Thank you for returning to the Mayfield Trilogy. The usual disclaimers apply. Please Donate to Nifty. And please, be safe.
In this chapter the Mayfield Middle School Titans find their baseball season starting slowly. Eric enjoys being fondled in school and by a young friend on a family visit. And poor Lars makes a temporary escape to fall into the arms of his lover.
Please write to thehakaanen@hotmail.com
Douglas
CHAPTER 27 THE TITANS
<Friday, February 20, Mayfield Middle School>
"Did you hear the news?" Carl asked Eric and Noah as they entered the school building. Danny had accompanied Carl to school and was walking in with the three boys.
"Actually, yes, I did hear the news," Noah said. "I also watched the news since my family is very modern and owns more than one television set."
"Noah, you can be a real pain in the ass sometimes, you know," Danny said.
"I know. But I try to be gentle when I enter and I am not all that well endowed, so I generally do not bring pain to anyone's ass." Noah was having fun jerking Carl and Danny's chains.
"No, serious," Carl said, "we're going to have a new JV coach."
"What?" Eric said with a surprise squawk. Coach Sanders was one of the reasons the Go to State Team had gotten off to such a great start. Even though he didn't get the head coaching job at the high school, Eric still considered him an important part of his agenda. "What happened to Coach Sanders? What did he do?"
"He didn't do anything," Carl said. "But my dad's been on the phone all night and I guess Coach Gardner's gonna get fired."
"He is? For what?" Eric asked.
"For having sex with a girl student," Noah said.
"How do you know that?" Carl asked
"I can also hear the news," Noah said. "In this case it was from my dad who was on the phone as well."
"Why didn't you tell me?" Eric asked.
"I just saw you five minutes ago and Carl said it first. That's why I was being a dork about the news—I didn't want to steal his thunder."
"Noah, I take back everything I said about you being a pain in the ass," Danny said.
"Well, rats. I rather liked the role."
"I guess that means Coach Sanders won't be the JV coach here because he's going to be the head coach at the high school?" Eric asked.
Noah ignored the obviousness of the question from his boyfriend. "Make that interim head coach," Noah said.
"He'll get rid of that label real fast. No way they won't see how good a coach he is."
"Why didn't they pick Coach Ecklund?" Danny asked. "He's been here longer, and he's the head coach here at the middle school, plus I heard he was the high school JV coach for awhile."
"My dad says he was asked, but he likes coaching middle school. He said Coach Sanders would make a better high school coach because he really wants it and has even been working with most of the players...which means he was working with us."
"Wow, this is great news," Eric said. "I wonder who's going to be the new JV coach here at the middle school?"
"I don't know, but since we're all playing varsity this year we won't be playing for him anyway," Carl said.
"We'll miss Coach Sanders though. Even last year when we played varsity he did a lot of work with us," Eric said. "He's a really good coach, but then so is Coach Ecklund."
"What are you guys gossiping about," Kevin asked as he walked up to the quartet. Eric told him. Kevin was as surprised as everyone else.
"Is Coach Sanders still going to teach here?" Noah asked.
"I think that's what dad said," Carl said. "I guess it's because he teaches math and Coach Gardner teaches history and because they don't want to mess up the classes in the middle of the year."
It didn't take long until everybody involved with the baseball team knew what had happened. Chandler was nonchalant about it, saying his dad had told him last night. "But even he doesn't know who's coaching the JV."
The bell rang for homeroom and the boys split up to go their proper room. Kevin, Eric, and Danny were in the same homeroom and walked there together, babbling excitedly about the news of the day.
<Monday, March 23, Mayfield Middle School>
It was the first day of practice for the Mayfield Titans baseball teams. The weather was cold and blustery, but it wasn't raining. Because of changes made to the North County Middle School league schedule, school baseball started later and would go into the first week in June. The biggest effect of the change would be Coach Miller and Seth McCall working the schedule for the summer league Mayfield Falcons around that of the Titans middle school team.
Eric was still in a sulky mood after the poor showing at the meeting of the Go to State team a couple of weeks earlier. He felt like both the ninth graders and eighth graders had left him in the lurch. To make it worse, the ninth graders were being recruited to play for a combined Kentburg/Mayfield team that would have Kentburg as its home field.
The day before, Eric and Noah had been in the living room of Eric's house chatting with his dad.
"Nothing seems to be working right," Eric said. "Nobody seems interested any more."
"Maybe Marty isn't putting in enough effort at the president's job," Eric's father, Dennis, said.
Eric disagreed. "Marty's doing a great job. It's just all of sudden everybody is being promised stuff by the coach at Kentburg, like that team is loaded with money and everything."
"They are loaded with money," Noah said. "My dad looked into it."
"That sucks. We don't have that kind of money to promise jackets they can keep, and bats, and special batting gloves, and sweatshirts...it's just wrong."
"Where does Coach Sanders want them to play?" Dennis asked.
"For the Falcons—after all, his partner is our coach. But he can't make people do it, and, from what Marty says, he really isn't pushing it. He's got problems just getting his school team going. It's all a big mess."
"It could be worse," Noah said. "Coach Gardner hated the Falcons and didn't want anybody to play for us. He was trying to bust us up."
"See, that's the other thing," Eric said. "Everybody is mad at everybody because of who was going to stick with the Falcons, like Marty and Rich, and who wasn't going to, like everybody else. So now nobody wants to play for the Falcons, anyway."
"Okay, that covers the ninth graders," Eric's dad said. "What about the eighth graders?"
"That's all about Lars getting beyond grounded for getting caught messing around with Kevin."
"And Kraig, and Hunter," Noah said.
"Lars can't meet with us because he might get corrupted. The twins and Hunter aren't coming because they say they are supporting Lars. Then, they give me other excuses when they didn't come. Lars can't play summer ball because he might see somebody with a boner or something. No offense, dad."
"None taken, son. I am surprised at the reaction of Lars's father, however. I've meet him and he seems to be an open minded man. He has been very supportive of gay causes at the community college."
"What would you do if you came home and found Noah and me, and say, the twins, naked and having oral sex in the living room?"
"I'd probably yell at you all to get dressed and leave the room for a bit. Maybe I'd have a talk on appropriate sexual behavior and where not to do things."
"In other words, you'd say, `Get a room'", Noah said.
"In a nutshell, that would be it. But you two have also come out to me as boyfriends, so I wouldn't have to get used to the idea of having a gay son. We would have already been down that road."
"I didn't think you'd go all ballistic over it."
There was a moment of silence and then Dennis Simmons hit the boys with a question. "Have you two...um...actually done that? Oral sex I mean?"
"Dad, we're twelve and thirteen and horny. What do you think?"
"Just be safe in what you do and take a lesson from your friends about where you do it."
"Thanks for listening to us and being a great dad."
"Oh, I don't know if I'm such a great dad, but I do know how to listen."
"That's what makes you a great dad."
But for the first afternoon of practice, worries about the Go to State team were buried as the boys all enjoyed being out on the baseball field going through the familiar routines. It was baseball time, and that meant that, while they were on the field practicing the sport they loved, life was good.
<Friday, March 30, Mayfield Middle School>
"This will be totally weird," Eric said at the baseball lunch table.
"What will be totally weird?" Kraig asked.
"Having a week of practice, then a week of vacation, and then another week of practice. I mean before we would get a couple of games in before Spring Break. Now it's like we just get started practicing when BOOM, no more baseball for a week."
"There is the Nooner," Scott said.
"That will be fun, but not the same thing as being out on the field."
"I haven't seen many of us on the field," Noah said. "Indoor practices are not quite the same thing." It had been raining for the last three days, leading to half-hearted practices in the gym.
"I wish Coach Ecklund would post the rosters before Spring Break," Carl said. "I don't want to wait for a week to find out if I made it or not."
"Carl, if you don't make it the way you're hitting, then Coach Ecklund is an idiot," Noah said. "Since we know he is not an idiot, you will be on the team when the rosters are posted."
"Speaking of coaches, what do you guys think of Coach Clauson?" Danny asked. Coach Clauson was the new JV coach. He was a retired teacher and coach from Mayfield who agreed to help out for one season. Quick changes had to be made after the firing of Coach Gardner, and he was more than willing to help Coach Ecklund, who was a long-time friend of his.
"He's okay," Eric said. "Kinda old for a coach, but he's seemed nice so far." The players at the table agreed with Eric's evaluation.
"Ro oh, trouble is coming," Kevin said. "The gang of four is making its way over here." The gang of four was the sixth grade quartet of Chandler, Korey, Mikey, and Drew. They were as close to being joined at the hip as four boys could be.
"Korey and I haven't forgot," Chandler said.
"Haven't forgotten what?" Eric asked.
"What we said we were going to do. As soon as the roster gets posted when we get back from vacation, we start. The one who gets the most by the last game of the season, or the first one who gets everybody wins."
"Oh, that," Eric said. Chandler and Korey had bragged that they planned to give every player on the varsity baseball roster a blow job.
"You don't sound real excited," Korey said.
"Oh, I am. You know I always like to get one of those," Eric said.
"What the fuck are you talking about?" Danny asked. When Eric told him that they were going to give blow jobs to the entire varsity he grinned. "No shit? This is like having Marty coming back to middle school. You can get me any time you want." Except for Carl, the eighth graders had no doubt about their making the baseball team. Still, Chandler and Korey were going to wait for the official roster to be posted before starting their competition.
"What about the other half of the gang?" Noah asked. "Aren't you going to participate?"
"We might do the JV," Mikey said. "Drew ain't real big on giving mass BJs." Drew blushed, but said nothing. As much as he loved sex play with his three friends, he was also somewhat shy and uncomfortable about it. It was a point of view that Hunter could identify with.
"Your dad would totally freak if he knew what you had planned," Scott told Chandler.
"That's why he can't ever find out." Chandler sat next to Eric and placed his hand on the eighth grader's crotch.
"Shouldn't you ask for permission before you do that?" Eric asked.
"It all depends who I'm gonna grope. You, Noah, Kevin, and Kraig are automatics. You can grope me any time you want, too, unless I put a red flag on my zipper."
"You guys are nuts," Kevin said. "And one of you is my brother."
"You're the ones who showed us how to get past The Schnoz and to the main hall bathrooms to have fun," Chandler told Kevin. "We would never have thought of sexing in school if you guys didn't do it and set the example for us."
"You would think of sexing anywhere, anytime, and you know it," Eric said, still enjoying the feel of Chandler opening his zipper and fondling his rock hard cock through the cotton of his briefs.
"Good point." Chandler. Chandler started to slowly masturbate Eric, but had to stop when the bell rang ending lunch. "Have fun with your boner in class," the eleven year old giggled.
"This has got to be the nuttiest middle school in America," Eric said, shaking his head as he reluctantly zipped up his Dockers.
"Admit it," Noah said, "you love it."
Eric grinned in agreement as he adjusted the rock hard boner.
As the boys left the lunchroom and headed to class, Kevin caught up with Lars. "You didn't have much to say today," Kevin said to his friend.
"I miss doing all of that stuff, so I don't want to talk about it."
"You can still do it, you know. Your dad doesn't have video cameras and stuff all over the school. And even if he did, that's what sneaking past The Schnoz is all about. Who puts cameras in the bathrooms?" Lars gave his friend a quick smile, his first one of the day. "All I got now is my five finger sex partner." He held up his right hand for Kevin to see. "And I have this." He stuck out his tongue.
"You got Alex."
"He's like seven, he's just a little kid."
"And?"
Lars sighed. "And, he jerked me off last night when mom and dad went out with my sister to some music thing at the high school. I told him he better never tell. If he did, dad will finish killing me."
"Do you think he ever will tell?"
"Nah. He likes doing it too much. But, it's you I want. I miss you and everybody else so bad. And listen, you have to get back to the Go to State thing. They need you and Kraig and Hunter. You can't let it all go to shit because my dad is an asshole."
"We've got your back, and don't you forget it. But why don't you ever join me in sneaking past The Schnoz so we can mess around in the boy's room?"
"Because everybody would know we were doing it."
"They all know, anyway."
"I guess. But when I do it with you again, I don't want it to be in a school bathroom."
Kevin shook off the sense of disappointment he felt. Lars had turned down a couple of invitations to head to the boys' room since his father had restricted him from seeing Kevin. Kevin worked hard to put up a good front for Lars, as he put his arm around his friend's shoulder and whispered, "We're gonna cum forever when we finally do it."
Lars gave Kevin a shy grin. "You know what I found out through all this?"
"What?"
"That I love you."
This time it was Kevin's turn to smile.
The coming of Spring Break took the eighth graders' minds off of some of their problems, but it also found a way of heightening the almost perpetual sense of horniness young adolescents can feel.
The first weekend of vacation saw Eric and Noah trading off beds, with Eric spending Friday night with Noah in his bed and then the pair spending the next night in Eric's bed. They were feeling more and more comfortable with each other as friends, as boyfriends, and as lovers. It was as if the two of them had been created for each other. But there were moments when Noah felt twinges of guilt over the huge amount of love he felt for Eric, feeling as if it was an affront to Bobby. It was one of the things Noah successfully kept buried inside of him until his private demon broke through his mental barriers and carried his guilt and fear to the surface.
The boys didn't spend Sunday night together. Eric went with his parents to visit their family friends near Olympia. Eric was looking forward to seeing Thomas, who had recently turned ten. Thomas was excited to see his thirteen year old friend and literally dragged him to his bedroom. The next thing Eric knew he was busy playing with Thomas and his Wii.
The boys soon worked up a sweat and had their shirts off as they negotiated their way through Major League Baseball, and then went to FIFA soccer. They finally stopped to get something to drink. Since Thomas didn't bother putting on his shirt, Eric didn't either. They headed for the kitchen where both mothers were cooking up dinner. Neither one commented on their sons being shirtless. "Dinner should be ready in an hour," was the only comment they heard.
The boys took some cold sodas back to Thomas's bedroom and lay back on his bed drinking. "Do you remember when I was at your house?" Thomas asked.
"Yeah, back around Christmas."
"That was fun."
"This is fun, too."
"I got to see your peter and it was pretty big."
Eric was taken aback by Thomas's boldness. He took a big guzzle of his soda.
"Can I see it again?" the ten year old asked.
"Only if you show me yours."
"Cool. I only get to see little ones like mine. Yours is really cool to look at." Thomas once again took the initiative as he unbuttoned and unzipped his jeans and pulled down his pants and red briefs. "There's mine. It's still pretty little."
Eric admired the little nub of a penis, nestled in the small, smooth ball sac of the preteen. His pubic area was totally smooth.
"Come on, your turn."
Eric complied with the young boy's request, pulling off his jeans and white briefs. His cock was half hard and getting harder. Eric had no problem with Thomas seeing him get an erection.
"You're getting a boner," Thomas said, stating the obvious.
"I get them a lot."
"So does Bruce. Me and my friend Jimmy get them, but not all the time like Bruce does. He lives up the street. He's in sixth grade and gets them a lot. He lets me touch his. So does Jimmy. Can I touch yours?"
"Be my guest." It wouldn't be the first time Thomas touched him, since they'd had a very brief show-and-tell session in the upstairs bathroom when Thomas visited Eric.
Thomas gently fondled Eric's boner, causing Eric to squeak out a small groan. His voice was beginning to break, and the squeaks were becoming an embarrassment. What was not an embarrassment was what Thomas noticed as he rubbed Eric's over four inch boner. "You got some hairs there."
"Yeah," Eric said proudly. At thirteen-and-a-half I better have some hairs, even if it's just ten of them, he thought.
"Bruce has a lot more hairs and he's in sixth grade," Thomas said as he unintentionally stuck a pin in Eric's balloon of pride.
Eric reached down and rubbed on Thomas's cocklet, causing it to start stirring and hardening. He asked Thomas what he knew about jerking off and about blow jobs. The young boy knew a lot about jerking off, but only knew what a blow job was. He had never experienced one. Eric got on his knees and stunned Thomas by putting his mouth around his little boner.
"This is what a blow job is about," Eric said.
"It feels really good. I'm going to have to show Bruce."
Eric got all of Thomas's cocklet back into his mouth when they heard a woman's voice calling them to dinner.
Damn, Eric thought, every time it gets good something interrupts us. He did enjoy the view of Thomas's pert little white ass, however, as he bent down to pick up his jeans. The ten year old stood back up and grinned at Eric before pulling up the briefs and jeans.
Eric hoped that there might be an opportunity for the two of them to do some more after dinner, but it wasn't to be. As he rode home in the backseat later in the evening, he thought about what a sexual mystery Thomas was becoming. He was a tease without intending to be a tease. He conjured up the image of Thomas standing in front of him wearing nothing but socks and a pair of briefs pulled halfway down his legs, his little nub of a penis working its way to a two plus inch boner. Eric's cock was hard as a rock inside his jeans and it was all he could to not to jerk himself off in the backseat rather than wait until he got home.
The next night Eric got a big thrill out of telling Noah about his sexual adventure with Thomas. He could tell the story was turning his boyfriend on.
"You have to find a way to suck his dick," Noah said. "He sure seemed to like what little you did to him."
"If we could just get away from being interrupted, I'd do something about it."
"Well, since you can't satisfy him, how about getting your nose down into my crotch and satisfy me...but after I do a count of the sprouting Eric pubic hairs."
Noah counted ten hairs, and then lay back as Eric took Noah's hairless preteen cock through two orgasms. It was a good night for the two eighth grade lovers.
On Tuesday, Chandler reached a milestone of sorts. The Gang of Four was hanging out at Chandler's house. Chandler's mother was working and his father had gone to the high school to help out with their baseball practice.
As soon as his father was out the door, Chandler announced that they had two hours of freedom. The boys immediately shucked their clothes and went right to chasing one another, each boy trying to grab somebody's wagging little cock without having his own grabbed. That also led to squeezing asses, and soon to nude wresting, which caused the wagging little cocks to become rock hard erections. The pool had not yet been put into shape for spring or the boys would have run outside into the cool, gray day and jumped in.
"Time for a Chandler check," Mikey said. It was becoming part of their routine that they investigate how close Chandler could come to getting his cockhead into his mouth.
Chandler was less than two months away from his twelfth birthday and had noticed his cock growing just like his body was. At 5'0 he weighed in right at 88 pounds. He had long, coltish legs, which accounted for much of his height. He also had a small scattering of angel hair in his pubic area, very light and very fine. His penis was two inches, flaccid, and close to four when hard. His smooth, low hanging balls were very—suckable, at least to Korey. Chandler was a swimmer and a diver. He had a very flexible body for a boy, which is why he could curl himself up enough to lick the tip of his dick with his tongue.
Chandler got himself properly propped, got his legs back, revealing his gorgeous boy ass with its pink pucker that had seen action at one time or other from two of the three other boys in the room. He stretched his torso, pulled his knees in close, flicked his tongue, and almost squealed when the tip of his boy tool went past his tongue and touched the lips it had missed so often by a fraction of an inch.
"Holy shit, he did it," Korey said with a touch of awe in his voice.
Chandler sucked lightly on the tip. He tired quickly and had to straighten himself back out.
"That was awesome," Chandler said. "I can't wait to make myself cum doing that." Chandler looked around at his naked friends. He was the best athlete, the best student, and the most physically mature boy in the group. He was also their unquestioned leader. "Daisy chain time," he announced.
Aware of what had happened to the twins and their friends, the boys headed for Chandler's room. They weren't about to be caught by a parent with somebody's cock in their mouth. Like they usually did, they drew numbers for the chain. Chandler ended up sucking Drew, who got Korey, who got Mikey, who finished the chain with Chandler. It was a noisy and sloppy session, one that led to three wild and loud dry cums and Chandler's just as loud, but sloppier wet cum into Mikey's mouth. Chandler's ability to shoot was just one more thing that made him feel like a grown up and mature individual.
Almost all of the middle school baseball players were at the Nooner the next day to cheer the Mustangs on. They were disappointed in Mayfield's 6-2 loss, but they had fun with their teammates. Being together in the stands made the Mayfield middle school players feel like an important part of the baseball program. Nobody rooted harder for the high school players than they did.
The week went by quickly. Lars was still restricted from seeing his friends and spent his vacation time feeling like a prisoner. His dad wouldn't even let him go the Nooner. On Friday, he was almost ready to go crazy. He was supposed to be babysitting Alex while his sister was away doing whatever it was she got to do because she didn't have to hang around to babysit.
He decided he'd had it with being confined to the house all week, so he took Alex by the hand and walked to Kevin's house. Kevin was surprised and pleased to see his best friend/boyfriend. The two fell into a hard hug and kissed deeply as soon as Lars walked into Kevin's house. Alex watched as the two kissed. The seven year old had become used to seeing Lars and Kevin kiss and it was something that seemed perfectly normal to him.
"Nobody's home but me," Kevin said. "Kraig's at Hunter's. At least he can go there even if he can't spend the night. Korey is who knows where and Keith's away at college." Kevin took Alex to the couch and turned on the TV, putting the channel on a kid's station. "Watch TV while me and Lars talk."
"You're going to do nasty stuff," Alex said.
"Yeah, you're right, but you're not going to tell are you?"
"Nope, because Lars won't play with me if I tell. And I never tell on Lars for anything. I just tell on my sister." Kevin wasn't sure if Alex meant sexual play or just regular play and didn't bother to pursue it.
He and Lars ran up to his bedroom and were naked before they got there--their clothes strewn across the floor from the living room to the stairs to the bedroom door. "I need you in my butt," Lars said. "But it's gotta be fast. We have to be home before Ann gets home." Ann was his fifteen year old freshman sister.
Kevin didn't care how fast it would be. Just being naked on a bed with Lars was good enough for him. Just BEING with Lars was good enough for him. The kisses continued wild and wet, as lips and tongues explored parts they hadn't touched in over a month. Both boys ran their hands over each other's saliva slickened bodies, and Kevin was soon entering into the ass of the boy he loved. There was no talk, and other than the kissing and feeling, no foreplay. They rolled on the bed with the unchecked desire of two boys, one fourteen and one thirteen, who loved each other passionately.
Kevin plowed into the ass of his boyfriend, who yelled out in pain and pleasure and happiness, as he received what he had wanted worse and worse with each passing day since his restriction started. Kevin grunted, Lars screamed, Kevin moaned, Lars groaned; there was nobody there to hear them except Alex, who knew what his brother was doing was nasty, but didn't care, because his big brother was the best big brother in the world. Period.
Kevin thought about what Kraig had told him regarding the wild sex he had with Hunter. Kevin saw his sex with Lars as much more tame, but not this time. This time it was the bed bouncing, moving a notch away from the wall. This time it was the blankets and sheets falling to the floor. This time it was the wordless noise, the fingers digging into skin, the kisses going deep, the teeth biting as they hoped not to leave a tell-tale hickey. This time it was two boys so lost in their act of sex they were unaware of where they were or what they were doing—all they could do was feel.
And feel they did when Lars, his hand a blur on his thin, four inch beauty, screamed out as his boy cum blasted out, hitting his chin, his chest, he belly, his still bare pubic area, his cries those of a lover who had been denied his love for much too long. Kevin was seconds behind him as his boy juice coated the insides of his lover. He rammed his cock deep over and over and over until he collapsed onto the naked, cum covered chest of his boyfriend.
What the two of them wanted to do then was to curl up and sleep together, but they knew they couldn't. All they could do was share a couple of kisses and slowly get up out of Kevin's bed.
Kevin saw wetness on his boyfriend's cheeks, and wiped away what were obviously tears. "What's wrong?" he asked.
"I'm just so happy we could do this. I was feeling so awful. I mean the bastard wouldn't even let me have a birthday party." Lars had turned fourteen a month earlier, an event noted by his friends at school, but by no one else. "I hate him, because I know he hates me."
"It's okay," Kevin, ever the cool one, said. "It's all going to be okay." Kevin wasn't sure he believed that, but he knew he had to say it.
"It's never going to be okay, and you know it. I wish I could move out like Marty did. My life sucks."
"It didn't suck today, did it?"
Lars forced a genuine smile, put his arms around Kevin, and gave him a long deep kiss, which was all the answer Kevin needed.
The boys gathered up their clothing as they walked back down to the living room. They didn't bother to put anything on; they decided to just pick their stuff up and dress when the got into they living room. They were surprised to see Kraig and Hunter there along with Alex.
"You guys were fucking noisy." Kraig said. "Alex couldn't hear his TV show."
"Wow, cum all over yourself, a red mark on your shoulder, something dribbling down your leg," Hunter observed. "That's how I looked a little while ago, right Kraig?"
Kraig nodded yes with a grin. "You need to set a better example for your little brother," he told Lars.
"He did set a good example. He was an example of how to do good sex," Kevin said.
"But Alex didn't get to watch."
"No, but he sees how happy we are, right Alex?"
Alex was more interested in what was on TV than he was in the naked boys or the bantering of the group. He nodded his head, said, "Yep," and kept on watching his show.
"I thought you were on restriction," Lars said to Hunter.
"No, I just can't have anybody spend the night. At least I'm not in prison like you. And just how did you get out?"
Lars said nothing as he started dressing. Kraig handed him some tissue before he put on his shirt and pants so he could wipe himself clean. Kevin didn't bother to put his clothes on.
"Okay, I get it. You snuck out and you won't live to see high school if you don't get home quick."
Lars nodded, knowing that time was running out on him. As Lars finished dressing, Kraig said, "When are you going to get some hair? You're the oldest one here, and the only one who's bare. Well, except for Alex, and he might have more than you do." Alex giggled. "Give me a look, kid."
Alex was used to being naked or partially naked around that group of boys. He quickly opened up and yanked down his sweats and Batman underpants. Kevin rubbed the space above his little cock and said, "From what I felt today, I say it's a tie."
"But I'm getting hair first," Alex said without a hint of teasing. He was totally serious.
Lars blushed, dressed quickly, made sure Alex had his pants pulled back up, then grabbed the little boy's hand, left one last kiss with Kevin, said goodbye to Kraig and Hunter, and hurried home. He beat his sister by five minutes, but the scare had been worth it. For the first time in weeks, Lars felt like a worthwhile and appreciated human being.
<Tuesday, April 7, Mayfield Middle School>
The roster for the Mayfield Titans baseball team was posted outside of the gym office. Coach Ecklund and Coach Clauson were sitting in the office with the door open, ready to talk to anyone who wanted to talk. While the roster posting had the boys excited, so did the rumor that almost half the high school baseball team had gone to a big beer party and there was going to be a lot of players in trouble. But as big as the news was from the high school, the middle school roster was of more importance to them.
The varsity roster had a couple of surprises. There were fourteen players on the varsity roster and eleven on the JV. Nine of the varsity players were eighth graders, three were seventh graders, with the surprises being two sixth graders.
Mayfield Titans Varsity
Eric-8 Noah-8 Scott-8 Kevin-8 Kraig-8 Hunter-8 Danny-8 Carl-8 Gavin-8 Lars-8 Justin-7 Toby-7 Chandler-6 Korey-6
Coach Ecklund explained that he was doing things a little differently than before. Of the four sixth and seventh graders, two would suit up with the varsity and two with the JV each game day. Chandler and Korey would play JV on the days Chandler was scheduled to pitch, otherwise the two who stayed would be the choice of the coaches.
With the roster in place and the weather reasonably dry, even if it was often cloudy and cool, the pace of the practices picked up during the week. The team seemed to be filled with enthusiasm and optimism. But what people could see on the outside, in practice, was not necessarily what was happening behind the scenes. Morale looked to be good, but the appearance was flawed and cracked. The tensions that had been welling up among the eighth graders, a group of teens who had not long ago all been working in the same direction, was about to surface among them. The next few weeks would have players like Eric wondering if baseball would ever be fun again.
Next: Scraping Bottom—Middle School Edition