Choices - 7. Chapter 7

Part III Choices

 

Chapter 7 The Rummage Sale Pt. I

When I woke up, there was a dim light seeping into the room. I was somewhat surprised to find that I was lying on my own bed, on top of the covers, but still completely naked. Jesse was lying next to me, wide awake, a slight smile on his face, his hair perfectly combed, his blue eyes sparkling in an almost magical way.

“Wh...what time is it?” I asked, fearing we had overslept. I was on the wall side of the bed and I couldn’t see my alarm clock.

“It’s early in the day,” he assured me in a gentle whisper. Then he leaned over and kissed me on the lips, first gently, and then with more passion. I felt myself growing hard as our naked bodies rubbed against each other.

It wasn’t until Jesse pulled back, both of us slightly out of breath, that I wondered how we had ended up here on the bed.

“Weren’t we on the futon?” I asked, but Jesse just stared at me, his gaze almost trance-like.

Feeling somewhat confused and disoriented, I propped myself on one elbow and looked down past Jesse. What I saw stunned my senses--there on the futon, stretched full length, was Jason Tarentino! He was fully dressed in T-shirt, jeans, and boots, and lying on his side, his head propped up on his elbow, apparently so he could see us better!

“What the fuck!?!?!” I blurted, starting to get up. We were lying on top of the covers so I couldn’t even cover my nakedness, but Jesse seemed unconcerned.

“Do not be afraid, Perry Thompson,” Jesse said in a somewhat stilted voice. “This one likes to watch...”

“What...?” I asked, totally shocked and confused. I peered over Jesse to see the high school sophomore just staring up at us, a vacant smile on his face. He didn’t seem concerned about my nearly hysterical reaction to his presence.

“But Jesse...how did he get in here? What’s going on?”

“It is nearly time for the forging of the Third Link,” he said in a voice that was starting to sound familiar. “Soon, the three of us will join as one, uniting our bodies and souls with the whole of the universe...”

“No way!” I stated firmly, shaking my head.

But Jesse gently took my chin and held it so that I was forced to gaze into his eyes, and there seemed to be something moving in those crystal blue irises. I looked closer and realized that I was seeing thousands and thousands of stars. The more I looked, the more the universe seemed to expand, until I was seeing whole galaxies orbiting around his pupils! I got the sense that I was hurtling through space, actually moving through and past dozens of star clusters of every size and shape. I felt myself getting dizzy...

I pulled back, breathing hard. “You...you’re not Jesse,” I stammered, moving back until I felt myself pressed against the wall.

“Are you troubled, Perry Thompson?” the boy with the galaxies in his eyes asked with mild concern. “Did you not agree to see this ordeal through to it’s conclusion? Don’t you want to help me?”

”Of...of course I want to help you, Jesse--I mean, Jerrin, but...”

“Does the presence of the Third Link disturb you?” he asked innocently.

“If you mean Jason--fuck yeah!” That and the freakin' stars in your eyes, dude!

Jesse/Jerrin sighed heavily, as if coming to a difficult decision. He turned slightly so that he was looking down at Jason.

“I’m afraid the Link will not hold; the one called Perry Thompson is destabilizing the entire interdimensional continuum with his emotional turmoil...I am unable to restore the balance, so I’m afraid you must go,” he said sadly.

Jason nodded, the smile disappearing from his handsome face. He got up and walked out of the room, leaving the door wide open!

Suddenly, I felt a wave of panic. “Jesse...er...Jerrin...the door! My mom will see us...We’re fucking naked, dude!”

“Do not be afraid, Perry Thompson. Soon, all things will return to the way they were. I can no longer sustain my life force in this world. I must return to the void, to the empty space between the galaxies...”

While I was certainly concerned about poor Jerrin’s interdimensional troubles, I couldn’t help glancing at the open doorway, terrified that my mom would walk past and see us--catch us, like this!

“Jerrin...” I pleaded worriedly, my gaze returning to the figure in bed next to me.

My heart nearly leapt into my throat when I saw, not Jerrin or Jesse, but--Jason! And even though I was only staring at his eyes, I knew he was also naked, and hard as a rock...

I wanted to push him away, but I couldn’t help staring into those deep, dark blue eyes...

“Perry!” I heard the voice from far off.

“Jerrin...?” I called.

I felt the bed shaking, trembling, as if I was being buffeted around by some invisible force.

“Perry!”

It was Jesse, and he was nudging me gently, a worried look on his sleepy face. His hair was mussed up and his cheeks were a rosy red. It had all been a dream, of course, but gees...

“Jesse!” I murmured hoarsely, my lips and throat feeling parched.

“You were having a bad dream...” he said quietly.

I shrugged. “Actually, it was more weird than bad...” I admitted, feeling my heart beating forcefully in my chest.

I looked around. We were on the futon of course, still naked under the covers, and there wasn’t the slightest hint of approaching daylight peering through the shuttered windows. I glanced up at the alarm clock--it was 5:45 a.m.

“You called me Jerrin,” Jesse giggled, relieved that I was apparently okay.

“Uh, yeah...Like I said, it was pretty weird.”

Jesse stared at me with love in his sleepy eyes, a sweet smile forming on his face. “You know,” he said, brushing my cheek, “you are my soulmate...”

That’s when I came to the sudden realization that the story he had written, Strange Encounter, about an alien named Jerrin, was actually expressing Jesse’s deepest feelings about me. I had been so caught up in the erotic aspects of the story, that I had completely overlooked the message he was trying to give me.

“Oh my God, Jesse,” I said, swallowing the huge lump that had formed in my throat. “I was so dense...I didn’t even get it...” Tears were forming in my eyes as I felt myself overcome with emotion at my sudden epiphany.

“What are you talking about?” Jesse asked with concern.

“The story of Jerrin, it was about you and me...”

“Of course, silly,” Jesse said, apparently puzzled by my sudden burst of emotion, since the meaning had been obvious to him!

“I didn’t realize until now, that you were trying to tell me something...important...I’m so stupid--why do you even put up with me?” Tears flowed freely down my cheeks and Jesse looked on in something like amazement.

“It’s okay,” he cooed musically, cradling me in his arms as I cried like a baby. “It’s okay...you’re just loosing your mind...that’s all...” he continued in the same sing song voice.

I smiled a little through my tears, loving his sense of humor, loving the way his golden blond hair fell in his eyes as he lowered his head to look at me, loving the feel of his smooth bare chest and arms pressed against me, his breath on the back of my neck, his heartbeat, his smell, his everything...

We just stayed like that for a long time, Jesse cradling me gently in his arms, me sniffling, an occasional sob causing my body to tremble, but feeling so safe and content in my soulmate’s bosom. Finally, Jesse broke the silence with a sigh.

“I don’t know Perry--you sure seem to cry a lot when I’m around,” Jesse teased me softly. “Maybe I’m a bad influence...”

Just then, there was a light knocking at the door.

“Time to get up, boys,” my mom called in a slightly groggy voice.

I stiffened, thinking that my mom was going to open the door and see her teenage son, cradled in the arms of his boy lover, the two of us completely naked...Then I remembered that I had locked the door. I tried to call out that we were awake, but I had that darned lump in my throat again, and I just managed a weird little croaking sound.

Jesse smiled at me. “We’re up, Mrs. Thompson,” he called cheerfully.

“You boys get dressed. I’ll have breakfast ready in about twenty minutes!”

“Thank you, Mrs. Thompson!” Jesse called, all the while looking affectionately into my eyes.

We heard her muffled footsteps move down the hallway and then go down the stairs. Only then did I relax a little.

“What if your mom knew the door was locked?” Jesse asked. “Would she have been upset?”

I stretched back out on the futon, wiping the remaining tears from my face with my bare arm. “Um, actually, I told her last night...”

“Really? And she was okay with that?” Jesse asked curiously, lying comfortably on his side with his head propped up on his elbow.

“Well...” I hesitated. I had lied to my mom, and it had come easily enough, but...

“I kinda told her it was because of you,” I said sheepishly, looking down at the covers instead of directly at Jesse’s inquiring eyes.

“Uh...me?” he asked.

I nodded. “I...er... told her that you always slept with the door locked...”

“And why would I do that?” he asked, his tone one of curiosity, gentle and non accusatory.

“I told her it was because of...your father...” I said, blushing with shame.

Jesse didn’t respond, so I had to look up at him. He was still staring at me, not smiling, but with a thoughtful look on his face.

“I’m sorry, Jesse. That was really shitty of me...I just wanted to...”

Jesse put a finger to my lip to shush me up.

“I know why you did it,” he said, and then fell silent again.

“I’m sorry--please don’t be angry,” I said, pouting like a child.

“I’m not angry, you dufus,” he said, giving me a warm and encouraging smile. “You did it for us, didn’t you?”

I nodded, still finding it hard to look Jesse in the eye after admitting my crime.

“There’s something else you should know about me,” Jesse said a bit uncertainly. “If you haven’t realized it by now, I can be a very selfish person sometimes...”

I began to protest, but he gestured for me to hear him out.

“It’s something I struggle with,” he said, and I could tell he was being very candid. “My mom, my sister, they depend on me, and I try to always be there for them, but sometimes, I just want to do stuff for myself.”

“That doesn’t sound so bad,” I offered.

Jesse shrugged. “The thing is, since I’ve met you, I’ve become even more selfish. All I want is to be with you, Perry. I want it so bad...” I heard his voice tremble.

I nodded, knowing just how he felt. I remembered those first few weeks, when he had tried to hide from me the existence of his little sister. He had been afraid that his responsibilities to her might prevent the two of us from spending time together.

“When you told me that you lied to your mom so that we could have our private time together, it just made me realize how selfish I can be. I don’t want you to lie because of me,” Jesse said, looking directly at me with an intense and serious look on his face, “especially to your mom, but I want so much to be with you that...I don’t know sometimes...” He just shook his head helplessly, for once, completely at a loss for words.

I leaned in and pressed my naked body against his, wanting more than ever to be close to him, yet realizing that we would have to get up very soon. We just laid there for a minute, gazing intently at each other, both of us thankful that we had found each other. We really were soulmates, and we were both getting hard...

“Oh no,” I moaned, not being able to help but smile as I felt our erections rising between us.

“We are a couple of horny bastards,” Jesse remarked with a giggle.

We both laughed, wishing the moment would never end.

“We’d better get ready,” Jesse said, forcing himself to get up.

“You first--I’m going to watch!” I said, rubbing his back as he got up. I smiled with profound satisfaction as I watched Jesse's beautiful bare ass jiggle and wiggle its way to the bathroom.

It was a cool, overcast day, so we put on our jackets. My mom had suggested that we load my old computer into the trunk, so that Jesse could take it with him when we (sigh) dropped him off after the rummage sale. Then we got in the car and my mom drove us all to St. Agnus. It was right around seven when we arrived, half an hour before the advertised beginning of the sale, but already, the parking lot was full of anxious bargain hunters.

St. Agnus was a big church, built in the early sixties. While once it’s brick facades must have been bright red, now they were so faded by age and the elements, that they nearly matched the terra cotta roof tiles in hue. The church and it’s adjoining social hall seemed unduly large for the size of the current congregation, suggesting that, when it was built, there had been a much larger (or more devout) Catholic population in Santa Corina.

We went straight to the social hall, where most of the items were already organized, priced, and displayed for sale. Only the ‘big ticket’ items, were placed out in the parking lot, things like large appliances, lawn mowers, bikes, and even a trampoline.

“I’d love to have one of those!” Jesse said as we passed it.

It was going to be a long day, and my mom let us drink some coffee that the kitchen staff had prepared. The warm liquid effectively banished the morning chill from my body. I introduced Jesse to Father Mike, the younger of the two priests at St. Agnus, who was in charge of organizing and running the rummage sale. It was the largest fund raiser of the year for the parish. There were maybe a dozen other boys there, mostly high schoolers wanting or needing to earn their community service points. There was one guy, kind of heavy set with reddish blond hair in a severe brush cut and a pockmarked face, who would occasionally glance over and give us a very peculiar look.

“What’s with that guy?” I asked Jesse as we sat at a lunch table in a quiet corner of the hall by ourselves, just sipping our coffee.

“I’m not sure,” Jesse said, “but I would be careful around him.” Then he added, “I’ve seen his kind before.”

That didn’t sound good. Still, what could happen here, at the rummage sale? There were plenty of kids and adults around to keep that guy on his best behavior.

As it got close to time to let the first bargain hunters in, Father Mike gathered all the boys around him to give us our work assignments for the next two hours. We would then rotate, mainly so that no one got stuck doing too much heavy lifting. He also introduced us to his second in command, as he called him. Of course he was the guy that had been giving us the strange looks. It turned out his name was Fred Goreski, a senior at Holy Trinity. He would be moving from group to group, lending a hand or reassigning people as needed.

Since we were the youngest of the volunteers, our first assignment was fairly easy: to carry boxes of clothing to people’s cars. For now, we just had to hang out near the cashiers, and wait to be called when someone needed help. Since the sale was just starting, it would probably be a while before we even had anything to do.

There were a couple of older ladies manning the cash boxes, so Jesse and I just found a small round table to sit at while we waited to be called to duty. I saw my mom at the other end of the long, rectangular hall, in charge of the more pricey items at the sale, things like estate jewelry, antiques, and fancy knick knacks. She worked hard for the church and she was well liked and respected. I could already see her chatting away with a few of her choir friends. I wondered if that was enough for her, or if she missed the intimacy of a serious relationship. Of course, before I met Jesse, I had no idea what that meant, but now that I did, I felt sorry for my mom, having no one to be close to or be passionate with.

“Is your mom still dating that electrician?” I asked.

Jesse looked at me with a mild look of surprise.

“Why, are you making yourself available?”

”Hehehe...I was just thinking that I wish my mom had someone she could...you know...be close to...I mean, she has friends, but ... The only men she sees are the ones at work, or her friends’ husbands.”

“Well, you have to remember that your mom was really hurt by a man--just like my mom was,” Jesse said, staring into his Styrofoam coffee cup. “It can take a long time for that pain to diminish enough so that a person can open themselves up to the risk of having the same thing happen all over again.”

“But you mentioned your mom was seeing someone, so she must have gotten over the pain.”

”You have no idea how much pain my dad caused--to all of us,” Jesse said bitterly. “And she really didn’t start dating--one on one--until we moved to California.”

“Hey, I’m sorry,” I said apologetically. “I didn’t mean to bring up bad memories.”

”I know. You’re just wishing your mom could have what you and I have,” Jesse said with a slight smile.

I nodded, always amazed at Jesse’s insight.

“But you have to let her do it in her own time. She’ll know when it’s right, when her need for serious companionship outweighs the fear of being hurt again. So far, my mom seems to like this guy. It’s the first time she’s gone out with anyone more than twice that I know of. And she doesn’t usually go out every week like she is now. Even so, I think right now, she’s more concerned about the three of us getting settled in a new place than worrying about a serious relationship. And she sure is grateful for you, Perry.”

”Why is that?”

“Because you’ve befriended her troubled teenage son, and given him a reason to live...” he said without the least hint of sarcasm.

The way he said that sent a chill down my spine, and I recalled my mom referring to Jesse as a 'troubled boy.' There was even more in what he said that frightened me, but I was afraid to pursue it just now.

“I’m glad she likes me,” I replied instead. “I wonder what...”

Just then, Fred Goreski came lumbering up, the sleeves of his flannel shirt rolled up to his elbows. He was appropriately dressed for a day of hard work in well worn jeans, and work boots. While his overall shape was somewhat broad and stocky, he was actually around six feet tall, and probably close to twice my weight--a Big Guy in anyone’s book.

“Hey guys,” he said with a thin smile as he took a seat. “I know I’ve seen you around church before,” he said, pointing to me, “but I don’t know either of you.”

”I’m Perry Thompson, and this is my friend, Jesse Taylor,” I responded politely.

“Cool,” he said, his manner friendly but a little tense, as if he were uncomfortable approaching people he didn’t know. “You guys look kinda young to be volunteering for something like this.”

“We’ll be freshmen next year,” I said, always annoyed when someone thought I was younger than I was. He probably thought we were twelve or something.

“Freshmen--really? That’s great!” he said, obviously surprised by my revelation. He looked us over again with a slightly different attitude. “Anyway, it looks like a lot of volunteers showed up today, so I don’t think anyone’s going to have to work too hard.”

We just nodded in understanding.

“Anyway, I think I’ll just assign you guys to this section permanently. It’ll keep ya busy, but it’s not back breakin’ or anything.”

We politely thanked him, and Fred moved on, apparently satisfied with our little meeting I noticed the bulging muscles in his thick arms as he pushed himself up from the table.

It wasn’t long before one of the white haired ladies tending the cashboxes was calling us over. I recognized Mrs. Jenkins from the choir. She was in her late sixties I think, and had one of those shrill, warbling soprano voices that made me cringe.

“Hi, Mrs. Jenkins,” I said with a polite smile.

“Why, bless my soul--if it isn't Tricia Thompson's boy. I’m glad to see you here so bright eyed and bushy tailed. Who’s your handsome young friend?”

I think we both blushed as I introduced Jesse.

“I hope we don’t work you boys too hard today, but the clothing section is usually one of the busiest.”

“We’re glad to help,” I said, thinking that I was just glad to be spending the day with Jesse. That’s all I really needed to be completely happy.

“Anyway, you’re just in time to help this nice young lady here take her things out to her car.” Mrs. Jenkins gestured to the young Hispanic woman standing by the cashier’s table. She had long dark hair and even though she barely looked eighteen, appeared to be seriously pregnant. She was also gripping the hand of a little girl. She had apparently purchased several boxes of clothes.

Jesse and I took up the cardboard boxes and followed her out into the parking lot. The brisk autumn air felt good after drinking two cups of hot coffee. It was still overcast and looked like it might even rain at some point in the day.

“Muchas gracias,” the young lady said with a smile after we loaded the boxes into the backseat of her Ford Focus.

“De nada,” Jesse said with a warm smile, and we slowly walked back towards the social hall.

“This is great,” Jesse said, ‘helping people and stuff. I bet my mom’d like to get involved in something like this if she had the time.”

I would've thought that Jesse’s family was the kind that might actually shop at a rummage sale for clothes and stuff to save money, and yet the fact that they were also willing to volunteer their time to help the church made a serious impression on me.

The period between eight and ten was generally the busiest time for any rummage sale, and sure enough, Mrs. Jenkins kept us fairly busy, hauling cardboard boxes stuffed with clothes, shoes, and accessories out to people’s cars. A few people even offered us tips, but Jesse and I had already decided that we’d only accept them with the understanding that we were going to donate the money to the church. One short old Chinese woman offered us five dollars each just for taking a few boxes out to her SUV. When we told her we would only take the money as a donation to the church, she gave us each a kiss on the cheek.

Around ten o’clock, the coffee I had drunk was really catching up with me.

“I need to take a leak,” I told Jesse, assuming he’d probably come along. I could at least show him where the bathroom was.

Just then, Mrs. Jenkins beckoned us.

“You go ahead. I’ll take care of this one,” Jesse said with a smile. He seemed genuinely happy to be here, and it wasn’t just because he was spending time with me. He really seemed to enjoy the fact that we were helping people. I was so lucky to have a friend like that who also happened to have a great body, a brilliant mind, a great sense of humor...sigh...

The restrooms were in a long, dimly lit, unadorned corridor that ran along side of the kitchen. There was an emergency exit at the other end, and what looked like a staircase leading down. I guess they had a basement, though I had never actually seen it.

The bathroom was old, and like everything else at St. Agnus, was bigger than it needed to be. I seemed to be alone, and I took my time choosing just the right urinal from the long row of porcelain white fixtures.

As I was zipping up, I heard the door swing open and someone come shuffling in. I glanced over my shoulder and recognized Fred Goreski. He went right to the sinks and started washing his hands. For some reason, he made me uncomfortable, and I thought about not washing my hands, but then figured it was worth it in case I got a chance to mess around with Jesse later!

I washed my hands with the weird green liquid soap that came out of the dispenser, and dried them on the loose pile of paper towels sitting against the counter.

Fred seemed to be waiting for me.

“Hey,” I said, nodding in friendly greeting as I started to head for the door.

That’s when I noticed that Fred was standing between me and the door, clearly blocking my exit.

“Hey there...uh...Perry, is it?” he asked clumsily. He seemed nervous and had his hands stuffed in the front pockets of his jeans.

I nodded apprehensively.

“Uh...hey...I was wonderin’...you wanna make some extra dough?” he asked in a rather subdued voice for someone so big.

Actually, I just wanted to get out of there, but I tried to stay calm.

“No thanks,” I said, starting again for the door. I realized I would have to walk around him to get out.

“Wait,” he said, grabbing my arm roughly. When I tried to wrench it away, he just tightened his grip.

I froze, my heart starting to pound wildly in my chest.

“You didn’t even hear the offer,” Fred explained, his calm and quiet voice contrasting with the iron grip he had on my arm. The thick fingers of his large hand could easily wrap themselves around my entire forearm and then some. I was glad I was wearing a jacket.

“You’re hurting my arm,” I said, trying not to let the fear that was enveloping me enter my voice.

“Sorry,” he apologized, still not letting go. “I was just hoping maybe we could work something out.” He looked down at me and I felt like I was standing next to a mountain.

If I could pull away, I could be out the door in three big steps, and then a quick dash down the corridor would take me to the relative safety of the social hall. I thought about some of the things Jesse might do in this type of situation, but I just couldn’t imagine myself actually doing them. Jesse made it look so easy, and yet here I was, locked in this big guy’s steel grip, a scrawny, helpless eighth grader.

“I’ll listen...if you’ll let go of my arm,” I bargained.

He looked in my eyes and I knew I would have to be sincere, or they’d give me away for sure. He nodded and released my arm. I rubbed it where it tingled from the circulation he had cut off.

Fred got close enough to me that I could smell the coffee on his breath. “So I’m thinkin', a cute little girlie boy like you must give great head--am I right?”

Shit--I didn’t even know what he was talking about, but it didn’t sound good! I just stared at him dumbly. I didn’t dare even think about running, because he’d see it in my eyes for sure.

“A blow job!” he said a little louder, “you dumb little shithead!” He didn’t say it in an angry way, but like he was explaining something to a younger, or in my case, more naive kid.

“Ah...” I stammered, my throat suddenly feeling very dry, “...a blow job?” I repeated the words uncertainly. My head began shaking clearly in the negative before my conscious mind was even able to firmly grasp what Fred was talking about.

“I’ll pay ya--let’s say ten up front, and another ten once the job’s finished--What d’ya say?” His voice, while still relatively quiet, was definitely taking on a sense of urgency.

I kept shaking my head, slowly backing towards the door. With barely any effort, Fred Goreski had my arm once again in his grip. He started pulling me towards one of the cold grey stalls. There was undisguised lust in his pale green eyes.

“N..n...no...” I stammered, trying to plant my feet on the green and white tiled floor.

Fred gave me an almost effortless tug that caused me to stumble forward, my sneakers squeaking on the smooth surface. I almost banged right into the nearest stall. He dragged me like a rag doll down to the stall furthest from the hallway and pulled me in. He quickly shut the thin metal door and slid the locking bolt.

“You’re gonna love this...Is it your first time?” he asked in an almost conversational tone.

I shook my head, and then nodded, not able to think clearly. Help me, Jesse, my mind was begging. Just walk into the bathroom right now, and rescue me...

“Best thing is, you plant yourself on the toilet seat--kneel so that your feet are off the floor,” he explained drily. “That way, no one’ll notice you’re in here.”

“I d...don’t...want to...” I managed to stutter in a trembling voice.

“Hey, it’s a quick twenty bucks! What’s the big fuckin’ deal?” he asked, shaking his head as if I was a complete idiot for not jumping up and down with excitement. "Christ, I don't usually pay for this shit, ya know!" he complained with a dry laugh of exasperation.

“Let me out!” I begged.

This finally seemed to be enough to cause Fred to become somewhat annoyed, because he swung a huge hand at me, the flat of his palm striking me squarely on my left cheek. I heard the loud smack before I actually felt it. I staggered back against the commode, stunned by the sound and impact of the blow.

“Stop whinin’ and get yer skinny ass up there,” he said, the slightly tense expression on his face barely acknowledging the blow he had just delivered.

It really did hurt some, stinging my left cheek, but it had been more the shock of being hit that had terrified me. Obediently, I climbed up on the toilet seat cover and quickly got on my knees.

“You’re such a cute little fag--this should be great!” he remarked, only the slight quiver in his voice belying his outward sense of calm.

When he said the word ‘fag,’ I felt a shudder go through my whole body. It sounded so wrong, so not who I was...

“N...no...” I stammered. “...Not a fag!” I insisted from between trembling lips.

Much to my horror, Fred began unbuckling his thick black belt. He undid the button at the top of his jeans and pulled down the fly, exposing the front tails of his red and black flannel shirt. Seeming to suddenly remember something, he dug in his back pocket, took out his frayed leather wallet, rummaged methodically through it, and pulled out a ten dollar bill. He held it in front of me.

“Didn't mean no offense,” Fred said in a kindly voice. “You’re just a fag long enough to make twenty bucks, right? I mean, who wouldn’t be?”

I was still reeling from the slap he had given me and I was feeling a wave of nausea twist my gut. I just stared at him dumbly, while my mind pleaded for some sort of deliverance. Please God, send Jesse...

Fred rolled up the bill and suddenly reached his arm out towards me. I stiffened and whimpered with fright. He just stuffed the bill into the pocket of my jacket.

“Calm down, Perry. If this is your first time, I’ll explain everything to you...blow by blow!” he said, laughing nervously at his own disgusting joke. He lifted the flaps of his shirt, exposing a pair of plaid boxers. It was clear from the way they were tenting, that he was already hard.

He slipped his hand into the opening in the front of his boxers and shamelessly pulled out his enormous dick. It looked to me, in my terrified state, like one of those giant sandworms from Dune, with its large, smooth head, and the dark pink ring of the corona surrounding it, resting on a long incredibly thick shaft that curved down until it disappeared into the opening of his boxers.

The wave of nausea I was feeling suddenly erupted up my throat. I gagged loudly, the harsh sound echoing in the large tiled room.

“Yeah, it’s big all right,” Fred stated proudly. “You’ll never know how many cunts I’ve sent to heaven with this monster.” His huge erection jiggled stiffly as he shifted his weight. He stepped closer, so that the raised head of his cock was postioned right in front of my mouth. I could smell the musky odor coming from his underwear.

“Don’t worry, we’ll take it real slow. Just don’t let me feel any teeth, or I’ll have to whack you on the side of the head, got it?”

I just stared at it. I was so frightened that even the tears wouldn’t come. I felt another powerful wave of sickening nausea course through me and I gagged again, this time nearly falling off the toilet seat.

“Whoa, steady there, now,” Fred said, as if talking to his favorite riding horse. “Half the work’s done already. Just looking at your cute, wide eyed little mug, is enough to get me hard. I thought you guys were like eleven or twelve...Shit, you’ll be fuckin’ freshman runts next year!” he said, shaking his head in mild amazement. He actually ruffled my hair and I thought I would scream, but I was afraid he was going to cram that huge piece of meat right down my throat if I opened my mouth.

My head was finally starting to clear a bit, and I realized that I needed to delay him. Surely, Jesse would notice if I wasn’t back soon, or else somebody would come in to use the john.

“Just...just tell me what I have to do, first,” I said, trying to keep my trembling voice steady.

Fred seemed pleased with my decision to cooperate. “First, you can just lick it up. Get your tongue really wet and just roll it all around my shaft--that’ll make it slide in real smooth. Then you can take me in a little at a time, until I hit the back of your throat...”

This was a nightmare! It couldn’t be real. Hadn’t I just been hauling boxes of old clothes out to a sweet old lady’s Volkswagon Beetle--not one of those new ones, but an original, ‘Herbie The Love Bug,’ bright red Beetle? Hadn’t the most beautiful boy in the world been right at my side? Hadn’t he been smiling his beautiful, bright white smile, his amazing, crystal blue eyes sparkling even in the dull greyness of the chilly November morning? Hadn't they been sparkling just for me?

How could I be sitting here in this dingy little stall, sitting on this chipped and peeling toilet seat, with the most enormous cock I had ever seen--or imagined--barely an inch from my face? How could I ever take that hideous thing into my mouth? It was impossible...a nightmare.

“Lick it, fagboy! Lick it up, real good!” Fred was saying in a loud hissing whisper that echoed off into unseen corners of my nightmare world.

“C'mon, lick it!” he said in a harsher voice, obviously getting himself more and more worked up.

“Mmmmm, n...n...no...” I groaned, turning my head away.

Fred firmly grabbed the top of my head, my entire skull fitting easily in the palm of one hand. He applied pressure and began twisting my head like it was the cap on a two liter bottle of Pepsi. I felt the muscles in my neck straining to counter him. I reached my arms up and futilely grabbed hold of his thick, stump-like arms, feeling the rock solid muscles beneath the hairy skin.

“H....help!!!!” I screamed, the noise coming out like a dry croak despite the intensity of my fear.

There was a loud pounding sound. Someone was banging on the stall door, shaking the whole compartment.

Fred just froze, his hand still on my head, his huge dick still aimed right at my mouth.

“Goreski, you in there, dude?” a mature teen voice asked with concern.

“Van Driesen--what the fuck, man?” Fred asked, sounding more confused than surprised.

“What’re you doing in there?” the guy apparently called Van Driesen asked.

“You'll get your turn in a few minutes. Get outta here right now, before I wipe the floor with your skinny ass!” While Fred had definitely raised his voice by a few decibels, there was still a sense of calmness about him, as if what he was doing with me was a fairly normal part of his life, and that it was merely irksome to have one of his friends interrupt him at such an inconvenient time.

“You gotta stop, man!” Van Driesen pleaded. “I’ll get the Padre if I have to!”

This finally seemed to make a significant impression on the hulking brute, who was still roughly clutching my head in his enormous hand. "What the fuck?" he muttered to himself.

“Help me!” I dared to cry out a little louder than before.

Fred looked at me like I was completely mad. “We had a fuckin’ deal, kid! What’re you screaming about?” He seemed genuinely perplexed at my reaction.

“Last chance, Fred...Open up... or I’m getting Father Mike!”

I saw Goreski’s expression change in a blink of an eye from one of puzzlement to one of pure, unadulterated anger. His large, wide face turned beet red and his jaw jutted out. He released me and quickly zipped himself back up. Even though I was shivering with fear, I felt some sense of relief wash over me. The sandworm was back where it belonged!

Fred turned and worked at the bolt that kept the stall door closed. He jiggled it furiously for several seconds, rattling the whole row of sheet metal stalls, before it finally slid open. He slammed the door open and it banged loudly against another sheet metal door. Goreski burst out, cursing to himself. Now I could see through my tear blurred eyes as he confronted the guy named Van Driesen. The young man who had called Fred out was tall, maybe a couple inches taller than Goreski, but thinner, with long wavy black hair. He had sharply chiselled features and piercing dark eyes. The expression on his face was clearly one of fear as he stumbled backwards towards the sinks.

I sat there on that creaky toilet seat, my arms wrapped tightly around my knees, as I watched Goreski grab Van Driesen roughly by the collar of his denim jacket and begin to shake him.

“What the fuck you think you’re doing?” Fred asked. “Can't you just wait your goddamn turn? The kid's green--gotta walk him through it fer chrissakes!" He released Van Driesen and gave him a little shove, pushing the taller youth up against one of the sinks.

"You know this ain't right, Fred. Just leave him and let's get back to work..." There was a pleading quality in Van Driesen's low, resonant, voice.

“Fuckin’ Asshole!” Goreski grunted, emphasizing each word angrily. "I oughta pound the shit out of you right now!"

I got shakily to my feet, torn between running for help and staying to help this poor Van Driesen fellow. I had to do something to stop this madman from beating the shit out of the guy who had just saved me from the most terrifying event of my young life. I looked around desperately for some kind of weapon...

Just then, the bathroom door swung open, and there stood Jesse. His gaze first fixed on the two high schoolers, but quickly moved on until he spotted me coming out of the last stall.

“What's going on?" he asked, his raspy voice echoing in the big tiled room, the expression on his face quickly going from puzzlement to concern.

“What the fuck? It's Goldilocks!” Goreski said with undisguised astonishment.

"C'mon, Perry. Let's get outta here," Jesse urged, eyeing the two high schoolers warily.

"Go!" Van Driesen urged me.

"What the fuck are you doing?" Goreski asked Van Driesen, sounding both confused and angry. "Me and the kid, we had a deal..."

I ran quickly over to Jesse, cringing as I passed the two high schoolers. He turned to shove the bathroom door open, but I hesitated.

"We really should get out of here," my streetwise friend suggested in no uncertain terms.

"Come with us," I urged Van Driesen.

The tall youth clearly wanted nothing more than to follow us out, but the look of fear was still in his eyes. It was obvious that, despite his slight height advantage, he felt seriously threatened by the hulking brute breathing down his neck.

"He saved me," I told Jesse, hoping the passion in my voice would make up for the lack of words. This wasn't the time to go into a long explanation.

"Fine," Jesse said, still keeping his eyes on Goreski. "C'mon then," he said, glancing at Van Driesen.

"You screwed everything up, Van Driesen! I can't fuckin' believe it! Goddamn junior!" Fred cursed between gritted teeth. He quickly reached out and again grabbed Van Driesen by the collar of his scruffy denim jacket and began shaking him like a crash dummy. Van Driesen's arms immediately came up to protect himself, but he was obviously intimidated by Goreski, and he only struggled weakly.

Jesse turned to me. "Let's go get help," he suggested.

"You go--I'll wait here," I said, feeling a bond with this tall kid who had apparently overcome his own fears to rescue me from Goreski.

"You've got that backwards," Jesse said with the slightest of sardonic smiles. "Just get Father Mike as quick as you can and I'll..."

"Both of you miserable little shits get the fuck outta here!" Goreski hissed disdainfully. "Me and Van Driesen got some business to take care of."

"Just go!" Van Driesen pleaded.

"Fuck with the captain of the goddamn varsity wrestling team?" Goreski pushed the taller youth forcefully back against the sink and slapped him hard--really hard. If he had slapped me that hard in the stall, they would've had to scrape me off the wall with a spatula. Van Driesen buckled from the force of the blow, only the fact that he was already up against the sink preventing him from hitting the floor.

“I don’t want to fight you,” Jesse said to Goreski, pleading and warning at the same time. “If everybody could just calm down for a minute...”

Fred didn’t wait for the end of Jesse’s statement, but lunged at him with a frustrated growl. It was a frightening sight to see that two hundred and fifty pound brute towering over my precious angel, his face seething with anger. It was like an enraged grizzly bear pouncing on a helpless little bunny rabbit. He made a grab for the slender eighth grader, but Jesse was way too quick for him. He grabbed one of Goreski’s outstretched arms, twisted it around, and had the high school wrestler on his knees grimacing in pain all in a matter of seconds.

I thought that would be the end of it, but Goreski let out a terrifying howl of unmitigated animal fury and wrenched himself free. Jesse barely missed having his head crushed as Goreski dove for him right from his knees. Recovering quickly, Jesse spun and extended his leg, his sneakered foot making forceful contact with the bottom of Goreski’s chin. The high schooler fell backwards, hitting the floor with a loud grunt. He was dazed and blood trickled from the side of his mouth.

We all stood there, stunned by what we had just witnessed. It had all happened in less than ten seconds.

"What...the...fuck...?" Goreski groaned, lying on his back and staring at the ceiling.

"We've got to go!" Jesse urged, grabbing my arm to pull me along.

I looked from Goreski's stunned face to the equally stunned face of Van Driesen. The side of his face where Goreski had slapped him was bright red, but the tall youth hardly seemed to notice. He was obviously having a hard time grasping what had just happened.

“C’mon!” I urged him, before Jesse grabbed my hand and pulled me out into the corridor.

It felt like we were suddenly in a different world. The hall was long and wide and high ceilinged. The fluorescent lighting was dim and the floor was smooth and freshly waxed. And it was quiet. Really quiet.

Jesse threw an arm over my shoulder and we both leaned against the wall opposite the bathroom door, trying to catch our breath.

“Thank...thank you,” I managed to stammer, my body still shivering uncontrollably with fear.

Before Jesse could even ask me what that had all been about, the bathroom door swung open, and Van Driesen came stumbling out. He looked disoriented, but his eyes soon focused on us. He managed a thin smile of gratitude, even though he was obviously still in pain.

“Thanks, man,” he muttered humbly, gingerly touching his injured face as he nodded gratefully to Jesse.

“Thank you!” I insisted, looking across at him while Jesse still had a comforting arm over my shoulders.

“I don’t think any of us wants to be around when Goreski gets out here,” Van Driesen said, sounding like he was as much concerned for us as he was for himself. The look of fear had unmistakably returned.

"We should go tell Father Mike right away!" I suggested, heading back for the large swinging doors that opened onto the main part of the social hall.

"Not until I know what's going on!" Jesse insisted.

“What about the emergency exit?” I suggested.

Van Driesen shook his head. “We could, but it’d set the alarm off, and if we get caught, we’d all have a lot of explaining to do.”

“I don't think we want that,” Jesse responded quickly, and I sensed that somehow, he had a pretty good idea of what had happened in the john.

“I know,” Van Driesen said, and then started down the hall right towards the emergency exit.

Jesse and I looked at each other fearfully, thinking that this guy was going to go ahead and set off the alarm anyway, but he abruptly turned a corner and we heard his sneakers squeaking on the stairs that led to the basement.

Jesse and I followed. I glanced back a few times, but Goreski hadn’t come out of the bathroom yet. We went down the wide staircase and ended up in another long, dimly lit corridor. There were doors widely spaced all along the corridor, along with some rather beat up looking school type furniture: steelcase desks, swivel chairs, filing cabinets and student desks among other things.

Van Driesen was waiting for us, his hands stuffed in the pockets of his ragged denim jacket. He looked like he was still trying to catch his breath, and he winced a little every now and again. He had a long face and a straight nose, and dark and intense eyebrows that matched his jet black hair. It was hard to tell the color of his eyes in the dim light, but they were definitely dark as well. His wide jaw tapered to a strong cleft chin. His high cheekbones were too severe to be appealing, and yet, he was strangely attractive in a roguish sort of way. For some reason I flashed on the character of Aragorn in the Lord Of The Rings. Maybe that was partially because this dark and mysterious stranger had so heroically come to my rescue.

As soon as we reached the bottom of the stairs, Van Driesen started walking again. About ten yards from the stairs, he began testing the doors, apparently to see if he could find one that was unlocked. When we reached a corridor that intersected the one we were in, he made a quick left turn and continued trying the doors he encountered.

"What're you looking for?" Jesse asked, as we caught up with him.

"There's always one or two rooms unlocked down here," Van Driesen explained as he continued checking door after door. I glanced back nervously, expecting to see Goreski's huge bulk filling the corridor at any second. "It's kind of a well-known secret I guess--some of the guys come down here to make out with their ladies..."

Finally, he found one that was unlocked, and he swung the door open. Jesse looked at me hesitantly.

“It’s okay,” I said, feeling a certain kind of confidence in this high school junior that may have been reckless on my part. Still, Jesse followed.

Gary found the light switch and flipped it on. It took a good twenty seconds for the long fluorescents to dimly flicker to life. Only a few bulbs were actually still working, so the light was only slightly better than it had been out in the corridor.

“I’m gonna close this, okay?” he asked in a hushed voice.

Jesse, obviously still wary, nodded his head. We watched as Van Driesen quietly closed the door, and then looked around the room. It had obviously been a classroom at some time in the distant past. The air was stale and everything was covered with a fine layer of dust. The floor felt gritty beneath my feet.

“I don’t want to freak you guys out, but it would be best to block the light leaking into the hall from the floor, maybe with a piece of furniture or a big box...”

Jesse nodded in agreement, although I was still very jittery. The idea of this high schooler blocking our only escape made me extremely nervous. Still, wtih Jesse here, I felt reasonably safe. Van Driesen would've had to have been a reckless moron to try anything with us after seeing what Jesse had done to the huge wrestling captain in the john.

“I think we’re pretty safe now,” Van Driesen said, after sliding a large box of old textbooks in front of the door with some assistance from Jesse. He turned to look us over carefully for the first time. I could tell he was still recovering from the blow he had received from Goreski by the way he occasionally winced when he moved, and there was a wide crimson stain on his cheek where Goreski had struck him.

“I’m Gary Van Driesen,” he said with a weak but sincere smile, taking his hand out of his pocket and offering it first to Jesse. “I’m a junior at Holy Trinity. Thanks for saving my fuckin’ life!”

Jesse glanced at me one more time, as if to be sure I was okay with this. I nodded.

“Jesse Taylor--this is my friend, Perry Thompson.” I could tell that Jesse was still somewhat in his ‘streetkid’ mode by the way he clipped his words when he spoke. He was being cordial with this guy only because I seemed to think it was okay. For my part, I was glad he was being wary. I was way too trusting...

I took Van Driesen's proffered hand, and was surprised at his powerful grip. He was no weakling, and it made me shudder to think that Goreski could so easily intimidate a big guy like this.

“You're hurt!" Jesse said, gently brushing my cheek where Goreski had hit me.

"It's okay," I insisted, although I was secretly glad for Jesse's attention.

"Tell me what happened, dude!” Jesse said, his voice thick with undisguised concern.

It had all happened so quickly and I had been so frightened and confused the whole time. Now that we were standing here, relatively safe, I started to feel self-conscious. Despite the genuine terror I had felt when I was trapped alone with Goreski, now I was actually feeling a little embarrassed to tell these guys what had actually happened.

“Well, I went to take a leak” I said quietly, stating the obvious. “I was about to leave when Fred Goreski came in.” The incident was still vividly fresh in my mind and my voice still quivered with fear.

Jesse put a comforting hand on my shoulder, but I couldn’t look either one of them in the eye.

“He grabbed me by the arm and said he wanted to make a deal...”

I glanced up to see Gary watching me with sympathetic eyes.

“He forced me into a stall, and said I’d have to give him a blow job!” Tears suddenly started pouring down my face, and I shrugged off Jesse’s hand and turned away from both boys, ashamed to be blubbering like a baby in front of those two brave guys. “He tried to give me money...”

“It’s not the first time he’s done something like this,” Gary said sadly, speaking more to Jesse than to me. “He really thinks he’s the fuckin’ king of the roost, and he thinks everyone in Santa Corina is just here to serve his needs.” He shook his head in disbelief. “He tried to pay you--I’ve never heard that one before. He usually just takes what he wants...”

“What did he do to you?” Jesse asked, again placing a comforting hand on my shoulder and rubbing it slightly. I could hear the slight quaver in his voice that told me how concerned he was.

I shook my head, still not daring to make eye contact. “He hit me once, but not too hard, and...and...he grabbed my head, but...” I shrugged helplessly.

Jesse took his hand from my shoulder and put it to his mouth. I heard several muffled sobs as his emotions nearly overwhelmed him. He turned away from me so that all three of us were for a moment facing in different directions. I heard Jesse struggling to control his breathing, forcing himself to get a grip, and I tried to do the same. It seemed to help a little. My body stopped trembling but the tears kept flowing. I glanced at Jesse, who was leaning on a dust covered teacher's desk, his head bowed.

"I'm okay... now," I assured him, still finding it difficult to face the other two people in the room, both of whom had saved me from something that made my stomach twist in knots every time I thought about it.

Finally, Jesse turned to face Gary. “How’d you get involved?” he asked, while I continued staring at the floor, watching as an occasional tear would slide off my face and make a moist little impact crater on the dusty floor.

I heard Van Driesen take a long, calming breath. “We were standing in a little group, me, Goreski, and a couple of other guys that hang with him all the time," he explained in a shaky voice. "He told us that he had talked to you guys and he was surprised that you were going to be freshmen next year...No offense, but you guys look kinda young...” he said uneasily.

I felt myself starting to gain back some emotional control, and I wiped my face on the sleeve of my jacket, trying mightily to look Gary in the eye as he spoke.

“Later--around ten o’clock I guess, we were just coming back in from hauling some boxes of tools out to some guy’s truck--just the two of us--and Goreski nudged me. He saw you--uh...Perry--going past the kitchen. We all knew that’s where the restrooms are. So Goreski says, ‘I’m gonna get me some of that!’ and off he goes.”

“That’s disgusting!” Jesse stated angrily.

Gary nodded hesitantly in agreement. “So, I guess I knew what he had in mind. He’s got a reputation for making freshmen...er...service him. He calls it their ‘initiation.’”

I shivered when he said that, and thought of Jesse’s story about Parker and Tay.

“Didn’t you try and stop him?” Jesse asked.

Gary nodded, but his eyes dropped guiltily to the floor. “I told him this wasn’t school and anyone could walk in on him.”

“That was really helpful,” Jesse said sarcastically.

Gary shrugged, obviously ashamed of his own inaction. “He told me to stand in the corridor outside the john and give him some sort of signal if I saw anyone that looked like they might be coming in.”

Gary managed to look us both in the eye for a brief moment, and I could see the pained expression on his face. “I knew it wasn’t right, and you looked so...young,” he said, gesturing to me. "I stood there for a few minutes, debating with myself I’m ashamed to admit. I thought I heard you whimper at one point...”

“Did he make you do it?” Jesse asked me gently.

I shook my head. “He...he took it out...it was huge...” I shuddered at the recent memory. I tried to make some sort of mental comparison between Jesse’s beautiful boyhood and the hideous thing that Goreski had pulled out of his boxers, and I just couldn’t accept the fact that they could be in the same anatomical category.

“He wanted me to...lick it and I tried to turn away...He grabbed my head and tried to make me face him again--that’s when I cried for help...” My voice trembled and I felt on the verge of tears again, but tried my best to hold them back, forcefully gritting my teeth.

“I thought I heard that,” Gary said, picking up the story, “so I quietly opened the door. I could hear you whimpering...” His voice choked up with emotion. He shook his head, trying to clear it. “Man, that was just awful. I couldn’t take it no more. I walked right up to the stall, not quite sure what to do--I mean, shit man, Goreski’s a big guy, captain of the wrestling team...” His voice trailed off, as he tried to get a hold of himself.

“Oh, Perry...” Jesse moaned quietly, his eyes glistening with unspilled tears as he leaned weakly against the desk biting his lower lip.

“When you cried out the second time, I knew I just couldn’t let it go any further so, that’s when I started banging on the door.”

“He saved me,” I told Jesse quietly.

“Well, to not do anything would have been...just plain wrong,” Gary muttered.

I realized that if Gary hadn't been more concerned for me than he was for himself, Goreski would have gotten what he wanted--either that, or I would have freaked and ended up getting the shit beat out of me.

I felt my mind beginning to clear. “And then Goreski got really pissed off,” I said quietly, picking up the story. “He slammed the door open and rushed at Gary...”

“And that’s when you came in, and saved my sorry ass!” Gary said, laughing uneasily, his voice thick with shameless gratitude. “Shit, dude, where’d you learn to do that?” he said with unabashed admiration.

Jesse just shrugged. “I think the whole thing is disgusting,” he said, looking at Gary, his voice slightly accusatory. “But I guess you did the right thing...eventually.”

Gary nodded sheepishly. “I’m sorry--really sorry--Perry...” He looked at me with tears in his dark eyes and I suddenly felt sorry for him!

“It’s okay...I’m okay now...You risked your neck for someone you didn't even know...”

We were all silent for a moment, lost in our own thoughts, all of us trying to come down from extreme emotional spikes. So much had happened so quickly, that it was hard to sort it all out. Gary had overcome his own fear of confronting Goreski, and Jesse had tackled the huge brute with no foreknowledge of what he was getting into. They had both acted heroically while I had cowered and whimpered in the bathroom stall, hoping someone would rescue me. I was ashamed of myself in the worst way.

“Look,” Jesse said hesitantly. “Thanks for what you did, Gary, but if you could just leave us alone for a bit...” I could hear the pent up emotions in Jesse's voice as he tried to stay outwardly calm. It was clear that he wasn't yet ready to accept Gary in the way I had. The fact that the high schooler had, by his own inaction, allowed Goreski to almost have his way, would be an obstacle that would undoubtedly stand in the way of their forming a bond of trust between them.

Van Driesen stood looking at the two of us, as if trying to determine what kind of relationship Jesse and I had.

“We’re best friends...” I explained clumsily.

This seemed to make some sense to him, because Gary finally nodded in apparent understanding. “Sure, I’ll hang out at the end of the corridor. If I see anyone coming, I’ll let you know to kill the lights...”

“That’d be way cool,” Jesse assured him, giving the tall youth a nod and the slightest of smiles.

Jesse helped Gary slide the box back from the door and waited while he stepped out. We listened to the hushed sound of his sneakered footsteps as they diminished down the long side corridor.

Jesse turned to me, a single tear trickling down his cheek. We rushed into each other’s arms. There were no words spoken. We embraced as if our lives depended on it, and we drew some sort of energy from each other. We were both trembling, but the memory of the terrifying incident in the bathroom seemed to diminish with each passing moment that we held each other. I felt the breaths coming easier, and the fog in my mind beginning to clear.

Finally, I could no longer resist, and took his beautiful face in my hands and pressed my lips to his. Our kisses were almost desperate in their passion, our tongues searching out and probing each other’s warm mouths, as if seeking comfort and security there.

“Perry, I’m so sorry I wasn’t there for you,” Jesse said, breaking our liplock and hugging me tightly around the neck. “I shouldn’t have left you...”

I pulled back and gave him the best smile I could muster under the circumstances. “Hey, I’m a big boy now. I can go to the bathroom all by myself!” I sniffled.

“I just knew that Goreski guy was trouble,” Jesse said, still berating himself. “And now, I’ve managed to get him super pissed...”

“You sure gave him what he deserved,” I said admiringly, feeling no sympathy for the hulking brute and his massive dong.

Jesse shook his head. “No--I mean yeah...I mean, I should've just left both those goons to just duke it out. I should've just grabbed you and got the hell out of there!”

“We couldn’t just leave him--he saved me from...” I shuddered when I thought about that hideous thing. I was afraid it would give me nightmares for the rest of my life.

“I know, but still...any one that would hang out with a monster like Goreski...” Jesse shook his head, obviously still suspicious of Van Driesen's motivations.

We embraced again, hugging each other tighter than ever. I felt like I wanted Jesse to be part of me, or me part of him, and if I could just squeeze him hard enough...

Jesse pulled away, a warm smile playing across his strained features. “Gees, Perry, you’re going to squeeze me to death!” he whispered.

We both laughed a little and it felt good.

"I can't believe you could take down a big guy like that," I said, seeing it in my mind like it was a scene from some low budget martial arts flick.

"I had the advantage of surprise," he explained. "I was lucky."

He was lucky, no doubt, but he was also very good, but I knew that wasn't what he wanted to hear.

I placed my hands on his shoulders and looked him in the eye. "Jesse Taylor, I love you so much. Thank you for being in my life!"

This seemed to affect him, but only slightly. He was still upset about what had happened and wracked with guilt, both for not staying with me, and for injuring another human being. I didn't even know if I had it in me to help him through this. All I could do for now was assure him that I was okay.

“So what do you want to do?” he asked me seriously.

I shrugged. “I don’t know exactly...One thing’s for sure, I don’t want to tell anybody about this!” And by anybody, I think Jesse understood that I meant priests, moms, friends, and whoever.

He nodded. “I think you’re right. We should just keep this quiet. The only thing is, I’ve dealt with assholes like this Goreski before. He won’t let this go...”

“You think he’ll be waiting for us upstairs?” I asked fearfully.

It was Jesse’s turn to shrug. “I don’t think so. The typical thing would be for him to run off with his tail between his legs to go lick his wounds. But he won't forget, and he’ll want revenge.”

I felt suddenly weak, and I leaned on Jesse, needing his support, both physically and emotionally.

“It’ll be okay,” he whispered in my ear soothingly. “I won’t let anything happen to you...”

I nodded and kissed him on the cheek. All our hugging and kissing was starting to get me aroused. Being with him was so different than being with Goreski, and I knew that I would take Jesse in any way I could if the opportunity presented itself. But that time wasn’t now. I had an immediate decision to make.

“Jesse, if you think Goreski will leave us alone...for now,” I watched his expression carefully to make sure he was in full agreement with what I was saying, “then I think we should just stay here at the rummage sale just like we planned, and not let that whole business mess up our day together.”

Jesse smiled and it seemed like he was proud of me, and that filled me with a warmth that I knew came from his love for me. “I think you’re absolutely right,” he said, heading for the door.

“And Gary,” I said, before joining him, “he really did a good thing, didn’t he?”

Jesse paused, obviously having mixed feelings about Van Driesen’s part in all that had taken place.

“Perry, please don’t take this the wrong way, because I love you so much for who you are, but...” He paused, biting his lower lip and looking uncomfortable. “You need to be...less trusting sometimes.”

I started to protest, but he held up a hand. “I’m not saying that Van Driesen can’t be trusted, but just that you--we-- should be careful. Take it slow.”

I nodded in understanding. We stood together by the still unopened door, speaking in hushed tones so that our voices wouldn’t carry into the corridor.

“I mean, Gary may turn out to be a great friend. He may even be able to sort of keep an eye on Goreski for us, even though I can’t imagine that brute is going to let Van Driesen hang around with him any more. But just because he did the right thing in a morally unambiguous situation, it doesn’t mean that he’s worthy of the kind of trust you’re so willing to give.”

It took me a few seconds to wrap my mind around all the big words Jesse was using, but I finally nodded in understanding. I grabbed his hands, locking my fingers into his, and pressed his back to the door. I leaned in, tilting my head so that our lips could lock into one more passionate kiss. I'd never hunger for anything as long as I had Jesse's taste in my mouth.

Finally, I pulled back. “I’ll never forget how you helped Gary just for me. You could have been crushed by that monster!”

Jesse looked at me, the love and warmth in his eyes clearly mixed with the physical lust aroused by our passionate kiss.

“God, Perry--I’d do anything for you!” He touched my cheek delicately with his fingers and then sighed heavily.

He looked at me one last time and I nodded that I was ready to move on. He opened the door and switched off the dim room lights. We stepped out into the dingy corridor and saw Van Driesen leaning against the wall, about four doors down. It was highly unlikely that he could have heard anything we had said in the closed room.

“Everything cool, guys?” he asked, looking like he was finally starting to recover from his brutal run in with Goreski.

We nodded. “Thanks again for helping me,” I said as sincerely as I could. “I’m really sorry you got hurt...”

Gary laughed sheepishly through his nose. “It wasn't that bad," he insisted, wincing as he rubbed his sore cheek. “So, I guess you guys will be taking off, huh?” he asked as we turned the corner and headed back for the stairs.

“We’ve decided not to let that jerk Goreski ruin our day,” I explained as we walked. “We’re going to stay--my mom’s here anyway...”

“Oh, are you going to tell her what happened?” Gary asked, a hint of concern returning to his voice.

I shook my head. “We decided it would be better not to tell anyone.”

“That’s cool,” Gary said, obviously relieved.

“Are you going to stay?” I asked.

Gary seemed to think about this for quite a while. We had already reached the bottom of the stairs. “I don’t know. I kinda feel like splitting. If I see Goreski again, or one of his other buddies...” His voice became strained, and there was still fear there.

“You shouldn’t let them ruin your plans,” Jesse said, and I was glad to see him show concern for this guy who had risked his neck to help me out. “You should just go about your business. Show that asshole that he can’t intimidate you.”

Gary paused to take this all in. Finally, he smiled thinly and nodded. “Yeah, guess you’re right. As long as this tiger is around, I guess I don’t have anything to worry about!” Gary was about to ruffle Jesse’s hair, but my blond friend quickly stepped back.

“Don’t touch the hair!” he warned in an exaggeratedly serious way, a slight smile showing that he was only being facetious.

Gary quickly held his hands up like he was being robbed. “No touching the hair!” he repeated, his eyes wide with mock fear.

I realized that I was starting to like Gary, and I was glad that, despite Jesse’s warnings and misgivings, they seemed to be getting along to some extent.

The three of us paused at the top of the stairs, trying to make ourselves somewhat presentable after all our scuffles. I kept glancing at the bathroom door, and I'm sure Jesse and Gary did too. Was Goreski still in there nursing his wounds, or had he already taken off, hurt and humiliated, and already plotting his revenge?

 

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