As well as bullying, fighting, masturbation and oral sex, this story will now feature some anal sex, among eighteen-year-old males. Please go elsewhere if that troubles you!
This time I won't bother to summarize the story so far. If you are new, start from the beginning! Comments welcome, to antinous48@yahoo.co.nz.
In this part Nicky's surname is at last revealed as Briar. That's the name of a minor character in David Mitchell's excellent recent novel 'Black Swan Green'.
Nicky now resumes the story.
Oh shit. What am I doing? But it's as if I can't help myself. I'm shocked by the mean vengeful side of his nature that Brad, the usually placid muscleman, has suddenly revealed. I'm terrified that Brad won't now be satisfied with merely humiliating Robby. Sure, it'll be grossly unfair if Robby with his dark dangling locks, his chest heaving and his smooth skin glistening, can't at last stand astride the ugly prostrate form of the defeated man-mountain and gaze down at it in victory. But the world is an unfair place. Robby's satin-smooth skin covers human bone and muscle -- an awesome physique, but still only human --, whereas Brad's leathery hide is stretched over something more like a combination of a forklift truck and a bulldozer. What's worse, Robby is too jittery to keep his habitual loud-mouthed arrogance under control. His jibes always fan the flame of Brad's anger at the worst possible moment. Now Robby has managed to hurt Brad's left arm and right wrist. This may help Robby in the short run. But, up against Brad's stamina, it's not the short run that matters. Sooner or later, the Terminator will inflict some kind of dreadful long-term damage on the teen athletic champion. Those elegant strong shoulders, that handsome head will sink to the mat for the last time. It'll be an ambulance, a hospital bed, then life in a wheelchair ... NO! I've got to save Robby from that, at all costs!
Brad is cursing and glowering. Robby is facing him, on his feet, but only just. With knees trembling, I position myself between them. 'Time to stop, guys! That's enough! You're both, ah, awesome but ... uh ... that's enough for one night. Honor is satisfied!' Pretty fatuous, I know, but that's all I can think of to say.
Brad steps towards me. His body quivers as if massive forces within it are being barely held in check. I force myself to meet his eye. He is biting his lower lip. He doesn't look pleased. He only has to swat me with his huge arm and I'll go flying across the room. All the same, what can I do? I manage to go on looking into his face, trembling but firm. (Yes, that's a contradiction, but you know what I mean.) My voice squeaks: 'I think ...' I clear my throat and try again: 'I think that's enough, Brad ...'
His expression changes. What ...? Yes -- he's smiling! Not exactly a radiant smile, but a little curl of the lips. 'You again, Nick? You're kind of persistent, aintcha! Want to have your own way! Well -- I gotta admire that! Especially as, well, you're right, I wanted to end this business earlier myself, only Robby wanted it to keep going! Then I got all fired up, too, 'cause of things Robby said!'
'I'm sorry, Brad, I was a fool. I'd like to apologize.'
Do my ears deceive me? Is this Robby apologizing?
'You want to apologize, Farrell, huh? I bet you do -- now! Mister smart-ass "I- would-have-been-the wrestling-champion!"'
Brad brushes past me and stands six inches in front of Robby, staring grimly at him. He rests his right forearm on Robby's left shoulder. There is a pause. Robby just stands there, making no move against Brad, tense but still, his feet apart, his dangling fists loosely clenched, returning Brad's stare. That right arm of Brad's is deceptively relaxed and I can see that his wrist is swollen. All the same ... that huge forearm pressing against the side of Robby's jaw ... that mighty hand dangling behind Robby's back ... Brad may at any moment grab Robby's neck or punch his head ... And now Brad begins to raise his left arm too! For a terrible moment it seems it is all going to start again.
Then, suddenly: 'Ow!' Brad lets his left arm go slack. He reaches up to his left shoulder with his right hand to squeeze it, and winces. Then ... he smiles again!
'Well, you didn't do badly, Rob! Yeah, you hurt me more than I'm used to. So, as for your apology -- I accept it. You've made some mistakes tonight, you sure have, but I have too. We're just fortunate that we've got Nicholas here to straighten us out! Ain't that so?'
They both turn to look at me. Now Robby speaks: 'Yes, that's so. And it's Nicholas especially that I want to apologize to. I ... insulted you earlier, Nicky, and I made you hit Karl, and you hit me, which you had every right to do, and ... and ... I'm very very sorry. But not just for that. I'm sorry for this whole business, with the four of us barging in on you and Karl, and kidnapping you and all. I mean, when Pete persuaded me we should do something about Karl bullying you, I was eager for it, I wanted to humiliate Karl, but I realize now we were wrong ...'
Now Karl chimes in: 'Hey, what's this about Pete persuading you? So this was all Petrowski's idea! Why, you little shit, Petrowski ...!'
Karl has been sitting on the mat, leaning forward, his arms around his knees. Now he kneels upright and glares towards Pete. Pete had been sitting on the other side of the room. It was he who gave me back my spectacles after Robby knocked them off. But since then he has been sitting on his own, half watching what is going on, half brooding. Hearing Karl's angry outburst, Pete lifts his head: 'Yes, Karl, it was my idea. But I was wrong, like Robby said. Nicky has made that clear to me. And I can see it, anyway. I guess we can all see it now. So it's my turn to apologize to you, Karl, as well as to Nicky.'
'Whaddya mean, you can see it?' growls Karl. 'What can you see?' My goodness, Karl can be dense! Or maybe it's that he's still frightened to trust ... Anyway, I've got to calm Karl, I've got to reassure him. I kneel down beside him, put one hand on his naked back, squeeze his arm with the other.
'I don't need protection from you, Karl! That's what they can see!'
Karl twists his head to looks at me. He is anxious, uncertain. He makes a half- hearted move to detach himself from me, as if I am a mentally deranged person who may at any moment do something weird. He repeats, woodenly: 'You don't need protection from me ...' He still doesn't seem to comprehend.
'No, Karl, you dummy, I don't need protection from you! Nicholas Briar does not need protection from Karl Spivak! If I spend time with you, it's because I want to! Can't you get that into your thick skull?'
Never before have I dared to speak like that to my master. And in front of four other guys, too!
Slowly, slowly, Karl relaxes. He begins to smile. Broader and broader. A big, crazy, goofy, radiant grin. He flings his arms around my neck. I feel his cheek against mine again. I feel joy and relief. Oh no! There are tears welling up, too. But not here, not now, that's for later ...
Karl himself comes to the rescue. 'Well, maybe you weren't so wrong, guys! 'Cause maybe it was me needing protection from Nicky here! 'Cause when Nicky wants something, you better not stand in his way! When Nicky gives orders, we all obey! Like we just seen tonight! Nicky is smart and Nicky is brave! Aintcha, Nicky?' Saying this, Karl grips my shoulders with both hands and presses his forehead against mine. His hands slide towards my neck and he draws me towards him. Our lips touch -- just the tiniest kiss, but at this moment it's enough, and it's the biggest thing that's ever happened between me and Karl. 'So three cheers for Nicholas! Hip hip ...'
'Hooray!' Everyone smiles and joins in with the three cheers. Everyone, that is, except Steve ... After that, there's general laughter (except from Steve), as I feel myself blushing deep red. I nestle close to Karl on the mat.
As the laughter dies down, I hear Robby again. He's standing, looking down at Karl. 'Hey, I need to finish apologizing to you, Karl. What Steve and I did earlier was inexcusable. I mean, holding you and ordering Nicky to hit you. It was cowardly and mean and ... and ... what more can I say? I'm really really sorry, man.'
Karl slowly stands up. He looks at Robby intently, with head lowered. Meanwhile he wipes the back of his right hand against his open mouth and his left cheek. It seems like an unconscious gesture while he considers carefully what to say. Then abruptly he lets his hand drop and he raises his head, as if he has made a decision. 'Yeah, you should be sorry, Robby. You're an arrogant prick, you know that? A real asshole at times. When you and Brad began to fight, I reckoned you deserved a good hiding. I hoped Brad would give you one. But -- hey -- you got other qualities too, Robby!' Karl smiles. 'Seeing you in action against Brad -- close to giving HIM a hiding -- well, you kinda won me over, Robby! Let's put it like that, anyway! And you won Nicky over too! Robby Farrell, up against big tough Brad van der Velden, outmuscled but not givin' in --, you were quite somethin', man! You were awesome to behold!' Saying this, Karl places both fists gently on Robby's chest and presses lightly. Then he straightens his fingers and lets them wander down over the smooth skin of those pecs, down to the half-moon curves below Robby's nipples. Almost in a whisper, he repeats: 'Man, you still are ... awesome to behold!'
For half a second, Karl's fingers linger where they have came to rest, at the top of Robby's abs ... then suddenly, again, Karl's left arm drops to his side and with his right hand he grabs Robby's chin: 'But not so arrogant in future, huh? Eh, Farrell? Do I hear a promise?'
Robby, a bit nonplussed by Karl's behavior, smiles nervously. 'Yeah, I promise ...'
Quickly Karl grabs Robby's hand and shakes it. 'Great! Maybe later you can make amends to Nicky ... we'll think of something you can do, something suitable ...' Karl turns to me and winks. (Whoah! What does my master have in mind?!) 'But as for now, well, maybe we can all go home ...'
'Yeah, well, I sure need to get going, Robby.' This is Brad speaking. 'Can you unlock the door for me? See ya later, guys! An eventful night, huh?' Robby accompanies Brad to the top of the stairs and unlocks the door to let him out. Then Robby comes down the stairs, relaxed and smiling.
At the bottom of the stairs stands Steve. He is waiting to meet Robby. He is relaxed and smiling -- NOT! He pushes Robby in the chest. Robby staggers backwards, amazed. Steve snarls 'What the hell d'you mean by apologizing to Spivak? I'm sure as hell not sorry for what we did! He's a jerk, a slacker, he deserves ...'
'He deserves what, exactly?' Robby is recovering himself. 'He beat you, Steve, I seem to remember! You were begging him to let you go!'
'Why, you ...' Steve is livid at the reminder. He pushes Robby back again, pummeling him at close quarters, until Robby (still the worse for wear from his fight with Brad) has his back to the wall. Then a hand on Steve's shoulder yanks him round, away from Robby. It's Pete!
Steve, furious, lurches towards Pete now. 'What d'you want? You want to fight me, huh? You want me to lay off smart-ass pretty boy Farrell?'
'I don't want to fight you, Steve. There's been enough fighting tonight. I just want you to leave Robby alone. He's been through enough already.'
'Yeah, sure you don't want to fight me, FAGGOT! You're too feeble! You know who you remind me of? You remind me of those pathetic homos in the park who pay fifty bucks to such a guy's cock in the toilets! You'd like to suck my cock, wouldn'tcha ...'
Wow! I leap up. 'Just a minute, Steve. How come you know the going rate for sucking cocks? Fifty bucks is what YOU charge, is it?'
'Oh geez, I'm forgetting I'm surrounded by homos here! Well, little Nicholas, I gotta disappoint you. Or you'd better ask Daddy for some more pocket money. To suck MY dick costs a hundred bucks, minimum, depending on what mood ...' Steve pauses abruptly. He seems to realize suddenly what he is saying ...
A moment ago, we were all cheerful and relaxed, it seemed. But now what? This sudden explosion from Steve, this sudden blurted boast -- it's as if a thunderstorm is about to explode over us ...
[to be continued]