Date: Sat, 01 Jan 2022 12:38:01 +0000 From: Wes Leigh Subject: Misunderstood, Chapter 26 (Gay Adult/Youth) MISUNDERSTOOD By Wes Leigh This is a work of fiction intended solely for the entertainment of my readers; any resemblance to any real people or places is purely coincidental. This story is the property of the author and is protected by copyright laws. The author retains all rights. No reproductions are allowed without the author's consent. If you enjoy this story, please support the Nifty archives today with a thoughtful donation by visiting https://donate.nifty.org/. Chapter Twenty-Six Dallas grinned when Blue walked into the warehouse. "Come here, my little bitch boy. I'm gonna be your daddy all day long!" Dallas grabbed his crotch and squeezed suggestively. Blue stopped and stared at the older teen. "What the fuck you talkin' about?" The smile slowly faded from Dallas' face. "I was just making a joke, bro. Didn't mean anything by it." "How's that supposed to be funny, dude? Callin' me your bitch? I ain't your bitch, Dallas!" Dallas held his hands up. "Whoa. Hold up, little bro. Seriously, I'm sorry. I was only joking around, okay?" "It wasn't funny, Dallas." "Sorry, bro. Your dad said I was in charge of you today. He said I was to keep you in line. It just sounded kind of weird to me, so I thought I'd turn it into a joke. That's all." Blue nodded and sighed. "I get it. And I'm sorry I blew up on you, dude. I guess I just didn't feel like jokin' around this mornin'." "No problem, bro. Let's just drop it, okay. We've got a lot of stuff to deliver today, so we better get started." From there, things improved. The boys worked together, loading a sofa and love seat, a bed set with mattress, and a kitchen table. Then they drove to a new housing development, where they unloaded everything and set it up in a newly-constructed house. "Nice place, ain't it?" Blue said, looking around. "Yeah. Mighty fancy. Must be rich. They bought some of the best furniture we have at the store too. Said they would be back in a week for more." Returning to the store, the boys took a short break before loading up again. This time it was only a kitchen table and chairs. An easy delivery. When they finished carrying everything in, the customer was pleased and handed Dallas a twenty-dollar tip! "Go have a nice lunch on me," the lady said with a smile. Dallas thanked her and the boys walked out to the delivery van. As they settled into their seats, Dallas took out his cell phone and called the store, explaining that they had finished their second delivery and asking permission to get some lunch. Apparently, Blue's dad agreed, because Dallas smiled as his cranked up the truck. "You like burgers?" he asked. Blue snorted, "Do bears shit in the woods?" "I'll take that as a yes," Dallas said with a laugh. *** The boys sat in the delivery van, sipping the last of their drinks, taking their time and enjoying the break. They'd put in a hard day's work so far. Dallas glanced over at Blue and said, "Bro, I'm really sorry about this morning. You know, calling you my bitch and all." "It's okay," Blue replied. "I overreacted." "So we good now?" "Yeah. We're good." Blue offered his fist for Dallas to bump. Dallas grinned. "So ... I, ummm ... I was wondering about something." "What's that?" Blue asked, sucking up the last of his drink. Dallas began to blush. "You know, what we did that day in my hot tub, before I killed your phone ..." "Don't remind me," Blue groaned. "Yeah. I'm very, very sorry about that, but, ummmm, I was wondering ..." Blue rolled his eyes. "Dude, are you asking for another blowjob?" Dallas ducked his head, laughing. "Yeah. Could you help a guy out?" Blue didn't have to think about it long. Dallas was hot. Big, strong, muscles in all the right places. Short, curly red hair, sexy green eyes, and a monster cock. "Sure, dude." "Awesome! Hey, we don't have to be back at the store until 1:00. And, well, there's furniture blankets in the back of the truck." Blue shook his head. "You know something, Dallas. You can be pretty damned kinky when you want to be." Then he laughed. "Let's do it, dude!" *** Dallas stood with his pants and underwear around his ankles. His thick, throbbing, eight-inch cock was dripping pre-cum into Blue's mouth, who knelt before the older teen, licking under the fat mushroom-shaped tip of Dallas' man-sized cock. Blue loved the way Dallas looked. Dallas had muscles on top of his muscles, on his chest, on his shoulders, across his stomach, his thighs, his calves. Gorgeous eyes and a handsome face. And pale, soft skin, even on his cock, except for the oozing purple glans and the swollen blue veins tracing a curling path up and down the sides of Dallas' hard shaft. Blue sucked the dark cap, drawing out every drop of precum Dallas was producing, then Blue slid down and nuzzled Dallas' balls, one at a time, sucking them into his mouth and rolling them around with his tongue. They were fuzzy, covered in bright red hair, and it tickled the roof of Blue's mouth. He licked all around both balls, then licked lower, bathing Dallas' hairy taint with his tongue while stroking the heavy cock, milking out more pre-cum. He felt a drop oozing out onto his thumb, so he sucked his thumb clean and then licked the circumcised cock all over, covering it in his spit. Dallas moaned softly. "God, you're so good at that, bro." Blue snickered. "Thanks, dude." Then he slid Dallas' cock slowly into his throat, swallowing rapidly. Dallas pulled back suddenly, yanking his cock out of Blue's mouth and squeezing down on the shaft with one hand. "Wow! That was close. Almost blew my wad." Blue grinned, waiting for Dallas to push forward for more. But Dallas had something different in mind. "Drew, bro ... ummm ... I know this is kinda a lot to ask." "What? Come on, Dallas. Just say it." Dallas swallowed hard. "You think I could fuck you some time?" Blue took Dallas' cock in his hand and stroked it slowly. "You're pretty big, dude." Dallas grimaced. "I know, bro. I'm really thick, and I know I'm asking a lot and all--" Blue smiled. "Don't sweat it, dude. I've taken bigger." "You have?" "Sure." "Damn! Really?" "I said I did, didn't I? I can take you. Just need to go slow." "Fuck! Okay, ummm, so what do we do?" "You wanna do it now? Here?" Dallas shrugged. "Sure. Why not?" Blue had to think hard about it. They didn't have condoms, and he'd promised Wings long ago that he would never do it without one. But if there was anyone who should be safe, it was Dallas. He stood up and unbuttoned his jeans. He slid his pants and underwear down his legs and stepped out of them. Then wetting his fingers with spit, he gradually worked them into his ass, stretching and working his hole until it relaxed and opened up. At the same time, he spit in his other hand and slicked up Dallas' throbbing cock. Hoping he was loose enough, Blue turned and put his hands on his hips. "Go ahead," he said. "Just remember, go slow." Dallas stepped forward, eagerly pointing his cock at the younger teen's rosebud. He pressed the swollen, purple head against the puckered opening and began pushing. It refused to open at first, so he pushed harder. One more thrust, and Blue opened up, allowing Dallas to slide inside almost two inches. Blue gasped and squeezed down. Dallas waited, and when Blue relaxed again, Dallas pushed slowly, watching his thick cock stretching Blue's hole wider and wider until Dallas had slipped all the way in, pushing his curly red pubes against Blue's white butt cheeks. "I'm in," Dallas gasped. "Fuck! This is incredible!" Blue had another word in mind, but kept it to himself. Dallas wasn't the biggest he'd managed to take, but the guy was up there at the top of the list. It had also been a while. Most of his butt-fucking had been with only one lover lately, and Gray hadn't been anywhere near as thick or long as Dallas. Blue braced himself and said, "Slow, dude. Take it slow." Dallas pulled out a little, watching in amazement as the skin around Blue's hole was stretched out and tugged outward by his monster cock. Then he thrust forward, sinking into Blue again. Damn, this felt good. He pulled out slowly and shoved back in again. Faster now. Out and back in. Picking up speed. He knew Blue wanted him to go slow, but he couldn't control himself. It felt fucking great! He held Blue's hips in a tight grip and began pounding Blue's ass, making Blue cry out each time Dallas bottomed out. Dallas wanted to make it last, but it was the first time he'd ever had his cock buried to the hilt inside an ass like this. The way Blue squeezed down on every inch of his thick cock was incredible, amazing, awesome! Dallas felt his body shivering with anticipation and then shaking. He shouted, "Fuck yeah!" and then slammed himself against Blue, trying to force his cock as deep inside as possible, holding Blue tight against him as his body shook and his cock emptied itself inside the younger teen. When Dallas pulled out, huge blobs of cum slid out and dripped down Blue's legs. "Oh, damn, I'm sorry, bro," Dallas apologized, using the napkins left from lunch to wipe off the sticky globs sliding down Blue's thighs. Dallas was gentle while cleaning up Blue, giving Blue a lot to think about. Although Dallas was considerate now, he'd been like a wild animal while fucking him. Maybe that was just inexperience, but Gray had been just as inexperienced the first time they'd made love, and Gray had never been so rough and careless. Gray always had Blue's needs in mind; Dallas seemed to be more concerned about getting off. Dallas hadn't even noticed that Blue's cock was still hard, throbbing, and angry. Dallas was too busy cleaning up the cum that was bubbling out of Blue's hole and oozing out of his own, now drooping cock. Blue took a napkin and helped Dallas wipe them both down. He had to give this more thought. And his butthole hurt like a motherfucker. Dallas was a fucking monster down there, that was for sure. *** Alan Wright was waiting in the warehouse when the teens returned from lunch. They climbed out of the truck and walked into the warehouse, slightly surprised to see the boss standing there. Alan handed Dallas two slips of paper. "We had a good morning while you were out. Sold a few more pieces, and I scheduled their delivery for this afternoon." Dallas couldn't meet Alan's gaze. He was ashamed, recalling what he and Blue had just done in the back of the delivery van. "Sure thing, Mr. Wright. We'll get right on it. Come on, Drew." Blue nodded at his dad and followed Dallas into the store's showroom. Blue was walking with a slight hitch in his step. Alan stopped Blue, holding his arm. "Did you hurt yourself this morning?" Blue shook his head. "No. It's nothing, Dad. Just a little sore, that's all." Alan frowned, not believing his son. He watched the boys head toward the showroom floor to retrieve the first merchandise to be delivered. They were both acting odd. Alan walked up to the delivery van and grabbed the handle on the roll-up door. He lifted, sliding the door up and back. Walking inside the van, he sniffed the air. It was unmistakable. The van smelled like sex. *** "Nothin' happened!" Blue shouted. Alan's face was bright red. The veins in his neck were swollen and throbbing. His eyes blazed. "You're lying!" he yelled. "After all I've done for you, you pull this ... this ... SHIT ... in my own store, and then you LIE ABOUT IT!" Blue was indeed lying. There was no way in fucking hell he was going to admit to his dad what he and Dallas had done in the back of the delivery van. Lying was one thing. Blue figured he could handle the fallout from that. But telling his dad how Dallas had fucked him up the ass? No fucking way was he going to admit that. "I'm tellin' ya', Dad. Nothin' happened!" "GET OUT OF MY SIGHT!" Alan screamed. Blue got up and went to his room. He dropped down onto his bed, slamming his fist into the mattress in frustration. Good job, Blue, he told himself. Your dad is really getting used to the idea of you being gay now. Shit! Alan took out his phone and dialed a number. He put the phone to his ear and waited. "Dallas? It's Alan Wright. Dallas, I'm just going to give you one more chance to tell me. DO NOT LIE TO ME! What were you and Andrew doing in the back of the delivery van?" Alan listened, but wasn't happy with what he heard. "I don't believe you, Dallas. I know better, but apparently you and Andrew don't want to be truthful with me, so you've given me no choice. You're fired, Dallas. Come in tomorrow and get your last paycheck." Alan disconnected the call and angrily threw his phone onto the couch. Dayna stood nearby, anxiously watching her husband. She didn't know what was going on, but her husband and son had been in a non-stop argument since coming home from work. And it was getting progressively worse. And now? Firing Dallas Anderson? What was going on? Alan stomped toward the bedroom where Blue sat on his bed, head bowed. Alan took one look at the boy and snarled, "What amazes me is that in a few short weeks, you've managed to pervert one of the finest young men in our church." Blue looked up, frowning. "What are you talkin' about, Dad? Alan gritted his teeth. "You know EXACTLY what I'm talking about, Andrew. I'm talking about Dallas. He was respectful, hard-working, responsible. Everything a young man should be. I put you to work with him, hoping his good qualities would rub off on you. Hoping you'd become a better man for it. And now--DAMN YOU, BOY--it's gone the other way entirely. He's hasn't rubbed off on you. You've perverted him to your twisted, abominable behavior!" Blue couldn't take it anymore. He wanted to stand up to his dad, but he couldn't. He felt like he was five years old again, the little boy who couldn't do anything right, who kept getting yelled at for fucking up. So he did what the five-year-old often did: he fell sideways onto his bed, hugging his pillow to his face, weeping uncontrollably. Alan loathed the boy's weakness. "That's right. Cry into your damned pillow. By God, if it's the last thing I do, I'm going to make a man out of you yet!" Alan turned and stamped his way to the bedroom door and shouted, "Dayna, he gets nothing but a sandwich and water for supper. Tonight and every night until he learns to honor his mother and his father!" Then he slammed the bedroom door shut behind him, leaving Blue shaking with soul-deep sorrow. *** "Andrew?" Blue felt a gentle touch on his shoulder. He dropped the pillow and saw his mother leaning over him, concerned. "Sweetheart, please talk to me. Tell me what happened today at work." Blue shook his head slowly. "I can't, Mom. I just can't. Please don't ask me. Please." Dayna slowly nodded. "Very well, Andrew. I won't ask, but I can't help if you don't talk to me." Blue squeezed the pillow tight to his chest and whimpered, "Are you so sure you can help me, Mom, even if I do talk to you?" That question floored Dayna. The boy was right. What could she do? Her husband ran the house with an iron fist, bullying the boy, dominating her, refusing to budge any time he was able to justify his behavior, even if only in his own mind. Blue turned to face the wall, mumbling almost to himself, "I wish I'd just stayed in Oklahoma with Gray." Dayna sat on the edge of the bed and rubbed Blue's back. "Gray meant a lot to you, didn't he?" Blue nodded. "He loved me, mom." Dayna didn't want to know, but she had to ask anyway. "Did ... did he molest you?" Blue quickly turned and shook his head. "Never, mom. Like I said, Gray loved me. He cared about me more than his own life. He always had my back. He truly loved me with all his heart." "I love you, too, Andrew." "I know you do, mom. I never doubted that. But Gray ... it was different with Gray." Dayna nodded, finally beginning to understand what Andrew was telling her. It frightened her, because she didn't understand it fully, but she was starting to see that Gray and her son had shared a very special kind of love for each other. Dayna Wright came to a decision in that moment. She stood up, ashamed of herself and what she had allowed to happen. "I'll be right back, Andrew." She walked out of the room, closing the door behind her. Ten minutes later, she returned to Blue's bedroom carrying a plate of food. Fried chicken, mashed potatoes and cream gravy, a heaping pile of corn, and an enormous buttermilk biscuit slathered with butter. She placed the plate on the desk and encouraged Blue to sit up and come eat. Blue glanced at the plate and then looked back at his mother. "That don't look like a sandwich and water, Mom." Dayna snapped her fingers. "You're right, sweetheart. I forgot your water. Be right back." Blue had to chuckle at his mom. He sat up and sniffed the air. The food made his mouth water. He slid off the bed and sat down at the desk. Picking up a fork, he began inhaling the delicious food. The chicken was coated in a spicy layer of crust, just the way he liked it. The potatoes were light and fluffy, and the gravy was creamy goodness through and through, the way only his mother could make it. Blue bit into the biscuit and melted butter gushed out, running down his chin. He reached up and wiped the golden droplets off with one finger and licked his finger clean. His door opened again and Dayna walked in, carrying a small plate with a slice of cake and a tall glass of milk. She set both on the desk and caressed Blue's cheek. "Happy Birthday, Andrew." "My birthday isn't for another 3 months, Mom." "I know," she replied with a sad smile. "I've missed a couple of them, so I'm making up for lost time." Blue's eyes began watering. It was just what Gray had done for him once. His mom must truly love him. And for the first time, Blue realized that the love his mom had for him wasn't all that different from the love Gray had for him. They each expressed their love in different ways, but at its heart, their love was the same. It was unconditional. It was infinitely forgiving. It was much like the love Father Soto said God had for his children. Dayna took a napkin and dabbed at the teen's cheeks. "I know it's not the homecoming you were hoping for. It's not what I was hoping for, either, but I'm determined to make a few changes around here starting immediately. I'm done allowing a certain someone to tell me what I can and cannot do when it comes to my precious boy." Blue put his fork down and stood up, taking his mom into his arms and hugging her with all his might. *** Blue had to give his mom credit for trying. The argument between his parents was epic. Even with his door closed, he heard most of it. "As much as I love and respect you, Alan, I can't let you keep treating Andrew this way." "I'm doing it for his own good, Dayna. Surely you can see that." "I see that you BELIEVE it's for his good, but you're doing more harm than good." "So YOU say, Dayna. But what have we gained doing it YOUR way? He's a crybaby, a homosexual, a limp-wristed momma's boy. He can't make it in this world like that. And I intend to turn him around." "Alan, you aren't turning him around. You're DESTROYING him! He thinks you hate him." "What do you expect me to do, Dayna? You won't let me send him back to the Retreat. They were making real progress on him." "Progress!? They were torturing him! Abusing him!" "They were teaching him that homosexuality is an abomination. They were teaching him to control his body and his urges. What's wrong with that, Dayna? How else can we straighten out his head and turn him into a man?" "HE IS A MAN, ALAN! He doesn't need to be subjected to more brainwashing and torture. He doesn't need to be straightened out. He doesn't need any of that. All he needs is our love!" "Fine. Then you love him in your way; I'll love him in my way. One day you'll both appreciate what I'm trying to do for him. He's never lived in the real world. He doesn't know what he'll be facing. He needs my help, or he will fail miserably in life." "I would suggest that three years living on his own taught him a great deal about the real world." "Nonsense, Dayna. That's not the real world. That's nothing like the real world. All it taught Andrew was how to use perversion and wickedness to get your next meal." "And so you think giving him a sandwich for every meal will teach him ... what? How to starve in his own home?" "Fine! You can feed him better food. But, damn it, Dayna, that boy WILL learn to respect and honor us. We're his parents, for God's sake." "Don't you think he knows that? Don't you realize how hard he's trying?" "He's not trying hard enough." "What more do you want from him?" "I want him to LISTEN. I want him to OBEY. I want him to uphold our family's good reputation, not tear it down even more by corrupting other young men." "You don't have any proof of that, Alan." "I don't need proof, Dayna. I know what they were doing." "Andrew said nothing happened. I'm guessing Dallas said the same." "Of course, he did. They aren't going to admit it." "Then you have no proof. You can't go around accusing these boys of something that could be simply the result of your fertile imagination." "FINE! I'll let Dallas know that he isn't fired. But Andrew IS coming to work tomorrow, and he IS doing exactly what I say, when I say it, how I say it will be done. I'm keeping a close eye on them, and if either one steps out of line the least little bit, I'm dropping the hammer on both of them." "Alan, you can't do this. Don't you see? You're driving your boy away." "Hah! Dayna, if he's going to keep acting this way, I won't claim him as my son anymore. Had I known he was going to be this way, I would have locked the door and never let him back in my house." "ALAN! You can't seriously mean that!" "I do mean it, Dayna. Before that boy came back, my life was peaceful. I was beginning to fix all the harm he caused by what he did with Downing. Now that he's back, I'm afraid he's going to mess it all up again. By God, I won't let that happen, Dayna. I won't have our family's reputation dragged through the sewers again. I'll disown him first!" Though the argument had gone on for another hour, Blue had stopped listening. He'd wrapped his pillow around his head and pressed it against his ears, trying to shut out the hate and rejection before it could settle into his heart. Unfortunately, he was too late. *** With a broken spirit, Blue set out on an impossible mission. He decided it was his responsibility and his alone to fix the mess he called family. First, he planned to stop the slow destruction of their relationship by working even harder to please his dad. Blue made it his goal to somehow gain his father's approval by holding his tongue and busting his ass in the store, which is what he did. But his father never seemed to notice. If anything, his father treated him worse. He forced Blue to clean the warehouse, sweeping over and over until not a speck of dust remained on the floor. Then wash the windows, inside and out, removing every minute spot. After that, into the bathrooms. Scrub every fixture, every wall, every baseboard. Next, vacuum the carpets. Move each piece of furniture and vacuum under it. Move the beds. Vacuum under them. Then back to the warehouse to start all over again. Day after day. Blue saw Dallas several times every day, but they never talked, barely catching each other's eyes. Dallas even seemed a little angry, maybe blaming Blue somehow for everything that had happened. Whenever the two were close enough to talk, Dallas always turned and found somewhere else to be. Then one day, Blue had had enough. Waiting until the older boy was working in the back of the warehouse, rearranging boxes of recliners to make room for a new shipment, Blue marched in, broom in hand, and began sweeping his way towards where Dallas worked, stopping when he reached the aisle where Dallas was shifting the heavy boxes around. Blue leaned the broom against the wall and walked around the corner to confront the guy. "Hey, Dallas." "Huh? Oh, hi, Drew." "Need help?" "Oh, ummm, no. I got this." "I don't mind. I finished my sweeping." "Nah, I can manage it. No problem." "Ok. Just looks like you have a lot to handle. You're sweatin pretty hard, after all." "Drew--fuck! Just let me do my job, okay." "I ain't stoppin' you, dude." "Drew! Damn it! If your dad sees us talking, I'm in deep shit. I can't afford to be fired a second time. My parents will kill me!" "So we can't even talk?" "NO! We can't. That's what I was told. Weren't you told the same thing?" "I wasn't told anything. Except clean this and clean that and don't fuckin' stop." "Then just ... just do what you're told. Okay? And leave me alone." "If that's how you want it." "That's how I want it." Blue turned away and retrieved his broom. He'd planned to sweep his way back out of the warehouse without looking back, but he peeked at Dallas one more time. What he saw would stick in his memory for the rest of his life. The tall, muscular teen was hunched over, frantically rubbing tears from his eyes, shaking slightly. Vulnerable, not strong. Hurting, not powerful. Blue began to doubt himself at that point. Could his dad be right? Could he be causing the downfall of his family as well as corrupting innocent young men like Dallas Anderson? Blue decided he'd have to try harder, much harder. For two weeks, he did just that. Blue tried his best. He did everything his dad asked, yet the situation never improved. His dad was angry from the moment he saw Blue as they climbed into the car to leave for work until the end of the day when they clocked out, drove home, ate dinner, and went to their separate rooms. The only words his dad spoke to him were barked instructions on which part of the store he was to clean next. In a way, it was even worse than being yelled at. At least when his dad was screaming at him, they were communicating in some twisted, fucked up way. For two weeks, Blue endured the torture. Then one day, after a wretched day of working under his dad's constant supervision, they arrived home to see a contractor installing wrought iron bars on the windows of the house. His dad mumbled something about extra security. But Blue noticed that the first window they were working on was his bedroom window. It was now bolted in place. It couldn't be opened from the outside, or the inside, for that matter. *** Blue retrieved his backpack from the closet. He opened it up and placed it on the bed. Pulling out the top drawer of his dresser, he took out a few pairs of underwear and socks and dropped them in the bottom of the backpack. On top of those, he placed two pairs of jeans and three shirts. That was about all he could fit inside and still zip it closed. He took a light jacket out of the closet and put it on. It was September, and he would need the jacket. Then he reached up and pulled his black Stetson hat off the shelf, placed it on his head, and tapped it into place. Turning around, he saw his mother standing in the doorway to his bedroom, crying silently. Blue swallowed nervously and said, "I gotta go, Mom." She nodded. "I know." "I'm sorry. I really tried." "Yes, I know you did." She sighed and added, "Andrew, give me one minute, please." "I don't wanna be here when he gets back." "It won't take long, baby. Just wait. Please." She left the room. Blue turned in a small circle, trying to think of anything he might be leaving behind that he would need. Nothing came to mind. He'd long forgotten about his broken cell phone in the floor behind the bed. Dayna Wright returned holding King's leash. "Please take him with you. I will feel better knowing he's watching over you." Blue walked up to his mom and took the leash from her hands. He leaned in and kissed her cheek. "I love you, Momma." She choked back a sob. "I love you too, Andrew." She took his hand and placed cash in his palm. "It's all I have in the house. A hundred and twenty dollars. I know it's not much, but it should help a little." Blue slid the money into his pocket and kissed his mom again. "It'll be enough. I'll be fine, Momma. I'll call ya' when I can." He walked around his mom and summoned King. Latching the leash onto the dog's collar, he led King to the front door and opened it. He almost walked through the door without looking back, but he remembered doing that same thing to Gray and he remembered how bad he felt afterward. Not making that mistake again, he decided. He turned around and looked his mother in the eye, silently communicating his undying love for her, before turning back and walking down the sidewalk, King trotting at this side. *** Just outside of Amarillo, Blue was picked up by a young family in a minivan. The dad told him he was far too young to be hitchhiking. The mom offered him a sandwich and a soda. The little boy and girl rubbed King and chatted with Blue as he ate. They took him all the way to Tulsa, where he used some of his cash to refill their gas tank. The dad tried to turn him down when Blue took out his money, but Blue wouldn't hear of it. The ride had saved him a lot of time, and he much appreciated it. With their van filled up, the family drove off, both kids waving excitedly at their new friend and his big, furry companion. Blue walked inside the gas station and bought a map. Then he and King walked a few blocks down to a city park, where Blue sat under a tree and spread the map out on the grass. He checked a few things, did some adding, and turned to King. "We have 45 miles to go, big guy. Let's get to walkin'." The end of MISUNDERSTOOD, Chapter Twenty-Six