Along Came Ari (boyxboy; Open Novella Contest 2019)(Complete)✅

Chapter 12

Attorney Aframe and Judge Malloy specifically ordered me to stay away from the Collins, not that I wanted to talk to any of them, not even my best friend and especially not Danny. I didn't want to see any of them ever again.

My stomach was in knots all the time. Staring blankly at the TV, I picked at my plate of spaghetti, twirling strands around and around my fork. My parents quietly sat on the couch, also not eating. My dad was home more these days, taking a break from his girlfriend to focus on me and my unfair predicament.

I couldn't eat or sleep. I couldn't do anything. In fact, all I thought about was ending it all. I didn't want to live anymore.

Was this how Danny felt when he slit his wrists? What reasons did he have for trying to kill himself? He gave me a bunch of lame, bullshit reasons. I had a good reason. In my opinion, anyway.

Mostly I had Danny's psycho sister to blame. If found guilty, I could go to prison for up to twenty years and forced to register as a sex offender. In one false sentence, Caitlyn Collins possibly ruined my life forever. And Danny was just as much to blame for failing to man-up and tell the truth.

"I believe you," my dad said. "We both believe you."

They had both told me that a million times. If only their belief in me made me feel better. Whether or not they believed me wouldn't make a difference in court.

"Are you guys mad because I'm gay?" I asked, something we hadn't talked about yet.

"No, of course not," my mother said.

"We already knew, anyway," my dad added. "Now will you please eat? You're getting too skinny."

"How did you know?" I wondered.

"You and Danny," my mother said. "You were never just friends."

"Yeah, no shit," my dad laughed.

I wondered if John knew, too. He never led me to believe he knew.

"Why didn't you say anything?" I asked.

"I figured it would come out eventually," my dad said.

I wished I felt relief, but I felt nothing. Nothing and anger were the norm these days.

A plea deal was off the table because I was innocent. I didn't care if that meant the case would go to trial. I wasn't about to plead guilty to a lesser crime of "indecent assault of a minor" if I didn't do it. If the case went to trial, then Danny would be subpoenaed and forced to tell the truth in front of a jury.

Or he could lie and face perjury charges if caught.

But even if Danny admitted we were together, that didn't necessarily get me off the hook. He was in bed sleeping when I allegedly raped his fifteen year old sister.

For the next couple of weeks, my mother collected all my schoolwork for me and brought it home. There was no way I was going back to school. I was glad I was graduating in a couple of months.

If I planned on going to college out of state that would have been a problem since I was out on bail, awaiting trial. I wasn't allowed to leave the state. No one knew when the trial would begin. I was told it could take up to twelve months.

I was going to Amherst College, one of the best liberal arts colleges in the country. Only a handful of applicants are accepted each year, so I wasn't about to pass up this opportunity. Both John and Danny were slated to go to UMass Amherst. Both colleges were about an hour and a half away from home, but the two colleges were only a few minutes away from each other. Too bad I never wanted to see the brothers again, but there was a time I looked forward to it. Right now I just wanted to get the hell out of this town.