CARTER'S SHADOW
Chapter 33 - By Christopher Patrick Lydon
West yawned as he woke up, groggily staring about him, feeling
his stiff muscles. How long had he been asleep? He glanced down at the ball-capped
head sleeping curled up against him, his head resting on West's chest. On
the other side of the couch, Sammy was sitting up watching Saturday morning
cartoons.
She looked over at him as he stirred, smiling before she turned
back to the television where some princess was discovering her prince. West
yawned and scratched his head, gently lifting Peter off of him, so as to let
him keep sleeping. Laying a large pillow in his place he stood and stretched.
"Are Mum and Dad back yet?" West asked, glancing out
of the window on the Saturday morning, and the notably absent truck outside.
It was still raining heavily, the rain sluicing down from grey skies, and
West stood there a moment feeling his side ache as he stared, hoping that
his brother was all right.
He glanced back towards Peter, who had curled around the pillow
now, his breath hitching lightly as he slept. Sammy looked at him and reached
for one of her colouring markers.
"Sammy..." West warned in a low tone.
She looked up, the model of innocence, "What?"
"Leave him alone," he smiled. "Come on, I'll
make pancakes..."
"Can we have Eggos?" Sammy asked cheerfully, following
him through to the kitchen as West checked the fridge and fished out the box
of blueberry waffles.
Sammy nodded, pleased with the discovery, as she stood beside
the washer and drier expectantly.
West glanced at her and shook his head, "You're getting
too big for that."
Sammy gave him a very mature look that said she was totally
unimpressed with what he had just said and tapped her foot. West rolled his
eyes and picked her up, setting her on top of the drier as he moved about
the kitchen while she sat there watching him.
"So is Peter your boyfriend?" Sammy asked as West
set about putting on a pot of coffee.
West turned holding the pot under the tap to fill it. "I
don't know yet," he replied truthfully. "I like him a lot, though."
"Do you think he'll really let me be a bridesmaid?"
Sammy asked looking hopeful.
West laughed, "I don't know--maybe if you're really nice
to him. Besides, two boys can't get married."
"Why not?" Sammy asked, watching as West adjusted
the coffee pot and set it going.
West stopped and thought a moment. "I don't know,"
he admitted. "I guess it's because some people don't like it."
"Like the ones who beat you up?" Sammy frowned.
"No," West shook his head, "not every one is
like that; most people just don't understand that love is just love. It shouldn't
matter who you love, so long as you love them."
"I love Eggos," Sammy chimed up, dropping a not-so-subtle
hint.
West chuckled as he popped hers into the toaster and pressed
down the lever, "I don't know, give it a few years and maybe boys will
get married."
"Then I can be a bridesmaid, right?" Sammy grinned.
"I told you," West laughed, "you're going to
have to ask Peter..."
"Ask me what?" Peter stumbled into the kitchen, his
clothes rumpled, and some of his blond hair sticking out from under the brim
of his hat. He looked like he had just woken up, and West grinned.
"Morning," he chirped. "Coffee's on."
"Thanks," Peter grinned, before he frowned again.
"Ask me what?"
"Nothing," West smiled and winked at Sammy. "We're
just making wedding arrangements."
Peter's eyes widened. "Not again! When I marry you... wait,
I meant IF I marry you...I ..." he faltered and blushed.
West's grin got broader, "Uh-huh."
"No," Peter shook his head, "no 'uh-huh', I'm
not..." He folded his arms in frustration, "You know what I meant."
"Would you like some breakfast?" West asked cheerfully
as the waffles popped up, and he transferred them to a plate for Sammy sitting
on the drier.
"Yeah," Peter nodded with a smile, "I'm starving..."
"Cool," West replied, popping in a couple more waffles
and setting the toaster on again.
The three of them looked up at the tapping on the back door,
as Matt poked his head around gingerly. "Hey?" he called before
he caught sight of West, Peter and Sammy over by the counter.
West looked surprised; he hadn't seen his friend all week, and
he folded his arms. "Hello," he commented with a questioning smile.
"Uh...hey..." Matt said, glancing at Peter a second
before looking at West sheepishly. "I...uh..."
"You coming in?" West asked. "You're getting
soaked out there."
"Right," Matt said as if the idea should have been
obvious to him. He stepped inside and shook himself off a bit. "Look,
I..." he heaved a sigh and just decided to go for it, "I'm sorry,"
he said, swallowing and looking at the linoleum floor.
"What for?" West asked in concern.
Matt opened his mouth, and looked up at West, open anguish in
his eyes. "It's all my fault," he said, sounding totally pathetic.
"If I'd...if I hadn't of... I should have been there with you,"
he said in a rush. "Instead, I was off thinking with my dick... and...you
got hurt..."
West looked at his best friend, standing sadly dripping on the
kitchen floor, looking utterly miserable. He shook his head, "You can't
be with me every second of every day, bud." He walked around the counter
and touched Matt's arm, "Hey..."
Matt nodded quietly and he drew up against West and held onto
him tightly, and for the second time in as many days a dripping wet, overly
emotional guy hugged West.
"It's okay," he murmured, "you couldn't have
stopped it."
"I should have been there," Matt murmured.
"No," West repeated, "you 'should' have come
to see me in the hospital; you have any idea how boring that was?" He
grinned as he drew back a bit, "Hey, don't blame yourself, it's not your
fault. You're here right now, right?"
"Yeah," Matt nodded, taking a step back and composing
himself, and he looked over at Peter, then back at West.
West just smiled. "Have you had breakfast?" he asked,
walking back to the toaster as it popped on cue to deliver the next batch
of waffles that he plated and slid across to Peter.
"I'm good," Matt shook his head, "thanks though..."
He glanced at Peter again, and fired another questioning look at West. Peter
caught the look and blushed slightly, which only served to compound Matt's
confusion.
West ignored the questioning look as he busied himself with
the coffee. "You were saying you were getting laid or something?"
West asked, looking back over his shoulder.
Matt shook his head to shake off the numerous questions burning
through his mind as he focused on West, "Yeah..."
"It's this mystery woman, isn't it?" West asked, glancing
over at Peter who was trying hard not to choke on his waffles.
Matt's grin ran from ear to ear, his face brightening into his
typical goofy-happy expression, "Yeah..."
"Ok," West said. "So are you finally going to
tell me her name?" he asked, setting his coffee down and adding sugar.
"Nope." Matt continued to grin, "Sharing secrets
goes both ways you know," he remarked, looking meaningfully over at Peter.
"Ahh, I get it," West grinned. "If you show me
yours, I'll show you mine?"
"Really?" Matt beamed.
Peter looked up from his Eggo, "Cool!"
West pointed, without looking to where Sammy was sitting, "Not
in front of my lil'sister!"
"K, Sammy," Matt grinned at her, "I have five
bucks if you run upstairs and..."
"Don't bribe her!" West accused loudly. "You
know what I meant."
Peter grinned and leaned against the counter, "He wants
to know if we're dating."
"I figured that much out," West replied sarcastically.
"Point is, I don't really know myself."
"Yeah, we kinda skipped it and went straight to planning
the wedding," Peter explained with a shrug.
Matt gaped. "Dude!" he exclaimed, looking at his best
friend.
West shook his head, "No, it's a running joke..."
He tossed Peter a glare, the young artist smiling back sweetly cradling his
plate and popping another bite of waffle in his mouth, his blue eyes saying
that he owed West that one.
"Oh..." Matt shrugged. "Still, you two make a
cute couple when you're not fighting... well actually, I think this is the
first time I've been around and you two weren't fighting..." His face
fell, "Oh man, now I owe Blake ten bucks!"
"You and Blake had a bet on us?" West asked glancing
at the clock, wondering where his parents and Joey were, and if he should
try calling his father's cell phone.
"Hell yeah," Matt replied. "Nothing much else
going on, might as well bet on you two hooking up. Admit it--you've both had
a thing for each other for ages!"
"I admit nothing," West folded his arms.
"He's still an A---" Peter glanced at Sammy and corrected
himself, "A..." he struggled for a word that would be acceptable
for a kid's ears, "big mean chowder head!" he finished lamely.
"Chowder head?" West looked over at Peter, incredulous
that that had actually come out of Peter's mouth.
"Best I could come up with on short notice," Peter
explained, blushing a bit.
"So," West folded his arms again, balancing his coffee
against him so it wouldn't spill, "Mystery woman, I want a name."
"Well," Matt grinned, "you know I said that I
wasn't picky...right?"
"Yeah..." West said cautiously. "It's not Patty
Drover is it? 'Cause that is desperation..."
"No," Matt shuddered, "not her... it's Blake."
West closed his eyes, digested that thought a moment before
he opened his eyes and stared at Matt's grinning face, "Ok, now I know
I took a few cracks to the head this week... but I could have just sworn you
said 'Blake.'"
"I did," Matt replied, grinning. "Gay sex hurts!"
he made to rub his bum.
"K," West said looking at Sammy again, "I direct
your attention to the Little Sister; she may be short, and easy to miss, but
please, guys..."
"Well it does," Matt shrugged. "I like some of
... the stuff," he winked, "but, some of it's just not my thing.
I don't know how you two find it..."
West stared at Matt blankly, a look that was mirrored on Peter's
face, and Matt gaped.
"Wait, you mean you two finally...and you still haven't..."
West shrugged, "We're working on it."
"We are?" Peter blinked at him. "Again, aren't
we like skipping a few steps? I know there's talk of marriage and all...but...
you know I'd kinda like to be in on all these planning sessions of yours."
He shook his head, folding his arms.
West shrugged, "The Wesley T. Harding planning committee
meets Saturday nights, around seven o'clock at a wonderfully intimate restaurant.
There is usually great conversation... good food, and naturally your input
will be reviewed by the committee and taken into consideration." He grinned.
"Is that a date?" Peter cocked his head to the side,
"It sounds like a date..."
Matt just shrugged, "Sounds like one to me, though I'm
not expert on the subject."
West sighed frustratedly as he looked up at the ceiling and
shook his head. "Yeah, that was me trying to ask you out." He looked
at Peter hopefully.
Peter considered it and shook his head, "Nope, ain't gonna
happen." He folded his arms and stood firm, "No way in hell."
"So, I pick you up at seven, then?" West asked with
a shrug.
"Okay," Peter cracked a smile and blushed, looking
down at the floor. Then his shoulders fell as he looked up a bit pained, "I
can't though...not tonight... I've got a thing..."
West arched an eyebrow at the timid excuse, but knew Peter still
needed time to get used to the idea. "Right," he said sounding a
little crestfallen. "Well, we could rain check, how's the week after?"
"League finals," Matt said with an up-nod, "we're
going to be in Toronto."
"Week after that, then," West said sounding desperate.
"Prom," Matt chimed in, reminding both of them.
"Shit, yeah..." West said suddenly, and he turned
back to Peter, his eyes wide and his jaw working to find the words.
Peter's eyes were again as big as dinner plates, "Y-you
w-want t-to..."
"Give me one reason why not," West replied, folding
his arms.
"'Cause... it's the Prom!" Peter said, shaking his
head. "We can't...I mean us," he gestured back and forth between
the two of them, "we can't go to the Prom..."
"Why not?" West repeated eagerly. "First date,
it's supposed to be memorable and that, and..." he set his coffee mug
down and took Peter's hand. "Please? I'll beg if I have to..."
Peter shook his head. "I don't know..." he murmured
uncertainly, "it's the Prom..."
"Yeah," West said squeezing the hand, "it's the
Prom, and I want to go with you." He shrugged and got down on a knee.
"Please," he asked again looking up.
"This could get interesting," Matt remarked over at
Sammy who giggled.
"Shut up," West grinned over at his buddy, and looked
back up at Peter. "Please..."
Peter took a long breath, thinking it through. He would have
just given the Prom a miss, and not looked back. But West, on a knee in front
of him, staring up at him with those eyes, begging for the chance to take
him. Take him to the one defining night of the school year.
Peter swallowed. "O-okay," he whispered.
"Is that a yes?" West asked, hope filling his eyes.
"Yes," Peter said a little louder.
West was on his feet, his arms around Peter and hugging him
as the two spun around the kitchen. Finally dropping Peter back to his feet,
West spun and grinned like a madman and looked right at Matt, "I'm taking
him to the Prom!"
"K," Matt grinned holding up his hands to ward West
back. "Chill... it's all good... you're like really excited..."
West nodded as he turned back to a blushing Peter. "Thank
you!" he said, grinning.
"I'm not wearing a dress though!" Peter held up a
finger in warning.
"You could go buck naked!" West said enthusiastically.
Matt waggled his eyebrows, "Clothing optional Prom... you
know, we'd save a mint on tuxedo rentals..."
"Shut up, perv," West grinned at his friend.
"Just saying," Matt winked at Peter. "So, what,
is this official then?" he waved to West and Peter.
"No way in hell!" Peter exclaimed firmly, shaking
his head.
"That's his way of saying yes, I think," West exclaimed.
"Right," Matt smirked.
