Chapter 24: In Company

All day long, I'd been planning to meet Eddie when he got off work. I'd been thinking of it as a way to get out of the house. Only, I hadn't been home all day, and it wasn't like I didn't have company. I didn't need to meet Eddie the way I thought I did anymore. But, somewhere along the line, I began to realize that while I didn't need to meet him, I sort of wanted to. In fact, I'd been looking forward to it. That surprised even me. It also surprised Eddie, I think. He was in a particularly good mood when he picked me up at Brian's. He only stuck around a minute to say 'Hi' to Luke before we were leaving.

"You know, if you want to make it a short lesson I could drop you off back over there when we're finished," Eddie offered.

"Do you have other plans or something?" I asked.

"No," he said quickly. "I just thought you might want to spend some time with your friends, that's all."

"Well, we made plans, right? I can do that another time."

"Yeah," Eddie agreed, and smiled. "We made plans."

We'd learned a thing or two since the last time Eddie had attempted a driving lesson. This time, I didn't even touch the steering wheel until we were so far back on the road we lived on that I couldn't even see any houses. Driving seemed a lot easier when I was only afraid of hitting cactuses. Once I was in the driver's seat, Eddie would instruct me to turn down a back road every once in a while, pretending that a plant here or there was a stop sign, and every time I forgot my turn signal it resulted in some good-natured bickering. It was probably a half-hour later when we ended up in an actual neighborhood with paved roads. There wasn't much traffic, and I actually got to stop at a few real stop signs, and I got to go through a real stop light. We ended up at an empty elementary school to practice parking. I wasn't very good at it. The lines seemed way too close together, and unless I made a really wide turn I couldn't get between them. Even then, I didn't end up between the lines I was aiming for. At least Eddie was patient. He even looked disappointed when his stomach started growling and we decided it was time to go home for dinner. But, that was okay, because Jase called within the same minute, furious because Chey had eaten his chicken when he went to switch out a load of laundry. Eddie told him that we'd pick something up, and I turned the driver's seat back over to him.

"Okay," Eddie said, as we left the nearest drive-thru where we could pick up fried chicken. "We need to talk about your grandma, Rory."

That came out of nowhere.

"Well, if we're done having a nice time..."

"I'm serious," Eddie said, offering me a small smile. "I got a phone call from her today."

"Oh. She's okay, right?"

"She's Alice," Eddie remarked. "And she's just fine--except she wants you to call her."

"Oh. Why didn't she just call me?"

"Maybe because she thinks you won't talk to her," Eddie suggested.

"I will if she apologizes," I said. "And, she has to tell me why she lied."

Eddie sighed at that.

"Rory, I agree she needs to apologize, and I'd like to know why your grandma did what she did as bad as you do; but, I've got to tell you, I don't think she's going to talk. I tried. She just wants to move on from the whole thing and maybe..."

"Please don't say she's right," I cut him off. "Eddie, I have to know why she did it. And plus, she can't even admit she was wrong. She can call me when she can."

Eddie was silent for a few moments before he spoke again.

"I'm not sure she's going to do that, Rory. Your grandmother can be... stubborn. I think you need to make the first move."

"Well, I think she needs to," I argued.

"Okay," Eddie replied after another moment of silence. "I can understand that. But, how do you expect to go back to her in a month if you're not even speaking to her?"

Now I was the one who was pausing. That happened to be a very good question. I just wished that I didn't get so uncomfortable every time Eddie brought up my going home.

"We'll work it out before then," I insisted.

"Because, you know, you don't have to go back if you're not ready to, Rory. If you wanted to stay longer, it would be no problem to get you enrolled in school; and later on, if you decided that you wanted to go back... You don't have to rush into any decisions. Actually, I think maybe you should..."

"Eddie," I cut him off. I really wasn't interested in the discussion.

"Promise me you'll think about it, and that we can sit down and actually talk about it before you do leave, and I'll drop it--for now," Eddie offered.

I considered it.

"I promise," I decided, feeling a little relieved to be rid of the topic.

"Okay, but I still think you should call your grandma," Eddie insisted, and I groaned and rolled my eyes. "Rory, wouldn't it be easier to just forgive her now, and let her come around in her own time? I know she was wrong, and she owes you an apology, but she was your mom's family, and you know she loves you."

"Yeah, but she still lied to me, and she won't even tell me why."

"I know, but there's the chance she will when she's ready to. All I'm saying, is that you should give her a chance. If you don't, you may never find out what you want to know. You should try to call her, Rory. Believe me, it could be worse."

"Right," I remarked irritably. My grandmother just wasn't my favorite person lately. I didn't see that changing until I either got an explanation, or she admitted to being wrong for what she did and apologized.

"Hey, you haven't met your other grandmother yet," Eddie remarked. "Believe me, Alice might have her flaws, but she's an angel compared to my mother."

The sudden mention of Eddie's mother had me looking over at him curiously. Other than mentions of how he worried over what his parents thought of him, Eddie hadn't really mentioned his family, except for back when I first arrived and he mentioned that he'd love to tell me about them sometime. Now, I wondered if love was too strong a word.

"Because she doesn't like that you're gay?" I asked.

"There's that... and then some," Eddie replied quietly. He was silent for a few long moments, until he realized that I was looking at him expectantly. He shrugged to himself, and then continued. "My mom is a very hard woman to please," he explained. "I'm the youngest of three, but my dad wasn't my real father. That was the first strike against me as far as any of them were concerned."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"My mom had an affair," Eddie explained. "I never knew who my real dad was, either, Rory. Because of that, my mom always wanted my father--her husband--to approve of me. He happens to be a minister, and it never really worked out that way. Don't get me wrong, he treated me just like my brother and my sister growing up, but my mom was just harder on me. She was always trying to point out things that I had in common with him, but as I grew up, that became harder to do. She started pointing out what she saw as my flaws instead, and I never really had a great relationship with my dad. My sister wasn't too bad. She just blamed it on me every time my parents fought, and I got along with my brother up until I told them all I was gay and living with another man."

"Oh--so do you talk to them now?"

"Sometimes," Eddie admitted. "My brother lives about two hours away; he sends me a Christmas card every year, but he won't introduce me to my nieces. My mom calls every six months like clockwork. At Christmas, and on June, for my birthday. She and my father live about fifteen minutes away from my brother. I get an invitation to Christmas every once in a while, but I never go. Jase is my family, and unless they're going to accept that, then I don't need to accept their invitations."

"So I guess they don't know about me, huh?"

"Actually, yes, they do. I called to tell them when I first found out about you."

"I don't have to meet them, do I?" I asked worriedly, and Eddie laughed.

"Not unless you want to."

"Do they want to meet me?" I asked curiously.

"My mother asked if I'd send her a picture. I haven't done it yet. Would you mind?"

I had to think about that for a moment.

"I guess not. What about your sister? Where's she?"

"I'm not sure," Eddie replied. "I haven't heard from her since she was about eighteen. She got into drugs for a while, my parents kicked her out; she writes them every now and then, but I don't think they see her. The last I heard she was sober and living in Texas."

"Oh."

"Look, Rory; my family doesn't like who I am. They've chosen not to accept a few things about me, and because of that, we don't talk. I know your grandma. Maybe she made some mistakes, but she does love you, and you know she'll always be there for you, even if she isn't being entirely forthcoming. Just... think about letting her off the hook a little for now, okay?"

"I'll think about it," I agreed, sighing. "But, I'm not calling tonight... and I still want an apology."

"Fair enough."

I looked out my window for a moment, and then back at Eddie.

"So, am I going to work with you tomorrow?" I asked.

"I only have to be in court in the morning," he replied, shrugging. "Then, I have meetings for most of the day. Do you want to come?"

"Are you going to take time off for lunch?"

"I should be able to."

"Okay, then."

Eddie regarded me curiously for a moment, and then smiled.

"I'll wake you up in the morning."

...

On Thursday I went to work with Eddie again. At lunch, he found a mostly empty parking lot and continued my parking lessons before we ate. I almost parked correctly once, and Eddie said he was proud of me. The rest of the day generally sucked, until work was over and we went home. That afternoon before we had a late dinner, I ended up back at the park with Eddie and Luke for more baseball. Only, this time Jase came, too, and when Eddie was pitching, he made everyone wear a face mask. It was actually all a stress-free, nice time. That was probably because I was in a good mood. I'd noticed that I was thinking about Aaron less, even after seeing him on Wednesday. Maybe that was because I was no longer worried about how I'd react if I did see him. I already knew, and I wasn't disappointed in myself, either. I was disappointed in Aaron.

"If you were stupid enough to stick with him like I was, that would be a feeling you'd get used to," Luke said on Thursday night when I voiced this to him. We were lying out on the warm concrete, waiting to dry off after a late night swim.

"Why did you?" I asked quietly. "I mean, it doesn't make sense."

"Why not?"

"Because you're supposed to be smarter than me."

"True," Luke responded smartly. "But, when I was with Aaron... I didn't have me telling me to be careful, and Eddie and Jase didn't know the difference at that point. They thought Aaron was a nice kid who got into a little trouble sometimes. Dave was the only one who ever liked to tell me Aaron was an asshole. Aaron introduced me to Dave, you know. I think that's the one thing I've never hated him for."

"I don't even know if I hate him," I admitted. "It's like, before yesterday, I think I actually wanted to see him just because I wanted some answers, you know? But then when I saw him, it didn't matter because I knew he wasn't going to give me any honest answers, anyway."

"Sometimes I think he doesn't know how to be honest," Luke said after a moment of thought.

"What do you mean?"

Luke shrugged.

"I don't know. I've never really been able to figure out Aaron. He makes you feel like you're the most important thing in the world to him one minute, and the next, it's like he doesn't know you're there. When I was with him, I always thought he cared, but didn't know how to show it. But sometimes, like, when I caught him lying to me, sometimes it was like he believed the lie to the point that he couldn't tell me the truth. Does that make any sense? It was like... he'd convince himself that everything he said was true. It's what makes him a good liar, I think."

"I don't care why he lies," I said honestly. "I just want to beat the shit out of him for it." Luke turned his head, studied my serene expression for a moment, and then burst out laughing until I joined him for no reason whatsoever. "I couldn't do that, though," I added more seriously, when we slowly sobered. "The way he treats people--he'd deserve it. But I couldn't do it."

"Give it some time," Luke said thoughtfully, and then smiled at me. "You know what? I don't think anyone needs to beat the shit out of him. Aaron will get his, eventually. Laws of karma and all that crap."

"Yeah? You really think so?" I asked with interest.

"Oh yeah," Luke insisted, and then after another moment, he asked, "Feel better?"

"No."

"You will," he insisted, standing up, and I followed. "You wanna go for another swim?"

"We just dried off," I pointed out.

"So?" Luke responded, right before he gave me a shove backwards and I fell directly into the deep end.

"You're a bastard," I remarked when I surfaced, to find him standing over me, just before he jumped over my head and into the water. "Don't you have to work tomorrow?" I asked him when he surfaced.

"Yup, but I don't care. I feel wired."

"I'm getting tired," I admitted, but then smiled. "But I could swim for a while."

"You could always swim." Luke grinned at me, splashing a little as I turned onto by back and drifted away from him. "Are you going to work with Eddie again?"

"I think so. He didn't mention anything, but I hope so. I don't really feel like hanging out here all alone."

"Because of Aaron?"

"He's part of it," I admitted. "But I really don't think he's coming back."

"Did you tell Eddie?"

"No," I admitted. "I don't think it matters, though."

"Probably," Luke agreed.

"I just want something to do tomorrow, you know? At least when I go with Eddie there's people to talk to."

"What about Seth?"

"What about him?" I asked innocently. I'd been trying to avoid that name ever since Wednesday.

"It sounded to me like he wouldn't mind keeping you company," Luke replied, smirking.

"I can't just start hanging out with Seth," I insisted. "It's too weird, plus, he..."

"He likes you?"

"He's Seth," I finished irritably.

"And he likes you," he said seriously.

I splashed at Luke, but there wasn't anything playful about it.

"Can you please stop saying that?"

...

On Friday morning, I was up bright and early, dressed in some of my less-faded jeans and a polo shirt, ready to go to work with Eddie. He hadn't mentioned taking me along with him today, and I wanted to make sure I wasn't left behind. I figured that there was no chance of that, since I was awake at five o'clock and upstairs, making breakfast at five thirty, before anyone else was even up. I stuck to what was simple. French toast. Some bacon. Sliced fruit. I was just finishing up and loading dishes into the dishwasher when Jase entered the kitchen first.

"It looks like you're feeling inspired this morning," Jase remarked, smiling at me as he grabbed a piece of bacon. "I didn't think you'd be up so early. You and Luke were up kind of late, weren't you?"

"Yeah, swimming."

"Does that mean Luke needs a wake-up call before I head out?" Jase asked.

"Probably," I said, smiling.

"Thought so," Jase replied, lifting a pile of plates from the cabinet. He handed me one. "Nice job with breakfast."

"Thanks."

"Are you working with Eddie today? I thought he was going to be in court again."

"Oh, I didn't know that," I admitted, and Jase gave me a measuring look as he slowly began to fill his plate.

"Did you want to go to work with him?"

"It doesn't really matter," I replied indifferently. For some reason, I found it difficult to be as honest with Jase as I was with Luke about why I wanted to go to work with Eddie. If Eddie and Jase knew the reasons behind it, they'd likely feel sorry for me, or start worrying. That was the last thing I wanted. Plus, I didn't want Eddie taking me to work with him just because he thought he had to.

"Okay," Jase replied as he watched me lift a few slices of French toast onto my plate. "So, I hear your driving lessons are going pretty good."

"Yeah," I replied, smiling again. "But I can't park."

"You know, my car's not that big," Jase said. "Maybe this weekend you and Eddie can take it to practice parking. It might be easier."

"Yeah? Thanks, Jase," I replied, taking my seat at the table, just in time to see Eddie walk in. He didn't see me, though. That would probably explain why the first thing he did was stop in front of Jase--who was on his way to the table--and kiss him directly on the mouth. This, was the first time I'd really witnessed something like that between the two of them, and I had to admit, it was a little embarrassing. It was like I suddenly understood what all my friends had been complaining about when they mentioned their parents getting mushy. The closest I'd ever come to an encounter like this, was in seventh grade when Grandma Alice found herself a boyfriend. My mom had insisted that it was adorable. I could have gone without seeing my grandmother kissing a man fifteen years her junior. She dumped him a week later when she discovered he was also spending time with one of her bingo partners. Things got a little ugly after that.

At least, when Eddie noticed I'd witnessed it, he had the decency to blush a little. Not Alice. She really had no shame. Jase just looked amused as Eddie and I momentarily had trouble looking at each other.

" 'Morning, Rory," Eddie managed to get out. "Um... what are you doing up?"

"He made breakfast," Jase pointed out as he sat down across from me. "It's good, too," he added with a smile.

"Thanks, Rory," Eddie said as he went to fix his own plate. "This is really great. I don't have much time this morning."

Jase looked at me curiously, probably wondering if I was going to ask Eddie if I was going with him. I didn't plan on it. Eddie hadn't mentioned it, after all. But, when Jase raised an expectant eyebrow and aimed it in my direction, I reconsidered.

"Are you going alone?" I asked.

Eddie paused where he was standing at the counter, turned around, and looked at me.

"Uh... yeah, I was planning on it," he replied, now regarding me curiously. "If I want to take any time off next week, I've got to stay late tonight, and I have court again. You're welcome to come if you want to, I just don't see you being all that entertained. There's also a chance that we won't be back home before nine tonight." Jase flashed Eddie a look that suggested that this was news to him, and Eddie flashed him an apologetic look before turning his attention to me.

"That's okay, I don't need to go," I decided, and even if I was a little disappointed, I sort of meant it. I didn't need to go, not to sit in Eddie's office bored out of my mind all day, and he probably wouldn't even be around. Being there late didn't sound appealing at all. Besides, if I was there, Eddie might start worrying about how bored I was, and he probably didn't need the distraction. I'd risk finding something to do all day on my own.

"Rory, if you want to get out of the house for a few hours I can drop you off somewhere," Jase offered. "I can pick you up when I go to lunch."

I looked at Jase, honestly appreciating the offer, but I shrugged and shook my head. I couldn't think of anywhere I wanted to be for that long. Actually, at the moment, I was visiting the idea of going back to bed for a few hours before I decided anything.

"That's alright," I insisted. "I'll find something to do."

"Are you sure?" Eddie asked me.

"Uh-huh," I said around a mouthful of food, nodding. "I'm fine." I decided to smile for good measure. They seemed satisfied.

...

Eddie, Jase, and Luke were gone, Chey was passed out in the living room at the house, and I was standing outside of Seth Fisher's house twenty minutes after I'd woken up from a morning nap. It would be ridiculous to say that I didn't know what I was doing there at this point. As Luke had put it, Seth Fisher wouldn't mind keeping me company. In all actuality, I was fully aware of it. Of course, when I said it to myself, it sounded a lot better than when Luke had been teasing me with it. And Seth wasn't so bad. We'd been getting along. Plus, it was Friday, I was bored, and I didn't feel like talking to myself all day.

Now that I was standing in front of his door, I just had to stop hesitating when it came to knocking on it, because he didn't come walking out as soon as I got there this time. At first, I made excuses to myself. For example: I was lost. I meant to go home but forgot where I lived. Seth wasn't home, anyway, although that one was hard to convince myself of because his truck was parked out front. The last excuse I used before I knocked on the door, was that he was busy again. He already had plans. But the only way to find out if that was the case, was to knock. So I did. Actually, I rang the doorbell. That was usually more effective, and this time, it was. Only, Seth wasn't the one who answered the door. It was the red-headed midget who he called a sister. Okay. That was harsh. She was actually kinda cute, especially when she shot me a smile that was missing two teeth.