Cath Trilogy: Hey Jane

Later in the day, Danny had gone to Ryan’s house after being let out of work early by Derek. Ryan’s room had band posters including Mice and Men and Panic! At the Disco. Danny always adored the room and wished to do the same with his room, but he never got around to it. Instead, his walls were covered with photos of family and friends including many pictures of himself and Ryan. They had been friends since Danny moved to San Francisco from a small town in Massachusetts a few years back because his father had been offered a job in the area, and Danny had willingly ran away from the town that he had grown up in.

His childhood had been awkward, and there were people there who he would rather never see again so that he wouldn’t have to revisit the memories. It wasn’t like they were as terrible as some of the memories that Ryan stored in himself, but they were the type that would make his stomach twist in agony. The type that you reflect on and think: Why? Why? Can’t I just kill myself now?

That was gone though. The only people he had to worry about were his mother and father, and they were willing to forgive anyone. He didn’t know a single secret that he wouldn’t share with them unlike Ryan who had to hide everything from his father. Not because he was embarrassed but for his physical health. There was a reason that he had scars lining his body, and the only person in his family who he could trust was his mother. That was made up a little bit by the fact that his mother was an amazing person. Then again, it made it all the more worst because compared to her, Ryan got pushed to the ground, and she got pushed off a 15 foot ledge.

The boys sat on Ryan’s twin-sized bed which had a navy blue comforter and was placed in the corner of the room which was facing the door. Danny had his back against one wall and Ryan had his back placed against another.

“Jane Wilson talked to you,” Danny said with awe in his voice. “And she talked to me.”

“I still have no idea who she is,” Ryan told Danny just to tease him. He had heard Danny talking about her over and over again, but he still knew little about her.

“Have you read Jamie Macleod yet?” Danny asked and pointed to the books that he had given Ryan that lay unopened on his desk.

“Skimmed,” Ryan confessed.

“What am I gonna do with you?” Danny asked and tutted a bit.

“Fall hopelessly in love with me,” Ryan suggested.

“You wish,” Danny threw a pillow at Ryan’s face.

Ryan laughed and put the pillow beneath his head to cushion himself.

“Jamie wrote about everything they did as a journalist, and then, she decided to become a novelist. She turned everything they had done into a novel. I think her new ones even though the characters have different names are still based off of those two. And I met them!”

“Major fan-boying,” Ryan smiled as Danny made high pitched yelping noise.

“Hell yeah...” Danny trailed off, and a thought passed over him.

“What’s up?” Ryan asked and pulled Danny up to him. They sat so that Danny was in his arms and their hands were in each others’.

“She gave you her number.”

“Do you want to call her?” Ryan laughed, “Have I been stood up?”

Danny’s look was completely serious, “I think you should.”

“What?” Ryan pulled away from Danny and they were sitting on either side of the bed not touching at all.

“She could help you with your dad,” Danny insisted.

“He’s not some sort of parasite; he’s my dad.”

“That doesn’t mean you can’t report him for beating you.”

“He’d kill me and my mom before she had a chance to hear the story. I’d most likely get her killed too,” Ryan looked like he was close to tears.

“Ryan, I’m sure you’d both be safe.”

“Because of something you read in a book!” Ryan shouted and flung his arms up in the air.

When he put them down, Danny took them and cradled them in his own. “No,” his voice was calm despite Ryan’s burst of anger. “Because I know you and your mother. You’ve been through more than anyone would ever give you credit for. I can’t even begin to imagine what all of this time has felt like for you. He’d never be able to get to you because there is something that everyone except for him knows about you.”

“That I’m gay,” Ryan smirked.

“Well, that and you’re spectacular. You’re stronger than you give yourself credit for, and I’m sure your mother can take care of herself. You have the capacity to call Jane and get help.”

Ryan took a moment to think over this before saying, “I need to plan this out.”

“As long as you promise that you will call her,” Danny smiled at him.

“I promise,” Ryan meant it with his full heart.

Danny pulled him into a kiss, and Ryan felt a wave of horniness wash over him, and Danny felt the same way. They tore their clothes off and had sex on Ryan’s creaky twin-sized bed.

The ordeal was over in less than an hour, and they fell asleep in their boxer-briefs under the comforter in each others’ arms. It was rather cramped with not much space, and Ryan much preferred falling asleep in Danny’s queen-sized bed but anywhere was okay with him as long as he was with Daniel Richman.

***

“What the fuck is going on?” Ryan was awoken by a familiar voice. His father stood in front of the bed, and Danny was filled with terror. It was clearly visible on his face. Just as anger was clearly visible on Ryan’s father’s face. Just as the stench of alcohol was clear as day light on his father’s breath.

“Dad...” Ryan tried to think of something to explain what was happening, but he decided to just tell the truth. “I’m gay.”

Adam tore the blanket away from Ryan and Danny to see that Danny’s entire body was shaking. His mouth tried to form words, but he just couldn’t. “Stand up!” Ryan’s father ordered, and the two boys were quick to obey.

Danny was clearly uncomfortable having Ryan’s father look at him when he had so few clothes on. “I’m sorry, we were being foolish,” Danny tried at an apology, but he stopped when Ryan’s father’s hand came down on his cheek. A cry escaped his lips, and Ryan turned to face his father.

“Stop!” He screamed and tried to push his father away from Danny who was now on his knees. But, there was nothing that he could do to stop his father. It was already too late. The only thing he got in return for his efforts to save his partner from his father’s rage was thrown across the room in a very painful manner.

“Mr. Fisher,” Danny whimpered and was taken off his feet. Breath failed to reach him as Mr. Fisher’s hand clenched his trachea shut. He struggled to break free by kicking, and Ryan saw it all in slow motion. He moved to his feet and made to run at his father to make his drop Danny, but when he tried to do more than stand, he fell over.

Danny’s features paled, and he slowed in his struggles and eventually stopped. Ryan let a scream escape his lips as he watched his best friend and only lover die. He had sworn that they were soul mates and now what? Danny’s heart beated a few more times before he was dropped to the ground as a corpse.

“Bury it,” Mr. Fisher gave Ryan a stern look before walking out of the room.

Ryan was completely numb all over his body. His emotions were detached from his body as he pushed himself over to the boy who he loved. The boy who was losing heat fast and whose body was perfect and never to be matched in beauty.

Danny Richman was dead. The thought struck him, and Ryan began to vomit into the plastic trash bin that was next to his desk and filled with papers of discarded drawings.

Tears brimmed his eyes, and for the first time of the night, he wondered where his mother was. Most likely still at the library. She had worked since his father had lost his job writing articles for archaeological journals and liked to stay there late. It was about 10:30 and she most likely wouldn't be home for half an hour. What would she say? Would his father find out that she knew that he was gay for years? What would his reaction be?

It was nothing that Ryan would want to see, and he pulled out the card that Detective Jane Wilson had given him and sent out his distress. She told him that they would be there as soon as they could and to hold on.

Ryan clutched his dead boyfriend’s hand and weeped until his eyes went dry then sobbed onto Danny’s chest. He still hadn't put his clothes back on, but he couldn't really care less about that.