Date: Thu, 08 Sep 2011 21:06:34 -0700
From: h.schreiber@hushmail.com
Subject: Chapter 17 of Rock and a Hard Place

Warning! This is a work of fiction written by a legal age adult. Any
similarity between the fictional characters and any live persons is purely
coincidental. This story contains fictional descriptions of sexual activity
between consenting minor youth. If you are under the age of 18, and/or if
you are offended by this content, and/or if it is illegal in your
jurisdiction to possess or read such material, please leave now and do not
read this story as neither the internet host nor the author can be
responsible for your actions. Please, always practice safe sex; no
momentary thrill is worth your life.

This work is copyrighted (c) by Hans Schreiber. You may not reproduce this
story in whole or in part without the express written consent of Hans
Schreiber at h.schreiber@hushmail.com.

Special thanks to my editors, Flip, Smallfox, Lisa and Pablo for their
valuable assistance in making this story so much better.

Rock and a Hard Place

Chapter 17

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

	I was just getting into our three way jerk-off in my parent's
shower when I swore I heard another noise. "Guys, stop!! I think I heard
something." We all froze mid-stroke. Cautiously, I slipped from the glass
shower enclosure and tiptoed across the throw rug and then gingerly across
the tile floor to the bathroom door. I peered out, cautiously, but saw
nothing. I turned to Scotty and Kirk and shrugged. Just as I was about to
return to the shower, I thought I heard something else. My heart raced.

      Naked, wet and dripping, I crept through the bedroom and peeked out
into the hallway. Nothing was there, but I was sure I heard noises in the
garage. I scurried down the hallway to the garage entry door and put my ear
to it. I inched the door open and peeked through the crack.

      My heart was pounding as I watched the garage door come to a jilting
stop as it hit the concrete. I shut the door and leaned against the wall,
naked and dripping. I wondered what dad would say about finding us in the
shower together. It must have been him that I heard, and I appreciated that
he just left and didn't make a scene or embarrass me in front of my
friends. Realizing there was nothing I could do about it, I headed back to
the master bathroom to find Scotty kneeling in front of Kirk. Kirk was
leaning against the tiled wall between the two shower heads. His arms were
spread eagle with his palms pressed against the black tile. Spray from the
two shower heads was splashing on both sides of Scotty's head in
stereo. Kirk's head was bowed in order to inspect the service being
performed on his precious body parts.

      In the turmoil of being discovered, I'd lost my interest in
participating. Little Rock shrank before I'd even gotten out of the bedroom
while investigating the noise. Watching my friends go at it, who were so
into it that they didn't even notice my presence, was kind of exciting. I
pulled a fluffy beige towel from the rack and draped it over my
shoulders. I sat my bare ass cheeks on the cold, shiny black, toilet seat
and watched in fascination. I leaned back against the toilet tank and the
lid pressed into my back just below the shoulder blades. It was like
watching a live porno. I smiled as I watched the scene unfold in front of
me. Kirk's mouth was gaping and his chest expanding and contracting with
deep breaths. His fingers began crawling against the slick, black tile as
the effects of Scotty's blowjob kicked in. Scotty's head bobbed in a steady
rhythm as he worked his magic on Kirk's turgid wand. Little Rock grew
interested in becoming a participant instead of just a spectator and I
immediately handled his request.

      Just minutes after I became an active voyeur, Kirk began writhing
against the shower wall and making a face like he was in mild agony. He
pulled his hands from the tile wall and clasped them around the back of
Scotty's buzzed head. He took control of the pace of the action and sped up
the operation. I matched the stepped up pace of the action in the glass
enclosed stage. Soon, my face was twisted in the same frantic anticipation
that Kirk was displaying on his face. My hand was racing up and down my
erection in a harried effort to reach a simultaneous climax with the actors
in front of me. Kirk's broad chest was flushed and Scotty slid his hands
off Kirk's buttocks and caressed down his thighs, calves and back up
again. Suddenly, Scotty reacted defensively to Kirk's forceful jamming of
Scotty's face deep into Kirk's groin by tensing and retracting against the
forceful pressure. Quickly though, Scotty's fight or flight instincts
passed and he relaxed into Kirk's deep thrusting explosion.

      I crested over my own threshold and welcomed the familiar tingles of
a satisfying morning cum. I quivered and shook as three shots of warm cum
splattered over my bare chest and stomach. I slowed to a crawl as the
remaining breakfast juices slipped slowly from Little Rock's tiny slit. I
watched in amused understanding as Kirk released Scotty's head and steadied
himself on his shoulders instead. Kirk was hunched over and gasping to
regain his breath. Scotty pulled off and turned his head with his mouth
wide open in the shower spray. Getting a mouthful, he washed down the
remnants of the large helping of Kirk's protein shake he'd just taken in. I
chuckled and thought to myself, "Now that's what I call one hell of a
breakfast burrito, they should serve that at McDonalds."

      My heart was nearly back to its normal pace when Scotty rose from his
haunches and stood face to face with Kirk. The possibility of what might
happen next caused a full skip in my heartbeat as I feared they might
kiss. I didn't want Scotty to kiss him. I don't know why exactly, but I
just didn't want to see it. It's not like Scotty and I were committed to
each other in any way, and I had no right to expect them not to kiss, but I
didn't want them to do it anyway. I almost turned away as Kirk wrapped his
arm around Scotty's neck, pulled him into a headlock and said, "Thanks,
dude. That was amazing!" As he did this, his eyes caught mine and he was
startled at first, then remembering it was actually my house, I guess, he
broke into a smile. I was relieved they hadn't kissed and smiled back and
winked.

      I stood up and started to clap. "Bravo, bravo!" I exclaimed. Scotty
spun around and they both smiled initially in mild embarrassment, but
quickly changing to pride in their performance. "Encore," I said giving two
thumbs up. Scotty took a deep bow.

      "Encore my ass," Kirk said. "You didn't even pay for the show, so
screw you."

      "Okay!" I said turning around and waving my ass at them. "Who's going
first, and who gets the sloppy seconds?"

      Scotty laughed and said, "Dude you gotta get a ticket from now on if
you want to watch the show. How'd you get in here anyway? I'm gonna have to
fire the bouncer."

      They turned the water off and I tossed them each a towel as they
stepped from the shower. "So did you find the ghost?" asked Kirk.

      "No." I decided to lie. "It was just my imagination, I guess." I
figured if Dad had chosen not to embarrass us, I didn't need to tell them
we'd been caught. I'd just deal with the consequences on my own. I wondered
what those would end up being. I supposed I'd get a lecture on the dangers
of sexually transmitted diseases at a minimum and an admonishment to stay
out of his bed and bathroom. Given the crazy way things had been going with
my father lately, there was no real telling how he was going to react.

      We hustled upstairs and dressed quickly. I scribbled out excuse notes
for them and Scotty forged one for me. We all sent our parents a text
letting them know to support our lies when the school called to verify the
tardy. Mine was a bit coy: "As u know, I b l8t. say I overslept if school
calls. TY <3"

      "OK" came the short reply back.

      "Can we get a ride?" I added to my text string.

      "No, at hospital." I was surprised that he went back to the
hospital. I guessed that he felt like it served us right to have to walk to
school. I was a little worried now that he was going to be really pissed
off if he'd left something important to come home just to give us a ride to
school and then found us messing around in the shower instead of being
ready.

      "We're on our own guys. We better get hoofing it or we won't make
second period." We all grabbed our packs and double timed it out the door
and all the way to school. We decided not to enter the office all at
once. When I walked in, I looked for Gina but realized she didn't work in
the office until later in the day. A crabby old woman took my note and
studied it suspiciously. I stared blankly at her sagging tits and wondered
if she could possibly be wearing a bra. She logged me into the computer and
sent me off to class. I brushed against Scotty as I exited and he
entered. School was a bit of a blur. I had to collect the previous day's
assignments after each class.

      When I walked into the forensics room, William came right up to me
with an enormous smile. He did something completely out of character and
gave me a hug. Then realizing what he'd done in public, he backed quickly
off and stared at me in uncertainty. I raised my fist and we bumped
knuckles. He smiled and began talking about his latest ideas for the debate
topic. He was dressed in the t-shirt and pants I'd bought him and of
course, he had on the black Vans. I smiled. Class was kind of fun.  Our
teacher had teams take turns giving their opening arguments and then we all
tried to find evidence to refute them. It got annoying to the others and
eventually to the teacher that William always had one or more things to
share. I found it impressive, but Mrs. Jones stopped acknowledging his hand
after a while, hoping to get participation from some other students.

      William was elated to be back at school. He asked me if I wanted him
to accompany me to lunch, or if I minded if he went and played chess with
his nerd buddies. Of course, I didn't mind, and he was clearly relieved not
to have to endure the wrestling table. He was also a little excited for the
chance to be the center of attention as he told some, but not all, of the
details of why he'd been absent so long. I wasn't eating anything at all
since I'd splurged on the weekend. I wasn't too worried about making
weight, but I was anxious to check on the scales in the locker room later
to see for sure.

      Talk at the table was the usual bravado banter. Goob was snorting
coke at the opposite end of table. Someone offered him ten bucks to try
it. He had a straw in Little Willy's Diet Coke can and was attempting,
unsuccessfully, to snort it up into his sinuses and spit it out of his
mouth. Everyone hit the floor laughing as he jerked himself up away from
the table and sprayed out a nasal shower of fizzy brown Coke, coughing,
gagging and sputtering. A proctor came over and lectured us to behave. Goob
was muttering curse words and dabbing at his stinging nostrils with a
napkin as the proctor walked off. I saw the Proctor break into a wide smile
as he turned his back to us. Goob has to be my favorite idiot ever. I swear
he'll be bigger than Adam Sandler one day.

      On my way to English, I passed by William in the hall who was showing
off his shoes to some fellow chess mates and didn't even notice me. He'd
actually pulled one of his shoes off and was holding it up engaged in
animated conversation. I thought about getting his attention to be polite,
but decided not to butt in on his conversation. I also worried a little
what he might say about my involvement with the shoe, to be perfectly
honest. There was a group of baseball guys across the hall pointing and
laughing at him and that pissed me off. One of them was passing his phone
around and I supposed he'd taken a picture of William holding up his shoe,
so he could mock him. I almost went over and threatened them, but knew I'd
be late if I did and it was harmless enough, even if it was rude.

      I enjoyed going over the Iliad in English class. The whole Ancient
Greek culture intrigued me a lot and I decided to learn more about it,
especially the naked wrestling. My dick stirred a bit as I thought about
wrestling with Scotty, Kirk and Dig in the nude. I even included Little
Willy with his giant dick in the imaginary match. My mind had wandered into
that little fantasy when the bell rang. I slapped my book shut and was
headed out the door when Mr. Cramer called to me.

      "Yes sir?"

      "Kyle, there is a scholastic writing contest coming up that I'd like
to encourage you to enter. You write very well and I think you could win
it. The top prize is $1000."

      "That sounds cool. What do I have to write about?"

      "Well, it relates to our current topic actually. It's a 5,000 to
7,500 word essay on the influence of the Ancient Greeks on modern
civilization. I'm requiring a two page essay from everyone on the topic,
but if you choose to do this, you can use it for that as well."

      "Sounds like a good deal. You really think I got a shot at winning?"

      "Certainly, I do. Don't underestimate your ability."

      "Thanks. I'll give it a shot. What have I got to lose?"

      On my way to the next class, I came up with a great idea to enlist
William's help in doing some research for the essay. I was pretty sure he'd
be willing and even eager to do it. I hurried after the last class to the
gym and quickly stripped down. I pulled on just my thin, nylon shorts and
hurried over to the scales. I stepped onto the platform with no small
amount of trepidation and was relieved to see that I was less than a pound
overweight. I could easily drop that before Thursday's meet. I jotted my
weight on my chart in the book and headed back to my locker. Dig was there
and just getting naked in his usual five second strip act. I glanced at his
large dickhead and smiled at myself. It was nice not having to wonder about
how it might look all boned up for a change. Now, I knew how it looked, and
it held much less fascination than it had before.

      "How're things with you and Rochelle?" I asked.

      "Fucked up," Dig answered curtly. "She avoids me."

      "That sucks. You two made a pretty good couple except for the sex
thing."

      "Yeah, I know. I fucked up by pressuring her into it. What's really
messed up, is that after you made me realize what an ass I was being, I
figured out I really like her for who she is and not just for the sex
stuff. I really miss hanging out with her."

      "That really stinks. Maybe after a while, she'll give you another
chance."

      "Not likely. I doubt I'll ever get another date ever. Pretty much
every girl in school knows what I tried to do to her. I guess I won't be
going to Fall Formal. Are you going?" Dig asked.

      "Yeah, I'm going with Gina again and doubling with a couple from the
debate team."

      "Oh really? You and Gina going out now?"

      "Nah, it's just that after I asked her to Fall Formal, she asked me
to the Ladies Choice. I kind of like her though. She's easy to talk to."

      "Yeah, and I hear you like her nice rack too," Dig joked.

      "Shut up! Who told you that?"

      "Bodie. He told me what you did at the end of the dance. You can't
fool me with all that nerdy, straight A and debate shit; you're just a
horny little ass like the rest of us."

      "Yeah well," I started with a wicked grin, "You should know better
than anyone about my horny ass, I guess."

      "Oh you little fucker, shut the hell up. I'm so gonna kick your ass
today if we get paired up," Dig was shaking his head and smiling in spite
of himself as he gave me a playful shove off the bench. We finished lacing
up and headed to the mats.

      Coach showed us a new move for breaking out of the defensive
referee's position. The tactic involved an element of surprise, so Coach
recommended only using it once during a match. In the referee's position,
the bottom wrestler starts on his hands and knees with his hands spread
apart in front of the forward starting line and his knees spread apart
behind the rear starting line with his legs held together. The other
wrestler on the top (in the offensive starting position) then kneels beside
him with one arm wrapped around the bottom wrestler's waist (with the palm
of his hand against the opponent's navel) and the other hand on or over the
back of the opponent's near elbow for control.

      Coach showed us how to immediately spread out flat on the mat on our
stomachs when the whistle blows and pull our free arm up underneath
us. Usually, that would be our right arm since most guys choose to start on
the left side when they are in the top position. Then, the bottom wrestler
hooks his foot over the ankle or calf of the opponent and at the same time
shoves upward with the free hand, rolling the top guy off of him and onto
his side or back. Quickly, the bottom wrestler maneuvers around and
hopefully scores an escape or reversal. Coach asked us to pair up with
someone about our size and practice it. Scotty immediately grabbed my arm
and announced he was with me. Dig shot us a look and then paired up with
Kirk.

      "Which do you want to be first, top or bottom?" I asked.

      "I'll be top since you were top the last time we wrestled," Scotty
answered.

      "Last time? I don't remember ..." I looked at Scotty's precocious
grin and it dawned on me what he meant. "Oh my god, shut up." I could tell
I was blushing mildly. Scotty was obviously very proud of his little joke
as I knelt down in the defensive position. Whenever I took this position, I
couldn't help but think about being in the receiving position for doggie
style sex like I'd seen on some gay, internet porn videos.

      Scotty took a knee beside me and grasped my arm. When we were all in
place, Coach blew his whistle and I sprawled out flat, tucking my free arm
under me like Coach had demonstrated. I hooked my foot over his and gave a
shove, pulling his foot into my roll. Scotty countered with spreading his
left foot wide to prevent me from rolling him, but I still had enough
momentum to spin away and get an escape. Being very quick, I continued my
roll and was behind him. I grabbed him around the waist and hooked both my
feet around his shins and dropped him to the mat for a reversal resulting
in two points instead of just one for an escape.

      Coach gave a few more pointers and we switched positions. I checked
and no one was looking at us, so I slipped my right hand down from Scotty's
naval and rubbed his bulge. He pulled away and cocked his head around to
give me a quick "are you crazy" look. I just returned a wicked smile and
slid my hand back up where it belongs. On the whistle, Scotty went prone
and hooked my foot like he was supposed to. Since I knew what was coming, I
instinctively pushed with my left foot and moved my full weight over his
back preventing him from pushing up and rolling away. I realized it was
unfair of me to do that since I wouldn't really know it was coming if I was
a regular opponent. I apologized and told him it was just a natural
reaction. I offered to be on top again.

      "I think you just prefer being on top," Scotty joked.

      "Yeah, but who can blame me when the bottom is so cute?" I said,
pinching the bottom of his ass cheek through the tight, Lycra suit.  He
glanced nervously around to be sure no one was watching.

      "Dude, you gotta cool it. Someone's going to pick up on us and that
could only be bad," he scolded.

      "Okay. I guess you're right. I'm not used to putting on an acting
job. I guess you're better at it since you've been practicing a while with
the whole nudist thing," I whispered. Then I got back down beside him and
this time I delayed my reaction and he easily rolled me. I didn't let him
get a reversal though. My competitive nature wouldn't allow it.

      When practice was over, Scotty and I hurried into the showers. Coach
had Dig stay and help Kirk with the move one more time. We took the corner
showers where Scotty always showered. I looked down and Scotty had sprung
his usual erection. "How come you always get boned in the showers?" I
asked.

      "I think because I just conditioned myself that way as a kid. I'm
like those Pavlov dogs. I learned about jacking off in the shower when I
was little. My sister used to come in and experiment with me while I
showered and then I always looked forward to shower time.  After that, I
started jacking off every time I shower. It's like something I have to
do. He then poured a glob of shower gel over his dick and started jacking
himself facing the corner and told me to keep an eye on the doorway.  I
started to bone up as I remembered his inverted boner slipping over my
tonsils.

      "Holy shit," I said, "And you warned me to be careful out on the
mats? If you get caught doing this in here, our reputations are definitely
toast." Just then he grunted, and I glanced at the cum dipping down the
tile. "Here comes Goob!"

      Scotty nonchalantly splashed water on the tile and started to shampoo
his hair. I slipped two nozzles away from Scotty and begged Little Rock to
go back down. He just jiggled up and down as he laughed at me. I washed
myself quickly while facing the wall, but there was no real hiding the
effect Scotty had on me. Dig and Kirk were coming in just as I was making
the best timed exit I could with as few spectators as possible. Dig stopped
dead in his tracks and said way loud, "What the fuck, did you catch the
boner virus from wrestling with Scotty today?"

      I turned bright red as everyone who had noticed and been too shocked
or too polite to say anything started laughing. "I guess I did," was all I
could think of to say. I grabbed my towel and rushed to my locker and
pulled on my boxers and shorts. I was just putting my shoes on when Goob
came up to me and sat down on the bench with as serious a look as I had
ever seen on his face before. He was wrapped in his towel and had his cell
phone from his locker in his hand. "What's up?" I asked.

      "Dude, don't get mad at me telling you this okay?"

      "Telling me what?" Now I was curious and a little nervous.

      "At the bonfire, Tyler Jacobs took this pic with his phone and he's
mailing it all over the place." He turned his phone around and to my horror
there was a picture of William sprawled on the ground screaming while some
unidentifiable asshole held his arms and asshole #2 pulled his boxers and
pants off. Goob flicked a button on his phone and the next shot was a
cropped close-up of William's surgically repaired dick and solitary
ball. In the picture, he looked completely hairless since the little nubs
of his pubes weren't visible. "I thought you should know."

      I was fuming. I felt the veins in my neck popping out. "Thanks. I'm
gonna kill Tyler tomorrow."

      "Dude, the look on your face is scaring me. Don't do anything really
stupid, okay?"

      "Why the hell do people have to be so damn cruel? Mean people really
do suck." I spat. "Send me those so I have the evidence."

      "I know. I'm sorry, man. I know you like the dude."

      "He wouldn't hurt a fly and everyone just gives him crap all the
time. It's so unfair." I was on the verge of tears, and so I grabbed my
bag, stuffed my towel in it, slammed my locker and stormed off. I was
madder than hell and started running towards William's place but passing
the baseball diamond, I changed course. I jetted straight for the JV field
as their practice was breaking up and I spotted Tyler in the dugout holding
out his phone to a group of laughing infielders. I snapped.

      "Hey Rock," Bodie said as I pushed past him, "What're you doing
here?" I didn't answer Bodie but walked right up to Tyler.

      Everyone looked up at the same moment as I approached the circle of
hyenas. "What's so funny?" I asked as I snatched at Tyler's phone. My quick
motion caught him completely off guard, and I easily plucked his phone from
his paw. "You're an asshole, you know that?" I yelled. "How many people
have you sent this to?"

      He just shrugged and demanded his phone back. "No way," I
refused. "I'm taking it to Principal Matthew's office." I think she needs
to see what you're passing around. I stuffed the phone in my pocket, spun
and started walking away when I was propelled forward onto my face by a
cleat in my back. The stabbing pain was crazy making and I jumped up with
fury in my eyes. I barreled into Tyler wrapping him up and lifting him
easily off the ground and performing a completely illegal slam onto the
concrete floor of the dugout. His teammates spread out and away as I sat on
him and started flailing wild punches into his ugly, zit covered face. The
third baseman pulled me off him and as he was doing so, Tyler took the
opportunity to kick me in the balls. I hunched over, but fortunately it
wasn't a direct blow. Still, it hurt and pissed me off. My reaction caused
the third baseman to lose his grip and I dropped and slammed my fist with
all my might directly into his groin. That turned out to be a bad idea. I
forgot baseball players wore cups. He still groaned from the blow, but I
got the worst of it as a searing hot pain exploded in my wrist.

      Tyler sat up and glanced a blow off my cheek bone. My head snapped
dramatically to the side as I cocked my left fist and smashed him squarely
in the nose. He screamed and started yelling that I'd broken his nose. I
watched in satisfaction as blood poured down his chin. Just then, the
baseball coaches showed up. One of them attended to Tyler while the other
one roughly hauled me to my feet.

      "What the hell is going on here?" He demanded.

      "He stole Tyler's phone," some faceless player in the crowd accused.

      "Did you?"

      "No, I took it to show Mrs. Matthews the bullshit pics he has on it
and is passing around the school. He started the fight by kicking me in the
back with his cleats. Ask Bodie, he saw it." Tyler was screaming for his
phone as they were trying to take him off to the nurse's station. The coach
who had hold of me turned to Bodie.

      "Well, did Tyler start this?" Bodie looked like he just drank a whole
quart of sour milk. He looked from Tyler to his scowling teammates and then
back to me and the baseball coach. I realized during the uncomfortable
silence that I'd literally put him between a Rock and a hard place. "Well?"
the coach demanded, not used to being ignored. Finally, Bodie just
shrugged.

      "Coward," I thought. The baseball coach looked disgusted and annoyed
and turned his attention back to me.

      "Give me his phone," he demanded.

      "No," I refused, flexing and twisting from the coach's
grasp. Defiantly I added, "I'll only give it to Principal Matthews. She has
to see the pictures Tyler has on it first."

      "Give me the goddamned phone now or I'll take it." The coach was red
in the face, Tyler was still screaming and Bodie was backing away. I shook
my head in defiance. "Then show me the pictures on it that you're talking
about," the young coach insisted.

      Again I shook my head in defiance. "No. You can see them when we go
to the Principal's office."

      "Oh you little piss-ant," the coach hissed. "Grab him," he said to
two players behind me. They each grabbed an arm and he tried to force his
hand into my pocket. I twisted and squirmed and fought them off and yelled
at the baseball coach, "If you stick your hand in my pocket, I'll make sure
you get fired and put on the child molester's website. I mean it; my dad
will sue your ass. Just take me to the office." I was shrieking but the
stupid coach kept trying to get the phone. I flicked the small kid on my
left side into the benches and he hit the Gatorade jug sending it flying
onto the floor. The lid fell off and ice and water poured out all over. We
slipped on the ice in the struggle and the coach landed on top of me. He
used this advantage to shove his hand in my pocket just as the head coach
of the Varsity came running up to the chain link on the dugout and yelled
for us to stop. We both looked up at his scowling face.

      "What the hell is going on in here?" he yelled.

      I was smart enough to answer first and said, "This pervert is trying
to grope me." The JV coach let go of the phone and jerked his hand from my
pocket.

      "I was not! He stole Tyler's phone and I'm trying to get it back." He
was flushed and sounded ridiculous.

      "I offered to turn it over to the Principal because it has illegal
pictures on it she needs to see, but he wouldn't let me do that and instead
tried to grope me."

      "All right, get up and we'll all go see Mrs. Matthews and figure this
out. And get Tyler to the nurse for hell sake before he bleeds to death."
He instructed the two guys that had been holding me for the JV coach to
come along as witnesses and I insisted Bodie come also. He looked less than
thrilled by the invitation. All the way to the office, the head coach was
giving the JV coach shit for physically assaulting a student. He kept
telling the JV coach to shut up every time he tried to defend himself. At
the office, Principal Matthews audibly groaned when she saw our entourage
enter the foyer. She led us to a conference room and the sorting process
began.

      I pulled the phone from my pocket and explained why I had gone to the
field and started the "ruckus" as Principal Matthews called it. I explained
that a friend had shown me the pictures that Tyler had taken and was
passing around the school. I slid the phone over to Mrs. Matthews, who
turned on the phone and opened the photos. Her mouth dropped and she slid
the phone to the coaches. "That's William. He's a student here and he's
really shy. I talked him into going to the bonfire at Bodie's ranch after
the Ladies Choice dance and those baseball players pantsed him there and
Tyler took those pictures. Now, he's sending them all over and making
William into a big joke."

      The JV coach blurted out, "Is that it? Pictures of some nerd's dick
that weren't even taken on school grounds?" The head coach looked away and
rolled his eyes.

      "He may be a nerd, but that doesn't make it okay for the baseball
assholes to ridicule and harass him. I'm sick of everyone picking on
William. He doesn't deserve it. He's a great kid and just wants to be left
alone."

      "Calm down, Kyle," Mrs. Matthews said. I sat back in my chair. "Tell
me about the fighting?" she asked.

      "I snatched his phone when he was showing off those pictures to some
players in the dugout and laughing about them. I told him I was taking it
to show you. He kicked me in the back with his cleats and knocked me
down. I jumped up and defended myself. Then, this coach came and tried to
get the phone from me, but I told him I would only give it to you and he
got on top of me trying to fish it out of my pocket until Coach Sanders
came and made him stop groping in my pocket."

      She looked at the players and asked, "Is that accurate?" They all
nodded, but the tall third baseman added that I'd gone a little "nutso" on
Tyler and was sitting on him swinging away before he pulled me off and then
added the part about me getting kicked in the nuts and how I went "nutso"
again after that. The double reference to nuts and "nutso" evoked some
snickers that Mrs. Matthews quickly silenced with her glare. I didn't
snicker. I didn't find it funny.

      Just then, Tyler entered with his bloodied shirt and a wad of gauze
stuffed in each nostril. A metal bar with blue Styrofoam was taped over his
nose to protect it. He was given a chance to give his own version and he
tried to claim I took the first swing and denied kicking me. The players
all stood by my version however and I displayed the cleat marks on my back.

      Mrs. Matthews sighed, rubbed her temples and said, "Normally, I try
to resolve these messes within the realm of the school disciplinary
system. This time, there are some clear laws that have been broken and need
to be redressed. First things first, however. Tyler, please contact your
parents to come take you to a doctor for medical care."

      "My dad is outside already," Tyler said in an odd, whistling manner
since his nose was clogged up. "Can I have my phone now?"

      "No." Mrs. Matthews took it from the coach. "I'll be turning this
over to the police. Clearly, an assault has been made on William and this
is evidence." Tyler looked sick. "Additionally, both of you are suspended
for at least a week and restricted from all extracurricular activities for
that time while I decide on the ultimate outcome. We have a zero tolerance
policy for fighting as you both know. She held her hand up to both of our
objections. I recognized the no argument look on her face, but Tyler
persevered and launched into a small tirade about how unfair it was since I
provoked him by stealing his phone. Mrs. Matthews listened to it for a full
minute then interrupted him to announce that he was suspended from school
for a week still and from extra-curricular for a month. Tyler gasped and so
did the JV coach. The coach and Tyler started to argue again, but
Mrs. Matthews gave them the "look" and they clamped their mouths shut. She
walked Tyler out and spoke to Tyler's father, who appeared to be quite
upset and very animated. The nut clearly didn't fall too far from the tree.

      When Mrs. Matthews returned, her annoyance meter was a notch
higher. She looked at the JV coach and said, "Your services coaching young
men are officially terminated. Coach Sanders, find a suitable replacement."
Then she continued addressing the rest of us ignoring the JV coach's
sputtering objections, "Everyone call your parents and have them come to
get you. I want to speak to them," she stated. I sent my dad a text that I
needed him to come to school. I told him I needed him to talk to the
Principal about a problem I had at school. He sent a text back that there
was absolutely no way he could leave right then.

      "Umm, Mrs. Matthews," I said cautiously. "My father's an oncologist
and he is in the middle of something at the hospital that he can't leave
right now. I can just walk home and he can come see you tomorrow."

      "Then call your mother."

      "Well, I can't. She walked out on us last week."

      She looked momentarily sympathetic, but stated, "Then I will be
forced to call the police and turn you over to their custody. You have
potentially committed a crime by taking Tyler's phone. Plus, we still have
to sort out the assault issues."

      "Let me try again," I plead. I shot a desperate text off to my
dad. "Please come. I need a parent or I can't go home."

      It took a while for him to text back. "Can't. Sorry." I started to
panic. Mrs. Matthews was clearly not bluffing. I feared I may end up in
juvenile hall and I started to hyperventilate. I showed Mrs. Matthews the
text and she just shrugged.

      "I'm sorry," she said sincerely, "I can't let you simply leave on
your own. I have to turn you over to the care of a responsible
guardian. It's strict policy."

      "Okay. Let me try my mother, but I doubt she will come." I sent her a
text, "Mom, help! I need you to come to my school now. It's urgent. Please
come, dad can't." I was a nervous wreck waiting for a reply. It seemed like
an hour before my phone finally vibrated. I was so tense; I jumped when it
went off. I fumbled to pull up her reply.

      "Are you hurt?"

      "No, I just need a parent here urgent. Please come."

      "Okay. I'll be there soon." I breathed a tremendous sigh of relief.

      "My mom's coming!" I announced. Mrs. Matthews smiled with
relief. When Bodie's parents came, they were visibly shaken by the turn of
events. I know they were worried about getting sued over it all since it
happened at their ranch. I was pretty sure that was the last of the
bonfires at Bodie's. I was the last to get picked up and Mrs. Matthews and
an assistant principal waited for my mom to show up. I was starting to get
nervous. We all sat in Mrs. Matthews' office so she could get some work
done while we waited.

      I sent a text to William, "Hey bud, how u doing? School go ok for u
today?"

      "Yes. Most magnificent. Thank you." I was pretty sure that he hadn't
seen the pictures since he replied that way and I was relieved. I hoped it
could stay like that.

      Mrs. Matthews looked up from her work and said, "Kyle, I know you did
what you did with the best intentions. It was noble of you to try and
protect your friend. Your approach was poor, but I do not question your
motives, only your methods."

      "Yes ma'am. I realize I let my impulsiveness mess things up again. I
need to work on that."

      "It is a strong man who acknowledges his weaknesses."  She went back
to her work. I stared again at the clock. I was about to text my mother for
the fourth time when she finally walked through the door. She was
overdressed and was acting very strange, almost egotistical.

      "Hello sweetie," she said to me through her artificial smile. "I'm so
glad you're not injured." Then turning to Mrs. Matthews, she said, "What
exactly seems to be the problem?" I was invited to leave the office and
they spoke behind closed doors for a time.

      "C'mon sweetie let's go now," my mother said smiling artificially at
me as she emerged from the office. The faked concern she exhibited for me
was overwhelmingly nauseating. When we were in her car, her demeanor
changed immediately. "What is wrong with you? I can't believe how
humiliating it is for me to have to come here and spare you from being
arrested. What exactly is your father doing? I am very concerned about
you. We have been much too lenient. You need some discipline in your life."

      "Mom, I can explain. I was tryin ..."

      "I'm sure you can," she snapped, cutting me off like usual. "You
always have an explanation, don't you? You always have a reason why it's
not your fault. If you weren't involved in that brutal sport, you wouldn't
be so aggressive and delinquent. I just don't know what's happened to my
sweet, adorable, innocent little boy. I don't think your father is a good
influence on you. And to think this is all over you befriending that
little, gay miscreant, William. I tell you, he is trouble. He's the product
of white trash and you should stay away from him, do you hear?"

      "Dad's great and so is William. You have no right to judge either of
them! Dad just has to work late sometimes. Don't start in about Dad, and I
mean it. You could never measure up to the parent he is, nor could you be
as caring and charitable as William really is."

      "Well maybe I should just take you back then and let them call the
police. Your wonderful father or your charitable friend can then bail you
out of jail tomorrow!"

      "Look, I don't want to seem ungrateful or anything ..."

      "Well then don't say whatever it is. If you can't say anything nice,
then say nothing at all."

      "Yeah, I know how the nursery rhyme, or whatever that is, goes. But
it's just like Dad has been there for me since you took off. Speaking of
that, why the hell did you ..."

      "Oh no, mister. You are not twisting this into being about me. This
is about you. I'll not hear another word from you about me."

      My god, I was fuming. She frustrates the crap out of me. She never
lets me finish a sentence. We pulled into the driveway and she hit the
button for the garage door. She followed me in. "Look, there's no need for
you to come in. I'll be fine now until Dad comes home, okay? Thank you for
rescuing me."

      "No. It's not okay. I want to see what's going on here. She made her
way through the house scoffing at the shape of things. I couldn't help but
think what she would have thought before we took a whole day cleaning it
up, especially being in the nude when we did it. She took pictures of the
moldy stuff in the fridge before she threw it out. I couldn't believe we
actually forgot to clean out the fridge when Dad and I did our house
cleaning. She did the dishes and made me clean my room to her satisfaction
before announcing that I was simply not being given adequate supervision
and I needed more discipline.

      "Okay, mom, I got it. I need more discipline and wrestling is an
aggressive sport and I need better friends. You've said it at least twenty
times. I appreciate that you saved me today and I promise it won't happen
again. Can you leave now so I can catch up on my homework that I missed
yesterday?"

      "Why did you miss homework?"

      "I didn't go to school yesterday. Dad let me stay home because ..." I
had to pause to gain my composure. "Because Sam died."

      "Sam who?"

      "Sam! My dog I've had forever. That Sam!"

      "Oh for heaven's sake. You didn't attend school because a dog died?
That's nonsense. I tell you, you need some discipline in your life."

      "Wow, can you really be that cold? I can't even understand you, even
a little bit. Where did you come from? Another planet?"

      "You will not speak to me in that tone. I will not have it!"

      William's words rung in my head. "Honor thy Father and thy Mother."

      "You're right. I shouldn't talk to you like that. I'm sorry. Thank
you for saving me. Can I do my homework now, please?"

      "Of course." She put on her fake mommy smile and said, "Goodbye
sweetie, I'm glad you weren't hurt."

      I watched in absolute and utter amazement as she walked down my hall
and onto the stairs. When she was out of sight, I made a grotesque face,
stuck my tongue out and waggled my head back and forth in defiant
frustration. I raised my right hand in a one-finger salute just as she
popped her head back into the hallway. Brilliantly, in an instantaneous
maneuver, I shoved my finger up my nose, acting like I was digging for
gold. "Are you hungry? Should I fix you some dinner?"

      "No thanks. I can't eat, I'm a little over my weight class." Then in
a moment of disgustingly undeniable mother abuse, I extracted the finger
from my nose and slipped it into my mouth. "Mmm, salty," I said. She
wrinkled her brow, involuntarily gagged and snapped her head back into the
stairwell without speaking. I pulled my finger out and clasped my hand over
my mouth to stifle the laughter. Mission accomplished.

      Before starting my homework, I read through my children's book,
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. I was really
beginning to identify with poor Alexander.

      I heard a strange noise downstairs and I went to investigate. I found
the source of it when I walked in to find my mother lying on her bedroom
floor and a chair turned over near her. "Are you okay?" I asked.

      "Oh yes, certainly. I just fell while reaching for something in the
closet. I'm fine."

      "Can I help you get whatever it is?"

      She declined my offer much too quickly and sharply. It raised my
suspicions about what she was after. I helped her to her feet and she
replaced the chair. "I'll be going now sweetie. Bye-bye."

      "Bye," I muttered as she exited into the garage.