Mayfield Titans

 

CHAPTER 36

BACK TO SCHOOL

 

SATURDAY, JANUARY 3

 

<Chase and Curt>

 

“Thanks for being a great brother, Chase,” Curt said as he and his foster brother rubbed the sleep from themselves. “You could have stayed over at Dillon’s; I wouldn’t have minded.”

 

Chase kissed Curt’s smooth cheek. “It’s all good. I love you, bro, and we brothers have to stick together. Dillon will be here tonight, and we can get a bit wilder in my bed than in his.”

 

“I decided I wasn’t ever going to do butt sex with another boy, you know.”

 

“Oh, I know,” Chase said as he gave Curt another kiss and rubbed his smooth chest. Curt had concluded that he wasn’t gay and was no longer going to do anything sexual with another boy other than jerking off. That had been the reason for his being depressed—he felt as if he was missing out on fun with his brothers. Last night had solved some problems for both boys. For the first time they felt completely comfortable together.

 

<Alex Guerrero>

 

Alex was almost happy that school would be starting on Monday. Almost. He didn’t think it could be much worse than doing nothing but sitting around watching television, hanging around with Vance and Duncan downing beers or maybe even some hard stuff, smoking weed, getting wasted at a party where he had to deal with high school assholes who wanted to rape his ass, or even getting on his piece of crap bike and ride to Eastlake Park and mess around.

 

His mom quit drinking (again) and was going to AA meetings, so there was no booze in the house anymore, unless he could talk Vance or Duncan into giving him a bottle of vodka or MD or something. Since he didn’t have any money, they wouldn’t give him anything unless he let them fuck his butt. He thought that was different than the high school pecker heads in Kentburg since at least they were giving him something for being able to use his ass.  He thought of them as his friends and all they were doing when they fucked him was getting paid for the booze they gave him.

 

One good thing was that his mom’s piece of shit boyfriend was gone since she quit drinking (again). At least he didn’t have to worry about him coming into his bedroom. Sometimes he would see Grant walking by or on his bike. Grant had hardly talked to Alex since Alex’s mom and her boyfriend had kicked him out of the house. He didn’t blame Grant for ignoring him—after all, who would want to hang with a piece of crap person like he was.

 

This was one of those days when Alex wondered how much he even wanted to be alive. Anything had to be better than the shit he was living through.

 

<The Hazen Twins>

 

The big event on Saturday was Lenny and Lance Hazen’s twelfth birthday party, which was scheduled from noon to four at the Miller residence. Leslie Hazen knew there wasn’t enough room in their duplex for a kids’ party. She was beyond grateful to Larry and Phil for offering their home for the party, along with supplying drinks and the ice cream for dessert. Leslie provided the rest of the food and helped Larry and Phil with the cooking.

 

The twins had a small circle of close and loyal friends. Everyone who had been invited and indicated they would be coming had shown up by quarter after twelve. Aiden had been invited, of course, as had Nolan. Mason, Miles, Grant, Scott, Emmett, Tanner and Gordy were the Mayfield middle schoolers invited. Emmett was one of the twins’ best friends. Logan and Keith were the out of town boys invited. Logan said there was no way he could come, but that he would give the twins a present when they came to Seattle for HIS birthday party.

 

Lunch was grilled hot dogs and Tater Tots. There were two cakes, which was plenty to feed everyone, including those sneaking second pieces. Larry commented to Phil that this was the first party he could remember at their house where clothes didn’t come flying off. The only boys to get naked were Nolan and Keith, who soaked in the hot tub for a while. Nolan knew the ins and outs of the hot tub and thought using it was a great way to get to know Keith better. Nothing sexual happened between them, although the thought crossed their minds. They only spent forty minutes together in the tub since there was too much fun going on in the house. They enjoyed their time, talking about basketball and about what it was like being a boyfriend.

 

After the party, Aiden, Nolan, Grant, Keith, and the twins helped with the cleanup. Grant would be overnighting with Lance and Lenny would be going to Keith’s for an overnight. The four boys knew that sex would be involved, and the sex would probably involve fucking. When the parents were out of earshot, the boys agreed that not having nudity and sex at a party in Aiden’s house was a nice change, but they did not want to make a habit of it.

 

That night, Grant topped Lance for the first time, Lenny and Keith went both ways, and Aiden topped Nolan after they’d warmed up with a sixty-nine.  Aiden’s love making was much more subdued than it had been the night before, but in many ways it was more erotic, at least until the last thirty-seconds before Aiden’s orgasm, when he rabbit fucked Nolan into an almost simultaneous cum.

 

<Logan and Tony>

 

“I had a lot of fun,” Logan told Tony as they munched on baloney and pickle sandwiches for lunch.

 

“Me too,” Tony said. “We gotta work on having another overnight, like soon. Like I told my mom, I’ve been in middle school for four months and that should make me old enough for more sleepovers.”

 

“What did she say?”

 

“She said I am probably right,” Tony grinned.

 

“Don’t smile too much. When my mom says I’m probably right, she usually means I probably won’t get my way even if I am right.”

 

“Moms kind of think alike don’t they?”

 

“Yeah. Chase says they all read the same manual on how to be a mom.”

 

“That just means us kids have to work harder to be smarter,” Tony said as he finished his sandwich and started in on a lemon cookie. “I liked sleeping with nothing but my undies on, especially since you slept the same way.”

 

“I liked sleeping with you and I would have liked it no matter what we wore to bed.”

 

“Even if we did it naked?” Tony giggled.

 

Logan hesitated, wondering if he was being lured into a trap. He decided that one thing he had already learned about Tony was that he was a genuinely nice kid who loved to talk and laugh and play and there was nothing nasty or secretive about him. As a result, he answered the question honestly. “Yep, even if we did it naked.”

 

That wasn’t the answer Tony expected, but it was the answer he had hoped for. “I liked it when we woke up and your arm was on my chest,” Tony whispered. “It felt nice.”

 

“I liked it, too.” Logan’s hand hadn’t landed on Tony’s chest intentionally, but he didn’t bother to remove it when he woke up and discovered it there.

 

“I wish we lived closer together so we could, like, visit after school and stuff.”

 

“Right now, let’s figure out how we can do what we know we want to do.”

 

“What’s that?”

 

“We both want another overnight.” Logan stated.

 

<SUNDAY, JANUARY 4>

 

<Aiden and Nolan>

 

Aiden and Nolan inhaled their pancakes as young adolescents are skilled at doing. Because they had to get up earlier than they wanted, Aiden was happy when Larry told him before he went to bed that he would whip up breakfast. Aiden and Nolan needed to be up early because his parents were going to pick him up for church at nine.

 

“Have you boys ever considered what a pleasure eating would be if you actually chewed your food?” Phil asked.

 

“Pancakes don’t need to be chewed,” Aiden responded. “That’s what makes them a great breakfast when you’re in a hurry. Plus, they fill you up.”

“You usually don’t chew things much anyway.”

 

“Daaaad, you keep talking about not exaggerating, and guess what you’re doing?”

 

“Telling the truth, maybe?” Phil smirked.

 

“See what I have to put up with, Nolan?”

 

“Well, we were kind of scarfing the food down pretty fast,” Nolan pointed out.

 

Aiden put his fork down and looked up at his boyfriend. “Hey, whose side are you on anyway?”

 

“The side of truth, justice, and great pancakes. Thanks for those, Coach Larry.”

 

“You’re welcome, Nolan. You might want to placate your boyfriend, who seems to think you’ve come over to the dark side,” Larry responded.

 

“That’s exactly what he’s done, sold out to the dark side for a stack of delicious pancakes,” Aiden said.

 

“Aww, you say the nicest things sweety pants,” Nolan grinned.

 

“Sweety pants?” Phil asked.

 

“I don’t even want to talk about it,” Aiden said. “But, can I have three more pancakes, please?”

 

Larry laughed all the way into the kitchen. “What about you, Nolan?” he asked as he began pouring pancake batter on the griddle.”

 

“Sure, I’ll take another stack.”

 

Anticipating that answer, Larry had already poured enough batter. As he watched over the pancakes, ready to flip them, he wondered, not for the first time, how he got so lucky to have kids in his life like his son and his son’s amazing boyfriend.

 

“Dad, are you sure Nolan can’t stay here after our basketball game next week?”

 

“I told you, if you can figure out how to get him to school on time in the morning, he’s more than welcome,” Phil replied.

 

“And I said, you could take him on your way to work. Which should work, so why can’t we do it that way?”

 

“Because there is a barrier standing in the way.”

 

“I thought you and Pop were going to knock it down.”

 

“It’s not that easy, son, it’s just not that easy.”

 

“Have you even tried?”

 

“Nope.”

 

Aiden looked at Phil. The boys knew Phil was talking about getting the approval of Nolan’s mother. Phil shrugged, which told Aiden all he needed to know. Nolan hadn’t asked his mother either because he knew it would be futile. His father had all but told him so. 

 

The second stacks were gone in an instant. The boys knew it was time for Nolan to gather his stuff and be ready for his ride. After they entered Aiden’s room, Nolan told Aiden he might ask his mother one time if he caught her in the right mood.

 

“How will you know she’s in the right mood?” Aiden asked.

 

Nolan shook his head. “I haven’t figured that out, yet.”

 

“Well, I know one thing we can do to put us in the right mood, and it’s this.” Aiden planted a long, wet kiss on his boyfriend’s lips. The boys exchanged tongue and were soon groping each other’s crotches, which resulted in a pair of instant hardons.

 

“Nolan, your parents are here,” Larry’s voice called.

 

The boys broke their kiss. “That was your morning present from your sweety pants,” Aiden giggled.

 

“Well, I loved it, sweety pants.”

 

After Nolan left with his dad, Aiden felt like his winter break had officially ended.

 

<Chase and Dillon>

 

Chase thoroughly washed his boyfriend’s ass crack as he and Dillon enjoyed their hot shower. Chase knew it needed scrubbing since he had left plenty of his cum in it. The problem was, after what Dillon had told him last night after they had sex, they didn’t know how long they would remain boyfriends.

 

“I still can’t believe the news,” Chase said. “It’s a shitty way to start a new year.”

 

“Sorry, but it might not happen. I just thought we should deal with it together, so I told you.”

 

“Oh, it’s cool. You did the right thing, love.”

 

Dillon had told Chase that his father had applied for promotion in the company he worked for. It meant a big pay raise and would be a great thing, except for one large problem. If his dad got the promotion, Dillon would be moving to Southern California before the school year ended.

 

“It’s weird. I want him to get the job but I don’t want to leave you,” Dillon lamented.

 

“I know I asked this last night, but my brain was fried from double fucking you and being tired and then hearing the news, but do you think he has a good chance of getting the promotion?”

 

“All I know is, he’s good at what he does.” Dillon’s father was a claims adjuster for a large insurance company. If he got the promotion, he would be the general manager of their California headquarters. “And just to remind you, he won’t know anything until the end of the month.”

 

“Then let’s do as much as we can together for the whole month.”

 

“Absolutely. And since I won’t have to be home until dinner time, is your ass available before then?”

 

“Let me talk to it and see what can be arranged,” Chase giggled as he turned off the water.

 

By the time Dillon left for home, Chase’s ass had made itself available and Dillon had taken advantage of it. The two teens also had a talk with Chase’s parents about their possible future. Susan and Troy said the same thing Chase had been saying. The boys should do as much as they can, while they can, and they would do their best to help them.

 

As happened often, Chase felt a wave of gratitude at having the awesome parents he had. He knew they loved Dillon as much as Dillon’s parents did. He knew not many gay boys had parents that supportive and thanked them in his prayers every night before going to bed.

 

<MONDAY, JANUARY 4>

 

<Aiden and Kalie>

 

“I swear you had a big bonfire and burned all of your Mariner hats,” Kalie said as she watched Aiden board the school bus with a Sonics hat on. “Where did you get that?”

 

“You might have forgotten, already, but winter break is all about Christmas, and this was under the tree,” Aiden pointed out.

 

“I think all Seattle team hats should count, just like those Tacoma Rainier hats should count.”

 

“I might have to wear one of my Mariner hats to school soon just to keep Marty happy. He gave me a fitted team hat, and I should probably tell him I wore it to school.”

 

“You could just lie to him.”

 

“I don’t lie to Marty,” Aiden stated emphatically.

 

“Does that mean you lie to everyone else?”

 

“Not if I can help it. But I NEVER lie to Marty. So, you may get your feel in soon. Although…I could put that hat in my backpack and keep wearing my Sonics hat.”

 

“Aiden Miller! That would be mean!”

 

“I know, I was just joking.”

 

“Did Gordy tell you what we did at my house yesterday?”

 

“Yeah, something about getting a nice BJ from his girlfriend,” Aiden grinned.

 

“He shot his stuff in my mouth. I swear, we’re gonna go all the way before we’re finished with seventh grade.”

 

“No matter what, you’ll see me wearing a Mariners hat on the bus before Gordy sticks his pole into your hole.”

 

“Choice number two will be okay; at least for now.”

 

“Whatever. All I know is, you’ve become a really horny girl.”

 

“But one who’s your friend, right?”

 

“Right. You’re horny, but not annoying about it like some of your girl friends.”

 

“I just wish you’d quit being gay for day,” Kalie said. “Think about how much fun we’d have.”

 

“Won’t happen,” Aiden said. “But, you’re still my friend. I mean all my friends seem to be horny all the time, so no reason why you can’t be either.”

 

“I like you a lot, Aiden. I like you a whole lot. But don’t make me search your backpack for that Mariner hat.”

 

“Because you’re one of my best friends, when I take that hat to school I’ll wear it on the bus.”

 

<Aiden and Grant>

 

Aiden brought his own lunch that day. As much as he liked having a hot lunch, nothing the school lunch staff cooked up tasted anywhere close to one of his Dad’s special sandwiches. Today’s special was roast beef, lettuce, tomato, pickle, and mayo. Dessert was a honey crisp apple and two coconut cookies from a batch baked by his Pop. To get to his regular table he had to walk past Alex Guerrero, who looked like a kid whose dog, cat, and best friend had all died on the same day.

 

Aiden stopped to see if he could help in some way. “Hey, Alex, are you okay?”

 

“Fuck you, Miller, and keep your nose out of my business.”

 

Grant came up behind Aiden and heard the quick exchange. “We’re your friends and want to help you,” he said to the boy who was once his drinking buddy and sex play partner and still was his neighbor.

 

“Fuck you both. You know you don’t give a shit about me because I know nobody in the world gives a shit about me. You assholes go eat your lunch because at least you got one to eat.” Alex wasn’t being straightforward since his mother had prepaid his January lunches before break; he just didn’t feel like eating because he would rather be hungry and wished he was dead.

 

“I can share with you,” Grant said. Grant was on the prepaid lunch list as well.

 

“Fuck you both and leave me the FUCK alone!”

 

The commotion brought Mrs. Emerson, who worked as a lunch supervisor as well as a bus driver, to the table. “Is there a problem here?” she asked, knowing full well that there was a problem.

 

“Yeah, it’s them two fuckers right there. They won’t fucking leave me alone,” Alex barked as he got out of his seat and stomped out of the lunchroom.

 

Aiden looked at the lunch supervisor and shrugged. “I don’t know what happened, Mrs. Emerson. We just asked him if he wanted any help.”

 

“Alex is my neighbor plus he’s in my Core class. I think he’s got lots of problems right now,” Grant said.

 

“I’ll talk to Mr. Fowler about him,” Mrs. Emerson said. Mr. Fowler was one of the school district’s two student counselors. “Thanks for trying to be a friend, boys. I could see you didn’t do anything wrong.”

 

“That was totally weird,” Grant said. “Just like that day I went to visit him. He’s, like, really fucked up.” Grant had told Aiden his entire history with Alex.

 

“That whole thing was weird to watch,” Gordy said. “All you two did was try to be his friend.”

 

“He acts like he doesn’t want any friends,” Aiden said. “Well, I can’t let it spoil my lunch. It looks like Mrs. Emerson will take care of things now.” Aiden took a bite of his sandwich. “Hmmmmmmm, this is a bite of sandwich heaven.”

 

TUESDAY, JANUARY 6

 

The basketball team’s practice had been intense, just like Monday’s had been. Coach Randall had told the team on Monday that he would be starting his regular four eighth graders plus Blake. Gordy and Muddy would be restricted to three quarters of JV ball, which would make them eligible for a quarter of varsity. Aiden would not suit up JV so he could play in all four quarters if needed.

 

In his meeting after Tuesday’s practice, Coach Randall told the team he felt they were ready to give the Royals all they could handle and more. He said he had been impressed by their hard work and positive attitude. What he told Coach Meeker was that everything he told the team was true, but what he didn’t tell them was that the Kentburg Royals were not only bigger, stronger, and faster, but that    they were starting five eighth graders who were in their second year of playing varsity.

 

“I’m not saying we can’t beat them,” the Head Coach told his assistant, “but an awful lot is going to have to break our way for it to happen.”

 

Aiden didn’t bother taking his practice gear off after the meeting. He pulled on his pants, put on his coat, scarf, and beanie, and stepped out into the dark cold. It was snowing lightly and Aiden knew his Dad had the County Road Department on snow alert with snow forecast over the next four to five days.

 

That evening, Aiden and Nolan chatted on Skype after finishing their homework. Aiden checked the Seamount League website for scores—he already knew that Nolan’s team had defeated Winston 38-36 in overtime.

 

“Coach should just bench Roland Barker the way he keeps acting like he doesn’t care,” Nolan had groused when he talked to Aiden about the game.

 

“So, why doesn’t he?” Aiden asked.

 

“Because he scored 14 points today. He does like to shoot and makes them, but he treats defense and rebounding like they’re diseases.”

 

“You guys are still undefeated, though.”

 

“Yeah, until his laziness brings down the whole team. Playing on an undefeated team should be fun, you know that. But that asswaffle takes the fun right out of it.”

 

“How did you do?”

 

“Eight points and six rebounds. Plus, I worked my ass off and so did Carter and Hank, but they played mostly JV. Like Coach said, we all need to get on the same page out on the floor. I know he was talking about Roland when he said that.”

 

After Nolan’s game report, they talked about some of the other league scores. “Barrett won its first game,” Aiden said.

 

“Good, I hate to see anybody go a whole season without winning,” Nolan said.

 

“Clark Pass is working on it. Monte killed them 52-26.”

 

“Yeah, I see that Skyler had 24 points. You know, we all have been thinking that Skyler’s parents were a bunch of losers or something.  Greg told me that he grew up in a nice house and had        nice clothes and his own computer; you know all the good stuff kids get.”

 

“Yeah, and you told me he said they just didn’t want him around anymore, which seemed way too weird to me,” Aiden said.

 

“Well, Greg and I have had a chat since then, and he told me the real story. But it has to be kept between you and me. And before I tell you anything, Greg said it was okay if I told you because I trust you one-hundred percent.”

 

“Okay, so what’s the big secret?”

 

“The big secrets, plural. The first big secret is that Skyler is gay and the real reason he’s living with his grandparents in Monte is he came out to his parents and they kicked his ass out of the house and sent him to live with his Monte grandparents.”

 

“Why not the Seattle ones?”

 

“Because they wanted him far away from the dude he said was his boyfriend, so they sent him to Monte. Plus, Skyler is pretty sure those grandparents didn’t want him anyway.” Aiden could tell that Nolan was fighting off tears and Aiden started doing the same. “So, secret two isn’t that Greg and Skyler are boyfriends until they find a girlfriend but are boyfriends just like you and me.”

 

“Is that why Greg didn’t tell you the truth? Because him and Skyler are scared?”

 

“Yep. So after sticking his foot in his mouth about being kinda sorta boyfriends, when he saw Skyler next he told him that he could trust you and me because we’re gay and we’re boyfriends. Skyler said he was okay with it and he really wants to meet us bad. I think Skyler wants some more friends who understand him.”

 

“That would be us,” Aiden grinned. “Now we just have to figure out how and when to get together.”

 

“Knowing us, we’ll make that work,” Nolan stated emphatically. “I have no doubt that we’ll make it work.”

 

“And now, Skyler is at Monte shooting the eyes out of the basket.”

 

“Well, I won’t worry about it, though I hope we get a chance to stay overnight with Greg and Skyler. One other score just came in, and that is Evans over Pine Lake 31-22.

 

“We still have four undefeated teams,” Nolan pointed out. “You, us, Monte, and Kentburg.”

 

“And after tomorrow night, there’s only going to be three.”

 

“GO TITANS!” Nolan yelled.

 

“GO TITANS!” Aiden echoed. “I wish we could do Skype sex. I know I can at my end because my dads said they wouldn’t check on what I do online except for the same reasons they gave for being able to check my room. And we both know sex isn’t one of those reasons.”

 

“I have to give my password, so I guess my parents, or at least my mom, doesn’t trust me. And I don’t care one bit if she ends up hearing this, because it’s true. And I don’t care if she sees that we’re naked, since she’s already got that figured out and knows that my dad doesn’t care, so what can she do? Anyway, it doesn’t matter tonight because it’s getting late and somebody’s going to tell me to get my ass in bed pretty soon. You’d think I was three instead of thirteen. I’ll talk to you tomorrow. I love you sweetiekins.”

 

“I liked sweety pants better,” Aiden giggled. “I love you, too Nolan my boyfriend and my lover boy.”

 

Aiden went downstairs to say goodnight to his dads. “Phil, I do believe that the naked wood imp looks ready for bed,” Larry grinned.

 

“If he wasn’t going to bed, the naked wood imp would get on his chair and sit with his Dad.”

 

“Aww, that would have looked so cute,” Larry said.

 

Aiden grinned and squeezed into the chair next to Phil. There were times when Aiden had to admit he wished his dads would give up on the ‘wood imp’ shit but he also knew they got off on it, so he figured he’d play along. “Is this cute enough for you?”

 

“It is, and I love you, kiddo.”

 

“I wanted to say one thing before I go to bed.”

 

Phil wrapped his right arm around his son’s bare shoulder. “Go for it, son.”

 

“I’m sure glad I don’t play on a basketball team that has slackers. We’ve worked our asses off for tomorrow’s game.”

 

“What brought this up?” Larry asked.

 

Aiden told his dads what Nolan had told him. “That’s sad,” Phil said. “Here they are, undefeated in six games, and they have something like that to deal with.”

 

“They’re still good, but pretty soon, if everybody doesn’t work hard…well,  even if you’re good, teams that work hard get better,” Aiden said.

 

Larry walked over and ruffled Aiden’s hair. “Spoken like the son of coaches,” he said.

 

Aiden ran his hand through his hair trying to move it back into its previous state of chaos. “I guess that was my hint it’s time for me to go to bed.” He gave Phil a kiss on the cheek, loving the feel of his whiskers, and received a kiss on his forehead in return. He clamored out of the chair and started for the stairs. He stopped, turned around, and smile at his dad. “I love you both—night, night.”

 

“We are a lucky pair of fathers,” Larry told Phil as he watched his son’s smooth, white ass disappear through the entrance way.

<WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 7>

 

The school day dragged on forever for Aiden and his teammates. Gordy agreed with Aiden that the game being a night game was cruel, if for no other reason than they had to spend the entire seven period day in class. Even though they thought it would never happen, they eventually found themselves stepping off the bus at Kentburg High School. Aiden and the other varsity players had only one more hurdle to deal with and that was sitting through the JV game. At least that would be fun, because it would involve watching their friends and teammates playing basketball, but it also meant they weren’t playing.

 

When the varsity left for the visitors’ (i.e the girls’) locker room with two minutes left in the third quarter, the Royals held a 22-19 lead. As they waited for the JV to come off the floor, they could tell by the noise that the Titans had prevailed. The final was 31-30. Sixth grade center Tanner Howard led the Titans with 12 points and 7 rebounds for his best game of the year.

 

The high school gym had a good-sized crowd at the start of the varsity game. It had been decided a week earlier to move the game from the middle school to the high school. The Mayfield/Kentburg rivalry always attracted a good crowd, even when it was played in the afternoon. The fact that the two teams would be fighting for first place added to the attraction.

 

The game lived up to its hype for the first half. Kentburg held a 12-8 lead at the end of the first quarter. The Titans cut the lead in half at the half and trailed 19-17. The teams played with ferocious intensity and the crowd was a noisy combination of adults and students, divided close to fifty-fifty between Kentburg and Mayfield supporters.

 

One thing the coaches and the more observant parents (not to mention some of the players) noted that concerned them was that Blake was having problems holding his own as the more mature front line of the Royals used their size to their advantage. It wasn’t their height that was the difference, it was their heavier, more mature bodies that gave them the advantage. Blake was the tallest player on the floor, but he was nowhere near the heaviest.

 

The Royals increased their lead to three (28-25) at the end of the third quarter. In the fourth quarter the Titans started to wear down from the effort it took to hang with the bigger, stronger, faster Royals. The Royals, who were a well-coached team, took control of the fourth quarter, hit the shots and free throws they needed to hit, and finished with a 37-32 win. The Titans had played as well as they could play, but it wasn’t quite enough. The Kentburg Royals were simply the better team that night.

 

Aiden finished with two points, two assists, and no steals or rebounds. One thing that did stand out about his game was his defense, which was a factor when he was on the floor. Barry and Scott each had seven points to lead the Mustangs in scoring.

 

The locker room was quiet after the game. The team was worn out and down from the loss. The coaches decided they could live with smelly players for the length of the fifteen-minute bus ride back to Mayfield and told the players to skip the showers and use lots of deodorant. Even though the ride home was a short one, and in Aiden’s case the bus would virtually pass his house, all players were required to ride the bus back as per school district policy. A signed note as well as the presence of a parent were required for a player to be allowed to ride home with an adult. Usually, parents were fine with picking up their son at the middle school since part of the team experience was the bonding time that occurred during the bus rides. Of course, none of the parents knew how far that bonding went on occasion—that was not the case on this brief ride after a loss.

 

Nobody could miss that fact that it was snowing and that the snow was starting to stick on the grass and on the pavement in the parking lot. Aiden knew that as soon as his Dad got home, he would be on the phone talking to his workers and he might even end up going to Centralia and spending the night in his office.

 

Aiden and Barry sat together on the ride home. Aiden was surprised and pleased when Barry followed him onto the bus and asked if they could sit together.

 

Little of their talk was about the past game. In the brief time they had to chatter, they talked about the Monte Bulldogs, who they would be playing at home on Friday. Their chat concentrated on Skyler Winsley and what they had heard about how he played.

 

“I wonder who Coach Randall is going to have checking him,” Barry said.

 

“I think it should be you,” Aiden told him.

 

“Yeah, but everybody knows you’re the best defensive player on the team.”

 

“I don’t know about that, but I know you’ve got longer arms than me, you’re almost as quick as me, and you’re taller than me. And everybody also knows how much you’ve improved on defense this year—I mean I’ve watched you work your ass off in drills.”

 

“Thanks, Aiden. But, what about Trent? I’m skinny compared to him.”

 

“But you’re quicker,” Aiden insisted.

 

And so the chat went until the bus arrived at the school. Aiden’s talk with Larry on the way home from the school was the same topic—how were they going to stop Skyler.

 

“One thing to remember,” Larry pointed out. “From what I’ve heard, Monte’s zone is a stand around zone that doesn’t do much but plug up space. You guys shouldn’t have a problem scoring points. Also, you have to figure that Skyler is going to get his points and you guys have to concentrate on stopping everybody else. In other words, you know Skyler is going to get his points, so don’t let the other guys beat you.”

 

“Who would you put on Skyler?”

 

“I’m a baseball coach, not a basketball coach,” Larry laughed. “I think you’ll know the answer to that before I do.”

 

Aiden stayed in the car until Larry parked it in the garage and shut off the engine. “There’s leftover stroganoff in the fridge that you can heat up in the microwave and salad fixings if that suits you,” Larry told Aiden as they entered the main floor of the house. “And, I happen to know it will suit you.”

 

“Is Dad coming home or staying overnight in the office?”

 

“I think with the way the snow is coming down, he will be there overnight.” Phil had a bed, pillow, and sleeping bag in a room at the Road Department headquarters building for emergencies. Snow coming down and sticking constituted an emergency.

 

After eating, Aiden told his Pop goodnight and went up to his room and stripped naked. He logged into Skype and called Nolan, who was also naked.

 

“I can’t believe you guys lost to those guys,” Nolan said as soon as they made contact.

 

“Believe it. It sucks. We didn’t play bad, they just played better. They’re really good,” Aiden responded.

 

“How did Keith do against his boyfriend?”

 

“Our JV won 31-30. Keith had seven points and Lenny had five. Lenny said Keith could have the bragging rights, he’d take the win.”

 

“I like that kind of thinking.”

 

“Oh wow, you’ve got a boner for your mother to see when she spies on you.”

 

“I found out how I can wipe out a chat,” Nolan said. “So, let’s watch each other jerk off before we go to bed.”

 

The boyfriends proceeded to enjoy a sexy virtual masturbation session to the pleasure of both.

 

THURSDAY, JANUARY 8

 

Within seconds after Aiden’s alarm sounded, Larry knocked on his bedroom door. “What?” Aiden grumbled.

 

“Turn around and go back to sleep. School is cancelled,” Larry told him.

 

“Thanks, dad.” Aiden rolled on his side and fell instantly back to sleep.

 

Aiden woke up on his own almost two hours later. He went downstairs to get breakfast. His Pop was on the phone when we walked into the telephone chat room. He could tell right away that he was talking to Phil.

 

“Aiden just walked in. I guess getting two hours of extra sleep was too much for him,” Larry laughed.

 

“Yes, he’s wearing his usual morning set of clothes.” Aiden was happy that his Pop didn’t say anything about him being a naked wood something. Larry handed Aiden the phone, who traded good mornings with his Dad, who said he was riding in one of the sanding trucks and that the main country roads were in good shape. Aiden looked out of the sliding glass door and could see that Lakeshore Drive, which was a county road, but not a main one, had been plowed but was still white with snow. His second look told him it had been sanded, as well. He handed the phone back to Larry and headed to the kitchen in search of breakfast.

 

Larry joined him as he ate. “Looks like we won’t be playing tomorrow,” Aiden said with a tinge of sadness.

 

“Doubtful,” Larry said. “Probably no school tomorrow either since there’s supposed to be more snow today and tonight.”

 

“And then good old rain comes back, right?”

 

“That’s what the smart boys with their crystal balls say. What are your plans for today?”

 

Aiden knew that when Larry asked him what his plans were, it usually meant he had plans to replace Aiden’s. But he replied anyway. “Chat with Nolan on Skype. Read. Play some games. See if there’s anything to watch on TV. Drag you outside so I can throw snowballs at you.”

 

“As long as you’re outside, you can shovel the walk to the driveway and get snow off the deck and the patio.”

 

“I knew you had plans. Which means I’m now serious about snowballs.”

 

“I thought you already were,” Larry laughed.

 

That’s how Aiden spent his morning—shoveling snow, sweeping snow, pelting Larry with snowballs, and getting nailed in return. His time after lunch was his, and he chatted with Nolan (with another side benefit), talked to friends on the phone along with volumes of texting back and forth, played online video games, and defeated Larry in ping pong while losing twice at Scrabble.

 

The highlight of the day was a Skype chat with Marty in the afternoon. Aiden was in t-shirt and briefs mode and wished he were wearing less. He thought about doing a striptease and decided it was too much. If he had been naked, he would have stayed naked, but he wasn’t going to get naked just to be naked—at least not for Marty. He felt it was too showy.

 

Marty said that if the forecast held and it started raining Friday afternoon, Aiden’s overnight with him was still a go. Aiden did plan to be showy for that—live naked was different from virtual naked.

 

He talked to Marty about Alex and his response. Marty gave him his take on it, telling Aiden there was only so much he could do. “The person’s gotta want what you have to offer. No matter how much he might need it, if he doesn’t want it, there’s not much you can do,” Marty told him.

 

They chatted some more, especially about how few meetings Aiden had been able to attend. Aiden promised to call Marty and Sammy more often to talk over things that bugged him and to keep his dads on board, especially regarding his efforts with Alex.

 

It ended up being a good day for Aiden, even if it meant losing a three-day weekend in the spring when they had school on one of their snow days.  

 

FRIDAY, JANUARY 9

 

While another half-inch or so of snow fell on the county during the afternoon, the overnight snowfall was less than predicted. School was in session, but on a two-hour late emergency schedule. There was snow on the ground, but the county and town roads were clear.

 

“Nice to see you again, Mrs. Emerson,” Aiden grinned as he boarded the bus.

 

“The same with you, Aiden. Your girlfriend wasn’t at the bus stop—I suspect they couldn’t get their road clear. You’ll have a seat all to yourself.”

 

“She isn’t my girlfriend, Mrs. Emerson.”

 

“Tell her that,” the bus driver smiled.

 

The basketball news at school was mixed. The game against Monte had been postponed to Monday but there would be practice after school unless more snow came down. Since the snow started changing to rain after lunch, that was unlikely.

 

“No Alex today,” Grant noted as he sat next to Aiden at lunch.

 

“I haven’t seen him since Monday,” Aiden said.

 

“He was in class Tuesday and Wednesday, but never came to lunch.  All he did in class was take up space.”

 

“I tried twice to help him out, but he was a total asswaffle both times. I’m not wasting my time anymore.”

 

“I thought we were supposed to help everybody,” Grant said.

 

“Marty said we can only help peeps who want to be helped no matter how much they need it. He told me to make sure I had time to help you because you want it, and make sure I had time to help me, too.”

 

The only player not at practice after school was Yonder, who lived outside the town on a farm. As with Kalie, the farm was on a private road that didn’t get county road service.

 

Practice went well and had one surprise for some players along with knowing nods from Aiden and Barry. Aiden was going to start and would defend Skyler. His job was to deny him the ball and keep him from setting up close to the basket. Barry would be on Skyler when Aiden was out of the game. He would have the same responsibilities as Aiden when defending Skyler. The other four players on the floor were responsible for giving Aiden and Barry defensive help and keeping their man from getting easy baskets.

 

“Wow, we could be coaches,” Aiden grinned as he and Barry were changing in the locker room. “We were spot on with who was checking Skyler.”

 

“We were, even if we did pick ourselves,” Barry grinned.

 

“I wish we played today, though. This is another big game and it sucks to worry about it for two more days.”

 

“Who’s worried? Game’s not until Monday and I got other things to do than worry. Are you showering?”

 

“Yeah, it’s cold and damp out and I want to get the sweat off me and dry off real good before going outside.”

 

“Sounds like a plan,” Barry said. “But if Skyler starts working you inside, I’m sure the plans will change because of his size advantage.”

 

Aiden walked into the shower area with Barry. He never really thought much about Barry and his looks until this year since he didn’t like Barry. But since basketball started things had changed. He liked his lanky, long legged body and long arms, not to mention long dick with a nice patch of pubic hair above it. His hanging balls were still hairless as was the rest of his body except for his underarms. Barry’s cock looked like it would be great to suck.

 

Once again Aiden wanted to find a time to invite Barry for an overnight. He hoped it could be before the end of the season. It was always nice to make a new friend.

 

NEXT: It’s Official