SUNDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2017

It had been an hour since the sun peaked over the horizon to shine in the bedroom windows in a upscale housing development on the north side of town. During that hour, Lewis Fuerst laid awake in his bed. Just like every other day, he dreaded getting up. Weekends were the worst. He didn't have school as an excuse school to get away from the house.

A loneliness filled his being and he filled the only way he knew how to. He slid his hand between the headboard and his mattress. He grabbed the edge of the fitted sheet and pulled it and the mattress cover back. With the fingers of his other hand, he felt around for the slit he'd made in his mattress. Two fingers slipped into the mattress and pinched the corner of a photograph. Lewis retrieved the photo and laid on his back. He gazed at the photo and traced his fingers across the image. The snapshot captured a seven-year-old Lewis at the beach with his mother. She was crouched behind him. Her chin was on his shoulder and her arms wrapped around him tightly. Lewis, for his part, attempted to reach back to wrap his arms around his her head. Both were being silly and giggling.

"Things would be so different if you were here," he told the image in the photo. He didn't even bother to wipe the tears away. It was these brief moments, when he was alone in his bedroom with the memories of his mother, that Lewis gave himself permission to drop the tough-guy act and to be his authentic self.

Things were so happy back then. Lewis' mother and father were both in the Navy. His father, a Rear Admiral, traveled the world overseeing crew training. Nearly 12 years older than Lewis' mother, the Naval officer always intimidated his son when he was around. Even though Lewis didn't see much of his father, but when the man was home, he demanded his son call him sir and act like a "little sailor."

Doris, his mother, on the other hand, was a pilot stationed at Naval Air Station Lemoore. They lived off-base, next door to his best friend Christian Olsen. The boys were inseparable. When his mother was deployed and his dad away, Lewis stayed with the Olsen family.

As a young boy, Lewis was a sensitive, studious boy. He was the quiet observer who analyzed everything, asked questions, and was always there to help, especially when he saw another child in need. Giving part of his lunch to a classmate who forgot to bring their lunch money, asking his mom for money to give to a homeless person, carrying groceries for an elderly lady across the parking lot at the supermarket. He was a mama's boy and he didn't care that his father didn't like it much.

But then, April 6, 2011 -- a date Lewis will never forget. Lewis was sent to the Olsen's home for a couple of days since his dad was off somewhere working, and his mom was going out for maneuvers. He and Christian headed up to Christian's parents' bedroom window to watch the planes take off. They both loved to watch the military planes and on this day the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornets were heading out, including his mother's. The boys wiggled around in excitement when each plane took off until...

The boys witnessed a Super Hornets fail to lift as the other planes did. It tipped and disappeared behind the roofs and trees in their neighborhood. They heard the explosion then watched a plume of smoke rise into the air. That was the day Lewis' world ended.

The next thing he can remember is his father coming home. The man was devastated. He adored his wife and couldn't phatom a life without her. Mourning should be done as a family, in private, the man reasoned, so he kept Lewis at home instead of allowing the boy to be with Christian's family. However, instead of grieving with his son, George Fuerst locked himself in the bedroom he shared with his wife and grieved alone, leaving Lewis to mourn by himself.

Dressed in his best suit, he and his father greeted guests at the funeral service. Lewis and his father were both numb and went through the motions until Christian arrived. Unable to contain himself, Christian didn't stand in line with is parents. He ran across the room and threw his arms around his best friend. The boys cried and stayed together through the burial.

After the funeral, Christian's parents took their son home, leaving George and Lewis alone at Doris' gravesite. George placed flowers on the grave before he and Lewis climbed into a military vehicle. It was then that Lewis realized they were heading to the military base instead of going home.

"Where are we going, sir?" asked a confused Lewis. The small boy craned his neck in attempts to catch a glimpse of something familiar.

George simply stared out the window lost in his thoughts.

Lewis was even more confused when they boarded a plane and flew to NSA North Island without a word from his father. He learned that night movers were expected to arrive the next day to bring their belongings to their new home in North Harbor. That's when Lewis realized he'd never see his best friend again.

Since the move, his father had been distant and demanding. When pleasing his father with academics didn't work, Lewis tried athletics. He worked hard but he was never the most talented or athletic boy. Again, he felt he failed to earn his father's love and respect. His father wanted a sailor. He didn't see or understand the son he had. To make things worse, it seemed to Lewis that the Rear Admiral wanted to forget his mother ever existed. Whether it was the pain of losing his wife, or feeling Lewis was still a mama's boy, George began to systematically remove all traces of Doris from their home. Photos, mementos, gifts... everything. That's when Lewis stole the photo from a family album and hid it from his father.

After years of feeling like a failure and the pain of losing his mother and best friend, Lewis was angry and bitter. He needed somewhere to direct those negative feelings. As the target of those emotions, he could only take so much self-abuse. That's when he turned the excess anger outward. He became a bully.

But like a drug, each "fix" became less effective. Releasing his anger on others, mostly through bullying smaller, younger kids, or classmates he felt were outcasts, soon lost its satisfaction. To achieve his much-needed relief, he took to punching and kicking other kids. It became necessary for him to become more and more nasty and violent to achieve the same release he once felt by calling some kid a nerd.

Searching for an alternative to bullying, Lewis contemplated getting into his father's liquor cabinet, or even trying pot, but he feared his father. Instead, he found a way to get the attention and sympathy he needed from others anonymously online. The attention made him feel like he was okay the way he was, especially with that lady, CA_MILF_32. She liked him. She said he was attractive. They had spoken online many times since their first encounter and things had turned sexy. She would show Lewis her tits or move the camera down between her legs as she masturbated to the visual of Lewis showing off his body and jacking off. The promise of meeting at some point in the future kept Lewis coming back and indulging her requests. What Lewis didn't know was the video chatroom was being recorded and his videos were being shopped on the dark net. Because of the frequency new videos of Lewis were being released, and CA_MILF_32's mastery of boybending the lonely, desperate boy, Lewis had become very popular.

CA_MILF_32: Hey sexy!

HarborBoy2004: hey

CA_MILF_32: What's got you down?

HarborBoy2004: nothin

CA_MILF_32: You seem angry.

HarborBoy2004: ya

CA_MILF_32: What about?

HarborBoy2004: I was right

CA_MILF_32: About what?

HarborBoy2004: that little faggot

CA_MILF_32: Who?

HarborBoy2004: Michael

CA_MILF_32: Is that the younger boy you don't like?

HarborBoy2004: ya

CA_MILF_32: What happened?

HarborBoy2004: he's now boyfriends with a hs lacross playr

CA_MILF_32: Really?

HarborBoy2004: ya they wer kissin at homecoming dance

CA_MILF_32: Wow

HarborBoy2004: I knew he ws a faggot

CA_MILF_32: You really don't like him, do you?

HarborBoy2004: i fukin hate Michael Grant

'Michael Grant?'' That got her attention.

CA_MILF_32: Have a photo of him?

Lewis sends her a link to Courage Game's Facebook page. She checks the page out carefully and is satisfied her hunch is correct. She forwards the link before returning to her conversation with Lewis.

CA_MILF_32: What would you do if I told you I could help?

----------------------     

Gavin and Michael were up bright an early the next morning. They couldn't keep the stupid smiles off their faces, especially when they look at each other. They knew it was too early for the two lovebirds next door, so they spent part of the morning just enjoying being close to one another, quietly relaxing in bed.

While the two young couples enjoyed being couples, Carol entered Lars' kitchen to find him holding a cup of joe out to her. She smiled and accepted Lars' offering.

"You'd make a great wife," teased Carol before she sipped her morning dose of caffeine. He knew just the way she liked it -- just the right balance of cream, sugar and cinnamon. Lars just smiled and topped off his cup of coffee and joined her at the kitchen table.

"That was some evening last night," stated Lars, getting right to the point of their morning pow wow. The after-dance party wasn't just a party. Lars planned the event to judge the reactions of the other students to the newly out and partnered couples.

"Yes, it was." Carol smiled remembering their boys and how happy they both were. She laughed.

"What's so funny?" asked Lars.

"Well," said Carol, dragging it out for dramatic effect. "I got a taste of what you have to go through all the time."

This time Lars laughed. "Yeah, well, at least my bedroom is on the other side of the house." They both laughed before getting back to the subject at hand.

"You know," started Carol, "I think most of their friends thought they were already a couple."

"I assume you are referring to our boys, right?"

"Yes, and I think most of them don't think much about them being gay. They've been around Lukas and Simon long enough to have figured it out by now I'd think."

Lars considered that thought for a moment. "I agree, but what about the other students. Since they are in different grades, they both have a lot of friends that only know them from school. Did you get any hint to how they are taking the news?"

"Well, I can't really tell friends from acquaintances, but outside of their close circle of friends there was a lot of whispering and sideways looks," related Carol. When Lars proposed the idea of chaperoning the dance and having the party to gauge the reaction of the students to Lukas and Simon becoming a couple, she initially dismissed the idea. But on the morning after, she was glad she'd been asked to observe those reactions.

"That's what I saw too," agreed Lars. He took a sip of his coffee and thought for a moment. He really didn't expect too much backlash from their boys coming out, but Gavin and Michael coming out at the dance was unexpected and a bit troubling.

"I don't think the students took the out coming out as well," he offered. "I'm glad everyone was distracted when Gavin and Michael kissed. Not many of the students saw what was happening."

"True," agreed Carol, "but word will spread fast. Besides, the kids at the party were all the thermometer we needed to judge what's to come."

"You noticed too?"

"Yes. It seemed some of their friends were weirded out. I can imagine what other students might be thinking."

They sat there silently for a minute or two before Lars added his opinion. "We may have our work cut out with those too."

They composed themselves when they heard the door to Lukas' bedroom. Gavin and Michael came around the corner clean and dressed for lacrosse practice.

"Good morning boys, you sure look happy this morning," said Lars. The boys just smiled. When their hunger could no longer be ignored, they had hopped in the shower together and lovingly washed each other. Still choosing not to have sex, they turned off the hot water to chase away their erections.

"Did hunger finally get you out of bed?" asked Carol. The boys both nodded their heads.

"We'll get breakfast ready while you two go wake Lukas and Simon. They were up late last night," said Lars as he gave Carol a knowing look.

"Okay," said Gavin and they headed to the Novak residence.

Michael and Gavin were talking about lacrosse practice and didn't notice the noises coming from Simon's bedroom. Simon and Lukas were busy and didn't hear the other two boys coming up down the hallway.

Michael and Gavin opened the bedroom door and froze. Lukas was bent over the edge of Simon's bed with his right foot on the floor and his left propped up on the bed. The blond head was turned away from them was looking back at Simon. The dark-haired teen's hands held Lukas' shoulders, driving his cock at a downward angle to bang the prostate just right. Simon drove in forcefully then eased out slowly, over and over again. Between the prostate massage and this dick rubbing against the bedsheet, Lukas raced towards his orgasm.

The boys watched from the doorway as Lukas squeaked and shuddered through another orgasm followed by Simon who softly grunted though his own. From the door, they saw Simon's still rock-hard cock slop out of Lukas' gaping boy pussy, followed by a thin stream of cum trickling down the prone boy's taint and balls then drip onto the floor. Simon reached for the towel at the end of the bed when he noticed their audience.

"Oh shit!" screeched Simon as he tried to cover himself.

Lukas snapped his head towards the door and saw Michael and Gavin staring at them. He sprang onto the bed and rolled himself into the sheet to hide his nakedness.

"Sorry guys," sputtered Gavin, "we just came to get you for breakfast." Michael was speechless, his face flush with excitement at seeing two hot teens having sex.

"Uh, well," started Simon, not knowing what to say. "Come on Lukas, let's grab a shower." Lukas, still sporting a full-body blush, jumped out of bed and ran to the bathroom with Simon walking quickly behind him.

Michael checked out the front of Gavin's shorts to see if the teen was as turned on by what they saw as he was. The huge tent in Gavin's shorts was all the answer Michael needed. He'd put it off long enough.

Before Gavin knew what Michael was doing, Michael shoved his shorts and underwear off before he slipped his t-shirt over his head. The younger boy dropped to his knees and buried his face into Gavin's crotch. Gavin gasped as Michael pulled the front of his shorts and jock strap forward to release his erection then slid them down to his ankles. Michael's right hand guided the leaky erection to his mouth while his left latched onto Gavin's balls.

Gavin gasped in surprise but instinctively held Michael's head. It had been over a year since he'd sucked a cock, but it was just like riding a bike. When the golden-brown hair began bobbing back and forth, Gavin rocked his hips in time. Michael's hot, wet mouth short-circuited every nerve that led back to Gavin's brain. Both boys gave into their lust and their carnal need to get off.

Gavin hadn't blown a load since jacking off before school Friday. Over the last 48 hours, he'd suffered a series of erections from being close to this boy. His pent-up load strained to be let loose. What ratcheted Gavin's libido up a few more notches was the fact that Gavin hadn't messed around with anyone in years. The intimate contact with the young boy he lusted after was a fantastic way to end his abstinence.

Michael, who hadn't even masturbated since his brother was sent away, was experiencing his first rush of adolescent hormones. It was new. It was exciting. It was driving him mad with need to be touched, to suck, to be fucked. He gripped his fat little cock and flailed away while he slurped away on Gavin's seven inches.

Hearing the shower turn on in the bathroom, Gavin pulled his feet free from the clothing wrapped around his ankles and breathlessly commanded, "To the bed."

Michael reluctantly gave up his new toy and worked at freeing his feet from his pants. Gavin's impatience got the best of him. He lifted Michael to his feet and helped the boy shuffle to the bed. Pushing the boy forward, Michael lifted his knee to climb on the bed. Gavin grabbed Michael by the hips to keep him in place on his hands and knees. Grabbing Michael's shorts and underwear, Gavin yanked them off the boy's feet leaving them both naked except their shoes and socks.

The sight before Gavin reminded him of the first time he saw Michael bending over his gym bag looking for underwear. The first time he saw Michael's rose bud. He tapped the inside of Michael's ankle signaling for the boy to spread he feet and Michael quickly complied spreading his knees and arching his back to present his ass to the teen. The sight made Gavin's cock twitch and dibble a strand of precum onto the floor. The same impulse that struck Gavin the first time he saw pay dirt hit him again. This time he didn't fight it. He dove face first into that beautiful ass.

It was a first for both boys. Gavin drove his tongue into Michael's pink pucker over and over again while trying to get his face deeper between the muscular buns. The lightly musky scent and coopery taste created a hunger Gavin had never known but felt compelled to satiate. Each plunge of his tongue added to his lust causing him to have a more voracious appetite. It caused him to eat Michael's ass even more energetically.

Michael never felt anything so erotic. His eyes rolled back as he lowered his head and pushed back, giving himself to his lover. His moans came faster and the pitch edged higher with each utterance. Moans gave way to grunts, grunts to squeaks. Moments later, Gavin rode that ass through Michael's first orgasm in a year.

Michael's death grip on the bed sheets relaxed and he only had one thing on his mind. He dropped his forehead to the mattress and groaned, "Fuck me."

"What?" asked Gavin. He wasn't sure what Michael had said since the boy's words were muffled by the bedding.

Michael lifted his head and repeated loudly and clearly, "Fuck me."

Under the corner of a blanket, Gavin spied the bottle of lube Simon and Lukas just used. He reached over and popped the cap. With a liberal amount of lube squirted into his hand, Gavin made a typical rookie mistake, he slathered the cold gel on Michael begging hole without warming it up first.

"Oh!" gasped a surprised Michael, bucking away from Gavin's cold hand. Lucky for Gavin, ice cubes couldn't have cooled Michael's lusty bottom. Michael shoved his ass back in Gavin's direction and his hole gave the teen a knowing wink.

"Fuck, you are sexy," mumbled Gavin. To this day no one is certain if he was speaking to Michael or Michael hole. Instead of thinking, Gavin simply slid his hand down Michael's slippery crack until the pad of his thumb was flat against Michael's pink wrinkle. He wiggled his thumb against the pink pucker and Michael relaxed allowing the teen's thumb to pop in.

"Yes," moaned Michael, turning the "s" into a long hiss of pleasure. He gently bucked his hips up and down causing the thumb to slide in and out. It drove Michael crazy with pleasure.

Gavin watched the pliable muscle stretch and contract following the contours of his thumb. As his digit slid out, the skin would be pulled along with it as if desperately trying to prevent its exit. After a few more cycles, Gavin couldn't resist replacing his thumb with his cock.

He'd never fucked before, but Simon and Lukas had made it look easy enough. He applied the extra lube on his hand to his man cock and lined up with Michael's loosened hole. Worried he'd hurt the younger boy, he gently rocked his hips forward, applying gentle pressure against the hole, but not enough to penetrate it. After a dozen or so thrusts, Michael grew impatient. He began humping back against Gavin each time Gavin nudged forward. Once he felt he had the rhythm right, Michael relaxed his hole and drove his ass back onto Gavin's penis taking the first couple inches.

"Oh my god," gasped Gavin. Michael adjusted his knees and pushed back taking more of Gavin's large cock. Gavin trembled at the feeling of his cock in a hot ass for the first time. He opened his eyes to see his dick wedged into the hole of the sexy, muscular ass of this perfect 11-year-old boy. His boy. His boyfriend. Michael tried to slide down on another inch or so of boy meat. With that, Gavin got the message. He grabbed Michael's hips and shoved the few couple inches into the boy.

"Oomph!" exhaled Michael when Gavin quickly bottomed out. The best sex Michael ever had were the times when his brother, Matthew, manhandled him and simply own his hole. Gavin was older, taller, and better equipped than Matthew and he was ready to find out if he could fuck as well as his big brother. He certainly hoped so.

Last night was about the love between the two boys. But this morning, after witnessing the hot climax to Lukas and Simon's morning fuck, the two lovebirds were consumed with shear lust. They were going to fuck, and Gavin proved to be a quick study.

He started plowing away at Michael's ass as he held the boy in place. Michael gripped the sheets and elicited a high-pitched "ugh" with each thrust. Bending a knee, lifting onto his toes, leaning forward, arching backward -- Gavin experimented with different angles to massage his steel rod. It all felt incredible to the newly defrocked virgin.

The smack of Gavin's thighs on the back of Michael's ass could be heard over the shower.

Lukas gave Simon a quizzical look. "Is that...?" He paused and listed some more.

"Are they...?" Both teens started to bone at the thought. They hurriedly finished their shower and turned off the water. The sounds from the bedroom were clear. From the squishing of a cock rapidly sliding in and out of a well-lubed hole and the smacking of pelvis to ass to the sexy, needy, grunts of a pre-teen boy, they knew Gavin and Michael were having sex.

The wet teens quickly, and quietly, dried off before cracking open the bathroom door. Drying off and they tiptoed to the bathroom door.

Michael, on his elbows and knees, rocked his head. He was delirious from the fucking he was getting. Simon still had a firm grasp of the boy's waist to keep the hot, wet hole in place so he could pound it with his cock.

In another attempt to try a different angle, Lukas and Simon watched as Simon slid his hand up to Michael's chest and lifted the boy's arms from the bed. Michael held onto Gavin's wrists and his body bounced from the upward thrusts of Gavin's cock into his boy pussy.

"Oh fuck, yes!" cried Michael. The new angle, unbeknownst to Gavin, was causing his cock to massage Michael's boy button.

Gavin, enjoying the new sensations, started grunting with each thrust.

"Ga... I... I... Oh, Gavin... I'm...," Michael was approaching his climax but couldn't get the words out. He was only able to choke out one last, "fuck," before his body tensed and he launched into the most intense orgasm of his young life.

From the bathroom, the other couple watch Michael throw his head back and his fat little cock twitch with each contraction of his ass around Gavin's cock. A little string of cum stretched from the head of the immature cock before it snapped and dropped to the sheets. They'd witnessed the boy's first wet come.

Gavin sounded like someone was strangling him. He lost his rhythm and continued to drive his cock into the spasming hole as he unloaded into Michael's ass.

Michael went limp in Simon's arms but the teen held him in place until he finished his own orgasm. With the last twitch of his cock, Gavin, with Michael still in his arms, collapsed onto the bed.

Applause coming from the bathroom drew their attention. They watched Simon and Lukas approach the bed smiling.

"Well, I guess that was only fair since we walked in on you," said Gavin, embarrassed to be caught with his seven-incher still embedded up the 11-year-old's ass. It had been a few years since they had seen each other naked with boners. But Gavin realized from the locker room at school that he had plenty to be proud of.

"That was fucking hot," exclaimed Lukas. "Now I see why you guys didn't shut the door and give us some privacy."

Michael, on the other hand, was overcome by feelings of shame and guilt. He felt dirty from everyone who touched him. All he could see were Coach Thomas and the others, the lights and cameras, and he felt the danger. It was like he was living it again. Lost in his memories, Michael yelled, "No! Get away from me!" He freed himself from Gavin and ran to the bathroom. The door slammed and they heard the lock latch. Michael started the shower then tried to scrub himself clean.

The other three were in shock. Then the reality of the situation set in. Gavin felt horrible remorse. This was all his fault -- he'd crossed the line and forced Michael into having sex when he wasn't ready. He'd done just want his father was afraid of and now his life was ruined. He rushed to the bathroom door and tried to get in. He knocked on the door and begged Michael to let him in.

"Oh my god! I'm so sorry. Michael, please forgive me, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, please let me in. Please! Please..." Gavin dropped to his knees. He leaned his head against the bathroom door and cried and pleaded with Michael to forgive him.

Simon felt ashamed for watching. He had read the file. He knew what Michael had been through. He should have known better and kept Lukas from going back into the bedroom, too. He felt stupid and that he'd let Lars down, again. Instead of protecting Michael, they'd done just the opposite. Simon sat on the bed and started to cry. He hoped beyond all hope that he hadn't ruined everything between Gavin and Michael.

Lukas didn't even stop to process anything. Something bad had just happened and he knew of only one thing to do. He grabbed his phone and texted his father.

Lukas: 911!!!!

Lukas: Simon's room

Lars heard the ringtone indicating it was Lukas texting. Figuring it had to do with breakfast, he took one last sip of his coffee and moseyed over to where his phone was charging. He picked it up and finished what he was saying to Carol before looking at the screen.

"Oh no! Come on!" He ran barefoot next door. Carol followed close behind.

When they arrived at Simon's room, both Simon and Lukas had put on briefs and where at the door trying to console Gavin who hadn't moved. Lukas and Simon explained what happened while Carol grabbed a sheet, wrapped it around Gavin and coaxed the teen away from the bathroom door.

Lars had a good idea of what was going on. He told the boys to have a seat on the bed. Gavin, seeing Lars there, joined the other two and waited. Simon threw an arm over Gavin's shoulder, telling him everything was going to be fine.

After knocking and asking Michael to unlock the door failed to gain him entry, Lars inspected the lock on the door. He needed something to poke in the hole to release the lock. Taking a framed award off Simon's wall, he pulled the nail out and used it to pop the lock.

The shower must be very hot because the bathroom was very steamy. Lars could hear whimpering from behind the glass shower doors. He grabbed a towel and called Michael's name.

"I can't get clean. I can't get clean. Help me, please help me..." said Michael between sobs.

Lars opened the shower door, wrapped the boy in a big bath towel and lifted him out of the shower. "Carol, can you take care of the shower," Lars asked softly as he carried the crying boy to the bed. Michael clung to Lars as if his life depended on it.

"Michael," began Lars in a soft, soothing tone. "Look who is here with you. It's your friends. Your friends that love you very much. Lukas is here, and so is Simon. And Gavin is here too, do you see Gavin?"

Michael opened his eyes and turned his head to see Gavin crying. "I'm sorry, Michael."

Michael released Lars and attached himself to Gavin and the teen held the younger boy just as tight.

"Boys, remember when I warned you about the possibility of Michael having flashbacks?"

They each nodded. They had been told that during a flashback, Michael would feel like he was back in a bad situation, that it would feel totally real to him.

"That's what happened just now," said Lars. "Something about the situation, probably being watched having sex, triggered Michael. You did exactly the right thing texting me."

Two of the boys felt guilty being complimented for taking action. Neither of them thought to get Lars -- it was Lukas that took action.

The contents of the police folder came rushing back to Lukas. He leaned over and hugged Michael from behind, "I love you lil' bro."

Things seemed to be getting back to normal, but Lars check on Michael's status one last time before heading back to the house. "Michael, are you going to be able to come to breakfast here in a bit?" The boy nodded.

"I know this put a scare into all of you. But let me be clear, you did nothing wrong. This is going to happen and there is nothing you can do to prevent it. You'll never be able to not trigger Michael. It's a natural outcome of the trauma he's experienced and it's part of the healing process. We're getting there, but he still has a ways to go. I'm proud of all four of you boys and love you very much. Breakfast is ready so we'll eat when you get there."

The four boys came down the stairs not much later, each looking a bit haggard, but Lars could sense the boys were closer than ever. Today's session with Michael was going to be interesting.

----------------------     

MONDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2017

With the events at the homecoming dance, Michael's flashback and the Sunday lacrosse practice, it hadn't occurred to the boys this was their first day back to school after the big show at the homecoming bonfire.

At the high school, it was also the first day back after the events at the Homecoming dance. Many of the students saw the boys at the dance and expressed their excitement over Courage Game's show before the football game. That meant by Monday, they were onto other topics like the dance. Word quickly spread about Simon and Gavin's new relationships and coming out. Some felt it was romantic that they followed their hearts without consideration to repercussions. Others felt quite differently. For the most part, the students were supportive or kept their mouths shut. While a number of the girls expressed their disappointment that the boys were gay, many also thought the two couples were cute together. But everything wasn't peachy.

Simon heard the occasional "faggot" muttered under someone's breath or yelled between classes when it was hard to tell where it came from. Gavin, on the other hand, suffered worse. He did receive the same treat as Simon, and probably by the same individuals, but some went a step (or two) farther. Some students took to calling Gavin a "pedo" or "molester".

By lunch, Gavin was miserable. Despite his ability to reason the comments away, the support of his friends, and the knowledge that Lars and his family were looking out for he and Michael, the comment still hurt. The hurt a lot more than he expected About half way through lunch, a student office helper was sent to the cafeteria to bring Gavin, and his food, to the office.

Mrs. Gutierrez ushered him into a conference room where he found his father, Lars, and Officer Jason Forsythe who was one of Lars' friends on the East Harbor police force. Gavin froze at the site of Officer Forsythe. His blood ran cold as thoughts of juvie and registering as a sex offender raced through is mind. 'Oh fuck,' thought Gavin, 'all of his father's fears have already come true.' His shoulders slumped and his eyes dropped to the floor in shame.

"It's okay Gavin, have a seat. You aren't in trouble," said Mrs. Gutierrez as she patted him on the back. "Sit here and eat your lunch."

He looked over at Lars who smiled and nodded to confirm Mrs. Gutierrez's statement that he wasn't in trouble. With an audible exhale of relief, he approached they table. Both he and Mrs. G took seats and were soon followed by Marcus Holbrook the high school principal, and Karen Trance, the middle school principal.

"Hi Gavin," said Mr. Holbrook. "Sorry for pulling you from lunch, but we've had a busy morning and needed to pull you into the conversation." Gavin nodded as if he understood and plopped a grape into his mouth. The adults in the room had his full attention.

"First," began Mr. Holbrook, "I want you to know that your father and Mr. Meijer met this morning then came to the school in reference to your relationship with Michael Grant." Gavin didn't like the sound of that. He nodded, but dropped the carrot stick he was eating. His appetite had vanished.

"We had a meeting between the middle school and high school administrations with Mr. Meijer and your father. We discussed the appropriateness of your relationship, how the school will react to the relationship, and our response to the community."

"Gavin," Mrs. Trance joined the conversation, "you and Michael are two very special boys and with the guidance of Mr. Meijer and the support of your father, we understand your relationship with Michael and how it is a positive in each of your lives." She was being very methodical in the words she picked in her attempt to walk the line of her personal feelings and the school stance. "Though we couldn't be happier for you... that you found each other... this relationship... but... particularly because of the age difference... well... because of your age differences your relationship puts the school in a very difficult position." She took a sip of her coffee before she continued.

"So, the first thing we want you to know is we are here to support you, Michael, and your relationship."

Gavin exhaled - he hadn't realized he'd been holding his breath. In the flood of relief, he did manage to remember to say, "Thank you."

"Well, that's just the first part," cautioned Janette. She looked to Mr. Holbrook to take it from there.

"Between third and fourth period, a janitor found this on your locker." He handed Gavin a folded piece of notebook paper. On it was scrawled, "All gay pedo faggots must die!"

Gavin's face was a mix of emotions. Anger, astonishment, confusion, and a whole host of other things when through his mind. When he looked up, Officer Forsythe picked up the story from there.

"The school did the right thing and considered this a threat on your life. They called the police and I was dispatched. When I found out the circumstances with you being Brian's son, my friendship with Lars, and Michael's case, I called them in to be part of this discussion." The officer recognized the other parties in the room and allowed what he said to sink in.

"You don't really think..." Gavin didn't want to finish his sentence. He suddenly feared that speaking it would make it true.

His father raised his hand to signal Officer Forsythe to allow him to respond. "With the rash of school shootings and how hate groups, and individuals, are feeling emboldened these days, yes, we do think this is a serious threat on your life. A VERY real threat."

A chill ran down Gavin's back causing him to shiver. 'Who would... Why would... This can't be...' Then it occurred to him, "Oh my god! Is Michael okay? I need to see him! Does he know? Did someone threaten him?"

"He's fine," said Mrs. Trance, trying to calm Gavin down. "We called in a substitute teacher to Phys Ed and Mr. Harris and the resource officer are shadowing Michael. He doesn't know what's going on and we are trying to keep him from knowing he's under their protection until we can having a similar meeting with him. We have directed the office to have Michael come over to the high school after lunch instead of going to Phys Ed."

Gavin put two and two together. "Do you think the person that threatened me would hurt Michael? Is it even safe for him to come over for classes?"

"Brian, do you want to handle that?" asked Mr. Holbrook.

"Yeah, thanks Marcus," replied Gavin's father. "Gavin, I'm going to be very frank with you because I know you can handle this. We don't know exactly who we are dealing with so we can't be certain of their motives. Knowledge of their motives would give us better insight into yours and Michael's safety. For example, if the person who wrote that message is a victim of a pedophile, he or she may sympathize with Michael and view you as a threat. However, if this is coming from someone being homophobic, then neither of you would be safe. So, the best we can tell you is we don't know, but we will do our best to keep an eye on both of you to protect you."

Gavin sat there in disbelief. There was a knock on the door.

"Come in," said Mr. Holbrook.

The door opened and Michael popped his head in the door.

"Hi, Michael," Mrs. Trace greeted Michael warmly. "Come in and have a seat next to Gavin."

Michael put his backpack down and took his seat. The last time he was called into a room with this many adults, including police officers, he didn't like the results. While Michael took his seat, Lars and Mrs. Trance changed places so Lars could lead the conversation with his young charge. He took the boy's hand and gave it a squeeze. Michael feared the worst. His bottom lip started to quiver.

"Hey, it's okay Michael, were all here to support you and Gavin," he squeezed Michael's hand again. After Michael's flashback and there long afternoon session yesterday, he knew Michael was emotionally raw today.

"Everybody in this room is going to do everything they can to make sure you and Gavin are safe and secure. As a matter of fact, we are all happy you boys found each other." Under the table, Gavin reached over and took Michael's hand. They held each other tightly and Michael looked to Gavin for reassurance. Gavin gave him a half smile and then nodded towards Lars. Michael smiled back and returned his attention to Lukas' father.

"Michael, you know not everyone is going to approve of your relationship. Some because you are both boys and some because of the age difference." Michael nodded, these were all things Lars talk to him about the day before.

"Well, there was a note left on Gavin's locker today. The note was serious enough that the school called the police and Officer Forsythe was dispatched. When he saw the note, he called Detective Parker and me because the note was a threat to Gavin and could put both you and Gavin in danger." Lars took his time so he could judge Michael's reaction.

Michael sighed and looked down at the table. "I'm sorry."

Mr. Holbrook completely misunderstood what Michael meant. He ask the boy, "You left the note on Gavin's locker?"

"No," Michael furrowed his brow, surprised that the principal would even think it was him. "What's happening is my fault. If it wasn't for me, none of this would have happened. It's all my fault."

Lars squeezed Michael's hand -- it was his signal to the boy to get out of his head and to focus on what Lars is about to tell him. He responded appropriately and made eye contact with his guardian, or, more accurately, the man he looked up to as a father.

"Michael, what am I going to say?"

Michael thought for a moment before he answered. "That I should allow others to take responsibility for their actions."

"Exactly. This isn't your fault. The only person at fault is the person that wrote the note and put on Gavin's locker." Lars hoped Michael internalize this lesson quickly. Michael needed to stop feeling guilt and shame over what had happened to him. Lars knew that as Michael learned this lesson, he would start expressing his deep seeded anger at those who were responsible. Until then, he needed to gently guide the child away from those self-destructive thoughts.

Gavin gave Michael a side hug from the chair before asking, "So... what next?"

"Well," Mrs. Trance offered her thoughts, "our number one suspect was Lewis Fuerst. But we checked with his teachers and it seems he as an alibi. It doesn't look like he would have had the opportunity to do it. He wasn't unsupervised long enough to make the trip over here. Nor does he have a student ID that would grant him access to this building. That leaves us without any obvious leads."

"Without an obvious suspect," stated Officer Forsythe, "we need to start talking to students who are known for bullying, expressing homophobic ideas, or who may have been abused themselves. The difficulty is, we are reliant on students coming forward and telling us what they know. Gavin, we are hoping with your popularity, more students will be willing to speak up. The one thing we are very confident about is that it NOT a student from the middle school."

Michael and Gavin gave each other a look of concern and wonderment. Neither could think of anyone other than Lewis that would do this. Then Michael asked, "Could it have been an adult?"

The adults were caught off guard by the question. They looked at each other.

"You know it happened during a class period and you know what time the note was found," reasoned Michael. "It could only be students that left the classroom between the start of class and the time the note was found, or a student that was late to class." Michael had a thoughtful look on his face for a moment. "Was the note written with a Sharpie?"

Officer Parker looked at the note again. "Yes, it could be a Sharpie."

"Students aren't allowed to have Sharpies. Which teacher or staff members were not with students during that period?"

"We'll check on that," Officer Parker jotted a note on a little pad he carried in his shirt pocket.

Then Michael asked the question no one wanted to answer, "What does the note say?" The adults just looked at each other, hoping someone would jump in and take one for the team.

Lars spoke up, "I don't think that is necessary, Michael." He gave Gavin a look that told the boy he should say anything either.

"Lars, after everything that's happened to me, do you really think the note is worse?" asked Michael. Lars looked over at Officer Forsythe who produced the note and laid it open in front of Michael. Michael read the message and gave a nod when he was finished.

Gavin's father reset the conversation. "First, I apologize to everyone in the room. Being so close to this, I think I acted on emotion and assumed the obvious. We all expect that adults working in the school would never do something like this. But Michael, whether in his mistrust of adults or his logic and wisdom, made an excellent point. Every single person in this building is a suspect, including faculty and staff. If this is an adult, he or she has more freedom to move around the school and will have more access to the students. An adult is more likely to act after making such a threat and an adult is more likely to act in a more dangerous manner." Everyone in the room sat solemnly as they sorted through Brian's words.

The decision was made to have Lars take Michael and Gavin to his house while Brian worked with Officer Forsythe. The middle school and high school called emergency assemblies for the last period of the day. Half of the middle school teachers headed over to the high school to supervise the high school assembly held by Mrs. Guiterrez, while the rest the of the high school faculty and staff met with Mr. Holbrook to discuss the situation.

The students in both building received anti-bullying messages as well as lectures on acceptance and tolerance of all forms of diversity. Then they were made aware of the situation and the seriousness of the consequences.

The high school faculty and staff had a similar conversation with their Principal. The goal of the adult meeting was to apprise everyone of the situation, the nature of the threat and its consequences, the danger that Gavin, Michael or both boys faced, and to equip them to listen and look out for things that could direct the police to the perpetrator. With that said, Mr. Holbrook dropped the bomb.

Before the meeting with the faculty and staff, the school's administrators hotly debated one topic -- whether or not to tell the other adults working in the building that the perpetrator may be one of them. One side of the argument was to make it known all the adults were also suspects. The reasoning was to protect the students. If the adults suspected each other, they would keep their eyes on one another as well as the students. On the other hand, it was argued to keep it a secret so if it was an adult, they wouldn't know the police were also looking into the adults. Detective Parker prevailed and Mr. Holbrook his employees that everyone in the building, the students AND adults, were under suspicion.

Many of the teachers were horrified at the thought. Mr. Allen stood up and spoke loudly to be heard over the crowd. "Excuse me, Mr. Holbrook! Mr. Holbrook!" The crowd recognized someone was trying to speak and quieted. "Are you asking us to watch each other as a precaution, or are do you have a suspect in mind?"

Mr. Holbrook looked to Detective Parker who stepped up and took the mic. "We have evidence that points to the likelihood that this note was written and placed on the locker by someone other than a student." There were audible gasps from the audience.

----------------------     

It wasn't unheard of for Michael to not be in Phys Ed, but Lukas found it odd that Mr. Harris wasn't there after he'd already seen him around school wandering the hallways on the eighth-grade floor that day. Simon, on the other hand, was very concerned when neither Michael nor Gavin showed up for Geometry class. Mr. Allen seemed concerned too, but just as class began, he received two alerts from the office. The first stated Michael and Gavin went home and would be absent for the rest of the day. The second referred to an emergency assembly where students were to report to the gymnasium and faculty and staff to the auditorium. While the students were working on their assignment, Mr. Allen told Simon that Gavin and Michael had gone home early.

Simon quickly put two and two together. "Does this have anything to do with Gavin's dad and Lars, I mean, Dr. Meijer being here today?"

Mr. Allen looked very concerned. He knew the two men, one a psychologist and the other a police detective. They could have been there as parents, or they could have been there in a professional capacity. "I don't know. I didn't even know they were here today."

The three of them learned what transpired that day at their respective assemblies. Lukas sat with his lunchtime gang. They were stunned. They couldn't imagine why someone would threaten Gavin or their friend Michael. Simon's curiosity about the student assembly was piqued when he saw Lars and Detective Parker with Mrs. Gutierrez and Mr. Holbrook in the hallway before the assemblies began. Lars and Mrs. Gutierrez addressed the students and answered questions. They encouraged students to come forward with any information they knew or heard. Lars also fielded questions to help put the students at ease and allay their fears. Brian Parker and Mr. Holbrook addressed the faculty and staff and put them on alert.

As a result, the middle school students were scared and upset and worried about a school shooter or something. The high school students seemed to rally around Gavin and Michael and took their safety and well-being seriously. Though not the majority, many students became vocal about their support and attempted to rally the rest of the school to love, not hate. Before their meeting, faculty and staff that the assembly was a big to-do about some stupid student prank. They left the assembly uneasy and suspicious of each other. Even the teachers that didn't agree it was appropriate for Gavin and Michael to be in a relationship, they could rally around protecting them from this threat committed to supporting and sheltering them. A threat to kill or even harm a student for any reason crossed a line.

The high school students were late leaving their assembly and resulted in Lukas to anxiously wait for Simon for too long. When Simon approached, Lukas stood and launched himself onto his boyfriend and cried.

Simon held his friend and felt the blond tremble. "Lukas, are you sure you don't want to wait until we get home?" asked Simon as he comforted Lukas and attempted to protect from public view.

Lukas shook his head and continued to hold Simon. "This is okay. I don't want to cry in front of Gavin and Michael. We need to be there for them." Simon wasn't surprised Lukas was this upset. He'd been extra protective of Michael since reading the police file. Now a threat to Gavin, and possibly Michael, brought up those emotions and Simon knew he needed to help Lukas ride out the storm. When the boy stopped crying, Simon wiped Lukas' tears away with the tail of his own shirt and then took the blond by the hand and they walked home.

----------------------     

The evening was quiet, the boys didn't even set foot in the studio. When Carol wound up her work for the day, she joined everyone at the Meijer's household and was surprised to see Brian and Abby, Gavin's parents, there too. Some were in the family room. The TV was on but no one was really watching. Others were in the kitchen talking around the kitchen table.

Carol suspected something was up immediately - the tension was palpable. "Whoa, what's going on?"

Lars answered, "I'm sorry Carol, I didn't want to bother you while you were working. There's been an incident at school. We're all here figuring out next steps and giving the boys our support."

"What happened?" she asked, taking an empty seat that the table.

Brian checked to see if Michael was within earshot before he answered. "There was what we, the police, believe to be a death threat made towards Gavin and the threat may have been made by someone on the faculty or staff at the high school."

"Gavin wasn't harmed, was he?"

"No, he's fine," said Brian with relief. "But we are beefing up security at both the middle and high schools by installing more resource officers and bringing in substitute teachers to help patrol the hallways and be extra sets of eyes. At least we know the substitutes weren't at the school today so it couldn't be one of them that left the note."

"And the middle school?" Carol asked. "You think Michael is in danger too?"

"Yes, he may be. We aren't taking any chances on this."

That's when Gavin came in to grab a cold drink. Abby reached out an arm towards her youngest and gave him a hug when he came close.

"How are you doing honey?"

"I'm fine, but I think Michael misses his mom right now," said Gavin.

Abby pushed her chair back and stood up. "You know, I don't remember giving you permission to get taller than me." Gavin smiled and she gave him a big hug. "I think I am going to go check in on our future son-in-law."

Gavin rolled his eyes at his mom's comment. "Thanks, mom."

Gavin continued his trip to the fridge, grabbed a bottle of water, then took Abby's seat. Abby, joined the others in the family room and soon had the 11-year-old wrapped in a big motherly hug while they watched TV. They took comfort in each other's company.

When the show ended, Lukas broke the silence. "Hey, tomorrow's Halloween. What are we going to do?"

Michael sat up and took interest. With the show on Friday and the homecoming dance, he'd totally forgotten about Halloween.

"I have a Captain America costume I didn't get to wear last year," said Michael. "It should still fit. Want to go trick-or-treating?" Though he really wasn't much of a candy eater, there was still enough of a boy in the 11-year-old that trick-or-treating was fun. It was also something normal kids got to do, and Michael longed to have his life go back to normal.

That's not where Lukas was going with his question but understood where Michael was coming from.

There was a lot of debate and discussion about the safety of the boys just going outside, let alone trick-or-treating. In the end the adults agreed as long as the adventure was on their terms. It turned out, Michael's idea of trick-or-treating was to start out with a load of candy then pass it out to other kids that were trick-or-treating while he walked around taking in the sights. It was something that he and Matthew did back in Oregon, and he wanted to do it again. Abby and Lars recognized this was one of the few 'normal' things they could do for Michael. In the end, all four boys decided to dress up and pass out candy while Brian and Abby chaperoned.

----------------------     

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2017

Tuesday was an odd day at school - not much happened. The extra personnel at each school and the fallout from the assemblies changed the energy. For the students, it was surreal. The hallways were too quiet. The students simply went through the motions of a normal school day. For the faculty and staff at the high school, it felt like everyone was analyzing each other's every movement. The teachers were distracted, suspicious, and uneasy. The boys made it through the day fine, but all afterschool activities were cancelled for the second day in a row. The school and police were concerned that the lack of structure during the transition to after school activities created too many opportunities. They planned to assign more officers to the schools after hours, but tonight, those officers were working the streets for Halloween.

Lars and Carol both picked up candy for the boys, so they were extra loaded and excited about handing out candy that evening. Michael, with a body created from his soccer and gymnastics, filled out his spandex Captain America costume, looked like a miniature super hero.

While Lukas put together his pirate costume, something he'd worn a couple times before, he asked Michael, "Why Captain America? You love Iron Man."

"Yeah, but I've already been Iron Man, Captain Marvel, the Hulk, Thor, Spider Man, Wolverine, Professor X, and some others. I can't remember, I was too young."

Gavin walked in wearing his costume. His mom picked it up for him while he was at school. He was Pennywise, from the new IT remake.

"Holy shit! You are scary!" said Lukas.

Simon laughed, "It's going to be hard to make out with those teeth." That elicited laughs from everyone.

"That mask isn't going to make it any easier for you two!" retorted Gavin, the best he could with the fake teeth in. But he was right, Simon was dressed up like a crash test dummy, including the full head mask.

Michael got everyone organized. "I have four jack-o-lanterns for us to carry our candy in. I put the extra in backpacks for your mom and dad to carry for us." Gavin took his bucket of candy and laughed to himself about how authoritative his young boyfriend was being in his excitement about the evening. It was good to see him excited about something that is his that he gets to share with his new friend.

They headed out into the night, joking around, being friendly with all the trick-or-treaters, and simply having a great time. Brian and Abby couldn't help but feel pride in their son and his friends. The boys made sure everyone they encountered was having fun, being safe, and, of course, got lots of candy.

The evening was warm. Michael eventually pulled back his mask and hood to cool off. No matter how hot he was, the smile never left his face. The youngest of the bunch was enjoying every second of the evening, especially bringing smiles to the faces of the other children he met -- even the ones his age. His enthusiasm was infectious. The other boys got into spreading the joy and Brian and Abby began to engage with everyone out trick-or-treating and passing out candy.

As the evening wound down and the candy began to run out. The group found they had worked their way across the neighborhood and had a long walk to back to Maple Street. It was such a fun night no one cared.

"I've got to go to the bathroom. Can you hold this for me? I'll run down to 7-Eleven and be back real quick," asked Michael as he handed his candy bucket to Abby. Before anyone could say anything, Michael was half way down the block.

The only thing Michael was thinking about was how wonderful the evening had been. It was so much warmer than October in Oregon and it seemed to make everyone happier when trick-or-treating. People weren't in a hurry to find some place to get warm. He knew if he peed now, they wouldn't have to hurry home and he could enjoy the walk home with Gavin and his friends. He entered the convenience store and made his way to the bathroom as fast as he could walk.

He turned to shut and lock the door when it was shoved open. Michael was able to turn his head to prevent being hit in the face, but the door caught him on the shoulder knocking him backwards. He reached for the handicap supports and caught it with his right hand. Swinging away from the toilet, Michael slammed into the wall, hitting the back of his head on the toilet paper dispenser, before falling to the dirty floor.

"Well, well, well... look who we have here," came a voice along with three sets of footsteps.

Michael didn't immediately look up. He was still reeling from hitting his head.

"Little pussy faggot dressing up like a faggy superhero for Halloween," came the mocking voice of a teenager. As his head cleared, Michael recognized the voice. Even so, Michael was more concerned with what he was sitting in than the other occupants of the restroom. He reached up and used the support to pull himself up so he wouldn't have to touch the floor with his hands.

"Com'on Lewis, he isn't worth it," said a second, deeper voice.

"Dude? THIS is the kid you've been bitching about? Really?" the third voice chuckled and mocked Lewis. "He's like, what... 10 or something." Michael did recognize either of the other two boys. One was leaning against the sink and the other was leaning against the open bathroom door. Both definitely looked like high schoolers, but he hadn't seen them around East Harbor before.

"Shut the fuck up!" shouted Lewis. He focused his attention back on Michael. "This is my lucky night. I'm going to fuck you up and have two witnesses that it was self-defense."

Michael was in full defiance. He was determined that he would take whatever beating Lewis would dish out and not let the bully know it hurt one bit. He looked Lewis right in the eyes and didn't say anything. As they stared each other down, Lewis pulled a short chain from his back pocket. He wrapped it around his knuckles and reached back to take a swing at Michael when a hand grabbed Lewis' wrist.

"If you so much as even say another word, I swear I will fucking rip your arm off." The voice was firm and full of anger. All heads turned towards the bathroom door. Garrett Parker stood there with a white-knuckled grip on Lewis' arm and Zach Schultz stood right behind him.

Zach spoke up fearing Garrett might just rip Lewis' arm off anyway. "I think you three better get out of here... NOW." The boys turned and headed directly to the exit without even turning to look back.

"You alright?" asked Garrett.

"Yeah, I think so," said Michael.

"Turn around and let me look," insisted Garrett. When Michael turned around, he saw what had his two friends concerned. There was blood on the toilet paper dispenser and down the wall.

"I'll go get some ice," said Zach.

"Before I do anything, why don't you wash your hands. Do you need to go to the bathroom?" questioned Garrett. Michael nodded.

"I'll stand out here and watch the door. Wash your hands and let me know you are finished."

Michael did as instructed. When he was finished, he opened the door to find Garrett, Zach, and the store manager. Zach had approached the store manager to get a plastic bag for ice and told the store manager what happened. The manager needed to get details for an incident report and returned from his office with a first aid kit.

Michael answered questions as Garrett washed and bandaged up Michael's head the best he could and then Zach gave him the ice to keep the swelling down.

The three left the store and Garrett asked, "What are you doing running around by yourself?" He sounded pissed and that surprised Michael. "With all the shit going on at school, you shouldn't be alone."

"I just needed to pee. Your parents and the guys are down the street waiting on me."

"Garrett!!" came a shout. Gavin came running up and gave his big brother a hug.

"Hey Zach, Garrett," said Lukas with Simon right behind him. Brian and Abby were not far behind the boys.

"What the hell happened to you?" asked Simon, noticing the bag of ice Michael was holding.

"What are you guys doing here?" asked Gavin.

"Mom called and told me what happened at school yesterday. There's no way in hell I'm not going to be here with this crap going on. Zach felt the same way and we were able to make arrangements to spend some time down here this week," explained Garrett. "We just stopped to get gas when we saw Michael run into the store."

Brian and Abby walked up while Garrett was telling his story and gave their son, and his friend, hugs. Brian then turned to Michael. "What happened to you?"

Michael explained what happened and how Garrett and Zach saved him. He didn't know Lewis had the chain and would have thought differently if he knew.

"I need to talk to the manager. If those boys go to EHHS, they just put themselves on the suspect list." The manager turned over the surveillance tape and made a copy of the incident report for Brian.

----------------------     

When everyone returned to Lars' house, Garrett and Gavin when home with their parents. It was a school night and they weren't ready for Gavin to be moved in with Michael. At least, not in the first official week of their relationship. Carol retired to her home to wind down for the evening. Lars wanted to take this time to talk to Michael about how he felt about this evening, especially after miscalculating the danger Lewis posed to his well-being. That left Lukas and Simon to have some time alone.

They knew exactly what they wanted to do. After disappearing into Lukas' bedroom, the boys emerged in their swimsuits, towels in hand. They quietly stepped out the back door and headed to Simon's backyard. Dipping their toes in the pool, they realized the water was still pretty warm even though there was a chill in the air. It would be perfect to plunge into after spending some time in the hot tub. Nestled under a canopy in the corner of the house and the fence on the opposite side of the yard from the Meijer's house is where Simon's parents installed their in-ground, eight-person hot tub.

It had a cedar deck around the tub so the edge of the hot tub was about foot higher than the concrete pool deck. Being in the corner of the yard, you could sit in the hot tub and view the entire backyards of both houses. The boys uncovered the hot tub, turned on the jets and underwater lights, then slowly entered the water.

Sitting in the corner facing the pool and yards, the boys enjoyed the privacy the canopy and darkness offered. They felt like they were in their own little world. Lukas scooted up to Simon who placed his arm around his smaller boyfriend. They quietly relaxed into their thoughts on the events of the last few days.

Lukas thought about how fortunate he'd been. He'd never experienced anything close to what Michael had been through. He'd basically outed himself at school and had never had anyone really take offense or attack him the way Gavin was threatened or even the abuse Simon took. Though he didn't remember his mom, as a matter of fact, he couldn't recall ever even seeing a photo of her or hearing his father say her name, he didn't feel a loss the way Simon did over the loss of his father. It never occurred to him to be curious about his mom, it had always just been him and his dad. When he was old enough to wonder about having a mother, he shared Simon's and Carol had always been there for him.

He was truly lucky. His felt he had the best father in the world -- a father that understood him and his love of Simon. He had great friends and got to do the things that made him happy -- play music, play lacrosse, hang out with his friends, be a good student, and have Simon as his boyfriend. He loved Michael as a little brother and now it felt like Gavin was family too. Lukas felt guilty about being happy while his friend were having such a rough time.

Simon had stayed awake after Lukas fell asleep Sunday night. It wasn't the first Simon waited for his lover to fall into slumber before he lost himself in his own thoughts. Lukas was beautiful when he slept, and he enjoyed taking in the angelic look of the blonde. Simon thought Lukas was simply beautiful but especially when he was asleep. He spent Sunday night thinking about how blessed he'd been and how happy he thought his dad, Stephen, would have been. Homecoming was perfect. He was more in love with Lukas than ever and he never wanted this feeling to end.

He watched Lukas sleep Monday night too, but it was out of restlessness and worry. Sunday evening, he felt East Harbor was the most wonderful place to grow up. That fantasy was shattered by a simple note on his friend's locker. He didn't dare let Lukas know how worried he was about Gavin and Michael. The school he attended Monday was not the same school he knew after the assemblies. It was unsettling. At times he felt like he'd been living some dream and his eyes were now opened to reality. At other times, it just seemed like a surreal dream and he hoped he would soon wake.

Tonight, he was too exhausted to return to those thoughts. He was living tonight in the moment. He was being present and tried to memorize everything that ignited his senses. The smell of the chlorine, the trees, and the flowers that landscaped the border of the deck and house. The feeling of the bubbles and jets, Lukas' body against his, the texture of his friend's wet hair running through his fingers. The quiet sounds of the city, just audible above the bubbling water of the hot tub. He stared at how the moonlight reflected off the water of the pool, the warm glow from the windows of Lukas' house illuminated the Meijer's backyard, the way the lights from the hot tub lit Lukas' face and made his eyes sparkle. The taste of Lukas' kiss.

Slow and full of emotion, the boys kissed until they gasped for air and then dove back in for more. With arms wrapped around each other, they clung to each other and expressed their love. Sex wasn't on their mind. They would have been surprised if they'd noticed but neither boy had an erection. Gentle loving kisses mixed with long, slow passionate, tongue-wrestling sessions. Lukas and Simon were alone in their world -- completely unaware that Carol had come down to check on them and could clearly view the hot tub from the music studio.

She felt a bit guilty spying on her son, but she couldn't stop herself. The way the boys looked at each other and expressed their love was beyond their years. She felt she was witnessing something truly special. When Lukas crawled up onto Simon's lap and laid his head on his shoulder, she smiled and returned to her room for the evening.

----------------------     

After his talk with Lars, Michael headed to Lukas' room. He wondered what the other two were up to. He didn't want to join them. As a matter of fact, he was glad to have some alone time and only wondered how much time he would have to himself before the other two showed up. Michael brushed his teeth and got ready for bed before he stripped naked and slipped under the covers. His thoughts drifted back to Gavin and the sex they Sunday morning on that very bed. He popped a boner and decided he was going to jack off.

He remembered the feeling of Gavin's cock plowing his boy hole and sped up the fist wrapped around his fat 11-year-old cock. But just as he really got into his fantasy, his mind drifted to the things he and Lars talked about that evening and he lost his erection. He brought Gavin's cock back to mind and how it tasted and felt in his mouth. His young cock sprang back to attention but then in his mind it became some man's cock and his erection wilted. The boy tried several more times before he gave up. In defeat, he rolled over and attempted to go to sleep. Lars said that the only way to get over these things was to go through them. Michael realized that Lars was right. It was time to talk about what happened.