Date: Tue, 18 Nov 2008 21:25:38 -0800 (PST) From: Seth Barton Subject: Homecoming_Night {{DISCLAIMER}} This work is not to be reproduced (copied, edited, etc.) in ANY manner without EXPRESS WRITTEN CONSENT from the author, under penalty of LAW and EXTREME GUILT If it is ILLEGAL to read and or posses the following material for you, be it age (18, eighteen, ate teen), or is forbidden by your locality, you should direct your eyes to the BIG RED X in the upper right-hand corner of your screen and CLOSE THE WINDOW. You should also do the above mentioned if you are offended by such material. But if you meet the stated requirements for reading this, please do :) The following is a manifest of truth and fiction. Any resemblance to the characters may (or may not) be coincidence. {{Chapter 3: Homecoming Night}} The main people involved. Joe A.K.A. the author. I usually introduce myself as Seth (my actual name) but everyone seems to like my middle name better, so I don't bother. I'm 18, 6'4" and 187 lbs. My eyes are gray and I have black hair, nearly shaved off. My skin is lighter toned. I'm in alright shape from playing soccer, and I try to keep it that way. Next: Ben. My boyfriend who I love to death. He's 17, 6'3' 190ish lbs. Bright blue eyes and a killer smile. He got rid of his mohawk and now is practically bald. He's in better shape than me, being a tri-athelete and all. He has about the same skin tone as me, and has a good figure in general. Oh yeah, he's pretty flippin' hot too. And then we have Dan and Tony, or The Terror Twins as we refer to them as. Tony's a bit taller at 6'5", but Dan makes up the difference by being totally ripped. Co-captains on the football team, both of them play guitar, and do just about everything together. Their physical features are so similar its scary at times. Slate blue eyes, longer brown hair, and they even have the same sideburns! {Homecoming_Night} "Oh god do I have to?" "Fuck yeah you do...you're graduating with us so you have to partake" "But it's only september!" "So?" "But-" "Shut up and strip down...I thought you were more hardcore than this" It was really warm for september. A nice 80ish degrees as the three of us stoood on the tressel overlooking the Lake Aaron channle. I shook my head as Ben looked back at me with a look of total disapproval. I leaned on the guard rail and crossed my arms. "Like we haven't seen you naked before" I said with a grin. "Shut up! It's all the random people walking by that makes me self concious" He replied, digging his hands into his pockets. "C'mon...Look at us" Dan said, adjusting his boxers. "But-" "But nothing! Now do it before we throw you over!" He mumbled under his breath as I pushed myself off the railing and walked over to him. Throwing an arm over his shoulder, I turned him to the railing and looked over the water. "You can swim...what's the problem." "Its not the fall... its the sudden stop that bothers me" "Pffft, It's like 30 feet deep right here, you'll be fine, NOW STRIP DAMNIT!" "Fine...but you get to drag my corpse out of the lake if I drown" He mumbled some more as I pulled his shirt off. For someone who seemed quite against it, he didn't put up much resistance. He kicked off his shoes next to ours, and slid out of his jeans. As he got his socks off, Dan and I climbed onto the guard rail and looked over the lake. Getting up next to me, Ben looked down and shuddered. "Uuuugh." He groaned. "You're already up here, no point in turning back now." He sighed as he mentally braced himself. Dan started bobbing his head to a silent tune as we all looked down. I cast a glance side to side, and took a deep breath. "On three.." "One" "Two" "THREE!" We all jumped. Time seemed to slow to a dead crawl as we went down. Everything was fine. I had a boyfriend who loved me as much as I loved him, and that's an incomperable amount, two of the best friends on earth, and it was homecoming day. *SPLASH* Everything went nearly silent as we hit the water. I bearly opened my eyes under the surface and looked around. All I saw were bubbles, then two other groups of them. Dan must be heavier than either of us, cause he was way farther down. But then again, being fucking ripped will do that I suppose. I stayed under for awhile, enjoying the quiet. We'd been running around all day, being pulled in every which direction, phones constantly going off, and very little peace. But, that's what homecoming about, right? As I saw Ben and Dan make for the surface, I exhaled and followed. As we broke the surface, Ben was gasping for breath and Dan was swimming for the supports of the bridge. "Gonna make it?" I asked, drifting over towards him. "*Cough* Yeah, I think" he answered, spitting out some water "The idea is to NOT breathe in the liquid, not so good for the lungs" Dan shouted as he pulled himself up onto on of the supports. "Hahaha, c'mon, get on." I said, turning my back to face him. He floated over and wrapped his arms around my chest. He dropped his head on my back as I started to swim over to Dan. "You really don't do well in the water do you" He shook his head and mumbled as squeezed me a bit tighter. It took a little longer to get to the support with the extra weight, but we managed. He let go as I pulled myself up next to Dan and caught my breath. "Again?" Dan asked, shaking some of the water from his hair. "Sure." "Not me...I'm good." "Pffft fine" I leaned over and kissed Ben on the cheek as I stood up, balancing myself on the narrow support. Dan and I awkwardly climbed the criss crossing beams and pulled ourselves over the guard railing. I didn't realize how high up we were until we climbed it. It was, however, a much shorter route than swimming to the shore and walking around on the side road. As we caught our breath, we shot each other a glance and launched ourselves over again. I cannonballed in the second time. As we surfaced again, Ben was halfway up the bridge. We quickly swam over and started our way up again. Reaching the top, I jumped over the rail and caught my breath as my phone went off. I sighed heavily as I dug through my pants to find it. " 'Ello?" "Heeeeey big guy, whatcha doin'?" It was Tony. His uncle passed away recently and had to go to the funeral, hence his absence on the bridge. "Jumping the tressel" "Ah, sweet. What are you doing later?" "Dinner's at like...6 I think. I thought you were coming with?" "Well, I'll be at the dance, but I'm still in La Crosse... Damn funeral." "Aw bro...you ok?" "Yeah, I'm good. Got a drink in me and I don't feel so bad, but I gotta go so I'll call you later." "Mmk, talk to you then bud." -Click- I shook my head and climbed the rail again. Looking back at Dan, he grinned and climbed up next to me. I knew Ben's answer, so I didn't bother looking. "On three?" "Yeah" "One..." "Two..." "THR-" "What the hell are you guys doing?!" We nearly fell, but where grabbed by the backs of our shorts. As we regained some sort of balance, we both shot our looks around in total confusion and a tinge of anger. Our eyes shot open as we realized who it was. "Doing insane stuff before homecoming...without me!" "Mr. Z! What the hell!" It was Mr. Zachary, our creative writing teacher. He's the biggest health nut next to the gym teacher, and is pretty damn cool if I say so. This year's his first at our school, and teaching in general. "What are you doing here?" I asked, crouching to keep my balance. "I can ask the same to you! You didn't call me or nothing!" He replied. "We don't have your cell..." Dan said in his usual monotone. "Bullshit! Haha. So, having fun?" he asked, removing his shades. "As always...Wanna join us?" Dan joked, raising an eyebrow. "Sure!" Within seconds he was down to his boxers and standing next to me. He had about the same build as Ben, but much shorter. About 5'10" tops. I shot a glance at Ben and he shook his head some more. "C'mon, Chris (Mr. Z) is even doing it" I said in a cocky tone. "Well, he's as crazy as you two so it's perfect" He shot back, pulling up his jeans. We all chuckled and took a deep breath. "Now where were we... ah yes..." "One..." "Two..." "THREE!!" I managed a front flip before splashdown. We all surfaced at the same time and made for the bridge. We started our climb, and I saw Ben looking over the lake with a vacant stare. As I got over the rail, I walked over and leaned against him, causing him to drop his head. "What's up?" "Meh..." "Meh?" "I gotta go visit my mom for a week tomorrow" "What." "I told you, but you were mostly asleep" "Oh, that explains me not knowing about it" "Heh...yeah." "It won't be -that- bad. Just avoid her the whole time...just like you used to" "Kinda hard when it's an appartment" "Hmm..." I nudged him on the shoulder and went to get my stuff. Chris literally shook off as I picked up my things. "Well guys, I gotta run. Got some stuff to do before the big shindig" He said, jumping into his running shorts. "Alright, see you later." Dan said, drying off with his shirt. I slid back into my jeans and tossed my shirt over my shoulder. I nodded to Dan as I began to walk for my car, dragging Ben with me. He looked dazed as we walked down the path. I tapped him on the shoulder and he bearly responded. I looked him over and he seemed quite zombie-esque. "Wow...I didn't realise you dreaded your mom that badly." I said, walking a bit closer to him. He nodded as he got shoulder to shoulder with me. He sighed and stopped, taking a seat at the base of a super old looking tree. I stood there and looked at him as he dropped his head again. Something clearly wasn't right. Sitting down next to him, I pulled on my shirt and leaned back into the tree, putting my hands behind my head. "Ok...you aren't telling me something." "........." "I'm listening." "...I really don't wanna go there. Cause I really feel terrible." "About?" "Everything." "...C'mon. Out with it." "...I'll tell you later. I don't like getting all mushy infront of Big D." "Pffft...He doesn't care." "But I do." "Ok ok ok." Dan walked up and sat down on the other side of Ben, and we all sat there for a good hour. The sun was slowly making its way across the still clear sky as my phone went off again. It was mom, telling us to come home and get ready. "But it's only like..3, possibly" I said, not really knowing what time it was. "I know you guys like to procrastinate, so get moving! -click-" "Ugh...let's go. I'd rather not smell like the lake all night." I said, standing up. They both nodded and got to their feet. We walked back to the parking lot and piled in my car. Dan quickly reached up through the middle of the car snagged my CD case. "Bodom alright with you two?" he asked, flipping through the pages. "Depends, which one?" I replied, snagging my shades from the dash. "Hatebreeder. Duh." he sneered, forcing a chuckle out of Ben. I nodded in agreement and smirked as we pulled out of the parking lot. Arriving home, we walked in to find my mom laying out our clothes for the dance. "Thanks for going through my stuff..." Dan grumbled, looking at his over turned dufflebag. "No problem dear" My mom replied with a cheeky grin. Dan's parents were out of town for two weeks, so he'd been staying with us, sleeping in what was supposed to be Ben's room. Tony had also been hanging out at our house alot. I liked having company around, especially those two. We dispursed around the house. Dan beat me to the shower, leaving me and Ben to... entertain ourselves. We told mom we were going to take a snooze and shuffled off to our room. Popping open the door, I jumped onto the bed and sprawled out. Ben slid into the room and shut the door behind him. He shot me that adorable smile again as he fell onto the bed next to me. "So...gonna tell me what's bothering you now?" I asked, rolling over onto him. He sighed heavily and wrapped his arms around me, pulling me onto his chest. I slid my arms under him and tightend my grip, gently rubbing his sides. "I really don't wanna go to my mom's." he quietly said, running his hands up my back. "It's only for a week. You'll be fine." I said, trying to reassure him. "You do realize...since we started going out, we havn't spent more than a few days apart." "But we still called each other all the time. Or spoke in some way." "I know... But I really just don't want to go. Cause I don't wanna put up with her constant bitching and such." "It'll be fine. Promise. But a nap is in order right now." "Sounds like a good idea." He kissed the top of my head and we made ourselves more comfortable before promptly falling into a heavy sleep. "Hey, wake up.......Hey.....HEY!!!" My eyes shot open to find Dan face to face with me, and a hand down my pants that wasn't mine. Removing the extra hand, I sat up to find I was on top of Ben, who was still out cold. Dan bit his lip to keep from laughing as I slid off and stood up, stretching more than I had in days. "So uh..what time is it." I asked with a yawn. "Quarter to 5, dinner's at 6:30." Dan replied, poking at Ben's chest "And how can he sleep through all this noise and moving around." "Here...there's a trick to waking him up. I highly doubt you'd know it." I said, laying down next to Ben. "He has super selective hearing..." "Ohh...I get it..." "Bingo" I replied, cracking a grin as I whispered a few unmentionables in Ben's ear. Within moments he started to stir, throwing an arm over me. I glanced over at Dan, who's expression turned to one of amazment. "Told you." Ben grumbled a bit and sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He looked around and groggily waved to Dan. We sat there for a minute, trying to wake up. "Ok, I seriously need a shower now." I said as I pushed myself off the bed. {{Twenty-ish minutes later}} Shaking the last drops of water from my head, I walked out into the hallway, taking a breath of the seemingly cool air. Hearing some noise from downstairs, I walked over to the quasi-balcony to survey. Leaning on the railing, I looked over to see Ben and Dan in a vicious looking wrestling match. "Hey! OW! Not that!" "Aw what fun are you!" "Fuckin- OW!" "Oh c'mon this shouldn't be this easy." "C'mon Dan! You're like twice his size!" I shouted down to them. Dan got distracted, and Ben put him in some painful looking hold, forcing a groan out of Dan. I shook my head and headed downstairs to get my clothes. Just as I was grabbing my stuff, I was lifted up and had the air squeezed out of me. "Aw you're all damp still" Ben said, further tightening his hold. "*Cough cough* You're damp too, but it ain't from a shower!" I hissed, squirming terribly. "Speaking of which, you could use one!" "Hahaha you're right." He replied, dropping me back to my feet. Catching my breath and re-inflating my lungs, I grabbed my clothes and went up to my room to change. Dan followed closly behind and shut the door after us. I tossed my clothes on the bed and dropped next to them, stretching out. "Everything ok bud?" Dan asked, unfolding his shirt. "Hmm?" "With little brother... He seems distracted and unhappy." "Oh...that." "That?" he asked, sitting down next to me. "He has to go stay with his mom for a week tomorrow." I replied, sitting up. "Well, I've never met her...so I dunno what the deal is." "She's... controlling. To say the least." "I see I see..." "And he flat out doesn't like her." "Does he like his dad any better?" "Not really. Good thing he's not caught up in all that divorce shit." "Seriously. He's alright otherwise though?" "Yeah, I think." We sat there for a minte in silence before getting dressed. "Dan..." I started, clearing my throat "Not to be... cold... But why do you care?" He stopped with his pants half way up and looked at me like he had a million different things on his mind. I cocked an eyebrow in response and continued my questioning glance. "Well, to be perfectly honest." he said, flicking the hair out of his face "You three are the only ones I actually give a shit about." "What about-" "Nope. She's just a cheap fuck. Seriously Seth." "Wow... You never call me that... Must be serious" "Quite." "Not even a football brother or anything?" "Besides Tony, no. And I have a feeling you three won't screw me over." "You're probably right." We shot each other a smile and continued getting dressed as Ben walked in, half dressed as the rest of us. Mom went shopping for us, because we were too busy jumping off bridges at the time. She did a good job though, she got us opposite shirts. Mine was black with a red and white logo thingy where the pocket should be and she got Ben a white one with a black and red thing in the same place. "She knows me better than I thought." Ben said, buttoning up his shirt. "These are pretty neato shirts." I said, doing the same. "AWWW don't you two look cute!" My mom said, popping her head in the door. We both shot her dull looks as she continued to gush at us. I spun around and sat down on the bed, pointing to Dan. "What about him?" I said, poking him in the side. "He looks pretty good if I do say so" "Oh but he gets all embarassed when I compliment him" she replied, giving him a smirk. He shook his head and attempted to button his shirt, failing miserably. He shot me the Dan version of the puppy dog eyes, forcing me to crack a smile. "Dude... Fail..." I said as I stood back up and walked over to him. "I'm no good at this dressing up thing..." He said, dropping his head. "When you get a girl she'll make sure you get good at it." I laughed as I fixed his botched buttoning job. He shook his head some more as I adjusted the rest of his shirt. "There, a million bucks." I smiled, patting him on the shoulder. I looked over at Ben, shooting him a smile. He smiled back as he sat down in the computer chair and spun around a few times. Mom reminded us of the time and we made our final preparations to leave. "Meet you there." Dan said as he snagged his keys from the desk. "Ok, see ya in a few." Ben tossed me my keys as he stood up and made for the door. I spun the ring around on my finger as I followed him out. Getting to the bottom of the stairs, mom stopped us and brought us into the kitchen. On the counter, there were two of those flower things(I seriously can't think of what they're called!). We looked at the flowers, then at my mom, then back at each other and burst out laughing. "Oh good. You figured it out" She said, putting a finger to her forehead. "Yep" We said in unison. As it turns out, we had both asked mom to get us those flower things for each other, hoping it would be a suprise. She laughed a bit as she took them out of their boxes and effortlessly pinned them to our shirts. "!!!" She gasped as she bolted out the door. We both looked at each other in confusion as she reappeared dragging Dan back in the house. "Uhm...what?" "I need pictures!!" "Oh...Right." "Another great escape failed" Mom quickly pushed us into the living room and lined us up behind the couch. **SNAPSNAPSNAPSNAPSNAP** "You got enough shots now?" I asked, rubbing my eyes from the flash overload. "Yeah, that should do. Now go you're gonna be late for dinner!" she said as she practically shoved us out the door. "Haha see you when we- GAH!" My right arm was nearly pulled from its socket as me and Ben were pulled back in. "What now woman?!" Ben protested "I'm flippin starving!" "Forgot the most important shot of the night...for me anyways" she said as she closed the door behind us. "Now look all cute like you two usually do." We both looked at her and grinned. I stepped behind Ben and slid my arms around his torso, hooked my fingers in his belt and dropped my chin on his shoulder. He put his hands on mine and laced our fingers together. He leaned back and flashed his killer smile. *SNAPSNAPSNAP* "You have awful timing son" "What?" "You blinked in ALL of those" "No fuckin-" *SNAP* "Way... How about that one?" "Aww...You two are rediculously handsome." She said as she flipped the camera around to show us. "She's right, we do look pretty hot." Ben chuckled, leaning into me. I nodded in agreement as she kissed us both on the forehead and shooed us out the door. "Not forgetting anything else?" I asked, nearly tripping out the door. "Nope, got all the pics I need. Be sure to get one or two of Tony for me." "Will do." We waved to her as we quickly got in the car before she could remember something else to hold us up. "Martyium" "DarkZone Martyrium?" "No, just Martyrium." "But... That's on Likferd..." "Yeah I know. But I wanna hear it." Ben nodded as he dug through the CD book. As he found it, I turned on the car and spun the volume dial on the stereo to near ear bleeding levels. You could hear the white noise of the speakers themselves before he put the disc in. Stopping half way, Ben shot me a worried look. "You ok?" "Yeah, just fine." I replied, grabbing my sunglasses from the dash. "Just makin' sure. Now let's go I'm fucking hungry" "Haha me too." Backed up, threw it in drive, and made like a bat out of hell to get to dinner. Traffic was ok. Nothing amazingly irritating to talk about, apart from the DEER in the MIDDLE OF TOWN, which, as you could imagine, threw most people into a panic, forcing them to drive FIVE MILES AN HOUR in a THIRTY FIVE mile an hour zone. This kept Ben amused, cause he thinks my road rage is funny(I know you're reading this <3). As it turns out, the little... speed bump, as it were, worked in our favor. We arrived at Jerek's (Like Derek's, just with a J) just as everyone else was getting out of their vehicles. Jerek's: THE BEST damn food in town. It's a low-key restaraunt with a bar attached. There have been quite a few nights were I've had to pick up the parents from there. Earlier in the week I'd taken charge of our gang and coordinated dinner, like hell if I was gonna have my night ruined by a bunch of morons showing up. All my favorite people where there. Ben, Dan, Cassi, Heather, Tristan, Corey, Josh, and I was hoping Tony would make it in time. We walked in and I waved at Sarah. She was a year older than us and worked there as the most amazing waitress ever. She saw us and immediatly stopped what she was doing and seated us. We sat around for a bit and rambled on about school, teachers, and life in general before our menus showed up. I flipped through mine, not really looking at the selection. I knew what I was having: A bacon cheese burger. -Nearly- orgasmic. Sarah came around and took our orders a few minutes later and vanished into the back as we continued ranting. I quietly leaned back in my chair and picked apart the mess of words floating in the air. I don't know how long it took, but our food arrived and we wasted no time in making it vanish from the plates. "Good god that burger was good *Burb*" I said, leaning back on my chair again. "This chicken whatever was pretty good too" Ben said as he pushed his plate away. "Hey Josh... You got a little..." I pointed at him. "Hmm? Leaking am I?" He said, wiping some of the blood from the corner of his mouth. "How can you eat those so rare?" Dan asked, shuddering a bit. "How can you not?" He shot back. "...Carnivore..." Cassi muttered. "...Herbavore..." Josh hissed. I tried to control my laughter as they went back and forth for a good five minutes. Sarah brought us our bill and we passed it around. I snatched it from Ben before he could get his wallet. "Damnit... You aren't paying for me." "Oh yes I am." "No, you aren't." "I won't be able to buy you anything this week, so yes, I am" "You don't have to!" "But I'm gonna!" "Damnit you two stop being fucking cute!" I was still leaning backwards on the chair, and someone pushed it down, nearly taking me with it. Before I hit the ground, a pair of arms shot under mine. Slightly shaken, I looked up to find Tony holding me up. "And here I thought you'd all be done eating by now." He said as he pulled me to my feet. "And I thought you weren't gonna make it to dinner." I said as I jabbed him in the side. "Want anything? Still got some time before the dance." "Nah, got some Arby's on the way back. I'm good." "You sure?" "Yes. Joe. I'm fine. Thanks though." I sat back down as Tony pulled up a chair inbetween me and Dan. We stayed for another twenty-ish minutes before I took the bill up to the bar. Went back, grabbed my phone off the table and we all got up to leave. After a deliberatly long drive to the school, we arrived. As we pulled into the parking lot, we saw everyone else going in. "I thought that detour would have taken more time..." I mumbled as I ripped the keys from the ignition. "There was no traffic...and you drive fast." He replied, undoing his seatbelt. "Well. Yeah, you know. Let's get this over with." Every dance is the same. Dimmly lit, some hokey theme, a shitty DJ, and more random photo-ops than I care to be a part of. We walked in arm in arm, not paying attention to the mass of people in front of us. As we reached the check in table, I dug in my pockets for the tickets. "Didn't lose 'em did you?" Ben asked, elbowing me in the side. "Pft. No." I replied, pulling them out. "They were just inbetween all the other stuff in my pockets." I tossed them on the table, and the attendant marked our hands. Slipping through the gate, we were almost immediatly stopped for a picture under the elaborate canopy. "SMILE!!" An annoying camera woman shouted, motioning for us to get close. We both winced at the pitch of her voice. I threw my arm over Ben's shoulders and forced a decent smile. As she was counting it down, I felt something on my other shoulder. Glancing over, I found Dan leaning against me with the same fake smile. "You sure you want them in the shot?" the woman screeched. "Them?" "Him too." I looked over to the other side to find Tony in much the same position as Dan. "Yeah, take the pic already." We all faked the same smile and SNAPSNAPSNAP. Feeling slightly dazed, we wandered into the dance. I cringed at the gut wrenching music. Mostly radio tunes everyone just LOVES that they have to hear them EVERY THIRD SONG. Any "request" is automatically tossed in the garbage if it even sounds like a decent musician. We mingled with the people we didn't see to much of. Usually just standing around chatting in the middle of a crowd of dancing people [>:D]. At some point, we all got separated. I didn't even notice until my phone started buzzing in my pocket. Ben: Where'd u go? Me: Standing by a pillar talkin with aj and shawn. You? Ben: Cornered by jessa and addison by concessions :s Me: Talkin about anything interesting? Lol Ben: They think we're faking. Save me D:! Me: LMAO! Be right there xD! I waved goodbye, seeing as I couldn't frickin hear anything over the 7th rotation of some shitty rap song and burst out laughing as I walked over to where Ben was pinned down. The set up of the commons is strange. Pillars EVERYWHERE, like they were afraid to let the place stand on their own. They also made for vicious workouts for soccer. Sneaking up on him, I slid my hands around his waist and hooked my thumbs in the waistband of his pants. "Having fun?" I asked, kissing him on the cheek. "Oh yeah...tons of it." He replied in a devistatingly sarcastic tone. Luckily, Jes and Addison aren't very clever and didn't catch it. "Hey Seth, how's it going?" Addison chirped. "Just fine, thanks." I spat back. I shot her a chilly glance before repositioning my hands on Ben's hips. We had a bit of a staredown before Jessa couldn't take the tension. I felt Ben trying not to laugh, which in turn made me try not to laugh. The key word in that sentance is try, by the way. It's well known that I don't like Addison, and vice versa. It's also well known that Ben and I have been together since he was a sophomore. "So..uhh...yeah." Addison mumbled, turning away "Let's go find Josh, he's more fun to be around than Seth, no offense Ben." "Actually, I take -alot- of offense to that, but go have fun." I buried my face in Ben's shoulder to keep from laughing in her face. I glanced up a second later to find Jessa being literally dragged away by Addison. "Jessa's ok" Ben sighed. "Yeah, but it's her other half that makes me wanna punch things." I replied, grabbing both of his hands and putting them on his waist. "Meh...whatever. How long do we have to stay? I'm losing interest fast." "Yeah, me too. But we gotta hang around for court. The Terror Twins are on it, and so is Heather." "Blah. What time is it anyways?" "Ten to ten." "And court is then, right?" Just as he asked, the announcement came over the PA for court members to proceed to the gym. We got some soda from the convieniently placed booth and stood around until the rest of us were told to go find seats. Shuffling into the gym, we grabbed Josh and Corey out of the mess of people and climbed the bleachers to get a seat. We snagged the top row in the middle, so we had a good view of everything. This also gave us ample position to harass Dan, Tony, and Heather. Mr. Garrison(No joke) announced the members of the court as they walked in the side door. Heather was with some joke contestant. You know the one. No one really likes him, but they voted for him out of pity... or humor. I had no idea who Dan was with, and Tony was with Addison, the poor bastard. The rest of the court I didn't pay much attention to, because I either didn't like them or didn't know who they were. "Ladies and Gentlemen, your 2007 Homecoming King Iiiiisssss....." Garrison started, handing the dollar store crown to the class president. Jeremy(Class pres.) walked around, looking over the court members, faking us out by hovering the crown over the guy's heads then pulling it back. Then... He finally stopped... "Tony Morgan!!!" Even from the back, I could see his expression of confusion and shock. I bit my lip to subdue a chuckle and Ben dropped his head. The four of us stood up and cheered, and some redneck blasted an airhorn. I felt the visual knives flying at me as Tony looked up at us. We continued cheering until we were told to sit down. As Tony was handed the crown, Jeremy pulled him down to his level(He's kinda short) and wispered the queens name in his ear. As he stood back up, his expression was blank. "Ah fuck it's that bitchlett isn't it." Corey mumbled. "Who knows...just watch..." "And your 2007 Homecoming Queen Iiiiissss...." Tony pulled the same trick, just baited the crowd more. We all sighed in relief when he totally skipped over Mobey Dick... I MEAN Addison. But we all cursed when he passed over Heather too. "Oh c'mon you dick pick her already." Ben hissed. "Really wanting to get out of here that bad?" I asked, putting my arm around him. "Just a little." He sighed, leaning into me. "Paulina Safford!!!" The gym erupted in applause as they took their places in the middle of the stage. "Sparta High! I present your 2007 Homecoming court!" The place was a wash with shutter noise and flashes for a good 5 minutes before Tony managed his way out with Paulina. The surging crowd followed them out and formed a circle in the commons. The DJ person announced that all the court members should proceed to the middle of the circle of the traditional dance. We didn't even get a chance to harass Tony before the event started. We watched for a minute before Ben pulled me aside. "I wanna dance." He said, pretty much whispering. I smiled at him as he put his arms over my shoulders. He looked at me and flashed his killer smile before resting his head on mine, looking me dead in the eyes. "I really wanna go home" He mumbled, rubbing his nose against mine. "We can go after those goons get done dancing." I replied, kissing him lightly. "Everything ok?" "I miss you already" "Aw...Bro...That's the sexiest thing you've said all week." "If you find my weakness sexy..." "I do. I've never had someone rely on me before you. It feels good." "And I like having someone to rely on." I put my hands on his sides and slowly moved them up and down, gradually untucking his shirt. He slid his arms down around mine and pulled me in and held me as the sappy song went on. We stood there holding each other for the rest of the song until Dan manifested and tapped me on the shoulder. "Hey there." "All done dancing already?" "Yeah...Addison's perfume was about to knock me out." "Oh yeah...you got stuck with THAT human...hahahahaha" "Yeah, laugh it up" "What do you think I'm doing?! HAHA!" "Okokok, enough. What are you guys up to later." "Probably just gonna go home and drink." Ben cut in. "What he said. Will his majesty be joining us?" "I dunno, he's been hitting on Paulina most of the night... Odd coincidence wouldn't you say?" "So you're saying it's a conspiracy?" "We're talking about Tony, of course it is." We all nearly died laughing. We just put the pieces together. Paulina wasn't the winner. Well, official winner that is. After we got ourselves back under control, we went to harass Tony. Cutting through the crowd, we searched and searched, but to no avail. We made another quick sweep of the commons and finally found him leaning on a pillar with an arm around the Queen. "You look fuckin goofy with that crown on." Ben said, jabbing Tony in the ribs. "But She looks cute with hers." I said, faking another smile. "Aww thanks guys." She replied, blushing a bit. "Big brother Tony, we're gonna make like a tree and get the fuck out of here." Ben said, leaning on me. "You know where to find us if you wanna tag along." "I don't know about tonight guys. I'm pretty tired" He replied, giving us a wink. "Next time for sure." I grined at his wink as he pulled off his crown and put it on my head. I shook my head a bit before Paulina took her's off too and placed on Ben, smiling innocently. We looked at each other, then at them, then back at each other and burst out laughing. "Seriously?" Ben asked. "Yeah. Neither of us were supposed to win." Paulina said, not really sounding like she cared. "We figured out why you got it...but Tony?" "It's good being friends with the class president haha." "Works for me." I said, trying to catch my breath. "Me too" Ben added, holding his sides. "Quick, leave before anyone notices you guys have them!" Tony chuckled, pointing at the exit. "Haha ok, see you later big guy. Congrats." Tony and Dan stood there and stared at each other before Dan snaked Tony out from around Paulina and lifted him into a bearhug. I could hear Tony's back crack before he was dropped back to the floor. After cringing, we waved goodbye to the royalty of the evening and made a quick exit out the main door. Amazingly, the door people didn't seem to notice we had the crowns. "See you at home." Dan said as we walked to our cars. "Yeah, see ya in a few." I shouted as I unlocked my car. As I got in, Ben was already flipping through the CDs. "Decent music time?" "You know it." And decent it was. Windir, probably my favorite band. And he picked Arntor, probably my favorite CD of theirs(RIP Valfar). I cranked the ignition and we burned out of the parking lot. The ride home passed in the blink of an eye it seemed. Before I knew it, we were home, and Dan was just walking in the door. We hopped out and casually walked in with the crowns in our hands. "Oh you're kidding." My dad hissed as he sipped his drink at the kitchen counter. "Do these look like we're kidding?" I asked, tossing mine infront of him. "So, only one of my boys didn't get a crown tonight..." Dan turned his steeley glare at dad as he sat down and stole his drink. "No, but I'll take this crown...and coke." he said in his usual monotone, slamming the rest of the glass. "Heh...what'll the kings have tonight?" he asked as he started rummaging through the liquor cabinet. "Something...strong." we both said. "Heh, yessirs...hehehe" I narrowed my eyes as dad continued to chuckle. Ben did the same as I started to get that sinking feeling. I held my breath as the black labled bottle came into view. Ben winced as dad put the bottle down. "You guys did eat before, right?" Dad said in his creepy snakey tone. "Uhh...yeah..." Ben relied, rubbing the side of his head. "Make a memo...don't let dad pick the drinks EVER again." He flashed us a wicked grin as he produced 3 shot glasses. He must've been the bartender for some famous place in a past life or something, because he poured all the shots perfectly, with minimal looking. I eyed the shots as he slid them across the counter. "Drink up guys. It's early yet." He said as he took his drink back from Dan and took a large gulp. "You're an awful influence" Ben laughed, raising his glass. "Only to my boys." He replied, raising his glass aswell. "You four are the only ones that count in my book." "Aww... Thanks Mr. B" Dan said as we downed the shots. "You could probably stop calling me Mr. B by this point..." "Well... I... Uh... Don't know your first name." Dan mumbled, quickly pouring himself another shot. We all shot him a puzzled look before we nearly suffocated laughing. We had a few more shots and settled down a bit and dad continued to harass Dan. "It's a regular name." Dad started. "Whats it begin with." "It's near the end of the alphebet." "Quincy." "Yes, Quincy Barton... No, you goon. And Q isn't really near the end..." "Uhm... Z maybe... Zach? ZEPHER?!" "Zepher would be sweet, but no." "Gimme a hint." "W." "William." "No." "Wilbur...?" "What's that thing Joe always says... Ah yes... FAIL!" "Weston?" "Ooo he's close!" "Warren." "Not so close..." With my buzz slowly kicking in I found the topic oddly amusing. How long had I known Dan? thirteen, fourteen years? How many times had we hung out? And he didn't know dad's name? "Wes?" "DING DING!! We have a winner! Took you long enough..." "Yeah he finally got it!" We had a good laugh over the convo and had a few more before dad threw down the gauntlet. Insantly, a full bottle of apple pie appeared on the table, with Dan and dad staring it down like wolves. {{Three hours, however many shots, and several stories later}} The party had moved to the living room, mom had come home and laughed at us, and Dan was laid out on the floor, rambling something fierce. Me and Ben were sitting on the couch, and Dad was in his chair, fully reclined on the brink of passing out. The only sign of his conciousness was the steady tapping of his fingers to the CD we were listening to. "A worthy nemesis!" Dad slurred, somehow managing to sit up. "You aren't half bad your self...ugh" Dan replied, crawling over to the end of the couch. "But I think... I need to go to bed..." "Yeah, me too. Good match kid." Dad said, getting to his feet. "G'nite guys. See ya in the morning... Afternoon... Whatever." "G'nite dad." we said in unison. "So big guy, how you holding up?" I asked, looking down at him." "Pretty fucking drunk if I do say so. And I do say so." He mumbled, propping himself up on the base of the couch. "Ready for bed dude?" "More than ready." I smirked and stood up. We didn't drink nearly as much as those two, but we had a decent buzz going. I bent over and pulled him up by the shirt, getting an arm around his torso to keep him balenced. "Get up here and help me. He's 210lbs of practically dead weight here!" I groaned and Dan started to lean more heavily on me. Ben shook his head as he stood, taking the same position as me. Dan can drink, alot, but when he reaches a certain point he looses it. We stumbled over to the stairs and glanced up into the dark before making our way up. As we reached the top, I kicked open the door to Dan's room and nearly toppled over each other getting in the door. We swayed over to the bed and carefully sat down. "Feels more like 400lbs of dead weight..." Ben mumbled as Dan kicked his shoes off. "Heh. Yeah. How ya doing D?" I asked, rubbing his back. *Uber Drunk Slurring* "That good huh? Hahah. Bed time Dan." "Wa... Wait... Hold on... I... Got somethin... To tell you two." he started, tightening his grip on us. "I fucking love you two. And Tony. and Dougy. And your dad. Oh god he's so cool." "Haha. Love you too big guy." He started to talk, but stopped mid sentance. We waited for him to finish, but we found out he fell asleep when he started lurching forward. We narrowly saved his face from meeting the floor and layed him down. "Um... He gonna be ok? Not gonna puke or anything?" Ben asked as we stood by the door. "He's a big boy. He can handle himself from here." I replied. "Does he usually sleep like that?" "Like what?" "Fully clothed." "Hmm...probably not. Hold up his arms." Ben grabbed Dan's arms and held them up as I started to unbutton his shirt. He started to stir as I got to the fourth button down and squirmed a bit. "You ok Dan?" He nodded as I pulled his shirt up and off him, revealing his spike covered skull belt buckle. I fumbled with it for a minute before I figured out how to get it off. "By the looks of it, he doesn't want anybody in his pants." Ben chuckled. "Bro... Harsh." "Well look at that fuckin' buckle! It took you three minutes to figure it out!" "Haha.. True. Let's put this monster to bed, then go to bed ourselves." "Sounds good." Ben laid him out as I got the blanket from the other side of the bed. I tossed the blanket over him and hit the lights on my way out. As I got into our room, Ben was already down to his boxers, sitting on the floor with his back to the bed. Walked over to the dresser, emptied my pockets, and kicked off my shoes. As I started un buttoning my shirt, I felt a pair of hands on my belt. As he began to undo my belt, I leaned back into him. He dropped his chin on my shoulder as he ripped the belt from my pants and kissed me behind the ear. "Have fun tonight?" I asked, putting my hands on his. "Meh... Not really." Ben replied, moving his hands to my chest. "Seemed a bit preoccupied." "Just a little... Bleh..." "Like I said before. It's just for a week. You'll be fine." "I. Don't. Want. To. Be. There. Damnit." "I don't want you to be there either, but look at it this way... If you don't go, your mom could call off this whole arrangement and you'd have to live with her or your dad. And I'm sure you don't want that." "Yeah, that would suck." "What are you so uptight about though? I can feel the tension in your arms." "I don't think you understand how much I -do not- want to be around them." "Them?" "She's living with my uncle. The male version of her." "Good god" "Yeah..." I turned around in his arms and hugged him, running my hands up and down his back, counting out the knots of tension. I spun him around and told him to lay down on the bed. "You're gonna get a rub down." I said as he sprawled out on his stomach. I dropped my pants and jumped into a pair of shorts before climbing on the bed and straddling Ben, sitting on his ass. Starting at the back of his neck, I slowly and forcfully worked my fingers around the joints making up his upper spine. He sighed heavily as my hands traced down to his shoulders, kneeding the muscles all the way down to the elbows. Returning my attention to his back, I started at the base of his neck and drug my fingers down, reassessing where the knots were. As I found them, I took my thumbs are rubbed them out, forcing a few moans out of Ben as the tension vanished. "That feels so good." He whispered as I started working on his lower back. "You'd think you were twice your age... You're really tense." I replied, running my hands up his sides. "Just stressed with school and stuff." "Everything going ok there? I hardly see you besides at lunch." "Yeah. Got all my work for the week... There's alot for trig by the way." "Heh, thanks for the heads up. Now turn over." He flashed that unbearably sexy smile as he rolled over under me. Within seconds I knew why she was smiling as such. Someone got more than a little excited when I was working him over. "Like that hmm?" I asked as I started to rub his shoulders again. "How could you tell?" He replied, grinning back at me. I slid my hands downt o his chest, massaging his pecs one at a time, pulling a few more moans out of him. He looked so good laying there. Not all worried like he had been most of the day. Everything seemed good today except Ben leaving for a week the next day. "So. How we doing Ben." I asked, putting my hands on his sides again. "Muuuuuch better now. Having you do that with a buzz is pretty damn awesome." He answered, propping himself up on his elbows. "Want me to take care of that stiffy?" I asked, running a hand down his abs. "Nah... You got me pretty worked up and it wouldn't take very long haha." I smiled down at him as he got face to face with me, rubbing our noses together. He kissed me and I nearly dissolved. "Thanks. For being my friend. Putting up with me. And loving me like no one else does." "Stop being so hot. I can bearly contain myself." "I really... REALLY want to... But I gotta drive TWO AND A HALF HOURS in the morning." "Yeah, you should get some sleep." I reluctantly stood up went to the bathroom to take a quick piss and brush my teeth. Hitting the lights on the way back in, I dropped onto the bed next to Ben and rolled over onto my back and stared at the ceiling for a while. "Got all your stuff packed?" "Yep. In my car already." "Ok. Wake me up before you go." "Promise." I rolled over and put my head on his chest as he wrapped his arms around me. I slid an arm under him and pulled him into me, holding him tight. "I miss you already..." "I miss you too..." We laid there for about an hour in silence just holding each other before my eyelids started getting heavy. "I'm starting to fall asleep." I yawned "Good night Ben. Love you." "Love you too." He kissed the top of my head and I fell asleep almost instantly. {{Hours Later}} "Hey... Joe... Wake up..." END: Chapter Three- Homecoming_Night Next Chapter: Separation_Anxiety Special thanks go to the following: Ben: For giving me a reason to breath. Dan: For being the KVLT bastard you are, and keeping us in line. Tony: For being with me since I was 5. And last but definatly not least, the readers for trudging through this rambling haha. All your emails keep me writing. Keep sending them! I like reading them! Comments, encouragement, etc. can be sent to: antiversum@yahoo.com