The Unravelling

“Hey Bryan! I gotta go.” said Chris as he walked away clutching his backpack.

“Later, dude.” I replied as I watched him rode away on his bike.

Chris and I were both high school juniors. He had been my best friend since 3rd grade. We knew each others secrets. But not this one. No one can know.

It was late in the afternoon, after school hours. I stayed a little longer than usual. I told Chris I needed to finish my Chemistry workbook in the school library

I wanted to make sure every single one of my classmates had left for the day. I crept away to the woods just behind the school and huddled under a tree. I waited for him. From behind me, someone covered my eyes with his hands. “Tell me quickly what I’m wearing?” With my eyes closed I said. “You’re wearing a blue shirt and a pair of jeans. Your hair is pushed to the right and you’re wearing a watch.”

It was Bradley and he started laughing so hard. “How could you have known that, stalker?”

“Because I saw you this morning and during lunch. You dork!” I responded.

Bradley was in 12th grade, a year ahead of me, and one of the smartest students in his group. I loved everything about him, from the way he rolled up the sleeves of his shirt to the messy hair that fell over his sleepy eyes.

I moved close to him, uncomfortably close. I can smell the sweet, tart flavor on his breath as he sucked on it. I started to run my hands gently from where his collar met his skin down his shoulders, then halfway down his arms and back again.

I pressed my lips to his neck in gentle kisses. Bradley reacted by leaning his head sideways and exposing more of his neck for me. I could feel his temperature rising. Then I moved under his chin kissing my way up to run my tongue over his lips.

He pushed me away, to arm’s length, holding me by the shoulders and staring into my eyes. “We can’t be doing this anymore.”

My hands clasped his face gently. “Every time I think we’re okay you go and pull a stunt like this. Stop pushing me away. I love you, you know.”

I kissed him this time, harder, winding my fingers into his soft waves and pulling his face closer then I slid my hands around his waist as he slid his hands around my neck.

Then quickly we took off our clothes, there was no time to undress each other. We were both standing naked in the woods, in the Arizona sunlight.

Then we started making love in the middle of the woods.

Finally, we were exhausted. He leaned back against a tree and I laid with my head on his chest. I felt his heart beating against my chest. It was so strong just like him. I let my hand ran through his hair as his head laid on my shoulder.

Then Bradley stood up, walked to his clothes and put his clothes back on. “I really can’t keep doing this with you, Brian.”

“Doing? Doing what?” I asked

He rolled his eyes.”Oh, cute. You know darn well what we’re doing. We can’t keep doing it, okay?”
“Because…?” I sighed in a rather theatrical way.

He walked towards me. “Because we don’t know what we’re doing, that’s because.”

“I love you. I don’t know what that entails, but I love you enough that I will do whatever it takes.” I said, hearing my voice shake.

“For fuck’s sake Brian. We’re brothers! We have to stop” He was angry his voice sounded like the loudest crackling boom of thunder.

He gripped my wrists tight and quickly turned around; his eyes blazed red in anger as he shook me hard once and pushed me away from him. I stumbled back but caught my balance.

As Bradley was walking away I jumped on his back and kept punching him in the head and hitting him in his back.

“Fuck you! Fuck you!”. I screamed at him repeatedly.

I felt his hands wrapped around my neck. Choking me. I tried to pull away. I fought so hard against him, but to no avail. He shoved my head to the ground.

As I struggled my right hand managed to grab a branch and I held on to it with all my stregnth. I swung my elbow back against his chest so hard that he let out a shriek of his own.

I got up as quickly as I can and hit his head using all the strength I could muster. The branch made a loud thud and blood went everywhere. A steady stream of blood was flowing down from his head.
He began to shake, frantically.

I was standing naked and bloody and holding the bloody branch in my clenched fist. Once again, I was breathless and panting..

“What did I do?”. I was mortified then I started crying hysterically.


I laid there next to him