Chapter 3 Royal Games
Trent
Trent had almost no idea what was going on that he instinctively followed a group of his fellow peers to play a game called Volleyball. He'd heard of the game, and might have seen it on TV. He never played it a day in his life. Most of his games were spent with card games with Mr. Bateman in the study room. There was a board game here and there like Chess. Or checkers.
This would be his first hands on experience.
Games like Cricket and Polo were more Augustus's thing. Trent surmised it was a by means, to impress daddy and it worked flawlessly. Croquet was more like his sisters specialty. To put short, everyone in the family had their talents. Trent was still looking for his own, a way to rise above the rest with his own light. No one else thought about coming to America.
"If I say, I do agree with you. To go to this... America. Then you'll go where I tell you."
Trent wondered if the joke was on him after all. The day wasn't proving all that promising. He'd made attempts at making friends, to no avail. He managed to receive phone numbers from two good looking girls but he couldn't ignore the looks some of his classmates gave him. Like he was stupid for having accepted them.
He disposed of the numbers into trash can on his way out of class, with his head hanging low. Trent had to fight against the whispers of discouragement that tried getting him to call it quits. He imagined the smug smile on his Father's face, and the voices went silent.
He was going to do this. He was going to make something interesting happen. He was going to do more than simply blend in. Maybe he would search for the numbers again and maybe get laid with an American girl. Take that Augustus!
The game of Volleyball started before Trent knew it, until he was nearly smacked upside the face with an unusually hard beach looking ball. He smacked it away with his wrists effortlessly, and ignored the stinging the sensation that followed after. For a short while, Trent kept his place in the back while trying to keep an eye on the ball.
Trent originally wanted to blend in, and that seemed to be working out flawlessly. Too well if he had to admit it. He needed to merge into phase two. Stand out or do something extraordinary. He could try, he had to try, and play a really good game of Volleyball. That might do it.
There were moments he caught himself watching the movements of the girls around him. He suddenly felt like a kid in the candy store. He had no idea what type he preferred. Girls wasn't something he ever had much time for. Not when he was often holed up in a kingdom, run by his father, the King of Sweden.
Trent admired the tiny bodies gathered around him without letting it be too noticeable.
He was surrounded by mostly girls who were at first eyeing him like he was an anomaly. Once they got a better look, blushes flushed their cheeks. When he got hold of the ball, he made sure not to hit over the net too hard. He was the only guy on the team. The other side were strictly all girls. Trent's mother raised him to mind his manners around the ladies. It didn't matter what they looked like or where they came from, he must always be a gentleman.
So far, his gentleman ways were going by unnoticed.
The ball came back his way when he hit it wrong. The ball smacked into his fist (he mimicked the way one girl served) and it shot off into the wrong direction. Behind them, and towards a group of kids jogging. Everyone seemed to freeze in horror, Trent most of all when it the back of some mousy haired kids head.
His head jerked forward making an 'Oaf' sound and fell forward while catching himself. Trent, feeling humiliated by this ran forward to survey the damage. If he thought the day had started off bad, this was the cherry on top. He was sure everyone in the mile radius heard the smack when it made impact.
Trent was jogging forward when the kid unbelievably started to push himself up from the ground. Trent wasn't sure he was seeing things or not, it looked like a lump was already forming at the back of the kids head. The kid was reaching for the back of his head before Trent got close enough. He heard the kind winch when he grazed the area with his fingers.
He spat a few words of profanity. Trent wasn't sure why he grinned, was it because he never watched someone speak so freely without fear of consequence. His own mother was fiercely against any fowl type of language. Especially in the presence of a lady. There were plenty of those around.
Trent recognized the kid when he turned around. It looked like tears had sprung to his eyes. Trent's face fell but it was too late to wipe the grin from his face. The kid had already seen it. It was the iciest, meanest look Trent had ever received in his life. His own mother was up for some serious competition.
"Oh you think it's funny do you? Do you?"
Trent opened his mouth mixed with a genuine apology on his lips and a pinch of fear for his life. He'd heard from Augustus that Americans hit first and asked questions later. Judging by the look on the kid's face, his brother might have been right. He hardly heard the approaching footsteps coming from the basketball playing area to his right.
"Hey baby, what's up?"
Trent felt a twinge of jealousy at the bulge of muscles this kid had. He was handsome if Trent had to admit it, but not in that weird way. Trent wasn't, he couldn't, no that needed to remain a secret. A secret only Mr. Bateman and his two older siblings knew.
He watched the guy check the kid (he glared at Trent almost the whole time and looked like he was fighting tears too) out. Like a lover? Trent had never seen this form of affection up close before. He didn't know how to feel about it exactly. He just watched in muted silence.
"You ok?" The guy wrapped a bronze colored arm around the kid.
Were they lovers?
The guy then followed the kid's baleful look to face Trent. "What's up?"
Oh no, now he might have two angry Americans to deal with at once. The guy wasn't as tall as Trent, but judging by how much the guy must have lifted on a regular basis, Trent knew not to underestimate him. The look on his face held some curiosity, questions formed in his coal eyes as he waited for answers, and he pulled the kid closer still.
So they must be lovers! Interesting. He'd have to tell his sister about this as soon as he could and maybe ask questions. Samantha was big on the gay rights movement, but Trent never paid any attention to it. Lest it gave too much way. In fact, everyone else in the family stayed mostly close lipped about the topic too. Trent never questioned that, until now.
As he continued to look at these two, he wondered, how would something like this hurt anyone? What was the big fuss?
The guy almost held out his hand as if about to introduce himself but the kid smacked his hand away saying, "He hit me."
Suddenly the expression on his lovers face changed. It almost mirrored the kid's except his face held a very strong dislike. The kid showed flat out hatred. His lover pressed his lips to his forehead, but that barely had any effect on the kid's anger.
"It's cool baby, it's cool. I'll take care of you. I've got this."
"But this was all a one big misunderstanding mate!" Trent didn't know why he switched himself over to an Australian accent like that. It happened in a fraction of a second. For some reason he thought of the nice ambassador from Australia and the words just slipped out that way.
"Ooh! An Aussie!" An excited girl nearby had to cover her mouth.
Trent hardly registered the appreciative looks he started to receive. Phase two was also a success. At a price it seemed. The two Americans before him didn't seem all that impressed.
"Yeah bro?" The guy took a step forward in Trent's direction.
Trent had no idea what this guy was trying to say.
"I'm not your brother." Trent felt a storm of emotions just beneath the surface. "Mate." He added quickly. He wouldn't let himself slip up over something so silly like this.
The guy took another step forward, threateningly. "If you've got a problem with Jason, you've got a problem with me mojaneta."
Trent had studied other languages and knew exactly what he said. He stuck his chest out, no longer caring if he could take the guy or not. "Oi yer bogan!"
A roar, or a battle cry erupted from this Jason kid that he ran forward. Hands balled into fists and then stretched into talons. If Trent were any closer, he would have had the very flesh of his face torn into bloody ribbons. Trent involuntarily took a step back and leaned away. This American was nuts. Didn't he understand how tiny he was?
"Out of my way Nicklaus! Out of my way!" he continued to jump up and down on his toes while trying to make many pointless advances.
This Nicklaus was too well built, he was holding his lover Jason back. Though there was one moment when Nicklaus had a frightened expression on his face at how well Jason moved. He was quick on those feet. He had experience, or something like that.
Nicklaus had to swerve himself around that he was facing Jason now. Jason stopped his fruitless attempts and just stared at Nicklaus. Trent couldn't see the expression on Nicklaus but he did see the expression on Jason's. Jason swallowed hard and suddenly their lips were pressed firmly on one another.
Trent watched Jason freeze like a statue, eyes squeezed shut, fingers and arms spread out like a bird in mid flight. This was all somehow fascinating to Trent. Was this how guys kissed other guys? Was it normal for one of the guys to alternate the shades of white to green and green to white? What would it have looked like between two women?
Most of all, was this kind of thing normal here? Why weren't the teachers getting involved yet? Trent turned his head to find one of the male teachers was indeed watching with a guarded expression from the distance. He made no advancements.
There were a few 'woot's' and whistle blowing in their vicinity. That answered his question.
Trent suddenly no longer felt like standing around trying to apologize. It wasn't getting him anywhere. He walked away, hardly noticing the up rise of attention he was now getting. He forgot that Augustus mentioned of how much American girls loved foreigners. Trent was indeed a foreigner but he was not from the place these people thought.
So what was phase three now?
Trent went back to his team. Someone had already gotten them a new ball. At first he felt like a slab of meat from the looks he was getting. Everyone on both the opposing team including his own stared at him. More than a couple of girls on the opposition team, two brunettes, eyed him up and down as if looking for any bruises.
The game went on as if it had never been interrupted. He caught sight of Jason being escorted out and Nicklaus didn't follow. Was that also normal? They were both guys, surely this Jason would be able to tough it out on his own. He's a guy!
That didn't stop Trent from feeling bad. He knew it was his fault that Jason had to leave. Accident or not. He was having a harder time than he should have, in trying to set his consciousness at ease. When he played, he didn't put his full heart into it. The girls must have sensed his feelings because no one passed the ball to him too often.
Trent couldn't stop thinking about Jason. The kid didn't have it easy, so it appeared. He watched his book bag split open and he handled it like it's happened numerous times. But why?
He smacked the ball away from him like it was nothing more than a fly. He was more careful about it now. It soared over the net and that scored his team a point. Was the opposing team letting him win now? Did this suddenly turn into a pity party?
Nicklaus was kicking some serious butt over in the basketball court. Trent turned his head to watch when he could. Strangely, this guy didn't seem all that worried about his lover. Was this also normal? Did Trent underestimate Jason's pain tolerance? He could swear the look on Jason's face, he was hiding most of the pain he was actually feeling. Was Trent now overestimating Jason?
Why did any of this matter? What did any of this have to do with Trent?
It was five minutes until noon when all of the gym teachers blew their whistles at the same time. Everything came to a halt. Volleyball was over as quickly as it had begun. Trent needed to take a mental note and take that as a normal routine.
A blonde that was on the opposing team approached Trent. "Good game mate." Her attempt at an Australian accent was awful but the look she gave him shivers down south. He could help but grin lopsided with an added wink for extra charm.
Before she passed him by, her hand grazed his biceps. Trent's heart began to hammer at the unspoken invitation. He had to momentarily thank the heavens for his sudden turn in luck. He earned more smiles, a giggle here and there, the rest looked away shyly.
It was back to the bleachers since that's where everyone was headed. He was able sit inside his own head, which in itself was a blessing since there were no further advancements. He needed to sort things out in his head before carrying on the rest of his day. Nicklaus was seen talking with a bunch of guys, something he said bought in boisterous laughter.
Trent wasn't sure why, but something about the guy set his teeth on edge. Didn't he care that his boyfriend was hurt?
The bell, something Trent felt he could do without, didn't ring as shrill as it did everywhere else. It sounded further off. Right on cue, everyone started to file out. Trent debated with himself if he should have a private word with Nicklaus or not. Maybe he could understand the situation a little better on how a relationship between two men went? It would be a real chance to educate himself on the matter.
Mostly he wanted to smack him around to get him to set his morals straight. If Trent had someone he was involved with, and was in that guys shoes, he would be worried. What if Jason had a concussion, or something worse? It would be on his hands! Head injuries are not a joking matter!
But why should he care? A dark part of himself questioned. He'll be fine. The school probably had a good healthcare system here. He was probably making himself worry over nothing. It's not like he had kid lying in a pool of his own blood. He was able to walk just fine out the door.
With nothing more than a bruised ego. That's something he knew his sister would say.
Wait, was Trent losing it now?
Trent decided to walk fast to get away from the gym as fast as he could. The questioning glances casted his way, he ignored them. He shouldn't care.
He did not care. What was the point? That was their relationship not his. It was none of his business.
He actually did care! Trent spun back around causing a jolt of a few started students when he did turn. He stomped his way back in the same direction he came from, not caring that he was parting a sea of students as he went along. Most skittered towards the walls cowering in fear. The look on his face might not have been friendly. Add in his height and that would have made anyone run in the other direction.
When he finally had the entrance doors to the gym in his sights, Nicklaus wasn't hard to spot. The inky black head and bronze colored skin stood out in a sea of pale teenagers.
He had his arms wrapped around a girl, with a ton of tongue action going on.
"So that's why you didn't care!" Trent roared, and charged.