Good Guys Don't Date Bad Boys

Chapter Forty-Four -- A Gang Of Great Minds

After Jonathan told him that he wanted to talk to Rusty by himself about the blackmail, Maddox discovered that the free time he had on his hands was as good as any to begin rallying the troops. His first choice was a no-brainer.

"Ray of Sunshine," he said cheerfully as soon as the guy picked up.

"Maddox? Maddox Kingsley!" Ray exclaimed, seemingly having forgotten that he had stopped being Maddox's loyal fan not so long ago. The explanation for the change of heart came swiftly. "Jonathan told me on the phone how you drove night and day to get to him! In case you're wondering, you're totally forgiven."

"I wasn't wondering," Maddox teased in turn. "Hey, what are you and Hanna doing for New Year's? If you don't have set in stone plans, there's a party with your names on it."

"A party with The Amazing Four?" Ray asked excitedly.

"There are going to be other people there, but yeah. Plus, I'm counting on you to convince Jonathan to come to the party, as well."

"Color me flattered, but I doubt Jonathan would tell you 'no' to anything at the moment."

"Yeah, speaking of which." Maddox scratched his head and sat on the bed. "Jonathan told me about those messages blackmailing him, and also that he told you, so I was thinking of joining forces."

"Sure thing," Ray said brightly without waiting for more details. "Wait, I hope you're going to convince JJ to come back to school. Once you go JJ's cooking, you never go back, and that's a fact."

"That's what I want," Maddox confirmed. "He told me he'd think about it, but I feel like an asshole if I insist for him to do it only for my sake. At his old school, the people were complete douchebags about it."

"Yeah, I know," Ray said, his voice dropping with a forlorn sigh. "I promised him that I wouldn't let the same thing happen to him at Sunny Hill, but I have to admit that I've only come up with a handful of ideas so far, and I'm not sure how effective they will be."

Maddox was rightfully impressed with Ray's capacity to come up with some plans already. He had only been gripped by righteous anger and had done very little in terms of thinking of a coherent strategy for dealing with the potential fallout of Xpress releasing the video. Still, it didn't hurt to ask. "Is one of those ideas somehow related to punching anyone who dares to say a thing to Jonathan's face?"

"And behind his back," Ray replied. "Seriously, you need to think of all angles when you come up with something like that."

Maddox couldn't agree more. "Well, I thought of that, too. I haven't yet discarded it. I mean, it could still be an awesome way to deal with fuckers who care too much about other people's lives."

Ray laughed at the other end. "JJ won't be crazy about it, I bet. He's that kind of nice person."

"He is," Maddox said in kind. "So, are you and Hanna on for the party? I'll send you the details."

"We're totally on board. I mean, she came to see my folks on Christmas, and I'm going to meet her parents, but we can make it to the party. It's for a good cause, and I'll convince Hanna."

"So," Maddox drawled, "meeting the parents and all that, huh? What do you know?"

"And you, where are you right now?" Ray asked and laughed. "By the way, what are JJ's parents like? Are they really scary?"

"You'll have to ask Rusty about that. He's already dealt with the toughest side of the family."

"Ah, Rusty. JJ told me he's also there, with you two. I bet you had an awesome Christmas party."

"You can say that again." As much as Maddox enjoyed spending time chatting with Ray, they needed to focus on finding ideas to brainstorm at the New Year's party. "We'll talk about it when we meet up. So, grab Hanna and get her on board. I'm sure she'll help."

"Totally. See you guys, then. Now, I need to pack my bags so that I can go meet Hanna's parents. Wish me luck!"

"I don't think you need it, but hey, good luck, and come back engaged."

"Engaged?" Ray perked up significantly at the sound of that. "Wait a minute, are you and JJ planning something outrageously romantic to make the rest of the world look bad? 'Cause I'm not gonna lie, I'll have to hate you two a little."

"Why, don't you want to propose to Hanna?" Maddox asked.

"Yeah, but she's one hell of a girl, and I don't plan on scaring her off. I'm biding my time."

They knew they were joking when they talked like that, but Maddox was also very aware that they were both only half-joking. He bid Ray goodbye and dropped to the bed, with his phone pressed to his chest. Pursing his lips, he began thinking of the most effective ways to punish the fuckers writing for Xpress. If possible, he wanted to put a foot so far up their asses that they wouldn't be able to sit for a year.

But first and foremost, he needed to think of ways to protect Jonathan and his fragile self that had been hurt so badly in the past. No way in hell Sunny Hill would be a second bad experience for him. The Amazing Four would take care of that.

Only that they wouldn't be only The Amazing Four. No, they would have Ray and Hanna with them, and, of course, Jonathan. That meant the name needed to undergo some amendments.

Hmm, they had to come up with another name, different from the one given by those assholes at Xpress. But what would be a good one for a gang of great minds?

***

Jonathan found Rusty in the living room, all by himself. He was on his feet, close to the piano and was studying the polished surface, his arms behind his back, as if he was a teacher searching for mistakes in the homework of an unfortunate schoolkid.

"Hey, Rusty," he called out to draw his attention.

He was pleased to see that Rusty was wearing the new sweater, and by the looks of it, he seemed very content with his new look. Rusty turned on his heel to face him. "Hamilton, do you like sneaking up on people?"

"I wasn't sneaking. You were just lost in thought. What were you thinking about?"

Rusty shrugged and moved away from the piano. "Hey, do you think your mom got terribly mad 'cause I don't wanna see that vocal coach? It said something on the note that the first ten lessons have already been paid in full."

While the notorious troublemaker was trying to make it sound like it didn't trouble him much and that he was only asking out of politeness, it was easy to see how anxious he actually felt. He was digging into his palms with his fingernails, then pulling at the cuffs of his sleeves and dragging them down.

"Don't worry about my mom. She told you the paid lessons are not time-sensitive, so you'll be able to take them whenever you feel like it."

Rusty hesitated before speaking again, shifting his entire weight from one foot to another, as if he couldn't decide how to stand in a more comfortable position. "What if that time never comes? What if I never go?"

"I suppose she'll be disappointed, but it won't be the end of the world." Jonathan examined Rusty slowly. It wasn't very often that handsome face was scrunched up in thought, but, in a way, Jonathan was well aware that he was seeing more of Rusty's real face, and not the mask he usually wore, the embodiment of nonchalance bordering on belligerence that he exhibited for the world to see.

"So, she might think of ways to punish me," Rusty concluded.

If that was the out he needed so that he went to see the vocal coach later, so be it. Jonathan pretended to frown in troubled thought and gave Rusty a long meaningful look. "That might happen. I know I don't want to be on her bad side, and I'm her son."

Rusty nodded solemnly and then stared at Jonathan, narrowing his eyes. "Are you fighting with Maddox? 'Cause I won't try to stop you two. Lovers' quarrels," he declaimed in a phony accent, "are not my specialty."

Jonathan snorted. "Anything could be your specialty as long as you put your mind to it, I'm sure."

Rusty was more than pleased with the praise and grinned ear to ear. However, when Jonathan pursed his lips, his smile faltered. "Still, you're here to tell me something bad."

"Something bad? No, no, it's not like that," Jonathan tried to soften Rusty's guess. How attuned was the king of Sunny Hill to other people's feelings that he sensed something like that so quickly? Rusty never ceased to amaze him. "I mean, it is for me, and it's why I made a run for it once finals were over."

Rusty didn't interrupt him, not even with one question, and waited patiently, something that could have been interpreted as out of character for him by someone who didn't know him well. Jonathan liked to believe that he had come to know Rusty more deeply than most.

"You see," he continued, "someone from Xpress is blackmailing me by threatening to release a certain video."

"Xpress?" Rusty asked slowly.

"Yes. These are the messages." Jonathan handed Rusty the phone, while his eyes darted sideways. The video would be out in the open anyway, so there was no point in backpedaling now. Rusty and everyone else would see it.

Rusty read carefully. "What's the video about?" he asked. "Don't tell me they have proof that you skipped school in third grade or something."

Jonathan began to feel an unpleasant heat creeping up his neck. His face had to be on fire by now, but running and hiding weren't an option. "No. I'm just in a compromising position with another guy." He choked on the last words, not knowing how to put it more clearly and bluntly.

"A sex video," Rusty concluded, saving him from further explanations. "So? It's no secret to anyone that you're gay. Wait, is the other guy Maddox?"

"No," Jonathan denied quickly. "It's Drew. You've heard the name, right?"

Rusty nodded and frowned, his eyes narrowing even more. "Is it some kind of pony training?"

The video was right there, in front of him, but Rusty showed no signs that he intended to open it.

"No," Jonathan said, and a small bubble of laughter swelled in his chest. "It's not pony training."

"What is it, then, that's compromising? Give me the tl;dr version," Rusty said.

"Drew does drugs, I go down on him," Jonathan said in less than a second and then clamped his mouth shut.

"Meh, so basic," Rusty commented. "People in retirement homes throw wilder parties, Hamilton."

"Oh, so you've been to many of those?" Jonathan asked airily, his good mood slowly returning. It seemed that people couldn't stay serious for very long in Rusty's company.

"I've been to all kinds of parties," Rusty assured him. "So, what's the problem? For the record, if you ask anyone at Sunny Hill if they imagine you suck dick, they'll say 'yes'." He put both hands up. "Just saying. I mean, you're gay. You like dick, obviously," he added very matter-of-factly.

If everyone in the world took things in stride like Rusty did, there would be no wars, Jonathan thought with mirth. "Well, I suppose, yes. But it's one thing to imagine it, and another to see it, right?"

Rusty handed Jonathan the phone back, clearly uninterested in something as basic as a blowjob and someone getting high while getting head. "Yeah. I mean, if it were me, I'd say, just look at the Mighty Thor." He pointed downward, and Jonathan caught himself just in time.

His lips twitched in a smile. "Well, unfortunately for me, I'm nothing like you." An explanation was required, however. "At my old school, they gave me hell for it. There wasn't a day I wasn't mocked." He stopped before going further. The last thing he needed was to come across as pathetic and whiny.

"Hmm," Rusty muttered under his breath. "Are you sure it's Xpress doing this shit?"

The question took Jonathan by surprise. "They practically say so."

Rusty's eyebrows furrowed in thought. "Not quite. They didn't sign or anything. Like, Love, Xpress or Sincerely yours, Xpress."

"I doubt anyone in college would end phone messages with such words," Jonathan argued. "But what makes you think it's not Xpress?"

"I'm not saying that. It's just there's something weird about it all," Rusty replied. "I mean, it's a douchebaggy gossip site, but I don't know... they always kind of struck me as stupid."

Stupid. That was a big word coming from Rusty. Jonathan couldn't imagine him saying it unless he was joking. And right now, Rusty didn't look like he was joking at all.

"I mean, do you remember how they bought that dog story? And when they thought they got proof that I was boning you behind Maddox's back, that was stupid as hell, right?" Rusty continued. He puffed out his chest and began pacing the room, again with his hands behind his back.

Jonathan couldn't argue. He kept his eyes on Rusty and only then realized that right now, Maddox's best friend was playing the detective. The only thing missing was an audience of five plus suspects, one of them evidently the murderer.

"All right," he said. "I can't exactly say anything against that. But is that proof enough?"

"Xpress never hits home," Rusty explained. "And they're completely bonkers and just full of assumptions. And shit. Yeah, that, too. Not only about Maddox's dog or us playing ball together while I'm wearing your very expensive sweater." At that, Rusty took a moment to admire himself in a full-length mirror on the wall. Jonathan was pleased he had chosen a good Christmas gift for him.

"Do go on," Jonathan encouraged him. He had suspected Connor of being Xpress, when maybe he should have suspected him of just being the blackmailer. That definitely put a completely new perspective on things. However, he didn't want to put ideas in Rusty's head, at least not before he heard everything the other wanted to tell him.

"But this," Rusty said, turning on his heel, "sounds really vindictive and personal. Whoever sent you those messages wants to hurt you."

"And Xpress doesn't want to hurt people?" Jonathan asked what he thought to be a fair question.

Rusty finally removed his hands from behind his back to wave them dismissively. "They're just clickbaity and think it's fun. Well, I'm not saying I'm right. Only that this blackmailer kind of threatens you that the video will be made public by Xpress, not that they'll do it directly. Just saying."

"Well, it could all be semantics, and the bottom line still stays the same. I'll get publicly humiliated."

Rusty tipped his head back and looked at the ceiling. "Hmm," he said mostly to himself and stayed like that for a while. "Do you know someone who would like to, you know, do you harm?" By the way he struggled with the words, Jonathan could only surmise that Rusty was trying to get into his detective persona to the best of his abilities.

So, at that question, he shrugged. "I don't want to point fingers. I did think that Connor could be behind it, but I confronted him, and within seconds after that, I got one of those unpleasant messages. I don't think he could have sent it."

Rusty tipped his head from side to side slowly and grimaced. "He could have had it already written and just hit send."

"Yes, you're right," Jonathan agreed. "But, I don't know, I feel like it would be too convenient for me to suspect him."

Rusty made a circle with one finger through the air. "Everyone's a suspect until proven otherwise."

Clearly, they were acting in a detective drama series at the moment. "Come on, Rusty, we can't say that. Our circle of friends must be above all suspicion."

Rusty acquiesced with a slow, self-important nod. "All right. But everyone else is a suspect," he took care to add quickly.

"Fine," Jonathan admitted. "Only that such a conclusion doesn't get us anywhere closer to finding the culprit. Wait, did you just drag me into something? Because I came here to talk to you only so that you don't end up disappointed in me when the video's released, which clearly it will be."

"Disappointed?" Rusty scrunched up his nose. "Why? Don't tell me you suck at blowjobs. By the way Maddox looks each time--"

Jonathan put his hands up to stop whatever was coming next. "The thing is, Rusty, I don't know what to do. Maddox wants me to come back to Sunny Hill once the winter break is over. And I don't know if I can do that. I just wanted his best friends to know the reason why."

"You are totally coming back to Sunny Hill. Wait, when was this leaving school thing on the table? Nobody tells me anything," Rusty moaned and threw his arms in the air in a theatrical gesture. "By the way, I won't watch the video. I'm sure Dex and Kane won't either. I suppose your buddy Ray knows everything."

"Yes."

"So? Whose opinion do you care about? No one's judging you," Rusty said with determination.

Jonathan couldn't argue with that. "But the public opinion--"

"Fuck public opinion."

He fell silent for a moment and stared at Rusty.

"I mean it. Just look at me," Rusty continued.

"I am looking at you," Jonathan said, a tad confused.

"Who do you think I am?"

"Um, the king of Sunny Hill?"

"Exactly. How do you think that happened?"

"Well, because you're a star?"

"Thanks, man, but that's not the reason." Rusty stopped for dramatic effect. "It's because I'm selling them the image they want to see so that they leave me the fuck alone."

Jonathan was speechless for a moment. He had no idea to what alignment of planets he owed the gift of seeing Rusty in such a serious mood, serving wise comments like hot cakes, but he appreciated it. "They don't exactly leave you alone," he pointed out. "You're a headliner by definition."

"Yeah. And what do they write? What do they know?" Rusty continued. "I'm telling you. Nothing. None of them knows me like Maddox, Dex, and Kane. They have no idea who I really am. And I like it that way."

"I feel like there's a lesson here, but," Jonathan said while rubbing his forehead, "I have no idea what it is."

"What's the worst that can happen once that video is out?" Rusty asked. "Are they going to laugh at you? That's it?"

Jonathan couldn't be entirely sure, but he sensed that there had to be some painful story behind that kind of argument. He hesitated, not knowing how to breach the topic in a manner that didn't come across as nosy, especially since Rusty was obviously trying to help. "Well, in a nutshell, I think so, yes."

"But why would they laugh at you?" Rusty insisted.

Jonathan felt his skin getting hot again. He looked down. "Because, you know, the nature of the video."

"The cocksucking, you mean?" Rusty asked, very matter-of-factly.

Jonathan just nodded and cleared his throat.

"But half the population at Sunny Hill or more sucks dick. The other half is getting their dicks sucked. Also, maybe more than half, probably," Rusty continued in a very academic tone. "We have the straight guys and gals. I'm telling you, there's a lot of cocksucking going on. Ask anyone."

"I'd rather not," Jonathan said, choking slightly.

"Well, it's true whether you think about it or you don't. Then, there's the gay guys, right? A lot of them must be sucking cock. I mean, even if they're only bottoms, or tops, or versatile, when it comes to cocksucking, they all suck cock, right?"

"Um," Jonathan squeaked, incapable of offering a proper reply.

"You're the expert, you tell me," Rusty said and pointed at him. "And then, there must be some bi guys. Those guys must really suck cock. It's like the gateway to anal, right?"

Jonathan stopped fighting and began coughing at this point. "I wouldn't really know?" he choked out a half-question.

Rusty waved dismissively and made a disappointed face. "Your lack of knowledge in this area is flabbergasting, Hamilton. But it doesn't matter. For your own good, I hope you're better in practice than theory. Now, my point is, everyone is into cocksucking. Otherwise, there wouldn't be over three point five billion results when you search for blowjobs."

"Results?" Jonathan mumbled.

"On the internet," Rusty said brightly.

"You even know the numbers," Jonathan added.