Chapter 9

Cole drove Jared home on Sunday, after lunch, after chores and riding. Jared was a fast learner, and having watch Cole skip out the stables once he was the first to grab a fork and get to work. Cole loved watching Jared work, that tight compact little body moved so neatly and every time Jared caught him looking he smiled. Cole had to fight the urge to repeat their night time activities in the empty stables. He tossed hay down from the loft, got new shaving for all the stalls and checked on all the tack. The livery owners had been by to work their horses, so the tack room was in a bit of a state, and by the time he'd got that sorted Jared had made the dinners for later and stacked them on the food bins. Cole rode Dune in bareback from the field using the dually halter as a bridle and lifted Jared up to sit in his lap. Dune snickered at them, but didn't seem to mind, and the three went for a gentle walk around the lake.

The whole way into town Cole kept his arm around his boyfriend, god it was good to say that as often as possible, and Jared kept him entertained and distracted, tickling him with soft fingers running up the sides of his new t shirt. Cole hated to let him go. Shelby was waiting for them in the driveway, and Cole managed to resist the temptation to bump her with the truck, just a tiny bit.

'Hey Shelby, ' Cole spoke and signed as he got out of the truck, using the shapes that Jared had shown him which made his sister's name, "How are you?"

"Jees Cole," Shelby gestured to his neck where the collar of his new t shirt did nothing to hide the purple red marks on his skin, "You get in a fight with a tiger or something?"

'Mean.' Jared signed, coming around the side of the truck, 'Be nice to my boyfriend Shelby.'

'Fine.' Shelby turned to go back into the house and Cole grabbed Jared as he got all his assorted shopping bags out of the flat bed of the truck.

Jared kissed him and Cole wrapped a hand around his waist, pulling the smaller boy to him.

'Don't go.'

Jared smiled and touched his chin before he replied.

'I'm not living in your truck. See you tomorrow.'

Cole sang all the way home.

Afterwards Cole told himself that he should have known that something would go wrong, his life was just too damn perfect. He'd spent half the afternoon texting Jared back and forth, the other half chatting to Wilton, who was happy for him, but didn't need to know any of the details. They talked about plans for the land management course fundraiser; Wilton had four bands lined up as of Saturday, including his own. Cole was pleased with his idea. Would Jared want to go to the gig with him? Would there be any point? God if he's a better dancer than you, you'll never live it down. Cole smirked at himself, and went back to his chores.

Monday morning his parked the Hilux in its usual spot and rocked up indoors to find Wilton with his guitar slung over his shoulder.

"Dude!"

"Hey Wil," Cole suddenly became aware of the worry in his friend's eyes, "What happened?"

"You're going to need to come with me." Wilton gestured to him with one hand and turned towards the main common room. Cole's first thought was that someone had been murdered, but the messy red paint spelt words around the walls.

COLE SATHIE IS FUCKING A FAGGOT

Cole felt his fist at his side and tuned out of Wilton's desperate voice. No one, but no one got away with calling him something like that. Cole turned on one booted heel and strode back towards his truck. The sight which greeted him was less than pleasant. Jake Patterson and a bunch of the guys from the land management course were spray painting what looked to be slogans on the same thing over his truck. His fucking truck. Any hint of rational sanity Cole had remaining fled and Jake managed to get off the beginning of a sentence Cole couldn't hear for the blood pounding in his ears before he hauled off and hit him with all the strength he had.

Cole Sathie had learnt to fight against men who were bigger and stronger than he was, so he knew not to concede any ground. All of that not kicking a man when he was down stuff was utter crap, and Cole pounded Jake with both fists even as he fell, the punishment unrelenting. When Jake stopped trying to defend himself Cole stopped and spat on the bloodied and broken shape at his feet.

"Faggot I might be," his voice was low and tight and made both Jake, his cronies and Wilton all flinch, "But at least I'm more of a man than you are. Stupid fucker." Cole became generally aware of the crowd that was watching him in the way that gazelle track the motions of a lion, "Fuck off the lot of you." He turned to the three guys from his course who stood slack jawed with paint cans in their hands, "I'm going to get my boyfriend a coffee, when I get back my truck better be fucking clean or I'll take it out of your fucking skin." With that he stormed back off towards the cafeteria.

Jared was standing with his twin, staring at then walls of the common room while Shelby tried to drag him away. Cole walked up behind him, wrapped an arm around his waist and pulled him away.

'Missed you.'

'Cole! What is happening? Who did this?'

"Doesn't matter," Cole couldn't be bothered to find the signs to express himself, "Come get coffee with me."

"Cole," Cole ignored Shelby's call, "Cole!" He stopped when realised that Jared's hands were on his shoulders, pushing him back, "Cole you're bleeding!"

Cole rubbed his jaw and found that his fingers came away red where he touched his lips. Funny, he hadn't really noticed Jake get a hit in. Cole sucked on his lip, cleaned off the blood with his tongue, swallowed and grinned at his boyfriend. Jared didn't look so happy, but he reached up to stroke his jaw with a soft skinned hand and Cole found himself kissing the short boy full on the mouth, hands twining and winding around him, into his jacket and clothes. When he pulled back Jared's full lips were smudged with red.

"Come on."

Jared sat in the curve of his boyfriend's arm, nestled against a torso that thrummed with energy and pent up rage, and sipped at his hot chocolate. Cole's lip had stopped bleeding, though his first sip of coffee had him swearing and shaking as the heat burnt and cauterized the new wound. Jared didn't pay attention to the conversation that Cole, Wilton and Shelby were having, though both his twin and Cole signed for his benefit. Jared couldn't shake what he'd read in the common room from his mind.

... fucking a faggot.

Just that part was him. The whole thing was obviously meant for Cole, to piss him off, to slight him, to out him in front of his peers. Jared had been out from pretty much the first moment he'd realised that liking boys was who he was, but it rankled in more ways than one simply to be acknowledged at the boy someone else was seeing. No, not seeing: fucking. And according to however wrote the slogan, he was a boy, he was a faggot. As though being gay defined him. It made Jared angry. But more than angry, Jared was worried. Cole had hit someone, probably more than once by the way he was flexing his knuckles, as though they were sore, without really noticing. Cole seemed to be making a habit of hitting people over him. Jared couldn't decide if it was a good thing or not.

Snuggled against Cole, even feeling his heart thudding with anger, Jared was certain that Cole could never hurt him, would never hit him. And Jared's blood pulsed in his ears when he thought of those words. If he'd had enough strength to have half a hope of doing any damage, he'd have probably hit someone too. His real worry was what was going to happen next. Would however had written those terrible words get kicked out? Would Cole get in trouble for fighting? Would he spend all his time looking over his shoulder in case the sight of them together offended anyone? The questions made his head spin, and Jared burrowed further into Cole's side, feeling the work rough hand moving over his ribs, petting him, a kiss against his hair super soft.

Then Jared saw the approaching figures, adults, one from the office of the college, the other a big rough man who he could only assume had something to do with Cole's course. Jared's fingers fisted in the material of Cole's shirt. He pointed.

'Cole!'

Cole arm went tighter about him and he sat up, chest thrumming as the men approached. Jared watched, feeling Cole's words rather than seeing them, keeping his eyes trained to read the lip patterns of the men from the college.

"Cole Sathie?"

"Yeah."

"You need to come with us," the suited man spoke in harsh clipped words, "We have called your house. Your father is on his way here."

"Well then," Cole moved a hand to stroke Jared's spiky hair, and Jared practically purred against him, "I suppose we'd better talk about what you're going to do about Jake Patterson and his friends. My truck better be clean."

"You're lucky if he doesn't press charges you little shit," this was the big burly man who looked like he could lift a house, "At least he had the right idea about you!"

"Now Mr Dunlop..." the suited man began.

"Oh no, you're off this course, and out of this college if I get my way. I'm not teaching some filthy little cocksucker. Beating up Jake will get you kicked out for sure."

Cole stood, unreeling his lanky impressive form, and Jared turned to watch him smile in a languid cock-sure way. The confidence in Cole when he was in his element. He shrugged.

"As well hanged for a sheep as a lamb," Jared was still pondering what he meant when Cole fixed his lecturer with a neat tight blow to the sternum. He hauled Jared to his feet and kissed him like he owned him. Jared understood the implications and kissed Cole back like a drug while the lecturer coughed and spluttered and turned beetroot purple with indignant outrage. Cole grinned like a madman, winked at Jared and walked out of the cafeteria. Jared turned to find Wilton in stitches, Shelby looked aghast.

'I picked a good one huh?' Jared knew he was smiling like an idiot, but hell he was proud of his boyfriend.

'If he's that strong, no wonder he can put up with you little brother.' Shelby got up and turned to Cole's ex-lecturer, "Shit head." She said accusingly and sauntered out swinging her hips. Wilton stared.

"You're sister sure is something huh?"

Jared didn't reply, sort of couldn't, so he wandered outside to where Cole was sitting in the back of his truck, the tail gate down, cowboy boots dangling in the cool air.

'Babe.'

'You've been practising.' Jared replied, 'You hit your tutor.'

'He was a, ' Cole didn't know the word, so he said "Bigot" and signed the internationally recognised symbol for 'dick head.'

'True, ' He pulled out his tablet and wrote something for Cole.

What did that mean about sheep and lambs?

Cole grinned and heaved his boyfriend up into the bed of the truck.

It means if I'm going to get kicked out, I may as well do it properly and piss off everyone.

What if they call the police?

They won't. Harassment of a gay pupil? The newspapers would have a field day. Still might. Cole broke their conversation to point. 'Father.' He signed and Jared looked up to see the head of Sathie clan pull up in a truck even bigger than Cole's, blue and white and four feet off the ground.

William Sathie strode towards them from the Chevy Blazer with a wave. His eyes were dark with worry, his brow furrowed. Cole half hugged his bear of a father.

"What happened?" William spoke deliberately clearly, focusing on Jared, not on his son.

Cole explained in sentences as short and lacking emotion as possible. When he got to the part where his name has been scrawled on the wall Jared saw William's fists bunch at his sides. Hot blood ran in the family. William listened to the rest with an ever increasing level of anger in his eyes. When Cole finished he practically roared.

"Kick you out? Oh hell no. Not when they're going to let this happen to my family."

"Dad!" Cole signed the words he knew as he spoke, it was like he was doing it automatically and Jared took the time to feel proud for that too, "It doesn't matter. I don't need the course. I learnt everything off you anyway."

Jared tugged on Cole's arm.

If you go then they'll win.

'No they won't, ' Cole kissed him and Jared felt himself blush, kissing his boyfriend in front of his father, 'They can't win. I'm stronger than they are and they know it.' He ran out of BSL signs then, "The piece of paper is a formality no one will ever care about. I've already proved myself ten times over. Some of kids wouldn't know a hard day's work if it rose up and hit them in the face."

"They know when you hit them in the face," Jared turned as Cole tensed to see one of Jake's cronies, a guy from Cole's course. As both of the Sathie men started towards him he held up both hands in a gesture of peace, "Dude please. I like my nose the way it is. I can't believe that I trusted Jake when he said you were a pussy- sorry!" the teenager was obviously trying to make himself as small as possible, hunched over and trying not to look threatening, "I just wanted to say I'm sorry about your truck. We cleaned it off. It was a stupid thing to do."