18 Weeks of Twoey - 4. Week One Thursday, September 4, 2014: The Proposition

The day began so hot and sauna-like. After our run I definitely knew that I wasn't gonna be dressing up--Sorry Gary. So after my shower I just threw on basketball shorts and a light beige cotton tee that said: ADMIT IT I'M HOT! Haha ...and I knew I was gonna be ...All Day! Depending on the weather or humidity my hair can be quite a mess. It even changes color a bit. It’s less blond and more light brown streaky--really mousy! Ugh! My mother always hints I should have it cut, but that ain’t never gonna happen. Today was one of those days.

I was finishing my usual bowl of a little whole-grain cereal and lots of fruit when my sister Liz came to the kitchen table and sat down.

What? Hold on!

Normally by now she's been long out the door, having been picked up by her boyfriend Greg Barton. Tommy walked into the kitchen stopped in his tracks and raised his eyebrows. “Greg sick today? You wear him out last night?”

“Very funny Tommy. Do you want me to tell him you said that?”

Just at that moment there was a knock on the door. Tommy went over, opened the door and squeaked, “Greg!”

Greg Barton is a big fullback on the football team and he and Liz have been dating for ...hmm... forever, I guess. He’s all muscles and about 6'1" and has always had a brown brush-cut. Handsome in the bulky kind of way, but Greg seems nice. Actually I only knew this from observation because I don't think Greg has ever even noticed that I happen to live in the same house with his girlfriend and, no doubt, future wife.

“Hi Tommy, I just came by to get Liz.”

Now this was strange because he never comes into the house in the morning. Walking over, he kissed Liz on the cheek but looked right at ME and said, “Hi David, how ya doin' today? I see you're dressed for the weather.” These were more words than he had ever spoken to me, I think, in total.

“Um...”--trying to swallow my last bite--“Hey Greg! Yeah ...gonna be super hot today. This is when I wished I had my hair cut short like yours ...ya know?”

“Yeah, well, ...uh, David ...you're not going with anybody right now, are you?”

WHAT THE FUCK? Was he in league with my gossipy mother too???

“No...?”

“Well, do you know my sister Kathy?” My mind started to swirl ...where was this going?

“I know a couple of Kathys, but I don't know any Kathy Barton.”

“Oh sure, I'm sorry ...let me get a picture.” He found one on his phone and showed it to me. I did recognize her.

“Oh yeah I know her, she's nice. I didn't know she was your sister, Greg. But her name is Kathy Bailey.”

“Yeah that's confusing; she's my half-sister. I was less than a year old when my mom got married again, but I have my real father's last name.”

Well, that cleared up half of my puzzlement. I sorta knew her. She seemed like a nice girl. I knew that I helped her with some math in study hall last year.

“OK, well what about her? Wait ...I think Kathy's in my math class this year.”

“Yeah ...well, um ...David, I uh ...already knew that. Um ...this is sorta hard for me, but she's going through a little rough time right now. Seems her asshole boyfriend was cheating on her and she's feeling really depressed and sorta needs a friend, if ya know what I mean. I really love her a lot, David, and I'm worried about her. She was crying last night and I was trying to console her when she mentioned that there was a new kid in her Math class who sat next to...” I interrupted him.

“Oh sure, Twoey! I know him! You want me to introduce them? That's no problem.”

“No, uh ...no that's not it. Um ...that wasn't the ...um ...whole thing. She said there was a new kid who sat next to a boy she really liked because he seemed so nice. She mentioned you, David”

Oh wow! This was seriously not what I thought was going to happen in this conversation, but some new patterns began to race through my brain. This might work to my advantage. It could add a new dimension to THE PLAN!

“What are you suggesting, Greg?” I had to be perfectly clear about this. I had to get it right.

“Well, that's why I made sure you weren't going with anyone. This is really awkward. I'm not trying to hook you up, but since she thinks you're a nice guy, maybe if you could just talk to her and be a friend to her, I think she really needs one right now. I don't expect you to go out with her or anything, unless you want to, of course, I didn't mean for you NOT to ...but I didn't mean I WANT you to go out with her ...Jeez David, can you even follow what I'm trying to say?”

I chuckled. “Hehe ...yeah I get it. No, don't worry. I really think she's nice; I'll talk to her and try to lift her spirits a bit. Maybe it'll be good for me too cuz I've been sort of irritable these last couple of days, myself.”

Greg came right over and gave me a big bear hug--You have not been hugged unless you've been hugged by a fullback! "Thanks David, this means so much to me! I owe you big time.” By then my sister, who had said NOTHING throughout this entire exchange, stood up and ...they left!

Just standing there like an idiot, I looked at Tommy. Tommy smirked and looked right back at me. There was a pregnant moment of total silence. Then he grinned. “You know you've been set up, right?”

I returned his smirk. “There’s not a doubt in my mind! My only question is: was it by Liz, by Greg, by Kathy or by your mother?”

Tommy recoiled in shock. “MY mother?”

“Yeah Tommy, this is the last straw. I'm giving you all my shares in Mother.Inc” I was finished with that witch, once and forever!!

And I did visit Kathy in math. I’ll take her to Timmy’s tomorrow after school. See ...I am a nice guy!

After school today was a swim-fest at the lake. It felt so fine down there that there were times I actually forgot all about the shit that seemed to be closing in on me lately. We needed a few more hot days like this cuz swimming seems to be therapeutic for me. It was a good thing I had a decent lunch because we were at the lake till it got dark. I wasn’t even hungry when I got home.

Not that I could have eaten any of Tommy’s mother’s crap anyway.

Twoey

It was hot today. He was hot today. And so, Blondie wore hardly ANY clothes! My eyes and brain tried to soak him up and save him for later tonight, and tomorrow morning too, no doubt. I guess because it was pretty humid, his hair looked mangled--poor guy.

David ignored me again during the morning run, the walk to school, and really for most of the day. At least Danny kept me busy on the way to school. I still get that little ping off Danny. Shit! I need to control my hormoverload.

Before math even began, and without ever looking at me, he walked right past and went to the back corner to sit down next to a cute little brunette and talked to her until just before class started. She was actually looking pretty sad, but after a few moments started to shyly smile at him. When he came back I heard the redhead ask him, “Kathy your new girlfriend David?” He blushed and said no, that she just needed a little cheering up. The redhead said, “I know, that fucking bastard Cal!”

David said, “Cal Jacobs?”

“Yes, that son of a bitch!”

“Jesus Terri, I didn't know he was the guy she was going with! He's on my Cross Country team.”

Later at lunch David filled everyone in on the cheating and said he was going to take the brunette, Kathy, to Tim Horton's Friday after school for ice-caps or something to make her feel a little better.

When he mentioned that, I noticed Sam tense up. Gary dropped his sandwich. I know Danny’s eyes got bigger for just a moment. There’s some shit going on with this gang that I never realized before. I think I’m gonna have to start paying closer attention to all these little non-verbal clues.

Lockers got assigned in gym today. Mine is right above David’s. That’s not really such a coincidence ...they were assigned alphabetically. Now the only thing I have to discover is a way to not look at him when we change. OMG what am I going to do when we take a shower?

Memo to Twoey: Needed--one memory compartment filled with cock-shriveling images.

But the BIG news was that to celebrate the extreme and unusual heat today, the gang decided to meet at the lake after school to swim! It'll be snowing pretty soon, so we have to take advantage of these little bonus days. I’m from Syracuse; I know all about snow. The only decision for me, as I stood in my bedroom, was Speedo or board shorts? I decided board shorts would be safer for my inevitable boner around Blondie.

When I got to the lake everyone was in board shorts--good call, Twoey. Starting with some Frisbee to loosen us up, we progressed to swinging from a rope into the water and then to swimming and acting like idiots for hours, until the sun was about to set.

During that time I witnessed an astonishing thing. It stunned me, but made me warm inside, sorta. There were more than a few stretches when a happy and carefree David peeked out from behind the cautious and guarded guy I’d been observing since I got to Daleville. Laughter and smiles bubbled out of him--playful and almost childlike. It was sorta like watching a 9 year old kid frolic and cavort. That must have been the real David--which tells me a great deal. It was simply screaming at me. Something was seriously bothering him, badly eating at him. The real David was truly heart-stopping--at least my heart.

I want that guy to be my guy! .........I know, I know ...but Jesus!

OK, changing the subject a bit, a few items to note:

1) Gary swims like a fish,

2) David is hot and has a perfect body without big muscles,

3) Danny has a perfect body with muscles,

4) Danny touches David a lot,

4 again) Danny. Touches. David. a lot,

5) I couldn't find a tattoo on Sam, but then I didn't have the pleasure of checking under his shorts ...yet. Also, for a guy who's into no sport except Frisbee, Sam has a pretty nice physique, and

6) Danny still pings.

I should say a prayer of thanksgiving tonight that I fell into a pile of eye-candy here in Daleville.