Date: Thu, 23 Nov 2006 12:53:10 -0500
From: ronyx <ronyx@woh.rr.com>
Subject: Love on Trial   Chapter 1

The following is a work of fiction. Any similarities to anyone are purely
coincidental. The story is intended for a mature audience. It may contain
profanity and references to gay sex. If this offends you, please leave
and find something more suitable to read. The author maintains all rights
to the story. Do not copy or use without written permission. Write Ron at
ronyx@woh.rr.com with your comments.  Ronyx is a Nifty prolific writer.



Love on Trial            Chapter 1



"It is your duty, members of the jury, to decide if the White Star Line
was negligent in the death of Hans Jensen." Jason stood before the jury
box staring intently into the eyes of the students seated there.

He looked professional in his light brown, three-piece suit. His hair was
meticulous, light brown to match his suit. It had a tinge of blond from
sitting around the pool all summer. He parted it in the middle, keeping
it pushed back behind his ears. Occasionally, a strand would slip out and
fall across his face. I'd watch as he'd unconsciously toss his head
back and gently set it back into place.

He paced confidently in front of the jury, arguing his case.

"I submit to you that the White Star Lines is not negligent for his
death." He said. "It was Mr. Jensen's own negligence."

I watched his eyes flash as he spoke, determined to win points with the
judges. He had completely fallen into the role. He was no longer a
student participating in a mock trial. He had become a lawyer, arguing a
case as if he had transported himself back to the night of April 15,
1912.

His performance was believable. He had the jury convinced that Mr. Jensen
had indeed caused his own death aboard the Titanic. I could look in their
eyes and knew he was gaining more points than his opponent. I looked over
at the judges and could see them smiling appreciatively.

"Mr. Jackson, the plaintiff's attorney," Jason looked out into the
area where I was sitting as a spectator and smiled. "he will have you
believe that the White Star Line is at fault. But if you look at the
facts, you can only come to one conclusion. Mr. Jensen died by his own
hand."

I stared into his handsome face. I had for the moment forgotten that we
were in a courtroom filled with spectators. I was in love with Jason. I
had no idea that when we began this school project, my feelings for my
best friend would spiral out of control. As if reading my mind, he smiled
again and turned back to the jury box to finish his closing statement.

Little did I know at the time, but that would be the last smile I would
see on Jason's face for me. Within the next twenty-four hours, my life
would be turned upside down.

"Alright class." Mrs. Mason shouted above the loud chatter of students.
"I have a special announcement."

Mrs. Mason was my favorite teacher. She taught a Practical Law class. I
was considering a career in law, so this class would let me know if I
were truly interested. She also taught American History. This was my
third year taking one of her class.

I was now a junior. I was in her history classes for the past two years.
She had a way of making it interesting. She didn't just lecture and have
us take notes. She loved to make her classes student interactive. It
usually meant more work for us, but it was worth it.

Everyone quieted down as she stood patiently before us. Knowing Mrs.
Mason, she was probably going to tell us about a research project or some
writing assignment.

"The local university approached me last week." She said. "They want
me to form a mock trial team for competition." The room became abuzz
with excitement.

"This is a great opportunity for some of you to get experience in
actively participating in a trial situation." She explained. "Two
months from now you will compete against rival schools in a mock trial
before real judges. You will also have actual trial lawyers to help you
prepare. Anyone interested?"

Almost everyone raised their hands.

"Before you decide to commit, I must warn you." A few students began to
groan. We knew that there was always a catch to anything Mrs. Mason did.

"It will take long hours of preparation." She explained. "You will
have to practice after school and on Saturdays."

"Saturdays?" Alvin Lawrence asked. "Isn't that against the law or
something." Everyone broke out in laughter.

"Not if you volunteer." She said with a smile. "Give it some thought
and I'll find out more information. I do know it won't be easy."

Just then the bell rang, ending the school day. Jason grabbed my arm as
we walked out of class.

"Tay." He seemed excited. "We got to do this man. It sounds like
fun."

"I don't know Jason." I said with a frown. "It sounds like it could
be a lot of work."

"What else we got to do?" He said with a smile. "Winter's coming up,
so we won't be outside. It will give us something to do. Please?"

He looked at me and made a puppy-dog look. I was breaking. Jason knew he
could get me to do almost anything with that look. When I didn't answer,
he started making a whimpering sound. I broke out in laughter. He looked
at me and smiled. He knew he had won.

Jay and Tay. That was us. We had been friends since I could remember. My
mother said we met in a day care program when we were three. I don't
remember. All I knew is he had always been in my life.

We had been in almost every class since we entered the first grade. My
mother and his always went together to register us for classes, and they
insisted we be placed together. I guess they knew what they were doing.
We competed against each other for grades. We were both straight `A'
students because we couldn't stand the ribbing we got from the other if
we made a lesser grade.

One time in the seventh grade I made a `C' in a literature class
because I failed a test. I had suffered from a bad case of the flu and
didn't feel like studying. After five years, he still reminded me that
he was the smarter of the two of us.

"What about it Tay?" He asked hopefully. "Let's do this. It sounds
like fun."

"Let me hear how much work is involved." I said. "Then I'll decide."

"What are you talking about?" Stephanie Shays, Jason's girlfriend,
walked up and took his arm and wrapped hers around it. She was a very
pretty girl with red hair and green eyes. She also had freckles, a result
of her Irish background.

Jason and Stephanie had been dating since the eighth grade. He confided
in me last year that they `did it.' He never said anything more, but I
could tell by the way they acted around each other that they were
seriously involved. Her father was a police lieutenant. If he knew that
Jason was having sex with his daughter, he'd probably shoot his balls
off.

I was also extremely jealous of Stephanie. I began to realize in the
seventh grade that my feelings for Jason was changing from friendship to
something more. It wasn't until later that year, when guys started
calling other guys fags and queers, that I was able to categorize my
feelings. However, I never said anything to him. When he met Stephanie
the following year, I knew then that I'd never have a chance.

So I did what every good gay boy does in high school- I found a girl
friend and started dating as well. Cynthia and I knew each other since
the third grade, but we didn't start `going steady' until the eighth
grade, just months after Jason started dating Stephanie.

Cynthia was the perfect girlfriend. She was a preacher's daughter. He
had instilled in her the wrath of God if she lost her virginity before
she married. As a result, I never had to worry about her wanting to have
sex with me. We'd hold hands, and occasionally give each other a kiss on
the cheek, but never anything more. She was the perfect cover and she
never questioned why I wasn't more forceful like other boys.

"Why are you so excited?" Stephanie asked Jason.

"Mrs. Mason's forming a mock trial team." He exclaimed excitedly.
"Tay and I are going out for it." He looked over at me and smiled. I
was beginning to think that it would be fun to spend the next few months
preparing with him until Stephanie spoke.

"That sounds like fun." She said. "Can I be in it too?"

"I don't know why not." He said, giving her a kiss. "Most of the work
will be after school and on Saturdays." All of a sudden, it didn't
sound like fun anymore.

Jason and Stephanie headed down the hallway towards her locker. I lowered
my head and walked off to mine. I had to retrieve a few books that I
would need for homework. I knew Jason would be over later to study with
me. We'd been studying together for years. That was one of the things he
always reserved for me.

"Hi." Cynthia walked up beside me and smiled. She took one look at my
face and knew that something was bothering me. "You alright?"

"Yeah." I responded. "Just a lot on my mind is all."

"Want to talk about it." She asked with concern. I looked over at her
and became overwhelmed with guilt. Cynthia was such a warm and caring
person. I knew she was in love with me, and I was just using her so that
other students wouldn't think I was gay.

Anyone in high school who isn't dating, is considered gay or a lesbian.
If you weren't swapping spit in the hallways with someone of the
opposite sex, rumors were soon to follow. I was even guilty of it myself.
I often wondered if a guy was gay when I noticed that he wasn't dating
someone.

Coming out at school was also not an option. I'd lose all my friends,
including Jason. I'd heard of few of the queer jokes he'd make at the
lunch table. I would laugh because most of his jokes were done for my
entertainment. I was his biggest admirer, and he knew it.

There were several times over the past few years that I wanted to confide
in him. I really needed someone to talk to about the feelings I had
developed. Sometimes they overwhelmed me. But how do you tell your best
friend you're gay, and you like him. He was already disappointed that I
hadn't done it yet with Cynthia. How would he feel that I was more
interested in doing it with him than my girlfriend.

"You seem really down today." She took my arm and walked beside me to
my locker. "What happened?"

"Nothing." I said as I removed her hand from my arm and quickly walked
away. I felt like a piece of shit and I didn't want her to see me break
down. Lately, it was something I was doing a lot in the solitude of my
bedroom.

I went home and curled up on my bed and tossed the cover over me. I was
tired of struggling with the conflicts in my life. I was tired of making
a charade of having a girlfriend. Every time Cynthia put her hands on me
I was filled with tremendous guilt. Lately, she was trying to get me to
kiss her on the mouth. She said she couldn't understand why I still
kissed her on the cheek.

I was tired of pretending that Jason was just a friend, when I knew I
cared more for him than that. Every time he looked at me with that
dimpled smile and shining brown eyes, I wanted to take him in my arms and
kiss him.

I was tired of telling my parents everything was alright when they would
ask me why I was being so moody. We used to have a great relationship.
Now we fought all the time about trivial matters. My father has taken me
hiking several times. I know he wanted me to open up to him about what
was bothering me; but how do you tell your father you're gay?

He's one of the greatest guys I know. I've admired him all my life.
He's not one of those dads who work long hours and is never there for
his kid. He's more like a friend than a father. I know he'd love me no
matter what, but I just don't think I could deal with the disappointment
he'd feel if I told him.

So I lay in bed staring at the ceiling, wondering what to do. It would be
so easy to just go on as I have, but I really don't want to live like
this anymore. I can hear thunder approaching, and I know the storm is on
the way. I'm just not sure I have the strength to face it.

I was startled out of my desperate thoughts by a loud banging on my
bedroom door.

"Unlock your door, Jackass." Jason continued pounding the door. I let
out a sigh as I got off the bed and unlocked the door. He came walking in
eating cookies my mother had made. He was also trying to balance two
glasses of milk in his hands.

"Here." He handed me a glass and two cookies. I took them and placed
them on my desk and then returned to lie on my bed.

"It's dark in here." He walked over and opened the drapes. "What you
been doing, jacking off?" He eyed me suspiciously as he continued to eat
his cookie.

"You alright, Taylor?" He asked worriedly. "You haven't seemed
yourself lately."

"Maybe I'm not." I responded sadly.

"What's that supposed to mean?" He asked.

"Forget it." I said. "Everything's cool." He looked at me and
shrugged his shoulders.

"Sooooooo." He grinned. "About that mock trial thing. You gonna do
it?"

"I don't know." I said. "I want to hear more before I decide."

"You'll do it." He said smugly. "I'll talk you into it."

He got off the bed and turned my television on Sports Center. He returned
and lay back down beside me. He watched television while I watched him. I
let my eyes roam over his body, taking in the handsome figure beside me.

He wasn't what you would call a model or anything like that. He was just
Jason. He had grown some lately. He was about 5'11" and probably
weighed about 160. I watched as his chest rose and fell as he breathed. I
studied his face. He had a little stubble on his face, the beginnings of
a beard. The hair above his lip was still fine, though. I noticed his
lips, full and red. I had to force myself not to lean over and kiss him.

Why couldn't I think about Cynthia this way? Why couldn't I look at her
and want to kiss her? Why did it have to be my best friend I wanted?

Life just didn't seem fair.

I rolled over on my side as I felt tears welling up in my eyes. I didn't
want Jason to see me cry. I squeezed my eyes tightly to hold back the
tears. I lay there several minutes trying to compose myself.

Suddenly, he started elbowing me in the back. "What did you do, fall
asleep?" He asked.

"Yeah, I'm kinda tired." I said. "How about I just see you tomorrow
at school?"

"Damn, Tay." He sounded upset. "If you don't want me here, just say
so." I felt him get off the bed. "See you tomorrow." He opened the
door and slammed it shut.

I buried my head in my pillow and cried myself to sleep.

"Remember I told you about the mock trial yesterday?" The class became
quiet as Mrs. Mason spoke. "Here is a brief description of the case."
She walked around and handed out a handout for us to look over.

"It deals with the Titanic." She explained. "I'm sure most of you
have seen the movie that was out a few years ago."

We took the rest of the period reading over the information of the case.
I had to admit it sounded interesting. A woman was suing the owners of
the Titanic for the death of her finance, Hans Jensen. She was suing for
negligence. It seemed like an open and shut case.

But then as I read further, it appeared that Mr. Jensen had given up his
seat on a lifeboat that later was rescued. Had he remained aboard it, he
might have survived. Therefore, were the owners really negligent, or had
Jensen contributed to his own death?

Jason kept looking over at me and grinning as he read. I could tell he
was really excited about working on the project. He also knew me well
enough to know that I was also finding it interesting.

With five minutes to go in the class, Mrs. Mason asked us who was
interested in participating. Jason immediately threw up his hand. He
looked over at me and gave me his best puppy dog look. I turned my head
away. I started giggling when I heard him start whining. He reached over
and held my hand up.

"Taylor, do you want to do this?" Mrs. Mason laughed. "Or is your
cohort in crime forcing you into it."

"No, Ma'am." I replied. "I'll do it."

"Yes!" I heard Jason shout. I looked over and he was grinning widely.
He knew he had won.

"Good." She exclaimed. "Anyone wanting a role, please stay after
class."

"Mrs. Mason." Jason raised his hand. "Do you have to be in this class
to participate? Stephanie wants to do it too."

"I don't see why not." She said thoughtfully. "Most of the work will
be done outside of class."

I felt my heart sink. The only reason I had volunteered to do this was
because I thought Jason wanted me to work with him. Now it seems, he
wanted Stephanie instead.

When the bell rang, Jason disappeared quickly from the room. I remained
in my seat, along with about a dozen other students. We were discussing
the case when Jason came walking back into the room, holding Stephanie's
hand. Behind them was Cynthia. She walked over and took a seat beside me.

"Hi, Taylor." She was smiling at me. Again, my heart began to sink as I
looked at her. She was pretty. She had soft brown hair and big blue eyes.
Her hair flowed down the side of her face, resting on her shoulders. She
had an unblemished complexion. She was one of those girls who needed
little makeup because her features were already natural.

Any other boy would have been happy to have a girl like Cynthia by their
side. She had been devoted to me for years. Other guys would go behind my
back to ask her out, but she always told them she wouldn't. Last year I
even suggested that she date a few other boys. She started crying because
she thought I was trying to break up with her.

"Jason told me and Stephanie about the mock trial." She said. "You
don't mind if I listen to what Mrs. Mason says, do you?" She scooted
her desk over and sat closer to me.

"No." I lied. "I'd love for you to be in it." At that particular
moment, I wasn't sure I still wanted to participate. I had only agreed
to volunteer because I thought Jason and I could spend time together
alone. For the past year it seemed like either Stephanie or Cynthia was
always around.

We used to spend a lot of time together. We had practically lived with
one another since we were kids. Either I was at his house, or he was at
mine. On weekends we usually spent the night with each other. Both of us
had two twin beds in our rooms, so we never slept together.

One night when we were thirteen, I spent the night at Jason's house.
About an hour after falling asleep, I awoke and saw Jason with the covers
pulled down. He was jacking off.

I watched him quickly stroking himself. He had his eyes closed, so he
didn't know I was watching. Suddenly, I sat up in bed as he looked over
and quickly covered himself.

"What are you doing?" I giggled. "Were you playing with yourself?"

"No!" He insisted, but he knew he had been busted. "Alright, like you
don't do it."

"Not when you're around." I laughed.

"Well, I do when you are." He pulled back the covers to show me his
still erect cock. It was about five inches long, but in the darkness I
could tell it was very thick. He reached down and continued to stroke
himself while he looked over at me and grinned.

"I feel stupid doing this by myself." He laughed. "Take yours out
too."

Reluctantly, I kicked back the covers and lifted up, pulling my pajamas
down to my knees. My cock sprang up to its six inch length. I'm glad the
room was fairly dark or Jason would have seen me blushing with
embarrassment. Even though we had been best friends for a few years, this
was the first time we had ever seen each other's hard dick.

"Come over here and sit on my bed." He whispered. "We'll jack off and
see who can cum first."

I hesitated for a minute before getting up and sitting down naked beside
him. There was enough light for both of us to get a good look at the
other. I watched as he continued to slowly stroke himself.

"This is so cool." He said excitedly. "I've been wanting to do this
for a while now."

It had never occurred to me about jacking off with Jason or any other boy
at that time. I had only been doing it for about six months and I thought
it was something you should do by yourself. I usually jacked off at night
when I took my shower, for fear of my mother or father walking in on me
and catching me if I did it in bed.

"Ok." He said excitedly. "Start doing it. The first one to cum wins.
The loser has to pay the winner a dollar."

It really wasn't fair. I knew he'd win because he already had a head
start on me. I didn't know how long he had been jacking off before I
woke up and saw him. I was too excited to argue, though. It was exciting
to watch Jason beating his cock rapidly.

Before I even got a good rhythm going, Jason moaned and sprayed a few
shots on his stomach. It wasn't much and was watery, but he had beaten
me, nonetheless. He grinned as he watched me continue to quickly jack
off. I thought about stopping because he had already won, but I could
tell he wanted to watch me cum too.

After about two minutes, I closed my eyes and threw back my head as I
came. At the time I couldn't shoot far, so most of it collected in my
hand and ran down the sides.

"Cool." Jason was grinning in my face when I opened my eyes. "You owe
me a dollar."

We continued to have jack off contests for the next two years. They
ceased when he met Stephanie and started dating her. He said it didn't
feel right to do it anymore. We never paid each other any money, but when
we stopped, he owed me $37.

Until that night, I had never thought about my sexuality. When I
masturbated it was just to enjoy the feelings I'd receive when I did it.
But suddenly, I'd see Jason lying naked in bed stroking his cock and
shooting his cum onto his stomach. My orgasms became more intense.

Then last year, my fantasies began to change. I would imagine myself
sucking on Jason's cock and feeling him cum in my mouth. Several times I
even soaped my finger and shoved it in my ass, pretending Jason was
fucking me. I would always end up breathless in the shower, gasping for
air.

Jason had outgrown our game, but I had not. As he began to pull away from
me, I was wanting him more and more. It hurt me to know that I would
never have what I needed the most- his love.

 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

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