O’Melissokomos
The Bee Keeper

Innocence on the Wind 2

by dymondbolt

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Things had been going so well for Angelo and Josh. They had actually made friends with some of the Football players. In particular the wide receiver JT and his friends.

Just the week before, JT had convinced Angelo to try kicking the football after practice. Angelo had always loved soccer and figured he could certainly kick a football just as far. The football team had a lousy kicker and JT thought Angelo could be a great replacement for Brad. He just didn't tell Angelo that the Football Coach was paying a lot of attention to their "little trial". Angelo had the ball flying in the same direction and twice as far as Brad could ever get it to go. Time after time!

Yeah JT and half the football team were turning out to be a good friends to Angelo and Josh. Particularly after that show of kicking prowess.

The exceptions to this was JT's best friend, Barry(Offensive Guard) and two of his friends, who seemed to dislike smaller guys working on the High School Weight Room Equipment. So much so that the previous night when Josh and Angelo were finishing up with their routine, Barry and his two friends started to get physical. Luckily Josh knew a few fast moves that decked Barry's friends and Angelo got in two good hits to Barry's eye and jaw. By that time the assistant coach, who had heard it all, ejected Barry and his friends. He told them if they tried anything like that again he would see them off the team. He found out Josh and Angelo were alright and apologized for not stopping the fight sooner. He said It was the first time he saw Barry act that way away from the football field.

Josh said " He hasn't exactly acted friendly from the first day he met us. Not like JT."

Mr Seiver grinned and said " Well, that may be the problem. Barry and JT have been tight for a long time. JT making friends with you two might look like Barry is losing JT as a friend. Or not. You two will have to take that up with JT."

The two young men nodded but as Angelo left the room he mumbled " Or not."

Angelo tried calling JT before dinner but when he heard the person say hello at the other end, he just hung up. It was Barry answering the phone! Angelo's new mom wondered about his skinned knuckles but he just put it off to sparing with Josh and being new at it. He made a joke about how Josh didn't have a scratch on him and how unfair it was. Ian didn't look like he bought the story but he didn't say anything.

They finished dinner and then Angelo finished his Homework. It was actually sort of funny, but Ian had Homework from his work. Just some double checking on formulas and figures. Angelo snuck in to watch what was happening on Ian's computer screen. Ian had one of those really wide flat screen monitors. Ian caught Angelo when a simulation showed the aircraft take to flight.

Ian grabbed Angelo in a big hug and partial tickle to the ground as he said " Oh, so your trying to sneak up on me Huh?"

Angelo squealed "No. No. Uncle!" and Ian stopped his tickle attack.

Angelo said " Could you show me that simulation again? That looked beautiful."

Ian helped Angelo up and said " Sure Little Brother. But I get a hug first."

Angelo buried his head into Ian's chest for their brief hug. Angelo just ate that stuff up from his new family. And they all seemed to want to make sure he got plenty of them. And he loved watching Ian hug his new Dad. Of course he'd get pulled into it if he was close. But he just loved knowing that this was how real families treated each other and this was his Family!!

Ian started the simulation over and the new ultralight soared through thermals and clouds. Ian really had a gift of art and engineering. Angelo yawned and Ian ruffled his hair as he said "Must be time for bed Little Brother." He hugged him again and said "Have a good night Angelo. And take care of yourself at school, OK?"

Angelo looked into Ian's eyes and said " OK , Big Brother."

Angelo was still upset with the whole situation and decided not to talk to JT for a few days. JT tried to talk to Josh or Angelo but was stopped by the Math teacher going over some difficult parts of the equations.

Then at Lunch time Josh and Angelo picked a table by themselves. They had been putting up with Barry's snide remarks about their size, because JT usually got him to shut up. But Angelo wasn't about to go through that again until something changed. And he wasn't going to get close to the guys on the football team until he was a little less angry at Barry's Jock Squad.

What Angelo wasn't ready for was JT's persistence. It was looking like JT was really interested in being more than just a friend to Angelo. Angelo was really angry because that was what he had been picking up the past few weeks. But Barry's little brawl left him wondering if he could ever really be anything more than a little guy to JT. Doubt can make you do some silly stuff.

Along with not having all the facts. Barry hadn't told the truth about his black eye and sore jaw. JT didn't believe him but he had no idea that the fight included Angelo and Josh.

So JT was not going to let Angelo get away with not talking to him.

JT got up from his table and walked over to the one Angelo and Josh were sitting at.

Half way over JT said " Hey Angelo, You guys don't like sitting with us anymore?"

Josh looked down at his tray and said " I can't believe he said that."

Angelo said " He wasn't one of the guys that tried to push us around. He wasn't even there.

Josh said" His best friend was."

JT was suddenly at their table and pushing Angelo over so he could sit. JT said "OK the mountain comes to Mohamed. What's up? You two wouldn't look at me in Math today."

Just as Angelo was about to say something, Barry was at JT's side saying " Hey the star wide receiver should eat with his team."

Angelo stared daggers through Barry and said "Yeah JT, you should go back. You don't want your teammates to start picking on you."

JT looked at the bruise on Barry's face and the skinned knuckles on Angelo's hand.

JT stood up and said "You were awful quiet last night when you came over to use my weight set. And that sure didn't look like a slap from Donna, either. She likes punching you a lot lower."

Barry blushed and said " I was just caught in a disagreement with some little guys trying to use the weight room after hours."

Angelo said "The coach gave us permission to use it and you didn't like it."

Barry got closer to Angelo and said "Well he gave the whole football team permission to use it, too!"

JT stepped in between them and said " I don't believe this. Angelo is my friend and you decide to pick on him. A smaller guy and you picked on him? Is that what my best friend does to smaller guys?"

Angelo said " Just cause we're smaller, doesn't mean we're not gonna fight back when we get picked on."

JT put his hand up to his own jaw and frowned as he looked down at his tray. He turned to Angelo and said " That was one of the reasons I wanted you for a friend. You stuck up for the little guy. Hell you weren't intimidated by me or the team." He looked back at Barry and said "My heros always watched out for the little guys. We were all little guys once."

JT looked at Angelo and said " I am so sorry you had to defend yourself from a friend of mine. I'd apologize, but I'm not the one you deserve an apology from." He stuck his hand out to Angelo and said " Can we still be friends?" He almost whispered " Please?"

Angelo saw a lot of emotions in JT's eyes. He took JT's hand and said " Sure. You're a good friend."

Half of it got lost in the hug JT gave Angelo. JT said as they parted " I hope you don't take this the wrong way, but I'm not hungry right now. I gotta go think about a few things. It feels like I just lost a friend." He was glancing at Barry when he said that and then just walked away.

Barry said " JT?!"

Barry turned to Angelo but before he could say anything Angelo said " You started this whole mess. Do you want a fight or a friend?" Then he looked at JT's retreating back.

Barry looked too and said " This isn't over Friend." Then he chased after JT who just walked out of the cafeteria.

Angelo said " Not by a long shot."

Two of the team members who weren't involved with the shoving match the previous afternoon, walked over with their trays and sat down with Angelo and Josh.

Jerry said " We just got let in on the little pissing match that happened last night. If you guys want to use the weights just let me or Kyle know. JT was always protecting us from the bullies before we got so big."

Angelo said " What's up with Barry. He's had it in for me from day one?"

Kyle chuckled and said " He's always been that way when anyone gets close to his big brother."

Angelo just had a frown for a reply and Jerry said " Barry's father is an alcoholic. He left the state after doing time for breaking JT's jaw five years ago. JT was defending Barry from getting another beating. I think that's why JT was so upset with Barry. Barry suddenly was acting like his Dad."

Kyle said " Yeah. JT had to eat through a straw for six weeks because of the whole thing. Barry called him his Hero for years after that. JT really was. He got him away from that monster he called his Dad."

Angelo had gone pale when he heard about being beaten by a father.

Jerry said " Angelo you don't look so good."

Angelo had acted like Tom and Brenda were his parents. The Lawyers had done their job and They were really his parents, now.

Angelo's color came back just before he said " My Mom and Dad Just adopted me last month. My real Mom died when I was eight. Dad started beating me two years after. When I cried from missing her. When I didn't pick up the empty beer bottles. Or Jack Daniels bottles."

Jerry said " Oh wow, man."

Angelo said "Two years ago..." Angelo looked at Jerry and Kyle. Josh and he had only talked once about Angelo being gay. Angelo knew Josh had been with two different girls at school. And this was only the beginning of October.

Angelo looked at Josh and Josh said " This is news to me, too. But what ever it is, I'm still going to be your friend. Unless of course you killed your Dad and ground him up into dog food."

Angelo shook his head and laughed with the other guys.

Then Angelo whispered to Josh "Two years ago, my real Dad kicked me out of the house when I told him I'm gay."

Josh said " I sorta thought that was the reason you were homeless. But we already talked about you being gay. So what?"

Kyle just whispered to Jerry " Did he just say he was Gay?"

Jerry said " Yeah doofus."

Kyle said " Is that All?" He got quieter and said " My fathers brother is gay and you would never believe it. He's a retired Navy Seal, for God's sake. Tell me that didn't take a lot of work to keep secret. What Josh just said. So what?"

Jerry saw the tears and said " Hey man. No crying over something like that. OK? We have an image to uphold. And now you do too. We over heard coach say we need a kicker just like you for the team. Brad can't get the thing kicked thirty yards in the same direction twice. So act surprised when he offers you the position."

Kyle said " We did promise not to tell. But you can trust us for the important stuff. Honest."

Angelo shook the hand Kyle put out and then bumped knuckles with him. Angelo said " Thanks guys. It's like I'm home again."

Jerry said "Hey, we gotta get these terms right. Home is Baseball, End Zone is Football."

Angelo chuckled with the rest of them and said " Got it."

~~~~~~~~~~~~

JT didn't have such an easy time afterward. And he didn't hear the news that Angelo was adopted. It would have helped him feel a little less alone. Barry picking on the guy that JT was starting to have real feelings for just twisted JT's stomach and world into a knot. JT really did save Barry's life. And they had been best friends ever since. Barry never pulled the bully act on anyone when he was around JT. Now JT knew the truth and it felt like he had been socked in the jaw all over again.

Barry said " JT, Wait."

Jt spun on Barry and started walking back. He said " No You wait. You wait by the door as your best friend is being beaten up by his dad. You wait months to be able to eat solid food again. You wait and wait to find someone you can really connect to cause your best friend is jumping whenever Sally Ryder says Frog. You wait while your friend wants it both ways."

Barry was shocked into silence. then he said " You never said anything about Sally.."

JT said " Your my best friend. I'm not blind." He got closer and quieter. He said " When you stopped wanting to do anything private with me, I took the hint. You like girls, I didn't whine. Or try to ruin your love life. I made Sally feel welcome."

Barry said " What are you saying JT?"

JT just frowned and said "You can't be that blind and still try to split me and Angelo up. Hell. I thought you were my best friend. I thought I didn't have to spell it out to the same guy" His voice got real quiet as he said " That sucked on my dick as hard as I sucked on his."

JT looked at the fear on Barry's face. JT said " Hell look at you. You are still my friend, and you think I would out you? With a sweet girlfriend that hasn't had one reason to doubt you for the past two years? Two years that I have been alone? Don't you get it?"

Barry silently shook his head no and JT went on. He said " Sally makes you so happy. How could I want to stop that? And you make her happy. Well I feel real happy around Angelo, and he seems happy around me. Hell we haven't even talked about what we are to each other. What we are. Neither have we. I'm gay and you are not. Hell I don't even know if Angelo feels about me like I do about him."

JT's face hardened. He said " But you got the idea that's what was up and you greedy thing, you had to stop it. You have your girl and your best friend and nobody better play with either one. Is that it? Is it?"

Barry was not processing all of this. JT just barreled on with "And now to top it off your acting just like your Dad. Beat at anything that doesn't do what you want. Well if that's what's up then you lost your hero. My friends aren't Bullies. My friends apologize when they hurt another friend."

The next period bell went off and JT looked to the people walking out of the cafeteria. He rubbed his jaw and said " You have a lot of figuring to do. When you're done let me know, cause right now I'm a friend short."

JT didn't wait for Barry to respond and just walked away. Barry turned so JT didn't see the tears Barry rubbed from his eyes. Barry still had nightmares that his Dad would come back for him. Only about once a month. A lot less than when JT saved his life, but they still hadn't gone away for good.

Strangely enough, Barry and Angelo were thinking about the same thing during their next class. And how they were going to be able to talk to someone they really didn't want to.

To be continued

More to come. Let me know what you think.

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