Don't Touch

The Big Dog

"Sit down." Ryan commanded as he, Flannery, and Greg--and Gage--entered his office where Greg was sure he was about to be in a lot of trouble. "Now."

Both Flannery and Greg obeyed Ryan's command without question because they both knew that he was in no mood to be defied right now. Greg couldn't even begin to think of a reason to argue why Ryan wouldn't be angry with the two of them. Not only did they interrupt a training session--which was something that both Sixx and Sonya had told him just wasn't done--but they'd touched. And both of them knew that Ryan had absolutely forgiveness in that action due to what had happened to Sonya.

Greg knew enough that right now he had to be submissive and just go along with whatever Ryan was about to say, but Flannery on the other hand seemed dead set on proving a point to both of them. She sat right next to Greg and she laced her hand with his just as she'd done at the school just yesterday. Only this time she had looped her arm along with Greg's and was treating him like she would a lover now. Besides swallowing the lump that'd been building in his throat Greg really didn't react much more than that.

"Oh you're screwed now." Gage said from his spot behind the two of them. "And would you take your hand away from hers? It's starting to gross me out."

Shut up. Greg thought because he knew that Gage could hear his thoughts and he just couldn't let either Ryan nor Flannery know about Gage if he wanted to live through the night. Because even though he'd suddenly felt a rather large wall of distrust come between the two of them, Greg truly believed that Gage was sincere in telling him that more Hellhounds would come for him should he tell anyone about him.

Ryan moved behind his desk and slammed his fist on the desk before he sat to address the two of them. "What the hell was that about?!" When neither of them responded he swept his arm across his desk and pounded on the top again. "Well?"

"Ooh he's really mad," Gage whispered into Greg's ear which almost made him want to smack the other boy but he restrained himself for fear of further questions about him.

"I thought you'd be thrilled that one of us could touch him," Flannery said sounding almost a little nervous about even speaking up. "I just needed to show you that I could-"

"What you did was stupid and reckless Jess," Ryan said in as stern a voice that Greg had ever heard the man use, but to Greg he added. "But you... What you did was just, idiotic! I expected you to at least know what you should do should anything like that happen."

"I'm sorry I just didn't-"

"Didn't what?" Ryan interrupted as he got up from around his desk and got right in front of Greg. "You didn't what huh?... Say it!"

Beside him Greg felt Flannery squeeze his hand in a sign of comfort, not like it was doing a lot of good though. Sonya had once warned Greg that her father had a very, very bad temper and that he became like a completely different person once he lost it. But Greg never really understood just what Sonya could've meant by it, but now that he saw the transformation right before his eyes he saw clearly what she meant. Ryan was usually a very kind and understanding man, but when he lost his temper he became the picture of fury.

"I didn't want to push her away alright!" Greg shouted without meaning to at all, it just felt like something else was controling what he was saying. "At first I was going to but I just didn't want to."

It wasn't until after he looked behind Ryan did he see Gage standing on top of the desk and he was mouthing the exact words of what Greg was saying. But in that little bit of a moment he realised that Gage was making him say these things. It was true what he was saying but he knew that he'd just never have the courage to actually say it. What he was actually trying to say was that he just didn't know what he could do in that one particular situation. But then just like that something happened. He really didn't know what it was but something inside of him snapped, and along with it whatever Gage was doing to control Greg's words snapped as well.