Date: Mon, 24 Apr 2006 08:52:20 EDT
From: Heavensforlife@aol.com
Subject: They Say- Chapter 22

** Standard disclaimer. Contains depictions of gay sex. Continue at your
own discretion.**


	They say all good things must eventually come to an end.

	Jesse- I stepped into the apartment and immediately I felt the
awkwardness in the room. I looked around and noticed all the lights off in
the living room and kitchen. The TV was off. It was too early for Brooklyn
to be in bed.
	I walked into the bedroom and was greeted by Brooklyn, sitting
cross-legged on the bed, an angry look on his face.
	"What's wrong?" I asked.
	"You can't stay here," he said slowly. I was thrown. I had no idea
where this was coming from.
	"What are you talking about?"
	"If you cannot trust me, Jesse," he replied. "Then you can't stay
here."
	"What?" I was horrified. My heart immediately sank and I almost
threw up. I couldn't believe what Brooklyn was saying.
	"Charles just called me," he explained. "And told me all about how
you stormed over there thinking I was hiding in his bed sheets." I started
to say something but Brooklyn cut me off. "I don't have time to make you
trust me, and if you can't then I'm afraid you should leave."
	I had nothing to say. My mouth went dry. I tried to utter an
apology, but nothing came out.
	"You blew it, Jesse," he said. "Goodbye."

	Charles- "Why are you smiling?" he asked right after I'd gotten off
the phone with Brooklyn.
	"Can't a guy be happy?" I asked.
	"I guess," he said. He crawled into my bed and put his arm around
my chest. "But I'd rather be the one that gives him something to be happy
about." He kissed my neck. We lay there, kissing and rubbing, until the
both of us fell asleep.

	Zach- I lay there in bed, naked, looking up at the slip of paper
with London's phone number.
	London. The name was weird, yeah, but it sounded so exotic. Like he
could take me places.
	I wanted to call it, but I couldn't. Not right then at least. I
decided I would wait some time, maybe go back to the coffee house a couple
of times and play hard to get. The last thing I wanted, I told myself as I
drifted into unconsciousness, was to fall again. Especially after I'd just
gotten back up.

	Denton- A lump the size of Rhode Island was lodged deep in my
throat. It wasn't from the batch of cum I'd just swallowed straight out of
Glass' cock. It wasn't from the tongue that was lazily darting back and
forth in my mouth as it's owner drifted to sleep.
	I had a lump in my throat because I was guilty. I was stupid, and I
was guilty.
	I was lying there, trying to sleep, knowing providence would
somehow punish me in the morning.
	The only image I saw in my mind wasn't that of the perfectly
sculpted abs and flaccid cock lying on my side. The only image was that of
the wounded Mitchell, looking like the world had fallen on top of his head.

	Jesse- The wheels in my head were turning. I'd slept ok at the
motel at the edge of campus. With no money, I had to hustle my way passed
the 30-something counter guy, but with a favor or two, I was in a cheep
dime, head-wheels turning.
	Brooklyn was upset, I concluded. He would probably be upset for a
long time, maybe even forever. But that wasn't going to stop me from
getting him back.
	Charles was the reason Brooklyn was upset, I concluded. He probably
didn't have to lie or scheme to make Brooklyn upset, but if it wasn't for
him, I'd be sleeping at home right now instead of low-budget florescent
sign inn with stale muffins for continental breakfast. Justified or not,
that wasn't going to stop me from getting revenge on Charles.
	My mind was racing a million miles per hour, but I cleared through
some obvious necessities quickly.
	I needed a place to live. I checked my watch, read 2:37, and
decided what the hell, I'd call anyway.
	It took three tries but Zach finally picked up the phone.
	"What the hell do you want at three in the morning?" he grogged.
	"Zach," I said. "I need a place to live." There was a silence for a
second so I repeated the statement.
	"I heard you," he replied. "I just don't know what you want me to
do."
	"I'm gonna move into Denton's old bed tomorrow," I said.
	"What about Charles?" he was suddenly wide-awake.
	"He won't know I'm back," I responded. Zach laughed.
	"How do you plan on pulling that off?"
	"I'll shower, sleep and all that in the room, like I did before," I
answered. "But I'll just stay out of Charles way."
	"And he isn't supposed to notice the fourth guy living with us?"
	"Why are you so pessimistic?" I said. "Can I have the room or not?"
	He was silent for a second. "Why do you need the place anyway?"
	"Long story, I'll tell you later. Goodnight." I hung up.
	The next thing I needed was a plan. That, unfortunately, would have
to wait until morning.

	Charles- I woke up to the familiar feeling of Shane's lips on my
dick, sliding up and down in morning bliss.
	"A guy could get used to this," I commented, sleepily.
	"Yeah?" he asked, coming up for air. He quickly dove right back in,
taking all eight inches of my cock down his throat. I felt him moan,
sending vibrations and waves of pleasure through my body.
	"Ohhh, yeah," I moaned. "That feels good baby."
	One of his hands was under his chin, playing with my balls. The
other was roaming my chest, feeling it. Every suck the guy took sent wake
up calls throughout my entire body.
	"Ohhhh, fuuuck yeah," I moaned again. Feeling like I was close, I
arched my back, pumping my hips upwards, sending my cock deeper into
Shane's hot mouth.
	He felt the orgasm coming, but didn't let up. He kept sucking
harder as I moaned louder.
	"Ohhhhhh," I cried. I grabbed the back of his head forcefully and
slammed it down to the hilt of my dick as the first shot sped up my cock
and down his throat. Again, Shane moaned, sending more pleasure waves
through my body, and again I spurted cum, sending more hot morning liquid
down his throat.
	He came up, facing me, the smell of cum and morning on his
breath. He leaned in to kiss me but I put a hand out to stop him.
	"Cum breath, I can do," I said. "Morning breath, I can't."
	He smiled down at me, took a corner of the sheet and put it over
his mouth. He then took the side of the sheet and put it over his
mouth. Without saying a word, he slowly lowered his mouth onto mine into a
very cotton tasting early morning kiss.

	Denton- "Wake up, you have things to do," I heard Glass say. I
opened my eyes to see he was already dressed in his weekday standard. The
chilling weather was forcing him to a sweater these days instead of a
t-shirt, but it was still revealing enough to show off his sexy body. I
smiled at him, forgetting the terrible mistake I'd made last night.
	"What?" I mumbled.
	"Get up," he said, tugging the blankets off of me. "You have things
to do."
	"I have classes at 11," I responded. "Why are you badgering me?"
	"Because," he said, not relenting. "You have things you need to do
before classes at 11." He tossed a large envelope onto the pillow next me,
slipped his shoes on, told me to get up once more and disappeared.
	Sleep was slowly exiting my body, so I sat up and took a look at
the envelope.
	The one paper inside had the Tribe seal at the top and thicker than
normal paper. The words were professional, almost outdated in style.
	As I read it, the lump in my throat from the night before
returned. It was reminder of what the council had told me to do but that
I'd consciously forgot. I knew exactly what I had to do.
	I picked up the phone and dialed Mitchell's cell number from
memory.
	It rang several times before going to voicemail, an indication that
he obviously didn't want to hear from me. I tried again, this time leaving
a message. "Listen, Mitchell, I'm really sorry. You know I never meant to
hurt you just like you never meant to hurt me. We both messed up, but there
is some stuff that we definitely need to discuss. Trust me."
	I closed my phone, got dressed, picked up the envelopes and headed
to the post office.

	Zach- I woke up refreshed, a surprise considering my mid-morning
wake up call, and the smell of eggs and pancakes was making its way to the
bedroom.
	I put on some shorts, washed my face and brushed my teeth and
headed out to see who was cooking.
	The sight of Shane standing there at my stove took me back for a
second until I realized that he'd just moved in.
	"Morning, roomy," he said sounding chipper. "Charles is just waking
up."
	"Great," I said a little groggily. "What are you cooking?"
	"Pancakes and omelets. My specialty." He gave me a great smile as
he flipped a pancake from the skillet and onto the plate stack.
	"So," he began. "Its not the end of the first semester and you've
already run your roommate off?"
	I chuckled as I walked over to the coffee maker to pour myself a
cup. "Yep," I replied. "He left me the first day. Want a cup?"
	"No," he replied. "I'm on my third." I nodded, realizing now where
his morning energy was coming from.
	"So you and Charles, huh?" I asked, sitting down on the counter to
continue getting to know my newest roommate.
	"Yeah," he said smiling boyishly. "Hope we didn't wake you." He
smiled to himself wickedly as he went back to his omelet skillet.
	"Well good to see the two of you getting acquainted," I heard
Charles say as he entered and headed straight for the coffee. He poured
himself a cup, walked over to behind Shane and pressed his crotch against
his ass. He whispered something in his ear that made Shane giggle, and then
finished by kissing him lightly on the neck.
	"Sorry you had to see that," Charles said addressing me.
	"No problem," I answered. "Just remember next time I bring Tag
over, we'll do it on your bed."
	"As long as Shane ends up on the wet spot," he replied. Shane shot
him a wickedly sexy look.
	"You'll be wearing these eggs if you try to pull that shit," he
said to Charles.
	"That's kinda hot," Charles replied. I laughed. "Its hot."
	Shane just chuckled, reached over to the radio above the sink that
was playing at a low volume and suddenly turned it up. Kelly Clarkson's
Walk Away came blaring from the speakers as Shane moved his hips in a sexy
way.
	You got your mother and your brother, every other, undercover
telling you what to say...
	"I love this song," Shane said, turning around and grinding hips in
the air. His spatula was waving high above his head.
	So before you point your finger, get your hand off of my trigger...
	I laughed out loud at the show, looked at Charles and saw his eyes
glued to Shane's swerving hips.
	"The boys talented," I commented. Charles nodded in agreement.
	I'm looking for attention, not another question...
	To the beat of the song, Shane slowly made his way to the counter I
was sitting on. His tall frame seemed to tower over me, even though we were
at eye level from where I sat and he stood.
	Hey, hey, hey, hey. Just walk away...
	He ground his hips faster and harder, this time grinding them into
my crotch. I could feel his cock stiffen as mine did the same. He smiled
down at me, still waving his spatula.
	I waited here for you like a kid waiting after school, so tell me
how come you never showed...?
	I looked behind Shane's towering torso and noticed Charles,
grinning, eyes glued to the show. Shane put the spatula in my hand and I
instinctively commenced to wave it above my head.
	I gave you everything and never asked for anything, so tell me why
am I all alone...
	Shane's hands, now free, went down to his impossibly quick
waste. He hooked his thumbs under the elastic bands of his sweat pants and
teasingly lowered them, revealing a trimmed bush. My eyes were opened wide
and glazed over.
	So what's the point of being slow?
	Shane rotated his body so that his ass was right there on the edge
of the counter, next to my growing dick. This time, his thumbs pulled his
sweats down enough to give my eyes and my cock a show.
	Well if you don't know the answer, why you still standing here...
	The hot stud was backing his ass up right onto my hardening cock,
feeling it up and down, left to right. I was paralyzed by lust, not daring
to break the contact between us.
	I want a love, I want a fire, to the feel the burn, my desire...
	I was totally entranced by this guy's striptease of a professional
level. His hips could have given Shakira's a lesson, the way they were
pleasuring me. I could feel the lusty saliva trickle down my chin.
	I need a man by my side, not a boy to run and hide...
	The final measure of the songs faded away and as abruptly as he had
started, Shane stopped his dancing, pulled his sweats up, turned around and
took the spatula out of my hand with a huge grin on his face.
	Hey, hey, hey, hey... Just walk away...
	"God," he gasped. "I love that song."


	Charles- The hole scene, the three of us sitting around talking and
laughing, touching and groping, was interrupted by Zach's phone going off
in his bedroom. He dashed in to answer it.
	"He's nice," Shane commented after the door closed.
	"Yeah," I said. "He's great. I don't think he'd ever do anything to
hurt anyone."
	"Cool," Shane said quietly, still glaring towards the closed door.
	"It looks like someone has a crush," I said playfully. Shane
snapped out of his trance and just chuckled.
	"Whatever," he said.
	A flash of jealousy drove through me for a split second, but I
covered it up with another jab and another laugh.

	Jesse- "Dude, I really don't think this is a good idea," he said in
a hushed whisper.
	"When have I ever been into good ideas?" I said desperately. "Zach,
I'm homeless. I don't have a home."
	"I know, I know," he said. "But don't you have any other option? I
mean the housing office probably has a vacancy." I cut him off.
	"If they did, do you think I'd be asking you for this?" I lied. He
was silent, so I continued. "Look, Zach, this is my last resort, trust
me. I'll stay out of Charles' way. He won't even know I'm there. Hell, the
dumbass didn't even realize Duncan had left for about a month."
	"Denton," he cut me off.
	"Whatever. What kind of name is that anyway? Denton?"
	"Jesse."
	"Sorry. So are you gonna let me or not?"
	"I'm sorry, Jesse," was all he said.
	My heart sank. I could have cried.
	"I'm sorry, Jesse," he repeated. He hung up and I was fresh out of
ideas.

	Charles- After a fun breakfast, I took a quick shower and headed
out to the pool for a quick swim before I needed to study. I hadn't been to
the pool all weekend, and I figured it'd loosen me up. I was also secretly
hoping I'd find Coach Danny for a post-swim workout.
	I did a few laps, hung out on the edge and did a couple more. The
pool was empty when I arrived and left, and so I assumed the locker room
would be too.
	"Hey Charles. Long time," I heard a voice say while I was stripping
down to head to the shower.
	I turned around to see Prince standing there in his speedo, getting
ready to take a swim.
	"Hey Prince," I said breezily. I continued to undress.
	"What's up?" he asked.
	"Not much. What about you? I haven't seen you since that tournament
a couple weeks ago."
	"Yeah, I know," he replied. "You never called me." He took a step
towards me. It was then that I decided to skip the shower and haul ass. I
grabbed my sweats and pulled them up over my legs. Prince sat down on the
bench watching me.
	"Ring, ring," I replied with a wink.
	"Funny," he said with a half-smile.
	"No really," I explained. "Its been a crazy couple of weeks. I've
had a lot going on."
	Prince looked me up and down with a glare that sent a chill down my
spine.
	"Well if you ever decide to step away from the roommate and
unwind," he said, almost crossing the line between sexy and pure
slutty. "You know were to go." Then he winked, turned around and
shamelessly walked away.

	Jesse- I was as desperate as could fucking be. I had nowhere to
go. I had no fucking home, or even a place to fucking stay. I was all out
of ideas.
	I cursed Brooklyn and Charles and Zach and everyone that I thought
to curse because I so fucking agitated.
	I spent the day at the library, working the old think-tank, trying
to come up with a decent idea of were I was going to sleep
tonight. Finally, I resolved myself to the fact that it was time to proceed
with my last resort, so I went out onto the commons steps, got out my cell
phone and made the call.
	"Matty," I said when he answered the phone. I hadn't realized that
my voice was quivering.
	"What's the matter Jesse?"
	"Everything." I sat there on the commons steps, the sun setting to
my left, the only person that cared about me on the other line. And I
cried.

	Zach- Charles left right after the three of were threw eating,
leaving Shane and me to wash the dishes and clean up.
	We were both hanging out in the kitchen, Shane washing and rinsing,
me drying and putting away. We were laughing and talking and every once in
a while, Shane's sweats would get dangerously low and I'd steal a stare at
his gorgeous ass.
	"So," Shane said, interrupting one of my staring sessions. I turned
red and quickly looked away. He continued. "What's the deal with you and
Charles?"
	"What?" I asked, caught a little off guard.
	"You and Charles," he said nonchalantly. "Are you guys just
roommates, or are you guys, you know?"
	"Like having sex?" I asked surprised. I'd never even thought about
Charles like that really. Jesse- yes. Charles- not so much.
	"I take that as a no," Shane said with a smile.
	"A very big no," I replied. "Why do you ask?"
	He was quiet for a second. He looked as if he was concentrating
really hard on the particular plate he was scrubbing, stalling while
thinking of a sufficient answer.
	"No reason," was all he came up with. He continued washing the
dishes, not looking up at me.
	"What's with you and Charles?" I asked, emphasizing 'you.'
	"Huh? Nothing," he said quickly.
	"I know ya'll are you doing it," I said blankly. I smiled at him.
	"Are we that loud?" he replied, smiling back.
	"Very-fucking-loud," I said. We both laughed.
	"So are you seeing anyone?" He asked after a few seconds of
laughter followed by awkward silence.
	"Not really," I said somewhat honestly. I put he last dish in the
cupboard and proceed to dry my hands. Following Shane's lead, we sat down
on the couch to finish our conversation.
	"So tell me about this guy you are not really seeing," he said
skeptically.
	"Well I met him a couple days ago at a coffee shop, and he seemed
to really like me, but I haven't really called him."
	"Harsh," he replied.
	"Yeah, but I don't really want to date someone right now, you know?
Cuz the last few months have been crazy with these last two guys I've been
with, and I'm not ready to go through that again."
	"You just want some Zach time?" Shane said with a grin.
	"Exactly," I agreed. "Zach time."
	"Wow," he said after a minute of silence."
	"What?"
	"I dunno," he replied. "Something about you is really cool. If it
were me or Charles or all the guys I knew, we'd have called coffee shop
boys and been in his pants a night later, without even thinking about it."
	I laughed out loud. "Sometimes I wish I could have meaningless sex
with meaningless people, but for me it's always been an something more than
that. Like, its special."
	This time he laughed out loud. "Don't you ever just get horny?"
	I slapped him lightly on the arm, both of us laughing.
	"No seriously," he said catching his breath. "When do you know that
you like a guy enough to sleep with him?"
	He stared me straight in the eye. I didn't know how to answer him,
but before I even got the chance, his mouth was softly planting a kiss on
mine. Not a sexy, raunchy kiss, but a soft, delicate, passionate kiss.
	For an instant I didn't know how to react. Soon enough, though, I
let down my guard and kissed him back.

	They say nothing last forever. All good things must, eventually,
come to an end.