Broken Toys

Chapter 36

"Where did you get this stuff?" Hank asked after he stopped choking. He eyed the glass warily. "Tastes like lighter fluid."

"I think it is lighter fluid," Snuffy added, sniffing the contents of his own glass warily.

"This, my friends, is vodka. Not that you cretins would know anything about what a proper drink tastes like."

"At least it doesn't taste like mouthwash," Ric conceded, taking a careful sip. He grimaced; it was pretty bad.

"Billy," Zeke said smoothly, walking to the sideboard and extracting a bottle. "You've got to stop shopping with the winos." He pulled out a bottle of rum and showed it around the room. "This is a real drink."

"Where did you...?" Casey started to ask, then changed his mind. "Never mind, I don't want to know."

Zeke just smiled. He poured some Pepsi into a glass then added a measure of rum before handing it to Casey. Casey hesitated a moment, clearly fighting the instinct to obey the rules. Zeke grinned and leaned closer. "You gonna be bad, Case?"

"Yeah," he returned the grin and accepted the glass, taking a swallow of the liquid before he lost his courage. He made a face at the taste.

Zeke laughed and prepared more drinks, passing the glasses around and keeping the last one for himself. He downed it and poured another.

"Much better," Hank declared, holding out the empty glass for a refill.

"Not too much," Casey cautioned. Snuffy whipped a pillow at him.

"Lighten up. We'll still be able to work tomorrow. Slave driver."

"Just don't want people getting sick all over the place," Casey grumped, taking another sip of his drink. He still had more than half left and wasn't in a hurry to finish it.

"So what's the plan for tomorrow?" Yogurt asked, changing the subject. He wasn't hurrying to finish his drink either. First chance he got he was going to switch to straight Pepsi.

"Everything's out of the attic, and it's been swept and the windows washed. The floor could use mopping but that can wait. There's some stuff left in the summer house that needs to go to the barn and the whole place needs a good clean."

"The workshop and the hayloft need cleaning too, and I was hoping to clear out the garden. It's not too late to plant some vegetables," Billy added.

"You know this whole place could stand painting, inside and out," Hank commented, looking around. "And you could knock out a couple of interior walls here and make things look really good. "You ought to get your dad to help out, Billy, Maybe he'd loan you some equipment. I bet he's got ladders and stuff that would make painting the house easier. We could make it another workday."

"Yeah," Billy nodded, thinking. "Yeah. That's a great idea. I'll call him when we get back to school."

"You guys are willing to help?" Casey asked. "You're sure you won't be too busy with school stuff? It's not too long till graduation."

"It should be ok. You'll know if things get too busy," Snuffy replied. He finished his second rum and Pepsi and was looking extremely mellow. Ricardo was next to him on the sofa and Yogurt was on the end, leaning just the slightest bit against Ric.

Billy and Hank were in armchairs and Casey had taken one of the dining room chairs he'd dragged in from the other room. Zeke was leaning comfortably against the doorframe.

"Can you believe we'll be graduating in less than two months?" Snuffy mused.

"It'll be pretty strange to leave Regis. I won't get to see your ugly faces every day." Hank leaned back in his chair and sighed. "I'm kind of looking forward to it, though."

"Me too," Billy agreed. "Now that I have a reason to."

"Who'd've believed our little Billy's going to college." Snuffy wiped away a pretend tear and caught the pillow Billy tossed at him. He tossed it back but missed and it bounced off Yogurt's knee.

"All right, clown, what are your big plans?" Billy challenged.

"I knew it. You never listen, Tepper. I already told you I'm going to Princeton."

"Yeah? What's your major?"

"Undeclared, but I'll come up with something eventually."

Hank snorted. "Figures. I'm getting away from all you losers. UCLA here I come."

"Didn't know you could major in girl watching." Ric said, laughing.

"You kidding? I'll be getting my PhD in that. All that business and accounting stuff is just to fill up my spare time."

The conversation lagged for a few minutes so Casey asked, "What about you Ric? Any plans?"

"Yeah, Rice University. I'd like to be a teacher." He gave Yogurt a sad smile. "You're gonna have to keep up the tradition. Can't have all our hard work go to waste."

"But no fire hoses in the chapel or cherry bombs in the toilets. They lack class," Billy instructed. The others razzed him.

"Speaking of pranks, what are we going to do for our graduation? We need something epic." Billy's eyes brightened as he started to plot.

"Wait a minute," Casey protested. "Maybe we shouldn't..." he trailed off as they all looked at him. "Just... count me out on this, guys."

"Why?" Hank demanded. "You're part of the group."

"Yeah, but..." Casey sighed and straightened his shoulders. "Look, I just... I can't." He took a long swallow of his drink, closing his eyes against the taste. He did not want to have this discussion.

"It's ok, Casey." Billy tried to soothe the situation but Hank wouldn't let it go.

"No it's not," he declared, "not without a good reason."

Casey sighed and stared down into his glass for a long minute before downing the last of the rum and Pepsi. He just shook his head and didn't answer.

"I knew it," Hank said loudly. His cheeks were flushed and his eyes bright and dangerous. "Little wimp," he snarled, venom in his voice, "knew you didn't belong in the group."

Casey flinched and lowered his head, his shoulders hunched. He didn't offer defense or objection, only silence. Around him, the other boys shifted, irritated or uncomfortable.

Billy's hands clenched into fists and he counted to fifty, trying to keep himself calm. This was Hank, his friend. There wasn't a real threat here, it was just a misunderstanding, he didn't need to go to Casey's defense. Across the room, Zeke moved, his body shifting from relaxed to alert. He waited, like a cat, ready to attack if needed.

"You're right, Hank," Casey conceded at last, when the tension had drawn out too long and no one else had been able to break it. He rose carefully and set the glass on the table, turning away. "See you in the morning."

He brushed past Zeke without looking at him and made his way slowly up the stairs. They could hear his footsteps receding and after long minutes, the faint sound of a door closing.

"What the hell was that?" Snuffy demanded.

Billy and Zeke exchanged looks and Billy shook his head slightly. Zeke crossed his arms and leaned against the doorway frowning.

Yogurt watched the interplay between the two older boys. With a grimace he downed the rest of his drink and reached out to put the empty glass on the coffee table. He stood and stretched, giving Ric a look before announcing, "Guess I'll head up." He covered a yawn. "I'm in the middle room, right?"

"Yeah," Billy answered, "There's extra bedding in there. You and Ric can work out the sleeping arrangements."

"Okay, well, see you in the morning." Yogurt walked away and Hank scowled at his retreating back before standing up and crossing to the table where the rum and Pepsi sat. He poured himself another glass, heavy on the rum and took a swallow before returning to his seat.

"You gonna tell us what his problem is, Billy?" Hank demanded. He nodded towards Zeke. "I know better than to ask him."

"Why don't you tell us what your problem is?" Zeke countered.

"Drop it Hank," Billy pleaded, far too tired for a fight. "Casey has his reasons for not going along with the prank. That doesn't stopus from planning something."

"Forget it. You've lost your edge, man. You've spent so much time with the little wimp and Mr. Cool here that it's turned you soft." Hank glared at Zeke, every line of his body begging Zeke to make a move.

"Hank," Snuffy's voice was quiet but hard-edged, cutting through the sudden tension. "Stop it." He stared Hank down, then turned to Billy and Zeke. "This isn't our business and you don't owe us any explanations, but we are your friends and you *can* trust us."

"I know that," Billy said, then corrected himself. "We know that. It's just... Look, this is Casey's business. It's up to him to decide who to tell. He does have a good reason for not going along. Just... try to accept that, ok? Don't give him a hard time about it; he's had enough of that lately. Can't we all just calm down, please?"

Billy looked around at the faces of this friends. They'd shared so much with him. They'd survived the terrorists together. They'd all lost a friend when Joey had been killed. They'd gotten him through the dark weeks after, sticking with him even when he'd screamed terrible things to try and drive them away. They'd kept him alive when all he'd wanted to do was die. But now... he just couldn't fathom where Hank's anger was coming from. He'd thought his friends liked Casey and Zeke.

Zeke was beside him now, one hand on Billy's shoulder. Zeke looked down at him and Billy raised his glass in a salute. Understanding passed between them before Zeke moved smoothly away, breaking the tension by refilling glasses and changing the subject.

Before long even Hank participated in the discussion of what they'd like Zeke to try cooking next time. The steak had been a huge success and Casey had helped by making mashed potatoes. The only leftovers were a few green beans and one slice of packaged cake. Zeke had already decided that he'd make dessert next time rather than buying it. Casey was eager to help and did fairly well as long as he didn't get distracted.

Zeke leaned back in the chair he'd claimed after Casey left it. He let the discussion flow around him while he mused about the irony of finally using all the things he'd learned from being raised by housekeepers. If he wasn't careful, he decided with a smirk, he'd turn into a domestic or something.

The others gave him a strange look, but Zeke just kept smirking, too lost in this thoughts to notice their reaction.

*****

"Casey? Can I come in?" Yogurt tapped lightly on the bedroom door, then stepped back uncertainly. He wasn't really sure about doing this but he felt that he should at least make an effort.

A long silence. Yogurt turned to leave when he heard a sound and then the door opened halfway.

"Something wrong?" Casey asked with a hint of impatience.

"Um, yeah, sort of. Can I come in? Just for a minute?"

He was sure that Casey was going to refuse, but at the last second Casey consented, moving back with a sigh.

"Come on in. Ignore the mess."

Other than a few stray items of clothing strewn about, there wasn't a mess. In fact, it was neater than their dorm room. The bedroom was rather sparsely furnished for the size - with just a bed, nightstand, dresser and ladderback chair.

Casey led the way over to the half-made bed and took a seat. When Yogurt remained standing, Casey motioned for him to sit beside him.

Yogurt perched carefully on the edge of the bed, making sure not to get too close so he didn't crowd Casey. Casey was watching him waiting, and Yogurt cleared his throat, then laughed nervously. He rubbed the palms of his hands along his jeans and closed his eyes, gathering courage. A warm hand on his arm brought him back to the moment.

"Just say it. It's ok."

Yogurt nodded. He could do this.

"You don't have to answer if you don't want. It's just that..." A sharp intake of breath, then releasing the air slowly, trying to force himself to calm down. Casey was his friend, and Casey would understand. He could trust him. He looked into Casey's eyes. "How do you manage it; you, Billy and Zeke? I mean, the three of you are together, right? How do you work it out?"

Casey laughed and shook his head. "I guess we're not as discrete as we thought," he said ruefully. "Yeah, we're... lovers." The word made him smile. Lovers. "Never said that out loud before," he explained. "Don't know if I can answer your question though. This is still pretty new. It's only been about a month now; Since spring break. A lot has happened... you probably know about my parents disowning me and the dean being my legal guardian."

"That why you don't want to do the prank?"

"Yeah. Hank and the others... nothing really serious would happen if they got caught. Maybe some detention or pots and pans duty and a talking to. They'd still have a home to go to. I could lose everything."

"I didn't know."

"Now you do." Casey shrugged and dismissed the topic. "But that's not why you're here. Look, if you're worried about what will happen between you and Ric... I don't know." Casey reached out and touched Yogurt's arm, smiling, his eyes shining brightly. "But... whatever you have to do to work things out between you... it'll be worth it."

They sat together in companionable silence, each lost in their own thoughts. Casey was thinking about Hank's anger and Billy's reaction, adding those pieces to something he'd been trying to puzzle out for a few days. It seemed as if Billy wasn't completely at ease with their relationship, as if he still didn't feel an equal part of the circle. Casey wondered if Hank's anger had anything to do with that.

Yogurt yawned widely and gave Casey an apologetic smile. Casey slid closer to the boy and placed an arm around him, letting Yogurt rest his head on Casey's shoulder. Yogurt relaxed into the contact immediately as if he needed it, and before long his breathing slowed and he fell asleep.

Casey eased Yogurt down onto the bed and moved away, leaning back against the headboard and hugging a pillow as he continued thinking about Billy.

It was more than an hour later when the rest of the friends journeyed up the stairs to prepare for bed. Billy entered the room first and smiled at the sight of the two boys sound asleep. Yogurt was stretched across the foot of the bed and Casey had covered him with the spare blanket. Casey was asleep sitting up, his chin resting on the pillow he hugged tightly to his chest.

Zeke turned and called softly to Ric. "Hey, we found a stray in here. Want to come get him?"

Billy was ready to rouse the sleeping boy but Ric stopped him. "Let him sleep," he whispered. "I'll take him." He lifted the boy gently and carried him off to their bedroom while Zeke eased Casey flat and arranged the blankets. Tossing aside his shirt and jeans he climbed into bed. Billy closed the door and turned off the light, stripping down in the dark before sliding into the warmth of the bed.

Casey shifted in his sleep and pressed himself against Billy, resting his head against the older boy's shoulder. Zeke laid his arm across Casey, his hand resting on Billy's chest.

Outside the window an owl hooted and the wind rustled through the trees. Billy closed his eyes and listened until he fell asleep.

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