Tripod Chapter 45

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TRIPOD -- CHAPTER 45

For the sake of our relationship, and our own sanity, Darius and I decided not to discuss his school choice until he had all of the acceptance/rejection notices in hand. It just seemed crazy to talk about the two of us going to Northwestern when we didn't even know if he would get in.

I like to think that I was accepted to Northwestern because of my excellent grades, high test scores and extracurricular activities, all of which Darius also had, but the fact that I'm a double Northwestern legacy may have helped, too. After all, it's one of the top schools in the country and very difficult to get in. It's not MIT, but it's not a community college either. The fact that both my mom and dad went there would definitely have helped my chances because Northwestern does consider it in the application process.

Both of Darius's parents went to UCLA, but legacy status doesn't count there. They don't even ask about it on the application form. And while Northwestern's acceptance rate is 7% and UCLA's is 9%, because it's a state school and not a private one, the bar is much higher to get admitted to UCLA for students who are not California residents, so Darius faced an uphill battle either way.

The University of Chicago is even tougher to get into, and given that it has almost zero focus on athletics, Darius's wrestling prowess probably wouldn't have counted for much.

The waiting process was agonizing for not only Darius and me, but for all of my friends. At least I had an answer. Everyone else was in limbo. The stress was really getting to us. Spring break was scheduled for the last week of March and we were expecting most of the decisions by then, except for Eddie's waitlisting at MIT.

By the end of the second week of March, responses had started to trickle in.

As we sat around the lunch table, Seán was the first to recap: "I'm in at DePaul and Southern Illinois. Those were my top choices anyway. I'm still waiting on some of my `safe' schools, but I don't really care at this point."

"Have you decided on a major?" I asked.

"Physical education. I love gymnastics and I want to continue as a coach," Seán replied.

"That's really cool, Seán," Eddie began, "and I'm sure there will be hundreds, if not thousands, of people thrilled to see that amazing butt of yours filling out tight, gray sweatpants for the foreseeable future."

Seán asked Tyler and Eddie, "Have you guys heard anything from any of the other schools?"

"Eddie and I both got accepted to U of I, but it's like our last choice because I'm sure Eddie's gonna get in somewhere amazing and we're still waiting to hear."

"Brandon, you've been really quiet about all of this. What's going on?" I asked.

"I didn't want to say anything because you guys will think I'm crazy," Brandon replied quietly.

"Come on, Brandon," Tyler said, "after all the shit that we've been through together, you don't think you can trust us?"

"It's not that. But you guys are gonna make fun of me."

"Brandon, you're a completely different person from the one we knew and hated last year," I said. "We'll support you in whatever you decide to do. You're much smarter than you give yourself credit for, dude."

"Give it up, Brandon," Tyler chided. "Lemme guess. You wanna become a professional pole dancer? Maybe the stand-in penis in porn films? How about entering the Mr. Twunk Illinois pageant?"

"Shut up, Tyler," Eddie said, as Brandon sank deeper into his chair.

Eddie, who rarely got into fights with Tyler, glared at his boyfriend.

Tyler got the not-too-subtle hint and his whole demeanor changed in an instant. "I'm only kidding, Brandon. I'm sorry, buddy. Really. Give us the news," Tyler said in all sincerity.

"After all the shit that my brother and me have been through and all of the crap that happens to kids in the LGBTQIA+ community, I've decided that I want to be a psychologist that specializes in helping trauma victims of physical assaults, sexual assaults, bullying, whatever. I've already gotten accepted at U of I Urbana-Champaign, just like you two. I got into DePaul, too. I applied to Northwestern, but I doubt I'll get in. I'm still waiting. Same with University of Chicago. Basically, all of the schools that have good psych departments in Illinois."

"Oh, my God! Brandon! That's fucking amazing," Tyler screamed. He jumped up and ran around the table to give Brandon a hug. All the rest of us were on our feet and surrounded Brandon in an instant.

"We should do something to celebrate," Tyler said. "We're all gonna be around during Spring Break, right?"

We all nodded.

"Well, my folks both work and I'm now the only one at this table who's an only child. I'll have the house all to my lonesome self. And me and Little Tyler get sooooo lonely there. So, how about we plan a little daytime party at my place during that week? Then maybe we do something almost as fun after, like going bowling or indoor skydiving? They've got a deal on weekdays during the day, I think.

We all looked at each and smiled a dirty, little smile.

"Brandon, is Sho around during the day that week?" I asked.

"He's won't be on break, and his class schedule is all over the place. Let me check with him and see. He's been asking about a repeat of New Year's for a while. I'd be down for it, too"

"Seán, can we count on you and Connor?" Tyler asked.

Seán blushed. Then the corners of his mouth turned up in the slightest smile. "Yup."

***

"Is it OK that I invited Ozzie over for dinner on Friday?" Asher asked on Monday of the following week, the third week of March. "I know, I should have asked first. It kind of just popped out of my mouth."

"Ask Jaime," Dad replied, "Mom and I are having dinner on Friday in the city with Noah and Jermaine. I guess Lincoln's coming, too. It's Mom's and my last weekend together before I leave for that three-week production trip."

"It's cool with me. I was thinking of having Darius over, too. Is this a date or are you two just hanging out?" I asked.

"I'm not sure yet, but you should have seen Ozzie when I asked him. His eyes practically popped out of his head, then he broke into this huge smile. Then, just as fast, he got a hold of himself and said, `I'd be down for that.' Like he was trying to act all calm."

"It sounds like Ozzie is smitten," Mom said.

"Wait," Asher said, looking confused, "isn't that what God did in the Bible when people pissed him off? `He was smitten by God,' or something like that. Doesn't it mean getting the shit kicked out of them?"

Mom laughed. "The meaning's softened a bit in the last couple of thousand years. Now it just means when someone is really attracted to someone else."

"Yeah, Asher. I think Ozzie's jonesing for you, dude."

"I figured he'd just come over for dinner and we can talk. Casual. Watch TV. Just hang out. `Netflix and chill' is what I told Ozzie," Asher said.

I burst out laughing. Mom and Dad looked at each other, slightly concerned.

"Asher, I'm not sure if you get the meaning of that expression," I said.

"Of course, I do, Jaime. It's just what it sounds like. You watch streaming TV and sit around, right?"

"'Chill' doesn't mean `chill' in that expression, Asher. It means `have sex,'" I explained.

"What??!! No!!! Oh, God. No wonder Ozzie's eyes popped out of his head when I invited him over!"

***

That whole week brought a flood of college decision notices for my friends.

As Brandon had suspected, he got rejected at Northwestern and University of Chicago, but he was thrilled with his choices of University of Illinois and DePaul. Given that Sho was enrolled at DePaul, it made it an even better choice, but U of I is a state school, so tuition would be much more reasonable. The only drawback was that it's a two-and-a-half-hour drive from Evanston when there's no traffic, so he wouldn't be able to see Sho frequently, maybe a couple of times a month. He wouldn't have to decide for a couple of months, so he could wait to see what he was being offered for student loans and aid money.

Tyler and Eddie had meticulously coordinated their school applications so that they had a school for each in every city where they applied. It seemed that each day brought more anxious anticipation and stress. By the end of the week, the picture didn't look that much clearer:

Eddie got waitlisted at Harvard, accepted at Stanford, Princeton, Georgia Tech, and Cal Tech.

Tyler got accepted at Boston University, rejected at Emory, rejected at Berkley, rejected at USC, and while he got accepted at Pepperdine, it's insanely expensive and trying to drive from Malibu to Pasadena on the best of days is a haul, given L. A.'s traffic. He got accepted at Rutgers, which is a short drive from Princeton, but it's not as good of a school as University of Illinois.

In other words, except for the University of Illinois, they had no certain overlaps that would make them happy. Tyler had a school in Boston, but Eddie didn't. Eddie had a school in Georgia, but Tyler didn't. Eddie had a school in northern California, but Tyler didn't. Eddie had a school in Southern California, but Tyler didn't have one that he was thrilled about due to cost and distance from Eddie. And finally, while they both had schools in New Jersey, Tyler felt that he had better schools elsewhere that had accepted him. They'd have to wait until May to figure things out and the decision wasn't going to be easy.

Darius got his acceptance responses that week, too. We'd decided that we'd wait until Friday, when we could meet face-to-face, to talk about them. I kept asking for hints but he kept a stern poker face. Ugh, it was messing with my brain.

Gymnastics practices that week had been brutal. The state championships were scheduled for early May, just a week before graduation. Even Seán begrudgingly admitted that we probably didn't stand a chance, but we were entered anyway. On Fridays, though, we didn't have practice, so it gave me the chance to come home at 3:30 PM and get a nice dinner going. Asher had a rehearsal for Evan Hansen, so he wouldn't be home until just before 6:00.

I was surprised to find Mom already at home when I walked in. With Darius's and my future together about to be laid out on the table, I needed a hug.

"It's not even 4:00. Working half days?" I joked.

She laughed. "I know, right? But given how early I've been getting up to keep up with the pre-production process in Spain, I'm toast. The production staff there are all sucking down tapas and sangria by now, anyway, so I figured I'd come home early and get a siesta in before heading out for dinner. Dad's stuck at the office: a last-minute crisis before he heads out on production next week. Casting issues apparently. We'll meet up with him at the restaurant at 8:00. I'm gonna have a drink with your uncles and Lincoln at 6:30."

"Oh. OK. Have fun."

Mom's intuition kicked in. She knew in an instant that something was weighing on my brain. She swooped in for a hug.

"What's up, hijo? You OK?"

"Nah. Nervous. I want Darius to stay, but I want him to live his dream. I'm really conflicted."

"Adult decisions are tough. High school relationships rarely last, but we love Darius too, and would be thrilled if he turned out to be the one for you. Are you willing to sacrifice your own happiness for Darius for at least four years? He wants to be a lawyer, right? But entertainment law. Where he goes to school for his undergrad won't matter that much then. Maybe NU undergrad and UCLA law school?"

"Yup. Good point. But It's a connections business. UCLA undergrad would give him four years to meet people in the industry and it would make finding internships easier."

"Dad and I know you'll make a good decision together, hijo. We couldn't be prouder of you.

"And watch out for Asher tonight, OK? But give him and Ozzie some privacy. We already talked to him about consent and knowing if he's ready. He shouldn't be pressured into anything. Ozzie seems like a good kid though."

"He is a good kid. I've asked around at school. Kind of a math and science nerd but he's got a sense of humor and isn't a total introvert. Other kids like him."

"You're such a good brother, Jaime. Try to have fun tonight. We should be home around 11. What's for dinner?"

"I asked Asher what Ozzie eats. He said anything is fine, but I'm not gonna throw tongue at him, even though the rest of us love it. We're having garlic roasted chicken, hasselback potatoes and creamed spinach. I'm gonna make strawberry shortcake for dessert. Strawberries are in season now."

"Sounds delicious, but given what I suspect is going to go on around here tonight, maybe you should go easy on the garlic. I'm going to go lie down."

I laughed. "Mmm. Probably right. Lemon-roasted chicken it is."

This time I reached out to hug Mom. "I know that I don't say thank you enough. I guess no kid ever does. You guys work so hard for us and I know I'm really lucky to have you and Dad as parents. I see what some kids have gone through. And most parents get so hung up about sex."

"Your Dad and I were lucky, too. It was really unusual back then to have parents who were as open as ours were. We'd much rather have you learning about sex and sexuality openly and where we know you'll be safe, than sneaking around behind our backs and doing stuff that could be dangerous. Asher is going to be sixteen in a couple weeks. He's not too young to start experiencing sex with someone he knows and likes, even if Ozzie doesn't turn out to be someone that he wants to date long-term."

Another hug for Mom. "Go get some rest. I'm going to start on dinner. Darius will be here at 5:00. Ozzie doesn't get here until 6:30."

By the time Darius let himself in at 5:00, the shortcake was in the oven, and I'd gotten all of the other stuff prepped and ready to go. I'd made sure to use different knives and different cutting boards to prep the chicken and the strawberries. Salmonella definitely wasn't on that evening's menu.

Darius walked in and gave me a long kiss and a hug. He had a serious look on his face and I could tell that he had a lot on his mind.

"Other than having to take dessert out of the oven in ten minutes, I've got about a half hour of down time just for you before I have to get more stuff going for dinner tonight. Seeing you is all I've been thinking about all week."

Darius grabbed a kitchen chair and sat down.

"Here's the bad news," he began. "I didn't get into either USC or University of Chicago. The other bad news is that I got into both UCLA and Northwestern."

I jumped up and down and hugged him tight, a tear forming in the corner of my eye. "That's awesome!" I screamed.

I could see he was less than happy.

"I don't know what to do, Jaime. I've dreamed about going to UCLA since I was a kid. If I'm going to become an entertainment lawyer, there's no better place to do my undergrad. On the other hand, you're here and plenty of really successful people in entertainment have graduated from Northwestern, too. And now that my family is going to move to L. A., I'd have even less time to spend with you if I went to school there."

I sat down and reached for Darius's hand. I gathered my thoughts for a few seconds, then said, "I've thought a lot about what to say if this happened. Honestly, for weeks I've played this scene out in my head. I finally decided that it wouldn't be fair to you if I tried to convince you to stay here. You need to do what's best for you and your future. And I need to accept whatever decision you make like a big boy with no whining or pouting. If you decide to go to UCLA, and if we're meant to be together forever, then we'll figure out a way to do that. We're sure as hell not expecting each other to be celibate for four years, but I hope that you don't meet anyone who loves you as much as I do. Once I graduate, I can move to L. A. and get a job there while you're in law school. For now, though, I need to stay here. Northwestern is the right school for me, and having me here is the right thing for Asher. If you decide you want to stay here, then the decision is yours and yours alone, OK?"

As tears fell from Darius's eyes, a small smile crept onto his face. He leaned over and kissed me gently.

"I know we're really young, and who knows if we'll end up together, but I do know that if I had to put together a list of what I'd look for in a boyfriend, you'd check off every box, even the ones way, way down on the list, like `Good taste in footwear.' That's what makes this decision so much harder, Jaime. I'm gonna have to think about this. I don't need to decide until May, but I'm not gonna take that long."

I nodded and kissed him. Then the timer went off and ruined the mood. I stood up and took the shortcake out of the oven.

"That smells good. Can I help with dinner?" Darius asked, wiping the tears from his face and forcing a smile.

I handed him an apron and the spinach I'd washed. "Here you go, Holly Homemaker, put this on and sauté the spinach."

"How about I take off all of my clothes, except for the apron, and pretend to be Sammy Slut instead?" Darius asked.

"Sounds delicious, but Mom's home. She's getting ready to leave in a few minutes. She needs to be at my uncles' place by 6:30, and Asher should be home just about the time that Mom's leaving, so you'll have to keep your whisk in your pants for now."

Right on cue, Mom walked into the kitchen and gave Darius a peck on the cheek.

"Darius has some big news, Mom."

"I got accepted to both Northwestern and UCLA."

Mom rushed in for a hug. "That's amazing! Congratulations. I'm guessing that you're struggling with a decision."

Darius smirked, "How do moms always know this stuff?"

"It's part of the lifetime membership benefits package of the Motherhood Club. You get a free perception tune-up when children come into your life," Mom joked.

"I think I just need to sit with myself and work out the pros and cons of each. Then decide based on the facts," Darius said.

"Spoken like a true lawyer," I added.

"I'm sure you'll make the right decision, and whatever you decide, we love you, and Barry and I are happy that you're a part of Jaime's life."

Darius started to tear up again.

"No time for that," I said. "You've got spinach to cook."

"God, are you gonna turn into one of those psycho chefs who makes everyone cry?" Darius asked.

"Too late. I already made you cry. Now get to work!" I screamed, faking anger.

And of course, that was when Asher walked in. "God, Jaime. You're such a bitch! I'm sure Darius is just trying to help."

The rest of us laughed, leaving Asher clueless.

"Whatever. I'm gonna run upstairs and take a shower. Rehearsals are hard. Lots of running around. That kid Jacob is turning out to be a complete asshole, by the way. He keeps telling me that my singing is flat and then gives me tips on how to improve my performance. Each time I take his advice, the teacher who's directing us asks why I changed something that was really good to start with. I'm just going to ignore Jacob from now on."

"Jacob's obviously jealous, Asher, and wants you to mess up. Just forget about him," Mom said.

"If it keeps up, I'll talk to him," I said. "And I'll bring my friends for backup. What an insecure shithead for picking on a sophomore who's better than he is. Actors! Ugh. Talk about fragile egos."

I gave Asher a hug. He was about to head upstairs when Mom reached over and gently stopped him.

"Remember, Asher, Ozzie is your friend first. Don't do anything to risk a good friendship just because he may want to be more than friends. But, if you feel like you and he are on the same page, remember about consent. Got it?"

Asher blushed. "If it feels icky to me, don't do it. If he says it feels icky to him, don't make him do it, right?"

Mom laughed. "Yup. That's it. And as for you two," she said, turning to Darius and me, "you're like a couple of horny newlyweds. I'm sure you could teach me a thing or two."

"Eww, Mom," I groaned, "TMI."

"All of you have fun, tonight."

She waved goodbye and headed out the door; Asher headed upstairs. And Darius and I got to work on dinner.

"Think about if we could do this every night. You and me. Just hanging in the kitchen together and making dinner," Darius said.

I tensed up. "Don't go there. You have to do what's right for your future and your career, and not just what's gonna make your dick happy. I don't want to be in that equation yet. It's not fair to you."

Darius got really upset. "Do you think you're just some dude I have sex with? Jaime, give yourself more credit. There's plenty of dick out there, both here and in L. A., but none of it is attached to you. You should know me well enough by now. I'm not an emotional leech who only exists when you feed me. I don't sit at my desk at school blubbering because my boo isn't holding my hand at that second. But I miss you when we're not together. I see some stupid meme on social and think, `Jaime would fall over laughing at this.' I watch a nature documentary on TV and wish you were watching it with me because I could talk about global warming, and endangered species, and evolution, and all that shit with you because you're smart and you'd have an informed opinion and you make me use my brain. Don't insult me by thinking that I only care about that 11" monster hanging between your legs and not every other inch of that exceptional little dude that it's attached to."

By now, the tears were streaming down my face. I set down my knife and took Darius into a bear hug. Chopping onions could wait. I had no words. We just stood there hugging.

"God, is that the best you two can do?" Asher snickered, his hair still wet from the shower. "I expected to pick up a few pointers I could use on Ozzie tonight, so I snuck down here hoping to see how to give a good blow job, but just a hug? I'm disappointed in you two."

Our magic moment was obliterated in the blink of an eye. Darius and I broke down laughing, our faces still wet with tears.

"God, what a perv," I laughed.

"I was hoping to learn from the best," Asher joked. "Now I'm gonna have to figure it out as I go."

"You think Ozzie wants a blow job?" I asked.

"Are you fucking kidding me? What person with a penis doesn't want that?" Asher screamed.

"You have a point," Darius said.

"Have you been practicing?" I asked.

"Jaime, you do the shopping. Haven't you noticed that you've had to buy bananas like twice as often lately? Did you think Mom just needed more potassium after her workouts?"

Asher grabbed the largest, greenest banana of the bunch, peeled it, and proceeded to deep throat the fruit like a python swallowing a possum. Not a gag, not a sign of hesitation in sight. Then he pulled it out unscathed and gave us an innocent smile.

Darius and I looked at one another, our eyes wide with surprise, and we burst out laughing.

"Just remember to check that banana for signs of scrapes. You've got to make sure you use your lips to keep your teeth covered. Nothing worse than getting your cock ripped open by some clumsy dude's teeth," I advised.

"Not a nick, not a dent, not a tooth mark anywhere," Asher glowed after giving the banana a once-over.

"What's Ozzie been saying about tonight?" Darius asked Asher.

"He's trying to play it cool, but the kid starts giggling every time I've mentioned coming over tonight. `Netflix and chill' is all he can manage to get out of his mouth."

"Have you guys exchanged any dick pix? Do you each know what the other's packing?" Darius asked, speaking like a true size queen.

"No!!! Ewww. I think that's kinda creepy, honestly. I'd rather see it live first. I get the feeling that this is his first time too, and he wants to do it with someone he knows and trusts. I feel the same way. Just like Jaime's told me, as long as the parts work, I'm sure we'll have fun."

"What about anal? Do you need condoms?" I asked.

"I'm not ready to go there. Let's just say that the drive-through entrance isn't ready for business yet and leave it at that."

Darius and I laughed.

"Let's get the dinner prep finished, OK? Too much talking and not enough cooking. Ozzie should be here any second, right?" I asked.

"Yup," Asher replied.

"Asher, set the table," I ordered.

"Oui, Chef," he replied smiling and saluting.

Ozzie showed up right on time. Asher let him in and they gave each other casual "bro" hugs. Then he exchanged fist bumps with Darius and me.

"Dinner's about thirty minutes out. We got a little sidetracked. Think you guys can survive for half an hour?" I asked.

Asher and Ozzie both nodded.

"You wanna go downstairs and play some video games for a while? I'll call you when everything's ready."

"OK, Jaime, just give us a shout when you want us to come up."

I pulled the chicken out of the oven about fifteen minutes later to let it rest before cutting it up. The potatoes were done fifteen minutes after the chicken. The creamed spinach only took a few minutes to throw together and when it was done, I sent Darius to call the boys to come upstairs.

What should have been an instant stair-climb by two very hungry teenage boys took a suspicious five minutes. As they reached the top of the stairs, I could see that Asher's hair looked a little disheveled. He definitely looked flushed and I could see that both boys were trying to rearrange stubborn erections to be less noticeable. Asher's pointed up and to the left, tracing a pretty impressive trail up towards his hip. Ozzie's was trailing down his right pants leg, not much less impressively.

"So, who won?" I asked.

"Asher," mumbled Ozzie.

"Ozzie," mumbled Asher.

"Uh, we got in two quick games and Ozzie won one and I won the other," Asher said, convincing no one.

"Well, maybe you can play another round after dinner to see who comes first. I mean who comes in first," Darius teased.

Neither boy could look us in the eyes.

"Well, I hope you're hungry because we've got plenty. Lemon roasted chicken, hasselback potatoes and creamed spinach. We've got strawberry shortcake for dessert," I added.

"I bet you two are starving," Darius chided. "Can't wait to get something hot and satisfying down your throats."

Asher shot Darius a look.

"Ozzie, Jaime's really an incredible cook. We're both glad Asher had you for dinner tonight. Sorry, I meant had you over for dinner tonight. Jaime told me that Asher's been talking about it all week."

Asher was ready to crawl under the table.

"Honestly, I have, too," Ozzie responded. "Asher's a really cool guy and I like hanging out with him."

"Well, after dinner, maybe some more of you can hang out for Asher... What am I saying? I meant you can hang out with Asher some more," Darius continued.

"Darius is just kidding, boys. Sometimes he can be a little hard to swallow."

"You could have fooled me. You do a pretty awesome job of it," Darius smirked.

"Honestly, dudes," I began, "all kidding aside, enjoy dinner. Ozzie, we're really happy you're here. Whatever you guys do after dinner, have fun and play safe. And remember, you're just beginners at this game. You don't need to make it to level 69 tonight."

Darius burst out laughing. Even Ozzie and Asher cracked a smile.

The boys wolfed their food down in record time, and excused themselves before Darius and I had even finished.

"Wait!" I yelled, "Don't you want dessert?"

"Maybe later, Jaime. Dinner was delicious, as usual," Asher said.

"Yeah, it was really amazing. I'll wait a while on dessert, OK?" Ozzie asked.

"I can help clean up later," Asher said, as he pushed Ozzie toward the stairs.

"No worries, bro. We got this," I replied.

And like an old, married couple, Darius and I got the kitchen cleaned up and helped ourselves to fresh strawberry shortcake as we settled down for an evening of TV. Darius was spending the night, after all, so there was no rush.

We settled on a nature documentary and cuddled up on the sofa. Our viewing was peppered with talk about the amazing cinematography, the incredible logistics involved in shooting nature documentaries, how they always manage to get top actors to do the voiceovers, and how Asher seemed to be a natural at sucking cock.

At 9:45 PM, we heard Ozzie and Asher trudge up the stairs. Asher looked like he'd just run a marathon and his lips were red. Ozzie had kind of a far-off look and a stupid smile on his face.

Darius and I gave each other a look, and without saying a word, we decided to wait until Ozzie left to push for details.

"Would you guys like some dessert now?" I asked.

Ozzie took a second to snap out of his post-orgasm stupor. "Can I get some to take with me? My mom's gonna pick me up in a few minutes. I really love strawberry shortcake. My dad's mom makes it and it's my favorite. And I'm kinda hungry again."

"Sure. Boy, you guys must have been working those joysticks pretty hard to work up an appetite again," Darius smirked.

This time, Asher just sighed with a look of profound contentment.

"I'll have a big piece now, please," he said.

As he headed for the door, Ozzie pulled Asher into a hug, followed with a soft kiss on the lips. Then he turned to Darius and me and said, "Thanks for everything. I'll remember this night for the rest of my life." At the sound of a car horn, he opened the door and slipped out into the night, no longer a boy, but a young man.

After Asher had waved goodbye and shut the door, he walked back, grabbed his dessert and sat down between Darius and me.

"Well?" I asked.

"Why didn't you ever tell me that it feels soooo much better when it's not your own hand? Like a thousand times better than playing with yourself. First, Ozzie is a really good kisser. We spent a lot of time just kissing. Once we got undressed, it was amazing. He has the smoothest, softest skin and even though he's skinny, he's got a washboard belly and the cutest, little butt."

"Did you put your banana-swallowing skills to use?" Darius asked.

"Well, I shouldn't kiss and tell, but fuck yes! Ozzie was squirming around and moaning and loved every second of it. I guess the practice paid off. And he has a really nice penis, much fatter than a banana, but I guess I did OK. And I think he'd been practicing, too, because it felt really, really good and he said that I had an amazing dick."

"Did you swallow his load?" Darius asked.

"Ugh, I'm not ready for that. But let me tell you, we made a huge mess. I think it took half a box of tissues to clean up. It flew everywhere."

"You think you guys would do it again?" Darius asked.

"Oh, yeah!! That was so much fun. Jaime, thanks for always answering my questions and not making me feel dumb when I asked you about sex and stuff. I think it made tonight so much less stressful for me.

"Don't you think it's about time for you two to head upstairs and maybe practice some advanced skills?" Asher asked.

"Darius is working on his sword-swallowing and is only a few sessions away from earning that certification. He's also been practicing sitting on flagpoles and I think he's pretty close to a black belt at that. Whadda ya say, babe, should we head upstairs for another practice session?"

Without saying a word, Darius picked me up off the couch, threw me over his shoulder and carried me up the stairs. He turned and waved to Asher, then just grunted like a caveman.

"I'll take that as a yes," Asher responded, as he turned to head back down to his own room, the ear-to-ear smile never leaving his face.

End -- Tripod--Chapter 45