Date: Sat, 6 Jul 2002 13:39:27 EDT
From: Draginacht@aol.com
Subject: David's Initiation 08

Disclaimer: The following is a work of fiction and any resemblance to real
people or events is purely coincidental.  The story contains graphic
descriptions of sex between men. Anyone who is forbidden by law to read such
material must stop now.  This story is being posted to the Nifty Archive
solely for the enjoyment of its readers.

*******

Dear reader, I know this section of the Nifty Archive is supposed to be
devoted to gay sex. However, in this story I believe it is necessary for the
protagonist's character development for him to deal with straight sex. If
anyone objects to heterosexual scenes, this chapter may not be your cup of
tea. In this chapter David comes face to face with the reality of trying to
play it straight and date girls. It both broadens and deepens his character.

*******

David's Initiation 08

*******


"The summer between my freshman and sophomore year was when I started working
in construction." David and Marcus were sitting alone in the bleachers
overlooking the track. After practice David suggested they meet there and he
would try to answer Marcus' question. "For insurance reasons they wouldn't
let me work on real construction so I spent almost all of my time in the
office. I learned a lot. For one thing, I noticed that the guys who made all
the important decisions were the educated ones, they had college degrees.
They were also the guys who took the most risks but they also made the most
money. That's when I realized that I wanted the independence to make my own
decisions on my own terms and wanted financial independence. It was pretty
obvious that college was the route to that goal and that meant I had to do
better in high school. Starting my sophomore year I really went to work and
committed myself to getting the best grades possible. My parents don't have a
lot of money so I knew I had to shoot for an academic scholarship. I've saved
almost everything I've made working construction and when I get to college
will probably have to carry a part time job and work during the summers. So!
That's what drives me. Does that answer your question?

Marcus sat quietly for several moments looking out over the field then turned
and looked at David.

"That means if I want to get out of here and do something with my life I have
to make better grades."

"How you doing now?"

"Mostly `Cs', a few `Bs'... But I can do a lot better.

"What do you mean, you can do better?"

"Well... don't tell anyone I told you this, okay?"

"Yeah."

"I've been holding my grades down."

"What...why?"

Marcus looked David in the eyes for over a minute before speaking again. "If
I get real good grades, the kind I need to get into college, my friends will
say... never mind, you wouldn't understand."

"Try me."

"Maybe some day, not now."

"Marcus, if you have the brains you just have to go for everything you can
get."

"That's what DeJuan says. He and Momma are constantly on my case to get
better grades. They know I can do better."

"So, what now?" David withheld offering any unsolicited advice; if Marcus
wanted it he would ask for it.

"I don't really know. I gotta think."

"Look. If you think I can help, just ask. I agree with DeJuan and your momma.
You now have three of us on you side. Think about it."

"Thanks, I will."

The two young men sat quietly for several more minutes. David was waiting for
Marcus to make the first move. He did, he stood up and David stood up too.
Marcus turned to David and extended his hand.

"Thanks again, David. I'm going to tell DeJuan what we talked about. I'll
let you know what I decide." David shook Marcus' hand and they parted, going
different directions. From a distance a pair of eyes watched as the two
youths parted company.

About two weeks later David and Marcus passed in the hall and Marcus gave a
thumbs-up signal. David responded in kind and a big smile. This exchange did
not go unnoticed.

As the end of the school year approached David often found himself lost in
thought about the Prom and what to anticipate afterward. One afternoon David
finished placing a book in his locker and was closing the door when he felt
someone tap him on the shoulder.

"Danny!" David almost shouted in surprise. "Good to see you."

"Yeah right. Like you really care."

"Sure I do, you know that."

"So you dump me for that black dude. You like that big black cock?"

David glanced around to make sure no one else was close enough to hear.

"Keep your voice down. No... Marcus and I are just friends... we are not
sexually involved."

"Yeah, right. You initiate him to the track team, jack him off, and then tell
me you ain't swinging on his big black bat? Get real. I guess I'm not good
enough for you any more."

"Stop it, Danny. I said it's not like that."

"Fuck you!" Danny balled up his fist, pulled his arm back and took a swing at
David. He telegraphed his move far too early. David ducked under Danny's arm
and at the same time drove his fist hard into the middle of Danny's chest,
knocking him backward and he crashed into the concrete wall, banging his head
hard.

"Don't do this Danny!" David pleaded. By now other students were becoming
aware of the scuffle and started to congregate. Danny stood motionless for a
few moments staring at David then dropped his arms, turned and ran out of the
building.

"What was that all about," one of David's classmates asked.

"I haven't the slight idea. Maybe someday Danny will tell me."



Prom night arrived. David nervously finished tying his tie then stepped back
to get a look at himself in the full-length mirror. `Not bad, if I do say so
myself.' He almost croaked when he had to pay for the tux rental. Then there
was the cost of the flowers for Tiffany. He wondered if the entertainment
would be worth the money. He heard a car horn honk and knew that would be
Stan. David and Tiffany were double dating with Stan and Brenda again. At
least Stan was sexually interesting. The two couples proceeded to the Prom
and really had a good time, much better than David had expected. But the
moment of truth was near.

Stan, Brenda, Tiffany and David left the Prom with Tiffany and David in the
back seat. David sat quietly, contemplating how and when to make the nest
move when Tiffany beat him to it. As Stan drove to the popular make-out
parking spot Tiffany placed her arms around David and began kissing him.
Surprised, David responded properly. The next thing he knew, Tiffany had
pulled him down so they were lying face to face, Tiffany's back against the
back of the seat. As Tiffany's hand began unbuckling David's belt he decided
he'd better start doing something himself so he began softly kissing Tiffany,
first on her lips, then working down to her neck. His kisses were soft, like
butterflies. Tiffany tilted her head back to give David better access to her
neck. As David continued, Tiffany hastily unzipped David's pants and slid her
hand inside, searching for his cock. She was definitely on a mission and the
invasion of a strange hand caused David to achieve a formidable erection.

David's kisses were achieving results. Tiffany was definitely getting turned
on. She reached behind her and unzipped her gown, then pulled the front down
exposing her breasts. There was no way David could interpret that as anything
other than an invitation to expand his kissing area and he continued placing
light, delicate kisses all over Tiffany's upper chest and on the top of her
breasts. She began squirming and breathing hard. As David systematically
applied his kisses, Tiffany managed to locate David's cock and get it out of
his briefs where she could wrap her hand around it and begin stroking it.
Just as David was wondering if he should place his hand inside Tiffany's
thigh she found his hand and placed it directly between her legs and against
her panties. She wasn't wasting any time.

David had a very strange feeling wash over him. The only other times his hand
had been in someone else's crotch it had held a cock and balls. This time
there was nothing to hold onto. As he continued wetting his lips and lightly
kissing the top of Tiffany's breasts he realized she was removing her panties
so he attempted to assist her. When that was complete, Tiffany again grabbed
his hand and placed it directly on her pussy, which was awash with moisture.
Remembering Kate's lesson, David positioned his fingers like he was
instructed and began slowly and gently stroking on either side of Tiffany's
clitoris making sure not to touch it. His kisses were also narrowly missing
Tiffany's nipples but he could tell they were very erect. Tiffany really
wanted this.

David performed as he had been instructed and the results were near perfect.
Before long he felt Tiffany shudder, inhale deeply then exhale slowly and
completely. He didn't know what that meant and Tiffany didn't say anything
so he continued. A few moments later Tiffany shuddered again and this time
she squeaked softly but audibly but David got no indication that he should
stop so he didn't. A few moments later Tiffany shuddered again and this time
she squealed quite loudly, grabbed David's hand, closed his fingers, pressed
them hard against her erect clitoris and continued shuddering and grunting;
her breathing was quite erratic. After a few moments she calmed down and
kissed David deeply and passionately, inserting her tongue deep into his
mouth.

Then Tiffany turned her attention to David's erection. She wrapped both her
hands around his cock, one near the base and the other above it with the head
of his cock sticking out the top.

"Good Lord, David, I didn't know you were this big!"

"Yeah, it's all me." `What a dumb thing to say,' David thought, he just
couldn't think of an appropriate response.

Tiffany started stroking the top part of David's cock and spreading his
precum around the head. He wondered if Kate had passed that technique along
to the members of the Omega Society. By now David realized the car was no
longer moving which meant that they were parked at `lover's lane.' From the
entertaining sounds coming from the front seat he also surmised that Brenda
and Stan were trying to catch up with him and Tiffany. David knew he was some
distance away from orgasm but by now Tiffany's hand and arm were beginning to
get tired. She took David by surprise when she crawled over him, knelt on the
floor of the back seat, rolled him onto his back and slid her lips over the
head of his cock. Now this really got David's attention! As Tiffany swirled
her tongue around the head of his cock David could feel his orgasm
approaching and reached into his back pocket for his handkerchief which he
planned to use to catch his cum. When he heard Stan emit that familiar groan
associated with most male orgasms, David couldn't hold out much longer. He
slipped his hand under Tiffany's forehead and tried to force her off.

"Now, Tiff, Now!" David said quietly but urgently. Tiffany's jaw released his
cock from its grip and David quickly covered the head with his handkerchief
just in time to catch the first volley of cum as it erupted from his member.
It wasn't the best, most intense orgasm he ever experienced but it wasn't
bad either. He lay quietly for several seconds catching his breath and trying
to fathom what had just happened. Nothing seemed to make sense. He was jolted
back to reality when he felt Tiffany's mouth close around the head of his
cock and she began sucking up the remnants of his seed that coated it. That
was enough for David. He struggled to sit up and reached for his briefs and
pants to pull them into place. Tiffany reluctantly relinquished her vacuum on
his cock and released him.

"David, they're still busy in the front seat, we don't have to stop."
Tiffany whispered.

"Tiff, I have to stop, it's too sensitive right now." David whispered back as
he continued stuffing his shirt into his pants.

"Okay, help me zip my dress." Tiffany asked. David reached around her, found
the zipper and began pulling it toward the top of her dress. Tiffany held the
front of her dress up to make sure everything was inside when the zipper
closed. As David pulled Tiffany's zipper to the top she threw her arms around
him and engaged him in an intimately passionate kiss. David could taste
himself and started to harden again. At that moment they heard Brenda gasp
loudly and issue a slight cry, indicating Stan had succeeded in bringing her
to orgasm. David and Tiffany repositioned themselves in the back seat holding
hands, waiting for Stan and Brenda to recover enough to start for home.

Tiffany leaned against David, pulled his head around and kissed him tenderly
on the lips. "David, you were wonderful, just wonderful," she whispered. "I'd
like to do this again sometime, just the two of us.

"Let's talk about it later, okay?"

"Sure. Any time. Call me."

By now Stan was starting the car as Brenda rearranged her Prom gown. Stan
dropped Tiffany off first followed by David. David was sure Stan and Brenda
were going to go somewhere else and continue with some heavy stuff. Upon
reaching his room, David inspected his tux and was pleased to see it was not
splattered with any compromising spots. He went to the bathroom, rinsed out
his handkerchief and hung it in his closet to dry. Tomorrow morning he would
throw it in with the dirty clothes and no one would be the wiser. He crawled
into bed and fell asleep quickly, too tired to even think about what had
happened that evening.



Monday David was having lunch in the school cafeteria when Marcus sat down
across the table from him.

"You workin this summer?" Marcus asked.

"Yeah, construction again. And you?"

"The best I can find is minimum wage at a burger joint. Does you company ever
have openings for guys like me?"

"Whata you mean, like you?"

"You know, `Like Me!" Marcus pointed the index finger of his right hand at
his left forearm. The correct question was, do they hire blacks?

"Shit, Marcus, if they don't they should." David felt embarrassed. "Give me
some time to check it out and I'll let you know."

"Thanks, gotta go." Marcus was out of the chair and out of the cafeteria in a
flash.

David looked around the room checking to see if Danny was anywhere nearby to
spy on him but didn't see him.

By Thursday, David began to feel uncomfortable. He was sure that every girl
he saw was staring at him. `Nah, I must be getting paranoid,' he thought. By
Friday, some of the girls in his class would walk up to him in the hall and
greet him with a sing-song, "Hiii, David." Thank Heaven the weekend arrived
and that meant only one more week of school. Then he could start his summer
job.

The final week of school was rather disjointed; every schedule was a mess due
to final exams. Still, David was convinced several of the girls were staring
at him. David's last exam was Thursday morning and he was finished. The next
day he went to the Construction Company to check on his job and learned his
friend Joe had requested him as an intern. That meant he would be working at
the main office with Joe and only visiting the work cites as circumstances
warranted. While he was in the building he walked up to the secretary and
asked if he could see Mr. McCracken, the owner. As luck would have it Mr.
McCracken's previous appointment had just left and he was free for a few
minutes. The secretary told him to go on in.

"Hi, David, how's your father?"

"He's just fine, sir."

"Your father's a fine man, I have a lot of respect for him. Now, to what do I
owe the honor of your visit?" McCracken said with a grin. David knew full
well the man was teasing him and at the same time paying him a complement.

"Well, sir..." David hesitated, "I was wondering if you might have any more
part time summer jobs open. You see, a friend of mine needs work so he can
save for college."

"I see." McCracken responded, stroking his chin with his hand. "We don't have
anything at the moment, David, but in this business people come and go at a
moment's notice. What can you tell me about your friend?"

"Well, sir, he's 16 years old, very intelligent and he's going to be a star
on the track team next year."

"Has he ever worked on construction before?"

"I don't think so, sir."

"Well, if something comes open I'll have the secretary contact you. Anything
else?"

"Thank you, sir." David turned around and started walking toward the door
then stopped and looked back at McCracken. "One more thing, sir."

"Yes?"

"Does it matter if he's... if he's black."

McCracken stared at David for a moment or two measuring his response. "No,
David, not if you recommend him."

A big smile spread across David's face, "Thank you, sir, I sure hope the
secretary calls me soon." Happy with himself for having the courage to
approach the owner the way he did, David was in a good mood the rest of the
day and all weekend.

Kate and John arrived home from college Saturday afternoon and the family had
a wonderful gathering for church on Sunday morning and a big dinner that
afternoon. David couldn't remember when he had been happier.



Monday, David reported to his friend Joe who outlined what his duties would
be for the rest of the summer. David was to learn all he could about using
the CAD (computer assisted design) program as well as many other facets of
the construction business. David jumped right in and immersed himself in his
new and interesting challenges.

The following Friday David was walking through the lobby of the main office
when he saw Danny, he was sitting in a chair like he was waiting for
something. He thought for a moment then cautiously approach his friend.

"Danny, what brings you in here?"

Danny stood up to greet David. "I came to pick up my final check."

"Your final what? What do you mean?"

"Here you are, Mr. Chambers." The secretary walked over and handed a check to
Danny. "Good luck, wherever you go." She smiled warmly at Danny.

"Where are you going?" David asked, his eyes wide open with confusion.

"Can you get out of here for a little while? There are some things I want to
tell you."

David glanced at his watch and noticed it was almost time for lunch. "Wait
here. I'll tell Joe I'm going to lunch and I'll be right back." David
disappeared through a door momentarily and returned almost immediately.
"Let's go!" The two young men, all differences apparently put aside for the
moment, left the office.

"Why don't I drive, then I can drop you off here when we're done."

"Good plan." David responded.

Danny started talking as he drove about two blocks to a burger place. "I'm
sorry about takin' a swing at you a few weeks back. I was a little screwed
up. That bump on the head I got when you smacked me into the wall seemed to
clear thing up."

"It's okay. I just didn't understand why you did it. That wasn't the Danny I
thought I knew. I didn't believe you really meant it. We've been too close
for too long."

Danny parked the car and they went inside, ordered, then took their food back
outside and sat down at a table shaded by a metal umbrella. No one else was
around so they could talk freely.

"Okay, spill!" David demanded.

"Well... after that incident at school I started thinking. Graduation was just
around the corner and I had no idea what I was going to do after that. I
thought about us and could see we were headed in different directions, you
involved in the Alpha Society and such. I just decided I needed to get out of
town. This is no place for me, me being gay. Graduation came and I went back
to work on construction. The more I thought the more I hated doing that. So
last week I went down to the recruiting office and joined the Navy. I leave
Monday."

"No way! Are you crazy? This is a joke, isn't it!" David was really taken by
surprise. He sat staring at Danny, waiting for his friend to say he was
joking, all the while thinking about Danny onboard ship with hundreds of
horny men. Finally it dawned on him that this was no joke. "You're serious
about this aren't you?"

"Uh ha."

"But why the Navy? Surrounded by all those guys on a ship for months at sea.
How you gonna handle that? When they find out you're gay they'll probably
make you walk the plank, throw you to the sharks, whatever they do to gays in
the Navy. How did they let you in anyway, did you lie about being gay?"

"Yeah. I don't think it'll be that bad. I talked to my uncle who was in the
Navy and he really liked it."

"But was he gay?"

"No... at least I don't think so."

"If we weren't here in public I'd grab and squeeze you until you got some
sense into your head. Can you get out of it?"

"Too late. I signed the papers already; it's a legal commitment. Besides, it
gets me out of this place and they promised me I could work on computers,
that was my best subject in school."

"Yeah, right, they promised." David seemed irritated. He didn't understand
why, he just seemed so. "Well... you have to promise me something!"

"What?"

"Promise you'll write to me and tell me how things are going. We may be going
in different directions as you say but I still care about you, you're my best
friend."

For the first time since the two young men saw each other in the office
almost an hour ago, Danny smiled.

"Thanks, David, that's the best thing you could have said. I promise; not
every day of course, we're not engaged you know."

That comment brought a smile to David's face. "Okay, I just want to know how
you get along with all those horny sailors." He laughed. "Say, I need to get
back to the office." David said as he glanced at his watch.

Danny stopped the car in front of the construction office. "So long dude." He
extended his hand. David grasped Danny's hand and they shook.

"I'll miss you, Danny, it's not going to be the same with you gone. And if
you need to talk about, you know, call me."

"I will, I'll miss you too." And with that, David opened the car door and got
out. Danny drove off and suddenly David felt lonely. This was the first time
someone he felt really close to had left his life. Kate going to college was
different because she was only a short drive away and was home for every
holiday and summers. He turned and walked into the building.

"Oh, David," the secretary stopped him as she passed her desk, "Mr. McCracken
told me to tell you we have an opening for a part-time summer job and you
should call your friend."

"YES MA-AM!" David exclaimed and headed for the nearest telephone. Just that
quickly Danny's memory faded and he was looking to the future. He called
Marcus' home and DeJuan gave him the phone number where Marcus was working, a
burger joint. He called the number and waited while someone went to get
Marcus.

"Hello?"

"You still interested in working construction this summer?" Marcus recognized
David's voice.

"You bet you sweet ass I am."

"Then get YOUR sweet ass down here and fill out an application."

"Are you really serious or are you just jivin' me?

"Serious as dick cancer, dude. Now get movin." David heard the receiver crash
into the holder and the line went dead.

The very next Saturday, David was sitting on the back step after finishing
his morning run. He heard the door open and Kate walked out and sat down
beside him.

"Well, if it isn't Casanova himself!" She exclaimed in a teasing manner.

"Whata ya mean, girl. Explain yourself." David's vocabulary was beginning to
sound more adult with each day and Kate noticed. It seemed to carry a tone of
maturity that she hadn't noticed last fall when she left for school. Perhaps
he was adjusting to life without a big sister around and was becoming his own
man.

"You mean you don't know?"

"Know what?"

"You took Tiffany to the Prom didn't you?"

"Yeah? So?"

"And I assume you followed tradition?" Finally David understood where she was
headed. The thought made him blush.

"Oh, that." He tried to downplay the incident.

"Yes... That! Don't you realize you are the talk of the Alpha Society?"

"What? What do you mean, the talk of the Alpha Society?"

"Oh, David, are you really that naive? Don't you really know?"

"Come on, Kate, quite playing games. Know what?" David was beginning to sound
irritated.

Kate thought for several seconds. How on earth was she going to explain this
sensitive topic to her brother?

"Tell me, have you noticed the girls looking at you a lot lately, staring at
you?"

"Well... now that you mention it they have seemed a little strange but that
could just be normal."

Kate now knew David was clueless and she would have to be blunt. "You really
don't know what you did, do you!"

"What are you getting at?" David was losing his patience.

"Do you know what a multiple orgasm is?"

"Well... not exactly."

"Forgive me, David, but I can't find a delicate way to explain this. Multiple
orgasms are things some girls only dream about. And that's what you did for
Tiffany. She was so proud and excited she couldn't keep her mouth shut now
all the girls think you are some kind of stud and they can't wait for you to
get into their pants."

"Ohhh Shit!" This is not what David wanted. "What do I do now?"

"Face it, most guys would be out hustling the field trying to score with as
many girls as possible. You just happen to be different. The only thing I can
think of is you'd better talk to Tiffany. She started it, maybe she can stop
to it."

"What'll I say to her?"

"I don't know but I'm sure you'll think of something."

Later that afternoon David called Tiffany and asked if she could meet him for
coke. Of course she could. She would have canceled an appointment with the
President just a have a few moments with David. The atmosphere was tense.
David explained that he felt guilty about what he had done and he wanted to
apologize. He stressed that he respected her and was not proud of the way he
behaved. At that moment he hit on the basis of his position, his actions were
against his religious faith and he wanted to make amends. Almost everyone
knew he attended church regularly. David decided to use religion as his
defense for halting his `heterosexual' activities. That placed Tiffany on
the defensive (temporarily) and she politely backed away. She accepted
David's apology (even though she had been the aggressor) and complimented him
on the strength of his faith. David hoped Tiffany would spread the word about
his religious convictions and the other girls would back off also. Before
they parted David told Tiffany he really liked her and wanted to remain
friends. She agreed. (How could she not?)



The rest of the summer went sailing along without much excitement. Danny
wrote and reported on his training. He was doing just fine. He was now in San
Diego for more training and, as promised, would be doing something with
computers but he couldn't tell David what the job was about. At first David
saw Marcus only occasionally but eventually they began meeting after work
three days a week at the high school track to run. Marcus had the usual
complaints about the hard work but David could tell that, in reality, Marcus
appreciated the opportunity. For the most part, the guys treated him well.
Only a few assholes gave him a hard time.

The Alpha and Omega Societies continued having social activities from time to
time and David detected a clear signal that Tiffany had been able to turn off
the hoard of cunts chasing after him. The benefits of Alpha Society were
beginning to be obvious. David was learning and practicing social graces he
would need to function comfortably in polite society, like rising from his c
hair when a lady enters the room or leaves the table and returns, like
which fork or spoon to use for which food being served, etc. He also learned
how to relate with men in formal, business situations. Certain rules of order
were used to conduct Society meetings and personal conduct always seemed to
be under a magnifying glass. David was soon elevated to `activities
chairman', an important but not officer position.

During an informal meeting a few weeks before school David was talking to Al
Champion, the Alpha Society membership chairman. David asked what the rules
were for nominating someone for membership and then asked if there would be
any problem if he wanted to nominate Marcus. He assured Al that he had not
mentioned anything to Marcus and would not unless it would be okay. Al was a
little uncertain about that but agreed to ask the other officers. The week
before school started Al called and told David that his question had launched
a lively discussion among the Society officers and they had even floated the
idea among some of the other members. They decided it was time for a change
and if it was going to happen, Marcus was the right person, BUT ONLY if he
was truly interested. David had to find out exactly what Marcus' mind was on
the idea and relay that back to the officers before they would decide.

When David's senior year began he found himself being elected as senior class
treasurer, a largely ceremonial position but one of significant status. The
first week of school David ran into Marcus and asked him if he could meet him
at the track following his last class for a run. As usual, they ended their
run with a sprint and Marcus came in second. He was always complaining about
spending all his time chasing David's ass around the track. They always got a
good laugh about it. As they continued walking to cool down David began
speaking.

"You know I'm a member of the Alpha Society, what do you think of it?" David
asked.

"I used to think it was just a bunch of rich, snooty, white boys who wanted
to look important. But now I know they really do some good things for the
community. And I know you and you're not rich and snooty... even though you
are white." Marcus looked at David to see if he had gotten away with a
friendly insult.

"That's one," David replied and he tapped his fist lightly on Marcus' upper
arm in a gesture of friendship and smiled. "Could you ever see yourself as a
member of such a group?"

"That's not likely to happen so I don't need to worry about it."

"Would it be a problem for you? And answer the question this time."

"Are you going somewhere with these questions, David."

"Maybe?"

Both men were silent for a few moments while they continued walking.

"Man, you can't begin to understand the problems something like that would
cause. I mean... oh shit! I have to decide if I want to tell you this." David
remained silent, letting Marcus talk. "Part of me says yes and part says no.
I got to think about it. Is that okay?"

"How long?"

"How long what?"

"How much time do you want to think about it?"

"Can we talk tomorrow?"

"Sure." David clapped Marcus on the shoulder and they parted, going their
separate ways.


The next morning Marcus was waiting when David arrived at his locker. "Look,
David." Marcus began. "I told DeJuan about your question, how I felt and what
I wanted to do. He told me to follow my instincts and that is what I want to
tell you." Marcus paused for a moment to ensure he had David's full
attention. "I would like to join the A. S. if they will have me."

"Marcus, if there is any, and I mean ANY possibility that you might back out,
say so now."

"That means you're sticking your neck out, doesn't it!"

David hesitated for a moment. Marcus had figured it out. "You might say that."

"Then count me in. Once I start something I don't back out."

"Okay, you'll be hearing from me soon. Let's head to class."

David contacted Al Champion and filled him in on his conversations with
Marcus. Al gave David the application, he passed it to Marcus, and the
process was set into motion. A few weeks later Marcus was initiated into the
Alpha Society. Not everyone was happy with that decision but they accepted
it. David never knew but some of Marcus friends, or former friends, started
giving him a hard time. That's when DeJuan stepped in and set things
straight. He knew his little brother had what it took to succeed and DeJuan
was committed to helping him do just that.



As the Christmas break approached David got only his second E-mail from John
saying he needed David's help again and asking him to set a time when he
could call. John called and explained that he and Kate had discussed marriage
and agreed that is what they both wanted. John planned to give Kate an
engagement ring for Christmas wanted David's help setting it up. The two men
worked secretly hatching their plan. The day before Christmas John delivered
a large gift-wrapped box to set beside the tree. Christmas morning David,
Kate, and their parents began opening their gifts and Kate saved the big box
to the end. She opened the box to find another gift-wrapped box inside. Then
there was another box, and another, and another. In all there were ten boxes,
the last one was about three inches square and it was empty. As Kate
unwrapped the sixth box David sneaked to the back door and quietly let John
into the house.

"But it's empty!" Kate exclaimed when she opened the last box. "What's
supposed to be in there?"

"This!" John said as he stood in the doorway with his hand extended, a small
ring box resting in his upturned palm. Kate sprang up from the floor and
rushed over to John, stopping just inches from his outstretched hand.
Hesitantly she picked the small box and slowly opened it. David was sure the
scream of joy could be heard all over town and Kate threw her arms around
John's neck and her legs around his waist then kissed him in such a
passionate and seductive way David almost felt embarrassed. It must have
taken Kate twenty minutes to calm down to a point where she could communicate
without squealing. Suddenly she turned and looked at David with a serious
glare.

"YOU!" She exclaimed. She sailed across the room and embraced her brother.
"You were in on this all the time, weren't you!"

"Who me?" David answered, trying to keep from grinning. "I don't know
anything about it." His attempt at maintaining his innocence was not very
convincing but Kate didn't press the issue, she was much too excited to
criticize her brother for helping on such an important matter.

Kate and John made the rounds at several parties so Kate could show everyone
her engagement ring. She and John were the center of attention for the better
part of two weeks. Before returning to school after the new year they set a
wedding date in early June, just one day after David's 18th birthday.

School restarted and life settled back into a routine. Three important
matters were on David's mind: selecting where to go to college, whether to
participate in the track team initiation ceremony, and whether to go to the
senior prom with Tiffany who would undoubtedly expect him to follow tradition.