Until Death Do Us Part

Thomas’ P.O.V

“Bring it,” I shouted and spun around out of Mark Kessler’s grasp.

I ran the ball up the court and banked it off the backboard. The ball swished neatly into the net. I picked up the ball and checked it to Mark and he shot off down the court passing it to his team members. I chased after him, breaking a sweat for the first time. I looked over my shoulder and saw the girls sitting on the bleachers. Mrs. Simon’s never made them do anything for Gym class, so Mr. Clark always let us play a full-court game. I managed to get all the athletically challenged guys on my team, so I was the only one doing any of the scoring. Not to say I was a major jock, but I could do better than anyone else on my team.

I stole the ball from Evan Johnson and drove the ball all the way down the court and made another basket. I was up by two, but the other guys were good. Evan came back and scored right under my nose and after checking it to me, he signaled to Mark. I looked to Steven, one of my team members, but he wasn’t paying attention. I was on my own. I tried to drive the ball down the court again, but Mark stopped me and stole the ball. I ran after him and we struggled for the ball for a minute before I began to feel fuzzy.

My vision blurred and I hit the floor. The last thing I remembered was the girls squealing when they heard my head bounce off the gym floor.

XxXxXx

“Mom, it’s really no big deal. I’m fine, I just got over heated. I don’t need to go to the hospital,” I protested again uselessly.

“People do not just pass out like that, Thomas. Something has to be wrong,” she insisted.

“Listen to your mother, boy. Sickness runs rampant through our family. It would make her feel better if we just had a couple of tests run to make sure you are okay,” My father said. He was always the voice of reason out of the duo. My mother liked to break into hysterics anytime one of us stubbed a toe.

Which I can’t really say I blame her. My older brother died of untreated pneumonia before I was born. My mother never was quite right after that and didn’t plan on having any more children. So when I was born needless to say she was over protective from the start. Every sneeze, every cough resulted in a doctor visit.

The doctor finally called me in and put me through various tortures before calling my parents back. He explained that it could be a number of things and asked if I had any other things going on with me right now.

“Well, he has lost a considerable amount of weight,” my mother said after a little bit of thinking.

“Mom, it’s called puberty. I just grew out of my baby fat. I’m a good four inches taller than I was last year too,” I countered.

“Well, what about that pain you’ve been having in your stomach?” she asked knowing I couldn’t prove her wrong there.

“That’s no big deal, mom. It’s not even a constant thing.”

The doctor scribbled notes furiously as Mom and I had our peeing contest. When we were all done he looked up at us.

“The blood work I did should be in by next week so we can have a better idea of what’s going on with Thomas. Until then I would take it easy in Gym, okay?”

I nodded and skipped the pleasantries, heading for the car. I just couldn’t wait to go to Jayson’s today. That is if Mom will let me.

XxXxX

I punched in those ten familiar digits and waited to hear a dial tone. He answered on the third ring.

“Hello,” his sweet little voice poured through my speaker.

“Hey, Mom is treating me like I’m dying, so I can’t come over. Do you want to just do movies at my place, tonight?”

“Yeah, sounds good to me. What happened exactly? I couldn’t get the real story; you know how terrible gossip is at our school.”

“I just got overheated carrying all the weight during our daily basketball game and passed out, but you know how my mom is. She took me in to get tortured to death by our friendly, family physician. He drew some blood and said the results would be in by next week. My bet is Mom will keep me home until then.”

“She’s just trying to make sure you’re okay,” Jayson reminded me in patient.

“I know, but it’s unnecessary. I’m a big boy now, in my second year of high school. I think I would know if there was something serious going on inside me.”

“Just don’t be too hard on her. She really cares, okay? I’ll be there in ten,” he said and the line went dead.

I sighed, hating the fact that he was right. When am I going to learn, after a year, that he is always right when it comes to these things? I get up and tidy up my room a bit to give me something to do while waiting for Jayson to arrive.

I hear him pull in just as I finished organizing my underwear drawer. I tried to keep myself from running all the way to the door. When I made it into the living room Mom had already let Jayson in.

“Jayson? I didn’t know that you were coming over. I haven’t done a thing to the house,” she said looking over her shoulder at the already spotless house.

“I wanted to check on Tommy and the house is as spotless as ever, Mrs. Woods,” Jayson said charming his way into the house.

My mother didn’t mind that I was gay, she just didn’t like the thoughts of her baby boy losing his innocence too young and the fact that Jayson was a grade ahead of me didn’t help ease her mind. If only she knew that Jayson was a bigger prude than she could have ever imagined. Our relationship has always been strictly chaste.

“We were just going to watch movies, Mom,” I said walking over and hugging my boyfriend.

“Well, alright. Let me know if you two need anything,” she said and settled back into her book.

Jayson giggled as we walked down the hall to my room. “If only she knew you were the one trying to still my innocence,” he said after the door was closed.

I gave him a pointed look before I opened the tray on my DVD Player. “What movie did you bring?”

“No Strings Attached,” he said and tossed the movie case at me. I studied the cover for a moment trying to refresh my memory as to what it was about. “I just love Ashton Kutcher,” he said curling up in my bed.

I rolled my eyes. “You would pick this movie solely because he’s in it,” I chided and popped the DVD into the tray.

“Hey! I know the general plot too!” he defended, looking awfully comfortable laying on my pillow, on my side of the bed.

“I’m so proud of you,” I teased lying down beside him.

He didn’t move so I wrapped my arms around him pulling him closer and kissed the side of his head, right above his ear. He sighed pleasantly and pressed play on the remote.

Even though the movie was better than I expected, all I could really concentrate on was Jayson. His adorable giggles at the funny parts and his fit of loud boisterous laughing when Ashton made Natalie Portman a “period mix,” his awes when they finally decided to be a couple. All of those things reminded me of why I loved him so much. It made me feel a thousand more times special to know that even though he was a grade ahead of me he picked me to sit with that first day of my freshman year.

He had had the high school to himself for the year prior and was already one of the most popular kids in his grade, it turns out girls love gay kids and cling to them, but when he saw me he knew he wanted me. He didn’t even bother asking about my sexuality he just came up to me and introduced himself and asked if I wanted to go to the movies with him. I of course said yes, gained control of the budding relationship, and the rest was history.

He yawned pulling me out of my reverie. I looked down at him and he shifted his position until he was folded into my chest, facing me.

“Are you tired already?” I teased placing my arm on his back rubbing it slightly.

“A little,” he admitted giving me a sheepish grin.

I tentatively kissed his soft, pink lips, before replying. “You know Mom won’t let you stay over.”

“Maybe she will if you play the sick card,” he suggested deviously.

“My, my, Mr. Chaste, have my subtle seduction techniques finally won you over?”

“Don’t be silly, Ashton Kutcher just has me all hot and bothered,” he teased.

I rolled my eyes at him and kissed the corner of his mouth. “It’s a shame, because I’m the only one here to help you out,” I whispered.

“I’m good,” he said shutting me down and rolled over on his side.

I shook my head expecting it and pulled him close to me, nestling my head in his neck.

I was vaguely aware of my mom coming in to check on us sometime after we fell asleep together, but she must have noticed we had fallen asleep in the clothes we were wearing earlier and left it alone.

XxXxX

“Unmff,” I groaned smacking around on my bedside table trying to silence the alarm on my cell phone. I didn’t particularly feel like getting up for school and if my alarm woke up Jayson there would be no way I could get out of going.

Too late. “Tommy, get out of bed!” Jayson cooed shaking me a little harder than necessary.

“No, I dun wannu go,” I whined groggily. I just wanted to stay under my nice warm blankets with my boyfriend.

“You have too,” he insisted.

“Hmm-Uh,” I grunted stubbornly and snaked an arm around his waist dragging him down beside me. “Sleep now.”

“Tommy, come on you know your mom will never let me stay again if we skip school. She’s already gone to work.”

“How’da know?” I asked not really minded that my words kept running together.

“I’ve been up for a while. I’m already ready,” he said in tone suggesting that I didn’t have all my faculties in order.

“I din notice,” I said finally sitting up and opening my eyes.

He was of course not joking about being ready. His hair was styled already and he helped himself to the stash of spare clothes I kept for him in my dresser for when he stayed over on nights our parents didn’t know. He was as gorgeous as always and fully caffeinated for the day.

I grinned a sleepy lopsided grin up at him. “Did you already help yourself to Mom’s Keurig?”

He feigned innocence. “What are you talking about? What’s a Keu rig?” he asked breaking it into two words.

“Oh, not that magical coffee maker you love so much,” I said awake enough to tease.

“I hate coffee, what are you talking about, crazy?” he denied grinning.

I kissed him softly before hoping up and grabbing the necessities for a shower. I wasted no time by putting effort into getting ready and found Jayson helping himself to a box of Lucky Charms and another cup of coffee. I sniffed the air and decided it must be hazelnut.

“Helping yourself I see,” I said my eyes dancing on their own accord.

He looked at me with a sheepish grin and spoke around his mouth full. “Yep.”

“That’s sexy,” I said pouring myself a bowl of cereal and adding the milk.

I was not one much for coffee. That was Jayson’s thing. He might as well have been my mother’s son instead of me.

He giggled and took a sip of his coffee. “I can’t help but think that you are so starved for my body that everything I do is sexy to you.”

“I can’t help but think your right,” I agreed and kissed him rather suggestively for a breakfast kiss.
His spoon clattered against his bowl and he wrapped his arms around my neck kissing me back just as suggestively. I pulled him over to my seat on top of my lap and he straddled me. I bit at his bottom lip begging him for entrance and he granted it. I slipped my tongue into his mouth and there wasn’t even really a battle he just handed over dominance to me and I took advantage of that. I explored his mouth with my tongue sucking on his on occasion. He was playing with my shirt when his pocket started vibrating.

“Umm, I didn’t know that you could do that,” I said when we broke apart.

He fussed over his phone for a second before he realized what I was implying. “Oh, shut up. We have to go.”

“But things were just getting good!” I protested, crossing my arms.

“Come on you big baby. We are going to be late.”

“Fine,” I agreed stubbornly and he scrambled off my lap collected our dishes, and loaded them into the dishwasher.

“Are you my maid now? That’s a turn on,” I teased as I gathered up our school bags.

“You are a resilient one, aren’t you?” he asked shaking his head.

“Babe, you act like you don’t know me at all,” I chided.

“My apologies,” he teased sticking out his tongue.

I smirked taking his hand and leading him to his car. “So, you wanna tell me who that text was from?”

He waited until we had pulled out of my driveway to answer. “Yeah, my mom. I’m grounded for not telling her I wasn’t coming home last night,” he said grinning, but kept his eyes on the road.

“Babe, sometimes you are an incredibly huge idiot,” I used the same line I always did when he was grounded regarding me.