It Is What It Is

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Email feedback can be sent to trager2275@gmail.com. © 2015 by Eric Trager. Yahoo group: https://groups.yahoo.com/IIWII

CHAPTER SIX

Morning came early, the boys were up, showered and in the car at 7:40 a.m. for the trip back to Kenosha. "Whatcha doing tonight?" Andy asked.

"Well, I gotta go over by Braden's – there's some kind of team meeting, or something. It's about strategizing for this season. That's gonna be tough, man, because I can't let on that I might not be there, ya know? I guess I'll just keep quiet and not say much. I'm not the biggest talker on the team anyhow, and with Braden I'm sure there will be enough talk to go around. I'll text ya when we're done – maybe I'll stop over if it's not too late?"

"Braden's? Braden's a twat! Anyway, I don't have anything going on that I know of..."

"Yeah, he is kind of a twat!" Sean chuckled.

Pulling into the driveway at the Churchill house, Sean turned to Andy and said, "OK, I'll text ya later!"

"Good deal, Sean-o!"

"Hey, And, I'm glad we talked. And I meant what I said, man."

"So did I."

"Later then!"

"Later!"

Once home, Sean pulled into the garage and headed inside. He texted Joe to let him know he was back.

Joe answered back letting him know that they should talk Saturday morning and see if they were any closer to making a decision on the move.

Sean went up to his room, flopped down on the bed and fell into deep thought. The evening before with Andy had Sean's mind going in every direction. He wasn't confused at all, he just had a lot of information to process in his methodical way, and even while multitasking, his mind was processing in the background. Andy's revelation that he loved Sean was neither surprising, nor disturbing. Sean knew that Andy had lost his father at an even earlier age than he'd lost his mother. Sean felt bad for not realizing how lonely Andy had been all these years, and how he might feel if not unwanted, then a little bit unloved. Andy's mom was a good woman, but she was distant and didn't pay much attention to Andy at all. From the age of eight, Andy had been left to mostly fend for himself. That had made Andy self-reliant, but that self-reliance had come at a cost.

Sean began to wonder about his own feelings for Andy. He loved him like a brother, but was there something more to it? Not being one for self-deception, Sean began questioning things about himself. Was he aloof because he couldn't let people in after his mother's death? Was he really as strong as his mother told him he was? What about relationships? Sean knew he had to face that; he'd never had a girlfriend, and in fact had never even kissed a girl before, but he'd kissed Andy Churchill and had all sorts of feelings. Did he love Andy sexually? Should he bring this up to Andy, or was Andy emotionally spent?

Sean resolved to bring it up with Andy if not later that day, then at the next possible opportunity. Sean had to start somewhere, and the starting point was that he believed Andy when Andy said he loved him. On that belief he would have to base all that might, or might not follow. Sean Wyman did not like loose ends hanging out there and this was an issue that needed to be sorted out one way, or the other.

Another loose end was the whole Janesville thing. What was he gonna tell his dad? >From everything he saw, Janesville was a nice town. He and his dad would be some of the richest people in town. They could live in a home most people only dreamed of. He'd have a shot – but no guarantee - at being the starting quarterback on a powerhouse Division I varsity football team. But what would he be giving up for that? What would it do to his Tremper teammates? What about Andy if he ended up moving? This was a loose end that at this point did not seem to lend itself to being so easily tied up.

It was a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma.

At about 5:00, Sean heard his dad pull in. Joe Wyman entered the home and greeted his son, "Hey, traveler! Well, how did it go..."

"OK, dad. I'll give it to you in a nutshell: the football Coach said I'd get a fair tryout for the team, and that I'd have competition at starter from a returning Senior who the Coach says is good. The real estate lady was fun, and there was a house that would be good, actually the place was totally awesome, dad. The price is kinda high, though...600. She said it's a private listing and not everyone gets to see it. There's not even a for sale sign."

"We could make that price work. You see, GM will by this place from me at fair market value, and there's no mortgage on this house. The rest I could pay in cash. That's not a problem, son. I'll call her and talk to her about it tomorrow."

"I know you're gonna ask me, dad, but I haven't made a decision yet. I have this team meeting tonight, and maybe I'll know more after that. This is really getting to me, dad! See, I can't let any of the guys on the team know we might be moving or all hell would break loose! But I owe it to them and to Coach to be honest, ya know? Because if we do leave, they're gonna have a season to worry about and they don't really have anyone besides me to quarterback the offense. I dunno how much longer I can keep this inside. Right now, the only person who knows is Andy, and he promised me he wouldn't say a word."

"Well, I hear what you're saying, son. I really do. If you think you need to level with your teammates, then do what you have to do. I'd talk to Coach Anderson first, though if I were you. After all, he runs the program, the players don't. There's bound to be some hurt feelings if we move, but that's life, son. It is what it is. We'll talk more tomorrow, but for now, let's grab a quick bite to eat, whadya say?"

"That sounds good, dad, and then I'm gonna hafta jet. The meeting is over at Mark Braden's."

"I thought you and Braden weren't exactly best buds, there. Why at his house, and not at the school?

"Yeah, well, I give Brade a wide berth is all, dad. He's actually a good Center despite his, um, personality. Besides, I don't do anything to piss people off, you know that. Anyway, this is a meeting only for the players, well, really the players who everyone thinks will be the starters. The Coaches won't be there. I guess it sounds like a good idea."

"Does the team do this every year?"

"I dunno, I guess they must, but I wouldn't have known about it last year anyway because I was only a Sophomore. Most of the guys probably didn't even know my name. I didn't think I'd be starting last year. I thought my ass would get flat from sitting on the bench all season long! I was surprised I wasn't on the Jayvee squad if you really wanna know..."

"Yeah, I can see how you might have thought that. It was too bad about Gimmel, but you handled yourself well, Sean. You had to grow up at that moment, and you did. I'm proud of you, son."

"Thanks, dad. Well, I guess I better blast off now. I might stop over by Andy's after, but if I do I won't be too late."

"Sounds good, Sean. Have fun!"

Sean piled into his Equinox, cursing the dead bugs all over it from the trip to Janesville and back, making a mental note that tomorrow he'd need to give it a good washing. The Braden home was about a 10-minute drive away, in a modest, middle- class neighborhood of 1950's tract homes. There wasn't much traffic out, and Sean made the trip easily. Turning into the Braden's street, Sean noted about ten cars in front of the Braden home, about what he'd expected. Some of the cars he recognized, and some he didn't. "Oh, well, let's get this over with," Sean thought.

Sean parked on the street a couple houses down and walked up the sidewalk. Once at the Braden's door he gave his standard knock. Presently, Mark Braden appeared at the door, "Hey, Wymo! C'mon in, man! We're almost ready and I was just sayin' the meeting can't start until the Quarterback gets here! Want a beer, or something?"

"Nah, I'm gonna be good tonight, Brade, just a glass of water if ya got it!"

"Sure thing, man. Hey, you go on downstairs and I'll be right down!"

Sean made his way down to the finished basement rec room where the rest of the guys were already gathered, and he could hear some familiar voices shooting the shit. Once down the stairs, the room went silent. Sean was a bit puzzled, "Hey, guys, how's it goin'?" After a couple seconds of additional silence, Sean laughed and said, "Do I stink, or something?"

"Hayadoin', Wymo!" John Berrifield greeted him. "Well, ya might as well sit down like everyone else is. There's an empty chair over there by the TV, I think. Anyone sitting there?"

When no one claimed the chair, Sean went over and sat down.

Just then, Mark Braden appeared with a tall glass of ice water, handed it to Sean and said, "Well, we might as well get started guys. Don't wanna take all night here, ya know? Anyway, guys, we got a good shot at conference champion this year, and I think we all know we gotta do what we need to do to make that happen, is everyone with me on that?"

"Yeah!" thundered the room of young men.

"Now, there is one thing we need to take a look at first tonight. If we're gonna be winners, we gotta do it as a team, and we all hafta do what's best for the team. There can't be any bad reflection on team, right?"

"Right!" all said in unison.

"OK, then! Wymo – you wanna hit the play button on the DVD?"

"Sure."

Sean leaned over to the DVD, which was under the TV, hit the play button and sat back down.

The room was filled with deafening gasps at what played on the television.

Although dark, it could clearly be made out. It was a video of two young men in a garage, one sobbing, and the other one reaching out for a handshake, then pulling the other boy into a long hug that melted into a kiss.

The two boys were unmistakably Andy Churchill and Sean Wyman.

"What the FUCK!" Sean gasped. "Where did this come from! Braden, you better fucking answer me right now, or so help me... You dragged me over here under false pretenses! OK, what the fuck is going on here... I want a fucking answer, Braden!"

Sean was on his feet with both hands balled into fists.

"Shut the fuck up, Wyman, you fucking faggot!" Braden said condescendingly. "We got a team to worry about and here we find out the Quarterback is a fucking homo? You better explain to every guy in this room the meaning of that faggot-ass video! We can't take a chance on this, and we're not gonna! You better explain your fucking faggot ass to every guy in this room, and you better explain it now, Goddamnit! That's why everyone's here, so start fucking explaining, dude!"

"Oh, I'll fucking explain myself alright Braden, you stupid fucking piece of shit! And no matter what you think of me when I'm done, you're gonna find yourself with no fucking Quarterback. My dad was offered a new job. General Motors is gonna reopen the plant in Janesville and they offered him the job to run it. If he takes it, then we gotta move. That's right...if he takes it I won't be here. As for Churchill, Andy Churchill's been my best friend for years, Goddamnit, and that video was made like an hour after I got the news that we might have to move. I had just broken the news to Andy! What the fuck do you think I felt like? What the fuck do you think Andy felt like? Well, ANSWER ME, you stupid fuck!" Sean authoritatively barked out, jabbing his index finger into Braden's sternum with each word.

Braden roughly shoved Sean away, with enough force that Sean almost fell over backwards and started moving toward Sean with fists clenched.

The room went dead silent.

In total fury, Sean regained his balance, faked with his right banking on Braden forgetting that he was left-handed and jammed his left fist solidly into Braden's testicles. He knew he would only have one chance to deck the much larger boy.

"AAAAAAAAGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!!" Braden crumpled to the floor, gurgling like a wounded animal, eyes bulging, face purple and looking as if it was about to explode.

"Payback's a bitch, innit, Brade! You brought this on yourself, fuckwad! I'll either have that video of Andy and me sent to my phone right now and erased off of everyone's phones, and I'll have the DVD handed over to me with a guarantee that it's the only copy, or I fucking promise all of you the next phone call all of your parents are gonna get is gonna be from one of my lawn clients who's an Attorney, and trust me, he's a fucking badass! He'll make this look like trafficking in child porn, and your asses will so totally be grass! Am I being clear? You guys are supposed to be my teammates! You guys all saw this before tonight, didn't you...? It's obvious you did. Nobody could call me, or text me? Nobody thought to ask me what was up, or warn me about this shit? You guys snuck around behind my back getting me to come over here so you could ambush me! So, we have a team here, huh, and THIS is how one of the team gets treated? No way, man. No fucking way! I don't need this shit! I told my dad tonight that I still didn't know if I wanted him to take the job, or not. Well, you guys just made my decision for me. And if anyone else in this room wants to take me on, stand up now! You fucked with the wrong guy!"

The young men in the room could have heard a pin drop.

"Um, look, Wymo, we, um...well, we, uh, like, we didn't know about..." Joe Regent said in a voice barely more than a hoarse whisper.

"It doesn't matter, Rege," Sean cut him off. "I'm outta here. I hope the rest of your meeting is productive, guys, and I wish ya all the best this year." With that, Sean turned and walked toward the basement stairs.

A cacophony of jumbled, overlapping phrases from every direction arose, filling the room with a din imploring Sean not to leave, to sit back down, to talk it over, to forget it ever happened, begging forgiveness, and all the rest of it. Sean was not having it. He turned his torso only enough so he could look over his shoulder, and in a calm but firm voice bid them good-bye. "Look, guys, like I said, I wish ya all the best, and I mean that. A bond of trust was broken here tonight. It can't be fixed. In my first huddle last year, all I asked was for you guys to believe in me. That's all I ever asked for. Now I see what you really believe. It is what it is."

Mark Braden hadn't moved a muscle in almost five minutes. He was still curled up in a ball on the floor, clutching his crotch, his mouth hanging open, watching Sean scale the basement stairs and hearing his determined footsteps leaving the house.

Once on the sidewalk, Sean heard someone walk up behind him. He turned and was surprised to see Jim Nolan who hadn't been in Braden's basement. Sean knew that Nolan lived just across the street from the Braden's, and thought that Jim must just be out for a walk, or something.

"Hey, Noles, how come you weren't at Braden's? You'll probably be starting this year..."

"Look, Wymo, I kinda knew what those guys were up to. See, everyone met at the park last night and saw that video. I didn't know what was on it until I saw it. I left before they said exactly what they were gonna do, but I kinda figured it out when I saw all the cars at Brade's place, and when I saw you pull up. Brade's pissed at me because I knew what he was up to and I said I wasn't gonna put my name on shit like that. That's fucking bullshit, man! I was gonna call you, but I don't have your phone number, and I was at work all day. I wanted to warn you what they were gonna do. Not that it'd have made a difference, but at least you wouldn't have been blindsided, ya know?"

"Thanks, man..."

"No prob. So how did it end with those guys?"

"Well, Noles..." Sean told Jim Nolan the whole story about moving, Andy, what happened in Braden's basement, and what was likely to happen in the next couple of weeks.

At the end of it, Jim Nolan audibly gasped, "Fuckin-A! I'm not gonna be on the team either then, man. I won't have my name associated with crap like that. I don't think there's a word for what they did to you. I'd have done the same thing if it were me! Hey, whatcha doin' now, man?"

"Well, I was gonna head over to Andy Churchill's for a little bit. I kinda promised And I'd stop over if it wasn't too late. Wanna come? You can throw your bike in the back of my Equinox and ride home after..."

"Sure, I guess. I don't know Churchill that well, but that's fine – got nothin' else to do right now... Besides, I don't wanna be around when everyone starts leaving Brade's which shouldn't be long – I mean, I really don't wanna see those guys right now."

"Fine, man, my car's right down the street, I'll open the tailgate and you can stuff your bike in!"

"Cool. Be there in two seconds then!"

Sean and Jim Nolan pulled into Andy Churchill's driveway. It was still early enough for Sean to beep the horn a couple short blasts, and in a few seconds Andy came bounding out of the house with a smile on his face. When Andy saw Jim Nolan exit the vehicle, his smile faded just a bit and he wondered just what was going on.

"Hey, And! You know Jim Nolan, right?"

"Yeah, sure, nice to see ya, there, Jim!"

"Same to you, Andy!"

"Look, And, we hafta talk. It's cool that Jim's here - he maybe might have a thing, or two to add. Anyway, And, tonight was fucked!"

"Whadya mean?"

Sean proceeded to repeat the story of what went on at Braden's house, with Jim interjecting a time or two about the park the night before. Andy sat in rapt attention, eyes wide and mouth agape.

"So, that's pretty much the story, And. Whadya think?"

Andy sat for a moment, and then a torrent of tears rolled down his face. "I knew I was gonna lose ya, Sean-o. I knew it. I didn't think it would happen this way, but I fucking knew it. We've always been bros, man, and now you're gonna be gone, too, just like my dad! I dunno, man, I dunno... I love ya man! I don't wanna lose you, Sean!"

Jim Nolan looked up, and said, "Hey, guys, can I ask a question? I mean, it's a real question and I don't judge people, but I guess if you wanna tell me, is it true then that you guys are boyfriends? Don't worry, I ain't no part of that Braden gang, I just wanted to know is all..."

Andy and Sean looked at each other, their eyes wide and mouths open. Andy began to speak, but Sean cut him off saying, "And, if it's OK, I'll answer Jim's question..."

"Sure, man," Andy said, "I guess I got nothin' else to lose tonight!"

"OK, Jim, here's the answer. Me and And, we've been friends since before either one of us can remember. We've been through thick and thin for each other – when Andy's dad died, when my mom died, the whole thing with moving, and now this. Two guys don't get to be more bros than me, and Andy, it just doesn't happen. Yeah, I love the guy. I mean, in my heart I love the guy. Are we boyfriends? I guess I never thought about it that way, but like I said I love the guy, and I'd walk through fire for him. Does that make us boyfriends? I dunno, but I guess if it does I'm fine with that. To be honest with you, I'd rather be gay and call Andy my boyfriend than I would be straight and call Braden my bro. Does that answer the question? Oh, and when we kissed that night, after a while I liked it. So, there ya go. It is what it is, and you can call it whatever ya want."

"Wow," Jim said. "You guys are lucky, man."

"Lucky?" Andy and Sean said simultaneously.

"Yeah, lucky! See, I never had anyone like that in my life, anyone that would believe in me, and bleed for me like that. My dad's a prick. All he does is to push me around, but he never encourages me when I do something good. My mom barely talks to me. It's always, "well, you coulda done better!" or "that's not good enough!" and crap like that. Look, I know I'm not the greatest student, I'm OK at football, but nobody ever said "good job" when I made a key play in a game, or brought home a good grade on a test. Nobody. My mom and dad don't even come to the games, for Christ's sake. I never had anyone who would just be there for me, ya know? I don't give a fuck if you guys are gay, or not, but whatever it is that you guys have, keep it goin' – don't ever let it die. It's beautiful, man! Andy, when Sean moves, you better go see him at least once a month. Same for you, Sean. And if you two end up doin' the nasty together, well, you just remember Jim Nolan don't give a fuck, OK?"

Andy and Sean stood and went over to Jim. All three of the boys embraced in a hug that seemed to last for three, or four minutes. "Goddamnit, Nolan," Andy said. "I never knew you much before tonight, but I think I'm gonna need a new bro in a couple of weeks. I hereby name you my bro!"

"I'd be honored, Andy!" Jim said. "Hey, look, we're having a bro moment here - I wanna see you guys have a smooch!"

"HUH?" Sean exclaimed.

"Shutup, Wyman and give him a kiss!" Jim said.

"Well, And, whadya say..." Sean asked tentatively with eyebrows raised.

"Nolan, you better be honest here! If this is a setup, you're a dead man!" Andy said.

"Andy, well, "And" as Sean calls ya, this ain't no setup. I just wanna see two people in love is all. Look, I don't give a fuck what you guys are, but I see you beat as one heart, and I wanna see ya smooch!"

"OK, fine then!" Andy said. "Sean, kiss me, you fool!"

"And, you're a fucking jerk, but OK, man, here we go!"

Andy and Sean moved closer, they stood before each other and snickered a little bit. Sean grabbed Andy one arm around the waist, the other around his shoulder and drew him into a kiss. At once, Sean felt something he'd never felt before – a wave of warmth overwhelmed him, and he felt the fantasy from his showers spread over him. Sean parted his lips a bit, and Sean's tongue took up the vacant space. Sean felt a jolt of energy, love, and animal lust stirring in his loins.

He thought he felt the same feelings being returned. In fact, he was sure of it.

"OK, Nolan, we smooched. You satisfied?" Sean asked, his trademark smirk on his face and a more than slight bulge protruding from his shorts.

"You guys, that was, well, I know love when I see it because I've had so little of it in my life. You guys cherish what you have, and you do with it what you think is right!" Nolan said with a noticeable tear forming in his eye.

Andy noticed Jim Nolan's tear, went to him and embraced him in an hug. "Jimbo, thanks, man. I think you're like Sean...you're one of the good ones!"

"Um, you guys, I um, well...siddown..." Jim said.

Sean had a horrified look on his face. "Nolan, man, like I said, if this is another fucking set up, you're a fucking dead man! I swear on my mother's grave you are a fucking dead man!"

"Wymo! This is no set up! You guys have been more to me in an hour than I got from my mom and dad all my life. No, I have something I need to tell you guys..."

"Spill it!" Andy and Sean said.

"OK...you guys, well, I um, uh, well...OK, screw it, here goes! I'm pretty sure I'm gay!"

"No way, man!" Sean exclaimed. "Really?"

"So, are you guys gonna, um, like reject me, or spread it around that I'm queer and shit?" Jim said.

"Nolan, are you fucking serious?" Andy laughed. "After what they did to Sean-o tonight, and you think we're gonna be down to that level, spreading shit around, telling you we can't be bros and stuff? Really? REALLY??? What kind of people do you think we are!"

"Damnit, you guys!" Jim said with tears in his eyes, "I need you guys! I just wanna be sure that I made two real friends tonight. Please tell me I did... You have no idea how much I need to know that!"

"Hey, Noles, man..." Sean said, "Look, if you wanna be our bro, you're our your bro. Right, And?"

Andy nodded.

"In fact, man, stand up!"

Jim stood; Sean looked at Andy and nodded. Andy and Sean pulled Jim into a hug, and at once all three of their mouths were locked together in a three-way kiss.

"Wow!" exclaimed Jim. "That was like un-fucking-real!"

"Yeah, it was, wasn't it?" exclaimed Sean. "And, maybe, um, later on, ya know..." Sean winked.

Andy beamed. Jim chuckled and wiggled his eyebrows.

"Hey, Andy...um, I mean And...I just thought of something, man..." Jim said.

"Whatcha thinkin'?" asked Andy.

"Well, ya know, I um never bought...well, I mean...OK, look – everyone knows you sell weed. I was thinkin' that if you got any weed, or other stuff in the house you better get it outta here right away."

"What the fuck are you talking about?" asked Andy.

"Here's the deal," Jim explained, "the guys on the team, I wouldn't put it past some of em anyways, especially after what they did to Wymo, to pin part of this shit on you. After all, you were in the video, too. Trust me, they're just now figuring out that for reals they don't have a Quarterback any more, and they're scared shitless. Hell, they might as well not even field a team! Ya never know what people in that situation are gonna do. Anyways, I think we all know you're gonna take some shit from those guys one way or another. It's just a matter of how much shit, and what kind of shit. Look, I'm not Einstein here, but I wouldn't put it past some of em to narc you out to the cops. Then the cops go get a search warrant, you go to jail, and they laugh their asses off about how they put the little faggot in jail. Follow me here? So, what I'm sayin' is that if you got any shit in the house, or anywhere on the property, you better get it the fuck outta here and you better get it the fuck outta here now!"

"Jesus!" Sean gasped. "Noles is right! And, pack up whatcha got and let's get it in my truck and get it outta here! We can use trash bags, our backpacks, whatever, but we gotta get this place clean, man!"

"Well, I think I got about four pounds of weed on hand, my scale, bags, bong, maybe a little hash like a few grams – I never dealt hard stuff, but yeah, I see whatcher sayin'... OK, I'll go get everything now and I know just where we can stash it so nobody'll ever find it! Sean-o, later when we come back, we'll use the Rainbow vac that puts all the dirt and shit into the water and then flush the shit down the toilet – should be clean, then, hey?"

"Well, it's the best we can do, but yeah, it oughta be good enough. Let's do it! Look, I'm gonna text my dad and let him know I'll be home tomorrow morning, OK?"

"Sounds good, Sean-o, and I gotta hand it to ya, Jim," Andy said, "thanks, man! I never woulda thought of that. Not in a million years. You really are my bro! OK, I'll be back in five minutes. You guys hang tight!"

Out in the driveway, Sean and Jim waited for Andy to get back with his stash. Jim looked at Sean, and asked, "Wymo, I'm really glad about tonight. I wanna thank you guys. You don't really mind that I'm gay?"

"Fuck you, Noles! Ya know, let me clue you in on something: all this shit that just went down got me thinkin' I gotta start to clarify some things in my own head, and how I feel about And. Noles, I might be gay, too, ya know? I'm not sure that matters much these days, or maybe it doesn't matter to everybody, but now I gotta move to a new place, and once I get there, ya know, fuck it, I'm just gonna be myself! I don't think I need to give a fuck what other people think. I'm just gonna do my best, be me, and fuck `em if they don't like it! It is what it is, ya know, man?"

"Yeah, man, I'm with ya for sure!"

"I worry about And, though... I mean, those assholes on the team – he needs to watch his back. Promise me you'll have And's back, Noles, will ya? I wish there was some way I could take him with me. He's, well, um, he's, ya know...I love the guy, what can I say?"

"You love him HOW, Wymo..."

"I gotta figure that out, Noles. I think it's more than bros, though...in fact, I'm pretty sure... When we kissed just now I was getting hard."

"If that's what it is, then go for it, man! He's a sweet guy, and he's honest. He loves you. I see how he looks at you! He fucking adores you! He'd never screw ya...well, you know what I mean!"

"Fucker, Noles!" Sean guffawed. "I feel a lot better just having this conversation, ya know?"

"Hey, I'm glad we're buds now, Wymo!"

"Yeah – ya know I gotta go talk to Coach tomorrow. This all happened so fast I never got a chance to call him today. He wouldn't be in at this hour anyhow, but I'll call him in the morning."

"Whadya gonna tell him?"

"I'm gonna tell him the Goddamn truth, Noles. Coach deserves that. We're supposed to be men, now, Noles, and I'm not gonna hide behind some mealy-mouthed, half- truth horseshit. Coach would see through that in a heartbeat and then he'd have no respect for me. So, I guess I'll tell him about my dad's new job, and what happened over at Brade's place. If he asks me anything else, I'll answer with the truth. I owe the man that much."

"You gonna tell him you might be gay?"

"If he asks, yes. If not, I don't see any point in it, but like I said, I owe the man the truth. Besides, once he hears about the video he'll know anyway. Coach might be old, but he ain't stupid..."

"Well, I guess when I go see him, I'll do the same. You're right, we're men now."

Just then Andy came out the back door of the house with two gym bags. "OK, dudes, this is all there is! I set up the Rainbow for when we get back, too..."

"Get it in the back of the truck, And, and let's bolt!" Sean said. "You comin', Noles?"

"Nah, I better get home. Maybe we can hook up tomorrow, or whatever."

"OK, be good, Noles!" Sean and Andy called out in unison.

"Where we taking this shit?" Sean asked.

"Hehe...you remember the other day I said I was helping my uncle on some new construction? Well, the construction is out past Pleasant Prairie, and the house is on like a 4-acre lot. They just put the septic tank and drain field in yesterday. We're gonna hide the shit in the septic tank for now. It's OK because the well's not even in yet, so there's no water. Well goes in next week, so I got about a week to figure out where to move it to after that...actually, I'll be helping him again in a couple days, so I'll move it then. In the meantime, nobody's gonna look for weed in a fucking septic tank under a cement cover!"

"Brilliant, And! OK, how long's it gonna take us to get there?"

"About 30 minutes...it's kinda out in the boonies, ya know? It's in a township, so they don't even have their own cops out that way!"

"Sweet! Hey, And, I wanna talk to ya about something, man."

"Um, do I need to be worried?"

"I dunno, when I finish you tell me..."

"Um, OK, man..."

"OK, And, here goes. I'm gonna get right to the point: I love you! And, well, I um..."

"You said that the other night, Sean-o!"

"Yeah, but what I mean is that, it's like..."

"OK, go on..." Andy pensively wondered what was coming next. He didn't know how much more bad news he could take. Tears stained his shirt.

END CHAPTER SIX