Only Seventeen

~ 7 ~

*~*~Justin's POV~*~*

"Sunshine, huh?" Emmett questions with a slight smirk after Brian leaves.

I shake my head. "It's just a stupid nickname."

"I like it." Daphne is quick to add. "It describes you perfectly. Well, what I know of you anyway."

Our table is thrown into silence after that and each one of us digs at the food on our trays. I take the chance to look around the cafeteria again to see what I can find. In the corner directly kitty-corner to ours sits a group who I presume to be the jocks. They are all wearing matching jackets and laughing over something that is, apparently, incredibly amusing. There are a couple of girls, neither all that pretty, sitting on either side of one boy. There's just something about him that I don't like. I don't know why or how or what, but it's a feeling that I get.

"Oh, Daph." Emmett yelps throwing me back into reality. "It's the Pecker of Death contest tonight at Babylon."

"I've got so much homework, Em." Daphne answers after swallowing a bite.

"I'll help you meet the winner." Emmett singsongs and I wonder why Daphne, a girl, would want to meet the winner, a boy, at a gay club.

Daphne voices my question and Emmett looks at her incredulously, like he's trying to figure out why she wouldn't want to meet him.

I want to meet him.

The duo continues their conversation and it's soon obvious that I'm not in their thoughts any longer. I have so many questions that I want to ask, but I don't want to interrupt them. When I told my mother I perfected being invisible, I didn't lie. An idea enters my mind and I know the perfect person to ask.

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*~*~Brian's POV~*~*

I'm late for my lunch thing with Mikey and he'll never let me live it down. I really don't understand this whole deal anyhow because all we're doing is eating at the diner. We do that all the fucking time.

"I know, I know." I say as I push open the diner door and see Mikey sitting forlornly in a booth. I throw my arms up in concession and give him my best smile.

"You're only ten minutes late, Brian." Mikey says and gestures for me to sit. I do and at the same time wonder who this person is and what they did with my best friend.

"Excuse me?" I ask after a while.

"I said you're only ten minutes late. I'm fine with that." Michael smiles and picks up the diner menu as if he hasn't read the thing front and back a dozen times.

"Mikey, you met somebody."

"I did not." He blushes, a sure fire sign that Mikey is smitten.

"Yes, you did." I smile at him and snatch the menu from his grasp. "Now, tell me all the details. Starting with the length of his…package."

"Not everybody fucks the first time they meet."

"Well, not everybody is as talented as I."

"Jesus, you really are a slut."

"I am not." I say defensively. "A slut fucks whoever they can find. I'm very picky."

Michael smirks and lets out a small chuckle. "Speaking of which. Isn't that your newest conquest?" He points a finger at the diner's entrance and, turning my head to see what he's talking about, I'm surprised to find the now familiar platinum blond.

"I have no idea to whom you are referring." I answer in my own special smart-ass way.

"Right." Michael agrees drawing out the word in a sarcastic tone. "You two seemed awfully cozy this morning."

My mind flashes back to those wee hours and I can smell Justin's shampoo, feel the contour of his pillowy ass against my hand, and I strain myself to not have a spontaneous erection.

"Though, I do admit you were right when you said he has a great ass." Michael's still talking and he tilts his head as Justin enters the diner, scanning the room for who knows what.

"It's all right." I answer back nonchalantly, feigning interest in the sugar packets on the table.

"He's coming this way."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

*~*~Justin's POV~*~*

I knew that I was right when I guessed he'd be here. He's always here. I'm just not too happy with the company he's keeping at this particular moment. I sling my backpack over my left shoulder and trudge over to the booth in the back corner.

"Hey." Brian says, greeting me with a slight smile and a lingering look. He looks at his watch then back up to my face. "Shouldn't you be in school right now?"

I nod my head and adjust my pack. "I skipped gym class." Deciding to get right to the point I blurt out my reason for being here. "I need some information."

"Such as?"

"Actually." I hesitate. "I kind of need to ask Michael." I turn towards the man sitting across from Brian and he looks kind of amazed. Though, Michael and I don't seem to get along, I know he'll give me the information that I need.

"Oh really." Michael says and I can tell he's stifling a laugh.

I nod my head in the direction of the restrooms, but he doesn't move. "Privately."

"Anything you say he's just going to tell me later." Brian says so sure of himself. Smart-ass!

"It's true." Michael agrees with a shrug and a wink in Brian's direction. I huff and push Brian over in the booth. That decision brings an eye roll from the pushee and a chuckle from his best friend.

"What is it you need to know?" Michael asks curious as to what I, a prep school attendee, could possibly learn from him.

I didn't want to ask this in front of Brian. He'll probably laugh at me and never want to see me again. "Do you know of a place called…?"

Brian's now leaning forward, The anticipation, I'm sure, is killing him. "A place called… what?"

"Babylon?" I manage to squeak out.

"Never heard of it." Michael says a tad bit too quickly before reclining against the wall.

"Come on, Mikey." Brian goads and I see 'Mikey' shaking his head at Brian, trying to tell him something with his eyes, but Brian is choosing not to listen.

"So, you do know where it is?" I ask.

"Yeah, we know." Brian says his tongue sliding against his cheek.

"Brian."

"Yes, Mikey."

"Don't you think he's a little…young?" Michael looks worried and I want to know why.

"I'm not young." I defend myself adamantly. "I'm only a year younger than you."

He shrugs and throws his hands in the air. I think he's done with this conversation.

"Don't worry so much, Mikey. We'll take him with us tonight."

"I'm sure you'll protect him." Michael sighs. "Go back to school, junior." He pushes himself off the bench and exits the diner.

"I didn't mean to ruin your lunch." I apologize, looking at Brian with eyes wide.

He laughs slightly. "Don't worry about it, though Mikey's right. You should go back to school."

I frown. "It's the first day. I'm not missing anything."

"It's your future." Brian states with a shrug. "Or lack thereof."

I'm going to ignore that last part and instead focus on what's most important. "Did you really mean what you said earlier? About taking me with you to Babylon?"

I watch as Brian rolls his eyes and takes a deep breath. He's rethinking his decision that was so hastily made, but I'm sure the look on my face makes his conclusion the same. He sighs heavily and then looks again in my direction.

"Yeah." He finally agrees. "Meet me here at 10:30."

"I will." I say with maybe a tad too much enthusiasm because he raises an eyebrow in my direction before scooting me out of the booth.

"Don't be late." He warns and then he's gone, leaving me alone in the booth.

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Justin's house

9:55pm

I've been trying to get out of this fucking house since 9:30. I figure I could grab something to eat at the diner before we go to Babylon, but my mother has other plans.

"Justin." She scolds, her voice stern. "It's a school night and I don't want you out late with some boy I don't know." She's giving me this eye like I'm about to take this guy and fuck on her bed. I'm not my father; I'd go to my own bed.

"Be reasonable, Mom." I decide that calling her by any other name is not going to be productive in any way, shape, or form right now. "I won't be out late and I'm an exemplary student. I can hold my own."

"With who are you going again?"

"Whom." Molly pipes in from around the stairwell. "With whom are you going?"

"Shut up, maggot." I call back and shift my footing. "Brian."

"Brian what?"

Grrrrrrr! "Brian Kinney. I work with him at the diner. If you would bother to come and see where I work, you would already know that."

"I work too, you know that. It pays for the food you scarf down, the clothes you're wearing, which by the way is a whole different matter, and the roof over your head."

"I know, Mom." I do, but sometimes I want my mom to be a part of my life and that means dropping everything to at least venture in to see what I do when I'm not around. "And my clothes are fine."

I look down and rethink wearing the cargo pants but decided against changing for the fifth time. My shirt is just a normal black tank top with a button up white shirt, unbuttoned of course. My mother eyes me, up and down, a frown sneaking across her face, but she shrugs and I know I've won this battle.

I look at her and plead with my eyes. I know they have that puppy-dog look right now because I've practiced it so many times before. "Mom, please, don't do this right now."

"Fine, be home before breakfast." What?

"Breakfast?" She nods her head and I'm still standing amazed.

"You want it earlier? Okay, midnight."

"Breakfast it is." I call over my shoulder as I race out the door.

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*~*~Brian's POV~*~*

The little shit is late.

"He's not late." Mikey's voice says with a slight hint of surprise from behind me. I turn around and see him walking in with Justin and they're standing a little too close for comfort.

"Well, well, look who's finally decided to come." I stand and grab my favorite jacket, a beaten, old, leather bomber jacket from the Salvation Army, off the back of the booth.

"I got a little tied up at home." Justin murmurs staring at the tiled floor.

"Mommy dearest?" I ask.

He nods his head and until now, I never realized how embarrassed Justin gets when he's around me. It's kind of sexy, really.

"Let's go." I grunt and lead the way from the diner to Babylon only the greatest place ever invented. Justin's tagging along asking question after question and Mikey keeps telling him that he'll find out when we get there. I don't know what it is about his enthusiasm for everything that makes me smile, but damn it all if there's not one creeping across my face. "Pipe down, Justin."

"I just want to know everything." He says with a broad grin.

"There's only three things you need to know." Mikey begins to lecture.

"Don't leave your drink unattended." I find myself saying.

"And if you do, never go back and drink it." Mikey adds. "Second, don't take drugs from people you don't know."

"Okay." Justin says his voice losing the elation it held only moments before. "What's the third one?"

"Never." Mikey sighs. "Never go in the backroom alone."

I snuff. "The key word being 'alone'."

"Brian."

"Well, it's kind of pathetic."

"Okay, I'll rephrase that, never go in the backroom…at all."

Justin turns quiet, probably a million worst-case scenarios flying through his head, and what to do if you get in one. I slow my pace and fall in step next to the kid, lean down and whisper softly in his ear. "Just stick by me and you'll be fine."

He turns and beams at me, earning Deb's nickname. "What's the backroom?"

"A wonderful, joyous place that you'll never see until you're old enough." I answer back.

"Briiiiaann." Justin whines and I laugh, drape my arm over his shoulder, and walk inside the doors to Babylon.

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