Chapter 2: The first night

Something about eating hamburgers around a formal dinner table is just wrong. And, it's not fun when you're surrounded by three guys you don't even know, all family members you didn't know existed until recently. It didn't help matters that all three of them were watching me, trying not to be so obvious about it.

I hated it when people watched me eat. Not that they were watching me eat. They were just watching me. I felt sort of like an intruder. It was quiet and awkward at the table and I had a feeling that when they sat down to eat there wasn't usually such a deafening silence.

"So, how old are you again, Rory?" Jase asked, breaking the silence.

I swallowed the water I had just taken a drink of and looked across the table at my newly discovered uncle.

"Sixteen," I replied.

"Sophomore?" Luke asked.

"I'll be a junior next year," I explained.

And more silence. I wondered how long this was supposed to last for.

"Rory's a swimmer," Eddie said, attempting to help the conversation.

"Oh yeah?" Luke said, smiling. "I know a few guys from the swim team. Maybe I can introduce you in case you want to join next year."

Jase looked at Luke. "Since when do you know swimmers? The only guys you ever bring around are your wrestling buddies."

"Rick Leto is a swimmer," Luke replied.

"That's okay," I interrupted, "I won't be going to school here anyway."

Both Luke and Jase threw questioning looks at Eddie, who suddenly seemed uncomfortable.

"Rory and I talked," Eddie explained, poking at his French fries with a fork.

"Oh?" Jase said. It seemed almost like Jase was glaring at Eddie, and for some reason the sudden tension between them made me uncomfortable. Maybe that was because this was about me.

"Yeah," Eddie said, finally looking up. "We decided that Rory can stay for the summer, and when school starts again, he'll be going back to his grandmother... if he wants to."

I would want to. I had no doubt about that.

Jase nodded. "I see. Well, Rory, we'll have to do something fun this summer, while you're here."

"Yeah," Eddie said. "Maybe we can all take a small vacation or something."

When no one responded, the silence at the table returned until everyone had finished eating. I wasn't sure what people were thinking. Luke kept glancing at me, giving me strange looks, while Eddie and Jase seemed to be having a silent conversation of their own. Eddie looked frustrated while Jase looked upset about something.

Finally, Eddie cleared his throat and looked at me.

"Do you have everything you need here, Rory?" Eddie asked. "We still have time to go out tonight. Have you made a list?"

"I don't need a list," I replied. "But I forgot my toothbrush."

"We'll go get you one then," Eddie said.

"Luke, why don't you take Rory to the store?" Jase asked. "Maybe you can find your friends, introduce him around a little."

"Rory's tired from his trip, and I can take him," Eddie stated, glaring at Jase.

"He's young," Jase argued. "I'm sure he'd rather be out meeting kids his own age anyway."

Eddie frowned. "He can do that tomorrow."

Okay. Maybe the brothers weren't as close as I had thought.

Luke leaned over from where he was sitting, and tapped the table with the palm of his hand to get my attention.

"Do you want to go hang out?" Luke asked.

"Sure," I replied. I'd rather go with Luke than Eddie anyway. I had a feeling that Eddie wanted to do some father-son bonding or something, and I wasn't really in the mood for that anyway.

"Alright, fine." Eddie shrugged and then looked at Luke. "Don't stay out too late. And Rory needs to call his grandma first."

Actually, I did need to call Grandma Alice. I had some questions that needed answering, and to be honest I missed the old lady already. At least her voice would be something familiar.

I ended up taking the phone down to my room to place the call. My conversation with Grandma Alice would be a personal one. The last thing I needed was for anyone to hear what I had to say.

The conversation with Grandma went just how I thought it would. For thirty minutes she lectured me on behaving myself, being sure to repeat herself in places, and then she moved on to checking on my welfare.

"Did you eat dinner?" she asked.

"Yes, ma'am."

"What did you have?"

"Cheeseburgers."

"Did you have a vegetable?"

"Um, no."

"Then you make sure to eat two tomorrow."

"Yes, ma'am."

"And you're warm enough?"

"Grandma, it's Arizona!"

"Yes, well, you can never be too sure. I packed some extra sweaters with your things. I'll be sending them tomorrow."

I sighed. "Thank you, ma'am. Grandma, I called because I need to ask you something."

"Well of course you do. How's Eddie treating you?"

"Uh... okay. Look, Grandma, he seems to know a lot about me. I know you two have been talking and..."

"Well what did you expect?" she interrupted. "We couldn't even get you on the phone. You're just as stubborn as your Grandpa John. I loved my husband, but I swear that man..."

"Grandma! Please, I need to know what you told Eddie. Did you tell him anything else about me? Like, anything personal?"

"Rory, if you want to know if I told him that you're a homosexual then of course the answer is no."

"Grandma!" I hissed.

"Oh, calm down, Rory. It's not like anyone is listening in."

"But you didn't tell?"

"That's your business to tell. Your mom would have wanted it that way. So, when are you going to tell him? I think you should do it soon. It's best to clear the air with these things right away."

"I'm not going to tell him. Are you crazy? I can't!"

"And why not?" she demanded. I could practically see her tapping her foot, waiting for my 'good' explanation. "He's your father, Rory. Besides, if you don't tell him he'll end up figuring it out on his own, anyway. Honestly, sweetheart, you're much too obvious to hide that type of thing from Eddie."

"He's not my father!" I argued. "And obvious? What? Grandma!"

"Calm down, dear, you look silly when you get all worked up. And whether you like it or not Eddie is your father. Why your mother didn't tell you about him sooner, I'll never know. You need to give him a chance. Eddie's a good man; they don't make many like him anymore. You might even learn something. And he'll figure you out, you know. He's a smart one, your father. Besides, the way your eye wanders it won't be hard to figure out. Don't think I didn't notice the way you were always looking at that Jason Cross boy when he came over. Your Grandpa John had a wandering eye too, you know. Of course, he never looked at the strapping young men that you look at, dear."

"Grandma!" Leave it to Grandma Alice to make me blush from seven hundred miles away.

"Oh, get over it, Rory. And be honest with your father. It'll be for the best, you'll see."

"Grandma..."

There was a click and I frowned at the phone after she hung up. I hated when she did that. She never said goodbye over the phone. A conversation was simply over when she wanted it to be. But, I guess I could at least be happy that she hadn't mentioned to Eddie that I was gay. Then again, maybe if she had told him before I came here, I wouldn't be here in the first place.

There was a knock on my closed door a few minutes later and I went to open it, finding Luke on the other side with Chey at his heels.

"Ready to go?" he asked.

I had almost forgotten that I was supposed to be going out with Luke, but I found myself nodding anyway. Talking to my grandmother didn't exactly make me feel better about my current situation, so maybe getting out of the house and away from Eddie for a while would help me clear my head.

I followed Luke out to the garage where we climbed into an old green jeep and Chey jumped in with us, claiming her spot in the back seat.

"Does she go everywhere with you?" I asked.

"Pretty much," Luke said as he hopped in the driver's seat and turned the ignition. "She's kinda like my shadow. When I have school I have to keep her kenneled just to keep her home."

"How long have you had her?" I asked, reaching back to scratch behind Chey's ears.

"Well, Jase gave her to me for my thirteen birthday, so, almost five years now. She was just a puppy then. Do you have any pets?"

"No. I had a gold fish once that I won at a carnival, but it died after a week."

"Hey, guys!" Eddie came running into the garage before Luke could pull out, and I couldn't help frowning when he came to my window and tapped on the glass. I rolled down the window halfway and looked out at him expectantly.

"When do you plan on being back?" Eddie asked.

"Curfew?" Luke replied.

"Good," Eddie said, smiling at him. "You have your cell?"

Luke affirmatively patted his jeans pocket and then Eddie turned his attention to me, digging his wallet out of his pocket.

"If you're going to the store I figured you'd need cash..." he started, removing a twenty.

"It's just a toothbrush, Eddie," I said indifferently. "I have some money."

Eddie nodded. "Oh. Um, okay. I'll see you guys later... Rory, maybe tomorrow we can talk?"

"Sure," I replied. I wasn't looking forward to tomorrow.

"See ya later, Eddie," Luke said, and waved as we pulled away from the house.

We drove to the nearest convenience store, a fifteen-minute drive away, with a metal band I had never heard of blaring through the speakers. I thought it sounded loud while Luke was singing along, loudly and off-key, but somehow his unappealing voice took nothing away from the fact that Luke was probably the most attractive guy I'd ever met. Of course, while I was stealing glances at him I continued to remind myself that we were related.

When Luke parked in front of the store I just ran in by myself to get my toothbrush, surprised how hot it was outside even when the sun was setting. There wasn't even a breeze in the air to add a little comfort to the heat. When I got back in the jeep the music was gone and Luke watched me as I climbed in.

"All set?" he asked.

I nodded, holding up the toothbrush."Yup,"

"Cool, so I was thinking we could go to the park. Some of the guys should be there. I mean, if you're up to meeting a few people tonight."

"Sure." It definitely sounded better than going back to the house and dealing with Eddie. I know I promised to at least try to get along with him, but it was only my first night in town, and I wasn't exactly ready to attempt any bonding just yet. But, that didn't mean that I wasn't ready to get a little background information from Luke.

"So, you guys recently moved?" I asked.

"What do you mean?"

"When I talked to Eddie last night he said he got a bigger place."

"Oh, yeah. We moved a few months ago. We were living here in town before that. When Eddie found out you were coming Jase used the excuse to talk him into that big house. Eddie wanted to stay in town, but you'll figure out soon enough that Jase always gets his way," Luke said, laughing.

"Don't you think it's weird?" I asked.

"Huh?"

"You know, two grown brothers living with each other like that. It's just kinda strange."

"Hmm?" Luke arched his brow and stared at me for a moment before the corners of his mouth turned up into a smile. "Yeah. Weird. So, when did you decide that you wouldn't be staying, Rory? Eddie was pretty happy that you were coming to live here. I figured that you'd be around longer than one summer."

"Things change," I replied.

Luke was silent for a moment, stealing a few sideways glances at me.

"You really don't like him, huh? Eddie, I mean."

"I don't know him," I said.

"But you don't want to know him, do you?"

"Not really." I didn't have a problem being honest.

"That's kinda harsh, don't you think?"

"He had sixteen years to get to know me," I retorted. "Now that my mom's... gone... now he wants to be a dad? Why would I want to get to know a guy like that?"

"Maybe you don't know the whole story," Luke suggested.

I frowned. "Maybe I don't want to know it."

"Hey man, I'm not trying to argue with you. I'm just saying, I've known Eddie for a while. He's a good guy. And it's not like you've taken the time to ask him where he was for the last sixteen years, right? Maybe you should."

"So," I said, deciding that it was time to change the subject, "Why are you living with your cousins anyway?"

"Well, I live with Jase and Eddie because my dad's in jail."

I looked over at Luke, a little wide-eyed.

"Your dad's in jail? What for?"

The second I asked, I was sorry that I did it. For one thing, it was none of my business, and for another, Luke seemed to grip the steering wheel tighter and through the shadows of the car I could see his whole face twist into a troubled mask.

"Um, hey," I said, "I shouldn't have asked that, sorry."

Luke was silent for another moment and then he looked in my direction and gave me a small smile.

"Hey, no problem. Coming?"

"Huh?" I looked out the window as I realized that we were parking, and before I could ask any more questions Luke was getting out of the jeep, with Chey right behind him.

I got out of the jeep and looked around. We were at a park, but there wasn't anything there except for hills of cropped, dry grass and a sidewalk leading around the entire place. There was a basketball court off to one end, but it looked worn down and no one was playing there. Actually, there was no one anywhere.

Chey suddenly barked and ran ahead of us, disappearing over one of the hills. Luke didn't seem to be bothered by the sudden disappearance of his dog, so I didn't worry about it either, and he led the way as we walked our own path down the sidewalk.

"When did you find out about Eddie? he asked. "I mean, obviously you knew you had a dad, but..."

"Just over seven months ago," I replied. "Just after my mom passed."

"Um, I'm sorry about your mom. You guys were close, huh?"

"Yeah." I wished that we were talking about something else. Somewhere else. Preferably somewhere with air conditioning.

"I never heard anything about you or your mom," Luke said. "I mean, obviously. But, when Eddie found out about your mom he was really upset. I think he..."

"Look," I frowned, "can we not talk about him? I know he's your cousin and you guys all seem close, but it's just... too much right now."

Luke smiled. "Sure. Sorry. I guess this is all kinda overwhelming for you. I mean, I can imagine."

"Yeah, well, I just want to get through the summer."

"You never know. Maybe you'll end up staying. I mean, not because you have to, but because you want to."

"I don't think so," I said. "No offense, I'm sure you guys are very happy together, but I have a home. And a life. It's just not here."

Luke shrugged. "Fair enough."

We continued to walk and I noticed that it was getting darker, but there weren't many streetlights. There were only two I could see, one over the basketball court, and one off in the distance, shining down over a tree, right where we were headed.

"This is where we come to hang out," Luke explained. "There isn't exactly a lot to do around here, especially during the summer. Most of us come out here after dark, too hot during the day."

"It's too hot now," I complained. "How do you guys stand the heat?"

"You get used to it," Luke replied, and then suddenly pulled his shirt over his head.

Once again my eyes were drawn to all of the muscles in his chest and abs, even his arms. He was already sweating, like I was, and it left a shine over his skin, still visible in the dark. I couldn't help looking. His entire body was attractive to me. Maybe it was all that muscle. My friends back home had been swimmers, like me: thinner, developed, but more toned than muscular. Jase had mentioned Luke's wrestling buddies. I wondered if Luke was a wrestler. I wondered what it would feel like to have Luke pin me, not that I was about to admit it.

When I caught myself staring again I quickly moved my eyes back up to his face, to find that he was watching me, smiling. Damn it. The last thing I needed was to be caught staring at my... cousin? I turned away, blushing, and jumped when Luke reached out and tapped my arm with the back of his hand.

"You could take your shirt off," he suggested. "It doesn't help much, but it helps some."

I glanced back at him, avoiding his eyes as I shrugged and pulled my shirt over my head. I wasn't exactly shy about my body. It's kind of hard to be shy when you're always wearing Speedos for swim meets.

I tucked my shirt into my back pocket, the way that Luke had, and glanced over to find him smiling at me again. It was a little unsettling, the way that he was looking at me, like he was amused over a joke that I wasn't privy to. The idea that he had caught me staring at him was unsettling. If he found out that I was gay he could turn my life into a living hell, and I wasn't ready for that. I'd definitely have to be more careful.

I heard Chey bark and looked towards the tree as she ran from underneath it, and I realized that there were a few picnic tables and a drinking fountain there. Occupied picnic tables. As we got closer, I realized that the park wasn't as empty as I thought.

It looked like a group of guys at the tables, a few were even running around on the grass, and as I got closer I realized that there was a water balloon fight going on. Mostly, because I was splashed by the tail end of one when it hit Luke, square in the chest, and drenched him.

"Damn it Dave!" Luke half yelled, half laughed. "I've got a civilian here!"

I watched as a guy about the same height as Luke approached us. He had dark, spiky hair and huge smile of large white teeth, and his clothes were wet from the fight he had been engaged in.

"Sorry." He laughed, looking between Luke and me. "That one got away from me."

"Uh-huh," Luke said, frowning, and then as he shook the guy's hand he gave him a half hug before turning to me. "Rory, this is Dave Barnes, my best friend... on the good days."

"Shut up," Dave responded, and then extended his hand to me. "Hi, Rory."

"Hi," I replied.

"Rory's Eddie's kid," Luke explained. "The one I told you about."

"Right," Dave said. "You just moved here, right?"

"Just visiting," I replied.

"Right, for the summer," Luke added in a sarcastic tone that had me cutting a glare at him.

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Rory," Dave said. "Are you guys coming? We've declared war on Aaron Keslin."

"Aaron's here?" Luke groaned, his smile suddenly fading. "Damn it, why didn't you tell me that when I called you?"

Dave shrugged. "Sorry. We didn't know he was coming. But hey, we've got water balloons, maybe you can get a few shots in."

"Do the balloons have acid in them?" Luke mumbled, and then forced a smile at Dave. "You go ahead. I'm gonna go introduce Rory around. Just do me a favor and keep Aaron away, will you? I'm not up for dealing with that asshole tonight."

I guess Luke had enemies. I decided not to comment though, as he led me towards the tables. There were at least twelve guys crowded around the two tables, not to mention those who were pelting each other with water balloons and the two filling them at the drinking fountain; so needless to say, I didn't remember everyone's names. But, Luke did, as he went around the tables and introduced me to everyone.