This is all fantasy fiction. None of the events are real.
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Edited by Andrew Thomas
This story is an original work of fiction ©Copyright 2022 Tux - Please do not copy or post without permission.
I can still smell him in the bed. I can still feel him hug me as we sleep. Waking with a smile... priceless. Rolling over, I bury my face where he slept and take deep breaths. With that air, I scream in his pillow, "Yessss! I LOVE YOU ZACK!!!" Then I roll over and smile at the stars on my ceiling.
I ran downstairs with my pants in one hand and Maxwell in my other. I pee, brush my teeth, and stare at my reflection. It's weird to see it smile back at me. I put on my pants and fiddle with the belt as Maxwell and I run down the stairs to meet a very unhappy Alice.
"You're late, Andrew!" She holds my yellow backpack and a small paper sack.
I put my arms through the bag's large hoops and apologized, "I know, I'm sorry... I couldn't find the right pair of pants. Can you help me with the belt?"
"Your breakfast sandwich is in the bag, and... Andrew! These pants are dirty. You wore them two days ago."
Digging in my bag to see what kind it is I say, "I know, but Alice, these are my lucky pants." She finishes my belt and smacks me on my butt... really hard. It really hurt. My hands react without me doing it on purpose, and I mouth, `Ow!', and just like that, shock replaces my smile.
"It's mom, mommy, or mother. From now on, if I hear anything else out of your mouth, you're getting the rest of those smacks on your bare bottom. Got it! The twins have been down here waiting for you for ten minutes. You should have been down here twenty minutes ago. From now on, wear what I lay out for you. Now... all of you hurry."
I meet up with the twins as I walk towards the door. From their faces, I can tell they heard that. I try not to cry or sniffle, but as we run to the end of the driveway, Zack holds one of my hands and the other one is rubbing my butt.
Once we get on the bus, Zack sits next to me and keeps holding my hand. "Are you okay?" He asks. I know he cares for me, but right now, I'm embarrassed that the most important person in my life heard me get spanked, so I stare out the window and just nod. He gets the message, squeezes my hand a little, and then spends the rest of the time talking to his friends.
I get to school and am sitting in my third-grade class. I am about to pound my head through the desk. I hate this class so much. I know all of this already. Sure, recess is fun, but I don't think I can sit here and do nothing for the rest of the year. It's about the time I have to go to my geometry class, and I'm overly excited.
I enter the geometry room and take my seat, pull my book out of my bag, pet Maxwell on the head before zipping the top, and grab my pencil to be ready. Bobby sits behind me, like always, and throughout the class, repeatably kicks my chair every time Mr. Wolde turns his back to the us. This happened for a while until Brian, a few rows over, yelled, "Cut it out, Bobby! Don't kick his chair again!"
"Brian, is there a problem we need to talk about?" asks Mr. Wolde as he turns towards the class.
"Sir, Bobby won't leave AJ alone. He's been kicking his chair for days now." Mr. Wolde looks me over and must see my fear, then Bobby's fake attempt at innocence.
"Brian, see me after class for talking during my lecture. Bobby come sit up here next to me, so we don't have any temptations," then he picks up right where he left off.
I mouth the word `thanks' to Brian, and he gives me a nod. Then there is a knock on the door. When it opens, a man wearing black clothes and tiny glasses walks in. He looks over the class and then goes to talk to the teacher. Mr. Wolde looks at me and says, "Mr. Docker, please hold up your backpack."
Algebra sucks. I'm going to have to ask AJ to explain all this to me later. The teacher has gone over what he expects, and we're all given time to suffer through this short exercise.
"Zack, come up here, please." I head up front and he asks me to go get more copies of this help study paper that we can all take home. He gives me the hall pass and I head to the office. Once there, I tell them what I need and patiently wait for them to finish. The music teacher, Mr. Simons, is talking about some kid that left something on the piano, but he has no idea who the kid is. Then he sets a grey Rubick's cube on the counter.
"Hey, that's AJ's." The words left my mouth before I could stop them, and everyone in the room heard me.
"Who?" Mr. Simons asks again.
"He's the new third-grader in Miss Summs class."
"Third grader, are you sure?" He asks as he heads to the door.
"But he isn't there now; he's in Mr. Wolde's Geometry Class."
He gives me an odd look but leaves all the same. Until I ran out after him, "Mr. Simons, he's really shy and probably won't talk to you. He'll talk to me. Just tell me what he did wrong."
I'm not sure what this is all about. I stand up and hold up my bag.
"Hello, mister yellow backpack," he says, motioning with his finger for me to follow. "Grab your stuff." We head down the hall and into a room that is all too familiar. It's the band room that I hid in a few days ago. Zack is sitting on the piano stool.
"Please, drop your bag at the door." I drop it, run to Zack, and give him a hug.
"You're fine. You're not in trouble. Mr. Simons just wants to talk to you." He rubs my back and then breaks the hug. I turn to Mr. Simons and wait to find out what this is about. He looks me over and walks around me. When he gets back up front, he squats and looks me in the eyes.
"How old are you?"
I look up at Zack, and he gives me a smile and a little nod. Then I say softly, "I'm eight years old."
"So, you really are in third grade. How is this possible?" He stares at me for a little while and then stands up and says, "Okay, play what's on the piano, please."
I'm a little more than confused, but Zack gets off the stool and motions for me to sit down. He and Zack stood behind me, and I just sat there. Being a little nervous doesn't describe what I am feeling, so I do the only thing I know to do when I'm like this, I count the piano keys. There are fifty-two white keys. The piano is the same one as before, but now it has some sheet music on it. Soon, Zack's hand lands on my shoulder and he spins me around. "AJ, do you know how to play the piano?"
I shook my head and Mr. Simons looked upset. "Don't be shy. I saw you play a few days ago. You're telling me, you've had no training?" Again, I shake my head. "Play what you played before." I can see he's getting frustrated, so I figured I'd better do what he asked. Taking a deep breath, I find what I'm looking for in my mind, and let my fingers go.
Bum, Bum, Bum, Bum, You shake my nerves and you rattle my brain. Bum, Bum, Bum, Bum Too much love drives a man insane. Bum, Bum, Bum, Bum You broke my will, Bum, Bum, Bum, Bum, But what a thrill. Bum, Bum, Bum, Bum, GOODNESS GRACIOUS GREAT OF FIRE!!! I slide my hands down the keys just like the man in the movie did, and then right back to the song.
I continued to play while Zack and Mr. Simons talked behind me. "See, I told you he could play," Mr. Simons happily says.
"Wow, I had no idea. He doesn't even own a piano, at least not that I know of. This is incredible," Zack says with a huge smile.
Here comes that part I love. My fingers are gliding up and down the keys, and I begin to get my footing, so I can stand up and kick the stool away, but Mr. Simons stops me, "Whoa! Stop! I can't have you kicking the stool away again like you did before. Explain how you can play that flawlessly and probably better than me, but you can't read sheet music?"
Then Zack's face lights up, "Oh, I get it! AJ, were you playing a song that you saw someone else play?" I nod my head and say softly, "My daddy and I watched this movie where this man played this song and then set his piano on fire."
Mr. Simons looks at Zack like he's about fed up with us, and Zack answers him before he asks the question. "He has a photographic memory. He doesn't know how to play the piano."
"Jerry Lee Lewis, Great Balls of Fire; You learned this song by watching a movie?"
I get up and begin to inch behind Zack a little and answer, "Yeah, sorta. I couldn't see all of his hands in the movie, so afterwards, Daddy found someone in New York to play the song in front of me. I had to watch him like four or five times. So now I can just play it whenever. Are you mad I played your piano?"
The music teacher walks over and pulls a bench from a few feet away. He's muttering to himself something about, "Well that would explain kicking my stool during the third chorus. It happens in the movie." He pushes the stool away, replacing it with the bench, and takes a seat. Patting the seat next to him, he says, "Let's play a game, shall we?" Looking at Zack, I move around and sit next to him. He plays a song I've never heard before, but I watch him play it, and before he's done playing it, I begin playing it. He stops, so I stop.
He looks at me and gives a goofy face like he's thinking, then begins to play again. This song is old and sounds weird. He plays for a while then just stops and says, "Your turn."
Closing my eyes, I replay what I just saw in my mind, and begin the song. I get to the point where he left off and I stop. "Why did you stop?" He asks me.
I shrug and answer, "You stopped there."
He laughs to himself, and says, "You're right. That is where I stopped." He closes the piano and asks, "Can you copy anything you see?" I just shrug and nod. "Okay, you two head to lunch. If any of your teachers ask any questions, just send them to me."
Zack and I take off and make it to lunch only fifteen minutes late.
"You should have seen him," I told the lunch table. "Mr. Simons was about to give both of us detention for the rest of our lives until I figured out what he must have seen."
Zeke messes up AJ's hair, "Wow, you can play the piano?" I take a bite of my sandwich and smile at all the attention I'm getting.
"No, that's the messed-up part. He can't play or read a note. He can only copy what he sees played in front of him."
"Oh AJ, I almost forgot. I just spent fifteen minutes with Bobby while we had to clean the geometry room. He's not really happy with you, so be careful around him. "Don't leave the twin's side for a while, okay, or at least hang with one of us," Brian says.
I side-eye Zeke, and he gives me a little nod.
Oblivious to the trouble he's in with Bobby, AJ answers, "I'm really sorry you got in trouble for me, Brian."
"Awwe, don't sweat about it. That ass is always picking on you. You should stand up for yourself. I'll help where I can, but Mr. Wolde said that I should consider today my warning. Next time is detention."
AJ looks worried, so I place my hand on his head. When he looks up at me, I smile. "Hey, you're going to be alright..."
Zeke lays his hand on AJ's shoulder and picks up where I left off, "...we have way more friends than that shithole."
Cory, with a mouth full of chips, jumps in, spitting chips in front of himself as he speaks, "With all of us helping, there is no reason you need to be walking the halls alone."
"We got your back, AJ," Ryder adds.
The boys were true to their words, and for the rest of the day, little AJ had an escort no matter where in the school he had to go. Zeke and I will still have to have a talk with Bobby, but for now, this works.
The twins and I race to the house like we do every day when we come home. When I stop to rest, they stop, and when I'm ready, I don't tell them, I just take off. With an inhaler puff about halfway, I can run the whole driveway. I don't win every day, but today I did, and I slumped on the porch, out of breath.
"See... see... you guys... later," I huff and puff the words out while I pull myself to my feet. The twins say bye, and Zack and I share one last little wave before he turns the corner. I head inside and dump my backpack on the couch and yell, "I'm... I'm home!"
Lana comes to the second story handrail and yells back, "Mom had to go to the school. She said to tell you there is a note on the counter for you," then she put her ear pods back in and went back into her room. Lana isn't like Missy, it's not that she doesn't like me, it's more that she doesn't want to acknowledge I exist unless she has to. That is way better than having to deal with Missy's shit.
Checking the note Alice wrote: You'll do your homework later tonight. Right now, you're going somewhere with Jack and the boys.
"Yesss!" I say out loud and fist pump the air. I pull out my lunch bag and Maxwell. I set him on the stool so he can watch, and I dump its contents in the bag in the sink to be washed and throw the trash away. Then I grab the bear and I'm out the door.
I'm halfway there and Uncle Jack and the twins are climbing into the old light gray farm pickup truck. The boys are dressed in blue jeans and white shirts, and Uncle is in his normal overalls, but now he's wearing a white shirt also. I look a little over dressed in my dirty Docker pants and Avengers tee-shirt.
"Hey little guy, you're up front with me," hollers uncle as I make it to the truck. The twins are in the back, and they watch me as I work myself to the other side of the truck. I have to pull kind of hard, but the door does open, and I crawl in. Looking at the seat, I ask, "What about my booster seat?"
"Don't worry about that today, I'll keep you safe," and with uncle's smile, I'm convinced. I smile back and hook my seat belt on. When I turn around, I see the twins out the back window. Zeke holds up his fist on the window for a fist bump, and when I do that, Zack lays his hand on the window. I lay my hand on his and remember him holding me last night and I smile brighter.
Grabbing my attention, Uncle Jack says, "We're going clothes shopping, but like men's style. No girls allowed." That makes me giggle, and I watch uncle's big, framed body work the stick shift. It never occurred to me before, but uncle's body looks like it is shaped like an ape. I giggle again and he pats my leg, "What's so funny?"
"You are," I simply answer, and he laughs a little.
Uncle Jack took a deep breath, like I do when I need to calm myself down before I talk. Then he looks at me and says, with a smile, "AJ, I want you to know that if you ever need help, you know, with questions, advice, or maybe you just need an adult male person to just hold you and listen. I would be honored if you would consider me for the job."
I pull my eyes down to the floorboards and think about what he said. It's a lot to break down, and he gives me the time I need to understand the scope of what he's offering. I've only ever had one person say something like that to me before, and Alice took him from me. Am I getting too close to uncle and the twins? If I get too close, Alice might take them from me.
Looking back to Uncle Jack, I answer, "I'd like that, but Alice can't know, okay?"
Uncle looks at me strangely, then at the road, then back at me, smiling, "Sure little guy, whatever works for you."
The rest of the truck drive was uneventful. Once we got into the farm utility store, all of us kids got four pairs of denim jeans. Mine are grey. I was thrilled, ten white tee-shirts and five flannel long sleeve shirts. When colors are an option, I, of course, will always pick muted-grey colors, but I was surprised to see that Zack mostly picked blue and Zeke chose red. I wonder if this is by design or if it is one more way that they are different.
While deep in my thoughts, I hear Zack say, "You'll need this," as a dark grey cowboy hat is laid on my head.
"...and this," as Zeke lays a belt with a big shiny buckle on it across my shoulder. I giggle as I see Zack heading back to me with a lot of rope coiled in a hoop.
"... and this," says Zack as he hoops the rope around my neck and Zeke hands me a small box of leather gloves, and Zack adds a small package of little green plaid boxers--which I blush a little--and when it is all over, Uncle Jack sets a new pair of cowboy boots that look just like Zack's at my feet.
"I feel like a cowboy Christmas tree," and I laugh at myself along with everyone else. The twins begin to take some of the stuff off of me, and uncle gets a cart. When the cash register lady begins to ring stuff up, and the twins and I are messing around, but when she gets to the boxers, she holds them up for everyone to see and smiles at me. I just blush and hide behind Zack until she laughs and then moves on with the rest of the stuff.
"Thanks Kris, just add this to the Docker Estate account and about that thing I ordered. Just tell Frank I need it as soon as he can do it. Just have him call me and we'll pick it up."
"Sure thing, Jack. Frank will need a week I would think," Kris says and then winks at me, causing me to inch a little more behind Zack.
We said our goodbyes and headed to get ice cream, then to the park where us boys got to play until uncle put his book down. We head home, and the twins are inside the cab with us. I'm just about on Zack and Zeke's laps, but my head sleeps on Zack's chest.
Once we get home, the twins help me get my stuff in my room and Uncle Jack and Alice... errr I mean mom, I don't want the rest of that whipping, are going through all my new stuff. "Look, I was able to get the long sleeve shirts and Zack picked me out a dark grey cowboy hat!" While showing Mom my stuff, I exclaim excitedly.
"Yes, it's all very nice. Did you thank Jack for taking you?" She asks.
In a flash, I run over to Uncle Jack and hug him tight. "Thanks for letting me spend time with you today. I had loads of fun."
Taking a knee so he can look me in the eyes, uncle says, "I didn't buy all this stuff because I need you to look sharp. The twins will need help with the chores. I've talked it over with your mother, and we think it's a good idea for you to help them with evening chores around the farm. Depending on how that goes, we'll try morning chores as well. I mean, I don't want to keep you from your beauty sleep," and he laughs, but I don't get it, so I just hug him again.
I hopped over to mom and gave her a hug, "Thanks for letting me join Zack with the chores."
"You're welcome, but understand that Jack and I will be watching you and at the first sign of a problem, you're done. I don't want to hear you complaining. I don't want to have to take you to the hospital again, okay. So, listen to Jack and only do what he tells you, and you boys, don't let him overdo anything, okay. Please. "
Both twins stand a little straighter as in if they were doing an oath at the same time, "We promise Mrs. Docker. He's safe with us."
What is it about this kid? He is so small, way smaller than the twins when they were his age. But he tries so hard to keep up with the boys. Right now, they are out in the field trying to teach AJ how to rope a bull. He's dressed in his new clothes and keeps knocking his cowboy hat off every time he swings his rope over his head.
"Uncle Jack! What's AJ doing wrong?" Shouted Zeke across the field.
Getting off the straw bale, I moseyed my way over there. "What do you think you're doing?" I ask as I tickle him from behind, causing his elbows to squirm down to his sides as he belly laughs. "Alright, young man, let's see what we can do." His little body fit next to mine like a glove. It's amazing how much he's opened up to me and the twins.
"Okay Zeke, take off," my eldest twin takes off and runs by with his fingers pretending to be a bull. "Take your time, AJ. "Remember to roll your wrist," AJ says, whipping around his wrist and beginning to roll it, and the lasso twirls and flies for Zeke. The hoop lands securely around his chest, and he stops to cheer for AJ. Zack runs up and scoops up AJ and spins him around.
They cheer, laugh, and eventually fall down and wrestle. I pick up AJ's rope and begin to wrap it up. "Come on, come on, I thought you guys wanted to teach AJ how to rope." The tangled mess of boy limbs moves around until a little boy crawls out and fishes an inhaler from his pocket. We give him a minute to himself, and Zack gets ready to be the bull.
The boys practiced and played until dusk took over the sky. While the boys cleaned up our play area, Alice joins us. Zacks comes over and asks if both twins can stay the night with AJ. I told Alice I didn't mind as long as he wasn't any trouble.
"Sure, like I said before, both twins are welcome at our house at any time," she says, and the boys all cheer. Zack leads the rest of them to the farmhouse to get the twin's stuff. "AJ loves Zack, doesn't he?"
It was a simple statement, and I'm not sure if it was rhetorical or not, but I answered it anyway, "Zeke is the dominate twin. He's the one in charge of the two. After spending so much time with them, they couldn't be more different. Zeke always protected Zack. He needed it in school. Nowadays, all the kids respect them, but not in the beginning."
"And now Zack has someone to protect," Alice says, as if a light has been turned on. "It's been hard since the divorce. I think AJ has taken it the worst. He blames me for taking his daddy away." I remain quiet as we walk about the farm. She seems like she needs to talk. "I couldn't even get him to speak to me two words before we arrived." She looks at me and light tears are falling from her eyes. "Zack makes AJ happy. I just want him happy."
She falls on my chest and sobs.
We bust into the farmhouse and head to my brother's and my room. Zeke pulls out a backpack and says, "I can't believe I got to come too. I can't believe you two want me there!"
I looked at him a little funny, then asked, "Why wouldn't we want you there?"
Zeke's eyes shifted to AJ and then back to me. I get his meaning and say, "Hey, little guy, why don't you go play basketball while we pack some stuff?"
AJ gives a little shrug and heads off to play ball outside. Once he's gone, I give Zeke an intense look and say, "Hey, he and I aren't doing stuff yet. AJ isn't ready."
"You mean you two haven't done anything yet? Why didn't you tell me?"
"I am a little embarrassed, but I can't push him. Zeke, he freaked out when we tried. I can't see that look in his face again, I'll wait years if I have too."
Zeke gives a sheepish smile and pulls a bottle of lube out of his bag, "I guess I don't need this."
I shake my head a little, and he gives me a little laugh. We finish packing and meet AJ outside, and then we head to the estate. Inside, we all go to the kitchen and get a snack, and Mrs. Docker tells us not to spoil our dinner. We continue past the bar where Uncle Jack is sitting, and he gives us all high-fives, except for AJ, to whom he gives a low one. Our race up the first flight of stairs is not a quiet one, and when AJ and I get to his bedroom stairs, we hear, "That's cool. Is that a Gibson drum set?"
"Pppsssttt, Hey Zeke," AJ whispers, and then we both wave for him to follow, but he just waves us off and goes into Missy's room.
I shrug at AJ, and we head up to his room. Once we're up there, AJ breaks out the video game stuff. "He's crazy talking to Missy."
"He's just interested in those drums. He has lots of magazines about drums and always wanted a set," I tell him while I unpack the things I need for tonight.
"I'm just saying, Missy's nuts; she might bite for all I know," and together we share a laugh. Zeke does join us, but he has been gone a long time. "We almost sent a search party out to find you," I tell him, but AJ looks upset. I made a note of it and figure I'll ask him tonight before bed when Zeke is showering.
"We were just talking about drums, that's all. Why, what did I miss?"
AJ gives his controller up to Zeke and goes and sits at his computer desk. He sits there and plays with his puzzle cubes. Zeke looks at me questioningly, but I just shrug, and we continue to play. "Boys and girls!" Uncle Jack yells upstairs. "Dinner is ready!" AJ jumps up and hurries out of the room, and when Zeke stands up, I grab his arm to stop him.
"You know how he feels about Missy?"
"We were just talking, it's not a big deal."
"It is for AJ. You know how she treats him. I'm sure he feels you are talking to the enemy."
"Oh, you're being stupid, and he's being a little kid, come on," he turned to leave, and I just followed him as usual.
"He is a little kid, Zeke," I mutter. If he heard me, he didn't let me know. We just went to dinner.
We all ate dinner, and me and AJ were pretty quiet. He just sat there counting the notches on the table's edge. Zeke, on the other hand, was talking it up with Missy. At one point in the evening, I thought AJ was going to jump up, until I put my hand on his leg. His eyes look at me, and I can see his rage melting. His eyes shifted back to Zeke and Missy, then back at me. I get close and whisper in his ear, "They won't let me stay the night if you make a scene." I can see the hurt in his face, and I sign, `I'm sorry.' He excuses himself and heads to the bathroom. I look at Uncle Jack, and he is eyeballing me. I look away but can feel his eyes on me. AJ comes back, and it's obvious he's washed his face, but he's quiet for the rest of the night. He just sat down and restarted counting those notches over and over.
He holds my hand when the lights are turned off and the movie starts, and about a quarter of the way into it, he lays in my lap. By the time it was over, I was carrying him to bed on my back, and on the way up to his room, I heard a sleepy boy counting the stairs as I climbed.
Zeke had a long conversation with Uncle Jack on the porch before returning to the farmhouse for the night. I went upstairs and I dropped AJ off on the bed. He cuddles with Maxwell, half-asleep, while I strip down to my boxers. I take his shirt off and begin to work on his belt. "Damn belt!" I grumble. When Mrs. Docker sneaks through the bedroom door.
"Did you get that nasty belt undone?" I stand up and step out of the way. I looked a little embarrassed, and it didn't go unnoticed. She takes my place and begins to undress her little boy. I just stood behind her with my hands over my junk. I don't have a full hard-on at the moment, but the thought of taking his pants off was giving me one, and it's only getting worse the more I cover it up.
"You know, AJ, was inseparable from his father," she whispers as she works. "He needs someone like you, Zack," Once he is in his little tight briefs, she covers him and Maxwell. Then she unexpectedly pulls the covers back, offering for me to lie next to him. "There is no need for you to sleep on the outside of the covers, dear, it can get cold up here." I hurry and climb in as I hold my boner down. She covers me up and kisses me on the cheek. With a whisper of good night, she went back down to the ground floor.