Diving In

Previously on Floating Away:

• (from Diving In) Cameron and James met when they witnessed the murder of Kieran Wilmur outside of there high school. He was hit by a car. It was later found out that the driver of the car was Max Greco, a student at their high school.

• James' mother walked in on he and Devon making out. Devon freaked out and wasn't there to help James- so James turned to Cameron, who was very helpful.

• James and Devon officially broke up.

• James and Cameron kissed for the second time. However, James' parents demanded that he see a psychiatrist to work out his issues. The psychiatrist brought up that James had constantly been seeing guys, and hadn't really had time by himself. James began to reconsider his relationship with Cameron.

• Marissa left Travis to live with her father in California, leaving Travis extremely distraught. Alex has been feeling extremely bad for him and has been trying to cheer him up.

• When James seemed to be reconsidering his relationship with Cameron, Cameron decided to go to a party with Devon. At the party, Cameron saw Jeremy. Jeremy used to hook up with Cameron's ex, Matt. Jeremy was very friendly to him. However, Cameron soon got a phone call from James who said that he wanted to make things work between them.

• At the same party, Devon hooked up with an older guy named Dave. Devon has been dealing with his break up with James by trying to use other guys to forget about him.

Floating Away Chapter 8: The News from Your Bed

Cameron slipped on his boxers and then threw on his shirt. His hair was still wet from the locker room shower. It was Thursday afternoon. It had been a week since Devon and Cameron had gone to the party together. Things had been going very well for Cameron. His relationship with James had it's obstacles, especially since they only time they could see each other was during school. However, Cameron believed that once James' parents relaxed and stopped being so paranoid they would allow James to go out.

Devon walked past Cameron with a towel around his waist. He winked at Cameron. Cameron smiled. Their friendship was becoming stronger, however, Cameron was very nervous that things would change once Devon found out about James and him.

"You excited for the weekend?" Devon smiled as he dropped his towel. Devon had no problem being naked. And to be honest, he shouldn't have any. Devon had a beautiful body. It was definitely hard for Cameron to hold a conversation with Devon without admiring it.

"Uh, yeah," Cameron said turning away.

"We're lucky they put us in a double," Devon said as he slowly dried off his legs. "Last year, I was stuck in a single."

"That sucks," Cameron stared at the ground. They were talking about their first swim meet which would take place this weekend upstate. They actually had two back to back. One Friday night, one Saturday night. It was like that every year. Besides this, most of their meets were local.

"Yeah," Devon smirked as he finally put on his boxers. "Especially since I was put with Burkery and Matthews. They wouldn't stop talking the entire night."

"Oh god," Cameron laughed as he could finally face Devon again. "Well, it'll be fun. I'm a little nervous though. It's my first meet."

"You'll do fine," Devon placed a hand on Cameron's shoulder. "Trust me."

"Thanks," Cameron nodded.

Coach came in a few moments later and told everyone to be quiet and to listen.

"Everyone needs to meet here tomorrow after school at 3:15," He instructed. "That gives any of you idiots half an hour to get your crap and say goodbye to your girlfriends."

When he said girlfriends, Burkery and Matthews gave each other high fives and everyone laughed. Except for coach.

"Now, after the meet against St. Dom's on Friday night, you need to get to sleep right away, because you'll need your rest for Saturday." He continued. "And tonight same thing."

"Okay Coach, I'm going to go home and go to bed right now," Matthews joked. Everyone laughed once again, except Coach.

Coach eventually gave up and let the kids go home. Cameron and Devon walked out together.

"Do you want a ride home?" Cameron offered.

"No, I, uh, I'm meeting someone," Devon blushed.

"Dave?!" Cameron blurted. "This is like the third time this week! Jesus, you guys are getting serious!"

"Keep your voice down," Devon whispered, which was odd because there was no one else around. "And we're not getting serious! I'm free to hook up with whoever I want!"

"Are you kidding?" Cameron smiled. "You've been like sleeping together every day this past week. I call that serious."

"Shut up," Devon rolled his eyes. "I have to go meet him by the train station. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Why by the train station?" Cameron asked.

"You told me to be more careful and everything, I don't know," Devon said as he walked away.

Cameron made sure that Devon was out of ear shot before he took out his phone and dialed James.

"Hello?" James answered.

"Hey," Cameron said. "What are you doing?"

"I'm on my way to the shrink, kill me now..." James said.

"I thought that was at 3:30?" Cameron asked.

"Yeah, the appointment got moved due to scheduling crap," James explained. "How was practice?"

"It was alright," Cameron shrugged. "I really don't want to go to this meet."

"You'll do fine, Cameron," James comforted. "I used to get really nervous at first before all my lacrosse games, but eventually you realize there isn't anything to be nervous about. "

"I hope so," Cameron nodded. That actually made him feel better. "What are you going to do while I'm gone?"

"Hopefully getting my parents to trust me," James said. "Their suspicious every time I leave the house. Like even when I go to walk the dog, they freak out."

"Yeah," Cameron said. "Hopefully that will be better by next weekend. We never get to hang out outside of school hallway greetings and occasionally lunch."

"I know," said James. "I'm working on it."

"All right," Cameron sighed. "I'll let you go. Good luck with the shrink!"

"Thanks," James nodded. "I'll talk to you later."

...

Devon bit his lip as he could feel himself about to come. His entire body began to quiver and he pulled at Dave's hair. Dave had Devon's nine inch cock into his mouth and tried to suck all of it but it was too much. Devon let out a loud moan as he came into Dave's mouth.

Dave swallowed Devon's hot juice and wiped his lips. He stood up and lay his naked body down next to Devon.

"That was great," Dave smiled. His chest hair brushed up against Devon's smooth arm.

"Yeah," Devon sat up in bed and grabbed his boxers and slipped them on. Dave grabbed Devon's left hand and kissed it. Devon didn't seem to notice.

"You okay?" Dave asked.

"Yeah," Devon nodded.

"I feel like you're mad at me," Dave admitted. He sat up and looked at Devon, who was now putting his pants on. "Was I too rough?"

"No, you were fine," Devon forced a smile.

"Then what's the problem?" Dave asked.

"Nothing! Drop it!" Devon snapped.

Dave did drop it, he didn't say anything.

"Sorry, I just had a really rough day," Devon lied. "It's nothing to do with you."

"Okay good," Dave smiled. "So, you know my parents come home this Sunday. So we'll have to make the most of the next couple days...if you know what I mean..."

"I'm going to be away," Devon said. "For a swim meet tournament thing."

"Oh," Dave's face fell. "Well, then we'll have to figure out how we're going to meet and stuff after that."

"Yeah, I guess..." Devon said, now fully dressed.

"You guess?" Dave looked confused.

"Well, I mean..." Devon thought about how to continue. "Look, this is a lot of fun. Really. But, I'm just not looking for anything serious right now."

"Are you breaking up with me?" Dave looked crushed.

"No...because...because we're not going out," Devon scratched his head. " We're not serious, this is just fun."

"Not anymore," Dave slipped on his boxers, now embarrassed that he was naked.

Neither of them spoke as Dave got dressed.

"Can you give me a ride home?" Devon finally said.

...

James sat in the waiting room of the Dr. Keller's office. He tapped his foot on the ground. Finally Dr. Keller opened the door and waved James in. He stood up and followed her.

"How are you?" She smiled.

"Good, good," James said as he walked down the hallway with her into her office.

Once in the office, James sat down across from her. She took out a yellow notepad and pen, ready to write.

"So how was your week?" She asked.

"Well...I really really thought about your advice," James said.

"Which advice?" She didn't remember.

"You told me to be single and everything..." He reminded her.

"Oh, right, right," Dr. Keller nodded. "How is that going?"

"Well...okay, at first I did it, I ended things with Cameron," He started. "But then...I don't know, I couldn't do it. I feel like I'd be making a huge mistake."

"That's okay," She smiled. "It's you're life. You make what you think would be the best decision."

"Yeah," James nodded.

"So, I remember you told me a little about your relationship with Cameron, but I'd like to hear more," She said.

"Okay...uh...well, I told you we became friends when we witnessed a boy get hit by a car," James started. "And I really liked him, but we were both in the closet so it was difficult. And then I finally found out that he was gay and he found out about me, but he already had a boyfriend at that point."

"What was his name?" She asked.

"Matt," James said. "He was a year older than us. And uh...well, then I started hooking up with this guy on the lacrosse team. Max."

"Did you have feelings other than the obvious sexual attraction to Max?" She asked.

"Not really, I mean, he was a huge asshole," He explained. "But, I was lonely and he came on to me. So..."

"Did you still have feelings for Cameron through your relationship with Max?" She asked.

"Yes," He admitted. "And me and Cameron would hang out and everything, but we never did anything with each other. But my feelings became stronger and stronger and it was really difficult to control them."

"Did you ever express how you felt to him before recently?" She asked.

"Once," James admitted. "It was at junior prom. Well, let me preface this by letting you know that he was planning on leaving to spend the summer with Matt and his family."

"Wow, that's a strong commitment," She said.

"Yeah," James agreed. "Well, at junior prom, I kissed him."

"In front of everyone?" She asked.

"No, no," James shook his head. "I'm not out at school...at all. It was in the parking lot, right after I punched Kevin."

"Kevin?" She asked.

"Oh, uh, Kevin was my best friend for...well, for my whole life." James thought for a moment.

"Then why did you punch him?" She asked.

"Kevin was giving Cameron a hard time because he thought Cameron was dating this girl Alexis, who Kevin had a thing for," James explained. "So, I stepped in and helped Cameron out."

"Very heroic," She smiled.

"Thanks," James blushed.

"Are you still friends with Kevin?" She inquired.

"Um...not really..." James admitted. "I guess because I've kind of distanced myself from those kids because I've spent a lot of time with Devon, and now Cameron. It has nothing to do with the fact that I punched him. He got over that pretty quickly. He knew he was being an ass."

"Hm..." She thought for a moment. "Do you ever miss Kevin?"

"Well, I mean, obviously," James didn't say anything for a second. "When I was with Kevin and all of them, I could just...I don't know, pretend I was straight, you know? I was just one of the guys. And now, I'm trying to explore who I really am, and I have trouble hanging out with them."

"Did you ever have sexual feelings towards Kevin?"

"Um..." James blushed. "When I was younger, I mean, Kevin's a really attractive guy. He can get any girl he wants. But he's completely straight. So I just kind of told myself not to be."

"That's good discipline," She nodded. "I admire that."

"Yeah," James felt proud of himself.

...

Friday afternoon, Alexis sat in the cafeteria during lunchtime reading Slaughterhouse-Five. This was her second read through, but she loved the book so much it didn't matter. She was completely involved in a certain section when someone plopped down at her table.

"Hi!" Darcy Granger perkily smiled at her. Alexis looked up then looked back down at her book. Alex hadn't spoken to Darcy since she and Meghan O'Halloran had completely ditched her because she slept with Ricky.

"Okay, I know you totally hate me," Darcy flicked her blonde locks out of her face. "But, I just came over to say that I was sorry."

"What?" She had Alex's attention.

"I'm sorry," Darcy repeated. "You know, for being such a bitch to you and everything after you and Ricky."

"Yeah," Alexis nodded then went back to reading her book.

"What are you reading?" Darcy moved closer.

Alexis showed her the cover.

"Mmm, sounds interesting," Darcy smiled. "What's it about?"

"What are you doing?" Alexis asked.

"Asking you about your book!" Darcy laughed.

"No, why are you talking to me?" Alexis said. "We're not friends anymore. Go talk to Meghan and whoever."

"Okay, I would, but..." Darcy started to tear up a little bit. "She's been such a bitch to me lately. For no reason! Well, actually, I think it's because she's replacing me with this stupid sophomore. Fucking Valarie Herzog. What an ugly name!"

"It's not that ugly," Alex thought aloud.

"Yes it is!" Darcy snapped. "Anyway, she's not talking to me anymore. She didn't even invite me to her party on Saturday. So, I thought I'd make new friends. To show her that she can't treat me like crap."

"So, you're using me to make Meghan jealous?" Alexis asked skeptically.

"Pretty much," Darcy admitted.

"All right, fine," Alex shrugged. "I could care less."

"Okay cool!" Darcy laughed. "So...do you know any cute boys?"

"What?" Alex asked.

"Any cute boys." She repeated.

"Uh...I guess..Travis, but that's it," Alex shrugged.

"That stoner who dated Marissa?" Darcy asked. "He's kinda hot, in a dirty way."

"I guess..." Alex sighed.

"Is he single?" Darcy asked.

"Yeah," Alex laughed to herself. "But he's totally hung up on Marissa."

"That's fine," Darcy said. "Let's hang out with him tonight!"

"Uh..." Alex hesitated.

"C'mon," Darcy begged. "We'll go to the movies."

"I don't know..." Alex thought.

"Why not? What are you doing?" Darcy pouted her lips.

"Nothing, I just don't want to hang out with you," Alex rolled her eyes.

"Just get over it already! I have!" Darcy smiled. "Well, I mean, I have been wanting to see that new Woody Allen movie..." Alex said to herself.

"Perfect! I love Woody Harrelson!" Darcy clapped her hands.

"Okay fine," Alex sighed. "I'll talk to Travis."

"Yay!" Darcy smiled.

Alex went back to reading her book.

"So, what kind of candy are you going to get at the movie theater?" Darcy asked. "They always overcharge, so I usually bring my own, but the popcorn is SO GOOD!"

Alex let Darcy keep talking while she read.

...

James looked down at the slip he had for the guidance office. He was right on time 2:00. But the counselor's door was closed. So James sat down on the bench outside. He tapped his feet.

The meeting was to discuss colleges and college applications. James had discussed his college plan with his parents over the summer, and he was happy with the schools he was applying to.

Someone sat down next to James without saying anything. James looked and saw Kevin Trainer.

"Hey man," James smiled.

"Hey, what's up?" Kevin nodded.

"Long time, no see," James said. "How have you been?"

"Same old shit, you know," Kevin said. "What have you been up to?"

"Nothing really, just, uh, waiting for this stupid guidance appointment..." James nodded.

"What time is yours?" Kevin asked.

"Two," James said.

"Me too..." Kevin said. "What the hell?"

"That's weird," James smiled. "They must've mixed up the appointments."

"This asshole's supposed to be giving me guidance, and he can't even get the appointment times right?" Kevin laughed.

James smiled.

"Oh, uh, I don't know if you're busy this weekend, but Meghan's having people over Saturday night," Kevin said. "It's not a party or anything, just like ten of us drinking in her basement."

"Oh, awesome" James was happy to be reuniting a friendship with Kevin. Then he remembered he was supposed to be grounded. "Well, I would go, but I'm kind of grounded..."

"Grounded?" Kevin asked. "What for?"

"Oh..." James thought about what to say. "Long story, my sister...lied to my parents and I covered for her."

"That's bullshit," Kevin laughed. "I'll come over tonight and talk to your parents. Your dad loves me."

"I don't know, he's been pretty pissed at you ever since you took a shit in our pool," James laughed remembering the time at the beginning of the summer.

"Shut up! He thought it was hilarious!" Kevin smacked James. "I'll talk to them tonight. It'll all be straightened out."

James was about to protest, but he realized that Kevin might actually be able to convince his parents to let him out. Also before he could say anything, the Mr. Genson, the guidance counselor appeared in the hallway.

"Hm, which one of you is next?" Mr. Genson asked.

"I am," They said at the same time.

"What time is your appointment?" He asked James.

"We are both at two," James smiled.

"Oh, oops, my secretary must've mucked that up," He slapped his head. "Okay, well Mr. Trainer, we'll meet tomorrow at this time. James, I'll see you now."

Mr. Genson escorted James into his office while James laughed because Kevin was giving Mr. Genson the finger. Once in his office, James sat down across from Mr. Genson's desk.

"Well, I spoke to your father recently actually, and he mentioned that you had already made a college plan," Mr. Genson pulled out James' file.

"Yeah," James nodded. "My Dad thinks I have a real shot at playing lacrosse for Villanova, which would really be amazing. He's been speaking with the coach there and it's looking good."

"That's great," Mr. Genson smiled. "You're grades could be better, but with lacrosse you should certainly get in."

James smiled as he realized that things were really working out for him.

...

"With Darcy Granger?!" Cameron's jaw dropped as Alexis revealed that she was going to the movies with Darcy. They were hanging out in the hallway after school, because he had time to spare before he had to leave and she had an hour before she had to be at work.

"Fuck off!" Alexis smacked Cameron. "I'm just doing it because I'm going to be bored tonight. I need to stop hanging at the Downtown, I basically live there. And I'm going crazy in my apartment."

"Your not going to turn into a ditzy idiot again, are you?" Cameron smirked.

"Fuck you," Alexis smiled. "I'm just doing this to help Travis. He's been complaining about Marissa all week and I'm honestly sick of it."

"Travis is going?" Cameron asked. He hadn't spoken to Travis that much as of recently. He was sad that their friendship drifted apart so much. "Wait, why are you being nice to Travis? I thought you hated him."

"I do hate him," She insisted. "But, I feel bad for him."

"You totally like him again," He rolled his eyes.

"No I don't!" Alexis smacked him again. "I really don't. Can't I just be a good...samaraian or whatever? I'm just trying to help someone..."

"First of all it's the good Samaritan," Cameron laughed. "Second of all, you're not a good Samaritan. And I don't care if you want to hook up with Travis or whatever, just don't go crying to me when he cheats on you again..."

"I'm not going to!" Alexis snapped. "I meant that I'm not going to hook up with him, not that I'm not going to cry to you when he cheats on me."

"Right..." Cameron smiled.

"Well, what's going on with you and you know who?" Alexis whispered. There were still a few people in the hallway.

"It's good," Cameron nodded. "I mean, I literally don't see him ever, which sucks. Just because we don't have any classes together, and we have to keep it secret from Devon and the rest of the world, and he's grounded, and..."

"I get the picture," Alexis said. "I'm sorry, that kind of blows."

"Yeah," Cameron agreed. "But then again, it's only been a week since we first hooked up, so I think things will get better. I hope, at least."

Alexis rested her head on his shoulder. Neither of them spoke for a moment. Cameron was happy that this seemingly romantic gesture of her resting her head didn't confuse either of them. He was also happy that he had a friend to talk to about this stuff.

"Oh shit, I have to go," Cameron glanced at his watch and hopped up off the ground. "Have a fun date with Travis!"

"Screw you!" Alexis called down the hallway.

Cameron rushed down the hallway, slinging his backpack over his shoulder. He had everything he needed in there. His Speedo, his sweatpants, a towel, a t-shirt, and another fresh change of clothes. He rushed into the locker room and saw that everyone was already gathered on the bus.

Cameron ran outside, looked left and right, then saw the yellow mini-bus and ran over to it. He jumped on it. Coach Z rolled his eyes and told him to find a seat. All the seats were taken it looked like.

"Here, I saved you one," Devon smirked from the back of the bus. Cameron smiled back then sat down next to Devon. T

"Thanks," Cameron winked.

The Coach did final count and then started up the bus. The trip was about three hours. About half an hour into it, Cameron dozed off. When he woke up, he found Devon resting his head on his shoulder.

...

Travis McCarthy lit up in the woods after school. This wasn't anything unusual. He had usually smoked here with Marissa after (and during) school, and even after she left he had continued.

Things had gotten worse between Marissa and him. On the surface they were friendly to each other. She had phoned last week to tell Travis that she was making a lot of friends at her new school. This brought a dagger to Travis' heart. He wanted her to be miserable. He wanted her to hate school and everyone and want to move back home. But she didn't. In fact, it seemed like she was perfectly content with her decision to end things. And Travis pretended he was also.

"Save me any?" Alex Lucas appeared behind him in the woods. She had joined him most days after school. And most days after school the conversation would somehow turn to Marissa.

"Of course," Travis smiled. "I was beginning to think that you weren't coming."

"Yeah, I was talking to Cameron about something," She sat down next to him and took the joint from his hands.

"I miss that kid," Travis said. "I barely see him anymore. Do you still hang out with him a lot?"

"Yeah," Alexis.

"You guys hooking up now?" Travis joked.

"Yeah, right," Alexis smiled.

"What's his deal with girls anyway?" Travis asked. "I mean, I know I haven't talked to him in a while, but he never gets any ass. I feel bad for the guy. I don't think he's ever had his dick sucked."

"He's actually, uh, dating some girl from Brightwood," Alex lied. She was a great friend.

"Oh really?" Travis was surprised. "She hot?"

"She's cute," Alexis nodded as she took another hit.

"Did you and him ever...you know?" Travis grabbed the joint from her. "Hook up or anything?"

"No," Alex shook her head.

"Right..." Travis smirked. "You know, you don't have to sugar coat shit for me. I mean, you guys went to junior prom together."

"I swear, we didn't," Alex said. "I mean, he kind of just left after that whole thing with Kevin, remember?"

"No, me and Marissa didn't go," Travis said. "See, that was the coolest thing about Marissa. You'd of thought she'd be all into that shit. But she wasn't. She didn't even care that we didn't show up. Like..."

"Mhmm," She rolled her eyes.

"How many girls can you think of that wouldn't care?" Travis said. " I don't know if I'll ever meet another girl who..."

"Okay that's it!" Alex stood up. "That's fucking it! I'm so sick of hearing about Marissa! Sorry that you guys broke up! Stop talking about it!"

"Woah chill out..." Travis said. "I am over it, I'm just talking..."

"You're so not over it!" Alexis said.

"Yeah, I am," Travis said.

"Fine, prove it," Alex taunted. "Tonight, go on a date with me."

"Uh, okay," Travis shrugged.

"Not with me," Alexis blushed as she corrected herself. "With me and Darcy Granger."

"Threesome, eh?" Travis smiled.

"No, I meant with Darcy," Alex rolled her eyes as she corrected herself. "And I'll be there chaperoning."

"All right, fine, whatever," Travis shrugged. "I'm sick of going to lame bars anyway."

"Okay, good," Alex sat back down.

"Darcy Granger?" Travis thought to himself. "She's the one with the big rack, right?"

"Yes," Alex sighed.

"All right, sweet," Travis smiled.

...

Cameron slid his key into the key slot only to see a red blinking light. Devon was pacing behind him. They were trying to get into the hotel room.

"C'mon, I gotta piss," groaned Devon.

Finally Cameron was able to open to the door. Devon pushed past him and rushed into the bathroom. The room was actually halfway decent. It had two twin beds and a nice television. Cameron set his bag down on the far side of the room

Cameron collapsed onto one of the beds closer to the door. He was extremely tired. He had felt such a burst of exhilaration during the meet, but it wasn't enough. The team lost by two matches. Everyone was pretty disappointed.

Devon walked out of the bathroom, pulling up his team-issued sweatpants.

"Well, looks like you already claimed a bed for yourself," Devon smirked.

"Oh, did you want this bed?" Cameron asked.

"No, I was kidding, I don't care," Devon shrugged.

"Okay good, I'm too tired to even move," Cameron groaned.

Devon plopped down on the bed next to Cameron. He grabbed the remote off the nightstand and turned on the T.V.

"I heard we can order porn here," Devon smirked as he flipped through the On Demand menu on the hotel T.V.

"No, stop," Cameron argued. Devon got to the male porn section and started flipping through.

"Oh, Sailor Boys sounds hot," Devon smiled.

"Devon, stop!" Cameron got off his bed and tried to grab the remote from Devon. "Coach is going to see on the bill!"

"Relax!" Devon pushed Cameron away. "I'm kidding!"

"All right," Cameron backed away. "I think I'm going to take a shower."

"You didn't take one at the meet?" Devon asked.

"No, I was the last match, remember?" Cameron replied. "I was too tired."

"Right," Devon started flipping through the channels.

Cameron walked past Devon and opened up his gym bag. He pushed aside his Speedo and grabbed his towel. He then removed his sneakers, sweatpants, sweatshirt, and then his t-shirt. Only in his boxers, he leaned down and packed those in his bag. He threw the towel over his shoulder and started walking to the bathroom.

"Why'd you leave the boxers on?" Devon asked.

"What?" Cameron turned around.

"I mean, I've seen you naked before..." Devon smirked. "You could've put those in your bag too."

"Uh..." Cameron was confused. He blushed a little bit. "I don't know..."

"I'm just joking, relax," Devon laughed.

Cameron was uncomfortable as he walked into the bathroom and closed the door. He turned on the shower. Once it was warm enough, he removed his boxers and stepped in. He let the warm water hit his body. It felt good after a difficult match.

Normally, Cameron would probably masturbate under these circumstances, but now that Devon had made those comments he was uncomfortable. Was Devon hitting on him?

Cameron was attracted to Devon, but he had never allowed himself to see Devon that way. He was too young. Well, not too young, but he was James' ex. And Cameron didn't even want to think of Devon that way because he didn't want to mess things up with James.

...

Alex arrived at Travis' house a little earlier than she should have. She decided to loop around the block a few times, so that she didn't seem desperate. She then called him and told him to get his ass outside. She watched him walk down his front steps and hop into her car.

"Jeez, you were pretty feisty on the phone," Travis smirked as he closed the door.

"You always take so long to come outside," She started her car up. "You're like a bitch."

"Fuck you," Travis said.

"You're always like ÔUm, Alex I'll be out in a second, I just have to put on make up!'" Alex joked.

"At least, I look good," Travis said.

"What's that supposed to mean?" She laughed.

"You look like a dude," Travis joked.

"Well you look like a chick," Alex laughed. "So we make quite the couple."

They both started to fade out in laughter. That last comment made the rest of the car ride very awkward.

When they finally arrived at the movie theater, they both got out of the car and started waiting on line for tickets.

"What movie are we seeing?" Travis asked.

"Vicky, Christina, Barcelona," Alexis said.

"Okay," He turned to the ticket booth and bought his ticket. Alexis followed and they started to wait outside the theater. The movie started in twenty minutes, so they had some time. Darcy was nowhere in sight.

"Where the fuck is she?" Travis asked.

"I don't know dickhead, I'm not psychic," She said.

"Attitude," Travis smirked.

They waited for another fifteen minutes and there was still no sign of Darcy. Alex was beginning to realize that Darcy wasn't showing up.

"Maybe we should just go inside and get seats," She finally said.

"Okay, I guess," Travis shrugged. "But, admit that you planned this whole thing so you could go on a date with me."

"Fuck you," Alex rolled her eyes and laughed as they started to walk into the theater. Travis walked ahead and held the door open for her. "Don't think that your fooling me into thinking you're a gentleman."

"I wouldn't dream of it." Travis smirked as she walked past him.

"Wait Lexi!" Suddenly Darcy Granger came running through the parking lot. Or attempting to run, she was wearing high heals. She finally caught up to both of them. "Sorry, I was late. I left the house and realized that I totally forgot to put on an make-up!"

Travis and Alex looked at each other and burst out laughing.

...

James' doorbell rang around eight o'clock. He opened his door and walked down the stairs. His father had already answered the door.

"Kevin!" He lit up. "So good to see you!"

"Uh, thanks," Kevin shrugged as he entered the house. James watched from the bottom of the stairs.

"How is everything with you?" His father said.

"Great, great," Kevin nodded.

"Prepping for lacrosse season? It's the last year for high school!" He smiled.

"Yes...yes it is..." Kevin nodded.

"What colleges are you looking at?" He asked.

"Actually, I've been talking with Duke a little bit, hopefully they'll be able to take me. That'd be amazing." Kevin said.

"Wow, yeah!" He agreed.

"Is James home?" Kevin asked.

"Oh, yeah, he's, uh, right," He turned around and saw James on the bottom of the stairs. "Oh! He's right there!"

"Hey," Kevin smiled. "Oh Mr. Winters, James is going to a party with me tomorrow, that's okay, right?"

"Uh..." He hesitated for a moment. "Yeah, sure, why not?"

James' father was just so happy that his son was hanging out with Kevin and not some Ôfaggot' that he was willing to let him. James smiled.

"Cool," Kevin winked at James.

"We're going to go hang out upstairs," James said.

"Nice seeing you Mr. Winters," Kevin smled at the two of them headed up the stairs.

They got up to James' room and James closed the door. It had been a while since Kevin had been over to just hang out.

"Told you I could," Kevin smirked.

"Yeah, wow, thank you," James nodded.

"Tomorrow should be fun anyway," Kevin said. "Plus, Valarie Herzog is going to be there."

"Really?" James had heard of her, but oddly enough not through Kevin. She had been good friends with Devon. However, the more Devon and James hung out, the less Devon hung out with her.

"Yeah," Kevin sat down on James' beanie chair. "She's so hot. But she says she wants to wait till marriage to lose her virginity. Bullshit."

"Yeah, " James nodded.

"Oh, and, Meghan has been talking about you a lot lately," Kevin smirked. "You should totally hit that."

"Yeah maybe," James said.

...

Travis, Alex, and Darcy exited the movie each with completely different reactions. Well, two completely different reactions. Travis and Alex loved it, Darcy didn't get it.

"I was confused," Darcy smiled. "Everyone was sleeping with everyone."

"Kind of like Travis' life," Alex joked.

"Except for you," Travis winked.

"You wish," Alex laughed.

They walked past the concession stands and started towards the door. Travis stopped for a moment.

"Hey, I'll be right back, I have to make a call," Travis said.

Alex rolled her eyes, hoping that the call wasn't to Marissa.

"So, what'd you think?" Alex asked Darcy once Travis was out of sight.

"I told you, I thought it was confusing," Darcy replied.

"Not of the movie, of Travis!" Alex rolled her eyes.

"Oh! He's totally hot, but...I don't know..." She scratched her head.

"What?" Alex asked. "Oh, you think he's hung up on Marissa? I swear, he's getting over that..."

"Not that," Darcy said. "I don't know, I got the feeling that I was like a third wheel or something..."

"What?" Alex blushed.

"You guys were flirting non-stop..." Darcy said matter of factly.

"No, that's just how we joke," Alex assured Darcy. "I mean, if I was interested, why would I be setting you two up?"

"Yeah..." Darcy thought for a moment. Before they could talk any further, Travis came back from his phone call.

"Okay, I'm ready," Travis said.

"I'm actually going to go to the bathroom real quick," Alex said hoping that she and Darcy could continue their conversation. "Darcy, you want to come?"

"Oh, no," Darcy shook her head. "I already went during the movie."

Alex rolled her eyes and then walked to the bathroom by herself. She didn't actually have to go so when she got to the bathroom, she just washed her face. She looked at herself in the mirror for a moment. Was she flirting with Travis? Did she have feelings for him? Okay maybe a little. But that's natural when you're hanging around an ex, right? She was going to have to mention something to Travis on the ride home. Maybe it was too soon to say anything. She didn't know how she felt and she certainly didn't know how he felt. She calmed herself down and then took a few deep breaths before going outside.

"Oh my God, no way!" Darcy laughed hysterically.

Alexis approached Darcy and Travis to find them laughing hysterically. Darcy playfully pushed Travis' shoulder and he showed his white teeth.

"Yeah, I told her parents I was going to Harvard," Travis laughed back.

Darcy rolled her head back in laughter.

"You guys ready to go?" Alexis warily said.

"Oh, Alex, I'm actually going to get a ride back with Darcy, if you don't mind," Travis said.

"Uh, yeah sure, that's fine," Alexis' heart dropped as Travis and Darcy walked across the parking lot together laughing.

...

Okay only two more laps to go. Cameron took a quick breath of air then put his face back in the water. It was Saturday night at the swim meet. He was in third place at this point, but he had really conserved his energy. He learned from his mistakes. Cameron speeded up as he went into his second to final lap.

He was swimming breast stroke, and he could hear his team member's cheering him on. He didn't want to disappoint. This match would break the tie that they had. His heart sped up with his strokes. He couldn't think about anything. The swimming pool suddenly seemed so much larger than it was before.

When Cameron finally finished, he had no idea where he was in relation to the rest of the competitors, but when he turned he saw that he finished in first! Everyone was clapping and Cameron finally felt like he was an asset to the team.

He scrambled out the pool and the rest of his teammates were there to greet him. They had won.

Cameron removed his swimming cap and goggles and gave many team members hugs, even Mathews, who wasn't very friendly to Cameron. They all smiled and cheered as they made there way to the locker room. The Coach said that they could shower and change before going back to the hotel if they wanted. Cameron opted to, just because he wanted to get the chlorine off of him, and because it had been so awkward the night before.

Once in the locker room, Cameron pulled out his bag and grabbed his towel. He threw his goggles and swimming cap into the bag and removed his Speedo. He wrapped his towel around his waste and walked into the showers. The showers were crowded, but people made room for Cameron. The honor was great. Cameron found an open showerhead and realized as he approached it that it was right next to Devon who was naked and showering.

Cameron kept his eyes down as he removed his towel and began to shower. He glanced over at Devon who was washing his face with soap. Cameron couldn't help but admire Devon's body. He was basically hairless save for the small brown patch above his crotch. His bubble butt was almost perfect. His body was fit but not too muscular. His soft cock and balls were....

He looked up and realized that Devon had caught him. Devon laughed a little then splashed some water in Cameron's direction. Cameron laughed and looked down. How could he have been so stupid? He quickly finished up and wrapped the towel around his own waste and changed.

Cameron chose not to sit with Devon on the bus ride. He sat next to a kid named Jeremy who didn't talk much, which was good because Cameron didn't want to talk.

Once back at the hotel room, Cameron once again plopped down on his bed. Devon came in a few minutes later.

"Woo!" Devon yelled.

"What?" Cameron sat up.

"We won, asshole," Devon started jumping on Cameron's bed. "Don't you want to CELEBRATE!"

"Uh..." Cameron smiled at Devon.

Devon jumped off the bed and walked over to his bag. He reached inside and pulled out a bottle of vodka.

"What's that?" Cameron turned red.

"Uh, vodka," Devon smirked.

"I know, but what are you doing with it?" Cameron asked

"Uh...drinking it?" Devon laughed. "Jeez Cam, you really can be a complete idiot sometimes. It's time to celebrate!"

Devon opened the bottle and took a swig of it. He made a disgusted face as he pulled the bottle out of his mouth. He put the cap back on and tossed it over to Cameron.

"No thanks," He shook his head and tossed it back.

"Seriously, Cameron?" Devon said. "Jesus, I'm a fuckin' sophomore and I've got more balls than you. Live a little."

"What if Coach comes in to check up on us?" Cameron said.

"He won't, relax," Devon smirked.

Devon held the bottle out for Cameron to take. Cameron hesitated for a moment before reaching across and grabbing the bottle. Cameron wasn't extremely goody-two-shoes, but he had never gotten drunk before. Alex didn't drink much, and Travis drank enough for the both of them. Cameron put the bottle to his lips and took a small sip. He spit it out immediately. Devon laughed. Cameron then closed his eyes and took another sip, keeping it down this time.

"This is disgusting," Cameron said.

"You've never had vodka before?" Devon smiled.

"Nope," He shook his head. "I'm surprised you have. You're only fifteen."

"My brother and my dad drink a lot, so...it's kind of necessary if you want to be apart of my family," Devon explained as he grabbed the bottle from Cameron and drank a little bit more.

"Are you close with them?" Cameron asked.

"No, not really," Devon shook his head. "I mean, their both kind of really homophobic bigots, so...I don't know."

"You're out to them?" Cameron was shocked.

"No, no, god no..." Devon laughed. "They, uh...I don't know, I just kind of...I know that their not going to accept me once they find out who I really am, you know? So I don't see a point of wasting my time forming a relationship with them. My mom...she was different."

"Was?" Cameron asked. He knew nothing about Devon's family life.

"She died a few years ago," Devon explained. He wasn't emotional about it, he just said it as fact.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," Cameron said.

"Why? You didn't do anything," Devon passed the bottle to Cameron.

"Right," Cameron said as he took another swig. It still tasted terrible.

"They, uh...they think I have a girlfriend," Devon laughed. "They keep asking me to bring her over."

"Yeah, my parents always ask me if I'm dating anyone," Cameron laughed also.

"What do you say?" Devon smiled.

"Just that I'm Ôplaying the field'," Cameron smirked. Devon cracked up.

Several drinks later, Devon was wasted. Cameron had stopped drinking when he reached a buzz, fearing that he was going to throw up. The topic of James had just come up when they were talking about Devon's lacrosse career.

"Yeah, I had a thing for James when I was on the varsity team and he was on the freshman team...." Devon slurred. "Wait! I mean when I was on the freshman team and he was on varsity last year!"

"Right," Cameron got red. He didn't want to talk about James, it made him feel guilty.

"When we hooked up at a party over the summer," Devon continued. "It was the best night of my life. I thought, what are the chances! He liked me just like I liked him! I was...was....was so lucky!"

"Yeah...." Cameron blushed.

"And things were perfect! Perfect!" Devon smiled. "Until he fucking didn't lock the door! That ruined everything! He dropped me and left me out to dry. I don't understand how you can be with someone all summer and then drop them for no reason! No reason!"

"Maybe he..." Cameron started to pitch in.

"I loved him." Devon said. "I really think I did. I never said it to him, but I really think I did."

"What time is it...maybe we should go..." Cameron tried to change the subject.

"You know, he told me about you...over the summer," Devon said. "He said that he kissed you and you rejected him. I wasn't jealous or anything...well, until I saw you."

"Right..." Cameron scratched his head. Devon walked over to Cameron's bed and sat down next to him.

"I remember, when I saw you in the locker room that first day! Oh man!" Devon laughed. "I didn't think you'd be so cute when James described you. He played it down so I wouldn't get jealous."

Now Cameron was getting very uncomfortable. Devon made things worse when he placed his hand on Cameron's leg. Cameron turned to face Devon who was staring at him. Devon closed his eyes and leaned closer to Cameron, but Cameron quickly backed away.

"Woah, wait," He slid further down the bed.

"What?" Devon smiled.

"What about Dave?" He asked.

"What about him? We're not together," Devon shrugged. "Plus I'm not going to hook up with him anymore."

"Okay..." Cameron scratched his head. "I....uh...Look, I'm not looking for a relationship right now."

Cameron was clearly lying, seeing as how he was pursuing one with James, but it was the best he could come up with.

"Neither am I," Devon said. "I just...I don't know, I just want to have some fun. Don't you want to have fun?"

"I don't know if...I don't think that'd be fair to James, I mean his ex hooking up with the guy he used to like..." Cameron said.

"He doesn't have to know," Devon leaned closer.

"I, uh...I can't do this, Devon, I'm sorry," Cameron said. "I really like you a lot. A lot. But just as a friend."

"Okay then," Devon rolled his eyes. "I'm going to bed then."

Devon nonchalantly hopped off Devon's bed and walked back onto his own bed. He went under the covers and turned off the light as if nothing had happened. While Cameron was left to contemplate what the fuck just occurred.

...

James arrived at Meghan O'Halloran's house with Kevin at 8 o'clock. Meghan answered the door.

"Hey boys," Meghan winked. "Just go in the basement, everyone's already here."

It had been less than a year that James had had sex with Meghan at Kevin's party, but it felt like a much longer time. So much had happened since then. But the awkwardness was definitely still there.

James and Kevin walked down the basement stairs. In the basement was all of James' old crew- Ricky Buchanan, Victoria Manning, a handful of guys from the lacrosse team. And then there was Valarie Herzog and few of her sophomore girl friends. Darcy Granger was there too- after last night, she had gotten a call from Meghan who invited her to the get together. Darcy had been ecstatic.

"James! You dick!" Ricky threw a football at him. "Get your ass over here, we're watching the game!"

It was as if he'd never stopped hanging out with any of them. He could tell that they missed him. He sat down on the couch and cracked open a beer. Kevin, James, and Ricky joked around about old times, and then started talking about a plan for the new lacrosse year.

Finally, Meghan called all the boys over and they all sat in a circle playing kings, the drinking game. At one point, they got to "Never Have I Ever". Each player had to go around and say something they hadn't done. If someone else in the circle had done that thing, then they had to drink.

"Never have I ever..." Valarie Herzog thought for a moment. "gone skydiving."

Kevin and Ricky both drank.

"Really?" James asked.

"Yeah, we went over the summer," Ricky smiled. "We called you but you were busy....idiot."

"Oh, right," James suddenly remembered.

"Okay, my turn," Meghan said. "Never have I ever...given head to Travis McCarthy."

"Meghan!" Darcy screamed. "You promised you wouldn't tell!!!"

Meghan was cracking up.

"What? You did?!" Kevin laughed.

"Ugh, I hate you Meghan," Darcy blushed. She knew that Meghan had only done that to embarrass her. "It was stupid, Alexis Lucas set me up on a date with him last night..."

"Well, that's what happens when you hang out with her, she rubs off on you, and you become a slut," Kevin said.

"I'm so mad at you," Darcy said.

"It's your turn," James reminded Darcy.

"Oh! Okay..." Darcy racked her brain. "Never have I ever let Kevin Trainer put it in my ass!"

"Darcy!" Meghan was no longer laughing. However, everyone else was.

"What? You started it!" Darcy said defensively.

This was definitely turning out to be an interesting night. They finished up the game, and James was significantly buzzed. He really was having a great time. He missed his friends.

After the game, James, Kevin, and Ricky went back over to a separate couch and continued talking about the Spring lacrosse season. They were talking about sophomore's who would be moved up to Varsity. At this point, Devon's name came up, and James began to feel uncomfortable.

"He's a pretty solid midfielder," Ricky said. "I saw their final freshman game and he scored that one past St. Dom's! That was pretty sick."

"Yeah, he's really fast too," Kevin agreed.

Suddenly, Valarie Herzog walked over and flirtatiously cuddled next to Kevin.

"What are you guys talking about?" Valarie smiled.

"Just next years lacrosse season," Kevin said.

"No girls allowed!" Ricky joked.

"Who were you talking about?" She laughed.

"Devon...what's his last name?" Kevin asked.

"Devon Halterman?!" She smiled. "Oh my god, I love him!"

James had forgotten that Valarie and Devon used to be really close friends.

"What? Did you guys hook up or something?" Kevin smirked.

"No, he's totally gay," She laughed. James began to turn red.

People knew that Devon was gay? They had known James and him were hanging out this summer, so what did they think of that? He began to remember why he felt so uncomfortable around this group.

"He is?" Ricky made a face.

"I mean, at least I think," She shrugged. "He just gives off that vibe."

"James, didn't you hang out with him a lot this summer?" Kevin noted. James was beginning to panic.

"Yeah, a little," James nodded.

"Do you think he's gay?" Kevin asked.

James thought for a moment.

"No, definitely not," James smiled.

...

Cameron arrived home from the swim meet early Sunday morning. The bus dropped him off at his house. The morning hadn't been as awkward as Cameron had thought it would be. Devon seemed to have no recollection of the night before. So, both of them acted like nothing had happened. They even sat together on the bus ride back and joked around.

When Cameron opened his front door, his mom and dad were already up. They were in the kitchen eating donuts and coffee and reading the Sunday papers.

"Hey, big man!" His dad looked up. "How was the meet?"

"Hey," Cameron waved as he put his bag down on the ground. "It was good. Well, we lost the first match, but I basically won the second one for the team, which was awesome."

"That's great sweety!" Laura Wright chimed in.

"Yeah, great job!" His father smiled.

"Oh, honey, a lawyer called..." She said.

"A lawyer?" Cameron was confused.

"There's a message on the answered machine," She said.

Cameron walked over to the answering machine. He hit play. The first message was for his mother and so was the second. The third was the one he was looking for.

"Hello, My name is Jerry Cronin of the law firm Casser and Cronin," the message started. "I'm looking for a Cameron Wright. I was interested in contacted him about a case we are working on right now. The case is a prosecution against a Max Greco and the murder of Kieran Wilmur. Please give me a call back."