Date: Wed, 25 Aug 2010 19:07:02 -0700 (PDT)
From: Kevin Carson <kc.drummerboy@yahoo.com>
Subject: Drummer Boys - Part 49

Drummer Boys
By Kevin Carson

Hi, I'm Kevin and this story is about my relationship with my
more-than-a-friend and, well, much, much more-than-a-jack-off buddy.  Yes,
it includes gay teen sex stuff.  Lots of it!  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... believe me, I know... based on true experiences!

All rights reserved.  No reproductions permitted without prior permission
from me, Kevin.  I'm the only one.  ©2010.

This is the conclusion of Drummer Boys.  I would like to express my sincere
thanks and heartfelt gratitude to everyone who has written to me about this
story.  I really appreciate your comments, feedback and questions.  My
email is: kc.drummerboy@yahoo.com.

So... what's next?  I think maybe after this final chapter of Drummer Boys
I'll post an update on where everyone is now, like what they're doing and
stuff.  Oh... and I'm also going on some adventures this summer...
Wherever I go, maybe I'll stay.

Until soon, -kevin.

Part 49.

Wow.  That was quite a night, huh?  I mean in terms of our emotions and
relationships, not sex.  But you never know when things are gonna change.
You have hopes, you have dreams... you make plans, and then WHAMMO!!!  You
do one little thing and it can turn into something major.

So Nora and I flirted with each other a little bit, Mark noticed and he
said he wasn't jealous... but it sure affected his mood.  Something was
going on in that brain of his, and at first it seemed everything was all
good, but underneath it wasn't.  And it was entirely my fault.  We got
through it, though.  Let's just say it was another little bump in the road,
only it was not so little.

And in my worried, almost dream-like state, I had quite a vision of the
future, wouldn't you say?  A little bit different than what I had been
seeing.  Even if it means Mark is going to be the only one in my life ahead
– as bittersweet as that may be – I know it'll all be OK in the end.
It has to be.  It has to all work out.  I know it will.

The future... well, it definitely involves love, in lots of ways.  I love
Mark!  That's for sure.  I love other people, too, but I'm not "in love"
with them, so that makes all the difference in the world.  Dad even told me
that, about loving someone and being "in love," and how it's different.
Remember?  That's just how it's gonna have to be.  I love a lot of people.
But I'm "in love" with only one.

And speaking of my boyfriend... I don't have to tell you what an amazing
guy he is!  I'm soooo lucky.  He gets us over those little bumps in the
road, many of which I cause.  And I swear to God he knew what was going on
in my head.  I think we sorta have ESP sometimes.

He had to have known how I was feeling... what I was thinking... what I was
seeing: the new and different vision of what lies ahead.

I lay beside him in my bed, watching the look on his face change from
concern and almost-sadness, to a blank stare, then gradually to a serious
smile.  He wasn't all giggly, but he looked content.  Seeing his expression
change was the last thing I remembered that night.  Because, for once, I
was the one who drifted off to sleep first.

The morning came quickly.  It's always a good thing being tangled up with
Mark when I wake up.  Even though he was still asleep, I had to spoon him.
I tried to be careful not to disturb him, yet I could see him smile through
his grogginess.  He definitely knew what I was doing!  And I could tell
that the tension we felt from the night before was pretty much all gone.
Sometimes a good night's sleep does wonders.

I knew if I kept cuddling him any longer I wouldn't be able to resist the
urge to mess around.  I'd have to start sucking his cock or at least kiss
him all over, so I climbed out of bed in a hurry.

Keith's door was closed, which meant he was still sleeping, so I was sure
to be quiet going to the bathroom.  Then I ran down to the kitchen to have
a bowl of cereal because I was starving!  I wasn't surprised that Dad was
already awake.

When I got downstairs it occurred to me that sometimes Mark is more like my
father's son than me.  They're really very similar: Driven.  Determined.
Intense.  And I also quickly realized that just because I was in a good
mood didn't mean everybody else was.  Dad was in rare form.  I didn't quite
know what I was in for.

I didn't even get a "good morning, son!" or "did you sleep good?" or "did
you have fun last night?"  Nothing like that, none of the usual.  Dad just
started right in on me, with his symbolic knife and fork in hand, like I
was a bloody steak he was ready to eat.

"So, Kev... have you thought any further about being on the Conflict
Resolution Team?  Did you make a decision?"

"I don't know what I'm gonna do yet, Dad," I answered.  "I'm still sorta
sleepy, OK?"  That was a lame attempt to avoid the inquisition and lecture.

"Well you've got to make up your mind and let Deb know on Monday,
remember?"

"Yeah, Dad, but I wanted to talk to you about it some more."

"Right.  So, we're talking about it now."

"How about later?"

"Kevin, this is just as good a time as any..."

"Please Dad, not now..."

"No, NOW!"

Dad getting in my face was not what I expected first thing in the morning,
and I didn't want to have an attitude, but what I really felt like saying
to him was, "Get the fuck off my back, OK?"  But I knew better than to
tangle with my father.  I guess it's more of a respect issue than anything
else.

"Alright then," I sighed.  "What should I do?  I sorta want to do it, but
what if I'm too busy with other stuff?  There's band, rock orchestra... and
God knows what else.  I gotta have my grades on lock, Dad, or I'll be
fu-f-f---fried."

"Watch the language!!"

"Sorrrrry!!"

"Alright.  Now, I don't think your grades will suffer... at least they
better not!  And besides, I think being busy is good.  It makes you really
budget your time."  I know Dad will make me stay on my game.

"OK, well I'm still thinking about it, Dad.  But I do have one thing to
say: I don't trust Mr. Hartman. He's... just a... FUCKER!!!"

"God damn it, Kevin!!  Come on.  We've been through this before... you
using that word.  Especially when you're talking about Mr. Hartman.  You've
got to stop!  I didn't raise you to have such a foul mouth."

"Oh, I get it.  You can say "God damn it" but I can't say "fuck."  That's
not fair, Dad."

My father completely ignored my objection.  He didn't even flinch... he
kept right on blasting me.  "I don't care how much he bungled your
situation last fall, and I don't care how many other things he's messed up
at the high school.  There are other ways to express how you feel about
him.  But I won't have you stooping to that level, using that kind of
talk."

"Wow... OK..." I couldn't believe my Dad went off on me like that. "I'm
sorry.  I'll watch it, I promise."  I made sure I said that with sincerity
and no attitude in my tone of voice.  "But I'm also worried about
Ms. Kirsch.  I bet Hartman will stab her in the back someday, Dad.  Wait
and see."

"Deb's pretty smart, son.  She knows what she's doing.  She can take care
of herself."

Soon enough, Mark came quietly down the back steps, only wearing his boxers
and a t-shirt.  Is there anything sexier than that??  It definitely put an
end to mine and Dad's conversation.

"G'morning, Mr. C!  Hey Kev!"  My guy was not the least bit shy tugging at
his balls in front of Dad and me, right there in the kitchen.  Dad looked
away.  I licked my lips.

"Hmm... Look who's finally awake!" I teased.

"Man, I'm thirsty," Mark said, looking like a lost puppy.

"Do you want a glass of Tang, the instant breakfast drink they took to the
moon?!" I offered.  Dad and Mark both started to laugh at me.

"Are you in a commercial, Kev?" Mark teased.

"Help yourself, Mark.  There's plenty of
milk... coffee... tea... Tang... whatever you want..." Dad smiled.  Maybe I
finally said something to put him in a better mood.

"Thanks, Mr. C.  Water's fine." Mark said, before turning his attention to
me.  "Wow, Kev.  You were out like a light in no time last night."

"Was I??"

"I think you were dreaming because you were talking in your sleep."

"I was talking in my sleep??? Gosh, I don't remember that.  What did I
say?"

"I dunno, I couldn't understand you at all, but you were saying something!"

Dad looked over at us and grinned.  I was glad he calmed down after his
little tirade, but I was a sort-of embarrassed.

"Wow, I sure hope I wasn't shouting out someone's name!" I joked.  Other
than Mark, the last person on my mind before I fell asleep was Nora.
Well... her, and maybe Chris the pizzaboy.  (Hmmmm...)

"No worries, Kev.  You're clean!"  (Am I???)

Whatever I said in my sleep didn't seem to phase Mark one bit.  Maybe it
was nothing, but Dad sure got a kick out of it.  I rolled my eyes, as if to
say "Oh God!"  As I put my bowl and spoon in the dishwasher, my father had
something else to say.  The mood was definitely lighter.

"Oh, and Kev... we need to talk more about the scholarship idea.  I'll call
Grandpa today and see what we can come up with."

"That's cool, Dad!  Thanks!  We'll do whatever it takes, won't we Mark?"

"You bet, Kev."

Mark had to work at King Kullen, and I had to mow at Mrs. Curry's, so we
eventually got our butts moving after breakfast and went about our day.
Even though we both had our own things to do, it was difficult separating
from him, as usual.  In reality we weren't apart all that long, but every
hour without Mark seems like an eternity.

After my lawn job I went home to shower and change.  Haha no skinny jeans
for me that night!!  Dad had exciting news: He had talked to Grandpa, and
he also made the call to Townsend's parents, briefly explaining the
scholarship idea to them.  They agreed to meet with us the very next day,
Sunday, at our house.  Excellent!

Keith gave my lazy ass a ride over to the Graham's, and I busted out the
good news to Mark.

"Sweetie, your family doesn't waste any time, do they?" he asked.

"They sure don't.  The smoke barely clears when my Dad and grandfather go
into action!"

Mark was already cleaned up and ready to rock and roll.  We decided to go
to the movies... alone!  Yay!!!!  Date Night!!!  No friends tagging along
this time.

"What movie are we gonna see Kev?  You decide."

"Well, we could see "Talladega Nights" but I don't like Will Farrell," I
giggled.  "Or, that new movie "Zoom" is out, and Kevin Zegers is in it.
He's kinda cute!"

"He is.  He is..." Mark was so serious, at first.  "But you're the only
"Kevin" I wanna look at!!" he laughed.  Then he kissed me.

OK, well, that kiss got me fully hard, which wasn't totally unexpected!
"Alrighty then... how 'bout if we see "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's
Chest"?"

"Mmmm!  Orlando Bloom!!" Mark smiled, raising his eyebrows.

"Keira Knightley!!!"  I grinned, raising mine too.  "And any movie with
Johnny Depp rocks!!!!  Is it OK if we see it again, even though we've
already seen it twice?"

"Third time's a charm, sweetie!"

"Yeah.  Either that, or three strikes and I'm out..."

"Nah.  Never," Mark smiled.  "Never.  Three's the magic number!"

So, our date night was excellent.  You can't go wrong on a perfect summer
evening with your perfect boyfriend seeing a "Pirates" movie.  Mark teased
me that my Dad sorta looks like Johnny Depp – not as Jack Sparrow, but
as Johnny Depp, in real life.  But I corrected him.

"Falsity, Graham... it's the other way around... my Dad doesn't look like
Johnny Depp... Johnny Depp looks like my Dad!"

We tried to stay under the radar and not be seen by too many people we
knew, but that's a difficult thing to do, especially where we live.  When
we did see someone, we made occasional made small talk... but, I dunno, we
might have seemed a bit stand-offish.  We didn't run into any of our inner
circle of friends, though, like the Kramers or Amy or Nora.  Who knows what
those guys were doing that night?

We got out of the movie a little after midnight and were gonna stop at
Wendy's to get food, but at the last second decided not to.  Haha, I admit,
I was hungry... for Mark!!!

When we got to the Graham's, Mark immediately put on some music.  "Open
Your Eyes" by Snow Patrol to be exact!  We were a little cautious about
fooling around since we knew his parents would be home any minute.  Sure
enough, they walked in right after we got there.  Mrs. Graham commented on
how much fun they had with Dad and Ms. Kirsch Friday evening.

"Your father has such a great sense of humor, Kevin!  I'm surprised you're
not more like him."

What the fuck was THAT supposed to mean???  "Umm... yeah, Mrs. Graham.
I'll try harder to act more like my 40-something year-old
funny-but-intense-as-hell lawyer dad."  OK, I only thought that, I didn't
actually say it out loud.  She sees the humorous side of Dad's
personality... I see the "intense-as-hell" part.

Mark stuffed a handful of pretzels in his mouth and looked away from me so
he wouldn't laugh.  He knew that a comment like that from his mom would
piss me off!  Damn him, I think he gets off seeing me get all rattled when
his mom talks shit to me.  On the other hand, you'd think I'd be used to
her by now.

Before they went on to bed, Mrs. Graham said she'd be happy to fix a snack
for us.

"Thanks, but we're OK, mom... we're just gonna chill down the basement for
a while, but we'll probably go out later to get food... so don't worry if
you hear the garage door open in the middle of the night!"

I love making out with Mark.  And that's exactly what we did as soon as we
got downstairs.  It was pretty passionate, but didn't lead to hot sex right
away.  Believe me, that would happen later!  I started seriously kissing
him all over... on his mouth (tasted great!), his neck (oh my god!), his
chest and nipples (oh so sweet!) and finally all over his tummy (more than
delicious!!).  Mark was kissing me too, and touching me everywhere on my
body.  Soon his big hands made their way past the elastic waistband of my
boxer briefs.  God, how I wanted him to rip my jeans off of me, but just as
he started to pull down the zipper he started to laugh.

I sat up, in disbelief.  "What the fuck???  What's so damn funny?"

"Sorry, sweetie, I gotta eat something."

"Uhh... yeah... how 'bout this??!!" I pointed to my now-soft cock.

"Wow, I wish IHOP was open 24 hours, but they're not.  And Denny's is too
far.  Let's just go back to Wendy's."

I'd do anything for Mark, so of course I agreed.  "OK, but this is gonna
cost you, babe."  So we sat up, pulled up, zipped up, and buttoned up, and
were off to Wendy's drive-thru for burgers, fries and sodas.  When we got
back to the Graham's basement, we finished what we started!  Well... we ate
first... then we were right back at it!  We got almost-naked again, and a
little crazy, and wow did we make a mess, too!

I was determined to give my guy the best blow job ever!  I wasted no time
at all going down on him, grabbing onto his joy stick and swallowing it
whole.  It must have tickled a bit when my teeth grazed over the head of
his cock because he squeezed his ass cheeks together and let out a little
yelp and smiled.  I looked up and continued to bob up and down and lick all
around, jacking him at the same time and kissing his balls, all while
plunging my middle finger deep in his ass.  He LOVES that!!!  (Haha, so do
I!!!)

I tried to prolong the moment of truth... but the truth is, hot Mark just
couldn't hold back and began to spurt his hot cream all over my lips and
chin and on my tongue and in my mouth... and well, I licked up every
god-damn drop!!  "Come on, baby.  Cum!!!  I want you to cum.  Gimme the
money shot!!"

Mark sucked me off too, but I didn't cum in his mouth.  He knelt between my
spread-apart legs and pushed them up towards my chest, kissing and licking
my balls, while he played with other with other sensitive areas "down
there."  He jacked me fast, then slow, then fast... then slow.  It's soooo
damn sexy hot!!

I was nice and gave him fair warning when I was about to shoot.  I tried to
hold back, but I couldn't.  And I tried to be quiet, but I wasn't.  I tried
not to make a mess, but I did.

Sunday morning we woke up together, laughing, I guess because of our
morning breath.  Neither of us had onions on our middle-of-the-night
burgers, but we never managed to brush our teeth after we ate.  Still
naked, we sorta cuddled for a while, until we thought we heard voices
upstairs.

"We better get some clothes on, in case your mom comes down here."

"Sweetie, that was hysterical when she almost caught you bare-ass naked
that one time."

"Oh yeah, that was really funny, Mark.  Ha ha ha ha." I "laughed"
sarcastically.

Mark playfully told me to lighten up, so I got sorta frisky and pushed him
back on the couch and got on top of him, giving him non-stop smooches.  I
love doing that to him as much as he loves when I do it!

We both needed showers, so I waited for him while he got ready.  I planned
on getting cleaned up once I got home.

"Townsend's parents are gonna be at your house at one o'clock, right?"

"Yeah.  I hope it all goes well.  I'm not really worried, though."

Mark didn't take long, so we quickly had time for a sandwich before we
left.  Grandpa was already over at the house when Mark and I got there, and
he suggested that I present the scholarship idea, exactly as I told him a
few days ago.  And I wanted Mark for back-up, even though I was sorta used
to talking to Mr. and Mrs. Miller about things.  They can be a little
intimidating, you know.

I ran upstairs for a quick sprucing up, and just as I put my jeans on I
heard the doorbell ring.  Dad greeted the Millers and we all sat in the
living room.  He wasted no time turning things over to me, so I took a deep
breath, and explained the whole idea in detail.  I admit it was pretty
easy, since Dad set me up the day before.

"Kevin, we think this is a wonderful way to recognize Townsend and do
something in his memory, for someone to benefit doing something he
loved... performing." Mr. Miller commented.  "When your father called me
the other day, we had no clue anyone would want to do something like this."

"We're thrilled, even though we miss our son terribly." Mrs. Miller said,
rather stoically.

I noticed Dad smiling with pride, but he said nothing.  He was letting me
handle it.  "Well, Townie was such a leader in band and show choir, and all
the plays and musicals... everyone looked up to him.  And we still are."
My voice quivered.

"Plus, he was a leader socially, academically, and in sports, too," Mark
chimed in.  "He really had a lot of friends.  We all loved him."

Mrs. Miller mentioned that Mark and Townsend had been friends since they we
kids, playing on the same baseball team... the Little Mets.

"So, Kevin... we want to be the first to contribute to the scholarship
fund," Mr. Miller opened his checkbook.  "Here's ten-thousand dollars."

I gulped.  "W-w-w-ow!!!  Mark and I together are putting in five-hundred of
our own money that we saved... but ten-thousand????  Jeez!!!"

"That's amazing!" Mark thanked them.  And Grandpa added another $250, on my
behalf, which is what he would have paid me for painting their kitchen.
Plus, with what Dad, my grandparents and the Grahams contributed, it came
to more than $12,000!

"Thank you so much!!!" I shouted.  "So, what's the next step, Grandpa?"

"Well, since Mr. and Mrs. Miller approve of everything, I'll draw up the
papers and meet with Mr. Davis, the principal, and Superintendent Boland.
We'll get the ball rolling!"

I was really very proud how my grandfather masterminded this whole
scholarship thing, which ended up being like a fundraising project.  With
the annual award being set at $2,000, the first six years were guaranteed,
at least.  And with renewable contributions and investments, it will go on
and on and on, beyond that.

It was my idea that the first recipient should be a graduating senior from
Townsend's class, and that anyone who wanted to pursue an education in some
aspect of music or performing arts could apply.  The selection committee
would include Mr. Walters, Townsend's parents, and two students picked by
Mr. Davis, the principal.  I secretly told Grandpa I wanted him to make
sure that old fucker Mr. Hartman had nothing to do with it.  (Only I didn't
actually call him an "old fucker.")

Grandpa also said that Mark and I would be disqualified from being the
students on the selection committee since we contributed money.  He said he
didn't want there to be any appearance of a conflict of interest, and that
was all OK with us.  The scholarship would be presented at the spring
awards ceremony, which was still a long way off, considering the school
year really hadn't even begun!

We all sat around reminiscing about Townsend and how much fun he was.  I
could only keep smiling, thinking about him, and especially how much fun we
had at Civil War camp.  Privately, though, I was still a little pissed at
his parents for leaving him alone so much.  But the good part was that
Townsend made a lot of friends and left his mark on all of us.  God bless
him.

Mark stayed awhile longer after Grandpa and the Millers left.  Dad had
plans with Ms. Kirsch that evening, so we were on our own for dinner.

"Hey Kev, since we really didn't have breakfast today, let's go to IHOP
now.  I could really go for some French toast!"

"Oh wow, that's a deal!!"

It was funny.  We were eating breakfast food for dinner, but had eaten
cheeseburgers in the middle of the night before.  Our lives were all upside
down anyway, so who cared?  I couldn't help but stare at my guy when he put
every syrup-slathered bite of French toast in his mouth.  I wanted to lick
his face.  He knew it, too, because he kept grinning at me, moving those
beautiful lips in sensuous ways.  God!!  Boner Alert!!!

Heading home, I kept thinking to myself how I didn't want Sunday night to
end.  I know that's weird, because, at the same time, I couldn't wait for
it to be Monday, then Tuesday, then everyday so I could be with Mark.
Saying goodnight was hard.  I fell asleep listening to my iPod.  The last
song I remembered was "Catch My Disease" by Ben Lee.

Soon enough, it was Monday morning and I was up, out of bed and showered
before Mark honked the horn to pick me up for band practice.  Things went
well that day.  Mr. Walters seemed to be in a really good mood, the
freshmen were all on task and I was happy as a clam being two feet away
from Mark all day.

He was his usual charming, engaging self at lunch when the entire drumline
sat in the shade under that big tree by the practice field.  He had a way
of making us all laugh, and I noticed a couple of new kids sorta staring at
him – just like I did – only a year ago.  That made me a little bit
jealous.  His messy dirty-blond hair, the sweaty t-shirt... it all came
back to me why I fell in love with him that day, in the very same spot.

At three o'clock practice was over, and everyone huddled around Mr. Walters
for announcements.  Tuesday the drum section was gonna have an additional
practice from 4 until 6.  Then the good news was that we didn't have to be
there until three o'clock Wednesday afternoon, but the bad news was that
the entire band would have to stay until nine o'clock that night.  Ugghhh!
Oh well.

Afterward, as I was putting some of the percussion equipment away, I
noticed that Mr. Sanger approached Mark.  I knew what that was all about
and could feel myself starting to get a little upset, but I tried hard to
fight that feeling.  My heart was pounding so fast, and I knew I had to
divert my energy toward something positive, if possible.  I got Mark's
attention and told him I needed to speak to Ms. Kirsch for a few minutes,
and to please wait for me.

"That's cool, sweetie.  Take your time.  Mr. Sanger wants to talk to me
some more about Cal-State anyway.  We'll meet up when you're done, OK?"

"Um... yeah... OK..." I said nervously.  "See ya at the Jeep."

Just then a certain little voice whispered to me again... "Rim-shot!  You
gotta trust Mark!  He loves you, remember?!!  Oh... and, by-the-way... that
other little thing you did, in my honor... the scholarship thingy... it's
waaaay cool!!  I like it!!"

I couldn't believe it.  In the blink of an eye, it was "Total Meltdown
Control" one more time, courtesy of Townsend!  My dead friend helped rescue
me from emotional disaster again!  I love that dude.

God.  If Mark just would have been able to kiss me right there in the band
room, that would have made me feel even better still.  As far as my
emotions go, I know I bring this shit on myself.  It's all self-imposed.

"Wait!!" Mark said excitedly.  "I forgot to ask... what DID you decide to
tell Ms. Kirsch???  Are you gonna do it?"

"I dunno.  I don't think so.  I'm pretty sure I'm gonna tell her "no"."

"Hmmm.  Well, OK, Kev.  Whatever you decide.  I'll stand by you either
way."

Shit.  How much more convincing do I need that Mark REALLY DOES loves me???
Townsend's 100% right.  I gotta trust him.

So, while my guy went on his way to see Mr. Sanger about that damn
university way the fuck out in Los Angeles, I went to see Ms. Kirsch.  All
the while I was thinking about how I was going to do the dirty job of
telling her I didn't want to be on the Conflict Resolution Team.  I knew
I'd look like an asshole, even if it was unintentional.  But as I
approached her office, she was finishing a phone call and motioned for me
to come in.  When I walked through her door, I don't know what came over
me.  Suddenly, something changed in my head.

"Kevin!  I hope you have some good news for me??" She asked, with a
slightly doubtful tone.

"OK, actually, Ms. Kirsch, a moment ago I was gonna walk in here and tell
you I decided NOT to be on the Conflict Resolution Team..."

"I was afraid that's what you were going to say..." she frowned.

"Well the whole idea of it really surprised me when you hit me with it the
other day.  But I changed my mind, just now.  I'm going to do it, just for
you.  That's the only reason.  I'll do it for you."

Ms. Kirsch sorta froze and the frown was now a look of being pleasantly
surprised.  "I don't get it Kevin... why??"

"I dunno, Ms. Kirsch.  You're a good person.  Dad says so... and I know it
too, and so does my brother!  It's true!  So I realized it's the least I
can do, since you do so much for all of us... here at school... and out of
school too!"  I stopped short of saying Dad's crazy about her.  I didn't
wanna go there.  Dad can speak for himself!

"Well, Kevin... thanks!!  I have a feeling you made this decision on your
own, and that your Dad didn't talk you into it."

"No, he didn't, not specifically.  We did discuss it, though," I said,
sorta staring at her very seriously.  "I don't always see his point right
away, but I respect him.  And I love my Dad, Ms. Kirsch.  I love him a
lot."

"I know you do, Kevin," she whispered as she warmly shook my hand.  "I know
you do."

"Haha, he gets on my case sometimes, but he means well," I continued.  "Oh,
and you know what else I was thinking??  You should have Emily DeMarco on
the team, too.  I bet THAT's a shocker coming from me!"

I was half-joking and half-serious.  It was a little sugary-sweet for me to
suggest that, but if Emily were on the team, it would force me to be
cooperative with a former enemy-turned-wannabe-friend.  We'll both be
kissing each other's asses to prove the system works.

"Actually, Kevin, I think that's a great idea!  I met with Emily recently,
and she told me that you and she have seemed to put your differences
aside..."

"She told you that??" I wondered.  "I mean, I did see her the other day and
we talked, and she IS different.  But, here's the thing: I know she's
changed... A LOT!!!... and I agreed to sorta be friends with her, and see
where it leads, but..."

I dunno, maybe Mr. Hartman knew that, too... that Emily and I have sorta
made up.  Either way, I agreed to be on the Conflict Resolution Team, and
that was that!!!  Hopefully, there won't be many conflicts to resolve,
especially if Emily really has turned nice and doesn't find some other poor
sucker to be mean to.

"Well, Kevin... thanks for changing your mind and deciding to help out.  I
really appreciate it."

I was silent for a moment.  But then I spoke up.  "Um, Ms. Kirsch... I
gotta tell you something else.  I hope I'm not out of line.  But watch your
back.  I don't like Mr. Hartman.  He's mean, and I'm afraid he's gonna try
to make you look bad."

"It's OK, Kevin.  I'm fine.  But thanks for worrying about me!" she smiled.

"No, no... you gotta watch out... you're too trusting."

"Too trusting?  Well, yes, but then women usually are..." and she gave me a
hug.

When we walked toward the outer office, I was surprised to see my
grandfather with Mr. Davis, the principal, and Mr. Boland, the
superintendent.

"Hey son, all done with band practice for today?"

"Hey Grandpa!!  What's going on??"

"We're just wrapping up the details for the Townsend Miller Memorial
Scholarship!  Everything's finalized!"

"Wow!!  Thanks again, Grandpa!"

"Don't thank me, son.  It was all your idea from the start."

I noticed Mr. Davis and Mr. Boland smiling.  All of that made me blush.

Then Ms. Kirsch butted in.  "And, gentlemen, you're also looking at the
newest student member of next year's Conflict Resolution Team!"  She had
her hands on my shoulders.

"Excellent!!" Mr. Davis exclaimed.  "You're the man, Kevin!  I think I'll
mention this at the assembly on the first-day-of-school!  I'll introduce
you to the student body and faculty and have you stand up!"

"NO!!!  GOD, NO!!!" I shouted.  "I-I-I mean I'm a behind-the-scenes guy,
really!  PLEASE don't make me stand up.  Th-th-this is really no big deal."

Everyone looked a bit surprised when I sorta hyper-reacted, but Grandpa
quickly took to my defense.  "That's true.  Kevin's a little shy, but he
does like to stir things up from the sidelines once in a while!" he
chuckled.

"OK, well I better be going!"  I said hurriedly.  "Thanks everyone!"  I
walked out of the office as fast as I could, although I was secretly
thrilled a couple of good things came together, for once.

Mark was waiting for me in the parking lot.  I was so glad to see him, even
though we'd only been apart for about fifteen minutes.  "How'd it go,
sweetie?  Did you let her down gently??"

"I, umm, changed my mind at the last minute and decided to be on the team.
That made Ms. Kirsch happy.  Then I saw my grandfather with Mr. Davis and
that superintendent dude because they were talking about the Townsend
Scholarship..." I was out of breath.

"And...???"

"And Mr. Davis wants to introduce me at the assembly on the first day of
school!"

"Haha, I bet you lost it!!!"

"God damn straight I lost it!!" I laughed.  "If he makes me stand up in
front of everyone I swear I'll run and hide!"

"Of course!" Mark teased.  "Can I hide with you?"

Even in spite of my near-freakouts earlier in the afternoon, I was in a
really great mood.  So was Mark, I could tell.

"And how'd it go with Mr. Sanger?  Is he really pushing you to go to
college in L.A.?"

"Kev...  don't start, please.  It's all OK.  We're good.  I keep telling
you there's nothing to worry about.  But, yes, he is in love with the
place.  And it does sound pretty exciting.  Imagine you and me in
Hollywood!"

"Yeah, right.  Like that's ever gonna happen." I cracked a smile.  I
decided to change the subject.  "Pop quiz!" I exclaimed.  "You know what
tomorrow is??

"Of course I know what tomorrow is sweetie!  It's Tuesday!" Mark teased me,
killing me with his giggle.

"I'm serious." I shot back.  That was Mark being typical Mark!  He knew
damn well the next day was our anniversary!

"Well, sweetie... since tomorrow's Tuesday and all... I thought we'd do
something special... for no real reason," he laughed.  "Since we're getting
out of practice later than usual, I was thinking we could go home and
change... then load our bikes on the rack and go up to Oyster Bay for a
long ride on the shore path.  It's really cool after dark with the lights
and all."

"Yesss!!!  That'll be awesome!!  And we can have dinner on the beach!!"

"Haha!  Maybe "something else" on the beach too??!!"

It just so happens that one of Mark's favorite restaurants, the Sailors'
Club, is in Oyster Bay, and they've got the best-ever steak sandwiches.
You'd think their specialty would be seafood, hahaha, but it's not.
Anyway, they slice the steak really thin... then they put it on a hard
crusty French baguette, dripping with melted butter and oozing with
cheese!!  Mmmm!  Hardness and dripping and oozing... that conjures up quite
a visual!  I had a feeling Tuesday night was gonna be a long one,
especially since we didn't need to be at band practice until three o'clock
Wednesday afternoon!  Late night, Date night!  Again!!

I couldn't wait!  Mark and I talked a little while longer and decided that
we wouldn't give each other gifts.  That would be silly.  Being alone
together on "our day" was enough, even though we're together a lot anyway.
When I got home, I dug through the box in my closet... the one where I keep
all my "private stuff" and found one of the postcards we bought that day
last December when we went up in the Empire State Building.  I signed it
and put it in my bookbag...

      Mark, Happy 1st Anniversary!  I'll love you forever and then even
more.
      Huggerz and kisserz,
      Love,
      -kevin.

Monday night I was soooo keyed up.  After dinner I went up to my room and
hung out by myself, playing some computer games, listening to music and
occasionally feeling my cock and balls inside my undies.  Haha I did more
of that, too, when I finally went to bed.  I had these fantasies that it
was Mark feeling me up and that I was feeling him too.  The only thing
missing was a kiss goodnight.  And I didn't jerk off either.  Oh, I was
horny enough... I just didn't want to jerk it.

Tuesday was a long day.  Hot, too.  We sweated our balls off during band.
There was a lot to learn, and as a group we didn't seem to have it together
as much.  Maybe everyone was tired from Monday.  Either way, Mr. Walters
was in a mood, but Mr. Sanger was cool.  I liked him, but in the back of my
mind I felt there was like, some sort of twisted plot to steal Mark away
from me.  Not for his own interest, of course, but by feeding him ideas
about that damn Cal-State place in L.A.  But I let it go...

We had a break from 3 until 4, and believe it or not, I sorta dozed off
under that big shade tree.  Even though it was a hot afternoon, there was a
light breeze that felt good on my sweaty face.  Mark was there too, talking
to some of the other percussionists, and that was somehow very comforting
to me.  It was hearing the murmur of their voices – especially Mark's
– that made me fall asleep.

Things went a lot better during the drum-section-only practice.  It was
only Mr. Sanger with us.  At 6 p.m sharp he let us go!

"Hey hey, sweetie!!!  We're off!!!"

"Let's go, Babe!!!  Let's do it!!!"

We went to Mark's house first, and I talked to Lisa and Mr. and Mrs. Graham
during the five minutes it took my guy to shower and change.  Mrs. Graham
was a little bit nosey, asking all kinds of questions about what we were
doing and why.  And you know, I really wanted to tell her the truth, but I
figured it wasn't my place to out Mark to her.  She probably knew anyway.
Mr. Graham, well, he's clueless.  But I'm sure Lisa knows what the deal is.

"You boys have fun!"

"Don't worry!  We will!  I can't believe Mark and I met and became best
friends exactly a year ago!"

"Take care of my brother, Kev," Lisa whispered.

"No worries Lisa!  We'll take care of each other!"  We both laughed.

Next we hopped over to my house for me to get cleaned up.  I was horny, but
I knew I shouldn't mess around with myself in the shower.  Haha, but it was
tempting!!

Keith and Dad asked where we were going as well.  "Little Dude!  I love
that bike path up by the Sound!  I wish Lisa and I were going too!'

"Really, Keith?  Really??"

"Oh... oh... yeah..."  My brother turned beet red.  "Maybe another time..."
It dawned on him why the night was special to Mark and me.

"I know the path is well-lit boys, but please watch where you're going and
don't do anything silly," Dad warned.

"Come on, Dad.  Mark and I know how to ride bikes.  Why's everyone saying
all this stuff to us about being careful?  We're not gonna fall off a
bridge or anything.  I swear you're all helicopters!  We're not 8 years old
anymore.  We're just in..."  (I was gonna say "we're just in... love!")

"I know, it's an important day for you and Mark."  Dad was proud, I could
tell.  He hugged Mark and me.  "I love you guys.  I know you're fine."

"It's cool Mr. C.  We're good."

"No problem, Dad."

We loaded my bike on the rack, said goodbye to my father and Keith, and hit
the road.

"Let's stop at Walgreen's first.  I wanna get some sodas."

As soon as we walked in I saw my man, Arlo.  He looked up at Mark and me
and grinned.

"Now don't you two start causing any troubles, you hear?!"

"Hey, Arlo!  You know I don't make trouble for anyone!"  I laughed.

"I know, kiddo.  I'm just teasing you.  So, where are you off to now?"

"Oh we're just going up to Oyster Bay and Centre Island for a bike ride and
dinner!" I was beaming with pride.  Then I leaned toward Arlo and whispered
that it was our anniversary.  "It's been a whole year, Arlo.  A whole year.
I love him!"

"And you done well, kiddo.  You done well!"

Just then Nora walked toward us, and Mark approached the counter with his
arms full of Mountain Dew and Diet Cokes.

"So the word is you guys are heading up to the harbor tonight, huh?"

"Yeah, Nora."

I thought at first it might seem a little awkward seeing Nora, but it was
cool.  She didn't know about the friction between Mark and me as a result
of our flirting a few nights earlier.  It was over.  And Mark didn't seem
weirded out at all either.  So it was good.  I guess that's even more proof
that I'm the one who makes a big deal out of stuff more than anyone else.
So much drama!!

"Wow, I wish I was going with you!"

"Ahh... no you don't!"  I laughed.  "My brother said the same thing!"

Nora gave Mark and me each a kiss on the cheek.  "You're right.  I'm
joking."

"Uhh..."  I started to say something...

"Shh..." she interrupted.  "I'll see you guys.  I gotta get back to work.
Have fun!"  Mark paid for the sodas and we left.

"See ya, Arlo!  Bye Nora!!"  I swear to God she's something else.

Wouldn't you know, as soon as we pulled out onto Forest Avenue, who did we
see?  Matt and Scott!  We honked, waved, shouted and laughed as we passed
them in the opposite direction.  Haha, if the Kramers knew where Mark and I
were going, they'd probably wanna come too, like Keith and Nora!  But in
the end, I think everyone knew Mark and I were supposed to be together
alone.

It only took us about ten minutes to get up to Oyster Bay.  We parked near
the Sailors' Club, which is close to Teddy Roosevelt Park, and got the
bikes off the back of the Jeep and hit the trail.  It was just starting to
get dark and the path was already lighted.  Mark and I rode side by side,
through Bayville, and along the shore.

The almost-night sky was sooo blue, and the stars were already out.  The
breeze coming across the water felt great.  You know, it's beautiful out
there on Long Island Sound.  We must have seen about a hundred sailboats.
I want one.

We circled around Centre Island, then headed on back into Oyster Bay to the
restaurant.  It was about a fifteen-mile ride totally, but we weren't tired
at all.  We both enjoyed the breeze and the quiet stillness of the lighted
path.  There was a little action going on at the Sailors' Club though.  We
heard lots of laughter, and that 80's song "What I Like About You" by The
Romantics.

"A bit crowded for a Tuesday night, isn't it?"

"Yeah, I guess it is!!"

"I'm starved!  Let's eat."

We went inside to order, and it only took a few minutes to get our food to
go, picnic style.  I wouldn't have wanted to eat at the restaurant with the
crowd and all.  So, as planned, we went on down to the beach.  It was quite
a sight, because all the lights around the harbor were aglow, and the
moonlight shimmered on the water.

Mark started to dig into his steak sandwich, dirty chips and coke.  I sat
there for a few minutes, staring at him.  He's my boyfriend!

"Here," I said, handing him the postcard.  "It's for you."

"Kev – what's this???"

"Well, remember that day, the week before Christmas when we went into New
York... our little side trip on the way up to the cabin..."

"Yeah!  That day.  The Empire State Building.  You and me.  We bought those
postcards in the gift shop..."

"Well, I've been waiting for the right time to give mine to you."

"Thank you, sweetie.  I'll never forget that.  I wanted that day to happen
for so long.  I know we both did.  I planned the whole thing.  You don't
know how bad I wanted to tell you how I felt about you."

"Yeah," I shook my head.  "Me too.  You know, the whole year has been
pretty incredible, hasn't it, Mark?  I can't believe everything that's
happened."  I started to reflect on our amazing first-year journey.

"And we're still not done, sweetie!  We've got a lot more ahead of us, you
and me.  But you're right, it HAS been an amazing year!"  He took another
bite of his sandwich.  "You know, someday you should write it all down,
everything that we've done, what we've been through... how we feel.  It'd
be like a book.  That'd be cool, wouldn't it?!"

"Wow, Mark, that's an epic idea!"  I paused, thinking about what he
suggested.  "I never thought about writing anything about us.  "But, it's
gotta have a perfect ending."

Mark looked at me smiling.  "Well, it will, Kev... it'll be your story."

"No, Mark, it's OUR story, and I don't want to mess anything up."

"You won't mess anything up, sweetie.  You can't.  But, come on now, it's
crystal ball time... So, for the perfect ending... what do you see?"

"Gosh, Mark... I don't know what I see.  I mean, I do know... like the
dreams I have, the vision of the future.  I know I see us in each other's
lives for a long, long time... like... definitely always..."

"Me too, Kev... me too.  You and me.  Always and forever."

"And you're absolutely right, Mark.  There's SOOOO much more we have to do.
And I want to do it all... all the stuff we've ever talked about... the
little stuff... the big stuff.  And all the things we haven't really even
talked about yet.  Like, next Sunday, at Six Flags... well, I'm gonna ride
the roller coasters with you, yes I am!"

"Sweetie, it's OK... you don't have to.  I know you don't like roller
coasters..."

"No, Mark.  I want to ride them.  With YOU.  The tall ones, the fast ones,
the upside-down ones... all of them.  I want to ride every fucking roller
coaster in America.  With YOU!"

"OK, sweetie!  We will!!"

"And I want to go on an adventure!  I wanna go on more bike trips... major
bike trips, like across Europe, camping out... for the whole summer!  We
could do it... just us!"

"Whoa, sweetie!  I wanna do that too!  I wanna do that too!!"

"And I wanna be on one of those sailboats out on Long Island Sound... with
YOU!  I wanna be out there in the middle of the night, when it's raining
and blue... in a thunderstorm!  Just us... you and me!"

"Oh God, Kev!  Pouring rain!!  Thunder and lightning!!!  My God, I wanna
live dangerously with you..."

"And I wanna live dangerously with you, too, Mark... I want it all!
Everything!"  My heart was pounding so hard.

"We'll do it, Kev.  All of it.  Everything.  I promise."

"And, oh my God, Mark... and the sex!  The wild sex!!  We'll have wild,
wild sex all the time!!!"

"We'll never stop, sweetie.  I promise you.  We'll never stop..."

"I love you so God-damn fucking much."

"Me too, sweetie.  I love you, too!  Don't EVER forget that.  Never.  No
matter what.  And promise ME something, Kev.  Stop worrying about the
California thing, please... if I DO decide to go to school there, we'll
deal with it, alright?  We'll figure it out.  We could go out to
L.A. together... we'd have the best of both worlds.  We'll always have New
York.  It's home.  But we could have L.A. too.  We could do that, you and
me.

"You and me."

"Yeah, sweetie.  You and me... just us... you and me...

Mark and I sat there, on the rocky beach in Teddy Roosevelt Park for the
longest time.  Talking more about the past, dreaming about the future and
making plans.  We laughed a lot, and I admit we got choked up a few times,
too.  Our hearts were beating crazy and our dicks were hard as granite.
And, OK, we didn't have sex on the beach.  Haha, not that night anyway.
And not on that particular beach.  We just didn't want to get caught.  But
we did make out.  That was unavoidable.  I decided I'd never go back to
that little beach without my man.

In between the dreams and kisses, Mark finished his steak sandwich and I
picked at mine.  I ate the meat and cheese but gave the baguette to the
ducks...

So I guess it's appropriate that I'll end this here, exactly a year to the
day after Mark and I first met.  It's the day that I began a whole new
life, with him in it.

In the days and weeks ahead, I thought about everything we said to each
other that night: the plans and the promises, what we wanted and what we
hoped for.  And I knew in my head, and in my heart, that Mark was right.  A
lot can happen between now and then, the present and the future.  And I
admit, it took me a while, but I eventually realized that if he DOES decide
to go school in California, then we will figure it out.  Because that's
what we do best.  We figure it out... no matter what, no matter how long it
takes...

Thank you all for letting me tell my tale.  It means a lot to me.  More
than anyone will ever know.  Because all I ever wanted to do was play the
drums.

The End...