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Aim the Cod....fish
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Aimee
(new)
Feb 08, 2014 08:23PM
For Aimee and Cody. I like strange names for topics.
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Strange names make more interesting! Full Name: Jacob Powell
Aliases/Nicknames (if any): Jake
Age/Date of Birth: 17
Grade: Senior
Sex: Male
Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity: Gay, but he is still in the closet and is known to the world as straight.
Appearance:
At an average height of 5'11" with typical dark hair, you would think Jake would blend in with the crowd. However with a mole on his left cheek and a rock solid body (from years of conditioning in baseball), Jake is regarded as one of the best looking guys in school.
Height: 5'11"
Weight: 145lbs.
Eyes: Brown eyes
Hair: short, cropped black hair.
Tattoos, Piercings, Marks, Scars, etc.: He has no current tattoos or piercings, his family's strict background has prevented him from getting any thud far in his life.
Personality: Jake is often known as the fun guy at the party. With witty humor and a love for cheesy jokes, he is surrounded with laughter. Jake naturally gravitates to the center of attention when in a small crowd, though if too many people join in he shies away to the side. With a fear of vulnerability, Jake often keeps things light and avoids topics involving his feelings and emotions.
History: Jacob grew up in a small town and was the star of the baseball field. He glided through high school at the top of the food chain. Though he wasn't the king of the castle, he was among royalty. His parents are devout Christians and he was required to attend church services every Sunday, without any exceptions. Due to his strict upbringing he has a desire to break out and rebel. Maybe that's why he can't get images of kissing boys out of his head. Struggling to define who he is on the inside has lead him to party often. Rather than confront his feelings for boys head on, he'd rather get drunk, crack jokes, and push away anyone trying to get him to reveal his most personal thoughts. Though he appears happy and joyous on the outside, he is hopeless and burdened on the inside.
Serious Problems/Flaws/Addictions/Disorders/Disabilities: Jake's biggest problem is confronting his homosexual desires, and how these desires push him to self-hatred and depression. He often turns to a wild party to cover his hatred with partying as much as possible.
Likes: Baseball, rock music (Theory of a Deadman, Evanescence, Apocalyptica, Three Days Grace, ect.) partying, writing in his journal, studying dreams
Dislikes: reading (he is dyslexic), pop music, deep conversations, public speaking
Relationship History: He dated a girl for a long time since 9th grade. He never truly had a spark with her, but his friends were dating and she was popular, so the relationship began. Then things became comfortable and he settled with her for 3 years before she finally called it quits, as she decided it wasn't working and she wanted more. Having a steady girlfriend was an easy way for him to distract himself from his desires for other guys. He hasn't been in a serious relationship since. He has tried hooking up with girls in hopes to rid his homosexuals desires. He also has hooked up with a few guys in moments of weakness, and regretted them immediately after and cut all ties with these people. He didn't bother remembering their names, in hopes of removing the memories from his mind completely.
Family: Richard and Lydia Powell, mother & father. His father is a doctor and his mother is a housewife and are strict Christians with old fashioned values.
Pet(s) A Himalayan cat named Socks.
Sports Baseball
This is the character I have & full info. Unless you prefer someone else
[[you came prepared... Give me a second to make on myself. Oh, I like him.]]
I've always gone above and beyond with things I love! Lol
Name: Ralf SochNicknames: none
Age: 16
Sex: Male
Sexual Orientation: Openly Gay
Appearance: [[can't find pictures]]
He's very 'normal', except for his height which he usually gets attention for. He doesn't like to stand out, but he does. He keeps his hair at a medium length. It's a sawdusty brown.
Height: 6'0"
Weight: 121lbs
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Brown
Personality: Ralf is usually very reclusive, especially in school. He hates to draw attention to himself. He always loved that his name usually meant that he could sit in the back when seated alphabetically. If asked his sexual orientation he'd answer gay, no questions asked. Everyone pretty much knows this and stays away from him.
History: Ralf has a very supporting family that doesn't really care that he's gay. They only want the best for him. When he told them, neither freaked, rather they were happy that he accepted himself. Despite being gay, he is a devout Jew. In his Temple he's accepted as gay and no one bothers him. Although he's surrounded by people who accept him, he's often bullied and harassed.
Jake walked through the hall to his locker, his back pack slung over his shoulder. He gave a few high fives out to fellow classmates. He wasn't the most popular guy in school, but he was friends with the popular kids. He spun the wheel of his combination and tossed his backpack inside. He noticed his ex-girlfriend, most people called her Dakota, he referred to her as "Psycho." He buried his face in his locker in attempt to avoid her. This time he was successful as she slipped past him. She sighed in relief and grabbed his books for his next class. Math. His worst subject. He dreaded this class. It would be the reason he was kicked off the team. I slid into a seat near the back of the room, he didn't want Mr. Cruz to call him to the board to work out a problem. He flipped open his book and searched for a pen, but couldn't locate one.
Ralf headed to class as usual. Some nasty remarks could be heard as he passed by a group of people. He always kept to himself and never really talked. With books in hand he headed to calculus AP. As he did someone checked him into the lockers. With a thud, Ralf hit the metal and fell to the floor. A jock walked away saying, "Faggot". Ralf picked himself up and continued to class. It didn't bother him too much. He took his seat in the back of the class and sat barely listening. Last night, Ralf had finished reading the calc AP text book and could do whatever problem the teacher threw at him. After class Mr. Cruz approached him and said, "Ralf, I have a student who needs help. I suggested you since you are so good in algebra." Ralf just nodded. Usually, Mr. Cruz set him up with a dumb girl to tutor. Too often they weren't interested, but he found different methods to get through their skulls. "He'll meet you after school in the library. His name's Jake." Great a guy Ralf nodded 'yes' and continued to his next class.
[[I thought this would be a good way to get them together.]]
Jake groaned as Mr. Cruz spoke the word. Tutor. He didn't want to waste his afternoon with some girl batting her lashes at him as he failed to do basic math. He begged Mr. Cruz for any other option, but he refused. "You need help outside of the classroom. I've asked Ralf Soch to help you out." His mouth dropped. The gay kid? He was going to be tutored by the gay kid? He could hear his best friend, Mikey, now. Some snide comment no doubt. No, no one would know about it.
After school he headed to the library in search of Ralf.
Ralf was sitting at a table with a book. Although he classified himself as a math geek, he was a sucker for a good story. Without raising his eyes, Ralf saw Jake wander around the library. He purposely took a seat in the most obscure table. Assuming that Jake didn't ant this any more than he did, Ralf took the cutesy to make their meeting as discrete as possible. He sat waiting for Jake to find the table. As he watched Jake from the corner of his eye, Ralf noted that he wasn't half bad looking, but not his type. Anyways, Ralf looked at his watch and took note of the time; 3:15. They would be there until 4:30ish depending on how much Jake could actually learn.
Jake finally noticed him in the corner. Good, no one would notice. He slid into the seat across from the boy, and he looked him over. He knew of Ralf, he was the "gay kid," but Jake never really looked at him. Damn he was tall. "So, should we get started?" He flipped open his book, and pulled a candy bar out if his bag. He broke off a piece of chocolate and offered Ralf some. "Want some?"
"No thanks," Ralf replied. He didn't like sweets very much. In reality he could even say he hated them, but that would be taking it a bit far. Ralf exhaled slightly as he marked his book. "What are you having trouble with?" He expected something like 'everything' from this kid, but then again who was he to make quick judgments. Ralf remembered Algebra. He took it in his freshman year, but they transferred him out after he aced the final on the second day of classes.
Jake shrugged and popped the chocolate into his mouth. He didn't know where to begin with his problems in math. He had a basic concept of what he needed to do. It was ordering the steps that needed to take place that he struggled with."I get the basic math, adding and subtracting. But when they throw in the letters and and parenthesis my head spins and I have nowhere to begin."
He looked up at Ralf and noticed his lips. They looked soft. He wondered what it would be like to kiss them. He shook the thought away immediately. He couldn't deal with this again. The thought of kissing boys.
Oh crap. He spaced out on everything for five minutes.
Ralf slid over next to Jake to get a better look at the problems. They were quite simple honestly, but than again this was a jock. Ralf began to explain how to solve the problems, but found Jake spaced out. Honestly, what was wrong with this guy. Ralf looked at Jake and asked, "Jake are you even listening?" He propped his hand up and rested his head. "You guys are always so uninterested. What do I have to do to get your attention, undress?" Ralf didn't even notice his comment. He too was quite tired and wanted to go home. As he got a better look at Jake, Ralf had to say that the guy was quite handsome...
Jake opened his mouth then shut it then opened it again. He struggles to find a response. All he could think of was Ralf undressing, and he really didn't need to focus on that. He shook his head and groaned. "I'm sorry, it's not you. I just..I..l" he stammered around thinking of am excuse. He very well couldn't say that he was distracted because he was thinking about how soft Ralf's lips would be to kiss. That would be admitting he wanted to kiss a boy. It would mean he would have to address a real issue. One bigger than math, and that wasn't happening.
"I got to go. I'll see you tomorrow." He grabbed his book and left the boy sitting there.
Ralf expected as much. He stood allowing Jake to pass. As usual, his tutoring business ended in disaster. After thinking a bit, Ralf realized he should probably apologize. It was his fault after all. He got up from the table and followed Jake outside. Finding Jake in the shadow of the library, Ralf pulled him aside and said, "Dude, sorry about that. No harsh feelings." With that Ralf gave a slight smile and then began to walk away.
Jake was halfway across the parking lot when he felt someone grab his arm and pull him aside. He turned around to see Ralf. His blue eyes were sparkling in the light, like two bright pools of water. He listened to Ralf apologize and nodded in response and assured the not that they were cool before heading to practice. That night Jake couldn't sleep. He tossed and turned and did everything he could. When he closed his eyes all he could see we're two blue pools staring back at him and soft lips like rose petals. He cried as he tried to fight off the awful feeling his heart got everytime he thought of Ralf.
Ralf left Jake and walked home. He wasn't terribly far and besides he liked walking...for the most part. Of course there might be some homophobics but it was a nice day. As he walked, Ralf felt the cool breeze on his face. It was nice, until a car drove by. The driver threw something at him as they drove by. It was a brick. Ralf fell to the ground with his head throbbing. Through red vision, Ralf looked at the car. On the bumper was a sticker that confirmed they were part of the baseball team. After the car drove by, Ralf looked at the brick which read, 'D*ck Sucker'.Taking a deep breath, Ralf got up and continued home. When he got home his mother was calm despite the blood. She immideately ran for the first-aid kit. His father guided him to the sink. They fixed him up. There was a gash on the side of his face that would probably scar, but his mother wouldn't allow it. She, as a nurse, advised he stay home tomorrow, but Ralf objected. He wouldn't run from his problems. Instead he would go to school and show everyone that he couldn't be stopped.
Jake showed up to school next day with Mikey waiting for him at his locker, a smirk plastered on the boy's face. He hated that smirk, it was never followed by anything positive. He probably had some stupid comment about Dakota and her new boyfriend. He wasn't in the mood for his crap this morning. Mikey spilled out a story of how he seen "the faggot hitting on him," and they hit him in the head with a brick. "The bitch went down."
Rage filled Jake. How could they do that? Ralf didn't deserve that. No one deserved that. Without a thought, Jake punched Mikey in the jaw knowing the jerk to the ground. He looked down at him with anger and spat out, "The bitch went down," before heading into the bathroom to cool down.
In the bathroom Ralf was washing something off of his backpack. It was in spray paint. He didn't look up as Jake entered the room. He was too intent on washing the awful words off. Ralf had a bandaged taped to the side of his head where he was hit. His right eyebrow had a band-aid holding it together. Compared to the white sink, Ralf looked paler than usual. As he worked on getting the paint off, Ralf noticed Jake. Their eyes connected before Ralf went back to washing off his bag. "Get lost," he stated, "I'm not tutoring you any more."
Jake was washing his face when he heard someone come in. He looked up and seen Ralf. Damn, he looked rough. He regretted not kicking Mikey while he was on the ground for being such an asshole. He was about to tell Ralf he was sorry for the guys and that he punched Mikey over it when the boy said to get lost. Was he serious? He just punched his best friend in the jaw and risked getting benched and he was going to get lost? Today really wasn't going well at all.
He grabbed Ralf's arm before he could walk away. "Wait! I just punched Mikey in the face for what he did. I had nothing to do with it. Those guys are jerks, and I need your help with math."
Ralf was surprised by this sudden outburst. He bit the inside of his lip slightly as he wondered what this guy's problem was. "You don't want to be seen with a faggot so get lost!" Ralf tore his arm away from Jake's grasp. "Besides there are other tutors out there." He didn't really care what Jake had done nor did he want to. It was a Friday and he wasn't going to let this guy ruin it for him. Ralf continued, "You told your friends that I hit on you, so don't act like you weren't expecting this," Ralf gestured his face.He turned away and gathered his stuff. With long strides, Ralf headed towards the door. It would have been better if they had never met.
Jake groaned and punched the stall behind him. Life was so much simpler two days ago, before he met Ralf. He heard his name called over the intercom. Great. He walked into the office and seen Mikey sitting in front of the principal with a busted lip. He sat down as the principal proceeded to give him a full lecture and gave him a week of detention and he was suspended from the team for two weeks.
In detention he couldn't get the image of Ralf so busted up out of his head. He hated Mikey for doing that to him. And he hated Ralf for making him care. And he hate that Ralf thought he was involved. If anything, Ralf should have thanked him. He wrote Ralf a note, and deposited it in his locker later.
Ralf,
I didn't tell the guys you hit on me. I didn't know anything about what happened until I came to school and I punched the D-Bag for it. Don't hate me. Meet me in the library for tutoring.
Jake
He dropped the note off and waited at the back table at the library and hoped Ralf woul show up.
Ralf got the note and was conflicted about meeting Jake. Nevertheless he did. Ralf was sitting with a new book at the same table. It was about 3:30ish...Jake should be getting out of detention about now. Ralf kept his mind busy otherwise his thoughts would drift to Jake. Although Ralf didn't think Jake was a bad kid there was something about him that Ralf knew was off. The note was folded on the table next to a small stack of books. He finished the book he was reading and picked up the next one. This one was in French. It was a novel. Ralf loved the language and wanted to travel to France one day and go to the Eiffel Tower. As he read he could feel someone familiar in the library.
Jake walked into the library nervous. He hoped Ralf decided to show up. He sighed in relief when he seen the boy at their table. As he walked up he looked at the book in the boy's hand. Was that French? Who the heck reads in French? He approached the table cautiously and slid into his chair, and searched for the words he wanted to say. "I'm sorry for what happened. I had nothing to do with it. For what it's worth I defended you." The words kind of spilled out of his mouth. Was he going to apologize to him every time he seen him now? He hoped the guilt left him soon. It was bad enough he had to carry the other thoughts he had for the boy. He really can't handle guilt on top of everything else.
Ralf continued to read as he said, "Ne t'inquiète pas." [[Don't worry]]. He really didn't care that much anymore. When he first got the note he was furious, but then he calmed down and decided that Jake wasn't worth it. "I accept your apology, but I still don't want to tutor you. Besides you're hopeless, no offense." With that Ralf gave a slight smile and picked up his small pile of books. "If you'll excuse me I have to put these away," Ralf removed himself from the table the went over to the shelves to put the books back. He was relatively quick with his movements.
Jake closed his eyes and took a deep breath. His day just continually went downhill. He didn't know why it bothered him so much that Ralf wouldn't tutor him. There were lent of other people who would help him. Maybe it was because he couldn't get the color of his eyes out of his mind. He followed him as Ralf put up the books. "It's not my fault I can't focus. It's yours! If you would stay out of my head. I'd be able to do the work." The words were out of his mouth quicker than he could process what he was doing. He really wish he could just shut up and let it all go.
Ralf looked at Jake skeptically, "Get out of your head?" He smiled slightly as he continued in a low voice, "So you're gay? Haven't come out of the closet yet?" Ralf understood now why he didn't feel comfortable with Jake originally. He put back another book as he stated, "It's okay, I won't tell. But confessing your love would be a good start to our relationship." In all honesty, Ralf was joking around, but he really did find Jake attractive. Maybe one kiss wouldn't be that bad. When he looked back at Jake he could tell that he was still unsure. Ralf stopped what he was doing and turned to face Jake. "If you are unsure it's fine too. I assume you haven't kissed a guy yet," Ralf felt a twinge of compassion towards Jake as he stated, "tomorrow after school meet me in the park behind the school. It's not too far just up the hill behind the parking lot. No one goes there. If you show up, I'll let you kiss me. Then maybe you'll be able to figure out what you want." With that, Ralf left Jake and checked out a book and left.
Jake's mouth dropped open. What the hell had happened? Why couldn't he just keep his big mouth shut?He went home and he was thoroughly chewed out by his parents for getting into a fight at school. What would the church think of his behavior? That night Jake laid awake that night and thought about what could potentially happen if he met Ralf after school. He imagined how his lips would taste. He tried to shake the thoughts away, and tried talking himself out of what he was about to do the next day.
The next day Jake made sure to keep his breath fresh in case went through with it. After school Jake made his way past the parking lot, up the hill, and into the park and searched for Ralf. His heart beat hard and fast.
Ralf revealed himself from behind a tree. "So you really want to go through with it?" Ralf asked with a crooked smile. He wasn't dating anyone so he didn't have a big problem with kissing Jake. Besides, he was kind of cute. He stood in front of Jake now. Even from a distance he could smell the scent of peppermint on Jake's breath. He came prepared Ralf thought silently.It was a beautiful day. The sun peaked through the patches in clouds creating a slight overcast, but the air was warm. A cool breeze brushed across Ralf's face as he took in the day.
Jake looked anywhere but at Ralf. He wasn't sure why he was so nervous. Actually he wasn't sure why he was here. He held on to the straps of his backpack, and rocked on his feet. He looked around to make sure no one was near them. He wasn't quite sure what he was supposed to say. He settled with, "It's warm outside." Then silently cursed himself for being so awkward and nervous. It wasn't a big deal. Just a kiss it doesn't mean anything. A kiss is just two mouths connecting. Not a big deal. And it definitely didn't make him gay.
[[I am on a trip to Vegas for a few days, so I will reply when I can, they just may be a bit spread out.]]
[[No prob. I understand.]]Ralf could tell that Jake was unsure and nervous. He thought for a second and smiled. If this didn't work, oh well. Besides maybe it wouldn't be so bad. The guy wasn't half bad and plus he didn't seem mean or the one to make a big deal if it didn't work..Ralf stood face to face with Jake. For just a moment he wondered what would happen after. Would they avoid each other or maybe...get together. He really didn't want to think about the next few days. Instead he thought about this moment.
As Jake was fidgeting, Ralf gave up thinking and went for it. He leaned in and pushed his lips against Jake's. They were warm and soft. This wasn't his first kiss, but it felt like it. He didn't want to push it so after about three seconds, Ralf began to pull away.
Jake's heart stopped as he felt Ralf's lips against his. They were only there for a moment. Soft and sweet and pure, and now they were gone. He didn't care anymore about what was right or wrong. For that moment the only thing that mattered was the taste of Ralf's lips. Jake grabbed Ralf's shirt and pulled him against him. He leaned forward and kissed Ralf again, but he didn't want it to stop so abruptly this time. He left his lips on the other boy's for what felt like an eternity. It was the sweetest kiss he ever had. Finally he pulled away slowly and blushed.
"Wow."
Ralf was red. That was a good kiss. He really enjoyed it and wondered what Jake was thinking. Obviously he liked it, but...Ralf was somewhat confused as he gathered himself. "That was nice," he said softly wanting more. Ralf leaned his head on Jake's shoulder and stayed there. He was tired and felt safe in Jake's arms. As his head rested on Jake's shoulder, Ralf asked, "Do you want another?" This time Ralf wanted to go further, but a longer kiss would suffice. "Only," Ralf realized what he was saying and moved away, "Did you like it?" He needed to know what Jake was feeling. Not that it wasn't too obvious, but he needed to hear it from Jake.
Jake stayed still as Ralf rested on his shoulder. He hoped Ralf couldn't hear the pounding in his chest. He had kissed tons of girls and even kissed a couple guys, once or twice, but this kiss was different. It was electric and sweet. It was unlike any other. Jake looked at Ralf, his cheeks flushed. "Yeah, I think I did like it. I like kissing you." He stared at the other boy's pink lips and leaned in for another.
This kiss was more intense than the last one. His mouth moved against Ralf's, and he slid slid his tongue out and licked the other boy's lips before slipping it into Ralf's mouth. His tongue fought with Ralf's with control and he pulled Ralf closer against him, their body's squeezed tight against each other.
Ralf allowed Jake's tongue inside his mouth and gently fought back. He really loved the feeling he got from kissing this guy and wished it would never end. Leaning in forward, Ralf held Jake. His hands were firm around Jake's back as they proceeded to kiss. Jake wished that it would last forever, but sadly all things must come to an end.After a minute or two something rustled in the bushes. Ralf didn't want to break off the kiss if it was only an animal or something, but when he glanced over he found someone scrambling to get away. Immediately Ralf broke away from the kiss. He zeroed in on the kid and found him holding a camera. "B*stard!" Ralf cursed as he chased after the boy.
Jake loved kissing Ralf. It was new and exciting. It was territory he never searched before. He loved feeling the other boy's hands around him, gliding along his back. He rested his hands on the boy's waist as they kissed. Jake was so into the kiss, he didn't hear something in the leaves when Ralf shoved him off. Confused and high from the kiss, Jake stumble backwards and almost fell. Then he realized what happened at Ralf ran after someone cursing him.
Jake's head was spinning and he felt like he could throw up. If anyone found out what happened here, then he would be ruined. His heart beat hard in his chest, and he began to follow behind Ralf and screamed for the camera man to stop.
As Ralf got closer to the guy he saw in the distance the baseball team. They were in a group as if waiting for the camera guy. Ralf nearly tackled the camera guy, but instead fell into a team member. They pushed him off before looking at the pictures. Thinking quickly, Ralf blurted, "It's my fault. I forced him to." The baseball team looked at the various pictures as Jake was catching up."It looks like he liked it too," one member commented as he browsed the pictures. Ralf knew that Jake's life would practically be over if they found out...at least like this.
Continuing, Ralf got up close to the other boys and stated, "You would too," with a slick smile, "wanna taste?" Ralf would have kissed any one of them if only to protect Jake's identity. One player who was just as tall as he got in his face.
"Don't F*** with me faggot," he spat in Ralf's face. Without flinching Ralf spat back. That really got on his nerve. Jake had now caught up. Before Jake was within arms distance, a player grabbed Ralf and hit him several times in the abdomen. Ralf fell hard to the ground as another kicked him. Then they began to walk away. "Powell, you faggot, don't come to practice, or we'll beat the crap out of you," one stated before the group began to walk away.
Ralf said to Jake in a pained voice, "Leave them. Don't sink to their level. You already have detention. There's no need for you to get into more trouble." Ralf hoped that Jake would restrain himself.
Jake felt his entire world collapsing. Everything he worried had come true. The team new. The world would know. His family would find out and disown him. His life was ruined. When he finally caught up, he heard Ralf taking all the blame before the guys started punching him. Fury engulfed him. He wanted to beat the crap out if those jerks. But that wouldn't help his situation. He groaned in frustrating and kicked the dirt at his feet. Tears began to slide down his face.
He looked over at Ralf to see if he was okay. "Are you alright?" He spat the words out in anger, not at Ralf but at the guys and the kiss and the world. "I should've known better. I should've known not to do this. But I did. And I liked it, and now everyone will know." He rambled quickly out of panic, tears streamed down his face.
Ralf got up slowly and patted Jake on his head, "Get a hold of yourself." His voice was soft and caring, yet stern. Ralf didn't know how this would end, but he knew that getting upset about it would just make things worse. Ralf nearly picked Jake up and guided him over to his car. Although Ralf didn't want to cause any more trouble, he knew he couldn't just leave Jake there. Once in the car, Ralf began to drive to his house. His parents always knew what to do. When he got home he was greeted by his father who had come home early because of Shabbat dinner. Ralf exited the car and pulled Jake out as well. His father helped get Jake inside. His mother was worried and asked what happened.
"Some stupid homophobics. He's new to the gay thing, so he got hit pretty hard by the insults," Ralf explained. "I'm going to get cleaned up." Ralf looked at his parents and knew that things would be better now, or at least calmer. Ralf was followed upstairs by his father who looked extremely concerned.
"Are you alright?" He asked Ralf. With a slight nod Ralf said 'yes'. He wasn't going to fall apart, not now...he couldn't. As he began to undress to take a shower, his father got the first aid kit. Ralf was pretty beat up. In silence, Ralf's father began the shower and helped Ralf. "If you need anything we're here for you."
Jake sat down at Ralf's kitchen table, and accepted a glass of water from his mother. He barely spoke as Ralf drove him, tears continued to stream down his face. He played different scenarios over and over in his head of what was going to happen to him now. He imagined getting kicked off of the team, or forced to quit. He tried to think of what he was going to tell his parents. He had no excuses, and he assumed he wouldn't have a home soon.He sipped the water quietly, and looked up at Ralf's mom. He thanked her for helping him, and resumed back to being mute until Ralf got done showering. Jake knew that Ralf got beat pretty badly this time. He hoped he wasn't hurt too bad.
His world was crashing around him, and he was losing all control. Yet the only thing on his mind was the sweetest kiss he ever had.
Ralf smiled as he descended the stairs. "So mom, what'cha making?" He smiled despite the pain of moving. Although the shower helped, Ralf would still rather lay in bed. He probably would if Jake wasn't there. With a big smile he sat next to Jake and put an arm around him, "I'll be fine. Trust me. You can have dinner with us tonight, right mom?" As Ralf's mother continued with her cooking, she answered, "You're welcome to stay for dinner. We're having fish and vegetables. If you don't like that we can always get something else for you." She smiled sweetly hoping that Jake felt more comfortable in this house. Ralf's father smiled as he joined the conversation.
"You're welcome to stay as long as you need, Jake. Any friend of Ralf's is a friend of ours," Ralf's father explained. He was as tall as Ralf and they had the same hair, but Ralf's more delicate features came from his mother. The family smiled at Jake as if to convey the 'everything's going to be alright'.
Ralf could tell that Jake was busy thinking about the future and he added, "We can tell your parents together. There's no need for you to be alone."
"Fish sounds great. Thank you." Jake didn't really want to stay, but he couldn't go home either. He didn't know where to go or what to do. He felt so lost and empty. His world was coming to an end.He did like Ralf's arm around him though. He never had someone rest their arm around him before. He had only put his arm around a girl. He felt safe and comfortable. Jake couldn't believe Ralf's parents were so comfortable with it. His parents would never allow something like that in their house.
He then imagined the scenario of telling his parents. He imagined his mother's tears and praying and his father's rage and swearing. He wouldn't subject Ralf to that. It would be awful.
"I'm not sure if you coming with me is a good idea. I don't want you to see my parents if they go crazy. Or I should probably say when they go crazy."
Ralf looked into Jake's eyes and said, "You can't stop me from going with you." As he said this, Ralf looked at his parents as if asking for help. Ralf's father was the first to step up. It seemed like he understood both sides of the story when he spoke."I'll go with you. It'll be good to have another adult there." Ralf's father smiled to the two of them and continued, "Everything'll be alright. Now let's eat!" He turned around and picked up a few plates. Handing a plate to each of them, Ralf's father picked up a piece of fish and several spoonfuls of vegetables. Afterwards he took his seat at the head of the table.
Ralf and his mother followed his lead. There was an empty chair across from Ralf saved for Jake.
Jake nodded in response. It felt useless to argue back, and he did feel better now that Ralf's dad would be going with him. He took his seat across from Ralf and took his portion of food and placed it on his plate. He was so stressed from the day's events that he didn't realize how hungry he was.He mouthed "Thank you," to Ralf. He was so thankful for the boy. He had opened his eyes to a whole new world, and was helping him as his current world was falling to pieces. He slid his foot over and rubbed it softly against Ralf. He wanted to be as close to the other boy as possible, because it somehow made him feel so safe.
Ralf didn't do anything to stop Jake. His father smiled at the table and bowed his head, "Baruch atah Adonai Eloheinu Melech Ha o-lam, she hakol ni h'yeh bidvaro. May God bless this meal and those who partake in it. Alright DIG IN!" With that Ralf filled his fork and took a big bite. His father mimicked him while his mother elegantly ate her food. Ralf looked at Jake and continued to play footsie under the table.
Jake wasn't accustomed to the Jewish traditions, but followed along as best he could. He ate his food in silence, and when they were finished he thanked Ralf's mom. He wasn't ready to face his parents yet. He needed to gather himself first. "Can I talk to you in private?" He asked Ralf quietly. He really didn't want to put his insecurities on display in front of Ralf's parents, no matter how kind they had been to him.
Ralf looked at Jake and said, "Sure." Ralf led him into his room and locked the door. It was upstairs at the end of the hallway. To be honest it was quite seclusive given his age and stuff. Ralf took Jake to his bed and asked, "What's up?" Ralf could tell that this would probably be a serious talk and prepared himself for so.
