LeviHolland

Boarding School Blues

Boarding School Blues – Chapter 2

Boarding School Blues
By
Levi Holland

Chapter 2

Outside the glass office building, Cooper’s dad glanced through the scheduling and dorm papers until his bushy eyebrows wrinkled with his forehead.

“Forgot your way around here?” Cooper asked.

“Ha ha,” his dad said plainly. “One of my old teachers is now the headmaster. We didn’t have the…greatest understanding.”

“What your father means is that he liked to cause trouble,” his mom said as she plucked the scheduling sheet from his dad’s hands.

“How’d you get in trouble?” Cooper asked, but his dad was quick to raise his hands in self defense.

“Really, it was nothing. Some light pranks, innocent vandalism, that sort of thing. But maybe try to keep a low profile until you get settled in.”

“Cooper,” his mom said, “you’re in Valentia. How exciting!”

His mom pointed to the red, swirling font of Valentia where the words House of Bravery were inscribed beneath.

Cooper didn’t get the big deal. The names didn’t mean anything. They were a silly way to figure out where you were in the castle, that’s all. They didn’t mean he was special in any way.

“Well, it’s no Ehre,” his dad started to say, but a swift elbow from his mom silenced him. “Oww, I mean, Valentia is a great place to end up!”

His mom bent over with her hands on her knees. “Race you to the top?”

As they sprinted down the castle’s corridors to the dorms, they encountered all sorts of lavish furniture and architecture. Cooper had no way to put a value to it all, but it must have been easily more than a hundred times what his own house was worth. It reminded him of the field trip they took back in fourth grade to some dead guy’s fancy estate. Blue Ridge completely dwarfed that building, but its rooms had a lot of similar furniture inside.

Finally they reached the top of Valentia’s spire. Sunlight gleamed through the stained-glass windows and onto the cherry hardwood floor. There was a whole bunch of fancy furniture that looked like something you’d find in his grandma’s place, but Cooper didn’t care about any of that. His eyes were locked onto the TV setup and gaming system in the corner, way bigger and nicer than anything he had back home. At least there’d be something to cure his boredom when he wasn’t in class.

Along the gray, stone walls were towering portraits of dead old guys Cooper didn’t recognize. Most of them looked stern or angry, but the man in the final portrait looked almost bored as he stared off in the distance at something beyond the artist.

“He’s a little grayer now, but that’s definitely Headmaster Robinson,” his dad said.

“Are you gonna get me in trouble for being your son?”

“What? No, of course not. Probably not, anyway. At least, I hope.”

“Great.”

Past the main suite was the largest and shiniest bathroom Cooper had ever seen. His shoes squeaked against the shiny, black marble tiles as he poked his head inside the shower area. On either end was a separate shower head, and Cooper’s stomach squirmed at the idea that he might have to share a shower with another boy he barely knew. At least the toilet had a door for privacy.

Checking his dorm papers again, Cooper headed to the first bedroom, marked with a shiny brass 1 above its door. Giving the door a quick knock, he felt like an idiot when no one answered. Of course they wouldn’t—he was clearly the first new student to arrive in his dorms.

Cooper wondered what his roommate would be like. Hopefully someone funny like Sawyer, or maybe someone who loved to climb like him. Honestly as long as the person wasn’t a jerk, Cooper would be happy. The last thing he needed was another Buttface Johnson in his life.

Inside the bedroom, two twin beds draped in red covers faced each other on opposite ends of the room, with a separate nightstand and dresser for each, along with a small joint walk-in closet to share. Like with the suite outside the dorm rooms, sunlight bathed the room through the tall window against the wall. The bedroom was huge, big enough to squeeze two or three of his own bedrooms inside.

Cooper wondered how he might decorate his side of the room. Or would his new roommate want to do something together?

Turning around, he was startled to see his parents standing together, smiling as his mom rested her head against his dad’s shoulder.

“My little man,” his mom whispered.

“Mom,” he groaned, “It’s just 6th grade. Really, I’ll be fine.”

His words trailed off, and before Cooper could put up any more false bravado, he tackled his parents at the same time they smothered him in a hug. The perfume from his mom filled his nostrils, and he nearly cried, realizing he wouldn’t get to hold his parents for the next few months after they left.

“We’re going to miss you so much,” his mom said.

“Be sure to write us all the time,” his dad said before kissing the top of his head.

“Remember your schedule—opening ceremony at 6 o’clock.”

“Give yourself plenty of time to get there.”

“Maybe go with a buddy.”

Cooper’s head was spinning with his parents’ last minute instructions. “Guys! I love you both, but really. I think I’ll be okay. Dad, if you survived this school, I think I can manage.”

“What does that mean?” his dad asked.

“I think,” his mom said, taking her husband’s hand, “Cooper’s got a good head on his shoulders. He’s smart, brave, friendly. He’s a perfect fit.”

Cooper smiled at his mom, and in the quiet, his dad asked, “And I’m not those things?”

They all turned their heads as someone stomped up the final stairs to the top floor of the suite.

“Phew, finally! Out of the way! Coming through!”

Cooper’s parents parted like clouds on a breezy day as a tall mousy-faced boy with high, rounded cheeks reached the landing. His brown, styled hair was neatly arranged in a swoop as the ends of each strand curled up. The yellow infinity scarf sitting on the boy’s shoulders began a chain of strange, mismatched patterns, styles, and colors in all of his clothes. It was like the kid chucked a handful of darts to see which clothes he was supposed to wear that day.

Peering down at the papers in his hands, the boy looked up and seemed to finally notice Cooper standing in the doorway of Room 1. He looked back down, scanned the papers with his finger one last time, and crumpled the papers in his pocket.

“You must be my roommate,” the boy said as he strolled up to Cooper. “The name’s Anakin Adams.”

Cooper froze, staring at the boy’s outstretched hand. This was his new roommate? Definitely not what he was expecting.

“You’re supposed to shake it,” Anakin said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

When Cooper shook the kid’s hand, his arm was nearly rattled from its socket.

“Nice swag, by the way.” Anakin walked a circle around Cooper, giving his clothes an appraising glance like he was ready to auction them off. “Very street urban.”

“Uhh, thanks?” he said. “I’m Cooper. Cooper Morrow. So is your name, like, from Star Wars or something?”

He figured all kids from rich families must have had strange names.

Anakin shrugged. “I guess. It’s definitely more my parents’ thing though. I only really like the lightsaber fights. Check it out. Is this our room?”

Stepping past Cooper, Anakin inspected their bedroom, while Cooper walked back to give his parents one last hug goodbye. He wasn’t convinced Anakin would be the forever friends that his dad and Oskar were, but at least their first conversation hadn’t gone down in flames.

One of his dad’s knees cracked as he stooped down.

“Remember what I said about your Headmaster,” he said. “He’s a good man, but a strict one. Just keep that in mind.”

“I will, Dad. I love you.”

“And please try not to do anything reckless. No climbing trees!”

After embracing one last time, Cooper fought the urge to chase after his parents as they finally descended the rounding staircase to the base of Valentia’s spire. As their footsteps faded among the growing voices from other students below, Cooper prayed he wasn’t making a terrible mistake by staying at Blue Ridge.

***

Roman climbed the seven long flights of Fuerza’s spire alone.

The only way forward was to harden his heart. That was how he would survive. Even still, he nearly cried out as his mom drove away down Blue Ridge’s long driveway. Now it was just him.

Without much to do until the opening ceremonies, Roman figured he might as well see what his home for the next ten months would look like, so he followed the student map in his hands until he reached the boys’ section of housing, and then, Fuerza’s spire.

As he climbed, Roman prayed Xavier wasn’t in his suite. Or if he was, Roman hoped he wouldn’t be seen. The rounded stairs hugged the outside wall of the spire with a small landing at the start of each suite. When he reached the floor for the 8th graders, he paused. He thought he might have heard some snickering from further inside, but after peeking around the entranceway and seeing no one there, Roman dashed up the remaining steps, wincing with each sharp, jabbing pain at his ribs.

At the top, the suite for the 6th graders was identical to the ones he’d passed along the way. Fuerza’s purple colors lined all the carpet and furniture. The silence and sunlight pouring through the window was calming. No one would bother him here. As expected, his bags hadn’t been brought up yet. He remembered something about the front office lady saying they’d be there after dinner, but it didn’t matter. There was nothing inside that Roman needed right away.

Instead, he went to the bathroom, where his shoes squeaked like a trapped mouse with every step. The counter top held two sinks beneath a wide, frameless mirror. Lifting the tail of his shirt, Roman grimaced as the purple-plum bruise appeared. He could almost see the contours of Xavier’s knuckles along his ribs. Every deep breath was another painful reminder.

Roman hated the way the boy in the mirror stared back at him—hated how much his pointed face, his blond hair, and steely blue eyes were spitting images of Xavier’s. Along the walls of his house were pictures of their father around their age—his mom always joked that if their dad could be plucked from those photos, she could pass the three of them off as brothers.

Roman buried his fingernails into his palm and slammed the top of the counter.

Leaving the bathroom behind, Roman went to Room 2 and closed the door shut before picking the bed closest to the window overlooking the campus. He wasn’t sure how long he sat huddled on the purple covers, staring blankly at the forest-covered mountains in the distance. Maybe if he didn’t move long enough, he’d be forgotten about, left alone. Maybe he’d even disappear entirely. No one would miss him.

Even as new voices and footsteps reached him from the suite, Roman didn’t move. What was the point? He began to wonder whether the window pane at the top of Fuerza’s tall spire might open up when his bedroom door barged open and thunked against the wall.

Standing in the doorway was a pale boy in clear-framed glasses. He ran a hand through his curling, strawberry-blonde hair before locking eyes with Roman on the corner bed.

“Oh,” was all the boy said, his expression a mixture of surprise and something Roman didn’t recognize. The boy’s eyes danced over Roman’s body before he stammered with a blush and backed out of the bedroom.

A flurry of voices argued outside before the boy returned, this time herded along by a woman with long hair the same orangey shade as the kid’s.

“Ahem,” the woman coughed, giving his shoulders a firm squeeze.

“I-I’m sorry I left without introducing myself,” the boy said, his eyes anywhere but on Roman. “I’m Fielding Everest.”

What an unusual name, Roman thought, glancing between the boy and his mother, although he supposed his own name wasn’t exactly common either.

“Delighted to meet you, dear,” Fielding’s mom said with a buttery smile that stirred something up inside Roman.

“Roman,” he managed, figuring he should actually get off the bed and introduce himself properly. “Roman Jacobs.”

The woman’s eyes grew wide in recognition. “I think I know your father! Well, my wife actually, but Jacobs, as in the director, Gerard Jacobs?”

“Mom,” Fielding said, “stop.”

“Oh, hush,” the woman said, conking the side of her son’s head.

Roman nodded and she came up to shake his hand. Actually, shake was putting it mildly. Both her hands gripped Roman’s, and it looked as if the woman might cry. This was never a reaction he’d gotten before. Whenever people were interested in his father, they spoke to him, not Roman.

Mrs. Everest squeezed him in a hug, and Roman’s face smushed against her pillowy breasts. They were suffocating, and he fought the urge to push the woman away as he stood stiffly with his arms at his side.

“Mom, boundaries!” Fielding shouted, and Roman caught the tail end of a southern drawl in his raised voice.

“I’m sorry,” she said, and stepped back to wipe the tears from her eyes. “You’ll never know how grateful we are to your father. He was my wife’s big break. Ahh, look at me. Such a mess. Excuse me.”

The two boys waited awkwardly as the sound of nostrils blowing into a tissue reached them from the bathroom. Fielding still refused to really look at Roman, so he tried breaking the ice instead.

“Moms, right?” Roman offered. “Always doing embarrassing stuff like that.”

Fielding offered a meek smile, finally looking up at him. “Tell me about it.”

“So, your mom’s…”

Fielding’s face flushed. “Yeah, she’s gay. That’s not a problem, is it?”

“I was going to say an actress, but no,” Roman said. “Of course not. Why would it matter?”

“It doesn’t matter,” Fielding said with enough sting to make Roman flinch. The drawl was back in his voice, but Fielding relaxed his shoulders and frowned. “Sorry, it’s just some people have issues with them. With—”

Fielding’s mom came back, her face now cleaned up, and she stretched her jaw like she was trying to wake herself up.

“Well, I guess this is it,” she said. “I’ve got to take care of a few things before I go, but try not to get into too much trouble. I love you, sunshine.”

Roman heard the muffled groan even as Mrs. Everest smothered her son in a full-bodied hug. Seeing the two of them burned something inside Roman, and he turned away. What did he care how other families were?

After she left, Roman was ready to continue quietly ignoring each other, but Fielding seemed to have other plans in mind.

“So, why were you sitting up here all alone?”

“I…uhh…” Roman paused, not sure what to say. His mind flashed to Xavier, the aching bruise on his ribs, the emptiness inside his chest, the window. “I don’t know.”

“Well, come on, let’s go outside. It’s a nice day, and I saw some kids throwing a Frisbee.”

“I don’t know,” Roman said again, worried Xavier might see him and ruin things.

“Is that all you know how to say?” Fielding asked. “Come on, let’s go.”

Before Roman could protest, Fielding grabbed his hand before running the opposite way, tugging Roman with him. It annoyed him at first, being pulled along by this kid he barely knew, but seeing the way Fielding’s smile lit his face, a different emotion fluttered through his heart as their hands clasped together too perfectly. Maybe this once, he could take a chance and see where things led.

When they reached the first of many steps at the top of the spire, Fielding shouted, “Last one there’s a rotten egg!”

“Oh, you’re on!”

They scurried past Mrs. Everest and a few other families before jumping the final steps. As they ran, Roman began to pull ahead, not far now from the large stone staircase leading down to the grassy fields. He was just about to turn back and taunt Fielding, when a figure stepped from around the corner.

“Woah, hey!” Moving too fast to stop, Roman recognized too late the navy suit of one of Blue Ridge’s professors. When they collided, a handful of papers sprang up and careened like feathers to the ground as the man fell back on his butt.

A sinking pit spread through Roman’s stomach. Not an hour into his time at Blue Ridge, and already he was done for. He scrambled to collect the papers, but the man stopped him.

“Really, it’s fine.” The man’s eyes widened with recognition as he took a good look at Roman, and he laughed. “Well, if you aren’t the spitting image of Xavier. You know, I think I remember him saying he had a brother on the way.”

Roman shook his head in confusion.

The man seemed almost disappointed as he pointed to his face. “Professor Bell? Xavier’s math tutor? Surely, he’s mentioned me.”

This was Professor Bell? Back when Xavier was happy to share about his life at Blue Ridge, the name Professor Bell popped up often. He’d always sounded like one of the cool professors, and Roman just tackled him to the ground. Great.

“He’s mentioned you before,” Roman mumbled, trying to avoid the man’s stare. God, what an idiot he was.

Professor Bell brushed any potential dirt clinging to his suit pants before waving it off. “Well, I would have preferred our hellos to be done in the classroom, but it’s a pleasure all the same. Do me a favor? Try not to plow anyone else over.”

Professor Bell walked away, but before he left their sight, a hand reached back to rub his tailbone.

Beside him, Fielding smacked a floppy hand into Roman’s chest. “Oh my god! I can’t believe you just did that!”

“Shut up,” Roman muttered.

“You were like, ‘Whoosh,’ and he was like, ‘Watch out!’ and then BAM! I thought you were gonna get expelled for sure!”

“I said, shut up!” Roman shouted. “Anyways, you wish I had gotten expelled.”

Fielding’s eyebrows furrowed. “Huh? Why’s that?”

“Because that was your only chance to beat me!”

Before Fielding could react, Roman sprinted the remaining distance outside to the fields, breaking through the threshold and into the sunlight.

End Chapter 2

Copyright 2023 – Levi Holland
All rights reserved

Boarding School Blues – Chapter 2 Read More »

Boarding School Blues

Boarding School Blues – Chapter 1

Boarding School Blues
By
Levi Holland

Blue Ridge Academy is the premier boarding school to attend—unless you’re Cooper Morrow, who feels like his whole life is about to be uprooted. After being outed as the new scholarship student for incoming 6th graders, Cooper will have to find a way to prove to everyone else that he belongs by making a few friends along the way. For Roman Jacobs, starting at Blue Ridge is the worst thing that could happen, especially when he feels like his older brother lurks around every corner, ready to make his life miserable. Join them across these 20 chapters, through various trials and ups and downs, as Cooper and Roman learn to navigate the uncertainties of middle school and discover the type of people they really are.


Chapter 1

Cooper Morrow stretched out a scrawny arm and grasped the low-hanging tree branch as he pulled himself up with a grunt. There was nothing able to stop his smile as the afternoon sun baked into his skin, not even the sweat clinging to his back. As Cooper reached the last of the branches, the crickets chirped their hellos, and Cooper climbed up beside his best friend, Sawyer.

“Finally,” Sawyer said. “We’ll miss the sunset if you take any longer.”

Sawyer scooted over to make room, and Cooper rested against the scratchy bark of the honeylocust. There was nothing left to do but let his feet dangle and appreciate the view as the sun tiptoed toward the horizon.

Cooper loved the way parts of Misty Pines poked its head above the summertime trees. Maybe he could spot more of the town if he climbed higher, but the dangers of a branch snapping were too great. At least, that’s what his mom was always saying. Cooper closed his eyes and breathed in the sweet smell of pine on the wind.

“So, this is it, huh?” Sawyer asked. He gave a halfhearted smile as he rubbed the faded jagged scar running down his cheek.

“The view, or my last day of freedom?”

Your freedom,” Sawyer corrected.

Cooper groaned and chipped away a piece of loose bark on the branch. “Don’t remind me.”

How was it fair Sawyer got a whole extra week of summer break, while Cooper had to leave in the morning for some uppity boarding school?

Sawyer gently bumped his shoulder. “You know I’m messin’, right? I’m sure Blue Ridge is gonna be great.”

Rolling his eyes, Cooper said, “Starting middle school without you and the other guys is gonna totally suck. I’m not gonna know anybody there.”

“You’re telling me Cooper Morrow is afraid of meeting new people? Hello, remember how we met?”

Cooper smiled as he got swallowed in the daydream. Two years before, during the summer after third grade, Cooper had been cruising the bumpy, neighborhood sidewalks on his scooter. He was at the right place at the right time when he came across the new kid, his red baseball cap too big for his curly brown locks as he scribbled on the ground with a bucket of chalk at his side.

The dog came out of nowhere. Barking and gnashing its teeth, it lunged towards the kid, one sharpened claw quickly finding a home on the boy’s cheek.

Cooper swooped in like a madman, barreling the scooter into the canine at full force. As he tumbled down to the pavement, the skin on his palms got scraped up, but at least the dog was spooked away. Cooper barely had time to get to his feet before the kid tackled him to the ground in a grateful hug.

And just like that, Cooper found an inseparable friend in Saywer.

How many times had Sawyer watched his back, too? Like last year, when Lance Buttface Johnson kept picking on Cooper because he didn’t have enough money for extra snacks at lunch. Sawyer spread a rumor around the 5th grade that Lance’s farts reeked and his pee smelled like old, smelly cheese.

Cooper sighed as the sky painted itself in hues of orange and pink. It wasn’t meeting new people that made Cooper afraid. He was afraid of never finding another friend like Sawyer.

“You’re gonna be great, Cooper,” Sawyer said. “Just promise me one thing.”

“What’s that?”

“Promise you won’t turn into one of those snobby, rich kids.”

Cooper blanched and stuck out his tongue. “Uggh, never.”

Sawyer pretended to sip from a cup of tea, extending his pinky as he spoke in a terrible English accent. It made Cooper laugh, at least enough to distract him for a little while. This was his last afternoon with his old life. After today, everything would change.

The station wagon rumbled along the misty gray roads of the Virginian mountains.

Buckled in the back seat, Cooper wondered when the never-ending trees would give way to something more exciting. Anything to peak his interest! But ever since his parents drove headlong into the blanket of fog swallowing the mountains around them, trees were all Cooper could see.

The brochure for Blue Ridge Academy sat unopened beside him. No way was he reading that boring pamphlet again. Cooper craned his head behind him. He’d give anything to climb in the open trunk, pull out his favorite Detective Dackery book from his suitcase, and get lost in the world of the famous duck detective rather than the one he was on his way to now.

He wasn’t super religious, but when his parents first applied for the scholarship, Cooper prayed the school would explode. Or get sucked into a black hole. Or at the very least, maybe his application would be rejected. Cooper didn’t care how amazing the school and faculty were supposed to be. Did his parents not understand his whole life was about to be uprooted? By June, they received word of his acceptance. By July, the deal was done. His prayers failed. God hated him.

Why did he have to be the one unlucky scholarship kid?

“We’re getting close!” his dad announced from behind the wheel. Cooper groaned like he did when he had an upset stomach.

“It’s not too late to turn around,” Cooper said before clunking his head against the window. It was his mom who twisted around in her seat and stretched her hand.

“Come on,” she said and wiggled her fingers towards him. “Give ‘em here.”

Cooper reached out and slipped into the warm comfort of his mom’s hand.

“I know you’re nervous,” she said. “This is a big change for all of us, but think about all the amazing stories you’ll get to share when we see you next.”

His dad cleared his throat. “And I’m sure things are even better than when I was there.”

Imagining his dad as a kid in the ancient, dusty classrooms of Blue Ridge did little to cheer him up. Anyone alive then had to be skeletons by this point.

“But Dad, what about my friends at home? What happens when they don’t wanna hang out with me because we never see each other?”

“I know it can feel overwhelming,” his dad said, “but the friends I made at Blue Ridge were part of my life for years after I graduated. Remember Oskar?”

Cooper rolled his eyes but nodded. During his dad’s fortieth birthday party last year, dozens of friends came to wish him well, some who Cooper had never seen before. One of the people who stuck around the longest was a well-dressed man with tan skin. He and his dad spent so long catching up that Cooper was sent to bed before the man left. It was only later when Cooper discovered his dad and Oskar had been roommates at Blue Ridge.

“I bet you’ll find an even better friend than I did,” his dad said.

That part, Cooper doubted. Sawyer was his ride or die—or at least, that’s the way things had been. What if by the winter break, Sawyer had already moved on and replaced him? Cooper would rather have his knees taken out by a sledgehammer and be crippled for life!

The GPS announced Cooper’s pending doom. Outside the window, iron bars followed the dips and curves of the hills along every twist and turn. Cooper wondered if the entire campus was gated in like a prison. What had he read on their site, that Blue Ridge Academy had over a thousand acres of land? The number meant nothing to Cooper, but at least if he hated the place, he could run away and live off the land as a hermit. How hard could it be?

His dad slowed and turned through the first set of gates, where the iron letters of BLUE RIDGE curved over the entrance. Well, Cooper thought, this is it—the end of my life.

More hills, more trees, more fog. Cooper squirmed against the leather seat of the station wagon. The car’s rumbling was starting to tickle his groin, and he reached a hand down to pinch his underwear and shorts away from his growing boner. Not only was he stuck going to the worst place on earth, but now he was stuck with yet another erection. Thanks, puberty.

Worse still, Cooper didn’t have a way to make it go down. Sawyer had told him once that if you stuck a quarter on it, they were supposed to soften eventually, but Cooper was broke, and he thought that advice must be nonsense, anyway. If it were true, surely they would have talked about it during family life at the end of 5th grade. Cooper sighed and adjusted himself one more time. At least the boner wasn’t super obvious.

The station wagon continued its jerky motions until they reached a second set of sealed gates. A tall security guard dressed in a dark navy suit blocked the path, his thick arms crossed over his chest. The car rolled to a stop in front of him.

“The letter,” his dad said, and Cooper handed the invitation up, trying his best to lean over while shielding his boner. The smell of freshly cut grass filled the station wagon the moment the windows rolled down, and the guard strolled towards his dad. A pair of dark, round glasses hid the man’s eyes, but Cooper’s skin prickled, especially once the man glanced his way. The guy was starting to freak him out. Seriously, who in their right mind wore sunglasses on a foggy day? They weren’t called fogglasses, after all.

“Hello,” his dad called out cheerily as the guard plucked the invitation from his hand. “We’re here for the new student drop-off.”

While the guard scanned the invitation, Cooper’s eyes drifted to the guard post, where a black German Shepherd sat leashed. Its beady black eyes bore into Cooper as it revealed its white fangs in a snarl. After the run in with the dog that nearly clawed Sawyer’s face off, Cooper had taken it upon himself to learn everything he could about canines. It’s what Detective Dackery would have done—learned anything and everything he could to prepare for the next case. Cooper knew a dog’s jaws were powerful. A single bite could snap his bones like a toothpick.

“Go on through,” the guard said, his voice like gargled rocks.

The gates groaned as they creaked and wobbled on their hinges, and the station wagon puttered through with a lurch as they crossed the second barrier of gates.

“Dad, did that guy seem a little off to you?” Cooper asked, twisting in his seat to stare at the guard as they drove past. Even with the man’s eyes hidden behind his sunglasses, Cooper couldn’t shake the feeling he was being watched.

“Guys like him are just doing their job, protecting the school and all that. No need to worry, buddy.”

“If you say so,” Cooper said, giving one last glance over his shoulder. He’d be fine if he never saw the man at the front gates again.

After following the road a while longer, his mom gasped in her seat as she leaned forward.

“It’s beautiful!” she exclaimed. “Cooper, look! Just like Harry Potter.”

It was the first thing anyone saw when looking online or at Blue Ridge Academy’s many brochures: an immense stone castle modeled after some old dead people who built a castle once in Europe, or something like that. At the different corners of the castle, eight towering spires stretched high into the fog, with four gigantic colored banners flapping in the breeze. Never in his whole life had Cooper seen something so enormous.

His eyes flicked down to a few kids dribbling a soccer ball in the manicured grass. Others threw a Frisbee back and forth or simply chatted back and forth in huddles. Another was even attempting to scale the trunk of a nearby tree. Cooper smiled. He’d have no problem making it to a branch like that.

As the station wagon puttered through, Cooper pressed his face to the window. How many of these kids were headed into 6th grade like him?

“This place is cooler than I thought,” Cooper said breathlessly.

“See?” his mom asked. “There’s the Cooper I know.”

A string of vehicles lined the curb as the station wagon pulled to a stop behind them. Adults dressed in the same navy suits as the guard from earlier helped direct students and their families inside the towering castle. This close to it, Cooper thought his new school might swallow him whole.

Cooper blinked. Both his parents had turned in their seats to look at him. His mom’s eyes brimmed with tears, and Cooper doubted his dad’s smile had ever been bigger.

This was it. They wanted him to give the final okay. He could still back out, he supposed; pitch a fit like when he was still a little kid. And his parents loved him enough that it would probably work.

But maybe, just maybe, there was a little part of him that was curious to see what happened; where things led. The unknown, the excitement, the nervousness, the anticipation, it wrapped him up like a ball of rubber bands, and he was bouncy thinking about what might come next. Sawyer’s voice echoed in the back of his mind: Promise you won’t turn into one of those snobby, rich kids.

Taking a steady breath, Cooper closed his eyes before giving his parents a nod.

“Let’s do this.”

***

Roman Jacobs nursed the bruise along his ribs as his mom drove down Blue Ridge Academy’s expansive driveway.

He didn’t need to see it to know how ugly the purple stain was on his stomach—Xavier made sure to leave a mark.

Roman cast a glance to his brother, who was too absorbed in his phone to pay him any attention, but that was fine. The last thing Roman needed was another painful reminder about where their relationship stood.

His eyes flicked down to the red Nike sneakers on his brother’s feet. His feet were getting too big for them, but Xavier wore them anyway. Kept them clean no matter what. For some reason, Roman’s last Christmas gift to his brother was pretty much the only sign Xavier still cared for him. Or maybe Xavier just liked having nice shoes.

Resting his head against the cool window of the Tesla, he tried picturing the last time his entire family had been together. Maybe it was during his eleventh birthday, or was his mom gone for work? He couldn’t remember. Even now his dad was off somewhere on one of his movie shoots. When Roman woke up that morning, he hoped his dad would have somehow been there to hug him and drive him to his first day of middle school.

But he hadn’t. And now once his mom was gone, it would be another four months before Roman saw either of his parents again. Already the homesickness was eating away at him.

His mom stopped the Tesla at the security gate, and Roman immediately recognized the broad stance of Roy Rochester from the other times he’d visited. He knew the professors had to wear special uniforms, but it always creeped Roman out how Roy always wore the exact same clothes, even down to the dark sunglasses perched on the bridge of his nose.

As his mom handed the papers with their updated photographs to Roy, Roman could have sworn the guard’s brow furrowed as he swept his gaze over Xavier. Soon after, the gates creaked open, and the Tesla whirred softly as they drove through.

Up ahead, there were hardly any cars parked at the roundabout in front of the castle. It made no sense why they had to get to Blue Ridge so early. The opening ceremonies weren’t until dinner, so what was the point? Besides, the moment his mom was gone, there’d be no one to stand in Xavier’s way.

The Tesla parked, and Roman opened the door, wincing as a sharp jolt of pain shot through his ribs where Xavier had punched him earlier that morning. He grit his teeth and tried not to show how much it hurt. If he did, it was like letting Xavier win all over again.

“Boys, help me with your bags,” his mom said.

Xavier didn’t say a word as he stepped beside Roman. There wasn’t even a glance. Every time Roman bent down to pull out another suitcase, it was like getting punched a second time. A third. A fourth. He was thankful as he dragged the last of the bags on the curb. Immediately, several adults in blue suits swarmed them and hauled the bags away towards the castle.

By the time Roman turned around, Xavier was already gone, making his way down the green fields to do whatever it was older brothers who didn’t want to be around you did.

He flinched as his mom’s hand fell on his shoulder.

“Try not to see the worst in him,” his mom whispered. “Growing up can be hard for anyone.”

“Yeah, except sometimes it feels like Xavier hates me.”

“I promise you, he doesn’t,” his mom said. “He’s just figuring things out. One day, you’ll understand too as you get older and your body starts going through the same changes.”

“Eww, Mom, really? A puberty talk now?”

She gave him a soft pat on the cheek. “Come on, wise guy. Let’s get you settled.”

Blue Ridge’s castle was a great stone beast, and the stairs stretched like a forked tongue down from the opening archway. Roman and his mom stepped into its mouth as they entered the shade. In an instant, the number of directions he could peel off to were overwhelming, and he wondered how people kept from getting lost.

From his last visit, Roman recognized the smooth, cobblestone walls, oddly pristine in their shape and condition. The castle wasn’t really built hundreds of years ago—it was only made to appear that way—but Roman still found it impressive. What held it all together? Why didn’t it come tumbling down? It must have taken forever to build.

“Do you think anyone ever gets lost here?” Roman asked his mom.

She didn’t break stride as they marched to their first destination, wherever that was. “I’m sure it’s happened before. Just make sure to ask for help if you do.”

“I’m not a little kid anymore,” Roman grumbled. The last thing he wanted to do was look like a lost child who couldn’t find his parents at the store.

Their footsteps echoed off the polished floor as they arrived to the long, glass office building attached to the side of the castle. Roman waited outside while his mom went inside to grab his schedule and dorm papers. He wondered what his room would look like. All students lived in one of the many tall spires around the castle, with the girls separated in their own wing. From there, if he remembered right, they were split up based on their year: the seniors lived on the bottom floor, while the new 6th graders had to climb up seven grueling flights of stairs to reach their room. It was bullshit.

Roman pulled the dorm paper from his mom’s hands when she returned and paled as the purple letters of Fuerza, the same house as Xavier, gleamed on the page.

“Does the universe hate me or something?”

“What? Fuerza is a good home,” his mom said. “It stands for strength, you know. Your father will be so proud to learn both of his boys ended up where he did.”

If his dad really cared, maybe he would have shown up. Roman chewed the inside of his lip. Fuerza was the last place he wanted to be. He wasn’t sure what any of the other Houses were called, but Roman would settle for just about any of them if it meant dodging Xavier.

The tears were threatening to build, and Roman shoved them down. “Mom, are you sure I can’t stay home with you? We can get a tutor like we do during the summer!”

His mom pulled him gently to one of the benches outside the office. She smoothed out her blue dress before patting the empty space. As he sat down, the overhead bell chimed as another family walked into the office. There was another young boy like Roman, but he didn’t pay any of them attention. He wasn’t at Blue Ridge to make friends. He didn’t want to be there at all!

“I know this is hard,” his mom said. “The first time Xavier left was really hard for him, too. But I promise you, Roman, the stories you’ll have to share, the memories you’ll make, they’ll all be worth it.”

She leaned in and kissed him on the forehead, the same way she used to all throughout his childhood. When he was really little and scraped his knee, kisses like that made him feel better. It made him feel like his mom was a superhero who could control all the bad things in the world.

But he knew better now. His mom couldn’t solve any of his problems. She didn’t understand anything at all about what he was going through, about how awful Xavier had been to him over the last year.

No, the only thing that would help Roman was staying as far away from his brother as possible.

End Chapter 1

Copyright 2023 – Levi Holland
All rights reserved

11

Boarding School Blues – Chapter 1 Read More »

Ethan

Ethan
by
Levi Holland
A part of the Flash Fiction Series

Ethan

Before I met Evan, there was a neighborhood boy whose name was Allen. Allen was a year older, and when I first moved to the neighborhood, I idolized him because I thought he was the coolest kid around with his long blond skater hair. He and I used to ride bikes a lot, but one day his mom heard me using bad language from a joke I learned from my older sister, and then bam. I was labeled the trouble kid all of a sudden. No more Allen. I was too young to know what being ghosted meant, but that’s exactly what happened.

Luckily for me, there were plenty of other kids in the neighborhood, and during my post-Allen period was when I met Evan. Compared to him, I was now the older one, and Evan heeled at my side like a little puppy dog. That suited me fine, since it made me feel all important. And honestly, I was still burning from being rejected by Allen and his family.

Evan had one of those floppy heads of curly blonde hair, big pink lips, and a round, squished nose and face. He was tall for a fourth grader, or maybe I was short for a 5th grader, but either way I only had him by an inch or two.

We didn’t have much by way of technology to keep us interested back in the day, so most of the time we were outside playing catch, exploring the woods, or dreaming up anything to cure our boredom. Across from Evan’s house was a recently demolished lot, which became the neighborhood’s perfect place for a pickup game of baseball. One of the times I was playing outfield, the ball got rocked to the far side of the lot, and as I went to chase it down, I wound up beside a thick patch of weeds and a drainage pipe I’d never noticed before. The pipe was super narrow but large enough to crawl through if I hunched down. It looked like it might have ran all the way across the street. Much further in, a thin shaft of light punched through the darkness. I grabbed the ball when the others yelled for me to hurry up, but I determined to find out more about the pipe later on.

After the game, I showed Evan the pipe, expecting him to be as fascinated with it as I was.

“Oh that? Yeah, the other side goes to my yard.”

“And I’m just now hearing about this? Have you ever gone inside?”

“Loads of times,” he said. “Watch.”

And just like that, he crouched down and slipped inside, vanishing entirely inside the dark tunnel. My voice echoed when I called his name.

“What’s that light?” I asked.

“Come on,” he said. “I’ll show you.”

Loose stones and rubble filled the inside of the pipe, and I worried I might roll my ankle. By the time we made it beneath the street, my back ached, begging me to stand for some relief. It wasn’t until we reached a concrete runoff drain on the other side that I could stand to my full height. That’s what the light had been from. Through the patches of grass blocking most of the opening, I could just make out the wheels of a car as it drove above us. Down here, we were invisible.

Evan started peeing. His stream splattered off the stones before pooling in the corner. He turned around to face me before he zipped up, and it took me a second to realize why his dick looked so strange until he rolled some skin back over the tip.

“What’s wrong with your thing?” I asked.

“What do you mean?”

I pulled down the front of my shorts to show him without an ounce of shame. My penis was cut, although I didn’t know it then. I thought all boys’ penises were born the same.

“Oh yeah…” he said curiously but shrugged. “Doesn’t feel like anything’s wrong.”

He then inched forward and booped our dicks together, kind of like I did to my dog’s nose with my finger. I giggled as the two of us grew hard, still mesmerized by the way his extra skin scrunched together. Unfortunately, we couldn’t play long. The sun was setting, and I knew I had to get home for dinner, but Evan made me promise not to reveal his hiding spot to anyone. Duh. Why would I want to do that?

A few days later, we were back in the tunnel, and it didn’t take long before we booped the ends of our penises again. The way mine squished against his skin made little shivers crawl all over my back.

“Let’s go to my room,” Evan suggested. “I’ll show you something even cooler.”

Immensely curious how something could be cooler than that, I raised my waistband, and we crawled out the other side of the drainage pipe. Evan’s younger brother was hanging out on the swing set, and we said hello to his mom on our way to his bedroom.

Evan dug around inside his closet before pulling out what looked like a snowglobe with a power cord, but there was nothing inside other than a silver ball suspended in the middle. After locking his door, Evan plugged it up, flipped a switch, and immediately little bolts of lightning erupted from the silver ball. They arced and curled in strings of purple lightning. Why Evan had something like that in his closet to begin with, I would never know.

“Watch this,” he said, as he placed his hand against the glass. At once, the lightning bolts leapt to his palm.

“Doesn’t that hurt?”

“Nah, come here,” he said, and when I did, he grabbed my arm and zapped me. He was right. It didn’t hurt at all—just sort of tingled where his hand touched my arm.

“Dare you to let me try it on your thing,” he giggled.

Even though I hadn’t been hurt by the shock, there was no way I was going to let him electrocute my dick, so instead I turned it back around and said, “You first!”

Evan shrugged and let go of the globe before unzipping his shorts. I understood now why he locked the door. His boner sprang up, and I could see it a lot better than I could in the drainage space. Dropping to my knees, I placed a hand on the globe, feeling nothing as the electricity jumped to my hand.

Evan stuck his hips out while I inched my finger towards his thin boner. This was the first time I was about to touch another boy’s dick, and even though it wasn’t really sexual, I couldn’t help but be hard. The moment my finger squished against his extra skin, he yelped and jumped back before laughing. He didn’t seem like he was too bothered by getting zapped there. He let me do it a couple more times until we grew bored, and Evan asked if I wanted to swim in his above ground pool.

When I said yes, Evan rolled on his back and completely shucked his shorts and underwear. His boner stuck up over a set of marble-shaped balls that were still tight in their sack. With only his t-shirt as cover, he unlocked his door, and I followed him back into the kitchen. My jaw nearly dropped as Evan toyed with his boner while asking his mom if we could swim. There was no way she didn’t see him doing that, but maybe she just thought it was boys being boys. After all, we were still little kids.

Back in his room, Evan offered me a pair of his trunks. They fit snug and the lining rode up on my crotch, but at least I had something to wear. Fearing she would overhear my conversation, I lowered my voice and said, “I can’t believe you grabbed your boner in front of your mom.”

Evan didn’t even look up as he bent over in search for a second pair of swim trunks. As he did, his shirt hugged his bare ass cheeks, and I could see the groove.

“Eh, she sees it hard all the time, especially in the bath.”

I would have been mortified if my mom ever saw me me with a boner. The strangeness of Evan’s mom giving him baths at ten didn’t even cross my mind. Different times, I guess.

Once we were in the pool, we played marco polo, which quickly devolved into wrestling and tackling each other into the water. Each time Evan climbed on my back, his stiff rod poked against me. Several times, he latched his hands and feet around my body and ground his boner into my back, humping me slowly. My own boner kept scraping uncomfortably against the netting inside my suit.

When Evan’s mom called us in for snacks, I wanted to stay in the water because I was still hard.

“Dude, I can’t,” I told him. “I’m still hard.”

“Don’t be such a baby,” he said, flicking his own obvious boner through his dripping swim suit.

I think my face invented a new shade of red as I climbed the ladder and dripped all the way inside. We didn’t bring any towels to cover myself with, so just before going inside, I stuck my hands inside the swim suit and angled my boner towards my stomach. With how small the suit was on me, the head of my dick stuck out past the waistband. No matter what I did, anyone could tell I was hard as a rock. I knew Evan’s younger brother saw my penis, because he pointed and laughed, and horrified, I dashed back inside Evan’s room where I could get my proper clothes back on.

That night, I spent the night at Evan’s. Since I was an only child, my parents were probably ecstatic to have a night to themselves. After settling down and brushing our teeth, the two of us crawled on top of his twin bed together while his mom and dad came in to give him a goodnight kiss. It was a little odd to me how soon we were going to bed. When I peeked out of his window, there was still some light left in the sky.

“Do not stay up late,” his mom said, pointing her finger. “You have ball practice in the morning. Conner, I’m counting on you, too.”

“Yes, ma’am,” I said, having long ago made a promise not to ruin another friendship from something I did.

They closed the door behind them, and after Evan and I talked about nothing for a few minutes, he reached both hands down and flopped like a fish before turning on his back. I wasn’t sure what he was doing until he started humping against the mattress like he had done against my back while we were in the pool.

“Put your hand on my butt,” he said.

I did, and as my hand folded around the soft globe of his ass cheek, I found it exciting how his butt muscles tensed and rippled under my palm. A couple times I even gave his cheek a gentle squeeze.

“Yeah, that’s good, too,” he grunted.

Evan started breathing real heavy, and I worried his parents would hear the sharp squeaking of his bedframe. I could only imagine the world-shattering consequences that would happen if his parents barged in on Evan humping the mattress under the guidance of my hand on his ass. I was just about to tell him we should stop, when Evan’s butt muscles clenched up real tight. His eyes squinted shut, and he shook as he whispered, “Oh, yeah…” before relaxing against the mattress. Before I could even ask what happened, Evan conked out and started snoring.

I tossed and turned. It was way too early for me to sleep, but all I could do was lay there bored. It honestly never crossed my mind to try what Evan had. After all, I didn’t even know what it was that I was supposed to be trying. Eventually I fell asleep, and it felt like only seconds before we were being woken up by his mom so Evan could get ready for practice.

After that night, we tried again a few times to spend the night at each other’s houses, but something always came up, and to my utter despair, I found out Evan was moving at the end of the month. On our last day together, we were back in the drainage pipe, in our shared secret spot, and Evan wanted me to give his dick a goodbye kiss. I still remember the feeling of his extra skin squishing against my lips and how it peeled back as he wiggled the tip inside my mouth. I didn’t have any sense to rub my tongue along his penis like I think he wanted me to. In many ways, even though I was his senior, Evan was far more sex-wise about a lot of things. To this day, I always wondered where he learned it all from.

Later that summer, I tried duplicating what I remembered Evan doing in his bed. I think I was lonely and looking for a way to reconnect with my lost friend. At first nothing special happened, and it was honestly uncomfortable. I didn’t have the rhythm down yet. But as I shifted my hips and spread my legs out, a tingling happened in my penis. It was like an itch I had to scratch, and it felt better and better the more I humped. I tried reaching my hands around to grab my butt cheeks like I’d done for him, but all that did for me was suffocate my face in my own pillow.

I stopped and continued grinding against the mattress. The itchiness turned into a feeling like having to pee, but I didn’t think I would. I’d just used the bathroom before bed, and so I kept going and going until finally my penis tickled like crazy.

Despite using the bathroom, I felt like I’d squirted out some pee anyway, and the mattress was a little wet as I reached a hand down. I took my shirt and tried to rub the wetness away, hoping it would be better by morning. As next year rolled around, I learned from my middle school friends about masturbation and ejaculation and connected the dots about the grinding I’d been doing at night against my mattress. At first, the wetness I was making went away on its own, but I stopped after an embarrassing conversation with my mom about stains.

Fast forward to a few years ago, where I was on a cruise with my wife. There was a boy whose resemblance to Evan was pretty uncanny. Like the way a specific smell can take you back to your childhood, seeing this kid flooded my brain with memories of Evan.

I took a chance and tried searching for him to see if I could find him on social media anywhere. It was a little tough, because obviously Evan would have changed a lot since ten years old, but I was pretty sure I found him. The floppy blond curls I remember were trimmed short, and his round face and nose had lengthened with adolescence and adulthood. He still had that same playful smile, though—the one that said, I know something you don’t. From what I could tell, he was happily married with a husband and two adopted girls. In the end, I never sent out a friend request. Sometimes I consider it, but it’s probably best to let the past stay in the past. Recreating the moment through something like this is good enough, and honestly, I’m just happy Evan found someone to share his life with.

The End

Copyright 2023 – Levi Holland
All rights reserved

If you enjoyed the story and want more, reach out to me at LeviHolland@protonmail.com, or leave a comment here. Your feedback will keep the series going!

Ethan Read More »

Daniel

Daniel
by
Levi Holland
A part of the Flash Fiction Series

Daniel

I wouldn’t say Daniel and I were the closest friends. Our Moms were close, so we were too. At least growing up. Near the end of middle school, our parents got in some sort of tiff—knowing my mom, it was likely something petty on her end—and then we sort of drifted apart. Thankfully, though, this story happened near the end of my sixth grade year.

Daniel and I were in the same gym class, which was awesome because it meant we got to play different sports for an hour each day. The only part that sucked was when we had to switch to health class every other quarter, which was a torturous, never-ending experience and definitely not how I wanted to end sixth grade.

One good thing that came out of health class, however, was our sex-ed unit near the end of the year. Getting to learn more than the stripped down version they taught us in 5th grade was super neat. We learned a lot more about girls’ bodies and guys ejaculating, and even though I was still a year or two out from anything other than pee coming out, I was no stranger to hormones. It seemed like any small talk about sex was enough to get me hard.

Our teacher had given us a couple handouts to work on, the kind where we had to fill in the blank spaces on a bunch of anatomy diagrams. Daniel and I worked beside each other in class. I kept having to double check I wasn’t misspelling any words. Daniel, meanwhile, had ignored the assignment completely, opting instead to draw a dick shooting water droplets next to the printed vagina. And bang, just like that, hard as you please. It didn’t matter that it was only a shitty x-ray diagram. My dick was bending the wrong way, and I slipped my hand in my pocket to readjust myself.

“You’ve got a boner,” Daniel teased in a whisper as he elbowed me.

“Shut up, I do not,” I said, fixing myself and draping my shirt over my lap.

He leaned over and said, “Ask your mom if you can stay at my house this weekend. I want to show you something.”

Knowing Daniel, it was something inappropriate, and I didn’t really want to chance getting in trouble, but I also didn’t want him to think I was chicken or anything. In any case, it was pretty close to the end of the week, and soon my Mom was dropping me off at his place. Daniel immediately dragged me upstairs to his room.

“So, what’d you want to show me?” I asked, setting my overnight bag beside his bed.

“Not now, dummy,” he said, “tonight.”

By tonight, he meant after his parents had wished us goodnight and gone to bed. With his parents sleeping downstairs and a set of stairs that squeaked halfway up, we would know if someone was about to walk in on us. Honestly, I can’t say anyone ever really bothered us after hours, other than the occasional wrestling match where we stomped too loud or tackled each other to the floor.

When it was time for bed, I laid on the blow-up mattress in the middle of the floor, but Daniel called me up to his bed instead. Daniel’s eyes twinkled as he reached for his iPad and tapped the incognito button on his browser. I and my dick both had a pretty good idea of what we were about to do, and true to form, my dick sprang up like a meerkat. At that age, it was small enough that it wasn’t showing through my gym shorts.

“Do you know what a creampie is?” he asked.

We’d eaten plenty of oatmeal cream pies over the past few years, but I doubted that’s what he meant. Instead I shrugged noncommittally while he tapped in the words creampie gifs on the screen. The moment he hit enter, my jaw dropped as all my blood rushed from my head downward. He scrolled past clip after clip of guys shoving their massive dicks inside other girls’ cooches. When they pulled out, a heap of white filling spilled out from their outstretched holes. How any of those girls even managed to squeeze those dicks inside themselves was a wondrous mystery to twelve-year-old me.

“Are you getting hard again?” Daniel asked.

I nodded, and he looked down between my legs. At most, there might have been a small visible lump. Unfortunately, I only ended up just shy of average by the end of puberty.

“Me too,” he said, “touch it.”

More without my permission than anything, Daniel pulled my wrist into his lap where a stiff pole bigger than mine pressed against my palm through his shorts. Here’s the crazy thing: I wasn’t gay then. Or maybe I was and didn’t realize it, but I already knew about jacking off, and every time I had cum so far, it was to the thought of one of my girl classmates and their developing boobs. Holding Daniel’s dick was a wildly foreign sensation to me, and in the moment, far from my ideal Friday night.

“Do you wanna do it?” he asked, his voice low and raspy. He barely waited for an answer before he lowered his shorts. His dick pushed up against his boxers, and soon he fished it through the hole in the middle. The pink crown glistened a little, and I realized my friend must be making sperms.

“You do it, too,” he said as he captured his boner in his fist and began wanking.

Lowering my underwear down to my balls, my boner slapped up against my groin. It was smaller and fatter than Daniel’s, but whereas he liked to take his in his fist, I preferred one thumb and a finger as I rubbed the skin near the head. After that night, I tried it his way a couple times, but it always made my dick tingly in an uncomfortable, itchy kind of way.

Other than the sound of our hands bopping along and the little breaths that escaped us here and there, we were silent as we wanked next to each other until Daniel asked, “What’re you thinking about, Thomas?”

In my head, I was mounting this girl Rachel Hornbrook from my first period class, but Daniel’s question and heavy panting kept distracting me.

“Rachel,” I told him, but by then I gave up putting any real effort into my mental fantasy. At some point when my eyes were closed, Daniel had lowered his boxers and was now fondling his balls with his free hand while also reaching further between his legs. Now that he was fully exposed, I was surprised he had a couple tiny strands shooting from his groin. There couldn’t have been more than three or four, but they were long and coiled. I couldn’t wait to get pubes.

Pretty soon he started huffing and puffing until he gave a pinched whine and whispered, “Gonna bust.”

Maybe it was the gifs we watched right before, or my horniness in general, but I couldn’t tear my eyes away as little water droplets sprinkled from the end of Daniel’s twitching penis and onto his stomach. It was a quick spray, and after that, a thin, clear river leaked out from the hole and over his thumb.

For some reason, my mind immediately created a fantasy of Daniel plugging his dick inside of Rachel and doing the creampie thing to her with his sperms, and that thought made my eyes roll and stomach clench as my own orgasm took hold. I knew I wouldn’t make any mess like Daniel had, but that didn’t stop my body and nerves from feeling really great all over. On a different night, when I was particularly horny, I found out I could have multiple cums in a row, but that all stopped shortly after I started shooting.

When I opened my eyes, Daniel was still fiddling with the end of his dick, but he was staring at me, switching back and forth between my stubby boner and flushed face.

“You should sleep up here tonight,” he said. “Forget our clothes. Let’s sleep like this.”

“What about your parents?” I asked.

“When have they ever come up here? Come on, Thomas.”

I leaned over to snag my pillow from the mattress, and Daniel poked me in the butt cheek before giggling. We turned off his lamp and huddled together naked under the covers. Being almost summer, Daniel’s overhead fan whirred and cast a nice breeze over our faces as I tried to settle in, but Daniel had other plans, I guess. His hand trailed along my arm, rubbing back and forth in a soothing way that helped me relax even more.

I jumped when his hand grazed my balls, and it didn’t take long for me to stiffen up again.

“You’ve got a fat boner,” he whispered.

“Is that good?” I asked, genuinely not sure.

“I like it,” he said. “I bet it feels really good inside.”

I feel now is a good time to mention that Daniel eventually married a man, although I think his being gay was probably pretty obvious in hindsight. He came out in high school, and though he and I weren’t as close then, word got around, and besides, I still followed him on social. When Daniel first said that, I assumed he meant my dick would feel good inside a girl. I was too young to consider the double entendre.

I genuinely believe most people are born attracted to who/what they’re attracted to, but I also believe there are situations that can awaken something we don’t know about ourselves. Going into that sleepover, I was 100%, undeniably straight. Afterward, Daniel woke something in me.

“Can I try something?” he asked. His hand on my boner was soft and free from any rough callouses. Honestly, I would have agreed to almost anything he suggested at that point as long as it involved cumming again. When I realized he couldn’t see me nodding, I told him yes.

The covers rustled, and Daniel slid further down the bed while staying under the covers. His hands trailed down my stomach before reaching my thighs, and it wasn’t long before his fingers were around me again.

The first time his tongue rasped the underside of my dick, I wasn’t sure what it was, but when his moist lips closed over the tip and his tongue swirled, I knew then. And I was in heaven. No amount of jacking off had been this intense, and I shook in place as Daniel bobbed his head along. His hair tickled my stomach, tickling me as his tongue performed wonders.

Like I said before, I didn’t make any semen yet, so I never announced when I came. Daniel knew, though. I buried my arm over my mouth as I groaned, and my penis pulsed against the moist heat of his tongue. He kept on going, rolling it over and over until I had a second dry orgasm. Despite the fan blowing on my body, I’d broken out in a sweat. I wasn’t sure if I could take much more of it, but I think Daniel’s jaw must have gotten tired, because he slurped up my dick one last time and crawled back up to the pillow.

“How’d that feel?” he asked. “I saw that in a video, too.”

I was still sweaty and breathless but finally told him how amazing it felt.

“Do you think you could do me?” he asked.

And there it was. The little key that unlocked the part of my brain that said, You know what? Maybe I do like guys, at least a little bit. No other fantasy or orgasm had been as intense. I knew right then I’d do as he asked. Even as my heart beat from nervousness while I slid down to Daniel’s groin, I was all in.

It was inky black and thickly hot beneath the covers. When my hand bumped into Daniel’s boner, it twitched with a quick thump. I teased the hairs around it first, feeling their silky, wiry texture before tugging on one. He let me know how he felt about that by pinching my ear. I steadied my hand around the base of his erection, not really knowing what I was doing. The tip of his penis first brushed my upper lip, and right away a little bead of moisture smeared there.

What was gonna happen when he came like I did? Even though I wanted to try sucking his dick, I wasn’t jazzed about tasting the fluid coming out of it. I licked my upper lip and lapped up whatever was there. If it had a taste, I couldn’t tell much. Feeling a little bolder, I kissed the tip of his dick and slowly let it slip between my lips.

Already it filled up way more of my mouth than I would have guessed. There wasn’t enough room for my tongue, my teeth, and his dick. When my teeth grazed his penis, he hissed and told me to cover them with my lips. After that, I tried running my tongue around his penis like he had mine, but my mouth was drying up, so I worked up some spit before going again.

Daniel’s hands found their way to my head, and I leaned against him as he stroked his fingers through my hair. The more I was under there, the more stuffy it got, and even though I was enjoying myself, I was grateful when Daniel started to tense up. The coolest part was how his dick got harder before twitching nearly a dozen times. When he came, I expected the roof of my mouth to get sprayed with his jizz, but he must have been pretty tapped out. I tasted something a little different than my spit, like a bitter-sweet, tangy something, but it wasn’t long before it mixed in with the rest of my saliva.

Coming back up from the covers, I was thankful for the cool air as I flopped back beside my friend. I ran my tongue over the roof of my mouth, still feeling something lingering there. The covers rustled again as Daniel leaned over and gave me a quick smooch on the cheek.

I rubbed away the spot on my cheek and laughed. “Dude, don’t kiss me. That’s totally gay.”

Yeah, I know. The irony isn’t lost on me.

The End

Copyright 2023 – Levi Holland
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