Here by My Side- B/J AU series part 1/10

[guavejuice]

Banner made by urugwajThank you SO much!!



Author:guavejuice
Pairing:Brian/Justin
Justin's POV
Beta:Kim predec2 Can't thank you enough!!
A/N:This is NOT a WIP
Disclaimer:I own nothing but this story.
Comments are love.

Part 1


-Justin's parent's home, Pittsburgh PA, Late February-

"I'm sending him away!" I keep hearing his dry, piercing voice in my head. A shiver runs down my spine, and I know it's not just because I'm sitting on my window ledge with the window wide open, letting the cold winter air in.

I sit with my back to the window frame, my legs hanging loose against the red brick wall which adorns the façade of my parents’ house. Shit! I take one last drag from my joint and stub its end into the ledge itself once it’s extinguished. It's ALL one fucking big façade, I think to myself.

The large, tall Elm tree’s branches in the backyard extend so high that I can nearly plant my feet on one. I imagine myself pulling one thick branch over and swinging onto it like Peter Pan as I slide down its strong, smooth trunk until I safely reach the ground. Once I'm there – I think to myself that I might have to be careful not to run too fast, or else I might slip or-worse – I risk making too much noise while the treads of my shoes would struggle to keep steady on the frozen ground. Fuck it! It's mid-February. The fucking snow and ice are supposed to start melting by now.

I can't wait for this fucking winter to be over. Once all those hetero, beer-chugging breeders and the jocks and Barbie doll prom queens of the Class of 2001 start getting ready for their fucking prom in May, I'll be done with this pathetic, homophobic, private school I've been attending since middle school, and I can finally break free. Break free from those narrow-minded people, from their hypocrisy and boredom, from the way they totally ignore you if you're not one of them and won't even look at you if you try to stand up to them and take your own path. But that's not even the worst part. The worst part is that I can't even be myself in my own parent's house.

I can't feel safe here. I can’t trust them. I can’t trust HIM. My own father. The man who wants to send me away.

It all started two days ago, the night I turned eighteen.


-Two days earlier-

"Pssst… Justin…" a familiar voice hissed at me from across the backyard. I lifted my head from the gay magazine that was resting on my knees as I sat in my favorite spot at the window that evening. Daphne, my next door neighbor and closest friend since we were in third grade, waves at me from her bedroom window just a few feet away. Only the large elm tree separates us.

"Come over," I urged her in a whisper. She winked at me, and without further ado she snaked her long, skinny legs one at a time from out from her window, grabbing onto a few branches of the old tree as she started to step across, carefully keeping her balance until she reached my window ledge. Just a couple more steps and she was landing in my bedroom, smiling brightly as if she'd just crossed the street to the mall. "I bet you wish someone else was here right now, so you could really celebrate your eighteenth birthday," she teased me.

I averted my eyes, embarrassed; sometimes Daphne knew me TOO well. "I have no idea what you're talking about, Daph," I hedged.

"Come on! You know who I'm talking about because YOU told me about him yourself! It's that guy…Chris," she replied, her eyes twinkling mischievously as she gave me a playful nudge with her shoulder.

"Shut up! I don't even know him! I just saw him practice on the football field at school," I tried to protest; but she knew better; she had the memory of a fucking elephant.

"Yeah, and you only drew his ass, like, fifty times in your sketch book during Mr. Henley's class today," she reminded me; yeah, Daphne and her damn photographic memory...

"I was bored. All Mr. Henley keeps talking about is that fucking Great Gatsby. I'm fed up with it," I groused. The fact is, though, that out of all my senior year classes the only ones that are remotely bearable are Mr. Henley’s English Lit class and Ms. Peterson's art class. Other than that, I don't even know how I survived in this fucking school for as long as I have.

"Well, anyway, he's got a great ass, if you ask me," Daphne pointed out, throwing herself ever so casually on my king size bed. Suddenly – before I could stop her – she reached over and grabbed the sketch pad I'd left there earlier and started to leaf through it.

"Put it down, Daph!" I told her, unable to hide the concern in my voice.

"Okay, okay, it's not like anyone else knows about…you know, about you being gay. I AM the only one in school you’ve shared it with, right?" she asked as she pulled herself up and moved over to sit beside me. "Or am I?" she asked quietly, apparently noticing how restless I’ve become.

"You know you are,” I assured her as she nodded. I sighed. “I don't know, Daph. I mean… It's not just about that. I feel like…I don't belong, you know? Fuck! It's my eighteenth birthday today! I know who I am, but I'm scared shitless of what other people might think," I admitted.

"And by other people you also mean your parents…" my long-time friend replied, wisely voicing my deepest concern.

"Exactly," I nodded glumly.

"I can only imagine what you're going through right now, Justin. I wish there was something more I could do to help you," she told me. "Listen, I’m sorry, but I’d better get back home. Will you be okay?"

I nodded, probably more to reassure her than me. "I’ll be all right,” I half-smiled at her as I revealed, “In fact, I’ve decided that tonight's going to be THE night.”

"You mean you're actually going to go to that club on…what was the name…Liberty Avenue?" Daphne asked, a little uncertain this time.

"Yeah,” I nodded, divulging, “Chris says he can get us both in with fake ID's, but don't you DARE let anyone know! Please, Daph!" I pleaded.

Daphne grinned. “So much for not knowing him,” she replied me with a smirk as my face grew warm. "So you and Chris are boyfriends now?"

I snorted. "Are you out of your fucking mind?" I smirked over at her as I explained, "I only gave him a couple of blow jobs in detention, that’s all.”

Daphne almost choked. "HE let you do that?" She asked, her mouth hung open.

"Let me? HE LOVED it!" I told her, unable to keep a little boasting out of my voice. "But he's too scared to admit to anyone how much he liked it. In fact, he's the one who said that if I keep quiet about what we did, he would fix us up with fake IDs so we could get into the clubs.”

"Did you two actually…kiss?" Daphne inquired with rapt attention.

"No! There's NO way I'm kissing him!” I lowered my voice as I tried to explain, “I'm…waiting until the right one comes along." She eyed me curiously as I attempted to make her understand why that was so important. But to my relief, she nodded with a soft smile as if she understood.

Her eyes grew wide as she noticed my small alarm clock on the nearby nightstand. "Oh, shit, look at the time! I’d better go now.” She leaned over toward me and gave me an affectionate peck on the cheek. “Good luck tonight, but be careful!" I nodded as she told me, “See you tomorrow in school," before turning around to head toward the window; in a few minutes, she had climbed back over the tree and stepped back into her own bedroom, giving me a quick wave and a smile before closing the window.

Pulling down the window shade a few minutes later, I shrugged off my sweatpants and sweat shirt, replacing it with a sleeveless, tight, dark blue top and a pair of tight, low-slung, fake black leather pants that had been tucked away in my wardrobe for quite some time. After pulling on my black leather, boot-leg boots, I slipped into my winter coat and quietly climbed out of my window. Carefully grabbing onto one of the larger branches of the Elm tree, I climbed down and quickly headed toward the back gate, eager to meet up with Chris at the street corner a few blocks away.


-A few hours later, after midnight-

Quietly closing the front door, I turned around, intending to creep up the steps undetected, when I jumped at the shadow of someone sitting silently in the living room. “What the fu…Dad, what are you doing up?” I inquired nervously, my heart thumping in my chest.

"I guess I should ask YOU the very same question, Justin," he answered with deadly calm, making me even MORE anxious.

Fuck! He knows. The thought pierced my mind like a blade. Why the fuck did I decide to use the key to the front door instead of returning the way I had come? Chris had warned me not to sneak back in this way when we had left the club, but I had done it anyway. Now I was afraid I was going to have to pay the price.

Fuck Chris right now. I didn't even care about him.

"Where have you been?" Dad demanded.

"At Daphne's…" I stammered desperately, trying to hide my fear.

"No, you were NOT. Your mom called Mrs. Chanders, and you were NOT there," he told me, his voice hard as steel. I could almost feel the anger simmering below the surface as he spoke.

"Dad, I'm tired, and it’s a school night,” I tried to use as an excuse, but my father wasn’t buying it.

"Is it now? Well, until you explain to me who the hell is Chris Hobbs and how the hell you two ended up at a…a GAY club tonight, you're NOT leaving your room except to go to school, do you hear me?"

My face paled, the darkness helping to hide my dismay. "There's…there’s nothing to explain…" I stuttered, falling into a self-preservation move, instead of trying to stand up for myself. How the fuck did he find out?

"It better be good, Justin," my father warned, his voice rising. I could just see well enough in the dark to watch him crossing his arms angrily as he faced me from across the room.

I remained still, unsure how to proceed without making things worse.

"Are you going to make me wait here all night?" he snapped. "Don't bother lying, though. The owner of the club already called me three hours ago to let me know you and your friend used fake IDs to get in!" he yelled at me as he walked closer. If I could see my father’s face more clearly at the moment, I was sure it would be beet red right now.

I couldn’t hold my own anger back any longer as I growled, “Oh, so that’s it? Tell me, Dad, I need to know…Which one makes you the angriest? The fact your son used a fake ID? Or the fact you just found out your son is gay?"

Before I could react to protect myself, my father hauled off and slapped me on the face with the palm of his hand, causing me to become off balance and fall face down onto the floor. Mom rushed downstairs in reaction to our argument, clearly startled as she flipped on the light and noticed me lying on the floor where I had fallen. "Craig!!" she screamed in horror as I struggled to sit up; it was obvious she had no idea what had happened to create such fury. She looked at my father with wild, shocked eyes, holding her breath and suppressing her own anger and disgust as she turned around and quickly headed to the kitchen, returning a minute later with a wet towel and some ice as she squatted down beside me to gently press the towel against my now-bruised face.

"It's okay, mom," I reassured her quietly as I gently took the towel from her hand. I rose to my feet and wiped my face, staring over at my father in abhorrence as I turned on my heels and walked towards the staircase. As I stiffly ascended the stairs, my father suddenly yelled out, “And just to make myself clear, Justin, you’re grounded!”

Closing my eyes briefly in extreme exhaustion and weariness, I reached the landing and turned left to head to my room. Closing the door behind me, I walked over to open the window, thankful that the joint Chris gave me when we were on our way to the club was still in the side pocket of my pants. I tried to control my shaking hands as I dug it out, lit it and took the first drag.

Fuck! I don't even LIKE this guy Chris. It's just that he’s the only gay guy in school. At least the only one I know of.

What a joke! I took a few more drags of the joint as I lay on the bed, feeling horny as hell.

I could have allowed Chris to fuck me tonight. He sure as hell wanted to; I could feel it. Fuck, I sure as hell wanted to get laid for the first time on my eighteenth birthday, but I didn't want it to be with HIM...

"I'm sending him away!" my dad's sharp, anger-filled voice interrupted my thoughts as it clearly drifted upstairs, even with my door closed.

FUCK!

TBC…

Comments

[908718.livejournal.com]

Okay you got me intrigued I can't wait for more.

[guavejuice.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much for taking the time to read and comment. I really appreciate your supportive feedback. I'm thrilled to know you found the first chapter intriguing.
More to come...

[techgirl-on-ij.livejournal.com]

Very interesting start! Judging from the beautiful banner it looks like Craig will actually send him away and he'll have a great time there :)

[guavejuice.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much for taking the time to read and comment dear techi. You know how much I appreciate your supportive feedback. Justin would be sent away to military school, I can say that...
There'll be more to come.
And yes the banner is beautiful <3
*hugs*

[har2.livejournal.com]

Wow! Craig is a real asshole in this story for sure!

[guavejuice.livejournal.com]

Craig was a real asshole indeed *sigh*
Thank you so much for taking the time to read and comment. I really appreciate your super supportive feedback.
More to come...

[yumyumpm.livejournal.com]

Wow. This is unusual. I'm gonna enjoy reading every chapter!

[guavejuice.livejournal.com]

Thank you SO much for your supper supportive feedback. It means so much to me. So thrilled you enjoyed the first chapter.
More to come...

[hikinggirl70.livejournal.com]

That was a good start. Can't wait to read the next chapter.

[guavejuice.livejournal.com]

Thank you SO much for taking the time to read and comment. Your supportive feedback means a lot to me :) So thrilled to know you enjoyed the first chapter.
More to come...

[landlady-4rent.livejournal.com]

WOW, V.
It's been a long time since I've read anything on LJ. This is the first fic I've come across. I totally forgot what a wonderful writer you are. Loved this chapter. Hugs!

[guavejuice.livejournal.com]

Aww... I'm deeply touched that you took the time to read and leave such a heartfelt supportive feedback dear Annie. I feel so humbled. It means so much to me.
Thrilled to know you enjoyed this chapter. It would be lovely to see you here more often. I know how comforting LJ can be *sigh*
*hugs you back*