Date: Fri, 29 Aug 2003 20:15:11 -0700 (PDT) From: Equinus Scorpius Subject: Silent Violin, Chapter 8 (gay/highschool) Legal Notice: The following story contains descriptions of graphic sexual acts. The story is a work of fiction and has no basis in reality. Although the names of places used DO exist, they are in no way reflected factually in this story. Don't read this story if: * You're not 18 or over, * If it is illegal to read this type of material where you live, * Or if you don't want to read about gay/bi people in love or having sex. The author retains copyright to this story. Placing this story on a website or reproducing this story for distribution without the author's permission is a violation of that copyright. Legal action will be taken against violators. Note: This story will be slow moving, and plot oriented. It is not a porno, though sex will happen. It's a fact of life. Words in between <> are sign language, as text formatting does not support italics. E-mail responses to the story, questions, suggestions, criticism, and comments to: EquinusScorpius@yahoo.com Thanks to all my readers for the feedback so far! THE SILENT VIOLIN CHAPTER 8 Bastian woke up to the sound of the alarm followed shortly by the sound of his mother calling through the door for him to wake up. What, does she wait outside the door until my alarm goes off? he thought. Disgruntled, he rolled out of bed, grabbed his trowel, and headed for the shower. As he performed his morning ablutions he considered the day ahead. His first full day of school at KHS. His first gym class too. His mother called him from the kitchen and snapped him out of his reverie. He hurried back to his room, pulled on a pair of brown jeans and a beige turtleneck, slid his feet into his boots, and hurried to the kitchen. Marjorie handed him a bowl of oatmeal and a mug of tea as he sat down at the table. "Meg McKennough called this morning while you were in the shower. None of the McKennoughs are going to be in school today. She was wondering if you could get their assignments for them?" She asked him. Bastian nodded in agreement, shoveling the steaming oatmeal into his mouth. With his free hand, he signed. . "That's a good idea." Marjorie sipped her tea thoughtfully. Bastian put his mug and bowl in the sink and ran back to his room to get his and Aiden's schoolbooks. He would just leave Aiden's books in the car and get his homework out on the way. Since he didn't have orchestra, he wouldn't need his violin. Soon Bastian was ready and they headed off to school. Marjorie dropped Bastian off at the main entrance with 20 minutes to spare. There were a few teens hanging outside of the building, but he didn't know any of them. He made his way inside and dropped off the majority of his books in his locker. His homeroom was locked and empty, so Bastian went up to the main office to see if Mrs. Sykes would help him gather homework assignments for the McKennoughs. He wrote a note, asking her to do so. Mrs. Sykes was bustling around the main office in her usual morning routine. There was a little bell on the counter and he rang it to get her attention. Mrs. Sykes jumped a bit at the unexpected sound but smiled as she saw him. "Well hello Mr. Blakeman." She called out happily. Bastian felt the urge to correct her but mentally shrugged. "What can I do for you?" Bastian handed her the note and she carefully read it over. "Father's in the hospital, eh? That's a darn shame. I'll contact the boys' teachers and you can get their assignments here after school. That okay?" Bastian nodded in response. "Not a problem, not a problem. Well off you go." And with that, Mrs. Sykes turned back to her work. Dismissed, Bastian wandered out into the hall. He saw Alex, the trumpet player from orchestra, at his locker exchanging books between locker and backpack. He was wearing a pair of earphones and nodding his head to a beat Bastian couldn't hear. Bastian moved closer and could hear Alex singing along under his breath. "You can dance, you can jive, having the time of your life. See that girl, watch that scene, diggin' the dancin' queen." Bastian tapped Alex hesitantly on the shoulder and he shrieked and fell backwards. "Bastian! You scared me! I was just, um, getting my books together. Did you have a nice snow day?" Aiden said as he gathered his books and the CD player that had fallen out of his coat pocket. Bastian screwed up his face and shrugged in response to his question. He raised his eyebrows questioningly to ask the same of Alex. "Not that great, huh? Mine wasn't bad. Stayed at home and practiced the pieces for band and orchestra. I have band today, so no rest for weary lips. And unfortunately, I have gym today too. I hate gym. You have to choose between swimming or weight training. I'm just not very athletic, you know?" Alex looked down at his watch. "Crap, I better get going to homeroom, maybe I'll see you during lunch or something. If not, I'll see you at orchestra tomorrow. See you later, Bastian." Alex slammed his locker shut and jogged off to his homeroom. Bastian made his way back to his homeroom just as the bell rang. Mr. Davies, whom he vaguely remembered from Algebra II on Monday, was a short skinny man with a long skinny nose and thinning brown hair. He reminded Bastian of an aging Pinocchio. He smiled with some recognition as Bastian came into the room and directed Bastian towards an empty seat near the back of the room. A few other teens came in after him and took their seats before Mr. Davies began role call. There were 26 students in Homeroom 204 alphabetically from Danielle Ball to Marguerite Caiara. Mr. Davies rearranged seating after taking role to make his job a bit easier, and Bastian found himself sitting between Gregory Blaas and Arkady Brighton. Most of the students ignored him, but Arkady tapped him on the shoulder to introduce himself. Arkady had short blond hair, bright blue eyes, and was the object of many a schoolgirl's (and some schoolboy's) dreams. He was on the short side, but well built and muscular with well-defined pectorals, shoulders, and arms. A slender waist descended into a pair of well-filled out carpenter's jeans (both front and back). In a pleasant tenor he said, "I'm Arkady, welcome to KHS. I know how it is to be new, I transferred in just before winter break, so if you need any help, or get lost, you can always ask me." Arkady spoke with the hint of some Eastern European accent. Bastian jotted off a quick note: "Sure, thanks. Where are you from? I can't place the accent?" He handed the note to Arkady whom read it quickly and smiled. "I'm from Constanta, Romania. My family came over to the States in 1995, when I was very young. The accent is from my home life, and the little bit of Romania I remember." Arkady explained. He smiled widely, revealing even white teeth. "Hey, let me see your schedule, I want to see if you and I share any classes." Bastian handed him his schedule and Arkady looked it over. "You're in orchestra, huh? That's cool. Well it looks like we have Honors Biology, Health, and Gym together." Bastian looked confused and jotted down: "I don't remember you from Health on Monday." "Oh, I wasn't in school, my family was on tour over the weekend in Buffalo, and didn't get in until late Monday afternoon." Just then, the bell signaling the end of homeroom rang and the room began to empty. "Come on, walk with me to Biology. It sure is nice to meet someone else new here." Arkady said and extended his hand as he stood. Bastian accepted it and stood as well. Arkady's arms were well muscled and his hands were large and confident. Bastian grabbed up his back and accompanied Arkady to Ms. Brewster's Biology class. Ms. Brewster was a masculine looking woman with short cut dark brown hair and a permanent dark tan. Bastian gave her his usual introduction note; she nodded matter- of-factly, welcomed him to the class with a smile, and assigned him to be Arkady's lab partner, as Arkady was currently in a group of three. Ms. Brewster was a fun-loving teacher who taught with a mixture of humor and studiousness. Bastian thoroughly enjoyed the class and looked forward to it. Arkady told Bastian more about himself as they pored over glass slides of preserved organisms under a microscope. He and his parents, two sisters, and two brothers toured with a carnival as an acrobatic act. They toured with the carnival around New England and also hired themselves out for private venues. Ms. Brewster assigned them a reading assignment just as the bell rang and Bastian waved goodbye to his new friend to make his way to his next class. English went by quickly, they were reading Dumas's "The Three Musketeers," something Bastian had already read. When US History started, Bastian felt Aiden's absence for the first time. He handed Aiden's and his own homework assignments in from Monday's class and almost fell asleep in the back of the class listening to Mr. Simmons's monotone drone. Lunch came and went and he ate from the salad bar that was set up inside the kitchen. He ate alone, thinking about Monday and working on his History homework. The bell rang and he headed back to his locker for his math and health class books and then off to Algebra II where Mr. Davies explained the function of imaginary numbers. Health class flew buy with a pop quiz on nutrition. He sat next to Arkady who seemed to have no trouble on the quiz. Bastian hesitated on a few of the questions, but figured he did well enough. Gym class was drawing ever nearer. Bastian began to anticipate it with dread and excitement. He took some time before the end of health class to write a note to his gym teacher, explaining his situation and to make things easier. The bell rang and Bastian packed up his things. He saw Arkady waiting for him by the door and went up to walk with him towards the gym. "How's your day been, Bastian?" Arkady asked as they made their way to the gymnasium. Bastian shrugged and nodded. "Mine's been okay too. Need to catch up from what I missed on Monday. I think Coach Haines is going to give you a choice between swimming and weightlifting. I chose swimming, I can't get too bulked up with lifting weights or I'll lose a lot of my flexibility, and the weightlifting coach doesn't have very much distinction between building muscle mass and gaining strength. Swimming is a good exercise though, helps with breath control and builds up your muscles without impact." Arkady chattered on, but one thing caught in Bastian's head. Coach Haines? They reached the locker rooms and Bastian was assailed with the familiar odor of sweat and old equipment. It was the same in every gym. Arkady went to his locker and began to change into his gym clothes and Bastian wandered around searching for the coach's office. He soon found a closed door with "Coach Haines" engraved on a copper plate. He knocked hesitantly on the door and a deep voice from inside ordered him to enter. Bastian opened the door, his heart pounding and pulse quickening. A stocky young man dressed in gray athletic shorts, a polo shirt, and trainers was bent over the filing cabinet in the back of the room. "Yes?" He said, without looking up from the cabinet. His voice has changed, Bastian thought, but then again, it's been 10 years. Bastian walked hesitantly forward and placed his note on the desk, tapping it loudly to get his attention. Coach Haines straightened up and turned around. Kevin was embroidered on his left breast. "Can I help y-" Kevin began, then cut off when he saw Bastian standing there. His swarthy complexion went very pale and Bastian was afraid he would faint. "Jesus. Sebastian? Sebastian Blackmoore?" Kevin whispered. Bastian nodded, suddenly afraid. Kevin's reaction meant a lot to him; he was one of the few people who knew him before the accident. "Is it really you, Sebastian? I haven't seen you since the hospital room after the accident." He looked him over appraisingly. "You look good." Bastian nodded and smiled hesitantly. He gestured to the note on the desk. Kevin picked it up and began to read. "So the accident did cause you to lose your voice, I'm sorry. I know Ralph was really hurt when he found out you'd been disabled on his hill. He paid for your medical bills, you know." Bastian wrote quickly on his little note pad: "I didn't know, but how do you know?" He handed Kevin the note. Kevin read the note and looked at Bastian. He appeared deep in thought before answering. "It's a long story, Bastian, and one which I promise I'll tell you. Do you have anything you have to do today after gym?" Bastian shook his head no. "Good, then let your mom know that I'll bring you home. I'll explain it all after class. We better get you set for gym. You want to lift weights or swim?" Bastian pantomimed swimming. "Got ya. Do you have a suit with you? If not, we have some speedos here you can borrow. I do recommend bringing your own suit. Guys who wear the rental speedos take some ribbing. I'll get you a lock for your gym locker, and you can get changed, okay?" Bastian nodded. Kevin turned back to the filing cabinet and retrieved a combination lock and a small slip of paper. A clipboard next to the cabinet had locker assignments, and he located an empty one. "Here you go. Locker # 1688. The combination for the lock is on that little slip. I have it recorded as well if you forget it, but try to memorize it. Let's get you a swimsuit." He led Bastian back out into the locker room, now empty of guys. The swimsuits were in a cabinet at the back of the locker room, and Bastian picked out one in his size. "The pool is out through that door," Kevin said, gesturing to one of two doors in the back of the locker room. "Put your stuff up and get into your suit. I'll be out by the pool." Bastian found his locker and stripped out of his clothes to put on the swimsuit. He stowed his backpack and clothes in the locker and hesitantly made his to the pool. His hand wandered self-consciously up to hide the scar on his throat. He paused before opening the door to make sure he was presentable; he retied the waistband ties and opened the door. The smell of chlorine assaulted his nose, so strong it made his eyes water. He forced himself to take several deep breaths to get used to the acrid air. He could hear the sounds of splashing and laughing, the occasional whistle as he made his way through the showers to the indoor pool. Kevin saw him enter the poolroom and nodded in his direction, gesturing for him to get into the pool. Bastian spotted Arkady treading water at one end of the pool and slipped into the water nearby. "Heya Bastian." Arkady greeted. "You got stuck with the school speedos, huh? Well that sucks, but since you're new, they might not rib you as much." Bastian could feel Arkady's eyes on the scar on his throat and lowered himself into the water to his chin. "Listen up people," Kevin began, blowing his whistle to obtain their attention. "We have a new student, Bastian Blackmoore," he gestured in Bastian's direction and Bastian propelled himself further out of the water by kicking his legs to wave. "He can't talk, so keep an eye out for him when you're swimming, he can't yell to get your attention. Ten laps, side stroke, breaststroke, butterfly, backstroke, crawl, two laps each." The boys quickly formed into pairs, and Arkady paired himself with Bastian as they swam laps in the lanes. Bastian swam well, but was quickly outstripped by Arkady's athletic prowess. They swam laps in opposite directions, smiling at each other as they passed in the water. Bastian soon found himself exhausted and the warm up was just finishing. With his laps done, he and Arkady tread water and hung onto the ledge at the deep end of the pool while the other pairs finished up their laps. Kevin came over and squatted above them. "Good form, Arkady. You're not bad either, Bastian, though your breaststroke could use some work. You both have nice times. I know you're schedule is too busy, Arkady, but what about you, Bastian? Have you thought about trying out for swim team?" Bastian screwed up his nose and shook his head, fanning himself in mock exhaustion. "Well we can work on your stamina, but if you decide you want to try out, I'd love to have you on the team." Bastian shrugged and blushed. Kevin looked up and noticed the last swimmer finishing up his crawl. "By the way, we have free swim on Fridays, so you only really have swim class twice a week, no matter what." Bastian smiled at this and Arkady grinned along. "Okay people, we're going to be diving today. Everyone out of the pool and line up by the diving boards." Bastian boosted himself out of the water onto the ledge and turned around to give Arkady a hand up. They stood shivering by the diving boards as the other boys lined up. Arkady was wearing a pair of board shorts; the wet fabric clung to every bulge and crease with delectable detail and Bastian averted his eyes from such temptation. He didn't see Arkady smirk knowingly. Coach Haines lined them up into two columns, one behind each diving board. "Michael, Tucker, you're up first." Michael, a shaggy-haired brunette, stepped up to the diving board and posed. Tucker, tall, lean, and fair, rolled his eyes, hopped once on the edge of the board, and dove smoothly into the water with practiced ease. "Now, Michael." The ham walked to the edge of the board, jumped up, and dove into the water. A pair of black and yellow striped shorts floated on the surface of the water, and the class erupted in laughter. Michael surfaced and basked in the laughter, before spotting his shorts floating a few feet away. He blushed a stunning shade of red and awkwardly swam to his shorts, trying to preserve his modesty with one hand. He retrieved his shorts and donned them with difficulty underwater. Bastian got a good look at the full brown bush at the fork of his legs. Arkady was next in line, with a tall blond on the other boards. Bastian stood behind Arkady, watching the muscles in his back and legs flex as he mounted the board. "Next time, Michael, check your suit, not the crowd. Good form, Tucker. Arkady, Zeke, you're up." Bastian did a double take at the tall blonde's name. He studied his profile as he mounted the board with growing recognition. Arkady's bouncing up and down on the board distracted his attention. Arkady took several good jumps and leapt into the air. He tucked his body in half, performed a flip and a twist, and straightened out just as he entered into the water. Bastian felt a twinge of admiration for the consummate athlete. Zeke performed a simple dive into the water, creating some splash. Bastian half-hoped for Arkady's suit to come free, but applauded his new friend as he surfaced and swam towards the edge of the pool. "Well done, Arkady, but no more acrobatics. Zeke, you need to keep your legs straight. Bastian, Drew, you're next." Bastian walked onto the diving board, feeling it bounce beneath his feet. Drew, a chubby dark-haired boy jumped off the end of his board to smack painfully against the water in a belly flop. Bastian flinched to hear it, and dove smoothly into the water to make sure he was okay. Drew swam to the surface and Bastian helped him to the edge and out of the pool. His front was an angry red and he had tears in his eyes. "You okay, Drew?" Kevin asked in a low voice, coming over to join them. Drew nodded, squeezing his eyes shut. Kevin looked him over, noticing the pimply skin growing ever redder. Bastian could hear a few of the boys cracking jokes and making rude comments about Drew's ability. "Why don't you hit the showers and get dressed, you don't have to swim anymore today if you don't want to." Drew nodded and headed off for the pool. "Good form, Bastian, and good reflexes. He probably swallowed a bit of water when he hit. You'd make a good lifeguard too." He looked up and barked, "Calvin, Harvey, dive." The teens continued to dive in pairs for the remainder of the class period, before Kevin sent them to the showers. Bastian followed Arkady in, and noticed none of the other guys stripped off their suits as they showered so followed form. He rinsed the chlorine off his skin and passed into the locker room. Bastian returned to his locker and dried off with a towel that Kevin provided. With studied concentration, he got dressed, ignoring the other guys and their revealed equipment. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Arkady strutting nude across the locker room and almost stared outright at the meat hanging between his thighs. Does that boy have everything? Bastian wondered ruefully. He hurriedly pulled up his jeans as Arkady came over, totally unabashed at his nudity. "Heya, Bastian. Good dive today. I'll see you tomorrow in homeroom, okay? I have to hurry home and get to practice. Nice to meet you today." Arkady said watching Bastian's eyes. Bastian struggled to keep his eyes on Arkady's. Bastian nodded and smiled and Arkady turned to walk off. He looked over his shoulder and winked. Bastian's jaw dropped and he hurriedly pulled his turtleneck over his head to hide the heat in his cheeks before anyone else saw. What was Arkady playing at? Was he gay? The thoughts raced through Bastian's head. He poked his head through the neck of his shirt to see Kevin smiling at him. He was dressed in a pair of jeans and a thick flannel shirt. "You ready to go, Bastian?" Bastian held up one finger and pulled out his notepad to jot a quick note. "I have to run by the front office to pick up the homework assignments for the McKennoughs. And I forgot to let my mom know. Where are we going anyway?" Kevin smiled as he read the note. "That's no problem. I'll walk with you up to the main office. You can call your mother while you wait for the assignments. And where we're going is a surprise." Bastian looked askance at him, but nodded. He retrieved his belongings from the locker, locked it, tossed his wet swimsuit and towel in the soiled laundry bag, and he was ready to leave. "Hold on a minute, Bastian, I need to do a quick walk-through to make sure everyone is out before I lock up. Almost forgot." Kevin turned and grabbed a duffel bag from his office and locked it behind him. He walked down each row of the lockers, and opened the door to the weight room. He walked inside, making sure the other coach had cleaned up and nodded, satisfied. He walked through the showers, followed by Bastian and stopped. There, in the corner of the showers, was Drew, huddled up in a ball. He was sniffling and sobbing softly with his head on his arms. He was also naked. Kevin walked a few paces into the shower room; Bastian hung back by the door, embarrassed for the other boy. He turned and ran to get a towel for him. "Drew? Are you okay?" Kevin asked and walked a few more paces closer to him. "What happened, Drew? Is it because of the belly flop? It's okay, not everyone is a diver." Drew shook his head back and forth, sniffling into his forearms. Bastian ran back and slid a few towels over the boy to protect his modesty. "Thank you," Drew mumbled, still not looking up. "Drew, what's wrong? Why are you in here? Why aren't you dressed?" Kevin repeated. "Drew, talk to me, bud." Drew looked up, his round face blotchy and tear-streaked. He saw Bastian there and flinched away. Bastian backed a few steps away. In a shaky voice, Drew began to talk. "When I came back in after I belly-flopped, I went to the bathroom, and I heard some guys come in from the weightlifting room. I don't know their names, I think they must be sophomores. It doesn't really matter though. They saw me in the stall, and stole my swimsuit and threw it up on top of the lockers. Then I heard you guys come in, so I hid in the stalls. I think the other guys left. I never even saw them, just their hands as they yanked my swimsuit away. They were laughing. I came out after I thought everyone else was gone. I just needed a shower, I felt dirty for some reason." "It's okay, Drew. I'm sorry that happened. I'll try to figure out who it was, okay?" Kevin said. He helped Drew off the cold tiles and wrapped the towel around him. "Let's get you cleaned up. Bastian, why don't you go get your assignments and call your mom. I'll meet you at the office, okay?" Bastian nodded in response and turned to go. "Did you get your shower, Drew?" He heard Kevin say as he left the gym. Bastian walked down the halls, feeling sorry for Drew, but glad that it hadn't been him. Only his second day and he'd heard of the bad side of the school. As he walked towards the main office, he pulled the little message phone out of his pocket and sent his mother a line of text: "Spending some time with Kevin Haines after school. He will take me home. He's swimming coach at school. OK?" He sent that message and as an afterthought typed: "Why didn't you tell me Mr. Roberson paid for all the medical bills? NM. I'll TTYL. Love U. Bastian." He was almost to the main office when his mother messaged back: "No problem. Have fun. Be home by 7:30, or get dinner on the way home. Let me know either way. We'll discuss rest when you get home. Love U 2. Mom" Bastian smiled, tucked the messenger into his pocket and entered the office. Mrs. Sykes was talking on the phone when he entered and she nodded at him, not breaking off from her conversation. Bastian sat down and took out his laptop to work on what little homework he had. After a few minutes, Mrs. Sykes called him over. "Here you go, young man. It's very nice of you to get the McKennoughs' assignments for them." She handed him a stack of paper, separated into three sections labeled Jaime, Cassidy, and Aiden. "I hope their father is better?" She asked. Bastian nodded and accepted the homework assignments, placing them in his messenger bag. "Is there anything else I can help you with?" Mrs. Sykes asked. Bastian shook his head no and wrote: "I'm waiting for Coach Haines." "Ahh, okay then. Just sit there. I'm sure he'll be around in a few," she responded and turned back to her work. After a while, Kevin showed up, apologizing for his lateness. "You ready to go, Bastian? Sorry I took so long," he said. He was breathless, probably from rushing up the halls. Mrs. Sykes looked up at him curiously, but went back to her work. Bastian heard her whisper, "That's his name," and smiled to himself. He nodded to Kevin and stood up. "All right then, let's go." _______________ To Be Continued. Dancing Queen is Property of ABBA (of course). Or A-Teens if you prefer them over the original.