SUNDAY, AUGUST 2

"¿Necesito acompañarlos a los dos tortolitos? (Do I need to chaperone you two lovebirds?)" Elijah teased the boys sitting on the sand. Alejandro always enjoyed listening to the twins. His Castilian Spanish was more proper than the "lazy" Catalan Spanish (at least that's how his abuela describes it) from the area of Spain that includes Barcelona.

"Stop it!" scolded Abraham. Elijah knew exactly how to get under his skin. He was also Abraham's most loyal defender. "We're just friends and you know it!"

Alejandro gave Elijah a look pleading to have a few minutes alone to speak to Abraham. Elijah took the hint and wandered down the beach far enough that the two boys would not be overheard, but not far enough away that Elijah couldn't rush in and pound Alejandro if he hurt Abraham. So far, Elijah thought Alejandro was pretty cool, but it didn't mean he would let his guard down where his brother was concerned.

"How did the school visits go today?" asked Abraham.

"Blah," admitted Alejandro. "I've gone to a half dozen different international schools and all the kids seemed to be stuck up and bratty."

"That doesn't sound like fun," admitted Abraham. "Is there any school that you want to go to?"

"Not really," admitted Alejandro. "In a way, I want to go to Eton in England. My dad went there, and I feel like I need to go there to prove myself."

"Who do you have to prove yourself to?"

"The parents who don't want me to go to school there... The other side of the family that doesn't want me around... Maybe...Maybe even me."

Abraham let that hang in the air before he spoke. "I have a coach that tells me never to do anything because of someone else. And I have a teacher that tells me not to worry so much. She says that there are many different paths to success and to choose my own."

Alejandro laughed.

"What's so funny?" asked Abraham.

"You sound like my friend Michael."

"He must be really smart." This time, both boys laughed. Elijah watched and decided this was a good conversation and he wouldn't have to shorten Alejandro's life. He tossed his soccer ball a few feet ahead and started dribbling the ball down the darkening beach.

"Where are you going next?"

"I'm leaving tomorrow for the States."

"Are you going to look at schools by your hometown?"

"Well, yes," answered Alejandro, "but it's not what you think. I'm visiting Collegiate School, an all-boys school in New York City. That's technically my hometown. Besides, that's where my cousin Carlos lives, and we can share his place. Among the other schools I'll visit, I'll be interviewing at Pacific Ridge School in southern California. It's close to East Harbor where my American friends live."

"Wherever you decide to go, school is going to be a great adventure."

"Yeah," contemplated Alejandro, "it will be."

"Really, your life has been a big adventure."

"Yeah, kinda I guess." Alejandro hadn't thought about it too much lately. He'd been so focused on making his abuela proud, talking to Carlos and Michael, making friends with the Belmonte Sans twins, and continuing his Spanish education, that he hadn't dwelled on the changes in his life. As a matter of fact, taking it into account in that moment, he was surprised at how much he'd settled into his new situation. "Your life is an adventure too. National Champion male rhythmic gymnast?"

"For my age group," Abraham qualified.

"Whatever," said Alejandro, brushing off the attempt by Abrham to diminish is accomplishment. "We'll be seeing you at World's or the Olympics in a few years."

"That's my dream."

"It's not just a dream," said Alejandro, "it's a goal that you are working really hard to achieve. And I know you'll make it. I may have grown up in the US, but my home is Segovia and I'll be so proud if you are representing Spain."

A soccer ball landed at their feet. Elijah came running and stopped behind the ball. "Are you two done? It's almost dark."

Alejandro turned around and saw Jacob standing next to the SUV. He nodded to indicate it was time for them to take the twins home and turn in for the evening. "I'm going to miss you two."

"You're coming back, aren't you?" asked Elijah.

Alejandro and Abraham stood. "Yeah," replied Alejandro. "I'll keep in touch, and I'll make sure we hang out when I'm back in the country...wow...that sounded weird." They laughed.

Elijah asked, "So, you've decided to go to school overseas?"

"I think I've narrowed it down to England or the States."

"We'll miss you." That was a lot for Elijah to say. Alejandro knew Elijah appreciated Alejandro's friendship with Abraham. Since they'd started hanging out, Abraham's confidence outside the gym had grown and Elijah was happy to see his brother happy.

The group was heading to meet Jacob. Alejandro smiled and said, "Don't worry, I've gotten really good with Facetime."

Elijah threw an arm over Alejandro's shoulder and gave his American friend a smile.

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After lunch at the Maple Street Café, Najma and Scott got their desserts to go. The shade of East Harbor High School made the school's steps a choice spot to enjoy their treats and talk.

"What's on your mind?" asked Scott.

"What do you mean?"

"You've been quieter than usual the last few days."

"I'm sorry," she said. "I've been meaning to tell you, but I just don't know how to say it."

Scott's stomach did a flip-flop. "You want to break up?"

"No. Well, yes, but it is more like, we have to break up."

That confused Scott. He had begun to realize the things he enjoyed weren't necessarily the things Najma liked. Being in nature was one example. He'd tried to find other things to do, but outside of enjoying each other's company, they didn't have much in common outside of school.

"We have to?" he asked.

"Yes," she answered looking down at her hands. She dreaded Scott's reaction. "We're moving back to India. My family has arranged a marriage for me."

"They what?" Scott didn't even know arranged marriages were still a thing.

"He's from a very prestigious family," she explained trying to soften the blow. "And he's rather nice."

"You've met him? Wait! You've known this the whole time we've been dating?"

"When we were little kids. I was told we were to be betrothed, but that was so long ago, I didn't think anyone remembered. The longer we lived here, the more I thought we'd stay here. But we're leaving tomorrow."

"Don't you have to pack or something?"

"No. We have a company that will sell off the possessions that we don't pack and take with us. We'll buy furniture and things once we get to Mumbai."

"Are you okay with this?" asked Scott. Despite everything, he really did care for Najma as a person and friend. "It seems really weird to be engaged to someone you hardly know."

"I guess. But I also miss my family back home. Visiting and phone calls just aren't the same. I guess, in a way, I'm glad to be moving home."

They sat there in their own thoughts and finished their sweet treats. Scott realized she kept calling Mumbai home, not East Harbor.

"I'm going to miss you," said Scott.

"You've been a good friend," replied Najma. "But now I think you can find someone you are more attracted to."

"Najma, what are you talking about? You're beautiful."

"Thank you. But let's face it, you're in love with Lukas."

Scott didn't know how to respond to that.

"It's okay," she said. "Are you bi? Or are you gay?"

"Option three," he answered. "Confused."

Najma scooted closer and put her arm around Scott. "Confused about your sexuality or your feelings for Lukas?"

"Both, I guess. In general, I'm more attracted to girls than most guys, but Lukas is different. But he's also with Simon. If I really love him, I would stay away and not screw things up for the two of them."

A car pulled up and stopped at the bottom of the staircase. "My mother," sighed Najma. "I've got to go. I'll call you later. And remember, even though I'm halfway around the world, we can still Facetime."

They stood. "Thanks, Najma."

She kissed him on the cheek then skipped down the stairs to the waiting car. She waved one last time before getting in the car and heading back to her American home for the last time.

Scott sat back down to think.

"So," came a voice from his left, "you're in love with Lukas Meijer."

Scott looked towards the direction the voice came from. Surprised, Scott asked, "What are you doing here?"

"I'm thinking we can help each other out."

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"What did your dad say?" asked Michael excitedly as Tim Whalen came running back after speaking to his parents.

Tim's reply matched Michael's enthusiasm, "I'm allowed to spend the night!"

"YES!" cheered Michael with a fist pump. "Did you have to beg and grovel?"

"No, I didn't," said Tim. "I think my brother Will paved the way when he told my 'rents about meeting your dads the other day. When I asked, he just asked, 'At Dr. Meijer's house with all those Mayfield boys and the boys in the stands?' I think he thought your dads were crazy for having all those boys staying. But when I told him Coach Sanders and Phil would be there, he agreed. I was surprised. It's never that easy to get him to let me spend the night anywhere!"

"Then we better go before he changes his mind." The boys changed from a walk to a jog to meet everyone at the SUVs to head home.

Michael opened the back door and the two boys climbed into the truck. "Tim's dad said he could spend the night." The door slammed shut.

"I know," confirmed Lars. "He just texted me." Lars' phone immediately rang and he answered it. "Matthew! Are you almost home?"

Matthew was on his Bluetooth HandsFreeLink to speak to his father while driving. "Yeah, I think I'm about 30 minutes out."

"Great. We're having a party at the house tonight with a lot of boys." Lars couldn't see Matthew's eyeroll and April trying to stifle her laughter. "I ordered a bunch of pizzas from Big Daddy's. Would you please pick them up on the way home?"

"Sure dad. Do you need anything else?" asked Matthew.

"No, we're going to hit Walmart to make sure we've got plenty of paper plates, drinks, and that type of stuff. April? Are you there?"

She glanced at Matthew and raised an eyebrow. "Yes, Lars. I'm here."

"April, we have three birthdays to celebrate tonight and not enough time to order decorated cakes. If I pick up some sheet cakes, would you be able to decorate them with a baseball theme?"

"HEY!" teased Matthew. "What am I? Chopped liver?"

Lars laughed, "No, but I've seen your handwriting."

"Fair enough," replied Matthew.

April laughed too. "Sure, I can do that."

"Thank you!" said Lars with a sigh of relief. "I'll pick up plenty of decorative icing for you to use. We should get home about the time you do."

"When are they arriving?" asked April.

"About a quarter to seven. We'll try to keep everyone away from the kitchen so it will be a surprise."

"I'm thinking of putting a fielding glove on each cake so make sure you get brown, or at least orange and blue so I can make brown. And I'm assuming their baseball friends are coming."

"Yes," said Lars. "They won the championship today, so this is a big celebration."

Matthew almost shouted. "THEY WON!? I can't believe it! That's awesome! Is Jackson coming tonight?"

"I think he is since his brother will be coming. And April, I get where you are going with this. I'll pick up a white cake and red and black icing. I'm going to hop off the phone and get our things finished. See you at the house."

Zach was already on the road home with Lukas and the lunch table gang. They were going to start setting up tables and chairs to get the house and yard ready for the party. Lars headed to Walmart with Michael and Tim, and the incoming sixth graders. He gave them all specific instructions on what to get. When they got to the store, they split up into pairs to get their items and met at checkout lane 4. Lars went looking for cakes and a strawberry-filled donut at Phil's request.

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"THEY'RE HERE!!!" screeched Michael. He tore through the house and out the front door in a flash.

"Thank gawd," laughed Zach unpackaging plates and flatware to take outside for the party.

Lars dumped ice over the drinks in another cooler and wadded up the plastic bag. "I know. I think if he made one more trip through the house to see if they were coming, I was going to tie him down to a chair in the backyard."

Zack grabbed a stack of napkins. "Let me stack this stuff on top of the cooler and I'll help you carry it out."

"Let me grab the rest," said Carol picking up the bags Zach left on the counter. "I'll go first and hold the door for you."

Michael made his way to the bus and waited until Aiden deboarded. When the blond stepped onto the grass and saw Michael, he hurried over and shared a huge hug with Michael.

Other boys made their way to greet the champions and their posse. Mason was a bit disappointed that Michael and Aiden were in their own little world when he felt a tap on the shoulder. He turned and smiled. "Uhh...Hey Lukas!" Though he had started to see Michael as a friend, Mason still felt in awe of being around the other members of At the Majestic. He felt like a fan instead of a peer when it came to the older boys.

"Hey, Mason," welcomed Lukas. He put his arm around the little singer. "Now that the tournament's finished are you ready to put those golden vocal cords to good use?"

Mason blushed at the complement from Lukas. "You're a really good singer too," he said as Lukas led him to the backyard. "You kicked ass on the National Anthem today."

"Thanks," said Lukas. "Nice to hear that from someone who knows what they are talking about...another professional." Lukas grinned because he knew what Mason's reply would be.

"I'm no professional," said Mason humbly.

"Maybe not today," said Lukas, "but the next time you visit our humble abode, you will be."

Mason looked up at Lukas and smiled as the older boy ushered him through the gate to the backyard and then held it for the other boys coming in to join the party.

Tim and Lukas' lunch table friends were busy moving lawn furniture, getting the cushions and pillows out, stocking additional towels in the cabinet by the hot tub, and opening up the retractable glass wall to the Novak family room to extend the party area and allow the home entertainment system do what it was supposed to do -- entertain party-goers.

When Larry and Phil entered the gate, they took in the extended backyards: a pool, hot tub, outdoor kitchen... an outdoor kitchen!

"You know," Larry said to Phil as they headed towards the hosting adults working around the kitchen area, "I could use one of these."

"Keep dreaming," said Phil. The two men laughed, catching Lars' attention.

"Phil! Larry! Welcome!" He hugged both men before allowing Zach to have his chance to greet their guests appropriately. "Gentlemen, this is Carol Novak. Carol," Lars said introducing her to each individually, "this is Larry Sanders, the head baseball coach at Mayfield High School and his husband Phil Miller. Phil also coaches summer baseball in Mayfield."

"Lars and Zach have told me so much about you two. I'm really happy to meet you." She also gave each of the men a welcoming hug.

"Tim?" Larry was surprised to see Will Whalen's little brother at the party.

Tim set out the last of the pillows then approached Coach Sanders. "Hi Coach Sanders and Coach Miller."

"Tim," repeated Larry, "how did you end up here?"

"I've been hanging out with Michael and his friends and Michael had already invited me to spend the night before we found out about the party. Isn't it great!"

"It certainly is," agreed Larry. Larry took a moment to look around the backyard. Some boys were asking about places to change into swim trunks, others had dragged chairs and loungers to relax and visit with one another and some were in line to get cold beverages for themselves and their buddies.

Lars put his hand on Tim's shoulder, "Thank you for all your help, Tim."

"You're welcome, Dr. Meijer," replied Tim. "And thank you for allowing me to spend the night tonight and come to the party. This is so awesome!"

"Then you better go enjoy it!"

"Yes, sir!" Tim turned and saw Michael and Aiden enter the house leaving Nolan and Christian chatting next to a couple of empty chairs. He knew both boys and headed that way to join the conversation.

Larry watched the boys around the party exchange fist bumps, bro hugs, and congratulations. It always amazed Larry how easy it could be for some boys to be inclusive and meld together. He knew it wasn't that simple most of the time. And in some cases, groups could be downright hostile. For a second, an image of what this party would look like if the Torrance Bulldogs were also in the backyard.

"Isn't it crazy?" asked Lars on Larry's right. The doctor joined the coach to take in the sight of nearly 40 boys living their best lives. "By the time they consume the pizza and cake, you won't be able to tell your boys from ours. They'll be thick as thieves."

As any dad will do, Larry looked for his son. "Do you see Aiden?" Larry scanned the pool, hot tub, and boys sitting around the backyard.

"I don't see Michael either," declared Lars.

"That was fast," stated Larry. Then both men burst out laughing.

Phil approached. "What's so funny?" he asked. Zach appeared too.

"We just noticed Michael and Aiden are missing," stated Larry.

Phil laughed, "That's the way to model restraint!" The four men laughed. "But seriously," insisted Phil, "Aiden does like to take a nap after a game -- especially if he pitches. I'd bet Aiden is snoozing somewhere." After an appropriate pause, he added, "He and Michael will bring the roof down later."

Lars asked, "I wouldn't be surprised, but why are you guys so certain about this?"

Zach decided to volunteer an answer. "Didn't you see the way those two looked at each other during the pre-tournament show? I thought Michael was going to forget there were others in the audience."

"Well...in that case." Lars smiled. Then he stood properly to make a long-winded announcement with the air of a maître d'. "On to other things. Coach Phil and Coach Larry, as adults who have spent too many hours at the ballfields the last few days," he said referring to himself and Zach, "you are most likely as tired as we are of concession stand food, as delicious as the food is in San Marcos. Therefore, while the male garbage disposals eat pizza, cake, and ice cream. We have procured steaks for our adult palates."

"Thank you!" said Phil. "And if you're grilling them out here, I think I know someone who would be more than happy to play Grill Master. I think Larry would rather sleep in your outdoor kitchen than with me tonight."

Larry smiled as Lars escorted him to the center piece of his backyard kitchen.

----------------------     

"Whoa," said Jaden as Alex approached.

Isaac eyed Alex. "You look like shit." He giggled. Cursing was new to him.

"Yeah," added Grant. "Are you alright?"

Alex pulled up a chair and wiped his eyes again. "I'm good. I just had a talk with Michael and Aiden. They are both really awesome friends."

"I know," agreed Grant. "Never thought I'd see the day that you called Aiden a friend, but I'm really happy you did."

"Well, I don't think I was ready for that until today," explained Alex, "even if I didn't know it."

Jaden put his hand on Alex's shoulder, "Are you doing better now?"

"Yes." Alex shared a smile with his friends that seemed a bit brighter than they'd seen in a while.

"Oh yeah!" exclaimed Grant as he remembered something important. "What did you two do to my parents? They told me that you BOTH are invited to come up to Mayfield before school starts! How did that happen? You used to be my mom's mortal enemy! Did you ask your mom yet? Are you coming?"

Alex had so many things on his mind, he really hadn't thought that much about returning to Mayfield after the invitation. "Yeah, I did. She said I could go."

"YES!" cheered Grant. "This is so awesome!" Grant's smile seemed brighter than the California sun.

It was one of the things Alex loved most about Grant. He launched himself at his old friend, landing on top of Grant as they fell backwards onto the chaise. He gave Grant a kiss, a big, loud smooch on the cheek. "I've missed you so much!"

Jaden and Isaac smiled as Grant seemed to beam and rejoice in Alex's embrace. "You know," reminded Jaden, "I'm leaving later this week. We should get with my dad and make sure you have tickets for the train and plane rides, so we travel together."

Alex felt the buzz of excitement run through his body. He was going back to Mayfield to spend time with his friends...ALL of his friends.

----------------------     

Alex wasn't the only boy buzzing. Jack and Derek were buzzing as they sized up all the new boys. It was one thing to be spectators in the stands watching the hella cute boys win the championship. It was quite another to be a spectator watching those boys without all that clothing and those prohibitive jock straps and deceptive cups. To make it a game, Jack and Derek tried to guess which boys were wearing boxers or briefs while wishing they were all going commando.

Even better was the closer it came to the pizza being delivered, the more and more boys were wearing less and less clothing. There was always a ring of disappointment when the boys stepped out of the pool and their sagging boardies revealed the waistband of their underwear. Excitement, on the other hand, flooded the two boys when someone climbed the steps and the wet swimsuit stuck to his body like a second skin showing off all the boy's goodies.

"What are you guys doing?"

Both Derek and Jack jumped and felt a tiny bit guilty for the thoughts they were thinking about the Mayfield boys. "Oh," said Derek in relief. "Hi Skip. Hi Ronnie."

The newcomers greeted their friends. Skip asked, "Are you two checking for boners?" The question caught Derek and Jack off guard. "It's okay. I do it at Aiden's parties all the time."

"Aiden as in Aiden on the Yard Goats?" asked Derek.

"Yeah, he's my big bro'. I mean, we aren't like, really brothers, but he teaches me things," explained Skip.

Ronnie, not wanting to be out done, added, "And Scott is my big cousin."

Derek tried to get the conversation back on track to where he wanted it to go. "What are Aiden's parties like?"

Skip looked around conspiratorially then leaned in and whispered, "Naked!"

Jack and Derek smiled broadly. "That's what parties are like here, too!" replied Jack.

Derek cautioned them. "True, but the Yard Goats are guests so they might keep the party low key."

"And with all you East Harbor guys," said Skip, "the Mayfield guys probably won't go naked out of respect."

"Well, I hope someone gets it started because I'm in if they do," declared Jack.

"I am too," said Skip, putting his hand in the middle. Jack quickly placed his hand on top.

Derek added his hand and stated, "Me too!"

Ronnie added his hand but didn't say anything. The other three turned their heads and looked at Ronnie. They might have become friends, but Ronnie was shy and there were still a lot of people he didn't know. He hem-hawed for a moment then answered, "Maybe?"

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In the off chance his mother said, "no" to coming back to East Harbor to record with At the Majestic, Mason decided not to let this night pass. When he couldn't find Matthew or Michael, he eyed Lukas and Simon. The older boys were in the hot tub, so Mason quickly found a bathroom. He pulled his swim trunks from his bag before tossing his shorts and undies into the bag. Slipping the swimwear on he checked himself in the mirror and headed to the hot tub.

"Can I join you guys?" he asked. It was only Lukas, Simon, and Cal chilling and talking music.

"Sure thing, little man," stated Simon. Mason stepped down into the hot tub and waded across to squeeze in between Cal in Simon. Cal, unable to scoot farther over on the bench, moved to the next seat to make more room. Mason didn't need too much room. He sat right down on the bench next to Simon maximizing body contact.

Mason didn't know what to say to the older boys. The only thing he could think of was his possible return trip to record with the band, but he wasn't ready for Cal to know about that. While he listened to the conversation, Mason made a bit of a show about where to place his arm and hand since he was sitting so close to Simon. Finding a way to pull his shoulder in front of Simon so he could rest his head backwards on Simon's shoulder, he rested his forearm on Simon's thigh like an arm rest. Simon looked down at the little blond and Mason looked up and smiled at Simon.

The boys continued their conversation. Mason had a bit of trouble following. He was more focused on playing with Simon's leg and how to get his hand to reach its ultimate target without making it obvious to Cal.

Simon turned his head and whispered to Lukas. "Our little friend is playing with my knees. What do you suppose that is about?"

Lukas giggled. "Maybe he's trying to get an invite for the night. I've heard he's a little horn dog."

"What do you think?" whispered Simon.

"It could be fun."

Simon returned an evil grin.

Mason didn't realize what was happening until he felt Simon's arm around his shoulder holding him close. It sent warmth flooding through his body.

The conversation went on a while longer and Mason forgot his intentions and continued to absentmindedly play with the hem of Simon's swim trunks.

"I'm going to go see what the other guys are up to. And if you guys ever need another trumpeter, call me!" Cal smiled and climbed from the hot tub.

When Cal was out of range, Simon turned his attention back to Mason. "So, Mason, are you fishing for an invitation to our bed tonight?" Mason blushed fiery red. "Do you think you are ready for that?"

Before Mason could respond, Simon reached across and took Mason's opposite hand and placed it on his hard manhood. Mason's eyes about popped out of his head. The little blond tried to pull his hand back, but Simon only allowed the other boy's hand to track up and down so Mason got the complete picture of just how big Simon's cock was.

"Is that what you want?"

Mason nodded.

"Okay, we'll see you later. Our room is through that backdoor." Simon pointed to the backdoor of the Meijer home. "Our bedroom door faces the back door at the other end of the hallway." He released Mason's hand and the boy nodded in understanding. Then Mason waded to the other side of the hot tub to grab a towel before he climbed out. He wasn't ready for everyone to see his boner tenting his wet swimsuit.

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Jackson saw Matthew enter through the gate with a stack of pizza boxes. The announcement that the pizzas were there caused a stampede of hungry boys. "Do you need help?" asked Jackson.

"Yeah, I think it will take us both to get the rest of the pizzas." Matthew patted Jackson on the back and the two headed out to Matthew's car.

"Holy shit!" exclaimed Jackson. "Is that yours?"

Matthew laughed and handed Jackson a stack of pizza boxes before grabbing the remaining himself. He used his elbow to press the button to shut the hatchback and the two teens returned to the backyard.

"I knew that was your car," explained Jackson. "I just meant that is a really sweet ride. Did you buy that with the money you made from the tour?"

"No," he explained. "I sort of inherited my dad's car and I traded it in back at the beginning of the year."

"It's a beauty. Does it handle as well as it looks?"

"Yeah, it does."

They added the new pizzas to the others. Some boys were patiently waiting since the first load of pizzas were already demolished.

The backdoor opened and April joined them. "Hi! You must be Jackson. I'm April."

Jackson was lucky he wasn't carrying any pizzas or walking. If he was, he would have tripped or dropped the pies. "Hi." She had already changed into her bikini and Jackson tried desperately not to stare at her with Matthew standing right there.

"Hey, babe," said Matthew putting his arm around April and giving her a peck on the cheek. "You already changed."

"Yeah," she replied. "While the boys are devouring all the pizzas, why don't you two get changed so we can go swimming. By then your dad will have the grill going. Then we can have our choice of pizza or steaks." She gave Matthew a kiss. "I need to get the names to decorate the birthday surprises." Matthew watched April's ass as she walked away but Jackson didn't seem to notice. April approached Lars who was showing off all the features of the grill to Larry.

"Steak? Really?" asked Jackson.

"Yep," said Matthew turning his attention back to his new friend. "Dad's putting on steaks for the adults and he knows April and I usually go for a steak and salad over pizza. If you want, I'll have him put one on for you."

"Cool. Thanks."

"Grab your bag and meet me at the backdoor and we'll get changed to swim."

Matthew asked Lars and Larry to put steaks on for the three teens and arrived at the backdoor at the same time as Jackson. They entered and Matthew led Jackson to his bedroom. "If you want, you can leave your bag in here, so nothing happens to it." With the bag sitting on the floor by the door and Matthew's trunks on his bed along the opposite wall, the boys naturally had their backs to each other.

As they changed, the shadow on the wall allowed Jackson to watch Matthew remove his shirt and drop his shorts to the floor. Jackson bent to pull up his swim trunks looking under his arm to peek at Matthew. Seeing Matthew naked caused Jackson's body to flush. 'Shit,' he thought. 'I can't get a boner now.' He hurriedly pulled his trunks up and pulled the liner tight, hoping it would make his excitement less obvious.

"I heard some of the boys talking about spending the night. Did you hear anything about that?" asked Matthew, unaware of the turmoil Jackson was feeling about seeing Matthew naked. Afterall, Jackson was straight. At least that is what he believed.

"Uh, yeah," he stammered. "I heard Coach Sanders tell the bus driver that anyone that wanted to spend the night would be allowed."

"Are you gonna stay?"

"I was planning on it. I'd rather hang out with you and April than go back to the hotel and hang with the younger guys, not that they're not fun or anything."

"I get it," said Matthew. He slipped his feet into his Adidas sandals and remained shirtless.

It gave Jackson a chance to see Matthew's chiseled chest and ripped abs. 'Those morning workouts he told me about are doing their job,' thought Jackson. He'd never seen anyone other than guys on social media or magazines with a physique like Matthew's. It just begged to be touched.

"Fuck."

Matthew looked at Jackson. "What's wrong?"

Not meaning to say that out loud, Jackson tried to play it off. "Nothing. I am hungry though."

Three quick raps came from Matthew's bedroom door. "We're decent."

April opened the door and stuck her head in. "Coach Sanders said we could have the first round of steaks. If you don't mind a steak cooked to medium, Jackson, they'll be ready in about 10 minutes."

Jackson gave a thumbs up and a smile.

"Perfect," said Matthew. "You ready?" he asked Jackson.

"As ready as I'll ever be," replied Jackson.

April led the way to the outdoor dining table where Carol had already placed a tossed salad. "I'm going to go back inside and finish up the cakes. From the looks of the pizzas, I'd say they'll be ready for dessert soon."

Jackson and Matthew chatted until they heard the Coach's announcement. "Three steaks coming right up," called out Larry. He plated the steaks on a platter and delivered it to the hungry teens.

"Ah! Perfect timing," announced April coming out the back door. "The 'you know what' are ready when you are, Dr. Meijer."

"Thanks, April," he replied.

"Are you going to eat?" asked Matthew.

"We'll make our dinner after we get the birthday cakes cut and served," explained Lars. "That way we can relax and enjoy our dinner."

"Thank you, Coach, Dr. Meijer," said Jackson. "This looks incredible."

"You're very welcome, Jackson," replied Lars. "I'm happy you could join us this evening. Maybe you'll be able to come back and visit us when you don't have to spend your entire trip at a baseball tournament."

Jackson smiled, "I sure hope so!"

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What is a party at the Meijer/Novak complex with no music? Mason and Michael wholeheartedly agreed with that premise and headed up to Michael's room to grab an instrument or two.

"Wow! Cool room!" Mason walked slowly around the room to take in all the academic and sports honors Michael had accumulated. The LEGO structures impressed him, and he wasn't surprised by all the books. But there was one thing that caught him off guard. "A PlayStation? When do you have time to play?"

"Sure! I love to play video games. It's a great way to unwind and have fun with friends. My mom and dad especially want me to spend less time on school and Majestic Enterprises and just be a kid. I think they are starting to look at our music more like work than fun, so I won't be surprised if I start having limits on that too." He held up two instruments. "How about if we take my uke and guitar. We can share."

Mason eyed the instruments then noticed something on the bottom shelf behind Michael. "Is that a karaoke machine?"

Michael bent over to see what Mason saw. "Oh yeah, I forgot about that. It even has a subscription so we can select songs from the cloud and stream them. Wanna do that instead?"

"I think that will be more fun. And I think we can get more guys to join in!" It seemed the boys were willing to sing "We are the Champions" and "Happy Birthday" during dinner, but Michael was unsure of getting them to sing karaoke.

"Oh! You're right. That idea kicks ass!" Michael put the instruments away and grabbed the machine off the shelf. "Would you carry this?" He offered Mason the bag with microphones and the power cord.

"Yep!" said Mason. He took the bag and the two headed downstairs.

They passed through the kitchen to the family room. "There's an extension cord on the floor under the outlet behind that chair. Use that for power. I'm going to go tell my brothers what we're doing."

Mason worked on his task: plugging in the extension cord; getting the kinks and twists out of it; stretching it far enough to plug in the karaoke machine so you could read the screen to see the lyrics. No one really paid much attention. They didn't realize the two musically inclined boys had a karaoke machine.

"I think we should start off with something to get everyone singing along. What do you think?" asked Michael.

"Yeah! What song?"

Michael pulled up the song he was thinking all the boys would have sung along to and would know some of the words. "I don't know the words very well, but I think it would be fun."

Shouting came from the pool area. Michael looked through the crowd in the backyard and started laughing. "Looks like the twins are getting the party started."

"Your twins or our twins?" asked Mason.

"Both. I think swimsuits are going to be coming off soon," answered Michael. Just then a swimsuit arched through the air landing with a splat on the concrete apron of pool. They watched as bare butts appeared around the yard.

"Should we join them?" asked Michael.

Mason replied with a grin before untying his swim trunks. On the count of three, the two boys threw their trunks at their friends in the hot tub. When Michael's landed perfectly on Nolan's head, the two burst out laughing.

"Uuugh," groaned Carol. "As much as I've enjoyed a fantastic dinner and our conversation, I think this is the time I should be excusing myself and retire into the house. The men around the table witnessed the wave of nudity and wagging boners and agreed with Carol. As they all stood to bus the table, she added, "I'll start the coffee."

Mason and Michael took their time to check out the boys they hadn't seen naked before, including each other. Eventually, they remembered about the karaoke machine. "Are you gonna sing that song?" he asked.

"No. WE are gonna sing it. Grab a mic."

Before hitting play, Michael scanned the backyard. Looking at the faces, he saw many new friends. But watching the boys interact, the distance between Mayfield and East Harbor had evaporated. Hometown or how long they'd known each other no longer mattered. They were boys and they were now friends. The lunch table gang had joined the older Yard Goats having fun and getting to know each other better. Grant, Jaden, and Alex were joined by other Yard Goats, enjoying goofing off and getting to know Alex, the Alex they didn't get to know when he lived in Mayfield. The younger Yard Goats and Ronnie were running around with Derek and his posse. Christian was getting to know Aiden, Nolan, Gordy and even Tim Walen. He looked at the "singer" boy with wavy blonde hair next to him. Mason returned the gaze with a hint of anticipation of getting to sing. Michael smiled then hit the "play" button. The music started and the two boys started singing "Oh-ooh-whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh! Oh-ooh-whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh! Ooh-oh-whoa-oh, oh-oh-oh-oh!"

Some of the boys in the yard immediately recognized "Baby" by Justin Bieber and started singing as soon as the lyrics started.

You know you love me, I know you care,
Just show whenever, and I'll be there,
You are my love, you are my heart,
And we will never, ever, ever be apart,

Are we an item?, Yo girl, quit playin',
"We're just friends.", what are you sayin',
Said, "There's another," and looked right in my eyes'
My first love broke my heart for the first time, and I was like,"

Nearly all be boys jumped in and sang the chorus at the top of their lungs. Some dancing, some hamming it up, but all were having a blast.

Baby, baby, baby, oh,
Like, "Baby, baby, baby, oh,
Like, "Baby, baby, baby, oh,
I thought you'd always be mine, mine

Though none of the conversations or games being played stopped, the boys also enjoyed the music, singing along out loud or under their breath. When the song ended, Michael said, "Let's do another song everyone likes."

"I know just the song." Mason popped up One Direction's "What Makes You Beautiful."

"Guys!" said Michael loudly to get his brothers' attention away from the list of possible songs to sing. "Come sing with us!"

With only four mics, Mason and Michael shared. They divvied up the different parts, each taking a different member of the One Direction. When they were set, Mason hit play. Again, all the boys enjoying the pool and hanging out in the yard lit up hearing the hit song and they all joined in singing as they went about having fun. This time Matthew stole the show singing to April and the rest of the boys at the party started to face and point at April as they sang (especially the straight boys who all seemed to have a small crush on the beautiful southern California blond girl. For her part, she'd seen enough naked tweens and early teens to basically ignore their nudity, but she did appreciate that the older boys, both from Mayfield and East Harbor, had remained clothed in her presence. She did, however, begin to think it was time for her to head home to allow things to take their course.

Mason decided to do the next song solo. "I want to dedicate this next song to the best friend anyone could ever have." He sang "One Call Away" by Charlie Puth.

While Mason sang the slower song dedicated to Aiden, groups of boys came up asking where to sign up. Michael scrambled to find a handy notepad and pen. While the boys started deciding what they would sing, Lukas grabbed the mic and sang "Can't Stop the Feeling!" by Justin Timberlake. The younger boys joined in to sing, "dance, dance, dance" while Lukas sang the catchy chorus.

Everybody could predict how the next song would go when they saw Jack, Derek, Sean, Skip, and a very reluctant Ronnie grab the microphones. "Barbie Girl" by Aqua was the perfect song selection. They did a surprisingly good job of getting the lyrics right, even if only half of them got any particular word in the right place and they spoke instead of singing the verses. But when the chorus came, they sang and acted like the silly tweens they were.

Come on Barbie, let's go party
Ah-ah-ah, yeah
Come on Barbie, let's go party
Ooh-whoa-ooh, ooh-whoa-ooh
Come on Barbie, let's go party
Ah-ah-ah, yeah
Come on Barbie, let's go party
Ooh-whoa-ooh, ooh-whoa-ooh

Ronnie even joined in being his silly self the second time the chorus came around. Scott was pleased to no end. He realized his cousin was right at home with his new friends and would be safe to stay when Scott left for the hotel.

When that song ended, a group of incoming freshmen took the mics. Trent, Scott, Mac, and Max from Mayfield were joined by East Harbor Sabers Lewis, Will, Curtis, Craig, and Oliver. With an attitude that they'd show the younger boys how to sing karaoke and picked a song to fit their attitude.

As a chorus, they sang (if you could call it that) the Beastie Boys' "Fight for Your Right" in unison.

You wake up late for school, may you don't want to go
You ask your mom, please? But she still says, no
You missed two classes, and no homework
But your teacher preaches class like you're some kind of jerk

You've got to fight for your right to party!

It was the perfect song to get everyone in the backyard to join in. It was also perfect for a bunch of boys who would have sounded like cats wailing in an alley if they'd tried to sing instead of shout.

Perhaps most importantly, the boys had decided to head back to the hotel and remained clothed. When they finished and saw Rita, the bus driver, waiting for them, they were especially happy they decided to remain in their clothes while many of the other boys were naked (a few hiding in the water to cover their nudity from Mrs. Emerson).

Simon decided he'd sing "Radar Love" by Golden Earring. Putting all he had into it, he raised the bar for the other singers, turning the evening into a competition. Matthew stepped up and sang a killer rendition of "Drive" by Incubus.

Michael had another turn. "Mason!" He waved his friend over. "This is a song AJ has picked out for you to try. It was a number one single in South Africa by a 13-year-old boy, but that single was never released outside the country. If you record it, you'll have the first single of this song. I'm not good at this song but tell me if you like it."

When the current song ended, Michael took the microphone, and the music began for "Cool 4 Me" by Stefan Benz.

You've got your friends
I've got mine
But I can't help the way I feel inside

You can pretend
So can I
But we both know that I'm the one
That's on your mind

The games you play, play, play
They make me cray, cray, cray
You got me crazy over you.

What am I supposed to do
Cause baby you're too cool Baby you're too cool for me, cool for me
I'll be good to you
But you break my heart in two
Baby you're too cool cool for me.

After hearing the first verse and chorus, Mason was hooked. It sent shivers through his whole body to hear a song for the first time that he was going to get to record for a record. A real song for a real record. Butterflies filled his stomach realizing just how close this opportunity was. He knew the lawyer had spoken to his mother by phone and she would hear the entire proposal and see the contract for the first time while he was having fun at LEGOLAND the next day. At least he hoped he would be having fun and not worrying about what his mother would say. His mind spun and his stomach fluttered. He didn't even hear the rest of the song.

"Com'on," said Grant pulling on Aiden's hand to drag Aiden to his feet. "Jaden, Alex, Sam, Gregory, and Nolan are gonna sing too. Aren't you Nolan."

Nolan smiled. "Oh, this is gonna be good." Nolan stood and with his assistance, Grant and Nolan lifted Aiden into the air as the second baseman laughed and playfully struggled.

"Nnnnnooooooo!" cried Aiden. Others would argue that Aiden was only laughing.

"Stop complaining, Sweet Cakes. I know you know the lyrics because we were singing them at my house the other day."

Aiden surrendered and put his feet on the ground. "I know," he pouted, "but the lyrics make no sense at all."

"You're expecting too much from a K-pop band. It's just a fun song," argued Nolan as the boys made their way to the stage. Grant had signed them up to sing "Butter" by the Korean boy band BTS.

Aiden just rolled his eyes.

"Lighten up, Aiden," said Grant. "Just have some fun with us."

"I was having fun just fine until you came up with his crazy idea," answered Aiden.

Riley and Tim were also in the family room waiting their turn on the mic. When the time came, they crowded around the karaoke machine so they could see the lyrics and had a microphone close by to sing into. What the neighbors had learned earlier in the evening that the microphones weren't always necessary. Either way, Nolan shoved the mic in Aiden's hands just as the music started. Aiden glared and Nolan as everyone attempted to deliver the lyrics.

Smooth like butter, like a criminal undercover
Gon' pop like trouble breaking into your heart like that, ooh
Cool shade, stunner, yeah, I owe it all to my mother, uh
Hot like summer, yeah, I'm making you sweat like that (break it down!)

Ooh, when I look in the mirror
I'll melt your heart into two
I go that superstar glow, so Ooh (do the boogie, like)

A side step, right-left, to my beat
High like the moon, rock with me, baby
Know that I got that heat
Let me show you 'cause talk is cheap
Side step, right-left, to my beat
Get it, let it roll

Aiden focused on trying to get the lyrics and make meaning out of the song while the other boys just let it all hang out and had fun with it. They were off beat, out of tune, and got few of the lyrics correct. Luckily, just by the sheer number of boys participating, the song sounded somewhat like it was supposed to. It could have been all the other boys around the yard who sang along that helped too.

"I still don't get what that song's about," groused Aiden in a playful manner. It was true for most people. The lyrics to the K-pop hit were put together to sound good. But like Aiden said, they really make little sense.

Nolan whispered in Aiden's ear, "I'll show you later tonight." That brought a smile to his boyfriend's face.

"Hey," said Jaden catching up to Aiden and Nolan. "Could I introduce you to my boyfriend, Isaac? He's really sensitive to noise so he's hanging out over on the other side of the yard and I think he'd really like to meet you guys."

"Yeah," said Aiden. "Let's go hang with Isaac."

The evening wore on until Michael announced that it was the last two songs for the evening and Mason was up first.

Mason was riding on a high. The baseball tournament, his new friends, and the prospect of returning with a recording contract made him feel like his little body was about to burst. He just wanted to flip all of his bullies and doubters a "double-bird". Instead, he decided to share with everyone the song he used to shake it off, literally. He danced and sang, "Shake It Off" by Taylor Swift. It was a song that helped Mason express so much, especially what he was feeling tonight.

I stay out too late
Got nothing in my brain
That's what people say, mm-mm
That's what people say, mm-mm

I go on too many dates
But I can't make them stay
At least that's what people say, mm-mm
That's what people say, mm-mm

But I keep crusin'
Can't stop, won't stop movin'
It's like I got this music in my mind
Sayin' it's gonna be alright

'Cause the players gonna play, play, play, play, play
And the haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate
Baby, I'm just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake
I shake it off, I shake it off (hoo-hoo-hoo)

Heartbreakers gonna break, break, break, break, break
And the fakers gonna fake, fake, fake, fake, fake
Baby, I'm just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake
I shake it off, I shake it off (hoo-hoo-hoo)

I never miss a beat
I'm lightning on my feet
And that's what they don't see, mm-mm
That's what they don't see, mm-mm

I'm dancing on my own
I make the moves up as I go
And that's what they don't know, mm-mm
That's what they don't know, mm-mm

But I keep cruisin'
Can't stop, won't stop groovin'
It's like I got this music in my mind
Sayin' it's gonna be alright

'Cause the players gonna play, play, play, play, play
And the haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate
Baby, I'm just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake
I shake it off, I shake it off
Heartbreakers gonna break, break, break, break, break
And the fakers gonna fake, fake, fake, fake, fake
Baby, I'm just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake
I shake it off, I shake it off
Shake it off, I shake it off
I, I, I shake it off, I shake it off
I, I, I shake it off, I shake it off
I, I, I shake it off, I shake it off

Hey, hey, hey
Just think, while you've been gettin' down and out about the liars
And the dirty, dirty cheats of the world
You could've been gettin' down to this sick beat

My ex-man brought his new girlfriend
She's like, "Oh my God!" but I'm just gonna shake
And to the fella over there with the hella good hair
Won't you come on over, baby? We can shake, shake, shake (yeah)

Yeah, oh, oh
'Cause the players gonna play, play, play, play, play
And the haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate
Baby, I'm just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake
I shake it off, I shake it off (hoo-hoo-hoo)

Heartbreakers gonna break, break, break, break, break (mmm)
And the fakers gonna fake, fake, fake, fake, fake
Baby, I'm just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake
I shake it off, I shake it off (hoo-hoo-hoo)

Shake it off, I shake it off
I, I, I shake it off, I shake it off
I, I, I shake it off, I shake it off
I, I, I shake it off (yeah), I shake it off (hoo-hoo-hoo)

Shake it off, I shake it off
I, I, I shake it off, I shake it off (you got to)
I, I, I shake it off, I shake it off
I, I, I shake it off, I shake it off
© 2014 Taylor Swift, Shellback, Max Martin

Michael was the first to give Mason a hug as all their friends whooped and hollered their appreciation of Mason's killer performance. Mason wiped a tear of joy from the corner of his eye. For the first time, he was allowing himself to see his world being bigger than Mayfield.

While Mason joined the others and continued to receive praise and high-fives, Michael had gathered the rest of the band to do the final song together.

"I know our wonderful and patient neighbors will be happy to hear that we're shutting this karaoke machine down for the evening after this last song. This Bruno Mars song is one of our favorites, it's just not a song that fits our music style for our shows. So, here's 'Uptown Funk.'" The boys in the yard hooted and hollered their approval. "You guys can sing along too, if you want."

Michael sang lead and the rest of the band, including Zach, sang backup. The boys in the yard sang along the best they could, but they all knew the most popular parts of the song, especially line "Uptown funk you up, uptown funk you up!"

Michael liked that part of the song too, especially when he got to sing these lyrics:

Come on, dance, jump on it
If you sexy, then flaunt it
Well it's Saturday night, and we're in the spot
Don't believe me, just watch, come on!

It was a great way to help everyone burn off some energy so they could settle down and make plans for sleeping arrangements if they hadn't already been made.

----------------------     

A boy with dark hair and glasses approached Carol and the other adults at the dining room table. "May I have a bottled water or something?" asked Sebbie. Derek's posse had only recently been visiting Dr. Meijer's and didn't feel as at home as Derek and Jack did.

"Certainly, Sebbie," said Carol. "We put the blue cooler on the floor in the kitchen. I think it is on the other side of the island here. Help yourself."

"Thank you, Mrs. Meijer," he said.

Carol and Lars chuckled. "Please, just call me Carol."

Sebbie grabbed bottles for himself, Moshi and Emmett and returned to the Meijer family room where nine of the boys at the party were hanging out. The boys knew it was getting close to the time they needed to bed down for the night, but each had realized the family room didn't have room for everyone.

"With Dr. Meijer and Zach taking the sectional tonight, that only leaves the floor," explained Lewis. He'd retreated to the family room since that was typically the haven for the boys that didn't want to participate in the other activities of the night. But with all the nudity and his girlfriend Courtney being away at camp, Lewis was having trouble getting his sleepover with Michael and the incident in the bathroom with the Kendalls out of his mind. "I'll find somewhere else for the night, so you guys have more room." Lewis didn't know who he was looking for, but he was going to take this opportunity to join in the fun.

Curtis' mind was in the same place as Lewis'. "I agree with Lewis. I'll find another place to sleep, too."

"Do you know where Aiden went?" asked Gordy. He was feeling a bit uncomfortable around so many guys he didn't know.

"I'll help you find him," offered Curtis. The boys stood and grabbed their bags.

"You alright Emmett?" asked Gordy.

"I'm good," said Emmett. He'd been making friends with the posse members who were also in the family room. He was camped out on a sleeping bag between Moshi and Sebbie.

While Gordy and Curtis went looking for Aiden, Rodrigo had someone else on his mind. After Derek and Jack taught him one of the ways to make his dick feel good at Jack's birthday party, he'd been curious to learn more. When he heard about what some of the guys were getting up to in the other bedrooms, his curiosity had only grown. "I'm gonna go see what Derek and Jack are up to."

"I'll go too," said Sean with his heavy Irish accent.

He looked at Sean as the strawberry blond grabbed his things. "Uh, okay." Rodrigo suspected that Sean didn't understand what he was getting himself into, but he also didn't feel like explaining it to everyone in the room. He didn't think he could do it without raising suspicions about his own intentions.

"Cool," sighed Will. "Now we have some space to stretch out. Can you three move over so Jordan can fit in beside me?"

When the shuffling of sleeping bags ended, the five boys left just enough room for the adults to make their way to the sectional. They selected a movie to watch until they fell asleep.

----------------------     

The loud and jovial conversation and laughter masked the noise of the party out back. That's why the adults didn't notice when the music quieted down. It wasn't until Carol noticed Lukas and Simon make their way into Lukas' bedroom that she realized how late it was getting. She listened carefully and no longer heard the karaoke machine or the splashing and laughter from earlier in the evening.

"I think the boys are off to bed," commented Carol.

The men quieted down. They couldn't hear anything coming from the backyard. "At least the neighbors will get some sleep," joked Lars.

The backdoor opened and closed and the adults listened to see who had come in. Turning to see who would be coming around the corner, they saw two teens heading to Lukas' room. Neither Craig nor Oliver noticed the five adults staring at them enter Lukas' bedroom until after Oliver opened the door.

Craig glanced over and squeaked. Pulling the towel around his waist in an act of modesty, he turned and ran up the back of Oliver trying to get into the privacy of Lucas' bedroom.

The laughter died down and Lars brought a fresh pot of coffee to fill everyone's mugs. "If Mayfield's as small as I gather it is, are they going to throw a parade for the boys when they get home?" Lars was joking, but it wouldn't have surprised him if it were true. That is something you might find in small-town America.

"No," laughed Phil. Then his expression became more serious. "Well, not that I've heard."

"I don't think they'll go that far," said Larry. He put his hand on his husband's shoulder and gave it a squeeze. "However, I do think they're as surprised as we are that they won the tournament. That tournament will definitely go down in Mayfield baseball lore."

"I bet," agreed Lars. "I was just as amazed how well your boys performed in the Brawl. I mean, you have some boys with just as much talent as any other team in the tournament, but they have that talent all the way across their bench. The competition at the BaseBrawl was tough. I heard people naming players on other teams that were college and Major League prospects."

"It was a much higher caliber of competition than the boys in our small town usually see. While the Bulldogs and Force are elite teams, they are a step below the super travel teams. The Goats wouldn't last five innings against any of them," Larry confessed.

"How do you think the Goats would fare in a league made up of teams like the Bulldogs and Force?" asked Carol.

"Somewhere in the middle of the league. They would be competitive, but they would lack the depth of talent needed. Remember, we picked up players to beef up our pitching for this tournament. By some miracle, our pitching held up and those boys exhibited the talent and panache to pull a winning rabbit out of their hat. It's what Aiden likes to call, Mayfield Magic."

----------------------     

"Do you think Aiden is with Michael?" asked Curtis as he and Gordy scanned the backyard. It seemed a few of the boys were still enjoying the southern California weather, but it was apparent the guys Gordy was looking for weren't to be seen.

Gordy's heart sank when he didn't see Aiden. "Outside of baseball, the only thing Aiden's been talking about is Michael. I'd bet they're together." He realized that if they were together behind closed doors, then they were probably already, shall we say, busy.

Curtis sounded confident making Gordy feel a bit better. "Then they must be in Michael's bedroom. Follow me."

They passed through the backdoor and kitchen before climbing the stairs. Sounds of boys being, um, busy, could be heard up and down the hallway.

They heard someone reference twins from their left. "Both the twins, er, all four of the twins, is that how you say it?" Curtis was confused about how to refer to the two sets of twins.

"I get the picture," admitted Gordy. He was tempted to open the door and peek in. The thought of what Lenny, Lance, Connor, and Cooper were doing behind that door caused Gordy to start to chub up with the speed only young teen boys can achieve.

"Michael's room is down here," said Curtis as he headed to the other end of the hall. The sounds from behind Michael's closed bedroom door made it very clear what was going on. Curtis, however, was not going to pass up this opportunity to look. Turning to Gordy, Curtis put his finger to his lips. Carefully opening the door, the boys peered in. Michael, Christian, and Tim were finding new uses for the jumbo bean bag chair on the floor. Though the bed was mostly hidden from their view, they saw two sets of feet and heard an apparent third person on the bed. The air conditioning was cool, but the scene in the bedroom was blazing hot. Curtis closed the door quietly and faced Gordy. Both boys were flushed and sporting tented shorts.

"I don't think there is going to be room to sleep in there, tonight," admitted Gordy. Before Gordy could ask Curtis what he planned to do, they heard familiar voices coming up the stairs.

"Hey Gordy!" said Alex with a big smile. Alex was holding hands with Jaden's beau, Isaac, to steady him as they climbed the stairs. They were followed by Grant and Riley.

Gordy was surprised that Grant and Riley were with Alex and Isaac until he realized they were both flying solo tonight since their boyfriends, Lance and Lenny, were busy.

"What are you two doing?" asked Grant.

Relieved that he found guys he was more comfortable with, Gordy responded, "I was looking for a place to spend the night. The room next door was too crowded."

Alex replied, "If you don't mind hanging out with us, there should be plenty of room. This is Simon's bedroom and they keep plenty of bedding in here for sleepovers."

Curtis eyed the five hot guys standing in the hallway. He'd decided that tonight he would go all out to explore his sexuality in hopes of finding some answers. The boys before him would make a perfect test kitchen if he found the courage to sample each.

Gordy quickly accepted the invitation since his choice in roommates was dwindling quickly.

Alex opened the door to the remaining available bedroom and invited the others to enter.

----------------------     

"I'm ready to call it a night," said Matthew. He stretched and yawned. "Wanna go inside and watch some TV or something?"

Jackson's stomach fluttered as if it were filled with butterflies. He couldn't figure out where these feelings were coming from, but he knew it was Matthew that was causing them. "Yeah, sure." He purposely limited what he said to hide the way he was feeling. His head flip-flopped between wanting the night to pass so the morning would come sooner, and never wanting this evening to end.

The teens opened the back door in time to accommodate Lewis, Rodrigo, and Sean's passage to the backyard.

"Thanks," said Lewis. The younger boys mumbled something similar under their breathes as they followed the older boy to find their friends.

"Make sure the others know the pool is closed for the night. We're going to bed," stated Matthew. He and Jackson headed inside to prepare for bed.

Cal watched Lewis leading two younger boys towards the hot tub as he walked over and plopped down next Mason on one of the chaise loungers. "Man, you guys were tearing up on the karaoke machine. That was a lot of fun. It was almost like a concert."

"Yeah," agreed Mason. The blond was tapping the foot planted on the ground, clearly distracted.

"What's up with you?" asked Cal.

"It's nothing," claimed Mason. "It's just..."

"It's just what?"

"Well..." he didn't want to confess to anyone other than Aiden, but Aiden and Michael both seemed to have already retired for the evening. At least, they weren't anywhere to be found like many of the other boys. He leaned over to keep it between the two of them, though no one was in ear shot of him and Cal. "I told Lukas and Simon I'd crash with them tonight."

Cal didn't understand why that was a problem. "Okay..."

Mason wished that Cal understood what he was implying. "We aren't going to go right to sleep."

Cal continued to look at him with a blank stare.

Mason rolled his eyes. "Like Aiden's parties."

"OH!" exclaimed Cal getting Mason's drift. "So, what's wrong?"

"Simon's like, 15 already and I don't really know either of them very well. I'm just..."

"You're nervous?" asked Cal.

"Yeah. I guess."

"You want me to go with you?" asked Cal.

"Really?" asked Mason. He didn't think Cal had really done much and he knew if he joined the older boys as he committed to earlier, it was bound to be pretty hard core.

"Yeah, really. The guys down here are pretty hot. With the Yard Goats around too, I've had a boner that won't go down. I think I'm ready to try some more stuff."

"Even with boys you don't know?" asked Mason.

"I think that might make it easier," reasoned Cal. "That way, if I do something stupid, no one will ever have to know. Besides, you're going to be there too, right?"

"Yep."

"So, if things get weird, we can always do stuff together," declared Cal.

That sounded like a great backup plan. Mason stood and offered his hand to Cal and they headed to the Meijer backdoor. Mason was focused on his mission and practically dragged Cal behind him. Cal was still curious and scanned the backyard for stragglers. He saw several boys in the hot tub starting to heat things up on their own. If things didn't work out, he thought, he wouldn't mind jumping in the hot tub to see what he could learn there. He was starting to see the advantages of being gay, at least at his age.

The cool air conditioning sent a shiver down both boys' spines as they walked down the hallway.

The door to the hall bathroom opened, giving both boys a jump-scare. Matthew turned off the bathroom light. "Hey Mason, Cal. What are you two up to?"

The Yard Goat players eyed the high school junior standing in only the towel wrapped around his waist. Mason felt the urge to give the towel a tug but thought better of it. The bulge barely concealed by the towel ignited a curiosity in both the younger boys.

When Mason's brain caught up to process Matthew's question, he simply pointed towards Lukas' door.

"Oh?" asked Matthew a bit surprised. "Go right on in." He stepped aside to let the boys pass.

"Thanks," eked out Mason. He opened the door pulling Cal into the bedroom behind him. Cal craned his neck for one last look at Matthew standing in the hallway shaking his head at the two younger boys and wondered if they knew what they were getting themselves into.

When the door to Lukas' room closed, Matthew opened the door to his room where Jackson stood in his swim trunks. In one hand, Jackson held his bed clothes he would put on after his shower and with the other he was reorganizing his travel bag.

"Your turn," Matthew announced heading to his dresser.

----------------------     

Ronnie and Jack had been flashing furtive glances at each other as they sat next to each other in the hot tub. The way the pair squirmed in their seats it was clear their hands were busy beneath the bubbles. Just as naked, Derek and Skip sat beside them. Derek found Skip very attractive. The young Yard Goat had proven himself on the field, carried himself with an air of confidence that Jack was drawn to. Besides that, Skip was a little hottie in Derek's opinion. Sitting wedged between a squirmy Jack and the relaxed Skip, Derek was in heaven. He was very pleased that he'd been slowing working his hand up Skip's thigh and the boy's only response was to open his legs wider and give Derek a huge smile.

Derek and Skip were watching the other couple in the hot tub, Sam and Gregory. Earlier, Sam convinced Gregory to perch on the side of the hot tube while he put on a short clinic on cock sucking for the younger boys. That is what got Ronnie and Jack going. Now the older boys were lost in their passion as they made out, ignoring their audience.

The younger boys ran ahead of Lewis when they spotted Jack and Derek.

"What are you guys doing?" greeted Sean. The young, naïve boy didn't understand the social graces of the situation. He only spotted his friends and wanted to announce his arrival.

The only person to acknowledge Sean's greeting was Derek. "Shhhhh..." he sounded as he waved to the new arrivals to join them. He motioned for Skip to scoot over. They managed to create enough room for Lewis to sit on the edge of the tub with his legs in the warm water. Sean and Rodrigo stepped into the tub, still in their swim trunks from earlier. Derek could guess why Rodrigo joined them. He had wondered when the tallest, most mature of the posse would come back for more. On the other hand, Derek suspected Sean didn't know what he was getting himself into. He thought it better to let Sean in on "the secret" before he got in over his head. Derek reached out and found the hem of Sean's trunks and pulled him over to help his friend take a seat on his lap.

Sean welcomed the offer and perched on Derek's left knee. Adjusting his position so he could lean back against Lewis' leg, Sean put one hand on Derek's knee and the other... "Brón! (Sorry!)" apologized Sean, forgetting his English. He removed his hand from Derek's naked boner, shocked he'd just had a handful of his friend's privates.

"Don't be," replied Derek. He reached around and untied Sean's trunks. "Is this why you came out here?" He didn't make a further advance on Sean while the boy processed all that had happened so far. While he waited, Derek rested his head on Lewis' thigh. His left hand slipped up between Lewis' legs from below and reached up and over the red-head's thigh. He felt the shiver run through the teen's body.

Sean looked away from Derek and Skip when he caught a glimps of Rodrigo's swimming trunks float by. Turning to see what Rodrigo was doing, he saw the darker complected boy was standing proudly facing Ronnie and Jack as the two seated boys handled his goods. Sean felt a hand on his leg and turned back. His eyes met Skip's. He looked at Derek, but Derek had his eyes closed.

Looking back to Skip, Sean watched as the boy from up north scooted closer. Skip's hands found the untied strings of Sean's swimwear. The hands followed them to the point where the Velcro held the trunks closed. Taking the lack of resistance as permission, Skip pealed the trunks wide open. A quiet gasp escaped Sean's lips when his little boner popped free. The two strawberry blondes smiled at each other.

Carol had excused herself from the men and headed to her room. Some music, tea, and a good book would be the perfect way to end the weekend. The evening air filled her lungs as she stepped through the back door. Taking in the moment, she stood quietly, face tilted towards the sky. She shut her eyes and quieted her thoughts. It had been a long time since she'd been this happy -- since she'd become a single mother. Even a crazy party with dozens of middle schoolers filled her heart with gratitude and joy for her boys, for all the boys, and her dear friends. As her brain filed away the clutter, the quiet chatter of the boys in the hot tub caught her attention.

The outside lights were off, it hadn't gotten dark enough to need them. Only the blue lights from inside the hot tub illuminated the activities of the boys still outside. Carol breathed a sigh of relief. It appeared things in the hot tub were very PG. However, that didn't mean the boys' would condone someone's mother watching. She stayed close to the house and fence as not to draw attention to herself. Approaching the back door, her angle changed and she had a better view of the hot tub activities.

Skip tossed Sean's trunks to the side and the Irish boy slipped onto Skip's lap, head tossed back as he experienced someone stroking his hard cock for the first time. Lewis stood and dropped his shorts. Derek's hand reached up and grabbed the man-sized balls and moved Lewis until he stood on the floor of the hot tub between Derek's knees. Lewis' repositioning revealed Sam bent over the edge of the hot tub and Gregory with his face buried exactly where it would make Sam the happiest. With Ronnie's attention stolen by Gregory and Sam, Rodrigo turned to Jack and pulled the blonde's head to his steely, prepubescent cock. Jack knew just what to do.

Carol kicked herself for not just hurrying into the house. She didn't need to catch the boys in action. She rushed inside and missed catching the screen door before it slammed. The boys in the hot tub snapped out of their sexed-up fog.

"We should move this inside," suggested Gregory. He knew if he left this up to Sam, Sam would probably prefer an audience. Sam had teased him enough about the Fielder's next-door neighbor, Mr. Thompson, watching them.

"Yeah, that's a good idea. But where?" Lewis was disappointed he never got Derek's lips on his cock and was anxious to do so.

The towel cabinet was nearly empty, so the boys had to share to dry off before heading inside. Gregory led them through the backdoor of the Novak home, through the kitchen and into the dark family room. They could see outside, the light pollution cast a glow across the entire yard. The light outside and in the kitchen cast a shadow across the family room. It made it nearly impossible to see what was going on in the room unless you stepped into the room.

Sam and Gregory were holding hands and they didn't need to find one another in the dark. Sam crawled up on the couch and rested his elbows on the back. Gregory slid in behind him and entered the blonde with one single push. The boys moaned in unison. A moment to let Sam get used to the intrusion was all he needed before the rhythmic slapping of skin as the couple made love.

Jack and Skip found each other. Hands found the other's cock as their lips and tongues got acquainted. Bumping into a large armchair, the pair dropped onto the edge of the chair and continued. Drawn to the slurping and moaning, Lewis' cock led him in the direction of the armchair, surprising the younger boys when his erection bounced off Jack's cheek onto Skip's nose. The musk of the older boy hinted of itself through the smell of the hot tub water. Jack grabbed the cock and was impressed by its grith. Sliding his hand to get a better idea of the dimension of the cock presented to them.

"Wow..." whispered Jack. His bottom immediately tingled with excitement.

Skip's hand found its way to the adult-sized erection. The size surprised him. He wished a light was on so he could get a better look. Then Skip's hand was knocked out of the way as Jack began masturbating the teen's cock. A moan encouraged the younger boy to go faster. The bobbing of the cock caused a string of precum to sling up splatting on the corner of Skip's mouth. Reflexively, he licked it up, enjoying the taste. It wasn't much different than Aiden's and that pleased him.

Not knowing who was who in the dark, Lewis reached out and found the head of one of the boys. With a gentle pull, he guided the boy's face to the leaking head of his cock. After a tentative lick, the boy opened his mouth and slipped it over the huge glans. Jack felt Skip's lips bump his hand and released the cock.

"Ah! Yes," hissed Lewis. But this wasn't want he needed tonight. "Who wants fucked?"

"ME!" said Jack, a bit too loud and enthusiastic. "Get it really wet, Skip." Jack sank back into the chair, his head resting against the back. He pulled his knees to his chest and started lubing his ass with spit covered fingers.

Rodrigo unknowingly found Sean. Sean wasn't certain how tall Skip was, but suspected the boy in front of him was taller. The hands on his shoulders encouraged Sean to drop to his knees. The boy's boner rubbed across Sean's face leaving the little Irish boy with a decision. He had an idea of what Derek and Jack did behind closed doors. Tonight, he also followed the others to see it for himself. This wasn't what he expected, but his curiosity got the best of him. He opened his mouth and allowed the tween cock to slip in. The first taste of cock exploded across his taste buds. A pair of hands gripped Sean's head before the phallus began to pump to and fro.

Derek and Ronnie rolled around on a sleeping bag putting their kissing skills to the test. Having this type of fun was something Ronnie wanted more of, but didn't have many opportunities back home. He found this party to be a fantastic opportunity to sample and learn. Spinning around, he threw one knee over Derek and reached down to point his boner in the direction of Derek's face. Both boys slurped up the offered morsel and went to town. Soon, Ronnie was doing all the work at both ends. His body followed its natural instincts. He face-fucked Derek while practicing his best skills on Derek's boy spike.

Their eyes were finally fully adjusted to the dark allowing the boys to make out shapes around the room. It was enough to tell what action was happening and suggest who was in which group.

Skip was excited, and a bit terrified, at what he was about to witness. The large cock that he'd slicked up was being rubbed over and round Jack's winking hole. Jack breathed heavily in anticipation of taking Lewis big dick. He hoped Lewis' rod would prepare him to take the dick in the pic Johann texted him earlier. Jack's worry wasn't about how gentle Lewis would be, but how rough Johann would be since Jack had made Johann wait so long.

While Jack was momentarily distracted by his thoughts, Lewis went for entry. Lewis quickly learned that Jack was not as prepared as Michael was to take Lewis' equipment.

"AAAAGGGHHH!" cried Jack, arching his back and squeezing his eyes shut in agony.

Skip looked on in horror thinking Lewis was murdering Jack right before his eyes. Skip thanked the heavens that he waited, however impatiently, for Aiden to take his bottom virginity. He was also thankful to Aiden for his warnings about who to play with.

"Shhhhhhh!!!!!" admonished Lewis before putting his hand over Jack's mouth to quiet the boy. It hadn't occurred to him to pull out the three inches he'd shoved in.

Gregory grabbed Lewis' arm. "What the fuck are you doing?"

"Fucking!"

"Did you prepare him and lube him up?" asked Gregory.

"Get your hand off his mouth. Are you alright, Jack?" Sam had appeared next to Gregory. Derek, who had to wrestle out from under Ronnie, also scrambled to Jack's side.

"Pull it out," commanded Derek.

Jack was committed to the success of this mission. "NO!" he hissed through clinched teeth. His legs wrapped around Lewis, heels digging into the red head's lower back. "Hold on..." he panted as his bottom adjusted to the biggest thing anyone's ever shoved in it.

Sam understood Jack's determination and admired his courage, however misplaced it might have been. "Here," he said shoving a tube of lube into Lewis' chest. Lewis took it but it was too dark to read the label. "It's lube," Sam added. "If he won't let you take it out, you can still lube up the rest. Next time, learn what the fuck you're doing before you hurt someone else."

Typically, Lewis' shame would have wilted his cock. Jack's tight sleeve wrapped around the end of his erection prevented that from happening. As a matter of fact, Lewis wondered if it would ever go down as long as his glans was encased in such a tight, hot, silky place.

Sam and Gregory went back to the sofa while Skip and Derek stayed by Jack's side. Ronnie had joined them to see what was going on. When he was able to make out the size of the dick stuck in Jack's butt, Ronnie couldn't imagine anything that big going up his butt.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" asked Derek. Jack nodded. "Are you sure?" Jack nodded more emphatically, though he still panted from the burning between his buns.

Derek knew he needed to get Jack's mind off the pain. Jack needed a distraction. "Skip," directed Derek. "Straddle Jack so he can suck you."

Getting sucked again sounded like a great idea, so Skip quickly complied. In all of the commotion, Skip had lost his erection. Jack didn't mind at all. He lapped at Skip's testicles and penis then sucked them all into his mouth causing Ralph "Skip" Emerson to moan loudly and spring back to full length in seconds.

The distraction was doing its job. Jack relaxed and the newly lubricated part of Lewis cock began to slide into Jack. Once Jack noticed the progress, he controlled Lewis' intrusion by applying pressure with his heels. It reminded him of his first time with his uncle John, but this time, he had more control and this time, he wanted it.

Derek took Lewis' hand from the chair's arm, placing it on Jack's boy bits. "If you're gonna play," explained Derek with a tone that made it sound more like a threat, "it's give and take."

This was a first for Lewis, but it doesn't take much for a boy to learn his way around another boy's bits, especially if he is experienced playing with his own. In no time at all, Jack was hard, and Lewis was buried with his red pubs tickling Jack's scrotum.

Where Derek returned to Ronnie, he felt two others join them on the sleeping bags. In the dark, the boys claimed anonymity while knowing if they tried, the boys could identify each other. But it was with that false sense of anonymity that Rodrigo and Sean joined the boys on the floor. It was also the darkness that emboldened Ronnie to feel free to touch the other boys however he wanted, wherever he could reach. When someone thrust a hard cock that rubbed against his cheek, Ronnie turned his head and caught the steely four-incher with his mouth.

A body was stretched across Derek's body, a boner poked him in the chest. With one hand Derek stroked the bodies next to him, with the other he stroked the inside thigh and butt of whoever was on top of him. He eventually grew tired and decided to service the boner inches from his mouth. He maneuvered himself so his head was now in the "v" created by the boy's legs. Derek kissed and licked the inner thighs to his left and right. The boy squirmed and moaned around the boy boner in his mouth. Putting his hands on the boy's hips, Derek tried to get the boy to scoot back so he could get to the neglected boy parts.

Sean, a newbie to all this, misunderstood. Instead, he sat up onto his knees, pressing Derek's face between his boy buns. Derek adjusted his angle before lapping at the boy's tight grommet. An "eeek" told him he'd hit his target surprising the seated boy. A few more licks and the seated boy lowered himself, pressing back against Derek's tongue. Knowing the boy appreciated his work, Derek dug in applying all his skills and experience. The boy above barked a quick "aye" giving away his identity.

Positive Sean had never had an orgasm before, Derek was determined to make tonight his first. When he thought Sean was prepped, he flipped them over, Sean now on his hands and knees next to Ronnie and Rodrigo. Rodrigo mimicked him, suspecting what Derek had in mind. Derek took notice.

With Sean and Ronnie side-by-side, Derek made a show of what he was doing so Rodrigo could follow along. He spat on his hand and lubed up Sean's bottom. "Stick your finger in a bit to push the spit in," he quietly instructed.

Rodrigo watched Derek spit on his hand again, this time to lube up his prick. He then followed Derek's example of lining up and slowly and gently entering the boy in front of them. Short, gentle stabs with pauses in between prompted the presented bottoms to slowly relax and allow entry. Neither Derek or Rodrigo were big enough to cause more than a momentary burning as Sean and Ronnie's bottoms stretched.

Derek reached around and jerked Sean off as he pummeled the once virgin hole. Sean and Ronnie hummed with pleasure.

Carol slipped the bookmark in place and set the novel on the table in her reading nook and turned down the music. Grabbing her wine glass, she headed to the refrigerator to pour another glass of Riesling. She gently opened her bedroom door as not to disturb any boys sleeping in the family room. The moment the door cracked open the sounds you'd hear in a highly profitable brothel pierced the night air. She made her way to the kitchen without any of the boys becoming aware of her presence. She stopped short of opening the fridge, worried it would alert someone. If not for the sound of the opening door, she worried the light and shadows cast would break their illusion of privacy. As a consolation, she grabbed an open bottle of Malbec and returned to her room.

----------------------     

The boys chatted about baseball and the party while they stripped down to their undies and prepared to turn in for the night. This mish mash group of boys were getting to know each other better.

Grant and Riley were the other halves of the Hazen twins who were getting busy in the room next door.

Isaac's boyfriend Jaden was with Gordy's best friend Aiden.

Gordy's girlfriend was back in Mayfield.

Alex's beau was missing in action.

That left Curtis as the last member of the group and the only one not in a relationship.

There were a few times, as clothes hit the floor and bags were shuffled through, that Grant thought someone was going to bring up Josh. He sighed in great relief that Josh's name had been avoided. Alex didn't need to be reminded of or worry about his boyfriend when he was finally in a joyful mood.

The boys settled around Simon's bed getting to know each other. As much fun as the boys were having chatting and joking around, there was a tension in the air that even Gordy could sense. The four boys in the room stranded by their boyfriends were itching to have some fun. The only problem was, Alex, Isaac, and Riley were too modest or nervous to initiate anything. Grant figured that even if he started something, the other two would probably only look at each other and wish they were doing what Grant was doing. Though Grant was not accustomed to leading in these situations, the role would be vacant if he didn't fill the void. He suggested they play Truth or Dare.

Gordy and Curtis chose "truth" when it was their turn. Gordy didn't want to get drawn into anything he didn't want to do, and Curtis was too nervous though he wanted to choose "dare" badly.

Grant was disappointed it took so long to get back to him. After suggesting a silly dare for Isaac the first time he got to pick someone, he was able to finally get things moving in the right direction. "Riley," he called with a huge smile, "truth or dare."

Riley thought for a moment then declared, "Dare."

"Kiss Isaac for two minutes! And I mean make out, and don't try to cop out."

Riley and Isaac glanced at each other and blushed. They both knew there'd be opportunities to get busy with other boys tonight with their boyfriends having other plans. However, Isaac had never done anything with anyone other than Jaden. He was tingling with excitement. Riley wasn't one to initiate things with someone new. He was thrilled with this excuse to kiss the cute boy sitting beside him.

Sitting with their backs against the headboard of the bed, they turned their heads to kiss. Riley closed his eyes and leaned in. Their lips touched before Isaac closed his eyes too.

"120 seconds," announced Grant, watching the two boys settling into a hot make out session. What they didn't know was Grant didn't actually set the timer. Instead, he tossed his phone on top his backpack and turned his attention to the boy his right. Grant gave Alex a seductive smile. Alex didn't need more of an invitation. The boys met in the middle. Being by the end of the bed there was nowhere to go but the middle of the bed. Without missing a beat, they fell into Gordy's lap.

Gordy had plenty of experience watching a party devolve into a make out session (and more). But this happened so fast it surprised even him. Grant and Alex already shoved their hands into each other's underwear and their moans were getting louder.

The moans finally pierced the bubble Riley and Isaac were in. In their fog of lust, the boys looked over to see Grant and Alex were occupied. Assuming the game of Truth or Dare was over, Riley pushed Isaac back onto the mattress and climbed on top to resume kissing.

Curtis looked at the action and noticed how fidgety Gordy was. The boy's tented undies were the clue explaining the straight boy's predicament. Gordy was not even two hours from turning 13. He couldn't help getting a boner watching boys getting busy. His mind started to wander to Aiden and what he might be willing to do if the two of them had a room to themselves. A nudge at his shoulder brought Gordy's attention back to the present.

"I've been wondering if I'm gay, or bi, or something," whispered Curtis into Gordy's ear. "Would it be okay if I helped you with that?"

Both boys looked to where Curtis pointed.

"I just want to give you a blowjob. You don't have to do anything for me."

----------------------     

When Mason and Cal entered Lukas' room and shut the door, the room was candlelit. It took a moment for their eyes to adjust.

"There's no one here," said Cal, wondering if they were in the wrong room. The laughter and chatter from the adults in the dining room grew even louder for a moment.

Mason was positive they were in the correct room. He looked around and from the things in the room, it looked like it should be Lukas room. The awards had his name on it and the photos were of him, Simon, and his brothers. A pair of drumsticks sticking out from under the bed were the final confirmation.

The Yard Goats jumped when the bathroom door behind them opened and the high schoolers stepped out with towels in hand. They'd just finished showering and were drying themselves off in silence when the younger boys walked in.

Seeing the naked boys, Cal felt his heart shift into a higher gear. Mason bumped Cal, drawing Cal's attention. When he looked to see what Mason was doing, Mason had already tossed his swim trunks and towel aside and was as naked as the other boys.

"Come here, Mason," offered Simon. Mason walked over to Simon and reached for his rising erection. The uncut cock seemed to hypnotize Mason as it bobbed with each beat of the older boy's heartbeat. Before his hand met flesh, Simon lifted Mason up. Like a monkey, Mason wrapped his arms and legs around Simon and giggled. His boner smashed against the taller teen's navel. Moments later, the teen's cock was bobbing against Mason's bottom. Mason laid his head on Simon's shoulder and enjoyed the older, bigger boy holding him. Mason cooed when he felt Lukas' body press against his back.

Cal was frozen in place by the scene before him, particularly because he didn't know the four older teens very well, if at all. That didn't stop him from tenting his trunks.

Craig and Oliver looked at each other before Craig waved Cal over to sit on the edge of the bed between them. Cal walked over but didn't take a seat. He realized his swim trunks were the only piece of clothing any of the boys in the room had on. He just couldn't get his hands to overcome his sudden shyness.

"Are you sure you're in the right place?" asked Oliver.

Cal nodded. "Yeah," he whispered, "I just haven't done much of this before."

Craig reached out and pulled the string, untying Cal's swim trunks. Cal looked down to watch. "No one here will make you do anything you don't want to do," explained Craig to the cute baseball player. The idea of Cal joining in the fun caused Craig to bone up quickly after emerging from the bathroom. The idea of undressing Cal made Craig's boner throb and leak. He gripped the waistband of Cal's trunks, preparing to open the Velcro of the fly and expose the upward pointing erection to the East Harbor boys. Cal also watched with anticipation. "Is this alright?" asked Craig.

In a raspy voice laced with sexual tension, Cal answered, "Yeah."

Craig pulled Cal's fly open and the standing boy's cock dropped out and bobbed up and down before stopping just above being parallel to the floor. When Craig let go, the trunks pooled around Cal's ankles before Cal kicked them aside.

The older teens moved Cal to the edge of the bed and pushed him back. Cal fell and bounced on the mattress. Smiling, he propped himself on his elbows to see what was next.

Craig pulled Cal's knees apart to make room for himself. Leaning in, Craig slurped one of Cal's balls into his mouth.

"Oh, shit," groaned Cal. He let his head drop back and closed his eyes while he enjoyed Craig's skills. The moaning coming from the other end of the bed interested Cal, but it wasn't enough to shake him from his haze of pleasure.

Something dripped onto Cal's nose and upper lip. Instinctively, he licked it up and studied the taste of the viscous fluid. It was only then he questioned what he'd just ingested. Cal opened his eyes and saw Oliver's uncut cock hovering over his face. Oliver continued to draw his foreskin back-and-forth over his glans.

"Open up," suggested Oliver.

Cal continued to watch and slowly opened his mouth. The cock above him flexed before Oliver squeezed it from the base to release a large glob of precum. Gravity stretched the liquid into a string reaching for the Earth. Cal's mouth, however, intercepted the precious drop. Cal used his tongue to help catch the pearl and savory its taste. Seeing Cal's reaction, Oliver retracted his foreskin and rubbed the extra precum on Cal's lips. Cal licked that up too, his tongue sliding along the underside of the head of Oliver's cock. Unconsciously, after Cal cleaned his lips, he started to clean around Oliver's glans and then searched for more precum under the foreskin. It was even easier to work his tongue under the foreskin after Oliver slipped the first couple inches of his cock into Cal's mouth.

Cal's body jerked and shuddered when Craig took Cal's manhood to the root in one fell swoop. Cal confirmed to himself that he wasn't interested in dating a guy, but gay guys sure knew how to have fun, and the night was young.

----------------------     

Matthew and Jackson showered and prepared for sleep before crawling into bed to watch TV until they drifted off. The air conditioning felt cool after the hot showers. In only boxers, the teens were chilled, and a sheet and light blanket were pulled up.

After some back and forth, the guys settled on watching "The Babadook." The horror movie captured their full attention. They remained silent throughout while the movie drowned out the sounds from Lukas' bedroom next door. Once the movie ended, the teens talked about the movie enthusiastically until they were tired and settled in to sleep.

Matthew and Jackson were lying on their right sides, Matthew against the wall which was his preferred side of the bed when someone slept with him. He turned off the TV removing the mask hiding the sounds of bodies slapping and boys moaning. The upperclassmen translated muffled encouragements as "fuck that ass" and "blow that load". The cause had its effect. Matthew and Jackson both needed to get off as a necessity for peaceful sleep.

Without picking his head up off his pillow or turning over to face Matthew, Jackson asked, "So...uh...have you ever messed around with other guys?"

Noncommittally, Matthew answered, "Sorta."

"Your brothers?"

"Who," stated Matthew, "is no one's business."

Jackson scooted back closer to Matthew. His breathing and heart rate accelerated. He wondered what the hell he was doing. He was straight but knew how to have fun with other horny guys, including his brother Trent. But this was different. He wanted Matthew. He was lusting after Matthew and his cut, athletic physique. It seemed totally gay, and it was something he'd never felt before. Pushing his hips back again, his ass bumped into Matthew.

"Careful," Matthew warned.

Jackson didn't believe it. He reached back asking, "Is that you...?" His hand replaced his butt against Matthew. He traced his hand to the end then down the other directions until he felt Matthew's balls. "Holy shit."

"Go ahead, if you want. But I don't suck cock. Not that I have anything against it, it's just not my thing."

Jackson turned over and sat up on his hip. He pulled the covers back to look at Matthew's body. Wanting more light, he reached over Matthew and grabbed the remote from the cubby of the bed's headboard. The TV now supplied plenty of light to admire the younger teen's body and the log hanging all the way across Matthew's right hip. Using his eyes wasn't enough for Jackson. He used his hands to take in the powerful pecs, the ripples of Matthew's six-pack, and eventually, all that was hidden by the boxers.

Matthew helped by lifting his hips, but all Jackson noticed was the large cock being revealed as he pulled the boxers free. Without averting his eyes, Jackson took his boxers off too. Pausing for a moment, Jackson decided his next move. Taking Mattew's boner in his left hand, Jackson leaned down and buried his face into Matthew crotch.

The oral ministrations of the teen had its effects on Matthew and his libido. "Not bad," he groaned. He wondered if Jackson was a little farther to the gay side of the scale than Jackson had realized. Jackson worked Matthew's rod with his mouth and one hand, his other hand worked his own erection.

Jackson was doing an admirable job, but Matthew wanted more. He reached behind his head and tossed a tube of lube that bounced against Jackson's knee.

The cold plastic drew Jackson's attention. He stared at it until his slowing actions drew to a stop. He picked up the lube and knew what to do next. When he finished with the lube, he straddled Matthew and leaned forward to put the lube back in the cubby. Matthew traced his hand up from Jackson's hips to the teen's armpits and back down to his waist. Jackson froze, enjoying the touch of Matthew's hands.

Matthew continued the caresses until Jackson took the next step. Lining things up, he confessed, "I don't think I can take this."

"You don't have to, if you don't want to."

Jackson sat back and felt the pressure of the extra-large glans.

Matthew grabbed Jackson's wrist below the hand he had used to apply the lube. Matthew pulled it to Jackson's cock, "Jack off while you do this."

Jackson closed his eyes and masturbated while rocking and gyrating his hips perched on top of Matthew's cock. The pleasure of his lubed hand and the massaging of this anus relaxed the teen and eventually allowed Matthew entrance.

The stretching of his ass turned Jackson on even more. He pumped his fist faster as he worked his hips and slid farther and farther down Matthew's pole. With about three inches left, Jackson's orgasm overtook his body. Spewing stream after stream of teen cum across Matthew's torso, Jackson jerked and shook though an extremely intense orgasm -- one that made him see stars and nearly blackout. Coming too, Jackson was resting fully on Matthew's lap and still erect.

"Fuck," moaned Jackson. "That was incredible."

"Good," said Matthew with a smirk. "Now it's my turn to get off."

----------------------     

The laptop woke and began playing the song cued up for the alarm. The boy was groggy but was eventually able to focus on the song and his purpose. Apple Music played an At the Majestic hit song. Michael's voice was singing "Then you found me, Yeah, you found me!" The mute button quickly silenced the computer. Hoping without hope, he checked to see if his dad had plugged in the cable modem. Opening the settings, he could only see the neighbors locked Wi-Fi connections. He shut the laptop, sinking the room into darkness. Josh's heart raced thinking of the consequences if he were caught completing the task at hand.

Crawling out of bed as quietly as he could, he wondered if his phone would even work after his father had smashed it. He knew this would be his one and only chance. He had to make the most of it then hide all the evidence. There were only two people in the world he loved and trusted completely. One was trapped with him, the other was a text away.

In preparation for this night, he learned that it was impossible to climb the staircase without it creaking or squeaking. After much thought, he decided to take a chance. He slid down the banister to avoid the stairs. That way he only had to chance waking his father once on the way back up. If that happened, he hoped his father would buy a story about getting something to drink.

On the ground floor of the house, he needed to make his way to the utility drawer in the kitchen where his father had collected phones and chargers. The last he'd seen of his phone had been his father throwing it across the room. Josh had left the phone on the couch and ran to the bathroom when he got a text message. His father had seen the phone wake and the lock screen image of him holding Alex closer than a friend would hold another male friend. He had heard the screen shatter before his father turned his anger toward him. He prayed the phone would work well enough for him to get help.

Thick socks muffled his steps across the tile of the front room. When he turned the corner to the last room he had to traverse to get to the kitchen, he found the TV on. His father's elbow could be seen to the left of the chairback warning Josh his father was in his armchair facing the TV, but he couldn't tell if his dad was awake or asleep.

If only he knew how his mother was. He hadn't seen her in two days. All his dad would say was his mom was staying in bed because she didn't feel well. He'd tried to check, but the bedroom door was locked. If he knew for sure, the situation wouldn't seem so dire. Fearing the worst, he was determined to get a text sent tonight.

He crept up to the back of the recliner to ensure his dad couldn't see him. Peering over the back of the chair, he investigated the scene. He wanted to sigh in relief but feared alerting his father to his presence. Then he spied a cigarette in the ashtray. The length of the cigarette burned to ash traced the way to the smoldering tip of the filter. His father hated wasting a cigarette. This was the evidence he needed to feel safe to sneak past his father to the kitchen.

The kitchen drawer was just inside the entrance to the kitchen. He watched his father while slowly opening the drawer. Leaving the drawer open, he grabbed the phone and charger and headed quickly to the pantry. Closing the door carefully, he tried to turn the phone on. The Apple symbol lit up then changed to the dying battery symbol before the battery died. He turned the pantry light on and found the outlet to charge his phone. The pantry light was switched off and Josh sat on the floor waiting for the phone to charge enough to text Alex.

Josh almost fell asleep waiting, but finally the phone was up and running, despite the state of the screen's glass. He immediately silenced the phone when all of Alex's text messages came flooding in. He wanted to read them, but he knew he didn't have time. He opened Message and quickly tapped out:

JOSH: Help
JOSH: Dad got out of jail and came home
JOSH: Moms bedroom door locked
JOSH: Not seen her in days
JOSH: We need help!!!!
JOSH: Love u miss u

Time to cover up the evidence. Josh pulled out the SIM card to ensure the phone couldn't receive a text message giving up the fact of the message he'd sent. Then he deleted his text conversation with Josh to ensure his dad didn't see what he'd typed. Now that he'd charged the phone even a little, it was possible for his dad to turn the thing on. He unplugged the charger and turned the phone off before leaving the pantry. Peeking into the living room, his dad was still asleep making it safe for Josh to cross the kitchen, put the phone and charger back in the drawer, and shut the drawer.

The tension flowed from Josh's body. He feared his father would kill him if he knew what he was up to. At least now, he'd only be severely beaten, and he'd been there plenty of times. With the same care as his trip to the kitchen, Josh started his journey through the family room and past his father.

A hand snatched Josh's arm and yanked the boy back. Instantly his father's angry face was inches from his own. "What the fuck are you doing down here!"