Fantasy Season 5

Verdict

The staff at Kinnetics had assembled around a small television set in their employee lounge to watch the slow moving SUV convoy that carried pop icon, Michael Jackson to his destiny. While odds favored the fading star's acquittal on child molestation charges, there were still those who held out hope that justice for a thirteen year old boy would somehow prevail. Ted hurried down the hall, and peeked his head inside of Brian's office door to find him still hard at work. "Hurry up, Brian, you're going to miss the verdict," Ted said.

"I'll catch the acquittal on the evening news," Brian said without looking up from his computer screen.

"Acquittal, are you kidding?" Ted sounded surprised. "With all of the evidence they've collected against Jackson?"

"We're talking about a poor boy going up against a rich man. Evidence is irrelevant." Brian closed his laptop, and picked up his briefcase. "Don't forget to lock up when you're finished. I'll see you tomorrow morning," he said.

Brian walked behind the building to Kinnetic's parking area, and got into his jeep. Before pulling off he reached over, and turned on the radio. "Michael Jackson has entered the courthouse. We should have word of the verdict at any moment now." A news update interrupted the music. Shit! Had the whole world gone Michael Jackson crazy? Brian turned off the radio, and popped in a soothing cd for the short drive to the diner. He was sure Justin had mentioned earlier that morning that today's blue plate dinner special would be pot roast, and mashed potatoes.

There was a similar gathering in front of the overhead television set at the Liberty Diner where staff, and patrons alike were also anxiously awaiting the verdict. "I can't wait to see them nail that freak's balls to the wall, that is if he still has any. Maybe he's had plastic surgery on them too," Debbie voiced her opinion.

"I don't know Deb. It doesn't look good," Justin said. "Remember the O.J. fiasco, and Robert Blake, he walked away with murder too. Let's face it, Hollywood doesn't lock away its stars."

"If you asked me, they should lock away the kid's mother. Why would you allow your child to sleep in the bed with a grown man you know nothing about?" Emmett echoed the popular opinion.

"Because that grown man is Michael Jackson," Justin said.

"It's not the kid's mother who's on trial here. So what if she is crazy?  That still doesn't give anyone the right to molest her son," Debbie barked.

"No, that doesn't give anyone the right to molest her son, but it does question the mother's credibility," Ben said. "The kid's mother has lied under oath before, which in the court's eyes means that she could very well be lying again."

"Is it over, am I too late?" Michael rushed through the door.

"You're still in time, Jackson has just arrived at the courthouse." Ben gave his lover a quick hello kiss. "I really hope they put this guy away. He's such a classic pedophile," he said.

"How can you tell?" Michael took a seat next to the professor.

"First, pedophiles surround themselves with things to attract children. The Neverland ranch, with its amusement park was no doubt specifically built for that purpose," Ben began. "Then there's Jackson's inappropriate relationship with children. How many adult males do you know who form such closeness with young boys, outside of their immediate families, that they feel privy to invite them to sleep in their beds? That's certainly not normal adult behavior. Also, there's the porn the kids testified that they saw in magazines, and on the computer in Jackson's bedroom, the alcohol, and let's not forget the picture book of naked boys found in Michael's possession. Those are all the kinds of things that pedophiles use to groom their prey, to arouse them, and get them ready for sex."

"What about the guy who swore that he slept in Michael Jackson's bed, and Jackson never touched him. And McCauley Caulkin, he swore up and down that Michael never touched him too," Emmett reminded them.

"First of all Caulkin would never admit to being molested by Jackson. That would mean certain death to whatever's left of his acting career," Ben said. "As for the other boy, not every child is a good candidate for seduction. Pedophiles are very cunning when choosing their prey. Perhaps the other boy wasn't an easy kill."

"I don't understand." Michael looked puzzled.

"It's really very simple," the professor attempted to explain. "A predator in the wild will seek out the weakest animal to attack, the one that would be the easiest to catch, and kill. Pedophile predators work in pretty much the same way. They develop an instinct that helps them weed out the stronger children, and zero in on the child that would be most receptive to their advances. Usually children from dysfunctional homes who are starving for attention. The pedophile befriends them, often gaining the trust of the parents as well, and then he moves in for the kill. Most children are sexually abused by people they know and trust, and sometimes even love."

"Quiet everyone, they're about to announce the verdict!" Debbie hushed the crowd.

By the time Brian reached the diner the verdict was in, and the place was in an uproar with cheers from Jackson supporters, and Jackson opponents expressing their outrage. Debbie's voice could be heard the loudest. "Did you see that? They're just going to send that pedophile, that freak back out onto the streets to molest again!"

"I told you, Deb, Hollywood doesn't lock away its stars," Justin reminded her.

Brian casually strolled in amidst the chaos, and took a seat at the counter. "I'll have the blue plate special," he ordered over the noise.

Justin turned around to the familiar voice. "Did you hear the verdict? Can you believe they let that child molester go?" He leaned across the counter for a kiss.

"I heard it." Brian returned the kiss. "I'll have the blue plate special," he said again.

Michael spotted his friend, and hurried over. "Brian, did you hear that verdict? They found Michael Jackson not guilty on all accounts! Can you believe that?"

"I really don't give a shit, Mikey," Brian sighed.

"What, how can you say that?" Ben couldn't believe his ears. "They just released a sexual predator back onto the streets to molest again! The guy is a deviant. ANYONE who has taken basic 101 psychology can see that!"

"Well, apparently none of the twelve jurors have taken 101 psychology," Brian said nonchalantly.

"They didn't need to, because Jackson is innocent. The jury knew all along that the kid's mother was just out to get money." Emmett made the mistake of expressing his opinion.

"Will you lay off of the kid's crazy mother!" Debbie was quick to pounce. She then turned to Brian. "And you! I should have known that you wouldn't give a shit. Look at how young Sunshine was when you fucked him."

"Hey!!" Justin took offense.

"Sorry Sunshine," Debbie quickly apologized to Justin, then returned back to Brian. "You saw all of the evidence they collected on that plastered faced freak, and they still let him go. What kind of message is that sending to our kids? How can we expect a kid who is being sexually abused to tell someone if they know that nobody is going to believe them?"

Brian had heard enough. "DEB, NOBODY GIVES A SHIT!" he yelled at her, and suddenly the diner went silent. "You're all banging your heads against the wall as if anyone cares about a boy who got abused by Michael Jackson. Everybody knows that when people talk about sexual abuse they're not talking about little boys, they're talking about little girls. Nobody really gives a flying fuck if a fledgling faggot gets what he deserves. Maybe if the little sissy is abused enough it'll make him straight! That's the only thing that really counts, right? Make the little faggot straight! Fuck the blue plate special. I'm not hungry anymore." Brian threw a tip on the counter, and exited the diner.

Justin finished his shift, and made his way home to the loft. Upon entering through the sliding doors he was startled by a silhouette standing in the dark, near the picture window. "Shit Brian, you scared me!" he gasped. "Why are you in the dark?" Brian didn't answer, instead he took a long drag of his cigarette, and appeared not to notice when Justin flipped on the kitchen light. Justin sat his book bag on the floor, then proceeded to unpack the brown bag take-outs he had been carrying. "The diner got even crazier after you left." He resumed telling Brian about the fallout of today's verdict. "I can't believe how many people honestly think Michael Jackson is innocent. Poor Debbie, she was so mad you could actually see the veins swelling up in her neck. For a moment there I thought she, and Emmett were going to come to blows." Justin chuckled. "Here, I brought dinner, two blue plate specials."

"I'm not hungry, baby." Brian continued to gaze out of the window.

"Brian, is everything alright?" Justin turned on another light.

Brian turned from the window, and looked over at Justin. "The first night that I brought you home with me, did I hurt you that night?" he asked.

"What are you talking about?" Justin laughed. "You're not listening to Debbie are you?"

"What about the second night, and all of those other nights, with all of those other tricks? Did they hurt you? I need to know Justin," Brian implored him.

"Brian, you never forced me to do anything that I didn't want to do," Justin assured him.

"That's not true," Brian begged to differ. "You only wanted to be with me, but I couldn't accept that. I knew you were too young, but I still dragged you with me to the backrooms, and the baths, and.."

"You didn't drag me...!" Justin insisted.

"I'm no better than Michael Jackson," Brian concluded. "I took advantage of your love the same way Jackson took advantage of the boys that he molested. It's really not that unusual when you think about it. Men do it all the time. They make you fall in love with them, and before you know it you're turning tricks for all of his friends just to please him, because bad attention is better than no attention at all."

"Brian, what are you talking about?" Justin asked again.

"It doesn't pay to tell anyone," Brian continued. "Nobody is going to believe you. You saw what just happened to the kid who told on Jackson, nobody believed him. Now the kid will have to live with the consequences. He'll be ridiculed, and beaten up at school by all of the other boys. The family will have to move, his parents will hate him for embarrassing them, and his father will take it out on the little faggot's ass every drunken payday. If you ask me the kid should have just kept his mouth shut, and enjoyed the ride while it lasted!"

Justin hurried over, and attempted to wrap his arms around his troubled lover's waist, only to have Brian pull away from his embrace. He then watched in stunned silenced as Brian slumped down onto the nearby sofa, and buried his face in his hands. Dear God, this wasn't about Michael Jackson at all. Justin walked over to where Brian was sitting, and knelt down close by his side. "Is that what happened to you Brian?" Justin uttered, and lovingly stroked his fingers through Brian's hair. "It wasn't your fault Brian. You were just a baby," he said.

Brian lifted his head when he heard Tony's words. For a moment he almost expected to look into the deepest brown eyes he'd ever seen. Instead he was met by Sunshine.......

----------------------------------------------

"Tony, Tony, earth to Tony!"

Tony opened his eyes. "I'm sorry. What did you say?"

"Your mind is a thousand miles away tonight, sugar. Who are you thinking about?"

Tony reached down, and stroked his fingers through the auburn tresses of the trick who had kissed his way down his belly. "I was thinking of you, Precious," Tony said.

NEXT WEEK: Part -time Jobs

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