Date: Fri, 15 Jan 2016 08:52:42 -0600 From: Nicky Smith Subject: The Chronicles of Trey Chapter 24 (Book 1 - Part 2) Written by: Nicky Smith Edited by: JD Kaster CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR: THE TALES OF TREY AND FRIENDS TREY'S POV ****THE BACHELOR AUCTION**** "Well I think we should just have a car wash, like with the cheerleaders," Tina said. "That's a stupid idea," Alicia argued. "Well it wasn't stupid when you did it last year," Tina said. "Well it's stupid this year. For one it's fall, and then there's the fact-," Alicia said until she was interrupted by Tina. "That you're no longer a cheerleader," Tina said smugly. "You stupid cow, how dare you?" Alicia said with a scowl. I have to admit that I was taking a perverse pleasure in watching the cat fight between Alicia and Tina even though it was wrong of me not to stop it as I was the president. The fight was about what to do for our school fundraiser. I finally decided to intervene. "Ladies, that's enough. This back and forth is getting us nowhere," I said as diplomatically as possible. "I'm just trying to suggest a good idea for a fundraiser," Tina said. "Well it's a dumb idea," Alicia said with a pissed off look on her face. "Well since you've shot down everyone else's ideas, what do you propose?" I asked as I tried my best not to be annoyed with her. "I've been thinking," Alicia started. "I wonder did she hurt herself doing that," I heard Tina mutter to Jeremy who was sitting next to her. Unfortunately so did everyone else, including Alicia. "Like I was saying," Alicia said strongly after shooting Tina a harsh glare. "I've been thinking and I think the best thing to do is to have a bachelor auction," Alicia said ending on a gleeful note which made me instantly suspicious for some reason. "A bachelor auction..." Tina said looking unsure. "Yes Tina, a bachelor auction," Alicia said aggressively to Tina who proceeded to roll her eyes at Alicia. "What would this entail?" Bruce Tilden asked. Bruce was a senior and he was a bit of a book nerd, but not as big as Justice, Miriam and I were. "Well we'd get a group of popular guys, like say... the football team, and then we have an auction where people can bid on them and the highest bid wins. The player then has to, like do whatever that person wants for like a week or so," Alicia said and there was the catch. I decided to feel her out a bit though. "Alicia I don't think there are enough single guys on just the football team for this to be a viable option," I said giving her the opportunity to confirm my suspicions. "Well even though it's called a bachelor auction, all of the football players will have to participate of course," Alicia said and I had to admit that this bitch was clever. "That sounds more like a jock auction," Jeremy said. "Well we can call it that if you want," Alicia said with a self-satisfied smile. I didn't say anything because I was too busy giving her a death-glare. "Let me get this straight. You want to have an auction where people bid on the football players and the person who wins said jock gets to make them their slave for a week?" Tina asked likely not believing the nerve of Alicia herself. "That's right, except for the slave part," Alicia said. "So, how much are you planning on bidding for Bear?" Tina asked taking the words right out of my mouth. Alicia looked momentarily flustered after looking around the room before settling her gaze on me and my glare aimed at her. "I-I never said I was bidding on Bear," Alicia said unconvincingly. "I think a better plan would be for us to put out a sign-up sheet for all the senior guys and maybe even the junior guys as well who want to participate. That way we have a bigger pool of `bachelors' to auction off," Bruce said which was actually a good idea. "I like my idea better," Alicia said adamantly. "I'll bet you do," Tina said. "Do we have a problem Tina because you've been on my ass all throughout this meeting," Alicia said with attitude. "There's so much I can say to that but I won't because I'm a lady," Tina replied. "Since when because that's not what I heard," Alicia responded. "Alright ladies that's enough," I said getting into their back and forth because it was no longer fun, but annoying. "But-," Alicia tried but I cut her off. "I don't wanna hear it. Now we're going to do this Bruce's way," I said and gave him a small nod which he returned. "Says who?" Alicia asked. "Says me, you know, the president. Do you have a problem with that?" I asked and she narrowed her eyes at me. "You have no idea of all the things I have a problem with," she replied as we glared at one another. "Well I really don't care," I said to her and her glare intensified. "Meeting is adjourned everyone. I'll see you in a few day and Bruce I expect you to have worked with Jeremy to come up with a plan to pull this off by then," I said and they both nodded at me before getting up with everyone else. "You're not always gonna get your way Trey," Alicia says when almost everyone was gone. "Well today I did and you didn't because I know what you're up to and it's not going to happen," I said in return. "Are you scared? Are you afraid to let me get within five feet of Bear?" she asked smugly. "Actually I'm not afraid, especially of you because he's been closer than that to you and nothing happened. In fact you're the only girl that that's ever happened to," I said with a smirk and she turned red with anger. She grabbed her books and stormed off in a huff without another word. I finished gathering up my things so I could get home and get my work done and have time to maybe see Bear that night. I happened to look out of the window and I saw Liberty walking to her car along with Christian in tow. They had been talking all the time since their date and I never missed a chance to say "I told you so". "Hello," I heard in a voice that startled me yet again. I needed to start paying attention while in that room. I turned and saw Tony Mason standing there smiling a bright smile at me. "Uh, hi," I said still recovering from being startled and perhaps being in his presence. "I'm sorry I startled you President Trey. I'm Tony by the way," he said as he extended his hand for me to shake. "Its fine and I know who you are," I said as I took his hand and shook it. "I can't believe the president knows little old me. I feel honored, Mr. President," Tony said with a bright smile that made me feel slightly uneasy. "Well uh, thanks," I said. Tony Mason was a senior on the school newspaper. I had seen him around school every now and then since sophomore year. He was mostly under the radar as far as I was concerned until after Bear and I were forced out of the closet. After that I started to notice Tony more and more for the simple fact that I noticed he was a lot more... I guess I'd call it effeminate. He dressed more colorful and I noticed mannerisms that I hadn't noticed from him before then. Looking at him presently it was plainly obvious that he was gay where it hadn't been in any way noticeable before then. I guess maybe he felt that it was time to be himself, what with Bear and I being out, and Carter as well. "I came by to ask if you would let me interview you for the school newspaper," Tony said still with the smile. "Uh, yeah sure," I said unsure of why I was so uneasy. "Perfect. Now all I need is your cell number," he said as he pulled out his own cell phone. "Why do you need my number?" I asked on guard for some reason. "So I can text you later to set up a time," he said. "Oh," I said simply. After considering it for a few seconds I gave him my number. "Well that's all I need for now. I'll be seeing you around Mr. President," he said before he turned and left the room. I noticed that as he walked away he had a slight sashay to his walk. I finished getting my stuff together before I left as well. ******** "A bachelor auction, are you serious?" Liberty asked. We were outside in the quad the next day along with Bear, Jessica, Sean, Justice, Carter, Miriam, and Dale. "I wonder why she wanted to have a football player auction. Do you have an answer to that Bear?" Jessica asked sarcastically. "How should I know," Bear said defensively. "Dude you seriously messed that girl up. You should have just had sex with her and been done with it," Dale said and I made sure to glare extra hard at him. Bear directed his attention to me and he actually flinched when he looked at me. "You were saying Dale," Bear said with a smug grin. "Hey look dude, I was just saying something. There's no need to death glare me," he said and I decided to stop after another few seconds. "So, are you guys gonna sign up?" Carter asked. Sean, Dale and Bear looked unsure if they should say yes or wait for permission from Justice, Miriam and me. "I don't care if you wanna do it, but if Alicia wins you, just know that I will be burning the school down," I said mostly joking. "I don't think I'll do it," Bear said. "Chicken," Carter teased. "Well I think our illustrious president should sign up. That way I can bid on him," Sean said while rubbing his hands together like he was plotting something sinister. "Sean why don't you just go ahead and confess your deep unyielding love for Trey and get it over with," Liberty said and I snickered along with Jessica, Carter and Dale. "I don't have any deep unyielding love for him," Sean said. "Are you sure about that?" Liberty asked. "No he doesn't. He's just bi-curious, that's all," Justice said and I laughed because I thought she was just joking but the look that came over Sean's face said she wasn't. "What the hell?" I asked stunned. "Justice, shut up!" Sean hissed. "Say what now?" Liberty, Jessica, and Miriam said together. "Well I guess I should say he's Trey-curious. He's curious about what it'd be like to be with Trey," Justice said and while we'd all joked about this very thing, hearing it out loud and that it could be true was startling. "Justice I can't believe you," Sean hissed again. "You can't believe her!" Carter said looking back and forth between Sean and Bear for some reason. "Look babe it's fine. Most of us have felt the same way about Trey at one time or another," Justice said and as I looked around at all of them, aside from Dale, they all had looks that said that she was telling the truth and that made me feel a little strange." "I know you're not gay and I know that nothing will ever come of it," she said and I had to say that she was being awfully blasé about the fact that her boyfriend was curious about another man. "Damn right nothing will come of it. You better watch your step," Bear growled possessively. Sean looked around at everyone looking at him and it was weird seeing him like that as I'd never seen Sean not on his game. "I gotta go," he said in a rush before rushing off into the school. "You tell your so-called boyfriend to keep his hands and his mind off my man before I have to kill his ass," Bear said before he too left to go into school. "Wow Jus, that's an interesting man you got there," Liberty said with a smirk. "I wouldn't talk about my boyfriend if I were you," Justice said in warning. "There's nothing wrong with Christian. He's not admitted to having secret desires for his male friends," Liberty said in return. "So Christian is your boyfriend now. That was quick," Jessica said. "Shut up you," Liberty said. I just listened to their back and forth without commenting because I couldn't stop thinking about what Justice had said. If it was true, and judging by Sean's reaction it had to be, then this would only serve to rile Bear up even more in regards to Sean. I had no clue why Bear was so suspicious of him, but I guess he had a reason after all. I guess though that I didn't have to put so much thought into the whole thing as I didn't really get any vibes from Sean aside from his casual flirting. I had gotten better at reading people since I came to accept that I was gay and I had been able to pick out a few people who I suspected were gay as well and if I were being honest with myself, Carter had pinged for me long before he told me about himself so I didn't really have a problem where Sean was concerned because he didn't really ping for me. I couldn't let this change anything because Sean was very important to me and I couldn't lose his friendship over something that turned out to be nothing. Trying to convince Bear of that fact though would a difficult task indeed. ******** After talking, all the guys of our group decided to sign up, even me. I didn't come to this conclusion myself though. My nosy ass meddling lady friends did this for me so I was in the auction. I just couldn't wait for someone to win me for $5. The day of the auction was upon us and I was standing backstage in the auditorium along with my friends and I was nervous. They may have been used to being in the spotlight but I was one who flew under the radar for most of my life and now suddenly during my senior year of high school I was doing one thing after another that put me in the spotlight as well. I just didn't understand my own actions sometimes. It probably wouldn't have been long before I was trying out for a team sport and running for prom king. I looked around and saw a few of the guys glancing at me, no doubt wondering why I was there. I was doing the same thing so we had that in common. "It's time guys," Bruce said as he stepped backstage. He was the organizer for this whole thing and I have to admit that he had a knack for this sort of thing. He would come in handy for prom which I had found out was my responsibility. "Okay, thanks Bruce," I said to him before he left to go out on the stage. "You know, if I wasn't part of this thing I'd be bidding my trust fund on you," Bear said next to my ear. "How much would that be exactly?" I asked. "I don't think I should tell you the exact amount but I will say that in the neighborhood of 7 figures," he said with his signature grin and my eyes almost fell out of my head. I recovered quickly enough and I decided to mess with him. "Aw big guy, you don't have to bid your trust fund on me. It'll be mine anyway once we're married," I said with a smirk and I heard Carter try to stifle a laugh from near us. "Butt out nosy," Bear said to him and he responded by flipping Bear the bird. "Good afternoon everyone and welcome to the Fairfield High Fundraiser Auction where we will be auctioning off the services of some of our school's great guys. Without further ado, here are the guys," Alicia said as she called for the first guy. That was a great bit of ingenuity on my part to have Alicia handling the auctioning. That way she couldn't do any bidding herself. She was adamantly against it until I told her that I would go to Mr. Renner and tell him she wasn't doing her job. She reluctantly agreed to do it then. "Should be any time for us now," Carter said like he was ready to get enslaved by some poor girl or guy. That was the thing about this auction that the guys could be won by another guy as well as a girl. I couldn't imagine there would be that many guys bidding though unless they were doing it for some sick revenge or something. "I just hope I don't go to some loser geek," Dale said and his comment surprised me. "You mean like your girlfriend?" I asked with a slight edge. "I didn't mean Miriam. She's not a loser," Dale responded trying to backpedal. "There's also Justice and I who are also geeks. What about us?" I asked and Dale got a look that said he regretted saying anything. "I'm not gonna say anymore," he finally said. "Well Trey, I bet you can't wait for all the little queer boys to bid on you. This whole thing should at least serve to let us normal guys know who all the secret fags are," Todd said as he walked up to us. Bear started toward him, but I grabbed his arm and Dale grabbed the other. "You mean like you?" Carter asked stepping up to him. "I'm not a fag like you are Matthews," Todd said with a sneer. "Yeah I'm a fag. I'm the faggiest fag that ever did fag. You got anything else?" Carter asked as he grabbed Todd's shirt in his fists and pulled him towards him in an aggressive manner. I had to admit that this side of Carter made him look really hot. "Trey," Bear said strongly. "What is it?" I asked trying to act innocent. "Don't think I don't know what you were doing just now," Bear said as he glared at me. "I don't know what you're talking about. I wasn't doing anything," I said still pleading innocence. "Except checking out Carter," someone said next to my ear. I turned and saw Christian standing there smirking at me. "See, even he saw it," Bear said in a slight whine which wasn't cute at all. "Bear please, now's not the time for your imaginary suspicions," I said trying to deflect. "Is there a problem here gentlemen?" we heard in a familiar voice that turned out to be Mr. Renner. "No, there's not a problem here," Dale said as he and Bear worked to pry Carter's hands off of Todd. "If I see anymore trouble today there will be so many detentions going around that people will wonder why so many students are at school after hours," Mr. Renner warned in a serious tone that made everyone take notice. "Yes sir, we understand," I said taking responsibility for everything. After all I was the student president. "Trey I think you're next," he said with a softer expression on his face and a small smile before he winked at me. His actions made me wonder if Jessica's ridiculous suggestion about him liking me was true. Bruce came to get me because like Mr. Renner had said I was next. I suddenly became really nervous as I slowly walked from backstage onto the stage. As I continued to walk I saw everyone and there seemed to be a lot of people out there. I came to a stop and my legs shook as I waited for Alicia to do her thing. "Next we have... student council president Trey Healey," Alicia said as unenthusiastically as possible. I looked out at the people and I discovered that I knew what stage fright felt like. I was thankful that all I had to do was just stand there. I also saw my 5 lady friends looking at me like they were plotting something. It suddenly occurred to me that any one of them would pay to have me as their personal slave for a week and I couldn't believe how stupid I'd been to fall into their trap. I was still wondering what they were up to when Alicia started the bidding while being the bitch she was. "Why don't we start the bidding off at... 25 cents," Alicia said being a bitch. "I bid $5," said a girl who I didn't recognize. "That's a bid for $5. Anyone for $5.50?" Alicia asked still being a bitch. "I bid $10," said another girl who I had seen around but didn't know personally. "That's $10. Does anyone wanna bid $10.05?" Alicia asked and I shot her a sharp glare. "Do the bidding correctly Ms. Lake," Mr. Renner warned and she sighed like she was resigned to her fate. "I bid $25," Liberty said with a weird smirk on her face. "I bid $30," said the first girl who had bid on me. "I bid $40 here," Justice said with the same smirk. Then things went crazy as the 5 of them had a bidding war with the other two girls who had bid. Brandy Carlson and Tony Mason even got into the fray and the bidding got all the way up to $100 dollars before something shocking happened. "I bid $250. Beat that ladies and newspaper dude," Drake said with a self satisfied smirk on his face. I had wondered why he hadn't signed up for the auction and now I knew why. I suddenly worried for my life as I knew nobody else was willing to pay that much for me. "Uh, $250 going once, twice, sold to Dr-," Alicia said in confusion before she was interrupted. "$500!" shouted Calvin and Alex with looks that said that they had saved my life just in the nick of time, and they probably had. "Alicia, call it now," I said in a panic. "Sold to Calvin Healey and Alex Mellow," Alicia said in a rush. I saw her slyly wipe her forehead in relief and I couldn't believe it. When she looked at me she actually looked like she'd been worried about me and that was a strange thing to see. As I left the stage Bear pulled me into a hug. "What the hell was that bastard up to?" Bear asked as he pulled me further backstage. "Maybe he likes Trey now too," Dale said and I barely stopped myself from kicking him in his nuts while projectile vomiting on him. "You're not being funny Dale," Bear said. "I'm serious. It'll only be a matter of time before I'm into Trey too. I have been noticing his ass more lately," Dale joked and I smiled a bit. "Watch it Dale," Bear warned. "Also your lips are kind of pouty and look soft. I wonder what they'd feel like against mine," Dale continued to joke. "How about I let you know what my fist feels like against your lips," Bear said in a threat. "Shutting up now," Dale said stepping back. "Damn right," Bear said and we all laughed, except Sean that is. He had been a bit more reserved ever since Justice blew his big secret, but we really weren't thinking about it anymore as we knew he wasn't gay. I knew it at least. The other guys were called after me. Justice won Sean, Miriam won Dale, and Liberty won Christian. It occurred to me that they had put the word out that they had better win or else. Girls were scary when it came to their guys. Carter was won by Veronica although it did end up in a bidding war between her and Brandy Carlson. Some new junior girl won Todd although it was funny when a guy bid on him and he actually looked afraid that the guy would win. It finally came time for the last guy to be auctioned off and it was Bear, of course. He walked out onto the stage and I looked at all the girls practically salivating over him. It was gonna be a free-for-all. "Finally for our guys I have Bear Davidson. He's an offensive lineman on our championship football team, the personal guard for our own Sean Mellow. Bear Davidson is the prime candidate for anyone who wants to win him. So let's start the bidding," Alicia said going completely off script. "That girl is something else," Bruce said as he shook his head. "Yeah she's something alright," I said in reply. "Let's start the bidding at-," Alicia started but was interrupted. "I bid $50!" some girl said. "I bid $100," said another girl. "$150," was Brandy Carlson's bid. This went on until the bid for Bear was up to $550. "$1000 bitches!" Tina shouted over all the clamoring. "Watch the language Ms. Sharp," Mr. Renner warned. "Sorry Mr. Renner," Tina said humbly. Aside from that exchange there was silence in the auditorium as nobody had gotten near that much, even me. "Psst Alicia, call it now," Bruce whisper-shouted to Alicia. "Um yeah, going once, twice, sold to Tina Sharp," Alicia said sounding kind of dazed. I have to admit that I shared the sentiment. She was just standing there so Bruce went out to take over for her. "Everyone thank you for coming to the auction today. We raised a large sum of money and we thank you for your support," Bruce said before he concluded the proceedings. Bear walked off the stage and I went to follow him. He asked if Tina was crazy to bid that much for him and I wondered what she was up to. She had been all over Alicia for obviously engineering this auction to get Bear so I figured she was on my side. Maybe it had been a mistake to think that though. "I won you Bear Davidson," Tina said with a smug grin on her face as she walked up. "Alright Tina, what do you want me to do?" Bear asked and I'm glad he did as I was too busy imagining all the sordid things she had planned for my Bear. "Let's see, what do I want from you..." she said looking Bear over like she was imaging all the sordid things they could get up to "Oh I know, nothing," she said and huh? "Nothing!" we both said together. "Yes I don't want Bear to do anything for me. I only tried to win him because I knew the vultures would be trying to win him. There are some girls that would have paid to have Bear Davidson as their slave for a week so they would have the chance to convince him that he still liked the ladies. I decided to save him from that and save you from worrying about it," Tina said and I was shocked and thankful at the same time. "Wow thanks Tina," Bear said. "No problem. You know Trey I was prepared to save you from Drake too but your brother and Sean's brother jumped in before I could," she said and even if she wasn't being truthful there, I decided to believe her anyway. It had been a weird day and I couldn't wait to see what I'd have to do for my brother and Alex for their saving grace. ****THE INTERVIEW**** I had to do their homework is what I had to do. I had to do both of their homework for a week, plus my own, plus my student council duties as well. During that time I thought of a suitable punishment for them as I couldn't let the kids get the better of me. I was a man after all. On Sunday at the end of my week of servitude I got a text from Tony asking when would be a good time for my interview. I checked my schedule and Tuesday would be the best time so I sent him a text telling him so. He sent me another text confirming the day and a time which I then confirmed as well. So on Tuesday after school I went to meet with Tony in the newsroom. It was smaller than I had imagined with a desk up front with a chalk board. You could tell it had been a re-purposed classroom only in place of desks it had tables with computers and various other tables and shelves for everything they needed to put out the school newspaper. "President Trey welcome to our humble newsroom. Please have a seat," Tony said as he welcomed me and directed me to a seat. "Thanks," I said as I sat in a chair and he headed for the chair opposite of me. "Do you want anything to drink?" he asked playing the gracious host. "No thank you. I'm fine," I said just wanting to get this whole thing over with. He then went to sit in his chosen chair and pulled out his pad. "So Trey I have about 20 topics for you. Now you can answer them any way you like or you can choose not to answer any one of them at all. Are you ready?" he said and I was surprised at how well spoken and prepared he was for this. "Yeah I'm ready," I said felling a bit uneasy. It was really bugging me why I felt that way whenever I was around him. "Okay, tell me a bit about your family," he said and I was curious why he'd want to know but I answered anyway. "My parents are Evan and Olivia. They've been married for 19 years and have 5 children including myself. I have an older brother Zane who graduated from Pittsburgh U in the spring and is now in the police academy," I said before he interrupted me. "Wait a minute. How old is your brother?" he asked and I knew he was confused about the logistics of my parents only being married 19 years yet I have a brother that had to be in his 20s from my description. "He's 23 and before you ask, he's my half brother. His mother was my father's first wife who died before he met my mother," I explained. "Oh, ok. Thanks for the clarification," he said before telling me to continue. "Okay well, my younger brother Calvin is a freshman at our school this year," I said. "Yeah, he's the one who along with his friend, who's Sean Mellow's little brother, won you at the auction, right?" he asked as he took notes. He was also recording me, but I guess he also needed to make notes for what he wanted to include in his article. "Yeah that's right. I also have two little sisters who are twins," I told him and he made more notes. "Okay, now can you tell me what inspired you to run for student council president?" he asked. "Well I wanted to make a difference at my school, to leave my imprint on the place and let people know that I was here. I've been so reserved and understated for most of my life that I decided to do something bold that would require me to step outside of my comfort zone," I said and it was weird because I had just then realized some of that. "Nicely put, plus it'll definitely look good on college applications," he said with a smile and I agreed. "Now I've heard many stories about you and Bear. Can you tell me about your history?" he asked and I was unsure of how to respond to that so I just spoke from my heart. "I've known Bear since I was two years old. For as long as I can remember he's been the most important person in my life and I can't imagine what my life would be like without him in it. He's been my best friend and my biggest supporter for almost all my life." "I know people were shocked that we got together, some still are, but I can honestly say that nobody was or is more shocked than me. I will say that I'm happier than I've ever been, even though Bear is a little annoying," I said adding that last bit as mostly a joke. "I take it you're noticing stuff about him now that you didn't when you were just best friends," he said with a knowing smile. "Yeah definitely," I responded. Tony scribbled some notes looking deep in concentration. While he was distracted I studied him. Tony was very good looking with a very light beard but there was just something about him that made me uncomfortable from the first time I saw him. As I looked at him it started to dawn on me what that something was. It was the fact that he wasn't like the gay men that I had been associated with. He was more effeminate in his mannerisms and realizing that that was in fact the reason I was uncomfortable around him made me see myself differently and I didn't like what I saw. Who was I to dislike another gay man just because he was effeminate? I guess it was still residual feelings from the time when I had to hide. I remember when I was young. It was just after my big gay realization and I knew even then that I couldn't be gay so after I was able to shake the depression I tried my best to not be obviously gay. I watched TV and saw effeminate gay men as well as so-called "straight acting" gay men and studied them. I even found this documentary online about the subject. I studied it too and watched myself very hard. I found that I had a slight effeminate quality which made me sick. I then studied the manly guys and tried my best to be like them. I couldn't pull that off well but I was able to knock out the mannerisms that I thought would give me away. I guess I became neutral: not a so-called "sissy", nor a "macho man". That was good enough for me though so I went with it. "Trey, are you alright?" Tony asked with a curious look. "Yeah I'm fine," I replied. I guess I had gotten so caught up in my head that I had alerted him. I wished then that I didn't think so much sometimes. "Trey, I'm gonna throw something at you, and I want you to listen, ok?" he said and I was curious. "Sure, give me your best shot," I said with a nervous smile. "You don't like me do you?" he asked. "What? Why would you say that?" I asked. I didn't think I was obvious, even though he was wrong because I didn't hate him or anything. "Believe it or not you're not the first gay guy to not like me," he said and that fact made me sad and angry as well. We had so many people hating us that we needed to stick together when it came to other gays. "I don't hate you Tony. I will admit though that you... make me uncomfortable," I said honestly. "I'm gonna tell you a small tale. I was 13 when I realized I was gay and it was maybe a year after that when I overheard a conversation between my parents. My father was saying that he didn't want my mother coddling me anymore." "He wanted to teach me to be more like a man because he would be dammed if his son turned out to be a fag like his brother's stepson did. I heard him loud and clear and I started trying my best to not be a sissy like he called my cousin when he came out even though Wayne was definitely not a sissy," he said and hearing that made me think of how similar our stories were. I then paid closer attention to what he'd said and something jumped out. "Wayne Calloway is your cousin? The same Wayne Calloway that's married to Sean and Alex's older brother?" I asked surprised at the connection. "Oh yeah you would know Wayne with you and your brother being friends with his brothers-in-law. To answer your question, yes Wayne and his sister Willa are my step-cousins and their little brother Marvin is my cousin," he said and I was surprised at how small our little world was. "Wow small world, huh," I said still shocked by this new information. He agreed and went on to say that he had done everything he could to not appear to be gay. He had done that for a long time and by the time Bear and I came out he was fed up so he came out too and started being himself instead of who his father wanted him to be. He said that his father rarely ever spoke to him after he came out and while his mother tried to bridge the gap between the two of them that they were nothing more than two people who shared the same house. What really made me sad for him was that he said he's probably never return to the house he'd grown up in because his father's attitude wasn't very welcoming. It made me feel guilty because all the gay guys I'd encountered had experienced negative reactions from their fathers when they came out. Bear, Carter, Marcus, Wayne, and finally Tony, had experienced either indifference or even downright hostility from their fathers while I was fortunate to have a father who supported me from the start when I was forced out of the closet. We finally got back to the interview and things were much better after the talk. We finished up and he thanked me for my time and told me to look out for the interview in the next issue of the paper. I thanked him as well and he told me he'd see me around. He shook my hand and held mine for a bit longer than was necessary. He finally laughed and said he didn't know it was so easy to get me to blush and finally escorted me out of the room on his way out. He again said he'd see me around before he left. I decided to go to my locker and get a few things before I left for home. I got my things together and was about to close my locker when I notice someone approaching. I knew it was Bear checking up on me so I smiled but it wasn't Bear at all. The voice belonged to someone I definitely wasn't in the mood to deal with. "I see you're recruiting for the fag brigade, although you don't have to corrupt this one as he comes ready-made as a queer," Drake said as I closed my locker. "What the hell? Why are you always around me? Surely you have better things to do than to pollute my personal space by existing within it," I said as I struggled to keep my cool around Drake. I was already feeling uneasy after the interview with Tony and what I'd learned about myself. "You know you have a really smart mouth. One of these days it's gonna get your ass kicked," Drake said in what I guess was meant to be a threat. "You know, you're awfully pre-occupied with my mouth. Is there something you want to tell me Drake?" I asked with a smirk. "Only that I'm not a fag like you. If I was I would be able to pull a much better fag than you, and I wouldn't have to say the things that Bear probably has to say to you to get you to let him stick his dick up your ass," Drake said and for some reason that pissed me off. "Trust me he doesn't have to tell me anything to get me to let him `stick his dick up my ass' nor do I have to say anything for me to return the favor," I said before I realized what I'd said. "Bear let you fuck him?" Drake asked in total disbelief. I realized then that I'd made a horrible mistake as there was nothing keeping Drake from telling everyone about it. It was true that some of his teammates tolerated or accepted that Bear was gay, but they probably thought that it was Bear giving it to me and that made Bear still mostly a man in their eyes. It was one thing to know that someone you know was gay, but it was quite another to know that they got fucked by another guy. It was too late to take it back though so I decided to just make the best of it and try to get rid of Drake and get out of there. I was just about to open my mouth to respond when I was interrupted. "Damn right he fucked me. I begged him to do it and he did it damn well too. Definitely better than you are," Bear said and I couldn't stop the slight smile that appeared on my face... until I really heard what he'd said. "Of course a fag like him would be better at fucking a guy than I would. I've never done it so I have no reference for it nor do I want one," Drake said and I breathed a little easier. "That's what you say, but I'm not talking about that. Liberty has talked," Bear said and I wondered what he was getting at. Drake's eyes widened a bit before they narrowed and you could tell Bear had struck a nerve. "Talked about what?" Drake asked with a scowl. "I don't think I should say. I wouldn't want to damage your `little' ego," Bear said with a cocky grin. I fought to hold in the snicker as Bear had waggled his pinky finger indicating that Drake had a small dick. That was news to me as Liberty hadn't said anything to me about it, but maybe she had told Justice, who then told Sean, who finally told Bear. If that was the case then I was gonna kill the lot of them for letting me find out in this roundabout way that Drake had a small dick. "I don't know what the fuck you think you know about me but you don't know shit motherfucker," Drake said explosively looking bet red he was so pissed, and I liked it. "Wow such foul language. You kiss you mother with that mouth?" Bear asked. I think he was enjoying riling Drake up. "I bet your mother would rather be kissed by me rather than you because who knows where your mouth has been," Drake said and I rolled my eyes at his attempt at insulting. Bear looked to be getting pissed off for a second before that calculating Bear grin spread across his beautiful face. "Well Drakey boy, I know where your mouth hasn't been because Liberty has a new man now," Bear said aiming that grin at Drake that was oh so fun to see. Drake slammed his hand into the locker next to him trying to intimidate Bear I guess, but Bear just stood there smirking at him. He finally gave up and stormed off muttering who knows what. Bear then graced me with his friendlier signature grin that made my knees weak and made me want to jump his bones or one bone in particular. He slung his arm across my shoulders and we walked out of the school building. ****CARTER MEETS SED**** "Aw yeah, I'm definitely down for a party," Jessica said getting pumped. I swear the girl lived for parties. "I don't know," Liberty said unsure. "Lib it'll be fine. It's not like we're going to Compton or something," Christian said to reassure her. The topic of this discussion was a party that one of Christian's friends was throwing. Some guy named Sed who was supposedly Christian's best friend was the host though and we were all invited. The party was supposed to be held in a pretty urban part of Philly so I was too worried about all the white people we rolled with. "Yeah Liberty, you act like we're lily white or something," Jessica said in her defense. "Well..." I said dragging it out not wanting to piss Jessica off but I failed. "You are kind of lily white Jess," Justice said which seemed to piss Jessica off more. "Well I'll have you know I'm just as down as anybody else," Jessica said doing a convincing job of sounding street, which I wasn't sure if I should be happy about. "Yeah well aside from that, everything will be fine. It's not like I come from like the ghetto or something," Christian said I guess trying to assuage some fears. "Yeah, and if push comes to shove I say we sacrifice the white folk to the hood," I joked. "Hey, I'm `white folk'," Bear said. "I know baby and I'll miss you too," I said and Bear pouted. "You guys are so sheltered. I come from this place I'll have you know that I've never once done drugs or even held a gun. It's going to be fine," Christian said and that was the end of that. "Then it's all set. We're going to a party," Jessica said full of enthusiasm. ******** CARTER'S POV Everything was all set for this party that Jessica couldn't shut up about. I guess what I'd heard about her was true in that she was a real party girl at heart. I though wasn't as enthusiastic as she was, as I wasn't sure I wanted to go. Despite what people thought about me I wasn't all that comfortable around new people so this wasn't a thrill for me. I guess it's one of the reason I clicked with Trey so well, because I could tell early on that he was the same way. He was coming out of his shell though for senior year it seemed, but I was still a bit reserved. Anyway I went over to Trey's to ride to the party with him and Bear. Christian was picking up the sisters while Sean was taking Veronica, Dale, Miriam and Jessica as Jess was over at Veronica's place. I felt that was a lot of people to bring to someone's house when he didn't know them, but I guess Christian knew this Sed dude would be cool with things. "Are you okay?" Trey asked from my left as Bear was driving his truck. I found it weird that Bear drove his truck all the way over there just to drive Trey's truck, especially since Bear's truck had a backseat and Trey's didn't. I chose to remain silent on the matter though. "I'm okay," I said and put on a brave face like I did a lot of the time in these situations. I don't think it worked on Trey though as he sort of frowned but didn't say anything further. I was shocked though when he grabbed my hand in his and held it. I looked at him and he slyly winked at me. "Wow this place is awfully... urban," Bear said trying to be tactful. "Bear, I can't believe you. Would you say that if I lived here?" Trey asked giving Bear a serious stare. "Uh... no," Bear said trying to backpedal. They had a back and forth as Bear continued to follow Christian's car. I envied their relationship and I hoped that I'd find a guy like either of them one day, though if I had to be honest I'd much rather he be like Trey than Bear. We finally pulled up to a rather nice looking house. It seemed out of place for the area it was in, for not only was it bigger than any of the other houses in the area but it was in much better shape too. We got out and followed Christian and the girls in. The place looked nice inside as well and there were quite a few people milling around. It looked like a lot of parties I had been to although there seemed to be more drinking at this particular party. "Chrissie my boy, long time no see," said a guy heading toward us. He was lean with a light skinned complexion and he had a goatee. He looked older than I expected though which I have to admit I found kind of hot. In fact this guy was one hot number that seemed to exude sensuality. "Sed, looking good man," Christian said in return. They gripped each other in a tight hug when they reached each other and I'm not ashamed to say that I wished it was me he was hugging like that. "So are you man. It looks like suburbia agrees with you," the Sed guy said after they released each other. "Well it's alright I guess. They grow some interesting things out there though," Christian said with a smirk. "Do they now?" Sed asked returning the smirk. I'm ashamed to say I thought they were talking about weed or something. "Yeah they do and speaking of which, this is my girl Liberty," Christian said as he guided Liberty forward. "Well Liberty, you certainly are a beauty," Sed said as he took her hand and kissed it all proper like. She let loose a giggle unlike anything I'd ever heard from her before. "Thank you," Liberty said all girly. This was not the Liberty that I'd known up to that point. "Oh please," Justice muttered loud enough though for everyone to hear. I guess she agreed with me. "Oh my, it seems you come in a pair. This is certainly too much beauty in one family," he said laying on his apparent charm on Justice as well as he also kissed her hand. She surprised me by giggling like Liberty had. "Don't you think you're laying it on a little thick?" Christian asked and I had to admit that I agreed. "Oh of course not, now stop being an ass and introduce me to the rest of your friends," Sed said with a smile that hit me below the belt. It was around then that Sean and the others arrived. "Nice party, I can't wait to let loose," I could hear Jessica say loudly as they approached. "Well Chrissie, you certainly have befriended a lot of white people," Sed joked, but I could tell our Caucasian friends didn't see the joke. "Excuse me? What's wrong with white people?" Sean asked a bit roughly. He'd been off his game since Justice had blown his big bi-curious secret. "Oh honey, if you have to ask it's really doesn't matter anymore," Justice asked as she walked over to him and gave him a quick kiss. "Well now that everyone's here, the brilliant counterpart to my girl is her twin Justice, next to her is Trey and the huge guy next to him is his fiancé Bear," Christian said before Sed cut in. "Your name is Bear, seriously?" Sed asked with a curious grin. "Yeah it is. This one here named me," Bear replied as he pulled Trey to him and wrapped his arms around him from behind. "Well you certainly live up to the name big guy," Sed said as he obviously gave both Trey and Bear the once over. "Enough with them, my name is Jessica," she said as she walked up and stuck out her hand to Sed. Jessica definitely wasn't shy I'll tell you what. "You're barking up the wrong tree Jessica," Liberty said but I could tell that the others didn't know what she meant. I knew though as I saw his interest in Trey and Bear. "Well hello Jessica, you are definitely a lovely lady," Sed said giving her the same treatment that he gave Liberty and Jessica. "Anyway, that's Jessica, then Sean who's Justice's guy, Dale and Miriam who are together as well, Veronica who is Sean's cousin and last but not least is Carter," Christian said finishing his introductions. "Well it's nice to meet you-," Sed started before his gaze fell on me. Our eyes locked and I swear I heard choir music. His eyes were so brown and so inviting. "Yo Seddy, are you alright there?" Christian asked. "I'll say he's not least. You should have started with him," Sed said as he walked toward me. "Hi, my name is Sed," he said as he extended his hand to me. "Um, I'm Carter," I said shyly as I took his hand in mine. It felt so soft yet strong at the same time. "Sed, we need some more ice," said some girl as she walked up and linked her arm with his. "Go tell Flex about it. I'm busy," he said still as he kept me trapped in that brown gaze of his. She looked back and forth between the two of us and smirked while rolling her eyes. She stepped away from Sed and talked to Christian but I have no idea what they were saying as I was completely transfixed by this intriguing man before me. "Are you still at home in there Carter?" I heard Bear ask in an amused tone next to my ear but I couldn't look away from Sed, not that I wanted to. "Come with me, we must talk," Sed said as he pulled me by the hand he still had a hold of. He led me to a couch that was a bit secluded yet I noticed that it could be easily seen from where my friends were still standing watching us like we were a show. He pushed me down on the couch and sat down extremely close to me and took my hand again. "So tell me everything there is to know about Carter," Sed said as he looked intently into my eyes. "What do you want to know?" I asked. "Well let's start with your last name and go from there," he said as he continued to gaze intently at me. "Matthews," I said. "It's nice to meet you Carter Matthews. My name is Sedrick Townsend but everyone just calls me Sed," he said still gripping my hand. I was worried that my sweaty hand was going to drench him but he held on tight. Um, hi," I said still under brain meltdown. It had become really annoying but Sed just continued to look into my eyes. "Carter Matthews, you are an interesting man," he said while looking at me like I was a wonder. "You don't even know me," I told him which was true. "I know all I need to know about you for now from looking into your gorgeous eyes. The rest we'll make up along the way," he said with that smile that he'd had on his face since he'd seen me. "Along the way," I repeated because he made it sound like we were starting a relationship or something. "Yes of course. We're gonna spend the rest of the night talking and then tomorrow, I'm gonna call you to hear the wonderful baritone of your voice," he said with such a seductive tone that my dick started to get hard. I gulped audibly and his grin grew bigger. "How old are you?" I blurted out for some unknown reason but it was a good question as I thought on it. "22," he answered with no hesitation while still looking at me. "You're grown," I again blurted out and he let loose a small chuckle. I know I wasn't really comfortable in social situation, but this guy was short-circuiting my brain. "Well so are you. You are 18 aren't you?" he asked looking slightly alarmed for a second. "I'm 19 actually," I said and I could tell that he was curious why I was 19 and still in high school as most people were when they learned my age. "I didn't flunk a grade. I was sick a lot when I was young and when I was 8 I missed so much school during that year that I wasn't able to complete the year so I was held back. I had an operation the year after and I had a miraculous recovery, but I was a year behind," I explained and he looked momentarily shocked, likely by my sudden ability to say more than a few words at a time. He quickly recovered though and his smile returned with renewed vigor. "See, I knew you were interesting. I wanna kiss you," he said and totally shorted out my system again. "Um, huh...," I said quickly reverting back to the way I was. "Can I kiss you?" he asked as he looked into my eyes intently. His stare was intense and affected me in ways I didn't know were possible with just a look. I dumbly nodded my head and he asked if I was sure. I again nodded with no words. He reached up and gripped the side of my face in his surprisingly big right hand. He then leaned forward as he pulled me toward him. When our lips met it was like fire, it was like ice, it was like everything wrapped up in an intriguingly sexy package whose lips were pressed against mine. He pulled back and smiled at me and that was all I could take. I grabbed his head and pulled him back to me and before I knew it our tongues were dueling with each other. He got up while still kissing me and straddled my lap. I instantly felt his hard dick pressed against my stomach and that set me on fire. He sat down firmly on my lap and I know he felt my erection because he moaned which cause me to do the same. We continued kissing like that for a few more minutes before we both separated to catch our breaths. "Damn man, you sure can kiss," he said near breathless. "Right back at you," I responded while also breathing heavily. "I'm gonna tell you something that you may not believe, but I want you to know it's the truth," he said while looking at me seriously. "What is it?" I asked again lost in his eyes. "Nobody has ever kissed me like that before," he said and while he looked earnest enough, I just couldn't buy that. "I don't believe that," I said before I could stop myself. "I tell you the truth," he said then flashed me perfect white teeth and a dazzling smile. "Damn you are so sexy," I said before I knew it was coming out. I'm sure my eyes were bugging out of my head in reaction to my loose tongue. "Well thank you for the compliment and might I say that you are an absolutely stunning specimen of masculinity," he said in return and those words went straight to my friend downstairs. I couldn't help but reach up and pull him back to me. Our lips locked again and it was the same feeling as the first time so it wasn't a fluke. We continued to make out for several more minutes before we broke off again to take a breath. As the evening wore on Sed stayed planted on my lap and we just talked. Well he talked and I contributed a bit to the conversation. I was surprised that nobody came over to us, even my group of friends, although they were watching me at times. It surprised me how natural it seemed to be with Sed even though I had just met him. It was around midnight when we got set to leave for our neck of the woods. Sed walked us out and we exchanged numbers before he gave me a deep kiss. He shocked me when he reached down and gripped my dick in his hand and gave a squeeze. He then took my hand and brought it to his hard dick and wrapped my fingers around it before whispering in my ear that he was giving me something to dream about. I gulped quite audibly which made him chuckle as he stood back. Trey and Bear thanked Sed for inviting them to the party and told him they'd catch him later before giving us both amused grins then getting into Trey's truck. Sed gave me a quick kiss again and I hopped into the truck as well. We waved at each other as Trey drove off as he was apparently the one who was driving home. On the way I got a text from Sed that read "tlk 2 u 2morrow sexy" which made me smile. ****ALL HELL BREAKS LOOSE**** TREY'S POV It was Monday and I was seriously regretting running for student council president. The reason why was busy rambling at me about some shit I wasn't paying any attention to because the one saying it was Alicia Lake. The nearest I could figure it was some party she wanted us to have after the New Year to celebrate the start of the new semester. "Alicia, if I say yes will you please shut the hell up and leave me alone?" I snapped because it was difficult to deal with her sometimes. "Yeah that would make me shut up and leave," she said. "Fine, then do it," I told her. "Thank you," she said in an annoyingly perky tone before she skipped away happily. I didn't know why she was so happy because she still had to get approval for this from Mr. Renner. I closed my locker when I saw who I'd been looking for a ways down the hall at his locker. This person was Carter of course. I hadn't heard from him since he'd left my house early Sunday morning after we got back to my place from Sed's party. That party had been pretty cool, but it was also insane for one main reason: the crazy scene that played out between Carter and Sed. When I first saw that guy I knew he was pretty intense, but when he laid eyes on Carter the sparks had to have been visible from space. Sed then dragged our Carter away and they spent the rest of the night talking and making out. I was shocked because it seemed so out of character for a guy who seemed as reserved as Carter was. I walked up to him in teasing mode ready to pounce. "Hey there Carter," I said in a teasing tone. "Hey Trey, what up?" he asked in reply. "Nothing much but I guess I should be asking you that question," I said still with a teasing smile. "What do you mean?" he asked looking confused. "Did you talk to Sed yesterday?" I asked in return. "Why do you ask?" he asked. "Okay, enough questions. I called your phone quite a few times yesterday and I even called your house," I told him. "Well my folks are away on a business trip," he said simply. "That explains why nobody answered your house phone but not your cell," I said with a smirk as I leaned against the locker next to me. "Weren't you supposed to be with Bear yesterday? I would think you two would've been too pre-occupied to worry about me," he said as he also leaned against his locker with his arm stretched upwards. I took a brief moment to notice how big his arms were. They weren't as big as Bear's were but he was a stacked dude. "You know, Bear and I aren't all over each other every time we're alone for over five minutes, besides we weren't alone," I said and he chuckled. "Well to answer your question nosy, yeah I did talk to Sed yesterday," he said trying to hide the smile that was fighting toward the surface. "What did you two talk about," I asked. "What do you and Bear talk about when you're alone, you know, when you two aren't all over each other?" he asked in return and I decided to stop being so nosy. "Alright I'll stop, for now," I told him. "Thank you," he said as he reached up and tweaked my chin. We talked for a few more minutes and I quite enjoyed the friendly exchange between Carter and I that we had. It wasn't often that we did that since I mostly hung out one on one with Sean but he was still a bit weird about what Justice had said. I would have to have a talk with him soon if he didn't just get over it because I didn't think anything about it. I made a plan to hang out with Carter again on the weekend just the two of us so we could just hang and talk before we headed off to our classes. BEAR'S POV It was Monday and I was beat. I played a game on Friday, the party at that guy Sed's place on Saturday, and spent the day with Trey and his sisters on Sunday. While Sunday was a day I didn't regret, I probably should have chilled out because I was worn out on Monday. I certainly wasn't in the mood for Drake, but I guess some universal force thought differently. "Hey Bear, how's things?" Drake asked as he strolled up to me. "What the hell do you want?" I asked with intentional attitude. "Well, aren't we snappy today? I guess it's to be expected with your little boyfriend playing the field," he said and he was starting to piss me off. "First of all, Trey is my fiancé, not my boyfriend, and secondly, go straight to hell," I told him hoping he would leave, but it just wasn't like Drake to take a hint. "Well your "fiancé" isn't all that invested in you," he said with a smug look on his face that made me want to seriously hurt him. "What the hell are you talking about?" I asked hoping he would say his peace and leave. "I'm talking about this," he said as he stood beside me and held up his phone so I could see a picture of Trey and Carter. "This is Trey and Carter standing close together, and this is a pic of them looking at each other kind of flirty, this is a pic of them looking like they can kiss at any second, and this is Carter tweaking Trey's chin in a very intimate move," Drake said explaining every picture. I wanted to roll my eyes as none of what he was saying was visible in those pictures. "You are insane. You really want me to believe that the guy I love is sneaking around on me," I said and I noticed that he winced at hearing me say that, which I noted for another time. "You are a fool to believe that Trey-," he started before I interrupted. "No I'm not. Trey and I are in love. We love each other and were going to get married-," I was saying but he cut in. "No you are not. Do you know how stupid you are to believe that? You walk around flaunting your so-called love for everyone to see and calling Trey your fiancé when this whole thing is stupid." "You are gonna break up when you come to your senses and realize that Trey has ruined your life. He took a normal straight guy who loved the ladies and made him a fag just like he is," Drake said and I'd heard enough. I grabbed him and slammed him against the lockers. "Say it again. I dare you to do it so I can break your dammed neck," I said hoping he realized that I was serious. "Well look at the lovebirds," I heard in the annoying voice of Todd. "Back off Davis, I don't have time for you," I warned. "Yeah, maybe I have time for you Davidson," Todd said not taking the warning. "Get the fuck off me," Drake said as he tried to push me off but I held on. "Better watch out," I heard Todd say but I was confused about what he meant until I felt arms grab me and push me back. I looked and saw a few of Drake's teammates standing near him. It was also at this time that Pat and another one of my teammates showed up. "You alright dude?" Drake's teammate asked. "Yeah I'm fine, just some queer trash," Drake answered and I started towards him but of course Todd had to split my focus. "Aw Bear, looks like you're all alone defending your little faggot," Todd said which struck Pat as funny. "Yeah you see what he's done to you now Bear? What are you gonna do now?" Drake asked and I was ready to rip all of them apart with my bare hands. ******** TREY'S POV "Hey Trey, wait up," I heard as I was headed toward Bear's locker. The school was mostly empty but there were some students still there for certain clubs and of course the sports teams were practicing. I turned and saw Dale and Christian headed me which was weird since I didn't know they hung together since Christian wasn't a jock. "What's up?" I asked as they reached me. "I've got a great idea and I thought our president could implement it," Christian said sounding happy. He and Dale both looked really chipper. "Okay, shoot," I said curious what they were up to. "A party," Dale said and I rolled my eyes. These people were gonna kill me with parties. "Okay before you say no, just hear us out," Christian said. "Hey guys, what're you all up to?" Carter asked as he and Sean walked up. "We were just about to ask Trey about the party plans," Dale said "Oh well then we're right on time," Sean said with the smile that I was used to. I was happy to see it again as I hadn't for a bit. Dale was about talk again when we saw a sophomore running down the hallway. "Hey man, where's the fire?" Christian asked as he held out his arms to stop the kid. "There's a fight," the kid said between breaths. "Who's fighting?" I asked feeling it was kind of my responsibility as president to know these things and try to help resolve the situation. "Bear Davidson and a bunch of baseball players," he said and that was all it took before I took off in the direction the kid had come from. I knew after a few seconds that the guys were behind me but I was more focused on getting to Bear. When I turned the corner I saw Bear throw one of Drake's teammates off of him as he was tussling with Drake and three other guys. I saw red and charged towards the fray but the jackass Todd ran and stood in my way. "No chance you little pansy. Your boyfriend wants to fight for you so let him get his head bashed in for his trouble," Todd said saying the word boyfriend with as much disgust as could. "Move out of my way motherfucker!" I shouted to him. "Make me cocksucker," he said and before I knew it my knee was driving hard into his nuts and he was doubling over. Dale, Carter, and Christian sped past me toward Bear, but Sean charged toward Patrick who I finally saw was about to ram into me from my side. There was a sophomore football player who looked confused as to what to do until Patrick shouted to him to get me. He looked at me and started toward me. He grabbed at me but I dodged him. This seemed to piss him off as he had ended up on the floor. He got up and shocked me as he grabbed me and slammed me into the lockers. I struggled and cursed and kicked to get him off me but he wouldn't budge until a big hand grabbed him and threw him across the hallway with unbelievable force. I looked and saw it was Bear but I didn't get a chance to say anything before Drake grabbed him and slammed him into a locker. He was about to punch Bear when I rushed to him and jumped on Drake's back and wrestled him to the floor. I stood up and was about to spit on him but I was bum rushed hard in the side. It hurt like hell and I struggled to look up and I saw that it was Todd who had tackled me. He drew back to punch me when I heard the most frightening sound ever. We all looked and it was Bear standing there with a dangerously scary look in his eyes. I heard one of the baseball players say "oh shit" as Bear stalked toward Todd and me. "Get off him now!" Bear said in a dangerous growl. He then proceeded to pick Todd up which wasn't an easy task considering Todd was a big stocky guy. He slammed him into the lockers so hard that you could feel the tremor and the force of Todd slamming into the lockers dented them. "Alright, everyone stop this right now!" we heard Mr. Renner shout. I looked through the haze of being hit by such a big guy and saw him heading toward us with several security guards. I also saw 4 additional combatants, two of which were mine and Sean's brothers, while the other two were a couple of Todd's lackeys. The security guards broke up the brawl and we were all ordered to the Principal's office. ******** We were separated into groups with me and my group of friends and mine and our brothers in the main office area, the baseball players in an office, and the other football players in another separate office room. I sat next to Bear with my aching side and cleaned up the cuts on his beautiful face. I was gonna make Drake and his pals suffer for that. Mr. Renner first lectured Todd and his goons, then Drake and his stooges before finally giving us a lecture about fighting on school property. He then surprised everyone by suspending us all for a week which meant that the game Friday was pretty much lost since all the best players had been suspended. Assistant Coach Miller tried to convince Mr. Renner not to do so but his mind was made up. He'd said at the beginning of the year that he wouldn't play favorites with the jocks and I guess he was proving that statement true. Coach Davis didn't try to do anything to save his players though. I wondered with the last name if he was related to Todd and Jeremy since I knew he wasn't either of their dads. I was the last one who Mr. Renner talked to and he voiced his disappointment, especially since I was student council president. I told him I'd stay out of trouble from then on and he told me I'd better make sure I did just that. He also said that he had something waiting for me when I returned to school and I was wondering what that was. We were then sent home to deal with our parents who had been called about this matter. I knew I was in deep trouble then, especially since my brother was apparently a part of the fight. When we got home our parents were waiting for us and they were not happy. We were grounded for the whole week we were suspended which meant no TV, phone, video games, computer, or friends, and no Bear for me. I tried to jump on the grenade for Calvin as he wouldn't have been involved if I hadn't been. He told me on the drive home that he and Alex had waited around to ride home with us and had been alerted to the fight by the same sophomore who was booking it from the fight when we'd seen him. He said he and Alex knew we were going to join the fight and so they decided to help out. Our parents weren't in the mood to be lenient towards Calvin and so we were both grounded anyway. I hated both Drake and Todd so much, even more than I'd already hated them. Drake was a huge douchebag, but Todd seemed to have a special hatred just for me. I just wished that they would both stay away from me and let me have some peace, but I knew that wasn't gonna happen without some major event to act as a catalyst. To be continued... *********************************************************************** Author's Note: So a lot of stuff happened in this chapter. The guy's auction which yielded a bidding war over Bear, and Trey too, the interview with a new person in Trey's life that made him realize something unsettling about himself, Carter meeting Christian's friend Sed, and a brawl in the school. These things will have implications on the story coming up and a shocking event is coming up in the next chapter and as well an event happening in a few chapters that will set the stage for something else that will forever impact Trey and Bear's relationship. I know that some may not like what comes of that, but all I ask is to keep an open mind and remember that I promised that Trey wouldn't ever be with anyone but Bear I hope you all enjoy this chapter and forgive the lateness of the posting. I really enjoy receiving comments on this story so if you are up to doing so, please send me a email to let me know how you are enjoying the story. Send comments good or bad to thestoryguy9783@gmail.com. Also you can check out my blog at nick-s-world.blogspot.com and be on the lookout for chapter 2 of my mini-series story which I've named "The Chronicles of Heroes". *********************************************************************** Editor's Note: Well that was bound to happen sooner or later. Drake just has to run his mouth when he should just leave well enough alone. Gotta really wonder why Drake is so invested in trying to get Bear and Trey to break up. The Auction was an interesting affair to be sure. Trey almost getting sold to Drake, and of course all the girls going crazy trying to get some of Bear. Luckily Tina was able to save the day for Bear, and Calvin and Alex were there for Trey. We meet Sed, Christian's friend that he told Liberty about, and what a character he is. Carter and Sed seem to hit it off greatly at the party. Could there be a future for Carter and Sed. Hope you all are enjoying the story, and that you aren't too mad about the delay. Life can get crazy and hectic. Be sure to let Nicky know how much you like this story (if you don't that's fine too). You can reach him at the email above and if you see anything that should have possibly needed correcting with grammar or something missed by spell check you can reach me at jd.kaster1987@gmail.com. Until the next chapter, John ***********************************************************************