New Kid at City High, Chapter 8
The boys slept in a bit the following morning. It felt good to be lazy. When they did get ready for the day, it was nearly 10:00 AM. Ted and Ben made them breakfast and asked them if they'd like to go sightseeing and check out new phones with them or lounge around. The teens chose the latter option.
Ted accompanied them to the condo association's pool and introduced them to a couple of people who were in the area so the boys wouldn't be taken for trespassers. Then, the guys went back to put on their swimsuits and gather their towels, and sunblock.
Soon they were headed back to the pool, after they were shown where the lunch supplies were, in case they got hungry before the men returned.
The pool wasn't large enough for serious lap-swimming, but it was adequate for playing in when cooling off from the sun. The teens had worn their skimpy suits, and no one seemed to care how much skin they showed.
That changed when a man, probably in his early 40's, came out clad similarly. He was decent looking and could, no doubt, pass for at least 10 years younger than he was.
He couldn't keep his eyes off the teens. They didn't pay any attention to him, but it was impossible not to feel somewhat creeped-out by his leering.
Pretty soon, he asked if he could take their photos. He claimed to be a talent scout who was on the lookout for models. As such, he could get them jobs with Abercrombie and Fitch or Andrew Christian. He said the money would be good.
They declined being photographed, saying their schedules were too filled with school and activities to consider modeling. In truth, they didn't believe him for a minute.
Around noon, he sidled up to them offering refreshments. He said he had sandwich makings, several kinds of soda, and lite beer at the condo he was renting for the month. He invited them to join him for lunch.
They politely turned him down, saying Benji's grandfather was expecting them. They didn't want to be alone with him in his condo because they didn't trust what he might do.
"You might reconsider my offer," he said. "Look, I'm a good guy, and I think you should do what I ask. I'm sure your grandfather won't be pleased to find out that you're gay."
"What makes you think we're gay?" Benji asked.
"I have a sixth sense, it's called `gaydar' and it's obvious to me from the way you bone up when you spread lotion on each other. So, do we have a deal? All I want for my silence is a few pix."
"You want them so you can jack off to them or trade them with other pedophiles?" Gio asked, bluntly.
At that moment, Ted came looking for the guys. Benji saw him and grinned.
"Grandpa, this creep's trying to hit on my boyfriend and me. Would you talk to the manager about him?"
The man turned and left quickly.
"What was all that about?" Ted asked.
"We think that guy was trying to lure us into something," Gio spoke up. "First, he said he could get us into modeling and wanted to take our pictures. When we turned him down, he invited us for lunch – with beer to drink. When we didn't go for that, he threatened to out us to you. Obviously, he had no clue how you'd react."
"I'm glad you kids are savvy enough to avoid what could potentially be a bad situation. I'll talk to the manager about him. I'm not sure what she can do since it's your word against his. I suppose there aren't any witnesses."
"No, he was careful not to talk loudly enough to be overheard when anyone was nearby," Benji agreed.
"Let's have lunch, and I'll call the office later."
The property manager told Ted that the man in question had sublet the condo from the Burtons who were on an extended trip to Australia. As Ted had predicted, there was little she could do about the incident since there were no witnesses. She didn't doubt the truthfulness of his grandson and friend, but she couldn't accuse the guy without proof. It was best to forget it, knowing the man would move on soon.
Grandpa's boyfriend, Kris Keyser, turned out to be a great guy. Ben and the boys took to him immediately, making dinner a pleasant affair. He had a sense of humor and knew how to tease with teenagers without hurting anyone's feelings. It was obvious to them that he must be as popular with his students as Ted had claimed.
"Okay, you've passed the test," Benji told him with a grin. "I don't want you to feel you were under a microscope in meeting the in-laws, but we did have to look you over to see if you were good enough for Grandpa."
Kris took the kidding in the spirit it was intended and responded in kind.
"And you've made the cut too! I had to find out the extent of craziness in Ted's descendants. He warned me about what I was getting into, especially about his grandson."
"So, now that you know us better, may we persuade you to accompany us to the Grand Canyon tomorrow?" Ben asked. "Or have we frightened you away completely?"
"I'll be happy to go along if you can stand me, and if I can force Ted to allow me to pay my own way. I don't want you to consider me an interloper."
"Interloper? Are you and Grandpa eloping?" Benji, said, trying to keep a straight face.
"Ted, he's worse than you said!" Kris laughed.
"I'm sorry I misrepresented my grandson. Truth is that I don't know him as well as I should," Ted shook his head while grinning.
"Now that we've reconnected since my divorce, we're going to remedy that situation," Ben said. "We expect you two to come visit us when you're free to do so, and when the weather in the Midwest isn't freezing cold."
"Not to change the subject, but we need to talk about our trip tomorrow," Ted interjected. "If you're going with us Kris, I think you should pack your bag and sleep here tonight so we can get an early start.
"We'll drive up and stay at one of the less expensive lodges in Tusayan because we'll be splurging on the helicopter flight over the whole park early the next morning. All we need is a clean place to sleep and you know I don't like to waste money unnecessarily."
"That sounds good to me," Ben agreed, as the rest nodded their assent. "The reason you have plenty of money is that you don't throw it away on things that aren't important."
"Hey, he bought my plane ticket," Gio exclaimed. "I'd say that was like throwing money away."
"That proves his point, Son," Ted smiled. "You ARE worth it."
Early the following morning, everyone got ready for their trip. To save time, the boys showered together. Probably, Grandpa and Kris did the same.
After a substantial breakfast, the group started out on their long drive (nearly four hours) to the resort town near the south rim of the canyon. The boys stayed off their electronic devices, other than for taking pictures, because they wanted to see as much of the landscape as possible. Living in the Midwest, much of what they saw seemed exotic.
Grandpa stopped about three hours into it for lunch, and a chance to stretch their legs.
The lodge was nicer than the boys expected since Grandpa had said it was one of the cheaper places to stay. It probably wasn't as posh as some of the resorts, but the accommodations were perfectly fine for a group of men.
They enjoyed a good dinner and relaxed in the pool before making an early night of it.
It was a good thing they'd gone to bed at a reasonable hour because they had to be up early enough to eat and catch their ride to the heliport. It wasn't a long distance, but the tour company wanted to make sure they arrived in time so they could be aloft when the sun came up.
At first the boys were disappointed by the size of their helicopter because it was relatively small in comparison to others around them. They soon found out that sometimes smaller is better. Almost every seat had a good view, and the two in the center remained unfilled.
Their pilot, who was also their guide, drew their attention to points of interest. He made sure they could see the beauty of the sunrise as it lighted up the exquisite colors of the rocks against the dark green pines and pristine snow.
This tour made a stop in the bottom of the canyon so sightseers could get out to experience the frosty air, the sounds of the river rushing through, and the fresh scents of the trees.
In an area not fifty yards away, they caught sight of a few mule deer foraging. There were also some kind of squirrels and other small creatures and birds. The place, which had looked deserted from above, was literally teeming with life.
During their four-hour trip, they saw the entire park from the air, and had three other stops, one of which was for lunch.
The tour was pricey, but everyone felt it was worth it. They made sure to express their gratitude to Grandpa for his generosity.
In the afternoon, they hiked more extensively in an area they seen only from the air. The scenery was rugged enough to make them feel like mountain climbers, but the trail was easy for everyone in their party to navigate.
The teens took lots of pictures.
Returning to the lodge for dinner, everyone found his appetite to be healthy. They'd expended a lot of calories and needed to replenish them.
No one spent too long in the pool and hot tub because all were ready for bed by 9:30.
They didn't have to rise too early the next morning because they weren't planning to do anything but travel back to Tempe. However, once they'd had breakfast, Ted said they should get on the road quickly because there was a storm west of them, and it was predicted to hit within an hour. Luckily, they'd be heading south and east.
The sky rapidly turned the color of lead. The roads were still clear, so Ted put the pedal to the metal, as they say, and drove southward as fast as he could safely do so.
They could see the clouds thickening in the distance behind them. They were ahead of the snow but barely. After they'd driven about 75 miles the sky brightened and remained that way for the rest of the trip.
Since they didn't have any more weather worries, Ted stopped for lunch at noon.
From the temperature difference, Tempe seemed like it was in another part of the world. The boys were ready to shed their clothes and lie in the sun when they got to Grandpa's condo.
The adults went to spend time in the pool and give the boys privacy to work on their all-over tans. Fortunately, they'd slathered each other in sunscreen because they fell asleep on the screened patio. Had they not been prepared; they might have suffered.
Their first order of business upon waking up was to wash off the lotion so they could get dressed for dinner. Being the environmentally conscious boys that they were, they shared their shower. One thing led to another. Soon they were rubbing their bodies together until they tripped each other's trigger. They had to use whatever water they'd saved to rinse the tub out so it wouldn't be dangerously slippery.
The following day, the teens saw some local sights, including Arizona State's campus. Grandpa encouraged them to consider attending college there. He would be pleased to have them live with him if they did, but he suggested trying dorm life for the first year wherever they went.
It seemed like their vacation was all too short as they went through security in Phoenix to return to chilly Iowa. It had been an awesome trip and one they'd remember for the rest of their lives.
There wasn't much of Christmas vacation left, and soon the boys would be starting the second semester of their junior year. Several teens wanted to see the new year in together but weren't sure how that was going to happen. Each worked on a possible solution.
Travis had talked his father into allowing him to invite a few guys over for New Year's Eve. He promised that no one in the group would be rowdy and that none was into alcohol or drugs.
His dad and Sawyer's mom thought it would be fine for them to have someone besides each other for a sleepover. It would probably keep them from doing things which were too intimate. While the parental generation realized their sons were likely to be engaging in some kind of sexual behavior, they thought it was best if that wasn't their only social outlet. Therefore, they were in favor of a get together with other teens.
Sawyer's mom, Jane, had mixed feelings about it. On the one hand, she was happy it would be at Travis's house because the location wouldn't conjure up the memories that her place might, and it would give her the freedom to attend an office party without worrying about her son. However, she'd planned to ask Kyle to be her escort. Obviously, he'd have to be home to chaperone. Oh well, such was the lot of a single parent. Maybe she'd just skip the party.
Benji got the go-ahead from Ben to have a party at their house. He just hoped Gio would be allowed to come to it. Gloria had been complaining that she hadn't seen much of her son lately, but she wasn't keen on having a party at her house.
"I don't think I'm up to entertaining a bunch of teenagers. Wouldn't you be content to spend a quiet evening at home with your family, Gio?"
"Is Sophia going to be home?"
"No, and that would give us time to catch up without her."
"If she gets to go out, why can't I?"
"Gio has a point," his father, John, spoke up. "He has a right to be social with his friends too."
It startled Gio because his father rarely took issue with whatever Gloria wanted.
"Um, well, I suppose so," she agreed. "But he's been away a lot of this holiday."
"And that happens in life. Little birds fly the nest sooner or later. I'm not trying to push him out, but I think he's capable of making his own choices. We've raised him to be a good kid, and I think we need to let him be his own person.
"Just make sure you dress in layers, Son – in case the guys decide to play strip poker!"
"John, really! What are you thinking?"
"I'm just remembering what went on at some of the parties I attended at his age," he laughed.
"He really said that?" Benji grinned when Gio told him about the discussion.
"Yup! It's hard for me to imagine my dad doing that, but I guess parents might have been a little like us when they were growing up."
"Yeah, I know what you mean. No one wants to think of his parents having an orgasm, but we all know that's how we got here."
So, the party for the four friends was scheduled for Benji's house. That set off a chain of events.
Jane immediately asked Kyle to accompany her to the office party, and he gladly accepted.
John convinced Gloria that they should take advantage of a New Year's Eve special at the hotel run by students from the community college. There would be dinner, and live music, plus a romantic overnight in one of their quality suites. She was all for it. With two teenagers and their busy schedules, it had been a long time since the couple had had the luxury of a quality night together.
"Hmm... I wonder if our parents are all gonna get laid," Travis speculated when the boys took a break from video games.
"I kinda get the feeling Mom would like it if your dad and she dated," Sawyer grinned. "I mean, they're both officially divorced and there's no reason for them not to."
"Other than us. I think they're afraid to get serious in case you and I had a fight and broke up. It could get awkward."
"Maybe not. There are people who've broken up and still remained friends."
"True, but given all the drama in their divorces, maybe they can't imagine that."
"I'm guessing my mom and dad will be getting it on tonight," Gio giggled. "He's about as horny as a teenager and she's not much better. Maybe that's why he was eager to support me when I said I didn't want to stay home with them for a quiet evening."
"You're probably right," Benji agreed. "My poor dad needs to find someone too. It's kinda sad that he's staying home to host the four of us instead of going out to have fun."
"It IS really great of him to do this," Sawyer said. "We should all be on the lookout for a nice lady to become your stepmom."
"I'm not sure I want one so soon. It's been great getting to know him like I do. It's almost like we're brothers. I mean, I respect him and do what he asks, but he's not demanding, and he's really understanding about having my boyfriend over a lot."
Around 10:00, Ben informed the boys that he'd put out a bunch of food for them to snack on. He would be retiring to his room and wouldn't be around to interfere with whatever form their celebration took.
"So long as there's no booze or drugs, I'll stay out of the way. You've all ben trustworthy in the past, so I don't anticipate any problems. Please put away any perishables in the fridge before you go up to bed.
"Good night, and Happy New Year!"
The teens filled their plates and went to the family room to watch some of the celebration highlights from around the world. Australia and Europe had seen the new year in several hours before, and the rerun of fireworks displays from places like Sydney and Paris were awesome.
However, after a while, the kids lost interest.
"Why don't we see the year in playing strip poker?" Travis suggested.
"You would come up with that idea," Gio laughed. "My dad told me to wear plenty of layers in case someone decided to play it."
"Are you serious?" Travis asked. "Parents don't think about stuff like that, do they?"
"I'll bet the males do," Gio responded. "Dad said he and his friends did it at parties when they were in high school.
"Our preacher talks about original sin, but I'm not sure there is anything `original' about sin at this point in history."
"I don't think that's what the doctrine of original sin means, but I get what you're saying," Sawyer agreed. "I'll bet our parents and our grandparents have all done things they wouldn't want to discuss at the breakfast table."
"So, get out the cards already!" Travis insisted.
Travis wasn't a very good poker player, but he was a good sport. He was stark naked before the rest had lost their lounge pants.
Of course, Gio's layers didn't help any because to be fair, everyone had started wearing the same number of items.
Eventually, everyone was down to underwear. The clock struck midnight before the game was finished, so they stopped to kiss their boyfriends. After that, they lost interest in cards.
When Travis complained about being the only one naked, the others shed the rest of their clothing before helping put the food away. Four naked teens cleaning up the kitchen was a lovely sight.
Author's notes: Thanks to the following who emailed since last posting -
Johnathan R, Chandra B, Peter S, Tony C, John L, Paul R, Ray M, Walter S, Jim M, Bill T, Mendy D, Tom K, Jim W, Bill K, Gordon, Steve G, Tim T, Ott H, Tom A, Joe W#2, Bob (down-under), Joe W#1, Frank K, Jamie L, Richie W, Skip M, and Paul F. Unless I miscounted, there were 26!
Thanks to David for editing and thanks to Nifty for posting this chapter.
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If you enjoyed this tale, I'd love to hear from you. Please write to me at: dlee169@hotmail.commailto:dlee169@hotmail.com
Stay well during this pandemic! As they said in the military many years ago, "Trust God but keep your powder dry!" Try to stay optimistic but don't take unnecessary chances. This too shall pass.
David