Who Do You Love?

Author's note: This is the final chapter, good people. I want to thank you all for reading, and I also want to offer my apologies for the sadness and disappointment I caused with this little story. For everyone who still enjoyed the story, despite its flaws, a big, big 'thank you' from the bottom of my heart! I hope the conclusion will be pleasing.

*****

Andy was all alone now. He did not call Brad and Brad did not call him the next day. Even it was a little strange to think of, that made him feel pretty relieved. He just hoped that it was all over. After all, he had a lot to study and there were plenty of things to do, than sticking around a football player that did not love him or care for him. Andy knew that there will be a lot of gossip, but he hoped that he won't make the headline for long. After all, high school life was never boring, and there was always something else to talk about. He just needed to keep his head high, and pretend not to hear it, until the crowd was going to sink its teeth in someone else's life.

It was Monday again and Andy went to school alone, as he had done for almost four years before Brad. When he got there, he managed to follow another way to avoid Brad and his moron friends. He had almost escaped when a heavy hand landed on his shoulder. He turned to see Brad, standing there, all by himself, regret showing in his blue eyes.

"Hello, Andy..."

"You better make it quick, Brad, I don't have all day, what do you want from me?"

"I know I was ..."

"An asshole?"

"Yeah..."

"And what are you going to do about that?"

"Apologize?" Brad raised an eyebrow to ask for a confirmation. Andy thought that he was really cute that way, but he knew better now. Funny how seeing things for what they really were made him feel suddenly detached.

"Whatever... it does not matter anyway."

"So we're cool now?" Brad tried to hug him.

"Cool? Meaning? I am not upset anymore, if that's what you mean."

"Oh, good! I will pick you after hours!" Brad lowered his head to kiss Andy's lips, but the boy evaded the embrace.

"No, Brad, this is over. I thought that it will be hard to say this to you, but it is not. All you care about is your person. I don't know how I could be so blind! You are egocentric and you treat me badly." He shook his head in disappointment while saying that.

"No, no, Andy, stop, you don't know what you are saying, c'mon, you know you love me..."

"No, Brad, I don't love you. In fact, I am not sure if what I have ever felt for you was love. It was an image I was in love with. I thought you were a good person, but you are not."

"You will regret this!" Brad was furious. He let go Andy and raised a menacing finger. "Everybody will laugh at you. I will tell everybody what we did together..."

"Would you stop already, Brad? Everybody already knows all these. And you know why? Because you told them! How stupid do you think I am? Well, let me break it to you. Not anymore. First, I tried to ignore the rumors, but, after a while, I realized that you were the one spreading them. Everybody knows how you fucked me, so what can you say more?"

"Oh, I can say more..."

"What? Bullocks? Don't go too far, people will know you're lying."

"No, no, there is one more thing..."

"What thing?"

One of the teachers stopped by them and asked in an authoritarian tone:

"Boys, get to classes, stop loitering in the hallways!"

They parted, Brad sneering and Andy wondering what Brad had meant by that. He was soon to find out.

***

It was after hours, when Andy got face to face with one of Brad's friend, a tall boy with a solid stature, one that played defense.

"So, Andy, when are you going to make my cock feel happy?" The boy rudely asked, grabbing Andy's waist and pulling him in his strong arms. "I heard that your pussy is sooooo sweet!"

"Let me go!" Andy pushed against the heavy male, without managing to budge him one inch.

"What? Am I not enough man for you? Eh?"

"What are you talking about? Let me go!" Andy struggled to free himself, but for the taller boy it was only a game to let him loose one second and grabbing him close the next one.

"C'mon," the boy said, starting to chew Andy's ear, "Brad told me how you got banged for testing before he tried you on and how he got tired of you, so he told me to feel free to try you, too..."

"What?" Andy felt blood ringing in his ears.

"Yeah, everybody knows now that he hired Jack to fuck you first, so that Brad won't be forced to break you."

Andy felt tears in his eyes. That was way too much. He could not believe Brad to be such a coward and so mean to say that he was not his first. Now, the bully was feeling him up and he could not escape. It was awful, he felt like dying inside. And all that thing about Jack, that must had been a lie, it was impossible... but yet, pieces of information were falling together, completing the puzzle.

The party. Jack's sudden interest in him, the kisses, the missing date, the fight in the parking lot, those unsaid words... It was true, but for the fucking part. So Jack had to return to complete his job, Andy thought bitterly while still struggling against his assailant. The boy was sneering while he tried to get his hands in Andy's pants from behind to grab the gorgeous butt.

"Let the boy go!" A strong voice made the bully stop and turn to see who was daring to challenge him.

Andy saw Jack, standing there, the same dangerous fire in his hazel eyes.

"Don't you think you must deal with someone more of your size?"

"With you, skinny?" The bully was laughing, but he let Andy go from his hands.

"Yes, me."

With no further ado, the bully launched himself at Jack. But Jack, being lighter and flexible, just got out of the way, making the bully meet the concrete with his face. People were gathering again to watch another fight. Andy was sitting in a corner, terrified, looking at the fight with his heart clenched. He was terribly afraid that Jack was going to get beaten really badly. He was supposed to hate him for what he had done, but Andy could wait to hate Jack till all this was over. He heard two girls not far away from him talking vividly:

"They are fighting over Andy!"

"Oh, what does this boy have and we do not? Boys don't fight over us like this!"

"Oh, you heard what Brad has done? He started spreading rumors that Andy is a slut!"

"I don't believe it. Frankly, Brad has been a jerk with Andy and I think Andy really loved him. Now he is just trying to get back to Andy for dumping him when he could not bear it anymore."

"Yes, I heard that Brad is a moron. A girlfriend of mine told me that he is not even good in bed."

"Yes, me too, I heard that, too. I don't know how Andy was so patient and understanding with him. But he is such a good boy, he has always been."

"Yes, he is really sweet, I can see why Jack is so mad about him..."

Andy could not believe his ears. He felt a little bit relieved that Brad's lies did not work, but most of all, he felt a jolt of joy bubbling in his chest when he heard those girls commenting how Jack was mad about him. But his dear Jack was now in real danger, as he and the bully were rolling over the parking lot, clenching and thrusting and shouting at each other.

Jack was an amazing fighter, Andy thought. He could not believe how he could avoid the bully's punches so fast. And it was Jack that got on top once again, and now he was beating the hell out of that boy.

"Do you surrender? Tell me, do you surrender?"

"Yes, please, please, don't hit me! Please! I surrender!" It was quite a show to see that bully crying like a baby, while Jack was shaking him mercilessly.

"And you will never touch Andy again?"

"No, never, I promise!"

"Good, I will let you live then," Jack said in the same menacing tone.

He let the bully get up and the boy ran away as fast as he could from Jack and his punches. Andy went straight to Jack and grabbed his arm:

"Thank you, Jack, if it had not been you..."

"Are you ok, baby?" Jack asked, caressing a smooth cheek and looking into Andy's eyes with an unguarded gaze that turned the other boy's stomach into knots.

"I'm ok, how are you? You are the one that has just been in a fight!" Andy was almost shouting, due to the panic that he felt the entire time the two boys were clenched in their duel.

"I have tough skin," Jack laughed hoarsely, sending jolts of heat directly to Andy's belly. "Don't worry, let's just get out of here!"

Andy was so worried that he did not see anything else but Jack who, from time to time, was sighing and putting one hand to the side. They got to Jack's car and Andy offered to drive. He gently helped Jack enter the car, and then they drove off.

Jack gave Andy all the directions to his house and when they got there, Andy helped Jack again to get out of the car and enter the house. Jack let himself fall on the couch then he called Andy:

"Oh, Andy, how you get me in all kinds of fights, baby!"

"I'm sorry, Jack, I really am, I tried to get off his hands but he would not let me, and he said those terrible things..."

"What things?"

"That Brad paid you to fuck me first, so he will not be forced to break me..."

Jack fell silent and Andy knew that the truth he had been waiting to hear was not far away. So he cringed in his chair, prepared to hear the worst.

"It was not like that, Andy..."

"Tell me everything, Jack, I can handle it, I am a big boy, after all," Andy said, all bitter and sad.

"It is true, Brad came to me to tell me to find out if you were ready to get fucked."

"And that was all about? Why did you come back? To finish the job?"

"No, see, it was not like this!"

"How was it? Jack, please, I just need to know, I am a slut now, anyhow, at least, I should know what led to this," Andy continued, his face all a frown.

"No, no, don't say that! You are not a slut! Hush, baby, no! It's ok to like sex! You're amazing when you come in my arms! Oh, I love your face in that moment! Look. I will tell you how everything went. Brad came to me to propose a deal: to seduce you, to see if you are ready to be fucked as he did not want to bother too much with you and your possible refusal. There was no word about me really fucking you!"

"Oh, so you did that as a bonus?" Andy was sad and ironic.

"No, Andy, I did that because I wanted you like crazy! And because you wanted it too! You cannot deny that!"

"I won't deny it, you are, after all, great in the sack! It is my fault, I know I am a whore that cannot live without getting fucked!" Andy was shouting now, bitter and angered.

"Andy, please,... understand. I simply did not know what I was getting into... when I saw you at the party, ... I knew, right that moment, I knew I had to be with you!"

"But, why did you leave me on Monday?"

"Because... it is hard to explain..."

"Oh, please, make an effort, I think I have the right to know everything." Andy was balancing between feelings of anger and sadness.

"I had to keep my word. For a guy like me, it was all I had. I thought that I had to forget about you. I thought that you were just horny that night and nothing else. Everybody knew about the steady love that you had been feeling for Brad for years. So I left town for a while, hoping to get rid of the things I felt for you. It did not work. Everywhere I looked, it was you I was seeing, every face, every smile, I was becoming mad thinking that you were sleeping with Brad. But I tried to imagine that you were incredibly happy, even with that moron next to you."

"But in the parking lot, what was that?"

"I saw you and I could not help it. I had to kiss you. Andy... I like you a lot, I wished you had been my boyfriend. I could not stand thinking that Brad had you while I was only dreaming about that."

"I don't know... Jack, this is not right... I think I must leave now... I have to put my mind in order..."

"Oh, I see," Jack said and a black cloud descended on his beautiful face. "I understand. You can leave, I won't stop you."

Andy got up and headed towards the door. With the hand on the door's knob, he turned and said:

"We could have been great together, Jack... Goodbye..."

The door closed and Jack remained alone. If one could see him, one could tell that losing Andy was terribly bad and wrong for Jack. Very, very bad.

***

Now all the boys and girls in school knew the dirty details of the whole affair. Brad lost its credibility, and that was why many did not believe everything that he said. Those interested noticed though that, even if that day, Andy had left with Jack, now he seemed to be alone. And not only alone, but grim and sad. He was just moving through motions, like a robot. He kept scoring the high grades like usual, but nothing seemed to make him happy. When Andy encountered Brad, a few times, the football player rushed out of his sight, to Andy's relief. All was over. It was incredibly wrong, but over.

Jack left the city, again. He returned only for the final exams. And then, Andy saw him again, right after school was over and everybody was happy to get off the leash for the summer, hoping they would get accepted to some famous college. Andy had nothing to worry about his future, as he had great grades. Others were the issues that did not let him enjoy his success. Every night, he missed Jack. He never missed him during the day, as his mind was occupied while studying, but when evening was falling, he let his broken heart to weep. And Andy thought he could get over Jack. Just that it was not that simple.

He was walking towards the exit when he met Jack. The boy seemed skinnier than before, and he did not look extremely well. His eyes were darker, his face a little emaciated, but beautiful like always. Andy felt his heart stopping when he faced his ex-incredible-fuck-buddy. That was he tried to tell himself, that Jack was only good to be a fuck buddy, not a lover. It was a shameless lie, but he hoped to believe in it someday.

"Hi, Jack, how did you do?" Andy tried to sound casual, like talking to every other classmate in school.

"Hi, Andy," Jack answered, and his voice sounded tired. "It was good, I guess."

"How did you manage to make up for the lost time?" Andy realized only too late that his question could be interpreted. He bit his lip and noticed how Jack's gaze lingered on his mouth.

"I dreamed a lot about you," Jack whispered.

Andy remained silent. He did not know what to say. He wanted to shout that he had dreamed of Jack, too, but he could not bring himself to do it. Not right away.

"Do you think we could talk?" Small hopes were scattered in those words when Jack uttered them.

"Yes, let's go someplace else," Andy added.

They walked silently till a small gazebo, located on the lake shore, not very far from school, but still remote and secluded. It was a place where lovers met, but none of the two boys seemed to be in a very romantic disposition. They sat on a bench, in the gazebo, and Jack spoke first.

"I want to ask you something, you may not answer, if you don't want it, and I will understand."

"Ok, go ahead."

"Have you ever felt something for me?"

"Of course I have, Jack."

"What was that you felt for me?"

"It was... I don't know how to call it, like I wanted to be with you all the time."

"Do you love me?"

Andy jumped off the bench when he heard that direct question.

"Do you, Andy? Please, I need to know!"

"No, I don't," he returned harshly.

Jack let his forehead in his palms.

"Why do you ask something like that?" Andy almost whispered.

"Because I do love you and it is fucking hard for me to be without you."

"Oh, Jack, are you sure? You said I was your best fuck! Maybe it is just lust you are feeling for me! And yes, don't be so surprised I say that, I have grown up lately. I know I did not love Brad, that's sure, and that I had a great time sleeping with you."

"Oh, that's good," Jack sounded genuinely happy saying that. "But I do love you, I know that."

"So what are you going to do now, Jack?"

"I am going to ask you to be friends."

"Friends?"

"Friends, yes, like pals, you know."

"It won't work out. You will jump me and I don't want to be fucked like a slut anymore."

"How do you want to be fucked?"

"I don't want to be fucked at all!"

"You're such a bad liar, Andy!"

Andy knew that was true. If it was to be close to Jack again, he was sure that he could not help it. He was terrified at the thought that he would beg Jack to sleep with him. And it was not only fucking he was thinking about. He wanted Jack to take him in his arms, to cherish him and care for him and call him 'baby', with that velvet voice. But he did not want any more lies.

"YOU are a liar, Jack, you slept with me, because Brad paid you to, how do you call that?"

It was Jack's turn to jump off the bench. He came straight to Andy and began shaking him hard.

"Why don't you listen? Brad did not want me to fuck you, he was not that stupid. He just wanted you prepared, that was all."

Andy did not say a word. Jack sighed and made a gesture of resignation with his hands.

"You know what Andy? I must get over you, after all. It was all wrong from the beginning and I am just stupid to think that I can mend something. I am the only one responsible for my feelings and you have nothing to do with them. I am a fool but let me tell you something, Andy, I don't regret one bit like you do. I am glad that all these happened."

"Why?" Andy asked, surprise on his cute face.

"Because, otherwise, if Brad had not come to me with that stupid seduction plan, I would have never known you, never felt you quiver in my arms, never seen your face when you reach climax, I would have never loved you! And that you cannot take away from me! And I will love you, even against you, until time will heal these wounds. It might be hard, but it will all pass, after all. I am not here to tell you big words, like I will always be in love with you. But I know one thing, that I will not forget you and this love will be cherished in my heart all my life. Yes, Andy, you will always have a place in my heart, always!"

Silence reigned for seconds, after Jack's ardent speech. Andy was taken aback by Jack's words and he could not say anything, he could not believe his own ears. How come Brad never talked to him like that? All that lost time, Andy thought. Jack spoke again.

"But I must leave now and let you be! After all, you got only bitterness and disappointment from this experience and for this, I beg you with all my heart to not hate me too much! Goodbye, Andy!"

Jack hugged Andy shortly and then he walked past him, with his head down and a gloomy look.

"Jack, wait," Andy almost shouted.

"Yes?" Jack's beautiful eyes were filled with shy hope.

"Jack, I want you! Don't leave!" Andy was pleading and it was not even necessary, as Jack turned right away and embraced him forcefully.

"Andy, please, accept me to be near you! It's killing me inside! I don't care if you don't love me, you can punish me for all that I did to you, let me stay with you a while!"

"Jack, please call me like you use to..."

"How, baby, how?"

"Like this, I feel so good when you call me 'baby'..."

Jack kissed Andy's full lips, greedily, hungered. He kissed his lover like his life was depending on it. Andy stopped him and Jack was trembling with fear.

"Please, Jack, don't be scared... I just want to tell you something..."

"Yes, Andy?"

"I love you, too, Jack and I am mad about you! I was like a lunatic all this time!"

"Oh, baby, you make me so happy! I will make you happy, too, you will see!"

"But you do, Jack, you do... Come here, I want to kiss you for all the lost time!"

And now they were both happy. They were consuming their love in hot embraces and kisses and drew a new strength from them. All was good, now, Andy knew it, as Jack was covering his face with kisses.