**************************
//There is strength in numbers// Charlie Dalton reminded himself as he walked into the library, glancing around the small room for his friends. //All the others will be there, so he can't do anything to me.// Not that Todd Anderson wasn't driving him crazy even when he wasn't actually *there*-- his dreams had been filled with the sandy-haired boy, and he had squirmed all night long at the erotic imagery, cock aching and leaking against his stomach. And he hadn't even been able to take care of it on his own-- damn Cameron and his light sleep!
Maybe no one noticed his continual hard-on.
Charlie shook his head as he made his way towards where his friends were sitting, a small smile creasing his cheeks.
//Yeah, and maybe Cameron will get laid. Both are not fucking likely.//
He slowed when he neared the small table, eyes scanning over his friends briefly as he took in the situation, ignoring their bright, hushed chatter. There were two seats left, one next to Cameron, and the other...
Todd smiled shyly and shifted in his seat, lashes dropping demurely against his cheeks as he glanced at the empty chair inches from his own. Charlie could almost *hear* the evil gears whirring in the other boy's head, could feel the heat of a hand pressed against his thigh. He'd have to sit there and pretend that Todd wasn't touching him, wasn't running his talented fingers lightly over his straining cock, making abstract patterns against the cloth-covered bulge in his lap...
//Well, fuck!// He pulled back his chair violently, ignoring Cameron's surprised expression as he sat down next to the redhead. Todd was laughing at him, the little fucker, he *knew* he was. It was written all over that smug face, innocence pressed over pure *evil*. Sexual evil. The little... little *tramp* wouldn't get the best of him, that was for sure. He would see to it, see to it that he didn't.
And if he had to have blue balls for the rest of his life...
//I'm going to kill myself; I really, really am.//
He glanced up towards the sandy-haired boy, then away just as quickly, cheeks flushing as he pulled open the nearest book and buried his face into it. Todd had some sort of strange power over him, he was sure, like a succubus... or would that be incubus? He really should check with Mr. Keating.
On second thought, no. If he asked about something like that, he'd get another three-hour long session with Mr. Keating as the older man tried to gently pry into his life, asking questions as diverse as "Do you ever think of yourself as wicked" to "Does your father... spank you?"
The sick little fucker.
"Charlie?"
He snapped out of his dark thoughts, head jerking up at the deceptively soft voice so near his ear. Todd was looking down at him-- how the hell had he gotten so close to him without Charlie noticing?-- head cocked to the side as he waited.
"Uh-- yeah?" It wasn't as if he was *frightened* of the boy per say, but this alien creature, full of sex and temptation, was not something that he had ever come in contact with before, especially not at Hell-ton. //I always thought *I* was the only screwed up boy wondering these halls!//
"Can I talk to you... alone?"
How the hell did Todd get away with all those double entrendes? Just to be sure, Charlie glanced over towards the rest of the boys, but they were merely studying and bantering about the recent meal, too wrapped up in their normal, mundane worlds to catch the pure evil running rampant before them.
"Well, ah..." //Smooth, Charlie. Real smooth. Maybe next time you could finish a whole sentence?//
Todd leaned forward, eyes huge and dark as he touched the other boy's arm lightly, electricity jumping from his fingers to run through Charlie's taut body. "Please? It's really important." He lowered his voice as he leaned even closer, cheeks flushing even as his eyes sparkled evilly. "You see, Charlie, I want to shove you up against a wall and fuck you until you scream, which I can't do in the library." Charlie gulped back a gasp, fingers tightening on the wooden arms of his chair. He could feel his heart accelerating even as his cock twitched in response to the warm breath on his neck. "That is, unless you *want* to do it in front of everyone." Lips brushed up against his ear seductively, yet Charlie did not doubt that to the others, this conversation seemed perfectly innocent. "What do you say, Charlie? You want to make them come in their pants just from watching us?" He chuckled low in his throat, the low sound sending a wash of lust through the older boy. "What do you think?"
//Sexsexsexsexsexsexsex...//
"You want to try it?"
//Sexsexsexsexsexsexsex...
no.
No, he is *not* going to win.//
"Come on, Charlie... let's go play."
"No."
Todd pulled back, his brows raising in shock. Did Charlie just say...?
"No, Todd. I don't, ah, I don't think so."
"What?"
Charlie almost laughed at the stunned expression on the other boy's face. Obviously, he wasn't used to being told 'no' very often. "I said no, Todd. As in, no, I don't want to go out into the hall with you, and no I don't want to talk to you, and no I..." He glanced around him, catching his fellow Dead Poet's stunned expressions. "I don't want to, ah, do it."
"Oh." He was trying to look hurt for the rest of the boys, but Charlie could tell that he was furious, and nothing gave him more satisfaction than the realization that Todd could do nothing about his fury.
//Yeah, let's see how you like it! God, I rock.//
"Charlie, I want to talk to you." Neil was standing from his own seat, face a mask of barely concealed fury as he stalked towards his favorite pet and the mean, evil prep school student.
//Todd's right,// Charlie marveled as he was forcefully herded out of the library by a pissed-off Neil. The other boys were watching them with wide eyes, especially Todd, whose face was red and blotchy with barely concealed fury. //Neil *is* an ass.//
"You're mine," the younger boy mouthed dangerously as Charlie was pulled through the door and out into the hall.
Suddenly, Charlie's euphoria sank. If he was suffering when Todd was happy with him, how much worse would it be when the other boy was supremely pissed off?
"I am so dead," he muttered as Neil shoved him towards a wall and faced off against him, mind frantically turning over exactly what Todd could do to him next. "So dead."
****************
CONVERSATION ONE: CHARLIE PLEADS WITH NEIL
"I am so dead. So dead."
"Yes, you are."
"Look, Neil, I can explain..."
"Explain what? Why you've been a jerk to Todd from day one? Why you always pick on him and try to make him feel less than he is? Why you're so... so *mean* to him?"
"Neil! I'm not..."
"He's a very shy boy, Charlie, and you have to be very careful with his feelings. I mean, he is sensitive like that-- he's not at all like you or me."
"...!"
"Just be nice to him, Charlie. You don't have to be his best friend or anything."
"Neil, you don't understand!"
"No, I..."
"Todd is Satan-spawn, Neil. He's *evil* *incarnate*. Look, I realize that this is hard for you to hear, but you need to understand that Todd is not what he seems to be."
::arched brow:: "Excuse me?"
"He just *pretends* to be sweet and innocent, but he's really not. God, Neil, you have to believe me! He's trying to... He's trying to seduce me, Neil."
"...!!!"
"It started that day when I was telling you about the girl. When we were all in the shower room and Todd was off to the side. When you guys left me with him, he just... *changed* into this *sex* *machine*, and he's been bothering me ever since! He's driving me crazy, Neil!"
"Sex... machine...?"
"YES. And he keeps saying and doing things all the time, and it's just..."
"Charlie, where do you get off saying all this about Todd?"
"...driving me... Huh?"
"Where do you get off talking all this trash about Todd? I mean, Jesus Charlie, he's trying to *seduce* you? Are you crazy? Todd would never do something like that!"
"But...!"
"God, Charlie, that's so typically you to try to make someone else out as the bad guy. Well, it won't work with me. I've known you for years, and I know Todd, and if anyone's the pervert, it's you. Now, I want you to apologize to Todd for being a complete ass to him and try to be nice from now on."
"But...!"
"No buts."
"..."
"And another thing..."
******************
Charlie glared at the other boy's back as he followed him into the library. //I can't believe I just got chewed out by Neil "there never was a dork I wasn't nice to" Perry,// he marveled as he moved towards the table. //He was... hello. What's this?//
He stopped to glare at Todd, who was leaning next to Cameron, whispering conspiratorially. //What the fuck are *they* up to?// Cameron flushed at something Todd said, and then they both turned their heads to look at him, Todd's face supremely innocent, Cameron's red and blotchy.
Todd moved away from the table as Charlie approached, a small smile lingering on his lips.
"Neil said I should apologize to you," the older boy challenged, fists clenched.
"And will you?"
"Not a fucking chance."
Todd's smile deepened. "Good-- I like a challenge." He caught the other boy's eyes and they locked and held, a battle of wills between two stubborn contestants. "By the way, Charlie," he added lightly, blue eyes sparkling as he moved around the other boy. Charlie followed his motions with his eyes, not willing to let Todd go *anywhere* near him that he couldn't see. "I wouldn't go to sleep tonight if I were you."
//What??!!??//
"Oh, yeah, well, you neither..." //Shit, I'm so lame.//
"I'll keep that in mind..." With a last smile, Todd turned and left the library, leaving Charlie alone to worry and wonder:
//What the hell did I do to deserve this?//
*******************
CONVERSATION TWO: CHARLIE PLEADS WITH KNOX
"Knoxious, I need your help."
"Sure, Charlie. What do you need?"
"Can you kill Todd for me?"
"WHAT??"
"Or maybe just threaten him, or rough him up a bit. I mean, you don't actually have to *kill* him..."
"Charlie! What are you talking about?"
"Todd. He's Satan-spawn."
::pause:: "You're kidding, right?"
"No, I'm serious."
::longer pause:: "You're serious?"
"Yes, I am! He's evil, Knox. Really evil."
"... Charlie..."
"And he does all these evil *things*, Knox. He does things to *me*..."
"Charlie... maybe you should go talk to Mr. Keating again."
"What?"
"I'm serious, Charlie."
"..."
"It's for your own good."
::long pause:: "I really hate you-- you know that?"
***********************
CONVERSATION THREE: CHARLIE PLEADS WITH MEEKS
"Meeks, I have to talk to you."
"Not now, Charlie."
"It's important."
"Not now, Charlie."
"But..."
"I'm really busy thinking now, Charlie."
"But, Meeks..."
"Charlie, this is *important*, and I don't have time for this."
"But Todd's *evil*, Meeks. He's evil, and if anyone will listen to me, it's you!"
::pause:: "Maybe you should consider talking to Mr. Keating again, Charlie..."
*********************
CONVERSATION FOUR: CHARLIE PLEADS WITH PITTS
"Pitts, I have to talk to you..."
"I admit it! Yes, we had sex, but it didn't mean anything! It didn't mean anything, I swear! Meeks was just there, and I was there, and we..."
"Maybe another time."
********************
CONVERSATION FIVE: CHARLIE PLEADS WITH MR. KEATING
"Mr. Keating..."
"Charlie, please, come on in. Sit down."
"I just... I just didn't know where else to go, Mr. Keating. Todd is driving me crazy."
"Oh?"
"He's been cornering me and doing things to mess with my head for the last couple of days! He wants me to have... to have sex with him, but I said no."
"Sex?"
"Yeah, you know, the horizontal stuff? And now he's going to punish me for it, and I don't know what to do..."
::pause:: "Charlie, is this a metaphor for something?"
"Huh?"
"It's ok-- you can tell me."
"Tell you what?"
::longer pause:: "Charlie-- do you feel you *need* to be punished?"
"...!"
"Do you... *want* to be punished?"
"...!"
"It's ok-- you can get help."
::sob::
"Poor, poor boy..."
********************
"This really sucks," Charlie noted for the hundredth time that evening. Not only had no-one *believed* him about Todd, but then Mr. Keating had...
"If I have to listen to that man talk about Freud and abuse one more time, I'll... I'll... I'll Freud him!"
//Oooh, big scary Charlie and his big, scary threats.//
Sighing, he reached for his door handle, ready to turn in and finally get some sleep. However, just as his hand was turning the knob, he remembered what Todd had said earlier that day:
I wouldn't go to sleep if I were you.
"Well, fuck," he muttered, pulling his hand away and turning back down the way he had come. Maybe he could find some old blankets in the attic and make a bed for himself there. "If I don't find a way to end this soon, I really am going to go crazy." Shaking his head, he headed towards the attic and a few hours of uninterrupted (please God!) sleep.
"If I'm not nuts already."
Which, his treacherous mind warned him, could well be the case.
*********************
Author's notes: I hope you're enjoying this so far! Thanks to Marg, who put me in a good enough mood to write this. The next chapter of The Last Temptation of Mr. Dalton is tentatively entitled Cameron Joins the Game and includes a very nasty thing indeed: a horny redhead and a Principal who loves a good spanking... And yes, I'm strange. ;)
### The End ###