Ghost Busting, Chapter 4
When Angela and Vern learned about what their son was going to do, they agreed to excuse him from his last afternoon class and accompany Dr. Grim to Elliot's hearing. They trusted his judgment and were proud of him.
Jackson wanted to go too, so Jack said he would excuse him as well.
The hearing took place in a small room around a large table. A judge was there, as were Elliot, his mother, a policeman, and another person whom Terry didn't know.
The boys were invited to sit beside Parker, and the hearing began promptly at 2:30.
Judge Varner turned on a recorder and stated the purpose of the meeting. He called on the stranger first. The man, Dr. Wharton, turned out to be an associate principal from City High. He told about the many complaints he'd received from teachers about Elliot's behavior and the measures he'd used in attempting to remedy the situation. The last resort had been to transfer the student to West, where his mother hoped that a change of environment might help. It seemed to Wharton that it hadn't worked. He felt there might be need for a more drastic option.
Next, the policeman who had dealt with the fight between Elliot and Terry gave his input, saying he had a video which proved that Elliot had repeatedly attacked the smaller boy, seemingly without provocation. He speculated that going to reform school might make him realize the error of his ways, although he knew that didn't always happen.
Then, Parker spoke about counseling Elliot and seeing improvement. He felt the kid should have another chance rather than being housed with other teenagers who were being incarcerated for more serious crimes.
Finally, Terry got a chance to voice his opinion.
"Your Honor, I'd like to have some input if I may."
"Certainly, young man. I understand that you're the victim in this case."
"Well, I might have been the intended victim, but I'm the one who put Elliot in the hospital. I'm not bragging about using that kind of force. I felt bad that he was seriously injured. My therapist has helped me to see that I'm not at fault.
"Elliot bullied me, and I think he might have continued if I hadn't fought back. But he's told me he's sorry, and I believe him. I think he should be given another chance. My parents are allowing me to drop the charges against him. They will sign whatever papers are necessary. They trust my judgment."
"Mr. Voss, has Elliot's family or anyone else put pressure on you to do this?"
"No, Sir. I'll swear it on a bible if you want me to."
"Very well," the judge said as he stood up. "Elliot Hinspeter, please rise. I'm going out on a limb here and granting you another chance, but it comes with restrictions. You will remain with your mother for the time being. If that doesn't work out, you'll be assigned to live in a facility which is operated by Dr. Grim and his partner. You must continue your counseling with Dr. Grim and follow his advice. You will avoid physical violence. You are expected to stay drug-free and sober. To help ensure this, you will submit to weekly drug testing. If you violate any of these conditions, I will sentence you to the boys' state training school in Eldora for a period of not less than nine months. Do you understand your responsibilities?"
"Yes, Sir. Thank you, Sir."
"Does anyone have more to add? Seeing no response, this hearing is adjourned."
Everyone rose to leave, but Elliot came over to Terry with tears in his eyes.
"How can I ever repay you?"
"I'll settle for a hug," Terry replied.
He received a strong one which left him with a warm feeling in his heart and tears in his eyes. His tears weren't from being squeezed but from the sense that he'd made the right decision.
As the boys snuggled in their shared bed that night, Jackson praised his boyfriend for what he'd done.
"At first, I had some doubts, but now I'm sure you did the right thing for Elliot. He wasn't faking those tears when he hugged you."
"Thanks. Your opinion means the most to me. I felt a drop or two in my eyes as well."
"Mine too. I hope he doesn't slip back into his old habits now that he's not going to be sent away."
"I don't think he will with the harsh reality of Eldora still hanging over his head. Maybe we can do something to encourage him to stay on the straight and narrow."
"Let's not do anything to make him STRAIGHT if he's gay," Jackson snickered.
"Do you think he might be like us?"
"He might be. I know how I acted sometimes when I thought I might be and didn't want to face it."
"You didn't act that way to me."
"Nope. That's because I saw you as boyfriend material."
"Saw, or still see?"
"Let me show you."
In the cafeteria at school on Friday, Elliot trudged hesitatingly toward the table where Jackson and Terry were sitting with a few of their friends.
"Hey, Elliot, would you like to join us?" Jackson called.
"Um, if it's okay with you guys."
"Sure, we were hoping you might," Terry enthused.
"Are you ready for the quiz in LA?" Elliot asked by way of conversation.
"Yeah," Jackson said. "We got on it before supper. Terry really helped me a lot with a couple of things I didn't understand. You should study with us sometime."
"Thanks, I'd like to."
"What are you doing hanging out with these losers?" Dylan asked as he passed their table.
No one had noticed his approach because they'd been deep in conversation with each other.
"I'm the loser," Elliot said. "These guys are all winners and I'm hoping to be more like them. They say that you're known by the company you keep."
"Are you trying to say that I'm a loser?" Dylan demanded, angrily.
"Nope, I'm just saying...
"Don't come running to me later when you need something," Dylan sneered.
"I won't. I'm not doing that anymore."
"Yeah, right!" Dylan retorted as he turned on his heel and left.
"Good for you, Elliot," Anna smiled, as she patted his hand.
Elliot grinned in return. It was one of the few times his classmates had seen a genuinely happy look on his face. Terry and Jackson raised their eyebrows as they glanced at one another. Maybe their gaydar needed adjustment.
The activities director at West thought it would be fun to start a tradition that he'd known about back when he was in school, namely Sadie Hawkins Day. However, that was traditionally observed in November, and he was looking for an event in February, in addition to Valentine's Day, which could involve everyone in school. In checking the history of Sadie Hawkins Day, he discovered a similar tradition centered around Leap Day. Since it was already well into February, he barely had enough time to plan it. For the Leap Day dance, girls would be encouraged to invite boys out on a date. It was the same kind of situation and could be held in the dead of winter this year.
As soon as the announcement was made, some of the girls at school decided to ask boys out that they'd had their eyes on. Jackson and Terry kept holding their breath that Anna wouldn't ask one of them. They were surprised, and happy, when she asked Elliot.
While they breathed sighs of relief, Elliot grinned like the Cheshire Cat. It convinced them that their gaydars were haywire! At least they had personally lucked out.
Their freedom didn't last long. Two girls from their LA class, who were very close friends with each other, nabbed them before the school day was over. Being rather naïve about dealing with the fair sex, they were caught off-guard without an excuse, and agreed to attend the dance with them. Catlin would be Terry's date and Gina would be Jackson's.
Going out with girls wasn't an ideal situation, but since young ladies were classmates that they knew, and they'd be doubling, it would be bearable.
If this trend continued, they would either have to figure out a plausible excuse or come out at school. Somehow, the latter almost seemed easier.
Angela listened to their tale of woe when she got home from school. She was relieved that they hadn't been the ones to ask the girls out. While she might understand their hesitancy to come out to their peers, she didn't like the idea of gay boys using girls as beards.
"I honestly don't know what advice to give you about not attracting the opposite sex. I guess you'll have to stop being so darned adorable," she chuckled.
"Mom! What are we supposed to do, quit taking baths and washing our hair?" Terry snickered.
"If you do, you'll just attract girls who go for the grungy look," she grinned. "There is no escape when you're cute."
On the night of the dance, the boys were a bit on edge. Neither had done much dating in their old schools, and they hoped not to make fools of themselves. They dressed preppy and styled their hair carefully. If they were trying not to attract girls, they were certainly going about it the wrong way!
The evening turned out better than they'd expected. Gina's father, James, picked them up in his SUV which seated seven. Gina and Jackson sat in the very back and Catlin and Terry were in the second row. James acted like a chauffeur and didn't try to make conversation with the kids. He did overhear their chatter but tried not to pay close attention.
The girls treated their dates to pizza, so this wasn't a formal kind of evening with an expensive dinner. Again, James sat far away when he had his meal.
Before their food was served, the girls said they wanted to be up-front so no one would feel obligated. The boys wondered where this conversation was going.
"Um, we asked you out because you're the nicest guys in our LA class. You always get into discussions, but you never put anyone down if they don't have the right answers. We like you, but we're not looking to go steady with anyone. I hope you didn't think we were leading you on. You don't have to ask us out on a payback date. We would like to hang out like friends sometimes, and it would be nice to have an escort when there are events that kinda call for a date. Are you okay with that?" Caitlin asked.
"Wow! Do you always say what's on your mind?" Terry grinned. "You remind me of my mom. You never have to guess where she's coming from."
"Cool!" I think I'd like your mother. Yes, I'm like that. Dad say's I'm too honest."
"Well, I appreciate it. I'm not ready to go steady with and I don't think Jackson is either."
"For sure," Jackson agreed."
"If we did do some things together, maybe Dylan would stop calling us lezzies."
"Ooh! Are you using us as cover," Terry teased with a grin.
"No!" Catlin insisted. But Dylan calls you guys fags. Doesn't that bother you?"
"Nah, he's full of crap anyway," Terry said. "I'm not afraid of him or anything he says."
"You don't mince words either," Catlin high fived him.
"Yes, I do. I didn't use the `s' word. That's what he's full of."
Everyone at the table cracked up. It was evident that they were going to be comfortable in each other's company.
The dance itself was as much of a blast as supper had been. The time went fast, and the boys were actually sorry to see it come to an end.
When they were dropped off at Terry's house, the boys thanked the girls for a fun time and said they might all take in a movie the following week. There was no expectation of a kiss, and that was fine with everyone.
The three parents were in the family room watching the late news when the boys came in. They wanted to know how the evening had turned out.
"Well, are the girls as scary as they were, or worse?" Angela asked.
"Those two are really nice." Terry answered. We're gonna take them to a movie next week, if we can find one that we'd all like and haven't' seen."
"Does that mean you've changed your thoughts on your orientation?" Jack wondered.
"Dad, you know better than that," Jackson admonished. "Catlin was very honest about not wanting to go steady. They're just looking to hang out and have fun. She thought it might also stop rumors about how close Gina and she are."
"A young lady who speaks her mind," Angela grinned. "She's someone after my own heart."
"So long as she's not after mine, I'm good with that!" Terry responded.
"Come on, Jackson, let's take a quick shower and go to bed before Mom puts us under a bright light and tries to get us to confess to something we didn't do."
With that, the boys headed up to their room while the adults shook their heads in amusement.
After their showers, the boys donned their nightshirts and Terry decided to see if Jackson was on the same wavelength as he was.
"Well what kind of feelings did you get when dancing with a girl?" he asked.
"Mostly, it was fear that I wasn't doing the steps right, at least in the beginning. What about you?"
"Ditto. Even the slower songs didn't make me feel romantic or anything. Would you like to dance with me?"
"It would be my pleasure, Sir," Jackson bowed.
They held each other close and swayed while listening to a tune similar to the last song from the dance. It made the bulges in their nightshirts tent out far from their bodies. After a couple of minutes, Jackson got on his knees and stuck his head under Terry's garment and took his rampant cock into his mouth. Terry sighed with pleasure. He couldn't hold off much longer.
"Get out of there, pervert!" he commanded.
Jackson almost fell over backwards. His initial reaction was worry – wondering if he'd offended his boyfriend. When Terry pulled him up and kissed him soundly, he realized it wasn't true.
"I want a turn too," Terry said.
When Jackson found himself reaching the point of no return, he asked Terry to stop.
"Let's get into bed and do this to each other at the same time."
As they assumed the 69-position, Jackson remembered his dad's comment about the convenience of wearing a nightshirt when one was feeling romantic.
All of their senses, except sight, were filled with one another. Having their eyes closed, the others seemed more intense. The moans of pleasure, aroma of clean aroused boy flesh plus the taste of precum and the silky texture of slippery cock heads sent them quickly toward their destination.
They seemed to go into free-fall as they released their loads.
In the afterglow, they kissed and cuddled. Neither said the "l" word but both knew they were loved.
Their "date" with the girls changed the dynamics of the cafeteria group to an extent. Catlin and Gina joined them at lunch the following Monday. After the frank discussion they'd had on Friday night, the boys didn't fear being in their company. It wasn't a case of the girls chasing the boys, but more one of simply a group of like-minded kids. There was just enough room at the large round table to accommodate everyone without displacing anyone.
Anna and Elliot sat together grinning at each other. The rest figured that they must be thinking about going steady. It seemed to be a good thing for both of them. Elliot was more docile than he'd ever been. Anyone aware of Roman mythology would have likened it to Venus's taming Mars. Those whose minds ran more toward locker room expressions would have said he was pussy-whipped. Whatever anyone chose to call it, it was a positive thing.
Terry and Jackson figured they should plan a thank-you date with the girls now that they weren't afraid of their motives. As they were casting about to find a movie that all four of them might like, Terry came up with Ghost Busters, the Frozen Empire. The title intrigued him, and it was opening at a local theater soon. The boys watched the trailer on the web. In doing so, they found a link to the original 1984 movie. They watched the whole thing on YouTube, despite having to work around the commercials which popped up from time to time. Although it had been made before their parents were born, the technical effects held up pretty well.
When they asked the girls during lunch the following day, everyone thought it would be fun. The girls planned to check out the original too.
Elliot thought it might be cool if the six of them went together. The others had no objections.
After the earlier blast of ugly weather back in January, the remainder of winter felt almost like spring. Punxsutawney Phill hadn't seen his shadow, so for once, he seemed to have predicted accurately. A few days after the official beginning of the season, eastern Iowa was hit with about six inches of snow. It came while school was in session, so the boys got the equipment out and cleared the walks and driveways as soon as they got home. Of course, they did Mrs. Olsen's hoping that they might get it done without her seeing them. They got caught, and she insisted on paying them.
The six lunchtime companions saw the new Ghostbusters movie together and all liked it. The girls were especially happy that the heroine was a 15-year-old female. It seemed to them that it was usually adult males who were cast in that kind of role. The boys agreed that it was okay to have a girl save the day.
Jack had worked an early shift that day and was the only one home when their neighbor, came to the kitchen door.
"Hello, Mrs. Olsen. What may I do for you. If you're looking for Angela or Vern, I'm afraid they're still at work. The boys aren't out of school yet either."
"Please call me Marlys, and you're the one I want to talk to."
"Okay, come on in and let me make you a cup of coffee."
"Thanks, I'd enjoy that.
"When talking with Jackson recently, I found out that you and he have had a very sad time the past couple of years. You must have felt like Job after losing your wife and being driven out of your apartment by the fire. I'm surprised that your son has survived as well as he has. He's a sweet kid."
"Thanks for your sympathy and your comments about Jackson. I agree with you that he's a good kid. Of course, living here with the Voss family has helped both of us recover. I'm really indebted to them. I hope to be able to repay them someday. Currently, I'm feeling guilty about sponging on their hospitality for so long. I've been looking for something I can afford somewhere in the neighborhood. I can't move too far because the boys have become as close as brothers."
"That's what I wanted to see you about. Jackson mentioned the other day that you were house hunting. I'm going to have to move into a retirement community where I can be in assisted living when the time comes. My MS isn't getting any better. I'm going to be selling my house and I thought you might be interested. If we could come to an agreement, we could avoid paying a realtor and both save money."
"Hmm, I'd love to live next door to these people, and I love to save money. Please tell me more."
"Well, I suspect that you might like a tour of the place before we discuss it further. If you have time right now, we could do that."
"I'm free because I don't need to start dinner for at least an hour. Let's do it."
Jack was well impressed with the house. He correctly guessed, by the honey-colored oak cabinets in the kitchen, that it was about 30 years old. Everything was in good repair and spotless.
He learned that the furnace and A/C had been replaced five years ago with energy-efficient models. The roof was replaced two years ago because of hail damage. The water heater was only about a year old. It looked like there would be no major repair bills for many years to come.
Having looked at similar ones on the market, he assumed the house would sell for around $350,000. That would be something he could easily afford, especially after the settlement he'd received from his former employer, in addition to his salary increase. He hoped it wouldn't sell for a lot more.
"What do you want to get out of it?" he asked.
"My cousin, who is a realtor, said it would sell for $350,000 if I'd update the kitchen with white cabinets and quartz countertops. Of course, that would be expensive and require a lot of hassle. I've decided to sell it as is for $300,000 and do it without a realtor. I worked as an executive secretary for a law firm and the people there will take care of all the details for a modest fee. They've already done the title search, so it could be yours in a very short time if you're interested."
"Deal! Since I've gone through all the hoops of getting a mortgage approved, it won't take long on my end. I can give you a check for a thousand dollars in earnest money if that's okay with you."
"I'm delighted. But there is one catch. I will be taking only my personal belongings and a few pieces of furniture for my new, smaller condo. You'd be stuck dealing with the rest. You might have to have a garage sale or rent a dumpster."
"Since I sold almost everything when I moved, I will consider that a stroke of luck!"
Although Jack could hardly wait to share his news with the rest of the household, he decided to hold off until all was settled. Jackson had experienced enough jolts in his young life already, that Jack didn't want to have the rug pulled out from under him if anything fell through. He would need to ask Marlys to keep it a secret for the time being, as well.
Spring was finally creeping into Iowa. And with it, practicing for the track and field season. Most of the guys who ate lunch together had signed up to participate. Terry had been hesitant to join the team, but Elliot encouraged him to.
"You move at lightning speed when you do your karate stuff," he told Terry.
"Yeah, but I don't know if I could do it for a long time," Terry said.
"Then, try out for the shorter races like dashes or maybe a relay team.
I'll bet your distance will increase if you keep working on it."
"What's your specialty, Dodge?" Elliot asked.
"I'll probably stick to the discus and shotput. I'm kind of a lard-butt when it comes to moving. You guys are all lighter on your feet than I am." Jackson grinned.
"Well, the coach is looking for guys to fill all those slots. It'll be good exercise and we can all do this together."
And so, the camaraderie among the boys was bound to increase.
The temperatures were still on the chilly side, but it looked like the light snow which was falling wouldn't stick to the ground for long. March wasn't going out like a lamb, but it was going.
In early April, there was excitement over the solar eclipse. While it wasn't a total one for the state, it still drew a lot of attention. The school provided protective eyewear and students were encouraged to stay after their classes were dismissed for the day. Science teachers had discussed what to expect, and they stationed themselves in spots on the sports field to answer questions. The band parents had been asked to bring out their popcorn machine to complete the celebration. A large number of students stayed for the event. A few kids didn't remain for one reason or another. Several had other duties, and some just wanted to find a place to get high.
The next event of that sort was twenty years in the future. Jackson and Terry vowed to travel to see a total eclipse when the time came. They would be in their early 30's and possibly have a kid or two to take with them.
Author's notes: Thanks to Ott H, Andy R, Chandra B, Charles G, Caryandken, Justin T, Mendy D, Blayne B, Sam T, Bill T, Tony C, Tim T, Joe W (2), Jim W, Paul F, Paul R, and Peter S. who sent works of encouragement this past week. I appreciate it!
Thanks for reading this story. If you enjoyed it, please feel free to contact me a dlee169@hotmail.com and let me know. Your emails are the only reward I receive for writing. Please put the story title in the subject line in case your email goes into the spam folder.
Thanks to David S for editing. He finds typos and missing words! He also makes valuable suggestions.
Thanks to Nifty for providing this free service. It costs the site to do it, so please consider donating to defray their expenses.
https://donate.nifty.org/
Thanks,
David
Ps: I have a chronological list of all my posted stories which I can email to you if you have an interest.