Date: Wed, 24 Sep 2014 20:27:04 -0700 From: Douglas DD DD Subject: The Puget Posse Chapter 38 Welcome back to the Posse. It is election time. As in any election, the results are not what everybody would like—and when dirty tricks are involved, well, the Posse has its first major crisis. Please remember to contribute to the Nifty Archive to keep the stories flowing. Douglas thehakaanen@hotmail.com CHAPTER 38 THE CAMPAIGN When school started after the break, the big buzz in the fifth grade was their first class election. The Puget Posse showed their strength when four of the five boys placed themselves on the ballot. The fifth, Neville, decided to sit back and observe the goings-on. He ended up being only partially successful in that regard. Mark, who was the alpha twin of the alpha male twins, was running for class president. Jeremiah would be his major opponent. Caleb, a solid, somewhat quiet boy in Mr. Nash's class, was also running. He was popular with his classmates, but relatively unknown outside of his own classroom. Alden had talked him into running, hoping to take votes from Mr. Nash's class away from Mark. He had learned from some of the older boys that, at least in the fifth grade election, the voters tended to be loyal to their classmates. Jeremiah approved of the strategy as well. While Jeremiah often bullied the weak and had a particularly strong dislike for the twins and members of the Posse in general, he also had inherited his father's skills of salesmanship. Like his father, Jeremiah could sell ice to an Eskimo during an Arctic blizzard while stabbing him in the back. He had been carefully nurturing the loyalties of his classmates in Ms. McCann's class while plotting ways to keep Mark from winning the election. The gamble was that Caleb's solidity would appeal to those voters who were willing to cross class lines. Many would be more likely to vote for Caleb over the wild, somewhat unpredictable, but incredibly popular twin. Jeremiah's father pointed out that Jeremiah had a much better chance of defeating Caleb in a run-off election than he did in taking on Mark one-on-one. Part of his plan was the dirty tricks campaign he'd launched before the break. He and his cohorts spread rumors based on half-truths, which were already having an effect on Mark. Jeremiah and Alden planned to add even more dirt as school started up again. However, Alden spent one night at Jeremiah's over the break, where they came up with a new plan. If they could pull it off, it would all but insure Jeremiah's victory. The overnight was without the sexual overtones of their first overnight. Jeremiah insisted on no nudity and the wearing of pajamas to bed at night. Anybody looking in at the two sleeping preteens would smile at their appearance of innocence. But, Jeremiah, for all of his outgoing camaraderie, was a bully as well as a conniver. And Alden, the quiet one, was a behind-the-scenes schemer. Yes, they looked angelic, but some would call them evil little monsters. Will and Patrick were running for the vice-president position. Theirs was a friendly rivalry between two friends. They both wanted to win, but would have no hard feelings if they lost. They agreed to put more of their energy into helping Mark's campaign against Jeremiah than in their campaign against each other. While Tony, who was also running, was a bit of a wild card, they didn't see him as a serious threat. He was part of Jeremiah's cadre, but was not well-liked within his class. Word of his standing would get around. There were also two boys running for sergeant-at-arms: Matthew from Mr. Jackson's room and Alden from Mr. Nash's room. Alden originally signed up to represent Jeremiah's group in that race and to make sure Matthew had opposition. But, now that he and Jeremiah had made their plan to sink Mark, Alden was confident Matthew would go down with his twin brother. Ellis and Randy Knox were running for treasurer. Alden had convinced Ellis to run. Alden knew that the picture of Ellis naked, wearing full makeup, and sporting an erection kept Ellis under Jeremiah's thumb, giving them a predictable vote in the student council. Jeremiah had intimidated Randy on the second day of orientation. Alden and Jeremiah didn't care who won; the fifth grade treasurer handled virtually no money, Randy was a geek and Ellis was queer, and, most importantly, Alden and Jeremiah felt that they owned the two pieces of losing scum. Misha surprised everybody by entering the secretarial race on the last day of sign-ups. His mother had convinced him that doing so would improve his writing and English skills. It took a lot of convincing. Misha was feeling more and more confident at the Academy, but there were limits to that confidence. He wanted to sit back and observe his first ever election. It was Patrick who brought about Misha's change in attitude. "You should run for an office, Misha," Patrick told him as they climbed the stairs to their science class. "You're really cool and everybody likes you." "But, I need to know better English to be the secretary," Misha protested. "Misha, your English is great. I mean look at me; I'm the youngest and littlest dude in fifth grade, and I'm running for office. You and me would make a great team." Misha grinned. Patrick's statement of support meant more to him than his mother's reasoning that being the secretary would improve his English. "I will sign up before seventh period," he said. "Would you please come with me and be my second?" Patrick's grin more than matched Misha's. "Hold my hand and take me there. That's what friends are for, helping each other." Misha was tempted to do just that—hold Patrick's hand. The only other person running for secretary was Conrad, who was on Jeremiah's Fireball table team. Jeremiah thought he had that office won automatically and didn't find out Misha was running until the start of school after vacation. The real campaigning didn't start until Wednesday. The candidates were all given time to use the student council meeting room, which was in the basement across from the student council lounge, to create their posters and other campaign items. Because the boys from moneyed parents often had posters that were professionally made, which gave them a huge advantage over the hand-made posters of the scholarship kids, the school decided to put everyone on an even footing. When a candidate went to his scheduled work time he could take two helpers with him. That is how Neville ended up getting involved as he and Vic, who were both artistic, helped Mark with his posters. One of Misha's helpers was Logan, from the Jumping Kangaroos, whom he'd befriended the first day of school. Patrick picked Ethan, from the Jumping Kangaroos, and Mike, from the Fantastic Five, as his assistants. Not a lot went past Patrick and he'd noticed the artistic talents of each. He also found out that Mike was an extremely likeable boy and they hit if off during their work sessions. "I'm surprised you didn't pick Mike to help you," Patrick told Will on the Monday bus ride home. "He's really artistic and really nice, plus he's on your team." "I know, but I promised a couple of my friends they could be my helpers. I'm glad you picked Mike, though. I think he was disappointed he couldn't help." "I could be friends with him if he'd let me," Patrick said. "Me, too, but he kind of keeps to himself. That's kind of why I didn't pick him. You saw him at the challenge. It was like he was afraid of boys showing off their dicks." "Lots of guys are like that. You got a big brother to help you not be embarrassed, and I was trying hard not to be." "You had your boner out of your pants for us to see." "That was hard to do," Patrick said. "Damn straight it was hard," Will said, which had both boys falling into hysterical giggles. At Tuesday morning break a meeting took place that would end up deciding the election for class president. Alden sought out Ellis on the playground. The day was sunny, but quite cold, and Ellis was busy on the playground equipment hoping the activity would keep him warm. "Hey, Ellis, come down," Alden said, "I need to talk to you." "In a minute." Ellis was having fun hanging on to the straps that moved him along a track from one end of the parallel bars to another. "Hey, thanks for the picture of you, by the way. You look really good in it." Ellis was hoping the picture had been forgotten over the break, but he knew there was really no chance of that happening. Still, he had to test his momentary optimism. He let go of the straps and dropped to the ground. He stood in front of Alden without saying a word. Alden ignored his attitude. He wasn't into fighting battles, he was into being in control, whether it was over his parents or his fellow students. "Jeremiah has a message for you." Ellis stood silently, so Alden went on. "He wants you to sit with him at lunch today." "Mister Big Shit wants to talk to me?" Ellis wasn't sure if he should laugh or cry. "You mean Mister Big Shot," Alden said. Once again Ellis stood silently. His passive-aggressive behavior was frustrating Alden. "I mean Mister Big Shit," Ellis finally said. "Just be there. " Ellis said nothing and walked away. He knew he had to be there; Jeremiah had the memory card with the picture on it. But that didn't mean he had to be happy about it. Nobody missed the fact that Ellis sat with Jeremiah at lunch time. There was a great deal of speculation as to why. Everybody noticed that since his return from break Ellis had been somewhat morose and even quieter than usual. Some wondered if Jeremiah was the reason behind Ellis's glum mood. "Maybe they're just discussing campaign strategy," Will said. "Why would Ellis do that with Jeremiah?" Patrick asked. "He should be talking with us; we're in his class." "I think he's being bullied by Jeremiah," Mark said. "I so want to kick Jeremiah's ass in the election next week." The cafeteria was too noisy to hear what was being said between Ellis and Jeremiah, but that didn't stop some of the boys from straining to hear. "You know I'm you're friend," Jeremiah told Ellis. "No, you're not. If you were my friend you wouldn't need Alden to tell me to eat with you." "I didn't want it to look like I was asking you to eat with me. I wanted it to look like you wanted to eat with me." Ellis went into the silent mode that had frustrated Alden. Jeremiah ignored it and went on, "I need you to do a big favor for me before the election." "Why? I don't even want you to win. I want Mark to win." "I have something that belongs to you is why." Ellis was tired of having the picture held over his head. He was getting the idea that Jeremiah was never going to return it to him. He was about to tell Jeremiah he could keep the stupid picture, that he didn't care any more, when Jeremiah made a proposal that caught his attention. "If you do this, I'll give the picture back to you." "I want to see the envelope before I do anything." "I'll show it to you after school." "Okay. What do you want me to do?" Jeremiah told him. "That's going to hurt," Ellis protested after Jeremiah finished. "I'll make sure it doesn't hurt too bad. Remember, I'm your friend." "But if I do what you want, Mark will lose." "That's what I want." "Those guys are kinda like my friends." "No, I'm you're friend. That's why you're going to do it." "I'm doing it because I want my picture back. You're not my friend," Ellis said defiantly. By then the boys had finished eating. "I want you to get up and put your tray away. When you get up I want you to say, `Thank you for being my friend, Jeremiah,' loud enough for everybody around us to hear it." Ellis looked at Jeremiah like he'd lost his mind. Then he turned and stared across the room, making out Will, Patrick, Mark, Matthew, Misha, and Neville at a nearby table. He wished that was who he was with. "Well?" Jeremiah asked. He was getting tired of waiting for a response. Ellis rose from his seat, picked up his tray. "Thanks for being my friend, Jeremiah," he said, crossing his fingers as he uttered one of the biggest lies he had ever told. He knew that the lies had just begun, and the thought made him feel sick to his stomach. But, if he got that picture back, everything would be okay again and he was willing to do anything for it. "That was weird," Matthew said. "No way Jeremiah is his friend," Will said. "Something weird is going on, and I have a feeling it's not good for us," Mark speculated. "I'll try to see what I can find out," Will told them. Will found out nothing that day, although he tried. Ellis saw the envelope after school, still sealed, which told him that nobody had been able to copy what was on the memory card. What was important for Jeremiah is everybody had seen Ellis eat lunch with him and had heard Ellis call him his friend. During the rest of the week, candidates made sure all of their posters were up and they talked to kids they knew and kids they didn't know. Mark and Matthew got some of the same flack they'd heard before vacation, but it was mostly from the same boys. A few commented that Ellis was cozying up to Jeremiah because he needed protection from the twins. For many reasons, Mark and Matthew were happy to see the weekend come. On the Friday bus ride home, Jeremiah was so friendly to Will and the three Posse members it was almost sickening. It was obvious he was working to make a good impression. "Who is he trying to impress?" Will asked. "I dunno," Mark said. "It isn't the four of us, and it isn't Tony, so it must be Ken and Brett." Ken and Brett, who were both in Mr. Nash's room, were the only other fifth graders on Bus 2 and mostly kept to themselves. Brett's house was the first stop and Ken's was the third. After Ken got off the bus, Matthew looked back at Jeremiah to see if his attitude changed any, but Jeremiah simply smirked and waved. "My dad would say, he is evil," Matthew said. "Yeah, and the nicer he gets the more evil he gets," Mark agreed. "I'm worried about Ellis," Patrick said. "I'm positive Jeremiah is going to do something evil to Ellis." "I totally agree," Will said. "When I tried to talk to Ellis about Jeremiah, he just shut his mouth and looked the other way." ++++++++++++ That night the twins discussed Wednesday's election while lying next to each other in Mark's bed. "Jeremiah shouldn't beat me, but him and Alden are so sneaky I don't know what's going on," Mark said. "You know we're better than anybody," Matthew said. "Damn straight. But, like dad said, in politics some guys fight dirty. And with all the stuff he is telling everybody about me, Jeremiah is fighting dirty." "You could fight dirty, too. I bet you fight dirty better than he does." "No way will I ever fight dirty. Like you said, the Kirkwood twins are better than anybody and we don't have to fight dirty and tell lies." "Remember, he's the one who got us kicked off of the baseball team by lying and making people lie for him." Mark pondered that for a moment and then said, "He won't be able to get us kicked out of school, but still, I have a feeling he's going to try something." "Nope, no way he can get us kicked out. He's not smart enough." "But what did he tell Ellis?" "Mark, dude, chill out. You never worry about things, so quit worrying about Mister Asshole. We're better, remember?" "Alden is their brains," Mark went on. "He's got something planned. Dirty tricks, dad calls them." "How about we stick each other's cocks in our mouths so we can't talk?" Matthew was used to Mark being the more confident one between the two of them. He was surprised at his brother fussing over a low life like Jeremiah; it was so not like him. Mark took his brother's advice and the two enjoyed a sweaty, twenty minute session of cock sucking. Afterwards, Matthew fell into an untroubled sleep, while Mark tossed and turned, wondering why the election was making him feel scared. He'd never had his overwhelming confidence fail him before, and he didn't like the feeling. ++++++++++++ Monday started the last three days of the election process. After homeroom, the three fifth grade classes would meet for an assembly in the auditorium where each candidate would give a brief campaign speech. They were limited to five minutes, but most of them wouldn't come close to pushing the time-limit. The candidates had spent a busy weekend writing and polishing their speeches with input from parents, siblings, and friends. The speaking order went from treasurer, to secretary, to sergeant-at- arms, to vice-president, to president. The order for each office was determined by a random draw. Most of the speeches were trite, with the candidate telling how he would do the best job he could and everybody should elect him. Ellis surprised everyone with his confident, articulate talk, reminding everyone that even the fifth grade treasurer handled money on occasion and needed to be both good in math and "a boy of integrity." His father had given him that line the night before during a surprise phone call. Misha generated a laugh by saying he would cross every `t' and dot every `i' as secretary. He was pleased that his little attempt at humor went across well. Matthew showed off his right bicep, reminding everybody that the sergeant-at-arms needed to be a tough guy. He also said that the job was really about getting people to do the right thing and making sure meetings went smoothly. He finished by saying he was good at working with people. Alden simply said he was the best candidate. He said he was honest and hard working, with a heavy emphasis on hard working. He didn't address what the position he was running for was really about the way Matthew had. Patrick's speech got a lot of applause. He told how important it was for the vice-president to be able to chair the senate meetings, and especially to help the president in any way he could. He said he was ready to do that. "I might be little," he said, "but I plan to do big things." It was a line he and his father worked out and it went over really well. Will also gave a polished speech, while Tony left the impression that he would rather be somewhere else than on stage at the podium in front of over 70 of his classmates. The first slot among the candidates for president was drawn by Caleb. He gave a competent speech, showing himself to be intelligent, personable, and capable. Jeremiah's speech was full of clichés and platitudes. It was a work of salesmanship, written more by his father than by him, and when all of the smiling and sweet talk was over, nobody could really remember what it was he had said, but they knew that whatever he'd told them, they'd liked it. Mark, on the other hand, blew everyone away with his speech. After his funk on Friday night, he woke up on Saturday reenergized. As his father told him, "Don't let the bastards get you down." He took the advice to heart and spent much of Saturday morning writing his speech. He and Matthew had a basketball game that afternoon, a 41- 22 win. He spent some time on his speech in the evening and finished it on Sunday. His speech talked about how he'd like to see some things changed and would work for that change. The way the fifth graders were treated on the first day of school was one thing he felt should be different. He thought there should be greeters and welcomers to meet the new students, just like they did for orientation. When he finished he got a large ovation and some cheers. Jeremiah might be a sneaky asshole, but in his heart, Mark knew he was a better candidate and better person. "Don't let the bastards get you down," he thought once again as he left the stage feeling good about everything. As Jeremiah listened to Mark's speech and saw the reaction to it, he knew he didn't have a chance of winning. He wanted to think differently, but Mark had managed to even overcome the rumors and half-truths he'd been spreading about the twins. He knew it was time to put his emergency plan into action. On the way out of the auditorium after the assembly, Jeremiah caught up with Ellis. "Meet me tomorrow before school at the front steps, just like we said the other day." "If I do, I get my picture back, right?" "I promise." "Still in the envelope, right?" "I promise again." "And you won't hit me hard." "You'll barely feel it." "I want to see the envelope again in the morning." Ellis didn't trust Jeremiah or Alden. He had a feeling they wouldn't hesitate to pull the rug out from under him. Jeremiah glared at the little blond. "You mean you don't trust me?" "I just want to see it," Ellis said, his confidence dropping a notch. "Maybe I can even hold it when we do it." "Don't push me," Jeremiah said. "Just do what I tell you do to." Ellis turned and walked away. What should have been a good day for him was turning into another mess. "Did you see Ellis and Jeremiah talking after the assembly?" Matthew asked Mark as they sat at their desks in class. "Ellis didn't look real happy," Mark said. "There's still weird stuff going on." Neville, who had just taken his seat, chimed in. "I heard a little about what they said." "Oh?" Mark was surprised and pleased that Neville was volunteering information to help. "What was it?" "Jeremiah said something about how Ellis did not trust him. Ellis said he wanted to see something and hold it when they do something. That was all I could hear." Mark felt some of his good feeling leave him. He wished he knew what Jeremiah had planned. He couldn't think of any way Jeremiah could hurt him, but he understood what Jeremiah plus Alden were capable of. The last two days of the campaign would consist of the candidates visiting the three classes on Tuesday to answer questions and make any last minute statements. "Pressing the flesh," was how Patrick's father put it. Wednesday would be Election Day, with the ballots being handed out first period. The winners would be named after lunch. In the case where nobody received a majority of the votes, the top two finishers would be named with a run-off election on Friday. Mark wished the election could have been held right after the speeches. He knew he would win if they voted. He knew Jeremiah was up to no good and he didn't want to give him the chance to make trouble. What Mark didn't know was how far Jeremiah was willing to go to win the election. Mark had a good self-image and was secure about how he fit in with his peers, even after Jeremiah's dirty tricks. Jeremiah knew that no matter how hard he tried he didn't really fit in. He was insanely jealous of the popularity of Mark and Matthew. Winning the election would prove to everybody that he was better than either one of the twins. If his plan in the morning succeeded, as far as he was concerned the election was his. ++++++++++++ "Patrick's eating breakfast naked," Matthew announced as he bounded through the kitchen door. "I am not," Patrick said. "I have socks on." "Close enough," Mark said as he followed his brother into the kitchen. "You've usually had a sweatshirt on," Matthew said. "Grannana cranked the heat up some, so I didn't need it." "Where is my favorite Grannana?" Mark asked. "Getting ready to drive to a doctor's appointment." "Is she going to give us a ride to school?" Matthew asked hopefully. "She's going the opposite way," Patrick told him as he put away his breakfast dishes. The boys went to Patrick's bedroom and chatted as Patrick dressed. The candidates had to wear their formal uniforms the day before for their speeches and had to do the same the next two days. The rest of the students could wear their regular uniforms. "One of these days we have to get here early enough for somebody to get a blow job before we catch the bus," Mark said. "You must be horny," Matthew noted. "I've been getting horny a lot." "Me, too." "I don't get horny much," Patrick said. "You will," Mark told him. "You're already a little horn dog, just wait until you're our age." "I'm not a little kid," Patrick said indignantly. "I was just kidding you." Patrick slipped his tie over his head, tucked it under his collar, and tightened it around his neck. "You look great, Patrick." Mark said. "Now let's go win us some more votes." Mark didn't know that he wouldn't get the chance to do that. The trouble started as soon as the boys got off of Bus 2 at the loading zone. Right away the twins saw Jeremiah and Ellis at the wide stone stairway to the main entrance. Jeremiah took Ellis by his arm, and Ellis did not look pleased. "Let's follow them," Mark said. "I think Ellis is in trouble." "We should tell the supervisor," Patrick advised. "Supervisors never do anything. Come on, let's see if Ellis needs help." The three of them started up the steps with Mark in the lead. He suddenly realized he was by himself. When he turned around he saw that Matthew and Patrick had been stopped by Alden and Tony. Not wanting to lose track of Ellis, Mark kept going. He was confident that Matthew could take care of himself and would be right behind him. Mark entered the main hall just in time to see Jeremiah haul Ellis onto the stairs leading to the basement. He followed them down the stairs. Once again he was just in time to see Jeremiah and Ellis head into the bathroom, not knowing that Jeremiah was making sure that Mark would see them. The bathroom was down the hall from the student council lounge. He thought about going back to get Matthew, but he decided Ellis looked like he needed help right then. Mark hustled into the bathroom and saw that Jeremiah had Ellis pinned against the side of one of the stalls. Jeremiah looked at Mark, gave him an evil grin, and then punched Ellis in the gut. Ellis grunted and doubled over. Jeremiah looked ready to land another blow, so Mark pulled him away and pushed him against the concrete wall. He was just about to land a blow of his own when he heard a voice behind him yelling, "Hey, why are you hitting Jeremiah?" Mark turned and saw Jeremiah's friend Conrad and another boy he didn't know. "He punched Ellis," Mark said. "No, you punched Ellis," Jeremiah said as he fought to get his breath back. "I tried to stop him," he told the other boys, "but then he punched me." "You drug Ellis down here," Mark said. "That's what you did. You said you were mad at Ellis for being my friend and liking me in the election. I kept Mark from beating you up, didn't I, Ellis?" Ellis was getting his breath back, but kept silent. Jeremiah had slugged him much harder than he'd expected. Then he broke out in tears, his sobs causing his already shaking body to shake even more. The boy with Conrad had left the room and returned with Dean Cutler, the fifth-sixth grade dean whom he had found in the main hall upstairs. By mid-morning, Mark was sitting in Dean Cutler's office with the dean and his mother. "Yes, Mrs. Kirkwood, we are all shocked that Mark would do this as well. We think a great deal of your son, but he messed up. Dean Blowers, the headmaster, has approved a three-day suspension for hitting Jeremiah." "What about the election?" Kristy Kirkwood asked. "This ends his election run, but frankly I think enough of our students to believe he wouldn't get their votes right now. Mrs. Kirkwood, the only reason we aren't expelling your son for bullying and assaulting Ellis is that Ellis denies Mark hit him and that the entire incident was a big misunderstanding." "What about the other boy, Jeremiah, will he be suspended?" "We look at him as a victim here. We don't believe Mark intended to create a problem, but that he overreacted to what he saw. The entire incident is a mish-mash of conflicting stories. And, as you are well aware, there is a history of animosity between the two boys." "Yes, Dean Cutler, I am quite aware of that." "Mark also had a history of stepping into messes at his previous school. Apparently he and his brother thought it was their role to control the boys they perceived to be bullies, with mixed results." "I am aware of that, as well. But, if my son says he stepped in because he saw the young boy being assaulted, I believe him." Kristy was not in one of her "why me" modes. She was in her "mother bear defending her cub" mode. "Again, the only reason this isn't worse is because as far was we can tell, no blows were landed." "A blow was landed, Dean Cutler. If my son says it happened, it happened. He has his flaws, but dishonesty is not one of them." "Ellis told us point blank that nobody hit him." "I do not know Ellis, but I do know Jeremiah. I would be willing to venture a guess that Ellis is a very frightened little boy right now. You may want to take a second look as to how you're handling this." "I appreciate that you are defending your son. But as of now, he is suspended from school until Friday. He will be responsible for all missed assignments and tests, of course." Kristy said she was aware of his responsibilities. "Let's go, Mark." She was surprised that Mark had sat through the conference saying nothing. That simply was not his style. It certainly wasn't the first such conference of his young life, and it wasn't his first school suspension. But even as a little pre-adolescent, he had said his piece—he was not one to be intimidated by teachers, administrators, or adults as a whole. But this time, he sat sullenly and never said a word in his defense, other than to tell his mother he never hit anybody. Once in the car, Mark quickly said to his mother, "Mom, I didn't lie. I saw Jeremiah hit Ellis in the stomach." "I believe you, dear, but there's no proof. Ellis has denied anyone hit him. So, we just have to live with this mistake, as bad as it is." Mark became quiet and finished the trip home feeling that he had been unfairly treated and that his hope for being president had been destroyed. When they arrived home, Mark went to his room, took off his now quite disheveled uniform, and lay on his bed in his boxers. He was even more depressed than he'd been on Friday. He could now see what Jeremiah and Ellis were planning, and he'd fallen for it. He didn't blame Ellis. He was certain Ellis was very afraid of Jeremiah for some reason. But, for the second time in six months, Jeremiah had bested him. He knew that the only thing that really saved him from serious trouble was Ellis not backing up Jeremiah's story about being punched in the gut when Dean Cutler asked him if Mark had hit him. He also knew that Ellis was probably in bigger trouble with Jeremiah and there was nothing he could do about it. At the moment, none of that mattered to him. He felt betrayed by Ellis, even though he knew Ellis wasn't at fault. He felt betrayed by Matthew and Patrick for not barging past Alden and Tony to help him with Jeremiah. But mostly, he felt betrayed by himself for being a loser. He'd lost games, both as an individual and as a member of a team. That was part of competition, and if you lost you didn't make excuses because excuses were for losers. What you did was work harder to win the next time. He loved competition, he loved winning, but he knew there were times he was going to lose. That was different than being a loser. It was different than being somebody who made excuses when things didn't go his way. But in this case, he felt justified to make excuses. People whom he depended on didn't have his back and had hung him out to dry. Ellis, Matthew, Patrick, even Jeremiah, were all part of him being at home on his bed when he should be at school campaigning. He had felt down on Friday, but that was nothing compared to how he felt now. He heard his phone and picked it up. It was a text from Matthew saying simply, "Hang in there bro." He deleted it and rolled over on his bed. He fell asleep, burying his depression in temporary darkness. Ellis went through the motions of doing his campaigning. He no longer cared if he won his election; in fact he was hoping he would lose. The momentary high he had from being in front of the fifth graders and making a speech and actually hearing applause was gone. He ignored the Posse members and they ignored him. The same was true for the Fantastic Five. At lunch, Alden, Jeremiah and his entire clique ignored him, at least until he went outside to the covered play area. It was cold and raining and most of the students were indoors. He stood staring out at the athletic field when he felt a tap on his shoulder, causing him to yelp and almost jump off of his feet. He turned to see Jeremiah glaring at him. "You were supposed to say that Mark hit you. Why do you think I slugged you? It was to make it all look real. You didn't do it right." Ellis wanted to say that Mark would have been in bigger trouble if he had lied about being hit. He wanted to say he wanted Mark and the Posse and the Fantastic Five to be his friends, but if he lied about Mark hitting him, they never would be. He wanted to say that he didn't tell anybody that it was Jeremiah who slugged him in the stomach, hitting him much harder than he said he would. Instead, he went into his passive aggressive mode and didn't answer. "Like always, you got nothing to say. You are such a chicken shit." Ellis looked out at the field. "Say something before I punch you again." This time Ellis reacted. "Go ahead and punch me. Lots of guys are watching. Punch me. Go ahead, cuz you'll be in bigger trouble than Mark." "You're never getting that picture back, because now you owe me big time." "I never told anybody you punched me. I never told anybody that you lied about everything. I never told anybody that Mark never hit you either, that he just grabbed you. I don't owe you nothing. You owe me the picture." Jeremiah had just heard a week's worth of talk from Ellis. Now it was his turn to ignore what was being said to him. "You are my slave. Don't you ever forget it." He turned and walked away, leaving Ellis to go back to staring at the athletic fields. ++++++++++++ When Matthew got home from school, he gave his mother a cursory greeting and ran upstairs to see his brother. He found Mark sleeping on his bed. He hesitated for a moment, and then decided to wake him up. He shook his brother awake. "Are you okay, bro?" "No." Matthew sat on the bed. "Sorry, bro." "Where were you when I needed you?" "We got stopped by Alden, Tony, and two other guys you didn't see." "You could have just gone by them. Since when does anybody stop one of us?" "I was worried they might hurt Patrick." "You put Patrick ahead of your brother? Your twin brother?" "We've always watched out for our friends. I knew you could handle Jeremiah." Mark turned his back on his brother. "Looks like you were wrong," he said. Mark and Matthew slept in their own beds that night. ++++++++++++ The next day Dean Blowers announced the fifth grade election winners just before lunch. The final result was good news for Mr. Jackson's class and the Posse in particular. Misha was elected secretary. In his own shy, understated way, Misha had become popular in Mr. Jackson's class, and his speech won over a lot of boys in the other two classes. He was stunned that he had won—in his mind he hadn't stood a chance. The treasurer was Ellis. Everybody knew about the incident in the basement boys' room the day before, but nobody seemed to know what to make of it. He was looked upon by many as a victim, especially after Jeremiah said that Ellis had been attacked by Mark. Even though the skinny blond was considered to be somewhat weird, he was seen as a better choice than his opponent. Jeremiah was pleased because it gave him an ally on the student council. There was no question in his mind that his name would be read as the new fifth grade president. Matthew won sergeant-at-arms. There were ambivalent feelings in this election as well. Many of the boys wondered if the rumors about the twins were just about Mark, or that they pertained to Matthew as well. What they did know was that Matthew was nowhere near the bathroom attack on Jeremiah and Ellis. Besides, nobody liked Alden, whose superior attitude put off many of the fifth graders. The election of Patrick as vice-president gave Mr. Jackson's class a sweep so far. While Ellis and Matthew's elections surprised some students as well as much of the faculty, nobody was surprised by Patrick's victory. His friendly, outgoing demeanor had his classmates liking him since the start of the school year. Jeremiah was really disappointed because he knew that Patrick and the twins were very close. Jeremiah was stunned when he heard the results for president. None of the three candidates had garnered a majority. Jeremiah and Caleb would have a run-off election on Friday. Obviously, even after all of the controversy of the previous morning, Mark had still picked up some votes. Jeremiah was furious, blaming Ellis for his failure to win. Jeremiah had been prepared to be seen as a hero, stopping Ellis from getting his ass kicked by Mark while he got punched out by Mark instead. He was ready to play the role of victim, but Ellis's story, while not the entire truth, made the incident look like a mix-up rather than a rescue. Mark ended up being suspended instead of kicked out of school, which is what Jeremiah and Alden were hoping for. Alden and Jeremiah decided that Jeremiah probably got more votes than Caleb and would win on Friday. Jeremiah would turn on his salesman personality and be pleasant to everybody he saw. While it had been easy to get down and dirty against Mark, in part because Jeremiah hated Mark, he felt no animosity towards Caleb. Jeremiah thought he would win because he was better than Caleb and could outsell and outtalk him. ++++++++++++ "It's really cool that Ellis and Misha and Patrick won," Matthew said to Mark as they lay on their own beds again. Mark had once again been aloof. "Ellis is why I didn't win," Mark said. "Remember, excuses are for..." "Shut up!" Mark turned away from Matthew, who turned off the light, wondering where his beloved twin brother had disappeared to. "Mark?" "Don't talk to me. Don't talk to me ever again." Mark tried unsuccessfully to fight back sobs. Matthew couldn't believe he heard his cocky, confident, take-no-prisoners twin, and the person he loved more than anyone in the world, crying on his bed. Like Mark, Matthew's life had turned upside down. ++++++++++++ Election Day should have been the happiest of Ellis's life. He had won an election. He, Ellis, who liked lipstick and painting his nails and wearing girl's panties, had actually won an election. He didn't understand how it happened, but he accepted that it did. But, there was the cloud of the incident in the bathroom hanging over his victory. Mark was not in school celebrating, he was at home, kicked out of school on Election Day, and Ellis knew it was his fault. Ellis also knew that Jeremiah wanted Mark to be blamed for slugging him in the stomach. Ellis couldn't say that Jeremiah had slugged him because of the existence of the picture. If everybody saw that picture, he'd be laughed out of the school and winning the election wouldn't mean a thing. By saying that nobody had hit him, Ellis hoped that Mark wouldn't get into trouble, but that turned out not to be the case. What Ellis didn't realize at the time was that his denial was the primary reason Mark hadn't been expelled from the Academy. Ellis had won the election because his overall quiet nature helped to mask his flamboyance. He had won because the Puget Posse and the Fantastic Five had kept what had happened at the challenge a secret, not an easy task for ten young boys. He had won because he had the support of Jeremiah's cabal. And he had won because his opponent was an even bigger nonentity than he was and Ellis had presented the better speech. He was the class treasurer, but in his mind he was right back to being a nobody. Jeremiah and Alden hated him and still had the picture to hold over him. He was certain Mark hated him and would never be his friend. He hated himself and wondered what it would be like to be dead and not have to think about all of the shit going on around him. Ellis didn't want to sleep alone. But, he couldn't sleep with Barry and he did not want to sleep with his mother. What he really wanted was for his father to be home so he could curl up to him and be held by his strong arms. His father had called and told him how proud he was of his son, the treasurer. That phone call was the only thing that kept him from falling into total despair. Like Mark, he cried himself to sleep. ++++++++++++ There was some happiness, of course. Even though his friend Mark was in trouble and didn't win, Patrick couldn't help but have good feelings about being the fifth grade vice-president. "I'm glad you won, Patrick." Will said on the bus ride home. "I wish we both could have won," Patrick said. "You would be a good vice-president." "Well, now you are a good vice-president." "Yeah, good job Patrick," Matthew said. "No offense, Will, I would have said that to you, too." "I know you would. If only Jeremiah hadn't gotten Mark into trouble, Mr. J's class would have totally ruled the election," Will said. That night, Patrick, Brian, Uncle Ted, Grannana, and Uncle Roy went out for a celebration dinner at Outback. The food was good and the company convivial. It was a great day for Patrick. "You see, Wombat," Roy told Patrick, "it didn't matter that you're the youngest or the littlest. What matters is you were the best. Like my coach always says, it's not the size of the dog in the fight, but the... "...size of the fight in the dog," Patrick finished with a giggle. Roy did his best to muss Patrick's short hair. It was just long enough that Roy's hand made a difference in his hair position. "Are you gonna spend the night?" Patrick asked Roy. "No, kiddo, I have to be in school in the morning." "Oh, please stay," Patrick begged. "You can get up real early and still be on time." Roy laughed and ran his hand through Patrick's hair again, much to his young nephew's delight. "This is your Uncle Roy you're talking to Paddy. Uncle Roy does not get up any earlier than he has to." "So, tomorrow you have to get up early, and that means you can stay." Patrick flashed Roy his trademark grin, which almost convinced Roy to spend the night all by itself. "I'll stay soon," Roy said. "How soon?" "Soon, okay? Have I ever let you down?" "No, I guess not. But just don't make it too long." "You have my word on that, Wombat." Patrick flashed another one of his grins and Roy promised himself to keep his promise to his nephew as soon as he could. That night ended up being extra special for the nine-year-old as he went from playing with himself to seriously masturbating to having a dry orgasm, all the while thinking of Misha and the special hug he received from his friend after the election winners were announced. ++++++++++++ Misha's victory was also celebrated by dining out. The Larsons ate at a popular seafood restaurant. Ryan and Lois were proud of their adopted son's accomplishment. They were pleased at how he was coming out of his shell and were especially pleased at how well he had adapted to attending school. They gave the Puget Academy much of the credit by providing a nurturing environment for boys who tended to be non-conformists. There were still nights when Misha came into their bed and slept with them, and they knew that while those nights were becoming less frequent, they would continue for a few more years. But, Mikhail, their Misha, was becoming more and more his own independent person. That night Misha masturbated with more confidence than the younger Patrick did, but his fantasy was almost the same. The eleven-year-old had his own dry orgasm while thinking of the special hug he received from his friend Patrick after the election winners were announced. In his fantasy the two of them were standing naked in the middle of the classroom as they hugged. ++++++++++++ Mark's suspension ended on Friday, leading to an argument Thursday night. Mark wanted to wait until Monday to return to school rather than put up with the hassles of school for just one day; at least that was his reasoning. "It's dumb," he told his parents at dinner. "I go to school, listen to everybody say stupid shit, then sit around at home for the weekend." "Watch your language," Kristy said. Deep down she was pleased to see Mark get his hackles raised. It was the first life he'd shown since the bathroom incident. "I can spend the day doing my makeup work," he argued. "You were supposed to be doing that every day," Scott reminded him. Mark's silence told the story of how that had worked out. "Besides," Matthew said, "we need your vote against Jeremiah." Matthew's statement quickly revealed one of the other reasons Mark wanted to stay home from school. "I don't want to be there to vote. I don't want anything to do with it. Nothing. Nada. Nix. Zero. Zippo and zilch." Without waiting to be excused he pushed back his chair, knocking it to the floor, and stomped out of the dining room. Scott looked at Kristy and said he would talk to Mark once he'd had a chance to cool down. All Scott's efforts ended up doing was getting his son riled up all over again. Scott and Kristy finally decided to allow Mark to stay home from school on Friday with the proviso he finished all of this back work that day and went to school without argument on Monday. Mark agreed, although he never wanted to go back to that school ever again. He decided that during the next week at school he was going to be as miserable as he could and then start arguing to go back to North Lake, or even to public school. He just wanted out of the Puget Academy and away from Jeremiah. It occurred to him that Jeremiah had gotten him kicked off of the baseball team last summer and that if he left the Academy because of Jeremiah he was conceding total defeat to his now mortal enemy, but he didn't care. Let Jeremiah and his friends take over the place, he just wanted to be away from it all. If Jeremiah had known how close he was to completely breaking Mark's spirit, he would have been giddy with pleasure. Things came to a head for Mark on Saturday. He and Matthew had a one o'clock Rookie League basketball game. One of the few things Mark had done that week was go to the team's Wednesday practice. Matthew was the only other player on the team, other than Mark, who attended Puget Academy, so he wasn't worried about catching flack from anybody about his suspension. But, he wasn't in the mood to practice, either, and loafed through the drills, attracting the ire of his coach. Instead of responding by picking up his pace as he normally would have, he continued to loaf. He was angry at the coach for yelling at him and for expecting too much out of him. Everybody could see that Mark, their captain and team leader, was totally out of synch. As a result of his loafing, Mark didn't start the Saturday game, and when he played he once again went at less than full pace. The coach benched him twice during the game for lack of hustle, and ended up leaving him on the bench for the entire fourth quarter. His Larry's Market Sonics lost a tight 35-33 game. Mark's indifferent play was a big factor in the loss. Matthew tried to play twice as hard to make up for his brother. Normally, he and Mark fed off of each other's energy during a game, but this time Mark's lackadaisical performance seemed to sap the energy from his brother. On the ride home, things came to a head. Scott was driving and the twins were sitting in the middle seat of the SUV. Kristy was attending Michelle and Megan's game so it was just the three of them. "You lost that game for us," Matthew said, barely able to keep his anger under control. He had never been this furious with his brother. "How? I never scored any points for the meatballs, so how did I lose the game?" Their opponent was sponsored by Romo's Italian Restaurant. "Just shut up." "Boys, how about we ride home in silence," Scott said. "You guys lost the game. It's happened before, it will happen again." "It never happened because somebody thinks he doesn't have to hustle," Matthew said. "I said shut up. I hustled." "Yeah, you hustled to the bench. You totally sucked." "Everybody sucks sometimes. Besides, Coach Allen hardly ever played me, so when did I have the chance to hustle?" "You didn't hustle at all when you went in, that's why he didn't play you much." "Like you were Mr. Perfect out there." "I hustled." "Boys, be quiet." Scott said, knowing he would be ignored. In a way he was hoping that Matthew would knock some sense into his moody twin. "You hustled just like I hustled," Mark said. "And Walker had three turnovers in the fourth quarter, so maybe you should yell at him instead of me." "Walker was out there playing while our best player was on the bench feeling all sorry for himself and making excuses. I never even saw you cheering for anybody." "I'm not making excuses. You saw it, right dad? Coach Allen has it in for me, just like Jeremiah's dad did in baseball." Scott remained silent as he steered the SUV up the long gravel drive to their house. Matthew, however, did not remain silent. "Nobody has it in for you; you're just being a loser." "Fuck you." "Excuses are for losers." "Double fuck you." Scott could feel the electricity in the seat behind him as stopped in front of the garage. The doors unlocked and Matthew stepped outside into a steady rainfall, not bothering to put his jacket on, wearing only his basketball uniform. He sensed Mark moving quickly behind him and turned as his brother jumped him. The boys quickly fell to the ground, exchanging punches, rolling across the wet grass, escaping each other, knocking each other down, punching again—unlike any other fight they'd had, this one wasn't a disagreement over something trivial and stupid. This fight was full of genuine anger that had been building up all week. Scott watched the two go at it, willing to let them fight it out as long as nobody tried to seriously hurt the other. As angry as the twins were, they had years of fighting fair fights ingrained in them. Their goal was to establish supremacy, not to hurt the other, at least not seriously. A three-day steady rainfall had turned the other side of the drive into a bog, with the ditch filling with puddles up to a foot deep. Scott almost wanted to laugh as the twins landed into one of the puddles, completely drenching their already damp uniforms as well as themselves. Water flew in all directions as did the high pitched voices of the preteen boys spewing expletives when they splashed though water and mud. Mark felt his uniform shorts slide down and somehow managed to rid himself of the wet burden, his jock following as he left it all in a roiling puddle. "Fuck you fuck you fuck you," Matthew screamed. "Fuck you loser!" "I'll show you who's a loser, you shithead." Mark yanked off Matthew's shorts as his brother lay on his stomach struggling in the mud. Scott was trying to figure out if this fight was wilder than the one the twins had fought in the snow and decided this one won hands down. Arms and legs and fists and bodies and pieces of uniforms seemed to be everywhere. Things suddenly quieted down. Matthew was sitting on Mark's chest. Matthew was wearing just his uniform top and his shoes. Mark was in six inches of muddy water, naked except for his shoes. The boys were covered with mud and grass and leaves and were wet and cold. The steady rain kept falling, making them even wetter and colder. "You don't have any pants on," Mark said. "You don't have any anything on," Matthew shot back. "We should have won that game." "Yeah, if somebody..." "...if somebody would hustle like he was supposed to," Mark said in a voice so quiet that the falling rain almost drowned it out. Matthew could see moisture forming on Mark's cheeks that was not caused by the rain. Mark brought an arm up around his brother and rolled him onto the muddy ground. Matthew put up no resistance; the fight was gone from both of them and they knew it. Matthew looked into his brother's eyes, saw his tears, and wiped some off the cheek of his twin, knowing the gesture wouldn't dry anything. Grabbing his brother and holding him tightly, Mark's body started to shake as he tried to hold something in and finally had to let it go. He started weeping and then let out a long loud wail as he held onto his twin brother, and let the entire week flow out of him as his racking sobs shook him and Matthew. Even in the cold rain, Matthew swore he could feel the hot tears of his brother flowing onto his chest. "I'm a loser," Mark sobbed, "I'm nothing but a loser." While Scott had never before seen the level of anger the boys had taken into the fight, he also had never before seen the level of love between the two of them as they hugged each other in the mud. Matthew stunned his father by planting a long kiss on Mark's lips. Scott finally lifted his emotionally spent boys off of the ground. They found the two pair of shorts and the two jockstraps that had been thrown onto the muddy water. Mark's shirt was buried in the mud and would have to wait until later to be found. Kristy pulled up with the girls as the boys were limping to the house. She looked at the wet, muddy, naked boys, somewhat bloodied and bruised and shook her head. "I'll tell you later," Scott said. "Right now they need a warm bath and some cuts dressed." Kristy nodded, then let out her breath when Scott continued. "I think everything is going to be all right." The twins showered together, letting the hot water wash off the rain and mud and tears as it warmed them to the marrow of their bones. They said nothing, knowing that everything they needed to say was either left out in the mud of the field or would be brought up after they went to bed—together. That Saturday night the twins retired to the same bed for the first time since Sunday. They were naked, as they always were when they slept together. Neither one was boned up, but they each had a suspicion they would be before they dropped off to sleep. They cuddled up, facing each other, their naked bodies touching from torso to ankles. They said nothing for almost ten minutes before Mark broke the silence. "I'm sorry, bro," he said with force and sincerity. "For fighting me?" "No, doofus, you and me always fight." "Yeah, well, that was something like a fight and a half." Mark and Matthew shared giggles before Mark continued. "I'm sorry for being a dickhead. I treated you bad and I don't blame you for giving me this cut over my eye." "What about my bruised rib?" "Well, I needed to keep things even you know." He slowly stroked the bruised skin covering his brother's ribs, before placing his hand over the bubble butt that was the image of his own and gently stroking it. "I let Jeremiah get to me. I let him win." "Well, he did kind of win didn't he? I mean he's Mr. President and you spent a week at home." Jeremiah, much to the chagrin of the Puget Academy faculty, won the run-off election. Those who knew the boys wished there had been a way to work things out so Mark, or even Caleb, could have won the election. None of them believed that Jeremiah was the innocent victim in the basement bathroom on Tuesday morning. "Nah, he didn't win, I let him win. I made excuses about what happened, and we all know who excuses are for." "Yeah, they're for losers. But you're no loser, bro. You're a Kirkwood twin and we're not losers." "I was a loser. Just like I told you after the fight. I let Jeremiah win. I made excuses and let the lasagna kids beat us in basketball. We should've won that game. We would've won it if I was playing my best instead of...instead of..." "Instead of being a loser," Matthew finished. "Yeah. But you know what dad says after we screw up." "Yep, he says `Learn from it.'" "Dad saw us kiss there in the mud," Mark said. "Like I care. I bet he never says anything about it." Mark nodded in agreement. "Well, Jeremiah beat us twice and it's time for us to fight back." Matthew liked how Mark talked in the plural form, which meant he was included just like he was supposed to be. "Do you have a plan? You've had lots of time to make one." "Nah, I was busy being a loser. But we'll think of something. I know the first thing we need to do, though." "What?" "Talk to Ellis and tell him he's still our friend. And then find out why he's so scared of Jeremiah." "You talk to Ellis," Matthew said. "You mean you don't want to be his friend?" "Ellis and I have been talking all week. You need to talk to him. I know he feels real bad about what happened to you because of him. I mean really, really, really bad. He needs to talk to you." "Gotcha." Mark looked into his brothers eyes. Just like the electricity of anger had zapped around the SUV that afternoon, the electricity of love was flowing through their touching bodies. The time had come. The mix of testosterone, adrenaline, anger, blood, bruises, and plain old ordinary love that had coursed through them all day brought them to this point. "I haven't had a cum since Sunday," Mark said. "And I am totally boned up now." "I know. You've been poking me with it." Matthew looked at his brother, happy he was back. "What do you want to do?" Mark rolled on top of his brother and started dry humping him, letting his hard cocklet push up against its twin member. He put his lips against Matthew's and gave him a hard kiss that soon turned into a wet kiss, that led to a battle of tongues at the same time their cocks battled below. The brothers loved oral sex together and enjoyed dry humping, and even pushed their cock between a brother's legs. But wild, passionate kissing was rarely a part of their routine. They were now incredibly horny. The bed jumped as Mark deep kissed, pushed his cock down hard against his brother's smooth skin and smooth cock. Matthew pushed back; his tongue pushing back into Mark's mouth, his cock pushing up against Mark's cock, his fingers probing the cleft of Mark's bouncing ass. Just like their fight that afternoon had been far beyond the bounds of their ordinary fights, their sex was now beyond the bounds of any kind of sex they'd ever had. They moaned, they groaned, they cussed, they humped, they kissed, they felt each other's asses and cracks, and they slobbered saliva over each other's mouths and faces. The preadolescent boys were worked up to where they were losing control. What they were experiencing was more than two loving brothers getting themselves off; instead they were experiencing true, passionate sex. "Oh shit, shit, fuck, bro, I'm ready to cum," Mark rasped in a voice far below his normal boy soprano. He shoved his cock down hard on Matthew, let out a loud, long, screechy moan, not caring who heard it, and came with a force that almost ripped his cock out of his groin. Mark's tongue was buried in Matthew's mouth as his brother came with an almost equal force. Mark collapsed on top of his twin. "Fuck, that was amazing." "Yeah, it was awesome beyond awesome. I feel something wet on me." "Something wet? Like pee or something?" Mark got off of his brother and they both looked down at Matthew's bare belly. Matthew put his finger in it and took a smell. "It smells like...like...it smells cummy kind of like." "That means one of us did it for the first time." "It was you, since some of it is on my balls." "Wow, talk about awesome beyond awesome." The two exchanged a light kiss and resituated themselves so they were side-by side. "You know what?" Mark asked. "Jeremiah and his gang don't stand a chance." "Yep, he's won twice. But we know we're better than he is." "We're way better than he is. He better be ready for us." Mark looked at his brother and flashed the confident grin that Matthew loved so much, and belted out with gusto, "The Kirkwood twins are back!" Next: Recovery