NOTE: First, a couple of apologies are in order; I'm sorry that there has been such a gap between the last chapter and this one; I hope that all my distractions are in the rearview mirror now. I also want to apologize for the crappy proof-reading job I did on Chapter 24; I was rushing myself to get it posted. Thanks in advance for understanding.
As always, this continues to be the fictional coming of age story of Jake Grimke as he matures through high school, into college and eventually into adulthood in the Baltimore, Maryland region. It contains accurate representations of life in Baltimore and its suburbs; Maryland's traditional sport of lacrosse and the career path a firefighter might follow in his profession. All of the characters in this story are fictional and resemblance to any one person whether dead or alive is purely coincidental. If you liked this installment, please send me some feed back; I got a rough idea where this is headed but I am always open to some suggestions. Needless to say, if you are offended by handsome athletic young men growing up gay and the obstacles they will encounter as well their personal triumphs, you should use the BACK button on your browser forthwith.
Less than twelve hours after the last notes of Alice Cooper's "School's Out" blasted from the speakers, it was time for the seniors to graduate from Severn High School. And, in less than twelve hours, the majority of these graduates would be attending their senior prom. The commencement ceremony opened with the traditional entrance music of Elgar's "Land of Hope and Glory" as Dr. Lafferty, Governor Syms and other distinguished guests took the stage in the school's stadium where The Mohawks had given their concert the night before.
After Dr. Lafferty's welcome to the assembled seniors, family and friends and a promise to keep his remarks short, Severn's principal introduced Governor Syms who made his own remarks. Next, Jackie Pence, the valedictorian, gave her speech which sounded more like a pep talk and then, along with Will Hurley, presented Ava Birdsong with an engraved plaque of appreciation for being their senior class adviser.
After dabbing the tears from her eyes and making a short speech about how she thought this was the most spirited class she had ever seen graduate in her 30 years as an educator at Severn High School, Miss Birdsong began calling the names of the graduating seniors alphabetically along with any honors they were receiving.
"Mr. Aaron Beecher, Cum Laude...Miss Shelia Downes, Cum Laude...Mr. Jacob Grimke, Magna Cum Laude...Mr. Evan Harmes, Cum Laude...Mr. Wilfred Hurley, Summa Cum Laude...Miss Jacqueline Pence....Summa Cum Laude... Mr. Erik Syms, Cum Laude."
After a final benediction, the senior class was dismissed by Dr. Lafferty to a rousing rendition of the Severn fight song, "Men of Harlech" which was sung repeatedly, as many graduates now stood with their extended families and friends singing the final verse over and over with the band and combined choirs until the last of the graduates left the seating area.
Always the social organizer, Jackie Pence planned a formal sit-down pre-prom dinner at her house for her closest friends and their significant others. Will brought a new male friend from one of the private schools in the area while Erik Syms escorted Marcy Reid, a Severn junior who lived across the street from the now vacant Syms home in Highland Heights. All of their parents were at the Pence residence also, enjoying a celebration of their own for successfully getting their children through the rigors of high school including Dr. Syms who was taking the day off from being Maryland's governor, Annie Harmes and of course, John and Emma Grimke.
The only two people who weren't there promptly at 7:00 PM were Jake and Jose. Jose Valdez had met Jake's parents a few weeks earlier and was welcomed into the Grimke clan just as much as Evan or Erik or anybody else Jake brought home. Though there was no formal commitment yet between the two young men, both were enamored with each other but with a small age and distance gap, there was some uncertainty about the status of their budding relationship.
Just after 7:15, Jake and Jose arrived in the Saab with the top down, both wearing contemporary-styled black formal suits rather than the more traditional tuxedo. Jake and Jose glowed, any reservations Jose had about being with Jake dissolved just before the state championship game when he began hanging out with Jake as often as their schedules would allow. Both strapping young men strode confidently to the front door, and entered the Pence residence, the same place where Jake came out to everybody just before Christmas.
Silence fell over the room as if two models from GQ magazine came to life from its pages and walked into the foyer of the Pence home. Guys and girls, moms and dads alike just stared for a few seconds, practically awestruck, at arguably, the two hottest men at the party. Will smiled, impressed that the uber-jock could dress so impressively while Emma ran up and gave Jake and Jose a big hug before saying, "you boys look so handsome, I need to get a picture of you two together."
After Emma took pictures, the cameras came out in force with everybody being photographed with everybody else before Jackie reminded her guests that dinner was about to be served. Jake and Jose worked the room before being seated at the big dining room table with Jose to his right and Evan to his left. The dozen graduates and their guests squeezed into every space around the table while the parents served the food and cleared the dishes.
Soon it was time to head back to Severn High School one last time for their senior prom. Unlike last year's junior-senior prom, there was no media circus this year because there were two gay couples attending this year. Everybody arrived, parked and walked in after showing their engraved tickets. And like the Valentine's Day dance, Severn junior Tyler May deejayed this event too, streaming videos of popular songs into the huge monitors in the decorated high school gym.
And when the prom was over, that almost magical senior year at Severn High School was also over. Anna and Dieter were going to stay a few more days in the United States to do some sight seeing in New York City and Washington, D.C. before returning to Munich. Trooper Marsh took Erik Syms and Marcy Reid back to their respective homes. Aaron Beecher would skip senior week in Ocean City because he had a summer job operating a forklift at Home Depot to help pay for some of his tuition in the fall that wouldn't be covered by his lacrosse scholarship.
Jake knew he was going to see Evan, Jackie and Will all week at the beach. Anna and Dieter were going to spend the night at the Pence's before leaving for New York City the next day; Evan and Jackie were going to drive down after seeing them off. Jose was another story because summer school had already started for him.
Sitting on top of the cover of the Saab's convertible stowage area, Jake and Jose talked in between saying good bye to different classmates. "I really wish you could come to beach week," Jake said with the slightest trace of a whine in his voice.
"Trust me, you will be bored in about three days. I've come to know you Jake, you're a smart and responsible guy and what you see down there is going to go against every fiber of your being," Jose said with confidence.
"Maybe so, but, it would be fun to be at the beach with you," Jake mused.
"Why, so you can see me with in my black Speedo my shirt off?" Jose asked.
"I'd consider that a fringe benefit," Jake said conjuring the image in his head.
Holding Jake's hand, Jose said, "listen, I got a week off between the first and second summer session, we'll go anywhere you want, I promise. A beach, the mountains, anywhere your heart desires, okay?"
Jake nodded yes begrudgingly before Jose continued, "you're smart Jake, don't do anything foolish down there, you hear me, I want you coming back to me in one piece."
Again, Jake nodded yes and clasped Jose's hand harder, a small tear dripping down from his eye, "I promise Jose, I promise I won't do anything too crazy and I'll be back in one piece."
"And you better stay in touch too," Jose said as they slid down into the back seat and cuddled before they began to make out.
Jake drove them back to his house, arriving just before 2:00 AM and noticed there were no extra lights on from worried parents. Once inside and in the family room, Jake unfolded the sleep sofa and retrieved the bed-in-a-bag kit kept in the hall closet for the sleep sofa and made it up in between increasingly playful kisses from Jose.
Then Jake stood in front of Jose and slowly undressed him, undoing the tie, then the cuff links and button studs on Jose's shirt. Jose matched each of Jake's acton and before long, Jose was down to his bright red Unico briefs while Jake stood there in black and silver Calvin Klein boxer briefs. Jake eased Jose backwards and gently imposed his weight on top of him, his face next to Jose's.
Jake gently began kissing Jose's neck, tasting how his sweat had mixed with clean scent of his showered body from hours ago. He kissed downward until his lips were on Jose's slightly hairy pec before moving into Jose's pit and sniffing and licking as Jose moaned under him. Jake controlled himself, in no rush and didn't feel that he was being rushed to do anything by Jose. Jose relaxed and and almost purred under him as Jake gently kissed his way down his bicep and forearm into his hand and eventually each finger before making the return journey with his tongue and lips.
Before Jake could start down the other side, Jose gently eased him off and loosely held him, kissing the back of Jake's neck, then nibbling on his ear and then kissing his cheek while his upper hand caressed Jake's rock hard pec before zeroing in on the nipple and gently teasing it.
Jose lined his body up as best as he could with Jake's; Jose's knee caps directly behind Jake's knees, his hardness in line with Jake's crack and his own pecs in line with Jake's shoulder blades. He clutched Jake and held him securely and they drifted off to sleep.
While some of the seniors were hellbent on seeing the sun rise from the beach in Ocean City after prom, the Mohawks and their friends were having one final get together. Almost everybody from the night before met at Beauregard's in the famed Annapolis City Dock area for a send-off brunch for Dieter and Anna. After brunch, Jose left in his own car for his return to Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, the dwindling band of high school friends walked over to the Naval Academy where Evan would start his Plebe summer in about two weeks.
Evan gave Dieter and Anna a quick tour pointing out the storied Bancroft Hall dormitory and Herndon Monument while enlightening everybody with his impressive level of lore and knowledge about the institution. After an hour of walking the hallowed grounds, Evan and Jackie took Anna and Dieter to the train station near the airport for their trip to New York City while Will and Jake headed for Maryland's eastern shore in the Saab.
There was already trouble in Ocean City when Jake and Will arrived at Beachwood Towers hotel just off the north end of Coastal Highway. An ambulance was leaving and there was still a fire truck and police cars in front as Jake and Will proceeded to check in. Jake worked his way to the front desk and got their room while Will mingled with the crowd that had formed in the lobby.
After parking the car and getting their luggage, Will told Jake what happened while they rode the elevator up to their floor, "They're saying a dude fell off the balcony from the seventh or eighth floor, said he was trashed."
"Trashed from the fall or beforehand," Jake asked not that he expected Will to know.
"Dunno," answered Will.
"Jose was right, said this place would be totally crazy," Jake replied.
Within an hour, Evan was texting Jake that they had arrived. They had an adjoining room with Jake and Will. For the next two days, they ate, mingled with other seniors from Severn and others they knew from other schools. The third night while Will and Jackie went dancing at an under-21 event, Jake and Evan got a six pack of beer each and headed to the beach.
They planted themselves on the damp sand of the beach, not too far from the water and popped open a beer each. "Are you happy Jake?" Evan asked.
"I'm happy about a lot of things, bro. Happy I got you for a best friend, happy the way my life has turned out so far, happy I got a great family and friends. Why do you ask? Is something wrong?"
"No, I'm just, I'm just a little scared," Evan confessed, "after all, I'm no Jake Grimke."
"What are you scared about?" Jake demanded to know.
"The whole Naval Academy thing," Evan started.
"But it's all you have talked about since I met you in the ninth grade," Jake responded, "Navy, Navy, Goooooooooo Navy."
"I know it just is, I go in that gate on June 30th and that's it. I can only make three phone calls home during Plebe Summer. Three bro, home, not to you, not to Jackie. Three calls home. I've never been that detached from Mom or you and now Jackie."
"Well, based on what you told me, you won't have time or energy to make more than three phone calls home," Jake replied after listening, "Ev, you are going to be fine, I know you will be. Hell, you'll probably find a new wingman."
"He won't be like you Jake, nobody is like you," Evan said as he toasted Jake with the beer bottle.
"Nah, probably not,"Jake said with a bit of a smirk, "but, you know I will be the first to come visit you when you are allowed."
"I know I can count on that Jake, I can bank on that, always and forever, bro, always and forever." Jake toasted back with a clink of a new beer bottle since the first one was already gone, "always and forever."
"What about you and Jose, is he the one?" Evan asked.
"Could be, I'd like him to be but I think we are still like a couple of dogs sniffing each other's asses," Jake said in a neutral tone.
Another clink of beer bottles, "thanks for that vivid image J-man," Evan replied.
"And you and Jackie, she's going to Brandeis and you are here," Jake pondered.
"Yeah, hate to say it but I think I was just the icing on her cake," Evan mused.
"Did you get a piece?" Jake asked.
"Nah, she's saving it." Evan answered.
"Damn dude, what have you been doing this whole year?" Jake wondered out loud.
"Same thing you have been doing until you had your big night," Evan replied.
"You keep a good secret bro," Jake said.
"Thanks J-man, I want you to know how proud I was of you this year, I was proud to be your wingman," Evan said, before popping open his last beer.
"Correction, you ARE my wingman, always will be, always and forever, don't ever forget it. Just because we aren't on the field together any longer doesn't mean you can't call me or me call you, well, except for this whole Plebe Summer business but that will be over before we know it. Your the closest thing I got to a brother Ev, closest only thing I got and I expect you to be around for a long time wingman; a very long time."
"You know Jake, growing up with two older sisters, you're like my brother too, just from another mother," Evan added with his own sarcasm as they stood up from finishing their six packs of beers.
They walked back up to their beach front hotel, dropping the bottles into the trash bin on the boardwalk. Once on the ninth floor, they walked passed the parties going on in other rooms before they got to their adjoining rooms. Evan keyed his way into his room first and stopped dead in his tracks before clearing the threshold. Will and Jackie were passed out on the bed in their room, sleeping away without a care in the world.
"Let them be, they still have all their clothes on," Jake said after peering in.
"Where do I sleep?" Evan asked.
"With me, it will be like old times sleeping over at my house and making up stories about the Green Ghost," Jake said with his winning smile.
Evan smiled and embraced Jake, cupped his hands around Jake's broad shoulders, put his head on Jake's shoulder, "you're the best Jake. I love you, always and forever bro."
"I love you to Ev, always and forever," said Jake.