Chapter 3: Emo-tional Surprises

Sleeping in is one of those things you come to relish when you hit your teenage years. All that extra sleep tucked away in some inside corner, just waiting to come out to support on a night out. I unfortunately lost the power to sleep in years ago when I was held responsible for waking myself up to o to school at six o’clock for school. So when I woke up on Wednesday at 8:30, my first reaction of panicking was immediate and brief. Then I remembered I had two days on the “down low”, as TB would have put being under the radar. Getting up slowly, I looked at my To Do List, pinned next to my bed.

Things To Do

Breathe

Visit the accountant

Go food and cloths shopping

Investigate file on memory stick

Plan this month

Scrapbook entry

There was always numbers one, and six on this list by reflex. They helped me realized when I had finished a day. From the moment I started breathing to the moment I stuck a picture in the book I had jobs to do. Going down stairs to an empty house was normal enough at this time in the morning. Mom would have been at work and dad in his normal breakfast meeting with his company heads. As I was getting out some breakfast, the doorbell rang. How is that? There isn’t anyone I know that would want me this early. I think. I got to the door, and then realized I was still in my bathrobe. Oh, great. I opened it.

“They’ve said some wild things about you but not that you’d gotten this hot!”

Holy shit! I slammed the door. It was Justin, Justin standing on my front porch, with three jeeps waiting on the street.

“I know you’re there Aries, I’ve known you for long enough that I know you’re still there!”

Oh crap. I forced myself to open the door again. God, this was going to be embarrassing. Ok, be calm.

“Hi, Justin.”

“Well, this is a pleasant surprise. Won’t you come in?”

“Ha, you’re funny, so funny I forgot to laugh. Why aren’t you in school?”

Shutting the door, I sighed.

“I could ask you the same question, but hey, I know the answer. What do you want?”

He turned looking thoughtful.

“Here’s the thing. I like you and consider you a close friend. We’ve known each other since we were little and your father got involved in my case. Though we’ve parted ways and heard things about the other that we’d rather not believe, I still think that there is a certain bond between us that stones and words can’t break. We are in fact friends.”

Like I said a unique way of expressing his inner feelings to the outside world. Was this something I could handle right now?

“Ok. And thank you.”

He started looking around.

“Well, where are the old count and countess?”

“They left me, if you must know, for some vacation spot, leaving me with their bills, credit checks, and apparently no address. I’ve been abandoned technically but my life hasn’t been very technical lately. ”

Why on earth did I say that? Justin turned away from the fridge with a thoughtful look. It was a look I didn’t know, which was odd, yet it seemed tranquil. Justin suddenly walked over and considered me, face to face for a minute. Then hugged me. Yes, actually hugged me. Needless to say I was in shock. This was a huge development from the boy who kind of stool my father. There wasn’t much to do but consider the options. One, I could hug him back. Weird! Two I could reject the hug and commence the awkward silence that much sooner. Or three wait to be relinquished with no reaction whatsoever. I decided to go with number one due to the conclusion that I had nothing to lose, do and/or profit and it was early in the morning and I was too tired to be impolite. So I hugged him. The effect was immediate and shocking. I could feel the heat he was emanating, as it wrapped around me, mingling with my own. He actually hugged me as if there was something he couldn’t say but could only express. The hug lasted longer than I’d have thought it could ten minutes before. His hands were actually moving up and down my back, slowly. The smell of the atmosphere was intoxicating. His hands seem to tighten as the minute’s passed, my body was on fire with sensitivity, feeling his every movement. He shifted, drawing me closer. It was truly the most sensual moment in my life. I was beginning to wonder if this was more than friendship we were contracting. He leaned back, his arms un-circling my waist slower than they should have. I looked up to see the expression on his face. What would you call it? Shock? Anger? Wonder? I couldn’t tell for sure. This inevitable led to my panic.

“Well…”

The words weren’t coming easily.

“I’d better go.”

I let him, mostly because I couldn’t understand what had just happened a few second ago. That hug had been more than a hug, more than physical. But why, I didn’t know. Justin had had numerous girlfriends and was like my half older brother. It just seemed weird that there was anything other than friendship between us. I stood there in my bathrobe thinking over what had just happened until the phone rang.

“Hello?”

It was Linda.

“Hi, it’s me. I’m in front of the house waiting. What’s keeping you?”

“This is a surprise, what’s the occasion again?”

“Hank is on a business trip which means that he wont be going to the bank and checking how much money I’ve spent.”

By the time I got out to the car the shock of Justin’s visit had expired. Linda was tapping away on her car’s navigator, loading the shopping program we had put in. It was a complete tour of all the shopping malls within Oceanna, including designer store complexes, the best place to buy groceries, the cheapest movie rentals, stuff like that. The screen showed the list of all our favorite shops. Linda turned to me.

“Fags first.”

I stuck out my tongue, then turned and punched in all my favorites including a large grocery store with enough to tide me over. I had already cashed the check and put most of it in the safe that resided in the basement. Linda then added where she wanted to go. Form then on the car would give instructions of how to get there the quickest way.

“So, are you planning to buy anything expensive today?”

I had forgotten to get the money out of the safe upstairs.

“By the way, what was up with all those jeeps outside of your house before you came out? They weren’t robbing you, were they?”

“Well, one of my…friends, Justin came over to tell me something.”

“That’s it?”

“Well no, he kind of hugged me long enough for me to develop a crush on him somewhere in the middle of the discussion that I think centered on the fact that we were newfound friends.”

First we went to the accountants office for me to leave my name and number then Linda pulled into the parking space of our real first destination: The Designer Complex, which hosted names like de la Renta, Gucci, Prada, Louis Vuitton, ect. This was mostly Linda’s heaven whereas I only possessed a few designer cloths. As far as I was concerned Club Monaco was as couture as I was ever likely to get. Not that I didn’t have an interest in fashion. In that respect I fell perfectly into the gay stereotype. I loved dressing up; I just never bought anything because it was all so addictive. Linda almost walked into the door of the Prada boutique as we continued to discuses the details of the morning.

“So, you like him?”

“Not necessarily. It’s more that he’s the first guy who’s actually, you know, activated me.”

“Did he press a button?”

I glared at her through the silk fabric of a blouse she was holding in front of her face.

“No he did not press a button…I think it was more like a trigger. You know like when your subconscious suddenly takes revenge on your conscious by revealing the repressed memory at the exact wrong moment.”

“Wow, you acutely entered your guy phase! This is so great.”

“I have not. He simply got to me first. It could have as easily have been some hot chick to pull the trigger.”

“Riiiight.”

I gave her another glare.

“Are you sure that this has anything to do with you?”

She blanched.

“Of course it does! If you go into PMS Aries, who do you think is the one who is going to have to drive you to the hospital for the surgery? Now we should start on you. Look around and tell me what you like cause I’m not letting you spend anything today lest it be for food. I’m going to the cabins.”

She headed off as I went to the men’s department upstairs. Looking around, I thought about what Linda had said. A guy phase, huh? Could this get anymore inconvenient? I don’t think so! Oh, cute hat! Ok, never again. Someone tapped my shoulder. I turned around to see one of the helpers.

“The lady who just went to the cabins downstairs said that you might be in need of assistance?”

“Well…”

She suddenly started dumping cloths on me. I was almost about to fall over under the weight when Linda returned, pilled with shopping bags. She gave them to the helper and sent her back to her desk.

“Now Aries, what are you going for?”

“Concealment, plain and simple. Invisibility is the key.”

“Why not make a statement?”

“What on earth do you mean?”

“Well, you just came out. Change everything and see what happens. Remember it’s all about the visual when it comes to shocking the hell out of people who you’d like to see covered in sludge.”

“You sound like the general media.”

“That’s irrelevant. Now, pick up what you like and go to the cabins. Try to stun. And work with your gorgeous new hair.”

I went to the cabins and thought about what would stun Linda. Then as usual I guessed and checked against the mirror in my stall until I sure that I liked it. Yu could never predict Linda when it came to fashion, especially when in a store. I walked out in a pair of black jeans, a with long sleeve white shirt that was almost see though, a black vest and my favorite black jean hat with a leather belt around it that I think complemented my hair. I think. Linda looked up.

“Oh my god!”

“That bad huh?”

“Are you kidding me? God, if you weren’t gay and my best friend, I’d have to shag you myself. Wait a minute.”

She walked up and lifted up the white shirt.

“When in the great span of time that we’ve been apart did you obtain a gorgeous body like that?”

She poked me in the stomach. I had absolutely no idea what she was talking about. She lifted my shirt up again.

“Since when does your team get all the decent players? I must be older that I thought.”

We spent the rest of the day dressing each other at all of our favorite stores. Linda didn’t let me pay for anything, though I tried to. She said it was to cheer me up due to my extreme circumstances. I couldn’t do any thing but stand there in shock. We then went to the spa next door to set up an appointment for Linda and get me “treated.” As far as I could tell they gave me a facial and a skin care cycle package, which involved rubbing many different types of lotion into as much of me as they could see. Then we went back to Linda’s for a sleepover. Popcorn, movies, and the whole thousand yards. It was our first since my parents didn’t think it would be advisable. The next day I woke up so late there was no point getting out of bed so we waited for Thursday specials and relaxed some more. It was like the perfect weekend in the middle of the week. The next morning I woke up early enough to get some breakfast and chose my cloths for the day, freshly ironed by Linda’s maid Wanda. Then it was off to school.