Date: Sun, 24 Apr 2005 14:15:37 -0400 (EDT) From: T Chase Subject: Nature Walk 32 The following story is a work of fiction set in the format of reality. Any resemblance to real people is entirely coincidental in nature, and is not meant to accurately reflect persons in towns, cities, or governmental areas, in which the story is staged. If sexual scenes involving male to male relationships offends you, then you should not read this story. Additionally, if you are under 18 years of age, in most states and countries, you are not allowed to read this by law. This is fiction. Don't forget, in real life, to think about 'sexual safety matters'; got condom? "Nature Walk" 32 (M/t oral 'Squirts') wriTten by T. Chase McPhee % "You keep going, Unca Mike. I'm going to hang back with Pat and Zach." Even though Gary and Mike walked fast, Gary's nephew, Zach, walked slowly behind the wheel chair, Noah dropping back to their side. "I guess you're feeling real happy about staying with Unca Gary and Mike, huh Pat?" Noah asks. "It's just for the weekend. I dread going back to the foster care place, but it's not the worst place in the world, but still it's not... well I'm going to miss you guys too." "Hey, we're going to miss you too, bud," Noah reports, leaning in to reaffirm his feelings with a neck rub. "Y'know if I could swing it, I'd let you stay with me." "In a dorm room?" Patrick questions Noah's motives. "Sure. I think." Suddenly realizing that Pat's in high school and not college, Noah asks, "Um, how old are you, Pat?" "Seventeen. I stayed back in eighth grade because I wasn't smart enough." "Cool, then you'll be eighteen soon, right? I 'did' mean cool about the '18', not the staying back." Noah sort of apologized. "I know what you meant, Noah. In a couple of months I'll be eighteen." Zach asks, "What are you driving at, Noah?" "At eighteen Pat will be his own man." But Patrick reaches his own assumptions. "My own man? Huh! I screwed up big time trying to be my own man." "Hey, what happened to you anyway, Patrick?" Noah asks, inquisitively. "Yeah," Zach inquires, "you're a victim of a gay bashing?" "Oh man did I screw up!" At that moment the rolling along halted. Zach bent over the handicapped chair to try to get a look at the face below. Noah looked down, squatting when he spotted Patrick holding his face with both hands. "Pat, what's wrong, man?" Noah asks. "Told ya. I screwed up and fuckin' bad!" The twenty and twenty-one year old didn't know what to think, but people began encroaching on their territory. "Um, Zach, I don't think this is the ideal time for a discussion." "Right, Noah, um. Why don't we hustle it up the road a few feet?" Zach strongly suggested. "Great, Zach. Okay, I'll take it first." "I'm okay with Patrick, Noah." "Alright, but when you get winded, let me know, Zach." "Oh, I will!" So, Noah checked out Patrick's feet to make sure they cleared the pavement. Zach started out slow, pressuring the handles of the mobile unit, beginning a leisurely pace. Within minutes he picked up a fast walk. Noah, acting the part of a slavedriver, jogged ahead, beckoning Zach to pick up the pace. "What do you think of that Noah, Patrick? I probably should have let him ferry you along!" Patrick didn't answer, but started to think that out of all the guys he knew and outside of Bill Wade that amounted to zilch, Noah and Zack turned out to be the only two that cared more than piddley-squat about him. Thoughts like that lifted his ego a bit, turning from the dark shades of his involvement in the gay bashing of Connor Matthews. Looking onward, Patrick thought of the lanky body of Noah, a resemblance of 'Shaggy' from 'Scooby-doo', with a shorter cropped haircut. His mind roamed and each time Noah turned to wave Zach to speed things up, Patrick caught the jogging shorts cling to Noah's butt. He wondered why a guy that's not gay, himself, thought of a guy's rounded butt. Same thing happened this morning, in the kitchen. When Noah bent over to take the food out of the oven, he eyed up those two rounded buns, so white and smooth looking. Another thing that hit Patrick is when Noah showed Zach the grease spot on his stomach. Why did his lower reaches twitch when he saw the closeup view of Noah's bod? "C'mon Zach! Speed it up!" Zach threw the towel in. "Oops! Hope I didn't give you whiplash, Patrick!" Then yelling to Noah, "C'mon trackstar! You're turn at the grindstone!" "No problem man!" Noah played back to Zach, flapping his hand against Zach's stomach, then turning round back the chair. "Hold on, Pat. Ramming speed!" "Hmm..." Zach replied, "That what you said before you broadsided my Astin Martin?" "Isn't that one of them European rich man's cars?" Patrick almost gasped. "Um, it's European, Patrick." "You a rich guy, Zach?" Zach didn't answer Patrick. Instead he threw the conversation into Noah's ballpark. "C'mon Noah. Put some hustle into your step!" Same as Noah, Zach dogged him with thoughts of double pacing him. With Zach now in the lead, Patrick had a different perspective of looks. Then again, he already had a good look of Zach without his clothes on, as opposed to the coverup. It had been much, much more of a turn on when Zach helped soap up his bod in the shower. He recalled, smiling and laughing to himself, the long drawn out explanation Zach gave him this a.m. He even recalled the words, 'look, Patrick, I know you know Noah and I are gay and I know you're not, but in order to make sure you get good hygiene, well I'm going to have to get naked with you in the shower.' Patrick smiled, thinking of Zach's serious nature of the speech and then of how Zach kept apologizing each time he had to touch a shoulder, or side of his torso or when he almost slipped and they wound up chest to chest, Zach quickly on the rebound, explaining away the 'accidental' meeting of flesh! "Hey, Pat! You listening up?" "Um. What? No. I mean what, Noah?" "I asked if you think we can make these wheels spin faster?" "Sure, Noah. Go as fast as you want, but be careful, please!" "Don't worry, Pat. I won't do a 'Zach'!" By this time, Patrick's new thoughts and inner vision sparked excitement and he forgot about the dastard deed that occured in his life. Noah made him laugh when Zach almost tripped, turning to run, as they almost overtook the lead. % "Whew! I gotta slow down here." "Out of shape, are ye, Gary? Too many potatoes? Too much sitting behind that desk, huh?" "A little of each, I'd say. Guess maybe I should think of getting a job chasing badguys all day!" "Hee heee... for sure we lost the three stooges!" "And all along I thought you were getting to like them, Mike." "Just kidding." "I know." "Tell you the truth, Gary, I think overall all three of those guys seem to be nice. I mean, Noah's a bit wacky." "Noah? Ahem!" "Hey, don't start that choking stuff again." "Yeah. I don't have a hot jock around to rescue me!" "So's much for me, I guess. Ready to put the old man out to pasture, huh?" Gary gave Mike a quick whack in the ass. "What was that for?" "For being a bad boy... thinking such bad thoughts about yourself!" "And what about your inhibitchions?" "Haa ha ha ha ha... it's inhibitions." "I know, but my vocabulary is better suited." "Oh, so now I'm your boytoy, is it?" "Yeah. Ya think like the younguns.... and...." "Yeah... yeah... go on... say it, Mike..." "In my book, those jockboys don't have anything that you ain't got!" "Hmm... except for maybe the fast pace, Mike?" "You leave the pace up to me." "I did and look... got yourself all out of breath in bed last night!" "Hey, I can't help it if you've got a hot ass to ream!" "We better change the subject." "Why? Somebody comin'?" "No. My sweats are starting to fill!" "Change the subject, huh? Ah, okay, then. What about Noah's idea?" "Noah. What a work!" "Yeah. He sure weaseled his way in." "Can you blame him?" "Nah. He's a go getter." "Yeah, like your cock against my chute, Mike?" "Stop it, Gary. You're gonna have my crotch bloated!" "Sure. Next thing I know is you'll have me out in the woods and humped over a log!" "You're doing that on purpose, aren't you?" "What, Mike?" "Trying to get me all horned up?" "Hee heee... am I?" "Oh man am I gonna ream that ass tonight!" "Mmmmm... now what about Noah?" "Oh yeah, I meant to ask you about that." "About what Mike?" "You being a shrink and all... what do you think about group sex?" "Group sex? What-in-the-hell brought that on?" "Well, I figured I wanted to know your opinion in case the subject came up." "In a way, I wouldn't put it past Noah to come up with something like that." "Hmm... maybe that wasn't an authentic choke at the breakfast table?" "Come off it Mike. Now you're making me angry. How's I supposed to know that Noah knew that Hemlocker Movement stuff?" "Oooh c'mon, Gary. I'm only kidding." "I know, Mike and about the group sex, well I'm not really opposed to it." "Really?" "Does that surprise you, Mike?" "No, not really Gary. I'm not really opposed to it either." "Oh? Then you've been involved?" "In group sex? Nada. I mean, it's not like I haven't been asked." "Oh? And how does that go, Mike?" "Well, about two years ago..." % "Hi guys!" Philip had snuck up on the two, along with Aidan, Diego and Frankie. Jacq and Sean greeted the four urchins, questioning them about their early morning rest period. "Oh yeah, Jock. We all got to sleep again," Philip reported. Aidan replied, "As soon as my head hit the pillow my eyes closed." "And Frankie, what about you?" Jacq asked. "With Diego next to me, I fell asleep real quick!" Jacq sensed that the two bonded real fast. He had more or less guessed about Philip and Aidan, but wondered if Diego and Frankie had gay tendencies. On the surface it appeared as friendship: pals, buddies, at times chumps. "Sean?" "Yeah, Diego?" "Can you help me and my dads glue some models?" "Models?" Suddenly Jacq remained alone, as the four boys gathered around Aidan's older brother. "Oh yeah," Aidan reports, "dad-Callan came in our room last night and saw all the models." "Dadcallan? Who's that?" Sean asks. Astonished, Diego replies, "Oh yeah, guys, Sean and Jock didn't meet my new dad, yet!" "Um, what happened to the old one?" Jacq kidded the youngster. "Nuttin' Jock, but my dad has this guy who loves him," Diego picking up on the startling discovery that Callan bestowed upon him, "and he's going to be my daddy, too!" Both Sean and Jacq could see the excitement in little Diego's personality. Philip brought back the troubling thought, "But Frankie's not going to be your brother, Diego." That dimmed the light immediately in the boy's eyes. "Philip, why do you have to be a pig?" Walking up to Diego, Philip brandished a toughline temperament, saying, "I'm not a pig. You take that back, Diego!" "Hey now, wait a minute here. What's this all about?" Jacq began to referee. "My dad brought Frankie home and said he's staying with us tenderarily." "Tender? Oh, you mean temporarily Philip." "Yeah, my dad said with 'our' family." Philip still insisted, giving Diego the evil eye. "Um, can't I say who I want to live with?" Frankie throws a wrench into the works. Everybody's attention spans shift to the one in question. "Philip, I like you and Aidan a lot, but I'm banding..." "Bonding, Frankie," Jacq corrects him. "Yeah, like Jock says, I'm bonding with Diego, like you're bonding with Aidan." Philip backs off on his words. Sean suggests, "Philip, don't you have something to say to Diego?" "Shake hands now," Jacq adds, also throwing a hint in Philip's direction. "I'm sorry Diego." The little gents shook hands and for now left the discussion in limbo. "I like ya Philip. I don't want you to be mad at me." "Same here," Frankie says, in response to Diego's decision. "Hey, look, guys!" "Isn't that Connor Matthews and what's-his-name?" Sean asks. Jacq replies, "Jim Faulkner." The four boys had picked up speed when they saw not only the two high school jocks, but tables full of food and drink with crowds assembled around them, for the post nature walk communion. "How are you feeling, Connor?" "I'm doing real good, Dr. della Croix," Connor replied. "Yeah," Jim helped the diagnosis, "his abs are still bruised and it hurts him a little to roll over in bed." "Is that so?" Sean asked, highly inquisitive of how Jim would know a piece of info like that! "Um, ah... yeah," Connor fishes for some words to help Jim out, but only finds that changing the subject will help. Reaching his hand out to Sean, Connor says, "Hi, I'm Connor Matthews." "That's right," Jacq replies, "You haven't met Sean Clark, have you?" "No, I don't think I've had the pleasure," Sean replied shaking the dark blond's hand, then Jim's. "Nice to meet you Sean." "Same here, Jim." Jim paired off with Sean, as Jacq began talking with Conner. "So did you two have a nice time last night, Conner?" "That we did, Jacq." "I hope you called your mom." "Yeah. This morning. I told her you signed me out." "When?" "What's that matter, Jacq... I mean Dr. della Croix? You don't trust me?" "When?" Conner showed a toothy grin, then replied, "Okay, so I didn't let on that you signed me out yesterday." "I expect you will." "Oh c'mon Jacq.. I mean Dr...." "Jacq is fine, but lying to your mom? C'mon Conner, you should know better." "Yeah, you're right, Jacq. It's the least I owe you." "You don't owe me anything, Conner, but you owe it to yourself and your mom to tell the truth." "Yeah, I guess." "She knows your gay. Has she given you a hard time about it?" "Nooooo, not in the least." "Then what's the problem?" "Jacq. I haven't told her about Jim and I." "And do you think that would make a difference?" "I don't know. What do parents usually think?" "Well, most parents, if they see that their siblings lovers are nice, then accept them. Some even think of them as a second son. From what I can see, Jim is a very nice young man." "Yeah, but I figured since my mom is single, that maybe she would get the idea that I'm trading off her for Jim." "Hmm, it's possible, but I think what you did yesterday, by going to a motel, when she assumed you had been in the hospital is not only deceitful, but actually alienating her from your relationship. What do you think, Conner?" "I suppose." The two melded with Sean and Jim, whom stuck up some of their own conversation. "Hey, Jim?" "Yeah Conner....hey, you've got to try this pineapple upside down cake." Rather than Conner helping himself, Jim helped him, lifting his own forkful to Conner's open mouth. "Mmmm, that is good, Jim. Tastes just like the kind my mom makes. Who made it?" Jim stands there, with a dopey look on his face. "Who do you think, if it tastes like your mom's?" "Oh. I forgot. Her name on the bottom of the pan?" "Yup, dufous!" "Speaking of which, Jim," Conner looks at Jacq, then turns to Jim, taking his hand, "I think it's time you've met my mom." "But you said.." "I know, Jim, but... well, if you and I are going to be together for a long time..." Jim adds, "Like forever?" "Yeah, that long, well, I think my mom should know." "Um, hate to break up this lovely handholding," Jacq informs the two, "but it looks like your mom is headed in this direction." The hands broke apart faster than lightning. Conner asks, "You don't think she saw us, do you?" "I think you're safe," Sean reports. "Well, see you guys." "Jacq, aren't you going to stay?" "For what Conner?" "Moral support?" "Use him!" Jacq points his thumb at Jim, then takes away Sean, spotting the liquid refreshment table. "The pineapple upside down cake is great, mom." "What? No hug?" As Conner takes his mom in his arms, he peers over her shoulder at Jim, whom gives him the thumbs up and a smile. "Mom?" "Yes, son? Are you all better? Still hurt anywhere? I'm so glad you're up and about again." "Mom?" "Oh my, I think that hospital food slimmed you down..." "Mom?" "You're as skinny as a rail, son. I better get you home and..." "Mom, this is Jim." Jim steps around to the duo, transforming it, hopefully into a welcomed trio. "Hello, Jim. It's always nice to meet Conner's friends from school." >From the tone of voice, Conner and Jim derive information already that his mother suspects. "Mom, Jim is more than a friend." "Oh?" "Mom, Jim and I have been... um, together a lot." "Together huh?" A lull in their conversation takes place, Jim rubbing his hands together, sweating it out. "So, Jim," his mom says, not breaking the tone of voice, "have you you tried my pineapple upside down cake?" "Um, yes I have Mrs. Matthews. Quite good. Best I've tasted." "Thank you. What are you boys doing for dinner tonight?" She asks more of Conner, than Jim. "We haven't made any plans, mom." "Jim? Would your parents like to come for dinner, do you think?" "Um... sure. I don't think my parents have any plans. I have a little brother, too." "Well, before we all go and make dinner plans, I wouldn't want to embarrass you Jim. Have you mentioned either your relationship to your parents yet? Do they even know you are gay?" "Gee, Mrs. Matthews, you're being a real good sport about all of this." "Jim, two things. First, I'm taking it for what it's worth, at the moment. Like any parent, I want to see whom my son is getting before I make any rational decisions. Secondly, either call me Barbara or mom." Barbara Matthews cracked a tiny smile, which evoked the same from Jim. He made a hasty decision on the title. "Mom, if it's alright?" "That's fine. Except in which times are applicable, we'll keep it, 'Mrs.'!" "I get your meaning, 'mom'." "Alright, now it wouldn't be fitting and proper for you to invite your family for dinner, so jot your phone number down on this pad, 'son'." Jim took the pencil and post-it notepad from Conner's mom and wrote down the info requested. Before the two got away, she said to them, "Dinner is at six and formal." "Formal, mom?" Conner asks. "Yes, formal. We have to do some celebrating, I would say." "Cool, mom! Thanks!" Conner swept her up in his arms. Jim followed, saying, "Thanks, mom. I wish all mom's were like you." "Do you think your folks are going to have a problem with this, Jim?" "Not my dad, but I'm not sure about my mom." "I'm glad you've told me Jim. Let's see how I can help you with the transition." "Anything you can do would be really appreciated, 'mom'," Jim replied, still getting the namesake down pat. "All any of us can do is try. Listen, I've got to get to the Donovon's. Conner, please take care of my cakepan?" "Sure mom. You run along. Jim and I will bring it along with us." "Thank you dear." Barbara Conner left their presence. "I'd say that went well." "Better than I thought, Jim." "It didn't seem at first, though." "That's because she tested you." "Tested me? How's that go, Conner?" "By picking 'mom' over 'Barbra'." "That's all?" "Yeah. Choosing 'mom' made her see that you intend on loving me always." "Gee, maybe I 'should' call her 'Barbra'!" "Yeah right, Jim." "Hey, let's shove the cake in with the cheesecake and highttail it outta here." "Great idea, Jim." "By the way, Conner, what do you think of that guy, Sean?" "Jacq's boyfriend?" "Boyfriend? Are they gay?" "You didn't know that, Jim?" "Well, um, matter of factly, 'no'. I mean, Sean is so masculine." They vacate the cake pan, Conner licking his hand off. "Here, I'll drive." "Yeah, thanks Jim. Save my steering wheel from smelling like mom's cake!" Entering Conner's second hand, more like 'fourth hand', 1976 Firebird, Jim turns the key. "Yeah, he sure is a hot hunk." "Who? Sean?" "Yeah. I wonder what size he is?" "Why? Did you see anything, Jim?" "Hell yeah!" "Aren't we the nosy kind?" "Yeah, well, I figured it kind of obvious, Conner. I'm surprised you didn't see it before me." "Actually..." "You bum!" Jim pounded on the horn, when discovering that Conner had been eyeing up Sean's crotch all along. The two laughed their asses off. "So, what do you think?" "I'm not sure, Jim, but Sean was packin'." "I wonder if it was me or you?" "Me or you what, Jim?" "Who firmed him up!" "Hee heee... well, let's see, when Jacq and I approached the table, Sean already had a hand in his sweatpants pocket." "He did? No kidding?" "Yeah. Probably starting to rearrange things." "Damn! How come I didn't notice?" "Because, like usual, Jim, you're too busy checking out the pecs!" "Yeah, well, I do like to see how a guy is built up top." "Sean looks like he takes care of himself." "Yeah and looks like he's got a nice hairy chest, too." "Oh? And are you going to love me less because I'm smooth?" "For God's sake, Conner, you're seventeen year's old. You've got plenty of time to grow hair on your chest." "Hee heee..." "What?" "When I lay in the hospital, I didn't have anything better to do, so my eyes fell in front of me. I got to thinking whether or not 'you', being into pecs, Jim, what you saw that you liked about my pecs." "Yeah... and?" "Oh, counted maybe twenty-five or thirty little hairs coming in." "No way!" "Hey! What're you doing?" Jim pulled off into Northern Cascades Mall parking lot. "I've gotta see this!" "Jim, you dufous! You could've cut somebody off!" "Yeah, but there's nobody coming." "Would've been fun watching you tell a cop why!" "Just get that sweatshirt up, Conn!" "Jim, this is stupid." "Alright, forget it... hey!" "What?" "Got any cash on ya?" "About fifty bucks, why?" "I've got about seventy. Want to get engaged?" "What're you outta your mind, Jim?" "No. I just saw the sign for Simon's Jeweler's and thought... okay, never mind. Guess it is a stupid thought." "I don't think it's so stupid." "You don't, Conn?" "Nope. I mean, now that you know you're getting not only a sexy guy, but a hairy one, then I guess the rings are the next step!" "C'mon dufous, before I change my mind. By the way, Conn, have I told you I already like your hairy pits?" "Make sure the door's locked, please!" Upon entering the mall, on this chilly Saturday morning, Conner and Jim weren't the only teens from West Richland High School, meandering about. "Hey, Conner, look, it's Dean and Shadow." "Cool! Let's go say hello." Two greeted two and then decided to take in an Egg McMuffin. Conner and Jim, conscious of the tally in their wallets, ordered as light as possible. "So, you guys hangin'?" Jim opened with, once they found a table. "Yeah. Not much happening." "What do you think about this idea of a senior hiking trip?" Conner opened with. Shadow Martin replied, "It's cool. I mean, as long as Dean and I can share a sleeping bag!" "Oh yeah! Same here," Jim replied, giving Shadow five. Conner rationalizes, "Yeah, but you know that they're not going to allow any of that stuff." "Yeah, dammit! A whole four days without fucking!" "Oh, so Dean, you let Shadow take your cherry?" Jim asked. "Not yet. We're trying to get up the nerve," the seventeen year old reports, a bit more timid than his eighteen year old counterpart. Shadow switches off, "How about you guys?" "Well, matter of factly," Jim adds, looking to Conner, "this morning we came looking for rings." "Rings? Like in marriage?" "Engaged, first of all, Shadow." "Damn, your 'rents know about this?" "My mom knows. She's inviting Jim's folks for dinner." "Damn, if my 'rents ever found out I was even gay, I'd be in deep shit!" "I thought you told me you told them, Shadow!" "Um, yeah, I did tell you that, didn't I Dean? Oops!" "You... you lied to me, Shadow." Conner and Jim could see the deep hurt come over Dean Arrow's whole being. "But, Dean, you were so down over the whole thing." "Yeah, but we both made a pledge to tell our parents. I told mine that I was gay. You told me.... oh forget it... damn and I was going to fuckin' let you take my cherry?" Dean adamantly and in an angry fit told Shadow off. "Heeeeeey! What the fuck?" The few other people in the MacHouse eatery turned to look at Shadow, as he jumped up from his seat, wet from the stomach down with his orange juice. Dean had run off. "Well, I guess Dean's not going to eat his breakfast," Shadow replied to the whole incident, dabbing the juice from his clothes. "Is that all you can think of Shadow?" "Yeah, well, no sense letting his food go to waste." "Y'know? Your sick, man!" Conner and Jim grabbed up their leftovers and took them with them. "What'd I say?" Exiting the MacHouse, Conner and Jim couldn't believe what just happened. "Keep your eyes peeled for Dean." "Yeah, usually Shadow provides the wheels," Jim reminds Conner. "What a loser. I can't believe he did that to Dean." "Really, Conn? I had Shadow pegged from the day I met him." "Okay, yeah, but it looked like when he met Dean he changed somewhat." "Yeah, right. The only thing Shadow sees in a relationship is that hole between a guy's legs." "Oh? And how do you come by this information, Jim?" "Me, Conn? Hah! Oh nooooo, not this ass. I've still got my cherry and intend on keeping it!" "Oh really?" "That is unless some lucky guy with a mom that makes pineapple upside down cake, comes along!" After lightening up with that tidbit of info, the two strolled around. "Hey, there's Dean over there, Conn." "Now 'there's' a guy worth falling in love for!" "Oh? Care to switch before we decide on the rings, Conn?" "I was talking about Dean. He's such a sweet guy. Now I could see him and Chai Tee getting it on." "Look how upset Dean is and Chai is hanging in there for him." "Why don't we go help them along, Jim?" "Help? How?" "Just leave the talking to me." Walking around the lush greenery, the two make their way towards the front of the Beene Jeans store. "Dean?" "Oh hi Conner." "Hey, Chai." "Hello Conner." "Look, Dean, Jim and I are both sorry for what happened." Jim eyed Chai Tee up and down. He always thought the sixteen year old Asian kid had a great looking face, even with the black-rimmed glasses. Being that the kid had a couple of extra pounds on him, not many kids bothered with him. However, he knew Chai came from not only a well off clan, but a more traditional Asian family. His dad, Dr. Tee was his familiy's dentist. "It's okay, Conner." "No, it's not." "It's not? I thought you guys are friends with Shadow." "Friends," Jim jutted out on a limb, hoping he would say something significant, "but truthfully we only hung with him because of you, Dean." "No fooling? Really?" Conner was impressed. Jim had been accurate. "True," Conner replied, then added, "Jim's right. Of the two of you, you're the better half, Dean." Jim pushes his luck, complimenting him, "No, more than half and more than better, Dean." All this time, Chai has been standing there, taking in all the leverage towards cheering Dean mentality. Out of Conner's mouth, without thinking comes, "Yeah, you deserve lots better. A guy more like... like Chai here." Then Conner realized he might have embarrased the junior high school student. "Hey, Conner didn't mean anything by that, Chai. I mean nothing that's bad." "I take it as compliment. Thank you Conner. But I am not looking for something more than friendship." Jim speaks up, "Why not, Chai? Hey look, maybe nobody's told you this, so I'm going to lay it on the line with you. You're a good looking guy, okay?" The three stand there, as if waiting for more. "Well... okay, so most guys think you're.... you're chubby. So what? I mean, I might not like some things about Conner..." Though Jim couldn't think of anything to pick on at the moment. "...but it's not the physical appearance that matters. It's what's here inside," Jim finished his well delivered speech, his right fist over his left pec. "I don't care if you're chubby, Chai," Dean says out with conviction. "I think I have a good heart," Chai replies. "Oh course you do, Chai," Conner assumes the assumable, further saying, "If you didn't, you wouldn't be here now chatting with Dean." Jim completes his frank remarks with, "So why don't you two do something together, like go to the movies?" "Oh. I don't get my allowance til tomorrow," Chai reports. "I just spent my last few bucks on our meal with Shadow," Dean asserts, with the second thought of 'always' paying for Shadow. Conner and Jim look at each other. "Oh well, here's twenty bucks," Jim places in Chai's hand, "you can pay me back when you get it. "Yeah, and here's twenty from me, Dean. Ditto on the payback," Conner duplicates Jim's efforts. After thanking them a million times, the senior and junior head off for the multiplex. "You know what, Jim?" "What?" "I don't think it's wise that we buy rings right now." "You got that right, Conn. Can't get much for what we've got left!" "No, it's not only that Jim. The timing's not right yet. I mean for us to show up with rings tonight, in front of your folks would not be.... proper. What do you think?" "Yeah, guess your right Conn. Might just freak them out." "Right." "So, what do you want to blow our loot on, Conn?" "How about new shirts and ties." "Right! Your mom.... 'our' mom said formal, so why not!" % What a lucky mom! continued......... Copyright 2005 T. Chase McPhee All Rights Reserved. www.assgm.net www.nifty.org Permission is NOT granted to publish this story to any PAY site, nor any site that is not listed above, without the author's prior consent.