The Touch

Chapter 17 - Slade's story, endings and beginnings

Callie left the following day and it seemed that our bond had grown even stronger than it was before.

She talked about leaving her school and hitching a ride down to me, but I told her that I would have my own car soon so she should wait until that time and I would come to her. I didn't want her to get in trouble with the school as she was one of their best students, but she was stubborn and caught a ride with a driver who had been drinking. She was killed instantly when he took the corner too fast.

Of course I turned back to drugs and this time I got caught so I was expelled and sent back home. My father gave me a stern talking to but I really didn't care. He had turned away from me when my mother died and was now lecturing me when I had lost the second most important person in my life.

Weeks went by and I stayed in my room. There were no drugs in sight and my father's watchful eye meant that I also could not escape the confines of the house, so I became clean.

Being back at the house that I had been brought up in brought back memories of the day my mother had died but it also brought back good memories that I had had with her. My friends were also back in my life and after a few months I was able to attend college with Theon. I knew I had changed over that time away from home but my friends just treated me like I was the old Slade, and within time it worked. I never did touch drugs again and my father and I slowly created a life with each other.

Theon and I would hang around after school watching old movies and we decided that we should take up kick boxing. As both our fathers had done it when they were younger they encouraged us to take it up. We enrolled in a gym and started learning the techniques and mastering the skills. I found I could put all my energy into this sport and was soon asked by my trainer if I wanted to compete nationally. Theon enjoyed it but really didn't have the passion that I had for it but we still hung out and worked together on our techniques after school.

When I came third in the first national event I knew I was on to something. I also knew that I could take this to a different level and thought that I could maybe incorporate some boxing skills to make a new practice. Deep down I knew why I was doing it as it had always been in the back of my mind that I was going to find and kill the man who murdered my mother and I wanted every combat skill I could possibly retain to do it.

Theon would try and get me to do other things on the weekends and I would always resist.

"Man you are a bore sometimes Slade" he would grumble at me.

"Why am I a bore?"

"Because you know that we are at the start of our sexual peak and that there is a bevy of beautiful woman out there just waiting for us and all you are doing is staying at home and working out". Theon said

You are quite welcome to throw yourself at all the women you want Theon, but I really couldn't care less about getting myself involved with anyone".

"Slade I don't think you understand the laws of being a wing-man. You know that when you signed up to be my wing-man when we met at primary school that you would have to deal with all the women that would throw themselves at me and you would be there to take the excess" Theon said.

I couldn't help but laugh out loud as we both knew that there were no bevy of women throwing themselves at Theon. He was your typical boy next door, goofy and nice (not-gay) friend. Well that is how the teenage girls saw him anyway. But he was my best mate and I knew he needed the extra support when it came to meeting girls.

"Alright" I started "I will be your wing man and ensure you get ample time with a bevy of woman".

"Thank you" Theon said as his slapped me good heartily on the back and started walking towards the door. "You know that we have been invited to a party at Sam Blunkard's place tonight. So get yourself looking pretty Slade because tonight we are going to lose our v-cards".