Date: Wed, 14 Mar 2012 22:33:10 -0500
From: Kevin Metson <trojanboy2012@hotmail.com>
Subject: The runners pt 5

Greetings all -- thanks for all the notes.  I hope you all enjoy this
story. It is about High School mm friendships and such.  There will be
situations of an erotic nature that occur in it, so if you do not like m4m
erotic stories, than please stop reading now.


This story is copyrighted by the author.


******** Tommy **********

I was dropped off next. I walked upstairs to my room and found Kevin
messing around on my computer. I wasn't surprised in the least. Actually, I
would have been surprised if he hadn't been waiting in my room. He knew I'd
be back right before lunch and was waiting for me to get back so we could
have lunch together. It's just what we do.

"How'd you do?" (Remember this was way before texting and facebook and
every teen having their own phone.)

"Best..Time...Ever" I replied, dragging it out for effect. My grin was from
ear to ear.

"No, fucking way! Awesome hoss."

I opened my mouth to tell him more, but he put up a hand. "No, wait.  This
demands a more festive occasion.  I'm taking you to AJ's. My treat."

My mouth dropped open.  "AJ? You sure?"  AJ's was my favorite pizza place.

We hurried down stairs and grabbed our bikes from our respective garages.
We both have pretty decent road bikes.  In the off seasons -- which is
pretty much the summer (I run track in the spring and Kevin plays Lacrosse
in the winter) -- Kevin and I like to join in on long distance road races.
We're even talking about going on a multi-day ride next June.

We got to AJ's and took a booth.  We sat across from each other.  Kevin had
a smile on his face that was heart melting.  I'd never really noticed
before.  But now, as I looked at his tanned and freckled skin, his sparking
brown eyes, and his short messed hair, the thought that came into my mind
was that I'd like to be lying in bed with him like I had been with Jake.  I
shook my head to clear my thoughts.

"Earth to Tommy," Kevin intoned.  He laughed and I just got ... well
... giddy.  Damn it.  He's my best friend and a guy.  The funny thing is, I
really felt no different than I normally did with Kevin.  Life is always
just better when we hang together.  But, until now, I never realized there
was a **sexual** aspect to my feelings.  But now, with Jake's roaming hand
incident fresh in my mind, it's like everything is being seen from a
different perspective.

I wondered if Kevin had any of the same feelings.

Just then Tina, a senior who waited on tables, came over.  "What you two
want?  AJ says it's on the house.  Nice run there champ." She said looking
at me.  AJ is our team captain's dad.  They are both named Alex John, or AJ
for short.  AJ must have already regaled his father on our meet.  I looked
over into the kitchen, and sure enough, I saw AJ Jr look over and give me a
thumbs up and a grin.

I ordered a deep dish with lots of meat toppings.

"Well -- out with it," Kevin encouraged.

For the next 15 minutes or so, I regaled him with a play by play recap of
the meet.  Now granted, Cross country is not the most riveting of sports to
retell, but I'd like to imagine I did a decent job with the addition of the
body blows and "accidental" spikings and trippings.  Unlike track, a lot of
the course is under cover of trees and hills.  It can get pretty nasty when
you are in a pack of rival runners.  Elbows get thrown, feet get stepped on
(with shoes with spikes, no less!), and so it.  Like checking in hockey,
it's all part of the game.

We stopped talking for a couple of minutes, as the pizza arrived and we dug
in.  In the interlude I began to have thoughts of maybe what could happen
the next time either of stayed over with the other (which I expected would
be tonight).

But then ....


I heard the door bell chime, as it was opened.


"Hey Kevin," I heard a girl's voice call out.  Alicia Barnes came over to
the table.  Alicia is a classmate of our ours.  She's Hispanic with long
black hair -- think Selena Gomez.  She's also only one of two girls who
made the cheer squad from our class this year.


"What are you doing here?" She had eyes only for Kevin, it was as if I
wasn't even here.  Here fixed attention on Kevin caused a feeling of deja
vu that I could not explain.

"I'm treating Tommy here to lunch. He got his best time at the Invitational
yesterday."

Alicia glanced over quickly at me, and then returned her focus on
Kevin. "That's nice," she quipped as if it was of no concern.  With a smile
that made me think of a wolf about to feed on a wounded deer, she looked
back at Kevin and asked, "Did you tell **him** about your awesome game on
Friday?"


The football team won with a solid score of 28-3.  They were a shoe in for
the play-offs.  I had been at the game.  Kevin had played well, as he
always does, but even he'd admit it wasn't like he single- handedly won the
game.  Kevin's being groomed for quarterback, but he's actually 3rd string
QB this year.  He mostly plays wide receiver.  That way he gets to know the
plays and how the team works.  We don't pump each other up over trivial
accomplishments. But, hell, if he had scored 3 or ever 2 of the touchdowns
not just the one, we'd probably be watching some sci fi this evening. But
Kevin scoring one touchdown is like me running a 19 minute 5K -- you'd
wonder what was wrong, if it didn't happen.


"It wasn't much to speak of. Andy was the star on Friday." Andy's the QB.


"Nonsense." She made a shushing sound as if to say don't speak such lies.
"Anyway, what time are you picking me up for the movie tonight?"


"I'll come by at 6. We can bike over from your house."


"Sounds like fun. Oh, I am so hungry."  With that Alicia pushed Kevin over
in the booth and sat down next to him and, without asking, grabbed a piece
of pizza.

I'm pretty sure I had a frown on my face, because at that moment Kevin
looked over at me.  He had a smile on his lips, which faltered a little as
he saw my face.  "The team had a get together after the game on Friday. The
cheer squad joined us, and Alicia asked if I wanted to go see Hearts in
Atlantis tonight.  I knew you weren't overly interested in it, so I agreed.

Kevin suddenly turned towards Alicia with a look of mild shock.  I wasn't
sure why at first, but then I noticed her hand had moved under the table.
She must have been holding the inside of his leg.  That of course made me
think of last night and I must have flushed red.  Kevin saw my face and
probably misunderstood. I saw him grab hold of Alicia's hand, and holding
it, laid their hands on the table.

Alicia gushed and her eyes sparkled, although I thought she now looked like
the wolf standing over the deer when a second wolf walks in the clearing.


I suddenly wasn't hunger. Actually, I felt like a chuck of lead had been
dropped in my stomach.  "I gotta go," I said, getting up. " I'm suddenly
really tired.  Catch you tomorrow, Kevin."  I didn't wait for Kevin to
reply.  I figured he had other things on his mind anyway.  I guess who can
blame him.  Alicia's was hot -- at least as girls go. (Now where did that
thought come from?)  But, I really didn't want to be around to watch them
make out or some shit.


Kevin looked like he was about to get up, but Alicia distracted him and
blocked his way.  I was out of the door and on my bike in a flash.  When I
got home, I hurried upstairs and climbed in bed.  Not really understanding
why, I cried myself to sleep.


At one point, I heard the bedroom door open.  It was Kevin.  "Tommy, are
you awake?  Can we talk?"  I actually was only dozing at that point, but I
absolutely did not want to talk to Kevin, and, lacking a response from me,
he finally left.


I woke up around 4pm.  I felt like crap.  The last thing I should have done
was sleep all afternoon.  My legs had cramped up and my back was shooting
pains up and down my spine.  My arms even hurt.


Well, there was only one thing to do.  I donned my supporter, shorts and
shoes and headed out the door.  Part of why I felt like shit stemmed from
Kevin, I knew.  What the hell was that all about with Alicia?  Had they
hooked up Friday night? The football team always hung out after the game.
If they lost, they went off by themselves, if they won, they would often
invite their friends to come along.  If I don't have an Invitational the
next day, I've always gone with Kevin.  It wasn't really a party, but
there'd be girls there.  Normally the team gathered at the team captain's
house.  His parents were always there, so there was no beer and no rowdy
behavior.  We lived in the Bible Belt, so raves like you see on TV were not
exactly possible.


I had no reason to, but somehow I felt betrayed.  But who was I fooling.
Kevin most definitely liked girls. I still remember how he reacted to my
mom's client daughter several years ago.  Just because I was beginning to
realize my tastes might be running more along the lines of the home team,
didn't mean Kevin's did.Part of me couldn't believe I had actually
entertained the thought that I probably was more attracted to guys than to
girls, but shit, I guess I should be honest with myself, no?


I looked up and realized where I was running -- right onto Jake's block.
Just thinking about Jake calmed my nerves.  To hell with Kevin, I thought,
let him have Alicia.  That feeling of d j... vu I had earlier suddenly
resolved itself.  When Alicia had looked at Kevin with those sultry eyes, I
realized now reminded me of the way Jake had looked at me in the bed last
night, as he had caressed my face.  Correct that -- Alicia's stare had been
a bizarro corruption of the look Jake had given me.  His had been full of,
I don't know -- concern? caring? maybe .... love?  Hers had been a 'I want
to jump your bones' look.  Well, good for Kevin -- maybe he'd turn in his
v-card tonight.


I continued running towards Jake's house.  As I drew near, I saw him
sitting on the front porch with a man who looked to be in his mid to late
20's.  He had a mop of dark brown hair and tanned skin. Jake looked upset.
His shoulder's were held back and it looked like he was mad about
something. Just then he looked up and saw me running towards him. The
transformation that came over his face made the run totally worth it.


"Hey, Tommy, what's happening?"


My morbid mood vanished in an instant.  "Just out for a run, thought I'd
see if you wanted to join me?"  Had I really thought that?


He turned toward the dark-haired man, "Uncle Ken, do you mind?"


"No, or course not.  Your friend want to join us for supper when you get
done? I'm grilling up some steaks, since your dad is gone, we got one to
spare."


Jake looked at me inquiringly.  With a big smile, I said, "Hell yes! I'd
never pass up steak.  Jake, get changed and let's get going."


Jake hurried inside and came out about two minutes later ready to run.  We
took off down the street.  Our pace was a comfortable 8 minute pace, a pace
that you can keep up for about 2 hours, yet still gets the blood pumping.
Neither of us said a word for the first couple of miles, only unlike this
summer it **was** a comfortable silence.  Occasionally I'd glance over at
Jake with a smile on my face.  He'd see the movement of my head and glance
over at me and smile back.  God help me, but I was falling for those brown
eyes of his.  His smile was a drug that I was quickly becoming addicted to.


We had just passed two miles, when he looked over at me and simply said,
"Thanks."  I knew what he meant.  After last night, there had been a good
chance we'd never really talk again.  We both knew it.  He had crossed a
line that I hadn't been ready for.  But I'd come over this afternoon ....


I wasn't sure how to respond to that, however, because of Kevin. In some
ways, I wasn't here because of Jake (or was I?), but because Kevin (at
least as I saw it) **rejected** me for Alicia.  If Alicia hadn't blundered
into AJ's or if we had eaten anywhere else ...  Well, if we hadn't of run
into Alicia, I'd have hung out with Jake all afternoon and probably not
given one thought about Kevin.


While all this was going through my mind, we continued to run for another
quarter of a mile, or so.  I glanced over at Jake. My lack of reply was
apparently starting to worry him.  It dawned on me that I had started to
grimace a bit as well.  He stopped suddenly, and said, with a little tremor
in his voice," What?"


"Oh Jake, sorry," I looked around and noticed we were at the entrance to
Riverside Park.  Riverside Park was a large nature preserve the city had
established as a conservation effort.  It was huge with lots of trails and
fields.  "Follow me," I replied and led Jake over to some little used
trails.  After we had run another ten minutes or so, I stopped us.  There
was a trail (more of a rabbit run, really) that led down to the river. If
you followed it, you came to an rock outcropping at a bend in the river.
I'd discovered this place several years ago on my many runs.  I often came
out here to get away from people.  I've never seen anyone else there.  It's
hidden from view from the trail, but it is completely in the sun.


I laid down on the rock ledge, belly down and leaned over to splash some
water in my face.  Jake followed my example.  Afterwards, I sat up and
leaned back against the rocks, enjoying their warmth and soaking up some
sun.  Again, Jake followed my lead.


We sat in silence for several minutes.  I don't know what was going through
Jake's mind, but me -- I was sorting through my feelings.  Thinking about
the past 24 hours and what they meant to me.  I looked over at Jake and
gave him what I hoped was a reassuring smile.  His eyes seemed weary, as if
he expected me to hit him.  I knew what I had to say to him.

to be continued .....


If you would like to provide feedback, please contact me at
trojanboy2012@hotmail.com or you can friend me on facebook, finding me with
the same e-mail.  For those who contact me, I will keep you on a notify
list, letting you know when the next installment is available.

Kev