Heya Folks! I have to say I had a fun time writing this chapter and really hope you all enjoy it! As always I enjoy constructive criticism, suggestions, and ideas! There's no sexual content in this chapter (later in the story it will be coming, don't worry.) This is a M/M romance story so if you do not find yourself interested in that sort of thing then please don't read. A very special thanks to Novastar for helping me out with this chapter, giving me insight and what not. Thanks Novastar!! Anyway, without further ado, here's the 2nd chapter of The Road of Life!

The Road Of Life

Chapter 2 - A Light in the Darkness

I sat there on the corner of the street, eating the food I had been given while contemplating many things; mostly my darkened past. Life had been hard to this point, and every day was a challenge just to wake up in the morning with my continuing feelings of depression. The fall air was getting cold and soon I would have to find somewhere warmer to stay. I sighed to myself as I watched several cars pass by, some containing a few kids in the back seat while the mother and father were in the front seats. They were laughing as if the world was just one big happy place to live in. I had asked myself on many occasions, 'Do they know? Do they understand how much some people go on suffering while they get the chance to laugh and smile?' I hugged my knees, trying to hide my momentary sorrow from the world as well as to stay warm from the bitter cold of the fall air.

I was too deep in thought thinking about the darkness of my past that I didn't hear the wolf approach.

"Hey.. you doing ok?" Andrew asked with a curious and somewhat worried tone.

I looked up in a somewhat panicked manner, my eyes slightly teary from the thoughts I had been thinking.

"Uh, y-yeah.. I'm fine.."

The wolf didn't quite seem convinced, sensing that something was wrong. He sat down next to me.

"Want to talk about it?" he asked, with a sense of curiosity behind his voice.

"I was just thinking about my past that's all.. it's not exactly been a walk in the park for me." I didn't say anything after that and after a few moments of silence Andrew spoke up.

"So, uh, why were you in the food line? And how long have you been going there?"

I half smiled, it was strange that someone other than my therapist seemed concerned about me.

"I just moved away from home a few months ago, due to some circumstances and I haven't quite found a permanent place to stay yet, so for the time being I'm homeless.." I explained.

Andrew gazed at me with a sympathetic look, a hint of worry and concern lingering in those beautiful green eyes of his.

"I see.. that explains a few things." he responded.

"I'm sorry.. I don't mean to be a bother.." I said after a short moment of silence.

Andrew smiled slightly, "Don't worry about it Max. Listen, if you ever need someone to talk to at school don't hesitate to find me."

Words cannot describe the gratitude I owed Andrew, to actually have a 'friend, yes, a friend,' to talk to.

"Thanks.. I really appreciate it.."

The wolf smiled at me, "No problem! I should probably be getting home, school and all tomorrow.. uh.. you wanna spend the night at my place? It's awfully cold out here tonight.."

I looked to him with a raised eyebrow. The undertone in his voice made him suspicious, it sounded as if he had some hidden motive, but I couldn't be sure.

"I dunno.. I don't want to intrude.." I said as cautiously as I dared.

He smiled again, "don't worry about it, I don't want you to freeze out here and in the morning we can walk to school together."

After a few moments to think it over I accepted his offer. The walk to his place took awhile, giving us plenty of time to get to know the other a little better. He told me he enjoyed the artistic aspects of life and that so much emotion could be trapped in the essence of art. I told him a bit more about myself as well, that sometimes I'd carve things out of wood when I had the time or supplies. We arrived at his house after some time had passed and upon first sight I thought that he must've been rich; Then again, I had lived in the run down district of town when I lived with my step-father. The house was about a two story house, with a woodland theme to both the house and yard.

We entered the house and were greeted by the stern voice of a woman.

"Andrew Charles Greyback! Where in the hell've you been!? Oh!"

The woman, who at this point I assumed must be Andrew's mother, was surprised that another fur had entered with her son.

"Sorry ma, I met a friend from school after volunteering and we talked for a bit. I guess I shoulda sent you a text I'd be late getting home. Is it alright if he spends the night..?" Andrew asked his mother, with a strong sense of innocence.

Andrew's mother gave a short sigh, "Well, alright, but don't be up too late! Who's your friend?"

Andrew gestured to me and I stepped forward, a bit nervously, "I'm Max.." I stated with a bit of shyness in the tone of my voice.

"Nice to meet you Max, I'm Andrew's mom, Carol. I didn't expect anyone else to be with Andrew so sorry for that."

I bowed politely to Andrew's mom, "It's quite alright."

After our encounter with Andrew's mother we headed upstairs to Andrew's room. He closed the door and sat down on the bed.

"So.. earlier, I could tell that it had to be something other than just being homeless that was bothering you.. you looked like you were about to cry."

I stiffened a bit, 'I knew he had some kind of motive..' My first instincts of most people were to distrust them, right now I was wondering if I would regret even slightly trusting Andrew.

"Uh, nope, that's pretty much it. It might've just been the cold getting to me." I lied.

Andrew frowned a bit, "Come on, don't lie.. you can trust me.."

I had to give him credit, he was pretty good at sniffing out lies, either that or I just wasn't a very good liar. I sighed to myself as I began to explain my life situation, I knew it would be of no use trying to lie to Andrew,

"I used to be living with my drug addict, alcoholic step-father.. I just moved out a few months ago and have been wandering from place to place. I have no job, being the reason I get my food from the shelters.." I added to the account I had given earlier.

I gazed at the ground feeling the heat of tears forming in my eyes as I began to remember my situation.

"I've been alone most of my life.. no friends, no real family, bullied constantly at school from the beginning, beaten by my step-father on a daily basis when I lived at home.."

Tears began to fall on the beige colored carpet in Andrew's room.

"I'm a social ghost at school.. I have no one.."

Why was I telling him all of this? because I knew he would continue to dig until he'd learned everything that was wrong. I was a bit impressed that he was able to get me to open up to him in this moment, but I still feared what his motives were.

I hadn't been paying much attention, Andrew had stood up, walked over, and wrapped an arm around me. He'd been hugging me a bit, knowing that I was in need of some kind of comfort.

"I'm so sorry..." he responded after I had finished my explanation of my life in a nutshell.

I looked up at him now, a few tears still leaking from my eyes. His eyes reflected a look of sympathy, the same sympathy he'd had in his eyes earlier today, a look which said 'I wish I could take away your pain..' I wiped the tears from my eyes and rested my head against Andrew's chest a bit, enjoying the comfort that he offered.

"Hm... ya know, I think I know just who you are now.. We actually used to go to Junior high together. I remember you getting beaten up by a few bullies one day, I ran and told the teachers about the fight but I never confronted you after to see if you were ok.. I was too shy."

My ears perked up a bit with confusion and curiosity, 'we went to Junior High together too?' I asked myself, struggling to remember. He released me from his comforting hug and sat back down on the bed. He seemed like he wanted to say more, like he wanted to confess something, but the familiar sense of fear kept him from saying anything.

"You were.. too shy?" I questioned, trying to push the matter and reveal the hidden motive that I had been very much worried about earlier.

The handsome wolf sitting before me sighed, as his green eyes revealed the fear of rejection. He wiped a few strands of his black hair from his face as he took a deep breath.

"Back in junior high... I uh.. sorta.. had a.. well.. a crush on you.."

My ear twitched, did I hear him right? Did Andrew just confess that he had a crush on me back in junior high? My thoughts switched to a different topic as I realized my heart was pounding and I was blushing. In the moment of my shocked silence he had looked away, afraid of what I would or wouldn't say. In the moment of his confession I realized something, most of the school year to date I had been fascinated by Andrew, had been almost 'stalking..' him on a daily basis. I realized that this whole time I had been lying to myself, true, I did admire him to a degree, but mostly I liked him. In that moment I realized the truth behind my own emotions, I had a crush on Andrew Greyback. This, of course, meant that I had to admit to myself: 'I'm gay..'

I walked over to the bed and sat down next to him, wrapping an arm around him, to which he cringed a bit.

"Do you still feel the same towards me..?" I asked simply.

He seemed to be trying to hide his fears as he kept looking away, he gave a slow nod as a response to my question.

"I never really stopped thinking about you.. even when you disappeared for a year.." He said.

Back in Junior High I had gone missing for a year because my step-father refused to allow me to go to school and kept me home, doing house chores and making me run his personal errands. I smiled slightly, as an unfamiliar joy wrapped itself around my heart, 'He thought about me?'

"Well.. I uh.. I have a crush on you too.." I admitted to him as I blushed once more.

He turned to face me, shocked, and not expecting me to answer like that. It seemed more like he had expected me to react in a hostile manner, with sentences like: 'ewww, that's gross!' or 'stay away from me you fag!' I smiled at him, our eyes locking for a moment, he could tell I was being sincere and I could tell that he too was being sincere. Our muzzles drew closer to one another's and soon they met in the first kiss that we would share. Our first kiss. It was a fantastic feeling, to share that first intimate, special moment with someone you liked.

This was the first time I ever understood what it meant to really like someone else, what it was like to be, dare I say it, In Love. After several moments our muzzles parted and the two of us just blushed at the other. They say that in life a person really only needs one thing to survive emotionally, that without that fundamental thing many people fall, stumble and become very dark individuals. The one thing? Love. If a child that is just born, even though it may be absolutely healthy, is deprived of love then the child will die. For so long I had gone without the concept of love, and I had grown to hate so many people. For the first time in my life I was feeling what it was like to be in love.

One thing I knew for sure now, Andrew would be the light in my darkened life. This was my chance, my opportunity, to step back into the world of the living and finally understand what Life was really all about.

Life. It's an interesting thing really. One moment you can be living in your own personal hell, and the next someone can pull you out of that hell. One person has more power to sway another's life than any other thing. Our simple words, our simple actions, can either doom someone to the grave, or lift them out of sorrow. I wasn't lost in complete darkness just yet, Life still had many lessons to teach me.

....TO BE CONTINUED....