Date: Mon, 28 Jan 2013 07:45:02 -0800 (PST)
From: Tchase Mcphee <survivalgame@rocketmail.com>
Subject: A NiFTy LiTTLe TALe 16

The story below is a work of fiction, set in the format of reality. Any
resemblances to real people, alive or in the hereafter, is entirely
coincidental in nature. It is not meant to accurately reflect upon persons,
of continents or islands, in countries, counties, cities, towns, villages,
neighborhoods, streets, cul-de-sacs, nor governmental or non-governmental
areas, which the story is staged. If a sexual scene involving male-to-male
relationships offends you, then why are you here? Seriously, if guy-to-guy
sex stuff makes you barf or is going to screw up your mind, you should not
read this story. Additionally, if you are under 18 years of age in any
state (21yo in Alabama, Mississippi, Wyoming, Nebraska), or in most
countries, you are not allowed to read this story, by law. Check with your
local laws regarding such.

Following, pages of this story contain `adult material', intended for an
`adult audience'. Bypass this warning at your own risk.

% Sexual safety matters. Remember guys, this is fiction. In real life, use
protection.

%

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%


A NiFTy LiTTLe TALe 16
WriTten by T. Chase McPhee

^o^


%

The time for fun and games was over, with Jason and Ian returning to
Manfredi, Kev dropping Xeno off. Neither wanting to push the issue, the
possibility of gravitating towards either guy's bed, they at least pushed
their twin beds together, lined up next to each other. As Ian claimed, at
least they could talk without it being a long distance conversation.

"Here we are!" Ian says.

Jason replies, "Do you always sleep in pajamas?"

Looking over at Jason, lying on top of the bed coverings, responds, "You
always sleep in the raw?"

Moving a hand down his baby-bottom smooth skin over his stomach, the
partially tailored treasure trail, to his pubes, Jason replies, "Easier
than trying to fight a snug fitting boxer-brief, especially when in a deep,
dreamy sleep?"

Without even unbuttoning the top, Ian does a half crunch, pulls it off
overhead, shaking out his auburn hair, with explanation, "I've heard
college can change a person."

After the shirt went, Ian goes for the bottoms, Jason interfering, "Here,
let me help."

Through teamwork, Ian presses his butt `up', "This okay?"

"More than okay," Jason replies, noticing `the bulge'. "Um, you can lower
it a little?"

"Oh. Too high?" Ian relaxes his glutes.

"Nah." Laughing, "Too restraining to get the elastic over!"

He could have very well followed his own heart's desire, faked losing
balance, falling over, but sensed Ian not very forgiving, if it didn't
phase him as being `a joke.' After all, he didn't fall for the line of
`sleeping together', instead of having to move the beds.

"Thanks."

"No problem," Jason lays back down. Natural response, his hand rests on his
stomach rubbing it up and down, fingers traveling up and down the hills of
rippled abdominals.

Already sensing it, Jason found Ian to be a real, honest to goodness,
prude. Right now, out of the corner of his eye, he was watching, by way of
the outdoor security lights flickering through the blinds, Ian's hand
playing up the hair on his auburn-covered stomach. Like playing a game,
Jason tests, moving his pinky down to his bellyhole, allowing it to go over
the edge, sinking in.

Sure enough, Ian takes heed, his pinky sinking into the void, only
opinions, "Hm."

"Testing 1-2-3!" Jason says, with his left hand behind his head, lifts to
face Ian, "Psyched you out!"

"Oh!" Ian acts with sudden surprise.

"Don't let me stop you. If it feels good, do it!"

He might have been ignorant about things, but not about to allow Jason put
something over on him, "To myself or you?"

It seemed like the answer to an unasked question, Jason piping up with,
"Let's have sex!"

He had a crazy look on his face. Ian could see the white teeth glistening
in the reflection of light, an outline of a wide, smiling grin. "Like, do
what?"

If some other guy, Jason might have sought to just pounce on the
unsuspecting subject. Being `kind', he negotiates first, moving in for the
kill later, "Whatever you feel comfortable doing?"

"I had reservations about you. You proved me wrong, Jason."

"Oh? Like how does that go?"

Noticing, Ian says, "Well, I suppose I'm only partially right?"

Glancing at Ian's point of reference, Jason looks at his right hand,
shunning away his semi-erection, "Oh that! Happens when I start... to
get... a little frisky?"

Ian picks up his pinky, examines it, "And it only took this?"

"Nah," Jason reports, "started way back when I was scoping you out changing
into your pajamas. Frankly, I did think, `hes' got to be kidding!'" he
laughs.

It then dawns on Ian, "I suppose you, Xeno and the others... You were all
laughing at me in my swimsuit, while you... `Swam free'?"

"Nah. At least not me. I don't expect things of people, let them be who
they are... except maybe `wearing pajamas to bed'?"

Ian replies, "I lived a shielded life back home. I came to college hoping
there would some kind of `enlightenment' in my life."

"Sounds kind of Buddhist. It could happen."

Rather than use a lot of metaphors to get his point across, Ian confesses,
"Jason, I might need a lot of help to `blend in'. Unlike you, I haven't had
a lot of experience being gay."

Jason sums up, "I guess this means you're a virgin?"

"I think that's the proper term, if you're meaning I haven't fucked or
sucked a guy off!"

"Yeah, right, but have you ever `touched' a guy?"

"More than shaking a guys hand, I suppose? No. I mean, I accidentally
touched a guy when playing football, tackling him and my hand going up his
shirt." Flicking it off, "Like, he didn't seem to mind!"

"Really?" Jason sat up Indian-style, losing interest in playing with
himself, "Like how did he respond?"

"He didn't say anything, just smiled," Ian sitting and facing the other
bed, shrugs both shoulders.

"I suppose that's good news. At least you didn't get your lights punched
out!"

They both laughed. For the next fifteen minutes they chatted about mostly
Ian, Jason finding out there was a sexual void in his life. Thinking they
were on the road to becoming not only room mates, but good friends, how
could he `not' help tutor Ian in the fine art of being gay?!

^ o ^

Sometime in the middle of the night, Evan Puttski was awakened by the
sounds of moans. Not those one would hope to achieve by a romp in the
sheets, but nonetheless, the man he plucked out of the ravine, was coming
around.

With the soft lighting of a bedside table, Evan stood at the foot of the
bed, ready to intercept questioning, as to why the headmaster of Manfredi,
was tethered to the top of the bed, wrists cuffed and spread wide, leaving
no way of escape for their victim.

"What the fuck is this?" Hawkins immediately succumbed to his predicament,
followed by shouts of intense pain, "Oh my fuckin' ass!"

"Don't move and you'll be fine!" Evan replies, coming around the side of
the full sized bed, sitting.

"What do you want with me?"

"Not much," Evan says casually, "only, I saved your life, so I thought it
proper you show your gratitude by doing something for me!"

"I'm not being your sex-slave!"

"Entertaining, to say the least," Evan slides a hand up Samuele's hairy
thighs, just to where the back of his fingertips touch balls.

Evading the play of touching, Hawkins squirms away, inciting another volley
of pain, "Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit!" he cries out.

Not implicating Bryan, nor Barry, Evan tells him, "Good thing Gio gave me a
call or else you might have wound up as coyote kill!"

"Gio? He and Antonio admitted it!"

"Admitted to what?"

"Roughing me up in the woods! Sticking that... whatever it was up my ass,"
which did stigmatize him, Hawkins pulsing his sore ass-lips.

"No," Evan softly renders the verdict, "Gio simply said he and Antonio were
out for their Sunday morning run and came across you in the woods. Not
having their cell phones along with them, Gio had to make the call when
they reached the diner."

Suddenly, Samuele shut up over the whole issue, letting Evan's story
ride. There was a reason why he was worked over and left, for which he
hoped to keep it secret. Playing along he swallows his pride for once,
"Maybe it wasn't them. Do they have any leads on who might've done it?"

Right now, it wasn't police business Evan was interested in, going off on a
completely different tangent, "I think maybe, in light of the whole
situation, until we've captured the culprits, it would be a good idea if
you took a leave from Manfredi?"

It didn't go over big, not with the money Samuele would be leaving behind,
"You're crazy. I can't leave there. They need an iron fist to run the
school!"

Not too convincing, or rather inciting an idea, "Fist? Like maybe up your
ass?"

"What are you talking about?" Samuele questions.

Getting up, walking over to the dresser, Evan reaches in a drawer,
retrieving a folder, saying as he walks back, "I've been conducting my own
private investigation on you, Samuele... it is all right we speak on a
first name basis?"

Totally in the dark, Samuele though he covered his tracks well, but there
was always doubt in a lifestyle such as he lived, "You don't have anything
on me!"

Though, tossing the folder right onto Samuele's bare chest, Evan opens the
front cover, "Shall we start at the first position you held, as guidance
counselor? Or," Eva flips another page, "principal of a school, where you
were forced to resign... Lucky you, they didn't catch on to your game,"
another turn of a page, "which brings us up to my own file on you, which
not only is from my own looking into but the detective I hired?"

It was all there on the pages in front of him. He didn't have to read
through every paragraph, only pick up on certain words; extortion, money
laundering, drugs, others which could spell out an untimely removal by law
enforcement, not to mention justice and incarceration.

Immediately following, it does occur to Samuele, glancing from wrist to
wrist, "And why am I here, chained to your bed and not sitting in a jail
cell?"

Taking the folder, which since Samuele did not contest, he felt it useless
to pursue right now, "Two reasons. One, to alleviate tarnishing the good
name of the school which has been a celebrated part of my family..."

"Ain't that sweet," like Samuele could care less.

"The other reason... I simply don't care for it when someone hires a fancy
lawyer, pitting him against simple townfolk and then slips through the
hands of a judicial system, only to go on and fuck another learning
institution over, as you have been doing here at Manfredi?"

A lot at stake, Samuele turns nasty, "My attorney will have a field day
with that folder of yours and then he'll tear you apart afterwards for..."
once again he studies the leather cuffs and snap hooks, "then he'll come
after you for false imprisionment!"

Unflinching, Evan replies, "I think you need some help with your grammar,
Samuele, but I hadn't planned on the courtroom route?"

It confused Samuele, "What are you driving at, Puttski?"

"Simple. I have no intentions of placing you under arrest, rather it would
much simpler for all of us if you resigned from Manfredi, turned the money
in your bank account over to the Manfredi development fund, except for
maybe," he thinks off the top of his head, "a couple a grand to buy a plane
ticket out of the country and then..."

"You're fuckin' out of your mind!"

"Am I? Maybe a little," Evan laughs, getting up.

Producing another piece of paper, he lays it out on Samuele's stomach
stripe, a pen on top.

"What's this?" he looks down towards his cock.

"Your resignation."

Thinking he's sly, after pondering it for a few short seconds, says, "I
can't sign it with my hands cuffed?"

"Very sly, Samuele, but it's not going to work. What will work though, is
me," he picks up the paper and pen, "holding the page up to your hand and
you signing it?"

"And then you'll set me free?"

"You think you have all the angles covered, do you Samuele? Sure. I'll set
you free. Gio and Antonio said they would not mind driving you to the
airport," hesitating, "unless they needed to stop along the way?"

"You're such a fuckin' stupid cop! I'm not signing anything!"

Going to the dresser, Evan picks up his cell phone.

"What are you going to do?"

He knew the headmaster could be cool, but this whole situation had thrown
him off course somewhat. Sure, he knew he could be in a lot of trouble, but
he had planned all this out, "Got something for you to think about."

"What?"

"It wasn't Gio and Antonio's idea to rough you up in the woods..."

He had to hand on while the other picked up, turning his back on Samuele,
which he could still detect grumbling statements, but quieted him to
silence where one could hear a pin drop, exclaiming, "Gio! Yeah, it's all
set. You can be here in a half hour? Sounds good. I'll have everything
ready!"

"What was that about?"

Sensing a greater tension in Samuele's voice, Evan felt it was warranted,
given the late summer scenario, which got Gio and Antonio as mad as being
strung up by the balls, "That was Gio. He and Antonio aren't doing anything
tonight and I suggested they come over." Setting the cell down, "I bet you
didn't know I was a boxing aficionado?"

He was visibly sweating, the hair on his chest showing it, as well as his
brow, Samuele questioning, "What is this about?"

"Hmm, I thought you were smarter than this, Samuele? Oh well, might as well
spoil the surprise. In my basement is an official boxing ring. I told Gio
and Antonio they could come over and use it to trade off some of their
skills with you. You do know how to box, don't you?"

He knew Samuele didn't for a fact. Along with his investigation, he tracked
the headmaster back to teen-hood. Samuele wasn't involved in anything
except shaking down other kids for lunch money or selling and doing
drugs. Having him cuffed to his bed, Evan could easily mistake him for
being `hot', nicely kept physique, probably attributed to
genes. Regardless, he had enough on him to know he lacked skills, which
came as an advantage.

With the unknowing lurking, Samuele adamantly stresses, "You don't know
what your up against."

It made Evan think, that he's possibly missed something, like a black belt
in karate? Regardless, as a team, he knew Gio and Antonio could handle
anything, "Oh, but I do and after your signature on this legal
document... did I mention it's all legal?"

"I'm not signing anything!"

Turning and walking towards the door, figuring `case closed', for now, Evan
says, "Gotta go pop the corn and put the beer on ice!"

^ o ^

Having just shut his eyelids, on the way into a deep sleep, not to mention,
hopefully, a sweet dream, Jason was jarred awake by an arm, crossing his
chest. Awakened, he looked down upon his chest, knowing it was not his
own. Raising his shoulders off the bed, he picked up the `foreign bod' like
it reeked of the plague, placing it back in its own territory, which in
turn, made Ian turn his back on Jason.

"Now, there's a thought!" Jason smiles, whispering to himself with wishful
thinking!

Parking his head in the pillow, he turns to look at the clock on the side
table. It read about 20 minutes past when he last fell asleep. Folding his
hands over his stomach, he nudged his shoulders into place, where the edge
of the pillow met the bedsheets, closing his eyes. However, he couldn't
erase from his mind the security lights bouncing off Ian's ass!

Dream or reality, Jason would not find out for certain, until the dawn
stream in through the blinds, a ray catching him right on the eyes, making
him awake, finding his hand with sticky stuff, dried and flaky, he had
fallen asleep after his post-handjob.

Holding his hand up, studying the flaky matter was a dead giveaway for Ian,
"Science experiment?"

Turning his head suddenly, Jason drops his hand to his chest, "Oh! I didn't
know you were awake?!"

"First day of the first semester!" Ian remarks.

Chasing his words, Jason says, "First day of the rest of our lives!"

Reading into it, Ian replies, "What's that supposed to mean?"

With a look of questioning his own thought, Jason frankly retorts, "I don't
know!"

"Breakfast bell rings in an hour. We better get started on our day?" Ian
says, bouncing out of bed.

"You look eager," Jason says, the slow approach of rising up and off the
bed, a hand covering his pubes, like he tried to hide something.

Glancing to what he perceived was a secret act, Ian goes the long route, "I
must've been really tired and dozed off quickly last night."

"Yeah," Jason knew the intention, "must've... reason why you missed out on
the fireworks!"

Evading the issue, Ian, who for the first time in his life, slept without
either long or shortie pajamas, says, "Feels different waking up without
anything on."

Referring to the white bathrobe Ian has clothed his bod in, Jason, who has
wrapped a towel around his waist, "Does it come with bunny-wabbit
slippers?"

"Making fun of me?" Ian stood his ground, yet sway towards Jason's stab of
humor, at his expense.

"Who me? Never, but if you walk halls on the way to the public showers, I'm
sure you'll pick up plenty of snickers!"

Looking at Jason, the scraggily, curly haircut, morning scruff, smooth pecs
and abs, the crafted treasure trail, ending at the tucked in towel, he
says, "I always wore a bathrobe at home."

"Why?" Jason walks over to him, taking the neatly tied knot at the waste
and giving a pull, "Like, what are you afraid of people seeing?"

The front of the robe opened, right to Ian's ankles, him saying, "Nothing
much!"

"Nothing much? Either you've gotta pee real bad or else you're destined to
have guys chasing after you all semester!"

Ian couldn't possibly deny the fact he had to take a leak, yet the tip of
his cock poking through the crevice between both flaps of the robe, said
something in itself, him lending word, "I have to go," even though not
really, terribly, terribly bad!

Turning around, going into a small cubby, Jason pulls out a towel, tossing
it to Ian, "Here. Look normal, why doncha?"

Catching it, Ian drops it on the bed, takes off the robe and drapes the
towel around his waist, asking, "How do I look?"

With humor, Jason speaks his mind, "I love ginger-guys!"

Even though he wasn't a carrot-top, at one time in his life Ian thought of
trimming or shaving his chest and stomach altogether. Anything, not to be
branded with the embarrassing namesake. "Am I really?" he asks Jason,
fearing the worst.

"Only time will tell!"

Ian acknowledged the truth, on account of a recent acquisition of chest
hair, it coming in over the past year, center chest, lightly panning over
his pecs, more concentrated around the nips, then the connected `line',
which in essence appeared to a reddish-brown marker used to draw a line to
connect midchest with navel, but it was a definite defining line between
his teen bellyhole and more lavish pubes.

Rather than stand there and talk about it, both thought it best to be a
little earlier than the bell. For sure, neither wanted to get into trouble
with the `strict` headmaster.

On the way to the shower, Ian saw he wasn't the only one. Well, he could've
been the only `white bunny', the pouring out of guys from their rooms, all
lookalikes as far as towels tucked in torsos.

Suspicious, when Jason sees Xeno, asks, "Did you sleep on or off campus
last night?"

"Does my droopy eyelids give me away?" Xeno replies.

"Nah," Jason pats Xeno's towel with the back of his hand, "but your droopy
cock does!"

Ian can't believe it, Jason fooling with another man's cock!

"Yep, Xeno perks up, took a lot to wear Kev down, but finally I broke down
the barriers between us!"

"When's the wedding?" Jason jokes.

"Hit and run," Xeno says, "almost."

Ian is taking it all in, the conversation between the two, Jason like the
news reporter, bringing the facts out into the open.

"I was about to walk out the door, opening it and in the frame of the door
stood this Greek god!"

Ian did have enough sense to say, "Takes one to know one, Xeno?"

Addressing Jason, Xeno asks, "What did you do last night to turn this
innocent kid into a wiseass?"

"Are you joking? Ian fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow!"

"You guys didn` t fuck around?"

Ian felt a little embarrassed. That's how he thought college life would
go... Was supposed to go, but instead, faked turning over and going to
sleep, until he actually did!

But it's Jason who bails him out, "We're greeners, remember?"

Whether a rational explanation or not, it worked, Xeno saying, "There's
always tonight!"

Disappearing, spotting some guy from last year, whom Xeno thought, because
of the Saturday night, private parties, wasn't planning on returning to
Manfredi, he puts on some speed to catch up.

Leaving Jason and Ian to themselves, Ian says, "I have a confession to
make."

"Besides a virgin, what else?" Jason cackles.

"Last night I had all intentions of putting that in the past," Ian replies.

"Why? Just because it's a cool thing to do in college, that you think
you've left the home life, you're not going to be cool unless you've taken
it up the ass?"

Sketchy, it's sort of the impression Ian had, amending, "Um, I
thought... Maybe giving it, instead of taking it?"

Smiling, Jason says of it, the two waiting in line, but keeping their
distance, "I saw what you have to work with. Trust me, you could leave an
impression on a guy!"

"But not you?" Ian questions.

Leaning against the wall, Jason exhales, saying, "Just because I told you
guys about things I used to do to make money in exchange for sex, it isn't
the way I think about sex now."

"Oh right," Ian replies. "You already know all about it. You don't have to
worry about practice."

"Do I detect a little cynicism here?"

Realizing, `maybe', Ian repairs his thoughts, "I guess it sounds that way,
but... I don't know what I mean."

"Okay, let's back up. We had a nice time at Uncle..." Jason was already
programming himself, "I mean Coach Leeds` place and you had no problem
strutting your stuff around the pool and grounds?"

"I know. I can't pretend to understand it, other than different around a
few guys, but..." looking down the hall, at the 15 guys ahead of them, in
line for dibs on a shower, "I can't explain it. I've never been as open and
outward in public as I was at Coach's place."

Jason couldn't pretend he knew the answer, or exactly what the question
was! Instead, he alludes to, "Why don't we just focus on today and later
see what happens?"

"I think that's good advice," Ian agrees.

Suddenly there's an outburst, a guy coming out of the mens shower,
exclaiming, "No more hot water. It's either shower cold or stink!"

"I'll stink," Jason says, turning around to go back to the room. Turning
back, to Ian making up his mind, "You coming or turning your balls into ice
cubes?"

"Tempting!" Ian says, smiling, walking in Jason's direction.

Getting back to their shared room, Jason walks right over to the towel
cubes, producing a blue bin, "I knew these would come in handy!"

"Baby wipes?" Ian questions.

"Yeah. Leaves the pubes baby soft!"

Like his own though, Jason, without hesitation, whipping the towel off, his
pubes all wiry with hair, Ian says, "Do you ever feel like it's `too much`
down there?"

"Definitely-so!" Jason replies. "Especially when my balls are boiling and
I'm so big and fat, that..."

"No, I'm not talking about..." Ian gets self-conscious, "not your,
um... balls... I meant your pubes... getting a little too... `fluffy'?"

"Oh!" Jason realizes, not the main unit, but the `housing', "Of
course. Sometimes, but all it takes is a beard trimmer, or if you want to
go to extremes a toss-away razor? Why? I thought you looked okay?"

"Did you now?" Ian replies.

Realizing where his mind has tread, Jason exclaims, "Oh, well you don't
think I've been.... scoping you out?"

Laughing, Ian says, "Not that I've had a lot of experience at it, but I
think if you didn't, you wouldn't be a normal gay guy, Jason?!"

"You're right," Jason confesses, "but for the opposite of a know-it-all,
you're pretty smart?"

Already in the buff, Ian loses his towel, "I guess I better stop being a
prude and get with the program, huh?"

Quick analyzation, Jason says, "I don't see where you need to mow the
lawn!"

"That's the one thing about you, Jason," Ian sets his feet in motion,
closing the gap between them.

"You've seen me mow a lawn?"

"Depends on the lawnmower; manual or gas-powered?"

This was leading to something, whereas Jason could almost feel that
auburn-colored grass on his driveway. Rather than prolong things, he takes
the initiative, steps forwards and like one of his adult tricks taught him,
engages in some sensual kissing.

Overpowered, not by gas, but by a manual zip of electric impulses, Ian
leans in and reports back, "Wow, I've never been kissed like that before!"

"Uh, I was under the impression you've never been kissed?" Jason replies.

"Once. At my sister's wedding. The best man had too much to drink and
`accidentally` kissed me... On the cheek."

"Are you sure it was an accident?"

Ian's common sense tells him, "He's married!"

Looking over Ian's shoulder, at the clock on the bedside table, Jason
confides, with a hand to top of the shoulder, "Ian-my'boy, you and me got a
lot of talkin` to do!"

Throughout their getting their act together for morning meal, Ian was
unsupportive of Jason's theories about married men and their evil, gay
side, which came between all ethical standards regarding vows taken at the
altar, beach, or wherever faithful, holy matrimony took place.

"Dang it!"

Tying a shoe, Jason questions, "Tough concept to accept?"

"No. I lost a contact!"

Relieved, it was tiring Jason out, supporting the idea a married man could
possibly get it on with a guy. "You wear contacts?"

Popping the other one out, and with time not on their side at the moment,
Ian renders, "Not right now." Putting on a pair of brown-rimmed lenses, he
asks, "Do I look nerdy enough?"

"You're joking, right?"

"No. It's the reason I got the lenses," Ian snubs the idea of wearing
glasses, staring at himself in the mirror.

Trying to decide, it's a tossup, Jason saying, "I'd say you look good with
and without."

"Clothes?" Ian teases, still trying to figure what's the best angle to wear
the glasses, in order to look cool.

"Definitely without," Jason replies, "but the lenses," he sneaks up from
behind, pushing them all the way against the wall of Ian's face, "look okay
like this."

"I know I'm going to regret wearing these all day. I'll be so
self-conscious of them being on me."

Conscious vs. self-conscious, Jason would have brought up being slapped in
the chest by an arm last night, but instead he taps Ian on the shoulder,
"5...4...3...2...1!"

"Huh?"

There it was, the bell, calling the whole school to breakfast meal.

On the way, Ian got a lot of looks. He almost made it safely to the eating
hall, a guy in front him turning around, then back to his own business of
following the others into the hall, when he turns right back around and
almost in Ian's face, asks, "You're that model, aren't you?"

Right away, Jason thinks of it as a pick up line!

"Nope. Not a model. Sorry," Ian replies, pushing his glasses up on his
nose, even though they weren't skiing down.

"No. It's me who should be sorry," the dude repudiates.

Regardless, time spent going through the tables of food, banquet style,
it's all the time it took to tear Ian's attention away from him, Jason
choosing to sit in the empty chair at Xeno's table, asking, "I thought you
would be with your buddies?"

Welcoming Jason to the long table, it was under totally different umbrella
of support, whereas last week, about two days ago, they were considered
mortal enemies. Different than before, even though Jason and Xeno morphed
into good friends, those who irked Xeno on were at other tables.

"What happened to your entourage of no-do-gooders, Xeno?"

He was smiling, "I turned over a new leaf. They didn't want to."

"I guess this means I'm still a hated man!" Jason laughs.

Still smiling, Xeno says, "Not by me!"

Glancing around, something catches Jason's eye, "Hey, where's Hawkins?
Isn't he supposed to be at every meal, like the rest of us?"

Coughing on his sip of coffee, Xeno confides, "Didn't you hear?"

"About?"

Of course, Jason hadn't been clued in to what happened on Saturday nights,
nor Xeno's involvement, so his friend kept some of the details mum,
"Hawkins was out jogging yesterday and got mugged in the ravine!"

Not that he wasn't sympathetic, Jason asks, "I wonder if he enjoyed it?"

"The notice didn't say. Vague, it said to keep our headmaster in our
prayers and hope for a speedy recovery."

Unknown to them, nor anyone outside the circle of Evan Puttski, Gio and
Antonio, Samuele Hawkins-Jones had a long, long night last night. Kept from
sleeping a wink, until after brutally coerced into signing a paper, his
restful night on the bed turned to a rough and tough night in Evan's
basement, pitted against boxers, Gio and Antonio. It wasn't until after he
was admitted into the hospital, at around 4a.m., did the news begin to
circulate around the Manfredi community.

It also was a lead in for Jason, asking, "You don't sound very sympathetic,
Xeno."

It then became a question of just how good of friends they were, which
would set a bearings on their future friendship status, Xeno quietly
setting the stage for confession. Like a chapter of a book, Jason got bits
and pieces of Xeno's involvement in Saturday night get togethers throughout
the day.

On a somber note, none of the meals was spent with Ian, some new guy, Scott
Maharis, apparently sweeping his room mate off his feet, with some story
about naming him as one of the supermodels of the world of fashion, Ian
shooting him down, saying he was as normal as the next guy. It's around
this time Jason started questioning what `normal' was!

^ o ^

Jordan had left Kevin's house at an extremely early hour of the morning,
after a quick cup of coffee. Racing back to his apartment, he hastily
showered, in and out without touching soap, dried, shaved, brushed teeth,
literally ran to the closet, dressed and was out of his pad in fifteen
minutes flat. Another fifteen minutes, he estimated, if the traffic flow
was normal, he would be parking his car. It took seventeen minutes, which
Jordan figured, if he left his laptop backpack in the car, he could travel
faster.

Upon arriving at the dining hall, he caught the end of Dean Martin's
oration, but spotting Kevin, figured the sign language, tapping the back of
the unmanned chair next to him, was reserved for him.

"Shower in the car?" Kevin asks.

End of summer vacation, the outdoors temperature didn't cooperate with
making anyone feel cool, Jordan saying, "I was dry as a bone, until I
escaped the air conditioning in my car!"

Kevin smiled, seeing the sweaty dress shirt when Jordan peels his dress
jacket over his shoulders, perspiration making tiny little nips show
through, "Ahem!"

"What?"

"We're supposed to be showing example?!" Kevin nods.

Looking down the row of professors, none of them were without a jacket, Ian
responding, "Oh," he shimmies the jacket back up and over his shoulders.

"Nice view, though," Kevin smiles.

"You didn't like the view last night?" Jordan n asks with sarcasm.

Instead of answering, Kevin says, "You missed the excitement," he goes off
on a tangent, telling about Hawkins, a victim of foul play, mugged while
jogging down the ravine.

"Do they get much of that around here?"

"Not intentionally," Kevin smiles.

Something from Kevin's statement gave Jordan an uneasy feeling about the
incident, "Was something `sexual' done to him?"

"In case you can't remember, it's called `sexual harassment' and no, they
didn't say," though, Kevin wasn't sharing how one day, while zipping up the
road least traveled, was snagged by a certain patrol officer.

More attuned to feelings and emotions, Jordan quizzes Kevin, "You're not
telling me something."

"You can tell something like that about person, huh?" Kevin knew he was
snagged.

"Our `dedicated' headmaster?"

So Kevin leveled with Jordan, "I was his first ticket, this new patrol
officer, first day on the job, `scores!'"

"Like, how would you be meaning that?"

Even though sitting next to each other, coupled with noise of the dining
hall, there could be possibilities of others listening in, Kevin replying,
"I'll fill you in later."

"Oh, is there going to be a `later?'"

"Much, much later."

"How much-much later?" Jordan asks.

"I take it you didn't get your copy of the practice schedule yesterday?"

Remembering the dates, which would fill the void in his weekends, Jordan
says, "Kind of puts a dent in our social life?"

Kevin, making it sound sexy, retorts, "You might get bored with me and if
you do, there's always the 30 or so young college studs getting all greasy,
grimy and sweaty to fall back on?"

"Fall back on, huh? I highly doubt that!" Jordan laughs, softly.

With their mind on the same track, Kevin says, "I want you to know, if
you're every in a bad mood, you always have me to fall back on?!"

"Thanks for the consolation prize!"

^ o ^

Even though this was the official first day of the rest of the school year
at Manfredi, instead of the usual banter, first question to come out of the
mouths of congregators was hearing about the headmaster. As news spread, so
did the rumors, until pretty much the same consensus was reached.

"I heard they found an axe handle stuffed up his ass..." well almost true
to what the situation could be, Jason telling Xeno.

"Nothing personal," Xeno replies, "but it couldn't have been anymore
fulfilling than `me'!"

Jason says, "If it were `you', Xeno," meaning a part of his bod, "the
hospital would have reported a near death brush with the perpetrator?"

Apparently, two guys who sat at the same table, `greeners', weren't too up
on their gay behavior patterns, though one of them wasn't totally ignorant
of the facts, asking, "What is it with gay dudes, always wanting a cock up
their," because they were in an eating facility, instead of `shit chute',
"arce?"

About to say something, Jason was cut off by the guy's pal, "Maybe you
should get some first hand experience, Jay?"

"Excuse me, but I have to be going!" Jay places both hands on the table,
elevates himself, courteously places the chair under the table before
leaving.

Jason sums up the attitude, "I don't think your friend likes us very much!"

"He's not my friend," the other guy replies. "I mean, he is, but it's not
like we have been friends forever. We met on the plane. We're from Chicago,
but didn't know each other before the flight. When we both found out we
were headed for the same destination, we became friends, but I don't feel
like we're bonding."

Xeno says in a sly way, "Bet I know why?"

"Why?" Jason asks him point blank.

"Straight, homo meets gay guy at airport?"

All fidgety, nervous, rubbing hands together, "I never said I was gay?"

"That's right," Jason says, "he didn't," turning from Xeno, "Are you?"

Punishing Jason for his statement, Xeno lends, "You should know better,
Jason!"

"What?" Jason takes a stand.

Making an example, Xeno replies, "Did I ask you if you were gay when we
first met?"

"No," Jason could laugh about it now, "you chose to bury your knees in
mashed potatoes and then proceed to strangle the living daylights out of
me... Some greeting!"

"What?" the dude says.

"Never mind," Jason replies. "It's over and done. Hey, what's your name?
I'm Jason and this is..."

Before he could finish introductions, Ian is in his face, "Uh, Jason..."

Jason looks up, wondering if Ian's busting into the middle of their
conversation has something to do with the dude who tried out a tacky pickup
line on his room mate, was part of the reason....

"I was wondering if, since we really haven't roomed together for more than
one night, if I can renege on my offer and..."

There was hardly a soul Jason could get angry at and already seeing the
writing on the wall, "You want to kick me out?"

"Um," Ian, with that puppy-dog-look, lets things ride, "yeah."

Knowing Xeno was shacked up alone, "No problem. I'm sure Xeno won't mind
putting me up?!"

It was on Xeno's mind to say something, but Ian, as well as Scott Maharis,
his new `friend', were so energetic in sorries and thank-you's, he couldn't
get a word in until feelings subside, "Actually?"

Doom and gloom filling Jason, he detected something about to befall him,
but still with hope, "Sorry. I know I should have asked, Xeno?"

"We didn't have a chance to talk," Xeno replies, somber attitude.

Knowing things were turning ugly, Jason says, "Here comes the wrecking
ball!"

The dude sat quietly, watching Jason and Xeno interact. Jason acted sadly
to the news Xeno thought it a good idea to cut ties with Manfredi.

"Does this have anything to do with Kev?" Jason asks.

"Um, maybe 50%," Xeno thinks.

"Only 50%, Xeno?"

"Maybe 60%."

"How about 100%, Xeno?" a little bubbly giggle in Jason saying it.

In reality, Xeno was in dire straits, wanting to sever ties with involving
himself in the headmaster's Saturday night `fun and games'. He hadn't
divulged the why's, so decided to pin his whole choosing on Kev, "You got
me," he admits, "it is as you think."

Not bent out of shape at all, Jason replies, "Cool!"

"You're not mad?" Xeno looks for forgiveness.

"Oh course not," Jason exclaims, "What could be better than having a room
all to myself!"

%

Copyright 2013 T. Chase McPhee

`A NiFTy LiTTLe TALe', and developing segments of this story, may not be
sold, nor made part of any collection, without prior consent from the
author.