It's Easier For Some
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CHAPTER 5:
“Ah, good morning boys” said Sarah. “John, how are you?”
“Sore, but living – thank you Mrs Carter.”
“Please, call me Sarah. Look, maybe we should call your parents, and they can come over and…”
“NO!!! Sorry. No, I don’t want to see them.” Sarah knew from the look on John’s bruised face that there had been many other events last night, apart from the beating.
“Oh. OK. Do you want something to eat? Steven?”
“I’d love some bacon and sausages” replied her son. “John? We’ve got bacon for you to eat up now.” John laughed, and soon regretted it, as pain seared across his front. “Shit! Sorry Johnny. I promise I won’t say anything funny for a while.”
“Thanks” groaned John, who slumped into one of the kitchen chairs.
“Look, I’ll get you some painkillers, and then I’ll make you both a big cooked breakfast.”
Despite his injuries and mental anguish, John still had the appetite of an athlete, and slowly ate his way through most of the Carter’s bacon and bread. Sarah looked on in awe, noticing that Steven was barely touching his meal. Eventually John ate that too.
“So what are you two doing today then?” she asked.
“I have to go and see Mark. I don’t know how he’s taken it.”
“Oh bother! Sorry Steven, Mark called for you yesterday, while you were out with Linda. He asked me to get you to call him, as he wants to take you out for a celebratory drink.” Sarah’s face turned to mock anger. “I hope you haven’t been drinking under age young man.” Then she laughed.
“Yeah, that’d be the day. Me and Mark can hardly get served in a sweet shop!” John started trying to laugh again, prompting both Steven and his mother to jump to his aid.
“I think I’d be better off just staying in bed” he eventually managed to say. “There’s nothing funny in your room is there Steve?”
“Only the gay teddy bear. I’ll hide it.”
“Mrs Car…Sarah, thank you for putting up with me.”
“That’s OK. Look, do you want me to get you set up in the lounge – you can put on a Shakespeare tragedy or something. Actually, on second thoughts make it a comedy – they tend to have very little humour in them!”
“Yeah, that would be great. Thank you.”
“Right. Steven, your father would like to speak to you this evening, so can you make sure you’re still around when he gets back from the shop?”
“Sure. What does he want to talk about” Steven asked, a little nervously.
“I think he’s thought of some questions. Steve, just be honest with him – that’s all he wants. That’s all I want.”
“Sure mum. I’m sorry I wasn’t before.”
“Yes, well, that’s in the past. Now, let’s get this walking corpse sorted out” she said, as she helped John to his feet. Steven couldn’t help but smile – despite all the horrors of yesterday, he was so happy.
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Once John was settled in front of Grandstand, Steve headed out to see Mark. When he reached his mate’s house, he was surprised, albeit glad, to find that Wendy and Jessica were there as well.
“Steve, mate!” cried Mark, jumping up to meet him. “How are you?”
“Fine, Mark. Cheers. Hi Jess. Wendy.”
“Where were you all of yesterday?” asked Jess. “You disappeared.”
“Erm, well, I went for a drive with Linda.”
“Oh yeah, she told me she had passed. I like her, she’s nice.”
“Yeah, she is.”
“What, so you just drove around until the middle of the night?”
“No, not exactly. I did go home.”
“Oh. Why didn’t you call me?” said Mark, looking a little hurt. “Did you have to talk to your parents?”
“Only a little bit. No, there was someone else there I had to talk to” said Steven, shooting Jess a look.
“Who?”
“Erm, I’m not sure if I’m allowed to say. Oh fuck it, he’s telling everyone anyway, I don’t think he’ll mind. It was, er, John Dixon.”
“Why did you have to talk to John?” asked Wendy, looking a little confused.
“Oh my God!” exclaimed Mark, suddenly realising what Steven was telling them. “John fucking Dixon! Jesus! I had no idea. I have to say I’m not exactly surprised about you Steve, but John Dixon!”
“What about John Di…oh shit!” said Wendy. The ball had finally dropped for her too. “You KNEW I liked him Steven, how could you?”
“Hey!” said Mark.
“Sorry” laughed Wendy. “I’m only joking. Jesus, John Dixon. Can you believe it Jess?”
“Er, no, er, blimey. Yeah, John Dixon. Wow.”
“You knew, didn’t you” said Wendy, her eyes narrowing in suspicion.
“Yeah. Sorry Wends, I was sworn to secrecy.”
“So anyway” said Steven, attempting to get away from the John Dixon issue. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you Mark. I was just scared it would get out, and give Kevin Granger more of a reason to kill me.”
“That’s OK.”
“Speaking of that shit” said Wendy. “How’s he gonna take the news about John. He worships that guy!”
“He’s already taken it” said Steve, obviously holding something back.
“And?” Wendy was unstoppable.
“Well, my mum is currently looking after John.”
“What did he do?” asked Jess, her hatred towards her ex-boyfriend beginning to rise again.
“I’m not sure. He certainly beat the shit out of him, but I don’t know the whole story. John doesn’t seem to want to mention too much about last night at the moment.”
“That fucking violent…” muttered Jess, getting up from Mark’s floor.
“Jess, please. Keep away from him. He was outside my house this morning, shouting abuse. He was completely pissed.”
“What did you do?” asked Wendy.
“Nothing. Linda and her brother got rid of him. Linda has a way with people.”
“Yeah, she sure does” said Mark, remembering an encounter with her some years before. His shins still hurt sometimes.
“So yeah. Kevin’s a problem. I have to say, I’m shit scared of meeting him. I don’t know what he’s gonna do to me. It sounds like he blames me for John being dodgy.”
“Dodgy?”
“Oh yeah, sorry. That’s what…doesn’t matter. I meant gay.”
“Look, do you want me to walk you home” asked Jess. “He wouldn’t dare do anything with me around – I have information I can use against him if necessary.” She had an evil smirk on her face. “Anyway, I’d like to say hello to John, if he’ll let me.”
“Yeah, OK. He’s a bit battered though, not his usual gorgeous self.”
“Right. In that case, we can leave these two lovebirds to get on with their – now what was it you said you were doing when I got here? – ‘aerobics’.” Mark and Wendy both went crimson. “Come on Steve.”
“See you later” Steve called, as he left his mate’s house. Things were finally falling into place.
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Steven knew that Jessica was just bursting with questions. For the first few minutes of the journey home she just talked about the piss-up they’d had at Wendy’s house the night before, but she couldn’t hold herself back for very long.
“OK, Steve, I have to know. John is the best runner, best footballer, he’s a bit of a star in the classroom and he gets on with everybody. It seems like there is nothing he isn’t perfect at? So…is there?”
“If you think what I think you mean, I am afraid he is a bit of a star there too.”
“Lucky git.”
“Thanks.”
“So, I didn’t get to ask you. How did you two get together?”
“He came round after the ball.”
“What, he just came round? I don’t believe that. He must have known that you were gay. How did he find out?”
“He, er, we, er…”
“Well? Come on.”
“We met in the park.”
“Oh. So you used to…”
“Yeah, sometimes. I’m a bit ashamed of it – but there’s nowhere else in this bloody town.”
“No, you’re right. Blimey. Steven Carter a park perv” said Jess, at which point she cracked up laughing.
“I am not a perv!” said Steve, laughing with her.
“I know that, I know that.” She recovered herself a bit, and then, with a serious look on her face asked “did you meet any dodgy blokes. I don’t mean dodgy like you and John mean it. I mean, well, dodgy.”
“No. I got looked at a bit funnily on a couple of occasions, but I was careful.”
“Still, it was a bit risky.”
“You sound just like Linda did.”
“I guess we’re two minds alike. So, has John talked to his parents?” She was a little surprised to see Steven’s smile fade instantly when she asked this.
“I think he has. It’s terrible Jess, my mum wanted to call them this morning, and he just looked so scared. He looked so…I don’t know. He doesn’t seem to want to talk about what happened. I guess I will get it out of him tonight. I hope it’s gonna be alright. I just want us to be able to be happy.”
“So do I. You deserve it Steven Carter.”
“Thanks Jess. For being there for me. For protecting me.”
“Anytime”.
“Do you mean that?”
“Yeah, of course I do. Oops, haven’t we had this conversation before?”
“I guess I am supposed to kiss you now” laughed Steven.
“How about you go into your house and kiss John?” Jess said, slyly smiling, and then just turned around and walked off, mincing a bit as she went. Steven knew he had found another good friend in her.
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