Date: Thu, 7 Jul 2005 17:51:16 -0700 (PDT) From: Rebel Subject: Caught with Shadow - Chapter 19 Caught With Shadow By Rebel Disclaimer: The following story contains graphic sexual scenes between teen Males. If material of this nature offends you, then you should not read this story. Additionally, if you are under 18 years of age, in most states you are not allowed to read this story by law. This story is pure fiction and has no basis in fact; it's purely a filament of my imagination Thank you all very much for the encouragement. I really appreciate everyone who has kept after me to continue the story. I DO answer all emails. Positive comments are always welcome and you may e-mail them to Rebel7772005@yahoo.com. * * * * * * * * Chapter 19 -- All Hell Breaks Loose We three stayed in the dining room, with Berry still sitting at the table, but we could see the front door from where we were. Dad opened the door and we heard a pleasant enough voice say, "Mr. Wilson?" and my dad nodded, "I'm Lieutenant Anderson, and this is Sgt. Reid. We understand that you want to report a child abuse." "Yes, please come in," dad answered and he and mom stepped back to allow a man in a suit and a lady cop in uniform to enter. We all looked at them, and then at each other. "It's about Berry," dad said nodding toward us. "We'll get to all of that in just a moment," the man said, "But first we need to get some background information." "Uh...well, yeah, I guess that makes sense. Won't you both sit down and my wife and I will tell you everything we know about all this, but it really isn't much," dad said leading everyone to seats in the living room. The lady cop kept looking at us, which was really creepy. "The telephone report you gave last night says that Berry is your neighbor's son, and that you just found this out last night," the man said. Dad went on to explain all what he knew with mom filling the gaps. We had printed out last night the pictures that mom had taken and they were lying on the coffee table. Mom picked them up and handed them to the policemen. They were silent as they leafed through the pages until suddenly we heard the lady cop sharply gasp. She looked directly at my mom and said, "And you're sure you didn't have anything to do with this?" Berry jumped up and ran toward my mom. "NO!" he screamed at her, "SHE'S BEEN NICE TO ME!" And sobbed into mom's embrace. My dad jumped up and said, "How dare you even think such a thing! We've done everything by the book and called you people as soon as we found out, and now you come into my house and accuse us of abusing a child!! If that's the way you police treat innocent people, it's no wonder that nobody will get involved these days. I think you'd better leave!" "Now let's just all calm down," the man cop said. "I'm sure that Sgt. Reid didn't mean anything like that. It's been our experience that usually the person calling in the complaint is one of the people causing the problem, and they just want get other people in trouble." "Well, I'd say your experience is sorely lacking," my dad said as he sat back down. "Berry, why don't you lift up your shirt and show them what's been done to you?" he said to Berry. Mom helped him lift his shirt over his head, and both of the cops gasped at what they saw. Dillon and I looked at each other and then back at the adults. I guess since we had seen all of the bruises for a couple of days we just kinda took it all in stride. After all, he was just our friend that needed our help. The lady cop seemed very shamed by her calling my mom an abuser, and she just sat there taking notes. After Berry had dropped his pants and everybody had had a good look, he got dressed and sat next to mom, answering questions about how long this had been going on. We were amazed to find out that this had been going on for as long as he could remember. We'd seen Berry for as long as we'd been neighbors and we never knew. The lady cop finally got up the courage to say something. "Berry, do your parents know that your brother David has been doing this to you?" she quietly asked. Berry looked very uncomfortable and squirmed next to my mother. For the first time since he started talking about all of this, he seemed to be holding something back and not wanting to talk. Dillon leaned over to me and whispered, "He's fibbing and scared now. We gotta do something," and he stood up and walked into the living room. "Excuse me," he said, interrupting the adults, "Can Berry talk with us a minute? Please?" he was pleading toward my mom and dad. They exchanged glances and looked over to the cops sitting there. "Sure, why not," the man cop replied. That got him a stern glare from the lady cop, but she didn't say a word. Berry peeled off from my mother and came back to us at the table. Dillon led us into the kitchen away from the adults. "Berry, what's going on?" Dillon asked. "I've never seen you like this. I know you've been fibbing a little bit, but I don't know why." As Dillon spoke, I saw that Berry was almost in tears, so I gave him a warm hug and whispered in his ear. "You can tell us anything buddy, just take a deep breath, and tell us what's wrong." He nodded his head, took a deep breath, and pulled back away from me. "Whenever David would take something of mine, or push me down or something, I'd go tell my dad and he'd get mad at me for tattling on my brother. One time after David had hit me and gave me a bloody nose, I went crying to dad. He got mad at me and called me a sissy, and when I cried more he slapped me and spanked my butt, and sent me to my room without dinner," he told us. Dillon and I were dumfounded and just stared at him; no wonder he didn't want to say anything. "Oh shit," Dillon said, "We didn't know Berry. I'm so sorry." "I know guys, you weren't s'pose to. Mom always told me to keep quiet and never, never tell anybody. She kept me home from school when it was really bad, but now they want me to tattle on my daddy," Berry said and I could see the tears filling his eyes. Dillon took his hand and said, "You gotta tell `em Berry. They can help, and you know Garret's mom and dad won't let anything bad happen. And we'll protect you at school, and we doooo have the pictures of David, so he won't be a problem." He giggled a little as he said that, and we all started to remember how nice it was last night to see him getting fucked by Shadow, and knew we had the pictures to prove it. "Yeah, I guess I do," Berry finally said, squeezing Dillon's hand. "I'm sure glad I met you guys; you're the best friends anybody could ever have. We'd better get back in there and tell `em huh," he said looking directly at me. I nodded my head and handed him a Kleenex from the counter. He blew his nose, threw it in the trash, stood up straight, and almost marched back into the living room. Dillon and I sat back down in the dining room and waited to see what would happen. Standing next to the couch where my parents were sitting, but not leaning on anyone, he spoke to the cops. "You asked ma'am if my parents knew about all of this. Yes ma'am, they did." He went on to tell them all about how his father was always on his brother's side and would also hit him if he told on David. Everyone just kinda sat there as if in a trance. The policemen were quite stone-faced, but they took a lot of notes. Berry went on to explain how his mother would try to shield him and end up getting whacked by his father. He said he could remember a lot of times that his mother had a black eye from the night before, and that always made him sad, but if he said anything about it to his dad or his brother, that would just start another attack. He had learned real early to keep his mouth shut and to just stay out of their way as much as he could. Dillon reached across my lap and took my hand. I looked up at him and could see tears running down his face. I stood up and dragged him into the kitchen to be alone. "I didn't know it was so bad," he croaked out as he held me tight. "Neither did I baby," I tried to comfort him, "But he needs us now more than ever." I held him a bit longer and then reached again for the Kleenex box. It seemed that was my job today. He blew his nose and threw it away, and then we went back and sat down to listen to whatever else Berry had to say. "Where are your parents now?" Lt. Anderson asked him. "They went with the Mayor to his ranch this weekend. David was supposed to be watching me, but he always takes off to go out with his friends, so I'm staying here now," Berry responded and looked up to mom who nodded her head. The two policemen exchanged worried glances when they found out that a friend of the Mayor was involved. "Do you know where your brother is now?" the police lady asked him. "No, ever since dad bought him that new car, he's never home," Berry answered, "But I can get you a list of his friends if that will help." "It sure would," Sgt. Reid lit up. "Do you have it here?" "No, but I can get it. Be right back," he said and darted toward us and the back door. "C'mon guys," he said as he came by us and hit the back door running. Of course, the dogs were right there and followed hot on our tail as we ran to the ladder on the fence. We scrambled over and ran up the hill and into Berry's back door. "Wait up guys," I said, "What are we doing here?" "I have all of David's friends on my computer. I can print it off and give it to them," Berry explained. Dillon chuckled and said, "You have all of his friends' names on your computer? Why?" "I always wanted to know who to stay away from," he said simply as he walked up the stairs toward his room. Dillon and I looked at each other and he shrugged, so we followed him up to his room. When we got there, Berry had already brought up a list and was printing it out. After four pages, it quit printing. "Your brother has this many friends?" I asked incredulously, not believing that asshole could be anybody's friend. "Not hardly," Berry answered, "That first page is the list of current friends," and I looked down and saw five names, addresses, and phone numbers. Under each name was a short paragraph about when he met them, and what kind of stuff to watch out for. As I looked at the second page, handing the first to Dillon, Berry said, "And the next two pages are his past friends who have either died or moved away, or just don't come around anymore. And that last page," when he saw me looking at it, "Is a list of known enemies that I know he has it in for." Wow, I was quite amazed at his thoroughness. Dillon just stood there, shaking his head. Berry gathered all four pages and we headed back to my house. As we got back to the top of the wall, I saw the back door standing open and the dogs were nowhere around. "Shit!" I swore as we crawled down the ladder. "I forgot and left the door open. My folks are gonna be pissed." We got inside and stopped short looking at the scene in front of us. Dad was on his feet but wasn't moving while mom just sat there. Lt. Anderson had Sandy's big floppy head in his lad and was gently stroking his ears. The really strange thing was that Sgt. Reid was sitting there, stiff as a board, and Shadow was sitting directly in front of her in his `warning' mode. Dillon saw what was happening and said, "Shadow -- friend!" Immediately, Shadow's ears dropped and his muscles relaxed. Everyone just sort of relaxed and Lt. Anderson even chuckled. "I'm sorry ma'am, he's usually not like that. I don't know what could have happened. Please... just extend your closed fist toward him; he won't bite you." She extended her arm tentatively toward Shadow, taking it very slowly. Shadow sniffed the proffered hand and then licked it. "Now, extend your fingers and scratch his ears," Dillon told her. She did as he asked, and suddenly found her lap filled with the forepaws of a huge Chocolate Lab. "Alright, you've made friends Shadow. Now go lay down," Dillon told him. Shadow dutifully jumped down and went to the corner of the kitchen, followed by Sandy, and both of them laid down watchfully. Dillon, Berry, and I just looked at each other and then around the room. Lt Anderson broke the silence when he told us, "After you boys left so abruptly, Sgt. Reid followed you to the door, but the dogs wouldn't let her out. She was backing up into the room when Mister Wilson told her that it would be best if she just came back and sat down, and waited for you boys to return." Now everything became clear; whenever a stranger makes a fast or threatening move toward Dillon or me, Shadow automatically goes into guard dog mode to defend us. It was all we could do to keep our giggles in check and to not break out laughing. Berry didn't understand, so he just stepped in and handed the papers to Lt. Anderson. "I also copied the license stuff for David's car," he told him as he was scanning the papers. "This looks like a vehicle title or something," Lt. Anderson told us. "Didn't I copy the right stuff?" Berry asked. "I got a piece of paper from his glove box that said State of California on it, but I didn't know what all the numbers were, so I just copied down everything," he said up to a smiling Lieutenant. "No son, you did just fine. We'll be able to find his car with the license number here," he said, pointing to some numbers on the paper. "Are you sure about this son? This car is brand new." "Yes, that's right," Berry answered. "Dad gave it to him for his birthday about three months ago," he told us, looking very dejected. The Lieutenant looked over the rest of the papers and read what was written about each friend. He did a double-take when he saw the last page that had the header "enemies," but he seemed to know what it was all about, and didn't say anything. "Well, I think we have everything we need now. We'll put out a pick up order on David, and we'll try to contact the parents at the Mayor's ranch," he said to everyone at large. I almost choked when I saw Sgt. Reid edge past him and walk the long way around to get to the front door. I looked over and saw that Shadow had raised his head and was watching her every move. "Berry, you will need to go to court after we arrest your brother. Are you ready for that?" "Yes sir," he almost spit out, "Anything to make him stop hitting me." "Good for you son," the Lieutenant said putting his arm on Berry's shoulder. Berry winced when he hit a bruise or two, and the cop immediately withdrew his hand. "Sorry Berry, I didn't think," he apologized, to which Berry just smiled up at him. Then he turned and said to my parents, "We'll get all of this paperwork filed on Monday morning, and we should have the boy in custody by then. I assume that it's ok with you folks that he stays here until Monday when we can make a determination as to what will happen." "Oh yes, of course," my mom answered, "But what do you mean, "make a determination"?" she asked. "Well, we'll have to investigate all that you and Berry have told us, but it sounds like there's more than enough evidence to hold both the brother and the father for abuse, and maybe even the mother for neglect by letting it happen. We'll just have to wait and see how this all plays out, but maybe Berry will have to be made a ward of the state. Let's not worry about all of that right now; we'll get started looking for David and the parents, and just go from there." What the cop said scared the hell out of me, and I looked over my shoulder to see if Berry had heard him. Berry and Dillon were still in the dining room and I locked eyes with Dillon for a moment. He got a questioning look on his face, but I shook my head and mouthed to him `Later.' As dad went to the door with the cops, I pulled mom aside and asked her, "Mom, what are we gonna do now?" "Why Garret, I'm surprised that you even need to ask," she admonished me, but then she smiled and opened her arms to me. I knew then that whatever happened, they would be right there to help Berry, and the rest of us. `I'm sure glad my family loves me,' I thought as I got and received a big hug. "Are you ok now?" she asked as she pulled back from me. When I nodded back, she followed up with, "Then you'd better go see to your friends. And Garret, don't worry about telling Berry anything; he's a lot stronger than he looks, and I'm sure you'll find the words when the time is right." I wasn't so sure, but I trusted her, so I walked over to Dillon, Berry, and the dogs. "What was that all about?" Dillon asked me. "I'll tell you both later," I replied, "After the cops leave." We both noticed that the lady cop wasted no time getting out to her car and driving off, while the Lieutenant said his good-byes, walked to his car, and casually drove away. I looked up at my mom and dad, and they looked like somebody had died, or something. "C'mon guys, let's go downstairs," I told them, much to the visible relief of my parents. The dogs followed us as we slowly moved down the stairs, and I was carefully watching my little friend Berry while Dillon seemed to be in a good mood. But then he hadn't heard what the cop said at the door, and I wasn't looking forward to telling Berry. Dillon went over and sat on the edge of the fold-out bed, tossing a football leisurely up in the air and catching it. When he saw me, he said, "Cheer up Garret, everything's all done. That asshole David will get what's been coming to him for years." I was standing in one spot, feeling like I'd been punched in the gut, and I guess looking like it too. "Yeah, I know," I whispered, "But that's not all." Dillon finally figured out that there was something drastically wrong and he missed the ball and it bounced on the back of Shadow who was of course right at his feet. I looked over at him and saw his face lose all it's color and he sat there frozen like a statue. "Berry, the cop said something at the door that you'd better know about," I told him. He was already just barely holding it together and his eyes were brimming with tears. "Wha...what do you mean?" he hesitantly asked. I walked over, took his hand, and led him to the bed, then sat next to my boyfriend but still holding the little boy close. I didn't know how to say this, so I figured that the best way was to just say it outright. "Berry, that man cop, Lieutenant something--" "Anderson," Dillon supplied. "Yeah, Anderson," I repeated. "He told my parents as he was leaving that they would be investigating, but there seemed to be more than enough proof of everything that David had done, and that he thought they could also stop your father from beating on you too." I took a deep breath, looking from one to the other of my friends, then said, "But he also said that maybe they would arrest your mother too for allowing it to happen." At that point, Berry lost it and started blubbering like a little baby and fell into my arms. Dillon said, "Oh no..." as the full impact hit him and he put his hand on my shoulder as I held the bawling boy. It took several minutes of comforting by both of us before Berry got himself under control. "But... but what's gonna happen to me?" he choked out as he was trying valiantly to get it together. Dillon and I exchanged looks before I was able to form some words that maybe wouldn't scare the poor guy. "Nothing's going to happen to you Berry, you didn't do anything," I said, thinking that he was worried about also being taken into custody. "I... I... I shouldn't have said anything. I should have just kept quiet. Now... now I don't got nobody left to take care of me," he managed, and the impact of what he was saying hit me. "Of course you do -- you've got Dillon and me, and I know that my folks are gonna let you stay here until things get sorted out. They said so just before we came down here," I told him. "Why would they do that?" he cried into my shoulder, "Nobody wants ME!" I hugged him tight and let him get it all out. And wouldn't you know, that's just the time that my mom opened the door upstairs and hollered, "DILLON, can you come here a moment?" He looked at us and I just nodded my head to him. He walked over to the stairs and I heard her say, "Dillon honey, your mom called and said that they're on their way back home. They should be there by 4, and want you dressed and ready to go to dinner. She said you'd know what it was about." "Thanks mom, yeah I know about it. They've been meeting this big deal client for the last couple of days, and tonight we're all supposed to go to dinner. I'll head home about 2 so I can be ready," he told us all. He walked back over to us and sat down. "Shit, I forgot all about that. Are you guys gonna be all right?" Berry pulled back away from me and nodded. Dillon reached over to the table, retrieved a Kleenex, and handed it to him. Berry wiped his eyes and blew his nose in a very loud honk that broke the tension and got us all to laughing. I couldn't resist, so I reached up to his ribcage and tickled, which instantly got Berry squirming and trying to get away. I let him go and he stepped back and smiled down at us. "Thanks guys, I'm really glad you're my friends. Garret, are you sure I can stay here?" When I nodded vigorously, he got a wicked glint in his eye and giggled. Dillon and I looked at each other and then back at Berry. "Does this mean that I can get fucked by my brothers now?" And we all started laughing again as Dillon and I realized the change in circumstances -- I guess we are brothers now. We stayed in the rec room and talked for a while, but the dogs started to get restless. We all headed out the door to the back yard when we heard the sliding doors open onto the patio upstairs. As we went into the yard, we saw that mom and dad had made up some drinks and brought them outside under the canopy. When we went onto the deck, we saw that not only was there drinks waiting, but they had also made up lunch. In all the excitement, we had forgotten, but the sandwiches and salads looked good and reminded us. We set about filling our plates and moving off to sit and eat. It was all kinda strange since no one was chatting away like usual. Then it hit me -- where are the girls? "Mom, where're the girls?" I asked. "Garret, I know a lot has happened, but honestly, sometimes I think your mind is like a sieve. Your dad took them to the Girl Scout Campout this weekend. And the way things have worked out, I'm glad they're not here," mom answered, getting exasperated with me. "Sorry mom, I just had a lot of other things on my mind," I said quietly. Mom saw my reaction, got up from the table where she was sitting and came over to us on the step, and sat down. "No baby doll," she said and I winced at the family nickname that just won't go away, "It's me who's sorry. I shouldn't have gotten short with you. The girls not being here isn't nearly as important as looking after Berry right now, is it. Berry," she said looking over toward him, "Are you ok with staying with us for a few days?" When Berry didn't say anything, I looked over to see why. He seemed frozen like a deer in the headlights. "I... I..." he stammered, and I saw his eyes getting wet again. I started to set my plate down, but I wasn't fast enough. I always knew I was loved, but mom's reaction was just the greatest. Before either Dillon or I could react, she was up and had Berry wrapped in her arms, and he was crying his eyes out, again. I was standing by this time, looking at them sitting there. I saw Dillon shrug, not knowing what all was going on in the kid's head, but when I looked up at dad, he was just beaming all over. I guessed then that since Dillon and I had always had this kind of love and respect in our homes, it was just overwhelming for poor Berry. "What's gonna happen to me now, Mrs. W?" I heard him whisper as he looked up at my mom's face. She just held him tight and sighed. "I don't know Berry, but there's one thing that you have to remember -- always. No matter what happens, you will always have a home here with us. I know all of this has really happened fast, and now with the police trying to end it, we'll just have to wait and see," she patiently explained. "Now, back to my question -- are you ok with staying here with us for a few days?" Berry looked up at her and then pushed back a little, straightened his shoulders, and said, "Yes ma'am, I am. Thank you all very much for taking up for me. I've never had anybody watch out for me like this before - usually it's only me and mom and she has to keep quiet cause of dad. I just kinda need to get used to it, I guess." "You're not alone anymore, little man," my dad popped up with from sitting at the table. Berry looked back at mom, and she just smiled back at him. Berry got up from the step and ran across the deck to dad's waiting arms. They exchanged some words, but I couldn't hear what they said, but I DID notice that Berry rose on his toes and gave dad a quick kiss on his cheek, making him blush. Much more calmly now, he retuned to the step where we were sitting, picked up his plate, and continued with lunch, but not really looking at any of us. We finished lunch quietly, each of us in our own thoughts. The three of us helped clean up and take everything back inside then dad asked, "So what have you guys got planned for this afternoon?" We all just kinda looked at each other a little flustered since we really didn't have anything planned. Dillon spoke up first and reminded us that he had to head home soon to get ready to go out with his parents tonight. Dad just looked over at Berry and me and waited for an answer. "Well, I hadn't really thought about it dad, but maybe we could head over to the court and see if there are any guys there and maybe shoot some baskets." "Good, I'm glad to hear that," he replied. We just kinda looked at each other, so he continued, "You guys need to get out now that the weather's good. You know it'll get real hot later in the summer, but now you need to be outside instead of playing those video games all the time." I rolled my eyes, expecting another lecture about spending too much time in front of the computer, and dad caught me doing it. "Ok, ok, I get the message, but you do need to get out in the fresh air and sunshine. Besides, I think I'm gonna take your mom to a real mushy movie this afternoon." I was flabbergasted, and my jaw dropped. "DDAAAADD!" "What's the matter, can't us `old folks' have any lovin' sometimes?" Which got him a jab in the ribs from my mom. "C'mon Berry; it's getting really strange around here," I said as the three of us headed for the safety of the rec room. "What was all that about?" Dillon asked me as we got downstairs. "Oh, they just get kinda mushy sometimes. I guess dad's just extra horny today or something," I said as I grabbed the basketball from the shelf and headed to the door. Dillon and I had had a long talk once about our folks having sex, and even though it was kinda gross to think about, I guess it was just the way things were. "Uuhh, Garret?" Dillon said, "Aren't you gonna put on shorts to go to the court?" I looked down at my jeans, and then shook my head at myself as I headed to the laundry room to find something cooler to play in. I found a pair of satiny Addidas that weren't too bad, so I shucked my jeans and my boxers, and slipped them up my legs. "Garret, do you have anything I could wear?" Berry asked. Looking over his small frame, I knew that anything of mine would just fall off. Then I remembered that we could just "pop over to his house" for him to change. "Damn, and you don't have any other clothes either, do you. Well, we'll work something out," I told him as my mind was turning over different ways that he could get some clothes. I noticed that he had walked over to the clothes basket and was fingering some white Umbros. "What about these? They're clean; can I wear them?" he asked. I didn't have the heart to tell him that they were my younger sister's, so I told him, "Sure, I forgot about those." He wasted no time in dropping his pants and undies on the bed, and slipping the clingy fabric up his slim legs. "Damn!" I said when I saw that he filled them out a lot better than my sister ever did. He turned around and blushed when he saw where I was looking. If I thought the taught fabric across his ass was nice, he really looked good in front. In fact, he looked so good, I started getting hard. All Dillon did was chuckle when he saw my predicament, which didn't help at all. "Let's head upstairs and ask the folks about your clothes, then we can go to the park," I said to distract everyone. We headed back upstairs and found mom and dad in the kitchen, and I got the strangest feeling that we had interrupted something. "Uhh, I let Berry borrow a pair of MY shorts to play in; is that ok?" I asked as I saw mom's eyes widen when she saw what Berry was wearing. "He doesn't have any of his clothes over here, and he's gonna need some for school if he's gonna be here for a while." "Sure, that's fine, and he looks good in YOUR shorts too," she answered, catching my inference. "And you're right; he'll need clothes for a few nights and days. I'll tell you what, why don't you guys be back here about 6 for dinner, and then your dad can go with you over to Berry's house so he can get what he'll need?" "Great mom, we'll be home by then," I said as the three of us headed to the door for our escape. Dillon had to get Shadow's leash on him, and since Shadow was going, Sandy was NOT going to be left behind. I knew we'd be at the court, so I grabbed the reel-leash we had for him and clipped it on his collar. By then both dogs were really antsy, and it was all we could do to get them to `heel' as we navigated the door, gate, and yards. We walked the block or so toward the park chatting and playing grab-ass like we were old friends. When we got to the corner, we said goodbye to Dillon and said we'd see him later, and then headed across the street and into the park. As we approached the court, we saw that there were other boys, bigger boys, already there. I saw Berry tense up a bit, but then I saw that it was Sean and Gabe who were playing, so I knew that we'd be ok. "Hi guys, can we play too?" I asked as they took notice of us. "Well, if it isn't my little buddy," Sean said as he walked over toward us. "Haven't seen much of you this week, Garret, is everything all right?" Trust Sean to notice. "Yeah, everything's ok," I responded, "Just been doin' other stuff. You know how it is," I joked back. "This is my friend Berry," I said introducing him. He was kinda bashful until Gabe swept him off his feet and started tickling him. "OOWWWW," Berry howled, "Let me down," looking kinda scared. "Not until I can wipe that frown off your face, little guy," Gabe said in his usual jovial sing-song voice. Berry immediately stopped squirming and looked at his kindly face. Suddenly he could see that he wasn't gonna be hurt and broke into a wide grin. "That's better," Gabe said as he set him gently back down on the concrete. "Hey, aren't you David's little brother?" Michael (he doesn't like to be called `Mike') asked. Berry looked a little frightened, but before he could say anything, Michael continued. "Sorry to hear that the cops are after your brother. They stopped by my place about an hour ago asking about him." `Wow, they really are working fast,' I thought. Gabe and Sean exchanged looks, and then looked over at me. "This cute little guy is asshole David's little brother?" Sean finally asked. "Michael, how come the cops were talking to you?" "David and I used to be friends, but after he got to high school and started whackin' on guys, I quit being friends with him. Man, he's bad news," Michael answered. "Berry, how come they're askin' `bout David? What'd he do; rob a store or something?" he asked, kinda making a joke out of it. Berry looked over at me and I nodded back to him, expecting him to pull up his shirt and show the guys. Instead, he turned around and dropped his shorts, exposing his cute little black and blue butt. "My gawd," Gabe said, who was standing closest as he reached over and lifted Berry's shirt. "He did all this?" Berry just shook his head as he adjusted himself, turning back around. "I hope they cut his balls off," Michael whispered, but with an iron edge in his voice. When he looked up at us, I could see tears forming in his eyes. "I know what it was like when my step-dad would come home drunk," he answered our questioning looks, "Until the cops finally put him away for it. Mom wised up and divorced his ass, and married this really nice guy who's now my dad." "Dude, I've known you for years," said Kevin, "And I never knew that." "All of that happened before we moved here from Wyoming when I was ten," Michael quietly replied. Kevin gave him a hug, and it seemed to me that is was more than just a friendly hug between buddies. `Well, maybe Dillon and I will be ok after all,' I thought to myself as I watched the exchange between friends. "Garret, I know you can't shoot from far out," Sean kidded with me, "But you're a pesky little devil up close. But I don't know how good Berry is." I looked over to Berry and grinned, and he stole the ball out of Sean's hand, whirled, and sunk a clean shot for three points. All the guys' jaws dropped as they just stood there watching the exhibition. "Gaawwdd damn!" Sean exclaimed, "He's on our team," he said as he gave Berry a high five. "C'mon Garret," Kevin said to me, and swatted my butt as we moved down court. I saw that both he and Michael were shirtless, so I pulled mine over my head and threw it to the edge of the court. `Damn, I'm gonna have to worry about getting hard,' I thought as I saw the barely clad boys moving around the court. We started playing and as things went along, it seemed like they were pulling out the stops as they could see that Berry and I could both play, despite our smaller size. We played for about an hour with the normal fouls, arguments, and hassles that always come up at a neighborhood game like this. I noticed that the guys didn't have a problem handing off to Berry; in fact, they seemed to favor him most of the time when they could get it in close. He never seemed to miss whenever he made a shot. We were all getting pooped, and finally Gabe called, "TIME!! I gotta get some water guys," and headed toward the water fountain. We all thought that maybe that was a good idea, and followed him. After we all swallowed like desert camels, we just kinda collapsed onto the grass in the shade. I walked over and unhooked Sandy from the leash to let him run around a little as we rested. He immediately bolted for some birds nearby, but came trotting back after they took flight. He went over to the base of the fountain and started lapping up the spilled water. "Where'd you learn to shoot like that Berry?" Michael asked as we were all catching our breath. "Well...uhh...when you hafta spent a lot of time by yourself `cause of your big brother," and we all just nodded, knowing what he was referring to, "You shoot a lot of baskets from all over the driveway." "Well, you're sure got good at it," Michael replied. "Just how old are you Berry?" he asked. I could see that Berry got kinda flustered and he quietly said, "Ten." "No shit?" Michael responded, "Hell, I thought you were just small but that you were the same age as this freak is," he said as he slapped my leg. "Damn, that means you're not gonna be in high school while I'm still there," he stated rather astonished at the news. "Well, you're definitely welcome to come play with us anytime you want to guy." "Hell yeah," Kevin seconded, "Maybe we can help you with some moves as you grow up, then you'll really be good when you do get there." "Thanks guys," Berry quietly responded, "I've never had any friends to play with before. Usually my brother would just run them off." Berry couldn't see but I saw the guys grimace as they heard him talk, kinda getting the drift of what he had to deal with. Before it got to much of a downer, I got back up and said, "Well, are we gonna play some more?" "Heck yeah, we just got started," Gabe said as he offered Berry and Sean a hand up. We walked back over toward the court when he said, "Hey guys, it's about time we got to take our shirts off. How about it?" We just kinda shrugged and reached for our shirts as Gabe and Sean started to pull theirs off. I saw Berry hesitate for a second, but he grabbed the hem of his shirt and pulled it over his head. "SON-OF-A-BITCH!" Kevin hollered and we all looked to see what he was talking about. Our eyes shifted from him to see that he was staring at Berry's very bruised chest. "Maybe I better leave," Berry muttered and turned from the court. It only took Sean about three steps to catch him by his hand and turn him around. We could all see the tears flowing freely down Berry's little pixie face. "NO!" he almost shouted, but then calmed and spoke very softly. "Berry, don't go. We were just shocked at seeing the rest of you. We really do want you to stay and play ok? - - - Please?" Berry looked over at the rest of us enthusiastically nodding our heads, looked back at the genuine compassion in Sean's eyes, and lunged for his new friend. "Thank you guys," he blubbered into Sean's shoulder, "You're really nice," and hugged him tight, which was returned by the much larger Sean. A couple of minutes passed and Berry leaned back out of the embrace. Sean took his shirt that he still held, and gently wiped Berry's eyes. "You better now?" he asked gently. Berry nodded his head and let Sean stand back up. They walked back toward us and we finished taking our shirts off or putting them on so we could continue the game. Kevin picked up the ball and walked over to Berry. "I'm sorry guy; I didn't mean to make you cry. I've never seen anything like that before," he said down to the boy. "Here, it's your turn to take it out," and he smiled at the shocked little boy. Berry took the ball out and threw it in to Sean. The game picked up from there and we played the rest of the afternoon, not paying any attention to Berry's bruises anymore. "What time is it?" I asked Michael during a lull since he was the only one wearing a watch. "About 5:30," he answered, "Why?" "Berry and I hafta be home for dinner by 6," I told him. "Well I'm beat too," he said. "Hey guys, I've had enough," he told the rest of us. "Damn, I've been ready to quit for half an hour," Gabe said walking back over to us, bouncing the ball lazily in his big hands. "Well why didn't you say something prick?" Sean responded and fisted his shoulder in that `guy' kinda way. "What, and let you know I was bushed?" he retorted, "Never fucking happen," he said in a good natured way. "Thanks guys for letting me play," I heard Berry say as I was pulling on my shirt. He was already dressed and had even smoothed his hair back. Sean walked over to him, took his hand as he knelt down in front of him, and said, "Anytime little buddy. You earned a place with us anytime," and he looked to the others who were nodding their heads in unison. "You're our friend now, so if that asshole brother of yours tries anything again, just call any of us, and we'll make him pay for it in school. I don't have any classes with him, but I know where his locker is. He won't get away with it ever again Berry, I promise," and he gave him a big hug. As he was pulling back, Berry gave him a quick peck on the cheek, but then saw what he did in front of all of these high school boys and started blushing. Michael bent down and said, "Do I get one too?" Berry looked up at him and didn't hesitate to repeat the quick kiss. Kevin and Gabe were right there too, all grinning from ear to ear. We grabbed our ball, said our good byes, I unhooked Sandy's leash and reeled up the extra, and we headed back toward my house. "Wow, that was the most fun I've ever had," Berry enthused as we walked. "Now I've got six new friends and four of them are in high school and will pound on David if I need them too." "I doubt that you'll need them Berry, remember all the pictures we took of him last night," I reminded him. "Oh yeah, I forgot," he said, "But I've still got more friends." He seemed to be bouncing along; he was so stoked about making new friends. We got back to the house and saw that the parent's car was in the driveway, so we all just went around to the back door and went inside. "Hi Mom!" I yelled as we closed the door behind us. "Just in time guys," she surprised us by being right beside us in the kitchen. "We stopped for KFC on the way home. I hope you like chicken Berry; Garret can't seem to get enough of it." "Anything's fine Mrs. W, I love KFC chicken. Dad would never allow us to have take-out like this. He said it just wasn't dignified," to which we exchanged glances and smirks. Dad had wisely picked up two barrels of KFC, so we were able to really pig out after all of the exercise of the afternoon. Afterward, he walked us the long way around the block to Berry's house so that he could get some clothes. Berry took us up to his room after he had slipped inside from the patio door. "Nice house," my father commented as we climbed the stairs. "My dad says that a nice house is a necessity in public life, so he makes sure that mom cleans it all the time. The only place I dare make dirty is in my room," Berry stated matter-of-factly as we entered his room. Berry grabbed his backpack from his bed, dumped out his books, and started to grab clothes from his dresser. "Uh, Berry," dad said, "Won't you need your books for school on Monday?" Berry stopped dead in his frantic activity and looked back at him over his shoulder. "Yeah, I guess I will. I forgot that this was more than just overnight," he said as he slumped onto his bed. Dad found a suitcase in the closet, set it on the bed, and started to put the books back into the backpack. Berry just looked up at him and seemed to be astonished that he wasn't in trouble. Without a word, he went to his dresser and brought back t-shirts, socks, and undies, and watched as dad slipped them into the case without saying a word. He then went to another drawer and retrieved clean, pressed jeans, and handed them to dad. Seeing the astonishment on my dad's face, he said, "My dad says that unpressed pants make me look like a slob, so he makes mom iron everything." Dad shook his head but didn't say anything. After a few more things, that seemed to be everything. "What about your toothbrush?" dad suggested, causing Berry to run to the bathroom and come back with toothbrush, toothpaste, and shampoo. Dad didn't say a word, just packed everything away. "Well, I think that's got it," he said and closed the case. We headed back down the stairs and outside, being sure to lock the front door as we left. Berry didn't say a word as we walked back home, and dad and I just made small talk. When we walked into the house, mom smiled at us and said, "Garret, why don't you take Berry and his things into your room -- IF you can wade into it, and just set his stuff on your bed -- or wherever you can find room. I'm sure you're gonna want to sleep together in the rec room again, but Berry needs someplace to put his stuff. TOMORROW mister, you ARE going to clean up that pigpen and make some room for Berry's things. Do you understand me, young man?" She obviously wasn't in the mood to be messed with, so I just hung my head and said, "Yes ma'am," very contritely, hoping she'd buy it. She didn't. Swatting me on the butt, she said, "And don't try to get around me, you ARE gonna clean your room!" I led Berry into my room and looked around. "Shit, she's right," I said to the walls, looking at all the mess. I even had to push dirty clothes off the bed to make room for Berry's suitcase. I guess not sleeping in here for the past several days kinda left its mark. I looked over at Berry and he was doing all he could to not laugh at me. "Yeah, I guess I know what I'm gonna do tomorrow." "I'll help," Berry graciously chimed in. "Believe me, I've had a lot of experience," still giggling as he set his backpack on the bed too. "Right now, I'm beat. Can we go to bed?" As I looked over at him, it finally dawned on me just how much stress he'd been under this week, and then playing basketball hard all afternoon, he had to be about dead on his feet. "Sure buddy, let's go," I said, snapped off the light, and led him back into the living room. "Mom, dad, we're bushed. We're just gonna go to bed, ok," I said. "Sure honey, sleep well," mom said, holding her arms out for a hug. I leaned down and gave her a kiss too. "Thanks for everything mom," I whispered after I gave her a kiss. "You're welcome," she said back and I thought I could see tears starting in her eyes. I got up and went over to hug dad, but as I did, I noticed that Berry just fell into mom's arms for a tight hug. They were still hugging after I finished with dad, so I decided to just leave them alone and headed on downstairs. It was a good five minutes before Berry put in an appearance, and I could see that he had been crying -- again. I just smiled at him and continued taking off my clothes for sleep. Neither Berry nor I hesitated but both just stripped naked and went to the bathroom for brushing our teeth and such. "Shit," berry said and I looked to see what was the matter. "I left my toothbrush upstairs." "Here, use mine. I don't have any cooties," and we both giggled. He brushed while I pissed, and then we switched, both finishing about the same time. I did notice that Berry was starting to get hard, but I wasn't gonna push him into doing anything -- he was really bushed. We went back in, turned out all the lights except the one next to the bed, saw that Sandy was curled up on his bed, and we slid under the sheets. I made sure the blanket was handy for when it got cooler, and reached over for the light. As I lay back down, Berry was right there, wanting to be held. He rested his head on my chest, his breathing slowing to a regular pace. I could feel his hard little pricklet pushing into my thigh, and it gave me a raging hard-on lifting the sheet to make a tent over us. I thought Berry had fallen asleep, when he said, "Garret, will you fuck me...please?" I was taken back for a moment by his straight-forward request, but then thought, `why not? It's not like we've never done it.' "Are you sure Berry? You've really had a hard day, and I don't want to hurt you," I whispered down to his hair. "Uh-huh," he said, "I really wanna feel you inside of me. Please Garret?" he almost whined and rose up to look at me. I could see real longing in his eyes and thought, `how can I deny him anything?' I reached over and retrieved the tube of KY from between the cushions where we kept it, and unscrewed the top. Berry took it from my hand and said, "Let me do it. I don't want a whole lot -- I really wanna feel you." He got a small dollop on his fingers and reached around to his behind, I'm sure smearing it where he wanted it and putting some inside. He brought his smeared hand back around and took hold of my achingly hard cock, rubbing it up and down to get me lubed. He spit into his hand and added that to the little amount of lube on my cock. He lay down next to me, turning on his side and poking his sweet little butt back toward me. I didn't think he had put enough lube on us, and really didn't want to hurt the little guy, so I snuck a little bit more and lathered it on my cock as I moved to roll up close behind him. I slid my dick between his ass cheeks, searching for his hole. I could feel my foreskin sliding a bit but my cockhead found his hole and pushed in slightly. I was getting ready to ease myself inside him when Berry suddenly rammed himself back hard, impaling himself all the way down my hard shaft. His sudden movement really took me by surprise, and it took a moment for me to realize that I was bottomed out with his plump little butt pushed hard against my pubic hairs. I eased myself out slowly, accompanied by a long groan from Berry. As I continued my slow, easy fuck of that tight, warm hole, all that could be heard from either of us was moans of excitement and pleasure. I snuggled myself up close and made as much contact as I could all along his backside. I slid my hand under his arm and gently stroked his chest. It was then that I noticed that he was softly crying. I was sure it wasn't from pain, so I just continued my slow progress in and out. I had brought both of his little nipples erect and was playing all over his chest from his developing pecs all the way down to his hard little shaft. I slid my other hand around underneath his body to help stroke his front. When Berry felt my second hand snake around to his front, he grabbed onto it and clasped it tightly to him, holding on for dear life. I was able to flex my fingers back and forth over one of his nipples, causing another long groan to emanate from deep within him. I brought my other hand back up his front and played with both little nipples at the same time. "Use your nails," he whispered. "What?" I asked, not sure of what he said. He turned his head slightly and repeated, "Use your fingernails on my nips. It really feels good." I had never done that to anyone, but I knew I would do whatever he asked of me. I started using my thumbnail and forefinger on one of his nips and he moaned slightly and pushed himself harder onto my engorged cock. I started doing it with both hands on both nips and he said, "Harder, deeper," so I really started to dig my nails into his tender flesh. In some strange way, I was really getting turned on by this new sex-play, and Berry seemed to float off into his own little world. I could feel his ass starting to constrict around my throbbing cock, and I knew he was getting close. I slid my top hand down to his hard spike and stroked him a couple of times. With a long, low growl, he started convulsing in my arms and I could feel his cocklet throb in my hand, his own fingers were forcing my grip on his nipple tighter, and his hole pulsed tightly around my shaft. I couldn't take any more and could feel my orgasm start deep in my nuts, and the sperm travel up my shaft and erupt deep inside his bowels. I was so caught up in my orgasm, I bit down on his shoulder so I wouldn't scream out loud. When my teeth touched Berry's skin, he groaned, pulled slightly forward, rammed hard back onto my cock, and started wiggling side to side. I was so far gone, I don't remember anything more than exquisite pleasure from every nerve cell in my body. I don't know how long we lay there wrapped in my arms, and enjoying the afterglow of our mutual climax. I started to pull out when I heard Berry say, "Don't -- leave it inside me `til I go to sleep. Please? I feel so safe here in your arms, I just want to know you're still here, ok?" I leaned forward and kissed his shoulder, patting him gently on the chest, and lay my head on the pillow. To Be Continued...