Wrestling With Love (46 page)

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D.H. Starr

Wrestling With Love

The school-wide dance was a huge success. It was crowded, with students lined up outside the Student Center all night long. Derek had his A-game on and his music was better than usual. After the party, people he had never seen before came up to him, telling him how great his music was and asking him to DJ for their parties. Tyrell had been given a choice. He could choose to go to counseling for anger management and could return after a one semester suspension, or he could choose not to receive counseling and be expelled. He opted to return home to Alabama and would not be returning to BU.

A small part of Derek felt sad that Tyrell had chosen not to accept BU’s offer. In fact, Derek was part of the reason the offer had been extended at all. After Jared reported Tyrell on the Monday following the party, Derek took it upon himself to go to the dean of the freshman class, asking that they try to give Tyrell an option which would allow him to continue at BU. It was a difficult thing to do since Scott was completely against it, but Derek didn’t want to be the reason someone got expelled from school. As the months wore on, Derek and Scott became more actively involved in The Alliance and Jared’s goal was being accomplished. Scott had been particularly helpful in getting information out to the sports teams. Since he was at the Athletic Complex so often, he began with his own team who he knew had no problem with gay people, and slowly began outreach to the captains of other teams. As The Alliance planned new fundraising events, Scott was able to increase the number of students who knew about and attended them. As a result, the amount of money that The Alliance raised for outreach programs had doubled from previous years.

Over spring break, Derek and Scott chose to return to New York. Although Derek’s parents and Shannon were unhappy that they couldn’t have the boys to themselves for the whole vacation, their protests were weak and they caved in fairly quickly. Once in the city and unpacked, Derek walked into the living room and sat next to Josh. “Scott and I are taking you and Pierre to dinner and we’re paying.” Josh started to protest, but Derek cut him off. “No arguments. I’ve made plenty of extra spending cash mixing for parties and it’s the least we can do after all the two of you have done for us.”

Taking advantage of the fact that Pierre was at work and Scott was in the shower, Josh sat down next to Derek. “So, it seems things have worked out well between you two.” He nodded his head in the direction of the bathroom.

“Yes. Things are incredible. Better than ever.” Derek leaned back into the couch cushion and allowed his mind to float as he thought about Scott. He was startled back to the room by the sound of Josh’s laughter. “I’m glad. You and he have something special.”

When Scott had finished his shower and was dressed, he and Derek headed out into the city. They agreed to meet up with Josh and Pierre at The Striphouse at six o’clock. Since it was spring, the weather was slightly warmer and there was a fresh smell of 220

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Wrestling With Love

newness in the air. Walking south towards Battery Park, Scott took Derek by the hand. They had purchased tickets online to go to Ellis Island so they could go to the top of the Statue of Liberty, something Scott had never done before. Twining his fingers with Derek’s, Scott lightly swung their hands as they walked. He seemed to be in a light-hearted and playful mood. Whereas the experience of walking hand-in-hand had been new and exciting the last time they had visited the city together, now it seemed a natural part of who they were to one another. The contrast filled Derek with a sense of fulfillment and reinforced for him how much the two of them had grown over the course of their freshman year.

Derek allowed Scott to lead and enjoyed the sights of the city and the feel of Scott next to him. “You know, I really do love this city.” Scott stopped and turned Derek so they were facing one another. “There’s so much here. There are so many people with such incredible histories and they all coexist on this one tiny little island.” Scott looked up at the blue sky, then returned his gaze to Derek. “You know I’m totally head-overheals, crazy in love with you, right?”

Derek laughed. “Yes, I think you’ve mentioned it a couple of times before.” Derek stepped closer to Scott and wrapped his arms around him, pulling Scott into a tight hug. “And you know I’m weak-in-the-knees, heart fluttering like a school-girl in love with you, right?”

Scott wrapped his arms around Derek and hugged him back. “I guess we’re both stuck with each other then.”

“I guess we are.” Derek released Scott and retrieved his hand as they continued walking along the Hudson River.

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Wrestling With Love

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About the Author

D. H. Starr is a clean-cut guy with a wickedly naughty mind. He grew up in Boston and loves the city for its history and beauty. Also, having lived in NYC, he enjoys the fast pace and the availability of anything and everything. He first became interested in reading from his mother who always had a stack of books piled next to her bed. Family is important to D. H. and his stories center around the intricate and complex dynamics of relationships and how people work through problems while maintaining respect and love. His favorite books tend to fall in the genres of science fiction, fantasy, paranormal, and coming of age.

To learn more about D. H. Starr and his books, please visit his website at www.dhstarr.com or follow his blog at www.dhstarr.blogspot.com.

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