A New Life - 28. El Niño Storms

 

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Starting that Sunday night, things got really strange. Prez and I went to talk with John and told him we would like to come out to Kim.

John got really angry again and started yelling, "No way! Don't tell her that!"

"Why not?" I asked then said, "It's our decision really and we don't want to have to sneak around in our own house."

"Well it's my house too and I don't want her knowing for sure my brothers are queer!" John argued.

"I'm not gay," Drew said in self defense, "I'm bisexual. I like both boys and girls."

"Well you've got a boyfriend so that kinda puts you on the gay side, don't ya think?" John said.

Drew looked really sad and said loudly, "No, it means that now I have a boy… or had a boy that really cared about me. Guess it don't really fuckin' matter anymore thanks to you and Kim though." Then he got up off his bed and stormed out of the room.

"This isn't about sides John," Prez softly said, "It's about what each of us as individuals wants and desires. It's what we're happy with."

Frustrated, I blurted out, "Ya know, Kim probably had a clue before today. It's you that's having the major problem here. Everything was just fine as long as we kept quiet, hiding our love and staying in the closet."

"Of course!" John yelled. "Everyone's gonna think I'm gay too because both my brothers are. But I'm not gay! I wouldn't even be able to get the slightest bit of an erection from seeing another naked guy."

My dad came to the room and sat down on Drew's bed. We all turned to him and he said, "I'm just the referee. We made our point plain and simple; everyone has to learn to live with and be considerate of one another."

I said, "Dad, John wants us to hide our affections here at home. He doesn't want Prez and I to talk with Kim."

"Do you really want to do that?" my dad asked.

"Sure." I said.

Prez nodded and said, "It seems to be the right thing to do."

My dad looked at John and asked, "Why would you rather they didn't talk with Kim."

John thought for a minute and said, "Because, I don't want her or her folks thinking we're perverted or some shit."

"Being gay is not perverted, it's a genetic attribute that can't be denied, no more than you can deny liking girls," my dad said.

"But dad," John whined, "you know how Mr. Hsu is. He'd freak out."

"That may or may not be. It's not my concern," my dad said, "What I am concerned about is my sons living comfortably in this house." He looked at each of us while saying, "All of you."

"So what do we do?" Prez asked.

My dad thought carefully for a few moments then said, "We compromise. John's concern seems to be with others, beyond Kim, finding out then accusing him of being gay as well." John nodded then my dad looked at Prez and I and said, "You have every right to choose whom to tell. Kim is a logical choice since John is making her part of this household." Then he looked at John and said, "You need to be there with them when it's discussed and ask her to please respect their privacy then explain to her the ramifications if she doesn't. Tell her what you feel and what concerns you most."

John leaned back on his bed appearing disgusted and said;"It's almost like my feelings don't matter then."

"That's where you're wrong. They do matter but so does your brother's and Preston's," my dad explained, "Let's face facts here. There are two kinds of people in this world, those that accept people as individuals, regardless of race, religion or sexual preference and those that don't. In this county we have a Bill of Rights and a Constitution that guarantees freedom for all. In this house we will all work together. How others act outside of this house is none of my concern until they walk into this house. You've given me no reason to not trust your decisions John. Tommy has been your friend since kindergarten and not once has anything been destroyed or stolen while he's been here. I trust that Kim has the same principles as we do because she's your friend. You have to trust her too. If you don't, then Keith and Preston shouldn't have that talk with her and you need to reevaluate your relationship with her."

John sighed, looked and Prez and I then said, "I need to talk with her first, okay?"

"Sure," I said.

"Definitely," Prez said, "just tell us what the deal is."

John said, "I'll talk with her tomorrow and let ya know."

"Are we done with this topic?" my dad asked and, starting with John, we all nodded. "Good, we have another situation to deal with before we call it a night. Drew is out in the living room more upset than I've ever seen him. Would you like to know why? Because he's trapped in the middle, his friendship with Corey is in jeopardy, he feels like he's alienated all of you because he's not like any of you and that is very wrong. Someone please tell me why he's out there crying and not sitting in here."

For a long minute no one said a word. "Things got heated and Drew took the brunt of the argument," I explained.

"It was probably my fault dad." John admitted, "I guess I said something wrong."

"I see," My dad said. Then he turned to me and said, "Please ask your mom and Drew to come in here."

"I'll go get them," Prez offered.

As soon as Prez left the room my dad said to John, "I know what you said and have a good idea why you said it but tell me something. Are you that afraid of what other people think?"

John nodded and said, "It's not what they think that bugs me, it's what they might do that's scary."

My dad sighed, leaned forward with his arms on his knees and said, "I know it's scary John but as you grow older you'll see this is what separates the men from the boys, so to speak. No one likes confrontations, especially physical ones, but they do happen." Drew, Prez and my mom came in the room and my dad continued. "You've already passed this test, do you realize that?"

Shrugging his shoulders, John asked, "What test?"

"Two years ago, when you got suspended from school for fighting," my dad reminded.

"Yeah, but that was different and I still got punished." John argued.

"It wasn't that different," my mom said, "People were calling Tommy names, using racial slurs and you stuck up for him."

"You didn't get punished either, you got suspended but we didn't punish you in any way. The reason why we didn't punish you is because we believe you did the right thing. It just happened at the wrong place and time," my dad said. John smiled weakly. "This is only slightly different. Now instead of people calling your friend names, someone might call you names. The same way you stuck up for Tommy, I believe he and all your good friends would stick up for you."

"None of you need to be afraid of who you are and you certainly can't live in fear of other people. We can't be afraid of each other or whom we bring into this house either. Happy and safe, remember? Treat each other with kindness and respect. We will be a family for much longer than most friendships last," My mom said then she yawned, stood up and said, "It's getting late, there's school and work tomorrow."

My dad got up and said, "I'd like to hear more conversation tomorrow and less yelling please." Then my parents walked out of the room saying, "Good night."

After a few moments John asked, "Are you guys mad at me?"

I shook my head then Prez said, "Nope, we'll talk more about it tomorrow though if ya want."

John smiled and said, "That'd be cool."

As Prez and I walked out of their room John and Drew were staring at each other. I closed the door behind me and heard John say, "Sorry bro."

"Yeah, me too." Drew said.

Prez turned and looked at me while I eavesdropped on my brothers then he smiled and took my hand, leading me back to our bedroom. He closed the door and turned on the stereo while I took my shirt off and got ready for bed. We caught the last part of Good Vibrations while we got undressed then Twilight Time played. Prez walked up behind me, wrapped his arms around me and began swaying to the music. Through the whole song we slow danced like that, my back to his front. When the song ended Prez stepped over to turn the stereo off but Change The World began and he quickly dropped his hand from the stereo and swayed back over to me. I turned around to face him and pulled him to me. God, I love it when he rests his head on my shoulder and slow dances with me! There was a lot we had to talk about but, after all that had happened, we were really enjoying the music and dancing so that's what we did until about one in the morning. The last song of the night we danced to was The End Of The Innocence. Prez turned off the lights and the stereo then we crawled under the covers and kissed each other good night.

I guess the day's events were a bit too much for me. As soon as I fell asleep I was haunted by a horrible nightmare.

Derrick and I came out of school together just like always. We walked around the outside of the building towards the student parking lot. As we made the final turn, I saw a large circle of students. The last time I saw something like that, this one dude at our school, a member of the gymnastics team, was walking around on his hands and he was being timed. We headed towards the circle to see what the show was this time. The closer we got the more it became apparent this was no gymnastics stunt.

Someone shouted, "Hit 'em again!"

"Worthless little faggot bastards!" another voice yelled.

Derrick and I double-timed it over there. In the center of the circle were Prez and Mike, battered and bloody, trying to protect themselves from the onslaught of fists flying towards them. I stood there, saying nothing and doing nothing about the fact that my best friend and boyfriend were being beat to a pulp.

Waking sweaty and trembling, I sat upright and looked around my room in the dark.

Prez reached over and asked, "You okay babe?"

Unable to answer, I sat there trying to control my nerves but it was no use. I got out of bed and ran for the bathroom, barely making it to the toilet before puking my guts up. Standing again when I finished, I flushed the toilet and turned to see Prez at the bathroom doorway.

"Guess you're not okay." He said with sadness while pouring mouthwash into a glass. He handed it to me and asked, "Ya wanna tell me about it?" while I rinsed the nasty taste out of my mouth. I put the glass down on the sink and nodded. Prez wrapped his arm around my waist and we returned to bed where I told him all about my dream.

As tears flowed freely out of my eyes I told him, "I'm a pussy Prez. Never once have I ever gotten into a fight or had to stand up for myself. A year ago I was ready to off myself because I couldn't face the fact I'm gay."

"But you didn't do it," Prez corrected. "You admitted it and your family accepted you."

Getting down on myself I said, "I didn't do it cause I'm a chicken shit pansy ass…"

"Just stop! That is horseshit!" Prez interrupted loudly. "So you never got into a fight, big fuckin' deal! Fighting is nothing to be proud of! Do you think I enjoyed the fight I got into? No, I didn't. My hands hurt for days! I apologized to that dude I beat up and paid for his lunch the very next day."

"But…"

"No buts about it." He interrupted again. "I've been with you for half a year, almost every day and every night. You stood by my side when I needed you most just a few months ago. That wasn't easy. You faced your fear of singing publicly. That wasn't easy either. I have nothing but faith in you. If any situation like what you dreamed ever happened, you'd be great. There's no way you could just watch while me or Mike or Derrick or either of your brothers got into a fight. Damn it Keith, don't you see that you mean everything to me? If we hadn't met, if we didn't get along as well, I'd be in a shit load of trouble right now. Nothing any homophobic asshole could through my way would be anywhere near as bad as that."

Realizing how selfish I was being, I looked at him in amazement, hoping that every word he said about me was true "Aren't you scared?" I asked.

"Hell yeah, I'm scared. I know what it's like and would much rather not deal with that stupid shit." He admitted. "We can't be scared of our own shadows though. I have good feelings about Jessy and Kim. There's not going to be any problems tomorrow." He said as he lay back down and pulled the covers up.

Lying down next to him I leaned over and kissed him goodnight a second time. Prez rolled over on his side, spooning himself behind me, put an arm over me and held my hand. Without my even saying a word, he knew that I needed to be held. I closed my eyes feeling a little better. He didn't think I was a wimp, although I had my doubts and, like any good friend would, he verbally kicked me right in the ass when I started beating the hell out of myself. We would face the next day knowing we each had fears but sure we were doing the right thing.

Before I knew it the clock radio alarm went off. It felt like I had just closed my eyes and my mind drifted freely for those last few hours but I didn't really sleep. I yawned and stretched. Prez pulled me close mumbling, "G'morning babe." Pressing against my rear end I could feel his morning stiffie. For some reason, he still loved me even though he now knew of my biggest insecurity. The thought baffled but excited me, not in a sexual way but in the emotional sort of way. I rolled over to face him and gazed into his half open deep blue eyes. There was sorrow there.

"Are you angry with me?" he asked.

"No, why would I be?"

"Well we did have our first fight. I've never yelled at you before."

"I deserved it. Probably needed it too," I answered then explained;"You know all those times I've gotten angry at the way Hollywood portrays gays? Well, I guess this is why. I don't look gay and don't sound gay. Neither do you, we just are. It’s all so great and I sure wouldn’t want it any other way but deep down, the thought of being confronted scares the shit out of me."

Prez stroked my arm softly with just his fingertips and asked, "Will you do me a favor?"

"Course."

"Don't worry babe. You've said that to me at least a dozen times. Now it's my turn."

I sighed and said;"I'll try."

He smiled weakly then kissed me so softly. Pulling only a millimeter away from my lips he softly said, "That's all I could ever ask, just try not to stress it."

Reassuring me was the confident look on his face. Whatever it took I'd make him happy. With our noses still touching from the last kiss I kissed him again, just as softly as he had kissed me but it lasted longer.

When I pulled back he giggled and said, "Uh-oh."

I grinned and asked, "What's wrong?"

"Just the look in your eyes. The last time I saw that look, at this hour of the morning, on a school day, we never made it school!" Prez said and chuckled, his eyebrows bouncing up and down.

I chuckled along and said, "Nah, we got some important shit to take care of today."

"It sounds like you're looking forward to it." Prez said.

Nodding, I said, "Sort of. I'm just hoping everything is cool with Jessy."

Prez and I stayed in bed snuggling until we heard Drew and John back in their room getting dressed for school then we got up and hit the bathroom. While brushing my teeth Prez grabbed his razor and went directly to the shower. He took his underwear off and started running the water. Having him standing there naked, within reach, drew my attention away from brushing my teeth for a few moments. What a nice ass he has! It's just perfect, muscular but round. I was just about to grab a handful of cheek when he stepped in the tub. "I saw that!" He giggled, closing the shower door. "You weren't quite fast enough!"

Spitting out toothpaste suds, I shouted over the sound of the running water, "Next time I won't admire it for so long." Quickly I rinsed my mouth out and joined him in the shower. We didn't fool around too much in there but he was obviously expecting the company. He was hanging limp moments earlier but was already fully erect when I joined him. While he shampooed I washed him and then we traded places. Two can do the task of showering as quickly as one but it's much more fun when there's extra time and more can be done than just washing.

We finished in the bathroom then dressed quickly. Prez wore a pair of my boxers that day saying, "It's gonna be one of those days where briefs are just a bit too confining."

That’s his way of saying that he wished we could’ve spent more time in the shower and now he’d be popping a bone on and off all day!

Then he put on a pair of acid washed black jeans and a white T-shirt with a cartoon of a rowing team and the words, "Stroke, stroke, stroke!" on the back. Finally he put on a red plaid flannel shirt and sat on the bed to tie his Nikes. He looked awesome and I gave him a quick hug before we bolted out of the house.

Prez asked to drive and I tossed him the keys. We picked up Mike and Derrick then headed off to school. The little talk we had on the way made me feel like I was a major stress case because neither Mike nor Derrick was worried about coming out to Jessy.

"Why would it matter to her?" Mike asked and I couldn't reply with any reason other than the obvious one. "She's black dude. It would be kind of stupid for one minority to throw stones at another. There's probably little doubt she's had her own experiences with hurtful words and dumb shit."

Derrick said, "It's nothin' to worry about dude. Remember we said we'd all look out for each other? My dad already fulfilled my worst nightmare anyway. If she's not cool about it then we'll find another keyboard player. No biggy."

"D, what's the deal with your dad?" Prez asked.

Derrick sighed and answered;"The court date is next week. The lawyer asked Mike's mom to figure expenses. He guarantees that he'll pay it or we'll lock his ass up for a while on assault and battery charges."

Mike started chuckling and said, "He better lock his ass up if he's gonna be in the slammer! Some dude with a ten incher might decide your dad's real cute and would make a nice boyfriend!"

Derrick laughed loudly then said, "That would be perfect! Exactly the kind of justice I'd like to see."

The morning at school proceeded just like any other except for my paranoia. I swear, every time someone said anything like fag or wuss or anything derogatory like that my heart skipped three beats! Prez met me outside our second period English class and something like that happened just down the hall. He took me aside and whispered, "Don't turn your head and look as if someone's calling your name."

Not even realizing I was doing that I nodded and whispered back, "I'm just a bit freaked out today."

He smiled the warmest smile, making me think he was going to hug or kiss me but he only put his hand on my shoulder saying, "It'll be fine," then we walked into the classroom.

With Prez sitting beside me I could chill out a bit. He just has a calming effect on me. Maybe it's simply the way I feel about him or it might be his laid back mannerisms.

No matter what it was, I could slide down in my desk chair and try to relax. About ten minutes into the class he could see that I was still a little on edge though so he started tapping on his desk to get my attention. Turning to look his way I saw him quickly make three rowing motions with his hands! I damn near busted up laughing and shit myself!

"Is everything alright Mr. Hundser?" the teacher asked while I was choking down my laughter.

I coughed and said, "Umm, yeah, just a tickle in my throat. Can I get a drink of water?"

She sighed, nodded and said, "Hurry back. You've missed a lot and there is a test on Wednesday."

That news wiped the smile from my face as I stood and left the room. At the water fountain I thought about some way to make Prez laugh but decided against it since it might appear we were goofing around in class. I didn't want to draw attention to us or get detention. What I wanted was to get home and make him laugh uncontrollably for the whole night. I returned to class and no one even turned their head, not even Prez. When the class ended Prez only smiled at me. On another day and at a different place I might have grabbed my crotch and laughed, "Yeah, stroke this you big whacko!"

Prez followed me to my locker but didn't say a word. I guess he was waiting for me to laugh or say something but the lingering worry prevented it. We just smiled knowingly at each other. I wish I could've thought of something to say, at least a thank you for the smile, but it just wasn't the right time or place. At home I would be able to get him back, I hoped.

Leaning against the lockers Prez whispered, "Everything's just fine. I wish I could prove that to you." He sighed and said, "I'll see you at lunch," and walked off to his next class.

All during my next two classes I beat the shit out of myself with my thoughts. How could I love someone so much, give myself to him so completely, but when I felt the slightest bit threatened treat him like I barely knew him? If he got angry with me for being sullen I wouldn't blame him in the least. There was no excuse, only my inner fears of being outted. Now I had something else to worry about. All I could do was hope we'd go out for lunch so I could be myself and not so freaked out.

When I saw Prez again by the cafeteria, he was waiting for me with Mike, Derrick and Jessy. Even though I forced a smile, I could tell that he was aware of some of what I had been thinking. Mike must've noticed but he gave no clue, carrying on with Derrick and Jessy just like always. They all started walking into the cafeteria. I couldn't even say a word to stop them and suggest Carl's Junior or someplace else where we could talk a little freer. Like a zombie, I followed them to the chow line. My stomach was tied in knots and nothing looked edible anyway so I got myself a soda and a bowl of strawberry jello then headed over to our usual table. Getting a tuna sandwich and milk, Prez followed behind me. The look of understanding written all over his face as we sat down made me want to cry.

Inside I was so mixed up! All the straights can hold hands and kiss and get away with all the public displays of affection they want, short of fucking in the hallways, but I had to contain it all, fearing some neo-Nazi homophobic butthead might make my life a living hell.

Derrick, Mike and Jessy joined us. "I'd be happy if we played nothing but metal but I'm the odd man out," Mike explained as they sat down. "D, Keith and Prez want to play other stuff so it's just gonna be that way. As long as we play some rockin' jams I'm a happy camper." Prez smiled knowingly at Mike and shook his head in disbelief.

"What stuff do you like most?" Derrick asked Jessy.

She answered, "You're gonna laugh but I like old jazz. Not the newer stuff but like Duke Ellington and Count Basie. The big band swing sound is coming back but there's little chance of getting an orchestra put together in high school. I just want to play often and play well. What good is it to just sit home and play to an empty house? My dad asked me once."

"Your dad is a musician?" Prez asked.

Jessy swallowed a mouthful of salad then said, "Yeah, he plays saxophone. My mom sings in the church choir and my older brothers all play too."

"Whoa! Very cool." Derrick commented.

"You and my brother Kevin might get along," she said to Derrick, "he plays drums too."

Derrick said excitedly, "Sweet, I'd like to meet him some time."

"He's married now but the next time he comes over to the house I'll let you know." Jessy said.

Mike started getting fidgety and I thought he was going to change the subject but he only asked, "So, umm… will you join us?"

Jessy smiled widely and finished chewing her food, appearing to give the question serious thought. "Why do you think I spent the last two Sundays and almost every lunch period with you dudes?" She teased.

Mike smiled and teased her back. "Because we're cute and irresistible?" he suggested.

Jessy laughed heartily then said, "That's an added bonus I suppose but it's because there's no out of control egos. If any of you start getting snotty then I'll have to reconsider but yeah, I'll join ya."

Mike shouted, "Excellent!"

"You won't regret it," Derrick added enthusiastically.

She nodded and said;"I know it. We sound pretty damn good and there's no where else to go but forward."

Prez asked her, "Your parents would be cool with you hanging with four guys?"

"Not a problem," she said plainly, "how much safer could I be than with four white gay boys." We all looked at her shocked.

I almost fell out of my chair! "How'd you know?" I asked.

She giggled at me and said, "The mummy speaks! I thought for a second you only sang," then she cracked up. Looking around the table at us she must've seen four very confused faces. "Come on! Don't you dudes have on your gaydar?" she giggled.

"I take it then that there's no problems?" Prez asked.

"Of course not!" she said sounding a little annoyed.

"I'm sorry," Prez said, "I come from a place where things aren't quite as open and accepting."

"It's alright," she said, "you dudes aren't obvious most of the time but I could tell there was something going on last Sunday and yesterday."

"We were obvious?" Mike asked.

"You don't put your hand in every guys back pocket I hope." She said and Mike blushed then shook his head.

"You aren't the only homosexuals in this school ya know. There are a few others that I'm certain of and some that I'm not too sure about," Jessy explained.

Shocked and amazed I said, "There are?"

"Course. I'm not naming names but you'd be surprised," she said, and then asked, "Are you dudes all in a fog or just in love?" Then she lifted her hand slightly and said, "Let me guess, couple A," she pointed at Mike and Derrick with two fingers then pointed at Prez and I saying, "and couple B. Don't worry about a thing. It's nobody else's business and I won't say a word."

Feeling like a two-ton weight had been lifted off my back, I started to chuckle then busted up in hysterics and Prez joined me, then Mike and Derrick.

Gathering her trash, Jessy said, "Give me a call and we'll work out rehearsal times etceteras. Now, if you'll excuse me, my boyfriend is over there waiting." Then she stood and walked away. We turned and looked towards her boyfriend and immediately recognized Nelson Patterson, the defensive lineman on our school's football team.

"Too cool!" Derrick shouted excitedly and high fived Mike.

Mike then looked at me smiling and said, "Now will you please just chill out!"

Prez started rubbing his foot against mine under the table and I jumped a little, still awestruck at the turn of events. He pulled his foot away quickly and looked at me with confusion. Needless to say, I didn't like making him feel worried or hurt but I was still a little frazzled. Mike and Derrick started tripping on our band, suggesting songs, weekdays we could jam and how great it would all be. Prez and I never lost eye contact though. We needed to get away and talk. There were only a few more minutes left to lunch period so it would have to be quick. Prez nodded and without a word we stood.

"Where ya going dudes?" Mike asked.

"Just to go talk for a while," I said.

Derrick nudged Mike and said, "Okay dudes, see ya later."

Out in the empty hall Prez said, "You don't have to say a word."

Shaking my head I said, "But I want to. I've been a total asshole all day and half the night. I'm sorry Prez."

Prez managed a smile and said, "Don't sweat it. If I didn't know why then I'd be worried. The good guys scored another point. You'll see, there's more of us then of those others. Will you do me a favor please?"

"Sure, anything."

"Concentrate on something else. Push all that crap right out of your mind."

For the rest of the day I did as I was told, actually paying full attention in my classes. It helped some but my mind still drifted. That afternoon Mike and Derrick studied with us and stayed for dinner. Drew and John were goofing around at the table as usual. My dad was in an exceptionally good mood so, although I wanted to talk with him about this stuff clogging my mind, I decided to talk with my mom instead. Having a mom that's a sociologist is the greatest but, after talking for a long while and running through different scenarios, I still couldn't be certain that if the time ever came I would do what was necessary.

Prez and I made love that night. He didn't want to; saying I was too emotionally stirred and it would be enough to just cuddle. Using body language alone, I insisted. I needed to feel his love more intensely than ever before. Since he enjoyed having me inside him the previous week while I lay back recovering from my injury, I thought I'd like to try the same position, only in reverse. We did it on the floor so the bed wouldn't squeak or knock against the wall and give away our activity. Prez sat up; his legs spread wide on either side of me. Sitting in front of him, I then lay down and put my legs over his thighs, straddling his waist. Shuffling towards him a little, I could feel the heat of his erection against me. He lubed his shaft and my twitching hole then pointed his hard meat down towards the target. I felt him slip slowly inside me. He stayed perfectly still, whispered "I love you," and stroked my thighs while I lay there getting used to having him inside me for the first time in weeks. Then I shifted a little closer to him and grabbed his knees as the fantastic feelings washed over me. Gyrating my hips like he had done, I soon had to stop; it felt that good! Breathless, I looked up at my lover and smiled while my body tingled and brain matter oozed out of my ears.

He giggled at my goofy expression and said, "It feels awesome, doesn't it?" then he bucked his hips, pushing his hot rod into me.

"Yes!" I shouted then giggled and started gyrating and bucking my hips like crazy. Prez settled down, leaning back on his hands and let me work to pleasure us both for a while. When I rested Prez would soon take over, shifting back and forth really fast, rubbing my prostate and making my skin crawl with Goosebumps. Unprepared for such intense pleasure, all I could do was hold his legs and softly whine, "Yeah, oh yeah baby, do it more." When he rested I reached down, finding six and a half inches of soft cock. I could swear I was hard enough to molt! Amazingly my dick was at its full length but soft!

Picking up the bottle of lube Prez said, "Let me," and soon he was jacking my cock in perfect rhythm to his thrusts and my wiggling hips. Occasionally I'd have to reach down and hold his hand still or I would explode from the pleasure of it all. His fuzzy nuts and pubes against my rear end felt as mind-boggling as every other motion or touch. Both of us had at least three false alarms but rested before starting over again. Eventually we were sweaty, tired and ready to finish the job. Prez humped my bum slow and deep, beating my meat the whole time while I wiggled around, slowly going insane with passion. I felt my load building and inhaled deeply. With a final sigh of contentment, my eyes rolled back in my head and I lost it. The sound I made as I sighed was a loud, high-pitched squeal, surprising the both of us. Prez stayed motionless, holding my ejaculating bone while I squirted all over my chest and belly.

When I could focus on my lover's face again I smiled and took hold of his thighs. "Finish baby," I begged, "shoot inside me please."

He did what I asked and, even though I had shot a huge load, my dick throbbed and my butt tingled while he thrust into me. Thrashing my head left and right moaning my approval as I held his thighs, Prez finally grunted and slammed into me, filling me with his sweet love. Never have I felt more satisfied or wonderful. Every spot that he touched on my body made my heart race. If we had managed to cum at the same time I probably would've had a heart attack! Making love with him is just what I needed. For a long while afterwards we stayed on the floor hugging and kissing.

Prez said, "What the hell was that squeak? I didn't know you could hit a note that high." Giggling, I shrugged my shoulders and rolled over on top of him for a little play wrestling. Around midnight we finally went across the hall to the bathroom and got cleaned up before we went to bed.

The next night, after Prez and I returned home from work, we talked with Drew. He and Corey weren’t talking, just barely acknowledging each other’s existence. On Sunday, in a fit of anger and frustration he had hurt Corey by calling him a little queen and by pushing him away, he admitted through teary eyes.

Drew explained, "He was goofin' around and said he wanted company in the bathroom. He never made me go in there. I just thought it would be funny and wanted to make him smile. We could've done stuff in the bedroom but I thought to myself, what the hell, he's invited into the bathroom here and at his house before so I thought I’d give him a little thrill. I can't believe I said that to him though. It's just I was so angry and scared and really confused."

"Keep talking to him bro. He'll see that you're really sorry," I suggested.

Prez added, "He's never had anyone disapprove of him before. You saying that probably really crushed him but I'll bet he misses you. Have you tried asking him to the mall arcade or something?" Drew shook his head no and Prez said, "Give it a try. I think you need to rediscover your friendship, outside of his house or here. Remember what it was like before you guys started adding sex to the mix."

I thought that was a damn good idea and agreed, "Give it a shot. If he says no then wait a few days and ask him to the flicks Friday night or Saturday afternoon."

Drew appeared thoughtful for a few moments then said, "It's just so hard because he won't say much to me and I feel weird about it."

"Weird? How?" Prez asked.

Drew said, "I dunno, like maybe I shouldn't even try, let him come to me when he’s ready."

"That's your pride talking. All that approach will get you is more lonely. Don't blame him or yourself. Sometimes shit happens. It's no ones fault." I said.

"You both took a risk. You both have to give a little to get past this. It might take some time is all," Prez offered.

"You're both upset so get back to basics. Friendship first, nookie later," I said with a sly grin.

Drew blushed and nodded then said, "I'll try again."

After Drew left the room Prez turned to me and said, "Maybe they won't get back together."

"Huh?"

"Think about it. He says he likes girls too. If it doesn't work out with Corey then Drew might find himself a girl to be friends with. This might be the thing Drew needs to choose, once and for all. If he's not comfortable with being gay and actually called Corey a name, then something's gotta give."

I couldn't reply to that. My brother was back in the doldrums again though so Prez and I agreed to let him hang out with us whenever possible.

Little by little during the course of the week I became less paranoid in school. Prez and I worked out in the garage more often after my dad suggested that I needed to feel more confident in my ability to defend myself. One night he pointed to the hole I made in the garage drywall then poked me in the stomach reminding me of what happened and why I had done it. "Some people won't learn," he said with sadness, "you can try and talk with them but they feel they know it all, including how others should act." He pointed back to the hole in the wall and said, "That's what happens when anger and frustration reach the critical level." Then he assured me if the time ever came that I would do what was right. I wished I could be as certain as everyone else was.

Before my dad left us, Prez nudged me and said, "Umm… dad, when Keith and I have been making love, have we been obvious?" Prez and I had been talking about what we might do to be a little bit more considerate. That's why we made love on the floor earlier in the week. With only our beach towels underneath us it was nowhere near as comfortable as on the bed. Since then, the idea of getting some large cushions or pillows crossed our minds.

Obviously surprised at the question, my dad turned and said, "I would've never mentioned it but yes, sometimes the sounds from your room do make it obvious."

I sighed and said, "We do try to keep the noise down, turning on the stereo or TV. There's not much we can think of doing other than just not have sex when someone's home."

"That's an option I suppose," my dad said uncertainly. "I'm not going to say that's what I want you to do but given recent events, as long as you’re trying to be considerate. I remember what being a teenager is like." Grinning, he added, "Your mom has accused me of being a forty year old teenager on more than one occasion."

I chuckled and said, "Way too much info there I think dad."

"What?" he exclaimed, "Did you think we played tidily-winks once we turned forty?"

Prez bellowed with laughter and plopped down on the workout bench holding his stomach. Feeling embarrassed, I covered my eyes and chuckled as my dad left the garage.

Friday night John was home but Kim hadn't come over. I was starting to get used to her being around but didn't mention it to John for obvious reasons. The dinner table conversation still revolved around her.

"Where's Kim tonight?" My mom asked.

John answered, "Home," but didn't elaborate.

My dad asked, "Is there something wrong?"

"Not really," John said, "I'm just having a rough time talking with her about stuff. I was thinking it might be easier for me and her if we just hung out at her house. At least until we can find a way to talk about things."

During this time I was thinking that John had probably already talked with my parents. They seemed to be feeding each other the questions and answers so that Prez and I would hear parts of the conversation they already had.

My dad turned to Prez and I asking, "How does that sound to you?"

It seemed a little weird to me so I answered uncertainly, "Alright I guess."

Prez looked at John saying, "As long as you're not feeling that you can't be here at home with her."

It never ceases to amaze me how Prez puts into words what I'm feeling but not sure how to say.

John said, "Nah, nothing like that. I'm just not ready to talk with her about this stuff and I don't think she's too into it either."

"As long as you're not uncomfortable at home with her bro," I offered.

John swallowed his food then a sly grin swept over his face and he said, "Nope, but I'll warn ya when she's coming over so you can stuff icepacks down your pants!"

Prez and I chuckled and Drew quickly covered his mouth, almost spitting food across the table as he busted up laughing. Smiling and shaking her head slowly, my mom looked up at the ceiling, as if she were silently praying for patience.

Rehearsals were set for Thursday and Sunday afternoons. Jessy added some more tunes to our list. She had an electric piano and a synthesizer that we set up in our garage. The first rehearsal together was on a Sunday. It seemed we spent as much time setting the volume on the PA as we did working on tunes but when we were done the ballads sounded sweet and the harder rock tunes had dynamics, much like Doug and Brian had explained.

Derrick had his court hearing and, for the most part, everything turned out all right. Mr. Siebert would pay room and board to Mike's mom until Derrick's eighteenth birthday. Unfortunately the old man still hadn't learned anything though. Outside the courthouse, he got loud and verbally abusive with Derrick. The court appointed lawyer heard it all though and immediately broke it up then walked back inside the courthouse to slap a restraining order on Derrick's dad. Derrick was not happy about any of it but rarely ever let on. During Thursday night's rehearsal, Prez, Mike and I could tell he was out of sorts. The next night we hung out at my house to have a little celebration, marking the end of a bad situation. After a few beers and a walk around the neighborhood in the rain to smoke a joint, Derrick loosened up enough to finally let the pain and anger out. It was a weird way to celebrate but judging by how Derrick acted Sunday and the next week, it had the desired results.

The next weeks passed uneventfully enough except for the El Ninõ rains and the occasional nightmare. Sometimes it would be my friends getting into a fight, other times it would be one or both of my brothers. They were all scary but the dream that was most frightening had me getting confronted, with no friends or family around to back me up. A fight started and I fell out of bed, scaring the piss out of myself and Prez too. It was a Saturday night and we were both shaking uncontrollably for a long while so we stayed up talking until dawn. There was nothing I could do but live with the nightmares and talk to Prez or my folks about it. It started to get old though and each dream would depress me for most of the next day. It seemed that as soon as the memories of the previous nightmare faded another would interrupt a perfectly good nights sleep.

A lot of time was spent on our harmonies during rehearsals and on the nights where it was only the four of us hanging out around the house. Prez would play his bass to learn the new tunes late in the evenings after studying and before we settled down for some quiet time. With tons of lyrics to memorize, I sang while Prez practiced. During a phone call, I learned from Mike that even at home as couples we seemed to be working on vocals a lot. Drew hung out with us during the Sunday and Thursday rehearsals. Mike and Prez taught him a little bit about how the PA worked so Drew became our sound technician. It kept him busy so he wouldn't dwell on Corey and he had fun watching the five of us.

A few days before Valentine's Day Prez and I asked my dad about spending the following weekend in San Diego at a hotel. Of course we would need his credit card but since we had the cash saved up, he gave in pretty easily. We really needed to get away from the house for a while. It rained only that Friday night on the way there. The rest of the weekend was overcast but it didn't rain and thankfully the dreams didn't invade so I easily managed to keep a positive attitude.

Spending our days and nights alone together with no friends or family around made us both realize we could easily exist as a couple. We were actually living the life we had been dreaming of. For two whole days we talked of only ourselves, rarely ever mentioning school or the band, or anything else. All the little questions about Texas, his family and life there, were answered. He asked about my family too so I told him about distant aunts, uncles and cousins he hadn't yet met.

It was outstanding! The only time we got dressed was to go out to get something to eat. Hand in hand we walked along the beach every night after dinner. Sitting alone with him naked while we talked or watched TV I could see his cock become engorged with blood, signaling quite clearly when he was becoming aroused. Even that showed me a little bit more of what's inside my boyfriend. We could talk about the sex we had with little reaction but while we talked about ourselves and played gin rummy he went from completely limp to rock hard in less than a minute. He noticed the same with me. With no one around to worry about, we made love so many times in so many different ways that we were sore and achy all over during the drive back home. The discomfort was exquisite, I actually felt a little sorry when it faded away.

That Sunday night while we unpacked from our trip, Drew came to our room looking happier than he'd been for a month. Finally Corey and he went to the movies and spent the afternoon together wandering the mall.

He said, "I guess I got what I deserved. Corey told me off big time the other day. But today was way cool. Since it's a school night there was no chance of any sleepovers. We're not ready for that anyway." Then he hugged and thanked me.

I asked him, "Thanks for what?"

He answered, "Because I was ready to chalk it up as a loss but I kept thinking of you and Mike. The thing that happened between you two guys made me keep on trying."

"You did it though." I reminded him.

"Perseverance," Prez said as he gathered up our clothes for the laundry. "You kept at it, trying to rebuild the friendship. Corey must've wanted that too. He just needed the reminder."

Shrugging his shoulders, Drew said, "Yeah I guess so. We're in all the same classes so we see each other every day. It's gonna be lots easier when we can at least look at each other without feeling angry or depressed." Drew said goodnight then wandered off back to his room.

During the eleven o'clock news weather report I growled hearing more rain in the forecast and said, "I'm really starting to develop a major attitude about winters. The short days, colder weather and all this freakin' rain! My last two winters weren't all that great and this one has sure been full of weirdness."

"What can ya do?" Prez asked then said, "You can't hibernate like a bear three months a year."

"I don't know about that. How do you feel about cave dwelling?" I joked.

Prez grinned and shook his head then said, "Let's try it out," pulling the blankets up over our heads. I love it when he matches my silliness with his own brand of playful foolishness! He cuddled up close to me and whispered, "I wonder if there are any caves down by the beach?"

"Down in Mexico maybe."

In between kisses around my chest he asked, "Can you speak Spanish?"

The kisses tickled so I giggled and said, "Nope, took two years of German and barely passed."

"Oh well, guess we'll have to stay North of the border." He said reaching his hand into my boxers, making my tuckered out wiener lengthen. "Oh my God! There's a live snake in this cave!" He shouted and I busted up laughing. He pulled the covers back then looked into my eyes while I laughed and asked, "Do you really want to?"

Composing myself I answered, "The snake probably has little or no venom but it sure likes to be played with."

He chuckled and said, "You're insatiable, did you know that?"

"Who's hand reached into who's boxers?" I asked, knowing that he's just as horny and insatiable as I am.

He smiled then buried his face in my neck and his arm around my chest whispering, "I love you so much." Our arms and legs became intertwined and a slow grind-a-thon began. We fell asleep like that, wrapped in each other's arms.

Towards the end of February, Prez and I started thinking about an anniversary present for my parents. We talked with Drew and John about it, hitting several malls but it was a washout. Nothing we saw seemed appropriate for one reason or another. Frustrated, we decided to see if we could afford to get them a gift certificate at a restaurant. The yellow pages and Internet were consulted then Prez and I went for a drive to check out some places. The New Delhi Palace in Glendale seemed to be nice, with a wide selection of authentic Indian food at a price we could afford. We made reservations for them there and the Sunday night before their anniversary the four of us gave them a card with the gift certificate. They were really pleased and excited to try out a new cuisine. The added bonus was that they would be out all Monday night! Drew and John could be entertained with a movie and a few bucks for munchies thus leaving Prez and I alone for a while to celebrate!

The following week, in the middle of March, we were blessed with a week of absolutely no rain and beautiful spring weather. Hillsides that hadn't turned to muck and slid down towards the valley were a gorgeous green; quite a change from the brown they usually were during most of the summer. Prez and I did some off-road biking around the foothills of the Santa Montica Mountains that week. It had been months since we even rode our bikes and we enjoyed it immensely, returning home all muddy. I really needed to see the sun and it had a great effect on my attitude.

While we were over there, we realized we were only a short way from Doug and Brian’s house and decided to pay them a short visit. They were outside cleaning the rain gutters when we pulled up on our bikes.

Obviously pleased to see us, Brian shouted, "Thank God! Hey Doug, we got company."

Doug looked down from the ladder and yelled, "Okay, I’ll be down in a few minutes."

As we walked into the house Brian said softly, "He calls me up and gets me to take off early from work. I think it’s for some fun and games of one sort or another but what does Mr. Domesticated want to do? Look at me, I’m more tired and dirty than I was at work. Now that I mention it, you two look at if you’ve been rolling around in the crap we’ve been getting out of the gutters."

I chuckled and said, "Yeah, after all the rain, off-road biking is more like mud wrestling."

"Actually we did do a little of both!" Prez laughed.

Brian smiled and said, "Help yourself to the fridge while I get us some washcloths and towels."

"Don’t go to any trouble," I said, "we can’t stay long but thought we’d say hello since we were close by."

"We still have to peddle back home too." Prez said.

"Oh, ok. How’ve ya been?" Brian asked as he fetched some clean linen from the cabinet anyhow.

"Good," Prez answered, "the band’s making real progress and Jessy seems to fit in well. We all like her a lot. Sort of the little sister we never had."

"She’s good people." Brian said as he walked past us to the kitchen sink. "And the other thing, has that unraveled itself?" Brian asked as he washed the grime off his arms.

"Other thing?" I asked looking at Prez and then at Brian.

Prez said, "I still don’t know what you meant by that. Mostly everything’s been going fine other than a little confusion we had back then."

"What kind of confusion?" Doug asked as he came in the house. "Course if it’s none of my business, you could just say so."

Prez explained, "It’s no big deal, we kinda accidentally outted ourselves to Jessy and to Keith’s brother’s girlfriend."

"Oh that!" I said, obviously relieved. "Jessy’s been nothing but cool and John’s dealing with it too. Everything’s cool."

Brian finished up at the sink and Doug took his place getting washed up. "Just remember you can talk with us about anything, stuff you’d never in a million years mention to mom or dad." Brian said.

"We’ve done some of the stupidest shit imaginable. Luckily we survived and learned from the experiences." Doug added.

"If something like that comes up and we’re baffled about it we’d give you a call. Right now there’s nothing like that though." Prez said.

"Would you guys like to stay for dinner?" Doug asked.

"Sorry, we can’t. We’re expected home because my parents are going back out tonight." I answered.

"We’ll give you a call though when we can impress you, ok Doug?" Prez chuckled.

Doug smiled and said, "Yes, please do. I’m looking forward to it."

I looked at my watch then said, "We gotta jet dudes. Take care and we’ll call or stop by again soon."

"Anytime, Keith. Take care Preston." Brian said.

"Later guys." Doug said.

Then Prez and I walked out the front door. "I always get the feeling those guys know more about us then they say." Prez commented as we got back on our bikes.

"I think it’s just some lack of communication. Maybe Derrick or Mike stopped by and said something or maybe my dad mentioned something to Doug." I replied as we peddled off. Although I didn’t say it to Prez, I sometimes wondered the same thing. On the way back home I asked Prez more about this other thing that need unraveling.

He explained, "I honestly don't know about that. Derrick was there when it happened. You, Mike and Jessy were in the other room as I recall. Doug and Brian were tripping on something we didn't understand. But then everything got weird when we got home that night. I haven't given it another thought since. It wasn't near as important as dealing with Jessy or with Kim or with your problem so I spaced it."

During spring break, Prez started getting interested in obtaining some wheels. We'd shop around alone or with Drew or with Mike and Derrick tagging along. Prez test-drove Chevy Blazers, Nissan Pathfinders, Toyota Four Runners and just about every other available make of sport utility vehicle. After about two weeks of test drives he sat down with my dad and the frayed copy of the Consumer Reports Car Buying issue. My dad called his insurance agent and showed Prez what it would cost to insure the truck he chose.

On the first Saturday in April Prez, my dad and I went to the Toyota dealer at the Thousand Oaks Auto Mall. With a cashiers check in hand, Prez picked out the color and options he wanted and drove off the lot two hours later with me in the passenger seat of a brand new, white Four Runner. New cars smell awesome! We drove around LA for about an hour then picked up Mike and Derrick and drove up to Santa Barbara then back home. The radio was blasting and four voices were singing or shouting at the tops of their lungs. We had a blast!

Back at home the four of us gathered in our bedroom.

Barely sitting still after we all hit the bathroom Prez commented, "All these months I've been saving so that I might get a car. Now the truck's paid for and so is the first year’s insurance and I still have a few hundred in my account." The attitude Prez has is that none of us are wealthy and we're all just paying our way as best we can so he doesn't really care too much about divulging a little about his financial situation.

Derrick nodded and said, "Yeah, I just covered the next six months worth of insurance and have some left over."

"My mom won't let me touch my trust fund until I turn eighteen but I have some money," Mike said.

One by one I watched as my friends smiled at each other.

"Road trip?" Prez suggested.

Mike nodded and softly said, "Guitar Center?" I grinned thinking that he sounded like he had just mentioned The Sistine Chapel!

"He who has the most toys wins!" Derrick shouted and I cracked up. My three goofball friends practically fought each other at the bedroom doorway in a mad rush to go toy shopping. While they made their way towards the front door I stopped briefly to tell my folks where we were going. Three sets of hands took hold of me and pulled me to the door.

During the drive there we all had ideas of what might be cool to get for our band but we didn’t have any idea how much money lots of those things cost. Mike was disgusted with the line-up of effects boxes he had and was interested in a guitar processor; one box that could do it all. After a quick stop at the ATM’s Prez said that Mike’s idea sounded cool and that he could use the stereo chorus and distortion effects so he would buy them from Mike if he got the processor unit. Derrick was torn between some additional drums or maybe a wireless microphone. All three of them work jobs that get them tips on a nightly basis but since I work at Blockbuster for an hourly wage, I knew I had the least amount of money. I also had the least desire for any toys but said I would look at tambourines, cowbells and stuff so I wouldn’t just be standing there singing.

Derrick and I headed over to the drums and percussion section while Mike and Prez started checking out various effects. Of course Mike started drooling over all the guitars he tried out while testing the processors. At the display case where all the microphones were, Derrick asked lots of questions looking for the salesman to recommend something he might be able to afford. Prez and Mike soon joined us there.

"Those damned things are lots of money," Mike complained about the processors. "Even with Prez buying my effects I’d still be a little short."

The salesman overheard this and said, "Would you be interested in a rack mount unit? They’ve come down in price and gone up in quality. Maybe that will do the job for you."

"The problem I’m having is too many boxes ripping the signal to shit," Mike explained. "I thought one unit wouldn’t have that problem."

The salesman suggested, "Well there’s a rack mount unit that would do stereo chorus, reverb and digital delay. The advantage is that the effects could be piped to anything that’s running through the soundboard. You just adjust the effects knob on the board to assign which channels get how much of the effect. That would reduce your chain of boxes by two at least."

Derrick said, "The wireless headset is four hundred bones dudes. That’s about a hundred more than I’m prepared to spend."

While we discussed ways to finance things, the salesman asked, "All you dudes are together?" and we all nodded. "Okay then, we’re talking the headset and some kind of effects unit. Is there anything else?"

"Just some percussion stuff," Derrick said. "A tambourine and a handheld cowbell, maybe some balanced line cables."

"What were you looking for," I asked Prez.

"I was thinking effects or maybe a second small bass amp but if there’s a better way to accomplish the same goal, I’m listening."

The salesman reached behind the counter and put on an old nineteen fifties style hat, making him look much like a hippie Mafia thug and said, "I make-a you an offa you don’t refuse." He picked up his calculator and walked around the store with us as we pointed out various items. He added it all up and pronounced the grand total, "Nine hundred and seventy-nine dollars."

We all shook our heads and Derrick said, "That’s about two hundred more than we have."

The salesman asked, "We’re talkin’ cash, lots of little dead presidents?"

We nodded and the salesman tipped his hat then smacked the calculator. "Stoopit fuckin’ ting gots dyslexia!" He said with a New York accent then corrected himself saying, "Seven hundred and ninety nine buckaroos, out da door."

"Very cool!" Mike shouted.

The salesman took some extra time at the register figuring it all out and called over another guy to help him ring up the final bill. He also told us we could hook up some of Mike’s existing effects into the PA. After we left the store and loaded up the Four Runner I looked at the sales receipt and chuckled, "Two dollars for a twenty dollar tambourine!" Pooling our combined resources together we had gotten everything we wanted and hurried home to play with our new toys. The next day Jessy was pretty thrilled about our new additions. The minor changes at the PA made a huge difference in how we sounded. Now we could add delays right at the mixing board for the vocals and keyboards. We sounded even better than before.

The following Saturday Prez and I took the SAT test. A bogus way to spend six hours on a Saturday if you ask me and after that we both still had to work. Mike and Derrick had both decided not to take the test, choosing instead to check out technical training schools.

Oddly enough, the middle of April things took another sudden turn for the worse. On a Friday morning Prez and I showered then got ready for school. Things were just like any other day. We chatted about possibly going out on a date that night and other weekend plans then hurried out to my car. As I headed towards Mike's house Prez got really quiet. I didn't think anything of it at first. He was probably just prepping himself for something during the school day, I thought. Then he sniffled and wiped his eyes.

"What's wrong baby?" I asked.

Sounding choked up, like he was going to start crying any second, he answered, "Oh, I'm just noticing some things. The way the clouds look, how the rays of sun are trying desperately to peak through and it's drizzling. I just realized the date." He sniffed and wiped his eyes again then finished. "It's Friday the seventeenth Keith. And it looks just like it did the day of the accident. Six months to the day babe." I reached for his hand and he sobbed unrestrained. He hadn't cried this hard in months. It broke my heart because of the way nature reminded him and because there was nothing I could do to make it any better.

In front of Mike's house, I rolled down the car window, telling them what was going on and that we wouldn't be going to school that day. Prez never said a word but nodded when Mike and Derrick said they would come by the house as soon as they could. Wiping my own tears away as Derrick and Mike drove off in the 442, I then put the car in gear and headed for home.

When we got to the corner of Topanga Canyon Prez stuttered, "I feel like I need to go to the cemetery."

I coughed to clear my throat and said, "We're on our way."

During the drive to the cemetery Prez was quiet, only occasionally wiping his eyes, sniffling and heaving deep breaths like any one would after crying so hard. We had only been to the cemetery once since the funeral; on the day they placed the marker on Mrs. O'Brian's grave. I barely remembered where to go but Prez remembered and pointed the way. If he could remember how the sky looked on the worst day of his life then he could easily recall the way to her final resting place. We both got out of the car but I waited by the street while Prez visited for a few minutes. Kneeling down, he swept away the wet leaves on the marker. I could hear him talking most of the time but not well enough to make out any of what he said until he stood again. "I miss you ma," is all I heard clearly then he turned and walked towards me. Meeting him halfway he threw his arms around me and softly sobbed into my neck. The two of us stood there crying in the rain for quite some time. It took me a few minutes before I could regain some measure of composure to drive us back home.

Prez asked for some time alone in our room when we got home. Having no problem with that, I waited in the living room while he talked to his mother’s pictures. After a while I heard nothing and went to go check on him. Finding him sound asleep, fully dressed on top of the covers, I left him be and went back to the living room. I was pretty tired myself so he must’ve been totally exhausted.

My mom came home for lunch that day. She found me half zonked out on the sofa and asked, "Why didn’t you go to school today?" I told her why and she dropped the subject, asking instead if I wanted anything to eat. Naturally, my stomach was tied up in knots so I shook my head no.

Soon after my mom left to return to work, Prez woke and joined me in the living room. Without saying a word, he sat next to me and rested his head on my shoulder. I flipped channels on the TV but didn’t find much to watch at first. At two in the afternoon Back To The Future came on and I settled there, thinking Prez might like something funny like that to watch. Soon, after Marty exploded the amplifier, Prez chuckled, "Reminds me of Mike." Then he looked up at me and asked, "Have they been here yet?"

"Nope, not yet."

"Good. I think there was something he wanted to do today. I was wondering if he did it or not. There’s also something I’ve wanted to ask you for a while. This might not be the best time for it though."

"What? You could’ve asked me anything."

"I’ll understand if you don’t want to. We can just make other plans." Prez said, making excuses before he actually asked the question.

I chuckled and said, "Anything you want Prez, just ask." There was a loud knock on the door and Mike and Derrick let themselves in.

"Hope you dudes are feeling better," Derrick said as he came in the living room.

Mike added, "If not, I have some news that might just turn the trick."

Noticing that he hadn’t followed D into the room but was standing there in the entryway with the door open, I watched him suspiciously and said, "Close the door dude and tell us about this great news." Mike only giggled and took two steps forward then two steps back.

Prez looked at Derrick and asked, "Is this the same news that we talked about at work the other night?" A big smile swept across Derrick’s face and he slowly nodded. Prez then yelled at Mike, "You said you would ask Keith first!" Mike only laughed louder and stepped closer to the door.

Becoming concerned, I stood and stalked my former best friend. "What exactly were you supposed to ask me about before you did?"

"It’s nothing really," Mike laughed and backed away.

"Then get your ass in the house and tell me!" I yelled.

Mike crouched like an Olympic runner and shouted, "I signed us up for the Student Faculty Frolics."

"You WHAT? We’re not ready yet!" I shouted.

"We’re ready enough," Mike argued.

Heading after him at top speed, he tore out of the house laughing. I would’ve chased him to Timbuktu but I had the advantage and simply closed then locked the door behind him. Turning around, I saw Derrick rolling on the loveseat in hysterics and Prez sitting there with a big grin. "Now that the trash is out, I believe you had something else to ask me about, or was it the same thing?" I said to Prez.

"It was something different, but I really don’t want to be chased out into the rain," Prez said.

"I won’t chase you, there’s other ways of getting even with you." I said, now expecting another bomb to be dropped.

Prez giggled and said, "Then I’ve got nothing to loose." He stood, walked over to me and put his hands on my waist then asked, "Would you go to the Junior Prom with me?"

Sometimes, I swear it doesn’t pay to get out of bed in the morning.