Tales from Bentonville, Chapter 58 By David Lee
Warning: This story contains scenes of love and sexual interaction. Much of this involves males with other males. If the reading or possessing of such material as this is illegal in your country, state, province, county, municipality, etc., please leave this site immediately and do not proceed further. If you are under the legal age to read this, please do not do so. It is not my intention to offend anyone or to get you in trouble.
The author retains all rights to this original story. Please do not publish without explicit authorization from me.
Disclaimer: This story is completely fictional. Most of the places mentioned, and none of the characters exist in real life. Some may possess physical or personality characteristics of people I know or have known. But if you see yourself in this story, your imagination is better than mine!
"Tales from Bentonville" is a romantic story centering on the lives of high school kids. Lovers of other ages may appear, but not normally in a cross-generational sense. References to sex with under-age kids may be made for the sake of the story line. However, I feel that child molestation is a crime and should not be glorified or tolerated.
This is my fifth attempt at writing fiction. My other stories on Nifty include: "Zeke" (August 29, 2005), "Always and Forever" (March 25, 2004) under High School, "Brad and Alan's Canoe Trip" (April 23, 2004) under Camping, and "Jacob and Jacques" (May 30, 2004) under High School. Some characters from previous stories may have cameo roles in this one. However, you need not read them first.
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Finally, thanks and hugs to Tim and Tom who edit for me so that there are fewer mistakes!
dlee169@hotmail.com
Tales from Bentonville, Chapter 58
Dan and Cory did go to church with Nancy and Jamie after a hasty breakfast. The boys may or may not have heard much of the sermon because they were in a daze; feeling how good it was to be back together again. Both had goofy looks on their faces. Nancy seemed to be nearly as pleased as they were. Jamie didn't say too much, but he kept grinning at them as if they all shared some huge secret. Someday, he might tell them about how much their bathroom noises inspired him; but not today. He did not want to spoil their mood by making them self-conscious.
Jamie's momentary questioning of his sexual orientation earlier that morning was decisively put to rest the moment he saw Melissa Frank sitting across the aisle. When she smiled and batted her eyes at him, his boyhood began to swell again! Yeah, he liked girls. However, he knew that anything of a sexual nature -- including what his brother and Dan were doing - would turn him on at this point in his life.
After church, Nancy treated the boys to brunch at the Marriott in Cosgrove. She was careful with her money and this was a rare outing, but it was one that she wanted to take in order to show her guys how much she appreciated all three of them. Dan had become like another son and she found herself hoping that his relationship with Cory would last.
While they were looking at their menus, they saw the Albers and Masterson families coming in to eat. Joel and Alex stopped at the table to give Cory and Dan congratulatory squeezes on the shoulders and some news.
"Did you guys listen to the radio or TV this morning?" Joel asked.
"No, we were all running late today because the guys took so long in the bathroom," Nancy innocently replied.
Cory and Dan knew that they must be blushing. They noticed that Alex raised one eyebrow slightly and that Joel was having a hard time not giggling. Joel valiantly covered by coughing a bit.
"Well," Joel continued after clearing his throat. "Paige must have gotten pretty sauced at the party. She wouldn't let anyone drive her home because she KNEW that she was in control. Evidently she was wrong. Her car went off that big curve just outside of town and rolled maybe six times. Amazingly, she was not badly hurt. The sheriff had to call the highway patrol to bring the `jaws of life' to pull her car apart enough so that they could get her out. It was totaled! She is facing a number of charges because she was way over the blood-alcohol limit and she was drinking as a minor. You are so lucky that you went home with Dan!"
Alex and Joel went to join their families after they had shared a few more bits of gossip about the party. When they left, Nancy was frowning.
"Were you drinking last night, Cory?" she questioned.
"No, Ma'am! I've been a very good boy lately because Dan made it very clear how he felt about people who abuse drugs and alcohol."
He turned, smiling, toward Dan and looking into his eyes.
"You really are a good influence on me; unlike the crowd I was trying to hang with."
Nancy's face relaxed as she went back to contemplating what she would order.
She had been thinking about having a mimosa with her meal, but decided to have plain orange juice instead. Sure, she was an adult and could do as she pleased, but it didn't seem right to drink in front of her elder son who was striving to walk the straight and narrow path again (well maybe not "straight").
Later that afternoon, before Dan went home, he and Cory were lying on Cory's bed cuddling. Dan was content to hold his boyfriend close and Cory was happy to be in Dan's arms.
"I've been trying to analyze why I went off the deep end and got involved with Paige and that whole crowd." Cory said. "I think that it was because I hate being different and I want to have kids someday. I thought about my dad and what a great guy he was. I'd like to be someone's hero too..."
"Hey," Dan responded. "Don't overanalyze it. It's over and we're together.
Dr. Lori says that we all have to discover ourselves and when we're teenagers we have a `stupid' gene that kicks in sometimes. She told me that everyone does some rash things in growing up and that usually everything works out eventually. Besides, if you want kids, we'll adopt some. Anyway, you can be my hero."
The gentle kisses that followed turned more passionate until the boys felt the familiar logs forming in their jeans. About the time they were thinking seriously about taking care of the problem, Dan's cell phone began to vibrate. It was Darrin on the other end asking him if he could come home soon.
So, with a few more kisses and promises, the boys parted company.
Rumors about Paige were rife at school on Monday. She did not show up for classes even though her injuries would not have prevented her from doing so.
She was embarrassed about the bruises on her face and arms. The fact that she had been charged in the crash wasn't a big deal, was it? It would only serve to expand her reputation in the eyes of some of her peers. She could brag about how wasted she had gotten. But beneath the bravado, Paige WAS worried about what would happen to her for driving drunk.
The excitement about homecoming events all week and into the weekend soon overshadowed the gossip about Paige's mishap. Most of the kids who would have dates for the affair had already made arrangements. Cory, obviously, would not be taking Paige as he had originally planned. He had made reservations at a nice restaurant in Cosgrove and everything, so he was not about to waste the evening. It wouldn't be that unusual for a guy to take a buddy to fill in for the girlfriend he had recently broken up with. He would take Dan and let people think what they wanted to. He really didn't care anymore.
Allen was rather silent through it all. He had wanted to invite Abby Nissen, the girl he had met in Wisconsin in the summer, but he wasn't sure how she would feel about coming to a high school function. After all, she was a college woman. He had discussed it with his twin and with Joel. Both thought that she would be happy to visit him and go to homecoming, but they couldn't seem to nudge Allen into asking her. Poor Allen! He seemed to be the only guy in the gang that didn't have some kind of love life.
Dane and Colt planned to go to the homecoming dance together on Saturday night. They were pretty sure that they wouldn't be the only guys going stag. There would be plenty of opportunity to dance with girls who would attend without dates.
(When they had mentioned it at home, Ellen had told them that she wanted to make them a nice meal that they could enjoy together by candle light. If they weren't ready to come out at school just yet, having their romantic dinner at home instead of in public would help keep their secret. The boys had been delighted, but had asked if she would extend the invitation to Dave and Dustin as well if they would help her prepare it. Ellen had assured them that she would enlist Greta's help so that the boys could relax and enjoy the evening.)
Besides the lunch-time talk about homecoming, there was chatter about the first meeting of the new gay/straight alliance that would be held after school on Wednesday. The agenda would be mainly organizational -- the election of officers, deciding on the dates for meetings, listing some possible topics of discussion, and talking about activities like dances and service projects. The group of lunch mates at the boys' usual table was more interested in what would happen on Wednesday than details about the homecoming dance on Saturday.
When Dane got Dave and Dustin alone, later that afternoon, he invited them to dinner on Saturday night. Dustin was particularly pleased to have someplace to go. His mother was carrying on again about his "sexual preference." She was convinced that Dave was leading him astray. Surely a nice girl could cure him of his deviance if only he would date one.
In view of Dustin's problems, Dane extended the invitation to a weekend stay. Greta had told him that he was always welcome to have boys over, so he knew that she wouldn't be upset with him.
The next day, most of the gay kids were waiting impatiently for Wednesday afternoon so that they could get their new organization going. It would be so cool to have some support available and to know for sure that someone had your back if things got rough.
Wednesday afternoon did finally arrive and many students showed up. Some were there out of curiosity, but most wanted to do something positive for a couple of seniors that they thought were cool -- namely, Joel and Alex.
The meeting was brought to order by Mr. Heitz. As the faculty sponsor, he was in charge of the election. Several nominations were brought to the floor and seconded before the balloting took place. In the end, Joel was elected president with Dane as vice president. Carrie was elected secretary and Jerry was elected treasurer -- in case there was ever any money to be dealt with.
As president, Joel presided over the meeting after the ballots were counted.
He did an excellent job and Alex whispered something to him about getting his reward later in the week. Joel blushed.
It was decided that the group would meet in the evening on the first Monday of every month. That way, the organization would not be competing with many sports events or church activities.
A number of topics were put forth for consideration. Several people wanted to have some speakers who were gay and could tell their experiences about being gay in a straight world. Others wanted to be brought up to date concerning AIDS so that everyone could practice safer sex. Most of the students wanted to know how they could influence the state legislature to pass laws that would protect ALL kids from being bullied.
It was heartening for the gay kids to see how many of their straight peers had turned out. Many of the members of the football team came to support Alex. They knew that he was their best quarterback and their main hope of having a good season. And, since their coach was the sponsor, it was cool to show up. If it didn't offend him to hang with people who were different, it would be socially acceptable for them to feel the same way.
Before the meeting was adjourned, Colt reminded the group that October 12th was the anniversary of Matthew Shepard's death; five days after he had been severely beaten outside of Laramie, WY in 1998.
"The guys who did it are in prison for the rest of their lives. It's like three lives were ended that day. Maybe if those guys had been in a group like the one we formed today this could have been prevented."
The students left in a somber and thoughtful mood.
On Friday night, much of the town of Bentonville went to the homecoming football game. The night was not cold, but it was just cool enough so that the guys on the field would not be too overheated.
The opposing team was pretty tough, but Coach Heitz assured his guys that they also had a chance as long as they kept their focus. In his heart, he knew it might not happen, but he worked on his team's self-confidence without letting his own doubts show.
At half time, Bentonville led by one point. The guys went into the locker room in high spirits. They could almost taste victory. It would be really sweet to beat their heavily favored rival.
Late in the third quarter, things began to fall apart for Bentonville. Someone in the stands on the other side began to chant: "fags can't win, fags can't win! You're quarterback's a queer, your quarterback's a queer!"
Because of the distraction, Alex miscalculated the distance in attempting what should have been an easy pass to his twin. The other team intercepted.
The officials called for a time-out to stop the taunts. One of the referees got on the PA system to remind the crowd of proper sportsmanship. He lectured the fans about fairness likening the plight of the gay students of today to that of Black kids in the 50's and 60's. He threatened that if things did not settle down, he would stop the game and Bentonville would automatically become the winner.
Most of the guys on the field had removed their helmets to cool off while the ref was lecturing the people in the stands. As soon as the man finished, Kevin had a sudden inspiration and acted on it. He walked up to Alex and hugged him. He stood back for a moment, and then pulled their heads together kissing Alex on the cheek. Allen did the same thing except that he kissed his twin on the mouth. One by one the rest of the team made similar gestures of acceptance (not everyone kissed him, of course). The crowd on the Bentonville side of the stands began to cheer. With a few tears in his eyes, Alex regained his confidence and his cool.
When the game resumed, the Bentonville guys played with renewed energy and focus. The taunts that the other fans had made actually worked against their team. Bentonville's defense hung tough, forcing the other team to be satisfied with a field goal rather than a touchdown. That put them temporarily ahead, but not by much.
Toward the end of the last quarter, Bentonville trailed by two points. Alex stepped back as if to throw to Allen. That was the move that everyone expected, so Allen was covered by about half of the opposing defense while others attempted to tackle Alex. However, Alex threw a short lateral pass to Kevin who ran the ball down the field and all the way across the goal line.
The kick for the extra point was good as well. With the remaining few seconds in the game, there was no way the other team could score again.
If the Bentonville crowd had gone half crazy when the boys had won their first home game, they were headed for the mental ward this time! It was complete pandemonium as fans flooded the field to carry Kevin and Alex on their shoulders the minute the buzzer sounded.
Pizza Hut was ready this time. One of their assistant managers was at the game and called for the restaurant to have them pull out the extra crusts they had put in the freezer because they were going to need them. Joel called the place to reserve several tables for his friends. The manager knew Rhys pretty well and figured it would be to his benefit to honor Joel's request even though they didn't normally take reservations.
Coach Heitz joined Alex, Joel, Kevin, and all the other friends who took over about a third of the establishment. The crowd got rowdy and started chanting some of the cheers they had used earlier in the game. It was a super, and noisy, time for the team.
That night, Alex got his promised reward. He and Joel had not slept together for a couple of days and Alex was horny as Hell. Joel had requested that he wear a jock strap under his jeans instead of underwear. All during the celebration at Pizza Hut, Alex had been at half mast wondering exactly what Joel had in mind. He had a surprise for Joel as well.
On the way to Joel's house, Alex was conscious of the cool leather of the car seat through his jeans. That made him very aware that his butt was bare beneath the denim and made him hornier yet.
Up in Joel's bedroom, Joel began their romantic evening by lighting a couple of scented candles instead of turning on the lights. He put on some soft music before taking his boyfriend in his arms. They danced (actually it was more that they swayed back and forth while grinding their crotches together) for several minutes. Then Joel knelt down in front of Alex and undid the buttons on his fly. He removed Alex's shoes and slid his Levi's down and off. Next, he began to chew playfully on the bulge in Alex's jock. Alex was going nuts!
Joel stuck his tongue in the pouch to stimulate Alex's balls. He was amazed at the feeling. He pulled the jock to one side to allow Alex's ample sac to hang free. He licked over the surface again. It was smooth as the day he was born. He had shaved his balls! Joel was thrilled. He loved to suck on those orbs, but didn't like getting pubic hair in his mouth.
"When did you do that?" he asked.
"This afternoon when you went home to finish your LA assignment," Alex answered. "I wanted it to be a surprise."
Joel was surprised as well as elated. As a result, he bathed Alex's nuts until the boy nearly came from the stimulation.
The boys backed off to cool down some before they came prematurely. Alex suggested that he could shave Joel's balls to match his. Joel thought that it sounded rather sexy, so he led Alex to the bathroom where the depilation was carefully accomplished.
Joel ran his fingers over his now bald sac. He liked the feeling. It seemed like everything was more sensitive.
When the two got back to the bedroom, Alex got on his knees and used his tongue to check for stubble. Satisfied that the job was complete, he licked and sucked those balls to the delight of his lover - as expressed in low moans.
Joel coaxed Alex to the bed so that they could stimulate each other at the same time. Both guys seemed to reach a new level of passion causing them to get close to the edge even though their cocks were not being touched at that point in time.
Of course that was soon remedied when the boys swallowed each other to the hilt. It didn't take much more to set them off. Alex came first because he had been anticipating this for hours and playing football made him randy. Joel followed rapidly with an awesome orgasm of his own.
Late Saturday afternoon, Dave and Dustin drove to Bentonville. They had brought clothes and toiletries for staying over. Both were dressed nicely in khakis and sports jackets. It was not a formal affair, but many of their peers would be similarly attired since this was a special occasion.
The dining room at DJ and Ellen's house made a beautiful venue for a fine dinner. Greta had helped set up the table with linens, china, and sterling.
Everything gleamed in the soft candlelight.
Before dinner, the boys were treated to hors d'oeuvres and sparkling fruit juice in the parlor. The Johnson's were not about to give the boys wine and send them out in a car. There would likely be patrolmen with breathalyzers doing spot-checks that evening. After Paige's crash the previous weekend, there would be more lawmen around than usual.
Dave and Dustin felt very comfortable at this house. Dustin wished his mother could be like Ellen. Why couldn't she see that he was only being who he was?
In a restaurant in Cosgrove, Alex, Allen, and Joel were seated at a quiet table. There was soft music in the air from the baby grand piano in the corner. It was being played by a handsome young college boy in a tux. He looked good enough to eat! The boys were taking bets on whether or not he was gay.
Allen was grateful that his twin and Joel had insisted that he join them for dinner. He really wanted to be there and he wanted to go to the dance, but his heart was aching a bit because he would be going stag. He should have asked the girl he wanted to be with.
He was studying the menu so intently that he did not see that pretty girl walking his way.
"Hi, Allen, is that chair taken or may I join you?" Abby asked.
"Holy Sh..." Allen began to exclaim as he jumped from his chair and embraced his long-distance girlfriend.
"I mean, wow it's wonderful to see you," he stammered. "When, uh, how, uh...?"
"Your brother planed this with the help of your whole family. I hope you're not angry."
"How could I be angry? This is the best surprise I've ever had! Are you coming to the dance? Oh, damn, I don't have a ticket for you."
"All taken care of, bro," Alex grinned as he pulled an extra ticket from his jacket pocket. "We have anticipated everything. By the way, in this sack that I have under my chair is a corsage to match Abby's dress and a coordinating boutonniere for your lapel. As I said, we leave nothing to chance."
Allen's hands were shaking as he pinned the flowers on Abby's dress. He had the largest grin on his face that his brother had ever seen. It was even wider than the smile he had had when they had made the varsity football team at their old school their sophomore year.
Throughout the meal, the four companions carried on an active and pleasant conversation. Plans for next year were discussed. Abby didn't say that she would leave the University of Wisconsin to be with Allen, but she did mention that her parents would like to see her go to a university in Iowa since they would not have to pay out of state tuition that way. Allen got the feeling that maybe she was as interested in him as he was in her.
After the check was settled, Alex and Joel got up from the table.
"See you at the dance," they called as they left.
"Hey, how are we going to get there?" Allen called after them.
Abby placed her car keys in his hand.
"I was hoping that you and I might go there together," she smiled.
Putting on his best company manners, Allen opened the door for Abby. (He had been unsure which car was hers until he pushed the "unlock" button on the remote.) As he stood there holding the car door, he wondered how he had gotten so lucky.
"Um, would you like to have a quick tour of our thriving metropolis?" he joked.
"Yes, I would like to see it. I understand there is a great old courthouse in the middle of town."
Allen drove her slowly around the small county seat because he didn't want to get to the dance too quickly. He wanted to savor their time alone -- to breathe in her scent. He wasn't sure how "friendly" he dared to be. Sure, they had seen each other naked on the beach when they met and she had had a look at about every inch he was packing, but be felt suddenly shy. This was a beautiful, intelligent girl. She was someone he could see spending his life with. He wasn't about to blow his chances just because his dick was going into 5th gear.
"Could we go up this street?" Abby asked.
"Sure, but it's just leads to a deserted bit of woods." Allen responded.
"I know," she smiled. "I discovered it this afternoon."
Allen swallowed. Damn! What did she have in mind? His hands would have been shaking again if they hadn't been firmly gripping the steering wheel. He stopped the car at the end of the road after turning it around so that they could see anyone coming their way.
"Allen, I'm not going to tease you. We don't know each other well enough get too physical, but I want you to know that I definitely have feelings for you. I'm not dating anyone else at school. My cousin, Zane, took me to a couple of events where I needed an escort, but since we have been IM-ing and everything, I've really come to care for you. Alex says that you feel the same, but I'm not going to pressure you into saying the `l' word."
"Wow, are you always this `up-front'?"
"Usually. Does it bother you?"
"No, not at all; my Mom is like that. I think it's the sign of an intelligent, self-assured woman."
"Thanks, but I'm not all that sure of myself at the moment." Abby confessed.
Allen reached over and drew her into his arms. He placed a warm, but chaste kiss on her lips.
"Does that re-assure you or am I rushing things?"
The kiss that she returned to him let him know that he was not being presumptuous. It left him breathless.
"Uh, I'd really rather stay here and do this instead of going to the dance, but I'm afraid where it might lead," Allen sighed. "God, I love you!"
"I feel the same about you, but we'd better get going. We can't mess up our futures by becoming parents before we're ready!" Abby giggled.
"Jeez! You really do say what's on your mind," Allen laughed.
"Hey, girls can lust too! That's part of what equality is all about. And remember, I know how great you look naked."
Poor Allen nearly creamed his dress pants. He could sense the stickiness in the pouch of his briefs. He was thankful he had worn some tight ones. Had he known how this evening was going to turn out, he would have worn a jock.
As a result of their "tour" of the town, Allen and Abby arrived fashionably late. Lots of other kids were there already. Allen thought that the whole gym full of kids must have stopped to gaze at his lovely date. He felt like he was 10 feet tall; he was so proud of her.
The action didn't really stop, but many of the girls as well as the boys were aware that Allen had entered with a beautiful girl on his arm. The boys were drooling and the girls were envious of her. No young lady in Bentonville had ever been his girlfriend for long. But, he looked smitten by this one. Damn!
The entrance of Allen and his date took attention away from the fact that Alex and Joel were dancing together. They occasionally danced with girls that night, but mostly they were partners, especially for the slow, romantic numbers.
Dane, Colt, Dave, and Dustin had come to the dance together in the Johnson boys' car. They had held hands all the way to the gym, but put on their straight facades once the arrived. All four were aware that they might not be playing that role much longer. Who could predict what Dustin's mother might do? Perhaps she would blow everyone's cover.
During the evening, they danced with various girls who didn't have dates as well as a few who did. None of them was going to win a dance contest, but each was surprisingly graceful despite being a teenaged male. A number of their peers were simply lining the walls watching rather than enjoying the music.
Dan and Cory came in right after Allen did. They both looked radiant. Those who knew them well were aware of the reason for their happiness. Some of Paige's crowd wondered how Cory could have bounced back so quickly from his recent breakup with her. But, they didn't give it too much thought. Mainly, they were looking forward to getting something stronger than punch to drink later. If all went well, someone might have scored some good shit to smoke...
After the dance was over, Allen drove Abby to his house. His parents had arranged for her to stay with them. She would be sleeping in the room that Alex and Joel usually shared when Joel stayed over. Alex was going to Joel's house again.
Abby had made a big hit with the whole family. Lori saw her to be a bright, secure young lady -- much like she had been at that age. She was personable and quick-witted. Alicia looked up to her like a big sister. Allen appreciated the fact that she mentioned that they had met on the beach, but failed to mention that it was a nude beach!
When it was time for bed, Allen wished that his mother and father had as liberal a view about boys sleeping with their girlfriends as they did about boys sleeping with their boyfriends. Somehow, it seemed unfair. Alex and Joel were probably getting it on and Allen was alone in his bed.
He took his aching cock in his hand as he conjured up the memory of Abby's kiss. He imagined her pert breasts against his bare chest. It took him about five strokes to reach his goal for release. It took three tissues to sop up the results and another two to dry him off completely. But, he slept well and happy.
Dane made a stop at the Dairy Queen on the way home. Each guy got a different kind of "Blizzard" for their late-night treat. It was a better way to cheat with a few calories than to go drinking. They were all thinking of one more bit of fun before they slept. That was evident in how close Dave and Dustin sat in the back seat. Their hands were all over each other as they drove back to Greta's house on the dimly-lighted streets of Bentonville.
Author's note: Did anyone else hear Paul Weyrich's comments about the Foley affair? He said that Mark Foley shouldn't have had any contact with pages because he was a known homosexual and that everyone knows that homosexuals have sex on their minds all of the time. Hey, I'll bet some of you wish your boyfriends did! Doesn't he know that surveys show that all guys have sex on their minds - a lot? Beware of known heterosexuals!
Well, I got mixed reviews on the Dan and Cory drama. Most were positive, but they ranged from "ugly and poorly done" to "it brought tears to my eyes" to "it's a scenario like real life." So, obviously people have different opinions!
Thanks to all who wrote: Joe, Bill K, Terry, Carroll, Dyllon (yes!), Frank, Jim We, Mike K, Paul W, Mark and Andrew, Steve, and my loyal editors: Tim, Tom, and David S. Those latter guys catch a lot of my typos!