Chapter 3: TJ Tells All
...I grabbed some leftover pizza and a can of Coke from the fridge and sat down in front of the television. I watched a movie on HBO but must have fallen asleep because I awoke to the sound of the doorbell. It was TJ...
I adjusted myself from my afternoon case of "morning wood" and answered the door. TJ was wearing a bright yellow mesh shirt and a black pair of tight shorts. I told him to come on in and stepped to the side as he entered.
"So you still want to go to the mall with me today?" TJ asked. I loved the sound of his voice. It was not to deep and oh so soft. I told him yes but I needed to use the bathroom first. "Well that is kind of obvious." He said with a smirk on his face. What was he talking about? How could it be obvious? That is when I realized that I did not do to good of a job adjusting. I turned red and started towards the bathroom. "Don't take to long in there and don't do anything I wouldn't do." I raised my good arm in the air and flipped him off without ever turning around to see his reaction. I did not need to turn around because I heard him bust out laughing while he took a seat on the couch. A few minutes later I came out of the bathroom and TJ was nowhere to be found. I hollered for him. "I'm in the Kitchen." He shouted. I went in there and he was making a pitcher of fresh squeeze lemonade. "I hope you don't mind but I went to get some ice water and saw the lemons in the fridge and could not help myself."
"I don't mind. Lemonade sounds great." I got each of us a glass and filled it with ice. He poured the lemonade in each glass and we went onto the back patio and sat down. I asked him how school had been that day and he told me about all the teachers that I should look out for next year. We each had a total of three glasses. It tasted great. "Well are you ready to go to the mall?" I asked him and he said he was. We put what little bit of lemonade that was left into the fridge and left. As soon as I sat down in his jeep he told me to put my seatbelt on. Once we got onto the main road he turned on the radio. I had never heard the song we were listening to but he was singing right along with it. He had a great voice. It felt nice to be going down the road with the wind in my hair, listening to music, and being with my new friend. We passed by the mall and I just looked at him. "I thought we were going there." I said. He explained that there was a better mall down the road. Twenty minutes later we pulled into this huge parking lot. I had never seen so many cars in my life. This mall was huge.
"This is where everybody hangs out. The other mall is somewhat trashy and is really run down. Someone needs to demolish it. All it is good for is gangs and drugs." We walked into the mall and it looked even bigger on the inside than it did from the parking lot. There were people and stores as far as the eyes could see.
"Well, well, well if it's not the fairy princess and his new little bitch." I heard this and turned around to see two guys around the same age as TJ. TJ looked angry and hurt at the same time. The bigger one of the two was the one causing all the trouble and the other one tried to shut the big one up.
"Hey whatever beef you have with me is fine but DON'T go bringing Justin into this. He's a good kid." Kid?!? He just called me a kid. I HATED being called a kid.
"Ignore what he just said you bastard. If you have a problem with TJ you have a problem with me." I went off on him. I did not know this guy and already I didn't like him. Why would anyone treat such a nice guy as TJ this badly. Surely he could not have done anything that would deserve this. After saying that, the guy grabbed my hurt arm.
"Listen here you little shit. I don't know who you think you are or how bad you THINK you are. I will snap you in half. As for your `friend' here, there are a few things you should know."
"ENOUGH!" I heard a female shout. "I have told you boys to quit harassing people in this mall. Well I am tired of warnings, lets go." It was a mall security guard and she was not going to take any shit from the likes of these two. "Are you okay?" she asked me. I told her I was and she told us to have a nice day. As she was taking the other two away the one causing the trouble turned around.
"You better watch who you make friends with around here. If you are not careful you may just get your tight little ass invaded." The other guy turned around but said nothing. He just looked at TJ with a distressing look on his face. When I looked at TJ I could see he was upset. It was a sad look though, not a mad one. We continued to walk through the mall but TJ said nothing.
"Who were those idiots and why are they so mad at you?" TJ lowered his head as he walked but said nothing. I could tell he was truly troubled by the events that had just taken place. "I know something is bothering you but I have a feeling it goes much deeper than what just happened. I want you to know that talk to me and tell me anything. I would never think badly of you no matter what you have done or what anyone has said you done." He stopped in his tracks and looked at me, his eyes now red and filling with tears. He gently grabbed my arm and told me to come with him. We exited the mall and got in his jeep. We had driven for a few miles and no one had said as much as a syllable. It was to quiet. Not even the radio was playing. The only noise you could hear was that of the wind in our hair and the roar of the engine.
"We need to go talk but you have to promise me one thing. If you don't like what I have to tell you that you won't leave immediately and that you will let me take you home. This place can get rough at times, especially if you are new and you don't know the places to avoid." I agreed to it and we pulled down a long narrow paved road. He pulled into a parking spot and got out of the truck. I followed. We wound up, each of us, sitting on top of a tree that had fallen. It was one of the few wooded spots in the area. The view was extraordinary. I had not realized we had gone up so high. This was by far the most beautiful spot my eyes had ever witnessed. We found ourselves both staring over the cliff at the beach below us. It was several minutes before either one of us said a word. I finally had to break the silence.
"Whatever it is that you need to tell me I want you to know that it will not affect how I feel about you. Like I said before, I don't care what you have done or what someone may have said you done. I do, however, care about you. You seem like a really nice guy and someone who I would like to remain being friends with." TJ paused for a second and then took a deep breath and started talking but would not look at me.
"I am going to tell you something that may very well end our short lived friendship but I guess it would only be fair to you to be honest with you up front. Those two guys and I used to be best friends. We hung out all the time. They are cousins. Keith is the one who was acting like an ass. He is the captain of the football team and he thinks he's hot stuff. Caleb is the other guy. We used to be close, real close. We are not enemies but we don't talk a lot any more."
"Friends sometimes drift apart. That is part of life. That is no reason why Keith should treat you bad." I said
"It's not quite that simple Justin. You see when Caleb and I were your age, just two years ago, we shared everything with one another. We were closer than any real brothers ever thought about being. Well that was the same time we started developing rather quickly. Our bodies were growing and our hormones were going wild. We spent the night with each other one night and we slept in the same bed like we had done since we were little. We got on the subject of sex and that is when everything started happening." There was a long pause between TJ's last statement and the one that followed. "Neither one of us had ever been able to lie to the other so we never attempted to. He asked if I jacked off and I admitted to him that I did. He said he did too. We had seen each other naked many times over the years growing up together so it never was not a big deal but he done something that shocked me and felt great at the same time. He grabbed a hold of my dick and started stroking it through my underwear. He then reached under them and done the same. I could not believe someone else was doing that for me." His voice started to get shaky. "It felt so great. Then he took my hand and placed it on his. He must have removed his underwear when I was in the bathroom. I then started rubbing his "tall friend". We looked at each other and started laughing but continued doing what we were doing. It was not long until we both were finished. It felt so great. We cleaned up and then fell asleep with our bodies up against one another. That was the first of many nights like that to come. Days turned into weeks and weeks into months and we continued to explore each others bodies more and more. We finally came to the realization that we were falling in love with each other. We had been such good friends and loved each other a long time before we loved each other physically on the other hand we knew that although what we felt for each other was true and there was nothing wrong with it others may not see it that way. This included our parents. We decided to keep our relationship a secret and we succeeded for quite some time. Then last summer came. I went on a camping trip with Keith and Caleb's families. Their fathers are brothers. Caleb and I shared a tent and thought we were alone. It was late one night and we were in our tent. We knew we couldn't make love to each other because that usually got loud but we did kiss and we kissed a lot. What we didn't realize is that with our small lantern being lit you could see our silhouettes from outside the tent. Keith went out to take a piss and must have seen us. I don't think he meant to shout it out, I really don't, but he yelled, "Hey you two fags quit kissing in there!" Well seeing as their four parents heard this and came out side asking what was going on we quit kissing and stayed in the tent. We heard Keith and his parents talking and then our tent came unzipped. We were both laying there in our "tighty-whities" with raging boners. They asked us nothing. They didn't have to. Guilt was written on our faces. I was told to get some clothes on and to be at the pickup truck in two minutes. He also told me to be sure that I had all my stuff packed up. I done as I was told and gathered all my things. Keith's dad drove me home. He told me not to say a word for the entire trip. He said he would be sick at the very sound of my voice. He told me that while I was being driven home that Caleb was getting his ass beat' because of me. It was almost like a dream. No, actually, it was more like a nightmare. One that I very much wanted to wake up from. When we pulled up to my house I expected to walk up to it alone. I had no clue how or if I was going to tell my parents what had happened. Keith's dad made that easy for me I guess you could say. He also got out of the truck. Before I could unlock the front door with my key he had managed to ring the doorbell at least ten times. My father answered. He thought someone had been hurt. I said not yet'. My father was the biggest homophobe I knew. I was sure when Caleb's Uncle told him that I was caught kissing another boy that I would never see the light of day again. I totally underestimated my father. He read the right act to Keith's father and told him that if he ever talked to me that way again he would have him to deal with. When he was walking back to his truck madder now than he was before he said he had a message from his brother. He said that Caleb and I were no longer aloud to be friends or even see each other. He said it was `all my fault'. This really hurt me. My father was not thrilled with the idea of having a son who was gay but he said he still loved me and that we would talk the next morning. When morning came and I went down to breakfast it was awkward to say the least. We did finally manage to talk and once we started I did not think we ever were going to quit. To make a long story short it took them some time but now it is just a part of our lives. I sometimes think my dad thinks its just a phase or something that I am going through but my mom has come to fully accept it. I am out to all of my family now. It is really fun going out with my cousin Becky. We look for cute guys together." This made him smile for a second but it soon faded and he continued his story. "As for Caleb, we tried sneaking and seeing each other from time to time but we got busted and his dad beat him pretty bad the last time. We had not seen each other for several months until today. Caleb's dad sent him to a military school up state." I had no clue what to say to TJ. He had just come out of the closet to me and I did not know how to react especially with the realization that I was coming to in my mind that I too may be gay. I knew that I was at least curious about it. He finally looked up with his face blank from any emotion. I put my arms around him and gave him a hug. He returned the hug and then started crying. I held him like that for another fifteen minutes. When he finally let go of me he said thanks and gave me a quick peck on the cheek. I gave him one back which not only surprised him but me as well. We hugged once more and then went back to his jeep.
We both knew that our friendship had only just begun. We had only known each other a short time but it was like we had always been connected by something. I think it is the heart.
"So I take it you are not mad at me?" TJ asked with the first grin I had seen on his face in over an hour. I told him I would never be mad at him. We sat on the tree for a while longer until his pager went off. "We need to go find a phone." We went back to the jeep and drove down the road for a while until we found a pay phone. "How would you like to run to the beach with me? I have to go pick up my new uniform." I told him I would love to go with him so off we went. He let me go into the headquarters with him. It was a fascinating place. While we were there a call came in of an over turned boat two miles out. The US Coast Guard was on its way but requested assistance from the local station. Alarms started going off which I later learned was called a tone drop and the guy sitting at the dispatch was telling the units where to go.
"If you want to stick around for a few minutes and help with dispatch it would be appreciated. We are one man short tonight" One of the officers told TJ.
"Yeah sure no problem." He told them and he then took a headset off the desk and plugged it into the radio. He told me I could grab a chair and sit next to him. I thought it would be easy sitting there talking to people on a radio but I learned how hard it really was. He had to relay some things to the on duty lifeguards that he was being told on another radio by the Coast Guard. Although everything turned out to be okay and no one was hurt I thought he done a great job. Hell he is only sixteen.
"Thanks for staying and helping with dispatch. I asked you to come and pick up your new uniform tonight but what I didn't tell you is that your review came in. You are now the lead junior life guard." He was thrilled. This was a promotion for him and it also meant he got to do more stuff. He was on the fast track to becoming a full fledged lifeguard the day he turns eighteen. "You outdone thirty four other cadets in all categories. You should be proud of yourself. You will also be getting a one dollar an hour raise for the time you put in as a first responder." This really put a smile on his face.
"Glad to do it sir." He told the officer. He then was told to go and request his new uniform from wardrobe. He told me I could go with him which I did.
"Hello there Thomas. How are you doing today?" a nice older lady said from behind the counter. I looked at him and mouthed the word "Thomas". He looked at me and shrugged his shoulders and made chit chat with the lady behind the counter. He introduced me and I learned the lady had been a life guard many years ago but had since retired. She had got bored staying home and said she was not yet old enough to move to Florida to die so she decided to come back to work. She was very spunky. She handed him his uniform which was in a bag and told him that she put a new whistle in there too. He told me to have a seat and he would be right back unless I cared to join him. If we had been alone I would have gone with him but I felt it was better that I stay in the area just outside the locker room. A few minutes later he appeared in the doorway wearing nothing but a red Speedo. I thought I was going to loose my load right then and there. He gave me a little grin and walked back into the locker room and then came back out a few minutes later back in his shorts and shirt.
"It fits perfect Margaret. Thanks." TJ told the lady who was behind the counter. We then left and started walking towards his jeep. "I found a way to make some extra cash this summer. It is teaching kids how to swim. The `uniform' is what I have to wear. Did you like it?" It was obvious that I had by the tent in my pants. It just would not go away. We got into the jeep and started down the road.
"So what would you like to do now?" I asked him. We decided to go back to my house and see if my parents had returned yet. On our way we saw thick black smoke filling the sky in the area of my new house.