Counting

Chapter 40 The Thomas's Party

by Tux


This is all fantasy fiction. None of the events are real.

Email me with comments and suggestions:
Proton Mail: Foxfire3730@proton.me

This story is an original work of fiction ©Copyright 2023 Tux - Please do not copy or post without permission.


I appreciate all the emails, suggestions, offers, and support that I get and for those who haven't emailed yet and are waiting or don't feel comfortable or safe emailing let me, let me express my gratitude for reading my story and tell you a little bit about my story. I've been reading nifty for many years about two months ago I just decided to start emailing people and let them know how much I appreciate their stories. I got replies almost instantly. The responses were supportive, encouraging, and some even held spoilers. I struck up a friendship with Andrew and it grew with my confidence and now Andrew is my most trusted editor. I cannot do this without him. Other authors like Lucas and Eric Murphy offer advice and support with my stories and it means the world to me. So, take a leap email an author and tell them how you feel, did you like the story did you not like it, all opinions matter to the author. Do you have suggestions on where you think the story could go, all suggestions interest the author. So take that leap and email your favorite author, you can change his day for the better, and might even influence or change the story. Thank you to all those that were supportive to me and I can't wait to show you the rest of... Counting.

This story and my other work can be found on AO3 at the following link. Tux Edwards - Archive of Our Own


Friends, the beginning of the crossover with Andrew's Trust, Counting, and Transitions: New Adventures (TNA), has begun. The Chapters in order are:

Andrew Trust Chptr 12 - https://www.nifty.org/nifty/gay/adult-youth/andrews-trust/

Transitions: New Adventures Chapter 5 - https://www.nifty.org/nifty/gay/adult-youth/transitions-new-adventures/

Counting Chapter 37

Andrew's Trust Chapter 13

Counting Chapter 38

Etc.

For three weeks (maybe four) we invite you to come and enjoy Grizzly Valley Days with the rest of your favorite characters! Starting with the Lincoln Thomas Foundation Fundraiser, Junior Rodeo, the County Fair, and then Adult Rodeo and Concert big ending. Reach out and email me or Andrew Thomas and let us know what you think of the crossover so far.


Chapter 40 The Thomas's Party

AJ

After breakfast, we all get cleaned up and head to the truck. It's time we head to the fair. The trip isn't that long, and we pretty much talk the whole time. Once we get in the parking lot and find a space to park, we all pile out of the SUV. Me and my brothers hop around and hoot and holler with excitement as mom tries to calm us down so she can talk.

"Listen, boys, I'm only going to tell you this once. We adults will meet you at the Destiny Ranch Lemonade Stand. It's on any map of the fair grounds. Twins, do you have your phones?" The twins hold them up, and she continues, "You two have fun, use your heads, and make sure you're at the stand at noon." The twins agree and take off to meet with the friends they've made over the past week.

Mom and dad turn back to us, and dad says, "We are trusting you boys to go by yourselves. As long as you promise to meet us when you're supposed to at noon, not a minute later, understand? Here are your ride bracelets, and each of you gets twenty dollars. Be mindful of how you spend it; it's all you have today. The bracelet gives you free rides."

We take the neon green bracelets, and they attach to our wrists with a click. Dad gives us the money and gives Beau Colt's for safekeeping. Mom pulls three small black things out of her pocket, about the size of a coin. "These are GPS tags, and I will be able to tell where you three are anywhere here at the park. Don't take these off," she says as she pulls down my shorts a little and clips them on the `Y' front of my underwear. Then Colt was next, and when it was Beau's turn, she hesitates a little with Beau, but he nods and pulls down his shorts. His eyes move to me and then to the sky as she clips it to his underwear. I giggle, and Beau punches my shoulder and pulls his shorts back up. "Pay attention; I can't be more serious than I am now when I tell you three that your clothes must stay on. Do not take off your shirts or shorts, no matter what."

We all nod and giggle at the thought of running around the fair grounds naked as jaybirds. We all enter the fair grounds, and the adults all wave at us as we rush off to the fun stuff.

"Let's do the games," I suggest as we run to the ride area of the fair, but Beau doesn't think that's a good idea.

"Nah, we can't do that. You win everything, and then we'd have to carry around all that stuff."

He's not wrong. "Fine," I tell him with a shrug, "let's hit the rides then." The rides have long lines, but the three of us have each other to talk to, and controlling Colt is a full-time job.

First, we rode the Gravaton. The line is long and on an incline. The name is in different colored lights with dark blue lines that seem to burst from its lettering. The ride itself looks like a spaceship covered in blinking lights of all different colors. It spins and lifts off his frame almost at a forty-five degree angle. Once we get up to the head of the line, the man checks our bracelets, and we enter the spaceship. Inside, the walls are slanted only a little, with little bench-like areas where we are supposed to stand. Twenty people line up on the walls, and all three of us hold hands.

The ride starts, and once it starts spinning one by one, the benches slide up the faster we spin and down when it slows down. We try to lift our arms, but the gravitational pull of the ship spinning holds our bodies to the wall as if they were glued there. We laugh as we lift our arms, and they feel like they weigh a hundred pounds. When it begins to rise at a forty-five degrees angle, the people inside are stuck to the walls and spin upside down. The ride stops, and we all funnel out laughing, talking, and joking around.

Beau and I each have Colt's hands, and as we run, we hold his arms up so he can swing between us. His laughter is infectious, and by the time we get to the next ride, The Ranger-X, we are all having trouble breathing. This line isn't as long as the Gravatron, but the ride fills and empties three times before we even get to it. The ride looks like a giant `X' lying down. On each end, there is a white car with red stripes. As the `X' spins around, so do the cars in the opposite direction. The ride begins to empty, and we three are talking to the kids behind us. They are telling us about the other rides and how cool Grizzly Valley is, when I hear a voice.

A voice that is familiar enough to give me pause. I stop in mid-sentence and try to focus on it; it's different but somehow the same... where have I heard that voice before? I spin around and scan the people getting off the ride as they funnel through the exit gate. "AJ, is something wrong?" Asks my brother Beau.

"Nah, it's nothing. I just thought I heard someone, but it's silly. I mean, how could he be here."

"Come on kid, move it, move it," the ride man says as he checks our wrist bracelets. I hurry, catch up with my brothers, and get on the ride. To be honest, it was just a lot of jerking around. Getting off that ride, I listen to Beau and Colt go on and on about how they thought the other one was going to throw up. All I can think about is how much that voice sounded like Joey Murphy.

The High-Low was next, and all I'll say about that is... all three of us threw up. After we empty our stomachs, we are mighty hungry. So we hit the food carts for caramel apples for our fruit appetizer, deep-fried corn and hot dogs for our main course, and for dessert... mmmm, the fried dough called elephant ears, with cinnamon & sugar and powder sugar sprinkled on top. We are so full. So full, I fear Colt will throw up again.

Going back on the rides again is too risky, so we decided to hit some of the fair games. On the way there, Beau takes off his shirt, saying, "Oh my God, it's as hot as ever here."

"Yeah, you're right, but mom said to not take off our clothes," I tell him, a little worried that I'll upset him.

Colt begins to back me up, and Beau looks at me sourly, then says, "But it's so hot. How about this? Do you think this is fine?" He takes his shirt and just puts it over his head without putting his arms in the sleeves.

Colt smiles at me and then pulls his arms out of his sleeves, and not wanting to be left out, I do the same. The warm breeze does feel much better blowing over my body. I suggest we all pool the rest of our money together and use it to buy game tickets. Beau and Colt huddle around me, giving me their money, and I quickly count what we have left. "It looks like we have enough money left over for game tickets for each of us to play one game."

The other two agree, and we hurry off, weaving in and out of the crowd until we get to a baseball game. Beau rolls his shoulders as we stand in line. "I can't wait to try this one. I really want that drinking helmet," he says, pointing at a baseball helmet with two cup holders on its sides. There are two large straws that lead from the cup holders to where the wearer's mouth would be. It looks cool. The game booth is mostly made from tarps for walls and a ceiling, except for three stools with old-time milk jugs stacked in a pyramid.

Beau steps up, pays his five tickets, and the man gives him three baseballs. Beau gets a feel for one of the balls and then stares intently at the first stack of jugs. He winds up, and I can tell he's really going to blast that ball. The ball almost curves and strikes the middle bottom jug just at its top lip, sending the six jugs scattered on the floor. "Winner, winner, chicken dinner," calls out to the crowd, and then continues, "do you want the small prize or do you want to press your luck and try for the medium one?"

We talk it over, and then Beau takes his next baseball and winds his arms before letting it loose. The ball crashes into the next stack of jugs. "Good lord, good lord, we have a reborn Roger Clemens. Here you go, son, pick from the medium prize shelves...." says the game man, then points towards the large prize shelf. "Or you can gamble it away and try to knock down the jugs. What'd you say, Mr. Clemens?"

We huddle up again and talk it over. "What do you think, AJ?" Asks Beau.

"Can you knock them down? Did you see the bottom jugs are bigger, possibly heavier."

"Twy Beau! You can do it!" Colt giggles excitedly. He's practically shaking; he's so animated.

I nod to Beau, and he turns and picks up his third ball. Sweat drips from his forehead, and he thinks about his next pitch. His weight shifts, and I can see him change the pitch. He's putting everything behind this pitch--all his strength, all his determination, and all he's got. The ball rockets from his hand and collides with the bottom jugs, sending them flying. With the bottom ones gone, the top four fall down and scatter on the floor, all but one.

The last one falls flat on the table and spins and spins. No one within five feet of the game booth is breathing. Our mouths are agape, and our fists are clinching in anticipation. It rolls wider and wider and wider. Then, as if it couldn't keep up the momentum, it fell.

The three of us explode, jumping and screaming, releasing all the tension from the previous few seconds. The game man slams his hands on the table and stares down Beau. "Well, that is some serious pitching, young man. Choose your large prize."

Beau doesn't even take a second before he screams out, "The baseball helmet with the drinking cups!"

The game man takes a white bag that says `Grizzly Valley Fair 2023' and puts the drinking baseball helmet in it before handing it to Beau.

We thank the man and head to the one I saw earlier. We only have to stand in line for a few minutes before I approach the table with an air rifle on it. I hand the man my tickets and pick up the rifle. Looking it over, Beau and Colt cheer me on and shout out different prizes they want. I have five shots, and the game man's face lacks any confidence in my skill.

I take aim at one that I can't miss. A shot that I'm so sure I can hit it, I smile as I squeeze the trigger. The air pellet goes wide, and I make note of the angle and where it lands. "Ohhhh, so sorry, little guy," the game man says in a sarcastic tone.

I just smile at him and ask, "So, what prize should I get first?"

His smile turns slightly nervous, like if I'm Babe Ruth calling my home run. Unlike the gun game I played in Cut Bank, this one has little metal targets on a treadmill type belt. They're three different belts, and they get faster the farther they are away from me. Each belt has a high-level prize group. This is going to be `cake' as Beau says.

My first shot is an easy one; I don't even take much time to aim. My pellets hit a metal target that is in the shape of a deer with big antlers, ricochets off the corner, and hit a middle target in the shape of a star on the second belt. My smirk says it all. I have three more shots left.

After a display of `old west' style shooting, I end up winning: a pair of fancy sunglasses whose frames have little lights in them; a `Grizzly Valley Days ` baseball cap; a bag of fifty glow-sticks; two packages of those necklaces that glow like the glow-sticks; and a stuffed polar bear for Colt.

The game man, looking a little sour, gives me my prizes in a white `GVD Fair 2023' bag, and we quickly take it over to a bench in the seating area. I give Beau the necklaces to open and hand out after he snaps them, activating the chemical reaction that makes them glow. I get three of them: blue, yellow, and pink. I open the glow sticks, snap a bunch of them, and then shake them till they glow brightly. We tie one to each of our shoes, and I take the string out of my shorts, which is supposed to be tied to keep them up. I take ten of the sticks and make my own necklace. With my rainbow-blinking glasses and my various glowing objects on my person, I bet you can see me from space.

Once we are happy with our decorations, we head to the Colt's game choice. "I want to pay this," he says, stopping at a game booth with two hundred fifty little fish bowls and four people tossing ping-pong balls, trying to get them to land on the rim of the fish bowls. There is one of those fun mirrors lining the back wall, making it look like there are thousands of fish bowls.

"Oh man, little bro, your odds of catching a fish are..." I tell him as I look into that little face that wants to play this so bad, "...not bad if you take it slow." I lie to him because I can't disappoint him. I look at Beau, and he's thinking I'm crazy. I respond behind Colt's back, "I know, I know."

Colt puts his tickets and gets four ping-pong balls of different colors. The first ball he just tosses ricochets off five different bowls, but gets caught in between two of them. I remind him to take it slow, and Beau tells him he's doing well. With the tip of his tongue sticking out the corner of his little mouth, Colt tosses his second one and doesn't even bounce it, getting it jammed in between a couple. Colt begins to lose hope and turns to us almost in tears, asking, "A-yay, pwease toss this fow me? I only haf two mowe balls left."

That's totally not fair. He shouldn't be able to use those eyes against his own brothers. I look to Beau for help, and all I get is him questioning me, "You can do it, right? I mean, I've never seen you miss yet."

There is no way I can do this, and my stomach begins to do flips in anticipation of letting Colt down. "Um, I can try, but there are no guarantees. I mean it, the odds of me making one of these tosses are..."

"Never tell me the odds," interrupts Beau, and then he giggles to himself, thinking he's so clever for quoting Star Wars.

Two Minutes Later

We are running through the fair looking for a ride that is fish-friendly and happen to come upon `The Hall of Mirrors'!

These things are so cool," Beau says as he looks at the pictures of people going through the maze of glass walls and mirrors that hang on the outside wall by the door.

"Pwease, pwease, pwease, can we go thwough it?"

"Yeah, let's try it," I add, being supportive even though it looks like a huge waste of time.

Beau goes in, and I suggest we hold Colt's hand so he doesn't get lost, but Beau thinks he'll be fine. I remind him not to bounce around too much because he'll kill the fish, and I can see he's trying real hard, but it's clear to me after the first few turns that the goldfish is going to be shaken to death.

Big shoes, fat bellies, huge heads on little necks--each mirror we pass is more absurd than the last. We get deeper in, and the mirrors turn to clear glass and two-way mirrors, and we are definitely lost in here. At one point, I lost Colt and Beau, and I frantically look for them. Colt's laughter and giggles seem to echo off each mirror in this place, and I begin to panic. Then, right before all hope is lost, Colt comes from around a mirror and jumps on Beau's back, almost knocking his drinking helmet off.

"Hey guys, whewe'd you go?"

"Why would you wonder off like that? AJ was right, I am just going to have to hold your hand."

The two brothers argue about it, and I kind of zone out because that mirror over there is acting strange. It almost... it can't be, it almost looks like Joey Murphy. I slowly make my way around my brothers and walk up to the mirror. Oh my god, it is Joey Murphy. He's standing there, looking at me, and then making a funny face. He drinks the rest of his drink and pinches his dick. Someone walks up next to him, and they talk for a few seconds. The mirror next to him is at a weird angle, so I can't see much of him. Joey says something to him, and then, like if he vanished, Joey is gone.

"Joey! Joey Murphy!" I yell, and my voice ricochets around the walls, and I'm pretty sure I hear myself yelling behind me.

"Who are you yelling at?" Asks Beau as he and Colt join me. I pound on the mirror.

"I was right; I did hear him talking earlier; he's here," I plainly say and take my brother's hand, determined to get us out of this Hall of Hell. It was Joey Murphy, I just saw him in a mirror."

"The singer?" Beau asks, unimpressed.

Colt gives a few hopeful hops and says, "Weally A-yay? Wow, can I meet him? I want to hug him so bad."

Finally, we emerge out of the Hall of Mirrors and are blinded by switching from the dark fun house to the sunlight.

The three of us look around frantically, hoping they are still standing out here, but after scanning the crowd, we have no luck. So close, so close. I can't give up now. He's here somewhere; I must meet him. Think, think what to do!

"Oh man, I don't see him," Beau says as he wipes the sweat from his forehead.

"Me neaver, awe you suwe you seen him A-yay?"

My mind shifts into playback mode, and I know I saw him. There's no mistaking that, but something is off. I'm missing something. Now I know what to look for. I know what color clothing he's wearing. I know he's drinking lemonade and wearing a hat. He's dressed like seventy percent of the kids here, and it's hard to remember anything important.

"AJ, are you okay? Do you need help?"

"A-yay, youw eyes look funny."

Back to seeing him in the mirrors. The lemonade cup is one of those souvenir cups from Destiny Ranch; that's where we're meeting mom and dad. After that last drink, he shakes it as if it were empty. He needs a refill; are they going there? No, wait... I'm missing something. His dick, he pinched it, he has to pee, and when I read his lips, he's saying bathroom. "I know where they're going."

Beau

This is stupid. AJ is leading Colt and me on a wild goose chase for some pop singer who, in my humble opinion, sounds like a girl when he sings. After having my arm almost pulled out of its socket, we arrive at the east side bathroom. It's a new building, and there isn't a line, even though there are a lot of people standing out here. We weave through the crowd, excusing ourselves, and Colt runs smack-dab into a large man wearing a jacket talking to an Asian boy who is crying. A jacket--how is he not melting in this heat?

"I'm sorry, sir, my brother is just really excited."

"It's okay, son. I'm glad he's enjoying the fair," he responds, and we follow AJ inside. There is a lot of space here. There must be ten little boy urinals on one wall and an adult urinal across from it. Stalls stretch along the back wall, and apparently that's where we're headed. AJ and Colt search the kids at the urinals, calling out Joey's name, earning us a few upset looks.

"Come on guys, you don't even know he's here. Let's go," I plead with them as I'm beginning to feel a little uncomfortable.

Once we get next to the stalls, AJ is worried, like being wrong is uncomfortable for him. Just when I thought he was going to give up, he began whispering, "Joey, Joey Murphy."

Then Colt, never wanting to be left out, joins him, but Colt doesn't understand the `whispering' concept; he shouts, "Joey, Joey Muwfy!"

I decide to just be the adult here and insist we head to meet mom and dad when I hear a voice coming from one of the stalls on the end: "Colt?"

I get closer to the stall door and answer back with a question of my own: "Josh? What are you doing in there?"

Okay, I know what you're thinking. Once I heard myself say it, I thought it too, so when he responded, "Pooping, what else would I be doing in here?" I felt dumb, but then I heard other boys' giggles coming from inside.

"Who's in there with you?"

"Get Colt to stop shouting out Joey's name, and you can come in," says another voice I think is Grayson through the bathroom stall door.

Why would I want to go in there if he's pooping? I think to myself as Colt and AJ hurry over, and before I can stop them, Colt is inside with AJ right behind him. I can't believe I'm doing this, but I follow them in.

It's a tight fit to get all of us in here, and I begin to count them, but AJ blurts out, "Oh my god, there are eight of us in here; that's crazy. Good thing you used the handicap stall."

I'm not sure if he just was too busy counting or if the naked form of Josh sitting on an adult, huge toilet--it makes him look a couple years younger, I think--distracts him from seeing the huge elephant in the room, but Colt saw him right away, Joey Murphy is leaning against the corner, and Max and Grayson are standing in front of him like bodyguards. Colt, on the other hand, is speechless, which is odd compared to how he's been for the last month or so. Colt's eyes are locked onto Joey's, and he's frozen like a deer in headlights.

"Listen, I'm sure you guys are excited, but I need you to stop bringing attention to Joey, okay," Max asks in a calming voice.

Grayson adds, "He's here with his brothers, and they are just trying to have fun. We don't want other people to know it's him. We don't need a crowd of people ending our day."

AJ is about to explode when Joey steps forward, thanking Max and Grayson. He smiles and says, "I take it you guys are fans and friends of the Thomases?"

AJ just nods, suffering from being star-struck, and whispers, "I'm AJ, and I've got all your songs on my phone. I'm so meet to glad you."

Joey chuckles at my brother being tongue-tied and then holds out his hand to Colt, saying, "And who might you be?"

Colt is hopping around with his hands covering his mouth to contain the explosive excitement I'm sure he's failing to contain. His face is cherry red, and he almost looks like he has to pee hopping around like that. If I don't do something fast, he's either going to pass out from lack of oxygen, pee himself from lack of control, or both.

"This is my little brother, Colt. I'm Beau, Beau Kni... Colter, sorry, still getting used to it, Beau Colter."

"You were in the rodeo," says a Mexican boy in the back next to Joey.

"That's right, we all were. AJ did Barrel Racing and Calf Roping. Me and Colt did calf and sheep riding."

"Hey, I remember you three," Joey says, then points to AJ, continuing, "you won, didn't you, and even got this year's Junior Ironman award."

"Yeah, that's right," AJ answers, looking like he's finally got a hold of his senses.

"Um, can we hurry this up? I'm done pooping," asks the only one of the eight boys that belong in this stall. We all laugh a little and watch Josh hop off, flush, and begin to get dressed. He's really cute for an nine-year-old, and I can tell his body is going to look great in the next few years.

"Can you take your little brothers and leave first, then we'll leave, so we don't attract too much attention?" Max asks me.

"Hey, I'm the oldest brother, not Beau!"

"Shhh," I said, hushing AJ under my voice.

Ignoring AJ, Grayson nods his head at the plan and then says, "Do you know where the Destiny Ranch Lemonade Stand is?"

"Yeah, we have to meet our parents there at... oh shit!" AJ says that, and that can only mean one thing.

I look at the clock on my phone and back him up, saying, "Fuck, we have to run. See you guys there."

We bolt out of the stall and weave in and out of all the people waiting to wash their hands. There is a big map of the whole fair grounds right outside the bathrooms, and so we find it and take off running, arguing over who's older. We wrestle our t-shirts back on and then head off as fast as we can.

Back at the lemonade stand, we see Alice and Jack sitting next to Mr. Andrew and his husband, Ethan. Jack waves to us, and we race over. Colt leaps up into his arms and greets everyone, "Hi efewybody, we had a gweat time! Youw nefer belief me who we saw!"

"Mom, mom, we saw Joey Murphy! He's here, here at the fair! I talked to him in the bathroom stall! I'm so excited that he's supposed to be coming here! I can't wait!" AJ practically screams out.

Jack asks, "Who's Joey Murphy?" He pats Colt's back as if he were asking him, and he hisses in pain. "Colt, what's wrong with your back?" He pulls up his shirt.

AJ and I exchange worried looks, knowing what's the matter. I felt the sting of the summer sun on my back a while ago. After checking AJ's back, we didn't think it was a big deal. We didn't bother telling Colt because we didn't want to scare him. Alice leans over and pulls his shirt up, seeing his sunburned back. "Oh, honey, did you take your shirt off? I told you boys to leave your shirts on."

"We didn't take tem off, just took ouw awms out," Colt says, quiet proud of himself.

Alice is mad. She takes AJ by the shorts and spins him around, checking his back. The look on her face is a little scary, and before she takes me by the shorts, I pull up my shirt and spin around so she can see, asking, "Is it really bad? It feels okay, just itches a little."

Grandma digs in her purse and pulls out a bottle with a green liquid inside. "Here, dear, use this in them," she says, like she totally expected this to happen.

"Are you very mad, mom?" Asks AJ, and to my surprise, she doesn't yell back at him. She just squirts some of the green stuff on his back, making him giggle and arch his back. "Oh, mom, that's cold."

She smiles at his silliness and says, "I'm not mad. I'm very disappointed in all three of you. If you had kept your shirts on, you wouldn't be in pain later tonight. This stuff should help, but just remember to keep your shirts on for the rest of the day. You don't want to make it worse."

I see the twins come running up and out of breath. "Are we late?" they ask simultaneously.

Well, I know we were late, but just barely, so I'm sure they are. Jack waves them over, and they are talking something over, but with Alice putting green stuff all over my back, I can't pay any attention to them.

Once we are all goopy, the Thomas and Murphy boys come racing up. Josh runs into Andrew's arms and is housed in his lap, to no one's surprise. Max and Grayson sit next to me, and we chit-chat about the cool rides we rode and the food we ate.

AJ

"Oh my god, I can't believe it's you! At one time I thought I heard your voice, and then I thought I saw you, but dismissed it as not being you. I mean, how could it be you? Oh my god, I can't believe it's you!" I'm practically jumping in and out of my chair as I try to rationalize that Joey Murphy is here in front of me. Colt is similarly frantic, but Dad has a firm grip on him.

"Guys, guys, thank you, but I'm just a normal boy. You don't need to be so excited," Joey responds in a calm voice and adds, "I put on my shorts one leg at a time just like you."

"But youw `Just Joey', Joey Muwfy, you'we the fastest wising child pop staw of all time! You wide in limos and haf hundweds of bodyguawds!"

"We'll, not hundreds; I just have one, but he has three people that work for him, so I guess you can say I have four," Joey says with a shrug.

Trying to calm us down, Mr. Murphy, whom I recognize as Joey's dad from the forty-three `Child Pop' magazines I own, brings us all lemonade. "Here, boys, try and calm down. We are just here to enjoy the fair like everyone else. Once you get to know him, Joey is just a thirsty boy like you all must be," he says as he hands the last souvenir cup to Colt.

Mr. Murphy sits down with the adults, and the Mexican boy I saw before, who I now recognize as Alejandro, Joey's brother, hurries over and climbs in his lap. Alejandro and Colt talk away at each other as their dads talk about... whatever adults talk about, cars, I guess.

I try to concentrate on my lemonade and end up chewing the straw into an unrecognizable shape as Beau, Max, and Joey talk about soccer. The older brother, whose name is... Tran, is sitting over in the corner with the tall man in the jacket I bumped into outside the bathroom. By reading their lips, they're talking about... someone named... Tyler. Whoever he is, Tran is pretty upset about what he's doing. An elbow from Beau brings me out of my focus, and I look at him saying, "Ouch, what?"

He giggles and whispers in my ear, "Stop lip reading, sexy. The only lips you should be reading are mine," and then he kisses me. I close my eyes and tilt my head, accepting his tongue and his softness. The other boys begin to giggle and snicker at us, but I don't care.

"Oh, right, you two, that's enough," dad says, and his long arm reaches as close to us as it can get, and he taps the table seven times with his fingers.

We break the kiss, stare into each other's eyes, and giggle at everyone making kissy noises at us. After one chorus of the kissing song from Colt and Alejandro, "AJ and Beau sitting in a twee, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"

Mr. Andrew stands up and invites us all to a party at his house tomorrow, "Boys, Eric, Jack, we are having a big pool party at the house, and you are all invited. There will be more boys from town that have been invited as well. We have invited a few of the boys from the rodeo that stayed with us. Do you want to come?"

"Yeah! The party the other day was epic. Will it be like that?" Joey asks Andrew. I don't really hear his answer; my mind is just freaking out that I'm going to a party with `The Joey Murphy." Could this day get any better?

Pool Party

AJ

We park the suburban, and mom and dad get out lawn-chairs while the twins grab the cooler before we all head out towards the pool area. There are a few cars here, but there are more behind us coming down the driveway. This party is going to be packed, and I can't believe Joey Murphy is going to be here.

Zeke closes the gate, and we all head towards the sitting area when I see Josh wave us over. "Mom, can we go hang out with Josh?" I ask, pointing over by the pool to a naked Josh jumping a little and waving at us.

Mom smiles and tells us to be careful and polite, then shoos us away. Beau and I, with little Colt behind us, head over to Josh and say, "Hey Josh, how's it going?" I ask.

"Good, hey guys, this is Brian; he's cool," Josh says to Brian, to his embarrassment.

"Hey," Brian responds, and he gives us a little wave.

"Why aren't you guys naked?"

"Dude, there are girls here," I whisper to our group, as if it were a big secret that no one else knows.

"I haf to pee."

"Yeah," Josh says as he looks around at the pool of girls jumping in and out of the water and floating on rafts. "But they're naked too. They just look like us; what's the big deal?"

"I've never seen a girl naked before," Beau adds as his body language shows how nervous he is.

"A-yay, I haf to pee."

"Then leave your suits on; dad said you don't have to be naked," Josh adds. Beau and I look at each other, and I think we both agree to leave our suits on, but then Josh continues, "Oh, look, Joey is naked along with the rest of us. He's over there talking to Jamie. Whatever they are talking about, he sure is hard."

Oh man, I didn't even think that Joey would be naked. No way. I crane my neck to see him sitting on the edge of the pool, kicking water, and sure enough, his hard-on is pointing to the sky. I feel my stiffy grow to full mast. Brian and Josh's giggles bring me out of my stare. Josh punches my shoulder and says, "You might as well take them off; you look like you have a tent stake in your shorts." Looking down, there is no hiding the hard-on I have and am pretty sure will be there all day.

"Guys, I'm sewious, I weally haf to pee!"

Looking at Beau once again, I shrug and say, "Joey is naked. I don't want him to think I'm afraid of being naked. I'm taking mine off, okay?"

Beau rolls his eyes and takes one more look around, and I know what he's doing. He's comparing his dick size to everyone else's. After a quick pass around the pool area, he nods, and we slowly pull our shorts down. Colt doesn't waste any time taking his shorts off as he runs in a circle around us guys.

"Beau! A-yay! I can't hold it!" Colt says he's squeezing his knees together. I look to Josh, and he points over by a building where the yard ends. Colt takes off in a funny run, trying to get there in time. He arches his back and begins to pee in the tall grass.

"Oh my gosh, I was pointing at the pool house's bathroom," Josh says, then quickly runs over to tell Colt as he relieves himself. Wow, Colt wasn't kidding; his stream is impressive as Josh explains he's peeing in the wrong place. Colt shrugs and gives his little hips a shimmy, sending his stream all wiggly.

"Your little brother is funny," Brian says as he gives his balls a scratch. Me and Beau drop our shorts and expose ourselves to everyone. I knew what was coming up. It's not what Beau is expecting, but I knew it before I ever put my thumbs in my shorts band. Brian turns around as I fiddle with my balls to shake them loose from being in my briefs and sees my dick size.

"AJ, how old are you? Damn, son, that's a huge dick," Brian says about the time Josh rejoins the group.

"Damn AJ, why are you trying to contain that big boy? Let it out and breathe!" Jokes Josh.

"Yeah, yeah, I hear it all the time. I'll be ten in, like, a week. My body is just small for my age. So, I think that makes it look bigger than it is."

"I don't know what people have been telling you, but you aren't even close to being small."

The two new friends huddle close to me and get their dicks hard. I look up at Beau and shrug. Josh has a mischievous smile as he squats a little so he can hold his dick out at the same height. Oh, I get it. I take my dick by the base and hold it out so he can measure his along with mine.

"Damn, man, this is incredible; you've got two inches on mine.

Josh and Brian line up and measure against each other's, and Beau whispers in my ear, "I thought they were going to make fun of me for being small."

I kiss his cheek and tell him, "Beau, you're so funny. You're bigger than they are. What do I have to do to convince you your dick is a mouthful."

Beau blushes, and I think we're about to kiss, but Colt yells, "Let's go swimming!" and interrupts us. Our group of nakedness runs at full speed towards the pool, with our hard dicks flapping against our legs as we run.

Right before we get to the pool, I hear my name being called. It's dad, and I hurry over to him. He's standing with Mr. Andrew, and they seem to be talking and laughing about something. "AJ, Andrew wants to talk to you inside the house, if that's okay?"

"Um, yeah, sure... do I need my shorts?"

"No, you're fine the way you are," Andrew says, and he places a hand on my shoulder and leads me inside the house. It's a very clean and orderly kitchen and living room. Everything seems to be in the perfect place, right down to the pictures on the mantle. Mr. Andrew leads me over to a chair across from the couch and offers me a seat. Suddenly the sliding door opens, flooding the room with the music and noise of laughing kids and adults as Ethan walks in, saying, "Sorry, I'm late. I was giving Eric some last-minute instructions on the grill. What'd I miss?"

"Nothing; we were about to start," answers Mr. Andrew with a smile. My nervousness is clear, and he seems like he's doing what he can to help me stay calm.

"AJ, I talked to your parents, and they thought it was a great idea for us to talk. I'm not sure where to start, so I'm going to let you ask the questions. What would you like to talk about?"

Wow, this is way harder than I originally thought. I'm beginning to question if this is a good idea or not. The Thomases sit patiently while I frantically look for something to count. Looking over to the wall next to the fireplace, the wall is decorated with horseshoes. The two men patiently wait as my eyes shift around, counting them. There are one hundred and forty five of them. It's a good number. I've always been fond of numbers divisible by five.

Once I'm done counting, I'm more relaxed, and I take a deep breath. Under my breath, I tell myself softly, "Twenty seconds; be brave for twenty seconds." Gathering up all my courage, which isn't much to be honest, I stand up and walk to Andrew, asking, "Mr. Thomas, I think I'm gay, but just saying it isn't enough for me. My mind doesn't accept it unless I understand what that means. It has to mean more than that I like butt stuff and sucking dic... penises." Suddenly, I'm so hot, and I'm sure even my butt cheeks are blushing. I check my hands as subtly as I can to see them visibly shaking from the effort of keeping it together. Panic replaces courage, and I'm not sure I can do this without Zack. Maybe I should have asked him to be here. Once I feel the tears trickling down my cheeks, I know I'm on the edge of losing it.

Andrew uses his thumb to wipe off my tears and says, "It's okay; that takes a lot of courage to admit that, especially to someone you don't know very well. You know, I had a very similar question when I was about your age."

"You did?"

"Yes, he was my best friend, and we would sneak away," Andrew says, then changes to a whisper, "to do butt stuff and suck penises." This made me giggle and begin to feel a little better. "I wasn't sure if that meant I was gay or not, but one day, he was gone, and my heart hurt. It felt like someone stabbed me in the chest. I didn't understand it, but I later realized that I loved him. I dreamed about holding his hand, going places together, and just being with him. You don't have to put a label on yourself either; just live your authentic self. If you happen to love a boy, then love a boy; if you love a girl, then love a girl, but be true to yourself."

"But, what is it other than the sex stuff?"

Andrew thinks about his answer and then says, "The sex stuff should be the reward, like a dessert. You should really enjoy being with the person, want to do things with them and for them. You should feel sad when they leave and happy when they arrive. You should dream about them."

I close my eyes and replay the memory of the dream I had the night before the rodeo, making me blush, and then, that morning, waking up to Beau tracing my lips with his finger. The look on my face is unmistakable. My thoughts are written all over my face.

Andrew smiles and takes Ethan's hand, asking, "You're thinking about him now, aren't you, AJ? How do you feel when he looks at you?"

Opening my eyes, I can tell by the look in Andrew and Ethan's faces that my face isn't hiding anything. I fidget with my balls again. Looking at the floor, I begin to draw circles with my right flip-flop as I whisper, "Beau..." catching myself, I stop in mid-sentence, covering my mouth with my hands, but the look on Mr. Andrew's face tells me it wasn't fast enough for him not to hear me. I remove my hand and continue, "...when he looks at me, this boy, it's hard to breathe. It's hard to concentrate and think clearly. His steel eyes and dark, silky hair make me think... well, of nothing but him, of course. It's nice to not have hundreds of different things going on in my head all at once."

Suddenly, the nightmare of my past love experiences changes my expression, and tears begin flowing once again. The shakes begin to be visible as I sob. Count, I have to count something. I frantically search for something else to count in the room. "Awe, AJ, what's wrong?" Andrew reaches out, taking me in his arms, and pats my back gently.

My thoughts spill out in almost inaudible mumbles: "I loved Zack, but I wasn't ready for love, and I lost him...," and my grief overwhelms me, making the rest barely understandable. Andrew pulls me up in his lap and wipes my tears away again. Looking into Andrew's blue eyes, I ask, "...if I love him and he's not ready, will I lose Beau?" Once those words are ripped free from my heart, I begin to lose control again, and this time Andrew needs something more than just his hand. Ethan gives him the Kleenex box and then rubs my knee, showing support. With shaky lips and blurry eyes, I manage to mumble, "I can't lose Beau."

Beau

The sliding door closes, and I can see AJ walk inside and sit down in a chair. "Earth to Beau... come in Beau..." Josh says this jokingly and splashes me with some pool water, getting my attention. "Are you going to play Marco-Polo or not?"

"Sorry, I was just worried about AJ. This would be a lot more fun with others," I tell him, splashing him back.

"Let's ask Alejandro," Josh says, beginning to make his way towards him.

I grab his arm, stopping him and saying, "No, you can't do that. He's with a bunch of girls."

"I'm with Beau on this one. It's embarrassing enough having a hard-on being in the same pool with them, but touching and bumping into them, that's another story all together."

The look on Josh's face is one of confusion. I don't remember if I thought like that when I was eight. I don't remember if I would have a problem with it. Looking around, I see Colt talking to the girls. Oh no, they're on their way over. Brian and I quickly covered our dicks and squatted down in the water. "Colt! What are you doing?"

"I got mowe people fow the game. We still playing Mawko-Polo?"

Josh excitingly answers, "Sure, this will be amazing," and he hops up out of the water, giving everyone a brief glimpse of his little boy-bits. All the girls giggle, and for some reason, I'm embarrassed for him; is that weird?

The game starts, and the older boys, I can tell, feel more like me. We seem to be trying to stay away from the girls more than we are `Marco'.

Colt's `it' first; well, he is so excited he just closed his eyes and started yelling, "Mawko..."

"Polo..." We all respond back and quietly maneuver around the pool so Colt can't hear us.

Colt darts and reaches for each of us where he thinks we're standing, only to grab air. He cusses something under his breath and wipes the water from his face, then yells again, "Mawko!"

Choruses of "Polo!" come from around Colt, and he rushes in one direction or another, trying to tag whoever is silly enough to get close. More than once, the other kids bump into me as I keep a close eye on that sliding glass door. I can't see AJ in the chair anymore. I hope he's okay.

"Bay! Pay attention!" Josh yells from the other side of the pool. I turn and see Colt within inches of tagging me. Shit! I dodge right and left as he grabs at the air. He's laughing so hard, I'm not sure how he can breathe. I was so worried about Colt tagging me that I didn't realize what was about to happen.

I spin around, thinking I can get away faster if I run, and I run into some girl. We both splash deep in the pool, and out of reaction, I grab onto her body with both arms and straddle her with my legs to stand, so I can pull her up with me. We come out of the water, and her nose is an inch away from mine.

"You're... touching me," she whispers for my ears.

Fear takes over my body, and I go ridged and throw up my hands, saying, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."

"I wasn't talking about your hands," she whispers as she fidgets with her red ponytail.

My eyes go wide as I suddenly realize where my dick is! I turn as red as her hair and hurriedly take a step back from her and right into Colt's arms.

"You'we it bwothew!"

After a long game of `Marco-Polo' where I was `it' like three times, sigh, I needed a break. So, I told everyone I quit for now and told the girl I was sorry again, then walked over to the edge, pulled myself out of the pool, and sat down with my eggs in the water. I look around and see the girl with the ponytails talk to her friend, look at me, giggle, and then point to my crotch. I look down at it and watch as my dick begins twitching. Oh no, not now. I push it between my legs and do everything to not look her way again.

I look over to the grotto and see the twins with an Asian boy. They seem to be having `fun', judging by the look on all three of their faces. I giggle to myself, knowing what must be happening under the water. When the Asian boy's body jerks a few times and his eyes roll back in his head, my suspicions are true. Then, unexpectedly, a third boy comes out of the water in between the Asian's legs, licking his lips! This place is awesome!

Suddenly the sliding door opens, and AJ comes out with Andrew and Ethan. He's been crying; that much is evident. They walk over and talk to Alice and Jack for a little bit, where AJ hugs them both and nods at their questions. Andrew sits down, and AJ walks over to the edge of the pool at the deep end and sits down, putting his legs in the water. He looks deep in thought and so small, sitting there by himself.

"Psst."

"Pssst!"

I look over to the grotto, and Zack is looking at me, so I give him a questionable look. He mouths, `Go over there,' and nudges his head towards AJ.

I point to my chest, and he nods with a smile. I shake my head, `no,' and point to him. He is so much older and would know the right thing to say. He mouths, `GO,' and I quickly get up and shuffle my way over to AJ. I look around at everyone, and it feels like they are all staring at me. Zack never takes his eyes off of me, and about halfway there, Zeke joins him in watching the show.

"Can I, um, sit down?"

AJ doesn't move, just stares at the water. I look back at Zack, and he motions for me to sit down. AJ just looks like he wants to be alone. I don't want to upset him, but Zack motions for me to sit down again. I told myself I trusted the twins fully, and I meant it, so I take a seat next to him.

It's awkward at first; he doesn't say anything or move, for that matter. Should I take his hand? What if he doesn't want to be touched? Maybe sitting here is enough? Then, before I knew it, AJ leaned over and laid his head on my shoulder. I wrap my arm around his shoulders and smile as we sit together quietly. My eyes look over to the twins and they give me a thumbs up.


If you like my stories and want to tip or donate to me, you can buy me a coffee here: https://buymeacoffee.com/foxfire3737 or Click Here I really appreciate your help.


I hope you are liking the last few chapters of Counting. If you have extra time, check out my other stories:

"Fire" is about a time when Zack, Zeke, and Alice share a quite time on the back porch one evening. I used to know what chapter it took place in but I've written so many, I just don't remember now. It was too short of a story to post on Nifty, but I thought it was interesting. https://archiveofourown.org/works/44356165

"Not Capable of Love" https://www.nifty.org/nifty/gay/adult-youth/not-capable-of-love/

"Jaded" https://archiveofourown.org/works/46783999



"The Universe is Made of Stories, Not of Atoms" -Muriel Rukeyser

End of Counting - Chapter 40 - Tux


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