Black Hurricane

"It was really exciting just now," Kal-El grinned reminiscently.Then he turned his head and smiled shyly at me and said, "I mean, it was you who sang really well just now, not him."

"Shut up you," I really want to have a cigarette, I haven't smoked in four years, but I need something to relax me.Do you want to fly leaves?Forget it, Benji will kill me if he sees it.He was raised by a drug addict mother, so he turned against me more than once because he saw me flying leaves, although I only smoked a few times a year.But man, I really want to treat myself to some right now.

I sighed deeply and kicked the ground with my battered sneakers. "He's fantastic."

Kal-El leaned against the dirty brick wall and fished a cigarette from his pocket. "You two are awesome." Taking a deep breath, I snatched the carcinogen out of his hand and took a puff, coughing as I exhaled.

"What kind of rotten brand of cigarettes are you!"

Kal-El shrugged and snatched back his cigarette.

"He won't give up until he gets something from you, will he?"

I clasp my arms across my chest. "Any idea when they'll leave Boston?"

"Lucas said their last concert was delayed a week. The doctor said Dean needs to rest his throat or something." Kal-El offered me a cigarette, and I pushed it away.Dean wasn't worth my lung cancer.

"sounds good."

Kal-El shrugged, and we were silent together, listening to the sound of the young couple arguing from the next alley and the roar of cars in the distance.A dog barked out of nowhere in the darkness.

Kal-El put out his cigarette and exhaled the smoke through his nose. "What are you going to do next?"

I let out a long sigh that emptied my lungs of air. "I don't know, do you have any ideas?"

"Yes, fuck him."

I wrinkled my nose. "You're right. Fuck him. I'll just wait until he's done."

"No, I mean really fuck him."

I realized that I could not help but stare at my friend in surprise. "Are you serious? I can't do it! I said, is there something wrong with you, Kal-El?"

He spread his palms. "Relax. Think about it. Dean came out a year ago because of a sex video that went viral - he was fucking a guy. He ended up drinking and doing drugs non-stop and had to go to Rehab, before finally declaring that he was gay. Eric thinks it was his PR team who suggested that he come out to the public as a way to hype it up, but act like it’s okay to be gay.”

"My God, this cabinet is really well made." I put my hands in the butt pockets of my distressed jeans.A little schadenfreude.

"Yeah, it's really been a big deal for him, you know? He's been in denial about it for years. Shit, since high school. You know it better than anybody."

Yes, I know better than anyone.He hasn't appeared in the abandoned factory since that time, and I didn't see him again until school started.When I first saw him hanging out with the popular students, I didn't know how to react.He had a fading bruise over his left eye.He gave me a hard look, as if to warn me to stay away from him.That's exactly what I did, but he never finished.He grabbed me in the bathroom and slammed me against the wall.

"If you tell anyone what happened, you're dead, hear? Nothing happened, right?"

"Yes," I could barely find my voice.The suffocation in my chest spreads all over my body and makes me want to cry.I almost cried, but I just stared at the white ground and kept swallowing the tears back.

Dean let go of me and walked up and down in silence.

"You, what's wrong with your eyes?" I tremblingly said after a few minutes, guessing that if he planned to hit me, now is the time to be beaten.

"Shut up!" He slammed me against the wall again. "Shut the fuck up. Don't talk to me again, you know? Don't even look at me."

My heart pounded violently, the sound made my eardrums tear apart, and every breath was so difficult.I didn't allow myself to cry until he turned to leave, and the door slammed shut behind him.But the whole thing is not over yet.

"Jess?"

"Huh?" I looked at Kal-El's paper-white face under the electric light. His eyes were lined with thick black eyeliner, and his eyelashes were also black. "Oh yeah, so why am I fucking him?"

Kal-El sneered. "revenge."

"Revenge? You mean I'm going to fuck him instead of being fucked by him like before? That's not revenge."

"If you borrow your phone from me to record the process, it will be revenge."

"Record it?"

"Yeah." His red hair made his smile even more sinister. "You record it and put it online."

I changed my stance. "But there's already a sex tape of him online."

"But he hasn't been fucked yet. Eric's been pushing him on that. He said at the press conference Dean insisted he was only a number 1 and never a number 0. I'm sure he wanted to You have to be willing to let yourself get fucked. You remember to face down when you do it, make sure you don’t get recognized in the video, and put your phone back in your pants pocket before Dean finds out. It’s easy.”

"Easy?" I first made a snort and then laughed out loud.Kal-El spends his days brainstorming crooked ideas.I can assure you that he is an expert on bad ideas.

"That's right," he said with a shrug. "If he finds out, just say you just received a text message or something like that to fool you."

"He won't buy it." I was still laughing, but I was wronged in my heart.I feel aggrieved that I have to use such low-handed means to teach Dean a lesson.

"Come to me as soon as you're done, and I'll upload the video, make sure it's cleared of anything online, and then—uh-rah! Here comes the big news: Dean McQueen loves getting his ass fucked."

"Dream your dream." I took a deep breath. "That's not going to happen." I'm not such a scumbag.Kal-El wasn't that bad either.Although he came up with a lot of these bad ideas, most of them would not be implemented.Even if he has piercings all over his body and looks like a bad man, he is still a tofu heart.

"Oh come on." He patted me on the shoulder. "It's sure to be fun."

"Dude, your perception of what's 'interesting' is completely unsightly. I mean, I know you're messing around with online games, but this time it's definitely illegal."

"It's not legal to make money in the game and then sell it for cash, but I still do it anyway."

Well, I never said he was completely innocent, he was out to make money, but personal revenge is another story.

"Okay..." I walked towards the door.My break is almost here. "But selling game currency won't send you to jail."

"You never pay your taxes. You're going to go to jail sooner or later."

"It's different," I insisted.I don't pay taxes because, if I did, I wouldn't have money to pay rent.

"What the hell. Seriously, I really know how to clean up the internet. You won't get caught."

"Dean will know it's me."

I opened the door and he followed me into the porch.

"Yeah, that's the essence of this revenge. He knows it's you, but it's just his story in court. He has no proof."

I rolled my eyes at Kal-El, slightly relieved when I saw the house band back on stage.Dean was sitting at the bar, having a lively chat with Eric.You don't need to look to know that Alex is standing on the side, holding his little boyfriend's waist tightly.

"Well, Eric just told me about you selling paintings on the street," Dean said when I got close enough to serve drinks. "You're not a child genius, are you? I always thought you were supposed to be working at NASA by now."

Looks like tonight is going to be another long night.

***

"Okay, Jess. Please," Eric pleaded as I filled the kitchen sink with detergent.It was now the day after that night of terror. "This is a once in a lifetime opportunity."

I swirled foam into the red mug. "That's what you said last time."

Eric grabs a towel and wipes the mug dry.

"Alex promised to pay you double for this press conference. And this time it's different. Dean promised me a scoop. I'll be with the band for an hour and we'll chat, whatever I want to ask Just ask any questions. There's never been a chance that Shiny Boys magazine is going to be a hit. Even homophobic people might buy the magazine just to find out about the band."

"Homophobic people really like a band with a gay frontman?"

"People have been fans of 'Black Hurricane' since they debuted six years ago. I bet they won't stop loving their music just because the singer came out as gay."

"It's not that he came out of the closet on his own initiative."

"Whatever." Erik wiped another patterned blue plate. "Look, I've talked to him, and he's just a nice guy. Whatever jerk he was in high school, he's not like that at all now."

"You don't know him."

"I'd love to find out."

"Why should I? Go to Kal-El, or Terry or whoever. Damn, even Alex can take pictures. Speaking of Alex, maybe he's willing to let you go go alone?"

"No, he followed, but Dean said he would only give this exclusive interview if you were there."

I threw the brush into the sink and it splashed.How can I still be surprised by this?

"I dont go."

"Please...a thousand dollars an hour. I'm sure you'll need that money."

Yes, I do need money, whether it's for a down payment on an attic, or saving up to rent elsewhere.I just got a letter yesterday from the landlord saying he is going to put the loft up for sale.There was no way I could have made a down payment with the little money I made.I can survive on that little money.Still, it wasn't worth spending even a second in Dean's presence.Shit, maybe I should tell Eric what kind of shit Dean is so he doesn't have to bother me anymore.

"A thousand dollars? Like the tip Dean gave me for having sex with me."

"Oh, come on." Eric shook his head while wiping the dishes I had cleaned before. "A lot of people have paid you to sleep with them before. I've seen the faces of unlucky people when you turned them down. But you've never been angry about it. Why are you so angry this time?"

"You totally miss the point. The point is he thinks he can buy everything he wants with money. His bastard hasn't changed a bit."

"Don't say that, Jace, it's only an hour. You'll never see him again after that."

I let out a slow breath and started looking for a brush in the sink.Eric was so persistent that he could sell her grandmother's foot wraps as a fashion item to "Lafayette" Karl Lagerfeld.I wasn't going to tell him what Dean had done to me, but I couldn't be in the same room with Dean for more than an hour.But then I did something I shouldn't do, that is, I looked down at Eric's little face.His white eyebrows were furrowed into sky-blue eyes, his pink lips were slightly pursed, and his white hair fell loosely around his face, making him look more like a puppy with ears hanging down.oh shit.

***

"You owe me this time too," I muttered as we walked into the straight elevator of the five-star hotel, leaving the door open and waiting for Alex with Eric

"Wine, money, whatever you want," Eric said solemnly, adjusting the straps of his satchel. "Just remember to take more photos of me and the band members, understand?"

"I thought the photo was for a magazine."

"It's in a magazine! But that doesn't mean I can't have some in my personal collection"

Alex walked into the elevator wearing a sexy and handsome black suit.Eric inserted a card into the slot and pressed the button leading to the top floor.

"They've booked the entire floor. Wondering if I 'forget' to return this card, will they find out?" Eric said.

Alex raised an eyebrow. "Why do you need to come again?"

Eric was speechless, his feet twisted together. "nothing".He stood on tiptoe and kissed Alex. "I love you."

Alex glanced at me quickly, then kissed Eric back.I turned around and secretly hid the smile on my face.Eric is monogamous now, but that slutty part of him will never change.Alex had to learn to adapt.

On the top floor, two bodyguards stood at the door, leading us to the fifth-to-last room at the end of the corridor.It was a packed suite.Yin was playing a video game with Lucas, and Maxim was huddled on the couch, kissing several men.

Ha, didn't know he was gay too.In fact, the room was full of boys.Some were making out, some were chatting, and others were cheering on Yoon and Lucas.Dean looked sexy in jeans and a white tank top, revealing black tattoos on his arms and shoulders.He was talking to three boys who were clearly smitten with him, black hair covering his eyes.The chocolate-skinned showman who was a follower in the bar before was stroking Dean's biceps while whispering softly in Dean's ear and giving him a glance.

"Oh my God." Eric sighed and stared at the wonderful scene with wide eyes.

Even Alex opened his mouth, staring at these handsome guys.

"Hey, hello," Dean said hello when he saw us and got away from the trio. "What would you like to drink?" He pointed to the bar, his green eyes scanning me once. "If you want to drink, you can ask Maxim to get some from his suite."

"Maxim is busy," Alex said, seeing the drummer getting ready to enjoy a hand job from a boy.

"Yo, Maxim, please come into the room." Yin turned his head and shouted, knowing what was going on without even looking.

"Fuck you," Maxim said, but he stood up and led the two boys out of the room.

Dean walked to the occupied armchair. "Come here." The guy who occupied the chair immediately gave way to Dean, and Eric and Alex sat on the sofa that Maxim had just vacated.I found a table to debug the camera equipment.

Eric cut to the chase and asked Dean to talk about how his singing career started.Dean talked about how his dad kicked him out of the house before he finished high school, and he slept on the streets for a while, playing guitar and selling songs for a living.It happened that Jack Coleman was walking his dog, and he was discovered just like that.Coleman had already found the rest of the band, except for a lead singer.Everyone knows the story after that.

I didn't intend to listen, but everyone fell silent, and his words inevitably fell into my ears verbatim.I removed the camera cover and walked around the room, taking pictures of Yoon and Lucas quietly playing a fighting game.

"'The Whore of Hades' was one of your early hit singles," Eric said, grabbing my attention. "The lyrics are very straightforward. Who inspired you to write this song?"

"Ah..." Dean glanced at me quickly.I frowned at him and walked over to take a photo.This moment is not to be missed. "It's a boy I liked in high school."

I let out a snort of contempt, and Eric looked like he was so cute.

"Wow, what's his name?"

"Don't write it out?" Dean begged.

"of course."

"Jesper Jones." Dean caught my eye, the moment I put the camera down.

God, he can really talk nonsense.Not only did I write the song, but he never really liked me.He just likes to fuck me, that's the truth of the matter.Oh, and he just told my friends about my past, asshole.

"Jesper Jones? Our Jesper Jones?" Eric looked from Dean to me with a look of disbelief.Alex stared at me too.I gave Eric a hard look and told him to change the subject quickly.

"Uh, okay." Eric said in a rare tone of disorientation. "Uh..." He glanced at his little pink notebook. "Oh yes, is there someone important in your life right now?"

"Are you talking to me?" Dean's teasing face made Eric laugh again and again and glanced at Alex. "I'm kidding, journalists keep asking me that question over and over again. No, I haven't met a guy like that yet."

I couldn't help but see the showman pouring water into a tall glass and looking this way with displeasure.Is he an ex-boyfriend or a boyfriend candidate?That's why he's been a bitch all the time?

"So those stories about you and Adam Lambert were just..."

"Rumor," Dean added. "Or we are indeed in a relationship, but I haven't been notified yet."

Eric laughed, and Dean smiled back at him.I suddenly reacted to taking pictures and started taking pictures of other people.I patted casually, trying not to listen to their conversation, but my ears refused to close in vain.I should have brought earplugs.

"But seriously, I only saw Adam at the Grammys, but that was when we were surrounded by people. We almost didn't even say hello."

"So, have you ever been in love?"

Dean paused for a second, just as Lucas let out a cheer as his ax man split Yoon's werewolf in two.

"Only once, but I screwed up," Dean said

What?Who else has he loved?Well, of course he loved.It's always been so easy to "fall in love".Then you realize that there is no such thing as love, and you go on with your life.Or insist that true love exists, and find other idiots to be at his mercy.

I deliberately turned my back on Dean, removed the camera, and absently watched Lucas and Yin start another round on the screen.Eric asked some more questions, until Alex reminded him to talk to someone else.

"Okay, one last question," Eric said, poking his head out of his pile of 210 six questions. "Is there anything you regret? Is there anything that makes you want to do it all over again?"

"Regret?" Dean didn't even hesitate to answer the question. "No."

God, what a jerk he was.It really made me realize.

"I stick to the belief that any mistakes you make will help you grow into who you are today, and any mistakes I made in the past will become the inspiration for my lyrics, so no, I have nothing to regret."

"Okay," Eric said hesitantly. "Oh wait! One last one."

I turned to Eric, who shot me a quick glance.Then he shook, put down the question sheet in his hand, and lowered his voice.I could barely hear what he was asking.

"That 'Pretty Boy' song is about Jess?"

Dean broke into a smile. "Yeah. He inspired me a lot, a lot. I mean, he looked perfect like a dream, didn't he? From his first album, 'I Can't Take More Peaches' and 'Pretty Boy". To the second album "The Whore of Hades", "Tangerine Kiss", "Farewell to Felicia". Then to the latest album "Turquoise Moon" and "Muse".

I stared at Dean for a minute without noticing that Eric and Alex were looking at me.Dean looked calm, watching me as if expecting something from me.Well, I do have something to say.Where did he get his face?I mean, how did he have the guts to say something like that after what he did to me?And seriously?What rock band would call a song "Farewell to Felicia"?Besides, Felicia?It's a girl's name Okay, what the hell, what does this song have to do with me?

I don't know how to react.My skin was hot, my heart was pounding, and a surge of anger rushed into my chest.What does he want me to say?Then I will tell you.

"Nonsense!" I yelled, throwing the camera at Eric.

"Jess," Eric yelled, and I stormed off, slamming the door.