Date: Mon, 6 Mar 2023 16:24:42 -0500 From: Braddy Boyce Subject: Hide and Suck 3 DISCLAIMER: The names and details of my characters are fictious. Resemblances to real people, living or dead, are coincidental. REMINDER: Please donate to Nifty! =====BB===== A few weeks passed, and it was a Saturday afternoon that was warmer than usual. Donnie came over, as well as Sammy and Ralphie, and we played Hide and Seek outside. I was surprised Ralphie was no longer "too old" to play with us like he'd claimed, what with having started high school and having his first girlfriend that made him seem cool. I was glad; it was like old times again. Since we lived in a countryside town with huge fields for backyards, it made the game extra challenging. There were rules, though. For one, we couldn't venture out too far, but that was more our parents' concern. The hiders also had to be together in the same spot instead of separately, just to make it a bit easier to find them. Sadly, Donnie and I couldn't play Hide and Suck because it was too risky. Sammy found the three of us in the woods, and we headed back to the field. He probably felt proud of his effort. I had to admit he was adorable. He wasn't as young as he looked and sounded, what with being on the verge of attending the same middle school as me and Donnie later this year. Like his big brother, Ralphie, Sammy was pale with blue eyes and dark brown hair, except he had a bowl cut versus Ralphie's slick-back style. Sammy also had light freckles on his nose and cheeks, and he was getting noticeably taller lately, since Ralphie was tall. Donnie and I were average in height, so who knew if Sammy would eventually surpass us? All of us were thin, but Sammy was the shortest and scrawniest. "So, I have an idea, Billy," Ralphie said. "How about me and Donnie go hide, and you and Sammy look for us?" Sammy lit up with excitement. "Sounds like a great idea!" Poor little guy. As the youngest of the group, he probably felt left out having to seek alone more times than not. I should probably keep him company. I noticed Donnie looking a bit different, his green eyes telling me something. Why did he seem less excited? "I don't mind seeking with Billy to give Sammy a turn to hide," Donnie said in a somewhat neutral tone. Since I knew him too well, he was possibly trying to hide some kind of disappointment. He was attached to me, always wanting to be by my side. Smiling, Ralphie brushed his knuckles affectionately against Donnie's dark-blond head, then patted his shoulder. "But I want to hide with you. Come on, it'll be fun, right?" Donnie managed a smile, albeit a weak one, then shrugged. "Okay." Sammy's blue eyes brightened with more excitement as he focused on me. "I get tired of seeking alone, so it's awesome I get to seek with you this time!" I grinned, his joy suddenly infectious. "By the way," Donnie said to Ralphie. "What made you start ignoring your girlfriend to come play with us?" "Eh. Not sure if it's going how I hoped. She's pretty and all, but, you know, like I mentioned the other week." Donnie and I acknowledged him with nods, not that we could relate. Sammy lit up again. "Does that mean you'll go camping with us more often?" Ralphie gave us a big smile. "Definitely." He faced Donnie. "Maybe me and you can share a tent and Sammy and Billy can share their own? We can even go to the beach and get a tan. Not that you need it since you get one so easily." What was up with Ralphie's unusual interest in Donnie? Sammy gasped. "Yeah, Billy, it'll be fun!" He seemed like he was quickly growing more attached to me. It was a bit different from what I was used to. Donnie shrugged. "Okay." Why did he sound less enthusiastic than he probably should be? To be fair, he'd always been a softie. "Nice," Ralphie said, then smirked at me. "I mean, you're not the only one who should get to experience some fun." He winked. Huh? He shifted his focus to his little brother. "And I'm sure you're super happy about sharing a tent with Billy. Did he like the Valentine's Day card you gave him last month?" Sammy looked like he'd just seen a ghost. "What are you talking about? I didn't!" "Oh. Whoops. Never mind!" I was confused. A Valentine's Day card? Why would Sammy give me one when I was a boy? Ralphie finally led the way to go hide, walking briskly toward the woods. "Come on, Donnie! I know the perfect place for us to hide that Sammy and Billy don't know about!" Donnie gave me a weak smile, then gave Sammy a weird look and followed Ralphie. Something seemed up with him, but I couldn't put my finger on it. However, when Ralphie squeezed his shoulder while they walked in a hurry, my stomach felt weird for the first time. Why were they starting to spend time together all of a sudden? I remembered how openly curious Ralphie was about Donnie's mouth. As it clicked in my head more than ever, it made me realize that that game was something special between me and Donnie. I couldn't explain why, but the thought of them playing Hide and Suck together, especially without me, started tightening both my stomach and chest. Was I being replaced? =====BB===== braddyboyce.wordpress.com nifty.org/nifty/authors.html#braddyboyce (c) 2023, Braddy Boyce. All rights reserved.