Hadrian's Lover (21 page)

“That’s right,” Ms. Sterne adds. “And no other country can boast that!” Reconsidering, she adds, “Except perhaps for the desert regions.” Continuing, she states, “We would never be able to maintain that much free land if our population continued to explode like the rest of the world.” Turning back to Crystal, she says, “But, let’s return to the topic of Hadrian’s sexual preference. We scorn heterosexuality because of the world population explosion. Even so…” She stops and tries to sound pragmatic. “No, let me ask this as a question. Crystal?” The poor girl heaves a sob. She knows why she is being singled out. “Will a woman get pregnant every time she has intercourse with a male?” Although rhetorical, Ms. Sterne expects Crystal to answer her question anyway.

“No, ma’am.”

“No, she won’t.” Unsympathetic, she demands, “Look up when you speak.” When Crystal complies, she exposes red, swollen eyes.

Witnessing Crystal’s distress causes Todd to drop his head on his desk.
What have I done?

“Then, tell me, why have we made heterosexual behavior illegal?”

Todd groans, and for a brief moment, he rebels. Lifting his head defiantly, he demands, “Why do we have to take this, again? Everyone knows this. We’ve been repeating this shit since grade one!”

The class gasps. Ms. Sterne smiles grimly. This is the very sort of outburst she was hoping for from the boy. It is all the justification she needs for exposure. Actually, she has all the evidence necessary for exposure, but she is determined to land all responsibility on Todd’s head. As for Crystal, an agreement was made with the girl’s mothers to complete reeducation, privately, at home, not in a government camp. “The very fact that you think this is ‘shit,’ Todd, is the very reason we repeat this lesson year after year.” Looking now to the students of her class, Ms. Sterne lectures, “As you are in the most vulnerable years, the time of sexual awakening and experimentation, it is imperative that we revisit our laws and the rationale behind them. Inevitably, it is during the teenage years that exposure occurs.” Feigning sadness in her expression, Ms. Sterne now reveals the true intent of this lesson: “Today, students, I must expose among you a male heterosexual.” All eyes, following hers, shift wonderingly to Todd.

“You can’t mean Todd,” one boy pipes up. Devon, on the other hand, feels a sense of relief. He nods his head, no longer feeling inadequate. Looking Todd’s way, his facial expression, though suggestive of pity, with his downturned, pierced lips, says,
So that’s why you wouldn’t let me.

Frank is so flabbergasted that he can’t even speak at first. How did this ever come out in the open? Finding his voice, he practically shouts with exasperation, “Being a two is no crime!”

“No, of course not.” Ms. Sterne replies, not too kindly. “But acting on those impulses is criminal.”

As this statement begins to register in the students’ minds, one boy pipes up, expressing similar confusion, “But he’s on the b-ball team,” while a second exclaims, “He’s our best player!”

Ms. Sterne, having anticipated the majority’s claims, reminds the students of sports history. “As we know, homosexuals were considered among the finest of athletes during the time of the first Olympics, but recent history shows otherwise. As many of you may not know, just prior to the sexual reformation, the sports industry used to be heavily dominated by heterosexuals. Many homosexual players were afraid to reveal their preferences due to the degree of prejudice against them. So,” she says emphatically, “it is really not so strange that we should find a
strai
on a sports team.”

Frank turns to his friend. “Todd, say something!” Desperation and urgency are evident not only in his voice but in his wide open eyes. “Defend yourself.” Begging, he cries, “Please!”

“He can’t,” Ms. Sterne says sharply. Staring down on Todd, who has assumed the position of hiding his head under his arms, she states, “He committed the act Saturday night.” The class gasps, even Crystal. “The act itself is on tape, captured by one of the school cameras.” Todd groans. He had thought the camera in the back stairwell was broken.
It looks broken
. He feels like crying. Not only has he condemned himself, but he has also exposed the woman he loves. “And that act,” Ms. Sterne adds harshly, “was forced upon Crystal!” A chorus of girls gasp and three young women leap out of their desks, rushing to comfort Crystal. A few of the boys utter, “Gross!”

Todd’s head shoots up. “What?” He can’t believe what he is hearing. He didn’t force anything.
Crystal kissed me! She gave me the note!
He can’t bring himself to state these thoughts, though.

After a brief moment, attempting to glare Todd back to hiding his face
and failing in the attempt, Ms. Sterne turns on Crystal. In a voice like broken glass, she demands, “Right, Crystal?”

Todd’s head swivels. He knows he is looking at Crystal, but she is a blur, her image distorted by his tears.

Crystal looks in Todd’s direction, her head shaking in contradiction as she sobs out, “Yes, ma’am.”

“Tell the class what he did to you.”

Todd is stunned. He can’t see, only hear, as Crystal’s voice echoes over and over, the damning accusation. Suddenly he bursts out, “If there’s a video—” but Crystal’s wail silences him. Wiping his eyes, he gives Crystal a closer inspection. She has a black eye. Someone has thrashed her good.
To make it look more like rape, no doubt
, he reasons.
All the blame must rest on me.
Todd hides his face in his hands.

Now yelling, almost hysterical, Ms. Sterne declares, “I know it was forced; just look at her bruises. But Crystal refuses to accuse you! She says reeducation camp would be better.” Turning away in disgust and then swinging back around on her heels, she shouts in Todd’s ear, “As far as I’m concerned, reeducation is too good for the likes of you!” Now hateful, her voice dripping venom, she says, “You deserve the death sentence.” The class gasps in horror. Todd turns a ghostly white! “That’s right, children,” Ms. Sterne states emphatically, now wanting solely to intimidate and terrify the lad, “When a straight man rapes a woman in Hadrian, that act is punishable by death!” Staring hard at the pale youth shirking from her glare, Ms. Sterne punches hard. “Regardless of age!” Once again, Ms. Sterne reduces Todd to tears. Sensing that the boy is crumpled and beaten, she demands, “Do you admit to having—” She pauses briefly, choosing her words carefully, “to being an active heterosexual?” Todd shakes. “Do. You. Admit. To. Being. An. Active. Heterosexual?”

Shivering, Todd answers, “Yes.”

Straightening, Ms. Sterne towers triumphantly over the crumpled youth. “And now,” in a voice dripping with satisfaction, she says, “you can go down to the office where your Papa Mike is waiting to retrieve you.” Todd looks up, gasping and pale. Ever since Todd’s father died, Papa Mike has barely acknowledged his existence. Todd has no idea how the man will react. Although she doesn’t say it, you can see in Ms. Sterne’s eyes that she hopes the man will beat Todd senseless.

Papa Mike does not beat Todd. He doesn’t even look at him. They drive in silence. They do not go home. Instead, Papa Mike drops Todd off at Riverside Park. Numerous thoughts race through Mike Fulton’s brain.
Thank Hadrian, he doesn’t bear my name or genes.
He wants to call Todd a fool for getting caught. Tell him he’s a shame to his father’s good name. But he doesn’t. The only words he utters the entire time are when he stops the bubble and motions for Todd to get out: “Never come near me again.” The harsh whisper lashes Todd’s heart.

Frightened and abandoned, not knowing what else to do, Todd texts Frank and asks whether he can spend the night at his house.

Frank texts back, “Yes. I’ll come get you.”

Another brutal attack, this time against the Mid-West Wall, has been reported. This morning, barely an hour prior to the change of guards, over one hundred outsiders drove at top speed in armored cars and tanks with the clear intention of ramming through Hadrian’s walls. The hour of the attack was clearly meant to be strategic, our soldiers being exhausted after a full night guarding the wall. Although tired, our brave men and women were not lax in their response time. They moved swiftly in our people’s defense. The alarm was rung as soon as the first vehicle was seen racing toward our border. Bazookas—or as our soldiers like to refer to them, stovepipes—were immediately used to counter the onslaught of tanks. That many of the front-line vehicles were suicide assaults with explosive devices meant to bring down the wall was evidenced when the first explosion occurred. “The explosion that occurred when our first missile detonated was greater than that particular device was capable of.” It was at that moment that Major Janice Cardinal knew drastic measures needed to be taken. “There were far too many tanks heading toward our border,” the major was reported as saying, “for the one-man portable recoil rocket launchers to have the necessary impact. And those racing toward our wall were clearly heavily loaded with explosives.” With no time to consider options, the major immediately determined that the only way to counter this attack was to bring out incendiary weapons. Major Cardinal, notorious for her military discipline, insists all planes be manned and ready whenever an alert is given. All pilots and bomber crews were at the ready seconds after the attack began. Thus, Major Cardinal was in position to launch an immediate counterattack and white phosphorous bombs were dropped on the attacking hordes, wiping out their entire contingent. Although it is not customary to use incendiary weapons during a battle,
Lieutenant-General Birtwistle commented that these weapons are only utilized when all other attempts at aborting an enemy attack have failed. This particular attack against the wall was so sudden, and the barrage so imminent, that precious little time was available for debate. In the case of this morning’s attack, however, Lieutenant-General Birtwistle is confident that the major in charge made the right decision. “The enemy was racing toward us at such high speeds there was little time to deliberate. Had Major Cardinal not issued the order when she had, the wall surely would have been breached.” Major Cardinal justified her action, by saying, “The catastrophic explosions that occurred every time one of our missiles struck an oncoming vehicle was evidence enough. If even one of those tanks had hit our wall, it would have come crumbling down. I could not allow that to happen!” We can all thank Hadrian for Major Janice Cardinal’s fast thinking and instantaneous leap into action.

This latest attack is yet again a reminder of what we have achieved in Hadrian and how much we have to lose if the hordes outside our walls ever break through. Every Hadrian citizen is employed, clothed, fed, and sheltered. Without the burden of overpopulation, we are able to ensure a healthy lifestyle for all our citizens. Anyone who cannot afford luxuries like voc implants can still have a government installed wall screen with access to the central wave at minimal cost. No one is disconnected, and no one goes without in Hadrian.

And yet, our greatest achievements are still being threatened by the desperate and jealous hordes outside our wall. As much as we may pity their misfortunes, we cannot allow any man, woman, or child to cross our borders. The purity of humanity is in our hands. The cleansing of the planet is a responsibility we have chosen. To allow members of the outside races to fester inside our walls would be to destroy everything Hadrian has so far accomplished. We will never allow that to happen. As a result of our refusal to allow the plague-ridden, overpopulated masses to enter our borders, we are constantly battling back starvation-crazed hordes, slamming against our walls like tempest tossed waves.

Hadrian’s military is sending out the call to all of Hadrian’s citizens between the ages of twenty-two and forty to reenlist and help reinforce our strength against the heterosexual hordes constantly ramming our walls. The future of Hadrian as a self-sustaining country committed to protecting the planet and the human species is critical! We must triple our military
strength and reinforce and continue building our border wall. Hadrian’s wall needs to be deeper, taller, and to span our entire country’s edge. Seriously consider rejoining our forces to help Hadrian’s military continue successfully to thrust back those who are determined to steal and destroy all that we have accomplished.

Vale!

As Frank prepares to go fetch Todd, he realizes it is fortuitous for him that his fathers are going out. Monday night is their date night. Geoffrey proposed this standing date when Dean and he were first wed. He believed, quite rightly, that in order to develop and maintain a close loving relationship with Dean, they needed to commit to spending time together on a romantic level. Thus, for over twenty years, the two men have dedicated their Monday nights to their mutual amusement.

Usually looking forward to their private night out, on this particular Monday, Dean is far too disgruntled to enjoy the upcoming dinner and a movie. Frank’s voc call this morning about Todd was worrisome. Dean had called Geoffrey on the instant and insisted he come home from work. Dean had rightly judged Todd’s circumstances to be an emergency.

Once Frank had gotten home from school and Geoffrey had arrived, the three men had gathered in the kitchen to discuss the situation. Frank had many questions about what might happen to Todd, which led to Dean and Geoffrey revealing Dean’s family history, sparing nothing, to Frank. Shocked, Frank learned that he is, by his genetic father’s marriage, a member of a founding family. Papa Dean was a Stuttgart.
Was
being the operative word. What should have been an illustrious status is, in their circumstances, a more than frowned upon association. To reveal Papa Dean’s founding family genes would cause the Hunters to be shunned by all good society. In fact, sometime after Dean’s exposure, his father had put into words the machinations of a story depicting the tragic death of his son in a devastating accident. According to the police report, Dean Stuttgart had been driving his father’s bubble when he hit a moose. Everyone knows the bubble vehicle is fragile compared with the older car models that once pumped toxic carbon dioxide into the air, contributing to global warming.
It was deemed an acceptable risk to drive the smaller, lighter electric vehicle, even though crashes were far more lethal. It actually encouraged safe driving. As the story goes, Dean Stuttgart chose to take a Sunday drive into the forest just north of Antinous city. There he rammed a moose, dying on impact. There was to be no challenging this story and Dean never tried. The death of his only son opened the door for Dean’s father to apply for another child. Dean has a genetic little sister he has never met—whose name he has never even known.

Just as Dean and Geoffrey finished telling Frank this information, Frank’s voc had received the call from Todd that Mike had abandoned him at Riverside Park. Dean had wanted to be the one to collect the boy, but both Frank and Geoffrey insisted Frank go. Since Frank was the one Todd had called, Frank was the one to go get him. Geoffrey and Dean argued heatedly over this, but Frank and Geoffrey eventually won.

Frank, able to sense his Papa Dean’s dissatisfaction, reiterated his position, “What Todd needs right now is a friend.” Unable to sway Papa Dean, he tried again, “I need to talk to him alone if I’m going to make him realize he and I need to start dating right now.”

“You don’t even really have to date, Frank,” Dean tried hard to explain. “People just need to believe the two of you are a unit.” Worried that Todd is too unstable right now for a lover’s bond, Dean strongly encourages Frank only to offer up a pretend relationship. “Just act it, like Will and I used to.”

Yeah
, Frank muses, now getting ready to leave,
and that really helped you, didn’t it?

“Let him know,” Dean persists. “Let him know you are there for him, will wait for him, won’t abandon him. Make sure he understands we won’t ever abandon him.” When he turns his bleary eyes to Geoffrey, he is startled at the sight of the man standing stock still, seemingly so impenetrable, resistant to all pity. Dean pleads uselessly, “Geoffrey, please, what the boy needs right now is adult guidance.”

Geoffrey is not a cruel man so it pains him to see Dean in such agony, but he also knows that Dean is in no condition to help Todd. He has a lot of calming down to do because his own demons have resurfaced. Dean is Geoffrey’s top priority. “Too many haunting memories have surfaced. I need to help you settle those first.” Geoffrey truly believes it is in Todd’s best interest to let Frank fetch him. “Frank is correct, Dean. If the boys are to pretend to be lovers—”

“They don’t even have to pretend to be lovers,” Dean cuts him off. “They just have to act like they are dating.”

“No, Dean,” Geoffrey counters, shaking his head sadly.

“Yes, we do Papa Dean,” Frank insists. “You know we do.”

Reasserting Frank’s position, Geoffrey states, “Todd confessed to being sexually active. If Frank is going to convince others he has tamed him, people are going to have to believe they had sex.” Sighing, wishing there were another way around this, he adds, “To do that, the two boys will need to be alone.” Before Dean can protest, Geoffrey silences him. “Dean, enough.” Geoffrey’s tone is stern. He is in command mode and there is no reversing him. “The boys need privacy in order to talk this through. We are going to give them that necessary time alone.” Gripping Dean’s arm, he states, “Both boys are mature enough, close enough to being men that they can deal with this, and will deal with this, a lot more effectively alone. You and I will only muddle matters.” Sighing, he adds, “Besides, you are in no condition right now to offer anyone moral support.” Then conceding slightly, he concludes, “We won’t stay out long. We’ll just go for dinner and be home by seven.”

“Make it eight,” Frank says. He knows what he needs to do, and he wants more time than their being home by seven will allow.

“All right,” Dean reluctantly agrees. “But only dinner and,” staring defiantly at Frank, he states, “we’ll be back by seven.”

“Absolutely,” Geoffrey nods, but as soon as Dean’s back is turned, he reassures Frank by mouthing, “eight.”

Frank is relieved when the two men finally leave. Todd and he need privacy all right. Frank knows he and Todd need to do more than pretend.

As Frank emerges from his bedroom, he forms a wry, telling grin on his face. Devon and Roger are in the living room, as expected, necking on the couch. Roger had promised to invite his boyfriend over so Frank could prove unequivocally that Todd was no longer a
strai
. Frank knows they need a witness beyond himself. There is simply too much evidence against his best friend. And since they are best friends, everyone expects Frank to lie. He stood up for Todd in class today, before Ms. Sterne exposed him, Crystal denounced him, and Todd foolishly admitted to being straight!
Todd straight! It was inconceivable, but there you have it!
Really, Frank?
he berates himself.
Inconceivable?
When you’ve known all along?
Frank shudders; everything he’s ever been taught about straight males is heinous: pedophiles, rapists, chauvinists, and all stupid, smelly, messy, dirty pigs! None of that describes Todd.
Okay,
he admits,
he isn’t the neatest individual
. The fact is Todd’s clothes are seldom tidy.
But he’s poor
, Frank insists.
We can excuse him that
—but not anymore. Not after his admission in class.
Even so
, Frank reasons,
Todd is no rapist! There is no way he raped Crystal! No way!
But not even Frank can deny Todd’s declaration, and that confession is all the damning evidence anyone needs. Ms. Sterne has even suggested Todd deserves the death penalty. The memory of her implied threat causes Frank to wince.
Again
, he asks,
why do they have to be so cruel about exposure?
But he knows why. It really is the only way to warn
strais
.
Straight men, especially
, he reasons,
are difficult to tame
. Feeling a surge of pride, yet still rueful, he thinks,
Todd may have been a strai, but not anymore
.
I’ve made sure of that!

As soon as Frank walks into the living room, Devon begins admiring Frank’s physique. Frank has purposely left off his shirt, and he only begins zipping up his jeans after he enters the living room. Everything about him from tousled hair, to his bruised and sweaty chest, to being half-dressed has to suggest sex. Everyone must know—no
believe
—that what just happened really
did
happen. Todd is a confessed
strai
, but Frank means for everyone to understand that he is just confused! Still, this is not going to be easy. Todd is definitely not what everyone perceives to be Frank’s type. Frank only dates the more effeminate boys—boys he can easily manipulate—boys who like to pamper him and treat him like a god. That is definitely not Todd. Todd, like Frank, has the bearing of the alpha male—especially on the b-ball court. Unfortunately, Todd never dated anyone but Devon. And Devon certainly didn’t help matters when he announced that Todd’s exposure explains everything. He added even more damaging evidence when he said Todd never once initiated and was always the first to pull back from a kiss.
That’s Todd’s biggest problem
, Frank surmises. Everyone expects him to be the aggressor, but he has never once approached any boy on campus. Everyone now believes that if Devon hadn’t approached Todd, he never would have dated anyone. Some even say he used Devon to throw people off the scent of his being a
strai
. Even that Todd is the official star of the b-ball team holds no sway in his favor anymore, not after what Ms. Sterne said about sports and heterosexuals in class. Oddly enough, Frank muses
over Todd’s position on the team.
He should have been co-cap, not me
, but Frank surmises that his being the taller and stronger got him the position. There is no doubt about it; Frank is definitely stronger than Todd, height and extra weight being his advantage.
Thank Hadrian for that
, Frank muses as he studies the raw skin of his knuckles. Licking off the blood, he remembers how hard Todd fought. It was not what Frank wanted, but Todd had to be subdued.
It had to happen
, he reminds himself again, though it feels more like a reprimand than justification.

Roger smiles. He knew if anyone could tame a
strai
, it was Frank. “So you guys did it?” he asks half-expectant, half-hopeful. Roger likes Todd, seeing him as a part of their family. The last thing he wants is to see Todd sent away for reeducation. Frank grins slyly. He is wearing his “I just got laid look.” Devon is not falling for it, though. Todd’s exposure today redeems for him what he had seen as his own personal failure. Besides, Todd Middleton had kissed a girl, had straight sex with that girl—Ms. Sterne even implied rape.
No
, he says silently,
Todd is straight, and as far as I’m concerned, there is no taming that kind of man. Besides
, he reaffirms,
if I couldn’t get him to do it, no one can!
Turning to Roger, he laughs, “You don’t really believe they did it, do you?” Scorn ripples across his face. Looking back at Frank, he says, “You can’t possibly expect people to fall for this? No one is ever going to believe Middleton went down for you. He’s a
strai
—a fucking little cunt hammer. And, if what Ms. Sterne suggests is true—a rapist!”

“Todd never raped anyone!”

Ignoring Frank’s outburst, spitting out derision, Devon exclaims, “They ought to lock the cunt hammer away!” Amused by his own consideration, he adds, “Frankly, Frank, I don’t know why they don’t just castrate the bastard.”

Roger, caving to Devon’s perspective, begins to worry. “Did it really happen?” His eyes squint as his shoulders shrug upwards in quandary.

Frank grimaces; he had expected as much, which is why he had insisted on making it really happen, and not just be a pretend act like Todd had begged him. Even so, he couldn’t help feeling betrayed.
Roger could at least back me
, he thinks grimly. Crossing over to the couch, he sits next to Devon. The two men stare down until Devon looks away. Then Frank calls out, “Todd!” When there is no response, he looks toward the hallway leading to his bedroom. “Todd,” he says more urgently, a hint of anger in his voice, “get out here.” Devon and Roger stare expectantly at the hallway.
A smothered cry emerges from Frank’s room. “Now, baby,” Frank states emphatically. “Your daddy’s calling, so come!” Another moan is emitted prior to the subtle sound of a door handle turning, followed by the slight creak of a door beginning to open. Frank offers up his grin to Devon and Roger. “Did you put on the clothes I bought you?” A stifled cry replies. “Come on, baby; I want to see you dressed nice.” The door closes with barely a sound. Devon and Roger look at each other curiously. “I’ve given him a new look,” Frank replies matter-of-factly.

Actually, the impromptu shopping spree was in reaction to Ms. Sterne’s initial attack on Todd’s appearance. The whole time Frank was picking out clothes and throwing them Todd’s way, Todd kept throwing them back swearing, “There is no way I am ever going to wear these things!”

Frank whirled on him, insisting, “We have to convince people you really are gay!” Frank won that war, too. “You are going to look like one of my boys and that’s that!” There was no more discussion to be had. Frank bought the clothes, and then, as soon as they got home, dragged Todd into his bedroom.

Once again, Devon and Roger stare intently at the hallway, listening to the muffled sounds of shuffling from inside Frank’s bedroom. Soon enough, the sounds of a moving door handle followed by the opening of the door can be heard—a little less faint than last time.
Good, he’s starting to accept
, Frank muses. The shadow of a body walking tight against the wall appears. It is as if Todd is trying to push himself deep inside the wood in a desperate attempt to escape. Slowly, Todd comes out. He can’t enter the living room, though, and stays glued to the corner where the hall and the living room meet. The black velvet wallpaper, though elegant in design, feels repulsive against his skin. Frank has him wearing a tight short-sleeve hot pink T-shirt accenting Todd’s muscular torso. Frank wanted this effect. It would make Devon drool, and anyone who could make Devon hard was someone of whom he would approve. Todd’s sudden transformation into a meek demeanor is very erotic.