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Author's Note:

Hans Schreiber is taking a sabbatical. Flip McHooter has stepped in to take over for him in his absence.

The Father and Son Outing

By Paul S. Stevens, Hans Schreiber & Flip McHooter

Chapter #13

My dad closed my bedroom door and my mind immediately started to race. I was already worried that Wes and I wouldn't be able to fit into the strict, rigid world of the Léger home, and we were going to have to endure it for the whole weekend. But now I had horrific thoughts of Mr. Léger putting all of us in straight jackets and ankle irons so we couldn't escape his holier than thou, self-righteous, brainwashing clutches. I also envisioned that the door to Carey's room had been removed and wireless devices installed so his Dad could easily monitor everything we did and said. I wished there was a way to get out of it, but I failed to come up with a decent excuse that would derail the whole idea. I had a sinking feeling that we were screwed, and not in a good way.

Then I realized that I could endure anything as long as I had Wesley by my side. I couldn't wait to get back to school tomorrow so I could inform him of this new wrinkle we'd have to endure that stood in the way of our goal to live together. Wes, not having earned his phone back from his dad yet, was making it damn inconvenient for everyone. If Wes could only get his phone back, we could have more time to plan our strategies. We could be comforting each other as things seemed to change in our lives from one moment to the next. We could be helping each other with our homework, at least for the one class we currently shared. We could be sending pictures to one another, even though that was the reason Wes got his phone taken away from him in the first place. Even so, we didn't need to send naked selfie shots to each other, just normal pictures to show that we were doing okay. And we could have some more awesome phone sex like we'd done in the past. If we were going to be kept apart, phone sex was essential, at least for me.

The rest of my evening was mostly uneventful and even though I couldn't get my mind off of our weekend at the Léger house, it was soon time to turn in. Needless to say, I didn't sleep very well as it laid heavily on my mind.

The next day at school, I was still going stir crazy. Every minute that I had to wait for Wes was another minute wasted, and tomorrow was the start of the weekend already. I was really starting to dread tomorrow at the Léger house, mostly because I didn't like the idea of having to put Wes through the whole ordeal, especially since Mr. Léger and my mom were the two driving forces behind the whole clandestine affair, concocted to serve their own purposes. For now, I believed that Mr. Léger's agenda was to put Wes and I on the path to righteousness, and Mom's agenda was to simply hope that Mr. Léger's therapy could possibly cure Wes and I of our sinful ways, believing that it would save our souls and prevent us from making the mistake of a lifetime.

We had very little time to decide on, and agree upon, a strategy that we could use to strengthen our position. Frankly, I was very uneasy about this whole idea and I knew that Wes and I needed to stand united together if we were going to stay true to ourselves. I needed someone I could trust who was on my side, and we could lean on each other for support if we were going to get through this weekend intact. I would normally turn to Mom and Dad for that kind of support, but in this case, it seemed like they were on the opposing team. I know that they would disagree with that assessment, but that's how I felt about it.

When the fourth period class that Wes and I shared together finally came, I waited outside the classroom door for him for as long as I could. When the bell rang, Wes still hadn't shown up and I had no choice but to take my seat in the classroom and continue to wait inside. Once seated, everyone settled down and I stared intently between the door and the clock for Wes to appear as he became alarmingly overdue. The class started and was well underway, and still, no Wes. I started to worry as if he were missing in action or something.

A flurry of thoughts raced through my head. Maybe he just lost his way. Doubtful, but he was, after all, still new to this school. Maybe some bully found out about Wes' past and started a fight. Maybe he was kept home and was sick with the flu. Maybe he got in trouble and was being detained at the principal's office. If he only had his cell phone with him, this would all be unnecessary. Something had to be done. After going through a dozen other scenarios in my head, Wes finally came in and handed the teacher a note. He stood there while the teacher read it, waiting for some instructions. Once the teacher read the note, he had Wes take his seat, as if nothing happened, and continued with the class lesson.

I had worked myself into a panic and I was itching to find out what had happened. I was a wreck, plain and simple, but I had no choice. Waiting was my only option. I tried to listen to what the teacher was saying, but it was useless. Wes and I had lunch period next, and I started to stare closely at the clock again, this time waiting for the class to end as the second hand on the clock mockingly crept forward in slow motion until it finally released its grip on us. When the bell finally rang, I practically mowed over my classmates in my haste to get to the door where Wes was calmly waiting for me so we could hit the lunch line together.

"What happened?" I asked straight off.

"What happened with what?" he wondered.

"You were so late, I was worried about you," I said.

"I'm not a child you know," Wes said in a huff. "You don't need to be worrying about me every second. I'm a big boy now."

"Wow, I'm sorry, dude," I said. "Excuse me for caring. It wasn't my intension to treat you like a baby."

"No Seth," he began his rant. "I'm the one who's sorry. I didn't mean to take it out on you. I'm just feeling sorry for myself. Because Dad has to be at work so early in the morning, I have to be at school before zero-period begins. Then I have to take driver's education, and the only time they offer that class is sixth-period. So I'm here from zero through sixth-period. This stupid school won't let me take seven classes, so I have third period free. I should be able to enjoy my free period alone, by myself or in the library, but no! They won't let me do that, so I have to take study hall without getting any credit for it. The problem is, I'm the only student in third period study hall and the teacher leaves the room unattended. Maybe it's because of my past, but the principal doesn't trust me to be alone, so he decided to make me his personal gofer. Today, he had me deliver a box of chalk to room 203. Then I had to find the janitor and have him fill the dispenser of napkins for the girl's restroom. By the way, why in the world do the girls get to have napkins in their bathrooms anyway? What could they possibly be eating in there? Anyway, that seems so gross to me. So, the next thing I knew, I had to deliver a utility cart with an ancient VCR and TV on it to room 112. Then, when that took longer than expected, I had to wait while the principal took his time writing out an excuse for the teacher, explaining why I was so late to this class. I'm pissed, and I feel like everybody is treating me like a kid and I can't be trusted. I can't be trusted alone, I can't be trusted in the library, I can't be trusted in the boy's restroom, I can't be trusted with a cell phone. It all sucks big time!"

"Wow, I didn't know you had it so bad," I sighed. "Of course, we haven't seen each other since lunch yesterday. It wasn't nearly enough time to catch up on all the stuff that's been happening. For one thing, we forgot to set up a meeting place for us to meet after school. I looked for you all over, but I couldn't find you. The school is a pretty big place to be looking for someone who could've been anywhere."

I didn't want to bring up the phone issue again, but it was like our relationship was in the Stone Age without it.

"That's okay," Wes said. "I was in a bad mood yesterday anyway. Because my Dad still hadn't given me my phone back at the time, he couldn't text me to tell me he was going to be even later than usual. He just doesn't get how essential a phone is."

"That's nothing, my dad thinks that anyone under the age of eighteen shouldn't even have a phone," I told Wes. "Things have changed a lot since my dad was in high school. He is so clueless."

"I so agree," he said, rolling his eyes. "Our parents don't know what things are like for us these days. Sometimes my dad is such a wiener."

"You're right! And I know because I've seen it for myself!" I joked as we finally laughed together.

That finally broke the ice and we both settled down and selected our lunch items. Then we spotted our usual table waiting for us. It was kind of off in the far corner of the court, away from the socialites and jocks that were the heartbeat of high school life. After grabbing up some ketchup packets, forks and spoons, we then walked across to our choice table and sat down.

"The reason I was in a panic when you were so late for class was because, a very serious turn of events has happened since yesterday," I revealed as I took small cautious bites of my mystery-meat entrée while I apprised Wes of the details. "Apparently, Mr. Léger has invited you and me to spend the weekend with him and Carey at their house to see if we could all get along or not. That's the official word anyway. I think there's a whole lot more to it than that, and I want us to be prepared for whatever happens."

"What can happen?" Wes questioned, always being the voice of reason and optimism.

"I don't know, but we've got to be on our toes!" I warned. "I don't trust that asshole for a second. I overheard my mom setting it up with Mr. LéCrap over the phone. I don't know what he has in mind for us. It may be nothing. But then again, it might be something totally unexpected. Besides, it's not just Mr. LéCreep we have to deal with, it's creepy Carey too. He worries me just as much as his father does. He doesn't act like a typical kid like you and me. That makes him unpredictable. Maybe he just wants to break us up and come between us like a bra."

"Like a what? Wes asked.

"Like a bra, you know, to come between us to divide and separate." I jibed.

"Is that another one of your famous bad jokes, Seth?" Wes asked.

"Yes it is. Sorry," I groaned. "Was it really that bad?"

"It doesn't matter," Wes indicated. "I think I see where you're going with this though. First of all, are you sure I'm even going? With all the crap that Mr. LéPew has pulled, my dad may not even let me go anyway."

"I hadn't thought of that," I stated. "You would definitely be right, if it was Mr. LéFreak or my mom doing the asking, but I think if my dad asks your dad directly, he'll talk your dad into it. According to our plan to live together, my dad believes that we have to prove we could all get along first. He says, it's an essential step to getting what we want. Therefore, as disgusting as this whole weekend thing might get, we need to go along with it."

"Okay, I agree, Wes said. "What's next then?"

"Carey," I exclaimed. "I think he's the wild card. I don't trust that dude. There's something seriously wrong with him. He's totally weird. I can't quite put my finger on what it is yet. We need to have an additional plan for him, just in case."

The bell rang, signaling the end of our lunch period. We quickly chose a meeting place for our after school rendezvous behind the bleachers and agreed to discuss our present dilemma further at that point. Wes and I went our separate ways with our minds preoccupied with how we were going to deal with our obvious adversaries. I had a lot of thinking to do on the subject. I felt sorry for Wes. He hadn't even met Carey or his dad yet, and he was being dragged into this situation with no idea what to expect.

Later that afternoon, I was late in meeting up with Wes after school. He didn't seem to mind at all and was actually stretched out at the top of the bleachers, watching the varsity track team go through their paces.

What little I saw of the team myself made me think how lame they all were. It didn't matter however. It wasn't their lack of speed or teamwork that I noticed. I automatically began to pick out the cuter ones from the group and focused on them as I climbed to the top of the bleachers where Wes was waiting, gazing over my shoulders at the hotties as I climbed to the top.

"Hey," I said. "I was looking all over for you down below. What are you doing way up here?" I asked.

"Well, in the first place, you're late and I got bored standing around down there. Have you seen it down there? Doesn't anybody clean up all those used condoms underneath the bleachers? This school is rank, dude. And that team down there! What's wrong with them? They're never going to win anything moving that slow. Do they even know how to run? The girl's drill team and color guard runs faster than they do, even while twirling their flags."

"I wouldn't know anything about that, man. Besides, it wasn't their running I was looking at. But yeah, I agree, this school's athletic programs are totally whack. So, as for our little weekend from hell is concerned, have you given any more thought about how we're going to handle things?"

"I have." Wes said as he sat up.

"Well...," I asked with extreme anticipation as I sat down next to him. "Spill it!"

"I think we should just be nice and friendly," Wes smiled. "You know how to be nice and friendly, don't you?"

"Yeah, but why?" I asked.

"Oh, don't worry, we'll be on high alert the whole time," Wes sarcastically began. "We'll just play nice, like we really want to be there in his warm and loving home full of hospitality for the weekend. They won't be expecting that. We'll throw those douchebags off their game. I don't know anything about Carey other than what you've told me, but we can keep one step ahead of him and his father, Mr. LéScary, and easily outsmart them both.

"Mr. LéScary?" I said. "That's a good one. I like that. Anyway, how did you say we were going to outsmart them again?"

"It's easy," Wes explained. "When I was younger, my grandma used to walk around the house, endlessly quoting scripture until I learned to deflect her rants and raves. You could do that too, but we both have to stay focused. Mr. LéGoober can rant and rave all he wants and quote all kinds of bible verses at us. If that's the best he could do, we can easily disregard all of it."

"You might be able to do that," I said. "But up until recently, my parents have never been religious; let alone being fanatical about it. In fact, we only went to church on Easter and Christmas. That's why this whole thing is so crazy. My mom isn't a bible slinging fanatic. This isn't like her at all, and honestly, because of my limited exposure to church, I wouldn't be able to quote bible verses at Mr. LéGomer to be able to fight fire with fire. That's a battle I would quickly lose."

"Not necessarily," Wes insisted. "You won't have to quote anything. In fact, that's all you need to do is follow my lead and play dumb. The dumber you play it, the better. I think our problem is less with Mr. LéDipshit and more with this Carey dude. What can you tell me about him? Is he as big of a dick as his old man is?"

"Pretty much," I confirmed. "However, outside of his crooked smile, he's not all that bad looking. But it's his enormous attitude that really sucks. You might say that he's a complete enigma. The first time I met him, I instantly hated him. But then, the things he said made me feel sorry for him. He's totally a product of his dad's heavy handed, obsessive ways. It's nauseating."

"He's that bad?" Wes asked.

"Yeah, and totally clueless too," I added. "He thinks I'm banging every girl in school. I caught him going through my stuff, right in front of me. He found the condoms that Ruben and I used to use to keep our `cum loads' from flying everywhere, you know, keeping thing contained. They were just sitting there, inside my drawer when he rudely opened it, snatched them up and examined them. Then he made some sarcastic judgmental comments about them and then immediately jumped to conclusions."

"That's freaking hilarious, dude," Wes said. "If he only knew, right?"

"That's not all," I said. "He kept asking me how big my dick was. I told him it wasn't any of his business, and then he said: `I'll find out sooner or later since we'll be sharing a bathroom together'. What do you think about that? Freaky, right? From the way he talked, I think he has a little more than a quirky curiosity about me. In fact, I think he likes me, even though I didn't give him any reason to."

"It sounds like he's got the `hots' for you, dude," Wes winked. "Should I be jealous?"

"Hell no, but I think he may surprise us both," I said, thinking out loud.

"You know, maybe we're taking this the wrong way," Wes said. "Maybe this isn't about religion at all. It's a fact that the people who protest the loudest are hiding the very thing that they object about. I know I haven't met these two guys yet, but what you've told me so far, something isn't right. It reeks of something else that we haven't considered yet."

"What do you mean?" I said, leaning in to hear more.

"Perhaps they're both hiding something?" Wes said, raising his eyebrows.

"If that's the case, why risk exposing their secret to us by inviting us to join them?" I wondered.

"You just said it," Wes said.

"Said what," I asked.

"Join Them!" Wes said. "Maybe they think that because we're gay, we're game to join them in some kind of mixed up sex game?"

"No shit!" I responded. "Wes... you have such a... a deviously wicked mind, dude!"

Wes smiled and laid back down on the on the bleachers, crossing his arms and legs, acting like he had just solved the puzzle of the century without even stepping foot inside the Léger home.

A ring tone sounded from inside Wes's pocket and he pulled out his cell phone. It was a text message from his dad that he had arrived at the school parking lot to pick him up.

"Dude," I shouted. "You got your phone back. Why didn't you tell me earlier when we were talking about it?"

"Oh, yeah, it's been taken away for so long that I forgot about it," Wes looked away in embarrassment. "Hey, Seth, guess what! I got my phone back!"

"You suck, you sick bastard! Tell me how it happened," I said.

"Well, I had to make a deal with Dad to get it back," Wes explained.

We both began to walk towards the main parking lot where Wes's dad was waiting for him as he told the story.

"Since Dad and I have to communicate with each other between my school and his work, he allowed me to have my phone back on two conditions. One, I was not to take, or send, any more naked selfies from my phone from now on. Then second, because he still doesn't totally trust me yet, each night, I have to let him see my phone so he can check my calling history and make sure I'm following the rules."

"Wow! That's harsh," I indicated. "The good part is, you got your phone back. That's a major accomplishment. Does your dad have any rules about us calling each other?"

"I don't think so, at least not yet" Wes said. "I'm kinda scared to ask him in case he says there was. So, we should take it easy at first, you know... don't overdo it."

"Gotcha," I said.

We arrived at the parking lot and Wes got into his dad's car. A moment later, Wes and his dad got out of the car and waved me over.

"Hey, Seth," Wes called out. "You're coming home with us."

"Go get your bike and I'll put it in the back," Henry said as he popped opened the trunk.

"Are you sure it's okay?" I asked.

"Your father is going to meet us at the house, so hurry up," Henry said. "He's already on his way."

I raced over to the bike rack, unlocked my bike and rode it back to the parking lot. Henry easily slid my bike into his trunk and closed the hatch. Then, the three of us hopped in the car and off we went to Henry and Wes' house.

I had a feeling that my dad was going to take this opportunity to persuade Henry to let Wes be part of the Léger weekend and explained that it was all a part of what was necessary for all of us to live together. I didn't want to sway Henry's decision one way or another, so I kept quiet and didn't talk about it at all so my dad could do the all the talking when we got to Wes' house.

A few minutes later, we arrived at Wes's house and pulled into the driveway. Before we could all pile out of Henry's car, my dad drove up and parked in front of their house. We all talked a bit as Henry unlocked the door and invited us in.

"We've got some things to discuss," my dad said, walking inside.

"You boys go on upstairs for a bit," Henry said. "We'll be up in a minute to fill you in."

We went upstairs to Wes's room as our dads requested. Before we even sat down, Wes and I immediately pulled off our shirts and pants, preparing to get nude as we've gotten used to doing whenever we had the opportunity. I was pretty sure our dads were going to talk about letting Wes spend the weekend with me at the Léger house. I guess they were on the same page because in just a couple of minutes, our dads came upstairs to talk to us.

"Don't you guys go getting naked," My dad said. "We're not going to be here that long. Henry has something to say."

"Wes," Henry began. "By now, you've heard about the invitation that Seth's mom's new boyfriend, Gordon Léger, has extended to you. He's asked if you and Seth could join him and his son Carey at their house for the weekend. He wants all of you to spend some quality time getting to know each other. He knows that we all got off on the wrong foot and wants to make it up to you. Frank thinks he's sincere about it. Before I give my permission though, I want to ask you if this is something you'd feel comfortable doing. It's all right if you say `no'."

Wes looked at his dad for a moment as he contemplated his answer. Then he looked at me, and then over to my dad.

"To me, it's no big deal," Wes said with all seriousness. "If it will help us move ahead so that we could all live together, than I'm in!"

"Okay then," Wes's dad said. "I want you to follow some simple rules so that I know you're safe."

"Sure, Dad," Wes said. "What do you want me to do?"

"Now that I've given you your phone back, I want you to call me every two hours so I won't worry about you."

"And I want you two to look after each other," my dad added, looking at both of us. "Protect each other and call at the first sign of any trouble. Got it?"

We both nodded our heads in agreement. The obvious concerns that our dads just expressed to us added an element of foreboding to the concerns we already had about the whole affair.

"Are you guys expecting there to be trouble?" I asked timidly. "Is there something you're not telling us?"

"No, no. It's all good," Wes's dad said, with an obvious lack of concern. "This is just in case. But stay alert all the same!"

I think our dads were influenced more by wanting to be alone for the weekend then worrying about us so they could hang out, get nude and do what comes naturally. Since the camping trip, they truly haven't had any time for themselves, and I didn't blame them.

"All right then," my dad said. "Let's go!"

"Go? You mean, right now?" I babbled. "I thought we were going tomorrow."

"Nope, right now!" Dad confirmed.

"I'm not ready," I complained.

"Neither am I," Wes agreed.

"I haven't even been home from school yet," I explained. "I need to pack my sleeping bag and get my personal things together, you know, like my toothbrush and stuff."

"How long will that take?" my dad asked.

"I don't know," I groaned.

"I'll tell you what," my dad instructed. "Wes, you put together all your things right now. Then I'll drive the four of us to our place, and Seth can gather up all his things. Then Henry and I will drop you guys off at the Léger house after that."

I thought that the weekend at Mr. LéDick's was going to start on Saturday. Now we were going to be there even longer than I anticipated. All I could think of was, now that we were all committed to doing this thing, I wanted to do it and get it over with as soon as possible. I helped Wes get his things together the best I could. Then, once we got to my house, Henry stayed in the car to avoid any awkwardness with my mom while Wes helped me put together my things. As we were leaving for the Léger place, my mom came out of the kitchen and had that look on her face like, `the cat that ate the canary', looking forward for her boyfriend, Gordon, to work miracles on us over the weekend as he put the fear of God into us.

Just before the three of us walked out the door, we got some unexpected company. It was my friend Ruben Briggs and his parents. Because we were about to leave, all seven of us were standing rather uncomfortably at the doorway, waiting for someone to state the obvious. It was weird. The sight of all of us just standing there, silent for what seemed like an eternity was so unnerving that a chill ran down my spine and suddenly, I got the notion that something serious had just happened.

"What's wrong," my mom asked, sensing their urgency. "John, are you guys okay? What is it?"

Before Ruben's father could speak, his mother broke down, heaving and crying. His dad reached down and comforted the distraught women, while Ruben gave me a sad look and simply shrugged his shoulders. It was a look like I'd never seen on my best friends face before.

"Our oldest son, Russell was just in a very serious motorcycle accident," Mr. Briggs began. He's in the ICU, fighting for his life. I don't know who else we could turn to. We're going to spend all of our time at the hospital until things improve. This is going to be a very stressful time for all of us and we don't want to subject Ruben to that kind of stress with nothing to do in those waiting rooms but worry. We don't want to leave him at home alone either. He needs to be with friends and not at home alone, worrying about us. Could you watch after Ruben for a couple of days for us, just until Russell is out of the woods? We don't have anybody else to turn to right now. We'd be forever in your debt."

"No problem," my dad answered without a moment of hesitation, preventing Mom from objecting. "Take as long as you need. Ruben is like family to us. We'll take care of everything. We'll say a prayer for Russell to and keep him in our thoughts, won't we Mabel?"

"Yes, of course we will, dear," She answered, trying to sound cordial.

I've always liked the few and far-between times that Dad could beat my mom to the punch. It was awesome. Now, the question was, what was Dad going to do now that there were three of us instead of the expected two.

Hoping and anticipating that everything would work out, they had the foresight to have Ruben gather together his sleeping bag, three days worth of clothes and some essential toiletries to see him through the weekend. They made sure that Ruben had his phone and charger with him to keep him apprised of his brother's condition and some pocket money for emergencies. They helped Ruben bring his things into the house, and once everything was inside, they endured an emotional group hug. They thanked all of us for helping them out and immediately left for the hospital with Ruben's mother still distraught and crying.

My dad briefly explained to Ruben where we were going and the purpose of it. I think he was a little too overwhelmed and worried about Russell to fully understand what was about to happen to him, where he was headed, and what it was all about.

Since he didn't object, or at the very least, didn't seem to care, my dad assumed everything was a `go', and we made our way out the door. Now that there was a third wheel involved, my mom's demeanor changed as if her ingenious plan had been totally destroyed. She then walked out of the room in a huff. I was worried for Mom, but took solace in knowing that in a few minutes, it would all be academic and moot.

We got out to the car where Wes's dad was still waiting, and the four of us piled into the car. He noticed the addition of a third young man he didn't know, carrying his gear with him, which suggested he was going to be part of the Léger weekend.

"What was that all about?" Wes's dad asked.

"Henry, this is Ruben Briggs," my dad said as he began to explain. "They have a family emergency, so Ruben will be joining the boys for the weekend."

My dad quickly explained the situation as we drove away. The ride over to the Léger house was very quiet. Actually, it was too quiet. Nobody had any sort of enthusiasm about doing this weekend thing, whatever it was going to turn out to be. All we really knew for sure was, we were about to be placed in the hands of two completely fanatical religious homophobes, and the two most important people in my life got inexplicably sucked into it with me. I was actually happy that Ruben was along with us because his presence would tip the balance of power into our favor, possibly enough to throw them off their game.

My dad asked Henry what he thought of the situation. Henry was pleased to know that we had a third person joining us, making our little group a little more secure in his opinion.

I was worried about the well being and state of mind of my friend Ruben and his injured brother. Russell was basically a good guy and I liked him. I hoped he'd be all right for Ruben and his family's sake. Ruben had told me they didn't get along all that well, but nonetheless, he was close to despondent over it and was dealing with it by remaining silent.

I hoped that we would all be strong enough to keep our wits about us and not buckle under to the impending pressure we were anticipating.

I was also concerned about how Carey and Mr. LéJerk were going to react to some strange person being unexpectedly foisted upon them at the last minute. I'm sure Ruben was wondering the same thing. All I could do was make sure that I was there for him. While I loved Wes with all my heart, Ruben and I had a long and wonderful history. Before Wes came into my life, Ruben was my neighbor, best friend and `jack' buddy for years. I didn't `love' love him, but the ties were incredibly strong between us and I couldn't help but be intensely worried about him.

"You all right, back there?" my dad shot back, looking at me in the rear-view mirror.

With Ruben's condition aside, we were being unusually quiet and none of us had made a peep since we left the house.

The three of us were in the backseat. Wes was in the middle, dealing with the situation by obliviously playing a game on his cell phone. Ruben and I dealt with things by staring out the window, lost in our own thoughts. My dad and Henry, who was riding shotgun, had chatted a bit between them for a block or two and then fell ominously silent as well. I had a feeling that I wasn't the only one who knew this wasn't going to go well.

"Yeah, dad, we're all good." I mindlessly answered as I responded on auto-pilot.

"Ruben? You okay, son?" my dad asked, wanting to hear Ruben's answer for himself.

"Yeah, I'm okay, thanks, Mr. Morgan," he answered, sounding reasonably normal. "Thanks for taking me in. My parents didn't know what else to do. I hope I'm not being a burden, even though I have no idea what's going on or where we're going."

"I'm actually thankful you're here," my dad explained, speaking to him through the rearview mirror. "I'm going to tell you the same thing I told Seth and Wes. I want all three of you to watch out for each other and have each other's backs. Protect one another. Keep each other safe! Stay together at all times!"

"Sure Mr. Morgan," Ruben replied. "It's cool. Are you expecting some sort of trouble or something?"

"No, just a precaution," my dad said.

Even Ruben could sense the trepidation in everyone's demeanor.

"Can you promise me something, Mr. Morgan?" Ruben asked. "If something happens to my brother, I mean if I call you, will you come get me and take me to the hospital? Like right away? Please?"

"Of course I will," my dad promised. "Henry and I will be there in a second to come and get you. I'll take all of us to the hospital so we could lend our support. Wes knows that his dad has requested him to give us constant updates, right Wes?"

"Yes, sir, every two hours," Wes spoke up. "I'm just glad that my Dad finally gave me my phone back, so no worries," Wes said as he shot his dad a brief, but funky look.

Nothing seemed to worry Wes. He was my rock. That was just another thing about Wes that I found endearing. He genuinely loved everybody, but didn't put up with any crap either.

"So, yeah," my dad continued. "If you guys behave yourselves, I think this weekend can turn out to be a good thing for all of you guys. In fact, it should turn out to be a great weekend for everyone involved."

As he said that, my dad winked at Henry and I suddenly understood their motives. All the adults have been anxiously awaiting us to be out of the way so everyone could all do their thing in our absence.

I was a little jealous knowing that the three of us would probably have to stay celibate all weekend long while all the adults kicked up their heels. Just then, a vision of my dad and Henry getting naked and preparing for a hot boner party got me hard as stone. It was no wonder that they were so eager to dump us off. We all knew what they were going to do. No surprises there, but knowing we weren't around would allow them to get as kinky as they ever dared.

Before I knew it, we pulled up in the Léger's driveway. It was a non-descript tract house with the greenest lawn on the drought-parched block. All three of us guys pilled out, grabbing our stuff as we went, and then did a solemn death-march up the path to the proverbial temple of doom. I was taken aback when our dads uncharacteristically wasted no time backing out of the driveway so they wouldn't have to interact with Mr. LéGag. My stomach churned as I felt like we had just been delivered to the slaughterhouse and left to fend for ourselves.

"Gentlemen, welcome!" Mr. Léger said, opening the front door to greet us.

He was dressed in a clergymen's outfit. No one had told me that Mr. LéBalls was a priest, or at any rate, a man of the cloth, as they say. I could see Carey standing back at the rear of the darkened entryway, silently checking us out. It seems that things do run in the family as Carey stood there in the shadows, decked out in an altar boy's uniform. I thought that was weird, but not at all surprising. He was hiding something, I was sure of it, and now, I felt compelled, and took it as a challenge to find out what that something was, even if it took me all weekend long to find it.

End of Chapter #13

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