Jesse had been the exemplification of being a workaholic. After a series of life-changing events, he fell into deep dark depression. A friend offered him a place to stay so he might get his life turned around for the better. It has been five years and life was better for someone, and that's where this story begins.
As Jesse, had returned from work he told Paul "If you will give me a few minutes, I will come back and work on the dishes." With that said, Jesse walked into his bedroom and locked the door.
The silence was broken as Paul screamed; "Open the door, Jesse; you know that you're not allowed to close the door." The banging on the door started to rattle the room.
Turning to the sound, "Paul please give me a minute. I need to change clothes"; looking at the door he could see it wouldn't continue to hold up to the pounding that Paul was giving it.
Jesse tried tuning out the pounding as he gingerly stripped from his work clothes. As he removed the long sleeve shirt he gasped at the sight of his arms, the bruises had darkened instead of becoming lighter. His moment of peace was shattered as the door busted off the hinges.
Paul looked intensely pissed off "I told you not to lock the door, then again you don't deserve to have a door. "Paul said, as he lifted Jesse of the floor, and knocked his head into the ceiling.
As Jesse stared at what was once a close friend and someone he would trust with his life. "Paul, do you really hate me that much?" Jesse asked, trembling hoping Paul would not strike him again or try to hurt him again. Evidence of his last beating was evident by the bruises all over his normally pale skin.
As a feral grin spread across Paul's face "Jesse you know I don't hate you, I really like to have you here. You have always been of great service here. I needed someone to do the chores and to helpout with the bills and you have done it, but I will not put up with your back talk or disrespect. I will not let you get away with having friends, you can tell about how I mistreat you. You will learn to keep your mouth shut or I will shut it for you"; as Paul turned to leave he looked at one of the pictures on the wall. Pulling the picture off the wall, Paul turned to Jesse "I don't care whose picture this is, you know you're not allowed to hang pictures on my wall." With that Paul threw the picture frame at Jesse, causing it not only to shatter and rip the picture of his mother, but the frame cut a small gash on Jesse's face.
Jesse never noticed he was bleeding nor did he see the sneer on Paul's face as he walked away mumbling something about "worthless piece of shit, never understands he might get to keep stuff if he would just fucking listen". Kneeling, down to the torn picture of his mother Jesse began streaming large tears silently wishing his mother was still alive and wishing he had never accepted Paul's offer to move in.
Jesse walked back into his room looking out the door as Paul snickered at the fact he could watch every move Jesse made since the door was gone. As Jesse got ready for bed, he looked himself over in the full-length mirror noticing how skinny and pathetic he looked considering he was covered with spots like a dog bread he had seen on television. Not only did he have spots, he was covered with gashes, scares, and other evidence of his abuse. But what could he do? He moved in with his best friend and this is the result from a friend. He should have followed his mom's advice so long ago; "Honey, if something ever happens to me, then you should find your stepbrother."
As he laid down and drifted off to sleep, his dreams were not calm, but they at least gave him the idea that he could find an unhealthy release from his problems. As he dreamed his imaginary best friend appeared and began suggesting ideas 'Jesse there are ways out but I don't think he will let you go that easily. You could overdose on the pills he has been slipping you but that is not really a choice.' these ideas were not something Jesse liked. He had always felt it was wrong to let his life go that way.
Kenneth was watching the monitors "How the hell has he kept going Paul?" Amazed that Jesse was still trying to keep going. They had broken all his stuff over the past four years, although never had Paul attempted to shatter that picture of Beverly; it had always been a do not touch item until tonight.
While all the pleasure from destroying the last thing to mean anything to Jesse was coursing through his veins he let out a belly laugh. "I don't care if I have to beat him senseless or break his will by taking his car away from him or going out there and taking a sledgehammer to it. He has become useless to me." with a thud, Paul crashed down on the chair.
The shocked expression lasted only a moment as Kenneth looked at Paul as he wondered how long until he too would be considered useless. Thinking over how long they had been friends and how they had met, Kenneth flinched. They had both been picking on Jesse about how much of a fag he was, knowing that he had just lost his boyfriend and mother in a car wreck. Kenneth had always been a little on the Bi side and had not told anyone not even Paul.
As Paul left to go to visit his girl of the week, Kenneth decided he needed to go check on Jesse even though they were far from friends; he was beginning to think he had befriended the wrong person. The level of destruction of the room had made him nervous upon entering the room, even if he had helped with the process of breaking down Jesse. Looking toward Jesse his stomach began to flip, there on the bed with no covers or sheets was Jesse. Bloodstains were everywhere he looked. As he moved closer to the body he noticed a bottle of the medication they had been slipping him to keep him docile, reaching down to check his pulse he began to worry. The pulse was faint, very faint. The thought to call an ambulance was quickly dismissed once he thought of how the room looked.
He knew he needed to take him to a hospital or a doctor or Jesse would be no more. Then he thought of the hell Jesse had lived in due to Paul and his own interactions. No, he needed to make sure Jesse lived so he could attempt to apologize for the shit he put him through. Reaching for the phone and dialing a friend from his past. "Hello, Chad. Please don't hang up. Look I know I have been a bastard, but I need help for someone and I do not know where to turn." Hanging up the phone and looking at the address Chad gave him, he began wrapping Jesse in a blanket and carrying him out to his truck. As the drive progressed; Kenneth started feeling his emotions boiling and he started having sharp pains in his chest. No, he knew that he wasn't having a heart attack it was the pain of knowing he had let everything happen to Jesse; So what, Jesse was gay, and he was bi. How much of a difference did it make in the grand scheme of life? It did not make that big of a difference, just that he should have defended Jesse and beat the shit out of Paul.
Upon arriving at the address, Kenneth lifted Jesse hoping it was not too late. As Chad came running out of the office he asked a simple question "Did you do this Kenneth?" A question Kenneth could not answer because he was too lost in the memories of the things he had done to Jesse for the time he knew him all he had done was cause him pain.
Once inside Chad asked, "what has he taken" the only answer was Kenneth passing him the empty bottle, which had contained the pills they had been giving him to keep him calm.
After reading the bottle, Chad started prepping the body in front of him. He was going to need to pump his stomach. He just hoped it wasn't too late. Looking to Kenneth, he saw his ex-best friend curled in a ball in the floor crying. Every fiber of his soul wanted to go and comfort him, but he needed to see if he could save this person in front of him considering it no longer looked like a person but a lump of beaten flesh.
Chad was glad it was Saturday, even though he had received a letter letting him know his medical license had been rescinded. Nothing like living in a closed-minded southern town. Being gay meant having your freedoms and your schooling voided because you were not straight. Nothing like the melting pot and the country, everyone came to, to escape religious persecution. Kenneth brought Jesse to him just in time to save him from death, but the condition his body was in, Damn. Jesse had appeared to have been beaten with straps, whips, ball bats, and other blunt objects. He had also been entered with probably the same ball bat considering the splinters he found in his anus. Thinking back to the notice he was glad he had begun packing everything up in the office. He already had the computer system packed and all the files and ninety percent of the medications were packed. As soon as they could move Jesse, he was going to ask Kenneth to help load the last of the office and follow him to his cabin.
Chad looked at his home and office as they pulled out, he had bought the RV he was driving with cash and put it in his parent's name about two days prior. He had been having thoughts the Bastards from the local antigay church would be coming for him soon, so he felt it would be best to be gone before they came for him. Looking at the office, he smiled seeing the large explosion take place. He had wired the place to blow if someone started tampering with the decoy computer he had placed in the office. Looking back toward Kenneth and his truck he smiled and waved at him, letting him know there was no need to run back and check what had happened. Chad, after all, had been in the military before he had been forced out, due to his orientation. Looking back to the road ahead of him, Chad dreaded the twelve-hour trip; but he was sure it would start rough. Nevertheless, he was hoping to hear why Kenneth took a chance to help someone he had hurt or had been part of hurting.
Jesse jumped with a jerk, looking around in every direction all he could see was large screens like a movie theater would have. Then he realized those screens had movies moments from the nightmare known as his life. Speaking to himself was something he could rarely get away with, but alas, he started wondering aloud. "Where the hell am I, and why are the worst moment scenes of my cursed life being shown?" As the train of thought switches tracks again. "Did I really get taken to a Dr., by Kenneth? Why the hell would he care?" Settling down in front of the screen that showed him being carried by Kenneth to his truck, he let a small smile flicker across his face. It was odd to see this kind of caring from one of his tormentors. Yet, he had always seen that Kenneth did less destruction and less harm than Paul did. As the movie stopped, he thought he heard an explosion it was muffled like it happened a great distance away. Once he sat down at the second screen a rage overran his thoughts 'Why did he fucking tear my mother's picture, she was there for his sorry ass when his mom passed. Hell, we took him in and helped him. I considered him my brother and now for all I know I am either dead, dying, or a vegetable because of him and his fear.'
Jesse woke up and looked around. First, this wasn't his room. Second, this room had a door and a picture hanging on the wall. He looked beside the bed to see someone had set out some clothes for him.
Suddenly there was a light knock at the door.
"Are you awake?" the strange voice said from the other side of the door.
"Where am I? Who are you? Am I dead?" Jessie asked not sure he wanted the answer.
"May I come in please?" The strange voice asked nicely.
"Yes, you may enter," Jesse said as he hurried back under the covers.
Chad slowly opened the door. Making sure to hold his hands up and in front of him as he entered the room. He was wearing a t-shirt and shorts. His training told him this person was terrified and he was trying to keep the terror to a minimum. "Look I just wanted to check in on you and see how your wounds were healing," Chad said noticing the young man beginning to relax in front of him. "My name is Chad, and this is my cabin. I had to leave a bad situation recently."
"Jesse is my name, but I have been called so many worse names lately. Was it a dream?" Jessie asked with a shudder. "Did Kenneth really save me? I thought he hated me?"
"He brought you to me after he found you had taken that bottle of pills,." Chad said looking down at Jesse.
"Chad where is my phone?" Jesse said looking around the room frantically.
"Calm down, when we started packing everything up I copied the contents to a USB stick and we disposed of the phone," Chad said while pulling out the USB flash drive. "I knew you would want to keep your photo's and all your degree information."
"When you say disposed?" Jesse asked but was interrupted.
"Jesse the phone was being actively tracked. I know better than to bring a compromised piece of equipment with us when we are all trying to escape our demons." Chad said while wondering how Kenneth was holding up.
"Chad, where is Kenneth?" Jesse asked hoping he could talk to him.
"Jesse, he is outside the cabin. He has been pacing a loop around the house for hours." Chad said pointing toward the window. "He is worried about you."
"Then, I would guess I need to talk to him," Jesse said getting out from under his covers. He began to get dressed totally ignoring the fact he was nude and in front of Chad who was blushing.
"Chad, Thank you for the clothes," Jesse said with a single tear slipping his eyes.
Kenneth had turned toward the cabin at the sound of the door opening. What surprised him was who was at the door. He began walking forward and stopped at the picnic table and took a seat. "I am so glad to see your up and awake Jesse."
Jesse walked over to the table and surprised Kenneth by walking to the same bench he was sitting at to have a seat. "So, I have only one question for you. Why did you save me?"
In life, most never pay close attention to the details of who their friends are. Most believe everything will be fine without getting to know them. However, if you have no clue about who they really are, how can you be sure you will be safe? How do you know that person won't turn out to be Paul?
Brynmor
Is Kenneth really a friend? Is Chad wearing a white hat? Is Jesse really, safe? Inquiring minds want to know. When, and where, will these questions be answered only the Brynmor knows.
The Story Lover