Date: Fri, 02 Dec 2005 14:24:28 -0700
From: Samuel Forte' III <fallenangel595@hotmail.com>
Subject: finding andrew-chapter 3

** This story is a true story, telling of people and events that have taken
place in the last three to four years. I have the consent of the others who
are involved to use them, but no last names will be used for privacy
reasons. This story will focus around two people as they stumble upon each
during high school and find themselves falling for one another. They are
able to survive the trials, tribulations, and difficulties that are thrown
at them and from each other until everything comes to an abrupt end...All
rights to this story are mine (lol well it is based on MY experiences) so
no copying or publishing without my consent!**


                         Finding Andrew
           Chapter 3: Bonding Time With a New Friend


     By the time lunch came, I was anxious to make our arrangements. I
didn't see him until it was about time for lunch to end. I saw him headed
towards the front of the school motioning for me to follow. I excused
myself from the table and followed him into the school.

"Sup buddy. So you sure you can come?" I know I sounded too excited and I
couldn't help it.

"Yea." He laughed sensing my eagerness too. "My mom told me to call her
when I'm ready to come back."

"Sweet!"

"So what do you have planned for us to do?"

"Depends on what kind of stuff you like to do?"

"I like basketball, video games, wrestling..."

"I have a hoop, PS2, X-box, and a Dreamcast (yea, I love my video games).
Plus you know today is Monday so..."

"RAW comes on." We both said. We laughed and agreed to meet at my locker
(strange how he knew where it was already) after 4th period. We bumped
fists as the bell rang signaling the end of lunch.

     I had Chemistry 3rd period and Lisa and Sean questioned where I
disappeared to. I told them I was just chatting with an old friend as I was
reminded that Lizzy was fuming that I didn't say goodbye before the start
of class. I could deal with her later. The last two classes flew by in
anticipation of hanging out with Andrew. After the last bell rang, I
practically ran to my locker to see him leaning against it.

"Hey bud."

"Hey to you too." We bumped fists and headed towards the bus. When we got
on, I instantly felt the heated glare from Mario. I ignored it as Andrew
and I sat together making small talk as we headed to my house. You could
sense we were both just a little nervous. I wasn't too worried as I knew he
would feel more comfortable once we got inside.

     We got off at the last stop as the bus rolled to a stop right in front
of my house. A nice convenience. We walked behind my sister headed towards
the house, when Andrew was "accidentally" tripped by Mario. I kneeled down
to help him up off the concrete as Mario gave a half-hearted apology as he
continued to his house. Andrew didn't make any comments about it as we
walked in through the garage. I'll give you a quick layout of the house. On
the ground floor there was the living room, kitchen, pantry, and a
bathroom. Going up to the second floor you got the master bedroom (parents
of course) with its own bathroom, two bedrooms (sister and guest), along
with a washer and dryer. Then you had my domain - the basement. The big
screen tv in the den, my own bathroom and bedroom fit with a walk-in
closet. Having that extra floor in between gives me that extra sense of
privacy and has kept me from being caught in some embarrassing
situations. My walls are plastered with sports pennants of my favorite
teams and players. I had a queen sized bed along with an entertainment
center housing my 30" TV along with my game systems. There was an
awkwardness as we figured what to do.  Like most teenage boys, we settled
on video games.

     We started out by playing Halo on the X-Box which he completely owned
me in. He started to do a little trash talking which put him at ease as he
continued to slaughter me. After yet another loss, I decided to switch to
racing popping in Project Gotham hoping to get a win under my belt. Same
result as he dominated me in that too. This time I decided to just switch
systems altogether pulling out the Dreamcast and putting in Marvel vs
Capcom 2. This was one the games I was pretty good in and it didn't take
too long to wipe that smile off his face. He began to get frustrated as I
started slapping his guys around from the get go. After winning close to
fifteen matches, he challenged me to let him pick my players. I agreed and
he picked three of the worst characters hoping to pull out a win. He
actually came pretty close as he knocked me down to my last guy. Only a few
hits away from losing, I lunged for the power button and hit it just before
he launched into a special attack.

"What the hell? You cheating little bastard!" He threw the controller at me
as I rolled over laughing uncontrollably.

"Undefeated baby!"

"Oh yeah?" He dove onto me and grabbed me by my ribs and unleashed into a
tickling frenzy.  I'm very ticklish so I blushed and started squirming
instantly. I was laughing and was able to push him off as I tried to get up
and get to safety. I didn't make it to my feet as he dove on top of me once
I got to my knees. This began a wrestling match as we rolled around trying
to pin each other to the ground. A few times I found hands grabbing towards
my crotch, but I chalked it up to guys being guys. Eventually I was able to
pin him to the ground as we were both out of breath.  As we stared at each
other I felt something sliding up my left leg. This also caused me to grow
hard as we just continued to stare at one another. We both could feel each
other's arousal, but made no effort to hide it. After what seemed like an
eternity, he broke the silence.

"For someone who has never been on a wrestling team, you're pretty good at
it." He panted.

"You aren't too bad yourself little buddy." I replied rustling his hair.
There was another short pause as we continued the staring contest.

"Thanks for inviting me over Sam." He said smiling. I rolled off of him as
both of us sat up across from each other.

"Just glad to be friends with someone like you."

"With someone like me? What do you mean?"

"I honestly don't know what it is about you Andrew. From the day I bumped
into you there is just something about you. Not something I can put my
finger on. I feel like I need to get to know you."

"Well...I feel the same Sam. After the last couple of schools I've been at,
I never thought I would be able to make friends again. It's been rough the
last two years." He said sadly. I felt now would be as good a time as ever
to find out about his recent past that he was trying to so hard to hide
from me.

"You know, I've been meaning to ask you about that..."

"Sam, I don't want to talk about it."

"Andrew, I know we barely know each other, but I want you to know you can
tell me anything and I'm not going to look at you any differently."

"Oh where have I heard that before?" He replied bitterly.

"I'm serious..."

"I don't care. Let's just drop it."

"Well if that's what you want..."

"Yes." He said irritated.

"Ok. Let me just say this. I'm more than what meets the eye. I'm one of the
most open-minded people you'll ever meet. If you need to talk to me about
ANYTHING my door is always open."  He looked at me. Probably looking in my
eyes to see if I was being sincere.  He would have found that if that's
what he was looking for.

"I can't believe I actually believe you." He laughed.

"Well I'm being serious. As a matter of face I'll give you my phone number
if you ever need to call me." He handed me a notebook as I wrote it down
inside the cover.

"Thanks. One of these days I really want to tell you."

"I'll be here whenever you're ready."

"I don't know what it is Sam, but you seem very different from most guys."
That comment caused my heart to skip a beat. I didn't know what he meant by
it. I was hoping that he hadn't figured me out. At least not until I could
do the same. He didn't seem to be as normal for lack of a better word
either. The way I saw it, there was an obvious attraction between the two
of us. All the signs pointed to it. All the blushing, awkward moments,
practically undressing each other with our eyes in public, and then the
little wrestling we had as we both made very subtle grabs.  I'm not one to
make the first move...and I really would have hated it if I was wrong about
him. I didn't really know how to go about it so I figured I'd play it safe
for now.  If he wasn't and we just ended up being friends I could live with
that.

"Well I try." I laughed out nervously.

"Awww you're so cute when you do that..." He about choked on himself after
the words came out.

"Cute?"

"Well...I mean...that...oh crap."

"Hey don't worry about it little man." I said as I again rustled his hair.
Awkward for both of us and definitely confirmed my wishes. It was so hard
for me not to let my more daring side get the best of me. I just smiled
both on the outside and inside. I guess I just wanted a little more proof
to be safe. "So since we're in a wrestling mood, how about we play some
SmackDown. Sound good?"

"Yea." I switched the PS2 on and put the game in. After it loaded, we
decided to play on the same team doing a tag team match. At least this way
we would avoid anymore awkward moments for the day. He picked his favorite,
RVD, as I accessed my create-a-players. I had somewhere around twenty-five
as I scrolled down until I found myself. I got a questioning look from him
and grinned back at him. He waited until the end of the match to inquire.

"Who are all of those guys?" I dug through my backpack and tossed him my
yellow notebook.  He looked through it as I explained the contents to him
just as I will for you readers.

     My neighborhood was pretty boring for the most part when I first made
the move to Colorado Springs. At the end of the 8th grade, Mario, myself,
and a bunch of guys around the area got the idea to start our own wrestling
league. It started with just eight of us and has grown to what it has
become now: forty guys, we get paid, and perform in front of actual
crowds. Up until that point we held our events in Mario's basement since
his family decided to leave it unfinished. In about a month, we were able
to get all the necessary supplies and build a ring down there. As for the
notebook, it held the roster of all the participants and records of all
matches.

"Wow! This is so cool. Why didn't you tell me about this?" He was acting
like a kid in a candy store for the first time.

"Well you never asked."

"You have to take me to your next match." I thought about it and decided
that it would be ok.

"Alright, but...it will cost ya." I had no idea why I said that, but it was
too late to take it back. He looked at me and gave me an evil grin.

"Hmm, depends on the price." He laughed. I breathed a sigh of relief as he
appeared to just blow it off. At that point I wasn't sure if he caught on
or was doing the generous thing letting me off the hook.

"Well actually I do have one tonight if you want to stick around that
long."

"REALLY? Oh man, this is so cool!"

"Yea, just call your mom to make sure its ok with her. I don't think she
wants me to keep you all day."

"She may not, but I don't mind." He winked as he went to grab the
phone. For a guy that acted so shy, he had no problem letting loose around
me. After his little dirty comment, I pulled out my bag to put on my
gear. He came back in just in time to see me finish changing.

"Hmm, I see you like to strip around me. Something you want to tell me,
Sam?" He laughed.

"Geez get your head out the gutter man." We laughed as we headed next door
to Mario's house.  His parents greeted us at the door (real nice parents by
the way) as we headed downstairs while the show was in progress. I filled
him in on want to expect as I left him to an open seat and made my way to
the back to stretch and get ready for my match. That night I would be
defending the DCWF Heavyweight Title against an up and comer in Javier who
was a year younger than me. It would be a submission match. As the match
approached I started to get the jitters. I wanted to put on a good show for
Andrew and I wanted to shake off the rust (my last match was back in the
middle of July due to my vacation).

     Early on it looked I was going to lose the belt as he locked in the
boston crab on three separate occasions. It's a known fact around here that
I have a bum left knee (three separate surgeries) so everyone always goes
after it. I was writhing in pain as I tried to make my way to the ropes. As
I looked out in the crowd, I saw Andrew with a concerned look on his
face. I don't know where it came from, but I was able to flip off Javier to
avoid further damage. I was able to fight back and eventually lock the
ankle lock in. He struggled to get out, but I had his foot in a vice
grip. He had no choice but to tap and I would retain the belt again.  The
guys and the small crowd erupted into cheers as I celebrated the
victory. After shaking Javier's hand, I made my way outside the ring as
Andrew greeted me.

"Hey you ok?" He asked very concerned.

"I'll be fine. I've dealt with worse." I said in between deep breaths.

"Congrats on the win champ."

"Thanks little man." Funny how I always called him that even though we were
the same height.  I'm surprised he let me. "What did you think of it?"

"Pretty cool. How do I join?"

"You have to talk to the head honcho around here." I led him through the
crowd to Mike (one of Mario's older brothers; the other is Jacob) and left
them to talk about it.  I headed to the back to change back into my normal
clothes. As I stripped down to my boxers, the door busted open as I looked
up to find Mario with a pissed look on his face.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't the guy that hates my guts..." Here was the
guy who went out of his way to ignore me for the last few days. The silence
finally came to an end.

"Can it! So who the fuck is this Andrew guy?" He was mad and I went against
my better judgement and decided to humor him.

"A friend."

"Just a friend? Riiight. And you expect me to believe that?"

"First off, I don't owe anything to you so stop acting like I do. Like I
said, he's just a friend."

"Oh for now I see. So you didn't want to be with me and go hook up with
this guy?"

"It's not even like that and you don't have anything to do with this. He's
just a friend I made in PE class. A freshman and I just want him to feel
welcome since he doesn't have many friends.  Anything else detective?" I
asked annoyed.

"So you like him...don't you?" He asked in a hushed voice. I knew the
answer to that. They say that love at first sight isn't true, but I beg to
differ. From the first moment I met Andrew, I knew that I could and would
have those type of feelings for him. I was going out of my way to be around
him, to put him at ease around me, and to become friends with me.  There
was no doubt I was.

"Well...yea." I meekly replied. Mario looked hurt as the two words echoed
in his head. "I'm sorry, Mario."  He turned to walk out the room as I
finished dressing. After he left, I sat thinking about the last few
hours. I felt both terrified and overjoyed about what was happening. Andrew
seemed to be fond of me, yet at the same time Mario was drifting away. We
were really good friends and I would have to do something to help patch up
our friendship. I was also a little terrified about how things with Andrew
would progress. I sat there in deep thought when I heard yelling coming
from the ring area. I rushed out to see what was going on and was terrified
at the sight. Andrew was slumped against a wall as Mario was pounding away
at his face yelling threats at him. I made my way through the crowd as I
caught the glance from Mike. He also had a look of confusion as we made our
way through. He got there first and pinned his brother to the ground trying
to calm him down. I grabbed Andrew and pulled him into my arms letting him
know that I was there and that things would be fine. He looked up at me
with a face of fear as I saw he had a gash above his right eye (his eye was
swollen as well) and a swollen lip. Once he realized it was me, his face
quickly turned to anger as he shoved me to the wall. He sprung up and took
off out the back door. I knew where he was headed, so I was in no rush just
yet. I stood still in shock trying to process what just happened. After a
few minutes, I made my way to the door to head back home. Mario and I
exchanged looks on my way out and it was obvious that this wasn't
over...not by a long shot.

     When I got home my mom shot me a worried look as I saw the first aid
kit on the counter. She asked what happened to Andrew, but I couldn't give
her a real answer. She told me that he was downstairs as I thanked her for
cleaning him up and bounded down the stairs. I got to my room and found him
sitting in total darkness. I flicked on the light to find him facing away
from me with his backpack on.

"I'm ready to go." He coldly spoke.

"Andrew, I'm sorry about Mario. What happened? I got out there as soon as I
could."

"Call my mom. I'm ready to go."

"Andrew, I really need to know what..."

"Why don't you ask Mario you asshole! Leave me alone and call my mom!" He
yelled out. That shut me up instantly. I called his mom and let her know he
was ready to go.  Andrew and I sat in silence for the ten minutes it took
for her to get to the house. When Andrew went outside, I again tried to say
I was sorry and was given the silent treatment. My mom explained as best
she could to his mom what happened. She thanked her for the first aid as
she looked towards me. She said she knew I didn't mean for it to happen and
that she was not upset with me.  That made me feel a little better. She
wrote down the phone number for the house so I could check up on him. As
they left, I felt like the smallest guy in the world. I just wanted to be
his friend at the very least and then I go and let something like this
happen. I had a rough time sleeping that night wondering if Andrew would
ever talk to me again.

******************************************************************************
First off, I'd like to say thanks to all of you who have sent mail. Happy
to see that you like what you see so far and I'll keep plugging away at
it. Chapter 4 is already finished (yea, I like to work ahead) and will
probably be sent in sometime Friday. A few people have had a few questions
which I'll address in real quick. 1 - The chapters will vary in size
depending on when I can find a good stopping point. I like how long this
one was and will probably look to get close to this size as much as
possible. 2 - Yes there will be sex in this story. It will come and go at
times and I do admit I find it hard to talk about that so openly. So I'll
do my best to be as descriptive as possible when it comes. 3 - I don't have
as much free time as I would like between work and college, but I WILL
continue to do at least 2-3 chapters a week. The plan is to do one over the
weekend and two during the school week. At the very least I'll be able to
do one during the school week so you won't have to worry about long
updates. Take care and the next chapter will be up before the end of the
week.

Chapter 4: Finding Each Other Out