Boyfriend in Vegas

CHAPTER 1

It started a week ago, when I ran away from home. Life, as I knew it, was over. Well, not exactly ran away...I was kicked out of the house, really, because I got caught ‘entertaining' a friend of mine in my room - the kind of entertainment that had us lying on my bed, engaged in a romantic embrace.

It had been quite pleasurable, kissing and feeling each other up a little, until the door of my bedroom opened and my stepfather, a hard man and ex-military, unexpectedly barged in, barking why the dog hadn't been let out yet. My hands' placement was particularly embarrassing.

Suffice it to say that the next hour was the worst I've ever experienced. Yelling, lectures, threats, me retorting with sarcasm and anger; and it all resulted in one thing: me, a guy barely out of his teens and with a little over $500 in cash, stepping off a bus in Las Vegas.

I'd barely slept, other than some napping on the bus, and I desperately needed a shower and a good long sleep.

The choice to come here had been relatively easy to make; right after I'd been kicked out of the house, I used my cell to call around to some of my friends to see if I could crash for a while with one of them. My friend, the one I'd been caught with, didn't even answer my call. Weird, really, since one would think that allowing him to stick his tongue down my throat would count for something. Guess not - another lesson learned - and the next few calls weren't helpful, either; most of my friends couldn't help me out for even one lousy night, and then my battery died.

I decided to go to the bus station; if no one could, or wanted, to take me in, there was no reason for me to stay until this blew over. It would be a very long wait, I expected, since my parents were deeply religious; them forgiving me a mortal sin? I didn't think so. Their parting words - Don't ever come back, we don't want your kind here. - were somewhat of a clue as well.

When I arrived at the station, I couldn't really decide on a destination. That problem was quickly solved; map in the window, point at it with my eyes closed. Viva Las Vegas. So I got on a bus, came here and where do you go when you have some money, and are in Las Vegas? Right; the Strip.

I started walking in the direction of the Venetian, hoisting my backpack over my shoulder, and got to the middle of the Strip. I'd passed the  MGM Grand and a few others and then stopped, trying to get my bearings. Across the street, the white walls of Ceasar’s  rose up into the air, twenty-five stories high; palm trees lined the driveway to a grand entrance. At least five or six limousines, and a couple of taxis, were parked underneath the overhang, protected from the elements, and the hotel valet smiled pleasantly as I approached.

I was about to head inside when a chain of events was set into motion that would determine the next few days in the life of Jason Jake Carter. As I reached for one of the double glass doors, I could hear a bit of shouting and cursing, and saw that a very large man was being escorted outside by two security guards. The door I reached for was flung open with such speed that I had no chance, none whatsoever, to get out of the way or to take a step back; it contacted me full on my forehead with a dull twang, a blow so hard that I saw stars. They faded rapidly as blackness engulfed me, and I hit the ground.

**********

He's coming to, a female voice spoke, softly. Where's that doctor?.

Ouch, lady - not so loud.

On his way, he should be here shortly. Is he still bleeding? a male voice asked.

Pressure on the side of my head temporarily diminished, then returned a moment later, reapplying pressure. It hurt, and I moaned.

No. But he's going to have one hell of a headache, that's for sure. Poor kid.

Find out who he is...

The male voice continued, but it didn't register for long as I slipped back into blackness.

**********

There he is, a male voice spoke softly.

It was a different voice, and sounded older than the first one I'd heard. My head was thudding like someone was stomping on it with a boot, but I risked a try at opening my eyes.

Hello there.

...'lo, I replied, a bit groggy.

A sharp light lanced into my right eye, and I hissed.

I'm sorry, I should have warned you. How do you feel?

Not so good.

Do you remember what happened?

I opened my eyes a little wider and found his image, slowly swimming from two into one.

You a doctor? I asked.

Yes, I'm Doctor Verger. And you are...?

JJ. Carter. J.J. Carter.

Nice to meet you, JJ. So... do you remember what happened, do you know where you are?

Someone shoved a door in my face, I answered, frowning. at Ceasar’s?

Ceasar’s Hotel, and yes, that's what happened. Good, you remember, that's very good. You landed on the ground pretty hard, and hit your head against a small boulder; two stitches. How's the headache?

Freight train doing loops around my skull.

I'll give you something for it. You have a slight concussion, young man.

He looked up and spoke to someone else. Is he a guest?

No, I answered, just as the female voice replied with Yes.

Well, you're not going anywhere for a while, son, so I'll take her word over yours.

He smiled gently and looked up again.

He needs rest, and lots of it. Have you contacted his parents yet?

No, not yet. We wanted to wait until you had a look at him. I'll call them right now.

No. I said, and tried to get up. Christ, that hurt.

Woah, woah, woah...lie down, the doctor said, pushing me back down. I wasn't kidding, you need rest. Let them take care of you.

Okay, but please don't call my parents, I begged. Lady? Please?

Her answer sounded unsure.

Fine... she said slowly. We'll talk about it later. For now, I've had a room prepared for you, so we'll take you there in a minute.

Thank you.

CHAPTER 2

The room I was taken to was a comfortable one, and not too big. The woman, who had introduced herself as Carly Johnson, helped me get undressed and into bed. She was the casino host, she told me, and would try to make the next few days as comfortable as possible. The room was complimentary, since the hotel acknowledged their responsibility for the accident, she replied, on my statement that I couldn't pay for a room like this.

You just focus on getting better, and let us worry about the bill, alright? I'll come and check on you in a few hours, after you've had some sleep.

I thanked her again, but she waved my gratitude away.

Don't mention it. Sleep tight, JJ.

That I did. Whichever prescription  fag I'd received from the doctor, they had quite a kick; I was out like a light until the next morning, when Carly woke me up by shaking me on my shoulder.

Hey there, how do you feel? Better?

I blinked a few times, slowly moving my head from left to right, and nodded, sliding myself up to lean against the headboard of the bed.

Want something to eat?

Want? I was starving, and I made a face at her when she picked up the phone and ordered toast and tea from room service. Bah.

Doc Verger said to take it slow with the food, or we'd need a staff on permanent cleaning duty here.

Well, he was the doctor, so he'd know better, I suppose.

Where's my stuff? I asked while waiting for room service to come up. I had a backpack with me.

Carly nodded and rose from the bed, walking over to a closet and opening the door. All my clothes, what few I'd been allowed to take with me, had been unpacked and hung up. On the floor lay my backpack.

Thanks.

Sure thing, kiddo. Now, there's one thing I have to ask, because my boss has been riding my butt about it. This matter about us not calling your parents? I'm guessing that something happened, or you wouldn't have asked us not to call.

I nodded slowly.

Care to tell me what happened?

I sighed.

They kicked me out of the house.

I see. Now why would they do a thing like that, hmm? You're only nineteen...with no job to support yourself. That's a bit cold, isn't it?

I frowned, ignoring the soft jab of pain on the right side of my head. How did she know how old I was? Then I realized how.

You went through my stuff?

We had to find out who you were. Now, I've honored your request, but we also found over $500 in cash on you, and some expensive equipment; laptop, MP3 player... my boss thinks you stole it. What's the deal here?

There wasn't much choice but to tell her everything, the whole story.

I got kicked out because my step-dad caught me and a friend of mine in bed... I began.

Since when does a father kick his son out of the house because he catches him with a girl in the... she interrupted.

Guy, I said, interrupting her in turn. He caught me with a guy.

Oohlala...

I blushed when she pursed her lips and wiggled her eyebrows.

So he kicked you out because you're gay. He didn't know, huh?

No. I kept it hidden from them because they're kinda religious; kind of a lot, actually. I got a whole lecture about God's wrath and all that...

Aww, you poor kid, she groaned, sitting down and patting my arm. I understand. Don't worry, we're not religious here. This is Vegas.

I couldn't help but smile, and hissed softly when another jab of pain shot through my head. Carly's face contorted in sympathy, and she handed me a pill and a glass of water, which I took and emptied.

Anyway, I got like five minutes to pack up my stuff and get out. So I grabbed the stuff that was in my backpack and some clothes, and that's all I have. I emptied my bank account. I didn't steal anything, I swear.

I believe you, JJ. Don't worry; I'll take care of my boss. You just concentrate on getting better, okay?

I gave her a thankful hug and she patted my back. Just then, a knock on the door sounded, followed by a soft "Room service."

**********

Three days later I felt a lot better, and Doc declared me fit to travel. He'd come by once a day to check up on me, and the bump on the right side of my head, which was almost gone by now. The stitches would come out themselves in a few weeks, he assured me.

So where are you off to then? he asked, closing his bag.

I shrugged.

Dunno. Wherever the first bus out of here takes me, I guess.

He looked at me with sad eyes.

Carly told me about your...ordeal. I'm sorry. Do you have any other family?

Sure. But they're even more religious than my parents, so I don't think they'll welcome me with open arms, either.

No, I guess not. Listen, talk to Carly before you go, okay? Maybe she can help you out; she's pretty familiar around here, maybe she has some options for you.

I promised him that I would, and thanked him for all his trouble. He left shortly after that, and for the first time it hit me: I was all alone.

CHAPTER 3

I arrived downstairs, once again prepared to find another bus to take me further away. The lobby had little more than a handful of guests, so I checked myself out, handing over the key to the room I'd been staying in for the last four days.

I hoisted my backpack up once again and was about ready to leave when my eye fell on the entrance to the casino, where the well-known sounds of slot machines were coming from.

Somehow I felt drawn to it, as is anyone at some point, and what the heck; five bucks, ten at the most.

I placed my backpack beside me on the floor and took $10 out of my wallet, feeding the one armed bandit in front of me. These days, they're all computerized, half the fun is gone, I'm afraid, but it would do. And it did. On the first try, wham. $100. Ding, ding, ding.

Maybe this hadn't been such a bad idea after all. If I could make a few more hits like this, my money problem wouldn't be much of a problem for a while. I could look for a job in the meantime, living off of the proceeds from today's winnings.

**********

An hour later that idea was shot to hell, and what more, I wouldn't even be able to take the bus out of this hellhole. I still couldn't believe it: $500 lost and gone.

Somewhere along the way, when playing slots or gambling in general, you get overconfident. After playing the dollar machine for about fifteen minutes, and not winning a single dime, I moved to another machine, a $5 one. On the third I hit $50, so my spirits rose a little. Two hits later, another $50.

Afraid to repeat the same mistake with the last machine, I moved again, this time to a $25 one. Hey, no pain, no gain, right? Remember that overconfidence I talked about? There's also this feeling that tells you one more time. Come on, you