Scum (Wrong Side of the Tracks 1)

“You’ll work it out,” Frank said, and his confidence unwound some of the tension in Rosen’s body.

Frank was right. Where there was a will, there was a way. He and Shane would work out whatever stood in their way in the future, because they cared for each other and wanted to stay together.

Ros wouldn’t let anything stand in their way.

Epilogue – Ros

When Rosen had chosen Shane over his father, he’d given up on some things that had felt obvious to him for most of his life. A good start. Connections. Money. An easy entry into the art world.

He still believed in his talent and expected to find employment in the sector if he worked hard, but if someone had told him his sculpture would be presented in the most prestigious New and Upcoming Artists exhibition in the state only a few months later, he wouldn’t have believed them.

Thanks to Shane’s support, he’d been free to look for a part-time job in a gallery whose owner took a liking to him. Rosen originally hadn’t had much hope of this acquaintance furthering his goals in any way, but Mr. Porter eventually asked to see photos of Rosen’s junk sculptures, and the rest was history.

The discreet glances cast his way suggested Dad’s widely-publicized downfall might have had something to do with the prominent space dedicated to Rosen in the exhibition’s catalogue. Everyone loved an artist with a juicy backstory, and he wasn’t above milking his family situation for all it was worth, if it furthered his goals. “Wow, there’s so many fancy people here,” Harlene whispered. In her little black dress and cool rectangular earrings, she fit right in with the local socialites wandering around with flutes of champagne. “This could really be something, Ros. I’m so excited for you!”

Ros had lost touch with her for a bit during the terrible weeks after Christmas, but he eventually reached out, and they’d reconnected right away. She’d even come in early today in order to help him set everything up, and while Ros couldn’t be a hundred percent sincere with her due to Shane’s job, that wasn’t necessary in order for their friendship to bloom again.

“I’m just so happy to be showing off my work. It’s been long in the making, and I feel like having access to all the junk gave me a new perspective on what I can do with my creativity.”

Having always worked with clay and other traditional materials, he hadn’t considered how much a reclaimed medium like scrap could contribute to the end result with its different textures, shades, and the sheer fact of what it was. The material added a new dimension to the massive figure standing in the very middle of the exhibition space, as if it were its centerpiece.

Rosen had worked on it like a demon, inspired by the many times he’d secretly compared himself to Persephone and her descent into the underworld. The seven-foot-tall sculpture of Hades was a chunk of scrap metal, both polished and rusted, with a glass crown, and his faithful Cerberus, made of used tyres, crouched at the feet. The face had been modelled after Shane’s handsome, strong features, even if stylized, and seeing it from his corner of the massive room made Ros once again look around in search of his man. He and the others had a job to do tonight, of the kind Rosen preferred to not know much about, but he’d been promised that they would make it.

Despite their relationship having such a bumpy start and dark moments Ros didn’t like to think of, so far Shane hadn’t gone back on his promises and was proving himself to be boyfriend of the year. So much so, that they were working on a little house of their own not far from Frank’s. The process was very hands-on. They’d had to move whole piles of rubble and junk to clear the area, but Ros wasn’t complaining when he got land and some of the materials for close to nothing, courtesy of Frank and his junkyard that kept on giving. Shane also offered him complete freedom when it came to designing their home, and while Ros wasn’t an architect, and they’d ended up purchasing a prefabricated home, he had it customized and was still working on the interiors.

“Is he coming?” Harlene asked, voicing Rosen’s concerns, but when he checked his phone, there were no new messages.

His lips dried, but as badly as he wanted to call Shane, he didn’t want to risk doing it at the wrong moment, because some of the people Frank had arrangements with were dangerous. Always there for Ros, Shane wouldn’t have missed this exhibition without a good reason, and the fact that he wasn’t the—

Three men stepped into the gallery, looking out of place despite their elegant outfits. Dex presented weirdly formal in the slim-fit burgundy suit that showcased the tattoos trailing up his neck, Frank seemed utterly trapped in his black dress shirt, but Shane… Shane was like a dashing movie star who’d just stepped out of his limo in a dark blue suit jacket, a crisp white shirt, and black pants.