Date: Wed, 10 Aug 2016 15:28:19 -0500
From: Eric Trager <trager2275@gmail.com>
Subject: It Is What It Is: Chapter 23

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© 2015 by Eric Trager.

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CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE



"Dowling! Over here!" Coach Slater barked.

"Sorry about that last play, Coach. I didn't see the other guy coming and I
got crunched... I'm OK. You can send me back in."

"That's not what I'd like to know. Tell me what happened before that
unsportsmanlike conduct call. What do you think caused the call?"

"The receiver got up and said, `Pretty-boy faggot, you're dead meat,'
Coach. That's when the flag was thrown."

"Then on the next play you were double-teamed and sandwiched?"

"That's about the size of it, Coach. I'm OK, really, though..."

"I believe you, but I want you to sit out this series. You're doing a great
job, by the way... We'll have you back in on the next series."

"Thanks, Coach."

With that, Coach Slater called a time out. "Dickson! Wyman! Westfahl! Over
here!" Coach called to his starting Quarterback, and offensive and
defensive Captains.

"Guys, what I am about to say is between the three of us only. I'm given to
understand that one of the opposing players taunted Dowling regarding an
issue that has no place on the football field, and that's what the
unsportsmanlike conduct call was for. Then on the next play Dowling was
needlessly double-teamed, and hit hard when the ball was nowhere in the
area. That could have caused an injury. As you know, I will not tolerate
that sort of play. It's fucking bush league..."

"Whadya mean, Coach?" Trent Westfahl asked.

"Mr. Westfahl, that's not for you to concern yourself with. Here's the
deal: my plan was to use this game as a warm-up. To make sure that you guys
are as good as I think you are with the basics, and that as a team we're
firing on all cylinders. But after what just happened, I want you guys to
go out there and when the final score is posted I want it to be seen in no
uncertain terms that you men came here to play football. I do not want, and
will not tolerate any unsportsmanlike conduct out of my players, gentlemen,
and you will make that clear to your squads. That means I want no penalties
called on our side, but as far as what the score turns out to be, well,
c'est la fucking vie... When the LaFollette guys leave this field tonight
they need to know in no uncertain terms that hard work and talent is what
succeeds, not dirty play and acting like Goddamn assholes. I don't give a
shit. You men have given too much of yourselves to put up with crap like
that. Now, go pass that on to your squads. If they ask why just tell `em it
is what it is."

As it turned out, at halftime, Craig easily held the hapless Lancers
scoreless, entering the locker room ahead 35-0. LaFollette had not even
gained a single first-down during the first half, and the Craig defense
sacked the LaFollette Quarterback four times. To further rub it in, one of
the Craig touchdowns had been a pick-six by Brett whose team mates cheered
him in a way he hadn't known before.

The Cougars received at the beginning of the second half, with Sean taking
over at Quarterback.  At halftime, Sean and Tim agreed that the first play
would be one of their specialties that they developed and worked out on
their own. For this play, the offensive backfield lined up in the Shotgun
T-formation with Sean at Quarterback and Tim at Halfback. They figured that
the LaFollette defense would not know at all what to make of it when Craig
lined up with both their starting and back-up Quarterbacks in on the same
play.

At the snap, the ball was snapped on an angle to Tim who faded back to
pass, giving it a pump-fake just for good measure. The LaFollette defensive
line and linebackers were in total confusion giving the Craig offensive
line more than enough time to take them out. Once Tim saw the ruse worked,
he lateralled the ball to Sean, confusing the LaFollette defense even more,
and assumed the role of a blocking back. Sean immediately spied Brett, in
on offense for the second half at Wide Receiver, about 20 yards downfield
and wide open. Sean fired a bullet straight into Brett's hands. Brett
almost walked into the end-zone for six more points, and the score standing
at 41-0. Tim, as second-half play caller, signaled to Coach Slater than
instead of kicking the extra point, they would go for the two-point
conversion and he should not send the place kicker in. Tim knew full well
that given the already blow-out score the two-point conversion was
unnecessary, but he had a pretty good idea of what was said that pissed
Coach off.

To Tim this was a `fuck you' play of the sort one gives a dirty opponent
who can't win on talent.  Tim was having none of it.

Sean signaled no huddle and the Cougars rushed to the line of scrimmage
with Sean under center and Tim at Halfback. On the snap, Tim took the
handoff from Sean, stayed behind his Lineman and ran it right up the gut
into the end zone for two points making the score 43-0. Ever the sportsman,
instead of spiking the ball Tim simply handed it to the Official in the end
zone and made no display whatsoever.

The game continued in much the same vein through the rest of the third and
the fourth quarters with the Cougars dominating the overmatched Lancers
almost as if they weren't even on the field. In the third quarter, the
Lancers drew two more significant penalties: roughing the passer for a late
hit on Sean, and an infraction against Brett's covering defensive back,
face masking augmented with unsportsmanlike conduct for grabbing Brett by
the face mask and throwing him to the ground after the play was over
resulting in the LaFollete player's disqualification in addition to the
fifteen yards awarded to Craig. The Lancers also had minor penalties for
delay of game, off sides, and illegal formation. Half way through the
fourth quarter, the LaFollette Coach had to be warned to stay behind the
sidelines. By that time, Craig basically had their practice squad on the
field.

When it was all over and the dust settled, LaFollette had been shut out in
front of a home crowd by the surreal score of 71-0. The Cougars did not
tarry once the final whistle was blown signaling the game's end, shaking
the hands of the opposing team only in the most perfunctory fashion.

The mood inside the bus on the trip back home was jubilant, a mood which
Coach Slater sought to temper with a dose of reality. Once everyone was on
the bus, Coach rose to speak to his team.  "Gentlemen, I need your
attention please... Alright." Coach then paused, and looked around the bus
into the eyes of his team. "I can honestly say that I've never seen a High
School team put on a show like you did this evening. It was a
tour-de-force. Both on offense and defense. I asked your Captains to
explain to you that I didn't think it was necessary to hold back on the
score because of unsportsmanlike conduct and dirty play on the part of
LaFollette. It was the type of conduct that has no place on a football
field. You came to play football, not get involved in breaking the rules
and having the game turn into a circus. You played football and conducted
yourselves as adults. That's all I'm going to say about it, and you,
gentlemen, will say nothing about it. At all. To anyone. If anyone, anyone
at all, asks about tonight's score you are to refer them to
me. Period. That's my job, not yours.

"Before the game I asked a hundred percent of you as a team and tonight you
gave me a hundred percent. You did so without getting down to the level of
resorting to unacceptable conduct of your own. In fact, your conduct was
that of true sportsmen. For that you should be proud of yourselves, because
I'm proud of you. But, I need you to keep in mind that tonight we defeated
probably the weakest team in the conference. The rest of the season isn't
going to be this easy.  Not by a mile, gentlemen, and I want you to
concentrate on that thought. I don't want you under any illusions, because
I'm not. On any given Friday, there are two, maybe three other teams in the
conference that could beat us if we let up, if we have a bad night, if we
make mental errors, or if we just don't give it our all. And if we're going
to win the conference this year we'll have to beat West. To beat West,
we'll have to go undefeated. And that's the plain truth. They are as good
as we are, if not better. Just to let you know, West won their opener 42-10
tonight against Sun Prairie who as we know is no slouch.

"So, tonight you gave a hundred percent, but you also basically played a
Jayvee-quality team that's undisciplined, and in my eyes not well
coached. You can be proud of your effort. But trust me, by now every other
team knows what you did and they're all going to be gunning for us twice as
hard. They're all gonna wanna beat Craig. We're not gonna let that
happen. To me as a Coach you guys are a once in a lifetime team. And I mean
that.

"Tonight you were excellent, but you are not yet perfect. And I need you
men to understand the difference between excellence and
perfection. Excellence chases perfection. Sometimes it catches it, and
sometimes it doesn't, but it always chases it. You can rest assured we will
be working on that. Enjoy yourselves once we get back home tonight. You've
earned it, but on Monday we begin the quest for perfection. And I need each
and every one of you to know that you have it in you not just to chase it,
but to attain it. I'm asking you to believe in yourselves, gentlemen... I
believe in you.

"Alright, with that it's time to award the game ball. Tonight it goes to a
guy who never played the game before but showed his shit like a
pro. Mr. Dowling, for courage, two touchdowns, and for showing that hard
work, discipline and a good attitude pay off, the ball's yours. I'm proud
of you, son. Catch! And bring me the ball Monday morning because it goes in
the Hall of Fame display case for next week with your name on it."

Coach tossed the ball to Brett, who from a clumsy position in his seat
snatched it with one hand, beaming like the sunrise while his team mates
patted him on the back and cheered him. The bus continued its way down
Interstate 90 with the players talking about post-game activities.

"Hey, Wymo, you know there's a party at Kennedy's tonight. Everyone will be
there. You guys should grab JR and meet us there. I know he's got a thing
for Kathleen. Her sister, Colleen the bitch, is the one having the
party..."

"Why would we wanna go to party thrown by a bitch?" Andy asked, rolling his
eyes.

"They got a huge house, Cass, you prolly won't even run into
Colleen. Besides, they live maybe three, four blocks from you guys so it's
close and all... Colleen only hates me, anyway. She doesn't even know you
guys. If you avoid her, you'll be fine." Tim then whipped out his phone and
showed a photo of Colleen. "That's her, so if you see her, just go the
opposite way. Ah, who knows, she might be nice to you, but she hates my
ass, that's all I know..."

"That's what you get for confused about being straight, my dear..." Brett
interjected with raised eyebrows.

"Oh, punish me, then, you brute!" Tim replied in a fake southern accent,
fanning his face with his hand.

Sean looked on making a puking gesture with his index finger and mouth.

Andy simply said, "Will you guys PLEEEEEEEEEEEEASE shut the fuck up! We'll
BEEEEEEEEEEE at the fucking party, OK?"

"Fasten your seatbelts, it's going to be a bumpy night!" Sean smirked in
his best Bette Davis impersonation, complete with pretending to hold a
cigarette, to which Brett, not to be outdone and not lacking Thespian
qualities himself, in an even better Davis voice rejoined, "Butcha ARE,
Blanche! Ya ARE in that chair!"

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jv0uUV2YaI&feature=youtu.be]

Tim replied, and in an exaggeratedly butch tone simply said, "I fucking
give up with you fucking homos...."

"Well, when we get back we'll change and pick up JR," Sean said. "Then why
don't you guys come by our place and we can just all walk over to the
party..."

"Sounds like a plan," Brett said. "Tim, you're gonna hafta run me by my
place so I can change."

"And tell 'em you're staying by me tonight, too after the party" Tim said,
"And I want some of that game ball later, Mister... Right up the kazoo!"

"Yeah, Brett, fuck him `til he barks like a dog..." Andy chimed in.

"I intend to," was Brett's dry-as-toast, deadpan response.

Later on, the boys arrived at the Kennedy home. The party looked to be if
not in full swing, at least getting going in a good way. The music could be
heard a few houses away, and there was a good crowd of other people milling
around the front yard and on the large veranda porch of the massive, old
Victorian home.

"Looks like there's a lot of people here..." Sean observed.

"Oh, yeah," Tim replied. "Colleen always has to have the biggest parties. I
wouldn't be surprised if half the Junior and Senior classes show up at some
point tonight... Just remember what I said, she's a witch. Well, she hates
me, anyway..."

"OK, J.R., let's go in and we'll look around for Kathleen. You gonna
introduce us?" Andy asked.

"Yeah, I want her to meet you guys. I just hope her sister isn't a witch to
me, anyway... Well, maybe she'll think I'm here to do the gardening, or
something..." John laughed.

"OK, well, let's do this!" Tim said as he walked up the front steps.

The boys walked in to a full house. There were other players from the team
they found mostly in the kitchen as they made their way.  Along the way,
Sean saw Eric Trager. Sean motioned to Andy to follow him over to where
Eric was standing.

"Hey, Eric! Hayadoin'?" Sean called out.

"Um, hi, Sean... I'm doin' OK. Heard you guys had a blow-out tonight."

"Yeah, pretty much... Anyhow, this is Andy. He's my boyfriend and I just
wanted to introduce you. Andy, Eric's the President of the GSA."

"Nice to meetcha, Eric!" Andy extended his hand.

"Um, likewise..." Eric answered appearing a bit uneasy.

"Do I make you nervous?" Andy asked matter-of-factly, tilting his head.

"No, it's just that I thought you guys were Dickson's friends and all..."

"We are..." Andy replied, then earnestly asking "What's that got to do with
anything?"

"Eric and Dix have a history, And..." Sean interjected.

"OK, well, Eric, what's the history?" Andy asked in his usual direct yet
honest way.

"I'll tell ya all about it later, Brown Eyes," Sean said. "I just wanted to
say hi to Eric is all. I mean, we really don't know that many people
yet..."

"OK, tell me later then. So, Eric, if I wanna join GSA can I do it, too,
like Sean-o did?"

"Sure. Sean, you still have the app I emailed you?"

"Yup."

"OK, Andy, just print it up and fill it out. Bring that with fifteen bucks
on Monday and you're a member."

"Hey, guys! Hey, Eric!" Tim called out. "Hey, you guys might wanna go into
the kitchen. J.R.'s in there talking to Kathleen I know you guys wanna meet
her..."

"Yeah, I'd like to meet her, too. Whadya say, And?"

"Sounds good. Nice to meet ya, Eric, and I'll see ya Monday, then," Andy
said as he and Sean exited.

"So, Dickson, here we are..." Eric said. "Where's your, um, boyfriend
then..."

"Oh, he's inside talking to some of the guys. Coach gave him the game ball
tonight. He scored two touchdowns ya know. Plus, he's new to team sports so
I figured he deserves the limelight..."

"You mean you didn't hog it all for yourself? Am I on the right planet?"

"Eric, it's been a long time since we fell out, and I've had a long
day. Are we ever gonna be able to bury the hatchet, or is this gonna go on
for the rest of our lives here... Because if it is I should just move on."

"Tim, I know... It's been a long time... It didn't help that I had a crush
on you, ya know..."

"Huh?"

"I had a crush on you and then when you beat me out for starting at buckets
my whole family fell apart. My dad still treats me like shit..."

"Um, wow. For reals?"

"Yeah. You didn't know?"

"About what...your crush, or your family?"

"Well, I'm over the crush. And what's this boyfriend shit, anyway? You
can't be gay..."

"I can't? Is there some law against it that I don't know about?"

"Um, you're not shitting me, are you..."

"No, Eric, I'm not. And just so ya know, it tore me up for a long time. I
didn't know what was happening to me, but with Wymo and Cass' help I
figured it out. Then Brett just sort of fell on me. He's perfect. For me,
anyway."

"Isn't he like a shrimpy little math nerd, or something?"

"Eric, he's at least my size now, if not a hair taller. He's never been the
flashiest guy around school, but then neither am I... I love him."

"You're not flashy? What the fuck? You go around like you fucking own the
place! Every fucking sports thing you get into you always win. And everyone
just kisses the ground you walk on..."

"Eric, look, I only do good at what I do if that's what you mean. I've
never been a dick to anyone, at least not on purpose. Yeah, I've had my
share of success, so what? You need to know that I worked my ass off for
all of it. None of it was handed to me."

"But when you beat me out you just left me there in the dust. We were
friends and you never once asked, or cared about what that did to me..."

"You never said you had a problem about it. All I knew was one day we were
friends and the next day you were an asshole to me and wouldn't have
anything to do with me. And I didn't know why. I mean, every basketball
team needs a really good sixth man, and you were it. So I didn't get why
there should be a problem. All I knew is that you got rid of me as a friend
and that hurt. And it still hurt so much that when Coach said I beat Wymo
out for starting Quarterback this year I fucking panicked. I was afraid
he'd act the same way you did."

"What?"

"You heard me. I was speaking English and I wasn't stuttering..."

"Why didn't you say anything to me?"

"I tried a few times, but you wouldn't talk to me, and the last time I
tried you basically told me to fuck off and that we were never friends
anyway. It hurt, but I figured I had to just suck it up.  What was I
supposed to do, beg?"

Eric looked at Tim quizzically for a few seconds, and then opened his mouth
to respond. "No, I don't think people should beg other people to be their
friends. I guess there was misunderstanding on both our parts. I shouldn't
have blamed you..."

"No, you shouldn't have. And I suppose I could have been a little more
aggressive about asking you what was wrong. That was all a long time ago,
Trages," Tim said using Eric's old sports nickname.

"Yeah, we were only kids... And what's with that Wyman guy? I mean, does he
think his shit doesn't stink, or something? It's almost like he thinks if
he says something halfway interesting and then grins at you that you're
supposed to be be putty in his hands... And what about his boyfriend?
What's their deal..."

"Let me tell ya about Wymo. It might say on the team roster that I'm the
starting Quarterback, but he damn near beat me out, and I think if we were
both Seniors instead of him being a Junior he would have. I think Coach
made the safe choice only just so none of the other guys on the team would
think some guy just skated in here and took over. He gave me a run for my
money like ya read about. But when the shit hit the fan and I needed a guy
to help me out, it was him and Cass that were there for me."

"He doesn't care you beat him out?"

"No, I really don't think so. He said he came here to be a team player, and
so far that's what he's been. He's got his own story about how he ended up
here, and maybe if you ask him real nice he'll tell it to you."

"OK, well, maybe I will then... Look, Tim, I'm glad we had a chance to talk
a little bit. You think we can ever be friends again?"

"Maybe... I guess I'd be willing to find out. You don't still have a crush
on me, do ya?" Tim asked, winking.

"Nah, I'm pretty much over that. Besides, I guess you're taken
anyway. Story of my life..."

"Yeah, well, I got lucky. Maybe you will, too..."

"So, um, Tim, I dunno but where should we take this? I mean, now that we
seem to understand each other..."

"OK, Trages. I'm willing to see if we can't be friends again. Life's too
short, ya know? I mean, I don't wanna run into you at like our twentieth
reunion and we're still holding a grudge from when we were thirteen years
old. That would be fucked up. Anyway, I'm pretty sure Brett's working
tomorrow so if he is why don't we go grab lunch someplace."

"OK, sure..."

"I'll call ya in the morning, then and we'll go from there. I'm glad we got
a chance to talk, Eric.  It's been too long..."

"Yeah. Yeah it has..."

Tim turned, and walked into the house to see what Brett and the other guys
were up to. As he was passing through the kitchen, he saw J.R. talking to
Kathleen Kennedy. "Hey, you two! Get a room!" Tim called out.

"Oh, hey, Dix..." J.R. said. "You, um, you know Kathleen?"

"Oh yeah, we've met before. How ya doin' there, Kath?"

"Fine, Tim. Has my sister sunk her claws into you yet, tonight?"

"Well, not yet. I imagine she will before the night's up."

"Oh, yeah... Just to let you know, I think she's kinda lit. She's drinking
vodka tonight."

"OK, that's good to know. So instead of being Veruca Salt she's gonna be
Kim Jong Un. Thanks for the heads up!" Tim grinned and rolled his eyes.

"No problem, Tim, and it's good to see ya!"

"Yeah, you, too, Kath. Take it easy on J.R. there now, will ya?"

"Get out of here, Tim" Kathleen laughed.

Tim and J.R. bumped fists and Tim kept on his way, finding most of the
football guys in the living room. Brett was still the center of attention
as Tim entered the room, but the attention turned to Tim when he walked in.

"So, whadya think, Dix?" Trent Westfahl asked. "I mean, how do you think
everything looked tonight?"

"I dunno. I was too busy watching my boyfriend over there..." Tim replied,
nodding in Brett's direction. "Seriously, guys? I agree with Coach. We beat
the snot out of LaFollette, but they suck and we still got some ways to
go. I think we need to practice smart this week and see what happens when
we play Middleton this Friday. I think we should aim to beat them by three
touchdowns. I think if we can do that then we'll know we've made good
progress. Let's ask Cass what he thinks. He's the one that's got the game
stats..."

"OK, well, I'm not the expert but the game stats were a hundred percent. No
penalties, no fumbles, no interceptions and we scored on every
possession. The thing is can we do that against every team we
play... That's probably impossible, but it's a great place to be starting
out from."

"Wymo?" Tim asked.

"I don't really have anything to add... I agree with Andy. I think we
should have this conversation after every game, though. The offense was
spot on and so was the defense tonight, so we gotta look ahead to next
week. It's all about the..." Just at that moment, a shrieking voice could
be heard coming from the direction of the kitchen.

"Oh, Jeez!" Tim said. "It's Typhoid Colleen in the kitchen! Wymo, why don't
you go have a look. Last I saw, J.R. was in the kitchen with Kathleen..."

"Want me to come, Sean-o?"  Andy asked.

"Yeah, let's see what's up... Let's just go and see if we can see anything
first before barging onto the room."

When they got within eyeshot of the kitchen doorway, Sean and Andy could
hear a girl they thought must be Colleen. "Look, I asked you twice already
what the fuck you think you're doing in here with my sister!"

"Colleen, first of all I can talk to whoever I want and second, you're
shitfaced. Now, go on and hang out with your own friends."

"Kath, I'm not gonna let this little Wetback, or whatever the fuck he is,
just think he can worm his way in here. He can go out and cut the grass for
all I care! What the fuck is your name, anyway, kid? The Fucking Frito
Bandito?"

"My name's John Wyman. And I already know who you are."

"Oh, yeah, and the next thing I suppose you're gonna tell me is that Sean
Wyman is your brother!"

"He is. Should I go get him and we can both cut the grass? He owns a
landscaping company, you know..."

"You fucking little douche bag! You better not think..."

"Colleen, you're really pushing it beyond the beyond here," Kathleen cut
her sister off. "Now I asked you once to go hang with your own friends and
I'm not gonna ask you twice. You're embarrassing me in front of company."

"Company? We never invite these kinds of people!"

"I invited him," Kathleen said icily. "And he's staying. That is if he
wants to after meeting you..."

Sean turned to Andy and whispered, "Follow me and just play it cool."

"Gotcha!" Andy answered.

Sean and Andy then walked into the kitchen, surprising the occupants,
especially Colleen whose face was still purple. "Hey, J.R., you gonna
introduce us to the ladies?"

"Oh, um, yeah... Colleen, Kathleen, these are my brothers Sean and
Andy. Sean and Andy, this is Colleen and Kathleen Kennedy."

"Pleased to meet you!" Sean said.

"Likewise," Andy added.

"Nice to meet ya finally, guys!" Kathleen said.

"So you're really... I mean..." Colleen was sputtering, but still purple in
the face.  "Yup, Colleen, this little dude here is my bro. Great kid, isn't
he?" Sean smirked. "Now how about we go out on the porch and I'll fix you a
drink." Sean looked back at Andy and mouthed, "Be back in five."

Once gone, Kathleen looked at Andy, "How'd he do that? She was totally
flipping out like two minutes ago!"

"That's Sean-o for ya. Smooth as silk."

"Well, I just hope my sister doesn't try to get her hooks into him..."

"Sean's gay. I don't think there's much of a chance of that..."

"He's gay?"

"Yup, and so am I. He's my boyfriend. Is that OK with you?"

"Oh, I don't care... It'll be funny if Colleen tries to get in his pants,
though..."

"Well, he said he'd be back in five, so I'm just gonna go back in the other
room and leave you guys alone. Nice to meet you!"

"Thanks, bro," J.R. said. "I mean, really, thanks. I thought she was gonna
rip my face off..."

"Oh, I'da ripped hers off later if she did that!" Kathleen laughed. "Nice
to meet you, too, Andy!"  Andy slipped J.R. a surreptitious thumbs-up and a
smile as he returned to the other football jocks.

On the back deck, Sean took a fresh glass and 'mixed' Colleen a vodka tonic
that consisted of vodka and waiving the tonic over the glass. "Here, drink
this..."

"Thanksssssssss" Colleen slurred as she staggered, off-balance. She took a
big gulp with some of it spilling down her top, and sat down. "You're
pretty fuckin' cutechaknowthat?" she slurred on, decrepitly.

`Well, I appreciate that."

"Wanna go up to my roooooooom?"

"If I was straight I might, but I'm gay, so I think that's kinda out,
Colleen," Sean smiled.

"You're a faaaaaaag? I'll fuck ya straitchaknooooow..."

"Well, I'm already taken, so..."

Colleen slammed the rest of her drink which amazed Sean because the drink
he made was entirely straight vodka in the hopes she would drink some of it
and pass out for the night. She got up, staggered over to Sean and began
rubbing his cock through his jeans.

"Colleen, I gotta ask you to stop."

"Noooooooooo...I want whachoo got!"

"One more time, please stop"

Colleen made a hideous, contorted face just inches in front of Sean, bolted
up, grabbed the deck railing and projectile vomited all over the flower bed
below. Five, or six times her stomach emptied with the force and volume a
volcano, in an unworldly purple color with brightly-colored chunks of food
visible in it. Sean sat watching in case she fell over. Wiping the vomit
off her mouth with her forearm and the back of her hand, she went back to
Sean, nauseating him with her stench. "I'm sorrrrrrrrrry! I'm so gross! Now
you'll never fuck me! I'm so grooooosssssss!"

Colleen wailed, starting in on a five-minute crying jag, her hair now over
her face catching the remaining vomit and food chunks not already on her
arm.

While appalled, Sean guided Colleen over to a chaise lounge and laid her
down on it. Within 30 seconds she passed out cold. He went inside to let
Kathleen know. Still in the kitchen with J.R., Sean cleared his throat to
get their attention. "Colleen's passed out on a lounge out on the deck.
She puked all over the flower bed. I don't know if you wanna do anything,
but that's where she is. Should I get one of the guys and carry her up to
her room?"

"Would you? Get Tim, he knows where it is, and I'll follow you up with a
puke bucket. Trust me, this isn't the first time she's done this... I mean,
not that I care that much if she wants to be a lush, but I just don't wanna
listen to mom and dad yell at her and then listen to their BS because they
think I'll do what she does."

Sean ran back to the living room. "Hey, Dix! We gotta carry Collen
upstairs. She passed out and Kathleen asked if we would do it."

"Jesus Christ, that evil bitch strikes again... OK, sure..."

"And, we'll be right back. Maybe you wanna get J.R. and ask him if he's
about ready to go?"

"Yeah, I guess so. I've about had enough for one night anyway..."

"Fuck! Wymo, look! She pissed her pants! Hey, Kath, whadya want us to do?

"I got an idea..." J.R. piped up. "You guys carry her up, Kathleen you
bring the puke bucket and then once she's up there I'll help Kathleen get
her cleaned up."

"You would help me do that?" Kathleen asked, looking relieved.

"Yeah, I mean it's not like it's your fault. Besides, she's passed
out. She'll be heavy to move around. I mean, I, um, I assume we have to at
least get her in some clean underwear..."

"You don't mind?"

"Nah. I'm good. Let's just get it over with."

Sean and Tim managed to slog the oblivious Colleen to her bed and lay her
down. Just as they were about to leave, she stirred seeing Kathleen
standing at her bedside. "Kath, he fucked me! I knew I could get him to
fuck me!"

"Nobody fucked you, Colleen..."

"Yeah, he did. My cunt's all wet! He fucked meeeeeeeee!"

"You pissed your pants. That's why you're wet."

"Nooooooooo! I can still feel his dick! He made me juuuuuuuice! Look at my
cuuuuunt!"

"Dix!" Sean whispered. "I'm getting the fuck out of here before I'm the one
who pukes... Just get J.R. back downstairs when he's done. And tell
Kathleen thanks for the party." With that, Sean bolted from the room
heading back to Andy.

"And, that chick's fucking crazy, man... She's telling her sister I fucking
fucked her for Christ's sake. She pissed her pants and now she thinks
because her pussy's all wet that she got fucked and that I'm the one that
did it. That's like super twisted..."

"I wouldn't worry about it. I mean, she's so wasted she's not gonna
remember jack shit in the morning anyway."

"Oh, I'm not worried about it, but she's got toys in the attic, that's for
sure..."

"Well, you can fuck me when we get home, how's that..."

"Deal. I want your hole tonight, loverboy!" Sean then leaned in and kissed
Andy not caring that other guests were still at the party.

"Hey, guys!" Brett said. "Sorry I didn't get to talk to you much
tonight. Where's Tim?"

"He's upstairs helping Kathleen and J.R. get Kathleen's drunken sister in
bed. He'll be down in a few. Anyway, Dowls, congrats on the game ball. I
gotta tell ya when I was in at Quarterback you did a great job at
receiver. Really, it was great working with you tonight, man. I think you
could be first string. You're good."

"Really?"

"Yeah, you are. The good ones make it look effortless, and that's how ya
made it look."

"You did, Dowls," Andy added. "I almost hate to use the word, but you
looked graceful out there."

"OK, well, I did this for Tim. Cunns told me I should and I just didn't
want to suck at it. So I'm glad I don't look like an idiot out there is
all..."

"Oh, please..." Andy said. "So how are things going between you and Dix
anyway?"

"I totally love him. I mean, he gets tongue-tied and everything all the
time, but underneath all that he's smart – I never knew how high his GPA
really was - and he's got a big heart. He's like a puppy dog... I never
thought I'd ever find someone like him... Hey, swear a secret?"

"Uh-oh," Sean grinned. "Better be a good one..."

"Yeah, it is. Tim asked me to marry him."

"He WHAT?" Andy said.

"Yup, we're getting married in the Spring. Sometime a little before
graduation, I think. We'll both be eighteen in October, so that's fine..."

"Who else knows?" Sean asked.

"Only Tim's mom. That's it. I'm not gonna tell my mom and dad until after
my birthday. What about you guys? You ever think about that?"

"Yup," Andy answered. "We already know we're getting married, but it'll be
a while, I think. I mean, we're only Juniors and all..."

"Danny and Jim are getting married, too. We're gonna do a double
ceremony. We figured it would save time and money... Tim wants to get
married at St. John Vianney's but I dunno how he thinks he's gonna pull off
getting married in a Catholic church..."

"Did he say he WANTED to do it, or that he'd `make it happen'?" Sean asked
with air-quotes.

"He said he'd make it happen."

"Then count on it. You will be married in that church, I'm telling you
right now," Sean said. "If there's one thing I've learned about Dix in the
short time I've known him it's that he can make shit happen."

"We'll have to plan it more, but I'd like you guys to stand up with
us. Andy, I'd like you to be my Best Man. If it wasn't for you that day at
the Mall, there wouldn't be any Tim and Brett."

"Really?" Andy stammered.

"Yeah, I'd really like you to."

"Done. I'd do that for you in a heartbeat, man..."

"OK, guys!" Tim said, showing up with J.R. at his side. "I think Colleen
the Cunt's done for the night. You ready, sweetie?" he asked Brett.

"Yeah, I guess so. I'm gonna fuck you."

"Oh, so Dix is a big bottom Queen now..." Andy teased.

"Shut the fuck up, Cass. It's not like you don't like your fudge packed
every now and then!"

"I'm always clean, though. I use Massengill Oil and Vinegar. If there's any
left over, Sean-o uses it for salad dressing..."

"EWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!" Brett gagged. "I'm sorry, but that's fucking
disgusting!"

"It was supposed to be!" Andy said triumphantly, and for the first time in
a long time standing on his tip-toes. "What do you use, Gyna-Lubra-Mint? So
you can be minty fresh?"

"What's with the tip-toes, Cass?" Tim asked.

"Whadya mean?"

"You just stood on your tip-toes..."

"I did?"

"Yeah."

"Fuck! I'm gonna make an early Doctor's appointment and see if I can't get
rid of the rest of this shit, then. It didn't feel weird, or hurt, or
anything. I mean, I just did it without thinking..."

"Send the Doctor an email tomorrow. Make the first word in the subject
URGENT with all caps." Sean said. "Then follow it up with a call first
thing Monday morning. That's how ya gotta operate. I know that from the
hospital in Kenosha."

"Yeah, they told me all about you..." Andy said, kissing Sean on the cheek
with a smile and a wink.

"Hey, I was just doing my job..."

"I know. And you did it well. Just like you always do."

"That reminds me," Tim said. "You working tomorrow?" Tim asked Brett.

"Yeah, ten-to-six."

"OK, well, I ran into Eric Trager tonight. He wants to bury the hatchet. I
said maybe I'd meet him for lunch tomorrow. That OK?"

"Timothy! You don't have to ask me if you can go to lunch with someone! I
kinda hope you guys DO bury the hatchet. You used to be friends. It's
fine..."

"Well, OK. I'll go then. I just didn't wanna go to lunch with him and then
have someone tell you after, or me tell you after and, well, um, you know,
that wouldn't be..."

"Shut it, Tim," Brett said. "You don't have to earn my trust; you already
have it."

By this time, J.R. had finished up with the Kennedy sisters and the boys
were standing around on the sidewalk in front of the Kenendy home.

"So, you guys are getting married?" Andy blurted out.

"Cass?" Tim looked shocked.

"Yeah, Brett told us right before you came down. Fuckin-A, man! That's
fucking AWESOME!

"It's totally awesome, Dix. You two really bring out the best in each
other. Which one of you queens is gonna be the fuckin' bride? I think
Brett...no offense, but you're too hairy to wear a dress, Dix..." Sean
teased.

"Fuck off, Wymo! Anyway I was gonna ask ya because, um, you, well...I
mean..." Tim stuttered.

"What he's trying to say, Sean, is that he'd like you to dress us for the
wedding and to dress the wedding party, too. He knows you know how to
dress, and neither one of us do," Brett clarified.

"THAT'S what he was trying to say? Shit, I thought I was listening to
Mush-Mouth from the Cosby Kids..." Sean needled.

"Hey-ba you-ba," Andy added for effect.

"You guys can fuck off..." Tim said, embarrassed.

"Yeah, well, I'll do that for you guys, sure, but Dix, man, you better not
fucking flub your vows.  Christ, you better go watch that movie The King's
Speech, or something..." Sean said, laughing, and poking Tim in the ribs.

"You guys are making me sick..." John piped up, laughing. "And don't ask me
to be the fucking ring-bearer just because you're all nine inches taller
than me, either."

"Oh, I'll show ya make me fucking sick, alright!" Sean said, grabbing the
much-smaller John with one arm and tickling him with the other.

"Stop! Fucking STOOOOOOPPPPPP!" John wheezed between laughs, suddenly
throwing up all over the sidewalk.

"See, I toldja I'd show ya make me sick, ya little turd..." Sean smirked,
triumphantly.

"You just wait `til I tell Dad!" John said, still laughing.

"Tell him what, you hurled on the sidewalk after being properly disciplined
for being a douche?"  Andy laughed.

"Something like that..." John said, running over to Sean and hugging him
tight. "I always wanted a big brother. I'm glad it's you, Sean."

"Someone get him off me! He smells like fucking puke!" Sean said.

"Fuck that!" Andy said. "J.R., get your pukey fucking ass off of
him... Hey, you spent the whole night with Kathleen. Didja give her any o'
your burrito, bro?"

"Well, um, like..." John responded.

"Oh, nice...another Dix," Sean teased.

"Hey, be nice to the kid!" Brett said. "Well...?" Brett looked at John
while making a circular motion with his hand.

"You guys are a bunch of dicks!" John hissed, then whispering, "OK, I'll
tell ya... She gave me a fucking hand job and I fingered her pussy. She let
me play with her tits, too and she went nuts when I flicked her clit for a
while, got really wet and everything. She said I made her get off.  And she
doesn't have a sour pussy, either, in case you stupid-ass fucking GAY GUYS
are wondering about it... Fucking SATISFIED NOW? And if you guys say
anything, I'll kick your asses! I like her! And you better not embarrass
her!"

"J.R., little dude," Tim began, "we're not gonna tell anyone. She likes
you, too, if ya really wanna know and she's a sweet girl. Just stay away
from her toxic waste dump sister is all...  Next time she gives you a hand
job have her finger your asshole. Trust me..."

"Finger my asshole? Um, OK... Anyway, yeah, I don't think Colleen liked me
much..."

"Don't worry about it. I've known them both for years, and Kathleen doesn't
talk to guys much.  If she spent almost the whole night with you, she likes
you. So just go from there..." Tim said.

"And for Christ's sake, if you need condoms get them from your brothers!
They don't use `em anyway!" Brett said.

"Oh, and it's not like you don't like your butt full of Dix's cum over
there..." Andy added.

"Well, he did fuck me on our first date. On the golf course."

"WHAT?" Sean said. "No, sir, you didn't..."

"Well, um...yeah...I kinda did... But that was only after I sucked him off!
Besides, he let me...  God!" Tim said, red-faced.

"Jesus, Dix, your face is the same color as your hair!" Sean laughed,
poking Tim in the ribs.

"OK, can we like cut this gay show-and-tell shit already?" John asked
sarcastically.

"Yeah, we gotta go back to your place, Wymo, and get my car," Tim said.

The boys made their way the four blocks to the Alamo. Upon arrival they
knew Peggy Dickson's Cadillac CTS-V would be there as Tim borrowed it
earlier, but they were surprised to see George Dickson's Escalade in the
driveway as well as Herb Dowling's Buick LaCrosse.

"Wow, must be party time here!" Tim said.

"No one slips anything by you, do they Dix..." Sean teased. "We might as
well go in and have a nightcap with them, I guess."

Once past the keypad, the boys walked in, hearing music coming from the
bar. Walking in, George was the first to speak, "Well, here they are! The
gang's all here. Great game, guys!  Totally unreal..."

"Thanks, George," Sean said. "We're gonna grab a nightcap with you guys if
it's OK."

"Well, why don'tcha just come in do that now, don'tcha know!" Peggy said.

"Oh, yeah, and guess what..." Andy added. "Coach gave Brett the game ball."

Herb Dowling's head snapped up. He looked at his son, motioning for him to
follow him out into the hallway. He motioned Tim to follow as well. Once in
the hall, Herb looked at the two boys, saying, "Brett, I'm proud of you,
son. We were at the game tonight and I couldn't believe that was you. And
Tim, you looked great at Quarterback, too. I was wrong, guys. That's not
easy for me to say, but I was. Anyway, that's all I wanted to say, that I'm
proud of my son, and that my son knows how to pick a winner."

"Thanks, dad. That means a lot to me," Brett said as he gave his dad a
hug. "By the way, I'm gonna stay over by Tim's tonight. I'll be home in the
morning before I go to work."

"That's fine, son. I just wanted you to know how proud your mother and I
are of you. That's all..."

Returning to the bar, the boys and their parents enjoyed a few rounds of
beers in the comfortable, Old World surroundings. The group spent the next
hour talking about the game, the rest of the season and where they all
thought it might end up. When it was time to go, Sean suggested that Tim
and Brett spend the night at the Alamo.

"We've all had a few, guys and it might be better just to stay here and go
home in the morning.  We've got two guestrooms you can pick from and
everything. I'll even make breakfast in the morning!"

"I gotta be at work at 10:00, Wymo," Brett said.

"So what? Me and And will get up at 8:00 and have breakfast ready at
8:30. After that you can go home and change. That should work..."

"What's this `me and And' shit?" Andy teased. "You know I can't freaking
cook..."

"Fine, then. I'll do it myself. Omelets are quick and we can have English
Muffins and coffee.  That's a breakfast." Sean snickered and gave Andy the
finger.

"I don't care. It's up to you guys." George Dickson said.

"It's fine by us, isn't it Herb..." Marilyn Dowling added.

"Oh...um...yeah, sure. Whatever," Herb added.

"You guys are always welcome here," Joe finished. "We'd be happy to have
you."

"Well, it's settled now, don'tcha know," Peggy said. "Will you be wantin'
me to pick ya up in the morning, Timmy, or what?"

"I'll bring them home," Sean said. "I can drop Brett off first so he's on
time for work and then I'll bring Tim home. No problem."

"Well, there ya go then! It's settled!" Peggy said. "You about ready to hit
the road there, George? Maybe I'll give ya some of that game ball when we
get home!"

"Mom! TMI!" Tim laughed.

"Oh, go on now, Timmy... I'm not dead yet!" Peggy teased.

Even Herb Dowling had to laugh at Peggy's wisecracks.

The Dicksons and Dowlings made ready to leave, thanking Joe for his
hospitality and congratulating the boys on their win in Madison. Joe
indicated he was turning in for the night.  Sean, Andy and John took the
other two upstairs.

"OK, you guys, I'd pick this room!" John said. "It's got a bigger bed than
the other one, and its own bathroom, too. I think there's lube in the
vanity, too," he added with a laugh.

"Little fucker..." Tim said. "Well, I'm ready to hit the sheets. Let's go,
Brett. Niters, guys!"

The boys went to their respective rooms, and once there all decided that
they had indeed expended their energy for one day. Within about ten minutes
there were five teenage boys asleep in three different bedrooms on the
upper floor of the Alamo.

Their sleep was shattered at 2:17 a.m. by the alarm system. The general
alert had been programmed to be the `Red Alert' sound effect from the
original Star Trek series.

[http://soundbible.com/81-Red-Alert.html]

After the alert, the system announced "Perimeter Alert, Rear
Sector. Perimeter Alert, Rear Sector. Security lockdown is in
effect. Repeat, security lockdown is in effect." Sean was the first one out
of bed among the boys. He wasn't startled because he was used to a security
system. He told Andy to stay in bed and that he would check on J.R. and
their guests.

In the hallway, Joe and Sean passed each other, Joe saying he was going
down to his study. Joe's right hand held his Glock.

In addition to notifying the Janesville Police Department, the system had
already drawn the opaque blinds over all the windows in the house and
switched on the cobalt blue interior baseboard lighting while cutting any
other interior lights that were on. Anyone who might be outside the Alamo
looking in at that moment would now not be able to see a thing going on
inside the house. In the meantime, the rear floodlights snapped on and the
surveillance cameras went into heat-seeking night mode in order to zero in
on any intruder who might be lurking. A computer-controlled miniature drone
equipped with night vision hovered over the rear perimeter of the lot
training its camera around the entire area and sending back real-time video
to the control center in Joe's study and to an off-site hard drive.

J.R. seemed suitably unruffled letting Sean know that he wasn't
afraid. Sean then went to check on Brett and Tim. Brett was up and came
running out of the guest room asking what he should do. Tim, in typical Tim
fashion, slept through the whole thing until Brett roused him. Sean told
Tim and Brett to follow J.R. down to Joe's study and then went back to get
Andy.

One in the study, the boys sat down in the chairs and loveseat. Joe already
had the 65-inch monitor on and they all sat glued to the screen which was
split into six sections, one for each camera sending a feed. At that moment
the bell rang indicating a visitor at the front gate. Joe switched on the
front gate camera and the screen showed two Police Officers. Joe spoke into
his iPhone using the app connecting to the front gate speaker, "This is Joe
Wyman. Please state your names and your business."

"This is Officer O'Brien and Officer Greene, Janesville Police. We received
a call to this address for a possible B&E."

"Please show your badges to the camera," Joe stated. Once the officers had
complied with Joe's request he buzzed them in the gate, instructed them to
shut the gate behind them and went to answer the front door. "Good evening,
Officers, I'm Joe Wyman. You should know that I'm armed. I'm carrying a
Glock 9 as a sidearm and as you can see it's holstered. Please come in. If
you shut the door behind you it will lock automatically."

"Is anyone else in the house, sir?" Officer Greene asked.

"My three sons and their two guests are here. They're all in my
study. We'll go there now.  Please follow me right this way."

Arriving in the study, Joe introduced the Officers to the boys. "OK,
Officers, I'd like you to take a look at the security system screen over
there on the TV. The alarm went off at 2:17, so I'll rewind the video to
about 2:13 a.m. and we can watch from there. We had a Perimeter Alert at
the rear which means the system determined that while no one had entered
onto the property there was suspicious activity near the rear boundary for
a sustained period of time. At this hour of the night it seems to me it
would be suspicious on its face for anyone to be in that area down in the
ravine."

"Holy shit!" Officer O'Brien exclaimed. "I've never seen anything like this
system. This is top shelf."

At the 2:15 mark on the video a shape appearing to be human could be seen
in the ravine moving along the rear fence of the Alamo property.


END CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE