I had no idea what was going on between Brandon and I.  For the whole next week, we barely spoke to each other.  Alex and I started playing basketball everyday and every time I would go over to his place and Brandon was there, the tension would be thick enough to cut with a knife.

     Alex was no dummy and I'm pretty sure he was picking up on it, but he never said anything.  Perhaps Brandon was ashamed of what almost happened at the pond.  Personally, I wasn't sure what had happened at the pond.  A moment of weakness perhaps.

     It was the day before classes and me and Alex were hanging out at the Student Union for a while before heading back to his place.  He wanted one last night of basketball before the studying would have to begin.  We walked into his place and my eyes quickly connected with Brandon's when I spotted him sitting on his bed sorting folders.

     "I'm going to change real quick and I'll be right back," Alex said.  He grabbed his gym shorts out of his drawer and headed toward the bathroom.  I sat down on his bed and stared at his computer.  A dead silence fell over the room as I attempted to block Brandon out of my mind.  I couldn't help it though and I looked over at him and saw that he was staring at me from over his planner.  I quickly looked back at the computer.

     "Trevor," he said.  I looked over at him blankly.  "I don't want there to be anymore weirdness between us."

     "What do you mean?" I asked, playing stupid.

     "We should talk about what happened at the pond.  I mean, it's pretty obvious that we like each..."  He was cut off when Alex walked back into the room with only his gym shorts on.  We both instinctively looked over at him and I think both of our eyes lingered longer than they should have.  I mean, Alex had a perfect body.

     "Ready Trev?" he asked, going over to his closet without looking at us.

     "Yeah," I said.  I stood up and looked over at Brandon.  His eyes seemed to be pleading with me to stay and talk to him, but I turned away and headed for the door.  Alex met me outside and we headed toward the courts.  He began dribbling the ball loudly like he always did.  "So, are you ready for classes tomorrow?"

     "I guess," I answered.  For some reason I couldn't get Brandon's remarks out of my head. Sure, he was cute, but I didn't think I was attracted to him.

     "Do you have your books yet?"  The way he asked almost demanded that I look him in the eyes to answer.  I glanced over and saw his piercing blue eyes staring straight into mine.

     "No, I'm waiting until after classes start so I make sure I get the right ones."  He continued to stare at me so I didn't take my eyes off him.

     I couldn't figure out what he was doing at first when he suddenly blurted out, "You have really pretty eyes."

     I was so taken aback that I didn't know how to respond at first.  I looked away and managed to say, "Thanks."  I was probably blushing like a madman.  We continued walking, but he didn't say anything else.  Was he just being friendly or had Alex just hit on me?  It was the first time he had ever said anything that could have even been construed as flirting.

     When we got close to the courts Alex tore his shirt off and ran out onto the court, throwing the ball from half court and missing horribly.  He ran after it as I walked out toward the far basket for about the twelfth time that week.  Alex ran back with the ball and threw it to me.  "Let's see you try?" He said challengingly, as if I had mocked him for missing a shot from half court.

     I went out to the line and threw the ball as hard as I could.  I missed of course.
 
 

     Alex stood in front of me, beads of sweat dripping down the center of his chest and down over his flat stomach.  Like lightening, he moved past me and took the open shot.  "Are you letting me win?" he asked coming up beside me, the ball under his arm.

     The sun was already setting and cast a dark orange glow upon us.  Alex looked ten times tanner in the light.  I hadn't been able to get his remark out of my head the whole game.  "Yeah, I thought I'd let you win for once," I replied.  Alex usually won, but not by twenty points.

     "No, really," he said, getting right up in front of me so that his face was only inches from mine.  "What are you thinking about?"  I was getting rather nervous being this close to him and I inadvertently took a step back.

     "About classes tomorrow I guess."  He knew I was lying so he continued staring straight into my eyes as if he could read my very thoughts if he just stared hard enough.  I glanced up at his soaking wet hair and allowed my eyes to gently roam down across the smooth boyish features of his face.  My eyes stopped on his perfectly shaped lips.

     "I'm getting worried about my roommate," he suddenly said.

     "Brandon?"

     "Hey Alex," someone said from behind me.  I turned around and spotted two guys I had never seen before coming straight for us.  They didn't look friendly.

     "Well look who it is," Alex attempted to say playfully.  I could tell that he was really just trying to mask his contempt.  "Brother Williams and Brother Templeton.  How's fraternity life?"

     I backed up and out of the way as they stepped right up to Alex.  They were both at least half a foot taller that Alex, but he stood his ground, looking right up into their eyes boldly.  "You up for a rematch?" the taller, darker haired one asked.

     "How could I ever deny two brothers the chance to redeem themselves?" Alex said, smiling sinisterly.  He backed up and away from them, dribbling louder than I have ever heard before, never taking his eyes off theirs.  I can't even describe the look in his eyes.  He seemed ready to massacre the two guys.

     The smaller of the two, still having several inches on me, backed up to cover me.  It appeared that I had just been dragged into a game of personal revenge.  Just what I didn't need.
 
 

     "God, did you see the way that guy was covering me?" I complained as we walked back to my place.  "I'm going to have a bruise on my shoulder tomorrow."  I glanced over at Alex and saw that he was staring straight forward, ignoring my remarks.  He hadn't said one word since we lost the game.

     I decided to stay quiet and we continued on our way in silence.  "Do you have any idea how much I hate those guys?" Alex finally said.  He was still looking off at some unseen spot far ahead, his eyes unwavering.

     "I could have guessed.  You were knocking that guy around the court like he was the ball..."

     "I am the fox," he muttered to himself.

     "Excuse me?"

     He suddenly snapped out of his trance and looked over at me.  "Nevermind.  So, are you going to bed early tonight?"

     I looked at him strangely for a second, but it genuinely appeared that he was now over our loss.  "Probably not.  My class isn't until noon."

     "Lucky bastard."  We walked into my building and I could smell the smoke before I even got to my door.

     I stepped in and saw Caleb and his friend Tiffany over by the window smoking.  "I thought I told you I didn't want you smoking that shit in here."  Alex came in right behind me and saw Caleb frantically putting the joint out.

     "Caleb, my man," Alex said as he walked in.  "You never told me you smoked the pot."  Alex was grinning like a madman as he walked over to Caleb and Tiffany.  I just stood by the door and tried to look pissed, which wasn't too hard.

     "Hell yeah," Caleb said in his perfect surfer/idiot voice.

     "Do you mind if I hit that?" Alex asked.  Caleb and Tiffany both looked over at me and Alex finally did as well.  I just stared at him in disbelief.  I couldn't believe that Alex smoked marijuana.

     "Whatever," I said and went over to my desk.  I was pretty pissed and actually considered leaving them all in my room.  Caleb quickly lit the joint back up and handed it to Alex.

     "Wow," he said as he exhaled.  "Me and my friend Ryan have been looking for a hookup ever since we got here."

     "Hey man," Caleb said, "just let me know what you need."

     Alex smiled and looked over at me.  "You never told me that your roommate smoked."  He must have suddenly realized that I was pissed because he came over and asked, "What's wrong Trev?"

     "Nothing," I said flatly.

     "Trevor doesn't believe in smoking pot," Caleb said, taking a huge hit.

     "You've never smoked before?" Alex asked me in disbelief.

     "No.  Why would I?" I replied with a little more force to let him know just how pissed I was.

     "Oh Caleb," Alex said turning away from me.  "You have to let Trev hit that."

     "I can't argue with that," he said getting up and coming over to my desk with it.

     "Alex, I don't think you understand," I started to say.  "I don't want to..."

     It didn't appear that Alex was listening because he grabbed the joint.  "Here, I'll give you a shotgun.  Just suck in the smoke."  He suddenly put the lit end in his mouth and leaned down to me.  I really had no idea what he was doing, but then he brought his face right up to mine, like he was going to kiss me.

     In that instant, I was completely under his control.  I couldn't have stopped if I had wanted to.  I looked deep in his eyes as his lips came closer to mine.  Things seemed to move in slow motion as his eyes closed slightly and a plume of smoke shot out of his mouth.  I closed my eyes and sucked in as hard as I could.

     The next thing I knew, I was coughing uncontrollably and Caleb and Tiffany were laughing their asses off.  Alex was just looking down at me and smiling tenderly.  "Did you like it?"

     I just continued coughing.  "We should get the bong out," Tiffany said.  "I'm sure Trevor would enjoy that."

     "Hell yeah," Alex said.  He took his shirt which was thrown over his shoulder and tossed it on my bed.  I watched with interest as Caleb went over to his dresser and pulled out what looked like a glass vase.  Tiffany just sat on Caleb's bedside table and grinned at me.  Like an idiot.

     I was having second thoughts about this right before we all sat down on the ground in a circle, but figured that I had already inhaled so, why not?  Besides, Alex was a smart guy and he must have known what he was doing.

     "Here, you go first Trevor," Caleb said, handing the glass vase to me.  Alex walked me through how to use it and I was soon hitting it like a pro.  Tiffany thought it was funny that I had smoked the whole first bowl by myself.  What an idiot.

     Caleb kept getting up to do something, and Alex must have hit it a thousand times.  I seemed to be losing track of time, but I really didn't care anymore.  Tiffany just kept looking at me and smiling.  She really was an idiot if you stopped and thought about it.  She was just a dumb idiot.
 
    "How are you feeling Trev," Alex would ask me.  I told him 'fine.'  I was getting rather thirsty, so I went over to my fridge to get some water, but I stopped in front of the mirror.  I looked really tired.

     I suddenly looked back over at them.  Caleb was back and he was hitting the bong.  Alex caught my eye and asked what I was doing.  "Why are you over there?" he would ask me.

     "I came over here to..." I stopped.  I couldn't remember what I had gotten up for.  Tiffany was still grinning.

     Like an idiot.

     "Come back over here Trev," Alex said.  I liked it when Alex called me Trev.  It was cute.  I remembered that the last person that called me Trev was my next door neighbor back when I was about ten.  We would always go out into the woods together and play tag.  Sometimes, the other kids in the neighborhood would play with us, but I like it when it's just me and Billy.  Billy was my next door neighbor.  He used to call me Trev.

     "How are you feeling?" someone asked me.  I looked up and realized that I was still in front of the mirror.  I looked over and saw that Caleb and Tiffany were both staring at me and laughing.  Alex was hitting the bong.  He was the only one that didn't look like an idiot.

     I looked at my reflection again and imagined that I was looking at my twin brother.  He looked really tired.  I knew these twins once.  I can't remember what their names were...

     Suddenly, Alex was right next to me by the sink and his arm was around me.  His shirt was off and he looked like a god.  "Come on Trev," he said and led me back to the circle.  I felt like I was in kindergarten, except kids in kindergarten don't usually pass the bong around during play time.

     "So, do you like smoking pot?" Tiffany asked me.  She sounded like she was talking to a five year old.

     "It's great," I told her.  "It's a fucking prince."  Everyone started laughing, but I couldn't figure out why so I just looked out he window.  It was dark, but it looked so peaceful.  I suddenly wanted to go for a walk.

     "A prince?" Caleb asked, still laughing like a madman.  Like an idiot.

     "Alex, I want to go for a walk.  Do you want to come?"

     "I think you should stay inside," he said, putting his hand on my shoulder as if I was about to dart out the door if he hadn't secured me.  That killed me and I started laughing.  The funny thing was, I couldn't stop laughing.  It was like the funniest thing I had ever seen.  Alex putting his hand on my shoulder so I wouldn't run away I mean.

     I could just imagine myself running out the front door and Alex chasing me through the woods, calling me 'Trev.'  I rolled across the floor laughing like all hell.  I didn't even care that Caleb and Tiffany were there.  They were idiots anyway.

     Alex was telling me to settle down and I finally did.  I opened my eyes and saw that he had a bottle of water in his hand and I suddenly remembered why I had gotten up earlier.  I had gotten up to get some water.  I almost started laughing again, but I was too thirsty.

     I took the bottle and began chugging the water.  "Are you sure you're going to be okay?" Alex asked.  He looked genuinely concerned.  I nodded, not taking my lips off the bottle.  I looked around the room and saw that Caleb and Tiffany were gone.  I didn't think much of it.

     Alex helped me over to my bed and I lay down.  I suddenly felt very tired.  The whole room seemed to be spinning too and I couldn't concentrate on anything.  "I have class tomorrow," I said, rolling over.

     "I know," Alex responded.  I was happy that Alex was here.  Everything was peaceful when Alex was around.  I looked up at him and saw that he had no shirt on and remembered that we had played basketball a little while ago.  I looked over at the clock and saw that it was already ten o'clock.  "Holy shit," I said.  I started to get up, but Alex gently pushed me back down.

     "It's fine," he said.  "You passed out for a little while."  I didn't remember passing out.  I was skeptical of what Alex was saying, but then decided to believe him.  He was a good guy.  He wouldn't lie to me.

     I closed my eyes a few times, but Alex was always right there by my side when I opened them again.

     Alex running his hands through my hair.

     Alex touching me gently on my cheek.

     Alex running my own hand over his naked chest and stomach.
 
 

     I opened my eyes again and found that the lights were out.  I glanced over at the clock and saw that it was midnight.  "Jesus," I muttered.  I turned my lamp on and sat up to find that I was alone in the room.  My mouth was really dry and I had a slight headache.  I rubbed my eyes and looked around the room.  It took me a second to figure out what had happened.  We had been smoking pot and then...

     I really couldn't remember what had happened.  I got up and walked around to my desk.  Upon it, there was a folded up piece of paper with my name on it.  I knew instantly that it was from Alex.

     Hey Trev,

     I hope you're not mad at me for making you smoke tonight.  I just wanted to tell you that I had fun hanging out with you tonight.  You really are a cool guy.  Give me a call tomorrow after your classes.  Peace.

     Alex

     I folded the piece of paper back up and put it down on my desk.  I began desperately searching my memory to figure out exactly what had happened.  It was scary not knowing what you had done.  I must have passed out after I smoked out of the bong.  I remember Caleb and his friend Tiffany had left and....

     Images began to stand out in my mind.  Alex had taken care of me after I had passed out.  I remembered him taking me over to my bed so I could lay down and I remembered waking up every once in a while.  I seemed to remember him running his hand through my hair and touching my face.  Had that really happened?  I tried desperately to remember, but I couldn't.  There was no way to know for sure.