The Pastel Cowboy - 3. A Lot Of Money

“Zach! What are you doing? Anything important?”

“And, a wonderful hello to you, too, Steven,” Zach said, wondering what could be so important on a Wednesday evening. “I’m studying. I’m in college. That’s what college students do. God, I never imagined there’d be so much reading.”

“Well, you’re the fool who decided to take four subjects this term,” Steven said. “Look, kiddo, I need a really big favor.”

“What?” Zach asked. There was a queasy feeling in his stomach and it wasn’t from supper which was actually good, the fried chicken actually looked and tasted like chicken, a bit greasy, but it wasn’t texturized vegetable protein doctored to resemble chicken. Why go to the bother of wrapping fake meat around real bones? Well, they did look like real chicken bones.

“Look, I know we haven’t gotten you completely trained, but I have a client who’ll pay big bucks for a cowboy tonight.”

“What? Not completely trained? I’ve come in my pants. That’s it!”

“You sucked my cock and did a very good job, too, let me tell you; and, that’s all you have to do for Lon. Come on, Davey, will you please go suck Lon’s dick. He’s going to pay a lot of money. All you have to do is wear what you had on Saturday.”

“I’ll call you back in a few minutes,” Zach said, then pushed the END button. Then he turned the phone off.

He swallowed and stared at the short story he had to read. Then there was the calculus homework, forty problems. The American history text had to be read. He needed to read at least fifty pages a day until mid-terms and that was four weeks away. He could put off the psychology text, but had to review his notes. He had to do that.

Then he felt a tear dribble down his cheek. His eyes were watery. He went over to the sink and splashed water on his face. He looked in the mirror, but didn’t see a whore looking back at him. It was just a teenager. He was still a kid, really, legally. He wasn’t even eighteen and the guy he was falling in love with wanted him to go out and suck another guy’s dick. Was it as simple as that?

He ran his fingers over his face and picked up the electric razor. He had a bit of stubble to clean up, not much. He didn’t have that many whiskers. Facial hair wasn’t a distinguishing characteristic in his family. He’d never have to buy stock in Gillette, even if you could. He’d have to brush his teeth, too.

He looked in the mirror and saw another tear dribble down his cheek. God! What am I, the “Crying Cowboy?” He asked himself as he started undressing. Halfway through, he picked up the phone and entered Steven’s speed dial number.

“Hello, Zach?”

“Yeah, I’ll do it.”

“Great! Look all you have to do is suck his dick. He won’t do anything else. You probably won’t get off at all. He lives over in Ballard. He’d like you to stop by at eight. Can you make it?”

“Yeah, what’s the address?” Zach got out his map, then fired up the laptop and opened his map program. At least it was still light out. He couldn’t imagine trying to find a house in this city in the dark, but he’d probably end up doing that, too. He entered the address Steven gave him and charted his course. Actually, it looked pretty easy, once he got out of North Park. Then looking at the map, he decided if he went out the east side of campus and down Thornton Creek Boulevard to North Park Boulevard he could go straight west to Holman Road and follow that up to Crown Hill. Yeah, this was doable.

“Can you come over to my apartment afterwards?”

“Sure, I’ll probably need a blowjob, myself.”

“You got it, kiddo. I want you to know, I really, really, appreciate this Davey. I really do.”

“Okay, Stevie, anything for you.”

The house was big, bigger than anything Zach ever saw. It wasn’t a mansion, but it was big. He parked the Ranger in the circular drive and went up to the front door. It was two minutes to eight. He rang the doorbell and waited, getting more nervous. He took out a tissue and daubed his leaky eyes.

The door opened and a little girl, probably not much more than eight, stood there looking up at him. She had long, black hair done up in braids that hung down her back. She was wearing one of those white robes and pajama outfits karate students wore.

“Yes?” She asked.

“Is Lon here?”

“Just a minute,” she said, turning and walking away. “Daddy! It’s for you!”

Zach stood there trying not to think he’d have an audience. What kind of weirdo would let his eight year old daughter watch him get blown by a cowboy?

A middle-aged man with graying temples and wearing a purple sweat suit came to the door. He was about as tall as Zach and slender, almost skinny. His face was tanned and he had dark eyes.

“Why don’t you come in and wait in my study,” Lon said. “My wife is a little late getting the kids to their tae kwon do lessons. It shouldn’t be a minute. Oh, my, God, your dick, oh, shit, yeah, you wait, it will be just a minute.”

Zach followed him into the house and into a room full of bookshelves.

“I’ll be right back, oh god, you so cute! And, your dick!”

Zach adjusted himself thinking about what was about to happen. It seemed so simple a couple hours ago when he put on the boxer briefs. They definitely held his package better than the regular briefs. Now, with Mommy and the kiddies on their way to tae kwon do, it sounded so farcical. Obviously, Mommy was late. If she’d been on time, Lon would have answered the door and Zach probably would have sucked him in the foyer because Lon was definitely ready to have his balls drained. Zach could see it in his eyes.

The door opened and Lon stepped in. Shutting the door and locking it, he said, “Look, my wife has the shits and I’ll have to take Suzy, Derek, and Conan to their lessons. God, you’re so cute, take off your hat. Oh, my god, your hair is so wavy, so soft.”

Zach stood there as Lon’s hands and fingers were all over him and through his hair, but mostly on his dick and ass. It wasn’t more than a whisper, “Suck me, suck me now.”

Zach got down on his knees and pulled the sweatpants down. Lon was wearing a jockstrap. He was hard. He wasn’t that big either. There wasn’t any danger of worrying about that thing getting down his throat, it was simply too short. Zach put his mouth over the bulbous head and put his hand on Lon’s ass. It happened so quick, Zach almost wasn’t ready for it. Three quick bursts and then a dribble. It was over. It was easy, almost too easy.

“Great, man, thanks, oh, what’s your name if I need to ask for you again?”

Zach thought for a second. “Billy, you can call me Billy.” It was his father’s name, he deserved to be sucking cock more than Zach.

“Great, Billy, you were wonderful, but you got to leave. Here’s your money. I put in a little extra. You don’t know how much I appreciate this.”

Zach took the envelope and watched Lon put himself back together. When they opened the door, Suzy was standing there. She gave Zach the weirdest look, then said to her father, “Daddy, we’re late! Come on! Derek and Conan are already in the car. I’ll let your guest out the door.”

Zach followed Suzy thinking how absurd it was for this to be happening. She opened the door and stood there almost like she was expecting something. Zach feared the worst.

“Mommy and Daddy stopped having sex after Conan was born. You’re not the first, but you’re definitely cuter than any of the other boys. Good night, Billy.”

“Good night, Suzy,” Zach said. He heard the latch click and the deadbolt slide in with a quiet thunk. It was all so absurd and she’d obviously been listening at the door.

Steven was naked and had a hard-on when he opened his door with a flourish. Zach walked in and saw that the futon was down and the brandy bottle sitting on the table next to a shot glass. Was that his reward for sucking Lon? He heard the door shut and Steven’s hands were all over him.

“Here’s your money,” Zach said as he started to take off his shirt. Steven took the envelope and opened it.

“Ohmigod! There’s eleven hundred in here. I told him five hundred. He gave you a six hundred dollar tip. What the hell did you do to him?”

“Sucked his dick and met his daughter,” Zach said, sitting down on the futon to take off his boots. Steven sat down beside him and started rubbing his left nipple. Zach laid back and felt Steven undoing his jeans.

“Suzy will probably have cookies ready for you next time,” Steven said as he worked on pulling off Zach’s tight jeans.

“You’re kidding, aren’t you?”

“No, I’m not. Did you meet the boys?”

“No, they were going to tae kwon do.”

“Oh, that’s right, this is Wednesday. What were they doing home?”

“Mommy had the shits.”

Steven climbed up and stretched himself out on Zach’s naked body. Zach welcomed Steven’s lips as they pressed against his own. Their kiss was long, deep, and filled with youthful passion. Zach ran his hands over Steven’s smooth, hairless body as if he was searching for some hidden treasure. He wanted this to go on forever, but knew he had to get back to studying. He didn’t have much time, but he didn’t want to hurry what was happening. A tear dribbled out of his eye. He felt Steven’s lips on his cheek.

“You cry too much Davey,” Steven said.

“I can’t help it. I was daubing my eyes when Suzy opened the door.”

“I’m going to do something I shouldn’t,” Steven said, climbing off Zach and running into the bathroom. When he came back he had a condom. “I know you have to get back to the dorm, but I think this won’t take any time at all. My Davey is hot to trot.”

He slipped the condom down over Zach’s erection. Then straddling the boy’s waist he lowered himself down onto Zach, who looked up into Steven’s eyes as pleasure receptors in his dick began to send the most incredible sensations to his mind. He couldn’t believe what was happening, what he was feeling, and what Steven was doing for him. And, then, Steven lay down on Zach’s chest and sucked a nipple into his mouth, nibbling at it with his teeth.

Zach held onto Steven’s hips as he thrust into the warmth enveloping him. This was so hot and it was so overpowering. His mind wasn’t keeping up with all the input coming from his dick, nipples, as Steven was busily pinching the other one, too, and the feel of Steven’s skin under his hands. He wanted this to go on forever, but his body had other ideas.

“Oh, god, Stevie!” Zach moaned as the orgasm swept through his body, flooding his mind with more pleasure than he’d ever felt before. He tried to force his pulsing dick deeper into Steven’s hot body, but that wasn’t necessary because Steven raised himself up taking all Zach could give.

“How’s that?” Steven asked. His ass muscles were milking the engorged rod embedded inside him, but stopped as soon as Zach’s hand enveloped his unsatisfied throbbing cock almost duplicating the sensations he had been giving Zach.

“You didn’t come,” Zach whispered. “What am I going to have to do to you?”

“You worry too much,” Steven said, lowering himself down onto Zach’s muscular body to kiss away another tear dribbling down the boy’s cheek. “You cry too much, too.”

“I want you to do me,” Zach said, lifting Steven off him and putting the skinny body down rather roughly beside him.

“No, we can’t do that. Your ass is too valuable right now for me to fuck you.” He was smiling and started to play with Zach’s right nipple.

“What do you mean by valuable?” Zach asked. That queasy feeling was coming back.

“Do you remember Sunday morning when I said some of my clients would give thousands to be with you?”

“Yeah, kinda.”

“Well, the bidding hit ten thousand the last time I looked,” Steven said, pinching the nipple, causing Zach to cringe.

“You got my ass on ebay?”

“No, nothing so public like that, you’re on my website.”

“You’re selling my ass?” Zach asked. He sat up and pulled the come filled condom off his softening dick. He looked at Steven smiling back at him. “You’re disgusting.”

“Come on, Zach, it’ll be fun. There’re conditions. You have to be taught to fuck. There’ll be no slam bang, thank you Johnny. No, it’ll be a classy fuck. Long and deep, and we’ll get you ready, too. All nice and clean. You’ll wear your cowboy suit, of course. We’ll get you all shaved and trimmed, too. It’ll be the fuck of a lifetime.”

“But, I wanted you do it the first time,” Zach said, feeling himself losing before he even got a chance to hear all the rules. “I’m, well you know, I’m starting to like you an awful lot, you know.”

“No! You can’t love me, Davey,” Steven said, sitting up then getting to his feet. “I won’t allow you to fall in love with me. I won’t allow it!”

He was practically yelling. Zach looked up into Steven’s face and saw more fear than anger.

“You don’t have to like me for me to love you,” Zach said reaching out and placing a hand on Steven’s smooth hip. He smiled and tried to imagine Steven entering him. Would it hurt like some of the stories said, or would pleasure overwhelm whatever pain might have been there because he relaxed himself as the stories implied was possible? However it was to be, he wanted Steven to be his first.

“Look, Davey, ten thousand. Do you having any idea how much that is?”

“Yeah, I do. I had five of them in the bank until I paid for this term’s tuition.”

“But, I’ll give you a share.”

“I would expect that,” Zach said hoping saying that wasn’t implying he was agreeing to the deal. “It’s my ass. I’d expect most of it.”

“Then you’ll do it?”

“Oh, come on, Stevie, I want you to do it. I want you to be my memory of my first time. Don’t you have a special memory of your first time?”

“No, my first was some cowboy in the back of his pickup at the Midland Rodeo. I was eleven. I let five cowboys fuck me that weekend.”

“Oh, my god, you’ve been doing this shit since you were eleven?”

“No, I started sucking them when I was nine. I looked six, but I was nine. They paid good bucks for a blowjob from a six year old, or so they thought, the fools. Now, we’re going to make a lot of money, a lot of money on this deal. Are you going along with it, or are you going to put your clothes on and walk out that door?”

Zach looked through Steven’s anger, but there wasn’t a little boy in those eyes anymore. This was business, pure and simple. His ass was a treasure, a once in a lifetime treasure. This wasn’t even about being gay. This was about getting a lot of money from letting someone like Lon fuck him. There wasn’t any pleasure implied in the deal. He’d have to ooh and ahh, moan and, probably, scream a little, too, but it’d be faked. Wouldn’t it?

“Fifteen thousand,” Zach said getting to his feet and walking toward the bathroom to wash his come covered dick. He turned back to Steven. “That’s what I want out of the deal. I don’t care how much you get, but I want fifteen thousand for selling my virginity.”

“Will you do a couple johns? Fifteen thousand is an awful lot for one, we might scare them off.”

“No, one, uh, john and I want him to make me like what he’s doing to me. I want to enjoy having his dick up my ass. You might not have enjoyed your first fuck, but I want to remember mine as something pleasurable. Okay? And, I’ll sleep with him. I’ll spend the night so he can fuck me more than once. Fifteen thousand for a willing virgin who’ll probably cry before, during, and after the event.”

“Oh, you’ll knock him dead if you cry,” Steven said walking over to Zach. He was still hard and Zach took it in his hand. “Ohmigod, you’re crying now.”

Zach lowered himself and took Steven into his mouth. At least he enjoyed doing this. This was being gay.

Zach made it through Calculus practically scribbling his problems down on the paper. It was messy, but it was done and it was done right. Math was easy, English was difficult. Doctor Jeffers came in after everyone had taken their seats. He opened his aged, leather valise, drew out the papers they’d turned in the day before and flopped them down on the desk with an audible slap. He turned to the class and his eyes scanned the assembled faces. Zach feared the worse.

“There was one A+, two A’s, one A-, three B+’s, one B-, two C’s, one C-, and Jerry I need to see you today. I’ll be in my office from eleven until three. Be there, or be dead.”

Zach looked over to the corner chair where Jerry Barnes always sat. The boy was staring at his desktop. He looked sad. Everyone knew Doctor Jeffers didn’t grade below a C-. Jerry got an F on his first paper. That was nearly an eighth of his grade.

“I will read the A+ paper,” Doctor Jeffers said, looking directly at Zach. “With permission of the author.”

Zach smiled and nodded.

“Good. The title of the paper is ‘A Canoe Trip on the Buffalo River.’ It begins thus, ‘I’d gone on a week-long canoe trip on the Buffalo River in Arkansas with three of what used to be my best friends . . .’ ”

Zach sat back and listened to his paper being read, enjoying the way Doctor Jeffers added emotion to the words. It sounded to him almost as if he hadn’t written the words, but only suggested a few lines to an actor skilled at ad-libbing. He listened to the sounds the other students were making as the tale continued to inevitable end when a sort of stunned silence enveloped the room.

Sara was first break the spell, “You mean just because you didn’t get an erection, they said you were gay?”

“Yes,” Zach said.

“They kicked you out of your church because you didn’t get an erection?” Sara asked, digging deeper.

“Yes, but they had a completely different story from the other boys by then,” Zach said. “They had to cover their asses pretty quick because I came out of the canyon first. They had to concoct a story that was believable, if not totally absurd.”

“But, no one asked you,” Sara said. “They just assumed it was true. They were that scared of homosexuals? Wait a minute isn’t there something in the Bible about confronting a sinner?”

“Yes, Matthew 18 something, but they were too horrified to think there was a homosexual in their midst to follow any Biblical procedure.”

“Okay, you two, enough of the religious stuff,” Doctor Jeffers said. “This paper received the A+ not for the subject matter, but from the excellent way Zach laid out his essay and arrived at his conclusion. I hope all of you were paying attention and not just listening to my excellent reading simply for enjoyment.”

No conceit in his family, thought Zach.

Zach glanced over at Jerry and saw he still had his head hung low staring at his desktop. For some reason that Zach wasn’t totally sure of, Jerry intrigued him. He was tall, at least six foot six, slender and always wore black jeans that were a little on the tight side. His ass wasn’t prominent; in fact, Jerry’s ass almost wasn’t there. Torso and legs seemed to be attached without a bulge of muscles in between. And, Jerry had mop of straight, red hair that hung below his shoulders and bright, white skin almost completely hidden by freckles.

At the mid session potty break, Zach went over to Jerry’s desk. He hadn’t moved and was still staring at his desktop.

“Jerry? Are you okay?” Zach asked, sitting down in the empty seat next to him.

“No.” Zach heard the tears in his voice, but there weren’t any on Jerry’s face. His eyes were blue and a red, pocket t-shirt hung loosely on his slight frame. “I’m gonna flunk this class. I know it. Look at this paper. There’s red marks all over it. Look what he wrote at the end. ‘This is the worst college paper I’ve ever read.’ That makes me sound pretty pathetic, doesn’t it?”

“Do you know how to write a college paper?” Zach asked, noticing right off Jerry hadn’t used any paragraphs. It was one long narrative with a lot of misspellings, too many. “Don’t you have a computer with a word processing program like Word or Word Perfect, or at least something simpler with at least a spell checker?”

“I have the laptop Dad gave me for Christmas five years ago and it was three years old then. It doesn’t have anything but a bunch of games, really. There’s an odd spreadsheet program. As far as papers go, no. We didn’t cover that in high school, not that I know of. I wasn’t on the college prep track. My grades weren’t all that good when I started high school as a freshman and you couldn’t get on it later.”

“Are you willing to do a little extra work?” Zach asked. He was staring at Jerry’s crotch, but there wasn’t anything there that he could see.

“What are you talking about?”

“Learning how to write a college paper, for one,” Zach said. Jerry didn’t have much of a beard, either. There was a faint patch of fuzz on his upper lip, but not enough to make a mustache. It was probably just unshaven. “How many classes are you taking?”

“Two, I didn’t want to flunk out early.”

“What’s your other class?”

“Calculus, at one.”

“Are you having trouble with that?”

“No, math is easy.”

“Good, that gives you a lot of extra time to concentrate on writing papers,” Zach said, thinking of the books he used in high school to write his papers. Elements of Style was probably the best for right now, but he wasn’t about to part with his copy. They’d have to go to the bookstore and see if there was anything that might help. Of course, that was if Jerry agreed to let him help and Doctor Jeffers wasn’t thinking of dropping Jerry right now.

“What are you talking about?”

“I’m going to teach you how to do a college paper. You’ll need it because that’s all you do in college besides the endless reading.”

“Why are you doing this?” Jerry asked. He looked away from Zach, out the window. It was raining. “Is it because you’re queer?”

“Why would that have anything to do with it?” Zach asked, thinking the worst, waiting for the dagger to pierce his flesh.

“I don’t know. No one ever likes me, so I figured you were just trying to get in my pants, not that I wouldn’t mind, I guess.”

“What? You’re gay?” Zach whispered, looking over his shoulder to see if anyone was close enough to hear.

“I don’t know what I am,” Jerry said. He still hadn’t turned around. Zach noticed the small gold loop in Jerry’s right earlobe. It was so small, he hadn’t noticed it before.

“Jerry, how many friends do you have at home?”

“None, I wasn’t into sports. I mostly worked on our farm when I wasn’t in school.”

“Didn’t you go to any school dances or anything?”

“No, girls didn’t like me because I drive a beat up Escort.”

“Look, Jerry, I wasn’t asking because of that, okay? I just want to help. I’m the one who got the A+, don’t you think I might know how to write papers?”

“I guess so.”

“But, I think you need a new computer.”

“I can’t afford one.”

“I can.”

“I can’t let you buy me a new computer.”

“Then we’ll get a used one. One that has a word processing program. Of course, I’ll have to go with you to see Doctor Jeffers.”

“Okay, class, time to get back to work,” Doctor Jeffers said. “Zach? Back to your seat or move over there. Time’s a wastin’, boy.”

Oh, god, the comedian’s back, thought Zach. “Yes, sir.”

“Wait for me after class, okay?” Zach whispered to Jerry, lightly touching his bare forearm. The skin was hot. Jerry smiled.

“I want to talk to you after class,” Sara whispered to Zach as he walked by. He looked at her, but she just smiled and scrunched up her nose.

“Okay, ladies and gentlemen, let’s discuss how to structure a college paper,” Doctor Jeffers said. Zach smiled.

“Well, boys and girls, that just about wraps up another pleasant session of English Composition,” Doctor Jeffers said, stuffing a bunch of papers into his valise. “Remember your next paper is due next Wednesday and the subject will be ‘my most memorable character.’ It will not be mommy, daddy, brother, sister, aunt, uncle, cousin, niece, nephew, boy friend, girl friend, and any other living or dead human being. It will be your most memorable character from a work of fiction. Tell me about a character you remember the most. I know you all read, so tell me about the character who affected you the most. See you tomorrow.”

Zach thought of a number of characters, but none seemed to come up and wave his, or her, hands wildly while screaming, ‘Pick me! Pick me!’ ”

“Zach? Will you go to a movie with me Saturday night?” Sara asked. She was standing beside his desk and looked so charming, Zach couldn’t say no.

“Sure, but it’s only a movie and we have to take Jerry with us.”

“You want to take another boy on a date?”

“It’s not a date, Sara. I’m gay. I date boys, not girls. I’ll go to a movie with you as a friend, but we need to take Jerry with us, if anything as a chaperone so you don’t put the make on me.”

“I wasn’t asking for that reason,” Sara said with a pout. “I just wanted to get to know you.”

“You can get to know Jerry, too. Besides, maybe he’s straight and you can put the make on him.”

“I’m beginning to think you think you’re a comedian.”

“Who me?”

“Yes, you, but I guess we can take Jerry with us. I’ll talk to you tomorrow. Okay.”

“Remember, no kissing.”

“Oh! You’re impossible!”

Zach watched her walk out and wondered if he could go back to being straight. Could he put being gay out of his mind and actually get excited about being with a girl? Well, for one, it certainly wouldn’t be Sara. She definitely wasn’t his type. Yet, what was his type, if he was looking for a girl?

He looked over at Jerry’s desk and saw that Jerry hadn’t made a move to leave. He was still staring at his paper on the desk. This was going to be hard. Jerry was definitely in ‘I’m going to flunk out of college’ mode and it was sucking up all his energy. Zach picked up his book bag and went over to Jerry’s desk.

“Hey, you staying here?” Zach asked.

“I don’t know,” Jerry said in the same teary, defeated voice.

“Come on, let’s go see Doctor Jeffers.”

“I can’t let you do this. Nobody is nice to me.”

“I am, but then I’m just a farm boy from a little ol’ spread in Oklahoma and don’t know no better.”

Jerry smiled, briefly.

“Come on, let’s go, farm boy.”

“My nickname in high school was faggot. Even my dad called me that sometimes.”

“Oh, fuck!”

“Yeah, the shits isn’t it? Okay, let’s go see if I have a future in this class,” Jerry said, getting out of his seat and slowly extending to his full height. Zach looked at him a little too obviously. “It’s not as big as yours, okay?”

“Yeah, sure, sorry.”

“Hey, I checked you out, too. Come on, let’s go see what the old man has in store for me.”

“Let me do the talking. I have an idea.”

They walked out, but Jerry got a little ahead of Zach as they were heading down the hall toward the staircase. They hadn’t walked thirty feet when Jerry stopped and shook his head. He looked at Zach when he came up to him then shook his head, again, before starting off. They were on the fourth floor of Caine Hall and had to get to the ground floor then across Beresford Quad to Biddly Hall where the School of Liberal Arts and Humanities had their offices. Doctor Jeffers’ office wasn’t much more than an unwindowed closet on the west end of the fourth floor, up where the roof line cut the room in half. His door was open, but there was only a desk lamp illuminating the room.

“Well, isn’t this a surprise!” Doctor Jeffers said. “Two boys for the price of one. I haven’t been this lucky since getting suckered into a two for one special at a whorehouse in Wallace, Idaho, when I was a measly little freshman. Never willingly take seconds boys, that’s my advice. So, Zach, what are you doing here?”

“I want to help Jerry learn how to write college papers,” Zach said. “I was thinking of getting him a copy of Elements of Style, but I wanted to check with you first. Also, can he do a make up paper? I know he won’t be able to erase the F, but maybe you could possibly split the difference.”

“Good work, Jerry,” Doctor Jeffers said. “It’s always best to have an agent do the talking for you. I’d offer you two a seat, but as you can see summer help doesn’t get the best furnishings. Yeah, that’s a good book, plus, let me see, yes, let me write out a list of useful reference books. I normally don’t allow second chances, there’s always the risk of getting a double negative, but since it is obvious, Jerry, that you don’t have the foggiest idea how to do a paper I’ll give you one chance. How about friendship? Yes, that sounds perfect, doesn’t it?”

“I don’t have any friends,” Jerry said, staring at the floor.

“Nonsense, Zach is trying very hard to be your friend. Why don’t you go to the library and do a little research on friendship? I’m sure Zach has lots of ideas about what it means to be a friend, and I’m sure he’s more than willing to be your friend.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

“Anything else, Zach?”

“No sir.”

“Good, here’s your list, Jerry. I’d get at least two, but three are better. Definitely the illustrated Elements of Style and any two of the others. Go to the Campus Bookstore, they might have used copies from spring term. I know Doctor Henley uses a number of those in his English 101 classes. And, I’d think about engaging Zach as a tutor. You’re going to need some help with your spelling, too.”

“Sir? He doesn’t have a word processing program on his computer. I’m going to help him with that, too.”

“Well, Jerry, this seems to be your lucky day. Two papers next Wednesday. Do good on both and I might consider dropping the F. That’s might consider. Do good work and you get rewarded. Do just getting by, mediocre work, and well, I’m sure you can guess the results.”

“Yes, sir.”

“And, Jerry? Jerry look at me. Come on, get those baby blues up where I can see them. That’s better. Now, don’t feel so dejected. College can be fun. Ask Zach, I’m sure he’s having a blast. God, Zach, four classes? You’ve got to be either crazy, or a masochist. Okay, boys, have a good day. Oh, Zach, could you wait a few minutes.”

“I’ll be right out, Jerry, wait for me.”

“Sure.”

“Shut the door Zach.”

Zach came back to the desk and waited for whatever was coming. He’d done his work, so there shouldn’t be any reason for rebuke, but why else was he being held back. Doctor Jeffers face wasn’t any help, either. Even in class, he always seemed to have a stoic unconcern for what was happening around him. He looked up a Zach.

“I’m just guessing, so don’t take offense, but is there some ulterior motive behind your interest in helping Jerry?”

“What?”

“Looking for a boy friend?”

“I have one already. Look, yeah, Jerry fascinates me. He’s so quiet all the time. He’s never said anything in class. He just sits back there as if he’s so overwhelmed with being in college. I have a feeling he was either pushed into this or he’s here to get away from something. I’m taking him with me when Sara and I go to a movie Saturday night.”

“Sara?”

“Yeah, she asked me. Now, there’s an ulterior motive if you’re looking for one.”

“Okay, I apologize for thinking the worst. I’m just concerned about Jerry. He seems so innocent.”

“Yeah, he is that. And, no apology is necessary. Jerry asked practically the same question, too.”

“Good, now you’d better get going or you won’t be able to get something for lunch. Four classes! Zach, where was your mind?”

“I need to be busy. I can handle it, honest. See you tomorrow, Doctor Jeffers.”

When Zach got out to the lobby Jerry was sitting in a sofa looking at a magazine. He looked up and smiled. It was the first time Zach had seen Jerry actually spread those red lips apart so the pearly whites could gleam in the light. He wanted very much at that moment to kiss Jerry, but knew that would sour the deal and probably send Jerry running away permanently.

“Come on, I’m hungry and I only have thirty minutes before my next class,” Zach said. “You might as well go to the bookstore and get what you need.”

“I don’t have that much money,” Jerry said. “My parents are helping a little, but most of my funds come out of student loans and what I earned working on our farm. Dad only paid me minimum wage, though. He said I wasn’t a skilled worker.”

“What are you, adopted?” Zach asked as they headed down the broad stairs in front of Biddly Hall. There was bronze plaque stating the stairs were dedicated to all the North Park students who died in World War I. The names were listed on the plaque. There were only ten.

“Yeah, actually, I am,” Jerry said. He stopped for a moment, allowing Zach to get a few paces ahead, then ran to catch up.

“What was that?”

“I was checking your ass,” Jerry said, playfully pushing Zach’s shoulder. “You did it to me in Caine and I was just returning the favor.”

“Did you like what you saw?”

“I don’t know. I’ve never been an ass man myself. I’m more interested in boobs, or at least I think I’m supposed to be interested in them if I’m straight. You got nice pecs, by the way.”

“Well, coming from a man who knows his boobs, I’ll take that as a compliment. You hungry?”

“Yeah, but I go to the Union for lunch.”

“Me, too.”

When the boys paid for their food and drinks Zach led the way to the back corner where Bruce always sat. He was there slowly picking through a salad. He looked up at Zach then looked surprised when he saw Jerry sitting down at the table directly across from him.

“Bruce, Jerry, Jerry, Bruce,” Zach said while unloading his tray then putting it on the table at the empty spot beside Bruce.

“Wow, you’re androgynous,” Jerry said. “My cousin Benny has the same problem. He can actually walk into a women’s restroom without anyone batting an eye.”

“Well, Zach, you certainly move fast,” Bruce said. “You’ve been here a week and already you’ve got a boy friend. Kind of cute, too.”

Jerry sort of sighed then mumbled something Zach couldn’t understand. Zach looked over at Jerry and he was quivering like he was sick or having a seizure. Then Jerry got to his feet and practically ran to the men’s room.

“Well, thank you very much, Bruce,” Zach said. “Are you going to go apologize or do I have to?”

“What’s wrong with him?”

“In high school his nickname was faggot, but he doesn’t know if he is or not. I’m going to tutor him in English comp because he doesn’t know anything about doing papers. We’ve already gone through the ‘I’m not doing this so I can seduce you’ bit. Okay? Yeah, he’s cute as hell and I’d love to really get to know him, but I want to help him. Okay?”

“Fuck, I guess I’d better go talk to him. If I’m not out in an hour, bring condoms. Just kidding!”

Zach watched Bruce wander over to the men’s room then looked at his watch. He was going to be late to American History, but he really didn’t care right then. Then his cell phone rang.

“Hello?”

“Davey, what are you doing? The deals in the bag. Friday night.”

“Fuck, I wasn’t hoping, no that’s silly thinking. What’s the gig?”

“A guy named Charlie. That isn’t his real name, but he’s richer than hell. He’s got a penthouse condo where he likes to take his boys. It has a view of Elliot Bay. The planes going into the airport practically fly right by his window. And, he’s a great fucker. You’ll love the feel of his dick stuffing you.”

“Okay, okay, what do I need to do?”

“Be over at my place no later than five on Friday so I can get you ready.”

“I’ve got a class that doesn’t end until five and what do I need to do to get ready?”

“Leave early because I have to clean you out. Charlie doesn’t like a stinky fuck.”

“You mean you’re going to give me an enema?”

“Yeah, a couple, or more. He’ll want you spotless and odorless.”

“Fuck, this is turning into more trouble than its worth. You’re going to have to be extra nice to me. Do you understand?”

“Yeah, sure, you get your fifteen, plus whatever tip he throws in.”

“I can’t believe someone is actually going to pay fifteen thousand dollars to have my cherry.”

“Twenty-five thousand.”

“Twenty-five?”

“Yeah, sounds absolutely crazy doesn’t it? Do you want to come over tonight and fuck me?”

“No, I’ve got studying to do,” Zach said preferring not to say anything about helping Jerry. “I’ll see you Sunday morning.”

“What’s wrong with Saturday night?”

“I going on a date.”

“You met another guy?” He sounded worried.

“It’s with a girl. Tell you about it later. I’ve got to get to class.”

“Who was that?” Jerry asked, sitting down in his chair. He looked like he’d been crying.

“My pimp.”

“Your what?” Bruce asked.

“My pimp.”

“Tell me you’re kidding,” Bruce said.

“Okay, I’m kidding. He’s a friend. You guys make up?”

“Yeah, Bruce is kind of neat, but I like you best,” Jerry said, placing his hand on Zach’s thigh up close to the crotch and squeezing a little. Zach looked at him and he smiled. “Bruce said he has an extra laptop he got for high school graduation. He’s hardly used it. He’s going to give it to me.”

“Thanks Bruce,” Zach said. “You’re a good guy, you know.”

“Try to be,” Bruce said.

“Oh, shit, I got to get to class,” Zach said. “Jerry, do you need any money to get your books?”

“I don’t know, I’ll check and see how much it’s going to cost then see you at supper in the cafeteria, okay?”

“I’ll be there at a quarter after. I sit over by the Pepsi machine.”

“I know where you sit.”

“Checking me out?”

“Yeah.”

“You know, Jerry, for a boy who doesn’t know if he’s gay, you’re doing an awful lot to make it look like you are.”

“So? Is that bad?”

“I’ll see you later. Bruce? Be nice to him, okay?”

“Oh, we’re friends, now. See ya tomorrow, Zach.”

“Yeah, tomorrow.”