This story contains homosexual themes. If you are offended by such topics or you are not of legal age to read such stories, please read no further. All the characters in the story (so far) are fictitious, any resemblance to actual individuals are purely coincidental.
Comments are welcome at ghostwriter@si.rr.com
Chapter 20
"Hunter its no use. I just don't get it and I never will."
Hunter stood behind Jerric and massaged his tense shoulders. "Yes, you will. I'll help you with it after practice. You're getting frustrated now and that's only making matters worse. Just relax."
That's easy for you to say" Jerric snapped, "you understand this shit. I don't."
"You will, I promise. Now we've got 15 minutes to get to practice. Let's take one thing at a time.
Jerric closed his algebra book and looked over at Hunter who was changing his shirt. The bruises had faded little over the past few days and he knew Hunter's ribs were still very tender.
"What you are gonna tell the trainer about those?" he asked.
"Nothing. There's no reason to. There's nothing he can do about it."
"And what the fuck are you gonna do when its time for sit ups? You can't even lay in bed for more that a couple of hours at night without getting up. I know how much they're hurting you."
Hunter nodded. "They're a little tender, but I'll be fine."
Four hours later Hunter had to admit he might have been wrong. Practice had been rough, and it seemed that on every play an elbow or forearm from one of his teammates banged into his sore ribs.
He could see the look of disgust on Jerric's face as he help him out of his shirt.
"You should have told him Hunter. This is just stupid."
"I'm gonna ice them down when we get back to the dorm. I think if I......."
He was interrupted by Coach Jackson's booming voice "What the hell happened to you Paxson?"
Hunter panicked and shot a quick glance at Jerric, hoping he was quicker on his feet than Hunter was.
Jerric tried his best. "He umm, was teaching me how they break horses on his parents' ranch. The first lesson didn't go too well."
"Jerric that is the worse damn lie I've ever heard. You don't get bruises like that from falling off a horse. I figured there was a fight after seeing the black eye, but seeing those ribs pretty much confirms it."
He turned his attention to Hunter. "You mean to tell me after the trainer saw those ribs, he still okayed you for practice?"
"Not exactly" Hunter said in a subdued tone.
Jackson's face reddened. "What do you mean 'not exactly?'"
"I didn't tell him." Hunter confessed.
"Jesus Christ! That is one of the dumbest things I've heard. If you remember correctly you signed an agreement with the University when you became a member of this team. As a pre-law student I assume you read it. Did you over look the part that requires you to inform us of any condition that would impair your ability to play?"
"I read it" Hunter confirmed. "Nothing that has happened to me has "impaired my ability to play", so I was under no obligation to report it."
"Don't be a fucking smart ass Paxson. As soon as you shower I expect you to see the trainer and don't think I won't check to see if you did. I want to hear from him that you are okay to practice. Until I do, you can plan on spending your time on the bench, do you understand?"
"Yes sir," Hunter mumbled, knowing better than to agitate the coach further.
Coach Jackson stormed out of the locker room and disappointment showed on Hunter's face. "Damn, could my timing have been any worse?" he said wincing as he reached for a towel. "Now I'm gonna get yelled at by the trainer too. Great first day!"
Having already received a call from Coach Jackson, Mike Anderson, the head trainer at the University went easy on Hunter. Once he determined that the x-rays Hunter had taken while in Casper had shown no breaks, he assured Hunter that at this point he saw no reason to exclude him from practice.
"Look, I'm gonna talk to Jackson and let him know that there are a few things that I won't let you participate in, but other than that its up to you. I have a vest that you can wear underneath your jersey that will give you some protection. It's designed to give you full range of motion, so it won't effect your shot at all. In addition, you need to ice those ribs down immediately after practice."
"You're gonna let him practice?" Jerric yelled.
Mike looked over to Jerric somewhat stunned by his outburst. "Excuse me, do you have a medical degree that I'm not aware of?"
"No, but I have some fucking common sense. Evidently, I'm the only one."
"Jerric, lets gets something straight. Coach Jackson and the Dean may have the patience to put up with your shit, but I don't. I have no idea when this "mother hen" syndrome kicked in, but I make the calls. Hunter's ribs aren't broken and from what he tells me, he wants to practice. How about you play ball and let me handle the injuries, okay?"
Totally unconvinced, but knowing his limits, Jerric nodded.
Mike Anderson turned his attention back to Hunter. "Rule of thumb; if it hurts, don't do it. Keep them iced, and if you have any problems, and I mean any problems, let me know."
"Thank, Mr. Anderson, I will."
Anderson grinned. "Your welcome Hunter, and its Mike. No need for formalities, I'm part of the team just like you are."
Chapter 21
"I don't know Jeff. I'm not sure Hunter is up to it. Let me check."
Jerric covered the speaker of his cell phone. "Jeff wants to know if we want to go out tonight. He had a rough day at practice and just needs to unwind for a bit."
"Yeah, sounds good to me, but I can't stay out late. I've got some research to do, but as long as it's an early night I could use a break myself."
Jerric returned to the call. "Jeff, that sounds great. How about some pizza at Geno's?"
He could hear Jeff chuckling on the other end. "What's so funny?"
"Nothing really. I just never thought I'd see the day when you "checked" with anyone before making plans. It's kinda cute."
"Fuck you, Jeff. We'll meet you there at 7:00."
He hung up the phone, mumbling "asshole" under his breath as he did.
Hunter grinned. "What did Jeff do now?"
"Just being a smart ass, as usual." Then conveniently changing the subject he asked, "So what kind of research do you have to do?"
"It's stupid actually. We have to take a look at the Supreme Court ruling on Roe vs. Wade, and present an argument for one side or the other. I can't believe out of all the court rulings the professor picked that one. There are probably thousands of papers written on this ruling and most of the people in the class are just gonna find one off the internet and change a few words to make it their own. It's a joke."
Jerric was embarrassed. "I guess I should know what the hell you're talking about, shouldn't I?
Hunter had a hard time suppressing his surprise. "You've never heard of Roe vs. Wade?
"Nope"
It amazed Hunter how much of a shell surrounded Jerric's life. Basketball was his life. Little else had any value. Unfortunately, Hunter was the opposite. He was a sponge, absorbing as much as he could of the world around him and he knew it bothered Jerric that intellectually they were miles apart.
Hunter could see Jerric was upset. "Look, I'm in pre-law, I'm supposed to know this stuff. You've heard of it too, you just don't realize it. It was a landmark ruling in 1973 basically saying a Texas law, stating that a woman could only get an abortion if her life was in danger, was unconstitutional. In a sense, it legalized abortion."
"You know its not easy having a genius for a boyfriend" Jerric said glumly.
"I'm far from a genius." He walked over and wrapped his arms around Jerric's waist. "And it's not easy having an All-American for a boyfriend either, but I guess we'll both have to just deal with it."
Jerric brushed Hunter's blonde locks off his forehead and gently kissed him. "Oh, I can deal with it. It just takes some getting used to."
Hunter pulled Jerric close and nibbled teasingly on his neck. "Can you get used to this?" he asked in a soft whisper.
"Hell yes!" Jerric said enthusiastically.
Hunter pushed Jerric back towards his bed, while his hand ran up and down Jerric's inner thigh causing an immediate reaction.
Staring nervously into Jerric's eyes, Hunter unbuttoned Jerric's jeans and slowly worked them over his hips until they fell around his ankles.
Jerric could feel the heat of Hunter's breath on his neck. "Now lay down," he instructed Jerric as his hands returned to Jerric's inner thigh.
Somewhat surprised, but thoroughly enjoying the moment, Jerric laid back on his bed. This was indeed a first. Physically, Jerric and Hunter had taken things very slowly in their relationship. Other than the one encounter in the shower weeks ago, their intimate moments were comprised of gentle kisses and cuddling close each night in bed. It had been tortuous for Jerric, whose sexual desires were unaccustomed to being put on hold, but he was determined not to push this issue. Hunter meant too much to him.
Hunter had never been more nervous in his life. He wanted so much to show Jerric how deeply he cared for him, but was in uncharted waters. Jerric was used to someone with experience, someone that knew how to please him. Hunter couldn't get that out of his mind, but he knew he had to get past it.
He lay down next to Jerric and pressed his lips firmly against his and Jerric holding him tightly put Hunter somewhat at ease.
Hunter ran his hand along Jerric's sleek stomach as his lips returned to the nape of his neck.
Jerric could feel the trembling in Hunter's hand and feel the pounding of his heart.
"Hunter, there is no rush. Don't to anything you don't want to."
"That's just it. I do want to. It's just that I don't want to look stupid. Adam knows what he's doing. I don't."
Jerric reached up and took Hunter's face in his hands. "Forget about Adam. You're everything Adam wasn't. You're smart, funny, caring, fucking adorable and most importantly, I'm in love with you."
A tear escaped Hunter's eye and slowly cascaded down his cheek. "What did you say?"
"You heard right the first time Hunter. You've done it. You've made me fall in love with you. I've never been happier."
Hunter pressed his lips hard against Jerric's and slipped his tongue deep into Jerric's mouth as the passion trapped in his heart finally came to the surface. His hand moved freely now, past Jerric's well-defined love trail and onto his waiting cock. He stroked it slowly and deliberately, allowing his hand to enjoy the feel of Jerric's soft skin against his. He could feel his own hardness as it pressed against his jeans, trapped behind the unrelenting denim.
Encouraged by Jerric's soft moans, Hunter increased the pace and Jerric's body writhed with delight. Until his moment he had never realized the impact being in love had on love-making. This was a whole new experience. An experience he would treasure like none other.
He had held on as long as he could, savoring each moment of Hunter's hand on him, until he could no longer postpone the inevitable. He opened his eyes slightly to see a smiling Hunter.
"I love you too." Hunter mouthed as Jerric's hot fluid shot onto his chest time and time again.
Moments later, Jerric felt Hunter's warm lips gently touch his. "You okay?' he heard Hunter ask teasingly through the fog of his consciousness.
"I'm not sure," he whispered. "How about you kiss me and double check?"
Hunter leaned forward and was inches from Jerric's mouth when Jerric's cell phone rang loudly. Jerric reached for it, but Hunter beat him to it."
Looking at the screen he smiled devilishly as he answered the phone.
"Hello, this is Jerric's answering machine. He can't come to the phone right now. He just got jerked off by his boyfriend, but if you'd like to leave a message at the sound of the tone, he'll get back to you when he recovers."
"What the fuck...." Jerric said laughing hysterically.
Jeff too was laughing uncontrollably into his cell phone. "Boy, when you decide to come out of your shell, you don't pull any punches do you Hunter?"
"I thought you'd get a kick out of that. Once I saw it was you on the caller ID, I thought I have a bit of fun. Did you need to talk to Jerric?"
"It doesn't sound like now is a good time. I was just checking to see if you guys were still coming."
Hunter looked over at the clock. It was 7:30.
"Jeff, I'm so sorry. I guess we just kinda lost track of time."
"Don't worry about it. I'm just having a beer and I'll go ahead and order the pizza. We can discuss you're acts of perversion when you get here." He paused briefly then added, "and Hunter make sure you clean him up before you bring him out in public, okay?"
"I'll make sure he's presentable." Hunter said, glad that he and Jeff had become so close. "We'll be there in 20 minutes."
To Be Continued..................