Date: Wed, 24 Nov 2010 01:22:51 -0800 (PST)
From: Zk Sma <ilbld91@yahoo.com>
Subject: Secret Admirer 5

Before I get into the story, let's get the legal stuff out of the way. I am
above the age of 18 at the time of writing this story. I own all rights to
this story. Any likeness in name or actions to any of the characters in
this story with someone in real life are purely coincidental. If it is
illegal for you to read/view something like this in your area, you should
leave now. This story includes scenes of male/male sex with high school
aged men. If this is considered offensive, you should, once again,
leave. If nothing else, then read my excerpt, and enjoy.

Ok, so here is chapter 5. We are now entering the dance. What will happen?
All I can say is I think some people might suspect the outcome, while
others will not. Unfortunately, there is no sex in this chapter, but I can
almost assure that someone will be getting some soon. Even if it is just me
in real life. If you're real nice...I might tape it and share. Not! Sorry
about that, just a little boned up at the moment due to a certain someone
parading around naked. I will go ahead and say that I own no rights to the
song "Can't Fight this Feeling" by REO Speedwagon, nor do I claim to. The
song simply fit's the moment, and I think most will agree that it is
perfect for that point in this story. Without further ado, here is Chapter
5.  Enjoy!

Secret Admirer-5 Beginnings

As I walked into the building, I was enveloped by a wave of both emotions
and nerves. I was covered by a spectrum of feelings I had never felt
before. `Thunder, seems too ominous. Maybe I should leave.' I thought to
myself. I knew that I wouldn't. There would really be no point. If I leave
now, I will never know. I will never have the closure that I am so looking
for.

I had felt love before. Yes, it was one-sided, but in the beginning it felt
great. I was happy around Talan. I felt complete. I had long since resigned
myself to knowing I would never have him. It was time to move on. As I
looked into the room, dancing masked figures filled my eyes. It was like I
was a kid at a candy store. Any one of those people could have been the
one. For all I knew, I had come in with the one. I closed my eyes and took
a deep breath. `You can do this, Nathanial.'

"You ready, babes?" Stacy asked as she grabbed my hand.

"As I'll ever be."

With that, we stepped into the room. Had I not been focusing intently on
breathing, I would have passed out. I had never been so nervous in my
life. `Will they be the person I spend my life with? Probably not, but a
nice fling could help.' I was trying to think of anything to help
me. Finally, I noticed someone walk towards me. `Is this it?'

"That mask is killer! Who are you?" The mysterious man asked.

"I'm Nate Quincy."

"Ah, I knew it wouldn't be long, Nate! I've been waiting for you."

`Oh, this was it! So...so soon!' "And you are?"

"You don't recognize my voice? Let me remind you! Ow! Ow! My knee!"

I smiled to myself. If it was him, I could live with that. "Mike."

"Yes sir!"

"Are you...?"

"The admirer? `Fraid not buddy. However, if you wanna head to the bathroom
real quick, I'll give you some admirin`."

We both busted out laughing. I couldn't help it. He started speaking
again. "But, on a more serious note, I do have a question."

"What is it?"

"Would you kiss me?"

I was caught off guard by that one. "Really?"

"Yes, really. I just have to know what its like Nate. I have to make sure
that I'm right about this one. Please. Just one."

"Okay, but watch your hands, mister." I joked. I was trying to bring some
hint of a light atmosphere to the situation.

He leaned in, and for a moment, I wanted to back out. However, I had to do
this. Not for me, for Mike. It seemed to be so important to him. Our lips
touched, and I felt nothing. It was pleasant, but it felt like kissing your
grandma...just for a little too long.

"So?" I asked as the kiss was broken.

"Well, I gotta say, it wasn't what I thought it would be, and that's great!
I expected bells and whistles to go off. I expected to want to stay like
that forever. You are the only guy I have ever had feelings for, Nate. I
know now that those feelings would never lead to anything. Thank you for
that. I love you."

"I love you, too, Mikey. Now, I will point you in the direction of your
beautiful girlfriend. I have some rounds of my own to make."

*

I had already been approached by three different people. Mike, Kelly, and
Brad had already found me. None of them were my secret admirer. Which, I
will admit, was a relief. Kelly, like Mike, asked for a kiss. I gave one to
her, and it was again the same reaction. I was glad I was helping them out,
but at the same time, it wasn't doing much for my self esteem.

"Nate, can we talk?" A figure from behind said.

I turned to see who it was. They had on a Phantom of the Opera style mask,
but I could instantly tell who it was. "Patrick. What can I do for you?"

"I want to apologize for my brother's actions. I feel like I should explain
to you why things happened the way they did."

"Well, if its any help, I'll listen. That's my theme tonight it seems."

"Well, Kellen only knows force in life. If he wants something, he takes it
by force. It has always been that way. I am in no way excusing what he did
to you, but I feel like you should know the reason he is like that. He was
sexually assaulted as a little boy. I know because I was the one that found
it. It was my mother's brother that did it to him, but he was very
young. To this day, he doesn't remember what happened. The only thing that
stuck with him was the force."

"Well, that certainly sheds new light on things, Patrick. Thank you for
telling me."

"I would do anything for my brother, Nate. I just wanted to make sure that
you had this information, so that one day, a long time from now, you may
find it in your heart to forgive him."

"Patrick, hate takes too much out of me. I have already forgiven him. Will
I forget what he did? Never. Will I harbor ill will towards him? No. I just
want him to serve his time and seek help. I want to be his last victim. I
am going to petition the courts to waive the registered sex offender status
since I am the accuser. I do not want this following him his entire life."

"Nate, you truly are the person everyone says you are. I admire you. I know
we will never be friends, but can I ask you for something? Can you give me
a hug? For closure?"

"Sure."

I leaned in to hug Patrick, and he held onto me with intensity. In that
moment, I felt that I found closure in what had happened to me. As our
embrace ended, I could see that Patrick had red eyes. I gave him one last
fleeting smile, and we parted ways. Nothing more needed to be said.

*

"Are you, by chance, Nathanial Quincy?"

"Yes, I am."

"I finally found you! I am the one! I'm your secret admirer!"

I turned to the person. It was a guy! I smiled at that. However, I could
not tell anything else. This person was one of the few that took the dark
side of Masquerade seriously. Traditional suit with a cape, and a mask that
hid not only the entire face, but the entire head. I could not even see
their eyes.

"Who am I speaking to?"

"A person that loves you intensely."

"And why is that? What have I done to provoke so much love?"

"You have been you, my sweet."

"And that makes you love me? I'm not so great."

"No, you are perfect!"

"I have my flaws."

"Those are what make you so beautiful. You work hard to overcome
them. Through your hard work, you show your heart. The purest heart of
anyone."

"Do you even know me?"

"I do. I know you better than you know yourself."

"Well, let's hear it."

"I know that when you're angry, you scrunch your nose right before you are
about to blow up. When you're sad, you cry. You don't care who is around,
you cry. When you are happy, you smile a smile that would put the sun to
shame. It is so bright it fills me with more energy than a person should be
allowed to have. It should be a sin. You are faithful to every single one
of your friends. You would never do anything to intentionally hurt
someone. You are stubborn to a fault, but that is a good thing. Without
that, you would not be as strong as you are. In essence, Nathanial, you are
the very person that I want to spend my entire life with. Why? Because in
this Hell on Earth, I have found, in you, my Heaven."

Never had I been at such a loss for words. This person just told me so much
about why they loved me. I was overwhelmed. Was I really as great as he
thought? I surely didn't think so. I was about to respond when the DJ
started talking.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, this one goes out to a Mr. Nathanial Quincy. With a
note that says, `I love you.'"

As the song started playing, my mystery man stretched his hand towards
me. "May I have this dance?"

I simply nodded my head. I wasn't concerned about the fact that we were two
guys slow dancing. Looking around the room, we would be the 10th or so same
sex couple, and no one seemed to care. He pulled me to the dance floor and
pulled me tight against his body. He put his lips next to my ear as our
bodies swayed. He began singing along with the song.

	I can't fight this feeling any longer
	And yet I'm still afraid to let it flow
	What started out as friendship has grown stronger
	I only wish I had the strength to let it show

	I tell myself that I can't hold out forever
	I said there is no reason for my fear
	'Cause I feel so secure when we're together
	You give my life direction, you make everything so clear

	And even as I wander,
	I'm keeping you in sight
	You're a candle in the window
	On a cold, dark winter's night
	And I'm getting closer than I ever thought I might

	And I can't fight this feeling anymore
	I've forgotten what I started fighting for
	It's time to bring this ship into the shore
	And throw away the oars forever

	'Cause I can't fight this feeling anymore
	I've forgotten what I started fighting for
	And if I have to crawl upon the floor,
	Come crashing through your door,
	Baby, I can't fight this feeling anymore

	My life has been such a whirlwind since I saw you
	I've been running around in circles in my mind
	And it always seems that I'm following you,
	Cause you take me to the places that alone I'd never find

	And even as I wander,
	I'm keeping you in sight
	You're a candle in the window
	On a cold, dark winter's night
	And I'm getting closer than I ever thought I might

	And I can't fight this feeling anymore
	I've forgotten what I started fighting for
	It's time to bring this ship into the shore
	And throw away the oars forever

	'Cause I can't fight this feeling anymore
	I've forgotten what I started fighting for
	And if I have to crawl upon the floor,
	Come crashing through your door,
	Baby, I can't fight this feeling anymore

When, the song was finished, we stopped dancing and he looked at me.

"I hope that song expresses some of what I feel for you." He said while
stroking the exposed part of my cheek.

"It does. Now, can you tell me who you are?"

"I could probably do a better job showing you."

I expected him to pull his mask off. I expected to be shown the face of the
person that I had just fallen in love with. However, he did not reach for
his mask. Instead he reached behind his back. He pulled out a small pack of
cookies. My favorite cookies to be exact. He held them there, and I could
not help but stare at them. `Where is he going with this?' "And this shows
me who you are?"

"I thought it might." He said simply.

"Well, all it shows me is that you really know me well. Those are my
favorite cookies."

"Oh, well perhaps this would help." He leaned into me and, once again, put
his mouth right next to my ear. "Hey, want one of my cookies?"

My heart stopped. The rest of the room was a blur. Nothing else mattered at
that moment. There was no way it could be him. There was absolutely no way.

"This isn't real..."

"It is. It is very real."

"Ladies and Gentlemen, it's that time of the evening. The great unmasking!
Everyone remove their masks at the count of three."

"One." I stopped breathing.

"Two." I stopped thinking.

"Three." I pulled off my mask and closed my eyes.

In that split second that my eyes were closed, I told myself it was only a
dream. I needed to know though. I opened my eyes, and he took that as his
cue. He reached under his mask and began to pull up. I recognized that
chin, those lips, that nose, those eyes, that hair. I recognized
everything.

"I...I can't believe it."

"Believe it."

"I...I don't know what to say."

"Say I didn't just make a fool of myself. Say I am not wrong."

"I...I..." I bolted. I didn't know what else to do. I ran from the room out
into the pouring rain.

All I could do was run. It wasn't real. There was no way it was real. As I
was running, I forced myself to believe it was a dream. I slowed somewhat,
and then I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"Why? Why didn't you tell me before?" I pleaded.

"I didn't know how to. I knew you could never return my feelings. That is
why I told you this way. So at least I might have a chance." He said as he
turned me around to face him.

"Do you even know why I tried to kill myself?"

"Because you were confused about your sexuality."

"No. I knew who I was. I tried to kill myself because I could never be with
the person I truly love."

"Oh, I understand. Well, I don't want this to damage anything between us."

"No, you don't understand." The rain intensified as I stepped closer to
him. We were body to body, both dripping wet. "I wanted to kill myself
because I could never be with the person I love. I wanted to kill myself
because I could never be..." I put my mouth next to his ear, "...with you."

"...what?"

"I have been in love with you since kindergarten, Talan. I didn't quite
know what I was feeling until the eighth grade, but I was always feeling
it."

"Nathanial, it was love at first sight. I don't know what, but something
told me to offer you that cookie. Something told me to let you in."

"This just isn't real..." I said as I looked down.

"It's real, Natty." He said as he pulled my chin up so he could look at
me. "You have no idea what I was going through when I thought I was going
to lose you. It was like losing my mom all over again, but this hurt
worse. I knew then that I had to tell you. I just didn't know how."

"I wish I would have known. Life would have been so much easier."

"I know." He stared into my eyes with intensity. It was like he was being
born again, a new found passion filling his spirit. "Nathanial, can I ask
you something?"

"Talan, you can ask me anything."

"Can I...kiss you?"

Those words. I will never forget them as long as I live. They were the most
beautiful words I had ever heard. They seemed so significant. Those were
the words that would alter the course of my life. Those were the words that
would change my very existence. I didn't know how to respond. I had to find
courage deep down to make myself do anything.

"I...thought you'd never ask."

With that, he leaned in and kissed me. Nothing else mattered anymore. Not
my family, not my friends, nothing. I could die right then and there and
have no regrets. It was the most passionate kiss I had ever shared, and it
was nothing but a mere angel kiss. Soft, tender, lip on lip. Nothing more,
nothing less. And yet, it screamed to me. It warmed me from the inside
out. The void that had been within me for so long was finally full.

We pulled away from the kiss and he rested his forehead against mine. He
then said the words that rocked my very existence.

"I love you, Nathanial Audine Quincy. With every fiber of my being, I love
you."

"Talan Ashleigh Ivory, I love you with everything I am. I always have, and
I always will."

We were dripping wet, and I was freezing, but I didn't care. I was in the
arms of Talan, my forehead resting against his, basking in the afterglow of
realizing he was in love with me.

"Natty, where do we go from here?"

"Anywhere you go, I'll go. Just know, I will never leave your side."

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

"Good, cause neither will I!"

"Come on, Baby, let's get you inside. You're shivering."

"Anything you say, Baby..."

*

"No! DAMNIT!"

"What is it, Audi?" Tristan said, rushing into my room.

"It was a dream! All a damn dream!"

"Oh...that sucks, I guess. What are we talking about?"

"Nothing. You wanna go workout with me?"

"Sure. Let me get changed."

Tristan changed clothes and we headed to the gym. We did our usual routine,
the one we had perfected before he left for school, and then we hit the
showers. On the way back, Tristan was bubbling with excitement.

"Audi, Val has an appointment tomorrow. It's probably still too early, but,
like, what if they can tell if it's a boy or a girl?"

"That would be so awesome! I just know it's gonna be a girl!"

"Oh, I hope so. I just want someone to spoil and love!"

"So, what are you gonna do about money?"

"Oh, daddy gave me a job. You are looking at Quincy Realty's newest
realtor."

"Oh, that's awesome! When do you start?"

"Tomorrow. I'm pretty damn excited. It's like, everything is falling into
place for me. Ya know?"

"Well, at least one of us is happy."

Tristan tried to ask me what I meant, but I just ignored the question and
started talking about the baby again. I put on a brave face for Tristan,
but I was hurting inside. It was all a dream. I couldn't even remember who
my real admirer was because that damn dream clouded my memory. Not only
that, Talan hadn't talked to me all day.

When we got back from the gym, I lazed around the house all day. When 8 pm
rolled around, I decided to call it an early night. I woke up the next
morning at 7 as usual, but I was completely devoid of any energy. I had
nothing to look forward to that day at school, so why should I even bother
to worry about it.

I got up, took a shower, and got dressed. I didn't even notice until I was
in my car driving that I had on a pair of Talan's football sweatpants.

"Damn, how much of Talan's stuff do I have?" I said aloud to myself.

The closer I got to the school, the more depressed I felt. I knew that my
admirer would want to see me that day, but I had no idea who it was. I
couldn't even remember how it went after I found out. All I had were
memories of that stupid dream.

I pulled into the school's parking lot, and I noticed that Talan's car was
there already. I sighed to myself as I got out. I grabbed my bag and headed
to the lunchroom. I was quickly greeted by all of my friends.

"So, how did stuff go with the admirer?" Talan asked as I sat down.

"If I'm being honest, I don't remember. This stupid dream I had is sorta
blocking out my memory."

Talan smiled along with the rest of the group. "Tell us about this dream."

"I...err...no. It's not important."

"We all wanna know. Pweese Natty!"

Damn him! He knew I couldn't resist that. "Okay, well I met my secret
admirer and everything was great. They sang into my ear this beautiful
song, and when they showed me their face, I lost it. I ran out into the
rain, but they chased me. We kissed in the rain and then we left together."

As soon as I finished, Mike yelled. "Damnit! How the hell did you know,
Talan?"

The whole table groaned and started throwing money in Talan's
direction. "What are y'all doing?"

Just then, Talan stood up, leaned across the table, and kissed me on the
lips. My heart stopped. When we separated, he just smiled at me.

"I told them you would think it was a dream. They told me that you weren't
that gullible, so I made em bet me. Now I have enough free money to take my
baby on a proper first date."

I was stunned. None of it was a dream? It was real? Talan really loved me?
I couldn't breathe. I needed to get away from there fast.

I bolted from the table. I ran as fast as I could to my car. Just as I was
jumping in, Talan was right beside me.

"What's wrong, Natty? Was it something I did?"

"No...yes...I don't know Talan."

"Well, maybe we should talk about this. Let's skip first. We need to get
everything settled with us..." he looked down at the ground. "There is an
us, right?"

I looked at him for a moment. I still wasn't sure that I was awake. This
all just seemed too good to be true. "Let's talk Tally...about us."

He looked up at me and smiled the biggest version of my smile I had ever
seen. If this was a dream, I didn't want to wake up. Ever.

*

Patrick walked through the metal detector and it remained silent. He went
to the desk where a plump woman was sitting. "Excuse me, Miss, but I am
here to pick up Kellen Masterson."

"Okay, Darlin'. Just give me a minute and I will have him here."

Patrick went and sat down on a small bench. After ten minutes of waiting,
he saw the all too familiar face of his brother. He smiled.

"Kellen," that was all Patrick said as he embraced his brother.

"Thanks for picking me up, Pat."

"Oh, don't thank me, bro. I would do anything for you."

They walked out of the building and Patrick dangled keys in front of
Kellen's face. "You brought me Frosty?" Kellen said letting a smile
overtake the glum expression on his face.

"I did. Now come on. Let's go. We need to talk about all this."

They climbed in, and Kellen started the truck A smile never disappeared
from his face as he drove down the road. After several moments of silence,
Patrick started talking.

"Kellen, I did what you told me to do. I told him the story about our
'uncle.'"

"Did he buy it?" Kellen asked.

"Yes. He even told me that he forgave you already."

"Really? This is going to be easier than we thought. First, the cops didn't
have any evidence against me, so they let me go. Now, he has forgiven
me. This is going exactly as planned."

"Yeah, but there is a rather large complication."

Kellen furrowed his brow. "Talan."

"Yes. He ended up being Nate's secret admirer."

"Oh, no bother. We will simply have to dispose of him as we did mother."

"Okay. Anything you say."

"That's why I love you, baby brother. You always do as I say."

"Well, we are practically the same person. We might as well work the same
way."

"Okay, so now all we have to do is figure out a way to do it. I guess I
will have to win Nate over before it happens. However, Talan will need to
be eliminated soon. The most important thing, though, is that it has to
look like an accident."

"I did it for you last time, Kellen. I will do it again."

"That a boy, Pat. Now let's figure this one out."

*

"So, why did you leave the caf so fast?" Talan asked me as we settled in
under the tree in our favorite spot, the spot where we played 'I'll show
you mine' when we were 10.

"It all hit me so fast. I had myself totally convinced that it was all just
a dream. Then you did what you did in the caf, and I just couldn't believe
it. I can't believe that you actually love me." I said.

Talan took my hand and brought it to his mouth. He kissed it tenderly. With
it held to the side of his face, he began. "Nathanial, you have no idea how
much I love you. I will go ahead and tell you this to save the
embarrassment when my dad finds out about us. That day that I offered you
the cookie, I came home all smiles. The first thing I did was tell my
parents that I met husband at school. My mom and dad laughed so hard. I
didn't know what they were laughing at. I started crying thinking that they
were making fun of me. My mom went into the kitchen and my dad pulled me
into a hug. After that, we had a long talk.

"He told me that a boy can't have a husband. He told me that what I felt
was normal in the fact that I had just made a friend. He said I felt so
strongly about you because you were going to be my best friend. I let the
husband idea go, but, what can I say, play dough love doesn't go away. I
realized in the 8th grade that I was in love with you, and that I didn't
just love you as a friend. It scared the shit out of me. I needed someone
to talk to. I told my dad the day I figured it out. You know, he already
knew. He told me that he knew for a long time that I was gay, but he wanted
me to tell him when I was ready.

"I understand, now, why you tried to commit suicide. You never thought this
would be possible, to have me as more than a friend, and you didn't have
anyone to talk to about it. I'll tell you, I cried myself to sleep many
nights longing to be more than your best friend. The difference in our
situations is that my dad was there rocking me gently until I fell
asleep. Soothing me until I felt comfort."

"So, what about Averie? If you were so in love with me, why did you sleep
with her?"

"Well, first let me tell you that I only slept with her once."

I could not help but let a small gasp escape. "But, you told me that you
were scoring with her all the time."

"I mean, of course I did. Wouldn't you want the boy you were in love with,
that was straight, to think you were straight, too? So he would want to
still be around you? That's why I told you I was always sleeping with
Averie."

I pulled my hand from his and looked at my feet. "...but why did you sleep
with her at all?"

"Honestly?"

"Yes."

Talan reached over and pulled my face up to look him in the eye. "It hurt
so bad, Natty. I needed you so bad, but I couldn't have you. It was tearing
me up inside. I had to make myself forget about you. When we started doing
it, I was so intent on the actions we were doing, I wasn't doing much but
looking in her eyes and feeling pleasure. But...I made the mistake of
closing my eyes. As soon as I did, I saw your face. I saw your beautiful
green eyes filled with a look of undeniable pleasure. I heard your angelic
voice tell me how good I was making you feel. The moment I heard you say
that you loved me in my little fantasy, I orgasmed."

"Well...I will say that it makes me feel better that you were thinking
about me. But, why did you let her blow you so often? I know for a fact
that you have had several blow jobs from her."

"Well, we had already had sex, and we were supposed to be a couple, so I
had to meet her halfway. I made up a lie about not being emotionally ready
for intercourse, and she seemed okay with just giving me a blow job. It
always had to happen in my room, though."

"Why?"

A small smile appeared on his face as he blushed. "Well, I would always be
sitting on the edge of my bed getting...err...serviced. It was all very
strategically played on my part. I had to keep it up for her somehow. From
that angle, I had the perfect view of my favorite picture."

"Porn, Talan? You could have easily looked at that at her house."

"No, Nate, not porn. I was always looking at that picture that we took when
we went with your dad to Santa Monica."

"Which one?"

"The one where I look sad because I dropped my ice cream, but you still had
yours."

"You mean...?"

"Yeah..." he looked down. "The one where you are licking the ice cream cone
and there is vanilla ice cream all around your mouth..."

"Talan, we are like, 14 in that picture."

"And? You were a hot piece of ass then, too."

With that, I busted out laughing. It must have been contagious because he
did too. We must have laughed for about five minutes. He still had a smile
on his face when he started talking again. "So, do you understand now that
this isn't just a dream? That I really do love you?"

"Yes, I do, but..."

The smile left his face. "But what?"

"Why didn't you tell me when I came out to you? We could have avoided me
nearly being raped by that creep and everything. We could have been
together all this time."

"Natty," he moved closer to me and took both of my hands in his, "you would
have thought I was just trying to give you what you wanted. You would have
thought I was just trying to keep our friendship. I could have made love to
you that night, and you would have still thought I was just trying to save
our friendship. I saw how freaked out you were that you were going to lose
me. I saw the confused look on your face with how well I took it. When that
look crossed your face, I knew I had to stay quiet, but I also knew that I
finally had my chance. I would just have to bide my time.

"While you were sleeping, I cooked up the whole secret admirer thing. Just
after I was done working everything out in my head, you had one of your
blasted wet dreams. I knew how panicked you would be if you woke up the
morning after telling me you were gay with cum soaked boxers. So, I cleaned
you up. When I finally drifted to sleep, I was so damn horny, my dreams
were filled with images of you in very, very compromising positions. The
next thing I know, I'm awake and you are allowing me to hump you. Which, to
this day, including twice this morning, I still jack off too."

I blushed at his last comment, but I was still thinking. How did he know me
so well? How could he read me so well? I guess the same reason I could read
him so well. That's what true love brings. "You know me like the back of
your hand. That is exactly how I would have reacted. I would have thought
you were just being nice and trying to show me you accepted me. In terms of
the humping thing, it has inspired some pretty vigorous wank sessions in my
bed as well."

He wiggled his eye brows. "I know. I'm not that sound of a sleeper, Natty."

We busted out laughing again. This time, it only lasted for a few minutes,
then Talan's face took a very serious look. "So, where does this leave us?"

"Hmmm..." I looked him in the eyes. "It seems like you may have something
you need to ask me. I don't really know, but something kinda official, ya
know?"

He smiled at me. "I think I know what you are talking about."

"Well?" I said as I smiled back at him.

"Ok, here goes." He leaned in closer to me, so much so our lips were almost
touching. He had a very seductive look on his face. "Paper or plastic?"

I hit him on the arm and he started laughing. "I'm serious, Tally!"

"Me too, Natty. I do believe this is the question you were looking
for. Nathanial Audine Quincy, would you do me the honor of being my
boyfriend?"

I looked at him in the eyes for any hint that this was a joke. I saw
nothing but sincerity. I knew that he wasn't playing a prank on me. This
was real. He spoke the words that I had always wanted him to speak. The
only thing I had to do was respond. Who was I to turn him down?

"Talan Ashleigh Ivory, I want nothing else in this world than to be your
boyfriend."

Talan literally jumped from a sitting position into a standing one. He
jumped again with his fist in the air. "He said YES!"

I couldn't help but smile at him. He was so happy that I said yes. As if I
wouldn't. I was convinced that I wanted this more than him, but he was
doing a good job of showing me that he probably wanted it just as much as
me.

*

I walked into second block, with my hair a little disheveled from Talan's
victory make out session, and everyone had their eyes on me. I was
convinced that it was just because I looked like I had sex, but I was
mistaken. After I handed in my excuse, I turned to go to my seat. I stopped
dead in my tracks. I couldn't believe he was back.

"Mr. Quincy, please take your seat."

"Ye...yes ma'am." I stuttered.

I walked to my seat, but I was very visibly trembling. Kellen was back in
class, and to make matters worse, he was smiling at me as if nothing had
happened. As if he hadn't tried to rape me. I was not able to concentrate
all class. I kept feeling like I was either going to puke or bust out in
tears. Class couldn't get over fast enough. As soon as the bell rang, I
bolted.

I ran straight from the room to my car. I was hyperventilating. I guess
Talan must have seen me running because he was at my car only a few minutes
after I got there.

"What's wrong, baby?" Talan asked.

"He...he's...back." I stuttered.

"Who is, baby?"

"Ke...Kellen." When I said his name, I finally had a reaction. I threw
up. As soon as I bent over, Talan was next to me, keeping my hair out of
the way so I could let myself evacuate the contents of my stomach. As soon
as I was done vomiting, I started crying uncontrollably.

Talan quickly embraced me and began running his fingers through my hair in
an effort to soothe me. "Shh, baby, it's going to be okay. He is not going
to get near you. He will never hurt you again."

"What's all the commotion?" Brad asked as he walked towards us.

"That son of a bitch is back." Talan said through clenched teeth. He then
turned his attention back to me.

"He is? How? WHY?!" Brad screamed.

That got a few people's attention and somehow the rest of our group ended
up in the parking lot around my car.

Everyone was trying to calm me down while simultaneously trying to figure
out why Kellen was back.

"I don't care if he is back or not. We are not going to let him get near
Nate again. I'll kill him first." Mike said.

"We need to talk to the principal. At the very least, he needs to change
Kellen's schedule." Kelly said.

"Nathan, babes, are you going to be okay?" Stacy asked as she came over to
me.

I honestly didn't have an answer for her. It had been ten minutes, and I
still had not stopped crying. It wasn't the painful sobs it was when I
started, but it also wasn't a silent cry. "I...don't...know," was all I
could manage.

"Come on, baby. We need to go to the office and get this sorted out." Talan
said as he began to usher me towards the building.

The entire group took me to the office, but only Talan stayed with me until
the principal was able to see us.

"Principal Michaels, we have a major problem." Talan said.

"What can I help you boys with today?" The principal replied.

"Well, as you know, Nathan was brutalized by a mister Kellen Masterson and
that is why he wasn't in school last Monday. That is all the police told us
we would have to tell you because Kellen was supposed to stay in
jail. However, he is no longer in jail, and when Nathan gets to second
block, he is in there smiling at him."

"I do not see the problem here boys. The police released Mr. Masterson
because there was no evidence against him."

"Only because Tristan, Nathan's brother, and I weren't allowed to give
formal statements. I still don't know why. However, I saw everything that
happened. He is 100 percent guilty, and Nathan shouldn't have to be around
his attacker. You need to change Kellen's schedule around." Talan stated
with a slight edge to his voice.

"If anything, I would change Nathan's schedule. Kellen has done nothing to
earn disciplinary action, and I will not punish him by changing his classes
around. If Nathan does not want him around, Nathan will have to change his
classes."

I looked over at Talan with tears still in my eyes. I knew that face. The
principal was about to wish he had just went along with what Talan had
said.  "So, you are going to punish Nathan for being attacked?"

"You keep saying that, but Mr. Masterson was cleared of the charges against
him. If Nathan doesn't want to be around him, he is getting his classes
changed, not Mr. Masterson."

Talan lost it. "That is such fucking bull shit! Kellen orally raped Nathan,
and you are going to allow him to be in the same room! I saw it with my own
two eyes! Tristan saw it with his own two eyes! Nathan would have seen had
Kellen not knocked him out! And yet you are going to allow him to attend
classes with the boy he attacked?! Why the hell do we pay money to go to
this `superior' school when no one here gives a fuck what happens to their
students?!"

"Mr. Ivory, you will calm down now unless you want to be suspended!"

"Fucking suspend me then! But I will tell you what, I will die before you
change Nathan's classes instead of Kellen's! What the fuck kind of sorry
ass principal are you when you protect the assailant instead of the
victim?!"

Just then, the door opened and my father walked in. "What is the meaning of
allowing Kellen Masterson back into classes with my son?"

"Mr. Quincy, Kellen was cleared of charges. I am not going to punish the
boy for something the law says he didn't do."

My father got in the principals face. "You are going to take Kellen
Masterson out of any class he has with my son this instant! If you don't, I
will not only have your job, but I will slap a lawsuit on you so severe
that you will have to sell organs to keep from starving to death! Do I make
myself perfectly clear?"

"Mr. Quincy, I will not be intimidated in my own office! Mr. Masterson was
released. I will not punish the boy further!"

"He was released on a technicality! If you would check your emails every
now and again, you would see that there is a restraining order placed on
Kellen Masterson by my son. Kellen is not supposed to be within 100 feet of
my soon at any time."

The principal sat down and looked at his computer. He looked up at my
father. "Well, it seems there is a restraining order. The best I can do is
change Nathan's classes."

"Wrong! It is against the law to force the person protected by the
restraining order to alter their routine. You will change Kellen's
schedule, and that is final!"

The principal looked defeated. "Very well. I will send Mr. Masterson home
for the day. His schedule will be changed by tomorrow." The principal
turned his stare from my dad to Talan. "As for you, Mr. Ivory, you are
suspended for three weeks."

"Wrong again. Talan is also protected against Kellen by a restraining
order. If you suspend him, I will say he felt his life was threatened and
you were endangering him." My dad said flatly.

The principal's face went pale. "Very well. You are all excused. Good day."

*

I was still shaken throughout the day, even though Kellen was gone, but I
tried my best to hide it. I guess Talan was better at reading me than I
thought because he knew something was still wrong with me. As soon as we
were released from fourth block, I darted straight for my locker. Talan was
there with me in an instant.

"Baby, do you wanna talk about it?"

"Talk about what? I'm fine."

"No, you're not. I can see it on your face that you are still upset about
it. Come on, talk to me."

I gave Talan a hug. "Thanks, baby, but I promise, I'm going to be okay. I
have had my episode, but the dramatics are done with. I promise."

Talan hooked his finger under my chin and lifted my face so he could look
me in the eyes. "As long as you promise, I believe you. Just don't be
afraid to talk to me. Okay?"

"Okay. Now we have both got to get to practice. I found out that we are the
squad cheering Friday's game. I've got get ready to cheer y'all to
victory."

Talan smiled and pulled me into a kiss. When we were done, he was about to
say something, but he was interrupted.

"What the fuck, Talan? Is this why you broke up with me? You're a fucking
faggot?"

Talan's eyes narrowed as he looked over my shoulder. "Averie, I broke up
with you because I didn't love you."

I was surprised when Averie walked up behind me and punched me in the
back. "No, you broke up with me to be with a fucking fag cheer boy!" After
Averie said that, she spit on me.

Talan gently pushed me out of the way and got in Averie's face. "Listen
here you stupid bitch. I am not the type of guy that hits women, but touch
Nate ever again, and I will not only hit you, I will kill you. Apologize to
him this instant!"

I put my hand on Talan's shoulder. "Talan, calm down. She is just an
ignorant little bitch that doesn't deserve a second thought. Let's go."

I pulled Talan away from Averie and we started walking down the
hall. Averie called out to us. "I'll get you back, you faggots!"

Talan and I turned back around, and we were going to walk back to where she
was, but we stopped when we saw Stacy walk up to her.

"Talan may not be able to hit a girl, but I sure as hell can!" With that,
Stacy punched Averie so hard in the face that I could hear her nose
break. She fell to the floor, screaming. Stacy spit on her and then walked
to join Talan and me. "I never liked that stupid bitch."

"Yeah, neither did I." I said.

"Anyway, lets change the subject so I don't turn around and finish Stacy's
job." Talan said through clenched teeth.

I had to calm him down. He was visibly upset. Not tears or anything, but
you could see the anger burning in his eyes. I didn't know if it would
work, but I was willing to try anything. I stopped Talan in his stride and
pulled him towards me. I embraced him and gave him a kiss.

"Ah," Talan said as he pulled away from me with a smile on his face, "I
think I just found my own form of therapy. Thanks, Natty."

"Oh, it was my pleasure. Now I really do have to get to practice."

"Which reminds me, I can't wait to have you on the sidelines cheering me
on. I'm gonna score every point I can for you!"

I smiled and leaned in to give Talan one last kiss. Stacy gave me a quick
side hug before she headed to the softball field. I held Talan's gaze
before we eventually had to part ways.

I was lost in a state of bliss as I walked towards the gym for practice. I
couldn't believe that it was real. I had what I always dreamed of
having. Talan was mine and I was his. It was better than any fairy tale I
had ever read.

In my blissful state, I was oblivious to the outside world. I didn't hear
the truck pull up, I didn't hear anyone get out. The only thing I knew was
that I was happy. That is until a gag was put in my mouth and I was picked
up. The gag had something on it. I didn't know what it was, but I knew I
was getting tired. The only thing I remember seeing before my eyes closed
was a flash of blue. Everything went dark.

============================================================================

Author's Note

Okay, so I know I said I don't like these, but I am addicted to them
now. Sue me. Anyway, it is very late and I am having some trouble getting
back to sleep after being awakened in a rather...pleasant way. Regardless
of that, I want your opinion on something. Is the story getting boring? I
feel like I have lost many fans because the story line isn't leading where
they want it. Do I need more sex? Personally...well if he would allow ir,
we would be shut ins, however, creativately I feel like I am losing you
guys. Let me know how to perk your interest again. The only reason I write
is to hear positive feedback from my readers.

By the way, I would love to help anyone with anything. I have taken a
liking to several readers; they seem so special. I am actually honored that
they would even take the time to read my story. However, I want to feel
that way towards all of my readers. Let me know what you think guys and
gals, and I will always do my best to reply. My schedule has slacked a bit,
but not much. However, I always take time to listen if someone needs it.

I love you guys.
Respectfully,
ZK