His tears started as he ran on the main road towards the city, towards the deli hoping Josh would still be there. The tears continued to flow and when he reached the mall he pushed himself a little harder, eager to get there, eager to have Josh’s protective arms around him. He saw the door opening and his beautiful lover stepped out.

“Josh!” he called when he was only yards away and he soon crossed that distance and threw himself into Josh’s arms. Josh completely dazed by the scene he almost fell backwards at the force of Justin lunging at him. He recovered when he felt Justin shaking against him as sobs wrecked the young boy’s body. Josh quickly wrapped his arms around the young boy, earning him a few disgusted, weird and prying looks. He turned his back towards the people rushing by and pulled Justin closer to him, wondering what had happened to make him so upset.

“Justin, sweetie” he addressed him but he got no response so he stood there serving as support pole while Justin shed all the tears he had in him.

“Guppy?” he tried once again when he felt the shaking subside. In his mind there was the reminder of his second job where he should be heading towards right now but he couldn’t let Justin standing here like this. He couldn’t leave him now, he pulled back instead so he could look into his boyfriend’s eyes.

“Baby what’s wrong?” he asked concerned, praying it didn’t have anything to do with his father and them being caught.

“She… she… touch… touched … me… and… and… wan… wanted… to…. to… sleep… with…. me” he forced out in between gasps. Anger boiled inside of Josh, instantly knowing who he was talking about but he pushed it down seeing the distraught look on his lover’s face.

“Don’t… don’t be mad… Joshy… I…I need…you” he let out in between hiccups, afraid once again Josh would leave him after this.

“I’m not mad baby, I love you” Josh reassured him. Justin’s sobs started again, this time from relieve that Josh wouldn’t abandon him.

“Don’t… leave … me” he whispered in between sobs against Josh’s chest.

“I won’t, baby, never, shhh, calm down” he soothed, stroking his curls, trying to get him to calm down. Several minutes and a lot of tears later Justin pulled away slightly.

“I’m sorry” he apologized, wiping away his tears with the back of his hand.

“It’s ok, don’t be sorry” Josh assured him staring at his lover with adoring eyes.

“Oh!” Justin exclaimed.

“You have to go to work” he remembered all of a sudden, feeling even more guilty for holding him up.

“It’s ok, I’ll call in sick” Josh reassured, knowing he couldn’t do that, not this late, he’d make it up to his boss he would understand, Josh told himself.

“Come on” Josh ushered Justin, pulling him back inside the deli, he set Justin down on one of the couches before he went behind the counter in search of Mr. Johnson asking him if he could use the phone for a second. He agreed reluctantly, telling him one minute only and Josh nodded thankfully before quickly dialing the number. He told his boss he wasn’t feeling well and couldn’t come, immediately offering to work double shifts for the coming two nights to make it up when he heard his boss starting to protest. The man finally agreed and Josh thanked the man, feeling a little guilty but pushing it aside when he turned and saw Justin looking at him with enormous blue eyes, a wild childish expression in them. He thanked Mr. Johnson, vaguely hearing the man’s comment about his little boyfriend not looking very good, before he rushed towards Justin.

“Come on” he ushered him again pulling him up. They shuffled to Josh’s apartment where he laid him down on the bed, getting a glass of water before joining his boyfriend on the bed. Justin took the glass taking small sips before he handed it back to Josh who set the glass on the floor beside the bed. He lay down completely and pulled Justin against him. They lay like that for quite a while before Josh thought it was time for him to know what exactly had happened. The short explanation not enough for him, to not to worry about his lover. Justin told him everything in short pieces of information; about the touches that increased, probed and had eventually led to her wanting to sleep with him. Josh’s anger boiled inside of him but his anger was not directed towards Justin, it was directed towards the girl who used Justin’s situation to her own advantage. Josh continued to soothe him till Justin spook up, his voice miserable as he let Josh in on his thoughts.

“I don’t know for how long we’ll be able to see each other” Josh’s heart broke at the tone in his voice and when he realized Justin was right. He, by now, understood Justin needed an excuse to come and see him. First it had been Joey and now it was that girl, supposedly being his girlfriend but now what?

How where they able to see each other if they hadn’t had those excuses any longer?

“Hey Tamara!” Alexandra addressed her friend in the hallway as she was checking the bulletin board to see if there were any interesting events this coming week.

“Hey Alexandra, what’s up?” Tamara asked, happy to see her friend. They got along well, as far as that’s possible for two extremely spoiled rich kids.

“Nothing much…” she answered, trailing off. Tamara recognized that tone and new something was up.

“You can’t fool me, girl” she told her friend.

“I know” Alexandra smiled brightly, a little too bright.

“Just wondering, are you still dating Justin?” Alexandra asked with an evil smile, knowing her friend had him wrapped around her finger. Although she didn’t know why and to be honest she didn’t know what a stud like Justin was doing with someone like Tamara so it had to be a good scam.

“Yes, why?” Tamara asked suspiciously not trusting where this was going.

“I think he’s cheating on you” she informed her bluntly.

“What do you mean?” Tamara asked her a little shocked by the bluntness of the information.

“I saw him yesterday at the mall…”

“With another girl?” Tamara cut her off, angrily.

“Nuh-uh,” she said shaking her head with a grin.

“A boy” she told her softly.

“What?” Tamara almost screamed but Alexandra just nodded with a pleased smile. ‘That explains the cover and him leaving me alone, half naked on the bed’ Tamara thought.

“He’s a fag” Alexandra stated, an evil undertone in her voice.

“Excuse me” Tamara said with gritted teeth before she stormed off in search of Justin.

Tamara stormed through the hallways, earning her a few strange glares but she didn’t care. She needed to get to Justin, she finally found him in a deserted hallway talking to his friend Joey after class. She quickened her step and stomped towards the two. Justin looked up to see who was making so much noise, the high hallways the cause of the noise getting multiplied. He saw Tamara coming towards him in rapid speed, he cringed automatically as he saw the look on her face and when he thought of the night before. When she reached them she grabbed his shirt and slammed him forcefully against the wall.

“You a fag, Justin?” she spit at him making Justin cringe once again, barely recovering from the power this little girl had in her while his eyes widened in surprise, how did she find out? Joey was standing there with the same look on his face but then from what had happened just moments before. He stepped forward, grasping Tamara’s lower arm to urge her to let go of Justin but he was met with flaring eyes.

“Let go of me” she growled. Joey released the grip on her arm and took a step back, eyeing Justin, silently asking what to do but Tamara made the decision for him.

“You better leave,” she said looking at Joey before returning her angry stare to Justin.

“You don’t want your friend to find out about this do you?”

“Justin?” Joey asked, wanting to know what to do from Justin not from this bitch.

“Leave Joey…” he told him softly, ashamed.

“Please” he added when Joey wasn’t moving. Joey nodded, casting one glance over his shoulder as he reached the doors before disappearing through them.

“You a fag?” Tamara repeated her question since she hadn’t gotten a response to her first one.

What could he say about that?

He could lie but by the way she was asking she already knew the answer, just needed him to confirm.

“Yes” he whispered reluctantly.

“You turned me down for a fag!” she yelled at him, remembering how many times she’d asked Justin out while he was probably dating another boy and the other night was also still fresh in her mind. Justin stayed silent, letting her yell at him although he didn’t really know why she was so angry. His motives for needing a cover didn’t matter, that was never discussed just what she wanted in return so why was she so upset?

“You’re father doesn’t like fags, does he?” Tamara asked, taking a different course, understanding why he needed the cover in the first place. Justin’s head shot up giving the answer Tamara was hoping for.

“Ahh… you don’t want him to know do you?” she asked with a knowing smirk.

“You can’t tell him” he said but he knew his eyes were pleading.

“What if I do?” she asked evilly but she didn’t wait for an answer.

“You know, you could pay for my silence, maybe finish what we started yesterday?” she asked evilly. Justin was shocked.

She would ruin his life on purpose?

She would make him sleep with her?

It made him think off a harsh come back he’d never have used if she hadn’t forced him.

“Then I will tell your parents you forced me to be your boyfriend that you can’t get a date on your own. Besides you kissed a fag as you so nicely put it, I’m sure they’ll be thrilled”

“That’s mean” she told him, her eyes narrowing.

“It’s the truth, I don’t want to but you left me no choice” he told her confident, seeing her face crumble.

“Fine!” she said, she didn’t want to get that reputation and although Justin would be labeled as a fag she’d would be labeled as a desperate little girl who couldn’t get anyone on her own and the kissing a fag part was even worse, she simply couldn’t let that happen. Besides she was done with him anyway.

“Fine, lie to your dad, I don’t care. I got what I wanted anyway, right baby?” she winked, crushing their lips together one more time before she disappeared out of his life for good at least that was what he prayed for.