He ran.
The leafs of the corn stalks hit his bare chest with slapping sounds.
He laughed.
He felt free, natural, part of the world.
The earth moved under his bare feet. It had for years each summer the kids went barefoot, but somehow it was different this time.
The soil emerged through his toes as if welcoming each step as natural part of the evolution of nourishment.
He reached out and grabbed one of the not ready for picking ears of corn. It felt good in his hand as he continued to run.
The sun was disappearing behind the silky crowns around him.
There were acres to go but Conrad didn't worry.
Summers were different. He could go, come, run, curl in a ball reading or run across the fields surrounding his parents farm without questions. He could even come home late for meals.
There would be questions then, but he'd explain and apologize disappearing to wash, dress and reappear to exchange chatter with his parents, siblings and the farm worker who always ate with the family for dinner.
This summer was different, even more free then others. Hours before he dove naked into the six foot deep creek area they had dammed. Like beavers they piled twigs, logs, bricks, discarded canvas early in the spring.
By summer the pocket of water had expanded into more then they hoped for. And only Conrad and Mel knew about it. Sooner or later others would discover it they knew for for now it was their's - part of their secret.
"You're hard" Mel whispered in the locker room. Conrad, sitting next to him, didn't respond. "That's huge" Mel added.
Conrad didn't know whether to say "thanks" or "fuck off".
"It's ok man, I get em all the time, everybody does, look" Mel held his towel up. His penis was arched hard, though not as large as Conrad's.
"Fuck man, it hurts sometimes you know?" Conrad
"Come on" Mel fastened his tented towel "quick"
Conrad let his friend pull him into the closet. In the darkness, he felt Mel's hand find his erection and begin to stroke.
"Shit someone will catch us" he whispered but didn't push Mel's hand away. He had never felt another hand on his penis.
"Naw, anyone who comes in here knows" Mel said.
Conrad wondered how many times Mel had been in this closet doing what they were doing.
"Come on, do me" Mel hissed as he pulled Conrad's hand to his own erection.
They sighed, hissed and moved closer s their hands stroked each other. Conrad felt Mel's hot breath on his shoulder. He let his head rest on Mel's.
They stroked and muttered ignoring the words they heard, letting only their bodies speak until the sperm splattered them both.
They left the room, once again wrapped in towels with wetness on their stomachs and chests.
Heads looked towards them and then away.
"They know" Conrad said to himself.
The second shower made the remnants of their pleasure disappear but the memories lingered.
Conrad never went into the closet again. He didn't know if Mel did. Now and then he noted a movement towards the closet by others but decided not to let his look linger less it be uncomfortable for whoever sought what he had discovered weeks before.
The edge of the corn field was ahead. He saw the lights on the porch and a car arrive at the house. Dinner was about to be served he knew. Conrad rehearsed the apology and excuse. He wouldn't have to create one. "At Mel's lost track of time" he'd probably say.
The sight of him breathless from running home would add credence to his words.
"Get cleaned up" His father would probably say without looking. "Hurry dear" his mother might add. She was wonderful. He cried when he told her. She hugged him then as she always did, but that time he needed it more.
"Hey, come over" Mel called the first day of summer vacation. "Why?" Conrad asked. But he went anyway knowing they would probably go see the "LAKE" as they called it.
Mel was waiting in his room, bareass naked. He was hard as hell.
"We can go as soon as you take care of this" he smiled.
Conrad laughed. "Right and you want me to jack or suck" he said in jest.
"Well I was hoping to cornhole that cute ass of yours" Mel made a false move towards Conrad.
He reached out to push him away and grabbed the cock. It had been in his hand before but now out of the anonymity of the dark closet at school, it was different.
"Yea bitch do it" Mel said as he rubbed Conrad's jeans making his cock grow. There weren't words at that point.
Conrad stripped of his jeans lay on Mels bed as they felt, clutched, gropped, jacked and fingered each other until they could wait no more.
"Fuck that was hot" Conrad admitted. He had wanted to repeat the closet masturbation with Mel ever since the first time.
"We have all summer" Mel said
The water that day was cool. They had wrestled naked on the grass first and repeated the new found pleasures of mouths on cocks discovered during one of their many private times.
"Shit it's late" Mel had said "I have to get back early" he ran then returned and kissed Conrad. They had kissed from time to time, but this felt different to Conrad.
"Are we queer?" He had asked Mel several weeks before.
"Who cares?" Mel had answered then.
Conrad watched the bare back and buttocks as Mel ran trying to dress as he scurried to his own house.
"Hi honey, get cleaned up and dressed" His mother said without looking at him. His father was in the next room talking to someone. There wasn't anyone else there. Conrad thought that was odd.
He returned quickly, knowing that was the usual requirement.
Mel's father was sitting at the table next to his father. Conrad's mother was pouring coffee.
"Sit down" his father said not as if he was angry, just serious.
Mel's father knew, now Conrad's father knew. His mother had already said she had known for sometime.
All he could think of was the argument his Mother and Father would have later.
He worried about what would be said, what had already been decided and wondered what he must do next.
"Let's all keep it private" Mel's father said.
"Good idea" Conrad's dad added and looked at him "You boys need to be discreet" There was no yelling, no anger, not even a look of disappointment. "Let nature take it's course".
"Yes Sir" Conrad was relieved.