?” Charlie could not keep the anger out of his voice. He was pissed at them for talking about him as though he wasn’t right there. He expected his brother to do that but not his dad.

Howard shot his brother a look. “Of course, we know you’re there.”

“You’re right Charlie. We were being inconsiderate, but you should try and learn from your older brother.”

“Learn what?” Charlie wondered. “How to be a prick?”

“He’s got more experience than you,” Howard Senior said.

“Sure,” Charlie muttered. He hated the way his parents thought his brother never did anything wrong.

Charlie was hurrying home after leaving the hardware store. He was glad to be away from his older brother and the glares that the older boy had been sending his way. Charlie just wished he were not hurrying home to go clothes shopping with his mom. His Mom was insisting he needed new clothes for Homecoming. “You have grown too much to wear these pants,” Barb had said when her son had tried on the clothes. Charlie had to agree that his old formal clothes did not fit right any longer. Since he had shot up an inch or so, the pants were too short. He also thought the shirt felt a bit snug. He hoped that meant he had added some muscle to his frame but when he had looked at his bare chest and arms in the mirror, he decided that was just dreaming.

Charlie’s Mom seemed excited that Charlie was taking Heather to Homecoming. “She’s such a nice quiet girl,” she had said. “She comes from a nice family. You will have to bring her home for dinner some night. The two of you are going to be so cute together.”

Charlie figured his mom was already trying to plan out their Christmas newsletter. His mom liked to send it out to friends and family and tell them what had been going on with the Atwood’s over the past year. The previous newsletters had focused on Charlie’s brother. His mom had written a whole section about Howard going off to college and how well he had been doing. The prior years had been Howard’s high school football and baseball status. Charlie guessed now it would be about Howard taking his year off to really learn the business.

Charlie had never been left out of the newsletter. His mom had always included him and the things he had been doing but there had always been more focus on Howard. Charlie guessed with him taking Heather to Homecoming, that his mom would have more to write about him this year. He was sure she would want to include some pictures of him and Heather in their formal dress clothes. Charlie would rather have those pictures of him and Devyn. He knew Devyn was going to look like a damn model when he was dressed up. Charlie sighed as he knew wishing for that was stupid as that would never happen. He could never come out with how twisted his older brother was about anyone being gay. Charlie wished he knew better how his dad and mom were with it. He was sure his mom was alright with Joe and Devyn. His dad seemed all right too, but they never talked about it much. Should he, Charlie, try and open the subject up? Maybe he could get a better idea of how his parents would react. He was not sure he could hide it forever. He could never have a true relationship with Devyn if Charlie kept their relationship secret.

Charlie would rather hurry home to hang out with Sam or spend the rest of the afternoon with Devyn. That was if Devyn was not off visiting his old boyfriend. Charlie had checked his phone several times but had received no additional messages from Devyn. He hoped that was not a bad sign. Could the two be falling back in love? Has Devyn ever completely fallen out of love with Brent? Charlie bit his lower lip as the doubts whirled around in his head.

Charlie turned to cut through the alley behind a few stores to get over to his street. He could then cut through Mrs. Harper’s yard and to his own street. Charlie had been afraid of Mrs. Harper when he was a little kid. Most of the kids had been. She was the oldest person Charlie knew but she was also the meanest. She had been known to wack grown men with the wooden cane she carried. It seemed that was why she carried it as Charlie had seen her a number of times walking around her yard without it. Charlie had helped her a few times when she had come into the hardware store and had even made deliveries to her house. When she had called to see if they could deliver some light bulbs to her, Charlie had gotten the job of walking the light bulbs over. He had asked if she needed him to change out the burnt-out bulbs and that was when she had changed from being a cranky older woman towards him to more like a grandmother. “Your brother has delivered light bulbs and other items and never asked if I needed help after the delivery,” she had told him.

Charlie had just thought it seemed the right thing to do. He had not wanted her to be up on a ladder and fall. He had not known then that the cane was more for show or hitting someone than for walking. Now whenever he made a delivery, she had freshly baked cookies for him.

Charlie started down the alleyway and was brought up short when he came upon Dale and Terry standing out at the back of the Feed and Seed. Charlie wondered if he could turn and get back before they spotted him. He could just take the long way around.

Charlie turned and started back the way he had come but found his path blocked. “Well, if it isn’t the Atwood fairy,” Ted said. “I thought I saw you sashaying your way down the alley.”

“Shut up!” Charlie said. He started to go around Ted, but the football player stepped in, blocking Charlie’s way.

“Oh, don’t go yet,” Ted said. “We’ve got to have a little chat.” Ted stepped forward, forcing Charlie to take a step back. “I’ve always thought you were a bit girly, and I guess now we know exactly what you are.”

Charlie could feel the heat climbing up the back of his neck. He wanted to punch the oversized senior. “Shut the fuck up!”

“Oh, don’t get your panties in a bunch,” Dale said, coming up behind Charlie.

Charlie felt trapped. He could try and run for it, but he was not sure how he’d get passed the two larger boys. Plus, there was Terry. Where had he gone?

“Your brother keeps insisting his little brother is no fag,” Ted said.

“But we know better,” Dale added. “We’ve seen you with that queer.”

“We’re friends,” Charlie said.

“Yeah, I bet you are,” Ted sneered. “Best buds, huh.”

“We’re friends,” Charlie repeated. He took a couple of steps back to get some distance between him and the other two boys. He wanted to get enough distance so he could turn and run. He hated running away like a coward, but he knew he was no match for these two.

“Yeah, his best bud is that loser, Sam,” Dale said. “They’ve probably been butt munching each other for years.”

“Is that it fairy boy,” Ted quipped, “are you and Sam butt buddies?”

“Fuck you!” Charlie turned to dash down the alley. Charlie only took a few steps before his path was blocked again. This time it was Terry standing there blocking Charlie’s path. Terry was about as surprised as Charlie himself was.

“Don’t let that little queer get away,” Ted said.

“Wha, what did he do?” Terry stood there facing Charlie.

“It seems that Howard’s little brother is one of them,” Ted said. “He’s turned into a little fag.”

“You’ve seen him hanging around with Devyn at school,” Dale said. “He’s just like that lowlife loser Sam.”

“You should have seen the doe eyes he was making at that old homo at the hardware store,” Ted said. “He was like a little bitch in heat.”

“Shut the fuck up,” Charlie snapped.

“I heard he was taking Heather to Homecoming,” Terry said. “That don’t sound like him being queer.”

“He’s definitely one of them,” Ted said. “He was practically being molested by Joe.”

“I wasn’t…he wasn’t.” Charlie thought he could pass Terry. It appeared to Charlie that Terry was not as enthusiastic as his friends were about harassing him.

“I think he liked it,” Dale said. “Did you like it when he was touching you?”

“It was sick,” Ted said.

Charlie had not minded Joe’s touch. It had not been sexual, just friendly. It was the same kind of thing Charlie’s Uncle Mike had done before, ruffling his hair.

“Since Howard can’t seem to knock some sense into him, I guess it is up to us.” Dale moved towards Charlie.

“Howard ain’t going to like that,” Terry said. “We should just let him go and let Howard deal with him.”

“He isn’t going anywhere,” Ted said. “I think if he’s one of them, then we need to treat him like he deserves to be treated.”

“What does that mean?” Terry asked.

Charlie backed away. He decided he had no choice, he had to make a run for it. He darted towards Terry and then swerved to try and get around the older boy.

“Stop him!” Dale yelled at Terry, but Terry made no move to intercept Charlie.

“Fuck, he’s fast!” Ted moved charging at Charlie. In one leap he tackled Charlie to the ground.

“Oh!” The air was knocked from Charlie. He slid across the gravel of the ally with Ted’s substantial weight on top of him.

“Little fucker!” Dale shouted. “Good tackle.”

“I wasn’t going to let the little cock sucker get away.”

“What the fuck is wrong with you!” Dale was yelling at Terry now. “You almost let him get away.”

“I think we otta let him go. Let Howard deal with his queer little brother,” Terry said.

“Fuck that!” Dale barked. “Howard ain’t dealing with him. That’s the problem.”

Charlie tried to push himself up, but he couldn’t get any leverage with Ted’s weight on top of him. His hands and knees burned. He was sure he scraped them good when he had hit the gravel of the alley.

“Right where you like it, aren’t you?” Ted’s breath was hot against Charlie’s neck. “You like having a hard man on top of you. You liked being pinned down by your buddies?”

“Get off me.” Charlie managed to get the words out. He thought he could feel blood oozing from several scrapes and cuts. He thought he had torn his pants.

“Oh, I know you do. I bet you like it a whole lot being pinned under a real man. Your little fairy friend doesn’t have what I got.”

“You’re fucking stupid.” Charlie tried again to throw Ted off but could not get the leverage he needed.

“You’re going to learn what happens to little faggots around here,” Dale said.

Charlie felt Ted’s weight shift and he could draw in a deeper breath. He was then pulled to his feet with his arms twisted around behind his back. “Ouch!”

“Guys, Howard ain’t going to like this,” Terry protested.

Charlie winced in pain as Ted twisted his arms painfully. “Stop it,” Charlie cried with the additional discomfort.

“Oh, you are going to make him cry,” Dale said.

“He’s going to do more than cry,” Ted said.

“Really guys, we should just let him go now. He’s bleeding and that’s enough. Howard will be pissed…” Terry looked from Ted to Charlie and could see the younger boy was a bit scared but was still glaring some defiance.

“Howard will be thanking us,” Dale said. “He hasn’t been able to knock sense into this little pussy, so we’ll do it for him.”

“It will send a message to those other fags,” Ted said.

“And just what message do you want to send to those fags?” The voice made all four boys turn in surprise.

Charlie felt huge relief when he saw Joe standing there in the alley behind the store. It felt to Charlie like Superman had dropped down from the sky to save him.

“I suggest you let him go,” Joe said. His voice was cold, and his eyes seemed to be blazing with blue fire. “If you want to send a message to some fags, then you can give it to me.”

Ted turned and pulled Charlie around with him so he could face Joe.

“Ouch!” Charlie could not stop the cry from escaping. It felt as though Ted was going to wrench his arm right off his shoulder.

“Let him go.” Joe’s voice was not loud, but the tone left no mistake that it was a command.

“Take your little faggot.” Ted pushed Charlie towards Joe.

Charlie stumbled and would have hit the ground a second time, but Joe’s strong hand caught him. “You alright.” Charlie nodded. Joe’s eyes looked at Ted and then Dale. They flicked to Terry who was hanging back. Joe thought that boy seemed to want to be anywhere but there. “Now about that message,” Joe said.

“Faggots deserve everything they get,” Ted said.

“They need to learn their place,” Dale added.

“Well, I’m a faggot, so come on and teach me my place.” Joe made a little come-on gesture with his fingers. “Take your best shot.”

Charlie looked from Ted and Dale to Joe. The man seemed relaxed. He seemed to just be casually standing there. Charlie wondered if Joe could take them. He was sure one-on-one that Joe would have no problem. But there were three of them and Dale and Ted were big. Yes, they were not as big as Joe, but they were big.

Ted took a step towards Joe. “We will fuck you up.”

“Is that supposed to scare me?” Joe raised an eyebrow.

Charlie looked at the two seniors again. Yes, they were big and beefy, but they did not seem to be intimidating Joe.

“If you knew what was good for you, you would tuck tail and run like the little queer you are,” Ted said.

Joe chuckled. “You aren’t very creative. Why don’t you boys,” Joe placed extra emphasis on the word ‘boys,’ “run on home.”

“Fuck you,” Dale spouted. “We’ll fuck you up.”

“Yeah, you said that, but I think you are all talk.” Joe turned to head back towards the store. “Come on Charlie.” Joe placed a hand on Charlie’s back as he turned them towards the back entrance to the Feed and Seed.

Charlie felt the warmth of Joe’s hand through his thin polo shirt. It was a reassuring warmth. Charlie wished he could be as confident as Joe was. The man was not the least bit flustered by the two senior boys. Charlie also wished he were as tall and as muscular as Joe. Maybe then he could have that same confidence.

“You should be down on your knees begging us not to kick your faggot ass.” Dale slid his right hand into his pocket.

“We are just going to go and leave you boys to play your little boy games.” Joe moved Charlie towards the store. He kept his larger frame between the younger boy and the two bullies.

“Oh, we’ll do more than just kick your ass,” Dale pulled a knife from his pocket. The blade was out in less than a second. It was not long but it did appear to be razor sharp. “Well cut you up.”

Dale and Ted seemed to know how to work in tandem without any verbal communication. They rushed Joe at the same time. Dale was slashing at Joe with the knife. Joe moved out of the way and pushed Charlie further out of harm’s way. Dale’s momentum caused him to stumble a bit. He spun back at Joe. “You’re a fast fairy.” He rushed at Joe again.

Ted had also stumbled past Joe when he had tried to throw a punch at the man. Ted spun back around but stayed out of the way so Dale could get in at Joe with the knife.

Dale rushed at Joe, but the man moved aside again. He seemed to wait for the last minute to move. Dale turned, bringing the knife around to cut Joe. Joe could tell these two boys had no fighting technique. They might be good on the football field but in a fight, they were less than amateurs. When Dale swung the knife back at Joe, he easily caught the boy’s wrist.

For Dale, it felt like his arm had been caught by something made of iron. No matter how he struggled, he could not move his arm towards Joe or away from him. Dale tried jerking up and then down. He tried left and right, but his arm never budged.

In one quick move, Dale’s knife was on the ground and Dale’s cry of pain filled the alleyway. Joe pushed Dale back, releasing the grip on the boy’s wrist. Joe brought his foot down on the knife so that neither boy would be able to retrieve the weapon.

Now that Dale’s knife was no longer an option, Ted rushed at Joe. Ted believed he and Dale would be able to easily teach the man a lesson he would not forget.

Charlie watched as the two football players attacked Joe. Charlie felt like he should jump in and help Joe, but Joe seemed to be having no problem with the two seniors. Joe was able to move out of the way of most of their rushing attacks. Joe was quick for a guy built as big and muscular as he was.

Charlie watched as Ted went down and then Dale. Both boys were quickly back to their feet to try again with Joe. Charlie got the impression that Joe was playing with them. He never had to strike them but just used their own momentum and clumsiness against them.

Charlie almost laughed when the two football players crashed into each other. It was like something from an old cartoon. They stumbled as if drunk and then went down in a heap.

Joe saw movement out of the corner of his eye and spun to confront Terry. “You want to teach me my place too?”

Charlie had forgotten about the other guy. Terry had stayed back just like he, Charlie, had. Would Joe have been able to manage if Terry had joined Ted and Dale? Charlie thought now that Joe could have. Charlie wondered if there was anything Joe could not handle in a fight.

“No, no…I gotta…gotta get back to work.” Terry managed to stammer out the words. It was obvious Terry was smarter than Ted and Dale and was not going to take on Joe.

“Smart boy,” Joe said. “I need twenty-five bags of feed loaded into my truck.”

Terry nodded “Yes Sir,” and he headed back into the Feed and Seed.

Joe turned back to Dale and Ted. The two had started to untangle themselves from each other and were getting to their feet. “I suggest you boys take your asses elsewhere and you should think twice before deciding you need to teach anyone a lesson.” Joe placed his foot back on the blade of the knife that Dale had dropped. He reached down and grasped the handle. In one quick motion, he snapped the blade off.

Dale and Ted shot a look of pure hatred at Joe but neither boy made a move towards him. Dale glanced at the knife that Joe had so easily knocked from his hand. He watched in anger as the man snapped the blade off. He wanted to make the man pay for that.

“If I learn either of you have been teaching lessons, then I’ll have to do some more teaching of my own and next time…” Joe paused briefly. “It will be a much more painful lesson for you two.” Joe turned away from the two and looked at Charlie. “You alright Charlie?”

“Ah…yeah.” Charlie could feel blood oozing down his leg from the gash in his knee but other than that he was mostly unhurt. The palms of his hands were also a bit raw from where he had tried to break his fall.

“You sure?” Joe’s eyes traveled over the boy’s frame. He could see the tear in the knee of Charlie’s pants. “Looks like you’re bleeding there.”

Charlie glanced down. He could see the tear in the knee of his pants and the growing reddish-brown stain on his pants. “It’s nothing. I’ve been hurt worse.”

“You on your way home?”

Charlie watched as Dale and Ted slipped from the alley. It was obvious they wanted no more lessons from Joe. “Yes,” Charlie said.

“You want a lift?”

It was not too far to his house, but Charlie also knew that it would seem further now that he was hurt. “Um…sure.”

Joe put his hand on Charlie’s back and guided the boy to his truck. Terry was loading the sacks of feed into the bed.

“How much did he have to do with this?” Joe asked before they reached Terry’s hearing.

“Um…Not much really. He was there but he actually was trying to tell them to just let me go.”

“Then I guess I don’t need to have a talk with him.”

There you go Mr. Erikson,” Terry said as he placed the last bag in the truck.

“Thanks, Terry.”

“Ah…about… that.” Terry gestured towards the alley. “I…um…well….”

“Wrong place, wrong time,” Joe supplied to give the boy an out.

Terry looked down at the gravel parking lot instead of meeting Joe’s eyes. “Something like that.”

“Thanks for loading the feed,” Joe said.

“Ah, no problem. It’s my job.”

“That was what brought me to the back alley. Mr. Sullivan said you were back there taking a smoke break and to have you load the feed.”

“That was why I had gone out there,” Terry admitted. “I didn’t even know Dale and Ted were there. I think they might have been waiting on him.” Terry indicated Charlie.

Charlie realized he had been lucky that Terry had wanted a smoke and that Joe had come looking for Terry. Charlie did not believe that Dale or Ted would have murdered him, but he was sure they would have caused him some pain. Well, they had caused him some pain. It was just not as bad as it could have been.

“I haven’t seen your dad around in a while,” Joe commented. “The truck must be keeping him busy.”

“Um…yeah…he’s been doing some long haul runs.” Terry glanced at Joe and then down to his feet. He moved around some gravel with his toe.

“Long haul runs, huh? That must mean he’s gone a lot more than he used to be.” Joe knew that those runs might be keeping Terry’s dad gone for several days or longer at a time.

“Ever since the other trucking company went out of business, he didn’t have much choice but to take what he could,” Terry said. His voice carried a note of defiance.

“I know that’s true. It left a lot of drivers out of work. Those with families that did not want to be gone for long stretches had to take other kinds of work.”

“Those don’t pay as well,” Terry commented.

“How long has he been gone this time?” Joe asked. He was a bit concerned about Terry being alone so much. Joe knew the boy’s mom had skipped town years ago leaving Terry’s dad to raise him on his own.

“Um…a few days.” Terry shrugged his shoulders. “He’ll be back by the end of next week.”

Joe noticed that Terry did not meet his eyes again. He thought he picked up a note of falsehood in the boy’s statement. Maybe Terry just was not sure when the man would be back and was hoping for next week. Joe pulled his wallet from his pocket and pulled out a couple of bills. “Thanks for loading the feed.” Joe held the bills out to Terry.

Terry looked from Joe to the money and then back at Joe’s eyes. The man’s eyes seemed to be sympathetic and kind to Terry. “Ur…um…I’m not sure…I mean folks don’t normally tip me.”

“I could have loaded that, but I’ll have to unload it at the other end, so I appreciate you doing it.” Joe extended the money toward Terry.

Terry hesitantly took the offer tip. “Ur…um…thanks.” Terry pocketed the money. “I…um…had better get back to work before Mr. Henderson fires me.”

“Um…thanks Terry,” Charlie said. “For…um…” How did Charlie thank him for not joining in but also for not actually helping him.

“Um, sorry about that back there,” Terry said. “They…um…well…”

“Their assholes,” Charlie supplied.

Joe’s lips twitched but he kept quiet.

“They are…well most of the time,” Terry said. “Later.”

Charlie watched Terry head back into the backdoor of the Feed and Seed. He could not help but check out the older boy’s butt. Terry’s faded jeans clung to his firm round ass cheeks. Charlie pulled his eyes away and headed towards the passenger side of Joe’s truck.

“Charlie,” Joe said after sliding into the truck, “I noticed you’re limping. Are you sure you are all right?

“I banged up my knee when…um…Ted tackled me.”

“Ted’s a lot bigger than you,” Joe commented. “Are you sure you don’t need to go…”

“No doctors and…um…if you could…um not mention this to my dad and mom.”

“I don’t like keeping things from them,” Joe said.

“Nothing really happened…I mean, yeah, they were…um…picking on me but that’s it. I’m not really hurt. Heck, I’ve been hurt worse taking a spill on my bike.”

“Have those guys done this before?”

“Um…well…” Charlie was hesitant to tell Joe about how those guys had been bullying Devyn since the start of the school year.

“Please be honest, Charlie. Have they been bullying you like this?”

“Um…not really. Their…um…friends of my brothers and well…they have picked on me, just like Howard does but not like this.”

“So, what’s changed?” Joe turned onto Charlie’s Street.

“Um…well…”

“Is it being friends with Devyn?”

Charlie felt like he was betraying a confidence, but he nodded. Devyn had never told him to not talk to Joe.

Joe pulled into Charlie’s driveway. “They’ve been picking on Devyn, haven’t they?”

Charlie could tell that Joe already knew the answer to the question. “They have but Devyn…well…he’s stronger than I am. He can manage them.”

Joe let out a breath. “Neither of you should have to handle it. It should not be this way. Sometimes it feels like the more things change, the more they stay the same.” Joe had thought that gay boys would have it easier today than what he had gone through. He had never been openly gay when in school but enough of the kids figured it out that life was difficult at school. Maybe not as difficult as it was at home but still hard. He had been like Charlie, too small to really be able to make any of them back down.

“I’ve heard it was rough on you,” Charlie said softly.

“It was,” Joe confirmed. “Kids like picking on me. I was the small kid that could not fight back.”

Charlie found that hard to believe. Joe was built like a mountain now. “That’s…um…hard to believe.”

Joe’s lips curved up in a smile. “It’s true. I was a shrimp. Everyone thought I was an easy mark. It made the jocks feel like big men to pick on the smallest kid in class.”

“I guess things are the same,” Charlie said.

“The next time you are at the farm, I’ll show you some techniques for dealing with guys that are bigger than you.”

“Really?” Charlie could not keep the excitement out of his voice.

Joe smiled at the blonde boy. “Sure. Anytime.”

“Could I come out tomorrow?” Charlie asked eagerly.

“You know Devyn won’t be home until late.”

“I know but I’d like to…um…not have an audience …you know.”

Joe could not stop the corners of his mouth curving into a smile. He did understand. Charlie did not want to come out tomorrow to see Devyn but to learn without Devyn watching him. “I do know. You want me to come in and pick you up?”

“Um…I can ride my bike out,” Charlie offered. Charlie would rather not have to explain to anyone why Joe was picking him up. He especially did not want his older brother to know.

“Alright. I’ll drive you back in or if Devyn is home early enough, he will.”

“Thanks, Joe!!”

Charlie looked out his bedroom window up at the stars. He wondered if Devyn was looking at those same stars. He was a little hurt that he had not heard from Devyn yet. He had expected him to call or text earlier, but the phone had been silent.

Charlie sat on the edge of his bed looking at his knee. He had cleaned it up after getting home and before going shopping with his mom. He had not told her about the altercation in the alley. He did not want to have to explain everything and was worried that it would just lead to more questions. His Mom had seen the abrasions on the palms of his hands. It had been impossible to hide those. He had told her that it was from a fall. That wasn’t a true lie…at least in Charlie’s head. He had fallen. It had just been caused by Ted’s large body slamming into him and knocking him to the ground.

Charlie fell back on his bed. He looked at his phone. There was still no message from Devyn. Charlie bit his lower lip. Had things gone so well with Brent that Devyn didn’t have time to send a message? Were the two of them getting back together? That last question was Charlie’s biggest fear. He was not sure how he would survive Devyn going back to Brent.

Suddenly Charlie’s bedroom door was pushed open. Charlie sat up on his bed. “What the hell!”

Howard quickly pushed the door closed behind him. “Not so loud dip shit. You will wake the old folks.”

“You can’t just barge in here. You need to knock.” Charlie felt a bit exposed as he was about to go to bed and was in just his T-shirt and underwear.

Howard waved Charlie’s protest away. “We need to talk. This shit you have been doing stops now.”

“You’re not my boss.”

“In this I am. You either stop hanging out with that fucking faggot or it won’t be Ted and Dale you need to worry about.”

“Did the two of them run to tell you about ganging up on me?”

“They told me they started to teach you a lesson, but I told them plainly that I’m the one that will teach you and not them. So, you listen to me,” Howard was pointing at Charlie for emphasis. “No more hanging out with that faggot or that loser Sam. “That loser is probably already getting down on his knees sucking every cock he can get his lips on.”

“You don’t know shit about Devyn or Sam.” Charlie could not stop the anger from causing his voice to rise. “I’ll hang out with anyone I want.” Charlie’s blue eyes blazed with his anger at his brother.

“I’ve told Ted and Dale that you aren’t a queer. I’ve told them but you spending time together with that worthless trash makes them think you are.”

“I don’t care what those two dipsticks think.” Charlie really didn’t care what they thought but he also did not want to come face to face with them alone again.

“You had better start caring. If you keep hanging out with that trash, you are going to get hurt.”

“You threatening me?” Charlie found it hard to believe that his older brother would physically harm him.

“I’ve warned you that I can only protect you so far. If you keep hanging out with trash, then you will end up getting burned right along with the trash.”

“My friends are not trash,” Charlie stated. He did not like his brother referring to his best friend, Sam, as trash. He also wanted to punch Howard for how he talked about Devyn. How could he have a relationship with Devyn with Howard around?

“Get your act together, Charlie. Take this girl to homecoming and let them see you are not a fucking faggot. Be sure to kiss her where they can see…maybe even do more than just kiss her.” Howard’s lips twisted into a smile. “If you can get her into that storeroom behind the stage…you know to the right I’ll be sure to tell Ted and Dale to make sure you aren’t disturbed.”

Charlie knew what his brother was implying. Get Heather in that room and have sex. Just what he wanted to do was have sex with Heather in a dirty storeroom. Charlie was sure that Heather would find that to be very romantic.

“It’s about time you use that little pecker of yours for something besides jerking off.” Howard’s eyes glanced from Charlie’s face to the younger boy’s pouch in the white jockey underwear.

“Fuck you!” Charlie could feel his neck burning. He grabbed the blankets and pulled them across his lap.

“I understand she’s a virgin, so she won’t know how bad you are. Just try not to cum before you get it in her.”

“You’re sick.” Charlie was wondering why he had ever admired his older brother. The guy was such a dick. It seemed Sam had been right all this time. How had he, Charlie, not seen it?

“We’re guys’ little brother. That’s what we do. We stick it to them. We plant our seed in them.”

“You make girls sound like…like…” Charlie wasn’t sure for which word he was searching.

“It’s time you learned the ways of the world, little brother. We have our needs and they’re here to satisfy those needs. We have that because of who we are.”

Who we are? That statement did not make sense to Charlie. They were Atwood’s. They were no better than anyone else. Yes, they had some benefits as they tended to be more financially sound than some. Charlie knew that had always bugged Sam, that Charlie had more spending money than him.

“Now do your duty at this dance. Get her alone and slip her some tongue. If you get the chance, slip her your little pecker. Or at least get her to blow you. You have no idea how good that can feel.”

Oh, Charlie knew exactly how good a blow job felt. He had recently been given one by Devyn and it had been amazing. Of course, Charlie could not say that to Howard.

“This is your last chance little brother,” Howard’s voice was cold. “Either show us you’re a real guy or else.”

Charlie looked up to meet Howard’s eyes. “Or else what?”

“You’ll get just what that little faggot is going to get. I won’t stop it. I won’t protect you. I’ll wash my hands of you.”

Charlie thought he might be better off to just be done with Howard. Maybe he should just tell him right now. ‘I do know how good a blow job feels. I had one from my boyfriend and he’s amazing at it. In fact, I blew him, so I know how good it feels to give as well as receive.’ Of course, Charlie did not say that.

“Do we understand each other,” Howard said.

“I understand you perfectly,” Charlie said. “Now get out of my room.” Charlie wanted to be done with this conversation.

“Be done with him,” Howard repeated. “Also be done with that fucking farmer. You do not have to help him when he comes into the store. Tell him to go somewhere else.”

“That doesn’t sound like a good way to run a business,” Charlie said.

“I don’t need his kind in my store.”

“It isn’t your store,” Charlie pointed out.

“Not yet, but it will be. One day you’ll be working for me.”

“The hell I will,” Charlie thought. There was no way he would work for his homophobic brother.

Howard moved to the door. “Stay away from all of them and that includes your loser friend Sam.”

“Sam’s not a loser. Now get out.”

Howard left the room and Charlie flopped back on his bed. He hated his older brother. He hated him for being such a dick to Sam for all these years and now for being such a homophobic prick. Charlie wondered how he had missed what Sam had been telling him for so long. Charlie considered texting Sam right then and apologizing for not listening to him.

Charlie picked up his phone. He saw he had a message from Devyn. He had missed it because of Howard. It only asked if he was still up. It had not been that long ago, so Charlie quickly typed back a response. “Yes, call if you are.” Charlie wanted to hear Devyn’s voice, he wanted to know how things had gone with Brent. He thought he would know more from the tone of Devyn’s voice than just reading it in a message.

It was only a moment before Charlie’s phone started vibrating. “Hey,” he said.

“It took you a while to get back to me,” Devyn said. “I wasn’t sure you were awake.”

“Howard was in here and I didn’t notice your text.” Charlie paused. He could hardly stand not knowing how things had gone with Brent. “Um…how did things go?” Charlie’s voice was a little hesitant. He did not want to sound like a crazy jealous boyfriend, but he also had to know where things were between Devyn and Brent.

“It was odd,” Devyn said. “Brent and I used to be able to just talk…you know kind of like me and you.”

That gave Charlie a warm feeling in his stomach. “But now?”

“It was like…um…uncomfortable or something at the beginning. I guess we had to kind of get to know each other again. We eventually got there and really talked.”

“That’s good.” Charlie was glad that Devyn and Brent had been able to talk but it made the knot in his stomach grow larger.

“He’s been through so much. His folks are just as messed up as mine…hell maybe they’re more fucked up.” Devyn proceeded to tell Charlie about Brent being put into some sort of conversion therapy. He did not go into all the details that Brent had told him. Devyn felt that would be betraying the trust Brent had put in him. He told Charlie enough so the other boy could understand what kind of hell it must have been.

“It sounds bad,” Charlie said. “I saw a thing about one of those places on CNN months ago. I didn’t even know a place like that existed until I saw that news story.”

“It’s definitely bad. I had no idea either. I think…I was lucky my dad threw me out and didn’t put me in that sort of place. It has messed Brent up. He can barely let anyone touch him.”

Charlie felt his stomach sink. Was Devyn wanting to touch Brent? Was Devyn wanting to do more than just touch the other boy? “Um…that is bad.”

Charlie listened as Devyn talked. Charlie wanted to not like Brent. He wanted Devyn to not like him as well. But as Devyn talked, Charlie could not help but feel compassion for the other boy. It sounded like the guy had been through hell.

Charlie could not help but wonder if his folks would react like Brent’s or Devyn’s. Would they throw him out or would they try and “fix” him? What if they stuck him in a place like Brent was in? Would Devyn help him? Would Joe do what Matt had done? Charlie was fairly sure that Joe would. Could Joe stand up to his, Charlie’s, parents?

“I miss you,” Devyn said.

“Wha…what?” Charlie wasn’t sure he had heard correctly. The words brought his focus back on Devyn and not his thoughts of being out to his parents.

“I miss you,” Devyn repeated. “After Brent and I came back inside earlier…well, I wanted to call and talk to you. I…um…wanted to hear your voice.”

“I, I…like that…I mean that you were thinking of me.”

“I was.” Devyn had been wondering how Charlie would manage knowing all of Devyn’s past. Devyn had wondered if he told Charlie about Tom and the things he had done for Tom, would Charlie still want to be with him.”

“I’ve…um…been thinking about you all day. I’ve been wondering how things went with Brent and how…um…you feel about…um…everything.”

“It’s been hard,” Devyn admitted. “Seeing him again, it…um…reminded me of stuff.”

“I’m sure it did. It had to be hard. I…Er…am not sure how it would make me feel. I mean I’ve never…Er…had a boyfriend before.”

“Seeing him again, brought up all the old feelings.”

Charlie thought his heart might stop at hearing those words. Was Devyn falling for Brent all over again?

“Of course, the thing I first thought of was that terrible afternoon and how Brent turned his back on me when I needed him. You know after my…after Frank tossed me out.”

“I do remember you telling me,” Charlie said. “I remember how badly Brent hurt you.”

“He did,” Devyn agreed. “I was reminded of that day when I first got here.”

Charlie wanted to hit Brent for hurting Devyn. “I wish I was there to…um…to hug you.”

“Me too. It would feel nice to have you here next to me.”

Charlie could think of nothing better than being there in bed with Devyn. He could not stop from remembering how good Devyn’s naked body felt next to his. He could not stop himself from remembering the pleasure they had shared. Charlie could feel his body responding to the memories. His white briefs were building with the excitement that the memories and the sound of Devyn’s voice were causing. Charlie reached into his briefs to adjust himself but that only stimulated him more. “I wish I was there to hold you and too…um…kiss you.” Charlie lightly massaged himself as he listened to Devyn.

“I’d really like that,” Devyn said. “It would be so good to have you next to me.” Like Charlie, Devyn could not help but remember how good it had felt with Charlie. It had been so comforting to have Charlie next to him. Devyn felt his own body responding to the memory of Charlie’s body pressed against his own.

Charlie wanted to do more than hold and kiss Devyn. He wanted to take away all his friend’s pain that Brent had caused him. He wanted to tell Devyn how he felt. Joe had said one of them had to go first but doing it over the phone didn’t seem right to Charlie. “I…um…want to be there with you. I want to…um…help you.”

“I know you do.” Devyn could hear the caring in Charlie’s voice. Their friendship had grown so much since the summer. It was like what he and Brent had shared but it was also different. Was Charlie his true love or was his true love in the bedroom downstairs? Devyn was still not sure. He and Brent had regained some of their old closeness out there in the woods. They had some similar experiences with the way their paths had gone. Brent had been manipulated and abused by Wilson and he, Devyn, had been abused and manipulated by Tom. Yes, Tom had used him for sexual gratification and financial gains. Wilson must have also used Brent for sexual pleasure and probably Richard had been paying her a lot to try and convert Brent. Wilson and Tom seemed to be similar. Devyn just wasn’t sure if that shared hardship was a link for them to build a new relationship on.

“I…um…want to…um spend more time with you.” Charlie just was not sure how he would keep his brother from learning he was spending time with Devyn.

“I’d like that. We’ve both been so busy that we haven’t had time to be together.”

“You more than me,” Charlie said. “You’ve got a lot going on…you know with the play, tutoring, and your chores.

“Yeah, and now we both have the dance coming up,” Devyn added.

“I wish we were not going to that stupid dance,” Charlie said. “We could spend the time together.”

“That would be nice.” Devyn liked Julie and going to the dance with her was not a chore, but he would rather spend more time with Charlie. “Are you regretting asking Heather?”

“Um…she’s nice and all but she isn’t who I want to spend time with.” Charlie sighed. He had only asked Heather to get his brother to back off. Now his brother was putting even more pressure on him to have sex with her. Charlie did not want to have sex with her. He wanted to have sex with Devyn. He wanted to touch Devyn. He wanted to taste Devyn’s lips again. He wanted to feel Devyn’s body next to his. He wanted to feel Devyn’s hands on his bare skin. He wanted to feel Devyn’s lips on him again. Those thoughts brought Charlie’s cock to a full-blown erection. He lightly stroked himself thinking of Devyn and listening to his friend’s warm voice.

“I know Julie is looking forward to it, but I’d rather do something with you.”

“That would be better,” Charlie said. “I’m sure Heather is looking forward to it too. Girls love that sort of stuff.”

“Yeah, they do seem to like it. I’m sorry you were pushed into going with Heather.”

Charlie wished he could just go to Homecoming with Devyn. Would that not make some people’s heads explode? He would so much rather be there with Devyn. Charlie could picture them on the dance floor holding each other close. Devyn’s hands on him and his on Devyn. He could picture him looking into Devyn’s warm brown eyes with those hypnotic golden flecks. He could feel Devyn pull him tighter. He could feel the heat of their bodies as Devyn’s lips would meet his.

“Charlie, you still there?”

“Um…yeah, I’m here.” Charlie had been close to the edge of blowing his load. He felt his whole face burn. How could he have gotten so close so fast?

“I thought maybe you had drifted off to sleep.”

“Um…no, just thinking.”

“About?”

“Oh…um…well…just that I’d rather be dancing with you at this thing than with Heather. I mean Heather’s nice and all but…well…she’s not you.”

“I like Julie and don’t mind going with her as a friend, but I’d rather be dancing with you. I’m sorry we aren’t going together and that you are going with Heather.” Devyn wished that Charlie was open about being gay. If he was out, then they could go together. Of course, that might cause some problems with homophobes like Ted and Dale.

“It’s my own stupid fault. I shouldn’t have let Howard get to me.”

“How are things with your brother?” Devyn knew that Charlie’s brother was a jerk and he wondered if Charlie was finally seeing that now.

“He’s a prick,” Charlie said honestly. “I just wish he would go back to school.” Charlie wanted the older boy out of the house so he could be more himself. He would not have to worry about having Devyn over after school if Howard weren’t there. Sam might even feel like he could come over more. Charlie did not know why he had not listened to his best friend when Sam was telling him that Howard was a dick.

“I’m sorry you and Howard aren’t getting along.” Devyn felt bad that his relationship with Charlie was causing a rift between the two brothers. He tried to tell himself that it would be like that no matter what; that it wasn’t him that it was the fact that Charlie was gay.

“It isn’t your fault. It’s Howard. He’s…well…a prick. Sam has always said so, but I guess I didn’t see it.”

“It is sometimes hard to see it about family,” Devyn said. “We sometimes just see what we want to see. I know I’ve done that.” Devyn had done that with his own father and then with Tom. He had seen none of Frank’s homophobia, but it had been there. He had not seen Tom’s abuse and manipulation but that had been obvious practically from the start.

“Maybe we do overlook it, but I can’t anymore. He’s a dick to Sam, to you, and to me. All he cares about is what those loser friends of his think.”

“I thought maybe with Dewayne out of the picture it would get better,” Devyn said.

“No such luck. Dale and Ted are still his best buds. They were having a damn party in the office this afternoon while I was working.”

Devyn could hear the anger in Charlie’s voice. “That doesn’t seem fair.”

“It isn’t. I was supposed to be stocking shelves and not running the register, but I was doing both. Luckily, it was a slow afternoon. By the way, Joe came in.”

“He did?”

“Yeah, he needed a few things. I’m glad I was the one working. Howard would have been a dick to him.”

Devyn wondered if he should tell Charlie about his own run-ins with Howard. Charlie was seeing his brother more clearly than before, but Devyn did not want to be the one to come between the two. “I’m sure Joe would have…um…no problem standing up to Howard.”

“You’re right about that.” Charlie knew from how easy it was for Joe to deal with Ted and Dale that Howard would not be a problem for Joe. Could Joe manage all three of them? Charlie would have been doubtful before but now that he had seen Joe in action, he thought the man might be able to manage anything. “Um, there is something else you should probably know.”

“What’s that?”

Charlie hesitated. He did not want to tell Devyn, but he also knew he should. He was certain Joe would bring it up. “Ted and Dale…um…jumped me on the way home from the store.”

“They what?” Devyn sat upright in bed. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah…um…it was behind the Feed and Seed. I…um…got lucky. Joe kind of swooped in and saved my ass.”

“He did?”

“Yeah, he did.” Charlie did not go into every detail and left out his torn jeans and bloody knee but filled Devyn in on the altercation. “Joe seemed so relaxed. He…um…was like no effort at all for him.”

“I’m sure it wasn’t.” Devyn knew from the self-defense lessons Joe and Lee had given him that Joe was more than capable of handling Dale and Ted. “I’m glad you weren’t hurt.”

“Me too. I’m sorry you have been putting up with those two all year.”

“I’m used to it.”

“It still isn’t right.”

“It isn’t.”

“Terry was also there but he seemed reluctant to join in with Ted and Dale.”

“I think Terry’s got it rough. His one true friend…or at least the one Terry believes is his friend is gone. He’s left with guys that he doesn’t like and that don’t care for him.”

Charlie felt a little more sympathy for Terry. Maybe the guy was not all bad. He could have ganged up on him with Ted and Dale. Instead, the guy had tried to get them to back off. “I’ve known Terry practically my whole life, but we’ve never been friends. He’s always been one of the troublemakers.”

“I think that might be more Dewayne than Terry. You know when I was spending time together with him alone…I mean without Dewayne he was a decent guy. I actually liked him better than Dewayne.”

“Well, I’m not sure Terry would have or could have stopped Dale and Ted, but Joe sure did.”

“Yeah, I don’t doubt that.” Devyn chuckled. The two seniors must have been stupid to think they could take on Joe.

“I guess I should get some sleep,” Devyn said. “It’s really late.”

Charlie glanced at the time on his phone. “Or really early.”

Devyn chuckled. “Or early.”

“Do you know what time you’ll be home tomorrow?”

“Late,” Devyn said. “Brent and I still want to talk.”

“Then I guess I’ll see you at school.”

“Yeah, Monday. Good night, Charlie.”

“Um, good night.” Charlie paused. He wanted to say more. He wanted to say the word but it caught on his lips. “Sweet Dreams.” Charlie smacked himself on the forehead. That sounded so damn corny. What had he been thinking? He should have just said it. He should have just told Devyn that he loved him.

“You too.”

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