Disclaimer/Reminder: The following story is a work of gay fiction although based on non-fictional occurrences. It contains sexual acts between males in high school as well as with males beyond high school age. There are scenes of definite humiliation, some of them graphic. If this subject matter is offensive to you or if you are too young to be reading it, please exit now. You have been warned. This story is the property of the author under U.S. copyright laws, and may not be used elsewhere without written consent. Otherwise enjoy. Emails expressing interest or wishing further information can be sent to: mtnuda@hotmail.com.
Note: All names and locations have been altered to protect the innocent. The state in which the story originally happened - coincidentally - has a legal age of sixteen; the "fictionalized" location does not. Also descriptions of unprotected sex are fictional due to story restraints. You understand you are reading a work of fiction; behave accordingly. Again, do not read this if you're a minor or are offended by gay situations or activities which can be classified as bdsm. Finally, thanks to all you loyal readers who have stuck with this story through thick and thin.
Chapter Ninety-Five Monday Aug 12
"Everybody knows that the dice are loaded
Everybody rolls with their fingers crossed
Everybody knows that the war is over
Everybody knows that the good guys lost
Everybody knows that the fight was fixed
The poor stay poor, the rich get rich
That's how it goes
Everybody knows..."
Leonard Cohen "Everybody Knows"
John Sommers awoke to find someone's head on his shoulder. He gave a shove, waking Matt with all the gentleness his chunky frame could muster,
"Get off me Millman!" John pushed against his shoulder a few times, hearing Matt cough and belch "go drool on somebody else!"
"Wha... what?" Matt opened his eyes rubbing his face and sure enough some moisture at the right corner of his mouth "shit..."
"You were out cold."
"Gimme some of that" nodding at the bottle of sports drink John was getting ready to finish.
"Get yer own! I don't need your bugs all on my..." but handed it to him regardless, maybe three swallows left.
"Thanks" Matt finished it. As soon as he did his bladder started yammering for attention "be right back" and started to unkink himself from the seat.
"Can't ya at least wait til..."
"Til what?" following John's eyes down to his crotch. A bad case of morning wood was almost ripping the front of his cut-offs.
"Shit Mellman... at least wait til that bone don't poke somebody in the eye on the way back okay?"
"You're just jealous."
"Of what? Being the biggest perv in school?"
"Knock it off, just because you - "
"Okay second biggest, that little Herms crapper got you beat by a mile" John tossed the bottle on the floor, looking for another. He found one but decided it could wait until the big mooch left. Not that Matt got on his nerves; in fact they were okay buds, on and off the field. Well they had been until a few weeks ago when Matt stopped returning John's calls, and when John did get through he was always busy. Eventually he got word through the grapevine Matt got his ass grounded big time, but no one would say why. John's theory was that Jennifer whatzername, Matt's on-again off-again girlfriend was missing her period, and until they found out if Matt was the daddy or not he was in deep deep shit. But when everyone met at the school parking lot at the crack of dawn, Matt looked scared but his same old self. Considering how geared up everyone was to get to training camp, John was surprised how fast the usual bullshit quieted down and by the time they were passing P******h almost everyone was out like a light. John wanted to change seats when Matt snored out but he must have passed out as well. He didn't wake up until a few hours later, wet drool staining his left shoulder.
He was glad to be awake, those weird dreams still too vivid in his mind. The first thing he thought was he wet himself, a long-forgotten history of wet dreams come back for one last painful visit. But when he grabbed his crotch John was relieved to find only a painful but dry hardon. Matt had the same problem so he could not say boo about it. But those dreams... man!
John was surprised he was even having dreams on the bus, or even he was sleeping at all. Granted everyone on his part of town was up most of the night scrambling after the power went out around suppertime. The luck ones already had food on the table; the unlucky ones had to settle for cold sandwiches. There was a mad scramble to the various grocery and convenience stores and gas stations to grab whatever bags of ice were still there and not thawing on the floor. He never smelled so many back-yard barbeques as everyone started throwing the contents of their refrigerators on the grill, not knowing when the power would be restored. But John finished his supper with the family, making a point of eating but the new diet still holding in spite of the empty vial of pills. He had stopped them just after the Fourth, fearing having his exam before they cleared his system. But the paranoid delusions from the amphetimines contined weeks afterwards. He even had to move his workouts to various friend's garages, the Y beginning to give him the creeps. Not that anyone said or did anything to feed his paranoia, well maybe that one dude who showed up at the Y that Friday all boned like it was the most normal thing. And talk about a near-meltdown between the crappers and the Miners! Luckily Joel and Mannie and everyone decided the Y was not the place to get into it. Especially with mister jumbo hotdog right there. So when Matt and crew asked John to join the group at the Y Saturday last, John made up some b.s. about a family function. The only function he had was re-examing the previous night's check-up at the docs' with Jack. And the less said about that the better.
"So y'never told me what happened Friday?" Matt was back in his seat, looking human again, and not that weird blotchy half-asleep zombie look.
"So the cop still back there?" like John was going to admit Matt was what? a fuckin mind-reader now? Was he going to have to line his helmet with tin foil? Yeah, explain that to the coach!
"Whadyathink? Of course he is. Y'think somebody tossed his ass off the bus while we were sleepin?"
"Shit for five bucks I'd do it" and John would. When he saw the thousands of swat teams at the school parking lot, escorting all the guys onto the ten buses he thought it was some kind of joke. A weird senior prank only Baby Huey would have the connections or bucks to pull off. Of course most of the guys panicked when they saw all the uniforms and the squad cars, some of them even trying to do the hundred-yard sprint through the cemetery across the street. But the Chief of Police and his bullhorn soon had everyone returning to the parking lots, more hangdog than frantic. And when it looked like the policemen's first order of business was sending all the parents back home, John knew something was more than a bit whacked.
"I was hoping he was just a part of my fuckin bad dream" John tried to steal a glance between the two headrests, only to see Carl and Kelly behind them give John the finger. He tried to reach behind him and slug Kelly but did not want to alert the attention of the cop back there "he's really there huh?"
"Dude he's really there, like flesh and blood okay?"
"Daaaamn..." John slunk down in his seat, trying to disappear "at this point I don't know what's real and what ain't."
"Thought you were layin off those damn pills" Matt looked at him like he was nuts "how the fuck you pass your exam - "
"I did okay? I mean I stopped takin'm long time ago."
"So the doc didn't find the shit in your blood?"
"Fuck I hope not!"
"He didn't make you piss in the cup?"
"Look I don't wanna talk about it okay? Just drop it!" knowing if Matt wanted details, the whole sick thing might come out. Like him and Jack both down to their tidy whities in the same room, and that little fag Herms running around like he just knew something wasn't kosher like. And it seemed like things were going to get kinda... intimate there for a while... but he heard some arguing in the hallway... was Merklins still around? Well John got the weird feeling in his gut something was not right, and going to get a whole lot more "unright" but then the old doc - not the new foreign one - made a point of wrapping things up fast. But not before John got this weird illogical sense that Jack was almost disappointed. Like he paid full admission and was kicked out of the theatre during the coming attractions. And John had seen Jack in the showers enough to know when the dude was soft and when he wasn't; and damn but he sure as shit was not soft by the time they were getting back into their pants. Not that John was looking. And sure as shit not like John would say word one about it.
"So that doc Kroos didn't make you two give each other the..." wiggling his fingers in the air "or even the dreaded short-arm inspection?"
"Will you fuckin DROP IT?!?!" and that had to alert half the bus. John even heard a few grumbles and "shuddup"s from various locations. He looked over at Brian and Joey across the aisle from them, but they only gave him the finger and went back to their whispered conversation.
"Fine... y'happy now?" Matt scooted down in his seat a few feet "y'woke the dead. If that cop comes up here I'll fuckin kill ya!"
The two closed their eyes, feigning sleep. At least until Brian underhanded a magazine at Matt's face. Matt reached across the aisle slugging Brian in his hard shoulder until they all heard a "knock it off up there!" and whether it was the cop or not, they were not in a hurry to find out. So Matt's next comments were in a soft whisper,
"So really... what happened?"
"What? Last night?" John was not going to talk about the docs' office no matter what.
"No, the docs..."
"Well all I know is the power went out..." John's hearing must have been damaged by the diet pills "the whole city... parts of the county I hear, and nobody knows what caused it. My dad insists it was some weird overload from the storm..."
"But that was Friday."
"He said sometimes the circuits handle it like that til finally one trips..."
"Friday when you and Jacko visited the docs... right?"
"You got like this obsession with the docs or somethin? Cause I ain't gonna talk about it..." John jabbed Matt right below the last rib "we clear on that?"
"Fine... y'don't gotta say anything..." Matt whispered his zinger out of the corner of his mouth "I'll just wait t'rent the video..."
"The what?" John wanted to yell and grab him but settled a painful grab just above his knee "what?"
"Y'know... the video? You don't remember the cameras everywhere?"
"They never turned that ON!" the last word almost loud enough to make Brian turn.
"Who got you turned on?" Brian did hear.
"Chill Bennings... all that shit's gonna start soon enough" and that shut Brian up, then back to John "so y'tellin me y'dodged the naked-for-the-camera shit?"
John was too spooked to answer at first. Now he really really needed that tin foil helmet. Was he talking in his sleep before? If so he was totally and completely fucked. And with those two lunatics like Brian and Matt getting wind of his weird dreams, how could John remain on the team? Okay, they were just fuckin screwed-up dreams, but once word gets around you keep having dreams about rooms full of hundreds of naked guys, all of the doing things guys John knew they would NEVER ever do, well he had to keep his fuckin mouth shut! Maybe if he slept with duct tape over his mouth and tin foil over his head... yeah and more tape covering his butt if what he saw was any indication... hell, why not one of those fuckin total metallic coveralls like the astronauts wear!
Matt saw John's reaction so he assumed his suspicions were true; John and Jack got the whole nine yards from Kroos and Company. So he had no reason not to keep babbling,
"Can you believe they do that to all the guys come through there?"
"All what guys?"
"Fuck, and I do mean cum!" Matt said too loud.
"You two talkin about the docs huh?" from Brian "or Saturday?"
"Bennings, y'nuts? Sommers wasn't there remember?"
"Sommers?" Brian leaned into the aisle "y'sayin ya backed out of the docs?"
"He was there all right, him and Eibens both."
"Dude..." Brian looked up and down the aisle "then you got the royal treatment right?"
"I just had a fuckin regular check-up, okay? Why are you so - "
"Normal?" Matt turned to face him head on "y'call that green shit normal? Y'call that thing up yer butt normal? Y'call - "
"Millman I don't know what the fuck you're talkin about!" loud enough guys around him could hear, but Brian and Joey were already leaning over "I don't know anything about no green thing."
"It's not a 'thing'... it's this gel... like Ben Gay but industrial strength or something."
"Don't know what you're talkin about - "
"Billy says the docs been usin it as part of all the experiments, like with that machine and shit" but seeing John's profound disbelief Matt started to suspect he really had no clue about this.
"So y'never saw any green ointment?"
"No, should I?"
"And even worse..." looking back at Brian "never had any robot thing shoved up your butt?"
"Now I know you two are just full of shit..."
"He's not shittin Sommers" Brian blocked the aisle "he had it, I had it, shit I think the whole team had it! Not just the team but the whole town! I know all the damn crappers had it done to'm - "
"Probably liked it!" John almost spat on the carpet "buncha little homos!"
"We all..." Brian set his jaw "well I can't say 'liked it', but man! Okay?
Sommers I fuckin NEVER blew like that! Ever! I thought my balls were gonna just turn inside out and come out the end of my dick!" loud enough for a voice in the seat in front of him to say,
"You guys still jawin bout the docs?"
"See!" Matt slugged John's big round shoulder "I ain't makin this shit up okay?" and Matt proceeded to bring John up to speed on what he was missing. The more he talked the more John's face went white. Matt grabbed Brian across the aisle, "he really don't know about this? He and Eibens really did dodge the bullet?"
"But how?" Brian got very worried "shit you don't think only - "
"Zip it Bennings" Matt raised his fist "no I think everyone, like every fuckin one - except somehow those two? - got the Kroos deluxe. But it still don't explain what happened" turning back to John "tell me exactly what happened."
"I told ya, nothing!"
"Was Kroos there?"
"At first..." John's eyes darted between Brian and Matt, not wanting to see Joey's reaction on top of it "but then things got weird with Billy and Joel - "
"They both there?"
"Yeah... at first!"
"But then Kroos left, right?"
"Yeah."
"Who with?"
"How the fuck should I know."
"Was Joel still there?"
"Naw he left too."
"When?"
"I don't know! He left around the same time Kroos did, but I don't know if he left WITH Kroos, okay?"
"Mutherfucker..." Brian looked at Matt "I think Merklins pulled some shit - "
"No kidding! Remember Saturday?"
"What happened Saturday?" John's eyes were still darting back and forth.
"When you're older" Matt rolled his eyes "and y'don't shock so easy. But right now, you owe Joel big time for savin yer butt!"
"Or not..." Brian chewed his fingernail "maybe y'got cheated some way."
"Cheated outa...?" John remembered some of Matt's lurid descriptions.
"Exactly."
John rolled away from them, burying his face in the pillow again, watching the passing scenery. He heard some words between Brian and Matt but could not make out most of what they were saying. But he did hear "Kroos" more times than he wanted. He closed his eyes and waited for the bus ride to end. It only took a half hour of fake sleep before he heard the engine downshifting. He opened his eyes expecting to see some college extension campus; instead it looked like some ritzy resort.
The bus had barely pulled up in front of what looked like a country club and put on the parking brakes before guys were exploding off the bus. John's row was towards the middle so their turn came after maybe a minute of noisy jostling. The warm bright sunshine and fresh air was a welcome change from the stale plastic deodorizer air inside the cramped bus. John's first reaction was to explore the rolling wooded hills around them, the inner boy scout reasserting itself, but the coach was directing everyone along a line of adults who looked the reception committee. The warm entrance area - no air conditioning? - quickly filled with guys from the bus, and then more as the other buses disgorged their impatient riders as well. Soon everyone was jostling and pushing their way to the various tables in the lobby, signing in and getting their complementary participants' bag of goodies. John opened his immediately and let out a loud whistle,
"Damn" he held up an ipod among other things "who the fuck's paying for all this stuff?"
"We are remember?"
And that did bring up the whole issue of their deposits. John knew he for one never got around to sending in the hundred dollar deposit. He suspected he was not the only one. The entire week was supposed to cost somewhere between two thirty and three ten, depending a whole lotta stuff. At first some of the guys balked at so much money, until they were reminded it was for five days and four nights. Some other guys were fearing it would be some tar-paper shack in the U.P. with that rate. But the seniors told them about last summer, how they used some empty dorms at one of the extensions and it cost more! So don't complain! they kept saying. When they pulled up in front of this place, even the seniors were baffled; this more certainly was NOT was they were expecting.
Everyone grabbed their luggage and handouts and started for the stairs. The big sign "Lunch at Noon Sharp!" told them they had maybe fifteen minutes to find their room, freshen up or change and return to the dining hall. John looked at his bag with his name on it and "room 206" handwritten below it. He tried the key but it was already open. He pushed open the door and there was Terry the Hulk standing in his gray boxers, his back to the door. Sitting on one of two bed was one of the sophomores, a guy named Carol or Carl, the two talking like old friends. John froze in the doorway, knowing once Terry saw him, it would all start again.
"Hey..." Carl looked over to see the new person at the door "you here...?"
Terry turned around and recognized John from last year. The two were not sworn enemies but when John intervened once too often to save some smaller kid from Terry's constant harrassments in the locker room or even on the field, Terry decided John would do as well. The last two months John grew to dread Terry's presence, not that he would back down from a fight, but he got sick of the constant taunts and threats,
"Hey John" Terry pulled some jeans from bag and started to step into them "you here in this room too?"
"Maybe..." John's grip tightened on his bag.
"Cool... somebody I know for a change instead of all these kids they got me babysitting" tossing a t-shirt at Carl's head. Immediately John went into battle mode, thinking they were there all of five minutes and already Terry found his victim. But when Carl chuckled and tossed it right back in Terry's face, John got a hunch Terry's summer had been unusual to cause this mellowing. Maybe he finally got a girlfriend and getting laid on a regular basis was polishing those rough edges "so you our roommate or not Sommers?"
"208 right?" John almost made up a different number, not that it would work longer than an hour or so.
"Cool..."
"So where..." John looked at the two beds. They were not twins but they were not king-size either "I mean how are we..."
"I got this one" Terry emptied the rest of his stuff next to where Carl was sitting "you take that one."
"What about you... Chris?"
"Carl... Carl Drecker remember?"
"Carl right" the two knocked fists "where are you gonna bunk then?"
"He can bunk with me unless..." Terry shot him a mean evil look "you snore, you're on the floor. Got it?"
"I don't snore!"
"We'll all the same, I hear you make any noises and down you go got it?" sounding like the Terry John remembered all too well. So it wasn't a complete transformation, John thought. Before anyone changed their minds, there was a knock behind John,
"All right!" and it was Sam and another sophomore nobody knew "Sommers you in here too? Hulk you too? Fuckin party room!"
"Sam don't tell me you're in here too?"
"208 right?"
"Plain as day" John did a quick head count. Five guys in one room with two beds? Somebody fucked up! "who's the - "
"Guys, this is Dom... short for Dominic right? Dominic...?" the young guy nodded. He looked like he would be better suited for track and field or something, his upper body just starting to fill out, but a closer look and man! did he have like solid iron thighs or what? A new running back? Suddenly the idea of actually having a passing game instead of the usual running game this year lit up the room like a billboard! North Brings New Game to Field Wins Regional! bright enough to see.
"Delcosta" Dominic finished "yeah dago on my dad's side. Mom's family's all over the place."
Hey Dom" shakes and knocks all around "sure as fuck didn't see your butt around last year. Where the - "
"He's a transfer student from Iowa, just starting - "
"Iowa huh?" Carl stayed put on Terry's - theirs? - bed "thought Iowa was only good for wrestlers?"
"Y'mean crappers right?" from Sam.
"Crappers?" Dom looked around the room "say what?"
"Dude don't understand our little... lemme explain" and Terry explained the long and deep rivalry between the grapplers/"crappers" and their own noble Miners.
"So you call'm crappers" Dom had to laugh. They had something similar at his former high school but only the freshmen took it seriously "whatda they call you?"
"Sir!" Terry beamed, then his smile froze. Remembering the last time that word got thrown around, remembering that shit with Bo at the warehouse was almost a slug to the gut.
"Their Superiors" Sam added "naw they call us somethin - "
"The stupider ones calls us 'Minnows'... once" Carl looked at Terry almost dressed "then they don't make the mistake again."
"'Minnows'?" Dom looked around the room "instead of 'Miners'? That's the lamest shit I ever heard."
"They're crappers, not einsteins whatdya expect?"
"Didn't ya smell'm downstairs before when y'were signing in? The hall was full of them."
"Just as long as don't expect us to like room together" Terry was doing a head count as well "so this right? You two really in here with us?"
"It's a mistake Terry" John wanted to head off the impending fight "I'll go downstairs and fix this."
"Don't bother" from Sam "we already asked them about this. Some other guys were already making a stink when we got our numbers. But that's the deal, five guys to a room."
"And two beds?" Dom looked at the roomfull of strangers "guys we're gonna be REAL good friends before the week's over huh?"
"Keep it in your pants" Terry smirked. John almost did a double-take, not hearing that right. He would have expected a long ugly barrage from that mouth of his, not "keep it in your pants" like it was a big stupid joke.
"I'll see if I can..." John needed to fix this before Terry's drugs wore off "maybe they can - "
"Like I said, don't bother. Something about more guys than they expected or something."
"Yeah I even thought I saw Collier and Krycheck downstairs" Carl looked at John "they sure as hell ain't football players."
"They ain't crappers either, they played baseball last year" John looked at Terry "right?"
"John's right" what no argument? Man, I hope they got enough of those drugs for the whole damn year! "but still somethin's fuckin weird here?"
"You guys sort it out" Dom tossed his bag in the closet "new guy gets the floor."
"We'll figure it out" John looked at him "just as long as Hulk and I don't gotta be in the same bed" waiting for the fag comment, almost baiting him for it. Let's see if you're as juiced as you act!
"Yeah, we'd fuckin break it!" Terry gave his belly a shake "we ain't no skinny punks!"
"We're Miners!" Carl yelled and everyone hi-fived, even starting the fight grunts for good measure. Dom was beginning to feel right at home.
After lunch the two main groups broke to their respective areas, the wrestlers heading for a quick meeting in the exercise room, the footballers hitting the field for warm-up sprints. Somewhere off in the haze, the baseball players were doing warm-ups as well, the footballers even hearing the crack of a bat now and again. Before they knew it they were burning under the late afternoon sun. After a quick break and even a water bottle fight among the seniors the football practice resumed. The practice continued until there were long shadows across the field, the guys whining and bitching about it being the first day and all. The group of coaches did a quick pow-wow and sent the guys into the locker room and the showers.
"If those fuckin crappers are in there" John was already pealing his t-shirt over his head, his round chubby body running with sweat "I'm gonna kill'm."
"They're gonna just haveta clear out" Hulk spear-headed the push through the doors into the locker room. It smelled like guys had been in there, but if so they were long gone. Even before he had stripped down he was tramping into the shower area, tracking dirt and grass everywhere.
"Hey Hulk give us a fuckin break!" Matt yelled out "we gotta use that, don't be getting it a dirty already!"
"Any crappers in here better get yer butts movin!" Terry yelled into the echoing room "if y'know what's good for ya!" but except for the dripping or squeaking, it was silence. He rejoined the guys as the rest of his clothes fell to the floor,
"Coast is clear!"
Everyone managed to pour into the shower area, enough room for the entire team and then some. Some guys asked if they were going to have laundry facilities, but some others mentioned something about that happening the next day.
So it was a much cleaner group that made its way to the dining hall after a half-hour, a quick detour to their rooms for a change of clothes. There were guys wandering around the halls in various states of undress, heading to or coming from the johns at the end of the hall. But other than sinks and toilets, the only showers were the ones they had come from, so any guys who thought they could hit their rooms first had to backtrack, some of them late for dinner as a result.
The dining hall filled quickly with clean and tired guys, lining up for the buffet-style dinner. At first some were a bit pissed at the selection, a lot of salad and vegetarian things half the guys barely recognized. Soon word spread informing the over-eager early birds who filled their plates with the initial selections were omitting the second and third lines, where the real food was. Hell, there was beef and chicken and even fish, although some smart-ass complained there was no shrimp or lobster! You're the only shrimp here! somebody called back at him from across the room. And that started some yelling between the rivals groups as everyone started to find tables, a tentative and potentially explosive situation due to lack of assigned seating. But everyone settled down when someone they did not recognize went to the microphone,
"Gentlemen gentlemen GENTLEMEN!" he yelled getting their attention, setting off a loud squeal of feedback "please find a seat and no more bickering if you please..." he looked at the other adults at the head table "first let me introduce myself - "
"Damn we're fucked..." Moose looked at the other wrestlers settling around him, closing ranks "hear that accent?"
"... my name is... well you may call me John Yaldi. I don't expect the name Ioanni Ialdabluotchivicsu to mean anything to anyone but a few here" looking at a face or two beside him "but let me welcome all you to a week of hard work and hard play."
Yaldi waited a moment and soon there was some mixed applause. He held up his hand,
"Thank you thank you you are very kind. Our intention is to provide all you gentlemen with everything you need to succeed in the upcoming school year to be the best and most successful athletes and achieve results beyond your current expectations. We are in the process of assembling a group of coaches and couselors to help you in your endeavors. Let me introduce first three men you already know. Coach O'Connoll, Coach Bernan, Coach Tyler could you stand?"
The three gentlemen stood, looking both nervous and proud at the same time.
There was a great deal of applause, some hooting, even a few raw shouts before Yaldi waved them back down into their seats,
"Thank you thank you, your coaches will have more to say to you when you break into your respective groups again. But we will save all of our... long-winded speeches for another time - "
"Thank GOD!" they heard from the audience, then a few more heckles before Yaldi continued,
"You are welcome! But allow me to continue to introduce the other gentlemen tonight you may not have met. First, the gentleman on my left comes to us from the University of Iowa..." waiting for the buzz to quiet "and as you suspect, he is here to review our talent for his well-known and well-respected wrestling program. Donald Fabersten would you care to say a few words?"
"Good evening gentlemen" the five-ten package of pure muscle stood up. What he lacked in height, he made up in raw hard sculpted development, barely an ounce of fat on him. Even his face and neck were bulging with corded muscle, his white polo shirt filled by hard pecs, his delts almost freakish in their exaggerated lateral bulk. His dark brown hair was little more than a buzzed shadow on his head, the only true indication of its color Don's prominent eyebrows, "I am glad to see so many of you here tonight, and I know you have many many questions" holding up his meaty palm, hearing scattered comments and shouts from various points in the room "and I intend to answer all of them in time. But for now let me just say welcome and Go Grapplers!" sitting down as loud cheers broke out from the various knots of wrestlers around the room. Before the team chants and rival shouts began, Yaldi was back at the microphone,
"Gentlemen thank you. The next gentleman I wish to introduce is from the National Football League. Some of you might remember his long and famous career wearing the famous Green and Gold. Bill Driscoe would you care to say a few words?"
Bill Driscoe, former number Ninety-One for the Green Bay Packers got to his feet to an even louder response. His large six-three two-sixty frame dwarfed the small podium. His reddish-blond bangs were almost in his eyes but he still managed to make eye contact with half the room in turn, his big arms and hands gripping the microphone like a trophy, the light blond hairs on his arms gleaming under the lights. Unlike Don, his chest was covered with a baggy, even wrinkled white dress shirt hanging loose outside his khaki shorts even more wrinkled. His deep-set eyes peered out from his bushy eyebrows and bangs as his gaze went from table to table, hearing various comments throughout the room like "man it IS him!" or "I told ya ya didn't believe me!" or "get his damn autograph!" before he succeeded in quieting them down enough to say,
"Thank you, thank you for your warm reception. I am glad some of you still remember me, even though most of you were in diapers when I played - "
"He still is!" one of the footballers played, slugging someone next to him who had almost disappeared behind the sea of faces around him.
"... a few years ago. Since leaving the Packers I have joined with a few other colleagues to scout out new and promising talent. They are here tonight and you will meet them all tomorrow on the field, but right now let me tell you we are not here to bust your butts" hearing a variety of responses to that "but help you all be the best goddamn football players you can be! Go Miners!" and sat down to thunderous applause. Again Yaldi was on his feet,
"Gentlemen gentlemen, let me introduce one last guest tonight, or we will be here til after curfew. Ricky Ruiz comes to us from the Dominican Republic by way of the Cincinnatti Reds Farm Program, Ricky?"
"Thank you, thank you very much" Ricky nodded at the polite applause, hearing the buzz go through the baseball players like a combine through a field of ripe corn "I am not big star like Bill and Don before you" the applause grew stronger "not yet!" waiting for the reponse. When it quieted down he continued, his accent adjusting to the sonic quality of the room "and you are not big stars... yet!" the room rumbling with uncertainty "but my job now to make all of you big big stars! Bigger than Bill and Don here!
Will you help me?" again the applause started "will you help me make you all the biggest stars ever?" and then the applause was augmented by cheers "Yes! Today is the beginning of your careers! Go North Stars! Go Northmen!" which brought the baseball team to their feet cheering and stomping their feet, hearing their team name finally. But then all the guys were on their feet; they were all Northmen as well!
With that the dozen or so men at the head table rose, waved to the group, and made their way slowly out the room, some stopping the shake hands or have their backs patted repeatedly.
Hearing the dreaded word "curfew" and knowing from their welcome packets tomorrow would be an early day, the guys started a ragged departure out the room and towards the stairs to their respective rooms. There was not as much jostling and shoving as would be expected, the various rival factions funnelling into the bottleneck with an unusual amount of patience for each other.
John made a point of staying behind Terry, using him as his snowplow, blocking through the group as they oozed their slow way up the stairs. There was the usual grumbling and griping, but it wasn't about being squeezed together like this. Instead, there were a lot of comments about not being able to call home and check on family and friends. Those guys who did bring their cell phones were disgusted with the reception our here in no-mans' land. That and the lack of entertainment, no television, cable, internet, nothing! was proving harder on some guys than any other perceived hardships so far. And when some of the seniors bragged about all the movies and music and even outings to local hangouts the previous year, the grumblings and bitchings had a more pointed focus of complaint.
"Man this just sucks" Terry was the first to their room, unlocking the door and finding his portable fm radio/cd player. His ipod was sitting in its stand next to it, charging away. He plopped on the headphones, trying to find at least one of his favorite stations. All of the pre-programmed stops were static, so he swept the dial, finding a few static-filled stations, but very little. The ones he found were either talk-radio crap, or else easy-listening which to Terry's ears was even more irritating. He listened a few seconds to the talk stations before he yanked off the headphones in disgust "nothin! I feel like I'm in fuckin Alaska for all I can get!"
"We might as well be" John sat down on the other bed "but it's not like we're in Canada or shit! I mean we're where, somewhere I'm guessing not far from S*****s Point - "
"Guess again" Terry pulled off his t-shirt, cursing the lack of air-conditioning "I know we passed it, I remember crossing the river. I'm thinking we're somewhere between Wu and E***e."
"We that far north? Where is this place?"
"I'm thinking some fancy-ass resort in Taylor County with our luck. My folks and I useta vacation around M*****l and it sure looks like that area here" he watched John watching his every move "but whereever the fuck we are, we got our own problems right here."
"W-w-what problems?" John braced himself. Well, here we go. Terry the Hulk is about to change back into Terry the Asshole.
"C'mon Simmons y'been walkin around with your head up your fat butt or what?"
"Hey!"
"Sorry..." Terry saw John's face recoil at that word. It was almost the same reaction as a good hard slap. Terry would have to see how else to shock him "I mean we got us a little problem here."
"W-what problem?" John had started to pull his shirt free of his pants but froze.
"Dude I thought you were the brainy one, and I was the dumbfuck!" Terry got out of the only chair and sat on the other bed "right here! We got two beds and five dudes? What's up with that?"
"Thought we worked that out!"
"Yeah right..." Terry decided to see what else could shock John "make the new punk sleep on the floor? Pretty fuckin lame! Why don't you'n me take one bed, make those three little punks take the other?"
"They'd never fit!" John gulped and turned beet red "WE'd never fit. Remember? Us two hogs would break the damn thing!"
"So I'm a hog now!" and Terry lunged across the room, getting John in a headlock, more WWF than varsity wrestling move. By the time they realized they had company, John figured out Terry was not pissed, just burning off frustration.
"We need to call the hall monitor?" Dom tried to give his best parental strict impersonation, folded arms and all.
"Dude you ARE the hall monitor" Sam slugged him in his left shoulder "you tell'm to knock it off."
"Knock it off" Dom tried.
"You really the monitor?" John gave Terry a final push to his feet "what's up with that?"
"You tell me'n we both know. All I know I found these in my bag" showing his orange armband neatly tucked under the sleeve of his t-shirt. He pulled a small beeper from his pocket "this too."
"What is it?" Sam tried to yank it away from Dom, only to have him hand it to him voluntarily.
"Fine you take, you can have this too" Dom started to slide the stretchy plastic down his arm.
"Nah you better keep it" Carl appeared in the doorway as well, using the delay to slip into the room and take a seat next to John "Sam here has too many debts to be impartial like."
"What?"
"Carl here's right" Terry pronounced it like "Carol", an old joke between them "newbie ain't got no agenda - "
"Or history" Carl flipped right back "unlike some dudes here."
"We don't gotta bring up all that shit" Terry flipped it back as well.
"Just as long as - "
"What these two are jammering about" John cut in before it got heated again "is Terry here useta enjoy takin a certain... satisfaction" watching Terry's reaction with a certain care "seeing how much some of the younger and smaller - "
"I was this big badass bully okay?" Terry looked at John "okay?"
"Was?" from Carl "what's with the 'was'? You sayin y'found religion or somethin?"
"Worse'n that" Terry looked around the room "I found the devil himself."
"And his name was Kroos right?" Sam chuckled, until he realized no one else was laughing "c'mon guys! It was a joke!"
"Well Dom here don't know from joke" Terry looked at each of the guys one by one "and I'm hopin that's one he never find out about, okay?"
"Seriously Terry" John felt the tension in the room shift, the heat from all their bodies starting to make it even more stiffling. He opened the window wider, the soft quiet evening air filled with pine and crickets "what the fuck's happened to you? Not that I'm complainin or shit but like last time I saw you - last time any of us saw you - you were like the kid pulling wings off butterflies for fun, except we were the butterflies. What happened?"
"I don't need t'go into details okay?" Terry glared and the mean beligerent expression was back.
"See! Now that's the Terry we all know and love..."
"Some day when yer like all grown up" glancing at Dom and Carl "maybe I'll tell ya."
"Kroos really did a number on ya, huh?" Carl braced for the blow, which never came.
"Who is this Kroos everyone keeps talkin about?" Dom looked around the room "he like one of the coaches or somethin?"
"He ain't a coach, he's the d- "
"Shut up John" from Sam this time "if he don't know he's probably gonna find out soon enough."
"He's somebody I should be afraid of?" Dom scrutinized their expressions "he like the class bully or something?"
"Dude I'm the class bully!" Terry swelled up "least I was..."
"Til you got the scare of your life eh Terry?" John wanted to find out which truck made road-kill of the big guy and if it was heading his way next.
"Not scare!" Terry started to unpack his toiletries "just... well... shit I can't explain..."
"Then don't okay?" Dom started grabbing his kit as well "there showers on the floor?"
"Shit Dom, you're the hall monitor!"
"Well are there?"
"Naw" Terry headed for the door "just the big bathroom end of the hall."
"For all of us?"
"That's why we got a fuckin hall monitor remember?" and Terry headed out the door, Dom right behind.
"Hey wait up" Dom almost jumped to catch up "Terry?"
"Yeah what?"
"Y'really... y'know..." they headed down the hall side by side, Terry almost bouncing Dom against the wall a few times "the guys before... y'really like got this bad rep?"
"Bad rep?" Terry kept walking "that's one way t'put it."
"You like... beat up some guys or somethin?"
"For starters yeah..."
"But you don't strike me as this evil somabitch - "
"That supposed to be a compliment?"
"No - I mean - what I mean is - "
"Look..." Terry pushed open the door marked "Men", like they would have another marked "Women" somewhere? As soon as the five or so guys saw who it was, they backed away, some grabbing their shower kits and some even toppling them to the floor in their hurry to clear a path for The Hulk "it's..."
"Y'don't gotta say anything" Dom could not help but notice the reaction sweep the room "they just did."
Some of the baseball players edged from the room. Will instead held his ground,
"Hulk in the house" he announced, nodding at Terry's entrance.
"Harrison you gangbanger, howzit goin?" and the two knocked fists "can y'believe this shit?"
"Shit's right" Will finished with his face and started with the toothpaste "some fancy-ass hotel ain't even got real bathrooms, what kinda - "
"Tell our hall monitor here" Terry grabbed Dom around the neck "Dom this here is the famous Will Harrison. Y'probably seen his picture down at the post office!"
"Least I ain't the one bangin m'sister" Will snapped back.
"No I am..." Terry returned the volley "and she sure sucks better'n you!"
"Cause she been practicin on real dick, not shriveled ole whitey like you!"
"Ain't what y'were sayin when y'were beggin me t'do you after her."
"Me?" Will almost choked brushing his teeth "y'the one on yer knees."
"Cause I couldn't even find it."
"All right you two" Dom bared his orange armband "don't make me have to break you two up" almost hiding his grin.
"Y'already did" Will laughed, spitting the paste into the sink "Don y'say?"
"Dom... like Dominic..."
"Y'new here?" Will rinsed his mouth "or just stumble into all this shit on yer way to a real camp."
"He's a transfer from... Iowa?" Terry took the sink next to Will "right?"
"Yeah... Iowa" taking the sink on the other side of Will "as in 'bumfuck Iowa'. Y'musta heard of it? Right next to 'hellhole Minnesota', right next to - "
"That where we are?" Will gargled and spat "Minne-fuckin-sota?"
"Naw we're still in Wisconsin..." Terry looked around "I think..."
"Like I know" Dom started washing up for bed.
"You d'fuckin hall monitor!" Will punched him, half the room breaking into laughter.
Before Dom had a chance to talk with Will, Terry was escorting him back to their room. Hell, was the big guy taking him under his wing? Was this his idea of bullying? Dom had no clue but decided to play along until he could figure out what was going on. They were back in the room before Dom had a chance to speak.
"Okay I'm beat" he started clearing a spot on the floor, using a blanket he found in the closet for his bedding.
"What the fuck you doin?" Terry gave him his best badass look "you - "
"Hey thought we agreed. You guys wanna stay up fine. I'm gonna try to catch some zzz's, I'm bushed."
"Look I can take the floor" Carl tried to stop Dom "I'm just a much a newbie as you okay?"
"If anyone should get their fat ass of a bed" John caught Terry spin around fast "it should be... me."
"Why's that?" Terry expected John to single him out "John?"
"No reason" John looked at the group "any more'n Dom or Carl I'm guessin."
"Look this is totally whacked okay?" Terry headed for the door "I'm gonna knock on some doors" and just like that he was gone. The remaining four had barely come up with a battle plan other than yanking one of the mattresses off its boxspring onto the small space between the two now mismatched beds before the door opened.
"Man this is so fucked..." Terry took in the shambles of the room "what you -"
"At least makin it more comfortable" John was ready to knock heads with Terry over this. Sam stood there ready to back him up.
"Whose idea was this?"
Seeing no one jumping up and down with their hand in the air, Carl said,
"Me, okay?"
"Good thinkin" Terry was sweating like he was jogging in the hallway "for a soph..."
"Thanks... I think."
"So Hulk what about the other -" Sam started to ask.
"This is so fucked!" Terry helped them get the mattress unjammed from one of the legs, taking his seat on the sole chair "some of them got six in room! Can you imagine?"
"Who?"
"Oh the usual boneheads, like Matt and Brian and some of the other offensive line dudes. Man..."
"So we shold not be doin any more complain right?"
"Won't do fuckin any good if that's what y'mean..." Terry saw the new arrangement, thinking it might work "okay then I get the floor!"
"Hey" Dom spun around "thought that was all settled. I already agreed t-"
"Well I just un-agreed for ya, got it?"
"But -"
"Y'wanna argue?" Terry flexed his arms, shaking his fist at Dom.
"C'mon Hulk y'don't haveta okay? Any of us would be willin - "
"I'm on the floor, that's final!" and Terry the Hulk grabbed the blanket and wrapped it around himself. Carl got on the bed missing the mattress, but at least he had a pillow. Sam sat down next to him, pushing his feet out of the way. That left Dom looking at John, wondering how they would fit.
"You're with me then" John made room for him "and unlike some of these boneheads, I won't rape ya in your sleep."
"Funny..." at least Dom hoped it was a joke.
"Don't scare the kid" from Terry of all people "he's gonna get a reality check soon enough."
"What?" Dom almost jumped away from John, trying to figure out whether John or Terry was going to do something weird first.
"Ya missed a real interesting summer, let's leave it at that."
"Why? What happened?"
"Leave it okay?" Terry tossed a shoe at the lightswitch, the ceiling lamp going dark on cue. It was his way of saying, conversation finished!
"But..." Dom settled down in the bed, realizing it would be too hot in the room to sleep in anything other than his briefs. He used the darkness to cover his motions, but seeing or rather feeling John next to him pull out of his shirt and jeans, he hoped it would be okay. The two settled into a crowded position side by side, Dom pressed against the wall, the mattress sliding out until he was half-buried in the valley there. But it gave him another half-foot of room so he made due with the lumpiness. Before he knew it he was out like their ceiling light.
Terry lay in the dark longer than he would have liked. At first he told himself the mattress was lumpy, his bundle of clothes serving as his pillow too scratchy, but the cool breeze on the floor was almost raising some goosebumps just as he hoped. His plan was to rest comfortably on the cool floor while the other guys sweated their balls off on the cramped beds. But that was not the only reason he threw his weight around, the empty spot on the floor leaving him able to sleep without being pressed up against one or any of the guys. Not that he was squeamish or all phobic suddenly; he could only dread what might be reaction of feeling warm moist flesh pressed against his crotch. Up until a few weeks ago, the thought would have meant less than nothing to him. Unless it served as a prelude to some punk getting roughed up a bit. Now that was something to look forward to! But now, the idea of being smashed against one of the guys was bringing up all sorts of weird feelings. And Terry would be damned if he was going to work it out tonight with this weird-ass cast of characters. Once the season started, and he was all armored by his well-padded uniform, and some sorry-ass opposing team was in his crosshairs, then he would have time to sort out all these new and slightly disturbing sensations. Until then he would... but Terry slipped away to dreamland.