JKLM Chapter 9

The usual disclaimers apply. But having already disclaimed eight times, I see little point in going into any more detail. If there are any questions, please go back and read one of my earlier ones.

But you know what? You could probably find material similar to this at... well, at Barnes & Noble, for instance. The writing styles are a bit different and it usually takes a little longer to reach the good parts - even longer than it's taken me so far - but really, you would be surprised.

At least, I was. (And apparently so were the Concerned Citizens For Decency.)

But in regard to this story, I realize that at times – like possibly for the past three to eight chapters – it might seem that the good parts are never going to be reached anyway, that possibly there aren't even going to BE any good parts. So the remainder of this disclaimer isn't addressed to the easily offended because, after all, they're not reading this in the first place because I've told them not to. Because sooner or later, there might be a good reason for those people to be offended. It's possible that things might be approaching critical mass by the end of this chapter even.

(That was a hint, okay?)

JKLM

Chapter Nine

Although Kyle Jeddry isn't a main character in this story, he still plays an important role. Things were eventually going to heat up between Lucas and Jedidiah, but it could have taken a lot longer to get to that point because, no matter what his reasons were, Lucas was being too cautious. But then Kyle entered the picture and he turned out to be the catalyst. Even though at first Kyle was being cautious himself, but then he lost his pants and... well, one thing just led to another and then on to something else which led to another thing and... so on.

It started on Friday afternoon, July 2nd, when they camped out by the lake behind Lucas' uncle's place. This was Jedidiah's idea. Lucas didn't think much of the idea at first because the Jeddrys were going to be sharing the tent with them that night, and – quite apart from his usual possessiveness - he also didn't want to look like he didn't know what he was doing. And when it came to camping he didn't know much of anything. So convincing Lucas wasn't as easy as Jedidiah thought it would be, not even when he mentioned that with the Jeddry's help that afternoon, they could get that utility pole set up between the house and the barn. There was no earthly way the two of them could manage it, but with five they probably could with no problem at all.

“I'll tell you what we need, we need a damn crane for that mu- ... I mean, that thing is HEAVY!”

But as it turned out the pole was set up with few problems. That was the official version just in case anyone ever asked how they managed to get it up without somebody being squashed flat as a pancake in the process.

It started out okay. They had a cable hooked to a rope tied around the pole. Once the pole was up, they had to get the cable loose, right? I know this doesn't sound like really good planning, but at any rate, Jedidiah and Kelly were taking turns winching it up. Once it was up off the ground far enough, Lucas and Kyle got behind and started pushing. It had to be guided into the hole. Only it weighed about two tons. Well, maybe not quite that much, but it did weigh a lot.

“Keep cranking and it see if you can do it a little faster!” Lucas yelled. That pole was a bitch!

“Umpth,” added Kyle, “Yeah, hurry!”

But they were slowly making progress and they had the pole about a third of the way up when all at once the rope came loose and right then and there both Lucas and Kyle knew they were in deep doo-doo.

“Uh oh,” thought Lucas. That's the first thought that flashed into his head, and if nothing else it would have made a cool epitaph.

“Oh SHIT! Keep pushing, don't let it drop!” implored Kyle. Being the tallest, he was behind Lucas. But in case this isn't perfectly clear, they were underneath that pole and there was no way they could let go of it: either they were going to push until it reached that - Damn it, where IS that hole? – or, soon as their strength gave out, they would end up pretty much like the Wicked Witch of the West, squashed flat as a pancake. Both of them.

So Lucas was certainly trying as hard as he possibly could. “I'm... TRYING! ... Some...body...UH! Oh... boy... we needalittlehelp!”

“Umpth!” said Kyle again, but they still weren't making any progress. So he scooted forward hoping for some more leverage until he was right up against Lucas' back, and somehow the snap on his jeans popped loose. He was aware of this, and while his biggest concern was still self-preservation, it did motivate him just a little more, because he'd gone commando that day. And because it was very hot and humid - well up into the nineties – he and everybody else was shirtless, and to make matters even worse he wasn't wearing a belt, so he was on the verge of being totally exposed! That wasn't what he had in mind at all!

So what DID he have in mind? Was he being an exhibitionist? Well, in a way, but all that was supposed to happen was every once in awhile the top of his crack would be showing. Or a little bit of his v, possibly even to the top of his pubic hair – just barely – but then he'd quickly make himself more presentable, because basically, he just wanted to gauge Lucas' reaction. He was only testing the water, that's all he had in mind.

The idea came from Lucas' apparent lack of concern Tuesday afternoon when Katon almost blurted out the bit about him not liking girls. Well, really, he had, but then as far as Katon was concerned, not liking girls was a point of honor.

Only a sixteen-year-old is supposed to be more worldly-wise, especially one who has been out on his own. So while Lucas might have thought Kyle didn't so much as catch a hint, he had. Kyle was sure that Lucas had caught the drift right away, but there was something in his face before he'd started acting like he really didn't notice. Kyle would have expected a hint of his being uncomfortable with the idea, if only for an instant, but he didn't see that, it was more like he simply knew and it didn't matter. So if by chance Lucas was gay too..., well, maybe. I mean, he wasn't looking at Lucas as a potential lover – his preference ran towards older-looking teens with big muscles and a decent amount of body hair – but there weren't many gay teens in Mayville. None at all, in fact. Or, at least, none that he was likely to ever know about. So until the boy of his dreams showed up, Lucas might be better than no one at all.

Of course Lucas would have been less than thrilled with Kyle's way of thinking, but he hadn't been paying much attention to him and while he might have gotten a thrill out having him pressed up against his back under normal circumstances, when it happened, he was preoccupied with more pressing concerns.

He didn't want to sound panicky or anything, but... “We need some... HELP! ... Oh, fuck.”

Then Jedidiah arrived. And it was about damn time. “Let me see if I can get in front of you,” he yelled, then to Kelly and Katon, “See if you find some rope or something in the barn! Hurry!”

So, huffing and puffing, Lucas inched back a little and Kyle did likewise. Kyle was still aware that he was on the verge of losing his pants, but he sure wasn't about to try pulling them back up, so once he broke contact with Lucas, they dropped. Just like that.

“Geez!” thought Jedidiah, but it was only a fleeting thought, then he managed to get in front of Lucas without tripping him and somehow he managed to add a little more umpth and the pole started tilting upwards. Yes!

With a surge of hope, Lucas yelled, “We're getting it! Push! Hard!”

And they pushed with all their might. Umpth! We're getting there! Push!

Only Kyle was pressed up against Lucas' back again. It was all about getting out from under that utility pole: nothing else mattered.

It didn't quite register on Lucas at first – at first, he thought his mind was playing tricks on him, that it was some sort of near-death experience, but as the pole continued to inch upwards and hopefully into the hole – wherever in the fuck that was – it began to dawn on him that it was real. He certainly knew what a penis felt like. It felt... well, it felt pretty big, actually, but soft, and under the circumstances that was a good thing. But, even so, he wasn't completely certain until he felt Kyle's pubic hair rubbing up against his back, and at that point it was like, “What in the fuck IS this?” To say the least, he was awfully disconcerted, but somehow he was able to keep his mind on the most important consideration. Ugh! Push! (I do not believe this.) (So okay, mostly, he was.)

Kyle wasn't thrilled to death about it either, but finally, with a very welcome whomp, the utility pole slid into the hole and...

“Oh my God,” said Lucas with great relief, then hurriedly he added, “Okay, Jedidiah, you can get out now. We gotta get it secured, okay? Kyle, you're the tallest, so hold it place until we can get the two by fours, okay? We'll hurry as fast as we can, okay?”

“Um,” said Kyle in reply. Now that he was no longer in danger of being crushed to death, he was afraid he might die from embarrassment, but what Lucas said made sense. Obviously after going through all that, they didn't want the thing to fall right back down again, so he had to hold it in place. But his pants were down at his ankles!

It really was an interesting sight, but neither Jedidiah nor Lucas were sure where to look. Well, they did know, but it didn't seem proper. So for the most part, they tried not to.

“Geez!” thought Jedidiah.

And Lucas did try to hurry, but on the other hand, now that he was sure they were going to survive, he couldn't resist a glance either. He managed to look completely unconcerned, almost casual about it and somehow, he resisted the urge to take another look and somehow he also managed not to hit his thumb with the hammer. He wasn't sure if it was the longest snake he'd ever seen, but... Holy SHIT! “And he's... uncircumcised!” (wham wham wham) Kyle's being uncircumcised didn't register at first, it was just the length, then his red bush - that was decent - but... “Damn. I gotta get another look!”

So without looking up at first, he said, “Hey! Somebody bring me some more two by fours, okay? I just need a couple more,” and then he glanced at Kyle again. “I'm almost finished, okay?”

Kelly chortled, “Hey Kyle, you lost your pants, you know that?” (Kelly and Katon had by then returned to report that they couldn't FIND a damn rope.)

“Fuck you,” replied Kyle.

You would have thought that someone would have been kind enough to ask if he'd like his pants pulled back up, though. I mean, something like that happened in the Bible, although in that case, Noah was passed out drunk, so his sons didn't have to ask any embarrassing questions. Although Ham made light of his father, which led to all of Ham's descendants being cursed, which led to all sorts of white man's excuses, which led to... my getting off track, actually, but really, both Lucas and Jedidiah were thinking about asking, but Lucas was hammering just as quick as he could and aside from mentioning that he WAS going as fast as he could, he couldn't come up with anything. And Jedidiah could only manage, “Um, do you want me to, um... well, soon as we get through, we're going swimming because we're about to burn up and we always go in bare, anyway. So don't worry about it.”

Trying not to sound bitter, Kyle mumbled, “Well, by now, I don't guess it really matters, does it?” He didn't want to sound like a wuss, but he didn't like boys around his age seeing him naked. Most of the men who'd picked him up when they were living in Nashville – he had secrets as well – would tell him how great he looked, some seemed to be almost in awe, but kids were different: usually they said things like, “Look! He's got an anteater!” or, “Shit! How long IS that muther?” And some just looked... sort of... well, like they thought it was gross. Was he an exhibit at a freak show or something?

Jedidiah interrupted his doleful thoughts cheerfully. “So, you going skinny dipping too? It feels great!”

“Yeah, I guess... I might as well,” managed Kyle. They'd already seen it and neither seemed to be put off, and besides, since neither was really his type, he probably didn't need to worry about getting a hard-on. That had always been his biggest fear in junior high gym class. But in the case of Lucas and Jedidiah, his self-consciousness kept him from thinking ahead to the fact that sometimes sex is just sex but still great fun and not only did his prospects with Lucas look promising, he was starting to wonder about Jedidiah as well. His gaydar still needed some fine-tuning, but it was at least operational.

Lucas, on the other hand, was worried. First, he was suffering from penis envy and if size was of any importance, his was below average. Not WAY below, but it was. At least for a sixteen-year-old, he thought it was.

But it could get bigger, and that was his second concern, that it might decide to do that. Because, while Kyle wasn't really his type either, he was entertaining some thoughts. Kyle's snake was starting to look like Mount Everest to him. “It was there”. And Jedidiah wasn't going to be around for most of the following week because he, Kelly and Katon were going off on a Boy Scout camp-out, from early Monday till late Saturday. He wasn't giving up on Jedidiah, but it wasn't like they'd exchanged vows or anything, right? And anyway, because he was so hung up on Jedidiah, he was afraid to go out on a limb, but with Kyle... well, maybe if he didn't care so much, he'd just DO it. Next week, because he sort of sensed he could.

So with all that in mind, by the time they finally hit the water, it was starting to stir a little, but then the cold water just flat killed it. Usually it was about three inches soft and could go to right at five when erect, but when he hit that water, first time he came out, it didn't look to be much more than an inch! So he thought that was overcompensating a bit too much. But Jedidiah's didn't fare much better and Kyle's even shrank some, so in a way it wasn't such a bad idea. And anyway, once everybody got used to it, things started returning to normal. Or at least for awhile.

Kelly and Katon were already in the water, but they'd gone in their boxer shorts. But then you should know after Kelly had mocked his older brother when his pants fell down there was going to be some payback, and sure enough, first time Kelly started pulling himself out of the water up onto the dock... no more shorts. Not that it mattered much, because once those shorts got wet, most of the mystery was gone anyway. But Kelly was cute. A little on the chubby side, but not at all bad-looking, so seeing him stripped piqued Lucas' attention. Just a little, and as mentioned earlier, Kelly had a nice plump one himself.

So at that point, Katon saved Kyle the trouble and just got naked on his own. He said he'd been wanting to all along, but Kelly was too chicken-shit. And for barely twelve, his wasn't bad, either.

Jedidiah thought all that was interesting, but it didn't cause him to instantly go hard because, after all, he was fairly used to nudity and from the way Kelly had acted earlier, it didn't seem likely that this was going to lead to anything sexual. Lucas wasn't likely to hit full red alert either, because again, he wasn't expecting it to go anywhere. Later, by himself, he was sure he'd recall it and then he'd get an erection, sure as shooting, but at first it only stirred a little.

And since Kyle had seen his brothers naked often enough and neither Lucas or Jedidiah fit into his dream boy category, his also remained dormant. But whether he thought his snake was shameful or not, Jedidiah and Lucas were both like, “Oh wow. Oh-my... That is... oh boy oh boy oh BOY!” If it had looked interesting hanging between his legs, seeing it bouncing hither and yon and all that, well...

So Jedidiah's and Lucas' stirred a little bit more, but still, neither had reached the point of being embarrassed.

Katon was only twelve, though. So when his started sticking out in front of him, it was because he was thinking, “Sex games!” He was still sorting things out. He wasn't clueless, so he realized that naked boys without adult supervision didn't automatically lead to “sex games!”, but it was at least a step in the right direction. He was hopeful, that's all. “Hey,” he said hopefully, “Wanna have a chicken fight? We need one more to make it even, but we can still take turns, okay?”

“Yeah, sure,” replied Kyle nonchalantly, “Me and Lucas will be the... horses or whatever, so who rides first?”

It's amazing how quickly a twelve-year-old's can go from straight out to straight up.

Then an even more amazing thing happened: Kelly's started going up, too! At least, Jedidiah found it to be surprising, because based on how he'd acted before, (“Wrestling naked is gay”), he was expecting him to react negatively to Kyle's idea. And in fact Kelly was on the verge of a less than positive reaction, but the problem was, Lucas was naked, and all at once everything he'd learned from hearing other junior high boys talk about what was and wasn't acceptable didn't seem to matter so much. But still, one does have to keep up appearances. Or at least, that's what was still lurking in the back of his head, so he was about to stammer out something to the effect that they'd better not – well, just because, that's all - but he wasn't quick enough.

“Kelly likes the idea too!” crowed Katon.

“It just happened,” blurted Kelly. “I can't help it, it just does it sometimes.” He was almost blushing all over, and quickly dove back into the water.

So... there went Jedidiah's and there went Lucas'. It seemed to be contagious.

At sixteen, Lucas was supposed to be beyond all that, so he was wishing his could have been a little more circumspect, but it hadn't been, so he guessed under the circumstances he'd try to ease things for Kelly a bit. “Looks like we're all doing it,” he managed, “But you're right, it happens and you know what? You ain't going to outgrow it right away. I popped one last year in front of the whole class in the middle of a frigging oral book report, you believe that?”

Until Lucas mentioned everyone doing it, Kyle's had been doing pretty good. As long as not getting stiff was a good thing, but if everybody else was...

“Well, thanks for putting the idea in my head, Lucas!”

“Oh. Sorry,” Lucas replied and he glanced over, wondering if it was above the water line yet. It wasn't, it appeared to be only a little above horizontal, but sure enough, it was longer and didn't appear to be floating languidly about anymore. It didn't look to be tremendously longer, but it obviously was an erection.

“What was your book report on?” asked Jedidiah. He didn't want to feel left out.

Actually, it had been another unfortunate soul who'd popped one, and Lucas didn't remember what the report had been on, but all at once he felt like dropping a slight hint. It was possible it would be lost on everyone, but what the heck, he thought, so he answered, “Alexander The Great.”

Well, Jedidiah had heard of him, but he didn't know any details because he'd never been particularly interested. Katon or Kelly both drew complete blanks, but Kyle had heard of him: in fact, he'd always thought Alexander to be a very cool king. Or emperor. Whatever.

“Yeah,” he laughed a little self-consciously, “I can see where that could make ME pop one all right.” Of course everybody else thought he was just being sarcastic – in a nice sort of way – but Lucas wasn't so sure. It was almost as though a message was being sent back to him. He could be clueless, but sometimes... maybe not.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

It's just as well none of them could read each other's minds that afternoon. Even though at times being an empath would have helped a great deal. For example, if Jedidiah could have read Lucas' mind, bad Jed would have found a way to make it happen within a day's time. Fact was, once Lucas was almost afraid that Jedidiah HAD read his mind. He'd almost gone down on him. He wasn't going to ask, he was just going to take a deep breath and... “Lucas? Oh ... Ah... oh boy. ... Lucas? What are you... oh my GOSH!” Lucas would have swallowed him whole. Balls included. He was tempted to, but... you've probably guessed this already... he couldn't quite get up his nerve. But had he known how favorably Jedidiah would have reacted, Lucas would have thought he'd died and gone to heaven.

But being able to read minds on Friday afternoon, July 2nd could have fried even an experienced empath's brain. The welter of conflicting emotions would have been almost beyond comprehension, so really, at this point, there's no use trying to sort through them, except to say that the only person not conflicted was Katon. All Katon had on his mind was SEX GAMES, but everyone else was trying not to let on too much. Kelly because he wasn't sure WHAT he wanted; Jedidiah because, while he was sure, he was also supposed to be a good example – at least a little – and besides that, he was feeling pangs of jealously; Kyle who had at least three plans in mind for the following week, but didn't want to let on - and besides, it would help if he could decide which plan he wanted to act on; and poor Lucas, who didn't want to hurt anyone's feelings. Because he did sense that Jedidiah was feeling a bit jealous – and he definitely didn't want that – and he also sensed something coming from Kelly that he didn't know how to deal with. Like, for starters, Kelly's two brothers, you know. I mean, he had no clue how they'd react. And exactly what was Kelly hoping for, anyway?

And again, while Kelly was okay, he really liked Jedidiah. So that had the potential to make things very complicated.

And then there was also the fact that Lucas was trying not to be jealous himself.

“I got an idea,” Kyle said – finally - “We can't have chicken fights right now because somebody might get poked in the eye, you know?” If you stopped to think about it, being poked somewhere was a strong possibility – in the ribs, in the back, in back of the neck and stop getting ahead of me, okay? - but getting it in the eye wasn't very likely, only nobody thought of that. “So we can have it in a little bit, okay? Right after we discharge our weapons.”

Katon and Kelly went, “Huh? What do you mean by THAT?”

“I think he's talking about our skin flutes,” said Jedidiah knowingly. Then he blushed a little.

“Right” replied Kyle, “But you guys do that all the time anyway, right?”

“Well, sometimes,” admitted Kelly.

“HA!” retorted Katon.

“Shut up, why don't you?” (Kelly.)

“Well, let's make it like a game. It's like an initiation, sort of, but we take turns jerking each other off, that's all. See who can last the longest. That don't make anybody gay or anything, but we can't tell anybody else about it, it's just between us, okay?” The thing was, both Katon and Kelly knew Kyle was gay, but they'd kept it to themselves and he was assuming that they'd continue to do so that afternoon.

“I don't know,” said Kelly doubtfully.

“Well, I think it sounds like fun,” said Katon. SEX GAMES!

“I'm game,” said Jedidiah.

“Me, too,” shrugged Lucas, “So how do we go about this... initiation?”

They went in alphabetical order, so Jedidiah was the first recipient. Starting in reverse alphabetical order, (Lucas) each person would pull on his (Jedidiah's) erection five times until it blew. Then it would be Katon's turn, then Kelly's, then Kyle's, then Lucas'. Simple.

Well, at least nobody wimped out, and later on they did have a chicken fight with Jedidiah, Kelly and Katon taking turns riding on Lucas and Kyle's shoulders, which eventually led to everybody having to discharge their weapons again – “So why just not make it another initiation?” “Oh, why not?” - and so on... and so later on that night everybody was wondering exactly what was going to happen the next time they decided to camp out, but no one really had a clue.

Kelly had to admit to himself that it was... well, okay, it was fun, so at least until school started back... sure, why not? But he wasn't thinking in terms of going much beyond where they'd been that afternoon.

Katon thought it was really great. SEX GAMES! He was open for anything, but he didn't know what “anything” could include. Although he had heard some rumors.

Jedidiah knew of at least one important step beyond and he was trying to figure out how to get Lucas to do that with him. And he was also hoping that Lucas didn't start liking the Jeddrys too much.

Deep down inside, Lucas knew he was a chicken-shit. But he was hoping to have some fun with Kyle and he still hadn't given up on Jedidiah. Maybe during the next week he'd think of something, and then if he didn't chicken out... well, maybe.

And Kyle still hadn't figured out which plan he was going with and he also didn't know if the plan he finally settled on would come close to working out the way he hoped.

So honestly, no one had a clue.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Bright and early Wednesday morning, July 7th, Lucas and Kyle left on a short road trip to Atlanta. Wednesday night they'd take in an opera (Don Giovanni), Thursday night they'd go to a Braves game, then (assuming that Lucas' Datsun didn't break down at some point) they'd be back sometime Friday.

The Datsun ran okay, so at least that much went according to plan, and they were back by Friday night. But while they did attend the opera, they decided to pass on the Braves. They had better things to do and it made no sense to waste a perfectly good room.

Really, it was a fantastically perfectly good room, because they stayed at the Omni, but at first it seemed like it might've been a mistake, because Lucas was a bit overwhelmed by the wow factor. The classiest motel he'd ever spent the night in before then was Best Western or something and the Omni was a five-star. The shower! Just how many spray heads did you NEED? The wrap-around mirrors! Lucas thought he might be spending a lot of time in the bathroom, just... well, you know, just luxuriating. The spa looked interesting - lots of possibilities there – and the beds... oh wow. And they had power window curtains, too! Just push a button and the curtains would open and... “Oh my God. Would you look at that view! Man, I bet I could spend all night just looking at all the lights, I mean, I can't believe this!”

Needless to say, Kyle had more in mind than playing with the goddamn curtains all night, but for awhile he was starting to wonder. He was wondering a LOT, but then, almost out of nowhere, kaboom, the game was on, just like that.

Don Giovanni was Lucas' first opera. At least, live and in person, it was, and while he wasn't quite mesmerized, he had to admit that it wasn't all that bad. He probably would have enjoyed it even if he hadn't been high. I mean, what's the point of being in the lap of luxury if you can't get wasted? But after the performance they were at a restaurant discussing it. In particular, the ending. To briefly summarize: Don Giovanni was a wanton womanizer and glutton who had killed at least one person, so he wasn't what you'd call a model citizen… but anyway, at the end he was eating supper when the statue of the Commendatore showed up at his door. So because that statue had last been seen at the cemetery, because that's where the Commendatore's tomb was, everybody was terrified except for Don Giovanni, who invited it in to eat with him. And it was an equestrian statue, so okay, the horse came inside too. Well, it might make more sense if you watch the opera sometime – it's not all that bad, really – but seriously, even if you make it a habit to invite statues home for supper, if it's the statue of the guy you killed in Act One... maybe you should at least think about why it decided to come over in the first place, you know? (And no, it did not end very well for Don Giovanni. Not hardly.)

Actually, Lucas was just being difficult, that's all, but after arguing about it for awhile, finally Kyle figured it was hopeless, shrugged and asked, “But overall, did you like it? I mean the music, did you enjoy that?”

“Yeah, really, I did. Especially that aria where... oh, what's his name... the servant-”

“Leporello.”

“Yeah, that's the one. But anyway, that part where he was making like he was reading from a book to the lady who was acting like at first she didn't believe him and then like she was shocked, you know, well, that rocked almost. I'm serious! I really liked it. ... But what was all that about? Do you know?”

“Oh yeah. The Catalog Aria. It was the list of all the ladies he'd seduced and left.”

“Leporello?”

“No, Don Giovanni. Wanna know how many it was? A grand total of 2065.”

“He'd done it with that many?”

“Yep. 640 in Italy, 231 in Germany, 100 in France, 91 in Turkey, 1003 in Spain. Peasant girls, maidservants, city girls, countesses, baronesses, marchionesses, whatever in the hell THEY are, princesses, women of every rank, shape, and age. Blonds, brunettes-”

“Damn. He got around! Wonder when he started?”

“Who knows. But-”

“2065. Damn!”

“Yeah, I know. ... So... what's your count right now?”

And that's when it started. Lucas paused, then started acting like he was counting on his fingers. Like he was trying to remember them all. So he got up to seven, then he went, “No, wait a minute. That's not right. Start over again...” and he did. (Still counting on his fingers, but he was putting on a good act because he could tell Kyle was starting to look a little let down, and that's when he began to feel that familiar crawling sensation in his groin.) So finally he shrugged and offered, “Zero?”

“So you're still a virgin, then.”

“Guess so. ... At least as far as the opposite sex is concerned, I am. No wait! There was one baroness... Nah, I'm making that up too. ... So what's yours?” Maybe it was a good thing, maybe it wasn't, but he was never entirely sure if he could have dropped that hint if he hadn't been high right then.

But Kyle was high, too, so looking straight into Lucas' eyes, he answered, “Same as you.” But it's never all that easy when you're fifteen. Or sixteen, for that matter. ... “But you're saying that you…” deep breath - “Are you saying you're gay?”

“Same as you?”

“Yeah. Same as me.”

“Yeah. I am.” In spite of everything, Lucas was feeling very lightheaded. “So...”

That's when Kyle finally decided which plan he was going with. He'd be honest. I mean, there was still some more, but... maybe later. “Can you... Well, okay. Is it okay if it's just sex? `Cause I like you okay, but... well, who knows? Maybe when you start shaving and you got muscles and all that ... like I should really talk, you know? ... But the thing is, it's just going to be sex, okay?”

Supposedly, that was exactly what Lucas was looking for. Sex with no strings attached. And really, it was, but at the same time, at first he felt a little deflated. “Yeah, that's okay. I mean... Yeah, it's okay, because I... well, Jedidiah...” Oops. Sometimes being high ISN'T a good thing, because he really didn't mean to let that slip out.

Only he had, and it was Kyle's turn to be shocked. “You mean, you and Jedidiah are like-”

“I don't know if we are or not, really, but... well, we ain't done... much more than what went on Friday... so forget I said anything about it at all, okay? `Cause I don't know-”

“Oh. So he doesn't know how you feel about him, right?”

“No, he doesn't.” He'd already blurted it out, so he guessed he might as well finish the picture. “I mean, I do like him. A lot. And I think he does me. He's hard to figure out, but-”

And that's when Kyle's plan 1-B went into effect. But the thing was, there wasn't a 1-B until right then, it came to him out of nowhere. But that's also when he started getting very hard. It had to do with a lot of things, with what his eventual goals were, and he wasn't sure about those, because in a way he would be using Lucas, but... what if he allowed Lucas to use him first? Maybe that would make up for it. And possibly he'd never bring up those other plans anyway, so it made it even better. Not as much potential guilt and at the same time... this could be a ride!

“Hey, Lucas. I'm going to tell you something, okay? I... when I lived in Nashville, sometimes I let men pick me up, okay? It's just something I had to do. It's hard to explain why, but-”

“I've been there, too,” Lucas interrupted. “So you don't have to explain anything if you don't want to, I already know about it.”

Well, okay, plan 1-C then. So take a deep breath and...

“So what if I sell myself to you for tonight?”

That was really, really unexpected, and Lucas wasn't sure how to react. “How much?” he finally managed.

“I don't want money.”

“Well, what then?”

“You can do what you want, but the deal is, next week when Jedidiah gets back, just tell him, that's all.”

Oh.

Sorry for the delay between chapters, but... well, you know, Holidays and all that. Not to mention the widgets, it doesn't seem that they believe in holidays. Sometimes I think their only real purpose in life is to...

Well, actually, that's a company secret, so never mind. Forget I even mentioned it.

But in regard to this story, I would like to say one other thing. In many respects, Lucas is modeled after myself at that age. I didn't have his musical talent, but I've certainly wished often enough, so I gave him that talent. Curiously enough though, Lucas seems to like the same music I do. However...

Well okay, fine. I've probably mentioned more than just “one other thing”, but at any rate, when I mention this obscure group or that unheard-of-by-most-reasonable-people group, it isn't my intention to play musical one-up-manship, it's more a case of my occasionally being a bit clueless. I find myself liking something a great deal and think that others might like it as well, that's all. I didn't intend to offend anyone by doing this, but for example: not everyone is going to like Tangerine Dream. At times it's difficult for me to fathom, but apparently it's true.

But at any rate, if I have offended anyone, I apologize... sort of. Sort of, because it's entirely possible that there could be some more references made. Grobsnitt comes to mind, for instance. But I'll try not to mention anything that can't be found on youtube. Well, you know, just in case you're at all interested.

`Course you're probably a bit more interested in this story heating up. Well, it will. I'm almost sure of it. So stay tuned, okay?

And as always, thanks for reading.

jjjanicki@gmail.com