Date: Wed, 14 Aug 2013 09:32:33 -0400
From: Andrew Todd <atodd867@gmail.com>
Subject: Second Chances Chapter 3

This is a continuation of my first story, `Riding Lessons'. As always, if
you have any issues with romantic relationships between young men, please
do not proceed. I appreciate any and all feedback and constructive
criticism.

Riding Lessons III: Second Chances

By

Andrew Todd

Chapter 3


Devon ran to his room to grab a jacket and started for the front door.

"Was that Ace?" Sarge asked as he came out of the living room.

"Yes. He's pissed at me," Devon answered.

"Can I ask why?"

"It's kinda complicated," Devon sighed. "I met this great guy at school, we
really hit it off and I think I'm falling in love with him."

"Well, considering that's all stuff that Ace has been wishing for you, I'm
sure there is a `but' in there somewhere."

"But, this boy, TJ, he's got a `past' with the guys here, including Ace."

"A past?" Sarge asked, and then a look of recognition hit his face and he
shook his head. "Oh, shit, Dev, this isn't the boy that gave Dylan and
Jesse such a hard time at the movies last month is it?"

Devon nodded. "I'm sorry, Dad. When we met, I didn't know. He was so nice
to me, we got to talking and we really hit it off. Once he found out where
I live, he told me everything. He's been trying his hardest to change and
make things right. I made it clear to him that I won't be with anyone who
is a bully or who treats others badly. His home life kinda sucks so he's
taken it out on others."

"And that makes it right?"

"No, nothing makes what he did or how he acted in the past `right'. But he
hasn't been that way since we've been together. He's been so great to me."

"How long have you known about his past?"

"Since the day after school started."

"And you've kept it a secret all this time?"

"We didn't want to say anything until we knew how things were going to go
between us. If it wasn't going to work, then why make everyone upset."

Sarge nodded. "That's a valid reason, Dev. So I'm assuming that now things
are going well and you wanted to tell Ace."

"Well, I've been putting it off, but Spin caught us today and I don't want
him to have to lie to Mattie, so I decided to tell Ace and then I thought
he could help me tell the others. I thought it would be easier with him
since he's my best friend and he hasn't been here as long and he doesn't
have the history with TJ."

"But he did have that incident in December."

Devon nodded. "I know, but I figured it wasn't as big a deal as some of the
other stuff TJ has done."

Sarge looked at Devon. "Well, how big a deal it was would be in the eye of
the beholder. You know how hard Ace takes any of that bullying stuff and
you've seen how close he's become to Jesse and Dylan--he thinks of them as
little brothers. So it was a really big deal for him. Maybe for your friend
it wasn't. But what he did caused Dylan to have a panic attack. That scared
the hell out of Jesse and Ace, since they hadn't seen it happen before. I
know you know what it's like to be bullied and picked on, but look at it
from Ace's point of view. He's protected you as long as you've known each
other and now, you've gone and fallen in love with a guy he only knows as a
bully."

Devon grimaced. "But, Dad..."

Sarge put his hand on Devon's shoulder. "Devon, I'm not saying either of
you is right or wrong, but if you want Ace to support you and accept TJ and
help you get the others to accept him, you need to show him the TJ you
know. You're gonna have to convince him that TJ is trying and that he has
changed."

"But, how do I do that?"

"By showing him the boy you are falling in love with."

Devon thought for a minute. He hugged Sarge. "Thanks, Dad. Now do you have
any idea where he went?"

Sarge grinned. "Well, if he's pissed at you or me there's only one other
soul he'd turn to."

Devon grinned. "Bullet."

Sarge laughed and nodded as Devon ran out the door and over to the private
barn.

The lights in the barn were on when Devon walked in. He walked over to
Bullet's stall. He didn't see the black gelding in the stall until he
peered through the door. He grinned at the sight. Ace was sitting in the
corner of the stall; Bullet was lying in front of him with his big black
head in Ace's lap. Ace was stroking Bullet's neck and talking quietly to
his horse.

Devon just stood quietly watching Ace and Bullet. The love between the two
was just as palpable as that between Ace and Devon. Seeing his friend and
his horse made Devon miss his horse, Jazz, for the first time in a long
time. He knew it had been a mistake to sell her, but at the time it was the
best decision he could make for her. Had he known that he would be moving
to the ranch he would have held onto her.

Devon rolled the stall door open. Bullet looked up lazily and seeing his
`other' boy laid his head back down on Ace's lap. Ace looked up to see
Devon standing in the doorway and looked away.

Devon went and sat next to Ace. He ran his hand along Bullet's side and
neck.

"Are you going to talk to me?" Devon asked.

"I don't know what to say," Ace answered. "I don't know how you could be in
love with someone like that. Do you know what he's done to the guys here?
Do you know what he's done to Zak? That he physically assaulted him at
school? Do you know that he went after Dylan and Jesse at the movie theatre
and caused Dylan to have a panic attack?"

Devon grinned. "And you put him in his place."

Ace scoffed. "So if you know, how can you even like him, never mind love
him?"

"Ace, look at me," Devon said quietly. Ace turned to face Devon; he had a
few tears in his eyes. "I met TJ on my first day of school. He's in my art
class. We really hit it off. He was sweet and funny and really
good-looking. We talked a lot. We both love horses and riding; he told me
about his family and how they pressure him to play sports even though he
really doesn't enjoy it. I asked him if he would be my model for the
project I am doing. The next day he modeled for me and we talked some
more. When I mentioned that I lived here, he became upset."

"I bet."

"He was upset, because he liked me and I liked him and he knew that he had
made himself public enemy number one as far as you guys were concerned. He
took me out to eat and he told me everything." Ace looked at him like he
didn't believe Devon. "Everything! All about Zak, Dusty, Dylan, Jesse and
you. He also told me his reasons why. And before you say anything, I told
him there was no excuse for bullying. I told him that I had taken a long
time to accept myself and love myself and I would not waste my time on
someone who couldn't or wouldn't accept themselves or who would bully
people just because they were happy when he was miserable. I told him I had
been bullied and I would not tolerate any of my friends or anyone else
being treated like that. He agreed and he told me he would do his best to
change. I let him know that if he didn't then I wouldn't even try to be
with him."

Ace rested his head on Bullet's and sighed. "Dev, I still don't get it. I
don't get how someone like you could be with someone like him."

"Ace, I'm not some perfect angel."

Ace laughed, "No shit."

Devon grinned. "None of us are. But you are seeing TJ through the
experiences you've had with him. And I get that; but please try to see him
through my eyes. I know what he did, but the person who told me all those
things and the person who did all those things aren't the same to me. As
hard as it is for you to reconcile the way I feel about TJ with the way you
feel about TJ, it's just as hard for me. I love you, you know that. And I
love the guys here. I didn't think I would and I didn't think I wanted to,
but you were right, they are all great guys. I'm not asking anyone to
forgive and forget everything that TJ has ever done, but I can't give him
up. I feel like I'm in the middle of a war and I'm gonna lose no matter
what happens."

Ace sighed heavily. "Dev, you're not going to lose me, ever. I swore that
to you when we were eight and I meant it then and mean it now. This is just
gonna take some time for me to process. I want you to be happy. I want you
to find love. If it's TJ then so be it, but it will take me some time."

Devon smiled. He crawled over to Ace and hugged him tight. "Thanks. I knew
I could count on you."

Ace hugged Devon back. "You've always been able to count on me. That's
never going to change. Let's just take this slow, ok? Let me get used to
it, and then we can figure out how we break it to the others."

"Well..."

"Oh, shit, Dev, please tell me you haven't told anyone else."

"Well, I didn't exactly tell him," Devon shrugged. "I was supposed to give
Spin a ride home after school today and I forgot so he came to the art room
and caught me and TJ making out."

"Oh, God, you're kidding," Ace laughed.

"No. He thought TJ was attacking me and the little shit jumped him. We had
a long talk and I asked him not to say anything. That's why I wanted to
tell you tonight, cuz I didn't know how long he would last.

"Knowing Spin, not long."

"I know; he's not really good with the impulse control is he?"

"I told you he was just like you." Ace grinned.

"That's not a bad thing you know," Devon mused. "You should have seen
him. He saw a guy that had been a headache for his friends and he thought I
was in danger and he didn't hesitate. He jumped on TJ and started whaling
on him."

"And how did TJ react?"

"He dumped him on the floor and just tried to restrain him and not hurt
him," Devon answered. "He knew who he was and that he was my friend. He
really is trying to change. He could have kicked Spin's ass if he wanted
to."

"Maybe there's hope for him yet."

"Can I ask you a favor?" Devon asked.

"You already know the answer to that."  "Well, you might not want to agree
to this."

"But you can still ask."

"Ok, I was telling you earlier, the project I'm doing is a series of
pictures in different mediums of TJ. I'm using paints, charcoal, pencil,
and photography, everything I can think of. The centerpiece is going to be
a fully painted formal portrait. I'm having him pose in a variety of
clothes and uniforms to use all of these pictures to `paint' a true
portrait of who he is."

"Sounds pretty cool and very labor-intensive. I know it shocked me, but the
picture you had in the studio was really good."

"Thanks. It's a lot of work, but I think it's going to turn out amazing."

"So where does this favor come in?"

"I didn't say anything about a favor."

"Dev, this is me you're talking to. I know you. `Can I ask you something?'
is Dev-code for `I need a favor'."

"Well, can I borrow Bullet?"

"Huh? You can ride him anytime, you know that."

"Not for me."

"For who...oh, come on...you can't be serious."

"I'm not going to take him on a trail ride or anything. TJ really likes
riding. He hasn't been able to in a while, and I hope once things get
straightened out we can change that. But for one of the pictures, I want
him to pose with Bullet. It would only be one afternoon. You know me, I
sketch really fast and then do the rest from memory."

"I guess so, but it's not going to go over well with the guys if he's
here."

"I know. I was thinking we could plan on a day maybe the week after next
and then you could take everyone to a movie or something that afternoon;
then the coast would be clear for me to get the work done."

"I guess so. Just have TJ ready to go. I'll plant the idea with the guys
about doing something after school, the Friday after next. Maybe go right
to the mall for dinner and a movie. Jesse will probably be at Dylan's. I
doubt he'll be back to school by then."

"Ok, I'll talk to TJ and we'll make plans for that afternoon."

"I'll text you when we're on our way home and you need to get him out of
here. Or else, you're going to have to explain everything to the guys."

"No problem." Devon grinned. "Thanks, Ace."

Ace grinned. "You know I can't say no to you, shithead."

Ace stood up and offered Devon a hand up. Both boys brushed the hay and
shavings off themselves.

Bullet lumbered to his feet. He shook himself and the guys laughed as they
had to brush themselves off a second time.

Devon looked at his watch and then out the barn window. "Look at how bright
that moon is," he said as he turned and grinned at Ace.

Ace grinned back. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

Devon nodded. "But this time we keep our clothes on--it's too damn cold out
there."

Both boys laughed.

Devon ran to get Bullet's bridle, while Ace led the gelding out into the
barnyard.

A few minutes later, several of the boys in the main house were watching
out their windows as Bullet galloped towards the trail carrying the two
friends.

***

Jesse's sixteenth birthday was the second Tuesday in February. Danny was
more excited about the date than even Jesse.

Danny had wanted to throw Jesse a `Sweet Sixteen' party, since it was his
first birthday as part of their family, but Jesse had insisted that any
parties be put off until Dylan was well enough to attend.

While Dylan seemed to be gaining strength, he was still very tired and more
than likely would be out of school at least three to four more weeks.

Since Spin and Dylan shared many of the same classes, Spin had taken it on
himself to collect Dylan's school work during the week and pass it along to
Jesse to bring to Dylan every Friday. Spin would catch a ride to Dylan's on
Sunday nights to go over his assignments and pick up any finished work to
return to school.

Everyone was suitably impressed with Spin's diligence in making sure that
Dylan was up on all his classes, so he wouldn't be in danger of not
graduating to the sophomore class in the fall.

Since they were `banned' from having a party for Jesse, Danny and CJ
instead hosted a family dinner for him on the night of his birthday. In
addition to Danny, CJ, Zak, Dusty, Spin and Mattie; Sarge, Ace, Devon,
Erik, Jamie, Josh and Casey were invited to the dinner. The boys were all
instructed that any presents were to wait until the party.  Earlier that
afternoon, Danny had taken Jesse to the Department of Motor Vehicles so he
could take his driver's test. Jesse had passed with flying colors and was
now in possession of his driver's license.

Everyone at his birthday dinner congratulated Jesse on getting his driver's
license.

Even though it was the heart of winter, Danny had hired a caterer to create
a true `Taste of Florida' dinner.

Jesse was elated by the meal and Danny and CJ, having lived in Florida,
loved it. The others were apprehensive at first, but in the end all enjoyed
the meal of conch chowder, conch fritters, orange-glazed chicken and key
lime pie.

When the meal was finished, the servers wheeled out a huge cake in the
shape of a Chevy Camaro.

After everyone had finished singing `Happy Birthday' to Jesse, Danny ran
and turned on the stereo before Jesse could blow out his candles. The song
`Sixteen Candles' came over the speakers. Everyone laughed and sang along
as Jesse blew out his candles.

"That's a cool cake," CJ said as everyone admired the pastry. "Danny, what
did you use for the model?" he asked with a grin.

All the boys were watching Jesse cut the cake oblivious to what was
happening.

"Model?" Danny asked with a glint in his eye. "I used Jesse's car."

Hearing that Jesse stopped as he was slicing the cake. He looked up to see
all eyes on him.

"My what?" he said as he dropped the knife.

"Your car," Danny said with a grin. "Why don't you go look outside."

Jesse's feet didn't hit the ground as he ran to the front door. He bolted
outside and stopped in front of a brand new silver Camaro.

He turned around to see everyone had followed him out. Danny and CJ stood
right behind him. Jesse jumped into CJ's arms and hugged him hard and then
dropped down and grabbed Danny. He hugged Danny even harder. Then he pulled
CJ to them and hugged both his `dads' as hard as he could.

"Thank you," he whispered over and over again. "It's awesome, but you
di..."

Danny whispered in his ear, "Don't you even think about saying we didn't
have to or you don't deserve it. Yes, we did and yes, you do. We love you,
Jesse. I know we're more like your big brothers than your dads but we want
you to know how much we, and everyone here, love you. I'm sorry Dylan's not
here, cuz I know how important he is to you, to all of us. But, once he's
recovered, we are going to have a big party to celebrate your birthday and
Dylan's escape."

Jesse looked between CJ and Danny with tears in his eyes. "You guys will
never know how much I love you, how much I love living here and being with
everyone. You saved me," he said as he hugged them again.

"Ok, no more tears," CJ ordered as he dangled the keys in front of
Jesse. "I think you need to take it for a test drive."

Jesse's eyes lit up. He pulled out his phone and hit speed dial. "Hey,
Dyl...are you up?...good...I'm on my way over to show you something...be
there in a few...me, too..."

"Ok, let's go," he called over to the crowd.

In a group that large there are friendships and relationships that develop
between different people. When Jesse called out `Let's go' everyone knew
who he was talking to. Mattie, Ace and Zak poured into the car and Jesse
jumped into the driver's seat and started it up.

He rolled down the window. "We'll be right back. Everyone have some cake
while we're gone."

Danny said, "Hold on a second." He ran into the house and came out a few
minutes later. He went around to the passenger door and handed Ace a
bag. "Here's some of the treats from dinner for Dylan. Maybe this stuff
will bring his appetite back."

Jesse backed up and pulled out of the driveway.

As everyone watched the Camaro drive off CJ turned to Devon, Dusty and
Spin. "How did you guys get left behind?"

"Cuz you bought him a little sports car," Spin said sarcastically.

Dusty smacked him on the back of the head. "We know the score. We all love
Jesse, just like we all love each other, but Jesse is closest to those
three. We knew exactly who he was taking on his first ride."

"And you're ok with that?" CJ asked.

"Why wouldn't we be?" Dusty answered. "We're all close, but we have people
that we are closer to for whatever reasons. We all hang out together all
the time, so it's not like anyone is being pushed aside. If it had been
Ace, he would have taken Dev, Jesse and Dyl; if it had been me, I would
have taken Zak, Mattie and Spin. It's not playing favorites, it's just the
people that for whatever reason we feel closest to."

Spin and Devon nodded. They all went back into the house to enjoy the cake
while they waited for the others to return.

Jesse pulled into Dylan's driveway. Before he had even turned the Camaro
off, Dylan came flying out of the front door. He had on sweats and sneakers
and his parka.

Dylan ran around to the driver's side of the car and pulled open the door.

Jesse jumped out of the car and Dylan grabbed him in a hug.

"It's awesome!!" Dylan cried.

"What are you doing out here?" Jesse reprimanded Dylan. "I wanted you to
see it from your window; I don't want you getting sicker."

"I'm ok--I promised my parents I would only come out for a minute. But I
knew that you were gonna get a car and I wanted to see it close up." Dylan
hugged Jesse even tighter. "It's so cool, we are gonna have so much fun."

"Not if you get sicker," Jesse said as he grabbed Dylan's hand and led him
to the house. Mattie, Ace and Zak followed the two into the house.

Once they were inside, Jesse said, "We're not staying long, I just wanted
you to see the car and Danny wanted you to have some of my birthday
dinner." He took the bag from Ace. "Hopefully, this will get your appetite
going."

Dylan took the bag and peeked inside. "Smells good. Maybe I'll try some
later. But I need you to come upstairs with me." He turned to his other
friends. "Can you guys just wait here for a minute?"

The three boys laughed and nodded. Zak led them into the living room where
Dylan's parents were and they sat down and visited with Mr. and
Mrs. Summers.

Dylan took Jesse's hand and led him up the stairs and into his bedroom.

He left Jesse in the middle of the room and went over to his dresser. He
had his iPod hooked up to some speakers. He hit play on the iPod and music
filled the room.

Jesse listened for a second and laughed. For the second time that night he
was listening to The Crests' `Sixteen Candles'.

Dylan took Jesse's hand in his and led him to the center of the room. He
wrapped his arms around his boyfriend and began to sway to the music. Jesse
held Dylan tight while the two danced in the middle of Dylan's messy
bedroom.

Jesse was having trouble holding back his emotions. He thought about where
he had been six months ago. Losing Seb and his mom in a matter of days and
being beaten by Roger, his stepfather. Spending almost two months on the
run, before being found by Danny. He had thought his life was over, that no
one would ever love him. He was starting to think he didn't deserve
love. Now he had two dads who showered him with affection, friends who
treated him better than he had ever imagined and a boyfriend who he loved
so much. He couldn't believe how lucky he was.

Dylan had closed his eyes as he swayed to the music. He opened them to look
into Jesse's eyes. He saw the huge tears welling in Jesse's eyes.

Dylan hugged Jesse tight. "I know," he cooed. "I feel it too. We both think
we don't deserve to be this happy, but we do. We both survived and now we
have our friends, our families and each other. You make me so happy every
day. I love you so much."

Jesse looked into Dylan's big green eyes. The emotion that swept over him
was something he couldn't describe. He had loved Seb for so long, he never
even looked at another boy. Even when he thought Seb was straight, he still
held the candle for his friend. When he had first met Dylan and started to
have feelings for him, he felt like he was betraying Seb in some way. But
he realized that not finding happiness and someone to share it with would
be the biggest betrayal of Seb's memory.

The song stopped and Jesse started to pull away, but Dylan held him
tighter.

Dylan smiled brightly. "Nope, one more dance."

The next song came on and Dylan started to sing along to Dylan.

"You're sixteen, you're beautiful and you're mine," Dylan sang along to
Ringo Starr's `You're Sixteen'. "You walked out of my dreams, into my arms,
now you're my angel divine."

Jesse started laughing and grabbed Dylan as hard as he could. He nuzzled
Dylan's neck. It tickled Dylan so he had a hard time singing.

Jesse licked his way up Dylan's neck and placed his lips gently to
Dylan's. The two kissed until they were breathless.

"Oh, God. I love you," Jesse whispered.

"Me, too," Dylan replied and he embraced Jesse.

The two had a habit of never answering an `I love you' with anything other
than `me, too'.

Dylan fell back on his bed pulling Jesse with him.

"Oh, man," he sighed. "That took a lot out of me. I think I moved more in
the last half hour than I have in the last month."

"Are you ok?" Jesse asked, the concern in his voice evident.

Dylan smiled at Jesse. "I'm fine. I'm just tired. That's the worst thing
about this. Physically, I'm getting better every day. I don't feel as sick
as I did and the headaches are nowhere near as bad, but I get so tired all
the time."

"The doctor told you it would be like that. Even when he finally lets you
go back to school, he said it could still be six months or more before you
are a hundred percent."

"Man, this sucks!!' Dylan shouted. "I never thought I'd say this...but I
want to go back to school. I'm going stir-crazy in here."

"Well, if you don't overdo it, maybe the doctor will let you go back to
school soon. Another couple of weeks."

Dylan rolled over and latched onto Jesse. "I hope so. I'm gonna go nuts if
I'm here anymore. And I wanna ride in that new car. Next year you can teach
me to drive it."

"Sure," Jesse said. "But that's a while off, so for now, I'll just have to
be your chauffeur," he laughed.

"I'm so glad you came over," Dylan sighed. "Even if it's just for a few
minutes, I couldn't stand the thought of not seeing you on your birthday."

Jesse stood up and pulled Dylan to him. He hugged Dylan. "I know. I would
have figured a way to get over here, even if they hadn't given me the
car. As much as I love the car, just being with you today is the best
birthday present ever." He kissed Dylan gently. "Where did you get those
songs though? They're not your usual music." He giggled.

Dylan grinned. "Zak. You know how he loves oldies. He gave me a bunch to
listen to and I wanted to dance with you to those two on your sixteenth
birthday."

 "Well, I'll always remember this birthday and getting to dance with you."
Jesse smiled as he gazed into Dylan's eyes. "But we gotta go now and you
need some rest."

Dylan laid his head on Jesse's shoulder. "Ok. But come and see me tomorrow
after school. Hey, you can take me to my doctor's appointment. Instead of
my mom."

Jesse nodded. "If she'll let me, sure. I'll pick you up after school."

"I'll be ready," Dylan agreed as he walked Jesse down the stairs.

Zak, Mattie and Ace were waiting for them with Dylan's parents. Mr. and
Mrs. Summers both commented on Jesse's new car and wished him a happy
birthday. Then the boys took off for home.

*** Ace, Devon, Zak and Jesse all pulled into the school parking lot at the
same time. Spin was with Zak and Mattie was with Jesse. They had all driven
their own cars since they had divergent plans after school.

Ace had talked Mattie, Spin, Zak and Dusty into going to the mall in Hollis
to see a movie and grab a bite to eat.

Jesse was going to Dylan's for their Friday night sleepover. He had dropped
off Kaya at Dylan's on his way to school so that he wouldn't have to run
home and get her.

Devon, as far as everyone knew, was staying after school to work on his
project. In reality, he and TJ were heading to the ranch so that Devon
could do his sketches of TJ with Bullet. Ace would call Devon when they
left the restaurant so that they had time to clear out before everyone
returned.

The guys all huddled together in the parking lot before heading into
school.

"Hey, Dev, you sure you don't wanna go with us?" Zak asked.

"Yeah," nodded Mattie. "You stay after school almost every day. It's not
too often we get a chance to go out like this."

"Thanks, guys, but I'm kinda on a deadline for this project so I need to
put in the time while I can," Devon answered. "I promise, next time I'll
go. Who knows, maybe by then I'll even have a date."  Spin and Ace both
looked at Devon knowingly. Spin didn't say anything; he just stomped off
towards the school.

The younger boys headed off after Spin, while Ace and Devon hung back.

"Dev, this better be over soon, cuz Spin looks like he is gonna blow," Ace
said.

Devon nodded. "I know. Let's get through today and then we can figure out a
way to get it out there without anyone getting too pissed off."

Ace shook his head. "That may be wishful thinking, you know. I want to be
positive for you, but this isn't gonna be easy, not by a long stretch."

"I know, but all I can do is try."

"What happens if it doesn't work? What happens if the guys can't accept
TJ?"

"I don't know, Ace, I just don't know. I love the guys and the ranch, but I
love TJ too. It's like having to decide between my love and my family and I
don't know if I can do it."

"Well, like you said, let's get through today and then we'll see what
happens."

Devon nodded and the two entered the school and headed to their first
class.

After school, Zak, Ace, Mattie and Spin met up in the parking lot. Dusty
was waiting for them next to Zak's SUV. Danny had dropped him off so that
they wouldn't have a third car. The plan was for everyone to spend the
night at the ranch so they wouldn't have to worry about dropping anyone off
after dinner.

Spin had to wait for Jesse to give him Dylan's homework assignments.

Ace told Mattie, Zak and Dusty to go ahead since there was a store at the
mall they wanted to check out. He'd wait and drive himself and Spin over

Spin and Ace waited for Jesse, who appeared to be running behind.

Finally, Jesse came running out of the school.

"About time!" Spin hollered when Jesse was close to where they were
waiting.

Jesse stopped in front of them. He was out of breath from
running. "S-s-sorry..." he panted. He took a second to catch his
breath. "Sorry, I had to check with my biology teacher about an assignment
and he was running behind."

"No harm, no foul," Ace said.

Jesse collected all Dylan's work from Spin and threw it into his car.

Ace and Spin left in Ace's truck and Jesse got in his car and headed to
Dylan's.

When they were on their way Ace said, "Thanks, Spin."

"For what?"

"For not blabbing about Devon and TJ."

"He told you?"

"He told me a couple of weeks ago. He said that you had caught him and that
he asked you not to say anything yet," Ace said. "I know that's probably
been hard for you."

Spin nodded. "I feel like I'm lying, not saying anything. And I might do a
lot of things I'm not supposed to, but I am not a liar."

"Spin, no one thinks you are a liar. A friend asked you not to discuss his
personal life. At best it's a sin of omission, it's not a lie. The only way
it would be a lie would be if someone asked you directly about TJ and Devon
and you then lied and Devon would not expect you to do that, none of us
would. As long as TJ is not a danger to Devon, then he has a right to his
privacy."

"Are you sure he's not a danger?"

"No, I'm not. Not in the least. But Devon is. Devon loves him,
Spin. There's nothing any of us can do to change that. I've talked to him
quite a bit about this. I know it's gonna be fireworks when the shit hits
the fan, but Devon's a big boy and sink or swim, he has to make his own
decision on this."

"I guess. It's just that I like Devon and I don't want to see him get
hurt."

"Neither do I. Devon's always been a good judge of character--maybe he sees
something in TJ the rest of us don't."

"I hope so."

Ace started laughing. "Did you really jump TJ?"

Spin nodded. "Damn straight, nobody fucks with my friends!!"

"'Guess it's a good thing that you haven't started your self-defense
training with Josh and Casey yet."

"Yup, cuz then I'm gonna kick ass."

Ace shook his head. "Listen to me carefully, Spin. The stuff they are going
to teach you is for defense, not offense. You only use it to protect
yourself or others...you don't go looking for trouble."

"Ok, but no one better mess with us."

Ace laughed at shook his head. "Has anyone ever told you that you're
incorrigible."

Spin grinned. "More than you could ever imagine."

***

When Jesse got to Dylan's, he let himself in to the house and went upstairs
to Dylan's room.

He knocked on the door.

"Come in."

Jesse opened the door.

Dylan was sitting at his desk with Kaya laying at his feet. He was dressed
in sweats and a t-shirt.

"Hey, what are you knocking for?" Dylan asked.

Jesse walked up behind Dylan and hugged him. "Just being polite."

"Well, knock it off," Dylan laughed. "You've practically lived here for the
last few weekends. You come into the house on your own, so you can
certainly come into the bedroom without knocking."

"Ok," Jesse laughed. "You seem to have a bit of energy today."

"I actually feel good for the first time in a long time. I do have some
energy."

"That's great. When do you go to the doctor?"

"Monday I go and hopefully I'll get back to school by the following
Monday."

"Then we need to make sure you are all caught up on your schoolwork."

"Later," Dylan said as he stood up to face Jesse. "I told you I finally
have my energy back..." He giggled.

Dylan wrapped his arms around Jesse's neck and drew him closer.

Dylan kissed and licked at Jesse's neck. His hands traveled from Jesse's
waist up his back.

"They're gone," he whispered in Jesse's ear.

"Who's gone?" Jesse asked.

"My parents," Dylan said, grinning. "My mom was picking dad up at work and
they are going to dinner and a movie; they won't be back till late."

Jesse looked over at the door, as if he was expecting Dylan's parents to
come charging through any minute. "Are you sure?"

Dylan nodded. `Positive." Dylan took hold of the hem of Jesse's t-shirt and
pulled it over Jesse's head. He looked at Jesse's slim muscular chest and
inhaled deeply. He bent down to kiss Jesse's chest.

Before Dylan's tongue could start on his chest, Jesse took Dylan's face
gently in his hands and lifted it so they were staring into each other's
eyes.

"Dylan, are you sure?" Jesse asked.

Dylan knew the meaning of this question. He nodded. "More sure than I've
ever been," he gasped. "Jess, I love you. So much it hurts. I never thought
I would ever feel this way after..." His eyes drifted and then his focus
went back to Jesse. "But, I do. I'm not ready for all of it, but I want to
be with you. I know I'm not ..." His eyes drifted again.

Jesse took Dylan's chin in his hand and moved his head so they were eye to
eye again. "Not what?" he asked. "A virgin?"

Dylan nodded as a few tears came to his eyes.

Jesse pulled Dylan to him. "Dylan, I know Zak told you this, but maybe
hearing it from me will make it more clear. You are a virgin. Just like I
am. You were Cody's victim and what he did to you was not love, not sex,
not your choice. I want to be with you in the worst way. I love you so
much. I thought I was betraying Seb, but I realized that he would want this
for me more than anything. All he ever wanted was for me to be happy and I
have never been happier than this in my life. But, listen to me. When we
finally do this, it's going to be for all the right reasons. It's going to
be when we are both in the right place physically and mentally. We are
going to give ourselves to each other and it is going to be beautiful. We
will lose our virginity together."

A few tears fell from Dylan's eyes as he listened to Jesse. "But, not
tonight..."

Jesse shook his head. "No, not tonight. If we do this tonight, then it's
just physical. You still aren't ready yet. And I don't think I am either."
He saw the disappointment in Dylan's eyes. "Dyl, look at me." Dylan looked
into Jesse's eyes. "This is about the journey, not the destination. We are
going to be together for a long time. When we do this it's not gonna be cuz
your parents are out and we have a few hours to ourselves. It's gonna be
cuz everything is right and we have all the time we need to explore and
love each other."

Dylan grabbed Jesse tight. "I love you," he whispered.

"Me, too," Jesse replied as he hugged Dylan back. "Me, too."

***

Devon pulled into his usual parking spot in front of the ranch house. TJ
pulled in alongside him.

Devon led TJ into the house and through the kitchen to the garage/studio.

"Nice," TJ whistled as he looked around. "You have a really nice setup
here."

"It was all Ace," Devon said. "He knew how important this was to me, so his
dad let him take over the garage and he did all the clean-up and setup
before I got here. Then CJ sent us to Michaels and another art supply shop
and told us to get whatever I needed. He was so generous. At first I
wondered why, but Ace explained that he and Danny are like that with
everyone they think of as family. I was shocked at first--they hadn't even
met me and they were calling me family; but that's how everyone here has
made me feel. Probably more than my `real' family."

"You're lucky then," TJ said. "They are encouraging you to be the best at
what you like instead of trying to cram a square peg into a round hole."

Devon walked over to TJ and wrapped his arms around him.

"Have you talked to your parents, yet?" Devon asked.

"No." TJ shook his head. "I'm afraid to. Telling my dad I don't want to
play football my senior year will piss him off to no end; telling him I'm
gay and here's my artist boyfriend...will probably kill him." TJ rolled his
eyes. "And my mother will get so over-dramatic and play her `Do you know
what I went through to have you' act. It's gonna be all about her."

"I'm sorry," Devon said. "It's not like you have to do anything now. But it
is your senior year and you only get one, so you should be able to do what
you want. If you want to play football, then I will be out there every
Saturday night being your personal cheerleader, but if you don't then you
shouldn't."

"You make it sound so easy."

"Easy? Very little is `easy', but if you want it bad enough then you fight
for it. That's why you have friends, `real' friends who will support you
even when it's not easy."

TJ bent down and kissed Devon. "What did I do to deserve you?" he asked.

Devon returned the kiss and grinned. "I ask myself that all the time," he
laughed.

Devon looked at the garment bag that TJ had brought in with him. "What did
you bring to wear?" he asked excitedly.

TJ unzipped the bag and showed Devon the two outfits he had asked TJ to
bring. One was a full hunter/jumper show outfit and the other was a western
ensemble--jeans and button-down western shirt. TJ also had a separate bag
that held his tall boots and western boots as well as his helmet.

"Perfect," Devon said excitedly. "C'mon, let's get you in the more formal
stuff first. Then we'll do the western clothes. Bullet is definitely a
western horse so he'll be perfect for those pictures, but we need a horse
for the English stuff."

TJ could see the wheels turning in Devon's head. "No, Dev."

Devon looked at TJ; he was puzzled. "No, what?"

"You can't use that horse."

"What horse?" Suddenly Devon understood. "Onyx?" TJ nodded. "Oh, don't
worry. The thought hadn't even crossed my mind. First of all, Zak and Dusty
would kill both of us and second, I'm not going anywhere near that horse
without Zak around. He's pretty cool when Zak's here, but when he's not,
look out. No, no way would I use him. I was thinking one of the
Arabians. Probably, Apollo. He's Zak's too, but he's very mellow and he
doesn't have a history with you, so Zak shouldn't freak out
completely. Besides you aren't gonna ride him. We'll get you dressed up and
then just tack up Apollo and you'll hold him, like you just finished an
event."

"Ok, that's sounds good," TJ agreed. "So where do you want me to change?"

"You can use my room." Devon gave TJ directions to his bedroom and then
told him that he should come to the new arena when he was ready.

In the meantime, Devon went to get Apollo tacked up for the modeling
session.

Devon was just finishing tacking up Apollo, when he heard a noise behind
him. He turned expecting to see TJ. "About time you..." He stopped when he
saw Jamie standing behind him. "Hey, Jamie. I thought I was alone in here."

"Hey, Devon," Jamie said. "Everyone else is out. Sarge gave most of the
guys the night off, but I told them that I'd take care of the evening
feedings in here. Then Erik and I are going to take a couple of horses out
on the trail. I told him I'd take care of the feedings and he's getting the
horses ready."

"Oh, ok." Devon nodded. "You weren't planning on taking Apollo were you?"

Jamie shook his head. "No. We usually use the trail horses, since Erik is
still learning. I'm just gonna finish up here real quick and then meet him
over at the main barn."

"That's cool," Devon said. "I've just got a friend here who's gonna model
for an art project. We're gonna use Apollo and Bullet, but we'll probably
be done before you get back."

"Sounds good," Jamie said. "If I don't see you later, have a good evening."

"You, too." Devon watched as Jamie walked away. He didn't know what it was
but there was something about that guy that bugged him. He knew that Ace
wasn't too keen on him either, but most of the guys liked him and as far as
they knew he hadn't done anything wrong, so they just left it.

Devon finished getting Apollo ready and led him to the arena. TJ was just
getting there.  Devon had TJ lead Apollo over to one of the rails and stand
to the side of the horse, holding him by the reins.

Devon sketched furiously for about a half hour and had TJ move into several
poses. For the English poses, he didn't actually want TJ on the horse, he
was just using Apollo as a prop.

When Devon had everything he wanted, he sent TJ back to change and he took
Apollo to the barn.

Devon quickly took Apollo's tack off, brushed him down and put him up.

He then went to get Bullet.

He groomed the black horse until his coat shined. He put Bullet's bridle on
him, but decided against a saddle.

He led Bullet outside and waited for TJ to return.

The sun was just starting to set. As he waited for TJ he scanned the
horizon looking for the light view he wanted. He saw it at the start of one
of the trails they often used.

He turned when he heard someone coming. TJ was walking towards him. His
breath caught in his throat. He'd had a thing for cowboys as long as he had
known Ace. And living in Texas had only fed that desire. But seeing the boy
he loved coming towards him all decked out in his `cowboy finest' sent the
blood rushing through his veins.

TJ stopped in front of Devon. "What?" he asked curiously as he looked at
Devon.

"God, you make a hot cowboy," Devon declared.

TJ laughed nervously, "If you say so."

"I do say so," Devon said. "Let's move, or I'm gonna lose the light."

Devon led Bullet to the spot he had chosen at the entrance to the
trail. There were several pine trees there and you could just see the
setting sun glowing through the trees. It looked like the woods were on
fire.

He had TJ mount Bullet and ride him around in a circle just to get the
horse used to him. Devon decided that with the fading light, he would use
the camera to shoot as much as possible and then sketch and draw later from
the photographs.

Devon turned from boyfriend into director in the blink of an eye. He had TJ
ride Bullet around stopping in different settings and poses. He made TJ
remove his shirt at one point so he could get some `end of day' and casual
shots. That didn't last long since the temperature was plummeting as the
sun set.

After thirty furious minutes, Devon finally told TJ he thought he had what
he needed.

Devon handed TJ his jacket since it was getting very cold. He dropped his
camera in his jacket pocket and reached up. TJ grabbed his hand and Devon
swung up behind him.

Devon knew how much TJ had missed riding, so he just enjoyed the time the
two of them took riding back to the barn.

*** Jesse and Dylan lay on Dylan's bed with Kaya lying between them. Both
boys had a hand on Kaya's back, their fingers interlaced. They had just
finished watching a movie on Dylan's television.

"Oh." Jesse sat up quickly. Both Kaya and Dylan jumped at the unexpected
movement. "I almost forgot. I never showed you the pictures from my
birthday dinner."

Jesse ran over to his backpack and dug out his phone.

He flipped through the pictures on the phone and found the first one from
the dinner. He sat next to Dylan and handed him the phone.

Dylan started flipping through the pictures as Jesse watched over his
shoulder.

One of the pictures caught Dylan's attention. He stared at it for a moment
and then paled visibly.

Jesse noticed as Dylan paled and then stiffened. "Dyl, what's wrong?" he
asked.

Dylan handed the phone back to Jesse. "I need you to e-mail that picture to
me," he said as he jumped off the bed and ran over to his desk.

"Why?"

"Jesse, please, just e-mail it to me, as big as it can be," Dylan begged.

"Ok," Jesse replied as he did as Dylan asked.

Dylan booted up his computer and pulled up his e-mail. He saw the mail from
Jesse. He moved his cursor over the highlighted text and stopped.

Jesse walked over and placed his hands on Dylan's shoulders. He could feel
the tension that was taking over Dylan's muscles.

"Dylan, what's wrong?" he asked.

Dylan said nothing as he clicked the e-mail open and then opened the
picture.

He increased the size of the picture until he could clearly see what he was
looking for.

"Jesse, who is that?" he asked as the face filled the computer screen.

Jesse looked at the picture. "That's Jamie," he answered. "Oh, that's
right. He started the same week you got sick, so you haven't met him. CJ
caught hell from Sarge for hiring him without a background check. But he's
a really nice guy. I think he and Erik have a thing going."

"Erik?" Dylan asked.

"Yeah, Erik Chen. You might not remember, you met him the first day of the
semester. Zak brought him to have lunch with us, but you were pretty out of
it."

Dylan dug through his foggy memories. He remembered a slight Asian boy that
had come to lunch with Zak one day.

Dylan took a deep breath as the fear and dread took hold of him. He reached
into his drawer and grabbed his Lorazepam. He fished out a pill and placed
it in his mouth and took a swig of water to wash it down.

"Dylan, you're scaring me," Jesse said. "What is wrong?"

Dylan turned to Jesse with tears in his eyes. "That boy in the picture...
his name is not `Jamie'...it's Cody...he's the boy who raped me."