Date: Tue, 20 Aug 2013 21:05:32 -0400 From: Alessandro Abbondanti Subject: A Boy Called Horse Chapter 1 **AUTHOR'S NOTE** This is the first chapter of a new series. It's unlike the Mr. A series in many ways, but I hope you enjoy it. Be forewarned, this is very much an introductory chapter. It's rather long, and there are no sex scenes in it. I debated whether to submit the chapter without any sex scenes or keep writing. I decided finally that given the length of the chapter, it was better to get the whole series started than to keep going until we reached actual sex. Let me know what you think. This story doesn't feel as organic to me as Mr. A, so I look forward to feedback. Suggestions welcomed. Constructive criticism welcomed. Idiotic or abusive statements disregarded. Since I don't get paid for this, communication and input from fans is what keeps me interested in writing. If it's possible to publish erotica like this and make money off of it, which I seriously doubt considering the content of this and the Mr. A stories, I would love to hear about it. Disclaimer: The following story is a work of fiction; any resemblance to real persons living or dead is entirely coincidental. If you're not old enough to read this, go away. This story is fantasy. It didn't happen. It will never happen. Don't do it. This story contains depictions of consensual sex between adult and teenage males. All roles in the movie of my life, however, are played by people aged 18 and over. If you are not interested in reading about this (or other male-on-male sex), STOP READING. This story is mine; don't steal it or post elsewhere without my permission. (That means I own it, and I have copyrighted it, in case you were confused.) ******************* For one week at the beginning of every school year, the seventh grade students at Lee Middle School were separated by gender, and a special class in which they were taught about puberty and adolescence replaced their usual physical education class. The class gave the students the opportunity to ask questions that they might normally be too embarrassed to ask in a mixed group. Seventh grade was also the first year that students were expected to use the locker-room and to shower after PE, and one of the program's goals was to alleviate any locker-room worries by having a frank discussion about the variety of changes students would go through as they turned from boys into young men or girls into young women. This was the third time Nico Cavalloni had been part of such a discussion. The first time was about two-and-a-half years earlier after his 10th birthday in January. During his annual physical, Nico's doctor noticed that his testicles had "dropped" and had increased in size, as had his penis. Nico, of course, had noticed this himself, but he hadn't thought it required comment. The doctor called in Nico's parents, and together they had a vague discussion of puberty and what changes Nico would go through. It wasn't unheard of for a boy to begin puberty at Nico's age, the doctor explained, but he didn't see it very often. Nico's second puberty discussion had happened only a few months earlier, near the end of sixth grade and shortly before his family had moved from Colorado to Florida, where his parents, both college professors, had taken jobs at one of the state universities. His sixth grade program had been a two-day affair. On the first day, the students watched a video that outlined the changes experienced by both boys and girls. There was no gender segregation that day, which meant there were a lot of awkward chuckles and sidelong glances between the boys and girls. The video discussed the mechanics of erections, ejaculations, and ovulation, complete with animations of men's and women's reproductive systems. The animations weren't graphic--basically just line drawings--so they weren't much like seeing the real thing, but Nico thought that his penis wasn't that much smaller than the penis shown in the video, even though it was supposed to represent "an average sized adult male penis." On the second day, the students were separated by gender and met with teachers of the same gender, who would answer any questions the students had. Nico wanted to ask about the penis they had seen, but he didn't want to draw too much attention to himself. So far, the other boys had only asked general body questions and questions about girls; Nico didn't want to stand out by being the only one to ask about his genitals. He did, however, ask when they could expect their voices to change or to start growing hair. Although Nico's sex organs had begun growing, he was still about the same height as his classmates, his voice hadn't cracked once, and he hardly had any hair around his cock or under his arms. "Everyone starts at different times and goes through the process a little differently, but most boys..." was the answer his teacher had given. So now Nico Cavalloni was at a new school in a new state with no friends and was about to learn about puberty for the third time. Nico's first class of the day was PE, which meant he would be dropped into this "open and frank" discussion of puberty and adolescence before he had much of a chance to meet anyone. He wondered whether that would make the situation more or less awkward (probably more awkward, since he wouldn't have any friends for support and commiseration), whether he would be more or less willing to ask the questions he really wanted to ask (probably less willing, since he didn't want to say or do anything that would make it difficult to make friends). Nico arrived at school early in order to have time to figure out the layout of the school; he didn't want to be late to any classes. He stopped in the office, where they gave him his schedule, a map of the school, and directions to the gym. Nico headed to the classroom near the gym where his PE class would meet for the first week. As he passed the boys' locker-room, he paused. He and his parents had read over the consent form for the weeklong sex ed class--Florida law required that parents be allowed to "opt-out"--and it had explained that one of the purposes of the course was to address any concerns that students may feel about having to use a locker-room. His dad explained that the locker-room equaled nudity, and that made a lot of boys anxious. Nico felt like a big deal was being made over nothing. He hadn't actually used a locker-room before, even though he had played soccer most of his life. His previous school didn't offer sports for sixth grade students, so he had only played for club teams, which meant he wore his kit to the field. He did, however, have a bunch of cousins his own age, and they had spent most of their lives getting naked in front of each other. They had even taken baths together up until middle school. Even though he wasn't exactly worried about the locker-room, he did have questions. Would it be strange getting naked in front of non-family? Would other guys be walking around naked? Would there be eighth graders? What if everyone his age was "farther along" than he was? He knew that he had started puberty kind of early, but that was almost two years ago. No doubt everyone else had caught up by now. What were the showers like, and would he actually have to shower? Since PE was his first class of the day, he had a feeling the answer to the last question was "yes." Nico looked in through the window of the classroom door. The lights were on, and two boys were already in the room. Nico opened the door. The boys stopped talking and looked up, watching him cross the room. As Nico approached, a boy with very light blond hair stood up and stuck out his hand. He was the same height as Nico, about 5'4", but he was thinner. Nico had been playing sports and exercising his whole life, and it was starting to show in his physique. The blond wore jeans and a jersey that said CUFC (City United Football Club). "Hey, I'm Drew," the blond boy said. "I'm Nico," Nico responded, shaking the boy's hand. "This is Travis," Drew said, indicating his dark-haired friend. Travis stood and shook Nico's hand. He was a couple inches shorter than Nico and Drew and stockier. He wore a t-shirt and shorts. "Nice to meet you," Travis said. "You guys, too," Nico said, and sat down in the desk behind Drew in the farthest row; Travis returned to his seat in the next row. "You're new here?" Drew asked. "Yep," Nico answered. "My family just moved from Colorado. I haven't really had a chance to meet anyone." "Where do you live?" Travis asked. "Fox Haven," Nico said. "Stupid name for a neighborhood, but that's what it is." "That's where I live!" Drew said. "A bunch of Lee students live there. I'm surprised you haven't already met a bunch of people." "We just moved into the house on Friday," Nico explained. "We lived in a hotel for a week until the house was ready. Then all weekend was spent unpacking. No time for fun!" "That sucks," Drew said. "Now that you're moved in, I can introduce you to people." Nico let out a relieved sigh. "That would be awesome." Nico gestured to Drew's shirt. "You play soccer?" Drew nodded. "Yep, for a little over a year. Travis, too. You?" "With a name like Nico, I'm assuming you play soccer," Travis added with a laugh. Nico smiled. "Most of my life," he said. "Doesn't mean I'm any good at it though." Other students had been coming in as the new friends spoke. Nico looked around. He was relieved to see that no one really stood out. He was neither the tallest nor the shortest, the lightest nor the heaviest. Everyone was kind of the same. "Nico's Italian, right?" Drew asked, but before Nico could answer, the teacher entered and walked to the front of the room. Drew turned around in his seat. The teacher looked like he was in his mid-thirties, like Nico's parents. He was a little shorter and darker than Nico's dad, though. He wore a tight black Under Armour shirt, which showed off the size of his chest and arms, and a pair of track pants. He stood behind the podium and addressed the class. "My name is Mr. Faggi," he said, writing it on the board. Several boys chuckled nervously. "Notice the difference between the way it is spelled and the way it sounds. Those middle letters sound like 'dj' not 'g.' Take care to pronounce my name correctly, and I will do the same for you. Let's practice. Repeat after me." The teacher led the students in a chorus of "Mr. Faggi," and then said, "Now for attendance. I saw many of you around school last year, so I recognize most of you, but I don't know your names. If I mispronounce your name, let me know. If you go by a name other than the name on my roll, let me know." He pulled out his iPad. The district had adopted an aggressive technology policy a few years earlier, and now all teachers had an iPad and many of the textbooks were moving to electronic devices as well. The goal was to have electronic texts for every subject within three years. Each school also had several "iPad carts" that allowed the teachers to incorporate the technology into their classrooms. After a few taps on the screen, Mr. Faggi began to read out the names. As he called roll, he looked up to match the student to the name. He paused for a few seconds each time to allow the student's name and face to register in his memory. "Nico Cavalloni," he called. Nico raised his hand and answered, "Here." When Mr. Faggi's eyes found Nico, he paused as usual, and a look of mild interest crossed his face. "Parli italiano?" he asked. Nico shook his head. "No. I wish I did, though." Mr. Faggi nodded. "Too bad," he said and continued down his list. After taking attendance, Mr. Faggi came out from behind the podium and passed out the class policy sheets. As he moved from row to row, he said, "I know this is a PE class, and the grading and expectations should be pretty obvious, but I have to give you these, which you need to take home and show your parents. Have them sign and return the last page." Mr. Faggi returned to the front of the room and leaned against his desk with his feet crossed at the ankles and his arms crossed over his wide pecs. In one hand, he held a copy of the policy sheet. "I'll give you a few minutes to look this over, and then we'll talk about it." Some students dutifully began to read the papers; some flipped absently through the pages. Nico reached into his pocket and pulled out a pen. As he scanned the information, he twirled the pen in his fingers. When he looked up, he saw that Mr. Faggi was looking right at him. Nico tilted his head slightly to the left. Mr. Faggi nonchalantly looked away, as if he had been scanning the room, not studying Nico. "All right, let's talk," Mr. Faggi said, uncrossing his arms. He called the students' attention to several important pieces of information and elaborated on them. He emphasized that participation in all activities was the major part of the grade, not performance on physical tests. "Thank God," Nico heard a few of the boys mumble. "Now," Mr. Faggi said, "just so you understand, participation means dressing out every day in the assigned gym uniform and trying your best. I understand that some people aren't as athletic as others; that's just the way it is, just like some people aren't as good at math as others. I won't punish you for that. Questions?" Nico raised his hand. Mr. Faggi nodded at him. "Well, in math we have to do more than just show up to get an A. This class is going to be way easier for me than math." Nico spent more time studying for math than any of his other classes, which came easily to him. "Good point, Nico," Mr. Faggi responded. "Which math class are you taking?" "Pre-Algebra," Nico answered. His parents had insisted on it, saying that the challenge would do him good. "Okay. You look pretty athletic. Do you play any sports?" Mr. Faggi asked. "Soccer for most of my life," Nico said. Mr. Faggi nodded. "David," he said, addressing a student on the other side of the room. Nico had seen him come in earlier. He was about as tall as Travis and a little chubby. He ran his fingers through his unruly black hair. "Which math class are you taking?" "Algebra I," he answered. "And sports?" David shook his head. "No sports, Mr. Faggi. I'm way too clumsy for that." He chuckled nervously. "And what about you, Gary?" Mr. Faggi asked another boy. Nico had also seen Gary come in. He had shaggy brown hair and was a little taller than the other guys. He had come in with a smirk on his face, and he still had one, as though he were constantly amused by some private joke. "Seventh Grade Math," he answered, "and I play soccer and run cross-country." Mr. Faggi turned back to Nico. "Get my point?" he asked. Nico nodded. "You're saying that there are different levels of math for different people, but everyone is in the same PE class no matter what." "Exactly," Mr. Faggi nodded. "That doesn't mean we won't have tests, or that you'll get an A just for showing up, but it does mean you can do well here even if you don't usually do well in gym or play a sport." He looked around the room; several students nodded their understanding. "You know that dressing out means that you'll have to use the locker-room," Mr. Faggi continued, "and before I assign lockers, we'll talk about the rules. Since this is first period, you will probably also need to use the shower after class. Not every day, probably, but some days. I know this makes some of you nervous, but that's one of the reasons that we're here this week. We're going to talk about what's happening, or going to happen, to your bodies when you go through puberty; we're going to talk about what you can expect; we're going to talk about sex, and we're even going to talk a little about what the girls are going through. We only have four more days, because we're in a state that doesn't require sex ed, and this is all the time the district will give us." He paused and looked around the room. "Questions?" Drew raised his hand. "Yes, Drew?" "Where are the girls right now? Or is this a gym class with all guys?" "There are girls in this class. No need to worry, Drew," Mr. Faggi said with a chuckle. Several other boys laughed with him. "Thank, God," Gary muttered. Mr. Faggi continued, "The volleyball coach comes in early this week to meet with any girls that have a male PE teacher. We'll meet together next week. Other questions?" The room was quiet, so Mr. Faggi said, "All right. Be sure to take the policy sheet home to your parents and have them sign it and bring it back. You can have the last two or three minutes to yourselves." Mr. Faggi sat down behind the desk and flipped open his iPad cover. Nico leaned back in his desk and stretched; the bottom of his polo shirt rose slightly, revealing his smooth stomach and navel. He sat back up and pulled on the legs of his blue cargo shorts, which had risen higher than he liked. He started to bounce his left leg. Drew turned in his desk and raised his eyebrows. "What'd you think?" he asked. Nico looked at him quizzically. "About what?" "About everything. The locker-room thing, the shower thing, this week." "Oh," Nico said flatly and leaned forward. "I've had the puberty talk two times already, so I'm not worried about that, but the locker-room thing and the shower thing are new to me. I'm not sure what to think." "Two times already? Why?" Travis asked, leaning over. "My doctor and parents first talked to me about it when I turned 10," Nico explained. "And my school in Colorado did a thing like this in sixth grade." "How old are you now?" Drew asked. "Thirteen in January. You?" "I just turned 13," Drew said. "What about you?" Nico nodded towards Travis "I'll be 13 in October," he answered. After a pause, he questioned, "When you were 10?" Nico nodded. "He said I had started a little earlier than a lot of guys, but it wasn't a big deal." "Huh," Drew said. The bell rang, and the students hurried from the room. "See you tomorrow," Mr. Faggi called. "What do you have next?" Nico asked, pulling out his schedule. "It looks like I have Civics with Mr. Stevens." Drew and Travis looked at their schedules. "So do I," Drew said. "What about you, Trav?" "Dammit. I have math. Ugh." As they walked, they compared their schedules. Drew and Nico had almost identical schedules with only their third and fourth periods (elective and science) switched. Travis had PE and English with Nico and Drew and science with Drew. Mr. Stevens was younger and taller than Mr. Faggi and not as muscular. He had sandy brown hair, which he parted on the right, and wore glasses with thick black rims. Also unlike Mr. Faggi, Mr. Stevens wore a tie and slacks. Just as Mr. Faggi had done, Mr. Stevens introduced himself, took attendance, passed out policy sheets, and talked about his plans for the upcoming year. Unlike Mr. Faggi, Mr. Stevens talked until the bell rang. Nico and Drew went their separate ways for third and fourth periods, but they met outside the library after fourth period before heading to lunch. Nico brought his lunch from home, but Drew was buying his in the cafeteria. Travis had already grabbed a table, and he waved Nico over while Drew got in line. Like Nico, Travis had brought his own lunch. "How was math?" Nico asked, sitting across from Travis. "Which math is it, by the way?" "Pre-Algebra." Travis unpacked his lunch. "Miss Bartow is super strict. Lots of rules about everything. I've heard she gets meaner as the day goes on, too, so good luck having her last period." He grinned and bit into his sandwich. Nico shrugged. "Teachers usually like me, but thanks for the warning." As other boys sat down around the table, Travis introduced them to Nico. He recognized Gary and David from PE. Nico also met Connor, whom he recognized from his science class. Connor was the shortest of the boys and had light brown hair. Drew sat down and said, "I see you've met the gang, Nico." "Yep. Travis introduced me. I just found out that Gary and Connor live in our neighborhood." "So back to my earlier question," Drew said, taking a bite of pepperoni pizza. "Is your name Italian? I mean, I guess it's pretty obvious considering you have a last name I can't even spell or probably say, like Mr. Faggi." The boys laughed. "You don't look Italian, though." "What do you mean?" Nico asked. "Well, Mr. Faggi is obviously Italian. He kinda looks like the guys on Jersey Shore, you know? You, my friend, do not. Your hair is really light, like blond, and you have," he looked more closely at Nico, "gray eyes." "Oh," Nico said. "My dad's parents are from northern Italy, around Milan. They came over to America after World War II. My grandma on my mom's side was born in America, but her parents were from a region called Tuscany. My grandpa on my mom's side is actually German. His family has been here a while, but no one had married a non-German until he met my grandma." Nico hadn't intended to give his family's genealogy, but the information just came tumbling out. He had completed a genealogy project the previous year, and his grandparents had schooled him well in his heritage. "There are plenty of light-haired, light-skinned Italians, especially in the north," Nico added. "Most of my family is on both sides." "Mine, too," Drew added, "blond, that is, not Italian. We're like German, Scottish, and English." "Weird," Gary said, looking at Nico. Nico shrugged and said with a grin, "It surprises a lot of people. They hear the name, and then get confused when they see me. I think Mr. Faggi was surprised; he gave me a strange look." "Maybe," David said. "It was probably just because you're new." "Probably," Nico agreed. The boys finished eating and threw out their trash. They headed to their lockers to get their materials for the next class. The school day was six periods, so Nico had two classes after lunch: English and math. Nico's English teacher, Mrs. Harvey, was a hilarious older woman. She was very smart and slightly crazy, Nico decided, and he was pretty sure English would become one of his favorite classes. The same wasn't true for math, unfortunately. As Travis had told him, Miss Bartow was incredibly strict. She had very specific expectations and a process for just about everything, including the "proper way to head your homework papers." What Travis hadn't mentioned, however, was that Miss Bartow was young and attractive. Nico had imagined an older, unmarried woman, but Miss Bartow was in her late twenties, like Mr. Stevens. She had long blonde hair and was wearing a skirt, high heels, and a form-fitting shirt. Nico tried to force himself to focus on her words, not her movements or the fact that the top two buttons of her shirt were undone, but that didn't stop him from getting an erection. "Shit," Nico muttered quietly when he realized that he was getting hard. His dick grew to the left, tenting his shorts. He squirmed in his seat. Drew caught Nico's movements out of the corner of his eye and looked at Nico questioningly. Nico shook his head a little and pressed his lips together in a tight grimace. He pointed at his crotch. Drew's eyes grew wide when he saw Nico's tent. He smiled sympathetically and mouthed, "That sucks." Nico sighed and tried to distract himself by looking out the window. "Am I boring you, Nico?" Miss Bartow asked. "What?" Nico asked, snapping back to attention. "Sorry?" "Is my discussion of expectations boring you?" Miss Bartow repeated. "No, Miss Bartow, sorry," Nico said. "Perhaps you aren't mature enough to handle sitting next to the window," she added and fixed her gaze on Nico. "A new seat, maybe?" She looked around the room, as if trying to decide the best place for him. "Really, I'm fine," he said quickly, praying she wouldn't make him stand up. "Not bored, not distracted. Sorry." The bell rang, and Miss Bartow dismissed them. Nico let out a sigh of relief; he was free from Miss Bartow's glare, and fear had made his erection diminish. "Saved by the bell, huh?" Drew said as they both stood. "Thank, God," Nico said. "I thought she was going to rip my head off." "Hey, at least your boner's gone," Drew whispered with a glance down at Nico's crotch. "Imagine if she had made you change seats?" Nico blushed and chuckled nervously. "That would have been embarrassing." Travis joined them as they walked towards the bus ramp. Although Nico's parents were able to drop him off in the morning, they weren't able to pick him up. Both taught classes in the afternoon, and Nico got out of school at 2:50, so he had to ride the bus. "What'd you think of math?" Travis asked. "I think Nico liked it," Drew teased. "Or at least liked Miss Bartow." "Shut up, dude." Nico playfully shoved Drew. "What happened?" Travis asked. "Just an awkward boner moment," Drew said. "It was either the teacher, or Nico really likes rules." Travis grinned. "Yeah, she is kind of hot." "You guys might have warned me," Nico said with mock anger. "Sorry," Travis said. "Everyone knows Miss Bartow is hot. I didn't think about you being new here." "Besides," Drew said, "what could you have done? Do you have some sort of magic boner-controlling powers?" "Ugh," Nico said. "No. I could have, like, mentally prepared myself. I don't know." They were standing near the buses now. "Well, now you know for tomorrow," Drew said. "I hear she likes to call people up to the board to work out math problems, so...," Travis teased. The three of them laughed. "I need to figure out which bus I'm supposed to ride," Nico said, looking at each bus's number. "Why don't you just ride home with me?" Drew suggested. "My mom picks me up, and you live in our neighborhood, so it's not out of the way." "Yeah?" Nico said. "Would she be okay with that?" "Lemme call her," Drew responded and took out his phone. "Hey, Mom. You here?" Pause. "Can we give my friend Nico a ride home?" Pause. "He's new. He lives in our neighborhood." Pause. "Awesome." Drew ended the call. "She said okay. Let's go." The three walked from the bus ramp to the parent pick-up line. Travis headed to his mom's car, a late model red Volvo. "Later, guys," he said and got into the car. His mom waved at her son's companions through the window. A blond woman leaned out of a white Acura MDX a few cars ahead of Travis's and called to Drew. The boys jogged over to the car. Drew got into the front seat; Nico sat behind him. "Nico, right?" Drew's mom asked, turning in her seat and offering her hand. "I'm Mrs. Beck." "Nice to meet you," Nico answered and shook her hand. "Drew said you just moved to town?" she asked, pulling out of the pick-up line and driving out of the parking lot. "Yes, ma'am," Nico answered. "We spent about a week in a hotel and just finally moved into the house this weekend." Mrs. Beck nodded. "That's right. I remember seeing movers in the neighborhood. Where are you from?" "Colorado," Nico said. "Really? We go skiing there almost every winter. It's beautiful," she said. "I love the mountains," Nico said, "especially in the winter. But spring is good, too." "Why did you move?" Mrs. Beck asked. "Mom," Drew said plaintively. "Drew doesn't like it when I ask his friends too many questions," Mrs. Beck said, looking at Nico in the rearview mirror. "I think he thinks that I'll embarrass them, or maybe that they'll tell me something he doesn't want me to know." Nico laughed. "My parents are both professors. The university offered each of them more money than they were making in Colorado, so we moved." "How do you like it so far?" she asked. "The first day was good," Nico said. "I met Drew in first period, and we have almost the same schedule, so that was lucky. I don't really know anything but the school, yet." "I'm sure you'll like it here. It's a good neighborhood with a lot of kids your age, and there's a lot to do in Florida in general." She smiled in the mirror. "I hope so. I didn't have a chance over the weekend to meet anyone, because we were unpacking. Drew promised to show me around and introduce me to people. I met some at school, already." "What do your parents teach?" "Ugh," Drew said. "Just making small talk, Drew," Mrs. Beck explained. "Did you bother to ask any of these questions?" "No," Drew said, "but I learned other stuff." Mrs. Beck looked at Drew for a moment, and then looked expectantly at Nico in the rearview mirror. "My mom is a Psychology professor and researcher, and my dad is an English professor." "Are you finished asking questions now?" Drew asked, exasperated. "Yes, honey. You can stop being embarrassed about your mom now." Drew rolled his eyes. He turned in his seat to look at Nico. "So this is really our last night of freedom before the homework starts. Do you think your parents would let you come over and hang out later?" "You're welcome to come to dinner, too," Mrs. Beck added. "Thanks," Nico answered. "That would be cool. They might have plans already, but I'll ask them when they get home." "Give me your number, and I'll text you the address," Drew said. Nico rattled off his number, and Drew entered it into his phone. Nico's phone dinged when the text message came. "Awesome. You're only like two streets over," Nico said and then saved Drew's number. "If you don't have anything to do, maybe you can show me around the neighborhood now. My parents won't be home for a while." "I'll ride my bike over in a little bit," Drew said. Mrs. Beck dropped Nico off in front of his house and drove away. Nico went inside and headed up to his bedroom. He threw his backpack down by his desk and flopped down on his bed. For the first time since they had moved, he felt completely relaxed. His first day of school had gone well, and he had already made friends. After staring at the ceiling for a few minutes, he rolled out of bed. Nico pulled his polo shirt off over his head and looked at himself in the mirror, reassuring himself that he had no reason to worry about changing in the locker-room. He wasn't overweight, and his pecs already had shape to them. He lifted his arms over his head and inspected his armpits. His pit hair had grown thicker over the past few months, but it was so light in color that it was barely noticeable. He lowered his arms and ran his fingers over his flat stomach. He took off his shorts and boxers. His soft cock hung down over his balls. The blond hair at the base of his dick was getting thicker. He played with his pubes. His dick started to get hard. Nico had an idea of what masturbation was, but he hadn't done it before, partly because his cousins had told him it was wrong and partly because he didn't really know what to do to "masturbate." He did know that touching his hard-on felt good, but he hadn't actually jacked off before. Usually, he just stared at his erections when they happened in private or tried to will them away when they came at awkward moments, like during class. He looked down at his shorts on the floor and wondered if wearing something besides boxers would make it easier to hide erections. He had compression shorts, which he wore under his soccer shorts, and they certainly held everything in place, but he didn't know if they would be comfortable enough to wear all day. He decided to ask his dad about it. He pulled out a pair of white compression shorts and put them on. He reached down the front of the shorts and positioned his cock and balls comfortably in the pouch. He turned to the left and looked at himself in the mirror. The compression shorts certainly showed a bulge unlike his boxers. He put on a pair of athletic shorts and a t-shirt. He laced up his PUMAs and headed downstairs to wait for Drew. Nico pulled out his phone to send a Snapchat to some of his friends in Colorado, a short video telling them about his first day of school and asking about theirs. The doorbell rang; Nico ended his recording and sent the message. He left his phone on the couch, since his shorts had no pockets, and went out through the garage. On the message board near the door to the garage, he scrawled a note about going riding with his friend Drew, so that his parents wouldn't worry if they got home before he returned. At the sound of the garage door opening, Drew, wearing a t-shirt and basketball shorts, came around to the driveway and saw Nico walking his bike out of the garage. Nico punched a code into the keypad to close the door. "Cool shoes," Drew said with a nod at Nico's feet. "Thanks," Nico said. "They're pretty new. Ready?" The two boys climbed onto their bikes and rode off down the street. For the next hour and a half, Drew led Nico through the streets of their neighborhood. He pointed out Gary's and Connor's houses, and both boys joined them on the ride. Drew also pointed out where other LMS students lived. The boys raced along the streets before finally riding to Drew's house. They lined up their bikes in the driveway, and Drew grabbed four bottles of water from the refrigerator in his garage. Nico was covered in sweat. It was close to five o'clock and still quite hot. Nico was okay with heat--Colorado was pretty hot in the summer, after all--but he was not a fan of the humidity. The weather was what his grandma described as "muggy," but twice as bad as he had ever felt it in Colorado. Even as they stood in the driveway, he was sweating. He grabbed the bottom of his t-shirt, which was still dry, and lifted it to wipe his eyes. When he opened his eyes, he thought he saw Drew looking at his stomach. Before Nico had time to consider it, Drew shoved a bottle of water into Nico's hand. "Thanks," Nico said. He wiped his forehead again and put his shirt back down. Nico downed half the bottle immediately. "Remind me to bring my water bottle next time. I'm sweating like crazy." His t-shirt clung to his chest and stomach; his dark nipples were visible through the wet, white cotton. "You'll get used to it," Gary said. They sat down in the grass and drank their water, watching the street and talking. "Was that Mr. Stevens?" Nico asked a few minutes later when a blue Mazda drove by. "Yep," Connor answered. "Some teachers live in the neighborhood." "Really?" Nico asked. He had never lived near any of his teachers. "Who? Where?" "Well, Mr. Stevens obviously," Drew said, "who lives right down the street." "And I've seen Mr. Faggi driving here before," Gary said. "I don't know where his house actually is, though." "These houses seem kind of expensive for teachers," Nico observed. "Unless Florida teachers get paid more than Colorado teachers." "Mr. Stevens's fiancée is a doctor," Drew said. "She comes over and sees my mom sometimes. Don't know about Faggi." "It's kind of a big neighborhood," Connor added. "Lots of different houses, especially if you keep going down Oakland Street. I know one of our sixth grade teachers lives over there." "Anyone else?" Nico asked. "Not like I'm looking to hang out with teachers," he added with a nervous chuckle. "Just wondering." "I don't think Miss Bartow lives here, if that's what you mean," Drew said with a mischievous grin and punched Nico in the arm. Nico blushed. "Shut up. That's not what I meant." Gary and Connor looked a little confused, and Nico told them about his classroom boner. "No big deal," Gary said. "I get boners all the time when I'm not expecting it. No idea why. I usually adjust it through my pocket, so that it's not sticking out but it's against my leg, you know?" "I should do that," Nico said, "but I'm afraid if I touch it or try to hold it like that, it will take longer to go away." "Well that's definitely happened, too," Gary said with a laugh. "Can we stop talking about boners?" Connor asked. His face was red. "Sorry," Nico said. "It's okay," he said. "I gotta get home, anyway." "Later, Connor," Drew said, and the others waved as Connor rode off. "What was that about?" Nico asked. "He gets like that when anything remotely sexual comes up. I don't know how he's going to handle PE this week. I wish I were in his class, just so I could see how red his face gets." Drew laughed. "Speaking of PE," Nico said. "What do you guys think about this week? Do you have any questions you're thinking about asking? I've been thinking about stuff." "Like what?" Gary asked, smirking as usual. "Well," Nico hesitated, "I don't know if I want to share that just yet." "I've pretty much learned what I need to know from the Internet," Gary said, "so I don't think I have any questions." Nico looked at him confused. "Gary's parents let him have a computer in his room, all to himself," Drew enviously explained. "Lucky bastard." "My parents only let me use the computer in the study, and they monitor everything, so I could never look up anything like that," Nico said. "You're welcome to come over and use my computer!" Gary said with a laugh. Drew grinned. "Maybe," Nico said uncertainly. He looked at his watch. "I should be getting home." He stood and walked to his bike. "You still coming over for dinner?" Drew asked. "If my parents let me, sure. They might want to come and meet your parents." "That'll be cool. Come by around 6." "Later, guys," Nico called and waved as he rode off. When Nico got home, his mom's car was in the garage, but his dad's wasn't. He went inside and found his mom lying on the couch in the living room. "Hi, Mom," he said. She sat up. "Hi, honey. Enjoy your ride?" "It was fun. Drew showed me around the neighborhood." "Good. I'm glad you finally had the chance to meet some friends. What do you want for dinner?" Daniela Cavalloni got off the couch. She was an inch or two taller than her son and had straight, shoulder-length blonde hair, which was styled to frame her face. She ran every morning, so she was in good shape. "Well, actually," Nico said, "could I go have dinner at Drew's house and hang out for a little bit maybe? His mom said it was okay." "I don't see why not. It's kind of your last free school night." "Yes!" Nico shouted and picked up his phone from the table. He texted Drew the news. "But first, you need to shower and change clothes. I'm not letting you go to dinner looking like that." As Nico headed upstairs, he watched the Snapchats his friends from Colorado had sent back to him. They said hey, told him they were glad he had met some friends, and said that they missed hanging out. Nico smiled and wondered if he'd be able to stay friends with them even though they would almost never see each other in person. Nico walked through his bedroom to his bathroom. He pulled off his sweaty clothes and tossed them into the hamper. He turned on the water, adjusted the temperature, and then climbed into the shower. He ducked his head under the spray and let the water run over him, washing away the sweat from his bike ride. He grabbed the soap and rubbed the bar up and down each of his arms, and then he cleaned each armpit. He lathered his chest and torso, working his way down to his crotch. His cock quickly hardened and stood straight up in front of him. The water felt good on the underside of his cockhead. He rubbed the soap along the underside of his shaft. He liked the feeling, but he stopped. He recalled his older cousins telling him that it was wrong to "play with yourself." Their parents were more religious than Nico's, who had long ago stopped going to church. Nico also remembered an uncle once telling another cousin it could cause problems. Nico sighed. He didn't think it was true, but he wasn't sure. No one else had ever talked to him about masturbation, and he wasn't bold enough to search it on his computer. He wondered if Gary, with a computer in his own room, knew the truth. He also wondered if Drew or any of his other friends masturbated. Nico ignored his hard-on and washed his ballsac and legs. He grabbed the shampoo and washed his hair. His cock was still hard when he turned off the shower, and as he dried off, it showed no sign of going down. He walked into his bedroom and looked at himself in the mirror. His ballsac was hanging lower than usual from the steam in the shower, he thought. His cock stood straight up, rising towards his stomach. "Dammit," he muttered and willed his erection to go away, so he could get dressed. He walked around his room, and after a few minutes, his 12-year-old dick finally softened and dropped down over his balls. Nico put on the same shorts and shirt he had worn to school and headed downstairs. He heard his dad's voice; he must have come home while Nico was showering. "Finally," his dad said when he came into the living room. "You took forever. What were you doing in there?" Nico blushed. "Sorry," he said. "I'm just teasing you, Nico," his dad said, putting his hand on his son's shoulder and squeezing. Luca Cavalloni was about 5'11" with an athletic build. He wasn't as muscular as Mr. Faggi, but he exercised regularly and had played soccer with an adult league in Colorado. He had wavy, dark blond hair like his son. "How was school?" They sat down, Nico and his dad on the couch, his mom in the chair next to it. Nico told his parents about the friends he had met and about each of his classes, including what he thought about each class and teacher. "Well, I'm glad to hear everything went well," Mr. Cavalloni said, again squeezing his son's shoulder. "Your mom tells me you want to have dinner and hang out with one of these new friends of yours." Nico nodded. "Drew. He lives about two blocks away, and his mom gave me a ride home today, so I didn't have to ride the bus." "Sounds good to me. We'll walk over there with you, so that we can meet them and thank his mom." A few minutes later, the family set out to walk the two blocks to Drew's house. "How was the first day of your classes?" Nico asked. Mr. Cavalloni shrugged. "It was good. My expository writing and freshman English classes were today. The students didn't strike me as being different from my the ones I had in Colorado, but that may change." "I thought the same thing," Mrs. Cavalloni added. "Of course, I only had Intro to Psych today. Tomorrow I get to teach Abnormal Psych, which should be interesting." "Why is that?" Nico asked. "You tend to get a bigger variety of students in Abnormal Psych; people are fascinated by messed up brains," she answered with a chuckle. "I guarantee that at least a third of the students will have come to me before the end of the semester to tell me that they think they have one of the problems we've discussed." Nico laughed. "Does that really happen?" "Oh yes," his mother said. "It has happened in every class I've taught. People can't help diagnosing themselves." "I'm looking forward to Creative Writing tomorrow," Mr. Cavalloni said. "When students are completely free to write whatever they want, you get some interesting stuff." "Like what?" Nico asked. "Well...," Mr. Cavalloni hesitated. "I've had a lot of different things, but I don't think I can really tell you about the strangest stuff until you're older. I'll just say that some people have very disturbing ideas that they would never admit to having or talking about except as fiction." They walked up to Drew's front door and rang the doorbell. Drew swung open the door. "Hey, Nico," he said and then looked at Nico's parents. "Mom and Dad, this is Drew," Nico said. "Drew, my parents." "I never would have guessed," he deadpanned. "You look nothing alike." Mr. Cavalloni chuckled. "Nice to meet you, Drew," he said and shook his hand. Mrs. Cavalloni also held out her hand. "Nice to meet you Mr. And Mrs. Cavalloni," Drew said, shaking Mrs. Cavalloni's hand. "Come in." Drew stood aside. As the family walked inside, Drew's mom came around the corner. "You must be Nico's parents," she said, wiping her hands on a dishtowel. "I'm Stacy Beck, Drew's mom." "I'm Luca," Nico's dad said, "and this is my wife Daniela." "Call me Dani, please," Nico's mom said. "I want to thank you for giving Nico a ride home. We didn't really want him to ride the bus, but it's not possible for us to pick him up this semester. Next semester might be different." "It was no problem," Mrs. Beck said. "We were going to the same place, anyway, right? Maybe we can alternate dropping off and picking up? When your schedule changes, we can talk about it again." "We wouldn't mind that at all," Mr. Cavalloni said. "We're not sure what Nico's after school schedule will end up being, though. We need to look into available activities." "I'll be happy to tell you what I know," Mrs. Beck said. She led Nico's parents to the kitchen. "Come on," Drew said and took Nico to his bedroom. "Nice," Nico said, looking around. Drew's room had two big windows and a pair of French doors that opened to a covered patio, which in turn connected to a deck and pool. The pool and surrounding deck were screened to keep out insects and other animals. "You get your own TV?" "Yep," Drew said. "They're so weird. I asked for a computer for my 12th birthday, but they said no. Instead, they bought me a TV, and then for Christmas bought me a PS3. I got the Xbox from my grandparents a little after that." Nico shook his head. "What do your parents do?" "My dad's a lawyer; my mom's a stay-at-home mom," Drew answered. "You're lucky," Nico said. His parents weren't big fans of videogames, and he had to work very hard to convince them to buy him an Xbox for his last birthday. There was no way he could convince them to buy him his own TV to hook it up to. It was connected to the TV in the living room, which meant he could only play when they let him play--not that he had many games, anyway. "Wanna play?" Drew asked holding up Call of Duty. "Sure," Nico said, "but I've never played before." "You'll learn fast," Drew said. Drew loaded the game, and the two sat down in front of the TV. Drew demonstrated the basics, and then they played. After about 20 minutes, there was a knock on the door, and Mrs. Beck stuck her head in. "Dinner in 5 minutes, Drew," she said and moved away. Mr. Cavalloni looked into the room. "Your mom and I are going home, Nico. Call when you're on your way home. No later than 9:30, okay?" "Okay, Dad, thanks," Nico said. "We better go wash our hands," Drew said and turned off the TV. Drew led Nico to the bathroom outside his bedroom. Nico stopped at the sink, but Drew didn't. Nico turned on the water and pumped some soap into his hands. As he lathered his hands, he was startled by the sound of pee hitting water. He looked to his left and was surprised to see Drew standing with his cock in his hand. "What the hell, dude?" Nico said. He hadn't shared a toilet with anyone for a couple of years, and even then it had been with people he was very close to. In contrast, he had known Drew for less than a day. Drew finished peeing and looked at Nico. "What? I had to piss," he said, shaking the last drops from his dick. Nico's eyes flitted down at the sudden movement and then almost immediately returned to Drew's face. He saw enough to realize that Drew's dick was not as big as his, only about half the size. Perhaps everyone hadn't caught up with him as he had thought. "You could warn a guy," Nico said with a nervous laugh. He grabbed a towel and dried his hands. Drew smiled. "Sorry, bro." He put his flaccid 13-year-old cock back in his boxers and zipped up his shorts. He moved to the sink and washed his hands. Nico handed him the towel, and then they headed to the dining room. When they sat down for dinner, Nico discovered that Drew's dad was out of town, which is why he hadn't also greeted Nico and his parents earlier. After dinner, Drew and Nico helped Mrs. Beck clean before returning to Drew's room. Nico stood at the French doors and looked out at the pool. "Direct access to the pool," Nico said. "You have a really nice house." "Thanks," Drew said. "The pool kind of takes of most of the backyard, though, which sucks." "Yeah, right," Nico responded. "I'd rather have a pool than a backyard!" Drew laughed. "Want to go swimming?" "Can we?" Nico asked. "I didn't bring anything to wear." "I have trunks you can wear. We're about the same size. Let me ask my mom if it's okay." Drew headed out of the room, and about a minute later, the lights on the patio and around the pool came on. Drew returned, "She said yes." Drew walked over to his dresser and pulled out two pairs of trunks, one white, one blue. He tossed the white pair to Nico. Both boys took off their shirts. Then, Drew turned his back to Nico and pulled down his shorts. Nico looked at Drew's smooth, white ass. Drew stepped into the trunks and pulled them up. Nico quickly turned and dropped his own shorts. Drew turned around in time to see Nico pulling up his trunks. He was also able to see Nico's reflection in the blank television screen. His eyes widened when he saw Nico's soft cock hanging down over his loose ballsac. He watched Nico fit his cock and balls inside the trunks. Drew looked away before Nico caught him. Nico was glad for the lining in the shorts. It was a little tight, but at least it would hold him in place. As Nico bent down to pick up his shorts from the floor, he caught his reflection in the television screen and realized Drew could have seen him changing. He felt like he should worry about whether or not Drew had seen him naked, but he wasn't bothered at all. He had already seen Drew's dick, after all, and he kind of liked the idea of Drew seeing that he was bigger. Nico threw his shorts on a chair with his shirt and faced Drew. "Ready?" Drew asked. Nico nodded. Drew unlocked the door, and the two boys raced to the pool and jumped in. As Nico dropped to the floor of the pool, completely submerging himself, the legs of his shorts bunched up and clung to his thighs. He had steeled himself for a cold plunge, but was pleased to find that the pool was heated. Water flooded Nico's crotch, warming his cock and balls. He pressed his bare feet to the tile and tensed his leg muscles, pushing himself up. His head broke the surface, and he took a deep breath; he shook his head, sending sprays of water in Drew's direction. Nico wiped his face and eyes and then looked at Drew. "Dude, your pool is heated. Awesome!" "No shit!" Drew laughed. "My dad is VERY particular about the pool. He doesn't use chlorine, either; he uses salt. Don't ask me how it works." "I guess that's why it doesn't smell awful, and my eyes aren't burning." Nico grinned at Drew. Drew swam to the opposite side of the pool, where the family had a basketball hoop set up. He grabbed the basketball that was underneath it and tossed it to Nico. Nico raised his arms and easily caught the ball. He swam towards Drew and the net, holding the ball out of the water. Drew swam up to block him, but Nico moved around his new friend and pushed himself out of the water to shoot the ball. The ball hit the backboard and slid into the net. Drew grabbed the ball as Nico swam to him. When Drew lifted his arms to shoot, Nico noticed that Drew had more and darker underarm hair than he did. While Nico was distracted by this revelation, Drew leapt and shot the ball; it dropped easily through the net. Drew had been propelled forward by his jump. Now, as he came back down into the water, Nico turned his head and tried to move away, but he wasn't fast enough. Drew's smooth, flat stomach brushed his cheek. Nico felt a shock flow through his body. Nico spied the ball floating under the net and moved towards it, away from Drew. Nico grabbed the ball and moved back from the net, ready to shoot again. Drew came in faster than Nico had expected. Nico lifted the ball, ready to shoot. As Drew raised his arms from the water to block Nico's shot, the back of his left hand brushed against Nico's full crotch. Nico, surprised by the sudden touch, sent the ball flying over the backboard onto the deck. "Shit, bro, I'm sorry," Drew quickly apologized. His face was red, and he chuckled nervously. "I didn't mean to do that." Nico laughed it off. "It's fine, man. It just surprised me. I guess basketball is a contact sport now!" Drew looked relieved. "Okay, good." He smiled. "You gotta go get the ball, though." Nico stopped laughing. "You're the one who touched my junk. You should do it," he said in mock anger. "Nah, the rule is the guy who overshoots gets out!" "You suck!" Nico placed his hands on the deck and lifted himself out of the pool. His trunks stuck to his legs and crotch, dripping water onto the deck. He shivered when the cool night air touched his skin. He rubbed his arms and then pulled on his shorts, trying to free his limbs from the clingy material. The outline of his 12-year-old cock, coiled to the left in the tight lining of the shorts, was clear. He walked behind the hoop and grabbed the ball. He carried the ball back to the pool. Drew eyed him as he returned. Nico saw Drew looking at him. "What?" he asked. Drew looked up at Nico's face. "Nothing, man. Just thinking about something. Ready to keep playing? It's my turn to shoot." Nico grinned and threw the ball to Drew before dropping back into the water. For the next hour, the boys continued their game, laughing and taunting each other, resting when necessary. As they played and got more comfortable together, the amount of body contact increased. Nico's cock grew hard, tenting his shorts. When Drew jumped for his next shot, Nico moved away, afraid that Drew would notice his boner and think it was from their repeated contact. Drew missed his shot. "We're tied," Nico said. "Call it a game?" Drew looked at Nico quizzically. "Aight. Why didn't you try to block that shot?" Drew swam towards him. Nico moved back. "What's the deal, Nico?" Drew asked. "Ugh." Nico blushed. "It happened again." He pointed down at the water. Drew followed the direction of Nico's finger and caught sight of Nico's tented shorts, distorted by the waves. Drew laughed. "Why are you so embarrassed? I understand being weird about it in school, but we're friends at my house. It's not like I'm going to make fun of you, especially when I have the same problem." Nico looked into the water and grinned. Drew's darker shorts were less obviously tented. "That's a relief. I thought you'd think I'm weird if you noticed." "Don't be dumb. It's just a thing that happens, right?" Nico nodded. "That's what everyone says, but still...it seems like it shouldn't happen at times like these." "Times like what?" "You know... around another guy. At least at school I knew it was from Miss Bartow." Drew rolled his eyes. "Anyone ever tell you that you think too much?" Nico laughed. "Actually, yes." Drew grinned back at him. They floated around the pool for a few minutes. Then, Drew's mom came outside to tell them it was time to get out of the pool. She stood on the deck with towels in her hands. Drew moved towards the edge of the pool, but Nico hesitated. "Drew," Nico hissed, "we can't get out with your mom here. She'll see us." Drew turned around and looked down at the water. Nico's tent hadn't disappeared. "Still?" Drew whispered, surprised. "Mine went away." Nico lifted his shoulders and looked at Drew apologetically. Drew turned towards his mom. "Just a few more minutes, Mom, please? You can leave the towels on the chair." "Okay, boys," she agreed. "Ten more minutes." She dropped the towels on a deck chair and headed back inside. A wave of relief washed over Nico. "Thanks, man." "What are friends for?" Drew flashed a smile of straight, white teeth at Nico. Nico smiled back. Nico and Drew didn't stay in the pool for the ten minutes Mrs. Beck had granted. As soon as Nico was sure that Mrs. Beck wasn't looking at the pool, he nodded at Drew, and the two boys clambered onto the deck. Nico grabbed a towel and turned away from the house to dry himself. He shivered. The cool air on his wet skin helped bring his hard-on under control. Still, he wrapped the towel around his waist when he followed Drew into the bedroom. Once inside the bedroom, the boys again faced away from each other to change. Nico reached under the towel to pull off his wet trunks, and then removed the towel to dry his legs and crotch. His balls were drawn tight to his body because of the chill--first from the night air and then from the air conditioning--and his soft dick was smaller than usual. At least I'm not getting hard again, he thought, thankful for the cold. Drew pulled on a pair of boxers and athletic shorts, but no shirt. He grabbed a comb from the dresser and tamed his wet hair. Nico stepped into his boxers and pulled them up. He pulled the waistband out and over his endowment. He patted his cock and balls through the cotton, moving them into place, and then reached down for his cargo shorts. He put on his polo, pulling it down over his smooth, lightly muscled chest and flat stomach. He grabbed the towel and dried his head, smoothing down his wet hair, which was standing up all over. "Let me put your trunks outside to dry," Drew said, coming up behind Nico. He put his hand on Nico's shoulder and reached around him. His chest touched Nico's back. Nico felt the same jolt he had felt earlier in the pool; he stepped aside, and Drew grabbed Nico's trunks. Drew took both pairs of shorts outside and hung them up to dry. When Drew came back inside, Nico was sitting on the bed and flipping through the channels on the TV. Drew flopped down next to Nico. "What are you looking for?" "Nothing in particular. Just flipping. I don't know the channels here, yet." "Use the guide, dude." Drew took the remote from Nico, hit the "Guide" button, and handed it back to Nico. As Nico scrolled through the listings, Drew said, "I don't think you're gonna find much. Probably nothing new at 8:30 on a Monday night in the summer." They settled on a repeat of "Family Guy." Drew sat close to Nico, his bare upper arm pressed against Nico's polo-covered limb. They laughed and let out the occasional gasp of disgust. Drew brought his knees up, causing the legs of his shorts to slip down. Drew's movements caught Nico's attention. "Damn, dude, you're really white." "It's called a tan line, ass," Drew responded and looked at Nico with a grin. He pointed at the obvious contrast between his lower legs, which were open to the sun, and his upper legs, which were always covered by shorts. "Still...," Nico said and pulled the leg of his shorts up to reveal his own upper thigh. He put it next to Drew for comparison. Although Nico didn't have the deep olive complexion often associated with central and southern Italian men, his natural skin tone was darker than Drew's. "Well aren't you lucky to be Italian, then," Drew laughed. "Some of us would have to tan naked to get that look." "Or in Speedos," Nico added. They both laughed. Drew let his knee fall against Nico's. Nico playfully pushed back against Drew with his own knee. He felt his cock beginning to stir again. He coughed. "What time is it?" he asked, sitting up and looking at the TV. "I should probably get going. I gotta be home in 15 minutes." "Alright," Drew said and got off the bed. Nico also stood, glad he hadn't developed yet another awkward boner in front of his new friend. The boys headed out of the room towards the front door. "Thanks, Mrs. Beck," Nico said to Drew's mom when they passed her in the living room. "It was nice to meet you, and thanks again for the ride home." "Nice to meet you, too, Nico," Mrs. Beck said and waved from the couch. "Your parents are going to drive you boys to school, and I'll drive you home, so giving you a ride really worked out for the best for all of us!" "Cool." Nico grinned. So far, his first day in a new school in a new city had gone much better than he had expected. "See you tomorrow," he said to Drew and walked out the door. He called his parents as he headed down the sidewalk. "Hey, honey," Mrs. Cavalloni said, looking up at her 12-year-old son when he entered the living room. Nico's parents were sitting close together watching a movie. "Did you have fun?" An unexpectedly bright smile crossed Nico's face. "Yes, I did. We went swimming." "Sounds cold," Mr. Cavalloni said with a chuckle. "Nope. They have a heated pool," Nico said. "Surprised me." Mr. Cavalloni nodded. "I guess I'm not surprised. I got the impression that Drew's dad was doing quite well." "Drew's mom said that you'll be driving both of us to school and she'll be picking us up?" "Yep," Mrs. Cavalloni said. "At least for this semester. We'll have to see what our teaching schedules are like next semester. We might have to switch it up." Nico sat down next to his dad. "I guess that means you like him and his family?" He spoke a little anxiously, even though the answer seemed obvious. If his parents didn't like Drew or Drew's family, it would mean they wouldn't let him hang out with Drew anymore, and Nico did not like that idea at all, because he really liked Drew. "Of course!" Mr. Cavalloni said. "Would we have let you stay there if we didn't? You have good judgment, Nico, and meeting him and his mom just confirmed that. We're glad you met someone like Drew so quickly." "Whew," Nico sighed dramatically. "That means my first day of school wasn't a waste!" He laughed, and his parents chuckled with him. "Plus his mom had a lot to tell us about the neighborhood, the school, and other activities," Mrs. Cavalloni added. "I'm going to look into the City United Football Club tomorrow, and you can also play for the school this year." Nico beamed. He was excited to get back to playing soccer, and he was especially excited to know that he would be able to play almost year-round--and not in the cold. "Awesome, Mom, thanks." Nico's dad slapped him on the knee. "I think it's time for you to get ready for bed." "Ugh! Do I have to?" Nico slumped down and crossed his arms over his chest. "Yep," Mr. Cavalloni said. "Stop being dramatic." He grinned at his son. "You can read until 10:30." This curfew ensured Nico could have eight hours of sleep. He didn't have to be up until 7:30, but he usually woke up earlier. Nico leaned back against the couch and stretched, sticking his legs out straight in front of him and raising his arms over his head. His polo again rose to reveal his flat stomach and the waistband of his boxers. He stood up. "Okay, okay." Nico headed upstairs to brush his teeth and get ready for bed. Once in his bedroom, Nico stripped down to his boxers, which served as his pajamas, and brushed his teeth. He climbed onto his bed and sat with his back against the headboard. He grabbed his copy of "City of Bones" from his nightstand. Nico was an avid reader, and he had picked up the book on the advice of one of his friends from Colorado. Just before 10:30, his parents knocked on the door. "Come in," he called. As his parents approached, Nico closed the book and put it back on his nightstand next to his iPhone. Mr. and Mrs. Cavalloni walked up to the bed. They leaned down and kissed their son on his forehead and rubbed his head. "Sleep well," his mom said. Nico's dad squeezed the back of his neck. "G'night," Nico said to his parents as they walked to the door. When they left, they turned off the overhead light and shut the door behind them. Nico slipped under his covers and then reached over to turn off his bedside lamp. ******************* As I said in the author's note, let me know what you think of this. Good start? Terrible start? Abandon and rewrite the whole thing? Feedback and communication with fans is what keeps me interested in writing, since I don't get paid for it! To get updates as soon as I've finished them, I suggest joining my Yahoo! Group. The group is called Mr. A's Boys, and you can subscribe by visiting or sending an e- mail to . I will send notices to the group when a new story is posted to Nifty, and I will also post the stories (including any bi versions) in the Files section. I encourage your input and comments on the stories via the group, or if you prefer, in private e-mails to me. In the group, there are albums for you to post pics of yourself as well as what you envision any of the characters (from any story) look like. Anything illegal will be removed immediately upon discovery.