CaptainWacky
I want to smell dark matter
Brian lay back in the bath, closing his eyes and trying to relax and forget. Trying to feel safe. The water was cold now, it had been for quite a while, but he didn't care. He was safe as long as this bath lasted.
"Brian, hurry up! I told you, your friends are waiting!" his mother's voice came, abruptly ending the brief feeling of safety he'd built for himself.
"I'm...I still have to get dried," he said. He knew he couldn't hold out much longer.
"Well hurry up then, they've been waiting for ages!" He sighed. He didn't want to get out, but he knew he had to. He looked at the rubber duck sitting on the side of the bath, where it had been sitting for years. His rubber duck. He always used to play with it in the bath. Just a simple rubber duck but he had loved it. He had a vivid imagination, he didn't need anything more flashy than a plain old rubber duck.
He was twelve now. Far too old to be playing with rubber duckies. He took it in hand and examined it, then dropped it, letting it float on the water. For a moment he was back in the days when he could relax, the days when everything was okay. The days when he went on underwater adventures with his rubber duck. He sighed. They were long gone now. How did he get so old?
He got out the bath and dried quickly, angry and terrified.
He found the three of them downstairs, putting on the usual act they did around his parents. His mother was laughing at something Joel had said and even his father seemed to like them now. This was horrible. The three of them got up, thanked his parents, and went outside. Joel gave him a knowing look as he passed.
"Have fun," said his mother.
"Why did you let them in to wait for me?" Brian asked.
"I thought you'd be please, they're your friends!" said his mother, confused.
"You didn't even want me hanging around with them a month ago!" he protested.
"I was wrong about them," she said. "They're nice boys and they aren't that much older than you, two years isn't much. I was worrying over nothing. I have to accept that you're growing up."
"It'll do you good to have older friends," said his father, returning to his newspaper and not looking at Brian. "They'll toughen you up."
Brian didn't say anything else, there was no point. Nobody would ever understand. He went outside. Joel, Mark and Rocco were at the top of his drive, shouting lewd remarks at some teenage girls a few houses down. He slowly made his way up the drive to join them.
"What took you so long, man?" asked Mark.
"Maybe he was wanking in the bath," said Rocco. Brian felt himself going red immediately.
"Nah, he's still too young for that," said Joel.
"Have you never walked in on your sister naked, Bri?" asked Mark, mockingly. "That would make me cum bullets without touching my pecker!"
"Leave him alone, man, he's one of us now!" said Joel. "Or he will be after tonight, right Brian?"
"Sure...yeah," he said.
"Just have to smoke a little weed with the rest of us," said Joel.
"He'll never do it, he's never even smoked a fag!" said Rocco.
"Eww, that's gay!" said Mark.
"Fuck off!" said Rocco, punching Mark in the arm. Brian desperately wanted them to move away from his house, though, on second thoughts, maybe it would be good if his parents heard them talking like this. There was no way they'd let him hang out with them after that. But just as he thought this, they started walking up the street.
"Got something else we want you to do, man," said Joel. "Old man Perkins."
"Perkins the paedo!" said Rocco.
"You've got to go into his house and steal something, we've all done it," said Rocco.
"I took a phot of his grandaughter," Mark recalled fondly. "Fucking burned it in his back garden!"
"I bet that was just some girl he touched, not his real grandaughter!" said Rocco.
"You going to do it?" asked Joel. Was there really any choice?
"I'll...I'll do it," said Brian.
"Good man!" said Joel. "Before or after you get stoned?"
"He's not going to get stoned, I told you he won't smoke anything!" said Rocco.
"Cigarettes make me throw up," said Brian. They all laughed at him. He tried to join in.
"So before or after, what's it to be?" asked Joel.
"Before. I'll...I'll do it now," said Brian.
"Well there's his house, hurry it up so we can all get munted!" said Joel. Old man Perkins' house was at the end of the street. It was well known among all the young in the area that he was a paedophile. He'd never actually even been accused of molesting a child, but it was still well know. Brian walked up to the door and knocked on it, nervously. Perkins opened the door. He was in his dressed gown.
"What do you want?" he asked, roughly. Wait, what was he supposed to say to get in again? He couldn't remember. It was an impossible situation. If he didn't get in, his three "friends" would beat him up. Not too bad, but enough to make him cry, and when he cried they'd make him do something even crazier to prove he really is a man.
"Please, please let me in!" said Brian, suddenly, surprising himself. "There's some boys bullying me!"
"Come in then," said Perkins, impassively. Brian went in. His house looked just like any other on the inside. "So what's this about?" said Perkins, shutting the door.
"Three boys, they're trying to make me do drugs, they want me to steal from you, please, you've got to help me!" said Brian.
"How do you expect me to help you?" asked Perkins.
"I don't know, but you have to, please!" said Brian, nearly crying.
"Clever tactic," said Perkins.
"W-what?" asked Brian, confused.
"Almost had me going for a second, but then I remember that time one of your friends came by with a bloody nose. He stole a photograph of my grandaughter."
"They're not my friends, they're not!" said Brian.
"Really? Then how come the four of you were in my garden for an hour last week, throwing my gnomes around? That's right, I saw you all, you little brat! Thought I was alseep, didn't you?" It was true, they had been there, but Brian hadn't enjoyed a second of it.
"Please, please, they're going to beat me up!" said Brian.
"Not my problem. Now piss off before I call the police," said Perkins.
"PLEASE!"
"Do you think I was born yesterday, son?" said Perkins, grabbing Brian by the arm and grabbing the sobbing boy to the door. He opened it and pushed Brian out. He stumbled on the step. "Don't let me see you around here again."
Brian walked as slowly as possible, tears running down his face. He hoped against hope that somehow Joel, Mark and Rocco had gotten distracted and gone off to do something else. But they were there, standing in the field near Perkins' house, the field where they usually smoke their pot.
"He's fucking crying the little pansy!" said Rocco.
"Fuck's sake!" said Mark.
"This is bad Brian, even for you," said Joel, shaking his head. Then he looked Brian in the eye. "Here, are you alright?"
"He...he...grabbed me...and..." started Brian. Joel suddenly looked very serious and so did Mark and Rocco after he gave them both a look.
"He touched you!?" asked Joel.
"Yeah...he..." started Brian, about to explain about Perkins grabbing his arm. But that wasn't what Joel thought he had meant.
"That's bang out of fucking order!" said Mark.
"I can't believe it!" said Rocco. "I knew he was a dirty paedo but to actually try to rape wee Brian, fucking hell!"
"We need to do something about this," said Joel. Brian wanted to protest, but something stopped him. Perkins hadn't even been willing to listen. He hadn't believed a word Brian had said, even though he had been telling the truth. Instead he'd literally thrown Brian from his house! Maybe he did deserve punishment for that. Maybe Brian should just let the three of them think what they wanted. "Come on," said Joel, picking up a rock from the ground. Rocco and Mark did the same. After a moment's hesitation, Brian grabbed the biggest rock he could find. All three of them made their way round to Perkins' back garden, through the field. They hid behind the shed in Perkins' garden. Rocco threw the first stone. It had the kitchen window, but the glass didn't break. Mark threw his and missed completely. Joel threw last...and the window smashed. "RUN!" said Joel, and the other two started to follow him. But Brian stayed. "Hurry up man!" said Joel. Brian could see Perkins looking out through the broken window.
"I'll get you, I'll call the police, you little shits are going to be locked up!" shouted Perkins. Brian made his decision. He threw the rock with all the strength he could. It his Perkins right in the face. The old man staggered backwards, holding his nose. "FUCK!" he screamed. Brian could see blood. He liked it. Now he ran, all four did, with Brian actually taking the lead. They ran all the way through the field and out the other side, then ran into some nearby woods. They finally stopped and then all four began laughing.
"That was fucking awesome man!" said Joel.
"You fucking caved his face in!" said Mark.
"You really are one of us now!" said Rocco, still laughing.
"He's right, you are," said Joel. It didn't seem so bad now.
"About fucking time," said Brian. "Now light up the fucking joint, I'm getting stoned tonight!"
"Brian, hurry up! I told you, your friends are waiting!" his mother's voice came, abruptly ending the brief feeling of safety he'd built for himself.
"I'm...I still have to get dried," he said. He knew he couldn't hold out much longer.
"Well hurry up then, they've been waiting for ages!" He sighed. He didn't want to get out, but he knew he had to. He looked at the rubber duck sitting on the side of the bath, where it had been sitting for years. His rubber duck. He always used to play with it in the bath. Just a simple rubber duck but he had loved it. He had a vivid imagination, he didn't need anything more flashy than a plain old rubber duck.
He was twelve now. Far too old to be playing with rubber duckies. He took it in hand and examined it, then dropped it, letting it float on the water. For a moment he was back in the days when he could relax, the days when everything was okay. The days when he went on underwater adventures with his rubber duck. He sighed. They were long gone now. How did he get so old?
He got out the bath and dried quickly, angry and terrified.
He found the three of them downstairs, putting on the usual act they did around his parents. His mother was laughing at something Joel had said and even his father seemed to like them now. This was horrible. The three of them got up, thanked his parents, and went outside. Joel gave him a knowing look as he passed.
"Have fun," said his mother.
"Why did you let them in to wait for me?" Brian asked.
"I thought you'd be please, they're your friends!" said his mother, confused.
"You didn't even want me hanging around with them a month ago!" he protested.
"I was wrong about them," she said. "They're nice boys and they aren't that much older than you, two years isn't much. I was worrying over nothing. I have to accept that you're growing up."
"It'll do you good to have older friends," said his father, returning to his newspaper and not looking at Brian. "They'll toughen you up."
Brian didn't say anything else, there was no point. Nobody would ever understand. He went outside. Joel, Mark and Rocco were at the top of his drive, shouting lewd remarks at some teenage girls a few houses down. He slowly made his way up the drive to join them.
"What took you so long, man?" asked Mark.
"Maybe he was wanking in the bath," said Rocco. Brian felt himself going red immediately.
"Nah, he's still too young for that," said Joel.
"Have you never walked in on your sister naked, Bri?" asked Mark, mockingly. "That would make me cum bullets without touching my pecker!"
"Leave him alone, man, he's one of us now!" said Joel. "Or he will be after tonight, right Brian?"
"Sure...yeah," he said.
"Just have to smoke a little weed with the rest of us," said Joel.
"He'll never do it, he's never even smoked a fag!" said Rocco.
"Eww, that's gay!" said Mark.
"Fuck off!" said Rocco, punching Mark in the arm. Brian desperately wanted them to move away from his house, though, on second thoughts, maybe it would be good if his parents heard them talking like this. There was no way they'd let him hang out with them after that. But just as he thought this, they started walking up the street.
"Got something else we want you to do, man," said Joel. "Old man Perkins."
"Perkins the paedo!" said Rocco.
"You've got to go into his house and steal something, we've all done it," said Rocco.
"I took a phot of his grandaughter," Mark recalled fondly. "Fucking burned it in his back garden!"
"I bet that was just some girl he touched, not his real grandaughter!" said Rocco.
"You going to do it?" asked Joel. Was there really any choice?
"I'll...I'll do it," said Brian.
"Good man!" said Joel. "Before or after you get stoned?"
"He's not going to get stoned, I told you he won't smoke anything!" said Rocco.
"Cigarettes make me throw up," said Brian. They all laughed at him. He tried to join in.
"So before or after, what's it to be?" asked Joel.
"Before. I'll...I'll do it now," said Brian.
"Well there's his house, hurry it up so we can all get munted!" said Joel. Old man Perkins' house was at the end of the street. It was well known among all the young in the area that he was a paedophile. He'd never actually even been accused of molesting a child, but it was still well know. Brian walked up to the door and knocked on it, nervously. Perkins opened the door. He was in his dressed gown.
"What do you want?" he asked, roughly. Wait, what was he supposed to say to get in again? He couldn't remember. It was an impossible situation. If he didn't get in, his three "friends" would beat him up. Not too bad, but enough to make him cry, and when he cried they'd make him do something even crazier to prove he really is a man.
"Please, please let me in!" said Brian, suddenly, surprising himself. "There's some boys bullying me!"
"Come in then," said Perkins, impassively. Brian went in. His house looked just like any other on the inside. "So what's this about?" said Perkins, shutting the door.
"Three boys, they're trying to make me do drugs, they want me to steal from you, please, you've got to help me!" said Brian.
"How do you expect me to help you?" asked Perkins.
"I don't know, but you have to, please!" said Brian, nearly crying.
"Clever tactic," said Perkins.
"W-what?" asked Brian, confused.
"Almost had me going for a second, but then I remember that time one of your friends came by with a bloody nose. He stole a photograph of my grandaughter."
"They're not my friends, they're not!" said Brian.
"Really? Then how come the four of you were in my garden for an hour last week, throwing my gnomes around? That's right, I saw you all, you little brat! Thought I was alseep, didn't you?" It was true, they had been there, but Brian hadn't enjoyed a second of it.
"Please, please, they're going to beat me up!" said Brian.
"Not my problem. Now piss off before I call the police," said Perkins.
"PLEASE!"
"Do you think I was born yesterday, son?" said Perkins, grabbing Brian by the arm and grabbing the sobbing boy to the door. He opened it and pushed Brian out. He stumbled on the step. "Don't let me see you around here again."
Brian walked as slowly as possible, tears running down his face. He hoped against hope that somehow Joel, Mark and Rocco had gotten distracted and gone off to do something else. But they were there, standing in the field near Perkins' house, the field where they usually smoke their pot.
"He's fucking crying the little pansy!" said Rocco.
"Fuck's sake!" said Mark.
"This is bad Brian, even for you," said Joel, shaking his head. Then he looked Brian in the eye. "Here, are you alright?"
"He...he...grabbed me...and..." started Brian. Joel suddenly looked very serious and so did Mark and Rocco after he gave them both a look.
"He touched you!?" asked Joel.
"Yeah...he..." started Brian, about to explain about Perkins grabbing his arm. But that wasn't what Joel thought he had meant.
"That's bang out of fucking order!" said Mark.
"I can't believe it!" said Rocco. "I knew he was a dirty paedo but to actually try to rape wee Brian, fucking hell!"
"We need to do something about this," said Joel. Brian wanted to protest, but something stopped him. Perkins hadn't even been willing to listen. He hadn't believed a word Brian had said, even though he had been telling the truth. Instead he'd literally thrown Brian from his house! Maybe he did deserve punishment for that. Maybe Brian should just let the three of them think what they wanted. "Come on," said Joel, picking up a rock from the ground. Rocco and Mark did the same. After a moment's hesitation, Brian grabbed the biggest rock he could find. All three of them made their way round to Perkins' back garden, through the field. They hid behind the shed in Perkins' garden. Rocco threw the first stone. It had the kitchen window, but the glass didn't break. Mark threw his and missed completely. Joel threw last...and the window smashed. "RUN!" said Joel, and the other two started to follow him. But Brian stayed. "Hurry up man!" said Joel. Brian could see Perkins looking out through the broken window.
"I'll get you, I'll call the police, you little shits are going to be locked up!" shouted Perkins. Brian made his decision. He threw the rock with all the strength he could. It his Perkins right in the face. The old man staggered backwards, holding his nose. "FUCK!" he screamed. Brian could see blood. He liked it. Now he ran, all four did, with Brian actually taking the lead. They ran all the way through the field and out the other side, then ran into some nearby woods. They finally stopped and then all four began laughing.
"That was fucking awesome man!" said Joel.
"You fucking caved his face in!" said Mark.
"You really are one of us now!" said Rocco, still laughing.
"He's right, you are," said Joel. It didn't seem so bad now.
"About fucking time," said Brian. "Now light up the fucking joint, I'm getting stoned tonight!"
