Boarding School Blues – Chapter 20

Boarding School Blues
By
Levi Holland

Chapter 20

Jordy’s service was held on campus.

It wouldn’t be his final resting place, but his family wanted everyone to have some kind of closure. Seeing all the students dressed in formal clothes was strange, and Cooper couldn’t wait to get out of his collared shirt. The material clutched his throat like a pair of squeezing hands.

Even though it was chilly, they couldn’t have asked for a more perfect day as they listened to Jordy’s dad read his eulogy. He spoke of Jordy’s love for everyone, the smile he always wore, and the fond memories he shared of Blue Ridge.

Beside the closed casket stood a beautiful painting of Jordy made by Anakin’s art teacher, Professor Ricci. If Cooper stared long enough, it was almost like Jordy could somehow pop out of the portrait, and then everything would be back to normal. No, that wasn’t right, Cooper thought. Even if Jordy was back, so much had changed about all of them, but maybe that was part of growing up, never knowing what the day would bring but dealing with it anyway. A smaller photo of Jordy and Kai together rested against the portrait, and it pained Cooper to know that Kai would likely never return to Blue Ridge. Some losses were too great.

Soon they would be leaving for an early winter break. Headmaster Robinson thought it best to cancel the remaining classes leading up to the holidays. A fresh start was what everyone needed.

Cooper wrestled with his parents’ decision to take him out of Blue Ridge all week, but finally he couldn’t take it anymore. Blue Ridge was where he needed to be. They tried to interject, tried to stop him, but finally they understood how much this place, the people, meant to him. When the winter break finished, Cooper was coming back to finish out the year at Blue Ridge. This was his home now.

The night after Jordy’s service, Anakin asked Cooper to wait in the suite. He wouldn’t say why. Naveen and Julian helped pass the time playing Smash Bros. on the Switch, but after a couple hours of mindlessly beating each other up with Nintendo characters, they got tired and went to bed.

Anakin took so long that Cooper wondered if he’d forgotten about him entirely, but finally, a triumphant shout came from Cooper’s bedroom.

“Finished!”

When Anakin came out of the bedroom, the lights were off, and he guarded the door as he ushered Cooper over.

“No peeking, Coop,” Anakin said, and he made Cooper cover his eyes.

After Anakin led him inside the bedroom and flicked the lights on, it took him a second for his eyes to adjust, but when he saw what Anakin had been working on over the past few hours, tears sprang to his eyes.

The mural was finished. All week Anakin had been chipping away at it, but still the piece was missing something, a je ne sais quoi, Anakin called it. Whatever that meant.

Up to then, Cooper’s favorite part was how lifelike Anakin had drawn Detective Dackery. But not just the duck detective. He’d drawn the two of them as well, posing as members of Dackery’s agency. Cooper had seen the way Anakin could create realistic pictures before, but now the drawings were life-size, filled with meticulous detail and realistic color. Cooper remembered earlier in the week when Anakin had been penciling in the faint freckles on Cooper’s cheeks. Whenever Anakin needed a reminder, he got real close to Cooper, his eyes scanning him intensely. Cooper never failed to blush, especially when Anakin was that close.

The finished mural was filled with bright explosions of color, but now, Anakin had found their missing piece. Standing proudly in the center of the mural, with a beaming smile on his face, was Jordy Diaz. He was larger than life as he loomed over the other drawings. Every wonderful, beautiful detail about their lost friend had been brought to life.

“Anakin, it’s amazing!” Cooper shouted and tackled his friend in a hug.

“You really think so?” he asked.

“I know so. You’re the best artist I’ve ever met!”

“Aww, thanks,” he said, blushing as he rubbed the bridge of his nose.

“What’re you going to do after the year’s done?” Cooper asked.

“I think I’m going to keep it here,” Anakin said. “That way anyone who has our room from now on will always know about Jordy and how much people loved him.”

***

The night before the winter holiday, Fielding wanted to throw a Christmas party. There were no classes their last day, so after breakfast, he dragged Roman with him to invite Cooper and all his Valentia friends.

“But I don’t celebrate Christmas,” Naveen said.

“Fine, call it whatever dumb thing you want,” Fielding said, “but you’re coming.”

“Do I have to bring gifts?” Anakin asked.

“Oh my god, bring whatever! Just be there!”

They got permission from Headmaster Robinson to have the party in Roman’s suite. Throughout the afternoon, Fielding made Anakin help with the decorations until it was time for the others to arrive. Ivan and Wyatt were kicked out of their room to go find plenty of snacks. “Don’t eat them!” Fielding said pointedly to Ivan. Meanwhile, Fielding sent Roman on a mission with Cooper to grab plates from the banquet hall.

“He’s pretty nuts, isn’t he?” Cooper asked as they walked.

Roman rolled his eyes. “You have no idea.”

Not many students were around. Dinner had finished, and most were likely packing for an early exit the next morning. Roman smiled. For the first time in a long time, he was looking forward to being home with his family.

***

The suite had been transformed.

Somehow, Anakin and Fielding had worked together to dress the room in bright reds and festive greens. They even managed to hang a handful silver ribbons from the high ceiling, bouncing the light inside the suite in glittery reflections. Cooper was almost afraid to ask how they managed to pull it off.

The couches were pushed out to make plenty of space for everyone and soft Christmas music played from a small Bluetooth speaker. By the time everyone brought their hoarded snacks and presents, they were having a real party.

Most of the night was spent drinking way too much soda and burping loudly or sharing some of their favorite memories so far from the year. There seemed to be an unspoken agreement that they would only ever talk about the good things with Jordy, like how he could make friends with anybody, or how he was one of the fastest swimmers any of them had ever seen. They would never forget what happened, but they would honor his memory over Professor Bell’s.

When it came time for gifts, they turned their attention towards the pile in the corner of the room. Somehow Fielding managed to snag a miniature Christmas tree from somewhere in the castle, but he refused to say where. There weren’t enough gifts for everyone, but that was okay with Cooper. The gifts weren’t nearly as important as being together.

“Me first!” Julian shouted before handing Naveen a hastily wrapped box with a bow on top.

“But I already said, I don’t celebrate—”

“Just open it. I promise you enjoy,” Julian replied in his heavy accent.

When Naveen opened it up, his cheeks burned red. Inside was the pair of panties from Nadia.

“You jerk! I knew you were the one who stole them!”

“Was there something I missed?” Fielding asked as Cooper fell to the floor with Anakin, laughing to the point of tears down his face.

Cooper watched with glee as Anakin opened up a new set of Prismacolor pencils. After finishing the mural, Anakin had burned through his entire pack. Cooper knew right away what he wanted to get for his best friend and begged his parents to help him out.

“You’re the best, Coop!” Anakin said and they bumped fists. After the break, they promised to create a secret handshake only they could use.

Anakin’s gift to him was a handmade drawing of the two of them. In it, Anakin’s arm was wrapped around Cooper’s shoulder as they smiled. It almost looked like the two of them were staring directly into the lens of a camera. How Anakin managed to make everything so lifelike, Cooper would never understand.

“I’ll keep this forever,” Cooper said with a smile, and he meant it.

“Alright, listen up!” Fielding said, clinking his red plastic cup to draw their attention. “I have an announcement to make!”

They were sitting in a large circle, and as Fielding got to his feet, he dragged Roman up with him. They each gave a subtle nod before turning their attention back to the group.

“We just wanted to officially let everybody know tonight that we’re a couple!” Fielding announced.

Roman blushed as he said, “And if anyone has a problem with that, I’ll kick your ass!”

They all cheered.

After the party was over, Cooper and Anakin took their time making their way back to their suite. They were about to spend more than a month away from each other, and neither of them were in a rush to go to sleep.

“So, Roman and Fielding, huh?” Anakin asked.

“Kind of surprising, right?” Cooper suggested.

“Maybe. I mean, you spend all your time with someone, you’re bound to start having feelings for them.” Anakin stopped short and stammered. “I mean, I’m not saying that’s what happens with everyone or anything, if that’s what you thought I meant. Unless, of course, you felt the same way, uggh, I don’t know what I’m saying anymore.”

“Anakin?”

“Yeah?”

“It’s okay. I like you, too.”

Back in the bedroom, their beds were still pushed together. As they stripped from their clothes, Cooper’s hand found its way into Anakin’s, and they snuggled close together beneath the covers. Their bond was the main reason Cooper wanted to stay. Anakin filled his heart so much, Cooper swore it might spill over, and it was the best feeling in the world.

Anakin kissed him, first on the side of the temple, then on his cheek, and as Cooper turned his head to face him, on the lips. It wasn’t a kiss of lust and passion, but one of tenderness and love, the kind that said, I’ll always be there to look after you.

In the days following Jordy’s death, Cooper hadn’t touched himself at all, and one kiss was enough to make him hard and twitchy. The underside of his boner was extra sensitive as he slowly ground it against Anakin’s hip, yearning for release.

Anakin’s fingers brushed through his hair, and the way his nails teased Cooper’s scalp made him shiver despite the warmth of the bedroom.

One hand slid down Anakin’s torso until his thick erection was in Cooper’s hand. Anakin’s husky groan tickled Cooper’s ear as Cooper gently slid his wrist up and down like he’d watched Anakin do several times before. Already his best friend was raising his hips to meet him, but before Cooper could get too far, Anakin held up a hand to pause him.

“Let’s do it together,” Anakin insisted. “Like, you do me, and I’ll do you.”

“Okay!” Cooper said and tucked enough pillows behind them so they could sit against the wall.

When they pulled the covers back, Anakin’s boner made Cooper’s look like a little kid’s. He didn’t mind it so much—he knew he was supposed to start getting bigger in the next couple years. Anakin reached over, and instead of using his whole fist like Cooper had, he used his thumb and first two fingers.

The little zappy feelings shooting all up and down his three inches made it tough to breathe as he tried to relax enough to enjoy the intense pleasure. Cooper put his hand back around Anakin’s dick and squeezed. His boner reminded Cooper of holding a hotdog, if a hotdog could jump and wriggle around.

Anakin matched his speed, and whenever Cooper went up, Anakin went up too, following him on the way back down with every stroke. Cooper’s head started to roll with the pleasure, and soon his head fell against Anakin’s shoulder.

In a breathy voice, Anakin said, “Let’s kiss while we do it. I liked that a lot.”

Cooper turned his head to meet Anakin’s soft lips again, and it was like the good feelings multiplied. His skin tingled as his nerves fired along his whole body. He wanted to rub himself against every part of the mattress, and all the anxious energy seemed to zero in around his groin.

Something pushed against his lips, and when it happened again, Cooper realized it was Anakin’s tongue. It surprised him, but in a good way. Opening his mouth, Anakin’s tongue darted inside and swiped his own. If Cooper thought kissing while jerking off was nice, this was a whole new level of awesomeness.

The creeping pleasure was making his balls scrunch up. He wanted to tell Anakin he was about to get the feeling, but if he did, Anakin might stop moving for a split second, and even that would be too long, so he said nothing and let the wave build and build until it crashed.

The room was filled with wet sloppy sounds from their making out, and Cooper moaned loudly as he came, shuddering as Anakin kept up with the kisses. Against Anakin’s fingers, his boner twitched and throbbed, spitting out nothing as it spasmed, but feeling amazing nonetheless.

It was Anakin who broke away from the kiss then, his breath hitching in a puppy dog whine as his muscles clenched. All at once, Anakin’s boner flicked hard against Cooper’s hand a dozen times as Anakin released the shaky breath he’d been holding.

“Grrrh, so good,” Anakin whined, finally relaxing his body as his boner stopped twitching in Cooper’s hand.

Cumming had made Cooper sleepy, and all he could manage to do was adjust the pillows enough to lay down. Already his eyelids were closing, but before he passed out for the night, Anakin’s fingers slipped back into his own as he wriggled their bodies close together.

“Goodnight, Coop,” Anakin whispered.

“Goodnight, Anakin.”

***

Roman admired the bracelet around his wrist. With all the decorations and planning he’d done, Roman never expected Fielding to get him a gift. The silver charm hanging from the corded bracelet meant everything to him.

“I’m sorry,” Roman said after the party. “With everything that happened with Xavier, things got so busy. I didn’t have time to get you anything. I’m officially the worst boyfriend ever.”

“It’s okay,” Fielding said and kissed him softly. “But you better bring me something good when you get back.”

Roman laughed as he was assaulted with kisses. No matter where he turned his head, Fielding pursued him like a puppy with relentless love.

“So, things with your brother…?” Fielding asked, letting the question hang as they lay in bed together. They were dressed in only their underwear, but that was fine with Roman. Being close was all that mattered.

“I think they’re gonna get better,” Roman said honestly. “It might take some time before things are fully back to normal, but…I’m hopeful.” Ever since forgiving him, Roman couldn’t fully describe how weightless his body felt, like he could drift away and float in the clouds.

“I’m really happy for you,” Fielding said and nuzzled up to him.

Fielding circled his index finger around his belly button, and Roman couldn’t help but harden up. His boner twitched on its own each time Fielding approached the waistband of his briefs.

Roman hadn’t planned on anything happening tonight. He would have been perfectly fine laying there while holding each other. Whenever they did that, Roman felt warm, whole. But, he was also okay if Fielding wanted to spend their last night together doing something fun.

Roman trailed his fingers across Fielding’s bird chest and licked his lips as he pressed them against Fielding’s ear.

“I think I might have a present for you after all,” he whispered.

Fielding shivered, and Roman swung his leg over, straddling his hips. He was pleased to feel Fielding’s dick matching his own hardness as it pulsed against his briefs. When Roman leaned forward, he gently tugged Fielding’s wrists above his head, exposing his boyfriend’s bare armpits. Pretty soon, maybe sometime in the next year or two he figured, the space would fill with the same strawberry-blonde hair on top of Fielding’s head. For now, Roman loved the pale smoothness there.

Wriggling his dick against Fielding’s, Roman leaned down and hungrily kissed Fielding’s lips before working his way across his jaw and along the grooves of Fielding’s neck.

“Unnh,” Fielding moaned, panting in shuddering gasps as Roman suckled his skin.

Hearing Fielding’s groans sent little shivers through Roman and made him grind his hips harder, rolling his erection forward and back. Even with their underwear between them, the feeling was addictive like a drug.

“Lose them,” Roman said breathlessly, sitting up only long enough to wrench his briefs down his legs.

“Thought you’d never ask,” Fielding said and took his off too.

They tossed them somewhere on the floor before Roman was back on him. He was working up the courage to try something he’d only seen once but had thought about ever since.

First, he returned to Fielding’s neck. Roman loved the way he drew out little moans from Fielding’s throat, each one a little more whiny and desperate than the last. Soon, his lips worked their way down his chest until they paused at one of his hardened nipples. They weren’t very big, no larger than a dime with a tiny nub on top, but each one was rock hard as Roman flicked his tongue across them. Whenever he teased them with his teeth, Fielding bucked beneath him, hissing in pleasure. He made a mental note to have Fielding try that on him sometime, but tonight wasn’t about Roman. This was Fielding’s gift.

Leaving his spit-soaked nipples behind, Roman continued on his path, dragging his tongue down Fielding’s torso until his chin bumped against the tip of Fielding’s penis. There was a little gasp above Roman as it dawned on Fielding what was about to happen.

“Are you really gonna…?” he trailed, and in response, Roman turned his head, letting his tongue glide down Fielding’s bare pubic area. The boner just beside his tongue was like steel, rigid and quivering.

Roman wasn’t sure what to expect. Obviously he knew penises were meant for peeing, but apparently licking and sucking it must have felt really amazing too. Why else would Ivan and Wyatt have done it? For some reason he was nervous, even though he knew he had nothing to fear. Fielding made him feel safe, always.

Lifting his head and scooting further down, Roman leaned in and flattened his tongue against the base of Fielding’s three-and-a-half inch boner. The gasp and breathy moan made Roman’s heart soar. As he slowly dragged his way up Fielding’s dick, each subtle twitch throbbed against his tongue. Roman couldn’t remember, but he thought Fielding’s dick might have grown a little bigger since the very first time he’d seen it hard. It was impossible to say. He’d seen it so often but never up close like this.

When he reached the top, the spongy crown flared against his tongue, and Roman took a second to gather more spit in his mouth before wrapping his lips around the tip.

“Oh my god,” Fielding moaned as he bent his legs and squeezed them against Roman.

With a free hand, Roman used a few fingers to tease and lift the tightening ball sack beneath Fielding’s boner. Each flutter of his fingers seemed to make them draw up more until Fielding was steadily pumping his hips in Roman’s mouth. There wasn’t enough there to fill his mouth completely, so he wasn’t worried about gagging anymore. He just let Fielding ride out the pleasure and dictate the pace.

Soon the thrusts became less rhythmic, more frantic, jerky. Roman rubbed Fielding’s stomach, loving the way it seized and tightened beneath his palm.

“Roman…” Fielding whined. “Roman, gonna—ahh, gonna cum.”

To Roman it sounded less like a warning and more like a celebration. He didn’t want to stop, didn’t want to take away from any of the good feelings he’d helped Fielding have. If anything, he doubled down as he flicked his tongue against the underside of Fielding’s erection, and soon his boyfriend’s hands were at the back of his head as Fielding lost control of himself.

“Aah, aaahh, aaahhh,” he whined, and for a split second, the tip of Fielding’s penis expanded before something dropped on Roman’s tongue. It was a little squirt of something gooey that got smeared against Fielding’s dick as he kept humping through his orgasm. The taste was subtle—a little like salt but also something unique entirely. Roman loved it.

With one final shiver, Fielding finally collapsed, his hips dropping back to the mattress as he released a breathy whoosh of air. Taking one final slurp up Fielding’s penis, his boyfriend shivered at the sensitivity. Roman worked his way back up Fielding’s body, trailing kisses along the way until he ended where he started, right at Fielding’s lips.

“Merry Christmas,” Roman whispered, giggling at himself and them and life.

Roman closed his eyes and could hear the grin in Fielding’s voice as he replied.

“Did you mean to say the worst boyfriend ever? I think you meant to say the best.”

***

When the sun came up the next day, everything was so quick to happen.

Naveen and Nadia left early in the morning. Cooper knew from last night’s party that their parents had plans to take him and his twin sister on an extended family vacation. Before they left, Julian gave a mischievous smile and elbowed Naveen playfully when he found out Naveen and Nadia would be sharing a room together. Naveen punched him in the shoulder through his blush.

Pretty soon Julian was gone too, leaving only him and Anakin. The suite felt strangely empty without their two roommates playing games or giving each other a hard time.

They spent their last hours together outside where Cooper taught Anakin the basics of climbing trees. He wasn’t terrible at it, but Anakin was too worried about getting dirt and grime on his clothes and in his hair to make any real strides.

“Okay, I suck now, but when I come back, I’ll make sure to bring a whole bunch of old clothes so you can teach me for real!”

“I’ll hold you to it,” Cooper said, and they bumped fists.

“We really gotta work on that secret handshake.”

When Anakin’s parents beeped their horn, they hugged each other so tight, Cooper thought he might burst. Both their faces were teary as they pulled away.

“We’ll be back soon,” Anakin said. “And you can tell me everything you did over break!”

“I will,” Cooper replied. “You, too.”

Then there was just Cooper. Well, Cooper and Roman.

As Cooper bounced his way down the steps of Valentia’s long spiral staircase, he ran into his unexpected friend halfway through the corridor, and they walked together the rest of the way toward the entrance in silence. It wasn’t that they didn’t have anything to say to each other; rather, there was so much to say and so little time, but Cooper knew this wasn’t the end. They were only going away for a little while, and then they’d be back.

Dragging his suitcase behind him, Cooper wheeled it to a stop as he reached the top of the stone staircase just outside the school’s main entrance. The air was chilly, but the sun was shining bright as Cooper searched the parked cars lining the roundabout. His parents’ green station wagged puttered as it waited for him, ready to take him home.

Roman looked like he wanted to say something, but before he could, the station wagon beeped, and Cooper saw his mom roll down the window and flag him down with waving arms. She looked way more excited for him to be coming home than he was. Cooper smiled. Maybe he was a little excited, too.

“So, this is it, huh?” Cooper said, struck by a strange sense of déjà vu as he held out his fist for Roman.

“Cooper, I…” Roman trailed, and Cooper lowered his arm.

“What’s wrong?” Cooper asked.

“No, nothing, really,” Roman said, stammering as he tried to collect his words. “It’s just…with everything that’s happened, I don’t know how I can ever thank you. Without you, Xavier…”

Cooper swooped in and hugged Roman. He didn’t need to say it. Cooper knew how thankful Roman was. Ever since rescuing Xavier, it was like Roman was a completely different boy. The scowl was fading. Seeing the way Roman smiled more and laughed harder was worth everything to Cooper.

“Thanks, Cooper,” Roman said.

“You sure you don’t want me to stick around until your parents get here?”

“Nah,” Roman said, “Go ahead. I’ll see you soon.”

Halfway down the stairs, Roman called out to him one last time.

“Hey, Cooper?”

“Yeah?”

“When we get back, you owe me a race!”

“Deal!”

With each breath Cooper took down the stone staircase, he thought back to his first semester at Blue Ridge. So much had happened—he had changed so much in such a short amount of time. He wasn’t sure how things might feel returning to his old home, with his family, in his old bedroom, hanging out with Sawyer as December slowly turned into January.

It made him a little nervous, but if there was one thing Cooper had discovered about himself over the past few months, it was that he was braver than he would have ever thought possible. He deserved to be anywhere his feet landed. And he belonged wherever he ended up.

The End

Copyright 2023 – Levi Holland
All rights reserved

Levi’s note for readers:
As I said in the previous chapter, thank you to everyone who has read through this story and shared their thoughts. Your voice means the world to writers. Thank you to Jason as well who was willing to read through and offer his insights as I was building the story over the last several months. Your friendship and kindness are pretty amazing!

I’m beyond thrilled with the challenge I set for myself in completing my first full-length erotica novel. Lots of planning went into this bad boy, and even though Boarding School Blues isn’t a perfect story by any means, it is a very personal one and one I will always celebrate having written. Could there be more adventures in friendship, romance, and adolescence for Cooper, Roman, and their friends and family? Of course! But like all good things, this story has come to a close…for now.
(Although, seriously, if you’re ever interested in more, let me know.)

Levi