Date: Thu, 26 Aug 2004 19:40:38 -0700
From: Boy Writer <boywriter@gmail.com>
Subject: Walking and Thinking (3/?, High School, m/m)

Disclaimer: This story is about teenage males in love. Or at least, it will
be eventually. If this is something you find offensive, then please do not
read it. If you are under the local legal age to read these stories, then
go somewhere else. Please do not reproduce this story without the writer's
written (or typed) permission. This story will eventually contain a
romantic relationship between two high school boys.

Note: Positive and constructive feedback is welcome and encouraged. Flames
will be ignored.


Chapter 3


	I woke groggily, turning over to look at the clock and damning
myself for not setting the alarm. After a hasty shower and a return to the
room, it dawned on me. The day was Saturday. There was no school. I had to
laugh at my own morning actions. Ah well, it just means that I can take it
slowly today and do whatever I wanted to do.

	I changed out of my school clothes and into something lighter. It
was a warm August day, so I thought I'd take advantage of the
temperature. A part of jogging shorts and a tank were the choice of the
day.

	I grabbed my blades and protective gear and went downstairs for
breakfast. The smells hit me before I got anywhere NEAR the stairs. I
smiled broadly. Mom made French Toast. I dropped my gear next to my 'day
off' backpack and headed for the kitchen.

	"You forgot it was the weekend, didn't you?"

	I nodded and chuckled. Mom gave me a kiss on the forehead and set
out a plate for me. When Mom cooked, I was thankful she didn't follow the
low-carb nonsense. Having a Southern father and a German mother meant one
thing more than anything else. It meant GOOD food, even if I did still hate
sauerkraut. Don't get me wrong, I love things cooked IN it, but I hate the
stuff itself.

	I digress. I sat down and ate a nice breakfast of french toast and
sausage, all dripping with Maple Syrup. The good stuff that you have to
search for. After I finished, I waved to my Mom and put on my gear before
heading for the park.

	Riverville may not have been a big city, but it did have some
beautiful parks. Kinsa was my favorite. It was a large, sprawling park with
skating paths, swings, a basketball court, AND a tennis court. It was also
much less popular than Keene Park.

	I looked in my backpack and pulled out my MP3 player. I plugged in
the headphones, but only placed the left one in.  I never wore both at
once, unless I was in a private place. Two headphones blocks too much of
the world around you. I took a cursory glance around the park. It was
empty. that meant I could speed my way through the paths.

	I slid along the path and pushed myself along. I gained velocity
rapidly. The wind shoved my hair back, flicking it along a short path
behind my head. It was such a feeling of freedom as my clothing whipped in
the air.

	Heaven is the resistance of the air as you force your way through
it, knowing you're going faster than it can that day. Heaven is moving your
body in time with the music you love. Heaven is a pair of crystal eyes down
the path. Heaven is... huh?

	I tilted my body, turning my feet to slow myself before I passed
him. I felt my temperature rise. I'm rather sure it wasn't from the
activity. I came to a stop three feet from him.

	"Jamie!"

	The other boy looked up. His own hair blew in the light wind,
pulling it away from his almost angelic face. I tried to think of something
else to say, but couldn't come up with anything. Well, nothing beyond the
casual, "What's up?"

	"Just trying to get out of the house. I hate being cooped up in
there."

	"I know that feeling. Love the home, but love to be out of it,
too."

	"Something like that."

	"So... what are the songs?" So sue me. I'm as curious as a cat
sometimes. This was driving me crazy. I HAD to know.

	"Monday. Promise."

	"Fine. Keep me in suspense." I stuck out my tongue at him. He only
smiled in response. The dangling cord of my unused headphone fell against
my chest.

	"So, what are your plans today, Blue Eyes?"

	"Uhm... I dunno, really."

	"Ok, then you can hang with me." I don't know why I said that, but
I did enjoy his company. "We can hang out here for a while, go eat, swing
by my place, whatever."

	His smile grew wider. "I'd like that."

	"Then it's settled." I grabbed his arm and pulled him to a
two-seater swing. We sat down and started the thing moving. "So, what music
do you like?"

	"I don't know. My dad was a religious freak. That CD I bought last
night was the first CD I've ever bought."

	I blinked. I swore he could hear my eyelids slap together. "Dude! I
have to introduce you to things. Here!"

	I took the dangling headphone and offered it to him. It was the
right earpiece. He was sitting on my right. It forced our heads close
together. My temperature rose again. I still hadn't figured that out.

	The song at the moment was "Somewhere I belong" by Linkin Park. It
had just started. I could hear his breathing with the music. He was intent
on the lyrics. I felt something touch my hand. I looked at the seat where
it rested. His hand was beside my own, just barely touching. In that
moment, I felt calm.

	I didn't move a muscle for fear that the calm would end. I had too
little calm in my life. After all, I was always a hyper guy. I had to be
doing something all the time, unless I was in bed. It's just... me.

	My eyes remained fixed on his hands. Like my own, they were long
and slender. My own had very pale, almost white, hairs on the lower
knuckles. His had darker, yet sparser hairs. Despite the size of his hands,
I could tell that they were strong.

	Before we knew it, an hour had passed. We sat there, barely
touching, listening to the music. Occasionally, he'd pick up a chorus and
our voices would be pure harmony. His tenor with my own bass melded
seemlessly into something extraordinary. It was ecstatic to say the
least. I could not wait to go to class on Monday, so we could begin
practicing.

	"I don't know what's worth fighting for or why I have to
scream. But now, I have some clarity to show you what I mean. I don't know
how I got this way. I'll never be alright. So, I'm breaking the habit
tonight."

	When we finished the final verse of the song, our voices rising
with the singer, in perfect unison, we turned to face each other. I saw
something in his face that I had never
noticed. Strength. Desire. Defiance. Passion. I started to raise my hand to
brush a lock of fallen hair out of my face. My hand was caught in
something. My eyes drifted down, only to see my hand locked with
Jamie's. As if knowing what I was trying to do, Jamie raised his other hand
to tuck the strands behind my ear.

	His eyes never left mine. I tried to get words out, but could only
speak his name in the barest of whispers. He lifted a finger and placed it
gently against my lips.

	"Shh... Later."

	I nodded, dumbly.

	"Lunch?" he asked me.

	Once again, a nod was my response. We rose from the swing, still
not releasing our hands. I flopped my backpack to the side. I reached in
with my free hand to pull out a pair of well-worn comfortable
sneakers. Reluctantly, I let go of his hand. I felt as though I was losing
a piece of myself when I did. I changed from skates to sneaks as quickly as
I could.

	"Al's?"

	"Sure. They were yummy." The smile that spread across his face
caused an echo across my own. We walked to the deli, not holding hands, but
never more than a foot apart.

	We had a quiet lunch before Jamie announced that he had a few
errands to run. I gave him my number and my address. He said he would come
by around five. That gave me plenty of time.

	"Who was that boy with you in the park?"

	I had only stepped into the house when Mom asked me. My reply was a
little deadpan, "New friend from school. Jamie."

	Mom tilted her head. "Well, he looked like a nice boy. You DO need
more friends, Rand."

	"Moooom." I let out an exasperated sigh. "I've got Rene! Isn't that
torture enough?"

	She just laughed as I walked upstairs to clear my head. My way of
clearing my thoughts could be considered a bit strange. There's an ancient
divination path known as Bibliomancy. People would ask a question and check
a random passage in a random book. They would try to find a way to
correlate the two. It usually only worked to make you think of what the
problem or answer really was by searching within yourself. My own form was
to use music in the same manner... I suppose you could call it Radiomancy.

	I turned on my computer, waiting patiently for it to boot up. No
matter how fast a computer was, it was always too slow. Once it was ready,
I pulled up my MP3 program and set it to shuffle through the list of songs,
as I pondered my first question. It wouldn't tell or show which song was
next until I hit the button.

	"What is up with me lately?" I asked this to no one in
particular. It was a good starting question, or so I thought.

	The song began. Wilson Phillips. I couldn't help but shake my head
that I even HAD them on my hard drive. "You're in love. That's the
way... it should be... cause I want you to be happy."

	I couldn't resist a laugh. Well, that could be true. I'm not about
to turn my head away from such possibilities. Though, it could be a bit
complicated. The south was NOT fond on such things. Me? I had never even
looked for such a thing, so I had no clue which side of the proverbial
fence I'd fall on. I just knew I liked being around Jamie.

	"Ok. So, maybe I am in love. Why is it so hard to read Jamie, half
the time? His emotions change so much." I flopped down on my bed as I
awaited the next song. Slowly, it came on.

	"Nobody knows what it's like... to be the bad man... to be the sad
man... behind blue eyes." I perked my head upwards, looking at the
computer.

	"Ok, you're being a bit too creepy today. You usually mess up on at
least one of my first few questions." I shook my head as I began thinking
about that. But... how could Jamie be the 'bad man'? Maybe it was just the
closest approximation the computer could find. I knew he was sad... I saw
it in him when he thought I wasn't looking. Glaring at the computer, I
decided to test it's link with 'fate'. "Fine. If you're being realistic FOR
A CHANGE, then what's Rene's mom like?"

	"Kyle's mom's a bitch, she's a big, fat bitch. She's the biggest
bitch in the whole wide world."

	I burst out laughing. At least, it was right, if you replaced Kyle
with Rene. "Ok, ok. I believe you. Then... what do I need to do? To make
him realize that I feel that way?" I lay back and waited.

	"Dere, ya see her. Sitting dere across de way. She don't gottalot
to say, but dere's somet'ing about her. And ya don' know why, but you dyin'
to try you wanna... kiss da girl."

	That brought about a tear of laughter. I simply couldn't bear
it. "Ok. Enough. I got it. I understand. Thank you, whoever programmed
you. I'll just... see what he wants to do with it." I stopped the player
and went to the shower, turning it on again. Sure, I took a shower that
morning, but I had been out sweating. But, it would be a cool shower. I
would save anything else for after he left tonight. Hell, I was 16. Of
course I knew about THAT.

	As I hopped out of the shower, I got dressed in another pair of
jogging shorts and a t-shirt. I let Mom know that Jamie was coming over
tonight, and she nodded. "Want me to bring up extra blankets? In case he
decides to spend the night?"

	"Nah, Mom. It's not cold enough for that, yet. I've still got an
extra on my bed that I don't use."

	She nodded. Just about that time, the doorbell rang. I bit my lip
as I went to the door.