Game of Revenge

Chapter 3

Kiernan

The energy is off as we drive back to Brian’s small town. I don’t know what to expect or how to help support him through it. Michael keeps giving him sidelong glances that his twin ignores, turning away to gaze out the window.

Tray merely shakes his head, appearing annoyed at yet another example of drama between the brothers. It feels as if we’re coming to a head with everything, and I’m worried that things will blow up while we’re here.

While I’ve been trying to build a life and a new home, our relationship has been falling apart.

The brothers are sleeping in separate rooms in our rental, constantly bickering, and I was hoping being somewhere else would help. Unfortunately, Jefferson, Texas, isn’t exactly a romantic location.

I’m really trying though. It feels as if I’m the only one who is. Tray drives silently into Jefferson, grimly looking around as he drives toward the inn we made a reservation at.

They didn’t have anything large enough for four people, so we’re unfortunately staying in two rooms. I told Tray I’ll room with whoever needs me to keep the peace when he made the reservations.

Brian didn’t want to put his mother out for a short trip. She’s going to be working at the hospital anyways, so the inn was the best place.

Just wish we could all get along for one weekend.

“You shouldn’t have to walk on eggshells for your relationships,” are the words Tray gave me once he hung up the phone.

Fuck if he isn’t right but I despise fighting. We’ve been happy for so long and it feels as if suddenly we aren’t anymore. Did I miss the signs? How did this happen?

Holding back a sigh, I look down at my jeans and long-sleeved T-shirt, wondering if this is the right thing to wear.

“Hey Brian, what’s the dress code for the reunion?” I ask him. “Do we need to change or anything?”

Brian’s facial expression softens as he turns toward me. “I swear, the world doesn’t deserve you, Kier. It said they wanted button-ups and nice pants, but I couldn’t care less. I’m just really happy you’re with me,” he says. “I always swore I wouldn’t come back here.”

“We are though,” Michael says with a sigh. “I saw what you went through here, Brian. I have this awful feeling, and it’s making me an asshole.”

“Even more than normal?” Tray asks with a smirk, to which Michael snorts in derision.

“I know, I know,” he grumbles. “This place just feels evil.”

“It’s just a town,” I say gently. “We’re some of the scariest people I know. We'll be in and out of here so fast, their heads will spin in gay pride flags.”

I won’t hide my love for my guys. They’re my family, even while we’re going through a rough patch. We’ll either be able to move through it or not. I’ll call a family meeting when we get home and either get this figured out with words or masks and a paint gun fight. Whatever works, I don’t care.

“We packed for either,” Tray says with a sigh. “Let’s grab our room keys. I want a shower before we go. We made good time from Whitney.”

Nodding, it’s actually one thing no one fights about as Tray pulls into the parking lot.

“It all looks the same from when we were in school,” Brian murmurs. “Same businesses, same people that walk the streets, it feels surreal.”

“This town may not have changed, but you have,” Michael reminds him. “For the better, I mean. Leaving helped you grow into the person you are today. You hate bullies, bigots, and dickheads.”

“So why do I love you,” Brian teases him as Michael pops him over the head.

This is the brotherly love I can handle. They’re always horsing around, it’s the jealousy that gets difficult to handle. Getting out of the car, we grab our bags and head into the lobby of the inn to get our keys.

An older woman with curly gray hair and large bottle cap glasses greets us with a smile as we walk in.

“Hello,” she says. “Welcome to the Sunny Day Inn. What’s the name for your reservations?”

Smiling back, I give her my first and last name. “It’s for two rooms, please.”

“They’re king sized rooms. Will that be a problem?” she asks worriedly, glancing between us all.

“No, ma’am,” Michael says smoothly. “We’re brothers so we’ll stay together. Brian and I went to high school together and we’re here for his reunion.”

“Oh, you’re a Bulldog. How wonderful,” she says happily, clapping. The information makes her forget to ask if I have a problem sharing a room with Tray, since we’re obviously not related, and she checks us in.

Amused, I nudge Michael’s shoulder as we walk up the narrow stairs to the second floor.

“That was impressive,” I murmur softly.

“I still got it,” he responds with a shrug. “Misdirection through oversharing works every time here. When in doubt, make them focus on something else.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” I say, remembering the small town Carrie grew up in. This town gives me a vibe of secrets and familiarity. Suddenly, I think about how happy I’ll be to be leaving.

Opening Tray's and my door, I wave at the brothers as I walk inside.

“I have a feeling there aren’t many gay men who live here,” Tray says as he drops his bag on the bed next to mine.

“At least not openly,” I agree. “Did you see her face when she asked about our rooms?”

“I don’t want to say that we shouldn’t be open about being together, but getting into a fist fight with a bigot and getting thrown into jail isn’t high on my bingo card this year,” he grunts, pulling his shirt off.

“Jail would suck,” I growl, my eyes tracking his every move as he toes off his shoes.

“It would. So let’s go ‘not be obvious’ after we shower together,” he says with a dark chuckle.

I don’t think I’ve ever stripped so quickly in my life. The sounds of our laughter echo as we run into the shower.

Brian

God, what am I doing here?

“Yo, man, I didn’t think you’d show your face,” Craig Peterson crows, slapping my back as he comes up behind me. Everyone around us is wearing monkey suits and dresses, yet Keir, Tray, my brother and I are getting odd glances.

I’m unsure if it’s because ours appear to be tailored to us instead of off the rack and unfitting. Why buy something that looks like shit on?

I’ve never understood that concept. The four of us look sharp, but even our nice loafers unfortunately stand out here.

“I got the invite,” I remind him. “It’s my reunion too. I figured I’d come for old times sake. Is that a problem?”

I told myself I’d contain the chip on my shoulder for how the team treated me, or try to let it go for tonight. I played well back then, which is why I was on the team. I didn’t expect to figure out my sexuality in a high school locker room surrounded by well muscled boys.

It was a teenage dream and nightmare, and I was outed by a girl I thought was a friend at the time. She told the team I was gay. I told her I wished she was dead and never spoke to her again.

Sometimes, I dream about hunting her through the corn fields and killing her. I always wake up rock hard and reach for Tray or Kier. That’s the only way I’d ever get an erection for a girl.

I’m unsure what that means for me, but my little family is just as depraved as I am. I wish things were different, and that we weren’t constantly fighting. I need to figure out how to talk to my twin about sharing better.

I don’t want to lose people I love because we both can’t get our jealousy under control.

“No problem,” Craig says as the other Bulldog’s football players begin to crowd around me. I didn’t even notice when it happened.

Good ole mob mentality is cliche but still effective. “I just hope you understand what you’re starting by being here. Are those guys your little boyfriends?”

“I thought you called gay men who are together fuck boys,” Ricky says, brows drawn down in confusion. Ricky was never the brightest crayon in the box. It’s safe to say that he still isn’t.

“That’s absolutely not a thing,” I groan. “This town is still backward and ridiculous. You can’t change my sexual orientation, and you’re not going to catch it. Just in case though, you should go find your wives.”

The guys take steps away from me as if I casted some kind of fucked up spell. Again, I’m gay, not a witch. I don’t understand why they’re having such difficulty with this. We all went to the same high school, and I came out with a solid education.

Rolling my eyes, I find myself able to relax a little bit as teachers come up to chat with me. They want to know what I’ve been doing in life, and all seem interested when I explain the remote work that I do.

I have the freedom to work from anywhere, and we’ve created a decent nest egg for ourselves.

“I’m glad you didn’t let your unfortunate experience keep you from coming back,” Coach Edwards says, taking a sip of his water bottle. “People grow up, their pettiness hopefully bleeds out of them as they do. This town is full of people who have a hard time letting go of the past, though. Maybe things would change for the better if they did. Every year we have someone come out, I have to grit my teeth in worry that something bad will happen. They usually end up transferring out before it does.”

I can hear both the praise and the underlying message of concern as well. It’s depressing that they’re running gay kids out of town for fear of getting hurt.

Sighing, I find Tray, Michael, and Kier talking, their gazes firmly on me as I cross the room.

“You good?” Kier asks, eyes bouncing over my face as he waits for an answer.

“Absolutely,” I say with a nod. “I think I’m ready for a drink or several, though.”

“Thank God,” Tray says with a sigh. “They’re watching us like vultures, and I’m two seconds away from screeching ‘ca-caw’ at them all.”

Snorting out a laugh, I find that it’s difficult to stop once I start. They usher me out as I hold my stomach, shaking my head as I finally get a hold of myself.

“It would have been worth it,” Michael grunts, setting us all off.

“There’s a bar around the corner, I think,” I mention. “I made sure I knew where the closest one was when we parked.”

“You were keeping your options open, huh?” Kier asks, smirking.

“You know when you need to face a fear, even when you’re pretty sure that shit still smells like it?” I ask as we walk to the bar.

Kier rolls his eyes but nods, amused.

“That’s what this is like,” I tell him.

“You’re awfully philosophical tonight,” Michael drawls, opening the door to the bar. “Let’s get some alcohol in you to stop that immediately.”

Grinning, I know he’s right as we shuffle in. There aren’t a lot of people from the reunion here, since we left early, and we order bottled beer from the bartender once we make our way over.

A girl I recognize as Shayna pours our drinks, the one who outed me at school. She pales as I raise my brow at her, surprised she stayed around. It doesn’t appear as if many people grew a pair to leave.

Sometimes what you know keeps you in a town like this, and others it’s because you failed to leave at all.

“Fancy seeing you here, Shayna,” I murmur as I take my beer. “Did you ever leave?”

“I tried,” she says shakily as she takes Kier’s credit card. “It didn’t work out. I ended up getting married, and then divorced. I couldn’t leave after that. We have a little boy together.”

“Congratulations on the kid,” I tell her. “I’m sorry the marriage didn’t work out.”

“What about you?” she asks nervously. “Are you still, ah gay?”

Tray stares at her as if waiting for a punchline, and I sigh. None is coming.

“Yes, Shayna,” I say. “I’m afraid it’s terminal. Come on, are you for real? I’m never not going to be gay.”

“Boyfriend number one,” Tray says, finally having enough as he toasts her with his beer before taking a sip.

Well, fuck me. That’s sweet.

“Boyfriend number two,” Kier says with a shrug. “We live to corrupt gorgeous male twins. Watch out.”

Even Michael smirks at his words, throwing caution to the wind. What’s the worst that could happen, anyway?

I’m drinking on an empty stomach, and I can feel it beginning to hit me as my anxiety bleeds away. The four of us find a pool table to play at, and ignore the rest of the bar as we laugh and hang out.

It’s the first time in months that we haven’t fought, and I have to say that it’s nice. Maybe we can turn things around now. Tray even throws his arm around Michael and kisses his cheek to celebrate when he wins a game, and I find that it doesn’t bother me.

Grinning, I put up my pool cue because I have to take a piss.

“I’ll be right back. I have to hit the restroom,” I explain, pointing toward the back of the bar.

“Not to be weird, but do you want a buddy?” Kier asks, chewing on his lip.

“Nah,” I say with a laugh. “Nothing ever happens in this town. Why would that ever change?”

The guys nod and go back to their game, and I head back to the restroom. There’s no one back here, no line to use the toilet. If this was where we lived, people would be breaking their seal and talking shit. It wouldn’t be done in a mean way, just joking around.

That’s what I’m used to now that I live in Whitney. The closed mindedness of Jefferson is foreign to me now after years of being away. Regardless, we’ll be gone forever soon enough and I’ll never have to come back.

Flushing the toilet, I turn as I begin to zip up my pants, only to find two large men in black ski masks behind me. Gasping, I try to pull back, but they grab me and haul me out. I stomp on their feet, elbow them, and yell, but another masked man shoves a pair of stinky socks into my mouth.

I can see his bare feet, gagging at the realization that they’re his.

They have my arms pinned as I kick and yell, but the guy with bare feet kicks me in the groin, where my fly is still open.

“Thank fuck he put his dick away,” he growls, chuckling as he opens the door to the bathroom. I sag, groaning, unable to breathe from the pain.

The two men behind me drag me out the door, and then hang a right out into the night air.

“We don’t like your kind here,” the man holding me up rasps into my ear, spitting on me. “You’re an abomination. What if you infect our children?”

I want to tell him that it isn’t a fucking disease, but the truth is I’m still struggling to catch a full breath. If they had kicked me anywhere else I’d be fine, but a kick to the dick makes me want to puke.

Coughing, I shudder as they throw me onto the ground.

Flopping onto my back, I spit out the socks.

“What the fuck do you want?” I scream as more men come out from into the dark backlot. There’s not a star in the sky tonight, no lights back here, and there has to be ten guys surrounding me.

“To kill the scourge from our town,” a man growls, stepping quickly over to me and kicking me in the head.

My ears ring as my eyes roll back, and then the chaos begins. They are all kicking, stomping, and someone pulls out a bat to hit me with. My dick seems to be something they’re fascinated with, and they kick me until I attempt to make myself as small as possible.

I just want them to finish and move on. They won’t kill me, right? I can’t think, I’m crying so hard I can’t breathe, hyperventilating from the snot. Everything hurts, and I’m hanging suspended in time until it barely means anything.

I don’t know if it’s been a minute or several since the bathroom. The guys should come out soon right? They’ll stop this.

They’ll save me.

Except…. No one comes for me, and I can barely open my eyes as I look up and a steel bat comes straight for my temple. My body stiffens and convulses as my eyes roll back, and I know this is it.

I’ll never see my brother again. I’ll never have a second chance to make things better with him, Tray, and Kiernan. I hope they don’t blame themselves.

I was stupid for not recognizing that small towns are evil.

Blackness is all that welcomes me as I close my eyes, and I drift off into the void.

Goodbye.