Chapter 2
Jonah
I got off the bus that I took to and from my job at the stop that was closest to the Boy's Club. I hoped Liam's first day back in two weeks went okay. After school got out it took the three of us a while to find and start our jobs, so the only time he went to the Boy's Club since then, was with one or more of us when we went to volunteer, otherwise Liam had been with one us, especially since during that time we were busy finding a new apartment and then packing up all of our stuff. Added to that, it was his first day alone, but I knew Benji, Joe or Derek...or really any of the staff, would look after him.
When I walked up the street I could see Liam sitting on the front steps with his bag over his shoulder and Benji sitting beside him, I guess they were waiting for me. Liam didn't look too happy and Benji was talking to him. Immediately my hackles went up, or would have if I had any. What happened to upset my boy. As I got closer I could see the redness in his eyes that told me he'd been crying.
"What's up Leelee," I said softly sitting down on the other side of him. He immediately turned into me and leaned his face into my side, but didn't say anything. I lifted my arm and wrapped it around his slender back. I knew when he got like this, there wouldn't be much success getting him to talk so I turned my eyes up to Benji with a questioning look.
"We had an incident today," he started.
"What type of incident?" I tried to keep my tone calm and friendly, but I'm sure my concern and blossoming anger leaked out a bit.
"We had a new boy start coming to the Club a few weeks ago when his parents moved nearby. Sixteen, big kid...I'm not sure exactly what went down, but I was outside monitoring the basketball game and hanging with Liam at the same time. I had to use the bathroom, so I left for like 5 minutes. When I came back out, this kid was pushing Liam around and yelling at him..."
"What the fuck, Benji?!"
"I know, I know, I'm sorry."
"It wasn't his fault," a little voice squeaked out from under my arm.
"You'd be proud of Liam...and the other boys too. Liam wasn't taking any shit; the kid towered over him, but he was doing a good job fighting him off."
"Yeah, me and the guys have been teaching him some self-defense," I told Benji, I felt surprised and pretty impressed that he actually used it.
"And before I got there, the guys from the court, Rogers, Newt and Chubby were all over the guy, pulling him away from Li and making sure he was okay." Benji paused and I gave Liam a squeeze.
"I'm proud of you Liam," I said down to him.
"So the kid was brought to Derek's office. Some other of the smaller boys came to me and the other staff and told us that he had bothered them too. Apparently going up to them and asking them to be his boyfriend and getting angry when they rebuffed him. They were all afraid to say anything to anyone and he'd been careful not to do it in front of us, so we didn't know. He got a little more aggressive with Liam, and called him some nasty words before we could stop him."
"What did he call you Li?" I asked him softly, but he only shook his head no.
Benji squirmed uncomfortably, "Benji, what did he call him?" I insisted.
"He was saying stuff like little faggot, only good for one thing...just a bunch of bullsh...crap."
"So what's going to happen to this kid? He won't be back will he, because if so I'm pulling Liam out right now!"
"No, no, god no! We have a no tolerance policy here, you know that. Joe told me that Derek talked to him pretty seriously and he suspects some abuse, but that's no excuse, he won't be back. He did contact child services though and put in a report so they'll follow up to hopefully get him some help...with the possible abuse and his aggression."
"That's good. Thanks for letting me know Benji, and thank those guys for being there for him...I just wish I had been here, I would have..."
"No, no Jonah, don't go there," Benji held up his hands chuckling, "I know what you guys would have done to him."
"Listen, I need to get back inside," he turned to Liam, "I'm really sorry this happened Li, I hope it doesn't make you not want to come back, I promise we'll all make sure nothing like this happens again." Liam stayed silent and didn't even look up so I gave him a squeeze.
"I'll talk to him Benji, we'll make sure he's alright. I may stay home with him tomorrow if I can get a guy to cover my shift for me, but he'll be back the next day."
"Okay, call or text me if you need anything, either of you, kay?"
"Yeah, of course."
Benji stood up and turned to head back into the building. Liam finally lifted his head from my side and turned to our friend.
"Bye Benji, thanks," he said softly.
"Any time Li, for you, anytime," Benji said with an affectionate grin. He tousled Liam's mop of overgrown hair before he winked at me and went inside.
"Liam?" I asked, when it was just the two of us, "did he touch you in any way, you know, inappropriately?"
"He tried to rub my back, but I moved away from him."
"What did he say to you?"
"Stupid stuff."
"Like what?"
"That I was his boyfriend and we should go behind the storage shed and do stuff."
I felt my blood pressure rise immediately and I took a few deep breaths to keep myself calm in front of Liam.
"But I told him to..."
"What?" I asked when he paused.
"I can't tell you or I'll get in trouble."
"You can tell me and I promise you won't get in trouble."
"I told him to go fuck himself."
Okay, I know I shouldn't have, but I couldn't keep myself from laughing, a hearty laugh from deep within my gut which let out all of the tension that had been building. Liam looked up at me with a wry little smile and I hugged him close.
"I'm proud of you baby," I whispered to him, "in that situation, that was exactly the right thing to say."
"I'm not a baby," he deadpanned.
"I know. Did he hurt you? Hit you or anything?"
"He pushed me around until the guys got there and he called me a little pansy ass faggot, and said that other stuff that Benji said, but I'm okay. I was a little scared afterwards and I cried a little," he added with shame in his voice.
"It's okay to cry Liam, it's how you get the sad or bad feelings out sometimes," I hugged him close again, "Are you okay?"
"Yeah...um...Jonah?"
"Yeah?"
"I want to get a haircut. I won't look like such a baby if I have a haircut," he stated.
"Your hair is beautiful Leelee, it doesn't make you look like a baby," I objected.
"Still, I want to get a haircut."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes. Can I get one today?"
"I don't know, maybe you should talk to Brett first."
"No, it's my hair," he complained. "I've got some money at home."
Liam received a monthly stipend from the government since he was a minor and his mother was dead and his father was permanently in jail. Some of it was used towards our rent, and the rest for clothes and whatever else he needed, including an allowance that Brett doled out to him, but I knew he didn't have much.
"If you're sure you want a haircut, I'll pay for it. I know a place we can stop at on the way home, you don't need an appointment and they do a good job."
"I'll pay you back..."
"No bug, this is on me...and we'll get ice cream after."
"Okay."
"Come on, let's get out of here," I said standing up and reaching my hand down. Liam took my hand and stood up. I was a few steps below him so he was, for once, taller than me. He grinned peering down so I grabbed him around the waist and lifted him to me making growling sounds like a big crazy bear. Liam's giggles were my treasured reward and I knew that he was going to be okay.
When we got to the salon Liam insisted I sit close by, but turn around while he was getting his haircut so he could surprise me. I laughed to myself at the boy who blatantly refused to get a haircut and had to be held down just to get a trim ever since I met him. I guess he's finally growing up. In the last 6 months, he'd gotten a little taller, though he was still pretty small for a 15 year-old, and I noticed some physical changes too. His face was thinning out in a more mature manner, he was losing that little boy look that he'd had for so long. He was also starting to grow a little pubic and underarm hair, though his chest was still completely smooth and hairless. A late-bloomer for sure, but puberty was finally setting in.
"You can look now Jonah," he called out softly. When I turned around I swear my heart stopped and I lost my breath.
"Don't you like it?" he asked worriedly.
"Of course I like it bean, you look beautiful!" My comment was greeted with a scowl that startled me out of the reverie I was caught in. "No, I mean, you look handsome and rugged, like a real toughie. I like the part on top here," I said as I stepped forward and ran my fingers through the wavy locks left a little longer on top. I looked over at Denise, the girl who cut my hair and saw her beaming. She knew Liam from when he came with me and she always swooned all over him, or as much as he'd let her.
"You did a really good job Denise, it looks awesome!"
"Thanks! He has such beautiful hair; it was so much fun to work with. Mind if I take a picture for my portfolio? This is one of my masterpieces."
Liam, who had been rolling his eyes at us agreed to the picture so she pulled out her phone and snapped a few. After paying for the haircut and getting Denise to send me a copy of the pictures, we said our goodbyes and started out towards our next stop. The Elm Street Creamery!
I got 2 scoops of my favourite, sweet cream oreo and Liam got 2 scoops of his, chocolate peanut butter ripple (chocolate ice cream with thick waves of creamy peanut butter). His favourite was my second favourite and mine was his so we almost always got these and then ended up sharing back and forth.
We sat at a table across from each other eating our ice cream while I got used to Liam's new look. The bonus of more easily seeing his bright blue eyes made up the loss of the long silky hair I used to love to run my fingers through. And he did look a little older, and hopefully that would make him feel better.
"How did it make you feel when he called you a faggot?" I asked.
"Angry."
"Why?" I wondered what about being called that made him angry.
"Because it's a mean word...I'm not a bundle of wood used to make a fire...and that's why people started using it, because they did that to people who were gay. That's not right," he said matter of factly. My little Liam was always my walking encyclopedia of knowledge. "It doesn't matter who you love," he added, "it matters if you're a good person or not."
"That's right buddy."