Date: Mon, 22 Dec 2008 14:18:40 -0800 (PST)
From: Kevin Carson <kc.drummerboy@yahoo.com>
Subject: Drummer Boys - Part 42

Drummer Boys
By Kevin Carson
 
This story is about my relationship with my friend and, well, much, much
more-than-a-jack-off buddy.  Yes, it includes gay teen sex stuff.  It's
based on true experiences but some of the names and places have been
changed for privacy.  Hey, if this is illegal where you're at or if you're
too young to be reading this, then you better not.  Getting in trouble
isn't cool.  All rights reserved.  No reproductions permitted without prior
permission.  Copyright 2008.

Thanks to everyone who has written to me.  I really appreciate your
comments/feedback and questions about this story.  My email is:
kc.drummerboy@yahoo.com.

Sincerely,
-kevin.

Part 42.

"KEVIN!!!!  KEITH!!!!"

Dad was in the foyer and yelled up to us in an urgent attempt to get our
attention.  Then he ran part way up the steps, far enough that he could see
me.  There I was, in plain view, standing in the hall near the landing,
clad only in my underwear.

"What's g-g-g-going on??" I stuttered.  "Who's h-h-here??"

"Oh Jesus, look at you," Dad shook his head from side to side, obviously
concerned by my appearance.  "Get your clothes on and get down in the
living room.  Lt. Kline's here."

Just then my brother opened his door and staggered into the hall, rubbing
his eyes.  "What's all the shouting about??" Keith asked.  "You guys woke
me up!"  Boy, he sure was in a grumpy kinda mood.

"I need you both downstairs, like NOW!  The police are here to talk to us
about the accident investigation and I don't want to keep them waiting.
So... hurry it up!"

"Do I have t-t-time to take a shower first, Dad?" I pleaded.  "I'm a mess."

"Yes, I can see that.  And no, you don't have time for a shower right now.
Just get dressed and get your butt downstairs.  You can shower later.  That
goes for you, too, Keith."

Dad sure was successful in getting our attention!  Even though Keith wasn't
fully awake, and I looked like shit, we both met him in the living room
within seconds.  Lt. Kline was there, along with another detective, a
woman.  I gotta say, she was very, very attractive for a woman cop.  Not
what I expected.

I kinda stood behind the piano for a few seconds, leaning on it a bit,
staring at her.  She had long, dark brown hair and big brown eyes, and
giant-size knockers, too.  Although she was wearing street clothes, in my
mind I briefly pictured her in a skimpy police uniform... a short-short
miniskirt, black leather high-heeled boots and her cop hat positioned sorta
down low over her eyes.  Her mostly-unbuttoned blue uniform shirt exposed
the roundness of her pushed-up melons.  And with bright red, sexy puckered
lips, she purred like a kitten as she swung a pair of handcuffs around in a
circular motion.

I imagined her posing that way, like a model, while a good-looking
photographer, whose shirt was also unbuttoned, rapidly clicked his camera,
snapping pictures of her, maybe for an erotic calendar or a soft-porn
magazine.  I wondered who was sexier... the woman cop or the hot-looking
dude taking the pictures...

In my split-second delusion, I thought to myself, "Could that be Mark and
Nora twenty years from now????  OH NO!!!!"  Me and my daydreams!  Wow.

Then, at Dad's insistence, I snapped back to reality.  "Kevin... are you
with us, son??"

"Oh yeah, Dad... Sorry, I guess I'm uhh... uhh... whatever..."

Everyone sat down as Dad introduced the woman cop... Detective Marsha
Craig.  Of course, we already knew Lt. Kline.  I was on the edge of my
seat, for some reason, as Lt. Kline broke the ice, in a friendly-joking
manner.

"Kevin, at this point, I just want to thank you again for coming forward
about the mirror.  You'd make a great investigator.  I'd hire you at the
detective bureau in a heartbeat, if I could.  Unfortunately, at this point,
you're a little young."

"Umm, yeah.  But if you did hire me, it would have to be under two
conditions..."

"Oh really?  And what might those conditions be??"

"Well, first, I'd have to have a bullet-proof vest.  There's no question
about that.  And second, I'd have to be paid a lot of money!"

"Well, son, I'd definitely fix you up with the bullet-resistant vest.
That's standard equipment," he laughed.  "A bullet would go right through a
kid your size.  But as far as the pay rate goes... I'm sure you'd be
disappointed.  The starting salary is pretty low in the police department.
You don't get rich being a cop!"  Even though we all laughed a little, it
sorta made me shiver when he said that a bullet would go right through me.
Jesus, the thought of being shot killed me.  I guess I better get some meat
on my bones!

"So, anyway, lieutenant, how is the accident investigation going?  That IS
why you're here, isn't it?  Please... fill us in." Dad got us back on-point
quickly.

Lt. Kline cleared his throat and sorta looked down.  "Yes, at this point,
I'm pleased to say, we have had some developments.  And you were right on
track, Kevin.  The car involved was, indeed, the Pontiac G-6 you saw at the
home of Mr. and Mrs. Harold Lamson.  However, they are not the owners.
That car is registered to their son-in-law... a Mr. Derek O'Brien, who
happens to be in the Marines, and he's currently out-of-town, at this
point."

OK, so far detective Kline hadn't told us anything we didn't already know.
It was practically the same shit we talked about before.  He was basically
only repeating what I had told him!

"Please continue, detective..."

"We have had the opportunity to speak with Mr. O'Brien, and, at this point,
he has agreed to assume all financial responsibility for the incident..."

"So... you're saying Marcie's husband was the prick who ran me off the road
and almost got my girlfriend killed??"  Keith stood up.  He was so angry.
And I can tell you first-hand... it ain't nice when my brother is pissed!
I happened to notice Dad didn't seem angry at him for using the word
"prick" when he referred to Marcie's husband.  If I had said that, Dad
would have been all over my ass.

"Son, sit down," Dad warned.  "Where's all this leading, detective?  Did
you speak to this O'Brien guy in person, or what?"

"No, it was a phone interview, but we do plan to meet with him personally
in the near future.  And, at this point, we don't believe he was the person
driving.  He's agreed to have his insurance cover everything, but there is
no evidence suggesting he was the driver, or in any way physically
responsible."

"So, he has an alibi?"  Dad questioned.

"Yes.  And that's about all I can say, at this point."

"Well, who do you suspect WAS driving the car?  You don't have that many
choices."  Dad was on a roll.  Look out!

"We can't say..."

Lt. Kline had turned his head and wasn't able to see Keith, who mockingly
finished the sentence mouthing the words "at this point."  I started to
laugh, which I know was rude, but it was funny as hell.  Old detective
Kline must have said "at this point" eight million times already!  My
father gave me a pissed-off look, but I didn't care.  I couldn't help it.

Then Dad smiled, but it wasn't the kind of smile you want from him.  "You
can't say??"  The hint of sarcastic skepticism in his questioning tone was
quite clear.

"That's right.  We cannot say, at this point, who the driver definitely
was."  Detective Kline closed his eyes and nodded his head.

When he said "at this point" again I couldn't look at Keith, because I knew
I'd start laughing again, and this was way too serious for silliness.  But
I sure am laughing now, thinking about it.

"There are only four people in that household, and you've seemingly
eliminated one of them, so that leaves three.  Harold Lamson, his wife and
daughter must all be persons of interest, correct?"

"That's correct, Mr. Carson."

I don't know what the fuck was so hard to figure out about all of this.
Even I know you bring them all in and question the hell out of them until
one of them fesses up.  That's what they do on TV!  "Like I said before,
why don't you throw all of them in jail?  Someone will admit it then!" I
popped up.

"We'll handle it, Kevin.  But, it's not that easy."  Detective Craig
answered.  Finally, she spoke up.

"And I sure hope they have legal counsel.  They do have an attorney, don't
they?" Dad asked.

"They're working on it."  That was Lt. Kline's answer... "They're working
on it."

"Oh, that's great!"  Although Dad was his usual calm and controlled self, I
could tell he was becoming somewhat irritated, as much as Keith and I were.
This isn't a normal client situation we're dealing with here.  We're his
kids... we're all he's got, so Dad was being more "father" than "lawyer."

I think detective Kline was becoming a little uncomfortable, and he knew he
better not say a whole lot more or Dad would have him pinned against the
wall.  "Mr. Carson, I'm sure you understand, these things take time, and
the investigation is ongoing.  We just stopped by to give you the update of
what we know so far, and please believe me when I say we're doing our best.
We will keep you posted, I assure you."

"So, how's this gonna work if this O'Brien dude is paying for everything?"
Keith asked.  "I thought our insurance company is already taking care of
it... right, Dad?"

"That's right, son.  The insurance companies will handle everything with
one another on their end.  Believe me, they're not going to lose out at
all.  But whatever we end up paying out-of-pocket, such as deductibles and
medical co-pays, we'll be re-imbursed.  When one insurer technically sues
to collect from the responsible party, it's called subrogation.  Hopefully
this will be resolved without any further litigation that we, ourselves,
might initiate.  The last thing I'd want to have happen is to file a
full-blown law suit."

Jesus Christ!  Dad talking all that legalese, using those big fancy words,
it made my fucking head spin!

So that was about it.  Dad showed Lt. Kline and his partner, Det. Craig,
the way out, and Keith and I stayed in the living room.  Somewhat stunned.
And very perturbed.  And despite the frustration we all felt, Dad was
actually pretty smooth about it all.  I heard him say thanks and that he'd
be in touch with the insurance company.  Then they walked outside and
talked a little more.  I guess Dad got more information out of the cops, or
maybe they had stuff to tell him that they didn't want Keith and me to
know.  I looked out the window and saw Dad and Lt. Kline shaking hands
goodbye.

Dad was a little different when he came back inside, and was more
reassuring, after we got a brief lecture about our snickering when
Lt. Kline kept saying "at this point" in every fucking sentence.

"You gotta admit, Dad, it was pretty funny when he kept saying that.
Jeez!!" Keith said.

"Well..." Dad finally beamed a big smile.  "I think you two made him
nervous."  We all chuckled.

"So... back to the accident... what else is going on about it, Dad?" I
asked.

"Well, boys, first let me say, above all else, I'm glad, Keith, that you
and Lisa are OK.  That's really my first priority... it's the most
important thing.  Second, it's definitely a step in the right direction
that this O'Brien fellow is being cooperative and stepping up financially.
My hunch is there's still a lot more we have to learn from him.  We have to
take this one step at a time."

"Are you gonna question him, Dad?"

"No, son... since criminal law isn't my area I would not be the best person
to interview him.  Besides, even if it were, it wouldn't be appropriate for
me or grandpa to speak with him since we're family members.  Professionally
speaking, it isn't proper.  But we'll take whatever steps we need to, if
and when that's necessary."

"So, what happens now?" I wondered.

"We continue to let the police do their job.  And we wait."

Keith rolled his eyes, but didn't say a whole lot.  I guess because I know
him so well, his silence was his way of saying he knew Dad would handle
things perfectly, but he was still disgusted.  I, myself, though... I was
determined that if I ever have the opportunity to say something to someone
about this whole mess, I sure as hell will speak up.  If I ever have the
chance...

The three of us all sorta went our separate ways after that.  Dad had
things to do, Keith disappeared, and even though I desperately needed to
take that shower, I decided to make a few phone calls first.  But before I
went back up to my room, I poured myself a huge-ass mug of coffee, because
I needed the caffeine.  One ice cube in it, please... not to weaken it, but
to cool it down.  The only thing I like in my mouth THAT hot is Mark!

I called Allie first, to tell her about the ballgame.  She answered, which
was good that we didn't have to play voice-mail tag.

"Hey Allie!  You know the other day when we were sorta thinking of things
we could do when Nick is here... well I have some great news!  I'd like to
invite you guys to the Mets game next Sunday, if you're free..."

"Wow, Kevin!  That'd be awesome!  I'm sure Nick would love to go.  I think
it'll work out because they're actually coming in a day earlier, so yeah,
Sunday's fine.  It will just be Nick and me, though, because Jon's going to
his folks' in Pennsylvania for most of the day, and I think my parents are
meeting up with one of my father's business associates, so... we should be
good!"

God, I breathed a sigh of relief!  With Jon and their parents out of the
way, that solved the problem of only having four tickets.  At first I
wasn't gonna say anything about that to Allie, but then I thought, what the
hell.

"Cool!  My grandpa hooked me up with four field box seats, so if it's just
you and Nick, that'll work out great, because I'll ask Mark, too."

"Really??  Your grandfather got you the tickets?  I heard they're hard to
come by."

"Well they're through his law firm, so I guess I'm lucky in that respect.
By the way, the Mets are playing the Phillies, so you don't think Jon will
be upset, do you?"

"Kevin, don't even worry about that.  Jon won't care.  He doesn't follow
baseball at all.  Like, he probably doesn't know the difference between the
ball and the bat!  Gotta love him, though!"

What a relief!  Allie and I talked a bit more, and we sorta planned to meet
at Shea Stadium like Mark suggested when I first told him my plan for all
of this.  It's not hard to figure out which subways for them to take to get
there.  I'm sure Allie's used to that.

"So, I was also thinking that after the game, like Sunday evening, we could
all just go back to my house and have a little get-together with some of
our friends.  Mark will probably drive, so that's not a problem to bring
you and Nick with us back home.  It won't be anything big... just stuff to
eat, and maybe a little entertainment.  And you'll get to meet my Dad!"

"Sounds good!  What do you mean by entertainment?"

"Oh, I don't know... I was hoping maybe my friends Scott and Matt could
play some music.  They're really good guitar players."

"Awesome!"

"Oh, and if Jon's back from Philadelphia, do you think he'd wanna drive out
here Sunday evening too?  He's more than welcome.  It'd be really cool if
he did."

"Yeah, I'll talk to him.  That might work out great, and then he could
drive Nick and me home.  I don't think he'd mind.  I mean, he'll be driving
back here Sunday anyway, and he likes to drive, so its fine, I'm sure.  It
bugs him that he really can't drive that much in the city.  It's just not
worth it with all the congestion and one-way streets.  But don't
worry... he'll do whatever I say!!"

Allie was hysterically funny, the way she talked about Jon.  She was so
happy that I called and invited them to the game, and then to my house
afterwards... I could tell.  It made me feel good, too, that I wasn't in a
bind as far as not inviting Jon.  I wanted to include him too, as much as I
could.  I know I'd feel bad if I got invited somewhere but Mark didn't.
Maybe I was just lucky!

Allie and I agreed to talk again, later in the week, just to firm up our
plans.  Anyway, next on the list was the phone call to Matt.

"Dude!  I'm having a little get-together next Sunday, the 6th... do you
think you and Scott can come?"

"Sure!  I'll talk to him, but I'm positive it's OK."

"Cool!  But... there's a catch... I was wondering if you guys could bring
your guitars and play some stuff..."

"Sure!  I'll talk to him, but I'm positive that's OK, too."

"I thought so!  You two never pass up a chance to show off on stage."

"Wait a minute, Kev... there's gonna be a stage in your backyard??  How
many people are gonna be there??"

"No no no... not a real stage.  It'll just be on the deck.  But that's
sorta like a stage, and I dunno, there'll be maybe twenty of us.  I, uhh,
invited this girl I met at Indian Ridge, you know, when Mark and I went
there a few days before Fire Island.  Anyway, her name's Allie and she goes
to NYU, and she's got a younger brother our age and I thought it'd be cool
to show them around a bit... so we're going to a ballgame Sunday afternoon,
then having the thing here at my house."

"Wow!  This sounds like a big deal.  But yeah, I'm sure Scott will be fine
with it.  I'll call you."

OK, I could cross that off my list!  Two birds, one stone!  The Kramers
will be there to play some tunes, and I'll get to introduce Matty to Nick,
which I'm hoping they'll like each other.  I know I'm taking a chance
playing matchmaker, especially since I haven't even personally met Nick
myself.  But knowing all I know about him, and the signals I'm getting from
Matt, I just have a feeling I'm on the right path.  And maybe they'll just
be nice to each other... maybe there won't be some big hot relationship...
I know that'll be next to impossible, given the distance between New York
and Texas and all.  But at least they'll have met, and it will go where it
goes.  Right?

So next, I called Mark to give him the update.  He made me feel good.

"You've done a bang-up job with this, sweetie.  That is so fucking awesome
that your grandpa got the tickets.  And it just so happens I'm off Sunday,
so that's all good.  And yes, I'll drive!"

"And you know what, Mark... I'm wondering about what kind of food to have.
I mean, I don't know how to make party food, other than buying chips and
shit like that.  And party pizza is so damn boring." I whined.

"No worries... I'll get the catering menu from the store, and we'll order
it from there.  I help with that stuff all the time, and the food's pretty
good.  I can get an employee discount, too!"

"God you're such a lifesaver!  You deserve a blowjob!"

"Haha, I'll definitely hold you to that!"

"Oh, I know you will!!"  I chuckled.  But I was serious about that
too... you know... the blowjob offer!

"And one more thing, though, Kev... did you know Sunday would be Townsend's
birthday?  I mean, we don't have to change any plans or anything, and if he
were still alive I'm sure he'd have had a party... but, yeah, it's his
birthday."

Hmm, I didn't realize that it was Townie's birthday.  And Mark was right,
it didn't really change anything... except it was on my mind constantly
from that moment on.  Mark and I no sooner hung up and I was just getting
my shit together to finally take my shower, when Matt called me back.

"That was fast, dude!  So whatup??"

"Kev, Scott's cool with everything!  We'll be there, and we'll play some
tunes... but he's got an idea... here he is..."

"Scotty, talk to me!"

"Hey, Carson!  OK, we'll play... but on one condition... it's gotta be all
of us... you, Mark and Eric too.  Sunday is Townsend's birthday, you know,
and we're his back-up band, remember??  So we gotta do this for him!"

Why the fuck did everyone know it was Townie's birthday... except me??

"Wow, I dunno... is Eric gonna be home?  And who's gonna sing??"

"No worries, Kev... Eric's coming home today, and umm... Mark can
sing... have you ever heard him?"

I was sorta shocked by Scott's idea about Mark singing.  "Uhh, I dunno if
I've ever heard him.  Is he good?  I sure as hell know I can't sing."

"Yeah, he's damn good!"

That also made me feel like an asshole.  The fact that Mark apparently is a
good singer and I didn't know it.  I'm supposed to know everything about
him!  I mean, I know a lot about Mark, but I didn't know that!  But then I
sorta laughed to myself, because... I've made Mark SCREAM, but I've never
made him SING!

"Do you think he'll do it?"

"Oh, don't worry.  He will.  You'll think of a way to ask him.  I'm sure
you'll figure it out.  Graham won't say "no" to you.  Just tell him you'll
give him a big kiss if he'll sing," Scott laughed.  Jesus, what did THAT
mean????  He knows something, I'm sure!  Now I was a little nervous.  No
surprise there!

"So, it'll be you and Matt on guitar, Eric on bass, me on drums and Mark
lead singer... are you sure??"

"Fuckin'-A, I'm sure!!  This is gonna rock!!!  Why don't you and Graham
come over tonight and we'll discuss!!!  Dude, this will be sooo cool!!!!"

Scott couldn't hide his excitement.  After we hung up, I settled down a
little and thought about his idea of putting together a band, and I
realized it really was an excellent idea.  After all, he's right, we were
Townsend's back up band, and we were pretty damn good, if I do say so
myself!  This will be the same thing, with only a few changes... like my
man being the lead singer!!!  I still had to tell him, though!  Little did
Scott know that it wouldn't be just a kiss I'd give Mark!  He was really
racking up the blowjobs!  And of course, the biggest difference in all of
this was that one person - the most important member of the group -
wouldn't be there.  But I'm sure he'll be looking down watching!

I still hadn't taken my shower.

I remembered I hadn't asked Scott what he had in mind about practicing, so
I quickly called him back.  He said it'd be a little work, but if we could
all get together every night during the coming week he thought we could
pull it off, which all made sense.

I also called Mark and gave him the rundown on the conversation with Scott,
although I left out a few details until I could think of the right way to
present it to him about singing. Mark loved the whole idea, but he started
firing questions at me immediately.  That's my Mark!

"Just one thing, sweetie... who's gonna sing?"  I didn't answer him right
away.  "Kev... didja hear me??  Who the fuck is gonna be the singer since
obviously it won't be Townsend??"

"Umm, well... about that... here's an idea... how about... YOU??!!??"

"OK, you're shittin' me!  You really aren't serious, are you??"

"Yeah, Mark.  Eric and I can't sing lead, you know that.  And Scott and
Matt are doing a lot with all the guitar stuff, so that leaves you!"

"Oh, sweetie!  You're gonna owe me bigtime for this one!!"

"Come on, Mark.  Scott told me you're a good singer.  I admit I was kinda
shocked I didn't know that.  Please??"

"I don't know if I'm all that good, because Townie was always so much
better than everyone else.  But.  Well.  This means a lot to you doesn't
it?  I know it does.  So.  I'll tell you what.  I'll give it a shot.  Just
for you.  But if I sound terrible the deal's off.  I don't care how many
BJ's you promise me."

"I love you Mark!"

"Yeah, yeah."

"Seriously, you're gonna be awesome, I know it.  Scott wants us to go over
to their house tonight and talk about everything.  Can we??"

"Yeah, but knowing Scott, he'll have it all planned out what we're gonna do
before we get there, even though it's your party.  What time?"

I still hadn't showered.

I called Scott and Matt back and we agreed on seven o'clock, and I promised
that Mark and I would be there.  They said they'd get ahold of Eric.  Then
I called Mark again to fill him in on everything.

But then, I had to make a list of other people to call... Nora, Amy, Jen,
Andy, Brigette and some other people from school.  I was a little hungry
and went downstairs to eat something and told Keith about the plans.

"Wow, Little Dude!  I guess grandpa likes you after all!  You're supposed
to be the blacksheep of the family, but I guess not!'

"You're not funny!"

"Really, though, that's so cool about the Mets tickets.  And I'm guessing
you want Lisa and me at the get-together, too... right??"

"Of course!  Well... I definitely want Lisa there.  I don't know about
you..." I teased.

"You're a twit, Kev.  A genuine little twit." Keith playfully teased me
back.  "Oh, and by the way, it's awesome that you're doing this on
Townsend's birthday.  Did you plan that on purpose?"

I gave Keith a blank look. "No, not really."

"Well... you did know Sunday would be his birthday, didn't you?  You knew
that, right?"

"Uhh... yeah... sure."

"You're lying.  Everyone knows when Townsend's birthday is!"

"Except me."

"No worries, Little Dude.  You're cool anyways, I guess."

That made me feel kinda good, Keith telling me I was cool.  "Thanks, bro.
That means I must be a cool, genuine little twit then, huh?"

"Yeah," he laughed.  "But you stink.  You better take a shower!"

I thought, "fuck it," and took my food out on the deck to eat while I
started calling people.  I was able to reach most of them; I left messages
for the others.  Eventually, everyone got back to me, saying they'd be at
my house Sunday, late afternoon.

I don't know where Keith went, and Dad still wasn't home as the afternoon
progressed, but I managed to putz around, having the house to myself.  I
briefly thought about what I would do if it rained Sunday, and decided, if
we had to, we could put everyone in the garage.  But I was praying for sun.
And besides, even if it did rain a little, the patio's covered, even though
the deck's not.

All of a sudden I noticed it was 6:30.  Dad pulled in the driveway and Mark
was right behind him.  Jesus!  Since I'd been on the phone all god-damned
day, I remembered I STILL hadn't showered!

I ran inside before Dad had the chance to see me up close and notice I was
still the same smelly mess I was since this morning.  I yelled to him and
Mark that I'd be right down, and I hopped in the shower without even
bothering to jerk off first, like I usually do.  I did get half hard,
though, and laughed to myself that with all the head I promised Mark, I'd
just have to save any "activity" until later!

When I got downstairs, Dad and Mark were drinking a soda out on the deck,
laughing and talking.  That was good to see.  What I mean is, even though
Dad is cool about things with Mark and me, and he's been nothing but
supportive and understanding, it was still comforting that the two of them
were just fine talking and interacting alone.  That means a lot, that Dad
and Mark genuinely get along, that things aren't awkward or superficial
between them.  They are two classy guys - my Dad and Mark.  I love them
both for that.

We got to the Kramer's just before seven, and as Mark predicted, Scott had
a plan.  The dude is amazing.

"I guess we should figure out what songs we can play, and also decide about
practicing and all, right?

"Gotcha covered, dude.  I'm thinking since Matt and I know a ton of shit,
we'll just start tossing around ideas and pick stuff we all think fits.
First, though... Graham... you are gonna sing, aren't you???  Tell me yes!
Tell me yes!!  YOU BETTER SAY YES!!!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah... YES!!"  Of course, we were all treated to Mark's
famous incredible grin.  "Kevin talked me into it.  You'll never believe
what he promised me!"

"Oh, I can imagine!"  Scott looked at me and smiled, making a smooching
sound with his lips."

I admit, I had to laugh, in spite of my reddened face, and whispered "fuck
you" to Scott.  In fact, we all giggled.  Even Matt.

"We were wondering, Kev, that maybe we could do at least 5 or 6 songs,
maybe more."

"Sounds about right.  Any ideas?"

"Well, we can cover some old stuff, some new stuff, rock,
acoustic... whatever."  Scott thought it would be cool if we opened with
"Generation" by Emerson Hart, the theme song from "American Dreams."
(There's an extended version, one that's a little longer than what they
play on the TV show, and by the time the Kramers added their own guitar
solos it was even longer!)  Then we could segue right into "(What's So
Funny 'Bout) Peace Love and Understanding" by Elvis Costello.  Mark
wondered if it would be weird if a guy sang "That's Just What You Are" by
Aimee Mann, and Scott and Matt's expert opinion was that it would be
totally awesome for Mark to sing it, and that they could work out an
arrangement that we wouldn't need keyboards like in the original recording.

Matt said he was thinking maybe we could do some something by Tom Petty &
the Heartbreakers and suggested "You and I Will Meet Again," and also said
we should do something a little newer.

"What do you guys think about "Banquet" by Bloc Party?  Scotty and I mess
around with that one all the time, don't we bro?  It's fun."

"Yep!  It's a cool song.  But... you gotta be able to hit all those high
notes, Graham!  Think you can do it?" Scott teased.

"Umm... I dunno... I might have to squeeze my balls in order to sing that
high!" Mark made us all laugh.  Hell, I'd gladly take on the job of
squeezing Mark's balls.  I'm pretty good at it, you know!  But I just kept
that thought to myself for obvious reasons.

"Eric's a huge Beatles fan... maybe we could work something out with that
too."  Scott added.

"Oh my God... that's it!  "We Can Work It Out!" by the Beatles!
Excellent!"

I suggested that if they'd wanna give Eric and me a rest for one song they
could do "Swing Life Away" by Rise Against.  Everyone liked that idea, but
Mark had an exception: Eric and I would have to do it with him, singing
backup harmonies.  Now he had ME by the balls, which, literally is a good
thing, but figuratively it was NOT a good thing.  I was afraid that singing
would put me totally out of my zone.  But how could I say "no" to Mark?
There's no way I could tell him "no."  So I agreed to do it.  (And you can
figure out what he owed ME!!!)

"What do you think, Kev?"

"I think it all sounds good!

Then Scott came up with yet another idea.  "I was just thinking, maybe we
ought to do something to remember Townie, since it'll be his birthday and
all.  Err... well... it would have been."

"Like what should we do??  Sing "Happy Birthday" to him?" I teased.

"No, dough-head... not "Happy Birthday"..."

Mark looked at Scott, and smiled as he asked, "Are you thinking what I'm
thinking???"

"We should dedicate a song for him that he'd like.  Something he would have
wanted to do.  Something he would have picked.  Something... rockabilly!!"

"Yep!!  After all, we were his back-up band!"

With that, Matt's suggestion for the last song, the one we'd play for
Townsend... was brilliant.  I think we all shouted "PERFECT" at the same
time.  In fact, I got a little choked up as the words ran through my head.
And it still sends shivers up my spine every time I hear it.

The good news was that we were all familiar with most of the songs.  Mark
thought he'd be fine with the lyrics, and Scott and Matt, being the
perfectionists they are, they'd be practicing morning, noon and night, even
without the rest of us present.  Scott said he'd get the chord progressions
and all to Eric for the bass part, and that I can do my drum thing with no
problem.  "Yeah, just do what you do, Kev!"

I think we were all pretty confident about this.  Eric and me - the rhythm
section - we'd easily be able to follow Matt and Scott's lead, and Mark
would fit right in on vocals.  They're all show-offs on stage anyway!

"So, guys... I guess it would be a lot easier to practice at my house,
instead of here, right?  I wouldn't have to move my drums all the time and
the drum room is soundproof."  I knew Dad wouldn't mind me offering our
house for rehearsals.

"Hell yeah!" the Kramers agreed.

So that's what we did.  We worked around everyone's schedules, and met at
my house everyday, as soon as we all got up and got our shit together,
which really meant we started practices at 2:00 in the afternoon!  Me??
I'm up early everyday, but not them.  I guess I'm a weirdo.

And... just a little sidebar here... You know, I'm really just a drum guy,
myself.  But, I gotta tell ya... the Kramers' guitars, Oh My God!!!  They
alternated playing acoustic on the songs that needed them, and traded off
playing electric rhythm and lead on the others.  Their guitars are worth
thousands, you know.  Matt has a Rickenbacker that's to die for.  Just
looking at it makes my balls tingle.  Then, Scott's black Gibson Les Paul
Custom... Jesus, I get totally hard seeing it.  But I'm a really just a
drum guy...

Anyway, we rehearsed practically every minute of every day, and by midweek,
we were pretty tight.  We were definitely on the way to being ready for
Sunday.  Mark was sensational as lead singer.  He might have been a little
nervous at first, but he found his spot and he was a natural.  We all
noticed he was really comfortable with the frontman duties.  And, since
he's a percussionist at heart, he played tambourine.  God, he looked so
cute shaking that thing!  And, I must say, that's not the only thing he
looks cute when he's shaking it!!

Keith sorta crashed our rehearsal Thursday afternoon.  I wanted him to be
surprised, but I softened up a bit (no pun intended) when he offered to
help set everything up on Sunday while we were at the game.  So I let him
hear us do a few tunes.  As much as my brother can insult me at times, like
when he called me a 'genuine little twit'... he was extremely complimentary
about our little thrown-together garage band.

"Dudes!  You guys rock!  This is awesome, really.  I mean you're really,
really good.  You could make some serious money doing this."  I told him if
he was so sure of that, he should be our booking agent.  "You got this good
in less than a week??  That's amazing!  I think you're even better than you
were at the spring concert."

We practiced on Friday, all damn day.  Around six o'clock we were pretty
exhausted, so we took a little break and had a couple of pizzas delivered.
I wanted everyone to eat outside on the deck so our rehearsal studio (a.k.a
my drumroom) wouldn't be a mess with food and shit all over the place.  I
think I was kept alive all day by Code Red, but I do admit to eating only
the cheese off a few slices of Smarty's thin crust.  We were all still
pretty whipped later that night when we got done putting the finishing
touches on our mini-concert.  Eric was on the phone with Jen and I
overheard that horny bastard saying he wanted to stop by her house and
maybe they could "do something."  Can't blame him for that.  I wanted to
"do something" with Mark, too!

I started to clean up, and that's when Eric said he had to run, and he got
the hell out of there fast.  But before he left we all agreed to get
together again Saturday evening for one last quick rehearsal.  Scott and
Matt helped clean up after they put their guitars away and loaded things in
their car.  Mark mentioned that he had to work at ten o'clock Saturday
morning, but he'd stay over at my house anyway.  Matt asked me if I wanted
to go to Guitar Center with him in the morning, since Mark would be
working, and I agreed.  The thought quickly ran through my mind that it
would be the perfect time for me to talk to him about Nick.  Ha!  Like I'm
some kind of expert!  I hadn't even met Nick yet.

Then, to top it off, Nora texted me and wanted to know if I wanted to hang
with her for a bit on Saturday.  I called her and said that Matt and I were
going out in the morning and suggested the three of us meet up for lunch,
but Matt said he had to be back home by one o'clock.  So... we worked it
out that after Guitar Center he'd drop me off at the mall and I'd meet Nora
at H&M at 12:30.  Perfect!  Day planned.

As soon as Matt and Scott drove off, Mark put his arm over my shoulder and
said he was proud of me.

"Looks like you're not gonna miss me while I'm working tomorrow."

"Of course I'll miss you.  Don't be ridicklious!"

"It's 'ridiculous' sweetie!" he laughed, as he corrected my English.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever!"

"Thinking about Nick?" he asked.

"Sorta.  I hope he's as cool as I think he is.  And I hope Matt likes him."

"I think it's all gonna be fine." Mark reassured me.

"Wanna go to bed?"

"Umm... yeah.  I wanna go to bed.  But I don't wanna go to sleep
though... not yet."  We both smiled.

"Oh, don't worry about that!  I owe you a few things, remember?"

"And I owe you a little something, too, don't I?"

While Mark was in the bathroom, I contemplated having another Code Red,
because I was really thirsty, but figured I was jazzed up enough, and more
caffeine would probably keep me awake all night.  I sure as hell didn't
need that.  If I didn't sleep I'd be like a zombie the next day and
probably would have hallucinations!  But then I thought what the hell.  One
more won't hurt.  One or two.  Or three!  I got a bottle of water for Mark.

So I guess you know what happened as soon as we crawled in bed!  Do I
really have to tell you how I kept my word... about giving him the blowjob
I owed him??  Do I have to tell you how fast I stripped him naked, pulling
down his boxers in less than a second and immediately devoured his cock?
Do I have to tell you how much it throbbed in my mouth?  Do I have to tell
you how much precum I started to leak as I was straddling him, holding his
balls with one hand and jacking him with the other as I sucked?  Do I have
to go into every detail?  Sure I do!

My God his cock is delicious.  And his moaning was such a turn on it made
MY dick get harder and harder.  I licked it and slurped, teasing the head
and his piss slit with the tip of my tongue and extra spit.  Oh, and I'm
sure there was a bit of Mark's precum mixed in too!  I swallowed him whole,
several times, and never gagged.  I came up for air once and told him I was
gonna turn his magic wand into a cum fountain.  I kept my word on that,
too!

Mark also got a little wild.  He ran his hands through my hair and all over
my face and neck, and eventually reached down, grabbing my ass, pulling me
up closer.  He wasn't rough, but you could hardly say he was gentle,
either.  I continued to suck him off, he found my butthole and fingered it
relentlessly and jacked me off too.

"How's that feel, sweetie???"

"Mmmmmm... Oh God... it feels... Mmmmmmm... Great..."  I know Mark's body
so well, I could tell from his twists and turns and breathing and sweating
and moaning that he was close.  Real close.  So I slowed my sucking, and I
was firmer and more deliberate as I squeezed his cock in my hand,
continuing to slide it up and down more slowly.

"Haaaahhhhhhh... Jesus, sweetie, I'm gonna cum!"  Of course, I knew that!

"Me too!!"

"OH SHIT!!!!!!!!!"  UHHHHhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!  AAAAHHHHhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!  Oh Oh
Oh Oh FUCK!!!"  Mark screamed as he shot spurt after spurt of his boy
juice.  Some went in my mouth, which I happily swallowed, and the rest
landed on my cheek.  A fair amount also dripped off of my fingers and
thumb.  His cum was a mix of watery jizz and hot creamy goo.  Different
every time!  I never know what I'm gonna get.  Well... I mean, I DO know
what I'm gonna get, it's just that... Oh God, now I'm blushing!

Anyway, I started to shoot before he was completely done, and repeatedly
told Mark I loved him.  "Oh God, I love you I love you I love you Mark,
Jesus fucking Christ I love you!!  OOOOHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!
OhGodOhGodOhGOD!!!!!!!!  Deeper!!!  Oh God, I'm sorry...  Ohhhhhh...  God
DAMN!!!!!!"

We both giggled after I was finally done cumming.  I swear, it is so
fucking magical to shoot sperm with his finger in my ass.  It just adds
something to the intensity, you know?  It seems the deeper his finger... or
his dick... is in me... I dunno, he touches something that drives me crazy.
I know that as he did that I bucked and squirmed as I blew my load all over
him.  He told me he likes the way my asshole squeezes his finger when I
shoot.  I've notice that myself, too!

We didn't really cuddle, but we did lay extremely close to each
other... our sweaty, naked bodies touching the rest of the night.  I was
thinking, and mumbling, and the next thing I knew, Mark was asleep.  He's
beautiful.  Not beautiful like a flower, or a girl... but
beautiful... like... only Mark.

Well, sure enough, all the caffeine in the Code Red did its job.  I was
awake almost all night.  In the morning, Mark got up, showered and left for
King Kullen after we both ate a little cereal.  He drank about a gallon of
milk, but me... I like my cereal dry.  Anyway, the only apparent side
effect from the lack of sleep was that my eyes itched a bit.  Otherwise, I
think I felt OK.

It wasn't a sad goodbye when Mark left for work.  We quickly kissed since
no one was around, and then he took off.  Actually, I was sorta looking
forward to going to Guitar Center with Matt and meeting up with Nora.

I got ready, and like clockwork, Matt picked me up at 10:30.  He needed
some new pics and strings for his acoustic guitar.  Me??  I browsed around
in the drum section for awhile.  Naturally!  When we left, that's when I
told him all about Nick.

"Matt, I'm really looking forward to meeting him, and I think you'll like
him, too."

"Well, why Kev?  Why me?"

"I dunno, Matty.  I was just thinking, you're one of the good guys.  You
make an excellent friend... maybe more than a friend... you care a lot,
you're the real deal.  And of all the guys I know, I just feel that you'll
hit it off with Nick the most.  I think the world of Allie, his sister.
And I do know this... Nick's had a few rough spots, and Allie says he's
amazing how he handles things."

"What kinds of things?"

I hesitated, then blurted it all out.  "He's deaf, Matt.  He can't hear.
And he's gay.  And he's cute as hell."

"Oh, wow," Matt was very serious.

"Does any of that bother you, Matt?  Are you upset?"

"No, Kev.  No, not at all.  Not at all."

"Are you sure?  Cuz if it is..."

"Kevin, I want to meet him.  I can't wait.  I'm glad you told me, though,
so I won't be shocked and make an ass out of myself..."

"I know.  I'm worried that I'm gonna do something stupid, like talk real
loud to everyone or something, so I know what you mean.  But I wanted him
to meet all of my friends here, to show him what real friends are.  I
dunno... I want him to meet you most of all.  And Allie says he loves
music, so that's why I got the idea of us playing some tunes because, I
guess he can hear it somehow... and he reads lips and she says he fits in
really well, and he likes baseball, and... wow!"

"Dude, this is totally cool.  It's awesome.  I can't wait 'til tomorrow.
Thank you, Kev..."

"Do you mean it, Matt?  Really, do you mean it?"

"Yes, I mean it."  Matt was so excited, and now, so was I.

"Then... you are what I think you are."

"And what would that be, Kevin?  What do you think I am?"

"A real good guy, Matt.  A real good guy."

(To be continued...)