Broken Toys

Chapter 32

"Ta dah!" Casey announced as he entered the room. He paused in the doorway then crossed the room modeling his new walking cast. It stopped just below the knee and was white with a blue boot over it.

"Looks good, Case," Zeke said, leaning forward slightly to examine it.

"What did the doctor say?" Billy wanted to know.

"He thinks the cast will be off before graduation," Casey said happily, dropping down onto his bed and laying back, arms spread wide.

Billy reached out with his foot and tapped Casey's arm. "Get up slacker, there's work to be done."

Casey groaned, "Not another book report. Please."

"Come on, Case. Less than two months and we're done. No more Sorens."

"Speaking of which, I checked your mailbox for you after class." Billy took an off-white envelope from his desk and tossed it onto Casey's stomach. It lay there, moving gently with his breathing until he gave up and reached for it. He opened it carelessly and pulled out the letter inside, expecting junk mail.

He sat up abruptly and examined the envelope then read the letter again. And again, his lips moving slightly as he absorbed the words. He looked up wide-eyed to find Zeke and Billy watching him with concern.

"What is it, Case?" Zeke asked. Casey's face went through an interesting series of expressions before settling into open-mouthed shock. Wordlessly he handed the letter to Zeke.

"Dear Mr. Conner, blah blah blah et cetera and so forth..." He skipped ahead then started reading again "...award you a..." He looked up at Billy and recited the rest. "A full scholarship." He turned to Casey again. "Case, you got a full scholarship to State."

Casey nodded, still not able to get his mouth to cooperate.

"Group hug," Billy shouted, launching himself at Casey and gathering him up tightly. Zeke joined them and before long they were in a pile, out of breath from laughing.

Calming down a bit at last, Casey suddenly announced, "I need a car."

"What?" Billy frowned but Zeke just grinned. "Is this a power tools thing?" he joked.

"No, really," Casey insisted. "Look, a full scholarship gives me tuition, a book allowance and either on-campus room and board or a housing stipend. I could live at the house and drive to school and I could still work here a few hours a week for the dean. But I can't expect you to drive me everywhere, Zeke. You're going to be busy with your own classes and stuff." He grinned. "A car."

"Got one in mind?" Zeke wanted to know.

"Something cheap. I can't afford one yet but maybe we could go looking, just to see what a used car would cost. That way I'll know how much I'll need to save." Casey looked down at his foot. "Won't be able to drive for a while anyway."

"Car shopping," Billy said happily. "I guess I should start looking too, considering we're going to be all grown up and stuff. Though not so grown up that I won't let my parents buy it for me." He added with a grin before diving back into the pile.

No homework got done for quite a while.

*****

"Hey," Casey greeted Billy and Zeke as he emerged from Dr. Carson's office. Billy set his textbook aside and rose, smiling at Casey as they passed. Billy entered Dr. Carson's office and she closed the door behind him.

"Candy?" Casey offered, holding out his hand to reveal colorful paper-wrapped squares. "I didn't know what kind you liked so Dr. Carson said I could take a variety."

Zeke picked the yellow square smiling up at Casey. "Thanks." He watched as Casey took the seat next to him and leaned back, closing his eyes with a sigh. "That bad?"

"No," Casey shook his head, still not opening his eyes. "Just tired I guess."

Zeke set his book aside and drew Casey close, guiding Casey's head to rest against his shoulder. They had the small waiting room to themselves so he brushed a kiss across Casey's head. "Rest."

Casey sighed and relaxed into the familiar warmth. He didn't want to think about the past half-hour's painful questions and halting answers. He just wanted Zeke to keep him safe.

"Shh, Casey," Zeke breathed when he felt Casey's breathing speed up. As long as he could comfort Casey he wouldn't have to think about his own upcoming time in that office. He drew Casey as close as he could and tried to relax.

The clock on the wall ticked relentlessly and at precisely five minutes til, Casey lifted his head and they separated. Casey touched Zeke's hand, squeezing it for just a moment in silent support.

By the time the office door opened, Casey was working on his homework and Zeke was crossing the room towards the office.

"Hi," Casey greeted Billy as he dropped into the seat Zeke had just left. "Candy?" Casey offered, fishing the fruit flavored sweets out of his pocket. Billy picked the red one and smiled his thanks.

Casey let him eat the candy before drawing Billy close, letting him rest just as Zeke had comforted Casey. They watched the clock in silence.

*****

"What are we doing?" Billy asked as Zeke turned the car into the parking lot at the local mall.

"Window shopping," Zeke replied grinning back at Casey. "Right?"

"Better than catalogs," Casey said happily. "We can get some ideas for the house."

"Right," Billy said uneasily. "This isn't like... looking at furniture, is it?"

"Yep."

"Oh," Billy groaned, dropping his head into his hands.

"Billy..." Zeke said in that low, seductive voice he saved for special occasions. "They have a... Sears."

"Ooo," Billy said, perking right up. "Craftsman tools. Let's go."

Now it was Casey's turn to groan.

*****

"Is that your supper?" Billy asked as Casey set his tray down on the table. It was early and the food court was nearly empty, making it easier for Casey to get around. He was still getting used to the walking cast and moved rather slowly.

"For starters," Casey said, grinning as he sat down and put his foot up on the chair across from him. Billy just shook his head and took another bite of his deluxe burger.

Zeke arrived with an array of Mexican food and settled down to eat, smiling at Casey's choice.

"What?" Casey demanded, grinning back. "Never seen a cinnamon bun before?"

"Not as an entree, Case."

"Want a bite? It's good." Casey offered up a forkful of pastry but neither Billy nor Zeke gave in to the temptation. This was just a bit too public for where these games usually led.

"Maybe I should get another one for later," Casey mused.

Zeke and Billy exchanged a look then turned to Casey and nodded in unison.

*****

"What's up?" Snuffy asked when Hank admitted him to the room. Ricardo and Yogurt were already there.

"Have a seat," Hank insisted, leaning back against his desk and crossing his arms, waiting until Snuffy took a seat on the bed beside Ricardo before continuing.

The mood in the room was serious and Snuffy squirmed a bit. This group didn't usually do serious.

"It's about Billy," Hank finally said, looking at each of them before continuing. "Actually it's about Billy and Casey and Zeke."

"What about them?" Yogurt asked. He was a late entrant to the group, having befriended the boys when they were forced to share space during the terrorist occupation of the school. Yogurt had been an important part of the resistance and his remote controlled plane had helped save them all.

"You've heard the rumors?" Hank asked, and reluctantly they all admitted they had.

"So what?" Snuffy demanded, getting angry. "These are the same jerks that used to beat up on Casey. We took care of that quick enough. They're probably just trying to get back at him by spreading innuendo about him and Billy and Zeke."

"Maybe," Hank said, unconvinced. "But there's more to it than that."

"You mean about Casey's parents?" Ricardo asked.

"And the abuse charges," Hank supplied.

"And that they're all going to a shrink?" Yogurt added in a small voice.

"Wait," Snuffy said, getting a bit upset. "Look, what's the real point here? Does it matter if there's any truth to any of it?" Hecrossed his arms defiantly. "All I know is that Billy, and Casey for that matter, are a lot happier since Zeke arrived. Whatever happened over break really isn't any of our business. Neither is what they do when they're alone." He leaned back, his expression challenging them to disagree.

"Whoa, calm down, Snuffy." Hank said, laughing. He leaned over and punched the smaller boy lightly on the arm. "We took care of things with the rumors about Billy and Joey, right? And neither of them ever suspected that anyone knew. All I'm saying is that maybe we should take care of things again; watch out for them."

"Agreed," Ricardo said, nodding. "We don't know anything and we don't need to know. We're just doing some pest control so no one bothers them."

"So we all agree?" Hank asked, getting nods from everyone before cracking a smile. "Good. Now who's up for some take out? That cafeteria Chinese almost killed me."

*****

"Geez, don't you guys ever do anything but eat?" Billy teased as he walked in, stopping to snag a piece of sweet and sour chicken from Snuffy's plate.

"Hey!" Snuffy protested. "You should talk, Tepper. You're on a first name basis with every food delivery place in town."

"Only because they're dazzled by my amazing phone voice." He tried to snag a spring roll off Hank's plate but Hank was too quick.

"Get your own, Tepper."

"No thanks, gents. Just got back from the food court at the mall." He leaned close and grinned. "Some of us do get out you know."

"So if you didn't come over to steal our food, why are you here?" Ricardo asked.

"Came to invite you slackers for a real home-cooked meal next weekend."

"What's the catch?" Snuffy demanded, looking at Billy suspiciously.

"No catch, Snuffy. Think of it as a trade. Casey's inherited a house and it needs a little cleaning. You guys come help out and Zeke will make you a meal you won't believe."

"I'll bet," Hank snorted.

Billy shrugged, "Your loss. He's a great cook. And you'd get to see Casey's place."

"Where is it? Is it really his?"

"Yes, it's all his and it's about half an hour's drive from here; out in the country - a farmhouse."

"When do you want us there?"

"How about Saturday morning at 9? I'll give you directions. We're going out Friday night to get started. Oh, and bring overnight stuff in case you decide to stay. We'll have to double up, but we'll all fit."

They all looked at each other while Billy waited, grinning. "So?" he asked at last.

"We'll be there," Hank said, speaking for all of them, but the food better be worth it."

"You'll be amazed," Billy assured them before leaving them to finish their tepid greasy dinner.

Return to Broken Toys