Beloved: A Henry Dawncraft Novel |boyxboy| Sequel to Lover for Pay

XII - Time

While Henry and Daniel were at work the next day, Dorian was going to be alone in the house until someone got off work. He'd woken up to the smell of coffee but no one was home. As he got out of bed, he almost had to remind himself he was no longer staying with Tucker in the city. The guest bedroom that was now his own was a good enough size. The walls were bare, the dresser was stacked with a few piles of his clothes he'd yet to put away, and his closet was open and halfway filled with clothes that belonged on hangers.

When he sat up out of bed in just a pair of basketball shorts, he pushed back his floppy dark fringe and sat there a moment. For the first time in all his life, he felt like he belonged somewhere, like there were actually people in the world who gave even just a single shit about him, and he felt lucky enough that those people were his family. He never knew his dad, and he didn't ever think he'd meet the woman who gave birth to him, but he figured all of that was okay. He had Henry, London, and Joyce, and even his young nieces and nephews he still wanted to get to know.

If anything, Dorian thought finally being connected with his siblings was the best thing that could have ever happened to him, and suddenly he wasn't much bothered by the idea that he'd been pretty much thrown away as an infant.

Getting a look at the time on his cellphone, Dorian stood out of bed and stretched a moment. Today he was supposed to pick up Joyce from her middle school and hang out a bit. He wasn't really sure how to have fun with his thirteen-year-old sister, but he was sure they'd figure something out. After taking a needed shower, he dressed in black jeans and a plain hoodie. When he went to the front of the house, there was a note on the table in the living room to remind him not to forget Joyce.

And then he remembered what his little sister had told him the day before. She was being picked on in school and didn't have anyone to back her up. But today, he'd make sure no one ever messed with his little sister ever again.

For a couple more hours, Dorian was home alone, filling his time by trying to figure out the games Henry and Daniel had for their consoles in the living room, and by the time 3:00pm came around, it was about that time to head out toward Joyce's school. She was currently attending one of the top private schools in Anavrin; a place that acquired thousands through high tuitions, but also gave back by guaranteeing the best form of education for parents who wanted nothing but the best for their children. To say the least, London had definitely done his research before putting any of his children in school and that included Joyce.

After grabbing his cellphone and car keys, he made sure to lock up the house before leaving. He drove for a good while and arrived at Roelin Academy of Secondary Studies. It was a school with grades eight through twelve, but the eighth graders were kept separate from the four higher grades in their own part of the campus. If anything, it looked really nice compared to the Catholic school Dorian had attended, and it was clear the money given to the place was used for beneficial reasons.

Since it was just about that time for parents to pick up their kids, and for kids to get on their designated buses to head home, there were a lot of prepared parents parked outside headed for the pick-up area. Not much wanting to wait in the car, Dorian went ahead and parked in the lot just in front of the library.

When he got out of the car, he sent a quick text to Joyce's phone since she'd given him her number the other day as well. After making sure she knew he would be waiting in front of the doors to the library, he tucked the phone away in his pocket and neared the building.

The release bell chimed loudly then throughout the entire school, and slowly the students began to make their way outside. With his arms crossed in front of his chest, Dorian kept an eye out for Joyce.

Just like most other schools, he could already tell right away there were separate groups of friends. There were the nerds, the "popular" kids, athletes, rockers, and even kids who just seemed unable to fit in anywhere.