Plaquemines Parish

By: Pee Jay
(© 2008 - 2010 by the author)

The author retains all rights. No reproductions are allowed without the author's consent. Comments are appreciated at...

Chapter 18
 

Mark and I were back to seeing each other every day after his mother gave her permission. As a rule, I went to his house after school; because he lived close to work, that way, we could spend more time together. My hours were reduced to weekends so I went home when he left for work. CK was spending a good deal of time with us and we thoroughly enjoyed his company. He was becoming a good friend. He had a sharp mind and a quick wit, which, kept us entertained. I also liked having a friend at school to talk to. I didn’t feel so alone.

As much as we liked him, we were frustrated because we couldn’t be ourselves. One afternoon at Mark’s house, he asked, “Val, do you think we should tell CK about us? I don’t think he would have a problem. I don’t know if you noticed but he never talks about girls. Maybe he’s gay.”

“I’m pretty sure he isn’t. He likes to sit near this girl in the cafeteria. He constantly watches her but he won’t say hello or ask her to sit with us. He’s too embarrassed. I think we can trust him, though. I don’t have a problem with it.”

Mark came over and sat next to me on his bed. I was lying on my side with my head propped up on one hand. He bent over to kiss me. I put my free hand behind his head then it turned into a wet one as our tongues made their way into our mouths. After a minute, he stood up and reversed himself on the bed so we were looking at each other’s crotch. We started undoing our pants in a frantic rush to get naked.

A few moments later and we had our pants down to our knees still wearing T-shirts. I took his hard dick in my mouth and began to work it. I started sucking and bobbing, loving the taste and feel of him. I was getting good at taking all of him and I really got off on it.

“You have a lot of hair around your dick,” Mark said.

I looked to see him smiling. I pulled my mouth off his dick then sat up.

“What do you mean?” I asked looking down at my crotch. My dick was nearly deflated because he was making me feel like a freak in a sideshow or something. “There’s nothing wrong with my crotch,” I said looking down.

“Look,” Mark said. He pulled my shirt up then patted my pubes. “See how fluffy they are?” Then he started laughing.

“What a jerk,” I said pulling my pants up. I couldn’t hike them up fast enough.

He was laughing his ass off so I got out of bed to take a leak. As I walked to the bathroom, Mark was trying to say my name but couldn’t get it out. I closed the bathroom door for two reasons. One, I didn’t want to listen to his disgusting guffaws and two, I had to check it out for myself.

I pulled my pants down in front of the mirror to have a look. As I was conducting my own evaluation, there was a soft knock on the door. “Val?” Mark asked. “Can I come in?” He was still giggling.

“Go away, dickhead,” I said. Then I pulled my shirt up to have an unobstructed view.

Mark let himself in. When he opened the door, I looked at him. He pointed at me then started laughing his ass off again. I pulled my pants up and put myself back together. The bathroom was too narrow to get around him so I said, “Would you mind moving your ass?” Then I tried to brush him aside so I could pass. He was trying to hold his breath in an attempt to stop giggling.

He stepped forward placing his arms around me and squeezed. I couldn’t resist being that close to him so I placed my arms around him. He kissed my neck and said, “I love you.”

“I love you, too,” I said then rested my head against his.

“For the record,” he said. “I think it’s hot.”

“You better, if you know what’s good for you,” I said then kissed him again.

It was getting late so Mark changed into his uniform. He was putting his keys and money in his pockets when I came up behind him. I put my arms around his stomach and rested my chin on his shoulder. I kissed his neck then said, “Do you really think it’s hot?”

He turned around with a smile on his face. “Yes, and stop thinking about it or you’re gonna drive yourself crazy.” Then he gave me a quick peck on the mouth and said, “Come on, sexy. Let’s get going. I’m running late.” Mark went to work and I drove home. I followed him to the freeway then watched him disappear in traffic as I took the downtown exit.

Mark and I talked about telling CK a few times after that. I wasn’t skeptical but I ran it by Mike and Steve anyway. I wanted to make sure we weren’t overlooking something. What that might be, I had no idea but they always seemed to see the big picture. When Steve asked, I told him we were sure CK would be okay with it and we trusted him. I told him, we considered CK a good friend.

Mike, on the other hand, was advancing the idea of erring on the safe side. He thought we should let him figure it out for himself. When I told Mark, he didn’t like that approach because we spent so much time with him. He wanted us to be ourselves and was certain CK wouldn’t have a problem. He wanted CK to know how we felt about each other and I liked the idea, too. I wanted everyone to know how I felt about Mark. I was proud to be with him.

Then I had second thoughts. Specifically, I was going to the same school as CK. If he freaked out, then where would that leave me? I would be outed with nowhere to hide and it was early February. We had a few months to go until graduation. The more I thought about it the more certain I became that CK wouldn’t freak. I was sure if he knew how we felt about each other, he would understand so we made it a mission.

Later that week, Mark and I asked Mike and Steve if we could have a sleepover in the guesthouse. We told them we were planning to tell CK that night. They okay’ed it as long as we cleaned the place up and washed the sheets before covering the furniture with them.

The stage was set so we went about making preparations. We planned to order pizza and I told Mark I was going to cop a few beers every so often from the fridge and put them in the guesthouse. We didn’t plan to get drunk. We thought it would be fun to catch a buzz so it became part of the plan. I was relatively certain if I limited my sticky fingers to a couple bottles of beer at a time, it would go unnoticed.

Steve’s old sound system from college was in the living room of the guesthouse so I placed a few CD’s there. Mike and Steve had a supply on the shelves but I wanted something current; something we were hearing on the radio. I put some chips in the kitchen along with dip and pop in the fridge. We were going to order pizza so I figured that would be plenty.

Mark took that Friday off work. It wasn’t a problem since Bill was Commodore at the yacht club. Mark said he didn’t give Bill the real reason because he thought it sounded weak. He attributed his excuse to a school project due Monday. There was no shortage of volunteers to take up the slack either, so he was good to go.

After school, CK was going to ride home with me. Mark had to stop at his house to change and pick up a sleeping bag. Mike and Steve had two so we were one short. That Friday afternoon, Ck and I sat in the kitchen waiting for Mark.

“This is gonna be a good time,” CK said.

“Yes it is,” I agreed. I didn’t want to spill the beans so I said, “We’re gonna remember this night for a long time. We’re gonna have some fun, CK!”

I secretly visualized his penis. I always wondered what another boy’s dick looked like when he was starting to change; though my preference was more on the mature side. I never checked myself out when I was at that stage because I was too embarrassed. I tried to pretend like it wasn’t happening. Then Mark’s comment about my hairy crotch came back. I felt weird all over again wondering if there was any truth to it or if he was messing with me. I made a mental note to check out some guys in gym class to see if there was anything to it. With any luck, I wouldn’t get turned on and pop a boner.

“I’m glad we’re doing this,” CK said.

“Me too,” I added. “CK, I hope we can always be friends.”

He assured me that we would though he had no clue of what was to come.

Steve came home early while CK and I sat in the kitchen talking, waiting and drinking ice tea. They said hello to each other and to my surprise, CK called Steve, Mr. Milner.

“My last name is Brown,” Steve said. “You can call me Steve.”

CK looked at him puzzled. I decided to let it go. If I said anything it would only serve as a distraction. There was enough explaining to do later.

“Okay, Steve,” CK said. You could tell he was a little reticent calling Steve by his first name.

After that, I suggested we go to the guesthouse. I raised the heat earlier so the house would warm up. It was February and rather chilly outside. CK walked to the back door and began putting his shoes on.

Before I left the kitchen, I hugged Steve from behind and thanked him for letting us use the guesthouse. He turned and put his arms around me. He felt so good. I was nervous in the service but determined to go through with it. I wanted Mark to arrive soon for moral support. I held on to Steve a little too long but I didn’t care. He was my dad so what was there to apologize for?

“Steve,” I whispered in his ear. “I’m nervous.”

He drew me in close and squeezed. He said softly, “Val, go with your heart. Don’t say or do anything you’re not comfortable with. And don’t forget, we love you.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat then said, “Thanks, Steve,” then I gave him a firm hug. We parted and I joined CK at the back door.

“Ready?” I asked.

“Yup.”

“Let’s go,” I said pulling the door open.

We crossed the yard then let ourselves in the guesthouse. When CK stepped inside, he said, “How come everything’s covered with white sheets?”

“To keep the dust off. Gather the sheets then throw them in the washing machine. I’m gonna go upstairs and get us some pillows.”

“If you’re gonna be bossy then I’m going home.”

“No you aren’t. Start gathering sheets and I shouldn’t have to tell you twice.” Then I started up the stairs with a smile on my face.

Half way up, I heard CK say, “What a cunt!”

“I HEARD THAT,” I shouted. Then I couldn’t resist giggling.

I found three pillows in the linen closet then went to the bathroom to take a leak. While I had my fly open, I had a thought. I stood in front of the mirror and pulled my shirt up and my underwear down. I wanted to have another look at my fluffy pubes as Mark referred to them. It didn’t look any different than any other crotch I remembered seeing. Still, it bothered me that he’d said that.

When I made it downstairs, Mark was coming in the front door. ‘Hey, you,” he said. “Where’s CK?”

“Hi,” I said. “He’s watching TV in the den or sitting room or whatever it’s called in the back.” I walked up to him, put my arms around him, and gave him a big ole wet kiss then hugged the shit out of him.

“I missed you today,” he said then we kissed again.

When we parted, I said, “Me, too. I don’t know if there’s enough floor space for all three of us to stretch out back there. Let’s go check it out.”

The room was the size of a small bedroom. It originally functioned as a pantry for the main house. The servants stored foodstuffs and supplies there then brought them to the house on an ‘as needed’ basis. There was a foldout sofa bed on one wall with shelving and cabinetry on the opposing one where the TV occupied a space. A coffee table and area rug sat in front of the sofa bed.

“Hi, Mark,” CK said.

“How’s it going? Did you bring your PlayStation?”

“Yeah, it’s in the trunk of Val’s car.”

A car horn sounded in the driveway then Mike’s voice rang out, “VAAAL.”

“Shit!” I said. “Mike’s home, I’ll be right back.” Then I went to see what the hell Mike’s problem was.

Mike had the window down so I walked up to his car and said, “What’s up, Mike?”

“Val, I thought I told you about parking in the garage.”

“You did. But Mike, you weren’t home. That’s why I parked in there so we wouldn’t have to jockey the cars around. And Mark needed a place to park, too. It makes it easier for you. All you have to do is pull in and turn your car off.”

“If you would park behind Steve like I told you, Mark could have parked in the street and we wouldn’t be having this conversation.” He turned his car off then started getting out.

I could see he was pissed so I didn’t say anything.

He closed the car door then turned to me and said, “We aren’t going to have this conversation again, are we?”

“No, Mike. But I honestly thought …”

“SAVE IT,” he said forcefully. Then he put his hand to his forehead massaging his temple. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I had a rough day at the office. Do we understand each other?”

“We do.”

“Okay, Sport. You know where to find us if you need something.” Then he started walking toward the house.

His voice had a resigned quality. It didn’t happen often but when he came across like that, I felt for him. I figured I got off easy so I kept my mouth shut. It was apparent that someone had lit his fuse. I didn’t want to be around when he detonated so I made my way back to the guesthouse, ever so quietly.

Mark and CK were hooking up his PlayStation 3 when I walked into the room.

“Everything okay?” Mark asked.

“It will be. Mike’s pissed because I took his spot in the garage.”

“Who’s Mike?” Ck wanted to know.

‘Geez, here we go with the questions,’ was the only thing that came to mind. I decided to give him the scoop but not until after I ordered the pizzas.

“He’s my dad,” I said knowing that would spark an interrogation. “I’ll fill you in but let me order the pizza first.”

They argued about which pizza place to call. CK eventually won because he insisted he knew the best place in town. Mark couldn’t refute it because he had never tried the place and deep down, he really didn’t care saying, “Whatever, a pizza is a pizza.”

I sat on the sofa and placed our order. CK wanted some buffalo wings so I added that to the order, too. When I hung up I said, “CK, that has to be the most expensive place in town. Two pizzas and an order of buffalo wings are forty-two dollars, not including tip.”

“Oh, I know,” he said. “Just wait, you won’t be sorry.”

“Oh, yes, I will. I’ll be sorry to the tune of fifty dollars.”

“Eh,” was all he said dismissing me with a wave of his hand.

They finished hooking up the game console and started playing while I was ordering. It was funny to watch CK because his body leaned and lunged with the game.

“So who’s Mike?” he asked twisting and turning. He was beating the crap out of some guy with his fists. “Watch this,” he said. “The other guy’s Brian.” Then he put his opponent in a headlock and started punching him in the face until the guy went down.

I was lying on the sofa with a pillow under my head. I started telling him the story about Mike and Steve. Five minutes into it, CK wasn’t paying attention so I said, “You aren’t even listening.”

“Yeah I am. You just finished saying how you were beat up back in Buras. So how did you end up living here? And why do Mike and Steve live together? Are they gay or something?”

He was headed in the direction we wanted to go but I thought it best to have his undivided attention. He didn’t look at me once. “Well, I feel like I’m talking to myself,” I said. “I’ll tell you when you’re finished.”

Then I got up to get three beers out of the fridge. I also wanted Mark in on the conversation and he was glued to the screen, watching CK beat the crap out the guy. When I came back to the room, I held a beer in front of Mark and CK. He stopped playing immediately and turned to look at me.

“Where’d you get these?”

“From the fridge,” I said casually as if it were no big deal then I reclined on the sofa. “Why don’t you take a break for a while so we can talk?”

“I’ll put a CD on the sound system,” Mark said. He stood and turned the game off, which I was glad to see.

I thought what we had to tell CK was important enough to warrant no distractions. When Mark came back, he sat on the floor resting his back against the sofa. I was tempted to lay my arm across his chest but thought better of it. Still, the sheen of his hair and his masculine profile was enough to make me fixate on him.

Mark began, “CK, we have something we want to share with you. We want to tell you something.” Then he cleared his throat and glanced over his shoulder at me.

“Go ahead,” CK said. “Spit it out.”

“Well,” Mark said. “We want to tell you about us.”

At that moment, the front door opened and Steve hollered, “Sport, your pizzas are here.”

‘For crying out loud,’ I thought. ‘What timing.’ “Coming,” I hollered back.

As I got up, CK offered some money. I told him it was our treat because he was our guest and friend. I emphasized friend hoping it would stay that way.

When I returned, I plopped the boxes on the coffee table then went for some paper towels in the kitchen. The aroma was enough to cause stomach cramps; it smelled delicious. I brought a bag of chips and dip. We got comfortable around the table then started devouring the food. I didn’t realize how hungry I was until I started eating. Mark, as always, was scarfing it up. I was sure all that man muscle of his required nourishment. If that’s how it worked, then I thought he should have more! The idea made my dick jump.

We didn’t talk much, preferring to eat. I had to admit, CK was right. It was the best pizza and buffalo wings I ever had. CK wanted some bleu cheese dressing to dip his buffalo wings in so Mark volunteered to go ask Steve then he left.

“I think I know what you guys are leading up to,” CK said.

“Let’s wait for Mark, dudester.”

“Dudester?”

“Yeah, it’s a term of endearment.”

Mark came back with the dressing in a bowl. I tried the dressing on a buffalo wing and loved it. Who would have guessed CK was a gourmand? Well, maybe not a gourmand but damn it tasted good.

After a few minutes, I stood up and said, “I’m stuffed. I think I’m gonna blow up.” I reclaimed the sofa, lying on my back then emitted a huge belch.

“Ew, how gross!” CK said.

“Man, that felt good,” I said chuckling. Then I pulled my shirt up to see how big my stomach was and patted it. It sounded hollow. I noticed a wild hair a good inch and a half long growing around the nipple of my left tit. I pinched it then yanked it out. “Here CK,” I said holding it out as if I expected him to take it then started laughing my ass off.

“What a sleazebag,” he said making me laugh that much harder.

I kept my arm extended and said, “CK, will you throw this away for me?” Then I started laughing again. I had to sit upright or run the risk of tossing my cookies. That’s how stuffed I was.

“What a pig.”

That made me laugh some more. After I settled down, I said, “Aw shit,” then reclined again. I laid the wild hair on top of my T-shirt. I was rather proud of myself, being able to gross CK out like that.

Mark stood up and said, “If everyone is done, I’m going to put the leftovers in the fridge.”

We assured him, we couldn’t eat another bite if we had to, so he gathered everything and went to the kitchen. When he came back, he sat where he was earlier, on the floor with his back resting against the sofa.

“That was excellent,” Mark said to Ck. “It was worth every penny.”

“Told ya.”

“You were right. Now, like I started to say before the pizza arrived. We have something to tell you. You’re a good friend and we hope it stays that way. We asked you over so we could … ah … so we could be truthful with you. We have something to share. We … ah …,” then he looked over his shoulder at me.

“Why all the drama?” CK said. “Just say it.”

“Okay, okay. Cool your jets, man. Well, Val and I have a special relationship. You see, CK, we’re more than friends. We like each other a lot. It’s more than best friends, which we are. It’s like this. Val and I are together. Sorta like if you had a girlfriend except we’re boyfriends if you catch my drift.”

CK looked at me then back to Mark with a blank stare. Surely he understood what Mark was trying to say. I couldn’t figure out why he wasn’t saying anything. It wasn’t like I knew what to say either. I wished someone would say something for Pete sake. Mark was doing a good job so I kept my mouth shut.

Finally, CK looked at me again and said, “So you guys are gay? Is that what you mean to say?”

“That’s it,” Mark said. “I know it’s a lot to think about so you don’t have to say anything right now. That’s the reason we invited you over. We were planning to tell you tonight.”

“Was that all you were planning?”

“No,” I said. “We were planning to convert you. You know, like once you’ve been bitten you can’t go back.”

“Val,” Mark said. “Knock it off. He’s just kidding, CK. We’re friends and we wanted you to know the truth, nothing more.”

CK looked down at his lap. It was evident he was trying to sort things out. He wasn’t showing any sign as to what he was thinking either. It began to worry me that he might be having a problem with us. I nudged Mark with my hand. He looked over his shoulder then I nodded at CK with my head.

Mark crawled around the coffee table on all fours then sat next to CK. He put his arm around his shoulders then said, “We hope that doesn’t change anything. Are you okay?”

CK nodded silently then took Mark’s arm and lifted it from his shoulder saying, “Do you mind? I’m straight.”

“Sure, no problem,” Mark said smiling at me.

I scooted around the coffee table stopping on CK’s right, Mark was on his left. I put my arm around him and asked, “So are we cool, dude?”

He leaned away from me lifting my arm from his shoulder. “Mark and I are but the jury is out on you.” Then he grinned big time.

Mark and I took that as a welcomed relief. It appeared we were still friends. It remained to be seen to what extent our revelation would affect us. For now, anyway, we were good and I was glad for that. I knew Mark was, too.

“Are you okay with it?” Mark wanted to know.

He thought for a moment then spoke. “I guess I’m okay with it. I kind of suspected it,” he said. “You guys don’t look at or talk about girls; and you could have any girl you want. So who is Mike?”

I was glad to hear he was moving on from the gay thing so quickly. I sincerely hoped, in due time, we would look back on this as nothing more than a speed bump.

“He’s my dad,” I said.

“I thought Steve was your dad.”

“He is,” I said on an upbeat note. “I’m lucky. I have two dads.” I was trying to lighten the mood.

CK had a perplexed look on his face so Mark started to explain the whole thing. I went to the kitchen to retrieve a beer for us while Mark talked. On the way back, I stopped in the living room to boost the volume on the stereo so we could hear it.

We didn’t play any more video games that night. We talked about the relationship between Mark and me, explaining the situation as best we could. We told CK about Mike and Steve and what great guys they were. I admitted to CK that I loved them like fathers, which Mark already knew. He felt strongly about them, too.

We told him about Mom, our move south from Wisconsin, and her upcoming wedding in May. Mark took particular care to let CK know what a great guy Bill was and I was quick to back him up. As the evening wore on, CK loosened up a lot. I don’t know if it was the beer or what but he seemed to relax and take it in stride. It appeared our comfortable camaraderie was still intact. Time would eventually tell if my assessment was accurate.

After the initial shock, things went back to the way they were. He was with us most of the time. We were like the three amigos or three musketeers, always together. We enjoyed each other and, after a while, CK didn’t seem to mind the affection between Mark and me. We never allowed it go so far as to embarrass him. We held it to an occasional kiss or hug, that kind of thing.

Mark had another encounter with CK’s brother. He ended up pinning him to the floor at CK’s house and warning him about his attitude and actions toward his brother. That was all it took to get him off CK’s back. He avoided us whenever we were at CK’s house not wanting a repeat of his skirmish with Mark.

Not long after our sleepover, CK’s voice started cracking and we began to tease him about it. He didn’t mind because we were friends and we always did it in a friendly manner. We took care of our little buddy, who wasn’t so little anymore, seems he was pouring it on all at once. It was funny because I was always the youngest in my grade but CK had me beat by a year and a ton of brainpower, too. His blond hair was turning strawberry making me wonder what it looked like around his dick. Yeah, I still had that problem of visualizing guys crotches or maybe I should say fetish, whatever. I wasn’t interested in him sexually; I had to admit I was curious though.

The three of us applied to Tulane for college. Mark was interested in the petroleum business because of Bill’s influence. Bill succeeded in getting him an internship with his employer after graduation. Mark was going to be Bill’s understudy as an oilfield engineer for the summer.

I wanted to go to Tulane because of their architecture school. I liked the drafting and mechanical drawing classes I took and decided to pursue it. Steve said I could work for him when school let out. And CK? Well, he was sure that he wanted to major in Chemistry but didn’t have a clue where that may lead him. He liked science and did well in those subjects. Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics came easy for him. He was taking all honors courses our senior year so his first year at university would be sophomore level, he would be ahead of his class again.

One day in mid-April, CK and I were having lunch in the cafeteria at school. We had just sat down to eat. He was watching the same girl he always did. Sometimes he would say, “Huh?” not hearing what I said as he stared at her. I grew tired of it because he wouldn’t talk to her and only looked her way when she wasn’t looking at us. I also wanted him to have some romance in his life; someone to care for and about and have those feelings returned. I decided to do something about it. CK was our friend and I knew he was attracted to her. Hell, he’d been ogling over her as long as I’d known him and I never noticed her talking to any boys.

“I’ll be right back,” I said to CK. I rose and walked to her table.

“Hello,” I said, “My name is Val.” I was too nervous to extend my hand so I stood there feeling like I was under a spotlight as I awaited her response. Even though I was gay, it was awkward as hell. If she thought I was an idiot or dork so what, I told myself. I didn’t want to care but I did. I had a good size flock of butterflies fluttering around in my stomach.

“Hi,” she said. “I’m Lorna.” Then she extended her hand.

I took her hand and shook it. Not like you would shake a guys hand but I shook it nonetheless.

“Nice to meet you, I’m Val. Would you like to sit with me and my friend?” I asked. “He’s too shy to come over but he likes you.” I motioned to our table. Christ, I introduced myself twice. What a dork!

She looked at CK for a few moments while I stood there feeling like a street urchin begging for a hand out. “Okay,” she finally said. She turned to her friend and asked, “Do you want to go?”

“Sure, why not? He’s kind of cute,” she said nodding at me.

Great! All I needed was some girl to complicate my life.

“C’mon,” I motioned with my hand wondering where things were headed. The very last thing I needed was a girl to deal with.

They picked up their trays and followed me to our table. Lorna sat down next to CK, which made him stiffen up and me smile. Patrice, Lorna’s friend, sat next to me. It was cumbersome to say the least. If she were Mark or some other hot guy; I would have no problem handling myself.

I introduced everyone then Lorna made small talk with CK. He was giving short, curt answers as if he were being interrogated, not wanting to incriminate himself. He wasn’t eating either. He was playing with his food and looking at his plate for the most part. I felt sorry for him but didn’t know how to help.

Lorna was a pretty girl. She had shoulder length, dark hair that shone and a narrow waist. Her boobs were big, too. Well, not real big but well proportioned for her frame. She always looked better than most of the other girls. She never wore blue jeans. You would never mistake her for a tomboy. She was feminine and lady-like. She wore makeup, not a heck of a lot; she didn’t have to. She was self-confident and friendly, she reminded me a lot of Mom.

Her friend, Patrice, was every bit as pretty, with an entirely different look. She was direct and unassuming with shoulder length, blondish brown hair, which she hooked behind her ear. She wore makeup that highlighted her features and she spoke confidently. She was very sure of herself. She asked pointed questions and expected direct answers. When she didn’t get the response she was looking for or thought someone was hedging, she pressed on. I had the feeling she took the offensive to disarm her prey. It was an effective ploy; it worked on me anyway. I was uncomfortable in her presence and she was sitting a little too close. Any closer and she’d be in my lap for Christ sake. She was invading my space so my shields were up.

“Val,” Patrice said. “When are we going on a date?” Then she giggled.

I couldn’t see the humor in it. “We aren’t,” I said. “How did you get a man’s name?” I asked hoping to put her on the defensive. “In French, Patrice is a man’s name.”

“These days, it’s a woman’s name in English. Don’t change the subject. We don’t have to call it a date. We can say we’re hanging out.”

“We aren’t going to call it anything ‘cause it ain’t gonna happen. I have someone special and I’m not fooling around behind his back.”

Fuck! I said his instead of hers. I had to say something quick.

Before I could speak she said, “His?”

“No,” I shook my head. “I meant to say. I’m not going out behind her back.” Then I looked at CK.

He smiled at me, which did nothing to ease the tension. I tried to pretend as though it were no big deal. Man, I could see why guys got flustered around girls; especially pushy ones.

“CK, isn’t committed,” I said trying to change the subject. Then I wiggled my eyebrows at Lorna so she would, hopefully, take up the slack since CK was sitting there like a silhouette of himself.

She smiled and I could only think of one word to describe it, lovely. She was definitely a young lady. I thought CK had probably figured that out as much time as he’d spent staring at her. Then I couldn’t help thinking again, how much she reminded me of a younger version of Mom. I kicked CK under the table to get him to say something. Where were all those questions he was so famous for asking?

“CK, lives in Kenner,” I said. After I said it, I felt stupid so I added, “I’m giving him a ride home. Would you like a ride home, Lorna?”

“Maybe, can you give Patrice a ride, too?”

That was fair enough. I could see where she wouldn’t want to be alone with two guys she just met.

“My mother is picking me up,” she said. “But I can call her and tell her I have a ride.”

At that point, I could have kicked myself as the realization that she would be sitting next to me came to mind.

We finished lunch then went our separate ways when the bell rang. After school, CK met me at my locker.

“What am I going to do?” he asked. “I don’t know what to say to her.”

“No kidding,” I said sarcastically. “For starters, try talking to her. You didn’t say two full sentences at lunch. You better get something going soon because I’m done with anything to do with girls after today.”

“Val, you gotta help me out here.”

“I’ll help you out. Which way did you come in?” Then I couldn’t help laughing.

“It’s not funny, dick breath. I’m so nervous around her I can’t think straight.”

“Why don’t you ask her to do something? Invite her to the prom or whatever. It’s only a couple months away you know.”

“I couldn’t do that. What if she says no?”

“Okay,” I said closing my locker. I looked directly at him for effect. “Here’s a plan. When we get to her house, walk her to the front door. Tell her how nice it was too meet her and ask her if she would like to go out for burgers after school tomorrow. That’s not exactly a date. It’s something to do. Then you can get to know her a little better. You know, get comfortable, and relax in her company.”

“That’s a good idea but I don’t get my license until this summer. Would you go with us? It would be so much easier to be around her if you were there. It would be more like friends hanging out instead of a date. Then when I get tongue tied, you’ll be there to help out. It would be a huge favor. Val, I’d owe you big time.”

“You already do and I’ve got a way for you to pay me back,” I said smiling.

“Like that’s gonna happen,” he said rolling his eyes. “So will you do it?”

“Okay, but I have one condition. You have to figure out how to get Patrice out of the picture. There’s no way in hell I’m getting involved with her or anyone else for that matter. I got what I want. Oh, and one more thing, when you get to the door at her house, ask her for her cell number then call her tonight. Remember, you don’t get the order unless you ask for it.”

He stood there thinking about what I said. I couldn’t help noticing how much he was changing. Aside from getting taller, he was developing a young adult’s face. In other words, his face and body were filling out. No longer, was he thin and slender. His hair color was almost completely strawberry blond. It was easy to see that he was the beneficiary of a, soon to be, coveted set of genes.

“Okay,” he said. “I’m psyched up. I hope she doesn’t shoot me down.”

We started walking toward the student parking lot. I put my hand on his back then said, “She won’t. She’s thinking the same thing.”

“Oh shit,” I said coming to a stop. “I’m supposed to go to Mark’s house after school.”

“We can pick him up. That way, we won’t be paired off. It’ll take away some of the pressure.”

“Sounds good,” I said.

The girls were waiting for us at the entrance to the student parking lot. As we neared them, I thanked God that I was gay. Girls were different creatures for sure. Man, they can make the simplest things so complicated or at least seem like it.

CK sat next to Lorna in the back seat and good ole Patrice was sitting up front next to me. I was glad for the bucket seats. That way, I wouldn’t be under pressure to make a pass or hint at something along those lines, neither could she. On the way to Mark’s house, I didn’t look at her once. I didn’t want to encourage or mislead her into thinking there might be something between us. I could tell she was looking at me every so often but did my best to appear busy driving.

I had my right elbow on the center console leaning on it with my hand around the shift. The car was an automatic but holding the shift gave me something to do with my hand. I hung my left hand over the wheel, steering with my wrist while the radio played. We were tooling along the freeway on our way to Mark’s house.

Lorna complimented me on my car then Patrice commented, too. I felt kinda cool to be honest. I had one of the better cars in the student parking lot. It wasn’t an expensive import or anything but it was new and nicer than most. I liked it because it was sporty and didn’t appear to be driving my parent’s car.

I glanced every so often in the rearview mirror to see how CK was doing with Lorna. They talked but I couldn’t hear the conversation with the windows open and the wind noise. I did notice them smile at each other and was pleased that CK seemed to be loosening up somewhat.

We were close to Mark’s house when Patrice placed her hand on top of mine. I swallowed so hard it hurt. My skin felt hot where she was touching me. How dare she do a thing like that! Where the hell was her decorum? Didn’t she have any pride whatsoever? My armpits started leaking beads of perspiration. When they landed on my side, it made me flinch they were so cold. I sensed I was about to start trembling so I withdrew my hand to change the radio station.

We were approaching an intersection so I gripped the wheel at ten and two o’ clock. I applied the brake using both hands to turn the car onto Mark’s street. I reassured myself, ‘Hang in there, we’re almost there’!

I pulled into Mark’s driveway then I threw the shift into park. I opened the door saying, “I’ll only be a minute.” I left the engine running then got the hell out of there. Man, I couldn’t figure out why she did that; what a forward bitch! She touched me with her hot hands; who authorized her to do that?

I rang the doorbell then let myself in. “MARK?” I hollered desperately.

“I’M BACK HERE. IN MY ROOM,’ he shouted.

I made my way from the foyer, through the living room and kitchen then the family room and down the hall to the bedrooms. He was sitting at his desk in his boxers. I walked up behind him and hugged him firmly. Son of a bitch, he felt great. I bent over and kissed him on the mouth then said, “I love you, handsome.”

“I love you, too,” he said still looking at the monitor. He was looking at naked guys on the net with hard dicks, his underwear was tented, too.

I wanted to take him in my mouth in the worst way but there wasn’t time for that. “Mark, we have a problem. CK is out in the car with two girls.”

“Wow!” he said. “He never did shit with a girl and now he starts out with two. Ya gotta give the dude credit.”

I couldn’t take my eyes off Mark’s boner. It spoke to me. I slid his dick out of his fly exposing it then began pumping it. It looked so hot with the head of his dick sliding in and out of the foreskin. The urge was too great so I dropped to one knee then started sucking and bobbing on his boner. I wanted his load so bad I couldn’t wait to taste it.

He was already turned on from the porn he was looking at so my tongue moving over the head of his uncut pole and my moist slippery mouth was all he needed to begin thrusting his shaft in and out of my mouth. It wasn’t long until he arched his back and spewed his load into my mouth. After he shot, I pulled off him and smiled. It was the best … no, he was the best. I wished we had time for more than that but we had to make a move.

“Get dressed, Stud,” I said then I kissed him again. “We have to take CK and the girls home and you’re driving.”

I waited for him to dress admiring his every move. I wondered when we would screw again; my appetite had been whetted but far from satiated. He started putting his uniform on, which looked damn good on him. He really was something to behold and he was all mine! I swore then and there, if that bitch in the car made a pass at him, I’d rip her tits off.

I was watching Patrice watch Mark as we neared the car. Why was it that every time we were around someone new, they honed in on Mark? It drove me schizo. I went around to the passenger side and asked CK to scoot over. I sat next to him then whispered in his ear. “Introduce them.”

He gave me a funny look then went about introducing them.

“Nice to meet you,” Mark said extending his hand.

“The pleasure is all mine,” Patrice said with a smile, which looked more like a leer from my vantage point.

I could only imagine what she had in mind. Tough luck for her though, the dude was spoken for … and queer, so there! I chose to sit where I did, behind Patrice, so I wouldn’t have to look at the predator-ess.

Mark knew what was going on so he asked Patrice where she lived. Her house was in Metairie not far from Marks, a little closer to the causeway over Lake Pontchartrain. When he pulled in her driveway, Patrice said, “Your house is close enough to walk to. We’re almost neighbors.”

All I could think was, ‘You wish, bitch. Just get out,’ then I rolled my eyes. If she wanted to mess around with Mark, she would need something more than a coin slot. I couldn’t help smiling inwardly. I had no idea how I came up with shit like that. Man, I had to be some kind of perve.

Mark, being the gentleman that he was, escorted her to the door. I got out of the car and took the passenger seat up front. Mark was talking to her on the porch; she was obviously infatuated with him. I could see from the car, she was feigning a laugh because her animations were insincere. What a phony! Mark smiled every so often showing those curled edges of his mouth when he did and those white teeth. How could she not be attracted to him? Mark made his move to exit a couple times but she managed to keep him there with whatever she said. Finally, Mark turned to go then she grabbed his arm. She leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek.

Wow! I couldn’t believe what my eyes were seeing. The tigress kissed him! I wondered what she would do if they went to see a movie. I was flabbergasted at her nerve. What a slut! I bet she goes to church, too!

Mark got in the car and backed out of the driveway. I had to take some time to regain my composure. That was hard for me to witness and impossible to look away. I sat there and watched it with my own eyes. I decided there would probably be a lot more of that. As good as Mark looked, I had better get used to it. If I didn’t learn how to handle stuff like that then I would likely drive myself mental ending up in the nut house somewhere.

We drove Lorna home then CK walked her to the front door. I watched as CK ambled along next to her. It was kind of funny because I knew he was nervous as hell. I could tell by the way he walked, his gait was tentative. She would have to be blind and numb not to notice, unless she was uncomfortable, too. Christ, this girl stuff was getting old fast, definitely unnecessary.

“Val,” Mark said. “Are you okay?”

“No! I invited Lorna to our table at lunch so CK could meet her and look how it turned out. I was tired of talking to Ck and him not listening to what I said. He’s been staring at her all year and I’ve been talking to myself half the time. Then Patrice comes, too. I saw her kiss you at her house. Did you like it?”

“Come here,” Mark said pulling me to him. We had a nice kiss then he massaged the back of my neck. “I love you. Have you forgotten?”

I wanted to curl up in his lap like a puppy and lick him, suck him, and fondle him. Most of all, I wanted to know that he would always be mine. I loved him and feared losing him. Call it insecure if you like, but that’s how I felt.

On the way to CK”s house, he said, “Val, I asked and she agreed to go with us tomorrow after school.”

“Did you get her cell number?”

“Yeah, she asked me to call her tonight.”

“Way to go, Skippy,” Mark said. “Now all you have to do is figure out how to ditch Patrice. Think you can handle that?”

“Yeah, right,” I said. “I don’t want her touching me either. She can keep her cooties to herself.”

“Is it easy for you?” CK asked.

“Is what easy?” I replied.

“Being a fag!”

Mark started laughing his ass off.

“Bite me!” I said with emphasis. I had to have the last word so I said, “And to answer your question … no, it isn’t easy being me!”

To Be Continued ...

Thanks again, Wayne and Chris, your help is greatly appreciated.

Posted: 05/07/10