Tommy and Jake

This is a teenage gay love story. It is also a about discovering and overcoming obstacles in life. There are going to be sexual situations depicted but that is not the purpose of the story, If you don't like gay relationships or are legally not allowed to read about them, please refrain from doing so. Do not copy without permission. Please enjoy! nftylvr@yahoo.com

Chapter One: The Fight

Maybe I should explain...

This is who I am.

It is all I know.

'Take no prisoners' is my natural response to a hostile situation.

Sure, there are guys out there that are smoother talkers, more charismatic and even smarter than I am. But I hit better, kick better and fight better than almost anyone. Seven years of intense martial arts training have turned me into a well-honed champion.

That doesn't mean I want to fight or I like to fight more than other guys, it's just what I'm best at. I feel more comfortable fighting than I do talking or thinking or planning or scheming. That doesn't make me more oafish than the other guys, just a little more decisive. Yeah, decisive. That's what I am, more decisive than other guys.

So, when I saw three huge varsity football players beating up on my kid brother Tommy and his best friend Jake I naturally 'decided' I had to rescue them.

And that decisiveness is exactly what landed me here, in the hall outside the principal's office with my kid brother Tommy and his best friend Jake plus two defeated varsity football players nursing their wounds (the other one is still with the nurse), waiting for the death sentence from Mr. Linton, our school's principal.

"Thanks for helping us, Joshie.” my brother Tommy whispered, not wanting Mr. Linton, to hear us. No need to get him any madder at us. "We could've handled two of 'em but when Kenny joined in we started losing ground."

"No problem ' T ' ", I whispered back at him. "Those football assholes make me sick, picking on guys younger and smaller than they are."

I glared at Jimmy, one of the football bullies, until he paled and looked away. These guys are famous for picking on younger, smaller guys, especially when they had them outnumbered. Jimmy Valdese, Robert Mancuso & Kenny Johns, three of the biggest senior linemen on our high school football team. Each of them a two hundred-something pound redneck bully.

They needed to learn a lesson and I was lucky enough to be their teacher. The problem was in the past they never actually got caught bullying any of the other students. Or, if they did, it was ignored by the faculty and administration, because here at Bobby Johns High School sports are a religion and football is the holy grail.

I glance nervously at the clock on the wall outside Linton's office and groan as I hear voices coming down the hall. Parents voices. Our parents and Jake's parents. All four. Called away from their law practice at 3:39 p.m. to talk to the principal about their three hooligans.

It's official, we're dead.

"Joshua Reynolds Hayes, (yes, they actually named me that).” My mother was the first to speak, rather heatedly too. "What is the meaning of this?"

"Mom, I can explain---"

"No, Joshua let me explain!" Mr. Linton practically flew out of his office, cutting me off mid-sentence. All eyes were immediately on him.

"There has been an altercation and your son is the main culprit."

I rolled my eyes at the smug smirks from the footballers and hung my head. As usual the sports gods were protecting their own. This did not look good.

Suddenly Jake's father, Mr. Clayton, interjected. "What are the other boys doing here then? If Josh is the culprit why are Jake and Tommy here?"

He crossed his arms over his custom-tailored pin striped business suit and puffed his chest out at Mr. Linton. He had played football here Bobby Johns high school and then as a nose guard at the University of Alabama. Needless to say, he had a huge chest to puff out.

"Mr. Clayton your son and Tommy Hayes started the fight." Mr Linton replied, sounding for all the world like he was talking to a defiant child that refused to listen.

Not to be ignored, my dad jumped in next.

"Am I to understand that these two little freshmen, Tommy and Jake, started a fight with these two huge senior football players? These football players that outweigh them almost two to one?"

He crossed his arms over his charcoal gray Armani business suit and tilted his head at Mr. Linton before continuing. Alabama football also, same class as Mr. Clayton. They have been best friends ever since.

"Is that the story you're trying to sell me Carl? Because I'm not buying a word of it."

Before Mr. Linton could answer Mrs. Clayton (Jake's Mom) turned to Jake.

"Did you really start a fight with these two boys Jakey?"

Jake tried not to grin before answering, he really did. But honestly, it just isn't in his nature not to grin. He grins more than anybody else I know. He's practically famous for that shit-eating grin of his.

"Not exactly mom, there were actually three of them."

He pointed at Jimmy.

"Jimmy Valdese there started it. Me and Tommy were walking down the sidewalk in front of the gym right after school. Jimmy tripped Tommy and when I tried to help Tommy, Robert knocked me down. When we got up, they all three started yelling at us and shoving us around and then they started pounding on us.

"Next thing I know Josh comes running up and opened a can of whoop a...um, he beat them three up pretty good and broke up the fight. About that time Mr. Linton showed up and brought us all here. Josh must have hurt Kenny Poole pretty bad 'cause he's still with the nurse."

"That doesn't mean anything," my mom laughed bitterly. "His mother, Rebecca Poole, is the school nurse and she's probably just trying to make it look worse than it actually is. Even back in high school she was such a drama queen"

"Be that as it may," Mr. Linton interjected trying to regain some control. "We have a strict zero tolerance rule about fighting at this school. Your sons have broken the rule and will be suspended."

"I'm sure that will apply to the football players also, Mr. Linton?" Mrs. Clayton cooly asked. Sparks were practically shooting from her emerald green eyes. She shared that feature with Jake, those sparkling cool green eyes.

"I don't see that they should suffer," Mr. Linton shrugged. "They are clearly the victims here."

Mrs. Clayton raised a stifling hand as the other parents were starting to object. "Is that to be your final decision Mr.Linton?"

"I'm afraid it is Mrs. Clayton. These boys must be punished. Three days suspension for Tommy and Jake, five days for Joshua. He's lucky I don't expell him. He could have seriously hurt these boys."

"Mr Linton, you are suspending these three boys, Joshua Hayes, Tommy Hayes and Jake Clayton for being in a fight with three football players is that correct?" Jake's mom stared daggers at Mr. Linton and her voice was so cold the temperature in the room dropped a few degrees.

"Yes Mrs. Clayton that is correct. The suspensions will begin immediately. Thank you for coming down here today. You can take these trouble makers home now." He said turning back to his office.

"We aren't finished with you yet Carl Linton." Mrs. Clayton growled.

"Oh' I'm sorry, is there something else." Mr. Linton replied condescendingly.

"Yes just another question. You are not going to suspend the football players, Kenny Poole, Jimmy Valdese and Robert Mancuso that Tommy, Jake and Josh were fighting with?"

"As I've said before, yes, that is true." He looked puzzled that she couldn't understand. "These three were obviously not at fault here."

Mrs. Clayton smiled slightly. "Mr. Linton, do you have a dictionary in your office? Would you get it for me?"

Puzzled, Mr. Linton did as he was asked. Jake, Tommy and me exchanged grins. Mr. Linton didn't know it yet but we did, a trap was about to be sprung and he was as good as caught. When he returned he handed the dictionary to Mrs. Clayton who handed it to me.

"Joshua," she said. "Would you please read me the definition of the word 'fight' when used as a noun?"

"Yes ma'am" I looked it up and read aloud, "(a): a hostile encounter : battle, combat (b): a boxing match (c): a disagreement between two or more parties."

"Thank you Joshua." Jake's Mom smiled like a cheshire cat and I handed the book back to Mr. Linton.

"Carl, as you may know, The four of us are partners in the law firm Clayton, Hayes and Samuels. Perhaps you've heard of our firm?" She paused to let the name sink in as Mr. Linton gulped loudly.

"Uh, yes, as a matter of fact I have heard of it." It was his turn to pale slightly. "I believe you handle all the school system's legal affairs."

"That's right, we are partners with Jack Samuels in the firm. I believe his wife is the superintendent of schools is she not? Yes, she is. More importantly she has been listening to this conversation through my mobile phone as I had been talking to her when we arrived."

The outer office got so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Mr. Linton went white as a sheet. Sure enough, he was caught in that trap.

Mr. Clayton continued from there.

"Carl by suspending none of the senior football players and only the other three boys, you have put the school system in the middle of yet another potential lawsuit. Did you know there have been five other lawsuits filed against you and this school because of the same kind one-sided punishments? And in every instance the students not being punished are football players or basketball players."

Mr. Clayton smiled a warm and inviting smile as he continued.

"I agree with the zero tolerance against fighting, and by definition to have a fight takes combatants, plural. To preclude yet another lawsuit, all you have to do is suspend the football players as equal participants because they were fighting also."

"But that would mean they would also have to be suspended from at least one football game." Mr. Linton mumbled, defeated. "The state play-offs start this week. We could lose if these young men don't play."

"That's true, Mr. Linton." A female voice spoke from Mrs. Clayton's mobile phone speaker. "Are you going to suspend the footballers also?"

"No Dr. Samuels, I can't." He responded with undisguised hatred in his voice. "According to our school system's charter, you can not override that decision either."

"I'm sorry to hear you feel that way Mr. Clayton." She sighed. "You're right about my not being able to override your decision."

Mr. Linton looked ready to crow with satisfaction.

"Unfortunately for you though" She continued. "The school board can overturn your decision and as chance may have it, the board was in session when I called Celia to ask her advice on another lawsuit matter your pigheadedness has put us in."

I looked at my mom and she was whispering to my dad and they were grinning. We heard another voice on the phone. 'Madam Chairman, I propose we overturn Mr. Linton's decision and suspend all parties equally for three days with the possibility to make up all class work.'

'Second?'

'I second.'

'All in favor?'

A chorus of 'aye'.

'All opposed?'

'Nay'' by one voice. We found out later it was Robert Mancuso's mom.

"The motion carries."

"Mr. Linton please note that all six boys will be suspended for three days beginning tomorrow and complete all the necessary paperwork."

"Dr. Samuels!" Mr. Linton was shaking and squeezing his fists so tightly his knuckles were white as milk. "I will not allow you to do this to me! This is my school! I am the law here! I make the rules!"

Chuckling, Dr. Samuels spoke up. "Mr. Linton it is not 'your' school. The school board has voted. They are simply trying to protect the school system from another of your myopic football mistakes. When are you going to understand that just because someone is on a sports team that does not make them 'untouchable' and above the rules?"

"Well, madam," Linton practically screamed at the phone. "You and the board can bloody well shove this job up your collective asses! I quit!"

"You!" He screamed pointing at me. "You caused this!"

Before I could react he lunged at me and slapped me hard on the face. I was shocked, but still able to jump up taking a defensive position.

My father stopped me and yelled at Mr. Linton, "Carl! That is enough! I am calling the police."

My parents and the Clayton's hustled all us kids outside and told me to take Tommy and Jake home while they waited for the police to arrive. The football players could have caused more trouble, but they just got in their pickups and hightailed it out of there.

Our high school made national news as the story of Mr. Linton and his 'physical assault' of a student rippled through the country. People were aghast that he had struck a student. The police arrived, with three local news crews in tow, and arrested him . He was charged with assault, child abuse and resisting arrest.

Since he had already resigned his position as principal before he slapped me, the assault charges would stand. He was not acting as a principal but as a private citizen.

It all made for a great story for a couple of days, but then it died down and was replaced by yet another national scandal people could be aghast about.

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Thank you for taking the time to read my story. I plan on posting chapters once a week. Please let me know what you think. Granted, not much has happened so far except getting to know some of the characters. nftylvr@yahoo.com