Chapter 12: Alex

We are sitting in the clinic midway to Richmond, me an' Dad. We'd been here an hour before Uncle Charles an' Peter got called into the back. Now, me an' Dad are just waitin'. I need a cig so bad I could spit. An' no one will answer me when I ask why we are here. Peter told me to shut up the second time I asked.

"Dad..." I start again but he cuts me off.

"There's a chance - not a big one, but a chance - that Peter isn't Charles' biological son." He says quietly.

I open my mouth and for once, nothing comes out.

That's fucked up.

We sit and wait for Peter an' Uncle Charles. When they come out, Peter sits next to me, but Uncle Charles calls Dad over. They talk for a minute then Dad goes back into the office.

Peter looks like he's been run over which is how he's looked since for the last week which is when I guess he found out about this family secret. Ten minutes later, both our Dads come out; mine's rolling down his sleeve. I hear the nurse tell them that results will be available tomorrow.

We get in the car. Dad drives to a restaurant. Uncle Charles orders a round of beers for the table. No one talks much over dinner.

I wanna ask for the full details so bad my chest aches. But Peter said to shut up about it an' it's clear that neither he or Uncle Charles are happy about this.

But it's killin' me. Finally, I can't help it. "So what?"

"Alex." Peter snaps just as Dad say, "Don't."

I ignore them, "No seriously, so what? What, he just out the family? You an' Aunt Elizabeth gonna get a divorce?" I should not have said that - that unnerves even me.

"'Course he ain't out the family; I ain't raise the boy seventeen years just ta turn him out now." Uncle Charles looks at Peter then looks away, "'Less that's what you want."

"Dad, I just..." Peter's real close to breaking. I don't know if they know it, but I do. "I ... You raised me, you cared for me. You will always be my father."

No one says anything til the perky little waitress asks if we need anything else.

"Another round." Uncle Charles says.

"No." Dad says quickly, "Just the check, thanks."

"George..."

"Charles."

They exchange a look and Uncle Charles gets up. "John." He says and walks off. Dad pays the bill. We all hit the head before getting in the car for the two hours back home.

When we finally get to their house, everybody get out of the car. I don't care if Dad thinks it's funny or not, I hug Peter. When we let each other go, I realize that our Dads are holding each other too. They have a hard time letting go but when they do, Uncle Charles looks at Peter and opens his arms.

It was what Peter needed 'cause he nearly falls into him. Dad and I bail while they're standing like that. Our drive home is just as silent but not nearly as tense. Before we get out of the car I can't help but ask, "What about, you know, me?"

Dad had opened the car door. He sits back down and closes it again, "You mean are you mine or would I keep you if-n you weren't?"

"Dude. Not funny."

He surrenders, "The answer is yes to both." He grabs me an' hugs me hard. "You and Gracie both." He lets me go and looks grave, "But Lizzie - your Aunt Elizabeth - she didn't have an easy time of it 'fore Charles an' I met her. An' she an' Charles, well, I knew this was gonna come back on him." He pats my knee, "Come on; yo' Mom's likely worried by now."

We get out of the car, and as we head into the house, he pauses, "Oh, yeah, an' I see you knock back another beer like that, you be grounded 'til you twenty-five. That was a one-time thing 'cause I ain't wanna argue with Charles just then, you hear me?"

"Uh, yeah." I was sorta wondering how that slid by.

The next day at school, Peter is a wreck. I only see him for second and fourth periods but both classes he's totally spaced. At lunch, he won't eat anything, he just keeps checking his cell phone for missed calls. A couple girls come over an' try to cheer him up but he's downright nasty to them. Michelle sits down next to him anyway. Michelle's a bit fat for my tastes but she's on target for Peter.

"Peter, you promised you'd help me. I really need you ta come ovah tonight."

"Tonight's bad."

"Peter! You promised."

I see the look cross his face. She's pushin' the right button for him - he hates breakin' a promise. He closes his eyes and exhales, "What time?"

"How 'bout after dinner? 'Round eight, maybe?"

"Fine."

"Good." She stands up and looks at me, "Hey Alex, wanna take me ta dinner?"

Shit, yeah, I think, but know it won't be tonight. "Can't. Sorry." She pouts as she walks away. I watch her ass sway as she moves through the crowd. When she's out of sight, I remember Peter.

"Dude, you should totally do her tonight. Get your mind offa, you know, family shit."

He turns and looks at me, "Have you ever gone ten seconds without thinking about sex?"

I think about it for a minute, "Nah. Not once I figured out what it was."

His eyes narrow, "You need self control."

"Duh."

"Alex." It's his command form, "You can fool around, and you do whatever you want to your girl, but from now on, you don't cum."

"What?" I heard him, I just don't understand him.

He glances to make sure no one else can hear us. "I mean, you can do everything - anything - except the money shot. Not unless I say ok."

I stare at him for a second until I realize that he's serious, "Oh, fuck off!"

The bell for class rings and his lips curl. "Oh, yeah an' no jackin' off, either." It's the first thing approaching a smile I've seen in more than a week and it's pure evil. "See ya later."

By the time football practice comes around, I'm a wreck. Thinking about this restriction has me hot and my cup is cuttin' into me sharply - the pain of which only makes me hotter. By the time practice end, I've got the worst case of blue balls in history. I get through my shower just barely 'cause touching myself reminds me that I can't 'touch' myself.

But it goes away fast when I see the look on Peter's face, waiting for me outside the locker room. I don't ask. He'll tell me when he can say it.

We go back to his place. Aunt Elizabeth is bubbly; I guess she don't know what's been goin' on. By the time dinner is on the table, Uncle Charles is home. It looks almost normal and it's driving me crazy. Neither Uncle Charles or Peter is even breaking a sweat - if they're not related, the test is fucked up. After dinner, we go up to Peter's room and I burst.

"What the fuck is goin' on? Shit, dude!"

"They have to run another test."

"Oh, shit!"

"It's ok." He takes a deep breath. "The first one confirmed that I'm a McElroy by blood but..." He clears his throat, "but they can't eliminate Uncle George."

I stare at him trying to figure out who the fuck Uncle George is - we don't have an 'Uncle George'. The only 'George' is-.

I don't remember sitting down, just my ass connecting with the desk chair. "My Dad?"

"Yeah."

"We might be brothers?"

"Yeah."

I think about it. We act like brothers anyway; once the initial shock is over, I realize, that I don't really care. I shrug, "Cool."

He nods, "Yeah, I kinda feel that way too. Dad's ok. He was worried that it might be..." he stops himself, "Mom was, uh-" he makes a face. A very ugly face and I realize what he doesn't want to say.

"Oh. Oh, shit."

"Yeah."

We both kinda relax and start our homework. An alarm goes off and he checks the time. "I got ta get over ta Michelle's. Wanna come with?"

"Sure. What you promise, anyway?"

"Oh, nothing. She couldn't install some software and told her I found a patch online and promised I show her how to get it."

"That's it?" he nods. As we tell his parent where we're headed and head out, I keep running that over in my head. In the car, I finally ask, "Dude, are you stupid?"

"What? Why?"

"She wants you ta come over an' install software?"

"Yeah."

I snicker, "Dude, I think she's looking fo' hardware. I'll wait in the car."

"Alex, Michelle isn't like that. This will be like twenty minutes. Download, install, leave."

"Sure you right." I chuckle.

At Michelle's we go to the door together. She opens it and smiles too wide. "Hey Peter, Hey Alex. Come on in."

"Hey," Peter looks at her, but I'm looking around. The house is suspiciously quiet. "Where's the computer?" He asks.

"Where're yo' folks?" I ask before she can answer.

"They in Richmond fo' the night." She says heading upstairs, "Come on. Computer's this way."

"Think I'll stay down here an' watch TV." Even I know when three's a crowd.

"Oh, they's a TV in my room, you wanna come on up."

I pause. Either this really is just computer stuff or she wants us both. Adrenaline sweeps through me and I have to consciously keep myself from running behind them.

"Very good." Peter mutters to me. He stops suddenly and holds me back, "If - if - this is more than I think, that new rule still applies."

"Oh, fuck." But even as I say it, I feel my dick lurch again.

We follow her up to her room. Peter sits down at the computer, I park myself at the foot of her bed in front of her TV and she leaves to get a couple pops. Half an hour later, I'm bored and disappointed as they talk about some astronomy software for their science class.

"So tell me something, Peter." I hear her say as I'm flipping channels for the nine billionth time, "Is it true that you like going down on girls?"

"Uh." Peter clears his throat but doesn't get any further, "Uh..."

"Yeah." I keep flipping channels but turn the sound down, "From what I hear, he's pretty good."

Peter is sputtering but I got Michelle's attention, "Oh, yeah? And who told you that?"

I glance at her, "Well, no one told me, you know, directly, but that ain't all that quiet if you do it right."

"Oh." Michelle is intrigued, Peter is embarrassed and I'm a rock already. There must be something wrong with me. Well, I mean there is but there must be something else wrong with me 'cause I get hard all the fuckin' time.

"So, Peter, what does a girl have to do to earn the privilege?" She sits in his lap facing him. I try to act like I'm not watching but I am so fuckin' watching.