Turbulence - 3. Chapter 3

Freshie Day
Friday June 11th

Daniel found the morning to be unbearable. It started poorly at 5:20 am; he kicked his sheets off and stared at the ceiling while his heart pounded. He gave up on sleep, pulled on his jeans and went out into the grayness of the balcony. In the growing light of the summer morning, Daniel sat and gazed out over the roof tops and walls of surrounding apartments. He sat there a long time, as the cool morning air played across his bare shoulders and the cold deck numbed his bare feet. The sky was clear except for a long bank of clouds on the horizon.

His mother found him asleep there at 7:00, still slumped in the chair. She paused and looked at him--had her father stopped to look at her this way when she was fourteen? She didn't get many chances to admire her son; he would catch her studying his face and challenge her.

“Why are you staring at me?” he would say suddenly self conscious, looking at her sideways.

Sometimes she found herself responding with her father's words. “Because I like you”

Children notice when their parents are watching--measuring and appraising them. But they don't understand the wonder and bliss a mother feels for her child.

Daniel was stretching out and getting harder.

He's good looking, she thought with pride and reassurance.

When his face relaxed in sleep, he looked older than he was. Daniel's like that. At fourteen, his face shifted the years back and forth; a serious determined adolescent one moment and an innocent open-faced boy the next. She looked at Daniel's groin and thought about his deepening voice and growing manhood. In the mornings he would pad past her in the kitchen wearing nothing but thin cotton boxers showing a partial erection they both pretended not to notice. His slim body showed the promise of muscle and grace. He didn't look like his father--more like her dad--specifically the picture of her dad on the beach in 1964. Except for the crew cut it could have been Daniel.

Thank God for her father--what a rock he had been! Listening to the city sounds and her son's breathing she could still remember the courage it had taken to sit down with her parents and break the news that she was pregnant. Her mom lived long enough to see her graduate from high school, two-year-old Daniel sitting on her knee. Her father had not been able to go the distance either. He and Daniel had been close, which almost made up for the fact that Daniel's father had been a bastard who refused to take responsibility.

Heather Murrell sighed at her son.

Daniel had made it easy on her, a golden baby, a happy friendly child. He had been patient with his absentee mother while she attended the university. Never fussing, but always so delighted to be with her and have her share his interests. When her father became ill, she appreciate his choice to resign as dean to create more time to help her become established. Her dad had eased out of their lives two years ago with grace and dignity. Even when the end was near, he spent quiet hours from his sickbed, helping eleven-year old Daniel with his homework. Daniel would not speak about his grandfather's death or what they had talked about during those final evenings together.

Daniel's mother savored a last look at her son and shook him gently awake. Daniel opened his eyes quietly. “Daniel, go have a shower, it's time for school.” Daniel dragged himself to the shower. When he came back to the kitchen his mom smiled and handed him a present. “You're not in high school yet, but I know you're going to be busy this summer, so this is probably a good time to give you this.” Daniel took the present and then unwrapped the cell phone inside. “You're so big now! I guess I just want to know I can still connect with you when you're out doing all those high school things. . . Daniel, I want you to know I'm proud of you and I will always be there for you.”

Daniel gave her a hug. She did what she needed to do for both of them and he knew it.

Daniel found the courage and tenacity to get through his last exam. Student after student left the gym while Daniel methodically worked his way through the exam questions. Mr. Petri, Ms. Parsons and the other teachers in the gym waited patiently for him to decide when he was finished. After two years they knew Daniel was going to stick it out to the end. The also knew he wouldn't mind them talking quietly while he worked. When he wanted to he could tune out an entire class of grade-eights. But on this occasion, their assumption was wrong. This last test had been particularly easy--the school had planned it that way. But Daniel dragged it out till noon because quite frankly, he was scared to leave the gym. Bidding would close at 12:00 noon. When Arlo checked in the morning, Daniel had been bid up to $140.00. Arlo was awed by this and Daniel was astonished. He sat at the desk checking his spelling for the fourth time. Finally the teachers told him he had to turn his paper in. They watched him slowly deliver the paper as if he had failed. Ms. Parsons knew it would be an A+. There were not many students of Daniel's calibre, and she was sorry to see him go.

The hallways were empty when Daniel went to the lunch room to get something to drink. Most kids had gone home for lunch. Those students who had been bid on in the auction were keyed up. Bidding had closed at 12:00 noon. In the next several hours, many of the grade eights would get to leave early with their new mentors. Kids crowded around computers checking their names and speculating on what was happening. Daniel stayed away from the school computers; he already knew he had a senior. He just sat on a bench against a window waiting. Arlo sat down next to Daniel, and helped him take his mind off things for a bit. Arlo was upset because nobody had bid on him, but Daniel had a hard time sympathizing. He was consumed by his own thoughts--formless images of a senior about to descend upon him, male and threatening.

Towards the end of lunch period, Daniel went to join the other boys and girls in home room for the afternoon. It was obvious that everyone was divided into two groups. The first group had been checking the high school web site for information about themselves. Many of these were anxious to find out who was willing to pay for them. But there were others who had not been bid on and they were either not interested in who they would get, or wondered who they would be assigned to in the next few days. Riverview High said that everyone would get a mentor. As a high cost freshie Daniel was an object of interest. At the close, Daniel had reached $185. His class mates were curious to see the high school student who would front that much money to win a bidding war for a junior high kid. Daniel was curious too.

During the course of the next hour, a number of grade eleven's showed up at the door to meet the boys and girls they would be paired with the coming year. Apart from the Saturday night freshie party and a few other social gatherings during the summer, the mentorship was not supposed to begin until September. In practice, both schools encouraged the new seniors to introduce themselves in June and to maintain some kind of contact over the summer. The schools believed this extra-curricular contact would improve the relationship or help identify relational problems that needed to be addressed before the year commenced.

Of course, this also meant an extra two months of hazing.

Slowly the classroom emptied. As the clock dragged closer to 3:00 pm, Daniel walked around the classroom wishing the teacher would let them go. He looked out the window at the street and saw the mixed groups of seniors and freshies talking together, or drifting off to cars. When the hand dropped on his shoulder his stomach fluttered and he turned too quickly.

Denver 's heart stirred when Daniel swung around. There was no smile and an air of uncertainty; Daniel looked a little stretched. Denver knew he needed to lighten the mood and reassure the younger boy that everything was fine. He smiled down into Daniel's upturned face, and then poked him lightly in the stomach. “It looks like it's gonna be you and me kid.”

Daniel responded to the overture with a tentative smile.

“Do you remember my name?” the older boy asked.

Indeed, yes Daniel remembered. “Denver Hawk.”

The two stood within an arm's reach and it took a great deal of will power for Denver to refrain from touching the boy again. He had thought this out all week as he fought the battle with common sense. He couldn't believe he had let that ass-hole Troy drive the price up.

“Are you ready to go?”

Daniel felt the pressure drop when Denver stepped back--he took a deep breath.

“Sure, a. . . Master.” Daniel wanted to get this right before he ended up in a broom closet with Denver again.

“You can drop that for now. Call me 'Denver' when we are alone and 'sir' around everyone else. Grab your stuff and we'll get out of here.”

“I don't have anything. Where are we going sir?”

The remaining students watched the pair leave the room.

“I want you to meet some friends, and then I thought you might like to hang out tonight.”

This sounded better to Daniel. Some more of the tension drained away and his step began to lighten as he glanced at the older boy.

Denver surprised him at the door when he paused to say, “I think we should see if this is alright with your mom and dad first.”

Daniel pulled out his new phone and offered to phone his mom. When the connection was made, Denver surprised him again by asking if he could speak to her himself. He took the phone and in his usual respectful tone he asked her if she was free to meet him. Then he handed the phone back to Daniel.

“He sounds nice Daniel. Bring him up to my office before 4:30.”

Daniel closed the phone and glanced back at Denver.

“Let's go!”

They walked through the doors and for the first time, Daniel felt that leaving elementary school might just work out.

The two were met at a black BMW by Mark and two girls going into grade ten named Amber and Amanda. Daniel took them to be the young men's girl friends, so he was a little shy sitting between them in the back seat. Everyone was charged up about getting out of school. The two girls kept snapping out advice and gossip about what to expect. They would call upon Denver and Mark to support their opinions. Denver weaved his car in and out of traffic, agreeing or disagreeing. The girls would dismiss his retorts with a toss of the head and launch into a new topic. Daniel noticed that after one hard look at him, Mark had kept his eyes on the road, except for the odd look over at Denver. Somewhere in the girl's steady chatter Daniel began to realize that Amber and Amanda were not Denver or Mark's girl friends.

The three friends sat in the car while Daniel took Denver up to meet his mom. She was younger than the lanky seventeen-year old had been expecting, but Denver still had the moves on her. One look at her measuring his worth told him he would always have to play it straight with her. The look she gave him was pretty clear--Daniel meant everything to her. The first thing he had done was give her his dad's business card with his home address and cell phone number on the back. He maybe sounded a little too earnest when he told her he was looking forward to being Daniel's mentor.

She agreed when he asked if he could take Daniel out for supper and videos at his house with some friends. She also refrained from making Denver lie about drinking and sighed inwardly with resignation at the prospect of handling what may or may not be Daniel's first drunk. She surprised Daniel completely by telling him he didn't have to be in till 12:30. She watched Daniel--her life--bounce out of her office with the older boy, too cool to be affectionate. Denver had seemed a nice young man, but she had been there before too. Daniel does need an older male in his life--this will do him good. She looked at the business card and reached for the phone.

“Daniel, I think your mom would kill me if I let anything happen to you. . . She seems alright.”

Daniel privately agreed. “She's okay.”

The rest of the afternoon was taken up with a walk through the vast and confusing labyrinth that seventy years of construction had accomplished at the high school. The girls gave more advice and pointed out the more historically relevant sites from their own freshie year. The school in summer was stripped of character and warmth. The four high school students walked with their ghosts. Every once in a while a comment would reveal that the year had not been entirely happy for them. Sometimes they walked four together, and at other times they would split into pairs. When Denver was showing Daniel the school weight room, the two girls tried to cheer Mark up. They couldn't distract him from witnessing the nubile boy stretched out on his back, trying to lift a free weight while Denver spotted for him. Daniel's biceps and pectorals swelled with the effort of the weights; the lifting pulled his T-shirt up and waist down to expose five or six centimeters of v-lines, slightly convex navel, and smooth hard abdomen. It was another test of Denver 's will power.

Denver sent Mark into the football change rooms while he sat against the wall, lost in the turmoil of opposing waves of memory and desire. Daniel walked around the change room unimpressed by the prosaic features, envisioning himself surrounded by his team mates. Mark sat on a bench and gazed at the boy, all the while cursing Denver and recalling harsh memories of the homophobic football players.

A few moments later, Amber and Amanda sat quietly in the afternoon sun talking to Daniel, while Denver and Mark had an intense conversation at the other end of the hall way. They were not alone and the three were interrupted frequently by other people walking by. Once or twice Daniel even saw a classmate. The conversation down the hall was not going well. Daniel noticed that the girls studiously ignored some of the passing students.

“Mark's been going out with Denver since New Years.” Well that certainly cleared up a few things in Daniel's mind! But it also led to a number of pressing questions. “You'll like Mark when he lightens up a little.”

“Denver is great. I think you're lucky.” Amanda added, glancing down the hall. “Amber had a real ass hole for a senior this year. Denver helped her out.”

Amber nodded solemnly in agreement. “Just remember that some of the seniors make this whole freshie thing a stupid game. If you let it get to you like I did. . . they will treat you very badly.”

“Yeah. . . Stay cool and after a while they'll start leaving you alone. Some freshies make a big stink and the seniors make their lives miserable right up until the last freshie party.”

Amanda put her hand on Daniel's thigh for a second. “Let Denver keep you out of trouble,” she advised.

“And we'll all have a blast next year.” added Amber reaching around to hug him.

Daniel felt his belly stir when her breast crushed against his bicep. The girls seemed very nice.

Denver whispered a last reassurance into Mark's ear, slid his hand up to cup the curve of his lover's jaw and then risked a quick kiss. As the two walked back to the others, Denver noticed the animation in Daniel's face--he was responding well to the girl's company. His eyes sparkled in the bright light: pleasure curled his lips into an alluring smile. “I'm the big important senior this year, so I guess I'm buying supper tonight.” He looked at the two girls sitting with Daniel. “Are you two interested?”

The girls glanced at each other then Amber jumped up and grabbed Denver's arm.

“Of course, but it's got to be Chinese!”

Amanda stood up and reached out as if to give Daniel a helping hand; Daniel accepted and Amanda linked arms with him. As the four walked down the hall, the girls giggled and hip-slammed Denver and Daniel into each other repeatedly. Mark trailed behind the group until Amber stopped the procession abruptly, then rolled her eyes dramatically with a huge sigh. She stomped back to Mark, gave him a kiss on the cheek, grabbed his arm and dragged him into the group. After that, the girls spent their time bumping Denver and Mark into little Daniel until Amber got tired of trying to shift Denver--she had been reduced to trying to shift his mass by leaning all her weight into him.

The girls reduced Daniel to breathless hysteria by tickling him in the ribs and under his arm pits all the way to the restaurant. The BMW pulled to a stop. Daniel was struggling down on the floor, about to piss his pants. Amanda sat on him while Amber trapped his right leg under her arm and tickled the bottom of his sock-covered foot. Denver pulled the driver's seat forward and peered down into Daniel's face smashed beneath Amanda's shapely butt.

“Are you three ready to eat?”

Everyone untangled and Daniel's erection was gone by the time they reached the front door.

Dinner at the Jade Gate was wild and Daniel fought to keep his guard up. He had never felt accepted by people this old before. His heart felt like it would burst. Mark made a rule that they all had to eat with chopsticks, and the table was reduced to sputtered choking as they laughed unabashedly at each other's feeble efforts. Mark even lightened up enough to tell jokes about Denver. Denver was pleased that Daniel was able to keep up with the group. Denver could see him taking on the shape of a kid brother, but to his credit, the boy remained tolerable. Amanda and Amber looked like they had finally been released from their year of terror. At the end of dinner Mark shyly suggested that they all walk through the park before they headed back to Denver's place.

Outside on the street Daniel stepped away to phone his mom. He didn't want to draw attention to himself. She was at home and glad to hear from him. He told her what he had been doing and where they were going, then he said goodbye in a hurry as Denver stepped out into the street. Things settled down on the ride to the park. Denver made Daniel sit in the front for his own protection and told the girls to take it easy on Mark.

First time for Everything
Friday night

After the park Daniel was curious to see Denver 's place. It was pretty upscale from his perspective. The car had told him Denver 's folks had money. The house told him that it seemed to be quite a bit. Denver took him on a quick tour that did not include his parents. Then the two joined the others in the twilight of the evening. The girls had found swim suits in the pool house and put them on. They were not big girls; both were about Daniel's height, but looking at them Daniel suddenly felt young. He wouldn't officially be fourteen until August. Mark, who was only a little taller than Daniel, revealed a strong muscular body when he pulled his T-shirt off. Daniel protested that he didn't have a suit, and blushed when Amber suggested he didn't need one. Denver rescued him by finding one of his old suits. Daniel retreated into the pool house when the girls offered to help him change.

Daniel was shy about his body. Amber and Amanda didn't make a big deal when he stepped through the door. They were sitting in the hot tub with Mark and called him over to join them. He gratefully slipped beneath the water and quietly listened to the girls chat with Mark. When Denver came out with five beers and slipped into the pool next to Mark the girls slid over next to Daniel. Daniel sipped his beer (not his first) and tried to be relaxed about the two boys across the way.

Daniel was trying hard not to stare at them and the girls helped distract him. They both had one piece suits on, but he was intensely conscious of their smooth legs touching his thighs and the erotic movement of their breasts in the water. Nobody seriously talked about being gay in grade eight, it was all a dirty joke. The girls gave Daniel a different way to respond to Mark and Denver. It was more like the shows on T.V. where the cool responsible teenagers act like it is no big deal--only bad guys gay-bash. When Mark kissed Denver the girls didn't blink an eye, they just kept talking. Daniel slipped out of the pool to find the washroom he had seen in the pool room.
He shivered a little in the cool air as he walked around to the door. Behind him he could still hear the four chatting quietly in the water. When he stepped out of the bathroom he found Amber waiting for him. He started to say something meaningless and she silenced him with a finger to his lips. Then she drew closer and kissed him. Amber's body against Daniel's naked torso electrified him. As she gently kissed his lips she ran her hands across his back and ruffled his wet hair. He responded by putting his hands on her shoulders. He felt her push her body closer to his and she felt the hard young body respond to her. When she broke the kiss he didn't know what to say. He simply looked at her and she heard his heavy breathing. She could feel the erection against her belly.

Amber felt old looking at him. He was probably a little over a year younger than her, but after a year in the high school she felt a lot older. She liked his face. It was open. It was beautiful. It was gentle and trusting. His body felt clean. Until Denver had given her back her self respect, she had forgotten what that felt like. She didn't want to hear Daniel right then so she closed his mouth with another kiss. She didn't want to push things too fast so she just let her hands wander around his body. When his hands failed to join her she encouraged him by moving a hand to her breast and another to her butt.

Daniel felt foolish and inexperienced having to be encouraged to pet her. He had never felt this level of arousal. Rather than embarrassment about his hard on, she seemed to welcome it. Occasionally her fingers would feel his strength and he was afraid he would cum in the suit. She led him higher for a few moments, and then gently disengaged.

“Let's go back,” she said and while it was the last thing he wanted, he nodded silently.

Daniel slipped back into the water and Denver handed him a fresh beer. Amanda smiled at Daniel and moved a little closer. Before he could glance back at Amber she reached out to draw him closer for a kiss of her own. Hers was less gentle than Amber's had been. Amber reassured him with a smile and he surprised himself by leaning over to kiss her again. This got him a laugh from the four older teenagers and he felt okay. The tickling game resumed in the pool for a while longer with an increase in the groping.

Amber caught Daniel's hand under the water and pulled him out of the hot tub. The two jumped into the pool to cool off and then Amber drew Daniel out of the pool and into the house. They went into a bedroom and she closed the door. Turning to Daniel she slowly pulled off his swim suit. At a touch of her hand he swelled to erection. She led him to the bed and pushed him gently back onto it. As she slowly pulled off her own suit she looked him over, noting his thin, but solid limbs and the erect penis above the soft balls pulled tightly into his groin. Daniel's circumcised cock was not small. Amber guessed that this was Daniel's first time, so she knew she should keep it simple. She straddled his hips and quickly impaled herself on his ridged member. As her soft wet heat enveloped his organ Daniel began to instinctively pump his hips against her weight. She let him work knowing that this first orgasm would come quickly and that she would then have his attention for other things. Moments later, with a groan, he released his cum into her with a shudder and arch of his pelvis. They paused while she looked down and he gazed up at her small breasts and erect nipples. She smiled and leaned down to kiss him as reassurance that he had done well. Then she slid down beside him disengaging his half erect penis still slick from their sudden love making. Daniel lay on his back spent and Amber quietly stroked him with her hand. She kept him engaged not wanting him to drift into the sleep men so often succumbed to. He responded by rolling on to his side and she lay back on the bed. His fingers wandered to the down above her sex and began a fumbling exploration. Her hand showed him where to go and how to move. He played with her inexpertly. He didn't have enough experience to please her but her body began to respond to his touch and as she flooded with more wet warmth his erection grew again. With more command he drew himself over her warm body and as her fingers guided, he entered her for the second time. He seemed to understand that he needed to support himself on his arms in order to create the powerful thrusts he wanted to drive deep within her. Having spent himself once, he found that this second love making went longer. Amber had time to respond to him. She wrapped her legs around his waist to hold him tight before his second shuddering orgasm erupted. Suddenly weakened, he collapsed on her heaving chest. This time they lay quietly entwined while Amber stroked his back and Daniel nuzzled his first breast. After a time she disengaged him from her nipple and felt his flaccid member slip out of her. Amber suggested they return to the others and an overwhelmed Daniel nodded silently.

They found everyone in the pool tossing a beach ball back and forth while they talked quietly. Daniel realized that it was pretty much understood what they had been doing inside and that nobody was going to say much about it. Amber joined in the conversation and Daniel tossed the ball when it came his way. “It's getting late and I better get Daniel home.” Denver said firing a ball into the slightly bemused boy's head.

Daniel smiled and said “I guess so.”

The others didn't join the two as they left. Mark went to Denver 's room to wait for his return and the girls walked to a different room to sleep in each other's arms. Before they got out of the car Daniel turned to Denver and suddenly a little shy said “thanks for everything”. Denver knew that encompassed a lot.

“It was a better start wasn't it?” Denver asked the boy.

“Yes it was” Daniel knew what he was talking about.

“Have a good sleep and remember you have to go out with me tomorrow. I'll see you in the afternoon and I'll tell you all about it.” After a week of tension Daniel realized that he could look forward to tomorrow. Denver took him up to his apartment and smiled a good night to the mother surveying the pair at the door. They were an hour early.

She watched her son as he walked to his bedroom to change and then went out to enjoy the night air. He followed her out onto the balcony with a glass of water in his hand. She smiled at him as he sat next to her in a pair of cotton boxers and no shirt looking into the night.

“Have a few beers?” Damn, that was a question she had told herself not to ask. “Have a good time?” A better question for tonight.

“A couple; we mostly talked and swam in his pool.” His mom was only going to get so much. “It was different, but I think I'm going to be okay.”

A growing understanding
Saturday June 12th

Daniel stretched onto his back and pulled the pillow over his eyes. The day was the first of summer vacation and it was hard to believe anything could top yesterday. He opened one eye and peeked at the clock. . . 8:00 a.m. Definitely too early for a Saturday. He scratched his crotch and rolled onto his stomach. A smile played across his lips as he remembered losing his virginity. All told it had been a blast! Denver had been cool and from the moment they had left the school he had made Daniel feel comfortable. God, Denver had laughed when Mark was feeding Daniel peanuts with the chop sticks. Daniel could still hear it. Suddenly Daniel's eyes popped open and he realized with a start that he could hear Denver. He lay still for a moment and listened to the barely audible sounds of Denver and his mom talking. Daniel pulled himself out of the bed and dragged on his jeans.

Daniel blinked at Denver sitting over a cup of coffee with his mom. Denver smiled to cover the sudden jump in his groin when he looked at Daniel. The kid's hair was tousled, he was shirtless and his fists were jammed into his jeans pockets. There was a question in his eyes.

“Hey Daniel, I came by to talk to your mom about letting you hang out with me until the party tonight.”

Daniel glanced at his mom.

“It sounds fine.” She said quietly. She suggested Daniel should get cleaned up. As Daniel shuffled back to his room she turned back to hear more of Denver 's life.

Denver took Daniel to the river and while they sat on a picnic table he eased into the problem of getting Daniel through the next eighteen hours. It was one of those summer days where the heat oppresses and clouds move quickly across the sky transforming the busy park from gloom into a sun-dappled glade. Beyond Denver 's shoulder the river ran slate-grey under the heavy clouds only to sparkle in a momentary burst of light. Denver listened to the laughter around them and watched Daniel turn slightly away, momentarily drawn to a boy playing beside his father at a picnic table near them. After listening to Daniel's enthusiasm for the previous night on the drive over he decided he had to launch right into it.

“Daniel, you realize you're in for a year of hurt if you're not careful.”

Daniel looked at him in confusion.

“It's going to be like picture day for a while.”

Daniel turned away from him and looked at the river. Denver studied Daniel's profile; the boy's jaw clenched a little.

“The seniors will work you over if you give them the attitude you gave Troy.”

Daniel turned back and whispered fiercely, “You want me to hurt my friends?”

“No. I want you to avoid the hell my freshie year was. When you dropped that ruler do you know what I thought?”

Daniel looked shyly at Denver. “What?”

“That you were hot in a skinny little kid sort of way.” He jabbed Daniel in the ribs, then smiled at the boy's 'deer in the headlights' look. “Relax. . . I won't jump you.”

Daniel blushed.

“I admired you and I didn't want to see you hurt. Most grade twelve's care less about grade nines. I mean. . . like. . . we're simply trying to get out of high school at this point. But guys like Troy, and some a lot worse, will ride you all year.”

Daniel sighed. “What do you want me to do?” He looked a little upset. Denver had given him a window into a world he wanted to be part of. It was way cooler than the lame evenings playing games with Arlo and Chris thinking about the girls in his class. He didn't want to give it up. “I mean. . . what's going to happen now?”

Denver explained that the hardest part was the Freshie party and the first month of school in the fall. If he got through that, and kept his head down in the hallways till June, people would leave him alone. Denver described the party Daniel was going to. Things would get ugly if Daniel didn't stick close. Things would get uglier if Daniel made a fuss.

“Did you fight it?”

“Yes I did.”

“Did they get you bad?”

“Please don't talk about it. I wasn't any hero.” Denver pushed the memories back. “And I don't know if I'm doing the right thing now.” He had just been so angry at the seniors who didn't care. “Give me a chance sport.”

Daniel and Denver looked at each other, both with mixed emotions as heavy rain hit their faces like tear drops. Finally Daniel nodded. As they walked back to the car oblivious to the sudden shower Denver put his arm around Daniel's shoulder. Around them, families scattered for shelter.

When Denver pulled the BMW onto the driveway, he closed his eyes for a minute then said, “When we get into the house it will be the picture thing. Okay? If you think I'm going too far, then just say 'time out' and I'll back off till you're ready to go.”

“Time out. . . is anyone else here?” Daniel wasn't keen on doing anything in front of his new friends.

“My dad is off in China or something, and I told everyone else to hang out somewhere else. This is all about the seniors and freshmen.”

Denver waited for Daniel to make the first move to get out of the car. Inside the house Denver reminded Daniel of the rules, and then walked to the kitchen to fix them both a lunch.

“Take your clothes off freshie.”

“Time out!” When Denver swung around, he found Daniel frozen in the doorway.

“It's all about doing everything a twelfth grader asks, Daniel. If you stop to ask why, the ass hole or bitch will be entitled to correct you.”

“But they won't ask me to do that. . . not in school.”

“The school's a big place and the teachers are not everywhere. But this is mostly about the parties. I'm your master so I can over-rule anything I don't want you to do. But you have to do some shit or someone's just going to get you away from me for awhile. . . Just to piss me off. . . Besides you won't see me at school most of the time.”

Denver waited patiently for Daniel to make the next move.

“Go”

Daniel started to take his t-shirt off. Denver watched him pause again when he had the shirt over his head.

“Denver, is this a gay thing?”

Denver thought of some reassuring answers, but hit upon the happy thought that Daniel would appreciate honesty.

“I'll be honest with you little man. I thought you were hot the moment I laid eyes on you in that hallway. I'd love to kiss your sweet lips, and I can't promise I won't get a hard-on looking at your cute ass. It's not a gay thing. . . it's a power thing for those closet queens who like to give me a hard time.”

Daniel considered this and continued undressing and Denver turned back to lunch. Daniel felt better after Denver's answer. It was honest. It wasn't the bullshit lying his friends would have done to protect themselves from ridicule. After last night he also felt better about himself. He wanted to be like the others, confident and relaxed about his body and the power that it held. After his night with Amber he figured he could get by.

“The boxers are too shy, boy.”

Slipping off his underwear, Daniel admitted maybe he wasn't completely ready.

“Go take a couple of laps in the pool while I finish things up.”

Daniel watched Denver out of the side of his eyes as he sidled to the door. As an after thought he called out "yes sir!" to Denver. Denver smiled as he sliced Swiss cheese. Daniel glanced around the perimeter of the yard. He had only seen it in the dark the night before and he was relieved to see it was very private. The rain had stopped as quickly as it came and the air felt clean. The summer warmth felt good on his back. He was not used to the play of the light breeze across his butt and around his crotch. Denver 's complement in the kitchen made him smile. He was a little pleased. Ignoring his appearance, he walked over to the pool.

Denver watched his graceful dive from the kitchen window. He dropped the sandwiches on a plate and grabbed two glasses and a bottle of his dad's wine. As he went out to join the boy he thought briefly of Mark, no doubt stressing himself at home. Denver had told Mark he would phone him when it was time to come over. Mark would organize the after-freshie party they would all need. Daniel's mother had agreed to a sleep over as long as Daniel called her after the party.

Daniel pulled himself through the warm water with powerful strokes. The water seemed too tepid after the cool rain and he thought of skinny-dipping in a cold lake. The pool's brightly tiled bottom shimmered in the intense sunlight. It was not the challenge of a dark and bottomless lake. Daniel could tread water a long time. Along the rock strewn shore of an icy lake he would match his strength and endurance with his mates, fighting the numbing cold, always conscious of the dark depths below him. Long after the others had given up and convinced he could hold out for a while longer, Daniel would stop his efforts and let his muscles relax as his body sank slowly into the darkness. When the last air bubble had escaped his lips, he would gaze into the dark water and with a few powerful strokes shed the clinging cold. The air felt good when you came up.

Denver sat watching Daniel glide through the water. He waited a lap or two before calling him over. He hung on the edge of the pool shyly before pulling himself out and catching the towel. He had surreptitiously tried to scrub the shrinkage out of his cock so he wouldn't look like some eight-year old. Daniel was a little self conscious now but he sat cross legged facing Denver.

Immediately he did two things wrong--he took a bite from the sandwich and commented he didn't like wine.

Denver sighed dramatically and told the boy to come over to him. They both became more conscious of the boy's nakedness as the distance closed.

“Two things Freshie. . . you did something without getting permission and you criticized a gift from your Master.” Denver pulled Daniel around a bit with his wrist and gave him two hard smacks on the ass.

The boy jumped a bit at each blow, then turned on Denver. “Why are you always spanking me? Why don't you just push me around like The Pimple?”

“Who?” Denver asked in surprise. “Oh, you mean Troy. . .” He tilted his head back and laughed. “Well I have to have some fun, don't I?” He grinned wickedly at Daniel's frown. “Now stop pouting and eat your lunch.”

“Yes sir.” Daniel said darkly. Denver noted the red mark on his cheek as he walked away. Denver let him take a few bites before calling his attention to the wine. Daniel took a couple of gulps.

“Sip the wine young freshie.”

He demonstrated the technique of wine tasting. Daniel mimicked him. Daniel found the next few sips of wine easier and it started tasting better. To take the boy's mind off sitting naked, Denver began asking him questions about his life. He realized he knew very little about fourteen-year olds. Daniel trotted out the usual stuff--playing sports at school, endless video games. The boy referred to them as if Denver was familiar with characters and scenarios. As he talked, Daniel pulled his legs up on the lounge and folded his arms around his knees. He rested his chin on his arms between reaching for the wine glass. Denver tried not to let his eyes wander down to the boy's crotch where his slender cock hung straight between his balls; or farther down where the skin below his scrotum traced a dark line to the cleft in his cheeks.

Tired of the effort of avoidance, Denver laid back and closed his eyes before asking another question. “What will you do when you see one of your friends being hurt?”

“Like what?” Daniel's voice was low. Denver kept calling up a dark side to the year ahead.

“Being asked to strip down; being beaten; told to fuck.” He realized his voice sounded too casual as he said these things. He kept his eyes closed as he waited for Daniel's response.

“You mean like rape? If anyone rapes Mandy I'll go to the cops.”

Mandy? A new character in the drama. . . Denver felt sad.

“If it's someone without friends that might work; but if the guy is in a gang you might find yourself getting jumped by his mates. It might be late when you're walking home from a friend's house. They might work you over so that your arm gets broken and your balls swell up like apples. . . Maybe sex starts for you with a pipe up the ass.” Denver felt Daniel sit down beside him. When he opened his eyes Daniel was looking at him.

The boy put a hand on Denver 's chest and asked, “Is that what happened to you?”

“Time out. . .” Denver whispered and slid away from Daniel.

While Denver went to get another bottle of wine, Daniel curled back up and buried his head in his arms. A minute later Denver returned with a fresh bottle. He sat next to Daniel and resumed talking.

“This one tastes different. You'll notice it is a little dryer and leaves a slight acid taste in your mouth.”

Daniel leaned over and kissed Denver on the cheek before moving back to his own lounge. Denver was speechless.

It was a little like letting Arlo win once in a while, being nice to a fat girl, or letting Chris dump his humiliation and anger on you after the beating, when nobody would look him in the eyes except you. Sometimes you should give people what they need. “Go” he told Denver.

The older boy poured fresh glasses before continuing. “Well grasshopper (I'll show you the movie later), if it's something you can't handle go with your heart. Remember they can knock you down, but you can get up again.”

“Like the song.”

“Yeah, like the song” Denver leaned forward a little. “How long is your cock?”

Daniel's eyes got shifty. “I don't know.”

“Sure you do.”

“Fourteen Centimetres”

“No shit. Let's see it.”

“What?” Daniel was panicked.

“Think of Mandy and let me see your raging steel.”

Daniel looked at Denver for a long painful moment.

“Never mind, I'm just messing with your mind.”

Daniel blushed. Denver gestured him to come over. The older boy wanted to run his hands up and down Daniel's body. He avoided looking at the boy's crotch.

He started suddenly. “I told you. . . you were going to get me all horny”.

Denver swept Daniel's slender body into his arms and dropped him into the pool. As Daniel surfaced sputtering for air, Denver stepped into the water next to him with his clothes on. As he came down he pushed Daniel back under. Daniel grabbed his shorts from under the water and started pulling them off as Denver tried to kick away from him. Denver didn't try to fight the smaller boy off too hard and decided to let him twist his pants off. Daniel surfaced holding the pants up as a trophy. He flung them across the deck and swam backward to get away from the older boy. Denver pulled his shirt off and swam slowly after the boy. Daniel was actually pretty fast in the water. Denver had not been kidding about the hard on. Daniel had seen it when he was pulling his pants off. Denver kept his distance because he wasn't sure he could keep himself under control.

They quit the game when Daniel swam slowly closer.

“Time out," the boy said, dunking his head to get the hair off his face. “Are you going to touch my cock tonight?”

“Are you going to touch mine tonight?” Denver said as seriously. The older boy considered the odds. The eighth grader had just taken his clothes off, but Denver decided it was time to stop pushing him. “You're ready for tonight. . . Let's get out.”

Neither felt like commenting on the moment.

Denver had himself under control by the time he was out of the pool. Daniel stood waiting by the side of the pool for Denver 's next instructions.

“Take the stuff in and put your clothes back on.”

As the two cleaned up the kitchen together, the roles seemed to be reversed. Denver walked casually around naked while Daniel took in his light frame and muscles. Denver looked strong and Daniel envied him his size and hair. The gay porn he had looked at gave him an idea of what guys did with each other. It was hard to accept that Denver and Mark did those things. Denver never came on like the pathetic fags he and his friends imitated.

“Time out. . . Denver, have you ever had a girl friend?”

“Sure did. I was seeing someone before I met Mark.”

Daniel was confused. “You mean you weren't gay before you met him?”

“I'm not gay. . . Mark is gay. . . I'm bi.” Denver usually didn't have to explain this to people, but he realized that despite the growing ease of their relationship, the two teenagers didn't know that much about each other.

“Bi?” Daniel hadn't thought there was anything beside straight or gay.

“Girls turn me on too Daniel. . . I'm Bisexual. . . I can go both ways.”

Daniel understood. This made life somewhat more complicated though.

“If Mark and I don't work out, I might find myself a girl friend. . . Does this bother you?”

It bothered him a bit, but strangely, not as much as he had thought. Knowing Denver and Mark made him feel kinda older and in the know. Teachers in school certainly pushed tolerance and understanding. Half the movies had some sophisticated gay guy (or woman) in them. Daniel responded honestly.

“Maybe it does. . . I'm just not used to all of this.”

Denver was warmed by the boy's honesty. “Things are moving fast, aren't they?”

“Are you going to be okay hanging out with me?”

Denver realized that the answer mattered very much to Daniel. He wished the boy was older; they might've been good friends. But the reality was, when Daniel's maturity caught up to him, he would likely be long gone.

“Sure I am!” God. . . guys don't put these things into words.

Daniel had already fallen for Denver like he was a big brother. He trusted him to take care of him. He loved what Denver had to share about the world--it was as if the older teen was handing him a roadmap.

Shit! This guy is standing here nude and it doesn't even matter.

Denver saw the boy's eyes flicker down and thought he'd better get dressed before Daniel got him going again. As he turned away, Daniel realized that Denver didn't make a big deal about those feelings. Daniel wished he had time to see Mandy and be that cool with her. He'd kiss her now without the sweaty palms and pounding heart. Well maybe the pounding heart, but not because he was scared, just because he felt good doing it. He'd tell her he liked her and that it would be okay if she didn't feel the same way. Denver telling him he turned him on, but somehow making him feel good about himself instead of embarrassed or frightened.

When Denver returned, he asked Daniel if he was ready to go again. Daniel smiled and said "yes" while pouring himself another glass of wine. He paused with the glass to his lips and caught Denver 's mocking frown. Sighing, he put the glass down carefully, walked over to where Denver was sitting down on a stool and bent over Denver 's knees.

Denver gave Daniel's ass a sharp slap (he never held back) and pulled him up by the back of his T-shirt. “I don't need a drunken freshie right now.”

“Sorry sir.” Daniel said simply while he buckled up.

“Give your mom a phone call and ask her if she wants to meet us at the mall for lunch.”

Daniel's mother was too busy, but he heard the pleasure in her voice at the offer. She suggested Denver join them for dinner Sunday after his 'sleep-over'. Daniel asked why they were going shopping and earned himself another spank.

“I want you to look the part tonight. How do you feel about pierced nipples?” Denver laughed at Daniel as he shoved him out the front door good naturedly.

Denver drove to a part of town where Daniel's mother would have freaked. As they walked into a run down store front Daniel looked back at the BMW sure that he had seen the last of its hub caps and CD player. He looked around as Denver fussed at the counter and came over when he called him.

“Jeeze Denver, those are the cheesiest T-shirts I ever saw.” Daniel stared at two black t-shirts with 'Blackhawk' silk-screened on in silver on the front. An angular chopper filled the back. “Just how sure were you about your bid?”

“Sometimes money is no object, kid.”

Denver rolled up the shirts and they moved on. At the mall, Denver let Daniel explain the ins and outs of his latest video game. Denver knew that at some point he was going to have to play the wretched game. Daniel drifted around checking things out while Denver listened to the gaming wisdom of the Simpson's comic book guy. At the jewelry store, Denver got Daniel into a tattoo parlor, but Daniel broke away from him and ran from the shop when Denver described the Chinese characters he wanted on the boy's penis. When Denver caught up to him at the food court, Daniel threw his fries at him one at a time while Denver laughed until he gasped. Five minutes later Denver was still giggling and pointing at Daniel while the boy sucked angrily on an Orange Julius. Denver looked over Daniel's jeans and decided they were fine. Since the afternoon was still young, Denver let him pick a movie to watch. When they left the theatre it was close to supper. Daniel was tired so the two went back to Daniel's apartment.

Daniel's mom was surprised when she came home with a friend to find Denver on the couch reading one of her reports, while Daniel slept in his room. She stretched dinner to three. She marvelled at Denver 's ability to keep her date entertained with non-critical details of his father's business. With some irritation, she realized her status with her date had been raised by a seventeen-year-old shmoozing about international business. When her date gave the kid his business card she almost lost it. Denver excused himself at this point and disappeared into Daniel's room. When she followed him to check on Daniel he quietly apologized to her.

“Sorry. . . I have to kill time with dad's people all the time. . . It's a bad habit I know.” He looked soberly at her. “I know I'm just a young punk, but you and Daniel can do better.”

“Okay punk, how's my boy?” They both looked at Daniel tangled in the sheets.

“He's a constant surprise to me.”

She smiled at him and went back to her date. Denver sighed and looked at his watch. They still had two hours to kill before it was worth showing up at the party. He looked at Daniel and grabbed a pillow and lay on the bed backwards. As soon as he had settled, Daniel dropped a pillow on Denver 's legs and got comfortable. Denver looked down his body at Daniel's face buried in the pillow.

“Do you and your dad get along?” asked Daniel.

Denver thought about the question for a bit. The truth was, they probably did. The problem was, his father was never around.

“Not really, he's away too much.”

Daniel rolled onto his back and crossed his legs. Denver lay still waiting for Daniel to speak.

“It's like some Disney movie. . . My mom never told me anything about my dad. . . My granddad did though; he figured I might want to know.”

Denver reached down to touch his head. “So have you talked to him?”

Daniel shook his head. They lay in silence together for a long while.

Finally Denver asked, “Do you want to get out of here?”

Daniel nodded.

They drove around for a while talking; Daniel talking about his friends and Denver talking about high school. They didn't talk about fathers.