It is not my intention to offend anyone or to get you in trouble.

The author retains all rights to this original story. Please do not publish without explicit authorization from me.

Disclaimer:
This story is completely fictional. Most of the places mentioned, and none of the characters exist in real life. Some may possess physical or personality characteristics of people I know or have known. But if you see yourself in this story, your imagination is better than mine!

All best, Jon

If you like my story, drop me a line. I'd love to hear from you: seperatepiece@hotmail.com

Matt and Jon

Chapter 23

Thursday was a long day for the boys. They had all seen Shade at least once by lunchtime, and he had leered at each of them as he passed. As Chet walked past their tables on his way to join the football team in the far corner of the cafeteria, he noticed their somber mood.

“Hey guys, what’s up? Did someone die or something?” His face wore a cheerful but puzzled expression.

“No,” Matt shook his head, “not yet, anyway.”

Todd filled him in about the conversation in the sweet shop, complete with the threat, and the nasty names they’d been called.

They could see the veins stand out on Chet’s neck. They were literally afraid he’d snap his tray in half. Matt had never seen him this angry.

“Chet, we don’t want to hurt him. We don’t believe in that. There’s got to be a better way.”

Chet took a deep breath, and as he exhaled, they could see him relax his grip. He set his tray down on the table.

“I won’t go after him, but if so much as touches any of you…”

“Chet, do you think you could make sure we get home okay?” Todd asked tentatively. Since Shade had singled him and Joel out, he was really terrified.

“Well, I’ve got an important practice after school. Could you wait for me in the bleachers?”

“We could call my mom to pick us up.” Jon thought out loud.

“We could all leave school together.” Andy voiced. “There’s strength in numbers, he can’t take us all on.”

Chet thought for a second and shook his head. “He might not be alone either.” All of the sudden a smile seemed to tug at the corner of his mouth.

“You guys wait here. I’m going to put a stop to this once and for all. I’ve got a call to make.” Chet set down his tray and headed toward the exit. Since the school’s new cell phone policy went in to effect at the beginning of the year, their use was banned inside the building.

They continued eating their lunch in silence. Chet returned to the table to retrieve his forgotten lunch tray with a smile from ear to ear.

“Here’s the plan. Matt and Jon, you guys leave campus after school as usual. You know that little alley way at the end of School Street?” The boys nodded. “I want you to turn in there.”

“Chet!” Matt protested. “That’s suicide! What if Shade follows us?”

Chet beamed. “I’m hoping he will! Trust me guys, I’d never risk anything happening to you. Your friend Shade will have one hell of a welcoming committee, and I promise you…no violence. Okay?”

The boys nervously agreed. “Okay, we trust you Chet. Meet us at Mel’s after practice? That is if there’s anything left of us.” Matt said with a forced smile.

Chet winked at them as he departed. “See you there.”

The highlight of the school day occurred when Matt and Todd walked into science class and saw a large mirror suspended over the blackboard. Mr. Hanson grinned at them as everyone took their seats

Mr. Hanson erased the board from the last class and took his place in the front of the room.

“Ladies and gentlemen.” He began. “Some of the more observant among you may have noticed a new fixture in the room. As you know, we have a student in this class who relies on reading lips as a means of communication. Mr. Barker helpfully suggested a reflective device to aid in this process. Of course I thought it a splendid suggestion. What a tragedy it would be if anyone in this room were deprived of a single gem, a single utterance of wisdom that should pour forth from me over the next 45 minutes.”

The entire class gaped, open mouthed at their teacher. It was as though they all at once realized that Mr. Hanson was actually making a joke…and at his own expense, no less. The room, including Mr. Hanson, broke out in spontaneous laughter. When the laughter died down, Mr. Hanson stood next to Todd’s desk, and smiled down at him.

“Sorry Todd, no excuses. I expect good work from you.”

Todd smiled up at him. A single tear of gratitude threatened to escape the corner of his eye.

“Yes sir.” He whispered.

Todd could see the emotion in Mr. Hanson’s eyes as well. The teacher broke the gaze and strode purposefully to the head of the room.

“Enough of this merriment, let’s get started.”

He covered the emotion in his voice with a cough, but thanks to the mirror, Matt and Todd weren’t the only ones who noticed him wipe his eyes with his sleeve.

When the dismissal bell sounded that day, the boys actually wished for the first time that class wouldn’t end. They were more than a little anxious about what they had to do. Jon and Matt met on the front steps and braced themselves. As they walked off campus and down School Street they noticed Shade detach himself from the shadow of the building and fall in behind them.

They involuntarily quickened their pace. “Oh God, Jon, I sure hope Chet knows what he’s doing.”

“Matt, he’d never tell us to do this unless he was sure…” Jon said, trying to convince himself.

They turned into the little alleyway and came face to face with officers McCloud and Harris. Dave winked at them and put a finger to his lips to silence the two stunned boys. Officer McCloud gestured for them to get behind them. Seconds later, Shade turned the corner with his right fist raised, ready to strike. When he saw the two policemen, he tried to reverse direction and run. He was grabbed by the long arm of the law in the form of Sergeant Gerald “Mac” McCloud and plucked effortlessly back into the alleyway.

“Oh, now Clarence, you weren’t going to hit us were you?” McCloud mocked, as he pressed him against the wall.

“Nnno, I was just…just”

“Attempting to assault an officer of the law?”

Some of the malevolence returned to Shade’s expression. “You can’t do this to me…I didn’t do anything!”

Dave moved to Mac’s side. “That’s because we didn’t let you.”

Shade spluttered at them. “You don’t know what I would have done…I know my rights!”

Mac rolled his eyes. “Dave, why is it that every dirtbag punk knows his rights? Is there some law school running a night class for delinquents?”

Shade squirmed uncomfortably under Officer McCloud’s firm grip. “This is harassment!” He squeaked.

“Harassment? Dave, do think this is harassment?” Mac asked. He turned back to Shade. “Maybe you should call a cop.” The two officers laughed. All of the sudden Mac’s expression turned serious. He put his face less than an inch from Shade’s.

“You’re damn right it’s harassment! You don’t know the meaning of the word, laddie.” Jon, Matt and even Dave were a little taken aback by the intensity in his voice as he laid into Shade. “You’d better hope and pray that nothing happens to them boys…any of them! If one of them so much as stubs his pinky toe, I’m comin’ after you! I don’t care if you were in the next county having dinner with the governor when it happened! You got me? You may be the school bully, but this time you picked on some kids who have friends in high places! We’ll be watching you.”

He turned Shade loose, gave him a shove and a kick in the ass as Shade lurched forward and darted toward freedom. Mac turned to Matt and Jon.

“I don’t think he’ll be bothering you anymore.” He said with a wink.

Dave smiled at him. “Mac, we didn’t do anything illegal here, did we? You really came down on him pretty hard.”

Mac shook his head. His smile faded. “Nah, we were just protecting innocent citizens. There are all kinds of programs in the schools and at the youth center to try and reach these kids, but there are always some that they can’t seem to get through to. We could have taken him in for attempted assault. He’d probably have gotten a suspended sentence, with community service. After picking up litter on the highway for a few weekends, he’d be even more bitter and determined. This way he can’t say we didn’t give him a second chance.”

Dave shrugged. “I guess you’re right Mac.” Then he turned to Matt and Jon. “Hey, you guys were pretty brave out there. Chet told me he didn’t really have a chance to explain it all. Were you surprised to see us?”

Matt answered for the two of them. “Relieved might be a better word. We’re really grateful. We like to take care of our own problems, but we had no idea what to do about this one.”

Jon remained oddly silent, but he shook hands with the two officers before they made their way to Mel’s.

The gang was waiting in the sweet shop when they arrived. They were greeted by anxious faces as they took their seats at the table.

“So what happened?” Marla asked impatiently before the boys had a chance to sit down.

Matt beamed around the table. “I wish you could have seen it. It was awesome!”

Jon sat silently, deep in thought as Matt regaled the table with the tale. Everyone was congratulating them, when Chet came through the door with Officer Harris, wearing civilian clothes. They made room for them at the table. Matt thanked them again.

“Chet, how did you set this whole thing up anyway?” Trevor asked.

Chet grinned around the table. “Let’s just say there are certain perks to having a cop for a boyfriend.” He answered, giving Dave’s hand an affectionate squeeze.

There was a few seconds of silence before the table erupted in applause and congratulations. Dave and Chet basked in the warmth of their good wishes. Matt and Jon looked lovingly at each other, remembering what it was like to share the news. Chet held up his hand, and the group quieted down.

“We just want to thank you guys for being such good friends. We aren’t ready to tell everyone just yet, but we love you all, and we trust you.”

Glasses were raised around the table in salute to the couple. Everyone promised that it wouldn’t leave the room. When Joel saw how everyone was so happy for Chet and Dave, he squeezed Todd’s leg under the table. Todd looked at him quizzically.

Joel silently mouthed the words: “I’m ready.”

Todd whispered in his ear. “Go ahead and tell them honey. They all know about me. I want you to have the experience.”

Joel cleared his throat. He looked around the table at his peers whom he’d known since childhood. He felt like he was about to take an incredible step. He knew there was no turning back.

“Um…Todd and I have some news too. We, uh, decided to be boyfriends also.”

It seemed as if the cheers of his friends were in slow motion. He was aware of people clapping him on the back. He was brought back down to earth when Todd squeezed his knee under the table and gave him a loving smile.

“…and you can tell anyone you want!” He added, breaking into a broad smile.

Todd sputtered on his soda. “Joel! Not so fast, honey. You haven’t told your folks yet.”

“Oh, yeah. I guess you’re right. I’ll tell them this weekend.” Joel resolved. He was so carried away with the moment that he hadn’t given it much thought. He was pretty sure they’d accept it, but it certainly wasn’t a moment he was looking forward to.

Matt and Jon agreed. “They should hear it from you, Joel. This is a pretty small town when it comes to gossip.” Jon said from experience.

“That’s for sure!” Marla concurred, bringing a fresh round of laughter to the group.

Chet reluctantly got up from the table. “I’m due at the station soon. I can’t be late my first week on the job!” He said, as he tossed a few bills on the table to cover his root beer float.

Dave rose to his feet. “You want me to come with you?”

“Nah.” Chet smiled at him. “I know what to do. Why don’t you stay for awhile and get acquainted. I have a feeling you’re going to be seeing a lot of these guys.”

“Will I see you later?”

“Count on it.”

They smiled at each other and Chet turned and headed for the door. Everyone knew that they were dieing to exchange a kiss. Dave sat back down and smiled at the boys.

“Officer Harris…” Matt began, unsure of what to call him. Dave held up his hand.

“Call me Dave.” He insisted.

“Dave, Chet really means a lot to us. He’s more than a friend…he’s like family. We’re so happy for you two.”

“Thanks. I could tell what you all meant to each other that first day I saw you together down by the reservoir. In fact, the way he was so kind and gentle toward you guys was the first thing I noticed about him…that and his hot body, of course.” He added with a chuckle.

“Yeah,” Jon agreed. “He’s got that muscle thing going on for him, doesn’t he!”

“Seriously guys,” Dave continued. “It’s not about that. Chet and I care deeply for each other. I want you to know that I’ll always treat him with respect.”

Matt cocked his head to one side. “Dave, we love Chet, but he’s a big boy. It’s not like you have to ask us for his hand or anything.”

Dave laughed. “I guess not. It’s just that it would mean a lot to me to know that you…approved.”

Jon looked up and down the table at the collection of beaming faces. He extended a hand to Dave. “Welcome to the family.”

They finished their sodas and ice cream and they all got out their money when the check came. Dave snatched the check off the table.

“This one’s on me.” He grinned at them as they all protested.

He held up his hand. “Sorry, that’s final! If I hear one more word, I’ll run you all in for interfering with an officer.”

They all thanked him for the treat, as they headed outside. Shade was no where to be seen, so they all felt confident in going their various ways. Todd and Joel were headed to Todd’s apartment to do homework, while Trevor, Tracy, Marla and Andy were headed for the library. When they’d all drifted off, Jon and Matt found themselves alone on the side walk.

Matt glanced at his watch and gave Jon a sly look. “We have an hour and a half before your folks get home, and I’m sure Ryan and LittleTom would give us some space if they’re there. What do you say we celebrate our liberation from tyranny?”

Jon smiled weakly at him. “Not now, Matt. I don’t feel like it.”

Matt sighed. “Okay Jon, what’s eating you? You hardly said a word in there the whole time,” he said, indicating the store front, “don’t you get it? We won.”

“Matt, not here. My house, okay?”

Matt shrugged his shoulders and nodded and the two boys walked to Pine Street in silence.

When they reached the Kent’s, they found Ryan and LittleTom at the dining room table doing their homework.

Ryan looked up from his studies. “Hi guys.” He said cheerfully as they came into the dining room. His expression changed to one of concern when Jon muttered a terse greeting under his breath and continued on to the kitchen. He reached out and grabbed Matt’s arm as he tried to follow him.

“What’s with him?” Ryan asked.

Matt shook his head. “I don’t know. He said we have to talk.”

“Must be serious.” Ryan said, as he released Matt’s arm.

“Yeah,” Matt agreed, “it’s not like he’s mad at me, he’s just…I don’t know…”

Ryan seemed to understand the vague answer. “I’ll be here if you need me.”

“Me too.” LittleTom chimed in, never wanting to be left out of anything.

Matt gave them the best smile he could muster. “Thanks guys,” and he went to the kitchen to join Jon.

Jon had poured them each a tall glass of ice tea, and was just sitting down when Matt came in.

“Jon, what’s this all about?” Matt asked as he took a seat across from his boyfriend.

“Matt…I don’t like what happened today…with Shade.”

Matt screwed up his face in a puzzled expression. “Jon, he can’t mess with us anymore. It’s over. Dave and Sergeant Mac put the fear of God in him. Finally, we can walk down the street without having to look over our shoulders.”

Jon shocked Matt as he pounded his fist on the table. “It’s not over, Matt! I don’t want to leave it this way. Did you see the look on Shade’s face? He looked like a scared animal when Sergeant Mac was yelling at him. That’s not us Matt! Don’t you see? Now we’re the bullies! Throwing our weight around and making people…afraid of us. I won’t have it Matt! I want us to stand for something better than fear and intimidation, damn it!”

Matt was totally caught off balance by Jon’s outburst. “Jon, he was going to hurt us.”

“Matt, we set him up!”

“How? By walking down the street? Besides, we didn’t know what was going to happen anyway.” Matt protested.

“Oh come on. We knew something was up, if not exactly what, and we purposely presented him a target we knew he couldn’t resist.”

“Jon,” Matt took a deep breath, “if someone doesn’t respect us…or even tolerate us for that matter, I’d just as soon they be scared of us. Okay?”

“You can’t mean that!” Jon wailed. “We didn’t even try and reason with him. We could have tried to talk to him…someplace safe. We didn’t even try.”

“You heard Sergeant Mac. Even professionals can’t get through to some kids. I’m just glad he’s off our backs. Besides, he threatened Todd and Joel, they have a stake in this too. I know you wouldn’t want them to get hurt.”

Jon sighed. “Okay, I guess it’s a temporary solution, but I really don’t want to leave it like this. I know everyone meant well, and I'm grateful, but would you consider talking to him with me? Please?”

Matt shook his head. “I don’t know, Jon…I don’t think we should stir things up. Can’t we just leave things as they are?”

“I can’t do that. Please Matt, do it for me? Think of all we have…our families, our friends? What has Shade got? Are ‘Turn the other cheek,’ and ‘Love thine enemies’ just words to you?”

Matt got up and came around the table and sat next to Jon. He took his hand in his. “I can see how much this means to you, and I love you for it. I’ll do it under one condition.” Jon looked at him questioningly. “Chet comes with us.” Matt said.

Jon retracted his hand from Matt’s grasp. “What? Bring our muscle? Haven’t you heard anything I’ve been saying?”

Matt was hurt, but he kept his resolve. “I’m not budging on this, Jon. I’m not going to take the chance of him harming one hair on your head. You’re just going to have to compromise on this one, or it’s no deal.”

“Okay. I guess you’re right, but he sits at the other end of the table and Shade is free to say anything he wants without fear of retribution.”

“Agreed.” Matt pulled Jon into an embrace and hugged him tight. “Our first fight.” He whispered in Jon’s ear.

“Yeah.” Jon said with a little laugh, as a tear fell on Matt’s shoulder.

They just held each other, silently reaffirming their love for one another. Matt spoke first.

“So, do you forgive me?” He asked.

“Yeah,” Jon answered, “I know you were just worried about anyone getting hurt. I can’t stay mad at you for that. Do you forgive me?”

“For what? Being the kindest, sweetest, most big hearted guy on earth? Yeah, I forgive you. So, aren’t we supposed to have some make-up sex?”

“You dirty boy, is that all you think about?” Jon chuckled.

“No, but it’s all I’m thinking about at the moment.”

Jon got up and extended a hand to Matt. “I guess I’ll have to take care of you then!”

Ryan and LittleTom looked up from their studies as Jon and Matt entered the dining room, hand in hand.

Ryan was relieved to see them smiling. “Everything’s alright, I gather.”

“Yup.” Jon answered.

“Do you want to tell us about it?” Ryan asked.

“Maybe later,” Jon said, squeezing Matt’s hand. “We want to check our e-mail.”

“Yeah, right!” Ryan said with a wink.

LittleTom looked from his brother to the two blushing boys. His face contorted in a mock grimace.

“EEEEEWWW, Gross!” He shrieked, causing them to erupt in laughter as Jon and Matt headed for the stairs.

By the time Jon locked his bedroom door, Matt already had his shirt off. Jon grinned at him.

“What’s your rush? He said as he pulled off his own shirt.

He pressed himself against Matt and held him. “Matt, do you think my body will ever be as good as yours?”

Matt chuckled. “I love every inch of your body, baby. Always have. Now that we don’t have to worry about going out, we can run regularly again, maybe do some sit-ups and start working out with Sam’s weights again.”

“Mmmm.” Jon moaned into Matt’s neck. “Right now I’m in the mood for a different kind of exercise.”

Matt groped Jon’s hardness through his pants. “Well, part of you is certainly pumped up.”

They went to work on each other’s remaining clothes, and soon they were naked and headed for the bed. They made love slowly, taking turns giving each other pleasure. They ended up in a slow, sensuous mutual felatio and were blissfully carried over the edge.

Afterwards, they cuddled for awhile, just enjoying the closeness. Jon kissed Matt on the lips.

“We should shower before dinner. We have choir practice tonight.”

Matt groaned. “I forgot all about it. Are you sure I won’t mess everything up? I haven’t sung for years.”

Jon playfully patted Matt’s belly. “Oh no you don’t, you’re not getting out of it this easily, besides, I like your voice.”

“Yeah, but you’re biased. You’d like anything I did.” Matt said as he idly played with Jon’s golden hair.

Jon tugged at Matt’s arm. “C’mon, lets hop in the shower before mom gets home. I promised we’d help with dinner. Ryan and LittleTom are doing clean up.”

Matt grinned. “You’re volunteering me for a lot of things lately!” He said, as he allowed himself to be dragged to the bathroom to get clean.

When Ryan heard the shower running, he thought he’d check his email. He came into Jon’s room and noticed the discarded clothes and rumpled bed and smiled to himself, happy that his cousin and best friend had shared some quality time together. He and Eric had a sleepover planned for Friday night at Eric’s house, and he was looking forward to the same thing. He was a little nervous about it. Eric had decided to come out to his parents on Saturday, and wanted Ryan to be with him when he broke the news.

He booted up Jon’s computer and started AOL. He looked in his mailbox and saw one from Eric and much to his surprise, an email from Tony. He decided to save Eric’s for last in case he needed cheering up. His hand was shaking as he clicked on Tony’s name and watched the box open. He felt his whole body relax as he read.

Dear Ry,

I’m so sorry that I left you hanging the other night. I know it was a bullshit thing to do, I just kind of freaked out, I guess. Man, it must have been hard for you to do that, and I acted like a dumb shit. I hope you can forgive me.

I guess I was thinking about the stuff we did when we were 12. I know it was innocent experimenting, but it kind of threw me to find out you’re gay. I don’t know why.

I really want to visit you in NY this summer if you still want me to, and I really want to meet your boyfriend. He’s one lucky guy (I should know! *blush*).

Your Friend? T

Ryan smiled at the screen. He felt a stirring in his cock as he remembered his early encounters with Tony. He had relived them many times in his mind since then. He quickly composed a reply.

Dear T,

I’m so glad you don’t hate me. I understand how you must have felt. It’s not every day you find out that you actually had sex with a gay guy. Lol. Truthfully, I didn’t really know that I was gay back then. I always just assumed that it was a phase I was going through.

Shortly after that, I talked to my mom, and she said it was okay no matter how I turned out. You could say that as a bi-product of our little “fling,” I learned to feel better about myself. It hasn’t been easy. Dad and LittleTom have been great, and Eric!!! I can’t wait for you to meet him. If I ever thought I could be straight, one look at that boy was all it took to make me forget it. We really care about each other. My cousin Jonny and his boyfriend Matt have helped me out a lot. You met Jonny a few years ago when they visited. Matt is really cool too.

I’ll talk to my dad about you coming for a visit before school starts. Thanks for understanding.

Your FRIEND! Ry

He opened Eric’s email and read it. It was mostly small talk, but ended on a loving note. Ryan answered him, ending his message the same way.

He sent the email, and just as he was shutting down, Jon and Matt returned from their shower with towels around their waists.

“I’ll get out of here and give you guys some privacy.” Ryan offered.

“Nah,” Jon grinned as he discarded his towel and began to dress. “you’re family.”

While they dressed, Ryan told them about his email from Tony.

A light bulb went off over Jon’s head. “I knew something was wrong that night when you stormed out of here after you were on the computer. I’m so glad he came around, Ry, that’s really cool.”

“Yeah. We were just kids. We never talked about it since. I thought he’d forgotten about it.” Ryan said.

Jon flashed him a dreamy smile. “You never forget your first!” He said with a wink.

Ryan laughed, but Matt caught something in Jon’s eye. “I thought I was your first!” He said accusingly.

Jon blushed. “You were the first one that counted.” Jon admitted.

“Oh?” Matt arched his eyebrows. “Just how many were there that didn’t count?”

“Matt, don’t be jealous. I was 10 years old. Remember Bobby Turner?”

Matt burst out laughing. “Yeah, he moved away after fifth grade. We played ‘show and tell’ in the boy’s room once. What a little slut!”

They shared a good laugh together. Matt took Jon in his arms. “If we ever run into him again, he’d better keep his hands off of you, that’s all I can say.”

They made their way downstairs and did their homework. Neither had very much, so in no time they were in the kitchen, preparing dinner for the family under Shelley’s watchful eye. They both enjoyed cooking, and had a good time joking and working together.

Shelley watched them and pictured them years from now in their own kitchen, with their own family. She smiled, knowing that she was beholding a happy future for her son and the one he had chosen.

Well, it's been awhile. I've been out of town since I last posted,and had some personal things going on. I hope it was worth the wait for some of you, and I hope to get the next one out in a more timely fashion. I continue to be thankful for all of your support and good wishes. Please drop me a line and say hello if I haven't seen you around lately. It's always good to catch up, and to make new friends.

All the best, Jon