Starting Over

by tim

This story is © 2004 by tim and is protected by copyright law. Please do not copy or post this story to other sites without the author's permission. Although if you do ask I will most likely have no problem with your requests, unless you are trying to profit from it. This is a fictional story. Any similarities between actual people or events are purely coincidental. Although this story is listed in the no-sex section of the archive, it may eventually contain sexual situations between teen males. If this subject offends you or you should not be reading this type of story, you assume all responsibility for continuing. This story also deals with the subject of teen suicide. It is the author's hope to show that this is not an acceptable option. Please send all comments to: Timthestoryguy10@cs.com or timthestoryguy@hotmail.com . If you send mail to the cs address, I will receive it. If you send mail to the hotmail address, I may or may not receive it.

Other stories by tim the story guy in Nifty:

Sweet Sixteen - NEW STORY not placed yet.

Starting Over* - in the no-sex section (last update 10/08/04)

Training Day - in the adult/youth section (completed 9/17/04)

What A Gas! - in the adult/youth section (last update 10/05/04)

Allen & Allen 2 - in the high school section (last update 10/08/04)

No One Else - in the high school section (last update 10/05/04)

Fate - in the high school section (completed 5/21/04)

*Although Starting over has been placed in the no-sex section of the archive, it will eventually contain sexual situations between teen males.

Starting Over - by tim

Chapter 4

After that morning's episode, Carter would not think about taking his own life again. Although the pain he felt was still great, he trusted Wayne when the man promised to make things better for him. Wayne could tell that they had made it past a very dangerous point in Carter's recovery, and now he could get down to the job of helping the boy learn to deal with what had happened. However, today had been emotionally draining enough on both of them, so Wayne decided that they both needed a break. Wayne decided to take Carter somewhere that would demonstrate the importance of the preservation of life.

"C'mon Carter," said Wayne, "get dressed to spend the day outside. I want to take you to Sea World, over in Orlando."

"Yeah," said Carter, "I guess I can play along with that."

Carter wasn't too thrilled about the idea of a theme park, especially considering the way he was feeling, but he decided to take a shower and make the best of it anyway. The drive over to Orlando was quiet and reflective, at least for Carter. Wayne was sure though that this may put the boy in better spirits. The first thing Wayne took Carter to see upon entering the park was purely for entertainment. They settled into a couple of seats about five rows back from a very large tank of salt water, then waited for the Shamu show to begin. Wayne had been here once before, so he knew they would get fairly wet sitting only five rows back. The star of the show did not disappoint Wayne either. Halfway through the show, Wayne and Carter were both drenched. Then the trainer asked for a volunteer from the audience, so Wayne goosed Carter in the side causing the boy to jump up from his seat.

"Very good!" said the trainer, pointing at Carter. "You'll do just fine. Everyone give this young man a hand for volunteering to help us."

Carter looked at Wayne and said, "Very funny dude."

Wayne chuckled and gave the boy a gentle nudge toward the stage.

"What's your name young man?" asked the trainer.

"Carter." replied the nervous boy.

"Okay Carter," said the trainer, "We're going to teach you to have Shamu here do a few tricks."

The show was very funny. The trainer started by having the massive whale taking fish from Carter's hand, before Carter expected it. Then he had Carter give the animal a few commands, making it do some impressive tricks.

When the trainer was finally through with Carter he said, "Everyone give Carter a hand for helping us today. Shamu, come over and thank the young man."

The whale then came over to the stage and poked it's head out of the water, up onto the stage.

"Look at that." said the trainer. "I think Shamu wants a little pat on the head. Go ahead Carter."

When Carter reached down and petted the animal on the head, the whale spewed water all over the stage. An already drenched Carter was now even more soaked, which brought laughter from the crowd.

After the show was over Carter looked at Wayne and said, "I owe you for that one dude." That brought a chuckle from Wayne.

The two continued to have a good time, and Carter was glad that he had decided to make the best of today. Even getting soaked earlier was fun. A little later Carter and Wayne found themselves at the sea lion feeding area. They both bought some fish from the booth, and began feeding the rather loud animals.

"They sure do like to show off for their food, don't they?" asked Carter.

"Yes." replied Wayne. "Normally out in the wild they would catch their own food, but in this environment they depend on the attention of us to survive. I guess us humans have imprinted our needs onto them."

"What about the ones who don't seem to be getting any food?" asked Carter.

"Don't worry son." replied Wayne. "Their human handlers love them very much, and make sure that all of them are taken good care of."

Carter then noticed one of the smaller sea lions off by himself, who didn't seem to be getting any attention. The animal seemed to be intimidated by some of the larger, more aggressive animals. Carter made his way over to where he could get the animal's attention, then began trying to throw a few fish to the animal. Carter would mange to get a few close enough for the smaller sea lion to get to them first, before some of the larger animals would come along. Then the smaller animal would move, followed by Carter. Carter kept this up until he had fed all of his fish to this one particular sea lion. When the fish were all gone, the sea lion climbed up onto a rock ledge near Carter and began barking at the boy in a friendly manner.

"You're welcome buddy." said Carter. "I just wanted to make sure you got the attention you deserve."

Carter then waved at the animal, who raised a flipper up into the air and waved back at Carter. Then the sea lion hopped back into the water and swam off to play with the other animals. When Wayne caught up to Carter, the boy had a bright smile on his face. Carter went on and on exuberantly about the sea lion that he had made friends with, while Wayne smiled back at the boy. This little trip was looking like a better and better idea all the time. Wayne was glad that he had come up with this idea because he loved to see Carter so happy for a change. He also knew that the boy would need this for some of the work that lay ahead of them. After taking in another show, the pair found themselves over near the dolphin feeding area.

"I'll go get us both some fish!" volunteered Carter enthusiastically.

Wayne watched as Carter went over to the booth and bought some fish to feed the dolphins. Carter did seem to take his time talking to the attendant at the booth though, which made Wayne wonder what the boy might be up to. He knew that Carter had not forgotten about the whale earlier. Carter finally returned to where Wayne was standing near the dolphin pool. Then he handed Wayne some of the fish.

"You took a little while there, didn't you?" asked Wayne.

"Yeah," replied Carter, "the attendant was telling me how to feed the dolphins. First you have to go up to the pool and splash at the water to get their attention." Carter stood back a little as Wayne reached over into the pool. "Then you just hold the fish out so the dolphin can take it from you. Don't forget to pet the dolphin when he takes the fish though, they like that a lot."

Wayne got the attention of one of the dolphins and held a fish out to the animal. When the dolphin took the fish, Wayne reached out and petted the animal on top of the head. The animal immediately began chattering and soaking Wayne with water.

"Oh!" added Carter. "I almost forgot. Make sure you pet the dolphin under the chin. They hate being petted on the top of the head."

Wayne turned around drenched, to find Carter doubled over in laughter. Carter was laughing uncontrollably as water dripped from Wayne. Finally Wayne began laughing along too.

"Oh God!" gasped Carter between fits of laughter. "You should have seen yourself when that dolphin was soaking you. You looked like you couldn't figure out what you had done to make the dolphin do that. It was priceless dude!"

"I guess I kind of had that coming." admitted Wayne. "Besides, seeing you having such a great time makes it all worth it."

Carter looked up at the man as his laughter finally faded and asked, "You weren't kidding when you said things would get better, were you?"

"I'll never lie to you Carter." replied Wayne, as he ruffled the boy's hair. "There may be more really tough work to do, but times like this will eventually come more and more often. That's a promise."

The pair continued feeding fish to the dolphins, then continued having one of the best days that either of them could remember in quite some time. Wayne continued to feel uplifted by watching Carter having fun for a change, and Carter considered himself very lucky to have someone like Wayne take such an interest in him. Wayne was in such good spirits that Carter even convinced him to begin going on the rides with him. This was definitely a day that both of them would need to look back on in the coming days. At the end of the day Wayne took Carter to a nice restaurant before heading home.

On the drive home Carter asked Wayne, "Did you mean what you said to me this morning Wayne?"

"I usually mean everything I say." replied Wayne. "Was this about something I said in particular?"

"It was when you said that you love me." said Carter.

"Yes," said Wayne, "I meant that too. I love you as a friend Carter. You are a very wonderful young man, and I'm glad that I have gotten the chance to know you so well."

"I figured you meant as a friend." said Carter. "It's just that not a lot of people have ever told me that in any way."

"I'm sure that it's just an oversight son." replied Wayne. "I don't see how anyone can not be taken by your charm."

"Well whatever the case, thanks dude." said Carter. "I'm glad you said it."

"You're welcome Carter." replied Wayne. "It's no problem at all."

Once the two returned to the beach house, they decided to sit out on the patio. Wayne wanted to try something a little different tonight. Just sitting on the patio and looking at the ocean, without saying anything. Wayne felt that the boy had cried himself to sleep on too many occasions, and tonight would be different. Wayne put some relaxing music on the stereo and left the patio door open, then the pair looked out over the ocean. Carter looked out at the ocean trying to spot ships, and listening to the waves and music. It was a very beautiful end to a very great day. It was times like this when Wayne knew exactly why he kept the beach house, and why he got into the line of work that he now did. As Carter sat there with his head leaning against Wayne's side, he eventually drifted off into a peaceful slumber. Wayne sat there for some time longer listening to the soft music, the waves, and the gentle snoring from Carter. "Heaven must be exactly like this." thought Wayne to himself.

The next morning when Wayne woke up, he decided it was time to get to work again. He almost hated to do it, especially considering the mood Carter was in. Wayne thought about how he would approach today as he and Carter ate breakfast. Finally Wayne had decided on a plan for today. He told Carter to dress for the beach all day, and put on plenty of sunscreen. Once they were both ready, Wayne grabbed a couple of beach chairs and blankets. Then he told Carter to follow him, and headed out to the beach.

Once they were settled in Carter asked, "So, what's up for today? The nude beach sounds fun!"

"It may be fun," chuckled Wayne, "but I thought we would try to get a little work done today."

"That don't sound like as much fun, but you're the boss." replied Carter.

"Good then," said Wayne, "let's get started. I want to keep today on the light side, so I'd like you to tell me about you and Travis. Just tell me about the good things today though. Fun things you guys did, the way you made each other feel by being friends, things like that."

"Don't you think I miss him enough already?" asked Carter.

"I know it might get kind of hard at times," replied Wayne, "but please humor me. I really do want to know what he was like."

So Carter began telling Wayne all about Travis and himself. The games they would play as they grew up together, the jokes they would play on others, and the times they would do nothing but enjoy each other's friendship. Carter would begin to tear up every once in a while, but Wayne would always make sure to give Carter time to regroup and a reassuring arm around the shoulders.

At one point Wayne interrupted and asked, "Did you two ever do anything like hold each other's hand, or just stare at each other?"

"Yeah, I guess we did do stuff like that." replied Carter sheepishly.

"How did that make you feel when you would hold his hand?" asked Wayne.

"It usually felt really warm and good." replied Carter.

"How did Travis seem to take it?" asked Wayne.

"When I think back about that, it's kinda confusing." said Carter. "Travis would usually have the same expression on his face that I would have. I guess he kinda liked it too, but we still seemed to go in different directions later on."

"Where you with Travis when you first discovered erections?" asked Wayne.

"How the heck did you know that Wayne?" asked Carter.

"It's easy," chuckled Wayne, "I'm psychic." That got a chuckle from Carter before Wayne continued, "Really though, it's a very common thing for boys to be with their best friend for things like that. First erections, first masturbation and orgasms, and usually when a boy kisses a girl for the first time he goes straight to his best friend and tells him all about it."

"Damn!" exclaimed Carter. "That's exactly what Travis did when he kissed a girl named Becky. He seemed so excited too. I personally hated hearing all about it." Then Carter laughed lightly.

"Let's go back to the first time you guys shot." chuckled Wayne. "Were the two of you together?"

"Yeah." said Carter as he smiled. "I thought it was so cool, cumming in front of Travis for the first time."

"How did Travis seem to take it when he saw you having an orgasm?" asked Wayne.

"It was so weird." replied Carter. "He smiled really big at me and said, My turn now, watch this dude."

"Hmmm." hummed Wayne. "Did you guys ever touch each other?"

"Do I have to tell you that?" asked Carter.

"Well, I do want to understand how both of you boys felt about each other." said Wayne. "It may be helpful to know about that."

"Okay," said Carter, "I'll tell you. About six months after the first time we jacked off together, I asked him if I could stroke it for him. The time I touched him there the day of the accident was the second time I had touched him there."

"How did both of you boys react to that?" asked Wayne.

"Damn, it felt so nice holding and rubbing his dick." said Carter. "I almost cum without touching myself when I was jacking him off. It was the greatest thing I ever felt."

"How did he take that?" asked Wayne.

"He had this really awesome look on his face while I was doing it." replied Carter. "It looked like he was enjoying the hell out of it, especially when he started shooting."

"What about after that though?" asked Wayne.

"It was really weird dude." replied Carter. "He suddenly looked like he was scared to death that we were going to get caught at any moment. I asked him if he was okay and he said that he was, but that he didn't want to talk about what we did. Ever. After that, he wouldn't let me see him naked as much as he use to. It was never a problem for either of us before that."

"Did he start treating you differently after that?" asked Wayne.

"That's the really confusing part." said Carter. "He was as nice to me as he ever was, and we continued to hang out together and have fun being friends. We never did talk about doing other things together again though."

"That's probably what made you jealous of the girlfriends later on, right?" asked Wayne.

"I guess that was a part of it." replied Carter. "Not to mention the fact that I began to realize that I was gay, and I really had the hots for him."

"Hmmmm." hummed Wayne again.

"What?" asked Carter. "What's with all the humming? Are you playing name that tune with yourself?" Carter then chuckled lightly.

"No," chuckled Wayne, "it's really nothing, at least not yet."

"You're not holding anything back on me, are you Wayne?" asked Carter.

"I wouldn't do that Carter." reassured Wayne. "If I figure anything out for sure, I will let you know. In the meantime I would like you to remember something Carter."

"What's that?" asked Carter.

"Try to remember that things aren't always the way they seem to be." replied Wayne. "Sometimes people can feel things that we would never expect, no matter how well we think that we might know them. You see that happen all the time. For example, when a man cheats on his wife, or vice versa, and the partner never sees it coming, even if it may have been coming on for years. I've treated several cases just like that when I had a private practice."

"I guess it could happen." said Carter. "But if Travis ever kept anything from me, it would be a complete surprise. Besides, what would he keep from me?"

"I can't say for certain yet." replied Wayne. "Just keep an open mind about the subject, okay?"

"Sure doc." said Carter, as he smiled at Wayne.

"Now Carter, have you ever been out on a boat on the ocean?" asked Wayne.

"That would be kinda hard seeing as how this is the first time I've ever seen the ocean." replied Carter.

"Let's go then!" said Wayne. "This will be fun, trust me."

Wayne made the short drive to the marina, where he had a boat docked. He had called the marina when he first arrived at the beach house, so the staff had the boat ready for him in case he needed it. Wayne pulled away from the dock once Carter and a few supplies were on board. Wayne navigated up the intercoastal waterway to the inlet from the ocean. Once they were clear of the jetty, Wayne had Carter sit on the same seat beside him. Carter looked at Wayne in shock when Wayne offered him the wheel. Wayne and Carter had a wonderful time out on the ocean, until the sun began to drop in the sky and it was time to head back to the marina.

I wanted to try to keep this chapter a little lighter to give everyone a chance to regroup. It does appear that Wayne may be forming some opinions about Carter and Travis though. At least now Carter is past his more self-destructive thoughts, but he still has a way to go. Please send all comments to: Timthestoryguy10@cs.com or timthestoryguy@hotmail.com . See you again in chapter 5.