Lorenzo Masters has a dream--to be the first person in his family to graduate from college. At fifteen, he is already well on his way with a full ride academic scholarship to Clearwater University, but little does the freshman know he is about to get an education in life, love, and growing up. Morgan Everett on the other hand takes his academics very lightly, as do the other guys of House Orison, but everything changes when they find themselves the unexpected caretakers of an adorable and impressionable Lore. From mentorship to romance, each member of House Orison finds a way to deal with their newfound freshman fifteen.
When Lore agrees to help House Orison with a fundraiser he doesn't realize Warren Wallace has plans to turn the freshman's innocent charms into quick cash. Over a thousand tickets, three lucky winners, and one coerced Lore Masters who must give up his first kiss to a total stranger.
DISCLAIMER
The following story is completely fictitious and any resemblances to persons living or dead are entirely coincidental. Just as in life, this story contains graphic scenes of love and hate, life and death, joy and sorrow, as well as sexually explicit scenes which may involve minors. If it is unlawful for you to view such media, or such material makes you feel uncomfortable, then please read no further than this warning.
AUTHOR'S NOTE
I would appreciate any constructive criticism you have to offer me, but anything that lacks any form of redirection or remedy will be ignored. Also, anyone commenting on how I need to make things hotter and steamier between certain characters will be equally ignored. The sexual content of my stories, while present, does not make up the majority of the storytelling. Send legitimate questions or comments to: faretheeforeverwell@yahoo.com.
FRESHMAN FIFTEEN!? – EPISODE FOUR
In the dim light of the campus library, Morgan Everett did something out of the ordinary; he studied. He was going over ever news clips from the campus and local papers from fifteen years ago, looking for a name. As he studied every article published about that fateful incident, he couldn't for the life of him find the answer he was looking for.
"Stupid bureaucracy..." Morgan mumbled to no one in the early morning.
Ever since they had passed the candidates for House Orison's sixth squad, Morgan had been curious to find out more about Lore's father, but his attempts to track down the man and give Lore a sense of closure were derailed at every turn because of one simple thing; Morgan couldn't find the man's name. He knew Lore's mother's name had been kept out of the paper due to confidentiality, but he never thought the student who actually committed the crime would be given the same anonymity. He had searched through probably a dozen articles ranging from printed press to digital media and still, nothing could be found on Lore's father.
Morgan rubbed his temples.
He could always ask Lore, he supposed, but he doubted Lore knew any more about his father than Morgan did. After all, he had only met the man once, and from Lore's description, he hadn't learned much about the man before he left for good. Still, if Lore knew his name...
Morgan's cell phone began to ring. As he quickly pulled it out of his pocket to silence the device, he saw it was Professor Malcolm, House Orison's faculty advisor.
"Hey, Professor Malcolm, did you get my text?" Morgan asked as he continued to scroll through the article he was reading. This current one was about the founding of House Orison and the first squad appointed to patrol duties of the campus.
"Yes, I did, Morgan." Malcolm replied. "I asked the Headmaster if we could release the name of Gail Masters' attacker, but he told me due to a prearranged confidentiality agreement between the accused, the school, and the local authorities involved, he is unable to grant your request."
"What?" Morgan almost yelled into the phone forgetting himself a bit. "That's bullshit!"
"Well, what I think you need to understand is this was a very sensitive issue for the school, and if word got out that we had violated that contract..." Malcolm was cut off.
"So wait, House Orison can know the name of the person who was attacked and raped, but we aren't allowed to know the name of the person responsible?" Morgan was a little taken back. He thought the Headmaster, James Hodges, would understand. He had always seemed like a reasonable and nice old man. "I mean, come on, Prof... what's really going on?"
"Morgan," Professor Malcolm took control of the conversation, and from his tone Morgan knew what the advisor was going to say would be final, "you need to stop asking so many questions about things that could ultimately put the school in an awkward legal position. I expect the head of House Orison to be more responsible than this. Just let it go."
Professor Malcolm hung up the phone.
Morgan was taken back. He had never experienced anything like this from Professor Malcolm or the Headmaster. If they expected him to just let it go, they were wrong. He had to find out who this man was, locate him, and let him know his son missed him. If he could just get a name, an address, a single clue...
"Damnit!" Morgan uncharacteristically slammed his fist into the computer table in front of him. He was frustrated but he wasn't going to give up.
He wasn't going to give up on Lore.
"You know," Malcolm said simply as he turned towards the Headmaster while putting his phone away, "he isn't going to give up."
"I know," the old man said with a reserved sigh which suddenly turned into a light-hearted chuckle, "we really do pick the best students for the job, don't we? Morgan has such an intuitive mind, very sharp boy, which is why he is captain of House Orison, I suppose."
Malcolm had to smile at his old mentor. Despite the trouble Morgan's investigation was causing him, James Hodges still admired the young man's pluck and dedication.
"And what if he finds out?" Professor Malcolm asked.
"Well, then he finds out." James Hodges reflected. "And maybe, just maybe, the journey to discover what he seeks will instill in him a healthy respect for the truth and the power that is knowledge. I wonder... is Morgan Everett the sort of person I believe him to be? If so, then I don't suppose we have anything to fear."
The old man seemed to contemplate his own words for a while, before he turned towards Malcolm with a smile.
"So, you won't believe the rumor I just heard today." the Headmaster grinned like a little kid who just heard a dirty joke. "Apparently, Warren Wallace has put together a little fundraiser and if even half of the rumor is true... I imagine House Orison will have more pressing concerns to deal with."
Warren Wallace whistled a peaceful little tune to himself as he swapped out the glass fishbowl he had been using with a sturdier and much larger aquarium. While the glass prison was forfeit water or any living creature, it was quickly filled more than halfway to the top with the little red tickets the cowboy had made. As he knocked out the last stragglers from the old fishbowl he had been using he heard the heavenly sound of the bell to the Clearwater general store chime. Looking up to his new patron he saw it was, in fact, the man of the hour himself, Lorenzo Masters.
"Hey Warren," Lore cheerfully greeted his manager and fellow patrol captain, "how's it going?"
"Couldn't be better, partner." Warren slyly grinned as he patted the imposing aquarium filled with little red tickets.
"What's that?" Lore asked as he walked closer to the glass tank.
The tank itself was huge and Lore estimated it held probably close to five-hundred tickets, if not more. It must have been a recent addition to the store as Lore hadn't seen it the week before. While he had taken a few days off to help Brian Evers with their Bio project, he hadn't expected to see such a curious container and certainly not one that appeared to be so filled with raffle tickets over such a short period of time. Whatever it was, Lore thought to himself, it must be popular.
"This is part of our yearly fundraiser for House Orison." Warren informed the boy, "Each here ticket costs five buckaroos, and at the end of the week we are gonna have a drawin' to see who the lucky winner is. Although, with as many tickets we are getting, we could probably manage a few winners. Which, I gotta say, thank ya, Lore, for making this all possible."
Lore looked towards Warren with a confused expression.
"What do you mean `for making it all possible?'" Lore asked.
"Well," the cowboy said as he tipped up his hat, "y'all remember last week when we talked about the fundraiser and ya said y'all would help out?"
"Yeah," Lore said cautiously, "I remember. Ian was saying last year you did a bake sale and the year before that a silent auction."
"Well," Warren continued as he reached down behind the counter and fished something out, "I figured out the perfect way to earn us some funds for the house, this year."
Warren used some tape and stuck the sheet of paper on the side of the aquarium so anyone who came into the store could read it. As Lore looked at it, the first thing he saw was a large, full color, version of the photo they had taken for his student ID. He was smiling with his innocent blue eyes sparkling at the camera. Next to his picture, in large bold letters, read Win a Kiss with Lorenzo Masters.' Lore was dumbstruck as he continued to read For just $5.00 you can enter for your chance to win a kiss from the youngest patrol captain in the history of House Orison. Don't be shy. You may enter as many times as you like to improve your chances. Drawing will be held Friday.'
"I know," Warren said misreading Lore's stunned expression, "isn't it great? Y'all is so popular with the lady folk in the last two days we got in all these tickets. Even got a few entries from some people I'd never expect; ya know, the shy quiet types. We draw this Friday, given folks a few more days to get the courage up or get the funds."
"Warren..." Lore said with a tremor in his voice, "how could you do this without asking me!"
The boy's uncharacteristic outburst at his boss through Warren for a loop as the cowboy could clearly see Lore's cheeks turn red and it looked like he was almost crying.
"I just..." Warren offered.
"You just what?" Lore shouted back as Melody came from the back where she was changing to watch the outburst of the normally cheerful teen. "You just thought I'd be okay with it? You just thought it would be alright to choose who I kiss?"
"It's just a kiss, Lore." Warren said a little confused as to the teen's reaction. "It's no big thing. You've been kissed before, right?"
Lore was about to say something but then he stopped and turned a darker shade of red.
"It isn't yours to give away!" Lore yelled childishly as he spun around and angrily marched out of the doorway to the campus store, leaving a stunned Warren Wallace and Melody King in his wake.
Warren slowly walked around the counter.
"Well, congratulations, stupid." Melody said unsympathetically to the cowboy as she approached, "You have all of the tact of a cockroach. I'll tell you what; I'll clock back in and cover his shift tonight, since you are an insensitive idiot. Besides, I thought you told me you worked all of this raffle stuff out with Lore beforehand?"
Warren pulled out a red sharpie from his pocket.
"I did," Warren said defensively, "mostly. I never imagined a pretty little thing like Lore had never been kissed. I should a realized with him being so much younger than his peer group, he probably never had a... someone special to share that first kiss with yet. I should have figured that out sooner... I'm a damn fool, Melody... a damn crazy fool. I just hope it isn't too late."
As Warren moved away from the piece of paper on the aquarium, Melody King could see in huge red letters it read `Win a chance to be Lore Masters' first kiss.'
"If I had known it was his first kiss," Warren said as he capped the sharpie and put it back in his pocket, "I could have made lots more money."
"You are going to get your ass handed to you when Morgan finds out." Melody observed. "You know that, right?"
When Morgan got home he was surprised to find the house spotless and even more so to see Whit Riley putting a few dirty rags in the laundry hamper for Ian. Making his way into the kitchen, he saw Ian smiling happily to himself.
"Later Ian! Later Morgan!" Riley shouted as the door slammed loudly behind him.
"Off to play?" Morgan asked the redhead who was just putting the last glass on the counter to dry.
"I suppose so," Ian offered, "I have to hand it to him, he did a really good job picking up the living room and dusting. I suppose all of that discipline Artisan instilled in him is paying off."
"Yeah, I suppose so." Morgan thought for a moment. "Have you heard anything from Chase about his parents? I know he is staying for a while, and the Headmaster cleared it all through the board, but still I don't want Riley to think his parents just abandoned him here with us. Eventually the kid is going to start missing his mom and his dad."
"Honestly, Morgan," Ian replied as he turned to face the house captain, "I think he is going to be okay. He is having fun, schoolwork is keeping him busy, he still trains with Artisan to hone his skills, and that first patrol we helped put together I think really boosted his confidence in himself. Chase said he has been having some issues lately about his feelings towards certain things and fitting in with the rest of the team, but in this house I think he is finding acceptance and love. So don't worry, just keep doing what you do, oh... and Warren set up a raffle and Lore has to kiss the winner. You might want to talk to him about that."
"Who, Warren?" Morgan asked knowing he wasn't going to get anywhere with him.
"No, Lore," Ian corrected, "He came home a few hours ago and shut himself in his room. Riley had gone to go see him at the campus store, but he wasn't there. I guess Melody filled him in on the whole thing and he told me about it. I just wonder when Warren was going to tell us... or Lore."
"Actually," Morgan sheepishly admitted, "I sort of knew about it, but Warren told me he talked it all over..."
Ian simply gave Morgan a knowing look.
"I'll go check on Lore." Morgan offered as he headed upstairs.
As Morgan made his way to Lore's door, he knocked softly and was bayed entrance.
"Hey, Ian told me what happened." Morgan comforted. "You okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine." Lore said after having collected himself. "I was just upset I guess... I mean not knowing until now... and all those tickets. I don't know."
"Do you still want to go through with it?" Morgan asked. "One word from me and the drawing doesn't go through and everybody gets their money back. I promise."
"No!" Lore almost shouted before he recollected himself. "I mean, you can't... it would make House Orison look bad. I'm not going to do anything to give my mom's house a bad name. Besides, it is just a stupid kiss, right?"
"Well, it is your first kiss," Morgan countered, "and it is only stupid if you think it is. I don't think it is a stupid thing, I mean a first kiss, but you're right; it would look bad if we backed out now, but I could always tell people it was because I said so and had nothing to do with you."
"I can't let you do that, Morgan... look, I promise it isn't a big deal." Lore smiled with a confidence he didn't feel.
"If you say so..." Morgan reluctantly agreed with, "but if you... you know... need to talk or anything, I will be here."
Lore smiled, but with a genuine warmth. He knew Morgan would be there for him, but how could he let him know he couldn't make a big deal about the contest without revealing his real reason for being so upset with Warren moving things so fast. How could he let the house captain know who he really wanted his first kiss to be with?
Artisan carefully scanned small campus store, wary of the eyes upon him. Rarely did he venture into the store without the other members of House Orison by his side, but he was on a mission. As he made his way deftly to the counter where Melody King was working, he slid across the hardwood surface a note with a single fold.
"Art, you okay?" Melody asked as she picked up the note and unfolded it.
Artisan observed the beautiful Latina clerk for her reaction.
"This is a joke, right?" she asked as she used her free hand to motion towards the note.
"Unfortunately, not." The swordsman replied darkly. "I would also appreciate you keeping this to yourself. The honor of House Orison depends upon it. If anyone were to know..."
"I got it, honor... manliness... boys being tough... whatever..." Melody went on as she surreptitiously retrieved a small red ticket and began filling it out. "So... you want me to fill one out for you too while I am at it?"
Artisan glared at the clerk.
"It is embarrassing enough to be dispatched as a common errand boy for my older sister; I do not need to compound my shame by partaking in Warren's... `fund raiser.'" Artisan almost spat.
"Fine, whatever." Melody deflected harmlessly as she finished writing up the ticket for Artisan's sister, Yumi.
A sudden smirk came to the Latina's face.
"Thank you, Artisan of House Orison." She said loud enough for the entire store to hear clearly. "That will be five dollars."
Artisan scowled as he got out the money. "I hate women."
It was getting pretty bad. Lore tried to ignore the girls in his lab that had been staring at him only to look away and giggle when he turned to catch their eyes. He knew that they were giggling about, and the idea of the entire university knowing Lore Masters had never been kissed turned the teen's stomach. It was as if he was on display for the entire school, in his underwear, with a boner. It was humiliating enough without the endgame of him having to kiss some girl he didn't know.
"You know," Brian offered as they continued to work on the lab, "if you wanted... I could maybe buy a few tickets... just in case I get drawn and that way you don't have to kiss someone you don't know."
It took Lore a moment to realize what the freshman was telling him and the stunned look on Lore's face caused Brian to burst into a fit of laughter.
"Only joking," Brian chided as he gave Lore a teasing punch in the arm.
"Not funny," Lore sulked a bit.
"Yes it is," Brian commented as he turned his attention momentarily back to the lab before a slow smile crept across his face, "it's only not funny to you because you are in the middle of it all. I'm sure once this all blows over you will laugh about it. I mean, it is not like you are the only person in the entire world to be put into an unfortunate situation, and if the worst thing that happens is you have to kiss someone you don't want to, boy or girl, I think you will live."
Lore had to agree with Brian, but it still didn't make him feel any better about it.
"Wait," Lore caught himself, "boy or girl?"
"Yeah," Brian said as he stopped taking notes for a moment to give Lore a sideways glance, "you did know the contest is open to both male and female students, right?"
Suddenly, Lore had a very bad feeling.
Cole Greenberg stood, surrounded by a throng of girls who were quietly whispering amongst themselves. He had a look that seemed to borderline embarrassment and anger, and each time he glared at one of the gathered groups of chattering underclassmen, they all seemed to immediately look away and giggle. He hated this.
"You're sure about this?" Melody King asked as she continued to fill out the pile of red tickets the spiky-haired freshman had just purchased.
"No," Cole huffed, "but I'm doing it anyway."
"So," Melody inquired as she continued to write Cole Greenberg's name on ticket after ticket before dropping them into the aquarium where they would join the others she had already filled out for him, "you must have been a real jerk to Lore in high school."
"You have no idea." Cole replied darkly as the girls once again began making rumors amongst themselves as to why he had bought so many tickets.
This had better work, Cole thought to himself as the Latina clerk continued to write, this had better fucking work.
In the quiet after hours of his closed shop, Warren Wallace continued to shake the container of tickets. There were over a thousand tickets, and while he didn't really care who the actual winners were, he figured it would be best to really mix them up, just in case anyone asked later. With all of House Orison mad at him, as usual, he wasn't too bothered by the events that had unfolded, only because he had caused equal if not greater grief in times past and still managed to maintain his station in House Orison, due in no small part to his charm and supernaturally forgivable nature.
As the collective thud of a thousand tickets echoed inside the tin container he had transferred the tickets into, he finally stopped, having shaken it for a solid five minutes. The cowboy was confident that whoever won a kiss from Lore Masters had certainly done so due to pure luck. He knew people might assume he had rigged the drawing, but there was a certain code of conduct even Warren Wallace followed, a kind of honesty when it came down to games of chance. In his heart, the junior business major saw himself as some sort of modern day gambler and cowboy, an outlaw living life to the fullest.
"Alright," he said to himself as he popped the top of the tin off with a noisy clank and began rooting around inside the dark cylinder, "let's see who our first lucky winner is..."
As he grabbed onto the first ticket, he pulled it out of the tin and gave it a once over. It took him a while to put a face with the name, but after a few moments thought he could picture the girl quiet clearly. She was a cute little lamb by the name of Katie Star, a relative nobody amongst her freshman peers, and almost always in the company of a few of Lore's more aggressive fan girls. He didn't envy her the looks she would get when people found out she got a kiss from Lore Masters.
Setting the first winning ticket aside, Warren reached back into the tin and began rooting around once more. After finding a suitable ticket, he pulled it out of the tin and read the name. He promptly frowned.
"No good, trouble making..." Warren continued to mumble his curses at Cole Greenberg who had become the second winner of the drawing. Warren almost immediately dismissed the idea of throwing the ticket he had drawn away in favor of a new winner, being as that would violate his self-imposed code of ethics. He knew Cole had entered the drawing, a lot, in a feeble attempt to help Lore Masters avoid having to kiss a total stranger. While the cowboy admitted the ploy had worked to spare Lore a single kiss, he knew if he came across Greenberg's tickets again, he would redraw; at least that part of his code he could reason with.
As he dipped his hand into the tin for one final draw, Warren laid hold of the third and final winning ticket before pulling it out of the tin filled with dashed hopes and dreams. As he read the name of the third winner he paused.
"What the..." the cowboy said to himself before a small smile seemed to wash over his stubbly face. "Well, ain't that the darnedest thing I ever saw."
As Warren lay the third ticket next to the other two winners, he emptied out the losing tickets into the aquarium again so he could count them later. While he wasn't interested in knowing how many times Cole Greenberg entered into the contest, he was a little curious just to see what the odds were of him drawing the other two winners of the contest, and also seeing who all wanted a shot to kiss Lore Masters. Such information could be very useful down the road.
Taking out three envelopes he marked Katie Star and Cole Greenberg on two of them along with their housing information, with the other one simply being marked `Contest Winner.' He marked each of the three tickets as winners and placed each ticket into its respective envelope. As he turned off the light to the Clearwater General Store and locked up, he dropped Cole and Katie's winning tickets off in the mailbox that would see them delivered to their room the following day, while he held on to the third winning ticket.
After a lengthy walk back to House Orison, he made his way inside and carefully walked to the third contest winner's room and slid the envelope under the door. Making his way back to his room, Warren turned in for the night, knowing the morning would bring all sorts of new surprises and adventures.
"Has anyone seen Lore?" Morgan asked of the small group as he made his way down the stairs of House Orison for breakfast, "He isn't in his room. Does he work today?"
Warren Wallace was reading his paper while drinking a rather strong cup of coffee as Chase and Riley got some quick breakfast. Ian had to leave extremely early to help out one of his instructors with a project, and had only been able to leave a heaping basket of muffins and some cold cereal for the residents of House Orison to enjoy. Artisan, having had a patrol last night, was more than likely sneaking in a few extra hours of sleep.
"Well, y'all could say he has `work' to do today, of a sort." Warren offered cheekily as he chuckled to himself a bit at his own antics. "I think he skedaddled out of here early to put off anyone claiming their prizes for a while. Why do you ask?"
Morgan glared at Warren.
"You know damn well why I ask," Morgan growled at his longtime friend and nemesis, "you put that kid through so much grief, and for what? So we can get a new TV? If anything you should make the person who actually broke the TV pay for it."
Riley put down the bowl of cereal and milk he had been slurping as a worried look washed over his face. The collected group could almost imagine the boy trying to calculate the number of laps he would have to run to pay off the television set.
"I could have, yeah, but ya have to ask yourself one question, Morgan," Warren offered philosophically, "who would pay to kiss a little snot-nosed runt like Riley?"
Riley's worried look immediately turned into a scowl at Warren.
"No offense." The cowboy apologized.
"I'm finished." Riley pouted as he excused himself, swiped his glove off the counter which `accidently' hit Warren in the process, and made his way to the door.
"Play nice, Warren." Chase said dangerously as he turned to address the house captain. "Lore set out to help Riley and me set up for practice today. I told him he could go out early and if it so happened he missed anyone stopping by to claim a kiss, it wouldn't be his fault since he was just helping us out. Don't worry, Riley and I will be there to make sure Lore doesn't have to do anything he doesn't want to do."
Warren chuckled to himself, "Says the dugout bandit."
"That was one time!" Chase countered. "Besides, Brian and I have decided to take it slow from now on, and not rush into anything we aren't ready for. Just like with Lore, you can't expect the kid to give up his first kiss to just anyone, it should be with someone he knows and trusts."
Lore lay in the grass of the baseball diamond. Practice had ended for Chase and his group of neighborhood kids about an hour ago, and Lore was doing everything in his power to stay away from House Orison. Warren had told Chase at breakfast, because of the number of entries, he had drawn three winners. While he wouldn't say who had won, Lore knew he had to go through with kissing the three winners. The reputation of House Orison, and indeed himself, was on the line.
"You okay?" Riley asked as the youth sat down next to his friend. "You've been worrying me; you are so depressed all the time. I ain't seen you smile all week!"
Whit Riley flopped onto his back to stare up at the sky with his typical torpid expression, yet he was here and Lore could tell that he had been worrying the boy. That hadn't been his intention, and while Lore had been distracted by the contest and its possible outcome he had been ignoring Riley as well as his other friends.
"Sorry, Riley." Lore said as he comforted the boy, "I've just had a lot of my mind. This stupid drawing Warren put together has been bugging me. He never told me what it was until he had already gotten tons of tickets sold, and... I've never had a real kiss with anyone before. I guess the thought of being forced to give up my first kiss to someone just... it's stupid."
There was a brief pause as Lore frowned a bit.
"No." Riley said as he seemed to think over Lore's words. "It ain't stupid. Chase told me kissing is something special, like a hug, but more grown up. I ain't never been kissed before either, but I been hugged tons. Maybe a kiss is like a hug. I can't remember my first hug, but I can remember the ones that make me feel safe and loved. Remembering those ones make me feel warm inside or fuzzy. I bet, no matter what, you'll remember the kisses that make you feel safe and loved more than your first one."
"You know what, Riley?" Lore said looking thoughtfully over to the boy laying next to him, "That's pretty smart."
"Yeah," Riley said as he thought about it himself, "that is what Chase told me about hugs and kisses being different and the same, but I think it was just because he didn't want to try it with me."
Lore stifled a laugh at the thought of poor Chase trying to explain why he couldn't kiss Riley without hurting the boy's feelings. As Lore looked at the boy, he couldn't help but feel Riley was waiting for something.
"So," Riley said casually but with subtle interest, "are you gonna do it?"
"Do what?" Lore asked a little bewildered.
"Kiss the winners?" Riley probed as he picked at the grass on the field above his head.
"I don't know." Lore said as he thought about it. "I mean, I know I should and if push comes to shove I will, but I still don't like the idea of having to kiss someone I don't want to, especially if it is my first kiss ever. I was sort of hoping I could save my first kiss, I mean... I sort of had someone in mind for it."
Riley seemed to put some thought into Lore's words.
"So, why don't you ask them to kiss you so you can have your first kiss with the person you want?" Riley asked.
"Well, it's not that simple." Lore said a little shyly. "I mean, when you like someone it is hard to tell them things sometimes, especially if it is something embarrassing like you want them to be your first kiss. Besides, it's Morgan from House Orison. I mean, I know he knows how I feel, but I don't want to do anything that would ruin our friendship. I was sort of hoping it would all come naturally, but with this stupid contest and Warren... it has all just moved too fast."
"Oh." Riley said as he thought a moment longer.
Both boys seemed to be lost in thought, but it was Riley who broke the silence.
"I'm going to go see if Ian made a snack." The boy said as he got up from the grass. "You coming?"
"Nah," Lore said as he stretched out on the grass. "I think I will relax here a bit longer."
As Riley walked away, Lore closed his eyes and tried to imagine who the three people were he had to kiss. He hoped they weren't gross or creepy, but he knew regardless he would have to kiss each and every one of them. At least, he thought, once he kissed them it would be over. As the fading sun gently warmed his peaceful face he never saw Whit Riley fish into his pocket before pulling out a slightly bent and worn red ticket.
Lore was woken up by someone lightly kicking his foot. As he opened his eyes he could see the sun was almost gone and early evening was upon him. Having fallen asleep after his chat with Riley his eyes focused on the imposing figure of his former bully turned friend. As Cole reached a hand down to help Lore up, he couldn't help but smirk at the youth.
"What if I had been a rapist?" Cole asked as he helped a groggy Lore to his feet.
"I would have been screwed," Lore replied cheekily, "... literally."
Both boy's laughed in the dying light.
"Speaking of screwed," Cole said as he reached into his pocket, "I think I've repaid a bit of my debt for being a dick to you for four years."
Cole produced from the pocket of his jeans two red tickets. Lore immediately recognized them from the aquarium and could see they were signed by Warren Wallace. They were winning tickets and Cole had two of them.
"Whoa, where did you get those?" Lore asked in surprise.
"Well, this one," Cole said as he held up the first ticket, "is mine, fair and square. I heard about your plight and since you can make an unlimited number of entries I played the odds. Let's just say when my parents call and ask why my account is drained for the month I'm not going to tell them I entered a raffle to win a kiss from a fifteen year old boy. I'll just tell them I needed to score some booze for a party or something."
"Wow," Lore said honestly moved by Cole's gesture, "you did that for me?"
"You could say that," Cole said a little nervously, "just don't make a huge deal out of it, otherwise I will give this to the ugliest, fattest, most mannish girl I can find."
"Okay," Lore replied with a little bit of a giggle, "but where did you get the second one?"
"This one comes from a girl named Katie Star," Cole explained as he held up the second ticket, "she is a little on the dorky and shy side, kind of like you... no offense... but after I explained to her how Warren had set everything up and basically forced you into doing it, she was perfectly fine with giving up her ticket. I told her I would bring it straight to you and she even promised not to say anything to anyone about it."
"Really," Lore asked, "she was okay with it?"
"Seemed to be," Cole said, "I think she sort of expected it not to happen anyway. She really does like you, you know; just saying. Plus, she sort of has that hot librarian look going for her..."
"I get it..." Lore said a little annoyed but laughing.
"Well, anyway, that is about all I can do for you." Cole said, "I don't know who has the third ticket."
"I think I can help in that matter." Morgan interjected as he walked up to Lore and Cole.
With a minor sleight of hand he produced the third red ticket.
"Morgan?" Lore said a little hopefully, "You entered the drawing?"
"No," Morgan chuckled a bit as he closed the distance between the two underclassmen, "but I do honestly have to say it crossed my mind."
"Then how did you get the third ticket?" Lore asked a little confused.
"It was on my dresser when I went into my room." Morgan replied as he handed the ticket to Lore, "I saw Riley milling about beforehand, and as it turns out he was the third winner in the contest."
"Riley?" Cole asked in disbelief, "Whit Riley?"
"Yeah," Morgan restated as he pointed to the name on the ticket, "Whitric C. Riley."
"But, why did...?" Lore thought back to Riley and his conversation and suddenly a lot of it took on new meaning. "He was right here. He was right here with me not more than a couple hours ago and we were talking about the contest. I told him about how Warren had set it all up without telling me and about how I wanted... I wanted my first kiss to be with someone I cared about. I told him I wished my first kiss could be with you, Morgan."
Lore blushed as Cole desperately tried to meld into the growing shadows of evening.
"Just so you know, I talked with Warren," Morgan said, "He told me he had over a thousand entries. A good number of them were Cole Greenberg, which explains why he won a ticket. The second winner was a girl named Katie. Warren said she was a `shy little thing' that had put in a few entries along with her friends. The third ticket, and Warren checked, was won by Riley."
"Warren said the boy had stopped in to the general store to walk you home, but you had `ducked out' because you found out about the contest, and Riley had seen the contest tank and asked about it." Morgan continued as Lore and Cole listened intently, "Riley didn't have five dollars to spend on a ticket, so after he got back home he asked Ian if there were any chores he could do for five dollars. Ian put him to work and said he never saw the kid put in so much effort. After he had earned five dollars he raced back to the campus store and bought a ticket. One ticket, out of a thousand plus, and Riley won."
Lore thought about what he had said, about what Riley had said, and suddenly he felt bad.
"Chase said Riley has been asking a lot of question about relationships, kissing, and some other stuff, and whether he is confused, in love, or just being a kid Riley likes you Lore." Morgan said as he put a comforting hand on Lore's shoulder. "He likes you so much, he gave up his chance at sharing his first kiss with you so you could have your first kiss with the person you wanted."
"You mean," Lore said as he looked into Morgan's eyes, "you... you'll kiss me?"
"Lore," Morgan grinned, "I would be honored to be your first kiss. All you had to do was ask me. If that is what you want than I will. All you have to do is say the word."
Lore Masters thought for a moment as he looked into Morgan's eyes, detecting no hint of joking.
"Actually," Lore said as a grin crept across his angelic face, "I've got an even better idea."
Whitric C. Riley, ten-year-old, resident patrol captain assistant to House Orison's sixth squad lay on his bed looking up at the ceiling. Spread eagle on the comfy bed with clean sheets Ian had laid out for him, the boy was lost deep in thought, imagining Lore and Morgan's first kiss and wondering what it would be like. He knew Chase wouldn't kiss him because he was his coach, and as Chase had explained before a coach shouldn't kiss his players. He knew Artisan wouldn't kiss him, especially after what happened during his training with the swordsman. He didn't think Ian would kiss him, except maybe on the forehead or cheek like a mommy.
Riley thought about Warren, for a moment, before remembering what he had said at breakfast about nobody being willing to pay to kiss a `snot-nosed little runt like' him. Riley felt a sinking feeling in his stomach.
As he rolled over on his bed, Whit thought maybe he wasn't meant to be kissed. Maybe there was something wrong with him. He couldn't ask the other players on his team because they would make fun of him, and all the people he liked and wanted to try kissing with were all boys and everyone of them was too old to be kissing a ten year old except maybe Lore. Even then, Lore didn't want to kiss him either. As he closed his eyes and tried to sort it all out, he heard a knocking on his door.
"Yeah?" the boy asked through the closed wooden door to his room on the topmost `observation' floor of House Orison.
"Can I come in?" he heard a muffled Lore ask.
"Yeah." The boy replied as his door opened and Lore stepped into the room before closing the door behind him.
"Riley?" Lore asked, "I wanted to ask you something."
"What?" the ten year old responded as he sat up a bit on his bed.
"Well," Lore began, "it is kind of embarrassing, but I wanted to know if you wanted to be my first kiss?"
Riley just stared at the fifteen year old freshman a bit confused.
"But I thought you wanted your first kiss to be with Morgan?" Riley asked.
"That is what I thought, too." Lore confirmed, "but, you see, I got to thinking, what I really wanted was for my first kiss to be with someone I care about. I really care about you, Riley, and I know you care about me. Even if it isn't the same love I feel for Morgan, it is its own special kind of love that exists just for you. I just never really had a chance to show you that, and I wanted to... if you wanted to."
"But I can't," Riley said a little dismayed, "I gave my ticket to Morgan..."
"You mean this ticket?" Lore asked as he produced the worn red ticket the boy had been carting around for the entire day to work up the courage to ask Lore.
"How did you get that?" Riley gasped. "I thought I put that on Morgan's dresser so you could have your first kiss be with him?"
"You did," Lore explained, "and he found it and brought it to me. He told me he had talked to Warren and found out you had won the ticket. He also told me you had worked hard to earn the money to enter the drawing and that out of all those tickets yours had been chosen. It took a lot of effort to earn that money, and it took a lot of guts, Riley, to enter that drawing. But even more so, it took a lot of love to give up your first kiss with who you wanted in order to give me my first kiss with who I wanted."
"I just..." Riley began. "You were just so sad... I don't like it when you're sad, Lore."
Lore moved closer to the bed as Riley scooted forward a bit to face the older teen.
"Riley," Lore said as he sat next to the boy, "Morgan gave me this ticket and told me to choose the person I wanted to share my first kiss with, and I choose you."
Without another word, Lore took Riley by his small shoulders and leaned forward.
"You ain't playing a trick on me?" Riley asked as Lore moved closer and closer. "You're not gonna..."
The boy was blissfully interrupted. Riley stared in disbelief as he shared his first kiss with Lore Masters before closing his eyes and kissing back. It wasn't a particularly mind-blowing kiss, although neither boy had any experience to determine such a thing, nor was it wrought with tongues or aggressive needful lusting; it was pure. Both boys seemed to lose themselves in the moment and whether the innocent kiss lasted for a few seconds or a few minutes, neither one could be sure, but when their lips parted both boys looked a little red in the cheeks.
"Oh, boy..." Riley mumbled to no one in particular as he smiled.
"So, how'd it go Romeo?" Cole asked as he leaned against the doorway leading up to Riley's room from the second floor.
Lore just blushed as he put his hands in his pockets and both Cole and Morgan immediately knew what went down.
"Something tells me we'll be hearing all about it during the upcoming month," Morgan ventured as he and Cole took flanking positions behind Lore as the teen walked down the hallway with the hint of a confident stride. "As loveable as that boy is, he tends to say whatever is on his mind. I imagine Chase is going to give us all an earful when he finds out."
"Yeah, probably," Lore commented before turning around with a sudden smirk on his face. "Hey, you guys up for a quick stroll?"
The campus library was just about to close for the night as Katie Star, a timid freshman, made her way towards the entrance. As she opened the door she was surprised to find three figures waiting for her. She knew Cole Greenberg from earlier that day, a member of House Orison's sixth squad. Along with him was Morgan Everett, a junior and the house captain of House Orison, and while she had never talked to him almost every girl on campus thought he was perfect. Between the two, and she could hardly believe it, was Lorenzo Masters.
"Hey there," Lore Smiled, "You must be Katie. I heard about you winning the contest and also about what you did for me. I wanted to say thanks."
"Oh, umm..." the girl said nervously, obviously surprised by the presence of House Orison, "I.. it was nothing."
Cole had been right, the girl had some attractive features which she hid under glasses and awkwardly put up hair. She seemed to hold her books in front of her like some sort of shield and it was obvious she had almost no confidence in herself.
"Well, it meant something to me," Lore sincerely thanked, "and I was sort of hoping we could walk you home, I mean to your dorm, if that's okay?"
"Umm... sure," Katie smiled nervously, "but it's a bit away, on the other side of campus, you sure?"
"Even better," Morgan offered with surprising charm and a comforting voice, "House Orison prides itself on serving Clearwater University and its students. It would be our pleasure to see you safely home this evening, Ms. Star."
With a blush, the girl accepted the offer, and the four began walking in the direction of the girl's dorm. As they continued to walk, Morgan grabbed the collar of the brooding Cole Greenberg, and allowed the two freshmen to walk a little further on as the other two members of House Orison `secured the area.' This allowed Lore some one on one time with the shy freshman girl, who he was able to coax out of her shell a bit. As the two walked on, under the watchful eye of both Morgan and Cole, they both learned a little bit about each other and even shared a few laughs at the entire situation.
As they approached Katie's dorm, their conversation seemed to become a little more awkward as they both danced around one question.
"So," Katie asked as she had become more comfortable around Lore, "did you ever get your first kiss? I mean, you don't have to say, I was just..."
"Yes," Lore said, "well... yeah, I did."
"Oh," Katie blushed as she took back the books Lore had carried for her during their walk, "so, was she a... is she...?"
"Actually," Lore blushed, "it was a he."
"Oh." Katie replied a bit surprised as her blush deepened. "I.. I didn't know... so you... you like...?"
"People," Lore interjected with a smile, "I like people. I don't know if I only like guys or if I like girls too, but the more I think about it the more I seem to understand I like people. I like people that have good hearts. You have a good heart, Katie Star, and I'm really glad I got to know you a little better."
"I won't say anything," Katie smiled as she seemed for the first time to really appreciate the wonderful person standing before her.
"I know," Lore replied in kind with a smile of his own, "I trust you, otherwise I wouldn't have said anything."
Both teens seemed to mill about for a moment.
"Well," Lore interrupted the silence, "I suppose we should get going, but anyway... umm... goodnight."
With that Lorenzo Masters, patrol captain of House Orison's sixth squad, leaned forward and kissed the girl he had walked home on the lips. The kiss lasted for only a few seconds and while it had come as a surprise to both freshmen involved, both Katie and Lore accepted the kiss as a sort of pact, a secret gesture that was neither sexual nor meaningless. As their lips parted, both parties were equally red in the face, but neither one regretful.
"Katie Star," Lore offered, "you will always be my first kiss with a girl."
"And you will always be my first kiss..." Katie sheepishly admitted, "... with a boy."
As both broke out in giggle-fitted smiles, Katie said a final goodbye and made her way into her dorm. As Lore stood outside the door of the building, he was approached by the two figures that had been watching the entire time.
"You know, Lore," Morgan joked, "I'm starting to get a little jealous. Riley gets to be your first kiss with a boy, Katie gets to be your first kiss with a girl, so what am I going to be?"
A newfound smile seemed to creep across Lore's face in the darkness of evening as he turned around to look Morgan in the eyes. Cole Greenberg, sensing what was coming, rolled his eyes and walked away quietly to give the two a private moment. As he did, Lore moved closer towards Morgan and wrapped his arms around the junior's waist.
"How about," Lore thought for a moment, "my first kiss with someone I can't picture my life without?"
"Well then," Morgan smiled back, "I suppose it will be a first kiss for both of us, than."
As Lore looked up into Morgan's eyes, he surrendered himself to the sensation of touch, and finally feeling Morgan's lips on his own, he kissed back. He didn't care if anyone else was around or saw, he didn't care if this was true romantic love or something else, all Lore Masters cared about was this moment when he felt closest to the person he loved the most. It was more passionate than kissing Katie or even Riley, but it was no less innocent and pure. Time stood still, Lore felt tingly, and he could taste the hint of root beer candy on Morgan's lips.
When the two finally parted, Morgan looked down at Lore with an indescribable kindness and love in his eyes, but Lore was enthralled and oblivious. It was his turn to say, "Oh, boy..."
His good deed done for the week, Cole Greenberg watched as Lore and Morgan walked back towards House Orison, the dim light of the lampposts illuminating their slow strides as they talked and laughed. He didn't know what they were saying, but he imagined it was inconsequential, stupid, and fulfilling. As he watched Morgan ruffle Lore's hair despite the ineffective batting of the young boy's hands, Cole reached into his pocket and pulled out his winning red ticket signed by Warren Wallace. Regarding it for a brief moment before crumpling it up, he watched Morgan and Lore disappear into the night.
As he walked over to a nearby trash bin to throw the worthless piece of paper away, he paused.
"Fuck it." He said to himself as he fished out his wallet and slipped the meaningless red paper into its folds.
As he walked towards his dorm he kept trying to convince himself it was just a stupid piece of paper, but it was a piece of paper that had cost him a shitload of money and trouble and that was why he wasn't going to throw it away; that, and no other reason.