Date: Mon, 9 Sep 2019 01:19:08 +0800 From: Jonah Blackwood Subject: Finding Sky - Chapter 4 - Squad //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// ////////////////////////////FINDING SKY///////////////////////////////// //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// copyright © 2019 by Jonah Blackwood +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ This story may occasionally include explicit depictions of sexual acts between consenting young teenagers. If you are underage or it is illegal to view this for any reason, consider yourself warned. If you find this material offensive, please leave. This story is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to people alive or dead is entirely coincidental. As the author, I retain all rights to this story, and it cannot be reproduced or published without explicit consent from me. This work is copyrighted © 2019 by Jonah Blackwood. Feedback, whether positive or negative, is greatly appreciated! Shoot me an email with any comments, questions, and/or suggestions at jonah.blackwood2@gmail.com Also, if you like stories like these, please don't forget to support Nifty.org who make all this possible. We would be nothing without them. Go to http://donate.nifty.org/donate.html and donate today!!! ***************************************************************************** |++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++| |/////////////////////////////CHAPTER Four: SQUAD//////////////////////////////| |++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++| "JEESSSEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!! AARROOOOOOOOONNNNNNNN!!!!!! COME HERE RIGHT NOW!!!!!!" I quickly jumped out of bed. The sudden screams woke me up instantly. I looked over to John who was still sleeping. How was he still asleep with all the racket outside? The noise continued. "BOYS GET OUT HERE RIGHT NOW BEFORE I HAVE TO COME LOOKING FOR YOU." It was AJ's mom! I began shaking sleepyhead next to me. "John, wake up. AJ's mom is outside. I think she's freaking out about the chocolate stains we couldn't get out." We both began frantically looking for clothes. "PLEASE EXPLAIN TO ME WHY THE ROOM LOOKS COMPLETELY TRASHED. I TRUSTED YOU GUYS COULD STAY ALONE IN ONE ROOM TOGETHER!" "Hurry, before she walks in." "What time is it?" John said still yawning. "It's 6:40. We overslept. We got to get ready quick." I managed to put on a t-shirt and some shorts and moved to the door to listen. "Can you hear if AJ went out already? We're not gonna be the first ones out. That's for sure." "I can't really hear anything." I pressed my ears against the door to get a better listen. "I think I can hear Sam talking. He says the house was fine last night before he went to bed..." I couldn't believe what I was hearing Sam telling AJ's mom next. I looked over to John, mouth opened. "What is it, Sky? What is he saying?" John made his way to the door now to put his ears against the door as well. "So you're saying only John and Skyler were up after you went to bed. So they did this?" AJ's mom asked. "Like I said Aaron and Jesse went to bed early. It couldn't have been them," Sam finished. AJ's mom continued her interrogation, "Are you two sure you didn't have anything to do with this?" I guess she really couldn't believe AJ were innocent. They replied no. None of this made any sense. "What are they doing? Why are they blaming it all on us?" "Sam's trying to cover his ass, that's what." "But why blame just you and me?" "Because he wants to stay on their good side and play the victim. AJ's parents paid for us to be here." "Oh" I paused to take that in. "But that still doesn't make any sense. Why are they playing along? It's all our faults." "It's part of the deal we made with Sam. He agreed to leave us by ourselves only if we plan on lying for him so he doesn't get in trouble. If we rat him out that he's been over at Anna's this whole time, they'll just split us all up. If he gets stuck with us or not, he still gets to spend the entire vacation with Anna. He basically has nothing to lose." "So why the hell did you guys fill the water guns with chocolate!?" I began to feel helpless. "I don't recall you complaining yesterday in the shower, did you?" He was right. I enjoyed every minute of it. "So are you basically saying right now that we're just going to have to take the fall for this?" I was struggling to see another way out. There really wasn't much time to think this through. I could hear footsteps approaching our room. "Boys, can you please come out here a minute?" My heart immediately skipped a beat. For some odd reason there was nothing scarier to me than a strong independent black woman on a mission. Not that it's a bad thing, but it definitely is if that mission was to punish us for messing up so bad. I knew deep down that she wouldn't do anything to John and me, but her yelling at us would be enough to make me pee my pants. I've seen her give the twins a beat down before. It's not the prettiest sight. I could see it on John's face too. He looked at me nervous, expecting me to open the door. I wasn't going to open it. Nope. We both just stood there. Then suddenly the door opened. We both straightened up, waiting for a down pour of harsh words. "Morning boys." We stood there waiting for what was coming next. She stood there assessing us, almost as if plotting her plan of attack. She took a deep breath. Not a good sign. "Listen. We're already late for our trip today. Get your stuff ready and meet downstairs in two minutes. I'll have a word with your parents about the room, unless you have something to say about it." She paused again. "Well, do you?" We both knew we couldn't say anything. We both shook our heads and said nothing. She let out a loud sigh once more and then left the room. We began quickly getting ready. I thought that would've been much worse. Though not knowing what my parents will do once they find out was weighing more and more on me as the time went by. John and I were frantically packing our backpacks on the bed. "You know, now that I'm thinking more about it. It really didn't matter if AJ had confessed. They could've said they woke up after Sam went to sleep. That wouldn't have made Sam look bad. They could've been honest and shared the blame for this. They totally threw us under the bus." John stuffed his towel into his bag. I guess I was frantic. He was just mad. John made sense, I suppose, but I couldn't stop thinking about the whipping they'd get for being involved. Not that I didn't think they deserved it, but still. Awesome that they got off the hook, but what about us? Also, John's mom isn't even here. Sam said to John last night `no funny business.' Does she mean no trouble? John said a while ago too that AJ's parents paid for them to come. What will John's mom say about all this now? I felt bad for him. I could see why he's a bit upset. "I guess you're right. What will your mom do when she finds out?" I asked. "No idea. Don't want to think about it now though. Let's go." He strapped his bag unto his back and made his way through the room door. The living room was empty. It seemed everyone had already left. Before he could get to the front door, I cut him off. "What are you doing?" I leaned in and gave him a kiss. I didn't like seeing him flustered. I figured a kiss would get his mind off things for a bit. He broke off rather abruptly. "Gross! Morning breath." He laughed. "It's cool though. Still sexy as hell." There it was again! How could he make me blush and feel embarrassed all at the same time? I swear I'll explode one of these days. He opened the front door and we left. *********** The snorkeling site was an hour away. We were riding the waves on an open-top speed boat. The front of the boat tilted upwards to the sky as the waves splashed high on either sides. The water was a bit choppy today, so the boat bounced along as we went. The water shone bright and stretched out forever. You could barely make out the horizon. The water blended seamlessly into the blue sky above. The breeze felt cool especially after being doused a little by the sea water coming off the sides of the boat. The captain sat at the very top in the center console. Just in front was the upper deck. My parents were up front by the captain, talking about whatever it is that they talk about, and so were AJ's mom and dad. They didn't seem particularly angry, so I guess they had already put the room situation behind them. My parent's still hadn't said a word to me about it yet. Sam and Anna were way up front too. Anna lay across Sam's legs with her back against the inside of the bow. He covered their heads with a towel to block out the sun as they talked to each other. I've always thought they were cute together though John always hated when I would mention it. He said Anna made Sam different, and that they rarely got along after they started dating. John found Sam annoying now. I guess you need to have a brother to understand that type of relationship. I'm an only child, so I guess I'll never really get it. The four of us sat at the very back of the boat, which was slightly lower than the upper deck. John sat next to me on my left, followed by Aaron and then Jesse next to him. We had barely said much to each other since getting on the boat. I guess John wasn't the only one feeling awkward about what happened this morning. There were also two other families on board. They lined the sides of the boat just ahead of us and before the captain console. One was a Canadian couple with their two daughters, and the other was a local family from Belize City. There were two boys about our age, an older sister, their mother, and their grandparents. Everyone was quite chatty. The captain really did a good job of trying to keep everyone entertained and he played some upbeat music as we went along. It was awkward seeing everyone engaging and enjoying the ride while the four of us were back here in limbo. I needed relief from this silence. I turned to John. The boat was so loud. I leaned close to his ear. "Have you ever snorkeled before?" He looked at me, surprised I had spoken up. He shook his head. I guess he still wasn't ready to talk. I noticed Aaron looking at us. He seemed miserable. Jesse, on the other hand, didn't seem to care at all. He had his earphones on listening to his own music. I guess he didn't like the music playing on the boat. The no technology ban for this trip didn't seem to last long at all. That or Jesse was hoping to get away with it. I leaned into John's ear and tried again. "Are you still upset about this morning?" "Aren't you?" He looked at me puzzled, waiting for a response. "Not really. I mean I think it sucks yeah, but I'm not really angry." "Ok then, great. Let's swap spots for a bit. I don't wanna sit next to them right now." He got on his knees and awkwardly moved over me while trying not to get flung off the boat. I guess I had no choice but to move over. Aaron looked our way again. Jesse began taking notice too. If they hadn't figured something was up yet, they'd know for sure now. Even the boys from the city began giving us looks. I sat awkwardly next to Aaron trying to figure out what to say to him. I could see now why John was uncomfortable and wanted to move. John probably wanted to address what happened this morning with them right then and there, but people were around. He didn't want to make a scene. I turned to my right. "Do you want me to talk to them? We never got to hear their side. No need to get upset yet, right? You said it yourself. They promised to lie for Sam." "You can do whatever you want, Sky." Ouch! His words stung. There must have been more going on here that I didn't know about. John doesn't usually get this upset so easily, and never with me. A few more agonizing moments passed. I decided to call his bluff. This time I turned to my left. Aaron still looked the same as before. I guess this really was bothering him too. I tilted my head to his. He smelled like coco butter. It was oddly satisfying. I noticed the two boys across from us looking over at me again. They looked repulsed. Did they see me take in Aaron's scent? Was I too close to him? I moved back to my position. They kept staring at me. I opened my legs a bit wider. What was I doing? Manspreading? Really? How long would I have to wait before they give up? I slouched over looking at my feet. How many times would I need to confirm that I had ten toes? Maybe just ignore them. This was stupid! I shouldn't have to feel weird just to talk to Aaron. I leaned over to Aaron again. "Hey, I wanted to ask..." Aaron pushed me with his hands and a stream of chunky liquid spewed out from his mouth. He spun around quickly aiming for the ocean trailing behind us. Sadly, he failed. It was all over my arms and trunks and on the seat and floor. The boat began slowing down. Jesse couldn't stop laughing. Aaron kept spewing out more and more unto the swim platform at the back of the boat. AJ's mom came over to Aaron to help him. John and Jesse had already gotten up, and began moving to the bow of the boat where Sam and Anna were. The captain reached under his console and pulled out a silver bucket. He then leaned over the side of the boat, drew some sea water, and began washing down the back. I was frozen like a statue with my arms stretched out and everyone was looking at me. My mom handed me some wipes. Really mom? Dad suggested going onto the swim platform so he could pour sea water over me. I thought that was more reasonable. I took my shirt off and handed it to my mom. She took it and washed it in the sea. The captain offered us to use the bathroom in the lower cabin, but I thought washing off up here was good enough. Between regaining his breath and trying to avoid vomiting some more, Aaron apologized. "Don't worry about it. Are you feeling better?" I could only imagine how embarrassed Aaron must have felt. Aaron nodded slowly... While my dad was helping me wash down, the captain suggested to Aaron for him to join me. He said that it would help him with the sea sickness. Aaron's mom looked at him skeptically, but Aaron agreed. He took his shirt off and joined me at the back. It was quite refreshing. The water was cold, but the sun was really warm. The feel of the contrasting temperatures was a trip. "Anyone else wants a quick bath before we continue? We still have about 40 minutes to the dive site." No one found what the captain said amusing. Everyone seemed set on moving on. We had already delayed the trip about 15 minutes. I couldn't help feeling all the judging eyes that were on me now, especially the two local boys whose cold eyes had been set on us from the very start. I beckoned dad to be quicker. I pulled my waistband in, out, and around to make sure I shook out all the chunks. Aaron saw what I did and smiled. Did he just peek at my...? My mom and his mom were both waiting with towels for us so we could dry off. Dad handed the bucket back to the captain, who then went to stow it away along with the mop and other cleaning supplies he had taken out to clean the back of the boat. He was fast. The captain then suggested that we stand at the back on the swim platform to dry off while we drove. My mom was quick to step in. "Isn't that dangerous?" "Not at all. The railing in the back is strong and the flooring is all rubber mat. No slipping is going to happen there. Plus, there are rail grips for them to hold on to and the T-Top poles at the back." "I'd prefer if they stayed in the front." "Mom, we'll be fine." I begged. "Honey, they'll be fine. They're not 5 anymore." "I think it'll be ok." AJ's mom agreed. The captain added, "Plus the boat moves more rigorously in the front. The back is more stable." Mom took a few seconds to ponder. Someone from the next family also stirred. "Captain, how much longer until we leave?" "In just a bit, Ma'am. We're soon on our way." Mom caved in under the pressure. "Ok, fine. But make sure to hold onto the railings. And put on your swimming shoes so you guys don't slip." We handed our towels back to our moms. "Mom, I want to hang back there too." Jesse anounced. The captain responded before AJ's mom could. "There's not much space back there, buddy. Maybe you can on our way back to the island." His mom told him to sit down where he was, and Jesse shut up. The boat started back up and we were water bound again. This time, the wind felt much colder than before. My trunks were drenched and the water draining down from my hair fell like ice drops onto my skin. Aaron was smiling now. His curls flew every which way and it bounced up and down, back and forth like springs popping out of his head. He always said his hair was unruly, but I always thought it was cool. He always took good care of it. I wonder if the coco butter was what he used on it to give it its shine. "I probably shouldn't have eaten so much pizza last night. I'm sorry. It was pretty gross. I'm surprised you didn't freak out. I know I would've." I could've barely heard him over the engines which were right smack between us. The captain was right. There wasn't much space back here. "It's just vomit." I sounded so dumb. Was that a normal thing to say? He laughed. I guess that's better than repulsed. The engines were now roaring louder than before. I guess the captain was trying to make up for lost time. Holding on was a lot more difficult now. The boat was fast and the waves didn't make it easy. I found it easier to try and go with the rhythm of the waves. The boat would dip down and rise up as it traversed the valley and the peaks of the waves. It was almost like clockwork too. If you timed it just right you could bend your knees with the motion almost like suspension on a car. Aaron was laughing at me, no doubt because I looked like a wannabe surfer riding the boat as if it was a giant surf board. He mimicked me for a bit, but soon I saw he found it just as fun once he figured out exactly what I was doing. We continued that for a bit, but eventually the initial fun of it began to wade too. We were back to awkward silence again. I couldn't quite pin down why it was that this was happening. It was never difficult talking to any of the guys before now. We'd always have something to say or do. A joke to tell, a game to play, or just talk about tv shows, school, parents, anything. It's not like any of those topics just suddenly disappeared, but maybe it was because my mind only wanted to talk about one particular thing and I didn't know how to. "Are you ok?" Am I really that easy to read? Damn. "Yeah. What do you mean?" He wasn't buying it. "Does it have anything to do with this morning?" I forgot how direct Aaron could be at times. "Why? What happened this morning?" Did I really think Aaron was this stupid? Aaron began laughing again. Apparently I had clown written across my face. "I could tell everyone was being weird since this morning. I felt really..." "Hey!" Another voice cut Aaron off. It was the two evil eyed boys. "Here's some ginger snap cookies. My mom says eat it for the sea sickness." He pushed a Ziploc bag full of cookies into Aaron's hands. Aaron was polite and accepted it. He looked across at their mother who was looking in our direction. Aaron mouthed thank you to her and to the boys. She then made a hand motion as if to open it and take one. Aaron looked to me. I knew he hated ginger snaps, but he really was too polite to not oblige. The boys now sat where we had been sitting the first half of the trip. We all watched as Aaron struggled to open the bag with his one free hand. His other hand held onto the T-top poles so he wouldn't fly off the boat. Their mother finally spoke up, almost upset. "Help him, TJ!" The smaller of the two boys, I'm guessing that's TJ, reached out for the bag and opened it for Aaron. He held the bag open for Aaron to take a cookie. Aaron slowly put his hand in and took one. Their mother smiled widely and stuck her thumbs up at Aaron. Aaron smiled back and bit into it, bouncing his head up and down and smiling as if enjoying it. "You should eat about 4 or 5 for it to start working," the bigger of the two boys said. Aaron's eyes grew wide. He then gestured to TJ to offer some of the cookies to me. "I'm good, thanks." Aaron turned his head sideways as if daring me to eat it or else. I rolled my eyes. "Fine!" I looked back at TJ to get a cookie, but he turned to Aaron and pushed the bag back into his hands. The two boys looked upset and quickly got up and left. Aaron and I turned to each other. Our faces mirrored each other's confusion. "What was that about?" Aaron asked. Although I didn't want to admit it, it was clear to me that those boys thought I was gay. I'm not girly by any means, but you do anything that might resemble something girly and everyone's ready to pounce on you and jump down your throat. It's as if being a girl is the worst thing a person could be. Girls don't get nearly as much hate for showing boyish qualities. Everyone's about women empowerment, but what about us guys? Fucking double standards. I didn't want to talk about that with Aaron right now. "I don't know. But anyways, what were you going to say before?" I tried to steer our conversation back on track. I was still burning inside, however, and my thoughts became muddled, going back and forth between wanting to hear what Aaron had to say and screaming out loud. I turned around to face the sea trailing off behind the boat. I didn't want to see those stupid boys anymore. Maybe those thoughts would trail off too. Aaron turned around and then came over to my side of the boat. "Can you go back over on your side?" I sounded agitated. Even I could hear it in my voice. "Why?" "Just do it!" Aaron slowly moved back over. He knew something was up. "I can't hear you well over the sound of the engines. Are you ok?" I don't know. Is it ok to have to talk to your friend like an asshole just because you have to be manly and show that you shouldn't be so close to another boy even if being closer makes sense because you can't hear each other because of these stupid engines? Is that ok? Is it ok to feel ashamed to stand next to your friend because you like him? Is it wrong to like the fact that he's so soft and warm that you just want to hug him because it feels good to? Who the hell are these people anyway? Aaron's my friend. We always stand or sit close to each other all the time and it's not weird. Why do I have to abide by two sets of rules just to exist? Aaron still looked at me confused, waiting for me to respond. "Yeah. It's just there isn't much space over here you know. Just speak a bit louder." Why was I giving in to these assholes? "Wow," Aaron responded. "You're honestly saying you don't think we both can't fit over there. Are you serious, right now? With your skinny ass?" Why couldn't Aaron just drop it, honestly. Couldn't he pick up on the homophobic vibes coming from those two. "As you were saying about this morning...?" I really hoped he'd just drop it. "Sky, I'm not stupid. I'm just choosing not to care about what they think. We're not doing anything wrong." So he did know. Then why didn't he understand? "I'll stay here if you want, but don't ask me to repeat myself if you can't hear what I'm saying." I guess this was bothering Aaron as much as it was bothering me. I hated this. "Go ahead, say what you were going to say." Was I making things worse? Aaron put his head down. He let out a long breath, but continued anyways, "I was saying that I knew what happened this morning was bothering everyone. It bothered me too. I'm really sorry about what happened because I know it wasn't your fault. The water gun thing was all Jesse's idea. He convinced John it would be the best way to get you cornered into the bathroom." "Yeah, I get that, but why didn't you come clean this morning about it? Why did you guys leave John and me to take the fall?" Now that I was saying it to Aaron's face, I actually was a bit upset about it. Maybe John was right about this all along. I genuinely wanted answers now. "I don't know. I panicked. It all happened so fast. And Sam had explained everything to my mom before either of us got a chance to talk to her. He said you guys did it after we went to sleep. You know how my mom is. I couldn't think quick enough what to say. We promised Sam we'd lie for him if anything happened. I didn't want to say anything that could get us all separated." I could see Aaron was genuinely sorry and being really honest about what had happened. "Yeah. You did the right thing, I guess. It would've have sucked if John and I had to stay in separate beds." "Oh no. The world would come to an end wouldn't it?" He laughed. "Faggit!" We both turned and looked back. The two boys were behind us again. How long have they been there? "That's the gayest shit I ever heard. Which one of you takes it up the ass?" TJ laughed. "Bwoy, shet up. Nuh encourage them." He then turned to us and continued, "We nuh do that gay shit here. Keep that shit to yourself." They spoke in their Belizean Creole, but I got the gist of what they said. Their language somehow made it sound worse than it did in plain English. Aaron fired back. "I don't know what you think you heard, but it's definitely not what you think it is. If anything we're the ones who should be worried about you two. Sneaking up behind two guys and staring at them from behind. Now tell me if that isn't the gayest shit you've ever heard." Aaron wasn't scared of these guys. He wasn't backing down. I looked over to John, asking for help. He began walking over. I didn't want to be doing this right now. I mean, it's not like they could do anything anyways, right? Our parents were right here. They're just talking shit. "Whatever. Just wanted to make sure you knew. Faggits deserve to burn and die. God made Adam and Eve not Adam and Steve." "Yeah. Thanks, but we really don't appreciate people coming up behind us and eavesdropping and then calling us gay based on shit they think they heard." "We just wanted to talk. To get to know you guys better." "Well if this is how you go about making friends, you're doing quite a shit job." They both laughed. Apparently they found Aaron funny. "I'm Anthony and this is my brother TJ." They looked at us as if waiting for us to introduce ourselves, but neither of us said anything. Didn't they get the hint that we wanted to be left alone? Aaron broke the silence. "Cool. So now you know we're not gay. So everything's good. Now, you mind giving us some space for a bit?" "Well, we know you're not a faggit, but we're not so sure about your friend over there." He looked me dead in the eye, calling me out. Aaron began laughing. "Are you guys like the gay police or something. You guys seems oddly fascinated with gay people for a bunch of straight guys, don't you think?" They didn't seem to take what Aaron said as offensive. Anthony just kept on going. "He hasn't said a word this whole time. He lets you do all the talking for him. From the moment he got on this boat he keeps staring at you guys and every time he talks to you guys he's whispering into your ears. And when you were about to vomit he looked like he wanted to kiss you. His face was so close to you and he had his eyes shut. And then when we offered him the cookies he rolled his eyes, and then just now we heard him say he wanted to sleep in bed with some guy named John. Don't you think your friend is a faggit? Aren't you worried he might rape you?" Every word fired like a gunshot. I couldn't shake the feeling that he was somehow right, even though I knew it wasn't true. I was caught. He had noticed everything about me. I really was an open book for all to see. How could I defend myself now? I wanted to jump off the boat. I looked around nervously. There was nowhere to go. His eyes pierced me deeper and deeper the longer he waited for a response from me. "Hey Sky, what the fuck? Please tell your bitch to stop messaging me. She says you're not answering your phone, so she's messaging me now. She says if you don't answer her soon she'll send me her nudes instead. Not that I mind, but you know? Since we decided on that rule to respect each other's property and shit." What the hell was John doing? There's no way these guys would buy that. TJ spoke up, "Wait, what?" He looked over to me. "You're, Sky?" I nodded. He looked over to John. "You're saying that he has a girlfriend." He pointed his finger in my direction. "Not at all. Sky doesn't do girlfriends. He does bitches. He doesn't tie himself down to any one girl. He's always playing the field." John turned back to face me. "Anyways. Sky, tame your bitch. Like I said I'm tired of these messages blowing up my phone. These bitches are thirsty. Next time make sure to fuck her four times before you go on vacation. three times is clearly not enough." "Bullshit. Let me see." Anthony demanded John's phone. He called John's bluff. Now they'd see that John was lying and all this was about to get worse. They'll find out that he's the one I wanted to keep sharing a bed with. "Just look up Kathy_Fischer and you'll see her profile." "I meant like show me the messages." These guys were being really pushy. Just tell them no and walk away John. They're being dicks. They'll think you have a right to. "Here." John handed them his phone. Aaron and I looked at each other in disbelief. John on the other hand looked way too confident. He was almost glowing. The phone began vibrating again in Anthony's hand. He looked at the incoming message and then handed the phone back to John. He looked over to me shocked. "She says you better answer your phone asap or else she'll upload your sex tape online for the whole school to see." Anthony's brain was stirring. He couldn't believe what he was saying. "So you're not gay?" he asked finally. "Who the hell thinks Sky is gay?" John asked as if trying to make the claim seem ridiculous. He began laughing. TJ made one last attempt. "But we saw you whispering into his ear and his ear." He pointed to John then to Aaron. "And you wanted to kiss him, and you rolled your eyes, and said you wanted to be in bed with some guy named John." "I wasn't whispering. The engine was too damn loud so I had to get close so they'd hear me. And I closed my eyes because of the glare from the water and the silver railings flashing in on my eyes. And the only reason I said I wanted to share a bed with John was because he has a gaming laptop. And this fool doesn't like sharing his stuff, so the only time I can use it is when he's around. Since we're always doing stuff during the day the only time I can use it is at night." I don't know how I spewed these lies looking directly at their faces. Was I over-explaining? Overcompensating? I addressed John again. "Please message her back and tell her I'll message her later tonight. I don't have my phone with me. Thanks." "She really has a sex tape of you?" Anthony was still trying to digest everything. I smiled impishly. Maybe he was biting the bait. "She's just bluffing. Only I have access to my sex tapes." Aaron began laughing now too. Anthony began shaking his head. "Naw. I still don't buy it. I still call bullshit." Aaron came to my defense again. "You don't have to believe it. We know the truth." "TJ, Anthony, come help your grandma go to the bathroom." Their mom was calling them now. TJ tugged at Anthony's arm. Anthony looked us over once more. "Hmmm. We need to go. I guess we'll talk later." "Yeah, maybe. We'll see." Aaron responded. They slowly walked away, clearly with egg on their faces. As much fun as that was, seeing two assholes eating their words, I still hated every minute of it. There was no reason for it to have happened. I hated lying. I hated being part of the problem, spreading false ideas of what it meant to be a boy. Why does rolling my eyes make me a girl, but being a player with sex tapes make me a boy? Its retarded and frustrating. I'm just glad Aaron was there to stick up for me. And John too for saving me right when I thought I was about to faint. Jesse popped in suddenly from nowhere. "So did Sky get my messages?" He and John laughed. "Wait. So you're Kathy_Fischer?" Aaron asked. "Yup. Who else would it be? We all know Sky doesn't do social media," Jesse grinned. "Don't you mean bitches." John teased. We all began laughing. "I think I mean just girls really," Jesse continued. "Ok. Ok. Enough with the lame jokes." I genuinely was becoming slightly agitated. I hated feeling guilty for not liking girls. "Just say thanks at least. How about that?" Jesse asked. I looked around to each of them and said thanks. I really meant it. As annoying as they can be at times, like earlier this morning, there were no better friends I could possibly ask for. John ruined the moment. "Now what was that about sharing a bed with some guy named John?" "Shut up!" ----SNEAK PEAK---- Chapter 5 - PARENTS ----SNEAK PEAK---- Snorkeling definitely ranks up there as one of the best experiences I've ever had in my entire life. The reef spanned forever and seemed almost like a painting with thousands of sea creatures swimming in and around the corals and along the sea bed. The water was crystal clear and the fishes were every color, shape, and size that you could think of. Each of the families got their own guide and instructor and so we were alone for the majority of the trip. I was extremely pleased about this as I really didn't want to spend more time with Anthony and TJ. I was also really happy about having the captain as our guide. He was really fun and seemed extremely knowledgeable about the wildlife we explored. The tour involved visiting three sites. We had arrived at our final stop, a site called Shark Ray Alley and as you can imagine by the name it was this stretch of water that was infested with sharks and manta rays. My dad and I used to watch a lot of shows back home about sharks and other sea life. I had learnt enough to know that I didn't want to be there. Ms. Miller and my mom both felt the same. They decided to stay on board and to begin prepping sandwiches for us to eat. I was the only one left on the swim platform, reluctant to jump off. John dished out his usual `stop being a girl' remark, and everyone else just stared waiting for me to make a move. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Shoot me an email with any comments, questions, and/or suggestions at jonah.blackwood2@gmail.com Feedback, whether positive or negative, is always appreciated! Also, if you like stories like these, please don't forget to support Nifty.org who make all this possible. 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