24
Coach James
James squeezed Steve’s hand as he drove his truck into the trailer park. “No, I don’t mind at all. I’ve got to swing by this direction and pick up some shit anyway,” said James as they pulled into the trailer park.
Steve barely looked outside, preferring to look down at his knees. James knew why, of course. “Hey, you don’t have to be ashamed of this place. I grew up in a shittier place than this.”
Steve laughed. “What could be shittier than this?” The shame on the younger man’s face broke James’s heart.
The park was quite the sight, to say the least. Row after row of dilapidated trailers, fences falling apart, trash scattered in their makeshift yards, and soaked and moldy furniture strewn about. No kid should have to grow up here.
No one gave a shit about this place, and this place didn’t give a shit about them. But still, he’d seen worse, much worse.
James cleared his throat, putting both hands on the wheel as he turned the corner. “What could be shittier? Try a homeless shelter?”
He surprised even himself after he had said it. James had never confessed that to anyone before. Yet another indication as to how comfortable he felt around this guy.
Steve turned his direction, readjusting his seatbelt as he asked, “Yeah?” He was clearly curious.
James sighed. He wasn’t a spill-the-beans type of guy. Most of the shit that had happened to him in his childhood, he kept bottled up. But at the same time, he had a natural instinct to try and protect Steve, always wanting to make him feel better. He sensed that telling him about his own shitty part might just help.
“Fuck yeah. Mom left my dad when I was a teenager, and I became the man of the house. We didn’t have two dimes to rub together, and…it was hard, real hard.” His voice cracked for a moment. He hadn’t realized his shameful past still hurt him as much as it did.
Steve’s face softened at the story. Yet another thing the two of them had in common. Lifting James’s hand to his mouth, he kissed it. “But you’re doing better now.”
James smiled at him, putting his arm around Steve. “Yeah, a hell of a lot better, but I still have goals. Things I want to do…”
Steve put his head on James’s shoulder. Thank God his windows were tinted so they could have some privacy. “Like what?” he asked.
Kissing Steve on his forehead, he said, “Like being your personal coach. Taking you as far as you can go with your career and—”
“Oh, shit,” said the younger man all of a sudden as his head sprung up and his body tensed.
James squinted his eyes and looked in the same direction as Steve. Steve pulled away from James’s embrace as if he didn’t want to be seen. In fact, James was sure that that was the reason. “What?”
It didn’t take long for James to see exactly what it was that had caused this sudden turnaround. It was an older, overweight man that was probably his father. He sighed when he spotted him. Fucking asshole. This wasn’t a good idea.
“Maybe we should…” said James, thinking about swinging out of the parking area. He didn’t know what he would do if he was confronted by Steve’s father, but he was sure it wasn’t good. But, before he could change direction, it was too late.
His father looked up and scowled at them.
Steve took a big long breath, his hand gripping to the door handle. “No, I’ll be quick,” Steve said, opening the door and shutting it. His body looked tense as he walked toward his father. He didn’t like the idea of Steve being anywhere near this man.
The conditions Steve lived in were shameful, to say the least. Their trailer was by far the worst of the entire park, and that was saying a lot. Lime-green rusty metal encased a home that was hardly big enough for one person, let alone Steve and his brother. The rotting wooden steps were damaged, broken windows were held together by duct tape, and the front lawn was sprinkled with broken bikes and cardboard boxes. The place was in shambles.
James wanted to yell for Steve to get into the truck now where he could rescue him and his brother from these living conditions. No human being, especially one as special as Steve, should have to be subjected to such conditions. And yet he had to remind himself that it wasn’t his place. He had offered Steve his help, but he couldn’t force him.
Watching him like a hawk, James became more tense as Steve got closer to his father. The man reminded him of his own dad, and he hated the thought that he’d laid a single finger on his man, let alone an entire fist.
He cracked the window, careful not to be seen as he listened in. Nippy wind pushed its way inside James’s truck, and he wished he’d insisted Steve wear a heavier coat.
Listening to their conversation broke James’s heart. This strapping, confident young man buckled under the voice and presence of his overbearing father in a way he’d never seen him before.
His shoulders slumped, and his voice went up and stayed up an octave. It sickened James that any man would bully their own son so much that their son would lose themselves in it. No wonder his confidence had been so low. No wonder he thought so little of his future. Who could grow under these conditions?
Turning his head, James listened in on the conversation. “Just a friend?” his father asked, scowling at James.
“Yeah, Dad,” said Steve, barely looking at his father. He kicked a rusted soup can and stuffed his hands in his pockets.
The heavyset man’s voice boomed, echoing outside. “I thought I told you about bringing people over here.”
Steve shrugged. “Just wanted to pick up a few things.”
The man, obviously not liking the way he was being talked to, stepped into his face, yelling at the top of his lungs.
“I don’t care if you want to take a dump. You don’t—” he said, shoving Steve hard enough that he backed into the side of the trailer.
That was it. James saw red.
James jumped out of the truck, not even bothering to shut the door as he ran towards the two. “Hey!” He charged in the direction of the two men. No one touched his Steve. No one.
Steve’s father narrowed his eyes at him. “Who the fuck are you?”
James wasn’t accustomed to anybody talking to him in such a manner, and he wasn’t going to take it from this overweight redneck. He lifted his chin and locked eyes with the bastard. “Your worst nightmare if you touch a hair on his head.”
Steve’s head bounced from his father to James, his eyes wide in shock at what was happening. “James, you don’t have to do this.”
James ignored Steve’s comment as he stepped even closer, squaring up to the large man. Someone needed to knock this bastard on his ass. “You like picking on guys smaller than you?”
So many memories of his own father picking on his mom and him when he was younger filled James’s mind. He’d be damned if he’d let this piece of shit do the same to Steve.
Without warning, Steve’s dad pulled out a handgun out and stuck it in James’s face, hand shaking as his finger stroked the trigger. “This is none of your business. This is between me and my son.”
James twitched for a moment at the sudden intrusion of the gun. But he then gained composure. This wasn’t the first time someone had pulled a gun on him, and likely wouldn’t be the last.
If he had to die today saving the man he cared most about, so be it, but no one would hurt Steve without paying for it.
“Dad, no,” said Steve, his neck strained as he spoke slowly, trying to defuse the situation.
James slowly pulled his hands up, acting as if he were giving up. He would try to make the bully think he’d comply. Unfortunately for him, he was wrong.
As quick as a whip, James flipped his wrist and took the gun out of Steve’s father’s hand and into his own.
“Between you and your son? Well, now it’s between you and me, asshole,” he said, voice shaking as he tried his best not to blow this guy’s face off once and for all.
A smile curved on Steve’s face and his father swallowed hard, putting his hands up. He wasn’t used to not having control. But he’d better get used to it. Things were going to change.
“I’m calling the cops!” one of the neighbors yelled out from her window. Pink curlers and all, the old bag of bones couldn’t have made the situation worse.
“Let it go,” Steve said, backing up next to James.
James was inclined to ignore him, but then he realized that so long as he was safe, that was all that mattered.
“Get your shit,” James said calmly, not losing eye contact with the man. “And we’re getting out of here. Now.”
Steve did as he was told, stepping into the trailer and giving James one last look as if to check if all was safe.
The neighbor could call the cops all she wanted, but James wouldn’t leave until Steve was safe. He hoped the brother was safe at school.
With his hands still up, the father cleared his throat. “I don’t know what your deal is with my son, but that’s my blood. And he’s going to do what I tell him.”
James didn’t want to out Steve without his permission; that kind of thing wasn’t cool. But he also wasn’t ashamed of who he was. He’d worked too hard to get comfortable in his skin. He may have been private about his life, but he wouldn’t let some piece of shit push him back into the closet.
“He’s a grown man now and you’d be best to mind your own business,” said James.
Steve came out with a duffel bag stuffed to the brim. Some of his little brother’s shirts stuck out. “Okay,” he said, catching his breath.
A smile curved on James’s face. This asshole wouldn’t get to Steve, not today. “Let’s go.”
James backed away and jumped in the car, but only when Steve was safe inside. Then, without a word, they took off like a rocket, kicking up dust in his father’s face. It was only when they were a good distance away that James threw the gun out the window.