Chapter 5:Darrius Mitchell

"You need to work on your anger," Marcus joked as we walked down the hallway after school. I was still pissed at that little bitch calling my brother a fag. He looked like one himself.


"Well he should have never called you a fag in the first place," I stated knocking the exit doors open, "How do you even take that shit? If I was you I have already beaten half the school up by now."


"It's called picking my battles older brother," Marcus said holding on to some canvases in his arms. I saw him kind of struggling with them so I took some in my hands. One of the canvases had a face painted on it. It was kind of familiar but it wasn't finished yet. Me, being the curious brother I was, asked him who was it as we approached the car.


"None of your overprotective buzz wax," He said ending with a smile but only making me glare. I was inspecting him now after I finally saw what he was wearing. Getting into the car, I yelled, "What the hell are you wearing?"


"Uhm, something I have been wearing all day and planning on wearing tonight," He answered putting his blank paintings in the backseat, "It took you a while to notice."


"I was kind of distracted by a guy calling you a fag but I see why he said it now," I replied and I immediately regretted it. I could already feel the hurt radiating off of my brother. I had started the car but I cut it off to talk to him.


"Look Mark-"


"I'm sorry that I can't be the brother you can talk to about girls or sports," He sadly stated, "And I'm sorry I'm not the brother you want."


I looked at him and sighed, "Look Marcus, I love you. I wouldn't trade you for anybody in the world. Yes, there are some times I would like to have more things in common with you but I don't think I would like that even more than now."


He smiled at me and punched me in my shoulder, "That's for saying I looked like a fag."


I laughed rubbing my shoulder, "Well look at you. Any gay guy would love to see you dressed like that. I gotta protect your innocence."


He rolled his eyes and gave me a small smile. I loved my baby brother and I would never want anyone to hurt him. So when he came out to us he was so young and being the skin color we are, a lot of people didn't take it very well, including our so called mother. Just thinking about what she let one her boyfriends do to Marcus made my blood boil.


It always brings me back to why I always feel like I have to protect him. He's older now and he can do it himself but I'm going to always be there no matter what. Clearing my thoughts, I saw Chris approaching the car sweating. I face plumed myself forgetting that Chris was coming over today. I unlocked the backseat door so that he could hop in.


"Thanks for waiting ass," He stated sarcastically and I laughed, "I told you to meet us by the door."


"I was," He yelled pulling off his jacket, "Then Deonte and his goons started bothering me so I went to stand by the gate."


My smile faded as soon as he said his name and I saw Marcus tense up. Marcus remembered what happened because I came home looking like shit the day Deonte jumped us. He told me he thought I was going to die right there in the living room.


"Good," I told Chris pulling out of the school's parking lot, "We need to keep our distance from him."


For a moment everything was silent except for the cars passing us on the road. Chris complained a few time about Marcus's canvases but he shut up when Marcus gave him a smile and apologized. I swear my best friend is a sucker. He treats Marcus like he is his little brother too but he's always spoiling him unlike me which is why Chris never complained if it has to do with Marcus.


I drove a few more minutes and finally ended up at home. It was two stories and was in a really quiet neighborhood just the way my aunt liked. Speaking of my aunt, her black SUV was in the drive way very early. I looked at Marcus questioningly and he shrugged his shoulders. Getting out the car with them in tow, I rushed to get into the house.


"Hey sweetie," My aunt Ruby greeted us wearing her scrubs from work. She was a beautiful fifty one year old woman. Her skin was softer than any baby as she hugged me. I know it had only been a few hours since we have seen each other but I gave her a giant bear hug. Her brown eyes shined as she smiled up at me and then she moved towards Marcus and Chris to give them a hug as well.


"Look at all my fine handsome man," she said putting her hands on her hips, "I better not be getting no grand babies anytime soon."


We all laughed knowing how she felt about kids having kids, "Naw auntie, we wrapping it up."


I laughed even harder hearing Chris openly say that around her. She gasped and smacked him on the head grinning from ear to ear, "You better be practicing no sex!"


"Well you don't have to worry about me having babies auntie," Marcus said hugging auntie while laying his head on her shoulder, "I'm a good boy."


She easily saw through Marcus and rolled her eyes, "Mhmm, you better be or I'ma have to cut somebody's disco stick if I catch them in yo room."


Chris joined as I laughed while Marcus unwrapped his arms from around Aunt Ruby. She ruffled his curly hair and that's when I smelled it. My favorite dish in the entire world.


"You made some mac and cheese, barbeque chicken, and collard greens?" I asked my mouth watering. She nodded and guided us to a wide kitchen table. Maneuvering around everyone else, I saw my dream dinner right there in front of me.


I turned to my aunt and said, "You are the only girl that knows me so well. I don't ever want to get married."


"Will you marry me aunt Ruby?" Chris asked as we sat down at the table and I heard my aunt's melodic laugh, "No boy. I'm too old for you plus you wouldn't know what to do with me."


I laughed fixing my plate as Marcus did the same. We chowed down on the perfectly made dinner but made sure not to get anything on our clothes.


"What are you boys doing tonight? Considering Chris is all dressed up," she asked leaning on the counter as three hungry teenage boys basically destroyed her food. Swallowing down my food, I spoke, "We going to the football game tonight."


"Oh right," Aunt Ruby cheered, "So that means that there is a party right after since it is the first game."


We paused as her finally words came out. Yes there is a party after the first game but we didn't know she knew. I looked up at her as she pretended to be interested in her nails. My Aunt Ruby knew what she was doing; buttering us up like that so we can spill the beans.


"You evil," I joked as she smiled, "so we can't go?"


She sighed and said, "Well, you can go but be home before 12:30 or yo asses will be grounded until you graduate."


I nodded agreeing with her demands. I wasn't really going to stay long at the party anyway. I just wanted to chill with my two bros and probably dance a little bit with some girl. As we finished our food, Aunt Ruby kissed us goodbye as she headed out for her shift at the hospital. She worked the graveyard shift so she only saw us before she went to work or right after she gets off. I learned to drive around 15 so that she wouldn't have to always have to come and take us to school.


"You boys be safe now," She said closing the door on us before we said goodbye. We knew that she loved us though so we weren't really messed up about it. After we cleaned plates, we sat down in the living room waiting for the right time to leave the house. Also I wanted to be a noisy brother and ask Marcus who he was drawing.


As Chris flipped through channels sitting on the black carpet, I looked over at my brother who was lying down on his side on the dark couch with a white pillow underneath his arm. He had his head in his hand as he watched the TV switch from one picture from the next. He was thinking about something. I could tell because he would have been asked for the remote so that he could put it on some channel.


"Sup Mark," I said sitting down in the love seat next to the couch. He gave a slight smile and said, "Hello Hulk."


"What you thinking about?" I asked him as Chris finally settled on a sitcom show. Marcus shrugged his shoulders at me but then begin to speak, "I don't know. It's just today...didn't you see how Evan reacted to that guy?"


I thought back to earlier getting myself mad all over again. I really wasn't paying attention to nothing else except getting my hands on him. I shook my head and answered, "Naw, I really didn't see Evan do anything."


Marcus scoffed which he only did when he thought I was being retarded. He turned towards me sitting up on the couch, "He grabbed him by his shirt from across the table and like I don't know. It seems like he was defending me in a way you know?"


Oh shit. No not this again. I thought he was over this dude but I guess not. I remember when he first told me he liked Evan but then he got with that fine ass Mexican girl Gabi. I even heard they supposed to be having a baby but you know high school these days, rumors aren't always true. Clenching and unclenching my fist I looked at my brother. Now don't get me wrong, I want him to get with someone but Prince Charming Evan Campbell? Hell naw!


"Marcus, you know he's straight right?" I said very slowly and I think my brother caught on but I wanted to make it very clear that Evan will not be in his future, "He has a pregnant girlfriend and everything."


"Gabi's pregnant?" Marcus asked shocked and Chris chimed in, "Allegedly."


I saw my brother's face fall just a little bit but I had to get it into his head. Maybe some time when I'm out of high school, he can have his first boyfriend. However, for right now I'm going to be the most overprotective brother that every gay guy wishes they could be annoyed by. Turning away from my brother I saw the time was getting a little late.


"Hey ya'll get up we leaving," I commanded and Chris turned off the television before he grabbed hold of Marcus waist. Marcus blushed pushing him off making his almost white skin red. He didn't like to be touched and I was the only person that understood why. Once they were outside, I made sure to lock the door on my way.


"So who do you think is going to be there?" Marcus asked as I got into the driver's seat. I turned to my brother and looked at his outfit again.


"Someone who is going to think you're easy and I'm going to have to give him this right hand," I stated holding up my right fist just as Chris said," And my left."


Marcus rolled his eyes buckling up, "I can't wait until you two graduate."


Chris and I laughed at my brothers whining. He knew we did it out of love because I saw a slight smile creep across his face as we drove off.


***


The game was over and my friends from the football team met up with us so we could drive to the party. My friend Darrin guided at least 5 cars through the freeways and streets. We finally came to a huge house made of mostly glass. It was sitting on top of hill that was over -looking the woods. I knew who house this was by the size. It was Michael's and now I wanted to leave even earlier than before.


"Dude why that face?" Chris asked getting out of the car, "I know you hate the guy but at least he has a crib for us to party in."


I rolled my eyes and saw our other friends were already loud. Our other friend Joshua came up behind Marcus and squeezed his waist. I could see my brother's face instantly go white but as Joshua showed him his face he slightly smiled. Joshua was the quarterback for the football team and he had the highest chance to get into the NFL. Joshua though was bisexual and he had always had eyes for my brother.


"Hey" I yelled at Josh, "Hands off my brother!"


Josh threw his hands up in surrender, "Sorry man, just can't resist."


I grinned but I was going to keep my eyes on him. As all of us enter the house, it looked about half of the school was in there. Some people were already drunk and I wasn't about to deal with it. I motioned to Chris to keep an eye on my brother as I made my way around the house to find a quiet place. The pool outside was already filled with people, so I searched around the house for empty rooms.


I finally came across one room on the bottom floor. As I opened the door I saw that it was an entrance to an indoor pool.


"Man this dude got money," I thought out loud and then I heard a splash. I turned to the pool to see Caleb pop his head out of the water. Damn it's like I can't get no break. Rolling my eyes, I turned to walk out. As if by some twisted faith, the door didn't budge as I turned the handle.


Fucking unbelievable!

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