Date: Fri, 29 Sep 2000 18:42:28 -0700 (PDT)
From: D.Z. <ndman72@yahoo.com>
Subject: Boys In School 8

DAVID & TRISTAN-BOYS IN SCHOOL is a continuation of the story, Boys on the
Farm, about David and Tristan.  If sex between male teenagers is offensive
to you or if you are underage then you should move on to something else.
DAVID & TRISTAN- BOYS IN SCHOOL is a work of pure fiction -- the characters
and the events do not represent any person or situation.  Copyright (c)2000
by D.Z., all rights reserved. Please do not post in any other forum,
newsgroup, or publication.


PREFACE:

In the preface of my last chapter I talked about the power of words and how
Jonathan emailed me to say that I changed his world.  Many of my readers made
mention of last chapter's preface in their emails to me which made me feel
really good because I almost didn't include that...I was afraid it would
perceived as being too "preachy".  I want to say "thank you" once more to all of
you that wrote and told me thet prologue to chapter 7 was meaningful to you.

And then there are times when those emails will touch something in me like this
next one.  It's from a guy from down South named Ryan and he had this to say, "I
am quite ashamed to say this is my first e-mail I have sent you but have been an
avid fan of the story since it first hit Nifty in the early part of '99.  I was
hooked from the very beginning because I grew up and still live in a very small
rural town and the Brandt farm almost seemed like home. I can only pray to have
one day what David and Tristan have found in each other. Your story gives me
hope and I draw great strength from that. I am still very much in the closet and
can't imagine being out here.  People still cling to traditional values and that
being gay is something that bad and immoral people "choose" to be.  Don't get me
wrong, I love it here.  The South holds a beauty to itself that has to be
experienced to be understood but I can't see myself being who I truly am and
being honest with everyone.  I can definitely relate to how David is afraid his
family will find out especially his father. No one knows about me, not even my
closest friends.  I would give anything if I could just tell them and know
everything would be o.k."

Whew!  Isn't that some email?  I think Ryan speaks for many guys in what he
said.  No need to be ashamed of anything, Ryan.  I understand exactly how you
feel.  And so do many others like us.  My hope too is that some day you will
find your heart's desire.  But remember this, you have to empower yourself to do
so.  If you need to move away from that area in order to be yourself, then start
making plans to do so.  Be true to yourself...only then can you really begin to
be happy deep down inside where it counts.  Ryan, for what it's worth, I have a
hug waiting just for you!

Something that never fails to amaze me time and time again is the fact that
there is nothing new under the sun.  Do you remember in the last chapter I wrote
about Johnson, the kid who lost one of his nuts in an accident?  Jack H, a very
faithful email friend, wrote to tell me that he also knew of a guy who lost a
testicle as a teenager.

In a moment I'll include his words...but before that I have to tell you
something more about Jack.  He is an extraordinary person.  First, I want to
tell you that he's a World War II veteran and he fought in the Pacific Theater.
Each of us owes Jack and all veterans a tremendous debt of gratitude because
they put their lives on the line to protect our country and its freedoms, which
we enjoy today.  Jack's generation is fading away, but I am so thankful to know
him and to hear his stories.  Yes, he has told me quite a number of stories, all
of which are true and quite fascinating.  The first one he told me was sparked
by my writing Boys on the Farm, and it reminded him of his experiences on a
cousin's farm during his teen years.  By the way, Jack is married and has a
family of his own.  So here's my personal "thank you" to Jack for all the things
he has done and shared with me.  Thank you Jack, I am honored to be your friend.

Now here's what Jack had to say about Johnson in the last chapter-- "#7 was ok.
Just like kids in high school.  All f****d up.  There was a kid in my class who
only had one nut.  He lost one at age 15 bronk riding.  We called him Split Pee.
He wasn't ashamed about it.  Would show his nut to anyone who wanted to look.
The one was much larger then the average.  Didn't cause him any trouble.  He
fathered five kids.  Three boys and two girls.  He would say, 'If the old lady
doesn't quit getting pregnant, I'm going to have the other one removed.'  As I
remember he had a better then average dick."

See what I mean?  Each email is like getting a birthday present.  You don't know
what is inside until you open it and then the wonderful gift of shared
experiences (which I tend to call 'stories') is found inside.   I apologize for
the long-winded prologue this time.  Now, here's what you've been waiting for,
Chapter 8!


CHAPTER 8.  RELATIONSHIPS IN TRANSITION.

David and Tristan raced to the Oak Park swimming pool on their bikes, taking
shortcuts wherever possible.  They cut through the Midwest Trucking lot, hopped
the railroad tracks and flagrantly disregarded all traffic rules such as stop
signs and riding on the wrong side of the street in their haste to meet up with
Jason and Chris.  Their muscular young bodies were at their peak, displaying the
prowess of their sculpted young male forms that were so beautiful and capable of
seemingly effortless, sustained exertion.  The wind they created speeding
through the town helped cool them as David led them towards their destination.

Their squealing bicycle brakes heralding their arrival, they swung off their
bikes while still in motion and hastily jammed them into the racks at the pool
located within Oak Park.  They had spotted Jason and Chris waiting for them from
within the shade of a tree nearby and ran over to where Jason and Chris were
waiting.  Reclining on the grass, those two boys gave the restrained and "kewl"
wave that guys give to each other in recognition.

"Been waiting long?" David asked as he and Tristan reached the other pair of
boys.

"Nah, we've only been here a couple of minutes.  The pool won't be open until
1:30 and that's..." Jason checked his watch and said, "another 5 minutes or so."

David and Tristan joined the other two boys by sitting down on the grass,
Tristan sitting with his legs crossed in front of him, David sat with his legs
bent up in front and spread apart.  To the ordinary eye it looked like any
gathering of boys waiting to get into the pool, but to someone who paid
attention to body language, it was obvious from their proximity and actions that
there were two distinct pairs of boys under that tree.

"Say David, what was the little problem you had to go take care of when I called
you a bit ago?" Jason grinned as he teased David and then giggled in his usual
unrestrained mirth.

"Yeah, you and Tristan too busy to talk with us, or what?" Chris chimed in.

"Nah, we weren't too busy to talk with ya.  Jimmy was making a real pest of
himself so I had to kick him out of my room," David downplayed the whole
incident.

Tristan just sat there with a smile on his face.  Inside his head was an
entirely different emotion.  He couldn't help but question whether David really
wanted to make love with him that afternoon.  All day long it seemed that
everything else came first to David.... First it was football, then Jason
called, and then Jimmy barged on in.  Tristan was frustrated...physically and
emotionally.  Tristan was feeling the need to have David love him back the way
he loved David.

"Oh yeah?  So what was the big emergency then?  You hung up on me right after I
heard Jimmy say, 'Tristan, your dick is huuuuuuuuuge,'" and Jason and Chris
began to laugh uproariously.  "We want to know what really happened," they
gasped out together.

David's face flushed with embarrassment.  "I was hoping you hadn't heard that,"
David said ruefully. "OK, you guessed it.  We were *busy* when you called but I
knew Jimmy wouldn't shut up until I took the call.  He slipped into my room and
caught Tris as he was starting to get dressed."

Jason chortled in evident delight as he turned to Chris to say, "See what I told
ya?" before turning back to Tristan and asking, "So what did you do then?"

"Ummmmmmm, not much.  He got a good look at it and then David pushed him out.
He's a nice kid but Jimmy is so snoopy.  He wants to know everything David is
doing."

"Ohhhhh, that's not so good, is it David?"  Jason understood right away.  He and
David had talked about how David's dad hated gays and as a result Jason was very
guarded and subdued whenever he was at David's house, contrary to his usual
self.

"Nope, not good at all.  I don't think he'll say anything to my dad, but if he
does we've got it covered.  Thank God he didn't catch us both naked or doing
something else," David answered fervently.

"Yeah," Jason giggled.  "It would be kinda hard to explain things if he were to
catch you in the act, wouldn't it?"

"You got that right," David agreed while Tristan was shaking his head up and
down in agreement.

"Hey guys, they're opening the door!" Chris announced.  "Let's hustle over there
so we don't have to stand in line so long!" as he jumped to his feet and
snatched up his rolled up towel and swim gear.  The other three boys were only
one step behind him in their haste to hit the water.

After paying the admission, they turned left to go into the men's changing room.
It was an open-air room, having four walls but no ceiling.  Benches bisected the
concrete floor and the four of them headed for an open corner.  There were quite
a few younger boys there, all chattering away like magpies as they hurriedly
stripped off clothes and flung them into the baskets provided.   The four boys
turned their backs to that crowd so they faced the wall and began to change.
Chris maneuvered himself so he was on one side of Tristan since he hoped to
catch a view of Tristan's love muscle he had heard so much about.  For that
matter, he hadn't seen David naked yet either.  He'd seen Jason up close and
very personal quite a number of times and as recently as this morning to be
precise.

Both David and Tristan obviously weren't body shy as they peeled off their
shirts first and then dropped their shorts.  Chris couldn't help but note with a
sense of wonder that David wasn't wearing any underwear and that David's uncut
cock and balls looked gorgeous on David's evenly tanned body.  He took an
appreciative look before turning his glances towards Tristan as he unbuttoned
his own shirt.  First, he noticed that Tristan was still wearing that identical
medallion around his neck as David.  He thought to himself, 'It was so kewl that
they would show their love for each other like that.'

By now Tristan was sliding his packed briefs down to reveal a flaccid cock that
nearly as large as his own was when he was totally hard!   And how it swung as
Tristan moved as he picked up his swimming suit was awesome.  He knew from Jason
that David had been on the receiving end of that whopper and he inwardly
marveled about it as he slid his own shorts off.  It was a good thing that he
and Jason had made love that very morning because his cock had that prehardon
buzz going as he hurried to get his own suit on since the others were now
waiting for him and watching him get changed.

Chris wasn't the only one checking things out.  You can be sure Tristan had one
eye on Chris as he changed.  Tristan was kinda disappointed since Chris had
turned away from him once Chris had caught a view of Tristan's manhood, but he
did see something very unique when Chris had his back turned towards Tristan as
he pulled down his jockeys.  Towards the top of his left butt check was a brown
birthmark shaped like a crescent moon.  It was almost like a tattoo, it was so
perfectly shaped.  The artist within Tristan began to consider what he would put
there as a tattoo to compliment that unique birthmark.  Maybe a palm tree with
the outlines of a nude couple reclining under it would be the ideal thing?

Then Tristan was rewarded with a glimpse of Jason's equipment as Jason half
turned while he was pulling up his bright red swim trunks.  Tristan tried to
take a mental snapshot as Jason hastily pulled his suit up and over his cut cock
and light blonde pubes before tying the strings.

"Kay, I'm ready," Chris expressed the obvious.  "Jason, where's that sun tan
lotion we brought?"

"I've got it, so let's get a move on there, Stud Muffin."

Chris flashed back a quick grin at Jason's use of his pet name and answered,
"That's right, you do have IT, Muffin Mix."

David and Tristan shared a startled glance before snickering at the pet names
those two had for each other.  It was evident to them at least that their pet
names of babe and dude were much, much better!  "Last one in the water is a wuss
and is 'it' for water tag," David announced while leading the way out of the
dressing room.

They scurried to the deeper part of the pool and jumped in with huge splashes
only to come up gasping from the shock of the cool water.  David took another
faceful of water right after he opened his eyes from Jason's splash and it stung
them enough so he stood there for a couple of seconds wiping them.  It was his
downfall since Tristan was the last one in the pool and he immediately tagged
David with a backhanded swipe.  "Now you're it," Tristan said playfully as he
swam away like a fish.  He put the experience of spending two years on the swim
team to good use as he swiftly glided away from David's lunge.

The game of tag went on for some time, and each boy had a turn at being "it"
before they tired of that game and decided to dive for a rock they found near
the fence.  They competed fiercely in retrieving the rock as they threw it out
into the pool and then dove in and swam underwater until someone found it.
There were more than a few underwater gropes attempted as the opportunities
presented themselves, enough so that the boys were staying semi-aroused as they
swam and fooled around.

Tristan was in his element and came up with the rock a majority of the time.
Jason was getting a little tired and frustrated so as Tristan prepared to throw
the rock for the hundredth time Jason stood back and mimed to David to pull down
Tristan's swim trunks this time so they would have a chance.  David gave a quick
grin and a yes nod as Tristan throw the rock out.  Both of them were hot on
Tristan's trail and two hands quickly found purchase on Tristan's baggy trunks
and began to yank.  It some effort but to Tristan's surprise the waistband of
his trunks soon had been pulled down to about midthigh, leaving him very
exposed.  That put Tristan out of the contest as he had a choice of either to
stop and pull them up or shed them completely.  Since they were in a public
pool, Tristan chose the wiser course to stop and cover himself once more.

David snatched up the rock before he and Jason surfaced, the two of them
laughing together about how they "fixed" Tristan.  Tristan swam over to the
pair.  "You guys are real funny," he said.  "Just remember, paybacks are a
bitch," as he promised retribution.  It was soooo tempting just to rap them both
in the nuts, but Tristan wasn't that mad.  He resolved to get back at Jason
since he was pretty sure it was he that was the instigator.  Jason usually was
the instigator of many a prank throughout their years of growing up together.

"Awwww, Tristan, you don't have to take everything so serious," Jason chided and
then enthusiastically changed the subject.  "Let's have a horse fight!  I'll
take Chris on my shoulders and we'll take David and Tristan on."

There was some quick agreement to that suggestion and the two smaller guys were
soon mounted on their "ponies".  Then the real sparring started.  Chris and
David pulled and pushed at each other trying to topple the rider and his horse
into the chest-deep pool.  There weren't too many times that David and Tristan
were upset since David and Tristan was the larger pair of boys.  Tristan loved
the close physical contact of having David riding his shoulders.  But then,
Tristan loved any situation where he could be touching the boy he loved and this
was especially kewl to have David's crotch pressed up against the back of his
neck.  Of course, it would have been much better if David's crotch was pressed
into other portions of his anatomy, but he was counting on that for later!

It wasn't too much longer before the four boys were feeling the effects of their
strenuous play in the water and they decided it was time to take a rest and
catch some rays.  They climbed out of the pool and headed for a more secluded
area of sunshine which was screened from the general area by the corner of the
building.  Chris used his hands to wipe the excess water from his suit prior to
stretching out on the warm concrete.  It wasn't meant to be erotic, but his
actions emphasized the nice bulge in his crotch that was caused by the contact
he'd had against Jason's neck as he wiped the excess water away from the front
of his suit.  His suit clung to his body revealing not only the shape of his
maleness, but his beautifully rounded posterior.

"Whoa, look at Chrissy put on a show! Wooooooooooooo studly babyyyyy!!"   Jason never hesitated to
say what was on his mind.  He started to mimic doing a strip tease as he hummed the appropriate tune while bumping
his hips and wiping the excess water from his own suit.  It was tremendously funny and quite sexy at the same time.
The other three boys watched him with grins on their faces before shaking their heads at his craziness.

"Settle down, Jason," David admonished.  "No need to put a strip tease on for
the whole darn crowd out here.  You wanna put a show on, you can do it for us
later in private."

"Awww, Davie-boy, you never wanna have any fun," Jason mock pouted.  "And who
said you could see my privates in private?  Chris-boy here probably wants to
keep them all for himself."  Jason turned to face Chris and said, "Right, babe?"

"That's right, Jase, you're all mine, every last inch." Chris said as he smiled
back at Jason with that 'I'm so in love' look for Jason.

"Oh ho, listen to him talk!  It sounds serious folks," Tristan chimed in.

"Yup, just like you two guys.  You guys had a head start in the boyfriends
department but we've caught up to you now," Chris responded as he was opening
the bottle of sun tan lotion.

That remark caught Tristan's full attention.  "Caught up to us now? And just
what's that supposed to mean?" Tristan asked, his curiosity evident.

"Well, you should know," Chris replied with a lopsided grin.  "I mean like being
in love with each other and everything."

Tristan wasn't going to be satisfied with a vague reference, he wanted to know
for sure that he wasn't the only one who felt the way he did.   "Everything?
What's everything?"

"How do you suppose people usually share their love, you moron?" Chris responded
in a friendly put down and then continued, "We spend time together, touch each
other, hold each other, have sex.  We share our love together and you know how
good it feels."

Tristan wanted to include David in their discussion of how they felt about each
other and have David reaffirm the love the two of them shared.  "Yeah, we sure
do, don't we David?"

"That's a fact," David agreed.  "How far have you guys gone?" he asked,
remembering Jason's questions of him when Tristan was away in Lubbock.

Chris and Jason looked at each other.  Jason gave a small shrug, leaving the
decision up to Chris about what to say or not say.  "Gentlemen never tell," was
Chris' coy and disappointing reply.  Then he changed the subject.  "Here, Jase,
would ya do my back for me?"

"Course.  Anything else you need done while I'm at it?" Jason quipped with
suggestive tone in his voice.

"Later stud, later." Chris flashed another smile at Jason as he spread his towel
on the concrete and laid on it so Jason could lotion his back.  "Ahhhhhh, that
feels good.  Rub the small of my back more, it's a little sore.  Yeah, like
that.  Ooooh, that's nice.  David and Tristan, you guys can help yourself to the
lotion if you want some too."

Tristan looked at David.  "You want some babe?" he asked.

"Nah, with the tan I have now I'm past the burning stage.  How about you?"

"Nope.  Remember when you got sun burned at the farm and I was only a little
pink?  I hardly ever get sun burn."

So the boys rested and warmed themselves in the sun, chatting about the things
going on in their lives, which mostly revolved around getting ready for school
and inevitably, football.  David started the whole thing by wanting to tell
about Tristan.  "Hey guys, you shoulda seen Tristan today at football practice."
Then he laughed.  "That is, after I got him straightened out about how to wear
the equipment!  And you shoulda seen him trying to pack himself into that nut
cup, right dude?" he teased as he grinned over at Tristan.

Tristan made a wry face as he grumbled a reply, "Yeah, they make those damn
things too small for those of us who have a little extra."

"Oh sure, listen to you Tristan.  Come on, brag some more!" Jason quipped.

"I'm not bragging, just stating the facts." Tristan defended himself as he
stretched out on his towel.  As if their words reminded him, he tugged at the
crotch of his suit and then resettled his privates into a position of greater
comfort.  His timing only served to draw the eyes of the others to his crotch
and outline of his package revealed by the wet fabric.

Jason shifted his gaze back to Tristan's and David's faces to remark, "Yeah, we
had our first practice today too."

"We?  You and Chris both went out for football?" David asked in surprise.

"Yeah, we BOTH went out for football.  Our team is going to be awesome."

"What positions are you playing?"  That was David, of course.  Football was one
of his main passions.  It ranked up there with Tristan so you know it was
serious!

"I'm playing strong safety and Chris is trying out for iron-man at free safety and tight-end."
Tristan snorted with suppressed laughter.  He had thought of a way to find out
what kind of sex those two had engaged in.  "Well, Jason, you should know.  Is
he good at being a tight end?"

Jason winked over at Chris before answering, "Of course he is, Tris.  And he'll
stay that way too cuz he isn't going to let you and your whopper near him!"  And
Jason roared with laughter as he scored on Tristan's word play.  Chris and David
couldn't help but laugh along with Jason.  It was too funny!

However, just the thought of Tristan's man muscle and making love with him made
David's bunghole clench and itch to be totally filled with it which also made
David's cock spring to attention.  He was glad he was lying on his stomach so
everyone couldn't see the evidence of his thoughts.  He reached over to brush
his fingers quickly over Tristan's in a wordless signal of togetherness despite
the teasing and the laughter.

Tristan wasn't about to let Jason get the last word in.  "Too bad Chris here has
to make do with what you've got to offer."

Now it was time for Chris to speak up in defense of his boyfriend.  "Wait a
minute there Tristan.  I don't have to make do at all.  I get all I want from my
studman Jason."

"Oh ho!  Listen to you!" David scoffed.  "Heck, it's not just because a guy can
stick it in somewhere that makes you man, you know."

"So, like, what does that mean?" Jason asked indignantly.

"It means that even femmy wimps will get their rocks off but that doesn't make
them real men," David declared.

"You calling us femmy wimps?" Chris' ire was rising fast.

Jason put a hand on Chris' arm to hold him back.  He could tell Chris was
annoyed.  "OK, Mr. Smart Ass, what makes a guy a real man?" Jason challenged.

"A man is tough, he can hand out some punishment and also take some like we do
in football.  You'll see when we play your wanna be team in two weeks.  It'll be
the Saints kicking the Lion's butts.

"More like *licking* the Lion's butts you mean," Jason growled.

"No way.  Ain't gonna happen," David replied cockily.

"You sound pretty sure of yourself, David.  Are you sure enough to make a bet
out of it?" Chris was tired of David's cockiness and wanted to see if David had
the guts to back up his words.

"Sure am.  What are you betting?" David replied confidently.

Chris matter-of-factly stated, "I'm betting that our football team is going to
win."

"So what are you putting up for a bet there, big talker?" David taunted.

"I dunno exactly," Chris looked down and then up into David's eyes for a moment
before looking around. "Something big enough to make this bet a worthwhile one.
Anyone got any ideas?"

Right away Jason popped out an idea, "Ummm, how about the losers have to do a
strip tease to music for the winners?"

"Big bet there Jason, we already saw the opener for yours!" David joked.

Tristan said what was on his mind next, "Ummmmm, how about the losing couple
hosts the other two on a romantic date?"

Chris nodded a little, "That sounds OK.  What about you David, what do you think
we should bet?"

"Ahhh, how about that the losing couple is responsible for organizing a weekend
camping trip?"  If they were going to do something together as couples, David
wanted to do it privately and he loved the outdoors, especially in the fall.

Now both of these ideas sounded good to Chris, but it wasn't what he was looking
for.  He wanted something more humbling in the way of a bet.  After thinking
quickly he proposed, "How about this?  The losing pair has to paint the balls of
the horse statue yellow in the city park.  Jase, what do you think?  Got any
other ideas?"

"Course I do," Jason grinned wickedly.  "Let's make this a double or nothing
bet.  Since David is so sure he's gonna win and I'm sure we're gonna win I think
its only right that there be two parts to this bet.  First, we do the campout
thing AND we bet our pubes.  The losers have to have their pubes shaved off.
And the winners do the shaving."

"Awesome!" Chris exclaimed.  "What about it, David?  Are you gonna bet your
pubes on winning the game or are the stakes too high for ya?"

David's confidence was undiminished.  "No problem there, Chrissy Wissy.  I'm
gonna enjoy shaving your pubes."

"Uh uh, Davie-girl, it's gonna be me shaving yours off."  Chris looked over to
Tristan.  "What about you there, Tristan?  You haven't said anything yet so are
you in on this bet or not?"

'What the hell', Tristan thought to himself before answering, "I'm in.  I guess
while David is shaving you I'll be shaving Jason.  No prob."

Jason jumped back into the conversation as he quipped, "Now, now Tristan, you'll
have to be careful since you'll be handling a loaded weapon!  And it might go
off!"  And then he laughed his usual bubbly laugh.

"Whoa, listen to that!" David teased.  "Like Jason has something to be bragging
about!   Heck, he's lucky to get 4 inches out of that teeny thingie of his."

Not thinking about what he was saying Jason retorted with some heat in his
voice.  "Go to hell, David!  You know exactly what I've got.  And you know its
way more than 4 inches.  You were the one who had his hands on it more than once
a couple of weeks ago as I recall."

Tristan's head snapped around to look at Jason.  "A couple of weeks ago?  You
mean when I was gone?"  Tristan asked incredulously.

"Yeah." Jason answered firmly.

"What's this about more than once?" Tristan continued to question, his eyes wide
open with astonishment.

"Davie-boy got himself more than a good handful a couple of times.  Once in his
bed together and then again in the shower."  Jason was quite insulted with
David's put down of his masculinity and didn't mind a bit to do what he
considered putting David in his place.  Little did he know what he inadvertently
setting off.

Tristan spun around to confront David.  He knew immediately that it was the
truth just by seeing David's return look of guilt. "Once in bed together and
once in the shower?  I leave town for 2 days and already you're cheating on me!
And with Jason!  How could you do this to me David? To us! I thought you were
better than that!" Tristan's heart felt like it was breaking in half as he flung
those stinging words of accusation at the one person he had ever trusted and
loved whole-heartedly.

"Tris, let me explain..." David started to try and explain what really had gone
on but emotions rapidly escalated out of control.

Jason was doubly insulted with the put down Tristan had implied with his words
to David and was saying angrily at the same time, "What kind of bullshit is that
Tristan?  Did I hear you saying I'm not good enough to be with David?  Or that
I'm not good enough to be your friend?  Is that it?"

Chris jumped into the fray as well.  He took a stab at what he saw as the source
of the problem.  "Yeah, what is it with you David?  Don't you trust Tristan?
Jason told me right away what you guys had done.  He trusted me to understand
and I in turn trust him."

It was all too much for Tristan.  Emotionally he was being pulled in all
directions.  Things went from being almost perfect to devastatingly bad in the
space of 5 seconds.  He found out that the guy he loved so deeply had cheated on
him the first time they were apart with his other trusted friend, Jason.  Now
Jason was mad at him too and Chris only added confusion by calling another
aspect of David's character into question.  "Fuck it.  I'm out of here."

David reached out to grab Tristan's arm and said, "Wait Tristan, you don't
understand."

Tristan slapped David's hand away and spoke thickly past the lump blocking his
throat, "Oh yeah.  I understand all right.  I understand now that you only say
you love me and that you are a cheater who will get his thrills wherever and
whenever.  Well, screw you David."   Tristan fled with long strides to the
dressing room, the hot flames of his emotions roaring within him, consuming him
with hurt and anger at David's betrayal of his wholehearted love.

Trembling from the powerful emotions held within, Tristan changed into his
clothes in record time, making two swipes with his towel to partially dry his
privates before putting on his street clothes.  Tristan's mind was racing in all
directions but one main thought persisted, 'Where was David?  Didn't he care
enough about their relationship to come after him?'  Right as Tristan was tying
his shoes David finally came in.  Glancing up, Tristan noticed that David's face
was white, except for the two spots of color on his cheeks, something he had
never before seen on David.

David sat on the bench next to him, straddling it and leaned over to speak in
low tones, "Tris, you've got it all wrong."

Tristan finished tying his shoes as he tried to find some words to respond to
David.  He turned his head and his angry stare pierced into David as he said, "I
don't think so.  Don't lie to me, David.  I can tell what Jason said is true."

"Yeah, but," David started to say before Tristan cut him off.

"But nothing.  I don't want to hear it.  You're a cheater.  Why should I listen
to you?  And here, take this back since it obviously doesn't mean much."
Tristan whipped the medallion that had never been off since David put it on him
before they left the farm over his head and dropped it on the bench.  Then he
grabbed his wet things and fled the changing room before David could see the
tears pooling in his eyes.

Stunned by utter disbelief that such a thing could have happened, David just sat
there looking down at the medallion he had given Tristan that Tristan flung
there on the bench.  David's emotions were running an intense gamut of
heartbreak, guilt, and anger all rolled into one explosive mixture.  The tension
contained within him built and built as he quietly sat there staring.

It was then that Jason blithely came up to David and blurted, "Where's Tristan?
Whassamatter, David, couldn't ya get him settled down?"

"Shut up you fucking moron!"  David lashed out in all his pain and anger at
Jason.  "If you hadn't opened your fucking big mouth none of this would have had
to happen."

Jason retorted indignantly, "If you hadn't made that smart ass remark about me
and if you hadn't tried to keep secrets it wouldn't have been a problem, you
retard!" Jason turned to Chris for support as he continued saying, "I told Chris
right away and he was kewl about it.  Right Chris?"

"Yup.  Since he told me about it right away I knew it wasn't any big deal, but
look what you did by not telling Tristan.  I don't blame him for being
pissed...I would be too if I had found out like he did," Chris affirmed.

"I knew Tristan would take it all wrong no matter when he found out...you know
how he gets all worked up about shit like that." David nearly sobbed out as a
crushing load of despair was settling its weight on his heart.

Jason stood there for a moment looking and David and considering what to say.
"David, I'll talk to him and tell him it wasn't anything for him to upset about.
I'll tell him the truth of the whole thing so he'll understand what really
happened.  Just wait, ol' Jase will get you guys fixed up!"

Still looking down at the medallion he now held in his hands, David said quietly
but forcefully, "It's over, Jason, so you and Chris can just go fuck each other
silly and leave me alone."  Dragging in a shuddering sigh, David stood up and
put the medallion over his neck where it matched the one he already wore, his
hands shaking as he did so.

Chris was outraged that David would dare cheapen their love for each other and
beyond that, to say such a thing in a public place.  Pushing his way past Jason,
Chris stuck his face into David's and threatened angrily, "Watch your damn
mouth."

David glared back while the realization sunk in about what he said and where he
said it.

Chris wasn't through yet either.  His face only inches away from David, he
hissed, "Don't go putting down the two people who want to help you the most
here.  Jason didn't mean to have this happen, did ya babe?"  Chris turned to
look over as Jason as he said that last part.

Jason was all sincerity as he stepped up and put his hand on David's shoulder
and said, "No, I sure didn't.  I'm sooooo sorry David.  Some days I should have
my mouth glued shut."

"Yeah, I sure wish it was today.  Now things are such a mess," David said
heartbrokenly.  "Jase, you have to help me make Tris understand what really
happened.  He won't even listen to me."

"Don't worry Davie, I'll call him and explain it all to him.  Heck, he probably
didn't know how much of a basketcase you were when he was gone.  You didn't tell
him that, did ya?"

"No," David mumbled.  "But he knew how glad I was to have him back."

"Just as soon as I've had a little talk with him you and he will be back
together again, only even better.  You wait and see!  And if he won't talk to
me, I'll have Chris talk some sense into him.  Right Chris?"

There was no answer.  Chris had went to get his clothes and stood there chatting
with the attendant for a moment.  Jason sat down behind David, straddling the
bench as well.  Jason sat there, just looking at David, waiting for David to say
something.  He could tell how badly David was hurting and he wanted to hug him
so bad and make him feel at least a little better.  But they were out in a
public place so it would hardly be the thing to do.  But he couldn't leave him
there alone like that either.  What should he do?

David knew he was there, just sitting and not saying anything.  In the space of
ten minutes he had gotten into the worst fights he'd ever had with his best
friend and the boy he loved.  David turned around to look at Jason.  Their eyes
met and then David dropped his gaze.  "Chris is waiting for you.  At least you
still have someone who wants you.  I'm getting dressed and heading for home," he
said raggedly and got up to get his clothes from the attendant.

When David came back over to the bench, Jason asked quietly, "I'll call ya later
after I've talked with Tris, kay?"

David looked up again and Jason could see the anguish in David's eyes.  David
nodded mutely once, then he slipped his shorts over his swim trunks and pulled
his shirt on and was gone, just that quickly.

Jason and Chris dressed slowly, their high spirits gone in the aftermath of the
raw emotions ripping apart the relationship of the only other gay friends they
had.  It was depressing.  With few words being spoken, after they slowly dried
off and dressed, they left to go to Jason's house.

Meanwhile Tristan was heading for home on his bike.  He wasn't using the usual
route because he didn't want David catching up to him, unlikely as it was since
Tristan was hauling ass!  He zipped up and over a small hill with a stop sign at
the bottom, but Tristan didn't see it.  He couldn't see too well since his eyes
were tearing up again.  At the last possible second he saw an older Ford pickup
pulling into the intersection.  Tristan slammed on his brakes, screeching the
rear tire on the pavement and leaving a looong skid mark.  It definitely wasn't
Tristan's day because nothing was going to go right.  He hit a patch of loose
gravel and his bike whipped out from under him and now his left leg and butt
cheek were sliding on the pavement!

The older man driving the pickup heard the noise of the squealing bike tire and
abruptly stopped in the middle of the intersection.  Tristan was still sliding
inexorably towards the truck.   Miraculously Tristan slid between the wheels of
the pickup truck and finally stopped sliding, his bike and legs under the truck.
He laid there, his chest heaving, looking at the man inside the truck.  It was
so unreal, to be lying halfway underneath the truck, looking into the scared
face of a man in his mid-50s.

The man shut off his truck and found his voice, "Don't get up.  Let me climb out
and help you."

Numbly Tristan could only nod his head yes.

The man was tall!  He stretched his long legs over Tristan as he clambered out
of his truck, stepping over Tristan.

"Do you hurt anywhere?" the man asked, grave concern etched in every line of his
face.

Tristan's head sagged backwards.  The worst pain was in his chest, right where
David had ripped his heart out.  But he couldn't tell that to a stranger now,
could he?  As he extended his awareness to the rest of his body, a burning sting
made itself known on his left leg and buttock.  "My left leg stings like crazy,"
Tristan replied as he looked up at the man.  He dimly noticed the man's short
brown hair going gray and green eyes with sparkles in them peering back at him.

"Your leg doesn't feel like its broken, does it?" the man asked.

"No, I don't think so," Tristan shifted his weight and tried to crawl from under
the truck.

"Hang on a second there, bud.  Let's check you out before you move.  Can you
wiggle your fingers?"

Tristan wiggled the fingers of both hands and answered, "Yup."

"Now wiggle your toes," the man instructed.  "Ooff, you're a ways under the
truck.  Do it again so I can feel your toes moving."  He had crawled under the
truck so he could feel whether or not Tristan's toes were moving in his
sneakers.

"Are you a doctor or something?" Tristan asked.  This was weird!

"No, I'm a certified EMT, you know what that is don't you?" The man replied.

"Yup, I know.  Now can I get up?"

"Let's check one more thing first.  I'm going to check your eyes here with my
little light.  Hold still and let me have a look now."

Tristan did as he was told and let the man shine his penlight into each eye.

"There, I'm done.  Your eyes are reacting normally.  I think we can get you out
from under the truck now.  Here, let me help you," the man said he put his hands
under Tristan's arms and pulled Tristan out, helping him stand up in the
process.  "My goodness!  Those holes in your pants are from sliding on the
pavement, aren't they?"

Tristan twisted himself to the left and looked at his left leg.  It was stinging
something fierce on his butt and his calf, which took the majority of the
punishing slide on the pavement.  "Yeah, 'fraid so.  I think I'm bleeding too.
I think I can feel it running down my leg."

"OK.  How else do you feel?  Anything else hurt or do you feel dizzy or anything
else?"  The man was still holding on to Tristan with one hand while he gazed at
him in obvious concern.

"No, nothing else seems to be wrong."  Tristan was rather dazed and confused now
that the immediate danger was passed.  His brain wasn't coping with the
additional shock and strain caused by his accident on top of the emotional
trauma he had experienced with David, Jason, and Chris only scant minutes ago.

"Do you want me to take you to the emergency room?" the man asked.  "What's your
name?"

"Tristan Cochran.  No, I don't think so.  It isn't that bad, is it?"  Tristan
asked rather distantly as he twisted around to look at himself again.  "I can't
really tell how bad it is.  Would you look for me?" Tristan asked worriedly.

The man grimaced slightly before answering, "Sure.  Can you stand by yourself,
Tristan?  Maybe you better hang on to the side of my truck, OK?"  And he watched
Tristan steady himself with one hand before letting go.

"Yes, your butt is bleeding pretty good.  You lost a fair sized amount of skin
there and your calf has a pretty good scrape too.  My house is only a block
away, maybe you could go there with me and we could decide what to do.  Maybe
you would like to call one of your parents or something?"

"Ummmm, I guess so.  What'll we do with my bike?"

"I'll throw it in the back of my truck." And he pulled it out from under the
truck.  Tristan's bike looked bad.  The back wheel was really bent and the tire
had a big hole in it from skidding.  And it appeared that the handlebar was bent
as well.  "You were really moving on that bike, kid.  You were going to run that
stop sign, weren't you?"

Tristan looked at the man with surprise written all over his face.  "There was a
stop sign?  I didn't see it."  Then Tristan remembered why he wasn't seeing much
of anything about then and suddenly everything was too much for him.  The tears
started running down his face.  Tristan leaned down on the truck and hid his
face in the crook of his elbow as he cried.  He couldn't help it, he hurt so bad
inside and just couldn't cope with it all.

"Hey bud, it's just a bike.  It can be fixed.  And you'll be fine too."  The man
stood there hesitantly for a moment, watching Tristan hide his face.  "Come on
kid, we have to move out of the intersection, we're blocking traffic."

Hearing those words, Tristan stood up, his face wet with tears and his eyes red
as he faced the man again.  "It's not the bike.  I'm having a really bad day."

Fighting the urge to put his arm around Tristan, the man patted Tristan's
shoulder.  "Oh." The man said. "Well let's get you fixed up at my house and then
you can tell me about it.  I'm a good listener."  He tossed the mangled bike
into the back and then pulled a blanket from behind the seat, spreading it out
quickly.  "Here, you can sit on this.  You might wanna lean to your right so you
don't sit on your scraped-up rear."  And then he smiled a little reassuring
smile as Tristan gingerly sat down in the truck.  "There you are.  Now we can
quit blocking traffic."  And in seconds they were driving down the street.

Tristan couldn't help but like the man.  He sure seemed to be a nice guy.  "Uh,
I don't know your name," Tristan blurted out once they were on their way.

"Oh, I'm sorry.  I'm Craig Thompson.  How old are you, Tristan?"

"Almost 16."

"OK, so does that make you what, a freshman or a sophomore in school?"

"Sophomore."

"What school?"

"Saint Mary's."

"I hear it's a nice school.  They seem to have real good sports teams and
there's lots of school spirit.  Do you play any sports?" Craig asked.

"Yeah, I've been on the swim team the last couple of years and today we started
football practice."

"Really?  This your first year in football?"  Craig had no idea of the impact
those innocent words would have for the two of them when he said that.

A fresh flood of tears started running down Tristan's face at the thought of
football and David.  "Yeah, but I don't know if I'm gonna stay on the team,"
Tristan said brokenly.

"Oh, something go wrong at practice today for you or what?" Craig asked with
obvious compassion in his voice.

Tristan's nose was running badly by now and he sniffed to no avail before
answering, "No, practice went OK.  The coach said I would have a chance to prove
myself."  Scrubbing his face with his hands and trying to wipe away the tears
and snot, Tristan said with shame, "Look at me, some tough football player I am,
crying like a baby here."

"Hey, don't worry about it.  Everyone has some bad times in their life that make
us show the pain we are feeling inside.  If you don't mind me asking, what made
your day so bad?"

"I had a huge fight with someone.  It was awful." Tristan said miserably.

"Ooops, here we are," Craig said as he turned into the driveway of a modest home
with a detached double garage.  The house and yard were immaculate, obviously
tended with loving pride.  A high privacy fence spanned the gap between the
house and the garage.  Craig parked his truck off to one side of driveway and
they got out.  Hanging over the arched gateway was a sign reading, "Meo
Sanctum".

Tristan looked up as they walked underneath it and asked, "What's that mean?
Something like Home Sweet Home?"

Craig smiled as he looked over to Tristan and answered, "Yeah, that's one way to
interpret it.  For myself, I interpret it to mean 'My Sanctuary'".  This is
where I relax...I can sit and listen to the birds and feel the breeze while I
read, or I can relax in my hot tub over there," as he pointed around the private
area between the buildings.  It was so beautiful...filled with various flowers
and shrubs, all blending together to create an extremely cozy and private area.
What really stood out were the numerous rose bushes loaded with gorgeous flowers
of pink, red, and white hues.  Unlocking the door, Craig invited Tristan inside
by saying, "Come on in and let's get you taken care of here."

For some unexplainable reason Tristan felt he could trust Craig.  Here he was,
about to go inside the house of a man whom he had never met before without a
qualm.  The inside of the house was as clean and tastefully decorated as the
exterior.  It was obvious that Mr. Thompson had a good job of some kind since
the furnishings and wall decorations were not the kind purchased at a discount
store.  They passed a combination laundry room and half bath, a stairway leading
down to a basement before stepping into a cheery kitchen, spotlessly clean.
"You have a very nice home," Tristan remarked, spontaneously voicing his
thoughts.

"Thank you," Craig replied.  "I have a lot of spare time and it's easy to keep
things up when you are the only one to clean up after."

"Oh, you aren't married?" Tristan asked.

"Not now.  I was for several years until we divorced," Craig answered matter-of-
factly.

"Oh, sorry.  Did you have any kids?" Tristan asked as he stood there, still
looking around.

"Yes, I have two daughters, Alyssa and Jennifer.  They  are grown up and live
out of town so now I only myself to look after."

"That's too bad.  I bet it gets kind of lonely."  It was easy for Tristan to
emphasize on that point.  "I get lonely too sometimes since I'm an only child.
My dad and mom got divorced when I was a baby so I don't have any brothers or
sisters."

"Oh.  Sorry to hear that.  Do you live with your mom or your dad?" Craig asked.

"My dad.  I hardly ever see my mom.  She's an alcoholic and lives a couple of
states away and the times I do see her aren't very much fun."

"Divorce is never easy on anyone, the adults or the children, but there are
times that it is better for everyone concerned," Craig observed.  "But don't you
think we should do something about those scrapes of yours?  I can see some blood
around the hole in your pants so maybe we should get you patched up here first.
I'll get my first aid kit - can you stay standing until we get you cleaned up a
little?"

"Sure, that would be fine," Tristan agreed.  Actually his ass still stung like
crazy and his leg did too.

Craig disappeared into the back of the house and could be heard retrieving more
than one item.  It wasn't but half a minute and he reappeared, carrying a large
first aid kit, a washcloth and a towel.  "OK, here we are, ready to get you
fixed up.  Could you move over here by the sink?" Craig asked.

Tristan did as he was asked, still standing, not knowing what to do.

"Well, I think you are going to have to help me out here, Tristan, if we are to
do this.  Why don't you face the counter and drop your pants down so I can get
your backside and leg washed up and a bandage put on.  Would it bother you to do
that?"

"I guess not," Tristan said as he dropped his hands to undo his pants.  It
wasn't as if the guy was trying to be a pervert that was obvious.  He wasn't
even looking at him yet since Craig was running water in the sink and wetting
the washcloth.

"Why don't you step out of your pants here for a bit so I can get you cleaned
up.  You have blood all the way down your leg here but the good news is that you
aren't bleeding much now.  There you go," Craig said as Tristan lifted his feet
out of his pants and they were put off to the side.  "I'm going to wash your leg
now so just stand there with your hands on the counter, OK?" Craig instructed,
all businesslike.

"No problem," Tristan said and then he felt the warm touch of the washcloth move
from his left butt cheek down his leg in gentle strokes.  He told himself not to
get aroused, but his dick had a mind of its own.  He had been horny all day and
his backside being touched was all the stimulus he needed to start the blood
rushing to his cock.  Looking down, Tristan could see his cock begin to push
against the fabric of his underwear, clearly outlining the length and girth of
his semi-hard member.  There was sufficient blood in Tristan's system for his
face to flush now too, as he was more than a little embarrassed by his dick's
response to the gentle cleansing of his leg by Craig.  Tristan stared across the
room, trying to will his cock from creating a massive tent in his underwear.

As Craig changed from using the washcloth to toweling Tristan's leg dry with the
towel, he caught a glimpse of Tristan's tumescent teen cock.  "Holy shit!" Craig
exclaimed to himself.  "That boy sure has himself quite a dong!  Wonder how big
that thing of his gets when its fully up?" flashed through Craig's mind
unbidden.

And then Craig's body surprised him by reacting sexually.  His groin began to
stir and fill in response to the tantalizing view.  Instead of seeing Tristan
there in front of him, Craig's mind transported him back many years before to a
time when Craig was about the same age as Tristan.  Craig's memory replayed an
event in his youth where he saw his once best friend, Robert, standing there
with his jutting maleness exposed, telling Craig to hurry and give him the blow
job he needed.  It was Robert with whom he learned the pleasures of gay sex and
later the bitter devastation of betrayal and Robert's condemnation of male
intimacy when Craig professed his feelings of enjoyment of those acts and love
to Robert.  The images from his past flashed through Craig's mind in a
heartbeat, reviving his long denied craving for male love.

Putting the towel down, Craig mentally grabbed ahold of himself and forced his
mind back to his mission of mercy.  "Tristan, I need you to hold your boxers out
of the way so I can get this bandage on.  Can you do that for me?" Craig asked,
looking up at Tristan's face, noting the dark flush on his face.

Tristan used both hands to pull his shredded boxers up so his entire left
buttock was exposed.  "Is this OK?" Tristan asked.

"Yes, that's fine.  Now hold still, I'm going to use an antiseptic spray that
might sting a little.  It also has a pain-killer so it won't sting for long.
Here goes..." and Craig sprayed a quick spray on the raw spot about 2 inches in
diameter on Tristan's butt.

"Youch!" Tristan yelped involuntarily and rose on his toes as it STUNG LIKE
CRAZY!  And then, the sting quickly died away.  The good thing about it was that
it deflated Tristan's impending erection like air rushing out of a balloon.
Tristan relaxed once more, in more ways than one!

"OK, we're ready for the bandage."  Craig quickly taped a square of coated gauze
on Tristans rear end, inwardly marveling and rejoicing at being able to see and
touch the body of Tristan in the blossoming of its manhood.  What a magnificent
boy this was!

To Tristan, it felt really weird, having that tape plastered on his ass, but it
was better than the way it was before!

"There, we got the worst one patched up.  If you change the gauze everyday and
use an antibiotic cream with it, the skin will grow back in a week or two and it
will be less likely to scar." Craig advised.  "Here, let's put a couple of large
bandaides over the scrapes on your leg.  Would you like me to trim the hair so
when you take the bandaid off you won't be pulling hairs too?"

"Yeah, sounds like a good idea."  Tristan's legs were kinda hairy, having long
dark curly hair and he didn't need any pain from pulling off the bandaids later.
Tristan definitely wasn't into pain!

Craig reached into his first aid kit and unwrapped a small disposable scalpel.

His eyes opened wide as Tristan squeaked out, "You aren't going to cut me with
that knife now, are you?"

Smiling, Craig answered confidently, "No, not a chance.  This disposable scalpel
is as sharp as a razor blade and I'll use it to shave the hair on your leg
around the scrape.  As long as you hold still, we'll do just fine.  Now watch,
see how easy it is?" and Craig expertly shaved the hair from Tristan's leg in a
minimum of steady strokes.  "OK, are you ready for another shot of that spray?"

Tristan grimaced and braced himself for the biting sting that he knew would
quickly leave.  Nevertheless, he still sucked in a gasp of air when the
antiseptic spray hit the scraped up calf of his leg.

"There, we're done.  Do you want to sit down on the stool there and have a
little something to drink?  I have filtered water, orange juice, Coca-Cola"

In the process of sitting down, Tristan interrupted right then with "A Coke
would be fine, thanks."

Craig pulled a pair of Cokes out of the refrigerator and handed one to Tristan,
then opening his as he sat on another stool.  They both sat there quietly,
sipping their Cokes, both lost in their own thoughts and trying to make sense
out of what had happened to them that day.  Craig broke the silence first
asking, "Did you want to use the phone and call your dad?"

"I guess there's really no point. He's at work and won't be done until 10
tonight.  I'll tell him what happened when he gets home since you got me fixed
up here."

"Oh.  OK.  Then there's no hurry for you, is there?  Would you like to stay and
have supper with me?  I'd enjoy having you stay and we could talk if you didn't
mind," Craig suggested, mindful of Tristan's earlier admission of having a bad
day.  Craig was captivated by this obviously wonderful boy which fate decreed
that he met.  Maybe he could help Tristan with whatever problems he was having.
He hadn't really realized how much he missed having someone to spend time with
since his daughters had moved away.  All those unvocalized feelings made Craig
very keen to have Tristan spend more time with him.

"Really?  You want me to stay and eat?"  Tristan's belly was already talking to
him about how it wanted some food ASAP so this was an offer too good to refuse.
"Yeah, I can stay for supper.  I was going to have to feed myself tonight
otherwise."

Craig's smile beamed back at Tristan as he said, "Great!  I'll get the grill
started and we can have steak and potatoes.  Does that sound OK with you?"

"It sounds delicious!" Suddenly a disquieting thought flew through Tristan's
mind and was out of his mouth accompanied by a puzzled frown on Tristan's face.
"But why are you being so nice to me?  I mean I about scared you into a heart
attack when I didn't stop at the stop sign and then you bring me home and fix me
up and now you are feeding me steak.  I don't get it."

Craig thought silently for a moment before answering Tristan while looking
seriously back at him.  "That's a good question.  Actually, it's very good that
you ask that and question my motives.  I guess I have a couple of reasons for
doing it.  The first one is that there are times in everyone's life when they
are in a position to help someone with no expectation of being repaid in any
monetary way.  I surely wasn't expecting to bump into you today but when we did,
it just seemed to be the thing to do since I lived only a block away to bring
you here.  Second, I'm enjoying your company and am selfishly wanting to enjoy
it longer.  And finally, I am a trained counselor and have always wanted to help
people so when you said you were having a really bad day, it makes me want to
help you if I can."

That last statement reminded Tristan about his fight and very possible permanent
break-up with David.  Once more the heartbreak of David's betrayal placed its
invisible burden on Tristan's shoulders.  Tristan shrugged his left shoulder in
resignation.  "There isn't much you can do to help, Mr. Thompson.  It's been
done and can't be undone."  Tristan's chin began to quiver as his emotions
threatened to get the best of him once more.

"Please call me Craig, would you Tristan?" Craig began.  "It's been my
experience that very few things short of death can't be undone or forgiven if
the parties really want to.  Would you like to tell me what happened today while
I fix our meal?  It will stay between just you and me, I promise."  Craig waited
for a bit to see what Tristan would say.

Tristan glanced up briefly, still struggling to keep from crying, his eyes moist
and mouth trembling.  Then his head ducked back down right away as he sat there
without responding.

Standing up, Craig moved over by Tristan and put a hand on his shoulder.  "You
don't have to be ashamed of your feelings, Tristan.  Everyone has them and when
you are ready, we can talk.  I'll start fixing our meal and you call the shots
here.  We'll talk about it if and when you ready to."  So Craig went out and lit
the grill, then worked silently the kitchen on his meal preparations, fixing the
potatoes and prepping the steaks by rubbing them with some spices.

"You seem to know alot about helping people.  What do you do?"  Tristan broke
the silence.  "Just who was this Craig guy?," he thought to himself.

Craig smiled back at Tristan. "You mean for a living?  Like what's my job?"

A nod accompanied the 'yes' answer.

My job title is Dean of Men at the college here.  I work everyday with the male
half of the student body, and believe me, I've seen just about every problem
under the sun.  Most of the time I'm able to help young men like you work
through a problem.  The sad thing that is that the problems would have been much
smaller if guys would think about what they are doing before they did it.  By
the time they get around to thinking about it, they have a big problem.  You
like onions?"

"Yeah, onions are fine.  My dad uses them all the time.  So the guys you work
with in college are kinda like me, then?" Tristan questioned.

"Yes, you are pretty much the same as many of the college students I work with.
They are young and full of potential like you.  Sometimes we can fix their
mistakes right away and sometimes the mistake can never be totally fixed.  It
helps when I tell them I have taken an oath of confidentiality so that unless it
involves a felony crime, I don't have to reveal what I discuss with anyone."

"Is that right?  So what kinds of problems have you been involved in helping
college kids with?" Tristan asked with obvious interest.

"Lots of things.  Why don't I tell you some of them outside while we grill, OK?"
Craig suggested as he gathered the meal fixings.  "Would you help me carry the
potatoes?"

"Sure!"  It was hard to tell what the ache in his gut was at that moment, hunger
or emotion but it sure looked like Craig knew what he doing in the kitchen!

Craig threw their meal on the grill and adjusted the temperature before sitting
across from Tristan in one of the outdoor chairs.  "Like I said, I've seen all
the various kinds of problems that guys can get themselves into.  The usual
problems are the ones where guys who drink too much and don't pay attention to
their classes, or get hooked on drugs, or who work too many hours to pay for
their education, or suddenly learn they are a father a couple of months after
having casual sex with a girl at a party."

"Wow.  Are there a lot of guys that have these problems then?"

"Enough.  Maybe 10% of male student body will experience one or another of
these," Craig said with a small shrug.  "Some are able to work through the
problem and others end up quitting school."

"You said those are the usual problems.  Those sound like a lotta trouble to me.
What kind of problems are worse that those?"

"Oh, the ones involving the very strong emotions where someone is physically
harmed.  Violence of any kind creates big problems for everyone involved.  So,
over the years I've been involved with college students, the worst ones I can
think of would be a murder, and I remember a few rapes, and then there are the
suicides.  Those are the worst."

"Why is that?" Tristan asked, leaning forward.

"Because it leaves a tremendous burden of guilt on everyone who was close to
that person.  Usually there are so many unanswered questions about why they
would do something like taking their own life.  And the poor person who finds
them is so unprepared to find a friend or relative they knew and talked to
yesterday dead."

"Yeah, I'd sure hate to be the one to find someone like that."  Tristan
shuddered at the thought of it.  "Did you ever figure out why those people
suicided?  How many have there been?" Tristan's curiosity was fully awake.  It
was morbid, but he wanted to know.

"There were three of them.  God willing, I hope I don't have to be involved with
any others."

"Boys or girls?"

"Two were boys, one girl."

"Did you ever find out why they did it?"

"Oh, most of the time you can pretty much figure out the basics.  Two of them
involved the end of relationships and they chose a permanent solution to a
temporary problem."

"But that was only two of them.  What about the third one?"

Craig sighed deeply.  "The third one?  That one is the saddest.  And the most
difficult to prevent."

"Why is that?"

"Because the boy was gay.  He felt isolated from everyone and didn't have anyone
who he felt he could confide in.  In his note, he said his life was a mistake
and that he couldn't bear to live without the love he needed and said he also
couldn't bear the hatred some people have towards gays."

Tristan was silent before murmuring, "Oh Geez.  That poor guy."

Craig checked the grill and flipped the steaks before answering, "Yes, you're so
right.  You would never know that he was having those feelings to look at him.
On the outside he was an outstanding student with friends and was involved in
campus activities.  Then, something happened.  In the space of a week he shut
himself away from everyone and before anyone really realized was what going on,
he pulled the trigger."

"He shot himself?" Tristan asked wide-eyed.

"No.  I meant it as a figure of speech.  He used pills and booze to do it.  His
roommate found him on a Sunday evening.  If only he had talked to someone about
his feelings then maybe it could have been prevented."

"That's so sad.  What would you have told him if he had talked to you?"

"First, that suicide is never a good solution to life's problems.  If only they
could see the devastating consequences of their action, they would realize that
the people who love them would be there to help them if they only gave them a
chance to do so.  Also I would have told him that being gay isn't the end of the
world and that there are many gay people out there who live happy and fulfilled
lives and that gays can make important contributions to society."

Tristan frowned.  "How is that possible?  All you ever hear about is how
everyone hates gays and puts them down."

Craig grimaced and sighed before answering.  "The truth of the matter is that it
is never easy to be perceived as being different.  And too many people lash out
at those people who are different rather than try to understand and value those
differences."

Tristan looked down at his hands.  "Yeah, the guys in school are always putting
gays down.  They'll say, 'That's so gay', or else call someone a faggot that
they don't like.  It's tough to stand up to that kind of attitude and especially
for the shy ones or the ones whose families are so anti-gay.  So what would you
have said to that kid about that?"

"First, I would have said that all worthwhile things are not always easy.  But
most importantly, a person has to believe in himself and pursue his own
happiness.  I believe that a person who lives a life true to their basic self is
going to be a much happier person in the long run rather than a person who hides
a vital part of himself away from everyone.  That kind of self denial so often
becomes expressed in low self esteem and over compensatory behaviors."

Tristan cocked his head to one side and raised his eyebrows as he asked, "Over
what?"

Craig talked with his hands.  Gestures punctuated his comments continuously.
"Over compensatory behaviors.  Those are the behaviors where someone is driven
to exceed at a chosen endeavor to prove their self worth.  That person might
choose to be a star athlete, or sales person, or accountant, or actor, or
whatever direction their interests and aptitude send them in.  Their feelings of
self worth are directly tied to their ability to perform in that chosen
endeavor.  In one way, it's good since they go out and do some extraordinary
things.  But if it becomes obsessive and shuts out all other facets of life, is
it such a good thing?"

"Is it so bad to be really good at something?" Tristan asked, still puzzled by
the wisdom Craig was attempting to share.

"Not always.  But it can be when it is accompanied by a sense of loneliness and
loss for those things that were sacrificed on the path to achievement.
Relationships are what usually suffer in the instance of the over achiever.  You
see it time after time in all fields.  Star athletes, actors, and the very
wealthy business people who have what we all think we would like to have are
often miserably unhappy.  And do you know why?"

Tristan shook his head no.  "Nuh uh.  Why?"

"Because once reaching the pinnacle of success they either have no one to share
it with or are lacking the feeling of being loved for who they are as a person,
rather than for their accomplishment and riches.  They may be rich in money, but
quite often are impoverished in spirit and love."

Tristan rocked back in his chair and exclaimed, "Whoa, how do you know this
stuff?"

Craig spread his hands and confessed, "Because it's been a special study of mine
over the course of many years, trying to define what happiness is."

"Have you figured out the answer yet?" Tristan questioned.

"Yep.  It's one of those answers that seems easy until you try to do it.  First,
you have to accept yourself for the way you are--the way you look, the way you
feel and what talents God has given you.  Second, the other half of the equation
is to share love.  It's quite the paradox.  The more love you give away the more
love you receive back.  Fame, riches, and medals don't provide happiness when
you don't have either of the other two."

Tristan could only shake his head in wonder.  He was only beginning to
comprehend the fact that Craig was feeding him things that would be much more
beneficial to him than the food on the grill which was now ready to eat.

Craig was standing at the grill by this time, checking to see if it was done.
"Still hungry, Tristan?  These steaks have just a hint of rareness left to them
and that's the way I like mine.  How about for you?  Is it done enough?"

"Yeah!  Sounds great, cuz I sure am ready to eat!" Tristan's normal exuberance
was showing with the happy grin he gave to Craig.  Once more, his troubles with
David were temporarily forgotten.  They ate outside, enjoying the shade and
slight breeze that made it into Craig's private garden.  Neither spoke much
while they ate as Tristan attacked his food and Craig watched him obviously
enjoy the food.  Craig marveled at the appetite of the growing young man.

It was later while they were cleaning up their dirty dishes in the kitchen that
Tristan dropped his bombshell.  "I'm gay, did you know that?" Tristan asked out
of the blue as Craig was finishing the dishes.

"Not to look at you I didn't." Craig honestly replied as he glanced over to
Tristan.  "I started to wonder when we were talking earlier though just by the
things you were keying in on."

"Does it bother you that I'm gay?" Tristan had to make sure that the comfort he
felt with Craig was reciprocated.

"Not at all.  You are still the very nice young man I'm enjoying spending some
time with and getting to know," Craig said with a warm smile.

Tristan blushed a little.  He wasn't used to getting compliments like that.
Glancing up and meeting Craig's eyes only briefly Tristan gulped a little and
ventured, "Ummm, I was wondering if I could talk with you about this problem I
had today.... since you seem to have stuff all figured out."

"I don't mind at all.  In fact I was hoping you would share with me what had you
so upset a while ago.  Let's go out in the front room amd we can talk in there."
Craig led the way and sat down in an overstuffed chair.  It was obviously his
favorite chair and he settled into it very comfortably.

Tristan sat on the couch facing Craig.  It didn't seem strange at all for him to
be sitting in Craig's front room, only wearing his T-shirt and boxers.  They had
become that comfortable with each other in such a short time.

"OK, now we can relax and talk.  Are you OK like this?" Craig asked.

"This is fine, thanks.  Remember I told you that I had a big fight with
someone?" Tristan asked hesitantly.

"Yes, I do.  You were pretty upset about it." Craig responded sympathetically.

Tristan's eyes began to tear up as he thought again about what had happened and
at the obvious compassion of Craig's.  "You must think I'm a big wuss," Tristan
sniffed, wiping the tears away.  "It's just that everything was so perfect and I
was so happy and then it all turned into a big lie."

"No, I don't think you are a wuss, Tristan.  In fact, I much prefer that you can
admit your feelings and be open with them.  I admire that."

"You do?  A lot of other guys wouldn't.  When I was younger I was always called
the "crybaby" because I could cry about anything." Tristan confided.

"Everyone is different Tristan.  Don't worry about it," Craig reassured Tristan.
"So tell me what this lie was."

"Kay," Tristan sniffed once more.  "Anyway, I was swimming today with David -
he's my boyfriend, or should I say my ex-boyfriend - and also Jason and his
boyfriend Chris.  We were having a great time and then Jason lets it slip out
that he and David had sex while I was gone a couple of weeks ago."

"Oh.  How did Jason let it slip out?" Craig asked carefully.

Tristan looked down at the floor and answered brokenly, "Well, David was teasing
him about the size of his thingie and the next thing I know he says something
like, 'David got more than a good handful a couple of times.  Once in his bed
together and then again in the shower.'"  The tears ran down Tristan's face anew
as he looked up again at Craig.

"I see that has hurt you quite a bit, Tristan. Can you tell me why you feel that
way?"

That question came as a surprise to Tristan.  He hadn't really stopped to think
why he felt so hurt and betrayed.  He stared at the opposite wall while finding
words to express his feelings.  While he looked across the room, he saw hanging
there a framed wall hanging titled "ABC's of Friendship" but the words behind
the ABC listings were too small to read.  He shifted his mental focus back to
answer Craig's question.  "I totally loved David and I thought he loved me back.
But today proved that wrong.  He was all uptight at football practice today and
then he didn't want to make love today and the last straw was when Jason told
about the two of them fooling around behind my back when I was out of town."
Tristan's voice got quieter as he listed all of the day's problems in their
relationship.

"Hmmmm, I can see why you tell me you've been having a bad day.  Has David ever
said that he loved you?"

"Yeah, sometimes he did."

"As often as you did?"

"No."

"Why not, do you think?"

Trsitan cocked his head to one side as he answered.  "It's harder for him.  His
dad is so anti-gay that he is scared to let his feelings out most of the time.
Only when we're totally alone or in bed together with the lights off and the
door locked does he really let his feelings out," Tristan admitted.

Craig sat back and thought for a moment.  "You thought you guys had a commitment
to each other.  It may be that he's not on that same wavelength considering what
he's up against at home.  Had you ever talked about an exclusive commitment with
each other?  You know, like the idea of going steady?"

Tristan snorted.  "Why?  Going steady is a boy-girl kind of thing!"

Craig shook his head negatively.  "Tristan, the fallacy many people have is that
love between two guys is different from the love between a guy and a girl.
That's not true.  Exactly the same feelings and needs are in play in any serious
relationship, no matter which sexes are involved.  The other thing I want to
tell you today, Tristan, is that we all make mistakes in everything we do,
including our relationships.  Maybe David made a mistake when he did something
with Jason.  From what I understand, it happened only when you were gone.  Is
that right?"

"Well, as far as I know," Tristan answered reluctantly.

"Did you talk to him about it?"

"No.  It hurt too much." Tristan said almost inaudibly.  Tears were dripping
slowly down Tristan's cheeks.

"Did he want to talk about it?"

There was a long pause.  Finally the answer came, "Yes."

Craig sighed before suggesting, "Well then, don't you think you should give him
the chance?"

Tristan hung his head as he answered, "I guess so.  But it won't be easy."

"That's right.  Sometimes there are issues in relationships that aren't easy
because we have to allow ourselves to become vulnerable emotionally in order to
work through whatever the problem is.  Talk to him Tristan.  You said you loved
him.  Do you love him enough so that you are willing to work out your
differences?"

Very quietly Tristan said, "Yeah, because when we're together my world is
complete and when we are apart, there's a piece of me missing.  I feel so empty
right now..."

Tristan looked so pathetic sitting there forlornly.  Craig's heart melted inside
his chest and he got out of his chair and moved over to sit with Tristan on the
couch, putting an arm around the heartsick teen.  "It'll all work out, Tristan.
Just give it chance by talking to David.  Tell him how you feel and then let him
tell you how he feels.  Really listen to him when he talks and be respectful of
his feelings.  You'll see.  And if that doesn't work, give me a call.  You can
call me anytime," and Craig gave Tristan a reassuring squeeze.

Tristan sagged into the man's supportive embrace.  He needed comforting and
Craig was there to give it to him.  There was something about Craig that Tristan
trusted implicitly.  As the warmth of Craig's body and the clean scent of his
aftershave insinuated itself into Tristan's senses an immense weariness washed
over Tristan.  The day's emotional toll and physical activity had exhausted him.
His whole body jumped as he came back from the edge of sleep.

"You're pretty tired, aren't you?" Craig asked.  "Are you feeling OK otherwise?"

"Yeah, but I'm sooo tired right now.  All I can think of is sleeping."

Craig smiled warmly at Tristan as he observed, "Well go right ahead and take a
nap.  It isn't a good idea anyway for you to go home and be by yourself, justin
case of the very slight chance this is a result of your little accident today.
I'll wake you up in an hour or so and take you home then.  How does that sound?"

"That sounds good...I'm sooo sleepy."

Craig offered, "OK, I'll get you a pillow and blanket."

"Do you have to?  I mean, if you don't mind, I'd like to sleep just like this.
I'm so used to having David with me as I sleep, it makes me feel waaay better."

And so it happened that Craig found himself cuddling a worn-out teen boy,
watching him sleep.  As Tristan slept Craig feasted his eyes on the details of
Tristan's masculine features while he had the opportunity.  He started with the
texture and color of Tristan's dark curly hair and the curve of an eyebrow while
the scent of healthy boy and chlorine wafted up to his nostrils.  Craig's gaze
wandered over the bare arms, covered with fine dark hair that was beginning to
show.  He studied the left hand and long fingers cupped loosely and resting on
Tristan's inner thigh, immediately below the bottom hem of Tristan's boxers.  It
was there that Craig could see the short, dark curly hairs growing on the tanned
skin of Tristan's thigh.

The fabric of Tristan's boxers draped loosely over his crotch softened but
didn't obscure the outline of Tristan's generous endowment resting along
Tristan's right thigh.  The full roundness of Tristan's testicles rested at the
junction of his thighs.  It was an extremely alluring sight and Craig felt his
libido emerge from the depths to which it had been banished long ago.  Craig
marveled at the situation that he found himself in.  To be holding a warm,
virile teen boy in his arms was an innermost dream come true.

It was all too easy to see the thick five inches of Tristan's manflesh and the
ridged cockhead and Craig admired it, secretly wishing he could see it in all
its glory.  The arousal in his groin grew to an intensity Craig hadn't felt for
years when he saw the outline of Tristan's meat enlarge and lengthen as its head
began to peek out of the bunched up cloth.  Craig stared at what he guessed to
be nearly 8 inches of hard teencock.  The painstakingly built walls confining
Craig's latent homosexuality began to crumble. Craig's fingers began to
move........


********************************

OK, that's it for chapter 8!  This is the longest chapter yet.  No wonder it
took me so long to get it posted!  You'll have to wait for chapter 9 to see what
happens between David and Tristan as they attempt to iron out the wrinkle that
developed in their relationship.  And what about that bet they have going with
Jason and Chris?  Woo Hoo!  Who is going to win? And what's up with this new
character Craig?  All the answers to those questions and more will be in chapter
9!  lol

I apologize profusely for the length of time it took for me to crank this one
out!  Many readers wrote to ask me if I was ever going to post another chapter.
I have to tell you that I was missing my writing partner, Eric Case, immensely
as I worked on the first half of the chapter this summer.  Chris and Jason are
Eric's characters and to write about them while Eric was away on an extended
vacation was difficult for me.  And it didn't help that I was missing Eric's
cheery "voice" in my emails and our regular chats where we would consult with
each other about our respective stories.  Now that Eric is back and has given me
his seal of approval, I have been proceeding much faster.

Another thing I want to leave with you is the ABC's of Friendship that I
mentioned within chapter 8.  It was sent to me by Jonathan from Amarillo, Texas.
It is a great piece of creative writing describing the elements of true
friendship and I wanted to include it in my story.  I hope you like it as much
as I do and I applaud the original author whoever that may be!

THE ABC'S OF FRIENDSHIP
  author unknown

A Friend....
  (A)ccepts you as you are
  (B)elieves in "you"
  (C)alls you just to say "HI"
  (D)oesn't give up on you
  (E)nvisions the whole of you (even the unfinished parts)
  (F)orgives your mistakes
  (G)ives unconditionally
  (H)elps you
  (I)nvites you over
  (J)ust likes to "be" with you
  (K)eeps you close at heart
  (L)oves you for who you are
  (M)akes a difference in your life
  (N)ever Judges
  (O)ffers support
  (P)icks you up
  (Q)uiets your fears
  (R)aises your spirits
  (S)ays nice things about you
  (T)ells you the truth when you need to hear it
  (U)nderstands you
  (V)alues you
  (W)alks at your side
  (X)-plains things you don't understand
  (Y)ells when you won't listen and
  (Z)aps you back to reality