Mile High Part 8
Chris wanted to keep the pace easy this morning. It had been a while since Kelvin had last run his usual route to school. The only thing that bothered him was, with both of them out here, how they would get back to Kel's house after school. He figured they could just jog back, but didn't know how he would feel after practice that afternoon. He hoped Kel would be willing to wait for him if he couldn't get a ride with one of their friends.
"Hey slow poke! Pick it up!" Kel smiled back over his shoulder as they ran.
Chris grinned and drew back alongside his boyfriend. He kept falling back as they ran, he couldn't help it. He loved watching the muscles of Kel's legs and ass working hard like they were now. His dad had always called himself a `breast man' because that was the part he loved most. Chris figured he would have to call himself a leg man, as long as they belonged to Kelvin, who he loved most.
He was suddenly brought out of his thoughts when he noticed Steve and a couple of others waiting for them, a pile of backpacks and other bags around their feet, at the locker door when they arrived and slowed their approach.
"What are you guys doing here?" Chris asked, looking at the others shivering in the cold morning air. Steve and the others had obviously been running themselves, their bodies steaming slightly with each blast of the north breeze.
"I heard you two were running today," Steve's voice chattered with his teeth. "I thought you were going to use the track, so we came out to join you."
"We thought you stood us up!" Mike added with a smile. "Hey Chris, how you planning on getting home?"
"Yeah, next time use the track like us," Steve picked it up without a break. "Then you'll have your car here when you want it, stupid! Hey, I'm freezing out here. You got your key, Kelvin?"
Kel grabbed his keys and fumbled for the lock. Stood them up? Stood them up?' he thought, how could they stand anybody up? He thought only he and Chris knew they were running this morning. Besides, it wasn't a date or anything like it. He had to stop and smile as he pushed the door open and stepped out of the way before he was trampled in the rush to get out of the cold. Yeah, right! Chris and I on a date with all these straight boys.' Mike sure had a crazy way of putting things.
Kelvin stepped through and stopped suddenly, 'Oh, no. The showers!' Chris would be there. He was sure he'd be sporting a hard-on when they showered. Chris just seemed to have that effect on him and, to be honest, he'd been looking forward to it. He and Chris both saying fuck you' to the school as they fooled around that morning. But now? Now the others were there. They wouldn't understand one of their number obviously showing more than casual interest in another naked male. Sure, they knew about how he and Chris loved each other, but this would be going way too far. It wasn't as if Jenny was here to shower with Steve, although Kel figured the others would enjoy that show'. Maybe he should just go run a few more laps until the others were gone.
"Kel, come on!" Chris appeared and pulled him into the room. "We've got to get ready." Chris saw the fear - no, not really fear, concern - in Kel's face. "Don't worry, the guys won't care. Just don't try to rape any of them; I'd be pissed." He smiled in a lopsided exaggerated grin. "If you're as scared as I was when I first started doing this, `it' probably won't work anyway."
"Com'on, guys, hurry up! I need something to eat before class starts!" Mike yelled from the other end of the room. "Don't worry, Kelvin, we won't look," he continued, seeming to misunderstand Kel's shyness. "We have our own to play with, we don't need yours!"
Kel looked up as he cautiously undressed, to see Mike wiggling his penis at everybody in the room as Steve flipped him off and, with a quick "Asshole!", shoved him into the showers. If everybody in school thought he was crazy, they should see Mike. Mike was the `head-case', not him!
Kel thankfully didn't get hard as he had feared. The others mostly seemed to ignore him as he cleaned up, following the unwritten shower etiquette.
He did blush furiously when Steve directed a wolf whistle his way when he entered and made him promise that he would stay away from Jenny. Chris came to his rescue by reminding Steve in a joking manner that he was taken. Mike stayed quiet but had a wicked gleam in his eyes the whole time. Kel didn't want to think about what else Mike was planning. He hoped he wasn't going to be the target.
Snap! Crack! "Hey!". Kel glanced up quickly while he finished drying himself and backed himself out of the way as Mike ran past with the wrapped towel still in his hand.
"You fucked with the wrong man now!" Steve was charging after Mike, grinning like a predator about to make its first kill in days.
The room was too small for Mike's greater speed to be of any help. Steve quickly caught him near the exit to the main hall and tried to drag him to it as the others in the room caught on and yelled for Steve to throw Mike through it. Kel was trying to decide which side he should be on, if it came to that, until he noticed the red welt on Steve's bare flank.
"Com'on, guys! Help me!" Steve yelled when Mike twisted out of his grip and, with his own "Left ball in the corner pocket!" yell, flipped his towel at Steve, barely missing his groin.
Chris and the other three team members in the room jumped at the chance. They'd all, on at least one occasion, been on the receiving end. The problem was that when they'd tried to retaliate in kind, Mike was just too good at it and somehow his towel always stayed wound tighter than theirs.
Kelvin watched as it took all five to get control of Mike and start carrying him toward the doors. He followed close behind, amazed at how these guys were acting. What would their girlfriends think of this? And what did he think of Chris? He shook his head. He really shouldn't have been surprised. He didn't think he and Chris acted gay' the way he'd grown up thinking gays acted before he was forced to accept the fact he was one. He guiltily realized he'd unconsciously placed everybody into stereotypes himself. His stereotypes' had certainly been shattered forever! He was also a little envious at the way these guys, Chris included, could just let go like this. Kel made up his mind, watching, as Chris and the others tried unsuccessfully to once again push Mike through the doors.
The others finally grew tired of the fight Mike was putting up and carried him through the doors. Kel immediately jumped at his chance and, shoving Steve clear, slammed the doors closed behind them all. He started to giggle as he threw the lock and waited for the others to realize what he had done. The doors jiggled briefly, then shook hard. When he heard the others start yelling from the other side, he lost it completely. He was laughing so hard he hurt. But it felt good too. He'd had so little to laugh about, he missed it. He knew they'd be OK in the hall. They had to have, what, maybe two towels and Chris's boxers to keep the six of them company?
"You know, of course, this means war!" Kelvin heard Mike yell at him! "Paybacks are hell! Hey! Give that back!"
Kel wiped the laugh-tears from his eyes as he quickly dressed and made his successful escape outside.
Kelvin ducked his head as Chris, Steve, and Mike wandered into the classroom, fully dressed, to the applause of the other students.
"Well, I thought you'd like to know that the coach wasn't too pissed at us this morning," Chris began as he sat down. Actually the coach had told them and Mrs. Lee that he would make sure they had all the activity they could handle, on the track during practice that afternoon.
"No, in fact he was delighted," Mike continued. He and Steve stood over Kel's desk, grinning like Cheshire cats. They were obviously going to enjoy this brief detour on the way to their own classes.
"Especially when we told him that you wanted to try out for the team!" Steve finished for them. "And we all know how you don't want to disappoint him!"
Kel looked at each of them in turn, mouth hanging open. "You didn't," he finally said when he regained control of his jaw.
"Of course we did!" Mike said as the two of them turned to leave. "See ya this afternoon, smartass!" He and Steve high-fived each other on the way out.
Kelvin turned back to his shaking boyfriend. Chris was snorting as he tried to hold back his laughter.
"You couldn't have...." Kel began to realize they probably had.
"Oh, we did!" Chris loved the idea. It would be something they could share. Besides, Kel had done it to him! "You'd better not dog it', either. I've seen what you can do and, believe me, we all want you where we can keep an eye on you!" Chris leaned back in the desk, stretching to his full length. It had taken all three of them to do it, but Kelvin was definitely speechless. In their friendly competition of last word' they'd played since they were ten years old, he had finally won. This kind of payback wasn't hell, it was great!
"You can't be serious, Mr. Stamford." Mrs. Lee looked at the school board member with disbelief. "He hasn't done anything!"
"Oh? You call that terrorist threat he made 'nothing'?" Mr. Stamford wanted the kid out of the school, permanently, if possible, and wasn't going to put up with a mere school principal saying otherwise.
"We looked into that matter very closely." Mrs. Lee's blood was up. This was her school too. She was the one responsible. "Kelvin's brother had just died, and we feel he was provoked and responded. He's not a threat to anyone. Besides, we were told what he said, word for word, from the students who were there, and it wasn't a terrorist threat! Ask the police; they agree!"
"Regardless, the boy is a continuing disruption." His daughter had told him as much. "He has to go."
"When?" Mrs. Lee rocked back in her chair. They had already decided the issue. She was sure of it. "Won't you even talk to the young man, get his side of it?"
"No, I...We don't think he would have anything to add." The thought of being in the same room with the little fag disgusted him. "His kind can't be trusted anyway, neither him or the Bauchamp kid." He blew out a breath in frustration. He'd hoped for her support in this but would accept her obedience. "The disciplinary committee will vote on Mr. Stuart in executive session on Thursday and Mr. Bauchamp the next week. You will be prepared to enforce the order Friday morning concerning the Stuart kid. That fa...boy is not to enter the school after that date. We owe it to the other students for them not to be subjected to him." He looked at the rebellion building in her face. Maybe they'd have another vote soon. "Until Friday, you will not, I repeat, will not say a word of this to anybody. Understood?"
"Yes, I understand." She smiled at her superior through her clenched teeth. "I imagine it's for the best, after all."
She shook as he left her office. She had her orders, but rebelled at the whole idea that these people would wield such arbitrary power. She had been concerned about what Kelvin had said, but knew he was no threat to anyone unless he was attacked again. Why couldn't these people just leave the poor boy alone? If they bothered to try to know him, they would see that he was just a kid trying to get along as best as possible, just like all the others in her care. He was different in his own way, not the homicidal pervert Mr. Stamford would undoubtedly try to paint him as. No one who had seen the incredible display he did for his brother could think ill of him. But then, none of the school board members had been there.
She kept telling herself not to make any decisions while she was angry and to think it through. She soon lost that battle. Hands shaking, she reached for the phone and dialed The Stuarts. She knew Kelvin wasn't a threat to anyone. She hoped his dad, with his war record over the Gulf, would be!
James hung up the phone after thanking Mrs. Lee. He sat in shock over what she had said. Why are we still living here?' he thought to himself. We should move.' He felt his anger build rapidly, replacing his earlier thoughts. He hadn't risked his life, purposely making himself a target of Saddam's missiles so he could shoot them, just to run and hide with his family now! He didn't let it all hang out for these people's supposed values. He had always thought the mother was the most dangerous when the family was threatened, at least until he found his own threatened. These people had declared war on his family, and he knew how to fight wars. He couldn't bomb or shoot them, but he knew about the principle of applying overwhelming force. He knew how to win.
He keyed the office intercom, "Maggie, I need to see Frank from legal, and get me the number for Mr. Goldman." Mr. Goldman was his godfather and a World War II vet who was senior partner at the best law firm he knew of. He also knew how to win! Besides, the old man was gay! James smiled grimly. "Take em down!" he repeated the old `Wild Weasel' motto.
"Well, what did the coach say?" Chris leaned wearily back against Steve's small Ford pick-up and smiled at Kelvin's stiff posture. The coach had certainly done his best to curb their `youthful exuberance', as he called it.
"Oh, he couldn't be happier." Kel grimaced as he examined one of his arms, wondering what it would look like covered with yellow and black paint. He had thought about dogging it, but found when he got out there, he just didn't have it in him to do that. The coach was overjoyed. He had his teams for the rest of the year all set. Kel's only hope of getting out of this without hurting everybody, he thought, was for a faster runner to move into town. `Oh well, maybe he'd give it a chance. It could be fun after all.' "So, when does the rest happen?" he asked.
Steve grinned as they all squeezed into his truck. "Wouldn't you like to know!" He looked at Chris, "Trust us, you'll know after it happens. Until then?" He shrugged his shoulders.
Kel sat calmly between Chris and Steve as they drove back to his house. OK, he knew that they would try something like had been done to Chris. They'd sure make him stew about it for a while, like Chris, before they finally struck.
Anyway, he wasn't Chris. He'd just calmly go about his daily routine and face his friends when he had to. Besides if Chris was in on the planning, he'd probably be able to anticipate what the others would do. He felt he knew how his boyfriend's mind worked. No, He wouldn't let them get to him.
"Wha...Wha...." Kel jumped twice as Chris, then Steve, placed their arms around his shoulders. OK, so maybe he would be a little jumpy!
"Glad to have you with us," Steve said as they pulled down the driveway. "I'll see you tomorrow!"
"Yeah, maybe I'll drive the next time we all wan'a go someplace," Chris smiled back at Steve as they untangled to leave. "When you gon'a get a real car?"
"Hey, next time you can walk!" Steve yelled back with a mock hurt look on his face. "I didn't hear any complaints when we started! Besides, at least mine has paint!"
"Of course we couldn't complain," Chris shot back, not ready to give up, "We couldn't breathe with your fat ass taking up all the space!"
Steve waved with his middle finger as he pulled back to leave; none of them had any fat to speak of. It was just a small Ranger truck, after all.
"Kelvin, could you come here?" James called to his son from the front door where he'd been watching the goings on. He much preferred to see his youngest's beautiful smile. He used to smile all the time, but with all that had happened to him, it had become rare. "You too, Christopher. This concerns the both of you." He saw his son's smile fade as quickly as it came, and cursed the world again.
"Kelvin, Christopher, this is Mr. Goldman, and these are his associates." Kelvin shook the hand of the elderly gray-bearded man who met him as the rest of the introductions were made. The man was richly dressed, with a vigorous manner, but what was unsettling to Kel was the cold fire that seemed to burn behind the otherwise compassionate eyes.
Mr. Goldman cast an appraising eye at the two curious and apprehensive young men he was presented with. He was glad they had each other. Their attitude around each other reminded him of himself and his love when they'd first met fifty seven years in the past.
"I am sorry about Brian. I wish I could have gotten away to come to the funeral." He saw the darkness cloud Kels's features and regretted bringing it up. He'd been preparing a death penalty appeal and couldn't be there. "I'm an old friend of your father's. In fact, I'm his Godfather. No, not that kind of Godfather." He held up a restraining hand.
"I'm a lawyer with Goldman, Renaud, and a dozen other names that don't mean anything right now. A situation has come up about you two that your father felt we could help with." He saw the tall one, Christopher he remembered, place his arms protectively around Kel as the boy swallowed hard. "I want you to relax and tell us everything that has happened at school from the time you were beaten. We will ask some questions, but don't be afraid, I am gay too. I've been one since gay' just meant happy'." He smiled, hoping to alleviate the tension. "Just tell us the truth about everything. We have a tape recorder and other essentials in the dining room. Let's get started and I'll tell you why we're here."
"I don't believe it." Chris stated again as he and Kel sat in the dark of Kel's bedroom. They'd excused themselves as the adults upstairs continued planning their offensive and defensive moves.
"Well, believe it! It's just like Julie's dad to do something like this." Kel shook his head. "Where do you think she gets it from?"
"Yeah, I know, but what did we do to them?" Chris didn't know what he would do if the board was successful. It wasn't as if he could afford private school. Besides, leaving Kel wasn't an option. They were both too young for them to join the military, but that wasn't an option either; they wouldn't want them anyway. Chris let out a deep breath. He supposed he would try to go full time at work.
"What did we do to them?" Kel bitterly repeated the question as he held his own bleak thoughts. "We're alive and we're here. That's what we did."
"I guess we'll just have to go along with what the old man wants us to do." Chris did like the elderly man and agreed with the plan, although it would be hard to act like they didn't know anything was going on.
"Yeah, I know." Kel looked at his boyfriend. "Although, after our run tomorrow, I want to do what I was planning. Now more than ever!"
"What was that?" Chris cautiously asked. He knew how Kels's plans could mean trouble.
"I wan'a do to you....," Kel couldn't help but smile, "...what you did to me the first time we showered together."
"At school?" Chris's eyes widened. "That's crazy! We could get caught!"
"I know." Kel wasn't going to be put off. "But can you think of a better way to show what we really think of the place?"
"But nobody else will know." Chris felt his resistance crumbling, even though if they were caught it would be the end of the case the old man was making.
"But we will!" Kel's eyes were gleaming in the dim light cast by the radio on his night stand.
"You're sure you want to do this?" Chris reached down for his bag. "I just don't think it's a good idea." They had finished their run, if you could call it that, early and alone. Actually it had been more of a series of sprints as each tried to run off the nervous energy they felt coursing through their bodies.
"OK, we don't have to." Kel smiled wistfully and unlocked the door. "I just thought it'd be fun. I guess you'll never know,"
"I wan'a know, all right, just not here." Chris cast a furtive glance around the room, trying to bury the absurd notion they would be seen. He couldn't see any security cameras here. They wouldn't be allowed anyway. He smiled to himself; those school board weenies who were out for them would never risk the scandal of being accused of spying on naked students. But he just couldn't shake the feeling of dread at doing something above being naked here as he shed everything.
"Hey, no hard feelings?" Chris stepped under the warm spray and adjusted it hotter to banish the effects of the cold air. He couldn't `read' his boyfriend; Kel had his back to him.
"No, I'm fine." Kel cast a quick glance over his shoulder as Chris quickly soaped his face and hair. (None of them usually took the time to bother with shampoo. There wasn't any place to put it anyway.) Kel grinned, there is more than one way to skin a Tigger''.
Chris started suddenly when he felt the hands circle his waist and turn him away from the wall. "Kel? What are you doing?" He hoped it was Kel, he thought they were still alone, but couldn't see. Thankfully he'd managed to keep his eyes shut against the soap when he'd been surprised.
"Who else would it be, dummy?" Kel looked at his boyfriend's soap streaked face and knelt to provide what he hoped would be a better answer. He nervously leaned in and wrapped his lips around his boyfriend. He hoped he did this right or the risk he was taking would be for nothing.
"I don't..." Chris found Kel's head and halfheartedly tried to pull away. "...Oh God! That's not fair..." He leaned back against the cold tiles, letting the water finally wash the soap out of his eyes. "...When do I get to play?"
"I'll let you play later." Kel briefly pulled off before going back to work. "I want to return the favor." Gauged by Chris's reaction, he figured he must be doing something right. He was a little disappointed that all he could taste was the Ivory soap Chris used, but he enjoyed it anyway. Chris sure was, and that was enough for Kel at that moment.
Chris was lasting longer than he thought he would. He marveled again at the difference there was between getting blown by someone he'd just wanted to get his rocks off with, and this! This was so much more!
"Ugh, Ugh, Kel, I think I'm gon'a shoot!" He barely managed to call out his warning as his tight stomach involuntarily constricted to the point he thought his belly button scraped his backbone. When he came and Kel took him, he didn't collapse like Kelvin had, but he thought his knees would stay locked and rigid forever.
"That was incredible." He pulled Kel upright, away from his now overly sensitive organ. He didn't even want the spray of water anywhere near him. "Where did you learn how to do that?"
"From you." Kelvin smiled up at Chris. He could be so dense sometimes. He pulled Chris's face to his. He wanted to share the lingering salty taste with him. Let the school board see them now!
"Kelvin? Chris? You in here?" The two boys scrambled for their towels, almost forgetting to shut off the water in their haste. They were confused; the voice was female. Chris peeked out and was amazed to see Sharon nervously standing in the boys' locker. "I always wanted to know what it was like in here."
"Yeah, well you can go away now!" Chris wrapped his towel protectively around himself and stayed hidden. "Why didn't you send Joel to find us?"
"Oh, he's being a candy ass this morning. He thought you two might be up to something in here." She saw the two wet outraged red faces looking back at her. "So, were you?"
"That's none of your business!" Kel yelled from behind Chris, his hard-on rapidly deflated. `Damn it all to hell!' He wasn't finished yet. Sharon was going out of her way to give him blue balls! "What do you want?"
"Oh yeah." She batted her eyelashes at them. Her suspicions were confirmed. They had been doing something. She was sure of it! "Hurry up and get dressed. We want to know why we got calls from some lawyers last night. We'll be in the auditorium."
"Well, we'd be a lot fucking faster if you weren't here," Chris growled.
"Touchy, touchy." She turned to leave, message delivered, before anyone else found out where she was. "Hey, Kel, Nice towel!" She laughed as she saw him jump completely out of sight. Boys! One minute they were walking hard-ons and the next they were monks. She sighed, remembering the times, even after they'd had sex, she'd had to practically pry Joel's jeans off of him.
Kelvin sat, nervously glancing at Chris and the others who had come with him to the Board meeting for support. The Board was still handling regular business as far as he could tell. Mr. Goldman had told them all to stay where they were until he called for them. He was dying to know the reaction of the Board and the audience to the old man and his seven associates as they sat at the back of the room. He figured their curiosity had to be as bad as his own.
"Will you stop that!" Steve said, directing everybody's attention to Mike, who had started another trek up the hall to work off his nervousness. Mike was fidgeting more than any of them for some reason they couldn't fathom.
Mike just smiled and upended himself, walking the short distance back on his hands, giving everybody a beautiful view of his abdomen and individual ribs as his shirt pooled around his arms and head. He probably would have made it all the way back to his chair if he could have seen where he was going. "OOPS, sorry!" He rolled himself upright. "I just can't stand the waiting."
"No problem." Chris rubbed his chest where the impact had occurred. "Where did you learn to do that anyway?"
"Flip's mom tought me," Mike said. "We used to spend a lot of time at her gym."
"Flip?" Steve looked confused. He thought he knew everybody Mike did. "Who's Flip?"
"You remember...," Mike continued, settling back into his place, "...Philip, Philip Nevins. His mom had that girls' gymnastics school in Midland until they moved." Mike turned wistful. "The last time I talked to him last year, he told me all his new friends called him 'Flip' now."
"Last year?" Chris looked at Mike suspiciously. He had the reputation around school of wanting to screw everything walking on two legs and probably on four legs as well. He could also be one of the best people Chris had ever known, when he actually tried to be serious, that is.
"Yeah, he's got a whole new life now," Mike whispered back to him. "We just kind'a lost touch with each other. Oh well!" Mike smiled and went back to fidgeting along with everybody else.
Chris guiltily smiled back at Mike. He hadn't even contacted his old friends in Houston either.
"Kelvin?" Mr. Goldman stuck his head out the door, "Come on, let's get this over with."
"Without objection, I move we go to executive session." Mr. Goldman smiled to himself at the self-important pronouncement made by Mr. Stamford. "We object! As the representative of the concerned party, we wish this case heard in open session." He was satisfied by the consternation on the board members' faces. Their plans were crumbling. It was also obvious that their parliamentarian didn't have near the grasp of `Robert's Rules' as he thought he did. Mr. Goldman had a lot of room to bluff here.
"OK, have it your way," Mr. Stamford snarled. He was furious to see that `boy' there with the other one, and their friends who would regret being there very soon. "You want it out in the open? So be it!"
Mr. Goldman and his associates were disappointed. These fools didn't have anything to present in the way of proof about anything. They'd obviously been so sure of their plans to do it in secret that they didn't prepare. He watched with satisfaction as each supposed charge was completely destroyed by his associates. They had police investigative reports and school reports to use.
Kel watched in fascination. These people were probably going to vote against him anyway, but now everybody would know it. Their turn to speak had come. They had agreed to let his friends go first and he would close, followed by whatever surprise Mr. Goldman had planned. He hoped he would be up to it, he'd hated speaking in class, much less in public. Maybe he wouldn't have to. He watched as Mike shakily got to his feet. Mike was following Sharon. He dearly hoped Mike wouldn't try to make a joke out of this, but Mr. Goldman had insisted he be included.
"I'd just like to say that what you are trying to do is wrong!" Mike's voice was almost shaking as badly as he was. "Kelvin has done nothing wrong! We have!...."
Kel was surprised by the heart Mike put into his statements, even though he had to be scared to death about speaking in front of these people, for him to be shaking like he was.
Mike was scared to death as he spoke. He'd had a long talk with Kel's lawyer, but to actually do this was impossibly hard. He wanted to break and run so badly, he didn't think it would help if he was nailed to the floor. He was getting to the end of his remarks and couldn't turn back now. "...In closing, I'd like to say that if you kick him out of school..." - deep breath - "...you might as well kick me out too. I'm G..." 'Com'on,' he told himself. It's just three letters. "...aaa...", he cast a quick glance at his dad, trying to read his expression, "...yy t,t,too." He felt he would have collapsed if Mr. Goldman hadn't led him back to his seat where Kel, Chris, and the others sat in stunned silence. He took in a shuddering breath and dared a glance at the others and tried to smile through his fear. "So, anybody for a threesome?" he whispered under his breath, knowing that his attempt to resume his old persona fell flat as he said it. He needed a drink!
"I ask you again!" Mr. Goldman's voice boomed out in the stillness that followed Mike. "Are these children what you are afraid of?"
End part 8
If you're interested, The adventure story of Mr. Goldman's youth during WWII has been started and can be found under the name "Flak Bait" in the `Historical' section.