Always - 3. Getting Settled

The first night in my new home was definitely different. I still had a buzz on from Noah’s pot—and I couldn’t get the image of my new foster brother blasting his nut in the shower we shared. So yeah, I’m trying to fall asleep in the most comfortable bed I’ve ever been in, and my mind is racing a million miles an hour.

I’m totally cool with sharing a little weed and getting a buzz on with Noah. I’m totally cool with sitting on the floor and talking about shit with him, but sharing a shower and jerking off together? Damn! I know we didn’t touch each other, but that kind of made things crazy for me.

I mean, the dude has a girlfriend. But then again, he had a boyfriend, too. He says he can’t kiss me or do anything with me because of the fostering rules and all. But I can’t help but feel that maybe jerking off together in the shower might be a little against the rules, too.

Fuck! It all comes down to that watching him, with all his amazing hotness—just makes me horny for him even more. Well, I guess I’m going to have to figure out a way to talk to him about it without pissing him off.

That was my last thought before I finally fell asleep. I had some crazy-as-shit dreams my first night in the White house—most of them involved Noah, and he was naked and hard in most of them. So yeah, I woke up about 4:00 a.m., having just nutted all over the bed from a wet dream. Great. Could I just die now?

I got out of bed and got my towel to wipe up the mess. I was able to get that done without waking up Noah. He had this soft little snore that was kinda cute as fuck. At least I’ll be able to tell when he’s asleep for those times I might need to relieve myself—if you know what I mean!

I took the towel and put it in the basket for dirty clothes. Now I’m wide awake again, so I decided I would go out on the deck. I remember Noah saying it was totally private, so I didn’t bother putting on any clothes. I was able to open the door without disturbing Noah and took a seat in one of the chairs.

I thought about the events of the last day. God! It was insane how much stuff happened in less than 24 hours. Then it hit me. I’m changing schools in the middle of a semester. Not just to any school, either. Westlake—fucking Westlake!

I’m a Crockett High School kid. I was comfortable there. I blended in. I did my thing. I got good grades, but not so good that people made a fuss about it. I did my theatre thing. I was okay, I guess. I just wanted to be in the chorus so I could have some fun, not too much pressure, and I would just blend in.

Now, let me tell you about Westlake. It’s the rich kids’ school. They don’t have a good rep among us common folk. Word is that they formed their own fucking school district so they wouldn’t have to share with the other kids and families in Austin. Kinda snobby if that’s true. How the fuck am I gonna blend in there? No—I’ll be the charity case. The poor foster kid in a sea of privileged, entitled, stuck-up rich kids.

Well, the more I thought about it, the more freaked out I started to get. Yeah, that brought on the tears and the crying—and soon enough, Noah. He walked out the door and onto the deck. It was totally dark, so he couldn’t even see if I was actually there, but apparently, he heard me sniffling. Great. Just fucking great.

“Nick? You out here, bud?”

“Go away, Noah. I’m fine.”

Well, fuck me—that didn’t work at all. Noah sat in the chair next to me.

“You don’t sound so fine. Talk to me. Let me help you out.”

“Really? I don’t think you can help me too much here.”

“Try me?”

“Okay. Don’t tell me I didn’t warn you.” I took a deep breath, and it all came out in one gigantic sigh. “Tell me what the kids at your school think about the kids at Crockett. And don’t give me the answer they want you to give. I want to know the truth.”

“The truth. Okay. You’re probably not going to like it, but here goes—they look down their stuck-up noses at the kids from Crocket—and the kids from Austin High, and the kids from—well, pretty much everyone in the Austin School District. I promise you, though, I’m not like them. I hate when they throw that ‘I’m better than you’ bullshit. That’s why I don’t have a lot of friends. Well, except for my theatre classes and some of my teammates. Most of them? I can’t stand ‘em.

“That’s why I love having you here. You’re real. You’re so easy to talk with. It’s like there’s something about you. I don’t quite have it figured out but, when I look in your eyes, I don’t see coldness, no ice—like a lot of the kids around here. When you smile, there’s an energy, almost like a light, that completely drew the dads and me to you.

“I know we’ve only known each other for a short time, but in some ways, I feel like I’ve known you for a lifetime. You see—all these years—when I’ve fantasized about having a brother, it was you. Well, not you you—the person you are. That’s how all this happened so easily for me. It’s like I already knew you.”

Noah leaned over and put his hands on mine.

“Noah, I liked Crockett because I could do my thing and just blend in. Nobody knew I was a foster kid—well, except for a couple of teachers and the boys from the group home. But I’m not going to be able to blend in at a school like Westlake. It’s like Mean Girls—only real. Dude, I’m scared shitless. I don’t belong there. That’s like a different country.”

I still needed to let Noah know what brought everything on in the first place. I needed to tell him that it might be best to have my own room upstairs, even though I really didn’t want to do that.

“Okay, first of all—you’re not going to be alone. Mrs. C is going to set up your transfer over to Westlake. I gave her my class schedule and asked her to put you in as many of my classes as possible. Hell, I think we already are taking a lot of the same ones, anyway—so that will work itself out.”

“That’s okay. But I’m still the foster kid. I don’t want them to look down on me for that—and I definitely don’t want them feeling sorry for me. That would suck more than getting bullied.”

“Okay. I get that. So when I introduce you to my friends—of which there aren’t a lot of—I’ll introduce you as my friend who just moved into the neighborhood—which is the truth, by the way.”

“And what about the dads? If they have to come to the school for anything, they’ll be there as the foster dads. There’s no getting around that one, is there?”

“I don’t know. If there is, Andrew will know. But please, if there’s anything about this conversation I want you to remember, it’s all those things that make you special. All those things that make you great to be around. I promise you, a lot of people are going to see that and be drawn to you just like we have been.”

“Okay. I guess I just get to trust you one that because I just don’t see it. Not at all, Noah.”

Noah reached over and hugged me. Which, of course, reminded me that I needed to talk to him about some more shit. Of course, as soon as I thought about that, I tensed up, and Noah felt it.

“Nick—there’s something else, isn’t there? Something else bothering you?”

“Yeah. But let’s go to bed and talk about it in the morning. k?”

“Sure—if that what you want.”

“Yeah. Yeah. Let’s wait ‘til morning.”

We both got up and went back to bed. Thank God my spooge dried up enough to where I wasn’t miserable. I sure had a lot to think about—and of course, just thinking about all the shit I had to think about caused me to let out a sigh.

“Nick, you know you should get it off your mind, or you’ll just sleep like shit, and it’ll be even harder to talk about later.”

“I know. I know. it’s just really hard to talk about.”

“Just be honest with what you’re feeling. That’s how we do it in this family.”

“Okay. Please—please—don’t get pissed off at me.”

“Impossible—I promise.”

“Okay. So—the first time you hugged me. It was—wow—there are no words. I’ve never in my life had a hug like that. Totally fucked with my brain. Not in a bad way, though. And then you told me we would never kiss and that you had a girlfriend. Okay—that fucked with my brain—and not in such a good way. Then there was the pot. That definitely fucked with my brain. But that was cool—I liked that. And then there was the shower and jerking off. That fucked with my brain in a lot of ways. You want honesty?”

“Of course, Nick.”

“Okay. Okay—here’s some honesty. I have never been so attracted to—or so fucking turned on by another boy until I stood in that shower with you and watched you nut all over the place. At that moment, I wanted to take you in my arms. I wanted to kiss you—hard—real fucking hard. And then I wanted you to take every kind of virginity I had away. Thinking all that is what made me cum so hard. And after we went to bed, all I could think about was how much I wanted you for my boyfriend—and that it can’t ever happen.”

“Oh fuck, Nick. I’m so sorry. I wasn’t thinking about it in the right way. I just thought about bonding with you—making you feel like a brother.”

“I know that. That’s why I can’t be pissed at you. You were trying to make me feel like a part of the family—like I’ve been your brother for a long, long time. I get that. But I can’t share a shower with you anymore. I didn’t think I could sleep in the raw, but fuck. This feels way too damned good—so I’m still doing that. But we got to cut out the sex shit. I don’t think I can take that. It’s just too hard.”

“He-he-he. You said hard!”

I had to laugh at my dorky brother. “You ass! You know what I mean. You’re such a fucking dork!”

“I’m sorry. And yes, I totally get it. And it will never happen again. I promise.”

“Thanks. I feel a lot better now. I just don’t want you to be pissed at me—or worse—hate me.”

“Not gonna happen. I can absolutely promise you that. You’re way too special and awesome for me to let you go that easy. Now—let’s get some shut-eye before the dads wake up. They can—and probably will be brutally cheerful in the morning. Just warning you!”

“Thanks for listening to me, Noah. You’re pretty fucking special, too. I hope you know that.”

“Night Nick. Still love ya.”

“Love ya too.”

The next morning, David waited for Andrew to head into town for work before he woke us up. He used the intercom to let us know that breakfast would be ready in ten minutes.

Two groggy boys made their way into the bathroom to do our morning business. Noah took heed of my concerns and brushed his teeth while I took my morning piss. We switched and were both ready to more or less take on the day.

David looked up and chuckled when he saw us walk in. “Were you up all night, boys?”

“Not really, Pop. I mean, we stayed up late talking and getting to know each other. But then Nick woke up in the middle of the night, and we needed to talk through a couple of other things.”

“Everything alright? You need to talk about anything?”

“No, not really. Noah was awesome. We talked, we listened to each other. I’m still scared shitless—oh, sorry—scared about starting at Westlake next week. But Noah’s assured me he’s going to be there with me and make sure it’s all going to go okay.”

“I know it’s Spring break, but I’m sure there will be people there a day or two. How about I give them a call and see if Noah can give you a tour of the school so at least you’ll be a little familiar with your surroundings when you start? Do you think that would be helpful?”

“Yeah, that might help a little. Thanks, David.”

When breakfast was finished, We piled into the SUV and headed to the Barton Springs Mall. I was kinda ashamed when David asked what the plan was for clothes shopping. I had never been clothes shopping before. I hoped and prayed that they wouldn’t ask too many questions. I couldn’t lie to David—and that meant I hoped I wouldn’t have to say that the closest thing I ever came to shopping was Goodwill—and that was when I was a kid and still living with my mother.

The mall was another of those new experiences I was totally embarrassed to have. That’s right. If I’ve never really been clothes shopping—or to a mall. Holy fuck! This place was huge!

We walked into the entrance, and David stopped us. “So boys, we’re here to get Nick set up for school. The way I see it, he needs several casual outfits, at least two weeks’ worth of school clothes, and I would guess three or four dressy outfits. I don’t think we need to mess with suit shopping today. I think Andrew would like to do that.”

“Sound great, pop. What do you think, Nick?”

“I think that sounds like way, waaaaay too much! You shouldn’t spend that kind of money on me—really.”

Noah excused us from David and pulled me away so he couldn’t hear. That was a cool thing to do. “Dude, remember last night how concerned you were about being able to blend in?”

“Yeah, I was just being a big baby. I didn’t mean for you guys to do this!”

“Hey, don’t be a goofball. This is all a part of the plan. And that grant thing Mrs. C. told you about in the office yesterday? It’s paying for a big chunk of this. So dude—if you refuse it, think about the other kids in the future who might miss out if they think it’s not necessary!”

“Really? Really? You sound like those late-night commercials for Rescue the Children or Feed the Puppies. Jesus, Noah—you have no shame. Okay—I’ll go along with this on one condition. None of those fancy-assed expensive stores where you probably go. Let me hold on to a little pride, ‘k?”

“You got it, bro!” We headed back over to David, and he asked us what the plan was. “I’m thinking we’ll hit Buckle and A&F for the casual clothes. Then hit the Gap for some school clothes. For the nicer clothes, Nick doesn’t want to go high end, so I figured Banana Republic, and if we can’t find anything there, we’ll tackle that when we get to that bridge.”

“Sounds Great! Now I’m going to go to a movie and let you boys destroy this mall.”

He handed Noah a credit card, and from the look on his face, I’m guessing this isn’t something that happens too often.

“And Noah—don’t forget—your father and I will be online tomorrow to see what you used the card for.”

David started to walk away, then stopped and turned around. “When you’re done shopping, go head over to California Pizza Kitchen and grab some lunch. I’ll meet you there after the movie.”

“Got it! Enjoy the movie, Pop!”

And we were off to Buckle. Fuck me. I’ve never heard of that place. Noah said they had great jeans and tees. They also had some pretty cool casual shoes and socks. So, Noah had me trying on skinny jeans. Okay, they were kind of a pain in the ass getting in and out of them, but Noah said they looked awesome and made my ass look hot. Well, if that’s the opinion of the hottest boy I’ve ever known, I guess I’ll go with it.

We got three pairs, One black, an olive green pair, and he picked out this burgundy red pair. We grabbed five logo tees, some funky and colorful socks, and a pair of deck shoes. My stomach got kind of knotty when Noah declared that it was a great start.

The next stop was The Gap, where we got some button shirts and a couple of polos. I also picked out a pair of regular jeans that wouldn’t be so damned hard to get in and out of. Just when I thought we were finished at the Gap, Noah came up to me with a couple pairs of cargo shorts. Oh well, I promised him I wouldn’t argue.

A couple of stores down from the Gap was Banana Republic. We got some dressier pants, some dressier shirts, a couple of nice belts. It was definitely the nicest store I’ve ever been in. As we were walking out, Noah got a wicked gleam in his eye.

“You’re gonna love A&F! It’s a fucking gay boy’s dream!”

“What’s A&F?”

“Abercrombie and Fitch, dude. Awesome store!”

We walked quite a distance to another section of the mall, and I stopped in my tracks. I thought my eyes were going to pop out of my head when I saw a dude who was even hotter than Noah standing in front of the store—in fucking boxer briefs! Gay boy’s dream times twenty! Well, I now have some honest-to-God jerk-off material for the next month or ten!

Yeah, we picked out a shitload of boxer briefs. I totally loved this store. The walls were covered from floor to ceiling with pics of guys just as hot—and yes, even hotter than the dude out front—how is that even possible?!?

When we finished, we were loaded down with a shitload of bags. Noah suggested we head out to the car and drop them off before we do lunch. That’s when it hit me.

As we were walking out to the parking lot, out of nowhere, the tears started to fall. I really didn’t want to cry! I couldn’t help it, though. I had never been to a mall before. I had never gone shopping in real stores for clothes before. But the thing that hit me hardest was the generosity of Noah and his dads.

When we got to the car, I just collapsed against it and dropped my bags onto the ground. The sobs just kept getting stronger, and I’m pretty sure I was making a scene and embarrassing the fuck out of Noah.

“Nick, what’s wrong? Did I say something? Did I do something?”

All I could do was cry. I couldn’t talk at all.

“Dude. Talk to me! If something’s wrong, we gotta talk about it!”

I took a couple of deep breaths, but I couldn’t look at Noah.

“It—it—it’s too much. You guys have spent like—sniff—thousands of—sniff—dollars on me. That’s just too much!”

I felt like I was having a heart attack. I couldn’t breathe. It was too much—too fucking much!

Noah stood right next to me and ran his hand up and down my back. He put his head on my shoulder and whispered into my ear.

“It’s okay, Nick. Try to relax. Take a deep breath. I know this is a completely new world for you. Breathe. Breathe. It’s okay, Nick. Just keep breathing.”

“This—sniff—it’s—sniff—this is so embarrassing. I’m sorry to dump on you like this—sniff. I just don’t deserve all this.”

Noah kept rubbing my back and whispering to me. “Shhhh. That’s it—keep breathing. You’re doing great. Can I tell you something?”

“Yeah.”

“You know what you don’t deserve? You don’t deserve living in a group home with a bunch of boys who don’t give a shit about you. You don’t deserve to grow up without parents who love you unconditionally. You don’t deserve all the shit you’ve had to deal with in your life.

“But I can tell you this—you do deserve a life where you can live in a home with parents who have already fallen completely in totally in love with you. You deserve a life where you get to have whatever you need—or want—to make your dreams and hopes become your reality.

“And—you definitely deserve an awesome brother who feels connected to you like no one else in this fucking world. Me, Dad, and Pop—we love you. We love what you bring to our lives. We love this amazing new energy you have brought to our home. Yeah—you definitely deserve an awesome brother who so has your back.

“Nick. The world doesn’t get to hurt you anymore. Yeah—we spent a good amount of money on you—and I can promise the dads are going to spend some more. But you gotta know that they’re not trying to buy your love or anything. They—and me—we want to give you the kind of life you deserve. We want to make sure you are loved—and respected—just like every kid deserves.

“I love you. You’re my brother now. I’ve dreamed of this for as long as I can remember. But I can honestly tell you, I never—never dreamed that I would have a brother that is so fucking amazing.”

I finally got my breathing back under control, and the tears stopped. Noah was still rubbing my back. We just stayed there. No talking. My brain was still spinning, but even that was calming down now. Noah then placed a kiss on my cheek.

“Feeling better?”

“Yeah. Thanks.” Just then, with perfect timing, my stomach growled—no—rumbled!

“Hungry much?”

I could only smile and giggle.

“There’s that smile that makes you beautiful!”

Noah opened the back of the SUV, and we loaded the bags. I caught my reflection in the back window of the car. Fuck me! I looked terrible!

“I need to hit a restroom before we go to eat. I look like I’ve been run through the mill.”

Of course, Noah knew where to go. We walked into Nordstrom's from the parking lot and went to the restroom on the second floor. I stood in front of the mirror and looked at the puffy red eyes, and splashed some cold water on my face. That helped quite a bit, but I thought I still looked like shit.

I walked over to one of the urinals, where Noah was already relieving himself. “Thanks again, Noah. I feel kinda stupid for making such a scene. It just got way overwhelming out there.”

“No worries. Hey, look at the bright side here. We just had like this ultimate brother moment—and we survived.”

“You were amazing—it’s like you’ve been my brother forever.”

“I was scared shitless. But then it looked like you were having a panic attack, and I just talked you down. One of my friends at the theatre has a lot of panic attacks, and I learned how to do the talking down thing. Glad it helped.”

“I think you saved my life. I thought I was gonna die—in a fucking parking lot, even!”

We finished our business and washed our hands. Noah then took me into a hug and said, “I gotcher back, Nick. Don’t ever forget that, k?”

Noah wrapped me in his arms and held me close. Damn! I think that one thing is my all-time favorite thing. Fuck! I had to break away from the hug when my cock started to fill up. That boy—what he does to me!

We left the restroom and walked through the store. Damn! Nordstrom’s had some nice shit! I caught the price of one of the shirts. $97 fucking bucks??? What the fuck? Just seeing that made me feel a lot better about our shopping spree. I just rolled my eyes.

We made our way out to the mall, and California Pizza Kitchen was just down the way a bit. We walked in and heard someone shout, “Noah! Come sit with us!”

Noah smiled and waved. “Billy! Maddy!” He looked at me and asked if I was okay to sit with his friends. Well, fuck me! I guess meeting just two is better than meeting a whole fucking school at once.

I took a deep breath and told him I was okay, and he leaned into me and whispered, “Billy and Maddy are a couple of the good ones. They’re in my theatre class.” We made our way to their table and sat down at the empty chairs. That put Noah next to Maddy and me sitting next to Billy. God, I hope I didn’t start sweating!

“Billy, Maddy, this is my friend Nick. He’s going to be staying with us for a while and will be starting up at Westlake next week. Nick, this is Billy and Maddy McCallister.”

Maddy reached her hand out to me. “Welcome to our cray-cray world, Nick!” I shook her hand, and Billy put his hand on my shoulder and looked at me. “Well, if you’re a friend of Noah’s, then you’re okay by me. You just got two more friends!” Fuck! He squeezed my shoulder and smiled, sending electric-like shocks through my body.

“N-n-nice to meet you.” I looked over to Noah, and he smiled, winked, and nodded—letting me know I was doing great. I smiled back, letting him know I was good.

Billy handed me his menu, telling me he already knew what he was going to order. The server came to the table with drinks for Maddy and Billy, welcomed us, and took our drink order. She said she would be right back and give us time to look over the menu.

Now, this was one helluva pizza place. I couldn’t believe the types of pizzas they had! Hawaiin? Chipotle chicken? Jamaican jerk chicken? I decided to be safe and order a normal pizza—Sicilian. Noah said he was gonna get The Works pizza.

Of course, most of the conversation was between the three friends, but they all included me with questions. Nothing too personal. It was cool. When they found out I was a theatre kid and would be in their class, Billy got really excited.

“Dude! We’re working on the Spring showcase right now. We all have to have a solo. You have anything you can sing for Miss Garner next week?”

“I’ve just finished learning ‘Waving Through a Window,’ so I could do that unless someone else is doing it.”

“Oh man, I love Dear Evan Hansen! I don’t remember anyone singing that one, so you should be good.”

Noah had a huge grin on his face as an idea popped into his head. “Guys, I just had an idea! What if the three of us worked up ‘Sincerely Me’ for the showcase. Garner would love it, ya know!”

“Yeah! What do you think, Nick?”

“That could be a lot of fun. But who would play what part?”

Noah looked over to Maddy and asked her what she thought.

“Well, if Nick’s going to do ‘Window,’ he should sing Evan. Since Noah’s such a freakin’ pothead, he should be Conner. And since my brother’s such a total dork, he is the perfect Jared!“

“I hate you, sis! But she’s right. That sounds like perfect casting.”

I couldn’t stop smiling. I was fitting in—well, fitting in with two pretty cool kids. I looked at Maddy and asked her what she was singing for the showcase.

“I’m singing ‘Watch What Happens’ from Newsies. Then Maria Delgado and I are doing ‘A Boy Like That’ from West Side Story.”

“Billy?”

“I’m singing a song from a brand new musical that’s supposed to open in New York sometime in the next year. It’s called ‘Run Away With Me’ from The Unauthorized Biography of Samantha Brown.”

“Noah? What are you singing?”

“I’m singing a song that’s not from a musical. I had to fight hard for it, too. But when she heard it, she fell in love with it and said I could do it. It’s called ‘Hero and Leander.’ It’s one of the most beautiful songs I’ve ever heard.”

“How do you find those obscure songs? I mean, I can’t wait to hear them!”

Billy looked at me and smiled. Cute as fuck smile, by the way. “Dude! You haven’t become a true musical theatre nerd until you’ve been to one of Noah’s YouTube nights!”

Just then, our pizzas arrived. Damn! They looked good! Tasted even better! We were just about finished with lunch when David walked up to the table.

“Pop! You remember Maddy and Billy, don’t you?”

“Sure do! How are you guys enjoying your Spring Break?”

“It’s awesome, Dr. White. Maddy and I bumped into Noah and Nick and ended up having lunch together.”

“We’ve been talking about our songs for the Spring Showcase. I think the boys have pretty much made sure Nick was all psyched up for it!”

Noah seemed to get another great idea. “Hey Maddy, Billy—what are your plans for the afternoon?”

“I’m meeting some friends for a movie this afternoon. Billy just dropped me off early so we could have some lunch.”

“Yeah, I was just going home after we ate, so I’m free. What you have in mind?”

“Pop, is it okay with you if Billy comes over so the three of us can work up a song for the showcase?”

“Sure. We don’t have anything planned until dinner. What song?”

“‘Sincerely, Me’ from Dear Evan Hansen. Nick is Evan, Billy is Jared, and I’m Conner.”

“Perfect casting, if you ask me.”

Maddy smiled and thanked David.

“So boys, are you about done here? I’m sorry, the movie was a little longer than I had expected. But I had a delicious hot dog and nachos, so I’m not jealous at all!”

Billy and Maddy paid for their pizzas, and Noah took care of ours. Maddy headed to the movie theatre, and David said we had one more stop before heading home. He wanted to take me for a haircut. He said it would take less than an hour if that was okay with Noah and Billy. They said they were fine and could just play games on their phones while they waited.

So we went down to the lower level and found a place called Toni and Guy. Holy shit! Another new world for Nick Jacobs! We checked in and were sitting in the lobby when Billy leaned into me and whispered, “Don’t do anything drastic. You have the most beautiful hair. I love the long, flowing curls, and they look awesome on you.”

Wow! Billy McCallister noticed my hair? I just smiled and looked at him. “Since you asked, I’ll make sure they keep the length and curls—just clean it up a bit, okay.”

“Perfect. You really look good, Nick. Don’t let them fuck that up for you!”

I looked at Billy and cocked my head, probably looking more than a little confused.

“What?”

“What what?”

“I like you, Nick. You’re totally a good-looking boy. I just don’t want you to ruin your looks. I don’t hang with no fugly boys!”

Thank God they called me back before things got too weird. But I couldn’t wipe the shit-eating grin off my face, and I couldn’t stop thinking about my new ginger friend with the killer smile.

I sat in a chair with Victor running his fingers through my hair. He told me I had beautiful hair and that I was one of the lucky ones. He asked what I wanted to have done, and I told him I just wanted some trimming and shaping. I really didn’t want to lose the long hair look or the curls. Victor seemed pleased with my choice and sent me back to get my hair washed.

Oh. My. God. Whoever thought getting your hair washed would be such an amazing experience! Eddie was the guy washing my hair. He used this shampoo that smelled kinda minty but made my scalp tingle. He said it was Tea Tree Shampoo. I liked it! Then he applied the conditioner, and I was sent to heaven. For the next five minutes, he massaged my scalp. Sweet Jesus! I was in heaven. Thank God I had a plastic cloak on, or he would have seen my big ol’ hard dick!

When he finished and rinsed the conditioner out of my hair, I was sad that the whole experience ended, but then I made a decision. This new life I was being brought into was pretty fucking awesome. No more doubting. No more panic attacks. I decided to listen to Noah’s words out in the parking lot. Maybe I actually did deserve all this wonderful stuff after all—because up until the last two days, my life had been pretty much shit—and no one, not even Nick Jacobs, deserves a life like that.

Victor came back and led me to his chair. He clipped and fluffed and clipped some more. When he finished cutting, he showed me how to dry my hair without losing my curls. When he was finished, I was amazed. It looked really great—kinda the same but shaped a lot better.

He took me back out to the lobby, and the guys looked at me with nods of approval. Victor asked me if I wanted to get any product. I mentioned the shampoo, and David grabbed a bottle of it along with the conditioner.

“Are we ready to head home?”

And we did. Noah winked at me and suggested I ride with Billy. I liked the idea, too, and we headed out of the mall by the movie theatres. Billy led me to his bright blue Hyundai Veloster.

“Nice wheels!”

“Yeah, I love this car. Birthday present from the parentals.”

We got in the car, and Billy powered up the satellite radio to my new favorite channel—Broadway! We sang our way home, which kinda relieved me. I was hoping it wouldn’t be a ride of questions. I mean, I’m sure they would come along sooner or later. I just didn’t want to deal with that yet.

While we were singing, it hit me that I didn’t want Billy to see the shitload of clothes we bought. I pulled out my phone and texted Noah—my only contact.

NICKOJACO: dude. can we wait until Billy leaves to unpack the car? don’t want to explain why I have a whole new wardrobe.

NOAHQBSWIM: sure. i’ll let pop know. BTW. billy is so totally into you.

NICKOJACO: shut up. you’re cray-cray.

NOAHQBSWIM: no! he asked me if you were single and if you might be interested in him?

NICKOJACO: really? don’t bullshit me!

NOAHQBSWIM: he’s kinda shy about this kind of thing so he probably won’t say anything to you for a while.

NICKOJACO: we’re listening to and singing showtunes. he’s hardly talked to me at all.

NOAHQBSWIM: yup. he’s got it bad! pulling into the gate. cya soon, bro! xoxo

Billy pulled up to the gate and punched in a code. The gates opened, and we headed to the house. Billy stopped the car a few houses down the street.

“This isn’t the house, Billy.”

“I know.” He gripped the steering wheel tightly and looked straight ahead. “I just want to ask you something before we go in.”

“Everything okay?”

“Yeah. Hopefully better than okay. I—erm—you—would you like to go to a movie with me some night this week?”

“Yeah. That would be great. Noah, too?”

“No. Just you and me. Kinda like a—like a—a date?”

‘Oh! You mean like a date date?”

Billy looked over at me and had the cutest, most hopeful look on his face. Like he even thought I would say no!

“I think that would be awesome. I’ll have to check with David and Andrew and see what nights I’m free, but I would love to go on a date with you, Billy McCallister.”

He leaned over and hugged me. “You’ve just made me the happiest boy in the world, Nick Jacobs!”

I couldn’t stop smiling, and then he shocked the fuck out of me. He kissed me! It was a short, sweet kiss on the lips. My eyes got wide as saucers, but the smile didn’t go away.

“Too much?”

“Hell no, not enough! But we need to get to the house, or Noah’s gonna think you got lost!”

Billy put the car back in gear, and we pulled into the driveway. Holy shit! Billy McCallister is into me! Billy McCallister asked me out for a date! Holy Shit! Billy McCallister kissed me!