Butterflies Fly Free - 13. Chapter 13 - Getting To Know You

The boys decided to play a full court game, even though I tried to convince them Colt might learn more if we kept it to half-court the first time or two. Actually, I was more concerned about my own situation and being able to keep up with the rest of them, seeing they were in better shape than I was. Unfortunately, I would soon discover how badly out of shape I was.

We started to match up and I wanted to guard Colt, but that was not to be. Instead, I was told to guard Gary, a cute 5’ 10” (178 cm) blond with blue eyes, while Jason paired up against Colt. I noticed that Jason seemed to be doing a lot of hand-checking with Colt, and was frequently touching his lower back or butt, but I simply wrote that off as the way he played the game. I knew, however, that he would have to break this habit when playing on the high school or a college team, because the refs would be quick to call a holding foul every time he did it.

The boys showed early that they liked to run, so I tried to keep up with them as best I could. After about twenty minutes of nonstop running, I was starting to get a cramp, so I called a time out, walked off the court and moved onto the grass. As I bent over to catch my wind, I lost my breakfast.

Whoosh! It was out of me before I knew what was happening. Having had this happen, I felt like an idiot and knew the boys were either laughing their asses off or becoming ill themselves, after seeing and smelling the unanticipated results. Colt immediately raced over to my side, to see if I was all right and lovingly rubbed my back, as he asked if I was feeling ok. I was just about to answer him when, wham, he did the same thing and deposited his breakfast on the grass too. I guess the smell from my recent deposit had triggered his gag reflex, so now there were two partially digested meals on the lawn.

When we turned around and faced the others, we saw Jason nearly rolling on the ground in hysterics, but he was smart enough not to come over and risk losing his breakfast too. The other boys were being very polite and trying to stifle their laughter, although Colt and I were still extremely embarrassed by what had just happened. In an attempt to give us a little extra time to get over this, we walked over to the drinking fountain, took a mouth of water to rinse away the nasty taste, and then spit the water onto the ground. Once we felt our stomachs were settled again, we drank a little of the water to re-hydrate and make sure our bellies weren’t quite so empty. The boys gave us a few more minutes before we continued, and then they suggested we switch to a half-court game. I certainly wasn’t about to argue.

The rest of the game was fun, hard fought and uneventful, at least as far as the non-basketball related activities went. The two big guys, Bert and Simon, battled hard against each other, yet they were still able to help out a lot on defense. I had a great deal of trouble guarding Gary, because he was so damn quick, so it was nice to know that Albert was there to back me up.

As predicted, Ben shot the lights out and took the pressure off of the rest of us offensively. No matter how hectic things got though, I still had time to be impressed by Colt’s natural ability and raw talent. He was doing fairly well, even though Jason wasn’t cutting him any slack. I was really impressed one time when Colt helped out Ron, who was guarding the hot shooting Ben. Not only did Colt block Ben’s shot and nearly ram the ball down Ben’s throat, he was also able to maintain control of the ball and turn it into a score for his team. With a bit more instruction and polish, he could become a real threat on the court.

When the game ended, my team had won by two baskets, with very little help from me, or at least I didn’t think I was much help. The boys were quite generous in their praise though and told me I’d done well, at least after I’d barfed my guts out, but I was convinced they were only saying this because Colt lived with me. After the rest of the boys went home, Jason and Colt got back into my car and I set out for our place, because Jason wanted to spend some more time with us.

“You guys were so funny when you blew chunks,” Jason teased, as soon as I started the car.

“I wouldn’t have done it, if I hadn’t gone over to see if Leo was ok,” Colt shot back, defensively.

“And I wouldn’t have done it if you had told me we were playing so early,” I added. “I probably wouldn’t have eaten until after we got home, if I’d known that.”

“Yeah, sure,” Jason continued, “and then we would have missed out on all the fun.”

He was laughing hysterically again and I couldn’t let him have the last word.

“The next time I have the urge to barf, then I’ll make sure I do it on you, so you can really have a good laugh,” I shot back.

“Ewww, that’s gross,” he gasped out. “Hey, I ate a big breakfast too and I didn’t upchuck, so it wasn’t just that we ate first.”

“Yeah, but you didn’t go over to help Leo and end up smelling that crap,” Colt told him, “or you would have puked like I did.”

The boys continued their verbal sparring all the way home, but once they got going, I backed out of the discussion. I’d already done my part in this little fiasco, by providing them with the initial fodder, so I wasn’t about to thrust myself back into the spotlight. I felt it was best to let them continue their harmless bickering, while I kept out of harm’s way.

Once we got back to the house, I let the boys spend some time alone inside, while I puttered around outdoors. They watched a movie while they unwound and then went into my bedroom and got on the computer for a while. When I came inside, I headed back to my bedroom to clean up and noticed them in there. I wasn’t sure what they were doing, but I wasn’t about to invade their privacy either, because if Colt was legally independent, then I had no right to monitor his activities. For that reason, I went into the hall bathroom instead and merely sponged off, so they could carry on uninterrupted.

As I was fixing dinner, Colt raced out to the kitchen and seemed anxious to ask me something. I wasn’t sure what this could be about, but I encouraged him to go ahead and pose his query.

“Leo, would you mind if Jason stayed over again tonight?” he asked, catching me off guard.

I had expected Jason to stay for dinner, but this current request was a bit of a surprise. It wasn’t really a big deal though, but I realized I still had to ask a few questions first.

“Has he checked with his parents yet?” I asked.

“He wanted to make sure it was ok with you first, before he called them,” Colt informed me. “He says they won’t have a problem with it anyway.”

“Ok, but have him call to make sure,” I explained. “If they say it’s ok, then he is welcome to stay tonight or anytime he wants, as long as he has his parents permission.”

“Thanks, Leo,” Colt squealed, as he hugged my chest and kissed me on the cheek.

I thought doing this was a fairly brave of him, since we didn’t know if Jason might appear at any second, but Colt didn’t seem to care. After he released me, he went off to tell Jason the good news.

Later, when I called the boys for dinner, Jason approached me.

“Leo, thanks for letting me stay longer,” he began. “I really like it here and it’s much better than being home alone and bored.”

“I take it your parents didn’t have a problem with you staying another night then?” I pressed, mildly.

“Nah, as long as I’m not getting into trouble, they couldn’t care less,” Jason replied.

I thought this was sort of a strange response, since I had been under the impression that Jason came from a well-to-do, loving and caring family. Apparently, having money does not always mean a good home life.

“As I told Colt,” I explained, “you are welcome to stay anytime, as long as you clear it with your parents first.”

Jason smiled at me and spoke again.

“Thanks, Leo. You really are as cool as Colt said,” he added.

I must have blushed a little, because both boys looked at me and began to giggle, before they glanced at each other. At first, I wasn’t sure if that was some sort of private communication between them, but they seemed to have passed some kind of a message without saying a word.

It happened to be a warm night, so about an hour after we finished eating dinner I offered to take the boys out for some ice cream. Both of them jumped at the idea, so we loaded back into the car and headed out to one of the local establishments. We all decided to get a sundae and the boys wolfed theirs down in no time flat. Of course, they had to sit and wait for me, as usual, but they used the time to chat about a bunch of other things, as I continued with my dessert. I was impressed with how well they were getting along and how comfortable they felt in each other’s presence, even with me being there too. It was really nice seeing Colt have such a good time, while I watched him interact and bond with such a great friend.

The boys decided to watch another movie after we got back and asked me to join them. I had had lowered the thermostat before we left for ice cream and the house had cooled down nicely, so I agreed to their request. They had me sit on the couch, next to Colt, and Jason sat on the other side of him. This was a little different than the previous night, when one sat on either side of me, but this time it was what I had expected to happen in the first place. I guess that last night they were just trying to make me feel good and part of the group for letting them spend the time together at my place.

About halfway through the movie, I happened to glance over and noticed that Jason had his head on Colt’s shoulder. I figured he was probably tired and thought nothing more of it at the time. When the movie ended, I told the boys I was heading to bed, but they could stay up, as long as they made sure everything was turned off and the door was locked when they went to bed. They quickly informed me they had decided to go to bed too, so I stayed behind and took care of those tasks instead. Once that process had been completed, I made my way to my bedroom and got ready to sleep. I was pretty worn out myself, because the basketball game had taken more out of me than I had thought.

I slept like a log that night and don’t remember dreaming or getting up at all during that time, even to use the toilet. Therefore, when I woke up the following morning, I was totally refreshed and rearing to go at my normal time and felt like a new man, although one who really had to urinate. After going to the toilet, I took a shower and then got dressed, before I opened the bedroom door and noticed something strange. The door to the spare bedroom was wide open, which I didn’t expect, so I peeked inside to see if Jason was all right, but the room was empty. In fact, it appeared as if the bed hadn’t even been slept in. I knew Jason had slept in there the previous night, because I had gone in and made the bed after we got home from the basketball game, so I guess he and Colt must have agreed to share Colt’s bed instead last night. Since I didn’t see that as a problem, I went to the kitchen and made a pot of coffee.

After the coffee was brewing, I went outside and grabbed the Sunday paper, so I could sit down, read it and relax while sipping my coffee. It always took me quite a while to make my way through the Sunday monstrosity, but I managed to breeze through the first three sections before Colt and Jason rose from the dead and came stumbling into the dining room to join me. Once again, they were clad only in their underwear.

“You guys couldn’t find your clothes again?” I quipped.

“Hey, it’s only us. What’s the big deal?” Colt shot back.

“Ok, I won’t push it then,” I conceded. “So what would you like for breakfast? I can give you cereal, eggs, English muffins…”

I hadn’t finished the list before I got cut off.

“Yeah, that sounds good,” Colt replied.

“Yeah, what sounds good?” I asked, confused.

“All of it sounds good. We’ll take cereal, eggs and English muffins,” he explained, with Jason nodding in agreement.

I decided to merely accept his answer and not ask any more questions, but then I decided I needed a little more information from them first.

“How would you like your eggs?” I wanted to know.

“How about scrambled,” Jason suggested, with Colt quickly agreeing.

It seems I now had their order, so all I had to do was fix it.

“Colt, you guys can chose your own cereal, but could you get the milk out and then pour three glasses of O.J. while I’m whipping up the eggs?”

Colt looked at me groggily, so I wasn’t sure he heard what I’d said, but then he answered.

“Sure, Leo. No problem,” he mumbled.

He then sent Jason to the cupboard to select a box of cereal, while he went to the refrigerator to grab the milk and juice. He then set the containers on the counter, so he could grab three bowls, three spoons and three glasses from their appropriate locations, while I poured the dozen eggs I had just scrambled into the frying pan and popped the English muffins into the toaster.

It wasn’t long before we were enjoying our breakfast together, even though I had to get up a couple of times to put more English muffins in the toaster for them. I even gave them most of the scrambled eggs and took only a little for myself and then I filled up by downing two English muffins instead. They each had three, along with a couple of bowls of cereal, so it was a good thing I make a decent salary.

Once they’d finished eating, Jason and Colt chilled out for a bit, before they went outside to play a little one-on-one and I was happy they didn’t ask me to join them. When they finished their game, they came inside and messed around on the computer for a while and stayed on it until it was time for lunch.

“When are you supposed to be home?” I asked Jason, while we were eating.

“I guess pretty much anytime. My parents won’t care, as long as I’m home before bedtime tonight,” he responded, which made me wonder about his home life.

“Leo, Jason and I were talking earlier,” Colt informed me, “and we were wondering if it would be alright if Jason stayed here again next weekend.”

I wasn’t ready for this question, because this was beginning to infringe on my quality time with Colt. I really didn’t have a problem with Jason spending some time with us, but the entire weekend, every weekend?

“Jason, don’t you think your parents might like to see you for a while?” I asked, somewhat concerned.

I didn’t want to cause problems between his parents and him, because they might have plans for the family to spend time together. Not only that, but I wouldn’t mind having some of that time alone with Colt.

“Not likely,” he answered quickly, while easily dismissing the idea. “They’re too busy working and making money, and when they’re not doing that, they’re out partying with their business associates or trying to impress prospective clients.”

Hearing his response made me feel sorry for him, but I felt I needed to explore this situation further,

“Don’t you ever do things together, as a family?” I followed.

“Oh, yeah, once in a while they have a family business gathering and then I’m expected to be there and help them impress everybody,” he quipped, with a sneer. “Those things are so boring that I wish I could find a way to get out of going to them too.”

I saw Colt’s mouth drop open and he quickly glanced at me, to gauge my reaction. I was feeling the same way, but I was better at hiding it.

“You mean your mom and dad don’t take you places or spend time with you?” Colt basically gasped.

“Yeah, I guess they do during the holidays or if we go visit family. That’s when they try to make everyone think we normally do stuff like that together,” Jason replied, without much emotion, “but I don’t mind. I actually enjoy it more when we’re not together. I get tired of having to act like I’m their business partner or some kind of trophy.”

Colt looked as if he was in a state of shock and I had a good idea what he was thinking. He thought his family life was bad, but now he was beginning to understand that he wasn’t the only one whose parents were a disappointment.

“What do your parents do Jason?” I asked next, hoping to discover more.

“They’re into real estate,” he answered, simply.

“You mean they sell properties?” I countered, trying to get him to clarify his statement a little more.

“Well, they do have their own Real Estate company,” he began, “but they have a bunch of employees to take care of the small stuff. My ‘rents spend most of their time getting new tenants to fill the different places they have. They own the Eastside mall and a couple of office buildings downtown, plus they have a bunch of apartment buildings, but they have employees to take care of those too.”

“Damn!” Colt exclaimed. “They own all that?”

Now, Colt actually looked as if he was in shock. I don’t think he could understand how Jason’s family could have so much, yet do so little for their son.

“Yeah, and they expect me to take over the real estate company some day,” Jason told us, while saying this almost as if he had something bitter in his mouth, “’cept I don’t want to spend my life working like they do. I want to have some time to have fun too.”

I suddenly had a new appreciation for Jason’s situation and I think Colt did as well. Having heard his story, I made my decision. Even though it would be an inconvenience for me, I was willing to do this for him, since I knew he needed it just as much as Colt had.

“As long as your parents don’t mind,” I reiterated, “then you’re welcome to stay here next weekend too.”

Both boys seemed pleased with my response, but there were still many unanswered questions. I didn’t want to do it now, but I wanted to find out more about Jason and his family.

Jason had dinner with us first and then rode his bike home shortly thereafter, even though I’d offered to give him a lift. When he declined, I wasn’t sure why. Was it that he didn’t want us to know where he lived, he didn’t want us to meet his family or he felt it would take longer this way, so he didn’t have to spend as much time at home? I wasn’t sure, but I opted not to pursue the issue. Once he was gone, Colt came to find me, so we could talk.

“Can you believe what Jason said about his family?” he asked. “They almost sound as bad as my ‘rents.”

I didn’t know quite how to respond to his statement, but I knew I had to come up with something. I understood he was concerned about his new friend, but I realized it was also dragging up unpleasant memories about his own situation.

“I had a feeling you might feel that way,” I confessed. “There’s an old adage that money can’t buy love, and if what Jason told us is completely accurate, then it looks as if his parents love money more than they do their son.”

“Why would they have kids then?” Colt asked next, which seemed like a fair question.

“It could have been that he was unplanned or that at one time they actually wanted a family,” I told him. “Maybe they believe they are showing him love by doing so well and giving him so much, but it’s hard to say. Different people look at life and how they live it differently than we do.”

“Well, I don’t think they’re looking at him at all,” Colt shot back. “From what Jason said, they only know they have a son whenever they need him to make them look good. Parents are supposed to be there for their children, not the other way around.”

“I won’t disagree with you,” I responded, “but I doubt we’re going to change them, so it won’t do Jason or us any good to get all worked up about it. We’ll just have to make sure he has a place where he can come that will make him happy and feel wanted. Ok?”

Colt threw his arms around my chest and squeezed tightly, as he began to kiss me. I realized this wasn’t because I’d done anything special for him – well not directly, but he was appreciative that I was also willing to help take care of his friend.

“Thank you, Leo,” he squealed, “You were not only willing to take a chance on helping me, but now you’re willing to help Jason too. You’re so nice and really special, and I think Jason will come to love you just as I have.”

Colt suddenly thrust his mouth against mine again, but this time he used his tongue to part my lips. I readily acquiesced and soon our tongues were dueling in a playful expression of our love. Colt didn’t seem to want to break the kiss, so we continued on like this for some time, while taking turns sucking on each other’s oral muscle. When he felt he had enough, Colt released me, but just stood there gazing into my face.

“I hope Jason doesn’t actually love me the same way you do, because you’re wearing me out,” I quipped.

“I hope not either, because I want you all to myself,” he replied, while giving me one of his most seductive looks.

“Hey, you have school tomorrow and I have to work,” I reminded him, while trying to distract him from the thoughts currently going through his mind. “Do you have all your homework done?”

“I have a little more to do,” he responded, rolling his eyes.

“Then why don’t you go finish it and then we can spend the rest of the time together, before we go to bed,” I suggested.

“I can do it tomorrow in study hall,” he protested.

“Look, I know you didn’t do it because Jason came over,” I reminded him, “so if Jason’s visits are going to upset your work habits, then I may have to reconsider letting him come over so much.”

I knew I was sounding like a parent again, but I thought he needed some motivation.

“Alright, you win,” Colt conceded, “but this isn’t fair. I thought I was my own boss and could make my own decisions now,” he added, as he gave me an evil glare.

“You are and you can do your homework whenever you want,” I countered, “but I get to make the decisions about my house and who’s welcome here and when.”

“Ok, ok. I’m going,” he told me.

As he walked away, Colt gave me a semi-disgusted look as he headed toward his room. I knew he’d get over it quickly, but it’s tough playing so many different roles with him – such as friend, protector, confidant, occasionally lover and sometimes even parent, plus who knows what else.

After thinking about this for a few minutes, I suddenly switched my thoughts to Jason and wondered if maybe I should try to help him too. I thought maybe I’d start by doing a little investigation of my own during the coming week, to see if I could find out more about his family. Possibly that would help me understand his situation better.

The rest of the night passed by fairly swiftly and I went to bed early. I peeked in on Colt before doing so, to bid him good night, and he was still working on his homework. Seeing this, I knew he couldn’t have finished it during a study hall, had I not pushed him into getting it done tonight, but I decided not to mention it. He already looked fairly stressed and fatigued, so I didn’t linger and let him get back to his work. I merely bid him goodnight and then went to my room.

I had been in bed for quite some time, when I felt the bed move beside me. I hadn’t even heard the door to my room open, but I did feel Colt sliding over and cuddling up behind me.

“I wasn’t sure you’d be joining me tonight,” I whispered, half awake.

“Why?” Colt asked, confused.

“I thought you might have gotten out of the habit over the weekend,” I replied, “and you didn’t look too happy with me a little while ago, when I made you go do your homework.”

“Actually, I’m glad you did,” he replied. “It took me a lot longer to finish than I’d expected, so I wouldn’t have been able to finish it all in study hall. And I’ll never get out of the habit of sleeping with you either.”

After saying this, he hugged me tightly from behind, so I placed my arm over his and squeezed. His little show of affection had eased the doubts I’d been having and helped me enjoy a wonderful night’s sleep.