A Good Year at Linwood High, Chapter 2
Before the regular class schedule began the following day, there was a marching band rehearsal. Football games would start soon and Mr. Dixon wanted the half-time show to be as excellent as he'd envisioned it.
Ashton's brother, Carson, drove Rhett, Brianna, and Ashton to school. He had an appointment with Coach Kearny and Brianna wanted to be there early to see her friend Megan. Her mother figured that the main attraction was Carson, and that was okay with her. He was certainly someone who would be a good addition to the family if they got serious; and if they didn't, they could still be life-long friends.
As the boys grabbed their instruments out of the trunk, they saw a kid that neither of them knew, doing the same thing.
"Cool! Other band members. I'm kinda lost."
"Are you new?" Rhett asked. "I've never seen you before."
"Yup, I just transferred in. My name's Levi Lamb, and before you say it, I've already been called `Mary-had-a-little.'"
"Good to meet you, dude. I'm Rhett Butler and this is my best bud, Ashton Havel. And with a name like Rhett Butler, I know better than to tease on first meeting.
"So, what year are you?"
"Lowly sophomore."
"Us too, so don't diss sophomores!"
"I see you're a snare like I am," Rhett observed as Levi extracted his instrument from his mom's SUV.
"Yeah. I'll bet you're one of the guys Mr. Dixon said might help me learn some of the routine. At present, I'll be doing only the basic beat and trying not to go in the opposite direction of everyone else."
"Rhett does the fancy stuff," Ashton announced, proudly.
"If you've been doing marching band awhile, you'll pick it up," Rhett assured the new guy.
"Right now, I'll be happy if I can catch on to the choreography and not trip over my own feet!"
"We'll see if Mr. D will put you between Brett Hanson and me so we'll have you boxed in. You'll catch on."
As they were walking toward the practice field, Griffin came running to catch up.
"Hey, guys, wait for me," he called.
Griffin almost tripped over HIS own feet when he got a good look at Levi. Ginger hair and bright blue eyes are hard to miss. Griffin was definitely impressed.
"Hey Griff, this is Levi. He's just transferred in."
"Um, hi Levi. Um, it's nice to meet you."
"You, too," Levi responded, bumping fists with him.
Ashton and Rhett exchanged quick, knowing looks, as Griffin practically drooled on the new student. His reaction seemed to confirm what they already suspected.
Once rehearsal got underway, the boys needed to concentrate on their moves as well as their notes and rhythm. With the drumline leading the rest, members of the brass section were treated to an array of tight little tushies in motion. Griffin was so mesmerized that he nearly tripped and had to do a kind of hitch movement to get back into step.
Ahead of him, Levi was having similar problems, but not for the same reason. Levi was doing his best to follow the choreography as well as maintain the cadence. After the first 45 minutes, he was doing a lot better.
Mr. Dixon turned them loose about 12 minutes before their first-hour classes so they'd have plenty of time to put their instruments away. He liked to reward them for their hard work.
"Wow, Levi, you picked up the routine quickly!" Rhett complimented him.
"Thanks. I'd never have made it without you on one side and Brett on the other. I still need a lot of work."
"Why don't you come over after dinner tonight and we can take you through the moves in Ashton's big yard? It's almost like a practice field."
"I could come too," Griffin offered.
"Of course," Rhett grinned. "When I said `we' I was including you."
Levi had several classes with at least one of the kids he'd met in band. It made him feel a lot more comfortable in his new environment. He was in third hour with Rhett, Ashton, and Griffin. He seemed to cringe when he heard about their first assignment. His new companions told him about Ms. Batchelder's reputation of being fair and discreet. That relieved a lot of his initial stress.
Initially, it was a foursome at lunch, and then Brett and Declan, two more band members sat with them. Before the afternoon had passed, Levi already felt at home in his new school.
Following Rhett's directions, Levi's mother, Jackie pulled into the drive of Havel House just before 7:00 PM. Kathryn Havel came out to meet her. Brianna arrived a few seconds later with her brother and Griffin. She had been sent to bring Griffin because his mother had another commitment but would be there to pick him up around 8:30.
The boys planned an intense workout to help Levi learn the choreography, but they didn't expect to practice too late on a school night even though there wasn't a lot of homework yet.
Things went very well. Levi had been part of an award-winning band in his former school in California, and he picked up the steps very quickly. Before their allotted time, they felt like he had it pretty well learned.
Kathryn called them into the breakfast room for snacks before their mothers arrived. When the women came, she invited them for refreshments as well. They all sat at one end of the table in the dining room to get better acquainted, and to be out of their sons' way. Rhett's mother had walked across the street join them. It seemed like a good way for the newer band mothers to become friends like their sons were.
Levi and his mom left first and that gave Ashton and Rhett a few minutes alone with Griffin.
"Um, I'm gonna stick my nose into your business, Griff, and give you a piece of advice. I think you should go slowly so you don't scare him off," Rhett suggested.
"What do you mean?" Griffin asked, turning pale.
"He means that if you want him as your boyfriend, you should tone it down a little. I remember how strongly you came onto me when I first arrived. It made me feel uncomfortable. Don't get me wrong, I've come to like you as a friend. That's why I'm saying this."
"Oh God, you know about me!"
"Well, I've made some educated guesses," Ashton grinned. "Please don't be afraid around us. We won't tell anyone if you want it kept secret."
"We'll keep your secret and share ours, which isn't much of a secret," Rhett promised. "We don't care what kids think about us because we're out to our parents and they're all fine with us dating. A lot of kids have figured me out already, and Ashton says he's fine if they know about him."
"I thought you guys were awfully close," Griffin said. "Did you know each other from way back or did you just meet in June?"
"We met in June," Rhett admitted. "We kinda clicked from the very first time we saw each other."
"Love at first sight?"
"Well, I guess we did feel a spark right away," Ashton nodded. "When his mom let me stay with them the week of jazz band camp, that's when we really connected."
"So, I was sorta like a pain in the ass because I was interested in you too."
"Not a pain, just a little distraction."
"I'm so embarrassed! I'm surprised you don't hate me."
"How could I hate you," Ashton asked. "It was kinda cool having two guys interested in me after not being close to anyone before."
"Griffin, it's time to go home," Tiffany called. "Nolan will probably be worried that we've been gone so long."
"More than likely, Nolan is happy to be home alone to play with his dick," Griffin whispered to his companions, who giggled as his insinuation.
The following day marked Ashton's 15th birthday. He was older than Rhett by a week, and older than Griffin by nearly two weeks. He'd barely made the September 1st deadline for beginning school as a child in Florida, and Griffin had been only two days ahead of the cutoff date of September 15th in Iowa. Had it been the other way around, they'd have been in different grades.
For his celebration, he invited only Rhett. Since it was a special occasion, their parents allowed them to have a sleepover on a school night. Both were looking forward to that more than the rich chocolate cake Kathryn was baking from scratch.
The party was low-key. Ashton had already received his new trumpet early in the summer, and he wouldn't be getting a car until he turned 16. This wasn't one of those landmark years. He had asked Rhett not to buy him a gift, but he got a bottle of massage oil from him privately before bedtime. With it, he experienced a massage which left him very satisfied.
On Friday around 5:00 PM, Ashton got a distress call from Griffin. He was crying so hard that it was difficult to understand him. When Ashton finally figured out what was going on, he felt he had to intervene.
"Hang on a minute. I'm going to put you on mute and talk to Mom and Dad. Don't hang up!"
"Griffin's mom is out-of-control upset. She snooped in his school laptop and found the LA assignment he's been working on. It discusses how he feels about knowing he's gay and how he's gonna have to break it to his family. Now, his mother wants him out of her sight immediately! Can we let him stay with us, at least until his father can make some kind of arrangements?"
William and Kathryn looked at each other in a way that married couples often do and seemed to communicate wordlessly, simply nodding.
"Of course," Kathryn said. "Tell him I need to talk with his mother to get her okay and we'll send Carson and you to get him."
Griffin calmed down considerably at the news that he had a place to crash. He'd been frightened that he might be spending the night on the street.
Kathryn put the phone on speaker when she called Tiffany. She cautioned her family not to say anything while she was talking, but she wanted them to hear everything.
"Tiffany, I understand that Griffin and you need some time apart at the moment. I'll be happy to have him stay with us. We have this huge place with lots of bedrooms."
"You can keep him forever, for all of me!" Tiffany shot back. "You may want to reconsider when I tell you what I've learned. He's queer! You might not want him around to influence Ashton!"
"Oh, that's not a problem. I'm sure there's no way he could change my son's orientation," Kathryn responded with a grin that Tiffany obviously couldn't see.
The rest of the family had a difficult time stifling their amusement.
After a few more minutes, it was arranged for Carson and Ashton to get Griffin and bring him to Havel House. Tiffany would send along a note giving her permission for him to stay with the family until his father could be reached.
Griffin packed enough clothes to last him a couple of weeks and grabbed his bike from the garage. While he was there, Nolan sneaked out to see him. He'd been ordered to stay away from his older brother, but he wasn't about to do that.
"You'd better not let Mom catch you?" Griffin warned.
"I don't give a shit if she does! Will you be going to live with Dad? If so, do you think he'd take me too?"
"I don't know what's gonna happen. You know Mom was a bitch about giving him visitation rights. We'll have to wait and see."
"I love you, Bro!" Nolan exclaimed as he hugged Griffin tightly. "You know I have a secret email account and I'll use it to keep in touch. I'll be careful to erase my history so she can't trace it."
Griffin had thought he'd shed all the tears he had in him until Kathryn embraced him. Feeling her genuine concern for him was like opening a fire hydrant. After he'd gotten his emotions under control again, Kathryn was quick to make him feel at home.
"Ashton, why don't you take Griffin up and let him choose a bedroom near yours? He can start to settle in while your dad and I finish preparing dinner."
"Okay Mom. I'm on it!"
Griffin chose a room in close proximity to Ashton's and the bathroom. He didn't want to be too far from either, especially in a strange place which had the reputation of being haunted.
"Rhett's coming after dinner and sleeping over, so you'll have both of us to tell your troubles to. You already know we're gay, so that should make you feel better. No subject will be taboo among the three of us."
"Yeah, it does help," Griffin smiled wanly. "At least I know I'm not alone."
After dinner, Griffin spent half an hour talking with his father, Terry, on the phone. He'd planned to keep his orientation secret until he could tell his dad face to face, but his mother had already spread the word. At least his father had been understanding.
"I probably can't come to get you until next weekend. I don't know if I'll fly or drive."
"I'm sorry to be a problem! I wish I didn't have to leave my school and my friends. Band is like family!"
"I've been thinking about that. If I could relocate, you wouldn't have to. But that will take time. If it were just up to me, I can pretty much work from home. We can gamble that Joaquin can pick up something. He has a real following here and it will take time to build up his clientele but he's a charmer."
"Um, who's Joaquin?"
"He's my husband. Your mother swore me to secrecy about us after the divorce, but I guess if you're gay you won't have a problem with it."
"You're married to another guy? Wow! That's really cool! Then you must be like me."
"Yes, Son, I am. I wanted to be honest with you but I didn't want to lose the little contact I'm allowed to have with you. She was adamant that I couldn't have Joaquin in the house when Nolan and you were here to visit."
"Mom can be a real bitch!"
"Your words, not mine," Terry laughed. "I'm not going to say anything derogatory about your mother. I don't want to turn you against her."
"That's a laugh! She turned against me! I never saw it coming. Two of my best buds in band are gay and their parents are totally cool about it. Why couldn't mine be?"
"Well, one of them is," Terry assured him.
"I'd like to talk to the people you're staying with to make sure they're okay with keeping you for a while, until I can see to things."
"Okay, I'll give you Mrs. Havel's number. She's definitely okay with it. She hugged me like I was her own son when I came in.
"Thanks for understanding. I love you, Dad!"
"I love you too. How could I not understand when you may have inherited the gene from me? It sounds like you've landed in a good place. Things do get better."
"So, what's the story?" Ashton asked as Griffin came into his room.
"I may not have to move across the country! Dad's going to see about relocating. And, I've learned that I have a stepfather. Dad's married to a guy named Joaquin. Do you think he's Latino?"
"Possibly, but not necessarily. You've heard of the actor, Joaquin Phoenix, haven't you?"
"Oh, I hope he is Latino. I think those guys are hot!"
"Careful. Don't perve on your dad's husband."
"Anyway, Rhett and I don't want you to be alone tonight, so you're invited to sleep in here between us. We're gonna wear boxers to bed so no one gets poked."
"I don't want to come between you. I'll bet you usually sleep naked."
"We do, but we can give it up for a couple of nights. We don't want you to get any wrong ideas about our motives. We don't have sex with anyone but each other."
"That's cool; I'm into monogamy, but I guess I wouldn't mind messing around with a guy or two just for the fun of it. As I said, I'm not planning to come between you."
Ashton and Rhett insisted that Griffin should sleep with them and that they'd be like brothers. Thinking about his brother, Nolan, he wasn't sure that brothers wouldn't enjoy getting off together.
The minute the lights were turned off, Griffin gasped at the sight of the ceiling covered with heavenly bodies.
"Wow! You didn't tell me this was a magical room. I feel like I'm lying outside looking at the sky!"
"We think it's pretty cool," Ashton agreed. "My great-great-great-grandfather had it painted originally. It's been redone since but with the stars all in the same places. From reading his diary, we figured that he and his lover enjoyed it together."
"Was that his wife or was he getting some from another chick on the side?"
"It was with my great-great-great-grandfather he was in love with," Rhett snickered.
"So, you guys are almost related in a kinky sense."
"Yup," Ashton answered. "Isn't that the coolest, knowing our ancestors were at least bisexual and possibly gay? Back then, it was considered a sin and was against the law, so they couldn't have lived together openly like we can today."
The boys discussed the changes in social mores over the past hundred year, and Griffin lamented that his mother seemed to be living in the 19th century.
During the night, Griffin's movements indicated that he was dreaming a lot. At one point, he seemed to be having a nightmare. Both of his companions woke up and cuddled him between them. Their words seemed to sooth him and he went back to sleep and stayed peaceful for the rest of the night.
Author's notes: Thanks to all the readers who emailed about this new series: Tony C, Jim M, Walter S, James M, Ray M, Mendy D, Jamie L, Ott H, Charles G, Allen, Joe W (2), Paul F, Hotrod, Ken B, Gordon, Bill T, Joe S, John L, Steve C, Paul R, Jim W, Jeff K, Roger L, Pete S, Marty H, JJ R, Joe W (1), GC D, Tom A, Adrian M, Max P. I appreciate your encouragement in these trying times!
Thanks to David (Boxerdude) for editing this chapter.
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