Date: Fri, 11 Mar 2011 13:59:03 -0800 (PST) From: John McDonald Subject: Chapter 1- The Neighbor I was thinking this fits best in "awakenings" since several characters will be unleashing repressed sexuality. ******************************************************************************* The Neighbor: some background information Characters: Todd Masters- 17- high school senior and swim team anchor. 5'10 175 blue/blonde Carlos Pendarakis- 28- ex-con Greekarican 5'11 190 ice blue eyes/ black hair paroled from an armed robbery conviction after 10 years in state prison Carol Masters- 42- Todd's widowed mother- very attractive- she owns a 4-family complex with an empty 1-bedroom apartment on the ground floor Dan Robinson- 44- Carol's brother. He is a parole officer and Carlos is one of his cases. Dan gets Carlos a UPS job through a district supervisor friend Carlos is determined to be a law-abiding person who makes a better life for himself. While incarcerated, Carlos explored a side of himself he denied in his teens. Carlos is gay and he not only accepts it but embraces it. When he moves into the 1-bedroom apartment, he is attracted to Todd but realizes the youth is underage and could be his ticket back to prison. Todd has been fatherless since he was 6. He loved his father deeply and was devastated by the man's accidental death. Todd is popular at school, but has no interest in dating girls. He uses academics and sports as an excuse to avoid socializing with the many young ladies who all think he's hot. Todd represses gay impulses because he doesn't want to disappoint his mother. However, he has confided in his best friend. Richard "Ricky" Nelson- 17- multi-racial (black father/ white mother; awesome looks) and Todd's best friend. They've been pals since kindergarten and enjoy full confidence with each other. Ricky suspected early in junior high that Todd was probably gay. Ricky is straight, but loves his friend like a brother. Brian Abrams- 27- Carlos' match physically except for dark brown eyes, very long lashes and a little less muscular- Brian is a lonely, divorced mechanic with stomach problems who meets Carlos at the local fitness center Connie Maxwell- 23- an assistant at the fitness center who flirts with Carlos and Brian Edie Kent- 17- classmate and pal to Todd and Ricky ****************************************************************************** The Neighbor- Chapter 1 Todd Masters, 17-year old swimming phenomenon of James Madison High School, sat transfixed on the divers from the competing schools. Todd had felt an attraction to other well-built guys since about the 8th grade. He frequently looked, but never touched. He never approached anybody; he mostly kept to himself and his small circle of friends. Todd was certain of one thing, other than his gayness; he didn't want to add to the load his widowed mother carried. Carol Masters worked full-time as part-owner of a women's accessory boutique. She owned and managed the 4-plex where she lived with her son. They occupied one of the two 3-bedroom apartments. The other two units were each a single bedroom; one unit was currently unoccupied- a fallout of the recession. Todd suddenly felt an elbow poke his ribs. "Earth to Todd. Quit staring at that guy's ass." Todd put his head in his hands. "Thanks for being my lookout, Ricky. One of these days I'm going to get myself busted." "In what way?" Todd put his hand to his mouth to stifle a loud laugh. Ricky smiled and laughed at him. "You know what I mean.......although one of these days I'll probably give it up." "Give WHAT up?" Todd returned the elbow jab and just rolled his eyes at his friend and confidant of many years. For the remainder of the meet, Todd put all his concentration on the spirit of the competition and tried to ignore the flesh. This was not easy for him. After the meet, Ricky and Todd drove to a Sonic on the way home. They ordered burgers and chocolate shakes, and they sat talking in Ricky's Mustang as they ate. Ricky spoke first. "Todd, let me ask you something." "Okay." "Do you think you'll EVER come out of your closet?" "Yeah.....probably after I go off to college." "Hmmm...it must be tough holding back. I know how horny I get around my girlfriend. Do gays have hormone overload too?" "At our age? Big time! I just have to work at keeping mine under control." "You're gonna screw up your insides. Did you know that repressive behavior is one of the leading causes of stomach ailments?" "Rick, you're such a doctor, man." "Yep, Dr. Nelson, M.D. Has a nice ring to it, doesn't it? I just wish you didn't have to be in school forEVER before practicing medicine. A couple of hundred years ago, I could have been working under a doctor and learning the trade that way." "Well, if some genius invents a time machine next week, maybe you could do that." "Nah. I'd have to give up my I-pod, my I-pad, my car......nope, wouldn't do it." The guys munched the rest of their burgers and fries and then set out for Todd's place. Ricky pulled into the driveway that led to 4 garages. Todd got out, thanked his bud, and ran upstairs 2 steps at a time to the apartment. When he walked in the door, he was surprised to see his mother sitting at the kitchen table. "Hey Mom; you're home early." "It was a little slow at the shop, so I left Brandy and Amy in charge. I'll go back later to balance the register and make a night deposit. Todd, I need to talk to you about something." "Sure, Mom. What's up?" "Your Uncle Dan asked me to do him a favor, and I want your input." "What's the deal?" "One of his clients needs a place to stay, and you know that downstairs apartment has been vacant for several months now." "One of his clients? But Uncle Dan's a parole officer." "That's right." "Please tell me we're not getting a mass murderer for a new neighbor." "Oh my stars, no. Dan says this young man was paroled with high praise coming from the warden and the parole board. He was involved in an armed robbery when he was a little older than you are now. Being in prison 10 years has changed him for the better. Dan has gotten him a job, and just needs a place for him to live. He'll pay the rent we were asking, so it sure will help with the monthly payment on the complex." "I don't think Uncle Dan would ask you to do this if he had any doubts about the guy. I'm all for it." Carol Masters hugged her son and led him downstairs to check out the condition of the vacant apartment. They noted that the adjoining door to the garage was stuck. Todd was pretty handy, so he told his mother he would get the door fixed while she was back at the boutique. Carol left, and Todd grabbed a toolbox from the front closet. Using a hammer and flathead screwdriver, he took the pins out of the door hinges. Next he removed the door and carried it into the empty garage. He got his plane out of the toolbox and shaved about 3/32s of an inch off the top of the door. After rubbing a bar of Ivory Soap on the planed part of the door, he returned the door to its hinges and knocked the pins back into place. Then he wandered through the apartment, thinking out loud. "I wonder what this guy will be like. Mom said he went to prison for 10 years at about my age. That would make him.....what.....27 or 28? I wonder if he'll talk much about life inside the Big House." Todd grinned to himself, but also felt a stirring in his jeans as he considered those things he'd read about guys in prison. He knew some guys went in and became "bitches" to older, tougher guys. He wondered if some guys probably went in straight and came out changed. He remembered a prison rape from one of the books he'd read. It was strangely arousing to him. Then he got to wondering what the new neighbor might look like. Was he white? Was he black? Was he hispanic? A combination of races? "Dang, I should have asked Mom what his name is; that might have given me a clue." **************************************************************************** Carlos Pendarakis was the son of a Greek father and a Puerto Rican mother. Carlos' father was killed during a hold-up at his restaurant, and his young son became somewhat of a lost soul at age 9. In his early teens, Carlos fell in with a wild and pretty lawless crowd. He met some of them at school, and he began hanging with them in their neighborhood. Several days before his 18th birthday, Carlos agreed to drive getaway for an armed robbery plan. They got caught; they all got convicted, and Carlos spent his next 10 years regretting the decision that created such a turn in his life. Carlos had inherited striking good looks from both sides of his family. His ice-blue eyes, olive skin and jet black hair were the first things anyone would notice. In jail, Carlos concentrated on building his body. He was now very muscular in a way that could make both sexes drop their jaws. The first year, he'd been taken under the wing of a con in his 30s. Jeff offered Carlos protection in exchange for sex. In a demented way, Jeff became a father-figure for Carlos. The youthful con wanted to be like his protector, hence the intensive body-building. After 5 years, Carlos acquired his own admirer. The rush of enjoying sex with his fledgling was equal to that of being taken by Jeff. Carlos completely embraced the notion of being versatile. He figured why ignore any possibilities of having a great time in the sack? It took several years to successfully petition the parole board for early release. Carlos' hand in stemming a prison riot left the warden beholden to him. With the warden's recommendation, Carlos was granted parole just after his 28th birthday. He'd already made a connection with Dan Robinson through his lawyer. Dan was a top notch parole officer who went the extra mile for his cases; he had a 98% success rate with his clients. "Carlos, you did great at that interview with the UPS guy. I had to call in a big favor to get that meeting set for you. Don't disappoint me." "Mr. Robinson, you have my word that I'm going to do good. My freedom means everything to me. You've helped me with a job and you've found a place for me to live. I can't even begin to tell you how grateful I am. My actions will speak for me." "The apartment is in a complex my sister owns. We'll go see her this afternoon to finalize the lease and put down the security deposit." Several hours later, Carlos stood in his new place to live that was in walking distance to the UPS depot. He'd be in the warehouse for awhile, but he hoped to eventually be a driver. He had great legs and wanted to show them off in the driver uniform he'd eventually wear. Carlos looked at the bare apartment and made a mental note of things he'd need. Dan Robinson would be around with a truck to help him haul some furniture from the local Salvation Army. Even well-used furniture was a giant step up from what he'd had for the last 10 years. As he thought of beds, sofas, tables, lamps and window coverings, there was a knock on the front door. He opened it and beheld a stunning young blonde guy with a typical swimmer's build. "Can I help you?" "I'm Todd; I live upstairs and I was fixing a door down here earlier. I think I left a hammer in the garage." "I have a garage?" "Yeah, right through the door in the utility room." "I don't own a car, so I'll have to think about what I'll use the space for." "You don't have any wheels? Bummer. I guess you could use the bus 2 blocks over." "Yeah, or I could walk to wherever. I might put some exercise stuff in the garage as soon as I can afford it." "You look like you work out a lot." "And you look like you swim a lot." Todd blushed slightly, realizing he'd been checked out, and both felt a stirring in their respective loins. This set off an alarm in Carlos' head. He knew Todd was his parole officer's nephew. He could NOT get involved with this kid......no matter how attractive he was. Todd was thinking how hot the new neighbor looked. He also thought of how this apartment was too close to home; his mother might catch on; he didn't know this new guy- he could be some sort of sex-crazed maniac (which actually made Todd smile to himself) or a snitch who'd complain to the landlady about her horny kid coming on to him. "Um....yeah, I'm on the swim team at school, and I have practice later on so I'd better get going. Uh.......nice meeting you Carlos. Later, man." "Yeah, later." Carlos watched Todd exit the apartment. The youth's tight jeans hugged his muscular butt in a way that caused an additional stir in the ex-con's pants. "Oh man, he's so fine but I know I can't.........." Without thinking about it, Carlos rubbed himself to a full erection and retreated to the bathroom to relieve the intensity he was feeling. ***************************************************************************** "You stupid bitch. The divorce was final 3 months ago and you were supposed to hand over the credit cards to your lawyer.... No, I don't care what you do; I've already cancelled all of them. My lawyer says the bills are yours, so I'm giving the credit card companies your name and your address......You're churning my stomach as usual, so I'm hanging up now. Brian shut his phone and reached for the container of Rolaids. He'd begun having severe acid stomach issues 3 months into a marriage that lasted nearly 2 years. He'd known he was fighting nature when he married Evie, but he thought he could give a hetero relationship a try for the sake of family and work friends. Evie seemed nice; the sex wasn't unpleasant, but he knew he was missing something. As time wore on, Brian regretted his decision to marry and found himself excessively aggravated by every aspect of his life with Evie. Brian's acid reflux issues were to the point of his needing a surgical repair on his esophagus. His new meds seemed to help, but extreme stress would still win out. The greatest stress reliever was an intense physical workout at the fitness center in town. He had an annual membership, but wasn't taking advantage of it. That needed to change. Across town in his new apartment, Carlos was having the same thought about needing a workout. If there was time to do so after hauling furniture with his parole officer, he'd check out the fitness center. ****************************************************************************** This is my second attempt at writing for this website. My story in progress under the category of "celebrity" is called "Justin and Alan". Any and all feedback is welcome. I so enjoy writing, especially when it reflects back on paths not taken. madmax212542007@yahoo.com