15 And Life To Go - 8. Chapter 8

Morning came much quicker than I expected. Today was the day I had been patiently waiting for and I couldn’t be more excited. I’ve been with my fair share of guys and even a few gals, but today I woke up feeling like I’d been handed my virginity all over again and I knew that it was going to show every time I had to open my mouth until I could show Jeff how I feel about him. I haven’t been this nervous since that time a much younger me huddled with Karl and Tony behind the old warehouse with nothing but a playboy and a couple of joints. Somehow this was different, though. This time it counted and I wasn’t just a young kid trying to find himself. This isn’t how I would plan it if I had a choice. Jeff deserves better than a hand-built sex hideout in the middle of a prison compound but given the situation it really is like a five star hotel to us.

 

 

I looked around the cabin and realized once again I was up before the rest of the guys, or I thought I was. Underneath me Jeff sighed and turned over shaking the entire bunk with his frustration. With this knowledge I decided that it would be a great time to sneak in and cuddle with my boy for a few before the rooster crows and camp comes alive. I have a feeling that the day is going to drag on forever so I should savor this break from the norm. Before I was able to hop down I could hear the grunts and sounds of Jeff’s shallow breathing below me. Then the whole bunk began to sway to a rhythm. Oh my GOD!! He’s…he’s… no way, not without me! I didn’t even give it a second thought before I jumped down scaring the crap out of a very guilty looking Jeff. I gave him a very accusing look causing him to sputter.

 

 

“Babe, I’m so sorry. I can’t wait, I can’t sleep, and I’m going insane. I’m so horny it hurts! Every time I finally drift off I keep having dreams and I wake up right before…” Jeff left the rest of the sentence to my imagination. If I wasn’t in the same boat as him I’d feel sorry for him, but I am so we must suffer together. At least listening to Jeff’s little problem I forgot my own for a few moments. Jeff tried to continue his protest but I pressed my index finger to his lips and slid into bed next to him. Spooning him from behind, I gave him a gentle kiss on his neck. A shiver must have went down his back as he squirmed in my arms. I’m surprised this form of torture isn’t illegal because Jeff looks like he’s on the verge of tears right now. His hand wandered south more than once, but each time I ‘tsk-tsked’ him and led his hand back to neutral ground. Finally Jeff gave up to my defenses and slipped back to sleep while I laid there stroking his hair.

 

 

As I watched Jeff sleep, I wondered what it would be like if I said fuck the rules and slept here every night. It’s not like we would be having sex every night. I doubt Ricky would like that much. Of course I can’t quite say the same for Brandon and Casey. For all I know they would want to join in. I let that thought linger for just a moment before I felt a pang of guilt. I forced it out of my head as best possible, even though it would have been so hot! I wouldn’t dare even suggest it. I may be a dumb ass on occasion, but I don’t ever want to even think about doing anything that could drive my babe away.

 

 

The cabin door quietly opened allowing the early morning rays of sun to creep across the room. Mark walked in to check on the five of us, and he raised his eyebrows when he seen Jeff and I in the same bed. I quickly held my finger up to my lips while shaking my head hopefully making it seem like Jeff had a bad dream or something. Mark pondered a moment before pointing to his eyes and then back at us, letting me know he was keeping an eye on me. I narrowly fucked it up for both of us, and for what? A quick cuddle? Oh well, it’s over now. I doubt Mark is too worried about it, but I bet I’ll get an ear full later.

 

 

It didn’t take long for the sun to fully rise, and in turn the rest of the camp. First Casey woke up and gently prodded Brandon awake. It was epically cute the way he brushed Brandon’s hair to the side and kissed him until he stirred, obviously in a good mood. I felt kind of guilty for witnessing this transpire in front of me because it was so romantic and intimate. If only the haters in this world could see this they couldn’t possibly say it wasn’t love. I must have made a noise or something because both Casey and Brandon looked directly at me and I was caught. It wasn’t really all that bad that they knew I was there as I myself was snuggled up to Jeff, but the look on my face had to be priceless. They could have blackmailed me if they happened to have a camera. Tough old Nate was lying over hear on the verge of tears I was moved so much by their display. Completely ignoring me, Casey leaned down and whispered something causing both of them to glance back at me and start laughing. I could only imagine what could be going through their heads right now.

 

 

Both the boys hopped out of bed and motioned for me to join them. Casey had his finger to his lip to keep me quiet, making me wonder what the hell they were up to. Quietly we walked over to Ricky’s stuff and the two other boys made quick work of removing his shoe laces from Ricky’s shoes. It just dawned on me that I was in the middle of a nice little prank. We tied Ricky’s arms and legs to the bed posts, and surprisingly Ricky didn’t budge at all. He must be a deep sleeper. Casey bolted out of the cabin, to where I don’t know while I went over to wake Jeff up so he didn’t miss out on the fun. It didn’t take long for Casey to return with the bugle causing me to grin from ear to ear. Payback is a bitch, and this time he can’t run.

 

 

With the almost rusty instrument only inches from the sleeping boy’s ear, Casey belted out a string of notes that could wake the dead. It wasn’t nearly as good as what Ricky did to me a couple of days ago, but it got the job done. Ricky woke up with panic and the pitch of his voice damn near went ultrasonic. He tried to run and dodge whatever decided to come and attack him in his sleep, but he couldn’t go anywhere. In just a matter of seconds Ricky’s large body thrashed around so much that the entire frame of his bed fell apart around him and he was to his feet ready to maul whoever was responsible. Casey went flying out the door and Ricky gave chase, still with the broken pieces of wood and metal attached to his limbs. Just the way he was hooting and hollering out there, still looking half asleep, he reminded me of one of those gory zombie movies where the zombies are running around with all kindsa shit hanging off of them. Eventually Casey got lucky and Ricky got caught up in the bushes while unable to drag his bed through the underbrush. I have a good feeling all four of us are going to be sleeping with one eye open until Ricky exacts his revenge on us. Either way, it was a great way to start the day off with a laugh even if it was at the expense of a good friend.

 

 

Once things settled down a bit, Mark called us over for a McDonald’s breakfast while telling us that the schedule for the day had changed. We would be attending classes at the parish center and would follow it up with a meeting to plan an upcoming event that Father Tim would like us to put on. Before I could even try to hide my disappointment Jeff spoke up “Aww, that’s fucking bullshit!” Immediately his hand covered his mouth in a look of surprise, but he couldn’t take that one back. Mark looked at him questioningly while I stood there not knowing what to do. The three amigos we share a hut with, on the other hand, burst into laughter which told me that the secret Jeff and I had with Ricky wasn’t so much a secret any longer. Jeff tried to grovel his way out of what he said explaining something about missing the weather being trapped indoors, but Mark could tell he was bullshitting and let it go with a roll of the eyes. He knew Jeff had something up his sleeves but was too busy to care what it might be.

 

 

The rest of the time Mark was talking Jeff was mean-mugging me like there was no tomorrow. All he wanted to do was give himself a little relief this morning and I wouldn’t allow it. What could I do, though? I’m sure I’m just as pissed about the situation as him. Hell, with the information that we are going to be going to school there now meant that we might not EVER get to visit the little hideout. Shit, I didn’t even think about that!! I’m to the point I almost don’t care if we get caught. Father Tim better keep a good eye on us today, otherwise we might desecrate the church’s confessional if we get desperate enough.

 

 

After getting instructed to get ready we broke off for the cabin. As we were walking away from the fire pit the other half of our camp was jogging into the campsite drenched in sweat. To be honest, I didn’t even know they were gone actually. It was nice, though ‘cause they were smiling and waving meaning the peace treaty we ‘signed’ must have not been forgotten overnight.

 

 

It didn’t take long after walking through the cabin door that Brandon, Casey, and Ricky began their cat calls and whistles. I knew that we didn’t stand a chance after Jeff’s outburst earlier and right now I didn’t really want to be reminded of how close we had gotten just to have it yanked away from us. I keep trying to keep my mind off of my aching balls but with Jeff walking around looking sad and the other boys rubbing it in, it’s impossible. Seeing cabin one walking in from a jog gave me an idea, though. Since I know neither of us are going to sleep well tonight, I think Jeff and I might feel the need for an early morning jog tomorrow.

 

 

After our bunkmates got the jeers out of their system they switched their tune and became sympathetic to the situation. Even though they really couldn’t do anything to help it was nice that they weren’t throwing it in our faces anymore. They reassured us that we have first dibs the next time the hideout becomes available. Sucking up our losses, we accepted and continued to get ready.

 

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The ride into town seemed to be much shorter than the other day. More than likely it was because the crowd of rowdy teens in the bed of the truck doubled and we were all excited to begin work on our new band. I knew what our cabin’s job was but I’m not quite sure how cabin one fits into the equation. If they end up being just our roadies I doubt they will take it very well. For what it’s worth, though, with the way we sounded the other day there is a good chance this project will take off.

 

 

When we pulled into the church parking lot we were met with about forty new faces. They must have invited the entire parish to welcome us. It seemed as if the majority of the people were genuinely happy to see us but you could tell a few came to gawk at the teenage felons as if we were death row inmates coming to visit. Along with the adults on the welcoming committee were a few kids about our age. I wasn’t all that interested but Ricky seemed to get a little excited when he seen a pretty little brunette looking his way. I wonder how many fantasies blasted through his head in that fifteen seconds of eye contact that they shared. Hell, I bet she’s not all that innocent. I bet her fantasies were even dirtier! I don’t believe half of what I hear about church folk. I mean, just look at Jeff, the embodiment of a choir boy and just this morning he was after me like a rabid dog!

 

 

After we were introduced to all the adults whose names we will never be able to remember, we were ushered into a classroom with the few other kids that were there to meet us. In all, including us ‘kids from the hills’, we had about twenty some-odd kids in the class. Ricky immediately sat next to Allison, the girl he was drooling over just moments ago. I joined Jeff, who of course sat front row and center. It didn’t take long for a girl named Brenda to start chatting my man up. She spotted Jeff’s dimples and bee-lined her way over and took the seat next to him. She was giggling and twirling her hair and it was so friggin obvious what she wanted but Jeff remained absolutely clueless. I couldn’t help be a tad jealous but I seriously think that Jeff has no idea how adorable he really is. He could have anyone he wanted, man or woman just by showing off his perfect smile and this…this Barbie wannabe is trying her best. After she touched his arm for the tenth time something in my brain snapped and right there in the front of the classroom I pulled Jeff towards me and claimed my man with a kiss. As luck would have it, the minute our lips met the door to the classroom opened and in walked our new teachers including Mary.

 

 

“Ahem, Gentleman!!” An older lady in her sixties broke up our kiss. “Public displays of affection have no place in a classroom. That goes for all of you!” As she said it she was looking directly at Ricky, who was in turn looking directly at Allison. He didn’t come to attention until the room erupted into giggles. Poor Ricky had it bad for the girl and it showed.

 

 

“My name is Mizzzzz Hancock, and I will be one of three of your instructors for the year,” The elderly woman continued, “I have been informed of your rather informal teachings up in the hills, but here I use traditional teaching methods. That means books, pencils, paper, and reports which I’m sure you’re all excited about.” Yeah right, just listening to this lady talk was putting me to sleep. Glancing at the other members of our group I could tell they felt the same. Assuming that Mary is one of the other three, that leaves one other teacher and I’m very close to kneeling down right here and now praying that the third teacher won’t be like Mizzzzz H. here and hypnotize us into an eternal slumber.

 

 

It didn’t take long for Miss Snooze to assign us our first bit of homework. It consisted of a ten page hand written report on how we ended up at this point in life. Immediately I felt like causing a scene because this woman is obviously targeting the felons in the room when she assigned this asinine paper. She doesn’t even know our name yet she expects us to pour our problems out on paper for a grade. That is bullshit. I’m not worried about what I have to write, but what about Jeff? How is her view going to be towards him when she reads “At that point I raised the gun and blew my father’s brains out.” Or Casey, who no-one really knows why he’s here except for the fact it must be major ‘cause he refuses to talk about it and pretty much shuts down when the topic arises. Holding in my building anger, I decided I would talk to Mary about it later.

I studied the blank paper in front of me. I can’t remember the last time I’ve actually tried to write an essay, and I really don’t know how to start. Hell, I don’t really understand what the topic is. Am I supposed to write about my drunk father, my perverted uncle, or my ex-boyfriend who is God knows where because his brother, who happens to be ten feet away from me right now, almost got him killed? I wonder if this woman even considered the blow back of an exercise like this. Deciding that my best course of action was to be the smart ass that everyone knows me as, I titled my paper “How I Became This Perfect” and started writing.

 

 

By the time we were excused from our lessons, I had already written half of my satiric paper that was sure to turn the teacher’s lips down. As we gathered our belongings the teacher, whom the other students fondly refer as “dragon lady”, waltz out of the classroom without saying anything. Before any of us ‘hill kids’ could even utter a complaint the other students in class with us began to apologize to us profusely, telling us that if we didn’t want to write the paper they would stick behind us. It surprised the hell out of me to see that the kids here had more common sense than the teacher herself. At least we know that the other kids that we will be attending classes with have our backs. I was a little worried about them sticking their noses up at us at first but they quickly quashed that idea. Instead we were brought to a group of allies and equals.

 

 

For lunch we were seated in a small room off the side of a quaint little kitchen where a pair of white haired elderly women slowly prepared a lunch of spaghetti and French bread. It smelled like heaven and we all were licking our chops waiting for a ‘home-cooked’ meal. All we’ve had recently was campfire and restaurant food. When the pasta was finally dished out we were ravenous and barely stopped to breath, let alone talk. It took maybe five minutes to clear our plates leaving the rest of our classmates and the two old ladies flabbergasted. One of the women had her hand over her mouth stifling a laugh. You could hear her mumble “Oh dear!” Needless to say, those two women won us over with their culinary skills. Casey, after noticing the awkward silence, walked over to both of them, whispered something to them and engulfed both with a genuine hug that brought tears to their eyes. In a single modest gesture Casey told the ladies all about our pasts and all about ourselves. Casey didn’t walk over to the women for show, instead he did so as a young man respecting his elders. It didn’t take a ridiculous essay or uncomfortable questions. It only took people to treat us with respect and like equals to have our true form present itself.

 

 

After lunch we had a recess of sorts. A light rain had begun to fall outside so we headed towards the indoor gym to play some basketball. The guys from cabin two decided to challenge cabin one to some basketball so we split up into our teams, except for Jack, of course, because he was too good to play nice. There were five additional guys from our class so Eric picked three and I scooped up the other two. Without even giving it a second thought, I called shirts vs. skins and yanked my shirt over my head followed by five others. The only one with his shirt still on was Jeff, and he was looking at me like a wounded puppy. Immediately it hit me. I had forgotten all about his scars and I was completely insensitive. I didn’t have a chance to take it back before he took his shirt off exposing the deep welts that probably will never disappear. Aside from the girls on the sidelines getting all mushy and exclaiming “Awwww!” nobody said anything cross. It was an uncomfortable silence, but Jeff took it in stride and checked the ball to Tony to begin play.

 

 

The next forty-five minutes flew past in a flash. Our team won without trying but I’m pretty sure it was because the guys on the other team were too busy showing off for the ladies to care about the game. Ricky, even though he was playing on our team, was flexing for a giggling Allison. I tried to pass him the ball, but he had his mind elsewhere. The impact of the orange rubber bouncing off his head could be heard a mile away followed by the thump of his unsuspecting body falling to the wooden floor. Of course the girls started laughing causing Ricky to go crimson. I should feel bad, but there is plenty of time for that after I stop laughing myself.

 

 

Eventually we tired ourselves out and headed to the restroom to wash the sweat out of our eyes. Tony, who was at the sink next to me, was acting strange again. He was back to his introverted state not making eye contact. When I asked him if something was wrong, he just looked at me and shook his head. He told me that he had ‘a lot of shit on his mind’ and that he would talk to me later, but he didn’t want to say anything in front of anyone. Trying not to read too much into his cryptic message I walked over and joined the other boys in poking fun at Ricky and the rather large round red mark covering the side of his face. I felt bad for Ricky, but one would have to admit that was pretty damned funny. Now that we were finally cleaned up we headed off to the real reason we all wanted to be here today, the tunes!

 

 

As soon as we walked into the music room Ricky, Casey, and Brandon again went running for the instruments. There was no surprise when the trio wasted no time to break into song after hastily hooking up the electronics. What did surprise me, however, was Eric and Blake taking their place at the giant piano, both sitting on the same bench. The two boys began to play together in a comical ragtime version of those songs you always see in the old westerns coming out of the saloons. It looks like the brothers know their place in this group, which leaves only Tony, Henry, and Jack with nothing to do. I thought at first that the other kids we went to school with would be working with us, but they have a project of their own. They are getting sponsors for our program apparently.

 

 

While we were waiting for whoever was going to be working with us on our new band we began talking amongst ourselves. Tony volunteered himself to sit back and watch for a bit while Henry said he could be like a secretary or a manager keeping all of our paperwork and stuff in order. That sounded like a great idea. Jack? Well Jack sat back and sneered the entire time. He seemed to think this entire ordeal was a joke that was beneath him. As long as he stayed out of the way I couldn’t give a damn either way. Since we were still waiting and had nothing better to do we all started a makeshift jam session running through some of our favorites which all seemed to be early 2000’s rock.

 

 

No-one seemed to notice when a man in a black leather jacket with hair down almost to his ass walked in. Even with our large group of felons present the gentleman looked way more out of place here at the church. I guess he could be described as a grungy version of Bono, and he had the tattoos of a member of the Hell’s Angels. We were so wrapped up in our music we didn’t even notice when he plugged in his own guitar and jumped right in alongside of us. Hell, the only reason we did notice he was there was because he completely owned the guitar solo surpassing our own talent ten-fold. It was beautiful and caused all of the group to immediately quit playing.

 

 

“Boys,” the mystery man started, “my name is Ziggy J. I’m a producer from St. Louis and I was called in by my pal Mark to work with you guys. Let me tell you a few things about myself. I’ve been producing my own record line for ten years, and before that I worked with Butch Vig with bands such as Nirvana, Garbage, and the Smashing Pumpkins. Mark believes he struck oil when he heard you guys play and begged me to volunteer a little time with you youngsters and from what I just heard, he wasn’t lying. Now, we have less than a month before our first gig, which is the county fair. It’s nothing major, but for you guys it will be like playing an amp theater your very first concert. So, we still need a set list and a name for you, but for now let’s get you guys playing like the pros and see where we are at.”

 

 

We were in the presence of Rock and Roll royalty. After his speech it dawned on us that this was all real. We had a band, all the instruments we need, and we even had a producer. Our first gig was coming up so fast that we didn’t even have a name picked out. After another twenty minutes of messing around Mark came in to round us up to head back. First, though, we were once again given a meal fit for a king.

 

 

Mark had to pull over twice on the way home, which is how I seem to be referring to the camp now, to settle us down. Our excitement was impossible to contain and we were all talking at once. Even when we got back to camp we remained in one large group laughing and playing around. Ricky eventually pulled me aside and suggested that I take my boyfriend for a walk, causing a grin to spread across my face. As stealthily as possible Jeff and I made our way to the secret hideout. Both of us were nervous, like two innocent virgins weary about what to do next.

 

 

“Jeff, are you ready for this? I don’t want to do anything if you’re not. I love you too much to mess it up with sex…” I couldn’t even finish before Jeff again took control of the situation. Even though we were on our own we didn’t have an endless supply of time before people were looking for us. In no time both of us were drenched in sweat and tearing into each other’s cloths. I was in pure ecstasy and by the moans coming from Jeff I assumed he was too. Jeff didn’t seem too shy anymore as I felt his lips maneuver over my manhood. I was scrambling to find something to hold on to as Jeff sent waves of feelings over me that I had never before experienced. Not wanting focus only on myself, I turned around and reciprocated the pleasure causing both of us to feel like we were melting into one. With our peak approaching fast I braced myself for what was coming. Fully spent, I pulled Jeff in my arms and we just laid there, naked on the dirt floor, not saying a word. Slowly we began getting dressed when I saw movement in the trees. Looking up I seen Tony on the trail looking our way, his eyes dripping tears. I reached down to pull up my pants, even though it was too late. When I looked up he was gone, and his quick footsteps could be heard fleeing the scene. I’m not sure what that was, but it was bad. Jeff said it perfectly. One simple word…. “SHIT!”