In the middle of Des Plaines Illinois three boys find themselves in a tangled knot of angsty lust and amateur love.
Evan Webster has an average American life. When he isn't at swim practice or the movie theater, he's trying to make time to study bi...
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Jackson was on level thirteen of Dragon's Lair when the screen went black. He was wiggling the joystick controller as Danny emerged from behind the gaming machine, holding an unplugged cord. He had gone straight to the arcade from the roller rink, in a fit of fury.
"That was uncalled for," Jackson remarked.
Danny dropped the cord onto the floor, and said, "I should do something a lot worse." He stepped closer. "After what you told Evan."
The redhead's chin angled, realization pulling at his tippy smile. "So that's why you're here," Jackson assumed. "Webster finally dumped you? Damn, that's rough...It sucks not being good enough, huh?"
Danny wasted no time, collaring Jackson with one hand and slamming his body against the well-known imagine of a big, green dragon. A group of young kids stared at the abrupt bang.
"Don't worry, kiddos," Jackson mused. "He's just the maintenance guy. Annual machinery testing." The red-haired boy stretched one hand behind his head and knocked his knuckles against the metal video game. He winked, adding, "See? Super sturdy. That'll be five more dollars. Preferably in quarters." He had already swindled ten dollars out of them.
The confused kids abandoned a nearby gumball machine, walking toward the exit. Danny watched them saunter over the galaxy-themed carpeting, giving them a glare until they were gone. He reinforced his grip on Jackson once they were out of sight.
"I told you I needed time," Danny growled. He looked over his shoulder, tapering his volume to avoid drawing attention. They had scared all the kids away.
Jackson shrugged, finding humor in Danny's anger. "I got tired of waiting."
"Tired? You got tired?" Danny echoed, raising a fist. "Maybe I should put you to sleep."
Jackson rolled his eyes. "Such theatrics," he muttered, still pinned by Danny's hand. "It's like arguing with Heather."
"You think this is a joke?" Danny pressed.
"Your whole relationship was a joke," Jackson said. "I did you a favor. You were never going to tell Evan."
Evan. Evan? Since when did he use his real name?
"Yes, I was. I was going to – "
"No," Jackson interjected. "You weren't. I realized that when I sat behind him at the pep rally. He was clueless. And you were still making secret googly-eyes at him. Nothing had changed between you two. Because you didn't want anything to change. You just wanted to keep me quiet."
Truthfully, Danny didn't know what he wanted. He was confused and hurting, but he wasn't allowed to admit his own feelings because he had been the cause of both Jackson and Evan's distress.
"I didn't know how to tell him without hurting him," Danny admitted.
"Exactly," Jackson agreed. "You still care about him. You don't care about me, not like you care about him. You used me, and that's fine. I'm not as emotional as Webster – I'll be alright. But I do hate being fucked with, so I took matters into my own hands."
"I didn't use you," Danny denied.
"Yes, you did," Jackson gave him a sad smile. "And I think I used you too. I was jealous and envious and I thought I wanted you. But I really just wanted what Evan had. That was wrong – I was wrong. I should have stopped myself. But I wasn't the one to make promises I couldn't keep." He stopped. "I forgive you for that. Because I think that's who you are. You fall for people hard and fast...But that's not how the world works, Danny. You can't collect people. You can't divide your heart and expect a whole heart in return."
"Since when did you become holier than thou?" Danny released his grip. Jackson adjusted his wrinkled shirt.
"Since I saw the look on Evan's face," Jackson said. "When I told him what we did – what I did...I thought I hated him until I saw that look. And all I felt was guilt and embarrassment...and absolutely no sense of satisfaction."
Jackson had learned a lesson – something he had never accepted until he kissed Evan. There would always be someone better than him. Faster. Taller. Smarter. Better looking. Richer. And that was okay. Because he wasn't perfect, no one was. But humans had this beautiful, unavoidable tendency to see the person they loved as the best person in the world – regardless of imperfection. And Jackson had stolen that from Evan. All those golden trophies he had won would never measure up to the value of having one boy see him that way. It was Jackson who was selfish enough to spoil that bliss, and now Evan would have to battle that insecurity indefinitely.
"You're an asshole," Danny shook his head, pacing. "You tricked me. You played me."
"You were having a lot of fun playing the game," Jackson countered.
"Don't pretend like you know me," Danny snapped. "You don't know shit. You're just an easy fuck. That's all you'll ever be."
"I'm glad you see me like that," the red-haired boy said. "Because I don't ever want to be a part of your twisted version of love."
"Why would I ever love you?" Danny boomed. "How could anyone ever love you? You're a heartless low-life with a cheap future and a junkie mother."
Danny's words didn't affect Jackson. He had decided that loving another person was no different from loving himself, so all those parts of his life could be considered flaws...or they could be considered valuable assets to his character. And he chose to believe that he was a pretty damn resilient character. He didn't need Danny – he didn't need anyone. Love was a luxury, not a necessity. He supposed his mother taught him that, even if it was a silent lesson.
"Careful, Danny," Jackson sneered, pure venom. "God might clip your angel wings."
