Never Gonna Be Alone

Chapter 14--- I Need Your Advise....I Think

Ryan was busy grading papers so he could give them back to his students tomorrow. Most of them did really well. He was actually doing a journal check.

Usually he would tell the students this, but he wanted it to be a surprise. He'd have to have a talk to Laten...actually, it wasn't Laten's fault. He didn't know he was going to do a journal check.

He felt his phone vibrating in his pocket. Ryan sighed. Who was calling him this late at night? 

He got his phone out, and answered it without even checking who it was that was calling. "Hello, Ryan here?" He prayed it wasn't one of the parents of his students. He didn't need that right now.

"Hey, Ryan. This is Chuck."

Ryan was a bit surprised. Chuck wouldn't call this late, unless it was something important. He just sounded relaxed. Not even stressed at all. "Hey, Chuck. What's up?"

"The clouds. Hey, where are you right now?"

"I am grading everybody's journal, and punching in grades for tomorrow. You?" Great. The page timed out on the computer. He decided not to worry about it now. All he had to do was refresh the page.

"I'm in my bedroom laying down. I have something in mind that Laten had to confront me with. I just need some advise on that particular subject. Either that, or just tell you right out."

Ryan stopped what he was doing so he could pay more attention to Chuck. "Just tell me right out." Ryan heard a sigh on the other end. This has to be something really serious for Chuck to sigh like that. Ryan knew what type of sigh that was.

"Laten asked me if I wanted to start dating again."

This was getting interesting. "Do you want to date again?" Ryan knew this was a touche subject for Chuck. So, for Chuck to call up with something like this, was a start in itself.

There was silence on the phone for a good few minutes before Chuck replied on the other end. "I honestly do not know. He brought up one specific person. That was male, and he said that he saw they way I looked at him. Truth is, I kind of do like him, but he's my best friend. What do I do?"

Ryan stopped to think about it. Honestly, this kind of surprised him. "May I ask who this person is?"

"No."

"Just say it. Best thing to do, is to say it straight up. Do I know this person?" Ryan was now curious. This was something you don't hear every day.

"You can say that. Laten said that if I at least try and date, then he will at least, try and stop cutting."

Ryan smiled a bit. "He used the bargaining card. I'm telling you, your son could be one hell of a poker player someday. You just wait and see. And my advise is, do whatever makes you happy. And Laten. Speaking of that child, how is he?"

"He's doing OK. He's keeping it together. He had his first session with Andrew. He gave him a hard time though."

Ryan sighed. "I told you not to do that. Getting him a counselor, will only make things worse."

There was a heavy sigh on the phone. "It-I'm doing this to help him. I can help only so much, and I know he can't speak freely to me, so what else was I suppose to do?"

"Sending him to me, would be a good start. Why didn't you ever tell him that he had a Godfather?"

"I thought he wasn't exactly ready yet. I was afraid that if I told him, he would come running to you because he doesn't want to live with me anymore."

"Your paranoid, Chuck. Where is he now?" Ryan started to continue grading again. Only a few people got half of 100%. Well, it was their fault. Not his.

"He's in his room sleeping. At least I think he is. I'll go check on him after this call is over. He said he didn't want to go anywhere tomorrow because of what those kids done to him. But I know he's going to school tomorrow."

Ryan sighed. "Did-Actually, I want to know a few things. First, I will tell the school board about this. It has gone way too far. I don't want Laten to do something drastic if this continues. I know a few kids who've ended their life because of things like this. And, did you know that he feels very uncomfortable when Andrew is in the room right?"

There was another sigh on the phone. Now, Chuck sounded just like he always did. Overly stressed out, tired, and depressed. "I told him to give Andrew two full weeks, and if he still feels like that, then I'll send him to you."

Ryan nodded even though Chuck couldn't see him. "That sounds fair, but I have a bad feeling about this. A Godfather feeling. He's a good kid. He doesn't deserve any of this."

There was silence on the phone. "Look, I have to go. I'll call you if there is anything else, or if I just need a friend."

Chuck smiled. "Call whenever. Tell Laten I said hi." Man, right when he got done with the grades, Chuck needed to go. Oh well.

"We will do. Bye"

"Bye." Ryan hung up the phone. He wondered who it was that Chuck liked. This was something to get excited about. Things were starting to look up now. Very slowly, but surely.

Chuck laid on his bed for a few minutes. There was no way in hell, or heaven, that he was going to tell his friend the truth. He hated how his own kid was right. That Laten was taking matters into his own hands. That just topped the cake for, "Worst Father of The Year" award.

He got up, and walked out of his room over to his son's bedroom. He opened the door very slowly, and closed it. He pulled up a chair close to the bed, and sat down, watching his son sleep as he thought.

'He is too smart for his own good. I guess he was right. There is more then just friendship lurking in there somewhere. I'm just too coward to face it. I had no idea he would be right about something like this. Only one thing left to do." Chuck got up and went to Laten's side. He rubbed his son's back a few times, as he whispered, "I'll do it for all of us. I'll tell him. It's just a matter of time." He leaned down, and kissed his son's head, and he walked out quietly, and closed the door.