Date: Wed, 11 Jul 2018 04:35:59 +0000
From: Douglas DD <thehakaanen@hotmail.com>
Subject: Aiden II  Chapter 36

Welcome back to Aiden's adventures. Baseball takes an unhappy twist for
Aiden as he gets caught up unwanted drama.

Please donate to the Nifty Archive to keep the stories coming.

Email is always appreciated. thehakaanen@hotmail.com


CHAPTER 36
KNOCKDOWN

TUESDAY, MAY 29

Aiden enjoyed the Yard Goats' evening practice. He generally enjoyed
practice, because when he practiced it meant he was learning about baseball
and was becoming a better player. Even Eddie, sporting a black eye and a
swollen lip while he displayed a grumpy mood couldn't take away Aiden's
enjoyment.

When Scott took Eddie aside for a talk, Gordy, who was behind Aiden in the
fielding line, asked Aiden if he knew what was going on with Eddie. Aiden
shrugged and said he had no clue.

"Somebody sure messed up his face," Miles said.

"It wasn't me," Aiden told them, "not that I haven't wanted to sometimes."

"I wonder what the other guy looks like. Eddie is a pretty tough dude."

"I wonder who the other guy is?" Gordy asked as his turn came up.

Half-way through practice the coaches called a five-minute break. Aiden and
Gordy walked over to Kalie, who hadn't arrived at school until the end of
lunch.

"Where were you this morning?" Aiden asked.

"Morning Glory dropped a foal this morning and dad wanted me to help him,"
Kalie replied. "He figured I was getting a biology lesson or something."

"We never saw that horse when we were at your party," Gordy said.

"That's because she was out in the far pasture. It's fun watching a new
horse being born. And we got a boy, but we haven't named him yet."

"You could name him Gordy since he's your kissing buddy now," Aiden
suggested.

"Like you two don't kiss," Kalie reminded him. "And like you and me didn't
kiss at my party."

"I was just joking. And you and me didn't kiss in the nude."

"Maybe not, but you and Gordy do. So, since you kissed Gordy naked and he
kissed me naked, that means all the kissing starts with you so we should
name him Aiden's Kiss."

"Better than naming him Aiden's Butt," Mason said as he snuck into the
conversation.

"You're as bad as Miles is," Aiden told his friend.

"That's because we're best buds."

The coaches called the players back together and practice resumed. It was
scrimmage time. Aiden was sent out to center field while Eddie was
instructed to take right field.

"Who did you get in a fight with?" Aiden asked as he and Eddie ran into the
outfield.

"With you!" Eddie snarled, as he pushed Aiden, who fell on his belly. Eddie
then jumped on top of him, pounding him in the ribs as Aiden put his arms
over the back of his head to protect himself.

Muddy, who had been assigned to play first ran to the outfield followed by
Connor. Scott stayed behind to make sure the rest of the team stayed under
control.

"Get off him Eddie!" Muddy shouted.

"Fuck you, cocksucker!" Eddie yelled back. He gave Aiden's ribs one more
punch before Connor pulled him off of Aiden's back. "Let me go, asshole!
Let me beat that little faggot up! Fuck you all!" Eddie was screaming out
of control, tears leaving a trail down his dusty cheeks.

Aiden staggered to his feet, a stunned look on his face. "Are you okay,
Aiden?" Connor asked. He was holding Eddie with one strong arm as the boy
struggled to get away and go back after Aiden.

"Yeah, I'm okay. He punches like a girl."

"What the hell is going on, Eddie?" Connor asked.

"He was dissing me just like he's doing now. I'll show you who punches like
a girl `cuz I know faggots punch like girls. You want to know who my fight
was with asshole?"

"I guess not," Aiden replied. "I was only trying to, you know, be your
teammate."

Eddie looked straight at Aiden as his struggles eased up. "See that?" he
asked, pointing to his black eye with his one free arm. "My fucking dad did
that." He pointed to his lip. "He did that. Want me to take off my shirt
and pants, I'll show you more. Don't go asking me about who I fight `cuz at
least my dad kicks my ass instead of fucks it." Eddie was repeating what
he'd heard at Peter's house on Saturday night before he got too drunk to
remember anything except being sicker than shit.

He also remembered arriving home the next afternoon. He still had a massive
hangover and was sick to his stomach. His father surmised that Eddie had
gotten drunk. "Did you let them fuck you after they got you drunk?" he
screamed at his son as he punched him and slapped him. He then stripped the
boy down to his boxers and tanned him with his belt. "I don't give a fuck
you go getting drunk, but I better know about it. And it better not be with
a bunch of cocksuckers."

"They're not cocksuckers, they're my friends." That comment earned Eddie
another slap and he kept his mouth shut from then on.

"I'm sorry Eddie, I didn't know," Aiden said, bringing Eddie back to
reality. "I thought maybe you got in a fight and maybe you won and would
tell me." Eddie said nothing as his body shook while he shed tears of anger
and embarrassment.

After the coaches got things calmed down, they suspended Eddie from
practice and from any future participation on the team until they'd had a
chance to talk to him and his father.

"Talk to my dad? That's a joke," Eddie laughed bitterly.

Eddie finally walked to his bike and rode off for his house. Practice
resumed, but without much energy. Scott and Connor decided the best thing
they could do was send everybody home early. It had not been a good day for
the Yard Goats.

Muddy went home knowing he wouldn't have to continue with sucking Eddie's
cock. As soon as he saw Eddie pounding on Aiden he knew that strategy was
done. He'd have to go back to his original idea which was to threaten Eddie
with his fists.

"Does Eddie really hit like a girl?" he'd asked Aiden before leaving the
baseball field.

"Yeah, he does. I thought he was all tough and shit. I'll be a little sore
in a couple of places, but I bet he didn't even leave any bruises. I'm just
glad he didn't try kicking me."

That was all Muddy needed to hear. Eddie might look big and tough, but
Muddy was confident he could keep Eddie in line with his fists if he needed
to.

Aiden was eating a late dinner of beans and hot dogs when Scott stopped
by. Aiden had told Larry and Phil about the incident with Eddie, so they
knew what the visit was about. Scott came as much to get advice from the
two veteran coaches as to report on what had happened.

The end result was that Eddie would miss the next game for certain and
after that would not participate on the team until he had publicly
apologized to Aiden and his teammates. Larry also suggested that Scott meet
with Mrs. Finstuen, the principal at Lakeshore School, and tell her about
the physical abuse.

"She will contact the proper people at Child Services, who will contact you
for more information," Larry told Scott. "This is an issue for the
professionals."

"Eddie doesn't like me and I don't like him," Aiden said honestly. "But I
never thought what I said to him would make him mad."

"I don't think Eddie was mad at you," Scott told Aiden. "I think he was mad
at the entire world."

Even though Larry hadn't been there to see the incident, he'd worked with
kids for enough years to agree that Scott was probably right.

THURSDAY, MAY 31

On the bus ride home from school, Aiden sat next to Kalie as he usually
did. They talked about Eddie not being in school on either Wednesday or
Thursday. They talked about the upcoming game that evening against the
Kentburg Cardinals. Aiden would be starting at pitcher, but Kalie would be
on the bench to start the game.

As they crossed the dam, Kalie told Aiden that her cousins Ian and Gretchen
would be visiting right after school was out. "You need to come to the farm
when they get here."

"I'll try." Aiden wasn't ready to commit himself.

"And you and Gordy need to come over sometime soon to see Hi Strike," she
added, referring to the newborn colt. "And we can do some riding, too."

"I'll ask Gordy about it."

"I already did."

"Oh, well then I'll TALK to Gordy about it."

The bus arrived at Aiden's house. He told Kalie he'd see her soon and said
good-bye to Mrs. Emerson, who wished him a good game. He stepped off of the
bus wondering how she knew he had a game and then remembered that it was
hard to have secrets in Mayfield. He figured Kalie probably told her about
the game.

The game was at Kentburg, so it wasn't very far away. Larry made sure Aiden
was one of the first players to arrive. Aiden wasn't happy to see Coach
Estes across the field. Aiden could tell from the look on his old coach's
face that Coach Estes was not happy to see him either.

Larry and Phil were hoping that Ned Estes had enough integrity as a coach
and as a person not to start trouble, but they weren't certain that he
did. Larry was pleased when he saw who the umpire was.

Grady Ebbetts was a veteran who worked the top ranks of high school varsity
and worked some small college ball as well. Even with his impeccable
credentials, he had no problem working a single-umpire youth game on
occasion. "Those youngsters work as hard at their game as anybody and
deserve the best umpiring they can get just like the big boys."

Larry left the bleachers and walked over to Grady. "Hey, coach, what brings
you to a little kids' game? Scouting the players of the future?"

"My boy is playing," Larry said.

"Good for him. I bet he's a player."

"He does okay."

"Hmm, and I see his coaches used to play for you. You gotta love small town
baseball."

"I have something I think you should be aware of. I doubt Scott or Connor
will bring it up, but I will."

"Don't be trying to influence me now, Larry. You know better."

Larry gave Grady a quick explanation of what had happened between Ned and
Aiden, not to mention some of the other boys on the Goats. "If something
happens I doubt it will be subtle. I just wanted to make you aware of why
it happened. Hell, I'd be happy to call Ned over and say the same
things. In fact, it might help if he knew that you knew."

"I know how out-of-control youth sports can get on occasion, but I doubt
things will get out of hand. Now, I better go to the umpire's room and
change." The Kentburg baseball field had a changing room for the umpires in
the back of the building that housed the grounds keeping tools and the
concession stand.

Ned didn't notice the chat between Larry and Grady, or he would have
stepped in right away. He didn't like or trust Larry. Larry and Grady had
chatted behind the bleachers which would have blocked Ned's view had he
been looking there. While Larry and Grady were discussing Ned Estes, he was
talking with Keith Barnett, his starting pitcher.

"Do you understand your instructions?"

"Yeah, but I don't think I can do it, coach." The eleven-year-old was
quaking inside. He knew that there were consequences to standing up to his
coach--he'd seen the man in action. But he also knew he was right and his
coach was wrong.

"I don't want to hear what you can't do. I'm not asking you to hit him,
just to throw a fastball behind his head. I want you to knock his ass on
the ground not bean him."

"But why? What did he do?" the gangly redhead asked.

"He's a little troublemaker and needs to be taught a lesson on what happens
when you act like a jerk on the baseball field."

"I went to baseball camp with him last summer and he was really nice."
Keith was referring to the Mayfield Parks Department's baseball day camp
that they put on with the Kentburg Park Department.

"Then he fooled you, didn't he?"

"But, what if the ball gets away and..."

"Goddamn it, boy, you wanted to be a pitcher. This is what pitchers do. Or
don't you watch baseball on TV?" Keith nodded as he tried to keep tears
from forming. He was scared, but he'd already made up his mind not to do
what his coach asked him to do. He was coming to the conclusion that Coach
Estes was a mean asshole.

Keith was ready to quit arguing and just go about doing his business the
right way on the field when Ned Estes played his trump card. "I thought you
were a little man," he said, looking down at the quaking boy standing in
front of him. "But then I saw you kissing some boy last week when I was
heading through the park to my car."

Keith hung his head and uttered a barely audible, "Oh." He had been kissing
Shannon Archer, his neighbor and his best friend. He was a year older than
Keith and played on the twelve-and-under team. "We were just playing
around," Keith finally managed to say.

"So, instead of you being a little man, I find out you're a little
girl. So, maybe you might want to knock Aiden Miller on his ass to show me
you're a little man so I don't have to tell everybody, including your
parents, what I saw."

Working hard to keep his composure, Keith turned and walked away from Coach
Estes. At that moment he realized he hated Coach Estes. And even though he
loved baseball, he was going to have to do something he didn't want to do
in order to keep his life from becoming shit.

At the pregame meeting, Grady Ebbetts went through his usual routine with
the coaches. Since they were playing on Kentburg's home field, Ned, as
Kentburg coach, explained the ground rules.

"Thanks coach. Let's all make sure we play the game by the highest
standards of sportsmanship," Grady said, making direct eye contact with Ned
Estes. Scott, having been briefed by Larry on his talk with the umpire,
kept a look of innocence on his face. Ned couldn't help but feel that the
comment had been said for his benefit, then decided he was imagining
things.

It didn't take long to find out that high standards of sportsmanship were
not going to be the name of the game. Since Mayfield was the visiting team,
they would bat first. Aiden was listed as the second batter in the
lineup. Gordy, batting first, flew out to left, which brought Aiden to the
plate. As Aiden dug in at the plate, Keith fought the urge to run off the
field.

When Grady signaled to play ball, Keith's first pitch bounced in the dirt a
foot in front of home plate. Keith was so nervous he was shaking and had
gripped the ball so tightly that he almost couldn't let it go.

"Come on kid, you know where to put it," came the coach's voice from the
dugout. Keith toed the rubber, took a deep breath, and sent a high pitch in
Aiden's direction. Aiden quickly ducked back from it, falling on his
ass. The pitch went on to slam against the backstop.

"TIME!" Grady instantly shot both hands into the air. "TIME!" he yelled out
authoritatively. "COACHES I WANT TO SEE YOU BOTH NOW!"

Scott, Connor, and Ned came out to home plate as the Kentburg catcher gave
Aiden a hand and helped him to his feet. As Aiden dusted himself off, Grady
looked at Ned and said quietly, but firmly, "Coach you and your pitcher are
both out of the game."

Ned looked at the umpire like he'd lost his mind. "What the fuck are you
talking about? The pitch got away from him. He couldn't even get the first
pitch close to the plate."

"You can tell it to the commissioner, coach. As far as I'm concerned,
you're done. So go put somebody in charge and get off of my field." He
walked toward the mound. "I'm sorry, son, but by rule I have to eject you,
too."

Keith was horrified by everything that had been happening--the ejection was
the final blow. "Noooo," he wailed. "Noooo, please don't--he made me do
it. I didn't want to do it. Please don't kick me out." Keith pointed to his
coach who was taking his time walking off the field. "He made me!"

"Now look what you've done," Estes yelled at the umpire. "I hope you're
proud of yourself ejecting a little kid for starting a game wild. I'll see
that you never work a game in this league again--it's obviously way beyond
your sorry abilities." He signaled to Keith to follow him, but the boy
didn't move. He slouched on the mound, crying his heart out.

At that point a man came onto the field. It was Keith's father. "I don't
know what's going on," he said to no one in particular as he knelt in front
of his son and wiped his tear-stained face, "but somebody's gonna pay for
this." He then took his son's hand and gently walked him off the field.

Another parent came out on the field, saying he would be taking over the
team. As he did that, Ned was talking with another boy telling him to go
out to the mound to warm up. "Hit him in the ass the next time he comes to
bat," Ned told the boy, Tracy Bennett. Tracy gave his coach a sly grin as
Ned realized that this was the boy he should have started at pitcher.

In the meantime, Grady was checking the man's qualifications to coach. He
found out that he was the coach of one of the recreation teams. Grady said
he would allow him to coach. But then he saw Ned sitting in the dugout with
his arms folded.

"Coach, you were ejected. Either you go or I forfeit the game."

"The league rules say I have to be benched before I get ejected."

A lot of yelling and insults were now coming from the stands. "Yeah, ump,
let the kids play." "Nobody did nothing wrong." "Quit being an asshole."
And those were only the comments Grady could understand. Between the always
intense rivalry between Mayfield and Kentburg and the belief by many that
the coach had been thrown out for no reason at all and that Keith had been
mistreated by the umpire things were turning nasty in a hurry.

Ned stood in front of the dugout and urged the crowd to continue their
jeers. "You tell him what you think. Maybe we should finish the game
without the umpire." That got the crowd even more riled up.

Grady knew what he had to do, and he did it. "This game is forfeit." He
pointed to the Mayfield dugout. "Mayfield wins." He then took off to the
Mayfield side of the field where he was met by two Kentburg policemen.

Larry had called 911 as soon as he saw trouble brewing. As he went over in
his head how everything had played out, he wished he'd kept his mouth shut
and minded his own business. He may have put the wrong ideas into the
umpire's head. The little ginger pitcher had obviously been nervous with
resultant wildness and because of his big mouth it had all gotten out of
hand.

The Mayfield crowd left as fast as it could. A county sheriff's car arrived
to provide backup. A sheriff's deputy helped get the Mayfield fans and
players safely to their cars.

Grady quickly got to his car. He didn't even bother to take off his plate
gear. He'd wear it until he'd driven well away from Kentburg. He was as
angry with Coach Larry Sanders as he was with Coach Ned Estes. He was angry
at Larry for putting wrong ideas into his head and causing him to lose
perspective. He was angry with Ned for egging the crowd on and helping it
get out of control. He had turned what had been two wild pitches by a
nervous young boy into a major disaster, something that should never have
happened to an umpire of his ability and experience.

But before he could pull his car out of its parking spot, one of the
deputies hustled up to the car with a man Grady recognized as the father of
the pitcher. "Oh shit," he mumbled to himself, "now what?"

He pushed a button and rolled down his window. The deputy leaned in and
said, "Ump, I know you gotta get out of here, but I want you to know you
did the right thing. Here's my card, call me later. That asshole coach has
to be stopped from coaching." He backed away and the deputy helped guide
Grady out of the parking lot as Grady wondered what the hell that was all
about.

Aiden was visibly shaken when Phil and Larry got him home. What had started
as a fun day for him had turned into a nightmare. Aiden went up to his
room, stripped naked and pulled on a pair of gym shorts. Things were too
serious for him to feel comfortable getting naked. He went downstairs to
get some answers.

"How come we won the game when we never even played?" he asked for the
tenth time. His dads kept telling him they'd give him a complete answer
when they got home.

"Because coach Estes kept making trouble after he was ejected," Phil
replied.

"But why was he ejected? Nobody did anything wrong."

"The umpire thought the pitcher threw at you on purpose."

"Do you think he did?"

"No, I don't. As bad as that second pitch looked, I think he was just
really wild."

"Then why did the umpire think he did?"

Phil glanced over at Larry. "Because sometimes people get wrong perceptions
of things."

Aiden then asked the question everybody seemed to be afraid to ask. "So,
how come the pitcher kept saying that Coach Estes made him do it? It
sounded like he was saying that Coach Estes told him to throw the ball at
me."

Larry had been so upset by how things transpired that all he could remember
was the little redhead wailing on the mound after he was thrown out of the
game. He closed his eyes for a moment and replayed just what it was the boy
had said. He didn't understand it all, but he understood, "He made me do
it."

Larry, who was sitting next to Aiden on the living room couch, put his arm
around his son. "That, my friend, is a very good question, a very good
question indeed."

<Grady Ebbetts>

When Grady got home he looked at the card the police officer had handed him
and called the officer. After Grady introduced himself, the deputy got
right to the heart of the matter. "The father of the pitcher told me that
the coach ordered his son to throw at the batter. Two other Kentburg
parents said the same thing. One was the father of the catcher who
confirmed the order. Like, I said, you did the right thing ump. It cudda
got a lot worse out there."

Grady went to bed that night feeling much better. His umpiring instincts
hadn't failed him. He realized he would never know how he might have
handled the situation had Larry not said anything -- but on the other hand,
he was now certain that his actions may have kept somebody from getting
seriously hurt. Larry Sanders had done the right thing and Grady Ebbetts
apologized to himself for doubting Larry's integrity.

FRIDAY, JUNE 1

From the time Aiden sat next to Kalie on the bus on the way to school until
the time he sat next to Kalie on the bus on the way home from school the
talk was about the pitch that sent Aiden on his ass and the forfeit win
over Kentburg. Everyone noted that Eddie still wasn't in school.

"It would be better to play and lose than to win the way we won that game,"
Gordy said. All of the boys at the lunch table agreed with him.

"Maybe we should ride our bikes to Kentburg someday and beat that redhead
asshole up," Miles said.

Everybody stared at him. "Miles, that doesn't sound like you at all," Aiden
said in amazement.

"I'm just saying. I mean, what he did was so wrong. He could have killed
Aiden."

"I'll punch him first," Muddy volunteered.

"No way. I don't think he wanted to knock me down. You saw what he was like
after it happened," Aiden said.

"That's only because he was upset about being kicked out of the game,"
Miles speculated.

"Well, I won't go anywhere to beat anybody up," Aiden told them, "and I'm
the one who got knocked down. It's just not right."

"But you fight guys sometimes."

"Yeah, when I have to. I mean I'd rather go fight Eddie than the red-headed
kid--unless he did something again. I just think there was something weird
going on with the red-headed kid."

That night, Aiden went to Phil's baseball game with Larry and watched the
Red Hawks win 11-5 over a team from Vancouver, Washington. After the game
he talked to his dads about what Miles had to say, which brought a laugh
from Larry. "I don't think Miles has ever thrown a punch in his life. He's
the last one, except maybe Mason, I'd expect to hear that from."

"Gordy wouldn't either. None of my best friends fight people, except I
wonder about Muddy."

"You wonder if Muddy is a best friend or if Muddy fights people?"

"Both."

That night Aiden put on a pair of briefs, tucked Horace under his arm, and
went downstairs to sleep with his dads. He had slept badly the night before
and knew he needed their strength and comfort. The knockdown pitch had
shaken him up more than he cared to admit.

SATURDAY, JUNE 2

The Yard Goats had practice at ten on Saturday morning. Scott took Aiden
aside to check on how he was doing. Aiden said he was okay and that he
hoped he could pitch in one of their two games next week. Scott put his arm
around the young boy's shoulder. He would have ruffled Aiden's hair if he
hadn't been wearing a baseball cap. "That's a given, kid," which elicited a
broad smile.

It turned out that the Goats were lucky they had a morning practice. By one
o'clock a steady rain was falling. Aiden stripped naked and went downstairs
to sit in his favorite recliner in the reading room. He was reading a
National Geographic special magazine that Phil had purchased on a whim at
the grocery store. It was titled "101 Inventions That Shaped the World."
While he read it Aiden kept the fingers of his left hand busy by fondling
his cock and fiddling with his balls. His little cock was half hard. He had
his headphones plugged into his I-Pod which was on the lamp table. He was
listening to Rossini overtures, which he liked because they were bright and
lively.

The inventions in the magazine were listed by category rather than by
importance. The room was quiet. Larry and Phil were both reading as well
and Aiden was enjoying the warmth and calm inside the room as dark clouds
moved across and dropped their rain.

The quiet was broken by a screech from Aiden. "Whoa, check this out!" He
got the immediate attention of his dads.

"What is it?" Larry asked.

Aiden removed his headphones. "Invention number 90! The Teddy Bear! I knew
having Horace around was the right thing."

"I thought Horace was a donkey," Larry said with a straight face. He
suspected he and Phil had been set up to make that very statement.

"Yep, but it says that the Teddy bear was the start of all kinds of stuffed
toys, not that Horace is a toy. You know why it got invented?"

"It had something to do with Teddy Roosevelt," Larry said.

"Yep. When he was President he went hunting and his guides found a bear. So
they tied it up to a tree so he could shoot it, but President Roosevelt
said that was bad sportsmanship and let it go, so this guy made a stuffed
bear and called it "Teddy's bear" and then it became a Teddy bear. That
story is so cool. I've gotta show it to Horace."

Instead of getting up he took a look at Invention 91. "Eww, the next
invention is toilet paper."

"Things would get pretty nasty without it," Phil said.

"Yeah. You should read what people used to wipe their butts with. Things
like sponges on a stick and corn cobs." He was quiet for a moment and said
spit out another, "Eww. Listen to this. It says the average American uses
57 sheets of toilet paper a day. They must all have big butts or have
diarrhea all the time."

"You've gotta keep your ass clean," Larry laughed.

Before the chat could continue, the opening to Beethoven's Fifth Symphony
started to blast. Somebody was at the front door. "Get some clothes on,
buddy," Phil ordered. Aiden popped out of the recliner. His cocklet was
almost fully hard, a fact he didn't bother to hide and one which his dads
didn't comment on.

Larry looked out of one of the front windows. He didn't recognize the car
parked in the driveway, but when he opened the door he did recognize the
man and the red-headed boy standing in front of him.

The man introduced himself as Josh Barnett. "This is my son, Keith, whom I
think you know."

"Please, come in," Larry said, somewhat flabbergasted by the surprise
visitors.

Josh thanked him and he and Keith entered the house. "We'd like to speak to
your son, Aiden, for a moment if we could," Josh said. Larry focused his
attention on Keith who looked cowed by the situation. Larry didn't ask Josh
how he learned where he lived; between two small towns a few miles apart
there were few secrets.

Larry went to the bottom of the stairs and called Aiden to come down. Phil
walked over to the visitors and they introduced themselves. He invited them
into the living room.

When Aiden heard his name being called he knew that meant he would have to
get dressed. He pulled on a pair of bright blue sweats and a Lakeview
School t-shirt. He was already wearing socks. For Aiden, being naked
usually did not mean bare feet. He headed down the stairs wondering who the
visitors were. When he stepped into the living room he froze. Sitting in
the chair in front of him was the red-headed boy who had thrown the pitch
that knocked him on his ass.

Sitting in the lunchroom at school saying that getting into a fight with
the boy who threw the pitch wasn't the right thing to do was different than
standing in your living room looking straight at the villain. Suddenly
Aiden wasn't feeling quite as magnanimous. Instead, he felt like he wanted
to walk across the living room, pull the boy out of the chair, and punch
his lights out. Only the presence of his dads kept him under control.

Keith stood up and Aiden froze almost rigid. Larry and Phil watched the
dynamics between the two boys with interest, ready to step in if necessary.

"I'm...um...I'm sorry I threw that pitch at you," Keith said without a lot
of conviction. Larry and Phil thought it sounded like Keith was giving a
prepared speech. "I wasn't trying to hurt you, but my coach told me to do
it and I was afraid to say no."

Aiden was torn between jumping on the boy and punching him out or doing the
right thing and accepting the apology. The memory of Eddie jumping him a
few days before flashed through his mind and right away he understood that
throwing a punch was the absolute wrong thing to do.

"It's cool." Aiden wasn't sure what else to say. The scene was awkward not
only for the two boys but for the adults as well.

Then Keith said something that would change the dynamics between the two
boys. "I want to say something to Aiden, like, in private."

All three fathers, having seen the tension between the two boys, were
thinking of stepping in and saying no. But, all three men were also good
fathers who knew that if their sons were going to grow into responsible men
they would have to be allowed to solve their own issues, at least up to a
point, even at their young age.

"You guys can meet in the rec room," Larry told them.

Aiden shook his head. "We're going to meet in my bedroom."

"Do you think that's a good..."

"Yes," was Aiden's emphatic answer. "Follow me." As Larry watched the two
boys walk out of the living room, he thought back to his own distant
boyhood and understood. Aiden would be alone in the rec room, but not
completely private. The private place for a boy was his bedroom. It was HIS
space-- it was a place of sanctuary. It was where a boy could totally be
himself because he was in an environment he had created for himself.

Keith was a little leery of going to Aiden's room, but he wanted to have
his own say so badly that he took a deep breath and followed Aiden. What he
had to say was something he didn't want his dad to know, and nothing could
be more private than somebody's bedroom.

The door to Aiden's room was open. The boys walked in and Aiden closed
it. Keith was impressed by the sports pictures and the small collection of
trophies. He was even more impressed by the neatly made bed and the overall
neatness of the room. Aiden was a lot like himself, neat and
organized. "You can sit on the bed," Aiden told him.

Keith sat at the head of the bed and Aiden took a spot a couple of feet
away. Keith fought back a wave of emotion--he'd broken out into tears too
often the last couple of days and he was not going to do it in the bedroom
of a boy he hardly knew.

"I'm Aiden," Aiden began. "And I'm sorry, but I can't remember your name."

"It's Keith." The redhead was so nervous he could barely utter his own
name. He took a deep breath to gain some control and began to speak. "My
dad said I had to come to apologize, so I said what he wanted me to say. It
was all true, but it wasn't, like, everything. I couldn't say why I did
what Coach Estes told me to do." Aiden said nothing and let Keith go
on. "Before I tell you, how come he doesn't like you? Why did he want me to
knock you down?"

"He was my coach in rec league last year, at least at the start," Aiden
replied. "He hated me because he hated my dads. He wanted me to not swing
at the ball when I batted and just take walks and I took a swing and got a
game-winning hit and he kicked me off the team. But, in the end, they made
him quit coaching the team."

"Wow, I didn't know that. He was gonna kick me off the team, too, but I
wish I was like you and just did what was right, but I couldn't."

"Why not?"

As much as Keith didn't want to cry, a couple of tears formed and started
to run down his cheeks. "I have this friend. He's my neighbor and his name
is Shannon. We're like really good friends. He's eleven and in the sixth
grade. I'm in fifth and was eleven in April." Keith knew he was rambling,
but he was nervous about getting to the point.

Aiden sensed how Keith seemed to be trying to say something but was afraid
to say it. The tears gave him away. "Go ahead and say what you need to tell
me. I promise I won't hate you or anything." Aiden suspected what it was
Keith was trying to reveal, and knew how hard it could be.

"Me and Shannon were playing hoops in the park a couple of weeks ago. You
know, horse and one-and-one and stuff. Anyway, sometimes when we're done
playing and stuff we like to, well, you know, we like to kiss each
other. There I said it and now you really do hate me." The spigot opened
and tears started flow for real, Keith's body shaking with sobs yet one
more time.

"Let me guess," Aiden said. "Asshole Estes was in the park for something,
or near the park, but whatever, he caught you two kissing. And I bet you
said you weren't going to knock me down and he said if you didn't knock me
down he'd tell everybody he saw you kissing a boy."

Keith couldn't get any words to come out of his mouth, so he just nodded,
amazed how Aiden had figured everything out. Aiden took the nod as a sign
that his guess was right. "Coach Estes is a Grade F asswaffle and I hope
nobody ever lets him coach ever again."

"I...I...tried...I...I mean said no...and then he said...said he saw me and
Shannon and I said I'd knock you down and I'm so sorry I didn't want to
hurt you I tried to throw the ball really high and I didn't and I'm sorry
and..."

Before Keith could say any more Aiden locked his arms around him and hugged
him. The thought that the red-headed boy was cute bolted through his head
and he didn't fight it. He liked his blue eyes and his face full of
freckles that made his own little light colored freckles look like
nothing. He liked the unkempt red bangs hanging down to his eyes, he liked
his ruby lips, he liked his sweet smell, and he liked how Keith bravely
told him the truth, even if it meant Aiden might hate him even worse than
he hated him already.

Aiden felt the tears wet his shirt. "I don't hate you," he whispered. "It's
not like I haven't kissed boys. You didn't do anything wrong. Coach
Butthead did everything wrong."

"He said he'd tell my dad. You're not going to tell my dad, are you?"

"Never ever and forever."

"You mean you've kissed boys?" Keith asked. Aiden nodded. "Wow. Who
would've ever guessed?"

The two young boys looked into each other's blue eyes and their faces moved
closer together. They stopped within inches of each other. Aiden looked at
Keith's cheeks glistening with the wetness of his tears and knew what he
needed to do, but not if it meant taking advantage of his new
friend. Keith's next move erased all doubt in Aiden's mind as he inched his
face in closer until both boys closed the last two inches instantly and
brought their lips together.

Before they could figure out what had happened, they were on their sides
kissing hard. Aiden pushed his tongue against Keith's lips and Keith found
himself doing something he and Shannon had never done--French
kissing. Keith noted the bulge in Aiden's sweats as they brought their
crotches together and started grinding. Keith moved his tongue into Aiden's
mouth and continued the oral wrestling match. The room filled with the
sweet high-pitched grunts and groans of the two pubescent boys.

Aiden's hand reached down and felt the hard piece of boy steel inside of
Keith's jeans, causing the older boy to exhale a long whoosh of breath. The
boys then broke their kiss and worked to catch their breath. Aiden's hand
continued to massage Keith's hard boy tool.

"Fuck, what just happened?" Keith asked.

"I dunno, but I liked it."

"Tell me about it. That was so fucking awesome. I can tell you've done this
before just like you said."

"Yeah, a few times, or maybe more than a few."

"Me and Shannon never kissed like that and never touched each other down
here," Keith wrapped his fingers around the bulge in Aiden's sweats. "He
showed me how to jerk off and we do that together, but nothing like me and
you just did--never."

The boys continued to manipulate each other's cocklets. Keith had the
easier time of it since he did it through sweats while Aiden had to do it
through the thick denim of a pair of jeans.

"This feels really good," Keith rasped.

"If we're not careful we'll make each other cum," Aiden giggled.

"Does this mean we're gonna be friends?"

"I think it means we are friends."

Aiden planted another kiss on Keith's lips and opened the button on his new
friend's jeans and then pulled down the zipper. When his hand touched
Keith's rock-hard cock through his boxers the redhead moaned, and when
Aiden snaked his fingers through the pee hole of the boxers and touched the
almost four inches of uncut cock it sent the red head over the top. He
squeaked, pushed his cock against Aiden's finger and then let out a long
moan.

Keith breathed hard from his unexpected climax. Neither he nor Aiden would
have guessed this happening in a zillion years.

"I wish we could play that game over," Aiden said. "Everybody on my team
hates how we won it."

"Not as much as everybody on my team hates how we lost it," Keith said.

"We do get to play again no matter what because you still have to play us
at Mayfield. It would be really cool if we could pitch against each other."

"Yeah, it would be totally cool."

"I just hope you get a new coach."

"I bet we will. My dad says there's no way that Coach Estes is going to
coach us anymore. My dad is a state senator and a college teacher, so I bet
he'll be right."

"For real? Your dad's a senator?"

"Yep. He represents most of the county, even Mayfield."

The boys were now on their backs. Aiden looked over at Keith. He noticed
that the boy had a nice looking body. He also noticed that his now flaccid
dick was still hanging out of his boxers. Aiden's boy cock was still rock
hard.

"If we pitch against each other, would you try to knock me down?" Keith
asked.

"Nope, but I'd try to give you a hat trick."

"And I'd give you a hat trick, too," Keith giggled. A hat trick happened
when a batter struck out three times in a game.

"But we'd still be friends."

"Now I really hope we pitch against each other some time."

"Are you going to show Shannon what we did?" Aiden asked.

"Does a bear shit in the woods?" Keith giggled.

"We need to do an overnight sometime."

"Yesssssssssss," Keith hissed enthusiastically.

"Do you have any brothers or sisters?"

"I have a sister who is fourteen. She's in ninth grade and plays softball,
basketball, and volleyball. She's pretty nice for a big sister."

Keith looked around Aiden's room again. He was in an entirely different
mindset than when he had first come in. "I like the stuffed donkey," he
commented.

"That's Horace. He's been my friend since I was a little kid. I just read
how Teddy bears and stuffed animals are one of the 101 greatest inventions
ever."

"I have a Teddy bear, but he's in a box in the attic or somewhere, I
haven't kept him out for a couple of years." Keith made a mental note to
resurrect his teddy bear from the attic and find a place for him in his
bedroom.

"Horace helps me feel good when things are going bad for me. He's always
good to me."

Keith gave that some thought. "Maybe I need to find Bob."

"Bob the Bear?"

"Yep." Keith looked around some more. "Who is that player in those
pictures?" he asked pointing to the framed color pictures on the wall.

"That's my friend and big bro Marty. He's a pro baseball player and plays
for the Modesto Nuts in Class A ball."

"You mean Marty Carlson?"

"Yeah."

"He's your friend? Wow, my dad talks about him all the time. He's supposed
to be really good. If you got important friends like him then I feel even
more important." Keith looked down at the bulge in Aiden's sweats and said,
"I'm sorry I never gave you the good feeling."

"I get jerked off first next time," Aiden grinned. He gave Keith a final
quick kiss on the lips. "I guess we'd better get downstairs."

Keith nodded and got off of the bed first. His pants slid down his thin
legs exposing a pert little ass pushing out his boxers. "Thanks, Aiden. I
thought you were really nice back in baseball day camp last year. And I was
right. You are really nice. Thanks for not hating me, and for being nice,
and for showing me things to show Shannon. Him and I are gonna have an
overnight next week and you and me will do one soon, too." Keith quickly
pulled up his jeans and fastened them.

"Or maybe all three of us can have one together," Aiden suggested.

"That would be mega-cool. I've never had one with anybody but Shannon and
Doyle Frazier. It's not as much fun with Doyle though." Keith gave Aiden a
serious look. "You're not gonna tell anybody about me and Shannon are you?"

"Unless you say no, I'll tell my dad you got caught kissing by Coach Estes
and if they ask with who I'll say a boy. I won't say anything about what
you and me DID on the bed. My dads won't say anything to anybody if I tell
them not to and I totally trust them."

"Have you ever told them you kissed another boy?"

"They know I do."

"But they might think I'm, like, gay or something."

"So? They're two guys and they're married, so figure it out."

"Oh, yeah." Keith grinned as if that was one of the coolest things ever.

Meanwhile, the three dads had been doing a lot of talking downstairs as the
boys cemented a new friendship. "Doesn't sound like anybody's punched
anybody out yet," Larry laughed.

"I have a feeling there's a lot of positive stuff going on upstairs," Josh
said. "Keith is a good kid, even if he made a big mistake in the
game. Still, he was intimidated by a man who has no business working with
kids. And from what you've told me, that behavior is right in character."

"We think Aiden is a good kid, too. I know he's grown up a lot in the
almost two years he's been our son."

"You two have certainly shown me how positive a gay marriage and gay
parenting can be. You've straightened out a few misconceptions."

At that moment the boys appeared at the entry to the living room. Aiden's
hair was more mussed than usual and Keith's, which had been combed when he
arrived, was almost as messy as Aiden's.

"Well, I don't see any black eyes, bloody noses, or fat lips," Phil
chuckled. "I guess you guys managed to mend your fences in private."

Aiden put his arm around Keith's shoulder. "Keith is my new friend."

Keith then got his arm around Aiden. "And Aiden is my new friend."

The three fathers gave each other a look that said two things: first, that
they were new friends as well; and second, if you trust your boys to do the
right and responsible thing, chances are they'll come through.

Next: Amends