Date: Mon, 22 Nov 2021 13:56:09 -0500 From: Anon Ymous Subject: Camp LakeHeart Chapter 2: Strawberries Thank you Nifty.org for hosting a platform for stories like this one. Without donations this site won't be able to provide us the freedom to express our creativity and enjoy others' art as well. Please, take the time to donate so this platform is not lost. Please send suggestions and comments to anonwrites2021@gmail.com. Since there are many characters, I am open to suggestions about spin-offs, side stories and character specific releases; also suggestions for new characters, scenes and activities. I do accept criticism as well, so feel free to write me. Thanks -Anon *** Camp LakeHeart Chapter 2: Strawberries *** "When you're finished showering meet us near the bonfire circle, I want to speak with all of you" "O-okay" Quinn turned face and left, not uttering a word to me about what he just witnessed. I jumped into the other stall, locked the door, stripped as fast as I could and jumped under the stream before it could even get lukewarm. My heart was beating out of my chest and the cold water was not helping. I heard a metallic squeak next to me and the second stream of water ended. Beneath the plastic frame, two little wet feet pattered away on the tile floor, taking just a minute to dress before leaving the stall. Every step felt like an elephant's stomp against my chest. I closed my eyes and braced my face to the tile wall to prevent them from jumping out of my head. I'm so fucked. *** "Alright boys. This is the bonfire circle. This is where we will meet after dinner. Typical fare, you can expect marshmallows, graham crackers, chocolate, blah blah blah you know the drill. What is important is that unless you're told otherwise, you will come to the bonfire pit after dinner each night. Here they will have announcements and put on songs and shit for you all while we eat smores" Most of the boys chuckled at the sudden profanity, it was the first time we heard that from Quinn. I on the other hand did not dare to look up at him or anyone else for that matter. I'm still embarrassed about getting caught peeping and for all I know, Quinn might still tell on me. Oh man, that would suck, getting kicked out of camp on day one. "Now there is one thing I want to cover before you all head to dinner in a bit. We're going to be spending the next month together as cabin mates. It might be odd for some of you to share a room and bathroom, especially with a bunch of strangers. Take my advice, the sooner you get comfortable around your cabin mates, the sooner you will start to have the most fun this camp can offer you. Take as much opportunity as you can to talk with each other, hangout with someone new, and learn new things about each other together. By the end of this, I promise you will start to look at these total strangers beside you as your best friends. Do not be afraid to step outside your comfort zone and try new things." He followed with a short pause. I looked up to find him making eye contact with me. "With that being said, respect each other's boundaries and privacy. If you feel uncomfortable about anything or anyone, reach out to me or Dean, and we will handle it. Bullying will not be tolerated. If I hear anything about you bullying a cabin mate or any camper here, you will be immediately calling your parents to come pick you up." The shame I felt when he mentioned privacy was well deserving but hopefully that indirect comment will be my warning and he won't be reporting me to a counselor. When we were dismissed for dinner, I felt a hand grab my shoulder firmly, of course it was Quinn. Taze, who was eager to tease me about losing me in that chase earlier was disappointed and a bit worried when Quinn told him to head to dinner so he could speak to me alone. "Elijah, right?" "Yes sir" I said as I swallowed my tongue. "You understood my instructions from earlier, correct? You know, about privacy and all that" I prepared a lie about how I was just checking to see if it was Taze because he was hiding from me, but he saw straight through my flustered expression and cut me off before I could try. "Look, you know I could have you kicked out for something like what happened earlier right?" I vomited my tongue up just to swallow it again. "But I was thinking, maybe you were just eager to get to know Dalton better and the reason you were spyi- erm watching him is because you were working up the courage to introduce yourself, right?" Nope, still couldn't find my tongue, so I just nodded yes. "I figured. You see, Dalton was here last year. He's a really cool dude, but he never took the opportunity to make friends last year. He likes to read a lot, which is cool, but I think he's missing out on a lot of great experiences by keeping himself so buried in his books. So how about I make you a deal? Instead of you getting in trouble for some big misunderstanding, how about you properly introduce yourself to him and try to get him to enjoy all the things about camp LakeHeart that you're sure to enjoy as well. Deal?" I nodded. "Perfect. I knew you would be happy to help. Let me just clarify something though. When I told you to find someone you were comfortable sharing the shower with, I meant asking them first. As long as we're clear on that, you're free to go to dinner." Boy, I felt the wind take me as I turned to sprint away. I ran to the cafeteria like that one weird kid in school that always has to make it to lunch first. I only stopped when I was out of sight of Quinn so I could take a breather before heading in for dinner. "What did Quinn want with you?" "Nothing don't worry about it" I said, accepting the scoop of baked mac n cheese being served by the counselor. "Oh, we're keeping secrets now huh?" I glared at him, and he backed down knowing damn well he's kept more secrets about this place from me than I have from him. We found a place to sit in the corner of the cafeteria. Between bites of cheese covered pasta and grilled chicken, I scanned the room, looking desperately for Dalton. The problem was, I don't think I could recognize him by his face. I couldn't recall seeing anyone today, not even at the bonfire pit, that matched his hair and body type. Unfortunately, the only thing I could use to confidently identify him is his butt. That wouldn't help me here though. "Hey, do you remember a Dalton from camp last year?" Taze paused between bites and focused hard on the surface of the table, deep in thought. "The name sounds familiar, but I don't remember a face. Isn't there one on the roster sheet for our cabin?" "Yeah, there is. That's the one I'm talking about." "Got it, but why do you want to know?" I realized I wouldn't be able to get his help if I didn't explain what happened in the showers earlier. After my brief explanation, where I totally played it up as an "accident" and a "misunderstanding" he interrupted me with his insistent laughing. It took a few hard kicks to the shin for him to finally stop. "Okay, so you're being forced to make a new friend, got it. However, you don't know who you're being forced to be friends with because even though there are only 6 other boys in our cabin, you can only recognize him by his ass" I was lucky the background chatter was loud enough to drown out Taze. "Shut up and help me think. Were there any blonde boys in our cabin earlier?" He paused for a moment, shifting his mac around with his spork. "Actually, yeah, I think there was. The corner bunk across the aisle from us. There was one boy who sat on the top bunk while Quinn gave his first speech. I think he had blonde hair, but I mostly remember him because he was wearing a hoodie. It's like 80 degrees outside" I tried to picture who he was talking about, but I don't think I looked up at the bunk he mentioned. I could picture every other boy though and they didn't match the description, so it must be him. "Perfect, so now I have to figure out what to do next. Quinn wasn't really specific though. What if he doesn't want to be my friend? Will he really rat me out if the kid just flat out refuses to hangout? And what did he mean by `get him to enjoy all the things about camp' isn't that his job?" Taze just stared at me blankly. By the expression on his face, it seemed as if he was trying to figure out how far the earth was from the sun. "Well!? You gonna help or what?" He tossed his napkin onto his plate and pushed the tray forward. "Well, if he likes playing 20 questions then I think he'll love you" he responded. "Fuck you, help me" "I dunno. Introduce yourself like he said. For all you know, he'll be cool and if you ask really nicely, he might let you see his butt again." *** By the time we returned to the pit, stacks of oak and pine logs rose high above the mason stoned circle and formed a pyramid of kindling. A few strikes from a match thrown to a gas-soaked paper towel and the structure went up in flames. The flames creeped up the stacks, licking at the bark, leaving traces of ash and soot behind. Then they receded to the base, forming a solid glow that emanated through the gaps in logs. The sun began to retreat across the sky, racing home to the horizon. Still, streaks of its glory peaked through the trees, painting the pine needles on the forest floor a golden orange. The heat of the day softened to a cool 65 degrees and while too warm for the fire to be necessary, it was just cool enough to enjoy the comfort it provided. The pit was filled with needles that the wind carried from nearby trees. They give off an ugly amount of smoke, but they smell sweet, like the molten sugar and cocoa tucked into my graham cracker sandwich. Sweeter still than the Styrofoam cups of hot chocolate we had to pair with it. The moon slowly rose over the lake, giving our fire a companion to light the night beneath our feet. A large gathering, 60, maybe 80 of us, laughing, singing, telling jokes, and meeting new people under the blanket of a midwestern sky. It was easy to lose your place in your own conscience, listening to the words of so many carried on the wind accompanied by the symphony of crackling bark and popping timber. When I drifted back to my own body, I realized Taze had been watching me closely, smirking at the obvious wanderlust expression on my own face. "These are fun, especially towards the end when it gets cooler at night. Better than call of duty all summer, right?" he said with a playful shove. "When did you become so outdoorsy? You're right though, this is fun" I shifted back to the crowd, engaging in their conversations from afar. I stopped on a boy sitting on a log, tucked away from the fire with his back leaning against a tree. It was much cooler now than earlier, but especially with the fire, a hoodie seemed unnecessary. It appeared to act more as a shield than for comfort. A log collapsed, giving way for a small roar of flame to shoot up. The resulting glow reflected off the boy's glasses and revealed to me the small strands of blonde hair peeking out the sides of his hood. He looks oddly familiar but still a stranger at the same time. I couldn't shake the feeling though; I shook the rust from bones and left the makeshift seat I had made from that oak log. I kept my head down as I approached, making our encounter seem more natural and accidental. I stopped beside him, intentionally missing him by a few feet before stopping, doing a double take, and then breaking the ice. "Hey, do I know you?" "Yes. I mean, no. You're in my cabin but we haven't really met, I guess" He tried hard to not seem nervous, keeping his attention away from mine and speaking in a flat, low tone. Dropping your voice was common for some boys at school, jealous of those whose voice already changed into a "man's" "Dalton, right?" He raised his gaze, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose to get a clear look. His smooth skin, not cursed by pubescent blemishes, shined underneath the moonlight. "Y-yeah. That's right. I didn't catch your name" "Elijah. Call me Eli. You seemed to be chilling by yourself over here. I'm not bothering you, am I?" "No! I mean nah I don't mind" when his guard would drop, his expression would change from flat and emotionless to wide-eyed and starry like the night sky. I kicked a pinecone to the side and sat down in the grass beside him. "I'm new to camp and I don't know many people, I figured I'd take the cabin leaders advice and try to socialize" He kicked his heels into the ground, staining the white soles brown. "Cool. I'm not that new, I guess. You must be good at socializing, you made friends with Tazah really quick" "Yeah, we're friends from school. You know Tazah?" "Not really. He was here last year, he's very popular" he said with a long sigh. "I didn't want to come back again, but my parents make me come here every year" He continued. "Why didn't you want to come back?" He stared across the way. I followed his glare back to Taze, who was preoccupied, talking to a group of boys who were engrossed in his every word. "Some people here just don't like me, I guess. It's whatever" Confused, my eyes flicked back and forth between him and my best friend. Was he talking about him? "Why would you think that?" I asked. "I know it. It doesn't matter though." The crowds started to dissipate with crowds of boys splitting off in the direction of their cabins. Quinn got our attention by the fire and waved us on in the direction he was walking. Dalton left without a word, following the path back to the cabin. I wonder what he meant by "people" Was he looking at Taze or some of the boys near him? I wanted answers but I lost both sources in the crowd. I didn't see them again until I reached the cabin. With my entrance, our leader called everyone's attention. "Okay guys, I hope you all had fun at the bonfire. Now, we're going to transition into what is normally our cabin activity for the night. For our first night, we're not doing anything too exciting. We were planning on wheeling a TV in here and playing some video games on the console I brought but apparently the TV we were gonna use is broken. We don't have time to break out any crafts and it's too dark to play ball outside. So right now, just consider this extended free time. If you leave the cabin, please be back by 8:00 PM. Do not step foot anywhere that is not lit up by a light. If it's dark, then you've left the grounds. Do not get me in trouble by not following these simple instructions. No swimming and stay out of other people's cabins. There is a rec room where you will find me and Dean hosting pool and ping pong tournaments, so I recommend heading down there. Other than that, stay out of trouble and get to know your fellow campers" "Hey, you coming to play pool?" Taze asked, nudging my arm. I looked up at the blonde, hiding behind the paperback he held closely to his face. "Not right now. I gotta work on this thing, you know" "Fine. Don't waste your whole month on that though, I doubt Quinn will tell on you. Besides, if you just tell him you tried your best and it didn't work, there is no way he can be mad at you. If that kid wants to be by himself all summer, then let him" Soon it was just me and Dalton left in the cabin as the other boys left to pursue something infinitely more fun than laying in a bunk reading a book. Taze was right, I can't waste my entire summer on this kid. But for some reason I felt inclined to try. Not because Quinn asked me to, but because something pulled me towards him. I can't explain it, I just wanted to know more. "So, what are you reading?" He seemed startled as if he just realized he wasn't alone. "Oh, um. It's just this book about a group of people trying to solve a mystery, I guess. It's stupid" "You guess a lot" "Huh?" "Nothing. Why don't you come to the rec room with me and we can play pool or something?" "I'm good. Thank you though" "Come on, don't be so boring" I pestered. He shifted his book to block my view of his face and grew eerily quiet. I stood in an awkward silence for a painfully long amount of time before realizing I just insulted him. "Wait I didn't mean it like that. You're not boring, I just don't want you to be bored here by yourself" Silence persisted as I stood in my pit of self-manifested quicksand, slowly sinking further and further. "I'm sorry. What I said was mean" "It's okay, I won't tell on you or anything. You're right, I'm boring but I'm fine with it. You don't have to feel bad for me and stay, I'm just going to chill here" "I wasn't worried about being told on, that's not why I apologized" Fortune favors the bold. I made my way across the aisle, grabbed the frame of his bunk and pulled myself up to the foot end. "Make room" Without further warning, I climbed onto the base of his mattress, crossing my legs to sit beside his at the end. He let the book sink into his stomach and peered over at me with a mixed look of horror and confusion. Too nice for his own good, he shifted his feet to give me more room instead of asking me to leave. I let my eyes linger over his frame, which was mostly hidden under his oversized hoodie. Being this close to him gave me flashbacks that made it hard to concentrate. I felt that same pull I felt earlier when I decided to stay in the cabin. His frames sat on a cute button nose and shielded his baby blue eyes. Fair hair and fair skin with accompanying freckles that peppered his cheeks. Pink lips, pearly white teeth and a soft angelic voice only troubled by the occasional crack and squeak. I was starting to understand this "pull" more now, as I felt my heart racing just being near him. "H-hey. You need something?" His face was still stained with fear. "Don't mind me. Just socializing" "I promise I will be fine by myself. You can go have fun with the others" "You want me to leave?" "Well, no, I mean I don't care. Just don't stay here just for me" "What if I want to?" It sounded so innocent in my head, but I felt my own overconfidence start to get ahead of me. I braced for his disgusted expression and harmful questions poking at my sexuality. But they never came. In fact, I watched as the boy not so subtly hid his blushing cheeks behind his book again. My own cheeks became equally as red and my heart fluttered away, trying to fly out of my chest. "I mean uh, I don't mind. There will be time to do the other stuff later. We're just hanging out, having fun, socializing right?" It was my turn to sound nervous. He chuckled. "Yeah, socializing" I had to quickly redirect the conversation to avoid the dead end we were barreling towards. "Hey, earlier you said people don't like you, I'm finding it hard to believe to be honest. But if you don't mind, can you tell me who I should stay away from?" I felt my clever use of wording would get him to open up a bit. "I think it's too late for that" he said with a familiar sigh. "What do you mean? Too late for what?" "Too late to avoid them, you two seem to be getting along just fine" "So, you were talking about Taze then. Why do you think he doesn't like you?" He let his head fall back to the pillow and stared up at the ceiling. "Never mind. I don't want any trouble; I wasn't trying to talk about your friend behind his back" Seriously confused, I kept poking holes in the balloon, trying to make it burst. "What trouble, you can say anything you want to. Why do you think he doesn't like you?" "You promise you won't tell anyone, especially him?" He looked back at me with pleading eyes. "Promise" "Last year, I was heading out to the woods with some cabin mates because we had a class on identifying trails and maintaining direction without a compass. We came across these tents and then found out the cabin Tazah was in was having a camp-out that day. Our cabin leader at the time stopped to speak with theirs, and we all kind of took a break from the hike. Well, I went off into the woods to find a spot to pee, but the trees were too thin. There was a creek, and if you followed it, it led to a rocky hill with some large rocks, almost the size of boulders beside it. I decided I would go behind the rocks to pee, but when I turned the corner, I saw Tazah." He paused for a moment, then sat up to sit cross-legged in front of me. He smelled of sweet smoke from the fire. He continued in a whisper. "There was this boy named Adam, on his knees, giving Tazah a BJ behind the rock." I was too shocked to speak, I just let him continue. "When I turned to walk away, I felt someone grab my arm and push me up against the rock. It was Tazah. He told me if I told anyone what I saw, he would hurt me and tell everyone in camp that I was the one giving him a BJ. I promised I wouldn't tell a soul. But the next day, people started making fun of me. He told everyone that I was spying on them while they were peeing and was staring at them like I was gay. But I didn't! I didn't tell anyone until just now and I wouldn't have no matter what. I don't know why he was so mean to me! Ever since that day he acts like I don't exist, never even looking at me" The fire in my cheeks rose to a boiling point. I couldn't believe it! Taze was an asshole sometimes, but never like this. I was so stunned by the story I couldn't even decide if I believed him yet. Something told me I should though, he had no reason to lie. But seriously! How could Taze do something like this!? I wanted to march over to the rec room and clock him right in the back of the head. "I... don't know what to say. I can't believe he'd do that. He'll apologize for this; I'll get it cleared up" I felt his hands grip my arms as if to anchor me to the bed. "No! Please don't tell him that I told you! You promised! If you tell him then he'll hurt me and make my life hell for the next four weeks. Even more than usual. Please just keep it a secret, I shouldn't have even told you" I sat in silence, staring into his pleading, teary eyes. "You're going to tell him, aren't you? He's going to kill me. Then all the new kids will hear the story and start to call me a fag again." "I won't tell him. If you don't want me to, then I won't" "Liar. You will. Even if you don't, now that you know, you can hold it against me. I shouldn't have told you" "What? I won't hold it against you! Look, your secret is safe with me, I promise, again." "How can I be sure" I took a deep breath, my heart started beating against my lungs, forcing the air out of them like a balloon expanding to fill every gap in my chest. "I'll tell you a secret about me. That way you can be sure that I won't tell anyone about your secret as long as you don't tell mine" The boy still seemed scared but intrigued by the proposition. "Well, do you promise not to tell mine?" "Y-yeah... promise" he said in between shaky shallow breaths. "The reason I already knew your name when I talked to you by the fire is because Quinn told me your name. He told me your name because he caught me looking at you" "Looking at me?" he said, still puzzled. "Yeah, in the shower earlier. I was uh... I was trying to find Taze and I thought maybe you were... uh... well I saw you through the gap in the shower door. Not for long! I just wanted to be sure it wasn't Taze, you know?" His expression showed no signs of relief. "So, you saw me naked, how does that help me? Now you can go around and tell everyone what I look like naked! You've got twice the opportunity to embarrass and make fun of me to the entire camp" "What? No, I don't! You don't have anything to be embarrassed about. I only saw the back and... I uh... I liked it" I looked to the small space of mattress, maybe a few inches between us, to avoid his reaction. I could feel his glare stabbing holes in the top of my head though. "You liked it? You mean, you liked what my butt looks like? Is this a joke?" I heard chatter approaching from outside the cabin, I ducked my head to see through the screened window, some of our cabin mates were leaving the rec room and heading towards us. I turned to him frantically, his face still smeared with confusion. "Look, if you needed proof you could always ask Quinn and tell him I brought it up. That way you can hold it against me if you want. But can I give you one more reassurance that you can trust me completely?" He nodded his head approvingly. I leaned in closer to him, he followed suit, probably expecting me to whisper something in his ear. Instead, I grabbed the strings of his hoodie, tugged them towards me and brought his face to mine. Our lips met, I planted mine to his and tasted the last sip of hot chocolate he had earlier. I could smell the strawberry shampoo coming from his hair, bringing me back to the image I had of him when I first smelled that shampoo. Shocked and probably inexperienced, he didn't offer much reciprocation, but just as I was ready to release him, I felt his lips purse forward and fall between mine. I let go of his strings, pulled back and watched the thin saliva trail between our lips disappear. His eyes wide open and jaw in his lap was the only response he could muster. I chuckled at his expression, uncrossed my legs, swung myself off the bed and casually strolled to my own bunk just as the door opened. I grabbed my bag and laid it across my lap, pretending to look for something. I gazed across the room and saw a flustered blonde boy adjust his glasses and place his paperback book precariously across his own lap. *** The cabin started to wind down for the night as we approached lights out. Across the bunks, stories of their first day at camp spread from camper to camper. Rumor has it, tomorrow we will start the water-based activities and do some swimming at the lake while it is still hot outside. I was preoccupied in thought, watching Taze's legs swing over the side of the bunk above me. How could I confront him about this when Dalton begged that I don't tell him? I couldn't see any way around it; there is no way I could bring it up without giving away who told me. I watched his legs disappear and listened to the creak of the frame as he shifted his weight. His head popped down from the side as he looked down at me. "Hey, how'd that thing go" The urge to punch him was almost too great to resist. The only restraint I managed was due to me not hearing his side of the story yet. I believed Dalton, but still, it's hard to believe Taze would do something like this. "Good" I said through gritted teeth. "Really? Well, tell me about it later when we're alone, he whispered" 20 minutes to lights out and Quinn stepped out of the bathroom, resting his towel on his shoulders, wearing nothing but a short pair of runner's shorts. I ogled his body and watched the droplets of water race down his chest and get caught in the valley's created by his chiseled abs. A quick glance around the room revealed I was amongst good company of fellow race watchers, hoping their droplet would reach the finish line first of course. "Alright guys, you all smell like smoke and B.O. let's try to get everyone showered in the next ten minutes, so pick a buddy and pick a stall so we can wrap this up" he said, pushing a wet clump of black hair to the side. We each grabbed our essentials and filed into the shower. For some, there was an awkward hesitation before picking a stall. Aiden and Allen must have already known each other because they've been attached at the hip since we arrived. Naturally, those two grabbed a stall together, leaving Greg, Tristan and James looking between each other for answers. Tristan, clearly more confident than the others, simply walked inside his own stall and waited for someone to follow, which James did. Then there was Gregory, who refused to make eye contact with me or Dalton. Instead, he walked straight up to Taze and asked him to be partners. Apparently, they shared a cabin, and a stall, a few times last year. Taze looked to me for reassurance because he assumed we would shower together, obviously since we've done that since we were kids. "It's all good, I think me and Dalton will work it out" I said as I motioned for the blonde to follow me inside. He kept his head down and followed suit, closing the door behind us. One thing I noticed about the showers is when all the heads are running, it is very loud. The constant stream of water provided this loud, echoed backdrop of white noise. If you spoke loudly, your voice would echo off every hard surface in the room, making it only understandable if the person hearing it is right next to you. You could whisper underneath the noise, so only your stall mate could hear you, it just required you to be very close to do so. I shed my clothes quickly, feeling rather confident when paired with the much quieter and meek boy. I still felt nervous though. I took a huge step back there when I did what I did. I didn't take much time to gauge his reaction either. I could feel his eyes burning holes on my back, but every time I turned slightly, his head would swivel to the opposite side of the stall. Considerate of his privacy, I decided to look away as he undressed. So, I stood offset of the head, letting the water run until it was warm enough to step under the stream. I turned his faucet on as well, so it would be warm when he was ready. When he approached, we both stepped under the streams and took a moment to adjust to the temperature and adjust our dials. We both could have told you how many tiles were on the wall without hesitation. No one wanted to take another step forward into the forbidden wilderness we were exploring. I've known who I was and what I liked since I was 9, but my deleted search history was about as intimate as I've ever been with someone before. There was this one time at a party last year where I kissed Emily during spin the bottle. During that same rousing session of teenage angst, the other girls convinced Emily's younger brother, who was 11 at the time, to kiss me as well when the bottle landed on him. To my surprise he gave in and did it, which he will probably never live down since more than one person secretly recorded it. I guess he'll get over it when he's older and finally admits his love for Taylor Swift is not because "she's hot". What about Dalton though? I mean, he's standing beside me, wearing nothing but a wet mop of hair on his head, half an hour removed from being kissed. Where do I go from here? Do I ask him if he liked it? I took a deep breath, trying to help my lungs catch up to the muscle in my chest. Better distract myself... fuck. I realized I left my shampoo in my bag. I peeked over at Dalton, who must have seen me move in his peripheral vision and turned to meet my gaze. With both of us looking at each other, the inevitable "peek" happened, but with one wall already broken, it wasn't surprising this one toppled like a domino too. I dropped my eyes to his crotch, enjoying the view that he offered. He took advantage of the moment too, and when we looked back into each other's eyes, we couldn't help but let out a giggle. It was relieving to know what happened earlier probably wasn't unwanted. I leaned over to ask for some shampoo and when I saw him reach for the bottle, I decided to take it a step further. He popped open the cap and turned to see me leaned over with the crown of my head towards him. I heard him giggle, followed by the squelch of shampoo leaving the bottle and his hand pushing the glob into my hair. I tried to pull my head up, but he grabbed a handful of hair and pulled it back down. He turned his body to face me for leverage and would not let me move until he worked through all of it. The angle I was forced to remain in gave me incredible access to look over his naked body. He was similar to me, but the few thin hairs he had were barely noticeable since they matched the color on his head. I was disappointed when he shoved my head away, signaling to me it was time to rinse. When I was confident I had rinsed it all away, I opened my eyes to see him still holding the bottle, but now pushing it towards me. Of course, I didn't hesitate to reciprocate. He turned his body away from me and leaned his head back. Being taller than him made the process easy; the hardest part of the task was me. Looking in between us, I ogled over the first part of him I had ever seen. God it was glorious, even more so this close. But now I had to struggle washing his hair, careful not to lean in too close or I would poke his back. He must have been unaware of the effect he was having on me because his weight kept shifting back, brushing the smooth skin of his lower back against the tip and sending waves of pleasure down my legs. Maybe he was aware of what he was doing though, because it became more frequent and seemingly intentional each time he did it. I've never washed someone's hair before. It surprised me how intimate it was, running my hands and fingers though long locks of his golden blonde hair. This is something parents would do for their children, not typical of newly met friends. Somehow it felt natural and empowering. In a way, he was giving himself over to me, letting me have complete control and access him. The only thing that made me stop was his hands pulling mine away so he could rinse off. I must have lost track of how long I went on. Surprisingly, no other showers had turned off. No boys appeared to have left their stalls yet even though we've been showering for about 10 minutes. This encouraged me to be even bolder and grab my bottle of body wash, which smelled of cypress and citrus. I squeezed out a generous amount onto my hands, gave it a good lather and almost pounced at his back. Albeit a bit surprised, he didn't discourage me. We both smiled nervously as my hands wandered over the front and back of his top half. Most of my time spent was watching over every inch of his body and memorizing the small twitches and giggles each spot produced. I was so distracted I didn't notice he wasn't watching me or my hands anymore, just staring downwards at the obvious excitement between my legs. He stopped when he noticed my hands weren't moving past the same two circles on his body. When I snapped out of it, he was looking into my eyes with a sleepy little grin on his face. He grabbed the bottle from the tray on the wall and lathered up the bottom half of his body. I was disappointed but I knew we were pressed for time as well. When I grabbed the bottle from him, a small moan peeked over the noise of the shower heads. Our ears perked up and we looked at each other, making sure we both heard the same noise, and the noise wasn't coming from one of us. Wherever that noise came from, it must have stimulated some movement from the others because one of the shower heads went off and I could hear movement in the other stall beside us, sounding as if they were getting ready to be done. In that moment of urgency, I panicked at the thought of leaving the stall. We both shifted our attention to my erection and the inevitable show it would put on if I tried to leave now. If I wait for it to go down naturally, we will both be in here longer than the others and raise suspicion. I mouthed to him "I don't know what to do" with plenty of worry on my face I presume. He didn't seem as worried as I was. I would soon find out it was because he had a plan. When the last of the suds were rinsed from his body, he reached out and gripped the problem between us. My knees were too weak to do this alone, so I leaned back against the cold tile wall. His head leaned against my chest, sitting just under my chin. Even though I couldn't see what was happening, I could feel every bit of it. It took me burying my face in his soaking wet hair to not let out a moan or whimper. It was already wet from the shower, so his hand slid easily up and down my shaft, expertly twisting as it did to fully encompass me in the warmth and pleasure of his hand. This was my first time feeling anything other than my hand and an old stuffed animal from when I was 10. I couldn't believe the ecstasy it brought me, like it was my first-time feeling pleasure in my entire life. The objective was quickness and we both accomplished that without issue. After about thirty seconds my hands searched desperately for grip on the flat wall, leaving impressions of grout lines on my fingertips. I didn't need to tell him anything, he felt every word in the breath I lost while burying my face deeper into his hair. It smelled like strawberries, sweet, sweet, strawberries. The evidence was quickly disposed of, flowing down the drain with ease. Emotionally, I was unprepared for the emptiness I felt when he left to grab his towel from the small plastic bench at the entrance to the stall. For a moment there, we were connected, in more ways than one, and I felt dependent on the heat and pleasure he gave me. When that ended so abruptly, coupled with the stars in my brain slowly fading away, it left me almost in tears. That feeling of loneliness, I wouldn't wish on anyone. It all came reeling back when he turned off the faucets and handed me my own towel. That stupid grin still on his face. I wanted to tackle him right there. Not to hurt him; I just wanted to pin him, prevent him from leaving me feeling so cold again. My body yearned to feel his heat against my skin. Every ounce of my civilized brain had to fight the primal urge to carry out the wishes of my lizard brain. We dried off quickly to not raise suspicion since every other shower head had turned off just before ours and chatter from the other boys signaled to us they were finishing dressing. I didn't take my eyes off him though, even when he looked away with a nervous smile. My body was cold, but my heart was on fire and all I could do was imagine getting lost in his embrace again. Lost in his eyes, his body, his hair. Wrapped in the warm embrace of his arms and sweet, sweet, strawberries. *** Thank you all for the responses to the first part/prologue. I try to respond to all the emails I get. Please continue to message me, I do this for free and only continue if there's an audience that wishes me to. Just a few words from one person is all it takes to inspire me to write more. Let me know how you feel about this part and what you think might happen next. Until next time!