Dirty Little Secret - HTMTMTS RJ Caswen - 18+

10. Hot For Assistant Coach

6:19 AM
   EJ woke up to a wet nose and a rough tongue licking him. He opened his eyes and saw Mr. Grumpy making his nose raw. He startled the kitten, sneezing, but it kept licking him. "Alright.. how did you get in here?" EJ asked, putting the kitten on the floor, but then he noticed he was on a bed. "How did I get in here?" he was confused. He got up and walked down the stairs, "Mr. Bowen?"

   "Good Morning, EJ," He smiled, looking up from the paper and drinking coffee. He picked the closure from over the breakfast plate, sliding it to EJ. "Sit down, Eej,"

   "I'm sorry, Mr. Bowen... I was in the shed. I must have sleepwalked,"

   "I carried you in here,"

   "What?"

   "The shed has asbestos in it. How long have you been sleeping in it?" Mike asked, taping EJ's plate for him to eat.

   "Just the past couple of nights...." EJ looked down at his plate, "And since Ricky has been here..." EJ sighed.

   "Eej,"

   "And when you were away in Chicago for the past couple of years... I didn't feel comfortable coming into your house without your permission,"

   "Champ, that's why I gave you a key," Mike touched his shoulder. Mr. Grumpy jumped onto the table and sniffed at EJ's plate. He blushed and put him on the floor again. He jumped back up and started eating from Mike's plate. EJ looked at Mr. Bowen like he was crazy. His mother would have thrown the kitten in the garbage disposal if she set foot on the counter. "EJ, I have been using the library for storage, but when I get back, I will clear it out for you."

   "Mr. Bowen, that isn't necessary... I am okay in the shed,"

   "No, you aren't... I want you to feel safe. If you don't want to stay, that is okay... but there will always be room for you here," Mike rubbed his arm.

   "Ricky won't like it," EJ said, stuffing his face with the Sunnyside-up egg and then eating the toast. His parents would lock him in his room and not let him eat when he was rebelling. "Dad won't like it...."

   "Ricky will get used to it, and you are 18 now. You could live anywhere you want,"

   "But I don't have money, and I don't want to intrude on you and Ricky... You just got him back, and you two need to-"

   "EJ, stop making excuses for him," Mike huffed. " When I was 12, my father beat the shit out of my mother and me, I watched him strangle my mother, and he got away with it. EJ, he might be your father, but one of the best days of my life was the day I stood up to him. I swore I would never be a father like him... to my or anyone else's son."

   "I'm sorry... I had no idea. Did he ever get caught?" He asked