Notice: This is a fictional story of friendship, commitment, love and trust. It is not a sex story. However, this story deals with love between male teenagers. If you are offended by stories involving love between two teenage boys, why are you at this website. There may be some sex scenes in this story; however, sex is not the main theme. If you are under age 18 or 21 or it is illegal to read this story where you live, don't read it. Reproducing this story for distribution without the owner's permission is a violation of that copyright.

Author's Note: This will probably be the last gay story I will write and post for a long while if ever. I love writing but it doesn't pay me $$$ and having got a new lease on life and a 15 yo grandson to raise for the next three years at least and another grandson who also needs my help too - I have chosen to come out of retirement. At my age I simply can not waste time on foolish endevores that don't contribute my survival and the survival of kids.

This will be a long story and it will probably take months to finish writing. Don't look for any sex scenes for a while. There will be a few much later in the story.

I'd love to hear from you good bad or indifferent.

Sam Lakes

Sam (sam_lakes@hotmail.com)

One Person at a Time

I guess this is a story that I have been chosen to narrate. My name is Jonathan Petri I am a teacher and have been for close to fifteen years. The first part of my career was teaching music in one of London's best schools for the Arts. My partner Evan was working for the BBC. After five years of teaching in London I came here to this school while my partner began working for a local radio station.

What's this story about?

It's about tolerance, learning to accept people and understand them. It's a story of love, not about love. It's about one boy who decided to change the world one person at a time.

Luc Baxter didn't manage to change the world, but he managed to change a whole school of kids from all different ethnic backgrounds, all different beliefs to a school where there is tolerance and friendship; a school where you are openly accepted regardless of your race, color, creed or sexual orientation.

I will be calling on others to tell their part of this story.

Why are we telling this story?

We are hoping as I know Luc must be hoping that you'll enjoy this story and tell others about it and they will tell others and somewhere along the line those that read it will do what Luc has done – change the world one person at a time.

***

Luc's best friend is Eddie Mitchell. He's known Eddie since he was eight and Eddie is why Luc jumped a grade ahead. Although he's a year and a half younger than Eddie he wanted to be in the same grade and through hard work he managed to skip a grade and went from seventh grade to ninth.

Both Eddie and Luc were into music. Eddie worked hard at being good whereas, Luc worked hard at being the best.

Eddie's Story – Part One – Indoor Swimming Pool

I have had a crush on Luc Baxter since the summer before fourth grade.

I proudly walked to the middle of our driveway. I had just gotten a new skateboard for my birthday. In my mind I was going to be the next Tony Hawks.

My imaginary crowd was cheering me on. A hush came over the crowd as I carefully put my new skateboard down, positioned it just right, placed my left foot on the board and pushed off with my right foot.

"WHAM!" The next thing I saw was the sky as the skateboard flew out from under my foot and I landed flat on my back. The next thing I heard was the crunching of my new skateboard as a delivery truck rolled over it.

My career as the next Tony Hawks was over as I looked and saw the pieces of what used to be my skateboard lying in the road. I rolled over onto my stomach. I felt like crying and was about to when I felt someone lying next to me on the ground. When I felt their arm lay across my back. I turned my head to see who was there.

I swear he looked like a blond haired blue-eyed angel.

"Hi! I saw what happened. Sorry, there's not much left of your skateboard. I got the license number but I forgot it when you looked at me. Mom says my short term memory has a leak. You have a handsome face. Did you know that? My name is Luc. Well, actually it's Lucas Sean Baxter. Do you think we could be friends? I hope so. What's your name?"

I do believe there is a god and that day I was blessed. I said nothing for a moment. I smiled. Was this really happening?

"I take it the smile means `yes'. Just nod your head if it means `yes'." I nodded my head. I was fascinated by him, his looks, and his voice. I couldn't think I could only look and listen. Was he some alien from outer space? No, aliens weren't beautiful and he was beautiful.

"Great. You will be my best friend. Do you know why?" he asked. I shook my head `No' and he continued, "Well, we just move here and I have no friends yet and you are the first person near my age that I've met and hence you will become my best friend. You have really nice eyes. I always look at people's eyes. Dad says you can see the person's soul when you look in their eyes. You have a beautiful soul. I know you are a kind person."

"My mom says I'm the spitting image of my dad. Do you know what spitting image means? Well, I didn't so I looked it up on the internet. That took a while but it means I look the same as my dad. At first when she told me I was so upset. I mean spitting is sort of nasty. Don't you think? You have a cute smile. Yep, you and I are going to be best friends. People will say `Yep, there they go – Luc and hmm – what was your name again?"

I was intrigued by this very talkative boy lying on the ground with his arm across my shoulders like we were best friends. His deep blue eyes were so full of energy. I couldn't help but giggle.

"What?" he smiled with a look of curiosity.

"You sure talk a lot. My name is Eddie Mitchell."

That day we became best friends and before long people were saying, "There they go Luc and Eddie". However, sometimes they'd say "There goes Thing One and Thing Two". You know Dr. Seuss's Thing One and Thing Two. I don't think that was quit fair we weren't that bad. Flooded basement, bubble bath swimming pool, joy ride into the river was just part of the magic of growing up with Luc.

Of course that is just a lead-in to how were earn the title of Thing One and Thing Two.

The flooded basement or as Luc prefers to call it the Amityville Horror story began two weeks after I had met Luc.

It was a very hot August day. A day you should be hanging out in the mall being cool and keeping cool but I was ten and Luc was eight. He'd showed up every day precisely at eight a.m. except Sunday. Strangely enough that was precisely when Mom fixed me breakfast.

Speaking of strange, Luc was strange. Not in a bad way strange – strange in a delightful way, a lovable way. I had known Luc for only two weeks every day except Sunday he would be at my house from eight a.m. until five-thirty. From five-thirty Saturday until eight a.m. Monday I would notice he was not there and I wouldn't be quite as happy as when he was there.

"Good morning, Mrs. Mitchell," Luc said in his bubbly voice.

"Good morning, Luc. Scramble eggs and pancakes okay with you?" asked Mom. I think my mom loved Luc as much as I did.

"Oh boy, would I? It's my favorite! Thank you so much Mrs. Mitchell," responded Luc.

Mom couldn't help smiling and a giggle in her voice as she said, "But I thought you said biscuits and gravy was your favorite."

Luc thought for a split second then spoke, "Oh, yes ma'am they are my favorite Saturday morning breakfast!" Mom smiled. Luc took a big bite of pancakes.

"Don't you want any syrup, Luc?"

"Oh, no ma'am, Mom won't let me have any sugar because she says it will give me cavities. And because she says a hyper me would drive her up the wall. I tried to reason with her. I told her I couldn't drive her up the wall because my feet don't reach the pedals. She just laughed and walked out of the room."

My mother started giggling. I couldn't figure out why? I looked at Luc gave me a what-is-with-her look. I shrugged my shoulders and we continued eating breakfast while mom left the room.

At ten Mr. Pruitt came by and picked us up in his pickup and drove us over to his place. I had never been there before and it was sort of a big dump. A couple of months before his wife had split leaving him with Billy. They had lived across the street from us. Now they were living in a 'fixer-upper'. It was a dump.

During the ride Luc was the quietest I had seen him in two weeks. In fact he didn't say a word. Actually, none of us said a word. I think he was intimidated by Mr. Pruitt who was a big man almost seven feet tall. Billy was already five-two and he was only nine. Luc on the other hand is small for his age. I was a bit worried Billy might be a bit intimidating to Luc.

Mr. Pruitt dropped us off and then went on to work.

I really didn't have to worry about Billy and Luc getting on because like his dad Billy had a heart of gold. They were fast friends and within fifteen minutes we were all wrestling around – me and Luc against Billy.

As I had mentioned it was a very hot day and with no air conditioning we were nearly dying of heat exhaustion after out wrestling about. TV was boring and somehow we ended up standing on the stairs to the basement.

"You know if you filled this up a bit it would make a great indoor swimming pool," said Luc, "Nice and cool."

"Yeah," Billy said, "Maybe I could turn on the water and we could play in the water for a while. There's a drain so it should be fine."

We all three looked at each other and ran down into the basement. There was a hose attached to a faucet which Billy turned on. Luc grabbed the hose and as soon as the water came on I was the first to get soaked, then Billy and finally Billy charged Luc.

We were having a great time for at least two hours and of course being kids it didn't really register that the drain was not draining. By one o'clock we were all hungry and Billy said there was a Mickey D's less than a mile away. We ran upstairs and three soaked boys walked to Mickey D's. By the time we had finish lunch rain clouds had moved in and we walked back to Billy's in the rain.

For the next two hours we took turns playing with Billy's Playstation. I was first, Billy was second and Luc was last because he said he wasn't very good. Luc had only been playing for five minutes when the power went out.

We became aware of the house making groaning noises and loud creeks. It was sort of scary, especially to Luc who was sure the noises were being made by ghosts.

Billy called his dad and in the midst of the call the house shuttered and shifted a bit and all of us let out a scream.

Billy yelled, "Dad says get out of the house now!" and we wasted no time in doing that.

We stood huddled together watching the house creak and moan and shift and crack until just as Mr. Pruitt and a bunch of fire trucks arrived the roof caved in the walls collapsed and the house was no more than a pile of rubbish.

Mr. Pruitt seeing that we were okay headed towards the house with the firemen. He peered down into the rubble and talked with the firemen for a while. He didn't look to happy. In fact he looked awfully mad.

"I think I'm in really deep shit," said Billy looking sort of scared. Luc looked at Mr. Pruitt and then back to Billy then slowly moved so that he was in front of Billy. Billy was at least a head taller than Luc. Luc watched as an angry Mr. Pruitt approached.

"Billy! How the hell did five feet of water get into the basement," yelled Mr. Pruitt.

At that moment Luc freaked. I mean FREAKED! He ran toward Mr. Pruitt grabbed his leg and tried pulling him away while screaming hysterically for him not to hit Billy.

I think it startled Mr. Pruitt that this small eight year old boy was trying his best to protect his son from what Luc saw as danger. But as I mentioned before Mr. Pruitt has a heart of gold. I knew it but Luc didn't Mr. Pruitt might yell and swear and rant and rave at Billy but he had never used physical force or discipline on his son.

Mr. Pruitt gently pulled Luc off his leg and squatted down to Luc's eye level.

"Please don't hit him hit me. I was responsible," pleaded Luc with tears running down his cheeks. I started to move over to Luc but Billy touched my arm and said, "Wait."

"Luc, Billy is my son," Mr. Pruitt said softly, "I would never hit him."

"He-he's my friend. I-I don't, don't what you to hurt my friend. I-I-I," Luc cried.

"My dad has never hit me, Luc," Billy spoke as he moved over to Luc, "trust me Luc. I love my dad and he loves me. Sometimes we argue and yell at each other but we always talk things out." Billy turned Luc around and pulled him into a hug saying, "It's okay."

Luc finally calmed down and we three ended up in a group hug. Luc apologized to Mr. Pruitt and told him it was a good thing he pulled him off of his leg because he was about to bite him really hard. Mr. Pruitt laughed at that and then we all laughed.

After the firemen left, the police, the neighborhood gawkers left, Mr. Pruitt called my parents and Luc's parents then took us out to pizza. Luc sat next to Mr. Pruitt in the booth Billy sat opposite his father and I sat across from my best friend. Luc was back to being Luc.

"Do you know the other night I was watching the nature channel on TV and female elephants are called cows. Can you imagine the look on Farmer Jones's face when at five a.m. he stumbles half asleep to the barn to milk the cows and find a barn full of elephants?" Luc starts giggling. It's a highly contagious giggle and soon not only were we giggling but the people in the booth behind Luc were giggling.


I watched in amazement as Luc talked his way into Mr. Pruitt's and Billy's hearts. Since Mrs. Pruitt had left there had been a sort of sadness in each other's eyes. But now it seemed to be lessening. I'm sure it was Luc. His own happiness seems to permeate the environment around him.


TBC

What do you think so far- Sam.