Pirates Are People Too
by Nico Grey
Chapter 4
Paxton Fisher was struggling to control his frustration. What had appeared on the schedule to be a challenging but winnable match against Silver River to open the season, had turned into a one-sided 0-2 deficit early in the second half, with a good chance that there was worse to come.
Freddy Hayes, a promising sophomore defender on the outside, couldn't seem to keep his head in the game. And the central defender on the same side of the field, Jason Sanders, known to the rest of the squad as "Zombie" for, well, playing like he had been all afternoon, simply wasn't mobile enough to take up the slack and cover for Mercury's missed assignments.
Coach Fisher searched up and down the bench for inspiration. His eyes settled on Josiah Brantley, who should have been starting in Zombie's position if he hadn't missed several days of practice the previous week.
" What's going on with Mercury?" he asked Josiah. "He was pretty reliable with the freshman squad last year. He's been practicing well this year. I know he's more capable than he's showing today."
Josiah cringed. He really didn't feel comfortable sharing personal information about his teammates. But Coach Fisher had recruited him to be a leader, and to serve as a bridge between the players and the coaching staff.
"He's been having a tough time at home lately, coach," Josiah decided that he could share at least that much. "At lunch today, I got the impression that maybe he'd had a fight with his father this morning."
" I really should sub him out," the coach decided. "But I'm not sure Derek is quite ready to meet the moment." He inclined his head toward the freshman that was behind Mercury on the depth chart, sitting at the far end of the bench and desperately trying to hide behind a bag of balls.
The coach sucked on his lower lip.
" You missed three days of practice last week, Josiah," the coach sighed. "I really shouldn't do this, but I'm going to sub you in for Zombie. You'll do a better job covering for Mercury. And maybe you can help him get his head back in the game.
"Take a minute to warm up. Then you're going in."
Zombie took the substitution well. He had tried hard all game, but he was exhausted and knew that he wasn't going to be able to help turn the Black Bears' fortunes around. He tapped knuckles with Josiah as he headed toward the sideline.
With his teammates on the attack, Josiah took a moment to sidle over toward Mercury. His friend looked like he was struggling to hold back tears. He understood that his play had let the team down.
"Hey, Flash," Josiah greeted him. He thought he might try something new, if only to help shake up Mercury's state of mind a little. "Let's not over-think what's happening out here. Thinking is getting in the way right now. Stop worrying about making mistakes."
He noticed that Mercury was paying close attention, eyeing him almost like he was adrift at sea and had just spotted a life preserver in the water.
" You're good, Mercury. You've got a lot of experience. So instead of thinking, just let your instincts take over for you now. Don't worry about anything else. Just do what feels right to you. I'm right here and I'll have your back."
Josiah drifted back into position just in time to intercept a pass intended for one of Silver River's strikers. He found Ian open in the middle of the field. They both noticed Mercury streaking down the sideline, well ahead of the Silver River forward that should have been marking him.
Ian pushed the ball briskly up the field — his attackers filling in the space around him — not giving the Silver River defense time to organize. As he reached the top of the penalty circle, he noticed that Mercury had found a seam in the defense on the right, just outside the penalty box.
Ian pushed the ball out to Mercury, who flicked a perfect cross that Darius headed into the net. As the rest of the team mobbed Darius, Josiah found Mercury for a quick embrace. The strikers got the glory, but the defenders knew who really made it all happen.
Forty minutes later, Coach Fisher gathered his exhausted squad around him. A 2-2 draw wasn't the result he had hoped for to open the season. But after the way his team had played the first half, he decided that he could live with that outcome. He kept his remarks brief, focusing on the way that the squad had overcome adversity and reminding them that they were capable of much bigger things as the season progressed.
As the coach watched his boys trot off toward the showers, he hoped that Josiah could help support Mercury through whatever issues he was having at home, or could at least keep him together well enough to live up to his potential on the pitch. Paxton Fisher cared deeply about each of the boys that played for him. But he was a soccer coach first. And he was a very fierce competitor.
Jake's father was in a bad mood before Jake even stumbled down the stairs and into the kitchen the following morning. 'That damn Ick kid' just had to walk past his house while he was still recovering from a long night at work. And just like every time that kid walked past the house, there was a handful of noisy kids shouting insults at him.
Ed Warren appreciated that at least the other kids in the neighborhood knew enough to shun the strange kid. He just wished they weren't so damned loud about it! The kid may have deserved it. He'd probably tried some of his homo tricks on the other kids. But in Ed's day, kids would have quietly shown the offender the error of his ways. And they wouldn't have disturbed decent folks' mornings when they did it.
"I suppose you're going to go running with that Ick again tonight," he grumbled while Jake rummaged around in the cupboard, looking for his breakfast.
Jake muttered something inarticulate in response.
" If you're going to be hanging around him," Ed complained, "Could you at least tell him not to walk past our house every morning?"
"He lives near the end of the street," Jake waved casually in the general direction. "The bus picks us up for school at the other end of the street. The only way for him to get to the bus stop is past our house."
"Well, I don't like it!" his father insisted. "He's always got kids trailing after him, shouting at him. A decent person can't even get any peace in his own home!"
It was too early in the morning for Jake to even wrap his mind around such an unreasonable complaint. But he could see a solution, even if he really didn't like to get up early enough to catch the first bus to school.
"I'll put a stop to it," Jake promised. His father probably didn't need to know yet how he planned to do that.
Jake couldn't find Ish in any of the common areas once he arrived at school. But he rarely saw Ish in the morning. Jake figured that after his run-in with Hartnett, Hamilton and school discipline, Ish probably went straight to the freshman wing of the school building and stayed there after he arrived in the morning.
He did find Josiah and Ian huddled together in the cafeteria. They didn't appear to be doing anything too private, so he joined them.
"Jake!" Josiah seemed pleased to see him.
Ian's reaction was more reserved. It was almost as if he were embarrassed, possibly even ashamed, to be together with Jake in such an intimate group.
"We were just talking about the game," Josiah informed him. "And about Mercury. We think things may be getting pretty tough for him at home."
Jake just nodded. He couldn't add much. Mercury had seemed down at lunch the previous day. An odd comment or two hinted at more trouble with his father.
" You played baseball with Mercury in middle school, didn't you?" Josiah asked. "Is there any way you could spend some time with Mercury so he didn't have to be at home so much?"
Jake scratched his head. He had cross country practice after school every day, and his Mr. Miyagi obligation to Ish. He needed time to do homework, too. And he was running with Josiah and Ish after dinner every night. . .
"Hey! What about getting the full group back together to run every night?" Jake suggested.
Josiah winced. "Maybe. I've been thinking about it, but we probably still have some things to work out."
He shifted his gaze to Ian, who started to squirm in his seat.
" I'm not going to do anything like that again, Josiah," Ian was having trouble meeting anyone's eyes. "I'll be all business when we run."
"And. . ." Josiah prompted.
"And. . ." Ian shifted uncomfortably again in his chair. "And. . . I'm really sorry about what I did to you, Jake," he got it out all in a single breath. "I thought you'd like it. I just wasn't thinking." He hung his head.
Jake was shocked by the remorseful side of Ian. Not that Ian didn't always mean well, but he often had a hard time acknowledging his mistakes when he did cross a line.
"It's okay, dude," he tried to pitch his voice low enough for just him and Ian. "It wasn't terrible. I mean, I did like a lot of it," he blushed. "But it was kind of embarrassing, too."
Ian nodded his understanding. He was still having difficulty meeting Jake's eye. "I just didn't think. . . Like I do a lot," he added, glancing defiantly at Josiah. "I wish I had done it more like Josiah did with you. But I thought I could make it more exciting. I was stupid."
Jake almost gasped at the final admission.
"We're cool, Ian," he assured his friend. "We just won't do that again. Training will be all business," he affirmed, for Josiah's sake.
At lunch, their crowd was enthusiastic to hear the news that evening training runs would resume. Mercury took the news somewhat uncertainly, but was circumspectly assured that there were to be no extracurricular activities after the runs. Nobody said anything explicit because it didn't seem like a good idea to frighten off Ish with any graphic details. After all, he really didn't need to know that he would be running with such a depraved group of individuals.
Jake met Ish outside his house the following morning. His father had just arrived home from work when Jake breezed through the kitchen, grabbed a bagel and a banana, was out the door, and headed up the street.
When he emerged from his house, Ish was surprised to see Jake. But a pleased grin immediately spread across his face.
"That was a great run last night!" Ish enthused. "I can't believe Josiah could get so many people together for a training run."
" We've had even more," Jake started. But he thought better of it. He really didn't want to explain the attraction of those mass runs.
As they strolled toward the end of Oak Street, several younger kids were eyeing Ish aggressively. But discovering that he wasn't alone must have intimidated them. Ed Warren enjoyed a peaceful morning.
By the end of the week, Jake and Ish had fallen into a routine. Jake met Ish outside his home — far too early — every morning. They rode the bus to school together. They ate lunch with Josiah, Ian and the rest of the crew. They spent ninety minutes together after school at cross country practice. And they all ran with Josiah after dinner every night.
The cross country team had another meet scheduled for Saturday. They would be travelling this time — only the fifteen or so miles south to Silver River — for an invitational meet involving a half dozen smaller high schools in southern Vermont.
Jake had wondered if Ish might possibly be selected for the varsity squad, to run with him and Josiah. But Coach Miller disappointed them. Ish wouldn't even run in the junior varsity race. Apparently the Vermont Headmasters Association had a rule that required a student to participate in at least two weeks of practice before he could compete for the team in an event.
The meet was another triumph for Ball Mountain. The team won the event. Josiah finished first again. And Jake finished seventeenth, running fourth for his team. He was exhausted but elated when the runners trooped into the Silver River Union High School locker room to wash up after their race.
Jake was disappointed that Ish didn't join him in the shower. Even if Ish had been a spectator and didn't need to shower, Jake had fantasized about Ish continuing their conversation from the entrance to the shower room. He really was hoping that Ish wanted to check out his fanny.
Instead, Ish waited with Jake's gym bag. He carefully averted his gaze and didn't even appear to notice when Jake coyly attempted to flash him as he was toweling off. They had a nice conversation about the race, and they shared a few interesting details about their respective past lives, but Jake really had been hoping for more.
Jake decided that, despite their race, he and Ish really needed to train that night. It wasn't exactly a run that would test them; it was more of a stroll thought the village while Jake pointed out the local sights. Jake was slowly coming around to the view that, even if it turned out that Ish wasn't a potential partner, he was still the sort of person that he'd enjoy having as a friend.
It didn't even bother him that his father's network of informers would probably spot them walking together and report back. If he timed it right, he could bolt out of the house and be waiting for Ish to emerge from his home every morning before his father even got home from work.
On further consideration, Jake wondered if he might be able to get Ish to invite him in to wait while he got ready for school. Maybe his mother made falafel for breakfast.
Even with Jake accompanying him to school every morning, Ish still made a beeline for the freshman wing when they arrived. So Jake spent most mornings hanging out with Josiah and Ian until it was time to go to homeroom.
Mercury's struggles at home remained a topic of conversation. Josiah was really starting to feel responsible for finding some way to help their friend.
Neither Josiah nor Jake had shared Mercury's revelation with Ian. But Ian was intelligent and insightful. An obscenely wet spot spreading across the front of Mercury's shorts after watching two guys kiss had been a rather unsubtle clue.
"He may be hot for you, Jake," Ian teased one morning. "Either you or Josiah. And I couldn't possibly allow that!" he insisted piously. "Josiah would just corrupt the poor boy."
Josiah eyed Ian skeptically.
"Well, it's true!" Ian defended himself. "Mercury was pretty turned on after watching the two of you kiss. And you would!" he added sotto voce.
" You know," Ian had sudden inspiration. "It might just be you that Mercury wants to corrupt him. He kept his powder dry when he saw me ravishing Jake." He had the good grace to blush at that admission.
Josiah groaned. Then he sighed. It looked like he might groan again.
" It wasn't who was involved. It was what was happening," Josiah explained cautiously. "I talked to Mercury about it afterward. He said that when I kissed Jake, what affected him so much was that it really looked like we were two people in love. That seemed special to him. When you raped Jake," he gave Ian a disapproving glance, "Mercury didn't feel anything special. It was hot sex. But it was just two guys going at it."
"Please! No!" Jake moaned. "I think I'm PTSDing." But he was grinning.
"So he does want you!" Ian crowed.
" No, Ian," Josiah corrected him. "He saw two people who appeared to be in love. That's what touched him. Maybe he doesn't see much of that at home. It doesn't sound like his father is the type to show much affection." Josiah hoped that Ian wouldn't connect all the dots.
"So Mercury just needs somebody to love him!" Ian turned on Jake. "You could do that. I'll help. I can teach you things," he concluded smugly.
Jake dropped his head into his hands and started groaning.
" Come on, Jake," Ian persisted. "Mercury's hot! He looks like a young Greek god! That's why I named him Mercury."
"Mercury was a Roman god," Josiah pointed out.
"Details," Ian dismissed the interruption with a distracted wave.
"You call him Mercury because you think he's hot?" Jake questioned.
" Well, yeah!" Ian cast Jake an incredulous look. "Sometimes, in the shower after practice, I just want to crawl over there and soap him up thoroughly from head to toe. . . Well," Ian seemed captivated by a memory. "You get the idea. But I'd wash his head and feet, too."
Josiah shook his head disapprovingly. Ian pointedly ignored him.
"I thought you call him Mercury because he's so fast," Jake was confused.
"That, too. And the Freddie Mercury thing," Ian added with a self-satisfied grin. "I think that really freaked him out."
"Ian," Josiah interrupted. "What we talked about. We're getting into some areas that might make Jake. . . or Mercury," he emphasized the name, "a little uncomfortable."
Ian looked like he wanted to argue. Jake was surprised when he backed down. But he did add a final plea.
"Think about it, Jake. I bet it would make both of you happy.
It didn't come as a great surprise to Jake, but it still wasn't a pleasant development. He had finally asked Ish why he didn't come to the cafeteria with him to hang out with Josiah and Ian before the start of each school day. Ish explained that he was trying to stay out of the school's common areas as much as possible at the suggestion of the assistant principal.
Mr. Harding had explained that while he was giving Daniel Hartnett and Russell Hamilton lengthy suspensions for their fight with Ish, sooner or later they would return to school. That "later" arrived sooner than Jake would have preferred.
He waited at the entrance of the freshman wing most days to walk to lunch with Ish. It was another routine for Jake, and he was enjoying the extra few minutes spent with Ish each day. Whether engaged in pleasant chatter about the cross country team, their friends, or gleaning more information about Ish's past, Jake always found their conversations interesting as they strolled through the school corridors.
Jake didn't notice Hartnett and Hamilton walking in their direction, so he was startled when Ish pulled him out of the way just in time to avoid a sharp elbow.
"Faggots," Hartnett hissed as he brushed roughly past them.
"Faggots," Hamilton echoed because. . . well, because he really did rely on Daniel to take the lead in everything they did.
Jake was livid and wanted to chase after them. Ish persuaded him that it would be better if they were patient and simply waited for the bullies to take things too far.
It didn't help Jake's mood, a few minutes after he and Ish had settled in at their lunch table, to notice Hartnett and Hamilton smirking at him from across the cafeteria.
"Are we going to have to put up with them every day?" Jake wondered.
Josiah turned and glanced in the direction that Jake was looking. His eyes widened, then narrowed when he noticed where the bullies' attention was focused. He reached deliberately into his pocket and pulled out his telephone. Jake was shocked when the bullies suddenly found something much more interesting that required their attention.
"Jacob!"
Jake heard the car door opening behind him, followed by his father's bellow. He really thought he had his father's schedule down well enough to avoid running into him in the morning.
"Where are you going, Jake?" his father demanded.
"To school." Jake hoped that the bare truth would suffice.
"Your bus stop is in the opposite direction," his father pointed out.
'Busted', Jake groaned to himself. It might take some pretty fancy explaining to mollify his father this time, he concluded.
He pointed in the general direction of the Abraham home. "I'm walking Ish to the bus stop."
Ed Warren's face suffused with blood. "That little freak looks like he can walk to the bus by himself!"
"I'm walking him to the bus stop," Jake insisted, "to make sure he doesn't bother anyone, and to make sure that nobody bothers him. You don't like it when your mornings get disturbed, so I make sure there's no noise to disturb them."
His father was incredulous. "You have to walk him to the bus stop so my mornings don't get disturbed?!" He shook his head. "What is the world coming to?"
A few days later, Josiah joined Jake for cross country practice. Coach Fisher had decided that the soccer team needed a respite from drills and had turned them loose to run, freeing Josiah up to spend time with his cross country team.
Josiah liked Jake. He had been disappointed that they hadn't found much time for private conversations since Ish, and then the rest of their crew, started joining them for their evening run. He took advantage of the opportunity when Coach Miller pulled Ish aside for some instruction about running technique.
"I was wondering about that conversation we had the other morning, Jake."
Jake was puzzled. It must have shown.
"With Ian. You know, the one about Mercury," Josiah sighed. He wasn't enthusiastic about playing the role of Yente. But Jake and Mercury were his friends.
A faint memory dawned in Jake's eyes. But he still seemed confused.
" No pressure, Jake. This is just a question," Josiah tried to reassure him. "But have you ever thought about you and Mercury. . .?" Ian would have finished the sentence. In graphic detail. Josiah thought it better to just let the question trail off.
"Oh!" Jake had the picture now. "Well, of course. I really like Mercury. And Ian's right. He does look incredible!" Jake thought about what he wanted to say next. "The problem is that I want what Mercury wants."
Josiah was confused. That was a problem?
" With the way Mercury's father feels about gay guys, and the way my father feels, what kind of a relationship could we have with them breathing down our necks all the time?" Jake wondered. "About the only thing we might be able to do is sneak away occasionally for some sex. But that's not what either of us really wants."
That explanation made a little more sense to Josiah.
"I like Mercury. If we could really be together and learn to love each other, I think that would make me happy. And I really would like to make him happy, too. I just can't see how that could work with the way things are right now."
And that, Josiah concluded, was probably that. Except, change could happen.
"Think about it, Jake. In case something does change. Until then, you guys can still have some smoking hot sex sometimes."
'Oops!' Josiah realized, too late. Their running shorts really didn't conceal very much.
As the warm water rained down on him, Josiah Brantley took stock of his week. The school year was only three weeks old, but he was felling quite satisfied with the way it had gone so far.
The soccer team had three wins under its belt. The only blemish on their record so far was the opening draw with Silver River.
The cross country team was undefeated. The team had three wins on the season, as did Josiah. He had just finished another easy victory in a dual meet with Barrington, a small school located on the western side of the state.
He smiled contentedly, pleased with his own performance, but also with his teammates. Jake also had a strong race. He was improving every week.
Standing next to Jake under the spray, Ish had been the top Ball Mountain finisher in the junior varsity race. He hadn't won that race. The winner from Barrington should probably have raced for their varsity team. Josiah thought that there was a good chance that Ish would also be running varsity before the end of the season.
Unaware of Josiah's scrutiny, Jake was wondering what it would take to get Ish to look at his fanny. The two were having a great conversation. There was lots of eye contact. But Ish's eyes always seemed to be focused casually but unambiguously well above his waist.
Jake wondered if blatantly checking Ish out might provoke a reaction from his friend. He thought that it might. He just wasn't sure what sort of reaction it would provoke. So he elected to follow the prudent course of action. But he was still looking forward to another training walk through East Grange village with Ish that evening.
If there's a way to pass through a barrier, water will find it. Bullies possess a similar quality. If there's the tiniest crack in the wall keeping them from surrendering to their worst instincts, eventually they'll find that crack.
Josiah was running late. The rest of their lunch crew was gathered at their table in the cafeteria, but Josiah hadn't arrived yet. Ian thought that Mr. Fisher might have mentioned something about wanting to speak with him, probably about the soccer team.
Most of their table was completely unaware, although Ish had immediately alerted to the danger. Daniel Hartnett and Russell Hamilton sauntered smugly over to them while they were distracted by their conversation.
"If that doesn't look like a naked mole rat!" Hartnett exclaimed. "It's absolutely amazing what they'll serve in this shitty school cafeteria."
Ian shot to his feet. "There's no naked mole rat here," he said. "And you can check it out for yourself if you're still into looking at guy's dicks."
" Keep your panties dry," Daniel chortled. "I don't want to see your puny pecker. But my dick is right here, if you want to suck on it again, bitch," he snarled.
Ian turned white and dropped back into his seat, seething with impotent rage.
"Well, this is quite a pansy crew. What was this one's name?" Daniel asked his smirking second banana, nodding toward Ish. "The girly one."
"Oh!" Russ had to think about that a bit. "It was hard to understand what it said. Something male, I think it told us."
" Yeah," Daniel congratulated, "that was it! Shemale!" He raised a finger to celebrate the 'eureka' moment. "It's a shemale."
Ish didn't react, but Jake noticed his cheeks flush. Under other circumstances, he realized that it would have looked quite appealing.
As the biggest member of their crew, Darius decided that he needed to respond to the challenge, even if both of the bullies were still quite a bit bigger than him. He pushed his chair back and started to get to his feet, but Ish put a hand on his arm and shook his head.
Daniel snorted. "Listen to your little sister, sonny. She knows what's best for you."
Jake never liked confrontations. He was especially uncomfortable about confronting people years older than him and almost twice his size. But he couldn't stand by and let his friends be abused. So he pushed back his chair and stood up.
" I don't know if I told you guys," he announced to the rest of the table as he positioned himself between Daniel and Ish and wrapped an arm around his friend's shoulder, "but out little sister had this cunt," he spat out the word, "in tears a couple of weeks ago. He was on his knees crying and begging for mercy."
Jake stuck out his jaw and waited. He knew that it would hurt. But he was pretty sure it would be the last time he and his friends would have to deal with Hartnett and Hamilton.
Hartnett didn't disappoint. Just before the fist connected, Jake thought, 'I wonder if this was such a good idea.' He didn't remember anything else that happened for a while.
'This is quite nice,' Jake decided.
It took Jake a few moments to realize where he was. His first thought was that he must be waking up in his own bed. His mind was hazy, but he felt comfortable and warm, like he was cocooned in a nest of blankets on a chilly winter morning.
The sensations surrounding him sent a frisson of pleasure up Jake's spine. It started in his bottom, then slowly worked its way up past his stomach and chest, until it reached his shoulders and neck.
It took him a moment to notice the pain in his jaw. That penetrated the haze in his head. He noticed another sensation in his jaw. Cold. Cold, but also a strange sensation of residual warmth.
Next he noticed a throbbing sensation in the back of his head, then some pain in his chest. Those were his ribs, Jake concluded. It wasn't a sharp pain. More of a dull ache. In his lower ribs, on his left side.
Jake was also vaguely aware of more pain in his stomach. Somewhere near the surface. At least it felt that way.
Was he waking up in the middle of a heart attack? Jake wondered. It did hurt a bit. But he was also feeling pretty good.
Slowly, Jake's mind began to tune in to the sounds around him. There was a steady hum of excitement; an indistinct murmur of voices that rose and fell, appearing to come from all directions.
Jake began to recognize voices, then words. A few voices cut through his haze; higher-pitched tones that thrilled with shock or excitement. He tried to make sense of what they were saying. Was he in a hospital emergency room? Were those nurse's voices? He hoped they weren't doctors. He didn't want any lady doctors seeing him naked!
"Oh my god!" It was a piercing shriek. "Freddy Hayes kissed him!"
"What?!" The second voice sounded confused.
"Freddy kissed that little guy!" the first voice insisted.
"It was just on his jaw, where Daniel hit him."
Jake couldn't make sense of the conversation. Who had Daniel hit?
"It was on the mouth! I saw it!" that annoying first voice seemed sure of itself.
" They were probably swapping tongues," a third voice contributed, bubbling with excitement.
"For god's sake!" the second voice sounded disgusted. "They weren't swapping tongues! That little kid is unconscious."
"I'd pass out if Freddy Hayes kissed me!" The voice's owner sounded like she thought she had proved her point.
"I'd pass out, too, if Freddy ever kissed you, you troll," the second voice was dismissive. "Now just shut up and get out of the way so the teachers can help."
It didn't sound like he was in an emergency room, Jake decided. And he sure hoped he wasn't in his bedroom. All those girls' voices! He didn't want them seeing him with morning wood!
Jake did a quick inventory. Nope! It didn't feel like he was aroused. He was mostly just confused.
He squirmed a bit against his restraints. 'Comfortable!' he decided. It felt nice.
"Don't move, Jake!" That voice sounded familiar. "You could have a neck injury!"
Jake decided that he needed more information. Slowly, he cracked open his left eye. He was greeted by bright light, then green-grey eyes and a very concerned expression. Golden hair. A bright red complexion.
That red was unexpected, but Jake thought the vision resembled a god. Maybe a god of healing? He wasn't sure, but that didn't seem quite right.
The god of speed! The inspiration came to Jake in a flash. Hermes? No, Mercury!
Jake's eyes shifted downward, away from the face of the god. He could see the god's hand pressed up against the left side of his jaw. Jake realized that was the source of the cold sensation.
Mercury sure has cold hands, he thought to himself. But they still felt nice. He tried to smile.
A voice beside his right ear reminded him again, "Don't move, Jake. Your head snapped back very hard when you were hit. They have gone to get a backboard." Jake could feel arms wrapped around him. They tightened their grip slightly.
He wanted to see what was restraining him. But those arms kept his body from moving, and his head was braced between the hand of the god and something pressed firmly against his right ear. It felt nice.
He tried to use his other senses to gather information. His hands were restrained in front of him. But he could detect a slightly exotic scent somewhere close to his face. He couldn't quite place the scent. But it was something that he had encountered recently. And he thought that it had tasted good.
As the hubbub around him slowly began to diminish, so did Jake's confusion. Gradually, things started to make sense. Someone had hit him. He was hurt. He needed to keep still. Jake focused on the basic facts of his situation and the things he could control.
The room and the youthful faces around him slowly swam into focus. The cafeteria. He was in his high school's cafeteria. Yes. Definitely high school. Jake was pretty sure that he was a sophomore now.
He couldn't quite recall who had hit him, or why. But Jake was feeling comfortable now. That meant he was probably safe. He was surrounded by friends.
That god. Mercury. That was Freddy Hayes! Jake searched through his mind and realized that he was a good friend. They had known each other since they started kindergarten together.
And that exotic scent around his head? Those secure arms? The firm but slightly yielding sensation that he was sitting on? That was someone's lap!
'Whoa!' Jake thought, 'What's going on here?'
A voice had said something about someone kissing him. And he was sitting in someone's lap!
' Are we having an orgy?' Jake wondered. 'In the middle of the school cafeteria?' That didn't seem quite right.
Jake focused on that scent again, trying to make sense of it. It was something that he had only recently encountered. But he really liked it. In Jake's mind, that scent was connected with something that tasted really good. Something exotic.
Falafel!
What's falafel? It took another moment for his thoughts to coalesce into a coherent memory.
Ish! 'Oh my god,' Jake realized, 'I must be sitting in Ish's lap! If this ever gets back to my father, he'll lose his mind!'
" Please, Jake! Keep still."
It was that voice again. Jake couldn't help himself. He wondered how Ish felt about having Jake's butt in his lap. He shifted very cautiously, but he didn't feel anything. . . beyond some disappointment.
Jake felt one of Ish's hands drop across his lap to prevent him from moving. That felt a little better! That thing pressed against the right side of his head turned slightly. He thought he might have felt lips brush against his cheek.
Jake sighed contentedly. He closed his eyes and his thoughts faded gently away.
Ian watched with concern as the school nurse and a pair of emergency responders secured Jake to a backboard, then lifted him carefully onto a stretcher. Ian was torn between his concern for Jake and worry over what was happening to Josiah.
Ian's emotions had spun through a whirlpool in the space of less than five minutes. First, the fear of realizing that Hartnett and Hamilton were standing at his lunch table and looking down at him. Then anger at Hartnett's challenge, followed by a deep sense of humiliation when Hartnett shared his darkest secret in front of everyone in the cafeteria.
Ian was frustrated by his own inaction as he sat and watched Hartnett turn his attention to Ish. He felt pride in Jake when his friend had stood up to the bully. Then horror as he watched Hartnett's fist connect with Jake's jaw and bounce his head sharply back off Ish's forehead!
Ian had remained frozen in terror as Hartnett's fists connected again with Jake's chest and his stomach. His mind couldn't even function. He noticed the rage in Ish's eyes, tempered by concern for Jake.
Then, before Ish had to make a decision about how to best keep Jake safe, Josiah appeared! To Ian, it had felt like watching an old Western movie when the cavalry arrives.
Josiah had been smart, too. Instead of giving way to emotion and perhaps making the situation worse, he had wrapped his arms around Hartnett from behind, then held on for dear life until more help could arrive.
Darius and a couple boys from nearby tables had pig-piled on top of Hartnett until there were enough staff members on the scene to take control of the situation.
Ian felt shame that he didn't act. He felt like a failure as he watched in horror while Ish took control of keeping Jake safe. The freshman started issuing orders like an adult with years of experience behind him.
Mercury dashed off for some ice. Ish kept Jake wrapped securely in his arms, supporting his head and his unconscious body, and insisted that eager spectators back away so they didn't accidentally jostle Jake and add to his injuries.
And Ian even felt a brief sexual thrill when Mercury returned and planted a brief but emotional kiss on Jake's jaw before he applied the ice.
After that, it was just a matter of watching while school staff took charge of the situation, then waiting for the EMTs to arrive and prepare Jake for transport to a hospital.
Through it all, Ian did nothing. He prided himself on being the smartest kid in school — probably smarter than all the staff, too, he knew — but he had nothing to contribute in the crisis. Instead, he was impotent, frozen as much by his conflicting emotions as by the demands of the moment.
Once Jake had been wheeled out of the cafeteria, and Ian could hear the ambulance siren begin to wail outside the building, then fade rapidly into the distance, his breathing gradually started to return to normal.
Ian took stock of the situation. He wanted to be able to do something. Hartnett had caused a huge amount of trouble for him and his friends. Jake had made an enormous sacrifice. Ian needed to do something to restore some balance to their universe.
Killing Hartnett seemed like a reasonable solution. Ian jumped to his feet and raced toward the school administrative offices.
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