GROOVY KIND OF LOVE *******************

For the disclaimer, please read Part 1.

This story may be reprinted anywhere on the Net, as long

as it's done intact, without changing a single word,

and preserving my copyright & Email address. And that's

Copyright 2001 ThePecman@yahoo.com. All rights reserved. -----------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 22

Over the next few days, Pete gradually coaxed me back to the land of the living. It wasn't easy for either of us. The sex was great: Pete was an extremely patient lover, and taught me ways of giving and receiving pleasure I'd never known before, not even with Rick and Ronnie. But I still found myself occasionally hating myself for what happened to Sky.

One afternoon in mid-June, we had just finished taking a shower together after a long session. Pete was lying next to me, reading Principles of Modern Philosophy, preparing for his freshman year at St. Petersburg Junior College, which started in two months. I looked out the window at the Gulf, hypnotized by the surf, and watched the breakers crash onto the shore. I could hear the echoes of the ever- present seagulls wailing in the distance. Despite the heat of the day, I felt a cold chill in the bottom of my stomach.

"You're thinking about him again, aren't you, Wil," Pete said, softly. He put down his book and lay his hand across my bare chest.

I nodded, but continued staring out the window.

"Wil," he said, pulling me over to his side. "I don't want to tell you to stop thinking about Sky. But I do want you to stop torturing yourself over what happened."

I stiffened. I still hadn't gotten to the point where I even wanted to hear Sky's name out loud. I stared at him angrily.

"You're such an ultra-maroon," he said, laughing.

I shook my head, then started to smile. "Stop laughing at me," I muttered, forcing myself not to laugh with him.

He stopped, then put his arms around me. "Wil, listen to me," he said. "Love, laughter and music are the only things that can get you through the pain in this world. And I love you more than anybody else. More than my parents, more than God, even more than myself. More than anything."

I nodded. "I believe you."

He kissed me.

A few more days passed. On Thursday, I felt like swimming, for the first time in weeks. I paddled up and down the shore, while Pete lay on the sand on a towel, watching me. In the distance, I heard a telephone ring, and saw Pete jump up and run back into the house. Seconds later, he came back out waving his arms on the back porch.

"WIL!" he called. "Phone!"

Who could that be, I thought, as I got out of the water and ran up the beach to the porch and through the doorway.

"If it's God calling," I said, dripping wet on the kitchen floor, my teeth chattering, "tell him to go pick on somebody his own size."

Pete shook his head and grinned, then covered the telephone mouthpiece. "C'mon, Wil," he whispered. "It's your folks. They're just worried about you, man."

I took the phone from him. "Hello?" I said.

"Wil, it's me," said my Mom. "We hadn't heard from you in a few days, and I wanted to make sure you were okay."

"I'm okay, Mom," I said. "I'm feeling better. Really."

Pete came in and put a towel over my shoulders, then leaned on the kitchen table, folded his arms, and grinned at me.

I smiled back. Pete looked up at me and nodded.

"Oh, that's good," she said, relieved. "Your father and I have been so worried about you. Sharon, too."

"I'll be home soon, Mom," I said, looking over at Pete. He reached over and tousled my hair. I grinned.

"That's wonderful!" she said. "Listen, your little friend Ronnie called this morning from Dallas. He was very upset that you weren't here. I told him about the..." I heard her voice catch, then she continued. "...about what happened. He's very concerned about you, Wil. You really should call him."

"I will, Mom. Thanks."

"We love you, Wil," she said.

"Me, too," I said. She made kissy noises in the phone, and I rolled my eyes and hung up.

"I told your Mom I thought you were comin' back down to planet Earth," Pete said.

I nodded. "Yeah," I said. "I know now I can't bring Sky back. And it wouldn't do any good to kill myself."

Pete took me in his arms and hugged me. "Don't even talk like that," he whispered. "We're not gonna have all that much time together as it is."

"What do you mean by that?" I said, suspiciously.

Pete looked at me, with an odd, faraway look in his eyes. "You should go see Ronnie," he said. "In Texas. He wants you there. Go ahead, call him, Wil."

I nodded, and went back into the bedroom to look for my little notebook of phone numbers.

Ronnie was ecstatic to hear from me. He wanted to know everything I'd done over the last few months. He got very quiet when I told him about Sky, and what had happened.

"Jesus H. Christ," he whispered on the phone. "My Uncle Bob didn't get a copy of the newspaper until yesterday. I thought... Rickie and I thought it was just an accident."

I closed my eyes. "It was. But it had nothing to do with drinking."

"You gotta come out here, Wil," he said, insistently. "Uncle Bob'll send you a plane ticket. Please visit us, Wil! You promised!"

I looked over at Pete, and he nodded.

I sighed. "Okay, Ronnie. Maybe in a week."

"Make it Saturday," said Pete, in my ear.

"Saturday," I said, to Ronnie.

Saturday at 11AM, I took off in an Eastern Airlines fan- jet, a direct flight from Tampa International Airport to Dallas. I'd only been on a plane twice before, when I was just a little kid, and I was fascinated by how the ground looked from the air. I could still see the ocean surf from the distance, and could barely make out the white foam of the waves on the shore. I tried to figure out which of the tiny structures below was Pete's little house in Madeira Beach. It looked like the world's most elaborate miniature- scale model, like something out of a movie. I stared through the window until the wings were enveloped by wisps of clouds, and everything disappeared in a sea of white.

Two hours later, we landed in Dallas. Rick and Ronnie met me at the gate, and RJ was there, too. He took care of the luggage. I could hardly recognize either of my two friends. Gone were "The Geek Brothers," and instead were two tanned, taller young men, with blue jeans and flannel shirts, looking like junior cowboys from a rodeo. Rick had packed on a little muscle since I'd last seen him, and Ronnie was now about as tall as I was.

"Hey, what happened to you?" I said, laughing and playfully punching Ron in the shoulder.

"I was gonna say the same thing to y'all, Wil!" he said, squeezing my arm. "Jesus! You got muscles and stuff!"

I looked down. It looked like the same old body I always had to me. Well, maybe the workouts back at school had done some good, after all.

We left the main terminal and walked through the automatic doors, down the sidewalk and over to an enormous white limousine parked at the curb. There were six doors on one side, and the front radiator grill had a pair of bull horns, where a hood ornament should be.

I rolled my eyes. "Don't tell me this is your car!" I said, laughing. "That's the stupidest Texas cliche I've ever seen in my life!"

Rick and Ronnie laughed. "No, stupid. THAT'S our car." They pointed over behind the limo to a recent-vintage truck, a black Chevy wide pickup with double-wheels on the rear. I saw a small logo on the side door. "Lannigan Ranch, Plano, Texas," I read out loud.

RJ opened the passenger door for me as he tossed my suitcase and bag on the flatbed. "We-all ain't quite like the kinda Texans ya'll see on TV, Wil," he said, grinning. "Don't git me wrong -- my daddy's got money, but he only spends it whar it counts. We ain't exactly the 'Beverly Hillbillies' out here."

I nodded. "Sorry, RJ," I said, embarrassedly.

"No offense taken," he replied, clapping me on the shoulder.

The Lannigan Ranch was every bit as gigantic and lavish as Ronnie had said it was. It looked like something out of that movie Giant, the one with James Dean from the 1950s. I couldn't believe they had managed to build such an enormous mansion in what looked like the middle of nowhere.

"Holy shit!" I said, as we pulled through the main gate.

"Over there's the road that leads to the horse corrals," Ronnie said, pointing to the left. "And a way's over to the right are all the buildings for the farm equipment. Back to the side are the barns, and we've got 23 of them," he gushed.

"Where are the oil wells?" I asked, looking around.

"You lame-brain!" laughed Ronnie. "The main oil fields are more than a hundred miles from here," he said, as if this was the most obvious thing in the world. "Uncle Bob makes all his money here from horses and grapefruit and stuff."

"Ten thousands acres," drawled RJ, "one of the biggest lil' ol' ranches in East Texas. That's in addition to the other four places mah dad's got in the state." He pulled the truck up through a curved driveway and parked. "And right up here's the main residence. We call it the 'big house.' That's where the family lives, and ya'll be stayin' with us."

As we hopped out of the truck, I turned and gawked. There were about a dozen Mercedes, two gray Rolls-Royces, and some kind of hot red Italian sports car, each parked in neatly-lined spaces to the left.

Man, I thought, as we walked through the ornate oak-inlaid double front doors. This makes the country club back in Tampa look like a slum.

I had a terrific time on the ranch. Rick and Ron spent several days with me, trying to teach me how to ride a horse in the paddock, which was a large area outside the barn, ringed with a wooden fence. They laughed their asses off at me the first day. After just six months out here, the Lannigan brothers were now practically almost experts. They looked like they'd stepped right out of a Western TV show. As for me, I had trouble even getting on the damned horse in the first place. The thing looked enormous.

By about the third time the animal had thrown me off its back, RJ walked up to me in the riding ring and pulled me up out of the sawdust. "You got this all wrong, Wil," he said, grinning. "Ya gotta git yourself a horse attitude."

"Sounds more like horse shit," I muttered, rubbing my sore butt.

RJ clapped me on the shoulder. "I'm talkin' 'bout confidence, man! Ya just gotta fix it in your mind that ya'll's a lot smarter than the horse. You treat him right, and he'll treat you right." RJ tapped the side of his head with his index finger. "Y'all's got brains, Wil," he said. "But ya gotta show the horse who's boss."

Show the horse who's boss -- hmmm. I walked up to the horse, then reached out and petted its nose. It whinnied and drew back from me. I stepped forward, tried to shake the fear out of my head, and took firm hold of the bridle.

"It's okay, boy," I said, soothingly. "I just wanna ride you for a little while."

The horse stared at me, then leaned over. I patted the side of its long neck, and it nodded.

It couldn't be this easy, I thought.

"Come on, Wil," yelled Ronnie. "We don't have all dang day, ya nin-cow-poop!"

Shit, I thought. He even sounds like a Texan now. I put my left foot in the stirrup, grabbed the saddle horn with my left hand, then pulled myself up. The horse moved unsteadily, then turned and looked at me.

I grinned. "What're you lookin' at?" I said. "Let's go!"

I made a little click-click noise with my mouth, and we started trotting around the ring.

"THAT'S it, Wil!" yelled RJ. "I think y'all are gittin' the hang of it now!"

I looked up and grinned as I bounced up and down in the saddle. This was fun, I thought. Even if it did smell like shit. How do they stand the smell out here, I wondered.

Over the next couple of days, Ronnie dropped several very unsubtle hints that he'd like to do it with me. I told him I was still really down about the accident, and that sex was just about the last thing I was thinking about lately.

"Look, Ronnie," I said, putting my arm around his shoulder. "You can't be that horny. You've still got your brother, right?"

He frowned. "Rickie's got girlfriends," he said sarcastically, shaking his head. "He says he doesn't wanna do any 'kid stuff' anymore. And RJ's always busy workin' on the ranch."

"I'm really sorry, man," I said, quietly. "I'm still kinda out of it. Look, give me a few days, and maybe we can do it before I leave."

He nodded, reluctantly. "I can wait," he said, quietly.

Saturday, June 28th was my birthday. That night, Rick and Ronnie's Uncle Bob was nice enough to throw me what he called a "Texas-sized" party. A dozen or so teenage kids from his employees came along, and we lived it up. We had a giant outdoor dinner, complete with barbecued steaks, ribs, and beans, followed by a cake roughly the size of Omaha. Following the meal, Uncle Bob had some of his men set off some fireworks over the house. My mouth dropped open.

"This is nothin'," said Mr. Lannigan, from behind me. He laughed when he saw my reaction. "Wait'll ya'll see what we do 'round here for the 4th of July!"

After the fireworks show, which lasted about ten minutes, Rick and Ronnie led me over to the nearest barn.

"We got a present for ya, Wil," Ronnie said, slyly.

"Just what do you have in mind?" I said. Ronnie always made me nervous when he got that sound in his voice.

Rick and Ron both giggled, then led me into the barn. There was Mr. Lannigan and RJ, standing next to the horse I'd been riding for the last few days.

"The boys here tol' me how well you'd been pickin' up on horse-ridin'," said the elder Lannigan, grinning from ear to ear.

I protested. "No, no, sir," I said. "I'm a swimmer, I'm not a horse rider."

"Well," he said, laughing. "Y'all are now. This here's your horse, Wil. I'm givin' it to ya."

I stared. The horse whinnied, then took a step forward. I reached out and took the reins, and the horse nodded his head up and down.

"Jesus," I said. "This is right out of an episode of Fury," I laughed, referring to the old cornball 1960s kid's cowboy show.

The three of them grinned at me. "We wanted you to have somethin' cool," said Rick. "Whenever you come visit, this is your horse." I noticed he'd hardly stuttered at all since I'd seen him here in Dallas.

"We'll take care of him for you, Wil," said Ronnie, smiling at me.

I nodded, then reached out to pat the horse on his long neck. The animal turned his head, then nuzzled my face.

"He LIKES you, Wil!" squealed Ronnie.

"Shor does," laughed RJ. "Ah'd say this horse is a mite good judge o' people."

"Guys," I said, shaking my head. "I can't accept this."

"Now, Wil," said Mr. Lannigan, putting his hand on my shoulder. "Y'all know, ya never turn down Texas hospitality! Wouldn't be polite."

I grinned. "Okay. Thanks, sir."

"Call me Uncle Bob," he insisted.

"Right... Uncle Bob," I said.

He laughed and shook my hand. "Happy birthday, thar, Wil," he said, walking out the barn. "Y'all get a good night's sleep tonight. You boys oughta git some more ridin' in for tomorrow."

RJ walked around then put his hand up on the other side of the horse's head. "This is one fine animal," he said. "One of the best dang Arabian one-year old's on the whole ranch, and he's got a pedigree a mile long. But he's still missin' somethin', Wil."

I looked up at him. "What?"

"You gotta name him!" giggled Ronnie, who walked up beside me.

Hmmm, I hadn't thought of that. Well, 'Trigger' was already taken. 'Silver"s been used before. And 'Fury' was right out.

Rick looked under the horse's midsection and giggled. "If ya asked me," he said, "I'd say you could call him 'Little Wil.' Both of y'all are about the same dang size, ya know?"

Rick, Ron, and RJ all burst out laughing, and I smiled broadly.

"No, no," I said. "I think that'd be much too confusing."

The three of them grinned at me. "Then what, Wil?" asked Ronnie.

The horse let out a snort, then nuzzled my face again.

I thought for a minute, then looked up at him and smiled. "I think I'll name him 'Sky'," I said, softly. "Because he's wild, he's unpredictable, and because I think he loves me."

Ronnie put his hand on my shoulder. "Are you... you sure, Wil?" he asked, quietly.

I nodded. "Yeah."

RJ petted the horse's head. "Then 'Sky' it is," he said. "C'mon, boys. Y'all put Sky here back in his pen. I got one last birthday surprise for Wil."

As Rick and Ronnie led my horse away, RJ put his arm around my shoulder and walked me to the back of the barn. "I got me a couple'a friends o' mine ah want y'all to meet."

We went over to the back wall, where a large ladder went up at least 20 feet high to another level upstairs. Two handsome teens stepped out from a stall on the right.

"Wil," said RJ, "say hello to Jack and Jim. They're the Taylor boys. Their daddy works for us as the foreman out here on the ranch."

I looked up and saw two identically-dressed teenagers, both about 16. Each of them had pretty good builds, were just a little taller than me at about 5' 6", and wore tight blue jeans and a red plaid shirt. They had straight shoulder- length jet black hair, which they parted in the middle, and piercing black eyes. They were dazzling.

"Hi," I said. "I guess you guys are twins."

"Y'all figured that out, all on your own, didja?" said the one on the left, grinning.

I laughed. "Sorry. I guess you get that a lot."

They nodded. "Sometimes, even we can't tell the other apart," the one on the right drawled. "That's why we wear these li'l necklaces. Jack's is gold; mine's blue."

I looked closely. Just above their chests, I saw a thin little chain against their tanned skin. I gulped. I could see a deep muscular ridge leading from their necks down to their chests. Judging by the veins in their arms, and their wide shoulders, these two were pretty buff.

"I thought you'd like 'em Wil," said a voice to my left. I flinched. It was Ronnie, grinning from ear to ear.

I laughed and nodded. "Yeah," I said. "They seem pretty cool."

"So Wil," Ronnie said, trying not to laugh. "If Jim helped you off the horse, would you help Jack off the horse?"

I thought for a minute. "Well, yeah," I said, slowly. "I guess I would."

All four of them laughed, but I stood there with a quizzical look.

"GET IT?" Ronnie shouted, laughing so hard he almost fell down into the hay.

A sheepish grin spread across my face. "Jesus, Ronnie," I said, shaking my head. "That is so fucking lame."

"You should go up there," Ron whispered to me, pointing over to the ladder. I turned back, and saw that the Taylor twins had shed their shirts.

"It's mighty hot in here, wouldn't y'all say, Wil?" said the one on the left, who I think was Jim. I stared at his body. He was tight as a drum, and had a tan as good or better than anybody I'd ever seen back in Florida. His chest was smooth and very muscular, and he had just a sprinkling of little dark curls trailing down from his belly-button.

"I think it'll be a mite cooler up top in the hayloft, don'tcha think?" said the other boy. He began climbing up the ladder in front of me. As he gripped the rungs, I could see his arms were big and round. He had the same little football-biceps that Sky had.

Sky. My heart sank. I hadn't allowed myself to think of him in days, since I'd arrived at the ranch.

"C'mon, Wil," whispered a voice in my other ear. It was Jack -- at least I think that was him. He put his arm around my shoulder. "Y'all and me and Jimmy need to git better acquainted."

I nodded and followed him up the ladder. The hayloft was an enormous area, at least 40 feet square, and bales of hay were stacked all the way up to the peaked roof. There was enough of a crawl space to one side that you could walk through without any problem. A large brown blanket decorated with Indian symbols lay on the straw floor just in front of the ladder. A dim amber light behind us cast long shadows across the room.

Both brothers looked over and grinned at me. There was a thin sheen of sweat on their bare chests.

"I guess it is kinda hot in here," I said, nervously. I took off my shirt and lay it on a nearby wooden railing.

"You look mighty fine thar, Wil," said the brother on the left. "Mighty fine," repeated the one on the right.

"So, uh," I said, sitting down on the blanket. "What do you guys do for fun around here?'

The boys both laughed, then kicked off their boots and began sliding down their pants. Holy shit, I thought. They weren't wearing any underwear.

"I think y'all need to git a lot more comfortable," said Jack. Jim nodded, and they walked over to me and looked down.

I was still kind of nervous. I'd only met these guys five minutes ago, and now they wanted to... uh, I guess, do it.

Suddenly, Jim kneeled down and untied my sneakers. I started to protest, but Jack leaned over and began unbuttoning my pants and zipping down my fly.

"Y'all jes' lay back and relax, Wil," whispered Jack. "Cousin RJ says y'all need some real Texas hospitality for y'all's birthday. And that's jes' what y'all are gonna git."

In seconds, they'd pulled off my pants and socks and tossed them over to the side. I sat there, embarrassed, with a large bulge growing in my underwear. Jack and Jim grinned.

"Y'all want us to help ya with the rest?" Jim asked.

I shook my head and slowly pulled down my underwear, then tossed it in the pile of clothes with my jeans and sat back down on the blanket, my legs slightly open.

"Whooo-eee!" said Jack, eying my groin. "My, my. RJ wasn't pullin' our lariots about ya, Wil, that's for sure."

Both brothers dived towards me in the hay, and wound up one on either side of me. My heart pounded as they both reached between my legs. I was as hard as a rock, and my organ throbbed with every beat of my heart.

I gulped. "Are you sure nobody's gonna come up here?" I whispered, glancing around.

"Nobody but us," said Jim, quietly. "You're all ours for awhile. Y'all just relax thar, Wil'."

Jim leaned forward and grabbed my face with both hands, then kissed me roughly. He began slurping hungrily all over my face, then slid down to my neck. I glanced over and saw his twin move down to my groin, with an ear-to-ear grin on his face. He opened his mouth and sank out of sight, and a second later, I was rewarded with an incredible warm and wet sensation in my groin.

I moaned. Jim kissed me again. "Y'all are the only boy we've seen that's near this big, 'ceptin' for RJ."

Jack momentarily let go of me and looked up, wiping some saliva off his face. "We're real good friends of RJ's," he said, grinning. "Real good."

I bet you are, I thought. Just like brothers.

He went back to slurping down below, while his twin began licking and tonguing my chest.

"Oh, god," I said out loud. "Jesus, that's good." I lay back on the blanket and propped myself up on my elbows as I watched the two boys kneeling down in front of me.

Jim sucked hard on my left nipple, while Jack took one of my balls in his mouth and swirled it around. My toes curled, and I squeezed the blanket as hard as I could. Sweat began dripping down from my underarms. I moaned again. Jesus, I thought. These guys make Rick and Ronnie look like nuns.

After a minute, Jim took his mouth away from my chest, then joined his brother down by my waist. He put his hand on Jack's shoulder. Jack sat up and let me momentarily slip out of his mouth. They kissed each other, passionately, then broke apart and simultaneously slid down on my member. Each of them took a different side, and slurped hungrily up and down my full length.

"Oh, CHRIST!" I moaned.

Jim began gently fondling my balls, then squeezed them a little harder. "Lordy," he said, almost reverentially. "Y'all's got a set on you that'd even make RJ jealous. They's real big."

"Thanks," I said, almost choking with pleasure.

Suddenly, the two brothers renewed their assault. "Oh, GOD!" I said, almost screaming. "Guys... I'm... I'm gettin' close."

Jim began licking the area immediately below my sac, while Jack plunged his mouth deeper and deeper, rapidly moving up and down on my erection.

I cried out and began bucking up and down like a bronco, plunging and plunging my arousal as deep into his mouth as I could. I felt more fireworks explode in my groin than I'd seen all night over the ranch.

At last it was over, and the two brothers fell back beside me. The three of us lay back on the blanket, sweating and panting for breath.

Jim lay his hand across my chest, then turned to me and smiled. "Ya got a great body, thar, Wil," he said, quietly. "Y'all's a swimmer, right?"

I nodded. "Yeah," I said, catching my breath. "Breaststroke, for my team at Tampa Central."

He laughed. "Now I never woulda figured y'all for a breast man." Jack grinned and massaged my right pec, then gently tweaked my nipple.

"I'm going to try to move over to Butterfly, soon," I said, still a little nervous.

Jack moved his hand down to my stomach. "Y'all got some great ab muscles on ya, too," he said, gently rubbing me. "How ya'll get that kinda definition?"

"Thanks," I said, looking down. "I started working on my abs for the last few months while I helped a friend of mine at school with his."

I sighed. I could see Sky again in the gym, running his hands up and down his muscled stomach, looking at the mirror and grinning at me.

"Wow," Jack said. "I bet that boy's got some kinda muscles on him."

Not any more, I thought.

Jack saw the look on my face. "I'm sorry, thar, Wil," he said, quietly. "I guess that was somebody who..."

"Yeah," I said, quickly. "He died. Almost a month ago."

Jack kissed me on the face. "Cousin Ronnie told us. Listen, Wil," he said quietly, putting his hand on my shoulder. "Ya'll just sit a'spell with us and relax. We just want y'all to enjoy yourself."

He reached down and gently took hold of my deflated member, which hung down over my right leg. "Man," he marvelled. "Now, if that don't beat all. This thang is pretty dang huge, even soft!"

I grinned. "Yeah," I replied. "I guess it is."

"You got all kinda veins and stuff in it, and it's mighty thick, too. And y'all are jes' Ronnie's age?" he asked.

I shook my head. "Actually, I'm a year younger. Today's my 14th birthday."

Jack let out a low whistle. "Shee-it!" he exclaimed. "I never woulda guessed it. Y'all ready for one more go 'round, Wil?" he asked.

"I dunno, guys," I said. "I'm really kinda tired."

They stood up beside each other and grinned at me, their boyish penises dangling between their muscular legs.

"On the other hand," I said, my heart starting to pound, "maybe I do have another half hour."

Both of the Taylors laughed. They really were terrific- looking -- wide-shouldered, with narrow waists, and just a little body hair. Their chests were smooth, tight and well- defined, with deep ridges running down the center, all the way from their necks to their bellies. Their waists were impossibly small, and their powerful arms bulged with veins and muscles, like young Olympic gymnasts. However, both of them had what I'd call somewhat diminutive teenage equipment, judging by what I'd seen back in the showers at school. Jack already seemed to have a partial hard-on.

"Hey," I laughed. "I think Jack's a little bigger than you are, Jim."

"He is not!" Jim said, angrily.

"Am too!" snapped Jack. He turned to me. "We've been arguin' 'bout this since we were pups, Wil. See, I'm a little older than mah brother..."

"...yeah, by ten minutes," said Jim, rolling his eyes.

Jack laughed. "Well, anyway," he continued, "we've measured our dicks before, and I'm definitely 1/4" bigger than he is."

"Shut up, Jack-ass!" said Jim, who turned away from us and pouted.

Jack grinned at me. "He's a mite sensitive about it," he whispered to me.

"Hey, guys," I said. "Take my word for it -- it doesn't matter how big it is. It matters what you do with it. And can we get going here? I'd sort of like to get to sleep eventually." I'd been up since 6AM, helping Ronnie with his chores, and I really was tired.

Both twins laughed. I was definitely beginning to get aroused again, just by looking at them. I took a deep breath.

"You know," I said quietly. "There's one thing I've always wanted to do."

I got down on my knees on the blanket in front of them and reached up. Their arousals were very boyish, but perky -- just a little bit smaller than Sky's, and definitely an inch or so less than Ronnie's. But their shape was smooth, perfect, and flawless, like a textbook illustration of the male member.

"Them's pretty dicks, ain't they?" said Jack, grinning.

I nodded. "And just the right size," I said. I leaned forward and took them both into my mouth at the same time.

The twins moaned, and I felt them quickly throb to full attention. Jim put his hand on the back of my head and stroked my hair. I reached forward with both hands and lightly gripped their sacs and gave a gentle squeeze. They groaned again, louder, and began slowly thrusting into my mouth. I could smell a subtle lustful odor, a mixture of sweat and some kind of sweet spice. My heart began to race, and I felt my groin surge.

"Hold off thar, Wil," said RJ, who was climbing up off the ladder behind me. "Y'all ever hear of a 'Lucky Pierre'?"

Jim grinned and nodded, disengaged himself from my mouth, then walked away and started rummaging around for something in the back of the hayloft, up on a wooden shelf.

What? I had read a few more reference books on human sexuality in the library over the last few months, but didn't recall that one.

"No," I said. "Who's this Pierre guy, and why is he so lucky?"

Jim walked over and showed me what he'd taken down from the rafters. It was a little tin of vaseline.

I felt a little confused. Did both of them want to, uh, do it to me at the same time? It didn't seem possible, and even if it was, I wasn't sure I'd ever be ready for that. Just handling Sky a few weeks ago was painful enough.

Before I could start thinking about my friend, RJ grinned and guided me over to a side area in the hayloft. As we walked, my half-hard endowment swung back and forth pendulously between my legs. We stopped in a little alcove, which was dimly lit from above by a bare light bulb, which hung down from a chain on the ceiling. In front of us was a leather saddle, mounted on a couple of two-by-fours like a sawhorse. RJ began taking off his clothes and hung them over the railing. Jim leaned over on his stomach on the saddle, then spread his legs wide open and began applying vaseline to the right area.

"I kin handle ya, Wil," he said, looking back at me. "I been with RJ before with no problem. You jes' gimme all you got."

Jack put his hand on my shoulder. "Then, when ya'll are ready," he said in my ear, "I'll get right behind ya."

I looked down at his arousal. Even erect, it didn't look very big. I felt certain I could take it.

RJ leaned forward and dabbed some of the clear goo on my erection.

"Jesus!" I cried. "That shit's cold!"

RJ laughed. "It'll git warmed up real fast," he said. "Now, y'all go nice and slow on mah boy Jimmy, thar."

I nodded, then leaned forward and aimed at Jim's target, which was completely hairless except for a few dark wisps on his thighs below. I looked so huge. There was no way it could fit in there. I looked up at RJ and he grinned at me and nodded, then began stroking himself with his bare hand.

Okay, I thought. Here goes. I looked down at Jim's back. His thighs and butt were extraordinarily tight and well- muscled -- probably from all the hard work out here on the ranch, I thought. I stared at the deep ridge down his back, which went from the base of his neck all the way down to the groove between his hairless, firm buttocks. I stroked his back with my hand, then placed the tip of my head against Jim's opening. It felt slick and gooey, but very warm. I slowly began pushing it inside.

Jim gave a brief "ohhhhh," then motioned for me to continue. "Keep goin'," he moaned, gritting his teeth.

I shoved it in another couple of inches.

"Oh, MAN," he said. "Ya'll are definitely a lot bigger than RJ."

"Told ya!" said a voice to my right. I looked over and it was Ronnie. He was naked and leaning back on the edge of a nearby railing, fondling himself and grinning at me. I smiled back at him.

"Go on, Wil!" he called. "Don't stop for me. I'm just enjoyin' the show!"

I gave one last shove, and it went in all the way up to the hilt.

"GOD!" Jim moaned. "Oh, Wil. Please... jes' start fuckin' me."

Well, he's got better endurance than Cynthia ever did, that's for sure, I thought. I began slowly thrusting in and out. It felt absolutely wonderful, yet very different from anything I'd ever experienced before. After a minute, I was surprised by how easy it was for me to do this. I guessed that, on some level, instinct took over to the point where it felt totally natural. I began idly thinking about how man had been doing something like this for probably a couple of hundred thousand years, and how it was probably programmed into our DNA. Aliens probably taught us how to do it, I thought, just like the apes in 2001.

Suddenly, the animal part of my brain took over, and I began to grunt. "Oh, shit," I said, panting. "This is so fucking good."

I became aware of Jack standing beside me. "Hol' up, Wil," he said, putting his hand on my shoulder. "Now, we git to the good part. This won't take but a second."

I felt his fingers push into my backside. The liquid was cold, but his fingers were warm. He gently shoved in a finger, then wiggled around. I felt a quivering deep below my stomach, and I involuntarily moaned.

"You're almost ready," Jack whispered. "We gonna take this nice 'n slow."

I felt a second finger slip inside me. It hurt for a moment, then I nodded. My own erection throbbed inside Jim, and felt bigger than ever. I looked over at RJ, who was standing right next to me and fondling his own enormous endowment, which was every bit as big as mine. Sweat glistened on the front of his chest.

"Okay," Jack whispered to me from behind. "Here goes. Hang on, Wil."

He put his bare chest up against my back, and I felt a sharp stabbing pain. I gasped, and suddenly he was inside me. It was an intense pressure, mixed with a strange, yet curiously-pleasant feeling.

"I won't move a bit, Wil," he said, panting. "Y'all do all the work."

I began to thrust again, slowly. As I pushed in, my groin twinged with Jim's warmth and tightness. As I pulled out, Jack's erection went deeper inside me from behind. I moaned at the double onslaught on my body, with two completely different kinds of bliss sending shockwaves of pleasure through me.

"Oh, FUCK!" I moaned.

"Now, ya'll know why they call the boy in the middle 'Lucky Pierre,'" Jack whispered in my left ear. He playfully bit my earlobe, then began passionately kissing and licking my neck.

I leaned on top of Jim and began pumping my loins deeper. RJ leaned forward and gently tweaked both of my nipples, then kissed me and shoved his tongue deep into my mouth. I moaned as his tongue met mine, then he sucked the tip back into his own mouth. I looked down and saw that my nipples were now erect, and I saw a bead of sweat drip down my chest.

I began to go mad with delight. Every move I made was like a little electric charge, wired directly to my groin. I leaned back and sped up my attack. My lower half seemed to have a mind of its own, bucking and thrusting like some kind of insane wild bull. From behind me, Jack got into the rhythm and began gently pumping with me and moaning.

RJ stood up and leaned over, then pointed his massive endowment towards my face. I reached out with my left hand and guided it into my mouth. I began to swoon. I looked down and could see my own enormous erection slide in and out from Jim below. Just above it, I saw RJ's almost- identical arousal, as it plunged deep into my mouth again. It was almost like looking at a mirror.

At last, the explosion detonated. I babbled nonsense words, completely unintelligible because of RJ's erection in my mouth. I plunged and I plunged into Jim as if I'd die there, and felt a series of eruptions in my groin. Jack momentarily sped up his thrusts, then cried out and fell back on the hay behind me. RJ slipped out of my mouth as I collapsed on top of Jim, our sweaty bodies rising and falling as we lay together on the saddle, catching our breath. I felt something warm and wet oozing down my thighs.

"WOW!" said Ronnie, almost reverentially.

The four of us turned and looked at him, still leaning against the wooden rail. He was covered almost from head to toe with his own white goo.

"That's the biggest one I've ever had," he said, panting and giggling.

"Hey!" yelled Jim from underneath me. "Ya'll ain't let me come yet!"

I grinned. I had enough strength for one more. I stood up, gently pulled out, and let Jim get off the saddle and lie down on the blanket in back of us. I got down on my knees, reached out and grabbed him. He was rock-hard and throbbing. I looked down and noticed his balls were virtually hairless, like mine. My mouth watered at the sight of his boyish package. I leaned down and gobbled him up, all in one motion. His entire body went rigid.

"Oh, man!" he cried.

I sucked and plunged up and down his shaft as if my very life depended on it. Jim began to moan softly, then I reached down and wiggled one of my fingers deep inside him, using the same lubricant I'd left there only moments ago. That did it. Within just a few seconds, he curled his toes and groaned, his hips pumped, and I felt my mouth fill with a thick, salty taste. I let it shoot right down my throat, and swallowed the rest.

Seconds later, RJ cried out. We looked up just in time to see several white eruptions shoot out from his huge endowment like streams of rope, spurting all over the straw floor.

"Lord," he said, gasping and holding onto the saddle for support, "you boys are one mighty powerful turn-on."

I collapsed next to Jim on the blanket. Jack sat down, then slid next to me and lay back. The Taylor brothers put their arms around me.

"Happy birthday, Wil," said Jack. Jim leaned over and kissed me, then reached down and gently fondled my limp organ.

Ronnie and RJ walked over with a towel, having just finished wiping themselves off.

"That was cool, Wil," Ron said. "You and me gotta try that sometime."

"You're assuming I'm ever gonna be able to walk again after this," I said, laughing.

I felt more exhausted and completely spent than I ever had in my life. After a minute or two, the two brothers helped me back up to my feet, and Ronnie wiped me off and handed me my clothes.

"Thanks, Ronnie," I said, leaning over and kissing him gently. "That was definitely a great birthday."

He looked up at me with an expression of pure love on his face, and nodded.

"If ya'll ever wanna get together again, Wil," said Jack, pulling up his jeans, "jes' let us know. Anytime, any place."

RJ nodded. "This is the most fun we've had in a coon's age."

"In a what?" I asked, bewildered. Jesus, these guys talked funny.

The four of them laughed. "Jes' an old Texas expression," Ronnie giggled.

I rolled my eyes and laughed.

Chapter 23

Rick and Ronnie spent the entire next day showing me all the ins and outs of horse care -- how to groom the horse, how to put the saddle on, how to take it off. There was even a whole procedure on how to take care of the horse shit in the stall.

"This is the part of horses I don't much like," said Ronnie, glumly scooping his shovel into a large pile of green lumps. "It's really..."

"SHITTY!" I said, laughing, as I tossed another load of manure onto the cart. One chunk fell off and grazed Ron on the shoulder. He started laughing, then the two of us nearly fell down, half hysterical. Ronnie picked up a small green lump and playfully tossed it at Rick, who ducked just in time and grinned.

The three of us laughed for five minutes. Jesus. It'd been a long time since I'd heard them laugh. And it'd been a long time since I'd laughed with them, too.

Over the next week, I rode my new horse every day. I learned how to effortlessly bounce up and down in the saddle in sync with the horse's gait, and by the third day, me, Rick and Ronnie were galloping our steeds up and down the low hills surrounding the property. I only fell off once the entire time, but that was my own stupid fault. I balked at learning how to jump the horse, but I promised the Lannigan brothers that the next time I visited, we'd work on that.

RJ had to go into the city on Thursday to pick up some supplies, and Wil and I rode with him in the truck. When we rode down Main, I noticed a nearby building when we stopped for a light at Houston Street. It looked strangely familiar.

"Hey!" I said, pointing out the window. "That's the Texas Book Depository! This is Dealey Plaza, where Kennedy was shot six years ago."

RJ sighed. "Yep," he said, quietly. "We Texans don't exactly like this place as a tourist stop. It's kinda embarrassin'."

I insisted that he stop and let us get out and walk around just for five minutes. You could definitely feel a weird vibe in the air. I looked at all the surrounding buildings and pointed out to Ronnie that if ever there was a place tailor-made for murder, this was it. With the two tall buildings behind us, and the grassy knoll ahead, it seemed pretty obvious to me that there must've been more than one finger on the trigger for the assassination. I'd already read the single-volume Warren Commission Report at the public library, plus a couple of other books on Kennedy's assassination that my dad had at home.

"C'mon, let's go, Wil," whined Ronnie, pulling on my hand. "This place is creepy."

RJ nodded. "We really oughta git back to the ranch, boys."

I took one last look up at the 6th floor of the building and shuddered. I'd already been through too much death this year anyway. We got back in the truck and continued on our errands.

Uncle Bob pulled out all the stops for their 4th of July celebration at the ranch on Friday. RJ told me his father had spent over two thousand dollars for the fireworks alone, and I guessed half the population of Dallas must've been out there on the ranch that night. The smell of fried chicken, barbecue ribs, and steaks filled the air. Above in the night sky, enormous explosions of red, white and blue shot through the blackness.

Ron and I sat on the fence, staring up at the dazzling display of pyrotechnics above us and flinching at the explosions. He leaned on me and put his right arm around my shoulder.

"I don't want you to go back to Florida, Wil," he whispered. "Please stay here with us."

I shook my head. "I'm sorry, Ronnie," I said. "We talked about this before. I gotta go home tomorrow. My parents haven't seen me in weeks."

"You can still call 'em on the phone," he whined.

I smiled. I looked up, and could see tears welling up in Ronnie's eyes. "I'll visit you whenever I can, Ron."

He sniffled. "Okay," he muttered. "I guess."

After the fireworks show, we headed back into the house and climbed up the long, winding staircase. Uncle Bob turned off the enormous chandelier in the foyer.

"You boys best run up to bed, now!" he called. "Wil, y'all got an early mornin' flight back to Tampa. We'll git you on the road by 7:30."

"Thanks, Uncle Bob," I called as we reached the top of the stairs. "Goodnight!"

"G'night, Wil!" he yelled.

In the hall, Ronnie stopped me as I started to turn the doorknob to my room. "Wait," he whispered. "I want you with me tonight. In my room."

I hesitated. "Ron, listen," I said. "There's this guy back home who's been helping me with stuff. Helping me... you know, get over... what happened."

Ron nodded. "I know -- Pete. You said you'd been stayin' with him."

"Yeah," I said. "I'm kinda... in love with him."

"Just stay with me for a little while," he whispered, putting his hand on my shoulder. "Just for tonight. I love you, Wil."

I sighed. I guess I loved Ronnie, too, but the way I felt with Pete was... different, somehow. Like it was something written in the cosmos. But maybe with Ronnie, even sex was okay. Just between us brothers.

We made love for half the night. Despite the huge mansion's high-tech, climate-controlled air conditioning system, the sweat from our bodies mingled together, and his sheets were slightly damp in less than an hour.

Ronnie had gotten a little bigger since I'd last seen him. I could see he'd sprouted a little more hair down below, and he was losing his baby fat. I could also see the beginnings of a man's muscles on his skinny frame.

"I love your muscles, Wil," he sighed, after his third orgasm. "You've got veins and bulges and everything."

I sat up and grinned. "You should've seen Sky," I said. "He was really great."

"Tell me about him, Wil," he said, quietly.

I began to explain how I'd grown to love Sky over the past few years, and how finally, he started to love me back, just after the ski accident. I tried to describe what it was about Sky that I loved so much -- his eyes, his body, his voice. All that, plus the special indefinable spark that made him what he was. Some of it was impossible to put in words, like how comfortable I was just hanging out with him, or how we could finish each other sentences without even thinking. Sometimes I felt like Sky and I were two sides of the same coin. And yet, Sky could also be stubborn and unpredictable sometimes. Maybe that was the wild streak in him, just like my new horse.

"What was your favorite part of him?" Ronnie asked.

I thought for a minute, then smiled. "Well, aside from his eyes," I said, wistfully, "I guess it was his stomach. Man, he had a sexy stomach."

Ronnie giggled, then put his hand on my abdomen. "Yours is pretty cool, too, Wil," he said.

"You think so?" I said, disbelieving.

He nodded. "Y' know what I think your best feature is?" he asked.

I sighed. "Lemme guess," I said sarcastically, rolling my eyes.

"No, not that," he said, playfully tugging at my manhood, which drooped over one side of my leg. "I think it's your heart." He smiled.

"Thanks, Ron," I said, softly.

"Either that, or your huge balls," he said, giggling again and gently cupping my groin.

We both laughed.

"So what kinda stuff did you guys do?" he asked.

I gave Ronnie all the details about what Sky and I had done on the boat over the spring, how I'd lost my virginity to him -- well, my willing virginity, anyway -- and how we'd tried to throw off everybody at school by dating girls. I also told Ron about the couple of times we'd done it our houses, even once in the back seat of his GTO. Every time with Sky was exciting, electric, and spontaneous. I still couldn't believe he was gone.

Ron reached over and held me tight. "He was so lucky to have you, Wil," he said, in a small voice. "It wasn't your fault that he... that he died."

I closed my eyes and nodded.

Ronnie sighed. "What about Pete?"

"I dunno, Ronnie," I said, leaning back against the pillow. "Pete's really great, but he's... he's kind of intense. Maybe it's because he's four years older than me. But I couldn't have made it without him. He's been great." I stopped and smiled. "I think I really love him, Ronnie. I'm not even sure why, but I do. And I know he loves me. He says it's cosmic, or some kind of shit."

We both laughed.

"It's different than it was with Sky," I said, sighing. "I knew Sky for six years. I've barely known Pete six months, but he says he's known me forever. I don't know what he means half the time." I shook my head.

Ronnie smiled sadly, and his eyes twinkled. He reached out and put his hand on my thigh and gently squeezed me.

I yawned. "Listen, Ron," I said. "We gotta get up in like four hours. Let me at least have a little sleep, okay?"

"Okay," he said.

I got up and grabbed my shorts, then pulled them up. "I'll see you in the morning, Ronnie."

"Thanks, Wil," he whispered. "For comin' out here to visit."

I walked over to him and kissed him. "Thanks for the horse," I whispered. "Thanks for giving me Sky. G'night, Ronnie."

I padded out of the luxurious bedroom and into the hallway, then returned to my room next door. I lay down on my bed, exhausted, and closed my eyes.

A few hours later, I felt my heart panting. Involuntarily, I felt my ass muscles clench tight, and I curled my toes. Suddenly, I exploded with a powerful orgasm, thrusting my hips and moaning softly. I opened my eyes, only to see Ronnie, grinning and wiping off his mouth, sitting up in front of me on the bed.

"Just one last time," he said, giggling. "One for the road."

"Ronnie, you idiot!" I whispered. "It's almost seven o'clock!"

He smiled and smacked his lips. "I thought this would be better than an alarm clock."

I laughed and shook my head. I was really gonna miss the little goofy guy. Shit, he wasn't all that little anymore. He was at least as tall as me now. I wondered what Ronnie would look like as he got older.

"Eastern Airlines Flight 34, non-stop to Tampa International Airport, now boarding at gate 12," echoed the public-address speakers.

I stood in line with the other passengers, clenching my little ticket folder in my hand. I glanced over at Rick, Ronnie and RJ. They waved goodbye as I started to walk down the walkway, leading outside to the plane. I turned back one last time and saw Ron. He looked tall and strong, not like the little geeky kid he was back in Florida. I thought I saw his eyes glisten, but he suddenly smiled.

"I love you," he mouthed, silently.

I nodded and smiled back at him, then turned to join the other passengers on the ramp.

Back home, my folks met me at the airport. "We missed you so much, Wil," gushed my mother, who hugged me and gave me a kiss on my forehead.

"Jesus, Mom," I muttered. "Can't this wait until later?"

My father laughed. "C'mon, son, let's grab your bags and get home."

As we walked to the car, I thought about what I'd been through over the summer. I'd made the right decision not to swim with Greater Tampa this year, I thought. One swim season a year, on the high school team, was enough for me. I needed a break. It was good to stay with Pete for awhile, and then get out to Texas. I felt like I had cleared my head of a lot of cobwebs. Buried all the... the dead bodies.

I felt cold again, thinking about Sky and Melissa. I even began to feel sorry for her. It wasn't Melissa's fault, either, I thought. She'd been pretty nice to me most of the time. She was just overreacting on the dock. I bet, in time, we still could've been friends.

I sighed. But that's not gonna happen now. Not ever.

I rode back to my house in silence, staring out the window.

The next day, I was sitting in my room, listening to The Doors' Soft Parade, one of the albums Pete had given me during my last visit. I'd talked to him on the phone every other day from the ranch, and he always sounded up and glad to hear from me. No matter what, Pete always had an optimistic point of view.

"The natural state of things is evolution," he said. "They're always evolving, changing, and getting better. Animals turn into new species, rivers get wider, mountains get bigger... the universe expands. And so will you, Wil." He insisted that if we lived our lives right, we'd get smarter and better as we got older. Pete said that was the best way we could get better karma for the next life.

I thought it all sounded like bullshit, but I had to admit, maybe there was some justification for what he said. I knew I was smarter than I'd been last year. God knows, I was bigger. My folks agreed to let me work out over the summer at one of the local family gyms near the shopping center over on Dale Mabry Blvd. Even without Sky, I could keep trying to build myself up. Who knows, I thought. Maybe I really could make the 1972 Olympic swim team after all.

I spent the next couple of days sitting around and reading. I stayed in touch with Sky's family, and had dinner with them a few times. Dr. Jones was kind enough to keep up my contact prescription for me. They offered me some of Sky's stuff, but I told them to give it all to charity. The only thing of his I did keep was the photo of him and me from the beach last summer. It was too much to leave it open on my shelf, but I kept it up high, face down, just in case I ever wanted to look at it.

There was only one more month before school started again in September. I was going to go out and stay with Pete again over the weekend, but my folks nixed any idea of staying out much more. "We want you here as much as possible, son," said my dad, kindly. "We gave you more than a month to yourself, but now we want some time with you, too."

I nodded. I couldn't push them out of my life. They were important, too, and if it made them feel better if I stayed home and hung out with them, I guess that was my responsibility to do it.

That afternoon, the doorbell rang. "Wil!" called my mother up the stairs. "Someone's here to see you!"

I leaned out into the hallway and looked down over the balcony at the front doorway. It was Ginny. I hadn't seen her since... since that terrible night, back in June. It'd only been about six weeks, but it felt like it'd been more like six months, or even six years.

"I'm comin' down, Mom!" I yelled, trotting down the stairs and up to the front doorway.

"Hi, Wil," she said, looking at me with concern on her face. "I haven't seen you... since the funeral."

I nodded. "Yeah," I said. "I'm getting over it. You want a Coke?"

It was hot as hell in late July, and even though we had air conditioning, I think the best it could do was make it about 20 degrees cooler than outside. It was at least 100 out there, so I figured it was still nearly 80 inside.

"It's through here," I said, leading Ginny into our kitchen. I grabbed a couple of ice-cold cans from the refrigerator and set them on the table.

"Jeez, Wil," she said, staring at my chest. I had forgotten to put a shirt on, and there was a trickle of sweat going down my left pec. "You look really great."

I looked up, and she grinned.

"Yeah," I laughed. "I guess the workouts at school, plus being on the ranch with the Lannigans over the summer did me some good."

We sat down at the kitchen table and she reached out and took my hand. "I can see why Sky felt about you the way he did," she said, quietly.

I stared at her, totally shocked.

"Wha... what do you mean?" I stammered.

"Wil," she said. "I'm your friend. I knew what was going on with you and Sky. You never had to tell me. I could see it on your faces."

So she had seen us after all in the car that night, the week before the prom.

"You're a pretty good investigative reporter," I said, looking down at the table.

"Nobody's ever gonna find out," she said. "Not from me, anyway."

I looked up, and she smiled.

"I like you, Wil Larson," she said. "You're a really neat person. I've never met anybody at school who was as smart, as funny, or as cool as you are."

Our eyes met, and we both grinned.

"Even if you aren't interested in me that way," she said, "you're still a good friend. You can always count on me for anything."

"Thanks, Ginny," I said. "I'd really like that." I took a sip of my Coke. "You figure there are any other kids like... like me and Sky at school?

She sighed. "You and Sky and Tim McMannis and, who knows how many others."

"That are gay, you mean," I said, quietly.

"Yeah. Teachers, too."

Shit, I thought. I hadn't even considered that.

"You heard what happened a couple of weeks ago?" she asked. "In New York?"

"No," I shook my head. "What?"

"There's a whole revolution going on, Wil," she said, quietly.

I nodded and started singing the Beatles song. "'They say you wanna revolution... well, you know... We don't want to change the world.'"

"No," she said. "This is serious, Wil. Gay people had a riot in New York, at some place called Stonewall, in Greenwich Village. It happened just after the 4th of July. It was in all the papers. Don't you read?"

Jesus, I thought. I had been so tied up being with Rick and Ronnie on the ranch, I guess I had just stopped reading for awhile.

Ginny talked to me for half an hour, telling me how women's groups, black revolutionaries, and gay activists were having demonstrations, protesting for their rights, and trying to... well, change the world.

"I want you to know -- you can count on me," she said.

"Power to the people," I said, remembering a slogan I'd seen on a picket sign on the TV news.

"Right on," she said, holding up her first and grinning. Like me, Ginny knew about the political riots in Chicago the year before, in 1968.

"I don't think we're gonna be able to have any student demonstrations at Tampa Central," I said, shaking my head.

"No," she replied. "But someday, maybe we can. Maybe the school will even recognize gay kids' rights, too."

But they'll never let us go to the prom together, I thought. I closed my eyes, remembering my conversation with Sky. God, it seemed like it happened years ago. Now I was having trouble even remembering what he looked like. It hurt too much, just to see his face again in my mind.

"Thanks, Ginny," I said, finally. "Thanks for coming by."

She stood up and hugged me. "You wanna go see a movie sometime?" she said.

I gave her a quizzical look.

"Strictly platonic, I swear," she said. "Think of us as brothers."

Like brothers, I thought.

I grinned up at her. "Thanks, Ginny," I said. "I'd like that. A lot."

Friday, the hallway phone rang in the early afternoon. I ran outside my door and grabbed it by the second ring.

"Wil's Bar and Grill!" I answered. "Where the elite meet to eat!"

"Man, that is too lame," said a recognizable voice.

I laughed. "Hey, Pete," I said. "You coming over to pick me up?"

"Yeah," he said, quietly. "I'll be there in 20 minutes."

Something sounded wrong. "Pete," I said, concerned, "are you okay?"

He paused. "We gotta talk, Wil," he said. "I'm on my way."

At 1:30, I heard a familiar motorcycle engine in the driveway. I ran downstairs, taking three steps at a time, and yanked the front door open. I darted outside and my jaw dropped.

It was Pete, but most of his long hair was cut off.

"Jesus!" I said, astonished. "Pete, what the hell happened?"

He hung his helmet on the side of the seat and trotted up the steps to the porch.

"Hey, Wil," he said, quietly. "I guess you don't like the new look, huh?"

Shit. From this close, I could see it was more like a buzz- cut, sorta like the way the guys wear their hair in...

"Oh, FUCK!" I wailed. "Don't tell me that you've been..."

"...drafted," he said, finishing my sentence. "Yeah. Got the letter three weeks ago."

We sat down together on the porch steps. I shook my head.

"Pete," I said, angrily. "Why the fuck didn't you tell me when I was in Dallas?"

He smiled wanly. "There was nothin' you could do, man," he replied. "I'd always thought I'd wind up in a war someday, and I guess this is it."

"Don't give me that crap!" I snapped, standing up. "This is such bullshit!"

He stood up beside me and put his hand on my shoulder. "C'mon, man," he said, soothingly. "Don't freak out on me. They're gonna put me in a special program. I'm gonna learn radar and electronics and stuff. It sounds pretty cool."

I rolled my eyes. "You're gonna get your ass shot off," I said.

"No way," he said. "I'm not goin' to Vietnam. I'm gonna be on a base in the Philippines, or way out at sea on an aircraft carrier. I'm not gonna be in a war zone or have to shoot anybody, I swear."

"Why didn't you get a student deferment, you asshole?" I asked.

He smiled. "Wil, it's..."

"Don't give me that karma shit!" I yelled, waving my hands in the air.

Pete nodded. "It's all part of the plan, man. I know better than to fight it."

"Wait a minute," I said, thinking fast. "They won't make you go in if they find out about... well, you and me."

He laughed. "I didn't tell 'em anything. I told you before, I'm not gay. I'm just sexual."

"Did you check the 'sexual' box on the induction form?" I snapped, angrily.

"Wil, don't be like this," he said, reaching out to put his arm around me. "I told you -- I always knew I'd be in some kinda war someday. I'm just glad this Vietnam thing isn't as bad now as it was a year ago."

I glared at him. "I could stop you, you know."

He looked at me, curious, but didn't say a word.

I took a step closer. "I could call the cops," I said, quietly. "I could tell 'em what you and me've been doing. Let's face it -- I'm jail-bait. You know it, and I know it."

Pete laughed. "You're the oldest 14 year-old I've ever known." He reached out and hugged me. "And I know you'd never do anything to hurt me."

I pulled away from him. "What if I had to hurt you to save your life?" I said, coldly.

He shook his head and sighed. "I had a feeling this would happen," he said, quietly. "C'mon, Wil. Let's talk about this back at my place."

I nodded, defeated, and walked down with him to the Honda.

Over the next three days, I argued, cajoled, pleaded... I did everything I could to change Pete's mind, but he was adamant.

"Wil," he said. "It's only gonna be for 18 months, man. I'm gonna give you the key to this place, and you can use the bike when I'm gone, as soon as we get you a learner's permit. That'll let you ride a motorcycle on your own."

I knew I was powerless to change his mind. I sat on the edge of his bed, and tears began to run down my face.

"I lost Sky," I choked, "and now I'm gonna lose you, too."

"We don't know that, Wil," he said, putting his arm around me.

"I could still call the cops on you," I said, wiping my eyes. "I could tell my folks the whole story."

Pete laughed. "So, you'd rather see me in jail for five years, than go to Vietnam and die? Wil, I tell you -- it's not gonna happen. I think I'd know if I was gonna die."

"You're a liar," I said. angrily. "You said you never know your own future."

Pete looked away from me. "Don't try to stop this, Wil," he said. "I told you -- it's fate. Look, I'll be back here by the end of next year, then I do another 12 months or so in the Reserve, and I get a full college scholarship for free. The war's gettin' scaled back, anyway. We're gonna be completely out of there in just a coupla more years, by '72, '73 at the worst."

I nodded. Nixon had just given a speech about that just a few days ago.

Pete grinned at me. "You know what your problem is, man?" he asked.

I shook my head.

He slid off the bed and reached for a drawer beside it, then pulled out a little plastic bag.

"You're too uptight, Wil," he said. "I think you need one of these. You gotta learn to relax."

He handed me a little hand-made cigarette. Holy shit, I thought.

"Marijuana?" I said, quietly. I'd only seen it in pictures, and at anti-drug classes at school.

He grinned. "Great shit, too." He took it from my hand, and lit it with a lighter, then took a puff.

"Here," he said, inhaling. "You try it. Hold it deep in your lungs for a few seconds, and don't breathe out for awhile."

I took it from his hand and did as he asked. Immediately, I was overcome with a fit of coughing.

Pete grinned. "It's an acquired taste," he said, laughing.

I shook my head. "I thought you weren't into drugs and booze and stuff," I said, wheezing. I remembered one time when we'd been out a few weeks ago, he'd made a disparaging remark about beer.

"That's not quite what I said," he replied. "You ever read Lost Horizon? The James Hilton book?"

I nodded. We'd read it the year before, in 8th grade back at LaFontaine.

"My philosophy is kinda like the High Lama's: 'moderation in all things.' I think a little of anything won't kill you. It's those idiots who overdo it that fuck it up for everybody. And that goes for drugs, alcohol, food... you name it."

I shook my head. "So you're saying a little heroin won't hurt," I said, sarcastically. "Or maybe I can drop some acid the next time I'm in a swim meet."

"Wil, you are so fuckin' impossible, man," he said, laughing. "Use your head, you douche! No, I don't think that shit's okay. And I wouldn't drink a six-pack of beer and dance on the roof, either. But one joint a day isn't gonna kill ya."

I nodded, and we finished the joint together. I figured out how to smoke it without coughing too much, but I didn't feel anything strange.

"How d'ya feel?" he said, taking off his shirt.

"Jeez, I feel normal to me," I said, trying to standing up. Whoa!

Pete laughed. "What were you sayin'?" he asked.

"Shit, man," I said, steadying myself. "I'm pretty fucking dizzy."

"'I'm so dizzy, my head is spinnin'... like a whirlpool, it never ends...'" he sang.

I laughed. I tried to pull my shirt off, but it got stuck on my head.

"Lemme help you with that," he said. In seconds, we were both naked.

I stared at his body. Even with short hair, Pete was beautiful. He wasn't quite as muscular as Sky, but he was still very fit. His chest was completely smooth, and he had strong pecs and powerful arms, with veins in his forearms and biceps. Only a handful of hairs were on his tight, flat stomach, leading to a dark brown triangle below. His arousal was only of average size, but somehow on him, it looked extremely attractive.

I felt myself throbbing. "Did I ever tell you, you look beautiful?" I whispered.

Pete laughed. "I was just gonna tell you the same thing," he said, quietly.

I reached out and gently grabbed his groin, and he moaned.

"Wil, I... I gotta confess somethin'," he said, embarrassedly.

"What?" I asked, looking up at his face.

"I lied to you about somethin' awhile back," he said, looking down.

"About what?" I asked, feeling hurt.

He grinned from ear to ear. "I think your big dick is really cool, man."

I laughed and let my endowment throb up and down. "Thanks."

"But that's not why I love you," he said. "Don't ever forget that."

I nodded. "Shut up and lie back," I ordered.

He did as I asked, and I leaned down and took him in my mouth.

"FUCK," he said, gasping for breath. "Wil... that was... just great, man."

I grinned and jumped over on the bed right next to him. "Thanks," I said. "I think I learned a few things from some friends out in Dallas."

"You get an 'A' in that course," he whispered, kissing me deeply.

I kissed him back, then rolled on top of him. "Say, uh, Pete," I said, quietly. "There is one thing we sorta haven't done yet."

He grinned. "I know," he said, nodding. "Give me a minute to get ready for you."

He hopped out to the bathroom and closed the door, and I heard the water running. A few minutes later, he came back in and fell on the bed beside me.

"Clean as a whistle," he said. "Go for it, man."

"You got any..."

"Yeah," he said. "In the drawer."

I opened it and found a small plastic bottle. "'Exotic massage oil,'" I read off the label.

"It's a lot better than vaseline," he said. "Not as greasy, and no smell."

I applied some of it to myself and Pete. He moaned when I stuck in a finger.

"I'll go slow, I promise," I whispered.

He nodded and pulled his knees up to his chest. I pushed my erection down close to him and gently pushed in. Pete sucked in his breath when my head popped through, then I stopped.

"It's okay," he whispered, his eyes closed tight. "Keep goin'."

I continued pushing in slowly until I got about halfway.

"Oh, god, Pete," I moaned. "This feels really great." I began thrusting in and out, taking care not to go too deep.

He nodded. "Give me a second," he said, taking a deep breath. After I paused for a few moments, he nodded. "Okay."

I leaned forward a little more, and slowly pushed in some more. I felt a little resistance, and Pete groaned. At last, I was in all the way to the hilt. My belly was up against his balls, which were loose and dangled down low. Pete's erection had temporarily wilted, so I reached down and fondled it.

He looked up at me and smiled. "I love you, Wil," he whispered.

I nodded and began pumping my hips. We spent more than fifteen minutes doing it in several different positions. I tried it from the side and from behind, but we finally wound up face to face again.

I smiled. "I think I like this one best of all," I whispered, breathlessly.

"Me, too," he said, pulling me down to his chest. He kissed me deeply, and I slipped my tongue into his mouth.

I moaned. "Oh, god, Pete!" I cried, thrusting faster and faster.

The sweat from the summer heat dripped from every pore on our bodies. I held his head in my hands and covered his face and neck with kisses. My hips began pumping as if they had a life of their own. I sped up to a fever pitch, and then felt an enormous spasm lurch out from my groin.

I cried out and fell down motionless on top of him. We heaved and panted, our chests rising and falling together.

"Fuck," he said, quietly.

"Yeah," I whispered. "I think that would be the dictionary definition of the term."

We laughed together.

"No," he said. "I mean I just came all over myself."

I pulled myself up and looked down. Sure enough, there was a puddle of white goo on his stomach, and his erection still throbbed.

"Wow," he said. "I've never done that before."

I grinned. "I guess I just have the magic touch."

"Yeah," he said, grinning. "That's what happens when you stimulate the prostate gland, inside."

Hmmm, I thought. Maybe that's where that feeling comes from, down there.

Pete leaned up and kissed me. "And I'm glad I lost my virginity to you, Wil,"

I was shocked. "But you..."

He shook his head. "No," he said. "Me and Jeff did everything but this. You're my first."

"Shit, Pete," I said, slowly pulling out of him. "I hope you're gonna be okay."

He leaned up and kissed me. "It's my turn later on."

I nodded and grinned.

The three days we spent together were the best ever. On Saturday night, we made love on the beach at 2AM, just the two of us on a towel, while a cool ocean breeze blew in from the Gulf.

"Shhh!" he said, flopping down beside me. "Next time, don't make so much noise, man! They'll hear you over at the motel next door."

I grinned. "Let 'em call the cops," I whispered. "Then I can stop you from going to Vietnam."

Pete sighed. "I told you, Wil..." he began.

"I know, I know," I said, shaking my head. "You're going to the Air Force base in the Philippines. You told me."

Pete laughed, then reached down and gently grabbed my arousal, which was beginning to throb back to life again.

"Your cock is really great, man," he said, admiringly. "Not because it's big. But because it's attached to you."

I grinned. "Thanks, babe." I leaned over and kissed him.

He leaned over and put his hand behind my head. "You know what your best feature is, Wil?" he whispered.

"Well, Ronnie says it's either my heart or my balls," I whispered back, smiling.

We laughed together.

"No," he said, quietly, brushing the hair out of my eyes. "It's not what's between your legs. It's your brain. That's where all the pleasure really is."

I rolled my eyes. "So, you're saying you just love me for my mind."

"Yeah, you could say that," he said, laughing softly. "The big dick and balls are just optional accessories. I like the whole package, Wil."

"Me, too," I said, kissing him.

We lay on the beach in each other's arms for half an hour, then went back into the house.

In the morning, the summer sun was streaming through the windows, and the blinds left huge shadows along the bedroom wall. I awoke to find Pete sitting up in bed and staring at me, with a big smile on his face.

"What are you looking at?" I yawned.

"Somebody I'd been waiting for all of my life," he replied.

I grinned. "You think there's only one perfect person for everybody on Earth?" I asked, rolling on my side.

"Maybe," he said. "The trick is, what if that person isn't who you think it is? What if you're totally straight, and your soul mate turns out to be another guy?"

I thought of Sky. I wondered if he'd been my soul mate, or if I was his. What about Ronnie? What if you could have more than one, or even if it worked that way?

Pete leaned forward and kissed me. "I think some people live their whole lives, and never find the one person they were really meant to be with. I'm a lot luckier than they were. I'm grateful that we had the summer, Wil."

I stared at him. "No," I whispered. "I thought we had until September."

He shook his head. "We're shipping out in 48 hours, Wil," he said. "I report to MacDill Air Force Base on Tuesday."

I turned away from him, as tears filled my eyes. "You lied to me," I choked.

He put his hand on my shoulder and kissed my neck. "No, Wil," he whispered. "I never said when I was goin'. I hoped you wouldn't ask until we had this last weekend together."

I sighed. "You're determined to go through this, you asshole," I said, quietly.

"Yeah. I swear, just for 18 months. You'll wait for me, won't you, Wil?"

I turned back to him. He looked at me, expectantly, then kissed me.

"I haven't said yes, yet," I said, fighting back my tears.

He laughed. "I don't need a crystal ball to read your mind, Wil," he said.