Date: Fri, 27 Jul 2012 00:50:24 -0400 (EDT)
From: ErastesTouch@aol.com
Subject: A Throw Away Kid, chapter 5

Throw Away Kid - by Erastes
Copyright 20120 by Erastes
Chapter 5 – A Perceived Threat.

Bryce's first night, after being removed from his last foster home, was
spent as a guest of an older, unmarried woman who worked for DSS,
and that was a trip in itself.  The department wasn't prepared to find
homes for the children so quickly, since none of them had been privy to
the auditors' investigation until after the improprieties were exposed
and those involved were arrested.  Due to this fact, temporary
placements were needed until more suitable accommodations could be
arranged, so members of the department were asked to volunteer to
house a child until a proper home could be found.

Bryce's host was a twenty-year veteran of the department and had
never been married.  She lived alone and everything had its place, so the
apartment was in showroom condition.  Bryce was almost afraid to
move, let alone sit anywhere or touch anything.  She told him to make
himself comfortable, but he was too nervous about doing something
wrong.  She turned on the television, gave him the remote and told him
to find something that would interest him, while she went out to fix
dinner.  He thanked her and surfed the channels until he finally found a
program that looked interesting.  He then sat quietly and watched it,
until she called him out to eat.

Dinner was another unique experience for Bryce.  He had eaten at a lot
of different foster homes prior to this and had consumed many different
types of foods, but this was something the likes of which he had never
seen before.  It started out ok, with a lettuce salad, but it had cucumbers
and some stringy stuff in it too, and then she put a very bland dressing
over it.  After he finished that, she gave him some kind of burger, but it
certainly didn't taste like a hamburger.  It was more like cardboard and
she told him it was a veggie-burger, but he was so hungry that he put it
on a roll, smothered it in ketchup and ate it anyway.  She also gave him
some cottage cheese, which wasn't his favorite food, but she also gave
him sliced peaches to go with it, which made it go down a little easier.

The meal had been strange enough, but the drink she gave him topped
all of that.  It was some kind of vegetable juice, and he thought it tasted
like carrots, but he wasn't sure.  After a couple of swallows, he asked
for water instead, so she got up to get it for him.  She tried to explain
that the juice was better for him, but Bryce didn't care.  He just wanted
something he could swallow.  It quickly became clear to him that she
never spent much time around children and he discovered later that she
was a secretary in the office and not someone that ever dealt with the
foster kids.

After dinner, he helped her clear off the table and washed the dishes,
which was his suggestion, and then she offered to take him out for a
frozen yogurt.  He wasn't sure what that was, so she told him it was like
ice cream, and that made him think it was a good idea.  Actually, it
wasn't bad, especially after the meal, so it turned out to be a pleasant
ending to a dinner he'd rather forget about.  Now, he began to hope that
they'd find him a new home soon.

Bryce and his host took their time eating their dessert, but they also
talked and ate at the same time.  She was nice to him, even though she
ate strange foods, and after they got back to her place, she let him watch
the television again, while she did some chores around the apartment.
When it came time to go to sleep, she made up the sofa for him and he
spent the evening there.  It wasn't that bad and Bryce actually thought
the sofa was quite comfortable.  The only problem was that he was out
in the open and afraid that the woman would see him in his underwear,
if the blankets slipped off of his body during the night.  This caused him
to keep waking up, so he only dozed off for short periods at a time, until
he finally got up and got dressed again.  Then, he fell asleep for good.

The next morning, the woman woke him up to get ready for the day,
because he had to go in to work with her, since she had no place to leave
him.  She fixed him eggs beaters and wheat toast for breakfast, and then
she gave him a chance to wash up and change.  When they were both
ready, he rode with her to the office.  He would stay there until they
found him a home or until she got out of work, so the two of them ended
up returning to her apartment later.

It tended to be a long day for Bryce, because there wasn't much for him
to do, but one of the other kids was also there, since her host worked in
the same office.  The two of them talked, drew pictures and explored as
much as their new surroundings as they could, but the best part of the
day was when one of the younger guys who worked there took them out
for lunch – to a Taco Bell.  It certainly beat the food Bryce had eaten the
previous evening for dinner and he was more than ready for the change.
He ate as much as he could, since he wasn't sure what dinner would be
like, and then they returned to the office for the rest of the day.   He did
get some good news when he got back, however, because he was told
that he would be able to go to his new foster home the following day.  He
couldn't go there tonight though, because the family already had other
plans, so he'd have to stay with the same lady for another night.  She'd
take him to his new home the following afternoon, when the other kids
were returning home from school.  That sounded acceptable to him.

When the workday was over, the woman led him out to her car and
asked if he'd like pizza tonight.  She told him she was doing this because
she realized he hadn't cared for the previous night's meal and explained
that she really hadn't been prepared to have a visitor, grocery-wise that
is.  After he told her pizza would be fine, she asked him what he wanted
on his pizza and he told her.  On the way home, they stopped and picked
up a half-pepperoni and half-Hawaiian pizza, so they could each have
what they wanted.  She also picked up a couple of cans of soda for him,
plus she also bought a small bottle of Thousand Island salad dressing he
could use.  When they got back to her place, she made two salads, while
he set the table, and then they had pizza and salad, which was much
better than his previous meal there.  The rest of the night was basically
a repeat of the previous evening, except this time he went to bed with his
clothes on right from the start.

The next day he went back into work with her, but the other kid wasn't
there this time.  Either her family was able to take her last night or the
person she was with temporarily had stayed home for the day.  When
lunchtime came, Bryce went out with the same young guy again, but this
time they went to a Wendy's.  A short time after they got back, Bryce
was taken to his new foster home.  His new foster mother had agreed to
let him come a little earlier, so he could get settled in and become
familiar with the layout of the house, before the others got there.  This
way, she'd also be able to spend some time alone with each other, so she
could learn about him too.

Bryce was just happy that he didn't have to spend any more time at the
boring office, so he looked forward to this trip.  They had loaded the few
things he had to take with him into the car that morning, so they merely
got into her car, so the woman could drive him to his next foster home.
Bryce thought they had pulled into the wrong place when they first
arrived, because this house was much nicer than the other homes he had
stayed at, but it was by no means fancy.  He and the woman carried his
things to the door and she rang the bell.  They then waited for his new
foster mother to answer it.

The woman that came to the door was not quite what Bryce was
expecting either, since she was much younger than he had anticipated.
She was probably in her late 30's or early 40's, and was fairly good
looking.  After opening the door, she welcomed them to her home and
invited them inside.  Then, she led them to the living room, where they
sat down to chat.

She not only welcomed Bryce into her family, but she also thanked the
woman he'd been staying with for bringing him, and then she asked him
some questions about himself.  Even though she seemed nice enough,
Bryce was still reluctant to share too much information with her, at
least not yet.  He had learned early on that some things could be used
against him later, but chances were he wouldn't be here long enough for
it to make a difference.  Regardless, he gave her only a limited and very
carefully selected information, and the woman seemed disappointed
that he wasn't willing to share more about himself with her.  After a
short stay, the other woman excused herself, by saying that she had to
get back to the office, and this left Bryce alone with his new foster
mother.

Once they were alone, she showed him around the house.  It was a nice
home and everything looked to be in pretty decent shape, and it wasn't
quite as old as some of the other places he had stayed.  Bryce was
beginning to think this place might not be too bad, because the woman
and the house were both quite nice, so now he just had to meet her two
sons and husband.  Then, he'd be able to determine if he thought he'd
be able to survive here.

The boys came home from school about an hour later and Bryce's foster
mother introduced them to each other.  The boys were both slightly
older than him, one about a year and a half older, while the older boy
was probably two and a half years older than him.  As it turned out,
Johnny was twelve and Tommy was thirteen, but after they said 'hi' to
Bryce, they asked him if he wanted to go with them to meet up with
their friends.  Bryce was shocked that they had asked him so quickly,
but he agreed to their proposal, so the three boys took off to go to this
other kid's house.

On the way there, the boys asked him the typical questions, such as how
old he was, what grade he was in, and why he was in foster care.  After
he answered all of their questions, they told him that he'd like it here,
and then they introduced him a bunch of other boys when they got to
where they were going.  Everyone seemed friendly enough, and it
turned out that they were planning to play basketball.  Bryce wasn't
very good at the sport, but he wasn't terrible either.  He could play well
enough so the others wouldn't complain or pick on him, so he was
looking forward to being part of the action.  The game was fun and
Bryce did play well enough to get by, and then the other boys told him
that he could join them from now on, whenever they were going to play.
This made him feel as if he was part of the group now, and it seemed to
please his new foster brothers too.  On the way back to his new home,
the boys joked about many topics and they talked about different things
that had happened during the game.

When they got to the house, they were told to wash up for dinner, so
they went upstairs to clean up.  When they heard the boys' father pull
into the driveway, they came back downstairs.  When the boys all went
into the living room, Johnny, the younger boy, took Bryce over and
introduced him to his father.  The man just gave Bryce a cold stare and
didn't say a word to him, which sent cold chills down Bryce's spine.
Everyone had been so nice and everything had gone so well up until
then that Bryce had big expectations for this place, so he hoped this was
only a temporary condition.

Tommy, the older brother, told him later that his dad was the manager
of the local Target Department Store and that he worked long hours, so
sometimes he wasn't in a very good mood when he got home.  Hearing
this, Bryce figured the man was just tired, had a bad day or maybe
something bad had happened at work that either distracted or upset
him.  For those reasons, he didn't give his initial meeting too much
weight and they all went into the dining room to sit down and eat.

Everyone had their normal place at the table, with the mother and
father at the ends and Johnny and Tommy on either side.  Another
chair had been added to the same side as Johnny's chair, so Bryce sat
between Johnny and his mother.  All during the meal, Bryce noticed
that their father kept staring at him and scowling, so Bryce made sure
he didn't say anything or eat very much.  He was beginning to think this
was more than just a bad day at work for the guy, so Bryce wanted to
try to make sure that he didn't make the situation any worse than it
already was by doing something wrong.

Bryce was beginning to feel as if he had accomplished his goal, as they
finished eating and got ready to leave the table, when his foster father
announced that if he was going to live in his house, he'd have to do some
work to earn his keep.  Bryce was told that he would be doing the dishes
after each meal, and then the father told Johnny and Tommy to show
Bryce exactly what this meant.  The boys weren't about to question him
and seemed very intimidated by their dad, so while their mother and
father went into the other room, Johnny and Tommy showed Bryce how
he was expected to do the dishes.  There was no dishwasher here, so
everything was washed by hand, and the other two showed him where
things went and how he was supposed to do things.  Then, they helped
him do the dishes that night.

While they were washing and drying everything, Tommy told Bryce
that his dad wasn't really that bad, it's just that he didn't want to take
in foster children.  He only agreed to it because his wife loved children
and always wanted more than just her two sons, so the boys figured it
was what this fuss was all about.   The boys told Bryce that their dad
would probably mellow out after a couple of days, so he just had to do
what he was told until that happened and then everything would be fine.
Bryce agreed and told them he'd had to do chores at most of his other
foster homes too, so it wasn't all that bad.  He also told the other boys
that he'd be fine and they didn't have to worry about him, but the pair
still seemed upset about the way their father had treated Bryce.

After they finished doing the dishes, the older pair suggested they go
outside and stay out of the way until bedtime.  Bryce figured they
probably knew best, so he did as they suggested.  They played a little,
but spent most of their time talking about different things, as the boys
explained to him about their parents, the school he'd be going to and the
teachers he might have.  Just as it started to get dark, their mother
called them in and told them it was time to get ready for bed.

While Tommy was showering, his mother was getting Bryce settled into
Johnny's room with him.  Things were going fine and they were almost
done, when their father came upstairs and announced that Johnny
wasn't going to give up any of his room to a stranger.  This sent the
parents into an argument, because their mother disagreed with her
husband and told him there was no other place for Bryce to stay.
That's when he told her there was, so Bryce ended up spending the
night in what was an oversized spare closet that opened up off of the
hallway.  It was a windowless room, about half as wide as it was long,
but it was clean and not too spooky.  There was a single light in the
ceiling, with a pull string to turn it on with, and there were bars to hang
clothes lining both walls, with shelves above them.  The father soon
brought out a cot and set it up in there, so the mother stopped arguing
and went to get sheets, blankets and a pillow to make Bryce
comfortable.

The father then went back downstairs, as his wife made up the bed, and
she told Bryce she was sorry about this, but that things would change
eventually.  Johnny even sneaked over after his mother had left, xo he
could tell Bryce that he didn't mind if he shared his room, but he didn't
dare go against his father.  He said he didn't know why his father was
acting this way, but it was probably only temporary.  Bryce told him not
to worry about it and added that he'd be fine, so Johnny shouldn't
worry about him.  Hesitantly, Johnny went back to his own room and
the boys could hear their parents yelling at each other downstairs.  At
one point, they heard their mother tell their father how rude and
childish he was acting, and then their father screamed back that it was
his house and he'd make whatever decisions he felt appropriate.  Then,
he announced that she could leave if she didn't like how he did things.
After that it quieted down, since their mother knew that she wouldn't
convince her husband otherwise, at least not in his current state.

Bryce went to lie on the cot, after closing the door to the small room
behind him, and then he spent the next hour thinking about what this
new place was going to be like.  It had started out so well and he thought
he was going to be very happy here, but now the person that would have
meant the most to him had let him know that he wasn't wanted and
relegated him to a small dark cell.  As Bryce thought about this
rejection, especially by another man, the tears began to form in the
corners of his eyes and would eventually trickle down his cheeks, as
soon as gravity managed to gain a hold on them.  As the tears rolled
down Bryce's face and dropped onto his pillow and sheet, he relived the
pain of being rejected all over again, while also rehashing each of his
previous rejections in his mind.  Eventually, he fell asleep, thus
mercifully ending his torment.

Bryce woke up after he heard a knock on his door, so he opened it and
discovered that it was Tommy coming to tell him he had to hurry down
to breakfast.  Bryce kind of took his time though, figuring he'd rather
miss eating than run into his foster father again, but their father had
already gone to work by the time he reached the table.  His foster
mother gave him a sympathetic look when he came in, and then she
brought him over some breakfast.  It was a small stack of pancakes,
covered in butter and syrup, accompanied by a couple of link sausages.
Bryce hesitated for a moment, since he was unsure if he should eat it, so
she placed her hand on his shoulder and tried to comfort him.

"It's all right, dear, go ahead and eat," she told him.  "Everything will
be just fine.  I know things didn't start out very well for you, but they'll
get better.  I know they will."

Bryce merely looked up at her, but didn't say a word.  As much as he
might have wished to unburden his soul, he just couldn't.  He had
already begun to pull back within himself, so he didn't think he could
trust any adult right now.  She sensed his despair and attempted to
reassure him.

"He's not really like that," she whispered, soothingly.  "He's normally a
very sweet guy, so I guess it's my fault for forcing him into this.  He
didn't want to do it, but I made him.  He had a rough childhood and
grew up with almost nothing, sometimes even going without a meal here
and there.  That's why he's worked so hard to make something of
himself, so that neither he nor his family would ever have to go through
something like that again.  He also promised himself that his children
would never have to go without, and he sees you as a threat to keeping
his promise.  He thinks you're taking food away from them and forcing
them out of their rooms, but you're not.  He'll get over it eventually, just
don't let it get to you in the meantime."

Bryce still didn't say anything and just sat there.  Finally, his foster
mother couldn't take the silence or his inaction any longer, so she began
to cut up his food and feed it to him.  At first, Bryce wouldn't open his
mouth, because he was still bitter at how he had been treated, but after
a few failed attempts, she finally got him to open up and take a bite.  It
may have been due to her persistence or the fact that his hunger won
out, but she managed to get a few more forkfuls into him, before she
was able to convince him to feed the rest of the meal to himself.

After he finished everything on his plate, Bryce began to pick up his
dishes and take them out to the kitchen to wash.  His foster mother
stopped him and told him that she do all of that, and then she sent him
back upstairs to get cleaned up and dressed for school.  She also
informed him that she'd be taking him to school this morning, so she
could enroll him.

Since Bryce wasn't moving all that quickly on his own, Tommy took
him by the hand and led him upstairs.  He then took him to the
bathroom, started a bath for him and helped him undress when he
didn't do it by himself.  Actually, Tommy ended up giving Bryce his
bath, as he was a bit out of it at the time and lost in his own thoughts.  A
short time later, Tommy helped him get out of the tub and dried him
off.  After his bath was finished, Tommy led him down to his room, if
you could call it that, picked out something for Bryce to wear and then
helped him get dressed.  Bryce was a little more cooperative with this
effort, once he realized Tommy actually seemed to care about him and
was really trying to help.  Tommy left Bryce sitting on his bed while he
went to finish getting ready himself, and then he and Johnny led Bryce
back downstairs, to let their mother know they were ready to go.

The three boys all sat in the back seat as they rode to school, with Bryce
in the middle, and both boys kept telling him that everything would be
all right and he'd like the school.  It was a middle school, so all three
would be in the same building, and the older boys went off to their own
classrooms, while their mother took Bryce to the office so she could
enroll him.  It took about 45 minutes before everything was completed
and then he was led to his classroom and introduced to his teacher.

Bryce didn't say much and was very quiet all day long, which caused
some of the kids to think there was something wrong with him, but at
this point Bryce wasn't sure if he cared.  He managed to make it
through the day and his foster brothers came to get him when it was
over, so he wouldn't miss the bus.  Bryce sat with them on the ride home
and the boys he had played basketball with the previous afternoon tried
to talk to him.  Unfortunately, he wouldn't respond to them, so his
foster brothers told the others that he wasn't feeling well and they let it
go at that.  When they got home, the boys all went upstairs to change,
and then Johnny and Tommy tried to talk Bryce into coming outside to
play with them again.  This time, Bryce refused and went to his room.
He stayed there until it was time to eat, but then he was conflicted as to
whether he should go down to join them.

When he was called to come down to eat, he was tempted to just stay in
his room instead.  Then he began to think that he'd get into trouble by
not coming down or if he came down late, so he made his way
downstairs and took his seat at the table.  When the food was passed, he
only took a very small spoonful of everything, because he didn't want
his foster father to think he was taking food away from his own
children.  The other three looked hurt when they realized what he was
doing and understood why.  They wanted to make him take more or tell
him it was ok to eat normally, but no one wanted to say anything in
front of their father, fearing it might set him off.  Bryce ate barely
enough to keep a mouse alive, and when everyone was done eating, he
took all of the dishes out to the kitchen, where he washed and dried
them.  When he finished doing that, he went up to his room, shut the
door and lay on the cot.  He didn't want to risk doing anything else
wrong.

Bryce didn't know how long he had been in his room when Johnny
knocked on his door and opened it enough to stick his head in.  He then
asked if he could come in and Bryce nodded his approval.  After Johnny
entered, he went over and sat down on the cot, beside Bryce.

"Come on, cheer up," he told him.  "All of us feel bad that you're really
unhappy now.  The rest of us like you and we want you here, so don't let
my dad get to you.  Ok?"

Bryce turned his head and looked at Johnny, which allowed him to see
the sincerity in Johnny's eyes.  He wanted to answer him, but nothing
came out when he opened his mouth.  He wanted to thank him for
caring, but he didn't know what to say or how to say it.  Johnny
couldn't stand the silence any longer, so he began to speak again.

"Please, Bryce, you can't just stay in here all of the time," he pleaded.
"I want you to come in and stay with me in my room, until it's time to
go to sleep, and then you can come back in here."

Bryce surprised even himself by answering.

"No!  Your dad wouldn't like that," he nearly shouted.

"He wouldn't mind if you just played in my room with me," Johnny
reasoned, "especially since I asked you to.  He's just acting really weird
now, but he'll get over it."

"I still don't know if I should," Bryce reiterated.

"Come on.  I'll get Tommy and the three of us can do something in
there," Johnny told him, as he grabbed Bryce by the hand and
attempted to drag him across the hall.

As soon as he'd pulled Bryce out of his tiny room, Johnny ran into
Tommy's room to get him.  Soon, the three of them were together and
they closed Johnny's door.  After both boys tried to tell Bryce that they
wanted him to do things after school with them tomorrow, they
mentioned that all of their friends had asked about him too.  They told
him that they covered for him by saying that he had an upset stomach,
but everyone wanted him to be there tomorrow.  This made Bryce feel a
little better, and he started to loosen up a bit, and then the boys talked
about what they could do, finally choosing to play a game of Uno.

The three of them had a good time playing together and Bryce began to
relax a bit and enjoy himself.  They were laughing and joking every
time they skipped one of the others or made him draw cards, and Bryce
was even beginning to think he could survive here, as long as the others
wanted him here.  He could ignore their father and stay clear of him,
and that room wasn't so bad, just a little small.  When their mother
came upstairs to tell them it was time for bed, she was happy to see that
Bryce was with her sons and having a good time.  She even gave him a
hug, kissed him on the forehead and told him goodnight.  The three of
them went off to bed, with Bryce feeling better than he had the previous
evening.

Things remained like this until the weekend, when their foster father
was home for the entire time.  The minute Bryce came down for
breakfast on Saturday morning, his foster father told him that another
of his jobs would be to cut the grass and he told Tommy to show him
how to operate the lawnmower.  Tommy began to argue with his father,
telling him that was his job, but his father became very loud and
forceful, telling him that it was now Bryce's job and he would be able to
have more free time.  Tommy continued to argue with his father and
tried to explain he wasn't being fair to Bryce, but he stopped his protest
when his father became even angrier and began to scream at him.

When that happened, Tommy took Bryce outside, showed him where
everything was kept and began to instruct him on how to start and care
for the lawnmower.  When Tommy finished telling Bryce everything
that he would need to know, he began to apologize for what his father
was doing.  Bryce told him it was ok, and that he understood, and then
he started mowing the lawn.  It took him nearly two hours to finish the
entire yard, and when his foster father came out, he told him that he
wanted him to rake up the clippings, sweep the residue off the driveway
and sidewalks, and then he was to bag everything and set it out by the
curb.  Once again, Bryce did as he was told and it took him another two
hours to complete those tasks, not including the short lunch break he
took in between.  He wasn't called in to eat until the others had finished,
so he ate alone.  He could see Johnny, Tommy and his foster mother
were looking very sad about the way he was being treated, but none of
them dared to stand up to his foster father and tell him he was wrong.
Bryce finished his meal quickly and then went outside to finish up the
rest of his chores.

When he had completed all of the work, Johnny and Tommy came out
to get him and go off to one of their friends' homes.  Bryce wasn't sure if
they had permission to take him or not, and he wasn't convinced he
should leave without getting his foster father's permission, but both
boys insisted and dragged him off with them.  When they arrived at the
other boy's house, there were a bunch of other boys there too, and soon
they were picking up teams to play ball.  Bryce had a wonderful time
that afternoon and was able to be a boy and have some fun again, but
soon it was time for them to go home.  The other boys all said goodbye
and told him he could join them whenever Johnny and Tommy did, and
Bryce thanked them for their offer.

On the way home, the three boys talked about a great many things,
including how unfair the other two thought he was being treated.  Bryce
told them not to worry about it and he was happy that they were nice to
him and wanted to include him in the things they did.  Then Bryce
asked if they'd told their friends about what was going on.  After some
awkward glances between each other, the other pair admitted that
they'd told the others a little bit about it, but Bryce wasn't angry or
anything.  He just asked if they could keep this stuff just between
themselves in the future, since he didn't want everyone else to know
what types of things were happening to him.  The boys agreed, and they
walked the rest of the way home in silence.

It was nearly dinnertime when they arrived and they were told to clean
up and get ready to eat.  The boys did as they were told and shared the
bathroom to do this.  When they went back downstairs, the meal wasn't
quite ready, so they went in to watch television until they were called.
Finally, they were summoned to the table, so they went out and took
their places at the table.  Bryce was very careful again about how much
food he took when the dishes were passed, and at one point his foster
mother added a little extra to his plate, since she knew a growing boy
needed more than what he had on his plate to survive.  Bryce smiled at
her and said 'thank you' in a soft whisper and she smiled back, to
acknowledge his good manners.

Hardly anyone spoke throughout the entire meal, and just before
everyone had finished, his foster father announced that he and his wife
would be going out for the evening and the three boys would be staying
home alone.  He made it a point to tell Bryce that Tommy was in charge
and that he was to do whatever Tommy told him, or else he'd face the
consequence for it tomorrow.  Bryce let him know that he understood,
and his foster father glared at him for a few seconds, before he let it
drop.

Later, after their parents had finished getting ready and driven away,
the boys were finally on their own.  Bryce wasn't sure how Tommy was
going to act, seeing he was in charge, but he soon discovered that he
didn't have anything to worry about, since Tommy was just his normal
fun loving self.  The boys did things downstairs together, like playing
with some of the toys or watching television, and then they decided to go
upstairs for the rest of the evening.  They all went to Tommy's room,
and it was the first time Bryce had ever been in there.  It was about the
same as Johnny's room, only slightly larger, and he had some nice
things decorating the walls and other surfaces.   It was certainly nicer
than Bryce's room, but Bryce wasn't about to say anything about it.
Now that they were there, the older two boys seemed to have an idea
about what they intended to do, and they soon let Bryce in on their plan.

"Do you want to do something fun?" Johnny asked him.

"I guess so," Bryce responded.

He wasn't sure what they were up to, but he thought he'd better try to
find out more it, before he committed himself fully.

"What are you planning to do?" he asked next.

"It's something that Tommy and I have been doing for a while now,"
Johnny replied.  "It's a lot of fun and you'll really like it, so you still
want to do it, right?"

"Yeah, ok I guess," Bryce agreed.  "What do I have to do?"

"First, we all have to get undressed," Tommy told him.

Bryce got a little excited, when he realized that he might be doing things
like he had done with Greg, but then he hesitated.  Suddenly, he became
afraid that they might try to do things to him like Maury had done.  He
knew they probably weren't as big as Maury, especially in that regard,
so he wasn't sure what he should do next.  The other boys were already
down to their underwear when they noticed his hesitation and
commented about it.

"You aren't scared about us seeing your thing, are you?" Johnny
wanted to know.  "I mean we've all kind of seen each other before."

"No, it's not that," Bryce reassured him.  "It's just that I'm not sure
what you're planning to do, so I don't know if I want to do it, unless I
know exactly what it is."

"That's cool," Tommy told him.  "You can watch us first, if you want,
and then you can decide if you want to do it too.  Would that be ok with
you?"

"Yeah, that sounds cool," Bryce told them, somewhat relieved that they
weren't going to try to force him into something.

"But you still have to get undressed," Johnny told him.  "If you're going
to see us without our clothes on, it's only fair."

"That's fine, I'll do that much, as long as I don't have to do anything
else unless I want to."

Bryce then looked at the other two and waited for them to agree with
what he'd said.

"I promise," Tommy told him, while giving him a comforting smile.

After Johnny agreed too, Bryce began to take off all of his clothes, and
the other two finished removing theirs.  Bryce was surprised at how
much bigger their penises were than his own, but they were both older
than him.  It was also the first time he had seen anyone this young with
hair down there, because Tommy had little ring of hair above his penis.
Johnny just had a few scattered hairs above his, but they were both cut
like him, which shouldn't have come as a surprise.  Tommy's dick was
probably more than four inches soft and was about three times bigger
around than Bryce's.  Johnny's was about an inch shorter than his
brother's, and only about two-thirds as thick, but they both made
Bryce's penis look quite small in comparison.  The boys must have
guessed what Bryce was thinking and attempted to make him feel better
about it.

"Don't worry," Tommy told him, "it will start growing in about a year
or so.  We were about the same size as you when we were your age, but
it will start getting bigger about the time you start getting hair down
there too."

"Really?  You think it will?" Bryce countered.

"Yeah, it will," Johnny added.  "I was worried too, when Tommy's
started to grow, but after a few more months mine did the same thing.
It will happen, but you just have to wait for the right time."

Bryce felt relieved now and not quite as self conscious and conspicuous.
The boys had addressed his fears and dealt with them successfully, so
now he was willing to see what they suggested next.  It wouldn't take
long for him to discover what they had in mind.

"You watch what we do, Bryce, and you'll see that it's really neat,"
Johnny stated.  "Tommy you get on the bed first."

Tommy did and lay on his back near the center.  Johnny got on the bed
beside him and started rubbing Tommy's penis and testicles until his
penis got hard.  It got even bigger than it was before, so now it was
probably over five inches, maybe even six inches in length.   Now that it
was hard, Johnny wrapped his hand around it and started to jack him
off.  As his hand flew up and down on his brother's erection, Tommy
relaxed and closed his eyes, while enjoying the sensations of what was
being done to him.  Bryce watched intently, realizing that these two boys
were really enjoying what they were doing, and he also noticed that
Tommy was breathing harder and more deeply now.

Johnny's hand was going even faster than it was before, as it slid up and
down Tommy's hard-on.  Tommy was also beginning to moan, although
not very loudly, but he was still making enough noise for Bryce to hear.
At first, Bryce thought he was in pain, but then he realized that it was
the same kind of noise that Maury used to make when he did things to
Bryce.  He knew that Maury made those sounds because what he was
doing felt good to him, so Bryce assumed that Tommy must be enjoying
this too.  Suddenly Tommy's body went rigid and he arched his back off
the bed, and then thin white strings of liquid shot from the slit on the
end of his penis and fell harmlessly on Tommy's chest.  Johnny kept
pumping, as more of the stuff shot out of Tommy's dick, until finally the
last of it oozed out from the opening and covered Johnny's thumb and
fingers in the process.  When he was finished, Johnny looked up at
Bryce and gave him a wicked grin.

"That was really neat, wasn't it?" he asked.  I'll bet you've never seen
anything quite like that before."

Since Bryce wasn't about to tell them about Maury or what he had done
to him, he decided to play along and pretend that this was the first
orgasm he had ever seen.

"No, but that was great," Bryce answered.  "What is that white stuff
that came out of it?"

"Tommy calls it cum.  He says it's what makes girls have babies, if you
shoot it up inside of them," Johnny explained.  "I don't shoot as much
as Tommy does, but I can make a little of it."

"That's great, but I don't think I can do that," Bryce admitted.

"Probably not, but it will still feel good when you rub it like that," he
offered.  "You'll just have to wait until your cock gets bigger and you
get some hair first, before you'll start shooting cum out too.  Don't
worry, though, because it will happen.  Would you like to do that to me
now?"

"Well, yeah, if you want me to," Bryce agreed, "but don't you think
Tommy will want to do it for you?"

"Nah, he doesn't mind," Johnny replied.  "Besides, he'll do it to you, if
you decide you want to try it too."

Bryce thought that seemed logical enough, so he decided to give it a try.
Johnny then made Tommy move over on the bed, so he'd have room to
lie next to him, and then he took his place on the mattress, so Bryce
could start rubbing his penis.  Bryce found this experience fascinating
and enjoyed feeling the soft, pliant skin that covered his penis and
testicles, but he was even more intrigued when Johnny's dick started to
swell and expand, while becoming very hard in the process.  Other than
Maury's dick, which he never touched, this was the largest dick Bryce
had ever had the chance to play with.

It always fascinated him as to how something so soft and floppy one
minute could suddenly become so stiff and firm.  He didn't understand
the biology involved, but he was certainly fascinated by the pure
mechanics of it.  Johnny encouraged him to wrap his hand around it
and to begin pumping, and Bryce needed no more than that gentle
coaxing to get him to begin.  Now, his hand went up and down, as he
gripped the firm piece of flesh between his fingers and palm, and
Johnny watched Bryce's face as he did this and noted the pleasurable
expression on it.  Johnny was also feeling pleasure, because Bryce was
doing a very good job, so he knew it wouldn't take long before those
precious few drops of liquid began shooting out of his penis too.

Bryce experimented a little with his grip, as he masturbated his foster
brother.  First, he used his entire hand and then he tried doing it with
just two fingers and his thumb or with one finger and his thumb.  He
also tried different things with his fingers when he changed back to
using his entire hand again, like letting his thumb go up and over the
crown, so it would tease the slit on the up-stroke.  Bryce could tell that
Johnny was enjoying what he was doing to him, because he could hear
Johnny gasp from time to time, but Johnny would also make other little
noises, so Bryce kept doing what he had seen Johnny do to Tommy.  As
he continued, Johnny's mouth dropped open and his body went stiff,
then a few little drops of a cloudy liquid spurted from the tip.  Johnny
was really panting, as the liquid hit his belly, and then Bryce felt the last
droplet or two coat his thumb, as it oozed out of the slit.  Bryce held on
to Johnny's softening member, since he really didn't want to let go of it,
and Johnny finally opened his eyes and smiled down at Bryce.

"Thanks.  That was great," he told him.  "You learn pretty quickly and
I really enjoyed that."

"Thanks, it was fun for me too," Bryce admitted.  "I've never done
anything like that before."

"Do you want Tommy to do it to you now?" Johnny asked.

Bryce tried not to appear too eager, while remembering how good it felt
when he and Greg had done this, so he was more than happy to do it
now as well.  After switching places on the bed, Tommy began to rub
Bryce's crotch area, like Bryce had done to Johnny.  Bryce couldn't
believe how much better this felt than when he and Greg had done it,
because Tommy's hand also rubbed over his scrotum, something he and
Greg had never tried.  Soon, his little boy dick was standing up straight
and proud, ready for even more attention.

Bryce looked down at it and giggled when he realized his penis was
letting the other two know how much he was really enjoying this.  There
was a time when he didn't know if he would ever be able to enjoy
anyone touching him again, especially after what Maury had done to
him, because he didn't really enjoy doing it with him.  He never cared
for Maury and he knew Maury didn't really care for him, except to help
him get his jollies.  The fact that they had to hide what they were doing
had made Bryce feel dirty and maybe even a little sick whenever it
happened.

Greg was the first to make him change his mind about these sorts of
things, but now he was convinced that not all sex play was bad.  He had
wondered if what he had done and enjoyed with Greg was just a fluke,
but Johnny and Tommy proved to him it wasn't.  Bryce was really
beginning to care for these two and felt they cared about him too.  Even
though their father was harsh in his dealings with him, the boys had
always tried to help out and included him in the fun things too.  Now,
they were doing it again and he was really glad that he had them to
make him feel better.

Tommy was using only two fingers and a thumb to stroke him, because
Bryce's penis wasn't big enough for him to use his whole hand, but
Bryce soon learned that it was enough to do the trick.  After continuing
this for a short time, Bryce's body began to tingle all over from the
stimulation and it made him feel all warm and happy inside.  He loved
the feeling of Tommy's fingers going back and forth on his shaft and he
could also feel Johnny playing with his balls at the same time.

It was really an awesome experience as the two manipulated those
sensitive areas, and he could tell his breathing was becoming ragged as
they did so.  He and Greg had never done it for this long, so this was a
whole new experience for him.  Although he couldn't produce any cum
yet, he did feel the tingling sensations when he reached his dry orgasm,
which felt like little electric jolts shooting through his cock.  Bryce was
gasping and rigid when this took place and he rode this marvelous high
until his body collapsed back onto the bed, which signaled it was over.
He felt better than he had in a long time and knew that it was his foster
brothers who were responsible for this feeling.  The boys agreed to do
these things again, but now they had to prepare for their parents to
come back home.

Bryce's foster parents didn't come home for another half hour or so, so
the boys were in bed by the time they arrived.  Bryce felt it better this
way, since he didn't want to give his foster father any reason to find
fault with him again.   Bryce went to sleep that night feeling better than
he had in a long time, but unfortunately that feeling wasn't to last.  The
next morning at breakfast, his foster father announced that he expected
Bryce to wash his car and vacuum out the interior today, after which
he'd have to round up the rest of the trash, take it out to the curb and
place it with the lawn waste, because the garbage would be collected
tomorrow.