Chapter 20

Four ninety-seven, four ninety-eight, four ninety-nine, five hundred! Holy shit, Sky -- you did it!"

I clapped my friend on the back. It was a late afternoon, in early May. We were in the school workout room, and Sky and I had just finished an incredible regime of sit-up exercises. He fell back on the bench, exhausted. I gazed over at him. Sky was shirtless, and his chest and stomach were etched with veins and muscles, like some kind of impossibly-idealized sculpture from ancient Greece.

"Lemme help you up, man," I said, putting my hand under his neck and pulling him up. Sky groaned.

"Christ, my gut hurts," he moaned. "Let's check it out."

We walked over to the wall-sized mirror, and he turned to let the light from the one lone window in the room illuminate his body. Sky looked incredible. A thin sheen of sweat made every muscle in his body glisten and shine.

"Holy shit," I murmured. I immediately felt my groin begin to throb and stiffen. I prayed that my jockstrap would keep it tamed, and I surreptitiously reached down and adjusted my gym shorts.

"Wow!" Sky exclaimed, looking at his reflection. "Hey guys -- check this out!"

Some of the other football players came over. "Hey," said Duane, one of the fullbacks. "Man, lookit those abs -- you got an 8-pack!"

I looked down. They were right. Sky's abdominal muscles had always been impressive, but now, I could see an additional row starting just above his waist. He ran his fingers through the ridges, and I felt my heart pound as I stared at the beads of sweat on his skin.

Sky leaned over to me and whispered, "down boy!" He smiled.

I grinned back at him. After our encounter on the boat last week, there were no more secrets between us. He knew I was completely infatuated with him. I was glad I didn't have to hide how I felt anymore, and even gladder that he'd admitted he had the same affection for me.

"Not bad, Jones," said a voice behind us.

We turned around and I was momentarily taken aback. It was Scott Michaels and one of his cronies from the football team. Our eyes met, and I felt a flash of anger. I hadn't forgotten what he'd tried to do to me right before Christmas, in this very room.

"Hey, Wil," he said, nodding. "You're lookin' good, too, man. If you get any more pumped-up, we're gonna have to put you on the football team." He smiled at me, only this time, I could see he really meant it.

I nodded back. "Hey, Scott," I said. "How's the arm?"

He pulled it up and made a muscle, then winced. "It's not a hundred percent healed, but it's gettin' there," he replied. "I'm still goin' through therapy. The doc says I should be able to get back to football in August."

Sky eyed him suspiciously. "Take it easy, Scott," he said icily, glancing at my reaction.

"Yeah," the teenage quarterback replied. "See you guys around."

After Scott left, Sky turned back to me. "That fuckin' asshole," he muttered. "I could kill him."

Yeah, you and Ronnie Lannigan, I thought. Jesus -- Ronnie. I hadn't heard from the Lannigan brothers in months, even though I'd sent them two letters already. I made an effort to keep my correspondence kind of vague and 'sanitized,' just in case somebody from his family read them, but I still wondered what the little guy was up to, back on his uncle's ranch in Dallas.

"Let it go, Sky," I said, quietly. "We done here?"

He nodded. "Hey," he said, grinning. "Don't forget, it's my 16th birthday tomorrow. I hope you got me somethin' good."

I laughed. "Is your dad gonna get you the GTO?"

"He'd damn well better," he replied. "I've only been droppin' hints since like January! I made sure I left a brochure on his car seat last week. I figure he couldn't ignore that."

Man, I thought. That'd be the coolest car in the world, even if it cost a mint. Sky's family had money, since his father was a prominent eye doctor, but I didn't have the slightest bit of jealousy towards them. I think they were just so grateful he was alive, after his close call in the skiing accident last month, they'd give their son just about anything he wanted.

"Let's hit the showers," I said.

"Sure you don't wanna have a whirlpool bath instead?" Sky replied, wiggling his eyebrows.

My heart pounded. I'd love to do it with him now, but it was just too risky at school.

"No, man," I whispered, glancing around to see if the other jacks were watching. "Keep it in your pants until later."

"I see you're havin' problems with that already," he giggled, pointing down.

I looked and was mortified to see a little pink tip peeking out of the bottom edge of my gym shorts. Damned jockstrap, I thought, as I reached down to adjust myself.

"If ya ask me, I think 'little Wil' is growin', along with the rest of you," he whispered.

I rolled my eyes and punched him in the shoulder as we walked back to the locker room.

Sky's prediction about his birthday gift proved accurate. When we got home to Sky's place on Friday after school, there in the driveway was a brand spanking-new 1969 burgundy Pontiac GTO convertible, complete with a white top, 400cc engine, Hurst dual-gate shifter, and Turbo hydra-matic transmission. A large white bow was wrapped around the front hood. Sky's parents and sister stood to the side and beamed.

"HOLY SHIT!" he screamed, when we saw it in the driveway.

"Now, Schuyler!" chided his mom. "Your father and I have told you not to use language like that."

"Sorry, mom," he said. "HOLY CRAP!"

She shook her head and laughed. We ran up to the car and Sky yanked open the driver's side door and hopped in.

"This thing is incredible!" he gushed. "It'll probably do 150, easy! There's 365 horses under the hood. This thing's gonna SCREAM!"

"So will your folks, if you get any speeding tickets," I retorted, from the passenger's side.

"Now, now, Sky," said Dr. Jones, walking up to the side. "Remember, we've got to go down and get your driver's license before you can legally drive this thing. Your appointment's in half an hour, so let's leave now and get this over with."

Sky grinned and nodded, then turned to me.

"Happy birthday, man," I said. I reached in the glove compartment and took out a little package.

He ripped it open.

"Too cool!" he said. "A custom shift lever! Shit, Wil -- you mean you knew about this all along? You DOG!"

I laughed. His sister Carol had let me in on it about a week ago, and I was able to get one of these for $20 from one of the local Western Auto stores.

"The creestal ball knows all, tells all!" I said, in a creepy voice. "Eeet knew zis car was een your future!"

We laughed. Sky reached down and squeezed my hand on the console, then leaned forward as if to kiss me. He stopped when he saw the terrified expression on my face.

"You boys ready to go?" said Dr. Jones, from outside of the car.

Sky turned around and nodded. "Y-yeah, Dad. You drive, and Wil can sit in the back."

Shit, I thought. Sky's gotta be more careful about that stuff.

"Here it is, Wil!" Sky said, holding the little pink square of cardboard in his hand. " Check it out! I'm totally legal!"

At last, he had every 16 year-old male's dream: a valid driver's license and a totally bitchin' car. If that isn't a recipe for fun, I thought, then nothing is.

"Now, Schuyler," cautioned Dr. Jones, "don't forget -- you've got a lot of responsibilities now. Driving isn't a right, it's a privilege."

Sky nodded. "I know, Dad," he said. "I'll be careful." He glanced over to me and I saw a twinkle in his eye.

Uh-oh, I thought. I know what that look means.

That night, the party at Sky's house was pretty wild. The music was cranked to the max; The Beatles' "Get Back" pounded out of the living room speakers at top volume. A bunch of our friends from school were there, crowded into the living room and den, and even spilling out to the backyard. Sky's mother and sister had their hands full, trying to stop people from spilling cokes all over their furniture. Melissa came by, too, but I could see things were still a little cool between her and Sky. They walked outside to the patio.

I stood there watching them, drinking a Dr. Pepper, when I felt a tap on my shoulder.

"Hey, you!" yelled Ginny, trying to be heard over the music.

I grinned. "Hi, Ginny! Hey, great party, huh?"

She nodded. "You gonna go to the prom next month?"

"WHAT?" I shouted. I couldn't hear a thing with the music blasting so loud.

"LET'S GO OUTSIDE!" she yelled, and dragged me by the arm out to the patio.

Sky and Melissa were sitting on the low brick wall that circled their backyard flower bed. We walked over to join them.

"Happy birthday, Sky," said Ginny. "Hey, you look great tonight, Melissa!"

I had to admit, she did. Melissa had on a low-cut blue dress that showed off every curve she had. Definitely hot --but she paled next to how I felt about Sky.

"Listen you guys," said Sky, quietly. "Since the four of us are here together, I got somethin' to say. It's about me and Wil."

I looked at him and felt a wave of panic surge through my body. No, I thought. Not here, not now!

"You know, he and I've been friends for like forever," he began. "Anyway, somethin' happened recently, and... Melissa, I got somethin' to tell you."

"How about the four of us go together to the prom next month?" I said, interrupting. The three of them looked up at me.

"That was the surprise, right, Sky?" I continued, glaring at him. "Now that he's got a car, he thought maybe we could all go in the GTO. It'll be cool."

"That's a great idea, Wil," said Ginny. "They're having the prom this year over at the Clearwater Marriott, right on the beach. My aunt's apartment is only a block away, and I was going to stay there over the weekend anyway."

Sky shot me a look. Melissa leaned over and kissed him.

"That's wonderful, Sky," she said, giving him a hug. "Listen, I know we've kinda had some problems lately, but maybe we can still have a good time at the dance."

"So it's a date then!" I said, a little too enthusiastically. "Just the four of us."

Ginny leaned over and gave me a little peck. "I thought you'd never ask," she whispered, then giggled.

After the party, Sky and I helped his mom and sister clean up the living room and empty out the trashcans. After they left the room, he turned to me and glared, but didn't say a word.

My heart sank. "Sky," I said, quietly, "don't screw this up."

"I don't care who knows," he snapped. "Fuck 'em. I'm 16 now, and I can do what I want."

I sighed. "It's not that simple, Sky," I said. "We still have three years of school to go. These are people we gotta see in class every single day. Trust me -- the world isn't ready for two guys to go to the prom yet."

I sat down on the couch and told him what had happened to Pete when he was at Clearwater High, but left his name out.

Sky slowly nodded, obviously affected by the story. "Shit," he said, sitting down next to me. "I guess maybe I was tryin' to rush into this too fast."

"Listen," I said. "Maybe someday kids can kiss in public and have sex with anybody they want, and nobody will care. But not now."

He looked up and grinned at me. "But it's my birthday," he said, quietly. "I want you to come with me."

Sky put his arm around my shoulder and led me out the front door. "Hey, Mom!" he yelled. "I'm takin' Wil for a spin. I'll be back in an hour, okay?"

The GTO was great, just cool beyond belief. Sky maneuvered it like an expert, and the engine rumbled down the streets and over the Davis Island bridge, until we had crossed through the city and made it out to the Marina. He parked the car a block away from the main entrance, then turned to me.

"I want one more gift from you, Wil," he said, quietly, touching my shoulder.

I nodded. "In the boat, right?"

"Yeah."

We walked down to the Marina entrance, which was dark except for two or three security lights. Sky flashed his authorization card to the night watchman, who nodded and unlocked the gate that led down the passageway by the dock where his dad's boat was moored. We walked over the pier, hopped down to the deck, then Sky unlocked the door and we cautiously stepped down the stairs to the dark cabin below. He clicked on the electric light, which cast a dim yellow light over the room, then he quietly closed the door and locked it.

We stared at each other for a moment. I don't think Sky ever looked more handsome than he did at that exact moment: his eyes sparkled in the amber light, his mouth was slightly open, and he smiled at me. He began unbuttoning his shirt. I did the same. He took a step forward and held his arms out to me. I reached out and we embraced, then I kissed him, first on the neck, then hard, on the mouth. We sank down together on the floor, and began frantically ripping off our pants.

In seconds, we were completely naked. Sky covered my body with kisses, and I began to moan with desire.

"Oh, fuck, man," I panted. "I've never been so horny in my entire life."

Sky nodded. "I wanna... try somethin' different," he said.

I knew what he meant. I stood up and walked over to the bed, then sat down. I was shaking, partly with fear, and partly with excitement.

Sky sat beside me, and held out a little jar of vaseline. "I've got this," he said. "It's supposed to make it go easier."

I nodded and lay on my back, opening my legs slightly as he stood in front of me on the floor. He stood up and massaged me down low, between my legs, and I moaned. He kept it up for a minute or two, and was eventually able to work in a couple of fingers. Unlike my previous experience with Scott, this time it felt warm, and while there was a little pain, it was tinged with excitement and... something else.

"You ready?" he whispered.

"Yeah," I whispered back. "Just... go real slow. Okay?" I reached down and pulled my heavy balls up and out of the way.

He nodded and leaned in to enter me. I felt a warm object push against me. After a moment's hesitation, suddenly, he was partially inside.

The pain was excruciating. I sucked in my breath and groaned. "God, it hurts, man," I gasped, gritting my teeth. "Give me a second."

For a fleeting moment, I remembered what happened with Cynthia when we were together a few months earlier. Now I kinda knew how she felt, I thought. I was actually grateful that Sky's dick was a little smaller than average.

Sky leaned down and kissed me. I felt my groin throb in response. I was as hard as steel.

After a moment, our lips separated. "Okay," I sighed. "Go a little deeper."

He gave a little shove, and suddenly, he was completely inside me. I groaned again, and felt his hairs tickle the insides of my smooth thighs.

"Are you okay?" he whispered.

"Oh, god," I moaned. "It actually feels... almost good. Just keep going slow."

Sky panted. "This..." he wheezed, "...this won't take long, Wil."

My endowment was completely engorged, and I pushed it straight up, towards his chest. Sky's eyes were filled with lust as he began his thrusts. He leaned over and felt my stiff cock as it rubbed the sweat-soaked indentation between his muscular pecs, and he looked down and grinned at me.

"Let me do somethin' for you, too, Wil," he whispered. He leaned over and took me in his mouth. I was long enough that he could just barely get my head past his lips.

I moaned with pleasure. The feeling was unbelievable. Sky's thrusts gradually became faster, more rhythmic. With every movement, his tongue lapped gently over my glans. I could feel his balls slap against my backside. He reached forward and put one hand on my chest which was moist with sweat, and began stroking my arousal with the other. He kept up the pace for a minute, until we were both panting and moaning.

"Oh god, Sky!" I cried. I felt the beginnings of a climax like I'd never felt before. Seconds later, I exploded in his mouth, and my pleasure felt like it was ricocheting back and forth between my penis and somewhere deep within me. Suddenly, he doubled his thrusts, groaned loudly, and I felt a warm, wet sensation inside me. My erection slipped from his mouth as he fell on my stomach, exhausted.

We lay together for a few seconds, completely exhausted. I kissed him, then smacked my lips.

"Hey!" I said, panting. "You swallowed this time!"

He opened his eyes, then grinned and nodded. "Yeah," he said, trying to catch his breath. "God, Wil. That was fuckin' incredible."

"Happy birthday, Sky," I whispered. We kissed again and lay together for half an hour, not saying a word.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Sky asked, as we rode in his GTO on the way to my house.

I sighed, then nodded. "Yeah. It was... different than I expected."

He looked at me quizzically. "Different? How?"

"I'll tell you what, babe," I said, grinning. "I'll fuck you next time in the boat, and then you'll know what I mean."

He laughed so hard, he almost drove off the road. "You'd kill me with that thing!" he cried.

"You never know until you try it," I said, grinning. "What's good for the goose is good for the gander."

We stopped at a red light on Kennedy Boulevard and Sky turned and kissed me.

"Don't do that, asshole!" I hissed. "Somebody could see us!"

"I told you, I don't care," he said, simply. "I love you, Wil."

"I love you too, man," I said, wearily, "but please, can we be careful about this shit?"

"Okay," he laughed. "I'll make a deal with you: I'll try to keep my hands off you except in our bedrooms or on the boat."

"Or when it's totally safe," I said. "Just be cool about it, alright?"

He nodded. The light changed, and we made the turn down El Prado and drove the four blocks to my house. Sky pulled up in our driveway and I hopped out. I glanced down at the car, which gleamed brightly in the light of the moon. Jesus Christ, this thing looked cool.

"You're real lucky, man," I said, as I walked around to the driver's side.

"You're tellin' me," he said, grinning. "I got my license, and a GTO, and lost my virginity... all in the same day."

I was momentarily stunned. "You mean you've... never..."

Sky shook his head. "You're it for me, Wil," he said. "I got one hand job from that bitch Cathy last year, but nothin' from Melissa." He reached out and pulled me closer to the car window.

"Not here!" I hissed, looking over my shoulder to see if my parents were watching through the window.

"Next time, then," he said, grinning and licking his lips. "And maybe it'll be your turn to... you know."

I ran up the steps. "Then you'd better start practicing!" I yelled back.

He gunned the engine and thundered back down the driveway and out to the street.

Over the next few weeks, our game plan worked perfectly. We double-dated with Melissa and Ginny several times a week. Then, after we dropped them off, we'd find a place to go and get off with each other. We usually wound up going to Sky's bedroom, since his parents gave him a lot more privacy than mine did. We tried it a couple of times in my house, and even once in the shower when nobody was home, but it always felt safest to me at the boat. One night, we both got so horny, we pulled off Bayshore Boulevard in a dark alley surrounded by a hedge, and did it in the back seat of his GTO at about 1AM. That was exciting, but very risky.

Melissa seemed relieved that Sky had suddenly stopped pressuring her to have sex. I told him to tell her that he'd decided they should both save themselves for marriage, and he later told me she'd bought the explanation, hook, line and sinker.

By the end of May, I thought Ginny might be getting a little suspicious. "You two seem to be in an awfully big hurry to get out of here," she said, as we were walking from the theater, after seeing the new sci-fi film Journey to the Far Side of the Sun.

Sky shot me a glance.

"Uh, we just have to get back to studying for final exams," I said, looking straight ahead.

"Yeah," repeated Sky. "We gotta study."

We dropped the girls off, and I walked Ginny up to her door. Sky stared at us through the car window.

"I had a great time, Wil," she said, quietly.

"Me, too, Ginny." I said, putting my arms around her. I glanced over her shoulder back at the car, and decided I'd have a little fun with Sky.

"I'm really looking forward to the prom next week," she whispered.

"Uh-hmmm," I said. I pulled her to me and kissed her, passionately. At first, she pulled back slightly, then she wrapped her arms around me and leaned into me. Holy shit, I thought. I think that was a little tongue!

We broke off our embrace. Ginny looked a little dazed.

"So, ah, g'night, Ginny!" I said, skipping down the steps.

"Good... goodnight, Wil!" she said, standing by the door.

I jumped in the car and slammed the door. "Okay, let's go, Sky," I said.

Sky was fuming. "What the fuck was that all about?" he muttered.

I grinned. "Oh, nothing," I said, looking away. "Just saying goodnight to Ginny."

"You gonna slip her the big ten-inch?" he snapped.

"C'mon, Sky," I said, grinning. "Now you know how I felt sometimes with you and Melissa."

He looked at me for a moment, then sighed. "Shit," he said, shaking his head. "Jesus, I never understood until now."

"Shut up," I grinned, and leaned forward and kissed him.

Sky stiffened and looked over my shoulder. I pulled away and turned around. It was Ginny, still staring at us through the screen door of her house.

"Oh, shit!" he said, gunning the engine and tearing off down the street, burning rubber. "I think she saw us!"

Fuck, I thought. No -- it was too dark. There's no way she could've seen anything.

"Take it easy, Sky," I said. "Let's just go to the boat and relax, okay?"

After a few seconds, he finally slowed down and stopped at the next block.

"I'm sorry, Wil," he said, looking down. "I... I just overreacted."

"Just stay calm, man," I said, quietly. "Don't forget -- we still gotta get through the prom."

The last ten days of school flew by quickly. Sky and I studied together every night for the final exams. It was all we could do to keep our hands off each other, but somehow, we managed. I told him if we avoided doing anything that week, we could have an all-nighter at the boat, after the prom. He agreed that that was a good plan, but warned me that we'd probably go so nuts, we'd tip the ship over.

The last day of school was Friday, June 6th. I let out a whoop when they handed out the report cards: I had pulled a hat trick, and managed to hit straight-A's again, for the second quarter in a row. I even managed to pull an extra credit in Chorus, after participating in a couple of charity concerts and recitals that Mr. Guccino had asked us to volunteer for.

Sky saw me in the hallway after 6th period and ran up to me, excitedly. "Look at this, man!" he yelled, waving his report card. "Call me Mr. Honor Roll!"

"Holy shit, Sky!" I cried. "That's absolutely unbelievable!"

He reached out and hugged me. I immediately pulled away from him, and his face fell.

"I was just happy about my grades, man," he muttered, looking away.

I looked up at him and nodded. "I'm sorry, babe," I whispered. "Later, okay?"

Just then, I heard a couple of voices calling our names. We turned and Melissa and Ginny ran up beside us.

"Goddamn it," said Melissa. "A 'C' in Geometry. That bastard Mr. Rebert hates me. That's the only reason why he did it."

Ginny put her hand on my shoulder. "How'd you do, Wil?"

"Oh," I said, casually, "the same-o, same-o."

Ginny laughed. "Not again!"

I nodded. "And get this," I said, laughing. "Dip-shit over there made the Honor Roll!"

"Wow!" said Ginny. "I guess all the studying you two have been doing together lately really did some good." She smiled, but it was a strange kind of smile.

Sky and I glanced at each other. I turned to Ginny and nodded.

"Yeah. Anyway," I said, trying to change the subject, "so we're gonna pick you two up tomorrow night at 7:00, right?"

The girls nodded, then the bell rang. Melissa kissed Sky on the cheek, then grabbed Ginny and took off down the hall. "'Bye you guys!" she called.

We stared at them as they ran off.

"Whaddya think that was all about?" asked Sky, quietly.

Fuck, I thought. Ginny was no dummy, and she was a journalism student besides. If she knew how to get to the bottom of a story, then she definitely might be able to figure out what was going on with me and Sky. And if she saw us in the car last week...

I decided not to think about it. "Don't worry about it, man," I said. "We just have one more class, and then it's time for..."

"SUMMER!" yelled Sky, as he threw his notebook up in the air. All the papers scattered and blew down the corridor, and floated over the grassy hill and down to the stone steps in front of the school.
 
   
 

© 2001, John Francis