Date: Wed, 14 Feb 2007 18:16:19 -0800 (PST)
From: Virtual Insanity <virtualinsanity78@yahoo.com>
Subject: Summer of Change 13

Okay, this is not a story with a whole lot of sex.  Some will come in here
and there, but it is not the central theme.  It's a story about love
between men and self-acceptance, kinda like all of my stories are.

If you're under 18 or 21 or whatever, be aware that in some odd corner of
the universe, you could possibly be breaking the law.

If you like anything of mine, please e-mail me at
virtualinsanity78@yahoo.com and I will be very grateful to you and a lot
more likely to write faster updates. If you don't like what I write, keep
it to yourself. :-)

Join my group!  http://groups.yahoo.com/group/storiesvi/
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		                Part Thirteen

Okay, so it wasn't such a bright idea.  Inviting Drew out with us.  Who knew
that Skit would turn it into some big, we're-all-friends extravaganza.  And
how could I tell Skit that I changed my mind when he was bouncing around
happy all of the time?  God, I loved it when he smiled at me like I was some
kind of hero.

And of all the quacky, insane things to do, we were going bowling.  Okay, the
last time I went bowling, I was thirteen.  What do you wear bowling?  Clean
socks, I know, but I didn't know if I should dress up or down.  And even
though Mike said that he was cool with everything, how was he really gonna
feel about hanging out with a bunch of gay guys?

Because that's what Skit, Drew and I were.

I decided to just wear khakis, a t-shirt and a light, plaid dress shirt
over it.  It was casual enough to be casual, but not so casual that I would
look like a complete idiot if somebody else dressed nice.

God, before Skit, I never even really thought about what I was wearing just
as long as it was clean.  Now, I was spending a long time staring into my
closet to come up with a decent outfit to wear.  I was even considering
asking Skit to take me shopping...as long as he realized that I would never even
think about wearing any of the crazy stuff he wore.  Not that it looked at
all crazy on him...on him, everything was sexy.

"Mike's here," my mom's voice came from the bottom of the stairs and I
heard his footsteps as he came up.  Mike basically had free run of my house
whenever he was there since we had been friends for so long.  He was one
of the only people that I let come over on any kind of regular basis.  That
was going to change soon, though.  When I told my parents about Skit, I
wanted them to meet him...and for him to be as welcome in our home as
his dad made me feel in their home.

Mike appeared in front of my door a few minutes later, grinning.  I smiled at
him briefly before going to stand in front of my dresser to spray cologne on.
He busted up laughing and I threw him a hateful look.  It was a good thing
that he was enjoying this because I wasn't. I didn't exactly feel comfortable
primping myself...but it always paid off when Skit looked at me.

"Shut up, Mike," I said lowly and his smile was wide enough to split his face
in two.

"What?" he asked innocently.  "I didn't say nothin'."

"Yeah, keep it that way," I told him and he laughed some more.  I couldn't
help the fact that I had this huge smile on my face...that being with Skit made
me happier than I had ever been.  That being with Skit was changing me.

"I never thought I'd see the day that you'd be whipped," he said, then
ducked and dodged me when I came after him, laughing.

"Quit playing around and come on," I said, turning and going out of the
door.  Mike followed me cautiously.  I had decided to set it up where Mike
would come and pick me up, we'd head over to pick up Skit and then
get Drew.  The less time I had to spend with that kid, the better.

			***
	Skit had decided to go with a whole bowling theme.  He had on
80s bowling shoes, a bright-red bowling league shirt and a pair of well-fitting
khakis.  Mike started giggling when he saw him.  I thought he looked cute
as hell.

	The thing about Skit was that he was one hundred percent
comfortable in his own skin.  He could wear whatever he thought looked good
and somehow make everybody else think that it was cool, too.

	Skit stuck his tongue out at Mike as he walked towards the truck.
Mike laughed a little harder, calling out of the window, "What's up, kiddo?"

	Skit came around to my side of the truck.  I opened the door and
he leaned in and kissed me, then hopped in the back.  He was like a magnet
because I hopped over the passenger seat and into the back to sit next to
him.

	"What am I the chaffeur?" Mike asked indignantly and Skit
giggled.

	I had an arm around Skit a few moments later and Skit leaned
in against me, his skinny shoulders bumping into mine once...then again. I
looked over at him, those blue eyes were flashing up at me.  I kissed him, slow
at first, then his tongue slid into my mouth and started playing with mine and
he was making a sound at the back of his throat and I delved in deeper,
wanting to find the source of that sound, to feel it humming somewhere deep
inside of him.

	"Hello, guys, another person in the car," Mike said, shifting the
car in gear.  I moved back, away from Skit.  He was looking up at me, with
pure emotion in his eyes...like I was something special.  His lips were almost
red, a little pouty.  I threw a quick glance in the front at Mike.  He was
looking at me in the rearview mirror and there was this expression on his face.
Like it just dawned on him that I really was gay.

			***

	"Hey, Drew," Skit called out as Drew climbed into the passenger
seat of the truck.  Drew flicked a look back at us over the passenger seat,
then settled back.

	"Hey, Skit," he said, then carefully.  "Eric."

	"Drew, this is my best friend Mike," I said, gesturing in the
direction of the driver's seat.  "Mike, this is Drew."

	"What's up, man," Mike said to Drew and they started talking...
about nothing really, art, our small city.  I sat back and prayed for the best.

			***

	Drew is a bowling champion.  It figures.  I, on the other hand,
wish that there were some of those gutter guards they use for kiddie bowling
lining the sides of the lane because, see, bowling's nothing like football.

	Being the one that everybody laughs at is kinda cool at first,
but it gets old quick.  So, I was sitting slouched on the yellow plastic seat,
pouting a little bit.

	Skit stood in front of our lane, a red, marbly bowling ball hefted
up.  I smiled a little.  Skit is the cutest motherfucker alive, I swear.  He gets
completely serious when its his turn.  His face goes straight and he bites his
lower lip.

	Then, he hefts the ball up and stands there eyeing the lane forever
before he takes three precise steps forward, wiggles his butt a little and steps
to the left.  Then, he swings his arm back and sends the ball shuttling down the
lane.  If he even knocks down one pin, his eyes go all bright and he turns
around, looking for me, beaming.  I beam right back at him.

	Drew stands in front of his and Mike's lane with supreme
confidence, holds his ball up, steps carefully, then slides his right leg behind his left,
getting low to the ground before he sends the ball twisting and gliding down the
lane like magic - and two out of three times its a strike.  Asshole.

	I'm not used to bowling balls or I don't know how strong I am
or something because I just kinda walk up there and launch the thing down
there and if I'm lucky it will knock down four or five pins.  Everytime I throw
the ball, they all go into fits of laughter, Mike doubling over and going red in
the face, Skit dipping his head so that I can't see his face but his skinny shoulders
shake beneath the red shirt.  Drew clutches his chest like he's having a heart attack
and shows all his teeth when he laughs.  I don't really see what's so funny.

	Mike's one to laugh, he fucking prances when its his turn.  Literally.
He gets the ball, stands there and then walk-jogs u until he sends the
ball down the lane.  He's a decent bowler, though.

	When they started to laugh at me again, I stomped back to the seat
next to Skit and folded my arms across my chest.

	"I don't see what's so funny," I stated emphatically and that made
them laugh harder.

	"I know, but dude," Mike gasped out.  "If you could see yourself
you would understand.  You're a fucking...neanderthal."

	Skit laugeds with his face pressed against my shoulder, so I scooped
him up and threw him over my shoulder in a fireman's hold.  I smacked his ass
and toted him around for a minute, laughing when he started screaming at me to
let him down.

	When he was just about ready to give up, I slid him down onto his
feet and he looked up at me, red-faced, but smiling.  He pressed his face against
my shirt and gave me a hard squeeze.

	"Well, you all think I'm a neanderthal," I said and everybody but
Drew was either smiling or giggling.  Drew had kind of looked away from us
and dug his hands into his pockets.

	"I'm gonna get something to drink," Drew said quietly and walked
off the floor onto the carpet, headed for the concession stand.  Skit went slient
and watched him go.  I heaved a sigh.

	"What?" Mike asked, clueless.

	Skit looked sullen, his eyes going huge and soft as he looked at me.

	"All I did was touch you," I protested helplessly.  "Am I not
supposed to touch you?"

	"No," Skit admitted, scuffing the toe of his bowling shoe against
the floor.

	"Well, what am I supposed to do?" I asked.

	"Go talk to him," Skit said, pleading and I groaned aloud.

	"What?" Mike asked again.

	"Drew wants Skit," I said.

	"He's getting over me," Skit corrected me and I rolled my eyes.

	"Yeah, right," I said and Skit folded his arms over his chest.

	"You said you would try," he reminded me.  "Drew means a lot
to me.  I want him in my life.  Back when my mom died and I had just come
out to my parents and everybody, he helped me out a lot.  He talked to me
about things and he did everything he could to make sure my head was
okay, you know, and I don't want to hurt him."

	"I don't know what to say to him." I told Skit.  "Just so you know
that."  I walked off towards the concessions in search of Drew.

	He was in a narrow hall just past the nacho bar, leaning back
against the wall with his hands pressed against his eyes.  My heart contracted.
Damn.

	I walked over to him.

	"Drew," I said and his hands fell to his sides.  He stared at me, his
eyes red-rimmed.  "You okay?"

	"Yeah," he said, but his voice was hoarse and anyone could see
that he was lying.

	"Look, I know you're not cool with me and Skit being together
but Skit fucking loves you, you know," I told him.  "And he wants us to get
along."

	"I don't have a problem with you," he told me quietly, not looking
at me.  "I mean, in my head I know that you and Skit are together and that
he's happy as hell about being with you...but I've...cared about Skit for a long
time.  When he came to me back then, I had feelings for him that I didn't
act on because he was so young, but I still felt things.  And when I saw how
much he's grown up, it seemed like this was my chance.  Enter you.  And
I'm not exactly a hundred percent able to just shut off my feelings."

	"I love him," I told Drew very quietly and he looked me in the eye.
"He's the first person - the only person - whose ever made me feel like this, I've
never been happy like this.  And I couldn't give that up.  Not for myself, not for
people to think I'm straight or for anything.  All I can tell you is that him and me
are happy together and we'll stay that way because I'm not gonna go off and
do anything stupid or fuck it up."

	"I'll get over him," Drew said slowly.

	"I don't think you will," I admitted.  "Skit's not the kind of person
that you can just get over.  If you don't get over him, I can understand that.
But I just want you to accept the fact that he chose me, that he and I are
together.  I'm gonna touch him and kiss him around you because I can't
censor myself just because you're around.  Skit wants you in his life and
its your choice if you wanna be around him and accept us."

	Drew nodded.  We stood there for a minute in silence.

	"So, you gonna be okay?" I asked and he nodded again.
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