Date: Sat, 19 Dec 2020 22:29:05 +0000 (UTC) From: Albert Collins Subject: You were there - part 33 Disclaimer: This is a romantic love story about love between young adolescent boys. There are some explicit sex scenes in the story but they are not the main focus of the story. So if you are looking for a story with a lot of explicit sex action, you are in the wrong place. If you like to read a sappy romantic tory with occasional kinky sex scenes, then please sit back and enjoy! Thanks again to all those who wrote with comments and feedback! Of course, as usual, comments and constructive criticism are welcome! albert.c87@yahoo.com ************************************************ You were there -- Part 33 "Hey, Diego, wake up!" Luke shook up Diego's shoulder and Diego stirred, opening his eyes and looking around in confusion. "Wake up, dude, we're here!" Luke's smiling face greeted Diego's startled look. The bus was parked in a parking lot inside the Crawford Notch State Park in the White Mountains. The kids were already disembarking. "Man, I can believe you can still do that! Fall asleep anywhere in like two minutes flat, I mean," Luke gave Diego a quick peck on the cheek. "I'm jealous! But it's great you had a nap!" Luke kissed Diego again. Diego smiled silently and blushed a little. When they got off the bus, Frank was explaining to everyone the plan of action: "All right, everybody, listen up! We are first taking a short hike to two small waterfalls, called the Coliseum Falls and the Bemis Falls. It's pretty level and easy way to get there." Frank paused as he saw Luke and Diego join the group. He shook his head in slight disapproval of their lateness and continued: "After that there's a long climb to the Arethusa Falls. That's where you'll really need to be careful and watch yourselves. We'll have a long break at Bemis Falls before the climb. Make sure that you stay together. Let's go!" The kids picked up their backpacks and followed Frank. Gregg stayed in the back of the group, as did Luke and Diego, while Rose kept in the middle. The trail quickly entered a wooded area but remained fairly level, sloping up only gently. The air felt cooler and damper than back at the forest around Green Oaks, and the trees were taller and older. Diego reached for Luke's arm and they joined hands. Luke smiled brightly as they walked in the shade of rustling trees already exhibiting signs of the coming autumn. Soon they heard a merry sound of rushing water of the Bemis creek. The trees parted and the sun shone brightly from the clear sky above. "All right, boys," Rose declared, "this is our first stop. The place is called the Fawn Pool. Take a look around for a few minutes before we continue. The Coliseum Falls are right ahead." As they exited the trail, the kids saw a shallow stony pool surrounded by rocks and boulders filled with clear spring mountain water. Just above it a foaming creek was rushing in along a series of sloped rocky steps. "O-o-o, pretty!" Toby enthused as he got closer. "Hey, Toby, buddy, be careful," Gregg warned, "it gets real slippery here." Luke and Diego approached the far corner of the pool away from the crowd. Diego peered at the greenish stones at the pool bottom as the water streamed over them. He inhaled the air deeply. It felt so peaceful here ... "Hey, look, a loon!" Luke exclaimed excitedly, tugging Diego's sleeve and startling him. "Come on, Luke, be nice!" Diego reproached, turning towards Luke. "No, silly," Luke giggled, "I don't mean it like that. A loon! It's a bird! There, see!" He pointed at a motley colored bird floating about ten feet away from them in the pool. "Looks like a duck!" Ritchie remarked, following Luke's hand. He moved closer to Luke and Diego. "No, numbnuts," Luke scoffed, "that's no duck! Look at the beak, all sharp and pointy, not like a duck at all! And the red eyes and that green collar. It'a a loon, man, they're totally different!" "That's right, Luke, buddy, whadya know, it is a loon!" Gregg confirmed, joining the group. "Weird, though, to see one in such a small pool. They normally use large lakes and rivers. Must have gotten lost or something." "Hey, Mr Gregg, it's got something stuck in its beak," Diego noticed. "Looks like a piece of a fishing line ..." "Oh yeah," Ritchie agreed, "and there's still a yellow bobber attached to it too!" "Well, that's not good," Gregg noted pensively. "It can't catch fish with that thing stuck in its beak. But this does explain a few things. The poor bird probably got hooked with the fishing line somewhere else. I mean there's no finishing in this pool here. Then flew off, got confused and ended up here by mistake. Must be getting weak and hungry by now ..." "Can we help him, Mr Gregg?" Diego asked hopefully. "I'm not sure, Diego, we might have to call the Fish and Game Service for that," Gregg replied raising his palms noncommittally. At that moment Frank, Rose and the other kids joined them. "What's all the commotion?" Frank inquired. "The boys spotted an injured loon," Gregg pointed towards the bird. "The poor thing got hooked up on some fishing line and seems to have gotten stranded here. We might have to call the game wardens." "Oh, brother!" Frank exclaimed in exasperation. "First the moose and now this! It's turning out to be quite a field trip!" "Hey Ritchie, what are you chomping on there?" Luke inquired looking at Ritchie, who was munching on something. "A rice krispies bar, why?" Ritchie replied suspiciously. "Give it to me!" Luke demanded. "Oh, come on, Luke," Ritchie complained, "You knew we're all supposed to bring our own snacks, right?" "It's not for me, it for him," Luke gestured towards the loon. "What? Ah, okay," Ritchie handed the snack to Luke. "Here, Diego, do your elf thing and try to lure him in," Luke turned to Diego and gave him Ritchie's snack bar. "Umm, Luke, you're kidding, right? I got no idea what to do!" Diego protested. "Diego, dude, don't start with me now," Luke pressed firmly. "Remember the moose?" Diego nodded uncertainly. "Well, turn off your big brain for once and just do what comes naturally," Luke insisted gently. "Just try it, babe, and see what happens ..." Diego shook his head and crouched over by the edge of the pool. He crushed the snack bar and threw several pieces in the water between himself and the loon. He then extended his hand towards the bird and hummed something softly. The loon perked up its head and slowly swam towards Diego, picking the krispies pieces with its beak and awkwardly trying to eat them, although the fishing line in its beak was clearly in the way. Everybody hushed as they observed the action. Diego hummed his melody a little louder and threw more snack crumbs into the water. The loon gradually got closer and closer until it was just a few inches away from Diego's fingers. Suddenly Luke, with a lightning fast motion, reached into the water, grabbed the bird and pulled it out. The loon flapped its wings and wailed loudly in Luke's hands. "Whoa!" Ritchie shouted excitedly. "Here, Luke, let me," Gregg took the bird away from Luke. "Kids, somebody give me a shirt or a jacket, quick!" "Here, Mr Gregg, take mine," Devon handed Gregg a jacket that he had tied around his waist and Gregg wrapped it around the bird. "Diego, could you hold its head, please?" Gregg requested. Diego held the bird's beak and gently stroked its neck. The loon gradually quieted down. "What do we do now?" Frank asked. "We've got to try to remove this damn fishing line somehow, right?" "Boys, has anyone got a pocket knife?" Gregg inquired. "Sure thing, Mr Gregg," Luke confirmed, "I always take one with me when we go hiking." Luke leaned down and pulled a folded pocket knife from his backpack. "All right, Luke," Gregg directed, "try to cut the line and see if you can get that hook loose. Diego, open up its beak a little." Luke and Diego got to work and soon most of the fishing line was untangled from the loon's beak and was lying on the ground in pieces. The last thing to come out was the fishhook itself. Luke maneuvered it out slowly and carefully, and finally the bird was free. "Okay, now what?" Luke asked with relief. "Now we put it back in the water and see what happens," Gregg explained. He unwrapped the loon and placed it back into the pool. The loon flapped its wings a few times, shook its head and quickly floated away. "Wow. Is he gonna fly off?" Rose asked Gregg, patting Luke's shoulder. "I'm not sure," Gregg commented. "Loons, they can only take off from the water. And they need about 90 feet or so for takeoff. I figure this pool is maybe 100 feet across. But this little guy here, he must be pretty weak and tired by now. Not sure if he can make it ..." The loon made several circles in the middle of the pool. "Guess he's thinking about it," Diego suggested. "Maybe we should have given him more food ..." The bird swam to the far end of the pool, seemingly having made up its mind. The loon turned around and started its run along the surface of the water, flapping its wings and careening its neck. "Wow, look, it's like he's walking on water!" Toby exclaimed excitedly. "That's right, buddy," Gregg agreed, "that's how loons take off." Just at that moment the loon reached the other end of the pool and took off, flying above the creek. "It worked, it worked, he's flying! It was so-o-o cool!!" Danny shouted, jumping up and down. The loon made a couple of wide circles in the air above them, emitting several soft hoot calls. "Maybe he's saying goodbye," Diego suggested wistfully. "And 'thank you'," Luke added with a warm grin. The loon made one more circle and flew away. "Well, that was ... good," Gregg remarked as he gave Luke and Diego a wistful look. "Yeah, but what about my krispies bar?" Ritchie pouted. Everybody laughed. "Here, Ritchie, man, take mine," Luke got out a snack bar from his backpack and offered it to Ritchie. "Oh, thanks, Luke, thanks!" Ritchie accepted in surprise. "Hmm, granola?" "Yeah," Luke smirked lightly, "it'll be good for you!" Ritchie forewent arguing, unwrapped the bar and started chewing it. "All righty then, the wildlife rescue's over, let's move on," Frank directed. "Follow me, everybody!" The group followed Frank up the trail to the next viewing area just a little further ahead along the creek. In just a few minutes they stopped at the Coliseum Falls. The sight was fresh and picturesque but somehow after the excitement of saving the loon things didn't seem quite the same and the kids were mostly quiet. They quickly moved on and continued along the trail. Luke noticed that Diego did perk up after the bus ride and was looking around curiously. "Feeling better, babe?" he wrapped his arm around Diego's shoulder. "Yeah, I think I am, thanks, Luke," Diego admitted with a bashful smile. "Smells good here. Good, but different from our pond forest somehow ..." "Good deal, elf-boy, I'm glad!" Luke winked at Diego and squeezed his shoulder. Diego gave him another shy grateful smile. Luke opened his mouth as if to say something else but decided to postpone the conversation and grinned at Diego warmly. A little while later their group reached another clearing with a crowd of people standing at the observation area along a steepish stone ledge. "Bemis Falls, guys, take a look!" Frank declared loudly. "It's a real good place, so we'll spend about half an hour here. But don't wander off too far." Diego and Luke made their way through the crowd to the edge of the water. The creek was narrow and fast here and the waterfalls were bigger and louder than the Coliseum Falls below. They consisted of four separate stair-steps with foaming mountain spring water cascading from step to step. "Wow!" Luke exhaled. "Way cool!" "Yeah," Diego agreed, sniffing the air zestfully. He crouched over and reached for the water. "Oi, it's really cold!" he exclaimed with a laugh. "We're in the mountains, Mr City Elf, he-he!" Luke teased gently. "Spring water is cold here even in August." Diego held his hand in the water a bit longer, getting used to its cool refreshing flow. Gradually Luke and Diego moved to the corner of the observation area, away from the crowd. Luke pulled Diego by his waist and whispered in his ear: "You know, Diego, maybe it's the light playing tricks bit you look particularly fetching right now! The mountain air definitely agrees with you, babe!" "Oh, yeah?" Diego quipped with a grin, blushing slightly. "Yeah!" Luke affirmed and planted a long tender kiss on Diego's lips. "What the ...? Are you two faggots or something?" a gruff voice next to them spoke annoyingly. Diego and Luke looked up and saw a tall beefy boy in a green football jersey standing a few feet away. "What?!" Luke released Diego and turned to face the boy, who looked to be about 16-17 years old and stood at almost 6 feet. "Are the two of you little faggots?" the boy repeated haughtily. "Hey, Fred, Freddo, come here, man!" he called one of his friends who was standing nearby. "Yeah, what is it, RJ?" Fred approached quickly. He was not as tall and less solidly built than RJ but was wearing the same green football uniform. "Looks like we've got us two little lovey-dovey fags here," RJ explained with a nasty smile, pointing to Luke and Diego. "Caught them kissing not five feet from me, the little shits!" "The fuck you say!" Fred replied menacingly. "Look, you dumb fat fucktards," Luke stepped forward in front of Diego, clenching his fists. "It's none of your fucking business whom I kiss and where and when! Why don't you crawl back in whatever shit-hole you came from before I break your fucking balls!" Luke raised his fists and glared at RJ and Fred defiantly. "Luke, come on, please just leave them be, it's not worth it," Diego tugged on Luke's sleeve. He felt that Luke's body was tight and tense as a spring. "Well, Freddo, what do you say we teach these two young uppity faggots a proper lesson?" RJ smirked, cracking his knuckles. "RJ, please, we don't use that kind of language," a short portly man interceded as he approached the gathering. "Yeah, but Reverend Paul, you should have seen what these two little fags were doing!" RJ complained bitterly. "And you should have heard this one talking!" he pointed at Luke. "RJ, Freddie, remember, we still don't use that kind of language when we talk to sinners," Reverend Paul reproached mildly. "We try to convince them to turn away from sin using the language of love, not anger. Now, go ahead with the others and I'll join you shortly." RJ and Fred departed shooting evil glares towards Luke and Diego. Reverend Paul turned to face Luke: "I'm sorry about this, boys. RJ's a good kid but he's got a bit of a temper ... Still I want to tell you about our church." He got out a couple of brochures from his pocket. "If you ever want to renounce Satan and sin and to turn toward Christ, we'd be happy to welcome you!" he continued. "Our doors are always open!" "What?" Luke stared back blankly. "Well, I'll just leave these here," Reverend Paul put the brochures on the parapet next to Diego. "You might want to show them to your parents. And remember, if you want to turn away from sin, our doors are always open!" He gave Luke and Diego another glance over and walked away. "What the fucking fuck ..." Luke exhaled. "This 'Reverend Paul', man I really wanted to break his balls too. Even more than RJ's!" "I'm glad you didn't," Diego put his hand on Luke's shoulder and gave Luke a quick peck on the cheek. "These jerks, they weren't worth it! And did you see how big RJ was? Luke, he could have killed you!" Diego hugged Luke and spun him around. "That fucktard moron RJ? Not likely," Luke laughed dismissively. "Come on, Diego, babe, aren't you the capoeira master here? You should know that size doesn't really matter." Luke separated from Diego and grinned back at him. "I could take stupid guys like that even when I was 10. Man, I really wanted to break his nuts!" Luke giggled wickedly. A girl of about the same age as RJ and Fred, with long straight auburn hair, approached Luke and Diego slowly. "Excuse me, guys," she started with a smile, "I couldn't help to overhear what just happened. Are the two of you really ... boyfriends?" "What's that to you if we are?" Luke replied defiantly. "Are you RJ's sister or something?" "No, it's nothing like that," the girl laughed. "I don't know those guys. But I really liked how you handled them. They were real jerks. And that Reverend Paul, he was even worse! By the way, my name is Tessa. I'm 17." She extended her hand to Luke. "Luke, I'm 12," Luke shook Tessa's hand. "And that's my boyfriend Diego. He's 12 too." Diego, blushing, silently shook Tessa's hand as well. "Luke, please don't try to break my balls, but you too are adorable together!" Tessa joked. "I don't hit no girls," Luke commented with a hint of annoyance. "Well, I'm glad," Tessa burst into laughter, and Luke and Diego joined her. "Tessa, are you here by yourself? Or with your family? Or on a field trip, like us?" Diego inquired. "With my family," Tessa explained. "In fact, I really want you to meet my younger brother. No, it's not RJ!" "Hey, Noah, Chris, come here, guys," she called out. Two boys, who looked to be a few years older than Luke and Diego, approached in response to Tessa's call. The first boy had a friendly freckled face and messy mop of wavy red hair, and somehow reminded Diego of Yasha. He was solidly built although not as brick-like as RJ was. The other boy was taller and slimmer and had elegant Asian features and short black hair. "Luke, Diego, this is my younger brother Noah," Tessa pointed to the redhead. "He is 15." "And this," she continued her introductions, pointing to the taller Asian boy, "is his boyfriend Chris. He is 15 too." "Tessa!" Noah hissed in a shocked whisper. "What the hell are you doing?! Mom and dad are like 20 feet away! What if they hear?! And who are these guys?!" "Relax, little brother, relax," Tessa laughed and hugged Noah reassuringly. "Mom and dad, they are way too far and there too many people here. They can't hear anything, trust me!" Noah shook his head dubiously and eyed Luke and Diego with suspicion. Tessa recounted to Noah and Chris what just happened with RJ, Fred and Reverend Paul. "Wow, Luke, dude, shit, that was crazy!" Noah exclaimed admiringly. "I wish I could have seen it!" "No biggie," Luke shrugged noncommittally. "Well, I think it was," Noah added, shaking his head, "shit, I could never do something like that ..." "Hey, he's your boyfriend?" Luke asked Noah gesturing towards Chris. "How did you manage to bag him? He's far too hot for you." "Luke!" Diego exclaimed, covering his mouth with his hand in embarrassment. "Guys, you'll have to excuse Luke, sometimes he's a little too direct." Luke shrugged again and Chris blushed bright red. Tessa rolled in laughter. "That's all right," Noah admitted bemusedly. "And Luke, dude, you're absolutely right. Chris is way too hot for me! I tell him that all the time!" Noah gave Chris a light shove in the ribs. "Ah, Luke," Chris spoke for the first time, "you really were gonna fight that high school football player?" "Well, not really fight him," Luke explained nonchalantly, "just break his balls. It would have been quick." Everybody laughed and Tessa tousled Luke's hair: "You guys are great! I'm really glad we met you." "Tessa, where are you guys going next?" Diego inquired. "Further up the trail, to the Arethusa Falls," Tessa explained. "As soon as we find our mom and dad. They are somewhere in this crowd ..." Luke and Diego exchanged quick glances. "Hey, maybe we can sorta go together?" Diego suggested. "Our group, we're heading that way too." "Sure, sounds great!" Noah agreed enthusiastically. "And here's our mom!" "Hey, mom, over here!" he called out. A short blond petite woman in her forties approached them and started speaking rapidly: "Noah, honey, glad I finally found you! Tessa, Chris, are you hungry? I've got some sandwiches ... This is a lovely place but so crowded. They really should build a proper observation deck here or something ... Oh, and who are your friends?" "Mom, that's Luke and Diego," Tessa interjected when the woman finally stopped. "We've just met them, and they are also going to the Arethusa Falls. They are here on a field trip. Is it okay if we go up together?" "Of course, dear, of course!" the woman agreed heartily. "Luke, Diego, I am Mrs Tyson. I guess you already know that Tessa and Noah are my kids and Chris is Noah's friend. My husband is still somewhere in this crowd ... I'm so happy to meet you!" "Nice to meet you, Mrs Tyson," Diego replied politely. "I'm Diego and this is Luke." "Now, tell me, Diego, dear, are you here on a school trip?" Mrs Tyson inquired. "Seems a little early for that ..." "Umm, no, we are with the Green Oaks group," Diego explained awkwardly. "It's an ... orphanage near Concord." Diego stared into the ground and he heard Tessa gasp. Luke squeezed Diego's hand and whispered lightly: "Oh, man, here it comes!" "Oh, good Lord, you poor dears, I had no idea!" Mrs Tyson exploded. She hugged Luke and Diego fiercely. "Of course, you should come with us!" "Roger, where are you?!" she looked around in exasperation. "Noah, Tessa, you look after them, you hear! I'll go and try to find your father." She quickly disappeared back into the crowd. "Sorry 'bout that, little dudes," Noah apologized with an embarrassed smile. "Our mom, she can be a bit ... intense. But she means well." "It's cool," Luke replied. "I sorta like her." "You see, Luke is a hugger too," Diego explained with a giggle. "Yes, I am!" Luke confirmed defiantly. "And nobody ever complained before!" He gave Diego a pointed Look and Diego blushed profusely, as Tessa and Noah chuckled. "So guys, you really are ... orphans?" Chris asked gently. "Yep," Luke acknowledged. "But don't you go Mother Theresa on us. We've got a pretty great life down at Green Oaks, don't we, Diego?" "Yes, we do," Diego agreed simply. "Wow!" Noah exclaimed looking at Luke and Diego in awe. "Wow!" "You think we could run into RJ again on the way up?" Diego asked Tessa, trying to change the subject. "No, I think we're good on that score," Tessa countered, "I saw their group heading back down after they left here. We shouldn't be seeing any more of RJ, I hope!" "Shit!" Luke complained. "I really wanted to break his balls!" "Luke, dude," Tessa chuckled, "I know you're gay and all, but you've really gotten a weird obsession with RJ's balls!" Everybody burst in laughter. At that moment Mrs Tyson reappeared accompanied by a tall heavyset read-headed man with an absent-minded expression on his face. Diego could see right away the man's resemblance to Noah. "Diego, Luke, boys, this is my husband, Roger," she made the introductions. "Roger, dear, these are the boys I told you about." "Nice to meet you, Mr Tyson," Diego and Luke said in a chorus. "Hello, kids," Roger replied, "I gather you'll be hiking with us to the Arethusa Falls, right? Sounds like a grand idea!" "Well, yeah, sort of," Diego started explaining, "but we are with the Green Oaks group and ..." "Luke, Diego, there you are! I've been looking for you all over!" Frank's exclamation interrupted the conversation as he approached the gathering. Additional introductions followed and Frank agreed to join forces with the Tysons on the way up. With a bit of an effort, Frank gathered up everybody and they started out their ascent towards the Arethusa Falls. Diego, Luke, Noah, Chris and Tessa hung back a bit so that they could talk in relative privacy. "So, Luke, man, I take it you and Diego are out, right?" Noah asked in a hushed tone as they walked together in the shade of tall trees. "I donno, sorta," Lukę replied. "At Green Oaks we kinda are. I mean the other kids there know about us. Mr Frank and the counsellors know too." "And they are cool with it?" Chris chimed in. "Totally," Luke confirmed. "Wow!" Noah exclaimed in wonder. "Man, you guys are lucky! And what about at school?" "We don't know yet," Diego interjected. "School starts in a little over a week and we'll just have to see. Mr Frank says that we should take it slow there ... What about you and Chris?" "Oh, they are deep deep in the closet!" Tessa butted in the conversation. "That's why I really wanted them to meet you guys!" "You mean your parents don't know?" Luke inquired in surprise. "Definitely not!" Noah hissed. "They'll kill me if they ever find out!!" "No, they won't!" Tessa objected. "That's what've been trying to tell you for ages, little bro." "You think your parents would really freak out?" Diego asked Noah gently. "They both seem pretty nice ..." "Oh, man, I donno," Noah sighed. "I mean, dad's an accountant. He really only cares about his job. He'd probably be okay with it. But mom ..." "Your mom is not as scary as all that," Chris interjected. "See, your boyfriend agrees!" Tessa giggled. "Yes, she is!" Noah protested vehemently. "I mean, yeah, she is nice and all. But she's a stay-at-home mom. She is so-o-o in all that church stuff! Do you know how many church committees she's on? I think all of them! If she ever finds out ... I can't handle a military school. Or a freaking exorcism!" "Come on, you're being overdramatic! It's not really gonna happen," Tessa chided. "Plus, you forget, mom and dad, they do have another child. Moi! And I fully intend to deliver them some grandchildren." "Well," Noah smiled mischievously, "dear sis, maybe you should hurry up already! I mean, if you go ahead and get knocked up, we'd all be a lot happier, he-he ..." "Oh, you know that's gonna cost you right?!" Tessa lunged at Noah playfully as he made an evasive maneuver. "Ah, Noah, how long have you and Chris been together?" Diego asked bashfully as Noah moved back next to them. "Well," Noah reflected, "we've been friends since forever. Since we were little kids, I guess. But we only started dating a year ago. That's probably what you mean by 'together', right?" Diego nodded silently. "Yep, that's when Noah kinda jumped my bones," Chris added with a chuckle and Noah blushed profusely. "And when my life became hell," Tessa chimed in, "since I now have to keep the two lovebirds' secrets!" "Just for one more year, before you leave for college," Noah remarked apologetically. "What about you guys," he directed himself to Luke, "how long have you and Diego ...?" "Sorta two months, give or take a few days," Luke explained. "Ever since the elf-boy here came to Green Oaks and became my roommate, he sole my heart right away ... And I'm not taking it back!" It was Diego's turn to blush. "Elf-boy?" Tessa inquired. "Oh, well, it's kinda hard to explain," Luke pondered. "See, I figured out pretty quick that Diego here must be partially related to elves. Although I'm still trying to figure out exactly how. There're things he can do, with animals and trees ... " "You're kidding, right?" Noah exclaimed with a chuckle. Diego raised up his palms indication abstention. "I donno, sometimes I am, but oftentimes I'm not," Luke countered earnestly. "Like what happened today with the moose. And with that loon. You guys should have seen it. Nah, I really believe that Diego's elf-boy powers are real!" Luke hugged Diego's shoulders and gave him a peck on the cheek. Tessa gave Luke and Diego a long penetrating look: "You guys a pair of really weird little dudes, you know that, right? I think I like it!" They continued up the slope in silence for a few more minutes. "Chris, you are not out to your folks either?" Luke asked Chris softly. "Nah," Chris replied quietly. "They'd probably be okay with it, I think. But you know parents, they talk to each other. Can't do that to Noah, it'd totally freak him out ..." Chris punched Noah in the shoulder lightly. "Yeah," Noah sighed, "and at school, man, it'd be even worse! I mean, I'm on JV football team, and we've got lots of assholes like RJ there. I'd be toast ... And Chris, he's on a swim team ..." "You're a swimmer, Chris?" Diego interjected with interest. "Cool!" "Yep, and maybe that's what keeps him looking so smoking hot!" Noah quipped with a giggle as Chris blushed brightly. "We've got an openly gay kid on a swim team," Chris remarked. "There're a few jokes now and then but he's doing fine." "Yeah, well, you haven't met Caleb from our varsity football team," Noah retorted. "He makes RJ look like a fucking pussycat! He's got a posse of guys just like him too. And the kind of 'jokes' they make, shit, it's just something else ..." "I donno, Noah, man, I think you shouldn't have to listen to shit like that," Luke offered. "I'm not gonna suggest that you try breaking Caleb's balls," he chuckled slyly, but you gotta do something." "Yeah, like what?" Noah asked bitterly. "Rat them out to the coach? That'd be a short one-way trip to hell ..." "No, you gotta settle it yourself somehow ...," Luke pondered. "Supposing you do come out to the team ..." "Oh, god!" Noah exclaimed grabbing his head with his hands. Diego chuckled mentally, recognizing his favorite expression. "Wait, Noah, just listen," Luke pressed. "I mean there's lots of other guys on the team, right? Straight guys, most of whom, I'm sure are also tired of hearing Caleb and his band of morons talking shit." "Yeah, that's probably true," Noah admitted. "It's usually Caleb and his three buddies who do all the talking about faggots and stuff. Still, the other guys, they just sorta keep quiet. Nobody ever says anything back ..." "See, that's what I figured," Luke replied. "But if you do come out, it'll given them a reason to speak up. To stand up for you." "And if they don't?" Noah countered. "If they don't, then they are a bunch of fucking stinking cowards!" Luke asserted forcefully. "And you just gotta quit the team then. I mean, it's junior varsity football, right? Not like you're gunning for the NFL!" "Wow, Luke, buddy, that's some deep stuff!" Tessa complimented with a smile. "You sure you're only 12?" "Oh, I can be deep when I wanna be," Luke quipped back. "You always are, Luke," Diego added loyally, eliciting a burst of chuckles from the others. The trail was quickly getting steeper and more narrow. The entire group stopped for a brief rest and before the next segment and Frank, followed closely by Mrs Tyson, approached Diego. "Diego, son, now would be a perfect time for a good hiking song," Frank suggested. "How about it?" "Yeah, Diego, a hiking song, please!" Danny clapped, overhearing Frank's request. Diego looked at Luke uncertainly and Luke nodded reassuringly and grinned at him brightly. "Why is he asking Diego?" Noah whispered to Luke. "Shh-h, you'll see," Luke shushed him. The kids gathered around Diego and looked at him expectantly. "All right, all right," Diego surrendered, "but I gotta warn you, this is a really silly little kids' song, so please don't hate me! Still, seeing as we are in the mountains and as we recently hosted a bear, it seems appropriate ... And you guys will have to sing along, of course!" Diego looked around, cleared his throat and started singing in his magical clear ringing voice: "The bear went over the mountain. The bear went over the mountain. The bear went over the mountain To see what he could see." "Oh, my!" Mrs Tyson exclaimed in shock. "What a beautiful voice!" Luke glared at her disapprovingly and put a finger to his lips. Mrs Tyson stopped talking and Chris smirked noticeably. Diego gestured to the group and they sang the next verse together: "And all that he could see, All that he could see Was the other side of the mountain, The other side of the mountain. The other side of the mountain Was all that he could see." Frank and Gregg motioned to everybody to get moving. Diego continued singing: "The bear went over the river. The bear went over the river. The bear went over the river To see what he could see." Once again, the kids continued in a chorus: "And all that he could see, All that he could see Was the other side of the river, The other side of the river. The other side of the river Was all that he could see." Diego carried on: "The bear went over the meadow. The bear went over the meadow. The bear went over the meadow To see what he could see." When the song finally finished, everybody clapped and hollered wildly. "Great choice, Diego," Frank complimented. "A little low brow, but perfect for the occasion!" "Thanks Mr Frank," Diego replied modestly. "It's a song that my sister really liked." He abruptly cut himself off and looked down. Luke grabbed Diego's hand and gave him a worried glance. "Diego, dear, I had no idea you can sing so beautifully!" Mrs Tyson gushed. "If you ever are in the Berlin area, I definitely want you to visit us and to come and sing at our church!" "Ah, thank you, Mrs Tyson," Diego looked around, searching for escape. He noticed Chris smirking lightly. "Wonderful!" Mrs Tyson clapped and moved off together with Frank. Diego exhaled with relief. "Dude!" Noah exclaimed admiringly as he slapped Diego on the shoulder after Frank left. "Dude!" Chris uttered in agreement, slapping Diego on the other shoulder. Diego smiled shyly. "That's my boyfriend!" Luke beamed proudly. "Diego, what did you mean about hosting a bear?" Tessa asked inquisitively. "He meant Fidget!" Luke offered excitedly. "What?" Tessa queried in confusion. "Fidget," Luke expounded. "An orphan bear cub who stayed with us for a few days recently. He's at a bear cub sanctuary now." "You're shitting us, right?" Noah asked in disbelief. "A bear cub?" "No, I am not!" Luke protested indignantly. "See!" He opened his phone and showed several photos of Fidget at Green Oaks. "Well, I'll be damned," Noah exclaimed looking at the picture of Fidget playing with Luke and Diego, "You guys are really something!" "We're gonna try to visit Fidget soon," Diego commented. "I hope he's all right." "He's, Diego, he is!" Luke spoke with conviction. "He's the smartest bear I know!" "Wow, I'm really glad we've met you guys!" Tessa mused with a chuckle. "Noah is right, you two are quite something else! And cute as hell too!" Luke shook his head and shot her an irate look as everybody laughed merrily. They continued up along the trail which quickly got harder and more arduous. The conversation ceased and the kids concentrated on navigating the challenging climb. In places the forest trail was quite narrow, covered with mossy boulders, knotty roots and logs. Diego was starting to get worried about how the younger kids were doing; they were somewhere further ahead with Gregg and Rose. In about fifty minutes or so the group finally reached their destination, the Arethusa Falls. Frank assembled everyone together. Mrs and Mr Tyson looked quite discheveled and out of breath, panting heavily. It was clear that they didn't expect the hike to be quite so hard. Toby and Yasha looked tired too, and even Devon and Danny piped down much more than usual. Everybody was taking a break to drink some water and eat a quick lunch before enjoying the views. Noah, Chris and Tessa shared with Luke and Diego some really yummy roast beef sandwiches that Mrs Tyson prepared for the trip. After they all had sufficient rest, the group exited the forest and proceeded along the rocky creek bank towards the waterfalls just ahead. The Arethusa Falls, towering above them, were truly spectacular. The Bemis Brook waters rushed down noisily along a steep multi-tiered plunge, framed by the dense forest on both sides. The kids managed to get pretty close to the base of the falls, and the water almost seemed to be streaming directly from the bright blue summer sky above. The only spoiler was that the area was pretty crowded. Luke stood next to Diego, who was looking upward and sniffing the air carefully. "Cool, right?" Luke remarked as he took Diego's hand. "Amazing," Diego uttered, peering at the top of the falls. He sniffed the air again. "You okay, babe?" Luke inquired with a slight concern in his voice. "Yeah, I'm fine, but ...," Diego took a deep breath again, "something doesn't feel right." "Whadya mean?" Luke looked up in surprise. "Well," Diego pondered, "the forest here, it feels different somehow. From the one at Green Oaks and from down below." "Different?" Luke repeated. "Yeah," Diego continued. "Older. More wild. Less friendly." He crouched over and put his hand down on one of the rough boulders lying on the ground. "I donno, I'm probably just imagining things," Diego added with a guilty chuckle. "But somehow ... it feels like the forest, it doesn't want us here now. It's too crowded. We're intruding ... I think maybe ... we should leave ..." Luke searched Diego's face for a few moments. "Then we should leave!" he declared forcefully. "Oh, come on, Luke, I was just talking!" Diego tried to back off. "I was probably just being mental again ..." "No, you were not!" Luke grabbed Diego's hand. "Diego, babe, you know that I don't believe in all that shit 'bout god and stuff, right?" Diego nodded meekly. "But I do know that you've got something special when it comes to forest and animals, and that it's real!" Luke stared Diego in the eyes intently. "And if you elf-boy sense tells you that we should get out of here, then we should get out. Before something fucking bad happens. Okay, babe?" "Okay," Diego surrendered. "Good," Luke purposefully pulled Diego by the hand. "Ah, Mr Gregg, wait up, please," Luke called out, noticing Gregg standing about ten feet away and observing the waterfalls above them. "Yes, Luke, what is it?" Gregg looked down. "Mr Gregg, we've got to get out of here," Luke launched into an explanation. "See, Diego, he has this feeling that the forest doesn't want us here. We're intruding. We gotta get out! Before something bad happens." Luke stared at Gregg with a sincere and certain look. "Tell him, Diego!" he added urgently. "Umm, yeah, sorry Mr Gregg, it's true," Diego confirmed apologetically. Gregg shifted his glance between Luke and Diego and burst out laughing. "I'm sorry, boys," he wiped out his eyes, "you're pulling my leg, right? The forest wants us to leave or something bad's going to happen. Now, that's pretty funny!" He laughed genially again. "We're not joking, Mr Gregg," Luke retorted in exasperation. "Diego has a sense about these things. If he thinks we should leave, I'm telling you, we should leave!" "Come on, Luke, you can't be serious," Gregg stopped laughing. "We just got here. It's a beautiful day and it is a beautiful spot. We should all take the time to enjoy it." He paused and continued seriously: "I promise you, we're all perfectly safe here." Gregg turned away and again looked up at the waterfall above them. "Shit!" Luke muttered under his nose and turned to Diego with a worried look. Diego furrowed his brow and shook his head lightly. Luke stomped his foot angrily. A few seconds later they heard a loud cry of pain. The heads turned and they saw Yasha laying on the ground a little further down, holding his right foot. Luke, Diego and Gregg rushed to him. Frank, Rose and the other kids joined them momentarily. "What happened, Yasha, buddy?" Gregg inquired with concern. "I'm not sure," Yasha replied. "I was looking up and then my foot, it just slipped along this boulder ... Oi, it hurts!" He winced in pain. "Okay buddy, let me see," Gregg sat down next to Yasha and carefully examined his foot. Luke stood by, muttering something inaudible under his breath. Diego gently took his hand and Luke gave him a pained look. The Tysons heard the commotion and rejoined the Green Oaks group, with Noah and Chris walking up next to Luke and Diego. "So, Gregg, how is it looking?" Frank inquired worriedly. "I don't think anything is broken," Gregg replied, releasing Yasha's foot, "although we'll need an x-ray to be sure. Right now looks like a really bad ankle sprain." "Oh, brother!" Frank exhaled. "I'm sorry, Yasha, little buddy, these things sometimes just happen. Gregg, please use some pain cream on Yasha's ankle for now, and we'll start heading back. We'll take another way down, one that's not so steep." Rose gave Gregg the pain cream and he applied it generously to Yasha's ankle. "Better, buddy?" "Yeah, a little, thanks, Mr Gregg," Yasha admitted. "Just give me a moment ..." Gregg stood up and stepped towards Luke. "Luke, kid, I hope you realize that it was just a freaky accident," Gregg spoke earnestly. "Yasha slipped on some wet boulder and fell. Probably would have happened anyway, no matter what we did ..." "Yeah, I know, Mr Gregg," Luke gave Gregg a hard stare. "Just an accident." Gregg sighed and turned to Yasha again: "Yasha, buddy, we need to get going now. Me and Rose are going to help you on the way down, okay?" "Umm, Mr Gregg, is it all right if Luke and Diego help me walk down?" Yasha asked timidly. Gregg opened his mouth as if to object but Luke shot him another hard glare. "Sure thing, Yasha, if they are okay with it, then yes, it's fine," Gregg spoke gently. "Of course, Yasha, dude, we are okay we it!" Luke confirmed emphatically. "Come on, Diego, let's help him up." They gently raised Yasha from the ground and he started hopping along with his arms wrapped around Luke's and Diego's neck's as they walked carefully next to him. Frank and Rose gathered the rest of the kids and they started their journey down. As Frank promised, the downward trail was less steep and rocky but it still took them quite a bit longer since they moved slower and had to make frequent stops. During several segments Chris and Noah took over helping Yasha along to let Luke and Diego rest up and recover. The sky was already beginning to darken when they finally reached their mini-bus. After Luke and Diego helped Yasha onto the bus, they said goodbye to the Tysons. The boys exchanged e-mails and phone numbers and promised to try to stay in touch. "Luke, Diego, you two are the coolest little dudes I've ever met!" Noah declared as he gave each of them a hug. "And Luke, man, thanks for the talk and the sage advice! I am gonna think it over, I swear!" "Thanks, Noah," Luke replied as he hugged him back. "And sorry for what I said before. You're a pretty cool guy yourself and Chris isn't too hot for you. In fact I think you guys are perfect for each other!" "Luke, man, that's the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me!" Noah winked at him. Luke and Diego exchanged hugs with Chris and Tessa and boarded the bus. As the bus drove off towards towards the emergency room in North Conway, where Yasha's ankle was going to be treated, Diego looked out of the window at the forest around them. "Well, this is gonna be a field trip to remember ...," he remarked pensively. Luke kneaded the back of Diego's neck and nodded silently. *******************************************************