Date: Mon, 16 Aug 2010 00:45:05 -0700 (PDT)
From: Michael Smith <faretheeforeverwell@yahoo.com>
Subject: Freshman Fifteen - 4

Lorenzo Masters has a dream--to be the first person in his family to
graduate from college. At fifteen, he is already well on his way with a
full ride academic scholarship to Clearwater University, but little does
the freshman know he is about to get an education in life, love, and
growing up. Morgan Everett on the other hand takes his academics very
lightly, as do the other guys of House Orison, but everything changes when
they find themselves the unexpected caretakers of an adorable and
impressionable Lore. From mentorship to romance, each member of House
Orison finds a way to deal with their newfound freshman fifteen.
    When Lore agrees to help House Orison with a fundraiser he doesn't
realize Warren Wallace has plans to turn the freshman's innocent charms
into quick cash. Over a thousand tickets, three lucky winners, and one
coerced Lore Masters who must give up his first kiss to a total stranger.

DISCLAIMER

The following story is completely fictitious and any resemblances to
persons living or dead are entirely coincidental. Just as in life, this
story contains graphic scenes of love and hate, life and death, joy and
sorrow, as well as sexually explicit scenes which may involve minors. If it
is unlawful for you to view such media, or such material makes you feel
uncomfortable, then please read no further than this warning.

AUTHOR'S NOTE

I would appreciate any constructive criticism you have to offer me, but
anything that lacks any form of redirection or remedy will be
ignored. Also, anyone commenting on how I need to make things hotter and
steamier between certain characters will be equally ignored. The sexual
content of my stories, while present, does not make up the majority of the
storytelling. Send legitimate questions or comments to:
faretheeforeverwell@yahoo.com.

FRESHMAN FIFTEEN!? – EPISODE FOUR

In the dim light of the campus library, Morgan Everett did something out of
the ordinary; he studied. He was going over ever news clips from the campus
and local papers from fifteen years ago, looking for a name. As he studied
every article published about that fateful incident, he couldn't for the
life of him find the answer he was looking for.
     "Stupid bureaucracy..." Morgan mumbled to no one in the early morning.
     Ever since they had passed the candidates for House Orison's sixth
squad, Morgan had been curious to find out more about Lore's father, but
his attempts to track down the man and give Lore a sense of closure were
derailed at every turn because of one simple thing; Morgan couldn't find
the man's name. He knew Lore's mother's name had been kept out of the paper
due to confidentiality, but he never thought the student who actually
committed the crime would be given the same anonymity. He had searched
through probably a dozen articles ranging from printed press to digital
media and still, nothing could be found on Lore's father.
     Morgan rubbed his temples.
     He could always ask Lore, he supposed, but he doubted Lore knew any
more about his father than Morgan did. After all, he had only met the man
once, and from Lore's description, he hadn't learned much about the man
before he left for good. Still, if Lore knew his name...
     Morgan's cell phone began to ring. As he quickly pulled it out of his
pocket to silence the device, he saw it was Professor Malcolm, House
Orison's faculty advisor.
     "Hey, Professor Malcolm, did you get my text?" Morgan asked as he
continued to scroll through the article he was reading. This current one
was about the founding of House Orison and the first squad appointed to
patrol duties of the campus.
     "Yes, I did, Morgan." Malcolm replied. "I asked the Headmaster if we
could release the name of Gail Masters' attacker, but he told me due to a
prearranged confidentiality agreement between the accused, the school, and
the local authorities involved, he is unable to grant your request."
     "What?" Morgan almost yelled into the phone forgetting himself a
bit. "That's bullshit!"
     "Well, what I think you need to understand is this was a very
sensitive issue for the school, and if word got out that we had violated
that contract..." Malcolm was cut off.
     "So wait, House Orison can know the name of the person who was
attacked and raped, but we aren't allowed to know the name of the person
responsible?" Morgan was a little taken back. He thought the Headmaster,
James Hodges, would understand. He had always seemed like a reasonable and
nice old man. "I mean, come on, Prof... what's really going on?"
     "Morgan," Professor Malcolm took control of the conversation, and from
his tone Morgan knew what the advisor was going to say would be final, "you
need to stop asking so many questions about things that could ultimately
put the school in an awkward legal position. I expect the head of House
Orison to be more responsible than this. Just let it go."
     Professor Malcolm hung up the phone.
     Morgan was taken back. He had never experienced anything like this
from Professor Malcolm or the Headmaster. If they expected him to just let
it go, they were wrong. He had to find out who this man was, locate him,
and let him know his son missed him. If he could just get a name, an
address, a single clue...
     "Damnit!" Morgan uncharacteristically slammed his fist into the
computer table in front of him. He was frustrated but he wasn't going to
give up.
     He wasn't going to give up on Lore.

"You know," Malcolm said simply as he turned towards the Headmaster while
putting his phone away, "he isn't going to give up."
     "I know," the old man said with a reserved sigh which suddenly turned
into a light-hearted chuckle, "we really do pick the best students for the
job, don't we? Morgan has such an intuitive mind, very sharp boy, which is
why he is captain of House Orison, I suppose."
     Malcolm had to smile at his old mentor. Despite the trouble Morgan's
investigation was causing him, James Hodges still admired the young man's
pluck and dedication.
     "And what if he finds out?" Professor Malcolm asked.
     "Well, then he finds out." James Hodges reflected. "And maybe, just
maybe, the journey to discover what he seeks will instill in him a healthy
respect for the truth and the power that is knowledge. I wonder... is
Morgan Everett the sort of person I believe him to be? If so, then I don't
suppose we have anything to fear."
     The old man seemed to contemplate his own words for a while, before he
turned towards Malcolm with a smile.
     "So, you won't believe the rumor I just heard today." the Headmaster
grinned like a little kid who just heard a dirty joke. "Apparently, Warren
Wallace has put together a little fundraiser and if even half of the rumor
is true... I imagine House Orison will have more pressing concerns to deal
with."

Warren Wallace whistled a peaceful little tune to himself as he swapped out
the glass fishbowl he had been using with a sturdier and much larger
aquarium. While the glass prison was forfeit water or any living creature,
it was quickly filled more than halfway to the top with the little red
tickets the cowboy had made. As he knocked out the last stragglers from the
old fishbowl he had been using he heard the heavenly sound of the bell to
the Clearwater general store chime. Looking up to his new patron he saw it
was, in fact, the man of the hour himself, Lorenzo Masters.
     "Hey Warren," Lore cheerfully greeted his manager and fellow patrol
captain, "how's it going?"
     "Couldn't be better, partner." Warren slyly grinned as he patted the
imposing aquarium filled with little red tickets.
     "What's that?" Lore asked as he walked closer to the glass tank.
     The tank itself was huge and Lore estimated it held probably close to
five-hundred tickets, if not more. It must have been a recent addition to
the store as Lore hadn't seen it the week before. While he had taken a few
days off to help Brian Evers with their Bio project, he hadn't expected to
see such a curious container and certainly not one that appeared to be so
filled with raffle tickets over such a short period of time. Whatever it
was, Lore thought to himself, it must be popular.
     "This is part of our yearly fundraiser for House Orison." Warren
informed the boy, "Each here ticket costs five buckaroos, and at the end of
the week we are gonna have a drawin' to see who the lucky winner
is. Although, with as many tickets we are getting, we could probably manage
a few winners. Which, I gotta say, thank ya, Lore, for making this all
possible."
     Lore looked towards Warren with a confused expression.
     "What do you mean `for making it all possible?'" Lore asked.
     "Well," the cowboy said as he tipped up his hat, "y'all remember last
week when we talked about the fundraiser and ya said y'all would help out?"
     "Yeah," Lore said cautiously, "I remember. Ian was saying last year
you did a bake sale and the year before that a silent auction."
     "Well," Warren continued as he reached down behind the counter and
fished something out, "I figured out the perfect way to earn us some funds
for the house, this year."
     Warren used some tape and stuck the sheet of paper on the side of the
aquarium so anyone who came into the store could read it. As Lore looked at
it, the first thing he saw was a large, full color, version of the photo
they had taken for his student ID. He was smiling with his innocent blue
eyes sparkling at the camera. Next to his picture, in large bold letters,
read `Win a Kiss with Lorenzo Masters.' Lore was dumbstruck as he continued
to read `For just $5.00 you can enter for your chance to win a kiss from
the youngest patrol captain in the history of House Orison. Don't be
shy. You may enter as many times as you like to improve your
chances. Drawing will be held Friday.'
     "I know," Warren said misreading Lore's stunned expression, "isn't it
great? Y'all is so popular with the lady folk in the last two days we got
in all these tickets. Even got a few entries from some people I'd never
expect; ya know, the shy quiet types. We draw this Friday, given folks a
few more days to get the courage up or get the funds."
     "Warren..." Lore said with a tremor in his voice, "how could you do
this without asking me!"
     The boy's uncharacteristic outburst at his boss through Warren for a
loop as the cowboy could clearly see Lore's cheeks turn red and it looked
like he was almost crying.
     "I just..." Warren offered.
     "You just what?" Lore shouted back as Melody came from the back where
she was changing to watch the outburst of the normally cheerful teen. "You
just thought I'd be okay with it? You just thought it would be alright to
choose who I kiss?"
     "It's just a kiss, Lore." Warren said a little confused as to the
teen's reaction. "It's no big thing. You've been kissed before, right?"
     Lore was about to say something but then he stopped and turned a
darker shade of red.
     "It isn't yours to give away!" Lore yelled childishly as he spun
around and angrily marched out of the doorway to the campus store, leaving
a stunned Warren Wallace and Melody King in his wake.
     Warren slowly walked around the counter.
     "Well, congratulations, stupid." Melody said unsympathetically to the
cowboy as she approached, "You have all of the tact of a cockroach. I'll
tell you what; I'll clock back in and cover his shift tonight, since you
are an insensitive idiot. Besides, I thought you told me you worked all of
this raffle stuff out with Lore beforehand?"
     Warren pulled out a red sharpie from his pocket.
     "I did," Warren said defensively, "mostly. I never imagined a pretty
little thing like Lore had never been kissed. I should a realized with him
being so much younger than his peer group, he probably never had
a... someone special to share that first kiss with yet. I should have
figured that out sooner... I'm a damn fool, Melody... a damn crazy fool. I
just hope it isn't too late."
     As Warren moved away from the piece of paper on the aquarium, Melody
King could see in huge red letters it read `Win a chance to be Lore
Masters' first kiss.'
     "If I had known it was his first kiss," Warren said as he capped the
sharpie and put it back in his pocket, "I could have made lots more money."
     "You are going to get your ass handed to you when Morgan finds out."
Melody observed. "You know that, right?"

When Morgan got home he was surprised to find the house spotless and even
more so to see Whit Riley putting a few dirty rags in the laundry hamper
for Ian. Making his way into the kitchen, he saw Ian smiling happily to
himself.
     "Later Ian! Later Morgan!" Riley shouted as the door slammed loudly
behind him.
     "Off to play?" Morgan asked the redhead who was just putting the last
glass on the counter to dry.
     "I suppose so," Ian offered, "I have to hand it to him, he did a
really good job picking up the living room and dusting. I suppose all of
that discipline Artisan instilled in him is paying off."
     "Yeah, I suppose so." Morgan thought for a moment. "Have you heard
anything from Chase about his parents? I know he is staying for a while,
and the Headmaster cleared it all through the board, but still I don't want
Riley to think his parents just abandoned him here with us. Eventually the
kid is going to start missing his mom and his dad."
     "Honestly, Morgan," Ian replied as he turned to face the house
captain, "I think he is going to be okay. He is having fun, schoolwork is
keeping him busy, he still trains with Artisan to hone his skills, and that
first patrol we helped put together I think really boosted his confidence
in himself. Chase said he has been having some issues lately about his
feelings towards certain things and fitting in with the rest of the team,
but in this house I think he is finding acceptance and love. So don't
worry, just keep doing what you do, oh... and Warren set up a raffle and
Lore has to kiss the winner. You might want to talk to him about that."
     "Who, Warren?" Morgan asked knowing he wasn't going to get anywhere
with him.
     "No, Lore," Ian corrected, "He came home a few hours ago and shut
himself in his room. Riley had gone to go see him at the campus store, but
he wasn't there. I guess Melody filled him in on the whole thing and he
told me about it. I just wonder when Warren was going to tell us... or
Lore."
     "Actually," Morgan sheepishly admitted, "I sort of knew about it, but
Warren told me he talked it all over..."
     Ian simply gave Morgan a knowing look.
     "I'll go check on Lore." Morgan offered as he headed upstairs.
     As Morgan made his way to Lore's door, he knocked softly and was bayed
entrance.
     "Hey, Ian told me what happened." Morgan comforted. "You okay?"
     "Yeah, I'm fine." Lore said after having collected himself. "I was
just upset I guess... I mean not knowing until now... and all those
tickets. I don't know."
     "Do you still want to go through with it?" Morgan asked. "One word
from me and the drawing doesn't go through and everybody gets their money
back. I promise."
     "No!" Lore almost shouted before he recollected himself. "I mean, you
can't... it would make House Orison look bad. I'm not going to do anything
to give my mom's house a bad name. Besides, it is just a stupid kiss,
right?"
     "Well, it is your first kiss," Morgan countered, "and it is only
stupid if you think it is. I don't think it is a stupid thing, I mean a
first kiss, but you're right; it would look bad if we backed out now, but I
could always tell people it was because I said so and had nothing to do
with you."
     "I can't let you do that, Morgan... look, I promise it isn't a big
deal." Lore smiled with a confidence he didn't feel.
     "If you say so..." Morgan reluctantly agreed with, "but if you... you
know... need to talk or anything, I will be here."
     Lore smiled, but with a genuine warmth. He knew Morgan would be there
for him, but how could he let him know he couldn't make a big deal about
the contest without revealing his real reason for being so upset with
Warren moving things so fast. How could he let the house captain know who
he really wanted his first kiss to be with?

Artisan carefully scanned small campus store, wary of the eyes upon
him. Rarely did he venture into the store without the other members of
House Orison by his side, but he was on a mission. As he made his way
deftly to the counter where Melody King was working, he slid across the
hardwood surface a note with a single fold.
     "Art, you okay?" Melody asked as she picked up the note and unfolded
it.
     Artisan observed the beautiful Latina clerk for her reaction.
     "This is a joke, right?" she asked as she used her free hand to motion
towards the note.
     "Unfortunately, not." The swordsman replied darkly. "I would also
appreciate you keeping this to yourself. The honor of House Orison depends
upon it. If anyone were to know..."
     "I got it, honor... manliness... boys being tough... whatever..."
Melody went on as she surreptitiously retrieved a small red ticket and
began filling it out. "So... you want me to fill one out for you too while
I am at it?"
     Artisan glared at the clerk.
     "It is embarrassing enough to be dispatched as a common errand boy for
my older sister; I do not need to compound my shame by partaking in
Warren's... `fund raiser.'" Artisan almost spat.
     "Fine, whatever." Melody deflected harmlessly as she finished writing
up the ticket for Artisan's sister, Yumi.
     A sudden smirk came to the Latina's face.
     "Thank you, Artisan of House Orison." She said loud enough for the
entire store to hear clearly. "That will be five dollars."
     Artisan scowled as he got out the money. "I hate women."

It was getting pretty bad. Lore tried to ignore the girls in his lab that
had been staring at him only to look away and giggle when he turned to
catch their eyes. He knew that they were giggling about, and the idea of
the entire university knowing Lore Masters had never been kissed turned the
teen's stomach. It was as if he was on display for the entire school, in
his underwear, with a boner. It was humiliating enough without the endgame
of him having to kiss some girl he didn't know.
     "You know," Brian offered as they continued to work on the lab, "if
you wanted... I could maybe buy a few tickets... just in case I get drawn
and that way you don't have to kiss someone you don't know."
     It took Lore a moment to realize what the freshman was telling him and
the stunned look on Lore's face caused Brian to burst into a fit of
laughter.
     "Only joking," Brian chided as he gave Lore a teasing punch in the
arm.
     "Not funny," Lore sulked a bit.
     "Yes it is," Brian commented as he turned his attention momentarily
back to the lab before a slow smile crept across his face, "it's only not
funny to you because you are in the middle of it all. I'm sure once this
all blows over you will laugh about it. I mean, it is not like you are the
only person in the entire world to be put into an unfortunate situation,
and if the worst thing that happens is you have to kiss someone you don't
want to, boy or girl, I think you will live."
     Lore had to agree with Brian, but it still didn't make him feel any
better about it.
     "Wait," Lore caught himself, "boy or girl?"
     "Yeah," Brian said as he stopped taking notes for a moment to give
Lore a sideways glance, "you did know the contest is open to both male and
female students, right?"
     Suddenly, Lore had a very bad feeling.

Cole Greenberg stood, surrounded by a throng of girls who were quietly
whispering amongst themselves. He had a look that seemed to borderline
embarrassment and anger, and each time he glared at one of the gathered
groups of chattering underclassmen, they all seemed to immediately look
away and giggle. He hated this.
     "You're sure about this?" Melody King asked as she continued to fill
out the pile of red tickets the spiky-haired freshman had just purchased.
     "No," Cole huffed, "but I'm doing it anyway."
     "So," Melody inquired as she continued to write Cole Greenberg's name
on ticket after ticket before dropping them into the aquarium where they
would join the others she had already filled out for him, "you must have
been a real jerk to Lore in high school."
     "You have no idea." Cole replied darkly as the girls once again began
making rumors amongst themselves as to why he had bought so many tickets.
     This had better work, Cole thought to himself as the Latina clerk
continued to write, this had better fucking work.

In the quiet after hours of his closed shop, Warren Wallace continued to
shake the container of tickets. There were over a thousand tickets, and
while he didn't really care who the actual winners were, he figured it
would be best to really mix them up, just in case anyone asked later. With
all of House Orison mad at him, as usual, he wasn't too bothered by the
events that had unfolded, only because he had caused equal if not greater
grief in times past and still managed to maintain his station in House
Orison, due in no small part to his charm and supernaturally forgivable
nature.
     As the collective thud of a thousand tickets echoed inside the tin
container he had transferred the tickets into, he finally stopped, having
shaken it for a solid five minutes. The cowboy was confident that whoever
won a kiss from Lore Masters had certainly done so due to pure luck. He
knew people might assume he had rigged the drawing, but there was a certain
code of conduct even Warren Wallace followed, a kind of honesty when it
came down to games of chance. In his heart, the junior business major saw
himself as some sort of modern day gambler and cowboy, an outlaw living
life to the fullest.
     "Alright," he said to himself as he popped the top of the tin off with
a noisy clank and began rooting around inside the dark cylinder, "let's see
who our first lucky winner is..."
     As he grabbed onto the first ticket, he pulled it out of the tin and
gave it a once over. It took him a while to put a face with the name, but
after a few moments thought he could picture the girl quiet clearly. She
was a cute little lamb by the name of Katie Star, a relative nobody amongst
her freshman peers, and almost always in the company of a few of Lore's
more aggressive fan girls. He didn't envy her the looks she would get when
people found out she got a kiss from Lore Masters.
     Setting the first winning ticket aside, Warren reached back into the
tin and began rooting around once more. After finding a suitable ticket, he
pulled it out of the tin and read the name. He promptly frowned.
     "No good, trouble making..." Warren continued to mumble his curses at
Cole Greenberg who had become the second winner of the drawing. Warren
almost immediately dismissed the idea of throwing the ticket he had drawn
away in favor of a new winner, being as that would violate his self-imposed
code of ethics. He knew Cole had entered the drawing, a lot, in a feeble
attempt to help Lore Masters avoid having to kiss a total stranger. While
the cowboy admitted the ploy had worked to spare Lore a single kiss, he
knew if he came across Greenberg's tickets again, he would redraw; at least
that part of his code he could reason with.
     As he dipped his hand into the tin for one final draw, Warren laid
hold of the third and final winning ticket before pulling it out of the tin
filled with dashed hopes and dreams. As he read the name of the third
winner he paused.
     "What the..." the cowboy said to himself before a small smile seemed
to wash over his stubbly face. "Well, ain't that the darnedest thing I ever
saw."
     As Warren lay the third ticket next to the other two winners, he
emptied out the losing tickets into the aquarium again so he could count
them later. While he wasn't interested in knowing how many times Cole
Greenberg entered into the contest, he was a little curious just to see
what the odds were of him drawing the other two winners of the contest, and
also seeing who all wanted a shot to kiss Lore Masters. Such information
could be very useful down the road.
     Taking out three envelopes he marked Katie Star and Cole Greenberg on
two of them along with their housing information, with the other one simply
being marked `Contest Winner.' He marked each of the three tickets as
winners and placed each ticket into its respective envelope. As he turned
off the light to the Clearwater General Store and locked up, he dropped
Cole and Katie's winning tickets off in the mailbox that would see them
delivered to their room the following day, while he held on to the third
winning ticket.
     After a lengthy walk back to House Orison, he made his way inside and
carefully walked to the third contest winner's room and slid the envelope
under the door. Making his way back to his room, Warren turned in for the
night, knowing the morning would bring all sorts of new surprises and
adventures.

"Has anyone seen Lore?" Morgan asked of the small group as he made his way
down the stairs of House Orison for breakfast, "He isn't in his room. Does
he work today?"
     Warren Wallace was reading his paper while drinking a rather strong
cup of coffee as Chase and Riley got some quick breakfast. Ian had to leave
extremely early to help out one of his instructors with a project, and had
only been able to leave a heaping basket of muffins and some cold cereal
for the residents of House Orison to enjoy. Artisan, having had a patrol
last night, was more than likely sneaking in a few extra hours of sleep.
     "Well, y'all could say he has `work' to do today, of a sort." Warren
offered cheekily as he chuckled to himself a bit at his own antics. "I
think he skedaddled out of here early to put off anyone claiming their
prizes for a while. Why do you ask?"
     Morgan glared at Warren.
     "You know damn well why I ask," Morgan growled at his longtime friend
and nemesis, "you put that kid through so much grief, and for what? So we
can get a new TV? If anything you should make the person who actually broke
the TV pay for it."
     Riley put down the bowl of cereal and milk he had been slurping as a
worried look washed over his face. The collected group could almost imagine
the boy trying to calculate the number of laps he would have to run to pay
off the television set.
     "I could have, yeah, but ya have to ask yourself one question,
Morgan," Warren offered philosophically, "who would pay to kiss a little
snot-nosed runt like Riley?"
     Riley's worried look immediately turned into a scowl at Warren.
     "No offense." The cowboy apologized.
     "I'm finished." Riley pouted as he excused himself, swiped his glove
off the counter which `accidently' hit Warren in the process, and made his
way to the door.
     "Play nice, Warren." Chase said dangerously as he turned to address
the house captain. "Lore set out to help Riley and me set up for practice
today. I told him he could go out early and if it so happened he missed
anyone stopping by to claim a kiss, it wouldn't be his fault since he was
just helping us out. Don't worry, Riley and I will be there to make sure
Lore doesn't have to do anything he doesn't want to do."
     Warren chuckled to himself, "Says the dugout bandit."
     "That was one time!" Chase countered. "Besides, Brian and I have
decided to take it slow from now on, and not rush into anything we aren't
ready for. Just like with Lore, you can't expect the kid to give up his
first kiss to just anyone, it should be with someone he knows and trusts."

Lore lay in the grass of the baseball diamond. Practice had ended for Chase
and his group of neighborhood kids about an hour ago, and Lore was doing
everything in his power to stay away from House Orison. Warren had told
Chase at breakfast, because of the number of entries, he had drawn three
winners. While he wouldn't say who had won, Lore knew he had to go through
with kissing the three winners. The reputation of House Orison, and indeed
himself, was on the line.
     "You okay?" Riley asked as the youth sat down next to his
friend. "You've been worrying me; you are so depressed all the time. I
ain't seen you smile all week!"
     Whit Riley flopped onto his back to stare up at the sky with his
typical torpid expression, yet he was here and Lore could tell that he had
been worrying the boy. That hadn't been his intention, and while Lore had
been distracted by the contest and its possible outcome he had been
ignoring Riley as well as his other friends.
     "Sorry, Riley." Lore said as he comforted the boy, "I've just had a
lot of my mind. This stupid drawing Warren put together has been bugging
me. He never told me what it was until he had already gotten tons of
tickets sold, and... I've never had a real kiss with anyone before. I guess
the thought of being forced to give up my first kiss to someone
just... it's stupid."
     There was a brief pause as Lore frowned a bit.
     "No." Riley said as he seemed to think over Lore's words. "It ain't
stupid. Chase told me kissing is something special, like a hug, but more
grown up. I ain't never been kissed before either, but I been hugged
tons. Maybe a kiss is like a hug. I can't remember my first hug, but I can
remember the ones that make me feel safe and loved. Remembering those ones
make me feel warm inside or fuzzy. I bet, no matter what, you'll remember
the kisses that make you feel safe and loved more than your first one."
     "You know what, Riley?" Lore said looking thoughtfully over to the boy
laying next to him, "That's pretty smart."
     "Yeah," Riley said as he thought about it himself, "that is what Chase
told me about hugs and kisses being different and the same, but I think it
was just because he didn't want to try it with me."
     Lore stifled a laugh at the thought of poor Chase trying to explain
why he couldn't kiss Riley without hurting the boy's feelings. As Lore
looked at the boy, he couldn't help but feel Riley was waiting for
something.
     "So," Riley said casually but with subtle interest, "are you gonna do
it?"
     "Do what?" Lore asked a little bewildered.
     "Kiss the winners?" Riley probed as he picked at the grass on the
field above his head.
     "I don't know." Lore said as he thought about it. "I mean, I know I
should and if push comes to shove I will, but I still don't like the idea
of having to kiss someone I don't want to, especially if it is my first
kiss ever. I was sort of hoping I could save my first kiss, I mean... I
sort of had someone in mind for it."
     Riley seemed to put some thought into Lore's words.
     "So, why don't you ask them to kiss you so you can have your first
kiss with the person you want?" Riley asked.
     "Well, it's not that simple." Lore said a little shyly. "I mean, when
you like someone it is hard to tell them things sometimes, especially if it
is something embarrassing like you want them to be your first
kiss. Besides, it's Morgan from House Orison. I mean, I know he knows how I
feel, but I don't want to do anything that would ruin our friendship. I was
sort of hoping it would all come naturally, but with this stupid contest
and Warren... it has all just moved too fast."
     "Oh." Riley said as he thought a moment longer.
     Both boys seemed to be lost in thought, but it was Riley who broke the
silence.
     "I'm going to go see if Ian made a snack." The boy said as he got up
from the grass. "You coming?"
     "Nah," Lore said as he stretched out on the grass. "I think I will
relax here a bit longer."
     As Riley walked away, Lore closed his eyes and tried to imagine who
the three people were he had to kiss. He hoped they weren't gross or
creepy, but he knew regardless he would have to kiss each and every one of
them. At least, he thought, once he kissed them it would be over. As the
fading sun gently warmed his peaceful face he never saw Whit Riley fish
into his pocket before pulling out a slightly bent and worn red ticket.

Lore was woken up by someone lightly kicking his foot. As he opened his
eyes he could see the sun was almost gone and early evening was upon
him. Having fallen asleep after his chat with Riley his eyes focused on the
imposing figure of his former bully turned friend. As Cole reached a hand
down to help Lore up, he couldn't help but smirk at the youth.
     "What if I had been a rapist?" Cole asked as he helped a groggy Lore
to his feet.
     "I would have been screwed," Lore replied cheekily, "... literally."
     Both boy's laughed in the dying light.
     "Speaking of screwed," Cole said as he reached into his pocket, "I
think I've repaid a bit of my debt for being a dick to you for four years."
     Cole produced from the pocket of his jeans two red tickets. Lore
immediately recognized them from the aquarium and could see they were
signed by Warren Wallace. They were winning tickets and Cole had two of
them.
     "Whoa, where did you get those?" Lore asked in surprise.
     "Well, this one," Cole said as he held up the first ticket, "is mine,
fair and square. I heard about your plight and since you can make an
unlimited number of entries I played the odds. Let's just say when my
parents call and ask why my account is drained for the month I'm not going
to tell them I entered a raffle to win a kiss from a fifteen year old
boy. I'll just tell them I needed to score some booze for a party or
something."
     "Wow," Lore said honestly moved by Cole's gesture, "you did that for
me?"
     "You could say that," Cole said a little nervously, "just don't make a
huge deal out of it, otherwise I will give this to the ugliest, fattest,
most mannish girl I can find."
     "Okay," Lore replied with a little bit of a giggle, "but where did you
get the second one?"
     "This one comes from a girl named Katie Star," Cole explained as he
held up the second ticket, "she is a little on the dorky and shy side, kind
of like you... no offense... but after I explained to her how Warren had
set everything up and basically forced you into doing it, she was perfectly
fine with giving up her ticket. I told her I would bring it straight to you
and she even promised not to say anything to anyone about it."
     "Really," Lore asked, "she was okay with it?"
     "Seemed to be," Cole said, "I think she sort of expected it not to
happen anyway. She really does like you, you know; just saying. Plus, she
sort of has that hot librarian look going for her..."
     "I get it..." Lore said a little annoyed but laughing.
     "Well, anyway, that is about all I can do for you." Cole said, "I
don't know who has the third ticket."
     "I think I can help in that matter." Morgan interjected as he walked
up to Lore and Cole.
     With a minor sleight of hand he produced the third red ticket.
     "Morgan?" Lore said a little hopefully, "You entered the drawing?"
     "No," Morgan chuckled a bit as he closed the distance between the two
underclassmen, "but I do honestly have to say it crossed my mind."
     "Then how did you get the third ticket?" Lore asked a little confused.
     "It was on my dresser when I went into my room." Morgan replied as he
handed the ticket to Lore, "I saw Riley milling about beforehand, and as it
turns out he was the third winner in the contest."
     "Riley?" Cole asked in disbelief, "Whit Riley?"
     "Yeah," Morgan restated as he pointed to the name on the ticket,
"Whitric C. Riley."
     "But, why did...?" Lore thought back to Riley and his conversation and
suddenly a lot of it took on new meaning. "He was right here. He was right
here with me not more than a couple hours ago and we were talking about the
contest. I told him about how Warren had set it all up without telling me
and about how I wanted... I wanted my first kiss to be with someone I cared
about. I told him I wished my first kiss could be with you, Morgan."
     Lore blushed as Cole desperately tried to meld into the growing
shadows of evening.
     "Just so you know, I talked with Warren," Morgan said, "He told me he
had over a thousand entries. A good number of them were Cole Greenberg,
which explains why he won a ticket. The second winner was a girl named
Katie. Warren said she was a `shy little thing' that had put in a few
entries along with her friends. The third ticket, and Warren checked, was
won by Riley."
     "Warren said the boy had stopped in to the general store to walk you
home, but you had `ducked out' because you found out about the contest, and
Riley had seen the contest tank and asked about it." Morgan continued as
Lore and Cole listened intently, "Riley didn't have five dollars to spend
on a ticket, so after he got back home he asked Ian if there were any
chores he could do for five dollars. Ian put him to work and said he never
saw the kid put in so much effort. After he had earned five dollars he
raced back to the campus store and bought a ticket. One ticket, out of a
thousand plus, and Riley won."
     Lore thought about what he had said, about what Riley had said, and
suddenly he felt bad.
     "Chase said Riley has been asking a lot of question about
relationships, kissing, and some other stuff, and whether he is confused,
in love, or just being a kid Riley likes you Lore." Morgan said as he put a
comforting hand on Lore's shoulder. "He likes you so much, he gave up his
chance at sharing his first kiss with you so you could have your first kiss
with the person you wanted."
     "You mean," Lore said as he looked into Morgan's eyes, "you... you'll
kiss me?"
     "Lore," Morgan grinned, "I would be honored to be your first kiss. All
you had to do was ask me. If that is what you want than I will. All you
have to do is say the word."
     Lore Masters thought for a moment as he looked into Morgan's eyes,
detecting no hint of joking.
     "Actually," Lore said as a grin crept across his angelic face, "I've
got an even better idea."

Whitric C. Riley, ten-year-old, resident patrol captain assistant to House
Orison's sixth squad lay on his bed looking up at the ceiling. Spread eagle
on the comfy bed with clean sheets Ian had laid out for him, the boy was
lost deep in thought, imagining Lore and Morgan's first kiss and wondering
what it would be like. He knew Chase wouldn't kiss him because he was his
coach, and as Chase had explained before a coach shouldn't kiss his
players. He knew Artisan wouldn't kiss him, especially after what happened
during his training with the swordsman. He didn't think Ian would kiss him,
except maybe on the forehead or cheek like a mommy.
     Riley thought about Warren, for a moment, before remembering what he
had said at breakfast about nobody being willing to pay to kiss a
`snot-nosed little runt like' him. Riley felt a sinking feeling in his
stomach.
     As he rolled over on his bed, Whit thought maybe he wasn't meant to be
kissed. Maybe there was something wrong with him. He couldn't ask the other
players on his team because they would make fun of him, and all the people
he liked and wanted to try kissing with were all boys and everyone of them
was too old to be kissing a ten year old except maybe Lore. Even then, Lore
didn't want to kiss him either. As he closed his eyes and tried to sort it
all out, he heard a knocking on his door.
     "Yeah?" the boy asked through the closed wooden door to his room on
the topmost `observation' floor of House Orison.
     "Can I come in?" he heard a muffled Lore ask.
     "Yeah." The boy replied as his door opened and Lore stepped into the
room before closing the door behind him.
     "Riley?" Lore asked, "I wanted to ask you something."
     "What?" the ten year old responded as he sat up a bit on his bed.
     "Well," Lore began, "it is kind of embarrassing, but I wanted to know
if you wanted to be my first kiss?"
     Riley just stared at the fifteen year old freshman a bit confused.
     "But I thought you wanted your first kiss to be with Morgan?" Riley
asked.
     "That is what I thought, too." Lore confirmed, "but, you see, I got to
thinking, what I really wanted was for my first kiss to be with someone I
care about. I really care about you, Riley, and I know you care about
me. Even if it isn't the same love I feel for Morgan, it is its own special
kind of love that exists just for you. I just never really had a chance to
show you that, and I wanted to... if you wanted to."
     "But I can't," Riley said a little dismayed, "I gave my ticket to
Morgan..."
     "You mean this ticket?" Lore asked as he produced the worn red ticket
the boy had been carting around for the entire day to work up the courage
to ask Lore.
     "How did you get that?" Riley gasped. "I thought I put that on
Morgan's dresser so you could have your first kiss be with him?"
     "You did," Lore explained, "and he found it and brought it to me. He
told me he had talked to Warren and found out you had won the ticket. He
also told me you had worked hard to earn the money to enter the drawing and
that out of all those tickets yours had been chosen. It took a lot of
effort to earn that money, and it took a lot of guts, Riley, to enter that
drawing. But even more so, it took a lot of love to give up your first kiss
with who you wanted in order to give me my first kiss with who I wanted."
     "I just..." Riley began. "You were just so sad... I don't like it when
you're sad, Lore."
     Lore moved closer to the bed as Riley scooted forward a bit to face
the older teen.
     "Riley," Lore said as he sat next to the boy, "Morgan gave me this
ticket and told me to choose the person I wanted to share my first kiss
with, and I choose you."
     Without another word, Lore took Riley by his small shoulders and
leaned forward.
     "You ain't playing a trick on me?" Riley asked as Lore moved closer
and closer. "You're not gonna..."
     The boy was blissfully interrupted. Riley stared in disbelief as he
shared his first kiss with Lore Masters before closing his eyes and kissing
back. It wasn't a particularly mind-blowing kiss, although neither boy had
any experience to determine such a thing, nor was it wrought with tongues
or aggressive needful lusting; it was pure. Both boys seemed to lose
themselves in the moment and whether the innocent kiss lasted for a few
seconds or a few minutes, neither one could be sure, but when their lips
parted both boys looked a little red in the cheeks.
     "Oh, boy..." Riley mumbled to no one in particular as he smiled.

"So, how'd it go Romeo?" Cole asked as he leaned against the doorway
leading up to Riley's room from the second floor.
     Lore just blushed as he put his hands in his pockets and both Cole and
Morgan immediately knew what went down.
     "Something tells me we'll be hearing all about it during the upcoming
month," Morgan ventured as he and Cole took flanking positions behind Lore
as the teen walked down the hallway with the hint of a confident
stride. "As loveable as that boy is, he tends to say whatever is on his
mind. I imagine Chase is going to give us all an earful when he finds out."
     "Yeah, probably," Lore commented before turning around with a sudden
smirk on his face. "Hey, you guys up for a quick stroll?"

The campus library was just about to close for the night as Katie Star, a
timid freshman, made her way towards the entrance. As she opened the door
she was surprised to find three figures waiting for her. She knew Cole
Greenberg from earlier that day, a member of House Orison's sixth
squad. Along with him was Morgan Everett, a junior and the house captain of
House Orison, and while she had never talked to him almost every girl on
campus thought he was perfect. Between the two, and she could hardly
believe it, was Lorenzo Masters.
     "Hey there," Lore Smiled, "You must be Katie. I heard about you
winning the contest and also about what you did for me. I wanted to say
thanks."
     "Oh, umm..." the girl said nervously, obviously surprised by the
presence of House Orison, "I.. it was nothing."
     Cole had been right, the girl had some attractive features which she
hid under glasses and awkwardly put up hair. She seemed to hold her books
in front of her like some sort of shield and it was obvious she had almost
no confidence in herself.
     "Well, it meant something to me," Lore sincerely thanked, "and I was
sort of hoping we could walk you home, I mean to your dorm, if that's
okay?"
     "Umm... sure," Katie smiled nervously, "but it's a bit away, on the
other side of campus, you sure?"
     "Even better," Morgan offered with surprising charm and a comforting
voice, "House Orison prides itself on serving Clearwater University and its
students. It would be our pleasure to see you safely home this evening,
Ms. Star."
     With a blush, the girl accepted the offer, and the four began walking
in the direction of the girl's dorm. As they continued to walk, Morgan
grabbed the collar of the brooding Cole Greenberg, and allowed the two
freshmen to walk a little further on as the other two members of House
Orison `secured the area.' This allowed Lore some one on one time with the
shy freshman girl, who he was able to coax out of her shell a bit. As the
two walked on, under the watchful eye of both Morgan and Cole, they both
learned a little bit about each other and even shared a few laughs at the
entire situation.
    As they approached Katie's dorm, their conversation seemed to become a
little more awkward as they both danced around one question.
     "So," Katie asked as she had become more comfortable around Lore, "did
you ever get your first kiss? I mean, you don't have to say, I was just..."
     "Yes," Lore said, "well... yeah, I did."
     "Oh," Katie blushed as she took back the books Lore had carried for
her during their walk, "so, was she a... is she...?"
     "Actually," Lore blushed, "it was a he."
     "Oh." Katie replied a bit surprised as her blush deepened. "I.. I
didn't know... so you... you like...?"
     "People," Lore interjected with a smile, "I like people. I don't know
if I only like guys or if I like girls too, but the more I think about it
the more I seem to understand I like people. I like people that have good
hearts. You have a good heart, Katie Star, and I'm really glad I got to
know you a little better."
     "I won't say anything," Katie smiled as she seemed for the first time
to really appreciate the wonderful person standing before her.
     "I know," Lore replied in kind with a smile of his own, "I trust you,
otherwise I wouldn't have said anything."
     Both teens seemed to mill about for a moment.
     "Well," Lore interrupted the silence, "I suppose we should get going,
but anyway... umm... goodnight."
     With that Lorenzo Masters, patrol captain of House Orison's sixth
squad, leaned forward and kissed the girl he had walked home on the
lips. The kiss lasted for only a few seconds and while it had come as a
surprise to both freshmen involved, both Katie and Lore accepted the kiss
as a sort of pact, a secret gesture that was neither sexual nor
meaningless. As their lips parted, both parties were equally red in the
face, but neither one regretful.
     "Katie Star," Lore offered, "you will always be my first kiss with a
girl."
     "And you will always be my first kiss..." Katie sheepishly admitted,
"... with a boy."
     As both broke out in giggle-fitted smiles, Katie said a final goodbye
and made her way into her dorm. As Lore stood outside the door of the
building, he was approached by the two figures that had been watching the
entire time.
     "You know, Lore," Morgan joked, "I'm starting to get a little
jealous. Riley gets to be your first kiss with a boy, Katie gets to be your
first kiss with a girl, so what am I going to be?"
     A newfound smile seemed to creep across Lore's face in the darkness of
evening as he turned around to look Morgan in the eyes. Cole Greenberg,
sensing what was coming, rolled his eyes and walked away quietly to give
the two a private moment. As he did, Lore moved closer towards Morgan and
wrapped his arms around the junior's waist.
     "How about," Lore thought for a moment, "my first kiss with someone I
can't picture my life without?"
     "Well then," Morgan smiled back, "I suppose it will be a first kiss
for both of us, than."
     As Lore looked up into Morgan's eyes, he surrendered himself to the
sensation of touch, and finally feeling Morgan's lips on his own, he kissed
back. He didn't care if anyone else was around or saw, he didn't care if
this was true romantic love or something else, all Lore Masters cared about
was this moment when he felt closest to the person he loved the most. It
was more passionate than kissing Katie or even Riley, but it was no less
innocent and pure. Time stood still, Lore felt tingly, and he could taste
the hint of root beer candy on Morgan's lips.
     When the two finally parted, Morgan looked down at Lore with an
indescribable kindness and love in his eyes, but Lore was enthralled and
oblivious. It was his turn to say, "Oh, boy..."

His good deed done for the week, Cole Greenberg watched as Lore and Morgan
walked back towards House Orison, the dim light of the lampposts
illuminating their slow strides as they talked and laughed. He didn't know
what they were saying, but he imagined it was inconsequential, stupid, and
fulfilling. As he watched Morgan ruffle Lore's hair despite the ineffective
batting of the young boy's hands, Cole reached into his pocket and pulled
out his winning red ticket signed by Warren Wallace. Regarding it for a
brief moment before crumpling it up, he watched Morgan and Lore disappear
into the night.
     As he walked over to a nearby trash bin to throw the worthless piece
of paper away, he paused.
     "Fuck it." He said to himself as he fished out his wallet and slipped
the meaningless red paper into its folds.
     As he walked towards his dorm he kept trying to convince himself it
was just a stupid piece of paper, but it was a piece of paper that had cost
him a shitload of money and trouble and that was why he wasn't going to
throw it away; that, and no other reason.