Chapter 4
Cassie was fretting. “I hope those two aren’t having a fight,” she remarked to Derek.
He glanced down at her. “They probably aren’t. Chad doesn’t like to fight; he gets all upset and starts crying if anybody yells at him. I can’t see Parker being able to keep yelling at him if he starts bawling, can you?”
She laughed reluctantly. “No, definitely not. Park would freak out if Chad starts crying. It’s just…I like them together, you know? I don’t want them to break up.”
“Yeah,” he agreed. “Chad’s pretty happy right now. It would suck if they broke up.”
Cassie smiled up at him. He cocked his head. “What?” he asked.
“You’re so cute. You can be a doofus sometimes, but your sweetness definitely makes up for that.”
Derek looked like he didn’t consider being called ‘cute’ and ‘sweet’ to be that great, even if it was his girlfriend saying it. She giggled at his expression. “But you’re also a manly man, Derek,” she told him with a twinkle in her eyes. “The way you kill enemies on Halo 3 really turns me on.”
He grimaced, knowing better than to get offended or outraged at her teasing. The few times he’d reacted that way had not gone well. Cassie in a snit was bad - and not getting any sex as a consequence was even worse! “I can’t help being a geek,” he said sullenly, looking away so that she couldn’t see his face.
He felt a small hand entwine with his own. “I know you can’t, babe. But I like that about you. You geeks really turn me on,” her voice had gone low and sultry, and Derek felt his body respond automatically. Especially when she pressed his hand significantly with her own. “Listen, Derek, I don’t want to just stand around here worrying about Chad and Parker…I need something to take my mind off of my worries. Do you have any suggestions on how to do that?”
The insinuation in her voice wasn’t lost even on someone as clueless as he was. “Umm…” he began, clearing his throat, “We could…”
“Go up to our room so you can show me your lightsaber, Jedi Master?” she asked, and he nodded swiftly and kept his mouth shut so that he wouldn’t end up blowing this by saying something stupid.
“Great, let’s go. You know, I brought my slave girl costume too, just in case I felt like wearing it again this year. Would you like me to try it on and give you a private show?”
Would he ever! Derek was practically drooling down the front of his Jedi robes now. “Come on, Obi Wan. I’ll show you how to REALLY use the Force…” Cassie remarked as she hauled her willing boyfriend away from the display booth they were standing near and away toward the elevators in the lobby.
Chad walked out of the elevator and stood there in the lobby feeling a little dazed - but very, very good. Parker had enjoined him to go downstairs and get them a table at the restaurant so that they could eat dinner together. He himself was taking a long shower, and would join Chad in a little while. While Chad would have liked to have joined him in said shower, he also knew how long it could take to get a table when the convention center was full because of the Con. So he’d just done a quick scrub and had gotten dressed, and was now on his way to the restaurant.
He was practically dancing as he walked across the lobby - or as close as someone as stork-like and uncoordinated as he was could manage, anyway. Parker loved him! And he loved Parker, and they were moving in together! He’d felt such dread when Parker had dragged him off to their room almost an hour ago - he’d been sure that his boyfriend was going to dump him. He didn’t know how he would have stood that. Even the thought of it made him break out in a cold sweat. But instead, Parker had given him a lecture about his behavior, but had then reassured him totally about his feelings in a way that Chad couldn’t refute. Not that he wanted to, anyway. The knowledge that Parker Jones loved him was a warmth in his chest and belly that wouldn’t burn down for a very long time to come.
“Well, well…what have we here?” a voice sneered off to his left.
Chad froze, then turned his head with a feeling of dread overtaking him. A(by now) familiar figure was standing there with a hand on one hip, eyeing Chad with a look of faint contempt on his face. Jaime Gutterman shook his multi-colored dyed head. “Is Parker still slumming? Or did he come to his senses and dump you like last week’s garbage?”
He couldn’t move for a moment. But then a surge of outrage and anger streaked through him, and he reminded himself sharply that Parker Jones loved him. Chad turned on Jamie, his eyes glittering with anger as he spoke: “We’re still together, if that’s what you’re asking. Parker loves me, and I love him. And he’s not slumming! I may be a geek, but that doesn’t make me any less of a person! Sure, Parker is awesome, but you know what…SO AM I!”
Jamie just stared at him after this outburst, then he laughed derisively. “You just keep telling yourself that, honey,” he aid with a contemptuous wave of his hand at a fuming Chad.
“I will! And you know what…I’m pretty sure that I’m a better person than some guy who has to come to Cons to sleep with guys he thinks are losers, just so that they’ll buy him stuff! They have words for people like that, and none of them are complimentary! I may only be a geek, but at least I’m not a hooker!”
Jamie looked taken aback by this vehement statement. “You don’t know what you’re talking about,” he began weakly.
“Oh? You mean you don’t sleep with guys just so that they’ll buy you stuff? That you don’t come to these Cons just to find guys to sleep with for money and other stuff? That you like everybody you get into bed with? Because if any of that’s true, it not only makes you pathetic it also makes you a male prostitute,” Chad went on relentlessly.
Jamie’s mouth opened, but no sound was coming out. Chad ruthlessly nailed home his point, even though he felt a twinge of shame at doing so: “You must really hate yourself a lot to sleep with guys you think are total losers and garbage,” he said. “Because if they’re garbage, you’re worse than they are for sleeping with them to get money! You’re lower than the lowest geek at this Con! And that’s just sad. You’re sad,” he added, shaking his head pityingly. “Really sad.”
Jamie looked stunned. He stood there for a moment, then to Chad’s shock his face crumpled and he burst into tears. He stood there sobbing while Chad felt so horrible that he just wanted to sink into the floor. He’d never made anyone cry before! He bit at his lip. “Jamie…” he began, trying somehow to undo the damage that he’d done.
“Shut up! I hate you!” Jamie wailed, then dashed away, still crying, across the lobby before Chad could stop him. He stood there for a moment with this shoulders slumped, then trailed always disconsolately toward restaurant. Not that he felt much like eating at the moment…
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Cassie was fretting. “I hope those two aren’t having a fight,” she remarked to Derek.
He glanced down at her. “They probably aren’t. Chad doesn’t like to fight; he gets all upset and starts crying if anybody yells at him. I can’t see Parker being able to keep yelling at him if he starts bawling, can you?”
She laughed reluctantly. “No, definitely not. Park would freak out if Chad starts crying. It’s just…I like them together, you know? I don’t want them to break up.”
“Yeah,” he agreed. “Chad’s pretty happy right now. It would suck if they broke up.”
Cassie smiled up at him. He cocked his head. “What?” he asked.
“You’re so cute. You can be a doofus sometimes, but your sweetness definitely makes up for that.”
Derek looked like he didn’t consider being called ‘cute’ and ‘sweet’ to be that great, even if it was his girlfriend saying it. She giggled at his expression. “But you’re also a manly man, Derek,” she told him with a twinkle in her eyes. “The way you kill enemies on Halo 3 really turns me on.”
He grimaced, knowing better than to get offended or outraged at her teasing. The few times he’d reacted that way had not gone well. Cassie in a snit was bad - and not getting any sex as a consequence was even worse! “I can’t help being a geek,” he said sullenly, looking away so that she couldn’t see his face.
He felt a small hand entwine with his own. “I know you can’t, babe. But I like that about you. You geeks really turn me on,” her voice had gone low and sultry, and Derek felt his body respond automatically. Especially when she pressed his hand significantly with her own. “Listen, Derek, I don’t want to just stand around here worrying about Chad and Parker…I need something to take my mind off of my worries. Do you have any suggestions on how to do that?”
The insinuation in her voice wasn’t lost even on someone as clueless as he was. “Umm…” he began, clearing his throat, “We could…”
“Go up to our room so you can show me your lightsaber, Jedi Master?” she asked, and he nodded swiftly and kept his mouth shut so that he wouldn’t end up blowing this by saying something stupid.
“Great, let’s go. You know, I brought my slave girl costume too, just in case I felt like wearing it again this year. Would you like me to try it on and give you a private show?”
Would he ever! Derek was practically drooling down the front of his Jedi robes now. “Come on, Obi Wan. I’ll show you how to REALLY use the Force…” Cassie remarked as she hauled her willing boyfriend away from the display booth they were standing near and away toward the elevators in the lobby.
Chad walked out of the elevator and stood there in the lobby feeling a little dazed - but very, very good. Parker had enjoined him to go downstairs and get them a table at the restaurant so that they could eat dinner together. He himself was taking a long shower, and would join Chad in a little while. While Chad would have liked to have joined him in said shower, he also knew how long it could take to get a table when the convention center was full because of the Con. So he’d just done a quick scrub and had gotten dressed, and was now on his way to the restaurant.
He was practically dancing as he walked across the lobby - or as close as someone as stork-like and uncoordinated as he was could manage, anyway. Parker loved him! And he loved Parker, and they were moving in together! He’d felt such dread when Parker had dragged him off to their room almost an hour ago - he’d been sure that his boyfriend was going to dump him. He didn’t know how he would have stood that. Even the thought of it made him break out in a cold sweat. But instead, Parker had given him a lecture about his behavior, but had then reassured him totally about his feelings in a way that Chad couldn’t refute. Not that he wanted to, anyway. The knowledge that Parker Jones loved him was a warmth in his chest and belly that wouldn’t burn down for a very long time to come.
“Well, well…what have we here?” a voice sneered off to his left.
Chad froze, then turned his head with a feeling of dread overtaking him. A(by now) familiar figure was standing there with a hand on one hip, eyeing Chad with a look of faint contempt on his face. Jaime Gutterman shook his multi-colored dyed head. “Is Parker still slumming? Or did he come to his senses and dump you like last week’s garbage?”
He couldn’t move for a moment. But then a surge of outrage and anger streaked through him, and he reminded himself sharply that Parker Jones loved him. Chad turned on Jamie, his eyes glittering with anger as he spoke: “We’re still together, if that’s what you’re asking. Parker loves me, and I love him. And he’s not slumming! I may be a geek, but that doesn’t make me any less of a person! Sure, Parker is awesome, but you know what…SO AM I!”
Jamie just stared at him after this outburst, then he laughed derisively. “You just keep telling yourself that, honey,” he aid with a contemptuous wave of his hand at a fuming Chad.
“I will! And you know what…I’m pretty sure that I’m a better person than some guy who has to come to Cons to sleep with guys he thinks are losers, just so that they’ll buy him stuff! They have words for people like that, and none of them are complimentary! I may only be a geek, but at least I’m not a hooker!”
Jamie looked taken aback by this vehement statement. “You don’t know what you’re talking about,” he began weakly.
“Oh? You mean you don’t sleep with guys just so that they’ll buy you stuff? That you don’t come to these Cons just to find guys to sleep with for money and other stuff? That you like everybody you get into bed with? Because if any of that’s true, it not only makes you pathetic it also makes you a male prostitute,” Chad went on relentlessly.
Jamie’s mouth opened, but no sound was coming out. Chad ruthlessly nailed home his point, even though he felt a twinge of shame at doing so: “You must really hate yourself a lot to sleep with guys you think are total losers and garbage,” he said. “Because if they’re garbage, you’re worse than they are for sleeping with them to get money! You’re lower than the lowest geek at this Con! And that’s just sad. You’re sad,” he added, shaking his head pityingly. “Really sad.”
Jamie looked stunned. He stood there for a moment, then to Chad’s shock his face crumpled and he burst into tears. He stood there sobbing while Chad felt so horrible that he just wanted to sink into the floor. He’d never made anyone cry before! He bit at his lip. “Jamie…” he began, trying somehow to undo the damage that he’d done.
“Shut up! I hate you!” Jamie wailed, then dashed away, still crying, across the lobby before Chad could stop him. He stood there for a moment with this shoulders slumped, then trailed always disconsolately toward restaurant. Not that he felt much like eating at the moment…
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