Foster: A Serial Drama

Chapter One: Senior Year

by Chance Fuerstinger

 

Trevor listened to the methodical humming of the engine as the bus turned into the school parking lot, his eyes closed. The rest of his classmates were quiet, all of them still too exhausted, unaccustomed to the early morning hours that the start-of-school brought upon them. The bus creaked to a halt, and the door opened with the sound of expelling air. Trevor waited for the rest of them to traipse off lethargically before he began to move.

The atmosphere inside the school was much more cheerful than it had been on the bus. Now that friends were reuniting, they were all fervently whispering to one another, sharing their summer adventures and already beginning to gossip about their peers.

Trevor’s stomach did a somersault when he saw Jack’s face bobbing through the sea of students.

“Hey, bro!” Jack said, slapping Trevor on the back and pulling him into a tight embrace.

“Hey,” Trevor said.

He and Jack had become best friends in kindergarten and they had practically been inseparable ever since. Trevor spent most of the summer at Jack’s house, a sanctuary from either of his own parents, ten years divorced.

Jack, alone, had been by his side through some of the hardest times in his life. The divorce, his mother’s drug abuse and subsequent rehab, his father’s remarriage to a woman who was, there was no other word for it, a horrible bitch. He had even encouraged Trevor to seek counselling for depression. Jack was always there for him. But there was one thing that Trevor was too afraid to tell even him.

Trevor was gay, and he feared that his best friend would abandon him if he told him. And then he would have no one. Well, he would still have Sarah. But that was different. Sarah had coaxed the truth out of him a couple of years ago with a mixture of booze and incessant prodding. Despite Sarah’s reassurance, Trevor was certain that his best friend would abandon him if he ever learned the truth.

He smiled now as Jack recounted his trip to Italy, which he had just returned from the night previous. He tried to pay attention, but he lost himself in Jack’s smirk; the smirk that he always wore whenever he was the center of attention. He laughed at the punchline to a joke that he had not heard. But Jack beamed with satisfaction nevertheless.

And then Rachel emerged, leaping onto Jack’s back and wrapping her scrawny arms around his neck. Jack grabbed a hold of her and whirled her around.

Trevor’s stomach sank as he watched him kissing Rachel.

“So, what class you got first?” Trevor asked. When it became clear that Jack hadn’t heard him, he cleared his throat.

“Huh?” Jack said, breaking away from his tongue battle. “Sorry, bro.”

“I said what class have you got first?”

“Uh…” Jack said, digging in his backpack. He pulled out his schedule and examined it. “Government. Ugh… First period?!”

“Me too, babe!” squealed Rachel.

“What about you, bro?”

“French,” Trevor said glumly.

The bell rang and they went their separate ways. The classroom was empty when he got there. He picked a desk in the back corner and started rummaging around in his backpack.

“Well, well, what’s up, queer bait?” said a deep voice.

Trevor looked up and his heart stopped.

Tommy Dean, starting running back for their high school football team and Trevor’s nightmare for the past six years, was standing in the doorway, wearing a malicious smile.

“You have a good summer, sucking dick?” Tommy asked, coming to sit next to him.

“N…No,” Trevor muttered.

“No? Didn’t get enough? Hahaha! Nah, I’m just fuckin’ with you, queer bait. We’re gonna have fun this year, me and you.”

He said it with malice in his voice, and Trevor knew that this was going to be anything but a good year.

 

Foster will continue in next month’s edition…

Chance at life

By Mikea Hargrove
Jake and Bradly were young, some might say too young, to fall in love. But that’s just what they did. Jake was tall, rugged and very straight looking, kind of the bro type. He was the perfect fit for tall, dark, and handsome. He was twenty one and had never been with a man before let alone kiss one. Bradly on the other hand was a little older at twenty three and he has been out and proud since middle school. He was a little on the short side at 5 foot 6 but was exceptionally cute with short blond hair.
The day they met was a crazy snow filled blizzard of a day. It was early November and it was too early for snow, but miss nature has really never cared about what her inhabitants thought was or was not too early for snow. The coffee shop was filled with patrons trying to escape the bitterness of the cold weather. Inside it was warm and cozy with the smell of fresh ground coffee and vanilla. Jake was sitting at a table in the corner, facing the door. He was wearing his big heavy coat and drinking straight black coffee, no cream, no sugar, and an ice cube to cool it off. He was having a day that could be called a day from hell, if it froze over and gave birth to Monday, It was a bad morning without a doubt, with the car breaking down, and forgetting his phone. He also forgot his wallet and was already 2 hours late for work. Could it get worse? Of course it could but it didn’t because this is the moment he saw Bradly.
Bradly walked in to the coffee shop with a great big smile, he walked up to the counter and ordered three drinks two were complicated tall yadda, yaddas with no foam and something mixed in but not until something else. Then Bradly ordered his own coffee, simple, easy and wouldn’t you know it, it was the same as Jakes, minus the ice cube. Jake overheard his order when he walked over to toss his cup in the recycle bin. Jake said “glad to see that someone else enjoys simple straight back coffee too” he stuck out his hand “Hi I’m Jake” Bradly did the same “ Hi I’m Bradly, crazy weather were having huh” “Yea” Jake said “care to sit with me for a few minutes while you wait for your coffees” “ That would be Great, thank you” Bradly said.
Simplicity has its advantages, Jake and Bradly sat for a few minutes, until Bradly’s coffees were done. Neither of them knew it at that moment but they made a connection, not just an acquaintance, but a real connection. The unfortunate day brought a real possibility, but both guys were shy and could have let this opportunity slip by. Thank goodness for quick thinking and a little bravery, Bradly asked “would you like to meet for coffee again some time, I really enjoyed this past few minutes, and kind of wish I didn’t have to go, but work calls and the bosses coffee is getting cold” “I really would” Jake said “But I forgot my phone at home, but I would be glad to write your number down” Bradly wrote it on a napkin and gave it to Jake. Jake smiled and said “thanks I will text you when I can” Bradly thought, l hope he does and walked out the door.
Bradly has been single for a long time, he finds it difficult to connect with the right kind of guys. They seem to only want just one thing, and we all know what that is. Or they are just seem interested, for a week and then just stop texting. It’s aggravating and makes you feel like your missing something. Jake has many of the same struggles but he has one more, he has never allowed himself the freedom to be who he really is. His family is over bearing and critical. Later that evening when Jake got home, he got to thinking about his life and how he feels.
He decided to make a change and stop living for others. He is who he is inside and he no longer wants to hide it from the world. At that moment he knew what he had to do. With one phone call he changed his path of denial and frustration, to something a little less common. He finally told his parents and his friends who he is, and that it should not change anything. Truth be told, it does change things, it gives you the strength to live free. Some people may not like it but, at the end of the day it’s your life not theirs.
After some tears and a tough conversation Jake felt a lot better. Life will be different from now on. It may be hard to live the life he wants at first, but it will be on his terms. He sat back and smiled for a moment, reflecting on the day. Things in life can seem really bad, but changing the bad things can also give you a new prospective. He reaches in his pocket and finds the napkin from the coffee shop with Bradly’s number written on it. With a smile he texts “hey it’s Jake”.