Jared - Part 2

Part 2

Mark laughed at Cory's lame joke. He was having a blast playing Resident Evil with his best friend. Meanwhile, Jared sat on the couch behind them, silently watching them play. Cory and Jared hadn't really gotten along. Both seemed to take an instant dislike to the other, but pretended to be nice to each other for Mark's sake.

Around 10, Mark yawned and stretched. “Oh man! I think it's time to go to bed. I have a history test tomorrow.”

Cory looked to Jared. “But...” He clearly wanted Jared to go home already.

“Don't worry!” Mark assured his best friend. “Jared can sleep on the couch, and you can sleep in my bed if you want.”

Cory shrugged. He and Mark had been best friends since 1^st grade and had shared a bed during a sleepover many times before. Cory actually kind of hated sleeping on the uncomfortable couch.

“Hey... do either of you want a cola?” Jared asked, pulling a can out of his backpack.

Mark shook his head. “No! It's... um... too late at night for caffeine!”

Jared laughed. “Suit yourself.” With a shrug, he put the can away.

They all stripped down to their boxers, and then Jared excused himself to go to the bathroom.

“What's with you?” Cory asked. “You're strangely jumpy.”

Mark shrugged. “Nothing. I'm just tired.” He got comfy in his bed.

Cory climbed into bed and then grinned at Mark. “You'll never guess what I did last night!”

“What?” Mark asked. He then blushed a little as he remembered what had happened to him last night.

“I... um... had fun with my girlfriend!” Cory confessed.

“Seriously?!” Mark demanded incredulously.

“She is so beautiful... Mark, I think I'm in love with her!”

“Wow!” Mark exclaimed, slightly stunned.

Jared returned. “Don't you two look cozy!”

Cory growled softly. “I don't like what you're implying! Mark has been my best friend forever. There's no way anything like that would happen between us, and besides, we're both straight! You – on the other hand – you seem like a fag to me!”

Jared simply laughed and shook his head. “Whatever.”

Mark shifted so that his back was to Cory. “Stop fighting; I'm too tired to listen to it!” He turned the lamp next to his bed off, plunging the room into darkness.

“Sorry,” Cory muttered.

“It's okay, just go to sleep,” Mark insisted.

To his vast relief, Mark woke up the next morning unmolested. He sighed as quietly as possible, and then sat up to look at Jared. Jared smirked at him. Mark rolled his eyes and shook his head.

Mark got out of bed, which made Cory snort for a moment before his snoring resumed. He planned to rummage through his closet for some clothes, but Jared grabbed his arm and stopped him. Using a gesture, Jared asked Mark if he wanted to be sucked off.

Mark shook his head and pulled his arm free. A thought occurred to him, prompting him to demand in a whisper. “You didn't do any drugs last night, did you? Because I won't let you stay here anymore if you're taking drugs.”

Jared sat up so that Mark could see that he was being serious. “No. Well, at least not the bad kind. I took a little something to make me go to sleep.”

“Why?” Mark wondered.

Jared grinned at him in a way that made Mark uncomfortable.

“Uh, nevermind!” Mark blurted out.

“Listen, I promise I won't do any drugs while I'm here,” Jared stated.

“Good,” Mark said in relief. He then frowned as he remembered that Jared told him that he was a liar. With a small shake of his head, he pushed his misgivings to the back of his mind.

“Today is Sunday, so my mom is likely going to make something close to a feast for breakfast,” Mark informed his friend.

Jared moaned. “Your mom is a good cook! However, I'm not hungry for food...”

Before Mark could jump out of the way, Jared pulled him onto the couch. Mark squeaked in protest, but managed to be quiet enough not to wake Cory up. Jared kissed Mark thoroughly despite Mark fighting him, trying to push him away. The problem was that Mark spent all his free time playing video games, and Jared spent all his free time doing things as far from his house as possible – such as lifting weights in the school gym. Jared was literally stronger than Mark.

“Stop it!” Mark insisted in a whisper. “I told you not to kiss me any more!”

“I can't help it! I see you and I just have to have you!” Jared confessed and then kissed him again. “Besides, it feels like you don't object as much as you say you do!”

Mark blushed, trying to shift away from Jared's hand on his shaft. “I woke up that way! It has nothing to do with you! Now get off me!”

Jared nibbled on Mark's ear, pouting. “Please?”

“No!”

“I can make you feel so good...” Jared promised.

“I know you can, but I don't want to. I told you, I'm not into you like that.”

“Do you remember how you felt Friday night?” Jared murmured huskily.

Mark was silent for a moment, his face utterly red. Suddenly, he managed to squirm free and fell on the floor. “Behave!”

Jared groaned in disappointment. “Aww... why won't you let me make you feel good?”

“I've already told you why, but in addition to that, my best friend is sleeping right there! What if he woke up? Listen; stop trying to get into my pants. I'm only letting you stay here so that you don't have to go home to your parents, but I won't let you stay here anymore if you can't keep your hands to yourself!”

“Mark... my head tells me to be good. It tells me to leave you alone so that you don't kick me out, but... The rest of me wants you...” Jared stroked his rigid shaft to illustrate his point.

Mark sighed, pulling his knees to his chest. “I mean it. Don't touch me again.”

It was Jared's turn to sigh. “I really do try to keep my hands to myself, but...”

“Maybe I can tell my parents what is going on,” Mark suggested. “Maybe if they knew how badly you needed a decent place to stay, they'd let you have the spare bedroom.”

Jared sat up as if someone had lit a fire under his ass. “No! Your parents will most likely call the cops or Child Protection and have me taken away!”

“My parents aren't like that!” Mark protested. “They'd much rather have you living with us than with alcoholics; a drug dealer and a whore!”

“Ouch! That's my parents you're talking about. Even if it is true, you don't have to be mean about it!” Jared exclaimed, upset.

“Sorry,” Mark apologized. “I didn't mean to be mean.”

“My parents might be messed up, but they're all I have. When they remember I exist, they love me. No one else in the whole world loves me,” Jared admitted with a sigh of depression.

“I don't think they love you, Jared. I think that if they did love you, they'd make an effort to clean up and take care of you,” Mark murmured.

Jared chuckled. “Love isn't always black and white. For example, they love each other. They argue and beat each other up. They back-stab and cheat on each other, but when it all comes down to it, they will forgive each other anything. They cry on each other's shoulders and promise to never do anything bad again. Then they get drunk and start fighting again. I hate it, but I know there isn't anything in this world strong enough to tear them apart!”

“So what part of this makes you think they love you?” Mark wondered.

Jared shrugged helplessly. “I really can't explain it. They show their love by yelling at me one minute, hugging and squeezing me the next, and then calling me names and shrieking at me to get the hell out of the house so they can earn some money. They don't want me to see what they do, so – in a way – that proves that they want something better for me.”

“I'm surprised that you're not angry at them,” Mark stated. “On TV, whenever someone comes from an abusive family, they tend to be bullies and always angry at everything.”

“I used to be angry at them, but then I realized that they were better than the alternative. Some kids don't even have parents! I once stayed in a foster home for a month with a pair of twins that constantly tried to kill themselves because their parents had died in a car accident and they wanted to join them in heaven,” Jared explained.

“Did they... succeed?” Mark wondered morbidly.

“No, I convinced them that death wasn't the answer,” Jared said with a grin.

“How?”

Jared laughed, a fond grin stretching his lips. “Simple. Every time they tried to kill themselves, I talked them into a threesome before they died. After the 10^th or 12^th time, I realized that they had long since started pretending just to get me in bed with them. Then the foster parents found out and kicked me out. They still email me from time to time...”

Mark laughed. At first, he had been shocked by this bit of information, but now it was funny to him. “Is sex the answer to everything for you?”

“Pretty much!” Jared admitted. “Sex has cheered me up when I was depressed. Sex has earned me money for food when I was starving. Sex has prevented a pair of gorgeous twins from killing themselves. Most recently, sex has made me a new friend willing to help me out...”

Mark held both of his hands out in a gestured that said stop. “Shh! Don't say it like that!”

“Why not?” Jared wondered, his head tilted to the side in confusion.

“Because... I didn't decide to help you because you slipped me some X and then had sex with me. I decided to help you because you need help!”

Jared stared at Mark with no expression for a moment. Then his expression turned dark. “So... you're saying that you think I'm pathetic. You think I'm desperate and have to resort to drugging people up to get laid. I'm not like that at all!”

Mark didn't know what to say. “I... think... you...” he shrugged helplessly. “Need help.”

Jared growled. “Whatever!” He grabbed his things, pulled his jeans and a tee shirt on, and then stuffed the rest of his stuff into his backpack. “I don't need your pity or your condescension!”

“Jared, wait...” Mark held out a hand as if he could stop his friend from leaving by sheer force of will. “I didn't mean it like that.”

“Yes you did!” Jared nearly shouted, then stormed out of the room.

Mark sighed and then buried his head in his arms. Mostly, he was incredibly sad that his new friend needed him so badly, and Mark had somehow managed to alienate him.

“Did all that really happen?” Cory asked softly.

Mark gasped. “Cory! How long have you been awake?”

“Since you shrieked or something and woke me up. I pretended to be asleep because I didn't think you wanted me to catch you messing around with your friend. I thought maybe he was your boyfriend or something and you didn't want me to know... but then I heard you two talking, and now I think you should call the police.”

“What for?!” Mark demanded, his heart racing in panic at the thought of having to admit what had happened to anyone.

“Dude... you said he basically raped you!” Cory pointed out.

“Well yeah, but...”

“But what?” Cory asked insistently.

“But he didn't hurt me. I don't think he should go to jail for what happened,” Mark explained the best he could.

Cory didn't know what to think or feel, so he eventually shrugged. “If that's what you really think.”

“It is,” Mark insisted.

“Do you, um... Do you like him? Like that?” Cory asked, almost whispering.

“No! I feel sorry for him! When I try to imagine what it would be like to have to sell my body just to buy food because my parents are too stupid and selfish to buy food for me, well... I feel terrible! I wish I could help him...”

“It doesn't sound like he wants your help,” Cory pointed out. “I think he was just trying to get your sympathy so you'd let him drug you up again. He's probably a dealer like his dad.”

“Maybe,” Mark muttered, not actually believing it.

“Listen, I can see why you'd have wanted to keep this a secret from me, but I am your best friend. If it happens again, don't be afraid to tell me. If nothing else, I can try to protect you from him.”

Mark focused on the carpet in front of him, picking at the individual fibers to avoid looking at Cory. “Have you ever taken any drugs? I assume you would have told me, but maybe you were too ashamed...”

“No, you know I haven't,” Cory stated honestly.

“Neither had I before... I had no idea what it felt like to be – I don't know... High? He gave me half a dose of ecstasy, just half a dose! It was enough to make me want to have sex with everyone in school! It wouldn't have mattered who was here, I probably would have done them...”

Mark sighed. “I really liked how it made me feel, but I hated it at the same time! I hated it because somewhere in the back of my mind I knew that it wasn't real. I knew that I would never feel the same without the drug. I knew that I would want it again... and I do...”

Cory tilted his head to the side with and expression of confusion. “The drug or the sex?”

“The drug. Both? I don't know...”

“I really think you should tell your parents. I don't want to see you go down that path and become a junkie!”

Mark smiled and looked at Cory for the first time. “Me either! But seriously, don't tell my parents...”

“Why not? Your parents are cool. They'll understand,” Cory reminded him.

“They might, but I'm not ready to tell them yet. It's a lot, you know? Both drugs and sex. Not to mention that it was with a guy! They'll think I'm gay and then try to assure me that it's okay and that they still love me, but I'm not gay.”

Cory shrugged. “Don't worry, I won't tell them.”

“Good!” Mark sighed in relief, and then gestured an invitation. “Come on, let's go get something to eat.”

*****

Cory spent the night again, which helped Mark forget anything had ever happened. They played the video game until bedtime, then went to sleep. The next morning, they went to school like any other day, except that Cory's girlfriend walked up to him the moment they got to their locker – which they shared.

She purred and kissed Cory, and he practically forgot Mark existed as he promised to go to her house after school. Mark smiled, glad to see that Cory was happy with her. Mark also spent the entire time she was standing there wondering what she looked like naked and if she was good in bed.

Cory caught the expression on Mark's face and smacked him on the arm. “Hey! That's my girlfriend you're staring at!”

She laughed and then purred. “I don't mind if you stare, I'm worth staring at... but just remember to keep your hands to yourself!”

“You're my best friend's girlfriend! Of course I'm going to keep my hands to myself!” Mark promised.

She gave him a flirty little pout that told him that she was secretly hoping that he would try to touch her. She was known for being easy, and Mark was afraid that Cory was going to get his heart broken sooner rather than later. Mark gave her a kiss, and then rushed to class.

After school, Mark noticed Jared walking home and decided to follow him. Jared walked to a nearby trailer court, then easily navigated the almost labyrinthine mess of streets until he was in front of a run down little trailer that looked like it should have been condemned years ago.

Mark stood about a block away wondering what he should do next. He'd only followed Jared because it occurred to him to wonder if Jared had told him the truth about anything. So far, it looked like he had.

Mark decided to knock on the door and apologize to Jared for being rude. He hadn't meant to make Jared feel bad. Hell! He was trying to help!

Just as Mark stepped one foot onto the short driveway, he heard a loud crash and froze. Like a rabbit or a deer listening for danger, he stood there unable to move, not even to run away.

He heard copious swearing, another crash, and then the door opened.

“If you two are just going to fight, then I'm leaving!” Jared shouted. He was standing in the doorway looking back at his parents.

“You ungrateful little bastard!” A man roared. “We're trying to give you a happy fucking birthday, and you think you can just walk away?!”

“You're drunk!” Jared yelled.

“Get your ass back here!” The man shouted.

“Don't you fucking yell at him!” A woman screamed. “It's his birthday and you should be nice to him!”

“I was being nice to him, you cunt! If you could just shut up, I wouldn't have to yell!”

“Did you ever fucking think that maybe you're the reason I yell?!”

Jared held up a hand. “Don't hit her!”

The next thing Mark knew, a man that he assumed must be Jared's father had twisted Jared's arm behind his back and shoved his face into the wall, not caring in the slightest that the door was wide open.

“Are you telling me what to do, ungrateful bastard?”

“Let me go!” Jared insisted, waited just one second for his dad to comply, and then kicked him in the shin and rammed him with an elbow when he didn't.

“If you're going to try to fight me, you'd best be prepared to win!” His dad threatened, then pushed him hard enough that Jared tumbled down the steps to the ground.

“You asshole!” Jared's mother shrieked, leaping onto his back. “You could have hurt my baby!” She rained punches on him in a way that made Mark flinch. They looked painful!

“Bitch! You're making me hot!”

She somehow shifted around to his front so that he could push her into the wall and kiss her. Jared sighed in aggravation, knowing that they had already forgotten all about him. He picked himself off the ground, and turned to leave, glancing over his shoulder at his parents – who were already having sex up against the wall in front of the wide open door. He shook his head, and quickly faced away from them.

He almost collided with Mark. Mark was staring at Jared's parents in open-mouthed shock. Jared grabbed him by the arm and dragged him away as quickly as possible.

“What are you doing here?” Jared demanded.

Mark couldn't get his brain to function. It was stuck on what he had seen and heard. “Your parents are fucked up!”

“Tell me something I don't know!” Jared scoffed. “Like what you are doing here.”

“I came to make sure you're okay,” Mark admitted.

“I'm fine,” Jared assured him. “That happens a lot. I'm used to it.”

“Is it really your birthday?” Mark wondered.

“Yep! I'm 17 now. Just one more year and then I can live on my own and no one can tell me what to do ever again.”

“Jared... people are always going to tell you what to do. It's called having a job and being a responsible adult.”

“Not if I don't let them! Once I turn 18, I'm gone!” Jared exclaimed fervently. “I'm going to pick a direction and just keep going! “

“What about finding a place to live and going to college?” Mark asked, thinking about his own plans for the future.

“I can't afford college,” Jared muttered, obviously upset by this fact.

They walked in silence for a long time, each thinking their own thoughts. Mark headed in the general direction of his house, and Jared followed him since he had nothing better to do anyway. Mark kept thinking about Jared's future and how bleak it would be if he continued on this path.

At Mark's house, the lack of cars in the driveway announced that no one was home. A note on the counter informed Mark that his mom had gone shopping but that there were carrot muffins to snack on. Handing a muffin to Jared, Mark felt an overwhelming sense of guilt.

I could help save his life, and all I have to do is pretend...

Jared dug through his backpack, and Mark made a show of searching through the fridge for some applesauce to go with the carrot muffins. He heard a can open.

“Do you want some cola?” Jared asked.

Mark took a deep breath. “Sure...”

“Really?” Jared asked, not sure he'd heard that correctly.

Mark pretended to be too distracted to pay any attention to what Jared was doing. “Yeah... there's no applesauce in here. I bet it's in the cupboard.” He turned to rummage through the cupboard.

When he gave up on finding any applesauce, he turned to see Jared brushing something off the counter. Jared held out an open can of pop with a friendly smile. Mark pretended not to notice anything strange and took the can. He chugged a couple of swallows and then ate a bit of his muffin.

“They taste good together,” Mark grinned, and then took another sip.

Jared nodded in agreement, pointing towards Mark's room in a silent question of whether they would be playing video games for a while. Mark nodded, chugging a couple more swallows of his pop.

By the time they reached his room, both the muffin and the pop had disappeared inside Mark's stomach. He already felt a little hot and a little dizzy, but he knew it was nothing compared to what was to come. If I can just pretend that I like Jared in that way, maybe he'll listen to me and change his life for the better... At the very least, he'll stay here and not with his parents...

Jared shut Mark's door and then watched him as Mark started pacing his room in agitation. He felt flushed and hot. His body felt like there was a fire slowly spreading through him, and he knew from experience that this was the drug affecting him.

“Are you ready?” Jared murmured huskily.

“Almost...” Mark responded, his voice sounding far away.

Jared stalked him across the room, Jared backing away uneasily. Suddenly Jared pulled him close and kissed him. Mark mentally sighed, accepting his fate. The drug is working...

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